Our First Meeting
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 7:13 pm, I stood next to Leslie Rule and Andrew Whitman to be sworn into our positions on the Ojai City Council.
Before we were sworn in, the council members transitioning out of their positions, Councilmembers Blatz, Haney, and Weirick, were acknowledged and honored. Councilmember Haney shared touching statements about his experience on the council, and he welcomed me to the position. I am grateful to him for his generous service and kindness in passing on the torch.
The previous city council members accomplished many wonderful things during their tenure. I look forward to taking that torch and carrying it forward in a way that honors their legacy.
In our first meeting, we discussed the following topics:
Nomination and Election of Mayor Pro Tem
Leslie Rule nominated Councilmember Suza Francina, and I seconded the nomination. She has served this community for a long time, and her tenure on the council makes her a wonderful candidate.
Consent Calendar
We recommended funding the 2023 Arts Grants Awards recommended by the Ojai Arts Commission. Seeing so many worthy organizations receive grant funding to provide community-building opportunities centered around the arts was a pleasure.
We voted to recommend waivers to several worthy organizations for using Libbey Bowl during the 2023 season.
We adopted a revised Senior Accounting Specialist job description.
We voted to authorize our City Manager, James Vega, to work with on-call engineering services. James was able to negotiate a reduced rate, which will save us money in the year ahead.
We voted to approve the minor changes to our 2021-2029 Housing Element. The deadline was approaching, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development requested the changes.
Second Reading and Adoption of a Holdover Ordinance Amending Ojai Municipal Code, Title 9, Adopting the 2022 California Building Code and Amendments and Setting a Public Hearing
We voted according to the staff’s recommendation that we adopt the ordinance.
What do you think? Email me with concerns, questions, or comments
On a personal note, I’m so grateful you elected me to represent District 2 on our city council. It’s a privilege to serve you! It was a close race, and I recognize how many in District 2 voted for a different candidate. To any of you, I say… I’m here for you as your representative on our city council.
I ran on a platform of community and compassion. To me, that means finding ways to bring people together.
