The following is a recap of the...

The following is a recap of the April 5 meeting of the Laguna Beach

City Council:

THE PUBLIC SPEAKS

Bruce Hopping lifted his pants leg to show the City Council a

nasty wound. Hopping said a dog bit him on the beach.

“The dog owner denied it was his dog, but it was the only dog on

the beach,” Hopping said.

He called for more enforcement on the beaches and for telephones

on the access stairways.

Animal Services has no record of a report of the bite, which

Hopping said was about the tenth time he had been bitten.

State health code requires reports by the dog owner and the

victim, according to Senior Animal Services Officer Joy Falk. She

said the city is looking making the requirement part of the municipal

code.

“Even if an animal control officer was not available, a call to

the police department would have brought out a patrol officer who

could take the pertinent information so animal control could follow

up on the rabies status of the dog,” Falk said.

Hopping also urged the council to consider the smaller, mobile

skateboard facilities like the one that Costa Mesa has, rather than

the project proposed by YMCA for a portion of the Bark Park.

*Edward Barbieri told the council the assessment to underground

utilities near his home increased from the original $64,735 estimate

to $69,126.

“It is not an insignificant amount,” Barbieri said.

Barbieri, who supported the undergrounding district, also said he

had found numerous uncorrected or unaddressed inaccuracies in a

previous report, and he objected to Edison charging more because the

original date of the quote expired and to additional charges for a

revised engineer’s report. He asked the city to stand by its original

quote.

The calculations were made based on a formula never before used by

the city, devised as an attempt to redistribute some of the costs in

a more equitable fashion, according to the city manager.

Frank said the Laguna Beach County Water District would be paying

an additional $7,000 to correct an inaccuracy and the city would try

to correct any other mistakes

Protests may be submitted at the public hearing Tuesday on the

district, at the end of which ballots will be turned in.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Consent calendar items are approved in one motion unless a member

of the council, staff or public “pull” the item from the consent

calendar, which then requires opening it to public comment and a

separate vote.

* The council approved checks written between March 7 and 25 in

the amount of $2,755,232.35 for general warrants and payroll.

* City Treasurer Laura Parisi reported the city had cash and

investments totaling $43,334,589.23 in its February portfolio.

* The city will spend $13,736 on a new Honda motorcycle, paid out

of the Vehicle Replacement Fund; $19,946 for a voice logging recorder

from low bidder, Stancil Corp., $10,000 of it to be paid from the

Police Department Furniture and Equipment Fund, the rests from salary

savings; and $449,788 for three MST II coaches from Creative Bus

Sales for the Mainline Transit System, with delivery estimated to be

in 10 months..

* City staff will submit an application for a grant for Nyes Place

traffic safety improvements to Caltrans’ Hazard Elimination Safety

Program. The council also authorized the city manager to apply to the

Orange County Transportation Authority for Local Transportation Funds

of $1,033,350.

* Frank was directed to execute an easement to Southern California

Edison for overhead utilities through Nita Carmen Park.

POST-DIASTER PLANS 5-0

The City Council voted unanimously in favor of a new ordinance

recommended by staff to establish enforceable instructions and

requirements for occupancy of buildings following a natural or

man-made disaster.