Fort Bragg City Council — Full Report — August 24, 2026

Mayor Jason Godeke called the regular meeting to order at 6 p.m. (The full meeting is available on the city's Facebook page.)

Proclamations

Council Member Lindy Peters read a proclamation designating the first weekend in May as Fort Bragg Blues Festival Weekend. Pam Bell, the festival's organizer, accepted the proclamation.

Council Member Tess Albin-Smith read a proclamation recognizing Women's Equality Day and the 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Charlene McAllister, president of the League of Women Voters, accepted and told the council that protecting voting rights "requires vigilance, participation, and a commitment to inclusive policies."

Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items

Six speakers addressed the council.

Mary Rose Kaczorowski, a Fort Bragg journalist and city council candidate, asked the council to adopt a new resolution formally opposing offshore federal oil, gas, and mineral leasing and to direct the city clerk to transmit it to NOAA and other relevant agencies. She cited a 1987 resolution and a 2012 federal record identifying Fort Bragg's prior opposition.

Ron White, who volunteers as a caretaker of Glass Beach and the Headlands Trail, asked the city to reconsider its e-bike signage approach.

David Gurney, calling in remotely, alleged that combining the city manager, financial director, and community development director roles in one person creates "a system of one-stop shopping for corruption." He also accused Police Chief Eric Swift and Councilmember Peters of fabricating a vandalism claim to justify license plate reader cameras, and criticized the Highway 1 fence recently erected by Caltrans.

Jay McMartin-Rosenquist welcomed newly sworn city clerk/HR technician Dorothy Jess and asked the council to explain why a scheduled Riptide concert at Harold Bainbridge Park was canceled on short notice.

Ann Marie Weibel asked the council to hold a public hearing before finalizing any new fence design giving residents a chance to weigh in. She also raised questions about a letter a former councilmember sent regarding the former Georgia-Pacific mill site and toxic substance oversight.

A fifth remote caller attempted to speak but could not be heard and dropped.

Consent Calendar

No public comments were submitted on the consent calendar. Peters moved to adopt; Albin-Smith seconded. The vote was 5-0.

Council Member Reports

Peters asked staff to research existing city ordinances restricting onshore support facilities and slant drilling for offshore oil, and flagged renewed federal interest in coastal drilling under the Trump administration. He said every council he has served on going back 26 years has been unanimously opposed and asked for a future council discussion.

Albin-Smith said she recently testified before the state Senate Natural Resources Committee against offshore oil drilling in support of Senate Joint Resolution 12. She noted a quorum failed and the measure's status is unclear. She also asked about the fence situation on Hwy 1 and asked about electric vehicle purchases for the police fleet (Swift said the department currently has eight and has not committed to more, and has moved to enterprise fleet management). Albin-Smith promoted an upcoming free Magic Market and Labor Day events including a parade, Belles of the Ball, and a logging show at C.V. Starr Community Center.

Council Member Scott Hockett — no report noted in the transcript.

Vice Mayor Marcia Rafanan spoke from the podium and presented Ron White — the Glass Beach volunteer — with a plaque recognizing his years of unpaid trail maintenance, furniture repair, and litter removal. "He picks up a lot of extra slack [taking care of things] that the city can't get to," she said. "All he wants is nothing in return, not even a thank you." The plaque will be placed at the Headlands learning center. White, briefly at a loss for words, said volunteering at Glass Beach has been his mission for 28 years.

Godeke noted he attended the farmers market and will be there again Sept. 9 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Staff Comments

Police Chief Eric Swift highlighted a weekend rescue in which a civilian, Lloyd Lewis, swam out to a car submerged in Pudding Creek and pulled both the driver and his dog to shore. Because the driver had a prior injury and could not swim, Sgt. Rory Beak and the fire department extracted him and later recovered the vehicle.

Heath Daniels, operations manager for public works, said crews plan to resume patching on Franklin Street approximately one week out, weather permitting.

Sage Statham, broadband director, reported that all fiber has been pulled in the distribution area, branch terminal installation begins Wednesday, and optical testing starts the following Monday. He said the project is within budget and no overrun is anticipated. He flagged a supply delay: poly boxes needed for customer installations were pushed to an Oct. 24 ship date by the original distributor. The city found an alternative supplier with a two- to three-week lead time, and installs will begin once those arrive.

City Manager Isaac Whippy announced that California has officially designated Fort Bragg a prohousing community — one of 10 jurisdictions receiving the designation for the first time and 75 statewide. (See MendoLocal.News story)

Item: Coastal Zoning Code Cleanup

Planning consultant Marie Jones presented a package of seven ordinances updating the city's Coastal Land Use and Development Code (CLUDC) to match changes already made to the inland zoning code over several years. (See MendoLocal.News story)

The council voted on each of the seven ordinances separately, all 5-0:

Formula business regulations: 5-0
Commercial cannabis cultivation and retail: 5-0
Short-term rentals: 5-0
Animal keeping: 5-0
Telecommunications facilities: 5-0
Inclusionary housing and density bonus (with direction to route further discussion to the community development committee): 5-0
Signs, landscaping, residential accessory uses, and definitions: 5-0

All ordinances were introduced by title only with further reading waived; a second reading is required before adoption.

Item: Economic Development Zoning Amendments

Jones returned to present a second pair of ordinances amending both the inland and coastal codes to remove barriers to economic development. (See MendoLocal.News story)

The council voted 5-0 on both the inland and coastal ordinances, each introduced by title only with further reading waived.

Item: Wastewater Collection System Master Plan

Alex Johnson of HDR Engineering presented the city's 2026 Wastewater Collection System Master Plan, covering approximately 31 miles of gravity pipeline and six lift stations, the oldest sections dating to the 1960s and roughly 65 years old. The plan itself cost $750,000 to prepare, funded through the city's Wastewater Enterprise Fund.

Johnson said the system is currently performing better than the state average, logging about 1.2 sanitary sewer overflows per mile over the past decade — a rate he said compares with a statewide average of 1.7. By comparison, Johnson said a similarly sized sanitary district serving the Tiburon area in Marin County logs about 4.5 to 5 overflows per mile. But he said the infrastructure is reaching the end of its design lifespan and identified several urgent priorities.

The most pressing concern is corrugated metal pipe near the treatment plant, which the hydraulic model flagged as having both capacity and condition issues. The plan also flags the city's aging Techite force mains, a fiberglass-reinforced plastic pipe the plan warns can fail catastrophically and without warning as it ages. The city has already replaced its Pudding Creek Techite line. The plan also identified groundwater infiltration in several areas — possibly via old connections between the storm and sewer systems, or through cracked pipes — and calls for targeted lining projects.

The 10-year capital program totals approximately $35 million, broken into near-term (years 1–5) and long-term (years 6–10) phases. A $100,000-per-year placeholder for ongoing CCTV inspection is included. Johnson recommended updating the master plan at the five- and 10-year marks.

During public comment, Jay McMartin-Rosenquist raised concerns that recent sewer rate increases — which she said pushed her bill up more than $60 — could force a developmentally disabled tenant off a housing voucher and out of his home. She said city staff told her in July she would not see an increase, then her bill arrived higher.

Jacob Patterson, an attorney and Fort Bragg resident, suggested the city review its settlement agreement with River Watch — an environmental legal organization that previously sued the city over Clean Water Act violations — before finalizing project priorities, to avoid renewed litigation.

Andrew Jordan said public works is doing a good job but echoed concerns about utility rate increases pricing residents out of housing.

Peters responded to Patterson's comments by describing River Watch as "ambulance chasing attorneys" who monitor public spill reports and file suit, saying there is little the city can do to prevent that if it is required to report overflows.

The council voted 5-0 to accept and file the report and direct staff to incorporate its recommendations.

Mayor Godeke adjourned at approximately 9 p.m.