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CC - Item 5B - Minutes of July 25, 2023MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING JULY 25, 2023 The regular meeting of the Rosemead City Council was called to order by Mayor Ly at 7:04 p.m., in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Mayor Ly, Mayor Pro Tern Clark, Council Members Armenta, Dang, and Low ABSENT: None PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Mayor Ly INVOCATION was led by Mayor Pro Tem Clark STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Kim, City Attorney Richman, Assistant City Manager Bruckner, Director of Finance Chua, Interim Director of Community Development Wong, Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking, Director of Public Works Chung, and City Clerk Hernandez 1. PUBLIC COMMENT There being no speakers, Mayor Ly opened and closed the Public Comment period. 2. PRESENTATIONS A. Introduction of Newly Hired Human Resources Manager, Alicia Ramirez Assistant City Manager Bruckner introduced Alicia Ramirez as the Human Resources Manager; provided an overview of Mrs. Ramirez's background and familiarity with the City of Rosemead. Human Resources Manager Ramirez stated my priorities are to lead, mentor and proactively assist our team members in becoming more proficient and seek professional growth and development for them. The City Council welcomed Mrs. Ramirez to the Rosemead family. B. Proclamation Declaring August 4, 2023, as "National Night Out" in the City of Rosemead The City Council presented a proclamation to Public Safety Supervisor Wong declaring August 4, 2023 as "National Night Out". Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 1 of 25 AGENDA ITEM 5.11 3. PUBLIC HEARING A. Conduct a Public Hearing Regarding New Solid Waste Collection Service Rates by Republic Services and Adoption of Resolution No. 2023-45 Confirming Waste Collection Service Rates In September 2016, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (SB)1383 also known as the Short -Lived Climate Pollutants Bill into law. Under SB 1383, local jurisdictions are required to implement an organic waste recycling program and provide organic waste collection and recycling services to all residential dwellings and commercial properties within their boundaries. On May 9, 2023, the City Council awarded an exclusive integrated solid waste handling services franchise agreement to Consolidated Disposal Services (dba Republic Services), directed staff to set a public hearing for the proposed collection Service Rates, and prepare and mail the prescribed notice as required under Section 6 of Article XIII.D of the California Constitution. The public hearing notices for new proposed solid waste rates were mailed out to all parcels June 9, 2023. Recommendation: That the City Council take the following actions: 1. Conduct a public protest hearing pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII.D of the California Constitution, and after receiving public testimony and if deemed acceptable, approve the rate increase and five-year adjustment formula outlined within the franchise agreement, unless there is a majority protest; and 2. Adopt Resolution No. 2023-45, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA TO CONSIDER AND APPROVE SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE RATES; and Find that the Project is exempt from CEQA review pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Carrie Baxter, R3 Consulting Group, Inc., stated on May 9th the City Council approved a new contract with Republic Services; noted the term of this agreement goes into effect on August I". Explained the rate structure for the monthly solid waste collection services is for three customer classes: residential, multifamily, and commercial. As shown in the notices that were mailed out to customers, the rates for each customer class are determined based on the size of the container serving the property, the materials accepted in the container, garbage, recycling, and organics, and the frequency of the pickups per week, and any additional services that may be required by the customer. Asserted that the proposed rate increases are necessary for Republic Services to provide mandatory organic waste collection services, which are required through the new regulations of SB 1383. These increases our city's solid waste system costs in a few ways, including the expansion of collection services to new Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 2 of 25 customers, diversion of all organic materials through processing facilities approved by CalRecycle, and related reporting and monitoring requirements. Other portions of the proposed rates include city costs to administer the agreement, supporting city infrastructure and services, and complying with state recycling and diversion mandates. The proposed rates have been calculated to cover these reasonable actual costs needed to provide services to the city and Republic Services would implement those rates as specified in the agreement and in the notices that went out to residents and businesses effective August 1, 2023, assuming there is no major protest from tonight's public hearing. Mayor Ly opened the floor for his colleagues to ask any questions. Mayor Pro Tern Clark shared that someone asked her if we are providing food bins for residents if they want them since we have to recycle all food waste? Mayor Ly responded that is a question for Republic Services, not our consultant for the solid waste RFP. However, the answer is yes that food bins will be provided to residents. Council Member Armenta asked if Ms. Baxter could provide a summary of SB 1383 as it seems some residents think that we could go against the law based on the letters of protest we received. Please also explain the ramifications of not abiding by this law. Ms. Baxter summarized SB 1383 went into effect at the beginning of 2022, which requires all jurisdictions in the state to adopt ordinances requiring the collection and diversion of organic materials that include yard and food waste collection. Explained if the city were to choose not to abide by the law, the State Department CalRecycle has the ability to fine or penalize the city up to $10,000 per day. Council Member Armenta clarified that we could be fined up to $10,000 per day until we come into compliance, correct? Ms. Baxter confirmed that is correct. Mayor Ly opened the Public Comment period. Tina Chen, resident, indicated she does not speak English very well; expressed concern about not understanding the new law. Mayor Ly asked if a Republic Services representative or Ms. Baxter could provide further detail about the Republic Services contract, including what education programs are being implemented and how we are reaching out to communities where we have limited JEnglish speakers. Ms. Baxter responded part of the SB 1383 requirements is to include the majority of translation to different dialects and the contract specifically states that Republic Services will provide English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin) and Vietnamese languages for any outreach materials. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 3 of 25 Council Member Low asked if there is a phone number for folks that need translation to call for more information, rather than reading translated materials. Mayor Ly directed City Manager Kim to set up a meeting with Ms. Chen with a translator to answer all her questions regarding how to handle trash collection moving forward. Craig Denton representing Del Rev Mobile Home Park at 3026 Bartlett Avenue, shared that the Del Rey Mobile Home Park (Park) has been 55 plus senior housing for 35 years since September 1988; pointed out that the Park has not raised most existing residents' rent for five years. Since 2018, the Park's rents are far less than neighboring parks as some other parks charge two to three times more per month than our existing residents pay. Asserted that we do not charge residents for trash, sewer and water. The Park's expenses keep going up yearly for trash, water, property taxes, insurance, maintenance and gardening. Expressed that he is here to object to Republic Services' increase in trash fees and to the new contract proposal. From July 2020 to July 2023, my trash collection fees will have increased to $617.39 plus rollout fees for a total of $653.39 or a 77% increase. We have had the same service for decades that is a 3-cubic yard container with three pickups per week. Through the years I have had a lot of trouble with Republic Services missing pickups; noting even after they have been notified, sometimes they still fail to pick up our trash until the next regular scheduled pickup. Opined it's like pulling teeth to get credit on a bill for the missed pickup, which happens frequently when the regular route driver is on vacation or sick and there is a substitute driver. Mr. Denton stated the new Republic Services contract allows single-family residents 25 bulky item pickups per year and five items per pickup for a total of 125 items in a year, but multifamily dwellings like mine are only allowed five pickups per year and six items per pickup are free for a total of 30 items annually. Pointed out that I have 33 rental units in the park that equate to less than one item per year per rental unit; emphasized this is not equitable. Commented that this new contract is a windfall profit for Republic Services with the increase in rates; stating what business wouldn't like to raise their rates by 68% to 77% in three years. Shared that the Del Rey Mobile Home Parks trash bill in July 2020 was $368.21; in three years, the raises totaled $285.18 with rollout fees for a new total of $653.39. Reiterated this is not a good contract for the business community of Rosemead. Mr. Denton urged the City Council to amend this contract to lower these exorbitant increases and fees; noted I've attached a history of the rate increases for our business for the last three years to my written presentation. Mayor Ly noted that the Council received additional protest letters that will be on file and available to the public; stated there being no further speakers, I'm going to close the Public Comment period of the Public Hearing. City Attorney Richman suggested that it would be relevant to indicate how many protest letters the city has received. City Clerk Hernandez stated prior to the meeting we did receive four protest letters that were included in your agenda packet on Monday and today we received an additional four, then right before the meeting started tonight, we received one more, so in total we received nine protest letters. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 4 of 25 Mayor Pro Tern Clark asked if there's any way to negotiate some of the issues that Mr. Denton brought up or is the contract cast in stone? Also, can a property owner speak to someone to address their concerns? City Attorney Richman replied the Council entered into a franchise agreement that was already approved, unless the City Council wanted to reopen that for further discussion. The property owner can contact a representative from their trash services provider to express their concerns but that would be outside the city's purview because we have already entered into the franchise agreement at this time. Council Member Dang asked in regard to the rates Ms. Baxter mentioned if that was the rate from Table 1 attached to our Staff Report? Ms. Baxter responded the rates is on Attachment B, so it was included in the Prop 218 notice that was sent to all residents and businesses, noting the rates start for residents on page 7. Pointed out that for multifamily or multifamily businesses, the new rates include recycling and organics in the base rate, so it's not comparable to what was previously in place. Commented they were previously only paying for garbage service. Some rate savings could be found in just adjusting the trash container size and starting to implement recycling and organics collection. Council Member Dang referenced Table 1: Summary of Common Rates on page 2 of the Staff Report, which shows the following categories: residential at 96-gallon, commercial 3 cubic yards trash, 4 cubic yards trash, and 6 cubic yards trash. Asked if the rates and information in Table 1 is accurate. Ms. Baxter answered Table 1 is accurate. Council Member Dang asked if Ms. Baxter could read for the record what is the current rate for 3 cubic yards trash versus the proposed rate and what is the percentage change. Ms. Baxter asserted that the current rate, including trash recycling and organics equivalent to the proposed rates, is $342.45. The proposed rates with the same service levels, 3 cubic yards trash, along with the recycling and organics containers is $284.94, which is a savings of $57.51. Council Member Dang ascertained so in terms of percentage, it will be a negative 17%, correct? Ms. Baxter affirmed that is correct. Council Member Dang commented Mr. Denton's numbers and billing is not reflected or is not consistent with the numbers Ms. Baxter read; asked Republic Services to look into our resident's concern since he indicated he has about a 68% increase but our table is showing a negative percentage increase. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 5 of 25 Council Member Armenta stated a 3 cubic yard is supposed to be a savings of 17% but this doesn't match what Mr. Denton has submitted to the Council. So there has to be reasoning behind what we see in front of us, what he submitted and what was put into the Staff Report because even the current rates for a three cycle or a three cubic yard trash is $342.45 and the proposed rate is $284.94 which is a difference of $57.51. Opined we need to get all this straightened out as we're getting different information. Public Works Fiscal & Project Manager Danielle Garcia shared that she can shed some light as she has helped push this solid waste item along to make sure everyone's trash services are as well as can possibly be performed. Stated she spoke with Mr. Denton yesterday when he visited City Hall and outlined the increases from July 2020 to present day which includes the new contract amount and what his rates would be if he had a three cubic yard container and it was picked up in the same frequency as it has been over the past three years. Explained those increases include the allowable increases per the previous agreements as it was written in the prior franchise agreement per the allowable formula and it also includes the changes that were allowed per the new franchise agreement. Also Mr. Denton's rate is for three pickups a week and Table 1 Common Rates only include one pickup per week. Council Member Armenta inquired if Table 1 indicates the rates are only for one pickup because the Table shows the impact of proposed rates, the adjustment amount, and the percentage change in the first year of the new agreement on single-family residential and commercial customers. It does not reflect for one pickup only. Emphasized it's prudent for Council to have all the information such as how many times a pickup so we are prepared when someone speaks or submits something on the matter. City Attorney Richman commented Table 1 consists of the most common rates and that's why the other tables have all the different iterations; stated it's understandable that Council needs to have all pertinent information clearly outlined in the Staff Report. Mayor Pro Tern Clark said my understanding with the state mandating that all the food waste must be put in the green waste bin; noted previously commercial businesses had one blue bin, let's say a three cubic yard, now they have that, and the green rollout and a blue recycle bin, correct? Commented so if they do have all three bins and are doing the recycling properly, then perhaps they wouldn't need to have a pickup three times a week, which might be a way to reduce the cost. Public Works Fiscal & Project Manager Garcia replied that's correct, if they are not eligible for a waiver then they would need to have all three containers. Council Member Dang thanked Ms. Garcia for offering that clarification to Council. Susan Ayala Municipal Relations Manager Republic Services, extended her deepest apologies for audio issues earlier; stated she is available for questions. Mayor Pro Tern Clark asked if Republic Services is open to working with Mr. Denton who has a mobile home park, as well as other businesses, on ways to reduce their cost. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 6 of 25 Municipal Relations Manager Ayala replied yes, we have dedicated Rosemead staff for that purpose that we can send out to assess the building, figure out ways to lower the cost in regard to SB 1383 and answer any other questions that they may have. Shared that we'll have two dedicated local phone numbers so that customers can directly contact someone or they can also visit the Rosemead Chamber Commerce Office, where we have office hours Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and we're going to inform all of the customers via robocalls when their cart exchanges occur. Mayor Pro Tern Clark indicated one of the protest letters brought to our attention the fee for a replacement cart and inquired if it's not the property owner's fault, do they still have to pay for the replacement fee. Are we keeping carts that are still usable and not damaged or are we changing all carts. Municipal Relations Manager Ayala responded yes, we are going to be exchanging all of the carts. Stated we just received the signed agreement as of today; our goal here is to minimize the impact to the community, provide exceptional service and maximize safety. So, to do this will be delivering multifamily and commercial carts this week, noting we are going to start tomorrow, and we'll have them completed by Friday. Then we're going to deliver and roll out the Rosemead residential portion of it on August 14th. Mayor Ly interjected, stating thank you, Ms. Ayala, for your comments and I know Mayor Pro Tern Clark has very important questions that need to get answered. However, tonight's item is about the specific rates themselves. Asserted that if and when my colleagues still need to have a further in-depth as to the new contract and what that means for the services provided, then we can agendize it so we can have Ms. Ayala come in person to discuss then. Reiterated I'm going to ask that my colleagues focus specifically on the rates themselves and the resolution before us tonight. Council Member Armenta asked how many times a commercial three cubic yard trash bin, four cubic yard trash bin, and six cubic yard get picked up per week. Ms. Ayala responded I would say 80% of our commercial accounts are 131 s, meaning it's one three -yard bin one time a week. The four cubic yard are pretty rare as we usually use those when there are space constraints that you require us to go lengthwise as opposed to width. Confirmed the six cubic yard is pretty much obsolete as we have very, very few of those accounts. Mayor Ly commented that I probably speak for my colleagues on this item that this is not an easy vote to increase any rates whatsoever on our residents and our commercial businesses Emphasized we understand, sympathize, and empathize with our residents and businesses. However, we have a mandate from Sacramento that the state has required and a lot of it goes towards organic control and organic collection and waste collection and, which unfortunately is very expensive. That's why we've had to partner with Republic Services to make sure this gets done properly and efficiently. ACTION: Moved by Mayor Pro Tern Clark and seconded by Council Member Dang to take the following action: Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 7 of 25 4. 1. After conducting a public protest hearing pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII.D of the California Constitution, and after receiving public testimony, approve the rate increase and five-year adjustment formula outlined within the franchise agreement, unless there is a majority protest; and 2. Adopt Resolution No. 2023-45, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA TO CONSIDER AND APPROVE SOLID WASTE 3. Find that the Project is exempt from CEQA review pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Ly NOES: None CONSENT CALENDAR ACTION: Moved by Council Member Low and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Clark to approve Consent Calendar Items A, B, and D through F. Consent Calendar Item C was pulled for separate discussion. The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Ly NOES: None A. Claims and Demands • Resolution No. 2023-43 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA, ALLOWING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND DEMANDS IN THE SUM OF $2,094,326.51 CHECKS NUMBERED 114454 THROUGH NUMBER 114564, DRAFTS NUMBERED 6605 THROUGH NUMBER 6649 AND EFT NUMBERED 51770 THROUGH NUMBER 51791 INCLUSIVELY Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2023-43. B. Minutes Recommendation: That the City Council approve the special meeting minutes of July 11, 2023. D. Memorandum of Agreement Between the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and the City of Rosemead for Participation in the San Gabriel Valley Regional Food Recovery Program In 2016, Senate Bill (SB) 1383 was passed by the California State legislature and signed by Governor Brown. It implemented statewide targets to reduce the disposal Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 8 of 25 of organic waste and increase the recovery of edible food for human consumption. SB 1383 requires local jurisdictions to establish food recovery programs and strengthen existing food recovery networks. The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) developed a Regional Food Recovery Program plan to assist participating cities with the implementation of an edible food recovery recycling and enforcement program. Participation in this program will assist the city in meeting the edible food recovery program requirements of SB 1383. Staff recommends that the City participate in the SGVCOG Regional Food Recovery Program. Recommendation: That the City Council take the following actions: 1. Authorize the City Manager to sign and execute the Memorandum of Agreement with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments for participation in the San Gabriel Valley Regional Food Recovery Program subject to recommended revisions by City Manager and City Attorney; and 2. Find that the Project is exempt from CEQA review pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. E. Amendment to the Storm Water Catch Basin Upgrade Project Contract In May 2021, the City Council awarded a contract for a Storm Water Catch Basin Upgrade project to United Storm Water, Inc. Due to the project scope of work including work that would affect catch basins owned by Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) the City was required to obtain a permit from LACDPW. The permit process took over one year to complete and work began thereafter in late 2022. An amendment to extend the term of the contract is needed to proceed with processing payments to the Contractor. Recommendation: That the City Council take the following actions: 1. Authorize the City Manager to sign and execute an amendment to the Storm Water Catch Basin Upgrade Project Contract; and 2. Find that the Project is Class 1 Categorically Exempt pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). F. Approval of a Lease Agreement with San Gabriel County Water District for Sally Tanner Park The City Council will consider a lease agreement for the operation and maintenance of Sally Tanner Park. The most recent lease agreement between the City and the San Gabriel County Water District is set to expire on July 31, 2023. Staff recommends that the City Council approve the 10-year lease with the San Gabriel County Water District and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 9 of 25 Recommendation: That the City Council approve the lease agreement with theSan Gabriel County Water District and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM PULLED FOR SEPARATE DISCUSSION C. Adopt Resolution No. 2023-44, on Flying Flags on City Owned Flag Poles on City Property At the Council meeting of July 11, 2023, the City Council discussed the flying of the Pride commemorative flag on City Owned Flag Poles. At the recommendation of the City Attorney, prior to the City Council approving the flying of additional flags on City owned flag poles, the City Council should adopt a resolution with a flag policy. The reason a flag policy is important is to better clarify that the City owned flag poles are used only as government speech as a limited public forum and only upon proper consideration and approval of the City Council. By having a policy, it makes clear that the flag poles are not open to other groups or individuals to use the City owned flag poles to have other flags flown and is not a forum for private speech. After discussion at the July 11 Council meeting, the City Council voted to have a resolution brought back at the Council meeting of July 251h providing that the City shall only fly, on official City -owned flag poles, the flags of the United States of America, State of California, City of Rosemead, and Flags of the United States Armed Forces. Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2023-44, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA, REGARDING THE OUTDOOR DISPLAY OF GOVERNMENTAL FLAGS ON CITY OWNED FLAG POLES ON CITY PROPERTY MayLy opened the Public Comment period. Velia Navarrm sident, indicated she was confused why this flag matter is being discussed again tonight when the item whether to fly the pride flag did not pass at the July 11 th Council meeting. Mayor Ly asserted that the pride flag is not on the agenda; explained we need to have a policy in place that says what flags are we allowed to fly, so this resolution says that we can only fly the United States of America flag, the State of California flag, the City of Rosemead flag, and flags associated with the United States Armed Forces. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 10 of 25 Ms. Navarro asked so that means the pride flag will not be flown in the city? Mayor Ly replied as per this resolution, no. Ms. Navarro thanked Mayor Ly for clarifying; expressed that she really disapproves of flying the pride flag. Council Member Armenta further explained that the discussion from the last Council meeting is what led to this because if we were not going to fly certain flags, then we needed to look into the policy of what flags the city will be allowed to fly over our city facilities. Joshua Delgado, representing the Church of God of Prophecy, 823 Muscatel Avenue; stated I'm grateful for the City Attorney for putting this flag policy in place; expressed support with only the United States flag, the state, the city and the Armed Forces flags being flown. Larry Tamez, representing Bethel Temple, a church in Rosemead, noted he has some of his church members here to thank Council for not voting to fly the pride flag at the July 1 lth meeting. Stated I appreciate you bringing this flag policy and agree that only the flags listed should be flown; expressed support for flying Armed Forces flags because the United States military fought for our country and the freedom that we have such as to speak here tonight. There being no further comments, Mayor Ly closed the Public Comment period. Mayor Ly stated before we move on, I want to say I'm very disappointed by this item and what it represents at the end of the day. Every year we have a nice ceremony here on Memorial Day and then at some point we fly the POW MIA flag. This year we will not do that based off this resolution. Opined this Council basically is indicating that it's no longer important. I recognize I come from a heritage and a culture where we ran from communism; emphasized I represent the third generation to have ran from communism and fled to America for freedom. Every year in April, we fly the Vietnamese heritage flag in recognition of the fact that you have a large constituency here in the city that ran from communism. That is a sad thing that we will stop flying the Vietnamese heritage flag. Tonight, there's a resolution before this Council to support and fight against those that want to hurt the Jewish people and be against antisemitism. Mayor Ly stated if there was a flag for that, I'd be glad to raise that and fly that flag; reiterated if we're going to talk the talk, we need to walk the walk. Asserted so tonight, I will be voting no on this item because I believe that if we're going to stand by certain things and we have certain convictions as a Council, Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 11 of 25 we should keep to those convictions, otherwise our words are meaningless and they are toothless. Council Member Low asked about the freedom flag displayed on the streetlights. City Manager Kim responded I believe those are banners on the streetlights. Mayor Ly clarified they are freedom flags, not banners on the streetlights or poles. Who owns those street poles? City Manager Kim replied it's a combination between the City and Edison. Council Member Armenta noted the, City owns the majority of them. Council Member Low stated she wanted to clarify it actually the freedom flag was never flown at the City Hall flagpole. Mayor Ly asked Council Member Low if she had any comments on the POW MIA flag? Council Member Low answered I don't want to comment on that. Mayor Pro Tern Clark made a motion, seconded by Council Member Dang to approve Resolution No. 2033-44. Council Member Armenta stated many of you heard what I had to say at the last Council meeting, noting this is very important for me, which is why I called in since I was in New York City. I don't need to go through everything that I said because I gave Bible scripture, what our Pope who is the head of the Catholic religion, says about all this. I completely agree with Council Member Ly. We have all these resolutions, we talk the talk, we write the resolutions, but we don't walk the walk. Opined some people are trying to turn around what the Pride Flag represents, saying that it represents these nuns at Dodger Stadium, but what it represents is that people know they are welcome and supported; commented you may not want to support them and that's fine. Asserted that I'm not here to change your beliefs, but it's really interesting because I taught the Bible at a Taiwanese Christian school and that's why I was able to pull those Bible verses very quickly. Emphasized the Bible and the man, Jesus Christ, I taught about welcomes everybody and did not discriminate. All Mayor Ly was asking was for one day to show people that don't have support or love that Jesus teaches us to give, just to tell them that, you could come to our city. We all have different views, but the fact of the matter is, here in the City of Rosemead, we Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 12 of 25 embrace diversity and that we accept everybody. Reiterated this flag represents people that want to believe and have pride in themselves. Council Member Dang stated I would like to mention the fact that this is a flag policy. I do hear a lot of the sensitivity in this. Emphasized my vote is purely not based on any flag, whether it be the pride flag or the POW MIA flag; explained I'm looking at it purely as policy in general. I've also noted that at the last Council meeting that raising flags that are not our nation's flag, state flag, or city flag, bring an extra level of complexity to the City of Rosemead. Case in point is there is a Supreme Court ruling based on flags alone. Obviously, if it's not complex, it doesn't really reach the Supreme Court level. Reiterated what I said the other night, I rather we just keep our city simple, avoiding the controversy. Now with that said, I am open to the fact that if we do set policy and moving forward in adopting other flags, and I'm not going be specific, if we do adopt raising a flag, it should be a unanimous decision. Council Member Armenta asked if we decide to adopt a policy as to what flags we can fly at City Hall and city facilities, then that means we can't be going back and forth. Stated I know the freedom flag has to do with the 9/11 and its representation, so there's a group that is trying to push that we fly that flag as well to remember what occurred on 9/11. City Attorney Richman responded that this is a resolution that has a policy and resolutions can be amended, just like any resolution that you adopt. Pointing out that there's nothing unique about this particular resolution. Mayor Ly commented let's just hope that one day this Council becomes more enlightened where we can change that policy and fly flags that stand with our convictions. Council Member Low commented in addition to what Council Member Dang said, I personally believe that if we're going to fly any flag other than the aforementioned approved flags, I wish that flag is supported by the community and not just the Council on the dais that support that. Emphasized it needs to be also supported by the community, because that's what it represents. Council Member Armenta thanked Council Member Low for her comments, stating I completely agree with you. I received so many texts and emails supporting mine and Mayor Ly's decision, so we could have filled the Council Chambers as other Council Members have but it's not here and there. At the end of the day, we need to Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 13 of 25 make the decisions based on a majority of the feedback that we do receive from constituents. ACTION: Moved by Mayor Pro Tern Clark and seconded by Council Member Dang to adopt Resolution No. 2023-44, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA, REGARDING THE OUTDOOR DISPLAY OF GOVERNMENTAL FLAGS ON CITY OWNED FLAG POLES ON CITY PROPERTY The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Clark, Dang, and Low NOES: Armenta and Ly 5. MATTERS FROM CITY MANAGER & STAFF A. Adopt Resolution No. 2023-42 Denouncing Antisemitism The City Council will consider adopting a Resolution denouncing antisemitism and sign the American Jewish Committee and US Conference of Mayors statement to combat the rise of antisemitic incidents as well as raise awareness in support of the Jewish community. Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2023-42, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA, DENOUNCING ANTISEMITISM Assistant City Manager Bruckner stated the item before you tonight is consideration of adoption of Resolution No. 2023-42, denouncing antisemitism. There has been an unprecedented spike in antisemitic incidents and attacks over the last several years in the United States. To confront this crisis, the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys has reached out to the City of Rosemead to help raise awareness and combat this current climate hatred against the Jewish community. The Jewish Federation has requested that the City of Rosemead take steps to support the Jewish community, including adopting a resolution denouncing and condemning antisemitism and signing the American Jewish Committee and U.S. Conference of Mayors statement to combat antisemitism. Jason Moss Executive Director, the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, thanked Council for the opportunity to speak tonight. We represent the Jews living between Glendale and Rancho Cucamonga and south of Whittier. Antisemitism is considered often the oldest form of hatred and referred to as the canary in the coal mine. When antisemitism is prevalent, other forms of hatred are soon to follow, and we've seen that happen over the last several years. As Mr. Bruckner mentioned, the amount of attacks and antisemitic incidents that have Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 14 of 25 occurred since 2016 has been unfounded and unprecedented. There's been a 300% increase from 1,267 incidents in the United States to 3,697 in 2022 and these figures are only reported numbers, not microaggressions, not peer -to -peer, student -to -student incidents. In California, according to the Anti -Defamation League's Hate in the Golden State Report, there was a 41 % increase between 2021 and 2022.Over the last year or so, between national news stories and coverage, the launch of a nationwide campaign called Hashtag Stand Up to Jewish Hate, which is symbolized on my lapel with the blue square. Mr. Moss stated there have been significant efforts to raise awareness of this issue, and more recently in May, the White House launched its national strategy to counter antisemitism. This national approach, which is the first of its kind, was set up and includes 100 different action steps touching on all levels at this federal, state and local governmental agencies. Executive Director Moss said this evening, the City of Rosemead can do its part and support this national strategy by publicly denouncing antisemitism and all forms of hatred by passing the resolution. By approving it, you'll show that these incidents taking place across the country do not reflect the values and ideals of the City of Rosemead and its citizens. As City Leaders, I'm asking you to use your voice, right here and right now, to say that you're not okay with the climate of hatred in the United States and are committing the City of Rosemead to do something about it. Now while passing a resolution may feel symbolic, I want to assure you that it carries significant weight, especially for those that are impacted by the rise of hatred. It shows everyone that the City of Rosemead stands with those that are targeted and that you will not tolerate hate of any kind within your city. If you approve this resolution before you tonight, you will add Rosemead to the following list of cities in the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys: Claremont, Upland, Monrovia, Alhambra, Sierra Madre, Temple City, San Gabriel, Pasadena, Whittier, Diamond Bar, Walnut, South Pasadena, Ontario, Glendale, and Arcadia. I'm hoping that this list will continue to grow over the next couple of months as I continue working with each and every City Council. I think we can all agree that since you cannot legislate away hate, antisemitism, racism, or really any forms of hatred at all, additional steps must be taken. The Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel Pomona Valleys is also asking all 48 cities in our jurisdiction to bring together representatives from various ethnic groups to share ideas and work with each city's leadership to develop a robust citywide plan to address, combat and respond to all forms of hatred. Make a statement tonight and a commitment to do what you can to help us not only eradicate antisemitism, but also all forms of hatred by taking this first step and passing the resolution. Thank you. Council Member Low stated I'm very happy to support this resolution. Shared that the City of Rosemead started a program for an anti -hate campaign led by our Parks and Recreation Department to educate our community that all forms of hatred are not acceptable in our city and community. Mayor Pro Tern Clark highlighted that the city has a mural at Garvey Park about anti - Asian hate; indicated I also support this resolution against antisemitism. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 15 of 25 Council Member Dang echoed his support for this resolution; credited Council Member Low for championing the Asian anti -hate movement and for the leadership from Director of Parks and Recreation Boecking for creating that program. Thanked Mr. Moss for visiting our city and delivering that very powerful message with very appalling statistics that he shared tonight; asked Parks and Recreation Director Boecking to reach out to Mr. Moss to invite him to also be a part of our anti -hatred program; opined your message will only strengthen our message to really combat all the hatred in the world. Council Member Armenta thanked Mr. Moss for being here. Noted she belongs to AIPAC, so she has been able to go on the mission to Israel and see the struggles that Israelis have been dealt with. Recalled writing her History Day project back in high school on Anne Frank; opined this is something that needs to be told because unfortunately depending on who is telling the story, many times they're trying to convince people that the Holocaust did not exist. Emphasized we need to make sure that everybody in Rosemead feels safe, including our Jewish brothers and sisters. Commented as you heard, the Council here supports this, so please do not hesitate to call us if we could partner with you. Mayor Ly shared he often gets a chance to go to a Passover dinner and sit through the ceremonies, stated there's a song that they sing that more or less translates to "it would have been enough". The idea is: If God gave the plagues against the Egyptians, that would have been enough; If God led his people to go pass through the waterfall, that would have been enough; If God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, that would have been enough. The interesting thing about that song is that statement at that level would not have been enough. The fact is, the story of the Jewish people, they needed to be saved, God was going to save them, and the ending is that freedom they had and their ability to worship their religion. With that said, this resolution, and any of the resolutions that we pass as a Council is not enough, it may be a good start and foundation, but it's not enough. Opined the actual elimination of antisemitism is the actual enough and what we need to aim for and hope for, and maybe then hopefully Elijah will come, you know, on Passover and we'll have a second coming. ACTION: Moved by Council Member Armenta and seconded by Council Member Low to adopt Resolution No. 2023-42, entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD, CALIFORNIA, DENOUNCING ANTISEMITISM The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Ly NOES: None B. Review and Discussion of Draft Website Redesign and New City Domain The City of Rosemead website (www.cityofrosemead.org) is the primary communication tool for residents, businesses, and visitors to access information Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 16 of 25 regarding City services, community events, and much more. On January 10, 2023, the City Council awarded a contract to Revize, LLC to update the City's website. An internal working group comprised of staff from the City Manager's Office, City Clerk's Office, and the Parks & Recreation Department have spent the past several months working on a draft design., On April 25, 2023, the City Council reviewed the draft design and provided additional feedback for improvement. On June 27, 2023, the City Council requested some additional edits as well as examples of some of the interactive features that will be included in the site. Therefore, it is recommended that the City Council review and approve the draft website design and select a new domain. Recommendation: That the City Council review and approve the draft website design and select a new website domain. Assistant City Manager Bruckner stated we spoke about this back in June and based off of the feedback that we received from the Council at the time there were couple action items that you requested from me. The first was to change the font color of the footer from white to black, so we went back to the designer they provided us the black rendering to compare with the white version. Also, by consensus at the time a red colored background in the footer was preferable to the green footer, so we swapped out that. The second request was the Council wanted to better understand how staff went about coming up with ideas related to the website itself, explained we went back and looked at various live websites and borrowed concepts that we incorporated into the draft design in front of you so that Council can get a better understanding of what some of the functionality will look like when the site is fully developed. I am requesting a motion to approve the draft design so we can start building out the site along with the functionality. Mr. Bruckner stated in addition to the request for design, there was a conversation about changing the top level domain from a ".org" to a ".gov". There is state legislation that will require cities to change their domain to ".gov" accounts by 2026. Indicated in order to register as a ".gov", the federal agency that's responsible for that has specific requirements in terms of what the domain can look like. Specified it has to have the city name and the state component as well. Shared a few options could be "cityofrosemeadca.gov" or it could just be "rosemeadca.gov" and we'd be requesting direction on that as well this evening. Mayor Ly asked if it can be "cityofrosemead.ca.gov"? Mr. Bruckner replied the less dots is better. Mayor Ly asked is that our preference or the state's preference? Assistant City Manager Bruckner stated I don't recall that they allow for dots. I think it all had to be contiguous, one word. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 17 of 25 Council Member Armenta indicated support for the white font in the footer because you're able to see that, even from here at the dais. As far as the domain, I prefer "rosemeadca.gov" because "cityofrosemeadca.gov" is too long. Mayor Pro Tern Clark stated my only concern is that it'd be very functional for our residents. For example, I saw there was a dead cat and I went on the website to see how to have a dead cat reported and could not find anything. Council Member Armenta pointed out that we have "Rosemead Around the Clock" where you can report anything at any time. Mayor Pro Tern Clark stated I think that we should try to find ways to always make the CRM more accessible to our community members. Assistant City Manager Bruckner stated our website will have two search features available — one is the standard Google search where you type in, and the Google algorithm scans the site and returns pages that have that language in it or are more frequently clicked when people type in those things and then click on the site. There's also an option for a curated search where we can put tags on pages using common phrases that people use when they're searching the site so that they're directed to the page with the information and the resource. Displayed a sample site available from the City of Arcadia to show Council how the search function will work. Mayor Pro Tern Clark thanked Mr. Bruckner for explaining how the search function will operate on our website. Council Member Low stated I don't think the Council needs to vote on the colors of a font or background; staff and the designer should be able to decide those details. I just want to ensure information is well visible and easy to read on our website. My note is when there are selections I noticed that the two examples provided is if you hover over it, it gives you the sub menu and then there's another type as you click on it, it gives you the sub and sub -topics; opined I would prefer the second option that when you click, it gives the sub and all the sub -topics. Emphasized we want our website to be user-friendly, especially if some users may be elderly and are not as familiar with how to use the computer. Stated I want you guys to design the website with the user in mind, so our residents, as well as business community, anyone that wants to visit our website. Council Member Armenta echoed Council Member Low's thoughts for the website to be user friendly; noted she is a visual person, so if there is a hot topic in the City of Rosemead let's find ways to catch people's attention to focus on those items. Mayor Ly asserted that the Council's direction to staff is to proceed with the website design with a few minor comments. Council Member Armenta asked if Mr. Bruckner felt he had enough direction to proceed. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 18 of 25 Mr. Bruckner responded I do for the website design. The only thing still outstanding is the new city domain — does Council want to proceed with "cityofrosemeadca.gov" or "rosemeadca.gov"? Council Member Armenta voted for "rosemead ca.gov". Council Member Low voted for "cityofrosemead.ca.gov". Council Member Dang voted for "rosemead ca.gov". Mayor Pro Tem Clark voted for "rosemead ca.gov". Mayor Ly responded majority voted for the "rosemeadca.gov". By consensus, the Council approved the draft website design and selected "rosemeadca.gov" as the city's new website domain. C. Public Safety Commission Year -End Report In 2022, the City Council created a Public Safety Commission to facilitate a citizen -based, community effort to organize, promote, advocate, and participate in public safety efforts concerning matters relating to public safety, understanding police and fire operations, crime prevention, and emergency preparedness operations. The Commission has completed its first full year and has prepared a Year End Report and is transmitting it to the City Council as required by its charter. Recommendation: That the City Council receive and file the Public Safety Commission Year -End Report. Assistant City Manager Bruckner presented a PowerPoint of the Public Safety Commission's year-end report; noted the Public Safety Commission finished its first year as an actual commission and during that year we compiled all of the research and fact finding that the Commission went through in terms of improving the quality of our public safety services and public safety within the City of Rosemead. During the past year, the Public Safety Commission reviewed program information, performance data and received numerous presentations regarding public safety programs and services. As a result of these intensive efforts, the Commission focused on several key areas to help identify areas for improvement in addition to enhancing the public's knowledge about public safety. The series of recommendations before you are the subject matter areas that the Commission went into along with the corresponding recommendation. The first item there was fentanyl methamphetamine awareness and Narcan administration. The Commission thought it was very important that the city do more outreach to the community and particularly schools about the dangers of fentanyl and methamphetamine as well as how to administer Narcan. Through Chief Tiwari we did make some outreach to the schools and will continue to do that during the upcoming school year as well. We've also incorporated components of fentanyl and Narcan administration in our community area watch and Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 19 of 25 neighborhood watch programs. We also reinstituted the sidewalk CPR workshops, which was requested by the Commission as well; noting we've had two thus far and have another one scheduled at National Night Out, so when people come out for that event, they can come participate in a CPR training. We're going to be doing those on a quarterly basis and we'll continue rolling those out throughout the year. Regarding crime prevention, we attempted to breathe in new life in terms of our ability to communicate crime prevention programs and generate awareness in the community. Our Community Area Watch meetings are held at the individual reporting districts because that was an opportunity for us to assign SAOs to specific reporting districts and have become liaison with the community to deal with specific issues. Same thing with Neighborhood Watch, we're actively promoting that. We also hold our monthly Business Watch meetings as well to tailor crime prevention activities for the business community regarding public outreach. Assistant City Manager Bruckner indicated we launched "Rosemead This Week", which has been a great tool. We're also promoting it at the Community Area Watch meetings as well to get people to sign up so they can get the crime stats that we've been putting out. We did a survey and received a lot of feedback on that. The Commission also took a look at public safety vehicle access along city streets curb markings and potentially the idea of creating a permit parking process and permit districts for specific streets. We also talked generally in concept about the broken windows theory which is basically the idea is when you leave areas of town to become dilapidated, broken windows, graffiti, it invites more criminality and so we talked about the city's proactive response with our Code Enforcement, with our graffiti and shopping cart vendors to really try to get out in front of that; emphasized we always want to be at the forefront of the services that we're providing in the public safety department to make sure that we're keeping the community clean and safe and free from those pockets that could become sort of hotbeds criminality. Mr. Bruckner stated we took a look at response times, our staffing models, and what we could reasonably afford in terms of trying to address the Council's concerns regarding calls for service, response times, as well as visibility in the community. Unfortunately, due to staffing shortages with the Sheriffs Department, they weren't able to meet some of the requests that we had floated to them as potential ideas, but the Council did decide as a reminder to reduce the SAO Team by one officer and added one additional 40-hour unit of patrol to the PM shifts; noted that Patrol officer began July 1 st. They're out there, they're responding to calls for service. We're going to give it some time and take a look at the data probably in three months, six months to see if that impact is there and if any further adjustments down the road may be warranted. We'll bring that back to the Public Safety Commission, redo that analysis and figure out whether we may need to take a look at our complement of personnel in order to meet the Council's goals on that. We also had presentations by the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), who is the Sheriffs Department's response to homelessness. Mr. Bruckner stated I have to compliment our Interim Chief of Police Tiwari as he's been very active at bringing additional County resources into Rosemead through HOST so that we're really seeing the full complement of services coming into Rosemead to address issues that we see arise. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 20 of 25 The HOST team conducts operations with our Code Enforcement, as well as LACADA when we're out doing our homeless outreach and engagement. We also talked to the Commission about Flock and the automated license plate reader systems; noted our Flock cameras are located at various intersections throughout the city which are a major tool for our law enforcement to be able to identify vehicles that may be suspected to be involved in criminal activity, which serves as a great resource for them to not only track suspect vehicles but all types of information and real-time monitoring when they get alerts when they're out there. In addition to all of that, unfortunately, around the wintertime last year we were seeing an increase in commercial burglaries along our commercial corridors. Stated in conversations with the Sheriffs Department as well as with our City Manager, we implemented an overnight crime suppression pilot program, hiring additional CSOs and Code Enforcement staff that were there working overnight hours, driving around, doing proactive patrolling and providing real-time information to patrol deputies; asserting that the implemented program has been a tremendous success. We also had a presentation by the Mental Health Evaluation Team (MET), that talked about what their process is when they get called in. We provided some information to the Commission about the number of calls that Temple Station receives for MET assistance. Unfortunately, as a County, the County is underserved in terms of the number of MET Teams that are needed in order to respond to the number of calls for service. The Sheriffs Department has made some strides to address those staffing issues, but we're not quite there yet and it's an unfortunate circumstance that we find ourselves in when it comes to mental health because it leads to all types of other problems in terms of criminality and homelessness, but it is a resource that's available to us. Mr. Bruckner stated the Public Safety Commission is a great group that spent a lot of time deliberating and provided thoughtful feedback on how we could implement changes that made sense on a practical level. We did it administratively where we needed Council direction on things like staffing and brought those items to you. During this upcoming year, we're going to build upon the foundation that we set for ourselves and regroup on some of the items that require follow up or need follow up. If there are certain subject matters or topics that you all want the Commission to dive into, we'll be happy to take that to them when we meet with them again. Council Member Low expressed she is extremely happy to see this report. I would say since I was elected to Council, I always hesitated to initiate any commission because I was kind of concerned about staff time that's needed to support a commission. However, around 2022, I felt like our public safety was kind of a concern, so I initiated this Public Safety Commission and thank my colleague's for supporting it. I'm very pleased to see the result of it. I really want to thank each of the member the Commission as they accomplished so much in just one year. I want to thank staff for supporting this because I know it created additional work for you guys. I also want to thank the Sheriff Department for partnering with us. I do want give a special thank you to our City Manager Kim was the one that actually came up with the idea of having our CSO to do the night patrol. A big thank you to the team for going out and patrolling late at night; noting she ran into them one time at midnight and telling them to be safe. Reiterated she is very pleased to see this report and how involved everyone is. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 21 of 25 Mayor Pro Tern Clark stated I want to thank Council Member Low for bringing this to us, especially with the increase of crime all over the state; echoed appreciation to the Commission for looking into all these ideas. Council Member Dang echoed the kudos and accolades to our team, Sheriffs Department and also to our Public Safety Commissioners. This report highlights a lot of the important and very impressive statistics, and I would like to say that this platform that you created is going to be very, I would say very difficult to beat next year. Thank you to the team for their hard work. Council Member Armenta said I can't express my gratitude more. I echo the sentiments of my colleagues so thank you so much for leading the Commission. Also, thank you to our Chief of Police Kevin Tiwari for working together with our city. One thing that I do want to note is Ms. Velia Navarro has time and time again asked about the safety in her neighborhood; inquired about have flock cameras positioned throughout the city, but one area that really needs to be looked at is near her home because there's the bridge that connects Klingerman to Angelus. Ms. Navarro has had issues where people are and it's an ongoing issue. I would like to ask if it's possible to place a flock camera there because again we need to strategically place those cameras where there could potentially be a high crime rate not only in businesses but also in the shadows. Mayor Ly responded that staff can definitely do the analysis on that and see if it's warranted. I want to thank Mr. Bruckner for this great report and echo everything my colleagues' appreciation to the team, the Sheriff's Department, and everyone involved and their continued efforts on this. 6. MATTERS FROM MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL A. Report and Discussion on Potentially Changing the City's General Municipal Election Date from State Primary Elections to the State General Elections in November of Even -Numbered Years On June 27, 2023, the City Council discussed the option of potentially moving the City's General Municipal Election date from the staggered State Primary Election cycle of March and June of even -numbered years to the Statewide General Election cycle beginning in November 2024 and continuing after that in even -numbered years. Furthermore, another option suggested was to place a measure before the voters to decide if the current staggered election cycle should be moved to a November election cycle for consistency. During the discussion, City staff was directed to bring back a draft ordinance for review, conduct community outreach to obtain feedback about changing the City's election cycle, and provide a timeline for a potential measure to be placed on the March 5, 2024 General Election. Recommendation: That the City Council discuss and provide direction. Mayor Ly stated there's going to be two workshops coming up in two days on this item, so I think that we should table this item so we can use the feedback from those Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 22 of 25 workshops to help guide us to make this decision. By Consensus the City Council tabled this item for a future meeting. B. Discussion Regarding the Creation of State Lobbyist and Advocacy Services Request for Proposals Subcommittee Mayor Ly has requested that an item be placed on the agenda to discuss the creation of a subcommittee to review and select a preferred consultant for RFP No. 2023-11: State Lobbyist and Advocacy Services. Recommendation: That the City Council discuss and provide further direction to City staff. Mayor Ly stated when we did the DC lobbying contract, we actually had an interview panel which was made up of two members of the Council, the City Manager, and the Assistant City Manager to go through all the results and give our recommendations to the Council for final vote on this. Suggested we should do that again; indicated he reached out to Council Member Armenta, especially since she has a lot of knowledge these days about Sacramento with her daytime job. Ms. Armenta agreed to join me on the interview panel with the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager to review these applications before it comes back to the Council. Council Member Dang stated I have no objection to that if you and Council Member Armenta are willing to champion this interview panel, then by all means, you have my support. Mayor Pro Tern Clark asked if the subcommittee interviews all the applicants and let's say they come with the top two, would the Council be able to interview those two together? Mayor Ly responded, yes, absolutely. City Attorney Richman clarified if all of Council is participating in the interview, then it will be held at a Council meeting. Council Member Low stated I fully support having Mayor Ly and Council Member Armenta serve on this panel. Offered to serve as an alternate delegate in case Ms. Armenta is not available, then I'll be willing to help. ACTION: Moved by Mayor Ly and seconded by Council Member Low to establish an interview panel comprised of Mayor Ly and Council Member Armenta, City Manager Kim and Assistant City Manager Bruckner to review the state lobbying RFPs which will extend another 30 days from tomorrow. The motion was carried out by the following vote AYES: Armenta, Clark, Dang, Low, and Ly NOES: None Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 23 of 25 C. Council Comments Council Member Dang stated I've seen multiple cities where they have a banner that's sort of draped across the media thoroughfare to advertise events such as Concerts in the Park, etc. Opined we sort of lack that type of visibility. I know we advertise events on our website, but not everyone clicks on our website. I think it would help enhance community participation. Suggested these banners could be recycled year after year; the only thing I ask is if we do agree with that, to have staff develop a way where the dates can be interchangeable. I don't want to see these recycling banners where the kids paint over the dates and white out and whatnot. Mayor Ly stated City Manager Kim can speak with Council Member Dang with this request offline. Council Member Armenta shared that she attended the NALEO conference, which had many different sessions including the nuts and bolts of budget, counties and municipalities. There was workforce development and local government and hiring; opined Latinos hold the key to solving the housing crisis. Emphasized if anybody ever goes to NALEO, we welcome everybody, and again, that's something that we strive to do here in the City of Rosemead. Council Member Low stated that she talked to the City Manager a few months ago to make some connection with the Sheriff; next thing I know, Mr. Kim actually worked on setting up a meeting for us. At the time, Council Member Dang was the Mayor, so he set myself and Council Member Dang to attend; reported that Council Member Dang and I attended lunch with the Sheriff and discussed some of the challenges that we have and expressed that we wanted to partner with the Sheriffs to increase our public safety and exchange ideas. Shared it was a very successful meeting, so thank you Mr. Kim for arranging that meeting. Mayor Pro Tern Clark reported that last week, July 201h and 21 st, she was in Tacoma, Washington with the National City's Energy and Environmental Committee that she is on; stated it was very interesting to see different policies about recycling and electric cars, etc. Commented that she appreciates being able to go. Mayor Ly shared that he will actually be in Tacoma and Seattle next week as well for Army training as he is getting certified in equal opportunity. Noted he will be teleconferencing for the interviews on Monday and Tuesday next week. The only other item that I would like to talk with the Director of Parks and Recreating Boecking either offline or in a future agenda item is regarding our banner program for our veterans; one, to improve it, but also two, they're showing wear and tear, so maybe what we can look at sprucing them up. Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 24 of 25 6. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Ly adjourned the meeting at 9:29 p.m. The next City Council meeting will take place on August 8, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Rosemead City Hall Council Chamber. Ericka Hernandez, City Clerk APPROVED: Margaret Clark, Mayor Rosemead City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 25, 2023 Page 25 of 25