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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 20, 2010CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY REGULAR MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2010 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Wuo called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. INVOCATION Methodist Hospital Deacon Mike Salcido PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE City Manager Don Penman ROLL CALL OF CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEMBERS: PRESENT: Council /Agency Member Amundson, Chandler, Harbicht, Kovacic and Wuo ABSENT: None 52:0059 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM CITY MANAGER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS None MOTION TO READ ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS BY TITLE ONLY AND WAIVE THE READING IN FULL A motion was made by Council /Agency Member Amundson, seconded by Council /Agency Member Chandler and carried on roll call vote to read all ordinances and resolutions by title only and waive the reading in full. PUBLIC COMMENTS Ralph Bicker, Arcadia resident appeared and shared his concerns regarding trees falling down in the City. 1. CITY CLERK REPORT a. Adopt Resolution No. 6716 reciting the fact of the General Municipal Election held on April 13, 2010, declaring the results and other matters as provided by law. Recommended Action: Adopt 1 04 -20 -10 City Clerk James Barrows presented the staff report declaring the results of the General Municipal Election held on April 13, 2010 and noted that the returns were certified and canvassed and reported the votes cast for office of City Council Member as follows: • Bob Harbicht: • Paul Cheng: • Mark "Mickey" Segal: • Peter Amundson: • Jason Lee: • Sho Tay: Mr. Barrows advised that pursuant to the Arcadia City Charter, those individuals obtaining the majority of votes are elected as City Council members and that the three candidates elected to a four -year term on the Arcadia City Council are Peter Amundson, Mark "Mickey" Segal and Bob Harbicht. A motion was made by Council /Agency Member Chandler, seconded by Council /Agency Kovacic and carried on roll call vote to adopt Resolution No. 6716 reciting the fact of the General Municipal Election held on April 13, 2010, declaring the results thereof and such other matters as provided by law. AYES: Council /Agency Member Chandler, Kovacic, Amundson, Harbicht and Wuo NOES: None 2. PRESENTATIONS a. 4,745 votes 2,470 votes 4,752 votes 4,017 votes 1,673 votes 2,707 votes Presentations to outgoing Mayor John Wuo Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by Education Presentation by Mary Ann Lutz Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by America Presentation by Presentation by Presentation by of Arcadia 52:0060 Mayor Pro Tem Peter Amundson on behalf of Senator Dianne Feinstein Mark Harmsen on behalf of Congressman David Dreier David Monroy on behalf of Senator Bob Huff Steve Johnson on behalf of Assembly Member Anthony Adams Tanganica Turner on behalf of Assembly Member Anthony Portantino Brian Mejia on behalf of Supervisor Michael Antonovich Kevin Zimmerman on behalf of Arcadia Chamber of Commerce Dr. Joel Shawn and Cung Nguyen on behalf of Arcadia Board of Mayor Pro Tem Peter Amundson on behalf of City of Monrovia Mayor Pearl Chen and Polly Ho on behalf of Arcadia Chinese Association Dennis Lee and Mike Driebe on behalf of Methodist Hospital Foundation Jack Pan on behalf of San Gabriel Valley Council, Boy Scouts of Mike Paiva on behalf of Farmers Insurance Company Juliette Zhuo, host of LA18 TV Mayor Pro Tem Peter Amundson and City Council on behalf of the City 2 04 -20 -10 b. Remarks by outgoing Mayor John Wuo 52:0061 Mayor Wuo welcomed and thanked everyone for attending the meeting; he introduced his family and thanked all his friends for attending; he recognized the City staff and departments; he announced that the Recreation and Community Services Department recently received two awards; the first award from the California Parks and Recreation Society for the concerts in the park program; and the Health Wellness and Community Life Award received from the California Parks and Recreation Society District 13 for the City of Arcadia "Step into Health Program" which offers numerous preventive health information and workshops for older adults; and congratulated Recreation and Community Services Director Sara Somogyi. He read a letter from Compromise Structures, Inc. commending Building Official Don Stockham and Senior Planner Lisa Flores for their outstanding service and leadership to the public; he thanked his colleagues; he thanked all the staff for their hard work and dedication to the City and for making the Mayor and City Council look good in the public; he commended all the staff for doing an excellent job on the Mayor's Community Breakfast; and thanked City Manager Don Penman for his leadership. He thanked the voters for allowing him the opportunity to serve the City of Arcadia for the last 8 years. Mayor Wuo called a 5 minute recess at 7:40 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Amundson reconvened the meeting to order at 7:50 p.m. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF THE OATH OF OFFICE TO NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY CLERK City Clerk James Barrows administered the Oath of Office to re- elected City Council Members Peter Amundson and Bob Harbicht and newly elected City Council Member Mark "Mickey" Segal. 4. REORGANIZATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR 2008 -2009 a. The City Clerk called for nominations for the Office of Mayor. Council /Agency Member Harbicht nominated Mayor Pro Tempore Peter Amundson for Mayor. Noting no further names, the nomination was closed. Roll Call: AYES: Harbicht, Amundson, Chandler, Kovacic and Segal NOES: None City Clerk Barrows announced that Mr. Amundson was unanimously appointed by the City Council as Mayor. b. Mayor Amundson called for nominations for the Office of Mayor Pro Tempore. Council /Agency Member Chandler nominated Council /Agency Member Kovacic for Mayor Pro Tempore. Noting no further names, the nomination was closed. Roll Call: AYES: Chandler, Harbicht, Kovacic, Segal and Amundson NOES: None 3 04 -20 -10 52:0062 City Clerk Barrows announced that Mr. Kovacic was unanimously appointed by the City Council as Mayor Pro Tempore. c. Remarks and Introductions by newly elected Mayor Amundson. Mayor Amundson thanked his fellow Council Members; he thanked and introduced his mother Mary Amundson; he thanked his wife Jackie and introduced his children who were all in attendance; he thanked his Treasurer Peggy Meu, his Ground Campaign Manager Dave Carson and Campaign Manager Mike Spencer for all their hard work on his campaign; he thanked former Mayors Floretta Lauber, Gail Marshall and George Fasching for their support and Former Mayor and Senator Bob Margett; he also thanked Supervisor Antonovich, Senator Huff and Former Senator Mountjoy for their endorsement and support; he thanked all his volunteers; and thanked the voters for trusting him and allowing him to serve another 4 years. He commented on Arcadia being the best place to raise a family; he discussed some items that he would like to address during his year as Mayor (1) the budget, (2) code enforcement, (3) signage, (4) massage parlors, and (5) building codes all which were issues in his campaign; he would like to see the City team up with the Chamber of Commerce; he commented on the ground breaking of the Gold Line in June and would like to find ways to promote Arcadia businesses; make it easier to obtain business licenses and the need to improve the downtown area and Live Oak Avenue; and commented on the updating of the General Plan; education in public safety and ways to educate the citizens on how not to be a victim; review the City's preparedness plan in the event of earthquakes; work with the schools and School Board; he discussed fundamentals and concluded that he looks forward to a challenging but great year working together as one team. d. Remarks and Introductions by newly elected Mayor Pro Tempore Gary Kovacic. Mayor Pro Tem Kovacic thanked and introduced his wife Barb, children who were not in attendance; he announced that he will be in Washington DC where the Constitution Team will compete as California's representative in the national finals and noted that his daughter will be recognized by the President as California's Teacher of the Year. He congratulated John Wuo on a great year as Mayor and two meaningful terms as a City Council member; he also congratulated Mr. Segal on his election and congratulated Mr. Harbicht and Mr. Amundson on their re- election; and congratulated Mayor Amundson on being the 86 Mayor of Arcadia; he thanked his colleagues for their dedication; he commented and discussed some challenging issues including the budget, the updated General Plan and the Gold Line; he noted the work the good people of Arcadia do on a daily basis by volunteering at the police and fire stations; the library, the community center, the historical museum and the hospital; and thanked Mr. Sho Tay, Mr. Paul Cheng and Mr. Jason Lee for their participation in the election process and for raising important issues. He pointed out the beautiful and safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, a modern hospital, library and community center, outstanding senior programs, plenty of parks, field and recreational opportunities for all ages, the best police, fire and paramedic services, public infrastructure and services that work, a sound operating budget and an honest City Council and noted that these can all be found in Arcadia. He commented on the cultural and language gaps. He concluded by citing a quote of Atticus Finch, the moral ideal of both a lawyer and human being in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird "; and looks forward to a great and productive year. 4 04 -20 -10 e. Remarks and Introductions by remaining City Council Members 5 52:0063 Council Member Segal thanked the citizens of Arcadia for their trust and allowing him to serve another four years and noted that he will do his best to protect the interest of the community; he thanked Vince Foley for his hard work on his campaign; he congratulated Paul Cheng, Jason Lee and Sho Tay for their hard work on the election; he stated that he has spent endless hours in the last 25 years volunteering to improve the lives of Arcadians and his family; he noted that the City Council will need to work hard to ensure that street sweeping and tree trimming services, police and fire and other employee unions can remain in tact and function in the way we are accustomed; and be creative in finding additional sources of revenue without taxing the citizens in these tough economic times. He stated that he would like staff to investigate the possibility of implementing two programs recommended during the campaign (1) a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) which will train citizens by police and fire to assist in an emergency situation in the City, but does not want to create a substantial financial burden on the City; and (2) a City -wide Internet program; and would also like to see staff formulate a process to limit campaign spending so that individuals are not restricted by the cost of running for City Council. He concluded by congratulating Mr. Amundson on becoming Mayor and Mr. Kovacic for becoming Mayor Pro Tem; he again thanked the community for putting their trust in him for the next four years; and thanked his children and wife Lee who were in attendance for their support and patience during the last three months of running for City Council. Council Member Chandler congratulated Mr. Amundson, Mr. Harbicht and Mr. Segal; he commented on the stability of the City and congratulated Mr. Wuo. Council Member Harbicht introduced his wife Patsy; his son and two grandsons; he congratulated Mr. Amundson on his re- election and becoming Mayor and welcomed Mr. Segal back; he thanked long time supporters of his, Vince and Dolores Foley, Harvey and Bev Tyman and Bruce McCallum for their hard work on his campaign; he discussed the over $250,000 spent on the election and noted that he would like to see campaign spending limits set; he commented on the media attention a certain individual received during the election and explained that the underlying issue had to do with the 24 units per acre density limit in the downtown and other areas around town; he further explained that a recommendation was made by a citizen's committee that the 24 units per acre be increased to 50 units per acre; and that the height limit be increased from 3 to 5 stories. He reported that City Council and Planning Commission rejected that recommendation. He discussed his goals as (1) keeping the City on the same level as it has been; (2) bring the Caruso project to fruition; he noted that he believes the project is in the best interest of City and would like to see it accomplished in the next couple of years; and (3) he would like to see how a new City Hall can be built; and noted that he understands the financial issues however he would like to see in the next 4 years of his terms. He concluded by thanking the voters for their support and for returning him back to office. Mayor Amundson also thanked Tim and Dave for their help in keeping his company together the last 6 months and for the next 12 months as he fulfills his Mayor responsibilities. He also advised Mark Harmsen to thank Congressman David Dreier on his behalf. 04 -20 -10 ADJOURNMENT The City Council /Redevelopment Agency adjourned this meeting at 8:25 p.m. in memory of Rachel Rooney (daughter of Museum Curator Dana Dunn) to Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber Conference Room located at 240 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia ATTEST: ames H. Barrows, City Clerk 6 eter Amundson, Mayor 52:0064 04 -20 -10