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CULTURAL HERITAGE BOARD INTERVIEWS
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission conduct interviews for the Cultural Heritage Board candidates, appoint four (4) new members, and forward the appointments to the City Council for approval.
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DISCUSSION
Background
There are currently four (4) vacancies on the Cultural Heritage Board (“CHB” or “Board”) due to resignations, relocation, and a death.
The four existing vacancies have created the need for a 100% attendance rate for the remaining five members in order to have a quorum to hold a meeting. A quorum of the CHB has not been reached since December 2020. The City has been soliciting applications for appointment since the initial vacancy in 2020.
Present Situation
Section 16.220.040.A of the Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) provides that the nine (9) members of the Cultural Heritage Board be selected and appointed by the Planning Commission, with the approval of the City Council. Cultural Heritage Board members serve four-year terms; terms expire on October 31st of the fourth year.
SMC Section 16.220.040.A.1 provides that, to the maximum extent possible, the Board shall have at least one (1) member from each of the following categories:
• A member with extensive real estate experience in the City
• A member with extensive experience in the construction industry
• An architect licensed by the State
• A historian
• A professional archaeologist
• A resident of the City for over forty years
Currently, the Board lacks members from the real estate, construction, and archaeology categories.
The current Board make up is as follows:
|
Member Name |
Term Expiration |
Membership Category |
|
Robert Holzer (Chair) |
October 31, 2021 |
Historian |
|
Thomas Groom |
October 31, 2021 |
None |
|
Lourdes Jaurigue-King |
October 31, 2021 |
None |
|
Phillip Merlo (Vice Chair) |
October 31, 2022 |
Historian |
|
Melanie Vieux |
October 31, 2022 |
Architect |
In response to the City’s citizen service recruitment efforts, the following five (5) individuals submitted applications and confirmed their interest in appointment to the Cultural Heritage Board (Attachment A, Redacted Applications).
|
Name |
Submittal Date |
Membership Category |
|
Richard Vasquez |
01/28/2020 |
None Stated |
|
Bryan Baldeon |
02/14/2020 |
Historian |
|
Matt Holmes |
11/13/2020 |
Historian |
|
Tejpaul Bainiwal |
01/08/2021 |
Historian |
|
Mary Jo Gohlke |
02/08/2021 |
Historian |
|
Douglas Vigil |
05/27/2021 |
Real Estate |
During the in-meeting interview, each candidate will be asked three to four specific questions by staff.
Upon completion of interviews, each Planning Commissioner will rank the candidates based on their responses using score cards that will be provided by staff. The score cards will then be tallied by the City Clerk and the top four candidates will be appointed to the Board and forwarded to the City Council for approval. If the City Council does not approve an applicant, the Commission shall make another appointment.
All votes and selections will be made public and formally recorded in the meeting minutes.
Attachment A - Redacted Applications
This staff report was prepared by Stephanie Ocasio, Assistant Director of Community Development, (209) 937-8544; stephanie.ocasio@stocktonca.gov.