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Mar 4, 2025

city council

No new city spending was approved at the March 4, 2025 Compton City Council meeting; the two substantive action items were lease authorizations under which the city collects rent for space at the Neighborhood Center (600 North Alameda Street). The council approved a lease with Shields for Families at $3.02 per square foot (~$18,295 per month), 4-0 with Bowers not voting, and a lease with Volunteers of America at the same per-square-foot rate (~$10,301 per month), also 4-0 with Bowers not voting — the Volunteers of America motion was first withdrawn and recast after Council member Darden identified multiple resolution errors, including a wrong termination date (April 30, 2027, corrected to April 30, 2028), a misidentified tenant name in one section, and an improperly placed whereas clause. Volunteers of America is flagged as a repeat vendor, appearing in five line items across two agenda entries with a combined contract value of approximately $1.03M; both organizations had been operating under expired leases — Shields for Families for approximately two years and seven months at a prior rate of $1.40 per square foot, and Volunteers of America for approximately four years and eight months at $1.00 per square foot. Four members of the public specifically addressed items 3 and 4: Craig Henry identified himself as a Volunteers of America employee and stated he did not oppose the $3.02 rate but objected to the full 50.7% increase being applied at once rather than phased in; two other speakers called for the Mayor and Council member Spicer to recuse themselves, citing their appointment of Henry to city advisory and personnel committees as a conflict of interest.

Jan 14, 2025

city council

The council's largest spending approval was a recurring $800,000 contract with the City of Downey for fire and emergency medical dispatching services, passed on the consent agenda 4-0 (Darden absent); the same vote covered three recurring regulatory and consulting payments — $53,975 to the State Water Resources Control Board, $34,050 to Price Paige & Company LLP for a CPA contract amendment, and $33,012 to the California Department of Industrial Relations — with one resident, Fidel Marquez, publicly opposing the Price Paige item during public comment. A $416,428 amendment to a construction contract with MDJ Management LLC for security upgrades at 404 N. Alameda passed 4-0 (Darden absent) following a presentation by Director Ward citing scope additions — drainage retention basins, ADA sidewalks, and interior cameras — not anticipated when the project was authorized in June 2023; Ward stated the project is approximately 80% complete. A $28,799 General Fund purchase order to HDL for municipal tax and audit consulting passed 4-0 (Darden absent); both HDL and Price Paige & Company LLP are General Fund consulting vendors approved at the same meeting, and HDL's amount falls just under $30,000. No new spending was approved for the Olympics/Tourism Committee ordinance (first reading only, no vote taken) or the exclusive negotiation agreement with the Wind Project for 21 affordable units at 1716 E. Rosecrans (4-0, Darden absent), though the Wind Project ENA drew multiple public objections in the concurrent successor agency session.

Oct 22, 2024

city council

The council's largest approval was a three-year contract with MV Transportation, Inc. for Renaissance Transit System operations — $6.85 million for year one, with the vendor appearing across seven line items in this agenda totaling $19.07 million from Proposition A Local Return funds — passed 5-0; the council also approved $1.86 million to MDJ Management LLC for City Hall fire alarm and sprinkler system replacement using ARPA funds, with MDJ appearing in four agenda line items totaling $3.72 million, also 5-0. The council further approved $159,084 to End-Point Wireless Inc. for a security camera system at four locations (CDBG-CV and General Fund, 5-0); a contract amendment adding $283,651 to Mark Thomas & Company's Artesia Bridge agreement plus a $335,333 state grant budget allocation (5-0), with subcontractor Atlas receiving $24,492 — just below the $25,000 approval threshold; and General Fund travel expenses of $725, $315.96, and $292 for a Sacramento Legislative Tour, with four members indicating attendance (vote tally not clearly transcribed). A sheriff substation lease with CLPF Gateway Towne Center LP was approved 5-0 listing $47,001 as an expenditure — just below the $50,000 council approval threshold — though the sheriff's captain stated the current monthly cost to the city is $0, a discrepancy with the structured agenda amount; consent-agenda items included $23,097 to BigBelly Connect Services and a related $23,764 recycling-station purchase, both just below the $25,000 threshold, approved in the omnibus 5-0 consent vote. The First Quarter FY2025 Investment Report — showing the city's $246 million portfolio already exceeding its full-year interest earnings budget projections within three months — was received and filed 5-0 and is a financial reporting item, not a spending approval; the city treasurer stated that interest earnings projections in the budget need to be revised upward.

Jan 2, 2024

city council

The council's two approved expenditures at the January 2, 2024 regular meeting were $28,700 to Major League Infields, Inc. for Dodgers Dreamfields maintenance at Gonzalez Park — staff described the amount as covering five months of past-due invoices plus two additional months at the vendor's $4,100/month rate — approved 4-0 with Darden absent, and $20,085 to the State Water Resources Control Board for a state-mandated recurring annual waste discharge permit, also approved 4-0 with Darden absent. Item 5, which would have directed $432,689 in ARPA funds to The Garland Company, Inc. for fire station roofing materials structured across three separate line items ($216,344, $188,126, and $28,219 to the same vendor), was pulled by staff before any vote and tabled to a future meeting. Thirteen residents spoke during public comment, the majority addressing street takeovers and the looting of Ruben's Bakery; the city attorney stated a draft street-takeover ordinance is in process but provided no date for when it would return to the council for a vote. On board matters, Louisa McCrary was removed from the Federal Grants Advisory Board (4-0, Darden absent) and Barbara Baker was appointed to that board (4-0, Darden absent); Councilman Bowers's motion to expand the Public Safety Commission by one seat to add a candidate he described as having over 30 years of public safety experience failed for lack of a second, and the related PSC appointment item also failed for lack of a second.