CITY OF SOUTH GATE
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2023
CALL TO ORDER Maria del Pilar Avalos, Mayor called a Regular City Council Meeting to order to 6:55 p.m.
INVOCATION Ernesto Trejo, South Gate Church of Christ
PLEDGE OF
ALLEGIANCE Yodit Glaze, City Clerk
ROLL CALL Yodit Glaze, City Clerk
PRESENT Mayor Maria del Pilar Avalos, Vice Mayor Gil Hurtado, Council Member Maria Davila, and Council Member Al Rios; City Treasurer Jose De La Paz, City Manager Chris Jeffers, City Attorney Raul F. Salinas ABSENT/EXCUSED Council Member Joshua Barron
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HOUSING Following the conclusion of the Public Hearing, the City Council approved items A, B, C and D by motion of Council Member Davila and seconded by Council Member Rios.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Mayor Avalos, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, recused; Council Member Barron, absent.
a. Resolution No. 2023-53-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, approving Substantial Amendment No. 6 to the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Annual Action Plan allocating Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus ("CDBG-CV3") funds to provide additional COVID-19 related programs and services in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations (Exhibit A);
b. Resolution No. 2023-54-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, approving Substantial Amendment No. 2 to the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan allocating Community Development Block Grant ("CDBG") funds to the South Gate Park Fence Project (Exhibit B);
c. Authorized the City Manager or the Community Development Director to enter into agreements with eligible subrecipients and REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023 1 COMMUNITY DEV/
HOUSING CONT'D
COMMENTS FROM THE
AUDIENCE (NON-AGENDA
ITEMS)
purchase supplies, programs, and equipment as noted in the FY 2019-2020 Annual Action Plan; and
d. Authorized the City Manager or the Community Development Director to enter into agreements with eligible subrecipients and purchase supplies, programs, and equipment as noted in the FY 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan.
Carol Averall, Housing Manager, went into detail about the CDBF-CV changes and the total funds to be re-programmed.
Ana Ramirez, Southern California Rehabilitation Services, extended gratitude for the city council's continue support.
Resident Mario Dominguez expressed frustration on the sound issues. He also requested that funds for homeless people should be increased to provide shelter.
Resident Thomas Buckley addressed concerns of traffic lights being held by buckets and how funds should be used to repair roads and lights.
Cyndi Esquivel asked if there could be roof repair and use of some allocated funds for other repairs as well.
Ms. Averall provided more information on the Home Modification program.
Meredith Elguira, Director of Community Development, provided details on the process of fund allocation and what happens if those funds are not used.
Daughter of Sandra Beltran, Resident at 3062 Ardmore Ave, voiced issues happening in their property of apartment buildings and asked for an extension in paying a utility bill as the balance is very high.
A Vietnam Veteran presented a purple heart frame and asked if it could be presented in the city. He also spoke about an issue that happened at Hollydale Park where children were exercising their first amendment freedom of playing and South Gate PD escorted them out of the park.
Bill Wallace, 8823 Beaudine Ave, spoke about a petition on a death tax.
Elaine Julian, resident at Thunderbird Villa, voiced concerns about inflation and the rising costs of food in supermarkets.
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REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023
COMMENTS FROM THE
AUDIENCE (NON-AGENDA
ITEMS) CONT'D Benito De Los Santos, 2548 Southern Ave, expressed concerns over security and safety. He also voiced how the streets need major repairs.
A resident spoke about an incident where he was playing soccer among children and adults. He was told they needed a permit in order to play.
Resident Bernie Pineda voiced concerns about the Garfield beautification project and not being able to make a left turn out of his street. He also spoke about the lack of South Gate PD near Los Padrinos Juvenile Center and his concerns for safety.
Resident Mario Dominguez spoke about the minutes and the record. He requested that the minutes be taken out of the agenda.
Resident Thomas Buckley, spoke on behalf of a resident asking what the sequence of tree trimming is. He also spoke about the decrease of Senior help provided and the need for city council minutes.
Resident Cyndi Esquivel asked about when the repairs for streets on Tweedy would start. She also had questions about funds needed for Boy Scouts Huts.
Resident Andrea Paulino, Hollydale, spoke about credible sources where residents can go debunk certain accusations and or facts about the city posted on social media.
Mayor Avalos recognized the purple heart frame and the petition for the death tax. She also addressed the help that can be provided for the high utility bill for a resident.
Steve Costley, Interim Director of Parks & Recreation, described the permits needed for Hollydale Park and the games taking place. He also addressed that some parts of Hollydale are "no ball" play.
Vice Mayor Hurtado added that it is also a matter of safety for the children practicing during those set times.
Vice Mayor Avalos addressed the help for Seniors being needed and wanted to reach out to give the application for the Food Insecurity program.
Arturo Cervantes, Director of Public Works, spoke on the Garfield beautification project and announced the date for the discussion of that meeting.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023
COMMENTS FROM THE
AUDIENCE (NON-AGENDA
ITEMS) CONT'D Darren Arakawa, Chief of Police, spoke on the safety precautions in neighborhoods and the Los Padrinos incident.
Raul F. Salinas, City Attorney, explained the role of the minutes and why it is a crucial record.
Chris Jeffers, City Manager, was not able to provide a specific date for when the Tweedy Mile repairs would take place.
Mr. Cervantes explained the outreach that would have to take place to begin construction. There is no set date, but it is projected to begin 2024.
Ms. Elguira explained that maintenance is not covered for the CDBG funding for roofing of the Boy Scouts.
Mr. Cervantes explained that there has been funding approved for the Boy Scouts Huts through Design.
Mr. Cervantes addressed the actions of Public Works in aiding to repair parts of the city streets.
Yodit Glaze, City Clerk, recognized the work of the City Clerk's team and how there have been no changes in the process of producing the minutes.
Jose De La Paz, City Treasurer, explained his conversation with Mr.
Dominguez and future ways that city council meetings can be transcribed and recorded.
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
FROM CITY OFFICIALS Steve Costley, Interim Director of Parks & Recreation announced the drive-thru food distribution at South Gate Park.
Meredith Elguira, Director of Community Development reminded all about the food insecurity program and the home renovation program.
Yodit Glaze, City Clerk described her experience at the City Clerk's Summit she attended.
Wendy O' Kelly, Deputy Director of Finance, expressed gratitude for the Department of Finance being awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Recording.
Jon Hamilton, Director of Human Resources, went over open positions available to apply.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
FROM CITY OFFICIALS
CONT'D Darren Arakawa, Chief of Police, recognized Sergeant Carlos Corella for graduating from supervisory leadership institute. He also invited everyone to attend the Ceremony to recognize recently promoted individuals of the Police Department. He also commented on the Pink Patch Dodger game and proposed to do a proclamation for the childhood cancer awareness month in September in honor of Lily Rose.
Mayor Avalos supported the proclamation and said it would be an honor to give Lily that recognition for her fight against cancer.
Chris Jeffers, City Manager recognized that tonight was Chief Arakawa's Birthday. He also wanted to commend all departments who had a role in making sure the city was prepared for the tropical storm.
Raul F. Salinas, City Attorney, had nothing to report.
Jose De La Paz, City Treasurer, also echoed Mr. Jeffers' comments on the efforts of the departments during the tropical storm. He stated residents have reached out over concerns of healthy trees being removed from their properties and wanted to ask if there could be a second opinion on cutting down certain trees.
Council Member Davila shared that Metro is asking for ideas in naming the West Santa Ana Branch and also her experience at the Northgate backpack giveaway. She also extended gratitude for the support and love she received when her mother passed last month.
Council Member Rios acknowledged the Finance Department in their award and congratulated them. He also commended the city for their efforts in the tropical storm and the Police Department in not using lethal force in an incident that happened. He also voiced that tree cutting seems a bit aggressive and supports getting a second opinion.
Vice Mayor Hurtado expressed words of kindness to Council Member Davila. He also voiced concerns about tree trimming not being done properly and can damage the health of the tree. He followed with the impact of streetlights going down resulting in an increase in accidents. He is requesting for an increase of patrolling and issuing citations for the safety of others. He also commended departments for the tropical storm and requested an explanation as to why there was so much flooding in front of South Gate High School.
Mr. Jeffers explained that this was phase 2 of the Firestone improvement project and there was no way they could have predicted there would be a storm during this time so that resulted in unexpected flooding.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
FROM CITY OFFICIALS
CONT'D
Vice Mayor Hurtado responded with how people tend to spread misinformation and brought up an idea of exploring resources to help people get the correct information.
Mayor Avalos extended condolences to Council Member Davila. She attended the Backpack giveaway and the Pink Patch Dodger Game and described her experience. She commended the Finance Department for their award. She described a dinner with Mayor Karen Bass and the topic of discussion was the homeless issue and how they can work together to address the issue.
CONSENT CALENDAR Agenda Items 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 were approved by motion of Council Member Rios and seconded by Council Member Davila. Item 2 was pulled for separate discussion after consideration of the warrants.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, yes; Council Member Barron, absent.
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CITY & EMPLEE GROUPS The City Council approved items A & B during Consent Calendar:
a. Adopting Resolution No. 2023-56-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, approving the comprehensive successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (Contract No. 2023-123-CC) between the City of South Gate and the South Gate Police Management Association (SGPMA) for the term of July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025; and
b. Authorized the Mayor to execute the comprehensive successor Memorandum of Understanding in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
4 PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT
& SELECTION The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-57-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, amending Resolution No. 6454 (Salary Resolution and Position Classification Plan) creating the Deputy Director of Public Works - Field Operations position in the Public Works Department and authorizing the City Manager to eliminate the position of Field Operations Manager when it is vacated during Consent Calendar.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023 5 PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT
& SELECTION The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-58-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, California, amending Resolution No. 6454 (Salary Resolution and Position Classification Plan) to update the job classification specification for the position of Public Works Senior Management Analyst in the Public Works Department during Consent Calendar.
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& SELECTION The City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-59-CC 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 update to the Senior Administrative Analyst (Police) classification specification during Consent Calendar.
7 LAW ENFORCEMENT The City Council approved items A, B & C during Consent Calendar:
a. Addendum No. 10 to Contract No. 3130 (Master Equity Lease Agreement) with Enterprise FM Trust for a Service Agreement with their service provider, Enterprise Fleet Management, Inc., to lease a 2023 Nissan Frontier for the Police Department for a term of 48 months in the total amount of $41,753;
b. Appropriated $3,945 from the unassigned balance of the Asset Forfeiture Fund to Account No. 235-570-21-6310 for the first annual lease payment; and
c. Authorized the Mayor to execute Addendum No. 10 in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
8 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE The City Council approved items A, B & C during Consent Calendar:
a. Master Agreement (Contract No. 2023-124-CC) with the Conservation Corp of Long Beach to provide youth employment job training, and environmental education through projects offered by the City;
b. Authorized the Mayor to execute the Agreement in a form acceptable to the City Attorney; and
c. Authorized the City Manager to approve proposals for projects and services under the agreement for up to $300,000.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023 9 PARKS
The City Council approved items A & B during Consent Calendar:
a. Agreement (Contract No. 2023-125-CC) with Z&K Consultants, Inc., to provide construction management and inspection services for the construction of the Circle Park Improvement, City Project No. 609-PRK, in an amount not to exceed $557,681; and
b. Authorized the Mayor to execute the Agreement in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
RECESS Mayor Avalos announced that Council will take a 3-minute recess. 10 CITY COUNCIL The City Council approved an Administrative Policy that authorizes the City Manager to approve professional services agreements in excess of $50,000, in a form approved by the City Attorney for services in connection with analyzing and reviewing development applications, where such services will be solely funded by the applicant by motion of Council Member Davila and seconded by Council Member Rios.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, yes; Council Member Barron, absent.
11 WARRANTS The City Council approved the Warrants and Cancellations for August 22, 2023, by motion of Mayor Avalos and seconded by Council Member Davila.
Total of Checks: $12,181,805.48
Voids: ($ 1,215.76)
Total Payroll Deductions: ($ 533,627.30)
Grand Total: $11,646,962.42
Cancellations: 102263,102413
ROLL CALL: Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, yes; Mayor Avalos, yes; Council Member Barron, absent.
EXCUSED FROM
ITEM 2 Council Member Hurtado left the meeting prior to the discussion of Item No. 2 and was recused from voting on this item. Council Member Hurtado departed the Council Chambers at 9:32 p.m.
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 22, 2023 2 STREETS/SIDEWALKS/
LANDSCAPING The City Council made a finding and adopted Resolution No. 2023-55-CC entitled Resolution of the City Council of the City of South Gate, Stated of 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 Davila and seconded by Mayor Avalos.
ROLL CALL: Council Member Davila, yes; Council Member Rios, yes; Vice Mayor Hurtado, recused; Mayor Avalos, yes; Council Member Barron, absent.
ADJOURNMENT
Council Member Davila adjourned the meeting in memory of all the lives lost in Hawaii due to the fires and lives lost during the tropical storm in California at 9:38 p.m. and seconded by Mayor Avalos.
PASSED and APPROVED this 10th day of October 2023.
ATTEST:
fr/ .0 1r-‘,91/4/Z Maria del Pilar Avalos, Mayor Yodit aze, City Clerk