City Council

City Council City Manager Mayor Neysa Hinton Larry McLaughlin Vice Mayor Diana Rich lmclaughlin@Cityofsebastopol.org Sandi Maurer Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC Jill McLewis Mary Gourley Stephen Zollman mgourley@Cityofsebastopol.org CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MINUTES FOR Meeting of December 6, 2022 As Approved by the City Council at their regular meeting of December 20, 2022 The City Council Regular meeting was held via teleconference pursuant to AB 361. Pursuant to AB 361 (2021), Teleconference Restrictions of the Brown Act Have Been Suspended, as Well as the Requirement to Provide a Physical Location for Members of the Public to Participate in the Meeting. The City of Sebastopol City Council meeting will not be physically open to the public and all City Councilmembers will be teleconferencing into the meeting via Zoom. COUNCIL PROTOCOLS FOR MEETING: • This meeting is being conducted utilizing virtual settings for teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with State of California Executive Orders regarding the COVID 19 pandemic and AB 361. • Live stream and zoom are being utilized for this meeting. • Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting by use of Zoom and Live Stream as noted on the City’s website and as noted on the agenda. • Members of the public wishing to speak to the City Council may do so during public comment or may comment on agenda items during the discussion of each item and must be logged into Zoom. Live Stream is a viewing only format. • Anyone using abusive, vulgar, offensive, threatening, or harassing language, personal attacks of any kind or offensive terms that target specific individuals or groups will be muted, will be asked to adhere to protocols and /or will be removed from the meeting. Reminder please leave your microphones on mute until called upon and if you would like to provide your name during public comment you are welcome to do that but do not have to. Please note that minutes are not meant to be verbatim minutes and are meant to be the City’s record of Actions Taken (Approved Motion of Agenda Item(s)). 6:00 pm Convene City Council Regular Meeting (ZOOM VIRTUAL FORMAT) CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Slayter called the Regular meeting to order at 6:03 pm. ROLL CALL: Present: Mayor Patrick Slayter – By video teleconference Vice Mayor Neysa Hinton – By video teleconference Councilmember Una Glass – By video teleconference Councilmember Diana Gardner Rich – By video teleconference Councilmember Sarah Gurney – By video teleconference Absent: None Staff: City Manager/Attorney/City Attorney Larry McLaughlin Assistant City Manager/Attorney/City Clerk Mary Gourley Administrative Services Director Building Official Steve Brown Fire Chief Bill Braga GHD/City Engineer Mario Landeros/Toni Bertolero Planning Director Kari Svanstrom Page 1 of 26  Police Chief Ron Nelson Public Works Superintendent Dante Del Prete SALUTE TO THE FLAG: Mayor Slayter led the Salute to the Flag. PROCLAMATIONS/PRESENTATIONS: None PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Speakers are allowed to speak for a maximum of three minutes so that all speakers have an opportunity to address the City Council. Power point or visual presentations for public comment shall not be permitted unless approved by the Agenda Review Committee two weeks prior to the requested meeting date. Speakers may not "yield" a portion of their allotted time to others. The Mayor has the authority to limit or extend the time allowed for speakers dependent on the number of speakers in attendance. The Mayor can poll the members of the public for an indication of the number of people wishing to speak, then call on individuals to speak. It is the goal of the Council to conclude the public comments portion of the agenda within 20 minutes. If the public comment period exceeds twenty minutes, the presiding officer, typically the Mayor, reserves the right to reduce the time per speaker or carry over public comments to after all business items are completed. The City Clerk will monitor the time for public comments and inform the speakers when the time limitation has been reached. The Mayor could survey the members of the public, as appropriate, to move agenda items up or back to address the members of the public items of concern. Public participation is encouraged on all public agenda items. Council and staff will treat participants and each other with courtesy. Derogatory or sarcastic comments are inappropriate. The public will likewise be encouraged by the Mayor to maintain meeting decorum. In Council meetings when citizens are agitated, the Mayor may call a short recess to calm the situation. If a member of the public is unable to attend the Council meeting, written communications may be sent to the City Clerk by e-mail or by regular mail. Communications received after distribution of the agenda packet will be made available to the Council at/or as soon after the meeting. Jann Eyrich commented as follows: • I want to say at the end of this year that the business community appreciates the work of Relaunch even the last weekend • In response to several promotion things, in no small part due to the shopping spree that they initiated. • In conjunction with the SDA, I would like to encourage further support of Relaunch • These small things make a difference and they show that the town cares and it's starting to bridge the gap between the business community and City Hall • Thank you very much and I wish you all the best. Linda Berg commented as follows: • I am very grateful to all the people who voted and voted for Councilmembers who will take into consideration public health and the environment over perpetual profit, especially in technology • Thank you so much to all of you and hopefully with new City Council we will get back on the right path of being leaders and the digital age for common sense and again putting public health and the environment over technology and profit. • We need to slam the brakes on this ill-advised water meter thing, which think God has not been installed due to one more markup because of the ordering of oval lids for rectangular registers • There is this other huge issue of PG&E coming through this entire town like storm troopers and installing smart meters which are just not a good idea for multiple reasons, not the least of which is they are killing us slowly with the microwave radiation • The electric meters are all plastic and they are made in China and China can hack them and manipulate and control so we need to get rid of them • PG&E is a paper tiger and we can call their bluff and get rid of them and reinstall the safer analog mechanical meters which last 40 to 70 years. Page 2 of 26 Dorothy commented as follows: • I would like to second the last speaker and hope that our new board helps us with the issues that were brought up by the water meters in the unconscionable installation of smart meters all over Sebastopol. • I hope this can be dealt with. STATEMENTS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Conflicts of interest may arise in situations where a public official deliberating towards a decision, has an actual or potential financial interest in the matter before the Council. In accordance with state law, an actual conflict of interest is one that would be to the private financial benefit of a public official, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A potential conflict of interest is one that could be to the private financial benefit of a Councilmember, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A Councilmember must publicly announce potential and actual conflicts of interest, and, in the case of actual conflict of interest, must refrain from participating in debate on the issue or from voting on the issue and must remove themselves from the dais. There were no statements of conflicts of interest stated at this meeting. CONSENT CALENDAR: The consent agenda consists of items that are routine in nature and do not require additional discussion by the City Council or have been reviewed by the City Council previously. These items may be approved by one motion without discussion unless a member of the City Council requests that the item be taken off the consent calendar. The Mayor will read the consent calendar items; ask if a Councilmember wishes to remove one or more items from the consent calendar; and then open public comment to the members of the public in attendance. At this time, a member of the public may speak for up to three minutes on the entire consent calendar and request at that time that an agenda item or items be removed for discussion. If an item or items are removed from the consent calendar, the item shall be placed at the end of the regular agenda items unless otherwise determined by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tern. Councilmembers may comment on Consent Calendar items or ask for minor clarifications without the need for pulling the item for separate consideration. Items requiring deliberation should be pulled for separate consideration and shall be placed at the end of the regular agenda items unless otherwise determined by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem. Mayor Slayter read the consent calendar. Mayor Slayter asked if any Councilmember wanted to remove a consent calendar item. There was no request for removal of a consent calendar item from the Council. Mayor Slayter opened for public comment on the consent calendar. Linda Berg commented as follows: • Here is another thing that needs to be fixed. • As many of you know that I am computer free, cell phone free, TV free and largely electricity free due to being assaulted by electrical microwave radiation. • One way or another, Item number 4 doesn't say what it's really about and I would really appreciate it if somebody could give me a clue, and the rest of us, what the issue is there. • Since I am computer free and don't have access, this stuff could be written up in plain and simple language one way or another instead of having the numbers and stuff and making it so confusing. • This is the way that these stupid things get past, because nobody understands what they are voting on. • That includes Councilmembers, so that's my comment on number four. • Number five, on principle, I'm objecting to more surveillance • We don't need to have any more surveillance technology, it just makes us more fragile and vulnerable to complete shutdowns. • I'm sure many of you know what has happened in North Carolina with somebody taking a shotgun apparently to a couple of substations and it knocked out the power for 45,000 people and they are still without power • This kind of thing can happen when we are all dependent on wireless technology and surveillance makes it easier for other people to control what we see, what we do, and what we think. Page 3 of 26 Mayor Slayter responded to public comment as follows: • Item Number 4: This is the adoption of the California building codes, we discussed this at our meeting, it was an agenda item and had a lot of pages to go along with it, it was a fully discussed and vetted item and this is a standard procedure, nothing that's stupid, this is the next step of adopting these new building codes. • Item Number 5: We discussed that at some length and I believe the member of the public was in attendance at that meeting as well Mayor Slayter called for a motion. MOTION: Mayor Slayter moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve Consent Calendar Item(s) Number(s) 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote. VOTE: Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None Absent: None Abstain: None CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS 1. Approval of Minutes of November 15, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes (Responsible Department: City Administration) City Council Action: Approved of Minutes of November 15, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Minute Order: 2022-324 2. Resolution Authorizing Continued Use of Teleconference Meetings Based on Circumstances of the COVID-19 state of emergency and that the following circumstances exist: a. The state of emergency as a result of COVID-19 continues to directly impact the ability of the members of City Council and the members of the City’s subordinate Committee’s, Commission’s, and Boards to meet safely in person; and b. The State of California and the City of Sebastopol continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing. Resolution needs to be submitted to Council every 30 days Continuation of Virtual Meetings: First Approved: September 21, 2021 i. Approved for Continuation: October 19, 2021 November 16, 2021 December 7, 2021 January 4, 2022 February 1, 2022 March 1, 2022 March 15th 2022 April 5, 2022 May 3, 2022 May 17, 2022 June 7, 2022 July 5, 2022 Page 4 of 26  August 2, 2022 August 31,2022 October 18, 2022 November 15, 2022 Proposed Action: December 6, 2022 (December 20th Meeting Beyond the 30 Day Time Requirement) Next Action: Scheduled for January 3, 2023 City Council Meeting City Council Action: Approved Resolution Authorizing Continued Use of Teleconference Meetings Based on Circumstances of the COVID-19 state of emergency and that the following circumstances exist: a. The state of emergency as a result of COVID-19 continues to directly impact the ability of the members of City Council and the members of the City’s subordinate Committee’s, Commission’s, and Boards to meet safely in person; and b. The State of California and the City of Sebastopol continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing. Resolution needs to be submitted to Council every 30 days Continuation of Virtual Meetings: First Approved: September 21, 2021 i. Approved for Continuation: October 19, 2021 November 16, 2021 December 7, 2021 January 4, 2022 February 1, 2022 March 1, 2022 March 15th 2022 April 5, 2022 May 3, 2022 May 17, 2022 June 7, 2022 July 5, 2022 August 2, 2022 August 31,2022 October 18, 2022 November 15, 2022 December 6, 2022 (December 20th Meeting Beyond the 30 Day Time Requirement) Next Action: Scheduled for January 3, 2023 City Council Meeting Minute Order: 2022-325 Resolution Number: 6492-2022 3. Extension of Emergency Proclamation of Local Emergency (COVID-19) issued by the Director of Emergency Services (Fire Chief) City Council Action: Approved Extension of Emergency Proclamation of Local Emergency (COVID-19) issued by the Director of Emergency Services Minute Order: 2022-326 Resolution Number: 6493-2022 4. Approval of Second Reading, Waiving of Further Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 1144 , Amending City of Sebastopol Municipal Code and Adoption of 2022 California State Codes with local amendments. This ordinance modifies Section 2.36 as codified in Chapter Fifteen of the Sebastopol Municipal Code. This ordinance was approved for first reading and introduction at the November 15, 2022 City Council Meeting. (Responsible Department: Building Department) Page 5 of 26 City Council Action: Approved Second Reading, Waiving of Further Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 1144 , Amending City of Sebastopol Municipal Code and Adoption of 2022 California State Codes with local amendments. This ordinance modifies Section 2.36 as codified in Chapter Fifteen of the Sebastopol Municipal Code. Minute Order: 2022-327 Ordinance Number: 1144 5. Approval of Second Reading, Waiving of Further Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 1145, Amending the City of Sebastopol Municipal Code. This ordinance adds Chapter 8.80 to the City of Sebastopol Municipal Code Titled Surveillance Technology and Community Safety Ordinance. This ordinance was approved for first reading and introduction at the November 15, 2022 City Council Meeting. (Responsible Department: Police Department) City Council Action: Approved Second Reading, Waiving of Further Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 1145, Amending the City of Sebastopol Municipal Code. This ordinance adds Chapter 8.80 to the City of Sebastopol Municipal Code Titled Surveillance Technology and Community Safety Ordinance Minute Order: 2022-328 Resolution Number: 6494-2022 Ordinance Number: 1145 INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/PRESENTATIONS: (Please Note: Although informational/presentations items are routinely informational in nature, some informational items may contain request for actions such as support, direction to staff, follow up, or receipt of item based on the presentation/information provided.) NONE Action item: 6. Approval of Resolution Reciting the Facts of the General Municipal Election Held on November 8, 2022 and Declaring and Confirming the Results and Such Other Matters as Provided by Law. (City Administration). Approve the Resolution Reciting the Facts and declaring the results of the November 8, 2022 election for the Office of Member of the Sebastopol City Council, thereby determining that by votes cast in the November 8, 2022 Election That Sandra Maurer (Total Votes: 1892); Jill McLewis (Total Votes: 1930) and Stephen Zollman (Total Votes: 1974) have been elected to the office of Member of the City of Sebastopol City Council for a four-year term (term ending: 2026); and Measure N: Without raising current tax rates, and to maintain City services including Police and Fire, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation, and for unrestricted general revenue purposes, shall an ordinance be adopted to continue the existing Utility Users Tax at the current rate of 3.75%, by removing the sunset date until voters otherwise decide, providing approximately $700,000 annually that cannot be taken by the State?” The measure was approved by a simple majority of “yes” votes. Votes in Favor: 3244 /83.41% (Responsible Department: City Clerk) Assistant City Manager/City Clerk presented the agenda item recommending the City Council approve the Resolution Reciting the Facts and declaring the results of the November 8, 2022 election for the Office of Member of the Sebastopol City Council, thereby determining that by votes cast in the November 8, 2022 Election That Sandra Maurer (Total Votes: 1892); Jill McLewis (Total Votes: 1930) and Stephen Zollman (Total Votes: 1974) have been elected to the office of Member of the City of Sebastopol City Council for a four-year term (term ending: 2026); and Measure N: Without raising current tax rates, and to maintain City services including Police and Fire, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation, and for unrestricted general revenue purposes, shall an ordinance be adopted to continue the existing Utility Users Tax at the current rate of 3.75%, by removing the sunset date until voters otherwise decide, providing approximately Page 6 of 26 $700,000 annually that cannot be taken by the State?” The measure was approved by a simple majority of “yes” votes. Votes in Favor: 3244 /83.41% Mayor Slayter opened for questions of presenter. There were no questions. Mayor Slayter opened for public comment. Linda Berg commented as follows: • I like the radio and the paper for my information plus other sources being computer free • One way or another, somehow I never got, somebody tell me what the final numbers were for the percentages of the vote • I'm delighted with the results, but if anybody could know the percentages or numbers of the vote, I would appreciate it. Kyle Falbo commented as follows: • I want to take this opportunity to remind both Council as well as the public, that we could very easily move in the direction of ranked choice voting • It's a much more Democratic process in terms of electing multiple seats such as we had in the selection and in addition I believe this Council was tasked with revisiting a request at locating campaign-finance reform that would exceed that with the state requirements • I hope that in the coming years, that that could be revisited as well, thank you. City staff responded to public comment and provided information related to the election. City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations: There was none. MOTION: Councilmember Rich moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve Resolution Reciting the facts of the consolidated general municipal election held on November 8, 2022 Declaring the result and such other matters as provided by law and thereby determining that Sandra Maurer (Total Votes: 1892); Jill McLewis (Total Votes: 1930) and Stephen Zollman (Total Votes: 1974) have been elected to the office of Member of the City of Sebastopol City Council for a four-year term (term ending: 2026) and That Measure N: Ballot Measure: Extension of Locally Controlled Funding Measure With Question: Without raising current tax rates, and to maintain City services including Police and Fire, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation, and for unrestricted general revenue purposes, shall an ordinance be adopted to continue the existing Utility Users Tax at the current rate of 3.75%, by removing the sunset date until voters otherwise decide, providing approximately $700,000 annually that cannot be taken by the State? Was approved by the Voters at the November 8, 2022 Municipal election. The measure was approved by a simple majority of “yes” votes. Votes in Favor: 3244 83.41% Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote. VOTE: Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None Page 7 of 26 Absent: None Abstain: None City Council Action: Approved Resolution Reciting the facts of the consolidated general municipal election held on November 8, 2022 Declaring the result and such other matters as provided by law and thereby determining that Sandra Maurer (Total Votes: 1892); Jill McLewis (Total Votes: 1930) and Stephen Zollman (Total Votes: 1974) have been elected to the office of Member of the City of Sebastopol City Council for a four-year term (term ending: 2026) and That Measure N: Ballot Measure: Extension of Locally Controlled Funding Measure With Question: Without raising current tax rates, and to maintain City services including Police and Fire, 9-1-1 emergency services, park maintenance and repair, youth and senior recreation, and for unrestricted general revenue purposes, shall an ordinance be adopted to continue the existing Utility Users Tax at the current rate of 3.75%, by removing the sunset date until voters otherwise decide, providing approximately $700,000 annually that cannot be taken by the State? Was approved by the Voters at the November 8, 2022 Municipal election. The measure was approved by a simple majority of “yes” votes. Votes in Favor: 3244 83.41% Minute Order: 2022-329 Resolution Number: 6495-2022 Ordinance Number: 1146 PRESENTATIONS: The following presentations were made: 7. Message from Outgoing Councilmembers Glass and Gurney 7a. Message from Outgoing Mayor 8. Presentation to Outgoing Mayor (City Administration) 9. Presentation to Outgoing Councilmembers (City Administration) 10. Presentation of Gold Resolution to Outgoing Councilmembers Leo Chy presented the Gold Resolutions. Supervisor Hopkins commented as follows: 10a. Public comment for Outgoing Councilmembers Remarks from Outgoing Councilmembers: Councilmember Glass: • I think everybody is here tonight, probably to hear from our new Councilmembers rather than us tired old folks that have been around for a while, but I'm going to make some remarks anyway. • Tonight marks the retirement, my retirement from participation in the City of Sebastopol after eight years on the Council, but also really 30 years of participation in the city • I started out as somebody on the downtown plan committee, so many people in the public may not realize this, but our downtown plaza used to be a sea of asphalt, with zero trees, and nothing on it. • The plaza did not exist, and I was part of the committee that figured it out how to revitalize that plaza, and that's when we got all of this and the investment spurred investment in what is now the whole foods building and revitalized what is now the rialto. • The Rialto had been abandoned since the depression, that was an empty building so our downtown really came back to light after that downtown committee and people in our town got together, all different folks, people from the business community, environmentalists and social justice people in all kinds of people said let's make something happen, and we did, and the city has been better off for it. Page 8 of 26 • I also then went on to be on a Website redevelopment committee, I went on to sit on the community development agency which was the organization that spent our redevelopment money and I am proud of our city because we spent a great deal of that redevelopment money on building affordable housing which is part of why our city actually met its required numbers for low and very low affordable housing in that period of time. • I could go on and on with all these things that I have participated in, but suffice it to say, we have a pretty awesome town and that's because there's so many people participating in our community and they have great ideas • Everyone has an opinion and we duked it out and then we make something happen. Thank you to our community for all of that. • Of the things I've done recently there's been a lot of things, I could list and list, and list, but one of the things I did that I found extremely satisfying was, at the time of the George Floyd incident there was a group of young women from high school who are very upset about the situation and they wanted to paint a black lives matter mural down main street which is actually owned by Caltrans, and if they had done that that probably would have gotten them in big trouble because it's a state highway • I worked with them and talked about learning how to work with them to process and how to make things happen, so we worked with the Public Arts Commission and I presented their ideas to the Public Arts Commission and the result was a mural in our plaza downtown and these young people learned how to work with the system and how to be successful in navigating that system, and be plugged into making things work in our town. • That was one of the most satisfying things and we all need to be bringing our youth and young people in tower city and into our city government, to work with them, so they can be participating with us. • I also wanted to get some thank you's, I want to thank my daughter Alyssa who is a really awesome person and has been there supporting and giving me feedback as I've been on the Council. • I want to thank my husband Michael whose seat I assumed when he passed away. He paved the pathway and gave me many of the ideas that carry forth when I took his seat, when he passed. • I also want to thank my chosen family, Nancy, and Annie, and Andrew, and the grandbabies and Alex and Anna and everybody, for all the support and care that they have given me. • Also for all my friends and all the great people in this town and in particular, to the activists. • There are so many activists in this town that make us a great town and those of the activists that are about housing and homelessness and social justice, and the environment and energy and small business and I could go on and on, so thank you to all of those people for being there and making our town what it is. • I also want to thank our staff, Mary (Gourley), and Larry (McLaughlin) • During the pandemic, I was Vice Mayor at the beginning of it, Patrick (Slayter) was Mayor, and we were meeting with city staff almost daily and they were there • It was quite an intense time and I know for all of us who have been on the Council, Patrick (Slayter) and Sarah (Gurney) and I, it's been a pretty crazy few years between the fires and the pandemic, let's not talk about any other disasters that might happen, because that wouldn't be good. • Anyway, thank you to all those really hard-working people and I want to say congratulations to our new, incoming City Council, you have many challenges ahead of you and I know you are up to the job, a lot of this is about working together to figure stuff out and there's a lot of things to think about here, what does it mean to be a small progressive town? • What can we do to make our economy thrive? • How much tourism should we have and how much shouldn't we have? • How can we raise revenues? • How do we bring in the marginalized people in our community? Page 9 of 26  • How do we bring youth into the community? • How do we bring them into our process? • There's so many things to be dealt with, but I know you all are up to the task and you are going to have to put your thinking caps on and really wrestle with some tough questions. • What we do when we elect people, is, in my opinion, we are looking for people that reflect our values and have experience and expertise to do the job. • So that's what everyone is looking for from you, they are looking for you having, representing the values of the people of Sebastopol, and using your experience and expertise to figure out what's best for the city • One of the tough things about being an elected is everybody can Monday morning quarterback you and everybody will think they know better than you do and the reason why we elect people is so that every single person in this town does not have to go to every single meeting and read every single packet, so it gets delegated to us • Welcome to that job, new Councilmembers, because that's, everybody's going to have a different opinion but your job is to figure out as best you can, using your values and experience and expertise. • So, with that, I just wanted to say, thank you to all those activists and actually show you this button from back when we were one of our political initiatives a number of years ago and what it says is think globally, boogie locally, a small Green town, Sebastopol, California. • This is what we are about, we are about thinking the big picture and working harder toward working together so we can boogie locally and be successful as a town and work together in harmony, so that's kind of what we need to work on and thank you so much for the honor of letting me serve on the City Council. Councilmember Gurney: • This is a difficult speech for me, there so many approaches to handle this moment in my life and so much to say • When I started this work, I was barely 50 and now I'm almost 70 years old, and I don't want to listen to myself talk about my accomplishments or my vision of Sebastopol so I had to figure out how to do this. • I've decided to offer my advice to the new Councilmembers and our future Council, to our citizens and our honorary citizens • This is unsolicited advice so I do hope you will listen, take notes and read these remarks often. • Recognized for my institutional memory and the duration of my service, I've been asked often, what are my pearls of wisdom now that I'm leaving? • I don't feel like I'm very pearl like and I seldom feel wise, so I relied on my experience as an attorney. • Attorneys know about the codified maxims of jurisprudence, so I decided to offer everyone tonight my maxims of public service • S with our newly elected Councilmembers and announce next Council that I'm going to go on to the public, and then I want to do my appreciations. • Number one, show up, do the work, and let go of the results. That is your new job in a nutshell or rather a maxim. • Number two, don't take it personally, you will be hearing from people who may feel threatened or insecure or terrified of public speaking, people who need your help, people who never interface with government before or may not trust you because you are now in government. Address their feelings, and focus on their contact. • Maxim number three, realize that you have the words information booth and complaint department written on your four heads. You may not see them, but the folks out there in the grocery store and on the sidewalk sure do. Work to get them the answers and the help they are asking for. I want to say, resist becoming a politician. Page 10 of 26 • This is a small town so you are really a community activist, there's no big leak here, but rather a whole lot of wonderful people to meet and serve and a whole lot of energy to channel integrate work. • Communicate effectively, answer e-mails and respond to phone messages and stay in rapport with staff. • Don't ever think you are the smartest person in the room, that sort of arrogance will cause you, according to the honorable Bill Roventini, loose friends, and make enemies. • Remember there will always be a member of the public and our community who knows more about a topic, someone more deeply engaged in the issue, and its history than yourself. • Don't wait saying to yourself I will learn my way and figure this out over the next two years, schedule the orientation with Mary (Gourley) and Larry (McLaughlin), get to know each other as people, your communication styles, your leadership styles, plan on discussing your goals, your individual ones, and those who can hold as a group. • Believe in yourselves and support each other, in our world of climate catastrophe, economic fragility and social dysfunction, you really need to seize the day. • Remember to care for yourself, your significant others, and your close circle, you will need their help and support through the challenges of office. • The role upon which you are about to enter, above all else, think with your heart. • Now my suggestions to our community for interacting with the Council: maxim number one, no more darkness, menace, and meanness as we've seen expressed over the last two years, throughout the black box or photo or canned message, share your face on zoom, give your name and address, own your role as the Council's public and show your self-respect. • Prepare before you comment, for instance if you are speaking on an agenda item, read the staff report, do your own research if you need to, and organize your thoughts. Focus remarks. Double check to make sure you are speaking based on accurate, verified information or from actual experience. Consider the tone of your remarks, whether written or oral. • Contact her Councilmembers ahead of time so the examination of an agenda item doesn't all pour in at one meeting. • If you have a new idea or approach, you will give it time to percolate with the Council. • Start your remarks with your conclusion or request, then explain how you got there and then summarize again. • Be watchful of your nonverbal communication, give your Councilmembers your feedback, whether it's constructive or critical feedback, show respect for the office, and the person. • Offer your Councilmembers your gratitude and support, they cannot be encouraged or appreciated enough, please work together. • Now my appreciations, I'm grateful to so many people and I need to say some of their names out loud. • My first thank you to my husband Dan, for his patience and tolerance, especially when I place my attentions and concerns for the community at the expense of our relationship. • Dan has been an excellent sounding board, and for those of you who don't know him, a true representative of the public, as I've had to think through these issues. • To Councilmember and former Mayor, the honorable Gwen Anderson, for believing in me and advocating for my first political appointment, to supervisor Eric Koenigshofer for compelling me to serve as an alternate on the California Coastal Commission and to my original mentors, the honorable Larry Robinson and the honorable Craig Litwin, whom I call the venerable's for giving me this opportunity to serve in July 2004, and showing me how to do this job. • To the two people who inspired me in public service, Gail Brown from our Planning Commission, and the honorable Anne Magnie for example buying grace in action. • To Tasha and Claire, to the many people who applied for city appointments and to those appointed by Council for their volunteer service. Page 11 of 26  • To our dedicated professional staff for their countless hours making our city home day and night, a special shout out to Kari Svanstrom in Planning, Dante Del Prete in Public Works, for taking my last- minute questions and answering my requests, the grandest thank you to City Manager Larry McLaughlin and Assistant City Manager Mary Gourley, for helping me understand and think my way through the myriad issues and for coaching me through the ups and downs of this experience. • Maxim number 10, this deserves a 10. My last thanks return to my first, I wouldn't have been able to do this work without Dan Gurney. Thank you, Dan. Mayor Slayter: • Any Councilmember past or present will tell you a common comment to hear is, "I don't know how you do it.” The long meetings and all the reading. • There is certainly true to those things, there are long meetings and there's lots of reading, but what is not understood until one actually campaigns and get selected is the good things about becoming an active participant in local government. Beyond the long meetings and all the reading. • One engaged community can ignite progress and change that radiate outward in all directions. One might with another. • Today is a day of significant change in the City of Sebastopol. • Three of us on the Council are transitioning to a different phase in each of our lives. • In my three terms on the City Council, I've worked with a wide variety of other Councilmembers. • It's a little bit like a family, you don't get to choose who you are related to and you certainly don't get to choose who you will work with on Council. • Guy, Kathleen, Michael, John, Robert, Michael, Lisa, and Diana and Neysa, bring a particular passion and a particular skill set to the work at hand and bring a special fondness of my time working with you. • A highlight project I partnered with Sarah (Gurney) include the complete streets committee, a project to bring much-needed housing to downtown known as pine grove square, and recently our community vitality efforts known as Relaunch. • Sarah (Gurney) you and I partnered on the housing committee, developing the very successful housing fair, we served on the budget committee several times together, creating new responsible ways of budgeting, we facilitated the comprehensive audit of Sebastopol Police Department, to learn what we were doing well and to learn where we had places where we could grow. • We have all served as Mayor and Vice Mayor in various alignments over the years. • The people in these positions will not always agree with each other about process, scheduling, and timing, much less the actual issues at hand, but trust and respect are nonnegotiable. • I always felt those qualities from my colleagues and I hope they felt the same about me. • By my estimation, over my tenure I have attended 288 regular City Council meetings, 150 special Council meetings, 40 budget committee meetings, 96 Sonoma Clean Power meetings, 400 City Council meetings, and you get the idea. • Somewhere between 1300 and 1500 times, I took up a pencil to note a commitment in my calendar. • Some of those were fun, some were boring, some were surprising, and all were my privilege to attend on behalf of the residents of Sebastopol. • The heavy lifting list seems almost endless. CVS, leaf blowers, bike lanes, appropriate policing, climate efforts, Caltrans, fires, floods, a global pandemic, infrastructure emergencies, lawsuits, development projects, traffic, parking, occupy, black lives matter, rent control, budget, staffing, crosswalks, appeals, the general plan, elections, and taxes. That's just the first small list but you get the idea. • Every one of these heavy items can be contrasted with something significantly lighter, it is the Yin and yang of the universe, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Page 12 of 26 • Sebastopol World Friends, ribbon cuttings, the senior center, park improvements, walk and roll to school days, the apple blossom parade, keystone concerts, our bike event from a couple of years ago that we called and our pride in Sebastopol being a leader in environment protection efforts. • Like my colleagues, even though it's not asked for, I'm going to provide a little of my own advice to our new Councilmembers. • Do your best, and maybe people will agree, and maybe they won't. Maybe you will be in the majority, and maybe you won't. Do your best, be honest, carefully consider your position, and what is best for our community and our planet. • Take some time to sit with things and do nothing but think. Then, go on to the next thing and do a decent job on that. • Don't be afraid to say you don't know something. Don't fight with people in the ditch, invite them to meet you on the road. Pace yourself. • Remember what you learned as a child, and say please and thank you. • Also, the Golden Rule is not a bad thing to lean on either. This work is not a competition. • There will always be Councilmembers better at some things and Councilmembers with more time to devote to the job. • Remember, you bring your strength to the to the table and it is highly likely you are actually not particularly aware of what those strengths are right now. • Study the issues, learn everything you can about them, but keep an open mind and don't take a firm position until an item is discussed in the public process. • You will learn new things and hear different ideas from community members and colleagues that you would have never thought of by yourself. • Approach this work with a light heart and sense of discovery. • There are many solutions to every problem, and you should never be satisfied with the first one. • Consider them all, then find the one with particular merit in terms of simplicity, elegance, cost, refinement, and long-term viability and move that idea forward. • The residents of Sebastopol can be confident in the people entrusted with the daily operations of the city. • Our city staff is professional and kind, clever, and thrifty. They are capable and exactly the type of people we can depend on. • Councilmembers interact mostly with department heads. Dante (Del Prete), Rich (Emig), Ana (Kwong), Glenn (Schainblatt), Toni (Bertolero), Mario (Landeros), Steve (Brown), Bill (Braga), John (Zani), Kari (Svanstrom), Sue (Kelly), Kenyon, (Webster), Jeff (Weaver), Henry (Mikus), James (Conner), Greg (Devore), Don (Mort) and Ron (Nelson), you have all been a delight to work with and I appreciate you and your hard-working staff more than I can say. • Larry (McLaughlin) and Mary (Gourley) you two are simply the best, without your knowledge, empathy, patience, humor, superhuman work ethic and friendship, the job of a City Councilmember would be nigh on impossible. I appreciate each of you more than I can say. • We are each a long time debt, on the way there we cast around for the moments that help us remember how we weren't put here solely to pay taxes and sit in front of a computer screen on a Friday afternoon and wonder how much decompression can be crammed in before Monday comes back around and dishes up a bunch of real life stuff about which we are not entirely thrilled. • Sometimes we need to take a leap, make a change, and trust that the landing may not be soft, but we will land. • There is something reliably excellent about bailing from civilization every so often, a snowy forest, a deserted beach, or soloing in a big city like this ceaseless feet of real-life, your brain just automatically hit idle for a bit. Page 13 of 26  • I'm looking forward to having more time to go exploring, to volunteering, to walk my dog, to take trips with my wife, to build things, to ride my bike, and to have a little bit more space inside my head for some different things. • Sebastopol, thank you. Presentations were made to the Outgoing Councilmembers and Mayor. Leo Chyi and Supervisor Hopkins presented Gold Resolutions to the Outgoing Councilmembers and Mayor. • I will speak from the heart and I will try not to cry. If I cry it's not because I just got out of a 10 hour Board of Supervisors meeting which what I think make most people cry, but because having the opportunity to serve with all of you and to work with you has truly been a privilege and an honor, because you are not only some of the best and favorite elected officials I know but some of the best human beings that I know working in the county. • You truly are not politicians, you are public servants and it has always been service first and community first. • Sarah (Gurney) I'm really grateful that you reach out early on after I was elected and we had the opportunity to partner on a bike and pedestrian project and I think the first ever initiative of its kind between the city and the county and we were also able to work on pedestrian improvements and get funding from the county to meet some of your priorities. • Patrick (Slayter) and Una (Glass), it was so wonderful to get to know you both through your tenure as Mayor on a Council, and I consider you, not just colleagues, but mentors and friends that I've learned so much from you both and I really grateful for that. • One of the things that's hardest I think is to divest yourself from the noise and the emotion that can sometimes happen in politics and the politics of it. • I think all of you bring this quality of humanity, of thought, and of always trying to do right by the community, no matter what the pressure is, no matter what folks are telling you to do, you look inward and you think about what is right and you take action on that and that is so powerful and I hope that we have more leaders like you. • I know we do and I hope that many folks will honestly aspire to be that kind of leader that is community first, people first, and not in it for the glitz and glamour which we all know is overrated when actually it means lots of late-night meetings and sleepless nights as we wonder what the right thing is to do because it's not always clear. • Thank you so much for your service and thank you for your college ship and your friendship as well. • You are wonderful and a gift to the community and I will be calling you about boards and commissions you could potentially serve on in your retirement or just advice from time to time, so thank you so much, you are gifts to the community and I'm really grateful for your leadership, thank you. Mayor Slayter opened for public comment: Calum Weeks commented as follows: • I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mayor Slayter, Councilmember Glass, and Councilmember Gurney for their combined 40 years of service to the community. • As they often say, heavy is the head the word that wears the crown and I don't know if that's entirely an appropriate comparison, but the sentiment is there • You have all as I think Mayor Slayter pointed out been through some incredibly challenging times not only for the city itself, but the state, county, and even the world from the floods, fires, the pandemic and social unrest Page 14 of 26  • It's been a challenging time and you've truly experienced the entire gamut of challenges that can be thrown at an electric body and your commitment to serve the community has been a testament to your passion for civic engagement in your desire to make a difference. • Thank you very much for all your work and best wishes on whatever the future holds next for you. Nancy Dobbs commented as follows: • I would appreciate just a few minutes to speak on behalf of the Dobbs Kramer family to pray and express appreciation for Una (Glass), for her heart, her head, and her compassion, for the years and thousands of hours of work with her colleagues which she has worked to fashion the best future for everyone in Sebastopol, the incredible diversity of issues about which she has been an informed and incisive leader and decision-maker really boggles the mind. • For example, she worked diligently on the essential police department audit, she advocated for living wage, and for the unhoused among us, Elderberry Commons • She worked for affordable housing, serving years on the Community Development Agency and worked to improve local healthcare through the health action committee. • She began the process for the community economic vitality and Relaunch Sebastopol after the pandemic, and helped on are the peacemakers amongst • From healthcare to a just and fair law enforcement, from safe available housing to economic vitality, she has been a remarkable leader, effectively helping to guide our city to a more just, sustainable, and compassionate future, and we honor her for that. Jude Kreissman commented as follows: • I think the statements that Patrick (Slayter) and Sarah (Gurney) and Una (Glass) made are such illustrations of how incredibly lucky we have been. • We are in a class by ourselves in this city. • These three people display such intelligence, such compassion, such wisdom, it's been easy to rest easy and I just can't express how grateful I personally am to all three of you, you have been remarkable leaders and have kept us safe, you have kept us Green, you've kept us growing and Una (Glass), thank you for that button. • Let's continue to think globally, boogie locally, and make Sebastopol a leader in all the good things in life, and Sarah (Gurney) and Patrick (Slayter) and Una (Glass), may you have a wonderful next chapter of your lives. • I couldn't think of people who deserve it more, we are so deeply grateful to all of you, thank you. Linda Berg commented as follows: • I am also very appreciative of Sarah (Gurney) and Una's (Glass) work and a lot of it • I don't even know what it's about, but i do know some of it so you are just outstanding and surely you're just one of the best City Councilmembers the town has ever had and I think there ought to be some kind of memorial of the Saturday walks or some kind of a plaque or something, to recognize and appreciate all that you've done. • So there's that, and the art trails and open studios are just outstanding and I know you've done a lot more but anyway thank you to both of you. • There are a few other things while I've got the floor, I would like to mention that of course Larry (McLaughlin) and Mary (Gourley), they've been the best, but there is this little thing about the water meters. Page 15 of 26  • Both Sarah (Gurney) and Larry (McLaughlin) objected, they did not support the wireless water meters and yet our public works supervisor bulldozed right over their objections and went ahead and sold you all a bad bill of goods • So now this next City Council has to spend a lot of time and money, perhaps more millions, to rectify that. • Patrick (Slayter), I would like to say, thank God and greyhound, the cruelty he's shown an 80-year-old woman who shown herself on the mercy of the City Council Evert Fernandez commented as follows: • Thanked the three outgoing Councilmembers, two minutes is not enough to talk about all the success that they've had • I hope to see them in person and thank them personally • It's a lot of years and I can say about all three of them is that they've always been open-minded and in the treated people with respect and they truly did the work loving our town • We are very fortunate to have them and I wish them well in their new endeavors and hopefully on occasion as a public speaker with your ideas for the new Council. • Thank you very much, I very much appreciate all that you've done. Lilith commented as follows: • I agree with everyone giving you all so much praise. • I'm just an all, when I heard the three be speaking about all the meetings and the time you've put in to our wonderful city. • I'm sure you won't stop your activism for us and I'm just so grateful to live in this sweet little town. • Thank you, thank you, it's been wonderful to be here for all these years. • Blessed be. Enjoy your time off if you take some. Omar Figueroa commented as follows: • I want to also express my gratitude to Una (Glass), Patrick (Slayter), and Sarah (Gurney) for being exemplary me elected representatives at the level of direct democracy • Hearing the really thoughtful and mature speeches, to me restores my faith in democracy, and the people bring forth their best, and I can see that holding office has been transformative for these public officials • I think the newly about to be sworn in public officials are fortunate to have such resources available, and people who are willing to share their experience and their knowledge and make themselves available. • Not too much of course, because they've got to go on vacation and enjoy the unencumbered life now that they've been set free • I think that it's amazing that so much experience was accumulated and you really handled our city to numerous crises, from computer hackers stealing huge amounts of money, to the pandemic, to the devastation of our tourist economy, to all sorts of crises that you handled in a very mature and inspiring fashion. • From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much and I would be honored to, when the time comes, take any of you out to lunch or coffee, thank you. Alyssa commented as follows: • I was going to do a brief few words. Specifically to my mother both you, Patrick (Slayter), and Sarah (Gurney), I want to say how proud I am of you, to my mom. • You are one of the most brilliant people I know and I wouldn't be who I am today without you. • Thank you for teaching me the difference between right and wrong and speaking truth to power. • Anyway, love you and congratulations on maybe getting a bit of a break now. Page 16 of 26 Donald commented as follows: • I wanted to thank you all for your service over these last couple of years, keeping democracy together. • I'll be at the back of a corporation through this video chatting service, but I'm just really hyper impressed with what the Mayor has done, what the City Councilmembers have done. • Albeit, I don't totally agree with combining radio waves and water this has just been really a great community to have been a part of for the last 28 years. • I raise my children here. I would hope they move back into town at some point. • I would also like to advocate and honor our future Councilmembers. Going forward. • I personally have not been vaccinated but the other people in the community doing that to help the community, best luck and well wishes into 2023 and here's to democracy. Sandi Maurer commented as follows: • Thank you to Patrick (Slayter), Sarah (Gurney), and Una (Glass), for your many years of service. • I'm touched by your sharing and I appreciate your wise advice. • Sarah (Gurney), you brought a rare honesty, integrity, and insight to this Council, not only did you think with your heart, you spoke from your heart. • Thank you for your many valuable contributions and your support. • One of my favorite memories is your box demonstration for the Barlow project. • Which took a very contentious issue and turned it around into a great addition to our city. • Una (Glass), thank you for your contributions and support as well. • You stood up to PG&E as Mayor and we were able to get the lower kelvin, warmer streetlights throughout our town, where as other cities have the bright blue white glaring streetlights, not Sebastopol, thanks to you. • I wish you each the best in your next step and I welcome your input, thank you. Jacque commented as follows: • I do wish all of these members a happy retirement. • I think I retired when I was 83, but then the Pacific West project started and I have been busy ever since. • I appreciate you being there, and I will miss you in this role. • I hope to see you and other nonbusiness ways as the days go on. • This is a special place to be, I really have thought with all the things going on of leaving town from time to time, and there's no place else I want to be • Thanks for what you've done and I hope you will be mentors for the new people coming in because they've got a lot ahead of them. Councilmember Public Comments: Councilmember Rich commented as follows: • This has been an incredible two years for me • I came onto the City Council as a complete newbie despite my history within the community here, and I have to thank Sarah Gurney and Patrick Slayter and Una Glass, and also Neysa Hinton, they have been and I'm sure will continue to be incredible mentors for me and have presented all of the variables that have been listed by them in their advice to the new City Councilmembers. • Primarily, despite the fact that we often disagreed, I have been in disagreement with each of the departing City Councilmembers at various points, it was always with a sense of respect, mutual respect, and recognition that each one of us in our differing opinions were looking toward the better good of Sebastopol, of this wonderful little town. Page 17 of 26  • I appreciate that thread of genuine commitment to Sebastopol, that they have conveyed and have helped me understand and help me take on myself, so thank you, I will miss you, and we know how to find you anyway, so we will see you later. Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows: • It's been great to just listen to each of my colleagues which I will say will soon be former colleagues. • I can say with each of them it was Councilmember Sarah Gurney who I first met with before I decided to run for office. • She may recall that meeting. To ask her advice and she was also probably the first Councilmember that I met with after I got elected. • Because she has been such a solid member of this Council for 18 years and I believe in planning commission at least two prior to that. I thank her for her service. • I can't imagine 18 years • Sarah (Gurney) that level of public service is something you really, really do not see, so thank you for all that in our community. • Mayor Slayter: I think I've been his Vice Mayor twice in my six years. • He is always calm and steady and smiling as he is now. • I really have to thank him when you work in that relationship, it is always unique versus just working with a full Council. • I loved his comment of, we become friends, friendly. When we are working as a team, we are elected by the people but you don't pick who you are serving with. That's so true and, yet, you managed to all work together. Thank you to Patrick for choosing me as his Vice Mayor last year. This is a good time to say that. I don't know that I have ever thanked him but I really appreciate that nomination last year. Hopefully, I have earned that. • Then my colleague, Una Glass. It will be so odd to not be on the committee with you. • I also met with Una (Glass) when I had already thrown my hat in the ring for Council • It was supposed to be a short meeting and I think we stood up from that meeting at the bakeshop. We walked away more than two hours later. • We sometimes agree, we sometimes disagree, and sometimes we can find common ground. • I really consider Una (Glass) over these last six years as one of my friends. • She lives in my neighborhood. Her daughter and I helped a cup campaign signs together. • You might not meet our colleagues, if not for this office. • I really respect all of you and the commitment that you have given to the community in serving and you will be missed. • Thank you very much. Mayor Slayer commented as follows: • Speaking on behalf of all three of us, if I may, it has been a profound privilege and honor to serve the residents of Sebastopol. • Honestly it has been a life-changing experience for me, I expect it has been for my colleagues as well so thank you to the residence of Sebastopol. • I will leave the new Council soaring in. 11. Newly Elected Councilmembers took their official seats on the Council dais by virtual of zoom Reference Order Numbers: 2022-330 through 334 OATH OF OFFICE: Page 18 of 26  12. Administering of Oath to Elected Councilmembers. After the Certification of the Election, the City Clerk will administer the oath to Elected Councilmembers. Oaths will be conducted virtually with newly sworn Councilmembers signing the Oaths virtually. City Clerk Gourley administered the oath of office. City Council Action: None Required. City Clerk Issued Oath. Reference Order Number: 2022-335 CITY COUNCIL REORGANIZATION/ELECTION OF MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR/MAYOR PRO TEMPORE Each year the City Council conducts a reorganization by selecting from among its members a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore (Vice Mayor) to serve for the upcoming year. The Mayor presides at City Council meetings and serves as the official head of the City for ceremonial purposes. The Mayor Pro Tempore (Vice Mayor) performs the duties of the Mayor during the Mayor’s absence or disability. This reorganization usually takes place at the first regular meeting in December or upon certification of the Election if it is an election year. To make a nomination, Council members need only state “I nominate ”. Nominations do not require seconds; however, other members may express support of a nomination by making a seconding speech. When there are no more nominations, current Mayor/or Vice Mayor (if remaining on Council) will declare nominations for the position of Mayor closed and conduct the following procedures: 13. Election of Mayor (Current Mayor or Vice Mayor (if remaining on Council) will call for nominations for the Office of Mayor) a) Nominations Received Vice Mayor Hinton called for nominations for Mayor. Councilmember Rich nominated Neysa Hinton for Mayor. Vice Mayor Hinton called for further nominations. There were none. Vice Mayor Hinton opened for public comment. Evert Fernandez commented as follows: • Congratulations to our new Council representatives. • I look forward to your input and directions with the city. • I wanted to comment and voice my support for Councilmember Hinton as Mayor and also at the same time for Councilmember Rich for Vice Mayor. • I know we are not on the subject yet but I think we need at this time transitional periods. • We need individuals that have the experience and that no some of the administrative workings that can help lead us to this transitional period. • I personally know both of them and have worked with them as a citizen and also my many years on the commission that I serve on now. • I encourage full support for those individuals. Linda Berg commented as follows: • I'm assuming that it is not written anywhere the new Councilpersons can be nominated and become Mayor and Vice Mayor. Correct me if I'm wrong. • I would like to point out this last City Council has been disastrous. Page 19 of 26  • Disastrous policies regarding particularly the $2.2 million debacle of the wireless water meters which, both of the existing City Councilmembers have a part of in promoting and fully supporting and also asinine police audit which should never have happened. • Items that these Councilmember spent a lot of time and money targeting and maybe do not deserve to be in the Mayoral and Vice Mayoral positions. • I'm suggesting that you come up with another three new Councilmembers. • They will have college degrees. Run the meetings and be a lot better off with some new leadership, which we direly and sorely need in this pivotal time in our history with the technology and the wireless which are not good for us and increasing and so forth. Omar Figueroa commented as follows: • I want to suggest that we are losing a lot of institutional knowledge with the loss of our three outgoing City Councilmembers and that it is important to have procedural continuity. • I have faith that Vice Mayor Hinton will do a good job as Mayor. • I think she has been around a long time and really can maintain the smoothness that we are going to be needing in the future. • On that note, I think Councilmember Rich would also be an excellent Vice Mayor when we get to that. • Because we need to maintain continuity, I agree with citizen Fernandez that we ought to have Mayor Hinton as our next Mayor. Kyle Falbo commented as follows: • I'm all in favor of the continuation of the institutional knowledge that we do have remaining within the Council and whatever decision you make tonight, please just make it in such a way that we don't make it into the paper like we did last year. • Please make sure our decision-making process, we are not going to have someone jump ship at the last minute. Mark commented as follows: • I just wanted to say first of all, I'm really impressed that you guys would go to the extent to allow us about the people to comment on this current election that we are having right now. • It's a very big one. Is going to determine a lot of what is going to be happening in our small town. • I don't think that any of us really don't want to say what is going to be happening. • I also want to say, there are certain candidates but I don't want to put names out there. I am not that kind of person and I don't believe in that. I do want to say that I think we all know who I'm talking about when I say that there are certain people that may be should not hold this position. • Due to other events that I don't also do not want to bring up for the sake of just being a gentleman but I think we all know what I'm talking about and who I'm talking about. • I just hope that we all keep that in mind moving forward with this election and making sure that we get people in office who deserve to be in office. • Again, I'm not going to name any specifics but there are certain people that probably should not have certain amounts of power that are currently running and we all know who that is • That is all I have to say and I just hope we all make the right decision and that everything goes well moving forward. • It's a very big election and very important to all of us. Dennis Colthurst commented as follows: • I think this past election made it clear that the community is looking for a change. Page 20 of 26  • Regarding some previous comments, I don't know what you're talking about because it was so vague I don't know how it is. • I don't think, in my assessment, Jill McLewis was the top vote-getter by so much as a marking she might be considered as the Vice Mayor. • In reference to the fact that someone mentioned continuity of service, by the time Jill becomes your Mayor she would be of course one year into her service and I think she would be a great choice as a someone to consider. • That is my comment and I thank you for listening. b) Council Comments (if any) Councilmember Rich commented as follows: • In support of Neysa Hinton. • I think she provides the stability and sense of strong direction that all of us need at this time. • She is the most experienced person on the Council and I'm appreciative that she is willing to take on the responsibility of Mayor, which is a big responsibility. Councilmember McLewis commented as follows: • I truly appreciate the experience you have on the Council. • I think that we need a strong leader while we all learn our way. MOTION: Councilmember Rich moved and Councilmember McLewis seconded the motion to approve selection of Neysa Hinton as Mayor for the City of Sebastopol. Vice Mayor Hinton called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote. VOTE: Ayes: Councilmembers Maurer, McLewis, Rich, Zollman and Vice Mayor Hinton Noes: None Absent: None Abstain: None City Council Action: Approved selection of Neysa Hinton as Mayor for the City of Sebastopol. Minute Order Number: 2022-336 c) Gavel is transferred to Mayor 14. Election of Mayor Pro Tempore (Vice Mayor) (Newly Elected Mayor will call for nominations for Office of Vice Mayor) a) Nominations Received Mayor Hinton called for nominations for Mayor. Mayor Hinton nominated Diana Rich for Vice Mayor. Mayor Hinton called for further nominations. There were none. Mayor Hinton opened for public comment. Linda Berg commented as follows: Page 21 of 26  • I would just like to point out that these two people have been on the wrong side of a lot of very important policies and economic procedures. • Diana Rich she went and employed out of town consultant and to help get rid of our volunteer fire department. • Bad mouthed our police force to the point where our fine police chief up and quit because he was denied resources and money as a result of the black lives matter thing and Diane Rich apparently does not understand the difference between the George Floyd incident and how our model police behave. • What should have been done, instead of going after our fine police department, they should have been celebrated as the right alternative, which they are, to a lot of the other law enforcement agencies, such as Sonoma County sheriff department, which has been led by the monster and has been written up practicing systemic sadism, which I can attest to having been wrongfully arrested and beaten up and arrested and jailed at their hands. • These two people have made a lot of bad decisions Council Comments Mayor Hinton commented as follows: • I have served with Councilmember Rich for 2 years. • It has been a busy two years and like my other colleagues, we don't always agree. • We voted in different ways but I think one thing I appreciate about Diana (Rich) is her smiling face, which has been smiling all night tonight, her ability to be resilient when the vote doesn't go necessarily the way that she anticipated or thought it might. • She takes the high road and I hate to go backwards and talk about last year, but for the two of us, we were sitting on this call and it was awkward. • Diana Rich was the ultimate professional and handled that with grace and kindness and showed me what a leadership really is at the end of the day. MOTION: Mayor Hinton moved and Councilmember Zollman seconded the motion to approve selection of Diana Rich as Vice Mayor for the City of Sebastopol. Mayor Hinton called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote. VOTE: Ayes: Councilmembers Maurer, McLewis, Rich, Zollman and Mayor Hinton Noes: None Absent: None Abstain: None City Council Action: Approved selection of Diana Rich as Vice Mayor for the City of Sebastopol. Minute Order Number: 2022-337 Message from Incoming Councilmembers: Councilmember Maurer commented as follows: • It's very humbling to step into this role following exemplary leadership of our outgoing Councilmembers. • I want to thank the voters were having faith in me and I am honored. • I want to thank you to all of those who supported me, including my husband and my family and my awesome campaign team. • For those who did not vote for me, I hope to earn your trust. Page 22 of 26  • I will work hard and I wanted to do a good job. • I will aim to be transparent, authentic, accountable, and to be hard on the issues and soft on people. • I'm ready to serve this community. • Thank you so much. Councilmember Zollman commented as follows: • I too want to thank all the voters for putting their trust in me and for those that did not vote for me, I hope to earn your trust. • I also want to thank my partner, Jim for all of his love and unconditional support. • Most important Lee, my campaign team, I am looking forward to the priorities that I mentioned. • Working with our law enforcement to improve mental health, working with our youth and supporting our businesses, small businesses in particular, all while protecting our environment. • Asking for to working with all of my colleagues in getting to know you more. • Thank you very much for this opportunity. Councilmember McLewis commented as follows: • I just wanted to say thank you to all of the residents of Sebastopol and all the people that helped with my campaign, especially the volunteer firefighters. • All the people that I spoke to and taking the time to talk with me and opened their doors to a stranger. • Knocking on their door and asking them what they think. What feedback they would have. • I'm looking forward to working with all of my new colleagues and serving the citizens of Sebastopol. • It's truly an honor to be in this position and I am full of gratitude. • Thank you. 15. Message from Incoming Mayor Mayor Hinton commented as follows: • I want to start off by saying, when you look at the agenda and you see agenda 15 and it says message from the incoming Mayor, I felt like maybe it was even jinxed to prepare comments seems like the wrong thing to do. • Prepare a speech when that decision hasn't been made, because leadership, on a City Council where it is not an elected position, is really selected from within. • I would not want to serve as Mayor if my colleagues didn't want to follow me or have me serve as Mayor. • So, I really just kind of made some bullet points and I will speak from the heart. • First of all, we have spent a lot of time tonight thanking our colleagues that have specked out as Councilmembers for their service. • I did do a recap and combined not including the other commissions and boards they served on, did a combined 38 years experience that we just, that they have just not run for office. • That is really remarkable number of years to be stepping away. • By retrospect, I'm now the longest-serving member of this Council with six years. • In fact, someone told me, if you look at the County, basically, that is the max number of city and City Councilmembers with this selection, that is kind of the longest anybody is. • Larry (McLaughlin) might be able to know that factoid, but there has been a lot of change in elected officials and who is running for office and a lot of new faces, which by the way I welcome. • We just heard a few weeks ago and politics, someone call it the new generation. • I'll speak for myself since I'm certainly not that young, this is a new generation for Sebastopol for City Council. Page 23 of 26  • I think this arguably could be stated that this is the biggest change we have seen in a really long time • Larry (McLaughlin) and Mary (Gourley) have been around both more than 20 years, easily. • It is a big change and I will say that I welcome it and I'm embracing it. • This last few days I have met with every new Councilmember that now serves with me on the Council and have had one-on-one coffee appointments to hear some of their ideas and answer any questions they might have. • I hear words like harmony and collaborative and working as a team and I really love that. • We need to get to know each other but one thing I do know, while they may be new elected officials, these members have served this community in so many ways. • They have shunned their commitment through other service in the town of Sebastopol over years and years. They are not newcomers by any means. I don't want to keep calling them that. • They are new elected officials about have been part of our community and have a lot to offer. • Moving forward, we may disagree on policy. We always try to set a tone. I think it has already been set, of courtesy and respect for each other. • Sometimes it is hard to not get hurt feelings in this role. It is hard to make the tough votes. • I don't need to tell them that. I think they already know the. • I'm looking forward to 2023 and I really appreciate the support of my colleagues as the new Mayor moving forward. • Together, along with our amazing city staff, we all are committed to doing what is best for our community and I'm excited to move forward with optimism and energy and I can't wait for the year. • There were 70 people when I looked at that count on tonight. • That might be the record for swearing in that I have seen in my six years, so, I really welcome our new members and thank you very much for putting yourselves out there, doing an election, getting elected, it is a lot of hard work and thank you for your commitment. Reference Order Number: 2022-338 CITY COUNCIL/CITY STAFF REPORTS/COMMUNICATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/FUTURE MEETINGS: 16. City Manager-Attorney/City Clerk Reports: (This will be either verbal or written reports provided at or prior to the meeting). City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin reported as follows: • I will note for the record that I will give you reminders of upcoming meetings, Mayors and Councilmembers meetings and similar and occasionally we will also be reporting on more substantive items that are not action items but need more of a report. • That will also be under this. • I will mention for all of the Council, Mary (Gourley) and I are conducting our orientations as we always do for our new incoming Councilmembers. • Thank you for those that we have already met and started those discussions. • We will be continuing those this month and into January. • There's a lot of subjects for us to cover and we are doing these orientations at this time. • Welcome to all of our new Councilmembers and congratulations. 17. City Council Reports/Committee/Sub-Committee Meeting Reports: (Reports by Mayor/City Councilmembers Regarding Various Agency Meetings/Committee Meetings/Sub-Committee Meeting /Conferences Attended and Possible Direction to its Representatives (If Needed) on Pending issues before such Boards) (This will be either verbal or written reports provided at the meeting) Vice Mayor Rich reported as follows: Page 24 of 26  • I just want to express my absolute appreciation for this new City Council and for all of the change and continued commitment to the community. • New ideas and new input that we will undoubtedly see from all of you. • I concur with Mayor Hinton's perspective on our goals are to collaborate and engage and make sure that all of you feel relevant, because let's face it, that's what the voters want. • We will listen to the voters and we will listen to the community. • Just know that I'm completely committed to really making sure that your expertise and your experience and your deep commitment gets to benefit all of these wonderful people in Sebastopol. • In terms of reports, I thought I would do a really brief overview, Mayor Hinton, because I know that new City Councilmembers may be interested in what some of these committees are doing. • I am appointed to the climate action committee, which is a City Council-created committee. • That group is moving forward in a process to incorporate the climate action framework that has been developed by our outside civics appointment, appointee, Phoebe Golden, who is now leaving us, but she has been very helpful. • There is a real focused effort to identify goals and implement them in a way that is consistent with the climate action framework. • It's a really wonderful group with really motivated citizens. • The other committee, the appointment I have is a zero waste Sonoma, which is a joint association, agency, that serves the jurisdictions and Sonoma County. It has its own staff. Very independent and professional and very active and focused and productive. They focus on waste management • These groups have met since our last City Council meeting. • The other liaison assignment that I have is to the Sebastopol service and action coalition and that group met a couple of times since our last City Council meeting. • That is moving forward with a number of community minded hands on projects that have been very productive. 18. Council Communications Received: There were none. 19. Future City Meeting Dates/Events (Informational Only): (See City Web Site for Up-to-Date Meeting Dates/Times) CLOSED SESSION: NONE ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING December 6, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting will be adjourned to the Regular City Council Meeting to be held December 20, 2022 at 6:00 pm. Mayor Hinton adjourned the December 6, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting at 8:19 p.m. to the next regular City Council Meeting to be held December 20, 2022 at 6:00 pm. Zoom Virtual Meeting Format. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Gourley Assistant City Manager/Attorney/City Clerk Page 25 of 26 Page 26 of 26