CC MINS 19901107 M I N U T E S
RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
NOVEMBER 7, 1990
The meeting was called to order at 6: 30 P.M. by Mayor Hughes
at the Hesse Park Community Center, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard
and was immediately recessed to a closed session.
The regular meeting was called to order at 7: 30 P.M.
PRESENT: MCTAGGART, HINCHLIFFE, RYAN, BACHARACH AND
MAYOR HUGHES
Also present were City Manager Paul D. Bussey, Deputy City
Manager Mark Rohloff, Environmental Services Director Robert
Benard, Public Works Director George Wentz , City Attorney
Carol Lynch, Director of Recreation and Parks Mary Thomas and
City Clerk Jo Purcell .
The City Attorney announced that the City Council had held a
closed session pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.0(a)
and discussed the County of ' Los Angeles, et al , . v. All
Persons Interested in the Matter of Redevelopment Plan for
the Rancho Palos Verdes Redevelopment Project, etc, et al . ,
Lawrence & Patricia Horan v. County of Los Angeles, and
Association of Property Owners V. Rancho Palos Verdes
Improvement District No. 7.
CEREMONIAL MATTER Mayor Hughes presented a 15
year service pin to Betty Uht,
Executive Secretary and a five
year pin each to Sara Ferdman, Deputy City Clerk and to Mary
Lou Louisell , Clerk Typist in the Environmental Services
Department.
WAIVER OF FULL READINGS Councilwoman Bacharach moved,
ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS seconded by Councilman Ryan and
carried to waive reading in
full of all ordinances and resolutions adopted at this
meeting with consent to the waiver of reading deemed to be
given by all Councilmembers after reading of the title of
such ordinance or resolution.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilwoman Bacharach moved,
seconded by Councilman Ryan to
approve the agenda as amended: C.U.P. 155 continued to
November 20 at the request of the applicant and continuation
of the request from AYSO for fee exemption to December 18
also at the request of the applicant.
CONSENT CALENDAR The Consent Calendar was approved as
follows by Councilwoman Bacharach,
seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe.
MINUTES Approved the Minutes of October 16, 1990.
CLAIM AGAINST THE CITY - Rejected the claim and directed the City
MYRNA CAMERON (303) Clerk to notify the claimant.
FEE WAIVER - PENINSULA Approved the applicant' s request for a
SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION (1203) fee waiver for a temporary sign permit.
RESOLUTION NO. 90-81 HEIGHT Adopted RESOLUTION NO. 90-81 DENYING
VARIATION NO. 661-LOCATION: THE APPEAL OF HEIGHT VARIATION NO. 661 AT
6505 VIA SIENA (1804) 6505 VIA SIENA THEREBY SUSTAINING THE
PLANNING COMMISSION' S APPROVAL OF THE
PROJECT.
LANDSLIDE MORATORIUM Conditionally approved the exemption re-
EXEMPTION NO. 41- LOCATION: quest allowing the applicant to pursue
30 NARCISSA (1801) the required city permits for a 600 sq.
ft. detached garage and conversion of 616
sq. ft. existing garage to habitable area.
RESOLUTION NOS. 90-82 & 90-83 (1) Adopted RESOLUTION No. 90-82
SALES TAX ENHANCEMENT AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER
SERVICES (602) INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH MUNICIPAL
RESOURCES CONSULTANTS (MRC) TO PROVIDE
SALES TAX ENHANCEMENT AND INFORMATION SERVICES. (2 ) Adopted RESOLUTION
NO. 90-83 DESIGNATING MRC AS THE AUTHORIZED CITY REPRESENTATIVE TO
EXAMINE SALES AND USE TAX RECORDS.
RESOLUTION NO. 90-84 Adopted RESOLUTION NO. 90-84 ALLOWING
REGISTER OF DEMANDS 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: McTAGGART, HINCHLIFFE, RYAN, BACHARACH AND MAYOR HUGHES
NOES: NONE
SELECTION OF CONSULTANT Environmental Services Director Benard
FOR DEVELOPMENT CODE presented the staff memorandum of
REVISIONS (1801) November 7th and the recommendation to
authorize the hiring of Culbertson, Adams
& Associates to prepare comprehensive revisions to the City' s
Development code. Council then inquired about the priority of this
project especially with regard to the expenditure of the funds, the
cost of the resulting revision to the Municipal Code; whether permit
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review processes such as the second story applications would be
streamlined; and if the resulting amendments to the Code would be
reviewed at a Council work session.
Councilman Hinchliffe moved, seconded by Councilman Ryan to authorize
the hiring of Culbertson, Adams & Associates to prepare
comprehensive revisions to the City' s Development Code at a cost not
to exceed $30, 135 . The motion carried on the following roll call
vote:
AYES: McTAGGART, HINCHLIFFE, RYAN, BACHARACH AND MAYOR HUGHES
VACATION OF A PORTION Director Wentz presented the staff
OF SEA RAVEN DRIVE (1408) memorandum of November 7th and the
recommendation to adopt a resolution
vacating a portion of Sea Raven Drive from Heroic Drive to the cul-de-
sac and establishing the conditions therefor.
Mr. Wentz directed the Council 's attention to the sketch showing option
"A" and "B" and made a minor correction to section 4 of the proposed
resolution. Referring to a letter received from William and Katherine
.Tames, who reside at 3517 Palo Vista Drive, Mr. Wentz said that most of
the issues in that letter had already been addressed. He referenced
a letter received from the attorney for Mr. & Mrs. Trebelhorne which
stated their objection to option "B" .
Sam Rubino, 32506 Sea Raven Drive, summarized her efforts on this re-
quest for a vacation which was initially made in ,Tune 1989. She
enumerated the problems -experienced in the cul-de-sac: trespassing,
littering and vandalism, and requested that the City Council
bring this item to closure. Anthony Rubino also requested that the
Council grant this vacation.
Kathy Johnstone ,Tames, 3517 Palo Vista Dr. , presented a prepared
statement dated November 7 , 1990. This letter stated their objection
to the pedestrian easement but support for the idea of vacating Sea
Raven Drive. This letter went on to explain the misunderstanding
regarding the location of the City' s easement and the property line of
the ,Tames ' property. The letter also detailed the various kinds of
problems experienced by them as a result of the street ending in a cul-
de-sac. (Ms. .James ' letter is on file with the City Clerk' s Office. )
Ms. .Tames concluded her testimony with the request that the street be
vacated but that an easement not be granted.
Representing the Trails Committee was Anke Raue, 28813 Rothrock Drive,
who told the Council that the Trails Committee had not had an
opportunity to discuss the circumstances described in the James letter.
William .James, 3517 Palo Vista Drive, also expressed concern about the
loss of privacy should an easement be installed in that area. He, too,
requested that the street be vacated but that no easement be granted.
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Paul Weisz, 32365 Phantom Drive, President of the Ladera Linda
Homeowners Association, told the Council that a lot of people like to
walk in that area and urged the Council to retain the pedestrian
access.
Councilman Ryan moved, seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe and
carried to close the public hearing.
Council discussion then centered on the City' s Ordinance covering
Fences, Walls and Hedges and how it did not address the particular
circumstances of this case.
Councilwoman Bacharach' s motion to adopt the staff recommendation with
option "A" died for lack of a second.
Councilman Ryan moved, seconded by Councilman McTaggart that the City
vacate that portion of Sea Raven Drive with no pedestrian access
easement. The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: McTAGGART, HINCHLIFFE, RYAN AND MAYOR HUGHES
NOES: BACHARACH
RECESS AND RECONVENE At 9: 00 P.M. the Mayor declared a
recess. At 9: 15 P.M. the meeting
reconvened.
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS:
Roy Fulwider, 28219 Hazelridge Dr. , stated his concerns about the
amount of money necessary to maintain trails.
CONTRACTOR STORAGE SPACE- Director Thomas presented the staff
CITY BALL SITE (1201) memorandum of November 7th and the
recommendation to adopt the proposed
policy and authorize removal of the designated chain link fencing
materials remaining on the site and authorize an appropriation of
$5,410 from the EET Fund to complete the work.
Council inquired about the charges set by other facilities for storage
of contractor material ; whether these storage arrangements should be on
a case-by-case basis and approved by the City Council, the fact that
the City Hall site is a coastal bluff area and an inappropriate place
to be a storage yard; if the storage fee would be $1 per sq. foot; and
if the existing fencing could be used around areas that needed
protection. Council suggested that staff investigate the use of large
trees to screen the material being stored and to contact the County
regarding possible use of Sanitation District property for use as a
"regional" storage site.
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman Ryan to adopt the
policy as amended, that staff report back in six months and that the
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item be added to the status of directives: 1 ) Require the tenant to
maintain the area in a neat and orderly manner; 2) Limit use of area
to that shown on the staff diagram; 3 ) Limit use of area to
contractors employed by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and to
organizations conducting scientific research; 4) Provide for use of
other locations on the City Hall site as deemed appropriate by the City
Manager, for organizations conducting scientific research; 5) Set a
fee on a negotiated basis; Provide that a negotiated suitable in-kind-
service on a case-by-case basis may be approved at the discretion of
the City Manager; 6) Provide for the execution of an agreement between
the City and Lessee, containing hold-harmless provisions requirements
for $1, 000 ,000 liability and $25 ,000 property damage coverage naming
the City as additional insured, and setting forth view impairment
mitigation measures.
It was the consensus that no other city be allowed to use this property
for storage.
The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: McTAGGART, HINCHLIFFE, RYAN, BACHARACH AND MAYOR .HUGHES
BUDGET ADJUSTMENT - Deputy City Manager Rohloff presented
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY SUPPORT the staff memorandum of November 7th and
(602) the recommendation to refer the matter to
the Budget Subcommittee for
recommendation. Said recommendation to be returned along with other
budget revisions currently under review: or, if Council wished to
proceed with the matter at this time to do the following: ( 1 ) Adopt a
resolution amending the City' s 1990-91 Budget Appropriation to reflect
the following: (A) Increase appropriation in the General Fund -Non-
Departmental ( 001-130-96) by $483, 600; (B) Authorize an advance from
the City to the Rancho Palos Verdes Redevelopment Agency in the amount
of $483,600 .
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman Ryan to refer this
matter to the Budget Subcommittee (Bacharach/Ryan) . The motion
carried.
POLICY FOR VACATION OF PUBLIC Director Wentz presented the staff
RIGHTS--OF-WAY (1408) memorandum of November 7th and the
recommendation to review and endorse a
policy for street vacation proceedings.
Council inquired if the application for vacation should include the
adjoining property owner; if the surrounding area to be notified should
be the 500 ft. radius; whether this policy would be applied to all
future street vacations; the cost of a title report that would be
required to determine ownership of the property; and, the fact that the
review process should include Planning Commission review.
Stephanie Kennedy, 6400 Corsini Place, inquired about the effect this
policy would have on a project currently under consideration at her
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property. Ms. Kennedy was advised that this was an overall general
City policy and was not specific to her project.
Councilman Ryan moved, seconded by Councilwoman Bacharach to adopt
the staff recommendation. The motion carried.
It was the consensus that the Council Subcommittee on Policy
(Bacharach/Hughes) review would review this matter to determine if it
should go into the Municipal Code.
CLOSURE OF CREST ROAD - Director Wentz -presented the staff
UPPER GANADO TO TERMINUS OF memorandum of November 7th and the
CREST ROAD (1408) recommendation to provide direction to
staff : (1 ) deny the request; or, ( 2)
proceed with vacation process.
Ray Perrault, 3845 Crest Road, urged the City Council to look into the
possibility of gating off this portion of Crest Road as opposed to
having two or three different gated areas in this vicinity of Crest
Road. He told the Council that he and his neighbors are faced with a
traffic and trash problem in that area because of its remoteness.
He said that he was in agreement with use of the pedestrian trails but
he and his neighbors did not want the cars coming into the area.
Gasper Gurassi, 3837 Crest Road, told the Council that this is a two
lane highway and explained the safety problems encountered in the area
because of the narrow streets. He said that vacating the streets in
the S&S Tract will increase -the traffic impact on he and his neighbors;
and, that the property owners would pay the cost for repair and
maintenance of the vacated streets.
Lawrence Baker Jr. , 10 Paseo de Pino, spoke in support of this street
vacation. He said that it would save the City approximately $25,000
in maintenance for that portion of Crest Road, that an agreement could
be made with the affected property owners to continue the loop trail
that runs below the Perrault and Gurassi properties and that this
would enable the loop trail to connect to the Miraleste School property
and add significantly to the trail .
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe to deny
the request.
Council discussion then centered on whether this area was a major view
corridor; the fact that this road led to a Federal installation; the
staff effort required to process this complex issue; and, the effect
the closure of this portion would have on the request to the City of
Rolling Hills to open Crest Road. Concern was also expressed that by
closing this portion of Crest Road the traffic problem would be
transferred to Ganado Drive. The motion to deny the request carried on
the following roll call vote:
AYES: BACHARACH, HINCHLIFFE AND MAYOR HUGHES
NOES: McTAGGART & RYAN
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MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT - VIEW Director Benard presented the View
RESTORATION COMMITTEE (106) Restoration Committee' s memorandum of
November 7th and their recommendation
to authorize the payment of $35 per month to each member of the
Committee as reimbursement for mileage incurred visiting view
restoration application sites. Staff recommendation, however, was to
refer this item to the Budget Subcommittee for consideration along with
the other necessary budget adjustments.
Speaking in opposition to this mileage reimbursement was Robert
McNulty, Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was concerned that
payment of this expense would destroy the attitude of volunteerism on
the City' s committees.
Discussion then ensued about the requirement that the View Restoration
Committee members must visit all of the sites involved in their
decisions and if they did not then they are disqualified from voting on
decisions dealing with those properties; if the committee members
should be asked to continue this donation in light of the City' s budget
restrictions; and, if the committee should have the option of expecting
to get this reimbursement from the City.
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe to
receive and file this memorandum. The motion carried on a 3-2 vote
with Councilmembers Ryan and McTaggart voting in opposition.
It was the consensus that the Mayor would prepare a letter to the
committee explaining the rationale for this vote.
LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION Director Wentz presented the staff
PLAN (1505) memorandum of November 7th and the
request to provide staff with direction
on updating the Long Range Transportation Plan.
Council discussed if Proposition "A" funds could be sold and the
revenue used in the General Fund; if the plan could address some of
the transportation problems of the School District; should the City
operate its own Dial-A-Ride service; precisely what the $4,500 cost for
this -plan would be buying for the City; and, if there was in-house
capability to do this Plan.
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman McTaggart to
prepare a breakdown of what would be involved in a Long Range Trans-
poration Plan and also that a spending allocation plan be presented at
the November 20th meeting.
The motion carried on four-to-one vote, with Councilman Ryan voting in
opposition*
PALOS VERDES DRIVE EAST - Director Wentz presented the staff
H.E.S. PROJECT CONTRACT (1404)memorandum of November 7th and the
recommendations to: 1) Award the Palos
Verdes Drive East Realignment Project to Excalibur Contracting Inc. in
the amount of $282,730 plus provide a 10% contingency for a total of
-7- NOVEMBER 7, 1990
r
$310, 730. (Contingent upon Caltrans approval . ) 2 ) Award the
alternative bid item, cutting back the slope on Palos Verdes Drive East
at Corsini Place, to Excalibur Contracting Inc. in the amount of
$35, 000.
Council inquired about the amount of funding to come from the CIP
budget and the street fund gas tax money for this project. The
suggestion was made that perhaps this should be referred to the Budget
Subcommittee for consideration along with their other issues.
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Mayor Hughes to approve the
staff recommendation. The motion carried on the following roll call
vote:
AYES: McTAGGART, HINCHLIFFE, RYAN, BACHARACH AND MAYOR HUGHES
RESOLUTION NO. 90-85 Assistant to the City Manager Pam Weaver
LEGISLATION - SB2577 - STATE presented the staff memorandum of
BUDGET ACTIONS (306) November 7th and the recommendation to
adopt a resolution supporting repeal of
SB2557 State Budget Actions.
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe to
adopt RESOLUTION No. 90-85 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES SUPPORTING THE REPEAL OF SB 2557 (STATE BUDGET
ACTIONS) and also that staff prepare a letter on this same item. The
motion carried unanimously.
CONCEPTUAL APPROVAL OF LAND- Director Wentz presented the staff
SCAPE DESIGN FOR PALOS VERDES memorandum of November 7th and the
DR. SOUTH MEDIAN (1404) recommendation to approve the con-
ceptual design.
Walter Warriner, Superintendent of Parks, described the types of plants
that would be used in this median as being drought tolerant and would
require minimum maintenance.
Council inquired whether the landscaping would be consistent with the
landscaping on Hawthorne and Crest; whether a drip irrigation system
would be used; if large boulders could be used on the median tips; and
whether root barriers were being used on the trees.
Councilman Ryan moved, seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe to approve the
staff recommendation and to include drip irrigation and large PV stone
on the island tips. The motion carried unanimously.
CITY COUNCIL REPORTS
RECONSIDERATION OF ARCHDIOCESE Councilman McTaggart inquired about the
PROPERTY (701) disposition of this request in light of
the fact that Proposition B had failed
on the November 6th ballot. It was the consensus that the next step
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should be taken by the applicant.
CITY MANAGER REPORTS:
CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR City Manager Bussey presented the staff
JANUARY 1991 (307) memorandum of November 7th and the
recommendation to schedule meetings for
January 15 and 29.
Councilwoman Bacharach moved, seconded by Councilman Ryan to approve
the staff recommendation. Motion carried unanimously.
STATUS OF COUNCIL DIRECTIVES:
With regard to the Hawthorne Utility Undergrounding, it was the
consensus that staff should make preparations for a ceremonial
removal of the utility pole in front of Hesse Park. With regard to
school traffic safety, Council requested that a copy of the letter be
put in their weekly status report.
ADJOURNMENT: At 11: 30 P.M. the meeting adjourned
on motion of Councilwoman Bacharach,
seconded by Councilman McTaggart and
carried.
/S/ DOUGLAS HINCHLIFFE
MAYOR
ATTEST:
/S/ JO PURCELL
CITY CLERK
110790 -9- NOVEMBER 7, 1990