HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/18/17 Minutes - Regular MeetingMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
JULY 18, 2017
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Lin called the Regular City Council meeting to
order at 6:32 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management District/Government
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Cub Scout Pack 737 led the Pledge of Allegiance
INVOCATION: Shaykh Nomaan Baig, Institute of Knowledge,
provided the invocation.
ROLL CALL: Council Members Herrera, Tye, Mayor Pro Tem Low
and Mayor Lin
Staff Present: Dan Fox, City Manager; David DeBerry, City Attorney; Ryan
McLean, Assistant City Manager; David Liu, Public Works Director; Greg Gubman,
Community Development Director; Dianna Honeywell, Finance Director; Ken Desforges,
IS Director; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the
City Manager; Amy Haug, Human Resources/Risk Manager; Marsha Roa, Public
Information Manager; Dannette Allen, Management Analyst; Cecilia Arellano, Public
Information Coordinator, and Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk.
M/Lin introduced City Manager Dan Fox.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As Presented.
1. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS:
1.1 Mayor Lin and City Council Members presented a City Tile to
Administrator Walter Pao, on behalf of Well and Fit Adult Day Health Care,
Inc., 820 South Diamond Bar Boulevard, as Business of the Month for July
2017. Mr. Pao introduced staff members Fred Yan, Ellen Han and
Katherine Park.
1.2 Mayor Lin and City Council Members presented a Certificate of
Recognition to Alexander Tsao on becoming a member of Team USA and
competing in the upcoming 2017 International Biology Olympiad event that
will take place in England.
2. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
M/Lin introduced Phil Hawkey, Executive Director of the San Gabriel Valley
Council of Governments (COG), who provided a Power Point presentation about
the organization. Diamond Bar is the youngest of 31 cities in the San Gabriel
Valley. The City of Diamond Bar is the envy of many cities. With the new City
Manager Dan Fox, Diamond Bar has continued its pursuit of assembling a good
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
team that does good work and is a compliment to the San Gabriel Valley. In
addition, Diamond Bar has been a leader in the SGVCOG. He has been the
Executive Director for two years and one of his goals has been to turn SGVCOG
letters into an easy phrase and if anyone has any ideas, please present them to
C/Lyons who is the delegate to COG. Alternate Delegate C/Herrera has been a
giant in the San Gabriel Valley and served three terms as the COG's president, a
first in its history. C/Herrera has dealt with some tough issues at COG which
have been resolved and the organization is doing very well at this time. Mr.
Hawkey said it was nice working with previous City Manager Jim DeStefano, a
high quality and smart guy who was on the City Manager Steering Committee, an
advisory committee that helps guide the Council of Governments in making
business and other decisions. Mr. Hawkey stated that he will ask CM/Fox to
become involved as well. Not only does the COG benefit from their contribution,
the network of City Managers in the San Gabriel Valley can also be very helpful
to Diamond Bar and CM/Fox.
The San Gabriel Valley has a population of two million with 31 smaller cities
working together to create a muscular voice in regional, state and federal affairs.
There is a shared interest in transportation, water, air quality, homelessness, etc.
and mutual collaboration offers a much more effective outcome for each
individual city. There are 35 members that include 31 cities, three water districts
and three county supervisors. A subdivision of the COG is called the Alameda
Corridor East Construction Authority which was formed in 1998 to address the
congestion in the rail corridor along SR60 with train traffic coming out of the port
and moving freight to warehouses in the Inland Empire. There were railroad
crossings that had no grade separation which caused vehicles, ambulances, fire
trucks and emergency vehicles to have to wait up to a half an hour at railroad
crossings. Through COG the Authority was able to raise $1.6 billion to do 59
projects in the green corridor. Its mission will be completed within six years and
an issue now pending before the COG is, "what is the future of ACEI' The issue
is whether to more fully incorporate ACE into COG or let ACE expire. There is a
recommendation before the Board that suggests that ACE should continue and
be integrated into the COG which is a very important issue.
COG has been very effective in the approval of Measure M (Transportation Tax)
and Measure H (Homelesness Tax), Stormwater MS4 Regulations, and for each
of these measures, Diamond Bar has benefited. The most significant success
was the COG's ability to stabilize and strength its financial operation. COG has
been certified by Caltrans for appropriate administrative and accounting structure
to handle state grants and has been able to secure a number of funding grants
for cities within the San Gabriel Valley.
The key issue is the merger of COG and ACE, which will be discussed at the
Council of Governments meeting on Thursday evening with a vote on the matter
to follow in August or September. This is significant for Diamond Bar because
the proposal is to increase the jurisdiction of ACE to allow it to work throughout
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
the San Gabriel Valley which requires a change in the JPA (Joint Powers
Authority) that must be approved by every City and ultimately requires a change
in the bylaws. For example, this would provide ACE the opportunity to be
involved in the SR57/60 Confluence Project in Diamond Bar, a leader in this
effort. The project requires a strong partner that can build it on-time and within -
budget. ACE could do that but it has to have the authority to work outside of its
original mission which is critical to its change in mission and if approved, he will
be back in the fall asking for the City's approval of a modification in the JPA to
enable its implementation. Mr. Hawkey concluded by stating that he is grateful
for the leadership and involvement of Diamond Bar in the COG.
C/Lyons acknowledged that the COG is very important to Diamond Bar because
this is a medium sized City and working with other medium sized cities it gives all
participants much more clout in getting things done. This is a very important
organization and Diamond Bar is very happy to be part of SGVCOG.
CM/Fox provided an update on the status of Sycamore Canyon Park repairs.
Winter storms earlier this year caused damage to the trailhead near the Diamond
Bar Boulevard entrance. Staff has been working diligently with FEMA and the
good news is that the repairs will be eligible for reimbursement by FEMA. There
are numerous strings and conditions that need to be met to qualify for the
reimbursement which staff has begun to address. There is an RFP out for
design services with responses due in August. Staff anticipates having a design
contractor on board with award of contract coming to Council close to the end of
2017; construction commencing early 2018 and completion anticipated by early
spring, weather permitting. Staff will be working diligently to move through the
design process while keeping Council apprised of major milestones.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Pui-Ching Ho, Library Manager, spoke about upcoming library events. Children
are invited to join the library for a Magic Show on Thursday, July 20 at 2:00 p.m.
On Saturday, July 22 at 3:00 p.m., there will be a Cupcake Decorating
demonstration, sponsored by the Diamond Bar Friends of the Library. The library
will host a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Discovery
Program on Thursday, July 27 at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, June 29 at 1:00 p.m.
join C-2 Education for a three hour College Admission Essay Workshop. She
reminded everyone that the library has new hours: Monday thru Thursday 10:00
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. — Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. — Closed
Sundays. Those wishing to obtain additional information can call the library at
909-861-4978 or go online to the Library's website at
http://www.colapublib.org/fibs/diamondbar/
Grace Lim Hays, President of Hampton Court Homeowners Association, asked
for the City's help in eradicating pill bugs which are intruding on homes that face
the City of Industry's hillside grading project. Their landscaper tells them that
homeowners' efforts will not be effective until they can deal with the other side
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
of the fence which is where the hillside project is. While it is not dangerous it
does impede on the homeowner's quality of life. The Association reached out to
the City of Industry and communicated the situation to their field operations
manager and sent an email to Padilla and Bill Hays. The Association has not
heard back and would like to know if there is something more that can be done.
The Association fears that without coordinated effort with the City of Industry to
deal with the entire problem the problem will continue.
Allen Wilson welcomed CM/Fox to Diamond Bar. Mr. Wilson reviewed Diamond
Bar's portfolio investment and commended the City Council on its prudent
investment of $33 million of taxpayer's money. He is concerned, however, about
the Corporate Note and dollars and jobs going out of California because Toyota
Motor Credit Corporation had moved from Torrance to Texas. He asked about
the City converting bus benches to shelters because he had not seen any
changes. A couple of weeks ago he visited Minnesota and Wisconsin and had
never seen so many green trees. He suggested that the City have a plan to plant
100 trees in the next five years. He noticed a couple of trees were cut down at
Sycamore Canyon Park and one tree cut down next to McDonald's. He feels it
would be helpful to have more trees in the parks and medians.
Theresa Wang stated that on June 17 a friend of hers from San Gabriel attended
a family birthday party at Pantera Park. She asked why he chose Pantera Park
and her friend told her his family chose the location because it is a halfway point
between San Gabriel, Fontana and San Dimas where his relatives live. That
reminded her of something Sophie Martin of Dyatt & Bhatia (consultants, General
Plan update) said which is that Diamond Bar should focus on creating
"experiences" and spaces where people want to spend time and not just spend
money. One possibility is for the Tres Hermanos Ranch to become a regional
park. In the future, as open space becomes scarce in the So -Cal area, spaces
like Tres Hermanos will be special as long as it remains wild open space. Open
space is a part of Diamond Bar's heritage as a ranching community and the City
motto used to be "Country Living" and as time has progressed, more of the City's
open space has given way to housing development in the name of profit in spite
of Diamond Bar ranking below the State average in park acreage per -resident
compared to surrounding communities. According to Pages 58 and 59 of the
City's 2011 Parks Master Plan, the Quimby Act in California sets a minimum
standard of 3 -acres of neighborhood community parkland per 1000 population for
residential development projects. She cited ratios for the following cities:
Diamond Bar 2.1 acres, Chino Hills 3.4 acres, Walnut 3 acres, Claremont 4.3
acres per 1000 population. The current Diamond Bar General Plan establishes a
standard of at least 5 -acres of park area per 1000 residents. She questioned
whether the actual figures for Diamond Bar was 1.3 park acres per 1000
residents or 2.18 park acres per 1000 residents. Many residents and coaches of
local sports teams have made public comments regarding the need for more
parks and sports fields. Parks provide benefits including places of refuge,
physical fitness and recreation, a community gathering space and a place to
relax, enjoy nature, spend time with loved -ones and breath clean air. According
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL
to the Trust for Public Lands recent report on the economic benefits of the public
park and recreation system in the City of Los Angeles, the following benefits are
provided by parks: 1) Enhanced property values, 2) Stormwater retention value,
3) Air pollution removal by vegetation, 4) City park tourism, 5) recreational use
valise; 6) helping to promote human health, and 7) community cohesion. The
following are her key questions for the City Council: 1) Why is it that parks have
not been a priority when many residents have called for them? The City
Councilmembers are public servants and their job is to serve the interest of their
constituents. Are the citizen's voices falling on deaf ears? 2) How does the City
Council intend to remediate the shortage of parkland and implement the General
Plan requirement of 5 -acres of park acreage per 1000 residents? She made
copies of the report for the City Councilmembers, new City Manager and the
Community Development Director and urged all to take the time to read about
the amazing benefits parks can provide. To the City Councilmembers, she would
like an email response to her question by end of day Friday, July 21st.
4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS:
CM/Fox responded to Grace Lim Hays that staff would reach out to the City of
Industry to see what interest there might be in working to remediate the pill bug
situation.
CM/Fox responded to Allen Wilson that he would look into the bus shelter
situation to see if there is an opportunity to revise, add or consider additional
shelters. CM/Fox also referred Mr. Wilson to FD/Honeywell for response to his
question about the Toyota investment.
ACM/McLean responded to Mr. Wilson that with respect to the trees, Diamond
Bar has been a Tree City USA for many years and staff looks forward to
continued participation in that program and meeting its requirements. The City
has been very active in maintaining the City's urban forest. Diamond Canyon
Park opened in 2016 which included many new trees and staff is excited to
announce that Larkstone Park is opening late this year/early 2018 which will
feature many new trees. Staff continues to look for opportunities to add to the
urban forest wherever and whenever possible. With respect to adding to the
City's inventory, that has been happening during the last two years with those
two park sites.
CM/Fox responded to Theresa Wang regarding parkland within the community,
as Council knows, the City is going through a General Plan Update process. The
General Plan Advisory Committee is looking at these types of issues that will be
appropriate for consideration as well as, looking at a variety of alternatives to
help achieve the goal of adding parkland and her information will be shared with
the Advisory Committee, CDD/Gubman and his staff. As ACM/McLean just
mentioned, the City is adding new parkland at this time and whether that is
included in those statistics staff will make certain the information is included in
the Draft General Plan Update. The Planning Commission, Parks and
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL
Recreation Commission and the Council understands what the current inventory
is and what the City's need is for future park demands.
M/Lin encouraged Ms. Wang to participate in the General Plan Update process
through public meetings, etc.
C/Tye felt it was important to set the record straight when terms that he believes
are inaccurate are used. For example, Ms. Wang's letter says that as time has
progressed more of the City's open space has given way to housing
developments in the name of profit. C/Tye said that not one acre of City open
space has ever given way to a housing development. There is a big difference
between undeveloped private property and open space that is controlled by the
City. When he served on the Planning Commission it considered a SunCal
project for 122 residential units that ended up being recommended by the
Planning Commission and submitted to the City Council that garnered 350 acres
that was dedicated to "open space" which turned into trails between the Diamond
Bar Center and the Steep Canyon Trailhead. Things like that are important and
he would therefore disagree with the question "why have parks not been a
priority" because he believes parks are a priority. He does not know whether
Diamond Bar will ever have a Craig Park in Fullerton or the regional park in Brea.
The next question was "how do you intend to remediate the shortage" and C/Tye
said he believed the City would do it one acre at a time with the Washington
Street mini -park, the park space that the City is in the process of acquiring from
the YMCA, the park space known as Larkstone Park that was required of the
developer. Those neighbors are happy to have those parks in their
neighborhood. C/Lyons, MPT/Low and C/Tye all served on the Parks and
Recreation Commission. He does not believe this issue has been ignored at all
and it will be addressed one acre at a time and the City will take every
opportunity to do the very best it can as it always has.
5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS:
5.1 Concerts in the Park — July 19, 2017 — 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Kelly Rae
Band (Country Rock), Sycamore Canyon Park, 22930 Golden Springs
Drive.
5.2 Movies "Under the Stars" — July 19, 2017 - (Cinderella) - Immediately
following the Concert — Sycamore Canyon Park, 22930 Golden Springs
Drive.
5.3 Planning Commission Meeting — July 25, 2017 — 7:00 p.m., Windmill
Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.4 Concerts in the Park — July 26, 2017 — 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Mark Wood and
the Parrot Head Band (Tribute to Jimmy Buffet) — Sycamore Canyon Park,
22930 Golden Springs Drive.
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL
5.5 Movies "Under the Stars" — July 26, 2017 (Finding Dory) — Immediately
following Concerts in the Park — Sycamore Canyon Park, 22930 Golden
Springs Drive.
5.6 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — July 27, 2017 — 7:00 p.m.,
Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.7 City Council Meeting — August 1, 2017 — 6:30 p.m., AQMD/Government
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR: C/Lyons moved, MPT/Low seconded, to
approve the Consent Calendar with C/Lyons pulling Item 6.4 for separate
consideration. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin
NOES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
None
ABSENT:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
None
6.1 WAIVE READING IN FULL OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS
AND ADOPT THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
6.2 APPROVED CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
a. Study Session of June 20, 2017
b Regular Meeting of June 20, 2017
6.3 RECEIVED AND FILED PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
MINUTES:
a. Minutes of the March 23, 2017 Regular Meeting
b. Minutes of the April 27, 2017 Regular Meeting
c Minutes of the May 25, 2017 Regular Meeting
6.5 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT FOR MAY 2017.
6.6 APPROVED NOTICE OF COMPLETION FOR THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL
BATTERY BACKUP SYSTEM (BBS) PROJECT AT TWENTY (20
SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS/LOCATIONS (PROJECT NUMBER
24117.
6.7 APPROVED NOTICE OF COMPLETION FOR THE DIAMOND BAR
CENTER ROOF REHABILITATION PROJECT #25617.
6.8 APPROVED SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES
AGREEMENT WITH SIMPSON ADVERTISING, INC. FOR THE
PROVISION OF SPECIALTY GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES IN A NOT -
TO -EXCEED AMOUNT OF $70,000 FOR THE 2017-18 FISCAL YEAR.
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL
7
E
MATTERS WITHDRAWN FROM CONSENT CALENDAR:
6.4 RATIFICATION OF CHECK REGISTER DATED JUNE 21, 2017 through
JULY 12, 2017 totaling $1,859,889.53.
C/Lyons stated that she reviews every check register presented. There
are always hundreds of checks and Councilmembers have questions.
This week there were several questions and in particular, there was a
check issued to repair a rail fence for $950. She asked CM/Fox what
fence was being repaired and why and the answer came back that it was
a split -rail fence on Brea Canyon Road and that the fence was broken
when a car went through the fence. The interesting part of the story is that
the City paid $950 to get this fence repaired and staff aggressively went
after the insured and insurance company and recovered the entire
amount. Her point is to say "thank -you" to the City staff which shows that
staff is frugal in protecting the City's money and work hard to recover as
much money as possible in all situations.
C/Lyons moved, MPT/Low seconded, to approve Items 6.4 Ratification of
Check Register dated June 21, 2017 through July 12, 2017 totaling
$1,859,889.53 as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
PUBLIC HEARINGS: NONE
COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: NONE
Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low,
M/Lin
None
None
COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
C/Lyons thanked RS/Tarazon and the rest of the team who worked so hard to
pull off yet another phenomenal 4th of July party. It was an enormous success
and someone from staff estimated that more than 7,000 people attended.
C/Lyons felt it might be more because she felt there were at least 7,000 people in
the Funnel Cake line! A good time was had by all and the residents very much
appreciated the event. C/Lyons filled in for M/Lin at the Los Angeles County
Sanitation District meeting and she and C/Tye met with Boy Scouts to answer
questions to allow them to move up to their first class rank. She and MPT/Low
attended the San Gabriel Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
installations where they picked up the "Lifetime Service Award" for former City
Manager Jim DeStefano which they re -presented to him the following day. She
was privileged to attend the Celebration of Life Service for Marny Shay last week,
a long-time resident who was involved in many civic activities including the
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 9 CITY COUNCIL
Spelling Bee and Friends of the Library Read Together Middle School Challenge
where she met and volunteered with Marny. She respectfully requested that
tonight's meeting be adjourned in memory of Marny Shay.
C/Herrera thanked staff for their tremendous efforts in putting together a
wonderful July 01 Celebration which was an all -day effort concluding in a
wonderful evening of impressive fireworks display. A lot of people were very
happy with the event. Welcome to new City Manager Dan Fox. She thanked
Phil Hawkey, Executive Director of the San Gabriel Valley Council of
Governments for being at tonight's Council meeting, which she believes is the
first time someone in that position has attended a Diamond Bar City Council
meeting. She appreciates the update for the community, Council and staff on
items coming before the SGVCOG and particularly on the decision that will be
made about incorporating ACE which she believes would provide a tremendous
benefit to the City of Diamond Bar with respect to the SR57/60 Confluence
Project. ACE may be able to get the job done at an amount under the estimated
$205 million. She hopes every city will vote to accept this change to the JPA.
C/Tye congratulated staff on the 4th of July Celebration. He congratulated Alex
Tsao and wished him well in his exciting journey. One assumes he got into the
competition quickly but many years and hours of study went into this
accomplishment. He welcomed CM/Fox. It is a little different not to see Mr.
DeStefano in that seat but Council and the community is glad to have CM/Fox in
Diamond Bar. He hopes that this is the last job CM/Fox ever has before
retirement and hopes he is not retiring any time soon.
MPT/Low said that she and C/Tye as the Legislative Subcommittee members
met with staff for the second time in late June and the committee will be
presenting a Legislative Platform for the Council's Consideration and adoption
sometime in late summer or early fall of this year. She reported that in the
interim, the subcommittee issued letters in opposition to SB 649 which is a
proposed bill to take away the City's ability to regulate the placement and
operation of cell towers. At the same time, the subcommittee supported AB 572
which is the proposed bill to build a pilot program in Orange County to fund and
house the Department of Health Service Complaint Analyst in Costa Mesa to
investigate non-compliant Drug and Alcohol Abuse Recovery facilities. Another
subcommittee meeting she participated in with M/Lin was the Public Safety
Subcommittee. At that meeting they received reports from the Fire Department
and Sheriff's Station. Acting Fire Chief Bellas who is present this evening,
informed the subcommittee that they completed 2,990 inspections of "high brush
hazards" in Diamond Bar this year. In addition, the Fire Department stated that
they are continuing their "Ready, Set; Go!" Program which offers CERT
(Community Emergency Response Team) training which they are offering in
conjunction with the City of Diamond Bar beginning August 5th. This is a no -cost
20 -hour training taught by firefighters to prepare residents to care for themselves,
their families and their neighbors during a disaster. The Sheriff's Department
reports that crime trends show that our burglaries and property crimes continue
JULY 18, 2017 PAGE 10 CITY COUNCIL
to rise; however, Diamond Bar is still one of the 50 safest cities in which to
reside. In addition, the City has authorized additional budget funds for
suppression control with extra deputies. Diamond Bar is doing its best to police
and make public safety one of the City's top priorities. In fact, deputies are
working to target specific strategic areas to continue their outreach to residents
through the Neighborhood Watch Programs. So far, reports indicate that the
active user groups have doubled in size. Deputies prepare monthly newsletters
for the groups which provide good information that can be shared with their
neighbors and friends. Deputies say that this program is the best way to prevent
crime. Anyone who is interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch Program in
their neighborhood, please contact the Sheriff's Department. MPT/Low
welcomed CM/Fox and congratulated the Parks and Recreation staff.
M/Lin said he felt that this year's 4th of July Celebration was the best he had seen
since he moved to Diamond Bar. Thank you to staff.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, M/Lin adjourned the
Regular City Council Meeting at 7:41 p.m. in memory of Mary Margaret
°Marny" Shay.
TOMMYE tRIBBINS, CITY CLERK
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this ist day of August , 2017.
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JIMMY LIN, MAYOR t