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Home My WebLink About08-18-1997MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 18, 1997 At 6:05 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza, Assistant Clerk of the Council William Z Navaja, noting the absence of all members of the City Council, declared the Council meeting adjourned to the Santiago Lawn Bowling Clubhouse, 510 E. Memory Lane, to begin at 6:15 p.m. or as soon as possible thereafter. CALLED TO ORDER- 6:19 P.M. MAYOR PRO TEM RICHARDSON Lawn Bowling Club House Santiago Park 510 E. Memory Lane ATTENDANCE COUNCILMEMBERS present: Miguel A. Pulido, Mayor (6:30 P.M.) Robert L. Richardson, Mayor Pro Tern Tony Espinoza Brett Franklin Tom Lutz Patficia A. McGuigan Ted R Moreno Absent: None STAFF present: David N. Ream, City Manager Joseph W. Fletcher, City Attorney Janice C. Guy, Clerk Of The Council INTRODUCTIONS ENVIRONMENTAL AND TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Aguilar, Bist, Freeman, MacDowell, Monkvic (6:45 p.m.), Schmitt-Tudor, Sinclair and Solorio CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 246 AUGUST 18, 1997 PROJECTS - MAINTENANCE, REHABILITATION, IMPROVEMENT, CONSTRUCTION, OR CHANGE ORDERS FOR PUBLIC FACILITIES 23.A. CITY HALL TENANT IMPROVEMENTS Renovation of the 2"a and 3ra floors of City Hall in order to accommodate the relocation of Housing Division staff from an off-site location to main City Hall building Motion: Reject all bids and authorize staff to rebid project. PROJ 7128 - Public Works Agency MOTION: Lutz VOTE: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: Pulido SECOND: McGuigan Franklin, Lutz, McGuigan, Richardson None NON-VOTE: Espinoza, Moreno WORK STUDY SESSION W.S.A. STREET TREE MAINTENANCE Public Works Agency Maintenance Manager Paul Emery indicated staff's presentation would include a comprehensive overview of the Street Tree Maintenance Program and introduced administrative staff and members of the tree crew present at the meeting. Project Manager Joseph Edwards discussed the primary goal of the Street Tree Program -- to maintain, improve and upgrade the City's urban forest of approximately 50,000 trees of various species, and distributed hand-outs that included Program statistics, "Assessment of the Urban Forest" and a "Proposal for Contract Tree Maintenance" prepared by West Coast Arborists, Inc. Edwards indicated staff planned to request the Council award the City's street tree maintenance contract to a single vendor, West Coast Arborists, at the September 2 Council meeting and also to transfer funds from Tree Removal and Tree Planting to increase the Tree Trimming appropriation (decreased by Council on June 2. See Minutes page 183.) He explained the benefits of using a sole source, industry-proven contractor and responded to questions from Councilmembers, Committee members and public. Tree Crew members Mike Ingram, Kim McPeck, and Osvaldo Rangel, explained the consequences of not trimming trees, showed slides and discussed in detail tree maintenance processes and procedures including trimming cycle and techniques, response to windstorm damage and other tree hazards, watering, and pesticide applications. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 247 AUGUST 18, 1997 During the course of the presentation, the following points were raised for further investigation and response by staff at a later date: ISSUE BIN ITEMS maintenance of privately planted trees on Elliott Place control of white fly infestations in City parks maintenance of trees on Flight Street need to increase funds allocated to repair curbs, gutters and sidewalks damaged by tree roots replacement of trees on Fourth Street in Downtown Santa Ana tree damage claims filed and paid for the last 6 ~A years sensitivity to aesthetics vis-h-vis 4-year trimming cycles tree species in "canopy" list crape myrtle planting distances tree trimming/aesthetics on Segerstrom between Fairview and Harbor increased use of camphor trees in City urban forest street tree canopy impacts on night lighting possible designation of new City tree other than jacaranda more frequent use of Lathrop-style parkway treatment as a model for narrow rights-of-way tree landscaping on vacant remnant parcels pursuit of state funding for urban forest program Mayor Pro Tem Richardson thanked the Public Works Agency starT for its excellent street tree maintenance presentation. RECESS - 8:07 P.M.-8:21 P.M. 8:21 P.M. - Councilmember Moreno left the meeting W.S.B. COMMERCIAL SIGN REGULATION UPDATE Planning and Building Agency Executive Director Robyn Uptegraff noted the Sign Regulation Update responded to Council's request to increase enforcement against escalating commercial Sign Code violations. She introduced Community Preservation Manager Bruce Dunams to present staff's report. Dunams briefed the Council regarding a plan to intensify code enforcement against illegal banners, advertising balloons, excessive window advertising, A-frame signs in the public right- of-way and other Sign Code violations that would commence following Council's approval of the plan on September 2. He indicated staff would target each major arterial for a 4-week period, make heavy use of warnings and re-inspections in an attempt to achieve voluntary compliance before proceeding to legal mechanisms, and employ a consistent user-friendly approach to enforcement. Dunams further explained the effort would require a redeployment of staff with the result that other Code violations would not be addressed as timely as previously. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 248 AUGUST 18, 1997 Councilmembers and members of the public commented on various aspects of the proposal and other Code enforcement topics, raising the following issues for staff investigation and report at a later date: ISSUE BIN ITEMS use of A-frame signs with an artistic motif criteria for determining when wall murals become advertising signs development of wall mural maintenance standards with assistance of new Arts Coordinator use of an incentive program to encourage compliance in redevelopment areas requirement that community bulletin boards be within buildings use of neighborhood associations and volunteers to assist with Sign Code enforcement creation of special districts that would allow more creative but acceptable signage clowns/other characters employing giant signs to attract customer attention enforcement assistance from the Fire Department, particularly when signs and merchandise block ingress/egress to a building designation of food court area in Downtown Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tern Richardson noted that improved sign standards and clear sign regulations had resulted in attractive complementary signage at the new Tustin and Seventeenth Street shopping center. 90.A. PUBLIC COMMENTS Guadalupe Gomez recluested the Council assist him and nine other business owners on Harbor Boulevard between 5 and Hazard Streets to retain left-turn accesses that would be eliminated as part of a street reconstruction project. RECESSED TO CLOSED SESSION- 9:14 P.M. The Brown Act permits the City Council to discuss certain matters without members of the public present, provided the items to be discussed are posted 72 hours prior to the City Council meeting. The following item was received for the August 18, 1997 Closed Session. 95.A. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(a) Pulido v. City of Santa Ana Case No. 76-37-05 City of Santa Ana v. Cal/EPA County of Orange et al Case No. 781849 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 249 AUGUST 18, 1997 Ocwen Federal Bank, FSB v. City of Santa Ana Case No. 771713 No action was reported out of Closed Session. ADJOURNMENT - 9:45 P.M. Janice C. Guy Clerk of the Council CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 250 AUGUST 18, 1997