CC MINS 19991103MINUTES
RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
November 3, 1999
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M. by Mayor Hollingsworth at Fred Hesse
Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, and was immediately recessed to a
closed session per the Brown Act Checklist attached to the agenda. The meeting was
reconvened at 7:05 P.M. After the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call was answered as
follows:
PRESENT: Byrd, Ferraro, MCTaggart, and Mayor Hollingsworth
ABSENT: Lyon
Also present were; City Manager Les Evans, Assistant City Manager Carolynn Petru;
City Attorney Carol Lynch; Director of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Joel
Rojas; Director of Public Works Dean Allison; Director of Finance Dennis McLean; City
Clerk/Administrative Services Director Jo Purcell; and, Recording Secretary Jackie
Drasco.
CEREMONIAL EVENT: (304 X 1101)
Mayor Hollingsworth congratulated Toastmasters District 1 on the 75th anniversary of
Toastmasters International.
RECYCLING DRAWING: (1204 X 1301)
The winner from the last drawing was C. F. Stirling, who would receive a check for
$250, representing a year of free refuse service. Another card was selected.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
Mayor pro tem Byrd moved, seconded by Councilwoman Ferraro, to approve the
agenda as amended. Motion carried.
APPROVAL OF CONSENT CALENDAR:
Lois Larue, 3136 Barkentine Road, spoke to the minutes of October 19 and City Hall
phone expenses.
Mayor pro tem Byrd moved, seconded by Councilman McTaggart, to approve the
Consent Calendar, as follows:
Minutes (301)
Approved the minutes of October 19, 1999.
Resol. Nos. 99 -80 and 99 -81 - Agreement to Transfer CDBG Funds
(601 X 1204)
1. Accepted the transfer of $38,400 in FY 1999 -2000 Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) Funds from the City of Rolling Hills. 2. ADOPTED RESOLUTION NO.
99 -80, APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AN ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF ROLLING HILLS AND THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES REGARDING THE TRANSFER OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
GRANT FUNDS FOR FY 1999 -2000. 3. Authorized the City Manager and the City
Clerk to execute the Agreement with the City of Rolling Hills. 4. ADOPTED
RESOLUTION NO. 99 -81, AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 99 -41, THE BUDGET
APPROPRIATION FOR FY 1999 -2000, FOR A BUDGET ADJUSTMENT TO THE
CITY'S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUND.
Resol. No. 99 -82 - Application for Grant Funds for the "Trees for the Millennium"
Grant Program (1204 X 1407)
1. Authorized the application for the "Trees for the Millennium" grant initiative; and 2.
ADOPTED RESOLUTION NO 99 -82, AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT FOR THE
FORESTRY GRANT PROGRAM AS PROVIDED THROUGH THE CALIFORNIA
"TREES FOR THE MILLENNIUM" INITIATIVE FUNDED THROUGH THE FOREST
RESOURCE IMPROVEMENT FUND.
Funding Request from the L. A. County Animal Control Department
(104 X 1204)
Approved a $1,000 financial contribution to support the County's new pet population
control program.
Treasurer's Report for the month of September 1999
Received and filed.
Resol. No. 99 -83 - Register of Demands (602)
Adopt Resol. No. 99 -83, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
City Council Minutes
November 3, 1999
Page 2
RANCHO PALOS VERDES ALLOWING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND DEMANDS AND
SPECIFYING FUNDS FROM WHICH THE SAME ARE TO BE PAID.
The motion to approve the Consent Calendar carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Byrd, Ferraro, McTaggart, and Mayor Hollingsworth
NOES: None
ABSENT: Lyon
REGULAR BUSINESS:
Resol. No. 99 -84 - 2000 -2001 Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Grant
Program (1101 X 1201)
Senior Administrative Analyst Park presented the staff report of November 3, 1999 and
the recommendation to adopt the proposed resolution approving the application for
grant funds for the Environmental Enhancement And Mitigation Program under Section
164.56 of the Streets and Highways Code for the Palos Verdes Shoreline Park
Restoration Project.
Councilwoman Ferraro moved, seconded by Councilman McTaggart, to Adopt Resol.
No. 99 -84, APPROVING THE APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS FOR THE
ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM UNDER
SECTION 164.56 OF THE STREETS AND HIGHWAYS CODE FOR THE PALOS
VERDES SHORELINE PARK RESTORATION PROJECT. Motion carried
Resol. No. 99 -85 - Update on the Pt. Vicente Interpretive Center Project
(1101 X 1201)
City Manager Evans presented the staff report of November 3, 1999 and the
recommendation, as discussed in closed session, to direct to the Mayor and the City
Clerk to execute a contract to remove two piles of dirt from Pt. Vicente Interpretive
Center.
Councilwoman Ferraro moved seconded by Councilman McTaggart, to adopt
RESOLUTION 99 -85 to direct to the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute a contract to
remove two piles of dirt from Pt. Vicente Interpretive Center.
The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
City Council Minutes
November 3, 1999
Page 3
AYES: Byrd, Ferraro, McTaggart, and Mayor Hollingsworth
NOES: None
ABSENT: Lyon
Ocean Trails Grading (1101 X 1411)
City Manager Evans presented the staff report of November 3, 1999 and the
recommendation to direct staff to investigate the conformity of all Ocean Trails grading
with the approved grading plans and report findings to the City Council.
Council discussion focused on checking the height of building pads of the proposed
two -story homes above the clubhouse, complaints from neighbors concerned about
view impacts, the location, thickness, and impermeability of the clay cap, stability of the
area around the tenth hole, whether the dirt mounds in the area of the maintenance
building are higher than previously approved; and whether the transitional slope is too
steep in the area between the clubhouse and the residential grading.
Ken Zuckerman, One Ocean Trails Drive, described the standard compaction
procedure of overfill and cutting back and stated that every building pad will exceed a
safety factor of 1.5 when grading is completed. He explained that at the current time
while grading is still in process, some building pads would be higher and some would
be lower than the final approved elevation, and that the current difference on any given
day could be determined by checking the current elevation against a stake on each lot
which shows the final height. He discussed the draft groundwater management plan
submitted to the City which showed the location of the clay cap and said that he could
provide a map showing the details of grading at Hole Ten, stating that it was almost all
in cut. He said that his experts indicated that the landslide repair would provide a
higher safety factor than before and that two story houses were allowed only in an area
where view analysis indicated that they would not significantly impair protected views.
Barbara Dye, 7035 Hartcrest Drive, described the amount of information and
documents required by the City for submittal by Ocean Trails and explained that
additional geologists and other consultants had been hired to meet these requirements.
Both Mayor pro tem Byrd and Councilman McTaggart announced that they (separately)
visited the homes of Mr. Sribney, Ms. Casaburi, and Mr. Douglass to determine the
view impact.
Jeffrey Sax, 4022 Admirable Drive, said that, as a lawyer, he felt that pad heights had
been misrepresented to the City Council and he believed that the Council should re-
City Council Minutes
November 3, 1999
Page 4
open the issue for further scrutiny. He urged the Council to maintain integrity in regard
to the Ocean Trails project.
Mayor pro tem Byrd moved, seconded by Councilwoman Ferraro, to table the item.
Jabe Kahnke, 4003 Palos Verdes Drive South, stated that he believed the grading was
not what was expected and he questioned the original view analysis.
Mike Sribney, 32415 Nautilus, concerned about his loss of view, said that he wanted
the project to be completed but he hoped that the Council would check the graded
elevations very carefully and require the removal of the tent from Hole Ten.
Mary Casaburi, 3941 Palos Verdes Drive South, provided photographs of the
clubhouse silhouette which she had taken from her home in February 1999 and another
of the clubhouse as it appeared on October 31, 1999. (Copies of Ms. Casaburi's
photographs are on file in the City Clerk's Office.)
Sharon Solari, 4145 Palos Verdes Drive South, requested that the City Council
consider a stop work order on the grading to allow an independent surveyor the
opportunity to verify the accuracy of grading. She felt a 60 -day moratorium would be
prudent.
Ali Derek, 32430 Nautilus Drive, agreed that the pad heights should be checked and he
was concerned that the proposed two -story homes would block his view.
Craig Douglass, 32420 Nautilus Drive, urged the Council to check the pad heights to
see if they were in conformance, expressed his concerns about the mounds of dirt at
the entrance to Ocean Trails and the soil stability at Hole Ten.
Council discussion centered on the complexity of the project, the neighbors' concerns,
and, the fact that no homes could be built until the pad heights were certified,
The motion to table the matter failed on the following roll call vote:
AYES: Byrd and Ferraro
NOES: McTaggart and Mayor Hollingsworth
ABSENT: Lyon
Mayor Hollingsworth moved, seconded by Councilman McTaggart, to check the pad
elevations of the five or six building pads in question and to publish the results along
with the results of the survey of the mounds at the entrance to the project.
City Council Minutes
November 3, 1999
Page 5
The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES:
Byrd, Ferraro, McTaggart, and Mayor Hollingsworth
NOES:
None
ABSENT:
Lyon
Holiday Appreciation Reception (306 X 1101)
Assistant City Manager Petru presented the staff report of November 3, 1999 and the
recommendation to select a date for the annual holiday appreciation reception for City
committee and commission members and City staff.
Council consensus was to hold the reception on December 6, 1999.
Lois Larue, 3136 Barkentine Road, spoke to the subject of locations for City functions.
Recess and Reconvene: At 8:34 P.M., Mayor Hollingsworth declared a recess. The
meeting reconvened at 8:48 P.M.
REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION:
City Attorney Lynch reported the following: Regarding potential litigation with respect to
the PVIC project, no action was taken. Regarding the potential eminent domain
proceedings to acquire easements within private street rights -of -way, Council
authorized staff to accept certain easements from some and reject three others.
Regarding a potential initiation of litigation involving removal of foliage to restore a view,
Council unanimously authorized the City Attorney's office to file a case to require the
owner of foliage to restore a view pursuant to a prior order. Regarding the Echeveretta
litigation, no action was taken; an update was provided to Council.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS:
Lois Larue, 3136 Barkentine Road, spoke about a Long Beach City Council meeting
and an upcoming appeal of a Planning Commission decision.
City Council Minutes
November 3, 1999
Page 6
ADJOURNMENT:
Adjourned at 8:55 P.M. on motion of Mayor Hollingsworth.
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