Dec 08, 2025 City Council Regular

[ CALL TO ORDER 6:00 P.M. City Council Chambers]

[00:00:09]

EVENING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR FINAL REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF 2025. MADAM CITY CLERK, WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER STRONG. CARNAHAN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. CHANG. COUNCIL MEMBER. PETE HERE. MAYOR PRO TEM MEDRANO PRESENT. AND MAYOR BURKE HERE. ALL PRESENT. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO CALL PASTOR MIKE MCKAY FROM CYPRESS NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCH FORWARD FOR THIS EVENING'S INVOCATION. WOULD YOU STAND WITH ME? THANK YOU. BEFORE WE PRAY, I, ON THIS LAST COUNCIL MEETING OF THE YEAR, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THOUGH WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SOME CHANGES IN OUR CITY, INCLUDING LEADERSHIP CHANGES.

BY THE WAY, WELCOME TO THE TEAM, COUNCILMEMBER RACHEL. I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE. WE'VE SEEN GOD'S BLESSING ON ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR OUR CITY. WE CONTINUE TO SEE PROGRESS AND GROWTH AND THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES MOVING INTO OUR CITY AND CONNECTING EVENTS LIKE OUR FESTIVAL OR CONCERTS ON THE GREEN. HOLIDAY PARTIES, HOLIDAY DECORATING CONTESTS, A PRAYER BREAKFAST, AND INTERFAITH EVENTS ALL MAKE CYPRUS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY. AND I ALWAYS PRAY. OUR FAITH COMMUNITY, OUR CHURCHES AND PLACES OF WORSHIP ARE SEEING MORE PEOPLE TURNING TO GOD AND EMBRACING OUR HUMAN LONGING FOR SPIRITUALITY. AND SO THANK YOU, MISTER MAYOR BURKE AND PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBERS KYLE, BONNIE AND DANNY. AND THANK YOU FOR THE SACRIFICIAL SERVICE THAT YOU CREATED FOR OUR CITY. YOU ALL ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU AND YOU ALL, INCLUDING OUR INCREDIBLE CITY STAFF, HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT ACTIONS AND EVENTS THAT HAVE CAUSED ENGAGEMENT AMONG OUR RESIDENTS, OUR CITY, AND THAT HAS CREATED A CONNECTEDNESS, SOCIAL COHESION THAT IS VITAL TO BELONGING. AND PEOPLE THRIVE IN THAT KIND OF THING. AND SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO DO THE THINGS YOU DO FOR OUR CITY. WE ARE BETTER BECAUSE OF EACH OF YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP. SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING GOOD DECISIONS FOR ALL. AND WHEN DIFFERENCES COME, THANK YOU FOR ACTING IN GRACE AND KINDNESS AND LOVE. WE ARE SHARPER, BETTER IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHEN WE DO. WILL YOU PRAY WITH ME? GRACIOUS GOD AND HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROVISIONS AND GUIDANCE OVER THIS PAST YEAR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE AND YOUR MERCY AND YOUR STEADFAST LOVE. A LOVE THAT HAS SOUGHT TO CONNECT US IN SENDING YOUR SON JESUS, WHOM WE CELEBRATE THIS MONTH AS THE ONE THE PROPHETS OF OLD PROCLAIM TO BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. AND WE THANK YOU, OH GOD, THAT JESUS IS NOT SOME DISTANT DEITY, BUT ONE WHO IS CALLED EMMANUEL, MEANING GOD WITH US.

MAY WE EXPERIENCE THE COMFORT OF HIS CARE, OF HIS PRESENCE, THE HEALING OF AND HEALTH OF HIS PROVISION, AND THE EMPOWERMENT AND CONFIDENCE OF HIS INTERACTIONS WITH US. AND MAY WE EMBRACE HIM, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. LORD, THANK YOU THAT YOU HAVE NEVER ABANDONED US BUT ARE WILLING TO ADOPT US, AND YOU WANT EACH OF US TO CONNECT WITH YOU AND TO BE THE PEOPLE YOU'VE CREATED US TO BE. WE PRAY FOR THE HURTING AND THE SICK, AND THOSE IN OUR CITY WHO ARE WALKING THROUGH DIFFICULTY AND MAYBE EVEN LOST THIS YEAR. AND THIS IS A DIFFICULT TIME OF YEAR FOR THEM. SO LORD, PLEASE COMFORT THEM. CARE FOR THE NEEDS, BRING ALONG BESIDE THEM SOME OF THE WONDERFUL, CARING MEMBERS OF OUR CITY AND REACH OUT AS THEY REACH OUT AND LOVE THEIR NEIGHBOR. AND MAY WE ALL SEEK TO BE A BLESSING TO THOSE THAT WE'RE AROUND. WE ASK NOW THAT FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION TO HELP IN TONIGHT'S MEETING FOR YOUR CHOICE OF LEADERS AMONG OUR COUNCIL AND FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND DIRECTIONS, MAY ALL OF OUR INTERACTIONS BE SEASONED WITH GRACE AND WITH LOVE, AND MAY YOU BRING ABOUT WHAT IS BEST TO HELP OUR AMAZING CITY BE THE WONDERFUL PLACE YOU DESIRE TO BE. AND MAY YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE YOUR HAND OF BLESSING ON OUR CITY. WE PRAY THIS IN THE NAME OF THE CHRIST OF CHRISTMAS, JESUS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. AMEN. PLEASE REMAIN STANDING AND JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. PLACE YOUR HAND OVER YOUR HEART. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. MR. CITY ATTORNEY, WOULD YOU PLEASE

[00:05:01]

[ PRESENTATION Retirement Recognition: Matt Burton, Director of Finance and Administrative Services]

LUCKILY, I HAD MATT THERE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND SHOW ME THE WAY. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, I CAN TRULY SAY THAT MATT HAS ALWAYS HAD THE INTEREST OF THE CITY AND THE DISTRICT AT HIS AT HIS HEART. NO MATTER WHAT CHALLENGES THE CITY HAS FACED, MATT AND THE FINANCE TEAM HAS ALWAYS HAD A PLAN TO BE ABLE TO COME AND MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY WAS FINANCIALLY STABLE AND COULD WEATHER ANY STORM THAT COMES ITS WAY. DURING HIS TIME AS FINANCE, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR, MATT HAS PROVIDED A SOLID FINANCIAL PLAN THAT HAS RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION, INCLUDING FROM THE NATIONAL OR FROM THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE'S ENABLED OUR CITY TO DO SOME VERY BIG THINGS IN RECREATION WITH CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADD A COUPLE NEW PARKS. SO WITH THE ACQUISITION OF MACKEY PARK AND BUILDING OF LEXINGTON PARK, AS WELL AS THE REIMAGINING OF ARNOLD CYPRESS PARK, AND WITH, YOU KNOW, MATT'S FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP OVER THE TIME, JUST THOSE THREE PARKS ALONE OVER THE LAST YEAR HAVE HAD OVER A MILLION VISITS TO THEM. SO THAT'S THAT'S BECAUSE OF MATT. HE'S ALSO ALLOWED US TO DO SOME BIG INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN RECREATION, WHETHER IT BE THE SENIOR CENTER, THE ROOF REPLACEMENT, THE INTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS, THE COMMUNITY CENTER. WE'VE MADE IMPROVEMENTS, THE PARKS, JUST ANYTHING THAT THAT WE COULD DO TO IMPROVE OUR FACILITIES. WE'VE HAD A FINANCIAL PLAN IN PLACE, AND THAT'S THANKS TO MATT AND HIS TEAM. SO WHILE WE KNOW THAT MATT'S FINANCIAL SKILLS ARE ON POINT, MANY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW THAT MATT LOVES SPORTS AND HAS A VAST KNOWLEDGE OF CELEBRITIES, TV, RADIO, AND SPORTS. SO MUCH SO THAT I. I TRULY EXPECT TO SEE MATT ON ESPN THE OCHO COMPETING FOR THE NEXT WORLD CHAMPION OF TRIVIA. ONE THING IS FOR SURE, THOUGH, MATT HAS BEEN ON TOP OF HIS GAME AND HE'S REALLY MADE A LOT OF THINGS FOR THE CYPRESS RECREATION AND FOR CYPRESS RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT POSSIBLE. SO MATT, THANK YOU FOR LETTING US CREATE THE FUN AND CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN ON YOUR RETIREMENT. BUT FOR NOW, INVITE NICK MINCOLLA, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, TO MAKE A FEW REMARKS, PLEASE. THANK YOU.

MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, MATT, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RETIREMENT. IN MY 18 YEARS HERE, MATT HAS ALWAYS BEEN WILLING TO HELP NOT ONLY MYSELF BUT ALSO THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

AND WHEN I SAY HELP, HE'S ALWAYS HELPING US FIND WAYS TO NOT SPEND MONEY. IN ALL HONESTY, MATT IS THE DEFINITION OF A STEWARD OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. HE ALWAYS MAKES IT JUST DIFFICULT ENOUGH TO SPEND MONEY, BUT WHEN HE KNOWS IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND THERE'S NO WAY CONVINCING US OTHERWISE, HE MAKES SURE THAT WE DO IT IN A WAY THAT IS PRUDENT, RESPONSIBLE, AND IN A WAY THAT'S SUSTAINABLE TO THE CITY'S LONG TERM SUCCESS.

DURING MATT'S TENURE, WE'VE TAKEN ON SOME MAJOR PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY CENTER

[00:10:04]

MATT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR 24 PLUS YEARS OF SERVICE AT THE CITY OF CYPRUS. THANK YOU TO YOU AND THE REST OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT FOR KEEPING CYPRUS AMONG THE MOST FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE CITIES IN ORANGE COUNTY. MANY CONGRATULATIONS ALSO FOR THE MULTIPLE AWARDS YOU HAVE RECEIVED OVER YOUR CAREER HERE FOR STEERING THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND FOR GOOD, RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP OF THE FINANCES AND A BALANCED BUDGET. I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ON THE MTA NEGOTIATING TEAM FOR MANY CONTRACTS WITH MATT, AND I HAVE LEARNED A LOT DURING THE RATIFICATION OF THOSE CONTRACTS FROM HIM. ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT AND THANK YOU AGAIN. MATT. CAN I INVITE YOU TO MAKE SOME REMARKS? GO EASY. YEAH. FIRST, I WANT TO THANK ALL THOSE SPEAKERS AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE KIND WORDS. AND YOU KNOW, I IT IS FUNNY HOW YOU BUILD RELATIONSHIPS OVER 25 YEARS AND YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE IT. SO THAT SAID, MY IDEA OF A GREAT CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS ONE WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO SAY A WORD. BUT TONIGHT I'M I'M COMPELLED TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION TO THAT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE END OF THE BIGGEST CHAPTER OF MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE. AND I WANT TO CONVEY MY APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO THE CITY OF CYPRUS.

PLUS, OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS, I'VE SAT IN THIS ROOM FOR HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF HOURS. CERTAINLY FEELS MORE LIKE THOUSANDS AND HUNDREDS. BUT LISTENING TO OTHER PEOPLE SPEAK. SO I THINK I'M OWED BETWEEN 3 AND 5 MINUTES. BUT I'LL TRY NOT TO BE TOO LONG WINDED. CAREER ARCS ARE ALWAYS INTERESTING. I CAME TO CYPRUS FOR WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE THE USUAL REASONS. IT WAS A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME, IT PAID A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY, BUT THAT WASN'T WHY I STAYED. THE CULTURE THAT CYPRUS HAS IS DIFFERENT THAN MOST OTHER CITIES, AND ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO MANAGING FINANCES, AND I REALLY LIKE THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO POSITIVELY INFLUENCED MY CYPRUS TENURE, AND I WANT TO EXTEND MY THANKS AND APPRECIATION TO TONIGHT. THE FIRST IS MY PREDECESSOR, RICHARD STORY, WHO HIRED ME BACK IN 2001 AS THE CITY'S FINANCE MANAGER. I LEARNED THE CYPRUS WAY FROM RICHARD, AND IF YOU KNOW RICHARD, WHICH SOME OF YOU MIGHT, BUT MOST OF YOU PROBABLY DON'T. BUT HE WASN'T A HE ISN'T A BIG TALKER OR SELF-PROMOTER. SO MOST OF MY LEARNING WAS REALLY THROUGH OBSERVATION. RICHARD WAS INTELLIGENT, HE WAS PREPARED, AND HE MADE DECISIONS THAT WERE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY, EVEN IF THE DECISIONS WEREN'T EASY OR POPULAR WITH THE PEOPLE THEY IMPACTED. HE WAS STRONG, HE RESPECTED, AND HE CARED AND HE KNEW HIS STUFF. I HAVE TRIED TO EMULATE THAT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES. RICHARD WAS HIRED IN 1990 BY FORMER CITY MANAGER DARYL ESSEX, AND IF YOU KNOW DARYL ESSEX STORY, HE BECAME

[00:15:03]

BUT PROMOTING ME ISN'T WHY I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM. TITLES HAVE NEVER MEANT MUCH TO ME. SO FAR. MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE TITLE WAS BEING GIVEN THE ABILITY TO CONTRIBUTE AND LEAD.

OBVIOUSLY, PETE AND I HAD VERY DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES AND WE DIDN'T ALWAYS AGREE, BUT THAT WAS OKAY. WE BOTH WANTED TO DO WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST FOR CYPRUS. WE WORKED TOGETHER TO MAKE CYPRUS ALREADY TOP NOTCH FINANCIAL CONDITION STRONGER AND BETTER. AND WHILE I LIKE TO THINK THE NEXT WAVE OF CITY COUNCILS, CITY MANAGERS AND FINANCE DIRECTORS WILL RESPECT AND CARRY ON THE CYPRUS TRADITION, I'M WELL AWARE CHANGE IS INEVITABLE AND SHORT TERM DECISIONS THAT INVOLVE CONSUMPTION MAY BE EASIER THAN MAKING THE THE DECISIONS THAT DEFER GRATIFICATION. REGARDLESS OF WHAT THOSE DECISIONS ARE. FUTURE CYPRUS LEADERS ARE SET UP FOR SUCCESS. THE CUPBOARDS ARE FULL, AND YOU'D BE HARD PRESSED TO FIND ANOTHER CITY COMPARABLE TO CYPRUS SIZE THAT IS IN BETTER FINANCIAL POSITION THAN WE ARE. SO I ASK EVERYBODY TO TRY NOT TO SCREW THAT UP. LAST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, MY APPRECIATION GOES TO ALL THE FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN MAKING MY TIME HERE ENJOYABLE. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE A TEAM OF LONG TERM DIVISION MANAGERS DONNA, REGINA, ADRIAN AND EVEN MY JACK OF ALL TRADES, JASON THAT ARE COMMITTED TO CYPRUS AND DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY AND THAT. BUT IT GOES DEEPER THAN THAT. WE ARE A LEAN DEPARTMENT. ALL 14 EMPLOYEES IN THE DEPARTMENT ARE ESSENTIAL TO ITS SUCCESS, AND I KNOW HAVING ME AS A BOSS ISN'T ALWAYS EASY, BUT ALL I HAVE EVER REALLY ASKED IS THAT YOU WORK HARD, YOU PUT FORTH AN HONEST EFFORT AND YOU CARE. AND THE CURRENT GROUP DOES THAT. WORKING AS A DIRECTOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT REALLY HAS TWO LAYERS. YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC SEES A VERSION OF ME ON MONDAY NIGHTS THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE DAY TO DAY AT COUNCIL MEETINGS. I SIT HERE AND I OCCASIONALLY GIVE DULL PRESENTATIONS. NO ONE REALLY UNDERSTANDS OR CARES TOO MUCH ABOUT. BUT WHILE I TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH MY POSITION, I DON'T THINK I TAKE MYSELF TOO SERIOUSLY OUTSIDE THESE CHAMBERS. I THINK OF MYSELF AS A FRIEND TO THOSE THAT WORK FOR ME, A FRIEND TO THE EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM AND OTHERS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION, INCLUDING THOSE WHO HAVE SPOKEN HERE TONIGHT. WE JOKE AROUND, WE LAUGH, WE ENGAGE, AND FOR THE MOST PART, AND MOST OF THE TIME, WE LIKE EACH OTHER AND WE RESPECT AND APPRECIATE ONE ANOTHER. THOSE RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE PART OF THE JOB I WILL MISS THE MOST.

CYPRUS. THE CITY HAS TREATED ME WELL, AND IT MEANS A LOT TO SIT AT THIS TABLE AND BE ABLE TO WALK AWAY ON MY OWN TERMS. SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU CYPRUS. THANK YOU, MR. BURTON. I'M GOING TO INVITE YOU INTO THE WELL IN A MOMENT. THERE'S A FEW THINGS I WANT TO SAY. FIRST OFF THE BAT, WE DO HAVE A TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION FOR YOU. BUT I KNOW THAT THE GIFT THAT YOU REALLY WANTED IS SOMETHING YOU ALREADY RECEIVED EARLIER THIS YEAR IS SOMETHING I WANTED AS WELL, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. THAT WAS ANOTHER DODGERS WORLD SERIES VICTORY, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THE REST OF AMERICA WANTS, I WANT YOU TO HAVE 1 OR 2 MORE OF THOSE IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS WELL. I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SERVE ON OUTSIDE BOARDS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND SOMETIMES OTHER FINANCE DIRECTORS WITH OUTSIDE ORGS WILL STRIKE UP A CONVERSATION WITH ME. AND MORE THAN ONE OF THEM HAS SAID THAT THEY REALLY ADMIRE OUR SITUATION IN CYPRUS AND EVEN CALLED YOU OUT BY NAME AS THE GREAT WORK THAT MATT BURTON HAS DONE IN CYPRUS. SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ADMIRERS THAT YOU MAY NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT. AND THEN LASTLY, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW HOW

[00:20:02]

OKAY. RIGHT HERE, 123. OKAY. THERE YOU GO. SORRY. OH COME ON. OKAY. THERE WE GO.

THANK YOU.

[ ORAL COMMUNICATIONS This portion of the meeting is set aside for public comments regarding any matter within the jurisdiction of the City Council. Comments on non-agenda items will be heard at this time. Comments related to a specific agenda item will be heard following the staff report for that item and prior to the City Council action, unless the speaker prefers to make the comment during the general public comment period. The City Council cannot discuss or take action on matters not on the agenda for this meeting, but Council members may provide brief responses. Please complete a Speaker’s Card to address the City Council in-person. Please follow the instructions at the end of the agenda and wait for the Mayor or City Clerk to call on you to address the City Council virtually. Speakers providing in-person comments will be called first. Time allotted for public comment (subject to change by the presiding officer). General Public Comment (not on agenda): 3 minutes Consent Calendar (any or all items): 3 minutes Agenda Items (not on consent calendar): 3 minutes per item]

AND SO I'M GOING TO TRY AND I'LL READ IT AND THEN I'LL EXPLAIN. JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR, THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING IS SET ASIDE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING ANY MATTER WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS. IN OTHER WORDS, GENERAL COMMENTS WILL BE HEARD AT THIS TIME. COMMENTS RELATED TO A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM WILL BE HEARD FOLLOWING THE STAFF REPORT FOR THAT ITEM AND PRIOR TO THE CITY COUNCIL ACTION.

UNLESS YOU PREFER TO MAKE YOUR COMMENT NOW. DURING THIS INITIAL PERIOD, THE COUNCIL CANNOT DISCUSS OR TAKE ACTION ON MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING, BUT COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY PROVIDE BRIEF RESPONSES. PLEASE COMPLETE A SPEAKER'S CARD AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL IN PERSON, OR FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AT THE END OF THE AGENDA AND WAIT FOR THE MAYOR OR CITY CLERK TO CALL ON YOU. TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON. SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED ON FIRST. SO THIS FIRST PERIOD IS GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS, NOT ON THE AGENDA. WE'LL GO IN PERSON AND THEN VIRTUAL. SO I BELIEVE I ONLY HAVE ONE SUCH SPEAKER CARD AND THAT'S MARILYN REAMS. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL.

IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE. CONGRATULATIONS, MATT. WE ALREADY SAID RETIREMENT'S REALLY NICE. YEAH. I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO THE. THE MEETING DE CHANGE. YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD ME TALK ABOUT IT ONCE, TWICE OR THREE TIMES. AND I'M JUST PUTTING ANOTHER PLEA OUT THAT YOU BACK IT OFF AND KEEP MONDAY'S. SOME OF IT'S SELFISH ON MY PART, BUT I ALSO I'M

[00:25:03]

SO BE SURE TO STAY HUMBLE AND TRUE TO THAT BECAUSE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. AND WHEN POWER CORRUPTS, IT CAN CORRUPT. I'M SORRY. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GOING TO HAVE TO ASK YOU TO

[00:30:05]

[7. CONSENT CALENDAR All matters listed on the Consent Calendar are to be approved with one motion unless a Council Member requests separate action on a specific item. Council Members voting no or abstaining on a Consent Calendar item may do so without removing the item from the Consent Calendar.]

CONGRATULATIONS, RACHEL. I WISH YOU MUCH SUCCESS THIS YEAR AND I'M HERE TO SUPPORT YOU WITH WHATEVER YOU NEED. I'M HERE TO HELP YOU. CONGRATULATIONS, MATT. I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT. I'M ADDRESSING AGENDA ITEM SEVEN ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR. APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER FIVE TO THE AGREEMENT WITH CHAN AND TUCKER FOR LEGAL SERVICES RELATED TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE. I'VE REVIEWED BOTH AMENDMENTS AND SEE THAT THE PROPOSED RATE OF $650 PER HOUR WOULD AMOUNT TO AN 11% ANNUAL INCREASE FROM 2020 TO THE PRESENT. NORMALLY, A RATE INCREASE IS USUALLY 3 TO 5%. I HAVE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. WHAT WAS THE TERM OF THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT? WHAT WAS THE RATE OF THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT? WHAT IS THE TERM BEING NEGOTIATED FOR THIS AMENDMENT? BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE THIS INFORMATION. SO THE ONLY ONE OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS RECOMMEND IS GOING OUT TO BID. AND CYPRUS NEEDS TO SEE ANOTHER GOVERNMENT CONTRACT OR CLIENT THAT'S PAYING THIS CURRENT RATE. SO AT A TIME WHEN RESIDENTS ARE FOCUSED ON AFFORDABILITY, THE RATES NEED TO BE JUSTIFIED. SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO ASK RUTAN AND TUCKER TO PROVIDE CONFIRMATION OF RATES THAT OTHER CITY CLIENTS ARE PAYING. WE NEED MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION. WHAT TYPE OF WORK COVERS THE $650 RATE? WHAT ABOUT THE WORK JUSTIFIES THE HIGH RATE? AND IF THE COUNCIL MOVES FORWARD WITHOUT GOING TO BID, I RECOMMEND AT LEAST NEGOTIATING AND SECURING A COMPETITIVE RATE FOR A LONGER TERM. BASED ON THIS REPORT, I CANNOT SEE HOW LONG THIS RATE WILL BE LOCKED IN FOR AND TO BETTER SUPPORT THIS PROPOSED RATE, IT'D BE HELPFUL IF LIEUTENANT TUCKER COULD PROVIDE A LIST OF OTHER CITY CLIENTS WHERE THEY ARE CHARGING THE SAME RATE. IT'S CRITICAL TO MAKE SURE OUR CITY IS NOT CHARGED MORE THAN ANY OTHER MUNICIPAL CLIENT, AND TYPICALLY THE ANNUAL RATE INCREASES 3 TO 5%, ACCORDING TO PROCUREMENT PROFESSIONALS THAT I'VE SPOKEN WITH DURING THIS TIME OF HIGH INFLATION, HIGH INFLATION OF 5 TO 6% RATE INCREASE IS REASONABLE. THEIR PROPOSED RATE AGAIN WOULD AMOUNT TO AN 11% ANNUAL INCREASE FROM 2020 TO THE PRESENT. AND MOREOVER, NORMALLY THE CITY MANAGER BRINGS FORTH CONTRACT CONTRACT AGREEMENTS. I BELIEVE THE COUNCIL SHOULD WAIT TO MAKE THIS DECISION UNTIL WE HAVE A PERMANENT CITY MANAGER. ALSO, I THINK THAT THE CITY SHOULD GO OUT TO BID TO GET THE BEST PRICE FOR THIS WORK. HAVING A FRESH SET OF EYES ON

[00:35:02]

THANKS. OKAY. THAT ITEM HAS BEEN PULLED. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES? OKAY. IN THAT CASE I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH SIX.

SECOND. THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY, THAT BRINGS US TO NEW BUSINESS. THE CITY

[8. City Council Reorganization Prepared by: Lisa Berglund, City Clerk Recommendation: Select a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem ]

YES, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THIS IS YOUR ANNUAL REORGANIZATION. ACCORDING TO THE CITY'S CHARTER, SECTION 404 A, THE CITY COUNCIL SHALL ELECT A NEW MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM TO SERVE OUT THE FOLLOWING YEAR. SO THE WAY THIS WILL UNFOLD IS WE WOULD ASK THAT YOU TAKE NOMINATIONS FOR THE MAYOR ROLE. CLOSE NOMINATIONS. MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE.

I'LL DECLARE THOSE RESULTS, AND THEN WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM SEAT IN THE SAME MANNER. THANK YOU. AND THEN I WILL ALLOW THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. I HAVE BROOKE, FOLLOWED BY MARILYN REAMS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I THINK OF CYPRUS AS A $50 MILLION BUSINESS AND ITS PRODUCT IS SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY, SUCH AS ROADS, INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS, PARK, POLICE AND FIRE. EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS A CONSUMER OF THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CITY. NEXT YEAR, OUR CITY WILL ALSO CELEBRATE 70 YEARS. IT'LL BE A VERY SPECIAL YEAR. I BELIEVE OUR CITY DESERVES A MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM WITH THE MOST BUSINESS EXPERIENCE, DEPTH OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY, THE LONGEST TERM RESIDENTS, THE MOST OVERALL QUALIFIED, THE MOST BIPARTISAN SELECTION. I'M OF THE FIRM BELIEF THAT COUNCIL MEMBER PETE IS THE MOST QUALIFIED TO SERVE AS MAYOR NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN MAYOR PRO TEM BEFORE, SHE HAS THE MOST BUSINESS EXPERIENCE AMONG THOSE SITTING ON THE DAIS.

SHE'S OF EXCELLENT CHARACTER. SHE HAS BROAD AND DEEP SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. SHE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR TWO YEARS. SO THAT, PLUS HER FIRST TERM ON CITY COUNCIL GIVES HER THE MOST EXPERIENCE IN AN ELECTED CAPACITY OF THOSE CURRENTLY ON THE DAIS. AND SHE HAS SHOWN TIME AND TIME AGAIN, ESPECIALLY DURING THE LAST TWO SPECIAL MEETINGS, TO FILL THE VACANT SEAT, THAT SHE HAS VERY SOUND JUDGMENT AND THE ABILITY TO ANALYZE AN ISSUE AND ARTICULATE HER THOUGHTS VERY WELL. I COULD GO ON ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBER PETE'S EXCELLENT QUALITIES, BUT WOULD RUN OUT OF TIME. I BELIEVE THAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM SHOULD BE RACHEL STRONG CARNAHAN NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE COUNCIL MAJORITY BELIEVES SHE WAS THE MOST QUALIFIED TO FILL THE VACANT SEAT AND THEREFORE COULD FILL THE MAYOR PRO TEM SLOT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE, AS DID MAYOR PRO TEM MEDRANO. AS THE OWNER OF A SUCCESSFUL SMALL

[00:40:04]

EXCUSE ME. COUNCIL MEMBER PETE SHOULD BE MAYOR. SHE HAS. SHE HAS EARNED IT. AND I IT IS NO SLIGHT TO MAYOR PRO TEM MEDRANO. I. I HAVE KNOWN BONNIE FOR A NUMBER. I KEEP DOING THAT.

EXCUSE ME. KNOWN COUNCIL MEMBER PETE FOR A LONG TIME. AND WE CAN BE AS OPPOSITE AS NIGHT AND DAY. AND COUNCIL CANCEL ONE ANOTHER'S VOTES OUT AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS. BUT THE THING THAT'S MOST IMPRESSIVE TO ME IS MEETING AFTER MEETING AFTER MEETING, JUST THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DISPLAYED IN ADDITION TO THE HARD WORK THAT YOU DO. I HAVE NEVER, EVER HEARD YOU UTTER THE WORDS, I DON'T FEEL LIKE WORKING. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO THIS. I'M NOT SURE IF I'M GOING TO HAVE TIME TO DO THIS. IT'S ALWAYS THE OPPOSITE. YOU ARE OUT THERE. YOU ARE REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY ALL THE TIME. I SEE YOUR PRESENCE ON FACEBOOK, WHETHER IT'S ADVISING PEOPLE YOU KNOW, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT ON A COMMITTEE, YOU'RE STILL SENDING OUT INFORMATION ABOUT. MOSQUITOES BITING THE HECK OUT OF US OR SOMETHING. AND I, I JUST I BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVE THAT YOU NEED TO BE THE HEAD OF THIS SHIP IN THIS NEXT YEAR. AND I ALSO CONCUR COMPLETELY WITH RACHEL STRONG CARNAHAN BEING MAYOR PRO TEM, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE AN AMAZING TEAM, AND I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT LEADERSHIP ON THIS COUNCIL. THANK YOU. PAUL KOKKINOS. GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL. PAUL KOKKINOS, LONG TIME CURRENT RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF CYPRUS. MR. BURTON, CONGRATULATIONS. ENVIOUS OF YOUR YOUR RETIREMENT. SO TO A LONG AND HAPPY AND HEALTHY ONE, MISS CARNAHAN, WELCOME TO THE COUNCIL. I WANT TO FIRST THANK MAYOR BURKE FOR WHAT HAS BEEN AN OFTENTIMES BUMPY RIDE IN HIS YEAR AS MAYOR. BUT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH AND MOVED THE CITY FORWARD IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE NOTED. I'M GOING TO URGE THE ENTIRE COUNCIL TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD. DO NOT GET DISTRACTED BY THE VITRIOL. AND I BELIEVE EDWIN KRAMER CALLED IT VENOM. THAT PREVIOUS COUNCIL MAJORITIES HAVE SKEWED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

YOU MADE SOME DIFFICULT DECISIONS, BUT YOU'VE SET A PATH OF CHANGE, AND I SINCERELY THINK IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE ONE OF INCREASED TRANSPARENCY ON ALL LEVELS OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. SO I DON'T JUST URGE YOU, YOU KNOW, I STRONGLY SUGGEST DON'T BE DISTRACTED BY THOSE VOICES. CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD, CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD. AND THAT MEANS THAT

[00:45:02]

WE LOST A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. WHAT WE NEED TO GUIDE US FORWARD, ESPECIALLY IN THIS BIRTHDAY YEAR OF OUR CITY, OUR 70TH BIRTHDAY IS WE NEED EXPERIENCE. WE NEED SOMEONE WHO'S EXPERIENCED IN THE CITY AND EXPERIENCED AND ELECTED. ELECTED OFFICE, AND ALSO SOMEONE THAT'S EXPERIENCED IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I LOOK AT MAYOR PETE'S INVOLVEMENT WITH THE WOMEN'S CLUB, WITH THE LARGE CORPORATION. AS A SENIOR EXECUTIVE. I LOOK AT THE THE MANY SUCCESSFUL YEARS SHE'S HAD ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AS WELL AS OUR CITY COUNCIL. SHE ALWAYS COMES WELL PREPARED, VERY THOUGHTFUL. SHE LAYS OUT THE REASONS FOR WHY SHE BELIEVES A CERTAIN WAY. AND TO ME, SHE BRINGS THE EXPERIENCE THAT OUR CITY NEEDS. AND SO I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THE CONSIDERATION OF BONNIE PETE FOR MAYOR IN 2026. THANK YOU. BETH CULVER. GOOD EVENING. IN LIGHT OF ALL THE TURMOIL AND LOSS OF TALENT AND LOSS OF EXPERIENCE IN CYPRUS IN THE PAST YEAR, IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO HAVE TRANQUILITY AND CONSISTENCY. THE PROMOTION OF THE CURRENT MAYOR PRO TEM TO MAYOR. THIS HAS US CONCERNED. SOME OF HIS SHENANIGANS AND EMBARRASSING HIS BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN EMBARRASSING, SUCH AS OUR ONLY HINT, THE FIASCO AT TSA UNITED AIRLINES COUNTER, AND ALSO SOME LEGAL SHENANIGANS YOU'VE HAD OVER TRYING TO AVOID ALIMONY PAYMENTS, TO MENTION A FEW, DOESN'T BODE WELL. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAPPEN IN ANOTHER YEAR. WE NEED EXPERIENCE AND WE NEED PROPER DECORUM AND SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS WHAT THE HECK THEY'RE DOING. LET ME ASK YOU THIS IF ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN NEEDED SPECIAL CARE, A RARE LIFE SAVING SURGERY, WOULD YOU SEEK THE MOST QUALIFIED SURGEON WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THAT PARTICULAR FIELD? OR WOULD YOU FLIP A COIN? OR WOULD YOU CHOOSE A LONG TIME FRIEND, A FELLOW CLASSMATE WITH DUBIOUS BACKGROUND? SUPPOSING YOUR SON WANTED A CERTAIN KIND OF DOG OR PET OR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, AND HE'S BEEN WANTING FOR A SMALL DOG ALL HIS LIFE, AND SO HE CAN CUDDLE WITH AND SLEEP WITH IT. BUT YOU SAY, OH NO, I WANT A BIG DOG, A GREAT DANE. BESIDES, YOU CAN LEARN SOME RESPONSIBILITY TAKING CARE OF THIS DOG. NOT A SMALL ONE, ACTUALLY. THE TRUTH IS, WE ALL PREFER EXPERIENCED, QUALIFIED MAYOR THAT REALLY KNOWS CYPRUS AND I MEAN KNOWS CYPRUS. SHE'S LIVED HERE SINCE THE ROADS WERE ALMOST DIRT. HE HAS THAT. WE NEED A MAYOR THAT IS INVESTED IN INTEREST IN CYPRUS. NOT ONE THAT JUST RECENTLY MOVED HERE. IT TAKES A WHILE TO REALLY GET TO FIND OUT ALL THE INS AND OUTS IN CYPRUS AND OUR COUNCIL MEMBER PETE KNOWS THOSE THINGS. SHE'S THE OSMOSIS. SHE'S BREATHED THEM. THEY'RE IN HER VEINS. THEY'RE IN HER DNA. AND WE'RE TIRED OF FECKLESS, CLUELESS EAGLE MAKING DECISIONS, PASSING AN ORDINANCE, THE RESPONSIBLE SPENDING OF OUR TAX DOLLARS AND OUR FUEL FOR CORPORATE, FOR CORRUPTION. WE REALLY NEED TRUTH AND SPEECH.

THANK YOU. MADAM CITY CLERK, DO WE HAVE ANY HANDS RAISED ONLINE? YES WE DO. FIRST ONE IS JOSE

[00:50:09]

PLEASE SWITCH TO ZOOM IN THE FUTURE. BUT AS TO THE COUNCIL REORGANIZATION. I WAS TRYING TO SET UP THAT YOU HAVE AN ASTONISHINGLY COMPETENT COUNCILWOMAN ALREADY ON THE DAIS READY TO GO, AND THAT'S COUNCILWOMAN BONNIE. PETE, I MAY NOT BE FROM THE SAME POLITICAL AFFILIATION. I MAY NOT AGREE WITH HER ON MAYBE 90% OF THE ISSUES, BUT FROM WHAT I SAW OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, SHE CAN, YOU KNOW, SHE CAN FACILITATE COUNCIL MEETINGS TO THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE. AND SO I'M GOING TO JUST STRONGLY ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER MAKING BONNIE PETE MAYOR FOR 2026. AND ALSO APOLOGIZE TO ALL THE WOMEN IN CYPRUS BECAUSE BY CHOOSING FIRST THE MEDIOCRE WHITE DUDE THAT PERJURED HIS APPLICATION AND THEN BY SIDELINING AND SILENCING THREE FORMER ELECTED OFFICIALS AND VERY HIGHLY QUALIFIED WOMEN, YOU'RE BASICALLY TELLING THE WOMAN WOMEN OF CYPRUS THAT NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY WORK, NO MATTER HOW HARD THEY TRY, NO MATTER HOW LONG THEY SERVE IN PUBLIC OFFICE, THAT THEY WEREN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND FOR YOUR CHOICE ON WHO TO APPOINT. SO THAT'S WHY COUNCILWOMAN BONNIE PETE SHOULD BE SELECTED AS MAYOR NEXT YEAR. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER HANDS RAISED? YES WE DO. WE HAVE TWO MORE. KATI SHAPIRO. HI, EVERYBODY. I HOPE YOU CAN HEAR ME. MY NAME IS KATIE SHAPIRO. I'M A RESIDENT OF CYPRUS, AND I'VE REALLY NOT BEEN PARTICIPATING VERY MUCH IN THE MEETINGS, SADLY, JUST BECAUSE I SO TRUST THE GOVERNMENT THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, I FULLY TRUST DAVID BURKE. I THINK HE'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE MAYOR. UNFORTUNATELY OR FORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, HE'S HAD TO MAKE SOME REALLY DIFFICULT DECISIONS GIVEN THE CONTEXT OF KIND OF THE VOLATILITY OF WHAT I'VE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TRIED TO AVOID. HE'S NAVIGATED THAT STUFF REALLY BEAUTIFULLY. AND SO FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I FEEL LIKE I CAN TRUST THAT HE'S DOING THE RIGHT THING. AND THE CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN DOING THE RIGHT THING. AND MY PARTICIPATION ISN'T AS NEEDED.

AND I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT RACHEL STRONG WAS APPOINTED. I THINK SHE'S A LOVELY PERSON AND WILL REPRESENT CYPRUS WELL, ANOTHER FEMALE, WHICH I'M VERY PROUD OF IN TERMS OF JUST THE NOMINATIONS OF WHO'S GOING TO ACT AS OUR CITY MAYOR. IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT JOB, AND IT REQUIRES SOMEONE THAT, YOU KNOW, RESPONDS RATHER THAN REACTS. I'VE LOVED WATCHING DAVID NAVIGATE THIS, AND I'VE BEEN SO PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER KYLE CHANG, WHO OF THE FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS WAS THE ONLY ONE TO RESPOND TO MY PHONE CALLS AND REALLY IS JUST SO MEASURED IN HOW HE WEIGHS, YOU KNOW, EVERY DECISION AND ALWAYS PUTS CYPRUS FIRST. SO I'D BE REALLY PLEASED JUST TO HAVE HIS VOICE BE HIGHLIGHTED IN A MORE SIGNIFICANT WAY. AND I'D BE CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT HE DOES WITH THAT LEADERSHIP ROLE. SO, YOU KNOW, I'D REALLY LIKE TO CONSIDER SOMEBODY THAT. YOU KNOW, JUST HAS BEEN YOU KNOW, I'VE WATCHED HIM THOROUGHLY RESEARCH EVERY ORDINANCE, EVERY MEASURE. AND I THOUGHT HE BROUGHT, YOU KNOW, THE SMOKING ISSUE TO THE FOREFRONT OF CYPRUS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITIES HAVE ENACTED SIMILAR ORDINANCES. AND HE WAS REALLY THE FOCAL POINT FOR MAKING THAT HAPPEN. AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR HIM AND FOR HIS RESPONSES TO MY EMAILS AND QUESTIONS. AND I'D LIKE TO SEE HIM IN A MORE SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP ROLE THAN WHAT HE ALREADY HAS. SO THAT WOULD BE MY NOMINATION.

AND I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE RACHEL STRONG ONCE AGAIN. I'M HOPEFUL THAT SHE'LL DO A FANTASTIC JOB, WHICH I KNOW SHE WILL. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. ALL RIGHT, MADAM CITY CLERK, DO WE HAVE ANOTHER SPEAKER? ONE LAST CALLER, IT'S KELLY K OKAY. KELLY. KELLY K IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, YOU'RE FREE TO COMMENT. HEY THERE. OKAY, SO I JUST WANT TO SAY A COUPLE THINGS. NUMBER ONE, I AM TRULY GOBSMACKED THAT THE VERY SAME PERSON THAT JUST THREATENED

[00:55:01]

THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER HANDS RAISED ONLINE? OKAY. WELL HANDS RAISED.

IN THAT CASE, I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR TO TAKE NOMINATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER PETE. I GUESS I LOOK FOR YOUR DIRECTION ON THIS, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, MAY I JUST MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS? IS, IS THAT OKAY? OKAY, THAT'S FINE WITH ME. OKAY. YEAH. I'M NOT MAKING A NOMINATION. I THAT'S YOU KNOW, I'VE LOOKED BACK AT THE THE THREE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL AND I LOOK AT THE LAST 12 MONTHS AND I SAY AS A COUNCIL WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SOME REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS FOR OUR RESIDENTS. WE'VE REOPENED ARNOLD CYPRESS PARK. WE ATTRACTED BUSINESSES LIKE MITSUWA, WHICH HAS BEEN A REAL SUCCESS AS WELL AS WE'RE CLEANING UP OUR STREETS AND WE'RE TAKING STEPS BETWEEN TRASH LAID AS WELL AS WEEDS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT I BELIEVE AS A COUNCIL, WE'VE FALLEN SHORT OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN TO OUR RESIDENTS, WORK COLLABORATIVELY AS A COUNCIL, AND TO LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS, AS WELL AS OUR CITY MANAGER AND OUR CITY ATTORNEY. SO FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, WE TOOK A BIT OF FOCUS OFF SERVING OUR COMMUNITY. AND I HEARD A COUPLE OF RESIDENTS SAY, SPECIFICALLY ONE THAT TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DON'T GO BACKWARDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WE'VE CREATED JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF UNREST, A CALL, IF YOU WANT TO SAY, AND I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN WE'RE IN THE NEWS FOR NEGATIVE PRESS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CYPRUS AND PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT IT AS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. I HAVE A LIST OF TEN ITEMS THAT I COULD GO THROUGH. WHAT? I THINK WE DIDN'T REALLY GO IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. WE WOULDN'T ALL AGREE THAT THOSE ARE THE RIGHT THINGS.

OKAY, BUT I JUST THINK WE TOOK OUR OUR FOCUS AWAY FROM WHERE WE SHOULD BE. SO MY MY RECOMMENDATION IS, I HOPE AS WE LOOK AT THE NEXT YEAR, THAT WE PUT OUR FOCUS BACK ON SERVING THE INTERESTS AND NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, WE LISTENED TO THE WHAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR RESIDENTS WANT, RATHER THAN 1 OR 2 INFLUENTIAL RESIDENTS. WE WORK MORE COLLABORATIVELY AS A

[01:00:02]

SO I SUPPORTED HER. MY SECOND YEAR, I SUPPORTED SCOTT MINIKUS. I HAD SOME MISGIVINGS ABOUT THAT SITUATION, BUT AGAIN, I, I WANTED TO TRY TO. BREAK THE PARTIZANSHIP ON THE COUNCIL AND EXTEND MY HAND AGAIN IN HOPES THAT MY PEERS WOULD KIND OF EXTEND THEIRS BACK. THE MAJORITY OF MY COLLEAGUES DID NOT RESPOND IN KIND WHEN IT CAME TO CHOOSE THE MAYOR. MAYOR PRO TEM IN 2024, ALTHOUGH I WAS THE LEADING VOTE GETTER IN THE 2022 ELECTION, COUNCIL MEMBER PETE AND ANN MALLORY AND SCOTT MINIKUS SELECTED COUNCIL MEMBER PETE, WHO WAS THE THIRD LEADING VOTE GETTER FOR MAYOR PRO TEM. OVER ME. IT HAPPENS. I CONGRATULATED COUNCIL MEMBER PETE AFTER THE MEETING. I DON'T RECALL MENTIONING AGAIN PUBLICLY. AND THEN LAST YEAR I WAS SELECTED AS MAYOR. AND ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE PORTRAYED THAT AS COUNCIL MEMBER, PETE BEING PASSED OVER OR SOME TYPE OF INJUSTICE, IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST ME ASSUMING THE PLACE IN LINE THAT I PREVIOUSLY HAD BEFORE. I WAS SORT OF PUSHED ASIDE. UNFORTUNATELY. IN THE PAST, THIS TRAIN HAS SORT OF BEEN DRIVEN OFF THE TRACKS BECAUSE PRIOR COUNCILS DIDN'T FOLLOW A SORT OF PRINCIPLED PATH. THE IRONY IS, IF THAT PATH HAD BEEN FOLLOWED, I WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MAYOR THIS YEAR, JUST LIKE I WAS, AND COUNCIL MEMBER PETE WOULD HAVE BEEN MAYOR PRO TEM SET UP TO BE MAYOR IN 2026. BUT AGAIN, CERTAIN COUNCIL MEMBERS CHOSE TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH. FOR THIS YEAR. I GAVE IT A LOT OF THOUGHT, AND I CONSIDERED BOTH MAYOR PRO TEM MEDRANO AND COUNCILMEMBER PETE. WITH REGARDS TO COUNCIL MEMBER PETE, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY DOUBTS HER COMMITMENT TO THE CITY OR HER ABILITY TO PRESIDE OVER A MEETING. I THINK IT'S EVIDENT HOW MUCH SHE'S OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THAT SHE HAS EXPERIENCE AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. HOWEVER, IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL AND REFLECT WELL ON OUR CITY IS SOMETHING THAT WAS A PRIORITY FOR ME AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. IT'S BEEN A PRIORITY FOR ME THE WHOLE YEAR. AND UNFORTUNATELY, I GUESS ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED THIS YEAR IS THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO PLAY THEIR PART, EVEN IF A MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL IS BEING CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL. IF YOU HAVE 1 OR 2 PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING ACCUSATIONS AND INSULTS AND DRAGGING DOWN THE DISCOURSE, THEN THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. EVERYBODY HAS TO PLAY THEIR PART. SO I THINK WE'RE SO CLOSE TO HAVING, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF MEETINGS THAT MEET THAT

[01:05:07]

AS I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW HIM. I'VE FOUND HIM TO BE VERY THOUGHTFUL AND DELIBERATIVE. I HOPE HE DOESN'T MIND ME SAYING, MAYBE NOT THE MOST TALKATIVE POLITICIAN IN ORANGE COUNTY OR ELECTED OFFICIAL IN ORANGE COUNTY, BUT THAT'S NOT A BAD THING. I THINK HE REALLY STUDIES THE ISSUES THOROUGHLY, AND I FOUND HIM TO BE CIVIL AND PROFESSIONAL. I THINK HE HAS EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE IN THE CORPORATE WORLD THAT COMES ACROSS. I CAN'T RECALL HIM EVER, YOU KNOW, ATTACKING ANYONE'S CHARACTER OR HURLING INSULTS ON THE DAIS. AND EVEN BEHIND THE SCENES, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN HE'S STEPPED IN TO TRY AND DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION, BRING DOWN THE TEMPERATURE AND ALLOW COOLER HEADS TO PREVAIL. I'M OPTIMISTIC THAT HE WILL MOVE THE TENOR OF THESE MEETINGS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND SO I WILL NOMINATE MAYOR PRO TEM LEO MEDRANO AS MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER CHANG, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR COMMENTS NOW OR A SECOND TO YOUR MOTION WHERE IT'S OPEN FOR A SECOND, IT'S OPEN FOR COMMENTS, WHATEVER COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD LIKE. OKAY. YEAH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND COMMENT. I DO FEEL THAT BONNIE DESERVES A CHANCE AT MAYOR, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE THIS YEAR. I'VE HAD TROUBLE DECIDING WHAT TO SAY DURING THIS, THIS TIME. HAVE YOU GUYS HEARD OF THE SAYING? IS IT TRUE? IS IT NECESSARY? IS IT KIND? THIS IS ACTUALLY A POET. MARY ANN, PETERS 1872 POEM. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH ON THE DAIS. DO WE REPAY WHAT'S SAID ABOUT US IN KIND, OR DO WE TRY TO TAKE THE HIGH ROAD? I REALLY STRUGGLED WITH THAT AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING. I FELT LIKE WE WERE PRESSURED TO SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT PEOPLE, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S NECESSARY. I DON'T THINK IT'S KIND. IT MAY BE TRUE, YOU MAY WANT TO SAY IT, BUT WE SHOULDN'T SAY IT. I WAS I WILL SAY THIS ABOUT BONNIE. I WOULD LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP. I'M GOING TO GIVE ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT. WHEN IT CAME TO A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE HAD AN INCIDENT AFTER OUR CLOSED MEETING, AND AS A RESULT, WE CHANGED OUR CODE OF CONDUCT AND WE ASKED THE COUNCIL TO SIGN UP FOR A NEW CODE OF CONDUCT. WE HAD JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY SIGN UP FOR IT EXCEPT FOR BONNIE PETE. SHE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE WORD DISPARAGEMENT. I OFFERED THAT WE TAKE OUT DISPARAGEMENT AND SEE IF WE COULD FIND SOME COMMON GROUND, BUT THAT DIDN'T PASS. AND SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR WHEN IT COMES TO COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP, I'M GOING TO SUPPORT MAYOR PRO TEM LEO MEDRANO. HE WAS THE LEADING VOTE GETTER DESPITE NOT GETTING THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE DEMOCRAT

[01:10:02]

SO IS THAT AN OFFICIAL SECOND COUNCIL MEMBER? YES, THAT'S A SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER. PETE.

YEAH. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I, I HAVE TO SAY I'M A LITTLE BIT SURPRISED AT THE QUESTION ON MY DEMEANOR AND HOW I LEAD MEETINGS AND HOW I INTERACT. I DO HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

OKAY. SO CLEARLY WHEN WE WENT THROUGH SOME DOCUMENTS, I HAD A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THE UNNECESSARY ADDITION TO WHAT WAS ALREADY IN PLACE, AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF. HOW DO I SAY IT? JUST APPLYING IT, THEN NECESSARILY HAVING TO CHANGE THE WORDS AND ADDING WORDS LIKE BOO AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL, AND I DIDN'T FEEL THAT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR PROFESSIONALS LIKE US ON THE DAIS. SO THAT IS THE REASON I DID THAT. AND IT'S OKAY. IT'S OKAY TO HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I'VE ACTED DIFFERENTLY. I DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE EVER DISRESPECTED ANYBODY ON THIS DAIS. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SAID ANY BAD WORDS. HAVE I TRIED TO HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND WILL NOT STOP DOING THAT.

SO I THINK I HAVE BEEN VERY PROFESSIONAL. I'M NOT VYING FOR MYSELF AS MAYOR, BUT I WILL TELL YOU, I HAVE NOT SEEN THE CHARACTERISTICS THAT YOU DESCRIBED ABOUT MR. MEDRANO. SO I, I WILL BE VOTING NO, BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THAT WE'VE HAD A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE AND SIMILAR FEEDBACK WITH REGARDS TO HIS NOT ONLY JUST BEHAVIOR, BUT AS WELL AS INTERACTION WITH THE COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I BELIEVE THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. AND THAT MOTION PASSES WITH FOUR YES VOTES AND ONE DISSENTING VOTE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PETE. THANK YOU. WE'LL MOVE ON TO NOMINATIONS FOR MAYOR PRO TEM. PLEASE PRESS YOUR REQUEST.

REQUEST TO SPEAK. IF YOU'D LIKE TO NOMINATE A COUNCIL MEMBER. MAYOR MEDRANO. GOOD EVENING.

I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE DOCTOR KYLE CHANG FOR MAYOR PRO TEM. I WOULD LIKE TO SECOND MEMBER STRONG CARNAHAN. SORRY, I HADN'T SEEN THAT NAME POP UP ON MY SCREEN BEFORE. HI, HERE I AM.

I'D LIKE TO SECOND THAT. THANK YOU. AND I'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS. I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER CHANG STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE. I'VE. I'VE REALLY APPRECIATED COUNCILMEMBER CHANG THIS YEAR, AND I THINK HE BRINGS A VERY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO THE COUNCIL. PARTICULARLY. HE COMES UP WITH IDEAS THAT I THINK NOBODY ELSE ON THE DAIS THINKS OF, AND HE HE'S PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON HEALTH, STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITY, FOCUS ON YOUTH. AND I LIKE THE PERSPECTIVE THAT HE BRINGS. I'M EXCITED TO SEE HIM STEP UP INTO THE MAYOR PRO TEM ROLE. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT NEXT YEAR. SHOULD THIS MOTION PASS. OKAY. PLEASE LOCK IN YOUR VOTES. AND THAT MOTION PASSES FIVE ZERO. THANK YOU. WE DO HAVE. MR. CITY MANAGER. DID I SEE YOU REACHING? WELL, I UNDERSTAND A TRADITION CAN BE FROM TIME TO TIME TO TAKE A BREAK. CHANGE NAME CARDS, AS IT WERE. OR YOU CAN COMPLETE THE THE ITEM REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR AND TAKE CARE OF THE REST LATER. SO THAT OPTION IS YOURS, MR. MAYOR. OKAY, SO I THINK WE'LL JUST CONTINUE ON AND WE CAN CHANGE THE NAMEPLATES AND WHATNOT BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING, IF THAT SUITS YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE

[ ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR]

[01:15:03]

SO THAT IS THE LAW FIRM'S MARKET RATE OR RACK RATE AS IT IS. RIGHT. BUT THEN THERE IS A SECOND TIERED RATE, WHICH IS FOR CITY INITIATED LEGAL ASSISTANCE, WHICH IS AT THE LOWER RATE. AND AND YOU'LL SEE, ALTHOUGH THERE IS A TABLE WHICH REFLECTS THE HIGHEST ANTICIPATED RATES ON THE LAST PAGE OF THE AMENDMENT, THERE'S ACTUALLY A SCHEDULE OF RATES DEPENDING ON WHAT ASSOCIATE OR PARTNER OR PARALEGAL FROM THE LAW FIRM IS ASSISTING THE CITY.

SO THE TABLE REFLECTS THE HIGHEST RATE, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE ALWAYS BILLED RATES. OKAY. AND ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REIMBURSE RATE? NO. THE LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE IS RESPONSIBLE OR ANY SUCCESSOR ENTITY WHO WILL DEVELOP ON THAT PROPERTY IS RESPONSIBLE. OKAY. AND YOU ALSO MENTIONED THAT BEFORE IN OUR PREVIOUS TALK, THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS FOR WHO WOULD BE PROVIDING SERVICES. RIGHT? WE HAVE AT THE VERY TOP RIGHT UP TO THE PART A PARTNER, AND THAT THERE IS A VERY SPECIFIC PARTNER WITHIN RATTAN AND TUCKER WHICH REFLECTS THIS HIGHER RATE. THAT PARTNER IS ALSO AN ATTORNEY FOR THE CITY OF IRVINE, AND NEGOTIATED THE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS WITH THE CITY OF IRVINE FOR THE GREAT PARK DEVELOPMENT. AND THE CITY HAS NOT UNDERTAKEN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE BEFORE, AS WE WOULD WITH THE LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE. SO WE THINK THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO BRING IN AN ATTORNEY WHO SPECIALIZES IN DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS. OKAY. AND THEN AND HOW DOES THIS RATE COMPARE TO OTHER LAWYERS OF THIS, OF THIS CALIBER? WELL, IT'S IT'S A STANDARD. IT IS A STANDARD RATE. THIS IS THE RATE THAT IS CHARGED TO OTHER CITIES FROM THIS FIRM. SO I DON'T WANT TO COMPARE, YOU KNOW, RATES OF ATTORNEYS. BUT THIS IS A STANDARD RATE. THIS IS WHAT RATTAN AND TUCKER CHARGES THEIR OTHER CLIENTS. OKAY. AND ARE WE FREE TO LEAVE THIS CONTRACT AT ANY TIME? IF A NEW CITY MANAGER COMES IN AND DECIDES THEY WANT A NEW LAWYER LAW FIRM, RIGHT. WE CAN CANCEL THE CONTRACT. I THINK IT'S A 30 OR 60 DAY CANCELLATION, BUT. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S THE END OF MY QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU.

WELL, THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON THE ITEM. IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ITEM AGENDA ITEM AS STAFF RECOMMENDED. SECOND.

SECOND. BE SURE TO LOCK IN YOUR VOTES. THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. I

[ COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS FROM CITY-AFFILIATED BOARDS AND COMMITTEES AND REMARKS]

OKAY, NOW I'M GOING. WE HAVEN'T MET FOR ABOUT A MONTH, SO WE'VE MET, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD A FORMAL GENERAL MEETING. SO BACK TO MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER. I ATTENDED THE POLICE VIP APPRECIATION LUNCHEON. NICE JOB. AND CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY THAT HAD THE NUMBER

[01:20:01]

THAT WAS A BUSY DAY. I ALSO ATTENDED THE CUB SCOUTS PACK MEETING THAT EVENING TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE THEIR CITIZENS SERIES BELT LOOP, AND IT WAS GOOD TO TALK ABOUT THEIR ACTIVITY, WHAT THEY EVEN AT THEIR AGE, WHICH IS FIRST GRADE THROUGH FIFTH, CAN DO IN THEIR COMMUNITY HOW THEY CAN GIVE BACK AND WHAT THEY CAN DO ON THE 19TH ATTENDED THE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING. THE 20TH I ATTENDED THE PARKER PARKER, THE BUENA PARK STATE OF THE CITY ON THE 20TH. I ALSO DID A TOUR OVER IN LA PALMA OF THE IRONWORKERS TRAINER TRAINING FACILITY, THE 25TH. I DID MISS THE MEETING DUE TO IT BEING TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING, BUT WHAT I DID DO DURING THAT MEETING I VOLUNTEERED TO SUPPORT FOR MILITARY FAMILIES FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS, SO I WILL BE DELIVERING THOSE THIS WEEK. 1128 WE DID OUR SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING. 12 ONE WE HAD OUR STARTED LOOKING AT OUR SUBJECT MATTER MEETINGS, WHICH ARE HAVING TO DO WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION NEXT, NEXT YEAR. ON THE SECOND I ATTENDED THE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE AT ASSEMBLYWOMAN QUIRK-SILVA OFFICE. ALSO ON THE SECOND WAS THE HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING. NICE JOB BY EVERYBODY. ON THE THIRD I DID THE VESSELS PACE GRADUATION. ALSO THAT EVENING I ATTENDED THE OC SANITATION OPERATIONS MEETING ON THE FOURTH, I ATTENDED THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE CYPRESS COLLEGE HEALTH WELLNESS SESSION OR BUILDING AND THEN. AND THEN I HAD A DISCUSSION YESTERDAY AS WELL WITH REGARD A STUDENT FROM OXFORD ACADEMY, BASED ON A MEETING THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE WITH THEM NEXT WEEK ON FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA. SO THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER CHANG. DO YOU EVERYONE. LAST YEAR WE GAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A SPEECH. SHOULD WE DO IT NOW OR SAVE IT FOR NEXT TIME? WHAT TYPE OF SPEECH? THANKING EVERYBODY. YOU CAN'T I MEAN I'M GOING TO DO IT BECAUSE I'M THE OUTGOING MAYOR, BUT I DON'T KNOW. I CAN'T RECALL IF IT'S KIND OF TYPICAL FOR A FIRST YEAR COUNCIL MEMBER TO DO IT, BUT THE FLOOR IS YOURS. DO WHATEVER YOUR HEART DESIRES. JUST GOING TO KEEP IT SHORTER THAN I INTENDED. THE THE NEW INTERFAITH EVENTS. I TOOK THE FAMILY TO THE TREE LIGHTING EVENT. THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR FIRST TIME AND IT WAS QUITE AMAZING. LIKE THE TURNOUT AND THE SINGING AND EVENTS. VERY IMPRESSIVE. I ATTENDED THE PACE VESSELS ALONG WITH QUITE A FEW WITH BONNIE. I THINK YOU WERE THERE. I ATTENDED, I WENT TO THE NEW HOME OF THE ASIAN AMERICANS, ADVANCING JUSTICE AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GRAND OPENING AND THEIR NEW OFFICE. A SOCAL PROVIDES FREE LEGAL SERVICES, SUPPORTS IMMIGRANT FAMILIES, AND PROTECTS AND UPHOLDS CIVIL RIGHTS.

ATTENDANCE, SUBJECT MATTER BRIEFINGS. WE GOT SOME NEW STUFF. I'LL TALK ABOUT IT NOW.

WE'RE STARTING TO USE CELL PHONE DATA TO TRACK WHICH OF OUR PARKS GET THE MOST USAGE, WHICH IS REALLY INTERESTING WHEN INTERESTING WHEN I SAW WAS WILLOW PARK AND WILLOW PARKS.

ACTUALLY, THAT'S THE SMALL PARK NEXT TO LEXINGTON JUNIOR HIGH, AND IT ACTUALLY GETS QUITE A BIT OF TRAFFIC. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. I WENT ALSO TO THE SHANNON PARK OPEN HOUSE THERE TO I WENT TO THE CYPRESS COLLEGE, OPENING THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER. I THINK BONNIE AND BETH LEHEM MEDRANO WERE THERE TOO. I ATTENDED THE CYPRESS FACULTY STAFF ASSOCIATION EVENT, AND I JOINED THE ASSOCIATION FOR A MEAL TICKET AND A T SHIRT. I WENT TO THE CERRITOS CHINESE SCHOOL FESTIVAL, AND I ALSO WENT TO ONE MORE OF THE OH, THE SCHOOL SUBCOMMITTEE, THE CYPRESS SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THE CYPRESS CITY AD HOC JOINT AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME UPDATES FOR THIS BECAUSE I FOUND IT PRETTY INTERESTING. SO WE'RE EXPECTING 230 STUDENTS FROM THE 1791 UNITS PLANNED FOR DEVELOPMENT ON THE RACECOURSE PROPERTY. THAT ACTUALLY THAT NUMBER IS ACTUALLY PRETTY SMALL, 237 STUDENTS. TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, WE'VE LOST 900 STUDENTS AT CYPRESS SCHOOL DISTRICT. BUT THIS IS LIKE A A COMMON THING FOR MOST OF OUR SCHOOLS. WE'RE JUST LOSING CHILDREN REALLY FAST. WE HAVE A POSSIBLE CITY AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MIXER IN

[01:25:02]

AND THAT'S MY UPDATES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER STRONG CARNAHAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY REMARKS YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE? NOTHING OTHER THAN THANK YOU. I'M OBVIOUSLY VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE AND TO GET MORE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY. THE ONE THING I HAVE BEEN DOING SINCE I WAS APPOINTED IS DOING A LOT OF LISTENING AND REACHING OUT TO RESIDENTS TO FIND OUT WHAT SOME CONCERNS MIGHT BE. AND I'M HEARING SOME PEOPLE ASK ME FOR WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN GET KIDS MORE INVOLVED IN OUR CIVIC GOVERNMENT HERE, SOME BEST PRACTICES FROM OTHER CITIES REGARDING HAVING KIDS COME IN, AND THERE ARE CITIES DOING A KID MAYOR, A KID COUNCIL, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I'M JUST OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. AND OF COURSE THAT ALL NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, LOOKED AT AND APPROVED, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I'M HEARING PEOPLE SAY THEY WANT TO SEE KIDS GET MORE INVOLVED IN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO ADD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR MEDRANO. GOOD EVENING. AS I'VE ALWAYS SAID, THERE'S ALWAYS A VOICE. EVERY BUSINESS HAS A VOICE. AND ON THE 12TH OF NOVEMBER, I WENT TO LUNCH WITH THE EXECUTIVES AT CYPRESS LAND AND DIRECTOR LISCO JOIN ME AND LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND HOW THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING POSITIVELY TO CITY OF CYPRESS. SO ON THE THE 13TH, I ATTENDED THE POLICE VIP APPRECIATION LUNCHEON FOR VOLUNTEERS. ON THE 18TH, I ATTENDED THE INTERFAITH CELEBRATION, AND I WANT TO SAY A GREAT JOB TO DOCTOR MCKAY FOR SETTING IT UP AND ORGANIZING IT. I WAS REALLY HUMBLED AND REALLY LEARNED A LOT. I WAS ALMOST LIKE A SERIES OF TED TALKS THAT OCCURRED, AND I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE DIFFERENT RELIGIONS THAT I DIDN'T. I THOUGHT I KNEW, BUT I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT EACH ONE. ON THE 19TH, I ATTENDED AT 9 A.M. THE MEMORIAL FOR SERGEANT DONALD SOMA. ON THE 20TH ATTENDED THE ORANGE COUNTY MOSQUITO VECTOR CONTROL DISTRICT. MOST OF IT WAS A CLOSED SESSION MEETING ON THE SIXTH. I'M SORRY. ON THE SECOND ATTENDED THE HOLIDAY SING AND WORK THE KIWANIS BOOTH SERVING HOT DOGS. ON THE THIRD WENT TO CURT PRINGLE ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION ON THE FOURTH WENT TO A HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER RIBBON CUTTING AT CYPRESS COLLEGE, ALONG WITH TWO OF MY COLLEAGUES ON ALSO ON THE FOURTH FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA FBLA. THE OXFORD ACADEMY GROUP INVITED ME TO DISCUSS MY EXPERIENCE IN INVESTMENT BANKING, MY EXPERIENCE AS A NAVAL OFFICER, MY EXPERIENCE BEING A BANKER, AND ALSO MY EXPERIENCE HERE IN CITY COUNCIL AND AS A COMMISSIONER, HOW THEY HOW THEY RELATED, HOW TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED HERE IN THE CITY AND SOME OF THE ISSUES AND QUESTIONS ABOUT GOVERNMENT'S ROLE. AND SO I WAS PRETTY IMPRESSED WITH THE QUESTIONS THEY ASKED ME AND KIND OF WANT TO ECHO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER STRONG SAID EARLIER, THERE IS A LOT OF REQUESTS BY STUDENTS TO WANT TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE GOVERNMENT. AND THEY ASKED ME, HOW CAN WE DO THAT? I MENTIONED YAC, BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD DO TO LEARN MORE. SO I THINK THAT THERE IS A TREND OUT THERE WITH THAT REQUEST. AND LASTLY, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE DIRECTORS. THEY DID A GREAT JOB. AND CITY MANAGER AND JASON, IS HE GONE? JASON. AND PUTTING TOGETHER A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION FOR THE SUBJECT MATTER BRIEFINGS. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE TIME. I KNOW IT TOOK A LOT OF EFFORT TO KIND OF PUT THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER AND AND IT DOESN'T. I DO APPRECIATE ALL THAT TIME THAT WAS SPENT SUMMARIZING IT. I KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, WE WOULD GET ONE SHEET AND I KNOW THE NUMBER OF HOURS IT TOOK TO PUT TOGETHER THAT ONE SHEET. YOU GUYS MADE IT LOOK SIMPLE. AND WHENEVER SOMETHING INFORMATION IS PRESENTED IN A VERY SIMPLE MANNER, I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT IN ORDER TO MAKE IT THAT CONCISE AND TO THE POINT.

SO I WANT TO THANK ALL THE DIRECTORS FOR THE WORK THEY DID ON THOSE BRIEFINGS. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, I ATTENDED MANY OF THE SAME EVENTS AS MY COLLEAGUES. I WANT TO ECHO MY COLLEAGUE'S SENTIMENT THAT WE'D LOVE TO HAVE MORE KIDS GETTING INVOLVED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LEARNING MORE. I GAVE A TOUR TO SOME SAINT IRENAEUS STUDENTS THIS YEAR OF CITY HALL, AND IT WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY YEAR. SO SCHOOL KIDS OUT THERE, IF YOU WANT A TOUR OF CITY HALL,

[01:30:03]

AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO PARTICIPATED IN BOTH IN ORGANIZING AND THEN WHO SHOWED UP TO THE INTERFAITH EVENT THAT WE HAD AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER. THAT WAS SOMETHING I HAD WANTED TO DO EARLY ON. PASTOR MCKAY, WHO GAVE THE INVOCATION, HAD SAID HE'D BEEN WANTING TO DO AN INTERFAITH EVENT FOR A WHILE, AND WE WORKED WITH OTHER LOCAL FAITH LEADERS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

IT JUST IT TURNED OUT BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED. I MEAN, STANDING ROOM ONLY, WONDERFUL MUSIC, SUCH A DIVERSE GROUP OF ATTENDEES AND SPEAKERS. AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF THAT EVENT. I DID WANT TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT SINCE THIS SINCE I'M NO LONGER MAYOR AS OF NOW, I WANT TO LOOK BACK A LITTLE BIT ON THE PAST YEAR. I'LL TRY AND BE RELATIVELY CONCISE, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY MY NATURE TO KIND OF DWELL AND LOOK BACK TOO MUCH. BUT I THINK WE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT THIS YEAR. I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH EVERYTHING. YOU CAN WATCH THE STATE OF THE STATE OF THE CITY SPEECH IF YOU WANT A 40 MINUTE RUNDOWN. BUT A FEW OF THE HIGHLIGHTS. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE. CYPRUS REMAINS AN INCREDIBLY SAFE CITY, AN ENVY OF SO MANY CITIES IN ORANGE COUNTY, AND OUR CRIME RATE ACTUALLY DROPPED BY 18% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. SO THANK YOU, CHIEF, AND OUR OFFICERS AND EVERYONE WHO WORKED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. WE. WE'RE IN A GREAT FISCAL POSITION, ALSO THE ENVY OF MANY OTHER CITIES. SO THANK YOU, MR. BURTON, AND ON PACE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF BEING ABLE TO PAY OFF OUR UNFUNDED PENSION LIABILITY BY THE END OF THE DECADE, WHICH PUTS US AHEAD OF PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER CITY IN ORANGE COUNTY, OR PERHAPS EVEN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SO IT'S WONDERFUL THAT WE'RE ON THAT TRACK. AS OTHERS MENTIONED, WE WELCOME SOME WONDERFUL NEW BUSINESSES THIS YEAR MITSUWA MARKETPLACE, RAINBOW CONE COFFEE, CORPORATE OR LARGE BUSINESSES THAT BROUGHT HUNDREDS OF EMPLOYEES TO CYPRUS.

AND SO IT'S JUST FANTASTIC TO DIVERSIFY OUR OFFERINGS. WE MADE OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE AND TRANSPARENT. THE NEW PUBLIC COMMENT FORMAT THAT WE DEBUTED TONIGHT IS THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR WE'VE BEEN ALL IN PERSON, PLUS ALL VIRTUAL. SO WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THESE MEETINGS. AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WENT PRETTY SMOOTHLY, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. SO WELL DONE, MADAM CITY CLERK, I TRY TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY A LOT THIS YEAR AT EVENTS. I HOSTED A TOWN HALL, WHICH I THINK WAS THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE THAT A MAYOR HAD DONE THAT IN CYPRUS. SO I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO CAME AND ASKED QUESTIONS AND PARTICIPATED. WE'RE GOING TO BE CONSIDERING REFORMS NEXT YEAR TO PROTECT OUR ELECTIONS FROM UNDUE INFLUENCE BY SPECIAL INTERESTS, WHICH I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT. AND A MAJOR FOCUS OF MINE THIS YEAR WAS TRYING TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE'RE SUCH A DIVERSE CITY, AND THERE'S SO MUCH FOOLISH DIVISION THESE DAYS. I WANTED TO TRY AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND THROUGH THINGS LIKE THE LOOKING AT PLAYGROUNDS AND IMPROVING OUR PARKS, MAKING THEM SAFER, ADDING SHADE, ENHANCING OUR LIBRARY OF THINGS SO WE HAVE THE BEST ONE IN ORANGE COUNTY. THE INTERFAITH EVENT. TO ME, THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER. AND SO THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR YOUR ROLE IN MAKING THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. I REALLY WANT TO THANK OUR CITY STAFF. I KNOW THAT I ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND I HAVE HIGH STANDARDS, BUT I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER ABOUT THE LEVEL OF RESPONSIVENESS THAT YOU'VE DELIVERED THIS YEAR. I MEAN, I, I EMAIL I FORWARD RESIDENTS CONCERNS TO NICK OR JEFF OR ALICIA AND I GET A RESPONSE IN THREE HOURS. I MEAN, IT'S RIDICULOUS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSIVENESS AND HELPING WITH ALL OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT I MENTIONED ALREADY. I WANT TO THANK OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER FOR STEPPING INTO THE ROLE. I'VE ALREADY LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM HIM, AND WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH SO MUCH EXPERIENCE. THANK YOU TO OUR NEW CITY CLERK AS WELL. I ALSO, I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU RESIDENTS BECAUSE THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WATCH THESE MEETINGS, YOU KNOW. IT CAN BE TOUGH. I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE SOME OF THE.

[01:35:08]

AND I KNOW SOME PEOPLE BRISTLE AT THE WORD DIVERSITY. I'M TALKING ABOUT ALL KINDS AGE, RACE, BACKGROUND, POLITICAL VIEWS, INTELLECTUAL PERSPECTIVE. I REALLY BELIEVE IN THIS GROUP OF COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE ASSEMBLED. I REALLY BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM OF STAFF MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE ASSEMBLED, AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT IN CYPRUS THAN I AM RIGHT NOW. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A FANTASTIC YEAR NEXT YEAR. AND SO I WANT TO WISH EVERYBODY A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING BACK HERE AGAIN IN 2026. SO THANK YOU. NOW WE DO HAVE ONE OTHER

[ COUNCIL MEMBER ITEMS FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION]

[01:40:11]

[ CITY MANAGER REMARKS]