1 TO: City Council
FROM: Joe Hoefgen, Interim City Manager
PREPARED BY: Gary Y. Sugano, Assistant City Manager
MEETING DATE: January 16, 2024
SUBJECT: Monthly Report for the City Manager’s Department
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file the monthly report for the City Manager’s Department.
BACKGROUND
Information Technology
The City has completed the transition from TPx Communications to Airespring in upgrading networking and phone systems. Numa Networks is currently on-site one day per week to provide as-needed IT support. During the month of November, Numa Networks assisted with a total of 71 trouble tickets.
Human Resources/Risk Management
The City currently has three (3) recruitments open; City Manager in the City Manager’s Department and Part-time Recreation Leader-Parks and Part-time Recreation LeaderMuseum in the Recreation and Facilities Division. The City Manager recruitment is being conducted by Tripepi Smith, an executive recruiting firm, on behalf of the City. Interviews for Part-time Parking Enforcement Officer are scheduled to take place on January 18, 2024. Interviews for three internal recruitments (Lead Worker- Water Treatment, Lead Worker- Water Distribution, and Lead Worker- Facilities) will take place over the next few weeks.
Ryan Smoot resigned from his position as City Manager on January 1, 2024 and now serves as City Manager of Bellflower. Ryan was appointed as City Manager of Lomita in February 2016 and served in this capacity for eight (8) years. Joe Hoefgen was appointed Interim City Manager and began work on January 2, 2024. Joe is a CalPERS retiree and has over 30 years of local government experience.
Item No. 7e
CITY OF LOMITA
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
2 Frederic Aboujaoude accepted the position of Principal Engineer in the Public Works Department and began work on January 8, 2024. Fred previously worked for the City of Long Beach prior to joining Lomita.
Emergency Management
The City was awarded a Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant in the amount of $1,124,884.50 for the 247th Street Area Water Main Replacement Project. A second time extension was approved by CalOES based on the numerous challenges and unforeseen delays with this project. The new Period of Performance is May 14, 2025. A quarterly report and reimbursement requests were submitted to CalOES/FEMA on January 4.
The city was awarded a Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant on June 7, 2023 to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) in the amount of $72,680 for the project costs and $3,622 for grant management costs. The RFP seeking LHMP preparation services was released on September 28 and closed on October 31. The City Council awarded the project to Risk Management Professionals on December 5, 2023. Kick-off activities will begin early 2024. A quarterly report was submitted to CalOES/FEMA January on 4.
Staff has scheduled two events in collaboration with the American Red Cross as part of our going community preparedness efforts, a blood drive in for February 6, 2024 in the Don Knabe Community Room and a free smoke alarm installation event for Saturday, May 4, 2024. Public outreach for these events will begin early 2024.
Lomita Manor
The Lomita Manor property management company, HumanGood, continues providing several activities to residents. These activities include Exercise/Chair class, Coloring class, and Seasonal Holiday activities such as the St Patrick’s Celebration, Easter Egg Craft, and Fourth of July BBQ. Additional activities that have been added include Bingo, Walking Group, Art Class, Bi-Monthly Celebrations of residents’ birthdays with cake, scrapbooking, and community potlucks. In December, Lomita Manor hosted a Sandpiper Holiday Cheer. The property management team will continue to explore other activities for the residents at Lomita Manor.
Community Development Block Grant Programs
On February 7, 2023, the Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) approved the CDBG roster (budget) for FY 23-24 in the amount of $140,077 to fund Residential Rehabilitation, Lifeline and the Job Creation and Business Incentive Loan Programs.
Ongoing updates regarding the CDBG programs will be mentioned below.
Residential Rehabilitation: For Fiscal Year 2023-24, a total of two projects are scheduled to be completed. Two applications have been approved, and both projects are currently under construction.
3 Lifeline: The Lifeline program provides emergency response service for a total of 19 subscribers currently enrolled. The program is accepting applications from Lomita residents who are at least 55 years old or disabled.
City Clerk’s Office
▪ Continued work on agenda management and meeting video streaming project implementation
▪ Staff hosted Annual Holiday Open House
▪ City Clerk attended annual New Law Conference in San Diego Administrative staff continues to provide customer service and support related to processing water payments, parking tickets, Dial-a-Ride, planning counter appointments and business licenses.
City Clerk activity for the month
Council Meeting Agenda & Minutes Prepared 2/1
Council Resolutions Adopted & Processed 3
Housing Authority Agenda & Minutes Prepared 1/1
Contracts/Agreements Processed 4
Ordinances Adopted & Published 0
Certificates Prepared 75
Public Records Requests Processed 7
Dial-a-Ride New Cards Issued 8
Dial-a-Ride Payments Processed 30
Dial-a-Ride Assistance-Phone/Counter 101
Administrative Parking Appeals Reviewed & Processed 23
Parking Citations Issued & Processed 503
Parking Citations Assistance – Phone/Counter 59
Planning Commission Meeting Agenda & Minutes Prepared 0/0 Planning Commission Resolutions Processed 0
Public Safety & Traffic Commission Agenda & Minutes Prepared 0/0 Technical Traffic Advisory Committee Agenda & Minutes Prepared 0/0 Scanned & Indexed Documents 22
Water Billing Payments and Assistance- Phone/Counter 211 OPTIONS:
None. Information only. Receive and file.
FISCAL IMPACT
None. Information only. Receive and file.
4 ATTACHMENTS
None.
Prepared by: Approved by:
Joe Hoefgen
__________
Gary Sugano Joe Hoefgen
Assistant City Manager Interim City Manager