HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-23-2025 Youth Commission MeetingSaratoga Youth Commission Agenda – September 23, 2025 – Page 1 of 4
MINUTES
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
SARATOGA YOUTH COMMISSION
7:00 P.M. REGULAR MEETING
Chair Xia called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:00 PM
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Xia, Vice Chair Fugman, Commissioner Chiu, Commissioner Lee,
Commissioner Chen, Commissioner Agarwal, Commissioner Miin, Commissioner Jain
Absent: Commissioner Aribi, Commissioner Suh, Commissioner Anand
Also Present:
• Leslie Arroyo, Assistant City Manager
• Jocelyn Binn, Administrative Analyst
• Britt Avrit, City Clerk
• Amilia’s iPhone, Public Attendee (ZOOM)
• Z, Public Attendee (ZOOM)
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ON NON-AGENDIZED ITEMS
Assistant City Manager Arroyo explained the public comment process.
AGENDA ITEMS:
Commissioners Aribi and Anand arrived at 7:01
1. Youth Commissioner Introductions
Recommended Action:
Youth Commissioners introduced themselves to the rest of the commission. Assistant City
Manager Arroyo and Administrative Analyst Binn also introduced themselves and their roles
as they relate to the Youth Commission.
2. Youth Commission Minutes
Recommended Action:
Review and approve the minutes from the May 22, 2025 special meeting.
Saratoga Youth Commission Agenda – September 23, 2025 – Page 2 of 4
Commissioners reviewed the 5/22/15 meeting minutes. Once the review was completed,
Commissioner Xia made a motion to approve the minutes and Commissioner Fugman
seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
3. Commissioner Handbook and Brown Act & Communications
Recommended Action:
Receive staff presentation on Commissioner Handbook and Brown Act.
City Clerk Britt Avrit gave the Youth Commission a presentation on the Commissioner
Handbook and Brown Act, including communication guidelines during and outside of
meetings, the definition of a quorum, and the makeup and roles of temporary committees.
4. Discuss 2025-2026 Youth Commission Schedule
Recommended Action:
Review previous year’s calendar events and discuss previous year’s work plan.
The Youth Commission brainstormed potential themes for the year, including
environmental awareness, civic engagement, mental health, and recognizing diversity,
settling on “civic engagement” and “mental and physical health” as the themes for the
2025-2026 term. They also discussed potential new events like civic debate forums for
youth, volunteer and opportunity fairs.
After much discussion, the Commission settled on six main events that the Youth
Commission will plan this year: SED Talks, Community Hike, Coffeehouse, Movie Night,
Farmer’s Market stands, and Bingo Night. Chair Xia made a motion to approve the
creation of temporary committees for each event except for Farmer’s Market, and
Commissioner Aribi seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved.
5. Workplan and Slideshow Creation for Joint Session with the City Council
Recommended Action:
Create a work plan and slideshow for the Youth Commission presentation to the City
Council on October 1, 2025. (the proposed 2025-2026 Youth Commission Work Plan)
The Youth Commission will meet with the City Council for a joint session on October 1st
and will arrive an hour early to go over the slides. The Commission decided that the to-
be-elected Marketing Chair would manage the slideshow presentation for the City
Council Joint Session meeting to discuss the year’s Work Plan.
6. Youth Commission Positions
Recommended Action:
Select Treasurer, Secretary, and Marketing Chair
Saratoga Youth Commission Agenda – September 23, 2025 – Page 3 of 4
Chair Xia and Assistant City Manager Arroyo gave a high-level description of the open
officer roles and the process to apply for them. Commissioner Fugman spoke about her
personal experience with the responsibilities of the Secretary.
Commissioners interested in officer roles each spoke briefly about why they feel they’d
excel in these positions. The Commission participated in a blind vote on each role
individually, selecting Commissioner Jain as Treasurer, and Commissioner Anand as
Secretary, and two Commissioners, Chen and Chiu, as Co-Marketing Chairs.
Commissioner Xia made a motion to approve the aforementioned Commissioners as
officers. Commissioner Miin seconded the motion, and the motion was approved
unanimously.
7. City Report
Recommended Action:
Receive report from staff of City updates.
The Youth Commission discussed participating in the Build-A-Scarecrow Contest.
Commissioners Chen, Chiu, Xia, and Suh were selected to participate in the planning and
building the Commission’s scarecrows.
Administrative Analyst Binn pointed out announcements from the City Report, including
the Saratoga Safety Fair, the Parks & Recreation Commission’s next community hike
event, and the Witchy Walk-A-Bout. It was noted that the Commission will be expected to
host a booth with a craft activity at the Walk-A-Bout. Commissioners Xia and Aribi
confirmed that they are able to volunteer, while Commissioners Agarwal, Chiu, Anand,
and Jain may be able to attend, but have not committed yet.
8. Attendance and Participation
Recommended Action:
Receive report from staff of City updates.
Assistant City Manager Arroyo and Administrative Analyst Binn spoke about
requirements regarding commitment for Youth Commissioners and laid out ground rules
for deadlines, absences, and attendance requirements. She also noted a change in Youth
Commission policy that requires parent volunteers to attend events to act as adult
chaperones. They stressed that being a member of the Youth Commission is a privilege
and a highly coveted position, and Commissioners should act accordingly.
9. Future Agenda Items
Recommended Action:
Review the agenda planner for upcoming important dates.
Saratoga Youth Commission Agenda – September 23, 2025 – Page 4 of 4
The Youth Commission’s current most pressing commitments are the upcoming Work
Plan meeting with the City Council, the build a Scarecrow contest, and the Witchy Walk-
a-bout.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Xia adjourned the meeting at 9:27 PM