CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS
П
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
(IN-PERSON AND VIDEO CONFERENCE)
6165 Spring Valley Road
Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
NOTE: The Hidden Hills City Council and City staff will be participating in this meeting in- to the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") please contact Deana Gonzalez at 818-888-9281 or [email protected]. If you are hearing impaired and would like to watch the meeting on ZOOM, once in the meeting room select the button "live transcript" and then select "show subtitles". Members of the public will have the opportunity to address the City Council on agenda and non-agenda items in person, via Zoom or by email as indicated below.
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Hidden Hills was duly held via teleconference and in person on Monday, October 23, 2023 at the hour of 5:30 p.m. Mayor Steve Freedland called the meeting to order and presided thereover.
ROLL CALL
Council: Mayor Steve Freedland
Mayor Pro Tem Eniko Gold
Council Member Joe Loggia
Council Member Laura McCorkindale
Council Member Larry G. Weber
Staff: City Manager Kerry Kallman
City Attorney Roxanne Diaz
City Engineer Dirk Lovett
Administrative Analyst Aaron Williams
City Clerk Deana L. Gonzalez
AUDIENCE
There were no comments.
City Council Minutes
П October 23, 2023
CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS
Mayor Freedland announced that City Offices will be closed on Friday, November 10th in honor of Veterans' Day.
Mayor Freedland stated that the Long Valley Gate project kicked off, which is going to result in an upgraded entrance, improved traffic flow, and beautification of the whole front area.
Completion is scheduled for March 11, 2024, and updates on the construction will be posted on the city's website.
STAFF COMMENTS
City Manager Kallman mentioned that complaints of bad driving and kids who are riding illegal electric motorcycles is on the rise. Staff has arranged extra Sheriff's Department motors to be in the City to assist with enforcement. Councilmember McCorkindale added that there was misinformation disseminated at the Hidden Hills Community Association Board of Directors meeting, that was blaming the increase in complaints to the fact that the City doesn't have the budget for the Sheriff's, and this is completely untrue.
PRESENTATION
Library Services Exploration and Visioning Discussion
Mayor Freedland announced that due to an unforeseen flight delay, the City's library consultant will not be available for tonight's meeting and the item. The item is postponed for a future meeting.
CONSENT CALENDAR
A. City Council Minutes - August 28, 2023 Regular Meeting B. Demand List
D. Financial/Treasurer's Reports - August and September E.
F. Los Angeles County Fire Department Reports- August and September G. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Reports - August and September 11 H. 10/3/23 Las Virgenes Malibu Council of Governments Report City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
I. Consideration of an Agreement with Burke, Williams, and Sorenson to provide Legal Services Related to the City's Housing Element Project
J. Consideration of Approval of Agreement Between the City of Hidden Hills and Los Angeles Gateway Region Integrated Regional Water Management Joint Powers Authority (GWMA) for Cost Sharing for the Installation of Monitoring Equipment and Monitoring Pursuant to the Harbor Toxic Pollutants Total Maximum Daily Load (Harbor Toxic Pollutants TMDL)
Upon MOTION by Council Member Weber, seconded by Councilmember Loggia, and unanimously carried by a roll call vote, it was resolved to approve items A-J on the Consent Calendar as submitted.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance No. 389 Adopting by Reference the Los Angeles County Fire Code
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS ADOPTING BY REFERENCE TITLE 32 OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY CODE, INCORPORATING AND AMENDING THE 2022 CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE; TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN AMENDMENTS, DELETIONS AND
ADDITIONS, INCLUDING FINDINGS, FEES AND PENALTIES; AND
AMENDING THE HIDDEN HILLS MUNICIPAL CODE
Mayor Freedland opened the public hearing. As there were no comments, Mayor Freedland closed the hearing. Upon MOTION of Council Member Weber, seconded by Councilmember Loggia and unanimously carried, it was resolved to give second reading to and adopt by title only Ordinance No. 389 entitled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS ADOPTING BY REFERENCE TITLE 32 OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY CODE, INCORPORATING AND AMENDING THE 2022 CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE;
TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN AMENDMENTS, DELETIONS AND ADDITIONS, INCLUDING FINDINGS, FEES AND PENALTIES; AND AMENDING THE HIDDEN HILLS MUNICIPAL CODE.
City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
B. Consideration of First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance No. 390, An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Hidden Hills Updating the City of Hidder Tills Accessory Dwelling Unit Standards and Requirements
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS AMENDING ARTICLE P OF CHAPTER 2 OF TITLE 5 OF THE HIDDEN HILLS
MUNICIPAL CPDE PERTAINING TO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND
FINDING THE ORDINANCE TO BE EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
City Engineer Lovett presented the following report:
in January of this year, the State of California again amended Government Code Sections relating to ADUs and JADUs; Ordinance No. 390 has been prepared to update the City of Hidden Hills' current Accessory Dwelling Unit standards by establishing regulations governing ADUs and in compliance with AB916, AB 2221, and SB897, as well as to provide local standards for the development of ADUs and JADUs as determined by the City of Hidden Hills.
Councilmember Laura McCorkindale stated for those who didn't know, ADUs are known in Hidden Hills as guest houses. Councilmember McCorkindale asked Mr. Lovett to clarify the three (3) different heights.
City Engineer Lovett explained that if the ADU is attached to the building. then it cannot exceed 25 feet in height. A detached Accessory Dwelling Unit that is on a lot with existing or proposed multifamily, multistory dwelling units, may not exceed 18 feet and one story in height. Unless on a lot with existing or proposed multistory dwelling units, the maximum height of a detached ADU may not exceed a height of 16 feet. The most impactful amendment by the State is that Statewide exemption ADU's (up to 800 sf) shall be allowed in front yard setbacks if the setbacks would otherwise preclude them.
Mayor Freedland opened the public hearing. As there were no comments, Mayor Freedland closed the hearing. Upon MOTION of Council Member Weber, seconded by Councilmember McCorkindale and unanimously carried, it was resolved to introduce by title only Ordinance No. 390 entitled: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS AMENDING ARTICLE P OF CHAPTER 2 OF TITLE 5 OF THE HIDDEN HILLS MUNICIPAL
CODE PERTAINING TO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND FINDING THE •
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Page er 23, 2023
ORDINANCE TO BE EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT.
C. Consideration of Adoption of Resolution No. 1017 Amending the Hidden Hills General Plan to Revise the Land Use Map and Sphere of Influence Boundary and Find that the Amendment is Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (15378(b)(5))
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS
AMENDING THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS GENERAL PLAN TO REVISE THE
LAND USE MAP AND SPHERE OF INFLUENCE BOUNDARY, AND TO
APPROVE A CEQA NOTICE OF EXEMPTION
City Engineer Lovett presented the following report:
the City Council at its meeting of August 28, 2023, discussed the action taken by the Local Agency Formation Commission for the County of Los Angeles ("LAFCO"); as stated in the August agenda report, LAFCO divided the City's current Sphere of Influence into six (6) areas: Area A, Area B, Area C, Area D, Area E and Area F and recommended that certain areas remain in the City's Sphere of Influence and that certain areas be removed from the City's Sphere of Influence; LAFCO adopted a revised Sphere of Influence boundary for the City of Hidden Hills; at the August 28'" City Council meeting, the City Council directed staff to prepare a General Plan amendment to adopt the amended Sphere of Influence approved and adopted by LAFCO; the proposed Resolution also makes additional revisions to the General Plan, such as renaming the Sphere of Influence map as follows: "Land Use Map and Sphere of Influence" ", the narrative that describes the Sphere of Influence in the Land Use Element of the General Plan has been revised for consistency, and the areas retained in the City's Sphere of Influence have a General Plan Land Use Designation of RA-1 or RA-2.
Upon MOTION of Council Member Weber, seconded by Councilmember McCorkindale and unanimously carried, it was resolved to adopt Resolution 1015 entitled: A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HIDDEN HILLS AMENDING THE CITY OF
HIDDEN HILLS GENERAL PLAN TO REVISE THE LAND USE MAP AND SPHERE OF
INFLUENCE BOUNDARY, AND TO APPROVE A CEQA NOTICE OF EXEMPTION
NEW BUSINESS
A. Consideration of Approval of Proposed Additional Services and Extension to the Solid Waste Collection Services Agreement with Waste Management City Council Minutes
Pageber 23,2023
At this time, Mayor Freedland and Councilmember Loggia recused themselves from this agenda item as there may be potential conflicts of interest.
City Engineer Dirk Lovett presented the following report:
Waste Management has been the City's exclusive waste hauler for over 17 years, since 2006. At that time, a request for proposals was forwarded to approximately 50 vendors who had the potential to provide service in the Hidden Hills area, with the only bid was from Waste Management; this agreement has been renewed or extended several times over the years, with the most recent agreement is dated December 12, 2016 for seven (7) years with an option for an additional three (3) year extension; the Agreement will terminate on December 31, 2023 if not extended; while there have been occasional complaints, Waste Management has provided excellent customer service, including valet service to all properties, rapid responses to staff and resident inquiries and requests, among many other benefits to the community; on September 15, 2023, the City received a letter from Waste Management requesting either the three (3) year extension option or an alternative proposal for a new ten (10) year agreement; both options provide more benefits and services to the residents; they have provided a team that has proven willing to successfully serve the City and its residents with its ongoing customer liaison service; another vendor, Athens Services, has contacted the City and has expressed an interest in submitting a bid for the City's waste disposal services; the City Council may choose to take one of the 3 following actions:
extend the Agreement with Waste Management for 3 years, enter into a new agreement with Waste Management for 10 years, or direct staff to extend the Agreement with Waste Management for an amount of time to be determined later and to solicit proposals for Solid Waste and Recycling Collection, Transportation, Processing, and Disposal Services.
Council Member McCorkindale expressed her concern for how short of a time there is to review and negotiate the expiring contract, which is only 40 days. She also did extensive research over the weekend and noted that there had been 25 complaints in the last two years. She's also seen complaints on social media and is concerned that other cities rates are dropping while Hidden Hills seems to be increasing. She feels the best option for the constituents of Hidden Hills would be to have staff look into a municipal hauler consultant, who specializes in negotiations on this matter.
Councilmember Weber is in agreement with Councilmember McCorkindale, however, is concerned with the lack of time to be able to negotiate this matter and would like to see if a six (6) month extension with Waste Management is possible at this time, so that services do not lapse.
City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
As there were no more questions or comments from the Councilmembers, Mayor Pro Tem Gold opened the floor for public comment regarding this agenda item.
Resident Mathy Wasserman stated that she does not understand why, for every single thing that the City Council does, they need to hire a consultant. If the Council and staff are aware of other cities who have negotiated better terms with Waste Management, then they should have Councilmember to Councilmember, or staff to staff conversations about it. She feels like it is a waste of money since there are limited options available to the City. She doesn't feel the issues and concerns with Waste Management are abundant. When she has had an issue with anything, they have been exceedingly responsive and she gets called back immediately. She has also found the City staff to be very helpful with things like that. She is extraordinarily opposed to hiring yet another consultant to do the evaluation of this.
At this time City Manager Kallman read email comments received by staff regarding this item:
"Waste Management has been messy and inconsistent. Additionally, there drivers are careless and dangerous at times. We hope the City will review other options and use an outside consultant in renewal or selection process. Thank you. Adam & Geneva Wasserman" We have lived in Hidden Hills for over 30 years and this past year have NEVER experienced the lack of service from a company...Ever! We never had to THINK trash as it was always taken care. We had some issues prior but I will start with a missed pickup on 12/28/22. I called WM and they picked up 12/30/22. There was a WM survey send out which I returned and received a call back on 1/9/23 from 'Corporate WM' to check on my service issues. Heard nothing back and had continued missed pickups on and off through March, 2023. My husband had to physically take all the cans out to the street for trash, recycle, and green as we also have a horse and goats and no empty cans to spare. We are both senior citizens and he was aggravated they were not doing their job as well! I had been calling weekly for a manager to come out and check these guys but no one came. Then, they were bringing some cans out and leaving the rest. When my husband would bring the cans out they would NOT return them to our yard. In one case, my husband went out to talk to the guys about why they would not bring our cans back and was greeted with nasty attitudes.
Finally on 3/16/23, I got a call from Brandon at 'WM Cares' to go over this terrible service. I explained to him all the headache they had given us after so many years of good service and that my saving glimmer of hope was when Albert Suarez, who used to do our route with his crew for years, came out for a missed pickup and was appalled by the service we were experiencing. He is one of the nicest employees WM has and said "I will take care of this, Mrs. Polidoro." He apologized for the lack of service and this emotional rollercoaster we were experiencing. He was City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
going to tell his manager, Angel Monzano about this. Brandon said he would report all of it to the District Manager and credit my valet service and call me back with an update. He never did either! On 6/5/23, I called and spoke to Dana in billing about the valet service credit that was not taken care of and she said 'going forward' it would be waived. Still paying! On 9/9/23, we realized we were missing 2 green bins that were not brought back from the previous week. On 9/11/23, I called and spoke to Maria at WM and she could only schedule them to be brought on 9/13/23 a day after our trash day. I ask you...who has time for this? The WM phone lines have been changed over the years and are absolutely unbearable to try to call as there is NO person to talk with. Dealing with the robotic answering that has no options to TALK to someone just continuous, go Online and tell us your issue! Impossible, unless you want to write a book. With all the countless calls I had to sit and make, I finally got a few numbers that worked, but never any direct lines or peace of mind.
Trash Service is very important and I feel WM has failed us tremendously. Thank you, Ray and "Yes I have been having problems with waste management removing bins and not returning them and they are charging for the number of bins for home use and my friends in Calabasas across the street and in Westlake are not charged per bin and get extras at no charge. Bonnie Palef, "Dear City Council
In the last year I have noticed that the service provided by Waste Management has deteriorated.
They regularly fail to return my manure bin. Trying to reach them on the telephone is a nightmare unless you have unlimited time to stay on the line in order to report the problem. I have now spoker to two separate supervisors that assure me the problem will be resolved. After a couple of weeks I am back to calling them again. I hope WM can find a solution to fix this problem. Thank you Debbie Kulik"
There being no more written comments, Mayor Pro Tem Gold opened the floor for the audience in chambers.
Rhonda Guthrie, Vice President of Government Affairs for Athens Services, introduced their company, a local family-owned waste collection and recycling company that has been a fixture in the greater Los Angeles area for over the past 60 years. Additionally, we have a great deal of experience providing valet and backyard service as Hidden Hills is accustomed to. The city's solid waste and recycling contract is one of the most important that you will negotiate, and one that deserves the analysis of multiple proposals to ensure your residents are getting the best value rates.
Initiating a competitive bid process is the only way to truly determine that. •
City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
Council Member McCorkindale asked Ms. Guthrie that after searching on Athens' website or anywhere online over the weekend, she wasn't able to find what cities in Southern California Athens service, and which cities use the valet service? Ms. Guthrie answered that Athens is franchised in over 40 communities in Southern California, from basically Riverside County up to Ventura County. Some cities that have the valet backyard service that is similar to the service you have here, are La Canada Flintridge, South Pasadena, San Morena, and Palos Verdes Estates.
Mr. Justin Honsinger, Regional Manger for Waste Management, stated that for nearly twenty (20) years, Waste Management has been servicing Hidden Hills and they take a lot of pride in the services the provide to the community. He wanted to thank the City for including Waste Management in the Fiesta parade this year. He mentioned that it was nice to be available to the residents at the event and engage with them.
Ms. Sandra Pursley, Area Director of Waste Management, introduced herself and stated that she oversees all of their municipal agreements in Southern California. They serve over 60 cities, with exclusive and semi-exclusive franchise agreements, making it over 1 million customers.
Regarding the complaints that Councilmember McCorkindale mentioned, Waste Management personnel met with City staff a couple of months ago, and enjoyed a tour of the City. We realized that the operation in Hidden Hills is probably the most complex to service. In the meeting, Waste Management staff received similar feedback regarding the complaints. She then discussed the deadline of the agreement and she doesn't feel a 6-month extension would be enough time, so believes the three (3) year is appropriate, but can appreciate that the City Council would like to explore all options for the community.
Resident Gabe Nussbaum addressed the Council stating that he is a 30 year resident and while he believes in a competitive bid process, he doesn't believe the City has a need for a consultant for City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
this agreement. He also believes that residents should have the option to utilize the valet service or not.
After continued discussion between the Councilmembers, it was decided to direct staff to inquire with R3, a waste hauler consultant used most commonly among cities and the City's time is limited for the agreement to expire, and have the consultant begin evaluating the City' s current contract, the proposal, whether the City should go out to bid if the City should extend month to month or on a slightly longer basis, and bring a recommendation back to the City Council at a future meeting.
Consideration of Approval to Authorize Staff to Solicit Construction Bids for the Fiber to the Home Project
City Engineer Lovett presented the following report:
in 2017, the City Council adopted a goal to consider the development of a broadband enhancement program or strategy within the City; over the last several years, the City has entered into separate agreements with Magellan Advisors to serve as consultant, NHA Advisors to research and provide financing options, and Onward to perform design engineering services and development of construction bid package for the City's fiber network; all construction design, and the bid package for the Fiber to Homes project have been completed and is now ready to go out to bid.
After a lengthy discussion about the bid documents and what different components the City is asking the bidders to provide costs for. City Engineer Lovett stated that there will be a cost breakdown provided by all bidders.
Mayor Pro Tem Gold, together with Council Member Weber, as the Fiber Ad-hoc Committee stated that they are super excited and proud of the City and that its taking this leap forward to invest in the City's infrastructure.
Upon MOTION by Council Member Weber, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Gold, and unanimously carried by roll call vote, it was resolved to Authorize Staff to Solicit Construction Bids for the Fiber to the Home Project.
City Council Minutes
October 23, 2023
CLOSED SESSION
Public Employee Performance Evaluation
Government Code Section 54957
Title: City Manager
Upon MOTION of Council Member Weber, seconded by Councilmember Loggia and unanimously carried, it was resolved to adjourn to closed session at 6:18 p.m. to address the items listed above.
The City Council returned from closed session and the City Attorney announced that in closed session the Council discussed the items listed above, and that no reportable action was taken.
Steye restland,
Deana L. Gonzalez, CMC, City Clotk