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211211 December 11 Weekend News and NotesFrom:Peter Grant To:Peter Grant Subject:December 11 Weekend News and Notes Date:Saturday, December 11, 2021 10:27:17 AM Mayor and Council (via bcc), + Monday’s City Council meeting starts at 6pm with closed session on the CVRA challenge. If you haven’t had the opportunity to review the memo the city attorney provided in late November, please stop by ahead of Monday’s meeting to read it. Sara has the copy, which isn’t especially long - I would offer 15-30 minutes is enough time to digest it. There a couple of routine/time sensitive items on the consent calendar, but no new business items. As is our goal and tradition, the focus of the meeting is the City Council reorganization. + I expect we will set the time for the special December 27 City Council meeting next week, so if you haven’t already done so, please let me know if there are times on 12/27 during which you are unavailable. + Year 5 North Orange County Public Safety Collaborative funding was recently approved. Cypress is scheduled to receive $118,000 plus $150,000 for Homeless Liaison Police Officer expenditures and $150,000 for a civilian Outreach Officer (social worker). Both $150,000 allocations are in partnership with La Palma. Veterans Council Members will note this is the first year of the rebalanced funding distribution we fought for after the lobbyist for Buena Park, Fullerton and a few other cities left Cypress, La Palma and Yorba Linda out of the original funding legislation because we weren’t clients. + Two more businesses benefited from the Business Recovery Program: TDK North America, an international electronics components manufacturer located on Valley View, is expanding into an adjacent commercial space and received a waiver for tenant improvements. Tom Vo’s Tae Kwon Do Academy, an existing small business at 5949 Ball Rd., had signage fees waived. + We had a preliminary review call with State Housing and Community Development (HCD) about the draft Housing Element. HCD did not have any substantial concerns or questions which is great news and a testament to the good work Alicia and Veronica are doing. HCD requested additional information and detail in the plan. While only preliminary, this call is a good sign that the draft housing element will be in compliance. A formal letter will be issued to the early next week. + Speaking of the Housing Element, Chris Bardis cancelled his visit next week to meet with our EIR consultants about how LARC could begin pre-development (mainly environmental studies) while the city works on the Housing Element (which could require voter approval). Bardis was also going to use his visit to introduce himself to the Council Members he hasn’t met. When we were informed of the meeting cancellation, we were told LARC was trying to iron out internal issues relating to who represents it on development issues. As I’ve shared with you before, dealing with LARC is extraordinarily challenging because what it wants to do, why it wants to do it, and who is speaking for/influencing Dr. Allred is always influx. This is an especially big challenge with the Specific Plan master plan because it is an extraordinarily big project that will transform Cypress and set its character for decades. As we saw in the development of the initiative that created the Specific Plan, everyone advising Allred has separate personal agenda and many of Allred’s influencers lack proper development or planning experience. + Responding to an email complaint, PD contacted a person who had been storing/living out of a truck and camping trailer at Maple Grove Park. The area around the truck and trailer was littered with trash as well as stains on the asphalt. After several contacts with vehicle owner (who was unwilling to cooperate), the vehicle was towed after a 72 hour warning notice. The complainant was contacted and grateful for the response. The vehicle’s owner has retrieved the vehicle. + During the early morning hours on December 8, PD responded to alarms from three different businesses on Lincoln Ave. All three had windows smashed and one had property taken (approximately $200 in cash). Detectives are following-up. + PD is investigating a rape involving a 13 year-old female victim who now lives in Texas. The suspect is the father who is on parole and has several active warrants for his arrest. We believe the father is motel-hopping which is proving difficult to locate him. + PD’s move from the Senior Center into the remodeled station is beginning. The move has a lot of well, moving pieces, and will happen intermittently between December 17 and the first week of January. + The first round of Recreation Manager interviews are Tuesday and nine applicants will be interviewed. Filling this position (it’s Jeff’s previous job) will complete RCS’s re-staffing. + A big thank you to Dominic’s for donating all the food for the Youth Action Committee’s holiday celebration. Traditionally, this meeting features a pot luck but many YAC members felt uncomfortable with homemade items being brought in. + Non-profits funded through the COVID-19 Emergency Support program will receive an email reminder next week that they must submit a final accounting of how the support was used by March 31, 2022. + Monday was the semi-annual ACUAF meeting. RCS, PW, and PD attended and advised the groups on a variety of topics including annual field renovations, unhoused individuals, and field permit status. With a lot of encouragement, the ACUAF organizations are planning a youth sports outdoor movie on April 23. + In addition to the programs previously mentioned for the $105,000 County meal gap funding, RCS is providing certificates to the farmers market for those residents with food insecurities. This is a great way to invest in the market (and support its vendors) while also looking after residents – similar to the Community Plates program. + Last weekend there was an accident at Lincoln and Denni which broke a fire hydrant and damaged a brick pillar that holds a planter bowl. Golden State Water repaired the fire hydrant and Public Works will repair the pillar. When we complete repairs, we will pursue reimbursement from the vehicle owner’s insurance company. + The Senior Center restroom improvements are wrapping up with completion scheduled for the end of the month. Last week, the contractor’s project manager and superintendent both quit unexpectedly (rumored to have left for more lucrative jobs or to start their own company). Their departure will not impact the project, but is a sign of the current volatile construction market where projects are plentiful despite rising construction and material costs. These realities will likely prompt us to adjust the CIP. + PW has started to receive calls regarding organics recycling had have been informing residents that public hearing notices have started to go out and information is available on the website. A couple residents have complained the city should have put the refuse franchise out to bid rather than provide VVS adjustments for its traditional recycling program or have it provide organics recycling. This assertion is completely incorrect – VVS has not defaulted on its franchise obligations and the city cannot unilaterally cancel the agreement. The franchise also obligates the city to use VVS to provide any new programs (like organics recycling). Never mind that rebidding the agreement would cause the city to miss state deadlines for organics recycling and incur massive penalties, bidding in this environment would likely increase costs, changing franchisees is always disruptive, and the industry is roiled with labor disputes (Republic Services’ employees are striking and many OC cities didn’t have trash picked up for part of this week). + Jeff has made some in roads with the Festival Association related to it working with the city- provided facilitator to rebuild relationships and use an orderly process to review its by-laws rather than quickly stripping the Association of its constituent members. As you’ve seen the Association leadership is unpredictable and perhaps too personally invested in these changes, but Jeff has built trusting relationships with most of these folks over the years (and I play the bad cop role pretty well), so we’re ever hopeful. Have a great weekend! Pete Peter Grant City Manager City of Cypress Office 714-229-6680 Cellular 714-335-1685 pgrant@cypressca.org