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Residents press council on parks, safety, small businesses and meeting access; several urge improved decorum and translation
Summary
During the public‑comment period residents urged the council to prioritize parks and sidewalks, questioned disappearing field access for youth sports, asked to restore Zoom/call‑in access, raised public‑safety concerns and criticized instances of council incivility. Several speakers urged clearer bilingual outreach around budget and tax proposals.
Non‑agenda public comment covered a wide range of community concerns at the March 10 meeting.
Coaches and youth‑sports volunteers described field‑use and scheduling problems. "I've been a volunteer coach for the JA for multiple years...when my practice lights were turned off last Tuesday, there were two other programs actively training," Pablo Cuentes said, urging more reliable field scheduling and clearer rules for facility access.
Library and community groups reported positive news: Leland Weaver Library manager Amy Lou said the Tweety Library will reopen March 20 with a community celebration. Civic groups, including the Southgate Rotary, highlighted youth programming and workforce outreach.
Several small‑business owners and residents expressed concern about proposed utility‑user‑tax proposals and said local merchants are struggling. A small‑business owner who identified herself as Alejandrina asked the council to consider how tax proposals will affect microbusinesses that have lost staff and face high operating costs.
Public safety was a recurring theme: longtime resident Francisco Goss said repeated car part thefts and vandalism have made some residents consider moving and urged more police presence. Multiple commenters asked the city to restore call‑in or Zoom access to meetings and to provide Spanish translation and outreach for budget conversations.
Several speakers also raised concerns about council conduct at prior meetings and called for clearer decorum and mutual respect in the chamber. "When elected officials resort to going after residents and their families because they disagree with them, it tells you everything you need to know about who they are at their core," one resident said, calling for renewed courtesy.
Council members and staff acknowledged the comments and committed to follow‑up: staff said it is working to restore the payment portal and to add a call‑in feature, and to provide more Spanish‑language outreach for upcoming budget engagement.
