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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2002-02-25 2-11-02 / 2-25-02 Mayor Doane mentioned that there was a beautiful tribute to the late Paul Snow printed in the Leisure World News by reporter Ruth Osborne, at the end of the article there was a poem by Edgar Guest entitled 'When Life Is Done' which Mayor Doane read, and offered that the author must have known Mr. Snow. I CLOSED SESSION No Closed Session was held. ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to adjourn the meeting until Monday, February 25th at 5:30 p.m. to meet in Closed Session. By unanimous consent, the meeting was adjourned at 9:47 p.m. ~;m lerk and ex-off1c e City of Seal Beach Approved: {jJf~ Attest: I Seal Beach, California February 25, 2002 The City Council of the city of Seal Beach met in regular adjourned session at 5:30 p.m. with Mayor Doane calling the meeting to order. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Doane Counci1members Boyd, Campbell, Larson, Yost Absent: None Also present: Mr. Bahorski, City Manager Mr. Barrow, City Attorney Ms. Yeo, City Clerk I The City Attorney noted that this is the opportunity for any member of the public to comment on the items on the agenda. No comments were presented. CLOSED SESSION The City Attorney announced that the City Council would meet in Closed Session to discuss the items identified on the agenda, a public employee performance evaluation pursuant to Government Code Section 54957, to confer with legal Council relating to a liability claim pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.95, and a matter of anticipated litigation 2-25-02 pursuant to Government Code Section 55956.9(b). By unanimous consent, the Council adjourned to Closed Session at 5:32 p.m. and reconvened at 7:03 p.m. with Mayor Doane calling the meeting to order. The City Attorney reported that the Council had discussed the items identified on the agenda, gave direction with respect to both items, there was no other reportable action. ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to adjourn the meeting at 7:04 p.m. I clerk Approved: /IJ~ ----- Attest: Seal Beach, California February 25, 2002 I The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in session at 7:04 p.m. with Mayor Doane calling the order with the Salute to the Flag. regular meeting to ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Doane Councilmembers Boyd, Campbell, Larson, Yost Absent: None Also present: Mr. Bahorski, City Manager Mr. Barrow, City Attorney Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development Services Mr. Dancs, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Ms. Yeo, City Clerk Mayor Doane announced that the attendance of Girl Scout Troop 1051 and consideration of Resolution Number 4982 "Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Girl Scouts" will be held over until the next meeting. I APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilman Boyd requested that Item "L" be removed from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration, and moved to allow the public to speak with regard to Item "B", a briefing by Assistant Fire Chief Patrick McIntosh relating to the volunteer program. There was no second to the motion. 2-25-02 Larson moved, second by Yost, to approve the order of the agenda as revised. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried I ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilmember Campbell noted the break of a water main in College Park East on Saturday morning, it was a City problem, it is in the process of being repaired, it had nothing to do with sewage yet some dirt got into the line, the hydrants were flushed until the water ran clear. She mentioned too that her newsletter was distributed this past weekend which reported three cul-de-sacs scheduled for paving this upcoming year, that was in error, it will be four of the remaining cul-de-sacs. To the rumor that he has withdrawn from the City Council race, Councilman Boyd stated that is not correct, he is still a candidate running for election. Due to a voice problem, Mayor Doane turned the conduct of the meeting over to Mayor P:r;oTem Larson. PRESENTATIONS I ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY - VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Assistant Fire Chief Patrick McIntosh introduced himself, a twenty plus year member of Orange County fire services. Chief McIntosh said he wished to present an overview of the Orange County Fire Authority reserve firefighter program and the restructuring of that program. In terms of background the Chief stated that the Fire Authority embarked on a strategic planning process .covering the next six years of the organization, Emergency Services Consulting Group was retained, nationally known for their expertise in emergency services, issues, organization, and planning processes relative to those services, that process was on-going for eighteen months, the reserve program issue became one of the strategic goals identified in that process, the Strategic Plan then adopted by the Orange County Fire Authority Board of Directors in July, 2001. The Chief offered that related to the reserve program, Goal 6 of the Strategic Plan specifically addresses maximizing the utilization of reserve and auxiliary personnel within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Orange County Fire Authority taking into consideration the need, efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of those services, in essence, a strategic initiative designed to develop a clear and productive role for reserves and volunteers in the community. The significance of this issue to the Orange County Fire Authority and effect on communities was the number one issue of the consultants as they worked through the Strategic Plan process, so significant that this issue stood out alone and became a goal in and unto itself, the Board of Directors, recognizing the significance of the issue, identified a project team to begin to address the objectives and critical tasks associated with analyzing the program to the degree that that project team was also facilitated by the president of the consulting firm, that is felt to be important in that the president is a former fire chief, elected official, nationally recognized, particularly in the fire service as it relates to combination fire departments and volunteers, and has written articles and text books on volunteer firefighters in the American fire service. The results of the project team was presented to the Board of Directors in February, 200l, slightly ahead of the Strategic Planning process, that because the Board of Directors decided I 2-25-02 to embark on this specific issue somewhat faster than the remainder of the process, the result of that work was also to direct staff to move forward with the consulting group to complete additional work relative to revising the reserve firefighter program, specifically, what the consulting firm did over the next many months was to review a significant amount of statistical information, did a geographical analysis as is used in computer modeling programs, looked at service areas and deployment, conducted interviews with all of the reserve officers, as well as having a steering committee to review the information for accuracy, that report, prepared by the consultant, was presented to the Authority Board in February, at the workshop the Chief specifically addressed with the Board that the goal of this effort was to specifically identify a safe and meaningful roll of volunteers within the Orange County Fire Authority. Chief McIntosh noted that the Board will be addressing this issue at their meeting of March 24th with the specific anticipated action to adopt the Definitions of Purpose for the restructured program and address the recommendations of the consultant and staff. He mentioned that what the Board will be looking at in adopting a revised and rescoped Definition of Purpose for reserves in the community is that the real purpose of the reserve program is to supplement other response resources and assure that other adequate resources are available to effectively manage emergency incidents, there are three things focused upon, the ability to provide additional resources on major emergencies which . provides the depth needed in the organization and . communities, station coverage during peak periods when other units are busy, and to provide emergency services support resources on major incidents. The Chief explained that the consultant came forth with three reserve program service options, a fully trained service roll, the opinion of staff, based on the significant changes in fire services in the communities over the years, a current program that has basically remained unchanged for over thirty years, the roll of firefighters in the communities, the specialties, with the level of training required, it is not felt that they can train and sustain a full service program into the future, there is too much demand on resources and turnover of personnel. The other end of the spectrum was to discontinue the reserve program altogether, the consultant felt it was appropriate in the scope of their job to bring that forward as an option, that was evaluated as not desirable in that it is believed that there is a valuable roll for the volunteers in the community supporting the emergency services. The Chief stated that staff has recommended the middle option, that is a support role for the reserves with an expanded EMS function, that is the recommendation that will be brought to the Board of Directors at their March meeting. He posed the questions relating to why are they looking at restructuring the program, why specifically the EMS support roll, there are several key factors, first of all is safety, that is safety in the community and what the citizens expect of their emergency responders, safety of the reserves that perform those functions, assurance that they are adequately trained to perform the functions they are asked to do, the safety of other personnel that also respond to the incidents, another factor is reliability, how often and can there be assurance that those resources would be available when needed to do the job they are asked to do, sustainability into the future, the ability to support the program, and the true need for the specific functions they are asked to do, whether it be EMS or a fire related role. The Chief noted the staff I I I 2-25-02 I recommendation to the Board of Directors relative to the restructuring of the reserve program is to focus on EMS type incidents and support of major incidents mainly because emergency medical service calls are the predominant type of incidents being dealt with, the feeling is that there is a legitimate depth needed in the communities for that type of resource. In looking at the basic statistics, the majority of all responses, the times that the units went in route and times that the reserves arrived on scene were for emergency medical incidents, ninety-two percent of the time that a reserve company arrived first on scene, in all of 1999 and 2000, were for EMS calls, another rationale is that the training requirements can be better focused, with the initial training focused on EMS and not the broad scope of other activities, training was provided more efficiently and effectively for them to provide a specific role in the communities, it is felt there is a larger recruiting pool, not everyone is cut out for the demands and tasks of being a firefighter but they do have skills, interests, and physical abilities to perform emergency medical service functions. The City of Seal Beach reserves have provided very good service to this City, this is not an issue about Seal Beach reserves, this is a systemwide restructuring based on needs across the organization and the communities when you look at the Fire Authority as a regional system, even in Seal Beach the majority of incidents the reserves are responding to are EMS calls, again looking at all of 1999 and 2000 statistics pretty much mirror the previous regional stats, in fact over ninety-three percent of the time when Seal Beach reserves arrived first at an incident it was for an EMS call, for 1999 and 2000 they arrived first forty-three times in the entire two year period, only three of those calls were fire calls, the others were EMS calls, going back further and looking at an earlier period in the program before some changes were made to the reserve, 1995 and 1996, the statistics are almost identical; arriving at fire calls just two times during that two year period, this is nothing new, it is a trend, it is systemwide, that is why a systemwide restruct~ring is being looked at. Training is another big issue, the training requirements increase on a continuous basis, State, federal and organizational training, the Authority currently requires the reserves at the local level, at the station level, to complete twelve hours of training each month, some of that is identified in a training activities plan, the remainder is left to the company officers at that station, that is the responsibility of the respective station officers to be certain that it gets completed, that training is recorded into an automated system that is maintained at headquarters, this is not academy training, this is after someone is on board to maintain their skills to perform their duties on a daily basis, the personnel in Seal Beach are only able to average one and a half hours per month of the twelve hours that are mandated. In addition, the truck company that is at times in the City requires much more training outside of the academy in order to successfully operate, that is not being achieved either, that basically mirrors the training difficulties throughout the system, which further supports their effort, desire and belief that the key role is to provide service to the EMS incidents and support major activities, the Authority is looking to do that by selecting a suitable vehicle based on the role anticipated, it is not appropriate if the focus needs to be EMS for the reserves to need and ride on a fire engine, a more suitable vehicle is available, used in other jurisdictions, is easier to operate, does not require special skills, training, or licenses, and I I 2-25-02 is more maneuverable in a small town such as this, the Authority is also looking at an appropriate number of personnel and the callout criteria to bring the reserves to the station. Chief McIntosh stated the Authority is looking to go one step further outside of the reserve program, that is to do additional research in order to augment current staffing levels with apprentice firefighters, individuals outside the reserve program who would be trained in combat fire activities and work side by side with the full time firefighters as additional staff on the engines. What the program will look like when finished, there will be five engines in the system, they will be located at more remote parts of the County, areas that are lacking in adjacency to other Fire Authority stations, nineteen emergency medical squads or patrols, one will be here, three air resupply units that support major incidents, and three water tenders, the end result is three hundred sixty-five active volunteers working in Authority communities. Chief McIntosh said currently the Seal Beach reserves have one engine company, one truck company, the only such company staffed by reserves, which as mentioned requires' significantly more training than can be achieved, as a resource that is considered an excess to the system, that is a unit that the Authority uses when other full time truck companies are out of service for maintenance, it is a replacement, in 1991 the regular company was gone four months of the year yet Seal Beach was provided adequate company services from surrounding stations. The future of the reserves in Seal Beach, a very important and critical roll from the Authority perspective, is to provide the depth of service for EMS calls with an appropriate vehicle, that would be an EMS squad or patrol, fifteen active volunteers dedicated to that service trained to a higher level of emergency medical services beyond what is currently provided, the Authority is looking to raise that standard to an emergency medical technician, which includes defibrilation. Why the program, what are the benefits, as previously mentioned it is felt there is a larger recruitment pool area, with the augmentation roll that they take on the Authority can go to a larger area because the criticality of them responding to the station immediately is reduced, able to provide the training focused on EMS with a reduced number of hours that is more accessible in a more easy to deliver format, the program will provide depth of service for seventy percent of the emergencies, require fewer people to initiate response, currently an engine company requires an officer, a driver operator who needs additional certifications and licenses, a firefighter with an EMS component, the unit being recommended requires two people to respond and does not require a specific license or extra drivers license or training, it is felt the unit can get out faster and more often which increases the viability of performance, as mentioned, the EMS training will then be enhanced with service provided by the volunteers. Chief McIntosh offered that what is being discussed is maintaining the current fire services in the community and enhancing the EMS service, fire responses will continue to be managed by the full time firefighters, the Authority has not, for over two years, relied on reserves for primary response to fire calls, they have been backed up by another company on every fire and EMS call in the City and throughout the jurisdiction, to maintain that coverage there are going to be less fire engines systemwide but there is a very aggressive move-up and cover policy program, automated, and based on specific criteria where they move units from adjacent stations into the community when stations are empty, there are automatic aid I I I '->.' 2-25-02 I agreements with surrounding jurisdictions, including Long Beach and the Naval Weapons Station, they are part of a master mutual aid system for all of California which allows them to request resources from surrounding jurisdictions, there is also a policy in place that allows them to convert units that are currently in the fire stations, specifically paramedic engine companies, break those units down to an engine and a paramedic van during major emergencies, also allows for the increase of resources, this maintains all of fire coverages while at the same time increasing the level of EMS service to the community. The Orange County Fire Authority is dedicated, has been and continues to be, through the use of the combination of full time firefighters and properly focused community volunteers to provide safe, effective, and reliable emergency services to each and every citizen in the City of Seal Beach. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor ProTem Larson acknowledged that the fire services is an important issue to the volunteers and the citizens of the community, and suggested that possibly those wishing to speak to that issue do so prior to those who want to speak to another topic, the intent being that all have an opportunity to make their points. Mayor ProTem Larson declared Public Comments to be open. I Ms. Carla Watson, Catalina Avenue, noted that people do try to support the businesses on Main Street, she would also encourage people to support the Bay Theater, they have wonderful shows on Saturdays, the organist plays for all of the shows, it is a great place for parties, kids can see old movies, the community is fortunate to have such a great entertainment place as the Bay Theater. With that in mind, it does speak to the issue of Old Town feelings, the fire department, and how one can not computerize this City, the gentleman who spoke talked about text book, this is not a text book City, if one were to walk around the streets it would be seen that this community does not fit into some of the cities that have been put on the broad spectrum that seems to be interested in wiping out the fire department. She mentioned having lived in this community for a long time and recalled that when the pier went down one could not get into the City, people waited an hour at the bridges, this City is locked in by bridges, what if there is no fire engine to help, there is considerable liquefaction land, consider what would happen if there were to be an earthquake of a six to six and a half magnitude, think of how many fires would break out, just look at the Marina area in San Francisco to see what liquefaction is, if the bridges are impassable no fire units will get to Old Town or Leisure World or even into the City. Ms. Watson emphasized that the Fire Department should be looked at as something of importance to this small town city. Mr. Ron Bennett, Seal Beach, mentioned being a long time resident and retired Los Angeles City Fire Captain, the only number one rated Class I city fire department in the country, also certified and accredited by the State to teach fire science at the community college level, has served on the Board of Directors for Local 112, the National . Association of Firefighters, the union that represents firefighters throughout this country. Mr. Bennett said his intent had been to speak for the retention of the volunteers yet after seeing the presentation the previous speaker was correct in that this is computerizing something that is not computerizable. He stated that he offerred his background in an effort to lend credibility to some of his statements I 2-25-02 relating to the fire service. Mr. Bennett offered that history of the fire service in the United States, and currently, shows eighty percent of the fire departments in the country are volunteer for a number of reasons, the first is cost, Seal Beach spends approximately $4 million per year for the current fire service, most cities could not afford that, the second reason is that volunteers work in small cities, cities just like Seal Beach, short distances of travel, it is that there is not a tremendous amount of burnable value, homes are valuable, but this is structure fire fighting 10l, one and two story residences, this community does not have high-rise, complicated commercial processes, or industrial processes, chemical plants, the reason for having paid fire departments in most big cities and the was due to a configuration hazard, the chance that a small fire could become larger and larger and soon could not be put out, the city could burn down as evidenced by the fire in Chicago about 1900, the reason for a paid fire department is complexity and large burnable values. Mr. Bennett offered that there is a reason to have volunteers in the community, the downtown station with a paid fire company are not there all of the time, they leave for training, two to three hours at a time, they are not replaced, they leave the area for move-ups for other companies that are on fires, and leave the area to respond to other major fires, consequently there is no coverage, it takes time to get to this station, every fire at some point, in the very beginning, can be put out by a child with a cup of water, ten minutes later it is a bucket and an adult, any later a fire engine and.five or six firemen are needed, then you are not worried about that structure it is protecting the structures on either side. Mr. Bennett stated that another point that struck him from the presentation is that now people will not be asked to be volunteer firefighters but volunteer ambulance drivers and respond to EMS calls, to that he said it is a self-fulfilling prophesy, there will be no volunteers in two to three years, people do not volunteer for EMS class, they are not good runs, those do not make you feel good, people will not run that kind of response, there will be no volunteers. The Authority says it is going to convert to EMS but three years into the future the Authority will come back and say they can not fill those positions, the City will then be hit with an engine company at a cost of another million dollars a year, that is a three man company, three platoons, that is nine, and an extra man to cover, a three man company can respond to emergency medical calls however they do not put out fires, if the company leaves the station, sees smoke or flame that means there is a structure fire, before getting to that structure you pick a hydrant, lay a line, leave a fireman at the hydrant, but he will not charge that line until the engineer pulls a line, plugs it into the rig, then gives the call to load the line, meanwhile the captain is directing incoming companies, no one is putting out the fire, another three to five minutes lost. Mr. Bennett described his personal experience of the past year where his tenant called to say his building was on fire, upon arrival at the Ocean Avenue structure a fire truck was parked in front, a second engine pulled in behind at a hydrant, the loss was more than $38,000, who responded to that fire and put it out, the volunteers, the paid companies were training elsewhere in the county, this is not the first time the volunteers have put out fires. Mr. Bennett concluded that the Authority proposal is less service and eventual greater cost, he could see no need for that, the fire service nationally, like everything else, is an empire building business, in five years there I I I '~._>. - ., 2-25-02 I will be more engine companies and people than there is today, there is no reason, in this community the volunteers work because it is so small. Mr. Charles Antos, 14th Street, stated he talked with the fire department when he first heard of the Authority proposal, since then he has spoken with some of the regulars and volunteers, there are a couple of things the Council needs to find out before embracing this plan. Mr. Antos said he understands there will be another station in the County that will remain with a paid company and a volunteer company with an engine, therefore why is Seal Beach being singled out, also, he has heard that about the time this plan was being studied there was a moratorium placed on hiring and allowing volunteers to be brought in as volunteers left the system, why, in addition, there are two categories of volunteers, those that have gone through training and at some point they wish to become permanent, professional firefighters, as an opening occurs they apply and if selected they leave the volunteers, yet the other category is what there is in Seal Beach for the most part, those that do not want to be professional firefighters, they live in the community, may own a business, they want to give something back to the community, they continue to be volunteers, and it is believed that has not been taken into consideration, with a lack of being able to fill the volunteer positions when people leave to take full time jobs that results in less people in the volunteer companies. He mentioned that less than a month ago there were brush fires, the regular companies left town to backup the firefighting efforts, it is believed what was left in Seal Beach was the volunteers and their engine. Mr. Antos predicted that there will be more El Nino's coming, more floods, high tides, rain, more,brush fires, so before this City lumps the Seal Beach volunteer firefighters into the same category as every place else, it is believed there needs to be some answers and thought given to what exists here and what they are doing. Ms. Jane McCloud, Balboa Drive, expressed her opinion that the proposed fire and rescue restructuring will affect all of Seal Beach, however her comments are directed towards Old Town, the Hill, Surfside, Leisure World, and freeway area, it will take longer for help to arrive, two engines will come from out of town, two engines will be lost from Old Town as well as the aerial truck with the ninety-five foot boom and the heavy rescue equipment, this is a loss of services that will need to be provided from out of town, it is understood the nearest aerial engine would be in Cypress or westminster, there will be increasing response time for out of town engines because of the Bixby development and bridge congestion, a continuously growing impact, there will be limited use of the reserve firefighters from what they are now, they are about half of the force, they would serve only medical emergencies, the people that serve as volunteers are either local business owners, college students, or trained, certified firefighters or EMT's, unlike other volunteer groups in Orange County the Seal Beach volunteers, ten to twenty-five years of experience, and are generally available most of the time unlike the statistics that were presented, they are the ones that are on the job, fifty percent of the force in this area. This is a threat to health and safety, the core of Seal Beach is geographically isolated by bridges and this community is going to lose two of the four engines that serve the area, due to special circumstances and special locations, Surfside, Silverado Canyon, Mijesko Canyon, Villa park, and one other location, it is understood will retain their current level of engines and volunteers, due to the geographic isolation of Seal Beach alone, this community must I I 2-25-02 retain its current level of engines and volunteer services that come from the Old Town station. Ms. McCloud stated that there were twenty-two persons who could not attend this meeting and seven present who signed a petition in agreement with her requesting that the City Council vote unanimously to oppose the effort of restructuring the current fire protection system, her hope is that the Council will support retention of the current level of service. Mr. Matt Mikkelson, Surf Place, stated he is a current captain on a local paid fire crew who started a drill school this day, teaching young men and women what the volunteers in this community are being asked to do. Mr. Mikkelson admitted becoming angry while watching the presentation by the Chief from home for the reason that he felt it was lopsided, to which he stated that if the volunteer truck in this community is lost the nearest is then in the vicinity of the Department of Motor Vehicles office at Westminster and Hoover. He mentioned having responded to a fire this morning on 2nd Street in Long Beach, a truck company did not arrive until five minutes after he arrived, it was luck that the occupants of the business self-evacuated, until the truck company arrived with smoke removal equipment nothing inside the structure could be seen. Mr. Mikkelson stated that if the volunteer truck is lost and there is a traffic accident on a high speed highway like that of Pacific Coast Highway and. Main, the people trapped will not be out for some length of time, the jaws of life are on the local truck, the next truck is considerable distance away, he also concurred with the statements of Mr. Bennett, the volunteers were the first on scene and the ones that put his fire out, he did not know where the paid crew was, however it is nice to have persons in the community that want to volunteer their time to help in such situations. Comments during the presentation was that the Authority will maintain current services yet the community will be losing an engine and a truck, statistics were quoted as to responses of reserves for EMS, question is what are the statistics for the paid crews, they are probably higher, they have tried to justify that they need the reserves for EMS because that is what they go to, that is in fact what most responses are these days, there are few fires, yet when they are needed they are needed, the reserves can not go from this community, another truck is just too far away and a paid truck is not affordable given the budget problems. His key issue is that the community is losing a truck. Mr. Joe Kalmick, Seal Way, stated he has the utmost respect for Chief McIntosh of the Orange County Fire Authority staff. Mr. Kalmick said he has served as a volunteer firefighter for the County and Authority for over twenty years, yet in this case the changes that are proposed to be made to the program are based on issues, politics, and statistics that they are trying to take in a countywide mode and apply to this particular community. He would applaud the fact that they hired the consultant, yet in articles and books written by the consultant one of the things said, as set forth in his report to the Orange County Fire Authority, is that politics are a reality within the fire service and must be considered in determining what type of delivery system is utilized, that it is the opinion of the author that a combination paid/volunteer fire department is the most cost effective way to provide fire protection in a small to medium sized community. Mr. Kalmick said it is granted that Seal Beach is contiguous with the rest of Orange County as long as bridges are in tact, etc. but this is a self-contained, small town community, there is a system in place that has worked, there is a high retention rate, recruiting has always been I I I "......~~. , 2-25-02 I turning people away however as was previously stated it has been at least two years since they have been allowed to recruit to replenish the ranks, in addition the consultant goes on to say that there may be areas within the OCFA service area on which a community places very high value on its reserve firefighters, that it may be a responsible political decision to leave select reserve units as fully capable engine companies rather than support service units, which he said he believes that applies to Seal Beach. He said to some of the points the Chief made it is felt important to either clarify or refute, with regard to the aggressive move-up and cover policy that would be in place, as of September 11th the Navy engine is no longer allowed to respond off the Base so that is one unit that would not be available to' Seal Beach, and with regard to the automatic aid agreement with the City of Long Beach that applies primarily to the freeways, a Long Beach engine has never responded into Old Town from the Belmont Shore Station or the Station at Loynes. With regard to the EMT and EMS training all of the reserves are currently trained to what is known as defribulation, with regard to the level of training he would agree that with regard to operating an aerial truck that it is a specialized piece of equipment the same as an engine is a specialized piece of equipment and an air utility unit is a specialized piece of equipment and it does involve training, the local reserves have trained for the last twenty years on operating an aerial truck, that is the length of time the truck has been in this town, and without the benefit of any training by the Orange County Fire Authority. With regard to statistics as to the reserves being first on scene, the role of the reserves is to not be first on scene, rather it is to support the full time career firefighters, that is why there is a paid engine company, however, in the case of a structure fire, the paid crew are in quarters and available to respond, the reserves will not be first, they are the second due engine to supply water if they are going to make an attack on a fire in a house, then it is the role of the reserve truck to provide ventilation so it makes the atmosphere inside tenable to fire attack, the reserves are first on scene where the paid engine company is either on a call, moved up to cover another station, or in training. He mentioned that under the Fire Authority plan to reorganize these procedures they will be taking eighteen pieces of fire apparatus, not including ancilliary support vehicles, out of the system so any time there is a major incident that will mean more dominos will fall in other directions. Mr. Kalmick said in Seal Beach, as they have done in Sunset Beach where they are going to leave a full time volunteer staff and an engine, he would see no difference between Sunset Beach and Seal Beach, and with the proper amount of support and training by the Fire Authority and being allowed to recruit and bring in new members there is no reason that he could see that the reserves should not be a viable company for many years to come. A member of the audience expressed appreciation to the Chief and the fire department or possibly the volunteers for extracting him from a car about two years ago at the freeway off ramp. He offered that when it comes to emergencies and the EMS system one is a basic life support system the second is an advanced life support system, explained that basic life support would probably be a child on a playground that has a broken wrist or finger, the firefighters that are EMT's can splint it, call an ambulance or the parents so that the child can be transported, the second is more dramatic, it is an ALS system, that is when someone has a full MI or stroke or something of that nature, in most instances a paramedic, I I 2-25-02 engine company or ambulance is needed, when they start aligning that person, even assisting the ambulance, that company will generally take thirty-five to forty-five minutes before they are ready to go, in the meantime there is Leisure World and others in the community that may need an ambulance, advanced life support system, or engine company yet the company is in an on-scene situation, and his comment to all, as a retired thirty year fireman, is that some is better than none. Mr. Nate Kranda, 5th Street, mentioned that he started as an Explorer at age sixteen until the age of nineteen, he does not want to be a full time fireman, he has a career, however he wants to live in and be part of this community forever. With regard to the presentation, he would like to speak to the aggressive move up policy and how that is affected in this portion of the County, the proposal is to also take an engine out of Los Alamitos, Cypress, La Palma, and Midway City, that is going to have an affect, the move ups can only move up so far. He cited the training record statistics as not being accurate, there have been maybe a handful of training classes in the past three years, he has attended everyone of them, no matter where held, the reserves welcome training, these are dedicated people, there are even firefighters that work full time for other departments. Mr. Keith Huff, Electric Avenue business owner, stated he first wanted to dispel the comment during the presentation that he trains only an hour and a half a month where it is actually fifteen to twenty hours. He mentioned that the volunteers are not only involved with the department but they do a considerable number of things throughout the community during the year, parades, sandbagging, etc., out of the reserve roster of eighteen there are nine State certified firefighters, there are four full time firefighters, as well as medics. At the request of Mr. Huff the entire audience stood to show their support for the reserve program. Mr. Huff offered that Seal Beach is different, he moved his business to this community some eight years ago at great expense, his residence is Lakewood yet he has been a reserve since 1984, spends considerable time in and giving back to the community. He asked that they be given more training, said there has not been training on the specialized truck for two years, they would welcome training. Ms. Helen Brown, 8th Street, twenty-seven year resident living nearly across the street from the Fire Department, said that was a primary reason for buying her home, she has had occasions to go to the Station and talk to the volunteers and the professionals, to her it makes no sense to do away with the unpaid personnel, this community has a tremendous core of volunteers, they take up the slack where the tax dollars do not, there is no rationale to do away with volunteers only to be replaced with paid personnel. Mr. Arnold Fir, 3rd Street, offered that when he is at work he relies on the reserves to respond to his wife, neighbors, or his house on fire, when he is off from work he is a reserve firefighter, the training hours that were shown certainly did not consider his training as a firefighter/engineer, a full time paid in another city, he lives in this lovely community as well as being here to protect the City on his off days, therefore before looking at skewed numbers the Council needs to look at the kind of people that are also here to protect the City, if there is a major emergency he is here to help, if at work he is comfortable knowing that there are reserves and others to provide protection. Mr. Mike Schneider, ten year resident from a small town in Arizona where the fire department was basically all volunteer, said he did not pretend to know anything about how this program works or how the numbers I I I ~ ........... ~, 2-25-02 I figure into the Orange County Fire Authority, yet the statistics are basically everyday emergency responses, house fires, occasional brush fire, yet thought needs to be given to the big emergency, a catastrophe, with the resources that are available they will move to the most important scenes, large structure fires, highrises, critical roadways, if the bridges are lost who is going to be here, should the Authority take away equipment what will be done here in an emergency, his preference is that the volunteers remain. Mr. David Phillips, 6th Street, said money and firefighting effectiveness aside, the Seal Beach volunteer department has been a major part of the community spirit,' if there is no major reason to let them go he would urge that it not be done. Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, spoke of the community efforts by the volunteers, visits to a former and only paid Fire Department person, visits to the Casa Youth Center, etc., these are things of which there is no record of their efforts in the community, if Sunset Beach can have volunteers then so should Seal Beach. Mr. Richard Moody, 15th Street, said he too is a volunteer. Before coming to this meeting he drove to Station 48, it was empty, no engine, no medic unit, they were likely on a call in Leisure world, Rossmoor, or College Park East, it is known that they are busy, stretched to the limit. He is a professional fireman as is his roommate, they work a lot, train a lot, they volunteer, do not even sign in, they do it for free, they want to continue to do that and for free, to him having a truck company in this area is felt to be crucial, the truck at Station 44 is gone this evening, is being used by another company because their truck was in need of repair, there were no other reserves available, his feeling is that the truck that is here is in service, the tools work, the reason they work is that the reserves start them once or twice a week to assure they work, the reserves maintain that equipment for free, in that there is no other reserve truck in the County that is a concern, of concern too is that if there is an emergency the next closest unit would likely be from westminster. Ms. Beverly Pearce, 16th Street, said as most people know this City gave up its local control of the fire department to go to the County to save money, this in turn is the price to be paid, this is no longer a City decision because the City saved some money, the Authority likely means well yet the community wants to keep its fire department, and part of the budget problem now is that yes some money was saved then but now the City owes PERS for retirement, and maybe it was not such a big saving. Ms. Pearce said what if something happens, what if a 9/11 were to happen at the Weapons Station, or there is an earthquake, what if the City continues to give up local control to save money and then a large group needs to get together when it is too late to object, her feeling is that the budget problems need to be looked at closely, that thought be given to the decisions that are being made as well as how to keep local services and local control. With regard to the upcoming election for Charter Amendments, Ms. Pearce noted a news article that came out in support of most of the amendments, there was some question with one that would allow projects up to $20,000 without competitive bidding, that too could be advocating responsibility, this is a great community full of very intelligent, well educated, and generally economically blessed people, there is need to participate in the process and even though there are hard decisions to make possibly things like the fire station can be kept, help people, keep local control, and maybe save some money without having to pay the price for things like the fire services later. Mr. I I 2-25-02 Gordon Shanks, Surf Place, stated he was in agreement with most everything said thus far. Mr. Shanks reminded that the Homeowners Association will be holding their meeting the following Wednesday at the Mary Wilson Library Senior Center. Mr. Shanks made reference to the local paper of the past week in which a remark was made to which he took offense related to revisions to the Code other changes that are going on , "that Seal Beach is a sleepy little town that one does not want to wake up all at once as it would be a nightmare", to that Mr. Shanks stated if information is not distributed, and people are not involved and feel they are part of the decision making rather than laws being handed down from above there will be nightmares. Mayor ProTem Larson responded that his comment meant one issue at a time, ten issues at a time is a nightmare. Ms. Marilyn Hastings, former Mayor and Councilmember, expressed personal criticisms towards the District One Council representative. Mr. Walt Miller, Seal Beach, expressed appreciation to his ex-wife for affording him the opportunity to make news headlines during the past week, also motivating him to contact the Secretary of State relating to his residency, and in the words of Mr. Miller gave him the green light and wished him luck, he also raised his campaign spending to $130 to have signs made for his Model A, he also does not understand why his opponents are having committees and fund raisers for a job that pays nothing. Mr. Miller called this a strange City Council election on March 5th, three seats up but two have no opposition so they will be automatically elected, therefore his message to everyone in the City that do not vote in District One is to call their friends in District One and have them vote for the candidate that they feel would serve them best, that because the candidate elect in District One can be the swing vote for all issues in other districts for the next four years. Mr. Miller said his campaign is based on investigating all of the issues in all districts and coming up with solutions from the citizens and not City Hall, his plan is to make this process work contagiously so that the other councilmembers will join in to be fully informed before voting or abstain, after twenty years he feels it is time for a change in the way business is done in City Hall. Mr. Miller recalled that at the last meeting he had asked that the regional bike.trail funding for ~arina Drive be taken off the agenda for further study, it was not, the regional trail matter was passed by a Consent Calendar vote which means there was no discussion. He continued, stating that' there is already a trail from inland along the San Gabriel River ending in the First Street parking lot, there is already a trail called the Boardwalk trail that connects the pier parking lot to the new Seal Beach Boulevard regional trail, the missing link is a regional trail from the First Street parking lot to the pier parking lot on the sand, the cost for a twelve foot wide, third of a mile regional connecting trail would be less than $100,000, the remainder of the $600,000 funding could be used to upgrade the boardwalk to a twelve foot wide sea wall regional trail, there would no longer be a need to import sand from inland every year and Marina Drive would not be torn up as was Seal Beach Boulevard, would people not rather walk along the ocean as they do in adjoining cities rather than Marina Drive leading to Pacific Coast Highway, his belief is that the Council was not fully informed when this bike trail was passed on the Consent Calendar, if he could personally come up with this plan just imagine what local citizens could come up with by volunteering their expertise, this should tell why City Hall and contractors with no vested interest should not I I I 2-25-02 I be spending the people's money. Mr. Miller invited anyone, including candidates, interested in free discussions on any issue to come and meet with him on Saturday. Ms. Marilyn Hastings noted that a member of the audience had afforded her additional speaking time. Ms. Hastings stated she was amazed that the Council was not cognizant of the danger the people of Seal Beach are in by the virtue of the Naval Weapons Station, if some terrorist attack should occur there without their fire engine what is going to happen if the community has nothing with which to respond, this puts the people in a vulnerable position. Mr. Alan Beek said everyone understands the difference between permission and paying for, for example, does Measure W permit a great park, yes, does Measure W pay for the park, no, the taxpayers must pay for it, about $80 million every year for about twenty-five years, in the ballot pamphlet doesn't the County auditor say that Measure W is cheap, yes, it just changes the zoning, that does not take much money, does not pay for a park either, if the people vote for the park will they also vote for extra taxes to pay for it, $80 million a year in a recession for another park in South County where twenty-five percent of the people already have ninety percent of the parks and open space, if Measure W is passed but there are no extra taxes then what happens to the land, that is the trickey part, the definition of open space in Measure Wallows office, industrial, and other urban uses, the Irvine developers will have a field day, Measure W is just a great land grab. Mr. Bob Keenan, Crestview Avenue, mentioned a preliminary proposal for Arbor Park of which he is in favor, as a commissioner with Seal Beach Kids Baseball and a center referee for AYSO discussions go forward he would like consideration to be given to the many children that are in AYSO soccer and Kids Baseball, close to three hundred fifty, that means a lot of families are involved. There being no further comments, Mayor ProTem Larson declared Public Comments to be closed. I Councilman Yost inquired as to the next step with regard to the Fire Authority decision, what power does the Council have to impact that, could something be agendized to take an official position on behalf of the City. The City Manager advised that the presentation was informational, the Council could instruct the representative to the Board on the key issues and a formal position could be taken. The City Attorney advised that the Council could in fact take a position at this time. Councilman Yost moved to keep the volunteer in tact and in place, and direct the Orange Authority representative to vote likewise. seconded the motion. fire department County Fire Councilman Boyd I Councilmember Campbell mentioned that the focus of discussion has been on the downtown station yet there is a station at Beverly Manor as well, given the manner in which the City is configured, when the 1987 earthquake occurred children did not go to school at McGaugh that day given concern that it could be preliminary to a larger quake or that the bridge might go down, how then would parents be able to pick up their children, a realization also that College Park East would be on its own because both stations are on the south side of the freeway, the fire services located in other surrounding cities are going to take care of their own first, to that she asked what is the status of the fire equipment at Beverly Manner, if that were to go there would be nothing. 2-25-02 Chief McIntosh stated that the engine and paramedic units at Station 48, staffed by full time firefighters, would be unchanged as would the full time fire engine at Station 44, this presentation addressed the restructuring of the reserve component which would be replacing the second fire engine with a vehicle more appropriate to the needs in the community, the EMS component. Councilmember Campbell noted the closest engines to College Park East would be on Valleyview and Los Alamitos, inquiring if either of those would be affected. The response of the Chief was that the Los Alamitos station will continue to have full time firefighters, the reserves there would change to another vehicle more suitable to the EMS component as well as the Cypress station. To that Councilmember Campbell mentioned severe house fires that have occurred in College Park East, those fires sometimes jumping from rooftop to rooftop, however noted that most residents have now changed from shake roofs. The Chief said they do have the resources and the depth in the system to retain the fire response, that will not change, and the citizens in this City will continue to be well served. Councilman Yost inquired as to the percentage of medical calls that the full time personnel respond to in that that was used as a reason to change the volunteers over to EMS, the percentage of medicals as opposed to fire. The Chief responded that it is sixty-five to seventy percent EMS calls, that is fairly standard across the industry, their focus with the reserves is the type of calls that they get, the individual communities were looked at, as to Seal Beach, recognizing importance to the community, the uniqueness of the community, the consultant actually took a look at the community personally, however again the calls in excess of ninety percent of the time were for EMS, only three fire type calls in all of 1999 and 2000. Councilman Yost countered that it was said there were three fire calls to which they arrived first, so how many fire calls did they respond to in a backup capacity so that their hasten to putting out the fire contributed to the service provided. The Chief said he would need to do more research to provide that information for each incident, however the incidents themselves to which they responded and arrived on scene were one hundred calls over the two years, thirty-four were fires, sixty-six were EMS calls. Councilman Yost again questioned how many of those did they hasten the putting out of the fire that saved life and property of the people in Seal Beach, that would seem to be key to what the City is looking at. The Chief stated he did not have those statistics and details before him, however of the three responses one was a small grass fire along the freeway, one a transformer fire, the other was a vehicle fire, none of those were structure fires where they had arrived first. Councilmember Campbell inquired as to what the reduction of service will do to the homeowners insurance. The Chief stated they are not looking to reduce the fire service in the community, they are looking to restructure the reserve component so that the volunteers can have a safe and reliable role in the community emergency delivery system, that is an EMS component, the Authority is not looking to change the fire response that is currently provided primarily with the full time fire fighters, that has been done for several years, with regard to the truck the Chief said he realizes the importance of truck company service, there is not a truck company in every station, reality especially with a truck company is that it is an issue of safety, the Authority can not provide and sustain the additional level of training required for their volunteers to safely operate that piece of equipment on the I I I -:--". 2-25-02 small number of calls that are being responded to, the coverage will be provided with other resources from other stations, and he could ensure, guarantee and ensure, that there is adequate truck company service in this community. I with the repeat of the motion by Mayor ProTem Larson, Councilman Yost amended the motion to also send a letter to the Orange County Fire Authority indicating the strong feelings of Seal Beach in this regard. Councilman Yost mentioned his experiences during the Lorna Prieta earthquake, he knows what it is like to be isolated, and without equipment one can do nothing. Councilman Boyd advised that the Fire Authority Board meeting is March 28th, Irvine City Hall at 6:30 p.m., there are likely two or three other cities that will have a contingent of representatives at that meeting to speak on the same issue. He noted too that the Board has twenty-four members, Seal Beach has one seat, County Supervisors hold two of those seats, presently Spitzer and Wilson, the Board will take under consideration the staff recommendation to move forward. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to declare a recess at 8:38 p.m. The Council reconvened at 8:48 p.m. with Mayor ProTem Larson calling the meeting to order. I COUNCIL ITEMS PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS Councilman Boyd stated he brings this item to Council in response to comments from members of the public claiming their inability to effectively participate in the process of making decisions. Councilman Boyd suggested that the City Attorney bring back at some point in the future some different formats used in other cities that would allow the public to comment on items that they would either pull from the Consent Calendar or at the time the item is heard by the Council rather than during the Public Comment period at the beginning of the meeting, which may improve the public participation process. There was no objection to the request. CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEMS "D" thru "0" Boyd moved, second by Doane, to approve the recommended action for items on the Consent Calendar as presented, except Item "L", removed for separate consideration. D. Approved the waiver of reading in full of all ordinances and resolutions and that consent to the waiver of reading shall be deemed to be given by all Councilmembers after reading of the title unless specific request is made at that time for the reading of such ordinance or resolution. I E. Approved regular demands numbered 36363 through 36533 in the amount of, $$627,564.31, payroll demands numbered 15099 through 15231 in the amount of $166,155.47, and authorized warrants 2-25-02 F. to be drawn on the Treasury for same. Approved Amendment No. 1 to extend the term of the bus shelter agreement for an additional five years, until January 12, 2007, accepted the name change and corresponding interest, rights and obligations from Metro Display Advertising, Inc. to Clear Channel Outdoor, and authorized the Mayor to execute said Amendment on behalf of the City. I G. Received and filed the staff report relating to the process to amend and update the Municipal Code, to provide that the Code be consistent with the City Charter, that obsolete chapters or sections will be deleted to avoid confusion, to reflect changes to State law, and serve as an enhancement for the public, Council, and staff. H. Received and filed the staff report relating to the Orange County 2002 Continuum of Care Program, and authorized the Mayor to sign the letter of support on behalf of the City. I. Approved the minutes of the regular adjourned and regular meeting of September 24, 2001. I J. Approved the plans and specifications for the Seal Beach Boulevard Traffic Signal Fiber Optic Interconnect System, Project Number 50011, and authorized staff to initiate the bidding process. K. Approved the plans and specifications for Annual Paving Rehabilitation for fiscal year 2001/2002, Project Number 49673, and authorized staff to initiate the bidding process. M. Approved the plans and specifications for Lampson Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation (Seal Beach Boulevard to East City limits), Project Number 50010 and 50013, and authorized staff to initiate the bidding process. N. Received and filed the Environmental Quality Control Board staff report with regard to the City comment letter to the California Coastal Commission relating to Application Number 5-01-288, Hellman Ranch Project. I O. Recommended that the City change its membership in the Orange County Risk Management Authority to the California Joint Powers Authority, directed staff to submit a letter to OCCRMA advising of the of intent to withdraw, and submit an admission 2-25-02 application and fee to the California Joint Powers Authority by March 1, 2002. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried I ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM "L" - PLANS and SPECIFICATIONS - ANNUAL CONCRETE REHABILITATION PROGRAM - FISCAL YEAR 2001/2002 - PROJECT NUMBER 49675 Councilman Boyd extended appreciation to staff, explaining that when he joined the Council in 1998 no such programs were being done, since then the Council has authorized the use of gas tax money and it is hoped additional funds will become available in the future, this year about four thousand feet of sidewalk will be rehabilitated, primarily in the lOO block of Main Street and in much need of repair. He mentioned that current estimate is that there is about $8 million backlog yet there is only about $50,000 per year available, the goal of the Public Works Department is to have brick pavers around all of the trees on Main Street within two years to be done in-house as a means of cost savings. He would encourage additional monies be allocated in the upcoming budget as there are areas in all districts that are in need of sidewalk, curb and gutter replacement. I Boyd moved, second by Yost, to approve the plans and specifications for the Annual Concrete Rehabilitation Program for fiscal year 2001/2002, Project Number 49675, and authorize staff to initiate the bidding process. Mayor ProTem Larson emphasized his desire that all districts get their fair share of concrete repair. AYES: NOES: Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Larson, Yost None Motion carried CITY ATTORNEY REPORT No report was presented. CITY MANAGER REPORT The City Manager noted that on the Board of Supervisors agenda for the following day is the award of Urban Stormwater Grants, it is believed that Seal Beach is to receive approximately $37,000, that will be matched with a like amount, will allow moving forward with the catch basin filters which should complete the City, also, the project is proceeding to videotape all of Old Town and College Park East sewers, when completed there will likely be a presentation to Council as there are some areas to which the Council needs to be alerted. I COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Campbell mentioned having received calls relating to Charter Amendment "QQ", to that she explained that there is currently a $5,000 limit that triggers the requirement to go out to bid, that has existed in the Charter for about forty years, since then prices have increased and the cost to go to bid is about $5,000, therefore the proposal is to raise the ceiling to $20,000 which is more cost effective, it is current practice to seek estimates on small jobs and that will continue. Once again Councilmember Campbell stated that the Measure W Great Park is actually a great hoax, it was never intended to be a park, it was brought forward to stop an airport, a park will never be seen .,. .1 i 2-25-02 because there is no money to build a park, what will be seen is more development which will mean more traffic, it has already been said that either a park or the development of El Toro to commercial and residential will cause far more traffic than an airport. She claimed that it will be Seal Beach that will pay the price for not having an airport at El Toro, Orange County is going to get an airport, question, in whose backyard will it be, theirs or ours, why should North County pay the impacts of their growth, they have outspent the airport group, have confused many people, all Measure W does is change the zoning to disallow an airport, this again is ballot box land use planning. An airport is needed, El Toro would be ideal, the Base is five thousand acres with a fourteen thousand acre buffer of undeveloped land surrounding it, if in ten years when South County is built out and they can put an airport wherever they want the North County area may look good to them, that is the concern, if an airport is located here there will. not even be a community, water quality, there will not even be beaches, of all of the cities in Orange County, Seal Beach likely has the most to lose because of the potential sites in this community. She urged a no vote on Measure W, the future depends on it. Councilman Yost urged all to vote the following Tuesday. Councilman Boyd said he would echo those sentiments. To questions posed with regard to not having yard signs in place, Councilman Boyd said he did purchase signs however presence in the community seems to pit neighbor against neighbor so he did not feel they would be appropriate, it is not that he did not care enough to want to win the election, he has walked and talked to people that support him, they have issues that they want him to resolve, this is a community that cares about the place they live but can not seem to be able to band together long enough to solve the big problems facing the community, therefore he felt that placing a yard sign in someones property will not solve any problem. He too asked that all vote on Tuesday, March 5th, there are Charter amendments of importance, and with regard to Amendment "QQ" the City goes through the bidding process at present for contracts that amount to $5,000 or $10,000 yet it costs just as much to actually bid the more work, therefore the voters are being asked to understand that there are ways to maximize their tax dollars, one being to increase the bidding threshold which means all work up to $20,000 authorized by the Council would not necessarily go out to bid, $20,000 of concrete work as an example. does not go far and that threshold is reasonable for bids from reputable contractors, in fact all of the Charter Amendments are in the best interest of the community. Mayor Doane expressed appreciation to Mayor ProTem Larson for assuming conduct of the meeting. Mayor ProTem Larson noted that the League of California Cities has asked each city to urge the voters to support Proposition 42, and explained that in the beginning a tax was placed on gasoline, highway users tax funds, so that the people who used the roads then bought gasoline and the taxes went to fix the roads, over the years the legislature has taken various amounts of money and put it elsewhere, as a result the cities and counties do not get adequate monies from the gas tax funds, this amendment will address that" which might help to cut into the $8 million backlog of cement work. I, I I ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council, to adjourn the meeting until March 11th at 6:30 p.m. to meet in Closed Session. By unanimous consent, the meeting was adjourned at 8:58 p.m. 2-25-02 / 3-11-02 2rh Attest: WI+- ~~ City Clerk I Approved: Seal Beach, California March 11, 2002 The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular adjourned session at 6:30 p.m. with Mayor Doane calling the meeting to order. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Doane Councilmembers Boyd, Campbell, Larson, Yost Absent: None Motion carried I Also present: Mr. Bahorshi, City Manager Mr. Barrow, City Attorney Ms. Yeo, City Clerk The City Attorney offered that this would be the opportunity for the public to speak to any item identified on the agenda. No one addressed the Council. I CLOSED SESSION The City Attorney announced that the Council would meet in Closed Session to discuss the items identified on the agenda, a conference with legal counsel relating to anticipated litigation pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(b), and to confer with the City's real property negotiator pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8 with regard to the McGaugh School and pool, rent and terms of payment. By unanimous consent, the Council adjourned to Closed Session at 6:31 p.m. and reconvened at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Doane calling the meeting to order. The City Attorney reported that the Council had discussed the items identified on the agenda in accordance with the Brown Act, no reportable action was taken. ADJOURNMENT It was the order of the Chair, with consen~of the Council, to adjourn the meeting at 7:0l p.m.