Seal Beach mayor keeps the seat; 2 new council members are sworn in

Seal Beach Mayor Sandra Massa-Lavitt will serve another year as mayor alongside Mayor Pro Tem Mike Varipapa, who declined Massa-Lavitt’s nomination to take her seat.

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night for Massa-Lavitt and Varipapa to continue in their current roles.

Newly elected council members Thomas Moore and Schelly Sustarsic were sworn in to serve their first full four-year terms.

Moore is replacing Councilman David Sloan in District 2. Sustarsic is replacing Councilman Gary Miller in District 4.

Moore said he plans to create a website where residents can discuss issues of concern.

City mulls creating in-house landscaping crew

Meanwhile, Seal Beach maintenance workers may have landscaping duties added to their job description after the city’s five-year contractor, Spectrum Landscape Care, abruptly stopped its services in October and recent bids for the work are asking for three times what the city had been paying.

The council on Monday voted unanimously to reject all bids and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of assigning landscaping duties to full-time city maintenance workers.

Following Spectrum’s departure, the city hired Brightview Landscaping Services for an interim period for a maximum of $28,000.

“A lot of landscaping being performed is now minimized, but we’re still ensuring the city maintains its image of how it looks,” said Jim Basham, director of community development.

Spectrum primarily ensured that city property was kept trimmed and cleaned.

Basham said the bids for the work came in high because of increased costs stemming from newly set prevailing wages under the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Bids ranged from $496,298 from SoCal Landscape Maintenance Inc. to $1,068,483 from Master Landscape & Maintenance Inc., according to documents.

Basham said contract workers earn about $50 per hour, which includes medical coverage and vacation time, but that the amount can vary. Meanwhile city maintenance workers earn $22 an hour, exclusive of benefits.

The city had already invested in some equipment and tools, allowing its maintenance workers to handle smaller jobs themselves, like a fallen tree branch, without having to call on Brightview.

The cost benefit analysis, including the top five to 10 grounds duties that typically need to be performed, is expected to be brought to the council in February.