Agenda packet — Bellflower City Council, March 10, 2025 (part 1 of 2)

T h e C i t y o f B e l l f l o w e r
Families. Businesses. Futures.
16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower, CA 90706
Tel 562.804.1424 Fax 562.925.8660 www.bellflower.org

Next CC Resolution No. 25-14 Next CC Agreement No. 1086 Next Ordinance No. 1443

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (562) 804-1424, extension 2220 or [email protected]. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

Agenda Items are on file in the Office of the City Clerk and are available for public inspection during normal business hours. For your convenience, the Agenda is also posted on the City’s Website at www.bellflower.org with links to each Agenda Item (unless they are too lengthy or unavailable at the time of posting). Any supplemental material distributed to a majority of the members of the City Council/Successor Agency after the posting of this Agenda will be made available for public inspection during normal business hours in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower. (Privileged documents and Closed Session documents are exempted.)

REGULAR MEETING OF THE BELLFLOWER CITY COUNCIL

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025

BELLFLOWER CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
5:30 P.M. CLOSED SESSION / 7:00 P.M. OPEN SESSION

5:30 P.M. – CLOSED SESSION

1 CALL TO ORDER

2 ROLL CALL: Mayor Ray Dunton
Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Wendi Morse
Council Member Victor A. Sanchez

Page 1 of 4 ends

AGENDA

Bellflower City Council Agenda
March 10, 2025

Page 2 of 4 ends

3 RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION

A CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – INITIATION OF LITIGATION - GOVERNMENT CODE § 54956.9(d)(4). Number of Cases: One.

B CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Government Code § 54956.9(d)(2):

FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES: Letter Dated February 7, 2025, available in City Clerk’s Office.

4 RECONVENE FOR OPEN SESSION

7:00 P.M. – OPEN SESSION

5 CALL TO ORDER

6 ROLL CALL: Mayor Ray Dunton
Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Wendi Morse
Council Member Victor A. Sanchez

7 INVOCATION: Council Member Wendi Morse

8 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Brian McNerney, Director of Public Safety

9 CITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS / PRESENTATIONS

A City Council Announcements

B National Women’s History Month

10 PUBLIC COMMENTS

This is the time set aside for the public to address the City Council on matters not listed on the Agenda. Anyone wishing to address the City Council should come to the podium, be recognized by the Mayor, and state your name for the record. If you wish to address the City Council on an Agenda Item, you may do so by approaching the podium as we review that particular item. You will be given three (3) minutes to address the City Council.

Bellflower City Council Agenda
March 10, 2025

Page 3 of 4 ends

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS

None

12 ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

None

13 CONSIDERATION ITEMS

A Consideration and possible action to receive and file a report on the Building and Safety Division Operations.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Receive and file this report; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

B Consideration and possible action to approve and adopt the Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Approve and adopt the Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan; 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

14 CONSENT CALENDAR

All items under the Consent Calendar are considered by the City Council to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. Specific items may be removed from the Consent Calendar at the request of any member of the City Council for separate consideration.

A Consideration and possible action to receive and file Warrant Register No. 25-091, dated March 10, 2025.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Receive and file Warrant Register No. 25- 091; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

B Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of the January 28, 2025, Special Meeting of the City Council.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Approve the January 28, 2025, Special Meeting Minutes; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

C Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of the February 10, 2025, Regular Meeting of the City Council.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Approve the February 10, 2025, Regular Meeting Minutes; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

Bellflower City Council Agenda
March 10, 2025

Page 4 of 4 ends

14 CONSENT CALENDAR – Continued

D Consideration and possible action to ratify Mayor Ray Dunton’s appointment of Mark Tigchelaar to the Public Safety Commission.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Ratify Mayor Ray Dunton’s appointment of Mark Tigchelaar to fill the unexpired term on the Public Safety Commission ending December 2026; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

E Consideration and possible action to adopt the following Resolutions:

Resolution No. 25-12 – A Resolution establishing a Code of Conduct in accordance with Government Code § 36813, and superseding Resolution No. 21-55; and

Resolution No. 25-13 – A Resolution establishing Rules of Procedure for conducting City Council meetings in accordance with Government Code § 36813, and superseding Resolution Nos. 05-45, 11-75, 20-13, and 21-55.

Recommendation to City Council: 1) Adopt Resolution Nos. 25-12 and 25-13; or 2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

15 COUNCIL REPORTS

16 ADJOURNMENT

Adjourn to the next Regular Meeting of the Bellflower City Council at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 24, 2025.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS

CITY OF BELLFLOWER )
1, Jennifer Russell, Management Assistant, of the City of Bellflower, do hereby declare under penalty of perjury, that the Agenda for the Regular Meeting of the Bellflower City Council to be held on Monday, March 10, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., was posted Friday, March 7, 2025, at the following locations in the City of Bellflower:

City Hall Lobby and Doors, 16600 Civic Center Drive
City Website at www.bellflower.orq
Clifton M. Brakensiek Library
Executed this 7th of March 2025 at Bellflower, California.

Jennifer Russell,
Management Assistant

SAFEbui'ke
February 7, 2025
By Electronic Delivery
Karl Berger, Esq.

Justin A. Tamayo, Esq.

Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP
444 South Flower Street, Suite 2400
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Dear Messrs. Berger and Tamayo:

I recently received your letters dated September 20, 2024, and January 24, 2025. First, I want to apologize for the fact that we did not provide a timely response to your letter of September 19, 2024. I offer no excuses for that, just an apology.

As to the substance of that letter, we have confirmed that Mr. Hayes' certifications lapsed for a short period beginning on August 25, 2024 and ending on September 23, 2024. Accordingly, the breach was corrected within the 10 -day cure period provided under the contract between the City and Interwest and referenced in your letter of September 20. I expect you are aware, however, that the City terminated the Contract for convenience effective September 27, 2024. With respect to the other requests for information contained in your letter of that date, our responses, using the numbering system in your letter, are below:

2. Mr. Hayes has advised that he did not perform any inspections during the lapse period or perform any other services for which the lapsed certifications would have been required. Accordingly, we have no documents responsive to your request for documents.

3. Given that Mr. Hayes did not perform any services for which the lapsed certifications were required, there is nothing to cure and no costs were incurred by the City.

4. So far as we are aware, there are no claims that would trigger the indemnification obligations under the contract between the City and Interwest and, given the preceding responses, we would not anticipate that any would arise. That said, Interwest will honor its contractual obligations to the City.

With respect to your January 24, 2025 letter, for the reasons given above, we reject the notion that the City has suffered any damages and insist on immediate payment of outstanding invoices.

If you have any further questions, please direct them to me.

Gary Amato
Chief Administrative Officer
Interwest Consulting Group
970-219-4999 (M)

Building Division Update
Agenda Item 13-A
March 10, 2025

History
of
Building
& Safety
Contract
Since the City incorporated in 1957 until 1997, the
City’s Building & Safety Services were provided by
the County of Los Angeles.

To provide better customer service at reduced cost,
the City Council approved a transition to a
combination of both in-house staff and contracted
staff in 1997.

Service Providers: Transtech Engineers (1997-
2000), P&D Consultants (2000-2006), BroadSpec
(2006-2020), and Safebuilt (2020-2024).

Beginning in 2019, the service provider also
provided fire code review and inspection services.

Award of Contract to Willdan Engineering
•The City began to receive complaints regarding the timing and comments received through the plan check process.
•The City released a RFP for several reasons, one of which included that he personnel changes at the time impacted the level of service provided and the effectiveness and consistency of the Division.
•On 09/09/24, the City Council awarded an agreement to Willdan Engineering. •The City terminated its agreement with Safebuilt on 09/27/24 and Willdan began operations on 09/29/24.

New Service Provider
•Willdan was tasked with:
✓Assessing the current operations
✓Identifying areas for improvements
✓Making the necessary changes to have an efficient, effective, and well-functioning Building and Safety Division.

Front Counter Activity and Staffing
Before Now
Building Official 1 full-time 1 full-time
Plan Checker 1 full-time & 1 part-time 2 part-time w/ additional help provided*
Plan Checker/Building
Inspector/Admin. Asst.*
None 1 full-time
Building Inspector 1 full-time 1 full-time w/ additional help provided*
Permit Technician 2 full-time 3 full-time

Self-Certification
•Program was established in 2016 to streamline the permitting processing by expediting construction approvals, improve customer service delivery, and encourage economic development. •Program allows a licensed Design Professional to accept the risk associated with proceeding to construction. Any noted deficiencies are identified during required inspections, and if necessary, the project is stopped until corrections are made.
•Bellflower was one of the first cities in CA to make a self-certification process available as an option.
•Recently, Bellflower has received attention for our long-standing efforts to expedite construction.

Self-
Certification
•To facilitate and encourage more use of the program and avoid costly and untimely delays related to more
complicated inspections, the focus will be on the
following:
✓Residential: Single-story and two-story
residential, residential additions, and ADUs
✓Commercial: Single-story commercial building
✓Others: Building Official will consider on a
case-by-case basis
•To identify any code deficiencies and for inspection
purposes, the Building Official will maintain the authority to require that any necessary plan checks be conducted. •The courtesy correction list will be provided to the
inspector to ensure compliance with the Building Code
during the inspection process.
•A resolution will be brought back to the Council for
consideration at a future date.

Soils Report
•The Building Official also identified inconsistency with the City’s requirements for the submission of soils reports for various projects.
•Bellflower is located within a high liquefaction area. •Soils reports are prepared by and are the professional work product of a licensed geotechnical engineer and describe what specific standards need to be included in the foundation plan.
•Soils conditions are site specific and may change throughout the block.

Soils Report
•To provide more clarity and flexibility for applicants and to reduce building costs and expedite lower risk
project where possible, the Building Official will
develop prescriptive design standards.
•The Building Official recommends the following:
✓Prescriptive Design Method: For projects
consisting of one-story structures 750 sq. ft. or
less for which the foundation plans conform to
the prescriptive design standards, no soils report
will be required.
✓Projects consisting of one-story structures
exceeding 750 sq. ft., two-story structures, etc.
must provide a site specific soils report and
foundation must be designed in accordance with
the recommendations outlined in the soils
report.

Documents Required for Plan Check
Submittal
•Staff has received complaints related to inconsistent submittal requirements for plan check.

Complaints relate to requirements for particular documents (e.g. grading plans and fire flow certifications) that may not have been required for a similar project in the past. In addition, the number of plan sets required for submittal have also changed. •To provide clarity to applicants and standardize our processes, the Building Official has prepared a handout listing all required submittal items and will make this handout readily available at the counter and on the City’s website. The handout also provides a list of outside agency approvals that may be required (e.g. Health Dept., AQMD, etc.).

Electronic Plan Checking and Online
Permitting
•Several projects have been reviewed through Willdan’s electronic plan checking portal. The portal has proved to be an asset to the City and has highlighted the need to modernize our Planning, Public Works, and Finance procedures as well.
•To improve and modernize the plan checking and permitting process, staff is currently in negotiations with companies that provide online permitting and electronic plan checking for those additional internal review.
•Improvements to the payment process with the Finance Department will also be integrated into these new procedures.

Building Plan Check and Permit Fees
Development Impact Fees
•Building and Planning staff consistently receive complaints related to the City’s permit and fee structure. The plan check and permit fees are collected together as a single fee at the time of plan check submittal. This presents challenges from an accounting standpoint. •City staff will be working to bring revisions to the City’s fees structures and rates that separate the plan check and permit fees and ensure appropriate cost recovery. •Building and Planning staff also consistency receive complaints related to DIFs. Generally, complaints claim the DIFs are too high compared to our surrounding cities and deter development.

The City’s DIFs are designed to defray the costs and impacts of development on the surrounding community and ensure the City’s ability to provide the associated services and infrastructure necessary to support that development.

Conclusion
•With the transition of Building Division services, the City charged the Building Official with identifying beneficial improvements to our processes and practices to improve the applicant experience.
•Based on that review, the Building Official has begun to make the necessary changes and has worked with City staff to bring amendments requiring City Council approval, including fee adjustments, resolution clarifying the Self Certification Program, and others will be brought back to the Council in the near future for consideration.

Recommendation

1.Receive and file this report; or

2.Alternatively, discuss and take other action
related to this item.

Building Division Update
Agenda Item 13-A
March 10, 2025

Page 1 of 6 ends

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

FROM: Elizabeth C. Oba, Director of Planning and Building Services

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to receive and file a report on the Building and Safety Division operations.

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On September 9, 2024, the City Council awarded a contract to Willdan Engineering (“Willdan”) for Building and Safety services. Willdan commenced services on September 30, 2024. Among other things, Willdan was tasked with assessing the current operations, identifying areas for improvement, and making the necessary changes to have an efficient, effective, and well-functioning Building and Safety Division. Over the last five months, the Director of Planning and Building Services (“Director”) and Building Official identified several outdated processes and practices within the Division and made various improvements to these processes and practices for consistency purposes and to better meet the service needs. The purpose of this agenda item is to provide the City Council an update on the Building and Safety services and to discuss the improvements that have been made or will be made to the Division.

RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

1) Receive and file this report; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

FISCAL IMPACT

None.

BACKGROUND

➢ History of Building and Safety Contract

Since the City incorporated in 1957 until 1997, the City’s Building and Safety Services were provided by the County of Los Angeles. In 1997, the City Council approved the transition from full-service Building and Safety operations provided by the County to a combination of both in-house staff (e.g., Code Technician and Building Inspectors) and contracted staff (e.g., Plan Checkers and Building Official). The purpose of this transition was to provide better customer service at reduced costs. 13-A “4 0g BELLFLOW
*‘ St"I'ft‘eport

Staff Report – Building & Safety Division Update
March 10, 2025

Page 2 of 6 ends

BACKGROUND – Continued

Since 1997, the City’s Building and Safety Services have been either partially or fully provided on a contract basis with various Service Providers including Transtech Engineers (1997-2000), P&D Consultants (2000-2006), BroadSpec (2006-2020) and Safebuilt (also known as Interwest, 2020-2024). Beginning in 2019, the City’s contractors also provided fire code review and inspection for development projects.

➢ Award of Contract to Willdan Engineering

The decision to seek new Building and Safety services arose after the City began to receive complaints from developers, residents, and design professionals regarding the timing and comments received through the plan check process. In early 2024, staff had several meetings with Safebuilt, the Service Provider at the time, to discuss the status of services and to address the complaints received. The City released a RFP for several reasons, one of which included that the personnel changes at the time impacted the level of service provided and the effectiveness and consistency of the Building and Safety Division. In addition, the City had ongoing efforts to streamline, improve, and modernize its services and operations, including the Building and Fire services provided. After a thorough review, rating, and interview process, on September 9, 2024, the City Council awarded an agreement to Willdan Engineering and Agreement File No. 163.15 was executed. The City terminated its agreement with Safebuilt on September 27, 2024.

Willdan began operations on September 29, 2024.

DISCUSSION

When Willdan began operations, it was tasked with assessing the current operations, identifying areas for improvement, and making the necessary changes to have an efficient, effective, and well-functioning Building and Safety Division. The following sections describe the assessments that were made, the changes that have occurred, and the changes that will be made.

➢ Front Counter Activity and Staffing

Since the transition from Safebuilt to Willdan, the front counter and building activity have remained consistent. At the commencement of operations, Willdan’s staffing was provided as follows:

• Building Official – 1 full-time
• Plan Checker – 1 full-time and 1 part-time
• Building Inspector – 1 full-time
• Permit Technician – 2 full-time

Staff Report – Building & Safety Division Update
March 10, 2025

Page 3 of 6 ends

BACKGROUND – Continued

After assessing the workload and to better meet the City’s needs, Willdan adjusted the staffing as follows:

• Building Official – 1 full-time. No change was made. • Plan Checker – 2 part-time. Instead of 1 full-time and 1 part-time plan checker, 2 part-time plan check engineers are being provided with assistance from the multi-use role described in the position below.
• Plan Checker/Building Inspector/Administrative Assistant – 1 full-time. The previous full-time plan checker is now providing multiple services, including reviewing minor plan checks, assisting on and conducting inspections, and providing assistance on administrative needs.
• Building Inspector – 1 full-time with additional help being provided with the position above.
• Permit Technician – 3 full-time. One of the most crucial roles within the Division is the Permit Technician position. They provide technical support and administrative duties related to the issuance of permits and are responsible for routing, tracking, and coordinating interdepartmental plan check reviews. They are also responsible for various administrative duties, such as providing building records for Public Records Act requests, providing permit data for various reports, etc. and are often the first point of customer service for residents and applicants. Previously, 2 full- time Permit Technicians were provided. To maintain and keep up with service needs to improve our ability to assist applicants at the counter, a third Permit Technician was recently brought on.

➢ Updates to Various Procedures

After reviewing the plan check and permitting process, the Building Official will be making various changes as follows:

• Self-Certification Program. The City’s Self-Certification Program was established in 2016. The purpose of the program is to streamline the permitting processing by expediting construction approvals, improve customer service delivery, and encourage economic development. The program allows a licensed Design Professional to accept the risk associated with proceeding to construction while the City conducts any reviews that may be necessary. Any noted deficiencies are identified during required inspections, and if necessary, the project is stopped until corrections are made.

When the program was adopted, Bellflower was one of the first cities in California to make a self-certification process available as an option. Recently, Bellflower has received attention for our long-standing efforts to expedite construction, including the City’s Self-Certification Program, as other jurisdictions and the State have begun to explore similar programs. As part of his review of our Building and Safety services, the Building Official has assessed the City’s adopted Self Certification Program and its implementation over the last few years. Based on this assessment he has identified several clarifications to our processes to ensure our program operates as intended and accomplishes the goals for which it was originally considered, as well as some improvements we can make to encourage more licensed professionals to use the program safely and smoothly.

Staff Report – Building & Safety Division Update
March 10, 2025

Page 4 of 6 ends

BACKGROUND – Continued

Throughout its implementation, the Self Certification program has been rarely used over all, and in particular has never been used for certain types of projects – mixed use or large scale multi-family residential for example. Most commonly, the program has been used by applicants building small residential projects and Accessory Dwelling Units, as well as for some smaller scale commercial development. In many of these instances, the program has successfully allowed the construction project to proceed as expeditiously as possible without creating any undue delays upon inspections.

To facilitate and encourage more use of the program for these common types of projects and avoid costly and untimely delays related to more complicated inspections, the Building Official will focus our efforts to grow the program to target these more common project types. Specifically, the focus will be on the following:

✓ Residential: Single-story and two-story residential, residential additions, and ADUs
✓ Commercial: Single-story commercial building

As is currently the case, although it is uncommon, should an applicant desire to submit a project through self-certification for multi-story commercial and mixed use buildings or for larger scale and higher occupancy residential (R2 and R3, for example) projects, the Building Official will continue to consider these projects on a case-by-case basis.

To identify any code deficiencies and for inspection purposes, the Building Official will maintain the authority to require that any necessary plan checks be conducted.

As a courtesy to the licensed design professional, corrections or noted issues of concern will be provided to the licensed design professional who may choose whether or not to proceed with the plans as -is or proceed with revising the plans to address the plan checker’s comments. Should the license design professional decide not to address the plan checker’s comments, the courtesy correction list will be provided to the inspector to ensure compliance with the Building Code during the inspection process. This list of comments from the plan checker assists the Building Inspectors and Building Official in ensuring the ultimate project is built to the necessary standards. To memorialize this process, a resolution will be brought back to the Council for consideration at a future date.

• Soils Report Submittals. The Building Official also identified inconsistency in the City’s requirements for the submission of soils reports for various projects.

Bellflower is located within a high liquefaction area. Soils reports have been required for most projects to determine how the foundation of a building is to be constructed. A soils report is prepared by and are the professional work product of a licensed geotechnical engineer, and describes what specific standards need to be included in a foundation plan. Soil conditions are site specific and may change throughout the block; what may be present on one site may not be applicable on another regardless of the proximity.

Staff Report – Building & Safety Division Update
March 10, 2025

Page 5 of 6 ends

BACKGROUND – Continued

To provide more clarity and flexibility for applicants, and to reduce building costs and expedite lower risk projects where possible, the Building Official will develop prescriptive design standards and make them available to applicants and design professionals. Certain projects that are designed to those prescriptive design standards will be allowed to proceed without necessitating the need for a soils report. The Building Official recommends the following:

✓ Prescriptive Design Method: For projects consisting of one-story structures 750 sq. ft. or less for which the foundation plans conform to the prescriptive design standards no soils report will be required.
✓ Projects consisting of one-story structures exceeding 750 sq. ft., two-story structures, etc. must provide a site specific soils report and the foundation must be designed in accordance with the recommendations outlined in the soils report.

• Documents Required for Plan Check Submittal. Staff has received complaints related to the inconsistent submittal requirements for plan check. Many of those complaints relate to requirements for particular documents (grading plans and fire flow certifications, for example) that may not have been required for a similar project in the past. In addition, the number of plan sets required for submittal have also changed over time, and applicants who have submitted previously may see different requirements for one project than another. To provide clarity to applicants and standardize our processes, the Building Official has prepared a handout listing all required submittal items and will make this handout readily available at the counter and on the City’s website. In addition to internal requirements, the handout also provides a list of outside agency approvals that may be required, such as Health Department approval, AQMD approval, etc. These handouts will be made available to applicants following this meeting.

➢ Electronic Plan Checking and Online Permitting

Several projects have been reviewed through Willdan’s electronic plan checking portal notably including the recent submittals for Chick-Fil-A. Willdan’s plan checking portal has proved to be an asset to the City, and has highlighted the need to modernize our Planning and Public Works departmental review procedures as well. For example, to be able to conduct electronic plan checking or online permitting, the applicant still needs to come in person or mail a check to submit payment for associated fees. To improve and modernize the plan checking and permitting process, staff is currently in negotiations with companies that provide online permitting and electronic plan checking for those additional internal reviews. Improvements to the payment process with the Finance Department will also be integrated into these new procedures. Once the electronic plan checking and online permitting is implemented, applicants will have the ability to submit plans and pay fees online without having to come to City Hall.

Staff Report – Building & Safety Division Update
March 10, 2025

Page 6 of 6 ends

BACKGROUND – Continued

➢ Building Plan Check and Permit Fees / Development Impact Fees

Building and Planning staff consistently receive complaints related to the City’s permit and fee structure. Currently, the plan check and permit fees are collected together as a single fee at the time of plan check submittal. This was implemented to reduce the need for applicants to pay twice, but has presented challenges from an accounting standpoint because fees are collected upfront while the associated inspections may not occur until well over a year later. It also presents challenges when a refund is necessary if a project is stopped or an applicant decides not to proceed. To correct this City staff will be working to bring revisions to the City’s fees structures and rates that separate the plan check and permit fees and ensure appropriate cost recovery for Building Division operations and fire plan check and inspection services.

It should also be noted that Building and Planning staff consistently receive complaints related to the Development Impact Fees. Generally, the complaints claim that the City’s Development Impact Fees are too high compared to our surrounding cities and deter development. The City’s Development Impact Fees are designed to defray the costs and impacts of development on the surrounding community, and ensure the City’s ability to provide the associated services and infrastructure necessary to support that development.

CONCLUSION

With the transition of Building Division services, the City charged the Building Official with identifying beneficial improvements to our processes and practices to improve the applicant experience. Based on that review, the Building Official has b egun to make necessary changes and has worked with City staff to bring amendments requiring City Council approval, including fee adjustments, resolution clarifying our Self Certification program, and others will be brought back to the Council in the near future for consideration.

Strategic Planning
Report
Monday, March 10, 2025

Strategic Planning Process
DateStep in the Process
October 23, 2024Kick-off call with City Manager
October/NovemberCity Council questionnaire
November1-on-1 meetings with City Council
January 16, 2025Strategic planning workshop with City Council February 18, 2025
February 27, 2025Meeting with City Staff to discuss programmatic objectives March 10, 2025City Council meeting to adopt Strategic Plan

Bellflower Mission Statement
"To protect and enrich the
quality of life, to make
Bellflower an excellent place
to live, work and play."

Community Survey

•
•
•
•

City Council Goals

1. Enhance Public Safety

2. Increase Public Outreach, Education and
Connection

3. Continue Investing in a High-Performing
and Efficient Team at City Hall

4. Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal
in the City

5. Strengthen Economic Development

Recommendation

1. Receive and file this report, or

2. Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

City Staff will proceed with communicating this
adopted plan through City communication channels.

Strengthen partnership between the City and the County Sheriff.1.1 Improve community education and transparency in relation to public safety efforts.1.2 Encourage resident awareness and reporting to help them be partners in addressing crime, disaster preparation and blight issues.1.3
Determine the location, design, programming and execution of a new public safety building.1.4
Finalize and implement public safety assessment recommendations.1.5 Goal #1:

Enhance Public Safety

Goal #1:

Enhance Public Safety
Build a reputation through communication and action that Bellflower is tougher on crime than peer cities.

1.6 Develop a list of community resources for addressing addiction and related challenges and better engage with partnership to offer a spectrum of solutions for crime elements.

1.7 Set a direction to tap into Measure A funds to support programming that addresses homelessness challenges in the city.

1.8 Aggressively work to address homeless population areas in the City, including spaces outside city jurisdiction to reduce the homeless population in the city.

1.9 Solidify emergency preparedness training among staff, ensure a degree of self- reliance after a disaster and communicate plan to the public.

1.10 Goal #2:

Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection
Explore communication methods that reach multi-generations with focus on most effective methods.

2.1 Explore tools for connecting residents to each other and to the City.2.2 Establish communication channels to engage with smaller businesses.2.3 Develop a strategy to leverage video, digital and paper communications to balance reaching across the community.

2.4 Bring a unified, consistent and strategically chosen voice and visual presence to communications across City channels and platforms.

2.5 Conduct communications assessment on platforms and processes.2.6 Improve collaboration and relationship with school district.2.7

Goal #3:

Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall Improve communication and collaboration between departments.3.1 Invest in technology resources for staff.3.2
Modernize systems to support resident feedback.3.3
Invest in training and career development for employees.3.4 Conduct a full classification and compensation study.3.5 Build organizational capacity through staff hiring and strategic contract for services that yield productivity enhancements.

3.6 Modernize city policies that are ineffective or inefficient as currently written.3.7 Implement procedures for fielding and following up on resident requests in a timely manner.

3.8 Goal #4:

Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City
Implement the Parks Master Plan.4.1
Improve quality of maintenance of public areas.4.2
Raise standards of private property maintenance requirements (commercial, multi- family and single-family residential)

4.3 Activate public spaces to connect residents by expanding community events in non- traditional locations.

4.4 Allocate resources for traffic safety improvement studies.4.5 Explore ways to attract young families as residents.4.6 Explore strategies to address developed and undeveloped vacant properties.4.7

Goal #5:

Strengthen Economic Development
Continue strategic and creative property acquisitions.5.1 Execute on City-controlled property to make impacts in the community.5.2 Explore an economic development plan that aligns areas in Bellflower with focused economic development themes, industries and related land use strategy.

5.3 Begin planning for comprehensive General Plan update.5.4 Solidify vision and plan for the future of Downtown (more residential units, parking, complimentary business types).

5.5 Revisit cannabis policy, licensing and industry activity in Bellflower.5.6 Evaluate alternative revenue sources and land use measures.5.7

Page 1 of 2 ends

13-B

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

FROM: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to approve and adopt the Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan.

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In preparation for the upcoming Fiscal Years 2025-2027 Budget discussions, the City Council engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning initiative, culminating in the attached 2025-2027 Strategic Plan (“Plan”). The Plan is designed to address priorities set by the City Council aimed to address specific community needs and interests. Following a thorough review of resident survey data and analysis of the diverse interests and needs of the Bellflower community, the City Council identified five key priority areas to align the City’s spending programs and efforts with the specific needs identified by Bellflower residents. Subsequently, the City’s executive management team outlined specific actions that the City’s staff will take to better align resources and accomplish the City Council’s priority goals Developed with input from the City Council, staff, and community stakeholders, the Plan is intended to serve as the basis for the City’s efforts and investments over the upcoming budget cycle and beyond.

The Goal Areas identified through these processes include the following:

1. Enhance Public Safety

2. Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection

3. Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall

4. Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City

5. Strengthen Economic Development

RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

1) Approve and adopt the Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

FISCAL IMPACT

There is no direct fiscal impact with respect to this item; however, the Plan will be the basis for budget preparation by the City’s various departments, and funding or adjustments may be discussed through that process.

1 1: BELLF
{‘1 O LOR’GQ
*‘ Sitafteport

Staff Report – Bellflower 2025-2027 Strategic Plan
March 10, 2025

Page 2 of 2 ends

DISCUSSION

Strategic planning is a foundational best-practice for effective governance, offering organizations clear objectives, measurable benchmarks, and a unified direction. This process is particularly crucial in a multi-faceted public service organization to allow elected representatives of the City to define priorities and empower the City’s workforce to execute them, ultimately driving positive outcomes for the community.

Additionally, it facilitates communication between the City Manager and Council Members, ensuring that the organization is united and focused under a common mission. Beyond goal setting, strategic planning creates a framework for measuring progress over time. By outlining specific steps to achieve each goal, City staff can monitor outcomes and provide regular updates to both the City Council and the community.

The strategic planning process commenced in October 2024 with initial discussions with each member of the City Council facilitated by a leadership team from the City’s contracted facilitator, Tripepi Smith. These interviews were designed to begin to identify key success factors for the City and for each area of the community, including general goals, priorities, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and both current and future challenges. Following strategy discussions with the City Manager and individual meetings with each member of the City Council, Tripepi Smith consolidated those discussions into four proposed common goals. At a special meeting held on January 16, 2025, the City Council reviewed the results of a November 2024 community survey regarding resident priorities, discussed the four proposed goal areas, along with other specific identified goals and challenges, and ultimately revised these goals, agreeing on five targeted goal areas focused on resident priorities with updated objectives. On February 18th and February 27th, the executive team met to review the goal areas outlined by the City Council and develop a tactical working plan for each.

Developed with input from the City Council, staff, and specifically targeted to needs identified by residents, the Plan defines the following five strategic goals for 2025 -2027:

1. Enhance Public Safety

2. Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection

3. Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall

4. Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City

5. Strengthen Economic Development

The Plan identifies five core strategic goals. The Plan also identifies 129 separate tactical steps to assist in achieving the City Council’s goals over the coming years. The Plan is intended to serve as a guideline and reference for the City’s efforts going forward. Additionally, the City Council and City’s executive management team will regularly review the Plan, discuss progress towards the strategic goals, and make appropriate revisions and amendments as necessary on an ongoing basis. Accordingly, the Plan may be modified from time to time to ensure that the stated goals continue to be aligned with the needs and interests of the broad Bellflower community. Funding needed to achieve the strategic goals will be reviewed as part of the upcoming 2025-2027 biennial budget adoption process. The Plan will be posted on the City’s website and made publicly available, and the goals will serve as a basis for ongoing City-wide communications with residents.

ATTACHMENT

Strategic Planning Document…………………………………………………………........... 3 2 S T R A T E G I C

P L A N
R e p o r t a s s e m b l e d b y :

R y d e r T o d d S m i t h , P r i n c i p a l
C h r i s t i n e M a r t i n , D i r e c t o r
K y l i e S u n , S e n i o r B u s i n e s s A n a l y s t C o m p l e t e d M a r c h 2 0 2 5
2 0 2 5 -2 7
(Famifies. Qiusinesses. futures. \
0» \
QR e».

OWmG 1002199?”

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 2 Purpose of Strategic Planning ..................................................................................... 2 Terminology ................................................................................................................. 2 Strategic Planning Process ......................................................................................... 3 City Council Goals .......................................................................................................... 4 Goal #1: Enhance Public Safety .................................................................................. 4 Goal #2: Increase Public Outreach, Education and Connection ................................. 6 Goal #3: Continue Investing in a High-Performing and Efficient Team at City Hall ..... 8 Goal #4: Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City ..................................... 10 Goal #5: Strengthen Economic Development ........................................................... 12 - 1 -

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Executive Summary
Purpose of Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a common best practice for effective governance, providing organizations with clear goals, success benchmarks and a unified direction. In city government, this process is especially vital, as elected leaders set priorities and empower city staff to implement them, ultimately delivering results for the community.

A well-structured strategic planning process benefits both city council and staff. It helps council members reconcile competing priorities, align on a shared vision and provide clear direction to city staff. It allows city managers to hear from all council members on their shared mission. The result is an aligned organization with a well-defined vision guiding operations and budget priorities.

Beyond setting goals, strategic planning establishes a framework for measuring progress. By identifying tactical steps to achieve each goal, cities can track outcomes and provide ongoing updates to the city council and community.

Terminology
To create a uniform understanding of key terms used throughout the report, the following explanations are offered:

Mission What is Bellflower ’s overarching purpose?
Goals How will Bellflower deliver on the mission?
Objectives What measurable outcomes support achieving each goal? Tactical Steps What are the actionable steps to accomplish each objective? The Mission statement serves as the guidepost to the strategic planning process, as it helps set meaningful City Council goals that are not only actionable but also reflective of the organization’s identity. Bellflower ’s mission is:
“To protect and enrich the quality of life, to make Bellflower an excellent place to live, work and play.”
Goals can be described as the 5% of initiatives that extend beyond the City’s routine services, which will continue uninterrupted. By establishing goals, the Council provides clear direction on how to allocate or bolster the City's available staff capacity, ensuring resources are focused on initiatives that drive the greatest impact for the community. - 2 -

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Strategic Planning Process
The City of Bellflower engaged Tripepi Smith to lead its strategic planning process for FY 2025-27 and beyond. The process included the following:

Following strategy calls with the City Manager and one-on-one conversations with each Bellflower City Council member, Tripepi Smith identified consolidated concerns and priorities and presented four goals at a special meeting of the City Council the City’s executive staff held on January 16, 2025. The City Council discussed and revised the proposed goals, agreeing upon five goals with revised objectives.

On February 18 and February 27, Tripepi Smith met with the City’s executive staff to discuss a work plan for each goal, as seen in the Tactical Steps columns below. The consensus around those goals and tactical steps is the basis for this report. - 3 -
Deliverable Date
Kick-Off Call with the City Manager October 23, 2024
City Council Online Questionnaire October/November
City Council One-on-One Interviews November
City Council Strategic Planning Workshop to discuss
goals and objectives January 16, 2025
Planning Session with City Staff to strategize tactical steps February 18, 2025 February 27, 2025
City Council meeting to review and adopt the Strategic Plan March 10, 2025

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
City Council Goals
Goal #1: Enhance Public Safety
Bellflower will be a safe and secure city
Objectives Tactical Steps

1.1 Strengthen partnership
between the City and
the County Sheriff.

Report bi-annually on prosecutions and Prop 36
changes, including arrest and charge numbers.

Connect Bellflower deputies and Sheriff personnel to
various community organizations (i.e. Chamber of
Commerce, Service clubs, etc.).

1.2 Improve community
education and
transparency in relation
to public safety efforts.

Conduct overarching Citywide Communications
Assessment (See Goal 2).

Coordinate and deliver timely and informative messaging of safety tips, significant arrests, code enforcement and homeless outreach efforts across the City’s
communication channels.

Provide quarterly informational public safety updates to the community.

Produce short format informational videos on public
safety efforts and public participation.

Continue to provide public safety-centered educational
events (National Night Out, etc.).

Highlight “Station Cities JPA” efforts to address regional public safety.

1.3 Encourage resident
awareness and
reporting to help them
be partners in
addressing crime,
disaster preparation
and blight issues.

Explore the use of a platform to deliver push-messaging to residents (in conjunction with a broader Citywide
communications assessment).

Assess the use or expansion of Nixle or similar service (in conjunction with a broader Citywide communications
assessment).

Distribute messaging to encourage resident participation in CERT Programs.

Encourage positive property maintenance and decoration
by expanding holiday decoration awards to include
Halloween.
- 4 -

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Consider establishment of business and residential
beautification awards to highlight positive changes.

1.4 Determine the location,
design, programming
and execution of a new
public safety building.

Include Phase 1 design of Bank of the West building as a potential safety building substation in the 2025-26 budget and begin planning for construction.

1.5 Finalize and implement
public safety
assessment
recommendations.

Establish a prioritization plan and identify funding
sources for recommendations included in the
assessment.

Bring implementation of BEAST Team to Council for
consideration.

1.6 Build a reputation
through communication
and action that
Bellflower is tougher on
crime than peer cities.

Develop a coordinated messaging plan to highlight City
and Sheriff efforts, including highlighting arrests and enforcement action.

Highlight Bellflower ’s proactive efforts (i.e. homelessness efforts, Caltrans and other agency efforts).

1.7 Develop a list of
community resources
for addressing
addiction and related
challenges and better
engage with partnership
to offer a spectrum of
solutions for crime
elements.

Identify existing community organizations, service clubs and non-profits.

Facilitate connections among community organizations,
such as Little House, Kingdom Causes and service
clubs.

Host bi-annual homeless services coordination meetings.

Foster relationships with County and other external
government resources for support.

1.8 Set a direction to tap
into Measure A funds to
support programming
that addresses
homelessness
challenges in the city.

Develop an implementation plan for Measure A Local
Solutions funding.

Actively seek funding through other aspects of Measure
A.

Develop a list of upcoming and potential housing and
homelessness projects for future applications for support through LACAHSA.

1.9 Aggressively work to
address homeless
population areas in the
City, including spaces
outside city jurisdiction
Establish dedicated homeless outreach and encampment
enforcement team modeled on the City of Norwalk’s
HOPE Team.
- 5 -

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
to reduce the homeless
population in the city.

Finalize and expand JPA (or alternative structure) with the City of Cerritos to allow for enforcement in the
riverbed area.

Solidify emergency
preparedness training
among staff, ensure a
degree of self-reliance
after a disaster and
communicate plan to
the public.

Finalize and adopt a hazard mitigation plan.

Provide training for all levels of staff on EOC and disaster service roles.

Conduct at least one annual Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) drill.

Goal #2: Increase Public Outreach, Education and
Connection
Bellflower will be an open and connected City that tells its story Objectives Tactical Steps

2.1 Explore communication
methods that reach
multi-generations with
focus on most effective
methods.

Conduct a Citywide communications assessment to
measure effectiveness of the City’s digital and hard copy communications.

2.2 Explore tools for
connecting residents to
each other and to the
City.

Produce and publish a budget brief focused on priority
funding areas.

Encourage resident and community participation in
volunteer center programs.

Highlight the work of local service clubs and community organizations.

Consider development of a resident leadership academy
to promote participation and engagement with City
efforts.

2.3 Establish
communication
channels to engage with
smaller businesses.

Expand the use of the Bludot Economic Development
Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform.

Explore a dedicated Economic Development website or
webpage, or a combination of the two.

Continue providing quarterly New Business Welcome
Packets.
- 6 -

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Reorganize Economic Development Dept. to include a
Business Relations Manager position focused on
connection to small business Citywide.

2.4 Develop a strategy to
leverage video, digital
and paper
communications to
balance reaching
across the community.

Utilize findings from the communications assessment
(see Objective 2.1).

Leverage the City’s most identified communication piece (Parks & Recreation Brochure), rebrand and grow it into a City News heavy/P&R subsection publication. Add a
fourth edition tied directly to year-end annual recap/State of the City.

2.5 Bring a unified,
consistent and
strategically chosen
voice and visual
presence to
communications across
City channels and
platforms.

Focus currently segmented communication efforts under
one division.

Establish, improve and streamline communication
systems between departments.

Leverage technology tools for scalability of
communication operations between departments, staff
and communications contractors.

2.6 Conduct
communications
assessment on
platforms and
processes.

Hire a consultant to conduct an overarching assessment
of current communications efforts and identify
opportunities for coordination and improved connections to residents.

2.7 Improve collaboration
and relationship with
school district.

Collaborate with the School District regarding Bellflower Connect.

Establish regular coordination meetings with School
District representatives.

Explore connections between the County Sheriff’s
department and local schools.

Explore partnerships for youth programming at the Oaks
Center.
- 7 -
㄰

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Goal #3: Continue Investing in a High-Performing and
Efficient Team at City Hall
Bellflower will be a City that wisely invests in its future and builds on its strengths Objectives Tactical Steps

3.1 Improve communication
and collaboration
between departments.

Host an annual off-site leadership/team-building retreat.

Continue improving employee activities.

Provide regular City Manager communications through
City scope.

Develop and consider an internal and/or external job
shadowing and cross-training program.

Re-establish City Clerk’s office training program (i.e. agenda review, records management, PRA process,
agreements).

Coordinate regular meetings between line-level
employees across departments.

Provide regular updates on City Council goals through
City scope.

3.2 Invest in technology
resources for staff.

Offer training on existing tools (i.e. Outlook, Teams,
Excel, SharePoint).

Continue and finalize the transition to digital plan
submittals and expand beyond the Building division.

Modernize the financial processes by implementing a
new resource planning system to replace the outdated
MOM system (Tyler Enterprise ERP).

Leverage SharePoint for task processing (i.e., PRAs,
agreements).

Complete Council Chamber upgrades.

Continue investment in long-term IT plan.

3.3 Modernize systems to
support resident
feedback.

Finalize the online permitting process (see 3.2).

Modernize graffiti and bulky item removal requests to
allow digital submittal and tracking.

Execute on fiber optic infrastructure into City Hall
- 8 -
ㄱ

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
through COG fiber project.

Implement new Parks & Recreation management
platform for classes, facility use permits and scheduling, point of sale systems for City Store, etc.

3.4 Invest in training and
career development for
employees.

Provide leadership training for line staff and department heads either on site or external (e.g. through CJPIA).

Provide more opportunities for front-line staff to attend professional conferences to learn from other
organizations and bring in new ideas.

Provide resources for department-level training,
recognition and team-building activities, including the part-time workforce.

Develop and implement an internal mentoring program.

Continue building partnerships with employee groups to
offer training valuable to each specific discipline.

3.5 Conduct a full
classification and
compensation study.

Allocate funds for the classification and compensation
study in FY 25-27 budget process.

3.6 Build organizational
capacity through staff
hiring and strategic
contract for services
that yield productivity
enhancements.

Consider departmental plans for capacity building as part of the budget process, and implement over time.

Finalize and bring to Council a landscape maintenance
contract to allow employees to focus on high-quality
maintenance projects.

3.7 Modernize city policies
that are ineffective or
inefficient as currently
written.

Review all administrative policies, including the outdated staff manual.

Review and update Citywide insurance requirements
and review procedures.

3.8 Implement procedures
for fielding and
following up on resident
requests in a timely
manner.

Develop an internal timely response and data tracking
policy.
- 9 -
ㄲ

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
Goal #4: Improve Quality of Life & Visual Appeal in the City Bellflower will be a City that demands high performance and excellence and sets a model for other communities
Objectives Tactical Steps

4.1 Implement the Parks
Master Plan.

Reorganize and build staffing capacity as outlined in the Master Plan.

Establish systems to identify funding sources and
actively pursue and apply for grant funding related to the Master Plan.

Work closely with the Public Works Department to
establish P&R Master Plan priorities in the CIP plan.

Develop park and facility concept designs to prepare
“shovel ready” projects as grants and property
acquisition become available.

Complete concept designs and construction documents
and begin renovation of the recreation center at Simms
Park.

Implement new youth and senior programming
coordinated with construction of the Oak Center.

Rebuild youth, adult and senior sports leagues; build
staffing capacity for implementation.

Assess other Master Plan goals to be completed within
a five-year timeline and provide, at a minimum, annual
updates to the City Council.

4.2 Improve quality of
maintenance of public
areas.

Reorganize maintenance assignments to distribute work
and focus on quality and responsibility.

Establish improved processes between Parks &
Recreation and Public Works to increase the quality of
park maintenance. Leverage technology tools as
appropriate.

Add maintenance capacity through staffing and/or
contracts to allow for focused maintenance efforts and
responsibility.

Develop quality-focused maintenance and upkeep plans
for infrastructure (i.e. parks, buildings, fountains).
- 10 -
ㄳ

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan

4.3 Raise standards of
private property
maintenance
requirements
(commercial,
multi-family and
single-family
residential)
Identify strategies to recognize positive improvements
and consistently apply penalties as a means to achieve
it.

Develop a business-specific vandalism and blight
prevention program and identify funding available for
support.

Build internal code enforcement expertise and capacity
with regular training and additional support for staffing, as discussed in the Public Safety Assessment.

Regularly communicate and reeducate staff and
community on code enforcement priorities and process.

4.4 Activate public spaces
to connect residents by
expanding community
events in non-traditional
locations.

See Objective 4.1.

Dedicate Parks & Recreation staffing division focusing
primarily on activating unsupervised parks and public
spaces with recreation programs and small special
events.

Identify specific programs to be offered in underutilized areas (i.e., Town Center Plaza).

Look at purchasing a downtown building that could be
used for traveling art shows, museums and/or pop-up
shops.

4.5 Allocate resources for
traffic safety
improvement studies.

Identify specific feasible physical improvements to
reduce speed and deter cut-through traffic in
neighborhoods.

Push for additional traffic safety enforcement through
the Sheriff or JPA. If possible, reinstate the motor
enforcement deputy.

4.6 Explore ways to attract
young families as
residents.

Coordinate with SELACO to host job fairs specific to
Bellflower industries and encourage small businesses to participate.

Review community events and focus them toward the
target markets. Consider adding new events and
replacing or reimagining as needed.

Encourage high-quality housing at all income levels and programs to encourage homeownership.

Improve connections to local schools and school
- 11 -
ㄴ

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan
districts.

Expand and promote parks & recreation programming
for young families (see Objective 4.1).

4.7 Explore strategies to
address developed and
undeveloped vacant
properties.

Re-inventory/catalog vacant properties.

Explore ways to encourage turnover or redevelopment
of open properties and discourage non-beneficial uses.

Explore ways/partnerships to encourage local small
business property ownership in the community (i.e.,
community land trust, economic development
corporation, lending partners).

Explore expanding and updating vacant commercial
property/land registration and fee.

Goal #5: Strengthen Economic Development
Objectives Tactical Steps

5.1 Continue strategic and
creative property
acquisitions.

Develop an overarching acquisition strategy.

Provide a monthly or twice-monthly review and update of available properties using Costar real estate platform.

Explore and consider establishment of an Economic
Development Corporation.

Monitor LA County Chapter 8 Tax Default Properties
available.

Consider existing and future City-owned properties for
reuse for open space and parks development, as outlined in the Parks & Recreation Master Plan.

5.2 Execute on
City-controlled property
to make impacts in the
community.

Finalize planning for recently acquired properties in
Downtown.

Finalize development of Whites Funeral Home property.

Finalize plans for Post-Office alternatives and property redevelopment.

Begin design and planning of public safety center (see
Objective 1.4).
- 12 -
ㄵ

City of Bellflower 2025-27 Strategic Plan

5.3 Explore an economic
development plan that
aligns areas in
Bellflower with focused
economic development
themes, industries and
related land use
strategy.

Solidify long-term economic development vision and draft an Economic Development specific Strategic Plan for
adoption by the Council.

Commission a study/studies of corridor-specific long-term economic and land use planning.

Reorganize and add staffing to allow focus on long-range planning.

5.4 Begin planning for
comprehensive General
Plan update.

Consider fee increase for General Plan update and set
aside supplemental funding.

Begin planning for and consider consultants to assist with a full General Plan Update in the next 4 years.

Prepare staffing and consulting capacity to manage a
project of this scale (see Objective 3.6).

5.5 Solidify vision and plan
for the future of
Downtown (more
residential units,
parking, complimentary
business types).

Review existing Downtown Vision and Strategy
documents based on the projects to date and update or
prepare new implementation documents.

Improve long-term planning capacity through contract
and/or staffing and/or reorganizing (see Objective 3.6).

Consider options for additional parking development.

5.6 Revisit cannabis policy,
licensing and industry
activity in Bellflower.

Present status updates and data to the subcommittee
and bring recommendations to Council.

5.7 Evaluate alternative
revenue sources and
land use measures.

Reevaluate obsolete land use areas and specific plans
(WASP, DFD). See objective 5.3
Advocate for modernization of State and Federal revenue sources (i.e. gas tax, sales tax, utilities user tax). and explore alternative local funding sources for voter
consideration.

Consider dedicated revenue sources for implementation
of the Parks Master Plan.
- 13 -
ㄶ

14-A

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

FROM: Tae Rhee, Finance Director/City Treasurer

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to receive and file Warrant Register No. 25-091, dated March 10, 2025.

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Section X.B of the Budget, Financial and Administrative Policies stipulates the City’s process in executing warrants for the payment of goods and services, as well as the requirement to make each warrant register a matter of public record by placing it on the City Council Agenda as a Consent Calendar item.

RECOMMENDATION

1) Receive and file Warrant Register No. 25-091; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

FISCAL IMPACT

$1,421,074.01 in expenditures.

ATTACHMENT

Warrant Register No. 25-091 .......................................................................................... 2

0F BELLFL {Cl OWGQ «It Stafteport
0 v- ROWING T001819?”

Fund No.CITY OF BELLFLOWER:
010 General Fund 710,127.76$
030 Grant Projects Fund 13,131.41
070 Measure A Fund - Parks 12,598.20
090 Agency Fund/Refundable Deposits - Private Projects 7,172.64 100 Proposition A Fund - Transportation 76,280.22
125 Measure R Fund - Transportation / Streets 4,008.05
135 Proposition C Fund - Transportation / Streets 2,742.22 320 Measure W Fund - Water 46,972.34
510 Economic Development Fund 10,220.66
530 IT/Equipment Replacement Fund 6,057.49
600 Building and Safety Fund 93,472.50
730 Debt Service Fund - 2021 Pension Obligation Bonds 153,671.58 900 Community Development Block Grant Fund 438.22
910 HOME Fund 100.00
Total Accounts Payable 1,136,993.29
Payroll Check/ACH Payments (Pay Period Ending 02/21/25) 284,080.72

Total Expenditures - City 1,421,074.01$

WARRANT REGISTER FUND SUMMARY

CITY OF BELLFLOWER
(Warrant Register No. 25-091 Dated March 10, 2025)
https://bellflowergcc.sharepoint.com/sites/fin/Shared Documents/Warrant Registers/Warrant Register Cover Page Template

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 001 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: 20434 (20434 SOUTH SANTA FE AVENUE, LLC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: ALL12 (ALL CITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: AMA01 (AMAZON CAPITAL SERVICES)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: AYA02 (ANTHONY AYALA)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BEL02 (BELLFLOWER-SOMERSET MUTUAL WATER COMPANY)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 002 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BEL02 (BELLFLOWER-SOMERSET MUTUAL WATER COMPANY) ..Continue..

62.00 010 43212 3900 12/16/24-01/16/25 RECLAIMED WATER ------------
Vendor's Total = 9147.99
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BEL03 (BELLFLOWER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BIR02 (CHRISTINA JOY PADILLA BIRKEY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BIS01 (BISHOP COMPANY)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 003 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BNY01 (THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BSN01 (VARSITY BRANDS HOLDING CO., INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BUR01 (BURKE,WILLIAMS & SORENSEN, LLP)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BUT03 (BUTLER CHEMICALS, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: BYM01 (GERRIT J. BYMA)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 004 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CAL58 (CA. ASSOC OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS)

5.04 900 43020 4152 3/4/25 CACEO WEBINAR/SOCIAL MEDIA 200032967 XXXXXX 02/26/25 46.44 010 43020 4105 04/09/25 CACEO WEBINAR/"WITNESS STAND"

7.56 900 43020 4152 04/09/25 CACEO WEBINAR/"WITNESS STAND" 200032970 XXXXXX 02/26/25 30.96 010 43020 4105 5/7/25 WEBINAR/"UNDERCOVER SOCIAL MEDIA"

5.04 900 43020 4152 5/7/25 WEBINAR/"UNDERCOVER SOCIAL MEDIA" 200032971 XXXXXX 02/26/25 51.60 010 43020 4105 05/22/25 CACEO WEBINAR/"DE-ESCALATION"

8.40 900 43020 4152 05/22/25 CACEO WEBINAR/"DE-ESCALATION" 200032972 XXXXXX 02/26/25 51.60 010 43020 4105 7/9/25 CACEO WEBINAR/CRITICAL THINKING

8.40 900 43020 4152 7/9/25 CACEO WEBINAR/CRITICAL THINKING 200032973 XXXXXX 02/26/25 51.60 010 43020 4105 7/17/25 WEBINAR/"INTERACTING W/HOMELESS"

8.40 900 43020 4152 7/17/25 WEBINAR/"INTERACTING W/HOMELESS" 200032974 XXXXXX 02/26/25 51.60 010 43020 4105 8/13/25 CACEO WEBINAR/MAINTAIN CIVILITY

8.40 900 43020 4152 8/13/25 CACEO WEBINAR/MAINTAIN CIVILITY 200032976 XXXXXX 02/26/25 51.60 010 43020 4105 12/3/25 CACEO WEBINAR/MEETINGS

8.40 900 43020 4152 12/3/25 CACEO WEBINAR/MEETINGS ------------
Vendor's Total = 426.00
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CAL63 (CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE & DESIGN, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CBE01 (SEMA INC. DBA CBE OFFICE SOLUTIONS)

78.20 010 43100 2000 01/05/25-02/04/25 COPIES/PUBLIC SAFETY 210.16 010 43100 8000 01/05/25-02/04/25 COPIES/CITY HALL/1ST FLOOR 408.60 010 43100 8000 01/05/25-02/04/25 COPIES/CITY HALL/2ND FLOOR

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 005 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CBE01 (SEMA INC. DBA CBE OFFICE SOLUTIONS) ..Continue..

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CHI07 (CHICAGO TITLE COMPANY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: COR01 (CORBIN WILLITS SYSTEMS, INC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: COR15 (CORODATA MEDIA STORAGE INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: COR16 (CORODATA RECORDS MANAGEMENT INC.)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 006 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: COS00 (COSTAR REALTY INFORMATION, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: COU08 (LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CRA05 (MICHELE L. CRAVENS-WORLEY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: CRA06 (CRAFTWATER ENGINEERING, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: DEL04 (DELPHIN COMPUTER SUPPLY)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 007 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: DEL20 (DELL MARKETING L.P. C/O DELL USA L.P.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: DEP05 (DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: DOW07 (CITY OF DOWNEY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: DUD01 (DUDEK )

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: EMP05 (EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 008 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: FCG01 (FCG CONSULTANTS INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: FER05 (FERGUSON ENTERPRISES, LLC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: FRO07 (FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GAN00 (GANAHL LUMBER COMPANY)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 009 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GAR00 (MARCOS MEDINA GARCIA)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GAT10 (GATEWAY WATER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GER01 (DANDY GERZON DE PAULA)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GLA01 (GLASBY MAINTENANCE SUPPLY)

85.00 010 46020 3900 JANITORIAL SUPPLIES
349281A XXXXXX 02/26/25 517.61 125 46000 3910 DOG BAGS 349399A XXXXXX 02/26/25 1218.79 010 46011 3900 JANITORIAL SUPPLIES

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 010 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GLA01 (GLASBY MAINTENANCE SUPPLY) ..Continue..

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: GOL01 (GOLDEN WEST PIPE & SUPPLY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: H&H02 (H & H NURSERY, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: HAA01 (MITCHEL L. HAACK)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: HAS03 (HASA INC)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 011 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: HAS03 (HASA INC) ..Continue..

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: HDL03 (HDL SOFTWARE LLC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: HOM01 (HOME DEPOT)

50.31 010 46000 8010 TSS 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 763.44 010 46010 3900 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 281.15 010 46011 3900 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 342.43 010 46012 3900 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 305.96 010 46020 3900 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 312.39 010 46023 3900 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT

49.17 010 46029 3900 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT

66.08 010 46300 3100 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 324.67 125 46000 3910 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT 110.03 900 43100 5022 01/25 BVC SUPPLIES/STORAGE TOTES(10)HOME DEPOT -42.04 010 43100 3900 01/25 PW SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT/EARLY PAY DISCOUNT

21.05 010 46000 8010 TSS 01/25 PUBLIC WORKS SUPPLIES/HOME DEPOT ------------
Vendor's Total = 4426.32
------------

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 012 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: ICE01 (REFRIGERATION CONTRACTING & MAINT INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: INT15 (MIKE CABRERA CORPORATION)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: IRS02 (INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: JAI01 (JOSE JAIME)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 013 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: JHM01 (JHM SUPPLY, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: JIM06 (ROCIO JIMENEZ-SANCHEZ)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: LON02 (CITY OF LONG BEACH)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: LOS01 (LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 014 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: LOS29 (LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAFER ESCROW ACCOUNT)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: LOS50 (LOS CERRITOS COMMUNITY NEWS)

---- WARRANT ----- --------------------------------------- DISTRIBUTION --------------------------------------- Invoice No Number Date Amount Paid G/L Account No Ctr Description ---------- ------ -------- ------------ -------------- --- -------------------------------------------------- 37336 XXXXXX 02/20/25 498.88 010 43000 1200 LEGAL AD/PUB.NTC.ORDINANCE #1437/PUB.01/31/25 37337 XXXXXX 02/20/25 584.63 010 43000 1200 LEGAL AD/PUB.NTC.ORDINANCE #1438/PUB.01/31/25 37338 XXXXXX 02/20/25 452.11 010 43000 1200 LEGAL AD/PUB.NTC.ORDINANCE #1439/PUB.01/31/25 37339 XXXXXX 02/20/25 576.83 010 43000 3000 LEGAL AD/PUB.NTC.ORDINANCE #1440/PUB.01/31/25 37340 XXXXXX 02/20/25 514.47 010 43000 3000 LEGAL AD/PUB.NTC.ORDINANCE #1441/PUB.01/31/25 ------------
Vendor's Total = 2626.92
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: MEN06 (WILLIAM J MENDES)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: MOS01 (MOSS, LEVY & HARTZHEIM, LLP)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 015 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: MOT05 (MARIAH MARIE MOTT)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: NOR16 (BARBARA NORBUT)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: ONG01 (OSCAR NERI)

16.54 010 43100 1030 NAME PLATE/COMMISSIONER MOTT (QTY 1) 10739u XXXXXX 02/24/25 -27.56 010 43100 5010 Check Reversed ------------
Vendor's Total = 496.13
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: PAR00 (SOPHIA PARTIDA)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 016 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: PERS0 (PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM)

0.01 010 43524 3900 ROUNDING ADJ
------------
Vendor's Total = 60267.69
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: PRE26 (PRETTY SMART)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: PRO16 (PRO PARK, LLC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: QUA07 (QUADIENT, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: RES05 (R.E. SCHULTZ CONSTRUCTION, INC.)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 017 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: ROB00 (ROBERT HALF INTERNATIONAL INC.)

---- WARRANT ----- --------------------------------------- DISTRIBUTION --------------------------------------- Invoice No Number Date Amount Paid G/L Account No Ctr Description ---------- ------ -------- ------------ -------------- --- -------------------------------------------------- 64537152 XXXXXX 02/26/25 1033.41 010 42054 4100 ON-CALL TEMPORARY STAFFING SVC/PLAN'G/WK.01/10/25 64565118 XXXXXX 02/26/25 843.60 010 42054 4100 ON-CALL TEMPORARY STAFFING SVC/PLAN'G/WK.01/17/25 64574868 XXXXXX 02/26/25 822.51 010 42054 4100 ON-CALL TEMPORARY STAFFING SVC/PLAN'G/WK.01/24/25 64599697 XXXXXX 02/26/25 843.60 010 42054 4100 ON-CALL TEMPORARY STAFFING SVC/PLAN'G/WK.01/31/25 64637641 XXXXXX 02/26/25 1159.95 010 42054 4100 ON-CALL TEMPORARY STAFFING SVC/PLAN'G/WK.02/07/25 64651195 XXXXXX 02/26/25 843.60 010 42054 4100 ON-CALL TEMPORARY STAFFING SVC/PLAN'G/WK.02/14/25 ------------
Vendor's Total = 5546.67
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: ROM02 (MARGARET ROMERO)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: ROM03 (ROMO PLANNING GROUP, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SAN36 (SONNY R. SANTA INES)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 018 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SEA04 (SEA-CLEAR POOLS,INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SEA06 (MEISTER SEALCOAT & SUPPLIES LLC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SMA02 (SMART & FINAL)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SOS02 (HECTOR SOSA)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SOU01 (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 019 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SOU01 (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON) ..Continue..

---- WARRANT ----- --------------------------------------- DISTRIBUTION --------------------------------------- Invoice No Number Date Amount Paid G/L Account No Ctr Description ---------- ------ -------- ------------ -------------- --- -------------------------------------------------- B250211H XXXXXX 02/11/25 240.55 125 43210 3910 01/25 ELECTRIC B250212H XXXXXX 02/12/25 42.44 010 43210 3100 01/25 ELECTRIC B250218H XXXXXX 02/18/25 55.90 010 43210 3100 01/25 ELECTRIC 13417.10 010 43210 3900 01/25 ELECTRIC
B250220H XXXXXX 02/20/25 63.13 010 43210 3100 01/25 ELECTRIC 624.18 010 43210 3900 01/25 ELECTRIC
25405.87 010 43210 8000 01/25 ELECTRIC
3558.09 100 43210 3560 01/25 ELECTRIC
2487.43 010 43210 8010 TSS 01/25 ELECTRIC
250220ECFH XXXXXX 02/20/25 4765.63 010 43210 3900 ECF 01/25 ELECTRIC/THE MAYNE EVENTS CENTER ------------
Vendor's Total = 50992.82
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SOU68 (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SECURITY CENTER, INC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SOU70 (SOUTHWEST PATROL, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: SWA02 (SWARCO MCCAIN, INC.)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 020 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TAY06 (TAYLOR'S LOCK & KEY)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TEC05 (TECHNICOLOR PRINTING)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TIT01 (TITAN ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TPX01 (U.S. TELEPACIFIC CORPORATION)

---- WARRANT ----- --------------------------------------- DISTRIBUTION --------------------------------------- Invoice No Number Date Amount Paid G/L Account No Ctr Description ---------- ------ -------- ------------ -------------- --- -------------------------------------------------- B250209H XXXXXX 02/19/25 361.43 010 43300 5012 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/CARUTHERS PARK 264.79 010 43300 5011 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/THOMPSON PARK 264.77 010 43300 5013 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/AQUATIC CENTER 495.39 010 43300 8000 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/CITY HALL 1686.22 135 43300 3610 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/CITY HALL/INTERNET 218.64 010 43300 5000 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/SIMMS PARK 218.62 010 43300 5010 02/09/25-03/08/25 TELECOM/SIMMS PARK

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 021 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TPX01 (U.S. TELEPACIFIC CORPORATION) ..Continue..

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TRA16 (TRANSDEV FLEET SERVICES, INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TRE01 (RENE JAVIER TREVINO)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: TRI08 (TRIPEPI, SMITH & ASSOCIATES)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 022 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: UND01 (UNDERGROUND SERVICE ALERT OF SOUTHERN CA)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: VOY01 (VOYAGER FLEET SYSTEMS INC)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: VOY02 (VOYA RETIREMENT INS & ANNUITY CO - 457)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: VOY03 (VOYA RETIREMENT INS & ANNUITY CO - 401a)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 023 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: VOY04 (VOYA RETIREMENT INS & ANNUITY - 457 ROTH)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: WIL01 (WILLDAN ENGINEERING)

---- WARRANT ----- --------------------------------------- DISTRIBUTION --------------------------------------- Invoice No Number Date Amount Paid G/L Account No Ctr Description ---------- ------ -------- ------------ -------------- --- -------------------------------------------------- 00234027 XXXXXX 02/27/25 93472.50 600 42072 4120 12/24 BUILDING SERVICES 00421089 XXXXXX 02/27/25 1024.00 030 47148 9000 047 11/24 ON-CALL CONST.MGMT.,INSP.SVC/TS LKWD/ALONDRA 00421090 XXXXXX 02/27/25 1056.00 135 47148 9000 044 11/24 ON-CALL CONST.MGMT.,INSP.SVC/(4)TS LAKEWOOD 00421262 XXXXXX 02/27/25 10240.00 030 47148 9000 047 12/24 ON-CALL CONST.MGMT.,INSP.SVC/TS LKWD/ALONDRA ------------
Vendor's Total = 105792.50
------------

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: WIL25 (ROBERT WILSON)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: WOO04 (JEFFREY T. WOOD)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 024 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: YAT02 (VERONICA YATES)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \AL60 (ANITA VALERIE ALATORRE)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \BRE1 (GUY BREMER)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \BUI1 (BUILT RITE FENCE COMPANY,INC.)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \FED4 (FEDEX )

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 025 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \FIE0 (PATRICIA FIERRO)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \GR59 (GRINDATHON ATHLETICS)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \ING1 (JOHN INGRAM)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \LAC8 (PATRICIA LA COMMARE-PELZ)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \MAX0 (MAXIMUM PROPERTIES INC.)

REPORT.: 03/04/25 City of Bellflower PAGE: 026 RUN....: 03/04/25 Cash Disbursement Report by Vendor ID #: PYVP Run By.: Deserie Stanley CTL.: BEL

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \MYE0 (GEORGE LARRY MYERS)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \OLM4 (BRENDA OLMOS)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \SAI0 (SAINT JOHN BOSCO HIGH SCHOOL)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \ST05 (JUSTIN STARK)

....................................................................................................................................

VENDOR.: \TEA0 (TEAM GK GLASS TINTING)

Report's Grand Total = 1136993.29
============

14-B
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

FROM: Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of January 28, 2025, Special Meeting of the City Council.

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

None

RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

1) Approve the January 28, 2025, Special Meeting Minutes; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

FISCAL IMPACT

None

ATTACHMENT

Minutes of the January 28, 2025, Special Meeting… .................. ………………………… 2

1 o“ 01: BELLFLO
“ s a
"o ROWING TOGETk‘YFS t f t

MINUTES

CITY OF BELLFLOWER

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BELLFLOWER CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2025, 10:00 A.M.

BELLFLOWER CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS

1 Call to Order

Mayor Dunton called the Joint Special Meeting to order at 10:09 a.m. in the Council Chambers at Bellflower City Hall, 16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower.

2 Roll Call

For the record, the following members of the City Council responded present to roll call:

Mayor Ray Dunton
Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Wendi Morse
Council Member Victor A. Sanchez

Staff Participants:

Ryan Smoot, City Manager
Karl H. Berger, City Attorney
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
Len Gorecki, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Wangsu Lee, Interim Senior Management Analyst
Brian McNerney, Interim Director of Public Safety
Jennifer Russell, Management Assistant

3 PUBLIC COMMENTS

There was no one in attendance wishing to provide public comments.

4 CONSIDERATION ITEMS

A Consideration and possible action to receive an update regarding the current operations and cost of the New Hope Shelter including, without limitation, costs associated with acquiring the Shelter in accordance with Resolution No. 24-15.

City Manager Smoot introduced the item.

Page 1 of 11 ends

2 OF BELLFL CS“ 0%
I. (I 0 $- ROMNO Mme

Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 4 January 28, 2025 Page 2 of 11

4 CONSIDERATION ITEMS – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to receive an update regarding the current operations and cost of the New Hope Shelter – Continued

For the record, at the request of Mayor Dunton relative to a potential conflict of interest for Council Member Koops, 1) City Clerk Ochiqui stated that the potential conflict of interest for Council Member Koops involved property within 500 to 1,000 feet and the need for recusal depended on the specific actions to be taken on the matter; and 2) City Attorney Berger stated that property within 500 to 1,000 feet radius from the subject property had seven triggering factors that would cause recusal and absent an opinion from the FPPC, the initial reaction was that any decisions made by the City Council could have an effect on the economic or zoning aspects of the area, as well as parking and traffic , and therefore his suggestion was that Council Member Koops recuse on the matter.

For the record, Council Member Koops 1) announced that he would recuse on this item due to a conflict of interest, as he owns property within 1,000 feet of the subject property; and 2) left the dais and Council Chambers at 10:13 a.m.

City Attorney Berger 1) gave a verbal presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) along with City Manager Smoot, responded to Council Members’ questions.

Lengthy discussion ensued among the City Council, City Attorney Berger, and City Manager Smoot.

At the request of Mayor Dunton, City Attorney Berger explained that 1) the Martin v. Boise case (“Boise Case”) was overturned by the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson et al (“Grants Pass”) decision, making the reasons for the 2019 consent decree no longer relevant; 2) the City can now enforce its anti-nuisance and anti-loitering ordinances and other applicable regulations; 3) the Grants Pass ruling removes the Ninth Circuit's requirement to show available shelter beds for enforcement, allowing the City to enforce regulations without a shelter; 4) the key policy question is whether to continue operating the costly shelter or wind it down, given its legal liabilities; 5) the court order based on the Boise Case is no longer applicable; and 6) depending on the Council's decision, there are various policy, fiscal, and legal steps to consider.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines relative to the impact to the City’s vendors if the shelter operations ceased, City Attorney Berger outlined that 1) the City is on a month-to-month lease, noting that it expired last year, rental payments have been rejected due to eminent domain proceedings, and the lease can be terminated with 30-days’ notice; 3) the termination clause in the Mercy House operations agreement is favorable to the City and only requires the vendor be notified to end operations; 4) the real issue is the human issue, such as possible relocation of individuals currently in the shelter; 5) additional issues include rescinding the specialized overlay Court Enforced Neutral Tenancy Zone ("CENTZ"), reverting the area back to light industrial zone, and deciding what to do about the tenant improvements made at the City’s expense; 6) these are policy decisions for the City Council, each with its own consequences and costs; and 7) there is also financial consideration, as the City would save on operational costs and could recover the $2 million deposit made for property acquisition. 3 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 4 January 28, 2025 Page 3 of 11

4 CONSIDERATION ITEMS – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to receive an update regarding the current operations and cost of the New Hope Shelter – Continued

At the request of Council Member Sanchez, City Attorney Berger 1) explained that there are no specific relocation requirements if the shelter shuts down suddenly, meaning individuals would likely be displaced; and 2) emphasized that this is a policy decision for the City Council, which is why he highlighted the human factor involved.

Council Member Sanchez 1) stated that he hoped the property owners would acknowledge the City’s efforts and work with them to find a financial solution, enabling the City to continue acquiring the property and operating the shelter, which he viewed as a great success; 2) highlighted the shelter as one of the City's major achievements, positioning Bellflower as a regional leader and noted that the City was one of only two cities to successfully manage such a project; and 3) recommended tabling the discussion to revisit it with more thoroughly considered options.

Mayor Dunton suggested that 1) the issue be sent back to the City Manager to collaborate with two Council Members to ensure compliance with the Brown Act, and then come back to the City Council with ideas; 2) he pointed out that the original intent of the homeless shelter, as part of the friendly lawsuit, was to provide temporary housing to help move people on, but most individuals have stayed for over a year, with few beds being freed up, which undermines the concept of a temporary shelter; and 3) noted that if this trend continues, he would like to see ideas on how to rotate individuals through the shelter more quickly.

Following discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council (Koops recused) to refer the matter back to the City Manager to work with two Council Members and come back to the full Council with ideas and options for further consideration.

Council Member Sanchez 1) stated that he believes the Mayor is addressing the larger issue of the supply problem; 2) noted that voters passed Measure A in November, indicating a clear desire to increase housing supply in the region, with the shelter being part of this issue; 3) acknowledged that the system is clogged, which led to the creation of the shelter, although he was not on the City Council when the decision was made; and 4) agreed that there are issues within the system that need resolution and emphasized the importance of having these conversations.

Mayor Dunton expressed the opinion that the lack of mental health support is a significant issue, noting that while the shelter provides mental health help, public perception is influenced by individuals often seen by residents on their way to and from work, especially in other cities.

4 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 4 January 28, 2025 Page 4 of 11

4 CONSIDERATION ITEMS – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to receive an update regarding the current operations and cost of the New Hope Shelter – Continued

For the record, Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines suggested that if the shelter operations are continued, then staff should look into different funding sources to fund the shelter operations, expressing the opinion that paying for the shelter out of the General Fund amounts to double taxation of residents as they are already being taxed for homeless services at the County level through Measure H, noting that the County collects $3 million annually from Bellflower, but only disperses $500,000 back to the City.

Following discussion, at the request of City Attorney Berger, Mayor Dunton and City Manager Smoot confirmed that the matter can come back to the City Council in 60 days to allow the City Attorney time to contact the FPPC for formal advice regarding Council Member Koops’s participation in future consideration of this matter.

For the record, there was no formal action taken on this item.

For the record, Council Member Koops returned to the Council Chambers and dais at 10:28 a.m.

5 STUDY SESSION

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations.

City Manager Smoot introduced the item , noting that it was the result of long-standing research conducted by Interim Director of Public Safety McNerney and Consultant Phil Marquez of PM Law Enforcement Services LLC.

Interim Director McNerney 1) gave a PowerPoint presentation of the Staff Report; 2) responded to Council Members’ questions, along with City Manager Smoot, City Attorney Berger, Captain Holguin, and Consultant Marquez; and 3) introduced Sergeant Ferguson to provide a breakdown of 2024 crime statistics.

Sergeant Ferguson 1) stated that for 2024, the overall Part One crime total showed a slight 0.67% increase, though an alternate data set indicated a 1% decrease in crime; 2) clarified that Part One crimes include serious offenses like homicide, rape, robbery, auto theft, arson, larceny, burglary, and aggravated assaults; 3) highlighted several trends, including an 11% decrease in Grand Theft Auto, though it remained a high number of incidents; 4) stated that arson saw a sharp increase, but this was due to only two additional incidents; 5) reported that larceny, especially petty theft and stealing from vehicles, rose by 12%, a trend likely more noticeable to residents; and 6) stated that while robbery showed no overall change, there was a 21% decrease in robberies between June and December, suggesting that crime surges may have been linked to the arrests of individuals committing crimes in specific locations.
5 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 5 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

Consultant Marquez 1) introduced himself to the City Council as a retired captain with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) with over 30 years of experience; 2) clarified that under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) there are eight types of calls for service that the City is not charged for, such as incidents involving a man with a gun, homicides, missing persons, and stolen vehicles ; and 3) noted that the “Sky Knight” helicopter program has always been very responsive to calls and emphasized that it has been a valuable resource for deputies in the field.

Following discussion relative to helicopter services, City Manager Smoot confirmed that staff can look into the cost of the Sky Knight Program to see if anything has changed since the City decided to end these services back in 2010.

Recess: For the record and without objection, Mayor Dunton recessed the meeting at 11:26 a.m. for a brief break.

Reconvene: For the record, Mayor Dunton reconvened the meeting at 11:32 p.m., with all Council Members present.

Following discussion relative to vehicle trackers and route heat maps, and at the request of Council Member Sanchez, Interim Director McNerney confirmed that will request an audit of how the Southwest Patrol security officers spend their time.

Following discussion relative to supervision of the Southwest Patrol security officers, Mayor Dunton suggested perhaps clarifying the need or ability for there to be a lead supervisor assigned to the Bellflower substation.

At the request of Council Member Sanchez, LASD Captain Holguin 1) stated that the LASD is well aware of Southwest Patrol’s tasks and job description; 2) acknowledged that there may be times when Southwest Patrol offers assistance for tasks that are not part of their job , such as for traffic control, but the LASD will accept their support; 3) emphasized that the relationship between the LASD and Southwest Patrol has been built over time and, from his experience, they have handled many calls independently, noting that the LASD rarely receives requests from them for assistance; and 4) expressed the opinion that Southwest Patrol assists the Deputies by helping to free up their time for other duties.

Following discussion relative to direction given to Southwest Patrol security officers’ presence or continued presence after LASD have arrived on scene, Council Member Sanchez suggested the City implement standard policies to provide more clear and consistent direction to Southwest Patrol security officers and avoid possible liability issues.

6 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 6 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

City Manager Smoot shared that the City of Norwalk uses a model called the "HOPE Team" (Homeless Operation Prevention and Engagement Team), a dedicated crew consisting of Public Works staff, Public Safety staff, and potentially private patrol, 1) noting that the benefit is that it prevents pulling resources from other important tasks and ensures the specific team is focused solely on these specific services; and 2) suggesting that this approach may be something the City can consider to address some of the current ancillary challenges experienced here, such as staff capacity and the shifting of staff resources.

At the request of Council Member Koops and Mayor Dunton, 1) Interim Director McNerney and City Manager Smoot clarified that the report’s recommendation was to authorize funds for two additional shifts, not two additional security officers; and 2) Interim Director McNerney stated that he would provide the City Council with the guards’ schedules and working hours in the biweekly report to provide the City Council with clarification and the muscle memory on that particular subject.

Interim Public Safety Director McNerney 1) confirmed that the Station Cities Public Safety Authority JPA was approved last November and the implementation process is underway; 2) highlighted that the City was part of the SAGE Program for many years (now established as the Community Prosecutor Program (CPP)), allowing the City to work with a Los Angeles County District Attorney to address gang, drug, and quality of life issues once City and LASD resources were exhausted, but the City eliminated the program a few years ago due to financial concerns; and 3) noted that the cities of Paramount and Lakewood continue to experience success with the program and recommended considering the reintroduction of the resource for the Station Cities Safety Authority JPA as it is a valuable tool identified through this assessment.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, Council Member Sanchez stated that the City Attorney’s Office replaced the prosecutorial functions of the former SAGE Program.

For the record, City Attorney Berger 1) clarified that the City Attorney’s Office does not actively solicit cases, but rather cases need to be referred to his office for handling, noting that they completed cases that were started by the District Attorney’s Office; 2) stated that while legal tools are available, actions are limited to cases that come through the proper channels and while the City Attorney’s Office can pursue nuisance abatements and other actions, the judicial process takes time, as decisions are made by the court; 4) clarified that Deputies do not directly contact the City Attorney’s Office due to the culture in the LASD, which is part of ongoing discussions about increasing local control; 5) expressed the opinion that he did not see the value in the City spending $250,000 to $300,000 on services he did not see the City receiving from the District Attorney’s Office; and 6) expressed hope that the new District Attorney may bring positive changes in the County’s approach to local jurisdictions.

7 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 7 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

Following lengthy discussion between the City Council, City Attorney Berger, City Manager Smoot, Captain Holguin, and Interim Director McNerney relative to the City Attorney’s Office taking over the tasks related to the former SAGE program out of the District Attorney’s Office, 1) Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines requested a plan of action be developed out of the City Manager’s Office on how to make the c ase referral procedures better; 2) Council Member Sanchez requested staff come back with a proposal on how to correct the communication issues relative to case referrals; and 3) City Manager Smoot confirmed that the City Attorney has been set up to prosecute misdemeanors and staff will develop and bring the matter back as a dedicated process with associated cost.

Council Member Sanchez proposed relocating the substation to a station similar to the one located in the City of Paramount to improve organizational culture, enhance communication, and increase collaboration between agencies, which will lead to better overall effectiveness.

Following brief discussion, and without objection, Mayor Dunton suggested this part of the discussion relative to the relocation of the substation be tabled for future consideration and focus on the communication between the LASD and City Attorney’s Office relative to identifying cases to prosecute.

Interim Public Safety Director McNerney 1) provided an update on animal control efforts in response to the City Council’s request from the November 25, 2024 meeting, noting that staff is exploring alternative options, including a) contracting with the City of Lawndale, which has proposed a contract rate of around $550,000, covering a 40-hours per week animal control officer; b) internal options, with initial estimates ranging from $900,000 to $1 million, excluding staffing costs for officers, administrative staff, and supervisors; and c) operating a City-owned shelter, which would significantly increase costs, potentially running into the millions due to staffing and facility construction; and 2) recommended the City continue exploring contracting options with the City of Lawndale for animal control services, as internal options are far more expensive.

At the request of Council Member Koops, Fred Taylor, resident, confirmed that he recently paid $50 to SEACCA to dispose of his deceased dog.

At the request of Council Member Koops, who noted that residents may continue to go to SEACCA for services, Interim Director McNerney stated that residents would likely not be turned away if the City is not under contract with SEACCA, but rather they would charge them an appropriate fee for the services rendered.

8 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 8 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

Following discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council to continue to pursue the possibility of animal services proposed by the City of Lawndale and bring more information back to the City Council relative to costs and services included in those costs.

Council Member Sanchez 1) noted the absence of an item regarding speed readers and speed cameras, which he believes should be considered; 2) explained that the Contract Cities Association, which the City is part of, is focused on local control and advocating for changes to allow more cities to use speed cameras, as only four or five cities currently have exemptions; 3) expressed hope that, during the current legislative year, an amendment would be pass ed to expand the use of speed cameras and speed readers; and 4) suggested staff look into this issue in anticipation of a potential amendment to the law to improve safety at local intersections.

Discussion ensued relative to establishing a "HOPE Team," similar to Norwalk's Homeless Operation Prevention and Engagement Team (HOPE).

Interim Director McNerney 1) recommended that the City consider establishing such a team to address homelessness and encampments more efficiently, noting that a similar team for Bellflower would be comprised of a community service officer, Southwest Patrol personnel, and part-time maintenance workers, to provide proactive encampment cleanups and outreach services; and 2) emphasized that this approach would allow for a more timely and effective response, while maintaining resources for other City functions.

City Manager Smoot 1) added that the City of Norwalk's model differs from Bellflower's, as Norwalk has an entire social services department, which plays a key role in their HOPE Team's efforts by coordinating outreach and service efforts to connect individuals with other agencies; and 2) clarified that Bellflower’s approach is more focused on cleaning up problematic encampment areas, especially where outreach and services have been offered, but rejected, leading to public health and safety concerns.

Mayor Dunton emphasized the need for a follow -up team after encampments are cleared to prevent them from returning and suggesting a team regularly monitor recently-cleared sites, whether by driving by or walking the area frequently for a short period of time, until the encampments stop returning to the areas.

9 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 9 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

Interim Director McNerney completed his presentation and introduced Consultant Marquez to present his report to the City Council.

Recess: For the record and without objection, Mayor Dunton recessed the meeting at 12:54 p.m. for a brief break.

Reconvene: For the record, Mayor Dunton reconvened the meeting at 1:01 p.m., with all Council Members present.

Consultant Marquez 1) provided an overview of his 6-Month Public Safety Review Report to the City Council; and 2) responded to Council Members’ questions along with Interim Director McNerney, City Manager Smoot, and Captain Holguin.

At the request of Mayor Dunton, Consultant Marquez 1) stated that he was present when the Paramount station was built and believed the selected building (former US Bank building on Alondra Boulevard) could be expanded to resemble the Paramount station location, with locker rooms, front desk, weight room, and report writing room; 2) emphasized that Deputies would be able to respond from there, park their cars, and go on duty from that location, although it would not function as a dispatch center; and 3) suggested the entry and exit for staff be behind a gated area for added security.

Council Member Sanchez 1) expressed the opinion that the former bank location was much more viable than the Simms Park location initially discussed and expressed support for making the shift, as he thought it would help improve the culture; and 2) suggested the possibility of having a housing developer build housing on top of the new Public Safety station, with a separate access and entrance, and that the costs may be fully covered through development impact fees.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, Interim Director McNerney 1) stated that he was asked to do an assessment of two locations, one being the former bank building and the other being the Chamber of Commerce building; and 2) explained that, in his professional opinion, he believed the bank property was quite possibly the best solution for meeting their needs and moving forward.

Following discussion relative to the relocation of the substation to the former bank property on Bellflower Boulevard and Alondra Boulevard, City Manager Smoot confirmed that, given the City Council’s interest, staff would move forward with obtaining a design and price for the project.

10 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 10 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

Council Member Sanchez 1) stated that he noted the absence of traffic safety and calming measures, expressing a desire to address these issues at the next City Council meeting or within 30 days, as this was a key public safety issue and a high priority for residents based on the recent survey; and 2) referred to the list of “Areas for Improvement” on page 21 of the staff report, stating his preferences on each point as follows: a) supported exploring filling the vacant Public Safety Manager position and its costs; b) was open to Mr. McNerney serving as Director of Public Safety; c) was open to the Graffiti Tracker Program; d) was not in favor of the Sky Knight Helicopter Program, acknowledging residents’ concerns and felt more consideration was needed before he could support it; e) was open to a trial of the Shot Spotter Technology; f) expressed interest in learning more about the Netwatch Camera Technology and costs; g) was in favor of partnering with the SHARP Mental Health Clinic program since it was free; h) was not interested in exploring the CPP program at this time and would rather prioritizing matters with the City Attorney’s Office; and i) noted that the substation relocation had already been discussed.

For the record, Council Member Sanchez stated that he had another commitment to attend and left the dais and the Council Chambers at 2:00 p.m.

Council Member Morse expressed a desire to learn more about the Graffiti Tracker Program and the Netwatch Camera Technology, stating that she liked the ideas, but wanted to better understand the costs and other details.

Council Member Koops 1) stated that he wanted to ensure Interim Director McNerney felt welcomed and emphasized that relocating the Bellflower Substation was inevitable, as the current building was insufficient; 2) expressed the opinion that the CPP needed to be reinstated, as he thought its absence contributed to increases in some of the crime statistics; 3) expressed support for both Netwatch Camera Technology and Shot Spotter Technology; 4) agreed with moving forward with the Graffiti Tracker Program; 5) was in favor of exploring a Code Enforcement Inspector position, but expressed caution about the budget; and 6) expressed the opinion that more discussion was needed regarding the Sky Knight Program.

Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines 1) stated that he agreed with all the recommendations from Consultant Marquez, but emphasized the importance of the CPP Program, requesting it be evaluated in conjunction with the City Attorney's Office to produce a recommendation for prosecution services, as the bottom line is that those services are needed; 2) expressed support for pursuing animal control services from the City of Lawndale; 3) requested staff explore structuring a “HOPE” team; 4) for the sake of efficiency and synergy, suggested staff look into combining the added part-time positions to possibly result in two full-time positions and less supervision; and 5) encouraged and expected staff to bring forward Bellflower Municipal Code modifications relative to more forceful enforcement. 11 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5 January 28, 2025 Page 11 of 11

5 STUDY SESSION – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to provide direction to the City Manager regarding Public Safety Department operations – Continued

Mayor Dunton expressed general agreement, 1) mentioned he previously suggested the possibility of a neighborhood app working with the Graffiti Tracker and requested staff look into that and the associated costs; 2) agreed with Council Member Koops that the Sky Knight Program needs further discussion; 3) expressed support for the Shot Spotter Technology and the Netwatch Camera Technology, noting that cameras purchased for the City parks were not in use; 4) reiterated the importance of relocating the Bellflower Substation, noting it had been a topic of discussion for the past six to seven years; 5) expressed a desire for the City Attorney to act as the prosecuting agent , but emphasized the need to red-flag problems and work on continuity to get issues to the City Attorney , who appears ready and willing to prosecute cases; 7) agreed that the Public Safety department head position needed to be filled; 8) agreed with the additional code enforcement position; 9) agreed with partnering with the Mental Health Clinic, emphasizing that if they could address mental health issues in society, the City could reduce related costs, such as the fire department, 911 calls, Sheriff’s Department, Southwest security patrols, adding that while it may be a cost up-front it could result in significant future savings.

At the request of Mayor Dunton, City Manager Smoot 1) confirmed that staff had the direction needed to move forward; and 2) noted that none of these items are immediate, but rather a long-term shift that will take time, effort, and a significant amount of money to accomplish.

For the record, at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines relative to valuable community engagement enhancements which were not addressed in the reports, 1) Interim Director McNerney confirmed that staff would look into enhancing community involvement, particularly regarding neighborhood watch and volunteers on patrols programs, and also explore new programs to reach the community, as previous programs have become unsuccessful and obsolete; and 2) City Manager Smoot confirmed that the communications aspect of public safety is al so part of the conversation with Communications Consultants from Tripepi Smith.

For the record, there was no formal action taken on this item.

6 Adjournment

Without objection, the meeting was adjourned at 2:11 p.m.

ATTEST:

_______________________________
Ray Dunton, Mayor Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
City of Bellflower Approved: March 10, 2025
12 14-C
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

FROM: Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of February 10, 2025, Regular Meeting of the City Council.

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

None

RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

1) Approve the February 10, 2025, Regular Meeting Minutes; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

FISCAL IMPACT

None

ATTACHMENT

Minutes of the February 10, 2025, Regular Meeting… ................ ………………………… 2

o“ 01: BELLFLO
“ s a
"o ROWING TOGETk‘YFS t f t

MINUTES

CITY OF BELLFLOWER

REGULAR MEETING OF THE BELLFLOWER CITY COUNCIL

AND BELLFLOWER FINANCING AUTHORITY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025
BELLFLOWER CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS
5:30 P.M. CLOSED SESSION / 7:00 P.M. OPEN SESSION
5:30 P.M. – CLOSED SESSION

1 CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Dunton called the Regular Meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Bellflower City Hall, 16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower.

2 ROLL CALL

The following members of the City Council responded present to roll call:

Mayor Ray Dunton
Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Wendi Morse
Council Member Victor A. Sanchez

3 RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION

For the record, 1) City Manager Smoot announced the title of the Closed Session item; and 2) Council Member Morse announced that she would recuse herself from Item 3-A as she has property interests within 500 feet of the subject properties.

There being no one from the public in attendance, without objection, Mayor Dunton recessed the Meeting at 5:32 p.m. to a Closed Session regarding:

A CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR
(Pursuant to Government Code § 54956.8) [CITY]

Property: 16916 and 16922 Bellflower Boulevard Agency Negotiator: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
Negotiating Party: Gus Frousakis and Georgia Alevizos
Under Negotiation: Price and terms of payment

For the record, Closed Session adjourned at 6:57 p.m.

Page 1 of 17 ends

0;: BELLFL av“ 0%
I; ‘\ o v- ROWING Toofiwe

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 4
February 10, 2025 Page 2 of 17

4 RECONVENE FOR OPEN SESSION

Mayor Dunton reconvened the Meeting at 7:11 p.m. with all members present and announced that no reportable action was taken during Closed Session.

7:00 P.M. – OPEN SESSION

5 CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Dunton called the Open Session of the Regular City Council Meeting to order at 7:11 p.m.

6 ROLL CALL

The following members of the City Council responded present to roll call:

Mayor Ray Dunton
Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Wendi Morse
Council Member Victor A. Sanchez

Staff Participants:

Ryan Smoot, City Manager
Karl H. Berger, City Attorney
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
Len Gorecki, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Elizabeth Oba, Director of Planning and Building Services Jim Dellalonga, Director of Economic Development
Rowena Genilo-Concepcion, Planning Manager
Anna Garan, Finance Manager
James Atkins, Senior Planner
Wangsu Lee, Interim Senior Management Analyst
Karla Pineda, Management Analyst II
Dakota Wallace, Management Assistant

7 INVOCATION

Mayor Pro Tem Sonny R. Santa Ines offered the Invocation.

8 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Len Gorecki led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 9-A
February 10, 2025 Page 3 of 17

9-A CITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS [CITY]

Mayor Dunton provided details relative to CR&R’s free compost giveaway to be held on February 22, 2025, at the Public Works Yard.

Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines provided details relative to the City’s distribution of free kitchen pails and compostable bags at the Farmers Market on February 17, 2025.

Council Member Morse provided details relative to the City’s 8-week, entrepreneurial program to begin on February 20, 2025, and is focused on empowering individuals to develop their leadership skills and understand the key steps to launching a successful small business.

Council Member Sanchez provided details relative to the “Maker to Market” program to be held February 24, 2025 through March 31, 2025, and is focused on guiding individuals on the steps of how to accomplish their entrepreneurial goals.

Council Member Koops provided details relative to the upcoming e-Waste Recycling event to be held on March 15-16, 2025, at Frank E. Woodruff Elementary School.

9-B PRESENTATION: National Black History Month Proclamation [CITY]

Mayor Dunton and his City Council colleagues declared February 2025 as National Black History Month in the City of Bellflower and presented the proclamation to Pastor A.D. Gartley of Faith Community Baptist Church.

Pastor Gartley 1) accepted the proclamation and introduced his wife, Lauren Gartley, and Pastor Tracy Williams of Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church; and 2) thanked the City Council for their acknowledgment of National Black History Month and the contributions to the country by various groups of people.

9-C PRESENTATION: Certificate of Recognition to Former City Engineer Jerry Stock [CITY]

Mayor Dunton and his City Council colleagues presented a Certificate of Recognition to Former City Engineer Jerry Stock in recognition of his 24 years of service to the City of Bellflower.

Former City Engineer Stock accepted the Certificate of Recognition and thanked the City Council for their recognition of his service.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 10
February 10, 2025 Page 4 of 17

10 PUBLIC COMMENTS

Tom Philips, Band Director, 605 All Star Band, 1) thanked the City Council for their assistance with the conduction of the 605 All Star Band practice parade march held on December 1, 2024, which was in preparation for the annual Rose Parade; 2) explained that a total of 528 students from surrounding cities, including Bellflower, participated in the Rose Parade; 3) stated that the partnership between the City of Bellflower and City of Lakewood to organize the practice march was admirable, noting that over 10,000 citizens attended the event; and 4) presented the City Council with a photo of the 605 All Star Band and a variety of banners from the event.

In response to comments provided by Tom Philips, Mayor Dunton commended him on his dedication to the Band and students and acknowledged that this had been Director Philips’s dream for many years.

Eitan Sharaf expressed public safety concerns regarding the Bottoms Up Bar located at 9080 Artesia Boulevard and requested that additional patrols be conducted in the area to alleviate violent crimes.

In response to comments provided by Eitan Sharaf, Mayor Dunton 1) stated that the property is under litigation, so the matter could not be discussed by the City Council; and 2) confirmed that Public Safety would patrol the area more frequently.

Chamile Leong, resident, expressing public safety concerns in the vicinity of Riverview Park, 1) stated that she was recently followed and chased by a man while walking in the park at approximately 8:45 a.m.; 2) confirmed she called the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for assistance, but the man fled the scene before Deputies arrived, although she did file a police report; 3) noted that there are no cameras in the park or the general area, so she was unable to receive video evidence of the incident; and 4) requested cameras, additional lighting, and additional patrols in the area of the park to prevent future crime.

In response to comments provided by Chamile Leong, 1) Mayor Dunton confirmed that the area is currently patrolled by Southwest Patrol; 2) City Manager Smoot suggested she speak with Director of Public Safety McNerney regarding the matter and explained that the City had received grant funding for security cameras in various City locations; and 3) Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Gorecki confirmed that security cameras at Riverview Park were approved for grant funding, but not yet installed.

Martha Curiel, resident, expressed public safety concerns in the vicinity of Riverview Park, explaining 1) she regularly visited the park, but does not frequent the area any longer due to safety concerns; 2) she is aware that cameras were approved by grant funding, but expressed frustration over the cameras not yet being installed; and 3) requested installation of cameras and additional patrolling in the area.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-A
February 10, 2025 Page 5 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS

A Consideration and possible action to conduct a public hearing to consider 1) General Plan Amendment Case No. GPA 25-01, Zone Change Case No. ZC 25-01 and Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment Case No. ZOTA 25-01; 2) adopting Resolution No. 25-09; and 3) read by title only, waive further reading, and introduce Ordinance No. 1442.

Resolution No. 25-09 – A Resolution approving General Plan Amendment Case No. GPA 25-01 amending the Land Use Element to revise the definition of “mixed use,” and amending existing General Plan Land Use designations to “MU (Mixed Use)” for certain properties located within 12 specific areas to allow mixed use or residential developments to implement the Housing Element.

Ordinance No. 1442 – An Ordinance approving 1) Zone Change Case No. ZC 25-01 to: (A) establish zoning overlays (“Housing Opportunity Overlay Zone – HOOZ”) for certain properties to allow mixed use or residential developments; and (B) expand and modify boundaries of the TODSP Area; and (2) approve Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment Case No. ZOTA 25-01 to: (A) establish regulatory framework of future development and uses within the “HOOZ”; and (B) amend the TODSP document related to regulations and expansion of the boundaries to implement the Housing Element. [CITY]

CEQA: The City reviewed the environmental impacts of the proposed Ordinance pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et seq. “CEQA”) and the regulations promulgated thereunder (14 Cal.

Code of Regs. §§ 15000, et seq., the “CEQA Guidelines”). In accordance with CEQA and CEQA Guidelines § 15162, the City Council finds as follows:

A) Resolution No. 22-04 was adopted by the City Council on January 20, 2022, approving Mitigated Negative Declaration No. MND 21-01; B) Changing the zoning designation for those properties identified in this Resolution is an activity contemplated by MND 21-01; C) This activity does not contemplate any changes which will require major revisions to MND 21-01 nor are there any substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which MND 21 -01 was undertaken; and D) There is no new information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time MND 21-01 was approved.

City Manager Smoot introduced the item.

Director of Planning and Building Services Oba 1) provided a brief verbal presentation of the Staff Report; 2) introduced Consultant Patti Nahill, Principal of PGN; and 3) stated that a clerical correction needed to be made to Section 5 of Resolution No. 25-09 to read “The City Manager, or designee, is directed to file a Notice of Determination in accordance with CEQA Guidelines § 15075, and any other applicable law.”

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-A
February 10, 2025 Page 6 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

For the record, Consultant Nahill 1) provided a PowerPoint presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) along with Director Oba, City Manager Smoot, and City Attorney Berger, responded to Council Members’ questions.

For the record, City Attorney Berger assessed that the “Public Generally” exception applies to this matter, so there is no apparent conflict for Mayor Dunton, Council Member Koops, Council Member Morse, and Council Member Sanchez, who have property interests within 500 and 1,000 feet at various locations of the subject properties.

In response to Mayor Dunton’s questions and comments, Director Oba explained that existing property owners with property in the specified areas will maintain the same zoning and function of their property, adding that the proposed overlay would allow for mixed use or residential developments, increasing the flexibility of the use of the property.

At the request of Council Member Sanchez, Director Oba 1) clarified that the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”) for the City is approximately 3,700 housing units; 2) confirmed that there is no mandate by the State to build the required RHNA allocation units, only a mandate to create housing opportunities that meet the required RHNA allocation; 3) explained that with the current code, housing developments are permitted by right, but an application process is still required, further stating that the State requires the City to review an application against the objective development standards; 4) clarified that an application would be brought forward to the Planning Commission or City Council for consideration if an environmental document such as an Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) or Negative Declaration is included in the future; and 5) confirmed that page 4 of the Staff Report details the highest need of housing, noting that “very low-income” units and “above moderate-income” units are the highest need per the RHNA.

For the record, and for the benefit of the public, Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines 1) explained that the RHNA is required by State Law and requires the City to provide opportunities for housing development; and 2) confirmed that the City will not require property owners in the specified areas to develop their property, but explained that the proposed recommendation would allow for property owners to develop if they choose to.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-A
February 10, 2025 Page 7 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, relative to page 3 of Exhibit B to Ordinance No. 1442, 1) Director Oba a) stated that “emergency shelter” is a permitted use in the Housing Opportunity Overlay Zone (“HOOZ”), further clarifying that the use is still subject to certain development standards; b) noted that in the Bellflower Municipal Code (“BMC”), emergency shelters are already permitted by right, as required by State Law, reiterating that they are still subject to certain development standards; and c) confirmed that a Conditional Use Permit (“CUP”) would not be required for an emergency shelter as long as it is compliant with the current code; and 2) Consultant Nahill explained that “mixed use” may now be a combination of residential, industrial, and commercial land uses, noting that “mixed use” was previously defined as commercial, industrial, or residential land uses.

In response to Council Member Koops, Planning Manager Genilo clarified that the number of dwelling units within the eight specific areas of the HOOZ differs based upon their proximity to high transit areas.

For the record, and for the benefit of the public, Council Member Koops 1) stated that the State of California mandates each City to allocate a certain amount of housing opportunities within the confinements of the City, further expressing that if the City were to reject the State’s mandate, the City could lose sales tax revenue, Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) tax revenue, and gas tax revenue; 2) confirmed that surrounding cities, such as Lakewood, Cerritos, and Paramount are required to adhere to the mandate as well; 3) reiterated that the property owners in the specified areas will not lose their property rights, but will have the ability to develop and or sell their property if they choose to do so, further clarifying that the City has allocated the properties in the specified areas as potential sites for development in order to meet the required RHNA allocation, emphasizing that this does not mean that they will be developed.

For the record, Mayor Dunton 1) provided examples of recent developments in the City to demonstrate the possibilities that could occur with the proposed recommendation; and 2) requested and received confirmation from Director Oba that the RHNA is reconsidered every eight years.

Following lengthy discussion, it was moved by Council Member Sanchez, seconded by Council Member Morse, and carried without objection, to open the public hearing.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-A
February 10, 2025 Page 8 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

For the record, the following individuals did not state a position in favor or against 1) adopting Resolution No. 25-09; and 2) reading by title only, waiving first reading, and introducing Ordinance No. 1442, but made comments and asked questions generally related to the subject of the public hearing:

• Eitan Sharaf
• Cory Nestman
• Unidentified Speaker
• Mary Ann Mull, Bellflower Moose Lodge
• Steve Alessi
• Robert Dorame, Native American Heritage Commission
• Doug Brink
• Lane Griscom
• Joe Chavarria

For the record, 1) Steve Alessi submitted materials to the City Council, stated that he did not receive notification of the matter, and left his address for staff to receive notice of any future hearings regarding the matter; and 2) Martha Curiel stated that she did not receive notification of the matter and left her address for staff to receive the item materials and notice of any future hearings regarding the matter.

Following discussion, it was moved by Council Member Sanchez, seconded by Council Member Koops, and carried without objection, to close the public hearing.

It was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, seconded by
Council Member Sanchez, and unanimously carried by the following roll call vote, to 1) adopt Resolution No. 25-09, as amended to correct Section 5 of Resolution No. 25-09 to read “The City Manager, or designee, is directed to file a Notice of Determination in accordance with CEQA Guidelines § 15075, and any other applicable law”; and 2) read by title only, waive first reading, and introduce Ordinance No. 1442, as amended to correct the title to read “The Downtown Bellflower Transit-Oriented Development Specific Plan (‘TODSP’)”:

AYES: Council Members – Santa Ines, Koops, Morse, Sanchez, and Mayor Dunton

Recess: For the record and without objection, Mayor Dunton recessed the meeting at 8:56 p.m. for a brief break.

Reconvene: For the record, Mayor Dunton reconvened the meeting at 9:03 p.m., with all Council Members present.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-B
February 10, 2025 Page 9 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

B Consideration and possible action to conduct a public hearing to adopt Resolution No. 25-08 – A Resolution approving Entertainment Permit Case No. EP 24-01 to allow for live musical performers with instruments, DJs, dancing, Karaoke, and audio-visual equipment at an existing property within The Downtown Bellflower Transit Oriented Development Specific Plan (TOD SP) on property located at 16728 Bellflower Boulevard; Applicant: Mairim Martinez-Melero (Bachi Yaki, Inc.). [CITY]

CEQA: Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et seq.) and CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, §§ 15000, et seq.), the City conducted an environmental assessment. Based on the environmental assessment, the project was determined to be categorically exempt from additional environmental review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301, Existing Facilities (a Class 1 Categorical Exemption).

City Manager Smoot introduced the item.

For the record, Council Member Morse 1) announced that she would recuse herself from Item 11-B as she has property interests within 500 feet of the subject property; and 2) left the dais and Council Chambers at 9:04 p.m.

Senior Planner Atkins 1) provided a PowerPoint presentation of the Staff Report; 2) stated that a correction was needed to the hours of operation on page 3 of the Staff Report to read “Sunday through Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.; Entertainment Monday through Sunday: 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.”; and 3) along with City Manager Smoot, Planning Manager Genilo-Concepcion, and Director of Planning and Building Services Oba, responded to Council Members’ questions.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, 1) Senior Planner Atkins clarified that the not to exceed twelve musicians in the Staff Report is not a condition of the entertainment permit, but it may be added with City Council direction, further noting that it is advised to not have more than twelve; 2) Director Oba a) confirmed that the application submitted by the applicant states not to exceed twelve musicians; and b) clarified that the applicant has completed tenant improvements to the facility, so the floor plan differs from the floor plan of the previous tenant; and 3) Planning Manager Genilo-Concepcion stated that an entertainment permit is not transferable, explaining that if there is a change of ownership or change of operator, a new entertainment permit is required.

In response to Mayor Dunton, Senior Planner Atkins confirmed 1) the applicant is proposing operating hours until 2:00 a.m.; and 2) the applicant has a Type 47 liquor license, further explaining that one of the conditions of the entertainment permit is to include a late-night menu due to the sale of alcohol.

At the request of Council Member Sanchez, 1) Senior Planner Atkins explained that the applicant submitted a security plan which is included in the Staff Report and detailed different components of the plan; and 2) Director Oba confirmed that there are additional businesses in the Downtown Area that sell alcohol and have an operating time until 2:00 a.m.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-B
February 10, 2025 Page 10 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

B Consideration and possible action to conduct a public hearing to adopt Resolution No. 25-08 – Continued

Following discussion, it was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, seconded by Council Member Sanchez, and carried without objection, to open the public hearing.

For the record, the following individuals spoke in favor of adopting Resolution No. 25-08, introduced themselves, and responded to Council Members’ questions:

• Mairim Martinez, Applicant, Business Owner’s Representative and Vice President of Marketing
• Ozzy Martinez, Business Owner’s Representative and General Manager
• Billy Rogers, Business Owner’s Representative and Vice President of Operations

In response to questions and comments made by Council Member Koops, 1) Vice President of Marketing Martinez stated that they will hire approximately thirty employees local to the City and the owner was unable to attend the meeting due to the flu; 2) General Manager Martinez a) stated that the owner has restaurant experience with current restaurant locations in Los Angeles, in addition to food trucks, and she is the sole business owner and property owner; b) confirmed work was not conducted at the property prior to obtaining permits; c) indicated that that tables shown on the floor plan are movable and the lounge area is an open space without furniture; d) stated that staff and security guards will monitor the outside of the business and surrounding area to ensure compliance with the City’s standards of cleanliness and security, noting that they will survey the area and clean as needed after operating hours; and e) confirmed that they will work with the bank located across the street to establish a parking agreement for use of their lot; 3) City Manager Smoot clarified that Code Enforcement investigated work being done at the property, noting that permits were issued and the matter was resolved; and 4) Vice President of Operations Rogers stated that the goal of the business is to add entertainment to the City on weekends, emphasizing that they will provide excellent service to their patrons and be good neighbors.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, 1) Vice President of Marketing Martinez a) provided a verbal overview of the mission of the business; b) stated that security personnel will be at the front entrance and back exit, confirming that patrons will not be able to exit through the back; c) explained that they are actively recruiting staff through social media posts and recruiting websites, noting that they have received many applications from applicants local to Bellflower or the surrounding cities; and 2) General Manager Martinez confirmed that the stage area was removed but space will still be available for certain events, also noting that they will hold free tango classes for seniors.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-B
February 10, 2025 Page 11 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

B Consideration and possible action to conduct a public hearing to adopt Resolution No. 25-08 – Continued

Following brief discussion, in response to Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines’s concerns relative to patrons exiting through the back of the building, Vice President of Operations Rogers proposed they position a security guard there from 9:00 p.m. to close of business to ensure exiting is not allowed through there.

For the record, and without objection, Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines requested that a condition be added to the entertainment permit that would require security personnel to be located at the back exit to ensure patrons do not exit through that side of the building from 9:00 p.m. to close of business.

At the request of Mayor Dunton, Vice President of Operations Rogers 1) stated that the building is ready for opening, but they still need to train staff, so their goal is to have a soft opening in approximately two to three weeks; and 2) confirmed that the proposed hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

For the record, Council Member Sanchez expressed that he was confident with the security plan provided and its implementation.

Following brief discussion, Director Oba 1) confirmed that there are businesses in the Downtown Area that allow for alcohol, such as Kalaveras, Ricci ’s Italian Restaurant, and Rokka Grill & Whiskey Bar, noting that those Conditional Use Permits (“CUPs”) allow for the same operating hours proposed by the applicant; 2) clarified that the hours of operation identified in the original CUP still stand, which are from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily, with a condition that alcohol can only be served after 10:00 a.m.; and 3) requested clarification on the entertainment permit hours, as the proposed hours are from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., but the applicant mentioned having entertainment in the late morning and early afternoon on certain days.

With regard to the entertainment permit hours and following discussion, 1) Vice President of Operations Rogers confirmed that entertainment was proposed for brunch on the weekends, but would likely not be held earlier than 10:00 a.m.; and 2) City Manager Smoot clarified for the record that the entertainment permit hours are amended to reflect Monday through Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Following discussion, it was moved by Council Member Sanchez, seconded by Council Member Koops, and carried without objection, to close the public hearing.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 11-B
February 10, 2025 Page 12 of 17

11 PUBLIC HEARINGS – Continued

B Consideration and possible action to conduct a public hearing to adopt Resolution No. 25-08 – Continued

It was moved by Council Member Sanchez, seconded by Council Member Koops, and unanimously carried by the following roll call vote, to adopt Resolution No. 25-08, as amended to 1) include entertainment permit hours of Monday through Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.; and 2) add a condition that a member of the security personnel be present at the back exit daily from 9:00 p.m. to close of business:

AYES: Council Members – Santa Ines, Koops, Sanchez, and Mayor Dunton
RECUSE: Council Member – Morse

For the record, Council Member Morse returned to the Council Chambers and dais at 10:14 p.m.

C Consideration and possible action to conduct a public hearing to receive comments during the development of the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan for the allocation of Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program funds, and the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. [CITY]

City Manager Smoot introduced the item.

Management Analyst Pineda 1) provided a PowerPoint presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) along with City Manager Smoot, Director of Economic Development DellaLonga, Finance Manager Garan, and Consultant Ana LeNoue of Avant-Garde, Inc., responded to Council Members’ questions.

At the request of Council Member Sanchez and Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, Consultant LeNoue confirmed that the City’s allocation has not yet been released, but applications have been received and are being reviewed by HUD, further stating that she expects that the allocation will be released by next month.

Following discussion, it was moved by Mayor Dunton, seconded by Council Member Sanchez, and carried without objection, to open the public hearing.

There being no one in attendance wishing to present testimony, it was moved by Council Member Sanchez, seconded by Mayor Dunton, and carried without objection, to close the public hearing.

For the record, there was no formal action taken on this item.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 12
February 10, 2025 Page 13 of 17

12 ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

None

13 CONSIDERATION ITEMS

A Consideration and possible action to create a two Council Member ad hoc committee to review and evaluate the City’s Cannabis Business Permit (“CBP”) policies and procedures. [CITY]

City Manager Smoot introduced the item.

For the record, Council Member Koops 1) announced that he would recuse himself from Item 13-A as he has property interests within 500 feet of one of the subject properties; and 2) left the dais and Council Chambers at 10:51 p.m.

Interim Senior Management Analyst Lee 1) provided a verbal presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) along with City Manager Smoot responded to Council Members’ questions.

For the record, at 10:53 p.m., City Attorney Berger stated that pursuant to Resolution No. 21-55, if business has not concluded by 10:30 p.m., no new business will be considered unless a majority vote of the City Council agrees to continue on with the meeting.

Following brief discussion, it was moved by Mayor Dunton, seconded by Council Member Sanchez, and carried without objection, to continue on with the meeting.

For the record, 1) Mayor Dunton expressed that he would like to serve on this Ad Hoc Committee, stating that cannabis dispensaries are located in his Council District; and 2) Council Member Sanchez expressed that he would also like to serve on this Ad Hoc Committee as he also has cannabis dispensaries located in his Council District.

It was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Dunton, seconded by Council Member Morse, and carried by the following roll call vote, to create an ad hoc committee consisting of Mayor Dunton and Council Member Sanchez to review and evaluate the City’s Cannabis Business Permit (“CBP”) policies and procedures:

AYES: Council Members – Santa Ines, Morse, Sanchez, and Mayor Dunton
RECUSE: Council Member – Koops

For the record, Council Member Koops returned to the Council Chambers and dais at 10:55 p.m.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 13-B
February 10, 2025 Page 14 of 17

13 CONSIDERATION ITEMS – Continued

B Consideration and possible action to award a contract to Cal -City Construction, Inc., for the construction of Bellflower Youth and Senior Center Facility (Specifications No. 23/24-07); and authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with Cal-City Construction, Inc., in a form approved by the City Attorney. [CITY]

For the record, 1) City Manager Smoot introduced the item; 2) Mayor Dunton, Council Member Koops, and Council Member Sanchez announced that they would need to recuse themselves from the matter as they each own property within 500 feet or 1,000 feet of the subject property; 3) Mayor Dunton announced that there was a lack of quorum on the matter due to property conflicts of interests for three Council Members and explained that lots would be drawn randomly to determine which one of the conflicted Council Memb ers would participate in the matter; 4) City Clerk Ochiqui conducted the random drawing and announced that Council Member Sanchez would participate in the matter; and 5) Mayor Dunton turned the meeting over to Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines to conduct the meeting.

For the record, at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, City Attorney Berger stated that Mayor Dunton, Council Member Koops, and Council Member Sanchez have a conflict in the matter because the item before the City Council is to take definitive action to move the project forward, noting that when items regarding this matter were previously considered by the City Council, it was only conceptual plans for a potential project, so there was no conflict.

For the record, Mayor Dunton and Council Member Koops left the dais and Council Chambers at 11:00 p.m.

Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Gorecki 1) provided a verbal presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) responded to Council Members’ questions.

James Lin, President of Cal-City Construction, Inc., 1) stated that Cal-City Construction, Inc. has been in business for forty years and is local to the area; and 2) introduced Gene Lee, Project Manager of Cal-City Construction, Inc.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, 1) President Lin a) stated that they completed the renovation of an existing building and new construction of a senior center in the City of Agoura Hills, noting that the project was similar in size and cost to this Project; and b) confirmed that he has staff ready to begin the Project if it is awarded; and 2) Project Manager Lee a) stated that they recently finished a two-year project for the ABC Unified School District at Gahr High School, explaining that the project was challenging due to the condensed schedules , but they were able to work through the challenges and renovate fifty-seven classrooms in eight weeks in addition to Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) improvements; b) confirmed that they can begin work once the Notice to Proceed (“NTP”) is issued, noting that Superintendents have already been staffed in anticipation of the award and procedures have been established to begin the work as soon as possible; and c) stated that they estimate the Project to be completed within fourteen to eighteen months, as stipulated in the contract, but will try to accelerate the timeline to complete the Project sooner.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 13-B
February 10, 2025 Page 15 of 17

13 CONSIDERATION ITEMS – Continued

Following discussion, it was moved by Council Member Sanchez, seconded by Council Member Morse, and carried by the following roll call vote, to award a contract to Cal-City Construction, Inc., for the Project and authorize the City Manager to execute said contract, in a form approved by the City Attorney, within seven days:

AYES: Council Members – Santa Ines, Morse, and Sanchez RECUSE: Council Members – Koops and Mayor Dunton

For the record, Mayor Dunton and Council Member Koops returned to the Council Chambers and dais at 11:20 p.m.

14 CONSENT CALENDAR

For the record, Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines requested that Item 14-E (Legislative Platform) be pulled for discussion only.

With regard to Item 14-E (Legislative Platform), at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, Interim Senior Management Analyst Lee stated the following was added to the Legislative Platform:
a) Preserve Local Control: Oppose initiatives that weaken local control over governance, revenue management, or service delivery;
b) Enhance Public Safety: Support policies that promote transparency and accountability in law enforcement services in the community; c) Promote Economic Development and Strengthen Local Land Use:
i) Support legislation that tackles issues related to absentee property owners and vacant properties; and
ii) Support legislation that supports local businesses in promoting sustained long-term economic growth; 2) explained “Measure H” will now read as “Measure A”; and 3) stated the City Attorney is now authorized to submit amicus support in appeals cases.

For the record, 1) City Manager Smoot explained that if there is a pending piece of litigation that an Appeals Court is hearing, the City Attorney has the authorization to submit amicus support to the Court on behalf of the City; and 2) City Attorney Berger clarified that the amicus support can be in support or opposition of the litigation before the Court.

Following discussion, it was moved by Mayor Pro Tem Santa Ines, seconded by Council Member Koops, and carried without objection, to approve the actions stipulated on the Consent Calendar.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 14
February 10, 2025 Page 16 of 17

14 CONSENT CALENDAR – Continued

A Consideration and possible action to receive and file City Council Warrant Register No. 25-081, dated February 10, 2025. [CITY]
Action: Received and filed Warrant Register No. 25-081.

B Consideration and possible action to waive further reading and adopt Ordinance No. 1439 – An Ordinance amending Bellflower Municipal Code Chapter 15.40 and reaffirming the City Council’s determination that the City comply with regulations promulgated by the State of California to protect public health, safety and from the devastation of uncontrolled fire incidents. [CITY]
Action: Waived further reading and adopted Ordinance No. 1439.

C Consideration and possible action to receive and file Bellflower Financing Authority’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. [BFA]
Action: Received and filed Bellflower Financing Authority’s audited financial statements.

D Consideration and possible action to adopt Resolution No. 25 -07 – A Resolution authorizing the destruction of obsolete records from all City Departments. [CITY]
Action: Adopted Resolution No. 25-07.

E Consideration and possible action to adopt a Legislative Platform authorizing the City Manager to issue position letters on State and Federal legislation impacting local government services in the City of Bellflower. [CITY]
Action: Adopted the proposed Legislative Form and authorized the City Manager to issue position letters on State and Federal legislation impacting local government services in Bellflower and authorized the City Attorney to submit amicus support in appeals cases that help promote the legislative agenda with pending cases.

F Consideration and possible action to waive further reading and adopt Ordinance No. 1441 – An Ordinance amending Chapter 3.30 to Title 3 of the Bellflower Municipal Code entitled “Public Works Contracts” in its entirety. [CITY]
Action: Waived further reading and adopted Ordinance No. 1441.

G Consideration and possible action to authorize the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 4 to AFN 684.4, in a form approved by the City Attorney, with Tripepi Smith & Associates, and approve the necessary budget amendment for the continuation of Communication Coordination and Outreach Services. [CITY]
Action: 1) Authorized the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 4 to Agreement File No. 684.4, in a form approved by City Attorney; and 2) Approved a budget amendment in the amount of $70,000 for Account No. 010-41317-1012.

Bellflower City Council and BFA Minutes Item No. 14
February 10, 2025 Page 17 of 17

14 CONSENT CALENDAR – Continued

H Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of the January 13, 2025, Regular Meeting of the City Council. [CITY]
Action: Approved the January 13, 2025, Regular Meeting Minutes.

I Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of the January 16, 2025, Special Meeting of the City Council. [CITY]
Action: Approved the January 16, 2025, Special Meeting Minutes.

15 COUNCIL REPORTS

Council Member Sanchez made various comments and reports.

For the record, Council Member Sanchez inquired about when the following will be coming back to the City Council for further consideration: 1) a progress report of how building staff is performing, including whether they are making progress with scheduling inspections; and 2) the discussion of traffic calming.

16 ADJOURNMENT

Without objection, Mayor Dunton adjourned the meeting at 11:27 p.m. to the next Regular Meeting of the Bellflower City Council at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 24, 2025.

Ray Dunton, Mayor
City of Bellflower

ATTEST:

Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
Approved: March 10, 2025

14-D
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

FROM: Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to ratify Mayor Ray Dunton’s appointment of Mark Tigchelaar to the Public Safety Commission.

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Public Safety Commissioner Guy Bremer was appointed to the Planning Commission by Mayor Ray Dunton on January 27, 2025, creating a vacancy on the Public Safety Commission for the term ending December 2026.

RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

1) Ratify Mayor Ray Dunton’s appointment of Mark Tigchelaar to fill the unexpired term on the Public Safety Commission ending December 2026; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

FISCAL IMPACT

Each Public Safety Commissioner is paid a stipend of $100 per meeting actually attended (pursuant to Resolution No. 23-05); Public Safety Commission Meetings are held once per month on the third Tuesday. The funding for this expenditure is budgeted in Account No. 010-41000-3530.

BACKGROUND

A vacancy occurred on the Public Safety Commission as a result of Mayor Ray Dunton appointing Commissioner Bremer to the Planning Commission effective January 27, 2025.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Maddy Act, the Public Notice of Special Vacancy was posted in the City Hall Lobby, Simms Park, Bellflower Substation, Thompson Park, and the City’s website on January 15, 2025. Having satisfied the provisions of the Maddy Act, it would be in order for the City Council to ratify this appointment.

ATTACHMENT

Public Notice of Special Vacancy (without attachments).. ............................................... 2 0F BELLFL Q m st af m teport

B —The City of Bellflower 664°" “-m
yam/fies. Zust’nesses. gu/ures. m
[6600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower, CA 90706 ' ~ 0
Tel 562.804.1424 Fax 562.925.8660 mbellflowenorg o""‘vmomonfl‘rv'

PUBLIC NOTICE OF SPECIAL VACANCY

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
(Pursuant to Government Code Section 54974)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a vacancy will exist on the Public Safety Commission effective January 22, 2025. As a result of this vacancy, Mayor Ray Dunton is soliciting applications from qualified electors of the City of Bellflower interested in filling the unexpired term (ending in December 2026).

Completed applications should be mailed to the address below or emailed to [email protected]:

Attn: City Clerk's Office
Mayor Ray Dunton
City of Bellflower
16600 Civic Center Drive
Bellflower, CA 90706
Regular meetings of the Public Safety Commission are held at 7 pm. on the third Tuesday of each month at Bellflower City Hall in the Council Chambers. A copy of Bellflower Resolution Nos. 00-64 and 05-20 outlining the Commission’s membership, duties, responsibilities, and powers are attached. Resolution No. 23-05 provides a $100 meeting stipend be paid to each member for their attendance at each regular meeting.

This position is subject to the provisions of the City’s Conflict of Interest Code and the Political Reform Act, and must file Statements of Economic Interests (Form 700). All City Commissioners are also subject to the City’s Code of Conduct.

To be considered for this position, applications must be submitted. The position will be open until filled.

Date: January 15, 2025
Attachments:

Application to Serve on Boards, Commissions, and Committees Resolution Nos. 00-64 and 05-20 (Public Safety Commission) Resolution No. 21 -55 (Code of Conduct)
Resolution No. 24-53 (Conflict of Interest)

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) 83.

CITY OF BELLFLOWER )
I, Dakota Wallace, Management Assistant, City of Bellflower, do hereby declare that a copy of the Public Notice of Special Vacancy for the Public Safety Commission was posted on January 15, 2025, at the following locations in the City of Bellflower as follows:

City Hall Lobby, 16600 Civic Center Drive
Bellflower Sheriff’s Substation, 16615 Bellflower Boulevard Caruthers Park, 10500 E. Flora Vista Street
Simms Park, 16614 Clark Avenue
Thompson Park, 14001 Bellflower Boulevard
City Website at www.be| lf|ower.org
Clifton M. Brakensiek Library
Executed this 15th day of January 2025 at Bellflower, California.

M agement Assistant

14-E
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager

FROM: Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to adopt the following Resolutions:

Resolution No. 25-12 – A Resolution establishing a Code of Conduct in accordance with Government Code § 36813, and superseding Resolution No. 21-55; and

DATE: March 10, 2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

If adopted, Resolution No. 25-12 (Code of Conduct) will separate the Code of Conduct from the Rules of Procedure for conducting City Council meetings. No changes were made to the text of the Code of Conduct.

If adopted, Resolution No. 25-13 (Rules of Procedure) will update the Rules of Procedure for conducting City Council Meetings and combine the following Resolutions into one for better tracking and recordkeeping: Resolution No. 05-45 (order of business on the agenda; adopted July 11, 2005), Resolution No. 11 -75 (action minutes; adopted December 12, 2011), Resolution No. 20-13 (Virtual Meeting Protocols; adopted April 6, 2020), and Resolution No. 21-55 (Rules for Conducting Council Meetings; adopted September 27, 2021).

RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

1) Adopt Resolution Nos. 25-12 and 25-13; or

2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.

Page 1 of 2 ends

-1-
1: BELLF
{‘1 O LOR’GQ
*‘ Sitafteport

Staff Report – Updates to Code of Conduct and Rules of Procedure March 10, 2025

Page 2 of 2 ends

FISCAL IMPACT

None.

DISCUSSION

Following a recent review of the Rules of Procedure for conducting City Council meetings and consultation with the City Attorney, the City Clerk determined that it would be best to separate Resolution No. 21-55 into two separate resolutions, one exclusively for the Code of Conduct (Resolution No. 25-12) and another for the Rules of Procedure for conducting City Council meetings (Resolution No. 25-13). There were no substantive changes made to the Code of Conduct other than formatting.

In further review of the Rules of Procedure for City Council meetings, it became apparent that other resolutions that had been adopted over the years could be folded into the updated Resolution to consolidate all meeting functions and procedures into one Resolution. The affected resolutions are as follows: Resolution No. 05-45 (order of business on the agenda; adopted July 11, 2005), Resolution No. 11 -75 (action minutes; adopted December 12, 2011), Resolution No. 20 -13 (Virtual Meeting Protocols; adopted April 6, 2020), and Resolution No. 21-55 (Rules for Conducting Council Meetings; adopted September 27, 2021).

New additions to the Rules of Procedures include document preparation, quorum, vote, Temporary Presiding Officer assignment in the absence of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, procedures for addressing the City Council, procedures regarding public hearings, and Council presentations. Resolution No. 25-13 will also memorialize the formal adoption of the three-minute time limit for public comments that was approved by consensus of the City Council in 2020.

ATTACHMENTS

Resolution No. 25-12....................................................................................................... 3 Resolution No. 25-13..................................................................................................... 10 Resolution No. 21-55..................................................................................................... 32 Resolution No. 05-45 (Order of Business on the Agenda) ............................................ 47 Resolution No. 11-75 (Action Minutes) .......................................................................... 50 Resolution No. 20-13 (Virtual Meeting Protocols) ......................................................... 53

-2-

Page 1 of 7 ends

CITY OF BELLFLOWER

RESOLUTION NO. 25-12

A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A CODE OF CONDUCT IN
ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT CODE § 36813, AND
SUPERSEDING RESOLUTION NO. 21-55

THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Code of Conduct; Core Principles. The City Council finds and declares that its members, and all members of appointed boards and commissions (collectively, “Public Officials”), will abide by the following Core Principles:

A. Public Officials should comply with both the letter and spirit of the laws and policies affecting the operations of government;

B. Public Officials are expected by the public to be independent, impartial, and fair in their judgment and actions;

C. Serving in public office is a privilege and should be exercised in trust for the public good, not for personal gain; and

D. Public deliberations and processes should be conducted openly, unless legally confidential, in an atmosphere of respect and civility.

SECTION 2. General Policies. Implementing the Core Principles is one of the guiding objectives in adopting this Resolution. Accordingly, in addition to all requirements of applicable law, the Public Officials must adhere to the following policies:

A. Conduct of Public Officials

The professional and personal conduct of Public Officials must be above reproach and avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Public Officials will refrain from abusive conduct, personal charges, or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other Public Officials, City employees, or the public.

B. Respect for Process

Public Officials will perform their duties in accordance with the processes and rules of order established by the City Council governing the deliberation of public policy issues, meaningful involvement of the public, and implementation of policy decisions.

C. Conduct of Public Meetings

Public Officials will fully prepare themselves for public issues; listen courteously and attentively to all public discussions before the body; and focus on the business at hand. They will refrain from interrupting other speakers, making personal comments not germane to the business of the body, or otherwise interfering with the orderly conduct of meetings.

-3-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-12

Page 2 of 7 ends

D. Communication

Members will publicly share substantive information that is relevant to a matter under consideration by the City Council or boards, commissions, and committees, which they may have received from sources outside the public decision-making process.

E. Confidential Information

Members must respect the confidentiality of information concerning City property, personnel, or proceedings of the City. They will neither disclose confidential information without proper legal authorization nor use such information to advance their personal interests.

F. Advocacy

When presenting their individual opinions and positions, Public Officials will expressly state they do not represent their body or the City of Bellflower, nor will they allow the inference that they do. All written correspondence expressing an individual opinion and position must be on personal stationery and not on City stationery.

G. Policy Role of Public Officials

Public Officials must respect and adhere to the council-manager structure of Bellflower city government with respect to the City Manager’s relationship with the City Council. In this structure, the City Council determines the policies of the City with the advice, information and analysis provided by the public, boards, commissions, and committees and City staff. The City Manager implements that policy.

SECTION 3. Substance Abuse Policy.

A. While acting in their official capacities, Public Officials will refrain from imbibing alcohol to the point that it impairs their judgment, physical coordination, speech, or mental process.

B. At all times, Public Officials will refrain from the use of a controlled substance, narcotic, amphetamine, barbiturate, prescribed or over-the- counter medication in excess of the prescribed dosage, or other non - prescribed hallucinogenic substance.

C. Public Officials who have substance abuse problems are encouraged to make every effort to overcome such problems and to utilize the services of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Using the EAP is confidential.

-4-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-12

Page 3 of 7 ends

SECTION 4. Anti-Harassment Policy.

A. Harassment of an applicant or employee by a Public Official on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, sex, or age will not be tolerated.

B. Harassment on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, sex, or age includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:

1. Verbal Harassment - Epithets, derogatory comments, or slurs on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, sex, or age.

2. Physical Harassment - Assault, impeding or blocking movement, or any physical interference with normal work or movement when directed at an individual on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, m arital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, sex, or age.

3. Visual Forms of Harassment - Derogatory posters, notices, bulletins, cartoons, or drawings on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, sex, or age.

4. Sexual Favors - Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is conditioned upon employment benefit, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an offensive work environment.

SECTION 5. Anti-Nepotism Policy. The City will not hire relatives of Public Officials. If a Public Official’s relative presents a matter to the City, then that Public Official cannot participate in or attempt to influence decision-making regarding that matter. For purposes of this policy a “relative” is defined as a blood, by-adoption, or step parent, spouse or registered domestic partner, sibling, child or in-law, and their children and children-in-law.

-5-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-12

Page 4 of 7 ends

SECTION 6. Expected Conduct.

A. Public Officials will request administrative services only through the City Manager or designee.

1. Public Officials cannot direct, order, or make demands on any City employee, other than inquiries that can be answered routinely and without research.

2. Public Officials cannot attempt to reorganize an employee’s priorities or influence the manner by which City staff performs their assigned functions or duties.

3. Public Officials cannot retaliate or threaten to retaliate against employees as a result of disagreements over policy
recommendations.

4. Public Officials cannot threaten a City employee with disciplinary action.

B. Public Officials must act collectively in a properly noticed and constituted meeting; Public Officials do not have authority to make decisions or take actions on behalf of the body unless expressly authorized to do so.

1. Public Officials cannot make representations or promises to any third party regarding the future actions of the City or of the body of which they are a member, unless such representation or promise has been duly authorized by the appropriate body.

2. When making public utterances, Public Officials must make it clear whether they are authorized to speak on behalf of the body of which they are a member, or whether they are presenting their own views.

3. Public Officials cannot interfere with the manner by which the City Manager performs his or her duties.

C. Public Officials who are members of boards and commissions must limit their activities to matters within their subject matter jurisdiction.

1. Boards and commissions can address only those matters determined by the BMC or by the City Council to be within their subject matter jurisdiction; staff need not place on an agenda, provide resources for or implement requests, directions or actions outside that jurisdiction. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, Commissions and Boards must refrain from consideration of policy issues that are under active consideration by the City Council.

-6-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-12

Page 5 of 7 ends

2. The City Council as a whole will provide direction and guidance to its subsidiary bodies.

D. City resources must be used solely for proper governmental purposes, and only with proper authorization.

1. City letterhead may only be used by Public Officials for official City business.

2. City employees cannot be asked or directed to spend time on non - City business.

3. Public Officials cannot use or disclose information obtained through City service for improper purposes.

SECTION 7. Enforcement. To enforce the Core Principles, and the polices set forth in this Resolution to implement those Core Principles, the City Council adopts the following requirements for enforcement:

A. A complaint regarding a violation of the Code of Conduct may be filed with the Mayor, the City Manager, or the City Attorney (collectively, the “Investigator”).

B. Upon receiving a complaint, the person receiving the complaint may take one of the following actions depending on the circumstances of the alleged violations of law or policy:

1. Take no action;

2. Conduct a preliminary investigation of the allegations before recommending any action. Following such a preliminary investigation into the complaint, the Investigator may then either take no action or place the matter on a future City Council agenda with a recommendation for consideration; or

3. Place the matter on a future City Council agenda for consideration.

C. If a complaint is placed on the City Council agenda, the City Council ma y take the following action:

1. Take no action;

2. Initiate an investigation of the allegations before considering any discipline identified in this Resolution; or

3. Based upon substantive evidence, take one of the disciplinary actions identified in this Resolution.

-7-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-12

Page 6 of 7 ends

4. Nothing in this policy precludes individual City Council Members from making public statements regarding alleged conduct.

D. In addition to any other remedy provided by applicable law, the City Council may undertake one or more of the following actions after finding a violation of this Resolution occurred:

1. Admonition. This is the least severe form of action. An admonition may typically be directed to all members of the City Council, reminding them that a particular type of behavior is in violation of law or City policy. An admonition may be issued by the City Council before any findings of fact regarding allegations, and because it is a warning or reminder, would not necessarily require an investigation or separate hearings to determine whether the allegation is true.

2. Sanction. This is the next most severe form of action. Sanction may be directed to a particular member of the City Council based on a particular action (or set of actions) that is determined to be in violation of law or City policy. A sanction is distinguished from censure in that it is not a punishment. A sanction may be issued based upon City Council review and consideration of a written allegation of a policy violation. The member accused of a violation will have an opportunity to provide a written response to the allegation. A sanction may be issued by the City Council and because it is not punishment or discipline, would not necessarily require an investigation or separate hearings.

3. Censure. Censure is the most severe form of action. Censure is a formal statement of the City Council officially reprimanding one of its members. It is a punitive action, which serves as a penalty imposed for wrongdoing, but it carries no fine or suspension of the rights of the member as an elected official. Censure should be used for cases in which the City Council determines that the violation of law or policy is a serious offense. To protect the overriding right to freedom of speech, the City Council cannot impose censure on any of its members for the exercise of his or her First Amendment rights, no matter how distasteful the expression was to the City Council and the City. However, nothing can be construed to prohibit the City Council from collectively condemning and expressing their strong disapprobation of such remarks. A decision to censure requires the adoption of a Resolution making findings with regard to the specific charges, based on substantial evidence, and approved by a two - thirds vote of the City Council.

-8-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-12

Page 7 of 7 ends

SECTION 8. Unless specifically referenced, this Resolution supersedes all previous resolutions purporting to establish a Code of Conduct for the City Council including, without limitation, Resolution No. 21-55 (adopted September 27, 2021).

Accordingly, those resolutions are rendered moot upon adoption of this Resolution and are accordingly repealed. Nothing in this Resolution is intended to, nor does it, supersede the City’s most recently adopted Conflict of Interest Code.

SECTION 9. Electronic Signatures. This Resolution may be executed with electronic signatures in accordance with Government Code §16.5. Such electronic signatures will be treated in all respects as having the same effect as an original signature.

SECTION 10. The Mayor, or presiding officer, is hereby authorized to affix his signature to this Resolution signifying its adoption by the City Council of the City of Bellflower, and the City Clerk, or her duly appointed deputy, is directed to attest thereto.

SECTION 11. This Resolution will become effective immediately upon adoption.

PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELLFLOWER THIS 10TH DAY OF MARCH 2025.

_________________________
Ray Dunton, Mayor

ATTEST:

_________________________
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

__________________________
Karl H. Berger, City Attorney

-9-

Page 1 of 15 ends

CITY OF BELLFLOWER

RESOLUTION NO. 25-13

A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR

CONDUCTING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS IN ACCORDANCE WITH
GOVERNEMENT CODE § 36813, AND SUPERSEDING RESOLUTION
NOS. 05-45, 11-75, 20-13, AND 21-55

THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Rules of Procedure for Meetings. The City Council adopts the following procedural rules for conducting City Council Meetings:

“RULES OF PROCEDURE

Rule 1. Authority

The City Council establishes these “Rules of Procedure” (“Rules”) for conducting its meetings pursuant to Government Code § 36813. The following Rules become effective upon the City Council’s adoption and remain effective unless amended or superseded. In the absence of separate procedural rules for individual boards and commissions, the Rules adopted by this Resolution will apply to all City subsidiary boards and commissions. These Rules are intended to comply with the Ralph M.

Brown Act (Government Code §§ 54950-54962). The Brown Act will supersede any conflicting provision of the Rules.

Rule 2. General Rules

Rule 2.1: Public Meetings

All meetings (except closed sessions as provided by California law) of the Council are open to the public.

Rule 2.2: Rules of Order

Pursuant to Bellflower Municipal Code (“BMC”) § 2.040.060, the City Council finds as follows:

A. City Council proceedings should be governed by common sense and good taste. Pursuant to applicable laws, including, without limitation, the BMC, any issue of procedure relating to the conduct of a meeting or hearing not otherwise provided for in these Rules may be determined by the Mayor, subject to a vote of the entire Council. In addition, the City Council may, upon majority vote, alter or modify any provision of this Policy when appropriate or desirable.

-10-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 2 of 15 ends

B. City Council proceedings are generally governed by Rosenberg’s Rules of Order on all matters pertaining to parliamentary law (attached as Exhibit “A,” and incorporated by reference). Notwithstanding Rosenberg’s Rules of Order, motions will be voted upon in the order in which they are made.

Moreover, nothing prevents the City Council expressly adopting a rule or procedure that may be inconsistent with Rosenberg’s Rule of Order. No City Council action can be invalidated, or the legality of otherwise affected, by the failure or omission to observe or follow Rosenberg’s Rules of Order or any other City Council approved rule of procedure.

C. These Rules are adopted to expedite the City Council’s business transactions in an orderly fashion and are procedural only. Failure to strictly observe these rules will not affect the City Council’s jurisdiction or invalidate any Council action conforming with applicable law.

D. The Council will abide by Code of Conduct that may be adopted by the City Council for use by its boards, Councils, and committees.

Rule 2.3: Quorum

Three members of the Council constitute a quorum. Should less than a quorum be in attendance, the City Clerk may list the attendees in the minutes, and they will adjourn the meeting to a later set time. In the event no members of the Council are present the City Clerk may adjourn the meeting to a later set time pursuant to Government Code §54955.

Rule 2.4: Vote

A majority of a quorum is required to transact business. If an absence results in a lack of a majority to approve a substantive matter, the matter will be automatically continued to the next regular City Council meeting. If the substantive matter is neither approved nor denied at the next regular meeting, the project is deemed denied unless the applicant requests an additional vote at the next regular meeting.

No appeal fee will be charged for an appeal required as a result of a tie vote or due to the lack of four affirmative votes to approve a matter which is not subsequently denied.

Rule 2.5: Minutes of Proceedings

The City Clerk will record an account of all public proceedings of the City Council into the Council’s official minutes pursuant to Government Code §§ 36814 and 40801. These minutes will be in the form of “Action Minutes” and become public record after Council approval.

A. The following information will be reflected in the minutes:

1. The date, hour, and place of meeting

2. Name of the meeting body
-11-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 3 of 15 ends

3. Whether it is a regular, adjourned, or special meeting

4. Names of the members in attendance; if a member arrives late or departs before adjournment, the minutes should reflect the time of arrival and/or departure at that point in the minutes

5. Description of items

6. A listing of speakers, a reference to the subject matter addressed, whether they spoke for or against the matter under discussion, and direction (if any) given

7. A statement of action (motion) and how the members votes

8. Other information expressly requested by the body during the applicable meeting

9. Adjournment time and whether the meeting was adjourned to another time

B. With respect to hearings, the minutes will include:

1. The fact that required notice was given and that the hearing was held at the time and place specified in the notice (if such information is not incorporated in the staff report, ordinance, or resolution)

2. Appropriate reference to any written evidence in the form of statements, affidavits, reports, photographs, maps, correspondence, or other objects filed at the hearing and included as part of the record

3. Names of the people who spoke and whether their testimony was for or against the hearing subject

4. Findings of the body (if the findings are not incorporated in the ordinance, resolution, or staff report adopted/approved as a result of the hearing)

5. A statement of action (motion) and how the members voted

6. Other information expressly requested by the body during the applicable meeting

7. The date, time, and place of the hearing if it is continued

Rule 2.6: Right of Floor

Council Members wishing to speak must first be recognized by the Mayor and, with the exception of Council Reports, limit any remarks to the agenda matter being considered.

Rule 2.7: City Manager

The City Manager will attend all meetings of the City Council unless excused. In his/her absence, the City Manager will designate an Acting City Manager to attend.

The City Manager may make recommendations and has the right to take part in all City Council discussions of the Council, but cannot vote.

-12-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 4 of 15 ends

Rule 2.8: City Attorney

The City Attorney or designee will attend all meetings of the City Council unless excused. The City Attorney or designee, upon request, may give opinions, either written or oral, on questions of law and act as the City Council’s parliamentarian.

Rule 2.9: City Clerk

The City Clerk will attend all meetings of the City Council unless excused. In his/her absence, the Deputy City Clerk will attend. The City Clerk will record, prepare, and maintain the City Council’s official record and perform other related duties as prescribed by the City Council and/or City Manager.

Rule 3. Mayor – Duties

Rule 3.1: Presiding Officer

The Mayor, if present, will preside at all meetings. In the Mayor’s absence, the Mayor Pro Tem will preside. In the absence of both, the Council Member with the most years of service will serve as Temporary Presiding Officer.

Rule 3.2: Call to Order

The Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem will bring the meeting to order at the time noticed in accordance with applicable law. In the absence of both, the meeting will be called to order by the City Clerk.

Rule 3.3: Point of Order

The Mayor will determine all points of order, subject to the right of any Council Member to appeal to a vote of a majority of the quorum.

Rule 3.4: Motion to Be Stated

The Mayor will state all motions submitted for a vote and announce the result. A roll call vote must be taken upon the request of any Council Member.

Rule 4. Preparation of Agenda

Rule 4.1: Agenda Preparation

The Agenda will be prepared in accordance with the procedure directed by the City Manager. The Agenda should be delivered to the Mayor and Council Members by the last working day preceding the Council’s regular Monday meeting. In the event of a Special Meeting, Agendas should be delivered as promptly as is practicable.

-13-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 5 of 15 ends

Rule 4.2: Order of the Agenda

Notwithstanding circumstances which warrant that the presiding officer use his/her discretion in chairing the meeting, the following order of business for regular meetings is established:

5:30 p.m. Closed Session
Call to Order
Recess to Closed Session
Reconvene for Open Session

7:00 p.m. Open Session
Call to Order
Roll Call
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance
Announcements/Presentations
Public Comments
Public Hearings
Ordinances and Resolutions for Consideration
Consideration Items
Consent Calendar
Council Reports
Adjournment

Rule 4.3: Minutes

Unless requested by a majority of the quorum, minutes may be approved without reading.

Rule 4.4: Consent Calendar

Items listed under the Consent Calendar are those items the City Manager believes will not require Council discussion and are routine in content. Also listed under the Consent Calendar are resolutions confirming action from a previous meeting which are brought back for approval of form rather than approval of action.

Items may be pulled for separate discussion or clarification at any Council Member’s request, or upon receipt of a request for public comment on the item.

Rule 4.5: Council Reports

Items of interest that are not on the Agenda, such as conference or meeting reports, may be discussed under this item. No action, other than to “receive or refer to staff” may be taken.

-14-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 6 of 15 ends

Rule 4.6: Actions Limited to Posted Agenda

The City Council cannot take action on any item not appearing on the posted Agenda except under the conditions permitted b y Government Code § 54954.2.

Rule 4.7: Future Agenda Items

Each Agenda may include an Agenda item entitled “Council Reports.” During this section of the Agenda any Council Member may make a motion only to place an item on a future Agenda. The motion is non-debatable. Placement of an item on a future Agenda requires a majority vote. The City Manager has discretion as to when the item will be placed on the Agenda, unless otherwise directed by the City Council.

Rule 5. Citizens’ Rights

Rule 5.1: Addressing the Council

A. Any person may address the Council under the following portions of the Agenda:

(1) Under the Public Comment portion of the Agenda

(2) Public Hearings

(3) With the consent of a majority of the quorum of the Council

B. Persons seeking to address the City Council must comply with the following:

(1) Members of the public may address the City Council only on items within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the Council. A determination of whether an item is appropriate for discussion will be made by the Mayor with the City Council’s consent.

(2) Persons addressing the City Council may sign in on the sign-in sheet provided.

(3) Each speaker may be limited to a time period determined by the Mayor for Public Comment and on all other items on the Agenda. In the absence of specific time determined by the Mayor, there is a maximum of three minutes for speaking. Exception – See Public Hearing Procedures under Section 7 and following.

(4) All remarks must be directed to the City Council as a body and not to any particular Council Member or City employee.

-15-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 7 of 15 ends

(5) No person, other than Council Members and the person having the floor are permitted to participate in the discussion except as otherwise requested by the Mayor.

(6) No question may be asked of Council Members or City employees except through the Mayor.

C. When any identifiable group of persons, as distinguished from the general public, seeks to address the City Council on the same agenda item, the Mayor has the discretion to ask that the group select a spokesperson to address the City Council. If additional issues are to be presented at the hearing by any other member of such group, the Mayor may limit the number of persons to address the City Council to avoid unnecessary repetition of information presented to the City Council.

Rule 5.2: Disrupting legal meetings

Any member of the public making disruptive remarks or who becomes disruptive while addressing the Council or attending the City Council meeting so as to disrupt, disturb or otherwise impede the orderly conduct of the City Council meeting will be removed forthwith by the Presiding Officer and barred from further audience before the City Council at that meeting unless permission to continue is granted by a majority vote of the City Council.

Rule 6. Document Preparation

Unless otherwise directed by the Council or City Manager, all documents must, before being placed on the Agenda, be approved as to form and legality by the City Attorney or designee.

Rule 7. Procedures Regarding Public Hearings

Rule 7.1: Introduction

Conflicts, if any, are declared and ex parte contacts, if any, are disclosed.

Rule 7.2: Staff and Written Material Presentation

A. Staff summary report and other written material included in the Agenda packet is received and filed. Written comments (e.g., protest) are noted for the record.

B. Written material not in the Agenda packet, if any, is received and filed.

C. Oral staff report, if any, is presented by staff member.

D. Staff responds to Council Members’ questions.

-16-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 8 of 15 ends

Rule 7.3: Public Testimony

A. Purpose is to provide opportunity to interested persons wishing to support or oppose the matter being considered.

B. Mayor instructs members of the audience:

(1) To fill out a form prepared by the City Clerk;

(2) To speak from the podium;

(3) To give their name and address before speaking;

(4) That the time limit for each speaker is generally five minutes; and

(5) That repetition should be avoided.

C. The applicant/representative will normally speak first.

Applicant/representative presentation is limited to ten minutes, any portion of which can be used for rebuttal.

D. Questions by speakers will be noted and, if possible, answered before Council deliberation.

E. Following public testimony, the applicant/representative will have an opportunity for rebuttal, if time remains.

Rule 7.4: Council Deliberation

A. After the Mayor determines that no other member of the audience wishes to speak the City Council may deliberate.

B. The Council may ask questions of speakers for clarification.

C. Staff and/or Council answers prior speakers’ questions.

D. The Council makes a motion and debates.

Rule 7.5: Council Action

A. The Council may, at this time, continue the open Public Hearing.

(1) This should be done if any additional information is requested (e.g., a staff report).

(2) Continuing a Public Hearing to a specific date does not require additional notice.
-17-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 9 of 15 ends

B. Vote on the item.

C. Offer amendments or substitute motions allowing additional public comment.

D. Close the Public Hearing and continue the mater to a later date for a decision (note that no additional reports or testimony may be received if the Public Hearing has been closed).

Rule 8. Miscellaneous Rules

Rule 8.1: Silence

During a collective vote (Ayes and Nays), silence of any Council Member denotes an affirmative vote.

Rule 8.2: Continuance of an Item

A. Continuance by a Council Member.

Upon a Council Member’s request and by majority vote, an item (not subject to a deadline) may be continued to the next agreed upon meeting.

B. Continuances Requested by Someone Not a Council Member.

Anyone may request a continuance of an item and the City Council, by majority vote, may grant a continuance.

Rule 8.3: Failure to Vote

Every Council Member should vote unless disqualified by reason of a Conflict of Interest. If a member abstains because of a legal conflict of interest, he/she is not counted as part of the quorum and is not deemed to be voting.

If a member abstains for reasons other than a legal conflict of interest, he/she will be counted in establishing a quorum. Such an abstention will be counted with the majority vote of the quorum unless there is no majority in which case it will not be counted as a vote.

Rule 8.4: Lost Motions

A lost motion is one that fails to receive the necessary number of votes to carry.

To revive a lost motion at the same meeting, the proper action is a motion to reconsider.

-18-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 10 of 15 ends

If a motion is lost on an Ordinance or action for the expenditure of money, or any motion when the legally required number of votes for passage is three ; when two Members of the City Council are absent, the matter will be automatically continued to the next regular meeting. In the case of an Urgency Ordinance, the matter will be automatically continued when one Council Member is absent.

Rule 8.5: Motion to Reconsider

A motion to reconsider any action taken by the City Council may be made in accordance with the following:

A. The motion must be made by a Council Member, the majority vote, or, in the case of a lost motion, by any Council Member and may be seconded by any Council Member.

B. The motion must be made before the adjournment of the meeting at which the original action was taken.

C. The motion is debatable and has precedence over a pending motion.

D. Except as otherwise provided, if the action to be reconsidered is a Public Hearing item, it must be re-noticed in the event the motion to reconsider passes. Where it is clearly established that all interested members of the public are still present, the item may be reconsidered without further notice.

Rule 8.6: Tie Votes

If a tie vote occurs when a Member of the City Council is absent, the item will be automatically continued once to the next regular meeting of the City Council.

Except in the event of an appeal to the City Council, if a tie vote occurs as a result of the abstention of a Council Member, the motion is lost. If a tie vote on an appeal occurs as a result of the abstention of a Council Member, the appeal is deemed denied.

Rule 8.7: Changing the Vote

A Council Member may change his/her vote only if the change is made immediately following the announcement of the vote by the Mayor and before the next agenda item is announced.

Rule 8.8: Abstention

A Council Member who publicly announces that he/she is abstaining from voting on a particular matter will not subsequently be allowed to withdraw the abstention.

-19-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 11 of 15 ends

Rule 8.9: Recusal – Non-Profit Organization Board of Directors Member

City Council Members must recuse themselves from contract and/or funding allocation decisions if they sit on boards of directors of non-profit organizations which are being considered for funding from the City.

Rule 8.10: Presentation of Evidence

A. Oral Evidence

Oral evidence may be taken under oath or affirmation if requested by the Council.

B. Exhibits and Documents

Documentary evidence, exhibits, written communications, and documents used and relied upon by the Council during Council meetings must be made part of the record.

C. Communications and Petitions

A reading in full must be made at the request of a majority of the City Council. All such communications and petitions may be placed i nto evidence at the Council’s discretion.

D. Staff Reports

A written staff report should be prepared and orally reviewed as part of the staff presentation. Such report is evidence and part of the record.

E. Large Maps and Displays

Large size maps and displays presented for use at the hearing should be displayed in full view of the Council. When practicable, such maps or displays, or their authentic reductions, will be placed into the record.

F. Admissible Evidence

A Public Hearing need not be conducted according to legal rules of evidence. Any relevant evidence may be accepted if it is relevant and the type of evidence upon which reasonable persons rely upon in conducting serious affairs. Irrelevant and unduly repetitious evidence will be excluded.

-20-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 12 of 15 ends

Rule 8.11: Personal Privilege

The right of a Council Member to address the Council on a question of personal privilege is limited to cases where the integrity, character, or motives of the Council Member is in question or where the Council’s welfare is concerned. The Council Member may not interrupt the speaker, however, until recognized by the Mayor.

Rule 8.12: Protests

Any Council Member has the right to enter into public record reasons for dissent or protests against any motion carried by the majority.

Rule 9. Rules of Debate

Rule 9.1: Mayor as Presiding Officer

The Mayor may move, second, and debate from the Chair, retains all rights and privileges of a Council Member.

Rule 9.2: Appeals

Any ruling of the Mayor may be appealed at the request of any Council Member.

The Mayor must call for a roll call vote to determine if the ruling is upheld.

Rule 9.3: Motions

A motion may be debated by the City Council after it is made. During debate, any Member of the City Council may “Call for a second.” If a second is not forthcoming, the motion dies for lack of a second. If the motion is seconded, the debate may continue.

Rule 9.4: Precedence of Motions

When a motion is before the City Council, no other motion may be considered except:

A. Motion to Amend - Debatable only as it relates to the amendment.

An amendment which modifies the motion is an order; however, a substitute motion is in order if the intent is changed. Amendments are voted on first, the main motion vote is last. A motion may be amended more than once with each amendment being voted on separately. There may only be one amending motion on the floor at any one time.

-21-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 13 of 15 ends

B. Motion to Postpone - A motion to postpone indefinitely is debatable.

If such a motion is adopted, the principal question is lost. Motion to postpone to a definite time is subject to debate and amendment as it relates to propriety of the postponement and time set.

C. Motion to Table - Undebatable and not subject to amendment.

The purpose of a motion to table is to temporarily bypass the item. If a motion to table is adopted, the item may be taken from the table at any time before the adjournment of the next regular meeting. If the item is not taken from the table in the time specified, the business of the item is lost.

D. Motion for Previous Question

A motion for previous question closes debate on the main motion and is non-debatable. If motion fails, debate is reopened; if motion passes, then vote must be taken on the main motion.

Rule 10. Adjournment

At 10:30 p.m., if business has not concluded, no new business will be considered unless by a majority vote the City Council agrees to begin new business. Items under consideration at 10:30 p.m. may be concluded. Any remaining items will be postponed to the next City Council meeting.

Rule 11. Amendment/Suspension

The City Council may amend or suspend these rules at any time upon majority vote of the City Council.

Rule 12. Certificates and Proclamations

Rule 12.1: Presentation of Certificates and Proclamations

Presentation of Certificates of Achievement, Appreciation, Recognition, and so forth, will be publicly presented at regular meetings under “Announcements/Presentations.” Requests for such presentations must be made at least seven days before the requested date.

Rule 12.2: Presentations Concerning City-Sponsored Events

The Mayor or Presiding Officer will conduct all presentations concerning events, groups, individuals, and organizations that are sponsored all, o r in part, by the City of Bellflower and/or affiliated with the City of Bellflower.

-22-

City of Bellflower
Resolution No. 25-13

Page 14 of 15 ends

Bellflower City CouncilMarch 10, 2025

Bellflower City Council
March 10, 2025