* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. OKAY. [00:00:01] ALRIGHT. UH, I'D LIKE TO, UH, [1. CALL TO ORDER] CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER A LIVE WEBCAST OF THE MEETING MAY BE VIEWED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. NOTICE AGENDA AND INFORMATION ON THE CITY OF NASHVILLE CITY'S WEBSITE INFORMS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT THEY MAY SUBMIT A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, EITHER BY FILLING OUT WITH THESE SLIPS AT THE BACK AND TURN THOSE OVER TO OUR CITY CLERK'S, UH, DESK. AND, UH, OR IF YOU'RE WATCHING ZOOM OR OTHERWISE, UH, YOU CAN DO, UH, THAT, BUT THAT HAS TO BE DONE IN, UM, IN ADVANCE. ALL WRITTEN COMMENTS RECEIVED WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND PUBLISHED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE IF RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE. WITH THAT, UH, CITY CLERK WE HAVE ROLL CALL PLEASE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER L UH, PRESENT? YEAH. IS THAT ME? I'M SORRY. MOLINA. SORRY. THAT'S ME. PRESENT VICE MAYOR BUSH. HERE. MAYOR MORRISON. PRESENT AND WE'LL NOTE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI AND COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ ARE ABSENT. OKAY. OKAY. RODRIGUEZ IS IN THE CHAMBER, BUT NOT, NOT AT THE DAIS. THANK YOU. OKAY. WITH THAT, UM, WE HAVE A QUORUM AND, UH, I WILL ASK IF WE COULD PLEASE STAND FOR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND I WILL ASK, UH, UM, MEMBER MOLINA, WOULD YOU BEUS PLEASE MY 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. ALRIGHT, SO NOW WE WILL HEAR [4. PUBLIC COMMENT] PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THE AGENDA. AND, UH, SO WITH THAT WE HAVE, OKAY, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ONES, AND WE DO HAVE THREE ITEMS THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA ON THE CLOSED SESSION. UH, SO WE WILL CALL THEM UP ONE AT A TIME AND, UH, WE'LL START WITH 5.1 AND GIVE YOU ONE MINUTE WITH THAT. UH, RANDY CASTLE SALGADO. UH, MARIA SEVERSON, MICHAEL LEG. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL AND MAYOR, I'M CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE CITY MANAGER, BEN MARTINEZ. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, NATIONAL CITY HAS SHIFTED FROM FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY TO UNCHECKED SPENDING, LEGAL LIABILITIES, AND DEEP ETHICAL FAILURES. VIN HAS APPROVED UNAUTHORIZED REIMBURSEMENTS, INCLUDING 7,102, 120 FOR A TURKEY GIVEAWAY AND A SACRAMENTO TRIP CHARGED TO, TO THE CITY CREDIT CARD BEFORE IT COULD EVEN BE DENIED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS. TO COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ, HE TURNED A BUDGET SURPLUS INTO A DEFICIT, VIOLATED GOVERNMENT CODE 10 90, ALLOWING BARRY REIMBURSEMENT FOR LEGAL DEFENSE, AND ALLOWED POLITICAL FAVORITISM WITH OVER 47,000 IN DISCRETIONARY FUNDS TO RODRIGUEZ'S CAMPAIGN TEAM WITHOUT ANY COMPETITIVE PROCESS. I KNOW THIS IS NOT AN EASY DECISION, BUT IT IS A NECESSARY ONE. OUR COMMUNITY IS WATCHING. THEY'RE COUNTING ON YOUR COURAGE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT, NOT FOR POLITICS, BUT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CITY THAT WE ALL CARE ABOUT. PLEASE LEAD WITH INTEGRITY AND HELP US ALL MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MARIA SEVERSON, UH, MICHAEL AGUIRE AND LOUISA MCCARTHY. GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS MATTER WAS ON THE AGENDA FOR A FEW DAYS AGO. WHY IS IT BACK HERE? WHAT'S THE RUSH AND WHY IS IT DONE WITH SO LITTLE NOTICE? YOU JUST DID THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. WE ALL TOOK IT UNDER GOD. YET YOU CHOSE TO HAVE THIS MEETING ON GOOD FRIDAY AT NOON WHEN YOUR LOCAL CATHOLIC, I CAN WAIT FOR THAT IF YOU WANNA, ON YOUR LOCAL CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS STATIONS OF THE CROSS OF THE LAST SEVEN WORDS OF CHRIST AT THIS VERY HOUR. THIS IS WHEN YOU CHOSE TO DO IT IN YOUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS 26, OVER 26% CATHOLIC ON THE MOST HOLY DAY FOR A GOOD PORTION OF YOUR POPULATION. WHAT DON'T YOU WANT PEOPLE TO SEE? YOU'RE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING WHEN NO ONE'S WATCHING, BUT WE'RE WATCHING, UH, MICHAEL GERRY TO BE FOLLOWED BY LUISA MCCARTHY TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOSE RODRIGUEZ. UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, BOTH COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GOING ALONG WITH, UH, MAYOR MORRISON PRESSURING THE PLANNING STAFF NOW PRESSURING THE CITY MANAGER, PRESSURING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DO YOUR [00:05:01] WRONGFUL BIDDING. THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING. YOU ARE A TYRANT. YOU ARE AN ABUSER OF POWER. IT IS TIME NOT FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO LEAVE, BUT IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE. IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO RESIGN. YOU ARE MISLEADING THESE TWO YOUNG PEOPLE TO SUPPORT YOU. THEY'RE MISLEADING THESE TWO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THEY'RE FALLING PREY TO YOUR OVERREACHING AND YOU WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THIS DECISION THAT YOU PLAN TO DO TODAY IS A VIOLATION OF THE OPEN MEETING LAW. IT WILL BE SET ASIDE BY A COURT BECAUSE YOU MADE THE DECISION WITH THESE TWO OUTSIDE A REGULARLY NOTICED MEETING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . LOUISA MCCARTHY TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOSE RODRIGUEZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY ASHLEY MORRISON OR WHAT TODAY SHOULD BE A GOOD FRIDAY IS NOT SUCH A GREAT FRIDAY. AND WHY? BECAUSE YOU MAYOR DECIDED TO CREATE THIS IMPROMPTU MEETING ON A HOLY DAY. WHY ARE WE BACK ON THE SAME TOPIC? IT MAKES ZERO SENSE. HAVE YOU DISCUSSED SOMETHING PRIOR WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT IS LEADING TO THIS AGENDA? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT SPELLS OUT. WOULDN'T THAT BE ILLEGAL? WHO DOES A MEETING ON GOOD FRIDAY? ONLY A PERSON THAT WANTS TO ABUSE THEIR POWER. DO IT BEHIND THE SCENES WHEN PEOPLE ARE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AT CHURCH, DOING WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO ON A GOOD FRIDAY AND NOT BE PRESSURED TO HAVE TO COME OVER HERE AND SPEAK LOUDLY IN BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU ARE VERY SHADY AND UNBELIEVABLY UNETHICAL. YOU NEED TO STEP DOWN AND SO DOES YOUR, YOUR SECRETARY. THANK YOU. UH, JOSE RODRIGUEZ, FOLLOWED BY ASHLEY MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY MICKEL, UH, POLANCO. WE'RE HAVING A MEETING WITH A 24 HOUR NOTICE TO MAKE ONE OF THE BIGGEST DECISIONS FOR OUR CITY. CITY HALL IS CLOSED ON FRIDAYS. WE ALL KNOW THAT. YET WE'RE HERE. I'M A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. THIS MEETING SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING AND I WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS CHARADE. THIS WAS NOT THE MOTION THAT YOU ALL PROPOSED AND VOTED FOR. YOU ARE DELIBERATELY BREAKING YOUR OWN MOTION. YOU HAD A COLLEAGUE, WHICH EXPRESSED THAT SHE COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY, YET YOU STILL MADE A DECISION TO MEET TODAY. CRAMMING THIS DECISION THROUGH MAKING BACKROOM DEALS, TRYING TO SILENCE THE PUBLIC INPUT AND DISCUSSION TO A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER, DISCUSSION AND INPUT THAT WAS AWARDED TO A PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER THAT WE KNOW WAS NOT AS GOOD, BUT WE WENT THROUGH A VERY THOROUGH PROCESS. YOU ALL SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED AND ASHAMED. I WILL LEAVE MY COMMENTS FOR THE NEXT ITEM. ASHLEY MORRISON, TO BE FOLLOWED BY MIKEL POLANCO TO BE FOLLOWED BY ED NETTO. RELEASING BAD NEWS OR DOCUMENTS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID MEDIA SCRUTINY IS OFTEN CALLED A FRIDAY NEWS DUMP BY MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA. AND HERE WE FIND OURSELVES ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON ON A HOLIDAY NONETHELESS AT A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THIS IS A HIGHLY UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE AND INVITES THE QUESTION OF WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT OR POTENTIALLY DAMAGING TO THE CITY COUNCIL AS TO WARRANT A MEETING ON THIS GOOD FRIDAY WHEN SO FEW OF THE MEDIAN PUBLIC ARE PAYING ATTENTION. THE ITEMS NUMBER 5.1 AND 5.2 TODAY STRONGLY IMPLY THAT CURRENT CITY MANAGER BEN MARTINEZ, IS ABOUT TO BE FIRED AND SUBSEQUENTLY REPLACED ON AN INTERIM BASIS AS A CONCERNED MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. I'M WORRIED THAT BEN MARTINEZ IS BEING REMOVED, REMOVED BECAUSE OF HIS ALLEGED EXPRESSED INTEREST IN INVESTIGATING THE RECENT ACTIONS OF THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANT JO JOSIE FLORES CLARK. IN REGARDS TO THE POTENTIAL LAND DEVELOPMENT ON SWEETWATER ROAD. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS AND THE PUBLIC WILL BE WATCHING CLOSELY WHETHER THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES UNDER THE WATCH OF A NEW CITY MANAGER. OKAY, MALIKA, MICHAEL POLANCO, EDWARD, UH, EDWARDO AND ALICIA MOR. RON, YOU ARE BROKEN AND BUSTED AND YOU CAN'T BE TRUSTED. IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO BE RECALLED AND IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO STEP DOWN. YOU'VE BEEN THERE TOO MANY YEARS. IT'S TIME. IT'S TIME. IT'S YOUR TIME TO STEP DOWN FROM THIS, UH, CITY HALL. IT'S HERE FORCING A CITY MANAGER THAT IS TRYING TO DO THE, THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT YOU BECAUSE HE HE DIDN'T DO WHAT YOU WANTED HIM TO DO. [00:10:01] UH, AND YOU USING YOUR PRESSURE TACTICS TO FORCE THE PLANNING STAFF TO APPROVE A PROJECT THAT SHOULD HAVE NOT, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DENIED AS A PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY NUISANCE. AND BECAUSE HE'S INVESTIGATING YOUR RENDEZVOUS ASSISTANT JOSEPH FLORES CLARK, IT'S THE WRONG THING TO DO. YOUR DECISIONS TO OUS THE CITY MANAGER WAS MADE OUTSIDE A DULY NOTICE MEETING IN VIOLATION OF THE PUBLIC MEETING LAW AND WILL BE SET ASIDE BY THE COURTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU. OKAY. EDWIN NETTO, FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON. UM, SEE HERE, THIS IS A HARD AND SAD DAY FOR NATIONAL CITY. IT JUST SEEMS THAT THE COUNCIL IS MOVING FORWARD WITH THE NEW MANAGER. YOU KNOW, THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. THIS IS A HARD, BUT IT'S A VERY NECESSARY DECISION. LEADERSHIP MEANS MAKING HARD DECISIONS BASED ON PERFORMANCE OR THE LACK OF IT IN THE CRITICAL AREAS THAT LIKE BUDGETING AND TRANSPARENCY AND DIRECTION. THESE PEOPLE HAVE TALKING AS IF THIS IS THE, UH, THIS LATEST ISSUE. THE ONLY ISSUE. I'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR TWO YEARS, BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE CITY MANAGER. WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN THEN? I, IF BEN WAS HERE, I WOULD TELL HIM MANY OF US WOULD WISH HIM GOOD LUCK. BUT IT'S TIME FOR LE FOR HIM TO LEAVE OUR, UH, OUR COUNCILMAN RODRIGUEZ, YOUR COMMENTING THIS MORNING ABOUT CALLING THIS, THIS SUCH AN IMPULSIVE IN THE NEWS MEDIA JUST WRONG. IT'S SELF-SERVING. YOU, YOU KNOW, CHOOSE POLITICS OVER PRINCIPLE BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO PROTECT YOUR IMAGE THAN FACE THE TRUTH. YOU JUST CAN'T EVEN STAND HERE. THE GUY'S WEAK. ANOTHER SUGGESTION IS THAT WE END IS THAT, UH, JO, UH, JOIE, UH, JOSE AND DITAS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, WAS YOU BACK WASTED TIME AND SPENDING PUSHING. QUESTIONABLE CON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. ONE MINUTE'S. NOTHING. OKAY. ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY SANDRA SHILLER, NERVOUS AS A LONG TAIL CAT IN A ROOM FULL OF ROCKING CHAIRS. SOMEBODY MUST BE EXTREMELY NERVOUS AND JUMPY TO CALL THIS MEETING TODAY. GOOD FRIDAY. TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE VITAL ROLE THE CITY MANAGER PLAYS IN YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. I WENT TO YOUR CITY'S WEBSITE. THE CITY MANAGER'S FUNCTION TO ENSURE THAT YOUR CITY'S OPERATIONS RUN SMOOTHLY AND EFFICIENTLY APPOINTED AND SERVING AT THE PLEASURE OF FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS. CITY MANAGER IS HIGHLY QUALIFIED, PROFESSIONAL, DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SERVICE. THEIR PRIMARY GOAL IS TO DELIVER COST EFFECTIVE HIGH QUALITY SERVICES TO TAXPAYERS, CITIZENS, VISITORS, BUSINESS OWNERS AND DEVELOPERS. YOUR CITY'S WEBSITE ALSO ENCOURAGES US TO, UH, LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOU OPERATE AND SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY. FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT TO YOU. WHAT IF WE'VE BEEN GIVING YOU SINCE DECEMBER FEEDBACK? DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY SANDRA SCHNEIDER. WE ARE HERE. WE'RE HERE TODAY. AND, UM, IT IS GOOD FRIDAY. IT'S A MEETING THAT'S COME VERY QUICKLY. UM, UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T HAVE A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THAT. I'M QUESTIONING WHETHER THAT WAS DONE ON, UH, INTENTIONALLY. UM, AND AS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID, WHETHER IT'S, IT'S LEGAL, UM, BEN MARTINEZ, UM, HAS RISEN FROM A COUPLE YEARS AGO FROM A POSITION THAT WAS MUCH LOWER. AND NOW HE, HE CAME UP TO BE CITY MANAGER AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WAS YOUR DOING. SO YOUR DECISIONS, SO BY REVIEWING THEM NOW, DOESN'T IT REFLECT POORLY ON YOUR DECISIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU, SANDY. THERE'S, THERE SHE IS. WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO PUT THINGS TOGETHER, DID WE? AND I, I, IF IT'S OKAY WITH EVERYBODY, I'D LIKE TO TAKE JUST ONE MINUTE TO HONOR THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ALLAH AND GOD AND SPIRIT ON GOOD FRIDAY. THE LESSONS WE LEARNED FROM THE GOOD LORD AND TO HAVE IT ON THIS DAY, IT REALLY HURTS. YOU KNOW, I'M JEWISH AND IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN SOMEBODY JEWISH, HERE I AM. AND IT, IT, IT'S LIKE I LOOK AT THIS DAY AND I JUST WISH THIS WAS ON A DIFFERENT DAY. I THINK IT IS SO THAT WE TAKE PEOPLE'S RELIGIONS AND WHO WE ARE AS PEOPLE, IT'S VERY EASY TO, YOU KNOW, GO AFTER. BUT I, I DON'T WANNA GO AFTER ANYBODY. WHAT I WANNA DO IS JUST TO [00:15:01] REMIND YOU HOW IMPORTANT THIS DAY IS. IF YOU HAVE THIS MEETING ON YUM KIPPER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. OR IS THE NEXT MEETING GONNA BE ON CHRISTMAS? I MEAN, WE CAN'T, LET'S MAKE IT A POINT THAT WE GET TO THE BOTTOM OF DOING MEETINGS WHERE THEY ARE NOT ON RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS. AND I JUST SEE MY TIME. SO THANK YOU AND HAPPY EASTER TO US ALL. THANK YOU. UH, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ON FIVE ONE. WE WILL NOW GO TO FIVE TWO. AND, UH, MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A ZOOM SPEAKER ON FIVE ONE. OKAY. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU. LILIANA ARMO. LILIANA, PLEASE UNMUTE. LILIANA, PLEASE UNMUTE. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER. I URGE THIS COUNCIL TO TERMINATE BEN MARTINEZ, A CITY MANAGER. HE HAS FAILED THIS COMMUNITY. HE'S COLLECTING A SIX FIGURE SALARY, CAR STIPENDS AND HOUSING PERMITS WHILE FAMILIES AND NATIONAL CITY ARE STRUGGLING JUST TO MAKE RENT FROM ILLEGAL REIMBURSEMENTS TO THE CITY ATTORNEY AND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO COZY DEALS WITH, WITH HIS POLITICAL ALLIES LIKE JOSE DITAS, BARRY AND NICK AND SOA, IT'S CLEAR THAT BENCH PRIORITIES ISN'T A PUBLIC SERVICE, BUT IT'S PROTECTING POWER. MEANWHILE, THERE ARE MANY WORKING FAMILIES THAT CAN'T AFFORD A SAVINGS ACCOUNT. AND OUR CITY IS SLIDING INTO DEFICIT. THIS ISN'T LEADERSHIP, IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE PUBLIC TRUST. LET'S STOP REWARDING CORRUPTION. LET'S RESTORE INTEGRITY. AND LET'S TERMINATE BEN MARTINEZ. YES, IT IS. GOOD FRIDAY. PLEASE, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS DO WHAT IS GOOD FOR OUR CITY BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY GOOD PEOPLE HERE LISTENING, WATCHING, AND ASKING FOR GOODNESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. THAT CONCLUDES THE COMMENTS ON THAT ITEM. OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY, UH, ZOOM ON EITHER ONE OF THE OTHER TWO ITEMS JUST FOR YES, WE DO ON 5.3. 5.3. OKAY, THANK YOU. OKAY. WITH THAT, UH, WE WILL GO TO 5.2 AND, UH, WE'LL START OFF WITH, UH, LUISA MCCARTHY, FOLLOWED BY, UH, MICKEL POLANCO, FOLLOWED BY SANDY SCHULER. GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN. WAS BEN MARTINEZ TRYING TO HOLD YOUR ASSISTANT? JOSIE FLORES CLARK ACCOUNTABLE FOR HER WRONGFUL BEHAVIOR? WAS HE READY TO PLACE JOSIE ON AN ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE TO INVESTIGATE HER FIRST SLAPPING, SLAPPING THE BUTTOCKS OF ANOTHER CITY EMPLOYEE HERE AND NOTHING SEEMS TO BE, UH, DONE ABOUT IT? OR WAS HE TRYING TO INVESTIGATE HER ON HER WRONGFUL DOING IN REGARDS TO UNDUE INFLUENCE WITH THIS PROJECT OF THE SWEETWATER ROAD AND ORANGE STREET GAS SITUATION? OR WAS HE TRYING TO HOLD HER ACCOUNTABLE FOR HER WRONGFUL DOING OF ASKING FOR MONEY FROM A CITY CONTRACTOR TO PAY FOR THE BILL OF HER NEPHEW'S FUNERAL SERVICES AND ALSO ASKING LA VISTA TO PARTICIPATE INTO THIS WRONGFUL DOING, UH, BEHAVIOR. THANK YOU LANCO. UH, THAT SOUNDED AN AWFUL LOT LIKE A REVELATION OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. AND I WONDER IF COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ IS SHARING CONFIDENTIAL INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. I WANT TO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD IN OUR CITY ATTORNEY AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT TOO, IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL INVESTIGATIONS. SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT ON THE RECORD. THANK YOU. UH, MCCULLOUGH. AND I WANNA PUT ON THE RECORD IF, UH, LOU MOLINA, MARCUS BUSH AND RON MORRISON MET TO PUT MET MARTINEZ TO FIRE HIM. UH, THE DECISION TO HIRE A NEW MANAGER, UH, AND BEING, UH, A LONG TIME FRIEND OF, UM, THE MAYORS IS A LITTLE FISHY MADE BY OUTSIDE A DULY NOTICE MEETING IN VIOLATION OF THE CALIFORNIA OPEN MEETING LAW AND CAN BE SET ASIDE BY A COURT. NOW YOU ARE NOT USING BEST PRACTICES. INSTEAD, YOU ARE HIRING SOMEONE WHO WILL JUST DO AS YOU'RE TOLD, MAYOR, YOU JUST WANT A YES MAN IN YOUR, IN YOUR CORNER. NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE OF THEIR JOB PERFORMANCE, BUT BECAUSE BECAUSE YOU'RE LETTING GO OF BEN BECAUSE HE'S NOT WANTING TO DO AS YOU WANT HIM TO DO. AND THAT IS UNETHICAL. THE ONLY REASON WHY HE'S BEING FIRED IS BECAUSE HE'S TRYING TO DO [00:20:01] THE RIGHT THING. AND YOU REALLY NEED TO STEP DOWN. 33 YEARS IS ENOUGH. PLEASE HAND HAND OFF THE BATON. THANK COMMENT TO SOMEBODY ELSE. THANK YOU. UH, SANDY SHYER, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL LAGAR, FOLLOWED BY MARIA SORENSON. HELLO AGAIN. UM, ARE WE EVER GONNA KNOW THE REASONS WHY BEN IS BEING LET GO? IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT THE REASONS ARE? BECAUSE WE'RE JUST GONNA KEEP GOING AROUND IN A CIRCLE, IN A CIRCLE, IN A CIRCLE. NOW IF I TAKE THE WORD BEN, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE FUNNY, BUT IT WOULD BE, BE EDUCATED NOW. BEN WHAT CAN WE LEARN? SO THESE THINGS DO NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. TO LET SOMEBODY GO WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING IS VERY UPSETTING TO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. AND AS I COME TO THESE MEETINGS, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GROWTH, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT IN A WAY OF UNDERSTANDING AND TO TAKE A STEP BACK AS TO WHO WE WERE BEFORE ALL THIS CAME ABOUT. I WOULD LIKE TRANSPARENCY OF KNOWING WHY HE'S BEING LET GO. AND IF WE CAN FIND THAT OUT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. HAPPY EASTER. OKAY, NEXT WE HAD MICHAEL LEGI FOLLOWED BY MARIA SIMONSON. UH, YES, MARCUS, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT JUST LET THE, UH, CLOSED SESSION INFORMATION OUTTA THE BAG BY SAYING THAT WHAT YOU HEARD WAS DISCUSSED AT CLOSED SESSION. I WANNA KNOW, MAYOR, HAVE YOU RELIEVED, UH, MARCUS BUSH OF THE OBLIGATION TO GET HIS RECEIPTS FIRST AND THEN GET REIMBURSED AS OPPOSED TO GETTING MONEY DIRECTLY? I WOULD LIKE YOU TO ADDRESS THAT AFTER THIS IS OVER, AND I WANNA SPEAK TO BOTH OF YOU. YOU'RE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE 'CAUSE YOU'RE GETTING DRAWN INTO THE COVERUP. IT'S ONE THING TO SAY YOU DON'T WANT TO INVESTIGATE, BUT YOU ARE GETTING DRAWN INTO THE COVERUP. AND YOU WILL, AS WE GET INTO THE DISCOVERY IN THIS CASE, ALL OF THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU HAVE COMMUNICATED AND THEN JOINED IN THE COVERUP, IF YOU VOTE FOR THIS, THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE ACT THAT WHAT WE CALL AN OVERT ACT IN A CONT IN THE CONTEXT OF A CONSPIRACY. YOU VOTE FOR THIS, YOU'RE JOINING IN THE COVERUP, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE TO THE UNLAWFUL BEHAVIOR OF THIS MAYOR WHOSE IS THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU. OKAY. NOT TRUE. MARIA , ONCE AGAIN, I'M JUST FLOORED THAT WE'RE HERE ON GOOD FRIDAY. EVEN THE UNITED STATES STOCK AND BOND MARKET IS CLOSED TODAY. BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAD TO DO THIS ON 24 HOURS NOTICE THAT IT COULDN'T WAIT UNTIL MORE OF THE PUBLIC COULD BE INFORMED. SO WHY DO YOU WANNA PUT IN AN INTERIM MANAGER AND GET RID OF THE CURRENT CITY MANAGER? WELL, LET'S LOOK AT IN A DEVELOP, IN A HIGHLY, UM, UNUSUAL, UH, DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. THE SWEETWATER GAS STATION WE HAVE HERE TEXT FROM TEAM MAYOR, OKAY. TEAM MAYOR AND ASKING THE UH, AND THE BRICO, WHICH ARE THE DEVELOPERS, AND THEY'RE ASKING, IS PLANNING EVEN GONNA BE THERE? THIS IS A MAYOR RUN MEETING TO GET THE THING DONE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY MANAGER HAD. HIS OWN PEOPLE WEREN'T EVEN GONNA BE AT THE MEETING. THAT IS UNDUE INFLUENCE. AND IF HE'S GETTING CANNED BECAUSE HE'S FINALLY LOOKING TO DO AN INVESTIGATION THAT'S BEEN CALLED FOR, THAT'S DESPICABLE. ALRIGHT, UH, NEXT WE GO INTO, UH, JOSE RODRIGUEZ, FOLLOWED BY, UM, RANDY CASTLE SALGADO, FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON. ITEM 5.2. YEAH. 5.2. YEAH. YOU'RE REALLY HIJACKING OUR CITY FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL BENEFIT. AT THIS POINT, RON WILL GO TO EVERY LENGTH TO COVER HIS ASSISTANT. THERE ARE MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS, AN OPEN LAWSUIT FOR NOT COMPLYING WITH PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST FROM YOUR OFFICE. THESE ARE OPERATING IN SECRETS OPERATING IN DARKNESS, AND THE OTHERS, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A MAJORITY, TURN A BLIND EYE AND ARE COMPLICIT IN THIS HIJACKING OF THE CITY, I VEHEMENTLY PLEASE STOP DOING THAT. PLEASE FOLLOW THE QUORUM AS EVERYBODY ELSE DOES LYING. SO I'M GOING CALL OUT YOU BOTH. YOU CAN I HAVE MY 10 SECONDS BACK? NO, YOU SHOULDN'T. YOU SHOULD. ONE MINUTE AND 10 SECONDS EXTRA. EXCUSE ME, AUDIENCE. THANK YOU. I VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED, OPPOSED TO THIS ACTION. I OPPOSED THIS MEETING, THIS MEETING TIME, THIS MEETING DATE. THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU ALL HAD AGREED TO [00:25:01] FOLLOW YOUR OWN WORD. ALL OF WHICH, BY THE WAY, AS MENTIONED IS ON GOOD FRIDAY. AND OUR BOOK'S, RECOLLECTION OF THE ACTS AGAINST OUR SAVIOR ON THIS DAY, MIRRORS TO WHAT'S HAPPENING TO SOMEBODY TODAY. WE HAVE A JUDAS, A KANGAROO COURT. THANK YOU FOR IMPORTANT THOUGHT OUT AND POORLY DISCUSSED DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF NATIONAL S CITY RESIDENCE, FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON. HELLO AGAIN. UM, I JUST WANTED TO, I I KNOW THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE WONDERING WHAT EXACTLY HAS BEEN DONE WELL FROM ONE, JUST ONE ASPECT OF IT, A $10 MILLION JUDGMENT AND NO ACCOUNTABILITY. THE RECENT $10 MILLION JURY VERDICT IN THE ASHLEY CUMMINS CASE IS A DIRECT RESULT OF NEGLIGENCE FAILURE TO ACT AN UNSAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT FESTERED UNDER BEN MARTINEZ'S LEADERSHIP AS CITY MANAGER. HE HAD A DUTY UNDER 2.0020 K TO INVESTIGATE ALL COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CITY AND 2.01020 A TO ENSURE ALL LAWS AND ORDINANCE ARE ENFORCED. HE FAILED BOTH. AND THE COMMUNITY NOW HAS ONE SERIOUS QUESTION. ARE THERE ANY OTHER SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS? BECAUSE IF SO, THE CITY'S LIABILITY CAN GROW AND PUBLIC TRUST COULD ERODE FURTHER. WE HOPE NOT, BUT THIS COUNCIL MUST DEMAND FULL DISCLOSURE AND ACCOUNTABILITY. THANK YOU. ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY EDWARD NETTO. I AM OUT THERE OBSERVING THIS AND I'M SEEING YOUTUBE NOD YOUR HEAD IN AGREEMENT WITH A LOT OF WHAT WE ARE SAYING. FULL AGREEMENT. YOU'RE NODDING. ALL RIGHT, SO ITEM 5.2, PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT SAYS POSITION TO BE REVIEWED, ACTING SLASH INTERIM CITY MANAGER. OKAY, SO I GO TO YOUR CITY WEBSITE. SO I GUESS THAT MEANS, UH, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER BRIAN HADLEY WILL BE THE ACTING INTERIM CITY MANAGER. I MEAN, SOMETHING HAPPENS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP WHO STEPS IN ELON MUSK OR JD VANCE. OKAY, SO WHAT I'M GETTING AT HERE IS WHY DOES THERE HAVE TO EVEN BE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT? I MEAN, THAT'S JUST STANDARD, UH, MOVEMENT, RIGHT? YOU'RE AGREEING WITH ME, YOU'RE AGREEING WITH ME. YOU'RE AGREEING WITH ME, RIGHT? SO WHY, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHY THAT HAS TO BE SOMETHING ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. OKAY. DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY EDWARD ELLO. THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT BEN MARTINEZ IS BEING REMOVED BECAUSE OF HIS ALLEGED EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE INVESTIGATING OF RECENT ACTIONS BY THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANT AND THE MAYOR, UH, IN RELATION WITH THE POTENTIAL LAND DEVELOPMENT AT SWEETWATER ROAD. ACTION. SPEED LA SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS AND THE PUBLIC WILL BE CLOSELY WATCHING WHETHER THIS INVESTIGATION CONTINUES TO HAPPEN UNDER THE WATCH OF THE NEW CITY MANAGER, OR IF, UH, THE IDEA OF INVESTIGATION MAGICALLY DISAPPEARS. UM, I'M LIVING IT TO ONE MINUTE RIGHT NOW, AND IT, THIS IS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND I SEE COMMENTS COMING FROM UP THERE. I'M JUST WONDERING, ARE WE GONNA ALL BE INVITED INTO CLOSED SESSION TO MAKE COMMENTS TO YOU AS WELL? THAT WAS KIND OF, UH, DISGUSTING TO SEE. UM, I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD HAPPEN. THANK YOU. OKAY, ED NIETO. I THINK BEN'S BEEN GIVEN TOO MUCH CREDIT ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS HERE. , YOU KNOW, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BREAKING INVESTIGATIONS HERE. YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN HERE COMING TO TWO YEARS AND WE'VE HAD CONTROVERSIES AND BEN HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO INVESTIGATE THOSE CONTROVERSIES, YOU KNOW, SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THESE PEOPLE COME FROM HERE, WHERE THEY, WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THOSE CONTROVERSIES WERE TAKEN? ANYWAY, LET'S MAKE IT HERE. WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU IS THIS, YOU KNOW, HERE WE HAVE RODRIGUEZ TALKING AND HE'S AMAZING. I MEAN, HE, HE'S A, HE'S IN, IT'S INCREDIBLE. YOU KNOW, HE'S PART OF THE PROBLEM IS CREATING THIS CONTROVERSY HERE. HE'S, HE'S IN THE BACK STIRRING PEOPLE UP. THAT'S NOT THE TYPE OF COLLABORATION YOU NEED AMONGST THE BOARD MEMBERS. YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S INCREDIBLE. YOU KNOW, THIS THING ABOUT, IT'S GOOD FRIDAY. WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FED UP WITH THIS. IT'S TIME TO MOVE. YOU HAVE TO MAKE HARD AND FAST DECISIONS. IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A HARD DECISION. IT'S A NECESSARY DECISION. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT FAIR TO BEN. IT'S NOT FAIR TO THE CITIZENS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT THAT RODRIGUEZ KEEPS ON THANK YOU. MAKING THIS A POLITICAL ISSUE. OKAY, NEXT WE GO ON TO, UH, 5.3 AND WE WILL GO THROUGH THE SPEAKERS [00:30:01] ON THIS ONE. UH, STARTING WITH LOUISA MCCARTHY, GOING TO MACKEL POLANCO AND THEN TO SANDY SCHULER. WHAT RULES ARE WE FOLLOWING HERE? THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANT ASKS A COMPANY THAT CONTRACTS WITH THE CITY TO PAY FOR HER NEPHEW'S FUNERAL AT HER BEHEST. THEN ASK THE MO THE MORTUARY FOR A KICKBACK FROM THE FUNDS. HER HUSBAND, A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, GETS THE DEATH CERTIFICATE NOT ALLOWED UNLESS IN PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTIES. MAYOR ODDLY HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH JOSIE'S NEPHEW AND A MORTUARY MAYOR SAID HE KNEW ABOUT IT. HE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT WAS SAID. HE WASN'T THERE. WHY WASN'T THAT INVESTIGATED? MAYOR, IF YOU KNEW ABOUT IT, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JOSIE THAT WOULD MAKE HIM GET IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONTRACT BETWEEN A MORTUARY AND ITS CUSTOMER? WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JOSIE THAT WOULD MAKE HIM TURN A BLONDE EYE TO WRONGFUL DOINGS AND NOT INVESTIGATE? THANK YOU MCCO, TO BE FOLLOWED BY SANDY SCHULER TO BE FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL LIGERY. MAYOR, YOU'RE ASKING THE CITY MANAGER TO STEP DOWN, BUT HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO STEPPING DOWN YOURSELF? MONTANA'S WAITING FOR YOU AND JOSIE. NUMBER ONE, YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT YOUR ASSISTANT ADMITTED TO GETTING DISCOUNTS ON GAS ON NOVEMBER 25TH. EDDIE TOLD US THAT HE WAS GOING TO GIVE US THE SAME DISCOUNT AS HE GIVES YOU. AND JOSIE, HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY DISCOUNTS FROM BRICO OR, AND HOW MANY TIMES AND HOW MUCH? I WAS THERE? YOU WEREN'T THERE. LUISA WAS THERE. YOU WEREN'T THERE. SO YOU CAN'T DENY IT. AND AS LUISA HAS STATED, YOU HAVE NO PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR ASSISTANT DID NOT ASK FOR THE $7,000 YOU DENIED. AND YOU KEEP DENYING THAT FRAUD UNDER 1710 CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE STATES THAT THE ASSERTION AS A FACT OF THAT WHICH IS NOT TRUE BY ONE WHO HAS NO REASONABLE GROUND FOR BELIEVING IT TO BE TRUE BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT THERE, IS FALSE. MM-HMM. THAT IS FRAUD. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. YOU'RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION. YOU'RE BEING PART OF THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU. OKAY. SANDY S SHYER TO BE FOLLOWED BY, UH, MICHAEL GUI TO BE FOLLOWED BY MARIA SEVERSON. START THE CLOCK. YEAH. SCHELLER, CAN YOU REPEAT SHEER SCHELLER. SCHELLER. OKAY. S-C-H-E-L-L-E-R. SHEER. ALRIGHT, BARRY, THEY NEED TO GIVE YOU A PILLOW. THIS IS CRAZY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, ISN'T IT? I MEAN, THIS IS JUST CRAZY. DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT LA VISTA? DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN BURIED THERE? DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE AS A HISTORIAN FOR THE SOUTH BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY CAN CONTINUE HAVING A RELATIONSHIP KNOWING THAT THIS CITY CARES THIS BACK AND FORTH, BACK AND FORTH? I GOTTA TELL YOU, IT'S PAINFUL. PLEASE, ON THIS DAY, ONE OF THE MOST RELIGIOUS DAYS. OKAY, GOOD FRIDAY, JESUS' RESURRECTION. IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN JUST BE HERE TODAY AND LET US KNOW THAT WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE? IT HAS TO HAPPEN. WE NEED TO BE CARED ABOUT THAT PLACE ON THE HILL. 'CAUSE THIS FIGHTING IS DOING NOBODY ANY GOOD. WE MUST CARE. AMEN. OF COURSE THEY DON'T CARE. OKAY, MICHAEL, A AGIRI WE FOLLOWED BY MARIA SSON. YES, THERE WAS A CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE PEOPLE OF NATIONAL CITY, ORCHESTRATED BY THE MAYOR TO APPROVE THE ILLEGAL PROJECT. THERE IS NOW PART OF THAT CONSPIRACY, OVERT ACTS TO COVER UP THE EVIDENCE. YOU TOO. YOU TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE, THE INFORMATION THAT LEADS TO THAT ANALYSIS. AND YOU ARE JOINING IN THE CONSPIRACY AND ENGAGING IN OVERT ACTS. THE WAY CONSPIRACY LAW WORKS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ORIGINALLY BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CONSPIRACY, BUT IF YOU KNOW THE CONSPIRACIES IS BEING PERPETRATED, YOU'RE BEING TOLD THAT BY ME SEVERAL TIMES. AND THEN YOU JOIN IN IT AND YOU OBTAIN ADVANTAGES LIKE MARCOS HAS WITH THE MAYOR, OR YOU OBTAIN POLITICAL ADVANTAGE COUNCIL MEMBER LIKE YOU ARE, AND YOU JOIN IN IT, YOU HAVE EQUAL RESPONSIBILITY. AND AT SOME POINT THIS WILL BE INVESTIGATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. THANK YOU [00:35:01] MARIA EVERSON. MAYOR, YOU HAVE REPEATEDLY STATED THAT THERE ARE NO MORE DOCUMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST. THAT'S THE SUBJECT OF THIS LITIGATION. LAST WEEK, A DOCUMENT SHOWED UP AND IT SHOWED THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN PRODUCED BECAUSE IT HAD EXISTED MONTHS AND MONTHS PRIOR. IT ADMITTED THE PRO THE PROJECT WHICH YOU KEEP SAYING IS DEAD, WAS NOT DEAD, BUT RATHER JUST ON HOLD. ON HOLD FOR WHAT? UNTIL, UNTIL ALL THE PUBLIC AWARENESS GOES AWAY AND PEOPLE STOP TALKING UNTIL YOU HAVE A NEW CITY MANAGER IN PLACE WHO CAN, CAN PUSH IT THROUGH AT YOUR WILL. WE ALSO LEARNED YOU HAVE NOT PRODUCED ALL THE DOCUMENTS BASED ON A CLAIM THAT THEY ARE EXEMPT OR PRIVILEGE. CAN YOU TELL US HOW MANY OF THOSE DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN WITHHELD ON THOSE GROUNDS? WE ASKED YOUR ATTORNEY, BUT SHE HAS FAILED TO GIVE US THAT INFORMATION. INSTEAD OF PROVIDING DOCUMENTS, YOU PUBLICLY ATTACK THE PLAINTIFF, MS. POLANCO FOR EXERCISING HER RIGHT TO SEEK REDRESS IN COURTS. WE ASK THAT YOU PUT AN END AND STOP ALL ATTEMPTS TO, UH, TO STOP THE PUBLIC FROM SPEAKING OUT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, KEL, WOULD YOU PLEASE NOT TAKE THAT AWAY QUITE YET? 'CAUSE YOU WILL KEEP USING THE WORD HOLD. I WOULD LIKE, I WOULD. OKAY. ONE SECOND. I WOULD LIKE TO READ THE SUBJECT MATTER. SWEETWATER GAS STATION WITHDRAW APPLICATION. FIRST SENTENCE. WE WOULD LIKE TO WITHDRAW OUR CURRENT APPLICATION FOR CUP ON THE DEVELOPMENT ON THE CORNER OF SWEETWATER AND ORANGE. THAT'S WORK. PLACE IT ON HOLD. KEEP READING. OKAY. NOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PUTTING, THEY'RE PUTTING, THEY'RE PUTTING THEIR PLANS ON HOLD THE PROJECT, COME BACK TO MEET THE STAFF. OKAY. BUT THEIR APPLICATION HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. OKAY. SO IF THEY, THEY PUT ANYTHING ON HOLD, THEY WOULD, THEY COULD COME BACK LATER. LIKE ANYONE CAN, LIKE YOU CAN WITH YOUR BUSINESS. YOU'VE DONE IT IN THE PAST AND YOU CAN BRING SOMETHING, YOU CAN BRING SOMETHING BACK, A DIFFERENT PROJECT. BUT THAT SAYS THAT THAT APPLICATION WAS WITHDRAWN. IT SAYS IT'S ON, IT'S ON, ON HOLD. IT'S NOT, BUT IT'S NOT. THANK YOU. WE CAN, WE'VE ALREADY EXPLAINED THIS VERY MUCH. BRING THE PROJECT IS DONE. GUYS, WHY DO YOU KEEP, EXCUSE ME. YOUR, YOUR, YOUR TIME ON THE CLOCK IS DONE. THANK YOU. BROUGHT, OKAY. ASK NO. FRANK, FRANK RIVERA. OKAY. OKAY. YOU CAN PUT MORE TIME ON YOUR BUILDING CLOCK, BUT OKAY. BUT NOT, NOT HERE. OKAY. NO. OKAY. FRANK. PARDON? YOU ATTACK THE PLAINTIFF BACK. OKAY. YOU YES, YOUR TIME. FRANK RIVERA TO BE FOLLOWED BY KYLIE ROCO TO BE FOLLOWED BY HELEN CHISHOLM. WE SHOULD NOT BE HERE EXCEPT FOR THE DELAYS INADEQUATELY RESPONDING TO THE QUESTIONS THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN ASKING. THERE WAS A PROJECT THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION RIGHTFULLY DENIED BECAUSE ON THE FACE OF IT, THE PROJECT WAS SO OVER THE TOP FOR THE SMALL SITE, IT WAS PROPOSED FOR, AGAIN, THE PUBLIC IS REQUESTING THAT ALL PUBLIC RECORD ACT REQUESTS BE SUBMITTED, BE COMPLETELY ANSWERED, SO THAT IT CAN BE DETERMINED WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS UNDUE INFLUENCE THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT APPROVAL PROCESS. THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAW THROUGH IT ALL, THAT IT WAS AN INAPPROPRIATELY SCALED PROJECT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY NUISANCE PROJECT. AND WE AWAIT THE ANSWERS. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, KYLIE ROCO TO BE FOLLOWED BY HELEN CHISHOLM, TO BE FOLLOWED BY RANDY CASTLE SALGADO. OKAY. THEN WE HAVE, UH, UH, THANK YOU HELEN CHISHOLM TO BE FOLLOWED BY RANDY CASTLE SATO TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALICIA MORRISON. GOOD AFTERNOON. YIKES. THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY. I FIRST CAME AWARE I WENT 70 11. I WORKED FOR SEVEN 11 CORPORATE FOR MANY YEARS. I WORKED FOR THE FRANCHISEE NOW ON SWEETWATER ROAD. AND I FIRST, WHEN I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE PROJECT AT SWEETWATER IN ORANGE. UM, AND I SAY AWARE OF IT BECAUSE WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT IT. UM, AFTER I TRIED TO ATTEND MEETINGS, COULDN'T GET INTO THE MEETINGS THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HOLDING, UM, CAME DOWN HERE TO FIND OUT WHY 70 11 WAS NOT NOTIFIED OFFICIALLY, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IS A LAW WE HAVE TO BE NOTIFIED. COULD NOT GET ANY ANSWERS. AND WITH MY BACKGROUND, UNFORTUNATELY, MY MIND STRAIGHT WENT TO, OKAY, WHO IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IS ON THE TAKE OF THIS? I SAT ON THE ETHICS COMMISSION FOR THE STATE OF NEVADA FOR SIX YEARS, APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE, OF, OF THE STATE. SO WHEN I SEE THINGS THAT DON'T LOOK RIGHT, LIKE I SAID, UNFORTUNATELY MY MIND JUST GOES TO THOSE NOW. AFTER ALL, I FOUND OUT TOO THAT NONE OF THE BUSINESSES IN THAT WERE NOTIFIED. UM, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND NOW HEARING ALL OF THIS, IT'S LIKE, YIKES. RANDY CASTLE SALGADO, ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON. OKAY. FINAL STATEMENT. I NOTICED THAT THE THREE PEOPLE THAT [00:40:01] WOULD BE IN QUESTION, UM, ARE NOT CURRENTLY PRESENT AND SITTING HERE, BEN MARTINEZ, JOSE RODRIGUEZ, AND DITA YA. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD INTO RECORD THAT JOSE RODRIGUEZ HAS MADE IT APPARENT THAT HE'S RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN, IN THIS NEXT SEASON. UM, AND HE'S SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO COME AFTER AND, AND LITERALLY COME AFTER YOU GUYS. UM, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BEHIND HIM ARE, YOU KNOW, BEEN MARTINEZ. HE'S APPROVED A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN, THAT ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE GOING THROUGH. I, SORRY, I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY MY PHONE. HE HAS APPROVED A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THAT HA THAT WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE APPROVED. UM, JOSE HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY NICK AND ZZA. YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT HE'S CAMP, HE'S DONATED TO HIS CAMPAIGN. UM, BEN MARTINEZ AND NICK AND ZZA FAMILY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME. THAT'S HOW HE CAME INTO POSITION IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE ALL KNOW THIS. SO TO HAVE ALL OF THIS GOING FORWARD AND SAYING THERE IS NO CORRUPTION, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. REALLY, WE NEED TO LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT'S BEEN TRANSPIRING OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALICIA MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY EDWARD NIETO. NOVEMBER 18TH, I SHOWED UP AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING WITH 19 PEOPLE. THAT ITEM WAS MOVED TO DECEMBER 2ND. OKAY. I REALLY RESENT THE FACT THAT YOU REFER TO US AS FOLLOWERS. WE'RE NOT FOLLOWERS. IT WAS ME. I TOOK THAT NOTICE UP TO THE CEMETERY BECAUSE THEY WERE NEVER NOTIFIED. THAT'S WHY THEY WERE HERE ON DECEMBER 2ND. 660 FEET FROM THE CORNER OF THE PROPERTY IS THE PARAMETER WHERE PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE NOTIFIED. BACK IN 2019, LOUIS NAITI DIED, TOLD THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY THAT HE SHOULD GO TALK TO THEM. I ASKED MIKA, I SAID, DID THE, DID THE ROCA'S EVER COME TALK TO YOU? AND SHE GOES, NO, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THEM. SO I MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT FOLLOWERS, WE ARE A COALITION. I BROUGHT THEM INTO THIS FIGHT. YOU UPPED THE FIGHT BY NOT RELEASING THE ALL THE RECORDS THAT THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. OKAY. DOYLE MORRISON, FOLLOWED BY ED EDWARD NETTO. SO THE CONFERENCE, UH, WITH LEGAL COUNSEL, UH, FOR THIS EXISTING LITIGATION, UM, MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS. MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CROSSING OVER BETWEEN THE AGENDA, AGENDA ITEMS. UM, I KNOW FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT THAT DEVELOPMENT ON THAT PROPERTY WAS ABSURD. THE PLANNING COMMISSION KNEW THAT IT WAS ABSURD. MARCUS IS SHAKING HIS HEAD NOW. HE KNOWS THAT IT'S ABSURD. WHY, WHY DID THIS EVEN GET CLOSE TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION? IT IS RIDICULOUS. THANK YOU. EDWARDO. LOOK, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT BEN'S EVALUATION. YOU KNOW THESE NO, NO, NOT 5.3. 5.3. I'M SORRY. OKAY. IN THIS CASE, SOMEHOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 5.3 WHEN SHE'D BE TALKING ABOUT BEN'S EVALUATION. NO, BECAUSE HOW IT, OKAY, IN THAT CASE, I'M GONNA BACK OFF. OKAY. I'M GONNA BACK OFF. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. YEAH, THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT ITEM. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THAT, UH, AND YOU SAID WE HAVE ONE ZOOM ON, UH, ON 5.3. YES, WE DO. ALEX , UH, GURU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. YOU SAID THAT ALL PUBLIC RECORDS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY NATIONAL CITY. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, WE NOW UNDERSTAND. WE NOW UNDERSTAND FROM YOUR ATTORNEY'S LETTER SENT LAST WEEK THAT YOU'RE NOT RELEASING RECORDS ON THE GROUNDS OF ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE AND EXEMPTION. I CALLED YOUR ATTORNEY MULTIPLE TIMES. I SENT FOUR SEPARATE EMAILS ASKING THESE SIMPLE QUESTIONS. I'LL RESTATE THEM AGAIN FOR THE RECORD HERE. ONE, ARE ANY DOCUMENTS BEING WITHHELD BASED ON ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE OR EXEMPTION? AND TWO, WHAT IS THE DATE OF THE EMAIL FORWARDED FROM MARTIN REEDER TO THE CITY ATTORNEY BARRY SCHULTZ, WHERE THE PROJECT WAS STATED TO BE PLACED ON HOLD. YOUR ATTORNEY HAS AVOIDED ANSWERING THESE BASIC, SIMPLE QUESTIONS AND SHE CONTINUES TO HIDE. GOOD FRIDAY. MR. MAY IS ABOUT REPENTANCE AND SACRIFICE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. SO PLEASE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. OKAY. DO THE RIGHT THING. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, UH, WE HAVE THREE ITEMS FOR CLOSED SESSION. [00:45:01] AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, IF I MAY, MAYOR, SO THE EMAIL DATE THAT WAS BLOCKED OUT, MIKA BROUGHT THAT UP. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, YOU DID NOT BLOCK THAT DATE. I THOUGHT YOU GUYS BLOCKED THAT DATE OUT. YOU GUYS DID NOT BLOCK THAT DATE OUT. THAT'S THE WAY WE, OKAY, WELL, I WOULD TURN THAT OVER TO BARRY TO ASK ABOUT THE DATE BEING BLOCKED, BUT JUST FOR, OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. MAYBE THAT'S GOING TOO FAR. SORRY. WE'LL, WE'LL GET AN ANSWER, BUT THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT THE TIME. OKAY. UH, WITH THAT WE [5. CLOSED SESSION] WILL BE, UM, WE WILL BE GOING TO CLOSE SESSION ON THE THREE ITEMS AND I WILL NOW TURN THAT OVER TO, UH, THE CITY, UH, ATTORNEY TO MAKE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT. THANK YOU. UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW BY NOW, WE HAVE THREE ITEMS ON CLOSED SESSION. UM, THE FIRST IS PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION, THE POSITION, CITY MANAGER, PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT, UH, POSITION TO BE REVIEWED, ACTING SLASH INTERIM CITY MANAGER. AND THEN CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL REGARDING THE CASE OF POLANCO VERSUS THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY. OKAY. OKAY. THEREFORE, WE ARE IN CLOSED SESSION. OKAY. UM, WE ARE, UH, COMING OUT OF CLOSED SESSION AND WE PROBABLY SHOULD DO ROLL CALL AT THIS STAGE SINCE WE NOT EVERYONE'S PRESENT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA PRESENT. VICE MAYOR BUSH HERE. MAYOR MORRISON PRESENT AND WE'LL INDICATE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ IS ABSENT. OKAY. I'LL ASK THE, UH, CITY ATTORNEY TO REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, WE HAD, UH, THREE ITEMS FOR CLOSED SESSION. UM, THE FIRST IS THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION REGARDING THE CITY MANAGER. AND I WILL REPORT OUT THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER, BEN MARTINEZ, HAVE AGREED TO A MUTUAL SEPARATION, WHICH WILL BE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. UM, THE SECOND ITEM WAS A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT, UH, REGARDING, IN THIS CASE ACTING CITY MANAGER. AND THE, OH, JUST SO THAT, UH, FOR THE RECORD, THE VOTE ON THE, UM, UH, PREVIOUS ITEM WAS THREE TO ONE. UH, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER YAMANI WAS THE, THE, NO, NO, I WAS, OH, I'M SORRY. NO, IT WAS VICE MAYOR. IT WAS VICE MAYOR. VICE MAYOR. OKAY. YES. THANK YOU. UM, SECOND WAS, UM, THE, UH, COUNCIL HAS, UM, APPOINTED, UM, STEVE MANGANELLO, WHO IS OUR CURRENT DIRECTOR, UH, OF IN CITY ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS AS THE ACTING CITY MANAGER. AND THAT VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS FOUR ZERO. AND IN ADDITION, UM, THE COUNCIL HAS, UM, DIRECTED US TO INITIATE, UM, A SEARCH FOR AN INTERIM, UH, CITY MANAGER. UH, AND THAT WAS ON A THREE TO ONE VOTE WITH YAMANI WAS THE, UH, DISSENTING VOTE. DISSENTING VOTE. AND THEN LASTLY, UH, ON THE POLANCO MATTER, THERE'S NO REPORTABLE ACTION. AND I THINK THAT'S IT. OKAY WITH THAT, THAT HAS BEEN A LONG THREE AND A HALF HOURS FOLKS. UM, WITH THAT WE ARE ADJOURNED. OKAY. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.