City of Tustin

The meeting commenced with a Special Closed Session to discuss anticipated litigation involving two cases related to significant exposure, one case related to the initiation of litigation, and a liability claim concerning the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, L.L.C. regarding the North Hangar fire and hazardous material release. The subsequent Regular Meeting included a presentation on the Tustin Legacy Community Outreach and Engagement 2025 Update. Key actions taken during the regular session involved approving Item 4 (Planning Commission Appointment) and pulling Items 4 and 9 from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration. The Council introduced and conducted first readings for two proposed ordinances: Ordinance No. 1571, banning the sale, distribution, and advertisement of kratom products, and Ordinance No. 1572, regulating the sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. Additionally, the first reading of Ordinance No. 1569, adopting the 2025 California Building Standards Code, was continued to November 18, 2025. The Council received and filed the Tustin Housing Authority Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024-2025. In regular business, the Council reviewed the year-end update for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, noting a preliminary operating surplus of $4.4 million, and approved related revenue budget adjustments and supplemental appropriations, including $2,500,000 for the Navy North Hangar Fire incident cleanup work. Other approvals included a supplemental appropriation for the El Camino Real Water Main Relocation Project and an amendment to the Sublease Agreement with the South Orange County Community College District.

The Special Meeting focused primarily on the appointment of two members to the Planning Commission, where incumbents Jeff Thompson and Wisam Altowaiji were re-appointed for two-year terms. Subsequent documentation includes minutes from a Joint Regular Meeting of the City Council and the Successor Agency to the Tustin Community Redevelopment Agency which convened into a Closed Session to discuss litigation exposure, labor negotiations, and liability claims. Key regular business included approving resolutions and ordinances related to the development of 375 homes within Neighborhood G of the MCAS Tustin Specific Plan, approving communication site license agreements with T-Mobile West LLC and New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC, designating the City of Tustin as a Purple Heart City, authorizing a funding deferral request for the Tustin Legacy Detention Basin environmental cleanup program, and ordering the preparation of the Engineer's Report for the Tustin Landscape and Lighting District levy of annual assessments. Various committee reports were also presented during the joint session.

The meeting included acknowledgments and expressions of gratitude towards Commissioner Steve Kozak for his public service, as well as remarks in remembrance of Phil Cox. A public input session was held with no submissions received. Key discussions centered on the public hearing for Code Amendment (CA) 2024-0007, concerning the adoption of Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Objective Design Standards (ODS) to streamline the review process for housing projects by establishing clear, measurable criteria. The Commission reviewed the implications of objective versus non-objective standards, particularly concerning architectural styles and potential conflicts with Density Bonus law waivers. Finally, the Commission approved the 2023-2024 Certified Local Government (CLG) Annual Report and adopted the 2025 Historic and Cultural Resources Advisor Work Program.

The meeting commenced with a Special Closed Session to discuss litigation matters, including anticipated litigation involving significant exposure (3 cases), initiation of litigation (2 cases), and pending litigation (1 case, Amber Armbruster vs the City of Tustin). The session also addressed a liability claim from The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, L.L.C. The subsequent Regular Meeting covered several key actions. The Council approved payroll and demands, received and filed the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 audit reports with a clean opinion, and awarded a Consultant Services Agreement to R3 Consulting Group, Inc., for assisting with soliciting new solid waste service proposals. The acceptance of the Tustin Sports Park Turf Renovation Field #3 was approved. Authorization was granted for the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amended Listing Agreement with Cushman & Wakefield for marketing City-owned real property in Tustin Legacy. The Council adopted Ordinance No. 1575, instituting a Cross-Connection Control Program. A ten-year cooperative purchasing agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc., was authorized, including adding the Axon AI Era Solution. During the Mid-Year Budget Update, the Council directed staff to proceed with Budget Option 2, which reversed a projected operating deficit into a surplus, adopted a baseline UAL Pension Funding Plan for 2027-2032, and approved a Pilot Tustin Community Support Grants Program. City Manager updates included progress on Main Street and Old Town improvements, including upcoming parklet construction.

The City Council meeting included presentations such as a Proclamation Honoring Margaret Pottenger and another Recognizing Lieutenant Andrew L. Birozy. Following public input, the Consent Calendar items were approved, which involved waiving the full reading of ordinances and resolutions, ratifying payroll and demands, approving two Creative Signals public art cabinet wrap designs, and authorizing an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with The Irvine Company LLC for portions of Tustin Legacy Disposition Areas. The regular business item focused on awarding the construction contract for The Bark Barracks Dog Parks at Tustin Legacy Park Project to Doja, Inc. Council members provided detailed reports on their external committee attendance and activities, covering topics like transportation corridor agency updates, budget reviews, public safety matters, and community events. Mayor Lumbard noted that a budget workshop was held earlier, directing staff to engage in long-term planning regarding investments from land sales and potential City Hall facility decisions.