MINUTES OF THE REGULAR STUDY SESSION MEETING
LA MIRADA CITY COUNCIL
FEBRUARY 14, 2023 - 5 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Otero called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. in Conference Room 1, La Mirada City Hall, 13700 La Mirada Boulevard, La Mirada, California.
2. ROLL CALL
The City Council was present with Councilmember Eng, Councilmember Lewis, Councilmember Sarega, Mayor Pro Team De Ruse and Mayor Otero responding to roll call.
The following staff members were present: City Manager Jeff Boynton, Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Anne Haraksin and City Attorney James Markman.
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
4. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION
4.1 2022 ANNUAL CRIME REPORT
City Manager Jeff Boynton introduced the item. Assistant City Manager Anne Haraksin, Sheriff's Captain Christopher Johnson and Service Area Sergeant Oscar Rodriguez were present to give a report.
Assistant City Manager Haraksin said the number of Part 1 crimes increased in all surveyed cities last year compared to 2021. She said there were 936 Part 1 crimes reported in 2022 compared to 813 in 2021. She said the majority of Part 1 crimes were property crimes.
Captain Johnson provided information on the number of homicides, rapes, larceny incidents, burglaries, automobile thefts, robberies, assaults and arsons. He also provided information on response times and the number of arrests. He said overall La Mirada experienced the lowest number of Part 1 crimes of communities in southeast Los Angeles County. He said according to SafeWise, La Mirada was the 47h Safest City in California.
He said violent crimes remained low and crimes against persons decreased from 56 in 2021 to 53 in 2022.
Captain Johnson said the Public Safety Team plans to continue its efforts to maintain a low crime rate and keep the community safe. He said the team would aim to reduce the number of property crimes by educating residents on crime prevention measures. Additionally, the City would continue to use the La Mirada Living City newsletter and a variety of social Minutes of the Study Session Meeting
February 14, 2023
media platforms to inform residents about Public Safety programs, new laws, crime trends, and prevention trends.
Members of the City Council asked questions regarding the 2022 Annual Crime Report. The City Council expressed its appreciation to Captain Johnson, the Sheriff's Department, and Public Safety Team for keeping La Mirada a safe community.
4.2 STATUS OF THE SIXTH PLANNING CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT
UPDATE
City Manager Boynton introduced the item.
Community Development Director Manny Muñoz provided an update on the status of the Sixth Planning Cycle Housing Element. He said the City entered into an agreement with Veronica Tam & Associates (VTA) to provide additional analysis of the housing element update and address deficiencies previously identified by the Housing and Community Development (HCD). He said Blodgett Baylosis Environmental Planning would continue to provide support for the environmental document and would work with VTA to finalize the housing element.
Community Development Director Muñoz said that HCD previously commented that the community outreach needed to be enhanced. He provided information on a comprehensive Community Outreach and Educational Plan centered on engagement, education, and information about the City's housing needs. He said the Community Outreach and Education Plan would be a continued effort for the duration of the 6th Housing Element Cycle 2021-2029 and include opportunities for residents, property owners and the residential building community to participate. He also provided some potential outreach events and strategies such as pop- up events at the La Mirada Farmers Market and City events, housing story time and STEM challenges at the La Mirada Public Library, a dedicated La Mirada Housing webpage and a brand icon for La Mirada Housing initiative.
Members of the City Council reviewed and discussed the status of the Sixth Planning Cycle Housing Element Update.
CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
The City Manager had no reports.
2 Minutes of the Study Session Meeting
February 14, 2023
6. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the City Council adjourned the meeting at 6:23 p.m.
Leticia Revilla, Assistant City Clerk
ATTEST:
Anthony A. Otero, Mayor
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