Rancho Mirage City Council Meeting, June 18, 2025

Transcript text

AI transcript text.

[00:00:12] Good afternoon and welcome.
[00:00:16] This is the adjourned regular meeting of
[00:00:20] the rancher city council and community
[00:00:23] services district energy authority
[00:00:26] housing authority joint powers finance
[00:00:32] library and observatory and
[00:00:34] redevelopment successor agency boards.
[00:00:39] I would like you to join me now in a
[00:00:42] salute to our great country. Thank you.
[00:00:48] Please join me. I pledge allegiance to
[00:00:51] the flag of the United States of America
[00:00:54] and to the republic for which it stands,
[00:00:57] one nation under God, indivisible, with
[00:01:00] liberty and justice for all.
[00:01:06] Hey, we have a roll call, please.
[00:01:08] Council member DS, I'm here. Council
[00:01:11] member Framberg Edelstein here. Council
[00:01:13] member O'Keefe here. Mayor Prom Molatto
[00:01:16] here. Mayor While here.
[00:01:20] The uh
[00:01:22] first order of business today
[00:01:24] is a presentation
[00:01:27] to
[00:01:28] United Cable Policy Director of Donor
[00:01:31] Development Rebecca Rizzo. Rebecca,
[00:01:35] would you kindly meet me the front of
[00:01:57] glad to be here.
[00:02:00] Thank you. Thank you.
[00:02:10] Okay, I'll try.
[00:02:13] Um, Rebecca, this is a proclamation
[00:02:17] honoring United Cable Policy of the
[00:02:19] Inland EP Empire
[00:02:21] for your 40th anniversary.
[00:02:25] United Cerebable Policy of the Inulin
[00:02:27] Empire
[00:02:28] is a nonprofit organization that serves
[00:02:31] individuals with developmental
[00:02:34] disabilities
[00:02:36] and their families
[00:02:38] with dedication, compassion,
[00:02:41] and innovation for 40 years.
[00:02:46] Since the founding in 1985,
[00:02:49] UCP has committed to achieving
[00:02:52] independence,
[00:02:54] productivity, and full citizenship of
[00:02:58] people with cereable paly
[00:03:01] through a wide range of programs,
[00:03:06] enriching therapy services and adaptive
[00:03:10] sports educational workshops and respit
[00:03:14] care. UCP has created a vital community
[00:03:18] of support.
[00:03:20] UCP's community first approach has
[00:03:24] fostered regional partnerships,
[00:03:27] expanding success, vital services, and
[00:03:31] champion
[00:03:33] a stalward commitment to inclusion and
[00:03:38] opportunity.
[00:03:41] UCB's commitment to advocacy and
[00:03:43] empowerment has strengthened our
[00:03:45] community's social fabric.
[00:03:49] Rebecca, the city of Rancho Mirage
[00:03:52] commends UCP
[00:03:54] for the four decades of lifechanging
[00:03:58] impact and celebrates its legacy of
[00:04:01] compassion, perseverance and service.
[00:04:06] UCB policy of in the Inland Empire 40th
[00:04:11] anniversary. In witness thereof, I hand
[00:04:15] you this proclamation signed by the
[00:04:18] mayor and also the city clerk. We're
[00:04:22] very proud of you. Thank you for being
[00:04:24] here today. Thank you. We love this.
[00:04:27] Thank you. We appreciate this. We help
[00:04:32] families with special needs, not just
[00:04:33] cerebral palsy, because we're more than
[00:04:35] just our name, because we actually serve
[00:04:36] those that have autism, cerebral palsy,
[00:04:39] down syndrome, epilepsy, and other
[00:04:40] neurological delays. So, just want to
[00:04:42] make sure you know of anybody who might
[00:04:44] need our services, please look us up.
[00:04:46] Thank you. Well, this is particularly
[00:04:48] important for me, Rebecca, because
[00:04:51] going back to 1949,
[00:04:55] I had a niece
[00:04:57] uh that was born with an unknown
[00:05:01] u issue. Uh my aunt had contracted
[00:05:06] measles during her pregnancy. At that
[00:05:09] time, they didn't know that this was a
[00:05:11] cause of brain damage.
[00:05:14] And that was the formation of cerebopal
[00:05:17] paly. And so uh the organization itself
[00:05:21] has always been very important to me and
[00:05:24] my family. And so it gives me a double
[00:05:28] honor to present this to you today.
[00:05:30] Thank you for being here. You're
[00:05:32] welcome. Thank you.
[00:05:36] [Applause]
[00:06:00] Okay. Um, I will now ask for council
[00:06:04] member comments. Starting on my right
[00:06:08] with council member DS.
[00:06:11] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, uh, we were
[00:06:12] just at a lunchon meeting before this
[00:06:15] and I learned something interesting
[00:06:16] about the day today. I learned this from
[00:06:18] Julie Olaf, who is the general manager
[00:06:20] of Sensei Porcupine Creek. I learned
[00:06:22] that today is National Martini Day. So,
[00:06:24] happy Martini Day to everyone. So, on a
[00:06:27] more serious note, uh, there are a few
[00:06:29] items that were in the news over the
[00:06:30] past week that I wanted to speak to
[00:06:32] today. So, as we know, there was a
[00:06:34] protest Saturday morning stretching
[00:06:36] along Highway 111 on either side of city
[00:06:38] hall and on both sides of the street.
[00:06:40] Now, according to the Desert Sun, there
[00:06:42] were some 2,000 attendees.
[00:06:44] Now, while the residents exercised their
[00:06:46] rights to assemble and to free speech,
[00:06:48] they did so respectfully and peacefully.
[00:06:51] The rights to assembly and free speech
[00:06:53] carry with them an obligation. It is the
[00:06:55] obligation to exercise those rights in a
[00:06:57] way that does not threaten the safety
[00:06:59] and the civil liberties of others.
[00:07:01] Rancher Mirage residents demonstrated
[00:07:04] that they understand their rights and
[00:07:05] their obligations to others. I respect
[00:07:08] the expression of free speech and the
[00:07:09] opinions of those who protested and I
[00:07:12] much appreciate that our residents
[00:07:13] carried out their protest in a peaceful
[00:07:15] and respectful Rancher Mirage way.
[00:07:18] Second thing I wanted to talk about is
[00:07:19] that uh many residents saw a news report
[00:07:22] on KESQ News Channel 3 about the yellow
[00:07:26] tagging of an apartment building here in
[00:07:28] the city. Code compliance tagged the
[00:07:30] building due to unsafe conditions. This
[00:07:32] happens rarely, but yellow tagging a
[00:07:35] building means that continued occupancy
[00:07:38] is a danger to residents and so the
[00:07:41] residents had to move out of the
[00:07:43] building. You may also have seen on the
[00:07:45] report that the owner or property
[00:07:47] manager was a day or so late in
[00:07:50] providing legally required financial
[00:07:52] relocation help to the residents. But
[00:07:54] that required help has been paid to
[00:07:57] assist the residents in relocating. It's
[00:07:59] important to recognize our city staff
[00:08:01] for first reacting promptly to a
[00:08:04] complaint about the property. Second,
[00:08:06] assisting building residents with their
[00:08:07] tenant relocation benefit rights. Now,
[00:08:09] it's rare that we have this kind of
[00:08:11] problem in our city, but it's important
[00:08:12] to have staff. They re react swiftly and
[00:08:14] efficiently. So, thank you to code
[00:08:16] compliance staff in handling this
[00:08:18] situation promptly and to the benefit of
[00:08:20] the affected residents. The last thing I
[00:08:22] wanted to speak to today uh is a recent
[00:08:25] article that appeared in the Desert Sun
[00:08:27] reporting that the United States
[00:08:29] Department of Justice recently re
[00:08:31] released an opinion stating that the
[00:08:33] president has the authority to undo or
[00:08:34] descertify national monuments. This
[00:08:37] decision is at odds with decades of
[00:08:39] accepted president protecting our
[00:08:42] national monuments. Now, the Department
[00:08:44] of Justice document specifically cites a
[00:08:48] recently commissioned Chakala National
[00:08:50] Monument as a candidate for the scrap
[00:08:52] heap. Now, I'm not here today to get
[00:08:54] into a debate about the right or lack
[00:08:57] thereof of a president to scrap a
[00:08:59] national monument. Although such a
[00:09:01] concept does seem a little unusual to
[00:09:03] me. Imagine a president def
[00:09:04] descertifying Fort Mckenry where Francis
[00:09:07] Scott Key wrote uh the Star Spangle
[00:09:10] Banner or George Washington's birthplace
[00:09:13] or Mure Woods, home of the giant
[00:09:15] redwoods or the Statue of Liberty. All
[00:09:19] national monuments. What I do suggest is
[00:09:21] that the co the Chucka National Monument
[00:09:24] is a remarkable natural resource in our
[00:09:26] region. I suggest that Coachella Valley
[00:09:28] residents let our elected US
[00:09:30] representatives know that we are
[00:09:32] steadfast in our support for the
[00:09:34] protection of a great new national
[00:09:36] monument. This is a 624,000 acre
[00:09:38] monument to the immediate east of the
[00:09:40] Coachella Valley that had broad
[00:09:42] bipartisan support when it was created
[00:09:44] last year. Many of our local elected
[00:09:46] officials traveled to Washington DC for
[00:09:49] the ceremony creating Chuck Wallace. So,
[00:09:52] let's let our politicians in Washington
[00:09:54] know that we want this remarkable new
[00:09:57] national monument protected. Thank you,
[00:09:59] Mr. Mayor. Thank you very much. Uh,
[00:10:03] Mayor Pro Tam Matto. Thank you, Mr.
[00:10:06] Mayor. No comments today. Okay. And down
[00:10:09] to my left, E from Bergett. I just
[00:10:13] wanted to say even though it is National
[00:10:15] Martini Day, these glasses still only
[00:10:17] have water in them. So, damn. We're
[00:10:21] hydrating. We're hydrating. Okay. Uh I
[00:10:23] just wanted to simply say because I
[00:10:24] believe finally all the graduations
[00:10:26] across the state of California and the
[00:10:28] country might be over. Congratulations
[00:10:30] to the class of 2025 wherever they are
[00:10:32] graduating from and moving on to. It is
[00:10:36] a huge accomplishment at whatever level
[00:10:38] you have uh graduated and are ascending
[00:10:41] to. And I think our city's really proud,
[00:10:43] especially obviously of the Rattlers at
[00:10:45] uh uh Rancharrage High School, Palm
[00:10:48] Valley School's graduating class, and um
[00:10:51] and probably fifth graders at
[00:10:54] Rancharrage Elementary. So, I just
[00:10:56] wanted to say that. Thank you, Mr.
[00:10:57] Mayor. Yes, there's a lot of people u
[00:10:59] that are going out into society and we
[00:11:03] we wish them all the best. Absolutely.
[00:11:07] Uh Council Member O'Keefe. Thank you,
[00:11:10] Mr. Mayor. Um, I think it's important
[00:11:13] that we all celebrate Junth tomorrow,
[00:11:15] which is why we're meeting here today.
[00:11:17] It's important the ending of slavery in
[00:11:20] our country. I think it's important that
[00:11:23] we celebrate Pride Month this month. We
[00:11:25] celebrate Father's Day this month. And I
[00:11:28] hope all of you will join us for the
[00:11:30] spectacular Fourth of July celebration
[00:11:33] uh at the Awakali Kalienti Casino that
[00:11:36] partners with our city so we can
[00:11:39] celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy in
[00:11:41] our country. Have a good summer. Stay
[00:11:43] cool. Stay hydrated. Thank you, Mr.
[00:11:46] Mayor.
[00:11:47] Thank you. I think the uh the hydration
[00:11:50] probably is about as important as
[00:11:53] anything. I mean, you know, uh if you
[00:11:56] talk to anybody at,
[00:11:59] uh the emergency room or the urgent care
[00:12:02] facilities,
[00:12:04] uh the vast majority of the people that
[00:12:06] attend,
[00:12:08] uh and I think our certainly our Calire
[00:12:12] can attest to that as well as our
[00:12:16] sheriffs is generally dehydration.
[00:12:20] That probably is the single biggest
[00:12:23] cause So, drink a lot of water. I know I
[00:12:26] get a lot of u I'll get stickers from my
[00:12:30] colleagues about this. My wife is going
[00:12:33] to constantly say to me, I don't see you
[00:12:36] sipping enough water when you're on the
[00:12:38] dis. Um even though I make my own
[00:12:42] decisions about
[00:12:44] about that. So, anyway, stay hydrated.
[00:12:48] Um,
[00:12:51] we will now go directly to the city
[00:12:53] manager uh comments and or if he has any
[00:12:58] and then proceed to the consent
[00:13:01] calendar.
[00:13:03] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, no comments
[00:13:05] today, so I will jump right to the
[00:13:07] consent calendar. Uh, the council has
[00:13:09] three items on the consent calendar for
[00:13:11] their consideration. Item 5 A is the
[00:13:15] approval of the June 5th, 2025 regular
[00:13:18] city council meeting minutes. Item 5B is
[00:13:22] the uh to adopt a resolution uh next in
[00:13:25] order uh for the city's updated calendar
[00:13:29] year 2025 salary schedule. Item 5C are
[00:13:33] the approval of demands and staff is
[00:13:35] available for any questions. Before we
[00:13:36] go to council questions or comments,
[00:13:38] I'll ask the city clerk to take public
[00:13:40] comment. Thank you. I did not receive
[00:13:42] any speaker cards. Is there anyone in
[00:13:43] the audience who would like to speak
[00:13:44] regarding the consent calendar? No
[00:13:47] speakers.
[00:13:49] Thank you. Uh are there any council
[00:13:51] comments regarding the consent calendar?
[00:13:54] Move to approve the consent calendar.
[00:13:57] There's a motion to a second. Is there a
[00:13:59] second? Second. There's a motion in a
[00:14:01] second. Please vote.
[00:14:08] Motion carries 5. Thank you.
[00:14:12] Uh we will now go to the action calendar
[00:14:17] and uh we have one item on the uh
[00:14:21] schedule today and that's regarding the
[00:14:24] multi- agency participation agreement
[00:14:27] with the Coachella Valley Association of
[00:14:29] Governments
[00:14:31] uh CVAG
[00:14:33] for regional traffic signal
[00:14:36] synchronization program. a very
[00:14:38] important program, one that allows us
[00:14:41] traver traverse throughout the valley uh
[00:14:46] with a minimum of discomfort, with a
[00:14:49] minimum of delay. Uh and it's a great
[00:14:52] program and that will be presented by
[00:14:54] Ryan Stendelle, our director of public
[00:14:57] work, if you would. Absolutely, mayor
[00:15:00] and council members. Um good afternoon
[00:15:02] while I wait for the PowerPoint
[00:15:03] presentation to come up. All right. Um
[00:15:08] very briefly just uh a little
[00:15:09] housekeeping. Um my presentation this
[00:15:12] afternoon again is a request or a
[00:15:14] recommendation from staff to consider
[00:15:16] joining the CVYNC program, a regional uh
[00:15:19] intelligent transportation system uh
[00:15:22] that has been run regionally through the
[00:15:24] Coachella Valley Associations of
[00:15:25] Government. Uh my PowerPoint will
[00:15:28] largely follow the format of the staff
[00:15:30] report included with the packet. Uh let
[00:15:32] me give you a little bit of background
[00:15:33] on why we're so in love with synchroniz
[00:15:35] synchronization efforts. I'll give you a
[00:15:37] bit of history on how both agencies have
[00:15:39] been tackling essentially the same issue
[00:15:42] and then maybe spend a minute on uh why
[00:15:44] now why do we believe now is the right
[00:15:46] time to be having this discussion. Um if
[00:15:49] anybody in the audience or or watching
[00:15:51] at home is curious about uh
[00:15:53] synchronization traffic synchronization
[00:15:55] this is um really not as complicated as
[00:15:58] we might make it sound. It's a lot of
[00:16:00] fiber optic cable in the ground that's
[00:16:02] connecting our traffic signals back to a
[00:16:05] very large computer uh that can
[00:16:07] calculate intervals of travel um by
[00:16:11] being able to coordinate traffic
[00:16:13] regionally. Uh I've included some of the
[00:16:16] benefits on the screen here. We can
[00:16:17] improve traffic flow. We can shorten
[00:16:20] your travel time. Um the big one for
[00:16:22] many of the grant funds out there are
[00:16:24] the emission reductions. By keeping
[00:16:26] traffic flowing and reducing stop go,
[00:16:28] you can have a lower emissions um pushed
[00:16:32] out. Um enhance safety. There's plenty
[00:16:35] of statistic that demonstrate that a um
[00:16:37] coordinated traffic system relates to
[00:16:40] fewer collisions and enhanced uh safety
[00:16:42] efforts. A lot of these computer systems
[00:16:45] can add um enhanced pedestrian and
[00:16:49] bicycle safety um programs. Um, it's
[00:16:53] much more coste effective than
[00:16:54] continually trying to expand roadways
[00:16:57] and ultimately leads to a better public
[00:17:00] perception when you're not stop go stop
[00:17:02] go stop go through the nine valley
[00:17:03] cities
[00:17:06] certainly not through rancher mirage has
[00:17:08] never been our experience.
[00:17:11] So, background on the city's efforts.
[00:17:14] Um, as best I could tell from records,
[00:17:17] staff started looking into our program
[00:17:20] back as far as 2011 or 12. But in 2016,
[00:17:23] a major milestone hit. We were awarded a
[00:17:26] highway safety improvement program, a
[00:17:28] federal grant that funded phase 1
[00:17:31] inclusive of highway 111, Bob Hope,
[00:17:34] Monterey Avenue, which is a shared
[00:17:36] corridor with Palm Desert and portions
[00:17:38] of Country Club Drive and Frank Sinatra
[00:17:40] Drive. Um what I've included on the left
[00:17:42] is just a diagram diagrammatic map
[00:17:45] showing which streets and for lac for
[00:17:48] layman's uh each one of those corridors
[00:17:50] has fiber optic fiber optic cable
[00:17:53] connecting each traffic signal back to
[00:17:56] these boxes uh that we see on
[00:17:59] intersections which connect back to our
[00:18:01] corporation yard which allows us to
[00:18:03] manage the system
[00:18:06] based on the results. Uh we sorry go
[00:18:08] back real quick. We went live in uh
[00:18:10] April of 2021. So, we've been active now
[00:18:13] for some time. Uh we have pre-engineered
[00:18:16] um traffic timing sheets which allow
[00:18:19] staff to tinker with the system within
[00:18:21] programmed parameters. Um and we've
[00:18:23] become very effective with having
[00:18:26] programs for uh during peak period
[00:18:28] traffic, off- peak period traffic, and
[00:18:30] even some of the summer months when we
[00:18:32] have less uh theoretically less
[00:18:34] residents in town.
[00:18:36] Based on the success of phase one in
[00:18:38] this current fiscal year, the city
[00:18:40] council had authorized dollars in our
[00:18:42] capital budget to continue design on
[00:18:45] phase two uh which would encompass the
[00:18:47] balance of arter arterial roadways in
[00:18:50] the city. This is Raone Dinosaur, Gerald
[00:18:53] Ford, Frank Sinatra, Country Club and
[00:18:57] Deval Drive. Uh we are largely complete
[00:19:00] with construction drawings. Our current
[00:19:02] engineers estimate is uh nearing $13
[00:19:04] million. costs have certainly escalated
[00:19:06] on projects of this nature. Um what
[00:19:09] you're seeing on this on the screen on
[00:19:10] the left is just a single line diagram
[00:19:13] showing redundancy loops uh to make sure
[00:19:17] that we can if we ever dropped one fiber
[00:19:19] line. These are designed to have
[00:19:20] redundancy built in so that we can keep
[00:19:22] traffic moving even if we lost one piece
[00:19:25] of equipment.
[00:19:30] So where has CAG been on their program?
[00:19:32] Um like uh the city's program, they
[00:19:35] started their work uh approximately the
[00:19:37] same time, 2015, and they've been
[00:19:39] ongoing ever since. Phase 1 went
[00:19:41] operational in 2023, a couple years
[00:19:43] after ours. Phase 1, if you can see the
[00:19:46] colors on the screen, the light blue is
[00:19:50] inclusive of Highway 111, Washington
[00:19:52] Street, and Raone. Um they are under
[00:19:55] construction currently on phase two
[00:19:58] which adds approximately 49 additional
[00:20:00] regional roadways to the system
[00:20:02] indicated by the pinkish purple color on
[00:20:05] screen. Uh the program stats as of today
[00:20:08] according to um uh Jonathan and and
[00:20:11] their website the program encompasses
[00:20:14] 372 traffic signals and uh does have two
[00:20:17] additional phases that are in design.
[00:20:20] Um,
[00:20:23] let's move forward. So, uh, I don't I
[00:20:26] didn't want to spend a ton of time on
[00:20:28] um, you know, how we got here, but the
[00:20:32] advantages of why we might pre
[00:20:34] presenting this now at this time. Um,
[00:20:37] what I've I've kind of done is
[00:20:39] identified the three main reasons that
[00:20:41] we're honing in on. As both of the
[00:20:43] systems have sort of grown up, as we've
[00:20:46] become better at managing uh both
[00:20:48] agencies, we find ourselves
[00:20:49] collaborating uh CAVG to Ranch Mirage
[00:20:52] staff sometimes daily. Uh the systems
[00:20:55] interact as you come into Ranch Mirage
[00:20:56] and as you leave Rancher Mirage and it's
[00:20:59] often a staff member on either side of
[00:21:01] the equation would suggest a smite a
[00:21:03] small tweak in the system and we are
[00:21:05] working together often to make sure that
[00:21:08] uh as people enter and exit Ranch Mirage
[00:21:11] uh it happens smoothly and within our
[00:21:13] timing sheets. Additionally, um as this
[00:21:17] council knows from previous actions, uh
[00:21:20] we have some leased space at our
[00:21:22] corporation yard that CVYNC is going to
[00:21:24] op um um occupy for a regional
[00:21:28] transportation management center. Uh and
[00:21:31] which will further enhance that
[00:21:32] collaboration by sharing the same space.
[00:21:34] Our teams are going to be talking daily
[00:21:36] as they're having their uh you know
[00:21:39] water cooler discussions and
[00:21:40] implementing timing throughout the
[00:21:41] valley. And then lastly, which some
[00:21:44] might suggest is the more important, but
[00:21:46] um you know, regional funding resources.
[00:21:49] Uh you've probably heard every one of us
[00:21:53] staff members talk about funds that we
[00:21:55] used to have. Um it's been challenging
[00:21:58] in the last decade as uh resources that
[00:22:01] used to be available to the cities have
[00:22:03] kind of evaporated up to the state
[00:22:05] level. and it's just a challenge to
[00:22:07] create these regional or large local
[00:22:10] programs uh to just to fund them
[00:22:13] anymore. So, CAVAG has funding resources
[00:22:16] that go far beyond what the city is able
[00:22:18] to apply for. Uh we do not compete well
[00:22:21] for some of these pots of money. Um and
[00:22:23] if there is one thing that uh CEAG is
[00:22:26] sort of very uh excels at is going out
[00:22:29] there and finding a pot of money to fund
[00:22:30] these pro programs. The participation
[00:22:33] agreement attached to the staff report
[00:22:34] places CEAG in the lead of funding and
[00:22:37] maintaining and operating this system
[00:22:40] and leaves the city in control of
[00:22:43] managing and operating its daytoday
[00:22:46] um challenges. So, as noted in the staff
[00:22:49] report, if we had a traffic accident, if
[00:22:51] we had a special event, if we had a
[00:22:53] construction project, we do not lose any
[00:22:55] of our autonomy to go out and manage our
[00:22:57] network. Um, and furthermore, having the
[00:23:00] CVsync presence at the corporation yard,
[00:23:02] we believe would just enhance our
[00:23:04] management of our own uh, traffic
[00:23:05] network. So, anyways, with that, I don't
[00:23:07] want to spend too much more time on
[00:23:09] advantages. Um, that concludes my
[00:23:11] report. If there are any questions
[00:23:13] related to the program, myself and, uh,
[00:23:15] also Jonathan Hoy of CAG is in the
[00:23:17] audience. Uh, one of us would probably
[00:23:19] be uh, more than happy to answer any
[00:23:21] questions if the council has any.
[00:23:26] Thank Thank you. Ryan, I I'll say this.
[00:23:29] I'm I'm sure I'm not unique from this
[00:23:31] standpoint.
[00:23:33] And and Jonathan, thank you for being
[00:23:35] here, by the way, today. Um,
[00:23:39] many times I will have people comment
[00:23:42] about what a pleasure it is driving
[00:23:44] through Rancher Mirage
[00:23:47] uh that they end up hitting a bare
[00:23:50] minimum number of lights uh that they're
[00:23:54] able to uh traverse the city uh very
[00:23:59] well and and as the frankly as the
[00:24:03] director just pointed out uh you're
[00:24:05] saving an awful a lot of money as far as
[00:24:08] gas is concerned and fumes etc etc. So I
[00:24:14] feel very fortunate uh that we're in a
[00:24:16] city uh where we have uh take this kind
[00:24:21] of care and I'm also pleased with the
[00:24:25] collaboration with CEAG putting the two
[00:24:28] entities together in the in the same
[00:24:32] property is going to even increase the
[00:24:36] uh efficiency and cooperation.
[00:24:40] Uh so thank again thank you so much. Uh
[00:24:43] are there any public comments regarding
[00:24:46] this? I did not receive any speaker
[00:24:47] cards. Is there anyone in the audience?
[00:24:50] Okay. Please come to the podium and
[00:24:51] state your name.
[00:25:00] Afternoon. Good afternoon. Bill Reasonz,
[00:25:03] Rancho Mirage, and uh uh Mayor
[00:25:08] While, city staff, and uh council
[00:25:12] members. I just want to echo what uh
[00:25:14] Mayor Wild just said uh about uh the
[00:25:19] ease of driving through Rancho Mirage.
[00:25:21] Many I have to drive to uh Palm Springs
[00:25:24] every once in a while and uh many times
[00:25:28] I go from on highway 111 from Bob Hope
[00:25:33] to Cathedral City and through dozens of
[00:25:37] signals I never have to stop and I just
[00:25:40] want to congratulate uh what you're
[00:25:42] doing Ryan and Cag and thank you very
[00:25:46] much. I just wanted to echo what uh what
[00:25:48] you said mayor. Thank you Bill. We
[00:25:50] appreciate your comment. Is there anyone
[00:25:53] else who would like to comment? That was
[00:25:55] the only speaker. All right. Thank you.
[00:25:57] Are there any council comments? I do,
[00:26:00] Mr. Mayor. Um, I think Ryan, back in
[00:26:04] 2018, I think it was there was an
[00:26:06] opportunity for the city uh to join in
[00:26:08] with SEAC at the time and the city chose
[00:26:10] not to do it. And I believe the concerns
[00:26:12] were about two different programs being
[00:26:15] developed and whether they would be
[00:26:17] compatible and whether the standards of
[00:26:20] CAG would match the standards of Ranch
[00:26:23] Mirage. Uh, are you assured now that
[00:26:26] that that's not a problem?
[00:26:29] I'll take that one. Council member.
[00:26:31] Yeah. So, uh, you know, being right in
[00:26:33] the middle of a federal grant, you know,
[00:26:35] it takes years to get these projects
[00:26:37] through. Uh, there's a ton of planning
[00:26:40] that goes behind it. So, one, there was
[00:26:42] a little bit of a timing issue where it
[00:26:44] wasn't really very practical to stop
[00:26:45] what we were doing um and jeopardize a
[00:26:49] federal grant and years of
[00:26:51] synchronization before that program was
[00:26:54] going to come online. However, at the
[00:26:56] time, um, we did commit to working with
[00:27:00] SEAG, coordinating, and, uh, being a
[00:27:04] non- voting member on their committee
[00:27:06] that kind of flushes out issues with
[00:27:08] this system. So although we weren't um a
[00:27:12] participant in the fact that you know
[00:27:15] CAG was managing our traffic management
[00:27:17] center we did at the time commit to
[00:27:20] working with them coordinating opening
[00:27:23] up our system to them so they have view
[00:27:25] access into our system so that they can
[00:27:27] see our timing you know if they change
[00:27:29] something on their side you know they
[00:27:31] were telling us if we were changing
[00:27:33] something we were telling them so in
[00:27:35] essence you know kind of what's
[00:27:37] developed today which is what Ryan and
[00:27:39] was indicating in his presentation is,
[00:27:42] you know, the the two systems we've been
[00:27:44] synchronizing them now for several years
[00:27:47] and it's been working very well. And so,
[00:27:50] you know, this step is u probably more
[00:27:53] just of a
[00:27:56] formalizing
[00:27:58] that instead of trying to manage two
[00:28:00] systems, we will adopt the same
[00:28:02] equipment. we will fit in and now we
[00:28:05] won't have to run two different systems,
[00:28:08] one for the uh CV sync and then one in
[00:28:11] Rancho Mirage. So we think bringing this
[00:28:13] all under one umbrella from an equipment
[00:28:16] standpoint and the way it runs actually
[00:28:18] will probably remove and make it run
[00:28:21] that much smoother. Um so you know from
[00:28:23] my perspective
[00:28:25] um you know allowing us to have that
[00:28:28] time to see how the two systems work and
[00:28:30] then also uh being able to work with CAG
[00:28:33] over the last year on kind of what are
[00:28:36] the differences and you know how would
[00:28:38] we mesh these two systems together
[00:28:40] that's been a very valuable input from
[00:28:42] both CAG and from our team. Uh so we
[00:28:46] think this is just kind of the next step
[00:28:47] in working together uh to bring these uh
[00:28:50] two systems together. Now,
[00:28:53] thank you.
[00:28:55] Uh, are there any other questions? Uh, I
[00:28:58] have got a couple of questions if I may,
[00:28:59] Mr. Mayor. Please. So, um, help me
[00:29:02] understand if I, uh, if I'm correct
[00:29:04] about this. Uh, I believe that this, um,
[00:29:09] that joining the SEAG system adds an
[00:29:12] element of observation to our traffic
[00:29:17] control system that we might not have
[00:29:18] now. So uh in our system today it
[00:29:21] operates on a fiber system in the
[00:29:23] ground. Now that fiber system can't see
[00:29:26] what happens at an intersection but the
[00:29:28] CAG sync system operates on not only
[00:29:31] fiber in the ground but a camera system
[00:29:33] that can see what happens at
[00:29:34] intersections. So is it the case that
[00:29:36] this adds an additional element that we
[00:29:39] may not have had in the past? Is that
[00:29:40] correct?
[00:29:44] Yeah, I understand your point. I think
[00:29:46] the terminology uh so fiber is just an
[00:29:49] internet connection between the systems.
[00:29:51] So I think what you were describing was
[00:29:54] uh how do we detect vehicles, right? And
[00:29:57] so uh a lot of our intersections operate
[00:30:00] off a loop technology that's in the
[00:30:02] ground. So when the car pulls over it
[00:30:04] versus uh the primary uh um I guess
[00:30:09] piece of equipment and CV sync is a
[00:30:11] camera. And so the camera is like a
[00:30:14] virtual loop system. And you know where
[00:30:17] where the future is going in this is you
[00:30:21] know really we're all just kind of
[00:30:23] scratching the surface on this
[00:30:25] technology and kind of what's coming
[00:30:27] next in the future um is you know the
[00:30:30] really exciting stuff for uh I think our
[00:30:33] streets c crew and the people involved
[00:30:35] in this and what this technology will be
[00:30:37] able to do. Our our current system does
[00:30:39] utilize cameras, but uh I guess the
[00:30:42] biggest difference is our system relies
[00:30:45] on the loops in the ground as primary uh
[00:30:48] versus the CAVAG CV sync system has
[00:30:51] those cameras that does like the virtual
[00:30:53] loops and uh as technology has gotten
[00:30:56] better, those cameras have gotten better
[00:30:57] as well. Got it. All right. Next
[00:30:59] question is is a cost question. So, um I
[00:31:02] think in your presentation, Ryan, you
[00:31:04] indicated that um if we stay on our own,
[00:31:06] our cost to build out the rest of the
[00:31:08] city is going to be somewhere in the
[00:31:10] what is it 1213 million range, something
[00:31:13] like that. And as recently as just a few
[00:31:14] years ago, uh we had thought the cost
[00:31:16] might only be in the five or $6 million
[00:31:18] range. So, as with all things in life,
[00:31:20] costs escalate. So, if we do this, then
[00:31:24] uh we will not experience that expense.
[00:31:26] Correct. Correct.
[00:31:28] Well, I potentially, right? So, we need
[00:31:32] help, right? So, you know, part of, you
[00:31:35] know, CAG and Ranch Mirage working
[00:31:37] together, you know, uh CEAG already um
[00:31:42] took the lead in applying for a grant as
[00:31:44] a joint application because the city was
[00:31:46] not eligible to apply for that bucket of
[00:31:49] funding uh by itself. And so, you know,
[00:31:53] I would say in reality,
[00:31:57] you know, even with joining the system
[00:32:02] with the amount of money that it takes
[00:32:04] to dig in the ground and put fiber in,
[00:32:08] both agencies are going to need to
[00:32:09] secure a grant. I think our ability to
[00:32:12] secure those grants is greater with
[00:32:14] CAG's help. Now, CAVAC is already
[00:32:17] helping us, so that's not a condition on
[00:32:18] joining CVYNC. Um but you know regional
[00:32:22] funding grant funding does become very
[00:32:25] important for the city to accomplish our
[00:32:27] goal of synchronizing every signal
[00:32:29] within the city and it's also the same
[00:32:31] goal that Cag has when it comes to the
[00:32:33] valley. When you look at the regional
[00:32:35] road network across the valley they have
[00:32:37] the same goal we do.
[00:32:39] Okay. Next question is that with respect
[00:32:42] to uh those funds that we would have
[00:32:45] spent to uh synchronize the remaining
[00:32:48] signals in the city um if we make this
[00:32:52] change when will CVAC
[00:32:55] um
[00:32:58] when will CVAC engage in that project of
[00:33:01] synchronizing the rest of the signals in
[00:33:02] the city versus when we might have done
[00:33:04] it? What's the time differential? So the
[00:33:07] the big phase two project I think still
[00:33:09] is going to be dependent on a grant. Um
[00:33:11] but what you'll see right away is uh one
[00:33:14] uh the council's being asked to consider
[00:33:16] this item first. If the council does
[00:33:19] approve this today uh then uh Tom uh
[00:33:24] Kirk uh the executive director of CAG,
[00:33:26] he will take it to his executive
[00:33:28] committee at the end of this month. And
[00:33:30] I think what you'll see is probably uh
[00:33:32] some corridors uh I you know I would
[00:33:35] speculate Monterey is very high on the
[00:33:37] priority list uh highway 111 you will
[00:33:41] begin to see the coordination between
[00:33:43] CVsync and our city staff of how do we
[00:33:46] actually start to implement this some
[00:33:48] areas of the city where we already have
[00:33:50] our existing network it's going to be a
[00:33:51] little bit easier on staff to accomplish
[00:33:54] those and then there's going to be other
[00:33:55] areas of our city where it might take a
[00:33:57] little bit longer to get those into
[00:33:59] the regional system. Okay. So, it sounds
[00:34:01] like it's a little difficult to to
[00:34:03] estimate whether there'll be some
[00:34:04] significant difference or not in our
[00:34:07] timing versus the timing if we make this
[00:34:09] change. Yeah. Part of, you know, kind of
[00:34:11] leading into this is, you know, when
[00:34:13] when we got down to the basis of it,
[00:34:16] right, of
[00:34:18] you know, there's some key metrics,
[00:34:21] there's, you know, how long are your
[00:34:23] weight periods, those sort of things.
[00:34:25] Those those are we're very close to,
[00:34:30] you know, if if CVsync was in operation
[00:34:33] today in Rancher Mirage compared to the
[00:34:34] timing that we're running, we're very
[00:34:36] close. It's probably a difference that
[00:34:38] people won't notice. Um, so the systems
[00:34:42] are so kind of comparable at this point
[00:34:44] with the coordination that's going on
[00:34:47] that, you know, functionally I think the
[00:34:50] subject matter experts,
[00:34:52] you know, will notice the difference in
[00:34:54] what's going on. on the general public.
[00:34:56] Our hope is that they don't notice a
[00:34:58] difference. Okay. And then last question
[00:35:01] is I just want to underscore and make
[00:35:03] sure that I am correct in your
[00:35:05] presentation, Ryan. So the CEAG sink
[00:35:09] location will actually be housed in our
[00:35:11] public works yard. Correct. Correct. And
[00:35:16] uh future phase four of the program
[00:35:18] shows an updated fiber line running
[00:35:19] right down Varner Road right there as
[00:35:22] well. This is again a benefit to the
[00:35:25] entire uh network so to speak. Okay.
[00:35:28] Thank you.
[00:35:30] Great. Um by the way, Jonathan, did you
[00:35:34] want to add anything to the presentation
[00:35:37] today?
[00:35:38] Okay.
[00:35:40] Just want to give you that opportunity.
[00:35:43] Thank you. Are there any other uh
[00:35:46] council comments?
[00:35:49] A great program. Uh it's exciting and uh
[00:35:54] I uh I look forward to uh to uh voting
[00:35:57] for approval on it. Uh that being said,
[00:36:00] I'll entertain a motion.
[00:36:03] I'd be happy to make the motion that we
[00:36:05] approve the city of Ranchi to
[00:36:07] participate with the Coachella Valley
[00:36:08] Association of Governments, also known
[00:36:10] as CVG, for the Coachella Valley
[00:36:12] Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization
[00:36:14] Program, CV Sync. And number two,
[00:36:17] authorize a city manager to execute the
[00:36:20] CV sync participation agreement and make
[00:36:23] any necessary minor revisions to set
[00:36:25] agreement subject to final review and
[00:36:27] approval by the city attorney. Second.
[00:36:30] There's a motion and a second. Kindly
[00:36:32] vote.
[00:36:39] It's not on my screen. You got to take
[00:36:40] off your screen.
[00:36:44] There we go. Got it.
[00:36:46] Motion carries 5-0. Thank you.
[00:36:50] We will now go to non-aggenda public
[00:36:52] comments. Uh this is an opportunity for
[00:36:55] the public to speak on issues not on the
[00:36:58] agenda for a maximum of three minutes
[00:37:01] per speaker.
[00:37:03] As you uh exceed that time, I will let
[00:37:07] you know. Uh
[00:37:10] do we have any requests? Yes. The first
[00:37:13] speaker is Susan Ragdale.
[00:37:21] Merited
[00:37:23] Wheel, I'm going to address you
[00:37:25] specifically because you're the one in
[00:37:27] charge.
[00:37:29] You've hurt me very, very badly. I've
[00:37:31] been living in my car car for 10 days.
[00:37:34] Yes. Are you going to look at me while I
[00:37:36] talk to you? I think you should hear me.
[00:37:38] I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just
[00:37:40] telling you what you've done to me.
[00:37:42] You committed gross negligence,
[00:37:45] fraud,
[00:37:47] and you broke the HUD ruling against
[00:37:51] hostile environment harassment.
[00:37:54] Even though I kept jumping up and down
[00:37:56] and presenting reports and finally I got
[00:38:01] video and video freeze frame and for
[00:38:04] some reason I was evicted.
[00:38:07] The property manager did not know the
[00:38:09] law and she's she is a fraud. a
[00:38:12] malicious. You You look strange. I don't
[00:38:15] understand your response. I'm telling
[00:38:17] you, what you've been doing to me over
[00:38:19] the past six years is nothing less than
[00:38:22] slow motion murder. When your wife was
[00:38:26] here on December 5th, I came in with a
[00:38:30] thing about Scrooge. Please don't be
[00:38:32] Scrooge anymore. I wish I had talked to
[00:38:34] her. Ted,
[00:38:36] apparently, you seem very uncomfortable
[00:38:38] being confronted. That's how I feel. you
[00:38:41] just you won't look at me. You're
[00:38:42] looking all around. The thing is, you
[00:38:44] let your city manager make the decision
[00:38:47] here and he didn't know what he was
[00:38:50] doing when it all started 10 years ago.
[00:38:53] I mean, six years ago, I'm out of my
[00:38:55] mind because I live in my Are you going
[00:38:57] to interrupt me? I mean, you just keep
[00:38:59] looking at me like you want me to shut
[00:39:00] up and go away. I am a human being who
[00:39:03] you have completely destroyed. I've
[00:39:06] tried to make it clear. In my car are 10
[00:39:09] boxes filled with papers that I have I I
[00:39:13] spent about $1,700
[00:39:15] on color prints and binding to try and
[00:39:19] inform you that I was being horribly
[00:39:22] abused. You have committed elder abuse
[00:39:25] against me. Not only that, but misogyny.
[00:39:29] Misogynist abuse. Yeah. And what I you
[00:39:33] know I don't want to keep threatening
[00:39:35] you. This is not me. My privacy has been
[00:39:38] invaded because I've had to try and tell
[00:39:40] everybody what a good person I am. As if
[00:39:42] I enjoy that. I don't. I don't want
[00:39:44] anyone to know my business. I have only
[00:39:46] tried to show you who I really am. I'm a
[00:39:49] loving person who's been dev devoted to
[00:39:52] God my entire life. I have never hurt a
[00:39:54] single soul. I haven't even eaten
[00:39:57] animals for 44 years because I can't
[00:39:59] stand the thought of anyone suffering.
[00:40:01] And Mr. Hagermanerman, you need to stop
[00:40:04] digging your heels into the ground. You
[00:40:06] have hurt me so severely, it's shocking.
[00:40:08] You deserve to go to federal prison for
[00:40:11] the crimes you've committed against me.
[00:40:13] Please stop it. Please get me out of my
[00:40:15] car. All I'm asking for is to be
[00:40:17] restored to what is rightfully mine. I
[00:40:19] don't want to be
[00:40:22] Thank you for your comments.
[00:40:25] Are there any other Yes, Dominic
[00:40:27] Moonhart.
[00:40:37] All right. Hello, Mr. Mayor, Madame
[00:40:38] Mayor Pro Tam, uh, members of the
[00:40:40] council. It's been a long time. I
[00:40:42] haven't seen you guys in a while. Um,
[00:40:46] the new council member, I I can't
[00:40:47] pronounce your last name. I'm so sorry.
[00:40:49] So, is that okay if I address you by
[00:40:50] your first name?
[00:40:54] Okay. All right. Uh, Council Member Eve,
[00:40:57] um, you're on RCTC, so I, um, I wanted
[00:40:59] to address this, um, on the, uh, express
[00:41:03] lanes on the interstate 10, the proposal
[00:41:05] to, uh, widen the freeway and add
[00:41:08] express lanes. Um, I am very opposed to
[00:41:11] that idea uh, simply because I look at
[00:41:14] what happened in Los Angeles and in
[00:41:16] Orange counties where they have express
[00:41:18] lanes and same on the 91 freeway here in
[00:41:21] our county. And um it hasn't improved
[00:41:24] traffic. Um and uh widen widening
[00:41:28] freeways and adding express lanes really
[00:41:30] don't they're not really express. I
[00:41:31] don't even know why they're called
[00:41:32] express. They should just be called toll
[00:41:34] lanes. Um I look at Los Angeles uh
[00:41:37] taking the 460 to uh UCLA. Um and the
[00:41:42] buses use a fast lane and it's not fast.
[00:41:44] It it's just not. It's it's it's a waste
[00:41:47] of money. And I uh would like to see
[00:41:49] that money be used for the Coachella
[00:41:50] Valley Rail Project cuz that project has
[00:41:53] been uh in the works for so long since
[00:41:57] um Mayor Gregory Pettis from Cathedral
[00:42:00] City, he uh went when he was in office.
[00:42:02] Um rest in peace to him. Um so I'd
[00:42:06] rather see that money be used uh to for
[00:42:09] the uh for the Coachella Valley Rail
[00:42:11] Project. Um it's known as the Palm
[00:42:14] Springs Rail Project in Los Angeles for
[00:42:17] some reason, but um so I thought I'd
[00:42:19] just address that. Um Council Member DS
[00:42:22] um on the uh national park, I 100% agree
[00:42:26] with you. Um I'm not going to pronounce
[00:42:29] that national park just cuz I will
[00:42:31] butcher it, but uh I I agree with you
[00:42:33] 100%. Uh Council Member uh sorry, Mayor
[00:42:36] Promolatto,
[00:42:38] um you're on Sunline. I just wanted to
[00:42:40] thank you for adding the uh uh bus uh
[00:42:44] bus route uh 4 uh to connect it with the
[00:42:47] I 10 uh I 10 bus route 10. It makes it
[00:42:50] confusing. So uh bus route 10 um it's
[00:42:53] now connected. So it's a welcomed uh new
[00:42:57] addition and so I I uh I like to I like
[00:43:00] that area um now getting a regular bus
[00:43:03] service along with uh with uh bus line
[00:43:06] 10. So uh that's all I have for the
[00:43:08] council. Thank you. Thank you for your
[00:43:10] comments.
[00:43:12] That was the last speaker card. Is there
[00:43:14] anyone else who would like to speak on
[00:43:15] something that is not on today's agenda?
[00:43:18] That was the last speaker. All right. Uh
[00:43:21] that concludes the non-aggenda public
[00:43:24] comments. Uh we are going to be uh
[00:43:27] recessing into close session and I will
[00:43:30] ask uh our council to uh review uh the
[00:43:34] agenda for close session if you would.
[00:43:37] Thank you, mayor. We'll be convening in
[00:43:38] a close session uh for item eight before
[00:43:41] you on the agenda 8A listed as public
[00:43:44] employee performance evaluation pursuant
[00:43:46] to California government code section
[00:43:48] 54957.
[00:43:49] The public employees the city
[00:43:51] clerk/board secretary.
[00:43:54] Thank you. Uh we are now recessed into
[00:43:56] close session.
[00:44:08] Okay, we will reconvene the u the city
[00:44:12] council meeting. I will ask uh council
[00:44:15] to review anything was covered during
[00:44:18] the recess. Thank you, mayor. No
[00:44:20] reportable action taken today. Is there
[00:44:22] any um public comment? No, I've received
[00:44:26] none.
[00:44:30] Okay, that being said, we are adjourned.