City Council Meets Tonight--UPDATED

The Claremont City Council holds its first meeting of 2009 tonight, beginning at 5:15pm with another in a seemingly endless series of special closed session meetings. (You get the impression this is where the real business of the city gets done, without that bothersome public to interrupt the flow of things.)

The closed session agenda lists two items up for discussion:

• A conference with the city's labor negotiators: City Manager Jeff Parker, Assistant City Manager Tony Ramos, and Personnel Manager Shawna Urban.
  
  
• A conference with the city's legal counsel, City Attorney Sonia Carvalho, regarding "anticipated litigation." Or, money in the bank for Carvalho's firm, Best, Best & Krieger - gotta love those billable hours.
  

The regular, public City Council meeting will convene at 6:30pm, beginning with a sanitized summary of the earlier closed session. The regular agenda seems pretty pedestrian:

• Ceremonial matters: Introduction of new Human Services Commissioner Bob Miletich and a recognition of the Doubletree Hotel for their sponsorship of the city's Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration.
  
  
• Consideration of City Manager Parker's "proposed and amended" employment contract. As a result of the Council's December evaluation of the City Manager's performance, they've rewarded him with a 3% raise and a pay-for-performance bonus of an undisclosed amount. Of course, the devil is in the bonus details, conveniently hidden away.
  
  At least Parker, whose salary will now be $211,150 per year, made out better with his raise than his predecessor, Glenn Southard.
  
  [Update: See today's Wes Woods Daily Bulletin article here. Parker will offer to freeze his COL raise for 90 days. He has "no problem" leading on this one. Makes one even more curious about the TOP-SECRET "pay for performance" portion. The comments to the aforementioned Bulletin article are especially biting.]
  
  
• Delaying discussion of a sidewalk installation plan for Foothill Blvd. between Mountain and Berkeley Aves. until staff can consider some alternatives. This plan generated some controversy because it would involved removal of the large trees that line that section of Foothill. The residents in the homes on the other side of the block wall there weren't too happy about the prospect of losing those trees.
  
  The council is being asked to hold this one over until their February 24th meeting.
  
  
• Review of the Human Services Commission Strategic Work Plan. This is the guiding template for most of Claremont's community programs and services. The most interesting bullet point under the work plan is "Alternative Revenue Generation," which includes "Approval and Implementation of Sponsorship Policy."
  
  Can you say, "Naming Rights?" Imagine, if you will, a newly built Padua Park with a great big neon Claremont Toyota sign festooning the entrance. Or the "Metamucil Senior Center" in Larkin Park.
  
  This is how things get done in Claremont. Policy changes buried as tiny bullet points in little-read commission work plan.
  
  
• Approval of an entertainment permit for Walters Restaurant. This link was dead, so we have no idea what sort of entertainment is being proposed.
  
  
• Appointments to the City's Sustainability Committee. A number of names listed here. The most interesting of which is Barbara Musselman, the president of the local League of Women Voters chapter, chair of the Police Commission, a member of the city's Affordable Housing Task Force, and a member of the city's Committee on Human Relations.
  
  Talk about recycling! Barbara's taking up enough space as it is. How about opening this one up to one of the many equally qualified community members who don't have a committee or a commission seat?
  

Claremont City Council Meeting
Tonight, 7:00pm
City Council Chambers
225 Second St.

Council Meets Tonight

The Claremont City Council meets tonight at 6:30pm in the Council Chambers, located at 225 W. 2nd St. in the heart of the Claremont Village. For you dedicated policy wonks, the council meetings are streamed live, and you can watch tonight's meeting on the city's website.

The meeting agenda is posted here.

Here's a list of some of the more interesting items with links to the appropriate backup material (the city's document site seems a little balky today, so you may have to refresh the screen several times to get a document to come up):

• Ceremonial Matters: The city pays homage the Claremont Area League of Women Voters on their 70th anniversary. LWV president Barbara Musselman will undoubtedly be there to accept the honor, as will founding members Marilee Scaff, Ellen Taylor, Helaine Goldwater, Judy Wright, Diann Ring, and Sharon Hightower. Kidding. It only seems like they've been there seven decades. Congrats ladies (and gents)!
  
  The city will also honor Metrolink for their sponsorship of the City's Depot Jazz Series.
  
  
  
• Code amendment: The city will amend the appendix to its conflict of interest code. The appendix lists exactly what information on potential conflicts of interest different levels of employees and elected or appointed city officials have to disclose. State law requires this to be reviewed and updated periodically.
  
  
  
• Right-of-Way and Irrigation Maintenance Contract: City staff is recommending awarding a three-year contract worth $294,812.95 to CLS Landscape in Chino. The contract is for the maintenance of over 50 acres of city-owned right-of-ways and 42 acres of open space brush clearance. Careful there....
  
  
  
• CGU General Plan Amendment Hearing Cancellation: The Council was supposed to hold a hearing tonight on Claremont Graduate University's request for General Plan land use map amendments and zoning changes for several of CGU's parcels. However, because the Planning Commission hasn't acted on the matter yet, the Council cannot take any action.
  
  
  
• Claremont Commons Project Appeal: A neighborhood group called Protect Our Neighborhoods, represented by C. R. Fowler, seeks to appeal an Architectural Commission approval for the Claremont Commons project at the northwest corner of Monte Vista Ave. and Foothill Blvd. Staff is recommending the matter be sent back to the Architectural Commission for further review.
  
  
  
• A Report on the Upland Park View Specific Plan, Chapter 2: Upland is working on a large-scale, mixed-use development north of Base Line Rd. between the 210 Freeway and Benson:
  
  
  Click to Enlarge
  
  
  The project will include 100,000 square-feet of retail space on 10 acres, up to 400 residential units on 32 acres, and a 57-acre sports park. You can learn more about the project on Upland's website.
  
  2.4 acres of the project's western corner are in Claremont, so the City has to approve a specific plan for that small portion of the Upland development.
  
  
  
• Cell Tower Code Amendment: Staff recommends the Council approve a revised city ordinance regarding antennas and wireless communication towers. The city here is looking for new revenue - lots of money in them there cell towers.
  
  
  
• Human Services Commission Appointment: At the recommendation of the Council's Ad Hoc Commission Selection Committee (Linda Elderkin and Sam Pedroza), the Council is being asked to appoint Bob Miletich to the Human Services Commission.
  
  Miletich is a former AYSO Region 3 board member and is employed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public and Social Services as a human resources administrator.
  
  Hmmm, sounds a little like LWV president Barbara Musselman, who formerly worked for San Bernardino County as a Human Resource Director. Go get 'em, wonks!