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[01:13:17] Councilmember Pat Showalter: We are back. And, uh, I will turn to the City Attorney for a report on the closed session.
[01:13:28] City Attorney Jennifer Logue: Thank you, Mayor. There was no reportable action taken.
[01:13:31] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you very much. Next, we will have the Pledge of Allegiance, which will be led by Vice Mayor Hicks.
[01:13:41] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Please join me.
[01:13:43] All: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[01:14:04] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Please be seated. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?
[01:14:14] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Kamei.
[01:14:15] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Here.
[01:14:16] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Lieber.
[01:14:17] Councilmember Marc Lieber: Here.
[01:14:18] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember McAlister.
[01:14:21] Councilmember John McAlister: Here. And I am participating remotely under the just cause provision. There's nobody over the age of 18 in the room with me.
[01:14:29] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Thank you. Councilmember Nuñez.
[01:14:31] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Here.
[01:14:32] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Ramirez.
[01:14:33] Councilmember Lucas Ramirez: Here.
[01:14:34] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Vice Mayor Hicks.
[01:14:35] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Here.
[01:14:36] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Mayor Showalter.
[01:14:37] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Here.
[01:14:42] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Now we move on to Special Presentations. And I have a proclamation this evening for Constitution Week. And, uh, so I'm gonna read that, and then we have someone here to accept it.
[01:15:02] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Whereas September 17, 2023, marks the 236th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention; and
[01:15:19] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Whereas it is fitting and proper to accord official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary and to the patriotic celebrations which will commemorate the occasion; and
[01:15:34] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Whereas Public Law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of the United States of America designating September 17 through 23 as Constitution Week; and
[01:15:52] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Whereas we ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals of the framers of the Constitution in 1787.
[01:16:03] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Now, therefore, I, Pat Showalter, Mayor of the City of Mountain View, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim the week of September 17 through 23, 2023, as Constitution Week in the City of Mountain View and urge all residents to reflect on the privilege of being an American with all the rights and responsibilities which that privilege involves.
[01:16:33] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And I believe we have Carolyn here to accept the proclamation. Come on up. Welcome.
[01:16:51] Carolyn: Thank you.
[01:16:52] Councilmember Pat Showalter: You're welcome.
[01:16:56] Carolyn: Mayor Showalter and members of the City Council, thank you for this proclamation. The Gaspar de Portolà chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution thanks you for your support of the United States Constitution.
[01:17:15] Carolyn: The DAR initiated the observance of Constitution Week in 1955 when the organization petitioned Congress to dedicate September 17th through the 23rd of each year to the commemoration of Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution, and on August 2nd, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law number 915.
[01:17:46] Carolyn: As the proclamation states, we ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals of the framers of the Constitution had in 1787. The United States Constitution is the oldest constitution still in active use. Thank you again for this proclamation.
[01:18:07] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you very much, and thank you for being here this evening.
[01:18:11] Carolyn: Thank you.
[01:18:13] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And I think we'll take a quick picture.
[01:18:15] Carolyn: Okay.
[01:18:50] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you. Now we move on to Public Comments. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the Council on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are allowed to speak on any topic for up to 2 minutes, though the Mayor may reduce that time if there are a large number of speakers. State law prohibits the Council from acting on non-agenda items. And please, avoid personal attacks or using profanity or making comments that are unrelated to city business.
[01:19:27] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And if you are in the room, please use the ticket and put it in the machine. And if you are online, please raise your virtual hand. And Madam Clerk, do we have any speakers?
[01:19:43] City Clerk Heather Glaser: We do have speakers. Our first speaker is David.
[01:19:47] David: Good evening, Council. Can you hear me?
[01:19:49] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yes.
[01:19:50] David: My name is David. I've been a resident of Mountain View for 45 years. My concern is the, uh, Castro Street, the 100 block of Castro Street, which, in the Voice, sounds like you want to close it, and I'm totally against that.
[01:20:07] David: It seems like every time we have something going on, it's the 100 block of Castro Street. And now that they have that new Centennial Plaza, it seems like everything should be moved to there, and leave the street open.
[01:20:20] David: Because when you close that street, then all the traffic has to go around, which, you know, causes more traffic on the other streets. So that's my concern. I don't think they should close the street. And since we spent all that money on the Centennial Plaza, that's what should be used. Thank you very much.
[01:20:41] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you.
[01:20:45] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Our next speaker is Ken Wong.
[01:20:53] Ken Wong: Good evening, Mayor, City Council. My name is Ken Wong. Uh, resident here 30 years.
[01:20:59] Ken Wong: Uh, I like to echo the previous speaker on 100 block. Uh, one of the issues that I see as a resident on the other side of the track is, uh, once you close that, the traffic on Moffett becomes a raceway. And right now, Moffett is already a raceway with the, uh, you know, going into Central.
[01:21:20] Ken Wong: And also, I don't see any benefit to, uh, closing that unless you can get more retail on there. Uh, right now, just to have people walk back and forth or just sit around there, uh, when it's just, uh, basically a food court, uh, doesn't bring any revenue to the city. Uh, that's just my opinion.
[01:21:39] Ken Wong: But, uh, I'm worried about the traffic on Moffett, uh, because people just race down there right now. Thank you.
[01:21:49] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you very much.
[01:21:51] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Our next speaker is Tammie.
[01:21:58] Tammie: Good evening. Um, I was here about a month ago. I live on View Street. I've lived here for over 30 years. And I addressed the parking of the motorhomes and stuff on our street. And it's making our street a one-way street.
[01:22:15] Tammie: We're having problems with garbage trucks going down. Last week, we almost got hit head-on because you have to go into the other lane to get down the street. It's ridiculous. And I was told that nothing can be done right now because of the lawsuit, but it's a safety hazard.
[01:22:33] Tammie: If there's a fire, these motorhomes are parked pretty much bumper-to-bumper. If one goes up, they're all going up. It's also right along the railroad tracks. We have trees there. It's a fire hazard. Not only is it a traffic hazard, and, you know, I just... I don't understand why nothing is being done or why these people aren't being told to move.
[01:22:56] Tammie: There's actually a motorhome that's parked there that has their pop-out out into the street. So it makes the street even narrower. So I... I just... I want some answers or I want something done. And it's frustrating as a tax-paying citizen here that nothing is being done about this. Thank you.
[01:23:19] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you.
[01:23:22] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Our next speaker is Vladimir.
[01:23:31] Vladimir: Hello, everybody. So, I have one question. Why you add chloramine to our water? You know what is chloramine? This is 50-50 chlorine and ammonia.
[01:23:44] Vladimir: So, why it is dangerous. It is toxic to kidney dialysis patients. It is extremely toxic to fish and amphibians. So, also, uh, chloramine, uh, corrodes, uh, copper and lead pipes. And, uh, also, chloramine, uh, corrodes rubber plumbing parts. So, why we drink this water? I use filter for water, but not everybody uses filter.
[01:24:19] Vladimir: So, uh, I want to ask you to remove chloramine from our water because ammonia is not good for our health. Thank you very much.
[01:24:32] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you.
[01:24:35] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Our next speaker is Max.
[01:24:42] Max: Hi there, Council. Uh, my name is Max. I've been a Mountain View resident for six years now. Uh, and I just wanted to call in to voice my support for the pedestrian mall on Castro Street.
[01:24:55] Max: I think it would be a huge boon for the city, uh, both in terms of safety. Uh, pedestrian malls reduce the number of conflict points between cars and pedestrians, uh, dramatically. Uh, so that would be a huge boon for safety. And also, uh, pedestrian malls have been shown to increase economic activity for the businesses on the street. So it would also be an economic boon for the city as well.
[01:25:21] Max: Uh, so I just wanted to voice my support, and I hope you consider it. Thank you.
[01:25:26] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you.
[01:25:28] City Clerk Heather Glaser: There are no further speakers.
[01:25:31] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Okay. Thank you very much. Uh, and we'll bring it back to the Council for any Councilmember announcements. And we'll just go down the dais, starting with Councilmember Kamei.
[01:25:46] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Thank you, Mayor. Just wanted to announce that the League of California Cities will be having their annual conference next week. So, myself and the Mayor and Councilmember Nuñez will be in attendance. So, looking forward to bringing back some good information.
[01:26:01] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Great. Thank you. Councilmember Lieber?
[01:26:03] Councilmember Marc Lieber: No announcements.
[01:26:05] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Okay. Councilmember McAlister?
[01:26:08] Councilmember John McAlister: Uh, yes. I have one announcement. The VTA Board of Directors met on September 7th. We approved the purchase of the tunnel boring machine for the BART to Silicon Valley project.
[01:26:20] Councilmember John McAlister: That was a $790 million contract. And for those who don't know, a tunnel boring machine is custom-made for the soil conditions of the project. This one is about 54 feet in diameter, so it's going to be a very large bore tunnel. And we anticipate the machine arriving in late 2025 or early 2026.
[01:26:44] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Great. That's a big step forward. Thank you. Councilmember Nuñez?
[01:26:50] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: No announcements.
[01:26:51] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Okay. Councilmember Ramirez?
[01:26:53] Councilmember Lucas Ramirez: I attended the last meeting of the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO. We considered a service review for the City of Monte Sereno, as well as an annexation to the West Valley Sanitation District.
[01:27:06] Councilmember Lucas Ramirez: And later this week, I'll be attending the CalCOG Regional Leadership Forum in Riverside. That's the California Association of Councils of Governments.
[01:27:17] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you very much. Vice Mayor Hicks?
[01:27:19] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Uh, yes. I attended the, um, Santa Clara Valley Water Commission meeting. And, uh, we had a presentation on the Anderson Dam project, which is moving along. They're building the tunnel, uh, which is the first step. And that is, uh, on time. Uh, so that's good news. And we also had a presentation on the Purified Water Project, which is also moving along.
[01:27:46] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Great. Thank you very much. And I have a few announcements.
[01:27:51] Councilmember Pat Showalter: First of all, on August 24th, I attended the Cities Association of Santa Clara County meeting. And we had a presentation on the Santa Clara County's draft zoning ordinance for the Stanford Community Plan. And the Cities Association voted to send a letter, uh, recommending that Stanford pay impact fees.
[01:28:16] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Also, on August 27th, I attended the Celebration of Ukraine's Independence Day in San Francisco in Golden Gate Park. And we have many Ukrainians living in Mountain View, and I was pleased to be able to be there to support them. It was a very well-attended event.
[01:28:38] Councilmember Pat Showalter: On August 31st, I attended the unhoused working group meeting for the city and county association—City and County Association of Governments. Uh, and we are working on finding ways that we can work together more effectively.
[01:28:57] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And then, I also want to mention that we have a very fun event coming up this weekend. The Mountain View Art and Wine Festival is this weekend, September 9th and 10th, on Castro Street. It's one of the nation's premier art and wine festivals. And I invite the community to enjoy this annual tradition of art, food, wine, and live entertainment.
[01:29:21] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And I also want to remind the community that Monday, September 11th, is a National Day of Service and Remembrance.
[01:29:31] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And with that, we'll move on to the Consent Calendar.
[01:29:36] Councilmember Pat Showalter: So, the Consent Calendar may be enacted in one motion. Is there anyone in the audience who wishes to speak to the Consent Calendar? Okay. And I see no hands online. Do I have a motion?
[01:29:57] Councilmember Alison Hicks: I move the Consent Calendar.
[01:29:58] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Okay. Motion by Vice Mayor Hicks.
[01:30:00] Councilmember Marc Lieber: Second.
[01:30:01] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Second by Councilmember Lieber. Please vote.
[01:30:11] City Clerk Heather Glaser: That passes unanimously.
[01:30:13] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Thank you very much. And now we're moving on to Public Hearings. And item 6.1 is the Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23. And we have a staff report from Wayne Chen.
[03:40:05] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: All right, good evening everyone. Thank you for joining us for our closed session. Councilmember McAlister, do you have an announcement to make?
[03:49:00] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: You're on mute.
[03:51:00] Councilmember John McAlister: Yes, I do. Pursuant to Government Code section 54953, I am participating in this meeting remotely through both audio and visual technology under the just cause provision due to travel while on official business of legislative body.
[04:08:00] Councilmember John McAlister: There are— there is no one over 18 of age present at this remote location with me.
[04:15:00] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. As a reminder, all votes will be taken by roll call this evening. City Attorney Logue will make a closed session announcement, and then we'll welcome public comment on the items listed for closed session.
[04:30:00] City Attorney Jennifer Logue: Good evening Mayor and Councilmembers, there are two items on this evening's closed session agenda. Item 2.1 is a conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9.
[04:45:00] City Attorney Jennifer Logue: The name of the case is Alice Okuno versus the City of Mountain View et al, Santa Clara County Court case number 22CV405643.
[04:57:00] City Attorney Jennifer Logue: And Item 2.2 is a conference with legal counsel regarding the initiation of litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9 D4. Thank you.
[05:08:00] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. Would any member of the public joining us virtually or in person like to provide comment on the closed session items listed on tonight's agenda?
[05:18:00] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: I am not seeing any. So I'll close public comment and the Council will now recess to the Plaza Conference Room for closed session and return to the Council Chambers at the close to continue to the regular session.