The following is a summation of what went on in Santa Monica City Council Chambers during the City Council’s Tuesday, Sept. 13 meeting, including a timeline, notable public comments and excerpts taken.
“I don’t think limos belong in the bus-only lane.” — — Joy Fullmer — Councilman Bob Holbrook Reegarding a bus-only lane set to include certain airport shuttle vehicles, such as limos
“Most of the homeless are single, and that’s because single units in Santa Monica are the most expensive.”
TIMELINE 5 to 7:15 p.m. — The Tuesday, Sept. 13 Santa Monica City Council meeting began with a closed session. Six of the seven city councilmembers were present. Mayor Pam O’Connor didn’t attend. 7:15 p.m. — City Attorney Marsha Moutrie reported the City Council discussed two items during the closed session. There were discussions related to negotiations with the city’s human resources director, Karen Bancroft, and eight union officials who represent the city’s personnel groups. No action was taken. Aspects related to a lawsuit involving Coalition for a Livable Santa Monica against City Hall also was discussed. No action was taken. 7:17 p.m. — Special agenda item — Presentations from city staff regarding homeless services, including recognition of a grant for $710,00 from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, to be used to house the down and out. 7:20 p.m. — Public comment on special agenda item — Joy Fullmer says something about sewing and low I.Q.s 7:24 p.m. — Discussion of “Housing First,” a new plan in which it’s the intention of staff to offset the “continuum of care” approach to homelessness, by ensuring the unhoused first have shelter before assigning them a case management plan. 7:39 p.m. — Council weighs in on “Housing First,” getting the nod from City Councilmen Richard Bloom, Kevin McKeown and Bobby Shriver. 7:43 p.m. — Consent calendar discussed. Item regarding minutes from the June 21, July 26, and Aug. 9 council meetings is pulled and opened for public comment. Joe Natoli questions the minutes because of previous remarks he made about the need for the City Council to overhaul Bayside Business District Corp. leadership, due to poor downtown management, which were not included in the minutes. Pro se shows a video from a recent council meeting in which Natoli makes his case against Bayside. During the video, Mayor Pam O’Connor said Bayside doesn’t manage the Farmer’s Market, yet Pro se that isn’t actually how the law is written. Pro se said Natoli shouldn’t have been interrupted by the mayor, because the public deserves to be heard. Joy Fullmer discusses the need for someone to look into the management of her IRA account. She also laments on the mass transit system, saying the MTA bus lines are slow and overcrowded. She and a few others even received free fare when they had to wait for more than a half hour for a bus ride. 7:55 p.m. — Consent calendar approved. Council doesn’t make any changes to the minutes. 7:56 p.m. — Items regarding ordinance updates for conditional use permits, hedge standards and unattended structures in Palisades Park are rattled off and approved. 7:59 p.m. — 12 speakers show up to comment on a proposal to update downtown development and design standards. Many of them argued the proposal went against the city’s land use update process and was unfair to “sneak by” the public. 9:10 p.m. — Council weighs in on citizen concerns over downtown design standards proposal. They agree with many citizens’ arguments and decide to restrict the update to five suggestions made by the Architectural Review Board, which would increase the ground-floor heights for retail spaces in mixed use buildings; do more to distinguish the ground floor from residential floors above; restrict landscaping requirements around retail windows and walkways; move setbacks; and reduce the amount of required parking for smaller, neighborhood businesses. 9:55 p.m. — Introduction and adoption of ordinance setting the rate for 1990 and 2002 General Library Obligation funds. 9:56 p.m. — Council hears a staff report on the introduction and first reading of an ordinance restricting parking along Lincoln Boulevard for the creation of a bus-only lane during peak traffic hours. 10:06 p.m. — 8 speakers comment on proposed change. One is against it, the others are for it. No business members or residents from Lincoln Boulevard are present to discuss. 10:25 p.m. — Council discusses and approves the bus-only lane. 10:30 p.m. — Council hears a staff report on proposed modifications for vendor use of 1550 Beach Parking Lot. 10:35 p.m. — One man comes to comment on the proposed modifications. He said the changes would allow extended vendor use of the beach parking lot and disrupt nearby residents. He also said residents were not sufficiently notified of the proposed change. 10:40 p.m. — Council discusses the modifications. Shriver questions whether staff had conducted sufficient outreach. 10:55 p.m. — Council tells staff to do more outreach and return with the modification proposal in two weeks. 10:56 p.m. —A staff recommendation to change fiscal services for the Main Street Business and Pico Boulevard Business Improvement Districts is approved. 10:59 p.m. — The Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation annual budget work plan for fiscal year 2005-06 is approved. 11:02 p.m. — Approval of Bayside District Corporation’s annual budget and work plan encounters a few snags, when seven cart operators request City Hall step in to better handle the installation of a new cart program. 11:20 p.m. — Council discusses the cart operators’ concerns. McKeown requests that staff present a report detailing its contract with the new cart program facilitator and addresses cart operators’ concerns. Bayside’s budget and work plan are approved. 11:29 p.m. — 11 citizens request City Hall look into changing over to a ranked voting system, intended to provide better representation. 11:45 p.m. — Council confers with staff on the feasibility of putting such a system in place. City Clerk Maria Stewart indicates cost, voter turnout and educational concerns to be associated with putting a ranked voting system in place. 12:15 a.m. — The council vote (5-1) to monitor developments in ranked voting, in order to possibly participate in the future. Councilman Bob Holbrook opposes, saying other voting changes could be made that could actually achieve better representation and turnout. 12:16 a.m. — At the request of Holbrook and Bloom, the council hears a report from Paul Weinberg, emergency services coordi-nator, and Fire Chief Jim Hone on steps Santa Monica has taken to assist victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Council decides to receive more updates from staff in coming weeks. 12:35 a.m. — McKeown requests Santa Monica go on the record for opposing Propositions 74,75 and 76 for this November’s special election, which he said will weaken the public school system. Council agrees and approves the city’s position. 12:40 a.m. — Joe Natoli uses the public comment portion of meeting to discuss the Bayside District Corp., terrorism and public safety. 12:45 a.m. — Meeting is adjourned in remembrance of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Katrina victims.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 15, 2005. Read the original PDF.