TIMELINE

The following is a summation of what went on in the Santa Monica City Council chambers May 25 during a special meeting of the council, including a timeline, notable public comments and excerpts taken.

5:45 p.m.: Mayor Bob Holbrook calls the meeting to order. Council moves into closed sessions to discuss litigation against the city.

6:38 p.m.: Council returns from closed session. There is no news to report. Council hears appeals from property owners opposed to conditions surrounding the creation and operation of a public beach club at the old Marion Davies estate at 415 Pacific Coast Highway.

7:47 p.m.: Public comment on the public beach club begins, with more than 69 residents requesting to speak.

8:12 p.m.: Public comment ends.

9:15 p.m.: Council approves the final environmental impact report for the public beach club project. Council votes to reject the appeals of property owners opposed to conditions of the beach club. However, the council instructs staff to file a request for a street light at the proposed beach club’s entrance, a condition requested by property owners. The council also holds first reading of two ordinances that would strengthen a resident’s ability to hold the City Hall accountable if a project does not comply with conditions of its land use permit.

9:32 p.m.: Council returns from a short bathroom break and adopts laws relating to auto dealerships, their parking structures and storage lots; development designs for projects downtown; and the retention of grocery workers involving the transfer of ownership of large grocery stores. All three ordinances were introduced May 9.

10:17 p.m.: Council holds public hearing regarding modification to the city’s affordable housing requirements for private developers.

11:10 p.m.: Public hearing ends. Council puts the affordable housing issue aside and orders staff to draft an ordinance reflecting changes discussed.
Council holds a public hearing regarding an airport monitoring bill in the state Assembly that would require City Hall to record the idling times of aircraft.

12:25 a.m.: Public hearing ends.

1:30 a.m.: Council votes to continue working with legislators on amending the bill so that it includes funding to conduct the monitoring.

1:33 a.m.: Council estimates the bill would require an expenditure of roughly $400,000.

1:34 a.m.: Staff returns with a proposed formula for calculating affordable housing requirements. Council moves to adopt the formula, amending the affordable housing development provisions of the municipal code related to condos in multi-family zones, including a voluntary option to provide rental units and adjusting the income level to be eligible for affordable units.
Council hears complaints from residents regarding the law regulating hedge heights on private property.

2:29 a.m.: Public comment ends. Mayor Holbrook says he will bring the ordinance back in the near future so the council can consider changes.

2:30 a.m.: Council holds a public hearing regarding the “Anderson Initiative,” a proposed measure that may appear on the November ballot. If approved the initiative would restrict a local governing body’s ability to downsize development areas of the city.

2:43 a.m.: Public comment ends. Council directs staff to immediately conduct research, schedule hearings, develop strategies and timelines, draft ordinances and prepare appropriate adjustments in zoning and other codes to protect City Hall’s flexibility in zoning as residents make changes to land use.

2:55 a.m.: Council adjourns.



BY THE NUMBERS
Time spent on the top three issues facing Santa Monicans, based on city surveys:

Homelessness: 0 minutes
Traffic: 0 minutes
Parking: 0 minutes
Public Comments: 4 hour and 37 minutes
City Council/staff discussions: 3 hours and 10 minutes.



LET’S TALK CHIT
“Chits” (Public addressing City Council)

“I don’t care how valuable that beach club would be for the public. If it results in the death of one person, I would like to ask anyone, can you live with that?”
Madeline Moore, a senior at Santa Monica High School, telling councilmembers about her observations of the council meeting and urging them to focus more on homelessness.

“Why are we paying top dollar for a building that isn’t worth half that? You could look in some of the local papers and find better deals. Who’s getting paid off here?”
Pacific Coast Highway resident Jonathan Ornstein who said he has seen several motorists killed on PCH near the site of a proposed beach club. Ornstein said he will sue City Hall if the council moves forward with the beach club without ensuring a traffic light will be built near the entrance.

“I learned to swim in that pool. I have a 2-year-old son. I’d like him to do the same.”
Santa Monica Conservancy Vice-President John Zinner, on the historic pool scheduled for rehabilitation under the plan for the public beach club. Zinner supports the project.



QUOTE OF NOTE
“When you rub your foot on it, you rub me the wrong way.”
Councilman Ken Genser, being playful but firm as he asked Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Shriver to stop shaking his leg under his desk because his foot was constantly rubbing up against a gym bag he received from Heal the Bay.