Council highlights climate planning, Latin Heritage Month and schedules closed session; official criticizes A's ownership

Council members used their council matters segment to highlight recent community engagement and upcoming events.

Mister Banu announced an Oct. 2 "Coffee with a Cop" event at the Starbucks on Cedar Boulevard from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. to promote informal dialogue between residents and officers. Vice Mayor Freitas and other members praised the Little League leadership and the recreation department for productive meetings about next season.

Council Member Collazo spoke in observance of Latin Heritage Month, thanked promotoras and Era Rivera for community outreach and noted the promotoras ran the mariachi festival this year. The presiding official also praised staff (Mister Scanlon and consultants) for a well-attended public meeting on the Climate Action Plan and sea-level-rise concerns, describing it as the beginning of a long-term public conversation.

In an emotional exchange, the presiding official condemned the Oakland A's ownership for moving the team out of Oakland, saying residents were upset by the departure and that the team had been a part of the community for decades. "If I could issue a formal condemnation to the owner of the Oakland A's, I would do that this evening," the presiding official said.

The meeting recessed to a closed session pursuant to "government code section 20 54 9 57" for a public employee performance evaluation (city manager), and the meeting was adjourned.