City of Santa Rosa  
City Charter Review Committee  
Regular Meeting Minutes - Final  
Wednesday, December 1, 2021  
5:00 PM  
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL  
Chair Cisco called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.  
12 -  
Present  
Chair Patti Cisco, Committee Member Scott Bartley, Committee  
Member Christine Byrne, Committee Member Dan Condron,  
Committee Member Jazmin Gudino, Committee Member Danny  
Martinez, Committee Member Chris Mazzia, Committee Member  
Ernesto Olivares, Committee Member Logan Pitts, Committee  
Member Lisa Badenfort, Committee Member Mark Walsh, and  
Committee Member Karen Weeks  
9 -  
Absent  
Committee Member Adriana Arrizon, Committee Member Annie  
Barbour, Committee Member Abigail Cunningham, Committee  
Member Ana Diaz, Committee Member Jen Klose , Committee  
Member Brian Ling, Committee Member Ron Miller, Committee  
Member Evette Minor, and Committee Member Jocelyn Villalobos  
2. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS  
No public comments were made.  
Committee Member Minor joined the meeting at 5:10 p.m.  
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - NONE.  
4. SCHEDULED ITEMS  
Committee member Diaz joined the meeting at 6:18 p.m.  
4.1  
EQUITY PRINCIPLES  
In this, the second meeting of the Charter Review Committee, City Staff  
will provide a presentation on the principles of diversity, equity and  
inclusion, both as a lens through which the Committee may undertake  
its work, as well as an introduction to what may be possible Charter  
revisions to be considered by the Committee.  
Presentation  
Attachments:  
10 Priorities for Advancing Racial Equity Through the ARPA  
Sonoma County Advisory Redistricting Commission Equity Principles  
Prioritizing Community Values – Case Study City of Oakland  
Presentation REVISED (Uploaded 12-1-2021)  
Socorro Shiels, Diversity, Equity, and Equal Employment Officer,  
presented information on the City of Santa Rosa's Diversity, Equity,  
Inclusion (DEI) journey with SEED Collaborative, information to help  
the Committee develop an equity lens for their work, and answered  
questions from the Committee Members.  
Committee Member Ling joined the meeting at 5:42 p.m.  
PUBLIC COMMENT  
Gregory Fearon spoke on the importance of using a DEI lens when  
reviewing the Charter work that needs to be done.  
Annette Arnold spoke asking that future meetings have specific  
times noted on the agenda, and suggested there be a neighborhood  
contact for every neighborhood in the city.  
Committee discussion ensued on how to develop a set of principles  
to be used as a lens for the Committee, using the County  
redistricting principles as a starting point, and keeping this issue as a  
standing agenda item as the Committee goes through the process.  
Consensus was made to use the County redistricting principles and  
norms as the lens with the understanding principles may evolve as  
the Committee work continues.  
Committee Member Klose joined the meeting at 6:17 p.m.  
This item was received and filed.  
4.2  
SUMMARY OF COUNCIL TOPICS  
At the Committee’s request, the City Attorney’s Office will provide a  
presentation clarifying the topics on which the City Council have  
recommended consideration. In that presentation, the City Attorney’s  
Office will identify which of the topics proposed by the Council would  
require a Charter amendment for implementation and which might be  
addressed by City ordinance or resolution.  
Presentation  
Attachments:  
Presentation REVISED (Uploaded 12-1-2021)  
City Attorney Sue Gallagher and Assistant City Attorney Rob  
Jackson, presented a review of the following topics recommended  
by Council for the Committee's consideration:  
Directly elected at-large Mayor  
Ranked choice voting  
Police Auditor/Citizen Oversight Commission  
Council Compensation  
Climate Change  
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  
Excise Taxes  
Regulation of rental housing  
Procurement policy reforms  
Board and Commission quorums  
Removal of Mayor or Council Member for misconduct  
Two year budget process  
PUBLIC COMMENT  
Joe Leadem spoke proposing the Committee look at the rules for  
referendums and initiatives that are currently in place.  
Committee discussion ensued and it was decided the Committee  
would focus on the items that require a Charter amendment and to  
not memorialized in the Charter the items that can be achieved by an  
ordinance of the Council. A majority of the Committee suggested  
they focus first on the issues of council compensation, ranked  
choice voting, and a directly elected Mayor.  
This item was received and filed.  
5. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS - NONE.  
6. WRITTEN AND/OR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS - NONE.  
7. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS  
1. A primer on adopting an ordinance versus making an amendment  
to the Charter.  
2. Equity Principles  
3. Discussion on which item of council compensation, ranked choice  
voting, and a directly elected Mayor will move forward first for  
Committee consideration.  
8. ADJOURNMENT  
Hearing no further business, Chair Cisco adjourned the meeting at  
7:23 p.m.  
Approved on: December 15, 2021  
/s/ Stephanie A. Williams, City Clerk