HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 1997-08-11
7-28-97 / 8-11-97
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Engineer advised that the City currently has a supply of sand
bags. Councilmember Campbell asked if the Leisure World
ditch is clean, to which Councilman Brown stated that it is
clean however when the catch basin is full, it is higher,
then the ditch flows back. Mayor Hastings noted that the
District One Parks and Recreation representative was present
at the Red Car opening as well, commended Mr. Shanks and the
Historical Society for a wonderful opening celebration, after
that she and Councilmember Campbell attended the Beet Factory
one hundredth anniversary celebration in Los Alamitos. She
thanked everyone for attending the Council meetings.
ADJOURNMENT
It was the order of the Chair, with consent of the Council,
to adjourn the meeting until Monday, August 11th at 6:30 p.m.
to meet in Closed Session if deemed necessary. The meeting
was adjourned by unanimous consent at 9:45 p.m.
Cit
C erk and ex-officio
e City of Seal Beach
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Approved:
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Attest:
Mayor
I
Seal Beach, California
August 11, 1997
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
adjourned session at 6:30 p.m. with Mayor Hastings calling
the meeting to order with the Salute to the Flag.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor Hastings
Councilmembers Brown, Campbell, Fulton
Absent:
Councilmember Forsythe
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Brown moved, second by Fulton, to excuse the absence of
Councilmember Forsythe from this meeting.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
Also present: Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Barrow, City Attorney
Mrs. Yeo, City Clerk
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APPROVAL OF AGENDA
The City Council, by unanimous consent, approved the order of
the agenda as presented.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
There were no Oral Communications.
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 pursuant to Government Code
Section 54956.9(a) with regard to existing litigation in the
case of the People of the State of California versus Bruce
Stark, and pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.A, a
conference with the City's labor negotiator with regard to
unrepresented employees and the City Clerk.
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The Council adjourned to Closed Session at 6:31 p.m. and
reconvened at 7:05 p.m. with Mayor Hastings calling the
meeting to order. With respect to the conference with legal
counsel, the City Attorney reported the Council gave
direction to the City Attorney, and with regard to the
conference with the labor negotiator the Council appointed a
subcommittee to negotiate with the City Clerk, no other
action was taken.
ADJOURNMENT
By unanimous consent, the Council meeting was adjourned at
7:05 p.m.
Attest:
I
clerk
Approved:
~.
,
Seal Beach, California
August 11, 1997
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
session at 7:06 p.m. with Mayor Hastings calling the meeting
to order with the Salute to the Flag.
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ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor Hastings
Councilmembers Brown, Campbell, Fulton
Absent:
Councilmember Forsythe
Brown moved, second by Fulton, to excuse the absence of
Councilmember Forsythe from this meeting.
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
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Also Present: Mr. Till, City Manager
Mr. Barrow, City Attorney
Mr. Whittenberg, Director of Development
Services
Mr. Badum, City Engineer/Director of Public
Works
Mr. Dorsey, Assistant to the City Manager
Mr. Summers, Lifeguard Department
Mrs. Yeo, City Clerk
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Councilmember Campbell requested that Item "G" be removed
from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration, and a
member of the audience requested Item "I" removed. In
reference to Item "0" the City Manager noted a typographical
error will be corrected in Section III of the sewer
inspection equipment agreement, a reference to Seal Beach
where it should be to Cypress. Campbell moved, second by
Fulton, to approve the order of the agenda as revised, Items
"G" and "I" removed for separate consideration, and the
understanding that the typographical error in Item "0" will
be corrected.
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
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ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Mayor Hastings declared Oral Communications open. Unable to
locate a parking space in front of the church on Sunday, June
22nd, Mr. Jim Sokoloff said he then parking in the beach lot,
climbed the stairs, tripped, reached for the handrail, which
he said there was none, and he wrenched his back. Mr.
Sokoloff read various sections of the Uniform Building Code
with regard to stairways, handrails, modifications, unsafe
structures, public nuisances, etc. Councilman Brown inquired
as to the effective date of the UBC, noting that something
constructed in accordance with Code at the time is not always
required to be brought up to Code when amendments are
enacted, also suggested that Mr. Sokoloff meet with staff to
review his concern, and noted it is best to look at any such
incident in terms of bettering the community. It was
confirmed that Mr. Sokoloff had filed a claim with the City.
Ms. Barbara Ybaben, Hazelnut Avenue, mentioned having
experienced her first involvement in politics with the last
Council election, claimed that the same ethics were not
followed by both candidates, those supporting the other
candidate have been called Bixbyites, Bixby supporters, it
has been said they never accepted the election results, the
results were accepted, thereafter people attended the town
hall meeting to express their feelings as to what was a
desirable development, felt to be best for the area and the
community, at that meeting people were not allowed to speak
and asked to sit down. Since then attempts have been made to
speak to the Councilperson directly or by telephone with
little success, and the Council forum was merely a time to
vent. Recently the letter of intent to recall was submitted
to the City for checking, that took the ten days allowed,
corrections consisted of a comma and space, and it was placed
in the mail rather than allowing it to be picked up, which
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delayed their project of petition preparation, in the
meantime the Councilperson printed and distributed a letter,
which she claimed contained many discrepancies, an effort to
confuse the people, and asked that the Attorney address a
statement with regard to removal of ones name from the
petition, a petition is also said to be circulating in
opposition to the recall effort, confusing the people. As to
pending real estate transactions there is concern with regard
to closure of the Base, construction of an inexpensive hotel,
decrease of property values, etc. Ms. Ybaban said a member
of the recall team decided to print and distribute a flier,
at her expense, to the persons on her recall list, shortly
thereafter a supporter of the Councilperson was observed with
a letter of the Councilperson as well as several copies the
flier distributed by the recall worker in his possession, the
Police Department deemed this to be a misdemeanor burglary,
and Ms. Ybaban asked that the Manager see that this type of
thing does not continue, as it is not even safe for women to
be on the street with the petition. Ms. Ybaban said her
husband previously asked that the residential plan again be
presented to Bixby now that there is a MOU, the Council said
it was not a consideration, when asked, Bixby said they would
still like that plan, yet since the Councilperson had voted
no on that plan as a Planning Commissioner there was no
point. She said the Council blindly refuses to hear the
preference of the people, yet a news article quotes a
Councilperson as saying homes on the Hellman property will be
large enough to create significant property tax, yet in the
College Park area it does not pencil out, and the church will
bring no revenue. Ms. Ybaban said their group is not trying
to divide the City, merely be part of it. Mr. Mel ColOmbie,
College Park East, said the District Four Councilperson has
been doing a good job, when she is criticized so is the
entire Council, she won the election, said the proponents
should be charged for the recall, in his area only four
percent were for the effort. The Mayor noted that should
sufficient signatures be obtained in support of the recall an
election would be called, the cost of which is estimated
between $10,000 to $12,000. Mr. Glen Olsen, Elder Avenue,
said as an eighteen month resident he had not been aware of
the commercial proposal, stated he and his wife would be
involved in the recall movement, his support is for a
residential development, not commercial. There being no
further comments, Mayor Hastings declared Oral Communications
closed.
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COUNCIL ITEMS
AMIGOS de BOLSA CHICA
Mayor Hastings noted that the Arnigos de Bolsa Chica are
requesting cities to write to Lt. Governor Gray Davis
requesting support for the Bolsa Chica wetlands and if money
is available, purchase of the forty-one acres that are for
sale, the mesa an integral part of the wetlands, one
compliments the other. Mayor Hastings requested
authorization to prepare a letter to the Lt. Governor and
that language be included to read "acquisition of the Bolsa
Chica Mesa by an outside third party for preservation as open
space." Brown moved, second by Fulton, to authorize such
letter for the Mayor's signature.
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
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CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEMS "B" thru "L"
Brown moved, second by Campbell, to approve the recommended
action for items on the Consent Calendar as presented, except
Items "G" and "I", removed for separate consideration.
B.
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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
unless specific request is made at that
time for.the reading of such ordinance or
resolution.
C. Approved the plans and specifications for
Westminster Avenue Rehabilitation, Seal
Beach Boulevard to Bolsa Chica Road, Project
Number 665, and authorized staff to initiate
the bidding process.
D. Approved the Agreement for the Joint Purchase,
Use, and Maintenance of Sewer Video Equipment
by the cities of Seal Beach and Cypress,
the purchase price approximately $15,000 per
City, and authorized the City Manager to
execute said Agreement on behalf of the City.
Approved an Agreement with the Orange Coast
Marketing Coalition, enabling the City to
solicit and consider corporate sponsorships
and select advertising opportunities, and
authorized the City Manager to execute same
on behalf of the City.
F. Approved regular demands numbered 16660
through 16823 in the amount of $191,227.15,
payroll demands numbered 23055 through
23258 in the amount of $204,305.02, and
authorized warrants to be drawn on the
Treasury for same.
E.
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H. Received and filed the Monthly Investment
Report for the period ending June, 1997.
J. Denied the claim for damages of Mr. James
Magnera and Ms. Alice Ding.
K. Approved the minutes of the July 14, 1997
regular adjourned and regular meetings.
L.
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Approved a budget amendment to appropriate
funds in the amount of $11,050 from the
Tidelands Fund into account number
034-468-063 for the lease purchase of a
new beach cleaner.
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR
ITEM "G" - ANNEXATIONS - CITY OF LONG BEACH
Councilmember Campbell inquired as to the location of the
properties being annexed. The Director of Development
Services explained that they are generally along the western
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side of the San Gabriel River between Pacific Coast Highway
and Westminster Avenue, it is currently oil ~ield use and
vacant land, owned by the County of Los Angeles. Campbell
moved, second by Hastings, to receive and file the staff
report, and requested staff to provide further reports as
appropriate.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
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ITEM "I" - STATUS REPORT - ZONE TEXT AMENDMENT 96-1
Mr. Reg Clewley, Catalina Avenue, asked who is going to pay
for the third mailed notice of ZTA 96-1, the appellant should
be requested to pay the costs. The Director of Development
Services explained that notice will be made to properties
within three hundred feet of the boundaries of the area
impacted, the cost of the mailing is borne by the City as it
is a City proposal to change the Code, the area covering
about five lots from the north side of Crestview. Brown
moved, second by Hastings, to receive and file the status
report.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
TRANSFER - BRIGGEMAN DISPOSAL REFUSE FRANCHISE - REPUBLIC
INDUSTRIES
The City Manager noted this item is a proposed transfer of
the refuse collection franchise from Briggeman Disposal to
Republic Industries, the cities of Los Alamitos, Cypress, and
Seal Beach were notified of this proposed merger in July.
Under the Seal Beach franchise agreement a transfer is
contingent upon two things, that the company is currently
doing business in surrounding cities, and the new company
must demonstrate that it has the financial capabilities and
resources to provide adequate refuse collection services and
recycling. He noted that the Council had been provided a
list of seventeen requests for documentation made by the City
of the refuse hauler and the responses, reported that
Republic Industries is currently doing business in a number
of Orange County cities, an investigation of their service
levels in some of those cities revealed no negative
responses, it is the stated intent of Republic that this
merger will be transparent to Seal Beach customers, Mr.
Briggeman is to continue to be the manager and daily contact
for the City, continuing to operate the company for several
years. The Manager stated that based upon the documentation
provided and the fact that Republic Industries does meet the
conditions of the franchise for transfer, it would be the
recommendation to Council to approve the transfer of the
exclusive refuse franchise. Mayor Hastings asked how the
recently approved evergreen provision will be handled with
the new owner. Councilman Brown said initially he came close
to not approving the evergreen clause because he did not like
the concept, yet knowing what Mr. Briggeman has done for Seal
Beach and the other cities he felt comfortable with it, then
when it was learned that Republic was coming in he had
recommended to the Manager that the evergreen clause be
deleted, however the Manager suggested that it be left in the
agreement until the performance level of Republic is known,
possibly a review every six months for a period of time. As
to the evergreen clause, the City Manager explained that
basically the City entered into a seven year agreement with
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Briggeman Disposal at the time the greenwaste program was
started, that allowed a financing mechanism for the equipment
for that program, since then there has been the recycling
program for Old Town and other provisions of the franchise
agreement, one of those provisions was that rather than
having a seven year agreement, each year the franchise would
automatically renew so that it would be an on-going seven
year franchise, that is the evergreen provision, yet that can
be terminated by the Council at any time desired. He noted
that by means of the responses to the questions, the City was
informed that Mr. Briggeman would operate the company for a
minimum of three years by contract with Republic Industries,
beyond that it would be between those two parties.
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Brown moved, second by Hastings, to approve the transfer of
the exclusive refuse franchise agreement from Briggeman
Industries, Inc. to Republic Industries, Inc., subject to
final review by the City Attorney.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Browh, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
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BEACH PARKING SYSTEM ANALYSIS
The Assistant to the City Manager presented the staff report
relating to the analysis of the beach parking system. He
recalled that approximately a year ago the Council approved a
test period for a pay-as-you-enter graduated flat fee system
for the summer months and a pay-as-you-1eave hourly rate
system during the winter months for the 8th and 10th Street
beach parking lots, the staff report reflects the results of
the data collected and tests performed during the following
ten months. He directed attention to the parking revenues
and vehicle occupancy rates over the past twenty-four months,
the flat rate standard throughout the day, then a graduated
flat fee where during the evening hours the standard rate is
reduced, as an example $2 rather than $5 or $6 as an
incentive to use the lots, with the hourly rate the motorist
pays for the units of time that the vehicle is actually in
the lot. with specific attention to the flat rate that Seal
Beach has traditionally charged motorists, the revenues in
1995/96 were $303,508, the hybrid, or variable flat and
hourly system, generated $292,244 during fiscal year 1996/97,
which resulted in a revenue loss of $11,264 or four percent,
yet the vehicle occupancy in 1995/96 was 61,676 as compared
to 71,192 in 1996/97, an additional 9,516 vehicles, and even
though numerous variables must be taken into consideration,
the weather, surf conditions, etc., it is believed that the
hybrid system did result in an over fifteen percent increase
in the vehicle usage of the 8th and 10th Street lots, and
actually, a minor loss of revenue during that period. What
is thought to.be some explanation of the lower revenue, he
noted that as an experiment the Lifeguard Department decided
to use the hourly rate during the first part of July, 1996 to
see if it should be applied on a year-round basis, after ten
days on that system it was found that revenues were down
approximately $4,000, therefore they went back to the
traditional flat rate. In addition, a graduated fee was
charged those who used the lots between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m.,
that instead of charging the flat full daily rate in the
summer or an hourly rate in the winter, the charge was a $2
flat fee to encourage use of the lots, the intent was to
accommodate those who swim, surf, or whatever in the early
hours before going to work, however a survey by the
Lifeguards of how long those persons were staying in the lots
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showed that a majority were staying for a number of hours at
the low fee, therefore the recommendation is that the
graduated fee be discontinued. Upon review of data back four
to five years, the assumption is that the 1995/96 season was
a perfect base year and in fact in 1996/97 it was possible to
increase the vehicle occupancy by nearly ten thousand. The
Assistant explained that when hourly rates were introduced in
the winter months vehicle occupancy increased while parking
revenues remained essentially the same, also in mid-March,
1997 the parking administrators increased the hourly rate
from $1 to $1.50 and flat rates were reestablished for
weekends and holidays, this keeping in mind that the winter
period is from November 1st through June 15th, however the
Lifeguards f~und that from the time spring break occurs
through June 15th, even though it is technically still an
hourly period, revenues and vehicle occupancy increased
significantly between the period of mid-March and June 15th,
which is the current system. As to what is being proposed,
the Assistant said the summer rates for the 8th and 10th
Street beach lots, from June 15th to October 31st, would be a
pay-as-you-enter graduated flat fee, a lesser fee during the
hours of 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., the flat rate of $5 per day from
5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daytime traditional beach visitors,
evenings are Main Street shoppers and dining customers, the
flat rate increases on weekends to $6. As to winter rates,
they are a pay-as-you-Ieave hourly system, also graduated,
$1.50 per hour, $4 maximum, weekends are a maximum of $5,
evenings discounted to $2, the period of spring break to June
15th then changes from the hourly to the pay-as-you-enter
system on weekends and holidays. In conclusion the Assistant
explained that based upon the positive revenue and occupancy
trends that began to emerge during the last three to four
months of fiscal year 1996/97, staff is confident that the
current hybrid parking system is an improved design for
optimizing parking revenue and vehicle occupancy rates in the
beach lots which has essentially been in effect for the past
twelve months. Councilman Brown spoke favorably of the
proposed system, however in jest questioned by what means it
is going to be posted or explained. Mayor Hastings inquired
about a system for the 1st Street lot, and she noted that
validated parking has been initiated at 1st Street as well.
The Lifeguard Lieutenant responded that 1st Street will be an
upcoming project. The Mayor asked if the unsightly parking
booth could be removed.
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Fulton moved, second by Hastings, to adopt the hybrid flat
and hourly system as proposed.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
The City Manager said he believed the original motivation was
to maximize the value of the beach parking lots as well as
double for Main Street parking, it is felt this will have a
positive impact for business parking, and it is anticipated
that in the future staff will be presenting some Main Street
improvements that will include signage directing shoppers and
visitors to the beach lots.
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PUBLIC HEARING - SAFETY ELEMENT - GENERAL PLAN - NEGATIVE
DECLARATION 97-2 / REVISION 97-1
The Director of Development Services presented the staff
report, noted two items for consideration, the Negative
Declaration, which is an evaluation of the potential
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environmental impacts of adopting a revised Safety Element to
the City's General Plan, the Negative Declaration review of
the proposals within the Safety Element and indicates, in the
opinion of staff, that adoption of the Element will have no
adverse impacts on the environment. He noted that the Safety
Element is a document that will identify to the Council and
Planning Commission where the areas of concern exist in the
community regarding safety issues, seismic, flood, fire,
hazardous waste issues, emergency access, etc., when
considering land use proposals, also explained that there are
specific provisions in the Government Code that mandate the
types of information to be contained in a Safety Element, and
the reason the document was completely rewritten is because
the original Seismic/Safety Element was prepared in 1975, and
the Government Code has been amended several times since
then. He said it is felt the document gives a clear picture
as to where the areas of concern are, establishes programs,
and identifies departments in the City that have the
responsibility to do certain activities, undertake studies,
and prepare plans within a two year period upon adoption of
the Element. The Director reported the Planning Commission
considered the Element under public hearing, there were no
public comments to the item, they recommended approval with
revisions that were noted in the supplemental staff report,
those revisions basically to comments received from the
Coastal Commission suggesting some wording changes to the
document which in turn addresses some of the issues in the
Coastal Act for the areas of the City that are in the Coastal
Zone. He noted that as part of the environmental review
process the documents were distributed to about thirty-five
State, County and local agencies, comments were received from
four of the agencies and are noted in the report to the
Planning Commission, Coastal Commission had the most
substantial comments, and responses were prepared to each of
those. The Director reviewed the chapters of the Element,
within each chapter a fairly thorough description of what the
City feels are areas of concern, how they can be addressed in
the future, and sets forth goals and policies that will need
to be dealt with by basically the Planning/Building and
Engineering Departments and the Fire Authority.
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Mayor Hastings declared the public hearing open. The City
Clerk certified that the notice of hearing was advertised as
required by law, and reported no communications received for
or against this item. There being no public comments, Mayor
Hastings declared the public hearing closed.
Councilmember Campbell corrected a typographical error on
pages twenty-seven and sixty-one, made reference to the third
paragraph on page seven with regard to the statement 'major
environmental constraints like an identified fault or
floodway', to which she pointed out that although College
Park East is not in a river basin when there are substantial
rains Lampson Avenue does flood. Councilman Brown noted that
is likewise true for Leisure World. Councilmember Campbell
referred to pages sixty-four and -five, Flood Protection
Measures, and asked what changes are needed, are they being
planned, and how long will they take to complete, again
making reference to extensive flooding in College Park East,
a great concern given the predictions for the upcoming
winter, and what can be done immediately. The Director of
Development Services deferred the question with regard to
immediate planning to the City Manager, however with regard
to the Safety Element he explained that the section
referenced relates to improvements that the Orange County
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Flood Control District will be pursuing for the Los Alamitos
Retarding Basin, they have completed studies, it is
understood that the final report will not be available for
about five to six months, the contents of the report are not
presently known, once known it may be necessary to revise
this section of the Element. Councilmember Campbell inquired
as to how many pumps are currently operating at that Basin.
Councilman Brown responded that there are four pumps, one is
currently not working, and suggested that possibly the Flood
Control District should be asked to hold an additional
meeting with specific focus on College Park East and Lampson
Avenue. He noted that a meeting with District personnel and
the County Supervisor is scheduled for tomorrow in Leisure
World to discuss the Catch Basin, reported the flood channel
through Leisure World has been totally cleaned, there will be
discussion as to what progress is being made with the
Rossmoor Retarding Basin to the north of Leisure World with
respect to keeping those waters out of the system so the
channel can flow and empty out faster, and catches in Seal
Beach Boulevard are meant to stop the flow of debris. He
reported the pump capacity at Seal Beach Boulevard and
Electric has been increased twenty-five to thirty percent,
and noted that a meeting is forthcoming relating to the
downtown area with Flood Control personnel, a meeting held
today as well to determine if the floor of the Basin could be
lowered, there have been discussions with Hellman also, what
the Federal Emergency Management Agency is or is not doing or
may do has been identified, however nothing will take place
this year. In addition to the four existing pumps,
Councilmember Campbell suggested that the Basin could use two
more. Councilman Brown explained that the priority of the
District is to put two to four pumps, depending on the cost,
at the Rossmoor Catch Basin to pump out the north side first,
there is discussion also of replacing the existing pumps with
non-electric pumps and raise them an additional three feet,
that a $2.5 to $3 million project which is not scheduled for
three to four years, and through upcoming meetings it is
hoped to be determined who it is that makes that decision
from the political standpoint. He noted that one suggestion
was to construct a dam and install a pump where the water
flows from College Park East and flood the farm area, also
some means of draining more water from Lampson, faster, and
onto Bixby is a more immediate solution. Councilmember
Campbell asked if the culverts under Lampson at Guava, Elder
and Candleberry been checked and are clear of debris. The
City Engineer responded that all of the storm drains under
the City's jurisdiction have been inspected, those under
Lampson are part of the local system, however there are
drains that are part of the County system and it is
understood they have been thoroughly cleaned. Councilman
Brown said of concern is that there is uncertainty as to the
jurisdiction, therefore there needs to be assurance they are
all checked and cleaned. The Mayor announced the upcoming
meeting at Growing Tree Preschool and invited any interested
person to attend, the discussion most likely to focus on the
easterly end of downtown as it is below sea level and is
subject to considerable flooding. Councilman Brown mentioned
that the neighborhood watch system worked well in recent
past. Noting the reported cost of new pumps, the Mayor asked
what would be so difficult or costly to elevate the pumps
that are currently in place another three feet. Councilman
Brown said that there is a safety mechanism that could be
installed on the pumps at a minimum cost, however those
making the decisions get their funding from and are under the
guidelines and priorities of FEMA, and it is hoped that
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through upcoming meetings some of those priorities can be
changed, possibly political pressure will be necessary, and
any new information obtained will be publicized. A comment
was made that during recent floods the water was within a
half inch of shutting off the pumps, also, a member of the
audience noted that if the electricity were to go out the
pumps would also go off, and offered that on the east coast _
gas generators are used that engage automatically and last up
to five days. Councilmember Campbell referred to the fourth
paragraph of page thirteen of the Element with regard to a
thirty-four inch gas line along Lampson Avenue, asked what is
the extent of hazard from that line and if there is any
emergency plan in the event of eruption. The Director of
Development Services said he believed the line is six to
eight feet below grade level, a break would be most likely
during an earthquake situation, a fire could result from a
spark, however there are automatic shut off valves along the
line, therefore a fire would involve only the gas in the line
where the rupture occurred, the Gas Company can provide
information relative to the exact location of the valves.
Councilmember Campbell asked that information relating to the
location and number of valves be obtained, also that the
Armed Forces Reserve Center be added to the Safety Element
distribution list. She inquired as to the detail of the
City's seismic maps, noting that she had a much more detailed
map that was copied from a document several years ago and
inquired if it could be included in the General Plan. The
Director stated the maps in possession of the City were
prepared by the State Division of Mines and Geology that show
the Alquist Priola Study Zones for the Seal Beach fault, the
portion of the Newport/Inglewood fault through this area,
they are very detailed, and mentioned that in April of 1998
the State will be releasing a preliminary draft of a seismic
landside map, when that information is available it may be
necessary to update the Element and include that map.
Councilmember Campbell asked to review the City's map,
reported also that College Park East is preparing a disaster
preparedness plan and when completed would request that it be
included as an addendum to the Safety Element. The Director
questioned whether it would be desirable to adopt such plan
as an addendum as any time there is a change State law
requires that a public hearing be held, however the Element
states that the City will work with the neighborhoods to
develop their own plans. The City Manager offered that the
City has an Emergency preparedness Plan as well.
Campbell moved, second by Fulton, to adopt Resolution Number
4554 entitled "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SEAL BEACH ADOPTING NEGATIVE DECLARATION 97-2 AND ADOPTING
REVISION 97-1 TO THE 'SAFETY ELEMENT' OF THE SEAL BEACH
GENERAL PLAN." By unanimous consent, full reading of
Resolution Number 4554 was waived.
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Brown, Campbell, Fulton, Hastings
None
Forsythe Motion carried
CITY MANAGER REPORTS
The City Manager reported it was disappointing to learn that
the proposed property tax return to cities like Seal Beach
that lost millions during the recession to balance the State
budget, was lost during the State budget negotiations, that
could have meant nearly $300,000 to Seal Beach, traditionally
local property taxes have been intended for local services.
He expressed belief that there will be another effort in this
8-11-97
regard next year. The Manager reported however that the
funds for sand for the east beach is still in the State
budget, nearly a million ~ollars, and if granted the plan is
to truck sand from the high desert, which is a quality,
larger grain sand, therefore a lesser quantity will be
needed. The Mayor inquired as to the status of traffic
citation monies, to which the Manager responded that that is
still unknown, the citation monies, the cigarette tax, County
tax collection fees, etc. has resulted in the loss of
thousands of dollars to Seal Beach, however it is believed
that the police assistance money will continue, and confirmed
that the loss of money to Seal Beach is about $1.7 million
annually, yet he pointed out that the legislative contingent
has been supportive of Seal Beach in Sacramento.
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ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Mayor Hastings declared Oral Communications open. Dr. David
Rosenman, Seal Beach, showed the most recent issue of Time
Magazine with the title 'Is This The El Nino Of The Century.'
Dr. Rosenman said in recalling the discussion of Main Street
parking and parking on the adjacent residential streets, when
addressing the parking lot fees the impact on residential
parking was not been looked at, the concern, depending on how
the rates are established in the beach lots, is that can
divert people to park on the residential streets, that aspect
absent from the parking lot analysis, and possibly should be
looked at as a part of an integrated parking plan. He stated
he has been informed that there is a provision now in place
that allows the removal of signs from public property, the
greenbelt as an example, and in recent discussion at the
public safety building regarding removal of such signs he had
been advised that there is no manpower to do so, to which Dr.
Rosenman said when there is no enforcement that creates a
disrespect for the law, and suggested a report for the next
meeting, on the issue of unauthorized vehicle access and
parking on the pier as well. It was again noted that
utilization of the 8th and 10th Street beach parking lots has
increased twelve percent. Dr. Rosenman said the comments of
the Main Street consultants was that the entire issue of
parking needed to be looked at, the lots, Main Street and the
residential streets, to look only at the beach lots means
parking as a whole is not being managed. Mr. Rich Hauser,
Fir Avenue, noted mention of his name with regard to politics
in Seal Beach. He said he had participated in the recent
District Four election, was a member of the Bixby discussion
group, those meetings were open to anyone, a lot of
agreements came from them however the discussions came down
to whether there would be houses at the end of the runway,
the feeling was that the noise and crash hazard conditions
would create a liability and cost to the City. with regard
to the incident this past Saturday, Mr. Hauser stated he was
passing out information for the Councilperson and gathering
the thoughts of people in his area of College Park East, he
was behind the lady that filed the complaint, she asked for a
copy of the flier of the Councilperson, posed questions as to
her thinking, she became agitated, and he backed away. Mr.
Hauser said he was concerned about the level of politics in
the City. Ms. Fran Johnson, Coastline Drive, mentioned the
enjoyable Comcast Cable programs of Walkin Willie and the
Rick Paap Show that recently featured an informative
presentation regarding the Hellman development. Ms. Johnson
thanked the Lions Club for their donation of money to the
Animal Care Center, and the Press Telegram for their article
regarding the Center and the number of dogs and puppies being
housed. It was noted that donations for animal care may be
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8-11-97
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delivered or mailed to the Center or to City Hall. Ms.
Audrey Kime, College Park East, questioned why Bixby is
telling the City one thing and the recall proponents
something else, asked why the proponents resent being called
Bixby supporters, they do support their proposals, why is
housing such a critical issue, and listening to the report of
the City Manager relative to the State budget and the monies
taken from Seal Beach, how are those monies going to be
replaced. She questioned where Seal Beach people shop for
groceries, clothing, books, shoes, etc., to which she claimed
that the majority of money spent is not in Seal Beach, would
it not be better to encourage Bixby to bring in tenants that
would be of interest to the residents, help the City, and
encourage the Rossmoor Center to revitalize as well. A
member of the audience complained about a recent flier in
College Park East. There being no further comments, Mayor
Hastings declared Oral Communications closed.
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COUNCIL CONCERNS
Councilman Fulton spoke highly of the Boeing Company day one
celebration which he attended, Boeing now the largest
aeronautics company in the world, and suggested that everyone
consider how good this is for the community of Seal Beach.
Councilmember Campbell reported the success of the Concert in
the Park in College Park East, fun was had by all, announced
that the next concert will be September 14th at Heather Park
and invited all to attend. She noted her concern with some
of the public comments at this meeting. Councilman BroWn
said his Council comments were given under the Safety Element
discussion. Mayor Hastings reported having received negative
comments regarding the condition of the San Gabriel River
bike trail which is said to be in need of repair, to which
she asked the responsibility of the City or other agencies.
The City Engineer explained that the bike trail was built in
the early 1970's, a joint effort of the counties of Los
Angeles and Orange and the adjacent cities, what now exists
is essentially a paved maintenance road that also permits
bicycle use. He reported that when originally constructed
the City did contribute some money however the County was the
lead agency, it is a regional facility, Seal Beach does spot
maintenance of the small areas that fall within the City
boundaries, however the Flood Control District, CalTrans, and
the utility companies use the roadway therefore it is
difficult to maintain. He said the City is working with the
County to seek funding for a longer term solution and a
repaving project in next fiscal year by means of SB 821
monies, gas tax funds that are eligible for pedestrianl
bicycle projects, in the meantime best effort will be put
forth to maintain its safety. Mayor Hastings expressed her
desire for other areas of this community to support the
Police Volunteer program financially, noted the volunteer
hours during July was two thousand two hundred nine, free
hours to the community, Mr. Haley provided a boat tour to
benefit the program which raised about $2,000 however that is
not enough to purchase the needed radios for use by the on-
duty volunteers. She called on College Park East to be less
concerned with Bixby and more concerned with the rest of the
City as volunteer services are provided to that area as well
as the entire community.
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CLOSED SESSION
No further Closed Session was held.
ADJOURNMENT
with consensus of the Council, the meeting was adjourned
8-11-97 / 8-25-97
until Monday, August 25th at 6:30 p.m. to meet in Closed
Session if deemed necessary. By unanimous consent, the
meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m.
Approved:
C
ex-off' io clerk
Seal Beach
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Attest:
Seal Beach, California
August 25, 1997
The City Council of the City of Seal Beach met in regular
adjourned session at 6:33 p.m. with Mayor Hastings calling
the meeting to order with the Salute to the Flag.
ROLL CALL
Present:
Mayor Hastings
Councilmembers Campbell, Forsythe, Fulton
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Absent: Councilman Brown
Also present: Mrs. Yeo, City Clerk
Councilman Brown, the City Manager and City Attorney joined
the Council in Closed Session.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Campbell moved, second by Forsythe, to approve the order of
the agenda as presented.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Campbell, Forsythe, Fulton, Hastings
None
Brown Motion carried
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
There were no Oral Communications.
CLOSED SESSION
Mayor Hastings announced that the City Council would meet in
Closed Session to discuss the item identified on the agenda,
a conference with the City's labor negotiato~ pursuant to
Government Code Section 54957.A with regard to Unrepresented
Employees and the Orange County Employees Association. By
unanimous consent, the Council adjourned to Closed Session at
6:35 p.m. and reconvened at 7:07 p.m. with Mayor Hastings
calling the meeting to order. The City Attorney reported
that the Council had met in Closed Session to discuss the
item identified on the agenda, the Council gave direction to
the City Manager to retain a negotiator, no other action was
taken.
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