Meeting opened by Dan Scully, Chairman at 7:05PM.   34 Members in attendance.  

Dan Announced a June 19th event at San Buenaventura State Park.  “Festival” Will have beer, wine and food.  It will be from 9:00AM to 5:00PM.  This event will be posted on our web site.   

Police Report by Commander Al Davis for tonight’s meeting.   Commander Mark Stadler (phone number 339-4374)will replace Commander Ray Vance, who retired last week.  No specific plans for July 4th as yet specific to our community.  He reminded community to patronize the fireworks show at Ventura College.  Opened the floor for questions.  Question about who was responsible for directing traffic during a particular weekend with overflow traffic at Maria Park.  Commander Davis had no specific response, but indicated the City Park’s Dept. was most likely responsible. 

There has been an outbreak in car vandalisms throughout the city.  Please remove property from visible sight inside the car and make sure it is locked.  Police are making all efforts to reduce these crimes. 

If private property is blocked by unknown vehicle, call police and they will respond as soon as they can.   Vehicles may be towed by order from the police department only.  Community asked to be observant and if suspicious activity is noticed at neighboring property, please call the police department and report it.   An example of “popcorn visit” was given as a vehicle that parks for a few moments, enters residence and leaves quickly.  This could be drug dealing related.  We are the eyes and ears for the police department.  

Official announcement was given that the meeting is taped for transcription of minutes given by Rosemary Icardo, Secretary. 

COMMITTEE REPORTS BEACH:  Rosemary Icardo, Chair There was a letter sent out June 11TH and should be in your mail boxes today.  It is from Ron Calkins, City of Ventura head of Public Works.  It contains information about the sand removal on the lanes.  They have completed most of the work but there will be additional work from the 16TH to the 23RD.  City crews removed an estimated 2,200 cu. yards of sand, 637 truck loads.   Time schedule for lifeguards at towers at San Pedro, Seaward and Marina Park was provided by Jack Futeron.   The Marina Park and Seaward towers will be open full time Sat. June 19th.  The budget plan identified the late start to match up with local school vacation schedules.  Those towers will regularly start at 10:00AM and up and until 5:00PM.  This schedule will be posted on our web page. Member requested the City get a piece of equipment to drag sand back from residences and turnouts and placed back by the ocean.  Ask that City go “toe to toe” with the Coastal Commission on this issue.  Rosemary responded that City Manager, Rick Cole, would be speaking with us tonight and he would be the person to address this. Member requested that our community be notified by City in advance of events and items that affect our community.  City said there would be a dedicated person to interface with us.  An effort is being made to create the proper communication link to get these issues brought before our council a month in advance.  With advanced notice, the information will also be posted to web page.  Member suggested the web page be placed on the signs if possible.   

SHORT TERM RENTALS:  Sandy Bothman, Chair During the last vacation rental season, only two minor complaints were filed.  It appears the resolution adopted by City has been a great help to solve the problems that were occurring.   Since the City has been collection the TOT, October 2008, a total of $46,500.00 has come into the fund.  Hopefully another $46,000 or so will be collected this rental season.  Of the moneys collected, the City has asked for permission to $28,000 to clean the sand from the stairs and lanes.  That is really the responsibility of the City.  To use TOT money for that purpose is not in our opinion the proper use of the funds, although we did grant that request because it was urgent to curb injury to persons using the stairs.  The stairs were not useable.  There needs to be a dialogue with the City so that the money collected in TOT not be used for doing maintenance that is normally the City’s responsibility.  Trash can not been restored to the beach.  That is of great importance to our community.  We would like to set up the dialogue, Mr. Cole, for the sensible use of the TOT monies. Member comment:  LA county beaches have a commitment to “Do the right thing.”  There is no commitment here.   

BUSINESS COMMITTEE:  Jim McCaslin, Chair On July 11th, Sunday Ventura Sports Car Club has a car and boat show at Marina Park.  I have talked with Mr. Harrison about trash can service on the beach.  We are working on something.  Last time, I indicated that something would be on the web page.  That has not happened as yet.  There are a few issues that needed more work and the information should be on the web page this month.  Empty lot on Seaward:  someone has permission to have it used as a dog park/rest spot until it is sold.  Business owners do have some concerns that it not become a transient’s park.  

TREASURER’S REPORT:  Dave Davis, Chair Balance sheet will be on web page. 

Dan introduced our speaker for tonight, City Manager Rick Cole.

Rick opened with a statement of gratitude for being asked and the community coming to this meeting.  He wanted to allow the bulk of time for questions from our community. “What are the most things that measure how the City is doing?” ask by Mr. Cole. Responses by members:  Street Maintenance, Sand Management/Beach Management, Public Services (library, school, parks,), Trash Cans in Park, Business Environment-increase tax base, Improvement of Seaward-improve business, Water Quality including Harbor.   “On any given day we at the City are measured by a variety of people in a variety of ways.  Pretty much the standard is:  What have you done for me lately?  We have to take a step back and be strategic and that is a challenge.”   Accountability for Cities varies greatly by size, population and specific issues to location.   There are just under 600 City employees currently.   City of Ventura’s goal in the 6 years since Mr. Cole was hired has been to provide some transparent measures of accountability.  “We use two systems.  Once a month I get together with all my department heads and we go over those measures and once monthly share them with City Council.”   “There are 56 Projects we are currently measuring.   Solution to sand problems is one of the current projects.  Every month we report to the Council on how well that project is going.”  A history of predecessor’s choice of priority of projects such as street maintenance was gone over.  Mr. Cole made a decision to move more funding to public safety concerns.  “For the six years I have been here, I have urged the City Council and the community to invest in additional health and safety resources.  When the economy was good we hired.  Now we are in the process of dismantling that progress (due to the down turn in the economy).  City income has declined by 15%.  I am very concerned about long term sustainability.”  At this point Dr. Harris, a guest to our meeting, was called on for a question.  His concern was retirement and pension funds and how they are to be collected and paid.  A lengthy question and answer session proceeded on this as it seemed to be an ongoing dialogue between them.  City Council spent their time last Monday night on this until after 11:00PM.  The conclusions about funding were discussed.    These are available on City’s web page.  This proceeded into a discussion on hiring.  Mr. Cole provided information on the high quality level for City employees and the desire to have employees stay for 25 years with the right attitude about public service.   Member asks if there is anyone with the City acting as a liaison with Coastal Commission to try to get some movement on taking care of our beach.  And second:  Is there any chance the City could acquire Pierpont Beach and make it a City beach?  John Whitman stated in 1969 Pierpont annexed with City of Ventura and 1989 Pierpont Beach was given to State Parks.  Mr. Cole:  “I am not going to pretend this has gone well.  There are too many people who have been through the war with all of us to say it has been easy or we have agreed, or every decision has been good.  Let’s start there.  I acknowledge this has not gone particularly well.   It has been the City’s view that given all the other demands on our budget, this was a State Beach and Coastal Commission problem.  The last three years we have been engaged on a number of fronts….  There has been a fair amount of collaboration.  First question:  Liaison with Coastal Commission?  Rick Raives has worked closely with the Coastal Commission.  We hired their biologists to do the Sand Management Plan, which was kind of dead on arrival.  But has some value to it…  Our planners have contact with CC and various projects have gone through them…  I have met with Jack Ainsworth and his staff on a number of occasions and we talk back and forth.  We think we have a solution.  Solution is:  recognizing spending $28,000 on sand (only 24,000 spent so far)…We recognize this is only a temporary solution and will last only as long as sand does not blow back.  Our goal is to settle the law suit we have where we were found liable for maintenance of Shore Drive and the sand that comes from Shore Drive.  We disputed that but we lost in court.  We have entered in a good faith settlement agreement with the plaintiffs to solve that.”  Question on inked settlement agreement and Dan Scully provided that plaintiffs have signed but City Attorney has not signed yet.  Mr. Cole continues:  “And so it isn’t 100% signed off but the goal of the new plan is to implement a version of the Sand Management Plan, which is to push the dunes back from where they are now using heavy equipment, to do that once and maintain it over a period of years.  To have an assessment district to pay for that for however long we all are around.  The assessment district will assess the City its share of the liability, the immediately adjoining property owners their share of the responsibility and the neighbors who are not immediately next to Shore Drive and the property line of the State Beach who benefit from not having sand in your lane, not having sand in your driveways, not having sand blowing ..And benefit from having lane clean and walk up those stairs which are an embarrassment and are dangerous as Murray has said many, many times.  I don’t dispute it.  It’s an embarrassment to us that the lane ends have been maintained that way but we only have so many dollars and we have significantly fewer dollars.  So the goal is push the dunes back, maintain that buffer and then be able to keep that sand, maintain that sand and to have that paid for by all of us, the taxpayers and the City pay for our share.  Who figures that out?  You hire an assessment engineer.  I think the plaintiffs and the City Council need to go thought that process.  We hire the assessment engineer and someone will holler this is bogus and we cooked up this deal up and we are getting screwed.   So we have to go thought this together and it takes a little bit longer when you go through things together and you have transparency, it takes longer.  Anyone want to pay more money for the assessment district?”  Members comment about other parts of the City and we are paying for that in our taxes and that is what we do because we are a community.   Mr. Cole spoke about new development that pays into the City.  John Whitman inserted that is a negotiated deal with the developer and those people purchasing homes know in advance what their fees, taxes and costs are up front and can choose be involved or walk away.   This is not the same as the proposed assessment district.  John continues: “We are here.  We are homeowners.  If you want to do that with us, you go to every park in this City and create an assessment district around each and every one of those parks.   Because it is the same thing.”  Mr. Cole:  “John, I wish we had the luxury to treat everybody equitably but the price you pay for your house in 1978 verse the price you pay in taxes in 2007 are 3 or 4 times higher.  There are inequities built into the way we finance public services in our City.  I am not for that and we will argue this out in the public arena on what is the best way to get this done.  The plan we have and negotiated is to create an assessment district.  My rhetorical question was does anyone want to pay that?  No.  Are there good arguments why that is a bad idea?  Sure.  But if the answer is it is 100% the City’s problem, to fix this problem in perpetuity, and we are not going to pay into that then we land in court… We have folks all over the City that think we should run a balanced budget but we should take care of problems in their neighborhoods.  They are right.  They all pay taxes and they have certain expectations on what those taxes are going to buy.  There aren’t enough dollars in the till.  A pragmatic question, a business question is:   Are you willing or not on a philosophical or practical basis will, and I respect your opinion, it is a vote and you get to vote on the basis of how much money you have in it (if you are paying a lot, you get a lot of votes and if you are paying a little, you get a few votes) and at the end of the day, the majority rules.  And if the majority rules no, then we have to figure out another plan to deal with the sand problem..  And if the answer is yes, then the City pays a share and the homeowners pay a share.  We can’t get the State to pay anything.  That is where we are.”  John Whitman requests that we should be given a presentation.  He stated:   “I see that the people on the beach have been tormented by concern over homes being damaged and watching a menace come at them slowly and the City have put them in a position that they will do anything to get that moved away from them.  So, it is under duress that those people have fallen into that situation.  That is the situation.  In the meantime the City has lost the case.  Then City says they will appeal it and continue appealing…So they took this other route… There is not enough business being done here to create sustainability.”  Dr. Harris warned about selection of assessment engineer.  “I suggest that you have someone representing you as a group that is on equal footing with the City .  The engineer engineers it to whoever pays the bill.  Be very, very cautious of that.  If you are sitting on the ocean front, you should pay a bit more, but the district should reach all the way back to Santa Paula.  Even if it is just pennies on it, they are receiving a benefit.  The assessment needs to be large.  If it is small, it is an abuse.”  Mr. Cole agreed there should be inclusion in the selection of the assessment engineer.  “We don’t have an interest in jury rigging it because at the end of the day, it has to stand up to public vote.  It will have to be perceived as fair.”  Dr. Harris reminded Mr. Cole of a supermajority override when the Keyes dredging assessment was decided in the past.                         

                                                                                                                                                                Mr. Cole:  “Our Parks Department has seen a significant cut is going now move into Community Services, co habitat with Recreation .  Community Services will be renamed  Parks, Recreation Community Partnership.   There will be a new look at parks.  The economic model will be looked into. .. We are creating a division of Community Partnerships… that will be involved with groups like yours.” Member questioned Mr. Cole about sand fences.  Mr. Cole responds:  “I have not been personally been involved with the litigations… Do we go to the Coastal Commission and talk with them about the Settlement Plan?  Try to reason with them and try to get them to buy into the plan before the City issues itself a permit to do this work.  Having worked with the Coastal Commission, I give them the benefit of the doubt.  We have been able to reason with them on issues…my recommendation is to collaborate with CC, not with standing they have a somewhat less practical view than the rest of us in this room.  They are the CC and they can stop us.”

A member questioned Mr. Cole about upcoming Governor’s race and the affect that could have on the CC.  Mr. Cole gave support to election of Jerry Brown and then indicated legislature appoints 2/3rds of them. 

Member questioned availability of grants for Beach Management Plan.  Mr. Cole did not believe there are grants out there to fund what is in Pierpont Beach Management Plan.  Member questioned Mr. Cole about City increasing tourism with focus on beaches and harbor.  Tourism is part of sustainability of City.  Mr. Cole responds: “I think the case study of Pierpont Community Council (short term vacation rentals) is indicative of the challenges here… In every tourist community on the planet there is ambivalence about tourists…There are folks who welcome tourists for the dollars and jobs they bring…Then there is a constituency against them because of noise, traffic and hassles…The battle over rentals in Pierpont.  We ended up with a pretty pragmatic solution. .. We set rules and way to have them enforced.  We charged the people who come here (TOT)…and the Council in its wisdom said the money should go to that neighborhood.  So there is a trade off there in which the ambivalence, frustration and sometimes hostility towards visitors was transitioned into a détente… Similar to the problems we as a City face with increased tourism…There is widespread pride in the revitalization of the Downtown area.  While tourism is very lucrative for City governments, the jobs tend to be lower income.  Where are these people who work in these industries going to live?.. We get hammered with more and  more affordable housing.  The Council is committed to high quality tourism.  We are not welcoming to “Spring Break” type tourism, but a steady stream of tourism to our beaches, outdoors, ag., food to the islands etc.  That is very much a part of our commitment.  But where the Council is really focused is high quality, high value of jobs...  We also want to do a better job than we have done over the past 20 years in attracting, retaining and generating private sector, wealth generating jobs in our community.”

Mr. Cole then thanked us for the opportunity for a less formal dialogue.  “I welcome we walk this assessment district thing together.  If it goes well, it can be a real foundation.  Second:  regardless of the sand and beach issue, as important as that is,  I hope that we can strengthen our relationships with all the legitimate community councils.”  

Dan thanked Rick and adjourned the meeting at 8:45PM  

Rosemary Icardo, Secretary