City Council Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from the Jan. 29 City Council meeting. All council members were present.

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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.

•James Pribram announced a partnership between Eco Warrior Foundation and California Coastal Commission and Adopt-A-Beach. He said the foundation would reach out to the Laguna Beach School District to encourage student involvement and support for beach cleanups and other events.

•Among other comments, Bruce Hopping accused police officers of abusing their authority when they wait for speeding vehicles at Aliso Creek State Park.

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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 reported that she attended an Orange County Treasury Oversight Committee and the League of California Cities Revenue and Taxation Committee and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board outreach seminar.

She said she provided relevant information from the meetings to city staff and announced she had been elected vice chair of the oversight committee.

•The council selected 5 p.m. March 26 for a special meeting on the Village Entrance, as recommended by City Manager John Pietig.

•Councilman Bob Whalen reported that he and Councilman Steven Dicterow presented goals discussed at the annual retreat to Village Laguna members at their monthly meeting and that he and Councilwoman Toni Iseman attended productive Permanent Supportive Housing Subcommittee meetings.

•Iseman was among the folks who attended a party honoring retired Design Review Board member Ilse Lenschow for her services to the city.

She also announced that the first meeting on airplane noise and traffic was to be held at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the City Council Chambers.

•Dicterow congratulated Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Pearson, Mayor Kelly Boyd and former Mayor Jane Egly on being honored at the chamber dinner. He said Boyd met with the Skateboard Park Subcommittee and progress is being made.

•Pearson said that she and Boyd met with CalTrans, but did not reveal the topic of discussion.

•Boyd said he attended the Chamber of Commerce’s dinner, the City Council retreat and Lenschow’s retirement party.

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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:

•Set March 5 for interviews and appointments of four members to serve on the Environmental Sustainability Committee, three to serve two-year terms, ending March 31, 2015 and one to serve a one-year term, ending March 31, 2014.

Applications must be submitted to the City Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. Feb. 26.

•Contract 13-05 with Ostashay & Consulting Associates to prepare the Historic Resources Inventory Update, at a cost not to exceed $75,000.

•Memorandum of Understanding for Laguna Beach to buy up to $120,000 in California Public Utilities Commission Rule 20-A credits from Laguna Niguel at a price of $0.55 per dollar.

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REGULAR ORDER OF BUSINESS

Items require separate discussion and citizen input, if desired, before the council makes a determination.

Flood plain management proposals, 5-0

The council unanimously endorsed modifications to the city’s municipal code and to the local coastal plan that included a requirement for all businesses in the 100-Year Flood Plain to install flood proofing measures within 90 days of notification by the city.

A city flood damage assessment after the December 2010 storms showed 59 businesses were damaged at an estimated cost of $3.5 million. Much of the damage could have been averted if floodgates had been installed, according to city staff, which supported adopting the Laguna Canyon Flood Mitigation Task Force recommendation to require the installation of devices known as water gated.

A second reading is required for passage of the amendments, which must also be approved by the California Coastal Commission.

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PUBLIC HEARINGS

These hearing are required by law to be legally noticed. Any court challenges may be limited to issues that are raised at the hearing or in written correspondence received by the city at or before the hearing.

Appeal continued 4-0, Whalen recused

The council voted to continue the appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of a rooftop deck at Mozambique, outdoor furniture and an elevator that provides access the deck, required by the American Disabilities Act.

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CLOSED SESSION

Any action taken must be reported publicly.

•Conference related to negotiations with the police employees, municipal employees, marine safety employee associations and unrepresented management employees.

•Conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation, semi-annual reports by the city manager and city attorney on pending civil litigation and tort claims and on Orange County Superior Court cases Ghasemian vs. the city, 30-2011 –00527865; Keegan vs. the city, 30-2-11-00529369; and W. A. Rasic Construction Co. Inc. vs. the city, 30-2013-000623904.

NEXT MEETING

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 12 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