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Home My WebLink About10-28-2025 Youth Commission Meeting Saratoga Youth Commission Minutes – October 28, 2025 – Page 1 of 4 MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 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 Anand, Commissioner Jain, Commissioner Chiu, Commissioner Lee, Commissioner Suh, Commissioner Chen Absent: Commissioner Aribi, Commissioner Agarwal, Commissioner Miin Also Present: ● Leslie Arroyo (Assistant City Manager) ● Amilia Premji Fugman, Public Attendee (ZOOM) ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ON NON-AGENDIZED ITEMS Assistant City Manager Leslie Arroyo explained the public comment process. AGENDA ITEMS: Commissioner Agrawal arrived at 7:02 1. Youth Commission Minutes Recommended Action: Review and approve the minutes from the September 23, 2025 regular meeting September 23, 2025 Minutes Commissioners reviewed the 9/23/25 meeting minutes. Once the review was completed. Chair Xia made a motion to approve the minutes and Vice Chair Fugman seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. 2. Recap Joint Session with City Council Recommended Action: Debrief October 1, 2025 Joint Session. Share feedback on what went well, what could Saratoga Youth Commission Minutes – October 28, 2025 – Page 2 of 4 have been improved, and thoughts on recruitment process discussion Vice Chair Fugman expresses that the joint session went well and had a great impact on the Youth Commission work plan. Commissioner Agrawal and Commissioner Anand believe that the recruitment process should involve two rounds, and that some applicants should be denied purely based on the written application (which we suggest should be expanded). Chair Xia states that the intention of the “extracurricular” question is unclear and should be clarified. Vice Chair Fugman suggests the addition of a question on how applicants have taken initiative in the past. Commissioner Anand and Commissioner Chen include that a project or project plan should be submitted as a supplemental to the application. Assistant City Manager Arroyo includes that a potential letter of recommendation should also be included. 3. Recap Past Events Recommended Action: Debrief Scarecrow Contest, Witchy Walk-A-Bout. Share feedback on what went well, what could have been improved, and overall thoughts Commissioner Suh states that the Scarecrow contest went well. Budget-wise, it was quite cheap, and the Scarecrow looked good as well, apart from the fact that it apparently collapsed during the actual contest. The Witchy Walk-A-Bout also went well, according to Commissioner Xia, where they led children in the creation of Halloween-themed wands and bookmarks. Commissioner Chiu states that origami was difficult for the younger audience. 4. Discuss Future Events Recommended Action: Discuss Youth Commission participation for MSET Pumpkin Smash, Saturday, November 1; Saratoga Tree Lighting and Candy Cane Village, Friday, November 28; review agenda planner Agenda Planner Vice Chair Fugman and Commissioner Lee are available to participate in the MSET Pumpkin Smash. Assistant City Manager Arroyo suggests that we promote the Youth Commission through an email list during this event. Commissioner Chiu and Commissioner Miin may be able to attend. Commissioner Jain, Commissioner Chiu, Commissioner Lee, and Commissioner Suh are able to attend to help out during the event on November 28th. Commissioner Chen proposes an activity where participants can create fake candy canes with pipe cleaners. 5. Discuss Subcommittees and Reports/Memo Recommended Action: Farmers’ Market, Bingo Night & Parks and Recreation Hike; what is a report/memo and how do you write one Saratoga Youth Commission Minutes – October 28, 2025 – Page 3 of 4 Collaborations Commissioner Xia and Assistant City Manager Arroyo mention that Administrative Analyst Binn’s memorandum is a great example, and that memorandums should be created directly after each subcommittee meeting. Dates for SED Talks and Spring Coffeehouse are unconfirmed, as the Youth Commission is currently in the process of contacting the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) for an initial meeting regarding collaborations. After brief discussion, December 6th was determined to be the preferred date for the first Farmer’s Market event, with December 13th as an alternative. Commissioner Agrawal was selected as the head for all three Farmer’s Market events. March 7th was selected as the primary date for the second Farmer’s market event, and February 28th was selected as an alternative. May 16th was selected as the primary date for the third Farmer’s Market event. Chair Xia mentions that the temporary committees for the Bingo Night and “Let’s Hike” events should begin to decide which dates they would prefer to conduct their event. There are three available dates for collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Bingo Nights may take place during any Thursdays from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, all of which is mentioned in Administrative Analyst Binn’s memorandum. 6. Movie Night Selection Recommended Action: Brainstorm movies for Movie Night Pets On a Train and Elio were top suggestions from Assistant City Manager Arroyo for the Movie Night event. The Bad Guys was suggested by Commissioner Chen 7. Youth Commission Apparel Recommended Action: Discuss apparel options Commissioner Miin (TBD) and Commissioner Chiu will be in charge of the design and distribution of Youth Commission Apparel this year. The Youth Commissioners agreed to continue T-shirts rather than other forms of clothing. 8. Work Plan Implementation Recommended Action: Discuss implementing the Work Plan Administrative City Manager Arroyo confirms that the Youth Commission often does not agree to promote external events/organizations. However, Chair Xia and Assistant City Manager Arroyo state that organizations can promote themselves through the Farmer’s Market opportunity. Chair Xia pushes for event heads to reach out to their temporary subcommittees for their initial meetings soon. Saratoga Youth Commission Minutes – October 28, 2025 – Page 4 of 4 9. Marketing Chair Report Recommended Action: Discuss with newly-elected Co-Marketing Chairs on how to advertise upcoming events Assistant City Manager Arroyo encourages Co-Marketing Chairs to look over the new Youth Commission work plan and brainstorm ways to promote each event through flyers, Instagram posts, and contacting city staff members to spread the word. Chair Xia additionally states that all commissioners should take pictures at every Youth Commission event that they attend. 10. Treasurer Report Recommended Action: Discuss with newly-elected Treasurer practices to track Youth Commission expenditures Budget $24.35 was used on the Build-A-Scarecrow Contest and $28.06 was used on the Witchy Walk-A-Bout event. The remaining balance for the 2025/2026 Youth Commission term is $2,947.59. Chair Xia encourages commissioners to take advantage of venue space for events and request that collaborators handle most costs in return. 11. City Report Recommended Action: Receive report from staff of City updates and review attendance and participation and parent chaperones City Report Assistant City Manager Arroyo informs the Youth Commission of the Mayor’s Office Hours at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market, Saratoga’s Annual Tree Lighting and other opportunities for students. ADJOURNMENT Chair Xia adjourned the meeting at 8:11 PM Minutes respectfully submitted: Secretary Aarav Anand