Palm Desert City Council - Regular Meeting, February 26, 2026

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[00:01:27] Mayor Evan Trouy: All right. Yes, ma'am.
[00:01:32] Mayor Evan Trouy: Okay. Welcome, everybody. We are going to have a call to order of the regular meeting of the Palm Desert City Council, the successor agency to the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency, the Palm Desert Housing Authority, and the Palm Desert Board of Library Trustees for Thursday, February 26th, 2026. Welcome, everyone. And City Clerk, please call the roll.
[00:01:53] City Clerk: Council Member Harnick?
[00:01:57] Council Member Harnick: Here.
[00:01:57] City Clerk: Council Member Nandi?
[00:01:58] Council Member Nandi: Here.
[00:01:59] City Clerk: Council Member Quintanilla?
[00:02:00] Council Member Quintanilla: Present.
[00:02:00] City Clerk: Mayor Pro Tem Neto?
[00:02:02] Mayor Pro Tem: Here.
[00:02:02] City Clerk: Mayor Trouy?
[00:02:03] Mayor Evan Trouy: Here. And we will now have Mayor Pro Tem Neto lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand.
[00:02:14] Mayor Pro Tem: Ready.
[00:02:17] Mayor Pro Tem: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[00:02:34] Mayor Evan Trouy: Okay. I would like to invite Council Member Harnick for some words of inspiration.
[00:02:39] Council Member Harnick: Thank you. We're gathered here today to do the business of the people. It's always important to remember this is a business meeting. It's for the people, by the people, and we're together today to do our best and most honest and fair work. Thank you.
[00:02:58] Mayor Evan Trouy: Thank you. And next we have a report from closed session. Anything to report, City Attorney?
[00:03:04] City Attorney: Nothing this afternoon, Mayor. Thank you.
[00:03:06] Mayor Evan Trouy: Thank you very much. And now we will move on to item 9A, a proclamation of the Leadership Coachella Valley's 25th anniversary. And I guess the proclamation is up there. And I got my glasses, we're good.
[00:03:35] Mayor Evan Trouy: Very good. I need to...
[00:03:40] Mayor Evan Trouy: Is there a microphone? I guess we invite you folks on up here. And actually, do we want to have the rest of the council down here with me? Right, this is for everyone to...
[00:03:49] Council Member: Yeah, let's celebrate and enjoy this all together. What do you say? Okay.
[00:03:56] Mayor Evan Trouy: Oh, it's already on. Terrific.
[00:04:00] Speaker: There we go.
[00:04:13] Mayor Evan Trouy: All right. Terrific. Welcome, everybody. Here we go. Whereas Leadership Coachella Valley is a nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying, developing, and inspiring community leaders across the Coachella Valley to address regional challenges and strengthen civic engagement; and whereas for 25 years, Leadership Coachella Valley has provided immersive educational programs that bring together professionals, community advocates, and public servants to explore key issues impacting the region, including government, economic development, education, healthcare, and the environment; and whereas through these programs, participants gain valuable insight, build meaningful relationships, and develop a shared understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the Coachella Valley; and whereas Leadership Coachella Valley has cultivated generations of leaders who have gone on to serve the region in business, nonprofit, civic, and public service roles, contributing to the valley's long-term success; and whereas the organization's 25th silver anniversary legacy reflects a sustained commitment to leadership development, collaboration, and community empowerment throughout the Coachella Valley; now, therefore, be it proclaimed that I, Evan Trouy, Mayor of the City of Palm Desert, on behalf of the entire City Council, do hereby recognize Leadership Coachella Valley on its 25th anniversary and commend the organization for its lasting contributions to leadership, civic engagement, and regional collaboration. And best of luck for another 25 years. So, would anybody like to come up? Ryland, there we go.
[00:06:00] Ryland Penta: Thank you, Mayor, and members of council and staff and everyone in this room. Leadership Coachella Valley is a program that, in my opinion, punches above its weight. We've been around for 25 years, and as the valley has grown and shaped, we'd like to say that we're a contributing actor in that. And we are so happy to have had 25 successful years that have touched many staff here and council members, and we are looking for many more to come.
[00:06:25] Mayor Evan Trouy: Terrific. All right. Excellent. Thank you. All right. So, how about a photo opportunity? There we go.
[00:06:32] Speaker: Who would like...
[00:06:50] Speaker: Great job.
[00:06:52] Speaker: Thank you. Thank you. Good job. Good work.
[00:06:55] Mayor Evan Trouy: Okay.
[00:07:01] Mayor Evan Trouy: And unfortunately, we understand that the next presentation for the healthcare has been postponed to the next meeting. Is that correct?
[00:07:09] Staff Member: The next presentation is Leadership Coachella Valley, and then the following one, yes, it'll be moved to the next meeting.
[00:07:16] Mayor Evan Trouy: Terrific. All right. Thank you very much.
[00:07:43] Ryland Penta: Good afternoon, Mayor, council members, staff, and members of the community. My name is Ryland Penta, and I have the honor to work here at the City of Palm Desert, but I also have the pleasure to work alongside a fantastic board. And this is just several of them. They are incredible individuals, and we are so passionate about leadership and the growth of our community. And today, I thought I would pass first to each one of them so they can briefly introduce themselves.
[00:08:13] Jerry Neighbors: Thank you, Ryland. My name is Jerry Neighbors. Thank you for having us up here today. I wanted to share a little bit more about Leadership Coachella Valley. Mayor Trouy, you stole my thunder just a little bit, but it's okay. We loved everything about it, and thank you for honoring Leadership Coachella Valley. So, 25 years, wonderful. We had a wonderful gathering last night, inviting not only our alumni from Leadership Coachella Valley, the current class, as well as future leaders. So we're encouraging people to step up and into the roles of getting to know our valley more, and we do it through all nine cities. We appreciate your collaboration with not only us but in the other cities as well as we learn about our valley. I grew up here, moved here in 1975. When I joined Leadership Coachella Valley, there were things I didn't know, and I didn't think that was possible. So it is really wonderful that we're able to pull together, invite the people to come, be part of the leadership, dive into not only their career but in our valley. So we're thrilled to have that. I'll ask Eileen to come up, and others.
[00:09:24] Eileen Lynch: Oh, okay. Hi, everyone. My name is Eileen Lynch, and I am freshly on the board of Leadership Coachella Valley after graduating last year. I will say that this program absolutely accelerated my ability to be a leader within my organization and to do business throughout the valley. So, it was an incredible experience, and we definitely encourage you to let other leaders in your life know to apply next year. The benefits are manifold.
[00:09:51] Matt McElroy: Matt McElroy, class of 2022. And I am honored to serve on this board and to not only give back to this program, but to give back to the community as well.
[00:10:03] Kelly Tweety: Hello, good afternoon everyone. Pleased to be here. My name is Kelly Tweety. I've lived in and around the valley my entire life and I am a local real estate agent with Keller Williams.
[00:10:15] Aaron Highland: Hello everyone. Aaron Highland, the immediate past president of Leadership Coachella Valley. And I just want to encourage all of you to continue to innovate, elevate, and celebrate local leaders with us. Identify them and put them through the program. Partner with us whenever possible. Thank you.
[00:10:30] Jessica Pard: Good afternoon. My name is Jessica Pard. I've been on the board now, this is my second term with Ryan. I graduated with him in 2023. And it's just been such a joy to participate in the program. And again, we appreciate the support of Palm Desert.
[00:10:52] Ryan Lyn: Okay. So, before I give it to Sean to do a little history of Leadership Coachella Valley, this is just an informational overview of a quarter century of what we've done, where we've been, who we are, and we just want to make sure you know as much about us as we can. But for a history of the program, Sean Webb, he's our master historian.
[00:11:13] Sean Webb: I guess master historian because I'm the longest serving board member. So, I want to just say thank you for that. And first off, I want to say thank you to Council Member Harnik because I want to say when you stepped off the board is when I joined the board. So, thank you for that. So, I've been on the board since 2016 when I went through the class, and I don't say that we're the best class ever, but they were the most active class because I want to say that we had the most government officials that were in our class and so forth. But the Leadership Coachella Valley started about, as we said, 25 years ago with the nine valley cities coming together, and we have to thank Susie Harvey and the chambers coming together to bring that together so we could talk about arts and culture, sustainability, media, education, economic drivers, government and justice, philanthropy, health and care, wellness, history of the valley, and housing and food challenges. So we can make sure that the current leaders and the leaders of the future can know about these issues and know about everything that's going on and what's going to be coming in the future. And as the program has changed over the 25 years, I love to say that the classes have changed, and I have to credit that to our board. I have to credit that to our most recent president that made sure that we had changes in our class, had made sure that we had everything in every asset of this desert to make sure that every piece was touched and every person had the ability to be part of this class. And I'll say that this organization started out of the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce. Yes, it started with the nine cities, but we have to thank the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce. So with that, thank you Palm Desert for starting us, and I could go on and on because Leadership Valley changed the trajectory of my career. I was a teacher and administrator. I got involved with this program, and then I became the director of community engagement, and I 100% credit this program to my trajectory in my career. So thank you for that. Thank you, City of Palm Desert. Ryan Lyn, I'll kick it back to you.
[00:13:10] Ryan Lyn: And next, I'll invite Matt Maroy to talk about moving the valley forward.
[00:13:16] Matt Maroy: Yeah, and I just would reiterate what Mr. Webb had said, that this program really ultimately changed the trajectory of my career and my life as well. So, something that we have strived to implement over the last 25 years and continue moving forward is to develop place-based leadership, build regional awareness, create lasting networks, drive economic development by partnering with local small businesses during our sessions, as well as encouraging volunteerism through sessions such as philanthropy.
[00:13:54] Ryan Lyn: All right. So, a quick LCV by the numbers. We have had 940 participants over the last 25 years. They have come from 150-plus public agencies, 90-plus from education, and 200-plus from nonprofits. And again, that diversity of our class is really the accelerant that helps participants become decision makers, builds careers, shapes confidence, and relationships in particular that last for decades. Kelly.
[00:14:25] Kelly Tweety: All right. And yes, as I mentioned earlier, I'm a Valley resident in and out for my entire life. And I learned so much about the valley I did not know, namely that this program existed. So why is that important? What are we doing? We produce more informed residents, stronger regional collaboration, increased civic trust and participation, and a deeper bench of community leadership. That's why LCV is so important.
[00:14:54] Ryan Lyn: Well, I have to say that this is redundant for you guys because you already are great partners for us, and your civic academy is modeled after Leadership Coachella Valley. So, we appreciate you striving for civic engagement, which is what we do. So, please continue to partner with us in any capacity, and thank you again for hosting. Our opening session this year was held in Palm Desert City Hall. So, continue to be great partners, and thank you Council Member Quintanilla for attending last night and supporting our 25th anniversary. We continue to be good stewards of great civic—what, civic standouts, rock stars—and we will continue to do so. So, thank you for your support.
[00:15:32] Jessica Pard: And with that, we just want to thank you again for all of your support and collaboration with the Leadership of Coachella Valley. And we want to invite all of you to join us in April. April 17th is going to be our government day, Government and Justice Day, and it will be taking place at the Cathedral City City Hall. So please join us for that session if you are able to. And with that again, thank you very much.
[00:16:00] Ryan Lyn: And we're happy to take any questions you may have.
[00:16:08] Council Member: So I would say rather than change, you've evolved to remain relevant.
[00:16:13] Speaker: Thank you. Yes, love it.
[00:16:16] Council Member: So, I too am class of 2012, and I've lived in the valley since '77, but I knew when I got on Council it couldn't hurt me to know a little more. So if you all remember, 2010 was that recession we had, and 2011 was a little better. I had to make a deal with Leadership Coachella Valley to pay on a payment plan because I am a business owner, and so that's what you do, and they were kind enough to make a payment plan for me to pay. And it was a great experience, and I got to see 20% of my children went through leadership—that means one.
[00:16:58] Council Member: But it's a great experience, and everybody is elevated by it, so thank you for doing all that you do.
[00:17:03] Speaker: Thank you.
[00:17:07] Mayor: Thank you very much. I know I recognize just about—I recognize every one of you, which means you're out there front and center in the public eye doing great things, and keep up the good work. The program is obviously working. So, thank you so much for your leadership.
[00:17:19] Speaker: If you're an LCV alum in the room, can you raise your hand?
[00:17:23] Council Member: Well, well, well.
[00:17:26] Council Member: Look at that. Awesome. Keep up the good work, man. Great program. Thank you.
[00:17:30] Speaker: Thanks.
[00:17:30] Council Member: I guess that means you're left behind, Evan. Come on.
[00:17:33] Speaker: No. You know, hope you're encouraged.
[00:17:36] Speaker: Want me to be an alumni, too, huh?
[00:17:38] Mayor: All right, I believe it. Okay, so now we're moving on to the 9C, which I understand has been delayed to our next meeting. Great. Thank you, Anthony. Next up, City Manager comments.
[00:17:48] City Manager: I'll invite up Lieutenant Boris for a quick update.
[00:18:00] Lieutenant Boris: Good afternoon, everybody. I want to introduce Corporal Frank Avila with our traffic team. And as I was coming up here, yeah, it's a reintroduction, but I realized as we're outside talking, Corporal Avila has recently been assigned to our business district team a few years ago, and now he's back with our traffic team. So, it was really nice to see city staff and other people coming up and saying welcome back, saying hello. So, that connection is always there and I really enjoy that. But, I'm going to turn it over to the Corporal. He's going to give you an update on our traffic team.
[00:18:34] Corporal Frank Avila: Hello. Excited to be back on the motorcycle, and I was thankful for the opportunity. The reason why I'm here also is because we have two new bikes, two 2026 BMW motorcycles. These bikes are city-funded, and we have plans to continue replacement of these motorcycles, which is important because they do get a lot of wear and tear. Our team focuses on traffic enforcement, which is important in our city, and also we do respond to priority calls for service. So a lot of times, because they are fast and they're easy to get in and out of traffic, we're the first ones on scene. The new bikes allow us to keep them on the roads and not at the shop getting new service. Some of the highlights on these bikes include they're faster, they have better lighting, which is important because you see them from a distance. At night, they have better lighting also for the headlights. There are some comfort features on there. Everybody always asks, 'Is there air conditioning?' There's not air conditioning, but they look sharp. They do look sharp. We get compliments all the time. People from out of town come in, they see the bikes, they want to take photos with the bikes. In April, the cooler months, they tell us how cool our job is. And in the summer months, they feel horrible for us and they express their...
[00:20:01] Officer: Sorrow. Outside of those features, they increase newest technology from maneuverability as far as when you're riding, helps with accident avoidance and things like that. So, they really are great to have and the replacement of the old bikes is extremely important to our team and we appreciate it. That's all I have.
[00:20:21] Mayor: Thank you. Anybody have any questions for the traffic team? We're here. But if not, appreciate it.
[00:20:25] Council Member: I was just going to say I've been seeing the motorcycles out everywhere across town. So, it's good to see you out and about.
[00:20:32] Officer: Thank you. Yeah, that's a good thing.
[00:20:34] Council Member: Yeah, residents are noticing and that was the intention. So, thank you very much.
[00:20:37] Officer: I appreciate it.
[00:20:38] Council Member: Thank you.
[00:20:39] Mayor: Okay, I'll invite up next, Mike Beverlin. A familiar face, but in his new role as the deputy chief of Eastern Ops.
[00:20:50] Mike Beverlin: Thank you, sir. Mayor, council members, good to see you all. As you know, we had some leadership changes with the Riverside County Fire Department. Chief Wiser retired in December and the board of supervisors chose Chief Fish to replace him. And through attrition, I was promoted to deputy chief of Eastern operations. So, since December, I've been filling multiple roles. As you all probably know, Chief Tyranny retired suddenly at the tail end of December. So, we've been scrambling here to make sure that the city is covered. And so I've been filling both roles, but luckily enough we were able to have somebody from the city of Palm Desert sit on an interview panel for my replacement. And I'll be introducing him in a second, but I just wanted to take a moment of time and say thank you for all the support that you've given not only me but my team over the last seven years. It has been a very meaningful chapter in my 30-year career. I've loved working in the city of Palm Desert. We've done so many good things. The city is so much better protected than it was when I first got here and that's a compliment to you all for the vision and leadership and support that you've given us over the years. And I'm very excited about the future of the fire service in Palm Desert moving forward. So, thank you so much. The staff has been absolutely amazing to work with. You know, I didn't go to business school. I went to firemen's school. So, learning how to do staff reports and getting through city budgets and all of those things, it's a tribute to everybody that's sitting at the podium and everybody sitting behind here that has taught me how to be a better leader in the fire service and being able to be in a partnership with such a great city as Palm Desert is. Lastly, I'd really like to thank the residents and business owners of Palm Desert. We can't go anywhere in the city without someone coming up and thanking us for our service or offering us a cold drink on a hot day. Whatever it is, the citizens here absolutely love their public safety and our troops really value that and really love serving here. So, it's just been an amazing seven years for me. And then, of course, I have to thank the troops that are here. Without them, the brave men and women of the Riverside County Fire Department riding on and serving on the fire engines, ambulances, and trucks and squads, and our fire marshal staff, it's top-notch here. So, thanks again for all of your support. It's been a tremendous honor for me to serve here. So, speaking of honor, I'd like to invite up your new fire chief. It's my privilege to introduce my successor as your fire chief. I have complete confidence in Division Chief Cody Wright. He brings a strong operational experience, sound judgment, and commitment to service that aligns perfectly with the community's expectations. I know Cody will continue to build on the progress we have made and serve you professionally with integrity. So, let me bring up Cody.
[00:24:06] Cody Wright: Good afternoon, all. I'm honored to be here. I truly am. I'm very excited for this opportunity. I know I have some big shoes to fill and I know things are going great in the city as far as the fire department's concerned. My plan is to grab the torch and keep carrying us forward. Thank you.
[00:24:28] Mike Beverlin: So, I'll still be overseeing Palm Desert as well as many other cities in the Coachella Valley. You all have my contact information and if Cody lets us down in any way, just let me know and we'll take care of business. Thank you all. Appreciate everything. Is there any questions for us?
[00:24:47] Mayor: Appreciate it.
[00:24:48] Mike Beverlin: Yeah, I'll still be around. Thank you. Appreciate it.
[00:24:53] Mayor: All right. Good.
[00:24:54] Mike Beverlin: Good.
[00:24:55] Mayor: All right. Thank you. Okay. On to item number 11, mayor, council member reports and requests for action. I think we'll start with Council Member Kinttonia.
[00:25:06] Council Member Kinttonia: Thank you very much, Mayor. This past week I went to the Jocelyn board of directors meeting and they've got some great things moving along. They're working on bylaws and progressing to meet the community's requests for transparency, coming up with some great ideas to not only serve seniors but also incorporate what the community needs with animal services. So, that great overlap on that. And some of that stuff I can skip. But one request that I do have, I don't know if the emails came through for everyone, but we received, I guess, the annual cannabis policy scorecard. And not quite sure who the agency is that holds or does that. Their methodology seemed pretty basic, but we were given a score of 35 out of 100 points, and it's based on that we have a policy beyond the state law, no policy, or weaker than state law. So, there's a few things in there that I think that we can improve. So, I'm wondering if there is any interest in seeing what we can do, even if it's two or three points here. It may be a matter of saying we already are doing this and letting them know so we can boost up that score, because we don't ever want to see Palm Desert not shining. So, if I can get any interest in just exploring—it doesn't have to be a policy change. Just asking to see if our staff can take a peek.
[00:26:43] Council Member: I don't know enough about the study to know if improving means being worse or not.
[00:26:47] Council Member Kinttonia: Well, some of the things on here are, for example, displaying a prominent health warning on ads. So, I wonder if, for example, if we can be sure that our dispensaries have one of that on their windows, that would bring up four points. Another one is prohibiting discounts. Some of our dispensaries mail coupons directly to people's mailboxes, punch cards, all different kinds of things. It is a competitive time. We do see changes in the industry, but again, little things that we can do that will have the overall benefit of making things accessible in a way that isn't in the hands of kids. So, I think that that's one of them. Some of that is entirely too far in regulations, but there are little ones where we can pick up one point there, three, four points. There's, like I said, we're already doing a lot of them, but just to be sure that we're getting our due points to show that we're safe.
[00:27:51] Council Member: I'd like to know who the entity is that's grading because it may not be relevant to us.
[00:27:59] Council Member Kinttonia: That's exactly what I was saying. If we can look at who it is and if we can do anything to improve it, because it doesn't really give too much. So, just the ask is to take a look.
[00:28:09] Mayor: So, direction to staff to look into who it is.
[00:28:12] Council Member: Take a peek. So, some of those points you mentioned to me, we don't need them, but I would like to know what this—I want to know what this is all about. That's all.
[00:28:25] Mayor: Just we can give direction to staff to pursue whether it's worth pursuing.
[00:28:30] Council Member Kinttonia: There you go.
[00:28:31] Mayor: Does that make sense?
[00:28:32] Council Member Kinttonia: Yes.
[00:28:32] Mayor: Okay. Thank you. Next up, I guess, Council Member Nandi.
[00:28:38] Mayor: Okay. We'll move over to Council Member Hornick.
[00:28:44] Council Member Hornick: Thank you. Um, I don't really have a lot today. We're working on our budget at the Riverside County Transportation Commission and that does always impact us with the amount of funds that we have for infrastructure in the Coachella Valley. Uh, many of our funds have remained constant. Unfortunately, many of them have dropped, but we're watching it closely and adjusting as appropriate. Also, maybe you'll talk about the dream home, so I'll give that to you.
[00:29:12] Mayor: All right, Council Member Pedto.
[00:29:15] Council Member Pedto: I want to touch on the process that we have. Now, I think what Councilwoman Kinttonia brought up, just in terms of the process, made me think that we can do better. It's—I don't think it's fair. You know, she brings up an issue and then we're kind of like hearing from it verbally and we're not able to respond. When I was with the county, each supervisor was able to bring a written document to a board meeting where they would ask to direct staff. No action, just direct staff. But the benefit was that the supervisor would have to walk through their logic and provide some background so that when we come in, we could have some of this background that she shared.
[00:30:00] Councilmember: ...with us, having read it, processed it, and then be able to direct staff. Um, I'd like to look at maybe doing updating our process to have some more background before, you know, we even have to just hear it verbally.
[00:30:13] Councilmember: Might I suggest that the Mayor Pro Tem work with whomever the City Manager thinks is appropriate to see if the existing policy is sufficient or if something else needs to be updated.
[00:30:27] Councilmember: Yeah, if I may, if I may follow up on that. Um, I believe in previous conversations with Mayor Pro Tem, we also had a conversation about what it takes to get an item on the agenda where this is a direction to staff if it deems worthwhile in conversation. But for some time we have been practicing um that you need two people to support when in the ordinances for the city it does not require two. And so I think that this is a good time if we're going to look at how we present items for consideration. I think we should also look at what the minimum requirements are so that members have an opportunity to bring things forward without essentially getting um an interest or having people feel that they may already know whether something will pass or won't pass based on the number that are um inquiring, supporting. Again, I'm I'm struggling with words. If I happen to slur at any time, I do apologize. I had some pretty major dental work done this morning, so my I'm going in and out of everything. So, thank you for your patience.
[00:31:38] Mayor Trouy: I would support Councilwoman Harnick's suggestion that the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, work with City Manager to bring back some ideas, maybe a study session or something. So, this is the request for action is the study our request for action policy. I like it. All right. Terrific. I go with that. Um, okay. Uh, as Councilmember Harnick mentioned, there is um St. Jude Dream Home. I don't know how many years they've been doing it, but it's a wonderful program happens in the Coachella Valley every year. Um, home builder donates the labor to build a home. Raffle tickets are sold at $100 a piece and this year it is being done in Silver Spring Ranch in Palm Desert. And the feedback we're getting from the dream home uh organization, St. Jude's, it benefits St. Jude's um Children's Hospital is that Palm Desert is always the the most desirable place to build, which is just again another thing I brag about uh because the tickets sell out more quickly and they always are guaranteed to sell out, and I think for 2027 they've picked Palm Desert again. So, wonderful program, love that it's here in our city. And um, the only other thing I want to mention is I think it was February 15th we had the um Palm Desert Half Marathon. Is that right, Amy? It was a Sunday. Okay. So, um, was a great event, attracted 2,400 runners. I think it was done with a minimum, thanks to public safety and everybody else. It was done with a minimum of impact to, uh, the residents and traffic and everything else. 2,400 runners was an all-time high for them and it was a just a great event and they're looking forward to bringing it. It was a half marathon and a 5K. Looking forward to bringing it back next year and um, just a great day and again another feather in our cap for the City of Palm Desert. So, there we go. And now we will go on to item number 12. Um, time for non-agenda public comments. So this time has been set aside for the public to address the City Council on issues that are not on the agenda for up to three minutes. Because the Brown Act does not allow the City Council to act on items not listed on the agenda, Council members may briefly respond or refer the matter to staff report uh and recommendation at a future meeting. I don't see any blue cards for non-agenda. Do we have any online?
[00:33:45] Staff: Uh, we do have online comment. And for those on Zoom, if you want to participate in public comment, please click the raise hand button on your phone or computer or smartphone. And if you're joining in by calling on your phone, please dial star 9 to raise your hand. And when called upon, press star 6 to unmute yourself. And the speaker is Heather S.
[00:34:05] Mayor Trouy: Um, before Heather, Heather, um, if you're speaking regarding uh that is a public hearing item and that will be taken at 15 uh...
[00:34:13] Heather S.: A. 15A. Okay, that's what I'm speaking about.
[00:34:17] Mayor Trouy: All right. Thank you.
[00:34:22] Mayor Trouy: No other online comments. Correct. Terrific. Okay. Next we go to item 13, the consent calendar. Uh, all matters listed on the consent calendar are considered routine and may be approved by one motion. The public may comment on any item on the consent calendar for up to three minutes. I have nothing on blue cards. Any online comments?
[00:34:42] Staff: No online comments.
[00:34:43] Mayor Trouy: Okay. Any council members wish to pull any item from the consent calendar? I must rec uh register a recusal on 13J for abundance of caution and proximity of property I own.
[00:34:57] Mayor Trouy: And anybody else?
[00:34:59] Councilmember: I'll move the balance...
[00:35:02] Councilmember: ...or I'll move it with...
[00:35:03] Councilmember: I'll second.
[00:35:03] Mayor Trouy: ...the reg. Okay. Register, registered recusal.
[00:35:13] Mayor Trouy: Motion passes five to zero. Okay, terrific. Next up, item 14, which is the action calendar, but there is nothing on the action calendar. So, we move on to item 15, public hearings. The public may comment on individual public hearing items within the three-minute time limit. And item 15A is an introduction of Ordinance Number 1443, tobacco retailer licensing, smoking regulations, and regulation of kratom. Um, and we have a staff report.
[00:35:56] Staff: Good afternoon, Mayor Trouy, members of the City Council. Um, this ordinance introduction is to amend chapters 8.34 and chapters 8.36 of the Palm Desert Municipal Code. Um, in 2009, the City Council adopted Ordinance 1200, which was strictly just for smoking regulations. But since then, the current ordinance has become outdated. It lacks clarity, and there's emerging products such as electronic smoking devices, vaping products that have come into the market since that are not regulated in our code. Um, licensing regulations have become outdated. They don't align with industry standards. And there's been concerns about uh synthetic kratom products that have become over-the-counter that, as we heard at the study session, can create some impairments to people, where law enforcement uh provided some testimony on that. And actually, the fine structure that we have in the current ordinance is ineffective to actually deter violations. It's actually cheaper to get a violation uh fine than what they're probably making at the store for some of these violations. So, um, this item was initially brought, uh, before the Council in August of '24 at a study session, and we've been working to clean up the chapters and provide, um, clearer language and provide better, um, tools to address the emerging products and substances, uh, modernize the licensing regulations... um, sorry... and um, clarify enforcement and increase penalties and protect public health, and then align the ordinance uh as it was intended. So, some of the summary, couple of highlights of the chapters is the Chapter 8.34, the retailer tobacco license. Uh, we're updating the definitions and the terminology. Uh, it will prohibit the sale of tobacco flavored products. It will prohibit electronic smoking devices... uh, sales at pharmacies, and it's going to prohibit uh synthetic tobacco products. And just for clarification, uh, synthetic products will be um prohibited under this ordinance. Leaf products will not be; they'll just be regulated for consumption and possession of 21 and over. So that is not part of the ban, only the the synthetic uh kratom will be the the ban part. So the leaf part is only regulated to the age restrictions for possession and uh consumption. Chapter 8.36, uh, the regulations for smoking, and it will include a better definition in workplaces and public places. Uh, the distance requirements, uh, updated uh, the electronic devices for what is considered smoking and vaping versus just only tobacco products. And the whole reason why this came before Council was that there was an enforcement issue with a private country club that was not defined as a public space. So that has now been defined, and for the purposes of the intent of the ordinance to protect public health, we've uh amended that definition to include a private country club as a public space, um, but with retaining the private places in the country club to golf courses and private residences. So, for example, uh, the intent of the ordinance was to protect public health. So the issue we had was people coming out of the clubhouse restaurant being not being able to walk out and get hit by a cloud of smoke when we tried to enforce that. We found some enforcement issues with clarification in the definition. So we've cleaned that up now so that private clubs are now considered public places only in those areas to protect public health, which I believe that was the original intent of the ordinance when it was when it was written. Um, and the proposed amendments will... oops, sorry... the proposed amendments, um, at the direction of the Council from the August 24th and February 25th study sessions, will clarify regulations for retailers. It'll be consistent, clear enforcement tools for us in code enforcement and law enforcement. It'll align our standards uh for them and tobacco laws. Um, it'll include revocation of licenses for anybody selling uh synthetic products at...
[00:40:01] Pedro: at the locations that are banned now in the city. So, leaf products are exempt, but the synthetic products could trigger a hearing where a license could be suspended for the entire operations based on the synthetic kratom violations. It increases the penalties so that it's more deterrent for people thinking, you know, that they're going to be able to break the law and get just a slap on the hand. Our fine structure is a little bit heavier so that it deters violations. And we also included a portion that was not in our ordinance before where we actually can cite someone into court versus just administrative citations. So the court citation carries a stiffer penalty and a visit down to the courthouse with fines that the court imposes on them. Those should be a good deterrent for people wanting to violate the ordinance. It's going to also increase our inspection and compliance monitoring because we've included language in there to allow us to randomly go in there and do more unannounced inspections. It's going to align the regional public health concerns and the regulatory enforcement practices across the valley cities that are also taking the same stance on kratom products. As also too, we were awarded a tobacco grant earlier this year. So, this is part of the enforcement program. So, I'll just give you a brief update on that as well. As of today, the code enforcement staff and our management aide that's assigned to the division for tobacco enforcement, we've identified 56 locations in the city. 41 of those were inspected so far and, sadly to say, only five passed inspection. So, we found violations such as no city licenses, no State of California tobacco licenses, products that were accessible to minors, non-required signage. So, this grant's going to allow us to be out there and enforce this a lot more and actually bring these retailers into compliance, and if not, then they can face license suspensions if they're not willing to abide by the rules and regulations. Happy to answer any questions. That's the conclusion of my presentation.
[00:42:05] Councilmember Kintina: Yes. Can you please repeat how many retailers you found, how many passed, and do you have a breakdown on how many were strictly for licensing?
[00:42:16] Pedro: So, we identified 56 retailers. 41 of those were actually in business. 11 of those were no longer selling tobacco products. 15 of those had no tobacco license in the city. Four of them—actually five of them—were in full compliance, meaning signage, California license, and city license. So based on that, notifications were left. We asked people to come in, start getting their licenses, which are simple processes that we can get. It could just be that notification wasn't sent out properly or they just had a change of ownership, whatever the cause may be. But we're here, we visited them, they know we're here, and we're going to get them into compliance with these regulations as well as our licensing regulations.
[00:42:59] Councilmember Kintina: So, was the lack of licensing because they hadn't transferred it or they were just selling without? Would you happen to know?
[00:43:06] Pedro: I believe it was just that they did not apply for a new license.
[00:43:10] Councilmember Kintina: Okay.
[00:43:12] Pedro: And as it expired—and too, if they didn't apply, the system automatically cancelled them out. So, they had a time period. So, it's on them to apply and then it's up to us to come out and find them and take enforcement action.
[00:43:24] Councilmember Kintina: And were those retailers fined?
[00:43:26] Pedro: No, this is just a get into compliance. Here's your opportunity to comply.
[00:43:31] Councilmember Kintina: And then is the city going in the future to mail out notices to renew, or is it still going to be on the retailer?
[00:43:38] Pedro: We are capturing email addresses and we're putting all that into our new system where it'll generate notification for them to obtain licenses by electronic means or letter if they don't comply, and then we'll be also given a list when that time comes so that we can go visit them. But we will be out in the community doing more tobacco enforcement on a regular basis.
[00:44:01] Councilmember Kintina: No, one more. We've had conversations, and how would this apply in terms of the public smoking of tobacco and other substances? If now there is the measure where they can be referred to a legal versus just a legal with law enforcement, not just municipal action, how would that be enforced? For example, in city-owned housing, which are already designated as non-smoking.
[00:44:29] Pedro: So, if we get complaints in city-owned housing for no smoking, we defer that complaint to the property managers. They're our first line of defense. We've had to get involved in a couple of situations, but we defer all those complaints to management on site.
[00:44:44] Councilmember Kintina: And what's the last recourse? I know there have been individuals that have said the management company isn't responding. So at what point do we have more resources if we just keep letting it, you know, play?
[00:45:01] Pedro: We have gone out to a specific location where we've had more than one complaint for smoking. We have issued one citation, but a lot of those complaints have been unfounded as we continue to get complaints. Thank you.
[00:45:18] Mayor: Anybody else questions? Okay. Very good. Thank you. Thank you, Pedro. All right, Daddy. Got to get that hammered. Got to get... All right. Got your attention. There we go. Okay. Um, I will open the public hearing and we have some speaker cards here. And the first one I will call up is Mr. Don Mezzi, is that right? Mezzi, I believe.
[00:46:04] Don Mezzi: Yeah, I wasn't quite sure exactly what the meaning was exactly all about, but I was here to witness the use of kratom and what I use is the powder form, and I sincerely believe in its usage for pain. It's what I use it for and I wouldn't be standing here today without it. So, I was going to have my testimony that it's a vital product used properly for people that need it for health reasons. And you're smart to make it illegal for the concentrates because there's no reason for the concentrates. I'm in as much pain as a man can function in at all with the use of them. Without it, I'm bedridden and it allows me to be here today. So I see no point in the concentrates for any reason other than someone's misusing the product of kratom. So I appreciate that you're still able to purchase and sell the product in leaf form and also appreciate people that are abusing it that can't get access to the concentrates. I want to thank you.
[00:47:09] Mayor: Thank you, Mr. Mezzi. Next up we have Jordan Thomas.
[00:47:27] Jordan Thomas: Hi, Mayor and members of the City Council. I'm here for the same reason. My name is Jordan Thomas. I know to keep this under three minutes. So, I'm an ex-golf pro and I have CMT disease, which is a neuromuscular skeletal disease, and PTSD, and I use the leaf form as well. I wouldn't be standing here, like my friend over here, pretty much without it. I've been put on everything from opioids to gabapentin to Celebrex, and all of those things create health problems. I'm very health-conscious. I pretty much rehab all day. As I'm standing here, I'm shaking because I haven't been able to rehab in a couple hours. And in a way, it has saved what quality of life I have left. I've lost a lot of... I used to live in San Diego. I moved out here with my mom and have quite a bit of health problems, and it has allowed me to have what quality of life I still have. And like he said, I just use the leaf form, which is medicinal, and I think if you properly use it, it can save you from having to take things like opioids, which can be toxic and have side effects and can be very addictive. I've stopped taking it like three times and I had no problems, except I felt too much pain, basically. And so I showed up here today to just give my testimony that, if used correctly, it is a medicinal herb and it has saved what quality of life I have left. And thank you for your time.
[00:49:40] Mayor: Thank you, Mr. Thomas. Next up we have Alec Chalet, I believe.
[00:49:54] Alex Chalet: Hello, my name is Alex Chalet and I am a licensed professional in physical activity and sports. I am also an
[00:50:01] Public Speaker: ...athlete who prioritize discipline, recovery, and long-term health. I'm here today to respectfully oppose a ban on natural kratom leaf in Palm Desert. For me, it is not a recreational drug. It is not a synthetic stimulant. It is not an extract. It is a natural plant that I use responsibly to support energy, focus, and post-training recovery, similar to how others use coffee or herbal supplements. If there are concerns, I encourage regulation and not prohibition. I stand firmly against highly concentrated extracts and synthetic or adulterated products. Those are not traditional. Those are manufactured enhancements that distort the plant and increase risk. But banning the raw leaf punishes responsible adults while pushing people toward unregulated markets. We have seen this pattern before with other substances. As an athlete, I care about performance, health, and integrity. I support age restrictions, proper labeling, lab testing for purity, and clear regulation of extracts, but please protect access to the natural plant. We should regulate wisely and not react emotionally. Thank you for your time and consideration.
[00:51:24] Mayor: Thank you. And next up, we have Matthew McCullen.
[00:51:36] Matthew McCullen: Good afternoon, honorable Mayor and members of the City Council. My name is Matthew McCullen and I'm here today to ask you to choose regulation over prohibition, education over fear, and balance over reaction. I have been studying for the past 10 years. I have a Master's in Media Psychology, and an estimated 5 to 15 million Americans currently use. That is not a fringe population. That is millions of veterans, mothers, construction workers, small business owners, and seniors. These are not criminals. These are ordinary people seeking relief. And we must begin with clarity. There is a critical distinction between raw natural leaf, traditionally brewed as tea, and synthetic or adulterated products. Raw kratom leaf is botanical. It is a member of the coffee family. It has been used traditionally in Southeast Asia for generations in places such as Thailand and Indonesia. What creates danger in any market is not the plant itself; it is contamination, synthetic analogs, and lack of standards. That is why literacy is key. Literacy means understanding the difference between raw leaf and highly concentrated extracts. It means knowing what adulterated products are. It means educating consumers instead of criminalizing them. It means labeling, age restriction, and accountability. I support restricting kratom sales to adults 21 and over. That is responsible to protect the youth. But banning kratom entirely will not eliminate use; it will eliminate safety. When people who rely on tea for chronic pain, anxiety, or depression suddenly lose access, they do not simply stop suffering. Many of them have already been abandoned by the medical system. Some were cut off from prescriptions. Some cannot tolerate pharmaceuticals. Some are trying to avoid far more dangerous substances. But if you remove a plant-based option that many consider manageable and functional, you risk pushing people towards more harmful alternatives. We have seen this before. In 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration attempted to emergency schedule kratom nationwide. What happened next was historic. The public response was overwhelming—one of the largest public comment responses in FDA history. Veterans, patients, researchers, and families showed up in record numbers, and the DEA withdrew the ban. Why? Because decisions are made by those who show up, and millions showed up to say the plant matters. Palm Desert has an opportunity to lead wisely. You can distinguish between raw botanical leaf and synthetics. You can enforce 21-and-over restrictions. You can implement smart regulations that protect consumers while preserving the plant itself. A ban may sound decisive, but education is stronger, regulation is smarter, and literacy saves lives. Please choose regulation, choose literacy, and choose balance. Thank you for your time and your leadership.
[00:54:36] Mayor: Thank you. And next we have Gigi Crop.
[00:54:42] Gigi Crop: All right. Thank you. I want to support... I've been with allergies for all products on my skin for chemicals, and I've been using kratom in soap, shampoo—I make my own. And one of the biggest things in my life, my son passed away. After that, I'm here alive because of kratom. I make tea, and I had to go through all this, and I'm here alive because of that product that is magical. It's a medicine. Thank you.
[00:55:35] Mayor: All right. Thank you very much. Any online comments?
[00:55:44] City Clerk: We have one online comment, Heather S.
[00:55:51] Heather S.: So, my understanding from what was said is that the natural leaf isn't going to be banned, but I just want to make sure, if it comes up for future reference, to express my thoughts. Thank you for having me. My name is Heather and I've chosen to speak here once again because I'm scared. For me, kratom's been one of the only things that gives me any quality of life. It eases my pain. It helps me stay stable enough to do basic things: preparing food, caring for myself. And without it, my world becomes much smaller. I'm here today online, not in person, as someone living with myalgic encephalomyelitis, sometimes known as ME/CFS, a disabling illness that took over my life at 15. ME/CFS is a neuroimmune disease that causes pain, cognitive dysfunction, and exhaustion that makes even simple tasks impossible. There's no cure, no FDA-approved treatment, and no standard medical pathway for people like me. Every day is about survival and trying to hold on to whatever small pieces of functioning I can. I want to be very clear that I use kratom responsibly, carefully, and out of necessity, not recreationally. I use raw leaf natural products and not synthetics, and the difference between them needs to be distinguished. I'm not alone. Many people with my disease and many others use it for the management of other chronic conditions. Evidence is that the primary alkaloid, mitragynine, carries little of the signature respiratory depressing effects of morphine-like opioids, making it a safer option for chronic pain patients. This lends itself to why the CDC has no verified raw leaf-only deaths on record, and the FDA has never documented a single death caused solely by natural kratom leaf. The World Health Organization conducted a scientific review of kratom and chose not to recommend a global ban. Their Expert Committee on Drug Dependence concluded there was inadequate evidence to justify stricter international control. And another report noted that the WHO voted 11 to 1 against recommending international scheduling after reviewing the data. That matters because it shows that global health authorities, after examining evidence, did not find kratom to be the kind of public danger that warrants prohibition. I understand the city's concerns, and safety matters to all of us. And we know from decades of public health research that banning a substance does not stop its use; it simply pushes it underground where it becomes more dangerous, more likely to be used, and where no one will be checking for age. Banning it won't stop misuse, but it will take away one of the only tools that people like me have to manage a disabling illness with no treatment options. It will punish responsible users while doing nothing to address the real risks like synthetics and accessibility to those under 21. I'm asking you to consider the human impact and see the people behind the policy, and to understand that for some of us, kratom is not a luxury—it's a lifeline, and we aren't criminals. Please don't take away one of the only things that allows me to live with dignity, stability, and some measure of relief. Thank you for your time.
[00:58:56] Mayor: All right. Thank you. Any more online comments?
[00:58:58] City Clerk: No other comments.
[00:58:59] Mayor: Okay. Seeing no more comments, I now close the public hearing and want to ask my fellow council members, do you have any further questions for staff?
[00:59:09] Councilmember: Okay. Any... Okay, question.
[00:59:11] Councilmember: I would like to know if staff has looked at any local retailers. At the last meeting, I just was curious if we know how many vendors there are as brick-and-mortar in the Coachella Valley, or how easy it is to buy it online.
[00:59:28] Staff: We have visited our local retailers, and in one of the inspections I was on, it seems like the smoke shops are the ones that carried it. We forewarned them that a restriction is coming on the synthetic product, and they agreed to comply. They have no issues with it. So, everybody that we've encountered, we've kind of forewarned them of regulations that are pending, and for the most part, it's a positive reaction that they're willing to comply. As far as the valley, I'm not sure what other valley cities or how their approach is, but as far as Palm Desert, that's been our experience so far.
[01:00:00] Council Member: And any online, just a quick, quick search?
[01:00:04] Staff Member: Um, I believe Daniel might have done some of that, and I'll let him talk on that because I haven't gone onto the online platforms.
[01:00:16] Daniel Herado: Daniel Herado, Public Safety Coordinator. Yeah, it's fairly, uh, fairly simple to get online. Some of the websites, as soon as you go on there, it does give you an age restriction where you do have to click yes to be over 21, at least the ones that I have seen. And a lot of those do mirror just common energy drinks, the way that I've seen, but it is fairly easy and simple to get online.
[01:00:36] Council Member Quintanilla: Thank you very much. Those are my questions. I do have comments, but if anyone else has questions...
[01:00:41] Mayor: Any other questions? Okay, we'll open up for discussion. Would you like to lead off, Council Member Quintanilla?
[01:00:47] Council Member Quintanilla: Um, if anyone else has... actually, spread the, spread the... Council Member Harnik?
[01:00:56] Council Member Harnik: Thank you for all this work. This is such a great ordinance, the way it's put together, and I sure learned a lot going through this process. So, thank you for that. And even the smoking, we need to deal with that. And I appreciate this—I know this isn't easy, and I know you did a lot of work. So, thank you very much for everything you did to put this together. Um, it sounds like we hit the right spot on this, and, you know, you'll probably be doing this again in some time with whatever the newest, latest, and greatest is, but in the meantime, you've taken care of protecting the community with this ordinance. So, thank you for that. I, I noticed one little thing, and at some points in this, we call it 'city code enforcement' and sometimes 'city code compliance,' and I don't know if that's intentional or if that was just an oversight, but consistency, I think, is important. So, let's take a look. But ultimately, thank you.
[01:02:01] Mayor: Anybody else?
[01:02:03] Council Member: Make a comment? That this was very educational for me. I never heard of the product before the study session, and it seems like the consensus, even those in the audience, support the natural leaf, which that is our policy moving forward here, depending on how we vote, and banning the synthetic product. It seems that definitely needs to be banned. It's a health pandemic waiting to happen.
[01:02:31] Mayor: Council Member Quintanilla.
[01:02:33] Council Member Quintanilla: Thank you. Um, Mayor, thank you to everyone that's here today. The excruciating amount of pain that you undergo, that it took for you the effort to come here, I greatly appreciate and acknowledge that. So, I want to start with that. Um, I can see and support that the synthetic is by far more dangerous. As I'd mentioned before, the leaf is approximately 13 times stronger than opioids, and the synthetic can be up to 47 times stronger than morphine, and that's why, again, we want to be sure it's banned across the county and the state. Some are limiting synthetics up until a certain amount. I'm very thankful that my peers have proceeded with the policy of just no synthetics at all. So, I think that's a good start. Um, I do still have some of the thoughts that are going around. Um, it was very impactful to hear, again, the personal stories, but also how this looks from the law enforcement side as they have seen an increase in the number of users that are not aware and see it as a natural product, that don't think that there could be any contraindications. So, that's one of the concerns. There are no studies that have been conducted because it's not regulated. Again, that's kind of where are we in developing a policy in terms of people that say that they want to be sure that it is not restricted to any ages. So, my search that I found online, specifically a retailer of life, when you log in or you pop that up, the first thing is, 'What is your zip code?' because there are states that prohibit. It's not, 'What is your age?' It says, 'What is your zip code?' And you can click the box to not even answer it. I did that several times to look at what the products were. Um, hearing from a lot of individuals that they consume it as a tea, where the website I referenced says it's not for oral consumption. So, even in the places that people are getting access to the leaf, there's inconsistency about the messaging about how it should be used and not used. Um, I saw on that same website the use of soaps. So, I can see that all of the different ways that are being incorporated, not just a direct internal consumption. One of the things I also found interesting on that same website, and all of the disclaimers, because again, I do like coming forward with this much information, it says that there is a ban on sale to government employees or law enforcement. That struck me as a little interesting because if we say that we want to be sure that people can study because the studies haven't been done, sometimes these are government employees that are looking at the policy or looking to research, and 'don't buy it if you're law enforcement' or 'we won't sell it to you if you're in law enforcement,' even though we don't think there's anything wrong. So, the little things that are on the outskirts that leave me still with a lot of questions in the fact that there is... there are still as many questions as there are wonderful stories of how this helps. It was a big transition for people to see, uh, marijuana, which continues to be a Schedule I, to finally, under Senate Bill 15 and Prop 64, declaring it, um, something with a medical license. We're very far from that; conversation is only coming to the forefront. What I'm... where I'm trying to go with that is shifting the perspectives. A lot of people have been helped by Adderall without analyzing the fact that it's microdosing of methamphetamines. It's the use versus dosage versus abuse. They are independent per person. I'm still concerned that there is nothing anywhere that would suggest what any dose could be. Um, so those are, you know, some of my concerns. Natural leaf... the coca leaf has been used for eons by native communities in the Andes. Tourists consume it when they're on their way up to Machu Picchu to fight the altitude sickness, but it's not sold here. Not every practice is the same. Not every component is the same. As we're talking about how to test for purity, how is that going to happen if there's no lab that is going to test it because there's no regulation and you don't want to sell to government employees? As far as making sure that they come from a valid source, I don't know if the products have any certification, any certainty that they can provide a consumer of the country of origin. That's something to consider. And, um, is it legal to grow in California? Is that something that we need to look at the policies? So, those are my thoughts on it as this continues to evolve. I support responsible use. The policies are evolving, as I said, but for right now, the most dangerous part to take right off of that, the low-hanging fruit, is to ban synthetics. Some of the medications that were mentioned, I am very familiar with them, seeing the contraindications, the long-term consequences, and that can't be ignored. So, those are just my thoughts, ping-ponging. Um, but I do support responsible use, but most of all, I can only imagine the amount of pain that you were in to make it here and to sit through this because we know that you're here and you're in pain. And I thank you for being here.
[01:09:03] Mayor: Okay. Anybody else, comments? Okay. Very good. Well, I just want to, um, say, yeah, I appreciate staff's work. Pedro, great job, you and your team. I think this is a clear and reasonable ordinance that we're going to adopt. And, um, I'll entertain a motion.
[01:09:21] Council Member: Move as presented.
[01:09:21] Council Member: I second.
[01:09:24] Council Member: I second.
[01:09:31] Mayor: Motion passes 5 to 0. Um, and to note, that will also include, um, making the term 'code compliance' consistent throughout.
[01:09:39] Staff Member: Thank you.
[01:09:41] Mayor: All right. Well, seeing no other business, no other housekeeping notes, I now—
[01:09:46] Council Member Quintanilla: If I may add one last note.
[01:09:48] Mayor: Absolutely.
[01:09:49] Council Member Quintanilla: We are at the conclusion of Black History Month, and I wanted to just remind everyone that when everyone fights for civil rights, everybody benefits. And, uh, there's been so many
[01:10:02] Speaker: Wonderful things that we highlight from African-American individuals and those that are in the community at all sorts of levels of activism, medicine, and across the board. So just if we can take the time to learn more about each other, we'll all get along much better. Thank you.
[01:10:23] Speaker: Terrific. All right. Thank you very much. Now we are adjourned officially. Thank you.