Jan 19, 2021 City Council

[00:00:02]

EVENING, EVERYONE, I WANT TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AT SIX THIRTY P.M.

[1. CALL TO ORDER]

COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS, WOULD YOU PLEASE LEAD US.

YES, THANK YOU, MAYOR.

PLACE YOUR HAND OVER YOUR HEART AND JOIN WITH ME.

THANK YOU DAVIS. ROLL CALL.

YES.

WE WILL MOVE TO PRESENTATIONS, WASTE MANAGEMENT UPDATE ON SERVICES.

[4.a. Waste Management Update on Services]

THERE YOU GO. YOU'RE GOOD.

OK. AS COUNCIL IS AWARE AND I KNOW THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN MADE AWARE THERE WERE SOME SERVICE CHANGES THAT WASTE MANAGEMENT NEEDED TO EMPLOY AS A RESULT OF THE EFFECTS OF COVID ON THEIR WORKFORCE.

WE HAVE ASKED TERI MUSE TO COME IN AND SPEAK TO THE COUNCIL, EXPLAIN SOME OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING WHAT OCCURRED.

[INAUDIBLE] THE ROLL OUT OF THIS CHANGE [INAUDIBLE] WE ASK THEM TO COME ON AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THAT, AS WELL AS WHEN THEY EXPECT THAT WE MIGHT BE BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS COUNCIL MAY HAVE.

AND WITH THAT I WILL TURN IT OVER TO [INAUDIBLE].

IS THAT YOU THAT'S TAKING ON? YEP, THAT'S ME. I SEE YOU NOW.

GOOD EVENING TERI. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS TERI MUSE AND I'M THE WASTE MANAGEMENT PUBLIC SECTOR REPRESENTATIVE FOR LAVERNE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE BIWEEKLY GREEN WASTE AND RECYCLING SCHEDULE WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED DUE TO COVID-19 STAFFING IMPACTS.

AND I DO MY BEST TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I DO HAVE TO BE OFF AT SEVEN.

I'M GOING TO BE GOING TO THE ARCADIA COUNCIL MEETING AT SEVEN O'CLOCK, I'M A VERY POPULAR PRESENTER, AS YOU CAN TELL.

SO KIM WARD AND SHARON SHAPIRO-FOX ARE ON THE LINE ALSO SO THEY CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF I SO HAPPEN TO HAVE TO GET OFF BEFORE MY PRESENTATION IS DONE.

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE THIS HAS CAUSED YOU.

I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE COVID-19 AND THE ONE THING YOU COULD SET YOUR WATCH ON WAS YOUR TRASH PICKUP.

PLEASE KNOW THIS WAS A LAST RESORT MEASURE TO ENSURE THAT ALL TRASH IS PICKED UP WEEKLY.

I'M HOPING WHEN YOU HEAR WHY WE HAD TO MAKE THIS ADJUSTMENT, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND AND BEAR WITH US THROUGH THIS CHALLENGING TIME.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SINCE MARCH 2020, WHEN STAY AT HOME ORDERS AND QUARANTINES TOOK EFFECT.

THERE'S BEEN A HUGE INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF WASTE RESIDENTS ARE DISPOSING.

JUST THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOUR HOUSEHOLD TRASH HAS INCREASED.

I KNOW MINE HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY.

WE'RE BUYING MORE GROCERIES TO COOK AT HOME AND GETTING TAKEOUT LIKE NEVER BEFORE, WHICH IS GENERATE A HUGE INCREASE IN SINGLE SERVE CONTAINERS AND PACKAGING OR ONLINE ORDERING HAS SKYROCKETED, GENERATING MORE CARDBOARD AND PACKAGING MATERIALS THAN EVER BEFORE.

A LOT OF US ARE WORKING FROM HOME AND DISPOSING OF ALL THE TRASH THAT WE USED TO LEAVE AT THE OFFICE IN OUR RESIDENTIAL CONTAINERS.

AND WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE DISPOSABLE PPE AND SANITIZING WIPES WERE THINGS WE WOULD JUST BE DISPOSING OF IN LARGE QUANTITIES UNTIL NOW? FINALLY, SINCE WE WERE STUCK AT HOME, WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION TO FINALLY CLEAN OUT OUR GARAGES OR CLOSETS OR DO OUR DEEPEST SPRING CLEANING EVER.

UNFORTUNATELY, AFTER ALL THESE CLEAN OUTS, WE FOUND THAT THE THRIFT STORES WERE NOT OPEN AND WE WERE NOT ABLE TO HAVE YARD SALES.

SO MANY OF US THROUGH THOSE ITEMS AWAY.

SINCE COVID-19 STAY AT HOME ORDERS, LAVERNE RESIDENTS HAVE SCHEDULED 1100 AND MORE BULKY ITEM PICKUPS THAT IN 2019, THAT'S A 25 PERCENT INCREASE.

ALL IN ALL, SINCE THE PANDEMIC HIT LAVERNE RESIDENTS HAVE GENERATED THREE HUNDRED AND TWO THOUSAND MORE POUNDS OF TRASH THAN THEY DID THE YEAR BEFORE.

THAT'S EQUAL TO EIGHT FOOTBALL FIELDS OF WASTE FROM END ZONE TO END ZONE FOR ALL YOU SPORTS FANS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WE HAVE GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO ENSURE WE HAVE A COVID FREE WORKPLACE FOLLOWING ALL THE CDC GUIDELINES, EACH EMPLOYEE MUST COMPLETE A HEALTH ASSESSMENT ON A MOBILE APP BEFORE

[00:05:01]

IF THEY HAVE TESTED POSITIVE, HAVE SYMPTOMS OR HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS TESTED POSITIVE THE LAST 14 DAYS.

THEY CANNOT COME TO WORK.

THEY MUST QUARANTINED FOR 10 DAYS OR GET A DOCTOR'S NOTE TO RETURN SOONER, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO MANAGE AN OPERATION WHEN ANY EMPLOYEE WHO GOES OUT WILL MOST LIKELY BE GONE FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS.

WE'VE ALSO RECONFIGURED OUR ENTIRE FACILITY TO AVOID ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYEES TO GATHER IN GROUPS. WE SANITIZE EACH TRUCK AND THE ENTIRE BUILDING EACH NIGHT AS AN EXTRA PRECAUTION. IN SPITE OF ALL THESE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, WE STILL FELL VICTIM TO THE CHRISTMAS SURGE THAT HAPPENED ALL ACROSS L.A.

COUNTY.

UP UNTIL CHRISTMAS, WE WERE STRUGGLING WITH STAFFING, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO SHIFT DRIVERS FROM COMMERCIAL TO RESIDENTIAL AND BORROW DRIVERS FROM OTHER SITES.

HOWEVER, IN DECEMBER, COVID HIT ALL OUR SITES HARD AND THERE WERE NO EMPLOYEES TO SPARE.

AND EVERY DAY THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT WERE ABSENT CHANGES.

ONE EMPLOYEE MAY COME BACK FROM QUARANTINE AND TWO MORE EMPLOYEES MAY GO OUT ON QUARANTINE. DRIVERS HAVE SHOWN UP TO WORK ONLY TO HEAR FROM A FAMILY MEMBER THAT SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE HAS TESTED POSITIVE.

SO DRIVER HAS TO THEN LEAVE HIS ROUTE TO GO ON QUARANTINE.

IT CHANGES DAY BY DAY, HOUR BY HOUR.

WITH THE AMOUNT OF TRASH AND BULKY ITEMS INCREASING DRAMATICALLY.

OUR WORKFORCE HAS BEEN STRETCHED TO ITS LIMITS.

OUR DRIVERS WERE ALREADY WORKING 12 TO 13 HOURS A DAY AND GIVING UP VACATIONS TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP ALL THE EXTRA TRASH AND BULK ITEMS GENERATED BY RESIDENTS.

WHEN OUR EMPLOYEES BEGAN TO ACTUALLY BE INFECTED BY COVID, WE KNEW WE COULD NO LONGER PICK UP ALL THIS EXTRA TRASH WITH LESS EMPLOYEES.

JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW HARD COVID-19 HAS HIT US.

IN NOVEMBER, WE ONLY HAD 12 ABSENCES, BUT DECEMBER WE HAD ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE ABSENCES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

WE ADOPTED THE BIWEEKLY RECYCLING AND GREEN WASTE SCHEDULE TO KEEP THE CITY IN COMPLIANCE WITH CAL RECYCLE STATE MANDATES FOR DIVERSION, ALONG WITH MAKING SURE THE TRASH IS PICKED UP EACH WEEK.

ALSO, THE BIWEEKLY PICKUP OF RECYCLING AND GREEN WASTE FREED UP THOSE DRIVERS TO FILL IN FOR THE OPEN TRASH ROUTES SO ALL TRASH WOULD PICKED UP WITHOUT FAIL.

OTHER TRASH HAULERS OF DISCONTINUED ITEM PICKUPS OR ROLLING OVER TRASH PICK UP TO OTHER DAYS THAN NORMAL OR MIXING TRASH, RECYCLING AND GREEN WASTE INTO ONE PICKUP, WHICH DOES NOT PROVIDE THE CITY THE DIVERSION CREDIT THEY NEED.

WE'RE NOT DOING ANY OF THOSE THINGS.

THE TRASH SERVICE IS NOT AFFECTED.

WE ARE STILL PICKING UP BULKY ITEMS. WE DO NOT REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF GREEN WASTE AND RECYCLING THAT YOU CAN DISPOSE OF.

WE ARE JUST ASKING YOU TO HOLD ANY EXCESS OVER FROM WEEK TO WEEK IN BAGS OR BUNDLES AND PUT IT OUT IN THE DESIGNATED WEEK OF PICKUP.

YOUR SERVICE LEVELS HAVE NOT CHANGED.

THEY HAVE REMAINED THE SAME.

AT THE END OF THE MONTH. WE WILL HAVE PICKED UP ALL THAT YOU PUT OUT FOR PICKUP.

I JUST WANT TO QUICKLY GO OVER THE SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY THAT YOU SEE UP ON THE SCREEN.

AND PLEASE NOTE, THIS SCHEDULE IS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

WE REALLY CANNOT PREDICT WHEN THINGS WILL GO BACK TO NORMAL, SINCE NO ONE CAN PREDICT WHEN THIS PANDEMIC WILL GET UNDER CONTROL.

AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK WAS TRASH AND GREEN WASTE.

NEXT WEEK WILL BE TRASH AND RECYCLE PICKUP.

WE WILL PICK UP ANY EXTRA BAGS THAT YOU PLACE ON THE GROUND NEXT TO YOUR CART BY THE RECYCLE OR GREEN WASTE DRIVER.

WE REALIZE THAT ALL OF OUR EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS HAVE ASKED YOU NOT TO PUT RECYCLABLES IN PLASTIC BAGS. HOWEVER, THESE ARE NOT NORMAL TIMES.

OUR RECYCLING FACILITIES WORKING EXTRA HARD TO SORT ALL THAT REACHES THE FACILITY.

WE HOPE AND PRAY THIS TEMPORARY SCHEDULE DOESN'T GO BEYOND JANUARY BECAUSE THIS IS NOT HOW WE NORMALLY OPERATE. WE TAKE PRIDE IN PROVIDING EXCELLENT SERVICE TO YOU AND I HOPE THE FIFTY YEARS OF QUALITY SERVICE WE HAVE PROVIDED LAVERNE IS NOT OVERSHADOWED BY THIS TEMPORARY SITUATION DUE TO A PANDEMIC.

PEOPLE HAVE ASKED, WILL WE GO BACK TO NORMAL SCHEDULE? AND THAT'S ALL DEPENDENT ON HOW THIS NEXT SURGE AFFECTS US.

WE'RE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE STAFFING SITUATION AND WHEN WE HAVE A HEALTHY, STABLE WORKFORCE, WE CAN RESUME WEEKLY PICKUP.

WE ARE MEETING WEEKLY WITH CITY STAFF TO GIVE THEM AN UPDATE ON OUR STAFFING AND TO RESOLVE ANY ISSUES THAT MAY COME UP.

BELIEVE ME, WE DO NOT WANT TO CONTINUE THIS ONE MORE DAY THAN WE HAVE TO.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AS SOON AS WE KNEW WE HAD TO MOVE TO A BIWEEKLY GREEN WASTE AND RECYCLING PICKUP, WE WORK WITH THE CITY TO DEVELOP A PLAN OF ACTION TO NOTIFY CUSTOMERS OF THIS CHANGE.

WE CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA POST AND DISTRIBUTED [INAUDIBLE] WIDELY STARTED ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

WE ACTIVATE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTIFICATION ON MONDAY OF THAT WEEK TO CONTACT CUSTOMERS BY TEXT, EMAIL OR PHONE OF THE SERVICE DELAY.

[00:10:03]

WEBSITE. WE PARTNER WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LAVERNE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OTHER GROUPS TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THE SCHEDULE.

THE CITY ALSO DID A [INAUDIBLE] CALL TO RESIDENTS WHO ARE SIGNED UP FOR THAT SYSTEM.

BUT WE KNOW WE NEED TO DO BETTER.

SO WE'RE SENDING OUT A POSTCARD SHORTLY TO REINFORCE THE WEEKLY CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTIFICATIONS YOU RECEIVE FROM US AND THE CITY.

AND EVEN WITH ALL THOSE COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN PLACE, WE RAN TO SOME MAJOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. WE STARTED HEARING THAT CUSTOMERS WERE NOT GETTING THE NOTIFICATIONS AND WE RESEARCHED IT. WE FOUND THAT OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM HAD A GLITCH.

TEXT AND EMAILS WERE GOING OUT FINE, BUT NOT THE PHONE CALL OPTION.

THAT HAS BEEN FIXED. AND EVERYONE NOW WHO CHOOSES TO BE CONTACTED BY LANDLINE SHOULD BE RECEIVING CALLS WEEKLY.

ANOTHER ISSUE WE FACED IS DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE TEMPORARY SCHEDULE, OUR CUSTOMER CALL CENTER WAS OVER CAPACITY.

MOST OTHER SERVICES AREAS THAT WM SERVED ALSO WERE IMPLEMENTING A COVID TEMPORARY SCHEDULE. SO OUR CALL CENTER EXPERIENCED MORE CALLS AND IT COULD HANDLE.

THE CAPACITY OF OUR CALL CENTER IS EIGHT THOUSAND CALLS AT A TIME.

WE WERE RECEIVING 12000 CALLS A TIME, SO THE SYSTEM WAS OVERLOADED, PLACING PEOPLE ON LONG HOLDS AND IN SOME CASES DISCONNECTED THEM BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WAS SIMPLY AT CAPACITY.

AND JUST LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE, OUR CALL CENTER WAS ALSO EXPERIENCING A STAFFING SHORTAGE DUE TO COVID. I KNOW THIS WAS A MAJOR FRUSTRATION FROM CUSTOMERS WHO DID NOT RECEIVE THE PHONE NOTIFICATION THAT TRIED TO CALL US AND WERE UNABLE TO GET THROUGH.

AND I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE.

WE PROMISE TO DO BETTER.

OUR LOCAL SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CITY TO MAKE SURE ANY RESIDENT THAT CONTACT CITY HALL WITH AN ISSUE IS RESOLVED EXPEDIENTLY.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE I LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS YOU CAN REACH CUSTOMER SERVICE THAN BY PHONE AND AS THROUGH THE LAVERNE SPECIFIC WEBSITE, WHICH IS HOME .WM.COM/LAVERNE. OR YOU CAN CALL OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AT CS LOS ANGELES I'M SORRY, EMAIL OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AT CSLOSANGELES@WM.COM.

ALSO, SINCE THE CITY IS THE ONE WHO SENDS YOU YOUR TRASH BILL, MANY PEOPLE FORGET TO UPDATE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION WITH US.

I WANT TO PLEASE ASK THAT IF YOUR PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL ADDRESS HAS CHANGED, CONTACT US SO WE CAN UPDATE YOUR RECORDS.

THIS WILL ENSURE YOU RECEIVE ALL IMPORTANT SERVICE ALERTS.

AND AGAIN, PLEASE BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE POSTCARD THAT WE'LL BE SENDING OUT TO YOU SHORTLY THAT WILL HAVE ALL THIS INFORMATION ON IT.

LAST SLIDE. MANY CUSTOMERS HAVE ASKED FOR A REFUND OR CREDIT DUE TO THIS TEMPORARY MODIFIED SCHEDULE.

WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE MAY THINK ONE IS DO.

HOWEVER WHILE THERE MAY BE DELAYS IN YOUR RECYCLING AND GREEN WASTE SERVICE.

THERE HAS BEEN NO REDUCTION TO THE AMOUNT OF GREEN WASTE AND RECYCLING THAT WE ARE COLLECTING. WE ARE STILL COLLECTING ALL MATERIAL THAT YOU PUT OUT FOR PICKUP, INCLUDING ALL THE EXTRA TRASH AND BULKY ITEMS YOU'RE GENERATING DURING THIS PANDEMIC.

OUR RATES ARE PRICE PER MONTH, NOT PER SERVICE, AND INCLUDE ALL AMENITIES SUCH AS BULKY ITEMS, EXTRA BAG PICKUP, HOLIDAY TREE PICKUP, SHARPS CONTAINERS AND USED BATTERY PICKUP.

YOU PAY THE SAME MONTHLY RATE WHETHER WE SERVICE YOU FOUR WEEKS OR FIVE WEEKS IN A MONTH.

ALL THE SERVICES INCLUDE YOUR MONTHLY RATE ARE STILL BEING PROVIDED.

I HOPE I'VE ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS.

ONCE AGAIN, WE SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR THIS INCONVENIENCE WE HAVE CAUSED THESE PAST FEW WEEKS. AS WE ALL KNOW, THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES HAS THREE TIMES THE NUMBER OF CASES THAN OTHER JURISDICTIONS STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

SADLY, TODAY IT WAS REPORTED THAT CASES REACHED ONE MILLION WITH OVER THIRTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED THIRTY THREE DEATHS.

COVID HAS SHOWN TO BE UNPREJUDICED, DEADLY AND UNLIKE ANY TIME MOST OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED OR WILL EXPERIENCE IN OUR LIFETIME.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING AS WE GO THROUGH THESE CHALLENGING TIMES TOGETHER. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TIME TO SPEAK WITH YOU.

THANK YOU TERI. WE, COUNCIL DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OR MS. MUSE? COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER.

YES, TERI, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT.

I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE COMMUNITY GOT TO HEAR FROM WASTE MANAGEMENT.

THAT WAS A LOT OF THEIR CONCERN AND THEY WANTED TO UNDERSTAND MORE.

THIS PRESENTATION ANSWERED A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

I THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I THINK THE MAIN CONCERN WAS INITIALLY IT WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN THROWN ON US THAT THIS WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT ONCE WE COMMUNICATED AS COUNCIL, I KNOW WE ALL GOT CALLS.

WE TRIED TO EXPLAIN AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN COVID HAS TAKEN SO MUCH OUT OF SO MANY PEOPLE

[00:15:02]

I FEEL THIS COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS MORE AND TONIGHT HELPS EVEN MORE.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER.

COUNCIL, OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. MUSE? COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS.

YEAH. THIS IS NOT A QUESTION.

I JUST WANT TO LET TERI AND WASTE MANAGEMENT KNOW THAT I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WASTE MANAGEMENT IS STILL PICKING UP THE SAME AMOUNT OF BULK.

THEY'VE JUST HAVING TO STAGGER THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS THAT THEY CAN SEND OUT ON ANY GIVEN DAY. SO HOPEFULLY MORE RESIDENTS HEAR THIS MESSAGE AND UNDERSTAND THE TRIALS THAT WE'RE ALL GOING THROUGH DURING THIS TIME OF COVID.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS, COUNCIL MEMBER LAU ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR MS. MUSE? NO, THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS.

I HOPE THAT ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE INQUIRIES THAT HAVE BEEN COMING IN.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NO, JUST APPRECIATE THE SERVICE.

I YOU KNOW, IT WAS CONCERNING THAT RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS AND EVERYBODY HAD THEIR GIFTS OR PACKAGES FROM THE HOLIDAYS AND IT WAS A TOUGH THING TO PUT OUT AND PEOPLE DIDN'T GET THE MESSAGE. BUT WE ALL HAVE TO DEAL WITH ITEMS AND THINGS RIGHT NOW.

AND WE EVERYBODY'S HURTING.

SO WE ALL GOT TO WORK TOGETHER.

BUT SO APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.

WE JUST WISH THE BETTER COMMUNICATION THE VERY BEGINNING.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY.

I SEE WE HAVE MR. [INAUDIBLE] AND TRACY ON.

DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR TERI WHILE SHE'S ON, MS. MUSE? NOT AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU TIM.

OK, THANK YOU GUYS.

I GUESS IT'S ME NOW. MR. RUSSI, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR MS. MUSE? SO I APPRECIATE HER HELPING TO FACILITATE A MEETING ONCE A WEEK WITH ALL CITIES TOGETHER. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO GET UPDATED AND I WILL ENDEAVOR TO PASS ON WHATEVER INFORMATION WE GET TO COUNCIL AS WELL AS AS BEST WE CAN TO THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHEN ARE WE GETTING CLOSE TO GETTING BACK TO NORMAL OPERATIONS.

SO AS THE CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION HAVE BEEN IMPROVED AS A RESULT OF THIS, I THINK IT WILL BE IT'LL HELP US TO BETTER SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY, WHICH I KNOW THEY CAN.

THEY JUST WANT TO KNOW AND APPRECIATE AS MUCH AS I CAN SHARE WITH US.

AND WE CAN START TO ANTICIPATE WHEN THAT WILL HAPPEN.

[INAUDIBLE] THANK YOU.

MS. MUSE, UNDERSTANDING COVID, UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS, UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE THINGS AFFECT YOU.

COVID STARTED IN MARCH, KIND OF STARTED SHUTTING US DOWN IN APRIL OF TWENTY TWENTY AND THEN IT STARTED TO RAMP UP.

SO YOU'RE A LARGE COMPANY.

YOU COVER MANY, MANY STATES AND I THINK CANADA ALSO.

IS THAT CORRECT? YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN A VENDOR OF OURS FOR A LONG TIME.

MY BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS ON THE 24TH, AND I'M NOT MISTAKEN, MR. [INAUDIBLE] AND TRACY, THAT ON THE TWENTY FOURTH YOU NOTIFIED THE CITY THAT THERE MIGHT BE A DIFFERENCE IN SERVICE OR A CHANGE IN SERVICE, AND THEN ON THE 28TH IT CAME INTO EFFECT. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY THE WORST TIME YOU COULD POSSIBLY EVER HAVE A SLOWDOWN OR A SHUTDOWN OF TRASH SERVICE WHEN WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD HAS WRAPPING PAPER, FOOD, YOU NAME IT.

AND I MEAN, I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TO BRING OUR STAFF AND I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND OUR RESIDENTS, BUT OUR STAFF THAT HAS TO DEAL WITH THIS AND THE INUNDATION OF CALLS AND HAS TO MAKE EXCUSES WHY.

AND THEN WHEN WE GET THE SERVICE AND WE FINALLY DO GET SOMETHING GOING ON, THEN IT'S SPOTTY AT BEST. IT TOOK A NUMBER OF WEEKS.

UNDERSTANDING COVID I GET IT.

I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT WITH A VENDOR LIKE YOU GUYS THAT HAVE BEEN SO LONG FOR US AND YOU KNOW YOU TOUT HOW GREAT A CUSTOMER YOU ARE AND A GREAT VENDOR YOU ARE, I THINK YOU GUYS FAILED, THAT'S ALL YOU JUST FAILED.

AND I MEAN, I'LL JUST SAY IT WORST TIME OF THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WITH SUCH SHORT NOTICE, NOT LETTING THE STAFF KNOW THAT YOU WERE STARTING TO GET COVID TICS, YOU WERE STARTING TO HAVE DRIVERS AND PERSONNEL, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING ABLE TO STAFF THE RIGS TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP SERVICE. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

OVERNIGHT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

IT HAPPENED OVER A NUMBER OF MONTHS.

AND I THINK THAT YOUR COMMUNICATION LEVEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN MONTHS AGO SAYING THAT THERE MAY BE A STOPPAGE OF SERVICE, THERE MAY BE A CHANGE OF SERVICE.

YOU KNOW, WHETHER CREDIT OR NONCREDIT.

THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PICK UP ONE DAY A WEEK.

OUR CUSTOMERS ARE USED TO THAT.

[00:20:01]

AND IT WAS VERY CONFUSING AND IT WAS JUST A MESS.

I'M DISAPPOINTED.

I AS YOU KNOW, I DID NOT VOTE FOR YOUR EXTENSION OF SERVICE.

I ASKED FOR A COMPETITIVE CONTRACT, AN RFP FOR OTHER VENDORS TO COME IN AND AND GIVE US QUOTES FOR TRASH SERVICE.

BEING THAT SAID, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE MAKING WAYS TO REMEDY THAT.

WE STILL ARE A WAY OUT OF THE WOODS RIGHT NOW.

THE COVID IS INCREASED, THE DEATHS HAVE INCREASED, LIKE YOU SAID.

BUT AGAIN, I JUST I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH.

YOU'RE CREATED OUR STAFF DO A BUNCH OF ADDITIONAL WORK AND WE'RE TRYING TO [INAUDIBLE] COVID AND DEAL WITH OUR CITY AND STAFF AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.

OUR CITY MANAGER, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN OUT AND OUR STAFF HAS DONE A GREAT JOB TRYING TO DODGE BULLETS FROM OUR RESIDENTS BECAUSE YOU CHANGE THEIR SERVICE SO.

I JUST THINK THAT THAT THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE VENDOR WE HAD SO LONG AND THE KIND OF MONEY WE PAY YOU GUYS.

IT'S UNEXCUSABLE, INEXCUSABLE.

SO ANYWAY, LET'S HOPE OUR COMMUNICATION LEVEL IS UP.

LET'S MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO THIS POINT FORWARD THAT WE AT LEAST LET OUR OUR STAFF KNOWS WE CAN LET OUR RESIDENTS KNOW.

AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER IF YOU JUST SAID GREEN, GRAY AND BLACK.

I THINK THAT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO ADDRESS THIS.

GRAY IS RECYCLE.

GREEN IS GREEN WASTE AND BLACK IS ALWAYS BLACK AS FAR AS THE TRASH.

SO THAT'S JUST MY COMMENT.

BUT I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH.

I'VE HAD MANY PUBLICATIONS IN MY BUSINESS MYSELF, AND YOU HAVE TO READJUST QUICKLY BECAUSE THEY DO HAPPEN QUICKLY.

BUT AGAIN, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

I'M JUST DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU DIDN'T TELL OUR STAFF AND LET OUR RESIDENTS KNOW THAT THERE'D BE A CHANGE OF SERVICE. SO HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE WE'LL HAVE MORE COMMUNICATION.

OUR STAFF WILL BE BASICALLY BLINDSIDED AT THE LAST MOMENT THAT SOMETHING'S GOT TO CHANGE AND THEY HAVE TO SORT OF DEATH CON 10 TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN, TO LET OUR RESIDENTS KNOW.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? THANK YOU, MS. MUSE. THANK YOU.

MR. RUSSI, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO HOUSING AND THEN UPDATE PRESENTATION, IS THAT CORRECT? OR DO WE HAVE IS THERE ANYTHING FROM THE? WE DON'T HAVE ANY IT WAS [INAUDIBLE] I'M NOT SURE, JR? I'VE BEEN CHECKING WE DID RECEIVE, I THINK, SOME COMMENTS VIA EMAIL THAT WERE PROBABLY SENT OUT BY THE CITY CLERK, BUT WE HAVE NOBODY THAT HAS EMAILED US WISHING TO TALK.

OK, SO I THINK WE CAN GO TO THE ITEM [INAUDIBLE] B FOR A HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE

[4.b. Housing Element Update Presentation]

YES. AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE CONSULTANT THAT WAS ENGAGED TO DO THE HOUSING ELEMENT. AND MAIA IS GOING TO INTRODUCE HER.

AND I THINK I SEE MAIA ON THERE NOW.

SO WITH THAT MAIA.

GOOD EVENING, MS. MCCURLEY. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE CITY IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING OUR HOUSING ELEMENT, AND WE ENLISTED THE SERVICES OF DE NOVO PLANNING GROUP TO ASSIST WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE.

AS YOU MAY RECALL, DE NOVO PLANNING GROUP IS CURRENTLY CONTRACTED TO ASSIST THE CITY WITH THE UPDATE TO THE GENERAL PLAN.

AND IN OCTOBER 2020 CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZED AN AMENDMENT TO THE EXISTING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH DE NOVO PLANNING GROUP TO ALLOW THEM TO ALSO ASSIST THE CITY WITH PREPARATION OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE.

SO THAT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AMENDMENT OR SORRY AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WAS EXECUTED IN OCTOBER 2020, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, STAFF HELD A KICKOFF MEETING FOR THE PROJECT.

SO AMANDA TROPIANO OF DE NOVO PLANNING GROUP, SHE'S ON THE CALL AND SHE'S GOING TO BE PROVIDING COUNCIL WITH A PRESENTATION THAT PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE PROCESS, THE WORK IN PROGRESS THAT HAS OCCURRED TO DATE, AS WELL AS WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE FOR THE CITY.

SO WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO AMANDA.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAIA.

I APPRECIATE THAT YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE IT TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

SO, AGAIN, I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE BACK IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL TONIGHT.

GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS AMANDA TROPIANO.

I'M A PRINCIPAL WITH DE NOVO PLANNING GROUP AND HAVE REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE CITY OF LAVERNE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE CITY AND UPDATE ITS GENERAL PLAN.

TONIGHT, I'M HERE SPECIFICALLY TO TALK ABOUT THE HOUSING ELEMENT.

SO THIS PRESENTATION IS GOING TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS AND WHERE WE'RE AT IN PREPARING YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE.

DESCRIPTION OF HOW THIS NEW WORK EFFORT ALIGNS WITH THAT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN, SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITIES, NEW LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

[00:25:04]

NEXT SLIDE. SO THE HOUSING ELEMENT, WHICH I'M SURE YOU'RE AT LEAST SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH, IS ONE OF THE REQUIRED CHAPTERS OF YOUR GENERAL PLAN.

SO YOUR GENERAL PLAN INCLUDES THINGS LIKE LAND USE, MOBILITY, SAFETY AND NOISE.

IT ALSO INCLUDES AN UPDATE.

IT ALSO INCLUDES YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT.

AND THAT'S UPDATED ON A SET LEGISLATIVE CYCLE THAT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA REQUIRES OF ALL CITIES AND COUNTIES IN THE STATE.

THE HOUSING ELEMENT LAYS OUT THE COMMUNITY'S PRIORITIES AND GOALS AND ACTIONS RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO HOUSING.

AND EACH CITY AND COUNTY IN CALIFORNIA HAS TO HAVE ONE, AND THEY NEED TO BE UPDATED AT LEAST EVERY EIGHT YEARS.

THERE ARE SOME CITIES THAT HAVE TO UPDATE THEM EVERY FOUR YEARS, BUT IN LAVERNE, YOU NEED TO DO IT EVERY EIGHT YEARS.

AND THE MOST RECENT UPDATE TO YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 1, 2021. NEXT SLIDE.

SO WHERE DOES THIS PUT US WITH INTEGRATION IN YOUR GENERAL PLAN UPDATE? SO THE CITY EMBARKED ON A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE TO ITS FULL GENERAL PLAN, ALL THE ELEMENTS EXCEPT FOR THE HOUSING ELEMENT BACK IN TWENTY SEVENTEEN.

AND THE IDEA WAS THAT THE GENERAL PLAN WOULD BE PREPARED AND ADOPTED AND THEN THE CITY WOULD COME BACK AND FURTHER WORK ON THE HOUSING ELEMENT SUBSEQUENT TO THE GENERAL PLAN.

BUT DUE TO THE STATUS OF ASSIGNING REGIONAL GROWTH PROJECTIONS TO THE CITY OF LAVERNE BEING DELAYED BY THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS AND A BUNCH OF NEW LEGISLATION THAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT RELATING TO THE HOUSING ELEMENT, IT REALLY WAS BENEFICIAL FOR THE CITY TO TAKE A BRIEF PAUSE ON THE COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE TO ITS GENERAL PLAN AND REALIGN THE TWO PROJECTS TO OCCUR CONCURRENTLY.

IT RESULTS IN A LOT OF SCHEDULE EFFICIENCIES, WORK PRODUCT CONTINUITY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, A LOT OF BUDGET EFFICIENCIES BY BEING ABLE TO BRING THE PROJECTS TOGETHER BECAUSE ONLY ONE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW DOCUMENT WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE AND THE HOUSING ELEMENT SO THAT IT WAS ABLE TO SAVE THE CITY A BUNCH OF MONEY. SO WE WERE ABLE TO KIND OF SYNC THE PROJECTS UP AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING COMPREHENSIVELY.

SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING EXISTING CONDITIONS AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE DROP TO YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT.

REMEMBER THAT ALL THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED IN YOUR GENERAL PLAN HAVE ALREADY BEEN REVIEWED AND CONFIRMED BY YOUR GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

SO WE'RE KIND OF JUST CATCHING UP ON THE HOUSING ELEMENT SIDE OF THINGS.

THEN THE WHOLE PACKAGE WILL BE ABLE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD COMPREHENSIVELY TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, TO THE CITY COUNCIL, AND REVIEWED UNDER ONE SINGLE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT, AGAIN, PROVIDING KIND OF THAT TULLIS TIER OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND BUDGET EFFICIENCIES AND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS, BEING ABLE TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, HEAR THEIR GOALS AND PRIORITIES AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE REFLECTED IN THE POLICY DOCUMENTS. NEXT SLIDE.

SO IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THAT WE CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, WHICH INCLUDED A LOT OF INPUT REGARDING FUTURE HOUSING GOALS AND POLICIES IN THE CITY, THERE'S REALLY A DEDICATED PUBLIC PROCESS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE HOUSING ELEMENT.

AND WE ALL KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY DURING COVID, BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO THINK CREATIVELY ABOUT WAYS TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE PROCESS, GET THEIR INPUT ON THESE IMPORTANT TOPICS, AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT FEEDBACK IS REFLECTED IN THE POLICY PLAN.

SO YOU CAN STILL VISIT LAVERNE.GENERALPLAN.ORG AND ON THAT WEBSITE, THERE IS A DEDICATED VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SPECIFICALLY ON THE HOUSING ELEMENT.

THERE ARE SOME OVERVIEW VIDEOS, SOME SURVEYS AND SOME PROJECT INFORMATION THAT CAN ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN ON THESE TOPICS.

THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP WAS LAUNCHED ON NOVEMBER 30TH AND WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE PROJECT WEBSITE THROUGH JANUARY 29TH.

NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS JUST AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE WEBSITE.

SO, AGAIN, REALLY EASY.

YOU CAN SEE RIGHT UP ON THAT TOP BAR THERE'S A TOPIC CALLED WORKSHOP.

ANYONE CAN GO AHEAD AND CLICK ON THAT BUTTON AND HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE VIDEOS AND SURVEYS.

NEXT SLIDE. I DID WANT TO PRESENT JUST SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED TO DATE, SO WE'VE COLLECTED ABOUT TWO DOZEN RESPONSES.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO PROMOTE THE WORKSHOP ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER EXISTING CITY PLATFORMS. BUT I'M CERTAINLY HERE TONIGHT TO PLUG THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK IN ON THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP AS WELL AND MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE INPUT THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS SO FAR HAVE LIVED IN LAVERNE FOR OVER 10 YEARS.

[00:30:04]

ALMOST ALL OF THE RESPONDENTS, OVER 90 PERCENT, ARE VERY SATISFIED OR SOMEWHAT SATISFIED WITH THEIR CURRENT HOUSING CONDITIONS AND FEEL THAT IT'S REALLY IN EXCELLENT SHAPE.

SOME POPULAR HOME IMPROVEMENTS THAT YOUR RESIDENTS HAVE CONSIDERED INCLUDE JUST INSIDE AND OUTSIDE PAINTING IN SOME SOLAR UPDATES.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THE TOP PRIORITIES ON THE SECOND PART OF THE SURVEY REALLY HAVE TO DO WITH LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE HOUSING NEEDS OF LAVERNE'S RESIDENTS AND FUTURE RESIDENTS.

SO THE TOP PRIORITIES IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE INCLUDE REHABILITATION OF EXISTING HOUSING, ENSURING THAT CHILDREN WHO GROW UP IN YOUR COMMUNITY CAN CONTINUE TO LIVE HERE, HOUSING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT IS AFFORDABLE TO WORKING FAMILIES, ESTABLISHING PROGRAMS TO HELP AT-RISK HOMEOWNERS KEEP THEIR HOMES, SUPPORTING FAIR AND EQUITABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES. SUPPORTING PROGRAMS TO HELP MAINTAIN SAFE AND SECURE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND MAKING SURE THAT THE HOUSING THAT'S PROVIDED IS ADA ACCESSIBLE.

NEXT SLIDE. SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TWO SLIDES ON THE SCREEN NOW THAT'S GOING TO SHOW YOU A BUNCH OF LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND THE INTENT IS CERTAINLY NOT TO DISCUSS THEM ALL TONIGHT. MY GOAL IS TO JUST REMIND YOU THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS THAT GO INTO CRAFTING YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.

THAT'S WHAT YOUR STAFF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING.

WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL OF THESE REQUIREMENTS SO THAT YOU MAINTAIN YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR FUNDING, THAT YOU CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE STATE HOUSING GOALS AND PRIORITIES.

SO THERE'S CATEGORIES RELATED TO REMOVING BARRIERS THAT BOOST HOUSING PRODUCTION, DISCUSSION OF SPECIFIC USES AND ENSURING THAT THEY'RE PROVIDED BY RIGHT TO FACILITATE THEIR DEVELOPMENT, THINGS LIKE EMERGENCY SHELTERS AND LOW BARRIER NAVIGATION CENTERS, DISCUSSIONS AND LEGISLATION REQUIRING THE DISPOSITION OF SURPLUS SITES.

NEXT SLIDE. REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS, WHICH I KNOW LAVERNE HAS BEEN VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT COMPLYING WITH, AND THEN TWO NEW REQUIREMENTS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING AND THE CITY'S REQUIREMENT TO ADOPT ACTIONS THAT MEANINGFULLY DEMONSTRATE ITS ABILITY TO IMPROVE THEIR HOUSING CONDITIONS IN THE CITY, AND THEN SOME REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OF NO NET LOSS.

NEXT SLIDE. SO JUST AS A REMINDER, AND I KNOW YOU'VE PROVIDED BEEN PROVIDED SOME OVERVIEW OF THIS, THE CITY RECEIVES A REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION OR RHNA FROM THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS, AND THEY GET THEIR ALLOCATION FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAYS WE'VE GOT A PLAN FOR X AMOUNT OF HOUSING UNITS. SCAG WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING FOR ONE POINT THREE MILLION HOUSING UNITS IN THE 2021 2029 PLANNING PERIOD, AND THEN THEY ALLOCATE THE PROPORTION TO THEIR MEMBER AGENCIES. SO IN LAVERNE, THE ALLOCATION FOR THE CITY TO ADDRESS IN YOUR UPCOMING PLANNING PERIOD IS THIRTEEN HUNDRED FORTY THREE UNITS AND THOSE ARE FURTHER BROKEN DOWN BY THE INCOME CATEGORY OF THE HOUSEHOLDS THEY SERVE.

SO LOW INCOME AND VERY LOW INCOME TOGETHER COMBINED TO MAKE ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF YOUR HOUSING ALLOCATION.

NEXT SLIDE. SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS? WHAT APPROACHES ARE WE GOING TO TAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF LIFE THAT YOUR RESIDENTS VALUE AND DO IT IN A WAY THAT MEETS ALL OF YOUR LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS? SO THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE APPROVED, ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR ARE REASONABLY SEEN TO BE APPROVED DURING THE PLANNING PERIOD.

SO APPLICATIONS THAT ARE IN THE PIPELINE, THOSE ALL GET TO BE CREDITS ON YOUR RHNA.

SO THOSE COME RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF IT.

SO THOSE ARE YOUR LOWEST HANGING FRUIT.

THEN WE NEED TO GO LOOK AND CLOSE THAT GAP BETWEEN WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY GOT APPROVED OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAN FOR.

AND THERE ARE SOME CREATIVE STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE TO DO THAT.

SO FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCOMMODATE SOME OF THOSE UNITS THROUGH YOUR ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS OR JUNIOR ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS.

WE'RE GOING TO SPECIFICALLY LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO PROMOTE THOSE TYPES OF UNITS THAT ARE AFFORDABLE TO LOWER INCOME HOUSEHOLDS.

WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT VACANT SITES.

LAVERNE CERTAINLY DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF THOSE.

BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY ARE THAT THEY ARE AVAILABLE IN YOUR CITY, WE'D WANT TO LOOK

[00:35:06]

AND ADDITIONAL REQUIRE ANALYSIS IS REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITIES TO THE CITY'S ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY SUPPORT NEW DEVELOPMENT AT THOSE TYPES OF SITES, PARTICULARLY IF THOSE SITES WERE IDENTIFIED IN A PREVIOUS HOUSING ELEMENT.

AND THAT MAKES SENSE FROM THE STATE'S PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE WHAT THEY'RE THINKING IS, IF, YOU KNOW, THAT SITE WAS IDENTIFIED BEFORE AND NO REDEVELOPMENT HAS OCCURRED, YOU KIND OF NEED TO TELL THEM WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDEVELOP THOSE SITES IN THE COMING EIGHT YEARS.

AND ADDITIONALLY, PARCELS SHOULD BE BIGGER THAN HALF AN ACRE AND SMALLER THAN 10 ACRES.

IF WE FIND ANY SITES THAT ARE OUTSIDE THAT RANGE, WE NEED TO PROVE TO THEM THAT THEY'RE FEASIBLE. NEXT SLIDE.

SO THIS IS JUST KIND OF AN OVERVIEW OF EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO THAT SITE SUITABILITY, SO AGAIN, LOOKING AT EXISTING CONDITIONS, IS IT VACANT OR IS IT OCCUPIED? LOOKING AT THE ZONING.

SO YOUR REALISTIC CAPACITY, WHAT COULD YOU REALLY BUILD ON A SITE LIKE THAT, ITS SIZE AND OWNERSHIP AND THEN AGAIN, SUPPORTING THAT WITH DATA ABOUT DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. NEXT SLIDE.

SO OUR OBJECTIVES GOING INTO THE UPDATE TO YOUR HOUSING ELEMENT ARE NUMBER ONE, TO CARRY FORWARD THE DIRECTION WE HEARD AS PART OF THE COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE TO REALLY MAINTAIN THE SPECIAL CHARACTER OF THE LAVERNE COMMUNITY BY, FIRST AND FOREMOST, PROTECTING AND PRESERVING YOUR EXISTING SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS AND YOUR OPEN SPACE AREAS. SO THAT MEANS WE NEED TO LOOK AT OTHER PLACES WHERE NEW GROWTH COULD BE ACCOMMODATED. AND WE NEED TO DO THAT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF LOOKING AT FAIR HOUSING, WHICH REALLY REQUIRES THAT THE CITY CONSIDER THE WAY IT DISTRIBUTES HOUSING ACROSS THE COMMUNITY AND THAT IT CAN'T REALLY BE CENTRALIZED JUST IN ONE SINGLE LOCATION.

SO WE'RE GOING TO LOOK FIRST TO THE OLD TOWN LAVERNE SPECIFIC PLAN.

WE KNOW THAT THAT'S KIND OF THE PRIORITY AREA TO ACCOMMODATE FUTURE GROWTH.

BUT BECAUSE OF ALL THESE OTHER REQUIREMENTS, WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO LOOK AT OTHER AREAS TO SUPPLEMENT THE OPPORTUNITY IN THE OLD TOWN LAVERNE SPECIFIC PLAN AND THINK ABOUT ANY OTHER PLACES WHERE NEW GROWTH MIGHT ALSO BE ACCOMMODATED, SPECIFICALLY AT DENSITIES OF 30 DWELLING UNITS PER ACRE OR MORE, WHICH IS WHAT THE STATE SAYS NEEDS TO BE MINIMUM DENSITY IN ORDER TO USE THE UNITS AS A CREDIT TOWARDS YOUR LOWER HOUSEHOLD RHNA ALLOCATION.

SO LOOKING AT PLACES LIKE FOOTHILL BOULEVARD AND ARROW HIGHWAY, NEXT SLIDE.

SO WE'LL BE WORKING ON PREPARING YOUR DRAFT HOUSING ELEMENT.

WE'RE GOING TO BE CONTINUING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY THROUGH ADDITIONAL SURVEYS AND THEN WORKING WITH THE STATE THROUGH THE OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OR HCD TO ENSURE THAT WE'VE MET ALL OF THOSE LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND CAN RECEIVE CERTIFICATION OF YOUR ELEMENT.

NEXT SLIDE. SO THAT'S IT FOR MY PRESENTATION, I KNOW THAT I PACKED A LOT IN THERE, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.

AND AGAIN TONIGHT'S JUST KIND OF THE FIRST OF A LONG PROCESS.

SO MAIA AND I ARE BOTH HERE AND HAPPY TO PROVIDE YOU SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

MAYOR, YOU'RE ON MUTE.

I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

THANK YOU, MS. TROPIANO, COUNCIL MEMBER LAU YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES, I DO. I KNOW.

I THINK IT WAS EARLY ON IN THE SLIDE PRESENTATION YOU HAD SHOWN THE BREAKDOWN OF THE, YOU KNOW, INCOME REQUIREMENTS.

DO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE INCOME RANGES FOR WHAT CONSTITUTES LOW, MODERATE, ET CETERA? I DO. IT'S AVAILABLE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND I CAN PULL IT UP AND COME BACK TO YOU AND SPEAK TO THEM.

BUT THEY'RE BASED ON THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME.

SO IT'S PERCENTAGES OF THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY.

SO 50 PERCENT AND LOWER FOR THE VERY LOW, 50 TO 80 PERCENT OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME FOR LOW . EIGHTY TO ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PERCENT OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME FOR MODERATE AND THEN ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PERCENT AND ABOVE FOR ABOVE MODERATE.

AND I DO HAVE THOSE EXACT NUMBERS.

IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND PULLING THEM WHEN YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY.

I'LL OBVIOUSLY LET FOLKS ASK QUESTIONS WHILE YOU PULL THAT UP, BUT I'D BE CURIOUS TO SEE [INAUDIBLE]. AND THEY JUST SO YOU KNOW, THEY DO RANGE BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE HOUSEHOLD TOO. SO, SO IT'S NOT JUST A DEFINITIVE NUMBER.

RIGHT. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE IT IN PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME, YOU KNOW, DEFINITIONS ATTACHED IN PEOPLE'S HEADS WHEN YOU HEAR THE TERM LOW INCOME.

[00:40:03]

ABSOLUTELY. COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE SLIDE OF JUST THE TIMELINE FROM NOW UNTIL OCTOBER SO THAT WE CAN JUST SEE THAT ONE MORE TIME OF WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE AT THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS FOR IMPLEMENTATION, APPROVAL AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN? YEAH, SO WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW PHASE TWO AND PHASE.

PHASE THREE, CORRECT? ACTUALLY, PHASE [INAUDIBLE] PHASE THREE.

RIGHT, WE'RE KIND OF WE'RE KIND OF MOVING FROM PHASE TWO INTO PHASE THREE, BUT CONTINUING TO HOST THAT VIRTUAL WORKSHOP AN ADDITIONAL FEW WEEKS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE PROMOTED THAT AT TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU. AND THEN YOU'LL BE BACK IN SUMMER TIME FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS SO THAT WE CAN BE WELL IN ADVANCE FOR THAT OCTOBER 15TH DATE, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT. AND IN THAT MEANTIME, WE HAVE REGULAR CONVERSATIONS SET UP WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVES TO ENSURE THAT AT EVERY MILESTONE THERE IS NO SURPRISES.

SO THEY'RE WEIGHING IN PERIODICALLY FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE WORK.

AND THEN WHEN THEY RECEIVE THAT DRAFT ELEMENT AND IT'S PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC, WE HAVE RELATIVE CONFIDENCE THAT EVERYONE IS IN AGREEMENT, THAT THE BIG PICTURE IDEAS ARE ACCEPTABLE. AND THEN WE WE'RE JUST KIND OF FINE TUNING ANY FINAL REVISIONS OR EDITS THAT THEY MAY REQUEST. THANK YOU.

I JUST WE JUST HEAR OVER AND OVER MANY TIMES WHEN THINGS COME UP THAT PUBLIC HASN'T BEEN NOTIFIED OR NOTICE, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT TIMELINE IS OUT THERE ONE MORE TIME SO THAT IT CAN MAKE SURE OUR PUBLIC IS HEARING IT.

THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY.

AND MR. CROSBY, I JUST HAD SO KIND OF AS SHOWN IN THE SLIDE, THERE IS A PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT PERIOD. SO THAT'LL THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC, AS WELL AS COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION TO REVIEW THE DRAFT PRIOR TO IT GOING TO THE ACTUAL PUBLIC HEARINGS IN THE SUMMER TIME. SO THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE TO REVIEW THAT DRAFT PRIOR TO THE FINAL ONE BEING APPROVED BY COUNCIL.

PERFECTLY. THANKS. [INAUDIBLE] COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS.

I JUST I JUST WANTED TO PIGGYBACK OFF THE COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY'S REMARKS OF GOING FORWARD. LET REMIND FOLKS THAT THE NEXT VIRTUAL WORKSHOP THAT MS. MCCURLEY IS GOING TO BE HOSTING IS JANUARY 29TH.

SO THAT'S COMING UP IN 10 DAYS.

SO IF YOU WANT TO ENGAGE, DON'T MISS IT.

GO AHEAD. YEAH, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, SO THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP, IT'S LIVE NOW.

IT'S BEEN LIVE SINCE KIND OF THE END OF NOVEMBER AND IT'S BEEN EXTENDED.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO END AT THE END OF DECEMBER, BUT WE'RE HOPING TO PRESENT IT HERE TODAY AND PROMOTE IT MORE. SO IT'S BEEN EXTENDED TO JANUARY 29TH SO PEOPLE CAN STILL PARTICIPATE. THEY DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE 29TH TO SEE THAT.

GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER? NOTHING AT THIS TIME. I WANT TO THANK YOU, I KNOW THAT BEING ON THE COG, THE [INAUDIBLE] NUMBERS THAT CAME OUT OF THE REGIONAL HOUSING NUMBERS WERE QUITE A STIR, YOU MIGHT SAY.

AND A LOT OF THE COMMUNITIES WEREN'T REAL HAPPY WITH THE NUMBERS BECAUSE THEY'RE DIFFICULT AT BEST TO MEET, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO GET WHAT WE NEED TO COMPLY WITH.

SO IT IS A CHALLENGE.

I KNOW THAT FOR SURE. SO BUT IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, MS. TROPIANO AND THANK YOU, MS. MCCURLEY. APPRECIATE IT. MR. RUSSI? I WAS JUST WONDERING. [INAUDIBLE].

WERE YOU ABLE TO PULL UP THOSE NUMBERS? I WAS, AND I'M GOING TO SPEAK THEM VERBALLY, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE KIND OF BACK AND FORTH, BUT THEY ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE.

SO I ENCOURAGE ANYONE THAT'S INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE TO VISIT LAVERNE.GENERALPLAN .ORG. BUT THE BREAKDOWN FOR VERY LOW INCOME IS, AGAIN, 50 UP TO 50 PERCENT OF THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME.

SO THOSE ARE HOUSEHOLDS FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR.

SO, AGAIN, WE HAVE TO USE A BENCHMARK FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR.

HOUSEHOLDS EARNING UP TO FIFTY SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER YEAR.

AND THAT'S APPROXIMATELY A COMBINED INCOME OF TWENTY EIGHT DOLLARS AN HOUR.

LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS, WHICH EARN FIFTY ONE PERCENT TO 80 PERCENT OF THE MEDIAN INCOME, WOULD BE FIFTY SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TO NINETY THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED PER YEAR, ABOUT FORTY FIVE DOLLARS AN HOUR COMBINED.

MODERATE INCOME, WHICH IS EIGHTY ONE PERCENT TO ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PERCENT OF THE MEDIAN INCOME WOULD BE NINETY THOUSAND TO NINETY THREE THOUSAND, ABOUT FORTY SEVEN DOLLARS AN HOUR COMBINED AND ABOVE MODERATE.

AGAIN, EARNING ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PERCENT OR MORE OF THE MEDIAN INCOME WOULD BE

[00:45:01]

AGAIN, MORE THAN FORTY SEVEN DOLLARS AN HOUR COMBINED.

THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE THAT [INAUDIBLE] PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS, MR. RUSSI OR J.R.? I'LL TURN IT TO J.R.. NONE RECEIVED SIR.

NONE RECEIVED. AND I THINK WE CAN SAFELY ASSUME WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

APPRECIATE IT. WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO MORE CONVERSATION.

BYE BYE. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.

WE WILL MOVE TO ANNOUNCEMENTS OF UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS.

DO WE HAVE ANY MR. RUSSI OR JR.

I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY, JR? NOTHING ADDITIONAL UNDER PRESENTATION, SIR.

OK, WE'LL CLOSE THAT, WE'LL MOVE TO CONSENT CALENDAR.

[6. CONSENT CALENDAR]

YOU'RE UNDER ITEM 6C THE REQUEST FOR PERSONNEL CHANGES.

THAT ITEM IS BEING PULLED BY STAFF.

THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.

IT'LL JUST BE INCORPORATED AS PART OF THE BUDGET.

SO YOU WILL NOT NEED TO ACT ON THIS.

NOTHING ELSE WAS PULLED OR ANY REQUEST BY RESIDENT? NOTHING AT ALL. SO THAT MEANS WE WILL NEED A MOTION FOR THE CONSENT CALENDAR.

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I'LL MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR.

THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS.

A SECOND? COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.

AYE. THOSE OPPOSED.

NONE OPPOSED. WE MOVE ON.

WE MOVE ON TO PUBLIC HEARINGS.

WE HAVE THE UPDATE ON THE APPEAL ON CASE 96-20CUP.

[7.a. Appeal of Case No. 96-20CUP, 3530 Damien Avenue - A request to obtain a Conditional Use Permit to Expand The Fountains Mobile Home Park’s Existing Recreational Vehicle Parking Lot]

THE APPELLANT HAS [INAUDIBLE] THEIR APPEAL.

THEY HAVE WORKED WITH THE APPLICANT AND WORKED OUT SOME AMICABLE TERMS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE TO EVERYBODY.

SO THEY, IT WILL FALL BACK TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S ACTION, WHICH WILL ALLOW THE RV STORAGE TO MOVE FORWARD. DO WE HAVE ANY DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS? I JUST WANT TO APPLAUD THE PARTIES THAT WORK TOGETHER TO FIND THE CREATIVE SOLUTION THAT MADE EVERYBODY HAPPY AND NOT NECESSARILY RELY ON COUNCIL TO ARBITRATE EVERYTHING.

SO THANK YOU, RESIDENTS.

WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S ACTIVITY AND ARE PLEASED AND PROUD TO BE PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT ENGAGES IN POSITIVE DISCUSSION AND OUTCOMES.

THANK YOU. ON THAT NOTE, WHEN YOU GET THE PARTIES TOGETHER, BEING A RESIDENT AND THE BUSINESSES GENERALLY, THEY CAN RESOLVE THE SITUATION AMICABLY SO THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT. LET'S RESOLVE IT BEFORE IT BECOMES AN ISSUE, BECAUSE WE HAVE A GREAT COMMUNITY HERE AND WE HAVE GREAT BUSINESSES THAT ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH OUR RESIDENTS.

SO THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? NO, I WAS JUST GOING TO ECHO THAT I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY GREAT, THAT THE FOLKS COULD GET TOGETHER AND WORK THAT OUT.

SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? NO, SIR. NONE, THEN WE WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE APPEAL, WHICH IS REMOVED, AND WE GO TO ITEM B, WHICH IS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM FOR

[7.b. Community Development Block Grant Program for 2021-2022]

YEAH, CANDICE WILL BE GIVING THE REPORT ON THIS.

I'LL JUST INTRO IT. AS YOU KNOW, WE GET OUR ALLOCATION EVERY YEAR.

AND AS PART OF THAT WE WERE REQUIRED TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON HOW WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING THOSE DOLLARS.

CANDICE IS WELL VERSED IN CDBG AND SHE GETS TO FIND HOW TO SPEND THOSE DOLLARS.

AND SO SHE IS GOING TO GO THROUGH THE PROPOSAL FOR STAFF.

SO WITH THAT, CANDICE.

GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

THIS IS THE FORTY SEVENTH FUNDING YEAR FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.

LAVERNE IS EXPECTED TO BE ALLOCATED APPROXIMATELY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT THOUSAND IN CDBG FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021 2022.

THIS YEAR, THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THOSE CDBG FUNDS WERE DIRECTED TO THE BUSINESS ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.

AND SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THAT PROGRAM, ABOUT 30 BUSINESSES HAD BEEN AWARDED FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR GRANTS, WITH MORE CONTINUING TO BE SUBMITTED EACH DAY.

FOR THIS UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, STAFF IS PROPOSING FOUR PROJECTS, THE FIRST ONE BEING THE SENIOR HOT LUNCH PROGRAM, WHICH IS CONSIDERED A PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM AND A PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM CANNOT EXCEED 20 PERCENT OF THE YEARLY GRANT, WHICH WOULD BE THIRTY THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE DOLLARS FOR THIS YEAR.

THIS CAP USED TO BE 15 PERCENT, BUT WAS RECENTLY CHANGED.

[00:50:03]

THE NEXT PROGRAM IS THE SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM.

IN PREVIOUS YEARS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LAST YEAR, DUE TO THE FUNDING BEING REALLOCATED TO THE BUSINESS GRANT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THE CITY COUNCIL TYPICALLY ALLOCATES FIFTY EIGHT THOUSAND FOR THE SIDEWALK REPAIR PROGRAM.

THAT PROVIDES FOR THE REMOVAL OF ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS ON DAMAGED SIDEWALKS FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

THE THIRD IS AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER AT CITY HALL, THE ENTRANCE TO CITY HALL FROM THE PARKING LOT NEAR THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY ONLY HAS A DOOR THAT HAS TO BE PULLED OPEN BY AN ABLE PERSON.

THERE ARE OFTENTIMES WHERE HANDICAPPED PEOPLE OR SENIORS ARE STUCK KNOCKING AT THE DOOR, WAITING FOR STAFF TO LET THEM INTO CITY HALL.

CDBG COULD FUND THE INSTALLATION OF AN AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER TO BE INSTALLED.

THE STAFF REPORT IS ASKING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS OF THE CDBG ALLOCATION TO FUND THIS PROJECT.

HOWEVER, AFTER RECEIVING A COUPLE OF BIDS, WE REALIZED THIS NUMBER WAS A LITTLE LOW AND STAFF IS ASKING TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER TO SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO COVER THESE COSTS.

THE FOURTH PROJECT IS THE AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER FOR PUBLIC RESTROOMS AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR TWO OF THE BATHROOMS, THE BATHROOMS IN THE COMMUNITY CENTER CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE A DOOR THAT HAS TO ALSO BE PULLED BY AN ABLE PERSON.

THERE ARE OFTENTIMES WHERE HANDICAPPED PEOPLE OR SENIORS ARE STUCK, UNABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AND HAVE TO ASK STAFF TO LET THEM INTO THE RESTROOMS. THE STAFF REPORT, LIKE THE OTHER ONE, ASKED CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO FUND THIS PROJECT.

HOWEVER, JUST AS I SAID BEFORE, THE BIDS CAME BACK HIGHER THAN EXPECTED.

AND THERE ARE TWO BATHROOMS, NOT JUST ONE.

SO THERE ARE TWO DOORS. THEREFORE, STAFF IS ASKING THAT COUNCIL APPROVED TO INCREASE THE FIVE THOUSAND TO FOURTEEN THOUSAND TO COVER THOSE COSTS.

THAT LEAVES THE TOTAL UNALLOCATED BALANCE AT FORTY TWO THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE. STAFF IS CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TO ALLOCATE THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE GRANT TO BENEFIT THE CITY OF LAVERNE BY LOOKING INTO COVID ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OR POSSIBLY STARTING UP THE HOUSING REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS THE ALLOCATION OF THE 2021 2022 CDBG FUNDS, AS DESCRIBED IN THE CHART IN THE STAFF REPORT, WITH THE CHANGES EXPLAINED DURING THE PRESENTATION TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT FOR THE AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENERS BY ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. AN APPROVING RESOLUTION TWENTY ONE DASH ZERO FIVE, WHICH THAT'S ANOTHER CORRECTION. I BELIEVE YOUR AGENDA MAY SAY TWENTY DASH ZERO FIVE AND IT SHOULD READ TWENTY ONE DASH ZERO FIVE.

SO WITH THAT I AM AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM STAFF.

COUNCIL ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. [INAUDIBLE]? COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY.

YES, I KNOW THAT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OUT OF THE CDBG FUND FOR THE SENIOR LAUNCHES THE 30,000. DO WE THOUGH, IS THE SENIORS BEING FED THAT OR ARE WE GETTING MORE PEOPLE AND HAVE TO TURN AWAY PEOPLE THAT WE MIGHT HAVE TO ALLOCATE OTHER MONEY FOR TO MAKE SURE OUR SENIOR LUNCHES ARE AND OUR SERIES OF SPECIAL AGENTS COVID TIME? I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE TURNING ANYONE THERE'S FUNDING FROM OTHER SOURCES THAT MAKE UP FOR THAT MONEY. OK.

THANK YOU. WELL, AND ALONG WITH THAT, TOO, I HAD CALLED BECAUSE I HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAME SUBJECT MR. CROSBY IS I TALKED TO CITY MANAGER TODAY TO FIND OUT BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE OUR SENIOR PROGRAM WHERE THEY PICK UP MEALS FOR THE WEEK.

SO I WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS IS ON TOP OF THAT AMOUNT.

AND IT ACTUALLY IS.

SO THERE'S IT'S ALL COMBINED INTO ONE.

SO THERE'S OTHER FUNDING THAT HELPS WITH THAT ALSO.

OK, YEAH.

[INAUDIBLE] A PERIOD OF TIME EARLY ON WHEN WE DID HAVE A WAITING LIST BECAUSE THE EVEN THE SUPPLY OF PRODUCT COMING FROM THE COUNTY WASN'T ENOUGH TO MEET THE DEMAND THAT HAS ALL BALANCED OUT.

IF WE EVER HAD A WAITING LIST THAT WAS BECAUSE OF FUNDING, WE WOULD COME BACK AND ASK FOR WHETHER IT BE THROUGH GENERAL FUND OR OTHER CARES MONEY THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING SO. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS.

YEAH, I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.

ONE IS I'M GLAD THAT THEY INCREASED THE CDBF LIMIT FROM 15 TO 20 PERCENT TO HELP OUT WITH OUR SENIOR LUNCH PROGRAM.

I THINK THAT'S EXCELLENT. AND I THINK IT'S AWESOME THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN AUTOMATED DOORS

[00:55:02]

I THINK THAT'S MONEY WELL SPENT.

SO THANK YOU FOR THOSE CONSIDERATIONS.

COUNCIL MEMBER LAU.

YES. I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THANK YOU, CANDICE, FOR DOING ALL THE LEGWORK, TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE CAN USE THESE MONIES.

AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO KNOW IF, YOU KNOW, IF AND WHEN YOU GET THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE UNALLOCATED AMOUNTS, YOU KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF COVID.

THAT WOULD BE GREAT. JUST TO GET AN UPDATE.

DEFINITELY. THANK YOU.

YEAH. THANK YOU, I KNOW THAT SENIOR LUNCH PROGRAM HAS BEEN GOING EXTREMELY WELL AND NOBODY GOES AWAY HUNGRY, THAT'S FOR SURE.

THEY HAVE MULTIPLE PACKS AND WE DO A GREAT JOB.

CITY STAFF DOES AN UNBELIEVABLE JOB.

I AM GLAD ALSO GLAD TO SEE THAT THEY'RE PUTTING IN THOSE AUTOMATIC DOORS.

AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE ON THE TAIL END OF THE COUNCIL MEMBER LAU'S.

I KNOW THAT MR. RUSSI AND I, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE REGARDING HELPING WITH THE CDBG MONIES AND SEEING HOW WE CAN DO IT IF IT'S A STIMULUS TO HELP RESIDENTS OR [INAUDIBLE] THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HAVING ISSUES.

AND BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S IT'S TECHNICAL AND YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN UTILIZE THAT TO HELP OUR SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS AND MAYBE IN THEIR HOMES OR WHATEVER OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUALLY WORK ON THAT.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [INAUDIBLE] SO MAYOR, WHAT YOU JUST SPOKE ABOUT DOES BRING UP A QUESTION. AND I THINK CANDICE KNOWS THE ANSWER TO THIS.

AND THAT IS WE GET AN ALLOCATION EACH YEAR.

WE'VE NEVER HAD A CASE WHERE ANY OF THE ALLOCATED FUNDS WENT TO WASTE.

RIGHT? WE'VE ALWAYS FOUND A WAY TO UTILIZE THOSE MONIES TO HELP THE COMMUNITY.

ISN'T THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.

AND WE ARE SPENDING ASSUMING WE SPEND ALL OF THE MONEY THAT YOU'RE APPROVING TONIGHT, WE ARE SPENDING ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO WHERE IF WE DON'T ALLOCATE THE UNALLOCATED BALANCE, WE CAN ROLL IT OVER TO NEXT YEAR.

RIGHT, SO THAT UNALLOCATED PORTION ISN'T NECESSARY, I MEAN, IN THEORY, IT'S AT RISK OF LOSING IF WE DON'T FIND A GOOD PURPOSE FOR IT, THAT MEETS THE CRITERIA.

BUT OUR STAFF, OUR CITY STAFF HAS DONE A BRILLIANT JOB IN FINDING WAYS TO UTILIZE THOSE UNALLOCATED FUNDS. SO THAT JUST PROVIDES OUR COMMUNITY FLEXIBILITY.

FOR INSTANCE, AS CANDICE WAS SAYING EARLIER, SOME OF THOSE ALLOCATED FUNDS FROM YEARS PAST HAVE BEEN USED TO FUND THE COVID RELIEF PROGRAM THAT WE HAD FOR BUSINESSES WHERE WE ARE ABLE ORIGINALLY WE OFFERED TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED AND THEN WE INCREASED IT TO FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. AND SOUNDS LIKE IF I IF I DID THE ARITHMETIC CORRECTLY, CANDICE, WE HAD ABOUT 30 BUSINESSES TAKE FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS, SO WE SPENT A HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS OF CDBG FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES.

AND I THINK, I THINK THAT THAT THESE FUNDS ARE IMPORTANT FOR US AND OUR STAFF IS BRILLIANT BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, UTILIZE IT IMMEDIATELY OR HOLD IT FOR TIMES WHERE WE NEED CREATIVE SOLUTIONS AND AND UTILIZE THE FUNDS AT THOSE TIMES.

AND IN THE PAST, JUST AS AS COUNCIL MEMBER LAU'S REQUESTING STAFF COMES TO US AND SAYS, HERE'S A HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO USE CB [INAUDIBLE] ACRONYMS, JUST DRIVE ME CRAZY. HARD ONE.

YES, THOSE FUNDS, WE'D LIKE TO USE THEM THIS WAY AND THEN WE HAVE TO WE GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO DO THAT. SO THE SYSTEM IN THE PROCESS WORKS REALLY WELL.

SO THANK YOU FOR TONIGHT AND I'M READY TO SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION.

DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR STAFF FROM COUNCIL? DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? IT IS A PUBLIC HEARING, SO THEY NEED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC.

I'M GOING TO OPEN UP THE I'M NOT CLOSE THE OUR DISCUSSION.

I'M GOING TO OPEN UP THE PUBLIC HEARING PORTION OF JR.

DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON THIS ITEM? MR. MAYOR, NOTHING HAS BEEN RECEIVED REQUESTING TO SPEAK UNDER THIS ITEM.

OK, WE'LL GIVE IT 15 TO 30 SECONDS OR.

CUE THE MUSIC, PLEASE.

I DIDN'T PUT MY PHONE ON WITH JEOPARDY, I'M SORRY.

WELL, WE NEED TO FIND A DIFFERENT TUNE BECAUSE.

I LIKE JEOPARDY. I KNOW, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT A YOU KNOW, [INAUDIBLE].

LIKE DEF LEPPARD. WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT? [LAUGHTER] I'M NOT AGAINST IT.

I MEAN.OK. WIZARD OF OZ, SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

OK, I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY ASSUME THAT, JR NOTHING? NOTHING, SIR. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT.

WE'LL COME BACK TO COUNCIL.

WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE, DO HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? AFTER VAMPING WITH YOU, MAYOR, TO COVER THE WHAT OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD SILENCE.

I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE PASS RESOLUTION 21-05, THE RESOLUTION OF CITY COUNCIL, TO

[01:00:03]

YEAH. RIGHT. VERY GOOD. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED.

MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU MR. [INAUDIBLE]. APPRECIATE YOUR HELP AND ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

[8. PUBLIC COMMENTS/ORAL COMMUNICATIONS]

DO WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS, JR? YES, MR. MAYOR. HOLD ON ONE SECOND.

I'LL GET THEM CUED UP.

MR. MAYOR, I HAVE JOHN WILSON ON THE LINE.

MR. WILSON, GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, I APPRECIATE THE TIME.

I HAVE SOMETHING I WANT TO DISCUSS HAVING WITH ME AND MY SON HAVE A 17 YEAR OLD SPECIAL NEEDS SON WHO, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH HE'S 17, HE'S PROBABLY SOCIALLY MORE LIKE SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OLD. ANYWAY, HE RECEIVED A GIFT HE COULDN'T USE IN THE LITTLE FOUR PACK OF HOT WHEELS CARS. AND HE HAD DETERMINED THAT HE WANTED TO DONATE TO THE LAVERNE PD THROUGH WATCHING TV SHOWS AND STUFF.

HE KNOWS THAT POLICE OFFICERS CARRY TOYS AND STUFFED ANIMALS IN THEIR TRUCKS TO HELP KIDS DURING TRAUMATIC SITUATIONS.

SO WE WENT DOWN TO THE LAVERNE PD OFFICE AND PICKED UP THE PHONE AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND THE LADY SAID WELL I'M NOT SURE WHAT WE CAN DO, SHE PUT ME ON HOLD.

CAME BACK AND SAID MY SUPERVISOR SAYS WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE THE TOY BECAUSE IT'S AGAINST POLICY. SO I SAID, WELL, I'LL CHECK THIS OUT FURTHER ON DOWN THE ROAD.

I DIDN'T WANT TO RAISE ANY [INAUDIBLE] OR ANYTHING, SO WE ACTUALLY DROVE OVER TO THE SAN DIMAS L.A.

COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WALKED RIGHT IN, EXPLAINED THE SITUATION, AND MY SON WAS ABLE TO GIVE THE TOY TO AN OFFICER THERE AND HE FELT REALLY GOOD.

AND HE KEPT ASKING ME WHY WE COULD DO IT THERE, BUT NOT AT LAVERNE PD.

AND WE LIVE IN LAVERNE.

HE KNOWS A LOT OF THE OFFICERS.

HE SEES THEM, HE KNOWS THE LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

WE HAVE TO DRIVE BY THERE ARE A COUPLE OF TIMES A DAY TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS OK OVER THERE, THAT TYPE OF THING.

SO HE'S VERY, VERY WELL VERSED WITH OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT.

SO A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, HE WAS SIGNING A THANK YOU NOTE.

HE WANTED ME TO TAKE OVER TO THE LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

AND I SAID, WELL, DO YOU WANT TO PUT IT WITH THE LAVERNE POLICE DEPARTMENT TOO? BECAUSE WE [INAUDIBLE] HE SAID, NO.

I JUST WANT TO THANK THE LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO I KNOW THAT THE CHIEF PAZ AND THEM REPORT TO YOU AND I JUST THINK MAYBE WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS RULE, WHATEVER IT IS, I DON'T SEE WHY A CHILD WHO WANTS TO DO SOMETHING GOOD IS HE'S BEEN TAUGHT IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR KIDS AND WORKING WITH OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DO DONATE DURING THE CHRISTMAS TIME TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE TOY PROGRAM.

I THINK SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT AND MAYBE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HERE HE IS NOW.

HE IS STILL TODAY WONDERS WHY LAVERNE POLICE DEPARTMENT COULDN'T DO IT.

WELL, THE L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT COULD DO IT, AND I DO, TOO.

I DO, TOO. AND I UNDERSTAND POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OF IT.

BUT HERE I'M HAVING A HARD TIME EXPLAINING THIS TO HIM.

AND HE'S SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME RIGHT NOW.

[INAUDIBLE] SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ANYTHING THAT CAN TAKE IT UP WITH THE CHIEF.

I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU GUYS COULD DO ABOUT IT, BUT I THOUGHT I'D BRING IT UP DURING PUBLIC COMMENT.

IT'S USUALLY WHEN I BRING SOME UP.

I GET A CALL FROM THE CITY THE NEXT DAY, AND SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL GET SOME ACTION ON.

THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO SAY IS I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER LAU FOR LETTING ME KNOW [INAUDIBLE] OF TRASH PICK UP, WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE FIRST THING WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT, CHANGE THEIR DELIVERY OR THEIR PICK UP.

AND THEN ALSO, MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS [INAUDIBLE] TONIGHT.

IT NEEDED TO BE SAID I'M GLAD YOU SAID HOW YOU PUT IT.

SO THAT'S MY COMMENT.

GOOD NIGHT AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE JOB AND THANK YOU.

WELL, WE'LL LOOK INTO THAT IMMEDIATELY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

MR. MAYOR, I HAVE RON WEAVER ON THE LINE.

GO AHEAD. MR. WEAVER. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY CALL.

[01:05:04]

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE PATH WE'RE ON REGARDING THE CONVERSION TO THE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT. I FEEL THAT COVID-19 IS LIMITED SOME OF THE INFORMATION OUT TO OUR CITIZENS AND ALSO, OF COURSE, THEIR INPUT BACK TO THE COUNCIL.

I'VE LIVED IN THE CITY OF LAVERNE FOR ALMOST 60 YEARS AND SERVED ON THE LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR ABOUT 20 OF THOSE.

OF COURSE THAT WAS WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER. I'VE CONTINUED TO LIVE IN LAVERNE BECAUSE WE'RE A VERY UNIQUE CITY.

STILL HAVING OUR OWN POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT.

TO LOSE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE A BIG CHANGE FOR THE RESIDENTS.

NOT ONLY WOULD WE LOSE CONTROL, BUT ALSO SERVICES AND THE FIREMEN WE HAVE LEARNED TO TRUST. COUNCIL MEMBERS DURING THE PAST ELECTION, ALL SEEM TO AGREE THAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT THE LAVERNE'S FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WERE NOT IN FAVOR OF CONVERTING TO COUNTY SERVICES. CITIZENS RECENTLY VOTED ON IN THE FIRST MEASURE, LV TO INCREASE THE SALES TAX RATE. THIS WAS PRESENTED AS A MEANS TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES.

THE COUNCIL IS VOTING ON TAKING ON A SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATION FOR EACH YEAR FIRE AND MEDICAL SERVICES WITH L.A.

COUNTY FIRE, AND THIS OBLIGATION WILL ALSO INCLUDE OUR PORTION OF THE OUTSTANDING DEBT OF THE BALLOT MEASURES THAT FAILED TO PASS IN THE AMOUNT OF ONE POINT TWO BILLION DOLLARS.

I AM REQUESTING THAT OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PLACE THE DISCUSSION OF A BALLOT MEASURE ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MR. MAYOR, I HAVE CRAIG BEAUMONT ON THE LINE.

MR. BEAUMONT, GOOD EVENING.

ARE WE READY TO GO? YES, SIR.

GO RIGHT AHEAD. THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I'M CALLING THIS EVENING CONCERNING THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING OUR LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THIS IS REGARDING THE CHANGES BEING LOOKED AT BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

I AGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER THAT THIS ISSUE FEELS LIKE IT'S BEING DONE UNDER COVER OF COVID-19.

THAT HAS REDUCED DISCUSSION, DEBATE AND FEEDBACK FOR OUR CITIZENS.

I AM INTERESTED, EXCUSE ME, I AM INTERESTED IN THIS BECAUSE OF MY 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SERVING WITH THE LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FIRST AS A VOLUNTEER AND THEN AS A RESERVE.

I GRADUATED FROM LAVERNE COLLEGE IN 1966, A FEW YEARS LATER, I BOUGHT A HOUSE IN LAVERNE ON PAYTON ROAD. WE HAVE RAISED OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS THERE FOR OVER 50 YEARS.

MY NEIGHBOR AT THE TIME, THE [INAUDIBLE].

THE FIRE CHIEF OF LAVERNE.

AS I GOT TO KNOW HIM.

HE ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE TO BE A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER FOR THE CITY.

AND I PROUDLY SAID YES. I'M VERY PROUD OF WORKING WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THE 35 PLUS YEARS AND SERVING THE COMMUNITY.

WHEN I ASKED OUR CURRENT MAYOR AT A PUBLIC FORUM BEFORE THE ELECTION.

THAT IF ELECTED, WOULD HE VOTE TO GO COUNTY, HE STATED HE WANTED TO KEEP THE CITY LOCAL, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STATION LOCAL.

ONCE THE CITY HAS CONVERTED TO COUNTIES, IT WILL BE FINANCIALLY IMPOSSIBLE OR EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO EVER CHANGE BACK THE CITY SERVICES.

AS SOME CITIES HAVE FOUND OUT IN THE PAST.

AS THIS WILL AFFECT CURRENT CITIZENS AND FUTURE CITIZENS FOR DECADES TO COME, THE CITIZENS I FEEL HAVE A RIGHT TO DIRECTLY VOTE ON THIS ISSUE.

THE CITIZENS VOTED IN THE 1980S TO IMPOSE UPON THEM A TAX OR FEE TO PROVIDE PARAMEDIC SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY.

IN FACT, ALL FIRE EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO BE CERTIFIED PARAMEDICS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT.

THIS HAS PROVEN TO BE A BRILLIANT DECISION AS THE VAST MAJORITY OF CALLS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE BEEN FOR MEDICAL SERVICES AND HAVE SAVED COUNTLESS LIVES.

PLEASE PLACE ON THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM TO DISCUSS PLACING A PROPOSITION OR MEASURE ON THE

[01:10:03]

THANK YOU, MR. BEAUMONT. ALL RIGHT.

MR. MAYOR, I HAVE CHIEF BOB [INAUDIBLE] ON THE LINE.

MR. [INAUDIBLE], HOW ARE YOU, SIR? GOOD EVENING. I'M FINE, THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR, OF COURSE, MY NAME IS BOB [INAUDIBLE] AND I'M RETIRED FIRE CHIEF OF THE CITY OF LAVERNE.

AND I'M CALLING REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND IT REALLY CONCERNS ME AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE COUNCIL IS CONSIDERING CONTRACTING TO L.A.

COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.

AND I'M INTERESTED IN THIS BECAUSE OF MY 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SERVING WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND, I WAS A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND WAS HIRED FULL TIME IN 1964 AND THEN WAS PROMOTED TO FIRE CHIEF IN 1971.

I SUBMITTED A GROWTH PLAN OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO THE CITY COUNCIL NOT TOO LONG AFTER I WAS PROMOTED AND THEY ADOPTED THE PLAN.

AND THIS PLAN INCLUDED THE BUILDING OF STATION TWO ON WHEELER AVENUE , HIRING NEW PERSONNEL, UPGRADING OUR EQUIPMENT.

WE STARTED A PROGRAM WITH OUR RESERVES, WE CALL IT THE SLEEPER PROGRAM, BUT THEY FILLED IN DUTY HOURS ON WEEKENDS AND NIGHTS, AND THEY JUST DID A TREMENDOUS JOB AND IT SAVED THE CITY A BUNDLE OF MONEY.

AND THEN I STARTED THE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM, WHICH THE CITIZENS VOTED FOR PAYING FOR THAT, I FORGET WHAT THE COST WAS AT THE TIME, BUT ANYWAY, THE CITIZENS BACKED IT REALLY WELL.

AND THIS PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDED TRANSPORTING PATIENTS TO THE HOSPITAL.

WE DIDN'T USE A PRIVATE AMBULANCE COMPANY AT THE TIME AND I'VE LIVED IN LAVERNE MOST OF MY LIFE AND MY 85 YEAR, 86 YEARS OLD NOW.

AND SO THAT'S A LOT OF YEARS.

AND I CAN REMEMBER AS A CHILD THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM THAT WAS WAY BACK THEN, NOT NEAR AS BIG. AND ONE THING THAT REALLY STICKS IN MY MIND BACK THEN WAS DURING WORLD WAR TWO.

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE FIRST AID DRILLS AND AS KIDS WOULD BE LAYING OUT ON THE FRONT LINES AND SO ON, AND THE FIREMEN WOULD COME UP AND BANDAGE US ALL UP AND SO ON.

AND THAT HAS REALLY STUCK WITH ME.

AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I AM REALLY PROUD OF LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE WAY IT HAS SERVED THE CITIZENS OF LAVERNE.

AND MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS ISSUE BE PUT ON THE AGENDA SOME WAY, WHATEVER IT TAKES, TO PUT IT OUT ON THE BALLOT FOR THE CITIZENS, I THINK THEY DESERVE TO BE HEARD.

THEY HAVE BACKED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR SO LONG.

AND I JUST I JUST FEEL THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO BE HEARD ON THIS SUBJECT BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE. AND THAT'S ABOUT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, AND I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE MY OPINION, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP, JUST LET ME KNOW I'M

[01:15:04]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY.

MR. MAYOR, I HAVE CRAIG WALTERS ON THE LINE.

GOOD EVENING, MR. WALTERS.

WELL, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, AND I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU THIS EVENING.

AS YOU CAN PROBABLY GUESS, I'M JOINING WITH THE THREE GENTLEMEN THAT SPOKE BEFORE ME AND WE ARE REQUESTING AND THE OTHERS HAVE SAID TO PLACE THE FUTURE OF OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE HANDS OF THE VOTERS.

I'M NOT GOING TO GET INTO DETAILS.

MANY OF THOSE HAVE BEEN COVERED BRIEFLY ALREADY THIS EVENING.

BUT I DO HAVE THREE POINTS I'D LIKE TO MAKE.

FIRST LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT BEGAN MANY, MANY YEARS AGO WITH CITIZEN FIREFIGHTERS AND FOR 100 YEARS, THE CITY HAS BEEN SERVED EXTREMELY WELL BY THAT DEPARTMENT.

THIS IS VERY PERSONAL FOR ME.

IT STARTED WITH MY GRANDFATHER JOINING THE DEPARTMENT BACK IN THE 1930S AS A VOLUNTEER.

MY DAD SERVED FIRST AS A VOLUNTEER AND THEN I WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST PAID FIREFIGHTERS BACK DURING THE TIME WHEN SOMETIMES THERE ARE ONLY ONE OR TWO PAID FIREMEN ON DUTY [INAUDIBLE]. AND THEN MYSELF, I JOINED AS SOON AS I WAS ABLE TO OPEN UP TO JOIN IN THE LATE 70S. MY FAMILY HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY CONNECTED AND PROUD OF THE DEPARTMENT.

IT'S MORE THAN JUST THE PERSONAL CONNECTION.

I REALLY AM PROUD OF THE EXCELLENT EMERGENCY SERVICES THAT WE ENJOY, ESPECIALLY THE PARAMEDIC SERVICES, AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE SECOND TO NONE.

SECOND POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT LAVERNE HAS A HISTORY OF TAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS TO THE PUBLIC AS A VOTE.

IN FACT, AS WAS MENTIONED, THE [INAUDIBLE] SERVICE FEE WAS APPROVED IN 1984 BY VOTE.

AND EMS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO COMMUNICATE ISSUES AND RECEIVE INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC [INAUDIBLE] ARE REALLY CRUCIAL TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE FEEDBACK WE ARE HEARING FROM PEOPLE IS THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THE DECISION, DISCUSSION OR NOT VERY WELL-INFORMED.

AND FINALLY, I KNOW VERY WELL WHERE YOU ARE FOR 13 YEARS, WELL MAYBE NOT EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE IN THEIR HOMES, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

THERE'S SOMETIMES A FEELING THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE LUCKY TO MAKE THESE HARD DECISIONS AND THERE'S REALLY NO NEED TO GO TO THE VOTE.

I CAN TELL YOU FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT TAKING LAVERNE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COUNTY IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF ISSUE THAT NEEDS A VOTE.

AND WITH THAT IN MIND, I'M JOINING THE OTHERS TO REQUEST THAT THIS ISSUE OF PLACING COUNTY SERVICE AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO A VOTE BE PLACED ON THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL AGENDA.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST AND ABILITY TO LISTEN TO US.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. WALTERS. AND THANK YOU FOR THE SERVICE TO THE CITY.

MR. MAYOR, WE'RE JUST CHECKING WE BELIEVE THAT WAS THE LAST SPEAKER.

NO OTHER REQUESTS RECEIVED, SIR.

WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM NINE, COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONFERENCE MEETING REPORTS.

JR, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I THOUGHT THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE IN THE PACKET WHEN I SAW IT EARLIER TODAY. WAS THAT JACKSON [INAUDIBLE] I SAW? NO.

I THOUGHT I SAW ONE BY TERI PRENTICE.

I WASN'T. BUT I COULD BE WRONG.

WE ACTUALLY DID CALL HIM.

HE HAD THE HE HAD REQUESTED IT BACK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH.

WE CHECKED WITH HIM JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO AND HE'S NOT GOING TO SPEAK TONIGHT.

OK, VERY GOOD. OK, SO WE'RE NOTHING ELSE, IS THAT CORRECT? JR? CORRECT. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'LL MOVE TO COUNCIL COMMENTS AND

[9. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND CONFERENCE/MEETING REPORTS]

WHO WOULD LIKE TO START TONIGHT? COUNCIL MEMBER LAU.

[01:20:02]

FIRST, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO THE CITY COUNCIL PRESENTLY SITTING, AS WELL AS SOME FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT HAVE REACHED OUT TO ME FOLLOWING MY FATHER BEING TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR COVID.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE WELL WISHES, THE PRAYERS, THE GOOD THOUGHTS.

I DEFINITELY THINK THEY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

IT DEFINITELY MAKES A DIFFERENCE TO MY FAMILY AND IT DEFINITELY MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR MY DAD. AND SO I YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OR BEEN ADVISED OF WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU AS WE'RE GOING INTO WEEK TWO AND A HALF OR WHATEVER OF THE NEW YEAR.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE PANDEMIC IS NOT YET BEHIND US.

AND IT IS VERY REAL AND IT IS VERY SCARY.

MY PARENTS WERE BEING PRETTY SAFE AND I THINK, LIKE MOST OF US HAD THEIR OWN LITTLE BUBBLES THAT THEY THOUGHT WERE SAFE AS WELL.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, SOMEONE WHO CAME TO VISIT THEM AT THEIR HOUSE, WHO WAS STILL WORKING, CAME AND HAD SYMPTOMS AND IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME GOT BOTH MY PARENTS SICK.

MY MOM HAD A VERY MILD CASE AND SHE'S RECOVERED.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR MY MOM.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD TO CALL THE AMBULANCE FOR MY DAD THE NIGHT OF WINTER WONDERLAND.

SO I LEFT THAT EVENT EARLY AND WAS WITH MY DAD FOR MAYBE 20 MINUTES OR SO.

THE PARAMEDICS OPTED TO I DIDN'T THINK THAT HE NEEDED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL THAT NIGHT.

BUT LIKE I SAID, I WAS THERE FOR 20 MINUTES.

I WAS MASKED. MY FATHER WASN'T BECAUSE THEY WERE TRYING TO GIVE THEM OXYGEN AND DOING ALL SORTS OF THINGS. WE ENDED UP HAVING TO CALL THE PARAMEDICS THE NEXT MORNING AT FIVE A.M.

TO HAVE THEM TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.

HE SAT IN THE BACK OF AN AMBULANCE FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE THEY COULD FIND ROOM FOR HIM IN THE HOSPITAL. AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT A ROOM.

I'M TALKING ABOUT JUST GETTING HIM PHYSICALLY INTO THE BUILDING.

IT WAS ALMOST A DAY BEFORE THEY COULD FIND HIM A BED AND A PLACE TO STAY.

HE HAS NOW BEEN IN ICU SINCE DECEMBER 20TH.

YOU KNOW, HE IS DOING BETTER, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF FEAR AND SCARE, YOU KNOW, SCARED FEELINGS ABOUT HAVING MY DAD THERE.

UP UNTIL THIS HAPPENED, MY MOM AND BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, MY MOM AND DAD WERE WORLD TRAVELERS. THEY WERE RETIRED AND TRAVELED ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.

SO EVEN BEING IN A HIGHER AGE GROUP AND HAVING AN UNDERLYING CONDITION, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PRETTY SERIOUS. HE'S GOT A TRACHE AND A FEEDING TUBE.

HE'S ON A VENTILATOR THEY WERE TRYING TO GET HIM OFF OF.

THERE'S BEEN TALK OF TRYING TO MOVE HIM, WHICH SCARES US TO NO END BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE ROOM IN THE HOSPITALS FOR WORST CASES.

AND I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER FELT MORE HELPLESS IN WATCHING MY DAD IN THE BACK OF AN AMBULANCE. AND I DON'T WISH THAT ON ANYBODY.

AND I JUST URGE EVERYBODY TO CONTINUE TO BE SAFE, TO BE RESPECTFUL, TO BE KIND, WHERE YOUR MASK, STAY HOME IF YOU CAN.

LIKE I SAID, I WAS EXPOSED TO MY DAD FOR 20 MINUTES THAT NIGHT.

SEVEN DAYS LATER, I ENDED UP WITH SYMPTOMS AND TESTED POSITIVE A FEW DAYS LATER AND HAD TO QUARANTINE AND ISOLATE AT HOME BY MYSELF.

SO IT IS PRETTY SCARY IF YOU CAN GET VACCINATED, PLEASE DO.

LIKE I SAID, BE SAFE.

IT IS HORRIBLY FRIGHTENING.

AND I SHARED MY STORY WITH FOLKS AND THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAVE REACHED OUT PRIVATELY TO SAY ME TOO, MY DAD'S IN THE HOSPITAL, MY MOM'S IN THE HOSPITAL.

WE LOST MY UNCLE. WE LOST MY AUNT, WE LOST A GRANDPARENT.

THE NUMBERS ARE ASTOUNDING.

AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SHAME OR FEAR OR WHAT THAT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM SHARING THESE STORIES. AND MAYBE THAT'S WHAT PROPELS PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS ISN'T REAL OR THAT IT ISN'T AS SCARY AS IT IS.

BUT I AM HERE TO SAY THAT IT IS REAL AND YOU CAN BE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE AND IT CAN STILL HIT YOUR HOME AND HOPEFULLY IT DOESN'T HIT YOU HARD AND HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY COMES OUT OF IT. BUT THAT ISN'T THE CASE.

I HAVE A FRIEND WAITING TO MEET WITH ROSE HILLS AND THEY WON'T GET TO MEET WITH ROSE HILLS UNTIL FEBRUARY 8TH TO ARRANGE FOR HER FATHER'S FUNERAL.

LIKE I SAID, I WOULDN'T WISH THIS ON ANYONE.

PLEASE BE SAFE, PLEASE BE KIND.

THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO'S REACHED OUT.

I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER LAU.

COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER. WOULD YOU COME BACK TO ME? I'M TAKING NOTES STILL.

COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY.

YEAH, I JUST THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER LAU AND STILL WISH YOUR FATHER WELL AND WISH EVERYBODY'S FAMILIES OUT THERE OUT THERE.

WELL, I AM FOR MY WORK, I AM THE COVID LIAISON FOR MY SCHOOL DISTRICT MEANS I GET EVERY CALL OF ANY EMPLOYEE THAT'S EITHER BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT OR THAT'S POSITIVE.

[01:25:02]

GOOD NEWS OUT THERE WAS REPORTED TODAY THAT PEOPLE AGES 65 OR ABOVE COULD START GETTING VACCINATED. STARTING ON THURSDAY.

YOU CAN GO TO THE L.A.

COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WEBSITE TO START TO GET YOUR APPOINTMENT, THAT YOU CAN DO THAT NOW, BUT SO MIGHT JUST LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER LAU SAID VACCINATION IS KEY FOR ALL OF US TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

SO PEACE AND HEALTH FOR EVERYONE AND CONTINUE TO SHOP IN LAVERNE AND KEEP OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES GOING STRONG.

BUT PRAYERS FOR ALL THOSE THAT HAVE EITHER LOST SOMEONE OR THAT HAVE DEALT WITH COVID.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CROSBY.

COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR.

I SHARED COUNCIL MEMBER COSBY'S REMARKS REGARDING COUNCIL MEMBER LAU AND HER FAMILY.

PRAYERS TO YOU AND EVERYONE.

AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.

IT'S AN IMPORTANT STORY THAT WE SHARE SO THAT IT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF SPEAKING ABOUT, BECAUSE THAT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH.

COUNCIL MEMBER LAU AND I WERE PART OF THE COMMITTEE ON CULTURAL AWARENESS AND SOCIAL INCLUSION EARLIER THIS MONTH, AND WE LIVE STREAMED IT.

SO IF YOU DIDN'T SEE IT LIVE, GO AHEAD AND LOOK FOR IT OUT ON YOUTUBE OR THROUGH THE CITY'S WEBSITE.

IT WAS IT WAS A GOOD PROGRAM THAT WE HAD THAT EVENING AND PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED. WE WANT TO WISH EVERYBODY A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

SINCE THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE, IT WAS 2020.

TOMORROW IS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT'S INAUGURATION.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

NOT RELATED TO COVID AND NOT NECESSARILY TRYING TO USURP IN MEMORIES TONIGHT BECAUSE WE'RE CLOSING THE OPEN MEETING TONIGHT IN MEMORY OF TWO PRESIDENTS.

I PERSONALLY LOST TWO PEOPLE THIS WEEK.

ONE IS A FAMILY FRIEND, WAS FELT LIKE A SECOND FATHER BECAUSE AS SOME OF YOU HEARD ON SECOND STREET GROWING UP, I HAD AT LEAST A DOZEN, IF NOT MORE, FATHERS AND MOTHERS, BECAUSE EVERY HOUSEHOLD, EVERY PARENT WAS A PARENT OF MINE.

AND BEN HINES PASSED AWAY THIS PAST WEEKEND.

HE WAS A NEIGHBOR. HE WAS MY FRIEND'S PARENTS.

HE WAS THE COACH OF LAVERNE BASEBALL TEAM, ALSO BATTING COACH FOR THE DODGERS AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

HE PASSED AWAY.

AND THEN ON SUNDAY, I LOST MY MOM'S SISTER, MY AUNT BERNICE [INAUDIBLE].

BERNICE, [INAUDIBLE] PASSED AWAY, NOT COVID RELATED, BUT SHE WAS A MARVELOUS TEACHER, MUSICIAN AND SINGER.

SO WE'RE ALL WEARING GRIEF AND LOSS DUE TO COVID AND OTHER REASONS.

SO LET'S CONTINUE TO LEAN IN AND BE GENTLE AND GRACIOUS WITH EACH OTHER.

THANK YOU. [INAUDIBLE] DAVIS.

COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER.

YES. THANK YOU, WENDY.

I AM.

SO SUPPORTIVE OF YOU OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH YOUR FAMILY, YOU HAVE ALL OF OUR SUPPORT, AS YOU KNOW, AND YOU'RE ALWAYS IN OUR PRAYERS, AND I HOPE THIS LETS PEOPLE KNOW HOW SERIOUSLY THIS IS.

WE NEED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.

MASKS UP, EVERYBODY NEEDS TO MASK UP AND TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE TONIGHT.

OK, I HAVE TWO ITEMS AND ONE OF THEM I'M GOING TO READ BECAUSE IT'S WONDERFUL NEWS THAT IS GOING ON IN LAVERNE WITH GREAT HONOR.

I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT FOUR NEW PAVERS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AT OUR VETERAN MEMORIAL. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS YEAR WE WEREN'T ABLE TO HAVE OUR CEREMONIES TO HONOR OUR VETERANS. AND SO I WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU.

SO YOU HAVE SOME RECOLLECTION OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON.

TWO SPECIAL PAPERS I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT.

THE FIRST IS FOR MARINES, CORPORATE AUSTIN COX, SERGEANT MICHAEL VERA AND RETIRED ARMY SERGEANT RICK KOMEN, WHO SAVED THE LIFE OF ONE OF OUR OWN LAVERNE RESIDENTS, KATRINA HANNA AT THE LAS VEGAS SHOOTING.

SO THERE'S A SPECIAL PAVER THERE.

AND THE SECOND ONE IS THIS IS FOR SERGEANT BRIAN ANDERSON, A TRIPLE AMPUTEE IRAQ VETERAN.

[01:30:02]

AND HE GAVE A BEAUTIFUL MESSAGE AND THEY ALL CAME OUT TO JUST WANT TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES. AND WE WANTED TO HONOR THOSE THAT SAVED OUR RESIDENT.

AND IT'S THOSE BRAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE HEROES.

AND SO WE WANTED TO DO A PAVER FOR THEM IN OUR GREAT CITY.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO DON KENDRICK, BECAUSE WORKING WITH THE CITY AND BEING PART OF THE MEMORIAL COMMITTEE, HE FOLLOWED THROUGH TO GET THESE PAPERS MADE AND INSTALLED.

I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO STOP BY, SEE THESE PAPERS THERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE [INAUDIBLE] LIST, AND YOU CAN'T MISS THEM AS YOU WALK UP AND THEY'RE JUST BEAUTIFUL.

SO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU.

AS ALWAYS, I ALWAYS TAKE NOTE OF ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS.

AND SO TONIGHT, LISTENING TO FOUR OF THE SPEAKERS, WHICH TO ME IT WAS POWERFUL, THEIR MESSAGES. AND SO AT THIS TIME, IN LIGHT OF THEIR MESSAGES, MR. RUSSI, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR TO BE ON THE NEXT AGENDA AN ITEM TO DISCUSS TAKING THIS MEASURE, THE GOING COUNTY VERSUS CITY TO THE VOTERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT WE LIVE IN AND LET THEM DECIDE ON HOW THIS SHOULD BE VOTED ON AND WHAT ACTION WE TAKE.

SO IF YOU COULD PUT THAT ON FOR DISCUSSION AND I COULD GET BACK WITH YOU WITH FURTHER VERBIAGE.

I COULD REACH OUT TO THOSE FOUR.

I CAN WORK WITH [INAUDIBLE] TO GET THEIR PHONE NUMBERS, REACH OUT TO THOSE FOUR MEN AND SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE THINKING.

BUT OVER THE PAST MONTHS, I HAVE RECEIVED COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF PHONE CALLS OF PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, WITH COVID, WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO HAVE PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR PEOPLE TO COME OUT MORE AND HEAR THIS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T DO ZOOM, DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO TECHNOLOGY, SO WE DON'T HAVE A GREAT POPULATION OF PEOPLE LISTENING AND WATCHING OUR MEETINGS.

SO I ASK FOR THAT TO BE ON THE AGENDA.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CARDER.

REALLY, OUR HEART, MY HEARTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER LAU.

THIS IS TOUGH, VERY TOUGH.

COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS FOR YOUR LOSS AS WE CROSS THE SAME PATHS WITH THE SAME PEOPLE AND.

AND THINGS CHANGE QUICKLY, BUT THIS COVID IS REAL.

UNFORTUNATELY, OUR PEOPLE DON'T LIVE FOREVER.

OUR ELDERS THAT TAUGHT US AND WERE IN SCHOOL WITH OUR CHILDREN, THAT THEY WERE THERE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND THEY WILL TRULY BE MISSED.

BUT COVID IS REAL.

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE THAT DIDN'T HAVE IT, YOU DO NOW.

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW ANYBODY THAT HAD PASSED FROM IT, YOU DO NOW.

SO PLEASE, AS COUNCIL MEMBER LAU SAID, MASK UP.

YOU KNOW, RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE FOR THEIR SITUATION, YOU KNOW, PUT A MASK ON WHILE YOU'RE OUT, WASH YOUR HANDS, DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO JUST TO PROTECT OTHER PEOPLE.

IT IS REAL AND.

JUST WE DO HAVE A BIG DAY TOMORROW, IT IS INAUGURATION, SO I MUST REMIND EVERYONE THAT WE HAVE A WONDERFUL UNITED STATES AND WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN THIS COUNTRY.

AND LET'S MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS AND.

HOPEFULLY, IT'S PEACEFUL, WE WILL HOPE FOR PEACE, BUT EVERYONE, PLEASE, AGAIN, HEARTS AND PRAYERS OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE FAMILY THAT ARE ILL WITH COVID, THAT ARE RECOVERING, THOSE THAT HAVE LOST FAMILY MEMBERS.

OUR HEARTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO ALL OF YOU IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE WILL ALL STICK TOGETHER.

THANK YOU. WE WILL BE.

[10. CLOSED SESSION:]

NOTHING[INAUDIBLE] OUT OF CLOSED SESSION.

WE WILL NOT BE REPORTING ON A CLOSED SESSION.

WE ARE GOING TO ADJOURN TONIGHT IN MEMORY OF OUR LAVERNE RESIDENT AND POLICE RSVP JACK SWANK AND IN MEMORY OF GARBIS DER-YEGHIAN, A LAVERNE RESIDENT ALSO.

JACK WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 4TH, 1927 IN MARION, INDIANA.

AT THE AGE OF 18, JACK ENLISTED IN THE U.S.

ARMY SIGNAL COURSE FROM 1947 TO 1948.

HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE ARMY OF OCCUPATION AFTER GERMANY WAS DEFEATED.

AFTER HIS MILITARY OBLIGATION, JACK STARTED HIS CAREER IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY, WORKING FOR THE BENDIX CORPORATION AS A TELEMETRY TECHNICIAN.

[01:35:01]

AND NAVCOM DEFENSE ELECTRONICS, TO NAME A FEW, HE WAS INVOLVED IN PROJECT SUCH AS THE ATLAS MISSILE, MERCURY AND GEMINI SPACE LAUNCHES.

JACK WAS INVOLVED IN EVERY GEMINI LAUNCH FROM 1965 TO 1966.

IN NOVEMBER OF 1965 HE MARRIED SUZANNE AND THEY MOVED TO CALIFORNIA.

IN 1967 HE WENT TO WORK FOR THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY JPL DEEP SPACE TRACKING STATION IN BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA.

IN 1968, HE MOVED TO QUITO, ECUADOR TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY SATELLITES.

HE RETURNED TO PASADENA IN 1969, WHERE HE TRANSFERRED TO THE PASADENA BRANCH OF JPL.

AFTER THE DECLINE OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY IN 1973.

JACK WENT INTO BUSINESS WORKING ON SERVING TWO WAY RADIOS AND FIRST OF THE HANDHELD MOBILE TELEPHONES. TOWARDS THE END OF HIS CAREER, HE WORKED AT NAVCOM DEFENSE ELECTRONICS. UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1992.

IN 1996, JACK BECAME A VOLUNTEER LASER AND HELPED DEVELOP THE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES EMERGENCY RADIO SERVICES IN CASE OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE POLICE RADIO STATION.

IN 2002, JACK AND HIS WIFE BECAME RSVPS FOR THE CITY OF LAVERNE.

JACK WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN RUNNING THE TRAINING MANUAL FOR THE RSVP PROGRAM THAT TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF TO TRAIN MANY OF THE NEWLY RECRUITED RSVPS.

JACK PASSED AWAY ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER TWENTY FOURTH, AND IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE SUZANNE AND HIS DAUGHTER JUDY SWANK.

HE WAS TRULY A GENIUS IN SHORTWAVE RADIO, SO HE WILL TRULY BE MISSED.

AND IT WAS AN AMAZING RSVP.

THANK YOU, JACK. CONDOLENCES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

OUR NEXT IS IN MEMORY OF DR.

GARBIS DER-YEGHIAN, LAVERNE.

I WILL CALL HIM GARBIS BECAUSE THAT'S HOW I KNEW IT AS GARBIS.

DR. GARBIS WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BEIRUT, LEBANON.

HE EARNED A BACHELOR DEGREES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MATHEMATICS, SUMMA CUM LAUDE, AS WELL AS A MASTER DEGREES IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FOR THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BEIRUT.

AT THE AGE OF 17 BEGAN TEACHING AT BOTH THE ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL IN BEIRUT BEFORE SERVING AS A HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL IN LEBANON AT THE AGE OF TWENTY TWO.

AFTER MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES, HE ATTENDED NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, EARNING HIS DOCTORATE IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL POLICY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LAVERNE EARNING A SECOND DOCTORATE IN EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT.

HE HOLDS AN HONORARY DOCTORATE FROM FIVE UNIVERSITIES.

HE IS THE FIRST AMERICAN ARMENIAN INDUCTED INTO THE ACADEMY OF DIASPORA SCIENCES IN ARMENIA. DR.

GARBIS WAS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS THE FOUNDER AND CATALYST OF ARMENIAN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

HE SERVED AS DEAN AND PRESIDENT, AS WELL AS PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AT THE AMERICAN ARMENIAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF LAVERNE FROM 1976 TO 1992.

IN ADDITION, 11 UNIVERSITIES HAVE BESTOWED UPON HIM HONORARY PROFESSORSHIPS.

DR. GARBIS WAS A VISIONARY AND DYNAMIC COMMUNITY LEADER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHO WAS A PEACEMAKER AND A CONSENSUS BUILDER AND HIGHLY RESPECTED BY ALL SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY.

DR. GARBIS WAS A RECIPIENT OF MORE THAN 200 NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION, HAS BEEN HONORED BY A SCORE OF HEADS OF STATES, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, UNIVERSITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS. HE AUTHORED 14 BOOKS ON CURRENT AFFAIRS, HISTORY AND EDUCATION, PRESENTED MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED SCHOLARLY PAPERS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES.

DR. GARBIS WAS A DEDICATED ROTARIAN.

HE JOINED THE LAVERNE ROTARY CLUB IN 1981.

HE ALSO SERVED ON THE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ROTARY DISTRICT 53 HUNDRED AS CHAIR AND GOVERNOR.

HE DELIVERED MORE THAN 15 HUNDRED SPEECHES TO ROTARY CLUBS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

THROUGH HIS EFFORTS AT THE ROTARY CLUB OF LAVERNE WAS ABLE TO ESTABLISH THE FIRST ROTARY CLUB IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.

IN 2002 AT THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION HELD IN BARCELONA, SPAIN.

HE WAS HONORED AS WORLD CHAMPION AND MOST DISTINGUISHED PAST DISTRICT GOVERNOR.

HE IS ALSO THE RECIPIENT OF ROTARY DISTRICT FIFTY THREE HUNDRED PEACE AMBASSADORS TITLE IN 2000. ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR IN 1990, 95, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2014.

MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD IN 2005, ROTARY SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD IN 2007 AND PEACEMAKER OF THE YEAR DISTRICT FIFTY THREE HUNDRED INAUGURAL AWARD IN 2010.

IN 2013 AT THE ROTARY DISTRICT FIFTY THREE HUNDRED TWENTY FOURTH ANNIVERSARY PEACE CONFERENCE, THE DISTRICT GOVERNOR PROBABLY ANNOUNCED ESTABLISH THE GARBIS DER-YEGHIAN PEACE INSTITUTE IN HONOR AND APPRECIATION OF THE DISTRICT'S PEACE CONFERENCE DYNAMIC AND VISIONARY FOUNDER AND CHAIR.

IN MARCH 2005, GARBIS MADE HISTORY BY CO-CHAIRING AND SERVING AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE FIRST EVER ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CAUCUS PEACE CONFERENCE HELD IN ANKARA, TURKEY, AND ATTENDED BY ARMENIAN AND TURKISH ROTARIANS.

IN 2016, THE LAVERNE CITY COUNCIL PRESENTED A SPECIAL PROCLAMATION TO DR.

DER-YEGHIAN EXALTING HIS UNIQUE VIRTUES AS A DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF LAVERNE COMMUNITY, ADMIRABLY VOLUNTEERING HIS TIME, KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES, VISIONARY COLLEGE PRESIDENT,

[01:40:03]

HE WAS CONGRATULATED FOR HIS FORTIETH YEAR OF SERVICE TO HIGHER EDUCATION AS WELL, FOR FOREGOING AN IMPRESSIVE LEGACY IN ACADEMIA AND FOR BEING ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY REGARDED AND BELOVED PROFESSORS AMONG STUDENTS AND FACULTY.

HE WAS ALSO THANKED FOR HIS ROLE IN FURTHERING RECOGNITION OF THE CITY OF LAVERNE ON AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AND FACILITATING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY OF ETCHMIADZIN IN ARMENIA IN NINETEEN EIGHTY FIVE.

HIS INTEREST WAS CHURCH ACTIVITIES, PLAYING THE VIOLIN, CONDUCTING CHESS, WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY.

HE IS SERVED BY HIS WIFE ANGELA, HIS TWO SONS, AND HE WILL SORELY BE MISSED.

AND AS GARBIS WOULD ALWAYS SAY.

MY FRIEND TIM, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? I WILL MISS THAT.

LOVE YOU MAN. THANK YOU.

WE WILL RECESS IN THE CLOSED SESSION NOW.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.