Tuesday will be the first City Council meeting since July 23, following the August summer break and it seems the work has been piling up. At the time of going to press, it was one of the most packed we’ve seen in some time.
An extraordinary number of Consent Calendar Items are on this week’s agenda, 17 in total, so depending on if any of them get pulled for discussion by a councilmember, there is always the potential that this meeting might mean burning the midnight oil.
Added to that, there are 10 items up for discussion and among them is the return of an already divisive subject, the needle distribution program, that impacts, among other locations, Christine Emerson Reed Park.
At the request of Councilmember Oscar de la Torre, Vice Mayor Lana Negrete and Mayor Phil Brock, City Council will ask the City Attorney and City Manager to draft language of proposed resolutions for consideration by the League of California Cities, Independent Cities Association and Westside Cities Council of Governments asking the State Legislature and Governor to change laws to provide for local control over the dissemination of syringes and other drug paraphernalia in local communities.
Moreover, the City Manager will assist in submitting the draft resolutions to each of the above mentioned organizations for consideration of adoption. In the past, the City Council has taken action to demand that the County cease the distribution of syringes and other drug paraphernalia in its parks and away from schools. As part of previous Council actions, the City also demanded that the County relocate the distribution of syringes and other drug paraphernalia to an indoors location.
That is in fact a standalone discussion item, but it will no doubt share discussion with the next item, which is that, again at the request of Councilmember de la Torre, the City Attorney and City Manager eliminate the distribution of all drug paraphernalia and equipment in Santa Monica parks, other City-owned spaces and anywhere closer than 1,000 feet away from any school, other educational facility, church, senior center or Boys and Girls Clubs. The only exception would be Narcan, which can help revive someone who is unresponsive.
The Study Session Item relates to a beach dune restoration pilot project. In May 2016, the City entered a Memorandum of Understanding with The Bay Foundation to conduct a pilot restoration of a three-acre portion of Santa Monica beach, in between the Annenberg Community Beach House and the Sorrento Beach, opposite Parking Lot 9 North. In December of 2016, the Santa Monica beach dune restoration pilot project was installed and subsequently underwent adaptive management and monitoring until the conclusion of those activities in 2021.
The pilot project was successful and to further demonstrate low-cost natural coastal adaptation solutions in the face of climate vulnerabilities such as sea level rise and coastal flooding, staff proposes an expanded beach dune restoration scenario across Santa Monica beach as a Phase 3 of this project. According to the Staff Report, the goal of this session is to seek Council direction on various details of the proposed scenario, related community/stakeholder outreach efforts and guidance on related planning elements to support the successful implementation of the next phase of this project.
Other potential highlights — and there are many — include an introduction and first reading of an ordinance amending Santa Monica Municipal Code section 3.12.490 to establish speed limits for certain City streets pursuant to the California Vehicle Code. Council will also debate the sale of city owned parking lots at 4th/5th Arizona and Bergamot Station to facilitate affordable housing.
The last item listed for the evening — so hopefully if this meeting doesn’t run to 3am it will be included, as it maintains a strong, passionate following within the local community — Vice Mayor Negrete, Councilmember de la Torre and Councilmember Christine Parra have requested that after hearing community feedback, the City Manager explore the notion of Hollywood Community Housing Corporation revising its proposed housing projects on surface parking lots (1217 Euclid St, 1211 14th St and 1146 16th St) to replace all proposed permanent supportive housing units with senior housing.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
