CITY OF SOUTH GATE
REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
MINUTES
TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023
CALL TO ORDER Maria del Pilar Avalos, Mayor called a Regular City Council Meeting to order at 6:38 p.m.
INVOCATION Pastor Ernesto Trejo, South Gate Church of Christ
PLEDGE OF
ALLEGIANCE Salvador Campos, Recreation Coordinator
ROLL CALL Yodit Glaze, City Clerk
PRESENT Mayor Maria del Pilar Avalos, Vice Mayor Gil Hurtado, Council Member Joshua Barron, Council Member Maria Davila, and Council Member Al Rios; City Manager Chris Jeffers, City Attorney Raul F. Salinas ABSENT City Treasurer Jose De La Paz
1 CD/HOUSING The City Council unanimously approved A and B by motion of Council Member Rios and seconded by Mayor Avalos.
a. Resolution No. 2023-15-CC entitled - A Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California approving Substantial Amendment No. 1 to the FY 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan approving the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan due to HUD by March 31, 2023; and authorizing the City Manager, or designee, to submit to HUD, in a form approved by the City Attorney; and b. Appropriated $387,686 from the HOME-ARP funds to an account determined by the Director of Administrative Services to fund the administration of the HOME-ARP program.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Baron, yes; Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, yes.
Carol Averell, Housing Manager, provided a presentation on this item.
Council Member Hurtado asked if there are any numbers showing how many are at risk of becoming homeless.
Ms. Averell stated that the money has already been allocated from HUD and they do follow a formula that is based on the population of the city.
Mayor Avalos asked if there could be a map that shows which areas of South Gate would fall under these qualifications.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
i
CD/HOUSING CONT'D Chris Jeffers, City Manager stated that at this point we are designating which programs the funding will be used for. The city will need a process to verify income to see if applicants qualify and review what exactly the program allows.
Mayor Avalos opened the public hearing and asked if anyone in the audience wishes to speak on this item. Seeing no come forward, Mayor Avalos closed the public hearing.
Council Member Baron clarified that this item is to accept the allocation of funds.
Ms. Averell stated that Council Member Baron is correct, and that the distribution of funds will come later.
DEVIATE FROM
THE AGENDA At this time, there being no objections, Mayor Avalos stated that item 12 would be considered out of its regular agenda order.
The City Council received and filed the presentation on the Sewer Rate Study. The City Council requested that staff bring back information on Option No. 2 (5-year Financial Plan Revenue Adjustment) by motion of Mayor Avalos and seconded by Council Member Hurtado.
a. Received and filed a presentation on the Sewer Rate Study; and 12 WASTEWATER MGMT
b. Provided the City Manager with direction on next steps, if any, as it relates to the fiscal sustainability of the City's Sewer Fund.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Baron, yes; Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, yes.
DEVIATE FROM
THE AGENDA
2 STREETS/SIDEWALKS/
LANDSCAPING
At this time, there being no objections, Mayor Avalos stated that item 2 would be considered out of its regular agenda order.
The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-16-CC entitled - A Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California declaring an emergency still exists and authorizing repair, replacement or maintenance activities of public facilities related to the Urban Orchard, City Project No. 539-PRK, without public bidding, pursuant to the emergency contracting procedures of the South Gate Municipal Code and the California Public Contract Code by motion of Council Member Barron and seconded by Council Member Davila
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
2 STREETS/SIDEWALKS/
LANDSCAPING CONT'D
DEVIATE FROM
THE AGENDA
5 PARKS
DEVIATE FROM
THE AGENDA
EXCUSED FROM
MEETING
COMMENTS FROM
THE AUDIENCE
ROLL CALL: Council Member Baron, yes; Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, recused; Mayor Avalos, yes.
At this time, there being no objections, Mayor Avalos stated that item 5 would be considered out of its regular agenda order.
The City Council approved A and B by motion of Council Member Barron and seconded by Council member Davila
a. Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 3485 with David Volz Design (DVD) to extend the term of the contract through June 30, 2024, and to provide design and construction support services on the Circle Park Renovation Project, City Project No. 609-PRK, for an amount not to exceed $99,085; and
b. Authorized the Mayor to execute Amendment No. 1 in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Baron, yes; Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, recused; Mayor Avalos, yes.
Mayor Avalos provided her report before having to leave the City Council Meeting.
Mayor Avalos attended that AltaMed recognition by Congresswoman Barragan presenting a check for 2.5 million dollars for their residency program. She also participated in making a video with Council Member Rios in support of mental health and the Multi-Cultural Woman's Club Women's Day acknowledgement. The County Sanitation District will host an Earth Day Event on April 22 in Whittier.
At 7:51 p.m., Mayor Avalos was excused from the meeting and departed from the Council Chambers.
Amy Lu, Leland Weaver Community Library shared information about the Reading Stars program.
Andrea asked if Code Enforcement checks the placement of residential trash cans and overgrown lawns.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
COMMENTS FROM
THE AUDIENCE CONT'D Mario Dominguez requested that at the April 13 th Parks and Recreation Meeting would like to place the mural project on the agenda including and emailing the public photos of the sample art.
Bash, Tweedy Mile Association thanked the City Council and Staff for their support of the Azalea Festival Car Show.
Thomas Buckley supported the decision of the city to close the carnival on Friday night but does disagree with the closure on Saturday and Sunday.
He stated that the city did a poor job of communicating with the community as to what was going on.
Ana, Chamber of Commerce invited everyone to attend a meet and greet with the Mayor on April 1s t. She also encourages everyone to check out the gift card program that is continuing. There are about 25 businesses that are participating in the program and the city is matching the amount purchased for each card.
Cyndi Esquivel stated that if the carnival was shut down due to public safety, she agrees with the decision, but the city didn't communicate the reasons with the community.
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
FROM CITY OFFICIALS Meredith Elguira, Director of Community Development, reported that City received a grant for the site assessment at 13050 Paramount Blvd. Last week was Co Op with Code for the cleanup of the United Pacific Railroad tracks.
Steve Costley, Interim Director of Parks and Recreation, reported on the Azalea Festival events. Since the beginning of 2021 the city has hosted a COVID testing site at South Gate Park. Los Angeles County has decided to close many of these testing sites and March 31s t will be the last day for this site.
Kris Ryan, Director of Administrative Services, reported that the Finance Department is moving forward with the budget and should have an item coming before the Council shortly.
Jon Hamilton, Director of Human Resource announced the open positions for the City of South Gate.
Darren Arakawa, Chief of Police, received a 26-foot DUI trailer from the Office of Traffic Safety by a grant awarded to the city. Baker to Vegas run starts next weekend.
Chris Jeffers, City Manager, reported that on Friday night at the carnival approximately 150 teens became unruly, in fact, 1 juvenile was arrested with a gun. The situation escalated and the city could no longer guarantee
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
FROM CITY OFFICIALS the safety of participants at the event. The event ended at 9:30 p.m. a half an hour before the scheduled time. The decision to close the carnival on Saturday and Sunday was based on the number of available staff that the city could provide on short notice. The City Managers priority is that the community is safe.
Mr. Jeffers explained that Mr. Dominguez did have the opportunity to address the Parks and Recreation Commission regarding the graffiti style writing being suggested for the mural. There was a presentation by TPL that included pictures. Mr. Dominguez did address the commission both orally and in writing. The Commission is made up of 5 residents and they reached the decision that the general painting was good, but the style of lettering was not appropriate and requested that additional fonts be presented.
Yodit Glaze, City Clerk reported that she attended the Multi-Cultural Women's Club conference. She was a judge for the Miss Azaelita Contest, the Miss South Gate Pageant, and the Azalea Festival Car Show.
Council Member Davila thanked the participants of the Multi-Cultural Women's Club conference, the Miss South Gate Pageant, and the Miss Azaelita Contest. Council Member Davila supported the decisions of the City Staff to close the carnival.
Council Member Barron supported the decisions of the City Staff to close the carnival but was glad to have these conversations and recognizes that the city might have been able to communicate better with the residents.
Council Member Rios attended the Azalea Festival Car Show and spoke on participating in the making of the video for the video in support of mental health programs. He supports the decisions of the decisions of the City Staff to close the carnival but would like to see us offer more programs for youth to take part in.
Vice Mayor Hurtado spoke about the recent school shooting in Tennessee and agrees with staff about closing the carnival. He stated that he received messages from people saying that they knew this was going to happen because their kids where about it in school and that society tries to excuse their behavior by saying there is not enough programs for the youth, but it really comes down to family. The Vice Mayor said that the City needs to improve communication with the residents and needs to continue to enforce our own rules.
CONSENT CALENDAR Agenda Items 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 were approved by motion of Council Member Rios and seconded by Council Member Barron. Items 2 and 5 were pulled for separate discussion.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
CONSENT CALENDAR
CONT'D
ROLL CALL: Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes (recused for Item 9); Council Member Davila, yes, (recused for Item 3 and abstain for Item 11), Council Member Rios, yes; Council Member Barron, yes; Mayor Avalos, excused. 3 PARKING & TRAFFIC The City Council approved A and B during the consent calendar. a. Agreement (Contract No. 2023-35-CC) with Fountainhead Consulting Corporation (Fountainhead) to provide construction management and inspection services for the construction of the Tweedy Boulevard Signal Synchronization Project, City Project No. 514-TRF, in an amount not to exceed $175,290; and
b. Authorized the Mayor to execute the Agreement in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
4 WASTEWATER MGMT The City Council approved A and B during the consent calendar. a. Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 2020-53-CC with John L.
Hunter and Associates, Inc. to extend management services for the Industrial Waste Program and Fat, Oil, and Grease Control Program for one year, not-to-exceed amount of $56,760; and b. Authorizing the Mayor to execute Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 2020-53-CC in a form approved by the City Attorney. 6 PARKING & TRAFFIC The City Council approved A, B, C and D during the consent calendar. a. Agreement (Contract No. 2023-36-CC) with Servitek
Electrical Inc., for the Replacement of Damaged Traffic Signal Poles, City Project No. 655-TRF ("Agreement"), in an amount not- to-exceed $351,857;
b. Appropriated $315,170 in Proposition C Funds to fully fund the Replacement of Damaged Traffic Signal Poles, City Project No. 655-TRF ("Project");
c. Notice of Exemption for the Project, pursuant to Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Existing Facilities Section 15301 Class and directing the City Clerk to file it with the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder's Office; and
d. Authorized the Mayor to execute the Agreement in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
7 PERSONNEL - MOU BETW
CITY & EMPLEE GROUPS The City Council approved A and B during the consent calendar. a. Resolution No. 2023-17-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, approving the SGMEA MOU (Contract No. 2023-37-CC) and the SGPMMA
MOU (Contract No. 2023-38-CC) for the term of July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024; and
b. Authorized the Mayor to execute the comprehensive successor Memorandums of Understanding in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
8 PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT
& SELECTION The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-18-23 entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, amending Resolution No. 6454 (Salary Resolution and Position Classification Plan) by approving the job classification specifications for the following positions during the consent calendar.
a. Electrical Supervisor;
b. Facilities Maintenance Specialist;
c. Facilities Maintenance Technician II;
d. General Maintenance Foreman;
e. Water Distribution Foreman;
f Water Distribution Operator I;
g. Water Distribution Operator II;
h. Water Lead Worker;
i. Water Meter Reader II;
j. Water Operations Foreman;
k. Water Pump Operator I;
1. Water Pump Operator II; and
m. Water Quality & System Lead Operator.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
9 SCHOOLS/EDUCATION The City Council approved A, B and C during the consent calendar. a. Appropriated $375,000 in American Rescue Plan Act ("ARPA") funds for an agreement with the Southeast Community Foundation ("SCF") to continue tutoring services for the spring, summer and fall sessions at three (3) sites in South Gate and internal costs for monitoring the agreement by staff;
b. Agreement (Contract No. 2023-39-CC) with SCF for the tutoring program as outlined in Attachment A (Scope of Work) in an amount not to exceed $345,171; and
c. Authorized the Mayor to sign an agreement with SCF in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
10 LAW ENFORCEMENT The City Council approved A, B and C during the consent calendar. a. Purchase Order Agreement with ATV Corp for the purchase of one Prowler C4XM police off-road utility vehicle for the Police Department, in the total amount of $50,340.15;
b. Appropriated $2,397.15 from the Asset Forfeiture Fund to cover the full cost of the vehicle; and
c. Authorized the Mayor to execute the Purchase Order in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
11 MINUTES The City Council approved A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H during the consent calendar.
a. The Regular Meeting minutes of November 22, 2022;
b. The Recessed Meeting minutes of November 29, 2022;
c. The Regular Meeting minutes of December 13, 2022;
d. The Special Meeting minutes (Closed Session) and Special Meeting Minutes of January 10, 2023;
e. The Regular Meeting minutes of January 10, 2023;
f. The Special Meeting minutes of January 24, 2023;
g. The Special Meeting minutes of February 6, 2023; and h. The Special Meeting minutes of February 14, 2023.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 28, 2023
EXCUSED FROM
MEETING
At this time, 10:02 p.m., Council Member Davila was excused from the meeting and departed from the Council Chambers.
13 CITY COUNCIL The City Council will decide if direction should be given to staff to present a project and program that would permit the video/streaming of City Council meetings.
This item was continued to the City Council Meeting of April 11, 2023 by motion of Council Member Barron and seconded by Council Member Rios.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Baron, yes; Council Member Davila, absent; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, absent.
14 WARRANTS
The City Council approved the Warrant Register for March 28, 2023, by Council Member Rios and seconded by Vice Mayor Hurtado.
Total of Checks:
Less: Voids
Less: Employee Payroll Deductions
Grand Total:
Cancellations: 99840, 100210, 100400
$2,203,667.53
$ (1,356.29)
$ (327,650.74)
$1,874,660.50
ROLL CALL: Council Member Baron, yes; Council Member Davila, absent; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, absent.
ADJOURNMENT Vice Mayor Hurtado adjourned the meeting at 10:07 p.m. and seconded by Council Member Rios.
PASSED and APPROVED this 27th day of June 2023.
ATTEST:
Maria del Pilar Avalos, Mayor Yodit aze, City Clerk
s.