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Paulo Morales Personal Devices ProductionFrom:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:24:03 PM Attachments:2022 Cypress CVRA Forum.docx Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: "Paulo M. Morales" <pmmorales_7@yahoo.com> Date: January 17, 2022 at 9:00:53 PM PST To: pmmorales_7@yahoo.com  Paulo Morales City of Cypress • Public Forum Election System Discussion Session description: The City of Cypress has received a CVRA challenge, and the City Council has embarked on a public education and outreach effort to solicit feedback from the community prior to undergoing full deliberations as to whether to defend against the challenge or voluntarily move to By- District voting within the City. This Public Forum is the first of three sessions. This initial will be virtual and recorded so that, following broadcast, it can be shared online through all the City online channels. Recording: Wednesday, January 16, 2022 6 PM – 7:20 PM (live • recorded) ZOOM https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85188638374 Zoom Webinar Main Channel: English Channel Two: Korean Channel Three: Spanish Air Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2022 6 PM – 7:20 PM (live • recorded) Location: Communications LAB 701 E Chapman Avenue Orange, CA 92866 INTRODUCTION: Paulo Morales, Mayor, City of Cypress (BLUE text for Mayor Morales) MODERATOR: Arianna Barrios, Executive Director, OC Forum (RED text for Arianna) PARTICIPANTS (Non-speaking Roles, but each will be introduced at the top of show): • Anne Hertz-Mallari, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Cypress • Frances Marquez, Council Member, City of Cypress • Scott Minikus, Council Member, City of Cypress • Jon Peat, Council Member, City of Cypress 2 PROGRAM OUTLINE & SCRIPT SEGMENT ONE - Welcome (One Shot) Paulo Morales, Mayor, City of Cypress  Good evening City of Cypress and thank you for joining us tonight.  This evening is the first of three Public Forums to educate and discuss the City’s election systems.  This is an important conversation, and my fellow Council Members are eager to hear from you. Tonight, is about listening to the questions and comments from our community.  Our program is being simulcast in English, Korean and Spanish. If you need translations, please use the ZOOM TRANSLATION button to navigate to that channel.  But first, I would like to introduce my colleagues who are joining virtually:  Anne Hertz-Mallari, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Cypress  Frances Marquez, Council Member, City of Cypress  Scott Minikus, Council Member, City of Cypress  Jon Peat, Council Member, City of Cypress  Finally, I would like to introduce our moderator  Arianna Barrios, Executive Director of the OC Forum and Council Member in the City of Orange.  Arianna, thank you for joining us tonight. SEGMENT TWO - Forum Outline & Introduction of Video (Two Shot) Arianna Barrios, Executive Director, OC Forum Thank you, Mayor Morales. 3 It is an honor to join you tonight for this important discussion. Tonight, we are going to do several things:  Provide the residents of Cypress an overview of the City’s current election process  Describe the CVRA voting challenges the City has received and,  Most importantly, allow the community to pose questions and their own comments. To begin our discussion, the City has created a short video outlining the current situation and some of the possible outcomes. Following the video, we will open up the webinar to your questions. If you are joining us by Zoom, please use the buttons in the Zoom to post your questions. If you are watching via Facebook LIVE or YouTube Live, use the chat features to post your questions or comments there. We will try to read and answer as many as we can during this program. Those we cannot answer tonight will be posted and answered on the City’s website at: www.CypressCA.org/ElectionSystem (show on screen as lower third) And now, let’s watch the video… SEGMENT THREE - Video SEGMENT FOUR - Community Q & A (Two Shot) Arianna Barrios, Executive Director, OC Forum Well Mr. Mayor hopefully that provides our community with a strong grounding in the issue. So now we are going to open the Q&A portion of our program. But first some important notes. 4 Paulo Morales, Mayor, City of Cypress That’s right Arianna. We want to remind everyone how they can participate. If you are joining us by Zoom, please use the buttons in the Zoom to post your questions. If you are watching via Facebook LIVE or YouTube Live, use the chat features to post your questions or comments there. We will try to read and answer as many as we can during this program. Those we cannot answer tonight will be posted and answered on the City’s website at: www.CypressCA.org/ElectionSystem (show on screen as lower third) Arianna Barrios, Executive Director, OC Forum  Since the Public Forums were announced, the community has had the ability to submit questions via the City’s website.  We would like to start with those. (BEGIN WRITTEN QUESTIONS) Arianna Barrios, Executive Director, OC Forum Paulo Morales, Mayor, City of Cypress  Trade Off reading questions as submitted SEGMENT FIVE - CLOSING (Two Shot) Paulo Morales, Mayor, City of Cypress  That is all the time we have tonight.  Thank you for joining us for this important conversation. 5  A special thanks all those who submitted questions and comments.  And also to my colleagues for joining me in listening to our residents tonight.  Arianna, thank you for helping us moderate tonight. Arianna Barrios, Executive Director, OC Forum  Thank you for inviting me Mayor Morales.  And to our community, if you missed any part of this program  It will be posted on the City’s website along with additional information, FAQs and, our  Outreach Calendar  Thank you for joining us (HOLD) ***OUT*** From:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: BB&K Legal Alert: City of Santa Monica Successfully Defends its At-Large Voting System Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:24:36 PM Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> Date: July 10, 2020 at 5:06:00 PM PDT To: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> Cc: Alisha Farnell <afarnell@cypressca.org>, Cameron Harding <charding@cypressca.org>, Douglas Dancs <DDancs@cypressca.org>, Matt Burton <mburton@cypressca.org>, Rodney Cox <rcox@cypressca.org> Subject: FW: BB&K Legal Alert: City of Santa Monica Successfully Defends its At-Large Voting System  This is encouraging news! From: subscribe@mg.bbkbulletins.com <subscribe@mg.bbkbulletins.com> Sent: Friday, July 10, 2020 3:08 PM To: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> Subject: BB&K Legal Alert: City of Santa Monica Successfully Defends its At-Large Voting System Legal Alert City of Santa Monica Successfully Defends its At- Large Voting System California Appellate Court Holds Plaintiffs Must Establish “Dilution” to Successfully Challenge At-Large Voting Systems Under CVRA Yesterday, the City of Santa Monica prevailed in a California Appellate Court case that overturned a February 2019 trial court ruling that the City’s at-large voting system violated both the California Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution. In its opinion, the Second District Court of Appeal held that “dilution” is a required element in CVRA cases. In other words, CVRA plaintiffs must prove that an at-large voting system actually impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or to influence the outcome of an election. In this case, the plaintiffs, a city resident and neighborhood organization, failed to do so. READ MORE Thomas A. Rice Associate thomas.rice@bbklaw.com Kara K. Ueda Partner kara.ueda@bbklaw.com William J. Priest Of Counsel william.priest@bbklaw.com Abraham J. Galvan Sanchez Associate abraham.galvansanchez@bbklaw.com Related Insights Californias California’s Voter Participation Rights Act Does Not Apply to Charter Cities Appellate Court Takes on “Home Rule” in City of Redondo v. Alex Padilla Read more → California California Voting Rights Act Deadlines Delayed During COVID-19 Pandemic New Order Also Gives Guidance on Three Upcoming Special Elections Read more → Update Subscriptions Best Best & Krieger LLP 3390 University Avenue, 5th Floor Riverside, CA 92501 Unsubscribe Visit Our Website Our Locations This may be considered ATTORNEY ADVERTISING in some states. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. BB&K eCommunications are not intended as legal advice. Additional facts, facts specific to your situation or future developments may affect subjects contained herein. Seek the advice of an attorney before acting or relying upon any information in this communiqué. It does not constitute legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is formed by reading it. From:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: CA Cities Advocate - League of California Cities Planning a Reimagined Virtual Annual Conference & Expo Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:24:27 PM Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: League of California Cities <cacitiesadvocate@cacities.org> Date: July 15, 2020 at 2:55:20 PM PDT To: pmorales@ci.cypress.ca.us Subject: CA Cities Advocate - League of California Cities Planning a Reimagined Virtual Annual Conference & Expo Reply-To: cacitiesadvocate@cacities.org  July 15, 2020 Issue highlights: Santa Cruz, Hayward, and Santa Clarita Win 2020 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Awards Court of Appeal Upholds At-Large City Council Elections in Santa Monica Bringing Parks to the People: City Recreation Programs Adapt to the Pandemic Read below for more news and events. Executive Director and President's Message League of California Cities Planning a Reimagined Virtual Annual Conference & Expo The League of California Cities Annual Conference & Expo is one of the most important events of the year for city officials to learn and collaborate on solutions to common challenges and an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments. With so many factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic still unknown and the health and safety of League members, staff, partners, vendors, and guests as our top priority, the Board Executive Committee has made the decision to transform the annual conference, scheduled Oct. 7-9 in Long Beach, into a virtual event. Read more League News Santa Cruz, Hayward, and Santa Clarita Win 2020 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Awards Cities and counties throughout California are being recognized for their creative and cost-effective projects to improve local streets, roads, and bridges. The League would like to congratulate the city winners of the 2020 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Awards. Read more New CalRecycle Directives Require Businesses to Provide Organics and Recycling Containers Effective July 1, 2020, businesses subject to Mandatory Commercial Recycling and Organics Recycling must provide recycling and organics containers to collect waste generated by customers from products they purchase and consume on the premises. Read more Bringing Parks to the People: City Recreation Programs Adapt to the Pandemic With cities throughout the state facing various stay-at- home orders, parks and recreation departments are offering a series of creative virtual camps and programs, keeping kids active, engaged, and educated over the summer. Read more Weekly COVID-19 Update: July 9-15 All California cities have submitted their application to the Department of Finance (DOF) to receive their CARES Act allocation! The League held a webinar July 14, with Kristin Shelton, Chief of the Research and Analysis Unit from DOF, to discuss CARES Act eligible expenses and reporting requirements and give cities the opportunity to ask questions about the funding requirements. Read more Education and Conferences Call for Session Proposals for City Clerks New Law & Elections Seminar The League is soliciting session proposals for an upcoming educational event designed for city clerks of all tenures to learn new skills and information on current issues and topics that will help in daily operations within their city. The 2020 City Clerks New Law & Elections Seminar is scheduled for Dec. 9-11 in Monterey, and continuing education credits are available. Read more Webinar Series: Decision Making and Relationship Building Before, During, and After a Wildfire The League launched its new Wildfire Response and Recovery Webinar Series to help city officials prepare for the upcoming wildfire season, while continuing to respond to and navigate the COVID-19 crisis. Register for the League’s third webinar on July 22 and learn about decision making and relationship building before, during, and after a wildfire to help keep your community safe. Read more Opportunities for Cities Grants Available Through Cities for Workforce Health Wellness Program A healthy and productive workforce is vital to your city’s success. Sponsored by the League Partner Program, Kaiser Permanente, Keenan, and the HEAL Cities Campaign, the Cities For Workforce Health program is designed to help cities engage their employees in a culture of health and productivity at the workplace. Cities can apply for a 2021 Cities for Workforce Health consulting grant to help improve health and safety for their employees. Apply by Aug. 14. Read more EPA Announces $6 Billion in New Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced $6 billion available in new funding that will be used to invest in water infrastructure and improve the health of the residents in those communities. As communities struggle to recover from COVID-19, these funding programs accelerate investment in critical water infrastructure through innovative and flexible funding, while creating jobs and improving public health and environmental protection. Read more League-Sponsored Bond Agency Issues More Than $170 Million in Tax-Exempt and Taxable Bonds for Large Healthcare Delivery System in East San Gabriel Valley The largest nonprofit health care delivery system in East San Gabriel Valley, Emanate Health, will undergo a variety of renovations and upgrades at various locations, including cities of Covina, West Covina, and Glendora, using tax-exempt and taxable bonds issued by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority. Read more More News and Events Court of Appeal Upholds At-Large City Council Elections in Santa Monica; Clarifies Legal Standard Under California Voting Rights Act A California Court of Appeal issued an opinion last week finding no merit to a lawsuit alleging that the City of Santa Monica’s at-large elections system violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). The opinion offers further clarity for cities on the legal standards used to assess CVRA claims, as requested by the League in its friend-of-the- court brief. Read more ILG Helps Secure $35 Million in Grant Funding for BOOST Communities Months of developing projects and partnerships have finally paid off for the cities of Ventura, San Diego, Arcata, and the Town of Mammoth Lakes. All four agencies received word that grant applications developed in partnership with the Institute for Local Government through its BOOST Pilot Program will receive funding. Read more Webinar: State and Local Legal Center SCOTUS Review Wednesday, July 29 at 10 a.m. PST – The U.S. Supreme Court decided fewer cases than usual in the 2019-20 term, but the rulings were substantial. Hear from attorneys who argued some of the top cases as they discuss some of the term's most relevant decisions to states and local governments. Presenters: Elbert Lin with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Jeffrey Harris with Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, and Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent of The New York Times. Register now The Environment, Energy, and Equity: How Cities Are Moving Forward in Today’s Economy Read how cities like Arcata, Culver City, Oceanside, Oxnard, Paramount, Pittsburg, Salinas, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Watsonville, West Hollywood, and Ventura are balancing the essential needs of their communities with projects planned before COVID-19 to address energy, equity, and the environment. Learn about their strategies in this month’s Western City magazine. League in the News California Workers Hit by Pandemic Will Pay More for Health Care, July 14, Bloomberg Law (also appeared in Financial Advisor Magazine) “Cities in California face at least a $7 billion shortfall in revenues over the next couple of years as a result of the pandemic, with little state or federal aid to address those shortfalls,” said League of California Cities legislative representative Bijan Mehryar in an emailed statement. “Any cost increases, whether that be pension or insurance rates, will be a challenge for cities and will throw yet another obstacle in the way of their ability to deliver core services to their residents.” Upcoming Events July 8-Aug. 26 Webinar: Wildfire Response & Recovery Series July 29 City Attorney Webinar: Essential Skills - Developing the City Attorney & City Manager Relationship Oct. 7-9 SAVE THE DATE 2020 Annual Conference & Expo ‌ ‌ ‌ Subscribe to CA Cities Advocate League of California Cities | 1400 K Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814 Unsubscribe pmorales@ci.cypress.ca.us Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by cacitiesadvocate@cacities.org in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today! From:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: Carson settles voting rights lawsuit ahead of first district elections Nov. 3 Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:27:07 PM Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> Date: October 22, 2020 at 12:39:58 PM PDT To: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> Subject: FW: Carson settles voting rights lawsuit ahead of first district elections Nov. 3 Here's the sort of risk we face with an obligation to have an election before complying with a challenge to move to districts, but we can add about $250,000 for the special election and additional plaintiffs legal fees. -----Original Message----- From: Peter Grant <pgranthb@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2020 6:48 AM To: Peter Grant <pgrant@cypressca.org> Subject: Carson settles voting rights lawsuit ahead of first district elections Nov. 3 Carson settles voting rights lawsuit ahead of first district elections Nov. 3 https://www.dailybreeze.com/2020/10/21/carson-settles-voting-rights-lawsuit- ahead-of-first-district-elections-nov-3/ [Cypress Central Banner] <https://www.cypressca.org/Home/Components/News/News/1271/17? backlist=%2f> [Apple App Store Logo]<https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cypress- central/id1495245500> [Google Play Store Logo] <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.civicapps.cypressca> Public Forum For City Elections The City of Cypress will hold a series of public forums for the community to learn more about and discuss several important topics surrounding municipal elections. The forums will provide an overview of current Voting Rights protections, at-Large vs. district voting systems and a review of past city election results among other topics. More info at cypressca.org/electionsystem. Submit a question or comment by 5 PM the day before each forum by emailing cvraforum@cypressca.org. UPCOMING PUBLIC FORUMS: From:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: Hello, from the City of Cypress! Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:23:45 PM Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: City of Cypress <bstraus@cypressca.org> Date: January 27, 2022 at 12:27:26 PM PST To: pmmorales_7@yahoo.com Subject: Hello, from the City of Cypress! Reply-To: City of Cypress <bstraus@cypressca.org>  Navy Golf Course Banquet Room - February 15 at 5 PM Cypress Community Center - February 26 at 10 AM Watch this video is Spanish or Korean and view other City videos on our YouTube channel. National Blood Crisis! The Red Cross is desperately trying to overcome a national blood crisis, and needs your help. The American Red Cross will be hosting a Blood Drive this Jan 29th from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. Check out other available appointments by visiting www.redbloodcross.org. Kindergarten Enrollment Did you know that you need to pre- register your child for Kindergarten? If your child is between the ages of 3 to 5 it is time to sign them up through the Cypress School District. Visit https://tinyurl.com/4xhn5dav for more info. Cypress Farmers Market Our Cypress Farmers Market has all sorts of crafty items and locally sourced organic fruits and vegetables! Located in the Cottonwood Church parking lot from 9 AM to 2 PM EVERY Saturday. Hope to see you there! COVID-19 TESTING SITE Open Mon through Fri at 4921 Katella Avenue (Seventh Day Adventist Church) from 8 AM to 5 PM until Jan 31. The site offers Rapid and PCR tests. The PCR tests are FREE, and covered under the CARES ACT. Must have an appointment www.covidclinic.org. Copyright © 2021, City of Cypress. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 5275 Orange Ave, Cypress, CA 90630 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS EMAIL LIST HERE Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. From:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: Public Forums on Cypress Elections Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:24:11 PM Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: City of Cypress <bstraus@cypressca.org> Date: January 14, 2022 at 1:20:37 PM PST To: pmmorales_7@yahoo.com Subject: Public Forums on Cypress Elections Reply-To: City of Cypress <bstraus@cypressca.org>  Message from 2022 Mayor Morales City Announces Public Forums on Elections The City of Cypress invites you to join us for our upcoming public forums to learn more about and discuss several important topics surrounding municipal elections. As the City Council prepares to deliberate any potential changes to the current election system, they want to hear community input and concerns to help with their decision making. The forums will be held in both virtual and in-person formats. We will provide an overview of current Voting Rights protections, at-large vs. district voting systems and a review of past city election results among other topics. In addition, materials will be made available online and in multiple languages to facilitate community participation. To submit a question or comment you'd like addressed at a meeting, please email the city at cvraforum@cypressca.org by 5 PM the day before the public forum for it to be included in the agenda. For more info, visit cypressca.org/electionsystems PUBLIC FORUM SCHEDULE: Virtual Forum Wednesday, January 19 @ 6 PM Navy Golf Course Banquet Room Tuesday, February 15 @ 5 PM Cypress Community Center Saturday, February 26 @ 10 AM Copyright © 2021, City of Cypress. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 5275 Orange Ave, Cypress, CA 90630 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS EMAIL LIST HERE Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. ATTEND THE JAN 19 VIRTUAL FORUM From:Paulo Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Fwd: Research Info Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:21:53 PM Attachments:Why single member districts make sense for Cypress ENE Article 2-2-2022.docx As Cypress Weighs District Voting, Anger Breaks Out At City Councilwoman OC Register 2-8-2022.docx Post Christmas meeting prompts holiday fireworks ENE Article 1-13-2022.docx Citizens for Responsible Development of Cypress Facebook Post 1-23-2022.docx Trash into gold in Cypress ENE Article 1-26-2022.docx Time to Protest the Cypress Trash Proposal 1-13-2022.docx Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: jonpeat@att.net Date: February 8, 2022 at 7:46:08 PM PST To: Paulo Morales <pmmorales_7@yahoo.com>, annemmallari@gmail.com, cpsminikus@ca.rr.com Subject: Research Info  Colleagues, I have done some research on articles and Facebook posts related to the trash contract and voting districts. I have copied the articles into Word documents for ease of storage and retrieval. I am providing this to you for informational purposes only. I hope you find this interesting. Please do not reply to all if you respond to this email. Thank you, Jon Why single member districts make sense for Cypress. By For Event-News Enterprise - February 2, 2022 0 99 David Burke By David Burke On September 17, 2021 attorney Kevin Shenkman sent a letter to the city of Cypress alleging that the city’s at-large elections violate the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA). The crux of the allegation is that the at-large system results in minority vote dilution and that the lack of Asian representation in government for a city with 35.2% Asian residents is evidence of a CVRA violation. Shenkman gave the city 45 days to voluntarily consider creating single-member districts. Yet, more than four months later Cypress is not substantially closer to drawing electoral districts than it was in September, which poses a significant risk for two reasons. First, it is extremely difficult for a city to prevail against an alleged CVRA violation of minority vote dilution. In fact, no city in California has successfully done so. A plaintiff can prevail by showing “racially polarized voting” in which there is a difference in the choice of candidates that are preferred by voters in a protected class and the choices of the voters in the rest of the electorate. Such voting patterns are very common and the court can even look at the voting preferences of groups in county or state elections, and for ballot initiatives. So although the city of Cypress maintains that they have not found any merit to the allegation that they are violating the law, it is unlikely that a court would agree. Second, the legal battle would be a drain on the city’s coffers. Santa Clara spent approximately $6 million, unsuccessfully, before agreeing to a voter-approved charter amendment requiring single member districts. Santa Monica has spent over $7 million in a battle that is still being waged in the courts. Given the long odds of success once a lawsuit is initiated—which Shenkman has said will happen by June of this year—it seems more prudent and fiscally responsible for Cypress to transition to districts voluntarily. Thus far, the City Council has largely delayed that process. The city did recently hold the first of three public forums on January 19, 2022 to “learn more about and discuss several important topics surrounding municipal elections.” But with the specter of costly litigation looming, these forums should have occurred sooner. In the first forum, residents were divided over at-large versus district elections, with some expressing concerns that districts would cause division while others thought they would lead to more effective representation. To be fair, there are arguments on both sides. Benefits of district elections include ensuring that there is a representative from every geographic area of the city and reducing the cost of political campaigns and candidates’ reliance on large donors. For residents, it can also be beneficial to know exactly who represents them if there is a problem in their neighborhood. On the other hand, some people fear that districts would distract representatives from issues that impact the city as a whole. And in cities with low populations and small districts, it may be difficult to find strong candidates who are interested in running. In my view, the potential benefits of district elections in Cypress outweigh the costs. Cypress is large enough that there should be many qualified candidates from different parts of the city. Given that hundreds of cities and school boards in California already elect representatives by district, there is also ample evidence that local officials can collaborate on city-wide issues while paying special attention to the districts they represent. But regardless of the pros and cons of district elections, the law is on Shenkman’s side. Just as Los Alamitos, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Stanton, and other cities did after facing a CVRA challenge, Cypress will likely transition to single member districts soon enough. When that happens, creating an independent redistricting commission is the best way to ensure that the process is motivated by the best interests of the community rather than by political self-interest. The most effective redistricting processes follow a few core principles. Districts should be of equal population, compact, contiguous, and keep “communities of interest” together, meaning that neighborhoods that share social and economic interests should not be split apart. Unfortunately, when politicians draw district lines, those considerations often take a back seat to what is best for those politicians’ electoral prospects. Elected officials have an inherent conflict of interest when drawing district lines where they may subsequently run for office. Even those who are termed out have a conflict because they may have a family member or political ally who plans to run. The end result is often bizarrely drawn district lines that put incumbents or their chosen successors into areas with favorable constituencies, or lines that split incumbents who live near each other into separate districts so they don’t have to run against each other. An independent redistricting commission would prevent those problems because citizens—not elected officials—would be tasked with drawing the district lines. Typically, commission members are chosen via lottery out of a pool of qualified applicants, while making sure that members from different geographic areas of city are selected. Residents who don’t serve on the commission can still participate in public hearings, comment on draft maps, or even submit maps of their own for consideration. More than twenty cities and counties throughout California including San Diego, Oakland, Long Beach, Sacramento, and Oakland have already put such commissions in place, which can serve as a useful template for Cypress to follow. And although such commissions are not immune from contentious arguments, they are often accompanied by praise from residents who are grateful for a more inclusive and transparent process than having elected officials draw lines behind closed doors. By creating an independent redistricting commission in Cypress, the City Council would simultaneously put an end to Shenkman’s threatened litigation while giving more residents the chance to participate in the political process. The chance to save the city millions while engendering more responsive government is one the Council should not squander. Editor’s note: David Burke is a Cypress resident and the founder of Citizens Take Action, a nonprofit focused on creating more responsive government and increasing civic engagement. As Cypress weighs district voting, anger erupts at city councilwoman Cypress city councilwoman, Frances Marquez, who was elected in 2020 stands in front of the home her parents bought in the 1970’s and have lived there since. Cypress on Sunday, February 6, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer) By SUSAN CHRISTIAN GOULDING | sgoulding@scng.com | Orange County Register PUBLISHED: February 7, 2022 at 4:57 p.m. | UPDATED: February 8, 2022 at 12:14 p.m. Depending on where and how you look at it, Cypress is either a quiet bedroom community or a bustling center of commerce. The north Orange County city is home to 50,000 residents, with a comfortable median household income of about $93,000. While small in size at 6.6 square miles, Cypress boasts a healthy tax base and a host of employers – including UnitedHealth Group, Yamaha Motor, Costco, Home Depot, Los Alamitos Race Course, Cypress College, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, several hotels and, as of November, a 23-acre Amazon last-mile facility. Still, heated disputes bubble beneath the surface. And sometimes they erupt. In meetings, city officials openly bristle at newcomer Frances Marquez – who, they say, introduces agenda items that are needlessly contentious, such as flying the LGBTQ Pride flag. Three weeks ago, in an awkward outburst, Councilman Jon Peat angrily yelled at her about a subcommittee committee from which she was excluded. “I am tired of being scolded by you in public,” he said. “What gives you the right to sit here and criticize all of us?” At the podium, residents address the negative tenor of council meetings – noting the “bad optics” of the four-member majority chiding the lone woman of color. “I am appalled and shocked by how our City Council members treat one of their colleagues,” said resident Brittney Cook, an insurance agent. “If I behaved like that in the corporate world, I’d be fired.” Residents complain that, with all the council members except Marquez living close together, other neighborhoods are overlooked. They grouse about the huge Amazon distribution center inserted on Katella Avenue near their homes, and a pay-to-use sports park now under construction in another part of town. The parking lot at Lexington Park in Cypress on Monday, February 7, 2022. The new sports park is still under construction. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG) Some denizens slam a no-bid extension of a trash collection contract, maintaining it was swayed by conflicts of interest on the council. And now, adding stress upon stress, the city must decide whether to carve out council districts – with the alternative of a potentially expensive lawsuit. Threat of litigation Like a dozen Orange County cities before it, Cypress last September received a letter alleging that its election system dilutes minority voices. Currently, all Cypress voters decide on all five council seats. With districts, voters choose only one council member who lives within their area. The by-district method, intended to better serve groups with common interests, is generally favored by the California Voters Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA). Cypress’ threat of a lawsuit came from prolific Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman, who specializes in going after cities and school districts that still hold at-large elections. Fighting CVRA violation claims in court has proved costly and fruitless for those that try. Seven years ago, Anaheim spent $1.1 million before relenting to by-district elections. In 2015, Palmdale backed down after forking over $4.7 million. Santa Monica has spent more than $8 million on still-active litigation. Therefore, most cities – including Fullerton, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Tustin, Westminster and Los Alamitos – grudgingly agree to transition to precincts rather than risk a burdensome legal battle. Shenkman’s missive, written on behalf of a Latino civil rights group, offers a laundry list of Cypress’ purported vulnerabilities. Although Asians comprise 35% of the city’s population – the same percentage as white residents – the “complete lack of Asian representation” on the council “is revealing,” the letter states. Shenkman points to an Asian American candidate, Carrie Hayashida, who came in third for two City Council seats in the 2020 election. Six months later, after a councilwoman resigned, Hayashida and five other female applicants were passed over for Scott Minikus, one of two men who applied. Dragging its feet? After receiving Shenkman’s notification, the council met eight times in closed session to discuss next steps before calling a special meeting – announced on Christmas Eve and held Dec. 27. But instead of approving the creation of sample precinct maps, the council voted to hire a consultant for $40,000 to solicit public input about whether even to proceed. Questioning the $200-per-hour price tag, Marquez, a college professor, was the one “no” vote. “We have a fiduciary responsibility to spend the money of taxpayers in Cypress responsibly,” she said. Cypress city councilwoman, Frances Marquez, who was elected in 2020 finds herself at odds with the other council members over the city’s garbage collection contract. Sunday, February 6, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer) Some wonder if the city is procrastinating the inevitable. “We’ve made it very clear to them that districts need to be in place in time for the November elections,” Shenkman said. “They are running out of time.” Shenkman speculated that the council’s desire to hold opinion-seeking forums “could be an effort to orchestrate an AstroTurf uprising against districts.” “When they waste millions of taxpayer dollars fighting a lawsuit they can say, ‘Our constituents wanted us to,’” Shenkman said. However, city watchdog George Pardon, a retired Cal State University administrator, does not foresee a lawsuit. “They’re just kicking districts down the road to get past the November election,” Pardon said. “They have people in mind who they want to see elected, which might not happen in districts.” George Pardon of Citizens for Responsible Development of Cypress, outside of the Cypress city council chamber on Thursday, February 3, 2022. Pardon is the city watchdog and city council critic who supports by-district representation. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG) But, Mayor Paulo Morales asserted, “We are absolutely not using the workshops to drag our feet.” “The majority of people don’t understand what districts are for and need to learn more about them,” Morales said. “I hear, ‘I’d only have 20% of the vote!’” Morales added. “I say, wait a minute, is that the end of the world? That’s the way we do it with Congress.” District elections can result in pitting allies against one another, depending on where they live. Three seats will be open this year. Peat and Morales term out, and Minikus will be up for election after serving 15 months as an appointee. Asian American representation One person planning to be on the upcoming ballot is Hayashida, the candidate who recently placed third. “I’m saddened that the council missed an opportunity to check off several boxes last summer in its appointment: a strong candidate in the last election; the first Asian American councilwoman; and someone who represents a neighborhood currently not well represented,” said Hayashida, who works as a career coach. “But I didn’t run because I’m Asian. I wanted to represent all of Cypress, and I still feel that way.” Malini Nagpal, a psychologist, also threw her name in the hat to fill the opening. “I didn’t have a chance in hell,” she said, now laughing over her unsuccessful interview. “One of the job requirements was that you had to be a ‘team player,’” Nagpal said. “They didn’t want different viewpoints. It’s a tight-knit group with a lot of overlap.” Morales and Minikus are both retired police officers. Peat is chairman of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Anaheim-Cypress, where Mayor Pro Tem Anne Hertz-Mallari serves as president. Whatever happens next, it appears that City Council meetings will, at least in the near future, remain acrimonious. At the Jan. 24 meeting, Peat requested that the Council consider a motion of censure against Marquez for disclosing to the public closed session discussions. In a brief telephone conversation, Peat declined to provide specifics, saying only, “We need to keep our business among ourselves.” Post Christmas meeting prompts holiday fireworks By David N. Young - January 13, 2022 0 195 Council member Frances Marquez After eight closed sessions, the Cypress City Council hastily called a public meeting two days after Christmas to hire a consultant and reveal their strategy to stave off a voting district lawsuit. Although served with a demand letter months ago regarding a potential violation of the California Voting Rights Act (CRVA), the city waited until two days after Christmas to hastily call a public meeting to discuss a series of forums called to discuss the issue. Council member Frances Marquez questioned the wisdom and legality of the meeting, saying the Facebook notification was posted just before the public meeting, held last Monday, Dec. 27. Although city officials acknowledged posting a notice to Facebook only shortly before the public meeting began, city attorney Fred Galante said the meeting notice was properly placed on the website so the meeting was legal. “There are no Brown Act violations with this meeting,” said Galante. Further, Galante suggested that the city is not in violation of the California Voting Rights Act, at least as far as their investigation to date is concerned. “The one thing I would clarify,” said Galante, is we have yet to find any evidence that the city of Cypress is violating the law. Any further discussion is a closed session issue,” he said. City manager Peter Grant introduced Arianna Barrios, the CEO of the Communications Lab, who the city has selected to roll out an information campaign to the community. In addition, he acknowledged for the first time during this meeting that the city had hired a demographer to study the city’s makeup. Grant said hard costs are currently estimated to be $40,000 out of pocket for a series of planned outreach meetings and presentations, which he says does not including the soft costs provided by city officials to facilitate three upcoming public meetings. Council member Jon Peat. The Communications Lab CEO will be paid $200 hour, according to a schedule of costs that also suggests interns on the project will be paid $75 per hr. as the city rolled out the redistricting outreach strategy for the upcoming series of meetings. “That seems like a lot of money for an intern,” said Marquez. The firm will prepare a detailed presentation to educate voters about the city’s election system so they can better understand both the current at-large system and potential single member districts, the council was told. Moreover, the firm will prepare the presentations in three languages, including English, Spanish and Korean. Grant asked the Council for continued input on the presentation and asked that all changes they suggested be sent to him by a specific date to be included in the Communications Lab final presentation. According to the group’s schedule, the first redistricting public meeting is scheduled on Zoom for January 19. The Council voted 4-1 to move forward with the Communications Lab, with Marquez voting against. Mayor Pro-tem Anne Hertz and council member Scott Minikus questioned Marquez’ opposition and Hertz asked why she voted no. “Your ‘no’ vote caught me by surprise,” said Hertz, asking why Marquez did not speak out after the motion and a second. “You know, I just want to say that this is what people despise about elected officials,” said Marquez, “making decisions when the community has not been made aware of a meeting. We have a fiduciary responsibility to spend the money of taxpayers in Cypress responsibly.” Marquez complained about what she perceives as the city’s overall lack of transparency and meetings scheduled when few people can attend. In addition, she and others expressed concern about multiple errors in a proposed Communications Lab presentation that Barrios said would be sent to Cypress citizens, even though Marquez said she assumed it would be cleaned up before being mailed to the public. “We’re paying thousands of dollars for information and I’m hoping that it’ll be correct in the future,” she said. Galante pointed out two potentially misleading legal assumptions in the presentation and suggested they be changed. Barrios said the PowerPoint being shown was only a draft and of course would be fact-checked before being distributed or presented to citizens. Barrios said her firm will educate Cypress residents on the advantages of both single member districting and at-large districts. “We want them to understand what is going on,” said Barrios. Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman notified the city in September of 2020 that their at-large voting system, as currently utilized, is a violation of state law. This means all five council seats are elected from a pool of “at-large” candidates, meaning anyone who lives within the city limits who qualifies for office can run, rather than having residents of regions of the city elect single officials to represent each specific region. Shenkman has since said that if the city does not have single member maps ready by July 1, the city would be sued. Barrios said opposing any redistricting lawsuit has been extremely expensive for other cities who have chosen to legally fight districting. Some have paid settlements near nearing $10 million. Following Shenkman’s notification, the city has consistently met in closed session to discuss the issue, while Galante has been in direct communication with Shenkman, the Malibu attorney confirmed. The after-Christmas meeting, which was recorded on audio tape, not video, and posted nearly a week later, was among the first public meetings to discuss the matter, although the Council has now set three forums, one in January and two in February at which Barrios will facilitate a discussion about the situation with residents. Before the council reorganization in December, Mayor Paulo Morales was appointed by former Mayor Jon Peat to serve alongside him as the only other member of an an ad-hoc subcommittee on redistricting. Peat then denied a request by Marquez to be appointed to the ad-hoc subcommittee despite the fact that Marquez said she has participated in redistricting work on Capitol Hill and has a related doctorate degree. The former Mayor cited the fact that Marquez, serving her first term, might be a candidate for re-election in the next election, and thus bias her thinking, so he refused to appoint anyone but himself and Morales. “Mayor Pete told me that I would not be able to serve on the committee since I would face another election. He said the collective experience of he and Mayor Morales would serve the committee well.” Marquez, at this special Monday meeting, suggested it was perhaps Peat with a conflict of interest. “However, Mayor Peat failed to mention that he had a foot in the game as his wife, Bonnie Peat, will run for city council this coming year,” said Marquez. “Therefore, the [redistricting] ad hoc committee has a bias and, in my eyes, this process is unfair.” Bonnie Peat is currently the President of the Cypress School District Board of Trustees. The ENE has reached out to Mrs. Peat for a comment. In the meeting, Mr. Peat did not respond to Marquez’s assertion. Marquez said she was not able to able to make the reorganization meeting in December because of a fall she sustained in her home. She was upset that at that meeting, the Council discussed redistricting and the newly elected Mayor removed her as the principal delegate to the city on the Orange County Fire Authority. Even if Monday’s meeting was technically legal, said Marquez, sending out documents on Christmas Eve for this special meeting was questionable. “This seems like an ambush,” said Minikus, who suggested Marquez should have “said something earlier.” “I understand your concerns,” Morales told Marquez, “But I [also] understand we’re on a deadline.” Morales then repeated Galante’s comments in saying “there is nothing here that says there is a [CRVA] violation. “It [the claim there is a violation] is something,” said the mayor, “that we are responding to in service to the city.” Citizens for Responsible Development of Cypress, CA January 23 at 7:33 PM · Would You Recuse Yourself? When Valley Vista submitted their bid proposal in 2014, the proposal boasted that Valley Vista Project Director George Briggeman has been intimately involved with the Boys and Girls Club, the Woman’s Club of Cypress, Chamber of Commerce, BRACE of Cypress, and Cypress College through his support. The proposal indicated that this support has continued for over 35 years and that he is familiar with their resources. After a review of all the proposals submitted, Valley Vista was awarded a 10-year contract in September 2014 to start in July 2015. In 2015, the Fair Political Practices Commission fined George Briggeman from Valley Vista Services for his support of City Council candidates in 2012. Two of those individuals were candidates for the Cypress City Council: Rob Johnson and Mariellen Yarc. Should Council Members Johnson and Yarc have recused themselves from the vote to award the initial contract to Valley Vista? I think so. Council Member Jon Peat was elected to the City Council in November 2014. Jon Peat has been on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club since 2013 now serving as 1st Vice Chair. As stated previously, George Briggeman acknowledged having been intimately involved with the Boys and Girls Club for over 35 years as of 2014 which would currently be over 40 years. Mayor Morales and Stacy Berry were also elected in 2014. In 2017, Valley Vista, through George Briggeman, requested an extraordinary adjustment to their contract which included service reductions and a rate increase. The city hired a consultant to review the request. The consultant’s conclusion was that there was no basis for the adjustments requested by Valley Vista but the City Council approved the changes anyway with Council Member Stacy Berry being the only No vote. Both Rob Johnson and Mariellen Yarc termed out in November 2020 with Anne Hertz-Mallari and Frances Marquez elected to replace them. In 2020, Valley Vista came back to the City Council for additional concessions. They wanted to build a trash transfer station and a Compressed Natural Gas facility on the City Yard in order to reduce their costs further. The proposed project was next to a residential area and there was substantial pushback from the residents so the City Council backed off. A controversy did arise in 2021 during the consideration of a two-person subcommittee to review the Valley Vista request for a joint venture or another extraordinary rate adjustment. Then-Mayor Jon Peat proposed appointing himself and newly elected Council Member Anne Hertz-Mallari. Council Member Hertz-Mallari is a long time Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Cypress which is now the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim and Cypress. At the time the subcommittee was proposed, Council Member Stacy Berry challenged the appointment of Council Member Anne Hertz-Mallari because of her long-time connection to George Briggeman. Responding to that challenge, Council Member Hertz-Mallari acknowledged that she and George Briggeman have known each other for 15 years and he’s donated to Boys and Girls Club events and given them free trash services for 15 years. The effort to reward Valley Vista continues. The requirement by the State for cities to implement an organic waste disposal system has led to yet another review of the Valley Vista agreement. Rather than the proposed revision being limited to the organic waste program, the revisions also included an adjustment increasing the recycling cost because Valley Vista says they are losing money on it. The changes also include a substantial increase to the cap on annual CPI increases and probably the most egregious change is an extension to the contract to 2037. The original contract was a 10-year contract with an allowance for a 2-year extension and 2 one-year extensions. With these new changes, this will end up being a 22-year contract without going out to bid. Neither Council Member Peat nor Hertz-Mallari recused themselves. Would you have recused yourself? The City Council pushed through these proposed contract changes during Thanksgiving week. Starting this process during Thanksgiving week and expecting residents to focus on it during the holidays and a heightened COVID transmission period raises the serious question as to the transparency of these changes. Probably the most glaring cause for concern is that Los Alamitos, which is an adjacent city to Cypress, went out to bid for the new state changes and saw their price go down with only a 7-year contract. In fact, if the changes proposed by the Cypress City Council are ultimately implemented, Cypress residents will pay $21.43 per month which is 54% more than Los Alamitos residents who will pay $13.90 per month. Westminster residents pay $14.75 per month. Given the significant difference in the proposed rate for Cypress residents compared to Los Alamitos and Westminster residents, this contract should be bid out as soon as possible. Since the City Council extended the contract by 2 years in 2017, the current contract expires in 2027. This contract should not be extended to 2037 without a bid. Given Mayor ProTem Hertz-Mallari’s position at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim and Cypress and Council Member Peat’s position on the Board of Directors, they should both recuse themselves. Mayor ProTem Hertz-Mallari chose to recuse herself when the City Council allocated COVID funds to the Boys and Girls Club. Why shouldn’t she recuse herself when the City Council is considering substantial contract changes that benefit a company that provides free services and financially supports the organization she works for. Similarly, since Council Member Jon Peat is on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club, he should have recused himself when the City Council allocated funds to the Boys and Girls Club and he should recuse himself from voting on these changes to the Valley Vista contract. While there may be a legal path that allows them to avoid recusing themselves, the question is what should they do to avoid a perception of a financial conflict of interest? 1717 9 Comments 3 Shares Like Comment Share Trash into gold in Cypress? By For Event-News Enterprise - January 26, 2022 0 382 George Pardon By George Pardon When Valley Vista submitted their bid proposal in 2014, the proposal boasted that Valley Vista Project Director George Briggeman has been intimately involved with the Boys and Girls Club, the Woman’s Club of Cypress, Chamber of Commerce, BRACE of Cypress, and Cypress College through his support. The proposal indicated that this support has continued for over 35 years and that he is familiar with their resources. After a review of all the proposals submitted, Valley Vista was awarded a 10- year contract in September 2014 to start in July 2015. In 2015, the Fair Political Practices Commission fined George Briggeman from Valley Vista Services for his support of City Council candidates in 2012. Two of those individuals were candidates for the Cypress City Council: Rob Johnson and Mariellen Yarc. Should Council Members Johnson and Yarc have recused themselves from the vote to award the initial contract to Valley Vista? I think so. Council Member Jon Peat was elected to the City Council in November 2014. Jon Peat has been on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club since 2013 now serving as 1st Vice Chair. As stated previously, George Briggeman acknowledged having been intimately involved with the Boys and Girls Club for over 35 years as of 2014 which would currently be over 40 years. Mayor Morales and Stacy Berry were also elected in 2014. In 2017, Valley Vista, through George Briggeman, requested an extraordinary adjustment to their contract which included service reductions and a rate increase. The city hired a consultant to review the request. The consultant’s conclusion was that there was no basis for the adjustments requested by Valley Vista but the City Council approved the changes anyway with Council Member Stacy Berry being the only No vote. Both Rob Johnson and Mariellen Yarc termed out in November 2020 with Anne Hertz-Mallari and Frances Marquez elected to replace them. In 2020, Valley Vista came back to the City Council for additional concessions. They wanted to build a trash transfer station and a Compressed Natural Gas facility on the City Yard in order to reduce their costs further. The proposed project was next to a residential area and there was substantial pushback from the residents, so the City Council backed off. A controversy did arise in 2021 during the consideration of a two-person subcommittee to review the Valley Vista request for a joint venture or another extraordinary rate adjustment. Then-Mayor Jon Peat proposed appointing himself and newly elected Council Member Anne Hertz-Mallari. Council Member Hertz-Mallari is a long time Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Cypress which is now the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim and Cypress. At the time the subcommittee was proposed, Council Member Stacy Berry challenged the appointment of Council Member Anne Hertz-Mallari because of her long-time connection to George Briggeman. Responding to that challenge, Council Member Hertz-Mallari acknowledged that she and George Briggeman have known each other for 15 years and he’s donated to Boys and Girls Club events and given them free trash services for 15 years. The effort to reward Valley Vista continues. The requirement by the State for cities to implement an organic waste disposal system has led to yet another review of the Valley Vista agreement. Rather than the proposed revision being limited to the organic waste program, the revisions also included an adjustment increasing the recycling cost because Valley Vista says they are losing money on it. The changes also include a substantial increase to the cap on annual CPI increases and probably the most egregious change is an extension to the contract to 2037. The original contract was a 10-year contract with an allowance for a 2-year extension and 2 one-year extensions. With these new changes, this will end up being a 22-year contract without going out to bid. Neither Council Member Peat nor Hertz-Mallari recused themselves. Would you have recused yourself? The City Council pushed through these proposed contract changes during Thanksgiving week. Starting this process during Thanksgiving week and expecting residents to focus on it during the holidays and a heightened COVID transmission period raises the serious question as to the transparency of these changes. Probably the most glaring cause for concern is that Los Alamitos, which is an adjacent city to Cypress, went out to bid for the new state changes and saw their price go down with only a 7-year contract. In fact, if the changes proposed by the Cypress City Council are ultimately implemented, Cypress residents will pay $21.43 per month which is 54% more than Los Alamitos residents who will pay $13.90 per month. Westminster residents pay $14.75 per month. Given the significant difference in the proposed rate for Cypress residents compared to Los Alamitos and Westminster residents, this contract should be bid out as soon as possible. Since the City Council extended the contract by 2 years in 2017, the current contract expires in 2027. This contract should not be extended to 2037 without a bid. Given Mayor ProTem Hertz-Mallari’s position at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim and Cypress and Council Member Peat’s position on the Board of Directors, they should both recuse themselves. Mayor ProTem Hertz-Mallari chose to recuse herself when the City Council allocated COVID funds to the Boys and Girls Club. Why shouldn’t she recuse herself when the City Council is considering substantial contract changes that benefit a company that provides free services and financially supports the organization she works for. Similarly, since Council Member Jon Peat is on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club, he should have recused himself when the City Council allocated funds to the Boys and Girls Club and he should recuse himself from voting on these changes to the Valley Vista contract. While there may be a legal path that allows them to avoid recusing themselves, the question is what should they do to avoid a perception of a financial conflict of interest? Editors note: George Pardon is Director of the Citizens for Responsible Development of Cypress. Time to protest the Cypress trash proposal By David N. Young - January 13, 2022 Valley Vista Services gets huge financial boost from Cypress Council. Courtesy photo By George Pardon First of all, I want to commend the Los Alamitos City Council for obtaining a much better trash services agreement by going out to bid compared to the deal the Cypress City Council negotiated with the current trash services provider, Valley Vista. Unless 50% plus parcels in Cypress send in a written protest to the Cypress City Clerk by 5 PM on January 24, Cypress residents will experience a 32% increase in their rate paying $21.43 per month compared to Los Alamitos residents paying $13.90 per month. Cypress residents can also expect an additional increase in April based on the consumer price index. With the new Los Alamitos agreement, residents will also get 4 bulky item pick- ups a year and they allow 4 items with each pick-up and a quarterly Household Hazardous pick up. This is compared to Cypress residents getting 2 bulky item pick-ups a year with one item equaling one pick-up. George Pardon If you don’t think Cypress residents are getting an optimal deal, the only option at this point is to send a protest letter to the Cypress City Clerk. At a minimum, the letter must include the following information: a) address or assessor parcel numbers of the property subject to the proposed rate increases, b) the name of the owner of the property (or tenant if applicable) and whether the protester is an owner or tenant of the property, c) a statement that the party is protesting the rate increases, and d) the protester’s signature. Only one protest per parcel will be counted. The letter needs to be addressed to City Clerk, Cypress City Hall, 5275 Orange Avenue, Cypress, California 90630. If the proposed changes to the agreement with Valley Vista are approved, the agreement will be extended until 2037. To extend this contract from the original 10 year term to a 22 year term without another bid process seems far in excess of the original intent especially given the concessions that have already been given to Valley Vista in previous contract revisions. Given the significant value the Los Alamitos City Council has recently achieved for their residents through a bid process, it seems that it would be in the best interest of Cypress residents to bid this contract allowing the current contract to end at its current term ending in 2027 which already includes the 2 year extension previously granted to Valley Vista. Residents need to protest this increase to avoid the proposed changes to the agreement. Emails were sent to the City Council and the City Manager on December 16 and 30 and again on January 4. The emails were sent asking if I was missing something in my read of the Los Alamitos agreement because I didn’t want to spread misinformation. I also stated that unless I hear something to the contrary, I will presume my assessment is correct when I distribute the information to the residents. The response I received from the City Manager was that my assessment of the Cypress and Los Alamitos refuse franchises is so careless that it detracts from public discourse. The fact that I received a response from any of my emails to the city was a surprise although the response received didn’t provide clarity. If anyone has reviewed the agreements and can justify why Cypress should commit to Valley Vista for another 15 years without going to bid, I would love to hear from you at georgepardon@gmail.com. George Pardon Citizens for Responsible Development From:Paulo M. Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 16.27.28 Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:29:20 PM Attachments:Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 16.27.28.png Alisha, This is a “message” I sent to SonniWaknin, the same night she appeared at the Cypress City Council Meeting. Paulo Morales From:Paulo M. Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 16.30.42 Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:31:36 PM Attachments:Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 16.30.42.png Paulo Morales From:Paulo M. Morales To:Alisha Farnell Subject:Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 16.32.32 Date:Monday, June 6, 2022 4:32:59 PM Attachments:Screenshot 2022-06-06 at 16.32.32.png Paulo Morales