Rancho Mirage City Council Meeting, April 03, 2025

Transcript text

AI transcript text.

[00:00:12] Good afternoon everyone.
[00:00:15] This is the regular meeting of the
[00:00:17] Rancho Mirage City Council and Community
[00:00:20] Services District, the energy authority,
[00:00:23] housing authority, joint powers finance
[00:00:27] authority, library and
[00:00:29] observatory and redevelopment successor
[00:00:32] agency
[00:00:34] boards. It is April 3rd, 2025.
[00:00:39] It is approximately 100
[00:00:42] pm and I will ask
[00:00:45] the city clerk to
[00:00:50] call call the order please.
[00:00:55] Council member DS I'm here. Council
[00:00:58] member Framberg Edelstein here. Council
[00:01:00] member O'keefee here. Mayor Prom Molatto
[00:01:03] here. And Mayor While I am here. And if
[00:01:07] you'll be so kind as to join me in
[00:01:10] saluting our great country with the
[00:01:12] pledge of allegiance.
[00:01:16] Please begin. I pledge allegiance to the
[00:01:20] flag of the United States of America and
[00:01:23] to the republic for which it stands. One
[00:01:26] nation under God, indivisible, with
[00:01:29] liberty and justice for all.
[00:01:40] I thank
[00:01:41] you. We now have several
[00:01:45] presentations and the first on our list
[00:01:50] is an honor that I have to introduce our
[00:01:54] new lieutenant Christopher Turnis. Uh,
[00:01:59] Lieutenant, if you would please come up
[00:02:02] to the
[00:02:06] podium. We're delighted to see you. I
[00:02:08] don't have to tell you uh, Lieutenant,
[00:02:10] that u the, the shoes that you have to
[00:02:14] fill are significant.
[00:02:17] Mr.
[00:02:18] Mayor, I don't know what size those shoe
[00:02:21] size was, but they're big shoes. They
[00:02:24] are. Well, and I'm and I have no doubt
[00:02:27] that you will uh fill them well and fill
[00:02:31] responsibly. Uh we've been very blessed
[00:02:33] over the years with some wonderful
[00:02:36] leaders and uh Lieutenant Espinosa did a
[00:02:41] outstanding job.
[00:02:44] uh he was a great public relations
[00:02:47] source for us as well as most efficient
[00:02:50] and uh we appreciate all that you do. We
[00:02:55] do can't say enough about the sheriff's
[00:02:58] department or Calire for that matter. So
[00:03:02] please Lieutenant tell us a little
[00:03:05] something about yourself. All right.
[00:03:06] Well, I'll start off by saying good
[00:03:07] afternoon Mr. Mayor, members of the city
[00:03:09] council, staff and guests. My name is
[00:03:12] Lieutenant Chris Turnis and I serve as
[00:03:13] Lieutenant for the city of Rancho
[00:03:15] Mirage. A little bit about me, I am
[00:03:17] married with two children. This June
[00:03:19] will be my 23rd year being married. And
[00:03:21] also this July will be my 23rd year
[00:03:24] working for the sheriff's office. Uh
[00:03:26] during my times in the in the sheriff's
[00:03:28] office, I have worked a variety of
[00:03:29] assignments, jails, patrol stations, and
[00:03:32] my last stop, which was a Ben Clark
[00:03:33] training center. In 2023, I was promoted
[00:03:36] to my current rank as lieutenant and
[00:03:38] sent to the Palm Desert Station. Last
[00:03:41] month on March 6th, I was selected to
[00:03:43] work with this great city. I'm committed
[00:03:45] to ensuring the safety and well-being of
[00:03:47] our residents and our visitors. It's an
[00:03:49] honor to work alongside with the city of
[00:03:51] Rancho Mirage to address the public
[00:03:53] safety needs of this wonderful
[00:03:56] community. Thank you for the opportunity
[00:03:58] to
[00:03:59] speak and I'll be available after the
[00:04:01] meeting if anybody has any questions,
[00:04:03] concerns, further information. I will
[00:04:04] stick around for the meeting. Well,
[00:04:07] thank you, Lieutenant. I can't begin to
[00:04:09] tell you how pleased we are to have you
[00:04:11] here. Um, we just, uh, feel very close
[00:04:15] to the sheriff's department and as you
[00:04:18] know, uh, I I I speak for the entire
[00:04:21] council that were most responsive to
[00:04:23] your needs. Do any of my colleagues have
[00:04:26] anything that they would like to say at
[00:04:28] all? Welcome, Lieutenant. Glad to have
[00:04:31] you with us. Thank you. Very excited to
[00:04:33] be here. Thank you very much. Thanks
[00:04:34] very much, Lieutenant. And we welcome
[00:04:36] you. Thank you.
[00:04:39] The uh the next presentation
[00:04:43] uh is with Sha's warriors update and
[00:04:48] that will be uh Eve from Berg Edelstein.
[00:04:51] Eve, if you would uh handle that
[00:04:54] introduction. Thank you, Mayor. Uh I'm
[00:04:57] really honored to speak today about an
[00:04:59] incredible organization that is
[00:05:01] dedicated to assisting cancer survivors.
[00:05:05] So imagine that you've been diagnosed
[00:05:07] with cancer. You are dealing with the
[00:05:09] fear of discovery of the disease, time
[00:05:12] spent discussing treatment options,
[00:05:14] outcomes, limitations, effects on your
[00:05:17] body, your family, and your psyche. You
[00:05:19] will undergo treatment that may include
[00:05:21] invasive extensive testing, meeting with
[00:05:24] multiple doctors in a large medical
[00:05:26] system, discussion with family and
[00:05:28] friends about the future, and what you
[00:05:30] will need to survive treatment,
[00:05:32] surgeries, scars, possible loss of parts
[00:05:35] of your body that will have per
[00:05:37] permanent ramifications on your
[00:05:39] lifestyle forever. You will undergo
[00:05:42] reviews at the tumor
[00:05:44] board, experimental treatment, life
[00:05:47] expectancy conversations, the grueling
[00:05:50] task of completing chemotherapy or
[00:05:52] radiation or both, percentages of
[00:05:54] success, the worst procon evaluations
[00:05:57] imaginable, and the fear of leaving this
[00:06:00] earth before you're ready. You'll have
[00:06:02] the loss of hair, the exhaustion, the
[00:06:04] side effects, and the me mental and
[00:06:06] physical toll that all that takes.
[00:06:08] You're given your outcome, possibly
[00:06:10] total cure or remission, permanent
[00:06:13] medications, and the everpresent risk
[00:06:16] that it can return. You are released
[00:06:18] from active care to monitoring, scans,
[00:06:20] and blood work for the rest of your
[00:06:22] life. And then the medical door shuts
[00:06:24] behind you, and you are left with just
[00:06:26] your thoughts and your scars. Now, what?
[00:06:30] How do you live in your new reality,
[00:06:31] standing next to cancer for the rest of
[00:06:33] your life? Well, that's where She's
[00:06:35] Warriors comes in. a nonprofit
[00:06:38] organization dedicated to helping cancer
[00:06:40] survivors learn to cope and thrive in a
[00:06:42] postcancer reality. I have worked with
[00:06:45] Sha's Warriors since since its inception
[00:06:48] and it is
[00:06:49] miraculous. And with that said, I'd like
[00:06:52] to invite Maddie Battello and Shea
[00:06:55] Warrior Sheay Maraga, pardon me, the
[00:06:58] founder and board president at Shea's
[00:07:00] Warriors. Maddie is a board member and
[00:07:03] to explain more about this incredible
[00:07:05] charity. So ladies, will you come up to
[00:07:06] the podium? And I believe you have some
[00:07:09] updates and some presentations and
[00:07:11] videos to show us.
[00:07:18] Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Thank
[00:07:20] you, Eve, for that wonderful
[00:07:22] introduction and thank you to all the
[00:07:25] council um for your support and allowing
[00:07:28] us to be here today to give you a little
[00:07:30] bit more information about what we do
[00:07:32] and why we do it.
[00:07:38] Yeah. Um, we did a little presentation
[00:07:41] today so everyone can understand. Um, we
[00:07:44] are a life after cancer community. Um,
[00:07:46] my name is Shay Moraga and I am a stage
[00:07:49] 3 triple negative breast cancer
[00:07:50] survivor. I founded the organization
[00:07:53] after I realized that there was no help
[00:07:56] for the life after cancer process in our
[00:08:00] communities locally.
[00:08:02] And as you can see, we have um we're a
[00:08:05] little tongue and cheek. So we have the
[00:08:07] bloomies and we also have the cactus,
[00:08:10] which is our male portion and our female
[00:08:13] portion of cancer
[00:08:15] survivorship. Next
[00:08:18] slide. Do I Oh, do I do I have Oh, got
[00:08:21] it. Um our mission is to inform,
[00:08:24] empower, and help heal cancer survivors
[00:08:27] and their families through health,
[00:08:28] fitness, and the mindbody connection.
[00:08:30] The mind body connection is really the
[00:08:32] most important part of the life after
[00:08:35] cancer
[00:08:39] process. Our vision is that no cancer
[00:08:42] survivor should ever lack ongoing
[00:08:45] support from a community that
[00:08:46] understands and helps each other in the
[00:08:48] healing process. When we talk about
[00:08:49] community, we talk about all of our
[00:08:51] communities here in the desert,
[00:08:52] especially Ranch Mirage as well. Um our
[00:08:55] purpose is we are a community of men and
[00:08:58] women that share the experiences and
[00:08:59] support each other overcoming the
[00:09:02] trauma, the
[00:09:03] PTSD and from the cancer whether it's
[00:09:07] during treatment after the diagnosis but
[00:09:09] with those who truly
[00:09:12] understand. You heard about me from Eve
[00:09:14] and I just told you a little bit about
[00:09:17] myself. Um I was diagnosed in 2016 right
[00:09:22] here locally. Um, and I did I fought for
[00:09:24] my life because I didn't know that my
[00:09:27] life would be extended. Um, triple
[00:09:29] negative had at that time an 8% chance
[00:09:31] of living. So, I had a 5050% chance that
[00:09:34] my chemotherapy would
[00:09:36] work. Um, the feelings of guilt and fear
[00:09:39] and loneliness and confusion came
[00:09:41] afterwards. I wasn't sure how to go back
[00:09:45] to my life that I knew prior to cancer.
[00:09:48] And I didn't know how to move forward.
[00:09:50] And that's when I started struggling to
[00:09:52] look for resources, services, and tools
[00:09:55] to help the anxiety. Um, I was not the
[00:09:58] type of person to go to a therapist all
[00:10:01] the time. I needed something
[00:10:04] more. Our community is built, um, and
[00:10:08] it's life-changing because life after
[00:10:09] cancer can be challenging. Survivors
[00:10:12] often feel isolated. Um we struggle with
[00:10:14] mental health issues and face profound
[00:10:17] sense of loss as we na navigate through
[00:10:20] a nor new normal. Um just some
[00:10:22] statistics 60% of survivors feeling
[00:10:25] isolated post treatment. That actually
[00:10:26] comes from cancer support community. Um
[00:10:29] cancer survivors are actually two times
[00:10:31] more likely to experience mental health
[00:10:35] challenges. That's taken right from the
[00:10:37] National Cancer Institute. And here in
[00:10:39] the Coachella Valley alone, which was
[00:10:41] mind-blowing when we found out these
[00:10:43] numbers, is there are
[00:10:46] 42,749 people that are actually cancer
[00:10:49] survivors. Now, that's larger than the
[00:10:51] population of Palm Springs. So, if you
[00:10:54] can understand that, we have a lot of
[00:10:55] great survivors here. So, that means we
[00:10:57] have a lot more to do and a lot more to
[00:11:01] help. This is a little history about our
[00:11:04] organization. In 2016, it was started by
[00:11:07] a blog. I thought if I'm going to die,
[00:11:09] because I really did believe that I was
[00:11:10] not going to be here, um I was going to
[00:11:13] go out by saying exactly what was on my
[00:11:15] mind and be honest and open and truthful
[00:11:17] about how it felt to go through cancer
[00:11:20] and also help educate my friends and
[00:11:22] family on how they could help me um
[00:11:24] going forward cuz at the time I had a
[00:11:26] 12-year-old daughter and that was my one
[00:11:28] purpose to living. In 2017, I went into
[00:11:32] remission. I began writing locally,
[00:11:34] nationally, and started the social media
[00:11:36] for Shayes. In 2018, I was introduced to
[00:11:39] Eve and we decided um with my co-founder
[00:11:43] Eileen Alvarez um to start a nonprofit
[00:11:47] to help in the life after cancer process
[00:11:49] because she herself went through cancer
[00:11:52] as well with two young children at home
[00:11:54] the first time. Um in 2019 we started
[00:11:58] building the awareness the fundraising
[00:12:00] in 2020 and 2021 as you know that was co
[00:12:04] it didn't stop us. um we started a
[00:12:06] merchandise um shop that helped fund all
[00:12:11] of the resources that we could bring
[00:12:12] love bombs of hope to women at during
[00:12:15] this time and we did 25 the first year
[00:12:18] and 25 the second year. So people from
[00:12:20] all around the world helped us do that
[00:12:22] and we were very grateful. Um in 2022 we
[00:12:26] did our first I am hope retreat at the
[00:12:28] Engleside in in Palm Springs. We did a
[00:12:30] full buyout and 25 women got to come to
[00:12:33] that retreat and heal for 3 days and um
[00:12:37] 3 days and two nights at that time. 2020
[00:12:40] uh3 we did our second in Lita. We
[00:12:42] started the Yo Bro I'm brave 2 men's
[00:12:45] support group. And then in 2024 we did
[00:12:49] our third annual I am hope retreat here
[00:12:52] in the city of Rancher Mirage. and
[00:12:54] proudly we have partnered with them for
[00:12:56] the next three continuing years because
[00:12:59] of everything that they saw and loved
[00:13:02] and our missions are very similar.
[00:13:05] So where do the sponsorships go? Um to
[00:13:08] our programs to rebuilding lives.
[00:13:10] Literally we are helping you are helping
[00:13:13] rebuild lives. Um we are lightening the
[00:13:16] hardship of the life after cancer that
[00:13:18] brings color back to hundreds of
[00:13:21] survivors every year. And when I say
[00:13:23] that that we live hope and color, it's
[00:13:25] because if you go to a hospital a lot of
[00:13:27] time those walls are white and they're,
[00:13:30] you know, khaki in color. When cancer is
[00:13:33] done, you see the world differently. You
[00:13:36] hear the birds chirp a little louder.
[00:13:38] You see things more colorful and um
[00:13:42] hopefully you are also understanding
[00:13:45] that it is a community that thrives
[00:13:48] afterwards. Our monthly programs are
[00:13:50] both virtual and in person. We have a
[00:13:52] talk, listen, and share which is our
[00:13:53] educational piece of the life after
[00:13:56] cancer. and sometimes during we'd like
[00:13:58] to invite local community members that
[00:14:00] have businesses and then also on a
[00:14:02] national level. Our coffee and
[00:14:04] connection is both in person and digital
[00:14:07] um virtual. We um that is our support
[00:14:10] mechanism. So, not only do cancer
[00:14:12] survivors come, but their friends and
[00:14:14] their support people come as well
[00:14:16] because we learn together versus
[00:14:19] learning apart. And that education and
[00:14:21] that learning experience is
[00:14:23] mind-boggling. It really is amazing. our
[00:14:26] move to heal. Um I actually partner with
[00:14:29] Eisenhower's Lucy Kirchie Cancer Center
[00:14:31] right next door and we do a monthly move
[00:14:34] to heal every single Monday of the month
[00:14:38] from 9:00 until 10:00 and cancer
[00:14:40] survivors are able to learn how to move
[00:14:43] differently because again you've lost
[00:14:45] some body parts. You might not be able
[00:14:47] to move or twist or turn as you once
[00:14:50] did. So, it's not necessarily a yoga
[00:14:52] class, but it's infused yoga, Pilates,
[00:14:54] um, breath and
[00:14:56] movement. These are some of the faces
[00:14:59] behind the coffee and
[00:15:02] connections. These are some of the faces
[00:15:04] behind the move to heal. We love to go
[00:15:08] right back here and do the hike um, here
[00:15:11] in Ranch Mirage. So, that's where that
[00:15:12] middle picture is at.
[00:15:16] Some of our fundraisers which we're
[00:15:17] going to talk about too is the
[00:15:19] Wallally's Champagne High Tea and that
[00:15:21] is in in memory of Nicole which is
[00:15:23] Mattiey's mom. It is a pre-elegant
[00:15:27] Mother's Day celebration that honors the
[00:15:29] bond between mothers and daughters and
[00:15:32] the lineage of
[00:15:34] life. Every single proceed also is given
[00:15:38] to scholarship the women that go to that
[00:15:41] retreat. some of the fundraisers we've
[00:15:44] done in the valley and we've teamed up
[00:15:46] with um as you can see we we do a
[00:15:50] lot and our annual experiences is the I
[00:15:53] am hope survivors reset retreat like I
[00:15:55] said it's right here in the city of
[00:15:57] Rancher Mirage we partnered with the
[00:15:59] Ritz Carlton over the next three years
[00:16:02] and um that is a 4-day three-ight
[00:16:06] allincclusive experience for cancer
[00:16:08] survivors we aim to help everyone get
[00:16:10] clear on that life after cancer process
[00:16:13] and how to move forward in a safe and
[00:16:16] supportive community building
[00:16:19] community. The photos kind of capture
[00:16:22] the joy um the emotions behind we're
[00:16:26] lucky also in this bottom leftand corner
[00:16:29] to also have our one of our facilitators
[00:16:32] which is Dr. Gail Parker. Um she's also
[00:16:35] here in our audience today and just um
[00:16:38] we've been able to create this amazing
[00:16:39] community and it speaks about the
[00:16:43] transformative weekend speaks to um mind
[00:16:47] body connection but also education on
[00:16:49] how to move forward, how to reset, how
[00:16:52] to do self-care and a lot of people need
[00:16:55] that
[00:16:56] help. Oops. Our yo bro male experience
[00:17:01] meets every eight weeks in a safe space
[00:17:05] and they also are come to the coffee and
[00:17:07] connections and move to heal. That's
[00:17:09] some of the guys in
[00:17:11] there. So you know where most of our
[00:17:14] annual stuff comes from is 60,000k is
[00:17:17] raised through general donations,
[00:17:18] corporate sponsorships and kind
[00:17:20] contributions. 84k of what we do is
[00:17:23] raised through direct sponsorships and
[00:17:26] 46% of our funding is through grants
[00:17:29] just like the ones that we get here. And
[00:17:31] we have 100% give with not only our
[00:17:34] board but our volunteers as well. Every
[00:17:37] single volunteer, every single lady from
[00:17:40] even last year's I am hope retreat gave
[00:17:43] their $100 deposit back so that it
[00:17:46] supplies it for the next ladies coming
[00:17:47] in.
[00:17:50] So far to date, we've served over 600
[00:17:52] coffees and teas. We've done over 2,000
[00:17:54] plus move to heels. We've done over a
[00:17:56] 100red educational YouTube shows that
[00:17:59] are open to anyone. Um we have supported
[00:18:03] 165 plus women that have attended that
[00:18:06] retreat at no cost to them with your
[00:18:08] help. So thank you with that.
[00:18:11] And we do again, we do our program
[00:18:14] sponsorships, we do our event
[00:18:16] sponsorships, and we take in kind
[00:18:18] donations. This is the end of last
[00:18:20] year's retreat and all the ladies that
[00:18:23] got to
[00:18:24] come. And this is our board. As you can
[00:18:27] see, we're different than maybe most
[00:18:29] nonprofits. Um, we like to make it fun
[00:18:33] because after you're done with cancer,
[00:18:35] you got to live your life, right? So, I
[00:18:37] have been on the phone since I was a wee
[00:18:39] little baby. And so, that's my my thing.
[00:18:42] And you can see um one of our ladies,
[00:18:44] she likes to travel, one likes plants,
[00:18:47] one loves cars. And then we also have
[00:18:49] our advisory team. We have two other
[00:18:51] gentlemen that have since joined us
[00:18:53] since then. Um but this is this is the
[00:18:56] gist of
[00:18:57] everybody. And then this is my
[00:18:59] co-founder, Eileen Alvarez. She is in
[00:19:02] our hearts forever. Um, she earned her
[00:19:04] angel wings on October 11th of this past
[00:19:06] year and she was the heart of our
[00:19:09] organization and always will be. And so
[00:19:12] I think it's very important that we keep
[00:19:14] that um with us forever because her
[00:19:17] spirit lives on in those that we help
[00:19:20] daytoday and also in her daughters that
[00:19:23] um this will be some of their legacy as
[00:19:27] well. And that's it for for what our
[00:19:30] impact report was. I do have two videos
[00:19:32] that I would like to show you very
[00:19:34] quickly. They're about a minute a piece.
[00:19:36] So that gives you a little information.
[00:19:39] Ready? We just want to thank the city
[00:19:42] branch of Mirage for everything and the
[00:19:44] sponsorship. So today I'm here to talk
[00:19:47] about the tea. Um we could play the
[00:19:49] video as I speak if so you can see the
[00:19:52] photos of the I am hope survivors reset
[00:19:55] retreat because this is really the
[00:19:57] impact that you have.
[00:20:01] And this is from the Ritz Carlton where
[00:20:04] we did last year. And uh the tea that we
[00:20:08] host is in May on May 10th, Saturday at
[00:20:11] Wallally's Desert Turtle in Rancho
[00:20:13] Mirage. I started this tea because I
[00:20:16] wanted to get involved with Sha's
[00:20:18] Warriors. I thought it would be a great
[00:20:20] way to bring people together. My mother
[00:20:23] passed away from cancer but she went and
[00:20:26] see retreats all over the world the
[00:20:29] country um and tried to find that
[00:20:31] purpose after she was in remission for
[00:20:33] 10 years and when I heard about Sha's
[00:20:36] mission I knew I had to be involved and
[00:20:39] that was the first um introduction to
[00:20:42] Sha's so we did the retreat and this
[00:20:44] will be our third annual retreat we are
[00:20:47] also going to be honoring Eileen as well
[00:20:50] uh so that's May 10th at Wallally's
[00:20:52] come and enjoy high tea. And also, thank
[00:20:56] you so much to the city for
[00:20:57] participating and being a sponsor
[00:20:59] because truly your dollars are helping
[00:21:01] so many men and women do just live life
[00:21:06] and find a new passion in in their life.
[00:21:08] So, it's very very important and we are
[00:21:11] so grateful for the support and Isaiah,
[00:21:13] thank you for taking our meeting because
[00:21:15] we talked your ear off but we are very
[00:21:18] appreciative. Thank you. So Eileen and I
[00:21:22] grew up together. I went to college with
[00:21:23] Eileen. I had known her for 30 years. Um
[00:21:26] watched her go through her first battle
[00:21:27] and then her second battle with cancer.
[00:21:30] Um and you never say you lose the battle
[00:21:32] because if you fight, you win. But um
[00:21:35] and she gave it everything she had. I'm
[00:21:38] um very close. I'm godmother to both of
[00:21:40] her daughters and we were in each
[00:21:41] other's weddings. It goes back a long
[00:21:43] long way. So I'm just so honored to uh
[00:21:46] and I know your mother really well. We
[00:21:48] did a lunchon together at Wallally's. I
[00:21:50] worked with your mother for years on
[00:21:51] that and I loved her and to honor those
[00:21:54] two women on May 10th means everything
[00:21:55] to me. I'm bringing my mother and sister
[00:21:56] to that tea. Um and then obviously um
[00:22:00] the retreat and what's really valuable
[00:22:03] about the retreat is if you have a
[00:22:04] survivor in your life and you'd like to
[00:22:06] sponsor them for the retreat, there are
[00:22:08] applications open on the Shaes Warrior
[00:22:10] website. So you can nominate somebody to
[00:22:12] go. I have nominated friends in the
[00:22:14] past. I have a nominee in for my cousin
[00:22:16] this year. Um I it's and I know from
[00:22:20] friends that have gone it changed their
[00:22:21] lives. It changed completely changed
[00:22:23] their outlook on how to live uh post
[00:22:26] cancer treatment and diagnosis. So I
[00:22:29] applaud this work and I love that the R
[00:22:31] city of Ranch Mirage is partnering with
[00:22:33] Shaes Warrior on a long-term basis to
[00:22:35] keep this here and it's the most
[00:22:38] beautiful place to heal. So I can't
[00:22:39] imagine it being anywhere else. So thank
[00:22:41] you ladies for showing up today and
[00:22:44] excited for all the programming to come.
[00:22:46] Me, too. Thank you so much. Thank you,
[00:22:50] [Applause]
[00:22:54] Mr. Mayor. Uh, if I may, I have a very
[00:22:58] special reason for supporting the city's
[00:23:01] support uh for Sha's Warriors through
[00:23:03] our special assistance for program. It's
[00:23:05] because I know what it's like when your
[00:23:07] doctor looks you in the eye and says you
[00:23:09] have cancer. That will kind of ruin your
[00:23:12] day. Now, it's happened to me twice and
[00:23:14] I'm a survivor twice. So, I'm delighted
[00:23:16] that the city supports your
[00:23:17] organization. Thanks for being here
[00:23:18] today. Thank you, Eve. Thank Thank you,
[00:23:20] Maddie. And thank you, Shay, for all you
[00:23:21] do. Thanks very much. We'll send Steve
[00:23:23] to Yo, bro.
[00:23:26] I, too. By the way, I'm one of those
[00:23:28] 42,000 people in the valley that uh is a
[00:23:32] cancer survivor. So, I can relate very
[00:23:35] much to what you're doing. So, thank you
[00:23:37] for the good work. To yos.
[00:23:42] All right. That's that's great. The next
[00:23:45] uh presentation will be regarding the
[00:23:47] Ailia project and that's going to be an
[00:23:50] update uh by our mayor prom Lynn Milano.
[00:23:55] Lynn, if you would please. Thank you,
[00:23:56] Mr. Mayor. On March 18th, the Ailia
[00:23:59] Project hosted its annual scholarship
[00:24:01] awards followed by a celebration lunchon
[00:24:04] at Weston Mission Hills Resort and thank
[00:24:06] you so much for the invitation to join
[00:24:09] you on that day. It a very special day.
[00:24:13] Um, there wasn't a dry eye in the awards
[00:24:16] ceremony. It was just spectacular. The
[00:24:19] Ailia
[00:24:20] Project mission is empowering young
[00:24:23] teens to increase their sense of
[00:24:25] self-worth and maximize their potential
[00:24:28] contribution to society. It provides
[00:24:31] hope, health, and opportunity to girls
[00:24:33] in need to transform their lives through
[00:24:36] education, mentoring, leadership, and
[00:24:39] life skills needed to break the
[00:24:41] generational cycle of poverty. It was
[00:24:45] launched in 2002 with just 13 girls in
[00:24:48] one school. There are now more than
[00:24:51] 5,000 Oilia girls, all of whom graduated
[00:24:55] high school on time with college andor
[00:24:58] career
[00:25:00] plans. I don't want to go into too much
[00:25:03] detail because we have the experts here.
[00:25:05] So, I'd like to introduce uh Kippy
[00:25:08] Laflame from she's the director of
[00:25:10] engagement and with her uh our
[00:25:14] Rancharrage High School counselor
[00:25:16] Claudia
[00:25:17] Garcia. Rancher Mirage High School
[00:25:20] student scholarship winner and American
[00:25:22] Express scholarship winner Dionara Diaz
[00:25:25] Fernandez and mentors including Dr.
[00:25:30] Paula Kenny. Thank you ladies for being
[00:25:33] here today. Well, before we watch uh the
[00:25:37] um the video, the beautiful video that
[00:25:40] the city um created for us, you know, um
[00:25:45] I think awareness is still probably one
[00:25:48] of our biggest issues. And when we
[00:25:51] have city councils that go out of their
[00:25:54] way to do something for the little guy
[00:25:56] in the valley, yay, yay, yay. Uh so we
[00:26:00] have uh um a few statistics for you. The
[00:26:04] city of Rancho Mirage has been
[00:26:07] supporting JFK Memorial Foundation since
[00:26:12] 2003. So we thank you. We thank you. We
[00:26:15] thank you for all of those years of
[00:26:17] support and look forward to the future.
[00:26:20] I hope that after we have a look at the
[00:26:22] video, uh, maybe Dan Ara can come up and
[00:26:25] say a few words of thanks herself if
[00:26:27] that's okay with
[00:26:30] you. Okay.
[00:26:35] I think it's pretty important. We talked
[00:26:36] about support. I wrote that being in
[00:26:40] Oilia today made me hopeful for my
[00:26:42] future. Hello, I'm Peter Sturgeon. I am
[00:26:45] the president and CEO of the John F.
[00:26:47] Kennedy Memorial Foundation and we
[00:26:49] oversee the Affilia
[00:26:52] Project. The Affilia Project I believe
[00:26:55] is a very simple but impactful program.
[00:26:58] We put together mentors with vulnerable
[00:27:01] adolescent girls and through being
[00:27:03] together with them and saying, "I see
[00:27:05] you. I'm behind you. I'm with you." It
[00:27:07] literally changes the trajectory of
[00:27:09] these adolescent girls. Hi, my name is
[00:27:11] Diana Diaz Fernandez and I'm a senior at
[00:27:13] Ridge Mrage High School.
[00:27:16] I've been a part of this project for
[00:27:17] about 3 years. I've learned how I feel
[00:27:20] within myself and what it takes to be a
[00:27:25] woman honestly and like how you how your
[00:27:29] vibrancy from within like does come out.
[00:27:32] I am Dr. Paula Kenny with Oilia Project.
[00:27:35] This is my third year with Ailia and I'm
[00:27:38] so committed to working with these young
[00:27:40] women and see them blossom. want our
[00:27:44] young women to take away a feeling that
[00:27:47] um they can be do anything they want. My
[00:27:50] goal ultimately is to go to a university
[00:27:53] for nursing Channel Islands and then
[00:27:55] after that I plan to become a travel
[00:27:58] nurse and then after that I plan to go
[00:27:59] back to school get my masters to become
[00:28:01] a nurse practitioner in pediatrics. Over
[00:28:04] the 26 years that we've been in in
[00:28:06] existence we've had close to 7,000 girls
[00:28:09] go through our program. The number one
[00:28:11] thing that we're most proud of is that
[00:28:14] we have a 100% high school graduation
[00:28:16] rate. What's next for the failure
[00:28:18] project is that we will continue to do
[00:28:20] what we're doing and hopefully even
[00:28:22] serve more students of the Coachella
[00:28:24] Valley. We really count on all of our
[00:28:26] cities to help us and Rancho Mirage has
[00:28:28] been very very generous to support the
[00:28:30] program. We're always looking for new
[00:28:32] mentors. We're always looking for
[00:28:34] support. To learn more about the Affilia
[00:28:36] Project, please go to our website. Thank
[00:28:38] you so much. like you have brought like
[00:28:40] such a big blessing into like so many
[00:28:43] young women's lives. Oilia is the most
[00:28:45] welcoming thing in the world. It's the
[00:28:47] best thing you could join. I'm forever
[00:28:49] going to be an Aphilia girl and I'm
[00:28:51] beyond grateful for that.
[00:29:02] So, it's my great pleasure to introduce
[00:29:04] Dara Diaz Fernandez.
[00:29:07] uh she is an ambassador and the
[00:29:09] ambassador program is a leadership
[00:29:11] program that we have with the Ailia
[00:29:14] girls. Uh they are 40 very special girls
[00:29:18] that are taken in hand and are taught
[00:29:21] leadership skills and these are the
[00:29:24] girls that support us in community
[00:29:26] events.
[00:29:29] Thank you. Um, so just being part of
[00:29:32] Ailia has Well, I first started Oilia. I
[00:29:36] was I'm a completely different person
[00:29:38] than when I started. I was the I'm
[00:29:42] honestly I'm truly grateful for my
[00:29:43] counselor, Miss Garcia, for even showing
[00:29:45] me this because I I cried all the time
[00:29:48] at school. I didn't really see a future
[00:29:50] for myself. I had a lot of self-doubt.
[00:29:53] Um, and I feel like just joining it was
[00:29:57] so warm and welcoming. um having the
[00:30:00] mentors that I have and showing me like
[00:30:02] there is a way and you do have a future.
[00:30:05] You're you're strong, you're vibrant,
[00:30:07] like you have a beauty within yourself
[00:30:09] and like you're able to show like your
[00:30:11] confidence and your bravery just like
[00:30:14] really means everything to me being with
[00:30:17] all the girls that I'm with. Um like my
[00:30:20] younger sister, I have five sisters and
[00:30:23] one brother and we're all like pretty
[00:30:25] we're all stairs. We're all a year and a
[00:30:26] couple months apart. So, in a way, it's
[00:30:29] sometimes hard to get like, oh, like
[00:30:31] you're doing great or like it's
[00:30:32] sometimes hard to talk to somebody. Um,
[00:30:35] and just like going to Ailia and their
[00:30:37] girls like that are in your grade,
[00:30:39] you're able to talk to them, you're able
[00:30:40] to relate. And I got one of my younger
[00:30:42] sisters to do it and be in it. And I had
[00:30:45] never the way she talks and the way she
[00:30:48] explains like what certain leadership um
[00:30:51] qualities mean to her, like I've never
[00:30:52] seen that side of her. So it genuinely
[00:30:55] just opens you up like regardless of who
[00:30:57] you're with or who you're around and
[00:31:00] you're able like the last day of Ailia
[00:31:03] like I know I'm just going to cry cuz it
[00:31:05] honestly I woke up on Tuesday and I was
[00:31:08] like so happy and I was like oh my
[00:31:09] goodness like today's going to be a
[00:31:10] great day and I like remembered Oilia's
[00:31:13] today and then I was like 10 times more
[00:31:14] happy. So my body just naturally already
[00:31:16] knows like the day Oilia comes like I'm
[00:31:19] I'm already going to be on my top tier
[00:31:21] best mood. So, thank you guys. Thank you
[00:31:24] so much.
[00:31:29] Just one last thing. I'd like to for you
[00:31:32] to meet all of your Rancher Mirage High
[00:31:34] School mentors. If they would please
[00:31:36] stand.
[00:31:45] Thank you. Thank you
[00:31:49] again. Thank you for being here.
[00:31:53] It's a wonderful cause. We we certainly
[00:31:57] enjoyed the presentation
[00:32:00] uh at the hotel. Uh and as the mayor
[00:32:04] prom said uh there probably wasn't a dry
[00:32:08] eye in the place. It was uh it was most
[00:32:11] most moving. So thank you so very much.
[00:32:14] I have two friends. uh Maria Bradfield
[00:32:18] who is my mentor in real estate when I
[00:32:21] decided my third career that I would be
[00:32:23] a realtor and she's just a gem and then
[00:32:27] Andre Jessup who's a mentor in Palm
[00:32:30] Desert. I also have I know of four or
[00:32:34] five mentors over at Sunline
[00:32:38] um bus transportation company who are
[00:32:41] also members and mentors, excuse me, and
[00:32:44] they think it's the thrill of their life
[00:32:47] to interact with these talented young
[00:32:49] ladies. Um so congratulations to all of
[00:32:52] you and continued success and we'll be
[00:32:55] here to support you every step of the
[00:32:57] way. And and if I may, uh, so I've been
[00:33:00] I've known about Ailia for a long time,
[00:33:03] and if there is a nonprofit you could
[00:33:04] say the little engine that could, it's
[00:33:06] Oilia. Oilia has fought hard for all of
[00:33:10] its um accolades and achievements. It
[00:33:14] started uh in the east coast and then it
[00:33:16] was opened out here in the west coast by
[00:33:18] Susan Francis. Um, this Ailia project is
[00:33:22] the only one left and it makes enormous
[00:33:25] change in all three school districts. It
[00:33:28] is changing the lives of girls. The
[00:33:30] lunchon was unbelievable. We learned how
[00:33:32] to breathe. Four in, eight out, seven.
[00:33:35] Got it. Did it all. Uh we felt the girl
[00:33:38] power that day. Um I'd also like to
[00:33:40] acknowledge that Oilia Project was
[00:33:42] picked as the MX charity of the uh year
[00:33:44] for the PGA. So every PGA tournament,
[00:33:47] Ailia gets a present, which is really
[00:33:49] nice and really great national
[00:33:51] acknowledgement. Uh but the proof's in
[00:33:53] the pudding. These girls are
[00:33:55] unbelievable. They are the future and I
[00:33:57] am so glad that we support and we help
[00:33:59] Ailia because it's changing the face of
[00:34:01] this valley.
[00:34:04] And again, thank you so
[00:34:09] much. That concludes our
[00:34:12] presentations and we will now go to the
[00:34:16] non-aggenda public comments. This will
[00:34:19] be an opportunity for the public to
[00:34:22] speak on any issues not on the agenda.
[00:34:25] for a maximum of three minutes per
[00:34:28] speaker. I will advise you if you're
[00:34:32] approaching three minutes to please
[00:34:35] conclude your comments. With that, uh
[00:34:39] may we uh call on the first speaker if
[00:34:42] there is one. Of course. The first
[00:34:43] speaker is Patrick Lowry.
[00:34:53] Good afternoon. Patrick
[00:34:55] Luri, uh, 20-year resident of Rancho
[00:34:59] Mirage. Let's be blunt and frank. I've
[00:35:02] got the wrong audience
[00:35:04] here cuz I do want to be critical of
[00:35:06] this council, but listening to these
[00:35:09] remarkable stories is so wonderfully
[00:35:12] encouraging. Makes me so
[00:35:14] happy. Glad you're a survivor. Glad
[00:35:16] you're a survivor. I lost my mother to
[00:35:18] cancer.
[00:35:19] My sister-in-law just had a double
[00:35:22] mastctomy. The uh mother of our godchild
[00:35:25] just had a double masectomy two years
[00:35:27] ago. Okay. Uh it frightens
[00:35:32] me just to have a bit of fun though.
[00:35:35] I've had enough marriages that I finally
[00:35:37] ended up with the right
[00:35:39] person and all I do is
[00:35:42] worry. So to say to you the courage of
[00:35:45] survivors is so so
[00:35:49] silly. But I must tell you I suffer
[00:35:52] every day worrying about cancer. And
[00:35:53] should there be a heaven, God's got a
[00:35:56] lot of explaining cuz I don't get this
[00:35:59] disease. I don't get it at all. Now what
[00:36:02] I want to talk to you about in the
[00:36:03] future, we're going to talk about crime
[00:36:05] and we're having a problem with crime.
[00:36:07] Glad to see the new lieutenant. We've
[00:36:10] got the worst rate for burglaries in the
[00:36:15] valley. One in 25 were the worst. Yet,
[00:36:20] we pay the highest per
[00:36:21] capita for
[00:36:24] pleasing. I encourage you to take a look
[00:36:26] at what's going
[00:36:27] on. Now, again, I'm going to leave it
[00:36:30] there because this was inspiring and
[00:36:32] women in uh uh developing, being
[00:36:36] mentored to remarkable. I've got a
[00:36:38] powerful wife, powerful mother. My
[00:36:41] wife's one of those persons who gets
[00:36:43] published in Harvard Business Journal.
[00:36:46] Guys, I know what this is all about.
[00:36:48] I've been hit in the back of the head so
[00:36:49] many times for being a bad guy for my
[00:36:52] mom and my wife. The message is clear to
[00:36:54] me. Support young people. Support
[00:36:57] women. And this cancer thing, keep
[00:37:01] giving. Keep giving. Anyway, thank you
[00:37:04] for your time. Next time you see me, you
[00:37:06] won't like me. I said that in the most
[00:37:08] pleasant way. My criticism is fair and
[00:37:10] honest. Thank you.
[00:37:14] The next speaker is Susan
[00:37:26] Ragdale. Good afternoon, city council.
[00:37:30] I was here a month ago and I was there
[00:37:33] was a plan to forcibly remove me by the
[00:37:36] sheriff and I don't think that was a
[00:37:38] great idea really. It's actually
[00:37:41] illegal. I didn't try to resist
[00:37:45] anything. Um, a conversation was started
[00:37:48] with me, but that's not important. None
[00:37:50] of you know me, and most of you, I
[00:37:53] guess, have the opinion of me that isn't
[00:37:56] very pleasant. And I mean, I'm treated
[00:37:57] like a criminal, and I have been since
[00:38:00] 2018 when I was
[00:38:03] mistakably confused as one of the
[00:38:07] In-N-Out Burger protesters when I really
[00:38:09] only had a concern about
[00:38:11] healthful, unex unshielded, bright
[00:38:15] lights in the city. And it was something
[00:38:18] I'm very into the natural life. In fact,
[00:38:20] when I was 28 in I think it was
[00:38:24] 1980, I can't remember, but I got
[00:38:28] cervical the be very beginning of
[00:38:29] cervical cancer. I'm only mentioning
[00:38:31] this because of the people here.
[00:38:33] Fortunately, I lived on the west side
[00:38:35] and there was plenty of information
[00:38:37] about the macrobiotic diet, which is a
[00:38:39] traditional Japanese diet. And I
[00:38:42] immediately went on it and I have never
[00:38:44] had any problems and I never had any
[00:38:46] treatment and it saved my life. I just
[00:38:49] want to say it's a whole food
[00:38:51] plant-based diet primarily. I also want
[00:38:54] to introduce you to myself because you
[00:38:56] don't know me. You think of me in this
[00:38:58] exact same way that the bullies at
[00:39:00] Whispering Waters do. And everybody else
[00:39:03] in my life absolutely adores me. And the
[00:39:06] reason is because I know this sounds
[00:39:09] strange, but since I was a little child,
[00:39:11] I am madly in love with God. I am
[00:39:14] totally devoted to God. I'm not like a
[00:39:16] phony in any way about it. But I'm just
[00:39:19] I was born this way. That's why I gave
[00:39:22] you the prayer, the peace prayer,
[00:39:23] because my grandmother was a Sunday
[00:39:26] school teacher and she taught it to me
[00:39:28] and I live my life by that credo. So I
[00:39:31] wanted to share that with you. You have
[00:39:33] totally made a mistake about who I am
[00:39:36] totally. I am the most loving person on
[00:39:39] the planet. And I got scapegoated by the
[00:39:41] property management because there was an
[00:39:44] outofcontrol hostile environment
[00:39:46] harassment and lots of bullies who
[00:39:48] victimized me. And they victimized me
[00:39:51] because I'm meek. I don't fight back.
[00:39:54] I'm never angry. I run away. I pick
[00:39:58] flowers. I go to the store and buy
[00:40:00] flower bouquets for them to try and make
[00:40:02] them treat me
[00:40:04] better. My family. Okay, this is my
[00:40:07] prize position. And I am an old
[00:40:09] Californian. My family came, the
[00:40:12] Ragsdale and Aharts came to California
[00:40:15] in 1851 and they made a beautiful life
[00:40:18] for themselves and I am their descendant
[00:40:21] and I am so pleased with it. When I
[00:40:23] lived I'm going to run out of time but
[00:40:25] when I lived at Whispering Waters I
[00:40:28] worked on extending this information.
[00:40:30] That's what I spent my time. I just want
[00:40:32] to show you I am starting uh we support
[00:40:36] Susan and the integrity of the Rancho
[00:40:38] Mirage Housing Authority in affordable
[00:40:40] housing management. This is Bullies at
[00:40:43] Whispering Waters Rancho Mirage Housing.
[00:40:47] This is a I know I know I'm supposed to
[00:40:50] stop. I got to go. But I made copies of
[00:40:53] this poster for everybody and I want you
[00:40:56] to think about I'm going to make a
[00:40:57] brochure and I'm going to go to Ritz
[00:40:59] Carlton and all that. You know what I
[00:41:01] mean? I don't I need support and also
[00:41:04] they need to know the truth. It's not a
[00:41:06] good situation. Needs to be
[00:41:08] investigated. Seriously, I have enough
[00:41:10] proof for sure. Thank you very much.
[00:41:13] Thank you for your comments,
[00:41:17] Wally Melendez.
[00:41:19] I
[00:41:25] don't just take
[00:41:31] Thank
[00:41:47] you. Good afternoon.
[00:41:50] um city council
[00:41:54] uh
[00:41:59] administration.
[00:42:02] Imagine how much damage and
[00:42:06] harm
[00:42:09] Trump and
[00:42:12] Musk and Vance are doing to our country.
[00:42:20] All the damage they're
[00:42:23] doing, some experts say will
[00:42:27] take 10, 20
[00:42:30] years to correct and get back to normal.
[00:42:40] I can tell
[00:42:43] you that all this stuff that's being
[00:42:48] done against our
[00:42:51] country is Putin's
[00:42:55] agenda, Russia's agenda.
[00:43:00] Don't look
[00:43:01] surprised be because you know that's
[00:43:06] true. And you know another thing that's
[00:43:11] true. Putin of
[00:43:13] Russia the bloody
[00:43:16] dictator is the richest man in the
[00:43:18] world. Multi-
[00:43:22] multi-billionaire. Some of you might be
[00:43:24] millionaires, but you're nothing to that
[00:43:27] kind to to to Putin of
[00:43:31] Russia. It's called an
[00:43:35] oligarchy. It's called an
[00:43:38] oligarchy. When the
[00:43:40] richest people control the government is
[00:43:45] called an oligarchy.
[00:43:54] And they're doing a big
[00:43:58] mess. They're messing up our
[00:44:01] military. They're messing up the
[00:44:03] Department of Defense of the United
[00:44:07] States. Putin's
[00:44:13] agenda. So get ready. Get ready for war.
[00:44:24] Thank you.
[00:44:27] Thank you for your comments, Brad
[00:44:29] Anderson.
[00:44:36] Thank you, Brad Anderson. City response.
[00:44:38] I'll wait for these guys. Very
[00:44:39] important. Anyway, uh uh I just wanted
[00:44:42] to hit a couple highlights while I'm
[00:44:44] here. Uh, one of them being
[00:44:47] uh I noticed that the new agenda is
[00:44:49] printed or the new formatted agenda with
[00:44:52] the numbers everything and and
[00:44:54] subcategories everything uh in a proper
[00:44:57] fashion which is uh good. This is
[00:45:00] awesome. Uh you're finally giving it the
[00:45:02] time. So I appreciate that. Hopefully
[00:45:04] you can mention that in the minutes when
[00:45:05] you do that that you made that uh
[00:45:07] adjustment.
[00:45:09] Um other than that I really don't want
[00:45:12] to bother you. I have written uh
[00:45:14] submitted written comments or statements
[00:45:16] uh for most everything I'm going to
[00:45:18] speak on today. So hopefully people can
[00:45:19] look at that on the uh on the city's
[00:45:22] website when they uh when they if they
[00:45:23] want to. Um I just wanted to mention uh
[00:45:27] one of the previous speakers uh because
[00:45:30] you at the last meeting that that you
[00:45:32] spoke at u you
[00:45:35] did she was escorted out of here uh and
[00:45:39] and there's really no car for that. I
[00:45:41] did write uh the city councelor email
[00:45:44] and I did submit that in the public
[00:45:45] record but I if anybody wants it I will
[00:45:48] gladly freely share that with them. Uh I
[00:45:52] don't want to live in a city where
[00:45:54] elderly ladies or elderly women elderly
[00:45:57] anybody is picked on or picked on is
[00:45:59] probably a nice way to put it but that
[00:46:02] type of extreme measure is
[00:46:04] unacceptable and and and hopefully it
[00:46:07] won't happen again. Thank you.
[00:46:11] That was the last speaker card. Is there
[00:46:13] anyone in the audience who would like to
[00:46:14] speak on something not on today's
[00:46:16] agenda? That was the last speaker.
[00:46:22] Okay. Uh that concludes our non
[00:46:26] non-aggenda public comments. Uh, mayor,
[00:46:29] if I could interrupt for a second, uh,
[00:46:31] we do have a request, uh, to speak on
[00:46:35] item number four on the agenda, uh,
[00:46:38] which is, uh, what we're headed into
[00:46:39] next. So, if the city clerk would call
[00:46:42] that speaker card, please.
[00:46:44] Brad Anderson.
[00:46:51] Thank you again, Brad Anderson, City
[00:46:53] Ransom. Uh I would like to uh I did
[00:46:56] submit written
[00:46:57] statements briefly about this subject
[00:47:00] because this is the counselor uh
[00:47:03] comments and I can't really comment
[00:47:06] public on that because I have no idea
[00:47:09] what you're going to speak about. So I
[00:47:11] would hopefully suggest that maybe I can
[00:47:13] speak after you speak and that's all I
[00:47:15] have. Thank you.
[00:47:20] Is there anyone else who'd like to speak
[00:47:21] on this item? That was the only speaker.
[00:47:26] Okay, we will now go to U council member
[00:47:31] comments. I will start on my left with
[00:47:35] council member Eve from Ed and State.
[00:47:38] Thank you, mayor. Uh, not much today,
[00:47:41] just small. I, uh, saw something really
[00:47:43] interesting and I wanted to spread the
[00:47:44] word because I thought it was a
[00:47:46] fantastic resource. There is the 988
[00:47:49] mental health h help line similar to 911
[00:47:52] but it's specifically around mental
[00:47:54] health concern created as a joint effort
[00:47:56] between Southern California United Way
[00:47:58] and the Riverside University Health
[00:48:00] System behavioral health. The helpline
[00:48:03] is designed to help someone find someone
[00:48:05] else to listen to their problems who's a
[00:48:08] me who's a mental health care
[00:48:10] facilitator, collaborate on possible
[00:48:12] solutions, and dispatch a crisis
[00:48:14] intervention team to their locations day
[00:48:17] or night. In addition to the mobile
[00:48:19] crisis teams, RUHSBH offers 24-hour
[00:48:23] mental health urgent care
[00:48:26] clinics, the Take My Hand live peer chat
[00:48:29] line, free therapy, support, and
[00:48:31] referrals, residential treatment
[00:48:33] facilities, and specialty programs to
[00:48:35] high-risisk groups. This helpline truly
[00:48:38] creates a crisis continuum of care that
[00:48:41] is based on the model of someone to
[00:48:43] call, somewhere to go, and someone to go
[00:48:46] to you. This can also help family
[00:48:49] members of mentally ill uh people find a
[00:48:52] place to take a family member or a
[00:48:54] friend in a mental health crisis that
[00:48:56] would be much more suitable um to get
[00:48:59] them care other than a trip to the ER
[00:49:01] where a lot of people end up. But if the
[00:49:02] hospital doesn't have a mental health
[00:49:04] facility, a lot of times there is
[00:49:06] nothing they can offer that person. this
[00:49:08] would help somebody who was assisting
[00:49:10] someone in a crisis to get them to the
[00:49:12] right place to get them help immediately
[00:49:14] which I think in the light of a postcoid
[00:49:17] world is drastically important for the
[00:49:19] residents of this county and I just want
[00:49:21] to applaud Riverside County and uh the
[00:49:23] United Way for this effort and giving
[00:49:25] this resource out and I wanted to make
[00:49:27] sure people knew about it. Thank you.
[00:49:31] you. Um Council Member Michael O'keefee.
[00:49:35] Thank you Mr. Mayor.
[00:49:37] Um, first I want to welcome Lieutenant
[00:49:40] Turnis. Uh, nice to have you with us.
[00:49:43] And I want to thank uh Shay and Maddie
[00:49:47] and Eve for coming today. It's very
[00:49:49] inspirational. And to Lynn and the Oilia
[00:49:52] Project. That was quite a moving uh
[00:49:55] presentation. I'd also like to offer my
[00:49:57] condolences to Rosen uh Ezer and her
[00:50:00] family. Commissioner Steve Ezer was a
[00:50:02] kind and smart and generous person who
[00:50:05] will be greatly missed
[00:50:07] here. And I will give you just a few
[00:50:10] dates that I'd like for you to circle on
[00:50:12] your calendar coming up. Uh first, there
[00:50:15] is the if we could have the slide,
[00:50:17] please. The fine food bank uh teleathon
[00:50:20] is tomorrow night uh beginning at 7 p.m.
[00:50:23] on KESQ. I'm going to be there answering
[00:50:26] phones on behalf of the city. I hope
[00:50:28] that you will call in and make a
[00:50:30] donation. Um, as you may have read,
[00:50:33] there are federal cuts to the food uh
[00:50:36] banks. Over
[00:50:38] 360,000 pounds of meat and chicken and
[00:50:42] produce have been cut from fine uh
[00:50:44] immediately. Uh, so your help is more
[00:50:47] important than ever. And some people
[00:50:49] believe that Ranch Mirage residents are
[00:50:51] not impacted by this. We have thousands
[00:50:54] of people here who rely on fine food
[00:50:56] bank for their nutritional needs. So I
[00:50:59] hope you will call in tomorrow. Um also
[00:51:02] the next slide please. If you could
[00:51:04] circle the date for the Jocelyn Center
[00:51:07] fashion show on April the
[00:51:10] 11th. Uh this is a fundraiser for Rancho
[00:51:13] Mirage's official senior center. Uh we
[00:51:17] have more than 200 clients. We offer
[00:51:20] more than 90 programs throughout the
[00:51:22] year. Uh this year we will also have
[00:51:26] probably the most beautiful and most
[00:51:28] handsome models in the fashion show
[00:51:31] because they come from our own one will
[00:51:33] be our community development director
[00:51:35] Maya Duke and our city videographer Kai
[00:51:39] Beach. So come and support them and
[00:51:42] support this worthy cause. Tickets are
[00:51:45] available at josellincenter.org
[00:51:47] or on April 11th through the 13th,
[00:51:50] Desert Theatricals will be presenting
[00:51:53] Hairspray at the amphitheater. It's a
[00:51:56] great show and the amphitheater is a
[00:51:58] great place to see it. Tickets are
[00:52:00] available at
[00:52:03] desert-theatricals.com. And finally,
[00:52:05] I'll talk to you more about this in two
[00:52:07] weeks, but please circle the date of
[00:52:09] April 22nd. Uh, our city is going to
[00:52:12] have a wonderful celebration for Earth
[00:52:13] Day this year with festivities that you
[00:52:16] won't want to miss. I'll tell you more
[00:52:18] about it at the next council meeting on
[00:52:20] April 17th, but April 22nd is a day
[00:52:23] you'll want to save. Thank you, Mr.
[00:52:24] Mayor. Thank you,
[00:52:26] Michael. Um, Council Member DS, if you
[00:52:30] would, please. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So,
[00:52:33] uh, last weekend we had an important
[00:52:35] golf tournament here in the city of
[00:52:37] Ranch Mirage. The Gallery Classic
[00:52:39] Champions Pro golf tour Tournament took
[00:52:41] place on the Dinosaur Tournament Course
[00:52:43] at Mission Hills Country Club and the
[00:52:45] gorgeous TV coverage did a great job of
[00:52:48] highlighting our city as a great
[00:52:49] destination. Now, the tournament was won
[00:52:52] by Steve Allen. It was the first
[00:52:55] tournament that he has won in 23 years.
[00:52:58] And he wasn't even supposed to play. He
[00:53:00] was an alternate. He was a fill-in for
[00:53:02] Steve Stricker who couldn't play because
[00:53:03] uh he had a medical issue. So I think
[00:53:06] it's a it's a good lesson about
[00:53:07] fortitude. Even though you may not have
[00:53:08] won for years and even though you're a
[00:53:10] substitute, you can still win if you
[00:53:12] show up. So uh congratulations to to
[00:53:14] Steve Allen. Congratulations to Michelle
[00:53:16] Delansancy and the uh and the tournament
[00:53:18] team. Uh it was a great event and we
[00:53:20] were delighted to to be there. I've got
[00:53:22] a couple of other comments that I want
[00:53:23] to make, Mr. Mayor, but they relate to
[00:53:25] items that are on the consent calendar.
[00:53:26] So I I'll wait till the consent calendar
[00:53:28] is read and I'll make those comments
[00:53:29] then. Thank you. And indeed it was a
[00:53:32] great event. Thank you for your comment.
[00:53:34] Mayor Promatto,
[00:53:38] as city council members, we all know
[00:53:41] that we deal with so many issues and um
[00:53:45] some complex, some very simple, some
[00:53:48] joyous, uh some not so much. But one of
[00:53:52] the joys that we have is when we get a
[00:53:55] phone call asking if one of us can
[00:53:58] participate for principal of the day.
[00:54:01] And um last year I went to the high
[00:54:04] school and it was it was marvelous. And
[00:54:07] uh this this year I went to Rancher
[00:54:10] Mirage Elementary and I had the time of
[00:54:13] my life. Um sitting with the
[00:54:16] kindergarteners and they made me this
[00:54:18] lovely crown and they made me promise
[00:54:21] um I said I'll I'll mention you when I
[00:54:23] go to the council meeting and they asked
[00:54:26] if I would wear
[00:54:28] it and so here it is. and I wear it
[00:54:31] proudly. Um I had I had a wonderful day
[00:54:35] um actually morning with uh Dr. Shane
[00:54:38] Hager who's the uh principal of Ranch
[00:54:40] Mirage Elementary and I was warmly
[00:54:44] greeted by all of these children that
[00:54:47] morning. Um such a joy little ones they
[00:54:50] they're so innocent and they're they're
[00:54:54] just darling. And I got to read stories.
[00:54:57] This particular book was um it was
[00:55:00] titled The Girl That Never Makes a
[00:55:02] Mistake. I don't know why they gave me
[00:55:04] that
[00:55:05] book. I make lots of mistakes, but I
[00:55:08] learned a lot reading that book. And I I
[00:55:10] must have read it very well because the
[00:55:12] the principal had me read it to three
[00:55:14] other classes. But I want to thank Ranch
[00:55:16] Mirage Elementary School for this
[00:55:18] wonderful honor. I'm I'm going to frame
[00:55:20] my crown and put it next to my u
[00:55:23] certificate. It's it's wonderful when we
[00:55:26] can take a day and just realize what
[00:55:28] life's about. They take us back and and
[00:55:31] and u it's it's it's humbling to to see
[00:55:36] the joy in these little ones faces and I
[00:55:39] appreciate the invitation to join them
[00:55:41] that day. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That it
[00:55:43] is a great experience. I too a number of
[00:55:46] us have experienced the principal for a
[00:55:50] day at the various schools. I to have
[00:55:53] done it at the grammar school as well as
[00:55:55] the high school and to sit in the
[00:55:59] classroom and
[00:56:00] participate is just a great pleasure and
[00:56:04] it gives you a wonderful you know
[00:56:07] feeling for community. Uh Mr. Mayor if I
[00:56:11] may you did a I'm sorry I thought you
[00:56:13] were through. I I apologize. No.
[00:56:19] So, I am gonna have a bone to pick with
[00:56:22] Shane the next time I see him because
[00:56:23] when I was principal for a day, I did
[00:56:26] not get a crown and I'm irritated. I was
[00:56:29] told I was beautiful.
[00:56:31] So, I'm going to take that comment and
[00:56:34] run with it. I'm sure they would not
[00:56:35] have said that to me.
[00:56:39] Uh I too will make one brief comment if
[00:56:41] I may that on March
[00:56:44] 27th I had the pleasure of attending the
[00:56:48] 303rd annual senior inspiration awards
[00:56:52] at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
[00:56:57] This wonderful event was hosted by
[00:56:59] Riverside County Supervisor Vmanuel
[00:57:03] Perez and the nine cities of the
[00:57:06] Coachella
[00:57:07] Valley celebrating the invaluable
[00:57:10] contributions of our senior community
[00:57:13] members. It was an honor to represent
[00:57:16] the city of Rancho Mirage and recognize
[00:57:20] our 2025 honore Murray Bryant who you
[00:57:25] see on the screen.
[00:57:27] Murray has been a dear friend for over
[00:57:29] 40 years and it was a privilege to
[00:57:33] celebrate him in front of so many peers
[00:57:36] and community
[00:57:38] leaders. As a longtime member of the
[00:57:41] Rancher Mirage Planning Commission,
[00:57:43] Murray brought a wealth of experience
[00:57:46] and deep knowledge in planning and
[00:57:48] development.
[00:57:50] Murray's insight, dedication, and steady
[00:57:53] leadership made a lasting impact on our
[00:57:57] community, and his legacy continues to
[00:58:01] influence the city for the
[00:58:04] better. On behalf of the city of Rancho
[00:58:07] Mirage, I was proud to present him with
[00:58:10] this welldeserved recognition.
[00:58:14] Congratulations again to Murray Bryant
[00:58:16] and to all the other honores who may
[00:58:20] have made such a difference in their
[00:58:22] cities and across Riverside County. It's
[00:58:26] a great annual event. We look forward to
[00:58:29] it every year and u this was a a very
[00:58:34] special one for us. That concludes our
[00:58:38] council member comments. I will then go
[00:58:41] to our city manager and ask him to make
[00:58:45] any comments that he so desires and then
[00:58:49] to go directly into the consent
[00:58:52] calendar.
[00:58:54] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. No comments today.
[00:58:56] The council has four items on the
[00:58:59] consent calendar to uh for
[00:59:00] consideration. Item number 6A is the
[00:59:03] approval of the March 6, 2025 regular
[00:59:06] city council meeting minutes. Item 6B is
[00:59:09] the receiving and file of the 2024 board
[00:59:12] and commission annual reports. Item 6 C
[00:59:16] is the approval of the contracts and
[00:59:18] item 6D is the approval of demands.
[00:59:21] Before we go to council comments or
[00:59:22] questions, I'll ask the city clerk to
[00:59:24] take any public comment on the consent
[00:59:26] calendar. Thank you, Brad Anderson.
[00:59:34] Thank you, Brad Anderson, city. Um, I
[00:59:37] guess we're not speaking on topic four,
[00:59:39] so I'll skip to the consent item number
[00:59:41] six. Uh, I wanted to speak on 6A. I
[00:59:44] don't believe I listed that on my
[00:59:46] agenda. Not that it matters. Uh, and
[00:59:48] item 6C was the contracts. First, number
[00:59:51] 6A, which is the approval of the minutes
[00:59:53] of the last meeting of March 6. Uh,
[00:59:56] there's quite a few inconsistencies
[00:59:58] against I did I did submit written
[01:00:00] statements outlining those and I think
[01:00:03] it's going to be an ongoing thing. I
[01:00:06] just want uh I guess notify people,
[01:00:08] anybody watching this, if you're a
[01:00:10] public speaker like I am and I and I I
[01:00:14] comment about whatever item I'm
[01:00:16] commenting about, it won't be recorded
[01:00:18] in the public record other than your
[01:00:20] name. your stance taken if you're
[01:00:23] opposed or a neutral or independent or
[01:00:27] any any stance you take maybe supporting
[01:00:30] this whatever the whatever the topic is
[01:00:33] it will not be recorded by the city
[01:00:35] clerk any longer. Um the council reports
[01:00:40] other people other speakers but other
[01:00:42] than a public speaker they will not be
[01:00:45] recorded at all. and and that's an issue
[01:00:47] and that's I caught censorship because
[01:00:50] this is a new project from last year,
[01:00:52] late last year and of course I was
[01:00:54] opposed to it. I'm going to go to item 6
[01:00:56] C contracts. There was quite a few
[01:00:58] things on there and I did submit written
[01:01:00] comments on that. Uh I can't remember
[01:01:03] the order cuz I don't have it. Uh but
[01:01:05] one was the uh I guess the city I was
[01:01:09] going to ask for a staff report but I
[01:01:11] don't think I'm going to get anything I
[01:01:13] asked for today. But uh there was a
[01:01:16] Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
[01:01:18] Apparently the city's going to take on
[01:01:20] the responsibility of one of the
[01:01:21] lieutenants u positions, meaning a paid
[01:01:24] position. And it's roughly what was it
[01:01:27] 30 370,000
[01:01:30] plus in in to the county to secure that
[01:01:35] position. That's quite an expensor
[01:01:38] expense per year. And I think the the
[01:01:42] other than me that may look through
[01:01:44] these
[01:01:46] uh I guess the agendas and staff
[01:01:49] reports, nobody's going to know about
[01:01:50] that. And and and it's it's a consent
[01:01:52] item, but it's, you know, nearing
[01:01:54] 400,000 probably with the automobile,
[01:01:57] everything that goes along with it
[01:01:58] probably will be over that. And and I
[01:02:01] think people of the city should know
[01:02:02] that. And and of course, you're going to
[01:02:04] renew the Flock uh system, which is the
[01:02:07] uh automatic license plate camera
[01:02:09] system, without a request for proposals
[01:02:11] for new uh contractors. That's an issue.
[01:02:15] Uh that goes on in the wireless plan
[01:02:17] that you have. I'm going to run out of
[01:02:19] time, but uh I think uh well, anyway,
[01:02:22] I'm going to I'm opposed to that, but
[01:02:24] definitely look at my comments. Thank
[01:02:26] you.
[01:02:28] That was the only speaker card. Is there
[01:02:29] anyone else who would like to speak on
[01:02:31] the consent calendar?
[01:02:32] That was the only speaker.
[01:02:37] Um, are there any uh comments of my
[01:02:41] colleagues? I do if I may, Mr. Mayor.
[01:02:43] So, uh, there are two items that I
[01:02:46] wanted to speak to on the consent
[01:02:48] calendar. Uh, first is uh, item number B
[01:02:52] and item B is receipt of annual reports
[01:02:56] from our, uh, various commissions. There
[01:02:58] are eight commissions that submitted
[01:03:00] annual reports to us today and there are
[01:03:03] 44 members uh of those commissions and I
[01:03:06] think it's important for us to take a
[01:03:08] moment and to say thank you to those
[01:03:11] commission members who volunteer their
[01:03:12] time to make this city a better place to
[01:03:16] live. And I wanted to take a moment and
[01:03:19] recognize them by reading the names of
[01:03:21] those commissioners who serve on the
[01:03:23] commissions who submitted their reports
[01:03:25] today. The Community Cultural
[01:03:26] Commission, Gayla Pressman, Guido
[01:03:28] Portante, Sally Trademan, Donna Maloof,
[01:03:30] and Frank Fino. On the Community
[01:03:32] Emergency Preparedness Commission, Mitch
[01:03:34] Brown, Caprice Leon, Ron Stillman, Tanya
[01:03:38] Haims, Gary Jones, and on the Community
[01:03:41] Parks and Trails Commission, Tim Esser,
[01:03:43] Dennis Constant, who is here in the
[01:03:45] chamber today, Warren Schneider, Eric
[01:03:47] Wright, and Nathan Jakru. on the
[01:03:49] historic preservation commission, Carol
[01:03:51] Liowitz, Frank Lopez, Christian Brown,
[01:03:55] Craig Tropé, and Kurt Penn. On the
[01:03:57] library and observatory advisory
[01:04:00] commission, Ron Treat, Don Stein, Dom
[01:04:03] Suma, Louise Lois Ree, and in memoriam,
[01:04:07] as uh council member O'Keeffe mentioned
[01:04:10] a few moments ago, Steve Ezer, many of
[01:04:12] us who sit on this DAS uh went to Steve
[01:04:16] Eer's memorial service yesterday. Steve
[01:04:18] was the chairman of the library and
[01:04:21] observatory uh uh advisory commission
[01:04:23] over the past year. He was dedicated to
[01:04:25] the library. He was a great public
[01:04:27] servant to this city. And Steve, we will
[01:04:28] miss you on the uh library library and
[01:04:32] observatory foundation board. Rob Moon,
[01:04:34] Lucy Tagmire, Christine Hughes, uh
[01:04:36] Leslie Usau, Patrice Merritt, Peter
[01:04:39] Samuels, James SOA, Gary Gton, and Mary
[01:04:43] Willis Yoshioa on the planning
[01:04:45] commission. Murray Bryant, David Gray,
[01:04:47] Mark Curran, Pam Chanter, and Jason
[01:04:49] Augustine. And then our traffic safety
[01:04:51] commission, Gary Frell, Michael Ziskind,
[01:04:54] Steve Shuy, Owen Macintosh, and Pet
[01:04:56] Peter Javier. I think it's appropriate
[01:04:58] for us to take a moment and say thank
[01:04:59] you to all of them for their service to
[01:05:01] our city. Thank you very much to all of
[01:05:03] them. And again, in memoriam, thank you
[01:05:04] to C Steve Ezer. The last item that I
[01:05:06] want to talk about is item uh number
[01:05:09] six, I'm sorry, uh C, which is
[01:05:11] contracts. Specifically item five on the
[01:05:14] contracts uh that we are approving today
[01:05:16] which is the flock safety contract. That
[01:05:20] is the a contract renewal for
[01:05:22] approximately 100 automated license
[01:05:25] plate readers that are strategically
[01:05:27] located throughout the city. Now these
[01:05:29] cameras do exactly what the name says.
[01:05:33] They read license plates. If a vehicle
[01:05:36] has been used in committing a crime,
[01:05:38] that vehicle can be quickly identified
[01:05:41] through the ALPR system. And this system
[01:05:44] is of great value to law enforcement.
[01:05:47] Our law enforcement teams, our
[01:05:49] enforcement teams tell us that this is
[01:05:51] one of the most important tools in their
[01:05:54] crime fighting toolbox. And one of the
[01:05:56] most important jobs of any city council
[01:05:59] is public safety. And that's exactly
[01:06:02] what these ALPRs are designed to do. and
[01:06:04] I am delighted to approve to cast my
[01:06:07] vote yes on the consent calendar today
[01:06:09] because this is one of the items that is
[01:06:12] on that consent calendar and this is one
[01:06:13] of the items that helps keep our city
[01:06:16] safe. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you,
[01:06:18] Steve. Well, well
[01:06:20] done. Are there any other uh council
[01:06:23] comments regarding the consent
[01:06:27] calendar? Let's see. No other comments.
[01:06:29] May I have a motion to approve the
[01:06:31] consent calendar? Motion to approve the
[01:06:32] consent calendar, Mr. Mayor. Second.
[01:06:35] There's a motion and a second. Please
[01:06:36] vote.
[01:06:40] Motion carries. 5-0. Consent calendar is
[01:06:44] approved. We will now go to the public
[01:06:47] hearings. And the first
[01:06:49] item is regarding section 31 the town
[01:06:54] center uh the environmental assessment
[01:06:57] case number
[01:07:01] EA24-000012. And that will be presented
[01:07:04] by
[01:07:05] um Polar Fleshroode, our senior planner.
[01:07:10] Polar, if you would, please. Thank you,
[01:07:13] mayor, and good afternoon, members of
[01:07:14] the city council.
[01:07:16] I have for your consideration
[01:07:18] environmental assessment case number
[01:07:23] EA24-000012 and tenative track map case
[01:07:26] number
[01:07:29] TTM24-00004 TTM
[01:07:32] 38990 a request from MSA Consulting Inc.
[01:07:38] The project site lies about 650 ft south
[01:07:41] of Monterey Avenue and Gerald Ford Drive
[01:07:44] within the section 31 specific plan
[01:07:47] commonly known as Cotino. Phase one of
[01:07:50] the Cotino Town Center is out underway
[01:07:52] with infrastructure, streets, parking,
[01:07:54] and commercial buildings already
[01:07:56] approved. Projects include the north
[01:07:59] restaurant and artisan village which
[01:08:01] will offer dining, retail and office
[01:08:03] uses. Infrastructure construction
[01:08:06] continues to support the
[01:08:09] buildout. This finance and conveyance
[01:08:12] map will subdivide
[01:08:13] 72.88 acres into 23 parcels for
[01:08:17] ownership transfer and financing
[01:08:19] purposes only. It is intended to
[01:08:21] facilitate ownership transitions and
[01:08:24] align with ongoing developments within
[01:08:26] the Cotino Town Center, ensuring
[01:08:28] consistency with prior approvals and
[01:08:30] development conditions. No new
[01:08:33] construction or vertical development is
[01:08:35] permitted on the newly created parcels
[01:08:36] without separate entitlement
[01:08:38] approvals. TTM
[01:08:41] 38990 aligns with previous approvals and
[01:08:44] consolidates prior lot line adjustments
[01:08:46] as well as supports mixeduse parcels,
[01:08:49] private streets, a lagoon, a public
[01:08:51] beach and also simplifies legal
[01:08:53] descriptions that ensures
[01:08:56] consistency as a financing map. It plays
[01:08:58] a key role in facilitating ongoing
[01:09:00] development and remains closely tied to
[01:09:02] previously approved entitlements and
[01:09:04] development
[01:09:06] conditions. The project was reviewed
[01:09:09] under SQUA and does not introduce new
[01:09:11] impacts beyond those covered in the
[01:09:12] certified EIR for section 31 specific
[01:09:15] plan. As such, it is exempt from further
[01:09:18] review under SQA guidelines section
[01:09:22] 15162. To date, no public comments have
[01:09:25] been received. The planning commission
[01:09:27] recommended approval on March 13,
[01:09:30] 2025. Staff recommends that the city
[01:09:33] council make the motion as shown on the
[01:09:36] screen. This concludes staff's
[01:09:38] presentation. Staff and the applicant
[01:09:40] are available to answer any questions.
[01:09:42] Thank you.
[01:09:44] Thank you,
[01:09:45] Polar. Are there any uh public comments?
[01:09:49] Thank you. I did not receive any speaker
[01:09:51] cards on this item. Is there anyone in
[01:09:52] the audience who would like to speak on
[01:09:54] 7A?
[01:09:56] No speakers.
[01:09:58] Are there any colleague
[01:10:00] comments? I will say this, this is very
[01:10:03] exciting.
[01:10:05] Um I I maintain
[01:10:08] that the success of this area is
[01:10:14] immeasurable that it it is going to be
[01:10:17] beyond uh the comprehension of any of
[01:10:20] us. I think in time when this is
[01:10:23] developed uh when it's fully in blossom
[01:10:28] in blossom and the commercial activities
[01:10:32] are alive and running and you've got
[01:10:35] restaurants and coffee shops and
[01:10:37] recreational activities all looking over
[01:10:40] this magnificent body of water. It is
[01:10:43] going to be a boom for the city of
[01:10:47] Rancho Mirage. So I just think it's
[01:10:50] extremely exciting and I thank you for
[01:10:53] being here. I thank the developer for
[01:10:55] being here, DMB, the architect as well
[01:11:00] and uh I think you both have done a
[01:11:02] great job. So thank you so much for
[01:11:05] being here. Uh before I call for a vote
[01:11:09] uh last minute, are there any other
[01:11:11] questions? I just want to thank as well
[01:11:13] uh the two folks who are here. Mary
[01:11:15] Alexander from DMBB. Thank you for being
[01:11:18] here today. Even though you haven't had
[01:11:19] an opportunity to speak about uh this
[01:11:21] the good work that you're doing at uh at
[01:11:22] Cino, but thank you for being here
[01:11:24] today. And Paul Dilatus from MSA
[01:11:26] Consulting. I think it's important for
[01:11:27] us to recognize that you are here today
[01:11:29] with this item on our agenda. So, thanks
[01:11:30] for being here.
[01:11:33] Okay. If there are no other uh comments,
[01:11:36] I will call for a motion.
[01:11:38] I'll make the motion that the city
[01:11:40] council approve the filing of notice of
[01:11:42] exemption based on environmental
[01:11:44] assessment case number
[01:11:48] EA24-000012 and pursuant to the
[01:11:50] California Environmental Quality Act SQA
[01:11:54] guidelines section
[01:11:56] 15162 subsequent EIRS and negative
[01:12:00] declarations and two approve tenative
[01:12:04] track map case number TTM to
[01:12:09] 4-004
[01:12:12] TTM38990 subject to the conditions of
[01:12:15] approval and based on the content and
[01:12:17] findings in the staff report. I am
[01:12:19] delighted to second anything that has to
[01:12:21] do with Cino. There's a motion and a
[01:12:23] second. Please vote.
[01:12:27] Motion carries 5.
[01:12:30] And the mo the issue is approved. We
[01:12:33] will go down to next item 7B is the ex
[01:12:38] extension of time case number
[01:12:42] ET25- triple02 and the applicant is
[01:12:45] Bravo Holdings and again this will be
[01:12:49] presented by Polar if you would. Thank
[01:12:52] you mayor. I have for your consideration
[01:12:55] an extension of time for tenitic track
[01:12:58] map
[01:13:01] TTM22-00002 TTM
[01:13:03] 38222 a residential subdivision request
[01:13:06] from Bravo
[01:13:08] Properties. The 10acre site is located
[01:13:11] along the east side of Vista Dul Soul
[01:13:13] just east of Eisenhower Medical Center
[01:13:15] and west of Vista Dunes Road.
[01:13:19] The city council previously approved
[01:13:21] this eight lot gated subdivision on May
[01:13:23] 18th, 2023. The 10acre site includes a
[01:13:27] culde-sac street retention basin and a
[01:13:30] landscape parkway along Vista Dul Soul
[01:13:32] with access from Bravo Dreams Lane.
[01:13:35] Entry features include a white block
[01:13:37] wall, slate gray accent columns, and an
[01:13:40] automatic metal gate. The project
[01:13:43] exceeds landscape requirements,
[01:13:45] featuring a 17 foot wide parkway with
[01:13:47] date palms, fruitless olives, and desert
[01:13:49] adaptive plants along with desert rocks
[01:13:53] that add a low water use design that
[01:13:55] enhance the overall
[01:13:57] streetscape. The applicant is requesting
[01:13:59] a one-year extension, the first of up to
[01:14:01] three allowed, due to delays in securing
[01:14:04] approvals from the Coachella Valley
[01:14:05] Water District. If approved, the new
[01:14:08] expiration date would be May 18, 2026.
[01:14:13] As part of this extension request,
[01:14:15] several conditions of approval have been
[01:14:17] updated. Conditions 9 and 10 have been
[01:14:19] removed since these items are now
[01:14:21] complete. Condition 4 has been revised
[01:14:23] to reflect the new expiration date of
[01:14:25] May 18,
[01:14:27] 2026. A new condition 17A has been
[01:14:30] added, stating the grading permits may
[01:14:32] not be issued prior to vertical
[01:14:34] development entitlements unless approved
[01:14:36] by the public works or development
[01:14:38] services director.
[01:14:40] The project remains consistent with the
[01:14:42] original SQA determination. No new
[01:14:44] environmental impacts have been
[01:14:46] identified that would require further
[01:14:48] review. To date, we have not received
[01:14:51] any public comments. The planning
[01:14:53] commission recommended approval of the
[01:14:55] extension on March 13,
[01:14:58] 2025. Staff recommends that the city
[01:15:00] council make the motion as shown on the
[01:15:03] screen. This concludes staff's
[01:15:05] presentation. and staff and the
[01:15:07] applicants representative are available
[01:15:08] to answer any questions. Thank you.
[01:15:11] Thank you, Polar. Are there any public
[01:15:13] comments? I did not receive any speaker
[01:15:16] cards. Is there anyone that would like
[01:15:17] to speak on item
[01:15:19] 7B? No speakers. Thank you. Uh do any of
[01:15:23] my colleagues have any comments
[01:15:25] regarding this item? I do, Mr. Mayor. I
[01:15:28] guess it doesn't surprise me that we see
[01:15:31] a delay in a project having to do with
[01:15:34] the
[01:15:35] CVWD. So, Pillar, can you tell us any of
[01:15:38] the specifics about what the delay is
[01:15:40] about? Yes. So, the applicant has shared
[01:15:43] with us that their team has submitted
[01:15:45] some items to CBWD, but due to their
[01:15:48] review timelines, they're not quite
[01:15:50] going to make it to the May 18th
[01:15:52] expiration date. So, they're requesting
[01:15:54] this one-year extension to have a a
[01:15:56] better understanding of it. Okay. So, at
[01:15:58] the moment, it simply has to do with the
[01:16:00] time frame in which CVWD can uh can make
[01:16:04] their approval. Uh at least as far as we
[01:16:07] know today, the CVWD is not asking for
[01:16:10] any additional infrastructure to be
[01:16:12] built in order for this project to move
[01:16:14] forward. There there is infrastructure
[01:16:17] um that's going to be built out uh a
[01:16:20] part of Vista Dul Soul where this
[01:16:22] project is going. They're going to have
[01:16:23] to extend I believe the sewer and water
[01:16:25] lines. Um the pro the project's
[01:16:28] representative would be better able to
[01:16:30] answer those but there is some
[01:16:31] infrastructure that's going to be
[01:16:33] extended. Okay. Um I'd like to hear from
[01:16:36] from the the project to tell us what
[01:16:39] this is issue tell us a little a little
[01:16:41] more about this issue with the CBWD and
[01:16:43] why you're delayed because of them.
[01:16:46] Hi, my name is Dustin Napp and I am the
[01:16:48] consultant for this project. Um, we have
[01:16:51] delays from CVWD for hydraulic modeling
[01:16:54] that we need to do for engineering. Um,
[01:16:57] it's taken them 4 months just for them
[01:16:59] to go out and do a hydraulic study for
[01:17:01] us because they are so backed up. So, so
[01:17:04] that puts us into our engineering firm.
[01:17:06] So, our engineering firm is working on
[01:17:08] the plans now for sewer and water that
[01:17:10] is going on site. Um thank you for cino
[01:17:13] for putting in the sewer but uh but um
[01:17:17] anyways um now we are working on plans
[01:17:20] for plan check and we are we are being
[01:17:22] told it's at least once we submit to
[01:17:24] them there's four to six months out
[01:17:26] before they can get us a even our first
[01:17:29] comments. So that's where we're at. Four
[01:17:30] to six months out. Sounds like you might
[01:17:32] be here a year from now asking for
[01:17:33] another extension. I hope not but yes my
[01:17:35] client is all right. Well, thanks for
[01:17:36] coming today. Thank you. Thank you.
[01:17:40] Unfortunately, Dusty, this is uh an
[01:17:43] issue that is not uh new to either you
[01:17:47] or us on a number of
[01:17:50] projects. Uh there is this unfortunately
[01:17:55] uh backlog at the
[01:17:59] CVWD. Uh any other comments by any
[01:18:02] colleagues of any
[01:18:04] kind? Seeing no other comments, I'll
[01:18:06] call for a motion.
[01:18:08] I'll make the
[01:18:10] motion. I move um that we um extend the
[01:18:15] that we grant the approval of a one-year
[01:18:16] extension of time
[01:18:19] ET25-00002 for tenative track map case
[01:18:22] number
[01:18:25] TTM22-002 TTM 38222. It's a lot of twos.
[01:18:29] Subject to the conditions of approval
[01:18:31] and based on the content and findings in
[01:18:33] the attached staff report. Second.
[01:18:35] There's a motion and a second. Please
[01:18:37] vote.
[01:18:40] Motion carries 5-0. And the motion is
[01:18:44] approved. We will prepare to go into a
[01:18:47] recess for close session. Before that,
[01:18:50] I'll ask our council to re review any
[01:18:54] items on the agenda.
[01:18:59] Uh we do have a request uh to speak on
[01:19:02] the close session. So, uh Brad, would
[01:19:04] you are you still here?
[01:19:06] I think he left. Seeing that he left,
[01:19:09] uh, I guess that we can move forward.
[01:19:13] Thank you, mayor. We'll be convening
[01:19:15] into close session for the item before
[01:19:16] you, listed as 8A, conference with legal
[01:19:19] counsel, potential initiation of
[01:19:21] litigation, pursuant to government code
[01:19:23] section
[01:19:27] 54956.9D4, one potential case.
[01:19:31] Thank you. Uh, we are now in uh, recess.
[01:19:44] Okay, we are back in session. I will ask
[01:19:46] uh the city attorney to review any of
[01:19:49] the items that were covered in close
[01:19:50] session. Thank you, mayor. No reportable
[01:19:53] action taken today.
[01:19:55] This
[01:19:57] the meeting is now concluded and uh we
[01:20:01] are adjourned.