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After deciding not to run again, John Freeman ended his eight years on the San Juan Bautista City Council as it underwent a change of guard. At the Dec. 17 meeting, after a ceremony recognizing Freeman’s contributions to the city, his replacement, former planning commissioner Jose Aranda, along and reelected councilman Scott Freels, were sworn into office.
The meeting got underway with Leslie Jordan being selected mayor for the upcoming year in a 3-2 vote. Councilmembers Jordan, Aranda and Jackie Morris-Lopez voted for her appointment, with Freels and E. J. Sabathia opposed. The vote for Sabathia as mayor pro-tem saw a similar split, with Aranda, Freels and Sabathia voting “yes” and Morris-Lopez and Jordan voting “no.”
In a 5-0 vote, the council appointed Ashley Collick as interim city manager. She will replace current City Manager Don Reynolds, who has held the position since 2019. Collick, who was one of three finalists for the job, previously served in Seaside as a recreation coordinator, a youth center supervisor, and assistant city manager, holding the last position since 2021.
The major presentation of the night was from environmental studies students led by Dan Fernandez from California State University, Monterey Bay. It encompassed preliminary studies on several issues, including the development of a park on Lang Street, restoration practices for parks and recreation in the city, and residents’ concerns over the cost of water.
The students promoted EPIC Total Water Solutions as a means of irrigating the parks through a layered underground system that would retain large amounts of rainwater. Participating via Zoom, EPIC Vice President Tomas Sipaila complimented the students on their work and offered to present to the council on his company’s services.
During public comment, John Hopper, who had been on the council nearly 30 years ago when the city originally purchased the Lang Street property, endorsed the effort to move forward on the park.
“It has been frustrating not to see anything done,” he said. “There’s been several false starts. The message I want to send to you is to get it done. I really thought the day we bought the land, we would have had something done in five years.”
As this was a preliminary study, the students offered only a rough cost analysis for the project. For example, estimates for an inclusive playground ranged from $150,000 to $500,000, and fencing for adjoining dog parks ranged from $40,000 to $200,000. The numbers presented by the students suggested a low-end estimate of $380,000 and a high-end estimate of $956,000 for the park.
The vote to authorize the city manager to execute an agreement for further studies by the students fell flat when none of the council members motioned to approve the resolution. Concerns were raised on several aspects, including the propriety of Sipaila promoting his services during his comments and the cost of the study, which was set not to exceed $25,000.
The council also voted 4-0, with Morris-Lopez abstaining, to approve a long-discussed property vacancy ordinance that aims to encourage landlords to “care for their vacant properties that have been determined to be a cause of blight in the city,” and charge a “registration fee” for those not in compliance. The measure was among options Reynolds offered the council at its April 16 meeting.
The fee, Reynolds said, would be set at a subsequent council meeting. The resolution’s proposal suggested either an annual fee of between $700 and $1,000 or a sliding fee of $700 for the first six months of vacancy, $1,000 for the next six months and $300 escalations from there, not to exceed $20,000.
Three items on the agenda—an amendment to the San Benito County Government Joint Powers Agreement, the appointment of a new city treasurer—and recommendations of candidates for four vacancies on the Historic Resources Board/Planning Commission, were postponed to the next meeting.
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