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Council trims Ube Fest subsidy, approves travel allocation amid debate over sister‑city mission
Summary
Council approved a budget amendment that included a $5,500 transfer for international travel tied to a proposed sister‑city relationship and voted to host Ube Fest with a reduced city subsidy of $30,000 after extensive public comment on optics and priorities.
A heated debate over budget priorities, transparency and international outreach dominated the City Council meeting on June 12.
Mayor Pro Tem Linda Johnson proposed and the council approved a set of revenue and expenditure adjustments aimed at closing a projected FY25‑26 budget gap. The most contested item, budget amendment 7B2, included a $5,500 reallocation from the current travel and meetings line to permit international travel tied to exploratory sister‑city work in the Philippines.
Council members and dozens of residents debated the optics of spending that money while the city considers service cuts and event reductions. "5,500 could be used to help clear the homeless encampment," Mel Cortez told the council. Sam Desai called the proposed travel and other shifts "corruption" and urged council to reconsider.
Supporters said the travel is an economic‑development investment. "If you look at the return on investment, we've received federal funding after in‑person advocacy," Mayor Pro Tem Johnson and other supporters said, citing prior success in Washington, D.C., and recent activity by the Philippine Consulate in Cerritos.
The council also debated the city's role in hosting Ube Fest, a Filipino food and culture festival. Staff estimated full city support would cost about $50,000; after discussion the council approved hosting Ube Fest but with the city covering $30,000 and organizers absorbing the remainder.
Council adopted multiple individual motions during the budget study session to recover credit‑card fees, initiate a water/sewer rate study, review non‑enterprise rates, reduce some event budgets and preserve other community safety and maintenance priorities. Mayor Pro Tem Johnson led a sequence of motions that the council approved, including the travel authorization (7B2) and the reduced Ube Fest subsidy.
Votes recorded in the meeting minutes include: approval of item 7B2 (motion passes 4–1), approval to host Ube Fest with a $30,000 city contribution (motion passes 4–1), and several other revenue and expenditure adjustments described in staff materials. Council directed staff to bring final budget language back at the next meeting for adoption.
