Wednesday night’s City Council meeting was a packed house with heated topics 🌶️
👩⚖️ Rules & Respect Reminder:
With chambers overflowing, Mayor Ehlers kicked things off by reminding folks: be respectful, no shouting, no personal attacks, and no giant signs.
🚨 Emergency Preparedness Month
Fire Chief Gordon + Emergency Manager Marie Jones Kirk rolled out tools to help residents become their own “first responders.”
🎤 Oral Comments Get Spicy
Residents pressed for traffic safety, civility, and accountability. Many again demanded Councilmember Shaffer’s resignation over alleged criminal misconduct, while others blasted Councilmember San Antonio for posting a resident’s license plate online, claiming they destroyed a Charlie Kirk memorial in Olivenhain.
🌮 FFT: Respectful dialogue in meetings is important and so is free speech. Are residents within their rights to publicly hold elected officials accountable if they believe elected officials have performed badly?
🍽️ Outdoor Dining Fees
Council approved the annual CPI-linked fee hike for restaurants using public space. Bigger decision looms in 2026: should outdoor dining in parking spots stay or go?
❄️ ICE Rehearing: Big Crowd, Big Debate:
30+ speakers urged Council not to backtrack on its Aug. 20 stance against ICE operations. After heated deliberation:
1️⃣ Council unanimously rescinded its earlier actions to dodge legal risk.
2️⃣ Then, they unanimously approved a new slate of moves:
- Launch Know Your Rights campaign (English + Spanish)
- File FOIA requests on ICE activity
- Explore Safe Zones & legal action (Long Beach/Santa Ana models)
- Create a community comms network
- Send letters to feds (must return for Council approval)🌮 FFT: Should law enforcement be required to show faces + IDs—or does that risk federal funding and fuel division?
❄️ ICE Rehearing: Big Crowd, Big Debate:
30+ speakers urged Council not to backtrack on its Aug. 20 stance against ICE operations. After heated deliberation:
1️⃣ Council unanimously rescinded its earlier actions to dodge legal risk.
2️⃣ Then, they unanimously approved a new slate of moves:
- Launch Know Your Rights campaign (English + Spanish)
- File FOIA requests on ICE activity
- Explore Safe Zones & legal action (Long Beach/Santa Ana models)
- Create a community comms network
- Send letters to feds (must return for Council approval)🌮 FFT: Should law enforcement be required to show faces + IDs—or does that risk federal funding and fuel division?