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Home My WebLink AboutCC Marin-Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District Interviews____________________________________________________________________________________ FOR CITY CLERK ONLY Council Meeting: December 4, 2023 Disposition: Appointed Rika Gopinath to fill one four-year term to the end of December 2027 on the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District due to the expiration of term of Pamela Harlem Special Meeting Agenda Item No: SM 1 Meeting Date: December 4, 2023 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT Department: City Clerk Prepared by: Lindsay Lara, City Clerk City Manager Approval: ___________ TOPIC: MARIN/SONOMA MOSQUITO AND VECTOR CONTROL DISTRICT INTERVIEWS SUBJECT: INTERVIEW APPLICANTS AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO FILL ONE FOUR-YEAR TERM TO THE END OF DECEMBER 2027 ON THE MARIN/SONOMA MOSQUITO AND VECTOR CONTROL DISTRICT DUE TO THE EXPIRATION OF TERM OF PAMELA HARLEM RECOMMENDATION: Interview the following applicants and make an appointment to fill one four-year term to the end of December 2027 on the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District due to the expiration of the term of Pamela Harlem. Name Gerrod Herndon Losalini Reeves Rika Gopinath BACKGROUND: The term of Pamela Harlem is set to expire at the end of December 2023. The City Clerk’s office recruited for applications and received three applications. The Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District protects the health and welfare of the communities it serves from mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases by utilizing cost- effective, environmentally responsible integrated vector management practices. The Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District is governed by a Board of Trustees. Each member represents his or her city of residence or a county at large. Trustees are appointed by their city council or county board of supervisors and serve a two or four year term. Meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. and are currently being held virtually. Once they resume in-person meetings, they will be held at SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2 District Headquarters, 595 Helman Lane, Cotati. More information: http://www.msmosquito.com/ ANALYSIS: The City Clerk’s office recruited for the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District vacancies and received three (3) applications. Staff recommends the City Council interview the three (3) eligible applicants and make an appointment to fill the single term. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. COMMUNITY OUTREACH: The call for applications for the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District was advertised through mass email notification, the City website, social media platforms, Marin IJ, and physically posted at City facilities. ATTACHMENT: 1. Three (3) Applications Boards and Commissions Application 1 / 3 Q1 Contact Information First and Last Name Losalini Reeves Address City/Town San Rafael State/Province CALIFORNIA ZIP/Postal Code 94901 Email Address Phone Number Q2 What district do you currently live in? District 1/Southern Q3 What Board would you like to apply to? Marin Commission on Aging, Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector District, Park and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission Q7 How long have you lived in San Rafael? 13 years in Hawaii.. 4 and halfyears here in San Rafael Q8 Business Information Respondent skipped this question #2 COMPLETE Collector: Web Link 1 (Web Link) Started: Friday, April 07, 2023 11:09:02 AM Last Modified: Friday, April 07, 2023 11:18:37 AM Time Spent: 00:09:34 IP Address: 96.86.180.17 Page 1 Page 3 Boards and Commissions Application 2 / 3 Q9 How did you hear about this vacant position? Social Media Q10 Do you participate in any civic activities? If so, what are they? Yes - Marin County Election Habitat for humanity Q11 List any civic organizations of which you are a member: Voting community Q12 Education: Bit of College Q13 Why are you interested in serving on a board or commission? I loved to helped and volunteered within communities I lived in. Q14 Describe possible areas in which you may have a conflict of interest with the City: N/A Q15 Upload your resume. Respondent skipped this question Q16 Ethnicity Page 4: Demographics Boards and Commissions Application 3 / 3 Q17 To which gender do you most identify? Q18 How old are you? Boards, Commissions & Committees Application 1 / 3 Q1 Contact Information / Información del contacto First and Last Name / Nombre y Apellido Rika Gopinath Address / Dirección City / Ciudad San Rafael State / estado CA ZIP/Postal Code / Código postal 94903 Email Address / Dirección de correo electrónico Phone Number / Número de teléfono Q2 What district do you currently live in?¿En qué distrito vive actualmente? District 4/Northern / Distrito 4/Norte Q3 How long have you lived in San Rafael? 12 years Q4 Business Information Company YardSmartMarin Address City/Town San Rafael ZIP/Postal Code 94903 #36 COMPLETE Collector: Web Link 1 (Web Link) Started: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 12:50:09 AM Last Modified: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 2:28:29 AM Time Spent: 01:38:19 IP Address: 104.28.123.101 Page 1 Boards, Commissions & Committees Application 2 / 3 Q5 How did you hear about this vacant position? City Council Agenda, Friend Q6 What Board would you like to apply to?¿A cuál te gustaría aplicar? Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector District Q10 Do you participate in any civic activities? If so, what are they? I currently serve on the Marin County Integrated Pest Management Commission, a County BOS appointed position overseeing County Parks and County’s IPM ordinance and policy. I’ve served since 2013. I also lead a nonprofit, YardSmartMarin, YardSmartMarin empowers people to reduce / eliminate pesticide use through awareness and education about safer, effective alternatives. In all my work, I focus on science based solutions and finding common ground among sometimes disparate stakeholders and collaborators. Q11 List any civic organizations of which you are a member: YardSmartMarin, Marin County IPM Commission, Organic Land Care Project, NonToxic Communities/ Mons Advocating Sustainability, Marin Conservation League Q12 Education: University of Florida, Bachelors in political science/ public policy Q13 Why are you interested in serving on a board or commission? I have collaborated with MSMVCD staff and board to learn about the challenges and expand my familiarity with pests our community (and public health face). I respect the principles of transparency and collaboration that I see in the public record and reputation. I am eager to serve and learn more. Page 3 Boards, Commissions & Committees Application 3 / 3 Q14 Describe possible areas in which you may have a conflict of interest with the City: No possible conflicts. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I am currently working with national nonprofit Beyond Pesticides to expand local access to their ‘Parks for a Sustainable Future’ grant program to interested municipalities and school districts in Marin, Sonoma, and Bay Area. The grant program provides funds and technical training and consultation over 2 years to support transitioning 2-3 playing fields or athletic fields to organically maintained natural grass turf. So I don’t see any conflict. I approach any problem or issue with a logical approach similar to a systems, IPM framework: identifying issue, evaluating if it exceeded threshold to be a problem, listening to perspective of staff and other Board members to fully understand policy and pest challenges, learning, evaluating solutions and then monitoring results. I do not come in wi th any agenda, other to learn and avoid preconceived answers, to stay focused on where exposure and use can be balanced against costs and benefits over time and learn! Q15 Upload your resume. Resume%20Rika%20Gopinath%202023.pdf (137.4KB) Q24 Ethnicity / Raza/etnia: Q25 To which gender do you most identify?¿Con qué género se identifica más? Q26 How old are you?¿Cuántos años tienes? Page 5: Demographics / Datos demográficos Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Commission oversees implementation of the Marin County IPM policy and plan, and advises and makes recommendations to County Parks IPM Coordinator and Board of Supervisors -Chaired IPM Commission during public outcry over glyphosate use and helped mediate between public ac- tivists, elected officials and County staff throughout contentious public deliberations. -A groundbreaking public policy decision was reached and a diverse community coalition continued to work together to eventually form YardSmartMarin.org -Effectively communicated issues and decisions to both internal constituents and the general public -Communicate with other regional municipalities to share Marin County IPM success with managing public parks and landscapes without conventional pesticides/herbicides Southern Marin Mothers’ Club Board of Directors, June 2012 – April 2013 SMMC is an active parent group of over 1,500 families in Marin County. Led by all volunteers, SMMC provides over 100 playgroups, special events and hosts an online private forum for members. Director of Online Community (June 2012-2013) and Moderator, June 2011 – April 2018 -Led a team of 7 volunteer moderators (average of 150 posts per day). Revised guidelines, managed contro- versial threads and de-escalated online disagreements -Helped devise new revenue stream, partnering with businesses recommended by members -Continued as member of the Moderating Team, handling complex or difficult situations as needed Montessori de Terra Linda School Director of Communications and Marketing January 2016 - August 2017 -Managed all internal communication to parents (MailChimp, website intranet, electronic message boards) -Increased admissions leads and enrollments with strategic marketing changes decreasing budget costs -Moved print ads to online channels, created email marketing funnel, generated ‘advertorial’ content -Increased student retention by improving communication/relationships with current parents -Implemented parent-focused, teacher-led events to increase parent engagement -Partnered with PA to launch 3 new annual family events, increasing parent engagement -Supported all school events including annual fundraising auction, heading online donation solicitations -Managed new website build and launch on 3rd party platform, including internal website for parents -Improved weekly newsletter, shot and edited photos for website, newsletter and message boards Parent Volunteer September 2013 - December 2018, August 2017-June 2019 Green Committee, Parent Association, Co-Founder, SEL/Mindfulness Parent Group Walden University, Senior Field Representative, School of Nursing April 2007 – December 2008 Walden University is a fully accredited online university offering Masters Degree programs Territory included Northern and Central California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Alaska, Idaho and Montana -Exceeded goals in lead generation and revenue, created regional communication tools Kaplan Medical Kaplan Medical is a division of Kaplan Test Prep, providing on-line and classroom test preparation for medical profes- sional licensure exams. Clients include medical students and internationally trained physicians and nursing students and internationally trained nurses. Regional Director, Medical and Nursing Programs May 2001 – December 2005 Territory: California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Hawaii and Vancouver, BC Responsible for all Medical marketing, business development, service delivery in 30 local centers Exceeded revenue goals by +30% each year with only dotted line responsibility to local teams -Directly generated new business in each market while prioritizing opportunities -Identified and fixed operational challenges across locations, increasing customer satisfaction scores -Created/delivered staff training on cultural needs of international clients (physicians and nurses) -Created tools for consultative sales techniques for local sales staff in all regions -Managed escalated customer service issues, retrained local staff when needed -Effectively lead local teams in implementing regional/national marketing and operations initiatives Rika Gopinath Resume