HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.06.02 - Minutes - Regular Meeting CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
i JUNE 2, 2020
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Tye called the Regular City Council meeting to
order at 6:30 p.m.
Mayor Tye stated that consistent with COVID-19 regulations, all Council Members and
staff are participating via teleconference and there is no physical location for public
attendance. The Public has been invited to join the meeting online or by phone at the
numbers printed on the agenda.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Tye led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL: Council Members Andrew Chou, Ruth Low, Jennifer
"Fred" Mahlke, Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Lyons, and
Mayor Steve Tye
Staff participating telephonically: Dan Fox, City Manager; Ryan McLean, Assistant
City Manager; David DeBerry, City Attorney; Ryan Wright, Parks and Recreation
Manager; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; David Liu, Public Works
Director; Hal Ghafari, Public Works Manager/Assistant City Engineer; May Nakajima,
Associate Planner; Dianna Honeywell, Director of Finance, Greg Gubman, Director
of Community Development; Ryan Wright, Director of Parks and Recreation; Ken
Desforges, Director of Information Services; Alfredo Estevez, Information Systems;
Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager; Cecilia Arellano, Public Information
Coordinator; Cecilia Arellano, Public Information Coordinator; J.R. Ybarra, Media
Specialist; Kristina Santana, City Clerk
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As presented.
1. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None
2. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
CC/Santana stated that in an email to the City, Bobby Roberts asked the City
Council to let the residents vote this November to allow marijuana dispensaries to
operate in the City.
Jody Roberto stated that on behalf of the Diamond Bar Community Foundation,
she updated the Council on the Foundation's special program DB Connects which
was implemented to address hardship resulting from COVID-19 and connects local
Diamond Bar restaurants with families and seniors in need. To date, this program
has provided 43 meals which are paid for by generous donations from the Diamond
Bar Community Foundation Board Members, residents and sponsors. The
Foundation is reaching out to the community for recommendations and referrals
for anyone in need who recently lost income and/or jobs as well as, housebound
seniors who would like to sign up for a free meal from a Diamond Bar restaurant.
People are asked to email the Foundation at www.info(a�thedbcf.org and provide
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
the name, email and phone number of the person being recommended for this
service. Donations are accepted through PayPal on the Diamond Bar Community
Foundation website www.thedbcf.orq Ms. Roberto thanked everyone who has
generously donated to this program.
3. CONSENT CALENDAR: C/Low moved, MPT/Lyons seconded, to
approve the Consent Calendar with the exception of Item 3.5 withdrawn for
separate consideration. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Low, Mahlke, MPT/Lyons, M/Tye
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
3.1 APPROVED CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
3.1a MAY 19, 2020 STUDY SESSION MINUTES
3.1b MAY 19, 2020 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
3.2 RECEIVED AND FILED PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES:
3.2a REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 25, 2020
3.2b REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 28, 2020
3.3 RATIFIED CHECK REGISTER DATED MAY 7, 2020 THROUGH MAY 20,
2020 TOTALING $634,455.70.
3.4 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL
2020.
ITEMS WITHDRAWN FROM CONSENT CALENDAR:
3.5 ADOPTED RESOLUTION NO. 2020-14 AMENDING THE CITY'S
PERSONNEL RULES AND REGULATIONS EFFECTIVE JUNE 2, 2020.
C/Low asked for clarification of the term "as defined" on Item 23 on Page
19 PerFormance Pay in the personnel manual. CM/Fox responded that "as
defined" is what the City's internal performance metrics would be as part of
the perFormance review process. Those details are not provided in the
Personnel Rules & Regulations and are provided for within the actual
performance evaluation and vary between classes of employment as well. .
C/Low asked if CA/DeBerry read and approved the language.
CA/DeBerry responded that he reviewed and approved that section of the
manual and is comfortable with the language as stated.
C/Low said that on Page 104, there is a section that speaks to
administrative leave and states that the City Manager can grant
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
administrative leave for exceptional performance and that the additional
leave can be cashed out by the employee. She asked if there was a
difFerence between the two previously mentioned sections to recognize
exceptional performance.
CM/Fox responded that this is a separate section and is something that is
separate wherein he has the ability to recognize employees with the
additional administrative leave, which would apply to all employees, so it is
both.
C/Chou moved, C/Mahlke seconded, to Adopt Resolution No. 2020-14
amending the City's Personnel Rules and Regulations Effective June 2,
2020 as recommended by staff. Motion carried by the following Roll Call
vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Low, Mahlke, MPT/Lyons,
M/Tye
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ,
4. PUBLIC HEARING(S): NONE
5. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
5.1 AMENDMENTS TO CERTAIN ANIMAL LICENSE FEES EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2020.
ACM/Santos presented the staff r�port and �tated that �ince incorporation,
the Inland Valley Humane Society has provided the City of Diamond Bar
and its residents with cost-effective animal care and control services. The
current animal licensing fees were last amended in January 2016. At that
time, IVHS determined the true service costs to be $352,190 annually which
was offset by guaranteed revenue which resulted in a net contract cost of
$160,000 which has been increased by the consumer price index each year
since. This year the contract cost was $189,000.
The most recent IVHS analysis determined that the true cost for providing
services in Diamond Bar has increased from $352,000 in 2016 to an
expected cost of $392,473 for fiscal year 2020/21 which is in line with the
CPI from 2016. While costs have gone up, licensing revenues and fees
have remained low resulting in the increased deficit. The anticipated
increase for FY 2020/21 includes $100,000 guaranteed revenue and results
in a total contract cost of $292,473, a $100,000 increase. The current
schedule summarizes the City's current licensing fees. As a result of
discussions between cities, the IVHS Board of Directors provided all cities
with an alternative that hinges on all cities amending their respective
licenses with regard to unaltered dog fees and penalty fees. Currently,
Diamond Bar's unaltered dog fee is $50 and the penalty fee is $25.IVHS
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
recommends all cities should amended to unaltered dog fees at a rate of
$100 and the penalty fee at a rate of $60, costs that would be borne by the
consumers of those services. If all of the cities were to increase those two
fees as recommended, IVHS would be able to guarantee the existing
contract remain unchanged, which would limit contract increases moving
forward to the CPI which is 2.96 percent for FY 2020/21 or $200,284, a
significant reduction from the original estimate of $292,473 included in the
draft operating FY year budget for 2020/21. As a result of these savings to
the City, staff recommends that the City Council Adopt Resolution No. 2020-
15 amending certain animal license fees effective July 1, 2020.
MPT/Lyons asked if it was correct that this contract would go into effect only
if all of the participating cities agreed to the fee increases.
ACM/Santos responded that MPT/Lyons was correct.
MPT/Lyons asked the length of the contract.
ACM/Santos explained that generally, contracts are extended in two-year
increments because canvasing takes place every two years in every
community IVHS serves. These contracts usually auto-renew if everything
remains consistent.
MPT/Lyons asked if all cities were under a two-year agreement.
ACM/Santos said he understood that all cities are under two-year
agreements. However, there may be some exceptions for new contracts.
MPT/Lyons asked if the City could get a contract for longer than two years.
ACM/Santos said that the City can ask but his understanding is that this
two-year contract.
MPT/Lyons moved, C/Chou seconded, to Adopt Resolution No. 2020-15
amending certain animal license fees effective July 1, 2020.
M/Tye asked CM/Fox to explain what the City's recourse would be should
one or more cities opt out of amending the fees.
CM/Fox explained that staff would come back to the Council with a
Resolution to rescind the fees and that the City Council would need to
consider a new contract with IVHS.
Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Low, Mahlke, MPT/Lyons,
M/Tye
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
5.2 COVID-19 REGULATORY RELIEF AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
OPTIONS FOR BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS.
CDD/Gubman presented the staff report and stated that staff is seeking
Council approval of two regulatory policies to assist businesses as they
reopen their doors in accordance with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
In addition, staff is asking that the Council discuss options for using the
City's emergency CDBG funds for economic recovery programs and
provide direction to staff on crafting these programs.
The Temporary Sign provisions will not require permits for 90 days (through
August 31, 2020). During that time, the City would not enforce temporary
sign regulations pertaining to size or number of signs. Staff would continue
to enforce the restriction on commercial signs in public rights-of-ways and
on public property, roof signs and signs that project taller than the building.
For outdoor dining, staff is proposing a no-fee expedited Temporary Use
Permit process which would be in effect for as long as the indoor occupancy
restrictions are in effect. Details of the temporary dining accommodations
are provided in the policy attached to the staff report.
CDD/Gubman stated that staff is also asking Council to discuss and provide
direction on programs to launch for providing financial assistance to those
impacted by COVID-19. The City will be receiving $137,962 in the first
round of CARES Act CDBG funding. There is a lot of discretion that the
City may use in how it wishes to disburse these funds. The basic rule of
thumb is that it is to be made available to bu�ine��e� and/or income-eligible
residents impacted by the COVID-19 closures. For business relief, the
primary objective is that if a recipient is to be eligible, they must demonstrate
that they need assistance in order to retain or hire low or moderate income
workers. For residential assistance programs, an example of how the
money can be used would be to provide rental assistance for those income
eligible households. Also, since seniors are presumed to be income
eligible, CARES Act monies may be used for senior programming to provide
services or programs that would be needed to replace programs that would
normally be provided without the current restrictions. For example, for any
types of online services such as virtual recreation and any expenses
associated with providing outreach.
Given the above parameters, there are several options for the City Council
to consider. All of the money can be allocated into one program, or several
programs can be created and funds can be disbursed accordingly. While
the staff report gave a sample allocation of $5,000 for senior programs, for
any program the City launches, the minimum amount would be $10,000.
MPT/Lyons asked the difference between "temporary outdoor
merchandise" and "sidewalk sales".
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL
CDD/Gubman said they are essentially the same.
MPT/Lyons asked if restaurants that have liquor licenses would be able to
serve alcohol to outside diners.
CDD/Gubman responded that the City has no issue with that; however, it is
subject to the licensing requirements of the Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control, and that responsibility will be left to the business owner
to comply with their requirements.
MPT/Lyons said she really appreciated that staff worked hard to get this
report done in a very short time.
C/Low asked if it was true the wheelbarrows and barbecues could remain
outside but Ross could not bring a display of tennis shoes outside.
CDD/Gubman reiterated that at this time, staff is not recommending that
any additional outdoor displays be approved given the lack of direction from
the County Health Department.
C/Low asked CDD/Gubman to elaborate on the option for loans and the
option for grants for businesses.
CDD/Gubman reiterated that the City can do either a loan which would
require repayment with the potential for reallocating the money for different
purposes or, the City can issue grants and provided the business meets the
provisions of the program, that money would be given free and clear of
repayment. The City's consultant and LACDA discourage the loan
programs because of the underwriting requirements with more scrutiny
required for monitoring the expenses made with those proceeds because it
appears that agencies that are doing loan programs are making them
forgivable as long as the business complies with the provisions of the
program.
C/Low asked if a grant program has to be farmed out to LACDA with the
City being required to pay the servicing charges or can Diamond Bar service
the grant program in house.
CDD/Gubman said that for the business grant program, the City can
administer it in house. As far as the residential assistance programs, that
gets to be a lot more complicated with income verification requirements,
household income documentation, and subsequent documentation and
monitoring, which is beyond the scope of staff capabilities. If the City does
a residential program, it should be administrated by LACDA and that it could
result in as much as a 20 percent administration processing fee for each
loan.
C/Low asked what staff knows about the need for a rental assistance fund.
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL
CDD/Gubman responded that those programs have been sold out as well,
and staff would expect more applicants than the funding would provide.
MPT/Lyons said she spoke with colleagues at COG about business grants
for which there was a big demand and they opened the application period
for a two-day period after which they closed the window to validate
applications and then held a lottery.
C/Chou asked for clarification that the proposal on packet page 170
indicating the breakdown between business grant and residential rental
grants and senior programming was arbitrary. There are no guidelines that
the CDGB grant funds have to be allocated in a certain way. And, if the
Council wanted to, it could have the entire amount appropriated into one
type of grant.
CDD/Gubman confirmed that the entire amount could be put into one
program and the dollar amount could be designated per recipient.
C/Chou felt most businesses were suffering and as they attempt to reopen
there will be new guidelines from LA County and the State on how they can
operate. Given the relatively small amount of money the City receives, if it
is divided up among different programs, he is concerned that each business
will not receive a material amount that will make a meaningful impact on '
helping them continue to operate. In addition, having to give up 20 percent
to an outside agency administer to handle the residential rental grant along
with an appropriation of almost $47,000 to senior programming in the
proposed budget, he is inclined to have the entire amount go toward
business grants to help the business community survive and thrive during
this pandemic. While businesses are happy to set tables outside, they have
to purchase additional equipment such as umbrellas, install physical
barriers, etc., which will require additional funding on their part. He is
inclined to have the entire grant allocated to business grants and there
should be a discussion about the amount that will be granted to each
business. He agrees with MPT/Lyons that the model she spoke about was
promoted by Supervisor Hahn when she spoke about giving out $5,000
grants to businesses with a time limit for submitting applications.
C/Low said she agreed with MPT/Lyons about the lottery system which she
believes would be fair and orderly. She also agrees with C/Chou's
observations and concerns about getting restaurants and other small
businesses up and running with the City helping them as much as possible.
She would be okay moving all of the funds to business loans since it
involves such a small amount of money. And, the amount should be
meaningful so that it would be helpful.
M/Tye asked what everyone is thinking about a minimum and maximum for
each business.
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL
C/Chou said he believed that it should be a flat amount across the board so
that each business gets the same amount. M/Tye said he agreed with
C/Chou. C/Chou said that if there was a flat amount of $5,000 it would
benefit about 28 businesses. Given the number of restaurants in Diamond
Bar, that would not be enough and he suggested the Council consider
something in the $2,000 range to help at least 50 restaurants.
MPT/Lyons said that while C/Chou's proposal is interesting, $2,000 is way
too little money for what needs to be done and she would rather see more
meaningful grants which would go only to certain types of restaurants.
C/Chou said he has seen other cities provide grants to restaurants with less
than 20 employees and in his opinion, there would have to be some sort of
qualifier for the business. He agreed with MPT/Lyons that he would not
necessarily want to include large corporations because these grants should
help mom and pop locally owned businesses.
CDD/Gubman stated that every other city that has done a business loan or
grant program has required those businesses to have a physical storefront
in their community that has been in business for at least a year, and the
loans or grants have been for fixed amounts.
C/Mahlke asked if a requirement would include businesses that operate
within the City limits of Diamond Bar or would this be open to residents who
have businesses outside of the City such as truck drivers.
Council Members simultaneously responded "storefronts located in
Diamond Bar".
CDD/Gubman offered examples of amounts per business from other cities:
Laverne $2,500; Covina $4,500; Arcadia $5,000; Claremont $20,000.
M/Tye suggested that if the City rounded the fund amount off to $150,000
that would fund 50 businesses at $3,000 each.
MPT/Lyons did not believe $3,000 was enough to make a difference and
again suggested it should be at least $5,000 per business.
M/Tye said he tended to agree with MPT/Lyons and $5,000 per business
would fund 30 business and he would be okay with that. C/Low said she
was good with that and C/Chou agreed.
C/Chou said he thought that staff had indicated during recent budget
discussions that other special revenue funds could be reprogrammed to this
recovery fund.
CDD/Gubman responded to C/Chou that the City is allowed to repurpose
the regular CBDG monies for COVID-19 relief efforts. Those amounts are,
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 9 CITY COUNCIL
$46,900 for Senior Programs; $100,716 for the Home Improvement
Program; a little under $178,000 for the Area 2 Curb Ramp Program. In
addition, the City just received a Home Improvement loan repayment of
$6,700 that could be rolled over as well.
M/Tye asked if any of these funds are dedicated to those programs so that
if the $178,000 for Curb Ramps was put into the COVID-19 relief fund, the
City would be violating any parameters of the $178,000. CDD/Gubman
responded no, that all of those stipulations are suspended at this point.
C/Chou said he agreed that $5,000 was a more meaningful amount that
would have a more positive impact on businesses and he felt it should be
extended to 50 businesses for a total of$250,000 by reprogramming some
of the other funding.
M/Tye said that the $100,716 for Home Improvement plus $178,000 for
Curb Ramps together with the COVID-19 relief fund adds up to over
$400,000.
MPT/Lyons asked PWD/Liu to comment on what the effect of not doing the
Area 2 Curb Ramp improvements for this year would mean for the City.
(PWD/Liu was unable to respond due to technical difficulties with his
microphone.)
M/Tye said he felt that what PWD/Liu would say was that if they do not get
done this year they will get done in another year.
CM/Fox added that the budget included in the Capital Improvement
Program for ADA Curb Ramps for Area 2 could certainly be modified,
brought back and deferred to another time. The amount that is available at
this time could be used to test the waters and come back with a
supplemental allocation to reprogram the existing CDBG funds or wait until
it is certain that Diamond Bar will get the next version of the CARES Act to
have a subsequent round.
M/Tye said why not proceed with the total amount and if the CARES Act
money comes through dedicate it to curb ramps. CM/Fox said that because
it was not COVID-19 related the money would not be available for curb ramp
improvements.
M/Tye asked if the City was making any progress with the County relative
to sharing the money they got with the cities and CM/Fox responded that
their response is that the State has plans in their budget to supplement local
cities that did not receive funding previously. So all of the CARES Act funds
that went to the County and cities of over 500,000 in population will not be
shared. Diamond Bar could wait for the next round which may be included
in the State's budget for some allocation of funds for cities under 500,000
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 10 CITY COUNCIL
in population.
M/Tye felt this proposal should move forward and why wouldn't we say we
loaned this money out on the chance we would get repaid.
CM/Fox stated that staff will figure it out and CDD/Gubman will be coming
back to the Council at the next meeting to officially amend the CDBG
program and officially allocate those funds, and based upon the direction
that staff has tonight to put everything into the business grants and keep it
at $5,000 per business, staff will look at reallocating the ADA Curb Ramps
and including as much as possible into that pot of money to be allocated
toward the business relief.
CDD/Gubman said that this item will come back under Public Hearing to
modify the CDBG budget. If money is being reprogrammed from other
programs, that would have to be included in the hearing notice.
CM/Fox said that both can be done at the same time. ADA Curb ramps is
about $178,000 and is there interest in amending the Home Improvement
program for an additional $100,000?
MPT/Lyons felt the Home Improvement program needed to be continued
and she would not want to touch that program.
M/Tye asked how much was allocated to the Home Improvement Program
last year and CDD/Gubman responded about $100,000. M/Tye asked how
much of that was used and CDD/Gubman said he believed about half had
been used.
M/Tye said he believes businesses truly need the help and that the City
should get this done sooner rather than later and he is fine if $50,000 is
taken from the Home Improvement Program for$178,000 plus $50,000 plus
$138,000 which keeps it in the range of$5,000 for 50 businesses.
CM/Fox said he believes there is an opportunity to use some of the Housing
Improvement Program money. As CDD/Gubman mentioned, the City gets
reimbursements or payoffs of those loans which go back into that fund.
Staff will analyze the situation and bring back the larger pot of money for
the Council's consideration.
CDD/Gubman responded to CM/Fox that this item can be brought back to
the Council on June 16t" under the Public Hearing agenda item. The
temporary regulations have shortened the notice time from 30 days to five
(5) days which makes that possible.
C/Chou asked if CDD/Gubman could bring back a ready-to-go proposal so
the Council could approve it on June 16t" and get the money out to the
businesses as quickly as possible.
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 11 CITY COUNCIL
M/Tye said he hated to wait 14 days and asked if the Public Hearing meeting
' could be scheduled sooner.
CM/Fox said that with a five-day Public Hearing notice, it might be possible
to have a meeting next Tuesday.
C/Low said that with respect to not including "chain store" owners, there are
local residents who have purchased a franchise of a "chain store" but they
are not a chain store and she believes those people should be included in
the funding. C/Chou agreed. M/Tye said those are franchisees and if we
are talking about helping franchisees because they are our neighbors, he is
not willing to help Target, Sprouts, Smart & Final, Albertsons, etc.
CM/Fox said that when staff brings this item back to the Council it will
include a list of criteria for the Council to review and approve as well.
M/Tye summarized Council's discussion. Council likes the lottery idea,
wants to support mom and pop businesses, franchisees are fine, and no
chains. CM/Fox said that in addition there will most likely be a one-year in
business requirement and probably a few others based upon what some of
the other cities have done. But certainly this is for the small businesses, the
mom and pop types of businesses, and if it is a franchise owned that is fine
too as long as they have the clientele and employee pool that is intended
for this program.
CM/Fox asked if the special meeting was possible next Tuesday.
CDD/Gubman responded that next Tuesday's (June 9t") Planning
Commission will be canceled and that date is available for the special
meeting.
All Council Members indicated that they would be available for the Special
Public Hearing City Council meeting on Tuesday, June gt"
CM/Fox responded to the City Council that he is assuming there will be a
maximum number of employees (15 or 20) that will be stated.
CDD/Gubman responded to CM/Fox that 25 or less has been the general
criteria.
M/Tye said definitely no banks or Starbucks but small operations like It's
Everyday and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
CM/Fox said he is good with the notice in time for June 9t" but he is a little
concerned about the fast turnaround of the staff report in order to be able
to get something to Council by the end of this week but he would do
everything possible to make it happen.
6. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 12 CITY COUNCIL
REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
C/Chou thanked staff for putting together such a detailed proposal and report for
Council to consider. He believes this is a difficult time but he continues to be
impressed by staff and his colleagues as well as, residents and how well they are
reacting during this pandemic. He held a virtual office hour last Tuesday for which
there was a decent turnout. He invited a lot of business owners to participate and
much of their concerns were addressed tonight. They really want to see the City
help them come back not just to survive but to thrive in the post-pandemic situation
and he believes the Council took important steps tonight to do just that and he is
very proud of the work this Council is doing. He congratulated the graduating
classes of Diamond Bar High School, middle schools and elementary schools. Go
forth and conquer, carry the torch, stake your claim and make a difference and
make us proud. He would be so proud if one day someone would come back and
run for office and be a colleague. He vividly remembers the 1992 LA Riot after the
Rodney King trial. He remembers the pain, the outcry and outrage and we again
feel the same pain and outrage over the killing of George Floyd. He stands in
solidarity against the death of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement.
With that said, we need to express our collective pain reasonably and responsibly
and we must stop these outside forces and bad actors from destroying
neighborhoods and burning down buildings, which is not the way to get the
message across and we should never stand for the destruction of private
properties.
C/Mahlke echoed a big thank you to her colleagues on the City Council and to the
hard working City staff members for researching and advocating for options that
are best for our residents and our local businesses. We will continue to look for
opportunities to continue to support Diamond Bar and its residents. We are in such
an incredibly challenging time right now as a society. She has been continuing to
teach at CalPoly Pomona during both the pandemic and now the demonstrations
and it has given everyone an opportunity to have a lot of discussions and sharing
and questions in a learning environment. This is the youth of our community so it
is incredibly important and one of the most poignant things a student shared with
the class and asked of her was that it was all so much and how was he supposed
to know what to do? She felt it was a great question that echoed what a lot of us
are struggling with. When she looks around this community she is so proud that
people have found a way to make a difference, even with all of the levels of
uncertainty and potential anxiety. A great example of this is of course what Jody
Roberto shared tonight with DB Connects has accomplished, what the Johann
Bosch family and community supporters put together each week and what many
other supporters in our community are doing. She hopes everyone will continue
to responsibly gather information and make these the things that keep our
community, neighborhoods, families and ourselves safe and healthy.
C/Low said it seems like yesterday we learned about the COVID-19 lockdown but
so much has happened since March and it has happened very quickly. While we
call this an unprecedented circumstance, we need to hang together and stick it
out. Just as we thought we were turning the corner with COVID-19 and we were
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 13 CITY COUNCIL
optimistic that we would be returning to some kind of normal, now we have the
' tragedy of George Floyd and the many others who have died. She works in
downtown LA and that is her reality when she is there, reminded that there is
tragedy and people are upset. She, too, is appalled about these deaths and joins
with the folks who mourn them. She also supports peaceful protests to speak for
those who perished as well as, to speak justice. But as her colleague said, there
are bad actors who are among these protesters who are exploiting these events
and going beyond mourning and peaceful protests, all to advance their own
agendas. All they are doing is focusing on their criminal sprees and they are intent
on sowing discord and fear even into the City and into our society. She wanted to
reassure Diamond Bar residents that we are on the lookout for that and our
Sheriff's Department is prepared to step in and keep everyone safe. The Sheriff's
Department has the ability to call in reinforcements if necessary. Just a reminder
to everyone, if you see something, say something and call the Sheriff's Department
for assistance. She is very grateful for folks like Jody Roberto and the Diamond
Bar Community Foundation for stepping up to help others in need. There are many
others in the community who are contributing as well. She thanked staff for
preparing the report on Agenda Item 5.2 and putting the program together in a very
short amount of time. Staff did great work. The report was very thoughtful and
thorough. She hopes the businesses will take advantage of these programs as
soon as they are up and running and bring Diamond Bar back, enjoy outdoor dining
and bring businesses and community members together.
MPT/Lyons said ditto to all comments made by her colleagues which she will not
repeat. She attended the Capital Project and Construction Committee meeting
and learned that the two grade separations projects that are being worked on at
Montebello and Turnbull Canyon will be affected by the reduction of gas tax
revenue and SB1 shortages. Metro has said they will provide the funds but that
they will be slower in getting those funds to the City than what was originally
promised. To that end, these two projects are currently projected to be delayed a
year. In terms of the SR57/60 chokepoint, the Department of Transportation
continues to say that mid-June will be the time they announce whether or not we
get the $50 million Federal INFRA grant. If we do, it is full speed ahead with the
project and it will reduce construction by two years. She congratulated high school
graduates from Diamond Ranch High School and Diamond Bar High School who
creatively found a way to celebrate the occasion, a sign of their creativity they will
display in the years to come. Something that is really exciting is, starting Monday, i
June 8t", the Diamond Bar Library is one of 24 libraries that will offer sidewalk
pickup. Perhaps CM/Fox has more details on this. She understands that people
can order books on the website and when they come in people will be able to pick
them up curbside when they arrive without personal contact.
M/Tye reinforced what everyone said and heard about the Diamond Bar
Community Foundation. He is not sure that a lot of people are aware of some of
the events they sponsor including the Fun Run, golf tournament, and the annual
Gala that is designed to raise funds to put back into the community for sports and
other events. And with the DB Connects program they are focusing on for those
who have lost their jobs and those who have been furloughed, and most
JUNE 2, 2020 PAGE 14 CITY COUNCIL
importantly, the elderly because as much as a meal, those folks might just need to
see a friendly face and a smile. We all know somebody like that. Even if it means
picking up the phone to check in on them and say hello and they hear a friendly
voice that is something we can all do. Even if it means getting in your car and
talking to neighbors. Let's reach out and do that extra thing for folks right now in
this difficult time. It is hard to believe it was 51 years ago in April that Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s life was cut short and here we are in a situation where a man's life was
snuffed out because of the color of his skin. Martin Luther King said a couple of
things that resonate in this hour — "hate begets hate; violence begets violence;
toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the
power of love." Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate, but to win friendship
and understanding. And he went on to say that "the ultimate weakness of violence
is that it is a descending spiral" and M/Tye said he thinks we are seeing that now
— "begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it
multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the
lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you
do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Returning violence
for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid
of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate; only love can do that". M/Tye said when he thinks of assemblies
that have taken place in Chino Hills, Walnut and today in Brea, they are peaceful
because people have something to share. There is no looting, there is no rioting
and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a peaceful protest. But he has heard
from enough people around town that they are concerned about what is planned
for Grand and Diamond Bar Boulevard. M/Tye said he believes the City will be
ready for it and this can also be a peaceful protest and his plea to anybody listening
who plans to participate would be that it be peaceful. Let's make sure it is peaceful
to ensure that the point is driven home about what this is all about.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, M/Tye adjourned the
Regular City Council Meeting at 8:01 p.m. to the Special City Council Meeting of June gtn
at 6:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted:
i,�d�_
Kristina Santana, City Clerk
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 16t" day of June, 2020.
Steve Tye, Ma or