m20210427.pdf 1 April 27, 2021
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
APRIL 27, 2021
A regular meeting of the Santa Monica City Council was called to order by Mayor Himmelrich at 5:30 p.m.,
on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, via teleconference pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20 at
https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/live-event/dpkkxgfb
Roll Call: Present: Mayor Sue Himmelrich
Mayor Pro Tem Kristin McCowan
Councilmember Phil Brock
Councilmember Gleam Davis
Councilmember Oscar de la Torre
Councilmember Kevin McKeown
Councilmember Christine Parra
Also Present: Interim City Manager Lane Dilg
Interim City Attorney George Cardona
City Clerk Denise Anderson-Warren
CONVENE
On order of the Mayor, the City Council convened at 5:30 p.m., with
all members present.
AGENDA MANAGEMENT Staff requested hearing Item 8.B. before Item 8.A., to accommodate
the expected large number of callers on this item.
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, seconded by Councilmember
Parra, to hear item 8.B. before item 8.A. The motion was approved by
the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, Davis, Parra,
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: Councilmember McKeown
ABSENT: None
Councilmember McKeown stated for the record his no vote is out of
concern that changing the agenda order on the night of the meeting
can cause confusion and disenfranchise members of the public, and he
would prefer to publish the agenda in the order the Council plans to
hear it.
CLOSED SESSIONS There was no one present for public comment on closed sessions.
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Councilmember de la Torre recused himself from Item 1.C. for the
same reasons he previously stated.
Due to his work with the youth of the Pico Neighborhood for many
years, there are some alleged victims that he knows personally.
This makes it very difficult for impartiality because it is emotionally
and psychologically very hard. For this reason, he recused himself in
all matters regarding the settlement of these issues.
On order of the Mayor, the City Council recessed at 5:38 p.m., to
consider closed sessions and returned at 6:52 p.m., with all members
present, to report the following:
1.A. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation –
Litigation has been initiated formally pursuant to Government
Code Section 54956.9(d)(1): Guadalupe Olmedo v. City of Santa
Monica, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC719653.
The Interim City Attorney advised the plaintiff, who was 94 at the
time, alleges that she fell and suffered head and soft tissue injuries
when, on November 1, 2017, the Big Blue Bus on which she was a
passenger began moving forward after she had gotten out of her seat
to disembark. The City does not admit the allegations, but to avoid
the expense and burden of further litigation, the City Attorney’s
Office recommended settlement in the amount of $21,000.
Motion by Councilmember McKeown, seconded by Councilmember
Davis, to approve Settlement Agreement No. 11151 (CCS), in the
amount of $21,000. The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
1.B. Conference with Real Estate Negotiator pursuant to
Government Code Section 54956.8: Property: Parking Area
East/Airport Park Expansion West (226,090 sf) and 3200 Airport
Avenue (16,590 sf), Santa Monica, California; City Negotiators:
Jennifer Taylor, Economic Development Manager, and Stelios
Makrides, Chief Operations Officer/Airport Director; Owner of
Record: City of Santa Monica; Persons to be negotiated with:
Angel City Football Club; Under negotiation: Ground Lease and
Building Lease Terms.
The Interim City Attorney advised this matter was heard with no
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Councilmember de la Torre was
excused at 6:30 p.m.
reportable action taken.
1.C. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation –
Litigation has been initiated formally pursuant to Gov. Code
Section 54956.9(d)(1): John Doe #1, et al. v. City of Santa Monica,
Santa Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.
20STCV36226; John Doe #1 v. City of Santa Monica, Santa
Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.
20STCV39505; John UA Doe, et al. v. City of Santa Monica, Santa
Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.
20STCV43543; John AI Doe v. City of Santa Monica, Santa
Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.
20STCV44059; John Doe #7, et al. v. City of Santa Monica, Santa
Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.
20STCV46215; John PS Doe v. City of Santa Monica, Santa
Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.
20STCV48207; John FM Doe, et al. v. Roe #1, Roe #2, et al., Los
Angeles Superior Court, Case No. 20STCV49643; John UN Doe v.
City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles
Superior Court, Case No. 21STCV00968; John OQ Doe, et al. v.
Santa Monica PAL, City of Santa Monica, et al., Los Angeles
Superior Court, Case No. 21STCV04365; John Doe #17 v. City of
Santa Monica, Santa Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior
Court, Case No. 21STCV07070; John Doe #18 v. City of Santa
Monica, Santa Monica PAL, et al., Los Angeles Superior Court,
Case No. 21STCV08464.
The Interim City Attorney advised this matter was heard with no
reportable action taken.
SPECIAL AGENDA ITEMS:
Councilmember de la Torre
returned at 6:52 p.m.
2.A. Commendation: Cori Newlander, was presented by the
Mayor.
REPORT ON MEETING
COMPENSATION
Pursuant to State law, City Clerk Denise Anderson-Warren announced
that Council will receive $50 for meeting as the Housing Authority.
CONSENT CALENDAR: There being a Consent Calendar for Council and the Housing
Authority, the Mayor, with the consensus of the Councilmembers,
convened to a joint meeting at 7:05 p.m., and the two Consent
Calendars were heard concurrently, with all Authority/
Councilmembers present.
All items were considered and approved in one motion unless
removed by a Councilmember for discussion.
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Members of the public Denise Barton and Olga Zurawska commented
on various Consent Calendar items.
At the request of Authority/Councilmember Brock, Item 3.F. was
removed from the Consent Calendar.
At the request of Authority/Councilmember de la Torre, Item 3.C. was
removed from the Consent Calendar.
Motion by Authority/Councilmember McKeown, seconded by
Authority/Councilmember Brock, to approve the Consent Calendar
except for Items 3.C. and 3.F., reading resolutions by title only and
waiving further reading thereof. The motion was approved by the
following vote:
AYES: Authority/Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown,
Brock, de la Torre, Vice Chair/Mayor Pro Tem McCowan,
Chair/Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
SOFTWARE
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
3.A. Approval of Third Modification to Agreement with
Origami Risk, Inc. for Claims Management Software
Subscription Services, was approved.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to
negotiate and execute a third modification to agreement #10275 for an
additional three years in the amount of $362,400 with Origami Risk,
Inc., an Illinois-based company, for claims management software
subscription services for the Finance Department. This will result in
an eight-year amended agreement with a new total amount not to
exceed $953,753, with future year funding contingent on Council
budget approval.
PARK IMPROVEMENTS 3.B. Award Bid #SP2393 and SP2583 to Cinbad Industry, Inc.
for the Tongva Park Pedestrian Improvements and Palisades
Park Petanque Courts Repurposing Projects, was approved.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Award Bids #SP2393 & #SP2583 to Cinbad Industry, Inc. for
construction services for the Tongva Park Pedestrian
Improvements and Palisades Park Petanque Courts
Repurposing Projects for the Community Services
Department;
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2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute Contract
No. 11150 (CCS) with Cinbad Industry, Inc. in an amount not
to exceed $325,000 (including a 10% contingency);
3. Authorize the Director of Public Works to issue any necessary
change orders to complete additional work within contract
authority; and
4. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts
& Budget Actions section of this report.
CDBG/HOME GRANT
FUNDS
3.D. Approval of the Proposed FY 2021-22 One-Year Action
Plan Allocating Federal Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Act Program
(HOME) Entitlement Grant Funds, was approved.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Approve the Proposed 2021-22 Annual CDBG and HOME
Action Plan (Attachment A).
2. Authorize the City Manager to submit all documents required
to receive the City’s annual Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnerships Act
(HOME) entitlement grant funds to the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
HOUSING AUTHORITY SPECIAL MEETING OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY
MINUTES 3.E. Minutes for the Housing Authority, were approved.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Housing Authority approve the minutes of
the January 26, 2021 meeting.
MINUTES 3.G. Minutes of City Council - Special Meeting - March 30,
2021 5:30 PM, were approved.
MINUTES 3.H. Minutes of City Council - Regular Meeting - April 13, 2021
5:30 PM, were approved.
CITY YARDS 3.C. Approval of Third Modification to Design-Build Contract
with Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company for the City
Yards Modernization Project, was presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a
Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) third modification to
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Design-Build Contract #10371 (CCS) in the amount of
$6,350,000 with Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
for design and construction services of the Fire Department
Training Facility as part of the City Yards Modernization –
Package A Project for the Public Works Department. This
would result in a five-year amended agreement with a new
total amount not to exceed $82,223,039; and
2. Authorize the Director of Public Works to issue any
necessary change orders to complete additional work within
contract authority.
Councilmember de la Torre pulled this item to ask questions of staff.
Questions asked and answered of staff included: for other Fire
departments who will use this facility, will they compensate the city
for their use; and, inquiry about the construction company’s
contingency percentage and construction management fee and if the
company exceeds their costs of improvements, are they obligated to
complete the project regardless or do they come back with a change
order.
Motion by Councilmember de la Torre, seconded by Councilmember
Parra, to approve the recommended action. The motion was approved
by the following:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
HOUSING AUTHORITY 3.F. Adoption of Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Santa Monica Public
Housing Authority Annual and Administrative Plans, was
presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Housing Authority Board:
1. Adopt the FY 2021-22 Santa Monica Housing Authority
Annual Plan, provided as Attachment A
2. Adopt the FY 2021-22 Santa Monica Housing Authority
Administrative Plan, provided as Attachment B
3. Authorize the submission of the FY 2021-22 Annual Plan to
the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development
4. Authorize the submission of the FY 2021-22 Administrative
Plan to the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
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Authority member Brock pulled this item to ask questions of staff.
Questions asked and answered of staff included: has the city violated
the law by not having a Section 8 representative sit with the Council
as they make Housing Authority decisions and by not having a
resident advisory board for Section 8 tenants; are the Housing
Authority bylaws up to date; is the Housing Authority an autonomous
division or is it part of the Housing Division; are there ways for
residents to contact the resident advisory board members; can the
Housing Authority seek assistance from HUD to make
homeownership voucher programs available in Santa Monica, and
clarification on why the plan was submitted to HUD the way it was,
and is that how it’s normally done.
Motion by Commissioner Brock, seconded by Councilmember de la
Torre, to approve the recommendation. The motion was approved by
the following:
AYES: Commissioners Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Vice Chair McCowan, Chair Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ADJOURNMENT OF
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
On order of the Chair/Mayor, the special joint meeting with the
Housing Authority was recessed at 7:34 p.m., and the regular meeting
of the City Council was reconvened, with all members present.
CONTINUED ITEMS:
PUBLIC SAFETY REFORM
AND OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE
5.A. Appointments to the Public Safety Reform and Oversight
Committee, was presented.
Questions asked and answered of staff included, how are the
appointment terms are determined, and if Council was aware that the
appointment terms would be determined by lot.
The Interim City Attorney clarified that all appointments are to be
made by lot, and that the committee would pull by lot to determine
each person’s term for office.
Members of the public Scott Wolfe, Burch Champagne, Kimberly
Miles Lawson, Meredith Coons, Derek Devermont, Robbie Jones,
Erika Leslie and Phillip Bracko spoke on the recommended action.
The two Youth seats (18 – 22 non-voting member)
On order of the Mayor, the floor was opened for nominations the two
Youth seats (18 – 22 non-voting member).
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Mayor Himmelrich nominated Samantha Mota
Councilmember Brock nominated Miranda McLaughlin Basseri
There being no other nominations, Miranda McLaughlin-Basseri and
Samantha Mota were appointed to the Public Safety Reform and
Oversight Committee for the two Youth seats by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
The City Clerk opened the first round of votes and asked each
Councilmember to give the names of their nine choices for the
committee seats.
George Brown, George Centeno, Derek Devermont, Craig Miller,
Greg Morena, Lana Negrete, and Angela Scott were appointed to
seven of the nine seats on the Public Safety Reform Committee by the
following votes:
Councilmember Parra nominated: Craig Miller, Lana Negrete, Derek
Devermont, Elizabeth Brown, Luis Ramirez, Manju Raman, Jason
Feldman, Greg Morena, George Centeno
Councilmember Davis nominated: George Brown, George Centeno,
Jaime Cruz, Derek Devermont, Greg Morena, Marc Morgenstern,
Lana Negrete, Angela Scott and Michael Shotton
Councilmember McKeown nominated: George Brown, George
Centeno, Joel Koury, Rebecca Landry, Greg Morena, Marc
Morgenstern, Angela Scott, Michael Shotton and Michele Wittig
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan nominated: Elizabeth Brown, George
Brown, George Centeno, Greg Morena, Marc Morgenstern, Lana
Negrete, Angela Scott, Paul Song and Michelle Wittig
Councilmember Brock nominated: Craig Miller, Derek Devermont,
Jason Feldman, Houman Hemmati, Lana Negrete, Greg Morena,
George Centeno, Manju Raman and Joe Palazzolo
Councilmember de la Torre nominated: George Centeno, Jaime Cruz,
Jason Feldman, Houman Hemmati, Craig Miller, Greg Morena, Manju
Raman, Luis Ramirez and Angela Scott
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Mayor Himmelrich nominated: Elizabeth Brown, George Brown,
George Centeno, Derek Devermont, Craig Miller, Lana Negrete,
Angela Scott and Paul Song
The City Clerk opened the second round of votes and asked each
Councilmember to give names for their two choices for committee
seats.
Manju Raman was appointed to 1 of the 9 seats on the Public Safety
Reform and Oversight Committee by the following votes:
Councilmember Parra nominated: Elizabeth Brown and Manju Raman
Councilmember Davis nominated: Jaime Cruz and Marc Morgenstern
Councilmember McKeown nominated: Marc Morgenstern and
Michele Wittig
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan nominated: Paul Song and Michele Wittig
Councilmember Brock nominated: Manju Raman and Houman
Hemmati
Councilmember de la Torre nominated: Manju Raman and Jaime Cruz
Mayor Himmelrich nominated: Manju Raman and Elizabeth Brown
The City Clerk opened the third round of votes and asked each
Councilmember to give a name for their choice for the final
committee seat.
Jaime Cruz was appointed to 1 of the 9 seats on the Public Safety
Reform and Oversight Committee by the following votes:
Councilmember de la Torre nominated: Jaime Cruz
Councilmember Brock nominated: Jaime Cruz
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan nominated: Jaime Cruz
Councilmember McKeown nominated: Marc Morgenstern
Councilmember Davis nominated: Jaime Cruz
Councilmember Parra nominated: Jaime Cruz
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Mayor Himmelrich nominated: Elizabeth Brown
Mayor Himmelrich changed her vote to Jaime Cruz.
ORDINANCES:
SIGNAGE
7.A. Second Reading And Adoption Of Ordinance No. 2669
(CCS) entitled “AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA MAKING MINOR CHANGES,
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS TO SANTA MONICA
MUNICIPAL CODE SECTIONS 9.61.20, 9.61.150, AND 9.61.200
RELATED TO ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL, EXEMPT
SIGNS, AND SIGNS FOR ESTABLISHMENTS WITH
FRONTAGE ALONG THE THIRD STREET PROMENADE”, was
presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council waive reading in full and adopt
the attached Ordinance.
Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Mayor Himmelrich, to
adopt the ordinance, reading by title only and waiving further reading
thereof. The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ZERO EMISSION
DELIVERY ZONE
PROGRAM
7.B. Introduction and Adoption of an Ordinance Amending the
Remotely Controlled Delivery Device Ordinance to allow remotely
controlled devices participating in the Zero Emission Delivery
Zone program to serve businesses citywide, was presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council introduce and adopt the
attached ordinance amending Santa Monica Municipal Code Section
3.12.1055 to allow remotely controlled devices participating in the
Zero Emission Delivery Zone (ZEDZ) program to operate citywide.
Members of the public Logan, Hunter Hall, Timothy Mosamba and
Zach Rush spoke to the recommendation.
Questions asked and answered of staff included: have there been any
incidents with these delivery devices; where are the cameras on these
devices, what are the protocols for using the cameras; and, what
happens to the data from the cameras.
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Considerable discussion ensued on topics including, but not limited to,
concern that many delivery drivers may lose their jobs, and hopes that
the vendor would do their best to hire any newly displaced delivery
drivers.
Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem
McCowan, to introduce on first reading of the ordinance reading by
title only and waiving further reading thereof. The motion was
approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Councilmember de la Torre
BOARDS/COMMISSIONS/
TASK FORCES REVIEW
8.B. Comprehensive Review of Boards, Commissions and Task
Forces, was presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Review and discuss recommendations from the Community
Working Group (“CWG”) and the City Clerk, as a result of a
comprehensive review of all boards, commissions and task
forces, and direct staff to return with resolution(s) implementing
adopted recommendations for general policies and procedures
governing boards, commissions and task forces to become
effective July 1, 2021;
2) Provide direction on additional CWG recommendations around
board and commission consolidation and reclassification,
budgets, definitions, and appointment methodology;
3) Direct staff to return with an ordinance converting the
Environmental Task Force into a permanent commission named
the Commission on Sustainability and the Environment, with the
same term limits as other boards and commissions, as
recommended by the CWG; and,
4) Approve a policy permitting boards and commissions to meet
quarterly for the remainder of calendar year 2021 or until the
end of fiscal year 2022.
Members of the public Joe Schmitz, Homa Mojtabai, Olga Zurawska,
Alex Elliot, Denise Barton, Lori Brown, Erica Leslie, Zina Josephs,
Nancy Coleman, Michael Soloff and Ann Thallawalla, spoke to the
recommended action.
Questions asked and answered of staff included: what is the best way
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to integrate a robust outreach strategy and find ways to inspire people
to get involved; may we have requirements based on gender; is the
primary motivation the idea that it takes too much staff time to service
boards and commissions; why are the budgets not consistent for each
board and commission; can we have a Youth Authority instead of
appointing a youth to each body; is there a way to remove the
residency requirements for Board and Commission members; has
there been a study of the boards and commissions that have the
initiatives brought to Council; are there any concerns that
consolidation would diminish civic engagement; is there a way to find
out which are effective vs. ineffective Boards or Commissions; and,
which boards and commissions are allowed to meet more than
quarterly.
Considerable discussion ensued on topics including, but not limited to:
Brown Act concerns regarding the Disabilities Commission being
combined into a larger commission; budgeted expenditures apart from
the Pier Board; lack of standardization; more details on allocations
and their source, and look at a way to incorporate youth leadership
development.
Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Councilmember Brock,
to: 1. require every city board, commission and task force to have
consistent bylaws established by resolution which includes officers who
should rotate and serve one or two-year terms as chair in order to
promote diversity and provide leadership opportunities to more people
in the community; 2. election of officers should take place in July after
the annual appointments; 3. the year-end appointments in December
should be moved to June to align with the annual appointments; 4. a
rule should be added that all bodies produce an annual Boards and
Commissions work plan to set priorities for the year which should align
with the department’s plan; 5. required trainings for the year should
happen immediately after the appointments in July; 6 all boards,
commissions and task forces should adopt the same order of business
on their agendas but if a rule does not apply to a board, commission or
task force it should be noted on the agenda; 7. attendance requirements
should be included in the bylaws and they should be consistent and
clarified by the rules for what is considered an excused and unexcused
absence; 8. the latest start time for any meeting should be 7 PM;
9. accommodation language should be included in the bylaws template
after consultation with the Disabilities Commission; 10. all existing
boards, commissions and task forces should review their current
bylaws, remove outdated information and/or procedures and utilize the
bylaws template to be consistent with the City Council format.
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Interim City Attorney George Cardona proposed a friendly amendment
to allow three months for Board and Commission members to complete
the required training.
The amendment was considered friendly to the maker and seconder.
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan proposed a friendly amendment to add the
language, ‘except in extraordinary circumstances’, in regard to the 7:00
PM start time.
The amendment was considered friendly to the maker and seconder.
Councilmember de la Torre proposed a friendly amendment to require
an annual one-page evaluation for each Board and Commission be
presented to Council.
The amendment was considered friendly to the maker and seconder.
The motion, with amendments was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Motion by Councilmember McKeown, seconded by Councilmember de
la Torre, to have term limits for the Task Force on the Environment and
convert it to a permanent commission called the Commission on
Sustainability and the Environment.
Councilmember de la Torre proposed a friendly amendment to include
in the ordinance the goal of achieving environmental justice.
The amendment was considered friendly to the maker.
The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan,
Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Motion by Councilmember Brock, seconded by Councilmember de la
Torre, to approve the unexcused absences recommendation.
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Interim City Attorney George Cardona proposed a friendly
amendment to make term limits Commission on Sustainability and the
Environment members the same as other Boards and Commissions.
The amendment was considered friendly to the maker and the
seconder.
The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra
NOES: Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
ABSENT: None
Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Mayor Himmelrich, to
explore all means to enhance diverse representation that reflects the
Santa Monica community that includes: increase the use of social media
to reach and encourage community members to get involved; consider
involvement at fairs or booths at festivals, such as COAST; consider
community-based meetings that give residents more opportunities to
have informal conversations about community concerns; and, that
specific outreach to younger members of the community age 18 through
29 to sit on boards and commissions.
Councilmember de la Torre proposed a friendly amendment to include
cultural events, and that the youth should have equal voting rights.
The amendment was friendly to the maker and the seconder.
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan proposed a friendly amendment to modify
the residency requirements for youth members.
The amendment was not considered friendly to the maker.
The motion, with amendments was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan,
Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Councilmember
McKeown, to allow members to serve two consecutive terms and
request a third term from City Council however members who term
out must wait one year before applying to another Board or
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Commission; that staff liaisons are expected to do administrative work
for Boards and Commissions and not intensive research, staff research
should be limited to information the department uniquely has access to
and should align with the department’s work plan; budgets for Boards
and Commissions should be part of the department budgets; every five
years there should be a comprehensive review of all advisory bodies;
every five years there should be a consideration of updating Board and
Commission applications; consider training sessions on running
meetings, participating during meetings, parliamentary procedure and
other trainings including but not limited to implicit bias training; allow
Boards and Commissions to continue meeting quarterly and maintain
self-sufficiency with minimal departmental staff support through the
end of calendar year 2021, exceptions include Boards and
Commissions enumerated in the Charter, Boards and Commissions
with adequate staff and quasi-judicial, decision-making Board and
Commissions including the Housing Commission.
The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Mayor Himmelrich
Motion by Mayor Himmelrich, seconded by Councilmember Brock, to
direct staff to investigate the legality of Council liaisons to Boards and
Commissioners. The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE
ITEMS:
LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
8.A. Approval of Annual Legislative Platform, was presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached 2021
State and Federal Legislative Agendas, which detail both the City’s
historic legislative priorities and emerging concerns, aligned with the
Council’s adopted community and budget priorities for FY 2021-
2023.
Member of the public Jonathan Foster, spoke to the recommended
action.
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Questions asked and answered of staff included: would we be able to
move back up to full scope of representation in Sacramento, now that
the budget is improving slightly; and, with the new Administration,
how specific do we have to be to take advantage of Federal
opportunities; what is the amount of the state lobbyist contract; how
are we going to lobby for sustainable issues, when it is not considered
one of our top three priorities; how are we reconciling lobbying
conflicting tenant/housing legislation; would there be a conflict of
interest to support the California Voters Right Act, even though the
city is involved in current litigation; and, if we give the lobbyist a
mass amount of issues to address, are we diluting their efforts.
Considerable discussion ensued on topics including, but not limited to
add economic justice, concerned about having conflicting interest that
might affect affordable housing goals; expand on economic
empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Environmental justice issues;
access to education; substance abuse and rehabilitation; support for
essential workers; and, youth services.
Motion by Councilmember de la Torre to give direction to staff to
include Environmental Justice, especially mitigation for pollution
coming from freeways, especially methane, under Racial Justice. The
motion was removed because these issues are already covered under
recommendations from staff.
Motion by McKeown, seconded by Councilmember Brock, to adopt the
staff recommendation. The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Parra,
Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: Councilmember Davis
ABSENT: None
Councilmember Davis stated for the record her reason for her no vote
is because she sees as inherently contradictory positions regarding
housing and equity particularly with regard to the issue of local control
versus the attempt to build more affordable housing and more diverse
housing in historically exclusive neighborhoods.
COUNCILMEMBER
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
SOCIAL SERVICES
COMMISSION
13.A. Recommendation to accept Elaine Barringer's resignation
from the Social Services Commission and authorize the City Clerk
to publish the vacancy, was presented.
Motion by Councilmember McKeown, seconded by Mayor
Himmelrich, to accept the resignation with regret.
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The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan,
Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
REED PARK 13.B. Councilmember Brock and Mayor Himmelrich request
that the appropriate departmental staff explore the possibility of
converting a portion of Reed Park into a neighborhood off-leash
dog park and report back to the council for budget consideration
on the feasibility and cost of this proposal, was presented.
Question asked and answered of staff included, are there any other
Park Planners on staff.
Members of the public Jon Katz and Jonathan Foster, spoke on the
recommended action.
Motion by Mayor Himmelrich, seconded by Councilmember Brock, to
adopt the recommendation.
Councilmember McKeown proposed a friendly amendment to broaden
exploring and report back not just on the budgeted consideration,
feasibility and cost, but the impact on neighbors, current users of the
park, and how this fits in with our policies, successes and failures
dealing with the homeless. The motion was considered friendly by the
maker and seconder.
Councilmember Davis proposed a friendly amendment to add and
explore if there might be other areas to consider a dog park. The motion
was considered friendly to maker and seconder.
The motion, with amendments was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Brock, McKeown, Davis,
Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
MAIN STREET PILOT
PROGRAM
13.C. Request of Councilmembers Parra and Davis that, as part
of its economic recovery efforts, Council direct staff to consider
the proposals of the Main Street Business Improvement
Association and the Park Association and return to Council with a
plan to implement a pilot program for temporary summer
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weekend closure(s) of all or part of Main Street to automobiles
and bus traffic, as well as to assess the pilot’s traffic impacts on
surrounding neighborhoods, was presented.
Questions asked and answered of staff included: has there been any
consideration to residents who are inconvenienced and don’t
participate; who’s paying the cost to have the streets closed; and, will
it cause other surrounding businesses to lose money.
Members of the public Hunter Hall, Roger Genser, Daniel Londono,
and Carl Hansen spoke on the recommended action.
Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Councilmember Parra,
to adopt the recommendation. The motion was approved by the
following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, McKeown, Brock,
de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan,
Mayor Himmelrich
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
PUBLIC INPUT: Members of the public Theresa Morosco, Jonathan Foster, and Denise
Barton commented on various local issues.
ADJOURNMENT On order of the Mayor, the City Council meeting adjourned at 12:42
a.m. in memory of Frances Beeler and Margo Verge.
ATTEST: APPROVED:
Denise Anderson-Warren Sue Himmelrich
City Clerk Mayor
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