The Santa Monica City Council began the meeting of February 28, 2006 by wishing Councilmember Ken Genser a speedy recovery from surgery and quick return to their midst. 

CONSENT CALENDAR  Unusually, several Consent Calendar items required much discussion at this meeting, particularly a resolution on state legislation (AB 359) aimed at creating a dog beach pilot program at Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles.  The Council approved the resolution, which included a request that the legislation be expanded to include Santa Monica State Beach.  Environmentalists were assured by the Mayor that if and when a pilot program happens here, the city will be sensitive to their concerns as well as dog owners’ interests.  It was noted that AB 359 is currently without a sponsor and, while its passage would open doors, the decision about a dog beach will ultimately be made at the state level. 

Other Consent items approved were: a new long-term agreement with the California Department of Parks & Recreation for operation of Santa Monica State Beach; a final subdivision map for a 4-unit condo project at 1228 21st Street; a two-year agreement with UCLA, with fee increases over last year, for the Big Blue Bus BruinGO! Program; an agreement with AZ Architecture for architectural and engineering services related to the replacement of the Pier’s central restroom building, also to include a storage space for vending carts and a retail kiosk; the city’s revised investment policy; and a contract with Black & Veatch for sewer design services and authorization to staff to explore possible acquisition of a sewer easement at 120 Colorado Avenue.

CLOSED SESSION  Council directed the City Attorney’s Office to join an appeal of a court decision that was decided against the plaintiffs in City of Santa Monica, et al., v. City of Los Angeles (Playa Capital Company, Real Party Interest) regarding traffic impacts of the Playa Vista development not being adequately addressed in the project EIR.

ORDINANCES  The Council held first reading of an ordinance authorizing issuance of employee preferential parking permits as part of a narrow pilot program on six blocks in the vicinity of 10th Street and Pico, with 20 employee permits to be issued.   In related actions, Council affirmed that no additional preferential parking will be implemented on the blocks north of Alta between Lincoln and 17th Street, affirmed that staff has the authority to leave street frontage abutting side yards without posted regulations in certain cases, and directed staff to hold a neighborhood meeting with neighbors along Alta to consider the petition from residents of the 1100 block of Alta and to allow preferential parking for two spaces only in front of homes whose primary entrance is on Alta.

First reading of an ordinance modifying development, design and off-street parking standards for projects in the BSCD, C3 and C3C zones was continued to a meeting in the near future, when a full Council is present if possible, at staff’s discretion. 

DOWNTOWN PARKING PROGRAM  The Council certified the final program Environmental Impact Report for the 10-year Downtown Parking Program and, after lengthy discussion and two votes that did not result in a decision, tabled the balance of the actions required to move forward with the program and directed staff to bring the matters back to Council in a timely fashion, hopefully when both Councilmembers absent tonight can be present.  Council directed staff to provide detailed information on various parking strategies, including automated parking systems, stacked parking, employee beach parking and a shuttle system.

415 PCH DESIGN  Council approved the refined schematic design and operating parameters on community use and event impacts for the former Marion Davies beach house.  After hearing from staff and beach homeowners on programming, safety and use issues, Council included a condition to tie enforcement and maintenance of security provisions to the project permit and directed staff to continue pushing with Caltrans for a full traffic signal at PCH and the south parking lot.  Council also received projections on operating revenues and expenditures and directed staff to come back with a break-even operating scenario.

APPOINTMENTS  The Council reappointed Nancy Greenstein to the Los Angeles County West Vector Control District .  An appointment to the Pier Restoration Corporation was continued.

COUNCILMEMBER ITEMS  Council voted to support AB 583, the “California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act” and directed staff to study the Clean Money campaign concept to assess how a similar voter-empowering public financing system might be implemented in Santa Monica, as recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women.  Council waived the customary fee to allow the California Regional Water Quality Control Board to hold a state hearing on Thursday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The next regular meeting of the Santa Monica City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, 2006, beginning at 5:45 p.m. in the wheelchair-accessible Council Chamber at City Hall. Council meetings are aired live on CityTV Channel 16 and on the Netcast on the city's website and, for regularly scheduled meetings from 8 p.m. to midnight on KCRW 89.9 FM.

NOTE: This wrap-up is not an official record of Council action. The official record is posted by the City Clerk on this website at http://www.smgov.net/cityclerk/council/agendas/2006/ as soon as possible after the meeting. (Click on the February 28 agenda link.)

SPECIAL NOTE: Council meetings are now video streamed on the web (http://santamonica.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2) and re-aired on CityTV2 cable channel 20.