04-25-1979 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED REGULAR I*~ETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA April 25, 1979 The meeting was called to order in the City Council Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza, by Mayor James E. Ward. Council members present were Gordon Bricken, Daniel E. Griset, R. W. Luxembourger, J. Ogden Markel, /kl Serrato, Harry K. Yamamoto, and ~yor Ward. City Manager/Acting Clerk of the Council B. J. Thompson, Deputy Clerk of the Council Martha Lee, staff members, a representative of the press, and interested citizens were also present. DOWNTOI~N TASK FORCE City Manager Thompson stmmmrized INSPECTION P~PORT the background information sub- mitted to Council on April 16 in the report dated April 11, 1979, prepared by Acting Fire Chief B. J. DuBose, regarding the Downtown Hazardous Conditions Task Force, which was approved by Council and organized in July of 1978. He described the objectives and procedures of the Task Force survey, resulting in the completion of the Phase I report now before the Council. Fire Captain Ernest T. Hoeft illustrated the Phase I individual occupancy analyses conducted by Task Force members, including staff from the Building Safety and Housing, Fire, Police, Planning, Redevelopment, and City Manager departments. Additional assistance was given to the Task Force by members of City Center Association and Santa /Ina Image Committee organizations. The specific properties selected by Captain Hoeft as examples of substandard and hazardous conditions found by the Committee and recommendations for extensive corrections were: Rooming House, 219 North Spurgeon; Corday Hotel, 306 North Spurgeon; Mason Hotel, 312~ West Fourth Street. The City Manager defined dangerous buildings as those which threaten life, buildings which are dangerous for human occupancy or hazardous to the co~nunity, and suggested that the City has a legal obligation to correct these conditions. He stated that substandard buildings can be dangerous also, but mmy not produce immediate life threat, although not up to Code standards. Assistant City Attorney Edward J. Cooper, responding to a question from Mayor Ward, stated that the question of City liability in permitting hazardous conditions to exist is very complex; that when there is a mandatory duty there is liability; that there is language in the Code which may be construed as mandatory; and that the question of whether liability would accrue is being researched by the City Attorney's office for report to the Council. Captain Hoeft emphasized that this Task Force report is a preliminary one for identification of the problems and alternatives; that it does not address abatement; that the Code contains abatement provisions for hazardous conditions; and that no suggestions for Council action are being recommended at this time. Redevelopment Executive Director Richard Goblirsch reported that his office is investigating the new seismic building requirements, and that he will have a report for the Redevelopment Agency. Mr. Goblirsch reviewed the properties in the Task Force area with which the Agency is involved for redevelopment and/or rehabilitation. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 137 April 2S, 1979