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09/14/2021
ANAHEIM CITY COUNCIL REGULAR AND REGULAR ADJOURNED MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 The regular meeting of September 14, 2021 was called to order at 3:00 P.M. and adjourned for lack of a quorum. The regular adjourned meeting was called to order at 3:33 P.M. in the Council Chamber of Anaheim City Hall, located at 200 S. Anaheim Blvd. The meeting notice, agenda, and related materials were duly posted on September 9, 2021. MEMBERS PRESENT. Mayor Harry Sidhu and Council Members Stephen Faessel, Jose Diaz, and Jose F. Moreno. Council Members Avelino Valencia and Trevor O'Neil joined the meeting during Closed Session. [One City Council vacancy] STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Jim Vanderpool, City Attorney Robert Fabela, and City Clerk Theresa Bass ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO CLOSED SESSION: None PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CLOSED SESSION ITEMS: None CLOSED SESSION: At 3:34 P.M., Mayor Sidhu recessed to closed session for consideration of the following: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL — ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of California Government Code Section 54956.9: One potential case (A copy of the claim against the City is included in the agenda packet and available for review by contacting the City Clerk's Office and on-line electronically with the agenda at: www.anaheim.net/councilagendas.) 2. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL — ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of California Government Code Section 54956.9: One potential case (A copy of the claim against the City is included in the agenda packet and available for review by contacting the City Clerk's Office and on-line electronically with the agenda at: www.anaheim_.net/councila(lendas.) 3. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Section 54957 (b) (1) of the Government Code) Title: City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk 4. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS (Subdivision (a) of Section 54957.6 of the California Government Code) Agency Designated Representative: Linda Andal, Human Resources Director Name of Employee Organizations: City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 2 of 23 At 5:27 P.M., Mayor Sidhu reconvened the Anaheim City Council. MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Harry Sidhu and Council Members Stephen Faessel, Jose Diaz, Jose F. Moreno, Avelino Valencia, and Trevor O'Neil. [One City Council vacancy] INVOCATION: Pastor Abraham John, East West Community Church FLAG SALUTE: Council Member Trevor O'Neil Acceptance of Other Recognitions (To be presented at a later date): Recognizing September 17 — 23, 2021, as Constitution Week Recognizing September 2021, as Hunger Action Month Claudia Keller, Orange County Hunger Alliance, accepted the recognition and thanked City Council. She highlighted how Orange County and the City, through the Anaheim Police Department and Anaheim Fire & Rescue, stepped up during the pandemic feeding the hungry at the Honda Center. Mayor Sidhu thanked the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County for its work. At 5:32 P.M., Mayor Sidhu called to order the Successor Agency to the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency and Anaheim Housing Authority (in joint session with the City Council). ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO THE AGENDAS: None COMMENTS BY DISTRICT 2 CITY COUNCIL APPLICANTS: City Clerk Theresa Bass announced the 10 applicants would be called to speak in alphabetical order. Rudy Gaona advised he has lived in District 2 for over 17 years and is proud of it. He advised he is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He noted he serves on the Public Utilities Board. He reported he brings loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage to the dais and is there to work as a team for all of Anaheim. He expressed pride in his wife and children. Mr. Gaona reported he has worked for the Walt Disney Company since 2017 and has seen the importance of its economic development for the City. He spoke of the need to help with homelessness, economic development, and public safety. He recalled his efforts towards the creation of Anaheim's districts and complimented districting's success. He thanked the Council Members individually, particularly noting their support of veterans. He encouraged the creation of quality jobs for residents and working as a team towards this goal by voting for the whole City and not just District 2. Brian Guardamondo thanked City Council for meeting with all of the candidates. He advised he is a small business owner who would represent District 2 well. He noted he is a person of accountability and action who chose to live in Anaheim and raise his family, including his special needs son, there. He detailed his years of service to local schools. Mr. Guardamondo spoke of his business background, negotiating skills, and stewardship of financials. He advised his goal is to give back to his City by representing the needs of the district's businesses and residents. He called for job creation to lead to economic development. He expressed his willingness to devote his limited spare time to bettering the City. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 3 of 23 Carlos Leon advised he is a son of Anaheim who is dedicated to making a positive impact in his community. He spoke in both Spanish and English about being the proud son of Mexican immigrants who selflessly came to the United States for its opportunities. He applauded the Head Start program for helping lay a successful foundation for his education, like many of his neighbors. He advised he served as an Anaheim Union High School District Student Ambassador and noted events like the City's Youth in Government Day got him interested in public service and giving back. He encouraged creating more programs like this. Mr. Leon advised he put his name forward to be a voice and advocate for his home community. He noted many of the current local issues have not changed since his childhood, including the call for a representative who will listen to them with empathy. He advised his experience, passion, and dedication to equitable public policy have compelled him to serve his community and build consensus. Gloria Ma'ae advised she is a 42-year District 2 resident. She detailed her early childhood in the City of Santa Ana born to an uneducated mother and eighth -grade educated Mexican father, who met each other as migrants with goals of buying a house and having their five children graduate high school. She advised she remained in Anaheim even after her parents moved away, determined to better their neighborhood. She detailed efforts by her and her husband to increase neighborhood safety and celebrate her neighborhood. Ms. Ma'ae reported she has served the City for over 20 years in many capacities, including chairing the North Anaheim Neighborhood Council, Anaheim Leadership Academy, Anaheim Charter Review Board, Citizens' Review Board on Elections, and Community Services Board, among others. She advised she also serves on the Support Our Anaheim Resort (SOAR) Advisory Board and Anaheim First. She advised all of these services have allowed her to learn about the City's departments and what they all contribute. Ms. Ma'ae acknowledged a strong economy means more services for the residents, something confirmed by the pandemic's fiscal consequences. She advised her service has prepared her for this moment, noting the large attendance figures for the recent Anaheim First Town Hall providing many ideas for how to help the City's various communities. She noted her priorities, if selected, would be as a fierce advocate for neighborhood reinvestment, compassionately yet firmly addressing the homeless problem, encouraging public safety, and rebuilding the economy to provide first-class services. Joseph Olsen apologized to Council Member Moreno for not attending their meeting. He expressed hopes someone with autism could be the District 2 representative. He listed his qualities as being honesty, loyalty, truthfulness, and seriousness. He advised his path to the dais started with the time and money the City wasted on creating its new flag. He noted his primary goal would be to make the people of District 2 happy. John Ortiz advised he and the nine other candidates share a common interest in making District 2 a better place to live and work. He noted District 2 seems to fall short of other districts and work needs to be done there. He advised the challenges go beyond just one Council Member and urged the candidates to reach out to each other so they could all play a part in redeveloping District 2 and west Anaheim. Mr. Ortiz explained, as an entrepreneur, he would look at the challenges and find a way to overcome the obstacles. He advised he is skilled at bringing people together and seeing where processes and investments can make a difference. He called for changes to use City assets more effectively. He encouraged residents to play a role in creating the environment as much as the City does, but some areas need more help than others need. He advised encouraging neighbors to help neighbors would be an important effort on his part. He called on the business community to play a bigger role in the district and encouraged methods of assisting in this process. He advised the City needs to be known for more than just Disneyland and the Los Angeles Angels and needs to overcome fundamental challenges. Mr. Ortiz called for a monthly Medicare kickoff event to assist seniors. He called for business networking events through the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 4 of 23 citing the success of the City of Irvine's networking program delivering over $25,000,000 to businesses within the network in the final six months of 2020 alone. He noted the lack of public swimming pools and sporting activities in west Anaheim, suggesting repurposing the underused Dad Miller Golf Course into something similar to the La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center, Huntington Beach Sports Complex, and Orange County Great Park. Fred Sigala advised he has been blessed beyond imagination as the son of Mexican immigrants, including this opportunity. He advised, no matter how diverse, they could find ways to find equally satisfying solutions to the City's complex challenges. He explained he dedicated his life to service to others as a nurse, a family man, new endeavors as an entrepreneur, and to District 2 as a community advocate. He advised he is dedicated to the knowledge that time dedicated to one's community is time dedicated to a brighter future. He noted that encouraging children to get involved could inspire them to become tomorrow's community leaders and empower more parents. Mr. Sigala reported the heart of his community advocacy is creating childhoods deserving of being remembered for happening so close to the happiest place on Earth. He advised the City has the potential to be one of the country's best by expanding its already solid services. He noted he is committed to raising awareness for and further improving the City's programming for residents, setting an example for other large cities. He pledged to work with his colleagues to focus on citywide pandemic recovery efforts, along with advocating for District 2. He encouraged revitalizing the west Anaheim business community and believed he and the Council Members are on the same page in regards to the vision for how to bring west Anaheim to life. Mr. Sigala advised he empathizes with feelings of disillusionment with the state of political affairs on the national and state levels affecting someone not getting involved locally. He advised his fellow District 2 residents agree across all spectrums they have lacked effective representation and everyday leadership for their district. He advised being chosen would allow him to continue doing what he already does in his neighborhood only for the entire district. He advised he would bring District 2's concerns to the City Council professionally while also bringing the Council's citywide vision back to District 2. Andrew Skillings reported his first goal if chosen would be to tackle the poverty prevalent on the west side of Anaheim. He advised homelessness is a problem throughout the City. He called to expand homeless shelters or provide shelters in traditional homes. He noted many feel homelessness is the City's most urgent issue and tackling it would lead to secondary benefits such as safer parks and cleaner streets. He advised affordable housing is also needed in the City as it contributes to the homeless crisis. He acknowledged the City's hotel conversions and housing vouchers have helped but more needs to be done and noted increasing affordable housing would also free up space in homeless shelters. He advised the City also needs to provide stable employment opportunities, especially in the post -pandemic world. He noted he would work to increase the funding for public works projects, which improve infrastructure while also providing good -paying jobs for residents. Mr. Skillings advised he would also seek to protect small businesses as they weather the storm of the pandemic. He encouraged expanding the City's small business relief grants. He noted the impoverished residents were created by God and they are duty-bound to protect them. Steve Valencia advised he is a longshoreman who has lived in Anaheim for over 15 years. He noted he is the son of an Air Force veteran and hard-working mother who has encountered many of the problems discussed by other candidates and hopes to better the City for the children of the future. He advised he has experienced many of the issues plaguing the City first-hand, discussing how an ax- wielding vagrant chased his wife down the street. He advised he wants the City and District 2 to thrive and pledged to bring new ideas to the table. He explained he is not afraid of taking risks, noting the dangers he faces on the job as a longshoreman. He pledged to work with people of all races, creeds, and ethnicities towards a better future, incorporating State and Federal assistance. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 5 of 23 Phillip Wolfgramm advised there is no limit to what west Anaheim's children can accomplish, noting he came to the United States at seven years old with neither he nor his parents able to speak English. He reported he raised five children in west Anaheim with the four who are old enough all having gone to college. He advised he has lived in west Anaheim for 23 years, worked for 12 in the resort area's hotel industry, and now works for a real estate company buying hotels and other commercial properties. Mr. Wolfgramm advised he has experience in negotiating large deals and appearing before cities to pursue entitlement and permitting. He noted this experience has given him insight into best practices cities can follow for efficient economic development. He advised even the bedroom community of District 2 benefits from the economic success of Disneyland and other development. He noted his strengths are his business acumen along with the experience of raising a family in west Anaheim with pride. PUBLIC COMMENTS [all agenda items]: City Clerk Theresa Bass reported that a total of five (5) public comments were received electronically prior to 5:00 P.M. related to City Council agenda items and matters within the jurisdiction of the Anaheim City Council. [A final total of 5 public comments were received electronically, distributed to the City Council, and made part of the official record]. — See Appendix. Paul Hyek advised there is a new hiring hall in District 2 attracting dirty people from the City of Santa Ana. He encouraged City Council to get homeless jobs in Anaheim. He suggested the homeless do community service through the courts. He noted Mary's Kitchen needs a new home to help the homeless and criticized the work of one of the current homeless shelters. Mike Robbins noted the candidates all have wonderful ideas but he noted the City is also $1 billion in debt. He alleged Mayor Pro Tern Faessel would soon be in prison and discussed an interaction between them at St. Anthony Claret Church. He advised the best candidate might be Mr. Wolfgramm who could potentially pay off the $1 billion debt. Jeanine Robbins reported she has lived in District 4 for 30 years and advised her mother died a year ago of complications from Parkinson's disease. She reported some of the mental games used to help keep her mind sharp included commentary on Council actions. She was concerned that City Council was considering Ms. Ma'ae who pushed her and threatened more violence at an anti -Measure L rally. She questioned if City Council simply follows orders from the Chamber of Commerce. She advised SOAR does not benefit the City's residents and Anaheim First is farcical. She explained that replacing former Council Member Jordan Brandman with Ms. Ma'ae would result in more of the same behavior. She advised Ms. Ma'ae is a volunteer for the resorts, Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Sidhu but not for the residents, and alleged the appointment process is a charade. Susan Gerakos recommended her neighbor Mr. Sigala for the position. She advised his background as a psychiatric nurse helps him understand people and noted he has been a very fine neighbor. Christopher Padilla, American Legion Post 72, thanked Mayor Sidhu, Mayor Pro Tern Faessel, and Council Member Valencia for attending the September 11th ceremony. He advised he is not there to endorse any candidate but to speak to the reputation of Mr. Gaona. He reported Mr. Gaona has served on the Executive Board of both Anaheim's American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. He advised Mr. Gaona is a man of integrity who worked to create a better American Legion, even if his view was unpopular. He noted Mr. Gaona has evaluated conflicting information honestly in those instances and at times pivoted from this original position for the Post's good. He advised Mr. Gaona has selflessly served the United States Army and the City, showing his commitment to bettering the community. He reported Mr. Gaona helped bring the Post back from the brink of closure City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 6 of 23 due to its finances though unpopular but necessary changes he advocated for. He acknowledged the civic commitment of the 10 candidates but advised he could only speak for Mr. Gaona's reputation. He advised Mr. Gaona would be a positive representative to the City who would serve with integrity. Joaquin Gonzalez recommended Mr. Leon, who attends his church and learned about serving the community at a young age. He advised Mr. Leon has been dependable when he was in need. He noted Mr. Leon is passionate about serving others and would be a great appointee. Wes Jones reported he witnessed the altercation between Ms. Ma'ae and Ms. Robbins and advised her earlier account was true. He expressed support for Mr. Sigala. He complimented the candidates' speeches but alleged the real job is working for political consultants in search of campaign contributions. Mark Richard Daniels reported he has lived his entire 63-year life in west Anaheim and seen many changes. He commended the candidates for wanting to be a part of the City Council. He advised he would have liked to hear more about Little Arabia, admiring it as the jewel of District 2 whose official dedication is long overdue, and called for more focus upon and celebration of Little Arabia. He urged the eventual appointee to make it a centerpiece of their term. David Klawe thanked the 10 candidates for applying. He advised Esther Wallace used to push him to attend the City Council and other community meetings and be her eyes and ears after she could not get out as much. He advised he was worked in the community with Ms. Ma'ae and recommended her. He reported there is a redistricting meeting on Thursday evening at the Brookhurst Community Center and encouraged residents to attend. Lisa Klawe advised she was happy to see so many applicants but expressed support for Ms. Ma'ae for her passion and integrity. She noted it would be good to have a woman on the dais again. Cecil Jordan Corkern alleged improprieties in Disney and Pixar films. He reported Governor Newsom continues pandemic restrictions because they are not yet stabilized. He reported former City Manager Chris Zapata was paying him $40 to work on the report but instead took him to Vons and bought him $60 worth of groceries. He asked the City Council for similar support and provided his address. He advised he wants to see it safe at Disneyland and on the computer. Beatriz Mendoza, Director of Special Projects for Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee, reported World Kindness Day is coming in November. She advised Supervisor Chaffee annually gives a Kindness Award to those who remind others to be kind and compassionate. She reported they are taking applications until October 1 and left flyers with information on nominating Anaheim residents Jean Gross reported she manages a property on West Orange Avenue and criticized the Code Enforcement Officer who insisted she hire a security staff for the homeless. She inquired when the City would help clean out the homeless who camp in front of her shopping center and noted she cleans her property weekly but the City would not do its part. Bryan Kaye denounced the Anaheim Police Department's work and tendencies towards violence while not addressing petitions quickly. He stated Mayor Sidhu treated former Council Member Denise Barnes disrespectfully while her father was gravely ill and noted it made former Council Member Jordan Brandman's actions look good in comparison. He advised Mayor Sidhu has no respect for either elders or the children of Anaheim when making decisions. He urged Mayor Sidhu to follow the law and requested a meeting with him. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 7 of 23 Donna Acevedo -Nelson advised she is a lifetime resident of Anaheim whose son was killed by the Anaheim Police Department (APD). She reported tomorrow night Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer is speaking to the political and partisan Anaheim Republican Assembly and noted APD Chief Jorge Cisneros is the head speaker at the event. She inquired if taxpayers should be paying their Police Chief to be speaking at such a political function and if the City is endorsing District Attorney Spitzer's reelection campaign. She raised the issues of a conflict of interest created by this, noting the District Attorney's reports always exonerate APD officers. She detailed independent APD review recommendations being rejected by Police Chief Cisneros based upon suggestions by the District Attorney's office. She advised Police Chief Cisneros should not be helping a politician's reelection bid and the City Council should request he not do it. Vern Nelson advised the State Auditor recently listed Anaheim as the State's eighth most at -risk City fiscally and by far the largest city to receive a red light warning for fraud, waste, and mismanagement potential. He advised this is not a surprise to anyone following the City Council. He reported Mayor Sidhu tried to blame the pandemic in the Orange County Register but every other City also had to deal with it. He advised the City was not ready because the City's debt was already so high and noted the unfunded pension liabilities for Police and Fire account for much of the deficit. He noted, shortly before the pandemic, the City Council gave both departments a $60,000,000 raise that would force the City to dig into its reserves. He advised a self-respecting deal for Angel Stadium would have helped not make the City the State's eighth worst. He cited deals with hotels and other facilities the City is paying off. He noted Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings Inc. downgraded the City's bond rating in February, consistent with the State Auditor. He advised, other than Council Member Moreno, Council does not behave either like liberals looking out for the people or conservative Republicans who run a tight fiscal ship. Victoria Michaels advised the Council Members all made election promises to their constituents who believed those promises and elected them and pointed out only they know if they continue to be deceptive. She criticized the City Council for making an appointment for District 2's City Council representative instead of allowing the residents to elect one. She noted the rumor is the decision is already made and, if so, she shamed the Council Members. She alleged some Council Members were reading their phones while the last several candidates spoke and questioned how they could make a valid decision. She repeated these comments in Spanish. Mayor Sidhu clarified speakers only receive three minutes to speak in any language unless someone else is translating their language into English. In response to Mayor Sidhu's inquiry, City Attorney Robert Fabela clarified the Brown Act speaks to the need for a translator allowing for double the allotted time. He advised the intention is not to allow for double the time if speakers are translating their own comments. Dean Quiorz advised he has lived in Anaheim for 11 years. He noted the City's problems of homelessness, overcrowding, and unemployment. He advised programs are not running properly with finger pointing between the City and County and noted unemployed people are not receiving the funds they should from the City. He expressed concern regarding frequent miscommunications between the City and a non-profit assisting the City and County. He reported millions of people are leaving the State but he is surviving, although it is tough. He advised they all need to work together to make Anaheim a better place. He advised he would be out of his house in October and urged City Council to find solutions to the State's problems. Kenneth Batiste noted the City is now on the State's high -risk watch list for potential waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement. He noted Anaheim is on this list along with the cities of Compton, Torrance, and San Gabriel. He advised 6% of the people own 92% of the wealth while one -sixth of City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 8 of 23 Orange County's children are food insecure. He noted the Second Harvest Food Bank feeds 250,000 a month. He criticized the 1997 Disneyland bonds the City is still paying off and listed other large tax breaks awarded by the City in the past for hotels, the Convention Center, and other facilities. He criticized the Angel Stadium deal, noting the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodger Stadium were sold for $2 billion. He criticized other expenses including the funds given to Visit Anaheim during the pandemic and asked City Council to show integrity and reflect how people matter over money. JoAnn Nau advised she is extremely impressed by the 10 candidates. She noted she is a resident of District 1 who serves on the Police Review Board as an at -large member. She advised she is a professional negotiator and contracts person. She reported she has found Police Chief Cisneros and those she has worked with from APD to be extremely transparent, acknowledged their openness and willingness, and thanked them for keeping their commitments to the Police (Review Board. CITY MANAGER'S UPDATE: City Manager Jim Vanderpool announced upcoming Redistricting Community Meetings to receive input on neighborhoods and communities of interest to be held on September 15 at Sunkist Branch Library, September 16 at Brookhurst Community Center, and September 20 at East Anaheim Community Center. He referred residents to anaheimredistricting.org for more information. He shared Anaheim's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and showed a video of the remembrance activities, with a full-length video available on Facebook and Cable Channel 3. In response to Council Member Moreno's request for an update regarding the California Department of Housing and Community Development letter to the City of Anaheim regarding the Surplus Land Act and the Anaheim Stadium, Mr. Vanderpool advised there was no update. Council Member Moreno inquired if the City has prepared a response to the State Auditors' report and if so, when will that be shared with the City Council and the public. In response, Mr. Vanderpool shared Finance Director Debbie Moreno is working with City Manager's Office in reviewing the report and preparing a response which should be completed by this week and will be shared with the City Council and the public. At 7:24 P.M., Mayor Sidhu recessed the City Council and Anaheim Housing Authority to address the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Authority agenda. At 7:25 P.M., Mayor Sidhu reconvened the Anaheim City Council. CONSENT CALENDAR: At 7:25 P.M., the consent calendar was considered. MOTION: Council Member Diaz moved to waive reading of all ordinances and resolutions and adopt the balance of the consent calendar, in accordance with reports, certifications, and recommendations furnished each City Council Member and as listed on the consent calendar, seconded by Council Member O'Neil. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 6 (Mayor Sidhu and Council Members Faessel, Diaz, Moreno, Valencia, and O'Neil); NOES — 0. Motion carried. B105 5. Receive and file minutes of the Public Utilities Board meeting of June 23, 2021 City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 9 of 23 D116 6. Approve proclamations recognizing Anaheim Public Library's new STEAM Adventures: Exploration on Wheels program and recognizing October 3 — 9, 2021 as Fire Prevention Week. D180 7. Accept the lowest responsive bid from Safeway Sign Company, in the amount of $299,394.05 plus applicable tax, for providing street and traffic signs, posts, anchors, and related hardware, for a one-year period with four one-year optional renewals; and authorize the Purchasing Agent to exercise the renewal options in accordance with Bid #9501. 8. Approve the First Amendment to the Master Services Agreement for IT Services with Science AGR- Applications International Corporation, including a baseline fee adjustment in the amount of 11702.1 $530,022 for the inventory true up for contract year two, modifying the Finance Director's change order authority, updating service level definitions, and establishing a methodology to allow for adjustments to Base Services costs related to Application Support Services; and authorize the Finance Director/City Treasurer, or designee, to execute the amendment and related documents, and take the necessary actions to implement and administer the amended agreement. AGR- 9. Approve the Mutual Aid Agreement with the County of Orange for the COVID-19 Vaccination 13106 Effort; and authorize the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute the agreement. D106 10. Amend the Community and Economic Development Department's Fiscal Year 2021/2022 budget by $5,736,852 in both revenue and expenditures in the Housing Authority's Special Revenue Fund to incorporate federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to administer Emergency Housing Vouchers. 11. Approve the Cooperation Agreement with the Anaheim Housing Authority, establishing a joint AGR- commitment totaling $1,400,000, to provide a full -range of extensive supportive services to 13105 maximize resources made available to Emergency Housing Voucher holders, increasing their potential for success in the program, and authorize the Acting Director of the Community and Economic Development Department to execute and administer the agreement (related to Housing Authority Item No. 3). AGR- 12. Accept an award of $20,000 from the County of Orange and approve an agreement with the 13107 County of Orange for the provision of Regional Workforce Consulting Services for a term ending September 30, 2022; authorize the Acting Director of the Community and Economic Development Department, or designee, to execute and administer the agreement and any future modifications; and amend the Community and Economic Development Department's FY 2021/22 budget by $20,000. AGR- 13. Approve Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act agreements with the Orange County 13108 Conservation Corps. and Taller San Jose Hope Builders dba Hope Builders, in amounts not to AGR- exceed $289,147 and $192,764, respectively; both with terms beginning July 1, 2021 through 13109 June 30, 2023; to assist local disadvantaged youth to prepare for joining the workforce; and authorize the Acting Director of the Community and Economic Development Department, or designee, to execute and administer the agreements). City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 10 of 23 AGR- 14. Approve the Acquisition Agreement with the Bledsoe Family Trust, in the acquisition payment 13110 amount of $29,000, for the purchase of a Public Road and Utility Easement and a Temporary Construction Easement at 1234-1236 E. Lincoln Avenue for the Lincoln Avenue Widening Project from East Street to Evergreen Street (R/W ACQ 2016-00808). D114 15. Approve minutes of City Council meetings of December 15, 2020 and January 12, 2021. END OF CONSENT CALENDAR D116 16. Update on the City's Response to COVID-19. Mayor Sidhu advised there have been both gains and challenges. He reported a slight uptick in cases across Anaheim and Orange County, noting it is not entirely unexpected after a holiday weekend. He advised cases are higher than they would like and staff is watching to see if it is a small blip or a trend. Mayor Sidhu reported that last week they reconvened the Ad Hoc Public Health Advisory Task Force, joined by Orange County Public Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau. He noted Dr. Chau advised the only way out of the pandemic is through vaccinations. Mayor Sidhu reported the City continues to offer vaccination sites and the case rate among the unvaccinated is more than six times higher. He advised death among the vaccinated is extremely rare and urged the unvaccinated to get vaccinated. He urged the unvaccinated to talk to their doctor about their concerns and encouraged all to follow best practices and work together. Chief Communications Officer Mike Lyster displayed the weekly new case trend of Orange County, noting they have been declining weekly since August 24, except for a very slight increase over the past week. He reported the County's case rate is down to 15.3 while the positivity rate dipped to 4.7% and health equity has fallen to 5.1%. He reported 70% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated and 79% are partially vaccinated. He displayed the same weekly data for Anaheim showing similar trends. He reported the City's case rate has gone up this week to 18.2, the positivity rate dipped to 5.6%, and the fully vaccinated percentage is 67% with 75% partially vaccinated. Mr. Lyster displayed the zip code level data for Anaheim showing a mix of upward and downward trends. He noted the east Anaheim zip codes of 92807 and 92808 have significantly higher case rates and positivity rates than the other five. Mr. Lyster advised the City is currently offering five regular sites across the City for testing and/or vaccines, aiming to add a sixth in Riverdale Park. He reported the five sites have combined to perform 15,561 tests since August 2 and 434 vaccinations with the central location of City Hall being the busiest site. He advised the City is taking over the vaccination operations at Brookhurst Community Center, formerly coordinated by Orange County. He reported the City has also held some mobile clinics along with pop-up clinics at community centers. DISCUSSION: Council Member Valencia thanked the Community Services Department for coordinating several pop-up clinics in District 4 over the past few weeks. Council Member Moreno thanked staff for figuring out ways to partner with community clinics and the County. He advised the high number of vaccinations at City Hall shows how residents recognize it as a consistent venue. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 11 of 23 In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiries, Mr. Lyster credited schools for bringing students back. He reported there have been cases in schools but not an overwhelming number. He advised the concerns they have going forward are cases resulting from normal congregating behavior among unvaccinated in schools and beyond. He reported they are not aware of major outbreaks at places of worship. He advised places of worship reflect the vaccine hesitancy at a rate similar to the rest of society. He noted several temples, churches, and mosques have even served as vaccination sites for the City. He noted some within the religious community express reservations about the vaccine but advised vaccines are helping protect worshipers of all faiths. Council Member Moreno relayed his experiences with large unmasked crowds at Los Angeles Angels games and Honda Center events but noted he is vaccinated and careful. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiries, Mr. Lyster advised they are not aware of any major issues at either Disneyland or Angel Stadium. He advised those locations benefit from being outdoors. He expressed confidence in the Honda Center's and Convention Center's ability to move forward with large indoor events that require proof of vaccination or a recent negative test. He advised businesses are wrestling with issues set by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) such as mandatory mask wearing by the unvaccinated. He updated the Council on President Joe Biden's push to make employers of over 100 employees mandate vaccines. He noted it is bringing the City the benefit of no large outbreaks. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiry, Mayor Sidhu advised they would be meeting with Orange County health officials and would act accordingly if the federal or other mandates about vaccinating employees reach the civic level. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiry, Mr. Lyster advised he does not have the insight on what the City's lobbyists are saying about the possibility of municipalities having to mandate vaccines for staff. He advised staff has been following the conversation and following what other municipalities do. He advised the City's focus has been on following the Cal/OSHA rules in the near term requiring people to wear a mask if they have not been vaccinated. Council Member Moreno reported the City of Santa Ana would be mandating vaccines for their staff but was backtracking for not having a conversation with staff first. He urged staff to proactively have the conversation with associations first about how they feel so the City can act quicker if a mandatory vaccine regulation comes to be. Mayor Pro Tern Faessel thanked the Community Services Department, Orange County Health, and United States Congressman Lou Correa for their efforts on September 9 at the Miraloma Park Family Resource Center. Informational item — No action taken. B105 17. District 3 appointment of an unscheduled vacancy on the Budget, Investment, and Technology Commission for a term ending December 31, 2022. Budget, Investment and Technology Commission (3 appointments): District 3 appointment: Jorge Gavino (term ending December 31, 2022) (unscheduled vacancy, Jacqueline Godinez) NOMINATION: Council Member Moreno nominated Jorge Gavino. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 12 of 23 DISCUSSION: Council Member Moreno reported there were three applicants but he did not reach out to applicants beyond District 3 because he values applicants who live in the community they serve. He advised Mr. Gavino is published on matters of economics and finance, has a Master's Degree in public policy, and has lived his entire life in Anaheim. NOMINATION: Council Member Moreno nominated Jorge Gavino. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 5 (Mayor Sidhu and Council Members Faessel, Diaz, Moreno, and Valencia); NOES — 1 (Council Member O'Neil). Nomination approved. D113 18. Appointment to fill the District 2 City Council vacancy. D116 APPOINTMENT: Gloria Ma'ae (term ending November 2022) DISCUSSION: Mayor Sidhu advised the City Council and community had a chance to hear from the 10 applicants earlier in the meeting. He reported meeting personally with all 10 applicants and thanked them for their interest in public service. Council Member Valencia advised it was challenging to meet individually with each candidate in a small window of time. He reported connecting with nine (9) of the 10 and expressed his appreciation for them wanting to represent District 2. Mayor Pro Tern Faessel advised he was able to meet with six (6) of the 10 in person and the other four (4) via Zoom. He advised he talked with each candidate for between 30-40 minutes. He recognized the quality of the applicants and their desire to give back to the community. He urged them to continue to give back to the community regardless of what happens with the appointment. Council Member O'Neil advised he has hired thousands of employees professionally, reviewing resumes and deciding which ones he would like to interview. He advised he took a similar approach with this process, meeting with five (5) of the applicants. He advised a few of them would make great Council Members, dedicated to improving District 2 and the City as a whole. He expressed hope those not selected would remain involved in the City. Council Member Diaz noted District 1 and District 2 have similar issues stemming from economic depression. He advised it is in his District's best interests to pick someone who would help bring economic development to west Anaheim. He reported meeting with nine (9) of the 10 candidates. He advised he has 20 years of experience hiring employees and, like Council Member O'Neil, decided to only meet with those nine (9). He encouraged all candidates to continue serving the community. He advised the candidates all had the same concerns he does of homelessness, bringing new businesses to west Anaheim, and fighting crime. Council Member Diaz advised he did not have a time limit for the nine interviews and allowed everyone to speak their minds. He advised he later divided the applicants into three groups, those who do not have enough experience, those who fell just short, and those who understood what District 2 needs and also knew how to find a solution. Council Member Moreno advised he hoped to meet with all 10 candidates but could only fit in eight (8). He advised he has also been involved in many searches over the years and finds it important to have the candidates be interviewed by the people, making the vote as a group so everyone gets the same responses to make it fair, inclusive, and equitable. He advised this process was difficult and City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 13 of 23 contrary to his opinion of being fair for not knowing what a candidate may have said to other Council Members. Council Member Moreno noted all of the candidates spoke of similar issues of homelessness, public safety, and economic development. He advised some spoke of pandemic recovery and the community's youth. He advised those are concerns for the Council Members as well and they must determine whose ideas they like about those subjects and which best align with the City's policies. He advised he looked less for whom he agreed with but rather what is their thought process and how they come to their decisions. He advised he is looking for a commitment to inclusionary processes and was happy to hear most candidates speak about how this would be a primary consideration. Council Member Moreno lamented the process did not allow District 2 residents to hear directly from the candidates beyond just this meeting because the Council Members are tasked with deciding for people they do not formally represent. He advised it is hard to know which of the candidates would have risen if District 2 had been able to offer better input. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiry, Mayor Sidhu clarified this is the time to ask questions of the candidates. He questioned the need for asking more questions noting he has met in his office with all 10 of them already. In response to Mayor Sidhu's inquiry, City Clerk Theresa Bass clarified they would take all nominations and then vote in the order the nominations were submitted. Council Member Diaz advised his top two picks were Phillip Wolfgramm and Gloria Ma'ae because they know both the issues and the solutions. He expressed concerns about Mr. Wolfgramm having a little less experience and noted Ms. Ma'ae has from her heart tried to do her best for her community. NOMINATION: Council Member Diaz nominated Ms. Ma'ae. DISCUSSION: Council Member O'Neil advised Ms. Ma'ae would have been his nomination. He advised she has the best balance of experience with the City, knowledge of citywide issues, and a proven track record of advocacy and results in west Anaheim. He noted her familiarity with the tourism industry and how it drives the City's economy. He believed her perspective on neighborhood issues would complement the work they do. He advised she has done more for west Anaheim as a private citizen than the previous District 2 elected Council Member had done while in office and expressed support for the nomination. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiry, Mayor Sidhu clarified the window he had set to ask questions of nominees had passed but allowed Council Member Moreno to ask questions of Ms. Ma'ae. Council Member Moreno clarified his belief the Council Members are not social workers but rather policymakers. He advised all of the candidates mentioned the west side is ignored and neglected. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiry, Ms. Ma'ae advised policies and ordinances to improve west Anaheim are areas she would dive into. She clarified she has historically given others background information as a resource, but you learn you have much to learn once seated. In response to Council Member Moreno's inquiries, Ms. Ma'ae advised she is not aware of any policies or ordinances that have prevented west Anaheim from flourishing. She advised it is a combination of leadership, community involvement, a lack of education on local government, and City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 14 of 23 other issues. She noted she has been looking for new leadership in the community but often found people were too busy between work and raising families. She advised she is not currently thinking of any new policies that would help District 2 but advised she would study it further. Council Member Moreno invited any of the candidates to come up and answer his question about policies that hurt west Anaheim and policies they would propose to help west Anaheim. John Ortiz advised District 2 has fallen behind visibly in community aesthetics. He advised if selected, he would spend the first three months doing oversight of how City programs are being distributed by the district. He advised he would look at how transparent are the implementation of the services. He advised if District 6 is getting more of something than District 1 and District 2, you have to ask why, be it the impiementation by employees, process, or money. Mr. Wolfgramm advised he would first look at the budget and see if they can divert more money to help the long-term renters in west Anaheim get into homes. He called for more police presence in west Anaheim. He noted the dangers presented by the homeless riding bicycles and stopping in the middle of an intersection, causing a hazard to motorists. He called to have the bathrooms returned to the parks because it made the parks less desirable for children. He called for finding a way to remove the homeless from parks next to elementary schools. He called for moving rehabilitation homes further from the neighborhoods as much as state and federal laws would allow. He advised whether he is selected or not, he wants his wife and children to feel safe walking the streets. Fred Sigala advised addressing the homeless issue by building shelters with a revolving door at the entrance is a policy holding District 2 back. He advised as a community advocate not sponsored by special interests like SOAR and Anaheim First, policies favor developers over residents. He noted the Council Members first met in back rooms and then agreed to meet with him pretending to be transparent with a real vision for west Anaheim, yet nominated the candidate from those special interests holding west Anaheim back. He advised developers use policies to avoid creating more affordable housing in the community. He advised he does not believe he is part of a genuine process if the Council would nominate representatives of SOAR and Anaheim First. He believed the Council Members were interested in rejuvenating District 2. He expressed his support for the Beach Boulevard rejuvenation in District 1 and hoped Brookhurst Street and Little Arabia could be next for reinvigoration. He noted District 2's largest minority group, Arab -Americans, are not represented at all by the 10 candidates. Mr. Sigala advised it used to be Council policy to only require a motion and a second to bring something up for discussion. He noted this policy change prevents the Little Arabia designation from being brought up. He advised this is a policy the City can change to move towards more inclusion. He advised he could list policies all day and addressed the lack of knowledge by other candidates. Mayor Sidhu advised the remaining applicants would only be allowed to give a one -minute answer. Discussion ensued about whether a candidate could respond to other comments at this time or once all other candidates had spoken. Council Member Moreno objected to other candidates having a time limit when the previous candidates were not limited. City Attorney Robert Fabela advised for equity, they should be consistent with the first response from each candidate and allow them whatever time is reasonable. In response to Mr. Fabela's inquiry, Mayor Sidhu confirmed any candidate responding to another candidate's comments would be limited to one minute, and not those responding to Council Member Moreno's inquiry. Council Member Moreno expressed his comfort with this procedure. Steve Valencia advised that if something is brought to a Council Member, it should be brought up for discussion and then a vote. He advised none of them came into their seats knowing how to be a City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 15 of 23 Council Member or Mayor. He advised the high bar they are setting should have been articulated to some of the potential appointees before the meeting because half of them are automatically disqualified and the process becomes a sham. He advised democracy is not being held here. He echoed Council Member Moreno's comments and advised it is an undue process. Council Member Moreno reported all candidates spoke in their applications about public safety, which makes up two-thirds of the City's annual budget. He advised the biggest portion of this goes to the Anaheim Police Department (APD) and many candidates, like many residents, advised they want more police. He inquired of all candidates how much more they believe the APD should receive and where they would cut from to further fund the police. Mr. Wolfgramm advised he has been on the Police Review Board for the last three years. He advised what he would like to see which would not cost any more money is an adjustment to not judge police effectiveness by response times but rather by prevention. He also advised they need to look at the pension liability due to its size. He advised it needs to be fixed. He advised he does not mind the large police expenditures so long as they help prevent crime and not focus so heavily on enforcement. Brian Guardamondo advised they need to look at whether or not every dollar put into the APD is effective. He advised his role as a small business owner is to ensure every dollar he puts into work is the right one. He advised they should be looking if they are doing reporting or making community connections. He advised they do not have to spend more money if they are more efficient. He questioned if the budgets could be more efficient to provide more support for the APD and thus more community support. He advised every bureaucracy has waste and the Council's job is to find the waste and reallocate it to where it needs to be. Mr. Sigala advised the public safety budget should be number one. He advised there is always room for more because the APD still has unfilled positions. He advised his brother is a Los Angeles County Sherriff's Deputy and he empathizes with his brother's struggle. He reported his brother had to work in a prison for 10 years to get the opportunity to work in the community and what they go through is a struggle. He advised he also goes into prisons as a psychological nurse, in partnership with law enforcement, to help make a difference for prisoners and get them turned around. Mr. Sigala noted many in the community need mental health services and call 911 when there is an emergency. He advised some of this budgeted money could be reallocated towards broadening mental health services. He expressed appreciation for Mayor Pro Tem Faessel discussing the new response team with him. He advised he hopes to broaden the City's work with mental health, alcoholism, and drug addiction to turn people around through a person -centered approach. He advised 70% of the budget going to public safety is a big amount but an important amount to help residents. Mr. Ortiz noted police in America are designed to be reactionary but the best investment for the City's dollar is to get people before they turn to crime. He advised this is done through prevention at the school level. He encouraged trade schools for high school students not heading to college so they have a direction to go in life. He advised he is an electrician by trade but also has a degree in criminal justice. He advised lowering crime is not an overnight process. He advised his seven -year -old daughter respects the police because she understands they are peace officers, and she respects firefighters because she respects they fight fires and are paramedics. He advised the problems would be fewer in the future, if all kids understood this. He advocated putting more police officers and firefighters in schools and getting children into trade schools early, noting the high hourly pay for trained electricians. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 16 of 23 Council Member Moreno advised the hardest issue in the City to him is housing. He noted overcrowded housing and affordability of housing are major issues in District 2. He asked the applicants what they would like to do around housing in District 2. Mr. Wolfgramm noted the City has a down payment assistance program for employees if they buy a house in Anaheim with a limit of $10,000. He advised this number needed to be increased because only executive -level positions can afford to buy a house and/or the down payment in Anaheim. He advised District 2 is full of long-time renters who cannot make a down payment. He noted many could have bought a house in this season of low -interest rates if they had funds for a down payment. He called to increase the figure to $60-70,000, representing 10% of the going market rate. He advised this would keep long-time renting residents in Anaheim. Mr. Wolfgramm advised the down payment loan program should be provided to other long-time Anaheim residents. He noted it would be a revolving fund where money paid back could be given to others. He advised it would allow people to move out of apartments and buy homes in Anaheim, freeing up space for transition homes. He noted west Anaheim does not have much available land to build new houses and this would help free some up. Mr. Sigala reported the. State is changing zoning laws while the population is not shrinking. He advised Anaheim would have to contend with housing remaining an issue. He advised there is hope because the redistricting process is creating a template for how to involve residents to get ideas. He advised they could use the same template to ask residents where in their communities they would like to see affordable housing be constructed. He noted the issue would inevitably have to be addressed. Mr. Ortiz advised he does not believe they should have entire buildings of affordable housing, but rather have affordable housing distributed throughout the entire City. He advised the other side of the need for affordable housing involves jobs and income because those in the service industry cannot afford to buy houses in Anaheim. He advised the Council needs to bring high -paying jobs so residents can raise their income. He called for more trainees for trade jobs. He called for a mentorship program through the Chamber of Commerce so businesses can make more money and pay their employees more. He advised simply writing checks for affordable housing is the short-term solution and not the long-term solution. He advised helping people earn more money is the harder solution but the right one. Council Member Moreno asked the applicants what economic developments are not happening in west Anaheim but should be and what would they propose, or should it remain a bedroom community. Ms. Ma'ae clarified in her earlier answer she thought Council Member Moreno was referring to a specific policy or ordinance. She advised the homeless situation should change. She advised she would like to see the Brookhurst Street corridor reinvigorated from La Palma Avenue to Katella Avenue to look like areas of Brookhurst Street north and south of this zone. She noted there are islands of County land in this area and they would need to work with the County to find a compromise. She advised the commercial centers along Brookhurst Street are in dire need of upgrades and repair. She advised what is being done for Beach Boulevard should also be done for the Brookhurst corridor to develop more revenue. Joseph Olsen advised his idea is to make Disneyland and the entire resort area an exclave of District 2. He advised they could also change the City's flag to be more inclusive as it does not represent the City as a whole. He advised he felt more at home under the previous flag. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 17 of 23 Mr. Guardamondo advised this is something he discussed with Council Member Diaz, as the Beach Boulevard and Brookhurst Street situations are similar. He advised residents of both districts like single-family residences and moved to west Anaheim specifically for them. He advised residents enjoy having Beach Boulevard and Brookhurst Street as nearby places to go, eat, and shop. He advised bigger businesses do not go into these areas because they do not feel they are safe. He advised the Council could make these areas safer so people want to go there. He encouraged offering incentives to build stronger businesses instead of simply throwing money at them. Rudy Gaona thanked Council Member Moreno for the opportunity to interview with him. He requested to have his name removed from consideration and he believed the appointee decision had already been made. He told his fellow applicants it was an honorable thing to be there for wanting to serve their community, but he knows how the game is being played. He advised he has integrity and honor so he does not want to be appointed to the seat but rather to earn it by having the people of District 2 vote him in. He noted Council Member O'Neil did not even allow him to interview. He noted he has a degree and served his country for 21 years and believed this process was a shame to the people of Anaheim and the people of District 2. He announced his intention to run for District 2's Council seat and earn it the right way. He recommended others not to come to the Veterans of Foreign Wars or American Legion Post 72 during campaign season where the members are watching now and support him completely. He thanked Council Member Moreno and offered no disrespect to him, noting how they worked together to have districts. Mayor Sidhu asked the applicants to stick to the presented question as they had time earlier to introduce themselves. Mr. Wolfgramm advised there is not enough money from the taxpayers to do the work that needs to be done fixing streets and sidewalks throughout Little Arabia. He noted the hotels and restaurants in the resort area agreed to tax themselves to improve the district. He suggested doing the same for west Anaheim businesses and ask them to form a Business Improvement District (BID). He noted no business owner would agree to fix their building if they were not going to make money, and if forced to do so would increase rents for popular hole -in -the -wall restaurants. He advised he prefers these neighborhood District 2 restaurants to some of the Michelin -starred restaurants where he has dined. He suggested bringing a BID proposal to the owners and offering to match them dollar -for -dollar with resort district money. Mr. Sigala advised no one wanted to frequent what is now Little Arabia until groups of Arab - Americans came to the area. He advised he has advocated for the designation to help save the City from becoming completely dependent on the resort industry and its multi -national corporations who answer to stockholders and not residents. He thanked the Council for helping him gain perspective over the past week about how progress for west Anaheim would have to happen together. He noted just as Council Member Moreno was asking to see his thought process, he got to see Mayor Sidhu's thought process and he advised he respected it. He advised he respects Mayor Sidhu's long-term vision. He advised he committed to helping District 1 for the sake of District 2 in his enjoyable conversation with Council Member Diaz about a shared vision for west Anaheim. He expressed hopes the same forward -thinking Mayor Sidhu is applying to Beach Boulevard would extend to all of west Anaheim. He urged Mayor Sidhu to visit Brookhurst Street and see how increasing revenue there would decrease reliance on a single giant revenue source that can be affected by pandemics. He recognized the strength in the diversity of Little Arabia's businesses and revenue streams. Mr. Ortiz advised he earlier mentioned step one of the process is working with the Chamber of Commerce to help businesses evolve to be better through a mentorship program and category exclusive networking. He reiterated how the City of Irvine in the final six months of 2020 closed City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 18 of 23 $25,000,000 of business from the networking. He advised only 40% of the members of the Irvine networking group are actual businesses in Irvine, with 25% coming from northern Orange County. He noted Anaheim's dollars are going to Irvine. He noted if the Angels and Disneyland go down, the City goes down with it, but Irvine wants every channel of business possible with diversity being critical to Irvine's success. Mr. Ortiz noted there is only one public pool in the entire City so this summer his family went to the La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center's water park. He advised the Dad Miller Golf Course is underutilized and could be turned into something that would make people want to live in Anaheim. He advised the City needs people with higher disposable income. He spoke of friends who sold their house in Anaheim and moved 25 miles away to live in a rental because the schools near their Anaheim home were performing so poorly. He advised the challenges of District 2 would take systematic solutions and cannot be changed in a day. Council Member Moreno asked the applicants if they support the formal designation of Little Arabia. Mr. Wolfgramm relayed the story of having dinner in Las Vegas, Nevada, with high-powered representatives of a large national law firm and executives from MGM Resorts International. He noted one attorney advised he lives in the City of Los Angeles but is moving to Orange County to shop in Little Arabia. He advised he was shocked people knew about the place. Mr. Wolfgramm advised he is against a designation because he likes west Anaheim to be known as west Anaheim with a diversity beyond just Arab -Americans. He advised Anaheim should figure out ways to do it differently than other cities and they do not have to follow other cities in designating enclaves that deter other kinds of business. He clarified he is against the designation but in favor of improving the area. Mr. Olsen advised he is in full support of designating Little Arabia because they deserve it. He advised Anaheim could still be a city even with a Little Saigon or a Little Korea. He advised a designation does not erase who they are as a people and place. He advised that if Little Arabia were designated, he would create a sign for it representing all Arab -Americans and other races within the area. Ms. Ma'ae expressed her agreement with Mr. Wolfgramm. She advised creating divisions within an area creates more disunity. She advised what she has to offer is from the community perspective and she can learn the rest. She advised the Brookhurst corridor is a gem and they can do so much with it, but creating pockets and divisions would hurt other long-term community staple businesses along the corridor. She questioned the need to create a divider instead of working together. She advised this is the wrong message to give as opposed to reunifying the City and west Anaheim in particular. Mr. Ortiz advised he is not in support of a Little Arabia designation. He echoed Mr. Wolfgramm in stating they are west Anaheim and include a diversity of everything. He noted the City is 55% Latino and asked if there would also be a Little Mexico City. He advised they should just flourish with business. He advised if the residents want to unofficially call it Little Arabia they have the right to do so. He noted people already know it as Little Arabia without a formal designation from the Council. He called for as much diversity as possible citywide and not simply in one section of the City. Mr. Olsen attempted to add to his response about Little Arabia but Council Member Moreno stopped him, stating he has already had his turn to speak and it would be inconsistent to allow him to continue when he objected to Ms. Ma'ae's earlier attempt. Mr. Sigala advised as an actual resident of Little Arabia a designation does not mean they would run other businesses out of town. He noted he goes to the City of Garden Grove to frequent shops they do not have in District 2; he does not say he is going to Little Saigon. He advised living with the Arab - American community is a pleasure because they are highly inclusive and welcoming. He advised a City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 19 of 23 designation does not mean west Anaheim becomes Little Arabia but rather west Anaheim welcomes the Arab -American community. Mr. Guardamondo advised he understands the benefit to the area businesses and it is a simple thing. He asked how it benefits the thousands of residents who live next to the shopping centers. He advised he does not see the benefit because Little Arabia is not the whole community. He advised there are things the City can do to help develop the area and make it more profitable. He noted Garden Grove's Little Saigon, New York City's Little Italy, or San Francisco's Chinatown did not happen with a few restaurants but instead with entire communities. He advised he knocked on his neighbors' doors, representing a wide array of ethnicities, and they did not agree with a designation either. Carlos Leon expressed his support of a Little Arabia designation. He advised, as a Mexican - American, diversity should be celebrated across the board. He advised the Arabian community has helped District 2 and he would be proud to support the designation. Council Member Moreno thanked the applicants for answering his questions and noted he maximized his time so the residents of District 2 in particular could hear from them. He advised he is not looking for a candidate he would always agree with on policies, but he wanted to get an understanding of their thinking and knowledge of the community. Council Member Valencia thanked Council Member Moreno for his relevant questions and advised the applicants' responses were enlightening. Council Member Valencia asked each of the applicants what they would champion first to improve the quality of life for the residents of District 2 in particular. Mr. Olsen advised he is most concerned about poverty, including homelessness, affordable housing, and employment. Mr. Wolfgramm advised the resort district would rebound and bring back some of the revenues lost to the shutdown. He advised he would most like to see in the next budget process the pandemic's cost - saving measures are preserved so the rebound money can be put into reserves. He advised he would like to see a five- or 10-year plan to see how they will recoup reserves. Ms. Ma'ae advised her top priority would be the homeless issues that are intertwined with public safety. She noted it is spread throughout the entire City but most prevalent in west Anaheim. She noted Solutions for Change is an organization helping the homeless for 20 years out of the City of Vista. She advised it is an effective program with a two-year plan for homeless individuals helping them with basic life principles. She advised they also have to make parks safe. She acknowledged the City's work through shelters and transitional housing but noted they have to do more for the challenging people who either do not want this help or are not ready for it. She detailed many homeless enclaves in her neighborhood requiring more long-term solutions. She focused on taking back parks, noting how the City has removed bathrooms where the homeless would congregate to deter them. She expressed support for the APD but noted there may be other options. Mr. Ortiz advised special projects could include the Medicare kickoff event to help those eligible find the best plan for their future. He advised the concepts of networking groups of businesses and a Chamber of Commerce mentorship program. He advised having online webinar classes is not enough to form relationships and teach businesses fundamentals. He advised he would also look to add a water park and sports complex as a benefit to residents throughout Anaheim. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 20 of 23 Mr. Sigala advised he could list big ideas to revitalize District 2, fighting the pandemic, and improving the person -centered approach to homelessness. He advised the idea bigger than these encompassing all of them is the idea of teamwork and creating a collective vision for these issues. He advised he would like to come in, focus on a larger picture perspective, and be part of the solution to move the City forward. He advised he would start working on the revitalization efforts for District 1 so they could start on a similar path for District 2. He noted these things do not happen overnight and stated his desire to help. He advised nothing would change in District 2 without a collective vision from the City's leaders. Mr. Leon advised residents have shared difficulties with him recently which be addressed, including parking and police response time. He advised he would work with staff to assess what the roadblocks are so they can deliver what the residents want. Council Member Moreno advised he is torn on the process and the lack of input from the people of District 2. He advised he would have loved to hear resident responses to the applicants' responses tonight. He advised two people who have consistently said they would check back with residents are Mr. Sigala and Mr. Leon. He advised districting better allows representatives to check in with their people. NOMINATION: Council Member Moreno nominated Mr. Sigala while praising the power of Mr. Leon's last comment. Nomination later withdrawn. DISCUSSION: Mayor Pro Tem Faessel advised the comments by Council Member Moreno are correct in how Council Members set priorities for the City. He advised most of them were not previously elected when seated but understood many of the Council's rules, regulations, and laws. He advised they all came with a sense of duty to the community. He noted he served on three boards and commissions, putting him in great contact with the community even if he never had to set policy. He advised policy is the hardest thing and it is doubtful any of the candidates have a history in policy setting. He advised the applicants would have to grow into this. Mayor Pro Tem Faessel advised he sees the connection to the community as the top priority. He advised the Council Members are all connected to the community or they would not be there. He advised his 20 years of boards and commissions rank with the prior experiences of any Council Member, yet he was not a policy expert. He advised his first two years on the City Council were a great training opportunity. Mayor Pro Tem Faessel advised the job of a Council Member is hard. He advised he enjoyed meeting the applicants and their desire to commit to community service at such a high level. He acknowledged Mr. Wolfgramm's business experience and Mr. Sigala's passion. He advised he is interested in somebody who can hit the ground running and only one applicant has 20 years of experience in a variety of significant roles. He urged each of the candidates to continue to serve the community. He expressed appreciation for Mr. Gaona's pledge to run for the seat in 2022. Mayor Pro Tem Faessel advised that for her experience and her ability to push the needle, he would support Ms. Ma'ae. Council Member Moreno withdrew his nomination of Mr. Sigala. He advised it was unfair to put him up for a vote because comments by his colleagues have convinced him this decision was preordained. He noted it is hard for applicants to put themselves up to be discussed publicly. He advised people who have a lot of experience can say they have come to the Council for years advocating for policies and questioned Ms. Ma'ae's comments about how she wants to learn policy - making after telling the Council Members in the past before how to vote. He advised you must know City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 21 of 23 policy to sit on the Charter Review Board because you are proposing changes to the City's Constitution. He advised he completely disagrees with many of Mr. Wolfgramm's policies but advised he would like to serve with someone who has his thought process for discussion and deliberation. Council Member Moreno apologized to the applicants for the process being preordained. He noted in his interview with Ms. Ma'ae her first comments advised what she will do when she is appointed, not if she is appointed, with a certainty leading him to dismiss her claims she was merely thinking positively. He advised they are looking for experience yet Ms. Ma'ae response to the policy question was stating she does not know. He disagreed with Mayor Pro Tern Faessel's recollection of his silence over his first two years on the Council and noted Mayor Pro Tem Faessel had asked him challenging questions about his viewpoints. Council Member Moreno noted District 2 is also his neighboring district. He noted it is hard-hit with poverty and called for a process with more public input. MOTION: Council Member Moreno moved to continue the item until September 28, 2021 to allow residents more time to watch the video of the candidates at the meeting and for the candidates to talk directly to residents. He advised if the item could not be continued he would abstain from voting out of interest for the residents of District 2 and the integrity of the Council's process. The motion failed for lack of a second. DISCUSSION: Mayor Sidhu expressed his belief that this is one of the fairest processes they have gone through. He advised every applicant had an opportunity to meet with the residents. He advised every resident had an opportunity to come and speak. He advised every applicant had an opportunity to meet one-on-one with Council Members. He stated the process was proper and believed stating it was an unfair process is wrong. He advised the process was completely transparent. In response to Mayor Sidhu's inquiry, Mr. Fabela clarified there are no policies and procedures, just a rule to have an appointment within 60 days. He advised they have emulated what other cities have done but there was no specific process to follow. In response to Mayor Sidhu's inquiry, Ms. Bass confirmed a process was presented to the Council and was approved. Mayor Sidhu advised this confirmed it was not an unfair process because every applicant had an opportunity to speak. Council Member Valencia advised the application portion was fair and well communicated. He advised he would have liked to have seen more proactive outreach and community engagement on what residents would like to see from their District 2 representative. He advised he did not see this take place at all and it shortchanged the residents of District 2. He noted there is no policy so whatever they decided for a process is what it is. He advised he wanted a fair, transparent, and inclusive process with inclusive including residents engaging. In response to Mayor Sidhu's inquiries, Council Member Valencia clarified they encouraged residents to apply for the position but they did not encourage residents to engage in communicating what they would like to see from the applicants. He suggested hosting a community meeting for the applicants and residents to speak directly. He advised this would have also given the Council Members a better sense of what the District 2 residents would like to see out of the process and applicants. He noted the City posted a social media link to solicit applications but not one for District 2 residents to comment on what they would like to see in their representative. City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 22 of 23 Mayor Sidhu advised this is an appointment, not an election, and they could not have citizens come to City Hall to campaign for a candidate. In response to Council Member Valencia's inquiry, Mayor Sidhu advised the Council Members all had an opportunity to meet individually with each applicant. Council Member Valencia clarified they are forming their opinions based on what they think the residents of District 2 want in a representative and not what the residents of District 2 say they want. Council Member Moreno advised the reason he thinks the process is unfair is they did not know the rules of engagement tonight. He advised Mr. Leon and the other applicants did not know to be prepared to answer questions in public which some are better at than others. He advised this created an unfair space in the meeting and reiterated his intention to abstain from voting. NOMINATION Council Member Diaz nominated Gloria Ma'ae. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES — 4 (Mayor Sidhu and Council Members Faessel, Diaz, and O'Neil); NOES — 0; ABSTAIN — 2 (Council Members Moreno and Valencia). Nomination approved. REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS: None PUBLIC COMMENTS (non -agenda items): None COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS/AGENDA REQUESTS: Council Member Moreno thanked the applicants for applying and willingness to answer questions with no preparation. He apologized for the process, which he felt was flawed. He looked forward to working with the new Council Member in District 2, as a neighbor to District 3, and hoped what she advised on her application and this evening holds true. Council Member Moreno thanked Police Chief Jorge Cisneros and Community Policing Team who, with Victoria Michaels, held a community meeting in District 3 to discuss public safety in neighborhoods. He advised the main concerns expressed at the meeting were speeding and speed humps, specifically speeding along Clementine going south which has become a dangerous space for traffic, speeding, and vehicles doing donuts. He requested Public Works contact Victoria Michaels, as the community is interested in a petition regarding mitigation efforts. Council Member Moreno advised that he is happy to further engage with all the candidates on ways to further improve parts of the City and hope they each consider running for office. Council Member Diaz advised the appointment process was fair and he was proud of his vote and the outcome. He asked residents to save the date for the upcoming District 1 Neighborhood Services Meeting to be held on October 6, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., in -person at Brookhurst Community Center, where staff will be present to answer questions and educate the community about services. Council Member Valencia thanked the Community Services Department for hosting pop-up clinics throughout District 4, which will continue over the next few weeks and expand throughout the City. He congratulated Radiant Beer Company for their awards as Small Brewery of the Year and Brewer of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival and encouraged residents to visit them. He also congratulated Karl Strauss and Unsung Brewery for their medals earned for their respective beers. He reported his attendance, along with Mayor Sidhu and Mayor Pro Tern Faessel, at the September 11th 20th-anniversary ceremony at American Legion Post 72, which he advised was a beautiful event and great to see the veteran community come out to remember and honor those lost. Council Member Valencia thanked the City Clerk and team for hosting redistricting meetings last Saturday, City Council Minutes of September 14, 2021 Page 23 of 23 particularly at Ponderosa, which he heard was very productive. He congratulated Gloria Ma'ae for her appointment as the District 2 Council Member and looked forward to future collaboration and her contribution to the city. Mayor Pro Tern Faessel requested to close the meeting in remembrance of Rory Antoine, a 62-year- old District 5 resident who lost his life on August 24 when a truck lost control and ran through apartments off of Sunkist St. He also requested the meeting adjourn in memory of former Anaheim Battalion Chief Jim Cox, who formerly led the Fire Department training center when North Net was constructed, co-authored a fire academy manual, and was in charge during the major 1982 fire at Euclid St. and Ball Rd. He reported his senior policy aide attended a coyote management meeting at the Brookhurst Community Center; noted he missed the Pacific Symphony at Juarez Park due to teaching obligations; reported he toured what will become the new Riverwalk Park with Pamela Galera, staff, and the Coastal Conservancy; and noted his participation, with Council Members Diaz and O'Neil, at the Police Leadership Orientation. He reported he joined Yesenia Rojas and Congressman Lou Correa to help feed farm workers in Irvine and noted that about 60% of farmworkers are female. He acknowledged a 30-year District 5 business, MeriCal, for receiving a UPC stamp of approval for their manufacturing of probiotic vitamins and noted their intent to expand product lines and employee hiring. He reported his attendance at the American Legion Post 72 September 11th event and recognized his wife's classmate, Chip Burlingham, Anaheim High School class of 1967, who was forced to fly into the Pentagon. He announced that Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15, a Redistricting Meeting at Sunkist Library on September 15 at 6:30 P.M., and a District 5 Neighborhood Services Meeting on October 20 at 7:00 P.M. at Lincoln Elementary. Mayor Sidhu congratulated Gloria Ma'ae for her appointment as District 2 City Council Member. He thanked each applicant and hoped they would serve the city in different ways, including future boards and commissions vacancies. He addressed the process as approved by Council, fair, advertised, and transparent. He thanked the City Clerk and staff for working hard throughout the process. ADJOURNMENT: At 10:19 P.M., Mayor Sidhu adjourned the City Council meeting in memory of the 343 firefighters, 71 police officers, over 2,500 other innocent people, and American Airlines Flight 77 pilot and Anaheim High School graduate Charles Burlingham lost on September 11, 2001, former Anaheim Fire Battalion Chief Jim Cox, and Anaheim resident Rory Antoine. Respep#W4ly-*0b,Lnitted, l-qe 'sass, MU City Clerk Public Comment From: Jeanine Robbins Sent: Monday, September 13, 2021 8:48 PM To: Public Comment Subject: District 2 September 13, 2021 Dear City Council Members, In 2018 the Measure L initiative was approved for the general election ballot. This was known as the Living Wage initiative. This was a heated issue- both in and out of council chambers. A group of organizations proceeded to form the Anti Measure L group. These organizations were led by Todd Ament, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce as well as Ernesto Medrano and Councilwoman Kris Murray. In early fall of 2018 1 was notified that the Anti Measure L group was planning on holding a press conference at Maxwell Park in West Anaheim. They intended to use the homeless people who were residing in the park as the backdrop for their press conference. We were given a one hour notice of this meeting. I gathered together a group of residents and we met at Maxwell Park with our signs to protect the homeless individuals from being used in this way. Upon arrival I encountered Ernesto Medrano who proceeded to tell me to shut up and sit down on the bleachers. Anybody who knows me can guess how that turned out for Ernesto. When the cameras turned up we stood with our signs- "Prevent Homelessness With a Living Wage", "Housing is a Human Right", and "Yes on Measure L" next to the group protesting the living wage ordinance. This was to block their signs from the camera's view. At this point Kris Murray drove up and left without ever exiting her car and the press conference was essentially derailed Gloria Ma'ae, one of the people currently applying for the District 2 seat, was next to me with her opposing views. She began shoulder shoving me and telling me to get out of the way. She began hitting my sign with hers as mine was blocking hers from the cameras. Then, she threatened me by saying "I'm gonna go street on you." I responded with laughter because the whole situation was ludicrous. She became even more angry and repeated her threat. At that point somebody called her and she went away. I feel that is important for you to know this about an applicant. Here you have Jordan who resigned due to his vile and vicious comments about Denise Barnes that also threatened violence. Now you are entertaining the idea of appointing a woman who has also threatened violence against a resident. It is time to appoint somebody who is honest and credible- you have 9 other applicants. It is time to break this cycle of violence among the city council members by not appointing a woman who has threatened to beat up another woman. Sincerely, Jeanine Robbins 30 year resident District 4 Public Comment From: Lancer Band 800 - Urqu... (via Google Docs) Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 2:47 PM To: Public Comment Subject: Document shared with you: "Carlos Leon Letter" Lancer Band 800 - Urquidez shared a document 40 Lancer Band 800 - Urquidez added you as a viewer. Verify your email to securely view this document. You will need to verify your email every 7 days. Learn more. Hello, I am submitting a Cliaracter I.,etter on belialf'ofCarlos I.,eon, Tliank you, ,Jodi Urquidez Carlos Leon Letter V Tse, is Mltrje.c[ to [he ( iooj..pIe Privacy Policy Gooj..Ae I.I.C', 1600 Amphilhealre Parkway, Mounlain View, CA 94043, P,A You have received [his email because shared a documem wish G*oqle Workspace you from Gooj..Ae. Docs. Delete visitor session 1 Anaheim Union High School District E-mail Confidentiality Notice This e-mail communication and any attachments, including documents, files, or previous e-mail messages, constitute electronic communications within the scope of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2510 et seq. This e-mail communication may contain non-public, confidential or legally privileged information intended for the sole use of the designated recipient(s). The unauthorized and intentional interception, use, copy or disclosure of such information, or attempt to do so, is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful under applicable laws. 18 U.S.C. § 2511. If you have received this e-mail communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by return e-mail and delete the original e-mail from your system. September 13, 2021 Dale Jr High School Instrumental Music Department 900 S. Dale Ave. Anaheim, CA 92804 To Whom It May Concern, I am writing this character reference on behalf of Carlos Leon presently applying to fill the empty seat on the Anaheim City Council. He was my student at Dale Jr High for his 7th and 8th Grade years, we worked together during his 4 years at Magnolia High School and we have been friends ever since . From his time in my classes to the present Carlos has shown constant growth, reliability and kindness to all those around him. He is reliable and very dedicated to his passion for justice and to the people in his community. He has also been compassionate and patient to those who are struggling and always willing to lend a hand to help those in need. He doesn't just talk about issues he gets involved and provides service to the people and causes that he believes in. Furthermore, he is very reliable, can be counted on to get a job done and to do it well. He has proven over the years I have known him to be an outstanding leader, extremely personable, an effective communicator and overall a fantastic human being. In sum, he embodies the characteristics of professionalism and I would strongly recommend him for this position. If you have further questions about the information provided by me, feel free to contact me at or reach me through email at Sincerely and respectfully, Jodi Urquidez Band Dlrector/VAPA Department ChairPerson, Instrumental Music Dale Jr High School © Copyright Template.net Public Comment From: KATHY CHANCE Sent: Friday, August 27, 2021 7:55 AM To: Public Comment Subject: In support for the GOV'T-SUBSIDIZED PUBLIC YACHT GRANT PROGRAM (City Council mtng 8/24/2021 public speakers) "Mend our broken Naish!!" During the 8/24/2021 Anaheim city council meeting, public speakers Chad Kroger and J. T. Par, recommended a GOVERNMENT -SUBSIDIZED PUBLIC YACHT PROGRAM. As someone who has partied on a yacht, I am in full support of this initiative. Since the city of Anaheim can't seem to accomplish Mayor Sidhu's "promises" of cleaning up our streets, then let's just all party on a yacht with all the CARES ACT FUNDING the city has received! P.S. That was the most entertaining city council meeting I have ever watched! I loved listening to Vern Nelson's COVID songs too! Starts Pit 2:50:34 City Council City Council L. A/(�,J.YYd }il flk, rn(( Mhng,", Cal (,.JI:y (.c)i,ul(A 1C)1' (,.J y ul Ain,. i161-n 1 Public Comment From: Erika R Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 9:10 AM To: Public Comment Subject: City Council Meeting Sept. 14th Hello, I would like to make it known that I will be attending the meeting tonight and would like to publicly speak about the city of anaheim's contract with OC Animal Care and requesting that the Anaheim City attorney review its original contract with the shelter as I find them in breach of contract. Erika Rasmussen Public Comment From: Erika R Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2021 3:37 PM To: Public Comment Subject: Today's meeting I emailed earlier to say that I would be attending the meeting tonight and had something to discuss that was not on the agenda... However, I will be unable to make it to the meeting tonight and would like to apologize for not being able to make it tonight. Please disregard my first email to the council members as I don't want to waste any of their time. Erika Rasmussen