featured graphic for Cypress city news during COVID-19. Background photo by C.E.H. Wiedel. Seal of the City of Cypress courtesy of the City of Cypress.

Cypress City Council faces full agenda at regular meeting on Monday, April 26

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The Cypress City Council faces a full agenda that includes the new park at Lexington Ave. and Cerritos Ave., City grants to local non-profits, and three items requested by Councilwoman Frances Marquez in addition to the usual consent calendar and updates of ongoing projects.

Item 14 regarding the new park brings back a discussion of what the park will be named because construction on the park now requires it. According to the staff report:

The City Council’s Strategic Plan includes an objective to present the results of sports park community outreach and name options to the City Council for action. In the Spring of 2019, the City Council directed Recreation and Community Services (RCS) and the Recreation and Community Services Commission to conduct public outreach to solicit suggestions on names for the new park at Lexington and Cerritos. RCS solicited suggestions at special events including the Egg Hunt, Concerts on the Green, and Cypress Festival. Suggestions were also collected through the City website and social media outlets. The RCS Commission reviewed 183 suggested names at their September 2019 meeting and recommended adding “Cypress Sports Park” for City Council consideration along with “Cypress Park;” “Lexington Park;” and “Thoroughbred Park.”

Item 15 provides the Council an opportunity to discuss and approve two different sorts of grants in support of local non-profits: first, the regular biannual grants to local non-profits through the Recreation and Community Services Department; and, second, emergency grants to help non-profits that have been hit hard by the effects of COVID-19 and State-imposed restrictions.

The staff report provides a summary:

The City Council’s Non-Profit Contribution Program provides non-profits the opportunity to request funding and support for their programs. The application process occurs every other year and grants are approved by the City Council. Eighteen organizations submitted applications requesting more than $1 million in direct and indirect support. In the FY 2019-20 and 2020-21 grant cycle, twenty-one organizations were awarded a total of $1,036,663 in direct and indirect support.

As part of the FY 2021-22 and 2022-23 Non-Profit Contribution Program, City Council approved a COVID-19 Emergency Support initiative to provide direct support for local, partner non-profit organizations. The support allocated for the initiative was $300,000 and seven organizations submitted applications requesting more than $550,000 in support.

Items 18, 19, and 20 are requests by Councilwoman Frances Marquez:

  • reconsideration of the City Council’s April 12 approval of Item No. 13 Initiate Environmental Review of Scenario or Scenarios to Meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment as Part of the Housing Element Update on an upcoming City Council agenda;
  • an additional Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)/Housing Element Update Workshop on an upcoming City Council agenda;
  • a discussion of the Los Alamitos Race Course redevelopment services team on an upcoming City Council agenda.

According to the meeting’s published agenda:

[M]embers of the public can view the City Council meeting streamed live online at www.cypressca.org/watchlive or on Spectrum Cable Channel 36. Additionally, the public may participate and provide public comment by registering at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7429385090188924939 or join via listen-only mode by calling (415) 655-0052 and entering Access Code 404-222-767 when prompted. No Audio Pin is necessary.