HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/07/17 Minutes - Regular MeetingCITY OF DIAMOND BAR
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
JANUARY 17, 2017
STUDY SESSION: M/Lin called the Study Session to order at 5:31
p.m. in Room CC -8 of the South Coast Air Quality Management
District/Government Center, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765.
ROLL CALL: Council Members Herrera, Lyons, Tye, Mayor
Pro Tem Low and Mayor Lin.
Staff Present: James DeStefano, 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; Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Amy
Haug, Human Resources/Risk Manager; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer;
Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager; Cecelia Arellano, Public Information
Coordinator, and Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk.
110. STATEWIDE ELECTION LEGISLATIVE UPDATE —SB 415 & SB450 —
Discussion and Action.
ATCM/Santos stated this is a continuation of the item that was discussed in
December and is informational only with no need for action this evening. The
City's elections are held in odd years. 2017 is the next election, then 2019,
2021, etc. Two pieces of legislation that were adopted by the State requires
that if the voting participation (of the City) rate thresholds are less than what
the State has mandated, elections must be moved to even numbered years.
The plan has to be instituted by January 1, 2018 with the elections that start
in, the even numbered years being implemented by November 8, 2022. In
short, Diamond Bar must implement a plan. Elections can still be held in odd
year elections (i.e. 2017, 2019 or 2021), however, prior to November 2022,
the City must start the election cycle to even numbered years. In summary,
the statewide election participation rates over the last four election cycles
average about 50 percent of eligible voter participation. Statewide primary
elections which are in June average about 25.8 percent of eligible voter
participation. City elections average about 16.6 percent of eligible voter
participation.
The options are: The City institutes a change in the 2017 election in which
case, nothing could be changed with respect to sitting Council Members.
None can be added or eliminated from their terms.
C/Lyons said that according to the School District's legal counsel that
statement is.
not true for the Board of Trustees. Is it possible that it could be different for
City Council and Board of Trustees?
JANUARY 17, 2017
PAGE 2 CC STUDY SESSION
SMA/Santos responded that it can change and once the change is made
and residents vote, those elections have to remain in place. For example, if
this year in the next couple of months the Council decides to institute three-
year terms starting in 2017 there will then be a 2020 election for the three
Council Members who would be up for re-election in 2019. And for the 2019
election if the Council were to institute a three-year term, that would make
the next election in November 2022. The Council can only do a June election
if it extends (its terms) and if the Council extends (its terms) to 41/2 years,
which can be done legally, and if the Council were to extend (its terms) to
41/2 years, that election would be held in June 2022. Elections can be held
in June ONLY if the Council extends (its terms). Elections cannot be held in
June if the Council decides on a three-year term only because the Council
terms run to November and Council Members can serve no less than three
and no more than five.
CA/DeBerry said that it was his opinion that Council could not add to or
subtract from existing Council Member terms. In other words, Council
cannot change their own terms.
C/Lyons asked if there were different laws for trustees.
CA/DeBerry said there may be.
C/Lyons said because their legal Counsel said that they can do that. In fact,
they voted to do that as she understands.
CA/DeBerry asked if the School Board did so.
C/Lyons responded yes and so did Rowland School District.
MPT/Low said that shortened the term.
C/Lyons said they added to the term.
CA/DeBerry said he believed that would be subject to challenge. It has been
done before by an LA County high desert city but essentially what is being
done is increasing the compensation of the Council Members who are
seated which cannot be done and also they are adding to the terms that the
voters did not vote on. The law is clear that cities cannot add to a Council
Members compensation during their term so if the Council actually voted to
increase their own terms, they are voting to increase their compensation.
There are cases for decreasing Council Member terms.
The first option is that the Council do something in the next few months prior
to advertising the upcoming November 2017 election. That would be an
option of whether the Council wanted to reduce the term so that the 2017
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 3 CC STUDY SESSION
election would be a three-year term and then in 2020 that election would re-
institute the four-year cycle. Then for the 2017 election the Council could do
a three-year term and then in 2022 institute a four-year term which would
then mean an even year election in 2026.
The second option is a five-year extension which would begin in 2017 with
the next election being 2022 and the same would apply for 2019 the next
election would be in the even numbered year of 2024 — a November to
November election. Options 3a and 3b are derivations of Options 1 and 2.
Option 3a would be that the Council do nothing in the 2017 election. 2017
would be a four-year term and the change would be made in 2021 (institute
a three-year term for the 2024 election). In 2019 institute a three-year term
and in 2022 it would revert to a four-year term. In this case, in 2017 the three
Council Members up for re-election would see no change — it would be a
four-year term. Starting 2019 the two existing Council Members would then
be in three-year terms and those up for re-election in 2022 would have four-
year terms. 3b is slightly different. Nothing is done in 2017 and institute a
five-year term and in 2019 institute a five-year term; or, institute a 41/2 year
term for a June election.
The options come down to whether the Council wants to do something in
2017 or not which would in essence be a plan that would have to be
approved by the Board of Supervisors.
C/Tye said that the State has come up with this law that the City has to
decide that it would like to do and then it gets approved by the County
Supervisors which he thought was insane.
Asst.to CM/Santos said that the reason it has to be approved by the County
Board of Supervisors is because the LA Registrar/Recorder is the entity that
is responsible for elections in LA County.
C/Tye asked what would happen if the Council wanted to go to a June
election because he did not see that option.
ATCM/Santos said it would just get extended. With any option the Council
could go to a June election and it would not be five years, it would be 41/2
and legally the Council can do that (no less than three years and up to five
years). The June term could not be shortened because it would be 21/2
years which is less than three years.
ATCM/ Santos addressing Council's questions stated that with respect to
June or November, if the Council reduces to three years it precludes a June
election. If the Council extends up to five years (technically 41/2) the Council
could do a June election. It is a question of whether the Council would want
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 4 CC STUDY SESSION
to begin that process in 2017 or 2019. As long as the plan is implemented
by 2022 this option would be okay.
Council asked the comparative costs of the options.
ATCM/Santos said that if the election is consolidated with LA County it is
approximately $150,000 depending on how many agencies consolidate with
the County. (fewer = higher cost/more = lower cost). That number is used
as a baseline so if the City has a consolidated November election for
example, it can estimate the cost to be $150,000 plus or minus. If the
Council decides to hold its election in June there is a likelihood the cost will
go up because there are fewer agencies having June elections. The trend
has been that more cities are consolidating in November and that bottom
line will not be known until everyone has made a determination and after the
election when the County sends out the invoices.
Council asked about ballot order and if the election is held in June versus
November, how does it impact the discussion or voter fatigue.
ACTM/Santos said that as a general rule, the order is federal, state, local
propositions. He and CC/Cribbins attended a workshop earlier this year that
covered this very subject. Several cities asked that question because their
officials have that question as well. What they learned is that the County has
some flexibility in the order sequencing. Obviously, president, state
governor, etc. are generally first but cities want to make sure that the local
Council goes before propositions and all of the other items that are on that
lengthy ballot.
C/Lyons asked if that was a suggestion or is that how cities relate to the
County.
ATCM/Santos said a little bit of both. There is an existing law that specifies
what counties have to do. Within certain areas there is flexibility in how they
order, they can decide who or what goes first.
With respect to "voter fatigue" there will be little known about what the 2017,
2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections will be like. If the vote moves to June
and there is a possibility that the vote is consolidated with school districts,
there may be more local initiatives because school districts tend to put items
in their elections and Diamond Bar might be bundled in with local initiatives,
bond measures, etc. There could be some in November and some in June
so it is difficult to say at this point.
ATCM/Santos asked the Council to consider "voting rates." It is a fact that
general elections in November are double that of the statewide primary June
elections which are much higher than the city elections in odd -numbered
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 5 CC STUDY SESSION
years. This is a consideration and Council needs to evaluate this information
during its deliberation..
Staff does not need for Council to make a decision immediately. This is
something the Council needs to discuss and depending upon what it wants
staff to do staff would then bring back. an Ordinance for consideration at
which point the Council would direct staff to hold a public hearing and make
its determination at that point prior to second reading and forwarding of the
Ordinance to LA County. If Council wishes to make its decision within the
next couple of months staff will have to advertise the election within the next
few months or whether the Council chooses to do something now or after
the election is advertised is at the Council's discretion. As a reminder, the
Council must implement a plan before January 2018 instituting a change that
either affects this election cycle or wait until 2019 and 2021.
M/Lin asked the absolute deadline if the Council decided to make its decision
prior to the November 2017 election.
ATCMA/Santos said it would be advantageous for staff to bring an
Ordinance to the City Council in March/April.
CC/Cribbins said that in order for the LA County Board of Supervisors to take
action on the Diamond Bar plan, the sooner the better because it takes them
a month or two to get it approved.
ATOM/Santos said either way, a plan has to be adopted by January 2018.
C/Herrera said that if the concern is the lack of voter turnout is evident in
June elections why would that be a consideration when June elections would
not help achieve the ultimate goal?
C/Lyons said that the City can pick either and the reason she believes the
Council should look at June elections is because she believes the June ballot
will be a lot smaller.
C/Tye said he believed June made more sense because he did not believe
LA County could process a large November ballot in a timely manner.
C/Lyons said that if Council Members were on the November ballot it would
be such a long ballot she would fear voter fatigue.
C/Herrera said what if Diamond Bar could not achieve the percentages.
MPT/Low said that Diamond Bar would not have to achieve the percentages.
That is what triggered the enactment of these two statutes — to help achieve
higher voter turnout. But there is no goal of increasing voter turnout.
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 6 CC STUDY SESSION
MPT/Low said the amount a city is charged depends on a number of things.
For example, if the City were to pull its ballot for a November election versus
a June election, what would the cost be for a candidate.
CC/Cribbins said the cost would probably not be any different. It is the cost
of printing so if the City has a 200 word ballot it is xx number of dollars and
based on that they will provide an estimate of say $700 which is what it will
cost for each candidate to provide a statement. It is always less and
candidates always get a refund so that part has nothing to do with the cost.
It is basically how many agencies and the printing of all of the pamphlets for
the district, school districts, cities, etc. so the cost for the candidate does not
change.
MPT/Low said that if Diamond Bar decided to have its election in November
the terms for,those candidate terms would go to June every 4 to 41/2 years
and the next candidates would be November 2019 and that term goes for
41/2 years and then it will be even in June so the next election would then
be June 2022.
C/Herrera said the June option sounded good to her
M/Lin said the discussion could continue to March or a decision could be
made in the next month or so. M/Lin asked if the Council wanted to make a
change in 2017.
Council Members concurred to get it done and C/Herrera said that 41/2 years
sounds good.
C/Lyons thought the June ballot would be shorter.
C/Herrera pointed out that there are no guarantees.
M/Lin said that June is vacation time. People can fill out absentee ballots
but he thought voter turnout would be less in June than in November.
MPT/Low said that in June 2014 and 2016 the voter turnout is higher than it
was for November elections.
C/Herrera said that if the decision was made for November 2017 people
would vote for a 41/2 year term and the City would need to get the word out
as soon as possible.
ATCM/Santos said that all registered voters in Diamond Bar would be
notified once the County certifies the City's Ordinance and it must be done
within 30 days of adoption/certification of the City's plan. Regardless of what
JANUARY 17, 2017
PAGE 7 CC STUDY SESSION
plan is adopted, the City has to send out a mailing notifying all registered
voters of the change.
Discussion ensued.
Council asked that this matter be brought back for discussion during the first
(study session) meeting in February (February 7) with a draft Ordinance and
input from DA/DeBerry regarding the legality of 41/2 year terms.
ATCM/Santos stated that SB450 allows for vote -by -mail elections in all
California counties with the exception of LA County. If Diamond Bar receives
a vote -by -mail from a different county CC/Cribbins will have to send that
ballot to the appropriate clerk for the issuing agency within eight (8) days.
LA County is instituting its own hybrid elections and will include everything
from vote -by -mail to voting centers, to voting at different locations throughout
the County which will not impact Diamond Bar. The only thing it will do is to
put another requirement on our City Clerk to transmit ballots which is not
likely to happen. ATCM/Santos said that staff would bring the matter back
for further discussion on February 7.
COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING DESIGN STANDARDS
MEMORANDUM — Discussion and Action.
PIM/Roa stated that at the July Study Session staff talked about the concept
of brand identity and showed examples from other municipalities that use
both a seal and a logo to represent their organizations. As a reminder, a
brand identity is a unique and unifying image for all city communication that
creates a stronger, memorable and more familiar image of the municipality
of Diamond Bar in the minds of community members and the greater public.
A brand identity has many facets. Today's meeting will concentrate on two
key aspects - creation of a logo; selection of family of colors and face type;
and the creation of guidelines and templates to utilize those. It represents
the face of communications put out by City Hall, the symbol, the colors and
the logo that will create a unifying image. We achieve this consistent image
by creating a set of guidelines in a suite of templates ranging from power
point presentation slides to memos and letterhead.
The main reason for adopting a brand identity is to enhance and strengthen
the City's communication and image. It leads to easy recognition, quick
recall and is the foundation for the creation of a brand. Also of critical
importance is the restoration of the City Seal integrity. The City Seal carries
a lot of weight and substance because it is linked to the City's Incorporation.
As the only identifying symbol used to represent the City, it is used on items
such as the City flag, dedication plaques, recognitions and other purposes
authorized by the City Council. It is also used in less formal and unofficial
ways such as, advertisements, giveaways, and decorative elements by
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 8 CC STUDY SESSION
contractors or vendors on bid proposals they submit to the City. By adopting
a logo, the City is able to assign different purposes and uses such as on
newsletters, flyers, giveaways, etc., items which typically have a shorter
shelf -life.
Council received with its agenda for tonight a memo and three logo concepts.
While Council viewed the graphics PIM/Roa provided background to the
meaning behind the elements, shapes and colors contained within each
logo. Surveys and conversations with residents at special events reveal two
elements that are continually associated with the City, the windmill and the
hills, icons and characteristics that are highly valued by the community. They
are elements contained in the City's Seal, streetscape designs and are part
of the proposed logo. Another important aspect is color psychology. Colors
are important as they are what give the logo meaning and capture meaning
and recall. The blue, seal grey, green and orange together evoke strength,
sophistication and harmony.
Each element of the logo serves a purpose. For example, the geometric
forms such as the triangle denotes organization and stability, purpose and
precision. The next step in the process will be that if a design is selected,
staff will continue forward with creation of guidelines and templates for use
of the logo. If a design is selected, staff will consult with the graphic
designers to modify the existing logos or come up with entirely new concepts,
depending on Council's direction this evening.
C/Herrera said she liked B.
C/Lyons asked if the logo would be the same size for all applications. She
said she liked C. She likes B except those wavy lines look like freeways.
C/Tye said he did not feel that the lines denote or connote hills at all.
C/Lyons said she likes C if the windmill was moved to the left.
MPT/Low liked A because one can separate the City of Diamond Bar,
California from the graphics if necessary which provides two logos in one.
PIM/Roa said that staff could create variations of each of the logos and
asked Council Members to point out the elements within the logos that they
like.
C/Lyons liked the windmill.
C/Tye liked the windmill and the hills.
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 9 CC STUDY SESSION
M/Lin felt the word Diamond Bar was out of proportion (too big and too
profound) on C.
PIM/Roa asked if one logo was considered more up-to-date than the others
and that she thought they were all considered to be contemporary. One of
the aspects of the design was to try and give the City a clean, open, fresh,
contemporary look so that it was easily recognizable so that it could be put
on vehicles and folks could read it from a distance and that is why some of
the fonts are larger and some of the elements are larger. Since there are
three distinct graphic artists who are familiar with the City that the City works
with on a regular basis that came up with these logos and this is their
interpretation.
PIM/Roa asked if Council preferred any other elements in addition to the
windmill and hills such as a particular font or size of the font in relation to the
windmill.
C/Herrera said that if the Council decided on C she like "this size" font.
C/Tye agreed and said he liked the placement of the windmill as well.
Council Members provided input to staff on their preferences.
M/Lin said that Council consensus was to add real mountains/hills to B and
the Council Members like C.
PIM/Roa asked Council if she understood their direction to be that on B
Council likes the placement of the windmill and the font and placement of
the font and would like more prominent hills included.
PIM/Roa asked if Council would like for staff to bring back C with
modifications.
C/Tye said either could be modified. If B is modified, take the hills out of C
and if C is modified, take the windmill and the font out of B.
MPT/Low said she liked the choice of colors.
PIM/Roa thanked Council Members for their input and said that staff would
make the changes and bring them back to the City Council for further
consideration at the next Study Session.
Public Comments: None
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 10 CC STUDY SESSION
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to come before the City
Council, M/Lyons recessed the Study Session at 6:?8 p.m. to the Regular Meeting.
02'�2--
TOMKVE CRIBBINS, City Clerk
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 7th day of February
2017
JIMMY Lh Mays,
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
JANUARY 17, 2017
STUDY SESSION:
5:31 p.m., Room CC -8
► Statewide Election Legislative Update —SB 415 & SB450 — Discussion and
Action.
► Communication and Marketing Design Standards Memorandum —
Discussion and Action.
Public Comments: None Offered.
Study Session recessed to the Regular Meeting at 6:21 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Lin 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.
CM/DeStefano reported that with respect to tonight's Study Session, last year there
were a couple of State Senate Bills that were approved and come into effect in the next
couple of years regarding when cities like Diamond Bar must conduct their elections.
There is a movement toward changing city elections like those held in the odd
numbered years in Diamond Bar to even -numbered years as the State conducts its
elections. Tonight's discussion piggybacked on Council discussions that took place in
December in consideration of moving the odd -numbered November elections to even -
numbered year elections in either June or November. Council provided direction and
homework to staff. Ultimately, this item will come back to the City Council for further
discussion and action and ultimately an Ordinance the City Council would have to
adopt.
Additionally, Council continued its discussion about the possible creation of a City logo.
Diamond Bar has a long-standing City Seal on the wall behind the City Council and the
Council is talking about a contemporary logo to reflect the values and characteristics of
the City. This will lead to the selection of a City logo as well as, specific communication,
design standards and criteria to coincide with use of the City Seal versus when the City
Logo might be used. Council provided feedback to staff and directed staff to come back
for more conversation and eventual adoption of a particular design theme.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council Member Lyons led the Pledge of Allegiance
INVOCATION: Shaykh Nomaan Baig, Institute of Knowledge, gave
the invocation
ROLL CALL: Council Members Herrera, Lyons, Tye, Mayor Pro
Tem Low and Mayor Lin
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
Staff Present: James DeStefano, 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;
Anthony Santos, Assistant to the City Manager; Amy Haug, Human Resources/Risk
Manager; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; JR Ybarra, Media Specialist; Cecelia
Arellano, Public Information Coordinator, and Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As Presented.
1. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS:
1.1 M/Lin and Council Members along with members of the Diamond Bar
Community Foundation and representatives from Congressman Royce's
and Assemblyman Phil Chen offices presented Certificates of Recognition
and cash prizes to the Winners of the annual "Through My Lens" Photo
Contest of 2016.
2. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Peter Hsu said he has lived in his home in Diamond Bar since the 1980's and a
couple of weeks ago his home was burglarized. He grew up in the City and
wanted to raise his family here and after spending the past couple of weeks
recovering from the event has begun to replace what was stolen and taking
measures to safeguard his home. He has been in contact with the Sheriff's
Department to get an update on his police report and communicate with his
assigned burglary detective. He found what he believes to be his stolen items for
sale on Craigslist.com. He told the detective about the posting of what he
believed to be his stolen TV and the detective would not investigate because he
does not have his serial number and cannot prove it is his. Days later he saw a
listing for a laptop matching his stolen laptop on Craigslist for which he has the
serial number. The listing seems very suspicious to him but was again told by
the detective that unless he can prove it is 100 percent his laptop, they cannot
investigate. Throughout this event, he feels that the detective's attitude has been
unfriendly and unsympathetic. The detective has been hesitant to listen to the
information he found through doing his due diligence. He thought he had good
leads to offer the detective. He has spoken with friends who work in the law
enforcement field and they too, said he needed to provide all of this very time -
sensitive information to the Sheriff's Department. However, he has been told he
must prove 100 percent that the items are his before the deputies can pursue the
investigation. He was told by the detective that burglaries happen every day in
Diamond Bar and that he will not waste time or put his officers in danger for a TV
worth a couple of hundred dollars that they cannot prove is his. He was told he
could go buy the laptop and if it is yours, we will investigate. The detective said
he was not telling him to do this as he did not want to be liable. The detective
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
said he could speak with the supervisor who would tell him the same thing. Mr.
Hsu asked if the point of a lead was to provide law enforcement with information
so that they could investigate those leads.
He asked the City Council if the overall crime rate had been decreasing or
increasing in Diamond Bar and whether the City needed more officers to patrol
the community. He suggested there should be a greater effort to get residents of
different ethnic groups to join in the Neighborhood Watch Program who could
interact with local law enforcement. He feels victimized by the burglars and the
law enforcement unit and has lost hope in recovering his items and the Sheriff's
Department catching the burglars. He hopes the City Council can take positive
actions to improve the City's law enforcement attitudes, policing protocols and
overall decrease burglary and crime rates for Diamond Bar. He said he was not
present to put down the City's law enforcement but to convey his personal
experience for his case only.
Debbie Avila -Mott, on behalf of the Diamond Bar Breakfast Lions Club invited the
Council Members and community to the Drumming for Kids multi -cultural drum
concert on February 12 in the Diamond Bar High School Theater from 2:00 to
5:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children 4 through 17 and 3 and
under are admitted at no charge. There will be five performing groups — the
Diamond Bar High School Drumline, a solo African drummer, Aztec drummers,
Korean drummers and Japanese drummers. This event helps support charities
supported by Lions International.
Pui Ching Ho, Diamond Bar Library, wished everyone a Happy New Year and
Happy Chinese New Year. To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Library will
present two special programs. On Monday, January 23 at 4:00 p.m. there will be
Chinese New Year stories and activities. Space is limited so please register at
the information desk. On Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 p.m. join the Diamond
Bar Library Teen Advisory Board to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the
Rooster. Please check the library website at
http://colapublib.org/libs/diamondbarlindex.php for additional programs and
events.
4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS:
ACM/McLean stated that while Diamond Bar is one of the safer communities in
the San Gabriel Valley, any crime that happens here is one too many and staff
and law enforcement does its best to respond appropriately and limit them to
every extent possible. He passed on his sympathy on behalf of the City to Mr.
Hsu and his family. He understands that what happened to them is a very
intrusive and unpleasant experience and sympathizes with him for that. He
asked Service Area Lieutenant Phil Marquez to speak directly with Mr. Hsu after
the meeting to set up a time to talk about Mr. Hsu's experience. Lt. Marquez
oversees the detective bureau and will be well -versed to address any issues Mr.
Hsu has and wishes to express. ACM/McLean further stated that staff and the
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
City Council Members were in Sacramento recently to visit with legislative
representatives — senators and assemblymen. One of the topics discussed was
recently passed state initiatives such as Prop 47 and Prop 57 which are
initiatives that are essentially early release programs that reduce incidents that
were formerly "felonies" to "misdemeanors". These initiatives have resulted in a
statewide and regional increase in property crimes. Again, Diamond Bar remains
one of the safer communities in the San Gabriel Valley but the City has
experienced some additional burglaries primarily due to the changes in law.
Council Members and staff were in Sacramento urging representatives to come
up with a remedy to that issue and the effort will continue to try to ensure that
Diamond Bar remains a safe community. ACM/McLean thanked Mr. Hsu for
attending tonight's meeting and bringing this matter to the Council and staff's
attention.
C/Tye said he believes everyone would agree that Diamond Bar is as safe as
can be with the resources it has available and Council is always looking at ways
to be flexible with those resources. More than anything else, this sounds like a
customer service problem. The City has had this experience in the past and
when it is brought to the attention of the Sheriff, things get better. With the
changes that are and have been made, it is very, very important to make sure
that everybody that is involved in dealing with the public understands what the
City Council expects.
ACM/McLean said he understood and knows that Lt. Marquez has very high
standards for the people who work for him and he expects high-quality service
just as the City does and he is sure that Lt. Marquez will communicate that with
Mr. Hsu.
MPT/Low pointed out that an additional suggestion by the speaker was that the
greater involvement of the community in the Neighborhood Watch Programs was
a very good suggestion which she believes is in the works. Perhaps an initiative
to broaden the Neighborhood Watch Program and expanding it into communities
where English might not be a first or primary language would be helpful in this
area.
ACM/McLean explained that the City has an initiative to expand the
Neighborhood Watch Program and has sent information to each and every
address in the City to encourage residents and neighborhoods to start programs
or become members of programs. The City has also put together a
neighborhood meeting program that goes into specific neighborhoods to hold
smaller neighborhood meetings in schools and facilities close to those
neighborhoods. Staff has conducted two such meetings and have a third
scheduled for later this month and will be hitting each and every neighborhood in
the City over the next 12 months. Meetings feature City staff, Sheriff's and Fire
Department representatives talking about a wide range of issues including
Neighborhood Watch, burglary prevention and other crime and home safety
matters.
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL
5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS:
5.1 General Plan Advisory Committee Meeting (GPAC — January 19, 2017 —
7:00 p.m. — Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.2 Winter Snow Fest — January 21, 2017 — 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Pantera
Park, 738 Pantera Drive. (Canceled)
5.3 Planning Commission Meeting — January 24, 2017 — 7:00 p.m., Windmill
Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive. (Canceled)
5.4 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — January 26, 2017 — 7:00
p.m., Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive.
5.5 City Council Meeting — February 7, 2017 — 6:30 p.m., AQMD/Government
Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR: C/Lyons moved, C/Herrera seconded, to
approve the Consent Calendar as presented with the exception of Item 6.9 pulled
by M/Lin. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS
NOES:
COUNCIL MEMBERS
ABSENT:
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low, M/Lin
None
None
6.1 WAIVE READING IN FULL OF ALL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS
AND ADOPT THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
6.2 APPROVED CITY COUNCIL MINUTES:
6.2.1 Special Meeting of December 19, 2016 — as submitted.
6.2.2 Regular Meeting of December 20, 2016 — as submitted.
6.3 RATIFIED CHECK REGISTER — Dated December 15, 201.6 through
January 11, 2017 totaling $2,112,884.78.
6.4 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT — November 2016.
6.5 APPROVED NOTICE OF COMPLETION FOR CONSTRUCTION OF
DIAMOND BAR BOULEVARD/BREA CANYON ROAD INTERSECTION
ENHANCEMENT PROJECT — PROJECT NO. 26315.
6.6 APPROVED NOTICE OF COMPLETION FOR CONSTRUCTION OF
AREA 4 RESIDENTIAL AND COLLECTOR ROAD MAINTENANCE
PROJECT— PROJECT NO. 01416.
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL
6.7 ADOPTED RESOLUTION NO. 2017-01: ESTABLISHING A PAYMENT
FUND AND APPROVED PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS; AWARDED
CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL BATTERY
BACKUP SYSTEM PROJECT AT TWENTY (20) LOCATIONS IN THE
AMOUNT OF $193,560 TO ELECNOR BELCO ELECTRIC, INC. AND
AUTHORIZED A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $20,000 FOR
CONTRACT CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY
MANAGER, FOR A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF $213,560.
6.8 APPROVED AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO THE CONSULTING SERVICES
AGREEMENT FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECT
MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH PROJECT PARTNERS IN THE
AMOUNT OF $102,960 FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AUTHORIZATION
AMOUNT OF $177,960.
ITEMS WITHDRAWN FROM CONSENT CALENDAR:
6.9 AWARD OF DESIGN SERVICES CONTRACT FOR AREA 5
RESIDENTIAL AND COLLECTOR STREET REHABILITATION (SLURRY
SEAL, CHIP SEAL AND OVERLAY) AND BREA CANYON CUTOFF
ROAD DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT AND PAVEMENT REHABILITATION
PROJECTS TO ONWARD ENGINEERING, IN THE AMOUNT OF
$62,555 AND AUTHORIZE A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $7,445 FOR
CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER FOR
A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF $70,000.
M/Lin said there are four companies and Onward Engineering's fees are
one-half or one-third of the other three companies and he wonders if there
is a quality or service issue involved.
PWD/Liu said M/Lin's concern is something that staff has looked at and
evaluated very closely and made sure to have follow up discussions with
Onward Engineering about this very issue. In addition to the six criteria,
staff focused on the total allocated resources in terms of the work hours
proposed. Staff knew that their hourly rate was very, very competitive
when compared to the other companies. Even more important, when staff
compared their most recently completed project, the design and
construction management for Area 4 project, the total number of hours
proposed was 497 and compared to the upcoming project, Area 5,
Onward has proposed 620 hours. When this was discussed with Onward,
based on their experience and knowledge of the City, they feel that 500
hours would be more than sufficient for them to complete the project and
provide an exceptional set of design plans. At the end of the day, it is all
about the quality of construction work the City can expect from a complete
set of plans and specs. 500 hours is proposed for the slurry seal project
and the additional 120 hours will go toward the Brea Canyon Road
Rehabilitation project that includes.some of the drainage improvements
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL
needed for that intersection. Based on the satisfactory completion of Area
4 and the demonstrated record, Onward can complete the proposed
project within the stipulated resources, staff feels very confident and
trusting in continuing to work with this company to have an above-average
project.
MPT/Low moved, C/Lyons seconded, to approve Item 6.9 as proposed.
Motion carried by the following Roll call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Herrera, Lyons, Tye, MPT/Low,
M/Lin
None
None
7. PUBLIC HEARING: None.
8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: None.
9. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
C/Lyons reminded residents to check out the newest park, Diamond Canyon
Park, at the corner of Diamond Bar Boulevard and Brea Canyon Road. There
are five separate gardens within the park and each garden has a different
amount of water with some having only water from Mother Nature and believes it
would be very interesting to see these gardens soon after the rainfall. As
ACM/McLean stated, Council Members and staff just returned from Sacramento
where they met with members of the State Legislature and heard from the
Senate pro tem leader. During these meetings public safety was stressed
because this is very, very important to Diamond Bar residents. There was also
discussion about the SR57/60 Confluence Project during which those in
attendance stressed the importance of Sacramento's support in this effort. She
attended the Awards Ceremony for the Diamond Bar Friends of the Library on
Saturday. She congratulated Diamond Bar resident, Sandi Roberts, the Basically
Books bookstore "Volunteer of the Year" who was selected from a group of 60
volunteers, and Marykay Nichols, the "Volunteer of the Year" for the library which
has several hundred volunteers. She offered congratulations to C/Herrera who
is receiving the "Pastor's Award" from St. Denis Church.
C/Herrera thanked C/Lyons for acknowledging her St. Denis Church award. As
mentioned, a group of Council Members and staff traveled to Sacramento.
Diamond Bar has two new legislators, a new Assemblyman and new State
Senator and it is very important for Diamond Bar to get acquainted with them and
establish a good working relationship as the City will be going to them for support
on various items important to Diamond Bar. She is a member of the Southern
California Association of Governments (SCAG) which is a metropolitan planning
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL
organization that incorporates six counties and most of southern California.
Periodically, SCAG plans different types of meetings and lately they have teamed
up with Dr. Lucy Jones who is an expert on earthquakes. Dr. Jones is doing
presentations throughout the southern California region on earthquakes and how
one can be better prepared. There is a no cost to attend meeting on Tuesday,
January 31 at 8:30 a.m. at the Ontario Convention Center, 200 East Convention
Center Way in Ontario which she encouraged everyone to attend.
C/Tye congratulated all of the "Through My Lens" contest winners. It is an
exciting thing the City does each year and he is glad it has been sustained over
the years. Anytime one gets to see pictures of a humming bird in a nest it is
exciting, as well as the dogs and kids, etc. He attended the 50th Anniversary of
Annual Legislative Days for California Contract Cities. It was great to share
concerns about public safety and local control and making sure they are on the
lookout and protecting citizens from unintended consequences of what folks in
Sacramento think are a good idea. As representative to the Greater Los Angeles
County Vector Control District, Pauline (Lucille) Deal of La Mirada was
nominated and elected to serve as the next Secretary -Treasurer and Steve Croft
from Lakewood assumed the position of President for the next calendar year. He
encouraged everyone after visiting the park at the south end of town to come on
Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. to the GPAC meeting that will be held in the
Windmill Room at City Hall. It is an opportunity to be heard and to watch the
process work.
MPT/Low congratulated staff on Consent Calendar Items 6.5 and 6.6 for bringing
the projects in under budget. She congratulated "Volunteer of the Year"
recipients Marykay Nichols and Sandi Roberts. She also acknowledged and
thanked the Friends of the Library's Business Volunteer of the Year, Mandarin
Taste Restaurant. Last Sunday she attended the United Abacas Arithmetic
Association Awards, a competition and award ceremony for hundreds of
Diamond Bar kids celebrating their ability to do mental math. Happy Chinese
New Year which is for everyone to enjoy.
M/Lin said he attended the United Abacas Arithmetic Association's annual
meeting with C/Lyons and MPT/Low. It is amazing what these young people can
do. Three finalists completed 10 error free rounds and tied to share the silver
medal. January 28 is the Chinese Lunar New Year and is celebrated by most
countries in Southeast Asia. The New Year is for everyone and in China and
Taiwan everything is shut down for the five-day celebration.
ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, M/Lin adjourned the Regular
City Council Meeting at 7:24 p.m.
TOMWE CRIBBINS, CITY CLERK
JANUARY 17, 2017 PAGE 9 CITY COUNCIL
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 7th day of February 2017.
JIMMY LIN,, AYO'