CL_AGN_250825_CC_Special_AgendaPacket_F1
City Council
Monday, August 25, 2025, 6:00 PM
Special Meeting
City of Rolling Hills
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AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Blue Folder Items (Supplemental)
Blue folder (supplemental) items are additional back up materials to administrative reports, changes to the posted agenda
packet, and/or public comments received after the printing and distribution of the agenda packet for receive and file.
5. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
This is the appropriate time for members of the public to make comments regarding items not listed on this agenda. Pursuant to
the Brown Act, no action will take place on any items not on the agenda.
6. Consent Calendar
Business items, except those formally noticed for public hearing, or those pulled for discussion are assigned to the Consent
Calendar. The Mayor or any Councilmember may request that any Consent Calendar item(s) be removed, discussed, and
acted upon separately. Items removed from the Consent Calendar will be taken up under the "Excluded Consent Calendar"
section below. Those items remaining on the Consent Calendar will be approved in one motion. The Mayor will call on anyone
wishing to address the City Council on any Consent Calendar item on the agenda, which has not been pulled by
Councilmembers for discussion.
6.A. Approve Affidavit of Posting for the City Council Special Meeting of August 25, 2025
RECOMMENDATION: Approve.
7. Matters From the City Council
7.A. Candidate Interviews and potential approval of Traffic Commission appointment to
complete the current term beginning January 2, 2024 and expiring January 1, 2028
Page 1 of 11
2
RECOMMENDATION: Interview both candidates. Consider, discuss and approve the
appointment of one candidate to assume a seat on the Traffic Commission for the
September 25, 2025 meeting.
8. Adjournment
Next regular meeting: Monday, August 25, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, Rolling Hills City Hall, 2 Portuguese
Bend Road, Rolling Hills, California, 90274.
Notice:
Public Comment is welcome on any item prior to City Council action on the item.
Documents pertaining to an agenda item received after the posting of the agenda are available for review in the City Clerk's office or at the meeting at
which the item will be considered.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting due to your disability, please
contact the City Clerk at (310) 377-1521 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure
accessibility and accommodation for your review of this agenda and attendance at this meeting.
Page 2 of 11
Item: 6.A.
Meeting Date: 8/25/2025
To: City Council
From: Christian Horvath, Assistant to the City Manager / City Clerk
Thru: Karina Bañales, City Manager
Subject: Approve Affidavit of Posting for the City Council Special Meeting of August 25, 2025
Background:
None.
Discussion:
None.
Fiscal Impact:
None.
Recommendation:
Approve.
Attachments:
1. CL_AGN_250825_CC_Special_AffidavitofPosting
Page 3 of 11
Administrative Report
8.A., File # 2025 -82 Meeting Date: 8/25/2025
To: MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL
From: Christian Horvath, City Clerk
TITLE
Approve Affidavit of Posting for the City Council Special Meeting of August 25, 2025
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS
CITY OF ROLLING HILLS )
AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
In compliance with the Brown Act, the following materials have been posted at the locations below.
Legislative Body City Council
Posting Type Special Meeting Agenda
Posting Location 2 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills, CA 90274
City Hall Window
City Website: https://www.rolling-hills.org/government/agendas_meetings.php
https://rollinghillsca.portal.civicclerk.com/
Meeting Date & Time August 25 , 202 5 6:00pm Open Session
As City Clerk of the City of Rolling Hills, I declare under penalty of perjury, the document noted above was
posted at the date displayed below.
Christian Horvath, City Clerk
Date: August 22, 2025
Page 4 of 11
Item: 7.A.
Meeting Date: 8/25/2025
To: City Council
From: Christian Horvath, Assistant to the City Manager / City Clerk
Thru: Karina Bañales, City Manager
Subject: Candidate Interviews and potential approval of Traffic Commission appointment to
complete the current term beginning January 2, 2024 and expiring January 1, 2028
Background:
At the May 12, 2025 City Council meeting, the Council voted to declare a vacancy on the Traffic
Commission and directed staff to publicly notice the opening.
The appointment process for filling expiring Commission terms calls for the incumbents and the public
to be informed of the openings before the expiration of the current terms. During a normal term
expiration window, staff will provide approximately four weeks of public notification by:
1. Posting the notices at City Hall per the Maddy Act;
2. Sending letters to each incumbent advising them of the process to be considered for re-
appointment; and
3. Advertising the openings in the City Blue Newsletter.
Incumbents or interested individuals must submit Letters of Interest to the City Clerk by a set date
and time. Once received, staff will schedule interviews with the candidates and the City Council
Personnel Committee, ahead of the publication and posting of the last City Council agenda before the
new year and the beginning of new terms.
In the event a vacancy occurs before the term expiration, the vacancy is publicly noticed by posting at
City Hall and advertising in the City Blue Newsletter within 20 days of the vacancy, consistent with
Government Code Section 54974(a). A final appointment shall not be made by the City Council for at
least 10 working days after the notice has been posted.
Upon the May 12, 2025 Declaration of a Traffic Commission vacancy, staff posted notices at City Hall
as well as advertised the vacancy and process for submission in multiple Blue Newsletter printings.
Letter of interest submissions were due on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 12pm. Two candidates
responded by the due date: Mr. Roger Hawkins and Mr. Bill Varner.
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At the July 28, 2025 City Council meeting, staff verbally updated the Council that the Personnel
Committee had been unable to find consensus on an appointment recommendation to the full
Council. Discussion ensued, and the City Council opted to hold interviews with each candidate during
a Special Meeting to be held on August 25, 2025. Staff were directed to return with potential interview
questions that the City Council could choose from in preparation for the special meeting.
Discussion:
At the August 11, 2025 City Council meeting, staff presented potential questions for consideration to
be used during the interview process as part of tonight's Traffic Safety Committee Interview process.
The final selected questions can be found in Attachment A.
The two candidates this evening are:
1. Mr. Roger Hawkins (Attachment B)
2. Mr. Bill Varner (Attachment C)
Attached are their submitted materials as received by the June 20, 2025 deadline.
Staff recommend allowing 10-20 minutes per candidate interview and the remaining time for Council
discussion and/or potential action ahead of the August 25, 2025 Regular City Council meeting
beginning at 7pm.
Fiscal Impact:
None.
Recommendation:
Interview both candidates. Consider, discuss and approve the appointment of one candidate to
assume a seat on the Traffic Commission for the September 25, 2025 meeting.
Attachments:
1. Attachment A - CO_APT_250825_RH_TC_InterviewQuestions
2. Attachment B - CO_TRC_250617_TC_LOI_Hawkins
3. Attachment C - CO_TRC_250523_TC_LOI_Bio_Varner
Page 6 of 11
Interview questions for
City of Rolling Hills Traffic Commission
(as approved August 11, 2025)
1. Why do you want to serve on the Traffic Commission?
2. How does your personal and/or professional background prepare you for being on the Traffic
Commission?
3. What are your traffic related concerns for the community and how do you intend to work with your
fellow Commissioners to bring them to their attention and address them?
4. What has been your personal experience with the Rolling Hills Traffic Commission and/or Traffic
Commissions in general?
5. What do you feel is the role of the Traffic Commission?
6. What would you consider a positive outcome of the Traffic Commission’s work?
7. Do you know of any potential conflicts of interest or obstacles if you were appointed? If you had
an actual or potential conflict of interest, do you agree to disclose it to the Commission and its
attorney as soon as you become aware of such conflict? Do you agree to recuse yourself from
any case if advised to do so? Do you agree to recuse yourself from any case if advised to do so?
8. The Traffic Commission meets every other month on the fourth Thursday, at 8:30 AM. The Traffic
Commission may also meet at other times to visit a site, as needed. Are you able to devote the
time needed to serve as a Traffic Commissioner? If selected, do you agree to prepare for and
consistently attend the Commission’s scheduled meetings unless excused?
9. Is there any other information about you that you believe we should know?
Page 7 of 11
Page 8 of 11
From:Bill Varner
To:City Clerk
Subject:Traffic Commission Application
Date:Friday, May 23, 2025 9:35:37 AM
Attachments:LWV Bio with photo.docx
EXTERNAL EMAIL - This email was sent by a person from outside your organization. Exercise caution when
clicking links, opening attachments or taking further action, before validating its authenticity.
Christian,
I would like to apply for the Traffic Commission vacancy, as noted in the
May 20 edition of the RH newsletter. You may recall that I applied for a
vacancy last November, however the vacancy was cancelled. I’m
sending essentially the same letter (below) and bio that I used in
November since there have been no changes to any of the data.
Will this serve as my application, or is there an actual form I need to
submit?
Attached is my professional bio. I also wanted to note a few of my
community service activities that may be applicable to the Traffic
Commission, per below. Thanks for your consideration, and please
forward as appropriate.
I served on the Rolling Hills Estates Traffic and Safety Committee from
2021 until we left RHE to move here last summer. I attended all
meetings and was a regular contributor to the discussions and
decisions. My particular interest (in addition to improving traffic flow, of
course!) was to encourage good communications between all of the
cities on the peninsula. If there is an issue in any one of the cities, it
affects all of us.
I have served on HOA Boards of Directors nearly everywhere we have
lived, beginning with my first home when we lived in Virginia. I was a
member of the initial Board when we transitioned the HOA from the
builder to the residents.
Page 9 of 11
Most recently I served on the Board of Directors of The Vantage Pointe
(VP) HOA in RHE, where we lived until moving to Rolling Hills. In
addition to being Board Secretary, I was Head of the Special Security
Committee. I also organized the first Neighborhood Watch program. My
role was to help residents understand how to protect their homes, and I
was the interface to the Lomita Sheriff’s Station for the VP, as well as to
RHE City Hall.
Since “retiring” from full time work a few years ago, I have been on four
corporate Boards of Directors, several Academic Engineering Boards,
and several corporate Advisory Boards. I am currently on two corporate
Boards and am a strategic advisor to a small security start-up in
Torrance. It would be an honor and a pleasure to apply my experience
to help my new community in any way that I can.
--------
Best Regards,
Bill Varner
Palos Verdes Strategic Solutions LLC
Bill.PVSS@gmail.com
703-475-7909
Page 10 of 11
Bill Varner (bill.pvss@gmail.com)
Bill Varner is a Consultant to the Intelligence and National Security communities, providing services in
the areas of leadership, strategy, engineering management, mergers and acquisitions, mission support,
systems engineering, cyber security, and full-service security support.
Mr. Varner is a consultant to the Carlyle Group, is a member of the ManTech Board of Directors, and is a
member of the Board of Directors of Applied Research Solutions (a subsidiary of Riverside Research
Corporation). He is also a member of the ManTech MCIS Advisory Board and is a Strategic Advisor to P-
11 Security. He was formerly on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Tech Applied Research
Corporation (VT-ARC), Novetta (until the sale of the company), and Cornerstone Defense LLC. He is also a
member (Emeritus) of the George Washington University National Engineering Advisory Council, and the
Purdue University Engineering Advisory Board. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and the
Board of Advisors of the Intelligence and National Security Association (INSA) and a former member of
the University of Maryland Cyber Think Tank. In 2011, Mr. Varner was inducted to the George
Washington University School of Engineering Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was awarded the
Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award from Purdue University. He was elected to the
Wash 100 in 2013 and 2017.
From 2009 through 2017, Mr. Varner was president of ManTech’s Mission, Cyber, & Intelligence
Solutions (MCIS) group. In this role, he led an organization of 3,300 people supporting the Intelligence
and Defense communities, including cyber security, computer network operations, forensics, insider
threat, specialized systems engineering, operations and mission support, enterprise IT, and full-service
security support. Mr. Varner personally led the strategy, diligence, and integration of seven acquisitions
and one divestiture while working at ManTech.
Before joining ManTech, Mr. Varner was vice president of Intelligence Operations for Northrop
Grumman TASC, where he led more than 1,000 employees in delivering innovative technical solutions
and operations support to the Defense and Intelligence Communities.
Previously, Mr. Varner was vice president of TASC’s Signal and Information Processing Group, with
responsibility for hardware and software development and specialized systems engineering. Before
joining TASC, Mr. Varner was with ESL, Inc., where he developed adaptive-speech and signal-processing
systems and advanced simulations of complex National Security systems.
Mr. Varner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The George Washington
University (Special Honors in Electrical Engineering), a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering
from Purdue University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Tech.
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