City Council Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from the May 17 meeting of the Laguna Beach City Council.

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COUNCIL/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 Manager John Pietig announced the city had recently acquired lots 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 in Arch Beach Heights in the vicinity of the 1300 block of Miramar for $5,000. The property will be preserved for open space.

•Mayor Pro Tem Jane Egly announced that South Coast Water District directors will review proposed new water rates at a public hearing June 1 at the Dana Point Harbor Ocean Institute.

•Councilmember Verna Rollinger said grants for up to $2,500 are available to replace front lawns with drought tolerant plants and native vegetation and install efficient irrigation systems.

For more information and assistance with applications, call (949) 342-1437.

REGULAR ORDER OF BUSINESS

HIV Committee mission statement approved 5-0

A new mission statement was approved for the city’s HIV Advisory Committee.

Laguna Beach still has the highest per capita rate in Orange County of people living with the disease.

“It is a public safety issue,” said Police Chief Paul Workman, staff liaison to the committee.

The council recognized its responsibility for educating the public about the spread of HIV and AIDS and in 1987 created a 19-member task force, whose

goal was to inform the public about the disease, how it is transmitted and how it is spread. The task force evolved into a standing city committee, which has continued to seek new ways to raise awareness that HIV is preventable, despite being hindered by the social stigma associated with the transmission of the disease.

WHAT IT MEANS

The new mission statement reflects the committee’s expanded role.

It reads: “The mission of the HIV Advisory Committee is education about HIV, HIV transmission and HIV prevention, plus assistance and support for those living with HIV/AIDS. The committee will strive to diminish social stigma still associated with HIV/AIDS.

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Tenant notification proposals tabled 5-0

A proposal by Mayor Toni Iseman to expand notification of conditional use permit applications to tenants within 300 feet of the project from just the Downtown Specific Plan area to the whole city was delayed.

WHAT IT MEANS

Council members said they needed more information before voting on the proposal.

—Compiled by Barbara Diamond