Fort Bragg City Council — Full Report for August 10, 2026

Mayor Jason Godeke called the regular meeting to order with all five members present. (The full meeting video is available through the city's Facebook page.)

City Attorney Baron Bettenhausen reported that the council voted unanimously in closed session to release a letter previously marked confidential by the city. No further action was taken.

Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items

Eight speakers addressed the council.

Ron White, volunteer caretaker of Glass Beach and the Headlands Trail, objected to new signs banning e-bikes, scooters, and skateboards on the coastal trail. White argued the city to adopt should adopt positive trail-etiquette language — speed limits, right-of-way rules — rather than blanket prohibitions.

Levi Cook, a Fort Bragg resident and city council candidate said he was concerned about internal discrepancies after reviewing 958 documents about municipal broadband expenses. Cook asked the council to agendize an accountability and closeout report for the Aug. 24 meeting and consider an independent line-by-line reconciliation before releasing final funds.

Evan Dick, a Fort Bragg resident, said his mother was struck by a vehicle in a Fort Bragg crosswalk about a month ago. He directed his frustration at Councilmembers Lindy Peters and Tess Albin-Smith, saying he had complained repeatedly about pedestrian safety on North Harbor Drive for years without result..

Jay McMartin-Rosenquist praised City Manager Isaac Whippy for quickly arranging closure of the Franklin Street block for the First Friday entertainment zone and urged the council to repeat the closure for the Labor Day weekend. 

Paul Clark said he was shocked to learn that Formula Ordinance provisions passed for the inland zone had been folded into a general coastal plan amendment now before the Coastal Commission. The Formula Ordinance regulates chain stories and restaurants in order to preserve local character.

David Gurney repeated a prior claim that the city violates California Government Code 1099 by having one person hold the roles of finance director, community development director, and city manager simultaneously.

Note: City Attorney Bettenhausen, responded later in the meeting to Gurney's claim; he said Government Code 1099, subsection C, specifically exempts positions of employment — and that no violation exists.

Mary Rose Kaczorowski, a candidate for city council,  asked the council to consider a flashing-light crosswalk at Cypress and Franklin streets before the new Grocery Outlet opens, citing increased bicycle and pedestrian traffic in that corridor and a recent pedestrian fatality nearby.

Consent Calendar

No public comments were offered on the consent calendar. Peters moved adoption; Albin-Smith seconded. The council approved it 5-0.

Staff Comments

Police Chief Eric Swift noted the department has three open officer positions — four after Friday — with several candidates in background screening. A part-time transport officer started the same day as the meeting. Swift also flagged the launch of a drop-in center at C.V. Starr open Mondays and Wednesdays, 3-5 p.m., for youth ages 15 to 24. Sergeant Beak recently completed gang resistance education and training and will bring six-week programming to elementary schools and 13-week programming to middle schools. The department also launched a community academy and a volunteer program, both open for online sign-up.

Heath Daniels, Operations Manager for Public Works reported that a new skid steer and attachments have arrived; a thermal lay truck is expected Sept. 1, a dump truck in October, and a trailer shortly after. The dog park at the coastal trail has new fencing and fresh wood chips. Two seasonal laborers have been painting curbs and crosswalks — the downtown business district is nearly done, with schools next. Solar installations at City Hall, the Police Department, and the Water Plant are complete; PG&E bills are running negative. In July alone, the city saved $20,000 compared to the prior year. The Wastewater Plant solar system recently went online.

City Clerk Diana Paoli reported eight confirmed candidates for the November ballot: Tess Albin-Smith, Levi Cook, Jason Godeke, Mary Rose Kaczorowski, Scott Mayberry, Marcia Rafanan, Mary Anne Schmidt, and Richard Ovling. One candidate pulled papers during the nomination period but withdrew within a week. The Secretary of State sets candidate ballot order Aug. 13. Coastal-zone political signs may go up Sept. 4; official ballots mail Oct. 5; the last day to register is Oct. 19.

Parks and Recreation Director Moneque Wooden recapped a summer that included swim lessons that filled with waiting lists (most seats covered by scholarships), four free Friday night pool parties averaging 70 attendees each, sold-out summer camp sessions at half price, a library reading partnership that distributed more than 40 free swim passes, and soccer skills camps. Upcoming events include a log-rolling contest Labor Day weekend, the second annual Longest Table celebration Sept. 27 from 1-5 p.m., and a post-parade community barbecue at Bainbridge Park on Labor Day Monday in partnership with the chamber of commerce.

City Manager Isaac Whippy added that a series of community meetings on the municipal broadband network is scheduled through August and September; details are on the city's website.

Council Member Reports

Council Member Lindy Peters noted the First Friday entertainment zone was well attended. On the e-bike signs, Peters said the coastal trail and haul road are governed by a city ordinance that bans motorized vehicles — a law that predates e-bikes — and that the signs were posted in response to complaints about speed and specific incidents. Peters welcomed the Fort Bragg High School football team in the audience and said the council plans to present them a league championship certificate at a future meeting.

Council Member Scott Hockett announced the Public Works Committee meets Thursday, Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. and the Public Safety Committee meets Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 3 p.m.

Council Member Albin-Smith said she had been traveling in Vietnam and Thailand. She said she received significant community feedback about the e-bike signs and, noting that Peters had also raised concerns, asked that the matter be brought back to the council for a formal discussion — pointing out that the council never voted on the signs. "We talked about it. We never voted on anything," she said. "My recollection is that we wanted educational signs."

Mayor Jason Godeke said the mayor's Well Done Awards will roll out again in late August, and he will hold an informal constituent meeting at the farmers market Aug. 19 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Item: Youth Internship Program

Public Experience Liaison Adelaide La Torre presented the city's "Leading the Next Wave of Leaders" summer internship program. Eight interns worked across Community Development, Public Works, and the water plant over eight weeks on a $12,000 budget, with an additional $3,000 set aside for a forthcoming Youth Council. 

No formal vote was taken; the program is already budgeted at $15,000 for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Council members offered supportive comments; Godeke noted the interns were actively working in departments rather than just observing.

Item: $8.5 Million Grant to Rebuild Aging Timberwolf Stadium (See MendoLocal.News story)

Item: C.V. Starr Community Resiliency Center Grant (Phase 3)

The Fort Bragg City Council voted 5-0 Aug. 10 to authorize the city to apply for a state Community Resilience Centers grant to advance the long-planned Phase III expansion of the C.V. Starr Community Center. Funded by Proposition 4, the 2024 climate bond, the program offers Planning Grants ($100,000–$500,000) or larger Implementation Grants ($1 million–$10 million) with no local match required. About $55 million is available statewide in this round.

The idea is to pair the center's everyday recreation, aquatics, and health services with disaster functions — clean-air shelter, heating and cooling, drinking water, food and medication storage, and emergency communications during wildfire, extreme heat, or extended power outages. The city has a 2016 master plan for a roughly 20,500-square-foot expansion to build from, though staff say it needs updating. Staff is also weighing whether Fort Bragg is competitive for the larger implementation award. 

The resolution lets the city pursue either a Planning or an Implementation grant, depending on readiness and competitiveness. A Planning Grant would fund community engagement, technical studies, architectural and engineering design, cost estimating, environmental review, permitting, and operational planning to prepare for future capital funding — it would not approve a design or authorize construction. An Implementation Grant runs about six years (a roughly nine-month funded pre-development phase, a four-year construction/implementation phase, and a closeout year) and can pay for construction, renovation and expansion, plus solar, battery storage and backup power, broadband, potable-water storage, HVAC and clean-air systems, medical refrigeration, emergency communications, a commercial kitchen and emergency food distribution, and emergency shelter, sanitation, and shower facilities.

Item: Parks and Recreation Service Delivery Policy

Whippy and Wooden presented a policy framework to govern how the city evaluates, coordinates, and delivers parks and recreation programming. The policy includes a staff checklist to assess whether a proposed program duplicates services already offered by other providers — specifically the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District — before moving forward. An 82% majority of roughly 180 survey respondents in March rated parks and recreation as somewhat or very important. The C.V. Starr Community Center carries a roughly $2.9 million operating budget; a $40,000 general fund contribution supports the broader parks and recreation department.

Whippy said LAFCO's recent municipal service review of MCRPD specifically flagged the need for coordination rather than duplication, which he said this policy addresses. He acknowledged meeting regularly with the MCRPD manager to discuss programming coordination.

Paul Clark, speaking online, said the city is "in direct competition with MCRPD" regardless of stated intent, citing two full-time city employees with benefits running C.V. Starr and noting the city had also purchased the Highway 20 property. Mary Rose Kaczorowski suggested a cleaner model: the city owns facilities, and MCRPD provides programming inside them.

Albin-Smith raised what she called "an elephant in the room" — the city's old gym, used heavily by MCRPD, is not listed among city facilities in the policy document, and fees to use it were recently increased. She asked whether the city could offer the gym at reduced or no cost to MCRPD as a gesture of good faith. Whippy said a formal subsidy or fee-waiver framework for partner organizations is being developed for the Parks and Recreation Ad Hoc Committee and will return to the full council separately.

The council voted 5-0 to adopt the resolution. Albin-Smith moved; Hockett seconded.

Adjournment

Mayor Godeke adjourned the meeting at approximately 10 p.m.