City Council Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from the Oct. 2 City Council meeting. All council members were present.

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EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS

Mayor Jane Egly presented Bree Burgess Rosen, founder, producer and director of “Lagunatics,” with a proclamation recognizing the show’s 20th anniversary.

“Lagunatics” is a musical parody that has been making fun of Laguna Beach since 1992, while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities.

Egly proclaimed “Lagunatics” the official musical “Roast of the Coast.”

Egly also presented a proclamation honoring Montage Laguna Beach for its recognition by Conde Nast’s “Traveler” magazine as an environmentally and socially responsible company.

The magazine recognized the hotel with the 2012 World Saver Award. Montage Laguna was one of 15 recipients and the only hotel in the United States to receive the award.

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PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

The public is allowed to speak on any subject not on the agenda. Speakers generally are limited to three minutes, but the time can be adjusted by the council.

•Charlotte Masarik thanked the council for the city’s website and for free WiFi.

•Bruce Hopping said the city lost a significant amount of history when the Treasure Island Trailer Park was replaced by Montage Laguna Beach. Hopping said Treasure Island and El Morro Trailer Parks were the tribal headquarters for the Gabrielino Native Americans. He would like to see the tribes recognized by the Laguna Beach Heritage Committee or the Historical Society and urged the council to have a special agenda item dedicated to the history of Laguna Beach.

He also expressed gratitude to City Manager John Pietig for fixing the street light at Thalia Street and South Coast Highway.

•Arnold Hano said he had a meeting scheduled with City Manager Pietig to discuss the importance of undergrounding all the power lines in Laguna Beach. He was very concerned about fire and would like to see the citywide undergrounding of utilities expedited.

•Kathryn Doe announced her plans to be a write-in candidate for City Council in the upcoming election.

She also expressed concern about a proposed Orange County Transportation Authority fare increase and said the bus schedule should be extended.

•Andrew Soliz, who had uses a tipi and sweatlodge for sacred Native American religious ceremonies in his Bluebird Canyon backyard, asked the council to consider refunding the fines he had paid while trying to comply with city regulations.

Soliz stated that having a tipi and sweatlodge on his property was his right and his family should be allowed to practice their religion and live in peace.

City Manager John Pietig said city officials are addressing Soliz’s concerns.

Soliz said he would like to contribute to the community and his goal is to bring traditions of the Native American ways to Laguna Beach and to educate the children.

•Local taxi driver Randy Ryker said his goal is to serve the residents and resorts in Laguna Beach, but he is frustrated with the taxi voucher program.

Ryker said the program does not profit the driver and it is unsuitable, misused and unclear.

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COUNCIL AND STAFF CHAT

Council members and staff report on events they have attended, people with whom they have met and other items of public interest.

•City Treasurer Laura Parisi announced that she has been approved to fill one of five public seats on the county’s Treasury Oversight Committee.

•Councilwoman Toni Iseman reported that she attended a meeting with Pietig and staff to celebrate the success of the trolley program and to discuss ways to improve, extend and fund the program.

Iseman also reported that Laguna Beach Historical Society member Eric Jessen did some sleuthing to locate some of the artistic work of Edgar Payne, including a current exhibit at the Pasadena Art Museum.

She supported Hano’s position on undergrounding utility poles citywide.

“Edison had a bad time in Laguna this month,” Iseman said.

She referred to a fire here directly related to a fallen power pole.

“Our first obligation is public safety and I believe this is a real priority,” Iseman said.

Iseman congratulated the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce for the successful “Taste of Laguna” event.

“Best food ever,” she said.

Iseman also attended the Marine Mammal Center fundraiser at Aliso Creek Inn and the first annual Beautification Council celebration and fundraiser at the Montage Laguna Beach.

•Mayor Pro Tem Verna Rollinger announced that she is the city’s representative to the South Orange County Watershed Management Executive Committee, which deals with water supply, flood control and environmental issues.

Rollinger said the committee had hundreds of projects in the works, and she was particularly inspired by a project being spearheaded by Aliso Viejo, partnering with other cities and the county to capture some of the dirty water and clean it before it gets into Aliso Creek.

She is encouraged that other cities are finally addressing the same issues that the City of Laguna Beach has coped with for years.

•Egly announced that the Main Beach Lift Station is in permanent service.

She said the new lifeguard headquarters, public restroom facility and public pathway to Heisler Park, which is related to the lift station renovation, will be absolutely beautiful.

Egly attended the Grand Finals and party of the U.S. Open of Lawn Bowling on Sept. 14.

The lawn bowling organization has 230 members, and people from all over the world attended the bowling open, held at the club with the best grass and view anywhere, Egly said.

Egly witnessed the ceremony at which eight young men received their Eagle Scout Awards for projects in Laguna Beach. She also attended the Transition Laguna Third Annual Harvest Fest celebration, and she congratulated Chris Prelitz for the successful event.

Egly encouraged everyone to take the time to visit the recently dedicated public art in Heilser Park just south of the lawn bowling facility and north of the amphitheater.

She thanked everyone for their kindness while she dealt with her brother’s death.

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CONSENT CALENDAR

Consent calendar items are approved unanimously in one motion unless a member of the City Council, staff, or public pulls the item, which then requires opening it for public comment and a separate vote.

Among the items approved unanimously:

•City support for the Plein Air Painters Assn. invitational competition by directing the city manager to make available approximately 50 parking hangers for one week in October each year, 24 parking hangers for Laguna College of Art + Design students for one day in October each year, and to bag up to five meters near the Laguna Art Museum each year for the three days of the event.

The authorization would be valid for three years.

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REGULAR ORDER OF BUSINESS

Committee appointments

Housing and Human Services Committee incumbents Lauriann Meyer and Gail Duncan were reappointed for new terms from Nov. 1 through Oct. 31, 2014.

Meyer has been on the committee since 2009 and serves as the current chair. A resident of Laguna for 36 years, she works for the Laguna Board of Realtors.

Duncan is active in the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and the Assistance League of Laguna Beach. She has served on the committee since 2010.

Marc Bruderer, Andy Siegenfeld and Danielle Wilson were appointed to the Housing and Human Services Committee for the first time.

Bruderer said he has lived in Laguna for two years, but plans to spend the rest of his life and wants to make a contribution to the community.

His community involvement includes SchoolPower, Little League, AYSO and the Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach.

“I am mostly a dad and I kind of want to do an adult thing,” Bruderer said.

Siegenfeld chairs the Laguna Beach Resource Center. He hopes committee membership will help expand the community’s awareness of the center’s services.

Wilson has been actively involved for four years with the Glenwood Housing Project, which plans to open a facility on South Coast Highway for young people who require assisted living.

The council agreed to keep the committee at eight members, although odd numbers are more usual to avoid ties.

“They rarely vote on anything so I don’ think an even number is a problem,” said Rollinger, council liaison to the committee.

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CLOSED SESSION

•Conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation, Wilson vs. Laguna Beach, Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2011-00481001 and Court of Appeal Cast Nos. G)45933 and G0406001.

•Labor negotiations with the Laguna Beach Police employees, municipal

Employees and Marine Safety Assns.

•Conference with legal counsel on significant exposure to litigation on three unspecified items.

Any action taken in closed session must be reported publicly. None were reported.

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NEXT MEETING

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council Chambers, 505 Forest Ave.

Meeting agendas are available by 4 p.m., on the Thursday prior to the meeting in the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 505 Forest Ave. Agendas are also published on the city’s web site https://www.lagunabeachcity.net.

Compiled by Barbara Diamond from information provided by the city clerk’s office.