CC MINS 19780314 ADJ M I N U T E S
RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR 'ADJOURNED MEETING
MARCH 14, 1978
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 P.M. by Mayor Robert E. Ryan at the
Palos Verdes Unified School District Building, 30942 Hawthorne Boulevard.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, roll call was answered as
follows:
PRESENT: SHAW, RUTH, DYDA, BUERK AND MAYOR RYAN
CEREMONIAL MATTER Mayor Ryan presented a proclamation to
Councilman Ruth on behalf of the entire
community expressing thanks and acknowledge-
ment of his considerable contributions
during his years of service on the Council. Mayor Ryan noted in particular Council-
man Ruth's efforts to acquire the Nike Site, the development of Abalone Cove Beach
Park and the establishment of a more effective animal service, better police
service, initial design for a new City Logo, and the establishment of a system
of equestrian and pedestrian trails throughout the City.
Mayor Pro Tem Dyda presented Councilman Ruth and Mrs. Ruth with a replica of the
original swinging heart branding iron of the Rancho De Los Palos Verdes.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: After addition of Work Sessions (Dyda) ,
the Agenda was approved on motion of Council-
woman Shaw, seconded by Councilman Dyda and
carried unanimously.
WAIVER OF FULL READING OF Councilman Dyda moved, seconded by
ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS Councilwoman Shaw, to waive reading in
full of all ordinances and resolutions
adopted at this meeting with consent to
the waiver of reading to be deemed to be given by all Councilmembers after the
reading of the title, unless specific request was made at that time for the read-
ing of such ordinance or resolution.
RESOLUTION NO. 78-12 RESOLUTION NO. 78-12 OF THE CITY COUNCIL
DECLARING THE RESULTS OF OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES RECIT-
THE MARCH 7, 1978 ELECTION ING THE FACT OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL
501) ELECTION HELD IN THE SAID CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES ON THE 7TH DAY OF MARCH, 1978 DECLARING THE RESULTS THEREOF AND SUCH
OTHER MATTERS AS ARE PROVIDED BY LAW was read by title. Councilman Ruth moved,
seconded by Councilman Buerk to ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 78-12. The motion carried
unanimously.
CERTIFICATES OF ELECTION The City Clerk presented Certificates of
& OATH OF OFFICE Election to the newly elected Councilmembers
(501) Dyda, Shaw, and Hein, and administered the
Oath of Office.
ELECTION OF MAYOR & The City Clerk called the newly elected
MAYOR PRO TEM Council to order. It was moved by Mayor
(306) Ryan, seconded by Councilman Buerk to
nominate Councilman Dyda as Mayor of the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Mayor Ryan moved nominations be closed. Councilman
Dyda was elected Mayor by unanimous vote.
It was moved by Mayor Dyda, seconded by Councilman Ryan, to nominate Councilwoman
Shaw as Mayor Pro Tempore. Mayor Dyda moved nominations be closed. Councilwoman
Shaw was elected Mayor Pro Tempore by unanimous vote.
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APPOINTMENT OF CITY ATTORNEY Councilman Buerk moved, seconded by
(103) _ Councilwoman Shaw, to appoint Patrick C.
Coughlan as City Attorney. The motion
carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO TRAFFIC Councilwoman Shaw moved, seconded by Council-
COMMITTEE, PARKS & RECREATION man Buerk, that the term of office for the
COMMITTEE, ENVIRONMENTAL COM- current Planning Commission and committee
MITTEE & PLANNING COMMISSION members be extended to the second meeting
in April. The motion carried on the fol-
lowing roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL Mayor Dyda suggested that selection of
ASSIGNMENTS members to the various Council organizations
(306) be deferred so new members of Council
would have an opportunity to become familiar
with these committees and be able to identify those committees they preferred to
serve on.
Councilman Buerk moved that the Mayor be appointed as official representative to
the Committee of Mayors, League of California Cities and Sanitation District,
with the Mayor Pro Tempore designated as the alternate for the two latter organi-
zations. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Hein and carried on the following
roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
Councilman Ryan moved that the balance of appointments be deferred pending the
Mayor's recommendations. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Hein and carried
unanimously.
ORDINANCE NO. 96 ORDINANCE NO. 96 OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
AMENDING THE PLUMBING CODE PALOS VERDES AMENDING THE PLUMBING CODE
(201 x 505) RELATING TO GALVANIZED IRON, WROUGHT
IRON, AND STEEL AND AMENDING THE RANCHO
PALOS VERDES MUNICIPAL CODE was presented for adoption, first reading having
taken place on February 21, 1978. Councilwoman Shaw moved to adopt Ordinance
No. 96. The motion was seconded by Councilman Buerk and carried on the following
roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
CODE INTERPRETATION RE Director Hightower presented the staff
HEIGHT MEASUREMENT FOR memorandum of March 14, 1978 which gave
EXISTING RESIDENCE the background on Council's direction
(1801) to staff to prepare a report, with drawings
for this meeting.
The Councilmembers then expressed their opinions regarding this addition which
would attach a detached garage presently separated from the house by a small
embankment. Although the house and garage were existing structures, and the
proposed project would not exceed the 16-ft. height limitation, the connection
of the structures with the addition would cause the overall height limit of
thirty feet to be exceeded.
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Council 3/14/78
It was the consensus of Council that this variance be handled through the variance
procedure. Councilwoman Shaw stated she felt that strict application of the
ordinance was not warranted in this case. Councilman Buerk moved, seconded by
Councilman Ryan that this application be made subject to the variance procedure.
The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: SHAW
REQUEST FOR INITIATION OF Director Hightower stated that the applicant,
GENERAL PLAN Cayman Development Company, had requested
(701) a delay in the consideration of this matter
to enable them to meet with more residents
of the area and present their plans for the 57-acre parcel adjacent to Crest
and Crenshaw.
Glen Shaffer, representing Cayman Development Corporation, told the Council that
he had met with representatives of the Mesa Palos Verdes Homeowners Association,
but since only seven people showed up for that meeting, he felt it would be
more productive to attempt another meeting.
Harvey A. Brown, President of the Mesa Palos Verdes Homeowners Association,
referred to his letter of March 14, 1978 which outlined what had happened at
that homeowners meeting. He stated his opposition to delaying this matter.
Don Hill, 30203 Oceanair Drive, past President of the Del Cerro Homeowners
Association told the Council that Caymen Development did at one time make a
presentation to his group and the members were concerned about the possibility
of lighting the tennis courts.
Mayor Dyda requested if anybody else in the audience wished to speak on this
matter. There was no response.
Councilman Ryan moved to continue this matter to the first meeting in April.
The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Shaw and carried on the following
roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
PLANNING COMMISSION Director Hightower referred to the February 28
COMMUNICATION letter from the Planning Commission regarding
(140 7) the draft tree trimming ordinance.
It was the consensus of Council that a work session should be set for the dis-
cussion of this ordinance. It was decided that the date for the work session
would be determined later in the Council meeting.
PROCEDURE FOR APPOINTMENTS Councilwoman Shaw referred to the memorandum
TO COMMITTEES/COMMISSIONS of March 14, 1978 which outlined the sub-
(106) committee's recommendations for appointments
to City Commissions and Committees.
Councilman Ryan moved to approve the subcommittee's report. The motion was
seconded by Councilwoman Hein.
There being no objection, MAYOR DYDA SO ORDERED.
Council discussion then followed regarding the term of office, method
of interviewing, and selection.
Councilman Ryan moved that each member of the City Council evaluate applications
and contact those that they think are suitable for the position.
The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Hein and carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, EHIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
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Council then discussed the term of office with suggestions being made to have
a two-year term with an annual review or a four-year term and review every two
years for staggering.
Councilman Ryan moved that the term of office for commission and committee
members be for four years, except for this particular reorganization where
three members will have two-year terms. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman
Shaw and carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN & MAYOR RYAN
NOES: BUERK
Councilman Buerk commented that each Councilmember should have five votes for
five candidates and selection should then be made from the candidates having
the highest number of votes. This selection would not include any ranking
or rating system.
Councilman Buerk then suggested that the Council ask the subcommittee to come
up with a procedure for handling tie votes.
Councilman Ryan moved that the selection process be referred back to the Council
subcommittee for presentation at the first meeting in April. The motion was
seconded by Councilwoman Hein and carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR RYAN
NOES: NONE
RECESS: At 9:20 P.M. Mayor Dyda declared a
brief recess. At 9:30 P.M. the meeting
reconvened with the same members present.
COUNCIL WORK SESSIONS ' The City Manager presented the proposed
schedule for working the 1978-79 fiscal
budget. Council set the following dates for work sessions: March 28th (Budget) :
March 30th (Coastal Specific Plan) ; April 6th, (Coastal Specific Plan); April 11th
(Antenna Ordinance) : April 24th (Tree Trimming Ordinance) ; May25th (Budget) ;
June 13th (Public Hearing on Revenue Sharing) : and June 20th (Adoption of Budget) .
Since she had just been elected to Council, Councilwoman Hein inquired of the
City Attorney if it would be permissible for her to participate in the hear-
ings on the Coastal Plan and the Antenna Ordinance. The City Attorney commented
that if additional public hearings were held on both of these subjects, she
could then vote. He further stated that he would review the minutes of the
September 22, 1977 public hearing on the Antenna Ordinance and the Coastal Plan
to see if they were sufficiently verbatim to allow Councilwoman Hein to vote
on these matters.
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS:
WALKWAY AT CALLE DE SUENOS Mrs. Nancy Klein, 30330 Camino Porvenir
TO PT. VICENTE SCHOOL asked the Council what was being done to
(1404) establish a walkway from Calle de Suenos
to the Pt. Vicente School. Councilwoman
Shaw commented that the City was continuing to work on the extension of this
walkway.
REQUEST TO HOLD SUNRISE Community Services Officer Tom Bandy re-
SERVICE ON CITY HALL LAWN viewed the staff memorandum of March 7,
(305) 1978 which outlined the request from St.
Paul's Lutheran Church to hold a sunrise
serive on the City Hall lawn on Easter Sunday, March 26th.
Mayor Dyda noted that he had contacted residents on La Cresta Drive and they were
not opposed to the early morning use of the grounds.
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Councilman Ryan moved to adopt the staff recommendation that permission be
granted to St. Paul's Lutheran Church to conduct Easter Sunrise Services on the
City Hall grounds and that staff be directed to ensure that all impacts are
identified and mitigating measures are taken for their minimization. The
motion was seconded by Councilman Buerk.
There being no objection MAYOR DYDA SO ORDERED.
SWITCHBOARD REQUEST FOR SIGNS Director Hightower presented the staff
IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY memorandum of March 8, 1978 which recom-
(305) mended that the Switchboard be allowed
only two or three small signs in major loca-
tions rather than the sixty signs.
Ann Booth, 41103 Palos Verdes Drive South representing the Palos Verdes Switch-
board, said that if the number of signs was reduced they would lose their impact.
She said that a lot of people in the area were unaware of their services and
this was one of the best ways to advertise.
Councilman Buerk moved to approve the staff recommendations that three signs
be allowed. Mayor Dyda seconded the motion for discussion and noted that the
Switchboard is a worthwhile organization but there were a number of other worth-
while organizations on the Peninsula. He felt that if the Council granted this
request then perhaps others would make similar requests and, therefore, had
reservations about granting such a request. He then requested modification
of the motion.
The motion failed on the following roll call vote:
AYES: BUERK
NOES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN AND MAYOR DYDA
Councilwoman Shaw then moved to permit the Switchboard to post 12 sets of
five series of Burma Shave type advertisements for one week. The motion was
seconded by Councilman Ryan but failed on the following roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW AND RYAN
NOES: HEIN, MAYOR DYDA, AND BUERK
Councilwoman Hein moved that five series of five signs for one week be allowed.
The motion was seconded by Councilman Ryan and carried on the following roll call
vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN AND MAYOR DYDA
NOES: BUERK
The Switchboard was directed to work with staff in determining the placement of
these signs.
Councilman Ryan moved, seconded by Councilwoman Hein that the permit fee for
these signs be waived. The motion carried on the following roll call vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK AND MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
APPEAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION Director Hightower presented the staff
DENIAL OF GRADING APPLICATION memorandum of March 14, 1978 which recomr
NO. 241 mended that the City Council deny this re-
(1801 x 1805) quest to add 49 cu. yards of fill to a
horse trail in a canyon adjacent to
Top Rail Lane.
The applicant in this matter, Mr. David English, Two Top Rail Lane told the
Council that the trail is used by the public, especially children, and he
felt this additional fill was necessary to make it safer. He requested that
this application be heard on its merits.
Council 794 3/14/78
Mr. David Weston, 104 Rockingrhose Road told the Council that he used this horse-
trail, that it was steep and needed fill.
Mr. William Morris, 40 Rockingrhose Road, stated that the area was used like
a park by the neighborhood children and made reference to a petition that
had been signed by 150 residents of the area last year.
Councilman Buerk moved that in view of the fact that this would be the last
dirt that would be moved in this area, that the City Council approve the
appeal and grant a permit to move 49 cu. yards of dirt. Councilwoman Hein
seconded the motion and with the permission of the maker amended it by re-
questing that juting be installed along the exposed slope on the entire length
of the trail and that African daisies be planted every square foot. The motion
passed unanimously.
Councilman Ryan moved, seconded by Councilwoman Hein that Mr. English be allowed
60 days after the completion of the grading to install the juting and planting.
Mayor Dyda moved that sufficient irrigation of whatever kind be installed
to ensure that the original plantings be established. The motion was seconded
by Councilwoman Shaw and carried unanimously.
CONSENT CALENDAR: After removal of the Minutes of January 5
and February 21st, the consent calendar
was approved as follows on motion of Councilwoman Shaw, seconded by Councilman
Buerk.
ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITY AGREEMENT Authorized the Mayor to sign the Assump-
WITH COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES tion of Liability Agreement with the County
(308) of Los Angeles.
RESOLUTION NO. 78-13 ADOPTED RESOLUTION NO. 78-13 OF THE CITY
REGISTER OF DEMANDS COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
(1504) VERDES ALLOWING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND
DEMANDS IN THE SUM OF $452,640.98,
DEMAND NUMBERS 4521 THROUGH 4585.
The motion to approve the consent calendar carried on the following roll call
vote:
AYES: SHAW, HEIN, RYAN, BUERK & MAYOR DYDA
NOES: NONE
ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR:
MINUTES OF JANUARY 5, 1978 U-41, Page 767, amended by adding at the
end of the sentence the following: "Staff
will report back."
MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 21, 1978 The section of the General Plan Amendment
of Page 785 was amended substituting the
word "institutional" and striking "Commercial".
On page 786,Portuguese Bend Horse Show, the word "Conditional" was replaced by
Special. The last sentence of that paragraph was amended to read as follows:
"It was the consensus that the special use process continue to be followed in
granting this permit."
On motion of Councilman Buerk, seconded by Councilwoman Shaw, the minutes of
February 21st were approved as amended. The motion carried unanimously.
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RECESS TO EXECUTIVE SESSION: At 11:30 P.M. on motion of Councilman Ryan,
seconded by Councilwoman Shaw, the Council
recessed to executive session for discussion of pending litigation. The Council
reconvened at 12:30 A.M. with the same members present. No action was taken.
ADJOURNMENT: At 12:31 A.M. on motion of Councilman Buerk,
seconded by Councilman Ryan the Council
adjourned the meeting.
��
MAYOR
ATTEST:
LEONARD G. WOOD, CITY CLERK AND
EX OFFICIO CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
(4
Aff
/ j►� PUTY TY CLERK
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Council 3/14/78