Recommendation to direct City Manager and all appropriate departments to report back within 90 days on establishing a citywide Tree Replacement Program that establishes standards and streamlined processes for maintaining the community's urban forest and promoting the health and safety of City trees, from the time they are planted through maturity.
Okay. You can do eight in ten pretty quickly. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Okay, let's do attention very fast and then we'll go to the study session. But communication from Councilwoman Mongeau, Councilwoman Allen, Councilwoman Price, Councilmember, your UNGA recommendation to direct city manager to report back within 90 days on establishing a citywide tree replacement program. Cardamom mango. Oh, thank you. Over the last four years, I have discovered that there are so many different tree replacement programs that residents are often confused and misinformed about the pathway to get a pathway tree. It's important to me that we not have a system where there are four different areas of funding and four different places you could get a tree and four different timelines to get a tree based on that you embark upon. So for those reasons, I bring forward this item to have the city manager look at and better understand what our options are. Since putting this item on the agenda, I've received a lot of amazing comments, mostly from neighbors on the park, but I've also learned a lot. Today, Councilman Allen hosted an amazing Climate Action Committee meeting of the subcommittee of the City Council, and we talked about one component of tree replacement. But I also mentioned at that meeting and I'll add it here, two things that residents brought to my attention. Replacing trees, one for one does not necessarily mean that you're replacing the tree canopy that's so vital to our tree network and to some of our utility partners believe that when a tree is in the way of their. Business need that they just decapitate it. And we need to have a plan in place that requires those utilities to replace that tree canopy and those trees and then appropriately remove the tree. Not just leaves this. 15 foot stump in the middle of sometimes walkable areas and the such that has no value. And then those roots are not being removed in a way that we'd be able to plant a tree again in the future. Tree canopies are a big component of health and equity and air cleanliness, and it's a really important part of our city. Too many parts of our city. And I know Calhoun's and they have spoke very eloquently about some of the challenges in her district related to tree canopies today and the additional heat and health impacts. And so I feel that this is a really important component of getting our city on the same page in terms of how we can ensure that the maximum number of trees with a maximum impact to residents will be planted. So thank you for all who supported the item. Thank you. Let's go to public comment, if there is any in the other council. Our first speaker is Marina Hernandez. Hi. I'm just at a respective time. Thank you for taking on this item. I was waiting for 2 hours. I'm really glad that we got to it. I just want to say that I really think Councilwoman Mongeau and all the other council members that signed on to this. It is this what's addressed in this. Recommendation is exactly what happened to me. I live on a street with a ton of mature jacaranda and eight of them are slated to be removed. And when I came out I, I saw a sign and they just left me with the responsibility to follow up. Either I can apply for a permit on my own or I can get on some lists. It just seems like if the city is going to remove a tree, it should be the city's responsibility to. Replace that tree. If there was a streamline process, it would just make it a lot easier. Um, I formed a committee a we inundated. Our. Councilwoman Mungo's office. With a comment. I appreciate her responding to those. I just think that that can that can be mitigated in the future. If there was a streamline process and it was very clear to residents about how and when and what and all that surrounding how trees are going to be replaced. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes public comment for the third. Thank you, Councilor Maria Ringa. Thank you, Mary. And I want to thank Stacey. Let me rephrase it, Councilwoman Mandell, for inviting me. To join in. The same tweets are very important to my district as well. And I'm glad that we're going to have a man here that's going to replace trees. And replant them, which is, I think, very important for our districts. Thank you. Councilwoman. As Councilwoman Price. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I have to recharge my laptop so I can turn my video back on, so hopefully that happens in a minute. But I wanted to thank everyone for bringing this item forward. Councilman Ronda and I actually have been going through a major tree replacement procedure because of the magnolia tree issue, and I'm sure it's in other districts as well. But it was prolific in both of our districts and I thought that the tree replacement policy in those cases was fantastic and there was a lot of work done with the community. Organizations to select. The replacement trees. And so anything we can do to make sure that a process like that is similarly followed throughout. The city and in. For decades to come would be very much appreciated. So thank you, Carol and Randolph, for this item. Councilwoman Allen. Yes. Thank you. Councilman Mongo, for bringing this forward. Even when I was a councilwoman elect. Right. Partnered with Councilman. Price on a tree planting program in the second district. So trees are disasters and they benefit everyone. And I'm excited to see the report back in three months. This is good stuff. Thank you. Councilman's and day house. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. And thank you, Councilmember Mongo, for this item. I think it's a very important I think one of the things that's the most important, as you were mentioning, are the canopies and the relief that they provide, especially when when the it's very hot out. I live in a district where it's not very common that my residents have air conditioning. So in the summer times, that's where they find relief going outside underneath canopies. And it's great to be outside. So I absolutely support this and I know that we're because of Earth Day. We're having a lot of tree planning in my districts that actually this week and next week and I'm just thrilled about that. So this is perfect timing. Thank you, Councilwoman Monk. Thank you. That concludes council comment. Please cast your vote. Roll call. District one. I. District two. I. District three. I. District four. I. District five. I. District six. I. District seven. I. District eight. I. District nine. Yes. Motion carries. Thank you. That concludes all the items that were requested to be moved up and so now will begin just the regular order. We have a study session and then after study session we have general public comment and then the rest of the agenda. So certainly we have a hefty, hefty night ahead of us. So why don't we turn this over? I know that the staff might need a minute to set up the study session, so why don't we just take a minute recess and we will start in just one minute. So we back in one minute with the study session on which will be by our city staff and violent crime and how we're addressing that. Thank you. Okay. We are going to go ahead and get the council meeting back into session.