Agenda Item
Under the Public Comment section of the agenda, members of the public may speak on any item not listed on the Agenda and on items listed under the Consent Calendar. Individuals may not share or offer time to another speaker. Pursuant to provisions of the Brown Act, no action may be taken on a matter unless it is listed on the agenda, or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist. The City Council may direct staff to investigate and/or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future Council meeting. Written comments on agenda items received prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting will be included as part of the meeting record but will not be read aloud. If there appears to be a large number of speakers, the Mayor may reduce speaking time to limit the total amount of time for public comments (Gov. Code sec. 54954.3(b)(1).). Speakers that are not in compliance with the City Council's rules of decorum will be muted. 1 Public Comment
Guest User at July 09, 2023 at 4:45pm PDT
My husband and I have lived in the Serra Highlands neighborhood, near Buri=Buri School for 51 years. In retirement, I have enjoyed many serene,peaceful, and carefree days tending to my large garden. However, several months ago, in fact almost a year ago, when my neighbor became a beekeeper of numerous honeybee colonies I became uneasy. While honeybees are crucial to our food supply, living with SO MANY of them in such CLOSE PROXIMITY has its downsides too! After reviewing SSF standards for acquiring a beekeepers permit I have the following suggestions for the HEALTH,SAFETY,AND WELFARE of our community. First of all,prior to registration the applicant should be REQUIRED to NOTIFY ALL NEIGHBORS where properties share a common lot line with the property where beekeeping will take place. Along with contact information, the number of hives and their location should be given to all the neighbors that will be affected. I was NOT NOTIFIED and became UNCERTAIN and QUESTIONING!! Also, the City should have the authorization to make INSPECTIONS during reasonable hours to investigate any COMPLAINTS, or to determine continued COMPLIANCE with the beekeeping ordinance.
The City should have the right to revoke the permit if there has been several violations of the ordinance within any 6 months period. I was informed that my neighbor would NOT ALLOW the City to inspect his property. Just recently it was viewed from an adjoining property and was found to be OUT OF COMPLIANCE!! Next, I'm calling attention to your list of when bees are considered to be a PUBLIC NUISANCE. Just like all living creatures BEES POOP TOO!! Would you please ADD this fact to your list of public nuisances. Thousands of bees have produced mega orange, sticky,
dots which have covered my house, windows, skylights, lawn furniture and cars. I RESENT having to do extra cleaning!! In fact, its not easy to remove, so consequently I have incurred the cost of professional cleaning of these items!! Even after taking my car to a car wash the BEE POOP remains and needs to be scrubbed off.
Furthermore, I have been chased in my house by several aggressive bees! I have witnessed bee swarms from my house and on June 16th
while standing next to a tree in my backyard with a City Code Officer ,we were engulfed by an enormous BEE SWARM!! I was TERRIFIED and
I CRIED!!
Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Council Members for your consideration of my VERY DISTRESSED situation. I hope that you will
consider my solutions in the near future.
With Kind Regards,
Worried Anonymous