MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS
ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING
Monday, July 22, 2024
1. CALL TO ORDER
The City Council met in Adjourned Regular Session at 5:30 p.m., Monday, July 22, 2024, in the Council Chamber located at 3191 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos, CA 90720, Mayor Nefulda presiding.
2. ROLL CALL
Present: Council Members: Doby, Hibard, Murphy
Mayor Pro Tem Hasselbrink, Mayor Nefulda
Absent: Council Members: None
Present: Staff: Chet Simmons, City Manager
Michael Claborn, Chief of Police
Michael Daudt, City Attorney
Craig Koehler, Finance Director
Matthew Lightner, Management Analyst
Nolan McGaughy, Orange County Fire Authority Captain
Emeline Noda, Recreation and Community Services Director Ron Noda, Development Services Director
Windmera Quintanar, City Clerk/Director of Communications
3. CLOSED SESSION
A. Public Employee Evaluation
Title: City Manager
Authority: Government Code Section 54957
B. Conference with Legal Negotiator
City Negotiator: Chet Simmons, City Manager
Employee Organization: Teamsters Local 911
Authority: Government Code Section 54957.6
City Attorney Daud read the titles aloud.
RECESS
The City Council recessed into Closed Session at 5:30 p.m.
RECONVENE
The City Council reconvened in Regular Session at 6:00 p.m.
Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
City Attorney Daudt stated there was no reportable action.
4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Pro Tem Hasselbrink led the Pledge of Allegiance
5. INVOCATION
Council Member Hibard will gave the Invocation.
6. PRESENTATIONS
A. Presentation of Awards to the 2023 Annual Police Honorees Chief Claborn presented awards to the following recipients:
Chief’s Award – Kenny Brandyberry
Chief’s Award – Jose Mendoza
Citizen of the Year – Scott Beurrier
Employee of the Year – Belinda Roman
Police Officer of the Year – Joel Espinoza
B. Oath of Office for Los Alamitos Police Officer Peacock Captain South gave the Oath of Office for Police Officer Peacock.
C. Presentation of Certificates to Los Alamitos Employees of the Quarter:
Ariana Enciso, Management Analyst, and Sovandany Wang, Finance Assistant
Mayor Nefulda spoke regarding the recipients and presented a Certificate of Recognition to Ms. Wang.
D. Presentation by Connor Medina, Regional Public Affairs Manager with the League of California Cities - Orange County Division, Providing a Legislative Update
Mr. Medina gave a PowerPoint presentation.
7. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
At this time, any individual in the audience may come forward to speak on any item within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council. Remarks are to be limited to not more than five minutes per speaker.
Mayor Nefulda opened Oral Communications. There being no one present wishing to speak, Mayor Nefulda closed Oral Communications.
8. UPDATES FROM THE MAYOR
At this time, the Mayor may report on items not specifically described on the Agenda that are of interest to the community, provided no action or discussion is taken.
Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
Mayor Nefulda spoke regarding the Summer Concert Series, Serve Los Al, the Senior Services Master Plan, and the Senior Expo.
9. UPDATES FROM THE CITY STAFF
At this time, City Staff may also report on items not specifically described on the Agenda that are of interest to the community, provided no action or discussion is taken except.
City Manager Simmons stated nothing to report at this time.
10. WARRANTS
A. Warrants (Finance)
The attached Warrant Register contains checks and electronic funds transfers for the period from June 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024.
Council Member Hibard advised she had missed the deadline to resubmit questions and resubmitted them to City Clerk Quintanar.
Mayor Nefulda indicated the City was in possession of the questions and would respond according to the policy.
Motion/Second: Doby/Hasselbrink
Carried 4/1: The City Council ratified the Warrants from June 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024, for $2,122.734.55.
Roll Call
Mayor Nefulda Yes
Mayor Pro Tem Hasselbrink Yes
Council Member Doby Yes
Council Member Hibard Abstain
Council Member Murphy Yes
11. CONSENT CALENDAR
All Consent Calendar items may be acted upon by one motion unless a Council Member requests separate action on a specific item.
Council Member Murphy pulled item 11A.
Motion/Second: Doby/Hasselbrink
Unanimously Carried: The City Council approved the following Consent Calendar Items:
Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
B. Proposition 68 Grant Funding for Soroptimist Park Renovation (Administration)
This item discussed Proposition 68 grant funding for the Soroptimist Park Renovation.
The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-25, entitled, "A
RESOLUTION OF CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING APPLICATION(S) FOR PER CAPITA GRANT FUNDS".
C. Memorandum of Understanding with California Teamsters Local 911 (Administration)
This Resolution adopted a four year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the California Teamsters Local 911 (Teamsters), effective July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2028.
The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-32, entitled, “A
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS
ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS AND THE
TEAMSTERS LOCAL 911 EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2024 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2028”.
End of Consent Calendar
Items pulled from Consent Calendar
A. Approval of Minutes (Administration)
Approve the City Council Regular minutes of May 20, 2024, and the City Council Adjourned Regular minutes of June 24, 2024.
Council Member Murphy requested an Amendment for the June 24, 2024 minutes indicating that “Real Property Negotiation” were not discussed.
Motion/Second: Hibard/Hasselbrink
Unanimously carried: the City Council approved the City Council Regular minutes of May 20, 2024, and the City Council Adjourned Regular minutes of June 24, 2024 as amended.
12. DISCUSSION ITEM
A. Personnel Related Changes for Non-Represented, California Teamsters 911, and Part-Time Employees (Administration) This report outlined and sought consideration to approve the various personnel changes and new job descriptions for Non-Represented Employees, California Teamsters 911, and Part-Time Employees that have Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
recently been identified.
City Council and Staff discussed the following:
New job descriptions would not replace specialty services provided by contracting firms
Request for Approval of the for job descriptions only Concern for funding and clarification that Staff was not currently seeking funding for the new job descriptions
Goal of adopting new job descriptions was to provide employees a path forward within the City, to allow opportunities for growth, and to assist with retention
Funding for new positions would be approved by the City Council during the budget process
Motion/Second: Murphy/Hasselbrink
Unanimously Carried: The City Council :
1. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-26, entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANALYST,
HUMAN RESOURCES ANALYST, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST,
AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR AND UPDATING
THE EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND NON-REPRESENTED
EMPLOYEES SALARY SCHEDULE” and,
2. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-27, entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS AND
THE CALIFORNIA TEAMSTERS LOCAL 911 ADOPTING JOB
DESCRIPTIONS AND SALARY SCHEDULE FOR SENIOR
PLANNER, SENIOR RECORDS SPECIALIST, AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR” and,
3. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-28, entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR PARTTIME POLICE RECRUIT AND ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST AND
UPDATING THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS HOURLY RATE
SCHEDULE”.
B. City Manager Employment Agreement (Administration)
Following the conclusion of negotiations with City Manager Chester C.
Simmons, the City Council will consider approval of a new City Manager Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
Employment Agreement.
City Attorney Daudt summarized the Staff report and provided an oral report on compensation.
Council Member Hibard asked questions and received the following clarifications:
Section 3.2.8 was legacy language form the original contract and referred to termination without cause
Requested a numbering change in Section 3.2.9
Section 3.4.11: City Manger Simmons listed the organizations he is a part of
Section 3.1.4 was legacy language. Discussion regarding Mr.
Simmons personal inactive business ensued
Motion: Hibard
Motion: Table the item until time the City Manager can look into closing his personal business.
Mayor Pro Tem Hasselbrink stated City Manager Simmon’s personal business did not create a conflict and did not affect his performance as City Manager
Council Member Doby understood the difficulties in opening a small business and opposed requesting he close the business.
City Attorney Daudt stated Section 3.1.4 requires some indication that the business interferes with Mr. Simmons duties as City Manager.
Council Member Murphy indicated Mr. Simmons could voluntarily close the business as he is his own person.
Motion/Second: Hibard/Murphy
Motion Failed 2/3 (Doby, Hasselbrink, Nefulda): Table the item until time the City Manager can look into closing his personal business.
Motion/Second: Doby/Hasselbrink
Motion Carried 3/1/1 (Hibard voted no. Murphy abstained):
The City Council:
1. Received an oral report summarizing the proposed new City Manager Employment Agreement; and,
Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
2. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-33 approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute a new City Manager Employment Agreement with Chester C. Simmons.
C. Placement of a Modernizing Charter Amendment Measure on the November 5, 2024 General Election Ballot for Voter Consideration (Administration)
This item will discuss the Los Alamitos proposed Charter Amendment to be placed on the November 5, 2024 ballot, for a vote from the public.
Amendments to the City's Charter can only be made by a majority vote of the people. As the Charter is 64 years old and has not had a revision since 1998, there are several aspects that are no longer in line with the best practices, efficiency, and economics.
City Manager Simmons summarized the staff report. Dr. Richard Bernard, FM3 consultant, gave a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the polling data of the City’s residents.
City Council and Staff discussed the following:
Dollar amounts were not provided during the survey
Term limits would be applied prospectively
Term limits would apply to 3 consecutive terms within one or multiple districts
Overview of the current public works contract process for over $10,000 and approximate 6–8-month timeline for completion Concern survey language was ambiguous
306 responses received based on past voter information, and which registered voters would be most likely to vote in the upcoming election
Concern regarding the timing and why changes weren’t proposed when the City transitioned into Districts
Council approved the Charter Amendment as part of the City Manager’s 2024 goals
Redistricting process had strict guidance for implementation that did not lend to a charter amendment at the time
Lobbyist information and campaign was included to increase transparency measures and good governance
Concern contribution limits are changing from the State default of $5,500 to $500
Motion/Second: Doby/Hasselbrink
Motion Carried 3/2 (Hibard and Murphy voted no): The City Council:
1. Declared the attached Resolutions were not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
(the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment), and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and,
2. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-29, entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS,
CALIFORNIA, CALLING FOR THE HOLDING OF A GENERAL
MUNICIPAL ELECTION ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2024, FOR
THE SUBMISSION OF A PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT";
and,
3. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-30 entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA,
SETTING PRIORITIES FOR FILING WRITTEN ARGUMENTS
REGARDING A CITY MEASURE AND DIRECTING THE CITY
ATTORNEY TO PREPARE AN IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS"; and,
4. Adopted Resolution No. 2024-31, entitled, “A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS,
CALIFORNIA, PROVIDING FOR THE FILING OF REBUTTAL
ARGUMENTS FOR CITY MEASURES SUBMITTED AT
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS".
D. Consideration of the Process for City Council Submission of a Ballot Argument in Favor of a Charter Amendment Modernizing the City of Los Alamitos City Charter (Administration)
The City is considering placing a Charter Amendment on the ballot at the November 5, 2024 election. If the measure is placed on the ballot, the arguments for and against the measure must be submitted to the City Clerk by August 6, 2024. Accordingly, the City Council must decide whether some or all of the Council Members would like to submit an argument in favor of the ballot measure and, if so, draft and approve the text of a ballot argument.
Due to the constraints of the Brown Act, the development or approval of a ballot argument by more than two Council Members must occur at a noticed public meeting. Accordingly, advance consideration of the process for developing and approving arguments will help avoid a last-minute crisis or missed opportunity.
City Manager Simmons summarized the staff report.
Motion/Second: Doby/Hasselbrink
Carried 3/2 (Hibard and Murphy voted no): The City Council authorized the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem to submit a ballot argument signed by two or Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE City Council Adjourned Regular Minutes
July 22, 2024
less Council Members in favor of the proposed Charter Amendment.
13. COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS
At this time, Council Members may also report on items not specifically described on the Agenda that are of interest to the community, provided no action or discussion is taken except to provide Staff direction to report back or to place the item on a future Agenda.
Mayor Pro Tem Hasselbrink stated nothing to report at this time.
Council Member Murphy reported attendance at the pop-up dog park at Laurel Park; 3
rd of July Fireworks Spectacular; Carbon Health Ribbon Cutting; College Park North 40th Annual Fireworks Parade led by Los Alamitos Police Department; and, the Chamber Mixer at the Joint Forces Training Base.
Council Member Hibard reported attendance at the Regional Military Affairs Committee (RMAC) meeting; Special Olympic Law Enforcement Torch Run; popup dog park at Laurel Park; 10th anniversary for Sewing Lab; and stated she continues to walk various neighborhoods.
Council Member Doby spoke regarding attendance at the Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) Executive Committee Meeting; Orange Council of Governments (OCCOG) Board of Directors meeting; ACC-OC Legislative and Regulations committee; 3
rd of July Fireworks Spectacular; Cal-Cities Summer
Recess Briefing; the Chamber Mixer at the Joint Forces Training Base; and, the CalOptima Webinar regarding Senior Services.
Mayor Jordan thanked the Police Department and orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for their participation in the Suburbia Estates 4 th of July parade.
14. ADJOURNMENT
The City Council adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Jordan B. Nefulda, Mayor
Attest:
Windmera Quintanar, MMC, City Clerk
Docusign Envelope ID: 286830EC-AE87-4A92-B2DE-F012812E2CFE