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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2012-02-08 �o�Tx s�,v�� MINUTES _-- CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO �9L1 REGULAR MEETING MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING COMMUNITY ROOM 33 ARROYO DRIVE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012 CALL TO ORDER: TIME: 7:01 P.M. ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Councilmembers Addiego, Matsumoto and Mullin, Vice Mayor Gonzalez and Mayor Garbarino. ABSENT: None. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by Mayor Garbarino. PRESENTATIONS • Introduction of firefighters visiting from Atotonilco (Sister City) Battalion Chief Arthur Mosqueda intorduced firefighters visiting from Sister City Atotolinco, MX. Roberto Saavedra, Perfecto Hernandez, Sergio Aguilar, Victor Saavedra each spoke and thanked Council for welcoming them to South San Francisco. They were proud to be here and had benefited greatly from the visit. They also thanked the City for the contributions they had given their home city over the years. AGENDA REVIEW No changes. PUBLIC COMMENTS Wynn Gercich expressed her continued concern over the quality of drinking water and listed numerous toxic chemicals currently being used to treat water such as chloramines and the presence of lead leaching at certain sites. She also listed some of the serious effects and illnesses associated with the chemical treatment of drinking water such as algae blooms, habitat destruction, liver disease, and the death of fish. Mr. and Mrs. Tony Ricks owners of the Caffino drive thru in Westborough Square stated that due to new regulations with the development, drive thru businesses would no longer be allowed. The Ricks explained the dilemma they are now facing and noted their many contributions to the City through providing employment to youth, contributing to various community activities including little leagues and adult literacy programs. They feel the disappointment for and with their customers, noting it was more that just a business but also a home. He hoped Council could work with them and place the item on a future agenda. Caffino customers, Steve Patake, Donna Schwimmer, Karen Thomzak, Jeanne Renz, and Laurie all spoke in support of Caffino. Each spoke of how important it was to keep this small business in the community, as they not only provided a fine product and excellent customer service, but also contributed greatly to the community with donations, youth employment, a sense of family, and a needed convenience for those with small children or disabilities. Mr. Patake hoped that perhaps the zoning aspect could be looked into as Council may have not contemplated this effect. Ms. Schwimmer stated that everyone remembers their "best" places and that's what Caffino was to her. Ms. Thomzack felt they provided the important gift of teaching youth valuable lessons and even mentioned that a former employee had went on to own his own Caffino. Laurie had come all the way from San Francisco to speak in support of Caffino, and although she wanted them to stay where they were, if they could not she felt the City should grant them a lease by the Sees Candy building. Council was urged to act quickly because their last day was February 24. Councilwoman Matsumoto gave some background information on the topic and stated an Ordinance update no longer allowed drive - thrus. She shared the speakers concerns and also wanted to keep Caffino open. She had looked for alternative locations and identified the Pac N Save lot as a possible solution. She asked staff to look into what could be done. Mayor Garbarino asked Manager Nagel if it could be agendized for a future meeting. Manager Nagel responded the process could come back in two weeks for the meeting of February 22. He also noted Planning Commission action was needed. Councilman Addiego asked about the timeline. Manager Nagel understood they had until the end of the month. Tom Carney requested Council look into drafting a letter to some of the larger lenders like Wells Fargo, Chase and Bank of America regarding the foreclosure crisis and the lack of loan modifications being approved for City residents. He thought it may hold considerable weight especially since the City uses Wells Fargo for its banking. The letter could go to the other cities on the peninsula to garner further support. He also noted the North Peninsula Neighborhood Services Center would be offering free tax help for seniors. ITEMS FROM COUNCIL • Announcements. • Committee Reports. Councilmembers reported on attendance at community meetings and events: Councilwoman Matsumoto attended a program at South San Francisco High School where Cesar Chavez' grandson, Anthony spoke about following in his grandfather's footsteps. It was an REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 2012 MINUTES 2 excellent program and kudos to Liza Normandy for putting it together. She attended the Transit Authority and SamTrans meetings where there was a call for shuttle service projects. She wanted to give a heads up to staff regarding possible services for the school district. The SamTrans Community Advisory Committee had four (4) openings, two incumbent and two open seats. Anyone who might be interested needed to be a community rider or multimodal rider. The Councilwoman noted Parks and Recreation had started enrollment for their summer camp programs. Pre - enrollment ends March 2 and walk ins end on March 10. Programs run from 7:30 am to 6:30 p.m. Call (650)875 -6950 for more information. She was pleased to report as a result of community input; crimes reported involving the Industrial Hotel on Cypress had decreased from 62 to 31 between January to June, 2011. She thanked the Police Department and the County for addressing this issue but noted there was still much to be done. Her ride along with NRT officers Gill and Cabillo had been very enlightening; she praised them for the good work they do. She also thanked Tom Carney for Code Enforcement efforts regarding foreclosure clean up and signage added and suggested that Code Enforcement walk with NRT maybe once a month. Also, perhaps Public Works Director Terry White could walk through some of the darker areas to determine a way to add lighting reducing some of the hazards to the families that live there. Councilman Addiego began by congratulating Caffino on garnering the support they had from their customers. He had attended a meeting with the Bay Conservation where the Americas' Cup was discussed, specifically cruise ship terminals and moving people throughout the City, potentially working the South San Francisco ferry terminal into that scenario. With Councilwoman Matsumoto he had met with the Rotarians at Rotary Plaza. Their mortgage was up and they were in the position to build more housing and very excited about it. The Plaza is 40 years old and the upkeep has been remarkable. Lastly, he asked Chief Massoni if he could receive updates on the number of violations issued including an accident report at the intersections that had red light cameras. He would like to see if there was any truth to the idea that the lights caused more accidents rather than preventing them. Councilman Mullin attended SFO Community Roundtable honoring Dave Carboni for his service. Mr. Carboni has a history with the City's Planning Department and has been an excellent public servant. He also stated the roundtable had continued to hear complaints from Brisbane regarding take off routes, and the City of Woodside had complained about a landing route. He would keep Council and the community informed about how these conversations would evolve. He also recently spoke with the San Mateo County Association of Realtors ( "SAMCAR ") regarding issues with the Fire Inspection Program. This has been a continuous issue and he wanted some real data/statistics on how the City compares to Daly City, San Mateo and Redwood City. He understood a lot of claims were being made, but he needed solid information in order to best make the case. While he didn't want to weaken the inspection process, he also didn't want to create overly aggressive process that would prohibit transactions from occurring. Councilman Mullin congratulated the Finance Department for receiving two (2) budget awards and hoped they could be recognized formally on a future agenda. He noted that a letter supporting SB 184 requiring inclusionary housing for rental housing, he understood the bill was now dead but wanted to track the future efforts of the matter. Lastly, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission ( "MTC ") along with the Association of Bay Area Governments ( "ABAG ") is developing a sustainable community strategy called Plan Bay Area. Please get involved and participate in the process by going to www.lbayarea.org /workshops /virtual.htm. A link would be provided on the City's homepage at www.ssf.net. This is a way to have input on how you would like to see this community grown. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 2012 MINUTES 3 Councilwoman Matsumoto asked if SamCAR could also add information regarding Burlingame and Menlo Park to fire inspection data. Vice Mayor Gonzalez commented on his attendance of the Water Transit Advocates for San Mateo County meeting. He was pleased to have 16/17 members come and hear WETA information updated about the City's ferry terminal and planning for the opening of the service next Apr 30. He encouraged people to be aware of the opening over at Oyster Point and make an effort to visit the site. The route will go from South San Francisco to Jack London Square in Oakland and would serve more than the East of 101 business community, but all residents of San Mateo County and the City. Shuttle service from Oyster Point was still being looked at so please spread the word to help achieve success as other cities were depending on it. He also reported that Mills Peninsula Senior Services was asking for volunteers for its Senior Focus Committee. Please call 650- 896 -5400 if you are interested. He translated comments made earlier about free tax services for the Spanish speaking community. Lastly, he recognized and congratulated all those who had just been named Chairs and Vice Chairs for the Boards and Commissions. Councilwoman Matsumoto asked if any fares had been determined for the ferry service. Vice Mayor Gonzalez said nothing had been decided yet. Mayor Garbarino attended a CMEC meeting where health statistics of San Mateo residents were given as pretty grim. He thought perhaps representative Jeanne Frazier could be invited to one of their dinners to speak further on the issue. Along with the City Manager, he met with County Supervisor Dave Pine to determine key issues in the City and how the county could fit in on addressing some of them. He also attended a badge ceremony for the Police Department and offered congratulations to the new officers and to Corporal Melinda Lopez and Sergeant Martin Mahon for their promotions. The Mayor wanted to adjourn the meeting in honor of William Drewis, longtime friend and neighbor, who had passed away last week. Lastly, he asked Parks and Recreation Director Sharon Ranals for an update on the Orange Park play structure. Director Ranals stated there had been an unforeseen soil issue but if the item on tonight's agenda was approved it would be approximately 15 working days. Given the recent uptick in robberies and assaults, Councilman Gonzalez asked the Police Department if carrying a whistle was still a recommended tactic. Captain Mike Brosnan stated that anything that could bring attention to yourself during the commission of a crime and cause others to contact the department would be a good thing. Councilman Addiego expressed his distress about what was happening in the community relating a story where a man had been jumped in the middle of the day. While he felt to understand why it was happening was one thing, but to protect against it was something that must be done. • Proclamation supporting a Smoke Free Movies Day. Vice Mayor Gonzalez presented the proclamation to the students representing the Youth Leadership Institute. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 2012 MINUTES 4 • 2012 City Council Committee Assignments Councilman Mullin had been designated to attend the land use meetings for C /CAG occurring alternating months but it had been difficult for him time wise. Perhaps it could be worked out with the Mayor as an alternate on who can fill in when. In exchange he could attend CMEC for him as he already has to attend it for the MTC. The remainder assignments were acceptable as they stood with all Council. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Motion to approve the minutes of January 31, 2012. 2. Motion to approve expense claims of February 8, 2012. 3. Waive reading and adopt the Private Sewer Lateral Construction, Maintenance and Inspection Ordinance. 4. Resolution authorizing the acceptance of $35,000 in donations and grant funding to support Project Read programs and services and amend the Library Department's 2011/2012 operating budget. 5. Resolution approving an amendment to the agreement with Miracle Playsystems , Inc. of Alamo, California in an amount not to exceed $60,000; and amending the 2011/12 Capital Improvement Program budget. Motion: Councilman Addiego /Second - Vice Mayor Gonzalez: to approve the consent calendar. Unanimously approved by voice vote. CLOSED SESSION 6. Closed Session: Conference with Labor Negotiators (Pursuant to Government Code § 54957.6) Unrepresented Employee: City Manager Agency designated representative: Steve Mattas In Closed Session: 8:10 p.m. Out of Closed Session: 8:25 p.m. Report out of Closed Session: No reportable action taken. COMMUNITY FORUM None. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 2012 MINUTES 5 ADJOURNMENT Being no further business, Mayor Garbarino adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. in honor of William Drewis. Submitted: Approved: C bk-ixg , -- L e t L. c t,) 5C 6- LL- 91 j Anna M. Brown, Deputy City Clerk Richard A. Garb a rino, Mayor .f 2 % City of South San Francisco City of South San Francisco REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FEBRUARY 8, 2012 MINUTES 6