Apr
17
(4/17/09, Los Alamitos, by Dave Emerson) About now, I’m wondering if Dean Zarkos isn’t asking himself what he got himself into this past Monday night.
Going for another trifecta, the Los Alamitos City Council has 3 meetings (including 3 closed sessions) scheduled today and Monday. At least they’re taking Saturday and Sunday off!
- Tonight, Friday, 4/17 at 6:00 p.m. a Special Meeting about hiring a new City Manager. After an opportunity for public comments, the meeting moves into closed session.
- Monday, 4/20, at 5:00 p.m. a two part Special Meeting:
- After oral communications, the Council moves into a closed session to again discuss the appointment of a City Manager.
- Then they return to an open, “workshop” style session to discuss creating a new nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation for the control, operation, and management of Los Al TV.
- Monday, 4/20 at 7:00 p.m. the Regular Meeting, including some presentations, consent calendar items, the second reading on the Council pay cut, and discussion of the Planning Commission’s recommendation to allow air conditioning units in the side yard setbacks of single family neighborhoods, and another P.C. recommendation to allow a waiver of appeals fees by a majority of the City Council or Planning Commission, but not individual Council Members or Commissioners or a Council/Commission minority. The regular meeting will conclude with a closed session to discuss negotiations with three different City Employee Organizaitons.
Sounds like a lot going on.
I’ve got some e-mails out right now to see if there was any reportable action from t0night’s Special Session on hiring a new City Manager. If you have information, please post it in the comment section below.
I’ll try to get more detailed info on the LATV issues and the Planning Commission recommendations over the weekend as well.
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For now, here’s the agenda for Monday’s 7 p.m. Regular Council Session:
Agenda: Los Alamitos CityCouncil Regular Meeting,
7 p.m. April 20, 20091. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council Member Mejia
4. INVOCATION Mayor Edgar
5. PRESENTATIONS
A. Presentation of “Public Safety Dispatcher Week” Proclamation to Kristen Berry, Supervisor; Lindsay Lenart, Lead Dispatcher; and Edith Swift, Dispatcher of West-Comm
B. Certificates of Appreciation to Race on the Base Sponsors and members of the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Commission6. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
7. REGISTER OF MAJOR EXPENDITURES
April 20, 2009.8. CONSENT CALENDAR
All Consent Calendar items may be acted upon by one motion unless a Council Member requests separate action on a specific item.
A. Approval of Minutes (City Clerk)
1. Approve minutes of the Special Meeting – March 30, 2009.
2. Approve minutes of the Regular Meeting – April 6, 2009.B. Warrants (Finance)
April 20, 2009.C. County of Orange-Proposition 42 Road Funding, City Aid Program (CAP) Agreement for Fiscal Year 2009/2010 Att 1 (Public Works)
The attached Agreement is required by the County of Orange for participation in Proposition 42 City Aid Program funding for Fiscal Year 2009/2010 for roadway maintenance projects.
Recommendation: Authorize the Mayor to execute the attached Agreement as required for participation in the County’s Proposition 42 City Aid Program.
D. Consideration of Establishing ‘No Parking’ - Katella Avenue , Lexington Drive to Midway Drive Att 1 Att 2 Att 3 Att 4 Att 4 – Ex A (Public Works)
This is a request to consider various ‘No Parking’ areas on Katella Avenue, between Lexington Drive and Midway Drive by establishing red zones at various locations.
Recommendation: Approve Resolution No. 2009-04, “A RESOLUTION OF CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS ESTABLISHING ‘NO PARKING’ – KATELLA AVENUE, LEXINGTON DRIVE TO MIDWAY DRIVE.”
E. Approval of Plans and Specifications for Lexington Drive Rehabilitation from Corporate Center Drive to Cerritos Avenue . (CIP No. 08/09-04) (Public Works)
This report provides for approval of the plans, specifications and cost estimates, and authorization to advertise and solicit bids for the Lexington Drive Rehabilitation project between Corporate Center Drive and Cerritos Avenue.
Recommendation:
1. Approve the project plans and specifications for the Lexington Drive Rehabilitation Project; and,
2. Authorize staff to advertise to solicit bid proposals.***END OF CONSENT CALENDAR***
9. ORDINANCES
A. Second Reading – Ordinance No. 09-01 – City Council Salary Decrease Att 1 (Administration)
At its regular meeting of April 6, 2009, the City Council conducted a first reading of Ordinance No. 09-01, which repeals Ordinance No. 690 and will decrease City Council salaries from $450 to $400 per month as part of the Budget cutbacks for Fiscal Year 2008-09.
Recommendation:
1. Waive reading in full and authorize reading by title only of Ordinance No. 09-01; and,
2. Mayor Edgar read the title of Ordinance No. 09-01, entitled, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA, REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 690 AND DECREASING THE MONTHLY SALARIES FOR CITY COUNCIL”; and,
3. Adopt Ordinance No. 09-01 by roll call vote.10. DISCUSSION
A. Adoption of Zoning Ordinance Amendment Z09-01, Modifying Chapter 17.68 Appeals; and, Zoning Ordinance Amendment Z09-02 Modifying Chapter 17.16.100 Allowing Air Conditioning Equipment in the Side Yard Setback in the Single-Family Zone Att 1 Att 2 (Com.Dev.)
At its special meeting on March 9, 2009, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council adopt Zoning Ordinance Amendment Z09-01, modifying the Appeals Process in Chapter 17.68 of the Los Alamitos Municipal Code; and, adopt Zoning Ordinance Amendment Z09-02, modifying Chapter 17.16.100, permitting residential air-conditioning unit placement in the required side yard setback in the Single-family (R-1) Zoning District (City initiated).
Recommendation:
1. Review and discuss of the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve Zoning Ordinance Amendment Z09-01, modifying the appeals process as described in LAMC Chapter 17.68 Appeals; and Zoning Ordinance Amendment Z09-02, modifying LAMC Chapter 17.16.100 allowing air conditioning equipment placement in the side yard setback in the Single-Family Residential (R-1) Zoning District; and,
2. Direct staff to bring to Council two ordinances as recommended by the Planning Commission, or as Council deems appropriate.11. MAYOR AND COUNCIL INITIATED BUSINESS
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.12. ITEMS FROM THE CITY MANAGER
13. CLOSED SESSION
A. Conference with Labor Negotiator
Agency Negotiators: Nita McKay, Interim City Manager and Dean Derleth, City Attorney
Employee Organization: Executive Management, Middle Management and Non-Management Employees; Police Officers’ Association; and, the City Employees’ Association
Authority: Government Code Section 54957.614. ADJOURNMENT
The next meeting of the City Council is scheduled for Monday, May 4, 2009, in the City Council Chambers.
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Comments
13 Responses to “Another 3 meeting weekend for our City Council”
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Recall update:
Well, the final round between the city clerk and the proponents was not the final round. Everything in the first round was “fixed” and the petition was resubmitted and came back “another fix” needing to be made. Why wasn’t this fix requested in round 1? I have no idea. The fix was made and the petition is to be resubmitted Monday at 7AM with a request for a fast turn around (let’s not see this go all 10 days again). If the City Clerk finds another “problem” at this point I would say that Edgar is getting help from the clerk since there was only one “problem” in the last round (which should have been caught in the first round, but I digress) and it was fixed as directed.
I suspect that we should have an approved petition ready for signing by Wednesday or Thursday.
Then it’s rock and roll time as we will need petition signature gatherers. Please use the contact us link on the Blog to contact Dave if you are interested in gathering signatures.
City Manager Update: No reportable action from Friday’s closed session on the City Manager decision. To be continued at 5 Monday, no doubt.
Thanks to our newest Council Member, Dean Zarkos, for responding quickly to my e-mailed inquiry!
JM,
Sue, our City Clerk, has always been helpful to me, but your experience makes me wonder if she used to be a loan processor! (They ask for “one more thing” so often I think they must be related to Columbo.) Anyway, I’d rather be sure it’s right before printing than to find out too late & have to redo everything. I’m not in any particular hurry.
In any case, I would be very surprised if we don’t see a parade of familiar faces complaining about taking two polices officers off the streets to pay for a recall. Never mind that city staff estimated the cost of a local election at about $40,000–the $100,000 claimed by a few audience members at prior Council sessions was quickly seized upon by Ken Stephens in his remarks last Monday when explaining his sudden flip flop on Anne Yee.
I made a promise to everyone that I would, as part of my role in representing the petitioners, advise Mr. Edgar before we presented the signed petitions to the City Clerk (if we ever got that far in the process).
If there is nothing else people can say about me, they can say that when I give my word I will stand by it. So, if the petitioners obtain the required number of signatures I again, publicly, promise to advise Mr. Edgar prior to filing the signatures with the City Clerk.
Mr. Edgar then has the option of forcing a special election upon the city, and all the costs associated with such, or he can decide to save the city the costs of such an election.
The whole “special election costs” is really a red herring as the choice to undergo one would be left in Mr. Edgars hands. Remember that the petitioners would have to get more signatures than Mr. Edgar got actual votes to office. If they can do that, I think that says more about the interests of the community and Mr. Edgars decision, if he were to let it go to a special election, say more about his interests in maintaining political power at any cost.
At the risk of being hung in effigy, I would like to go on record about the selection of our new councilman, Dean Zarkos. While I thought Ann Yee was a remarkable interview with an interesting background I think they chose well for the rough and tumble world of city politics. Although it turned out I knew Ann’s husband, John, I did not know Ann nor any of the other candidates. I would recognize two of the other candidates but that is not knowing them in my book.
I am sure there are many members on this website that disagree with my position on the choice of DZ, but I view this choice as an unanticipated consequence of forcing DG to resign. I think this second Dean is not going to be pushed around and some of the contributors might wish we had the old Dean back. Only time will tell what we’ve got but I wish him well.
JM, thanks for the time and effort you are putting into this Recall. I noticed our neighbors in Seal Beach are also going to be doing a recall on Jim Silva. They will need 40,000 signatures. I think we will be seeing other recalls in the future.
I plan on signing the recall for Silva just because he SUPPORTED Troy Edgar in his election. He didn’t even know him, he just did it as a favor to a friend.
I am glad residents are getting fed up with all the BS that goes on in politics today.
Keep up the good fight
Carol–
So far I’ve been surprised by Council Member Zarkos cordial and helpful responses to my inquiries. I wish him and all of our Council Members well as they seek to work together for the good of our community.
Carol, When you say DZ will not be pushed around did you mean DG was a pushover? Are you talking about the fact that he resigned under pressure?
I also got the impression DZ would not be pushed around. It’s hard to be pushed when Edgar will be pulling the strings. We all know who will be pulling Edgars strings.
Sounds like you know DZ pretty well, thanks for confirming the CPLA connection.
Carol, the simple fact that both you and I liked Mrs. Yee and could have lived with her in that position says volumes about her qualifications for an ability to potentially bridge two very different world views.
It was a massive loss to the city and a possible path going forward that Mr. Edgar choose to manipulate the proceedings in filling the position with someone who was seen as divisive by having the full support of two council members and not having any support from Geri.
You have been around long enough to know that the entire thing was manipulated from the Mayors chair, so I don’t think that either of us can say that it was not with a straight face.
What do you think would have happened had you, and then I had a chance to speak before the vote? I know that you were shocked by the fact that we both could have supported Mrs. Yee. But the simple fact is, I found her more than competent and she didn’t come in with any preconceived agenda’s for your side or mine (and yes, we do stand on opposing sides and not acknowledging that would be as much a farce as the Edgar selection).
In many ways I feel that she was much like Dave. Someone who was looking to make a difference and would be able to analyze what was in the best interests of the citizens and the City of Los Alamitos. I’m sure that, in your view, Dave went to the “dark side”. I would like to think that our side made a more persuasive case for a path forward that he saw as progressive for the city. I do know, and he has stated here many times, that he became very disenchanted with your side based on the type of campaign CPLA ran and that was a great help in pushing him more to our side and way of looking at the city and it’s future.
Mrs. Yee, like Dave, had a lack of prior community activist involvement, which is a negative as far as I’m concerned. But, she was smart, appeared competent, and was willing to listen rather than just tell us what was wrong with the city, a very big positive. She also was very responsive (unlike Edgar and Stephens) to the community.
The script created and played by Edgar would have worked well, if it hadn’t been for the fact that there was actually a good candidate put forward that both sides could have “lived with”. Stephens screwed up. He actually found a great candidate for the position.
I truly believe that Edgar (and Stephens) playing to the script rather than looking for the best candidate for the city created a greater problem for himself going forward. I can say that when I knock on doors I will clearly indicate that Mrs. Yee was a great candidate that was tossed aside so that Edgar could place the only candidate he wanted on the council to do his bidding. That his personal political aspirations came before what was in the cities best interests.
That is the legacy of his appointment of his nominee via his railroading. And it does resonate with the people in the community. Because of the railroading of the new Dean the 2000+ signatures looks very possible. I can tell you that I have had at least five new people come up and ask me about when we will need them to circulate petitions, and that was in the last week alone.
J.M. – You like the sound of your voice way too much and the looks of your own words on paper/screen. Can’t you ever say anything in a short manner?
To the person who identified me as Carol CPLA Sylvia – I have a life outside of the politics of this city. You ought to try getting involved in some charity work. It will make you a happier person and less willing to criticize others. I told you I did not know DZ but it seems as though the truth is not recognized on this website. I should have known better than to stick my head out of the foxhole. God Bless you anyway.
Carol,
1. I encourage posters here to try to focus on issues rather than personalities. That’s easier said than done, as evidenced by any number of posts here, including your comment to JM, but I’ll keep on trying.
2. Your “I did not know Ann nor any of the other candidates” (8:09 p.m. comment yesterday) was not as direct as “I did not know DZ,” and I can see how “To Carol” might have taken your comment that “this second Dean is not going to be pushed around” as a basis to say “sounds like you know DZ pretty well.” Thanks for clarifying that this morning, although I think your attack on both “to Carol” probably was counter-productive, as was your generalization that “the truth is not recognized on this website.” In any case, I commend you for sticking your head out of the “foxhole” and hope you’ll continue to do so. The first step to understanding one another is to have a respectful conversation, and it’s best when both sides participate. It’s even better when they learn to do so in a spirit of both mutual respect and candor.
3. Helping others is among life’s highest callings, and I can vouch for your and your husband’s involvement in a number of worthy Los Al causes. Keep it up, and thanks for stopping by.
Carol,
The fact that you do charity work is wonderful, but the fact that you brag about it isn’t. God knows your heart. You don’t get into heaven by your good works.
If you are an example of a happy person from all the charity work you do then you need to stop bragging about it because no one will ever want to do charity work.
You and your husband exude contempt for anyone who doesn’t agree with you about how things should be done in Los Alamitos. You both are closed minded people.
Another thing that won’t get you into heaven is creating websites that hatefully try to ruin people’s lives. You’re the last person who should play the God card.
You do not display the kindness and humility of a true Christian.
To the someone who won’t give their name who said “The fact that you do charity work is wonderful, but the fact that you brag about it isn’t. God knows your heart. You don’t get into heaven by your good works.”
I did not brag about my charity work as is evidenced by my comment – “You ought to try getting involved in some charity work. It will make you a happier person and less willing to criticize others.” To the contrary, I must do good works to get into heaven. “Faith without works is not sufficient.” I must, however, do it with the right attitude and not just for a reward.
To expand on my comment, if you spend your time productively – maybe holding down a job, picking up trash, volunteering in some capacity to help others – there will be less opportunity to get yourself all worked up over this website. I am sorry your heart is so hardened.
To Dave, To be more specific, I did not and do not now know DZ. Is this clear enough?
Exactly…now when are you going to give yourself an attitude adjustment?
Try smiling and showing all that love in your heart.
Just telling people that you do charity work is boastful in the Lords eyes.
No matter what I do for work I will always find time to point out just how hateful and non Christian you and your husband really are. You are hypocrits.
I repeat, you are the last person who should be playing the God card.
How does it feel to know that after your both gone the CPLA is what you will be remembered for?