Topping this week’s actions in local government, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will reconsider a controversial $120-million bond for Garden Grove Unified School District, and Huntington Beach City Council members could decide on an agreement for a large housing development.
The Garden Grove Unified bonds are back on the table Tuesday for supervisors to decide whether to grant the debt this time despite recent financial troubles at the district.
The district needs supervisors to issue the bonds because it’s been at risk of not meeting “its financial obligations for current fiscal year or two subsequent fiscal years.”
The district’s most recent budget of $430 million in total expenses had a $76-million deficit. The proposed budget for this fiscal year again showed a deficit, this time $60 million.
Supervisors will also have another chance to appoint David Ball to the board of the Orange County Employees Retirement System or OCERS. Previously, members of local city councils argued that supervisors should appoint a representative from city government to the public seat on the retirement board.
The appointment is a significant, because unions and supervisors’ appointees have been clashing over proposals for agencies to sharply increase their payments into the pension system to reduce its unfunded liabilities.
Members of Huntington Beach City Council are set to approve a major development agreement for a 510-unit housing project called Pedigo Apartments.
The project includes a six-level parking structure and would be built at the southwest corner of Edinger Avenue and Gothard Street.
Here’s a rundown of what’s up for debate this week across Orange County:
Monday, Sept. 16
Aliso Viejo City Council Special Meeting – 1:30 p.m.
Closed session
- Discussion on appointing a city manager, with announcement at the Sept. 18 meeting.
Santa Ana City Council – 5:45 p.m.
- Choosing between three options for moving ahead with the city’s strategic plan engagement process.
- Conditional use permits to sell alcohol at Native Son Alehouse on Fourth Street and A Boudin Restaurant on Main Street.
- A $75,000 contract with Evan Brooks Associates for streetcar project management and advocacy services.
- Agreements with Downtown Inc. and the Santa Ana Business Council to distribute funds from the special business tax for programming.
- An $84,350 contract with Lexipol for police department policy manual maintenance, support and training services.
- Amendments to the neighborhood stabilization program to allow for redevelopment activities.
Huntington Beach City Council – 6 p.m.
- Terminating city-school agreements with Fountain Valley, Ocean View, Huntington Beach City School Districts and Coast Community College District, which outline city use of selected school facilities to conduct community recreation programs.
- Delegating authority to the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District for cleaning and maintenance within the its boundaries.
- Appointing Kenneth Domer as assistant city manager.
- Approving a development agreement with Pedigo Gothard, with Pedigo South Edinger and with the George W. Psaros Trust for the Pedigo Apartments, a 510-unit multifamily residential development with a six-level parking structure at the southwest corner of Edinger Avenue and Gothard Street.
Tuesday, Sept. 17
Orange County Board of Supervisors – 9:30 a.m. (Revisions)
- Allowing food waste from the Theo Lacy jail to be diverted to the Standard Feed recycling facility in Chino.
- Approving a sole-source contract with Orange County Superior Court for family law facilitator services, the only free legal service for child support issues.
- Approving Orange County Traffic Committee reports establishing a speed limit on La Loma Drive, parking restrictions on Cerritos Avenue and a speed limit on Benjamin Drive.
- Accepting final tract map for part of the Ranch Plan planned community in southeast Orange County and accepting bonds for construction of improvements.
- Approving easement deeds conveying to Christ Catholic Cathedral Facilities Corp. the right to utilize county flood control property for parking and landscaping.
- Issuing $120 million in general obligation bonds for Garden Grove Unified School District.
- Changing the definition of “potentially dangerous or vicious dogs” that the county is allowed to house at its animal shelter until the completion of an investigation.
- Awarding parking services contract for county parks to Parking Concepts.
- Appointing David Ball of Newport Beach to the Orange County Employees Retirement System board.
Closed Session
- Discussion of successful state lawsuit challenging the county’s diversion of more than $73 million in property taxes to itself.
- Discussion of county lawsuit alleging it was defrauded by computer contractor Tata Consultancy Services.
Dana Point City Council – 5 p.m.
- Approving a resolution to award city employees a salary increase to coincide with a requirement that city employees increase their contribution to pensions.
- Authorizing a letter in opposition to Assembly Bill 604, known as the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Control Act, which would allow commercial sale of medical marijuana.
Costa Mesa City Council – 6 p.m.
- Approving a $52,000 final payment to Cognify Inc. for information technology support and a computer-aided dispatch and records management system.
San Clemente City Council – 6 p.m.
- Approving a solar permit fee waiver program to provide a $300 free credit for commercial solar electric and solar water heating permits.
- Approving a contract with Noble Americas to purchase electricity at a rate of $48 per kilowatt-hour.
Laguna Beach City Council – 6 p.m.
- Approving an ordinance that prohibits drinking alcohol in Riddle Field Park.
Lake Forest City Council – 7 p.m.
- Approving a three-year contract with Dekra-Lite Industries to provide seasonal lighting and year-round bus shelter lighting for $61,000.
- Approving a 33-month contract with Computer Service Co. of Baldwin Park for traffic signal maintenance services for $671,000.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
Aliso Viejo City Council Special Meeting – 7 p.m.
- Approve a three-year contract with APA Engineering for on-call civil engineering services for $400,000.
Adam Elmahrek and Brendan Wiles contributed to this report.
You can reach Nick Gerda at ngerda@gmail.com, and follow him on Twitter: @nicholasgerda.
