Tuesday, September 2, 2025

The council's largest approved spending commitments were a $9.69M street rehabilitation contract with Palp, Inc. dba Excel Paving funded by MTA Bond Funds (5-0) and a $5.07M citywide road repair contract with Hardy & Harper, Inc. funded across Measure P, Measure M, and Measure R (5-0); Palp, Inc. dba Excel Paving is a flagged repeat vendor appearing in two agenda items totaling $20.34M on this agenda. The council also approved a $2.32M contract amendment with R2Build (dba R2B Engineering) for Tank Farm Reservoir upgrades from the Water Enterprise Fund (5-0), a $1.08M annual supply contract with Ferguson Waterworks (5-0), a $100,000 purchase order with Roadline Products, Inc. for pavement marking equipment with no council discussion (5-0), a health insurance contribution rate fix directing $2,520 and $2,409 per employee and annuitant respectively to CalPERS (5-0), and a $73,160 JAG grant budget amendment — with the city manager stating primary use will be license-plate-reader cameras — (5-0). Three items were not approved: the FY 2025-26 salary schedule budget amendment — which contains a $96,324 line item sitting just below the $100,000 approval threshold — was tabled at Council Member Duhart's request for more detail; a six-year lease with Fathers and Mothers Who Care covering $175,000 in building renovations at a city-owned property and $2,332 per month in rent was tabled after council members said the staff report lacked cost justification; and a budget amendment to direct approximately $141.82M to CalPERS for pension liability — making CalPERS a repeat vendor across four line items totaling $141.83M on this agenda — was pulled by the city manager, who said he wants to present it at a public workshop first. Nineteen residents addressed the council during public comment, with multiple speakers citing homelessness, a 6.8% property tax reassessment, deteriorating streets and missing street signs, and inconsistent street sweeping; one speaker alleged the city manager has been spending beyond the $50,000 limit set by Resolution 26100 for the past year.