Here’s what happened at last night’s City Council meeting:

City welcomes two new employees 

The city welcomed two new members to its family last night. Please welcome Recreation Supervisor Christina Alatorre and Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Smith.  

Council approves the consent calendar 

• With a 4-0 vote, with Mayor Costanzo absent, the City Council approved the consent calendar, which includes:
  • An amendment to the professional services agreement with Converse Consultants for Marshall Community Park. Construction on the park began in November 2016 with a projected opening by early summer. However, inclement weather coupled with material availability has delayed the project. In order to complete the project, staff is seeking to amend the agreement with Converse Consultants.
  • The temporary street closure of Mission Drive between Santa Anita and Broadway on October 5 for Dumpling and Beer Fest.
  • The temporary street closure of Fairview Avenue between North Circle and South Circle Drive on September 21 for FairviewCon.
  • An agreement with the Los Angeles County Flood Control District for the maintenance of catch basins installed in the city. We have an overview of the new catch basins here.
  • A contract for on-call sanitary sewer cleaning for over 70 miles of city-owned sewer mains. State and federal law requires that these lines must be regularly cleaned and repaired, and the city’s Field Operation Division is temporarily understaffed. This contract will provide interim services while Public Works continues to fill these vacancies.
  • An annual report to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. This report details how the city is meeting the regional housing needs for the community.

Council approves demolition contract of the San Gabriel Police Department facility 

In a 4-0 vote (with Mayor Costanzo absent), the City Council also approved a demolition contract for the new upcoming Police Department facility with GGG Demolition. The current police facility is described as dilapidated on the city’s website, and a new facility will begin construction in late 2017. More information about the new facility can be found here.

Council appoints Keith Lemieux as new City Attorney 

The City Council appointed Keith Lemieux of Olivarez Madruga Lemieux O’Niel LLP as the new City Attorney. Lemieux succeeds outgoing City Attorney Robert L. Kress, who served the city from 1989 until his retirement in 2017. You can read about Lemiux’s appointment here.

Council approves request to join the Taking Back Our Community Coalition 

The City Council approved a request for the city to join the Taking Back Our Community Coalition, which currently involves 15 San Gabriel Valley cities led by the City of Arcadia, the City of Glendora, and the City of Monrovia. The coalition was formed to mitigate public safety issues related to the state’s criminal justice system, specifically Assembly Bill 109, Proposition 47 and Proposition 57. The group will also advocate for state legislative changes that will improve law enforcement’s ability to respond to crime.

You may view the entire agenda here, with links to staff reports detailing each of the items mentioned in the wrap-up.