Acton Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes February, 5, 2024 Approved

1. Call to Order, Flag Salute, Roll Call – The meeting was called to order by President Jeremiah Owen at 6:33 pm.  Present at the meeting: Pam Wolter, Jacki Ayer, Jeremiah Owen, Tom Costan, Kelly Teno and zoom – June Perkins.
2. Minutes – Minutes were moved up so everyone could vote.  Jacki Ayer made a motion to accept the minutes from March 18, 2019.  Tom Costan 2nd the motion.  The motion carried.
3. Tom Costan – Tom Costan put in his resignation from the Acton Town Council effective February 5, 2024.  He enjoyed his time serving Acton and parted with ideas for the council in the future.  His family is moving out of California.  After his resignation the Acton Town Council decided to put President Jeremiah Owen on the California Bank and Trust account and remove Tom Costan.  Treasurer Pam Wolter will meet with Jeremiah Owen at the bank to take care of this.
4. Community Comments – One resident spoke of three different items.  Reminder of a Town Hall meeting Wednesday @6:30 pm, Perry Goldberg running for 5th District Supervisor.  Brought to our attention about a development on Antelope Woods with people building and living illegally on the property.  The Supervisor’s office is aware and Deputy Martinez has spoken with them.  There was a large party house bust in Palmdale.
5. Announcements and Correspondence –  LED light conversion beginning in January 2024.  County will be replacing all streetlights that do not have full shielding.  Free disposal days for the AV were announced.  The street vendor ordinance was introduced at the last BOS meeting:  we never even got a chance to comment on it.  We got notices of listening sessions after the ordinance was already written.  The listening sessions were about how to help operate a street vendor business and not about enforcement.  It is our understanding that Supervisor Barger is unhappy with the ordinance.  We had a trails meeting with county staff.  Our homework is to get moving on our request to have Public Works collaborate with Parks and Rec on using existing right of way for trail purposes.  We need to evaluate Crown Valley Road to see if it would be a good first test case.  We sent our first letters to the Water boards addressing the Thousand Trails site visit report.  A second letter will be submitted to Regional Planning and copied to Supervisor Barger once we get clarification on their monitoring reports which have a lot of discrepancies.  They have been ordered by the Water Boards to start measuring their discharge rates instead of estimating them.  We are still looking into Quiet Zones and a college student has offered to put together a web survey to get community feedback.  In a recent communication from Mark Herwick, he announced that subdivisions below 2 acres were not permitted.  This is what we wanted from the Planning Commision but were denied.  We need to clarify this with DRP.
6. Representative Update – Chuck Bostwick from Supervisor Barger’s office announced that the supervisor is asking the other supervisors to support Grants Pass Oregon being overturned.  Carlos Basail from Assemblyman Tom Lackey’s office announced that they are in the planning stages for Bills.  He spoke about the budget and deficit.  Jacki Owens from Congressman Mike Garcia’s office announced that their legislative team in Washington DC is looking into our issues on BESS.
7. Library Report – None
8. Sherrif’s Report –  Stats for December 2023; 12 part one crimes, 99 property crimes.  These numbers are better than the previous December.  Deputy Martinez announced he had looped Daniel Garringer in on the Antelope Woods property.  Put “No Parking” signs on the next agenda.
9. BESS Update – Meeting with Mike Garcia’s office advisors, along with Ruth Brock, Acton Takes Action, and Jacki Ayer, Acton Town Council.  MEPA is being changed to allow for Battery Storage Facilities to be exempt from CEQA.  Solar fields are also included in the exemptions.  The studies only looked at building issues not issues when the facilities are up and running.  Two residents who are transmission experts spoke of their concerns that need to be addressed.  The concern that in the event of a BESS fire the smoke will rise to the large transmission lines and cause sparking/flash over and take out all the transmission lines and the BESS.  We are trying to get traction on this issue with CAISO and if we cannot work with Congressman Garcia possibly work with FERC.  Ruth Brock spoke about all she is doing and classes she is taking to further educate herself in order to help Acton to the best of her ability.  She is on a worldwide BESS Facebook page and asking lots of questions.  The County is developing an ordinance for the BESS and Jacki asked that the council and Ruth come up with dates when we can meet to share our concerns.   Jacki Ayer made a motion to write a letter centering on Chief Moroni and Yanagasawa for their erroneous and disingenuous responses to the Board of Supervisors on December 19, 2023.  Pam Wolter 2nd the motion.  The motion carried.
10. Incorporation as City – Table
11. Climate action Plan – Most of our concerns were addressed about the requirement to eliminate natural gas and propane and require homeowners to retrofit their homes to eliminate all fossil fuel at the point of sale.   One item that still remains is that we asked them to prohibit new gas stations especially with all the other things they want to ban to go fully electric.  Jacki made a motion to write a letter to the Board of Supervisors asking that a ban on new gas stations be added and if it isn’t, that we be provided a real explanation as to why they are not really interested in the climate.    Pam Wolter 2nd the motion.  The motion carried.
12. Water Works District 37 –  Terri Alex and Fernando Alamo made a presentation on new things at Water Works District 37.  How to look them up and new ways to pay your bill.  After the presentation they took questions.  Jacki Ayer asked about the on going question of the plans to extract up to 1000 extra acre feet per year out of our basin.  Ms Alex indicated she would ask and get back to us with an answer.
13. PM071006- Sub Division. – The property owner gave the background on the property and why they are here asking for a letter of approval.  The council asked question about the maps and easements.  Jacki will reach out to the planners to get all the information in the file on the easements.  Jacki Ayer made a motion to write a letter of approval for PM071006 with the following conditions, that the sub division has a trail preferably on the existing utility easement and no curbs.  Pam Wolter 2nd the motion.  The motion carried.
14. Joshua Trees – Place on next agenda.  This subject was prompted by an email from either the ARTC or Pearblossom Town Council.
15. Councilmember Comments – Included being sad to lose Tom Costan on the council, a resident on Bent Spur has reached out to complain about a new neighbor who has put up large flood lights.
16. Committee Reports – The following Committees had reports;  ARTC – Chris Mencel from the Pearblossom Town Council is bringing large art projects to rural communities.  If we have any interest we should contact them.  Finance Ways & Means – Pam reported that we have $871.05 in our checking.  We received a $500.00 donation.  Paid the DMV for the Emergency Trailer.  Pam has the key to the safety deposit box which hold the trailer registration.  ByLaws – Pam Wolter will join Kelly Teno on this committee.  Beautification/illegal Dumping –  Gave an update on a phone call received that there were 4 or 5 bags of trash and tires.  When the crew got there it was 45 bags of trash, a few tires, and construction debris.  High Speed Rail –  Final EIR is scheduled to be out April 2024.
17. Unfinished/New Business –  Mailbox for tax purposes, Jeremiah will find a couple choices to vote on.
18. Items for Next Agenda –  Mailbox, “No Parking” signs, AT&T land lines
19. Adjournment – 10.02 pm