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CITY OF BELLFLOWER
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BELLFLOWER CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2022 - TELECONFERENCE AND
BELLFLOWER CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
5:30 P.M. CLOSED SESSION / 7 P.M. OPEN SESSION
NOTE THAT THIS MEETING WAS PARTIALLY CONDUCTED BY ELECTRONIC MEANS PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE § 54953(E) AS IMPLEMENTED BY CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION.
PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE § 54953(E), THE PUBLIC WAS GIVEN AN
OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT BY EMAILING COMMENTS TO [email protected] BEFORE THE START OF THE MEETING OR
TELEPHONICALLY DURING THE MEETING BY PARTICIPATING VIA THE ZOOM WEBSITE/APP OR BY CALLING (669) 900-6833 (ZOOM MEETING ID: 834 6326 2094) 5:30 P.M. - CLOSED SESSION
1 Call to Order
None
2 Roll Call
None
3 Recess to Closed Session
None
4 Reconvene for Open Session
None
7:00 P.M. - OPEN SESSION
5 Call to Order
Mayor Dunton called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 6 • March 14, 2022 Page 2 of 9
6 Roll Call
The following Members of the City Council responded present to roil call:
Mayor Ray Dunton
Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines
Council Member Raymond Y. Hamada
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Victor A. Sanchez
Staff Participants:
Jeffrey L. Stewart, City Manager
Karl H. Berger, City Attorney
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
Len Gorecki, Assistant City Manager/ Director of Public Works Jim DellaLonga, Director of Economic Development
P.J. Mellana, Director of Parks and Recreation
Jennifer Poole-Eidd, Management Assistant
7 Invocation
Council Member Dan Koops offered the Invocation.
8 Pledge of Allegiance
P.J. Mellana, Director of Parks and Recreation, led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.
9-A City Council Announcements
Mayor Dunton provided details relative to the Los Angeles County Health DepartmenYs new Health Officer Order which went into effect March 4, 2022, revising guidance on masking.
Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines provided details relative to the Chamber of Commerce's next Monthly Morning Mingle to be held on March 29, 2022.
Council Member Hamada provided details relative to the business support opportunities available through the Economic Development Department, including the monthly E-Citizen Newsletter and free ribbon cutting ceremonies.
Council Member Sanchez provided details relative to the Buy Bellflower Digital Gift Card Program.
� Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 9-A March 14, 2022 Page 3 of 9
9-A City Council Announcements — Continued
Council Member Koops provided details relative to the Bellflower Volunteer Center's partnership with Caring Connections for the spring basket program for Bellflower Unified School District students in need.
9-B National Women's History Month
Mayor Dunton announced that the City of Bellflower has declared March as National Women's History Month and read the proclamation on behalf of the City Council.
9-C Vector Control Presentation
Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines introduced Mary-Joy Coburn, Director of Communications for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, who 1) provided a PowerPoint presentation titled "Mosquitos in Bellflower: What You Need to Know"; and 2) responded to Council Members' questions.
At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, Director of Parks and Recreation Mellana confirmed that staff would connect with the Vector Control District to coordinate the sharing of their current Public Service Announcement (PSA) at upcoming City events, including Streetfest.
70 Public Comments
For the record, written public comments were received prior to the start of the meeting, which were provided to the City Council and made available to the Public, from 1) Lupe Luqo stating her opposition to the red curb parking restrictions at 15330 Woodruff Avenue that will be presented at the Public Safety Commission meeting on March 15, 2022; and 2) a response to her comments from Director of Public Safety Hockman, noting that a resolution to her concerns had been reached and would be presented to the Public Safety Commission.
Mr. Whitehead, Resident, 1) addressed the City Council relative to Cal-Recycle's FAQs he received from Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Gorecki, noting he had follow-up questions regarding short-lived climate pollutants regulations that potentially detail possibilities to opt-out of the organics program; and 2) inquired as to whether CR&R conducts random trashcan inspections or waste evaluations.
In response to Mr. Whitehead's comments, City Manager Stewart requested that Mr. Whitehead coordinate with Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Gorecki to schedule an appointment for staff to address his questions and concerns.
Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 10 .
March 14, 2022 Page 4 of 9
10 Public Comments — Continued
Julia Scalise, Senior Director of Develoament and Communications, The Whole Child, 1) extended her gratitude to the City Council, staff, and residents on behalf of CEO Constanza Pachon, their Board of Directors and their staff at The Whole Child for the continued partnership; 2) provided an update of their recent survey resu�ts which demonstrate that they served approximately 172 Bellflower families with housing and parent enrichment resources; and 3) highlighted that their housing permanency rate was ninety-nine percent and they recentiy received national accreditation from the Council on Accreditation for Social Services. 17 Public Hearings
None
12 Ordinances and Resolutions for Consideration
None
13 Consideration Items
A Consideration and possible action to adopt Resolution No. 22-13 — A Resolution ratifying certain actions completed by the City Manager; extending the existence of a local emergency; and authorizing a return to in person City Council Meetings.
CEQA: The Resolution itself and the actions anticipated by the Resolution were reviewed pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et seq., "CEQA") and the regulations promulgated thereunder (14 Cal. Code of Regulations §§15000, et seq., the "CEQA Guidelines"). Based upon that review, this action is exempt from further review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15269(a) because the protection of public and private property is necessary to maintain service essential to the public, health and welfare.l City Manager Stewart 1) provided a brief verbal presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) along with City Attorney Berger and City Clerk Ochiqui, responded to Council Members' questions.
Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines stated that he would like to have the opportunity for the City Council and key personnel to be able to utilize the hybrid meeting option in the event that one of the aforementioned were to fall ill. ' CEQA findings regarding an anticipated imminent emergency are valid (see CalBeach Advocates v. City ofSolana Beach(2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 529�.
� Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 13-A March 14, 2022 Pa e 5 of 9
9 13 Consideration Items — Continued
A Consideration and possible action to adopt Resolution No. 22-13—Continued In response to Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, City Attorney Berger 1) clarified that a teleconference option has always been available to the City Council even prior to the pandemic, but after March 31, 2022, normal teleconferencing requirements under the Brown Act would apply, including that Council Members attending remotely would need to post the agenda at their remote location and allow public access for public comment purposes; and 2) noted that he believed City Manager Stewart was referring to continuing public access and participation in the meeting via Zoom, which the Brown Act does not regulate.
For clarification, 1) Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines reiterated that he was only speaking about the City Council and key staff who are required to attend the meeting; and 2) Mayor Dunton added that Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines' proposed option would work if there was a need for City Council or key staff to quarantine as well.
Following discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council to continue to use teleconferencing on an as-needed basis only, in the event a Council Member, City Manager, City Attorney, or City Clerk become ill and/or need to quarantine.
Following discussion, it was moved by Council Member Koops, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, and unanimously carried by the following roll call vote, to adopt Resolution No. 22-13:
AYES: Council Members - Santa Ines, Hamada, Koops, Sanchez, and Mayor Dunton
B Consideration and possible action to authorize the City Manager to execute a license agreement with Bellflower Cedar, LLC (Azure Development), in a form approved by the City Attorney, to utilize a city-owned parcel (APN 7161-013-901) for parking related to the structure located at 17634 Bellflower Boulevard.
City Manager Stewart 1) provided a brief verbal presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) along with Director of Economic Development DellaLonga, City Attorney Berger, and Developer Vanessa Delgado of Azure Development, responded to Council Members' questions.
For the record, Developer Delgado confirmed, 1)at the request of Council Member Hamada, that the parking lot would be improved with landscaping and striping, as well as maintenance and upkeeping of the property, with unrestricted parking; 2) at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, that the parking lot would not need to be resurfaced, but they would have to resurface the neighbor's property so that it will look complete and whole; and 3) at the request of Council Member Koops, that she anticipates the Starbucks opening the second week of April, as long as Edison was able to give them power, and the remaining businesses would open in the summer.
Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 13-B • March 14, 2022 Page 6 of 9
73 Consideration Items — Continued
B Consideration and possible action to authorize the City Manager to execute a license agreement with Bellflower Cedar, LLC — Continued For the benefit of the public, Mayor Dunton noted that this was the development at the corner of Cedar Street and Bellflower Boulevard.
Following discussion, it was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, seconded by Council Member Hamada, and unanimously carried by the following roll call vote, to authorize the City Manager to execute a license agreement with Bellflower Cedar, LLC (Azure Development), in a form approved by the City Attorney, allowing vehicle parking on the City-owned parcel identified by APN 7161 013-901:
AYES: Council Members - Santa Ines, Hamada, Koops, Sanchez, and Mayor Dunton
14 Consent Calendar
For the record, 1) Council Member Sanchez requested Items 14-D (Agreement File No. 928) and 14-F (Official Travel Report) be pulled for comment only; 2) Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines requested that Item 14-E (Destruction of Obsolete Records) be pulled for comment only; 3) Council Member Hamada requested Items 14-D (Agreement File No. 928) and 14-F (Official Travel Report) be pulled for comment only; 4) City Manager Stewart announced that staff would like to withdraw Item 14-C (Resolution No. 22-10) due to a conflict with the Bellflower Municipal Code; and 5) Mayor Dunton recused on Item 14-C (Resolution No. 22-10), but noted that the item had been removed from the Consent Calendar.
With regard to Item 14-D (Agreement File No. 928), 1) Council Member Sanchez stated that he wanted to highlight the fact that they will be considering the ' authorization of the agreement for the design work and commended the Parks and � Recreation Department on their continued work to bring improvements to i Constitution Park and Thompson Park and the meetings held for the residents to ' provide input; and 2) Council Member Hamada echoed the sentiments of 'i Council Member Sanchez, commended the Parks and Recreation Department staff, and thanked the residents for their participation in the meetings.
With regard to Item 14-F (Official Travel Report), 1) Council Member Hamada commented on the trip taken along with Council Member Sanchez and Assistant to the City Manager Sais to Sacramento's Contract Cities Legislative Tour, noting that it was a very productive trip and included meetings with Senator Bob Archuleta of the 32"d District, Assemblymember Cristina Garcia's staff, and Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon to thoroughly convey the City's issues; and 2) Council Member Sanchez highlighted the three key topics they addressed with legislators during the tour, which included a) educating legislators with regard to the City's efforts to combat homelessness and how they can help with these efforts moving forward; [Continued on next page.]
� . Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 14 March 14, 2022 Page 7 of 9
14 Consent Calendar— Continued
b) issues related to street racing and public safety concerns with "take overs", asking that they pass legislation to help cities with this issue and noting that sadly there was a street racing incident on Downey Avenue and AResia Boulevard when they were at the tour that further proved what they were advocating for; and c) continued concerns regarding lack of Cal-Trans maintenance.
Christopher Lefevers, Resident, 1) as a representative for his block that was requesting the parking district, expressed concern that Item 14-C (Resolution No. 22-10)was withdrawn from the agenda and requested clarification as to why the item was withdrawn, since the residents had obtained 100 percent of the signatures required; and 2) requested notification with regard to the review and approval process.
At the request of Mayor Dunton and in response to Christopher Lefever's comments, City Manager Stewart 1) explained that the approval from the Public Safety Commission with regard to Item 14-C (Resolution No. 22-10) is still valid; however, the delay is due to an unanticipated confiict in the Bellflower Municipal Code (BMC) discovered after the Public Safety Commission's approval, since it specifically states that the block cannot be shorter than 750 feet, which this block is, and so the parking district cannot be approved if it is in violation of the BMC and will require further review and potentially a correction to the BMC; and 2) requested that Mr. Lefevers call his office tomorrow to establish a form of contact in order to keep him and the residents updated on the public process with regards to the item.
In response to Christopher Lefever's comments, Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines assured him that the delay was not due to any error on the part of the residents of that block and clarified that the residents were not notified of the item on the City Council agenda because their testimony was not required like it had been when it was presented to the Public Safety Commission.
With regard to Item 14-E (Destruction of Obsolete Records), Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines 1) mentioned that he had discussed the item with City Clerk Ochiqui prior to the meeting and expressed appreciation to the City Clerk's Office, staff, and director for working on the records destruction; and 2) noted that the Record Retention Schedules were last reviewed under the former City Clerk and City Attorney and encouraged City Clerk Ochiqui and City Attorney Berger to reevaluate the current retention policy.
In response to Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines' comments, City Clerk Ochiqui thanked him for his comments and confirmed that the Record Retention Schedules would be updated in the near future.
Noting the removal of Item 14-C (Resolution No. 22-10), it was moved by Council Member Koops, seconded by Council Member Sanchez, and carried without objection, to approve the balance of actions stipulated on the Consent Calendar:
AYES: Council Members - Santa Ines, Hamada, Koops, Sanchez, and Mayor Dunton
Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 14
March 14, 2022 Page 8 of 9
14 Consent Calendar— Continued
A Consideration and possible action to receive and file City Council Warrant Reqister No. 22-091, dated March 14, 2022.
Action: Received and filed Warrant Register No. 22 091.
B Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of the February 28, Reqular Meetinq of the Citv Council.
Action: Approved the February 28, Regular Meeting Minutes. (Removed from the Consent Calendar]
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D Consideration and possible action to authorize the City Manager to execute Agreement File No. 928, in a form approved by the City Attorney, with RJM Design Group, Inc., for the design of improvements at Constitution Park and Thompson Park.
Action: Authorized the City Manager to execute Agreement File No. 928, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
E Consideration and possible action to adopt Resolution No. 22-12 — A Resolution authorizing the destruction of obsolete records from all City Deqartments.
Action: 1) Adopted Resolution No. 22-12; and 2) Approved a budget amendment to increase the allocation for Account No. 010-43610-1200 by $15,000 for FY 2021-2022.
F Consideration and possible action to receive and file Official Travel Report— California Contract Cities Association Sacramento Legislative Tour, March 2 -4, 2022 (Pursuant to AB 1234).
Action: Received and filed Official Travel Report for the California Contract Cities Association Sacramento Legislative Tour.
15 Council Reports
Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, Council Member Hamada, and Mayor Dunton made various comments and reports.
Bellflower City Council Minutes Item No. 16
March 14, 2022 Page 9 of 9
16 Adjournment
Without objection, Mayor Dunton adjourned the meeting at 8:13 p.m., to the next Regular Meeting of the Bellflower City Council at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 28, 2022.
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Ray Du ton, Mayor
City of Bellflower
Attest:
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�-Mayr Ochi ui, City Clerk
Appr�ved: March 28, 2022