HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2000-02-14
1-24-00 / 2-14-00
ADJOURNMENT
It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council,
to adjourn the meeting at 8:31 p.m.
clerk
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Approved:
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Atteslc:
Seal Beach, California
February 14, 2000
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
session at 7:04 p.m. with Mayor Yost calling the meeting to
order with the Salute to the Flag. The Mayor offered that
this meeting would be dedicated to the memory of Virginia
Doane" wife of Councilman Doane.
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ROLL CALL
,Present:
Mayor Yost
Councilmembers Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow
Absen1: :
None
Also present:
Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Barrow, City Attorney
Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development
Services
Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City
Engineer
Chief Sellers, Police Department
Ms. Beard, Director of Recreation and Parks
Ms. Arends-King, Director of Administrative
Services
Mr. Dorsey, Assistant to the City Manager
Lt. Pounds, Lifeguard Department
Ms. Yeo, City Clerk
WAIVER OF FULL READING
Boyd moved, second by Campbell, to waive the reading in full
of all ordinances and resolutions and that consent to the
waivel~ 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.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
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PRESENTATIONS
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ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT - SUPPORTING PROPOSITION 13 /
RESOLUTION NUMBER 4782
In the absence of Mr. Philip Anthony, representative of the
Orange County Water District, Councilman Boyd noted that
proposition 13 is,the,,Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water,
Watershed Protection, and Flood Protection Act, this Act
would make new monies available to the City, like Proposition
12 it is also designated for wetlands and tideland
restoration, and increases available drinking water. Sixty
percent of the bond would come to Southern California,
provide $235 million for the Southern California watershed
program that was developed by the Santa Ana Watershed Project
Authority, and $35 million for the groundwater replenishment
system project of the Orange County Sanitation District, as
well as funds for wetlands, approximately $134 million
available to Orange County agencies to compete for loans and
grants for watershed protection, pollution control projects,
etc. Boyd moved, second by Snow, to adopt Resolution Number
4782 as presented.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
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Mayor Yost noted that Proposition 13 is complimentary to
Proposition 12 which has gained considerable local support,
if approved the San Gabriel River Conservancy will realize
$25 million and the Coastal Conservancy $100 million, both
have support of the State legislature, and it was disturbing
to see the Long Beach newspaper takeoa stance in opposition.
SAVE OUR POOL DONATION
Mr. Joe Harris of the Seal Beach Union 76 Station said he was
honored to make a donation of $588.95 to the Save Our Pool
Fund, he felt considerably more gallons of gas was sold due
to the fact that people were supportive of donating a small
amount of their gas purchase towards the refurbishing of the
pool. The Recreation and Parks Director accepted the
donation with appreciation and made mention that the pool
renovation has begun.
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SAVE OUR SEALS CAMPAIGN
Mr. Steve Masoner noted that a letter had been forwarded by
his wife, Kim Masoner, to the Council relating to the Save
Our Seals campaign, mentioned that the Save Our Seals effort
ties in with both Propositions 12 and 13, the water quality
issue in Southern California is quite alarming as to what has
happened and continues to happen where the beaches and waters
can not be enjoyed as they should by both residents and
tourists. The Save Our Seals effort is foreseen as a long
range project that ties in with the Sierra Club and a
coalition of environmental groups that are behind a campaign
that starts in April on Earth Day to protect twenty percent
of the coastline by the year 2020, a natural event whereby if
the water quality is restored the seals will return on their
own. Mr. Masoner pointed out however there is concern by
some with the idea of a floating aquarium, that is a proposal
that would provide rehabilitation for injured animals, and
moveable upon inclement weather or high seas, there would be
no possibility of damage to the pier, measures would be taken
to prevent something from running into the facility, some
people have taken this as an effort to put seals on the
beach. This is a grass roots effort to involve many people,
in concert with the City to clean the beaches and rivers, it
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is no.t intended to displace fishermen or cause harm to any
group:s, rather, work in concert with them, the floating
aquarium would also serve as a tourist attraction for
visitors who in turn will spend tax dollars, that a benefit
in th,~ short and long term. Mr. Masoner requested support
from .the Council for this effort.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Mayor Yost requested that Items "G" and "M" be removed from
the Consent Calendar for separate consideration, and
Councilmember Campbell pointed out that the second Public
Comment period should be after Item "U" and Council Comments
should be after the City Manager report. Boyd moved, second
by Doane, to approve the order of the agenda as revised.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mayor Yost declared Public Comments open. Ms. Jane McCloud,
Balboa Drive, directed her comments to proposition 12,
mentioned the pollution of the San Gabriel River, stated
however that it is this time of year, the rainy season, when
other contaminants and litter rise to the surface, then
appear on the beach. Ms. McCloud offered that if everyone in
Seal Beach were to support Proposition 12 there could be a
large source of money for which application could be made for
grants for use to not only clean the River but stop the
contffinination of the.beach, for the Hellman wetlands,
possibly Bolsa Chica as well as that development will have
considerable impact on Seal Beach. Ms. McCloud urged all to
vote on March 7th and in support of Proposition 12. On
behal:E of the management of the Old Ranch Tennis Club and the
Tennis Board of Governors, Ms. Marina Stinson announced an
Open House to be held at the Club on February 19th in
recognition of the club's thirtieth anniversary featuring a
Challenge with Mayor Yost, an exhibition by the Los Alamitos
High School Team Players, instruction by professionals, a
radar fast serve contest, and one point tournament. Ms.
Dorothy Whyte, College Park East, mentioned the comment of a
prior speaker with regard to traffic impact from the proposed
Bolsa Chica project, to that she mentioned that if Measure M
does not pass there will be further traffic impacts in Seal
Beach however the Council does not recognize that. Ms. Whyte
repor1:ed being contacted some months ago by a firm in
Philadelphia conducting a survey relating to the referendum,
MeasUJ~e M, two weeks ago a survey originating from Seal
Beach" another today, again from Philadelphia, her concern is
with 1:he way the anti-Measure M is being marketed, the
surveys ask questions like 'the Bixby Towne Center would
increase the golf course,' not true, 'it would increase
drainage on the golf course and prevent flooding,' not true,
'would increase police protection, widen the bridge, and
increase City revenue.' Ms. Whyte stated that the Citizens
Against Measure M are sponsored by the Bixby Ranch Company,
financial statements show expenditures of around $40,000.
Ms. Whyte requested clarification from the City Manager that
Measure M does not address the golf course, with regard to
increased police protection asked if there would be an
additional substation to the existing substation in Rossmoor
Center, or if that would be moved to the Towne Center,
whether it would increase City revenue, she expressed concern
with a flier that claimed that during an extensive public
input process the community wanted to place strict controls
on development, to that she stated that actually the public
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comments were against the project except for those who were
representing the Bixby Ranch Company. She made reference to
an ad inviting Leisure World residents to join a bus trip,
have lunch, and visit a Target store, an add as well to
attend the Good Government Club for an explanation of Measure
M, and urged that Leisure World not sell its votes as this
project impacts its neighbors. The City Manager responded
that the golf course is expanded under the Bixby Towne Center
project, as to increased police services stated that a fiscal
impact analysis was done that determined an additional
officer position would be needed to be funded by the project
as well as a new, larger community safety building. Mr.
Diedrick Nicholson, Garden Grove, made reference to a news
article reporting the clergy as having joined the airport
opposition, and quoted a comment of Councilmember Campbell
that the clergy should tend to moral and ethical issues and
not land planning. He objected to the remark, stated his
opposition to EI'Toro airport use, suggested that this area
should not even be voting on the issue, claimed that members
of the Airport Authority are all pro-airport, and concluded
that the clergy does have a right to express their feelings.
Mr. Joe Siler, College Park East, made the statement that
there is considerable misinformation being circulated, much
of it from the Council, relating to Measure M. Mr. Siler
stated he supports Measure M, a measure to restore golf
zoning to some thirty-three acres which was rezoned
commercial by the Council, the purpose is to stop the large
commercial project from occurring. He said Measure M does
not change the golf course renovation now underway, has no
effect on the lakes or water holding capacity on the golf
course, does not change the zoning on the tennis court nor
the zoning on the seventy-five acres where residential units
are planned, however Measure M stops the large shopping
center, and he does not believe it is understood how large
the shopping center would be. He noted the recent proposal
for a Starbucks and Blockbuster on the vacated Shell Station
property in Old Town, a six thousand square foot building
which created considerable controversy, the project proposed
by Bixby is over six hundred thousand square feet, instead of
eighteen parking places it would be over nineteen hundred
parking places, the Bixby project one hundred times larger
than the Shell Station project which created a controversy.
Mr. Siler said of concern is traffic and other impacts on
their neighborhood, some two thousand three hundred people
signed the petition to place Measure M on the ballot,
fourteen percent of the registered voters, that was
accomplished within a few days, thousands of others signed a
petition for submittal to the Council, no one paid attention.
He said this issue started in July of 1997 when the Council
emerged from a Closed Session with a memorandum of
understanding, an agreement with Bixby, worked out in private
without notice to the public, that MOU called for a shopping
center of 286,967 square feet, that is the current proposal,
the people were told to go through the process, concerns were
presented to the Planning Commission, the Commission
recommended against the project, many speakers addressed the
Council, no one listened, the project was rapidly approved,
then, a judge reviewed the Council actions, decided it was
done too quickly, mistakes were made with the Environmental
Impact Report, then changes were adopted, again in a short
period of time, and subsequently the shopping center was
readopted, thus those who did not feel the shopping center
was a good idea for the entire community are somewhat upset
with the rush to bring it in. Mr. Siler said for this
election he would ask that the Council stick to the facts and
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tell .true to the public, to the statement that one of the
benefits of this project is the widening of the bridge, the
speak,~r claimed that to be untrue, rather, the bridge will be
replaced and lengthened as part of the carpool lane project,
the ErR for that project is being written, released to the
public in July, expected to be final by April, 2001, and in
three to five years there will be a widened and lengthened
bridg'~ with little contribution from the City. Mr. Siler
expressed his disappointment with the Council, said
statements being made are wrong on virtually every point,
that because the Council does not analyze the issues itself,
rather, there is reliance on the opinions of others who have
an interest, listening to the Bixby consultants, the Council
should be listening to the people in the community. Mr. Reg
Clewley, Seal Beach, referred to the presentation for Save
the S'~als, reminded that sea lions are wild animals, if they
wish to take over the beach they will, yet the City would
assumE~ liability if it were to sanction this effort. He said
the update on the Hellman Ranch is yet to be heard, claimed
that lthe applicant has attempted to obtain another seven
acres for housing, has withdrawn funding for wetland
restOl~ation, that money was to have come from the housing but
now withdrawn, and more recently a representative of the
Hellman Ranch has indicated to the applicant of a Minor Plan
Reviel" the eminent moving of men and equipment to remove
wildlife habitat and evidence of an archaeological site to
facilitate the MPR without Coastal Commission application or
approval. Mr. Clewley complained that a period of five
minutE~s was not adequate for him to speak to each of the
items he wished. He stated that the neutral analysis of
Measure M was written by the City Attorney, yet the attorney
was p:~esent in the aforementioned closed session, that was
not appropriate. with regard to the item relating to the job
performance of the City Manager, Mr. Clewley said he could
speak for some time. He reminded that there has been a
moratorium on code enforcement for the houses abutting
Crestview, Catalina, and Surf place at the direction of the
Council, the moratorium then violated when a code enforcement
action was directed against him by the City Manager. Ms. Sue
Corbin, Seal Beach, said the Council can not single out
certain persons to which the five minute speaking time
applies. To that Mayor Yost explained that Mr. Clewley had
previously requested to be timed, his policy generally is to
allow people to speak until their thoughts have been
complE~ted. Ms. Corbin made reference to a payment on the
warrant list for hotel lodging in Palm Springs where the City
Manager was attending a meeting, to which she objected. She
suggested once again that improvements at the front of the
Manag'~r' s residence, improvements done before others, should
be subject to discussion during the City Manager evaluation.
Ms. Corbin said the people had to pay to have a referendum on
'the ballot to reverse what the Council previously approved,
the Council representative of College Park East was not
included in talks with Bixby, a yes vote on Measure M is just
another chance for people to have what they want in their
community. Ms. Corbin claimed that the City is now proposing
a large expenditure of money, with ten percent from Bixby, to
widen the overpass however it is already slated to be
demolished, even CalTrans says this is throw-away money, even
retro:Eitting and widening would not bring the bridge up to '
standard, that is $3 to $4 million that could be used for
streets, sidewalks, and children. She said people should not
have to form committees to undue what the City is doing to
them, the City should represent the people, and provided
information to contact the committee in support of Measure M.
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Mr. Phil Fife, College Park East, claimed that one of the
stories being circulated by Bixby against Measure M is that
if the Measure passes the tennis center site will immediately
become an assisted living facility, yet his recollection of
discussions is that while such a facility is buildable in a
C-2 commercial zone it requires a conditional use permit
because it has a residential aspect, and one of the
requirements of a CUP is that it be compatible with the
neighborhood, therefore, in his opinion, given that much of
this plan has been developed over the years without public
awareness, his concern would be that if the Measure does pass
that a CUP would be issued without any public discussion or
debate, in fact if the Measure passes Bixby could easily move
the assisted living facility to the site originally planned,
the former golf area on the south side of Lampson, they could
apply to rezone the approximate 8.8 acres to C-2 as that
would not be the same plan as the plan being attacked by
Measure M, that would be permissible under applicable law,
thus there is no reason for the tennis club to ever become an
assisted living center, and if that were to happen that would
take away the only bargaining means should Bixby ever choose
to seek rezoning on the nearly thirty acres on the east side
of Seal Beach Boulevard. He pointed out the Measure M does
not attempt to rezone the public land use/recreational zoning
of the tennis club site. Mr. Fife said they have been trying
to track information. that backs the proposal to widen the
bridge and that the only way the bridge will be done is with
the Bixby project, yet it is the project of Bixby that
creates the need to widen the bridge if it is to be done
ahead of the CalTrans schedule, what has been determined thus
far is that the application for funding the widening of the
bridge would primarily be the responsibility of the local
government, not really involving CalTrans or Orange County
Transportation money, and at the last application hearing on
the project there was no representative from the City of Seal
Beach present, therefore there is no widening money, the City
would need to reapply, and when you make reapplication for
Measure M funds to widen a bridge that is going to be torn
down it would seem that would be adverse in terms of
competing against other projects when it involves throwing
away $2 to $3 million of public money. Mr. Fife said he
hoped this is not another secret deal and it would behoove
the staff and City Engineer to provide an honest report on
any bridge widening and how it fits in with the plans to
widen the Garden Grove and San Diego freeways in this
particular area. Ms. Kathy Fife, Seal Beach, directed her
comments to the 'First In A Series' article of Councilman
Boyd, the article making reference to Ralphs, Target, etc.
and said if there is such confidence that those stores are
going in by using their names in the newspaper, then where is
their money, show the documents where they have committed to
this project, if there is no proof then the store names
should not be used. Mr. Ed Simmons, Seal Beach, noted having
received the press release for a water quality workshop,
before such workshop there are questions that need to be
looked into. First, the berm, the problems, the loss of
money on the south side, there is no means to take care of
things in the event of a major storm or problem, citing an
example in Laguna where a pump station was installed with a
drop unit to rid the ocean water if it spilled over,
something similar could be done at the end of Seal Way, the
ocean is rising each year, there is a major storm
approaching, there is no means to get rid of the water.
There is a groin next to the pier which, in his opinion and
that of others, is not doing what it is supposed to, there
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are too many jetties, six plus the Long Beach jetty, Seal
Beach is the debris recipient, propositions in the past have
reali:~ed very little money for Seal Beach, this City has to
be the focal point, pointing out that there is a major sewage
plant up the San Gabriel River near Studebaker with open
tanks" when there is rain and the tanks are full then where
does the excess sewage go, down the River. Another issue to
be looked at is the sand that is backing up considerably in
the San Gabriel River, that needs to be dredged and cleaned,
the pollution flow needs to be stopped before it gets to Seal
Beach" There are numerous major drainage systems, one he is
familiar with drains into a waterway then into the ocean,
something needs to be done, a start even if small. Mr.
Simmons commended the workshop concept, suggested that people
bring forth suggestions, present them to the City, and that
grants be pursued. The Mayor announced that the workshop
would be held on February 24th at 6:30 p.m. Ms. Joan
Livinqston, 8th Street, said she was speaking on behalf of a
stray dog that has been in the vicinity for approximately
four days, cold and scared. Her concern stems from a similar
incidE!nt some years back where animal control was not
successful in its capture, the County was brought in, the
animal tranquilized, transported to the County facility where
it was put down about a week later. Ms. Livingston inquired
about the process of Animal Services once an animal such as
this is captured, what are they authorized to do, do they
have 1:he training to catch it, the Services truck was
observed following the dog, possibly they could be taught to
do this with nets or some other means. The Mayor responded
that animals are quite high on the City's priority list and
the City has a no-kill shelter where all attempts are made to
find an animal a good home. Councilmember Campbell was
excused from the Council dais to speak as a private citizen.
Councilmember Campbell reported a concern,with a construction
company that has contacted eight residences in College Park
East 1:0 replace driveways, the driveways, have been removed,
not finished, the company is not licensed or bonded. She
reco~nended to the residents that if approached by this or
other companies that they check the contractors license and
compare same with their valid drivers license, in many cases
a public works permit is required and that should be done by
the contractor rather than the homeowner in that that
provides an opportunity for their insurance, contractors
license, etc. to be checked. The Director of Public Works
encouraged residents to contact the City if they are
approached or receive a flier for construction work, staff
can assist with checking licenses, etc. to make certain that
dealings are with people they purport to be. There being no
furthE!r comments, Mayor Yost declared the Public Comment
period closed.
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Mayor Yost announced that the bed and breakfast issue would
not be discussed at this meeting, continued to March 13th as
an appeal with proper notice.
COUNCIL ITEMS
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STATUS REPORT - HELLMAN RANCH
As a point of background, Mayor Yost noted that a court
decision was handed down involving the Bolsa Chic a that
removed the possibility of a golf course on the Hellman land,
it basically said that only wetlands can be put on top of
wetlands, they can not be replaced with another use, there
are eight acceptable uses identified in the Coastal Act
howevE!r one is not a golf course. He noted that the manner
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in which the Hellman Plan was set up the wetlands would have
been funded by the golf course rather than the residential
units, great effort was put forth to reconfigure the golf
course to not impact the wetland areas, however that was not
doable since wetlands are scattered throughout the property.
Mayor Yost reported that the Hellman family went back to the
litigants and the Coastal Commission to work out some type of
settlement of the lawsuit, the proposed resolution is to deed
restrict the wetlands and the uplands around them, which is
about one hundred acres, for sale for wetland restoration, to
that there has been discussion with the Trust of Public
Lands, the Coastal Conservancy, and possibly the newly formed
San Gabriel River Conservancy to facilitate the sale for
wetland restoration to occur. The Mayor noted that in the
short term Hellman would like to move forward with the homes
on the bluff, however noted that there were some problems
with approvals that involved access to Gum Grove Park with
ten parking spaces required on Seal Beach Boulevard, this an
issue that the City spoke against at three separate meetings
yet the Commission ignored that issue, the concern with such
Park access would be the proximity to residential rear yards
of properties on Crestview that abut Gum Grove. He noted
that Hellman does have approval for the seventy homes, the
bluff area is zoned residential, should the acreage for those
change substantially that would require additional
environmental review as determined by the Coastal Commission
staff, this is likely an excellent opportunity to obtain
wetland restoration, this is what the Hellman representative,
Mr. Tone, does and he is actively pursuing restoration. The
Mayor said his personal desire is to protect the interests of
the community and obtain restoration in the short term, have
the parking for Gum Grove on the Boulevard deleted and
relocated to Lopez Drive for better access to the uplands
which is the heart of the wetlands. Mr. Dave Bartlett,
consultant to the Hellmans, described the layout of the
Hellman land, the center portion the area previously
designated for the golf course, approximately one hundred
acres that will now be deed restricted for open space,
wetlands, and park purposes, the area just to the north will
continue in oil production, the residential development on
the bluffs adjacent to Seal Beach Boulevard, to the south of
the site Gum Grove Park and some expansion thereof, to the
west the State lands property adjacent to Pacific Coast
Highway, and a small parcel at the end of Adolfo Lopez Drive
that could be the site of the parking lot if the Coastal
Commission will agree to locate it there. He noted the
residential area would consist of seventy homes on
approximately seventy-five hundred square foot lots on
eighteen acres, access will be from Seal Beach Boulevard
across from the Naval Weapons Station, the homes have been
slightly reconfigured to provide a better buffer for the
homes on Crestview, previously about forty feet, now ninety
feet, moved back somewhat from Seal Beach Boulevard, the
Public Works facility, and the animal care center, the
location of the residential units is basically as they were
previously, there is no increase of units, a decrease of
density, also, acknowledged that Hellman Properties is
actively supporting Proposition 12 and acquisition funding
for the wetlands and the surrounding areas sO,that
improvements can begin as soon as possible. Mayor Yost
announced that the Coastal Commission hearing is tentatively
scheduled for May in Santa Rosa, however that may change as
there is certain environmental information that the
Commission has requested as a result of the changed
configuration of the homes. Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, said
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at a Los Cerritos Wetlands Committee meeting it was said that
the Hellman's wanted to extend their housing down into the
wetlands by two to seven acres which would need to go back
before the judge in the lawsuit, not a positive thing, that
has not been mentioned and should be. Ms. Dorothy Whyte,
Seal Beach, said she has not heard how low to moderate income
housing requirements are going to ,be addressed, it was
mentioned previously that Hellman would pay a fee instead to
be USE!d to renovate housing stock in the downtown area,
notinq that the proposal is for low to moderate income
housing in conjunction with the Bixby project. Mayor Yost
responded that the homes proposed with the Bixby plan were
designed to be of the same general value as those in the
Rossmoor Highlands, basically a buffer between the commercial
and the Highlands, with regard to Hellman he noted that the
Housing Element will be coming up for review, also, there
will be substantial property that will remain in oil
production, there had been discussion in the past that that
area could be used in the future to satisfy the low to
moderate requirement when it comes out of mineral production.
Councilman Boyd added that the City's Housing Element, as are
most in Orange County, is out of compliance, there is a
significant deficit for affordable housing in this County,
the nE!ed is for forty-one thousand new housing starts each
year however there only about eighteen thousand, of those
maybe a thousand are actually affordable housing, with the
Bixby project the City required them to contribute to the set
aside fund for affordable housing, of the seventy-five homes
about sixteen will be eligible for affordable means. Mr.
Bartlett concurred with the statement of Councilman Boyd that
the area that was to have been golf course will now
essen1:ially be Central Park of Seal Beach, this a property
owner who can no longer use his property, it will be deed
restricted, and is looking for an acquisition vehicle to
creatE~ this Central Park of wetlands, walking trails, and
restored habitat. Mr. Bartlett made mention that both the
community and Hellman were disappointed that the golf course
could not materialize, however the same enthusiasm as was
direc1ted to the golf course will now be directed to
acquisition and improvements to the area now designated for
open space, he also noted that besides the possibility of the
oil production property being available for affordable
housing in the future, the Hellmans too were required to pay
a fee to be set aside for affordable housing, which has been
paid. The City Manager suggested that it would be well to
provide a diagram of the Hellman plan as it now exists for
display at City Hall. To a question from the audience, Mr.
BartlE~tt explained that the Settlement Agreement, signed by
all parties, provides that there can be no impact to existing
wetlands, the project proposed will not impact any wetland,
in fact is located several hundred feet away from existing
wetlands, the mandate is to be in compliance with the terms
of the Settlement Agreement and they are in the process of
that compliance.
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ORANGJ~ COUNTY LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD - ALTERNATE
REPRESENTATIVE
Councilmember Campbell indicated a desire to serve as the
alternate. Yost moved, second by Boyd, to appoint
Councilmember Campbell as the alternate representative to the
Orange County Library Advisory Board.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
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CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEMS "F" thru "N"
Boyd moved, second by Yost, to approve the recommended action
for items on the Consent Calendar as presented, except Items
"G" and "M", removed for separate consideration.
F.
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Approved regular demands numbered 26116
through 26337 in the amount of $845,507.82,
payroll demands numbered 6521 through 6799
in the amount of $450,615.54, and authorized
warrants to be drawn on the Treasury for
same.
H. Received and filed the status report relating
to substandard property located at 112 - 8th
Street.
I. Denied the claim for damages of Marjorie
Comings for a trip and fall incident, and
referred same to the City's liability
attorney and adjuster.
J. Denied the claim for damages of Nichole
Vanessa Page for recovery of auto repair
costs, and referred same to the City's
liability attorney and adjuster.
K.
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L.
N.
AYES:
NOES:
Received and filed the staff report relating
to the Draft Work Plan for Long Term
Groundwater Monitoring at Installation
Restoration Sites 40 and 70, Naval Weapons
Station, Seal Beach and authorized the Mayor
to sign the response letter.
Received and filed the Monthly Investment
Report for December, 1999.
Received and filed the staff report relating
to waste discharge requirements, Platform
Esther, authorized the Mayor to sign the
comment letter to the Regional Water Quality
Control Board, and instructed staff to
forward said report to the Environmental
Quality Control Board for information purposes.
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR
ITEM "G" - APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mayor Yost noted that he would abstain from voting on this
item as he was absent from the January 24th meeting. Boyd
moved, second by Campbell, to approve the minutes of the
regular January 24th meeting.
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow
None
Yost
Motion carried
ITEM "M" - DECOMMISSIONING OF BELMONT ISLAND - COMMENT LETTER
Mayor Yost commended staff for including language in the
comment letter to assure that the City could recover damages
should a problem arise in the future as the result of
abandoned underground pipelines from the Belmont platform to
the previously removed separation facility on Marina Drive.
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Councilman Boyd noted that there has been news articles
relating to the Belmont decommissioning, some residents have
suggested that the City acquire the rip rap to build an
undeD"ater reef to deter beach erosion, that issue was looked
at, determined that the rock was of insufficient size to be
reused for such purpose, and noted that staff did attend some
of the decommissioning meetings. Boyd moved, second by Yost,
to receive and file the staff report, authorize the Mayor to
sign the comment letter on behalf of the City, and instructed
staff to forward said report to the Planning Commission and
Environmental Quality Control Board for information purposes.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
RESOLUTION NUMBER 4783 - ORANGE COUNTY BANKRUPTCY SETTLEMENT
The City Attorney advised that this item is nearly identical
to the item considered by the Redevelopment Agency except for
the dollar amounts, in this case the City will receive a
distribution of $316,898.31, this represents approximately
ninety-four percent of the $2 million that had been invested
in the County pool prior to 1994, and noted that the City
received $1,674,659.99 in 1995.
Boyd moved, second by Yost, to adopt Resolution Number 4783
entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SEAL BEACH APPROVING A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND DESIGNATING
THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AS THE CITY's
REPRESENTATIVE TO RECEIVE DISTRIBUTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY
OF SEAL BEACH." By unanimous consent, full reading of
Resolution Number 4783 was waived. Councilman Boyd inquired
as to the dispersment of these monies, if they will go into
the General Fund or reserves. The Manager responded that
they have previously been shown as a receivable in the
audits, the City monies will go to the General Fund balance,
with the Agency monies going to that fund, concurring that
these are unallocated funds at this point.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
The City Attorney noted that the funds are anticipated on the
24th.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT - MOWING/EDGING MAINTENANCE
SERVICES
Bids 1"ere received until January 18th, 2000, 10:00 a.m. for
project Number 100, Mowing and Edging Maintenance Services
Citywide, at which time they were publicly opened by the City
Clerk as follows:
Mariposa Horticultural Ent. Inc.
.John's Landscape Service
Tropical Plaza Nursery, Inc.
Azteca Landscape
:~andscape West
,'\rtistic Maintenance, Inc.
L. Barrios & Associates, Inc.
'royo Landscaping Company
$108,732.00
$ 96,000.00
$ 74,666.46
$ 73,455.06
$ 61,380.00
$ 48,637.80
$45,399.65
$ 41,388.00
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The Director of Recreation and Parks presented the staff
repor.t, recommended approval of the plans and specifications
and ro"ard of the contract to Toyo Landscaping Company in the
amoun.t of $ 41,388. She noted that the funds to utilize
contract services were achieved through attrition in that
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three Parks Division positions have not been filled in the
last two years, and this contract will allow the four
remaining crew members to attend to infrastructure and
beautification projects, the parks and landscaped areas of
the City, and the Division Supervisor will monitor and
supervise the maintenance services contract, the contract is
for a term of two years and the City has the right to cancel
with a fifteen day notice. Councilman Boyd spoke favorably
of the award of this contract, an issue he has supported, and
noted the annual cost saving of $34,072.
Boyd moved, second by Yost, to approve the plans and
specifications and authorize the City Manager to execute a
professional services agreement with Toyo Landscaping Company
for mowing and edging services, not to exceed $41,388
annually.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
The City Manager pointed out that this contracts some of the
more repetitive tasks of the Parks Division so that the
personnel can utilize their landscaping skills for other
projects. Mayor Yost asked if this would result in any loss
of current staff, to that the Manager responded that it will
not.
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RESOLUTION NUMBER 4784 / ZONING DETERMINATION - WALK-UP /
TAKE-OUT RESTAURANT
The Director of Development Services presented the staff
report, noted that the process under the Zoning Code allows
for a determination to be made by the Planning Commission
that a use is compatible or similar to other uses already
allowed within the zoning classification, if it is in this
case then staff would prepare a Zone Text Amendment to be
considered under public hearing, the Planning Commission has
concurred and taken that action and has recommended the same
to the City Council, if that is done the public hearing will
be scheduled to consider the Zone Text Amendment of permitted
uses in the Main Street Specific Plan subject to a
Conditional Use Permit, this particular request is to allow
future uses of walk-up/take-out restaurants. He noted that
prior to the adoption of the Specific Plan for the Main
Street area, walk-up/take-out restaurants were allowed in the
C-l zone, the Planning Commission felt that the proposed use
was quite similar to the bakery/sweet shop uses that
currently exist along Main Street, and in certain cases
permitted by right without a Conditional Use Permit, in this
case however the Commission felt that a CUP should be
required to address hours of operation, trash disposal, etc.
Councilman Boyd noted that the staff report suggests that
this amendment to the Main Street Specific Plan could be
incorporated with the newsrack amendment, and asked if the
two amendments would be heard under separate public hearings
or one combined hearing. The response of staff was that they
will be two separate issues, dependant upon the timing for
the newsrack amendment, the intent however would not be to
hold up this issue. Preference was indicated that they be
heard at one time however that the public would have the
opportunity to speak to both issues.
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Boyd moved, second by Yost, to adopt Resolution Number 4784
entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SEAL BEACH DETERMINING THAT A "WALK-UP/TAKE-OUT RESTAURANT"
LAND USE AS DEFINED IN SECTION 28-268 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY
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OF SElu. BEACH
PLAN, SUBJECT
consent, full
IS CONSISTENT WITH THE MAIN STREET SPECIFIC
TO A,CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT." By unanimous
reading of Resolution Number 4784 was waived.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
HOUSING ELEMENT LEGISLATION - SUPPORTING AB 1744
The Director of Development Services presented the staff
repor<t, explaining that this legislation would extend for a
period of six months the deadline under which all of the
cities in the Southern California region must adopt their
Housing Element. As a point of background, he explained
further that the State has a mandate to prepare regional
housing needs assessments for all governmental agencies in
the Sltate, if that is not included in the State budget it
does not occur, which has been the situation in recent years,
in 19!38 the budget allowed that process to proceed, the
SouthE~rn California Association of Governments is responsible
for deriving numbers that then go to the Orange County
Council of Governments, that agency then spreads the numbers
throu9hout all of the cities in Orange County, that process
has not yet been finalized, likely not until sometime in
April, currently the Housing Elements are due to be adopted
by June 30th. He noted this legislation recognizes that the
process has taken longer than thought at the State and OCCOG
levels and provides for the six month extension. Yost moved,
second by Boyd, receive and file the staff report, authorize
the Mayor to sign a letter in support of Assembly Bill 1744,
and instructed staff to forward the report and letter to the
Planning Commission for information purposes.
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AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
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Councilman Snow expressed appreciation for the explanation of
the acronyms contained in the prior staff report.
RESOLUTION NUMBER 4785 - OPPOSITION TO MEASURE F
Councilmember Campbell pointed out that proposed Resolution
Numbe:r 4785 expresses opposition to Measure F, called the
Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative, which she said it is
not. Councilmember Campbell noted a prior speaker took
excep.tion to a quote she had given a newspaper, stated she
stands by that quote, her belief is that people who make land
use d,~cisions are versed in that field, the Environmental
Impac.t Report for El Toro is thirty-three inches high and
weighs sixty-five pounds, a challenge to review, and noted an
inter'~sting recent debate on this issue at the Chamber
breakfast in Los Alamitos. She stated that the airport is
needed at El Toro, not here, it is felt that if South County
is going to add three quarters of a million people to their
popuhltion in the next ten years they need to make their own
way, North County should not have its neighborhoods impacted
and freeways widened to accommodate their traffic to LAX, and
LAX does not want to expand to meet the needs of the
popula.tion of South County. Councilmember Campbell pointed
out that the airport is already at El Toro, in her opinion
there is a duty to future generations to be good stewards of
the land, if this opportunity is missed future generations
will be seriously impacted. Councilman Boyd quoted from the
Resolution that 'the Orange County Sheriff has advised that
if this Initiative is enacted, "the County's ability to
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provide adequate jail beds to convicted criminals will be
made much more difficult and public safety and quality of
life in Orange County will be diminished" as smaller
satellite jails would have to be constructed throughout
Orange County to accommodate prisoners and to comply with
Federal Court orders.' Councilman Boyd said this has been
designated as a 'catch and release initiative,' law
enforcement is obliged to capture the criminals, they are put
away for a short time, then released as a result of a Federal
Court order that they be released to resolve the jail over-
crowding in Orange County, more jail space is needed, at
least eight thousand five hundred beds, but that will not be
accomplished if this Initiative passes, the intent was that
the Initiative would address the airport issue but then jail
facilities and landfills were added which has more widespread
impact, this is a flawed Initiative that will do future
damage to Orange County. Councilmember Campbell pointed out
that Measure F does not kill the EI Toro airport but it is a
means, this Measure would require a two-thirds vote for any
future airport, landfill, and jail expansion issues, when a
two-thirds majority vote is required that is minority rule,
that is something that impacted College Park East some
twenty-five years ago, the area of the Bixby Townhomes was to
be a park, by petition the issue was put on the ballot,
required a two-thirds vote, would have added $25 to the
property taxes over a period of twenty years, however failed
by fifty votes. She stated that there needs to be caution
that the asset of El Toro is not lost in South Orange County,
if Measure F is approved within ten years they will be
considering sites that were not previously considered, South
County talking about Los Alamitos and the Weapons Station, no
houses will be lost with El Toro but if the Air Station and
Weapons Station were to be combined that would mean seventeen
hundred homes, that is the community. It was noted that
there is also a fourteen thousand acre buffer around El Toro.
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Doane moved, second by Campbell, to approve Resolution Number
4785 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SEAL BEACH IN OPPOSITION TO MEASURE F." By unanimous
consent, full reading of Resolution Number 4785 was waived.
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
Councilman Snow urged that the ballot arguments for and
against Measure F be reviewed thoroughly by the voters.
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CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARINGS - BED AND BREAKFAST FACILITIES
Mayor Yost noted the recommendation to continue until March
13th the Zone Text Amendment relating to a Residential
Conservation Overlay Zone, Zone Change and Minor Plan Review
relating to a bed and breakfast use at 308 - 7th Street, and
inquired of legal counsel if this matter will come before the
Council as an appeal and if it can be removed from this
agenda. The City Attorney confirmed that it can be removed
from the agenda, explained that Zone Text Amendments and Zone
Changes do not have the same type of appeal provisions as a
Conditional Use Permit, in this particular matter there were
three separate considerations, the Planning Commission
recommended denial of the Zone Text Amendment, that will come
before the Council, in turn the Commission took no action on
the Zone Change or the Conditional Use Permit, both continued
by the Planning Commission, they will go back before the
Commission and should the Commission deny the CUP the
applicant would then have the right to appeal. It was
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clarified that the ZTA and Zone Change considered by the
Commission was not a legislative action rather a
reco~nendation to the Council, the CUP is quasi-judicial.
The City Manager said in the opinion,of staff the two are
interlinked and should move forward together, if the opinion
of Council is that the CUP is not appropriate then the Zone
Text Amendment would not be brought forth as they are
coupled. Council was advised that continuation of this item
could be accomplished by order of the chair or a motion, if
the i ltems are continued there is no further requirement to
renotice the Zone Text Amendment and Zone Change, the CUP
would be noticed if appealed. After brief comments, the
Council continued the Zone Text Amendment and Zone Change
until March 13th and directed that both be renoticed.
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PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mayor Yost declared Public Comments to be open. Ms. Dorothy
Whyte, College Park East, made reference to comments during
the first Public Comment period with regard to the five
minutE! time limit. The response of the Mayor was that the
intent: is to limit all speakers to five minutes however the
timer is not necessarily used, Mr. Clewley had previously
requested that the timer be used. With regard to asking a
question of the Councilor staff Ms. Whyte said she
understood the language in the meeting regulations that says
that shall not be done, however there have been members of
the public and the Council that have been interrupted with a
response, in her opinion the rules should apply to all
otherl.ise it appears that persons are being allowed to speak
and rE~ceive responses selectively. Relative to that issue
Ms. Whyte said it is known that Measure M does not address
the golf course, it is presently being redesigned, the
residE~nts are having to tolerate considerable dirt as a
resul.t and when the City was called she was informed that
there are not enough inspectors to enforce the watering. Ms.
Whyte offered that the statement of Councilman Snow to read
the ballot pamphlet is well taken, suggested that the Leisure
World voters also visit the 'yes' on M office in Rossmoor,
and said she understands that Councilman Boyd rather than
forme:r Mayor Brown will be appearing on the upcoming Rick
Paap Show with regard to Measure M, spoke for holding an
independent debate on the District Four candidacy and Measure
M, otherwise it appears that the Council is hiding something.
Ms. Sue Corbin, Seal Beach, objected to members of the
Council leaving their Council seats periodically without
reque:sting to be excused, suggesting the Council follow
Roberts Rules. Ms. Corbin stated that Bixby is running the
campaign against Measure M to burden the residents of College
Park East, Los Alamitos, and Rossmoor with their project,
they are called Residents for Responsibl,e Planning yet the
expenditure reports show no donations to this effort other
than Bixby Ranch Company, however those in support of Measure
M are being funded by residents, this committee is in need of
money, donations, and volunteers, and invited people to visit
their storefront in Rossmoor. This project will increase
traffic by thirty-nine thousand trips a day, that will not
help 'the quality of life in College Park East or other areas,
Ms. Corbin said no one has mentioned that the lawsuit of Los
Alamitos and Rossmoor Homeowners has been appealed as a
result of the EIR not being recirculated as to the farmland,
the taxpayers should be made aware of this. Ms. Corbin
objec.ted to a news article making reference to those in
support of Measure M as the gang, the nice people of Leisure
World should not be used, because the people against the
Bixby project are doing a good thing for the community, it
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gives another chance to look at this property and get input
from the community that is impacted by the project. Ms.
Corbin criticized the conduct of the meeting, claimed that
the only speakers that get timed are those the Council does
not want to hear. Mr. Reg Clewley, Seal Beach, noted the
continuation of the public hearings relating to the zoning
issues for bed and breakfast facilities, these denied by the
Planning commission and it is understood that an appeal has
not been filed, should an appeal be filed said it would be
appropriate to deal with it in the same manner as was ZTA 96-
1 which, upon appeal, took six months before being presented
to the Council, thus there is no public hearing continued to
March 13th, it would only be in response to an appeal and
ahead of other important business. Mr. Joe Siler, College
Park East, voiced his understanding of the five minute
speaking limit. He stated having seen misrepresentations in
some of the materials relating to the Initiative, there is a
claim to save the trees yet there are few left to save, a
claim that storm water retention will be increased, said to
be attributed to the shopping center development, yet has
nothing to do with the shopping center, the only stormwater
retention occurs on the golf course, increases from eighty-
four to eighty-eight acre feet, less storm water retention
than would have occurred under the 1995 plan, and still has
nothing to do with the twenty-five acres that Bixby proposes
to pave over and turn into a shopping center, the widening of
the bridge has nothing to do with the project, Bixby is
putting thirteen thousand cars on the highway and now wants
to claim credit for making it a little bit better, yet the
intersections will be worse, even after the mitigation work
is completed and the bridge widened. Mr. Siler said if
widening the bridge is important then why is this being done
backwards, widen the bridge first and then develop, it will
take four to five years to complete with traffic jams from
all of the new traffic, the only way to stop this project for
now is to vote yes on Measure M. Mr. Siler also made
reference to a letter circulated in Leisure World showing Mr.
Brown and a number of others as against Measure M, no one has
contacted the committee in favor of, in his view they have
been mislead, again, build the bridge first before building a
shopping center. There being no further comments, Mayor Yost
declared Public Comments closed.
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I
CITY ATTORNEY REPORT
In response to a public comment, the City Attorney explained
that pursuant to the California Elections Code the City
Attorney is designated as the person to prepare an impartial
analysis of measures, the City Attorney remains neutral on
all political issues and that is recognized by the Elections
Code. He said it is not felt necessary to repeat the prior
response to Mr. Clewley relating to the Zone Text amendment,
also, with regard to the Orange County bankruptcy of six
years past, it will be good to have that concluded. At the
request of Councilman Boyd it was clarified that the State
Elections Code specifies that it is the City Attorney that
renders the impartial analysis of measures.
CITY MANAGER REPORT
The City Manager made reference to the funding for the 405
bridge widening, noted that the City has been working in
cooperation with the Orange County Transportation Commission
on this issue, and in order to widen the bridge, to increase
lanes due to the existing traffic, the City would need to
come up with about $1.8 million of matching funds, otherwise,
any project that may be done in the future would be a
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lengthening rather than a widening project, that information
is dil~ectly from and verified by the Orange County
Transportation Authority, to widen the City would need to
have the local match of funds, and, the City has been
successful in obtaining, on a competitive basis, about $4
million from Measure M and OCTA, to cover the cost of the
bridgE!, again, to add lanes the City needs to provide the
local match, at this point the City does not have the local
match" that would be the development fees that are part of
the Bixby project. with regard to the County bankruptcy, the
Manager noted that was a major loss of invested reserves, the
settlE!ment reflects the return of about ninety-five percent
of that investment with the Orange County Pool, as mentioned
earliE!r these monies have been recorded as a receivable and
the sE!ttlement will count towards a currently inadequate
reserve contingency fund. with regard to the revision of the
newsrack ordinance, the Manager stated that in an attempt to
do this in a cooperative manner with the media, the Director
of Development Services and City Attorney scheduled a meeting
with all of the newspapers that circulate on Main Street to
develop a mutually agreeable way to limit and consolidate the
numbel~ of newsracks and address design issues, however no one
attended the meeting, the proposed news rack regulations will
be presented to Council in the form of an ordinance and then
talks may possibly be scheduled. The Manager mentioned also
that the City is working with Surfside to place between six
to ten thousand sand bags for the purpose of flood protection
in that there are some significant high tides coming,
emergEmcy funding continues to be pursued through the Army
Corps and funds for another replenishment project next year.
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COUNCIL COMMENTS
Councilman Doane said he wished to use the word of Mr. Siler,
misrepresentation. Councilman Doane said there are buses
within Leisure World that now have signs that urge a yes vote
on Measure M otherwise the Leisure Market will close, to
which he said that is the greatest degree of
misrepresentation ever heard, yet the speaker is the one that
claimE~d it is the Council who is misrepresenting the Bixby
project, this is not true nor is it true to tell the people
they 1.ill be trapped in ffinbulances on the way to the
hospi;tal, this is a slam at the intelligence of Leisure World
residE~nts. Councilmember Campbell requested the City
Attorney provide a brief summary of the legality of the
utility tax. The City Attorney responded that the City's
utility tax is legal, that is not just a mere technicality,
under the State Constitution Seal Beach is a Charter City
havin9 its own constitution, charter cities, as well as
general law cities, were allowed to adopt a utility users tax
without an election at the time the City established its
utili.ty users tax, that was legal. After initial adoption
and about eight years forward the utility tax was increased
to el'~ven percent, at that point there was also proposition
162 which only applied to general law cities, it was enacted,
then ,thrown out by the courts, and later reinstated by the
courts. There was a window period that only affected general
law cities, post Proposition 162 and pre Guardino, which
reenacted 162, where there was some question, which went to
the Supreme Court with respect to general law cities,
proposition 162 did not apply to charter cities, however if
the City were to attempt to increase its utility tax at this
time it would require an election in that after Prop 162
there was another proposition some two years ago that applies
to charter cities. The Attorney concluded that the City's
utility users tax is legal, always has been, however if the
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City chose to increase the percentage it would continue to be
legal but an election would be required. Councilman Snow
said in Leisure World there is reason to doubt when CalTrans
might make improvements to the bridge, this based on the
history of the Leisure World sound wall and a letter written
in 1982 to a Leisure World director with regard to the sound
wall, the wall was realized this last year, that shows how
long it takes CalTrans to make decisions. Councilman Snow
made reference to a change of bus routes by the Orange County
Transportation Authority, a journalist for the Golden Rain
News has done a fine job of outlining how this change will
impact Leisure World, this concern was brought to the City
Manager who contacted the OCTA Executive Director, and it has
been learned this change is primarily because of people going
to and coming from work and there is a delay at Leisure World
in waiting for those riders, and as of today the Executive
Director has suggested the Leisure World bus riders contact
OCTA with their concerns, also, there will be a
representative group that will attend the OCTA meeting where
this will be considered. Councilman Boyd mentioned listening
to the public comments relating to Measure M, disturbing at
times, to which he suggested that people merely go to the
polls on March 7th and vote their feelings. He stated that a
simple way to win a yes on Measure M vote is to bring groups
of people together and scare them into believing they may not
make it to the hospital because of the congestion associated
with this project, however if the Council felt or knew that,
based on the impartial statistical analysis by the consultant
retained by the City, the Council would not have voted in
favor of the project, the goal of the Council is to keep Seal
Beach a high quality, liveable City, that is the job of the
Council, the Council fights every day to make things better,
water quality, streets, safety, traffic. There is a lot of
rhetoric, one the reference to the lawsuit filed against Seal
Beach by Los Alamitos, the Rossmoor Homeowners, and owners of
Rossmoor Center, the truth is that Seal Beach won that case
in court, they then asked that the Seal Beach taxpayers pay
their attorney fees, the judge responded that attorney fees
would not be awarded and that the lawsuit did not serve the
interest of the public good, that speaks for what this
lawsuit'was, a way for a minority of people to voice their
opinion regarding an issue they did not understand or knew
little about, they just did not like the project, the same
group of people that tried to stop the building of the Bixby
Office Park some years back, the statements made then are the
same now, on the other hand these people do have the right to
express themselves this way. Councilman Boyd urged that
people read the information, be sensible, the Council would
not approve something that would impact people to such
degree. He mentioned that fact that he lives in Old Town and
suggested that a look be taken at the number of people and
cars that cram into that area on weekends, no parking within
a mile radius, an hour wait to go to a good restaurant, the
impacts are here, yet he would not change it for anything,
public comments are taken to heart but there is sometimes
disagreement. Councilman Boyd mentioned that Medix
Ambulance, who serves Seal Beach and have a contract through
the Fire Authority, have looked at the Bixby project and have
recommended a no vote on .Measure M, the project will only
improve their ability to serve the City, also, the Orange
County Fire Authority and the Seal Beach Police Officers
Association have issued similar opinions, and he too supports
a no vote on Measure M. Councilman Boyd announced that he
would be holding a meeting the following Monday, February
21st, with regard to alley repair projects and how those
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needs will be addressed in the coming years, mentioned also
that lthe Surfing Contest was successful, thanked those who
put the event on, bringing surfing back to Seal Beach. Mayor
Yost noted that he too received a couple of calls regarding
the lE~tter in opposition to Measure M signed by the former
and current mayors, for him it was a difficult decision to
take a one side or another position, however of concern is
what would happen if Measure M were passed, the Initiative
only addresses the commercial yet the project is tied
together very carefully, the tentative map for the
residential is tied to the permitting of the interior walls
of cOlnmercial as an example, if there is no commercial there
is no residential, if there is no residential then there is
no profit center for the Bixby Company, if there is no profit
center the question is will Bixby still give the City the
tennis facility, will they give the $1 million to rehab that
facility, this plan is developed so that the majority of the
retail is in one area, more retail opportunity for ones
traffic impact, people drive to one center, park, and do what
they desire, if the zoning were to revert there could be
three commercial areas spread throughout the property rather
than one, the same amount of traffic but spread, and, less
commercial revenue. He mentioned that for most cities sales
tax is the primary revenue source, in Seal Beach it is the
third, second is property tax, and first is the utility tax,
Seal Beach is sales tax deficient. Mayor Yost said he too
travels Seal Beach Boulevard twice a day, of great concern is
what seems to be divisive views between areas of the
community, it seems that it is time to put an end to that,
this project has had extensive public comment, it is a better
project because of that, the only way to assure that the
tennis facility becomes the largest recreation facility in
the City is to vote no on Measure M, if the Measure passes
the entire project will fall apart and Marriott will have
primary option on the site. Mayor Yost invited all to the
Challlmge Court at the Bixby tennis facility this coming
Saturday starting at 10:00 a.m.
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CLOSED SESSION
The City Attorney announced that the 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, a conference with legal
counsE~l pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(b)
relating to cases of anticipated litigation, and pursuant to
Government Code Section 54956.9(a), a conference with legal
counsel relating to existing litigation in the matter of
Herron versus City of Seal Beach. By unanimous consent, the
Council adjourned to Closed Session at 9:19 p.m. and
reconvened at 10:50 p.m. with Mayor Yost calling the meeting
to order. The City Attorney reported that the Council had
discussed the items identified on the agenda, gave direction
to le9al counsel in certain litigation matters and conducted
a performance evaluation of the City Manager. Mayor Yost
announced that the City Attorney is directed to agendize for
the nl:xt meeting a proposed two percent salary increase for
the City Manager retroactive to November 15th.
I
ADJOURNMENT'
It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council,
to adjourn the meeting until February 28th at 6:15 p.m. to
meet in closed session if necessary. By unanimous consent,
the Council adjourned the meeting at 10:53 p.m.
2-14-00 / 2-28-00
rtr -
I Approved:
Attest:
Seal Beach, California
February 28, 2000
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
session at 7:20 p.m. with Mayor Yost calling the meeting to
order with the Salute to the Flag.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor Yost
Councilmembers Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow
Absent:
None
I
Also present: Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Barrow, City Attorney
Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development
Services
Mr. Badum, Director of Public Works/City
Engineer
Chief Sellers, Police Department
Ms. Beard, Director of Recreation and Parks
Ms. Yeo,City Clerk
WAIVER OF FULL READING
By unanimous consent, the Council waived the 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 the reading of the title unless specific
request is made at that time for the reading of such
ordinance or resolution.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Boyd moved, second by Campbell, to approve the order of the
agenda as presented.
I
AYES:
NOES:
Boyd, Campbell, Doane, Snow, Yost
None Motion carried
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mayor Yost declared Public Comments to be open, reminding all
that each speaker is allowed five minutes, the digital timer
may be used upon request. Mr. Gordon Shanks, Surf Place,
noted the importance of the March 7th election to this City,
spoke in support of Proposition 12 that would generate money
to the Coastal Conservancy and San Gabriel Conservancy which
in turn would provide some hope of saving the Department of