Communications &  
Intergovernmental  
Relations Office  
City of Santa Rosa  
637 First Street  
Santa Rosa, CA 95404  
Community Advisory Board  
Special Meeting Minutes - Final  
Wednesday, September 18, 2024  
6:00 PM  
1. CALL TO ORDER  
Chair Weeks called the meeting to order at 6:05pm and noted that  
he was participating remotely under provisions provided by AB2449.  
Teresa Stricker, City Attorney, clarified that Chair Weeks was  
participating under traditional Brown Act remote participation  
protocols and not under AB2449.  
2. REMOTE PARTICIPATION UNDER AB 2449 (IF NEEDED)  
NONE  
3. ROLL CALL  
9 -  
Present:  
Chair Calum Weeks, Board Member Cherie Barnett, Board Member  
Ana M. Diaz, Board Member Ariana Diaz De Leon, Board Member  
Miles Horton, Board Member Jorge Inocencio, Board Member Derek  
Knowles, Vice Chair Andrea Rodriguez, and Board Member Jude  
Frates  
1 - Board Member David Chen  
Absent:  
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS  
Adina Flores made comments regarding conflicts of interest that  
exist on the CAB board, her support of community engagement, and  
requested that the board charter be revised.  
Gregory Ferrin made comments regarding the difficulties of serving  
on a public board, and requested that CAB members use their  
advocacy to focus upon housing issues in the City.  
Eric Fraser made comments regarding the challenges of getting  
people in the community to serve on boards, troubling trends with  
conflicts of interest within City boards, and the City's use of  
misinformation against short term rental owners.  
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
5.1  
Draft Minutes - July 24, 2024  
Public Comments:  
None  
Approved as submitted.  
6. SCHEDULED ITEMS  
6.1  
REPORT - ELECTION OF OFFICERS  
BACKGROUND: Per the City Charter Section 15 and Council Policy  
000-06, the Mayor appoints the Chair of each body with the approval of  
the majority of the Council. At the first regular board meeting as is  
practical after the Mayor’s selection of the Chair, the commission,  
committee or subcommittee select a Vice Chair from among its voting  
members. The Chair and Vice Chair serve for a period of one year or as  
otherwise identified in the body bylaws. When an Officer cannot fulfill  
the full term, the commission, committee, or subcommittee holds a vote  
to select an Officer from among its members to serve the remainder of  
the term.  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by the Communications and  
Intergovernmental Relations Department that the Community Advisory  
Board elect a Vice-Chair to serve the remaining term of office  
commencing on September 18, 2024.  
Public Comments:  
Adina Flores commended Chair Weeks on his service.  
Gregory Ferrin made comments regarding the struggles all boards  
face when electing officers and recommended choosing a Vice  
Chair who will regularly attend meetings and is interested in  
eventually becoming Chair.  
Eric Fraser made comments regarding the role of the Vice Chair,  
how transparency is critical to the board, and the potential for the  
CAB.  
A motion was made by Member Rodriguez, seconded by Member Diaz, to  
nominate Member Rodriguez as the Community Advisory Board Vice Chair.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
9 -  
Yes:  
Chair Weeks, Board Member Barnett, Board Member Diaz, Board  
Member Diaz De Leon, Board Member Horton, Board Member  
Inocencio, Board Member Knowles, Vice Chair Rodriguez, and  
Board Member Frates  
1 - Board Member Chen  
Absent:  
6.2  
MOTION - COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD GRANTS  
Due to an issue with maintaining a quorum at the July 24, 2024,  
CAB meeting, this item is being returned to the September 18,  
2024, agenda for board action.  
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) reviews and approves the 2024  
Community Improvement Grant Applications. Grant Applications for  
Quarter 2 closed on June 28, 2024. The CAB received four more  
applications eligible for funding, totaling $10,000. The projects are as  
follows:  
• The Vince Harper’s South Park Day & Night Festival grant application  
from EFZM Engage requests funds to host the Vince Harper’s South  
Park Day & Night Festival. The festival is designed to build knowledge  
through educating the public, bringing resources to the people and  
community, and celebrating the vibrant neighborhood of South Park.  
The neighborhood residents, community-based organizations,  
nonprofits, city, and county come together to strengthen the community  
and provide opportunities for on-site health and wellness services and  
to connect to resources for the betterment of the whole family approach.  
• The Prince Plaza Mosaic Bench grant application from Friends of  
Prince Memorial Greenway requests funds to continue the  
beautification of the Prince Memorial Greenway (PMG) by installing a  
mosaic tile design bench at the circular plaza behind the Hyatt Regency  
Hotel. The project is a collaboration among Artstart, Chop’s Teen Club,  
and Friends of PMG. The project will provide artwork experience for  
teens, fostering connections and engagement through art.  
• The Bags of Love Program grant application from Food for Thought  
requests funds to provide bags of healthy, shelf-stable, easy-to-eat food  
to unsheltered/housing insecure people. Each portable bag contains  
the equivalent of 11 meals. Their Bags of Love Program directly  
addresses food insecurity and helps alleviate poverty in Santa Rosa by  
mitigating the rising costs of one of the most essential, yet expensive  
basic needs-food.  
• The We Supply Sonoma grant application from We Supply Sonoma  
Co. requests funds to service the unhoused community by providing  
them with food and hygiene products. They are proposing to have a  
mobile unit that will feed people when other resources may not be  
available due to time, day, or location.  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by the Communications and  
Intergovernmental Relations Department that the Community Advisory  
Board, by motion, determine the dispersing of Community Advisory  
Board Q2 2024 Grants.  
Ana Horta, Community Engagement Manager, provided information  
and answered Board Member questions.  
Public Comments:  
Gregory Ferrin made comments regarding clarification of the  
process for the community using grant funds, the City being flexible  
for how the funds are used, and some grant recipients not wanting to  
have a 501(c)(3) status.  
A motion was made by Vice Chair Rodriguez, seconded by Member Diaz  
De Leon, to approve the recommended dispersing of Community Advisory  
Board Q2 2024 Grants.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
9 -  
Yes:  
Chair Weeks, Board Member Barnett, Board Member Diaz, Board  
Member Diaz De Leon, Board Member Horton, Board Member  
Inocencio, Board Member Knowles, Vice Chair Rodriguez, and  
Board Member Frates  
1 - Board Member Chen  
Absent:  
7. CAB ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ISSUES OF CONCERN TO CITY RESIDENTS  
Member Knowles made comments regarding the Santa Rosa  
Charter School for the Arts using Community Improvement Grant  
funds for planting a hedgerow of native plants along their fence.  
Member Barnett made comments regarding the Railroad Square  
Music Festival using Community Improvement Grant funds for their  
event occurring on September 22, 2024.  
Member Knowles made comments regarding the removal of  
redwood trees in the parking lot of 5th Street and D Street and many  
of the downtown merchants being upset about not having input or  
being informed of a restoration plan.  
Public Comments:  
Gregory Ferrin made comments regarding using the CAB page on  
the City website to announce how Community Improvement Grants  
have been utilized, and shared his concern about the protection of  
local trees.  
8. STAFF UPDATES  
Ana Horta, Community Engagement Manager, provided information  
and answered Member questions regarding:  
Past Events:  
- The Wildfire Ready Resource Fair was a great success, with an  
estimated 400-500 people and 24 agencies and organizations in  
attendance.  
- SRPD, SRFD, Rec & Parks, CIRO attended South Park Summer  
Day & Night Festival, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park.  
- VPP brought the Marylou to the Fiesta de la Independencia, Luther  
Burbank Center for the Arts.  
Upcoming Events:  
- September 26, VPP will be hosting the Gang Awareness  
Presentation and Resource Fair, Meadow View Elementary School,  
2665 Dutton Meadow, at 6 pm. The presentation will be in English  
with simultaneous Spanish translation available.  
- September 28, VPP and CIRO will be tabling at the LandPath  
Harvest Festival at Bayer Farm, 10 am to 2 pm.  
- October 1, Board, Commissions, and Committees Outreach  
Information Meeting, SR City Council Chamber, from 5 to 6:30 pm.  
This meeting will provide information about eligibility, roles and  
responsibilities for people interested on applying.  
- October 1 to October 31, Pumpkin Hunt. Hunt for pumpkins in our  
City parks and win a prize when you find one.  
- October 6, CIRO and VPP will be tabling at Stomp the Stigma  
Health and Wellness Resource Fair organized by Latino Service  
Providers, Bayer Farms, from 2 to 4 pm.  
- October 10, 13th Annual Violence Prevention Awareness Seminar,  
Finley Center, from 8 am to 4:30 pm. This all-day professional  
development seminar will include updates on youth gang and  
violence trends in Santa Rosa.  
- October 12, Park-A-Month Volunteer at the Santa Rosa Rural  
Cemetery, from 9:00 AM-12:00 pm.  
- October 19, Floating Pumpkin Patch at Ridgeway Swim center  
from 1:30 to 5:45 pm.  
- October 21, SRPD Trunk or Treat, Veterans Memorial Building,  
from 4:30 - 7:30 pm.  
- October 26, Halloween at Howarth, from 11:30 AM - 3:00 pm.  
Transit Mall Rehabilitation and Temporary Relocation:  
- The City of Santa Rosa began working on a vital infrastructure  
project designed to revitalize and rehabilitate the deteriorating  
pavement along the Santa Rosa Downtown Transit Mall. This project  
started the week of September 3, 2024 and is expected to take two  
to three months to complete.  
Public Comments:  
None  
9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS  
Chair Weeks recommended information be provided by a City  
representative regarding City ordinances regarding tree planting and  
neighborhood plans and policies, and clarification regarding the  
plans for the parking lot behind Russian River Brewery.  
Member Diaz recommended information from local organizations  
regarding tree planting and restoration.  
Vice Chair Rodriguez recommended information be provided by a  
City representative regarding the water rate study currently  
underway.  
Member Diaz De Leon recommended a presentation regarding how  
to apply for Community Improvement Grants and their purpose to  
help new members understand the process.  
Member Knowles recommended information be provided regarding  
the City and County plans for tree protection and preservation and  
how plans connect to the City's overall climate goals.  
10. ADJOURNMENT  
Seeing no further business, Chair Weeks adjourned the meeting at  
7:02pm.  
Approved on:  
_______________________________  
Steven V. Brown, Recording Secretary