City Council — May 5, 2026

you I would like to note that the interpreter for the evening is Jose Gonzalez. Please raise your hand and ask him for a listening device, if you would like interpretation services tonight. I would like to call this meeting to order for the City Council meeting of May 5th, 2026. Madam Clerk can you please call the roll?

Absolutely thank you Madam Mayor Pro Tem. With respect to items 3A and 3B instructions were provided to the negotiators no further report is necessary.

Thank you we will be doing proclamations tonight and the very first proclamation will be given by our Council Member Gloria Soto on Water Awareness Month

Thank you. Um whereas the city of Santa Maria maintains a water awareness and conservation program that includes community outreach, school education, complimentary home water visits and suspected leak notifications to residential and commercial customers. And whereas every industry business and resident can make a difference by Businesses and industries of all types are invited and encouraged to implement just one of the many tips and ideas to help conserve water in Santa Maria. Now, therefore Alice Pitino mayor of the city of Santa Maria hereby proclaims the month of May 2026 as Water Awareness Month in

Good evening Madam Mayor, fellow City Council members, city department heads and fellow city residents. Upon receiving this proclamation May is Water Awareness Month. Again my name is Myra Ritchie and I am the water conservation specialist for Utilities Department. Part of my job is that I educate the community about water conservation We all know how a valuable resource it is to our community.

We definitely have a robust water conservation outreach to our community, not only we do outreach social media but we also advertise in print ads both English and in Spanish. Santa Maria Ad, Times, in the News. We have artwork done by students. We are actually having this evening celebrating the 15th Water Awareness Poster Contest which I'd like to acknowledge these students This year we had over 300 posters that were submitted with six local schools here in Santa Maria.

We invited third grade students to participate, if it wasn't for the elementary school administrators along with the teachers we wouldn't be having this contest so first and foremost thank you to Santa Maria Bonita School District And with that said, I'd like to start the evening by announcing our six winners. For most educational from Alvin School in Mrs. Lee's class we have Kayla Iturbide Ayala.

Good evening, Madam Mayor and Council Members. My name is Kayla Turbidayala. My teacher's name is Mrs. Lee. My poster is about water awareness. Water is important to us because we need it in our daily lives for everything. Let's take care of water because water is life. Thank you for your time and I appreciate this award.

Next, we have from Oakley Elementary School in Mrs. Watkins' class for Best Celebration of Water, Sophia Vargas.

My name is Sophia Vargas. My teacher's name is Miss Watkins. My poster is about water awareness. Water is important to us because it gives more energy and even animals needed water to survive.

And from Alvin School in Mrs. Lee's class, for most colorful, Diana Iturbidey Iturbidey.

Good evening Madam Mayor and Council Members. My name is Diana Iturbide Iturbide. My teacher's name is Miss Lee, my poster is about water awareness. Water is important to us because we need water to survive in it. If we didn't have water I wouldn't be here to accept this award. I am so thankful for this award thank you so so much

From Alvin Elementary School, Mrs. Long's class for most artistic Jennifer Pineda Nestor

Good evening Madam Mayor and Counciling Member. My name is Jennifer Pineda Nestor, my teacher's name is Ms. Long. My poster is about water awareness. Water is important to us because it is good for your body and good for planting plants. Thank you for this award.

Also from Alvin Elementary School in Mrs. Long's class, for most water aware, Brittany Ramirez-Preciado

Good evening, Madam Mayor and Council Members. My name is Brittany Ramirez-Preciado. My teacher's name is Ms. Long. My poster is about water awareness. Water is important to us because it brings life to animals and people. Thank you for this award.

And last but not least, from Oakley Elementary School and Mrs. Watkins' class for best slogan we have Camila Santos.

Good evening Madam Mayor and Council Members. My name is Camila Santos, my teacher's name is Mrs. Wilkins. My poster is about water awareness. Water is important to us because we need it and also our surroundings too. Thank you for this award.

And if I can have the student winners stand up one more time, please. Again, I present to you this year's 2026 Water Witness Poster Contest winners. And once again, too also for the teachers who are here this evening. If it wasn't for you and the communication with you I just want to say thank you with all that endless emails and calls. Thank you again for the city administrators.

Thank you for Madam Mayor for always letting me do this outreach in having the students participate. Again, our students are our future leaders of America so let's do our part in conserve water. Thank you and have a good evening. Thank you

Next we'll be doing a proclamation for municipal clerks week and this will be given by councilmember Gloria Soto

Okay Whereas the office of the municipal clerk, a time honored and vital part of local government exists throughout the world. And whereas the office of the municipal clerk is the oldest among public servants in it is most appropriate that we recognize the accomplishments of the Office of the Municipal Clerk. And whereas the Office of the Municipal Clerk provides the professional link between the citizens, the local governing bodies And whereas municipal clerks have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality and impartiality, rendering equal service to all. And whereas the municipal clerk serves as the information center on functions of local government and community And whereas municipal clerks continually strive to improve the administration of the affairs of the Office of the Municipal Clerk through participation in education programs, seminars, workshops and the annual meetings of their state, provincial, county and professional organizations.

Now therefore Alice Pitino, mayor of the city of Santa Maria hereby proclaims the week of May 3rd through May 9th 2026 as municipal clerks weeks week in the city of Santa Maria. And for and further extend appreciation to our elected city clerk Patty Rodriguez chief deputy clerk Donna Schwartz assistant city clerk at Alexandra Valdez and tour For the vital services they perform and the exemplary dedication to the community. They represent.

And here

We appreciate Donna and all that she does, and all our other clerks that make things run efficient here. There's plenty of seats up here if people want to take seats there are seats up here so nobody has to sit in the back.

I'd also like to thank the clerks you guys do a really good job. Thank you for

your

service.

Next, our proclamation is Compost Awareness Week and Council Member Bethaya will be presenting the award.

Whereas the Compost Research and Education Foundation along with Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom and other countries have declared the first week of May to be the annual International Compost Awareness Week. Organic materials suitable for composing Is an effective form of waste reduction, reuse and recycling compost improves the soil structures reduced.

And runs off supplies the soil with a variety of micro and micronutrients and enables compost amended soils to use less water. Whereas using suitable soil enriching compost helps prevent the erosion of valuable topsoil without To bring valuable wildlife habitat. Community is an end by composing green waste, bio soils and other organic materials and promoting the use of renewable resources in landscaping and agricultural returning compost organic resources to the soil is a method of decreasing the denizens of chemical fertilizing and decreasing erosion reducing water And whereas the City of Santa Maria has initiated green waste and food waste collection programs to aid in the efforts of environmental Eagle and Great Inc. Regional Composing Facility, Santa Maria has been successfully composting organic materials for suitable agricultural practice since 1993 and the city has invested in collection programs to meet state requirements and save valuable landfill space.

Now therefore, Alice Patino Mayor of City of Santa Maria, everybody recognizes the week of May 3rd through 9th 2026 as compost awareness week In the city of Santa Maria, as well as recognizing the efforts of the composting councils, extension agents, householders, landscapers, farmers, recyclers, public workers, gardeners and plant growers, everywhere along with Eagle and Gray Inc. and Harvest Plant Compost here to accept Bob Eagle

We love composting.

Council and all the public here would really like to thank you for recognizing International Compost Awareness Week. I think this is the 26th year that we've been doing International Compost Awareness Week. We've gone through a lot of pots, I brought you a plant. Something special about this year Is Ingle and Gray celebrating our 80th year of doing business here in Santa Maria. And so we had some hats made up with our harvest blend compost, and it's our 33rd year of composting for with the city of Santa Maria here. One of the first Really in California, we were not the first but one of the first to get into the composting business and provide those services. So I'd like to thank you for being at the forefront on behalf of the United States Composting Council just to recognize the benefits of compost and what it does to soil makes soil healthy.

It conserves water. It's always so appropriate to be here on the water saving month too because we kind of complement each other. And so what you're using, the compost in the parks is great and rejuvenating the soil and making everything look good. The soccer fields love it. So we appreciate working with you and thank you very much for recognizing the benefits of compost. Thank you.

I forgot the biggest thing. We have a big event on Better Avia Road Saturday 10am to 1am if you want to get some complimentary compost. We don't give anything away free, it's always complimentary. You can get up to a cubic yard of compost for free. Bring a bucket, a car, a pickup whatever you got and we'll load you up. We're also having transplants. We're also bringing the kids.

We teach the kids how to make potting soil with the compost and sand and then they plant a transplant in there and they get to take the pot home with them to grow their vegetable transplant. And we give you extra vegetables if you want to do a home garden, we give those out free and we have a whole selection of different types of veggies so that's this Saturday 10am to 1pm at 745 West Better Avia Road.

So thank you. I almost forgot the hat. Thank you Bob. Take care

The next proclamation is the National Day of Prayer, which I'll be reading and the award will be accepted by Benita Munoz. She's a treasurer of Community National Day of Prayer. It says whereas throughout history Americans have lifted fervent prayers to God on behalf of our nation from the gatherings of our founding fathers Elected officials have prayed and encouraged those they serve to join them in prayer, including the authors of the Declaration of Independence who wrote that they were appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world and continuing to present day and presidential proclamation inviting citizens to seek God's guidance, mercy, protection. And whereas a national day of prayer has been The National Day of Prayer has been part of our heritage since it was declared by the first Congress in 1775 and was established into law in 1952.

Later amended in 1988 affirming the importance of prayer, directing the president to proclaim the first Thursday of May each year as a national day of prayer. And whereas the observance of With the theme, glory God among the nations. Seeking him and all generations based on first chronicle 1624. And whereas first Thursday of May Americans express their faith, exercise their freedom in prayer, uniting in personal prayer and public gatherings with praise, repentance, love and humble intercessions for our neighbor nation. Now therefore I, Alice M.

Patino, Mayor of the City of Santa Maria hereby proclaim May 7th 2026 as National Day of Prayer.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the council and city leaders. It is an honor and a privilege to be here this evening to accept this proclamation on behalf of the community of prayer here in Santa Maria. This is a monumental year as the National Day of Prayer celebrates its 75th year and America commemorates its 250th year as a nation. The theme for this year's National Day of Prayer is from 1 Chronicles 16 in the Old Testament, which claims glorify God among the nations seeking him in all generations. This year we will declare our personal rededication Focusing on our own hearts in our own city where God has established us. We will gather together to pray, to celebrate and to rededicate ourselves back to the Lord in covenant as one nation under God.

Committing to love the Lord our God with all our heart mind and strength and to love our neighbors as Jesus loves us. Thank you Madam Mayor, members of the council and city leaders for your support these last 29 years as we have come together to pray for our city, county, state and nation. Our prayer meeting on May 7th will be at the healing rooms it'll start at 6 30 so please come join us and we also have a midday one at the veterans hall at noon and that will be for about an hour We would love to see anyone who wants to pray with us. Thank you.

Thank you The next proclamation will be National Police Week and it'll be given by Councilmember Battaglia

Whereas of all the promises America offers, none is more precious and lucid than the right to be free from crime. And whereas the dedicated men and women who have chosen law enforcement as a career faces journey risk and danger in preserving our freedom and security. And whereas during the week of May 10th through May 16th, 2026 National Police Week is a Observe to recognize the horrendous work, serious responsibility and strong commitment of our national peace officers. And whereas in conjunction with this important observance the City of Santa Maria is observing May 13th 2026 as Peace Officers Memorial Day Of those noble officers who have tragically sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, and whereas 12 California peace officers are recognized as being killed in the line of duty during 2025.

And whereas these special observance provide all San Marian with opportunity to appreciate their hard work men and women who have dedicated their lives to preserving public safety. Now therefore, Alice Patino, Mayor of the City of Santa Maria, everybody recognizes the week of May 10th through May 16th, 2026 as National Police Week. And proclaim Wednesday, May 13th, 2026 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in the city of Santa Maria and encourage all residents to remember those individuals who gave their lives for our safety and express our appreciation to those who continue to dedicate themselves to making Santa Maria a safer place in which to live.

I'm here to accept Lieutenant Felix Diaz.

Good evening everyone. Thank you for recognizing Police Officer Memorial Week and for taking the moment to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice their lives on behalf of the Santa Maria Police Department we'd like to invite everybody, the whole community council to join us for our annual memorial next Wednesday May 13th at 10 a.m. at the Santa Maria Police Department will be honoring the 12 fallen officers who died in 2025 So we hope to see you all there. And this year will also be special, we'll be honoring one of our very own Santa Maria Police Officer Robert C. McMichael who died in 1932. He's never been formally recognized so we'll have a ceremony as well having a moment for his death in 1932 again it'll be next Wednesday May 13th 10am at the Santa Maria Police Department for all of you who are interested I'm hoping to see you all there thank you again for the support and see you there

Thank you, Lieutenant Diaz. Our next proclamation is the 80th anniversary of Life Way Fellowship and Council Member Gloria Soto will be presenting the proclamation.

Thank you. Whereas on May 17th, 1946 a group of faithful believers founded Santa Maria Southern Baptist Church known as Life Way Fellowship with the mission to share the gospel and serve the Santa Maria community. And whereas for 80 years Life Way Fellowship has faithfully made disciples equipped believers and impacted generations through worship teaching and outreach And whereas this milestone reflects God's enduring faithfulness and the church's continued commitment to his mission.

Now therefore, Alice Patino Mayor of the City of Santa Maria hereby proclaims May 17th 2026 as the 80th anniversary of LifeWay Fellowship in the city of Santa Maria and we give thanks for the past and look forward with hope to the future. And here to accept the proclamation, we have leadership of LifeWay Fellowship Church.

I want to thank the City Council and the city for being willing to do this. I'm sad that Mayor Patino is not here, she has been an incredible supporter of the church and faith in the community and as we get a chance to celebrate 80 years it's a reminder of that beacon of hope in the community, and not just for what has happened in the past but what is to come.

That we can trust in the God that not only made us but the God that has saved us and one of the greatest things we can do in a community is continue as we're going to do with the National Day of Prayer, pray for this community and for you leaders as God leads every one of your steps. Thank you again for letting us have this recognition tonight.

Our next proclamation is gonna be given by Council Member Aguilera-Hernandez on National Public Works Week.

Whereas the City Council of the city of Santa Maria has supported the role of the Public Works and Utilities Department to provide vital services to the community, which are an integral part of the city's residents' everyday lives, and whereas the support of an informed community is vital to the operation of public works systems and programs such that the production and delivery of clean water wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater collection treatment and control solid waste collection and disposal streets and highways public transit public buildings and fleet services.

And whereas the health safety and comfort of the community greatly depends on these facilities and services and whereas the quality and effectiveness of these services and facilities as well as their planning and design and construction are vitally dependent on the efforts and skills of Public Works officials And whereas the efficiency of the qualified and dedicated personnel who staffed the public works and utilities departments is materially influenced by the residents attitude and understanding of the performance of the work they perform.

And now therefore Alice Patino, the mayor of the City of Santa Maria hereby recognizes the week of May 17th through the 23rd 2026 as National Public Works Week in the City of Santa Maria and encourage all residents and civic organizations to recognize and contribute public works officials to make every day for better health, safety, and quality of life. In witness here she sets her hand had caused the seal of the city of Santa Maria to be affixed here too this fifth day of May 2026 and to receive this is Brett Fulgoni from Director of Public Works

Good evening, council members and public and other employees. I just want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for what you do if those in Public Works could stand up that would be great. I know Luis is one of our engineers. Oscar, one of our inspectors in the back. And then Omar here is on our asphalt team and does the paving around town, in-house paving. I'm really proud of what these guys do, these guys and gals that are on our team. It's amazing work that they do, and I'm very proud of them not only in the Public Works Department but also in Utilities Department and, of course, our Recreation and Parks Department. We consider them public works employees as well, and they deserve recognition alongside our actual public works staff maintaining our fleet facilities Managing the engineering, constructing all of the wonderful things that the city needs to function.

So thank you all and we appreciate what you do.

Thank you. I'll be

watching you Omar. I live off of college. Thank you for patching all the holes around the town.

Our next proclamation will be bike month, and that will be given by Council Member Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez.

Whereas bicycling is an economical, healthy, convenient and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation as well as a valuable recreational activity that allows residents and visitors to enjoy Santa Maria's scenic beauty. Throughout the month of May the community will celebrate bicycling through educational programs, community events, organized rides, art and recreational activities collectively known as Cycle Mania.

And whereas the City of Santa Maria supports Bicycling Through coordinated efforts across its departments including maintaining bicycle infrastructure, ensuring clean and safe lanes, supporting development standards, enforcing safety regulations, maintaining paths and landscaping, providing educational resources, and promoting bicycling programs and events. And whereas fostering a bicycle-friendly community enhances a public health, improves quality of life, supports economic development and student access and reduces pollution, congestion and roadway impacts. The City of Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Move Santa Barbara County, Cal Bike, Caltrans 5, the League of Americans Bicyclists, local schools, businesses and civic groups will promote bicycling during the May During the month of May in recognition of National Bike Month, recognized locally as cycle mania.

Now therefore Alice Patino, the mayor of the city of Santa Maria hereby proclaims May 2016 as bike month in the city of Santa Maria and urges all residents to join her in celebrating cycling. In witness here she sets her hand and has caused the seal of the city of Santa Maria to be affixed here too this fifth day of May 2026. And to accept this Is Peter Williamson.

Happy cycle mania thank you council members my name is Peter on behalf of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments SB CAG who coordinates bike months for the region I'm honored to accept this proclamation with my fellow bicyclists Each year the City of Santa Maria becomes more deeply involved in Bike Month, and this year marks the strongest level of participation yet. We're especially grateful for the city's leadership in expanding Ride with a Ranger by partnering with Smart and Public Works to add Bicichella, creating more exciting reasons to bike. Let's also recognize the Santa Maria Library for hosting Stay Alert Don't Get Hurt which helps riders build their confidence and awareness Smart is also part of the bike to bus and ride free promotion throughout May.

Put your bike on the rack and ride free helping you go farther to the other side of Santa Maria, to Orchid, to Solvang or maybe to Santa Barbara on a Clean Air Express again free during cycle mania Bike Month is about connection, health and giving people more ways to move. I'm excited to celebrate with you and hope to see you at the city's events, a group bike ride to ice cream, a free bike breakfast, the Elks Parade or other event on the cyclomania.org calendar. Join in any event and get a chance to win a $2,000 e-bike. A council member or two has been known to join the fun. Hope to see you there. Thank you.

Mr. Wheeler, would you like to say something? I know you had a lot of bike runs. Yeah go ahead

Thank You councilmember Flores I'm just happy and proud that We can celebrate Bike Month here. I know our Public Works is has a lot more planned in terms of bike bike paths or multi-use paths And they've done a tremendous job with adding a few new bike lanes around town that really open up the bicycle network where we can have bicycles and separate place for bicycles to ride, bicyclists to ride in motorist. So we're not mixing it up so much which is inconveniences motorists and makes Bicyclists nervous. So thanks to Public Works and other people trying to make us have a more bicycle-friendly Santa Maria. Thank you.

Thank You, Mr. Wheeler appreciate you For rodeo days, the mayor is on her way. So we're gonna go ahead and have the mayor do the presentation to you. She'll be here if you don't mind waiting. She really wanted to do that. So we're doing things a little bit different here tonight until the mayor gets here. The next proclamation is Santa Maria Town Center and Council Member Bethea will be presenting that.

Oh. Oh, sorry. See I'm just doing things different. No problem at all. Yeah. I was going to call you eventually. I didn't know when but I would have.

Thank you so much. Go ahead. Thanks. Good evening council members and public on behalf of the Santa Maria Chamber in partnership with the city of Santa Maria. It's my pleasure to present the Santa Maria Town Center as our business of the quarter since its establishment in 1976. The town center has served us As a cornerstone to our community acting as a regional destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. By the way tomorrow or on Thursday we'll have a big mixer there.

The center is a vital economic engine providing employment for approximately 350 people across all of its diverse retail partners More than just a shopping mall, it has evolved into a central gathering place that strengthens our social fabric through regular community engagement, programming, seasonal events and support from both national and local businesses. We're proud to recognize their longstanding dedication to the vitality of Santa Maria.

Joining us tonight to accept the certificate is General Manager Silvia Palacios.

Good evening, everyone. Thank you to the City of Santa Maria, the council members, the chamber and the community for this recognition. As he mentioned we will be celebrating 50 years as being part of this community on July 1st. We opened July 1, 1976 so thank you for the recognition and we appreciate the community support. Thank you.

I'm honored to recognize Fusion Colors Auto Body Repair as Business of the Quarter. Founded in 2010 by Marcos Limon, the business is a remarkable story of local growth and entrepreneurial spirit. Starting with just a single unit and one office, Fusion Colors has expanded into a state-of-the-art five-unit facility that employs ten people. They have remained at the forefront of their industry by investing in innovation such as heated spray booths that drastically reduce drying times, advanced diagnostic systems to ensure modern vehicle safety and beyond their technical expertise Fusion Colors is a dedicated community partner sponsoring numerous youth sports programs and even helping the Santa Maria Police Council restore a historic Chevy.

Please join me in congratulating the owner, Marcus Limon as he comes forward to accept the recognition.

Good afternoon, everybody. Thanks for all this. I really appreciate it. This means a lot for me and my group here in town. So we're still waiting for all the support and see you soon. Sorry, I'm so nervous. Thank you.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We're going to Proclaim Rodeo Days in Santa Maria. Whereas the time is fast approaching for the 83rd annual Elks Rodeo and Parade, May 27th through May 31st, 2026 in the city of Santa Maria considered by many to be the event of the year and whereas continuing the tradition of Clarence Minetti and Leland Butch Simas hundreds of loyal Elk Lodge 1538 members have volunteered and have been drafted to make this rodeo a tremendous success and to cause the Elks Lodge 1538 To be named number one Elks Lodge in the United States numerous times over the last 37 years.

And whereas the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade will begin at 10 o'clock on Saturday, May 30th and continue down Broadway from Mill to Enos Street immediately after the parade the street fair will begin at 1321 South Broadway And whereas it has been a long-standing tradition to begin wearing Western clothes several weeks prior to Elks Rodeo. Now therefore I, Alice Patino, Mayor of the City of Santa Maria hereby proclaim May 27th through May 31st as Go Rodeo Days in the City of Santa Maria and encourage all residents and businesses to enter the rodeo spirit by wearing Western attire And witness thereof, I am here to set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Santa Maria to be affixed this fifth day of May 2026.

And here to receive it are members of the Elks

Club.

Wow we are so honored. My name is Eva Guzman and I'm representing the Elks Lodge. I've got J.R. Gonzalez, he's one of our officers, Danelle Shank she's one of our officers and we're here representing the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, Santa Maria Rodeo & Parade And we are just like Ms. Mayor, Ms. Patino thank you so much and all City Council members that agreed to make this a proclamation. We are honored uh we want to remind you that it is the 83rd annual rodeo and so please participate partake in this event it's a tradition it's a family tradition I know a lot of generations that have been attending this rodeo this parade so let's make it even more so let's teach our kids our grandkids that What Santa Maria is about and what our traditions will remain and we'll continue moving forward.

We appreciate that, thank you so much.

And now it gives me great pleasure for the certificate of the appointment To our new council member and Cindy Clark do I read this or do you read this? Okay. You go ahead and read it because it says I Donna Schwartz.

Certificate of Appointment. State of California, County of Santa Barbara. I, Donna Schwartz, CMC, Chief Deputy City Clerk at the City of Santa Maria, State of California do hereby certify that a regular city council meeting held in Cid City the 7th day of April 2026, Virgil Bathaya was appointed to the office of Councilmember District 1 for the term effective the date of this certificate through the November 3rd, Special municipal election and thereafter until the newly elected members seated.

In witness thereof, I have here unto affixed my hand an official seal this 7th day of April 2026. Well it would have been your question.

And at this time, I'd like to move up the public hearing item 13A regarding the Santa Maria 2045 general plan. Boy that sounds like a long way away, 2045. Director of Community Development Shannon Dow will present the staff report.

Mayor Patino, City Council members, the Community Development Department and the many other departments that have touched this over the last six years are very excited to present to you tonight the 2045 General Plan for the city. To give a little bit of background, the role of the general plan is to establish a land use map which designates what is allowed and where. Create a policy document that informs land use decisions. Conduct an environmental impact report which evaluates impact on existing environment and is not project specific. And provide an adaptable road map for future growth. The general plan does not replace more frequent and specific studies as with the ones that are done on a regular basis across all the departments for the city, dictate all city decisions through 2045.

Of course we do not have a crystal ball and attempt to predict all possible scenarios so it is our best foot forward as far as what we assume will happen in the future but it cannot capture everything Within the planning hierarchy, there are a number of elements that we take into account. The general plan comes in just below state statutes and regional plans. And then as we get into more detail about land use decisions, we have area plans and specific plans, our zoning code and subdivision ordinances, and then, of course, individual development reviews. So those will look very specifically at each individual project, their appropriateness in a certain part of the city, and their environmental impact.

This is where we are in the general plan update process. Again, this was started in 2020 and we are now concluding it with review and adoption. There has been a significant amount of public input throughout that time. We began with existing conditions reports in 2020. In 2021, we moved on to establishing the vision and guiding principles which were shaped by a number of workshops, surveys and other public input.

And we then moved on to land use alternatives and analysis. So there were different options examined for whether or not annexation should be contemplated for our future growth. Following this, the City Council and Planning Commission selected an option for those land use scenarios, and that included some annexations. So that study was done, and water and wastewater systems preliminary assessment was performed. An analysis was done for Highway 101 In 2025, the policy frameworks were drafted and we had a public review period in early 2021-2025.

And later in the year we had the Public Draft General Plan, EIR Public Review, multiple joint study sessions with the Planning Commission and City Council, and in 2026 we have had two Planning Commission public hearings. There's been, again, a significant amount of community engagement throughout this process from key stakeholders, developers, business owners, Santa Maria residents, various organizations. There have been eight community workshops, 13 technical advisory committee meetings, four online surveys. This is our fifth of the city council meetings. Eight planning commission meetings, two joint meetings with Planning Commission and City Council. Dozens of stakeholder interviews and one-on-one meetings. Thousands of comments reviewed and addressed.

I can't emphasize this enough, so as we go through an EIR in particular, we have an obligation to review and address every single comment that was made, and we have a very engaged public that was generous in providing comments and helping shape this to be the best plan it could be. Every single one of those comments was carefully reviewed by our staff, by our consultant staff, to look at the appropriateness for the city over the long term. We incorporated everything we could, and we believe we have the best document it can be today.

General plan elements, we have nine of these. It looks like we cut off one with public facilities and land use circulation conservation open space noise safety health and environmental justice rec and parks and economic development so the plan intends to establish policies around all of these concepts rather than dive deep into each one of them there are a few threads that are common throughout all of them We aim to establish vibrant and connected places, so this includes things like a walkable downtown, active mixed-use corridors, a mobility network for all ages, abilities and transit modes.

A sustainable and resilient city. This aims to protect natural resources, open space in working lands, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building climate resilience into infrastructure and land use. Next we have safe, healthy and equitable communities investing equitably in public safety housing parks and health care access as well as environmental justice for all residents.

A thriving local economy is another key part of the plan this includes supporting business growth and workforce development as well as tourism and leveraging Santa Maria's unique identity and its airport to as well as land use to strengthen the economic position of our residents and thus the community as a whole And finally, a well-served and engaged community. Across all of the policy documents we're looking to maintain and expand quality public facilities and services, foster inclusive community driven engagement in planning and decision making.

I will do a little focus on the land use element since that is the key purpose of the general plan. It plans for a significant amount of growth and this is anticipated ARENA numbers for the next three regional housing needs allocation cycles, so this includes up to 16,140 units which could mean up to 58,000 residents and almost 24,000 jobs. As far as how we're planning for that, we do have about 5600 units in the development pipeline today and we are also accounting for estimated future ADU growth based on past practice. So we have permitted approximately 2500 ADUs to date in Santa Maria.

The remaining minimum residential growth to plan for is about 9,300 units. So this would include future residential units within the existing city limits which averages to about 5,500 and within a planned annexation area of 985 acres and that's about 3,800 units so you can see on the map there we have the annexation area highlighted in red that will be the proposed annexation There are a few key changes that we made to the land use policy map in order to accommodate this growth.

There are two new land use designations, Main Street Mixed Use and Broadway Mixed Use which allow for higher densities on these key corridors. This is an addition to the existing downtown specific plan area which already has no limit on density. Additionally, we've changed our high-density residential which is currently 22 dwelling units per acre to 30 to allow for more growth in those areas as well.

We are also incorporating a single family residential land use designation to replace the area designated as a commercial and professional office in the Area 9 specific plan, as well as a future Santa Maria Joint Union High School District site located on North Broadway South of Presco to accommodate future growth. And finally, to accommodate the growth that cannot exist within the city limits we are looking at a planned annexation of 985 acres as previously referenced.

This is the proposed zoning map. We had a number of stakeholder interviews and public input opportunities where people identified new development opportunities through the general plan, so this will update zoning in a number of locations. And again, this is a just a very brief list of the stakeholders technical advisory community members organizations who participated in our public outreach process.

It is challenging to balance both the need for growth with the need for sustainable and resiliency over the long term And we have done our best to incorporate all of the public input that we have received. There are a couple of outstanding issues I want to highlight, that you may hear from the audience. We have complete streets is one question that has occurred throughout the Planning Commission process. This is an attempt to ensure that all modes of travel are accommodated for within our future growth. So we want to ensure that whether you're walking, biking, using a vehicle, that you can travel safely around our community. We would like to retain that standard within the general plan.

Additionally we have our parks acreage per 1,000. So this was set approximately 35 years ago at five acres per thousand and once again we would like to retain that to ensure that we have the future parks needs for our residents. Additionally I think we have a fundamental We have a fundamental conflict between some individuals with input who want no growth at all and some who want as much annexation as we can possibly get. So again, we've chosen a balanced approach based on the Council's input a couple of years ago with the 985-acre annexation. This represents about a 6% increase in our land area and a substantial opportunity for population growth.

So with all that, I would also like to say a huge thank you to the many city staff members who have worked on this throughout the years. The City Council and the Planning Commission for all of their input. The Technical Advisory Committee and everyone on this slide for everything you have done. Together we have made this the best plan it can be for the future of the city of Santa Maria.

And with that, we recommend adoption of the plan.

Any questions? Ms. Dowell? Any comments? Did

you have a question? Yes. First, thank you so much for your work on this. It's been a few years since we got started and so it's really great to be at this point in time. And thank you to everybody who provided comment and participated in this process. My question is more around The annexation and growth piece of the general plan. I for one, deeply value infill as much as possible Encroachment into into precious land and so.

You know, I see here that that a large part of City limits which which I strongly support and so I'm just curious what specific. Triggers may be in the general plan that will ensure infill development is Development in any annexed area is activated.

Absolutely, we do have a significant amount of redevelopment that has occurred and higher densities that have occurred over time within the city limits so looking at the remaining available developable sites there simply aren't many left For example, we recently met with the county to discuss their letter and their comments on this. And one of the questions was, well what about this area here? It was Blosser Ranch which is, of course, the subject to current development. It's being graded as we speak and will soon be home to about 1,500 new units of housing for our community.

Other areas, as you look at the aerial and say hey maybe we could develop that. There's a significant amount of land surrounding the airport that looks like it would be easily developable but that is California tiger salamander habitat and per an arrangement with Fish & Wildlife for future development of the airport area, that can never be developed. It must be preserved.