July 13 City Council Meeting

By Emily Aguilar

The first city council meeting was held on July 13, which began with a legislative update from the League of California Cities representative, Erin Sasse. In her report, Sasse spoke about a series of bills being reviewed at the moment, such as AB 1575 which deals with regulating medical marijuana, AB 2291 which requires local governments to adopt ordinances as second units and prevents governments from repealing second unit, and SB 1387 which would add 3 additional statewide position to South Coast Air Quality Management District. After her presentation, Tyler Master gave a presentation on the WRCOG streetlight program. The program is aimed to assist WRCOG cities to adopt and afford streetlights in their jurisdictions. The presentation emphasized information on the project as well as the goals the project seeks to achieve.

Afterward, the city recognized city volunteers Chanel Chavez, Gilmar Tenes, and Adrianna Godfery. An additional person, Jose Raymundo, was awarded with a certificate of recognition, but he was not present. Anwar Kahn then delivered a Public Safety Commission Update in which he spoke about the Commission’s initial plan to develop a residential parking program, which did not go through during the Commission meeting. July 26 will be the next Commission meeting.

Before moving on, Officer Jason Horton took a moment to address the Black Lives Matter that occurred on June 9th. He reflected on the efforts the Eastvale Police Department took to ensure that an upheaval did not take place. Throughout the day, the police department tried to maintain peace, and thankfully, the protestors were ready to follow police orders for most of the event. He continued to compliment the protesters for being compliant and holding an overall peaceful protest, in spite of the initial altercation that occurred when some protesters broke away from the crowd and blocked the streets. Police followed efforts to make sure the protestors complied. The police department received numerous compliments from citizens inside and outside Eastvale for their organized, helpful efforts to maintain the protest civilized.

Afterwards, Natalie Diaz provided a Student Liaison report. It was announced that various CNUSD elementary schools had begun their school year this month. July 7th was the beginning of a new school year for Ronald Reagan Elementary School, and on the same day, they held a Parent Information night for the parents. Also occurring on July 7th was a Successful Parent Night event for Harada Elementary. Another information night took place at Eastvale Elementary. The ERHS Associate Student Body (ASB) club is currently at a leadership camp at UC Santa Barbara. July 28th will be registration day for ERHS.

All items were approved on the consent calendar.

The council then went on to discuss a proposal to install a 50-foot Verizon cell tower on 8306 Grapewin. The location where the tower would be built was chosen because the area was known for having poor reception, and if the towers were to be built, then Verizon customers would receive improved coverage.

City staff recommended the council to disapprove the tower because the Planning Commission discovered the zoning measurements did not meet the requirements that are set in the Eastvale Zoning Code. It was also discovered that the zoning area proposed would not help with reception.

Amidst discussion, Bootsma opened the floor for public comments. Out of the 18 individuals who arrived, 12 were not in favor of the tower. While residents such as Hicko Itokazu believed that the tower was necessary in order to increase coverage in the case of emergencies, other residents believed the tower would not increase coverage, take up space, some believed the tower would better “service Norco and Riverbend,” and others did not think the tower would be pleasant to look at.

Kevin Sullivan, a project representative, tried to defend the zoning and coverage criticisms. Council member Simmons commented that “enough was not done” in order to find a good site for the tower. Before rejecting the project, Council member Rush decided to give Verizon a second opportunity to review the zoning area and re-evaluate the project’s blueprints. The council motioned this plan, and a second  hearing will be held on August 24th. Read the article on page 1 for more information about the Verizon Tower.

Following the long discussion, the council quickly moved through the Business Items. The council motioned to approve law enforcement services between the city and the county, they approved to select Aegis ITS, Inc. as the provider for annual traffic signal maintenance, then they approved G.M. Sager Construction Company, Inc as service providers for asphalt and concrete maintenance, and they also approved MCE Corporation as the service provider for on-call miscellaneous services. One item the council did not motion was Council member Lorimore’s proposal to move the city manager report to an earlier slot in the meeting. Lorimore stated that the city manager report should be moved in order to allow audience members to hear the announcements that are usually given toward the end of the meeting. However, the rest of the council decided not to change the order of the council meeting.

Before concluding, Michele Nissen briefly spoke about the Public Works department and the efforts they have put into forming ideas that help the city effectively save money. She also mentioned that another Black Lives Matter protest was scheduled to be held on Saturday July 14th on Archibald and Schleisman. Lastly, Mayor Bootsma discussed a recent luncheon at Ontario Airport, where he had an opportunity to meet their new CEO.

Council member Lorimore adjourned the meeting in memory of the officers who died in the Dallas shootings.

July 27 City Council Meeting

By Tiana Goegebuer

The July 27 city council meeting was attended by Councilmembers Clint Lorimore, Adam Rush, and Richard (Dickie) Simmons, as well as Mayor Pro Tem Joseph Tessari and Mayor Ike Bootsma. The invocation was led by Pastor Tim Eaton from Edgewater Lutheran.

A recap of the Waste Clean Up event that recently took place at Eleanor Roosevelt High School was presented to the Council. The first of its kind in Eastvale, the event enlisted the help of some ERHS football student volunteers, and was considered to be a success. A student representative from ERHS accepted an award from the Council later in the meeting on behalf of the volunteers that participated in the event. The next Waste Clean Up event is scheduled for November 5 at Dr. Augustine Ramirez Intermediate School.

Christine Jamoralin was introduced to the Council as Eastvale’s new Fellow from the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), and will remain with the city until the end of March. Other announcements included the selection of a golf event date by the Eastvale Community Foundation, as well as an update on the banner program.

In the Public Comment section of the meeting, a representative from the Public Safety Commission issued statements and raised some questions about possibly instituting parking permits in Eastvale.

6.1-6.5: The Council moved to approve the Consent Calendar. All items were approved 5-0.

8.1: The Community Development Block Grant was approved 5-0, authorizing the City Manager to execute the supplemental agreement for the 2016-17 community development block grant program year.

The City Manager’s report included information on the following: a proposal for economic development services, a Finances award received by the city of Eastvale, an increase in the median sales price for housing, and more. Various Committee’s then gave their reports, which included an update on road construction progress, an update on the new fire station, a Police Department update, etc.

The City Manager then thanked and said farewell to City Clerk Marc Donohue for his services to the city of Eastvale, which was later echoed by the Councilmembers.

The meeting closed with statements from the Councilmembers, and Mayor Bootsma extended an invitation to all to attend the following upcoming events: JCSD 60th Anniversary celebration, the Town Hall meeting, and the National Night Out. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.

By Emily Aguilar

Eastvale – At the June 8 City Council meeting, Eastvale’s City Councilmembers dealt with a plethora of urgent matters, the conclusion of the voting district topic being the forefront of discussion.

Samantha Waterman led the evening by presenting an update on the Cadiz Water Project. The Cadiz Water Project’s goal is to conserve water in Southern California and prevent mass evaporation. Eastvale is currently home to an underwater reservoir that is at threat for evaporation. In order to protect that water, the Cadiz Water Project has been pumping water from a 34,000 acre underground reservoir and storing it throughout Southern California. Bootsma expressed discontent with the project, stating that he believes that the plan benefits the company as opposed to the state as a whole. Waterman defended her position stating that the project would help with sustaining water during the drought, to which Bootsma passively agreed.

Afterward, newly appointed Student Liaison Natalie Diaz reported the Eastvale Elementary production of the Jungle Book at the ERHS Theater on June 14-15. Eastvale Elementary also held an awards assembly throughout the week of June 20, and their final day was June 24. Their school year was scheduled to continue on July 5. RHIS is also looking for business partners to help sponsor their academic and scholarship programs.

The first public comment was given by Hari Dhiman from the Eastvale Chamber of Commerce, who spoke about the success on National Prayer Day. Some upcoming events include an election for a new board member. Angelo Navarez, who is also part of the Eastvale Chamber of Commerce, announced that Vince Ferragamo was selected to be the guest speaker at the annual Installation Dinner & Awards Banquet on July 19. Lastly, Eastvale resident John Kopp recommended that the staff read The King of California, a book that covers the history of California’s water wars.

All items were approved on the consent calendar.

Finally, the council moved to the third installment of the voting boundary maps. Although there were two maps displayed in a PowerPoint presentation presented by Doug Johnson, it should be noted that there were actually three maps the council was able to choose from: Draft A, Draft B, and Draft C. Draft C is available only to the council.  In spite of the map they choose, citizens will nevertheless have to elect council members through their perspective districts, and they will have to vote for council members they wish to have represent said individual district.

In his presentation, Johnson assured that the maps were not only evenly divided by population, but that they upheld the California Voting Rights Act criteria. The only visible differences in the maps were that some districts appear smaller than others, or extend throughout different streets. Nevertheless, they are the same in terms of population. Another request during the presentation was to also adopt an urgency ordinance to officially change the voting system from an “at-large” voting system to a “by-district” election; this would be handled after the councilmen voted on a map.

After the presentation, John Kopp, a resident who had spoken during the public comment, expressed his desire to have the council choose map 5A. Nevertheless, the council decided in favor of Map C, much to Rush’s discontent. Rush was adamantly hesitant to motion Map C because it was not made public. In spite of Rush’s disapproval of the motion, the council adopted Map C as the official map in a 3-5 motion; Lorimore being the other council member to disagree. They also motioned to approve the ordinance.

Map C is currently available on the City of Eastvale website under the City Hall/City Council tab.

Afterward, the staff requested the council to increase Waste Management fees. Waste Management is allowed to increase their fees based on the costs of waste and recycling disposals and Consumer Price Index. Starting on July 1, the fees were set to increase by 2.33%, meaning that households would experience a $0.60 increase. The city also requested the council to shift the CPI method to the Water Sewer Trash Index. The council approved both requests. Additionally, the council approved a request to increase fees for hauling and picking up waste and recycled material.

The council also adopted a resolution to support the Active Transportation Program Cycle 3 Grant Application, which would provide money to install bike and walking routes for the Safe Route to School project. The city motioned to provide the project with $1,500,000.  The city also reviewed the grants the city had received and the budget fiscal plans for the upcoming year.

Before concluding the meeting, Nissen stated that she would be attending a meeting regarding choosing a site for the civic center; Bootsma congratulated Press-Enterprise journalist Sandra Stokley on her upcoming retirement; and Tessari congratulated Councilmember Lorimore on his election to the Republican Central Committee.

At the June 22 meeting, the Community Foundation announced they had elected a new board member who is specialized in human resources and office management. They also announced the wine and beer tasting that would take place at the Picnic in the Park; in addition to the adult entertainment band that would be present.

The council then took a moment to distribute two certificates of recognition, the first one going to Sandra Stokley, who was a journalist who had covered Eastvale events for the Press-Enterprise. She had recently retired, and the city wanted to show her their gratitude for her work. The city also recognized George Alvarez, who was retiring his position as the Manager of Public Works in the city.

Student Liaison Natalie Diaz shared some announcements about Eastvale schools. She informed the audience that Eastvale Elementary and Ronald Reagan Elementary ended their school year on June 21, while Harada was scheduled to end on June 24. School resumed for all three schools on July 5. Harada Elementary also held a few successful events, such as the father and son baseball game in Rancho Cucamonga and a mother and daughter screening of Finding Dory at Edward’s Cinema.

Chad Blaze was the only speaker for the Public Comment portion of the meeting. Blaze, a resident of Norco, thanked Eastvale for helping Norco modify issues near Hamner and Silver Lakes.

Before motioning the items on the consent calendar, Rush pulled item 6.9 and discussed it. The item was a recommendation to implement adjustments to animal control fees, and Rush wanted clarification on how the fiscal impact would offset the costs of contracting with the County for animal services. Nissen addressed Rush’s concerns stating that the city had decided to keep the fees as adopted by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in order to control the fees of cost recovery. The council then motioned the items on the agenda.

The council approved a resolution to adopt a proposed diagram for selected districts in Eastvale. The council then approved another request to adopt an annual operations and capital improvements for the upcoming fiscal year. In order to prepare for the 2016 League of California Cities conference set to occur on October 5 – 6, the council selected councilmember Lorimore to be the representative delegate while councilmember Tessari would be the alternative representative.

Once they were able to dive through a few easy topics, the councilmen were presented with the proposal to have pole-mounted observation cameras implemented throughout the city. The purpose of these cameras is to regulate illegal activity occurring on streets where crime is prominent, such as Bellgrave, where illegal street racing has been prominent recently. The footage on these cameras would be accessed by the public if they request it from the city, then a password would be provided for that individual if there was a valid reason for viewing the footage. Councilmember Lorimore was hesitant about the cameras, claiming that he feels that surveillance would be violating privacy, especially since these cameras may be placed near private property. In order to address his concerns, Lorimore was assured that cameras’ outcomes would be reviewed on an annual basis in order to ensure that the city was not abusing the city’s privacy. Ultimately, it was requested that the council approve motion to purchase three pole-mounted cameras with the company Security Lines US, who have been in service for 13 years throughout the West Coast, and they also asked the council to amend the fiscal year budget to amount $27,000 that was allocated from the gas fund. The council approved it by a 4-1 vote, Lorimore being the only one to oppose it.

After a long discussion, the council returned to the other topics on the agenda. The council approved a 2-year contract extension and a 10% rate increase with Michael Baker International in order to work with their contract planning services. They also extended another 2-year contract and a 7.5% rating increase with the Interwest Consulting Group to provide engineering, building and safety services, and public works. Lastly, the council approved a renewal contract with HdL Coeren and Cone for Property Tax Services.

Before concluding, Nissen reflected on her experience with Sandra Stokley, stating that she will miss working with her. She met with Patrick O’neil, who will be taking Stokley’s place, and she stated that she looks forward to making him part of the community. The city staff briefly spoke about the upcoming Picnic in the Park, stating that Silver Lakes will charge $8.00 for parking while ERHS would have free admission, and they also spoke about plans to regulate traffic and crime on those three nights. It was also announced that Eastvale would hold the League of California Riverside meeting for the first time on July 11.