Lodi Improvement Committee — October 13, 2026
Lodi Improvement Committee — October 13, 2026
Regular Meeting · Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · 6:00 p.m.
Carnegie Forum, 305 West Pine Street, Lodi, CA 95240
Members Lyndsy Davis, Dawson Hayre, Emanuel "Mono" Geralis, Christine Tran and Hector Soto. Officers are not confirmed: the September 8 vote for a temporary Chair and Vice Chair has no minutes yet.
Summary
Last month the bylaws dominated. This month's agenda has none of it. The bylaws rewrite, the officer election, the City Council update and the minutes are all missing from the October 13 Lodi Improvement Committee agenda. What's left is a review of the 2026 goals, a staff update on federal grants, and planning for November and December (October 13 packet).
A funding round for local nonprofits opens this winter. The staff memo says Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) public services applications "will be provided this year." The City will publish a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) before a public workshop at the November meeting. In September the same sentence said "will not be provided this year" (September 8 packet).
The public record doesn't yet show what happened September 8. That agenda included a proposal to replace the committee with a "Lodi Community Advisory Committee on the City's Strategic Vision," a possible recommendation of the change to the Council, and a vote for a temporary Chair and Vice Chair. The October agenda reads "Minutes – None." The meeting was held: a third-party summary of the video describes the Lodi Committee on Homelessness presentation (Starbridge meeting summary). No Council agenda posted since then includes the bylaws.
Last year's grants fell short. The City's 2025-26 CDBG performance report shows $282,568 spent of $655,037 available. Four funded projects reported no results, including the Salas Park senior housing project (2025-26 CAPER). The goals matrix in this packet is the same one the committee had in September, word for word.
Meeting Details
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Location: Carnegie Forum, 305 West Pine Street, Lodi, CA 95240
Remote Access: Zoom webinar ID 880 2451 7154, passcode 191272. By phone: 1-669-444-9171 or 1-253-215-8782. Livestream on the City of Lodi public meetings channel.
Agenda Contact: Kari Chadwick, Community Development Program Specialist, (209) 333-6711
Agenda Signed By: David Hanham, Community Development Director. This is his first LIC agenda.
Written Comment: Email LICcomments@lodi.gov, mail to Community Development Department, P.O. Box 3006, Lodi, CA 95241, or drop off at 221 W. Pine Street, at least three hours before the meeting. Written comments go to the City Council and into the minutes. They are not read aloud.
Accessibility and Interpreters: Request disability accommodations or language interpreters from Kari Chadwick, (209) 333-6711, at least 72 hours before the meeting. Solicitudes de interpretación: (209) 333-6711, con 72 horas de anticipación.
Committee Role: The committee helps staff carry out the City's five-year Consolidated Plan for federal CDBG money. Its work includes outreach, feedback on the grant process, and recommendations to the Council on funding priorities. It also works on Lodi's quality of life and appearance through annual goals.
Correspondence: The packet has no letters, emails or public comments. The staff memo is the only written communication.
Agenda
1. Roll Call
The committee failed to meet in June (agenda posted late) and in August (no quorum, adjourned at 6:01 p.m.), so attendance is worth watching.
2. Minutes — None
September 8 minutes are not included. Their absence leaves the bylaws recommendation and officer election without an official record.
3. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
Five minutes per speaker, one appearance per person.
4. LIC 2026 Annual Activities Updates and Task Assignments
Discussion of the 2026 goals matrix (packet pages 6–8).
5. Regular Business — Topics for Upcoming Meetings
November: 2027-29 CDBG application overview and NOFA. December: not yet set.
6. Committee Member and Staff Comments
Non-agenda items, five minutes per speaker.
7. Adjournment
The agenda was posted at least 72 hours ahead, as Government Code §54954.2(a) requires.
Item 4 — The 2026 Goals
The matrix has four goal areas. Each goal has an owner, the member responsible for it, and task lines with an assignee, the member doing the work (October 13 packet, pp. 6–8).
| Goal | Owner | What it calls for | Open assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.A Informational updates | TBD | Briefings from the Planning Division on the Downtown Specific Plan and from the Community Improvement Division, the City's code-enforcement unit | Owner; both briefings undated |
| 1.B CDBG awareness and outreach | TBD | Share grant timelines, workshops and application materials with nonprofits | Owner and liaison |
| 2.A Advance youth programs | Dawson Hayre | Youth Commission partnership, Lodi Lake youth-business event, gang prevention through school, job and after-school access | Enhanced youth programs; Youth Commission meetings |
| 2.B Animal services support | Dawson Hayre | Community event on animal-service resources with shelters and nonprofits | Liaison |
| 2.C Environmental collaborations | Christine Tran | Earth Day event with Parks and Recreation, the Youth Commission, the Arts Commission and Tree Lodi | None |
| 3.A Neighborhood quality | Mono Geralis | Report graffiti, alley, pothole, lighting, sidewalk and ADA problems through Report-A-Concern | None |
| 3.B Community resources | Mono Geralis | Distribute the Lodi Committee on Homelessness resource flyer | None |
| 3.C City beautification | Geralis, Tran, Davis | Report beautification and public-art opportunities | Arts Commission liaison |
| 4.A City Council engagement | All members | Two Council updates a year: August and December or January | Both presenters; August deadline passed |
| 4.B Public awareness | Christine Tran | Host one town hall, online or in person | None |
Task lines by goal area: Informational Updates 1 of 1 unassigned; Community Well-Being 3 of 6 unassigned; Community Improvement 1 of 4 unassigned; Administration and Transparency 2 of 3 unassigned. Source: October 13 packet, pp. 6–8.
Open Issues to Watch — Item 4
- No changes since September. All three pages of the goals matrix match the September 8 packet line for line, including the misspellings "Evironmentally," "colaborate" and "prior too."
- The Council update is overdue. The first of two required Council updates was due at the second meeting in August. That meeting adjourned without a quorum, and no presenter has been named for either update. December is the next opening on the matrix's own schedule.
- No one is assigned to CDBG outreach. A funding round opens this winter, and the goal created to spread the word to nonprofits (1.B) has neither an owner nor a liaison.
- Who owns what after September 8? If the committee elected new officers or recommended the bylaws rewrite, the matrix does not reflect it.
Item 5 — November and December
November: 2027-29 CDBG application workshop. This is the session for nonprofits planning to apply for the next two-year cycle of public services grants. The City's CDBG page called 2026-27 a "renewal year" for public services, so 2027-29 is the next open competition (City of Lodi CDBG program page). The memo says the NOFA will be posted online and in the Lodi News-Sentinel before the workshop. As of October 12 no notice had been posted. Last cycle's application window ran from December 8, 2025 to January 27, 2026.
December: open. Several items are already waiting: the Council update the goals require, the two department briefings, and three guests the committee invited in July for September who were pushed aside by the homelessness presentation.
Open Issues to Watch — Item 5
- The memo reverses itself without saying so. In September it said public services applications "will not be provided this year." In October it says they "will be provided this year." The October version matches the City's CDBG page, but the memo does not acknowledge the change.
- Timing is tight. The NOFA has to be published in the newspaper before the November 10 meeting so applicants can attend the workshop with the rules in hand.
The Staff Memo
Kari Chadwick's three-page memo has four parts: the new funding round, the 2026-27 Annual Action Plan, the 2025-26 awards and the 2025-26 performance report (October 13 packet, pp. 3–5).
- 2026-27 Annual Action Plan. The Council adopted it June 3 after public review from May 2 to June 3, 2026. HUD's 2026-27 allocation to Lodi is $665,263.
- 2025-26 awards. Lodi received $655,037. City policy sends 40% of the grant, after administration, to community-based organizations (CBOs). HUD caps public services at 15% and administration at 20%. The split was $405,000 for capital projects, $98,000 for CBO programs and $130,000 for administration, with $22,037 carried forward into 2026-27 capital projects.
- Scoring. Three LIC members scored the public services applications on April 24, 2025. The Council approved the awards June 18, 2025.
- Graffiti abatement received $15,000 from administration funds because it no longer qualified as a capital project.
| Category | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Capital projects | $405,000 | $434,263 |
| CBO programs (15% cap) | $98,000 | $98,000 |
| Administration (20% cap) | $130,000 | $133,000 |
| HUD award | $655,037 | $665,263 |
2025-26 figures are from the memo. 2026-27 figures are from the June 3, 2026 Council packet, which kept the same five nonprofits at the same public services amounts. It also funds $235,000 for Public Works, $115,000 for the Salas Park housing project and $84,263 in capital projects not yet chosen.
Open Issues to Watch — Staff Memo
- The memo lists the wrong year's awards. Its "2025-26 CDBG Program Year Proposals" section covers a year that ended June 30. The 2026-27 awards that fund the current year are not listed.
- The CAPER date has passed. The memo still says the report "will be submitted to HUD by September 30th." It also says public review began August 15. The Council staff report and the City's CDBG page say August 17.
- An item is missing from the action list. It reads "1) Update 2026 Annual Activities, 3) determine topics." The September item 1, the Council update, was removed and the rest were not renumbered.
- Typo. The memo calls the paper the "Lodi New Sentinel."
What the 2025-26 Grants Delivered
The Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is the City's yearly report to HUD on what CDBG money produced. The LIC memo doesn't report these results, even though committee members scored the public services applications (2025-26 CAPER).
2025-26 results as a percent of each project's goal. Four projects show 0%. Source: 2025-26 CAPER, Table 1.
| Project | Operator | Funding | Goal | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchins Street alley improvements | Public Works | $235,000 | 11,750 people | 11,750 |
| Seniors at Lodi Commons (Salas Park) | Housing Authority of the County of San Joaquin | $130,000 | 54 units | 0 |
| Family Resource Center | Community Partnership for Families | $29,500 | 630 | 755 |
| Lodi House repainting | Lodi House | $23,000 | 10 | 0 |
| Fair housing services | San Joaquin Fair Housing | $20,000 | 1,094 | 663 |
| Hope Harbor shelter operations | Salvation Army | $17,500 | 450 | 441 |
| Hope Harbor security upgrades | Salvation Army | $17,000 | 450 | 0 |
| Propel Program | PREVAIL | $16,000 | 50 | 14 |
| Graffiti abatement | City staff | $15,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 |
| Food assistance | Second Harvest of the Greater Valley | $10,000 | 3,800 | 2,107 |
| Meals on Wheels | LOEL Senior Center | $10,000 | 100 | 120 |
Source: 2025-26 CAPER, Table 1. The four zeros are in the "Actual" column.
- Spending pace. The City spent $282,568.19 of the $655,037 available, about 43%. Only 20.8% went to the designated low-income target area. The plan called for 51%.
- Housing. CDBG paid for predevelopment work on Salas Park senior housing for very low-income seniors and veterans. The CAPER expects the housing results to show up in the 2026 program year.
2025-26 CDBG funds: $282,568 spent and $372,469 unspent at year-end, out of $655,037 available. Source: 2025-26 CAPER, CR-15.
Open Issues to Watch — CAPER
- Math error. The CAPER's public services summary shows 22,982 of 24,530 people served and calls it "12%." The correct figure is about 94%.
- Administration totals don't match. The CAPER lists $110,000 for planning and administration. The LIC memo lists $95,000, plus $20,000 for fair housing and $15,000 for graffiti, all under administration.
- The report can't be downloaded from the CDBG page. The CDBG page lists "2025-26 CAPER (PDF)" with no link, and its 2025-26 legal-notice links open the 2024-25 notices. Readers can find the report in the September 2 Council packet.
- Unfinished projects ahead of a new round. Ask whether the Salas Park, Lodi House and Salvation Army security projects have started before new applications are scored.
How We Got Here
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Jan. 28 | At the Council's Strategic Vision workshop, Chair Lyndsy Davis described LIC member groups taking on tasks that match the Strategic Vision and called for more public outreach (minutes approved October 7). |
| Feb. 10 | The committee adopted its 2026 task list and elected Dawson Hayre Vice Chair (March 10 packet). |
| Mar. 18 | The Council appointed Hector Soto to a term ending March 2, 2028 (Council packet, item C.5). |
| June 9 | Meeting cancelled because the agenda wasn't posted 72 hours ahead (cancellation notice). |
| July 14 | Chair Davis asked for the bylaws to go on the agenda and asked about the history of the committee's fund account. Interim Director Cynthia Marsh said bylaws direction belongs to the Council (July 14 minutes). |
| Aug. 11 | Adjourned at 6:01 p.m. for lack of a quorum, with three members present. |
| Aug. 19 | Council Member Craig-Hensley mentioned "a recent meeting with the Lodi Improvement Committee." The Council appointed Taryn Jones City Attorney, effective September 21. The draft bylaws carry a City Attorney approval line (minutes, in the September 16 Council packet). |
| Sept. 7 | David Hanham started as Community Development Director (August 5 Council packet, item G.4). |
| Sept. 8 | Agenda: bylaws rewrite, possible Council recommendation, Lodi Committee on Homelessness presentation, election of a temporary Chair and Vice Chair. Outcome not yet in the record. |
| Sept. 16 – Oct. 7 | No LIC bylaws item on Council agendas (September 16; October 7). |
The rewrite still pending
The September packet's proposed bylaws would make the committee a "Lodi Community Advisory Committee on the City's Strategic Vision." The new body would have seven seats filled by other City commissions plus the Mayor, with the Mayor as automatic Chair. It would meet quarterly instead of monthly. It would lose its crime, blight and infrastructure duties and its own fund account. The draft's approval line still names Interim City Attorney John Luebberke. Taryn Jones has held the job since September 21 (September 8 packet, pp. 11–21).
The Lodi Arts Commission, one of the bodies that would fill a seat, recommended its own bylaws change in August: a quorum of five when all nine seats are filled and four when eight or fewer are. That proposal also awaits City Attorney review (Arts Commission August 12 minutes, in the September 16 Council packet).
The homelessness committee had reworked its September presentation to give more weight to all its partner organizations, not mainly the Lodi Access Center (LCOH August 13 minutes). According to the video summary, the talk covered building trust, shelter, moving people into permanent housing or rehabilitation, how the homeless count works, and the roles of the Lodi Access Center, the Salvation Army and Family Promise (Starbridge meeting summary).
Who's Who for the Coming Meetings
City staff
- David Hanham, Community Development Director. He began in city government in 1997 in Livingston as assistant city manager, city planner and economic development director. He later worked at KB Home, ran a consulting firm in Turlock, and led community and economic development in Chowchilla (Lodi News-Sentinel). He came to Lodi from Pinole, where he was planning manager from December 2019 (LinkedIn).
- Kari Chadwick, CDD Program Specialist. She runs the CDBG program and writes the committee's memos. She is the likely presenter at the November workshop.
Committee members
- Lyndsy Davis was Chair through July. Her term ends March 1, 2027 (May 1, 2024 Council minutes). She co-owns the beautification goal.
- Dawson Hayre has been Vice Chair since February. He owns the youth and animal-services goals.
- Emanuel "Mono" Geralis handles Report-A-Concern, the homelessness resource flyer and beautification. His term ends March 1, 2027 (City boards portal).
- Christine Tran owns the Earth Day and town hall goals.
- Hector Soto joined in March 2026. His term ends March 2, 2028.
Likely November applicants
Current public services grantees would usually reapply for 2027-29:
- Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin runs the Lodi Family Resource Center. Its executive director, Lynsay Nuss, is a former LIC member (CPFSJ).
- PREVAIL runs the Propel Program, which reached 14 of its 50-person goal.
- Second Harvest of the Greater Valley provides food assistance.
- LOEL Senior Center runs Meals on Wheels.
- The Salvation Army Lodi Corps runs the Hope Harbor shelter.
- San Joaquin Fair Housing provides fair housing education and enforcement.
Guests still waiting for a date
- Rick Freeman, Lodi Adopt-A-Child. Freeman leads this all-volunteer group, whose Christmas Wish program served nearly 1,000 children in December 2025 (Lodi News-Sentinel via Yahoo; Lodi Adopt-A-Child).
- Lynsay Nuss, Community Partnership for Families. Because her organization is a current grantee, a December slot after the workshop would work well.
- Bailey Caswell. Caswell is a Lodi marketing and communications professional who works with the Downtown Lodi Business Alliance, Lodi Arts and Lodi Open Studios (Downtown Lodi; Lodi Open Studios).
Partner bodies
- Lodi Committee on Homelessness. A community stakeholder group chaired by Lisa Meyers-Hill. The LIC distributes its resource flyer under goal 3.B (LCOH packet; City homelessness initiatives).
- Lodi Arts Commission. The LIC's liaison seat is empty.
- Greater Lodi Area Youth Commission, Parks and Recreation, and Tree Lodi. Named partners for the youth and Earth Day goals.
Questions to Ask Tuesday
- What did the committee decide September 8 on the bylaws and on officers, and when will those minutes come back for approval?
- When will the 2027-29 NOFA be published, and who on the committee will carry the outreach task?
- Will December be used for the overdue Council update?
- Where do the Salas Park, Lodi House and Salvation Army security projects stand?
References
Meeting record
- LIC agenda packet, October 13, 2026 (8 pages)
- LIC agenda packet, September 8, 2026 — July 14 and August 11 minutes, proposed bylaws, goals matrix
- LIC cancellation notice, June 9, 2026
- LIC packet, March 10, 2026 — February 10 minutes
- LIC Agenda Center
City Council records
- Council packet, October 7, 2026 — January 28 Strategic Vision workshop minutes; no LIC bylaws item
- Council packet, September 16, 2026 — August 19 minutes (City Attorney appointment), Arts Commission bylaws minutes, LIC appointments; no LIC bylaws item
- Council special meeting, September 16, 2026 — no LIC bylaws item
- 2025-26 CDBG CAPER — attachment to the September 2, 2026 Council packet
- Council packet, August 5, 2026, item G.4 — hiring of the committee's staff department director
- Council packet, June 3, 2026 — 2026-27 Annual Action Plan
- Council packet, March 18, 2026, item C.5 — Hector Soto appointment
City pages
- CDBG program page — watch here for the 2027-29 NOFA
- Lodi Improvement Committee page — still lists Jennifer Rhyne as contact
- Report-A-Concern form
- Lodi Committee on Homelessness packet, September 10, 2026 — August 13 minutes
- Homelessness initiatives
- City boards portal — Lodi Improvement Committee
- City of Lodi public meetings livestream
News and organizations
- Lodi News-Sentinel — "Lodi City Council to consider next community development director," August 1, 2026
- Starbridge — City of Lodi meeting summaries (September 8 LIC meeting)
- David Hanham — LinkedIn
- Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin
- Lodi Adopt-A-Child
- Lodi News-Sentinel via Yahoo — Lodi Adopt-A-Child
- Downtown Lodi Business Alliance
- Lodi Open Studios