City Council — April 7, 2026

I would like to note that the interpreter for this evening is Karen Ramos. Karen, could you please? She's right back there. Raise your hand and you can ask her for listening devices if you would like interpretation services. I'd like to call this meeting to order for the City Council meeting April 7th Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Okay, so let's continue our site. Thank you Mayor and City Council. My name is Scott Burns, I'm an organ transplant recipient. Eleven years ago I got a new kidney. A lady died suddenly, a nurse at Cottage Hospital. She ended up donating her kidney to me another kidney to someone else. Her liver lungs and heart so one donation saved five lives Currently in Santa Barbara County, there's 189 people that are on the waiting list for an organ. So we're hoping that more people will sign up for the Pink Dot. Most people usually are happy to be able to give their organs if they die suddenly and family members are really enjoying it.

This proclamation that I'm getting to let you know It'll go down at the end of the month to a run walk in Los Angeles with about 20,000 people that are in your donate life community to watch it and they appreciate what the city of Santa Maria has done. One thing that I say to people that may be listening that if You have questions on organ donations and you want to reach out to me, contact the city. The city will figure out a way to track me down and I'm always happy to learn people and give them my email address. Right here we have Victoria Brown who also works with Donate Life.

Good evening City of Santa Maria. We're deeply grateful for you to give this opportunity to talk about organ, eye and tissue donation. I'm here to support Scott and to encourage everyone to register to be an organ donor also to let you know about September 20th which is Scott's 10th annual run walk excuse me walk barbecue He doesn't run anywhere, and we'll have it at Leadbetter Beach. And we encourage everyone to come out and celebrate and inspire people to register and be organ donors. Thank you very much.

And thank you very much for what you do. We will now present a proclamation proclaiming April 6th through the 10th of 2026 as National Community Development Week and Council Member Flores will be making that presentation.

It says whereas the week of April 6th through the 10th, 2026 has been designated as National Community Development Week to recognize and celebrate the community development block grant program and the home investment partnership. Whereas since 1974 the CDBG program has provided annual funding and flexibility to local communities to provide affordable housing, suitable living environment and basic human services. And whereas since 1990 the HOME Program has created and preserved affordable housing for low income families and whereas annually the City of Santa Maria received an annual average 1.4 million in CDBG funds and an average of $300,000 in home funds. Now therefore I, Alice Patino the Mayor City of Santa Maria's do hereby recognize the week of April 6th through 10th 2026 as National Community Development Week.

in the City of Santa Maria to celebrate and showcase the programs and projects which are funded by federal grant programs like the Community Development Block Grants and Home Investment Partnership. In witness thereof, I here unto set my hand and have caused a sale of the City of Santa Maria to be affixed here on this 7th day of April 2026 and to receive the award is the Community Development Leader, our friend.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of the City Council. I'm Rosy Rojo, the Community Programs Manager for the division and joining me is the rest of the team. Alicia Vela our Grant Specialist 2 and Daisy Reese she's our Housing and Community Services Technician and together we make up the division that manages these federal grant dollars and I will let them share a little bit more about the wonderful things that it has done for this community

Hi, I'm Alicia Vela. Community Development Week is an opportunity for us to highlight the impact of CDBG in the home program funding that plays within our community each year these funds support programs services and facilities that expand affordable housing promote suitable living conditions and improve the quality of life especially for low-to-moderate income residents

We are proud to share several accomplishments from the past fiscal year. We had 48 families that were served through our rental deposit assistance program, and we also funded 12 public service projects and five capital projects. Additionally over 9300 residents were served. Our division was also recognized for strong public outreach efforts and received an award from the National Community Development Association.

Thank you again for your continued support and you'll see me a little bit later for the public hearing.

The next proclamation will be proclaiming April 13th through the 20th, 2026 as the International Dark Sky Week in the City of Santa Maria and Council Member Soto will be making that presentation.

Thank you. Whereas the natural beauty of Santa Maria, including its star-filled night sky is valued by residents and visitors inspiring wonder and fostering interest in science and nature among children and youth. And whereas light pollution obscures the stars and has proven negative economic environmental and health impacts for the plants animals and humans And whereas Santa Maria's agriculture is affected by light pollution which can disrupt pollination, plant growth and crop yields. And whereas local wildlife in nature areas are impacted with light pollution disrupting migratory birds, nocturnal animals and ecosystem health. And whereas reducing light pollution can be achieved by directing outdoor lighting downward and using it only when necessary.

And Dark Sky International promotes these practices through international dark sky week to benefit life on earth. Now, therefore Alice Patino Mayor of the City of Santa Maria hereby proclaims the week of April 13th through the 20th as International Dark Sky Week in the city of Santa Maria and urges residents to learn about night sky friendly lighting to implement practices and improvements that will reduce light pollution and to look up and experience the wonder of the star-filled night.

And here to accept The proclamation is Mike Wondoloski.

Mayor and Council, I'm here representing a diverse countywide coalition of organizations that are promoting proclamations and resolutions recognizing International Dark Sky Week. Diverse interest in these organizations but where we overlap is recognizing the value of the dark sky and the need to protect it. Thanks to the advocacy of these groups, seven of the eight cities in the county this year issued proclamations or will issue proclamations recognizing International Dark Sky Week. And this morning, the County Board of Supervisors issued a resolution acknowledging it. There's not a lot of things that county and all these cities agree on but light pollution has such wide ranging impacts there's a lot to hate about it.

For example, as was mentioned in the proclamation it has potential impacts on agriculture and that is something that is very underappreciated. But light pollution is unique in that it is completely reversible immediately. Point the light down, turn it off and the pollution's gone. It's not like water pollution or air pollution, it's just gone. So it's feasible to expect that we could step outside on a moonless night anywhere in the county, even downtown or near developed areas and look up and see the Milky Way spilling across the sky.

So on behalf of all the organizations as part of our coalition thank you so much for the proclamation.

The next presentation will be a proclamation proclaiming April 19th through the 26th, I mean the 25th as National Library Week in the City of Santa Maria and Council Member Hernandez will be making that presentation.

Whereas National Library Week was created in 1958 as a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country to celebrate the contributions of libraries and librarians. And whereas the theme of National Library Week, Find Your Joy, promotes ideas that libraries are places for the community to connect with others and library resources to positively impact their lives.

And whereas the City of Santa Maria Public Library is committed to upholding values of National Library Week and encouraging community members to spark joy by connecting with the library varied collections of materials and resources. And whereas a library is celebrating National Library Week by hosting a variety of programming, embracing patron curiosity through the Library of Things collection.

Makerspace program and substantial resources on its website. And whereas a library strives to meet the needs of the community through enhanced collections thoughtful programs and outreach services. And where librarians are trained professionals and help people of all ages and backgrounds discover and interpret the information they need to live learn and work. Now therefore, Alice Patino the Mayor of Santa Maria hereby recognizes April 19th through April 25th 2026 as National Library Week in the City of Santa Maria and encourages all residents to find joy at the Santa Maria Public Library and one of its branch libraries through curated programming technology early literacy skills community connection and services to enhance lifelong learning.

In witness whereof, she has set her hand and has caused the seal of the city of Santa Maria to be affixed here to the 7th day of April 2026. And the person accepting this is Kathleen Gable. She is the president of the Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library.

Council members and members of the community. On behalf of the Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library, I am honored to accept this proclamation of National Library Week April 19th through the 25th, 2026. Our library is much more than just a building with books. It is a place of discovery Connection and opportunity. It serves children learning to read, students doing their schoolwork, job seekers building new skills, and friends and families coming together at the library.

The Friends of the Library are proud to support this crucial indispensable community resource through funding programs, enhancing collections, and helping expand access to learning for all. None of this would be possible without the dedicated library staff at all of our branches and the continued support of this city council. This proclamation is a reminder of the important role libraries play in strengthening our community and enriching lives every day.

Thank you for your support, and we invite everyone to visit, explore, and celebrate our library during National Library Week

The next proclamation will be proclaiming April 20th through the 25th, 2026 as Arbor Week and Council Member Soto will be making that presentation.

Thank you. Whereas Arbor Day and Arbor Week are celebrated nationally to encourage Americans to maintain and replenish the country's vast forests, orchards, urban areas, and woodlands. And whereas Arbor Day is celebrated nationally to encourage Americans to maintain and replenish the country's vast forests, orchards, urban areas, and woodlands. Arbor Day is celebrated throughout the nation by urging residents to observe the day with appropriate tree planting activities and programs.

And whereas, the residents of Santa Maria recognize that trees are a vital resource in beautifying the community's environment and relieving our carbon footprint and serving as valuable economic assets in the city. Maintaining or increasing property values and attracting businesses and new residents to the city of Santa Maria. And more as by educating children in the community of the importance of trees, the City of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is working to ensure Arbor Day remains an important day to future generations and is coordinating activities with local schools to educate children on the many benefits trees provide, as well as a history of Arbor And whereas through Arbor Day proclamation, President Theodore Roosevelt announced a people without children would face a hopeless future.

A country without trees is almost as hopeless. The president's message still rings true today. Now therefore, Alice Patino mayor of the city of Santa Maria hereby recognizes April 20th through the 25th as Arbor Week in the city of Santa Maria and invites all residents and businesses to celebrate and take part in the festivities by planting trees and acknowledging the important role trees have in a city.

And here to accept the proclamation is Amanda Corcoran?

Good evening. Yeah, Amanda Kosio Bognuda Cocoran. It's a long name. My family has been here for many generations and I'm just so glad that Scott invited me to come today. Scott has spearheaded with Recreation and Parks this amazing plan to bring more trees to Santa Maria In Santa Maria, we have about a 5% canopy coverage. And it's really important that we get that increase to 20% by the year 2040.

Statistically, it increases joy, happiness, all these wonderful things that all these proclamations are bringing like the library and the dark evenings. There's been studies that show Walking in a forest for an hour is just as effective as taking antidepressant medication. So we need this for our children, for our community. And so on April 24th, we're going to be planting 12 trees. It's actually the students from Liberty Elementary over at Bob Oreck Park if anyone wants to join.

Our goal with this tree initiative that Scott's spearheading and Megan with Reckon Parks is really just, she's amazing taking his vision and really implementing it. Our goal is to plant just a little over 1,000 trees every year. And so if anybody wants to get involved we'd love your support and getting in contact with Scott would be the way to do it. Thank you.

I would like to introduce Scott Christensen. He's the arborist for the City of Santa Maria, and you can stand up. How many trees do we actually plant every year right now?

Currently we plant about

550 trees. 550 trees a year, yeah I knew we did quite a bit so there's two things I will get phone calls from if there's potholes on your street and if somebody catches somebody cutting down a tree they call me those are the two things I get calls on so people are very conscious and they're very supportive of having our trees The next proclamation will be recognizing the month of April 2026 as Fair Housing Month and Councilmember Hernandez will be reading that proclamation.

Whereas the City of Santa Maria recognizes that United States Congress enacted Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was amended by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 and the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 as a directive of fair housing. And whereas fair housing laws outlined by said acts guarantee the rights of equal housing opportunities for all residents of the United States regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or familial status. And whereas a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development declares the month of April 2026 as Fair Housing Month And whereas the City of Santa Maria contracts with the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County to perform random testing of fair housing practices of landlords and property managers, reviews local newspapers for evidence of housing discrimination, assist in resolving discrimination disputes through litigation of referral.

makes presentations to Santa Maria adult education classes regarding rights of single parents and ethnic minorities to equal housing opportunities, and conducts community workshops to educate landlords and property managers regarding fair housing. Now therefore Alice Patino the Mayor City of Santa Maria does recognize the month of April 2026 as Fair Housing Month in the city of Santa Maria encourages a continued celebration of equal housing opportunities and the progress made in opening the doors to housing opportunities for all residents of Santa Maria.

In witness hereof, she sets her hand has caused the seal of the City of Santa Maria to be affixed here to the 7th day of April 2026. And to accept this for the Legal Aid Foundation is Victoria Orkut

We are highly proud to accept this Fair Housing Proclamation. We're always on the lookout for fair housing issues in our tenants' rights and eviction work. Our office has been in existence in Santa Maria since the 1990s, and you can imagine we have helped hundreds if not thousands of people, low-income folks who are facing imminent homelessness. For those who don't know us, Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County serves those who need legal help predominantly in the areas of housing.

We do DV and elder abuse restraining orders guardianships and conservatorships, and we provide additional services such as consumer protection, foreclosure prevention and immigration remedies for victims of crime. I would also like to advertise that we are going to be holding a workshop in conjunction with the lovely ladies in the Community Development Program. On April 16th, we'll be hosting an online Tenants' Rights Workshop. I encourage you to contact our office or look at the Community Development Office if you would like to participate. Again, thank you for this very great honor.

Thank you very much. The next proclamation will be proclaiming April 2026 as Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness Prevention Month, and Councilmember Flores will be making that presentation.

Child abuse and sexual assaults are serious issues that threatens the health, safety and well-being of our community and affects individuals of all backgrounds. And whereas sexual violence and child abuse cause lasting emotional and physical harm prevention must remain a priority, as in one in six boys and one in four girls will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. And whereas Child Welfare Services investigated 3,927 cases in North County including 2,811 in the City of Santa Maria area with 160 unique allegations It of sexual abuse and whereas prevention and awareness efforts are most effective through partnership among social service agency schools, faith based organizations law enforcement businesses and community member. And whereas increasing education, awareness and community involvement is central to supporting survivors strengthening families and preventing future abuse.

Now therefore I, Alice Patino the Mayor of the City of Santa Maria hereby proclaim April 2026 as Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. And here to accept the award is my friend Anne. Thank you.

But Anne is here. There she is. I'll take that, thank you. Thank you so very much. Oh, I'm sorry. Ann's retiring this year, so she'll give everyone a hug before she leaves today. You're welcome. Good evening, Mayor Patino and members of the City Council. My name is Sabrina Ross and I am the Associate Director of the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center.

Thank you for recognizing and honoring our work with these proclamations recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. I'm grateful that the city of Santa Maria stands with us in our mission to eradicate all forms of sexual violence and child abuse. As we mark the significance of the month of April, let us remember that education is the key to prevention. I can say with confidence that each of us in this room would rather prevent child abuse or sexual assault from ever occurring than to have to intervene in the aftermath of such a heinous crime.

This is why our outreach and educational programs are so critical, and why our partnerships with schools, city leadership, and law enforcement are essential. The children in our communities deserve to be safe and to grow up knowing they can live free from abuse, and those who have been or are being abused know that they are not alone and that there are people who will help them.

Last month I had the privilege of assisting a survivor of child sexual abuse prepare his victim impact statement for the sentencing of his abuser. I met him when he was 12, when he started counseling with me and he is now 16 about to turn 17 which is very proud of. As he was dictating a statement to me for me to type up, I asked him when did you realize what happened to you was abuse and why did you decide to speak up?

This survivor was abused at an age so young that he truly didn't understand what was happening was abuse. He replied, when I was in seventh grade some ladies came into my class and talked about sexual assault and how to say no. And who to talk to if something happened to you? After that presentation, I was thinking about telling my mom and I eventually did.

He told his mom who contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement investigated and another victim came forward. The district attorney's office prosecuted that case and the abuser was sentenced to 24 years in prison. What began with our Child Safe Educational Program continued with the courage of a survivor and ended with prevention because that man will never hurt another child again.

When people ask me where I work and I tell them, the response is often, I didn't know there was a rape crisis center here. To which I gently reply most people do not know we exist until they need us. And while I would never wish upon any individual or family that became in need of our services it is deeply important that people know we are here and that is where you come in. Proclamations like this evening's may feel like a routine part of City Council meetings But these and the support you provide our agency is incredibly valuable to our work in the community we serve because we cannot do this alone.

The story I shared with you would not have been possible if we didn't have the support of city leaders like you, if we didn't have the community donors that fund our educational and counseling programs, if we didn't have strong partnerships with law enforcement and the district attorney's office. It took a village and everyone here as part of that village And I just want to take a minute, if our law enforcement partners and our partners at the District Attorney's Office who I know are here. And there might be some people from CWS in here as well. If you guys could just stand up so they can see you please? I know you're there.

I see you! There they are and these guys...I don't know that I can get the cops to stand up but the District Attorney's Office Victim Witness Team As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I wish I'd had this kind of village. Much like my client, I didn't truly understand what happened to me until I was in my teens and I felt very alone trying to process that experience and those memories well into adulthood.

While I am not the reason our educational efforts are so important, my own experience is what fuels me every single day. Every child deserves safety and when they aren't safe they deserve to know that help is available. No child and no adult should ever have to suffer in silence. As we continue this fight against sexual violence and child abuse, we need you our city council leaders to be our ambassadors. To carry the message that education and awareness are not optional they are vital to building a safe and healthy community.

Mayor Patino and the City Council thank you for your ongoing commitment to the safety of your city and thank you again for this honor and for being our steadfast partners in this work

Next is a presentation on the Santa Maria downtown multimodal assessment to be presented by Transit Service Manager Gamamaliel Anguano. That's why we call him G, makes it life easier for all of us.

Thank you, Madam Mayor and members of City Council. As noted, Gamal Gilanguiano, Deputy Director and Transit Manager for the City of Santa Maria. I don't have much to say other than to introduce our partners at Caltrans District 5, particularly Finn James, Liaison in Santa Barbara County who through their proactive work has done extensive analysis main thoroughfares Broadway State Route 135 and Main Street State Route 166.

And then to present the findings of that or the recommendations of that analysis, Finn James.

Should I turn this? Oh, should I click it? Okay. Thank you. Good evening Mayor Patino, members of the Council. I'm here to present on a feasibility study that Caltrans has been conducting in partnership with the city. We call it the Santa Maria downtown multimodal assessment that might sound like a bit of a mouthful and some jargon, but what we're trying to do is identify the best ways to improve the downtown streets which are state highways owned and operated by Caltrans so we've been working on this study for almost a year now. We've been working in close partnership With the City of Santa Maria, with G. Santa Maria Regional Transit and with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.

Is this clicker working? Okay, so today what I'm going to cover is the purpose of this study, how we've developed this study so far. Some of the community engagement that we've done which has led to a proposed set of enhancements and then our next steps for turning these enhancements into a project. So I've got a bit of a text-heavy slide. I apologize for that, but our guiding problem statement here is that Broadway State Route 135 and Main Street State Route 166 in downtown Santa Maria do not meet the public space needs of the community, achieve the multimodal goals of the city or align with the guiding principles for Caltrans Main Streets.

We need to do a feasibility study because previous planning efforts that the city has done has identified a vision for the downtown area, but we still need specific scope elements to develop a project. So what we're trying to do is develop a project that will implement multimodal elements to make it better to walk and bike in downtown Santa Maria. So we're also focusing on traffic calming measures to slow traffic and increase safety for all modes of travel, and then looking to provide potential solutions for conflicts with the freight that needs to use the area too.

So the study area that we're looking at is from Pine Street to Miller Street on Main and from Mill Street to Cook Street on Broadway. So this is the area I'm referring to when I talk about downtown. To start with, we aren't just coming up with ideas from scratch. We're looking at a long list of plans that the city and other local agencies have done that have helped put together a vision for how the community wants downtown to be. So we're taking all of the ideas out of this and making it implementable on the state highway so that we can change the state highways to best match the community needs here The first step that we did with our partners at the City and SPCAG is we came up with an engagement plan.

Part of that was we set up a website on Caltrans Engagement Portal, and we decided we wanted to conduct a survey to make sure The vision we thought we were seeing in all of these plans still aligned with what the community says their needs are. So, we went to Downtown Fridays. We had a booth. We surveyed members of the community people who live downtown, people who regularly use downtown about what their highest priorities are. We got a total of 182 survey responses One of the clearest things that we received is that there was really broad support for some of the recent changes to the state highways downtown. So, we saw really strong positive feedback on the decorative crosswalks at Main and Broadway as well as the one at Broadway and Cook We heard that people would like to see more improvements like that in downtown, as well as the striped buffered bike lane on Broadway.

So a lot of positive support for that change as well. Another thing that we asked specifically for was if there was a type of bike improvement that people wanted to see. The most favorable response we got was what we call a class four protected bike lane, this is where there's a physical object such as planter boxes separating the vehicles from the bicycles.

We saw the second most popular option was to have bicyclists be on the sidewalk, having an officially designated zone on the sidewalk that bicyclists could use. And the least popular option was to have plastic posts in the existing buffer separating the bicycles. The last big takeaway we got from the survey was that a lot of people just really want downtown to feel like a destination, beautiful place somewhere you want to go where you want to stay.

And so this study that we're working on is really committed to working with the city to ensure that the state highways enhance that and are not taking away from that. So I'm going to go through a set of just some simple graphics that we came up with of different options for what downtown streets could look like. I'm going to start here at Main and Town Centre. Here's a look at the existing street, and a potential option that we would have would be to add this buffered bike lane so we would be putting planter boxes with beautification measures, separating a bike lane from the vehicles.

I want to note that we wouldn't be removing any of the parking in an option like this. We'd be working around it and we also would be ensuring that there's always two through lanes of traffic so we wouldn't be adding more traffic as well. We also have a different option where we expand the sidewalks and have a multi-use path so bicyclists could use a portion of the sidewalk to bike in either direction. We would also be able to have a planted buffer, so this would provide some traffic calming, some beautification measures.

And we have just a little side-by-side of what the street would look like with each of these different options that I've outlined. We're taking a really wide area and narrowing it into different bike lane options. I have sort of similar different options at Broadway and Cook, so here's the existing Here's what we could potentially do. We're essentially just putting planter boxes in that striped buffer area, so that adds a bit of beautification. It adds a bit of physical separation between the bicyclists and the vehicles.

And it provides a little bit of traffic calming as well by just generally making the roadway feel a little bit narrower so that drivers subconsciously go a little bit slower without actually removing any of the lanes. We have a similar option where we would put up the class 1 multi-use path, so this would be a full on path on the sidewalk instead of being in the street and we have a side by side look at that as well Gonna show you one more location here. This is Maine and Lincoln, this is what is existing And we have an option here where we make the median a little bit wider. There's opportunity for beautification, the left turns are closed in this potential option and there would be space to stripe a bike lane.

We also have an option where we do a full on sidewalk widening and there's the opportunity to have more planting and more beautification as well. And here's another little side-by-side of that. We're not removing any of the parking in front of the businesses there, and so we want to make sure we're accommodating for those existing needs. So I know this is a little bit hard to see, but this is an overview of everything we would be proposing. Not just those snapshots and this is an option with those class four planter box protected bike lanes. We can't quite fit a complete network of bike infrastructure If we went with the class 1 multi-use path option, we would be able to provide a complete network just given the physical constraints of the space.

Some of our funding considerations to implement this, we are looking at partnering with the city on applying for the active transportation program. This is a discretionary funding program that we would be putting forward these options and looking to fund this entire set of enhancements We also have the opportunity to fund specific portions of it through Caltrans-specific programs. This is also discretionary, so it's not a guaranteed we'd be applying for the funding. And then there's also local opportunities as well to implement elements of this or the whole thing such as the city's growth mitigation fee program, SBCAG's Measure A, or the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

One item that I want to touch on that we'll continue to explore as we move forward is that for a full-on project like this to exist, Caltrans needs to have a mutual shared maintenance agreement with the city where Caltrans would specifically be maintaining elements such as the pavement in the road and the signals. But we'd be looking to the city for the maintenance of specific beautification elements Such as the vegetation and parts of the bicycle infrastructure that Caltrans doesn't have the capability of maintaining.

So a potential path forward, if this were to turn into a full on project would be this study that we're working on will be completed this June. We could start a project whoops. Keep clicking that. In 2027 potentially, if we're awarded funding the development of that project would likely go until around 2032 at which point we could begin the construction so this is a very long horizon. We're looking at really broad ranging improvements and throughout this process will be doing community engagement We're doing this for the community. We need to hear through the process that the work that we're doing, the money that is being invested matches the vision that Santa Maria has for its downtown.

With that, we have a couple upcoming public comment opportunities. On this Friday, April 10th, we'll have a booth at the Downtown Fridays asking people if they have a preference between the different options that I showed. On April 15th, the Wednesday after that, We will be at the Mercado Plaza for the food truck event. We also have A survey on our website asking for your preference between these two options, or if you wouldn't want to see it at all.

And that survey is available on our website through the end of April. You should be able to scan QR code here if anyone would like to take that. We would really like feedback from everyone in this room. on that. And we will be completing this study at the end of June, at which point we'll come back to your council with our final set of recommendations and how we will move forward.

So thank you for your time and I would be happy to take any questions.

Thank you very much. Any questions? Looks nice. Thank you, G. Appreciate it. The next presentation will be given by Midge Nicosia on the value of volunteering. Good evening, Midge. Hi.

I'm just looking through this slide show that there you go. Thank you Mayor, City Council members and city manager's office for supporting the value of volunteering in the community and enabling me to talk about it. And Community Partners in Caring for supporting our volunteer appreciation recruitment event that we're going to be having and I'll speak to that at the end of this presentation. This will be very short and sweet. I don't have any pretty pictures a lot of words but you'll find that you may not know everything about volunteering you just think it's helping somebody, but you don't know how valuable it is until you see for yourself. So this is entitled the power of volunteering building a stronger community through individual action and this actually not only helps volunteering not only helps the community but the individual that is volunteering themselves.

Volunteers provide essential services to have them supposed to be changing this so as this way Volunteers provide essential services like transportation, animal welfare, food drives and tutoring that fill the void when the public resources are stretched thin. Working toward a common goal connects people from different backgrounds fostering trust in unity and brings the community members together.

This is the economic impact of volunteering. As of April 2025, the average national estimated value of a volunteer hour is $34.75. Now that goes actually up to the 50's and down to $17 and it's based on the area but this is the national average. The volunteering helps put billions of dollars back into the economy. And this is, the way they do it is by displacing the costs for services and allowing nonprofits such as the nonprofits here receiving CDBG money to stretch their limited funding. And even as part of the block grant money a lot of these agencies utilize volunteers and that's why they're able to do what they do.

Personal growth and well-being from volunteering. There is such thing as a helper's high. Physical activity and social interaction release endorphins, reducing stress and combating loneliness and depression. And as a personal example I will tell you, recent recruit from Community Partners in Caring who has volunteered for gentleman we have who is bedridden and blind Our volunteer did some grocery shopping for him and the next time I saw him, he came to me and he was so ecstatic. And he said, Mitch, I am on a cloud nine. I can't believe what I just did for someone. And when he said when I left the gentleman's house, I was just so physically happy that I can't wait to volunteer again.

And that is what it does for you. It's very important if you haven't ever volunteered to try it, help somebody else out. Skill development. Volunteers often learn new technical skills, leadership strategies and problem-solving techniques in the real world setting or bring back muscle memory of skills they once used before retirement so you may have retired I forgot how valuable you really were until you put it back into action by volunteering A sense of purpose.

Contributing to something larger than yourself boosts self-esteem, provides a meaningful perspective on life and often reminds you of your true value to the community." I'm not even changing that. I'm so apologetic. Not used to this. I am going to... Professional and Educational Perks. Volunteering introduces you to professionals and community leaders you might never meet in a traditional office.

Employers and universities highly value candidates with community service experience as it demonstrates character and initiative. Career exploration, it is a low risk way to test drive a new industry or role before making a permanent career change. You get your feet wet How do you get started volunteering? The first thing is to identify your passions. Do you love animals?

Do you love the environment or mentoring youth? You start where your interests lie. Now, you assess your schedule and decide what is your available time. What time do you have to give back to the community and to make a difference? Third is you join us for National Volunteer Month. This is actually national, April is National Volunteers Appreciation Month. Nationwide, obviously.

And in the City of Santa Maria the city is supporting and the Town Center Mall is supporting our event on April 19th celebrating volunteers and we have 21 different agencies some of whom are here who recruit volunteers in their service of the community and they will be tabling and they will be there for a one-on-one conversation with those who are interested in volunteering If you've sat at home and you said I want to volunteer, I just don't know where to start or who to contact or who to call. And you think you have to make all these calls? You don't. If you come on down to the Town Center Mall on Sunday April 19th we will be in the upper Regal Mezzanine right above the theaters and we'll have 21 agencies there that you can talk to face-to-face find out what level of commitment, what time is necessary to help them And you don't know how much it will improve your life.

I'm going to put up here the flyer if anyone is interested in having information about this event, they can contact me the city does also have that have the flyer on their website or on there in their newsletter. It's also in the chamber calendar and a couple other places. And the mall, the town center mall will also be able to help you but please come out and talk to somebody if you're interested in volunteering and see how you can help this community and do really great things. The tree, 1,000 trees they will be there. Megan who started that project as a class program to plant 1000 trees she will be there at a table as well as Parks and Rec So many other agencies will be there, the Humane Society, Community Partners in Caring, Meals on Wheels.

I can't name them all to you. Dignity Health has a volunteer program. Food Bank, United Way, HICAP. A lot of them. Dana Adobe. Anyway, I hope to see you out there on April 19th. It's from 12 noon to 3 p.m at the mall, the Town Center Mall and I thank you for the time to talk about volunteering.

Thank you very much. You know, I don't know if and thank you Midge. You are a great volunteer and I'm so glad that I met you but I can't remember when but it's amazing the people in Santa Maria that will help and get out and volunteer we see that with Serve Santa Maria where we all meet at the Maldonado Center and it's full just full of people and and you meet so many new people every single time you're out there so it's really nice You know, I need to introduce Hilda Zacarias. She is a prior City Council member and I'd like to introduce her. She has also done a lot of volunteering in our community.