City Council Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from the March 23 City Council meeting.

Committee appointments

The council appointed incumbents Warren Finley and Alan Ring to the TechComm Committee and city planner Tamara Campbell, historian Anne Frank, Realtor Rick Gold, architect Carl Ivornsen and restaurateur Jon Madison, all incumbents, to the city Heritage Committee.

Only incumbents applied for seats on either committee.

WHAT IT MEANS

Both committees have full complements. Terms end April 1, 2012.

Night beach activities broadened

An ordinance was adopted on a 4-1 vote that sets the closing time and activities allowed on beaches and parks during the curfew. The city manager will issue a Coastal Development Permit as agreed between city staff and the California Coastal Commission, with the reservation that the city does not believe a permit is required.

WHAT IT MEANS

Beaches and parks will be closed from 1 to 5 a.m. Activities such as walking, jogging, scuba diving, licensed fishing, surfing and swimming will be allowed during the curfew for 20 feet of dry sand abutting the wet sand. Grunion hunting will be permitted during approved times.

The amended ordinance goes into effect 30 days after approval.

Retirement benefit increase

Non-safety employees voluntarily gave up raises in the past two years, but they did not forgo promised increases in retirement benefits agreed upon in a memo of understanding approved by the council in 2007

The council unanimously voted for a resolution of intent to approve an amendment to the contract between the California Public Retirement System and the city, that will raise retirement benefits for non-safety personnel from a 2%-at-55 formula to 2.5% at 55.

An employee election is required before adoption of the ordinance.

The increase will take effect June 28. Non-safety management personnel retirement benefits will also be raised.

WHAT IT MEANS

Eligible employees will get a bigger retirement benefit: 2.5% of the employees’ annual yearly salary will be paid to retirees, for which they will be eligible at 55. To simplify: A salary of $100,000 a year for 10 years would be worth a benefit of $25,000 a year.

The city pays the annual contribution to PERS. The increase will cost the city an additional $405,000 in the 2010-11 budget.

Support for arts funding

The council unanimously gave its support to Assembly Bill 1777, which would provide higher funding for the arts. California spends about 3 cents per capita on the arts, well below the national media of $1.12 and least of all the states. The item was sponsored by the mayor.

WHAT IT MEANS

Passage of the Creative Industries and Revitalization Act would transfer 20% of the sales tax collected on specific art-related businesses to establish a fund to provide grants for which many Laguna Beach organizations could be eligible.