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LAGUNA BEACH CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

The following is from the Laguna Beach City Council meeting of April 3:

PUBLIC COMMENT

  • Pamela Middlebrook pleaded for help for Ceanothus and Alta Loma property owners. She asked the city to appoint the same on-site supervision for the construction phase of four parcels on Ceanothus that had been in place during the grading period.

    • “We feel it is only right that, if the city is going to approve a project, the city has a duty to mitigate the problems,” Middlebrook said.

    She submitted a protocol for the construction site and asked the council to endorse it.

    Her proposal included sanctions for parking violations, with the revenue used to fund the monitor; no construction vehicles before 7:30 a.m.; no idling or dieseling on neighborhood streets; site rules to be printed in English and Spanish and posted; names and contact numbers of the developer and contractor to be posted on each site, with the developer taking responsibility for workers’ conduct; changes in work schedule to be posted 48 hours in advance.

    Mayor Toni Iseman added the impact of sequential projects to Middlebrook’s proposal and asked that the item be put on the May 17 agenda.

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    Mayor Pro Tem Jane Egly suggested expanding the item to include any neighborhood where construction is occurring.

    COUNCIL/STAFF CHAT

  • Egly urged participation in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, set for 7 p.m. April 20 to 7 p.m. April 21 at El Morro Elementary School.

    • CONSENT CALENDAR

  • EDITOR’S NOTE: Consent calendar items are approved in one motion unless a member of the council, staff or public “pull” the item, which then requires opening it to public comment and a separate vote.

    • Approved without comment:

  • Minutes of the adjourned and regular meeting of March 20, 2007.
  • Denial of a claim filed by Doreen Abegg for unspecified damages. According to the agenda item, the claimant tripped on Aug. 5, 2006 as she stepped from the sidewalk into a parking area in front of the Festival of Arts Grounds.
  • General warrants totaling $4,080,358.15 disbursed from March 7 to March 22 and payrolls for March 1 and 15, totaling $1,094,478.69
  • Treasurer’s report for February
  • Resolution extending the Bluebird Canyon Emergency Declaration, which is valid for only 21 days and must be renewed.
  • Set 5 p.m., May 8, as the deadline to submit applications to the City Clerk’s office for seats on the Arts and Planning commissions. Applicants will be interviewed and appointed at the May 15 meeting
  • Resolution setting rates for Advanced Life Support services to nonresidents, to be billed by Doctor’s Ambulance Services. The Basic Life Support fee was eliminated and the ALS fee was tied to the county’s ALS fee, currently $318.75.

    • Pulled for discussion:

  • Revocable License and Encroachment Permit approved for property at 993 Noria St., subject to the relocation of a fence to provide a 10-foot travel lane with a two-foot shoulder and to plant flowering vines on the fence to make it more attractive. 3-2, Boyd and Egly opposed

    • COASTAL CITIES ISSUES GROUP 5-0

    The council designated Iseman as the city’s representative to the Coastal Cities Issues Group and Egly as the alternate.

    The group was formed to identify problems facing coastal cities and to develop ways to address and remedy them.

    “This is a very active group, very passionate,” said Egly, who attended the fist meeting with Assistant City Manager John Pietig.

    Egly recommended participation.

    Iseman said her experience as a former member of the California Coastal Commission would make her a valuable representative for the city.

    CEQA HANDBOOK UPDATE 5-0

    The council adopted a resolution enacting procedures for implementing the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act and the state CEQA guidelines as part of the local procedures.

    The Planning Commission, the city’s Environmental Committee and staff were instructed to develop significant local environmental thresholds and a CEQA Process public information handout, as suggested by the commission in the joint meeting with the council on March 26.

    BOARD AND CARE 5-0

    The council unanimously voted to direct staff to send letters supporting state legislation that gives local governments more say in residential care facilities. Cities have no say in board and care homes with six or less beds.

    Staff was authorized to spend up to $2,600 from the council’s budget to join a coalition of cities considering the impacts of these facilities on communities.

    REDEMPTION 5-0

    The city manager was instructed to contact dealers who are required to redeem containers to ensure they are complying with state law.

    LIGHTS OUT 2-3

    The council voted down a proposal to direct the city manager to include in the budget deliberations a proposal to retain a consultant to analyze the city’s street lights ownership options.

    The options included leaving the ownership, maintenance and replacement in the hands of Southern California Edison or claiming city ownership of the lights but continuing to buy the electricity and assuming the maintenance and replacement costs. Boyd, Schneider and Kinsman voted against the proposal initiated by Iseman.

    ELECTRICAL AUDIT 5-0

    The council agreed to Iseman’s proposal to direct the city manager to work with Edison to review the city’s use of electricity to see where there might be energy savings, the possibility of a rebate, and to determine the cost of a state Energy Commission audit. An audit proposal is to be submitted to the council during budget deliberations.

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