[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6583972,"mediaKeyId","3105176-0678d078784792769b80e5bb08aae649","parentId",3105176,"title","Cathedral City Council approves fees, grants and event contracts; awards HSIP traffic contract","audioSeconds",3530,"startMs",3295000,"endMs",6825000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3105176-0678d078784792769b80e5bb08aae649&start=3295&end=6825","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3105176-0678d078784792769b80e5bb08aae649/thumbnail_3295000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6583972/Cathedral-City/Riverside-County/California/Cathedral-City-Council-approves-fees-grants-and-event-contracts-awards-HSIP-traffic-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6583972-82bcb5ec63050ae95a7aa8293bafc0d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151536&Signature=M6DN30TdblDNRYXfljHDsC8UUh-Rl98ehg7ws047BamZQFjQcPaH2nALheVsY~4vCGea33gJjiqztllb1zEeB7LpIjcKdDKmkDVPgX2DfVCZQ4yXg-Ar0JeEOlLK2MJPSYVRkszfGxnicIAP83WcDnRRyETOrw4f1FuHRwaCOAKDslZQloLweNcoebVlWomTwkmrmDn2GEPbq6mDG1-fTyndAhVika-ejLYT0noa4ei2C~ea1WwoKp5gyYq-orHhVMPQFRVcSdLuMDymqtz5XG8~tpOcGR24F~dY6lbHdCeof5PABshyACxp8VjsaSz2uo1Lf6BVwXZJmBpPDDpsDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Cathedral, CA","date","2025-04-24T04:20:21.127Z","article","Cathedral City’s City Council voted on multiple administrative and contracting items at its April 23 meeting, including allocation of anticipated federal CDBG funds, adjustments to fee schedules, awards for signature city events and an HSIP traffic signal construction contract.

Key outcomes at a glance
- Consent agenda: Council approved routine consent items, including minutes and project closeouts. Motion: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory; second: Councilmember Carnivale. Outcome: approved, unanimous vote (5‑0).
- AB‑mandated vacancies presentation: The council received and approved the annual report on vacancies, recruitment and retention measures. Motion: Councilmember Gutierrez; second: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- CDBG FY 2025–26 Annual Action Plan: Council approved staff’s draft allocation approach and submission of the annual action plan to HUD. Staff noted HUD had not yet posted the final allocation but anticipates an amount similar to last year (about $530,000). Proposed public‑improvement funding would continue pavement reconstruction work in the Whitewater neighborhood (approx. $424,000 proposed; final award will be adjusted to HUD allocation). Motion: Councilmember Lam; second: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- City user/regulatory fee schedule: Council held a public hearing and adopted updates to user and regulatory fees (building, planning, fire, police, etc.) reflecting cost‑of‑service calculations and administrative changes. Motion: Councilmember Gutierrez; second: Councilmember Lam. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- Development impact fee (DIF) inflation update: Council adopted an 18‑month, 2.97% inflation adjustment to the city’s DIF schedule (ENR construction index), a timing catch‑up to align the fee schedule with the fiscal year; staff estimated a $60,000 revenue impact on a like‑for‑like development year. Motion: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory; second: Councilmember Lam. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- Signature events contracts: Council approved multi‑year event production agreements for three events and authorized the city manager to execute documents:
- State of the City (Hawker Productions) — recommendation approved. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- Taste of Jalisco (SoundSkills Inc.) — recommendation approved. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- Cathedral City LGBT+ Days (Montage Agency) — recommendation approved. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
Staff described budgets in line with the communications and events allocation and noted optional renewals tied to performance.
- Cathedral City International Hot Air Balloon Festival: Council approved a three‑year agreement with SoundSkills to operate the festival (Friday–Sunday format), with budget adjustments that reallocated Taste & Sounds and communications professional services funds to support balloon festival production in the current biennium. Motion: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory; second: Councilmember Lam. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- HSIP Cycle 9A traffic signal improvements (12 intersections): Council awarded the construction contract to Elecnor Belco Electric as the lowest responsive bidder and approved a 23% contingency. Contract amount: $850,888; total encumbrance with contingency: $1,051,400. Motion: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory; second: Councilmember Gutierrez. Outcome: approved 5‑0.
- SB‑821 Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Program grant application: Council authorized staff to submit an application for a Class III bike route on Avenida Maravilla. Project estimate: $763,000; local match proposed at 50% ($381,500) paid from traffic safety funds. Motion: Councilmember Gutierrez; second: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory. Outcome: approved 5‑0.

Other business
- The council received an informational update on the state fire hazard severity zone maps from Fire Chief Contreras; staff said Cathedral City contains only moderate zones under the April 2025 maps and described planned outreach on defensible‑space and home‑hardening programs. That item was informational; no ordinance adoption occurred that night.

What this means
Taken together the approvals maintain planned pavement work, update fees to reflect cost studies and construction‑cost inflation, secure event production vendors for signature gatherings through multi‑year agreements, and fund a multi‑intersection HSIP safety project. Council and staff repeatedly emphasized the projects are within the adopted biennial budget or will return with contract awards for construction and HUD allocations once those amounts are finalized.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council - Regular Meeting - April 23, 2025 5:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","At its April 23 meeting Cathedral City’s City Council approved the FY 2025–26 CDBG action plan submission, updated fee schedules and development impact fee inflation, awarded event production contracts and a hot‑air‑balloon contract, and awarded a HSIP traffic signal construction contract.","taxTitle","Cathedral City, Riverside County, California","taxId",5539,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6583976,"Cathedral City staff outline cannabis moratorium next steps, pilot odor-monitoring program with Envirosuite",2036,265000,2301000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3105176-0678d078784792769b80e5bb08aae649&start=265&end=2301","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3105176-0678d078784792769b80e5bb08aae649/thumbnail_265000.jpg","/articles/6583976/Cathedral-City/Riverside-County/California/Cathedral-City-staff-outline-cannabis-moratorium-next-steps-pilot-odor-monitoring-program-with-Envirosuite","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6583976-e468e9de78eb397ca3d92ea66569efc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151536&Signature=oWKi4koQVsPSwn9IeF~9uBINkMD4M1l4lIEzOeHWmRTctT6Lv4NKyCH4H1XivqznvXoiINHnGtAL7o3Nad2M9Zwvw8ggjSoT1QMYUqsZhrAihRBIh8DfdHlXyiprqrCXx0ug8AMbelAd7XQ0CaNuv8l2B~TP-W2m8LK244xCicg0gQHSBM3ncXt-I0lgxyJiNYmql-nlSEY3y3-eCp3v4POJRQF49daQJODeWPepPd8fe~-KMZmc4YY2uW0T2nqs2zPsKk0PaS4M2dZY7VkiFFNCRtG7zEfgTnhbV7ca~v2ey4RmyVU74HykohoojvloMX3KFv-wQ7mJND3vtEvN7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cathedral City staff updated the City Council on April 23 about work under the existing cannabis moratorium, describing planned consultant support, proposed ordinance changes and a six‑month pilot to monitor and manage cannabis odor complaints.

Community and Economic Development Director Andy Firestein told the council the city extended the moratorium on Feb. 26 and committed to routine updates. Firestein said staff reviewed 84 California jurisdictions that allow indoor cultivation and selected 15 cities and three counties for deeper code review to inform a draft ordinance and enforcement approach.

Firestein said Cathedral City’s current zoning allows cultivation, manufacturing and distribution in the Planned Community Commercial (PCC), CBP‑2 Commercial Business Park and I‑1 light industrial districts and that separation distances in the code include a 600‑foot buffer from K‑12 schools, day care centers and youth centers for both dispensaries and cultivation/manufacturing. He said dispensaries must be 250 feet from residential zones; cultivation/manufacturing must be 300 feet from residential; resort‑residential setbacks exist only for some dispensary outdoor consumption rules. “That is a baseline of where we are today,” Firestein said.

Why it matters: residents across Cathedral City have repeatedly filed odor complaints around a large indoor cultivation site referred to in the meeting as C4 Industry. Council and staff said the existing municipal condition of approval — “no odor detectable at the property line” plus a required exhaust filtration or negative‑pressure ventilation system — lacks an effective verification process for proposed systems.

Firestein summarized findings from other local governments: most jurisdictions rely on subjective odor observations rather than objective thresholds; several Coachella Valley cities require an engineer‑prepared odor control plan and an odor‑control permitting process; only a few jurisdictions use olfactometers (for example, Santa Barbara County), but some cities that tried them later discontinued the tool as ineffective for intermittent cannabis odor. He said Palm Springs requires a 7‑day corrective window when businesses have a compliant odor control plan and exposes non‑compliant businesses to high administrative citations (Palm Springs cited a $10,000 administrative citation and $1,000 every 30 days until remedied, leading to permit revocation after repeated citations).

Staff proposals and next steps
- Hartman Environmental Geoscience: Firestein said the city is finalizing a contract with Hartman Environmental Geoscience (an odor‑control specialist) to provide subject‑matter expertise, review the mechanical plan set C4 submitted, and assess odors on site. “Hartman…gives us an expert to really understand the odors at C4 Industry,” he said. The contract was described as being executed within days and Hartman’s initial task is review of the submitted mechanical plan set and site assessment.
- Envirosuite pilot: staff propose a six‑month pilot with Envirosuite, a private environmental‑intelligence vendor, to collect real‑time complaints, combine them with weather station and sensor VOC (volatile organic compound) data, and route validated incidents to the business and city for a documented response. Under the proposed workflow, a validated complaint would be sent to the business; during business hours the business would provide an initial acknowledgment within 30 minutes (90 minutes after hours) and a substantive response within 24 hours. The platform also logs complaint time/date/location and (if provided) contact information for follow‑up. Firestein said the pilot is due to begin in mid‑May and would run six months so the city can evaluate whether to scale the approach.

Enforcement, inspections and consultant review
Firestein emphasized the pilot does not remove the city’s enforcement authority but is intended to improve data collection and speed of business responses. He said the city’s existing fines are currently low — $100 for the first offense, $200 for a second in 12 months and $500 for each subsequent violation under Chapter 13 — and that staff will examine enforcement upgrades when drafting an ordinance, citing higher penalties used in other cities as deterrents.

Firestein and Assistant City Manager Anne Ambrose told council that many cities require businesses to respond to odor complaints and that some jurisdictions treat a compliant odor control plan as the baseline for the business to correct problems within a short window; Desert Hot Springs has administrative fines up to $1,000 per day, according to staff. Firestein also said the California Department of Cannabis Control defines indoor cultivation that exceeds 22,000 square feet of canopy as a large facility; Cathedral City’s C4 operation is substantially larger than that benchmark.

Council questions and public comments
Council members pressed staff on the pilot’s practical operation: how the city will verify business investigations that report “we didn’t smell anything,” whether Envirosuite can identify which business is the source when multiple businesses could be upwind, and how the city might require retrofitting of existing businesses. Assistant City Manager Ambrose said the platform can predict likely sources using time, weather and sensors, which would give the city a lead to perform follow‑up inspections. Councilmember Gutierrez asked whether separation distances are measured property‑line to property‑line; Firestein said separation requirements are typically measured from property line to property line.

During public comment, Mary Ellen Muir, representing Outdoor Resort, said residents had thought their earlier complaints were being correlated and analyzed; she urged quicker enforcement and larger fines, calling the present penalties “a joke.”

Timeline
Staff said they have requested consultant bids to support ordinance drafting, expect to award a cannabis consultant contract in May, produce a draft ordinance in July, seek input at the cannabis task force in August and return to City Council in September for further action. The Envirosuite pilot is planned for mid‑May for six months; Hartman would begin immediate review of C4’s plan set upon contract execution.

What the council did: this agenda item was for presentation and discussion only; no formal policy change or ordinance was adopted on April 23. Staff indicated they intend to return with ordinance language and enforcement options for council consideration in the coming months.","City staff reported on research into other jurisdictions' cannabis rules, described gaps in Cathedral City's odor enforcement, said a consultant (Hartman Environmental Geoscience) is being retained to review mitigation at a large grower, and proposed a six‑month Envirosuite pilot to improve complaint validation and business response timeframes.","actionData","errors"]

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Cathedral City Council approves fees, grants and event contracts; awards HSIP traffic contract

Cathedral City staff outline cannabis moratorium next steps, pilot odor-monitoring program with Envirosuite