TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Liza Tamura, City Clerk
Martha Alvarez, Senior Deputy City Clerk
Alexandria Latragna, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Declare Vacant Planning Commission Seat No. 3 (Sandra Seville-Jones) and Appoint (City Clerk Tamura).
a) DECLARE VACANCY
b) APPOINT
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Declare Vacant Planning Commission Seat No. 3 (Seville-Jones);
2. Appoint from the list of interested applicants that participated in the 2018 Annual Interview and Appointment process for the Planning Commission, Member-at-Large seat.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
On March 9, 2019, Planning Commissioner Sandra Seville-Jones sadly passed away. Due to her unfortunate death, the Seat No. 3 has been left vacant.
The Planning Commission is responsible for long-range planning activities, including major use permits, commercial planned development permits, zone changes, code amendments, and modification to long-range planning documents, including the City’s General Plan and Local Coastal Plan. The Planning Commission consists of five members who meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
Manhattan Beach Municipal Code (MBMC) § 2.44.040 states, “Whenever an unscheduled vacancy occurs on a Commission, Board or Committee, a special notice is to be posted in the City Clerk’s office, and in other places as directed by the City Council within twenty (20) days after the City receives notices of the vacancy.”
DISCUSSION:
Commissioner Seville-Jones’ term was scheduled to expire May 31, 2020. Per MBMC § 2.44.070 if a vacant seat has 18 months or less remaining in its term, the newly appointed commission would complete the original term and automatically be reappointed to a three-year term without additional City Council action. Therefore, the newly appointed commissioner will complete the original term slated to expire May 31, 2020, and automatically be reappointed to a three-year term expiring on May 31, 2023.
The vacancy can be filled immediately from the list of applicants compiled at the last Board and Commission Application and Interview process in 2018.
Applicants:
There were five applicants that expressed an interest in the Planning Commission from the 2018 Annual Interview and Appointment process. Of the applicants who are currently eligible for appointment to the Planning Commission seat below, three have confirmed interest.
- George Apostol (confirmed interest)
- Margo Lang
- Robert Siemak (confirmed interest)
- Carmen Stubbs
- Joseph Ungoco (confirmed interest)
Staff recommends that the City Council appoint from the eligible and interested list to fill the existing vacancy for Seat No. 3 on the Planning Commission.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
ALTERNATIVE:
Declare vacancy and incorporate Planning Commissioner appointment in the Annual Board and Commissions Interview process, which is currently underway.
PROS:
Public outreach efforts can be conducted with other regularly scheduled vacancies advertised thus far. If given direction, this additional vacancy can be added to the advertisements within the Annual Board and Commissions Interview process.
CONS:
The seat would be left vacant for two months until the Annual Board and Commissions Interview and Appointment process concludes. Appointments are scheduled for the May 7, 2019, City Council meeting.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
After analysis, staff determined that public outreach was not required for this issue.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under § 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to § 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.