Lodi City Council Agenda - November 4, 2026

Lodi City Council — Regular Meeting

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 — Invocation 6:55 p.m. | Regular Session 7:00 p.m.

Carnegie Forum, 305 West Pine Street, Lodi, CA 95240

Mayor Ramon Yepez | Mayor Pro Tempore Mikey Hothi | Councilmembers Cameron Bregman, Lisa Craig-Hensley, Alan Nakanishi

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Summary

The Council meets the day after the November 3 general election. Most of the agenda finishes work the Council started in October. No closed session is scheduled.

• Growth and annexation rules. The Council takes a second vote on the Phase 4 Development Code package, Ordinance 2050. It adds park-land rules for new subdivisions, a two-step annexation process and the City’s first Williamson Act procedures. A second vote on Ordinance 2051 would prezone the 96.1-acre Westside “F” annexation area.
• Farmland fee. The Council pulled the agricultural mitigation fee, Chapter 15.69, from the package on October 21 after a Building Industry Association letter. The chapter returns as a discussion item (G.1), but the ordinance text has not changed and the staff report has no written analysis.
• Sewer bills. A public hearing (F.1) would base residential sewer bills on December through March water use, dropping the highest month. No household’s billed volume can go up under the new formula.
• Contracts and grants. Consent items include a $110,000 state traffic-safety grant, a June 2024 pay schedule approved more than two years late, a third amendment that roughly doubles the Mosaic recruitment contract to $209,750 and a third amendment that takes the WSP electric mapping contract to $650,000.
• Old minutes. Minutes from July and August 2024 record a 3–1 vote to join the San Joaquin Regional Housing Fund, a residency raise for then-City Manager Scott Carney and a postponed Main Street transitional housing contract.

96.11 vs. 95.3Westside “F” zone acres in the staff report vs. the only published pre-zoning map (H.2)

$209,750Mosaic recruitment contract after Amendment 3, up from $40,000 (C.4)

$650,000WSP electric GIS contract after Amendment 3 (C.6)

$110,000State traffic-safety grant for police overtime (C.2)

$22,908.18Proposed 2027 habitat fee per acre of farmland, up 28% (C.7)

27 monthsLag before the July 2024 minutes reach the Council (C.1)

Meeting Details

Date and Time: Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Invocation 6:55 p.m.; regular session 7:00 p.m.

Location: Carnegie Forum, 305 West Pine Street, Lodi, CA 95240

Remote Viewing and Comment: Zoom webinar ID 821 7418 0304, passcode 123456; phone 1-253-215-8782 or 1-346-248-7799. The meeting also streams on the City’s YouTube channel (@cityoflodi_publicmeetings) and SJTV Channel 26.

Written Comment: Email councilcomments@lodi.gov at least two hours before the meeting. Written comments go to the Council and into the minutes but are not read aloud.

Public Comment Limits: Five minutes per speaker on non-agenda items, in person or on Zoom.

Agenda Packet: 241-page packet in the City of Lodi Agenda Center. Page references below (“p. 28”) refer to this packet.

Accommodations: The agenda still lists Olivia Nashed as the contact for disability accommodations. Elizabeth Haglund is the current Interim City Clerk.

Agenda

B. Presentation

• B.1 Recognition of the Diede family for restoring the American Legion Memorial Building

C. Consent Calendar

• C.1 Approve minutes: July 17, 2024; August 7, 2024; October 7, 2026; October 28, 2026 (special)
• C.2 Accept Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant, $110,000 (Police)
• C.3 Approve City pay schedule dated June 1, 2024 (Human Resources)
• C.4 Mosaic Public Partners recruitment contract Amendment 3, +$106,750 to $209,750 (Human Resources)
• C.5 Accept Hutchins Street Square pool crack repair, $38,370 final (Public Works)
• C.6 WSP USA electric GIS support Amendment 3, +$100,000 to $650,000 (Electric Utility)
• C.7 Set November 18 hearing on 2027 habitat plan development fees (Community Development)
• C.8 Set November 18 hearing on the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (Public Works)

F. Public Hearing

• F.1 Introduce ordinance changing the residential sewer billing formula, Lodi Municipal Code (LMC) 13.12.181(C). No rate change.

G. Regular Calendar

• G.1 Discuss Chapter 15.69, Agricultural Mitigation Fee

H. Ordinances (Second Readings)

• H.1 Adopt Ordinance 2050, Phase 4 Development Code package, excluding Chapter 15.69
• H.2 Adopt Ordinance 2051, Westside “F” prezoning

B. Presentation

B.1 Diede Family, American Legion Building

The Council will recognize the Diede family for restoring the American Legion Memorial Building at 320 North Washington Street (pp. 5–6). Lisa Craig-Hensley signed the certificate as “Councilwoman” rather than the Mayor signing it. It praises the family for preserving the building “for continued use as a community gathering and assembly space.”

Background. American Legion Post No. 22 sold the building in 2021 as membership fell and upkeep costs rose. Storm damage followed, including a tree limb that tore a hole in the roof (Lodi News-Sentinel, Sept. 29, 2026). Diede Construction bought the property in December 2023 and spent about two years and roughly 40,000 labor hours turning it into a private events venue. The work included an outdoor patio on 30 feet of leased Lawrence Park land (Lodi News-Sentinel, Sept. 15, 2026). The venue held its first event October 17 (Lodi News-Sentinel, Oct. 17, 2026).

Open Issues to Watch

• The October 17 column gives the purchase date as “late 2024,” which conflicts with the December 2023 date in the September columns.
• The patio sits on leased park land. The lease terms are not in this packet.

C. Consent Calendar

Consent items pass together on one motion unless a Council member or a member of the public asks to pull one for separate discussion.

C.1 Approve Minutes

Assistant City Clerk Pamela Farris prepared the item (p. 7). Two of the four sets come from 2024, before the November 2024 election changed the Council. Lisa Craig was Mayor then, Cameron Bregman was Mayor Pro Tempore and Scott Carney was City Manager.

July 17, 2024 — Regular Meeting (pp. 8–12)

• Closed session (4:33–7:05 p.m.): Yepez and Bregman were absent. The Council discussed a Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board penalty (Administrative Civil Liability R5-2024-0508) with an expedited payment offer, labor talks with all employee groups and the City Manager’s performance evaluation. No reportable action.
• Regional Housing Fund (major decision, split vote): Yepez pulled the item. Neighborhood Services Manager Jennifer Rhyne and Kim Anderson of the San Joaquin Council of Governments (SJCOG) explained how the countywide housing trust fund works. Mayor Craig asked whether it could help pay for the Access Center, the City’s homeless shelter. Yepez said most low-income housing ends up in his district and asked for a policy to spread it across the city. Rhyne said the Housing Element already requires varied housing types citywide. Resolution 2024-121 passed 3–1, Yepez voting no.
• Other consent items (4–0, Bregman absent): White Slough farm leases with Kirschenman Farms and Lima Ranch (Resolution 2024-122); a two-year, $78,000 street-sweeping contract with SCA of CA (2024-123); Transportation Development Act claims of $6,152,690 and $85,873 (2024-124); Janelle Wilkinson appointed to the Senior Citizens Commission.
• Grace Orchard solar: Assistant Electric Utility Director Melissa Price presented a Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) agreement to buy power from the Grace Orchard Energy Center. The purchase helps Lodi meet the state Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires a rising share of renewable electricity. Resolution 2024-125 passed 4–0.
• Council comments: Hothi asked for an item on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homeless-camp enforcement. The meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m.

August 7, 2024 — Regular Meeting (pp. 13–20)

• Closed session: Labor talks, one anticipated-litigation matter and the national opioid litigation (Kroger settlement). Staff received direction. Nakanishi was absent all evening.
• Consent calendar (4–0): 14 items, including a $122,962 Callander Associates amendment for DeBenedetti Park plans (2024-127), a $387,400 West Yost task order for White Slough (2024-128), a three-year, $500,000 lab contract with Eurofins Eaton Analytical (2024-130) and a $172,517.52 John Deere loader bought through the Sourcewell cooperative contract (2024-132). The Council also set an August 21, 2024 hearing to rezone about 3 acres for affordable housing.
• Public comment: Lodi Hotel resident Michael Rude complained about late-night noise downtown. Robert Van Arsdale raised Assembly Bill 413, the state law that requires clear “daylighting” space near crosswalks, and Mayor Craig asked staff for a report on it.
• City Manager raise (major decision): City Attorney Lucchesi said Carney’s contract provided a raise once his Lodi residency was verified. Resolution 2024-133 passed 4–0, effective July 16, 2024. The Lodi News-Sentinel reported the contract set a $275,000 base salary plus $5,000 for moving into the city (Lodi News-Sentinel).
• Main Street transitional housing (major discussion): Staff proposed a five-year lease and operator agreement with Inner City Action, Inc., with the City paying up to $80,000 in utilities for 18 months. Mayor Craig objected that Inner City Action sent no representative and criticized the single proposal. Bregman favored a 12-month residency limit instead of 24. Yepez said he would not contract with Inner City Action. Hothi supported it. The Council voted 4–0 to continue the item and asked staff why other providers did not apply. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m.

October 7, 2026 — Regular Meeting (pp. 21–26)

• Closed session (6:17–7:00 p.m.): All five members discussed an initial performance review of City Manager Kara Reddig and two lawsuits filed by former City Manager Scott R. Carney (San Joaquin Superior Court cases STK-CV-UWM-2026-0003828 and STK-CV-UOE-2026-0044713). City Attorney Taryn Jones reported no action.
• Consent calendar (4–0, Nakanishi absent): Eight sets of backlogged minutes; BKF Engineers on-call planning contract raised by $144,000 to $224,000 (Resolution 2026-204), pulled by Craig-Hensley; Purchasing Policy changes for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) rules; a $240,543 sole-source Civica library catalog agreement (2026-205); free student bus fares through the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP).
• Valley Outdoor Advertising: Bregman recused himself and left the dais. The transit advertising extension through December 31, 2026 passed 3–0 (Resolution 2026-210).
• Public comment: Through a translator, Central Avenue residents described homelessness, trash and illegal activity near a church, a liquor store and a vacant lot on Tokay Street. Mayor Yepez said he had asked staff for help.
• Westside “F” hearing: Staff pulled F.1 and continued it to October 21. The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.

October 28, 2026 — Special Meeting, State of the City (p. 27)

Mayor Yepez gave the State of the City address at 8:00 a.m. in Kirst Hall at Hutchins Street Square, with all five members present. The minutes record attendance only, with no summary of the address and no link to the slides.

Open Issues to Watch

• The 2024 minutes arrive 27 and 28 months after those meetings. Lodi has no posted deadline for producing minutes.
• The October 21, 2026 minutes are not in the packet, even though H.1 and H.2 are second readings of ordinances introduced that night. Minutes of the October 27 special meeting on the Facility Maintenance Plan are also missing.
• The August 2024 minutes end with the Main Street contract continued. The packet does not show what happened next.

C.2 Traffic Safety Grant: $110,000 (pp. 28–53)

The Council would accept Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant PT27085 from the state Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), let the City Manager sign the documents and set up the budget. The grant covers October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 and comes from federal highway-safety funds the state passes through.

It pays police overtime for DUI saturation patrols on weekend and holiday evenings, five DUI and driver’s-license checkpoints, motorcycle, pedestrian, bicycle and distracted-driving enforcement, and impaired-driving training. Checkpoints take more than a third of the money.

FIGURE 1. STEP grant budget lines. Source: OTS Schedule B, agenda item C.2, November 4, 2026 packet.

Values: checkpoints 5 × $8,010 = $40,050; saturation patrols 15 × $1,400 = $21,000; traffic enforcement 13 × $975 = $12,675; distracted driving 10 × $985.23 = $9,852; collaborative enforcement 5 × $1,750 = $8,750; pedestrian/bicycle 8 × $930 = $7,440; training travel $3,723; motorcycle 2 × $975 = $1,950; warrant service 2 × $925 = $1,850; overtime benefits $1,554; checkpoint supplies $1,156. Total $110,000.

Local data in the application (pp. 33–34). Lodi recorded about 917 crashes in 2025, none fatal, with 157 injury crashes that hurt 203 people. Police counted more than 75 DUI-related crashes and about 269 DUI arrests. Crashes hurt 22 pedestrians, 17 bicyclists and 9 motorcyclists. The department is authorized for 80 sworn officers, with about 23 positions not fully staffed and about 17 recruits in training.

Requirements. OTS requires a kickoff news release by December 31, participation in 12 national safety campaigns and a monthly “DUI BOLO” (be on the lookout) list of repeat offenders driving on suspended licenses.

Open Issues to Watch

• The grant year began October 1, five weeks before Council approval. The agreement bars costs before it is fully signed, so October enforcement would not be reimbursed (p. 30).
• The application credits Lodi’s October 2024 to September 2025 grant for the drop in crashes. It does not mention any grant for October 2025 to September 2026.

C.3 City Pay Schedule Dated June 1, 2024 (pp. 54–61)

The Council would approve, after the fact, the citywide pay schedule dated June 1, 2024. It lists monthly pay ranges for roughly 200 job classifications.

Why it matters. CalPERS, the state pension system, counts pay toward a pension only if it appears on a “publicly available pay schedule” the governing body approved in a public meeting (CalPERS Circular Letter 200-050-16). Approval now closes a gap in the City’s pension compliance.

The schedule lists the City Manager at $275,000 a year, effective June 1, 2024 (p. 55). The Council approved Carney’s residency raise effective July 16, 2024, an action recorded in the August 7, 2024 minutes on this same agenda. Carney now has two lawsuits pending against the City.

Open Issues to Watch

• The staff report does not say why the schedule was not approved in 2024.
• It does not say whether the 2025 and 2026 schedules are approved, or whether CalPERS has flagged the gap.

C.4 Mosaic Public Partners Recruitment Contract, Amendment 3 (pp. 62–128)

The Council would add $106,750 to the City’s contract with Mosaic Public Partners, an executive-search firm in Lincoln, bringing the total to $209,750 and extending it through June 30, 2027. The signed exhibits show three earlier steps, none with a Council action cited in the packet.

Step	Date	Added	Running Total
Original agreement	Oct. 30, 2025	$40,000	$40,000
Amendment 1	June 5, 2026	$32,500	$72,500
Amendment 2	Sept. 30, 2026	$30,500	$103,000
Amendment 3 (this item)	Nov. 4, 2026	$106,750	$209,750

TABLE 1. Mosaic contract history. Source: Agenda item C.4 staff report and agreement exhibits.

FIGURE 2. Contract ceiling after each action. The yellow line marks the City Manager’s $60,000 signing limit under the 2022 Purchasing Policy; the red line marks the $80,000 limit in a June 2026 draft.

What the new money covers. $26,500 pays for an Assistant City Attorney search (proposal dated October 15, 2026) and $25,500 for a Risk Manager search. The other $54,750 is “for the recent City Clerk recruitment and possible future recruitments.” Mosaic’s July 14, 2026 City Clerk proposal set a $32,000 flat fee, and that proposal is attached to Amendment 2.

Open Issues to Watch

• Amendment 1 took the contract past the $60,000 limit and Amendment 2 past $80,000 (Finance Committee agenda, June 10, 2026). The packet shows no Council approval for either, and this resolution does not ratify them.
• The original term ran September 4, 2025 to September 3, 2026 (p. 79). Amendment 2 is dated September 30, after it expired, and the packet shows no extension in between.
• The staff report does not explain why the City Clerk search needs more money if Amendment 2 covered it, or what the uncommitted share of the $54,750 will buy.
• The funding line reads “Fiscal Year 20267-278.”

C.5 Hutchins Street Square Pool Repair: Accept Work (pp. 129–131)

The Council would accept the finished repair and file a Notice of Completion. Siegfried Engineering and Pacific Coast Leak Detection traced the pool’s leaks to cracked concrete in the pool shell. On May 6, 2026 the Council authorized up to $40,000 from a restricted Hutchins Street Square Foundation donation (Resolution 2026-092).

The City received one bid, from Ichor Restoration of Prunedale, at $29,900. Change Order 1 added $8,470, a 28% increase, for damage found during the work, for a final cost of $38,370. Crews injected epoxy into cracks and patched spalled concrete. Staff expects the repair to last about five years before a full rehabilitation.

Open Issues to Watch

• The fiscal impact section says $38,380, $10 more than the $38,370 in the background.
• No capital plan in the packet addresses the full pool rehabilitation the five-year estimate points to.

C.6 WSP USA Electric GIS Support, Amendment 3 (pp. 132–183)

The Council would add $100,000 to Lodi Electric Utility’s contract with WSP USA, formerly Power Engineers, for a $650,000 total through December 31, 2028. GIS, or geographic information system, is the utility’s digital map of its poles, lines and meters.

The original $225,000 contract from December 2022 moved the utility’s maps into Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network. Amendments 1 (February 2024, $125,000) and 2 (June 2024, $200,000) improved asset data and gave customer meters unique IDs so the GIS and outage system can track outages. WSP’s August 13, 2026 proposal covers ad hoc support, back-end upkeep, project management and training for a new in-house Enterprise Technology Analyst. Funding comes from account 50061500.72450.

FIGURE 3. WSP contract ceiling after each action. Source: Agenda item C.6 staff report and amendments.

Open Issues to Watch

• The staff report says Amendment 3 adds a connected model of the sub-transmission system and moves streetlight maps into GIS. WSP’s scope letter names neither as a deliverable.
• The packet does not cite the Council resolutions that approved Amendments 1 and 2.

C.7 Set November 18 Hearing: 2027 Habitat Plan Fees (pp. 183–184)

The San Joaquin County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation and Open Space Plan (SJMSCP), run by SJCOG, charges developers a per-acre fee to offset habitat lost to construction. The Council would set a November 18 hearing on the 2027 fees.

Habitat Type	2026 Fee per Acre	Proposed 2027
Open Space	$8,935	$11,454
Agricultural / Natural	$17,868	$22,908.18
Vernal Pool (uplands)	$72,662	$57,953
Vernal Pool (wetted)	$183,894	$191,580

TABLE 2. SJMSCP fees. Sources: Agenda item C.7; City of Stockton Resolution 25-1076 for 2026 fees.

FIGURE 4. 2026 and proposed 2027 fees. The wetted vernal pool fee ($183,894 to $191,580) is left off for scale.

The agricultural fee covers land purchase ($15,816), habitat improvement ($6,444) and management and administration ($648.18). It rises about 28%, or $5,040 an acre. The vernal-pool uplands fee would fall about 20%. SJCOG reported $9.85 million in plan fees collected in 2025, with farmland habitat making up 78% of the acreage that paid fees (SJCOG Board agenda, March 18, 2026).

Open Issues to Watch

• Lodi’s proposed farmland mitigation fee (G.1) would be charged on top of this habitat fee for annexation projects that convert farmland.

C.8 Set November 18 Hearing: 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (p. 184)

State law requires large water suppliers to update an Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) every five years, covering supply, demand and drought shortages. Lodi hired Provost & Pritchard of Clovis in July 2026. The current plan was adopted August 4, 2021.

Open Issues to Watch

• The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) required 2025 plans to be adopted and submitted by July 1, 2026 (California DWR). Staff says the City “remains eligible for various grant funding opportunities” but does not address the missed deadline.
• The same staff report appeared as C.12 in the October 21 packet. The packet does not say whether the hearing was already set then.
• Staff says the draft is on the City’s website, but neither the packet nor the staff report links to it. The City’s Master Plans page lists only the 2020 plan.

F. Public Hearing

F.1 Sewer Billing Formula, LMC 13.12.181(C) (pp. 185–191)

The Council would hold a hearing and introduce an ordinance. Adoption would come at a later meeting, with the ordinance taking effect 30 days after that.

What changes. Lodi bills metered homes for sewer service based on winter water use, since little of that water goes to lawns. Today the bill rests on average use in December, January and February. The new formula looks at December through March, drops the highest month and averages the other three. Rates stay the same. High-strength commercial and industrial users, billed on actual flow and pollution load, are not affected.

What the math means. The new figure averages the three lowest of four months. If March is the highest month, it drops out and the result matches today’s formula. In every other case a higher December–February month is swapped for March, so the average falls. A household’s billed volume can only stay the same or go down. That helps households with one heavy winter month from a leak or holiday guests. It also means sewer revenue can only hold steady or fall unless rates change.

Open Issues to Watch

• Staff says revenue impacts “will depend on customer water consumption patterns” but gives no estimate. The City has meter data that could answer it.
• Bills are recalculated each July 1, but the ordinance gives no start date. Staff has not said whether December 2026–March 2027 readings will set July 2027 bills.
• The redlined and clean versions in the packet look the same, so the redline does not show what text changed.
• The agenda labels the item “Res.” (resolution), but it is an ordinance.

G. Regular Calendar

G.1 Chapter 15.69: Agricultural Mitigation Fee (pp. 192–202)

On October 21 the Council approved the Phase 4 code package except Chapter 15.69. It held the chapter after a letter from the Building Industry Association of the Greater Valley (BIA) and asked staff for “additional information and clarification” (Plan Lodi). Staff now asks the Council to review the chapter and give direction or take action.

Background. General Plan Policy C-P7, adopted in 2010, calls for an agricultural conservation program with a fee and at least one acre of farmland preserved for each acre converted (Lodi General Plan, Appendix A). Until now the City has applied it project by project.

What Chapter 15.69 does.

• When it applies: development tied to an annexation that converts state-mapped Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance or Unique Farmland and needs a building or grading permit. Existing city land, previously developed land, public projects and accessory dwelling units are exempt.
• Ratio and fee: at least 1:1 mitigation. The Council would set the fee later by resolution, based on a nexus study that legally ties a fee to the impact it pays for. The fee is due at building permit.
• Where the money goes: permanent conservation easements held by a group such as the California Farmland Trust, on San Joaquin County land, with priority near Lodi or in greenbelt “community separator” areas between cities.
• Adjustments and options: annual increases tied to a construction cost index, Mitigation Fee Act accounting, an option for developers to provide their own easement and appeals to the City Manager within 30 days.

What the packet shows. The staff report is one paragraph. It has no written response to the BIA letter, no fee estimate and no copy of the letter. A word-by-word comparison of the November 4 ordinance with the October 21 clean version found no text changes, and the redlined and clean attachments are identical. Any new information will come in a presentation at the meeting.

Why it matters now. Plan Lodi says the Westside “F” annexation “relies on adoption of the Phase 4 provisions establishing the City’s Williamson Act regulations and agricultural mitigation requirements.” Another delay would leave Westside “F” with no adopted farmland mitigation rule. The Maverik project handles mitigation through a signed letter of agreement until an ordinance is adopted.

Open Issues to Watch

• The fee amount, and the nexus study needed to set it, are not scheduled.
• The BIA letter has not appeared in any City packet.
• A farmland conversion would pay this fee on top of the 2027 SJMSCP habitat fee of $22,908.18 per acre (C.7).
• If the Council introduces the chapter, adoption requires a second reading at a later meeting.

H. Ordinances (Second Readings)

H.1 Ordinance 2050: Phase 4 Code Package, Excluding Chapter 15.69 (pp. 203–237)

The Council would waive the second reading and adopt. The ordinance takes effect 30 days later.

• Chapter 15.70, Parkland Dedication and In-Lieu Fees. Under the state Quimby Act, cities can require park land, or a fee instead, when land is subdivided. Lodi would require 5 acres per 1,000 residents, with a goal of 8. Recreation-designed stormwater basins can count. Subdivisions of more than 50 lots dedicate land; smaller ones pay a fee equal to appraised land value at final map.
• Section 17.28.040, Planned Development (PD) overlay. Annexation areas of 40 acres or more need a Master Plan covering land use, infrastructure, parks, fiscal impacts and phasing.
• Chapter 17.77, Boundary Changes. Annexation becomes two steps: a Pre-Annexation Hearing before the City Council, which decides whether a proposal may proceed, then a formal application with studies of services, fiscal impacts, water and farmland. Annexations of 10 acres or less are exempt from the first step. The chapter also covers prezoning, tax-sharing agreements and filing with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the county board that approves boundary changes.
• Chapter 17.78, Williamson Act Regulations. The Williamson Act cuts property taxes on farmland in exchange for a contract to keep it farmed. The chapter sets Lodi’s procedures for taking over contracts on annexed land, non-renewal, cancellation fees and protests.

Changes since October 21. Chapter 15.69 is removed and later sections are renumbered. The first annexation step now goes directly to the City Council: Section 17.77.050(C) reads “The City Council shall conduct a Pre-Annexation Hearing,” replacing an October draft that gave a “Merit Hearing” to the Planning Commission (pp. 203–204). State law (Government Code §36934) requires an ordinance changed after introduction to wait at least five days before final passage; the packet was printed October 29, six days ahead.

Open Issues to Watch

• Section 17.78.030(E) cites “Government Code Section 5183.4.” The correct section is 51283.4, on tentative cancellation certificates.
• The Section 17.28.040 purpose clause still reads “then would have been achieved,” where “than” is meant.

H.2 Ordinance 2051: Westside “F” Prezoning (pp. 238–241)

The Council would adopt prezoning for the 96.1-acre Westside “F” area south of West Vine Street, north of West Kettleman Lane and west of South Lower Sacramento Road. Dobbins Properties, Inc. is the applicant. Prezoning takes effect only if LAFCO approves the annexation.

Do the acres add up? The October 21 packet gives the zone acreage three ways, and they do not agree. The staff report and the ordinance title, repeated unchanged on November 4, use 9.2, 19.91, 10, 49.8 and 7.2 acres. Those add to 96.11. The Westside Pre-Zoning Exhibit map (October 21 packet, p. 297) adds to 95.3. The List of Annexation Parcels attached to the ordinance (p. 311) adds to 95.52 for the 20 parcels. It gives no acreage for the Taylor Road right-of-way, which the annexation resolution counts in the 96.1-acre total.

Zone	Staff Report and Ordinance Title	Pre-Zoning Exhibit Map (p. 297)	Parcel Table (p. 311)
General Commercial (GC)	9.2	9.2	9.14 (1 parcel)
Mixed Use Corridor (MCO)	19.91	19.1	19.91 (6 parcels)
Public and Community Facilities (PF)	10.0	9.6	No parcel assigned; 027-050-03 (10.0 acres) has a blank zone column
Residential Low Density (RLD)	49.8	50.2	49.22 (6 parcels)
Residential Medium Density (RMD)	7.2	7.2	7.25 (6 parcels)
Total	96.11	95.3	95.52 (20 parcels; right-of-way not listed)

TABLE 3. Westside “F” zone acreage by source. Sources: October 21, 2026 packet, item F.2 staff report, Attachment 2 (p. 297) and ordinance Attachment 1 (p. 311); November 4, 2026 packet, item H.2.

FIGURE 5. Acres by zone in each source. The parcel table assigns no parcel to PF; the 10.0-acre parcel 027-050-03 is the only one without a zone. RLD is Residential Low Density; MCO, Mixed Use Corridor; PF, Public and Community Facilities; GC, General Commercial; RMD, Residential Medium Density.

The parcel table supports the 19.91-acre Mixed Use Corridor figure: its six parcels along West Kettleman Lane (State Route 12) add to exactly 19.91. The October 21 staff report said the earlier 19.1-acre and 95.3-acre figures were clerical errors and that the correct numbers appear “in the corrected prezone exhibit.” The exhibit in the October 21 packet still reads 19.1 acres for the Mixed Use Corridor and 50.2 acres for Residential Low Density, and its labels add to 95.3. The Residential Low Density parcels add to 49.22 acres, 0.58 short of the 49.8 in the staff report. That gap equals the difference between the 96.1-acre total and the parcel sum. The staff report does not say whether the Taylor Road right-of-way is counted in the low-density zone.

Ordinance 2051 itself does not list acres by zone. It prezones “the respective portions of the Project Area,” with the parcels listed in Attachment 1. Since introduction, its description of the Project Area has changed from “approximately 95.3-acre” to “approximately 96.1-acre,” and its title now reads West Kettleman “Lane” where the October text said “Road.” The packet does not mark these changes or include Attachment 1 or a map.

Background. On October 21 the Council voted 4–0 to seek annexation of the 20 parcels, with Bregman recused for a conflict of interest (Lodi News-Sentinel, Oct. 23, 2026). Five parcels north of Taylor Road are cropland, and 10 agricultural-residential parcels lie south of it (Lodi News-Sentinel, Aug. 15, 2026). For environmental review, staff relies on CEQA Guidelines §15183, which covers projects consistent with a General Plan that has a certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Open Issues to Watch

• The ordinance refers to a property list and zoning map as attachments, but the packet includes only the four-page ordinance.
• No corrected pre-zoning map has been published. The only exhibit in the record shows 19.1 Mixed Use Corridor acres and a 95.3-acre total, figures staff has called errors.
• The parcel table gives no zone for parcel 027-050-03 (345 East Taylor Road, 10.0 acres), the only parcel without a zone and the same size as the PF zone. As written, the attachment ties the PF zone to no parcel.
• Since introduction, the ordinance text has changed its Project Area acreage from 95.3 to 96.1. State law (Government Code §36934) bars final passage of an ordinance altered after introduction until at least five days later; the packet was printed October 29.
• Bregman is expected to recuse again.
• LAFCO review of land with Williamson Act contracts and Prime Farmland depends on H.1’s Williamson Act chapter and the outcome of G.1.

References

• City of Lodi, City Council agenda packet, November 4, 2026
• City of Lodi, City Council agenda packet, October 21, 2026
• City of Lodi, Agenda Center (agendas and minutes)
• City of Lodi, Public meetings video channel
• City of Lodi, Finance Committee agenda, June 10, 2026 (Purchasing Policy draft)
• City of Lodi, Plan Lodi: Phase 4 code amendments
• City of Lodi, General Plan Appendix A, Policy C-P7
• City of Lodi, Master Plans and Reports
• California Department of Water Resources, Urban Water Management Plans
• CalPERS, Circular Letter 200-050-16 and publicly available pay schedule checklist
• California Office of Traffic Safety, grant programs
• San Joaquin Council of Governments, SJMSCP habitat program and Board agenda, March 18, 2026
• City of Stockton, Resolution 25-1076 (2026 SJMSCP fees)
• California Government Code, Section 51283.4
• Lodi News-Sentinel background reporting: Carney contract; October 21 annexation vote; Westside “F” parcels; American Legion Building columns of Sept. 15, Sept. 29 and Oct. 17, 2026

Prepared for Lodi411 by Don Bradford. Source: City of Lodi City Council agenda packet for November 4, 2026, including staff reports, agreements, ordinances, exhibits and minutes, and the City of Lodi agenda packet for October 21, 2026.