HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/04/18 Minutes - Regular MeetingMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
DECEMBER 4, 2018
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Low called the Regular City Council meeting to
order at 6:31 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management District/Government
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council Member Lyons led the Pledge of'Allegiance.
INVOCATION: Pastor Jeanne Favreau-Sorvillo, Diamond Bar United
Church of Christ, provided the lnvocation.
ROLL CALL: Council Members Lin, Lyons, Tye, Mayor Pro Tem
Herrera and Mayor Low
Staff Present: Dan Fox, City Manager; David DeBerry, City Attorney; Ryan
McLean, Assistant City Manager; Ken Desforges, IS Manager; David Liu, Public Works
Director; Ryan Wright, Parks and Recreation Director; Greg Gubman, Community
Development Director; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Kimberly Young,
Senior Civil Engineer; Amy Haug, Human ResourceslRisk Manager; Marsha Roa,
Public Information Manager; and, Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As Presented.
POST ELECTION PROCEDURES:
ELECTION RESULTS OF THE NOVEMBER 6, 2018 GENERAL MUNICIPAL
ELECTION:
CM/Fox reported that the results for the November 6t" Municipal Election has
been certified by the Los Angeles RegistrarlRecorder. An updated Resolution
was placed at the dais which contained the official certifications for the results of
three Council seats as well as, Measure Q related to the Transient Occupancy
Tax. The top three vote --getters for the Council seats were Nancy Lyons, Steve
Tye and Andrew Chou. Measure Q, which would increase the Transient
Occupancy Tax passed with a margin of 65 percent in favor. The Resolution
before the Council is to certify the results as well as, approve the Ordinance the
people voted on at the November 6th Election.
MPT/Herrera moved approval of Resolution No. 2018-41 declaring the election
results of the November 6, 2018 General Municipal Election. CILin seconded the
motion. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Lin, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Herrera, MILow
None
10roi_.
DECEMBER 4, 2015 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
PRESENTATION TO OUTGOING COUNCIL MEMBER JIMMY LIN:
M/Low thanked outgoing Council Member Jimmy Lin for his 13 years of service to the
City as and it was a pleasure to serve with him on the Planning Commission as -well.
C/Lyons presented a City Tile to outgoing Council Member Lin who served on the City
Council from January 2015 through December 2018. C/Lin has been a true colleague
with a great sense of humor and has been such a big help to the City, especially with
transportation issues.
MPT/Herrera presented a Certificate of Recognition to outgoing Council Member Lin on
behalf of Congressman Ed Royce. She thanked C/Lin on behalf of the City for sharing
his expertise and knowledge regarding traffic and transportation.
M/Low presented a Certificate of Recognition to outgoing Council Member Lin on behalf
of Senator Ling Ling Chang.
C/Tye presented outgoing Council Member Lin with a commemorative clock
CILin said he accompanied Ed Royce to China for the signing of the accord to have
China Airlines fly into the Ontario Airport. For the past four years he has been
privileged to serve with the most professional, knowledgeable and responsible public
servants anywhere. Diamond Bar has the most streamlined "lean and mean" staff of any
city with about 50 staff members who do a great job for almost 60,000 residents. He
recalled that when he became Mayor the City faced the retirement of longtime City
Manager Jim DeStefano and with the assistance of HR Manager Amy Haug the Council
selected Dan Fox and he is very grateful that Diamond Bar found the right person to
serve as its City Manager. He reflected on some of the many accomplishments that
took place during his tenure as a Council Member. Including the great care of City
streets, new entry monument signs and implementation of adaptive traffic signals,
completion of the Lemon Avenue Interchange, completion of Phase I and Phase 11 of
the SR57160 Confluence project, initiation of the General Plan Update, approval and
construction of two high-quality subdivisions, revitalization of two shopping centers and
stopping the City of Industry from building a solar farm on Tres Hermanos. In addition,
there were many park renovations, a new dog park and trails and the City acquired the
YMCA property for a public park. On the public safety side, the City has intensified its
communication with the Sheriff's Department, initiated "coffee with a cop", conducted
safety workshops with residents and implemented a Ring discount program all of which
resulted in a drop in the overall crime rate by 22 percent for the first half of 2018. He
thanked City staff for their continued good work and wished the Council well moving
forward.
ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE:
Wanda Tanaka administered the Oath of Office to Andrew Chou.
CC/Cribbins administered the Oath of Office to Nancy Lyons.
DECEMBER 4, 2018 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
CCICribbins administered the Oath of Office to Steve Tye.
CITY COUNCIL REORGANIZATION:
SELECTION OF MAYOR -Council Member Low nominated Council Member Carol
Herrera to serve as Mayor. Council Member Lyons seconded the nomination. No other
nominations were offered. Council Member Carol Herrera was unanimously elected to
serve as Mayor by the following Roll Call vote:
C/Chou
Aye
ClLyons
Aye
C/Tye
Aye
C/Herrera
Aye
C/Low
Aye
SELECTION OF MAYOR PRO TEM — Council Member Low nominated Council
Member Steve Tye to serve as Mayor Pro Tem. Council Member Lyons seconded the
nomination. No other nominations were offered. Council Member Steve Tye was
unanimously elected to serve as Mayor Pro Tem by the following Roll Call vote:
C/Chou
Aye
C/Low
Aye
ClLyons
Aye
C/Tye
Aye
M/Herrera
Aye
PRESENTATION TO 2018 MAYOR RUTH LOW:
M/Herrera and Council Members presented 2018 Mayor Ruth Low with a gavel as
commemoration of her tenure and service to the community as Mayor.
Lauren Yokomizo, Field Deputy, Supervisor Janice Hahn's Office, presented a
certificate of Recognition to 2018 Mayor Ruth Low.
MPT/Tye presented a personalized bobblehead to 2018 Mayor Ruth Low.
M/Herrera thanked her colleagues for electing her to a 6th term as Mayor. She is
honored to serve as the City's Mayor and her focus will be "fiscal conservancy". She
understands that residents want'this City to live within its means. Sales tax revenues
are not as robust as the Council had hoped and Council and staff will be looking closely
to trim expenses where possible so as not to further burden the citizens by asking them
to pay more for City services. Another focus will be to push for continued funding for
the SR57/60 Confluence to help relieve traffic on City streets.
DECEMBER 4, 2018 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
RECESSIRECEPTION: MlHerrera recessed the City Council Meeting at 7:14 p.m.
RECONVENE: MlHerrera reconvened the City Council Meeting at 7:33 p.m.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS:
NEW BUSINESS OF THE MONTH
1.1 M/Herrera and City Council Members presented a Certificate Plaque to
the owners of Bageloo, 1200 S. Diamond Bar Boulevard #102, as New
Business of the Month for December 2018.
1.2 MlHerrera and City Council Members presented Certificates of
Recognition to members of the Team Rascals Intercity Senior Co -Ed
Softball League of Southern California.
2. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Pui-Ching Ho, Diamond Bar Librarian, spoke about upcoming library events for
the month of December.
Vinod Kashyap congratulated new Council Member Chou and said it had been a
pleasure working with him in the citizen's group Responsible Land Use that has
been providing assistance to the GPAC. He wished everyone a Happy New
Year.
Douglas Barcon saw bird scooters near Diamond Bar Boulevard at Temple
Avenue and wondered whether they were in Pomona or biamond Bar. He asked
if the City would be working on a policy regarding bird scooters and
congratulated Council Member Chou on his election.
4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS:
CM/Fox said the bird scooters were in the City of Pomona and not the City of
Diamond Bar. There are no pending applications from companies that wish to
operate such a venture in the City and if they appear in Diamond Bar, they will be
removed from the public right-of-way just as any other discarded shopping cart or
furniture would be removed.
5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS:
5.1 Diamond Bar Holiday Ride — continues through January 2, 2019. Riders
can schedule a free trip inside the City for restaurants and shopping.
DECEMBER 4, 2018 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL
5.2 Winter Snow Fest — December 8, 2018 — 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Pantera
Park, 738 Pantera Drive.
5.3 Planning Commission Meeting — December 11, 2018 — 6:30 p.m.,
Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.4 Traffic and Transportation Commission Meeting — December 13, 2018 —
6:30 p.m.., Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive (Canceled).
5.5 City Council Meeting — December 18, 2018 -- 6:30 p.m.,
AQMDIGovernment Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR: C[Lyons moved, MPT/Tye seconded, to
approve the Consent Calendar. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Low, Lyons, MPT/Tye, MlHerrera
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
6.1 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES:
6.1a Study Session of November 20, 2018 as approved
6.1b Regular Meeting Minutes of November 20, 2018 as approved.
6.2 RATIFICATION OF CHECK REGISTER DATED NOVEMBER 15, 2018
THROUGH NOVEMBER 28, 2018 TOTALING $741,050.24.
6.3 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT FOR OCTOBER 2018.
7, PULIC HEARINGS:
NONE.
8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: NONE.
RECESS: MlHerrera recessed the Regular City Council Meeting to the Annual Public
Financing Authority Meeting at 7:55 p.m.
RECONVENE: MlHerrera reconvened the Regular City Council Meeting at 7:59
p.m.
9. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
C/Chou stated that as of February 28th he will have an opportunity to appoint
several Commission members and the City will accept applications for those
positions including those who are currently serving as Commissioners. He
thanked everyone who attended tonight to observe him take the Oath of Office
for their encouragement and support which made tonight possible. He is truly
DECEMBER 4, 2018 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL
humbled by the trust that has been bestowed upon him and grateful for the
opportunity to serve the community. He congratulated the people of Diamond
Bar for this historic election. Where over 50 percent of the City's registered
voters voted in this year's election. Congratulations to C/Lyons for receiving the
highest number of votes. It is truly inspiring what this community can do when
everyone comes together. He believes that in this City greater things are yet to
come and greater things are still to be done.
C/Low welcomed C/Chou and congratulated ClLyons and MPT/Tye on' their
election wins. She hoped everyone would come out to celebrate the Snow Fest
on Saturday. It is her honor to serve on the Public Safety Subcommittee and the
City's numbers are really good. The total property crime from June 2017 to June
2018 went down by 14.8 percent from 878 cases to 748 cases. The reason this
works is because of the innovation and dedication and people thinking creatively
about how to solve the problems that are presented to the City. The
subcommittee is very proud of the involvement of the residents who understand
that if you see something, say something." It is from those tips that suspects are
apprehended —sometimes in the throes of their crime. Thank you to staff and
thank you to law enforcement. The Fire Department prepared a brochure entitled
Ready, Set, Go which is available at City Hall and is a very handy guide for being
prepared in case of disaster. This is a timely and good guide in getting folks
prepared in light of the recent fires and not wait until it is too late. There is also a
copy of the brochure on the City's website that can be downloaded. Holiday
Season is here and she encouraged everyone to use common sense while out
shopping. Don't leave items in sight in your vehicles to invite theft. Don't drink
and drive. And when buying gifts, please remember those who are less
fortunate. Practice peace and practice patience.
C/Lyons welcomed C/Chou and indicated that C/Chou's intelligence and hard
work he will be able to contribute much to the City of Diamond Bar. She thanked
staff for choosing the festive holiday decorations. It is really nice to see them
displayed at the City's major intersections. Please join her and M/Herrera at
Snow Fest. She also has an opening for a Parks and Recreation Commissioner
and if anyone is interested they should apply. The applications will be on the
City's website beginning tomorrow. ClLyons thanked Mayor Low for her service.
She did a terrific job as mayor. She worked so hard and led the Council through
a lot of challenges and most especially, the tough public safety challenges.
Mayor Low served with distinction. She expressed her appreciation to the
citizens of Diamond Bar for re-electing her to the City Council and she looks
forward to the challenges of the next four years to continue to make this City
even better.
MPT/Tye stated that C/Lyons was elected with the most votes in the history of
the City – very impressive! In 13 years on the City Council he has never heard
so many positive comments as he has about the holiday decorations. Great job
by staff and the candy canes, the stocking and the Christmas trees look terrific.
It looks very festive and the banners are a nice touch as well. Thanks so much
DECEMBER 4, 2018 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL
to staff for getting that done. He wished all of his Jewish friends a very, very
Happy Hanukkah and he hoped they would enjoy the season as everyone does
at this time of the year. He asked MlHerrera that tonight's meeting be adjourned
in memory of former President George H.W. Bush. Tomorrow will be a national
day of mourning as stated by President Trump. President Bush the first was a
true gentleman, a leader and at 85 and 90 he skydived. The man loved
adventure and we are all better for having known him. We wish the Bush family
the best and we keep them in our prayers.
MlHerrera said that she and CILow attended the Public Safety meeting and the
booklet the Fire Department just put out has a lot of very valuable information.
She mentioned that the Fire Department Employee Union 1014 took up a
collection and gave several hundreds of thousands of dollars to the victims of
both the Woolsey and Paradise fires which is very commendable, especially
since many of them lost so much of their own .belongings and many lost
everything. Thank you to the Fire Department and their generosity. Thank you
to City staff for the holiday decorations — so much positive reaction about them
which is really wonderful. The committee assignments will be passed out to each
Council Member so that each person can indicate which committees they would
like to serve on and place it on her desk at City Hall. MlHerrera noted December
5th will be a national day of mourning for the former President George H.W. Bush
and indicated that City Hall would remain open for business on that day.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, MlHerrera adjourned
the Regular City Council Meeting at 8:10 p.m. in memory of former President George
H.W. Bush.
TO MY C IBBINS, CITY CLERK
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 1 � day of LJ \ V-2018.
CAROL HERRERA, MAYOR