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San Dimas council proclaims Red Cross Month, hears students and public pleas on trees, arts and contracts
Summary
Councilmembers proclaimed March 2025 American Red Cross Month, heard San Dimas High School students' accomplishments and took public comment urging more arts funding, expanded tree planting and a review of contractor performance; staff said tree-ordinance amendments will go first to the planning commission in about two to three months.
The San Dimas City Council opened its March 11 meeting by proclaiming March 2025 as American Red Cross Month and inviting Martha Ventura of the Red Cross to accept the recognition.
"I'd be very happy to accept that on behalf of the thousands and thousands of American Red Cross volunteers," Ventura said, thanking the city for the proclamation acknowledging disaster relief, blood services and training programs.
Students from San Dimas High School briefed the council on spring arts and athletics, including choir and band events, a ProStart culinary team that won a state championship and will represent the district in a national competition in Baltimore, and regional athletic successes.
During oral communications, former council member John Ebiner urged local investments: he proposed bike improvements on San Dimas Avenue south of Bonita and suggested a $20,000 line item to seed arts and culture activities. "I suggest a $20,000 amount to start that out," Ebiner said, and also recommended increasing the tree-planting budget by about $5,000.
Resident Gil Gonzales pressed the council to review city contracts and to ensure contracted services meet expectations, citing tree-trimming work by WCA and urging the council to require lacing and shaping rather than minimal branch cuts. "I would like to see a motion sometime down the line that we look at the contracts and make sure that we're getting what we're paying for," he said.
Councilmembers flagged tree policy and contract oversight as items for follow-up. A council member suggested revisiting a performance-auditing function and council discussion included separating private-tree ordinance work from public-tree maintenance. Planning staff told the council they had engaged an environmental consultant and expect to present private-tree ordinance recommendations to the planning commission in "two to three months" before returning to the council.
Mayor Pro Tem Eric McConnell also noted that March is colon cancer awareness month and encouraged residents to take screening seriously.
After remarks and public comment, the council recessed to closed session to discuss significant exposure to litigation.
