City Council — May 12, 2026

Thank you. Good evening. Good evening, I'd like to call this meeting to order. Ms. City Attorney are there any reports from closed session?

There are no reportable actions tonight Madam Mayor.

22nd. Thank You Mayor Kavanaugh

Thank you. As a little plug too, for the first time ever our softball community is having a softball tournament June 27th and 28th for mental awareness and they will be making a donation to the new crisis stability unit in the name of somebody who recently we lost to suicide so thank you.

Madam Mayor and members of the City Council, next on the agenda is item 1D3. Presentation of a proclamation declaring the week of May 17th through May 23rd, 2026 as Public Works Week. And Public Works Director Ron Fuchiwaki is here to present this item and accepting the proclamation are Assistant Public Works Director Al Sexton and Assistant Public Works Director Engineering Chris Oberender.

Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. I want to thank all of the audience members for coming out for Public Works Weeks. It is my pleasure this evening to join the City Council in proclaiming the week of May 17th through May 23rd as Public Works Week. Not only is it a time to recognize the efforts of the Department in managing the city's infrastructure and providing excellent customer service, but it is an opportunity to recognize the men and women that operate and maintain those facilities and provide services to the community. These facilities and services include engineering, streets and highways, landscaping, public buildings, water sewer, environmental monitoring and transit.

I am especially proud of our Simi Valley Public Works employees that work day and sometimes night to ensure the community has a well-functioning and well maintained public infrastructure. Now I would like to join the City Council in proclaiming the week of May 17th through May 23rd as Public Works Week in the city of Simi Valley.

Ron, this is going to be your last time doing this. He's retiring at the end of June after how many years? After quite a few years, so yes. And what is it you like to say? Public works keeps things flowing? How do you say... You say it better.

Well keeps things flowing, keeps things running.

Make

sure the water comes out your faucet and make sure your waste water goes down the toilet.

Exactly! So it's a very important aspect of our city services right gentlemen? So we just want to thank you guys for everything, you and your crews and everyone in Public Works for everything you do. Wave to them say hi offer them a bottle of water when it's a hot day you know just to be nice so we have a great community so would you like to say anything? You will, okay. Thank you.

Yeah I just want to say thank you and accept this on behalf of all the hardworking Public Works staff that we have here at the city and it's an honor to lead that group and it's really a pleasure for these people to know that they bust their back every day and they are the backbone of the city keeping vital infrastructure going so thanks everybody.

Thank you so much. Come join us, it's your last one.

I know he should have, huh? And Ron was being modest. He has 25 years with the city and 50 years in total in public service. There you go, 50 years in public service.

Would you like to say anything, Ron? Okay. Thank you all very much.

Madam Mayor and members of the City Council, next on the agenda is item 1D4. Recognition of the Wastewater Collection System Work Group of the Sanitation Division for winning the California Water Environment Association CWEA Local First Place Award and Statewide Third Place Award for 2025 Collection System of the Year award for a medium-sized collection system. And Public Works Director Ron Fuchiwaki is presenting this item Supervisor Keegan Shirk and Chip Marquette and Rob Pratt, Wastewater Collection System Tech 2 are here for the presentation.

Good evening. I saw it sitting there. I'm like what is that? Okay that is pretty big.

Good evening again Mayor Cavanaugh and council members. Of course you see Keegan, Chip and Rob up there they're part of our sanitation crew our collections crew they're the ones that when there's a sewer blockage was in one of our sewer lines they're the ones that go out and unblock it and keep the sewer flowing Al Sexton and I are pleased to announce that our Public Works Wastewater Collections Systems team was awarded first place for medium-sized wastewater systems by the California Water Environment Association at their Tri-Counties Awards dinner in December of 2024.

And there's a nice trophy there that they won at that event. And just recently the team was awarded third place out of 17 local sections at the annual CWEA conference in Sacramento. We didn't get a trophy there, we barely got our certificate. The California Water Environment Association or CWEA is a professional organization dedicated to advancing the wastewater management and water quality sectors in California. CWEA was founded in 1928 and represents over 10,000 professionals in the water environment field including wastewater collection system technicians operators, engineers, laboratory technicians and other specialists involved in wastewater management and resource recovery. Tonight's awards are given to agencies that demonstrate outstanding performance in maintenance programs, regulatory compliance, safety training and operational excellence.

It acknowledges agencies that maintain reliable sewer systems, prevent sewer overflows and ensure environmental stewardship. The wastewater collection system work group has a staff of nine, three of which are here tonight and is one of four sections in our sanitation division and public works. These rarely publicly acknowledged dedicated employees keep everything flowing from the east portions of the city to the water quality control plant and then disposal into the Arroyo Simi.

Winning this award is considered a prestigious recognition in the wastewater industry, reflecting leadership operational excellence and commitment to public health and environmental protection. Please join me in congratulating our city's Wastewater Collection Systems team in achieving these prestigious awards.

Would you like to say anything? Just

real quick. For those that don't know, we're a medium-sized system in Simi Valley. That means we have over 400 miles of sewer line that these individuals maintain and keep flowing. Not only do they keep it clean by roto-rooting the lines, but they also video them and see if there's any fun things in there. And there's all kinds of things they find in there from time to time. So appreciate the hard work they do, and it's a pleasure to have to lead this group so thank you.

No, they're done. Congratulations and thank you for all you do. You want a picture? Get Ron up here too. She likes it over here with the background. Thank you very much, thank you gentlemen for all you do. The last one holding it has to take it home right?

Madam Mayor and members of the City Council, next on the agenda is item 1D5. Presentation of Certificates of Appreciation to Outgoing Community Projects Grant Review Committee Members and Deputy Environmental Services Director Cynthia McCullough is here to present this item.

Good evening Mayor Kavanaugh and members of the City Council. In 2011, the City Council and Waste Management executed a Memorandum of Understanding which provides annual grant funding of $150,000. The city council awards funding to non-profit organizations for community projects and programs that benefit the Simi Valley community. In 2017, the City Council created the Community Projects Grant Review Committee consisting of seven representatives from each one of the four neighborhood councils, the Council on Aging, Youth Council and the community at large.

The review committee provides public input and a funding recommendation to the city council for consideration. Each year, the requests have well exceeded the amount available and all deserving programs and projects are not able to be funded. This year, the review committee first met on April 15th to develop its review process for evaluating the 26 eligible funding requests that totaled over $802,000.

On April 22nd, the review committee met again to receive public comment presentations from applying organizations and discuss the funding requests. After discussion, the review committee concluded its service by providing its funding recommendation for City Council consideration that will be presented later this evening. To show our appreciation, the review committee members who are present this evening are asked to come forward to be recognized for their contribution of time, leadership and service to the community.

Representing Neighborhood Council No. 1 Paul Chandler, Neighborhood Council No. 2 Gail Sutton, Neighborhood Council No. 3 Steve Busco, Neighborhood Council No 4 Deanna Block The Council on Aging, David Lewis. Youth Council, Amman Sudreeth and the community at large, Nadia Karpansky. Please join me in congratulating them on a job well done.

Sorry they weren't in order so I kind of got a little lost there. Thank you all for volunteering or voluntold on this committee. It's probably one of the hardest jobs that, of any of the committees that we have because the requests always exceed what the availability is. So thank you all for your hard work on this and making those hard decisions. That's kind of, that's one of the reasons City Council formed a committee so that we didn't have to do it.

To be very honest. So but we thank each of you for your contributions to our community. We appreciate it.

Madam Mayor and members of City Council,

Hello. Good evening, Mayor Cavanaugh, Councilmembers and staff. My name is Brian Schumacher and I am the Advocacy and Community Impact Manager for Autism Society of Ventura County. I am here tonight on behalf of our dedicated advocacy committee who review city council and school board agendas each week to ensure that people with disabilities are included in decisions that affect their lives.

So we appreciate the city's proclamation, recognizing May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month and wish to offer our strong support. And congratulations to the recipients at Autism Society of Ventura County. We believe that it's important to share that mental health challenges and mental health crises do not present the same way for everyone. For neurodivergent and autistic individuals, signs of distress can look very different from traditional expectations. What may pair as defiance, withdraw agitation or behavioral escalation can often be signs of a mental health disorder worsened by anxiety, sensory overload, communication barriers or unmet support needs.

For many autistic individuals, what is labeled a mental health crisis is often a systems crisis. A breakdown in environmental supports, communication access or regulation strategies. Additionally, autistic people face significantly higher rates of mental health disorders, suicidality and are at risk during behavioral health crisis interventions. With this in mind, awareness must include understanding that prevention and crisis response approaches need to reflect those differences.

This means disability-informed training, culturally responsive practices and coordination with families and community based providers. When we broaden our understanding of what mental health looks like across neuro diverse populations, we reduce stigma, reduce unnecessary escalation, increase safety and positive outcomes. We appreciate the city's leadership through this proclamation and look forward to continued partnership to ensure mental health systems serve all residents, including those who experience the world differently. Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Mayor and members of City Council,

Good evening Mayor Cavanaugh and distinguished members of the City Council. My name is Gia Bott, and I'm a sophomore at Santa Susanna High School. I would like to give my sincerest gratitude to you for your continued support of the Simi Valley Youth Council. Your support allows us to grow as youth leaders and give back to the community. As a member of the Youth Council it's an honor to be able to come forward today and share our most recent updates on events and initiatives.

On April 27th, Youth Council Chair Jasleen Kangura and Vice-Chair Nandia Krishnamoorthi presented at the California School Health & Behavioral Health Conference. Their presentation was called The Power of Partnership, Youth Leadership in Action. The goal of this conference was to be able to educate school based health professionals on how they can allow their students to thrive and succeed. And they did exactly that. We are happy to announce the applications for the 2026-2027 Simi Valley Youth Council term have closed with over 90 applications. We will be holding interviews for new members in June. For returning members, interviews will be held on May 26th. We're excited to welcome new and returning members to the Simi Valley Youth Council next term.

Our next big event is Teen Wellness Night on May 22nd from 5.30pm to 8pm at the Simi Valley Public Library. Our hope for this event is to have students from all over attend and provide a healthy last few weeks of AP testing! We'll be featuring therapy dogs on the spot, on-spot volunteer opportunities with the ability to earn service hours and mental health boots on prioritizing self care. After the event we hope attendees support our not one but two fundraisers at The Yogurt Land in Panda Express located at the Regal Center right next to the library. Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit the Ventura County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness whose goal is to advocate for and provide support in crisis resources to those affected by neurological disorders.

On May 19th, Youth Council members Surya Ravikumar, Ethan Bott, Jeslene Kungura, Serena Kungura, Friday Night Live mentoring member Leila Salinas and myself will be presenting to the school board informing them of youth council events and initiatives we have also completed We will be discussing items such as social media campaigns, our recent youth impact forum, teen wellness night, youth summit, underage drinking and gambling prevention grants. And about Friday Night Live mentoring in the Friday Night Live Youth Summit that occurred in Anaheim last year.

On May 30th from 11 a.m to 1 p.m, the Youth Council will be holding our first ever Field Day event at Royal High School, a free event to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving. This event will include an activity hosted by the Simi Valley Police Department. To end the Youth Council term we are excited to announce our annual escape room on June 18th and 19th, an event I'd like to say is a Youth Council favorite The theme for this year is Bank Heist. It will be hosted on the Berylwood Teen Center in partnership with the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. All profits made at this event will benefit a local nonprofit organization.

I highly encourage everyone to stay connected with the Simi Valley Youth Council by following us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at Simi Valley Youth Council as well as on TikTok at SBYC 2929. Once again, I would like to thank Mayor Cavanaugh and the City Council for inviting me to speak this evening and for your continued support of the youth efforts in our community. Your commitment enables us to create meaningful change, and we are truly grateful. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.

Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem Litzter has a question or comment.

Gia, thank you that was a wonderful presentation. And did you really say that you closed with over 90 applications?

Yes, we're really happy about it.

That's huge. And for the audience, will you remind how many candidates get to be selected?

For the new members, so we take nine returning members. So that leaves 15 spots out of those 90 applications.

So it's outstanding and selective. And just a reminder, tell us who the schools that are represented. I just think that's fun to put out there.

I think it's a variety from all over the SVUSD district, from Royal High School, Westlake High School, Oak Park and Simi Valley High School of course and Santa Susana.

And also the middle schools too if I'm not mistaken so wonderful collaborative effort with all of our students and thank you for a great year in all that you're doing and look forward to the wellness event so thank you so

much. Thank you so much.

Councilmember Ayala?

Thank you. So the work that you guys are doing is so impactful that each year, the number of applicants continues to grow and it's because of the work that the members in the group do. And so I know the members of the grant committee thought they had a tough job to do but this is 90 applications and they have to select a total of 24 right? And I'm not looking forward to the 26th or something because I have to sit in on those interviews and actually help to tell students that they did not, are not going to continue onto the Youth Council.

In advance, don't get selected to continue. That doesn't mean that your service to the community has to stop. There's still a lot of other opportunities that we'll make sure you have available to you so that you can continue to serve but thank you for all you do Mr. Fowler again you do an amazing job with the youth and you need to be applauded for the continued growth of the program over the years.

Thank you, Gia. That was a great presentation and yes Ryan Fowler does a wonderful job but I have a question so your what's the date again of the escape room?

The escape room is happening, I believe on June 18th and

19th. And you said it was bank heist? Yes. Well, I'm a banker so I think I need to go do that. But do you bring your own teams or can individuals come? I'm not sure how it works.

You can bring friends and you can meet up with people who come there too. It's a collaborative event.

Okay sounds...I will make sure I'm there if I'm in town. I guess I want to see how it works. All right thank you very much we really appreciated it great presentation

Madam Mayor and members of the City Council, next on the agenda is item 3C1. Presentation by Commander Darren Mueller Traffic Bureau regarding the newly acquired specially marked police vehicle. Following the verbal presentation it is recommended that we take a brief recess.

Mayor Gavina, members of City Council. You were lucky enough to have Sergeant McAllister here. In the words of my brother from North Dakota he said what are you doing tonight? I said I'm doing city council. He said will you be sitting there while that young guy talks and the answer is yes. Sergeant McAllister.

Good evening. I'm here tonight to give a presentation on our newly acquired and recently put into service police vehicle or patrol vehicle So especially marked patrol vehicles, a police vehicle that has minimal or subdued exterior markings and lighting basically making it less immediately recognizable than our traditional black and white vehicles that we have out there on the roadway every day.

It's got a low profile appearance, but it's fully equipped with emergency lights, sirens and all the law enforcement equipment that a normal black and white vehicle would have. The purpose of these vehicles is to allow officers to more easily blend in with traffic, which will allow them to be more proactive identifying dangerous driving behavior to include speeding, distracted driving and reckless driving behavior.

So when it comes to legality, 4800 of the California Vehicle Code talks about a traffic officer on duty for exclusive or main purpose of enforcing basically the traffic laws. So it says they shall wear a full distinctive uniform and if the officer while on duty uses a motor vehicle, it shall be a distinctive color specified by the commissioner. When they say commissioner, they're talking about the CHP commissioner.

All Simi Valley Police Department officers operating specially marked patrol vehicles for the purpose of enforcing traffic laws will be in a full distinctive Simi Valley Police Department approved uniform that clearly identifies them as a peace officer. So what are the laws and the legality when it comes to the markings? So you'll find these in the California Code of Regulations, Title 13. And basically it has a whole list but the ones we're gonna work on today is basically vehicles except for motorcycles shall be painted entirely white or white except that an area not less than including the front door panels shall be black or the vehicle can be all black except than an area not less than and including the front door panel shall be white or the vehicle could be any other color with any color front door panels.

So this is straight out of the title and regulations. So the only caveat to that is the initial or name of the governmental entity operating the vehicle shall be displayed in sharp contrast to the background on the front door panels, and shall be a such size shape and colors be readily legible during daylight hours from a distance of at least 50 feet. So California Highway Patrol started using these vehicles, introduced these vehicles back in May of 2025. They started with 25 and put on some of the most problematic freeways and highways throughout California. They currently have a fleet of 100 specially marked patrol vehicles.

They have multiple color vehicles and they're spread out like I stated among the most problematic stretches of California highways. So, we're going to use them similar to what CHP would use them for. We're going to use them to deter dangerous driving behavior like speeding and reckless operation. We're going to use them to identify violations that may not occur around clearly marked patrol cars. Everybody knows what our black and white patrol cars are with the light bars on top. Anytime someone sees it they do the best driving they've ever done in their life.

You know, which is good. Trust me that's a good thing too but there are some times where you know we need to be a little more less obvious to be able to take care of some situations and problems that are going on. We'll address distracted driving including cell phone use behind the wheel this vehicle will enhance overall traffic safety and help reduce collisions it's gonna provide a proactive enforcement tool to help keep Simi Valley roadways safe So we're gonna use them in high collision corridors and major thoroughfares with a history of speeding and reckless driving. Everybody knows what those major roads are, LA Avenue, Royal, Cochran, Erringer, Madera, First Street. We're gonna use them in school zones and nearby residential streets where child pedestrian safety is a priority.

I get calls and complaints all the time about people not stopping at school buses going by school buses with the stop arm out everything like that. People not yielding so we're gonna use them in those areas. We're going to use them on the busy commuter routes during peak morning and evening traffic hours. And we can also use them in commercial areas and shopping centers with heavy vehicle pedestrian activity just to keep everything safe.

There's a few pictures. So, like I stated this vehicle went into service April 28th of this year. It's been basically out on the streets for roughly eight days now. It's assigned to one traffic officer it's his vehicle he uses every day so since it's been in service there's been he's written that traffic officers written a total of 30 citations and given two warnings 15 of them are for speed there were two cell phone violations one red light violation and 12 other violations of the speeding violations every one of his citations for 50 miles an hour or more over the speed limit So, a couple of interests.

The officer got a driver going 67 in a 45 and the comments are the best part. Basically the driver stated I saw your car thought it was a security car at first. And then one of the better ones we have so we had a driver going 81 in a 40 on Royal And basically the driver said he thought it was a park ranger car and nothing would happen. So, the car is useful. It does help us do our job a little bit better and we can hopefully once the word gets out there that's out there people won't really know what it looks like and it'll help keep down our speeding collisions.

Any questions I'm available? And like it was stated the cars out front if anybody wants to take a break and go look at it real quick.

Any questions from council? Nope, all right. We're going to take a quick five to seven minute break to go out and look at the car so then we'll come back. Thank you. We're now coming back into open session, Madam Clerk?

Madam Mayor and members of the City Council, next on the agenda is Item 4, Public Statements. During this agenda item four, the city council will hear public statements from the first 10 persons who have submitted speaker cards. After the first 10 persons have spoken, subsequent persons who submitted speaker cards will be called to speak during Agenda Item Number 6. This is a continuation of Agenda Item Number 4. Agenda Items 4 and 6 are the times allotted for public statements on all items other than public hearings, appointments, and information reports.

In accordance with the protocols that were adopted in October 6, 2025 if 20 or more speaker cards are received each speaker's time will automatically be reduced to two minutes each. We have received 33 speaker cards. Each speaker will have two minutes to speak. Persons addressing the City Council will be requested to state their name and community residence for the record. Madam Mayor unless you have any comments we can begin with the first 10 speakers.

Please begin.

I will call three at a time. Ben Davis, Mark Luker and Jerry Quintana. Good evening Mayor, Council Members and

City staff. My name is Ben Davis, President of Piccola Tiny Homes here in Simi Valley. Thank you again for your time tonight. Tonight I want to talk about affordability. In the year 2000, Simi Valley's median household income was about $70,000. The median home value was about $240,000 This means one would need to work 3 1⁄2 years while saving 100% of their median income to buy a house Today Simi Valley's median household income is about $122,000 so about three quarters more than in 2000. However the median home value is now $845,000 which is three and a half times more than in 2000 This means one would now need to work seven years while saving 100% of their median income to buy a house. So literally double the time. In the year 2000, someone could have bought two houses for the cost of what they have to pay today even taking into account the differences in median wage and it's not just housing.

California gasoline was around $175 a gallon in early 2000 and as I was driving over here today, the cost of gasoline was at $6.15. That's three-and-a-half times more than in 2000. I'm sure that everyone listening has felt the squeeze of rising prices in all aspects of their lives. So this is the reality that families are living in, the essentials have outrun what ordinary people can comfortably afford and traditional housing options are not keeping up.

This is why movable tiny homes can't be ignored. So tonight I want to respectfully ask again, we have not seen the report and I would like to ask for a date that it will be brought forth. The cost of living is not going down and the people of Simi Valley need solutions. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you.

Mayor Cavanaugh, Council. I read over the weekend the story in The Acorn about the city wanting to take back control of the public library from the county. If the article is correct financially it seems like a no-brainer. I do have a concern though we have at least one council member who's 100% Trump MAGA Republican what are our assurances that Mike Judge or any council member isn't going to suddenly push to ban or even burn books that they don't agree with?

Thank you.

Jerry Quintana?

Madam Mayor and members of the Council, my name is Jerry Quintana. I'm here to speak in support of the grant request by the Samaritan Centre of Simi Valley. I'm a 26-year resident of Simi Valley and one of over 100 volunteers who serve at the Samaritan Center. I volunteered there for over three years. As you may be aware, the Samaritan Center provides food pantry services to the homeless as well as to those who are housed yet are experiencing food insecurities.

The request for grant is for the replacement of sheds associated with the food pantry service The Samaritan Center receives donations of fresh, canned and dry goods from both private individuals along with local businesses. In addition we receive a monthly shipment of canned and dry goods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The storage of donations and pre-sorted goods is accomplished with the use of multiple sheds. Several of those in use are aging plastic units that are too small and can often be too full to allow good access to all items.

I would best describe the older sheds as large garden sheds, their deteriorated condition leaves them susceptible to rodent entry Space is also a critical shortcoming. Accessing the stored items can be difficult due to the limited space and narrow aisles. Just last week, a portion of the monthly USDA food delivery had to be redirected to another provider as there was no space in the existing shed.

Awarding the requested grant to the Samaritan Center would allow for the replacement of the oldest and least functional sheds, and improve the efficiency capacity and safety of the food pantry operation. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank You

The next three speakers, Ray Binstock, Joseph Metcalf and we have Jody Lewis and Scott Constuzos on the same card. So Ray Binstock.

Good evening. My name is Ray Binstock, I represent Many Mansions a non-profit provider of affordable housing and supportive services. We currently serve 52 formerly homeless Simi Valley residents at three different communities Casa de Paz, La Rejada and Peppertree. Thank you for having us here this evening. We are so grateful to the city, for the City Council's partnership which allows us to offer dignity, safety and stability to vulnerable households. As the Community Project Allocation Committee heard several weeks ago one of our Simi Valley residents testified how the stability of a home and resources staff provided supported her as she went through recovery and finally earlier this winter obtained steady employment for the first time in many years.

We're very proud to be working together to benefit the Simi Valley community

Thank you.

Good evening. My name's Joseph Metcalfe, I just want to bring to attention 54 days from now we're going to be celebrating when America annihilated Britain in a war and I want to address that right now but I want to address it in a very positive way in how are we gonna celebrate that here in Simi Valley so I'm here speaking on behalf of a public community organization called Simi 250. Simi 250 is put together to celebrate to America 250 in a really special way, like it's never been done. Fourth of July has never been done like this in Simi Valley.

What we're gonna be doing and we want to make everybody aware that we are gonna be asking businesses and everybody to get involved. First of all with businesses, we'd like to get a $2.50 experience or a 4th of July signature special so that people who don't normally get to experience things in Simi Valley will have an opportunity to get it at an affordable price So it's an opportunity for residents to come out to local businesses and celebrate. On July 3rd, in the morning of July 3rd we're going to be starting with a 5k run which will start at Duck Park and go along the Arroyo back again.

Very fun event and that's for all abilities so if you want to walk it bring your dog bring your kids that's absolutely fine In the evening, we're going to be doing a car cruise which is we're asking everybody to dress their cars red, white and blue and drive through Simi Valley through a 15-mile designated route ending up at Santa Susana Community Park where we have a free movie in the park.

On July 4th itself, we are going to be doing celebrations at the Reagan Library from 10 till 3. I want everybody's get involved with that. And then of course in the evening, the Kiwanis is organizing a pre-firework show at Santa Susana Community Park from three till nine, and then at nine o'clock for the first time ever in the history of Simi Valley. The Simi Valley Symphony Orchestra will be performing the fireworks live and the fireworks will be synchronized to that. So we want to invite you to get involved, the community to get involved and celebrate in a really big way in Simi Valley. Thank you.