CCMeeting4/7/2026

>> Mayor Salwan: GOOD EVENING. I'D LIKE TO CALL THE APRIL 7, 2026 MEETING TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M. COUNCILMEMBER LIU, WOULD YOU LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. >> Councilmember Liu: ALL RISE. READY, BEGIN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLA OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH I ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIB WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR AL. [RECORDING IN PROGRESS] >> Mayor Salwan: MR. CITY CLERK, COULD YOU TAKE ROLL CALL. >> Mr. Quintanilla: COUNCILMEMBER LIU, HERE. COUNCILMEMBER SHAO, PRESENT. COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN, HERE. COUNCILMEMBER CAMPBELL, HERE. COUNCILMEMBER KENG, ABSENT. VICE MAYOR ZHANG, HERE. MAYOR SALWAN, PRESENT. WELL, I'M EXCITED TO SHARE THAT WE HAVE A NEW INTERIM HOUSING PROGRAM CALLED NATALIE'S PLACE, WHICH IS SLATED TO OPEN IN FREMONT IN JUNE. THIS PROGRAM WILL BE LOCATED AT THE FORMER MOTEL 6 AT 46101 RESEARCH AVENUE IN THE WARM SPRINGS AREA. IT'S OPERATED BY CARDEA HEALTH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ABODE SERVICES AND ALAMEDA COUNTY. NATALIE'S PLACE WILL PROVIDE 1 UNITS OF INTERIM HOUSING, ON-SITE MEDICAL CARE, AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WHO HAVE ACUTE OR ONGOING MEDICAL NEEDS. THE PROGRAM WILL HELP RESIDENTS STABILIZE, RECOVER, AND WORK TOWARD SECURING PERMANENT HOUSI ONCE OPEN, IT WILL DOUBLE FREMONT'S CURRENT SHELTER CAPACITY, SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDING SUPPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY'S MOST VULNERABLE RES FUNDED THROUGH MEASURE W—A VOTE APPROVED ALAMEDA COUNTY INITIATIVE AIMED AT ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS THROUGH HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES— THIS NEW SHELTER REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD AS THE CITY CONTINUES T HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE EFFORTS. I WANT TO THANK CITY STAFF AND OUR PARTNERS AT ABODE AND CARDEA FOR THEIR HARD WORK TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN. TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS LEARN MORE ABOUT NATALIE'S PLACE, CARDEA HEALTH WILL HOST A TOWN HALL MEETING AT THE WARM SPRINGS COMMUNITY CENTER. THE MEETING W INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT CARDE HEALTH'S SUCCESSFUL SITES ELSEWHERE IN ALAMEDA COUNTY, AS WELL AS DETAILS ABOUT OPERATIONS, MANAGEMENT, SECURITY, AND THE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PLANNED FOR NATALIE'S THE TOWN HALL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY APRIL 28 AT 6:00 PM AT THE WARM SPRINGS COMMUNITY CENTER. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION IN OUR CITY NEWSLETTER, THE CITY'S WEBSITE, OR AT HTTPS://WWW.NATALIESPLACE THERE ARE VACANCIES ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE ACCEPTS APPLICATIONS FOR ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IF INTERESTED IN APPLYING, GO TO THE BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, & COMMITTEES PAGE ON THE WEBSITE FREMONT.GOV, OR PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AT EMAILS SUBMITTED TO THE CITY CLERK ARE COMPILED, DISTRIBUTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF AND PUBLISHED IN THE CITY'S AGENDA CENTER AT FREMONT.GOV. I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS MEETING MAY GO ON UNTIL 11:30 P.M. IF NEEDED. WE WILL ALLOW FOR 30 MINUTES OF GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS FOR ORAL COMMUNICATIONS AFTER THE INITIAL 30 MINUTES, WE WILL TAKE THOSE SPEAKERS AT THE END OF THE MEETING IF TIME REMAINS. I WILL NOW TURN THE MEETING OVER TO CITY MANAGER KARENA SHACKELFORD TO MAKE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TO INTRODUCE HER STAFF. >> City Mgr. Shackelford: THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS. NO ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS EVENING, BUT WITH US TODAY WE HAVE OUR CITY ATTORNEY, RAFAEL ALVARADO NEXT TO ME. ACROSS FROM RAFAEL AND I, WE HAVE OUR CITY CLERK, ALBERTO QUINTANILLA, AND OUR ASSISTANT CITY CLERK, DINA LEWIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> THANK YOU. DOES THE CITY ATTORNEY HAVE A REPORT ON THE CLOSED SESSION FOR THIS EVENING? >> Cty. Attny. Alvarado: I DO, THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. IN CLOSED SESSION THE COUNCIL CONDUCTED A CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL ON PENDING LET GAITION PURSUANT TO SECTION 54956.9 SUBD REGARDING MY CASS FOUST VERSUS CITY OF FREMONT, THE COUNCIL TOOK NO REPORTABLE ACTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> Mayor Salwan: THANK YOU, MR. ALVARADO. NEXT WE HAVE CONSENT CALENDAR, ITEM 2, WILL BE PASSED WITH ONE COUNCIL VOTE AND STAFF RECOMMENDATION WILL STAND. DOES ANY MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL WISH TO REMOVE AN ITEM FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR? COUNCILMEMBER LIU? >> Councilmember Liu: I WOULD LIKE TO RECUSE MYSELF FROM ITEM 2G. IT'S 2 MILES FROM WHERE I LIVE. >> Mayor Salwan: WHICH ONE WAS THAT? >> Councilmember Liu: 2G. >> Mayor Salwan: ALL RIGHT. VICE MAYOR ZHANG? >> Vice Mayor Zhang: I'D LIKE TO REMOVE 2I AND HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. >> Mayor Salwan: OKAY. ALL RIGHT. CAN I GET -- SORRY, ARE THERE ANY SPEAKERS? >> Mr. Quintanilla: WE HAVE NO SPEAKER CARDS FOR CONSENT. >> Mayor Salwan: ALL RIGHT. LET MET CLEAR THIS LEER. CAN I GET A MOTION WITH REMOVAL OF ITEM 2I? WITH NOTING THE RECUSAL FOR COUNCILMEMBER LIU. FOR 2G. COUNCILMEMBER SHAO? >> Councilmember Shao: I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION. >> Mayor Salwan: IS THERE A SECOND ?L >> Vice Mayor Zhang: I'LL SECOND. >> Mayor Salwan: ACTUALLY YOU CAN'T SECOND. COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN SECONDED. PLEASE VOTE. OKAY, MOTION PASSES WITH THE RECUSAL OF COUNCILMEMBER LIU ON ITEM 2G, AND COUNCILMEMBER KENG ABSENT. SO WE HAVE SOME CEREMONIAL ITEMS. WE'LL START WITH ARTS CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH. WE HAVE JULIE GIBSON AND ARATHI SATISH. IF YOU'LL JOIN ME AT THE PODIUM, I'LL BE RIGHT THERE. SO OUR FIRST PROCLAMATION IS FOR ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH, APRIL 2026. WHEREAS, CITY OF FREMONT SUPPORTS AND CELEBRATES ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY IN FREMONT AS ESSENTIAL TO OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES FOR THE BETTER, HE BUILD COMMUNITY, ENGAGE YOUTH, AND CREATE JOBS; AND WHEREAS, FREMONT CULTURAL ARTS COUNCIL (FCAC) AND FREMONT CREATES WORK PARTNERSHIP TO SUPPORT THE ARTS CULTURE AND CREATIVITY IN FREMONT AS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THRIVING COMMUNITY THROUGH SERVICES WHICH SUPPORT FREMONT' ARTISTS, CULTURE KEEPERS AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY TO EXPLORE FREMONT'S ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES WHEREAS, ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH OF APRIL IS TH ANNUAL, STATEWIDE AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY EVENT THAT RECOGNIZES THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY IN THE LIVES OF EVERYONE IN CALIFORNIA WHEREAS, CITY OF FREMONT RECOGNIZES ARTS AND CULTURE BRING JOY TO OUR COMMUNITY, STRENGTHEN OUR CONNECTIONS, SUPPORT LIFELONG LEARNING BY ALL AGES, AND PROVIDE ECONOMIC STIMULUS; AND WHEREAS, CITY OF FREMONT VALUES PARTNERING WITH FCAC, FREMONT CREATES, AND COUNTY AND STATE-LEVEL ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE UNIFIE SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FREMONT HEREBY PROC APRIL 2026 AS ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH, AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CELEBRATE THE POWER OF THE ARTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. YEAH, WE CAN CLAP FOR THAT. [APPLAUSE] SO I'LL INVITE OUR SPEAKERS TO SAY A FEW WORDS. I ALSO SEE SUSAN, AND MA'AM, IF YOU WANT TO COME UP, YOU GUYS WERE AT THE COMMUNITY-WIDE ART AT WASHINGTON HEALTH. THAT WAS A NICE THING. >> GOOD EVENING, JULIE GILL SON, TREASURER OF THE FREMONT CULTURAL ARTS COUNCIL AND A REPRESENTATIVE FOR FREMONT CREATES, A SPECIAL PROJECT ARM OF FCAC. AND WITH ME IS ARATHI SATISH AND TWO OF OUR MEMBERS FROM FREMONT CREATES. WE'RE PLEASED TO ACCEPT THIS ON BE TO CELEBRATE THIS MONTH. FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, HERE IN FREMONT. ARTS CULTURE AND CREATIVITY MONTH AS THE PROCLAMATION SAID IS INTENDED TO BOTH SUPPORT ARTS AND CULTURE AS WELL AS ADVOCATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO FURTHER SUPPORT ARTS AND CULTURE. WE DO OUR BEST TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE, AND TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE FREMONT AN EVEN HAPPIER CITY. THE THEME OF THIS YEAR'S FREMONT CREATES IS CREATE, CONNECT AND CELEBRATE. WE ACCOMPLISH, CREATE, CONNECT CELEBRATE IN SMALL WAYS THIS MONTH, LIMITED, OUR STAFF IS 100% VOLUNTEER, YET WE STILL MANAGE TO ADD ANOTHER FUN AND NEW PUBLIC ART PROJECT AND CREATED ENTIRELY BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WHICH IS YARN BOMBING, WHICH FEATURES THE COLORS OF FREMONT. THIS IS THE RESULT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM ALL CORNERS CONNECTING. THE ENTIRE FREMONT COMMUNITY WAS INVITED TO BE PART OF THIS SPECIAL ART DISPLAY. PEOPLE WHO DID NOT THINK OF THEMSELVES AS PARTICULARLY CREATIVE OR TALENTED COULD PARTICIPATE WITH THEIR YARN ART. AND EACH PIECE MEANT AS MUCH AS ANY OTHER PIECE. SO WE HAD A LOT OF EQUALITY GOING ON. WE RECEIVED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ARTISTS IN HIGH SCHOOL ALL THE WAY UP TO SENIORS. WE INVITE YOU TO SEE THE INSTALLATIONS AT TWO EASY TO FIND LOCATIONS, CORNER OF BART WAY AND CIVIC CENTER DRIVE AND THE ENTRANCE TO FREMONT MAIN LIBRARY, AND THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN TODAY'S "TRI-CITY VOICE" WITH SOME REALLY GREAT PICTURES. AND WHAT'S UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS WE'RE ALL CREATIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER WHEN WE CONNECT, AND WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE THIS SHARED VISION. AND IF YOU CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THIS PARTICULAR AMAZING FREMONT -- FREMONT'S AMAZING CREATIVITY, CHECK OUT THE APRIL ARTS CALENDAR. WE HAVE PUBLISHED ON OUR WEBSITE, FREMONTCREATES.COM. COME TO THE DOWNTOWN DANCE EVENT PRODUCED BY THE CITY OF FREMONT ON SATURDAY, APRIL 25TH FROM 11:00 TO 3:00, AND MAKE IT A FULL ARTS WEEKEND BY COMING TO FREMONT CREATES PRODUCTION OF A POP-UP ARTIST MARKET, FIRST EVER, IN DOWNTOWN AT THE DOWNTOWN EVENT CENTER, 11:00 TO 3:00. BOTH THOSE EVENTS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. AND FINALLY, WE APPRECIATE THE SESP GRANT UNDER THE FACILITY RENTAL COST. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: NECTS WE HAVE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. I WANT TO INVITE PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST BRITTANY ALFARO, OUR NEW POLICE CHIEF FLOYD MITCHELL, POLICE CHIEF LANCE BREDE AND FIRE CHIEF ZORAIDA DIAZ. WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE TEAM. SO THIS IS FOR NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. WHICH IS ON AUGUST 4TH. WHEREAS, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TOWN WATCH IS SPONSORING THE 43RD ANNUAL NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, A NATIONWID COMMUNITY-BUILDING AND CRIME PREVENTION AWARENESS EVENT TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2026 WHEREAS, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT PROVIDES A MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FREMONT COMMUNITY TO JOIN THOUSANDS OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION I PROMOTING NEIGHBORHOOD CAMARADERIE, CIVIC PRIDE, AND GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY-BUILDING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD GATHERINGS AND BLOCK PARTIES; AND WHEREAS, THE AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION OF FREMONT RESIDENTS IN CRIME PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS STRENGTHENS NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN REDUCING CRIME, DRUGS, AND VIOLENCE THROUGHOUT THE CITY; AND WHEREAS, THE CITY OF FREMONT'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GOAL SUPPORTS AND ENCOURAGES THE EXPANSION OF NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AS A VITAL TOOL IN FOSTERING NE SPIRIT AND UNITY, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND ENHANCING COLLABORATION BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND THE CITY OF FREMO NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCI OF THE CITY OF FREMONT HEREBY P TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2026, AS “NATIONAL NIGHT OUT” IN THE CIT OF FREMONT AND CALLS UPON ALL RESIDENTS TO JOIN IN SUPPORTING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE 43RD ANNUAL NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TOWN WATCH, TO PROMOTE SAFER STRONGER, AND MOR. WITH THAT, I'LL INVITE OUR CHIEF AND BRITTANY TO SAY A FEW WORDS. >> THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, CITY COUNCIL. WELL, TOGETHER WITH OUR FREMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FREMONT POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE ARE SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE AND INVITE YOU ALL TO THE 43RD ANNUAL NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH, 2026, AND I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WHEN I SAY THAT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS ABSOLUTELY A CRIME-FIGHTING TOOL. BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT COMMUNITIES THAT KNOW EACH OTHER, THAT LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER, AND THAT GATHER TOGETHER ARE SAFER, AND THAT'S WHAT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS ALL ABOUT. BUT WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE. SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU, TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS, ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS OVER WHO GETS TO HOST IT THIS YEAR, AND THEN GO TO OUR SEBBI WEBSITE AND REGISTER AT FREMONTPOLICE.GOV/NNO. REGISTRATION WILL BE OPEN UNTIL JULY 1ST. WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE. >> I AM TRULY LOOKING FORWARD TO MY FIRST NATIONAL NIGHT OUT HERE IN FREMONT. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING SOME GREAT FOOD AND ATTENDING AS MANY PARTIES AS POSSIBLE, SO PLEASE COME OUT AND BREAK BREAD WITH US. WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. DITTO. DITTO. >> YES, ON BEHALF OF THE FREMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT, I JUST WANT TO THANK MAYOR SALWAN, COUNCIL, CITY STAFF FOR THIS PROCLAMATION FOR THIS VERY IMPORTANT EVENT THAT WE OFTEN GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY ARE BUT THIS ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK BREAD WITH MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM SOME SAFETY TIPS ON FIRE SAFETY FOR NOT ONLY THE CHILDREN BUT FOR THE ADULTS, AND ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE A SAFE COMMUNITY IS ONE THAT'S UNITED WITH ALL NEIGHBORHOODS. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF YOU OUT THERE. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE JOIN US. IT WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW YOU AND YOU TO GET TO KNOW US AND OUR STAFF. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: LAST BUT NOT LEAST, VERY IMPORTANT, WE HAVE THE AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH PROCLAMATION. I WANT TO INVITE FRANCO PINCILTTI AND JESSICA TO JOIN ME HERE. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THIS IS FOR AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH, APRIL 2026. WHEREAS, AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) IS A NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONDITION THAT AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS ACROSS ALL RACES, ETHNICITIES, GENDERS AND SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS, AND EACH AUTISTIC PERSON HAS UNIQUE STRENGTHS, NEEDS, AND LIVED EXPERIENCES; AND WHEREAS, ASD CAN AFFECT COMMUNICATION, S INTERACTION, LEARNING, AND SENS PROCESSING, AND MAY PRESENT IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN; AND WHEREAS, EARLY ID ACCEPTANCE, AND ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE SUPPORTS CAN IMPROVE OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES, WHILE REDUCING BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL, WORK, AND COMMUNITY LIFE; AND WHEREAS, COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE NATION OBSERVE APRIL AS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH TO PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING, CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AUTISTIC PEOPLE, AND ADVANCE INCLUSION AND BELONGING IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD; AND WHEREAS, THE UNITED NATIONS HAS DESIGNATED APRIL 2 AS WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY, ENCOURAGING MEMBER STATES AND COMMUNITIES T RAISE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT THE RIGHTS, DIGNITY, AND FULL PARTICIPATION OF AUTISTIC PEOPLE; AND WHEREAS, ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS FOUNDATION AUTISM YESTERDAY AND TODAY HELP STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING EDUCATION, SUPPORT, AND CONNECTION FOR INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND THE FAMILIES WHO SUPPORT THEM; AND WHEREAS, THE CITY OF FREMONT IS COMMITTED TO BEING A WELCOMING WHERE EVERY RESIDENT CAN THRIVE AND WHERE DIFFERENCES ARE RESPECTED, UNDERSTOOD, AND INCL NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY OF FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, DO HEREBY APRIL 2026 AS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH IN THE CITY OF FREMONT AN RECOGNIZE APRIL 2, 2026 AS WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY, AND I ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS, SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE, AND INCLUSION, AND TO SUPPORT AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR . SO WITH THAT, I DO WANT TO NOTE, WE DID HAVE A COMBINED ART AND AUTISM WITH THE BEAUTIFUL MURAL YOU HAD IN CENTERVILLE, SO THIS IS VERY FITTING. SO I WILL ASK JESSICA AND FRANCO TO SAY A FEW WORDS. >> HELLO. MY NAME IS JESSICA, THIS IS MY HUSBAND FRANCO. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU, MAYOR SALWAN, AND OUR CITY OF FREMONT COUNCIL FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECOGNITION OF AUTISM YESTERDAY AND TODAY. AUTISM YESTERDAY AND TODAY IS A NON-PROFIT PROUDLY BASED IN OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY IN FREMONT. WE SUPPORT SPECIAL EDUCATION BY PROVIDING TECHNOLOGY AND RAISING AUTISM AWARENESS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. OUR PROJECTS INCLUDE THE AUTISM AWARENESS MURAL AT DUSTERBERRY COMMUNITY PARK AMONG MANY OTHERS. FOUNDED 11 YEARS AGO, AUTISM YESTERDAY AND TODAY HAS DONATED OVER $100,000 TO BAY AREA SCHOOLS INCLUDING THOSE IN FREMONT, HAYWARD, NEWARK, SAN JOSÉ, SAN LEANDRO, SAN FRANCISCO AND REDWOOD CITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, AND FOR HELPING US CREATE A MORE INCLUSIVE AND INFORMED COMMUNITY. >> Mayor Salwan: THANK YOU FOR THAT. NEXT WE HAVE ORAL COMMUNICATIONS. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON ANY ISSUE THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA. THE COUNCIL CANNOT TAKE ACTION NOR RESPOND TO ITEMS BROUGHT UP UNDER THE ORAL COMMUNICATION COMMENT PERIOD HOWEVER THE ITEM COULD BE AGENDIZED FOR A FUTURE MEETING IF COUNCIL MAKES A REFERRAL TO STAFF FOR A REPORT BACK. WHEN SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF AN ORGANIZATION, STATE THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION YOU'RE REPRESENTING. A BELL WILL RING WHEN 30 SECONDS REMAIN FOR YOU TO SUM UP YOUR COMMENTS. THE BELL WILL RING AGAIN WHEN TIME HAS ENDED. THE CITY CLERK WILL START TIMER FOR EACH SPEAKER. HOW MANY SPEAKERS DO WE HAVE? >> Mr. Quintanilla: WE HAVE 11 SPEAKERS TONIGHT. >> Mayor Salwan: 11. OKAY. LET'S DO A MINUTE AND A HALF FOR EACH. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OKAY. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS SUHIT PAUL FOLLOWED BY BASKAR VONGILI. >> Mayor Salwan: COME ON UP, SIR. >> Mr. Quintanilla: SUHIT. >> COME TO THE PODIUM, PRESS THE BUTTON, AND YOU'RE GOOD TO GO. >> YEAH, I'M ACTUALLY HERE WITH MY FRIENDS TO TALK ABOUT A LONG-STANDING ISSUE WE ARE FACING WITH WARM SPRINGS TENNIS COURTS. SO WE ACTUALLY -- THAT'S KIND OF OUR ONLY KIND OF -- OUR ONLY PLACE TO DO OUR EXERCISE, AND IT'S NOT ONLY FOR US, US AND OUR KIDS AND ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS, AND WHO HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TENNIS COURT LIGHTS FOR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS NOW. IT'S NOT ONLY ME, BUT THE THING IS LIKE AFTER NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND SO ON, ACTIONS ARE NOT GETTING TAKEN. SOMETIMES WE ARE -- WE KIND OF GET A RESPONSE SAYING OKAY, FINE, EVERYTHING IS DONE AND THEN NOTHING GETS DONE. SO IT'S KIND OF HAPPENING KIND OF MONTH AFTER MONTH. SO THAT'S WHY I KIND OF CAME HERE TO TALK ABOUT TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT IT AND HOPEFULLY SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT. THANKS A LOT. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS B ASKAR FOLLOWED BY MADHU. >> YES, SIR, GO AHEAD, PLEASE. >> SO I WANT TO RAISE THE SAME ISSUE WHAT MY FRIEND HAS RAISED JUST NOW, SO WE PLAY TENNIS AFTER 6:00, 7:00, AFTER A LONG DAY, THEN HAVE SOME FUN. BUT LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING SINCE LAST YEAR, AND THERE'S NO ACTION BEING TAKEN SO WE JUST WANTED TO REALIZE THIS, YOU GUYS. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS M ADHU FOLLOWED BY PRATISH. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS. I LIVE NEAR WARM SPRINGS COMMUNITY PARK SO I'M HERE WITH ALL MY FRIENDS. I THINK IT'S THE SAME ISSUE. IT'S THE SAME ISSUE LIKE BASICALLY WE -- I THINK THE LIGHTS STARTED GOING OFF LIKE LAST SUMMER, SO WE COMPLAINED, NOTHING HAPPENED, AND MORE LIGHTS WENT OFF LIKE BY OCTOBER, AND I HAVE ALL THE EMAILS THAT WENT BACK AND FORTH, AND WE KEEP HEARING LIKE A LOT OF BASICALLY SOMETIMES THEY JUST SAY THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE PARTS, SOMETIMES THEY JUST SAY LIKE OH, THE CONTRACTOR IS WORKING ON A SCHEDULE, SO -- AND ONE TIME QUESTION EVWE EVEN WERE TOLD THE WORK WAS DONE AND IT'S NOT DONE SO IT'S KIND OF REALLY FRUSTRATING. SO I WORK FOR A PUBLIC AGENCY IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY TOO. I KNOW THE BURE CA BUREAUCRACY, BUT THIS IS A SIMPLE MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND IT DEFINITELY SHOULDN'T TAKE THIS LONG, SO IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING THAT ALL OF US HAVE TO FOLLOW UP LIKE SO MANY TIMES, NOTHING IS DONE, FINALLY WE DECIDED WE'LL JUST SHOW UP AND KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT THE ISSUE IS AND I THINK, YEAH, I THINK WE'LL KEEP SHOWING UP LIKE EVERY MEETING UNTIL I THINK THING IS RESOLVED. WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME AT OUR DISPOSAL. >> Mayor Salwan: COME ON UP, SIR. >> OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PARTISH FOLLOWED BY SU RESH. >> THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. I'M A PROUD RESIDENT OF WHAT'S OFTEN CALLED ONE OF THE HAPPIEST CITIES IN AMERICA. I'M HERE TODAY WITH THE SIMPLE IDEA. HOW CAN WE STRENGTHEN TRUST AND ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND OUR CITY GOVERNMENT? ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE ARE FEELING INCREASINGLY DISCONNECTED FROM PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. MANY FEEL UNDERREPRESENTED, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF POLICY DISAGREEMENTS BUT BECAUSE THEY LACK THE VISIBILITY INTO DECISION-MAKING AND MEANINGFUL WAYS TO STAY INVOLVED. TODAY, MOST CIVIC ENGAGEMENT HAPPENS ONLY DURING ELECTIONS. AFTER THAT, PARTICIPATION DROPS OFF SHARPLY. SO HOW DO WE CHANGE THAT? I'M PROPOSING A DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM FOLLOWED BY MODERN COMMUNICATION TOOLS AND AI THAT ENABLES ONGOING TWO-WAY INTERACTION BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND CITY OFFICIALS. THIS WOULD WOULDN'T REPLACE PUBLIC MEETINGS LIKE THIS BUT IT WOULD EXPAND PARTICIPATION BEYOND THEM. BECAUSE TODAY, MEETINGS ARE HARD TO ATTEND, TURNOUT IS LOW, AND OFTEN ONLY A FEW VOICES GET HEARD. WE CAN MAKE ENGAGEMENT MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE INCLUSIVE AND MORE CONTINUOUS. FREMONT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD, TO BECOME A MODEL CITY FOR HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN STRENGTHEN LOCAL D DEMOCRACY. I WELCOME THE CHANCE TO EXPLORE THIS FURTHER, THANK YOU. I'M LEAVING BEHIND SOME THINGS COUNCILMEMBERS CAN LOOK THE A LATER ON AND CONTACT ME. >> Mayor Salwan: YOU CAN GIVE TO THE CITY CLERK HERE. >> APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SURESH FOLLOWED BY ARNABRE. >> HELLO, MAYOR. I'M A RESIDENT OF WARM SPRINGS. LIKE MY FRIENDS MENTIONED, I'VE BEEN STAYING THERE FOR 15 YEARS. FOR 10 YEARS WE DO RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY AFTER OUR WORK AND OUR KIDS ALSO GROWING UP OVER THERE, WE DO FROM ALL AGES, USED TO COME AND PLAY IN THE WARM SPRINGS TENNIS COMMUNITY PARK. AS MY FRIENDS MENTIONED, IT'S BEEN MORE THAN SIX MONTHS, WE ARE FOLLOWING UP THROUGH THE MAIL, WE HAVE USED THE ONLINE PORTAL TO REPORT IT, WE HAVE GIVEN THE EVIDENCE OF THE PHOTOS, WE HAVE DONE MULTIPLE WAYS TO REACH OUT, BUT IT'S A LITTLE FRUSTRATING TO COME OVER THIS SIMPLE ONE. WE HOPE -- I DON'T WANT TO COME BACK AGAIN ANOTHER DAY SO I HOPE THE ISSUE WILL BE RESOLVED QUICKLY. THANK YOU. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ARNEBRE. I LIVE AT MISSION DISTRICT NEAR PASEO PADRE. SO THE REASON I'M HERE IS BECAUSE I GOT A COUPLE OF CITATIONS FROM THE CITY FOR LEAVING THE TRASH CANS OUTSIDE, AND THE REASON HI TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE IN OUR COMMUNITY, THERE IS A LINGERING PROBLEM OF THE CARS ALWAYS PARKING IN THE FRONT AND WE HARDLY HAVE ANY TIME INCLUDING YESTERDAY WE IT NOT HAVE ANY LOCATION TO PUT THE TRASH CANS AT THE RIGHT PLACE. SO I JUST WANT TO BRING THAT TO THE CITY'S ATTENTION, AND I'M TRYING TO FIND A COLLECTIVE SOLUTION HERE. IT'S NOT REALLY A COMPLAINT, BUT I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT CAN BE DONE BECAUSE I CAN LEAVE THE TRASH CANS ON THE -- I HAVE LOOKED AT THE CITY CODE AND I CAN LEAVE IT LIKE IN THE OTHER SIDE OR LIKE -- I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW -- IT'S CALLED LIKE -- I CAN'T GET MY CAR OUT, MY WIFE CANNOT GET THE CAR OUT IF I LEAVE IT THERE. SO IF I'M GETTING CITATION MAYBE THE CITY WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT ENFORCING THE TRAFFIC THERE. THANK YOU. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VIPPIN SHARMA FOLLOWED BY ANDREAS KADAVANICH. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY STAFF. MY NAME IS VIPPIN. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT FOR FREMONT FOR OVER 25 YEARS. SO RECENTLY I SENT A MAIL TO COUNCIL ALSO ABOUT THIS PROJECT OR PROPOSAL AND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR. RECENTLY -- THE IRVINGTON BART STATION, VACANT SITE FOR BART STATION IN THE FUTURE, AND I SAW -- AND WE KNOW, A NUMBER OF US RESIDENTS LIVE THERE, AND SO I WAS THINKING SINCE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY LIVING THERE, WHY NOT WE STRUCTURE SOMEHOW, AND THIS PROPOSAL IS ABOUT THAT, LIKE CAN WE STRUCTURE THAT PLOT ALREADY OWNED BY BART AND WE CAN WORK WITH BART TO LEASE THAT LAND FOR A FEW YEARS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT BART IS FACING FISCAL CHALLENGES, AND MY GUESS IS LIKE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BUILD A STATION THERE FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF YEARS, SO WHY NOT USE THAT LAND FOR US RESIDENTS WHICH ARE ALREADY LIVING THERE BUT IN A STRUCTURED WAY? SO THERE ARE MORE DETAILS IN MY PROPOSAL WHICH I SENT TO YOU. TAKE A LOOK. AND -- >> Mayor Salwan: WE CAN'T HEAR YOU SIR. IF YOU CAN SPEAK IN THE MIC. >> YOU CAN SEE HOW IT CAN LOOK IF WE MAKE IT STRUCTURED. >> Mayor Salwan: OKAY. THANK YOU. >> GOOD EVENING. ANDREAS KADAVANICH, BIKE FREMONT. I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT LAST WEEK. AND I DON'T WANT TO READ TOO MUCH INTO A SINGLE OBSERVATION BUT I'M ALREADY SEEING INCREASED POLICE PRESENCE WHICH IS HELPFUL. I WANT TO MAKE A COUPLE REQUESTS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE SUSTAIN THIS BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK IN THE PAST WE HAVEN'T REALLY DONE ENOUGH. ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MANAGE THIS IN A TRANSPARENT WAY, AND THE OLD ADAGE IS YOU CAN'T MANAGE WHAT YOU DON'T MEASURE. SO I'M HOPING WE'LL SEE SOME MEASUREMENTS ON HOW EFFECTIVE THIS IS, SHARE IT WITH THE PUBLIC. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE TO BRING THIS TO THE BUILD COMMISSION, SO I'M HOPING WE'LL SEE SOME UPDATES ON THE INVESTMENT AND I HOPE IT KEEPS WORKING. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROHIT FOLLOWED BY SENSHRUKA PAUL. >> GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MEMBERS. I LIVE ON DORNE PLACE AT 2059 DORNE PLACE, INTERSECTION OF PASEO PADRE AND DORNE. MY REQUEST OR COMPLAINT TONIGHT IS ABOUT A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. THERE IS A CROSSWALK ON PASEO PADRE, AND PEOPLE -- IT'S BOTH SIDES, TWO-LANE ROAD, PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DRIVING ACROSS THAT INTERSECTION, YOUNG, OLD, EDUCATED ADULTS, I'M SURE MOST OF THEM ARE, NOBODY CARES TO STOP, EVEN WHEN SOMEBODY IS WALKING AND PEOPLE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CROSSWALK, PERSONALLY I CAME VERY CLOSE TO GETTING RUN OVER BY A SPEEDING GENTLEMAN, AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN A COP, POLICE PRESENCE OVER THERE. THERE IS NO SIGNAL FOR PEDESTRIANS. SO I'M HERE TO RAISE THAT AS AN AWARENESS ITEM, BECAUSE I'M VERY SCARED FOR MY FAMILY, MY NEIGHBORS AND THE KIDS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. I HOPE THERE WILL BE SOME ACTION TAKEN ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. >> HI, EVERYONE. GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT WHAT MY FOUR FRIENDS ALREADY SPOKE ABOUT, THE TENNIS COURSE LIGHTING IN THE WARM SPRINGS AREA. WE DO GET TOGETHER ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES A WEEK AFTER OFFICE HOURS TO JUST DESTRESS OURSELF AND HAVE FUN WITH THAT, BUT THESE DAYS LIGHTS ARE REALLY BAD CONDITIONS, NOT ENCOURAGING FOR ANYONE TO COME, EVEN SOME OF THE KIDS WON'T COME AND PLAY THERE. IT'S REALLY -- EVEN AFTER THAT TRYING TO REACH OUT ALL POSSIBLE WAYS STILL WE SEE THE CONCERN WAS NOT ADDRESSED, WE REALLY CONSIDER OUR REQUEST, TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CONTINUE WITH OUR ACTIVITIES AND ALSO ENCOURAGE OTHER KIDS AROUND THE COMMUNITY THAT TAKE SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES RATHER THAN GETTING INTO THE, YOU KNOW, OTHER ACTIVITIES LIKE WATCHING TV AND OTHER THINGS. SO REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR FINAL SPEAKER FOR THIS ITEM IS SHRI DERASKER. >> GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M A 20-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT OF FREMONT. MY KIDS WENT TO FREMONT HIGH SCHOOLS. AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING REGULARLY WITH THE TENNIS TEAM, WARM SPRINGS, BUT SINCE OCTOBER, THE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN SO BAD THAT A FEW OF US HAD SOME INJURIES AND ALSO THE COURTS ARE NOT WELL MAINTAINED AT ALL AND IT'S A GREAT ACTIVITY, IN FACT, WE'RE GIVING UP OUR TENNIS GAME TONIGHT TO BE HERE, AND REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT FIXED SO THAT WE CAN RECREATE AFTER WORK AND ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO JOIN IN THIS FUN GAME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> Mayor Salwan: THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK ALL THE SPEAKERS. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, DURING ORAL COMMUNICATION, WE CAN LISTEN TO YOUR FEEDBACK. WE CAN'T ADDRESS THE ITEM BECAUSE IT'S NOT FOR ACTION. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO CONNECT WITH STAFF WHO'S IN THE ROOM AND GIVE YOUR INFORMATION AND THEY CAN COORDINATE WITH YOU. THANK YOU. WITH THAT, WE WILL GO ON -- WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND WE'LL COME BACK TO THE ITEM REMOVED FROM CONSENT, WHICH WAS ITEM 2I. DO WE HAVE STAFF ON THAT? VICE MAYOR ZHANG, YOU WANT TO ASK YOUR QUESTION? >> Vice Mayor Zhang: YES. SO I WANT TO THANK CITY MANAGER SHACKELFORD AND THE STAFF TO ORGANIZE THE RETREAT AND ALSO PRODUCED THE REPORT. AND WE FINALIZED WE HAVE FOUR PRIORITIES. MY QUESTION IS ON THAT REPORT, IMPLEMENTATION AND NEXT STEP, SO BASICALLY IT SAID FOLLOW THE CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTION OF PRIORITIES. THE NEXT STEP WILL BE FOR THE CITY STAFF TO FURTHER DEVELOP CLEAR PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH PRIORITY AREA. SO MY QUESTION IS I REALLY WANT TO SEE, WE CLOSE THE LOOP TO SEE WHEN THE REPORT OF A PERFORMANCE MEASURE TO TARGET THOSE FOUR PRIORITIES, AND WHEN CAN WE SEE THE REPORT BASICALLY, THE PLAN, AND THEN BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, WE CAN MEASURE TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE -- WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH. AND ALSO ANOTHER QUESTION I THINK IS THE PRIORITY NUMBER ONE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. I THINK WE DISCUSSED ABOUT DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT, OR IS THAT JUST GENERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? I COULD NOT REMEMBER. SO THOSE ARE TWO QUESTIONS. >> WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST QUESTION, VICE MAYOR, AS DISCUSSED AT THE RETREAT, MANY OF THESE PRIORITIES ARE ONGOING RETURN PRIORITIES, SO THERE ARE -- THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL ONGOING PROJECTS OCCURRING IN EACH OF THOSE PRIORITY AREAS. ALONG WITH METRICS THAT SPAN THE ORGANIZATION AND STAFF HAS BEGUN THE PROCESS OF FIGURING OUT HOW TO CAPTURE THOSE OUTPUTS AND MEASURES, PLACE THEM IN A MORE USER-FRIENDLY FOCUSED MATTER. WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THAT AT OUR CITY LEADERSHIP TEAM MEETINGS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS. IN TERMS OF WHEN THAT WILL BE DELIVERED, IT WILL VARY FROM PROJECT AREA TO PROJECT AREA. THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF THE CITY THAT HAVE THOSE METRICS AVAILABLE NOW, OTHER AREAS WHERE THE METRICS ARE COLLECTED BUT PROBABLY NOT AS FOREGROUNDED AS THE COUNCIL IS SEEKING, AND THEN ADDITIONAL AREAS WHERE NEW METRICS ARE BEING DEVELOPED. SO THERE WILL BE A ROLLOUT OF THAT INFORMATION OVER TIME ALONG WITH THE RE ORGANIZATION OF EXISTING INFORMATION. AND FINALLY, IN RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION -- OFF YOUR STATEMENT ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE DESIRED OUTCOMES, IF MEMORY SERVES THE INTENT WAS TO MAINTAIN THE TITLE OF THAT AREA OF FOCUS, BUT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT DOWNTOWN HAS A SPECIAL PRIORITY WITHIN THE PRIORITY AREA AND THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED ON THE EXPLANATION OF THE PRIORITY WITHIN THE REPORT. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: WHERE -- O REALLY? OKAY. PAGE 2? >> SO THE DESIRED OUTCOME, I CAN JUST READ IT, TO CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN FREMONT'S ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND LONG TERM FISCAL HEALTH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TARGETED INVESTMENT THAT ENHANCES DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S MY QUESTION. SO ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY -- >> Mayor Salwan: COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN. >> Councilmember Kimberlin: I DO HAVE A COMMENT. I'M JUST REALLY GLAD TO SEE THIS REPORT BECAUSE IT REALLY SHOWS FOR THOSE WHO COULDN'T MAKE IT THAT DAY WHAT WE WENT THROUGH, WHAT WE WORKED ON. I THOUGHT WE HAD A VERY GOOD GROUP, CONSULTANT GROUP WHO WORKED US THROUGH AND ONLY TWO HALF DAYS COMING UP WITH A LOT OF PRIORITY DETAILS AND WAYS FOR US TO MEASURE IT IN THE COMING YEAR, SO WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU THROUGH THAT, YOU KNOW, AS THINGS COME UP AND THINGS CAN BE REPORTED OUT AND WE CAN TICK IT OFF ON HERE AND SHOW THAT IT WAS MEASURABLE AND WHAT WE'VE DONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: SEEING NO OTHER SPEAKER, I'LL ALSO KIND OF JUMP IN. I ALSO FELT THAT WE HAD FLAGGED DOWNTOWN AS A SPECIAL AREA OF FOCUS, AND THIS KIND OF SECOND YEAR I'M SEEING IS KIND OF WATERED DOWN AGAIN UNDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT WAS THE OTHER PART, AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY. I WANT TO SEE IT AS - AS A UNIQUE BULLET. MY RECOLLECTION WAS THAT WE HAD MADE THAT AN ISSUE. DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? IT'S VERY VAGUE. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW WE CAN BE MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO BUILD A DOWNTOWN TO HAVE MORE PROGRESS. I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME MORE SPECIFICS AROUND THAT. AND I DO LIKE VICE MAYOR'S SUGGESTION OF SOME SORT OF EXECUTIVE PLAN OR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. WE HAVE THESE GOALS, HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THEM, WHAT'S THE OUTCOMES. THERE WERE SOME PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT WERE ALSO MENTIONED. I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND TRY TO DEFINE THOSE, AND SO THAT WE CAN MEASURE WHERE WE ARE NOW, WHERE WE'RE GOING, Z SO THAT THERE'S METRICS THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT THIS IS GOING THE RIGHT DIRECTION. SO THOSE ARE PROBABLY SOME FOLLOW-UP ITEMS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: SO TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR QUESTION, SO SHOULD WE CREATE ANOTHER ITEM TO FOLLOW UP WITH THIS PLAN OR WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE? BECAUSE -- >> Mayor Salwan: I MAY GIVE DIRECTION TO BRING BACK -- >> Vice Mayor Zhang: BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PERFORMANCE REVIEW, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT WOULD BE AN INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW ABOUT THE PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR OR WHICH WE WOULD ALSO HAVE A CITY GENERAL PLAN, BECAUSE HOW ARE WE GOING TO MEASURE OUR PROGRESS NEXT YEAR? BECAUSE IF WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN OR A TARGET, WE WOULD NOT KNOW HOW WE MEASURE UP. SO I THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW, DOES FREMONT HAVE THIS KIND OF A STRUCTURE? I MEAN, I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT. SO THAT'S WHY IF WE DON'T HAVE IT, I WOULD LIKE TO START SOME KIND OF STRUCTURE BECAUSE I MEAN, WE NEED TO HAVE A SYSTEM IN ORDER MEASUREMENT, TARGET, AND EXECUTION AND OUTCOME. >> City Mgr. Shackelford: SO AS ALAN MENTIONED A MOMENT AGO, THERE ARE METRICS THAT ALREADY EXIST ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION, AND SO WHAT STAFF IS DOING AND HAS BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS SINCE THE RETREAT IS ORGANIZING THOSE VARIOUS METRICS SO THEY'RE IN A PLACE THAT'S MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE COUNCIL AND TO THE PUBLIC. SOME OF THEM, YOU MAY SEE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE OR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, BUT BASED ON THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU ALL ESTABLISHED IN THE RETREAT, WE'RE GATHERING THAT INFORMATION SO THAT IT'S ALL IN ONE PLACE. IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL METRICS DESIRED, WE CAN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AS WELL AND DEVELOP THOSE METRICS, BUT I THINK THE FIRST PLACE TO START IS TO GET THAT INFORMATION RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT ALREADY EXISTS, AND WE CAN TAKE IT FROM THERE. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: OKAY, YES. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SEE A TIMELINE, SO WE CAN KIND OF TIMELINE AND WHAT IS OUR GOAL AND THEN WE CAN MEASURE NEXT YEAR. AND ALSO I JUST LISTENED TO THOSE PEOPLE, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TALK ABOUT LET'S SAY THE STREETLIGHT, IT'S OUT, WE JUST -- YOU KNOW, I'M JUST USING AS AN EXAMPLE, THAT COULD BE SOMETHING WE MEASURE, LIKE BY WHAT TIME WE NEED TO GIVE A FEEDBACK OR RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME HERE, COMPLAIN AFTER SIX MONTHS, THE LIGHTS ARE NOT BEING FIXED. SO THOSE ARE JUST THE LITTLE DETAILS AS AN EXAMPLE. >> Mayor Salwan: COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN. >> Councilmember Kimberlin: I DO SEE DOWNTOWN MENTIONED IN HERE A FEW TIMES, BUT COULD WE BE CLEAR AS TO LIKE WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE, DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY, IT TALKS ABOUT DINING, ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACES, AND THEN IT'S MENTIONED IN ANOTHER AREA SO I THINK IF WE WANT SOMETHING REALLY SPECIFIC WITH THE FREMONT DOWNTOWN AREA, THAT WE SHOULD -- >> City Mgr. Shackelford: MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT THAT CONVERSATION WAS HAD AT THE RETREAT AND THE DETERMINATION WAS TO CAPTURE IT UNDER THIS PARTICULAR TITLE, BUT AS FAR AS MORE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND SEEING THE METRICS ALL IN ONE PLACE, YOU KNOW, YOU HEARD DIRECTION RECEIVED. >> MY SUGGESTION, VICE MAYOR, WOULD BE THAT WE FOCUS THE OUTCOMES AND MEASURES TO ON DOWNTOWN WITHIN THE LARGER EXISTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BULLET SEE IF YOU FEEL THOSE SPECIFIC MEASURES ADDRESSING DOWNTOWN SPECIFICALLY MEET YOUR INTERESTS WHEN THOSE ARE PRODUCED. >> Mayor Salwan: SO AGAIN, MAYBE WE'RE HAVING DIFFERENT MEETINGS, BUT I VERY VIVIDLY RECALL THAT WE PLAGUE DOWNTOWN AS A STANDALONE ITEM, THAT'S A TOP PRIORITY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AGAIN I FEEL WE ALWAYS ARE FOCUSED ON THAT. BUT WE NEED TO CALL OUT DOWNTOWN SPECIFICALLY AND NOT JUST LIKE VIBRANCY, BUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THE DOWNTOWN PLAN, THE PROJECTS THAT ARE PENDING, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BRING THEM HERE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BRING MORE RESTAURANTS, HOW ARE WE GOING TO BRING MORE ENTERTAINMENT, SO MORE SPECIFICS, MORE MEAT AND POTATOES RATHER THAN JUST NICE WORDS, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO CLARIFY. AND THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER. AND THIS HAPPENED THE YEAR BEFORE TOO. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT DOWNTOWN AND, AGAIN, IT WAS HIDDEN UNDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO I DON'T WANT TO DILUTE IT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE CALL IT OUT AS AN ITEM OR BOLD IT OR FURTHER DEFINE IT. SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SEE. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: I JUST WANT TO ASK SOMETHING. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME KIND OF A PILOT PROGRAM, BECAUSE AFTER WE -- I WENT TO THE SALT LAKE CITY CONFERENCE, SO THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, AS EXAMPLE, THEY ARE CITIES -- WHATEVER CITY, I COULD NOT REMEMBER THE NAME, THE VIBRANCY, THE STRATEGY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE THIS SOCIAL AREA. WHICH YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN -- DURING THE DAY TIME, WHICH IS A CERTAIN AREA, JUST TO TRY TO -- AS A PILOT TO SEE WHETHER THEY CAN CREATE MORE, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL HAPPINESS AND ALSO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS. SO I THINK I WANT TO SEE SOME KIND OF EXAMPLE LIKE THAT OUR CITY IS EXPLORING, AND THAT, I THINK, CONTRIBUTES TO THE DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE -- LET'S SEE, I WANT TO SEE SEVERAL PILOT PROGRAMS, WHAT'S THE THINKING BEHIND OUR STAFF, LEADERSHIP'S VIEW ON THAT, SO THAT WOULD BECOME PART OF THE PLAN, BY THE END OF THE YEAR, THIS WORKS OR THIS DOESN'T OR MAYBE EVEN BY A QUARTER, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST WE'RE DOING SOMETHING. JUST MY FEEDBACK. >> Mayor Salwan: COUNCILMEMBER CAMPBELL. >> Councilmember Campbell: THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK WHEN I'M LOOKING AT THIS WHEN WE TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY, IN HERE IT DID SAY THERE WOULD BE SOME METRICS THAT WE WOULD USE AND IT TALKED ABOUT -- WELL, IT DOES TALK ABOUT HIGH LEVEL BENCHMARKS TO TRACK BUSINESS ACTIVITY, JOB CREATION, ET CETERA. WHAT KIND OF A BENCHMARK ARE WE THINKING THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE? BECAUSE I THINK THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO HER POINT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BASE IN WHICH TO BE ABLE TO GROW OR NOT GROW. SO WHERE WOULD WE BE ESTABLISHING THESE BENCHMARKS? >> City Mgr. Shackelford: SO AS FAR AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS CONCERNED, AND LET'S USE THE DOWNTOWN AS AN EXAMPLE SINCE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE KNOW FROM THE TIME WE STARTED DEVELOPING THE DOWNTOWN HOW MANY BUSINESSES MOVED IN, HOW MANY VACANCIES WE HAD, HOW MANY OF THE HOUSING UNITS WERE BUILT AND THEN OCCUPIED, SO WE HAVE EVERY YEAR INFORMATION ON HOW THE DOWNTOWN HAS TRANSITIONED. SO THOSE BASELINES, THAT DATA ALREADY EXISTS. AND AS THE DOWNTOWN BUILDS OUT MORE AND MORE, YOU KNOW, THAT DATA GETS ADDED TO, SO WE SEE NOW THERE'S THREE NEW BUSINESSES OPENED OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, SO THAT ALREADY EXISTS. >> Councilmember Campbell: ARE WE ALSO TRACKING THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE MOVING OUT OR THAT ARE CLOSING SO THAT EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT SAY WE HAVE A GOAL OF 10, WELL, THREE OF THEM MOVED OUT, SO THAT DOESN'T HELP US WITH ACHIEVING THAT GOAL. >> City Mgr. Shackelford: WE DEFINITELY TRACK THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE MOVING OUT JUST AS MUCH AS WE TRACK THE ONES WHO ARE MOVING IN. THAT'S THE WHOLE BASIS OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, IS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION. SO BEFORE ANYONE MOVES OUT OR WE EVEN GET A WHISPER THAT ANYONE IS OF MOOIN MOVING OUT, OUR STAFF IS WORKING WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET THEM TO STAY, WHAT CHALLENGES THEY RAN INTO OR, YOU KNOW, NEED ASSISTANCE WITH, SO YES, THAT INFORMATION IS BEING CAPTURED. >> Mayor Salwan: NO FURTHER QUESTIONS? SO MAYBE I MAY JUST FLAG THAT MAYBE IT MIGHT NOT BE A BAD IDEA TO REVISIT LIKE A STUDY SESSION ON THE DOWNTOWN, JUST BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A WHILE. JUST TO KIND OF SEE WHAT SORT OF THINGS WE CAN DO TO FURTHER EITHER STIMULATE ACTIVITY, REVIEW THE DOWNTOWN PLAN, JUST SO THAT WE HAVE -- WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS AND I THINK THE LAST TIME WE DID THAT WAS MAYBE OVER 12 YEARS AGO OR SO. SO PERHAPS WE CAN MAKE IT KIND OF A CONCERTED EFFORT TO MAYBE HAVE SOME STUDY SESSION OR WORK SESSION TO TALK ABOUT, FLESH THAT OUT. BUT ON THIS REPORT, I JUST WANT TO FLAG DOWNTOWN AS ITS OWN ITEM. YOU CAN PUT IT UNDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO FURTHER DEVELOP THAT. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME METRICS, STAFF SHOULD COME BACK WITH SOMETHING THAT THESE ARE THE METRICS WE'RE GOING TO USE SO THEN WE CAN WORK TOWARDS THOSE. WE CAN DECIDE THAT. COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN AGAIN. >> Councilmember Kimberlin: THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST REAL QUICK, PERHAPS IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO DO THE METRICS AND DATA LIKE IN LINE WITH THE DOCUMENT THAT WE HAVE SO THAT WE CAN SEE THIS IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT AND THIS IS WHAT WAS DONE SO THAT IT LINES UP RIGHT IN THE SAME FORMAT AS THIS PRIORITY PAGE. MAYBE THAT WOULD BE A GOOD TEMPLATE TO USE. >> Mr. Stott: YEAH, VERY MUCH SO, THE PRIORITY AREAS WILL DEFINE THE WORK AND ESPECIALLY THE REPORTING OUT OF THE METRICS. >> Mayor Salwan: GOOD. SO IS THIS AN ACTION ITEM OR JUST INFO ONLY? >> Mr. Stott: WELL, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE REPORT. IF YOU WANT TO REJECT IT AND REQUEST CHANGES, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT. OTHERWISE THE ACTION IS TO ACCEPT IT. >> Mayor Salwan: I'M NOT SURE ABOUT REJECTING, BUT IF YOU CAN INCORPORATE THE COMMENTS WE HAVE, IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE, IF YOU NEED A FORMAL MOTION, WE CAN DO THAT, IF WHAT WE TOLD YOU IS ENOUGH? >> Mr. Stott: I THINK I'VE GOT IT. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: GREAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT WE HAVE SCHEDULED ITEMS. FIRST ONE IS WINTER 2025-2026 CODE UPDATE. WE HAVE SENIOR PLANNER JAMES WILLIS AND PLANNING MANAGER DAVID WAGE WHO ARE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS? NO? OKAY. I WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM? >> STAFF DOES HAVE A PRESENTATION. >> Councilmember Campbell: I WAS GOING TO SAY, STAFF HAS A PRESENTATION. >> Mayor Salwan: OH, YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION? OKAY. IT SAYS HERE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS, BUT OKAY. >> WE HAVE A PRESENTATION IF YOU'D LIKE TO RECEIVE ONE, OTHERWISE -- >> Mayor Salwan: SURE, GO AHEAD. >> GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS. THE PROJECT BEFORE THE COUNCIL THIS EVENING IS AN UPDATE TO THE FREMONT MUNICIPAL CODE SUBDIVISION AND PLANNING AND ZONING CHAPTERS. THE CITY REGULARLY -- THE UPDATES CURRENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION WERE RECOMMENDED TO THE CITY COUNCIL BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON FEBRUARY 26, 2026. THE BROAD PURPOSE OF THESE UPDATES ARE TO STREAMLINE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, COMPLY WITH CHANGES TO STATE LAW, PROMOTE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, AND TO MAKE MINOR EDITS AND CORRECTIONS TO CLARIFY THE CODE. I WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CHANGES PROVIDED. PROPOSED. THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE WOULD STREAMLINE INDUSTRIAL TENTATIVE SUBDIVISION MAPS TO REQUIRE MINISTERIAL APPROVAL IN LINE WITH THE CITY'S LONG-STANDING MINISTERIAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES FOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. CURRENTLY THESE TENTATIVE MAPS ARE CONSIDERED BY THE PLANNING MANAGER IN A DISCRETIONARY PROCESS. PLANNING STAFF WORKED WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF TO PROPOSE CHANGES TO THE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ZONING DISTRICT'S USE TABLES WHICH WOULD INCLUDE REVIGS TO MAKE CERTAIN INDOOR COMMERCIAL RECREATION USES IN THE CITY CENTER MATCH CHANGES MADE IN THE LAST CODE UPDATE TO THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS. A REVISION TO THE STANDARD DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR RESOURCE PROTECTION CHAPTER WOULD GIVE STAFF THE ABILITY TO REVISE THE STANDARDS PERIODICALLY WHEN NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE TO SUBSTANTIALLY MITIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO ALLOW PROJECTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CEQA EXEMPTIONS. EVERY YEAR, THE STATE LEGISLATURE CREATES NEW LAWS THAT THE CITY IS REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH. THE PROPOSED CODE UPDATES INCLUDE SEVERAL UPDATES TO ADDRESS RECENTLY PASSED STATE LAWS SUCH AS ALLOWING HYDROGEN FUELING STATIONS IN VARIOUS ZONING DISTRICTS. THERE WOULD BE UPDATES TO THE TWO-UNIT DEVELOPMENT AND URBAN LOT SPLIT CHAPTERS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS SB9 TO MATCH CURRENT STATE LAW. PROPOSED CHANGES WOULD INCLUDE THE NOTICING -- PROPOSED CHANGES WOULD OWP DATE THE NOTICING TIME FRAMES FOR AMENDMENTS TO THE ZONING ORDINANCE, WHICH AFFECT PERMITTED USES IN A ZONING DISTRICT. THE TIME FRAME FOR PAYMENT OF DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES WOULD BE UPDATED TO MATCH RECENT STATE LAWS THAT REQUIRE AUTOMATIC DEFERRAL OF CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS TO BUILDING OCCUPANCY RATHER THAN PERMIT ISSUANCE. TO ENCOURAGE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, A NUMBER OF REVISIONS TO THE CODE ARE PROPOSED. FOR MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, THERE ARE UPDATES TO THE USE TABLES IN THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS TO ADDRESS CHANGES IN STATE LAURIE LLAW RELATED TO HOUSING. THE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS WOULD REFERENCE OBJECTIVE STANDARDS AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW. THE R1 AND R2 ZONING DISTRICT STANDARDS WOULD BE REVISED BY REMOVING THE ROOF PITCH STANDARDS TO ALLOW MORE FLEXIBILITY IN SINGLE FAMILY HOME ARCHITECTURE. THE WAY SECOND STORY AREA IS CALCULATED WOULD BE CLARIFIED TO REFLECT LONG-STANDING INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CODE. THE ADU ORDINANCE WOULD PROHIBIT ROOFTOP DECKS ON ADUs BECAUSE THE REDUCED SETBACK AFFORDED TO ADUs COULD CREATE SIGNIFICANT PRIVACY CONCERNS. REFERENCES TO THE HISTORIC STANDARDS WOULD BE ADDED TO THE ADU ORDINANCE. THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORDINANCE WOULD BE UPDATED TO REFLECT RECENT STATE LAWS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE. THE LENGTH OF TIME AFFORDED HOUSING AGREEMENTS WOULD BE MODIFIED TO CONFORM TO STATE LAW AND NEW AFFORDABILITY CATEGORIES FOR LOWER INCOME STUDENTS -- SORRY -- LOWER INCOME STUDENTS WOULD BE ADDRESSED -- WOULD BE ADDED WITH ASSOCIATED UPDATES TO THE DENSITY BONUS ALLOWANCES. SEVERAL MINOR CHANGES AND CLEAN-UP ITEMS ARE PROPOSED AS PART OF THIS CODE UPDATE. A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE WAS PERFORMED TO UPDATE REFERENCES MODIFIED BY OTHER PROPOSED CHANGES SUCH AS UPDATING CODE SECTION NUMBERS AND MODIFYING TERMS TO MATCH CHANGED LANGUAGE FOUND ELSEWHERE IN THE CODE. THE D DEFINITION SECTION WOULD NOW INCLUDE A DEFINITION FOR DEX DECKS AND A DEFINITION FOR THE PRIMARY DWELLING WOULD BE ADDED. THE DEFINITION FOR MOBILE HOMES IS PROPOSED TO BE UPDATED TO REPLACE THE DEFINITION THAT HAS NOT BEEN MODIFIED IN DECADES. THE CURRENT DEFINITION POINTS TO AN OBSOLETE DEFINITION IN STATE LAW THAT WOULD ONLY APPLY TO MOBILE HOMES CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1970s. FINALLY, THE CODE UPDATES INCLUDE MINOR TYPOGRAPHICAL AND EDITORIAL CORRECTIONS TO CLEAN UP THE CODE TEXT, TO FIX ISSUES SUCH AS TYPOS. STAFF RECOMMENDS THE CITY COUNCIL FIND THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE MUNICIPAL CODE TO BE EXEMPT FROM CEQA FOR THE REASONS ENUMERATED IN THE STAFF REPORT AND FIND THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE GENERAL PLAN. STAFF ALSO RECOMMENDS THE CITY COUNCIL INTRODUCE AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE MUNICIPAL CODE. STAFF IS AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FROM STAFF? COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN. >> Councilmember Kimberlin: THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT. WERE THERE ANY CONCERNS OR ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION? I KNOW THIS WENT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND I'D LIKE TO VALUE THAT THEY WEIGHED IN THAT WE SHOULD RECOMMEND IT. WAS THERE ANY FEEDBACK THAT YOU GOT FROM THEM, ANY CONCERNS? >> THE PLANNING COMMISSION DIDN'T MAKE ANY COMMENTS OR ASK ANY QUESTIONS DURING THEIR HEARING. >> Councilmember Kimberlin: OKAY. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: VICE MAYOR ZHANG. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: THANK YOU, MAYOR. MY QUESTION IS, WHEN YOU SAY AN UPDATE, THE SB9, SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? BECAUSE THE BILL PASSED IN JANUARY 1ST, 2025. SO WHAT DO YOU MEAN, UPDATE SB9? >> I9? >> THERE HAVE BEEN MANY AMENDMENTS TO SB9 THAT THIS PROPOSED TEXT WOULD INCORPORATE, AND ALSO THE STATEHOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS MADE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CODE. SO WE ARE UPDATING TO MATCH THEIR INTERPRETATION SO THAT WE ARE ALIGNED WITH THE STATE'S INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: GOT IT. SO HAVE WE HAD ANY PROJECT IN RESPONDING TO THE SB9? >> MANY. IT'S A VERY COMMON APPLICATION TYPE IN FREMONT RIGHT NOW. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: RIGHT, SO HOW MANY HAVE WE APPROVED AND WHAT IS THE BOTTLENECK ON THAT? >> I DO NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE. I BELIEVE IT WAS IN THE APR THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL RECENTLY BY MY COLLEAGUE -- >> Vice Mayor Zhang: RIGHT, I REMEMBER THAT. IT WAS PRETTY LOW. I REMEMBER THAT. SO I'M JUST THINKING, AND IF WE PROVIDE SOME KIND OF A STREAMLINE PROCEDURE OR PLAN, SO DO YOU THINK WE CAN EXPEDITE THIS KIND OF A PROJECT TO SOLVE THE KIND OF AS A PART SOLUTION TO SOLVE THE HOUSING SUPPLY? >> THAT'S ALWAYS THE GOAL. RIGHT NOW THESE CHANGES ARE TO ALIGN WITH THE STATE'S INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO. SO THE GOAL THAT THE STATE HAD AND THE CITY SHARES IS TO INCREASE HOUSING STOCK. THIS IS ONE OF THE MANY WAYS TO APPROACH THAT. >> Vice Mayor Zhang: CORRECT, BUT I THINK AFTER LIKE MAYBE A CERTAIN TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW MANY PROJECTS HAVE WE APPROVED, MAYBE ANOTHER SIX MONTHS, AND TO SEE WHAT IS THE -- BECAUSE I SEE THAT, PEOPLE SAY THE PERMITTING PROCESS IS VERY LOW, AND IF THE CITY CAN HELP THEM IN CERTAIN WAY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF OBSTACLE THEY HAVE. SO THEN WE CAN REALLY HELP TO EXECUTE THE PLAN, AND BECAUSE SB9 IS A POLICY, BUT HOW DO WE EXECUTE THAT? THAT'S THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUR CITY -- FEEDBACK, PROS AND CONS, CHALLENGE YOU HAVE, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO INCREASE THE SUPPLY ON THIS BILL. AT CERTAIN TIME. >> Mayor Salwan: I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE THE -- ON A HIGHER LEVEL WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE THE ZONING SO IT COMPLIES WITH SB9 REGULATIONS SO THAT IF PEOPLE DO WANT TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF SB9, THAT THE PROCESS GOES SMOOTHER. ONCE YOU START DOING THAT, THEN WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE SOME DATA IN THE FUTURE. COUNCILMEMBER SHAO. >> Councilmember Shao: THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION FOR THESE REGULAR UPDATES TO BE IN COMPLIANCE OR CONFORMITY WITH THE STATE LAW, WHETHER THE CITY BEING GENERAL LAW CITY OR CHARTER CITY MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE FOR THIS KIND OF PUBLICATION? >> MY UNDERSTANDING IS MOST OF THE STATE LAWS THAT ARE BEING PASSED RIGHT NOW WOULD APPLY TO BOTH GENERAL LAW AND CHARTER CITIES. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO GENERAL LAW CITIES. BUT I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON EVERY LAW THAT THE STATE HAS PASSED RECENTLY. >> Councilmember Shao: THANK YOU. >> SO YOU'RE DONE, COUNCILMEMBER SHAO? OKAY. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS -- I'M SORRY, BEFORE WE DO THAT, I'M GOING TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. >> Mr. Quintanilla: WE HAVE THREE PUBLIC SPEAKERS. >> Mayor Salwan: OKAY. 2 MINUTES EACH. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS JOHN WEIDE FOLLOWED BY KRISTIN LANE. >> I THINK THAT'S ON. JOHN WEED, 43255 MISSION BOULEVARD, FREMONT. I PROVIDED A THREE-PAGE DOCUMENT FOR THIS DISCUSSION AND I'D LIKE TO KEEP IT FAIRLY SIMPLE. THIS HAS BEEN -- THE ZONING ORDINANCE WAS REDONE AND SIGNIFICANTLY ABOUT 14 YEARS AGO. AND AS PART OF THAT REVISION, THEY PUT IN A STATEMENT SAYING THAT IF YOU DIDN'T MEET THE CRITERIA OF -- OR YOU WERE FOUND TO BE A USE NOT ALLOWED, NOW THEY'RE USING THE TERM "USE NOT PERMITTED," THAT YOU CANNOT FILE A VARIANCE. IT WAS PART OF AN EFFORT OVER THE TIME, THIS IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF EFFORTS TO MARGINALIZE THE ROLE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. AND BASICALLY CURTAIL INPUT BY THE PUBLIC AND I THINK STYMIE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ON THE SECOND PAGE, YOU ALL HAVE THE LEGEND OF THE SYMBOLS THAT WERE USED IN THE DOCUMENT. THEY WERE NOT PROVIDED IN THE STAFF HANDOUT, BUT I'D LIKE YOU TO FOCUS ON THE TWO DASHES. WHICH IS A USE THAT IS PROHIBITED WITHIN THE SOABING DISTRICT. ZONING DISTRICT. THAT IS REMARKABLY EXPENSIVE. IN 2014, THEY CREATED TWO DISTRICTS, COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL TO TOWN CENTER PEDESTRIAN AND TOWN CENTER TRANSITION, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CHART, YOU'LL SEE TWO LEVELS OVER, EDUCATIONAL USES ARE PROHIBITED. AND THE TOWN CENTER COMMERCIAL PEDESTRIAN AREAS. WHICH IS THE BULK OF THE OLD TOWN. THERE'S A VAST HISTORY ON THAT. AT ONE POINT, THEY WERE GOING TO ALLOW -- >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KRISTEN LANE FOLLOWED BY KELLY ABRU. ABREU. > >> PUSH HERE. SORRY. SORRY. GOOD EVENING, COUNCILMEMBERS, MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR. CITY MANAGER AND STAFF. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU DO, AND I AM SORRY FOR ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH AS OF LATE. AS BOTH A RESIDENT AND A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER, I'M SEEING HOW THE CURRENT ZONING CODE IS OVERLY RESTRICTIVE IN PRACTICE AS IT IS, AND EVERY TIME THE CITY GOES -- DOES -- REFINES THE CODE ACCORDING TO STATE STANDARDS AND SO FORTH, WE ARE FIGHTING AGAINST KEEPING HISTORICAL BUSINESSES AFLOAT, ESPECIALLY IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT OF NILES. AS IT IS, IF ALL OF THESE CODE ADJUSTMENTS GO FORWARD AND SOMEBODY DECIDES TO BUY THE CAR WASH, THAT WON'T BE ALLOWED AS A FUTURE BUSINESS. WE WON'T BE ALLOWED TO KEEP CERTAIN THINGS IN NILES. WE HAVE A MUSHROOM FACTORY THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR DECADES. SO IT IMPACTS SIGNIFICANT INCOME STREAMS IN NILES. I'M SEEING EVEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE A USE WOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SURROUNDING AREA, IT MAKES IT HARDER FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO ADOPT AND SUCCEED. RIGHT NOW THE CODE IS SO RESTRICTIVE THAT IT LIMITS FAIR AND PRACTICAL OUTCOMES. THE PROHIBITION ON USE VARIANCES REMOVES CITY'S ABILITY TO CONSIDER REASONABLE SOLUTIONS EVEN WHEN THEY ALIGN WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I REALLY WOULD HOPE THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD VISIT THIS SECTION OF THE CODE AND CONSIDER ALLOWING THE ADMITTED USE, AND THAT KIND OF FLEXIBILITY WOULD SUPPORT THE LOCAL BUSINESSES GOING FORWARD. THIS ISN'T A ONE SOLUTION FOR ALL. WE NEED TO KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT THE WHOLE MAKEUP HERE AND NOT JUST CONSIDER THE PLANNING FOR DOWNTOWN BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DISTRICTS ALL AND HOW IT IMPACTS EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. >> Mr. Quintanilla: OUR FINAL SPEAKER FOR THIS ITEM IS KELLY ABREU. >> WELL, AS WE JUST HEARD, WE HAVE THIS SPECIAL PREFERENCE FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT EVERYWHERE IN THESE PLANNING DOCUMENTS THAT YOU DIDN'T SEE, YOU JU SAW A FEW WORDS ON SLIDES BUT YOU DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THE CHARTS WITH THE Ps AND Zs AND DASHES AND WHATEVER SO WE DIDN'T ACTUALLY SEE ANY ZONING LAWS HERE TODAY. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, WHAT DO YOU SEE? YOU SEE THAT DRINKING ESTABLISHMENTS LIKE BARS AND NIGHT CLUBS, THEY'RE STRICTLY REGULATED WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF REGULATION. AND LIKEWISE, FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, YOU KNOW, THE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES ALL OVER THE PLACE, THEY'RE STRICTLY REGULATED JUST LIKE BARS AND NIGHT CLUBS. THIS IS A KIND OF FREMONT THAT WE LIVE IN THAT IS ANTIEDUCATIONAL SERVICES IN THE DOWNTOWN AREAS. AND THEN IN TH IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA HERE, PRIVILEGED AREA, YOU CAN'T HAVE DINING ON THE SIDEWALKS WITH ALCOHOL, OKAY? SOUNDS REASONABLE. BUT IF YOU GO TO NILES OR SOMEWHERE ELSE, THAT AGAIN IS STRICTLY REGULATED JUST BY THOSE BARS AND RESTAURANTS. SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? THEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PLANS AND METRICS, YOUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT, YOUR PLANNING DIRECTOR, YOUR PLANNING STAFF COME OUT HERE AND THEY SHOW YOU PLANS AND THINGS, THEY DON'T EVEN LOOK AT THE GOOGLE SATELLITES WHEN THEY SAY HEY, WE WANT TO DO THIS, THIS IS WHAT THIS PROJECT INVOLVES, WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT GOOGLE SAID AT THE LAST PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING, GOOGLE SHOWS HALF THE PROJECT WERE ALREADY GRADED. TWO BRIDE WAYS WERE BUILT AND A BUILDING PAD WAS BUILT AND MOST OF THAT WAS A FUTURE PROJECT, THEN WHEN THEY HEARD THIS WAS ALREADY HAPPENING, THEY SAID OH, WE'LL GET THEM A GRADING PERMIT. THERE'S NO PLANS. THERE'S NO ENFORCEMENT. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT AND THEN WE'LL GIVE YOU A PERMIT. >> Mayor Salwan: WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND BRING IT BACK TO CITY COUNCIL. DID YOU WANT TO ADDRESS MR. WEED'S COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? >> SURE. THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS DIDN'T AFFECT ANY OF THE USES THAT WERE MENTIONED. THND WERE MOSTLY REDUCING THE ENTITLEMENT LEVEL FROM CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS TO ZONING ADMINISTRATOR PERMITS IN THE CITY CENTER DOWNTOWN FOR CERTAIN ENTERTAINMENT USES AND EATING PLACES WITH ALCOHOL TO MATCH THE CODE THAT IS ALREADY IN PLACE IN THE REST OF THE CITY'S COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS. THOSE CHANGES WERE MADE DURING THE LAST CODE UPDATE, AND THEN WHAT WE'RE DOING TONIGHT IS MATCHING THE DOWNTOWN AND CITY CENTER TO WHAT'S ALLOWED IN THE REST OF THE CITY FOR THOSE TYPES OF USES. REGARDING USES THAT ALREADY EXIST, THE TWO EXAMPLES PROVIDED IN NILES, THOSE ARE LEGACY BUSINESSES, AND AS LONG AS THEY CONTINUE TO OPERATE, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO REMAIN AS LEGAL NON-CONFORMING USES INDEFINITELY. THERE IS NO SUNSET ON ILLEGAL NON-CONFORMING USE. >> Mayor Salwan: SO JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE SAYING IT'S ALREADY ALLOWED IN NILES AND SOME OF THESE HISTORIC AREAS, YOU'RE JUST ALLOWING IT DOWNTOWN WITH THIS UPDATE, IS THAT CORRECT? >> THE CHANGES WE WERE MAKING TO THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS DID NOT CHANGE THE THINGS THAT WERE MENTIONED TONIGHT. THE VARIANCES, ALL THAT, THAT'S NOT BEING TOUCHED IN THE CODE. >> Mayor Salwan: SO FROM MY PLANNING COMMISSION DAYS, I KNOW THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT GOES WITH THE LAND SO IF IT'S ALREADY PERMITTED, AS LONG AS YOU'RE THERE, YOU'RE GOOD. IF YOU WANT TO TEAR IT DOWN, THEN THE NEW REGULATIONS KICK IN, IS THAT CORRECT? >> THAT'S CORRECT, YES. >> AND I THINK THAT ADDRESSES MS. LANE'S COMMENTS TOO. WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD ABOUT HERS? I THINK SHE HAD HISTORIC BUSINESSES. I DO KNOW ABOUT THE EDUCATION ALSO, WE ALLOWED THE EDUCATION USES THAT ARE ALREADY THERE, WHICH ARE MANY IN SOME DISTRICTS, PARTICULARLY MISSION SAN JOSÉ, IT'S JUST THE NEW ONES THAT COME IN, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE RESTRICTED. IS THAT CORRECT? >> THAT'S CORRECT. EXISTING BUSINESSES OF THAT TYPE CAN REMAIN AND THEY CAN EVEN BE TRANSFERRED AMONG OWNERSHIP AS LONG AS THEY OPERATE UNDER THE SAME RULES WITHOUT EXPANDING. >> SO THEY COULD BE BOUGHT OUT, A NEW PERSON COMES IN AND TAKES IT OVER. >> THAT'S CORRECT. >> WHAT'S THE CONCENTRATION OF TOO MANY IN ONE AREA? >> SEVERAL YEARS AGO THERE WERE ISSUES WITH SOME OF THE OLD TOWN CENTERS WHERE A LARGE NUMBER OF EDUCATIONAL USES WERE MOVING IN, PUSHING OUT ALL OF THE LOCAL SERVING BUSINESSES THAT WERE NON-EDUCATIONAL-RELATED, AND AT THAT TIME, THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE CITY COUNCIL FELT THAT IT WAS OVER CONCENTRATION TOO MANY OF THOSE BUSINESSES WERE STRANGLING THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS IN THOSE AREAS AND MAKING IT DIFFERENTLY FOR OTHER BUSINESSES TO OPERATE, SORE A LIMITATION ON THE NUMBER WAS MADE AS PART OF THE CODES UPDATE, I BELIEVE, AT LEAST 10 YEARS AGO, MAYBE MORE. THAT BASICALLY LOCKED IN THE ONES THAT WERE EXISTING, THEY COULD STAY, BUT DID NOT ALLOW NEW ONES TO MOVE IN. >> Mayor Salwan: THAT'S TO MAINTAIN THE VIBRANCY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD SO WE HAVE SOME RETAIL, SOME -- WHATEVER. >> THAT'S CORRECT, YES. >> Mayor Salwan: GOOD. COUNCILMEMBER KIMBERLIN. >> Councilmember Kimberlin: THANK YOU. JUST REAL QUICK, I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE NOLL THAT ON THE AGENDA PACKET, THERE WERE A WHOLE LOT MORE PAGES WITH ZONING CODES AND A WHOLE LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN WHAT WAS SHOWN HERE TODAY, SO THANK YOU. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT ALL, BUT IT MAKES SENSE SING THAT YOU'RE UPDATING ACCORDING TO STATE STANDARDS, AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT ALL THE ESTABLISHED HISTORICAL ONES ARE GRANDFATHERED IN. IT'S VERY GOOD TO HEAR. THANK YOU. >> Mayor Salwan: THANK YOU. I JUST MAKE A COMMENT, IT WAS MENTIONED MY LOVE FOR DOWNTOWN, IT'S LIKE A FATHER, YOU LOVE ALL YOUR TOWNS RIGHT, ALL YOUR DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY, BUT YOU TRY TO MAKE SURE THEY COME UP TO SPEED. SO DOWNTOWN IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY. WE HAVE A LOT OF V VACANT LAND THAT COULD BE TURNED OVER TO INCREASE MORE THINGS FOR FOLKS TO DO, WHETHER IT'S DRINKS THAT SOMEBODY MENTIONED OR WHETHER IT'S ENTERTAINMENT OR THINGS FOR THOAX FOLKS TO DO, SO THAT WAS THE REFERENCE THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN. BUT I LOVE ALL OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOCUS -- THAT'S WHERE MY BUSINESS IS SO I'VE GOT TO LOVE CENTERVILLE, RIGHT? LET ME MAKE A DISCLAIMER, I LOVE ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS, OKAY? INCLUDING ARDENWOOD WHICH IS ONE OF OUR NEWER NEIGHBORHOODS, NOT THE TRADITIONAL FIVE, BUT I WAS REFERENCING DOWNTOWN BECAUSE OF THE SPECIFIC NEEDS WITH HAVE AND THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE OF UNDEVELOPED, UNDERUTILIZED PARCELS THAT COULD BE -- WITH THAT, I DON'T SEE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, SO CAN WE GET A MOTION? MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER LIU. IS THERE A SECOND? IS THERE A SECOND? A SECOND BY COUNCILMEMBER CAMPBELL. PLEASE VOTE. M