Laguna Hills Watch Dog: December 2012

Laguna Hills Watch Dog
Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - December 11, 2012

** SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS - Congratulations and welcome to Mr. Andrew Blount and Dr. Dore Gilbert, our 2 new Laguna Hills City Council Members - It is now Official.
The FINAL and OFFICIAL VOTE CUMULATIVE TOTALS from the OC Registrar of Voters page at http://ocvote.com/fileadmin/live/gen2012/Run23/cumulative.pdf are:
Andrew Blount - 5,679 - 27.34%
Dr. Dore Gilbert - 4,980- 23.97%
Bill Hunt - 4,857 - 23.38%
Dr. Raghu Mathur - 4,287 - 20.64%
AJ Djowharzdeh - 970 - 4067%

** Takle another look at your new "LAGUNA HILLS CITY VIEWS" for 2012-2013-Winter.The HEADLINE ON THE COVER is "A FRESH START FOR MOULTON LA PAZ CENTER" but the pictures around and under that headline on the cover page are NOT of the Moulton La Paz Center. These pictures are of the OAKBROOK VILLAGE REDEVELOPMENT with a close up look at all those apartment buildings in the bottom picture. Apparently somebody at City Hall mixed up the projects or forgot to check the headline and drawings on the cover page?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone! We are looking forward to a more Resident and Business friendly and Transparent Laguna Hills in 2013!!!

FEATURES DIRECTORY

** Citizen Alerts for each future City Council Meeting will be posted on the blog site within 4 days prior to each meeting - Consider attending a meeting that interests you.

** REORGANIZATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
** Certification of the General Municipal Election held on Nov. 6, 2012
** Recognition of Outgoing Council Members - Alan Songstad and Joel Lautenschleger with a resolution of commendation from the City.
** Oath's of Office for New Council Members
** Election of Mayor - Election of the Mayor by the city council members - Congratulations, finally, to Mayor Kogerman!
** Election of Mayor Pro-Tem - Election by the city council members Congratulations to Mayor Pro-Tem Blount who received the highest number of votes in the 2012 City Council Election!
** National Anthem by Elizabeth Anne Vaughn - daughter of Mayor Kogerman
** Recognition of Outgoing Mayor - with a commendation from the City for service as Mayor
** Remarks of Newly Elected Mayor and Council Members - New Council Members state some of their own goals and values related to serving on the City Council.

** Presentations and Proclamations -
Item 1.1 - LHHS Student Liaison Report - Adam Wong - alternate Amanda Jafee - Students from Japan, came to LHHS to participate in cultural exchange. CA. League of High Schools Regional teacher of the year honored. "Home for the Holidays" Music Concert, on Saturday, Dec. 15.   LHHS Talent Show. Dec. 14 - Wrestling Dinner Dual at 6 pm.
Item 1.2 - Laguna Hills 3/5 Marine Support Committee - Mike Bland who talked about the success of the Annual Holiday Party for the Families of the 3/5 Marines adopted by the City of Laguna Hills
** Public Comments - New Mayor Kogerman clearly explains that speakers are not required to complete Request to Speak forms and to give their private information publicly at council meetings.    Meg Gorham explains the new "Win-Win-Wednesday Shares" concept toward Building Community one Wednesday at a Time.
** Consent Calendar - Warrant Register - $216,454.75
** Items of Interest from the Warrant Register - None
** Items Pulled from the Warrant Register- None
Item 4.2 - Affirmation of Appointments List for all City Boards, Commissions and Committees
Item 4.3 - Updating Designation of Assistant and Deputy City Attorneys
Item 4.4 - Measure M2 Expenditure Report for FY ended June 30, 2012
Item 4.5 - Lease Agreement with So. OC Regional Chambers of Commerce for Space at City Hall
Item 4.6 - Annual Review of Investment Policies and delegation of investment authority to the City Treasurer
Item 4.7 - Adoption of Ordinance and Amendments to Title 9 of Laguna Hills's Municipal Code to comply with State Requirements SB2 for Homeless Shelters
Item 4.8 - First Quarter Financial and Treasurer's Report for FY 2012-13
** Items of interest in the Consent Calendar - Item 4.2 Traffic and Parks and Rec. Commissions Vacancies.
** Items pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion - Item 4.8 with question about the City's money in the bank and how that compares to the Operating Budget.
** Planning Agency/City Council Public Hearings - None
** Administrative Reports -
Item 7.2.1 - 2013 City Council Meeting Schedule/Calendar
Item 7.2.2 - Appointments of Mayor and Council Members to "Other Agencies and Commissions" paid and unpaid including the OC Fire Authority's Board of Directors - Congratulations to the New Mayor for this long overdue and welcome new method of distributing appointments among all council members and Thank you to our City Clerk who explained the information on form 806.
** Matters Agendized and Presented by Council Members and Mayor- None
** City Council Member Comments - Literature on Prevention of Home Cooking fires from OCFA
** Closed Session - None
** City Council Members Report Card - How did they score?
** Information, Comments, Questions, Concerns from LH Watch Dog Readers from the previous blog post - ABOUT CLARIFICATIONS and QUESTIONS requested from the LH Watch Dog regarding Oakbrook Village, the MOU for the City Employee's Organization, City Crime Reports, and New Name of Moulton-La Paz Shopping Center.
ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITY
ABOUT A BETTER ANIMAL SHELTER FOR LAGUNA HILLS RESIDENTS
ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE LA PAZ OPEN SPACE LANDSCAPE DISCUSSION
ABOUT WHO ACTUALLY LED THE EFFORT TO STOP THE EL TORO AIRPORT
PLUS - WIN-WIN-WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE OF RESTAURANTS
***You can place comments in the "COMMENTS" section at the bottom of this LHWD blog site report and see comments there from others and you can send your comments to BlandMJ@aol.com Your name is never used in the comments section unless you give permission.
** HOW TO SUPPORT OUR 3/5 ADOPTED MARINES and UPDATES FROM - TEAM DARK HORSE
** NEWS STORIES and BLOGS ABOUT LAGUNA HILLS - find more in the OC Register online under "City-by-City News" - "Laguna Hills" and in the OC Watchdog
**CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
** WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Laguna Hills City Council Meeting - December 11, 2012
All Council Members were present
=========================================
See information for Win-Win-Wednesdays under INFORMATION, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS and CONCERNS from Watch Dog Readers, Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members at - ccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us

** The National Anthem was beautifully and strongly sung by Elizabeth Anne Vaughn, daughter of Mayor Kogerman in place of the usual Pledge of Allegiance.

** REORGANIZATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL

** Certification of the General Municipal Election Results for Laguna Hills City Council held on Nov. 6, 2012. Results were as follows: 14,280 total ballots cast. Ballots cast in precincts (Not including early voting and mail in ballots) = 7,126. Total number of Early Ballots cast = 117. Total number of ballots cast by mails were 7,037.

The results were certified unanimously and Mayor Carruth took us on a verbal ride through Laguna Hills from North to South pointing out each business re-development project, park and roadway improvement in Laguna Hills over past years. She noted that the City Staff secured Measure M funds and Federal dollars for these improvements. She said we are not dependent on tax increment governing to finance the City's economic activities. The vision, the plans, the projects all concluded without one dollar of taxpayer money. (**Editor's note - Measure M, was a 20-year sales tax measure approved by voters in 1990. Voters approved a renewed version of Measure M, known as M2, in 2006 for 30 years. All cities use this taxpayer money and our City, among many others, does do a good job of using it. See - http://www.ocregister.com/articles/measure-292394-improvements-freeway.html )
She said this was a team effort, between City Council and Staff. She said the City Council's philosophy has been that True Market Forces bring Timely Sustainable Development Activity. She noted the City's Annual Events and the just created Community Bulletin Board, etc.

** Recognition of Outgoing Council Members - Allan Songstad and Joel Lautenschleger were each presented with a plaque and a resolution of commendation from the City for their long time service. The City Hall audience was large, filled with many family members from the Songstad and Lautenschleger extended families, families of the new council members and residents. Mayor Carruth went over the history of their service beginning in 1991 as part of the City Council.

Council Member Songstad responded with comments, said that hiring City Manager Bruce Channing was the best decision the city council ever made. He said Channing built a conservative government based on financial principals that the council adopted created an efficient and highly competent staff. He repeated much of the "Year End Report" from the Nov. 27, 2012 City Council Meeting. He noted the self sustaining City Hall that was bought and renovated by the City and complained that we don't hear enough about all the good things that have been done by the City but instead hear complaints about management compensation. (**Editor's Note - Laguna Hill's "City Views" Magazine mailed to all residents 4 times a year does concentrate exclusively on only the "good things" Mr. Songstad says he wants us to hear.) He said, a City Manager, after 21 years is well compensated and added what you read in the papers about the compensation was "untrue". He repeated that the City's retirement benefits are low and concluded that the City's compensation program is the reason they are able too retain such a talented staff.

Council Member Lautenschleger also commented that we are in excellent financial shape and provide excellent services, he mentioned a list of accomplishments and repeated some of what Lautenschleger had said. He noted - Don't be swayed by these mindless prejudicial blogs that you read about. (**Editor's Note - We completely agree that you shouldn't be swayed by just reading a blog or just reading anything or by just listening to a politician. Always look at the actual documentation from both sides. When there is a lack of transparency, documentation is difficult to find from a City, but at the LH Watch dog, we always document.)

Lautenschleger continued - We have the best City Manager in the County if not the State. To achieve at the highest level, you have to hire the best and pay them accordingly no matter how big or how small you are.
(**Editor's Note - This is an issue every taxpayer can decide for him or herself - Should the City Manager from Laguna Hills be paid more than the City Manager from the largest city in OC, Anaheim, and all other large cities and is the long time Laguna Hills City Manager the only one who can do his job competently? Laguna Hills is the 7th smallest of the 34 cities in Orange County with a population of 30,618 and a 2011-12 General Fund Revenue of $17,318,731.   Anaheim is the largest city in Orange County with a population of 343,793 and a General Fund Revenue of $226,400,000 according to The Orange County Business Journal, Oct. 15, 2012.
Also, from - the LA Times Newspaper June 21, 2011 - OC Grand Jury Questions officials' salaries in 3 cities. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oc-salaries-20110621,0,1126677.story - The grand jury also singled out the compensation of Laguna Hills City Manager Bruce Channing — a total of about $378,000 including benefits (but not including his $60,000 car) — as higher than the norm. The average total compensation for a city manager was $281,699 with benefits, and the average base salary was $207,808. (A Times analysis last year found the average taxable compensation for a city manager in L.A. County was $210,000.) With the grand jury's lower figure, Channing still had the highest total compensation figure of any city manager in the County, although other city managers made more in base salary.)

Lautenschleger added that Songstad was recently vilified and a gentleman commented in the audience that we should take action re. that incident, that really had nothing to do with city business, or that would be Allan's Legacy if we did not take action. (**Editor's Note - This was re. the Orange County Grand Jury citing Songstad for "misfeasance" - City Officials abused power, grand jury says - July 6, 2012 Orange County Register- http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/07/06/city-officials-abused-power-grand-jury-says/158361/ The "gentleman in the audience" and others asked the council to request that the Grand Jury release records of its investigation so more information would be revealed to assist with either clearing Songstad or helping the council and residents understand better why Songstad had been cited. The council ignored requests for additional information and Council Member Lautenschleger and Mayor Carruth authored the City's response to the Grand Jury telling the Grand Jury that this matter had nothing to do with the Laguna Hills City Council.) Lautenschleger concluded that Songstad would be remembered for his wisdom.

** Oath's of Office for New Council Members were given to Dr. Dore Gilbert and to Andrew Blount.

** Election of Mayor - Election of the Mayor by the city council members. Council Member Andrew Blount nominated Council Member Barbara Kogerman for Mayor. There were no other nominations and Council Member Bressette seconded that nomination. The vote was 5 - 0 in favor.

** Election of Mayor Pro-Tem - Election by the city council members of Mayor Pro-Tem - Council Member Andrew Blount was nominated by Council Member Dore Gilbert as Mayor Pro-Tem. There wewre no other nominations and the vote was 5-0 in favor.

** Recognition of Outgoing Mayor - with a plaque and commendation from the City for service as Mayor. Mayor Kogerman summarized the commendation and noted that Carruth was the 1st Mayor of Laguna Hills so declared she was the "Mother of Laguna Hills", the continued with a list of boards on which she had served, etc.

** Remarks of Newly Elected Mayor and Council Members -

Mayor Barbara Kogerman pledged to be fair and efficient and to stress listening and courtesy to each other, to staff and to the public. She thanked her family and scored some big laughs and clapping from the audience by saying that although her husband, Lt. Col. Bill Kogerman, is "opinionated" he always respects and supports her decisions. She thanked her daughter Elizabeth, with the beautiful voice, and her 92 year old mother who can't figure out how she raised 4 Republicans but taught her how to work a room and her big brother, Gary. She thanked residents including the quartet of Valerie (an encyclopedia on animal issues) and Jonathan Bromberg and Jean (keeping the City informed) and Mike Bland (Team Darkhorse) for walking the city for term limits and for her 2010 election. She thanked Meg Gorham for all her energy and creativity. She noted that she wants to more systematically thank resident volunteers for their service. Mayor Kogerman also thanked Council Member Melody Carruth who, back in May of 2009 said, "You should meet Jean Bland", a few more laughs from the audience. (**Editor's Note - We thank Council Member Carruth for that as well!) Kogerman continued by thanking the Rotarians in the room for their service, her church group at Mount of Olives and her Birthday Babes group. She said the council and staff together will continue to move the City forward including renovations at the Laguna Hills Mall. Kogerman said she looks forward to the benefits of the service from Dr. Gilbert who is a 29 year school board member veteran and a true American hero. She added that Andrew Blount almost defies description (more big laughs) with his energy, genius and love for Laguna Hills, not to mention practically all of mankind and he will serve our City well. She said she is looking forward to bringing in talented and educated citizens to help shape new directions for business development, services for seniors and youth and finding a humane way to deal with Animal Care issues. (Audience Applause)

Council Member Dr. Dore Gilbert - Thanked his family members, his wife Gloria and 4 of his 5 grown children were present. His daughter Melissa is a Physician's Assistant and works in his Dermatology Practice, his son Jake is a OC firefighter, son Jeffrey is in Commercial Real Estate, son Kevin is a Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. (big applause) who served in Afghanistan last year. He said he is humbled and honored to be a sitting Council Member. He said Allan and Joel served the community above and beyond for the last quarter of a century, noted the beauty of the City and said job well done (applause). He said his goals will be to continue to partner with our schools, and improve, in a lot of ways, by making our schools more friendly to the citizens of our community for them to participate in sporting and family events. He said he hopes to make decisions made at this council as transparent as we can possibly make them. He continued that he thinks it serves our community well when the community has absolute trust in the council and the decisions they make and this is done through transparency. He added he will make that his number 1 goal. He continued that he believes City Council is a business meeting in public and like any other business those meetings must be civil among council members and staff. He said he doesn't want to see any public personal criticism of one council member by another or of staff by the public. He added that every council member is 1/5th of this body and equal in power working together to make sure this is one of the finest cities in CA. (Audience Applause)

Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Blount thanked his family, Michelle and his 2 children for their support during the election. He joked that they stooped to working street corners with him, waving signs, during the election. (laughs from the audience). He expressed that he loves Laguna Hills with its great restaurants and places to go. He thanked the council for its work over the years. He thanked Council Members Bressette and Kogerman for their encouragement and support. He said he spent time last January with Allan and Joel to understand where we've been, what still needs to be accomplished and what their success factors were. He said Melody is his neighbor and he ran into her on numerous occasions and appreciated everyone's input, encouragement and helpfulness. He said he loves that Laguna Hills is conservative with a surplus each year. He noted remembering 1980 at his Grandmother's house watching a repeat of an address from Ronald Reagan on an old black and white TV when Reagan addressed the 3 greatest evils facing America - high taxes, big government and subsidies. He said his absolute belief is in low taxes, no subsidies and small government and added that local government is the greatest form of government because each person sitting on this council is accountable to you. He called it seeing people on a "belly to belly basis" and expressed that living closely with those you serve requires trust and being accountable. He concluded by stating he is looking forward to providing even better services in a more efficient manner. (Audience Applause)

Council Member Bressette said Carruth was his favorite Mayor, founding fathers of the city include Songstad and Lautenschleger. He also thanked Ellen Martin as a key resident in founding the city, also Craig Scott and Melody Carruth. He said they helped make Laguna Hills a city to be proud of. He congratulated Mayor Kogerman on becoming Mayor. He said he supported Blount and Gilbert and is looking forward to this change and what they will bring including transparency, trust and accountability. (Audience Applause)

RECESS - There was a 15 minute recess for reorganization of the dais and everyone was invited to Mayor Kogerman's home for a friendly get together. Comments from the audience included how positive the comments from the Mayor new city council members were and how the mood in the room was lifted.

PRESENTATIONS and PROCLAMATIONS -

Item 1.1 - LHHS Student Liaison Report - Adam Wong - alternate Amanda Jafee - Last week 60 students from Shuzuoka Municipal High School, in Japan, came to spend the day at LHHS to participate in cultural exchange. They gave a power point on Life in Japan and LHHS gave them a power point on Life in the U.S.A. It was an overall excellent cultural exchange. The Japanese students and their Principal presented a Music Box to Mr. Boulton, the LHHS Principal. Mrs. Lopes (sp?) was chosen California League of High Schools Regional teacher of the year and honored last night at Long Beach Yacht Club. "Home for the Holidays" Laguna Hills Music Concert, on Saturday, Dec. 15 and tickets are $15. The Jazz Band will be performing with dinner and a dessert plus a silent auction - Help support the Music Boosters! Thursday Dec. 13 is the LHHS Talent Show at 7 pm - $10 with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place performances. Winter Sports started with Friday, Dec. 14's Wrestling Dinner Dual in the main gym at 6 pm.

Item 1.2 - Laguna Hills 3/5 Marine Support Committee - Mike Bland remarked on how nice the singing from Elizabeth was. He said Team Dark Horse held their Annual Holiday Party last Sat. at Camp Pendleton for the families of the 3/5 Marines adopted by the City of Laguna Hills. John Howard made 2 deliveries of toys in his pickup truck along with Mike and Teresa Bonutto, our head Elf, who designed and organized all the beautiful decorations. Mike said Mav Bressette told him 2 years ago that she had a couple of ladies who would like to help out, Teresa Bonutto and Meg Gorham. They can do all kinds of things, but you gotta just let them do it and get out of the way. Mike said boy, was I surprised and its been a great pleasure having them help us on the committee. The room was huge and bare and Teresa collected decorations, borrowed some from the City and put it all together. There were about 400 toys collected. He showed some photos of the decorated room and the people and children at the event. Mike noted that Council Member Randy Bressette was there helping with Council Member Barbara Kogerman and her husband Bill, and a lot of the Team Dark Horse Committee Members. He showed photos of little children carrying stuffed animals as big as the children. He noted that Karen Robbins who writes all the press releases and does such a great job of writing about all the Team Dark Horse Events was there with her husband Dave. Bob and Laura Dickson were there helping. Dick Nagle and his wife Mary were there helping with everything with Dick as a master Elf. The 3/5 Marines Commanding Officer's wife Jennifer Griffin was there and she was so impressed with all that was done. Kim Reese, the 3/5 Marines Family Readiness Officer was there coordinating Activities, Amiee Desrosiers coordinated with her employer Behr Paints for the 2nd year and Behr Paints with their employees donated more than 100 toys and $1000. Aimee stayed and helped. Tim and Teresa Hillis from Laguna Hills came and helped. Evan Gost and his wife Shirley came and helped, Owen Liftin attended and helped and Brandon and Tara Reisling came from Chino to help.
Col. Griffin sent an update and the deployed 3/5 Marines just finished an exercise in the Middle East and conducted some medical training. He mentioned the Holiday Party for the kids and said you remain in our thoughts and prayers. Mike thanked Randy and Melody for inviting him to take this on a couple of years ago. He invited the 2 new council members to participate as well.

PUBLIC COMMENTS - Mayor Kogerman stressed that completion of the "Request to Speak" forms is voluntary, and a courtesy, but not required.

Meg Gorham, Laguna Hills Resident said Win-Win-Wednesdays is a series of restaurant fundraisers that benefits the LHHS PTSA. Unlike special booster groups, PTSA benefits ALL Laguna Hills High School Students. "Win-Win-Wednesdays Shares" began recently with various sports clubs and teams on campus. An example of how this "Shares" system works is how we partnered with Team Dark Horse and Polly's Pies for Thanksgiving. Last time we did a Polly's Pies fund raiser we made about $22 and this time we made $187. Polly's made $1000 in sales because of our efforts, PTSA earned $47 and Team Dark Horse will earn $140 and got 60 pies for the Marine families for Thanksgiving. This all happened from a one time cooperative effort.
On 12-12-12 at BJ's Brew House our new council members Dr. Gilbert and Mr. Blount have agreed to a Meet and Greet for residents from 6:30 pm to about 6:45ish. Be sure to bring flyers from the Win-Win-Wednesday web site at www.winwinwednesdays.com for the eating establishment of the week for each Wednesday so that a portion of the price of your meals will go back to the LHHS PTSA. (At this point a LOUD BEEPING sound startled everyone and apparently signaled the end of the 3 minutes that are allowed per speaker for Public Comments.)

CONSENT CALENDAR - Warrant Register = $216,454.75
Items of interest from the Warrant Register - None

ITEMS of INTEREST from the CONSENT CALENDAR -

Item 4.2 - Affirmation of Appointments List for all City Boards, Commissions and Committees. Report States - The State legislature found that there was a vast and largely untapped reservoir of talent existing among the citizenry of the State of CA. and that this great human resource was not, all to frequently, aware of the many opportunities which exist to participate in and serve on local regulatory and advisory boards, commissions and committees. In order to provide access to information regarding vacancies which occur on local boards, commissions and committees, Government Code Section 54972 requires that each legislative body prepare a Local Appointments List on or before Dec. 31, of each year. A copy of this list will be posted in the Laguna Hills Branch Technology Library at the Community Center. There are 2 vacancies for Parks and Rec. and 3 vacancies for Traffic Commission.
PARKS and RECREATIONS COMMISSION -
Daniel Cooper - Appointed 1-18-03 Term Expires 1-31-15
Mark Jones - Appointed 1/14/04 Term Expires 1-31-13
Jeffrey McConnell - Appointed 1-12-11 Term Expires 1-31-15
Jack Noenickx - Appointed 1-18-05 Term Expires 1-31-2015
Farid Tabrizy - Appointed 11-22-11 Term Expires 1-31-13
TRAFFIC COMMISSION
Pamela Dow - Appointed 2-3-1998 Term Expires 1-31-13
Rick Frazier - Appointed 1-15-02 Term Expires 1-31-13
Donald Froelich - Appointed 1-18-05 Term Expires 1-31-15
Timothy Hillis - Appointed 1-17-06 Term Expires 1-31-13
Stephen (Ed) Rowe - Appointed 1-12-11 Term Expires 1-31-15

Item 4.3 - Updating Designation of Assistant and Deputy City Attorneys
Report states the City is updating a list of Assistant and Deputy City Attorneys from the law firm of Woodruff, Spradlin & Smart to provide services for the City of Laguna Hills.

Item 4.4 - Measure M2 Expenditure Report for FY ended June 30, 2012
Report States historically Measure M provides approx. $500,000 of annual revenues to the City for street maintenance purposes. Failure to submit this report could suspend or delay M2 funding.

Item 4.5 - Lease Agreement with So. OC Regional Chambers of Commerce for Space at City Hall - Report states the So. OC Regional Chambers of Commerce no longer needs the space in Suite 300 at City Hall that they leased from the City in August of 2010 for 3 years so are looking to sub-lease it. A 2 year lease is being negotiated with the Dayle McIntosh Center for general officer use. It is reported that the lease will generate $29,780 in rental revenues over the next 2 years and a termination agreement will be executed with the Chambers of Commerce with an effective date of Dec. 14, 2012.

Item 4.6 - Annual Review of Investment Policies and delegation of investment authority to the City Treasurer This document can be seen online at http://permits.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=118&doctype=AGENDA in the Staff Report for this item under the Dec. 11, 2012 City Council Meeting Agenda.

Item 4.7 - Adoption of Ordinance and Amendments to Title 9 of Laguna Hills's Municipal Code to comply with State Requirements "SB 2" to allow Emergency Homeless Shelters in Mixed Zones, and Supportive and Transitional Housing in Residential Zones.

Item 4.8 - First Quarter Financial and Treasurer's Report for FY 2012-13 as discussed at the last city council meeting. This document can be seen online at http://permits.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=118&doctype=AGENDA in the Staff Report for this item under the Dec. 11, 2012 City Council Meeting Agenda.
Items Pulled from the Consent Calendar for Discussion - Item 4.8 was removed for discussion by Mayor Kogerman and the remainder of the Consent Calendar was passed 5-0. Item 4.8 - First Quarter Financial and Treasurer's Report for FY 2012-13 Mayor Kogerman asked Assistant City Manager Don White - How much do we have in the bank and how does that compare as a percentage of our Operating Budget? Don White responded - We have about $9.7 million in the bank and that is about 56% of the City's Operating Budget. Item 4.8 was then passed 5-0

MINUTES - The City Council Approves the Minutes of the previous City Council Meeting for publication on the city web site. The minutes from tonight's meeting will not be approved for publication until the next city council meeting so there is always a significant delay for the public related to timely documentation of information but you can now watch and listen to the City Council Meetings on the City's web site at www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us

CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING AGENCY PUBLIC HEARING - NONE

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS -

Item 7.2.1 - 2013 City Council Meeting Schedule - You can find a copy of the City Calendar for 2013 http://permits.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=118&doctype=AGENDA in the Staff Report for this item under the Dec. 11, 2012 City Council Meeting Agenda. It shows City Council Meeting Dates for 2013, Holidays and so forth. City Clerk Peggy Johns said the City will select a date in January to conduct City Commissions Interviews. Mayor Kogerman added we also need a date in February to conduct a council workshop. This was discussed and Tues. February 19, 2013 was chosen for this council workshop at 7 pm unless Council Member Bressette can rearrange his work schedule at some point in the future to allow for the 6 pm start time that was requested by Dr. Gilbert.

Item 7.2.2 - Appointments of Mayor and Council Members to "Other Agencies and Commissions" paid and unpaid including the OC Fire Authority's Board of Directors.
City Clerk Peggy Johns noted that form 806 mandated by the Fair Political Practices Act lists all the paid only positions and must be posted on the City's web site. Whenever there is a change in the appointments or pay for the paid positions form 806 must be updated. She added that the positions previously filled by Songstad and Lautenschleger will be vacated, except that Lautenschleger has indicated that he will serve on Vector Control until the end of January 2013 to complete his term. (**Editor's Note - Thank you to our excellent City Clerk Peggy Johns for clearing up the confusion about the information on form 806 when we initially read it in the Agenda Reports for this meeting. According to the information on form 806 it appeared that Songstad and Lautenschleger may continue to serve in some of the positions listed on that form for a number of additional years beyond leaving their city council positions.) Ms. Johns added the appointment of Director and Alternate Director to the Orange County Fire Authority must be made by Resolution and the council may make any other changes to the list of appointments.

Mayor Kogerman explained that some of the Appointment Positions are automatically filled by the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem, but clarified that all positions are open to all the council members. Nobody owns any of these positions, they are all open. Anyone can indicate an interest in any position including the members who are already in that position, other then the ones mandated for Mayor and/or Mayor Pro-Tem, and the entire council will vote. (***Editor's Note, This was a ground Breaker - This was the 1st time in all the years we have been attending Laguna Hills City Council Meetings that we have seen these appointments equally open to all council members who indicated an interest in them rather than being assigned to underlings by the council majority and/or retained by members who claimed them. Congratulations to Mayor Kogerman for opening this up fairly to all the council members! This is one step toward (borrowing a phrase from Win-Win-Meg) - Building a Community. )

RESULTS OF APPOINTMENTS:

Audit Committee - was City Manager Channing, Kogerman and Bressette and will now be Channing, Blount and Bressette. *** It is important to note here that the last time we checked, City Manger had no official Expense Account so his expenses are submitted and paid but not audited by the audit committee.

Civic Center Management Committee was Songstand and will now be Gilbert.

Coastal Greenbelt Authority meets 1 or 2 times a year and Laguna Canyon Foundation meets 1 time. Carruth had held these positions previously. The Greenbelt Authority position will continue to be held by Carruth and Blount will now be on the Laguna Canyon Foundation.

League of CA. Cities mandates the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem so will be Kogerman and Blount.

(OCCOC) OC Council of Governments was Lautenschleger with Kogerman as alternate and will now be Kogerman as the delegate and Carruth as the alternate

(OCFA) OC Fire Authority will continue with Bressette and with Gilbert as the alternate.

OC Public Library was Kogerman and will now be Blount with Gilbert as the alternate This meets about 4 times a year. Bressette noted that this is a great opportunity to meet many council members throughout OC.

OC Vector Control was Lautenschleger and will now be Kogerman, who said she actually wanted it. It was noted here by Bressette and Channing that Mr. Lautenschleger has already resigned from this position.

OC Watershed meets 3 times a year - the delegate was Carruth and Carruth will continue there with Kogerman as the alternate. This meets 3 times a year.

SCAG (Southern CA. Assoc. of Governments) Lautenschleger was the delegate and it will now be Blount with Gilbert as the alternate.

(TCA) Transportation Corridor Agency will continue with Carruth as the director and Bressette as the alternate.

The Revised Appointments list was passed. The Resolution was passed for the OC Fire Authority and form 806 will be undated. Vote - 5-0

MATTERS AGENDIZED AND PRESENTED BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR - None

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS - Council Member Bressette thanked the OC Fire Authority and Farmer's Ins. Group for partnering with us with volunteers going door to door to 20,000 homes in Laguna Hills to pass out literature about Cooking Fires.

Mayor Pro-Tem Andrew Blount - said it is 9:07 and we are almost done with our 1st council meeting. Clapping followed. Council Member Gilbert said I'm done too.

CLOSED SESSIONS – None

The Next regular City Council Meeting is Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - 7 pm, at City Hall. Contact Laguna Hills City Council Members at ccouncil@ci.laguna-hills.ca.us
================================

CITY COUNCIL and CITY MANAGER REPORT CARD - Categories - (T) Transparency for Citizens, (A) Accountability to Citizens, (CI) Championing Citizen Related Issue, (AG) Achieving Citizen Related Goal Grades - (P) Pass, (A) for Authoring a Citizen Friendly Item, (F) Fail, (A+) Extra Credit. City Manager will be scored related to online and agendized Staff Reports and Requests:

Blount
A+ for nominating Council Member Kogerman, who received the highest number of votes, in 2010 for Mayor.
P - Vote for Council Member Barbara Kogerman for Mayor
P - Vote for Andrew Blount for Mayor Pro-Tem

Bressette
P - Vote for Barbara Kogerman for Mayor
P - Vote for Andrew Blount for Mayor Pro-Tem

Carruth
P - Vote for Council Member Barbara Kogerman for Mayor
P - Vote for Andrew Blount for Mayor Pro-Tem

Gilbert -
P - Vote for Council Member Barbara Kogerman for Mayor
A+ for nominating newcomer, candidate who received the highest number of votes in the 2012 election and a council member who will not be running for re-election in 2014 for Mayor Pro Tem.
P - Vote for Andrew Blount for Mayor Pro-Tem

Kogerman
P - Vote for Council Member Barbara Kogerman for Mayor
A - for clearly explaining, for the Public, that speakers are not required to complete Request to Speak forms and to give their private information publicly at council meetings.
A+ - for a long overdue new method of distributing Appointments among all council members
P - Vote for Andrew Blount for Mayor Pro-Tem

City Manager - Nothing this time.

** INFORMATION, COMMENTS QUESTIONS and CONCERNS from Watch Dog Readers - since the last council meeting:

ABOUT CLARIFICATIONS and QUESTIONS to the LH Watch Dog regarding:
Oakbrook Village, the MOU for the City Employee's Organization, City Crime Reports, and the New Name for the Moulton-La Paz Shopping Center.

Anonymous said...Some Clarifications:
I believe you misunderstood Don White's comments at the Oakbrook presentation about building out future retail space. I believe he actually meant that prospects for building out the total retail space are pretty certain, given that it is unlikely that this or any other developer would leave such space undeveloped.
Response from the LH Watch Dog - What Don White "meant to say" cannot be a focus for the LH Watch Dog because we can only report on what he did say. It would be his responsibility, as part of his job, to say what he means and surely he must understand that.

As for your concern about an unclear Oakbrook traffic study, it was pretty clear to me, that the traffic impacts are fairly minimal and well within the parameters set by the Urban Village plans in the General Plan. I had no idea that others were confused, as no one indicated so at the meeting that I recall. Perhaps I "heard" what I already knew, and I have not reviewed the video, but these were my clear impressions at the time.
Response from the LH Watch Dog - If you listen to the audio, the "speak" on the traffic study is not citizen/resident friendly and apparently there was no thought given to making it more citizen friendly.

As for your "F" assigned to approving the MOU, I wonder why you would have "flunked" all the council members for not thinking on behalf of the members-elect, who can think for themselves and told the city what they thought.
Response from the LH Watch Dog - The LH Watch Dog was not speaking for the council members elect, it was speaking, as always, from the perspective of residents/citizens who elected them and may have appreciated them being involved with an important issue that will involve 3 of the 4 years of their terms.

Anonymous said...My friend in Nellie Gail Ranch receives e-mail reports through her HOA about crime in the area. She has received reports of burglaries on specific streets and people breaking into cars left in driveways, etc. Why doesn't the City post notices re. hot spots of crime activity in the City?

Response from Laguna Hills Watch Dog - You are right about Nellie Gail Ranch, they are fortunate to have an HOA that is well attached to its residents. It sends messages to the community about areas of crime activity and for Lost and Found pets in Nellie Gail, in addition to the South County Animal Shelter Coalition (SCASC) at - http://scasc1.blogspot.com/ that sends Lost and Found e-mail pet messages to everyone one in Laguna Hills who has joined by sending their e-mail addresses to (SCASC) or to BlandMJ@AOL.com
We can only speculate about why the City does not post warnings for residents re. hot crime areas, since they must be receiving this information through the City Police Services, but we are hoping this problem will be addressed in 2013 by our new city council as well as other problems related to lack of transparency. Meanwhile there is a much more time consuming but accurate process you can use to check for CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD - For a roundup of Laguna Hills police calls check Sheriff's Blotter information - County of Orange at http://ws.ocsd.org/Blotter/ then choose a city/area and either a 7 day view or a 30 day view. The Sheriff's Open Calls, Cities and Areas - Media Page allows members of the media and residents of the community to see all open calls for all cities and areas. The Sheriff's Blotter enables residents to know what activity is occurring in their communities. A regular review of the calls in your area and the year-to-date crime statistics, at the bottom of each page in the OCSD Patrol Areas section, will provide you an accurate view of law enforcement activity in your community. It will also show you Official Radio Codes. You can contact the Sheriff's Dispatch by phone at 949-425-1800.
** You can also check the Saddleback Valley News every Friday for some of the police calls and work with your HOA, if you have one.

Anonymous said...What is your problem with the name of the shopping center at La Paz and Moulton in the Aliso Hills area being named "The Village at Nellie Gail Ranch"? We need a more business friendly environment in the City.
Response from the Laguna Hills Watch Dog - We are again looking at "lack of transparency" related to the name never being included in the information from the City to residents. We question that the City never asked or knew what the name of any redevelopment center would be especially related to all the fuss they continually made over minor signage issues. If this name is legal to use and acceptable to Nellie Gail Ranch and to the majority of other residents it's fine with us. We are business friendly as long as the City and the business is also resident/citizen friendly.

ABOUT BUILDING COMMUNITY

Anonymous said...Wouldn't is be a great new start for our City in 2013 if it's "All About Building Community" became the slogan and goal for our City or even just ABC - About Building Community? That's what's been missing in this City for all these years and could make such a difference for everyone. I know Meg, and she is full of great ideas! If our City was friendlier to its residents and businesses I know we would find many other great ideas out there as well.

ABOUT A BETTER ANIMAL SHELTER FOR LAGUNA HILLS RESIDENTS

Anonymous said...With two newly elected Councilmen, I can only hope that there is now a majority of humane Council members who will vote to contract with a humane, no-kill animal shelter, and never again with the County Pound where they kill helpless animals. Years ago, I read in the weekly Saddleback Valley News that the Council planned to pay $474,000 to have murals of the history of Orange County painted on the city hall walls. I later heard that they reduced that cost to $200,000. If the City can afford to spend that much of taxpayer's money on that kind of folly, then there can be no excuse for not contracting with a no-kill animal care center.

ABOUT THE LENGTH OF THE LA PAZ OPEN SPACE LANDSCAPE DISCUSSION

Anonymous said...Just for the heck of it, after I read what you said about the overly lengthy La Paz Open Space Landscape discussion at the Nov. 27 council meeting, I looked at the time counter on the City's Audio-Video for the November 27, 2012 City Council Meeting and found that the council talked for 64 minutes about that landscape concept design being too "Park Like" before the City Attorney mercifully put a sensible end to that discussion. I hope our new council members can think beyond being politicians that just love to endlessly hear themselves talk.

ABOUT WHO ACTUALLY LED THE EFFORT TO STOP THE EL TORO AIRPORT

Anonymous said...Thought you might want to peruse these articles that document Bill Kogerman's efforts to stop an airport at El Toro. If you listen to Allan, Joel or Melody, you would think Allan stopped the airport. He did chair a committee of electeds called ETRPA, formed at Bill's recommendation, but those in the know, know that Bill was the effective voice in D.C. and throughout the County. Bill led what was to date the largest grassroots effort in the State of California, chaired all four county-wide initiatives, and was the public face of the anti-airport efforts. He and Deanne mortgaged his house to the tune of $250,000 and donated it all to fund one of the early initiatives when one of the efforts ran out of funds. He was the hero who stopped the airport. I thought you should know the actual history, especially given the comments by a number of people about who "stopped the airport." Here is the link: http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/bill-kogerman

** WIN WIN Wednesday is an ongoing series of restaurant fundraisers that allow the Laguna Hills High School PTSA to fund many worthwhile programs such as "EVERY 15 MINUTES" (a vividly realistic drunk driving prevention presentation), the Award Winning "I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE" program and the SAFE and SOBER all night "GRAD NIGHT" that keeps our kids not only safe but in Laguna Hills and on campus continuing a 23 year tradition that makes us HAWK Proud! ** For Weekly Flyers and Schedule go to our web site at www.winwinwednesdays.com and please be sure to "LIKE US" on Facebook!

** Bring the WWW!! flyer to these participating restaurants on these dates and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the LHHS PTSA and you can now get durable and attractive business card size Win-Win-Wednesday Fan and Supporter Cards that contain all the info. for W-W-Wed on one side including how to subscribe to W-W-Wednesday to get your flyers, dates and Restaurant Information sent to you weekly on Wednesdays and the other side of the card will serve as a universal flyer, if you forget to bring a flyer. You can sign up for an e-blast at WinWinWednesdays@gmail.com to have the weekly schedule and flyers for Win-Win-Wednesdays e-mailed to you.

December 19 - Cafe Rio (LF) - all day
December 26 - Golden Baked Ham (LH) - all day everyday
January 2 - ToGo's (LH) - all day
January 9 - Cool Beans - all day
January 16 - Chili's Aliso Viejo - all day
January 23 - Daphne's (AV) - all day

**Don't forget to see our "WWW Everyday Partners - Alpha Cleaners, Golden Baked Hams and ToGO's on our web site. Bring the flyers for these everyday partners and Support the businesses that support us!

** HOW TO SUPPORT THE 3rd BATTALION, 5th MARINE DIVISION - Adopted by the City of Laguna Hills

*** Excerpts from the News Story of the Christmas Party on Dec. 9, 2012 for the children of the 3/5 Marines adopted by the City of Laguna Hills. This Christmas Story was written by Karen Robbins, Laguna Hills Resident.

This is a story about gratitude. It is the story of volunteers who worked tirelessly to collect , and deliver toys, of people who worked to decorate walls and doors, of folks who stayed late to disassemble and pack up when the day was done and the story of our community, who gave generously and rapidly when called upon.

Added to that is the story of the 3/5 wives, who took great care in dressing themselves and their children in holiday finery, as a gesture of respect and appreciation for the volunteer event. For three hours, the children and mothers streamed in, happily thanking the volunteers, excitedly choosing their gifts. All were appreciative and uniformly polite.

Finally, it's the story of the Marines, the men who were not there; the fathers, husbands and friends who serve their country and go where and when they are called. The Marines who sometimes come home wounded, or sometimes don’t come home at all were the reason for the gratitude, the efforts and the outpouring of support.

For all of this generosity, Team Dark Horse is so grateful. There were more than 300 children, most under the age of 11, more than 30 volunteers were involved and close to 400 toys were distributed. These children will grow up knowing Americans didn’t forget their families. Thank you to all who donated inside and outside of the community of Laguna Hills and to Behr Paints and their employees who helps so much every year.

Donation checks can be made to "Laguna Hills Team Dark Horse" and mailed to - Team Dark Horse, 27251 Lost Colt Dr., Laguna Hills, CA. 92653 or anyone can now donate via PayPal on the web site at http://teamdarkhorse.org/ The Non-profit Corporation 501 (C) (3) status has been approved so all donations are tax deductible. E-mail Mike Bland at 35bland@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, etc. Laguna Hills City Clerk Peggy Johns is the City Liaison to the 3/5 Support Committee.

**BE SURE TO GO TO THE TEAM DARK HORSE web site at http://teamdarkhorse.org/ to SEE HOW YOUR DONATIONS ARE HELPING, and see the Laguna Hills 3/5 Adopted Marines Face book page by clicking on this link - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laguna-Hills

** NEWS STORIES AND BLOGS ABOUT LAGUNA HILLS: Click on the links below to see the stories.

Ka-chinghe sound of a city manager being fired - just click on http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/10/19/ka-ching-the-sound-of-a-city-manager-being-fired/163292/
Grand Jury gets last laugh on "Shadowy" pension costs - Orange County Register OC Watchdog - Oct. 8, 2012 http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/10/08/grand-jury-gets-last-laugh-on-shadowy-pension-costs/162930/
City officials abused power, grand jury says July 6th, 2012, 1:22 am · · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/07/06/city-officials-abused-power-grand-jury-says/158361/
City among worst for alcohol fueled crashes
Fullerton and Laguna Hills had the worst rates of crashes that involved underage drinkers
Read more at: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cities-348774-crashes-among.html
New Reports with 2011 Statistics for the 70 year old Orange County Animal Shelter that Laguna Hills still uses for it's citizens http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fewer-338291-killed-shelter.html?pic=1
Total euthanasia rate of 53%. http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/02/16/three-out-of-four-cats-still-dont-leave-shelter-alive/148403/ Teri Sforza OC Watchdog Kill Rate for Cats at the OC Animal Shelter in 2011 was 74% and only 17% adopted. Euthanasia Rate Stuck at Nearly 50% at O.C. Animal Care http://ranchosantamargarita.patch.com/articles/shelter-euthanizes-fewer-animals-in-2011 County Shelter finally admits killing animal for space.
Fred Smoller,The Brandman University Professor of Public Administration, "who offended the power elite" when his Master's Degree students won awards assisting Council Member Kogerman to research the total compensation of City Managers in Orange County has just resigned from his post. Why did this happen? - Click on http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/10/12/professor-who-offended-power-elite-resigns-post/109833/
LAGUNA HILLS CITY WORKERS: 12 PERCENT UNDERPAID? http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/09/01/laguna-hills-city-workers-12-percent-underpaid/95765/
Which city council makes the most money? http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/07/11/which-city-council-makes-the-most-money/88311/#comment-169311
LA Times: Laguna Hills City Manager Salary http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oc-salaries-20110621,0,1126677.story
June 9, 2011 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT - Compensation Study of Orange County Cities http://www.ocgrandjury.org/pdfs/comp-study-oc-cities/Compensation-Study-of-Orange-County-Cities.pdf
City manager says compensation is fair http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-303264-channing-compensation.html
After attacks, city-manager-compensation sleuths win state award March 21st, 2011, posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/03/21/after-attacks-city-manager-compensation-sleuths-win-state-award/78545/#comment-139633 Click on http://www.publicceo.com/ for more of this story.
No more $60,000 SUVs for city manager? http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/02/09/no-more-60000-suvs-for-city-manager/75030/
OCREGISTER: Laguna Hills councilwoman says no to health benefits http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-282972-benefits-council.html
O.C. cities lavished health benefits on council members http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2010/12/06/oc-cities-lavished-health-benefits-on-council-members/69544/
Who has the best-paid city council in California? (updated) http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2010/12/02/who-has-the-best-paid-city-council-incalifornia/69418/ In Laguna Hills the Taxpayers pay the entire cost of heath care premiums for the elected part time city council members and their families. In addition, the City Manager's contract states "To the extent that payment of all or any portion of the dependent rate of premium, is not approved by the city council for all city employees, Channing shall be entitled to a salary increase or cash payment sufficient to cover the amount of premium or rate for dependent coverage not provided by the City plus applicable income taxes on that amount."
OCREGISTER: Chris Norby: Local officials susceptible to 'Bell syndrome http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/elected-276253-city-syndrome.html "Bell syndrome thrives where elected boards vote in lockstep, where groupthink is elevated, and skeptics are ostracized, and where top staff are seen as irreplaceable experts – with rubber-stamped salaries to prove it. Bell syndrome thrives when self-congratulation trumps self-examination."

** CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD - For a roundup of Laguna Hills police calls check Sheriff's Blotter information - County of Orange at http://ws.ocsd.org/Blotter/ then choose a city/area and either a 7 day view or a 30 day view. The Sheriff's Open Calls,Cities and Areas - Media Page allows members of the media and residents of the community to see all open calls for all cities and areas. The Sheriff's Blotter enables residents to know what activity is occurring in their communities. A regular review of the calls in your area and the year-to-date crime statistics, at the bottom of each page in the OCSD Patrol Areas section, will provide you an accurate view of law enforcement activity in your community. It will also show you Official Radio Codes. You can contact the Sheriff's Dispatch by phone at 949-425-1800.
** You can also check the Saddleback Valley News every Friday for some of the police calls.

** WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of the Orange County Register Newspaper - E-mail to letters@ocregister.com. Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity

Laguna Hills Watch Dog

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