City Council Agenda Preview
COULD BE ANOTHER LONG NIGHT
The Costa Mesa City Council meets again at 5:45 p.m., Tuesday January 19, 2016 in City Council Chambers at City Hall for what promises to be a very interesting meeting. The full agenda is HERE.
PRESENTATIONS
Early in the meeting there are three presentations scheduled:
Then comes Public Comments - always an adventure, since folks can exercise their right to address the council for three minutes on ANY issue important to them that IS NOT on the agenda for this meeting. That's followed by Council Member Comments and the CEO's report - if they actually let him speak, that is.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Next comes the Consent Calendar - those items deemed to be "routine" and can be considered in one vote without separate discussion. This time there are nine (9) items listed. I won't cover them all, but will comment on the Warrant.
THE WARRANT
Item #2, Warrant Resolution #2549, HERE, which lists items paid. This is always a fun exercise to scroll down through the list to see what makes up the disbursement of nearly $5 million dollars on our behalf. Here are a few that caught my eye.
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS - 2 OLD BUSINESS ITEMS
There are no Public Hearings scheduled. Normally those would be heard beginning at 7:00 p.m. There are a couple Old Business items on the agenda, though.
GROWING "WEED" IN THE CITY
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of the new ordinance regarding the prohibition of cultivation of marijuana in the city. You may recall that this is required unless we want to let the State of California control that activity. Any such ordinance must be in force before March 1. This one won't take long - five minutes, max.
RESIDENT-ONLY PARKING
Old Business #2, HERE, is another second reading - this time the ordinance regarding parking prohibitions and resident-only parking permits. Again, this one shouldn't take long since it was thoroughly vetted during the first hearing. There is a revised "Guidelines for Consideration of Installation or Removal of Resident Only Permit Parking", HERE.
I-405 AESTHETICS
There are several New Business items on the agenda. #1, HERE, which is titled "I-405 Improvement Project - Aesthetics Plan", and deals with the aesthetics of the proposed expansion of the I-405 Freeway between the 73 Toll Road and the I-605 at the Los Angeles County line. You'll recall the turmoil over that project, which will add one mixed-flow lane and one express lane and convert the HOV lane into an express lane. This item addresses the "look" of the project. There are several attachments dealing with sound walls, and other design elements.
CDBG GRANT CRITERIA CHANGES
New Business #2, HERE, deals with revisions to the Community Development Block Grant Public Service Grants rating criteria. This is a big deal. The ad hoc city committee responsible for the review and recommendation for receipt of such grants has recommended a modification of the requirements. Those are summarized here:
1. A maximum of ten grants may be awarded per year. (Revised from maximum of 20 grants per year.)
2. Minimum grant amount is $15,000. (Revised from $5,000.)
3. Staff will obtain copies of police incident reports for all applicants with Costa Mesa-based facilities that provide direct services to the public. (Added emphasis in review process.)
4. A maximum of five points will be awarded to applicants that are based in Costa Mesa. (Previously no points were provided for Costa Mesa-based programs.)
5. Award rating points for grant applicants that partner with other service providers. Note: partner does not need to be a grant applicant. (Previously only bonus points were awarded for collaborative applications.)
In my view, the biggie here is the halving of the number of grants to be given each year.
SPEED HUMPS ON SAINT CLAIR STREET
New Business #3, HERE, is the request for speed humps on Saint Clair Street by resident Jay Litvak. The staff has analyzed this situation and recommends NO speed humps be installed. For you speed hump fans, this staff report and included chart will be of interest.
BIKE COMMITTEE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
New Business #4, HERE, is near and dear to my heart. This is the presentation to the City Council of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan - Goals, Objectives and Policies by the Bikeways and Walkability Committee. I've sat through almost all of the meetings of this dedicated group, who worked tirelessly to carefully craft the document they will present to the City Council Tuesday night. The staff report provides the information you need, and you can read the entire document - the product of more than four (4) months labor by this group - HERE.
AMBULANCE TRANSPORT
New Business #5, HERE, Ambulance Transportation for the City of Costa Mesa, is the final item on the list. I wrote about this earlier, so will not flog it further. You can read what I wrote HERE. I'm just disappointed this item is so late in the agenda. History shows us that many council members lose their focus as the evening wears on and sometimes exercise poor judgment when dealing with complicated issues like this one. We'll see.
The Costa Mesa City Council meets again at 5:45 p.m., Tuesday January 19, 2016 in City Council Chambers at City Hall for what promises to be a very interesting meeting. The full agenda is HERE.PRESENTATIONS
Early in the meeting there are three presentations scheduled:- Mayor's Award - OCC Soccer: All Orange Empire Conference Team Players
- Delegates from Wyndham, Australia
- Cal Trans - I-405 Red Hill Avenue Overcrossing
Then comes Public Comments - always an adventure, since folks can exercise their right to address the council for three minutes on ANY issue important to them that IS NOT on the agenda for this meeting. That's followed by Council Member Comments and the CEO's report - if they actually let him speak, that is.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Next comes the Consent Calendar - those items deemed to be "routine" and can be considered in one vote without separate discussion. This time there are nine (9) items listed. I won't cover them all, but will comment on the Warrant.
THE WARRANT
Item #2, Warrant Resolution #2549, HERE, which lists items paid. This is always a fun exercise to scroll down through the list to see what makes up the disbursement of nearly $5 million dollars on our behalf. Here are a few that caught my eye.- Civil Source - $96,180.00 - Temp Support (various)
- Jones & Mayer - $116,952.24 - Legal Services (many)
- Moore Iacofano Goltsman Inc - $66,536.38 - GP Update & Environ. Report
- ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems - $14,761.00 - Sr. Center Installation
- CSG Consultants, Inc - $13,733,73 - Bldg. Inspct Svcs
- Government Staffing Services - $6,865.00 - Temp Svcs
- Melad & Associates - $4,716.04 - Building Plan Check Svcs
- Scientia Consulting Group Inc - $6,880.00 - Prof. Svcs Agreement
- City of Huntington Beach - $21,210.00 - Helicopter Svcs - Nov 2015
- G4S Secure Solutions - $55,912.55 - Jail Facilities - Nov. 2015
- KOA Corporation - $16,952.38 - 19th Bike Fac. 11-15, School Zone ClngProj-11-15
- Kabbara Engineering - $20,585.95 - Fairview Bike Trail, 6/1-7/15/15
- Liebert Cassidy Whitmore - $35,695.02 - Legal Svcs (various)
- Graphic Solutions Ltd - $4,772.00 - CM Wayfinding Signage Oct2015
- Orange County Humane Society - $8,250.00 - Kennel Fees, Nov. 2015
- Sears Commercial One - $3,132.86 - Gray Paralance Reclina-Rocker
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS - 2 OLD BUSINESS ITEMS
There are no Public Hearings scheduled. Normally those would be heard beginning at 7:00 p.m. There are a couple Old Business items on the agenda, though.
GROWING "WEED" IN THE CITY
Old Business #1, HERE, is the second reading of the new ordinance regarding the prohibition of cultivation of marijuana in the city. You may recall that this is required unless we want to let the State of California control that activity. Any such ordinance must be in force before March 1. This one won't take long - five minutes, max.RESIDENT-ONLY PARKING
Old Business #2, HERE, is another second reading - this time the ordinance regarding parking prohibitions and resident-only parking permits. Again, this one shouldn't take long since it was thoroughly vetted during the first hearing. There is a revised "Guidelines for Consideration of Installation or Removal of Resident Only Permit Parking", HERE.I-405 AESTHETICS
There are several New Business items on the agenda. #1, HERE, which is titled "I-405 Improvement Project - Aesthetics Plan", and deals with the aesthetics of the proposed expansion of the I-405 Freeway between the 73 Toll Road and the I-605 at the Los Angeles County line. You'll recall the turmoil over that project, which will add one mixed-flow lane and one express lane and convert the HOV lane into an express lane. This item addresses the "look" of the project. There are several attachments dealing with sound walls, and other design elements.
CDBG GRANT CRITERIA CHANGES
New Business #2, HERE, deals with revisions to the Community Development Block Grant Public Service Grants rating criteria. This is a big deal. The ad hoc city committee responsible for the review and recommendation for receipt of such grants has recommended a modification of the requirements. Those are summarized here:1. A maximum of ten grants may be awarded per year. (Revised from maximum of 20 grants per year.)
2. Minimum grant amount is $15,000. (Revised from $5,000.)
3. Staff will obtain copies of police incident reports for all applicants with Costa Mesa-based facilities that provide direct services to the public. (Added emphasis in review process.)
4. A maximum of five points will be awarded to applicants that are based in Costa Mesa. (Previously no points were provided for Costa Mesa-based programs.)
5. Award rating points for grant applicants that partner with other service providers. Note: partner does not need to be a grant applicant. (Previously only bonus points were awarded for collaborative applications.)
In my view, the biggie here is the halving of the number of grants to be given each year.
SPEED HUMPS ON SAINT CLAIR STREET
New Business #3, HERE, is the request for speed humps on Saint Clair Street by resident Jay Litvak. The staff has analyzed this situation and recommends NO speed humps be installed. For you speed hump fans, this staff report and included chart will be of interest.BIKE COMMITTEE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
New Business #4, HERE, is near and dear to my heart. This is the presentation to the City Council of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan - Goals, Objectives and Policies by the Bikeways and Walkability Committee. I've sat through almost all of the meetings of this dedicated group, who worked tirelessly to carefully craft the document they will present to the City Council Tuesday night. The staff report provides the information you need, and you can read the entire document - the product of more than four (4) months labor by this group - HERE.
New Business #5, HERE, Ambulance Transportation for the City of Costa Mesa, is the final item on the list. I wrote about this earlier, so will not flog it further. You can read what I wrote HERE. I'm just disappointed this item is so late in the agenda. History shows us that many council members lose their focus as the evening wears on and sometimes exercise poor judgment when dealing with complicated issues like this one. We'll see.
Labels: Ambulance Transport, Bikeways and Walkability Committee, CDBG, Legal Costs, Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, Resident Only Parking, Speed Humps
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 1/18/2016 01:05:00 AM
4 Comments:
I've notice that when items are placed at the end of the agenda, its so Righeimer can empty out the council chambers and have less comments and disagreement. Its another way to squelch speech and any potential dissention. The Czar doesn't like dissension. Off with their heads.
Dodero's letter in the Pilot - oh, I'm sorry, I meant Jim and Steve's letter - gave the impression that the council voted unanimously to close station #6. In fact, they voted to study the matter along with other matters relating to the fire department, which is likely why it got a 5 - 0 vote. There never was a vote to close the station.
Of course, the know they have the bobble head doll, Monahan, who will go along with anything they want. Brown Act is not an issue because of the lock they have on his vote.
Sorry. I've been away and lost track. Someone please set me straight. I think I read that the funding for Fire Station 6 was connected to the funding, maybe a bond, for the library. If my impression is correct, then if the library funding didn't go through, we wouldn't get a new fire station, and if "Model 3" goes through, we would lose not only the best ambulance system for Costa Mesa residents, but also a significant revenue stream.
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