City of Santa Rosa

City Charter Review Committee

Regular Meeting Minutes - Final

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

5:00 PM

1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Chair Cisco called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m.

13 -

Present

Chair Patti Cisco, Committee Member Scott Bartley, Committee

Member Christine Byrne, Committee Member Dan Condron,

Committee Member Ana Diaz, Committee Member Danny Martinez,

Committee Member Chris Mazzia, Committee Member Ron Miller,

Committee Member Evette Minor, Committee Member Ernesto

Olivares, Committee Member Logan Pitts, Committee Member Mark

Walsh, and Committee Member Karen Weeks

8 -

Absent

Committee Member Adriana Arrizon, Committee Member Annie

Barbour, Committee Member Lisa Badenfort, Committee Member

Abigail Cunningham, Committee Member Jazmin Gudino, Committee

Member Jen Klose , Committee Member Brian Ling, and Committee

Member Jocelyn Villalobos

Committee Member Ling joined the meeting at 5:15 p.m.

Committee Member Arrizon joined the meeting at 5:19 p.m.

Committee Member Klose joined the meeting at 5:20 p.m.

2. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS

No public comments were made.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - NONE.

4. SCHEDULED ITEMS

4.1

EQUITY PRINCIPLES

The principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging remain in the

forefront of the Charter review process. This standing agenda item

provides the Committee with the opportunity, at the outset of each of its

meetings, to refine, reaffirm and recommit to its Statement of Principles.

The Statement of Principles regarding diversity, equity, inclusion and

belonging provides a procedural and substantive lens through which the

Committee undertakes all of its work.

Attachment 1 - Updated Equity Principles

Attachments:

Attachment 2 - Equity Priority Areas with Council Districts

Attachment 3 - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Definitions (City of Santa

Rosa)

No presentation or discussion was made.

PUBLIC COMMENT

West Below spoke on the 14th Amendment of the United States

Constitution and on Article 1, Sections 7 and 31 of the California

Constitution, his concern with the map showing Santa Rosa Districts

that are given equity priority over others, and the equity principles

being a flagrant disregard to the constitution.

18 -

Present

Chair Patti Cisco, Committee Member Adriana Arrizon,

Committee Member Lisa Badenfort, Committee Member Scott

Bartley, Committee Member Christine Byrne, Committee Member

Dan Condron, Committee Member Ana Diaz, Committee Member

Jazmin Gudino, Committee Member Jen Klose , Committee

Member Brian Ling, Committee Member Danny Martinez,

Committee Member Chris Mazzia, Committee Member Ron Miller,

Committee Member Evette Minor, Committee Member Ernesto

Olivares, Committee Member Logan Pitts, Committee Member

Mark Walsh, and Committee Member Karen Weeks

3 -

Absent

Committee Member Annie Barbour, Committee Member Abigail

Cunningham, and Committee Member Jocelyn Villalobos

4.2

VOTING RIGHTS FOR NON-CITIZENS

The Charter Review Committee has requested, as a high priority, the

opportunity to consider a possible Charter amendment to allow

non-citizens to vote in local City elections. This agenda item will

provide the Committee with general background on voting rights for

non-citizens, arguments for and against granting such rights, and the

logistics of implementation. The Committee may provide direction to

staff on recommended next steps.

Presentation

Attachments:

Article 1 - LA Times - noncitizen voting

Article 2 - PEW- noncitizen voting

Article 3 - Berkeley Public Policy Journal - noncitizen voting

Article 4 - Ballotpedia - noncitizen voting

Late Correspondence (Uploaded 4-13-2022)

City Attorney Sue Gallagher presented information and

introduced Deva Proto, Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, who

presented information on non-citizen voting rights and answered

questions from the Committee.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Joe Leadem spoke asking the Committee to check with leaders

of the non-citizen communities to see if the right to vote is a

desired value for them before the Committee embarks on the

issue.

Committee discussion ensued on the need to do more research

on the topic, for Council to decide if this is an issue to explore,

whether to make voting available only for permanent non-citizen

residents who are authorized to work, concerns on the cost to

implement, concerns voting registration is a public record with

members of the community possibly being exposed to U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials (ICE), to let

non-citizens decide if they want to take the risk of exposure,

weighing the cost to implement should not be considered when

giving the under served community a voice, asking the Council to

form a subcommittee to explore the issue, and making a very

specific recommendation to Council on a specific timeline to

implement.

A motion was made by Committee Member Pitts, seconded by

Committee member Martinez, to recommend Council examine

non-citizen voting as part of the Charter Review process by conducting

a study session, consider costs, define groups, verification process to

identify voter registration as a non-citizen, explore how it has been

implemented in other cities, and various other information deemed

necessary related to this topic.

Committee Member Minor made a friendly amendment to place this on

the ballot at a future time, for Council to explore the best process either

through a study session, subcommittee or listening session, to look at

data on how many residents will be able to vote in the next few years, to

explore how other cities have implemented non-citizen voting, costs,

and clarification and definition on the meaning of non-residents.

The friendly amendment was not accepted.

A motion was made by Committee Member Klose, seconded by

Committee Member Gudino, to recommend to Council to undertake

whatever process they deem necessary to place non-citizen voting on a

ballot on or before 2026 and for cost consideration not to be a factor in

the decision making process.

The motion failed by the following vote:

9 -

Yes:

Committee Member Arrizon, Committee Member Byrne,

Committee Member Diaz, Committee Member Gudino,

Committee Member Klose, Committee Member Martinez,

Committee Member Miller, Committee Member Minor and

Committee Member Walsh

9 -

3 -

No:

Chair Cisco, Committee Member Badenfort, Committee Member

Bartley, Committee Member Condron, Committee Member Ling,

Committee Member Mazzia, Committee Member Olivares,

Committee Member Pitts and Committee Member Weeks

Absent:

Committee Member Barbour, Committee Member Cunningham

and Committee Member Villalobos

A motion was made by Committee Member Pitts, seconded by

Committee Member Martinez, to recommend Council examine

non-citizen voting as part of the Charter Review process by conducting

a study session to consider costs, define the meaning of non-citizen

groups, verification process to identify voter registration as a

non-citizen, explore how it has been implemented in other cities, and

various other information deemed necessary related to this topic.

The motion carried by the following vote:

18 -

Yes:

Chair Cisco, Committee Member Arrizon, Committee Member

Badenfort, Committee Member Bartley, Committee Member

Byrne, Committee Member Condron, Committee Member Diaz,

Committee Member Gudino, Committee Member Klose,

Committee Member Ling, Committee Member Martinez,

Committee Member Mazzia, Committee Member Miller,

Committee Member Minor, Committee Member Olivares,

Committee Member Pitts, Committee Member Walsh and

Committee Member Weeks

3 -

Absent:

Committee Member Barbour, Committee Member Cunningham

and Committee Member Villalobos

4.3

COUNCIL COMPENSATION

The City Council has recommended that, among other topics, the

Committee research and consider preparing a Charter amendment to

increase Council member compensation. Currently, the Charter

allows for the establishment of Council compensation in accordance

with formulas set forth in state law. For a city the size of Santa

Rosa, state law allows for Council member salary of up to $800 per

month. State law also allows for an annual increase in that salary of

up to 5% (not compounded), which increase may accumulate if not

immediately applied. In addition, State law allows the city’s voters to

approve a higher or alternative salary. The voters of Santa Rosa

have approved a higher salary for the Mayor, currently equal to

$1200 per month (150% of Council member salary).

The Committee began its discussion of Council compensation at its

December 15, 2021 meeting and expanded its discussion at its

meeting on January 5, 2022. This agenda item will provide the

Committee with the opportunity to provide final direction on its

recommendation for Council compensation.

Presentation

Attachments:

Attachment 1 - Comparable Cities

Attachment 2 - North Bay Cities

Attachment 3 - Select Northern California Cities

Attachment 4 - Berkeley Measure JJ (November 2020)

Attachment 5 - Presentation 1/5/2022 Meeting

This item was continued to the April 27, 2022, meeting.

5. COMMITTEE CHAIR'S/CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORTS

No reports were made.

6. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS - NONE.

7. WRITTEN AND/OR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS - NONE.

8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

- Council Compensation

9. ADJOURNMENT

Chair Cisco adjourned the meeting at 6:48 p.m. The next meeting

will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.

Approved on: May 11, 2022

/s/ Stephanie A. Williams, City Clerk