SEAL BEACH : Official to Submit Charter Revisions

Councilman Frank Laszlo announced plans Monday to bring City Charter amendments before the City Council before the end of the year that would regulate campaign expenditures, set citywide building height limits and outlaw shake roofs on residential structures.

“The real reason I am doing and saying all this is that we have been spinning our wheels,” said Laszlo, who began his fourth council term in May. He added that officials have discussed many of the issues but have never taken action.

Charter amendments, as opposed to ordinances, must be approved by voters. They are usually reserved for major issues since placing a charter amendment on the ballot is very costly.

Laszlo said his major concern is campaign reform. He plans to recruit residents to help draw up a plan for limiting campaign contributions. He said the measure may also cover campaign expenditures and would require candidates to file spending reports more frequently.

Contribution limits could be set as low as $50, while candidates could not spend more than $60,000 on a single race, Laszlo said. Currently, candidates are not required to report contributions under $99.

City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said officials are already working on a campaign reform measure.

Meanwhile, Laszlo said he also hopes to set uniform building height limits to “protect and maintain our small-town atmosphere.”

He said a height limit of 35 feet for all structures would achieve that goal. The city currently has a 35-foot height limit in residential areas, but structures in commercial and industrial zones can be built as high as 75 feet.

Finally, Laszlo said he would push for a building code restriction that would outlaw the use of shake roofs on residential structures. A fire this past weekend in the College Park East neighborhood illustrated the need for such a safety measure, Laszlo said.

Orange County fire officials said the blaze on Ironwood Avenue caused about $300,000 in damage and might not have been as severe if the home had been equipped with fire retardant roofing instead of untreated wood shakes.

Seal Beach law already requires residents to replace their roofs with fire retardant materials, officials said.

If Laszlo achieves his goal, the council could have the charter amendments for review before the end of the year. Officials said it could take up to two years for the measures to appear on the ballot.