1/14/1985 �1 Q I�IINUTES OF A �
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF ROLLING HILLS s C�,I,IFQRNIA
January 14y 1985
A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Rolling Hills
was called to order at the Administration Building, 2 Portuguese Bend
Road, Rolling Hillsy California by Mayor Leeuwenburgh at 7 :30 p .m.
Monday, January 14y 1985e �
ROLL CALL,
PRESENT : Councilmembers Heinsheimer, Murdocky Pernell, Swanso
Mayor Leeuwenburgh
ABSENT : 1Vone
ALSO PRESENT: Joseph Leach City Manager �
1�Iichael Jenkiris City At�orney
Capte Eo Omohundro Sheriff`s Lomi�a Station
George Shaw Architect
Philip Belleville Resident
Betsy Raine
PERSONNEL SESSION Dro Charles Turner "
Mayor Leeuwenburgh regorted that the Council had met with the City
Manager and City Attorney at 7 :00 p.m. for a personnel session, and she
called the regular meeting to order at. 7 :30 p.ma
APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1160 �
Councilwoman Swanson moved that the minutes of a r.egular meeting �
on December 10, 1984 be approved and accepted as presented. The moti.on
was seconded by Councilwoman Muxdock and carried unanimous7.y.
Councilwoman Swanson moved that the minutes of a special mee;ting:;
on-January 4, 1985 be amended to .clarify Council action with regard
to a proposal by staff that the holiday closing schedule be changed,
stating that it r,vas referrecl to the City rlanager for review and a recomm
mendation to the Councile The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Mur�
dock and carried unanimouslye �
PAYMENT OF BILLS
Councilwoman Swranson moved that Demands Noo 464 through 504 and
i1777 and 11778 in the amount of $44,352.49 be approved for ayment
from the General Fund; that Demand No. 497 in the amount of �2, 118.05
be ap�roved for payment from the Fire and Flood Se1f-Insurance � Fund,
and that Demands No. 11775 and 11776 be voided. The motion was secon-
ded by Councilman Pernell and carried by the following roll call vote :
AYES : Councilmembers Heinsheimer, Murdock, Pernell, Swanson
Mayor Leeuwenburgh
NOES : None
ABSENT : None
EXTENSION OF IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENT, TRACT 30345, GREENHUT 1240
The City Manager presented a copy of a letter from the Department
of County Engineer-Facilities of Lo� Angeles County, advising that con-
currently with the filing of the map for Tract 30345, the subdivider,
Dr. Jerry Greenhut, entered into a contract with the City to perform
work in cox�junction with the division of land, and posted improvement
security guaranteeing completion of the required work. The Engineer
reported that to complete the water system, a faithful performance de-�
posit �f $12,000 and labor and materials deposit of $6,000 was made to
the City on October 6, 1977 , and recommended that the Council deterinine
that the work required to be done pursuant to a contract with the' city
for Tract 30345 is incomplete, and that an extension of time is; neces-
sary, and that the Council declare the agreement submitted with' the.
improvement security. is extended until December 1, 1985. _ ,
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January 14, �9ss . 111
Councilman Pernell moved that the recommendation of the County
Engineer in a letter dated December 18, 1984 be accepted, and that
the agreement be extended to December 1, 1985. The motion was secon-
ded by Councilwoman Swanson and carried unanimously.
OPEN AGENDA �
MRS. BETSY RAINE RE : iNSURANCE FOR CABALLEROS
Mrs. Betsy Raine, 71 Portuguese Bend Road, of€ered to provide the
name .of the insurer for the Pony Club to be. considered by the City for -
insurance for Caballeros if no other insurance has been obtained. The
Mayor said the City Manager would report on what insurance coverage has
been obtained for Caballeros , and she thanked Mrs. Raine, stating that
if coverage has not been finalized she would appreciate the information
offered.
DR. CHARLES TURNER RE : DRAINAGE ON PINE TREE LANE _ �
� Dr. Charles Turner, 8 Pine Tree Lane, said he had written to the
City Manager expressing his concern about drainage on Pine Tree Lane,
� and he asked whether the Council wou�d discuss the matter at the meeting.
� Mayor Leeuwenburgh explained that Dr: Turner's. letter. was `.forwar.ded to
(y the County Engineer, and copies of -Dr. Turner`s letter and copies of the
� reply from the Senior Building Inspector William Magill, had been re-
Q
ferred to the Community Association.
The City Manager said that Dr. Turner had come to. the office to
discuss the problem, and he had asked Mr. Magill to visit the property
and inspect the area with Dr. Turner. In his letter dated January 7,
1985, Mr. Magill said that Dr. Turner had. stated that berms were added
to Pine Tree Lane, and diverted more water to a catch basin oppo.site
4 Pine Tree Lane, thus diverting more water to the canyon beyond the . ,
Turner property. Mr. Magill said he did not know whether the berms
were added or repaired, but it is his opinion that three recent grading
jobs at 2 , 4 and 6..�Fine Tree Lane have not increased the amount of �
water draining to the canyon behind the Turner property. Mr. .Leach said
the correspondence was referred to the Co�ununity Association because. of
recent paving and berm construction on Pine Tree Lane.
CITY OF HAWAIIAN ..GARDENS RESOLUTION N0. 72-84 �
A letter dated December 10,. 1984 from the City of Hawaiian Gardens �
and a copy of Resolution No. 72-84 entitled A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY
� COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HAWAIIAN GARDENS OPPOSING THE 1985 RATL INCREASE
R�QUEST SUBMITTED BY GENERAL TELEPHONE COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA TO THE
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION were received for the file . :
Councilwoman Swanson said she thought the Council should act on -
the resolution and adopt a similar resolution on behalf of the resi=.
dents of Rolling Hills, and she moved that the Council adopt a resolu-
tion opposing the 1985 rate increase proposed by General Telephone Co.
The motion died for lack of a second. Councilwoman Murdock said it
has been the policy of the Council not to take such actions, and she .
suggested that the residents be advised in the Newsletter of the dates
of hearings before the Public Utilities Commission.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTIONS , DECEMBER 18,. I984 1435 ,
The Manager reported that at a .regular meeting of the Planning
Co�ission on December 18, 1984 the following actions were taken:
Zoning Case No 300, Philip Bel�leville, 12 Crest Road East
A Var�iance was granted for reduction of the front setback from
137 feet to 90 feet for construction of a residence addition encroach-
ing into the existing front yard. A proposed dual driveway shown on
the plan was referred to the Traffic Commission, and on November T6,
1984 the Traffic Commission recommended that the request for a dual
driveway be denied based on' evidence viewed in the field which indi- .
cated to the Commission that because of speed and traffic conditions
on Crest Road an additional driveway would increase hazards in the
area, where sight distance is limited. � �
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January 14, 1985
Mre I,each reported that in a letter to the City Council dated � `
January 2, 1985 Mr. George Shaw, architect for Mr. and Mrs . BellevilZe,
. advised that it was the applicants ' wish to appeal the action of the
Traffic Commission denying a second access driveway to the property,
and he asked that the City Council reconsider the original driveway
design. In a letter to Mr, and Mrs. Belleville dated January 10, 1985
Mr . Ross Bolton, a Registered. Traffic Engineer working for South Bay
Engineering Corporation advised that his investigation at the site
confirmed that the sight distance in either direction from the locati,on
of the proposed new driveway and improvment to the existing driveway is
more than 240 feet, and the proposed driveways comply with accepted
standards for a safe location. In addition, the Manager said the City
has a report from a Traffic Engineer identifying the variables with
reference to the second drivewaye Mr. Leach asked that the City At�
torney clarify the matter before the City Council, since the appeal by �
the applicant pertains only to the denial of the request for an add.i-
tional driveway by the Traffic Commission, and does not mention the
approval of the front yard variance by the Planning Commission. Mr.
Jenkins said the action by the Planning Commission is on the agenda as �
an information item only, unless the Council votes to take jurisdic- .
tion of the approval by the Planning Commission; the only item before
the Council is the appeal of the Traffie Commission's decision. Mr.
Jenkins said the Municipal Code does not require notice of a hearing
on appeal of a Traffic Commission decision, and the Council could .
consider the appeal at this meeting unless Councilmembers wish to
haue additional time to r.eview the mater�al submittede
Councilwoman Swanson moved that the Council hear the matter at �
this meeting, since the appellant is present and. the information� was .
sent to the Council members prior to the meeting. The.motion died
for lack of a seconci. Councilman Pernell said the usual procedure. `.
is for the Council to receive an appeal and set a hearing on the ap-
peal, and i.t was his opinion that the established procedure should.
be followed. With the concurrence of the Council Mayor Leeuwenburgh
set the hearing on the appeal for the next regular meeting of the
City Council on Monday, January 28, 1985. . � -
Mr. Shaw, architect for the applicant, stated for the record that
the only application to the Planning. Commission was for a Variance of
front yard requirements, and he said there is nothing in the� City's . .
ordinances or regulations that specifies the number or limitation on :
driveways. Mr. Shaw asked whether the City Council would act on the .
Planning Commission' s approval of. the requested front yar�d variance.
He was advised that the report of the Planning Commission` s action
was presented to the City Council as an information item, and since
the Council did not vote to take jurisdiction of the matter, the ,Plan-
ning Commission' s approval was ratified by the Councilo .
A field trip to the Belleville property by the City Council was
scheduled for Monday, January 21, 1985 at 7 :00 a.m. and the matter
was held on the agenda for a hearing on the appeal on Monday, Janu-
ary 28, 1985 at 7 :30 p.m. �
Zoning Case No . 306, Dr. Mehdi Hemmat, 64 Eastfield Drive ,
A Variance was granted for construction of a residence addition :
which will be a continuation of the existing setback, which is 30'
from the road� easement as required when the residence was built , ra- -.
ther than SQ' from the road easement, as �is now required. The . inform-
ation was received for the file. �
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ZONING ORDINANCE 1.630 ' . -
Mr. Leach reported that the Planning Commission held a public`.
hearing on a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, and recommend-
ed to the City Council that the Municipal Code be amended by adding: a
section which would state that no conditional use permit or var,iance
shall be effective for any purpose until the applicant executes an af- .
fidavit provided by the City declaring that the applicant is aware-: of
and accepts the conditions that have been imposed upon the permit -or -
variance. The executed affidavit �shall be recorded with the County
Recorder. The City Attorney explained that execution and r,ecor.datio,n.
of the affidavit would ensure that the conditions of approval. travelled
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January 14, 1985
with the land, and in the event of a change of owczership the condi_tion.s
would remain in ef�ect. A public hearing on the proposed amendment was �
scheduled for February 11, 1985 at 7 :30 p.m.
MATTERS FROP? THE CITY ATTORNEY
REQUEST FOR CLOSED SESSION �
The City Attorney requested a closed session at the e�d of the
� meeting in order to discuss impending litigation involvirig the land-
slide and threatened litigation. �
MATTERS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
REQUEST' FOR CLOSED SESSION
Councilwoman Swanson requested a closed session with the .City
Council and City Manager to discuss personnel matters. �
. (� PROCEDURE FOR APPEAL FROM DECISION OF TRAFFIC COMMISSION -
� Councilwoman Swanson said the Traffic Commission is becoming
� more involved and she .suggested that a procedure be developed for
� appeals by residents of Traffic Commission decisions, since there
m is no such procedure at this t.ime. Councilman Pernell sai:d he is ,
Q. of the opinion that certain matters which are now referred to the
� Traffic Commission should be handled by the Planning Commission.
Councilwoman Murdock suggested that the role of the Traffic Commis-
sion with regard to duties, powers and procedures should be clari-
fied,� and she said that would be an appropriate topic of discussion
at the' joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission on
January 21. " ' .
GRADING AT 5 CHUCKWAGON ROAD I789
� Councilwoman Swanson asked for a report on grading on Chuckwagon ,�
Road, and noted that a resident of adjacent property had written a -
letter expressing concern about the impact on his property. She
� said, furttier, that the County Engineer had stated that grading on the -
upper level would be 2 :1 as required by the City. Councilwoman Murdock.
said that in subsequent discussions it was determined that the correc-
tive grading should be returned to the original grade.
ROLLING HILLS BOOKS
� Mayor Leeuwenburgh requested that the Council authorize. distribu-,
tion of complimentary copies of Rolling Hills, The Early Days by A. E.
Hanson to residents. The Manager said the books are occupying needed
space. � Mayor Leeuwenburgh said copies would be given to residents at
the Annual Meeting of the Rolling Hills Community As.sociation. ,
MATTERS FROM THE CITY MANAGER r.
PROPOSED SERVICE CHARGE BY L.A. COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT N0; 5
The City Manager .reported that Sanitation District ��10: 5 has found
that existing sources of revenue are insufficient to offset expenses �
beginning .in Fiscal 1985=86 and a service charge for all users of the
sewerage system is being considered. The proposed service charge for
a single family home for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1985 is $12.
Mr. Leach said the current proposal exempts owners not connected to the
sewer system, but an exemption letter must be filed with the District;.
He said he is pursuing with the Sanitation District the possibility �of
filing a "blanket exemption" by the City. for all parcels in the City,
since there are no sewers and all parcels within the City are serviced
by on-�site sewerage systems and therefore are exempt . The item was'
held "'on the° agenda for additional information.
LETTER 'FROM` TOM BANDY, RANCHO PALOS VERDES RE : CABLE TV NEGOTIATIONS 1926
' "The Manager reported that he had received a letter from Tom Bandy
the� Director of Communications for the Ci�y of Rancho Palos Verdes with
reference to any interest the City. of Rolling Hills might fiave relative
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January 14, 1985
to participating in negotiations for Cable TV. Mr. Leach said a portion
of Rancho Palos Verdes is under a franchise which was inherited from Los
� Angeles County, and they are looking into Cable TV for the substantially
larger area of the city which is without it, �and they have inquired as
to what extent the City of Rolling Hills is interested in participating
in the negotiations and development of criteria for future needs . Mr.
Leach said at present there is no cable TV in Rolling Hills or Rolling
Hills Estates, and Mr. Bandy has proposed that this is the best� time
for the cities to collectively look into the matter , to determine if
there is a desire by the cities to become involved. Mr. Leach sugges,-
ted that a sub-committee be appointed to study the matter. Mayor
Leeuwenburgh said it was discussed at the monthly Mayors ' meeting on
November 21, 1984, and she asked Councilman Pernell to serve on a sub-
committee with her to explore the concept. Councilman Pernell agreedr _
and the Mayor said they would work with the City Manager on developing -'
information.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
The Manager reported that. at a special meeting of the City Counc�il
on January 4, 1985 the Mayor was authorized to proceed with a decision
regarding insurance coverage for the City, and information regarding .
coverage for the City of Rolling Hi.11s and the Rolling Hills Community
Association for the policy period January 8 , 1985 "- 86 had been provided
to members of the Council. The Nianager reported further that he was �
advised that the C.ity of Pa1os Verdes Estates had obtained subsidence; , .
insurance in July 1983 in the amount of $500,000 for a mudslide insur- �. .
ance program, with a $100,000. deductible, and the premium for the ,year
was $75 ,000. In July 1984 the premium escalated to $150,000, and the,
City of Palos Verdes Estates cancelled .the insurance, stating that the
insurance is extremely expensive. in view of the deductible.
Councilwoman Murdock suggested that the Council consider prepara-. -
tion of a resolution to lie presented to the League of California Cities
regarding legislation to. provide some kind of coverage for municipalitie�
" in view of the tendency of carriers to cancel coverage. Councilman
Pernell said that in addition to submitting such a resolution for re-
view by the resolution review conunittee of the League9 he wotxld propose
thar legislators be contacted about the problem. The City Ma.nager said
he received a call from the Sacramento office of the League of California
Cities requesting that the City document insurance problems , and he had
agreed to do so. Mayor Leeuwenburgh asked Councilwoman Murdock to work
with the City Nlanager and City Attorney to develop an appropriate reso-
lution, and she agreed to do soe
CITY MANAGER'S ANNUAL MEETING
Councilman Pernell moved that the City Manager be authorized to
attend the annual City Manager' s Department Conference of the League
of California Cities in Monterey February 13-15, ,1985 . . The motion .
was carried by .Mayor Leeuwenburgh and carried unanimously. -
ADJOURNED TO CLOSED SESSION
Mayor Leeuwenburgh adjourned the meeting to a closed session to
discuss litigation as requested by the City At.torneye
MEETING RECONVENED AND ADJOUkNED
The meeting was reconvened by Mayor Leeu�7enburgh and Councilman
Pernell moved that the City Council prohibit antennas over a certain .
height from the City and that the Plznning Commission be .requested to
set public hearings for the proposed amendments to the Municipal Code.
The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Murdock and carried by the �
following roll call vote: �
AYES : Councilmembers Heinsheimer, Murdock, Pernell , Swanson
Mayor Leeuwenburgh
NOES : None _
ABSENT: None
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January 14, 1985
RECOMMENDATION BY PERSONNEL OFFICER
Councilman Pernell, personnel officer for the City Council, recom-
mended that the request by the .City Manager that part time personnel be
hired be acted on, and that the Manager be authorized to hire a part
time employee to occupy the City desk in the front office . Further,
Councilman Pernell moved that the .employment contract with the City
Manager be extended on the same terms and conditions through the City
Council meeting on February 11, 1985. The motion was seconded by
� Councilwoman Murdock and carried by the following roll call vote :
AYES : - Councilmembers Murdock, Pernell, Swanson
Mayor Leeuwenburgh
NOES : None .
ABSENT: Councilman Heinsheimer
ATTENDANCE AT MAYORS ' LUNCHEON
� � Mayor Leeuwenburgh asked Councilman Pernell to represent her at
� the meeting of Peninsula mayors on Wednesday, January 16, 1985. Coun-
� cilman Pernell said he would advise the Mayor whether he would be able.
�- to attend.
m
Q PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS AT. .ANNUAL MEETING � - -
Mayor Leeuwenburgh said resolutions of appreciation have been pre=
pared for presentation to three retiring members of the Board of Directors
of the Rolling Hills Community Association, and she asked that Councilman
Pernell participate in the presentation. . . . ,
ADJOURNMENT
� The meeting was adjourned to a joint meeting with the Planning
Commission on Monday, January 21, 1985 at ?:.30 p.m. _ .
� City C erk ;
APPROVED: �
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