Regular City Council Meeting - Tuesday, May 7, 2024
View Agenda - Watch Entire Meeting
Land Acknowledgement - Watch
The land that Eureka rests on is known in the Wiyot language as Jaroujiji. Past actions by local, State and Federal governments removed the Wiyot and other indigenous peoples from the land and threatened to destroy their cultural practices. The City of Eureka acknowledge the Wiyot community, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. This acknowledgement demonstrates the City’s commitment to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.
Roll Call - Watch
Councilmember Castellano presiding as Mayor Pro Tem; Councilmember Moulton, Councilmember Fernandez, Councilmember Bauer, and Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach present in chambers. Absent: Mayor Bergel.
Report Out of Closed Session - Watch
No report, there was no closed session due to the special meeting.
A. Mayor’s Announcements - Watch
A.1. Proclamation: Letter Carriers Food Drive - Watch
Read by Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach, received by David Reed, Development Director of Food for People and John Hufancia, Vice President of the local branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers. The Letter Carriers Food Drive is held in partnership with the letter carriers, who will pick up blue bags that have been delivered and bring the donations to the food bank on Saturday, May 11. This is one of the largest food drives of the year. Food For People asks to please do not put glass containers in to be donated, and please no expired food items.
A.2. Proclamation: Bike Month Humboldt - Watch
Read by Councilmember Moulton,received by Molly Martian, volunteer with Bike Month Humboldt, Bike Party Humboldt, and the Bike Kitchen, in recognition of Bike Month. Molly shared appreciation for the bike-friendly community, and thanked the dedicated City employees, public servants, and volunteers for their work.
A.3. Proclamation: Older Americans Month - Watch
Read by Councilmember Fernandez, in recognition of Older Americans Month. Received by Maggie Kraft, Executive Director of the Area 1 Agency on Aging (A1AA). A1AA relies on community volunteers for their programs that work to keep older adults connected and supported in the community.
B. Presentations - Watch
B.1. Area One Agency on Aging - Volunteer Driver and Northcoast Homeshare - Watch
Presented by Area 1 Agency on Aging Executive Director Kraft
A1AA Volunteer Driver Program has 756 active clients in the community, 47% of which are Eureka residents. The average client age is 75, and about 37% have disabilities, and about 42% are low-income clients. The driver program has 20 active volunteer drivers, while there have been challenges in getting volunteer levels to what it was before COVID, the volunteers donated over 900 hours in 2023, drove more than 16,000 miles, and completed 890 roundtrip rides. The average volunteer age is 62.
The A1AA Northcoast Homeshare Program began in February of 2020. The program made 15 matches in 2023, and have made 58 matches since the program began. The longest match is 3 years as of May first, and the average match is approximately 11.5 months. The program matches seniors who have extra space in their homes with people seeking housing in a shared home. After A1AA completes background check and interviews, hosts and guests are matched for a trial period to see if it is a good fit for guest and host. The average host is 75 years old, and the average guest is 60 years old, with the youngest client being 31 and the oldest client being 92. 66% of clients are female and 34% are male, and 55% are Eureka residents. The average rent in the program is $436 per month, and the average annual income of guests is $18,000. Rent for guests in this program is lower that it would be in the rental market.
A1AA will be hosting a Meet & Greet for people interested in participating in the program at the Humboldt County Library at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15 and will be available to answer questions about the program and process.
Council Questions & Comments
Mayor Pro Tem Castellano noted that the program is a good opportunity for people who have homes that are too big for them to make better use of them, and is faster that building housing developments.
Councilmember Fernandez asked about more information about the Homeshare Program and how people can get involved. Answer: Executive Director Kraft said that people who are interested in participating reach out to A1AA and connect with the program manager. Applicants complete an application and go through a background check, and talk with the program manager who will work to match guests with hosts. Guests and hosts are introduced and decide if they would like to move forward with a living arrangement. A1AA also helps people understand what should be in a rental agreement, and encourages people to work together and communicate with each other. If the matches do not work out, A1AA also provides support. The Meet & Greet will be in the meeting room at the Humboldt County Library.
B.2. Cal Poly Humboldt Student Presentation of Senior Capstone Project - Watch
Presented by Development Services Director Kenyon
The City of Eureka was a client for the senior capstone project for students in Professor Laurie Ridgeman’s Environmental Science and Management department Planning and Policy Class. The class began in January, and the City was paired with four students. The project the students completed is serving as background research for the Local Coastal Program update, specifically on how the City regulates ground-floor uses in Old Town, and how best to update zoning and use policies in the Old Town area to maintain the visitor-serving destination.
Cal Poly Humboldt students Hannah Wohl Sanchez, Izamar Herrera, Nicholas DeAngelis, and Sarah Lorenzini presented their project and findings to Council.
The project inventoried businesses, uses, and vacancy rates in Old Town, and explored whether or not the City should adopt visitor-serving core regulations, as well as the existing zoning and developed recommendations for the Local Coastal Program update. Students reviewed if the businesses were visitor-serving or not, and reviewed planning strategies from other communities to determine what could be practices to adopt in Eureka.
The key findings are that there is a strong desire from businesses to have an Old Town location, and that there is a retail vacancy rate of 8.6%, which is lower than the national average of 10.3%. Office space, retail space, and food and beverage establishments are the largest use categories.
The recommendations from the students are that there is not a need for a designated visitor-serving core, as that is a solution for areas with high vacancy rates. They recommend updating the zoning code to reduce barriers to opening a business in Old Town, implementing design standards for ground-floor, street-facing windows to maintain an engaging pedestrian environment, and to prioritize pedestrian-friendly development to encourage visitors to explore all of Old Town.
The students also identified next steps the City can take to support the findings from this project. They suggest the City conduct specific community outreach for detailed input from the community, conduct an upper floor inventory, and complete an in-depth use type analysis and review the number of principally permitted entities as compared to the number of conditionally permitted entities under the current Local Coastal Program and the proposed regulatory changes.
Council Questions & Comments
Councilmember Fernandez referenced landscape elements that were mentioned in the report, asked if there were landscape elements the students would recommend. Answer: Student Izamar Herrera noted that the report includes a lengthy list of suggested elements, said that the elements can include anything that would beautify the area to make it more attractive to pedestrians. Mentioned street furniture, outdoor dining patios, can be combination of the City working with businesses. Can be a combination of spaces where people can spend time, like parklets in front of coffee shops, and adding more areas where people can stay for longer periods of time.
Councilmember Fernandez asked if the impacts on vehicle traffic had been taken into consideration. Answer: Student Izamar Herrera recommended that be something that is considered when planning a pedestrian-oriented area, and that there is a happy medium to find between serving the needs of pedestrians and vehicles.
Councilmember Fernadez asked if students could elaborate on specific community engagements mentioned in the presentation. Answer: Student Sarah Lorenzini reported that the students reviewed the community of Half Moon Bay and the development of the heritage downtown area. They held a number of community workshops at a variety of locations and times to gather opinions from the community. The students recommend determining community values around the regulatory changes, rather than how people feel more broadly about Eureka or Old Town, and present the potential changes and gathering specific thoughts and opinions about that.
Councilmember Moulton asked about specific strategies for avoiding gentrification, baseline principles of development to incorporate to avoid displacing working-class residents. Answer: Student Hannah Wohl Sanchez responded that the first principle that comes to mind is to ensure that affordable housing is a part of revitalization efforts, making sure that communities who are low-income have that place to stay. Having more involvement in the community, keeping in the values of the community, and having more discussions is important.
Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach shared appreciation for the work, admired the report, and thanked the students for the report.
Director Kenyon commented that one of the recommendations in the report has been used since it was completed, the recommendation to keep interesting displays in street-facing windows will be included in a business application going before the Planning Commission.
Councilmember Fernandez asked about recommendations for community-based agreements as referenced in the report. Answer: Student Hannah Wohl Sanchez noted that many general plans had some sort of community-based element, such as workshops. Would recommend accessibility as part of the community-based agreements.
Presented by Mark Aherns with Humboldt Kiters
The third annual Redwood Coast Kite Festival and Artisan Fair will be held May 18 and 18 at Halvorsen Park. Humboldt Kiters is an Ink People Dreammaker project. The Redwood Coast Kite Festival came about after the Southern Oregon Kite Festival cancelled due to COVID and did not return.
This year there will be free kites for children, with professional assistance available at the free public event, along with food trucks and an Artisan Fair. Humboldt Kiters will host internationally known professional kite flyers.
Council Comments
Councilmember Moulton commented that the growth of the festival is impressive, and appreciation of the effort of what goes into developing events like this.
Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach shared appreciation for the event, attended last year’s event and had a good time.
D. Public Comment - Watch
Three people shared public comment. One person shared a reading from a religious text and shared their thoughts on faith and health care. One person thanked council for bringing a ceasefire resolution to a future agenda. One person responded to another commenter about the views they expressed.
F. Consent Calendar - Watch
F.1. Approve City Council regular minutes of April 16, 2024 Council meeting
F.2. Fiber Optic Installation Project 2023 Bid No. 2023-16 - Acceptance
Agenda Summary - Fiber Optic Project Acceptance
F.3. Systemwide Sewer Evaluation Project 2024 - Award
Agenda Summary System Wide Sewer Evalution 2024 - Award
F.4. Da' Yas park PIP Playground Surfacing Purchase
Agenda Summary Da' Yas Park PIP Purchase Award
F.5. 2019 Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA)
F.6. Sequoia Park Zoo Position
Agenda Summary - Sequoia Park Zoo Position Change
Motion to Council
Council voted to approved the consent calendar as written by unanimous Yes vote.
G. Legislative Action Correspondence - Watch
No items for legislative action correspondence.
J. Future Agenda Items - Watch
Councilmember Moulton asked Council for consensus to receive a report requested of the independent police auditor, reviewing the actions that Eureka Police Department took when responding to an aid request at Cal Poly Humboldt on April 22. Councilmember Moulton watched a livestream of the incident, and requested that the City Manager engage the auditor, and the auditor will investigate the incident and present a report to the Community Oversight on Police Practices board in July. Response: Council reached consensus.
Councilmember Fernandez asked for Council for consensus for City staff to coordinate with Humboldt Transit Authority for the upcoming Dump the Pump day. Response: Council reached consensus.
Mayor Pro Tem Castellano asked for consensus to write a letter of support for the CalFresh Market Match program, which provides additional funding for people receiving CalFresh benefits to use at local Farmer’s Markets. The statewide program is at risk of losing funding. Response: Council reached consensus.
K. City Manager Reports - Watch
K.1. Humboldt Bay Fire Explorer Program - Watch
Presented by Humboldt Bay Fire Engineers Esola and Powell
The Junior Firefighter program was recently established with the goals of communicating with young people about fire service and what the requirements for becoming a firefighter are. Interested people who go through the Junior Firefighter program could then use that learning to go through the Fire Cadet program. People who successfully go through the cadet program can gain the required training and hours to be hired on as firefighters with Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF).
The Junior Firefighter program is aimed to people ages 16-18, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. If there is an interested person who doesn’t currently meet the GPA requirements, there can be case-by-case consideration of an applicant, especially one who is interested in making improvements. The program is tailored to the needs of each applicant, especially with scheduling needs.
The Cadet program was developed out of the volunteer training program, for people 18 and older. The volunteer program has a goal of training people to serve as volunteer firefighters and the Cadet program is being modified to provided the required training and certifications necessary for employment as a firefighter, at a more self-led pace.
A typical firefighter academy program is four months long, eight hours a day, five days a week, and the closest accredited fire academy is in Redding. That distance and time requirement has shown to be a barrier to locals getting the training required to become a firefighter.
People who would like to take part in the program are encouraged to contact HBF and schedule a ride-along, to get an understanding of what is entailed in the job. From there, people are encouraged to apply for the program. Applications are reviewed and interviews are held once a year. Selected applicants will then go though background investigations and are required to pass physical tests. After passing those, cadets are issued personal protection equipment and begin training with the HBF crews. The goal of completing the Cadet program is to become a firefighter with HBF, and the program pays for the required trainings and certifications that are required for employment.
The program is an alternate route for community members to become firefighters with HBF.
Council Questions & Comments
Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach Answer:
Councilmember commented that she is excited about the program. Was able to go on a ride-along recently, and was surprised to learn that a number of the firefighters had started as volunteers, and hopes that this program can help with building the ranks back up. Engineer Powell noted that he would not have been able to become a firefighter if there was not the volunteer program available. When he was training, would not have been able to take the time off to go out of the area to attend an academy. Bringing this in-house also brings in a new pool of people who can get that training.
Councilmember Bauer asked if there was a set amount of hours of training to complete to become a firefighter. Answer: Engineer Powell other than the requirements from the state, there’s not a set amount of hours to reach to become a firefighter with HBF, it’s a set amount of hours to reach on an ongoing basis. Someone would need 24 hours of riding with HBF monthly, attend four of six quarterly drills, as well as other skills and testing that needs to be accomplished in a timeframe. All those are done on the cadet’s own schedule.
Councilmember Bauer asked what people should do if they want to prepare to be a cadet. Answer: Engineer Powell said that physical fitness preparation is great, but the best bet is to come in and talk to folks at HBF and going on a ride-along is the best bet, potential applicants can get in-depth understanding of what is expected of applicants. Being a firefighter takes a lot of hard work and time, and having people what that entails as a part of the application process is a good way of understanding that from the beginning.
Councilmember Fernandez commented that he likes apprenticeships, and asked how much outreach HBF is currently conducting. Answer: Engineer Powell HBF conducts interviews for the program annually, and just completed the 2024 interviews, so there is not active outreach. Will do more in the winter and spring, will start sending notification.
Councilmember Fernandez asked if someone completed the Junior Firefighter program, would they be able to start as a firefighter after completing that program. Answer: Engineer Esola noted that the Junior Firefighter program is new and it is the first time having minors in ride-alongs. HBF is reaching out to sports teams and the Boys and Girls club to find applicants, but don’t want to overwhelm the program with too many people in the program. As far as if someone would be able to hired when they are 18, the aim of the program is not to hold someone’s hand through the process but to foster individual drive. If there is someone who has a goal of being hired at 18, will help to make that happen, but want to foster the self-starting initiative, and it can be whatever rate and pace that works for that individual.
Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach asked what high schools HBF is working with, and how that is working. Answer: Engineer Esola noted that it is a pilot program and they are only starting with a couple of people in the Junior Cadet program to see how well it works with the current staffing levels and needs before expanding the outreach. City Manager Slattery said that HBF did reach out to staff to solicit interest in the program as well.
M. Council Reports & City Related Travel Reports - Watch
Councilmember Contreras-DeLoach will be travelling to attend an offshore winds conference in Sacramento, went on an all-day ride-along with HBF, attended the Rhododendron Parade, attended Humboldt Community Organizations in Disaster, went to CalCities Redwood Empire Division meeting in Rio Dell, went to part of Mayor Bergel’s Embracing Humanity Town Hall, and attended and event for the National Day of Prayer.
Councilmember Moulton attended 2x2 with Eureka City Schools, still waiting to find out about the status of the Jacobs campus, spoke how City and Eureka City Schools can share facilities to better serve the community. Attended the Humboldt Asian and Pacific Islanders festival, looking forward to Forest Moon Festival and Bike Month.
Councilmember Bauer participated in tour of St Joseph Hospital with Supervisor Arroyo and Sheriff Honsal, discussed issues of seismic retrofit and mental health services, attended CalCities Redwood Empire Division meeting in Rio Dell, attended Humboldt Community Organizations in Disaster meeting, attended fire Joint Powers Authority meeting, Redwood Coast Energy Authority meeting, attended Redwood Region Economic Development Corporation meeting as the alternate, noted that California Conservation Corps will be in Cooper Gulch doing non-native species removal. Traveled to Sacramento for the CalCities leadership conference, spoke at the board meeting a couple of bills, around PG&E fixed rate, AB 1999 and discussed having a different way for cities to invest in CalPERS without fossil fuel components.
Councilmember Fernandez attended CalCities leadership conference in Sacramento, attended 2x2 with Eureka City Schools, they held discussion about extension of the Jacobs property escrow through July.
Mayor Pro Tem Castellano attended events for Mayor Bergel, judged Rhododendron Parade, attended Take Your Child to Work Day for City employees, attended CalCities Redwood Empire Division meeting in Rio Dell, attended Redwood Region Rise meeting in Loleta, went to Sacramento and met with legislators for Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month not Council business, attended Humboldt Transit Authority meeting, attended Humboldt Community Organizations in Disaster, attended Eureka Main Street meeting, and Arts Alive, visited with students at Cal Poly Humboldt during protests, was on the periphery talking with students and other community members, listening to concerns.
Adjournment - Watch
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