TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Liza Tamura, City Clerk
Martha Alvarez, Assistant City Clerk
Patricia Matson, Deputy City Clerk
SUBJECT:Title
Annual Appointments to City Boards and Commissions and Consideration of Extending the Application Period to Obtain Applicants for the Parking and Public Improvements Business Community Seat No. 4 (City Clerk Tamura).
(Estimated Time: 30 Min.)
APPOINT AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council appoint or reappoint to the following Boards and Commissions vacancies:
• Cultural Arts Commission
Two seats: One Member-At-Large and one Student Representative
• Library Commission
Four seats: Three Members-At-Large and one Student Representative
• Parks and Recreation Commission
Three seats: Two Members-At-Large and one Student Representative
• Los Angeles County West Vector Control Board
One Member-At-Large
In addition, Staff also recommends that the City Council extend the application period for the Parking and Public Improvements Commission (PPIC), Business Community Seat No. 4, as no applications were received. Staff recommends that the City Council accept electronic applications until June 9, 2022, at 5:30 PM, and appoint an applicant at the June 21, 2022, City Council meeting.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the appointments. If the City Council directs staff to extend the application period for the PPIC seat, an ad will be placed in the Beach Reporter notifying the public of the vacancy. A quarter-page printed color advertisement is approximately $395.00. The required funds would come from the City Council’s budget.
BACKGROUND:
In preparation of the Annual Boards and Commissions Interview and Appointment Process, the City Clerk’s Office and staff liaisons have been in contact with current commissioners and applicants regarding upcoming scheduled vacancies.
To solicit interest in serving on the City’s Boards and Commissions, the City Clerk’s office placed an advertisement in the Beach Reporter every month since January 2022, with the final advertisement published on April 7, 2022. Additional outreach included: posting on City bulletin boards; e-notifications; social media posts; information in the “City MB News” monthly e-newsletter; an advertisement in the spring edition of Manhappenings; an article on MBNews.com; and notifying the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business and Professional Association, North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District, and Mira Costa High School of the vacancies.
The deadline to submit an application was Thursday, April 14, 2022, by 5:30 PM. The City Council conducted interviews via Zoom on April 26, 2022, with the applicants interested in serving on the City’s Boards and Commissions.
DISCUSSION:
Staff has compiled a list of applicants from the community indicating interest in serving on the City’s Boards and Commissions. Below is a breakdown of each commission vacancy, along with the applicant’s expressed interest.
1. Cultural Arts Commission
The Cultural Arts Commission is responsible for the continued development and implementation of the master plan for cultural arts in the City, encouraging and supporting art education programs in the community and schools, visual and performing arts in the Art in Public Places. The Cultural Arts Commission consists of six members: four members selected at-large, one member selected as a representative with art experience, and one student representative.
Seat No 2. - Member-At-Large
Seat No. 2 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently occupied by Fred Manna. Commissioner Mana’s term will expire May 31, 2022, and he is not eligible for reappointment due to term limitations.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in this seat.
Interested Applicants:
Derek Billings
Thi Do
Andrea Don
Gregg Farley
Greg Johnson
Suzanne Karger
Jean Steinmetz
Tracey Windes
Kim Winterson
Seat No. 6 - Student Representative
Seat No. 6 is a Student Representative seat that is currently vacant and previously held by Lauren Ryan. This seat was declared vacant on March 15, 2022, and the seat’s term expires on May 31, 2022. The student representative has a one-year term.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in the seat.
Interested Applicants:
Riya Attam
Tatum Huber
Chloe Kim
Anthony Padnos
Ashna Patel
Chloe Quevedo
Abigail Seo
Race Serota
Julia Wilmarth
1. Library Commission
The Library Commission serves in an advisory capacity to the City Council regarding library services provided by the Los Angeles County Library System to the citizens of Manhattan Beach. This Commission also serves as a liaison between the County, City, and public and private community groups supportive of library services. The Commission consists of six members: five members selected at-large and one student representative.
Seat No. 1, Seat No. 2, and Seat No. 3 - Member-At-Large
Seat No. 1 is a Member-At-Large seat currently occupied by Stefanie Bond. Commissioner Bond’s term will expire on May 31, 2022. She has applied and is eligible for reappointment.
Seat No. 2 is a Member-At-Large seat currently occupied by Tracey Windes. Commissioner Windes’ term will expire on May 31, 2022, and she is not eligible for reappointment due to term limitations.
Seat No. 3 is a Member-At-Large seat that is currently vacant and previously held by Bob Siemak. This seat was declared vacant on March 15, 2022, and the seat’s term expires on May 31, 2022.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in these seats.
Interested Applicants:
Stefanie Bond (Incumbent Seat No.1)
Andrea Custer
Patricia Hawkins
Marilynn Holcomb
Diane Levitt
Sadie Newell
Lee Phillips
Laurie Reiter
Kerry Thelen
Seat No. 6 - Student Representative
Seat No. 6 is a Student Representative seat that is currently occupied by Aleena Parikh. Commissioner Parikh’s term is for one year and will expire on May 31, 2022.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in the seat.
Interested Applicants:
Emma Darrow
Tatum Huber
Jack Ruppert
Abigail Seo
Riya Singh
Julia Wilmarth
2. Parks and Recreation Commission
The Parks and Recreation Commission serves in an advisory capacity to the City Council regarding the recreational needs of all citizens, and promotes supervised public recreation within the City. The Commission consists of seven members: four at large members, one representative from the Older Adult community (55+ years of age), one representative appointed by the Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees, and one student representative.
Seat No. 1 and Seat No. 6 - Member-At-Large
Seat No. 1 is a Member-At-Large seat currently occupied by Suzanne Karger. Commissioner Karger’s term will expire on May 31, 2022, and she is not eligible for reappointment due to term limitations.
Seat No. 6 is a Member-At-Large seat currently occupied by J.J. Turkmany, Jr. Commissioner Turkmany’s term will expire on May 31, 2022, and he is not eligible for reappointment due to term limitations.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in these seats.
Interested Applicants:
Russ Allen
Andrea Don
Jenifer Eslami
Greg Johnson
Sadie Newell
David Skaar
Bob Siemak
Tracey Windes
Kim Winterson
Seat No.7 - Student Representative
Seat No. 7 is a Student Representative seat that is currently occupied by Skylar Grampp. Commissioner Grampp’s term is for one year and will expire on May 31, 2022.
Below are the applicants that have indicated an interest in the seat.
Interested Applicants:
Marty Hannon
Tatum Huber
Ashna Patel
Gwendolyn Rothermel
Abigail Seo
Race Serota
Julia Wilmarth
3. Los Angeles County West Vector Control Board
The Los Angeles County West Vector Control District was formed in 1944 and covers approximately 680 square miles, contains 23 cities, including the City of Manhattan Beach, and unincorporated territory of Los Angeles County. The purpose of the control district is to educate the public about vector-transmitted diseases, vector related injuries and provide additional information on services offered by the control district. Each city and county within the boundaries of the district may appoint one (1) representative each to the Los Angeles County West Vector Control Board of Trustees.
Member-At-Large Seat
This Member-At-Large seat is currently vacant and previously held by John Frazee. This seat was declared vacant on April 5, 2022, and the seat’s term expires on December 31, 2022.
First time appointees are appointed for a two-year term; thereafter, a trustee may be appointed to a two or four year term at the discretion of City Council. There is no maximum tenure for this appointment.
Below is the applicant that has indicated an interest in the seat.
Interested Applicant:
Jake Dupree
4. Parking and Public Improvements Commission
The Parking and Public Improvements Commission is responsible for public parking issues, capital improvement projects, traffic management, activities within the public right-of-way including encroachment permits, undergrounding of utilities, and environmental enhancement. Consists of five (5) members: three (3) members selected at-large, and two (2) business community members owning and/or operating a business located in the City (excludes home-based businesses). The business community members must have a business license registered with the City of Manhattan Beach.
Seat No.4 - Business Community
Seat No. 4 is a Business Community seat that is currently occupied by Steve Murillo. Commissioner Murillo’s term will expire on May 31, 2022. Commissioner Murillo did not apply for reappointment.
The City Clerk’s Office did not receive any interested applicants that qualify for this seat.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council appoint or reappoint from the interested applicants described within the report and provide direction to extend the application period for the PPIC Business Community seat until June 9, 2022, at 5:30 PM, and appoint an applicant at the June 21, 2022, City Council meeting. If City Council directs to extend the application period, staff will have the electronic application available on the City’s Boards and Commissions webpage beginning on Thursday, May 5, 2022.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Clerk’s office conducted extensive outreach regarding the vacant Boards and Commissions seats. Advertisements were placed in the Beach Reporter every month since January 2022, with the final advertisement published on April 7, 2022. Additional outreach included: posting on City bulletin boards; e-notifications; social media posts; information in the “City MB News” monthly e-newsletter; an advertisement in the spring edition of Manhappenings; an article on MBNews.com; and notifying the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business and Professional Association, North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District, and Mira Costa High School of the vacancies.
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 Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 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.
ATTACHMENT:
1.Boards and Commissions Advertisement