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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2010-04-14v~H SAN O~S~ r`=:z F9 ~ a- ' ~=l1, 9.tc~ v O ~_ c9LtFOR~~e' MINUTES CITY COUNCIL CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO REGULAR MEETING MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING COMMUNITY ROOM 33 ARROYO DRIVE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010 CALL TO ORDER: ROLL CALL: 7:00 P.M. Present: Councilmen Garbarino and Gonzalez and Councilwoman Matsumoto, Vice Mayor Mullin, and Mayor Addiego. Absent: None. Prior to the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Addiego announced that students from local high schools were participating in youth government day and were present at the meeting shadowing their City staff and elected official counterparts. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Led by El Camino High School Teacher, Steve Simondi PRESENTATIONS • Certificate of Recognition presented to Volunteer Bill Gorham. Councilman Garbarino presented a certificate of recognition to Bill Gorham for the work he does picking up bread at a bakery in Brisbane and delivering it to Safe Harbor House for the Homeless. The Councilman stated that Mr. Gorham was an invaluable asset to the community. Mr. Gorham thanked Council for the honor. • Certificate of Recognition honoring long-time resident of South San Francisco Levia Mangini, presented to Lola Migliore. Council presented long time South San Francisco resident Levia Mangini with a certificate of recognition honoring the occasion of her 106th birthday. Five (5) generations of her family, many of whom are residents of South San Francisco, were present. • Commendation honoring South San Francisco resident Mr. Belmessieri (who helped citizens during an incident on 1/29/10) -presentation by Chief White. The Fire Department presented Mr. Belmessieri with a commendation honoring his quick response and assistance he provided during an emergency incident on January 29, 2010. AGENDA REVIEW None. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. ITEMS FROM COUNCIL • Announcements. • Committee Reports. Due to the significant amount of time expected to be dedicated to the public hearing item on the agenda, Council decided to forego the normal extent of comments pertaining to announcements and committee reports. Specific exceptions were as follows: Councilman Garbarino requested that the meeting be adjourned in honor of Mary Grace O'Nyon. He also requested that staff explore closing a portion of Grand Avenue in the Downtown District to traffic every so often. Councilwoman Matsumoto requested that the meeting be adjourned in honor of Stanley Bush, father of School Board Trustee and Former Park and Recreation Commissioner, Judy Bush. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Motion to approve the minutes of February 17, 2010. 2. Motion to confirm the expense claims of April 14, 2010. 3. Waive reading and adopt an Ordinance No. 1426-201.0 repealing section 2.18.020 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code dissolving the South San Francisco Surplus Property Authority. 4. Waive reading and adopt an Ordinance No. 1427-2010 repealing section 2.18.030 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code dissolving the South San Francisco Industrial Development Authority. 5. Waive reading and adopt an Ordinance No. 1428-2010 making findings and REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 14, 2010 MINUTES - 2 - amending the City of South San Francisco Zoning Map (RZ08-0001) and adding Chapter 20.25 to the South San Francisco Municipal Code (ZA08-0007), related to the South El Camino Real General Plan Amendment, to allow and establish regulations for mixed-use development in the South El Camino Real Corridor. 6. Resolution No. 33-2010 supporting submission of a grant application for the Regional Bicycle Program Fiscal Years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Motion- Councilman Gonzalez/Second- Councilman Garbarino: to approve Consent Calendar Items Nos. 1-5. Unanimously approved by voice vote. Item No 6: Councilwoman Matsumoto requested clarification as to when the grant application would be submitted. City Manager Nagel responded the grant application had to be submitted by the 16th of April. Motion- Councilwoman Matsumoto/Second- Councilman Gonzales: to approve Resolution No. 33-2010. Unanimously approved by voice vote. PUBLIC HEARIN 7. Consideration of continued use or termination of Red Light Photo Enforcement at El Camino Real and Westborough/Chestnut Avenue and El Camino Real and Hickey Boulevard intersections. Resolution No. 34-2010 authorizing the continued use of the City Red Light Photo Enforcement Program and the contract with American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS) for Red Light Photo Enforcemerrt. Public Hearing opened: 7:41 p.m. Chief of Police Massoni presented the staff report recommending the continued use of the City Red Light Photo Enforcement Program and the contract with American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS) for Red Light Photo Enforcement. He began by reporting that the program's success at reducing accidents was difficult to measure since it had only started in August 2009. Since that time, there had been just over 50 accidents in the areas at issue. He noted, however, that most cities with similar programs show some reduction in accident data from very little all the way to 50%. Since the programs started at the intersections of Westborough Blvd./Chestnut Avenue and El Camino Real and Hickey Blvd. and El Camino Real, the cameras had captured 21,000 events. An event was defined as anytime the camera was activated. A third of these events actually generated citations. Ninety five (95%) of the violations were triggered by a right turn on a red light. The Police Department had received many complaints about citations issued for "the California Role" type of violation, or an illegal right on red. The Police Department had also received several questions about the speed at which it was OK not to stop. The vehicle code is clear that there must be a complete stop. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 14, 2010 MINUTES - 3 - Chief Massoni then announced that Corporal Olson and Mr. Pedrosia of ATS were present and available to answer questions. Resident Jim Lallas addressed Council and opined the cameras reduce the quality of life in South San Francisco. He noted the light flashes from the cameras were visible from his home at night. David Heran of San Bruno stated the flashing of the camera lights was distracting to drivers passing through the city. He stated that Assemblyman Jerry Hill supports a thorough review of red light cameras at the state level. Resident John Bergener stated he never received a red light camera ticket and acknowledged arguments for and against the cameras. He opined the cameras likely don't decrease accidents and urged Council to remove them. Resident Diana Pugliarse stated she was almost hit by a "California roller" and spoke in favor of the cameras. She noted the flashed were somewhat distracting and recommended infrared technology. David Whitney advised he was informed of the cameras by the newspapers just before they went in. He opined the cameras were not Resident Rich Gamble stated the light flashes were very distracting. He also felt the cameras were an invasion of privacy. Resident Karen Torres stated the flashing lights from the cameras were intrusive and recommended putting the red light camera issue to public vote. Diane Fitzgibbon stated she was concerned with the red light cameras since their installation. The cameras go off at times when there is not a violation. Additionally, the flashing lights are so bright. They might actually cause an accident. She further noted the red light cameras in San Francisco did no flash as brightly. Recess: 8:10 p.m. Meeting resumed: 8:15 p.m. Al Bullock stated he was employed as a cameraman at ABC for severa142 years. He noted that during his career he learned the cameras are not accurate. He urged Council to remove the system. He noted the cameras are subject to malfunction and are inaccurate. He further noted he successfully fought a red light camera violation. Resident Mina Richardson advised the program was problematic because residents were not forewarned of the installation of the cameras. She further noted that the vehicle code is silent on how many seconds you have to stop at a red light before making a right turn on red. She further stated the video of her red light camera violation showed she stopped because her brake lights were on. She also opined the Police were not adequately trained to deal with questions from the public on the issue. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 14, 2010 MINUTES - 4 - Resident Jeannette Holt spoke in favor of the red light cameras noting r~er belief they make the intersections near her home safer. She further stated she was not intimidated by the flashing lights. Resident Prudencia Nelson spoke in favor of the red light cameras. She stated she wished the City could receive a greater percentage of the red light camera ticket proceeds. Howard Atkins stated the cameras were an invasion of privacy. He noted that 76% of the population was against them. Robert Richardson stated the Police Department improperly handled the inquiries about the red light camera ticket his wife received. He opined the cameras were really installed to generate revenue and that it was not at all for safety. Public hearing closed: 8:53 p.m. Vice Mayor Mullin commented he would like to see the surrounding neighborhood protected from the flashing lights and questioned whether it was possible to dim the flashes. He noted the City of Millbrae had a very similar issue and was able to dim the lights. He further questioned whether the instrument could be refined so that recalibration was not so distracting. Chief of Police Massoni advised these options could be explored. Councilman Gonzalez questioned whether the length of the contract could be shortened. Mr. Pedrosia responded that he could not make the decision on the spot but ATS could consider shortening the duration. Mayor Addiego requested that former Chief of Police Raffaelli address the Council regarding the decision to install the red light cameras. Former Chief of Police Raffaelli advised that initial Council study sessions on the red light cameras occurred in July 2006. After receiving direction that Council would like to pursue consideration of the cameras, the Police Department consulted Caltrans and was advised that many changes needed to be made to the intersections before installation of the cameras could occur. Caltrans took a great deal of time to make the changes and the timing of their completion coincided with his retirement. He took responsibility for installation of the cameras without formal Council approval of the final contract. Councilman Garbarino spoke in favor of renewing the contract and noted the issue was one of safety. He stated his preference for having officers on the street to deal with other issues as opposed to monitoring dangerous intersections on a full time basis. He stated support for exploring ways to minimize the flashes and their intrusion into neighborhoods. Councilwoman Matsumoto stated support for renewing the contract as it was a safety issue. Mayor Addiego stated he could not support renewing the contract. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 14, 2010 MINUTES - 5 - Councilman Gonzalez stated he could only support renewing the contract if the duration was further limited. Motion- Councilwoman Matsumoto/Second- Councilman Mullin: to approve Resolution No. 34-2010. Approved by the following roll call vote: AYES: Councilmembers Matsumoto and Garbarino and Vice Mayor Mullin. NOES: Councilman Gonzalez and Mayor Addiego. COMMUNITY FORUM None. ADJOURNMENT Being no further business, Mayor Addiego adjourned the meeting at 9:59 P.M. in honor of Mary Grace O'Nyon and Stanley Bush. S>itte~ j App ved: .~ . / -O~...f._._ ...._. _--w~ Krist a i-L son, City Clerk Mark .Addiego, Mayor ity of Sout San 'sco City of South San Francisco REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING April 14, 2010 MINUTES - 6 -