Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAbout20230208 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) February 8, 2023 Board Meeting 23-04 *Approved by the Board of Directors on April 12, 2023 REGULAR MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Wednesday, February 8, 2023 The Board of Directors conducted this meeting in accordance with California Government Code section 54953(e) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Resolution 21-33. APPROVED MINUTES* REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT President Kishimoto called the regular meeting of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District to order at 7:01 p.m. ROLL CALL Members Present: Jed Cyr, Craig Gleason, Karen Holman, Zoe Kersteen-Tucker, Yoriko Kishimoto, Margaret MacNiven, and Curt Riffle Members Absent: None Staff Present: General Manager Ana Ruiz, General Counsel Hilary Stevenson, Assistant General Manager Susanna Chan, Assistant General Manager Brian Malone, Chief Financial Officer/Director of Administrative Services Stefan Jaskulak, District Clerk Maria Soria, Public Affairs Manager Kori Skinner, Public Affairs Specialist II Ryan McCauley and Public Affairs Specialist II Natalie Jolly Vice-President Kishimoto announced this meeting is being held in accordance with Government Code section 54953(e) and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Resolution 21-33, allowing Board members to participate remotely. The District has done its best to conduct a meeting where everyone has an opportunity to listen to the meeting and to provide comment. The public has the opportunity to comment on the agenda, and the opportunity to listen to this meeting through the internet or via telephone. This information can be found on the meeting agenda, which was physically posted at the District’s Administrative Office, and on the District website. Vice-President Kishimoto described the process and protocols for the meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Alexander Hapke, President of the Midpeninsula Rangers Peace Officers Association (MRPOA), expressed his appreciation for the ride-along with the Directors and staff that were held over the Meeting 23-04 Page 2 last five months to listen to the concerns of the MRPOA and why they should receive public safety retirement benefits. Mr. Hapke mentioned the negotiation process will start on February 15 and the imposed terms of employment will expire on June 30, he also shared his perspective on how the last negations process was conducted. Kristen Perry commented on the turnover of ranger staff and especially those in PEPRA, she mentioned she, along with all the rangers, would like to have the option to retire from their career at a reasonable age. Ms. Perry explained that it is difficult for her to be optimistic when ranger candidates ask why they should work for the District. She explained she loves her job, but it is difficult to encourage anyone to choose the District over another agency that provides better retirement benefits. She encouraged the Board entering the next round of negations to help find a way to provide safety retirement benefit to the rangers. Ryan Augustine, a member of the MRPOA, commented that in the last months, the Board has heard from rangers, staff, outside agencies and members of the public on the benefits and compensation for the rangers. Mr. Augustine provided examples of the work the rangers are tasked with that make them eligible for safety retirement benefits and hopes this issue is resolved in the upcoming negotiations. Brendon Downing commented on the upcoming negotiations with the District rangers specific to public safety retirement. Mr. Downing expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work for the District for thirty plus years as a ranger and a supervising ranger and provided examples of his work that suggested why rangers would qualify for public safety retirement and how those activities have had an impact on him emotionally and physically and suggested that at the very least all rangers should receive the Classic PERS 2.5% at age 55 retirement formula. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: Director Holman moved, and Director Riffle seconded the motion to adopt the agenda. ROLL CALL VOTE: 7-0-0 CONSENT CALENDAR Public comment opened at 7:15 p.m. Ms. Soria reported there were no public speakers for this item. Public comment closed at 7:15 p.m. Motion: Director Holman moved, and Director Riffle seconded the motion to approve the Consent Calendar. ROLL CALL VOTE: 7-0-0 1. Approve the November 8, 2022 Board meeting minutes 2. Approve Claims Report Meeting 23-04 Page 3 3. Teleconferenced Board Meetings Pursuant to the Brown Act and Assembly Bill 361 (R-23-16) General Manager’s Recommendation: Adopt a resolution affirming findings to continue remote teleconferenced public meetings, including as part of hybrid (remote/in-person) meetings, pursuant to AB 361. 4. Contract Amendment for Custodial Services at Five Staff Facility Offices (R-23-17) General Manager’s Recommendation: Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract amendment with Del Rey Building Maintenance to extend custodial services at the Administrative Office, Skyline Field Office, Coastal Area Outpost, Foothills Field Office, and South Area Office an additional six months at a cost of $48,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed contract amount to $96,000. 5. Contract Amendment for a Botanical Resource Survey - La Honda Phase II Trail Connections (R-23-18) General Manager’s Recommendation: 1. Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract amendment with AECOM Technical Services, Inc., of Oakland, California, to provide botanical resources support for the La Honda Phase II Trails, in the amount of $34,774, bringing the contract base amount to a not- to-exceed total of $126,761. 2. Authorize a 15% contingency of $5,216 to cover unforeseen conditions and complexities for a total contract amount not-to-exceed $131,977. BOARD BUSINESS 6. 50th Yearlong Anniversary Celebration Recap (R-23-20) General Manager Ana Ruiz stated that the Board will be presented with a recap of the work and effort that went into the full year of celebratory events, activities, and gatherings to demonstrate the appreciation and gratitude for the public’s continuing support of the District and its mission. It is with the public’s support, along with partners, organizations, and community members that the District is able to carry out the work of the agency. The celebrations emphasized opportunities for the District to be part of the community and for the community to be part of the District and its work. In addition, staff has gained lessons learned, established new networks, partnerships and relationships throughout the course of its celebratory activities. Public Affairs Manager Kori Skinner thanked the Public Affairs team for their time and dedication to carrying out the ambitious 50th Anniversary Comprehensive Plan (Plan) and in particular thanked Public Affairs Specialist II Ryan McCauley and Public Affairs Specialist II Natalie Jolly for their work. Ms. Skinner also thanked each individual staff member of the Public Affairs department and explained their role in the Plan. In addition, she thanked former District staff members and all current District staff, rangers, consultants, partners, General Manager Ruiz, and Board members for their input and support of the Plan, and for providing the resources to implement the Plan. Meeting 23-04 Page 4 Mr. McCauley and Ms. Jolly provided the presentation of the 50th Anniversary Celebration recap, including the project elements, goals, results, lessons learned, events, activities, the online engagement campaign and media metrics. Director Gleason inquired how staff felt they did on the outreach to key audience groups such as black, indigenous and people of color. Ms. Skinner stated that a survey conducted at the Ravenswood event showed 24% of the respondents were in the demographic mentioned and were also new to the District. In addition, media outreach was done in non-English to reach new and diverse audiences. Ms. Skinner commented the Open Stories was kicked-off with a profile on Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Staff had intended to conclude the year with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal leader, but they were unable to participate due to other commitments. Staff also reached out to the tribal members in the community to participate in the events. Director Gleason inquired if there was a way to interpret the benefits of the impression numbers that were attained throughout the year. Ms. Skinner stated that District’s constituency exceeds 700,000 and the outreach efforts extended beyond the District’s constituency into San Francisco and San Jose. Ms. Skinner commented that in her opinion, the outreach was successful for the purpose of reaching beyond the traditional users and environmentalists and into new audiences. Director Holman inquired if there has been any consideration as to whether some of the elements or aspect of the events held would be done periodically throughout the year. Ms. Skinner stated there were lessons learned throughout the year that will be included in the Strategic Communications Plan, such as putting more effort into earned media, to be more specific with outreach around media releases, and matching the media to the likely targeted publication rather than just creating a press release. The large events themselves are heavy lifts, but the elements that made the events successful will be incorporated into District events such as trail openings or small celebrations. Director Holman inquired if there were any thought specifically focused on having any youth events. Ms. Skinner stated the District does not have the staff capacity to run a full youth program, but is working to build that capacity and capability within the District’s outreach partners. Director Riffle congratulated Ms. Skinner, Mr. McCauley, Ms. Jolly, and the Public Affairs team, along with entire District staff for a job well done. In particularly, to the Public Affairs team as the Directors looked to them to implement and get the Plan accomplished. Director Cyr congratulated staff and especially the Public Affairs team for an excellent job. Director Holman inquired how were the speakers, docents, and partners thanked for speaking or helping at the events thanked. Meeting 23-04 Page 5 Ms. Jolly responded that she along with Public Affairs Specialist I Eleanor Raab wrote handwritten thank you cards to all the partners and presenters. Additionally, surveys were sent to partners, attendees, staff asking for feedback on the event. President Kishimoto commented that in many respects, the celebration of the District’s 50 years was transformative, the District is no longer a small organization, and now is a significant organization. Furthermore, it was refreshing and wonderful to see the energy spent on reaching out to the public and partners. Director Gleason commented that staff, management, and the previous Board members all deserve a huge congratulations, especially the Public Affairs team as they did the heavy lifting. He mentioned it was great to hear the staff speak with such enthusiasm about the events and that it was clear they were proud of the work and should be proud of a job well done. Director Kersteen-Tucker concurred with all Director comments and thanked Ms. Skinner for her discipline and helping the Board stay focused and helping narrow the many ideas of the Board, which made the events very successful and offered a suite of activities to the public. She was also very impressed with the Public Affairs team resilience and fortitude dealing with last minute logistics to deliver successful events. Director MacNiven stated that although she was not a Director last year, staff did an amazing job, particularly now that people do not mistake the District with POST. Public comment opened at 8:21 p.m. Ms. Soria reported there were no public speakers for this item. Public comment closed at 8:21 p.m. No board action required. 8. Second Reading and Adoption of Board Compensation Ordinance 23-01 (R-23-21) General Counsel Hilary Stevenson stated the Board reviewed the proposed Adoption of Board Compensation Ordinance on January 25, 2023. The ordinance was posted in the newspaper with the notice of the public hearing, the public hearing was held and there were no public comments. Ms. Stevenson stated the Board now has the option to adopt the proposed ordinance and, if approved, the ordinance would go into effect in 60 days. Accompanying the ordinance is also a minor amendment to Board Policy 6.06 to reflect the increase in the Board compensation ordinance. Public comment opened at 8:27 p.m. Ms. Soria reported there were no public speakers for this item. Public comment closed at 8:27 p.m. Motion: Director Cyr moved, and Director Holman second the motion to waive reading and adopt Ordinance 23-01 increasing Board member compensation from $105.00 to $115.50 per Meeting 23-04 Page 6 meeting pursuant to Public Resources Code section 5536 and amend Board Policy 6.06 to reflect the increase in compensation resulting from the Board compensation ordinance. ROLL CALL VOTE: 7-0-0 INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDA • Update on MAA Portfolio #12 Middle Stevens Creek Trail INFORMATIONAL REPORTS A. Committee Reports No committee reports were provided. B. Staff Reports Chief Financial Officer/Director of Administrative Services Stefan Jaskulak provided a brief update of the Financial and Operational Sustainability Model award of contract that will be presented to the Board at the February 22, 2023 meeting. C. Director Reports Director Cyr reported he visited the Rancho San Antonio preserve and Supervising Ranger Alysha Carabetta offered him a ride-along. They drove up to the Mora tank, a high point in the preserve and saw a spectacular view. Director Holman thanked President Kishimoto for hosting brown bag meetings at the District and noted that she is unavailable to attend the next brown bag meeting and inquired if the meeting could be recorded. She offered to search for a volunteer to record the meeting if the District did not have the internally capability. President Kishimoto reported the next brown bag meeting topic is about Sam McDonald and it is scheduled for February 23. She will also be attending the Sacramento legislative appreciation luncheon on February 9 and reminded the Directors that the Board Retreat is scheduled on February 16. Director Riffle reported he attended Assemblymember Berman’s open house on January 26 and thanked him for his support, especially for his support in helping find funding for the Cloverdale acquisition. Director Kersteen-Tucker welcomed the new District Clerk, Maria Soria. Additionally, she mentioned she took a tour of the Purisma-to-the Sea trail along with Director Gleason on February 7 and appreciated staff for the tour and preparation. Lastly, she had a conversation with Supervisor Ray Muller after the shootings in Half Moon Bay, and learned the County is working quickly on a new program to monitor farm worker housing conditions. Moreover, farmers on the coast are being asked to self-report their housing conditions, and if needed, funding will be available for upgrades and there will be fines for those that do not report deplorable conditions. Meeting 23-04 Page 7 Director Gleason also thanked staff for the Purisima-to-the-Sea tour and was impressed by staff’s ability to deal with the complexity of the project. On January 31, a virtual Highway 17 crossings meeting was held, and the Mayor of Los Gatos Maria Ristow attended the meeting and provided a really enthusiastic summary at their Town Council meeting on February 7. President Kishimoto congratulated Maria Soria for her appointment to District Clerk and noted the transition has been smooth, particularly with the hybrid meetings. ADJOURNMENT President Kishimoto adjourned the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District into a special meeting at 8:44 p.m. Maria Soria, CMC District Clerk