CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

The following is from the Laguna Beach City Council meeting of April 1.

?

PUBLIC COMMENT

?Kim de St. Paer, HIV counselor at the Laguna Beach Community Clinic and a member of the city’s HIV Advisory Committee, said the clinic will offer free health tests May 17 at Main Beach. Tests will include high blood pressure, cholesterol and anemia, as well as anonymous HIV testing. She also thanked the council for an $8,000 grant that was distributed to three organizations for HIV/AIDS outreach services and the city manager for his help with parking at the clinic during the construction of the Community/Senior Center.

?Rebecca Meekma of the Sawdust Festival thanked the council for its grant that has helped fund off-season programs.

“People came from Montana and Ohio for ‘Spring into Art,’ so the marketing grant works,” Meekma said.

?Bill Dolby opined that it is just a matter of time before someone is killed by speeding mountain bikers on open space trails. He said bikers are hazardous to the terrain as well as posing a danger to hikers on the trails. Dolby suggested a trial moratorium on mountain biking for one month.

Councilwoman Toni Iseman said she personally experienced a near-miss on one of the trails. She suggested an education program, possibly starting in bike shops.

City Manager Ken Frank said the city can do little about the problem other than write a letter to county park officials to express concern, with a copy to be sent to Supervisor Pat Bates. Although the city owns the land, it is leased to the county and under county jurisdiction.

?

COUNCIL/STAFF CHAT

?Mayor Jane Egly thanked Top of the World Neighborhood Assn. for its hospitality. She was a speaker at the annual membership meeting.

Egly continued her espousal of water conservation, with a reminder that Laguna Beach is totally dependent on imported water.

She displayed a little yellow flag that is showing up in some yards to indicate a leak.

?

CONSENT CALENDAR

Consent calendar items get approved in one motion unless a member of the council, staff or public “pull” the item, which then requires opening it for public comment and a separate vote.

Approved without comment:

?Minutes of the March 18 adjourned and regular meeting.

?General warrants of $72,041, issued March 13 and $2,956,060.95, issued March 21; and Payroll 19, in the amount of $657,141.57, issued March 13.

?Revocable encroachment permits: for an existing fence, gate, planter area and two existing parking places and pilasters in the unimproved right-of-way at 227 Ledroit St. and for at-grade brick paving in the unimproved right-of-way at 31262 Brooks St.

?Contracts awarded to California Engineering and Contracting for the construction of the Nyes Place sidewalk improvements and curb modifications at Nyes and Coast Highway, in the amount of $69,600; approval of a $46,000 contract with Willdan to coordinate the South Laguna streetscape project, amended to add a $5,000 appropriation to hire a lobbyist to improve the city’s chances of obtaining a Cal Trans grant for the project.

?Direction to the city manager to accept an Irvine Co. donation of property above North Laguna for open space and fuel modification.

?A $12,700 bid from Advanced Public Safety for the purchase of Voice Response software to upgrade the Police Department mobile computer system.

?

Pulled for Discussion:

?Recruitment and hiring of three part-time tide pool educators to conduct group tours

The city’s Marine Protection officer is flooded with requests for the tours and recommended hiring part-time personnel to assist the volunteer docents.

Each school group must register with the city’s Marine Protection officer and pay a fee of $35 per class, which will help fund the $15.16 hourly wage paid to the part-time employees. The Marine Safety Department will coordinate with the Finance Department to track and administer the fees. Approved 5-0

?A proposal by LA Studio for the preparation of construction documents for the proposed Arch Beach Heights View Park and the appropriation of $42,000 from the city’s Park In-Lieu Fund, to include No Smoking signage in the project and to create an ordinance establishing fines for smoking in the wilderness. Approved 5-0

?

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS 5-0

The council gave preliminary approval to a hike in campaign contributions to $360 for the 2008 election cycle. The second reading of the proposed ordinance is set for Tuesday’s meeting. Adjustments to the limit are made in each even-numbered year, reflecting changes to the consumer price index for the Los Angeles/Orange County metropolitan area, rounded to the nearest $10.

?

APPEAL GRANTED 5-0

A Design Review Board denial of a proposed 595-square-foot addition and a 1,119-square-foot deck at 1378 Morningside Drive was overturned by the council.

The board had voted 3-2 to deny the deck on the grounds that its size was not compatible with the neighborhood, although several neighbors spoke in favor of the project.

A unanimous council agreed with the property owners that the size of the deck was justified by the loss of their landscaped backyard, which was destroyed by a landslide and no longer usable.

“” Compiled by Barbara Diamond