CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

The following is from the May 15 meeting of the Laguna Beach City Council.

COUNCIL/STAFF CHAT

City Atty. Philip Kohn reported that two lots in Arch Beach Heights will be merged into one legal building site, which settles J. Kramer Corp. vs. the city. The city will review which environmental documents will be required and waive half of the design review fees.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Minutes of the adjourned and regular meeting of May 1;

Resolution extending the Bluebird Canyon Emergency Declaration, which is valid for only 21 days and must be renewed;

Denial of a claim for indemnity filed against the city by Harold Stulberg and the claim filed for recovery of workers compensation expenses by the Laguna Beach Unified School District;

General warrants of $4,276,922.45 disbursed on April 20; $20,131.53, on April 27; and $2,374,752.02, on May 4; and Payroll 22, which totaled $579,551.39, paid April 26;

Resolutions to file grant requests for beverage container recycling and litter reduction activities and for used oil recycling;

A $35,680 appropriation to pay for an alternate design by Studio One Eleven for the Village Entrance parking structure;

Encourage the Laguna Beach School District to work with Vista Aliso management, National Church Residences, to maintain the existing use of the property as affordable housing for low-income and disabled seniors, and to extend the term of the district’s right to re-purchase the property so management can show a term of 55 years;

Resolution agreeing to various conditions related to the purchase of the 50-acre Stonefield property for $954,000 and the 58-acre Chao parcel, funded by the California Coastal Conservancy grant program;

Direction to the city manager to convert the pay station in the Broadway parking lot to credit card capability at an approximate cost of $6,000, using funds in the current budget for parking meter replacements.

Pulled for discussion

Revocable license and encroachment permit for a low wall and pilasters in the public right-of-way at 640 Alta Vista Way; approved 5-0.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

Judy Yorke was appointed to fill the unexpired term on the Environmental Committee to Nov. 1, 2008.

Incumbents Linda Dietrich and Norm Grossman were reappointed to the Planning Commission for two-year terms ending July 1, 2009. Dietrich and Grossman were the only applicants.

PARKING CHANGES 5-0

The City Council approved changes to the city’s parking ordinance, which will be submitted to the California Coastal Commission for certification because the changes affect the city’s Local Coastal Plan.

WHERE THERE’S FOOD, THERE’S NO SMOKE 5-0

The City Council passed to a required second reading a municipal code amendment that extends the ban on smoking indoors in restaurants to outdoor eating areas.

Councilman Kelly Boyd, who smokes, made the motion. “You beat me down,” he told council members who supported the ban.

PTC RECOMMENDATIONS 5-0

The council unanimously approved three recommendations by the Parking, Traffic and Circulation Committee and unanimously denied the fourth.

Two stop signs will be installed in the alley between So. Coast Highway and Glenneyre Street, from Cress Street to Brooks Street, placement to be determined by the Public Works director.

Parking will be restricted on the westerly side of Temple Terrace from the corner of Thalia Street to the driveway of 695 Thalia Street.

The city manager will send a letter to Caltrans requesting the installation of a left turn signal that would allow turns from southbound So. Coast Highway onto Nyes Place to be made during the green signal phase following the protective green arrow.

Recommendation to restrict parking on all four corners of Catalina and Brooks intersection and the inland side of Catalina for 40 feet on either side of Thalia Street; and installation of a center stripe on Catalina from Shadow Lane to Thalia were rejected.

BLUEBIRD UNDERWIRED 5-0

Staff was directed to start proceedings to establish an underground utilities district that would connect new underground facilities with existing ones. The council approved the appropriation of $150,000 from the Streetlight Fund to pay for the project.

The council also directed the staff to get a proposal from Edison for undergrounding a pole on Didrikson, which was not included in the district because of the cost and bring it back for council consideration.

Approved without comment: