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01-29-1968 - Regular Meeting - MinutesLJ MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 29, 1968. The adjourned regular meeting of the City Council was called to order by Mayor Krieger at 7: 30 p.m. , in the West Covina City Hall. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilman Gillum. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Krieger, Councilmen Gleckman Absent: Councilmen11��s,Snyder Also Present: George Aiassa, City Manager Lela Preston, City Clerk H. R. Fast, Public Service Director George Zimmerman, Ass't. City Engineer Chamber of Commerce: John Stiles, President Phil Wax, 1st Vice -President Chris Tambe, Manager George Zartman Dr. Thos. Ha.dder Byron Clayton JOINT MEETING WITH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVE BOARD Mayor Krieger: The Council is glad to welcome the Executive Board of the Chamber of Commerce for a joint meeting with the City Council. To set the tone of this item I am sure what the Council had in mind was a discussion prospectively having to do with programs now going on in the City, as well as those within immediate contemplation as they bear on and relate to the activities of the Chamber of Commerce. Also, to have the type of discussion that we have riot had previously calendared and that is one where we are not faced with a budgetary crisis of some type or a project crisis of some type where we are pressed either for time or capacity to deal with a subject matter. What we are doing is generally looking ahead and I hope there will be the fairest exchange of expressions and opinions by the members of the Executive Board as I know there will be by the Council. The purpose of this meeting will be to develop programs and plans for the future of the City and the Chamber of Commerce. Councilman Gleckman: I would like to have this discussion on a first name basis. One of the reasons why I felt it was necessary to have this meeting was so we could sit down and discuss from the standpoint of what we can do together and not as individual bodies. I would like to keep it on a first name basis and discuss the plans and future of West Covina so that we have a group of men sitting around a table openly discussing the issues, which by law necessitates a Council meeting because there are three or more Councilmen present. . (Mr. Tambe, Manager of the Chamber of Commerce passed out typewritten pages pertaining to the Chamber's format for the coming year.) MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED PEGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 29, 1968. The adjourned regular meeting of the City Council was called to order by Mayor Krieger at 7:30 p.m., in the West Covina City Hall. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilman Gillum. ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Krieger, Councilmen Nichols, Gleckman Absent: Councilmen Gillum, Snyder Also Present: George Aiassa, City Manager Lela Preston, City Clerk H. R. Fast, Public Service Director George Zimmerman, Ass't. City Engineer Chamber of Commerce: John Stiles, President Phil Wax, 1st Vice -President Chris Tambe, Manager George Zartman Dr. Thos . H 3.dder • Byron Clayton JOINT MEETING WITH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVE BOARD Mayor Krieger: The Council is glad to welcome the Executive Board of the Chamber of Commerce for a joint meeting with the City Council. To set the tone of this item I am sure what the Council had in mind was a discussion prospectively having to do with programs now going on in the City, a s well as those within immediate contemplation as they bear on and relate to the activities of the Chamber of Commerce. Also, to have the type of discussion that we have not had previously calendared and that is one where we are not faced with a budgetary crisis of some type or a project crisis of some type where we are pressed either for time or capacity to deal with a subject matter. What we are doing is generally looking ahead and I hope there will be the fairest exchange of expressions and opinions by the members of the Executive Board as I know there will be by the Council. The purpose of this meeting will be to develop programs and plans for the future of the City and the Chamber of Commerce. Councilman Gleckman: I would like to have this discussion on a first name basis. One of the reasons why I felt it was necessary to have • this meeting was so we could sit down and discuss from the standpoint of what we can do together and not as individual bodies. I would like to keep it on a first name basis and discuss the plans and future of West Covina so that we have a group of men sitting around a table openly discussing the issues, which by law necessitates a Council meeting because there are three or more Councilmen present. (Mr. Tambe, Manager of the Chamber of Commerce passed out typewritten pages pertaining to the Chamber's format for the coming year.) - 1 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Two JOINT MEETING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued Mr., Stiles- We hope the basic change of our format will leave ourselves available to do these things that need to be done for the benefit of the City. Not copying in anyway, . yet it is a copy of the Blue Ribbon Committees which I think were very successful in the past year; yet possibly a little different arethe Task Force Committees set �. up by the Chamber, and while reducing the number of our standing committees to 4 fat, leaves free a potential force of men presently occupied with Chamber work and allows us to bring in any number of men that would be interested in public things. By this format I hope we can use the energies of the men in specific directions rather than having a standing committee which tends to be very broad in its scope and occupies all of its time and energy and in many instances just spins its. whe,els.;. , I believe before we can activate this successfully to work in conjunction with the staff and Council we must need from you Councilmen some direction. that you as the Council, and Mr. Aiassa, feels we should be going in. I can speak only generally of some of the problems we have as a City. Now we need perhaps a little direction from the Council.. Does the Council understand what our new format is ? (Mr. Stiles then briefly explained the new format and the way it would work. Basically it covered by Task Force Committees three areas: Community Development; Public Affairs; and Organizational Affairs.) • Mayor Krieger: Let us try and move into some concrete items that we have pending now, and each of us are going to be speaking pretty much our own points of view, because Council has not taken any position in terms of consensus of this meeting. It was set up to be an open forum: type bEdiscus'sion. I have three areas I am particularly thoughtful of as far as the Chamber of Commerce is concerned in the immediate future. I believe the. Chamber has already moved into one of these fields and I would hope their fascination with this subject would grow and that is we are reaching the point of definition in our General Plan updating. Williams, Cook & Mocine, have brought in their sketch plan and their preliminary thinking on the rehabilitation of the commercial areas with emphasis on the Plaza and Center. I know Phil has brought this to the attention of the Chamber and I think there are some extremely imaginative proposals coming from the Planning Consultants and because of its immediate concern to the business people it would seem most logical to fall within the province of the Chamber of Commerce to take an interested role in the development of these types of programs. Secondly, I would like to see the Chamber take a cooperative and concentrated role with the City of West Covina having to do with the program of Rapid Transit District as it pertains to the East Corridor. The program, as it pertains to the East. Corridor, only extends as far as the City of El Monte. At the last Council meeting we directed a Resolution be prepared seeking to have a modification of that position to the extent that the corridor would end no further than the west end of the City of West Covina. I think the Chamber can exert considerable influence through its own body and cooperative bodies to bring our influences to bear on this subject. Thirdly, and this area is a fairly complex question, but it is one that we just received from our latest Citizens Committee and that is the Charter City. There is a great deal of talent in the Chamber of Commerce that I think could be brought to bear on this program. 'I'It'..- was brought to the Executive Board's attention that this Committee was working and the Board indicated it would wait and - 2 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Three JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued see what type of report was submitted.. This report is public property and I would hope it. -;would become public knowledge to the Chamber and it might well be an area that the Chamber might also look into. • ( Mr. Stiles stated that the City Charter study was under the General Planning Division of the Task Force Committee, and suggested that Phil Wax was deeply involved in some of the areas mentioned by Mayor Krieger and it might be well for him to make some comments) Phil Wax: At this moment, and even though my thinking goes along with the recommendations made - I feel that we have much tougher pro- blems that have to be settled first. No. 1 - rehabilitation of the commercial areas and I would say this should be a study from the City as well as the Chamber of Commerce, regarding methods of development in the uncooperative areas that are holding down the possibility of putting together some of these plans to up- grade,. We need teeth in the City's part of the program in order to make these programs come to pass. I would say there is a tremendous need for the establishment of the Walnut Creek Parkway extension and the matter of having a major street feed. into these areas and be an inducement to the property owners so they can revitalize their areas, both shopping and parking areas. I would also say that there is a strong need to bring new business into the community to help put these programs into being so that possibly the creation of parking districts ror,other methods of financing tcouldi.be Cd_ elop.e(i-, .:.., There are cities getting into these types of programs every day. I just read that Upland is getting into this type of concept, with financing coming through bonding. I would like to see the exploration of methods so that we don't • get bottlenecked. If you have 27 owners and you convince 25 and 2 won't go it destroys everything. We need some tools. And for the time being I would like to see these areas concentrated on. John. Stiles: You mentioned. General Plan updating - in what way? The zoning in the City ? Mayor Krieger: No, I concentrated on the rehabilitation of the commercial areas. One of your Task Force is listed as CBD Development - I don't know if that was constituted to take a look at this proposal of William, Cook & Mocine. :I do know the material ,has been made available to the Chamber of Commerce, on this subject. Chris Tambe: This item listed as CBD Development is specifically that. The core areas. The General Plan of revision is really not in- tended to be separate and apart from that CBD Development pro- ject and because we don't want them separate and we don't want to lose the importance of the CBD Development as a general issue, we asked Phil as Vice - President of that entire section to personally chair each of those two Task Force Committees. All I am really saying is that I believe we are thinking with you in relationship to those points. An earlier point made with regard to City Charter. This study job was assigned last year to the then 1G.overnmenta 1 Affairs Committee which is now the Public Affairs Committee with Ray Misamore, Chairman. We have done away with the whole structure of that committee and have taken out certain • items that we would like to see some definite action on. Councilman Gillum: Exactly what is the CBD Development Task Force going to do? Is it going to depend on action by the City or are you going to generate some type of programs to bring back to us ? John Stiles: Which comes first - the chicken or the egg? Whatever we may develop or staff suggests, has to be in line with the thinking of the Council and then the Council has to be ready. I think, without going too deep into it, we can probably come to a mee-ting of ADJ. C. C. 1-29-68 Page Four JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Continued the minds on the problems and the Council then has to determine what will be done, and if it can be done, andhow quickly if can be done. There is no use in our going into a complete study unless there is force behind it. With the Core Areas we have been talking well over a year and each year as far as I am concerned we see further deterioration in many of the business areas and many of the homes. Granted these are people's homes we are talking about, but they are 15 year old homes or better, without much chance of bringing them up. They are low cost but they are the castles of the people living in them and what do you do to dislocate people? If these things aren't done with respect to our shopping centers - Eastland being the largest - the others are vulnerable. I fear the same thing can happen to us that has happened in El Monte, Alhambra and Monterey Park when the Freeway came in..:.Now we have 3 freeways to deal with and we have limited land left to develop. How best to develop what we have? I am surprised to learn that people in other areas of our City are also concerned with these same things and in their way are trying to develop but it will take concentrated action. I think your own departments have worked on this. What can then be done to implement because time is of the essence. Councilman Gillum: What you are saying then is this one committee as well as the others - - I am not sure you are saying you are going to wait until we ..... John Stiles: No we can go ahead. (Mr. Byron Clayton, Treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce arrived at 7: 55 p.m.) Councilman Gillum: You are saying - if the Chamber is going to spend time and effort on these different Task Force Committees it would be to the City's benefit and also the working relationship between these two bodies to see that these reports aren't put on the shelf. John Stiles: Well not the working relationship but if a study is going to be made let's do something about it. Councilman Gillum: In other words referring back to the function of the Blue Ribbon. Committees - give strong consideration to the Chamber's information and see that it is incorporated into some type of program in the near future. Phil Wax: Williams, Cook & Mocine have submitted sketch plans but they just draw a picture and it is beautiful - but to continue the picture and bring it into a realm to shoot at - we don't have the professional knowledge to do this and this is where the City has to spend a few dollars and pursue it if it meets with the intent and the City feels this is a good area to pursue, then the City has to pay the difference to focus it in and then the Chamber can work with the City in trying to establish the goals. We can't look-. at the picture and say _fine we are going to bring out something of major significance here yet we don't have any tools or actual plan or know if it is at all possible to start or even where to start. Councilman. Gillum: Suppose this is brought to the Council and it is decided by Council that with the information -.we have and you have that this is the direction we want to go - will the Task Force Committee go out and generaAe new areas of interest? Pursue, it from that point on? Chris Tambe: It is not necessarily so that this particular Task Force would be in fact asked to carry that out. But with this organization structure we are geared to disband one group today and call another one up tomorrow. If necessary we could have these people - 4 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Five JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued meet once or twice a month for a couple of months - until we get to the point that we have something to offer. Agreed the General Plan Consultants sketch is a very exciting one and it was received very enthusiastically but we want to pin things down and see • where we can go and then seek out what methods we have to accomplish it. You were referring to the Core Area ..... Mayor Krieger: Well the Planning Commission has already gone into this in terms of the tools. The staff has been directed to research as to legal tools available and I would think the Chamber could be most effective in this area by keeping very closely attuned to what is happening on the Planning Commission level. Staff reports are being fed into the Planning Commission on this very subject. This is what the staff has been developing, how we can go about doing it. Phil Wax: I would like it in three phases: Goals.or route; cost involved; and method of financing. Councilman Gillum: Say we come up with a plan and it is accepted by the City and it is decided this is the way to go, then comes the hard part - to sell to the people. What would you say would be the Chamber's function along with the City in promoting and selling this idea to the citizens? John Stiles: It is a public relations job that has to be done and it will encounter objections because you are striking at the basic things that people have - their property, their homes. Chris Tambe: I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about - will the Chamber, or can the Chamber, once the goals are developed - then what part will the Chamber play? Councilman. Gillum: That too, but I am also wondering what part the Chamber will play as far as getting across the idea of what this will bring to the City as a whole You are going to have sections on both sides of the Core Area that will be greatly affected. I don't know that the Chamber of Commerce has involved itself in the past to do this, yet it is beneficial to the entire community. John Stiles: Frankly, I haven't thought too much about this point, because the methods have not been fully explored. But at this point the Chamber must support it and would have to go all the way through on this. At the present time to enlist new businesses to come in, we have no place to put them. We have 7 acres of industrial land to develop. Out in Ontario they had 3700 acres not too long ago and now have 2500 acres and this will go when the air field comes in. The City has a very small area - the Industrial Park - small but it has potential. Mayor Krieger: I think there is a similarity here and that is I think the Chamber of Commerce is most effective when it has a concrete proposal to work on. We tend to get bogged down too often in philosphies or generalities, while we are engaging in:.•.this luxury time is running against us'; I think we have had our fill from outsiders so to speak and what the problems of the City are, I think the ultimate responsibility must be the City's and a body such as the Chamber of Commerce to help implement such projects. We are hopefully on the verge of signing the San Bernardino Freeway Agreement'and once it is signed.I think it is then the City's responsibility to try and get that program implementated by the City as quickly as possible and then we have a definition of what the Freeway is going to look like and we can at the same time realize where our - 5 - ADJ. C. C. 1-29-68 Page Six JOINT MEETING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued internal street divisions are going to continue and then we have to come in with concrete proposals to cure. We know this problem is not going to be cured by signing the Freeway Agreement. A main east and west street, at least south of the • Freeway, and certainly the same problem exists but to a lesser extent, north of the Freeway. Now the proposal that Williams, Cook & Mocine have come in with tentatively as far as the Plaza and the Old Center - is to turn those Centers around and face them South rather than face towards the Freeway. This means bringing into existence a street - whether your call it Walnut Creek Parkway or what, but a major arterial south of the Freeway. Anything we talk about in any terms of projects obviously cost money. First of all we have to take under advisement specifically what we want to accomplish. If it is a major arterial south of the Freeway and if that is 'what we want then we have to find out how to finance it to bring it into existence. C�_l Chris Tambe: This is certainly a good one for discussion here this evening. Some 2 years ago our Transportation Committee chaired then by Don _Casler prepared a map and further substantiated by the Chamber Board showing what they felt was in need of improvement. Walnut Creek Parkway cut -through was incluzded in that and the result of that was a real comprehensive report by the Planning Department as well as the Engineering Depart- ment to the Council showing where these ideas of the Chamber appeared in the City's plans and as far as I can recall out of 13 or 14 point list all but 2 or 3 were already in the planning stage - but Walnut Creek Parkway was not and at that particular juncture no action was taken to pursue it. What is really significant is that the Chamber of Commerce has gone on record supporting this and it would be a relative simple matter to renew this interest that really has not died down. It seems to me that is one of the easiest things that we could really j_oin_forces on and work towards. George Zartman: My feeling in conjunction with what has been said regarding Walnut Creek Parkway extension - this is the key to the whole thing. When we talk about revitalizing the Old Center - it will all tie in with what we do withWalnut Creek Parkway. I had a man in the office today talking about his property, about putting in more trees, etc. , but if he goes to a lot of expense and then we come up with a different concept, this fellow is then spending a lot of money for nothing. In my opinion we have to get the Central Business District development, which is a committee of the Task Force group ready to do and get it out in the open, so the property owners know where we want to go. John Stiles: Let's assume the major arterial is ready to go - would you feel it would be logical for the Chamber of Commerce to take the lead at this point in the public relations aspect? First, to take the burden off the City staff and the Councils because so often whatever you propose in comes a barrage of criticism. I would feel that the Chamber should take the first lead in representing the businessmen and getting sone material ideas out on this. Mayor Krieger: Well I know that every councilman will have his own opinion on this subject, but the job of the Council can be a full-time job without undertaking one new program or one new project. The day to day activities can be a full-time job. I think one of the tangible benefits of the Blue Ribbon Committees has been to focus public attention on a very narrow subject, a specific item - - concentrate public attention and awareness on that subject and bring it to the Council as a challenge so to speak in a particular area. These challenges were brought into existence by the Council, by their direction to the Committees, to go and study and bring back , but I think it is invaluable to have this mechanism whereby the Council is confronted with the challenge of a specific proposal. At least to discuss it and focus the Council's attention and the City staff's talent to that particular program to find out if we can do anything with it. When we talk about something such as we are discussing now - - I think if the Chamber of Commerce would take all the initiative it can possibly take in these -6- ADJo . C.Ca 1-29-68 Page Seven JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued fields to get as much information together, and to use the word in its fullest context - confront the Council with a program or plan - the responsibility then fall.s ;. upon the Council to do something with it and necessarily by our system it must do • something with it. It can't merely say we will r- _ maybe some :day,and*_put it aside, because here is a group before it with a plan that deserves discussion. This is really something that happens in local government - an application comes before the Council on zoning, etc. , and bang the Council is confronted with a problem or a challenge which it has to handle. Why can't we do that on the public segment as well.? Say hypothetically the Chamber. of Coanmerce comes in and confronts the Council with a proposal that we create a major arterial to be known as Walnut Creek Parkway, or whatever, here is the location we have decided to be the best route, and here is some preliminary cost factors or studies, and we have run some studies on how a City goes about creating an arterial street and this is the way you can go about it. Now if you don't like it vote it down on evidence, on facts, why it cannot be done. I think. the Council is looking for this type of information. It has in the past and I think it will continue to do so in the future. Concrete proposals as to what is in our capacity to do or maybe what is even beyond our capacity to do. That is :what the Blue Ribbon Committees have done. They have come in with concrete proposals. The Council has to do something about it because people have worked on it and they want to know what is going to happen. Councilman Gleckman: Regarding the chart presented to us tonight, this is the first we have seen of it. . I am for taking page three and taking two-thirds of the page and saying you are right. • This is the Chambers' function, this is your busi ness - go ahead and do it. But everything you have to the right of the first column on down is the only thing as far as I am concerned, we should not discuss tonight. You can give us a written report every three months. I requested this meeting because I felt there must be a better way of communication between the Council and the Chamber of Commerce. Going along with what Harvey said about having enough work and enough projects, I belive we have to take also into consideration the fact that the Chamber of Commerce also is composed of men who are occupied daily with their own businesses and are here because they are willing to give of themselves to the community. I am con- cerned with the goals listed for the. Task Force Committees - they should all show an end result goal and when. We know these are the things we would like to see in our City - but we should know when you are putting out and when you are bringing back completed reports. For. example - Commercial land - we may have to look further into our General Plan before we know where the land is available that we would like to bring into our City and that you would like to see brought in. As far as the. East-West street this is something the Council has to make a decision on , I feel. This is something that will help the whole community, so I don't look at it.as something the Chamber has to bring in and say this is what we need. One of the items we have on our agenda tonight to discuss is the changeover of Service Avenue. Harvey brought up the signing of the Freeway Agreement and then what are we going to do? We have the Orange Avenue undercrossing and if we want to use any type of reasoning behind making an east -west street and doing it - we have that reason aright in front of us - - with Orange Avenue underpass, with Service Avenue running into V�& lnut Creek Parkway, Walnut Creek Parkway running into Valinda. We will not get this accomplished by sitting here and talking about it and saying - let's make a study. And as far as the other items on the list - Community Services Building; Financial Center or Brokerage Office; Industrial Parks, Minibus, etc. , these all have to do with something we have been apologizing for a year and a half and I think it is ridiculous. The Chamber of Commerce came to a Council and sold them the idea of a "Headquarters City" concept, it was accepted by that Council and that is where it died. From that point on both parties have been ADJ. C. C. 1-29-68 Page Eight JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued floundering about the name of "Headquarters City" . The Council apologizes to the homeowner because they destroyed the name of the City of Beautiful Homes, and the commercial guy says - well we gave you the name now let's do something. And this is ridiculous, there is no reason to abandon the name of Beautiful Homes for • - "Headquarters City" - but we have to have things to go with the name "Headquarters City" and they have to start someplace. If they don't start with the Council they should start with the Chamber of Commerce and if they don't start with the Chamber. then they must start with the Council. These are the things that we need in this community in order to make it the "Headquarters City" - otherwise abandon it and go -ba-ck to the "City of Beautiful Homes. " Let the Chamber become a social group and the City Council will take care of the zoning matters, and all the other little fix -it things, and that will be the end of the ball game, but I don't think that is why we are here and that is why I bring this up. You have these things listed on your Task Force Committees - alright start a plan and show us some goals, where we as a City Council can help you. You talk about a Brokerage Office - alright, where are you going to put it, when is ;ifi going to come in, Who have you talked to, where are you running into a problem? These are things you fellows have set down - you are talking about a Brokerage Office - so where are you going to put it - maybe we can help you. You mentioned Community Services Building - we started the ball rolling. We brought it up and we are awaiting a staff report. And I think the Chamber of Commerce and the staff might sit together and discuss this. I also saw from the newspaper you had a minibus here. How yfa_r have you gone, what do you hope to accomplish and what • do you need from the City Council in order to get these jobs done? I am just throwing you these things so you will know what we have to have. All of your suggestions are good but we have to work together and the one big thing you have not brought up, as far as I am concerned and the Council has discussed many times, is identification. What do we do for identification - to make the City of West Covina known? 90% of the publicity we get is the "Covina Valley. " Half of the people we are trying to attract to the City says where is it and what have you got there? We need something we can hang our hat on. I don't know where the Council got off the ball, or if they:.'did. I don't know if this is a function of the Chamber or how they feel about it. I have heard the comments that it is private enterprise - let them fight their own battles with regard to let's say the. Carousel Theatre. I think it is the obligation of the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce - the Carousel is within the community and I think it is the obligation of both to expand all its efforts so that we can hang our hat on something - whether it be private enterprise or not. We need something to hang our hat on. We are going to have a new Civic Center but where do we go from there ? What should be around the Civic Center? Should we have the existing commercial that is sitting right here and if not, why not? And what do you propose instead of it? To the southwest of the Civic Center - what is going to be there? We know we have homes in that area - - all these are things that we as a Council and the Chamber of Commerce should sit down and discuss at least once every three months or if need be, once a month until we get it off the ground. You have a Public Utilities Standing Committee - I hope this takes into consideration whether the City of West Covina should go municipal water. And to what extent we should go to underground utilities, etc. To what . extent is your Public Utilities Committee going to operate? Are they going to make studies and search out certain things ? Valley Development - I agree with you. But I think it has to do with just what we are talking about with regard to "Headquarters City" whether we are either going to be the "Headquarters City" on valley development or is valley development going to spring up all around us and we are going to have no choice but to go back to the City of Beautiful Homes and forget everything else? Industrial Park - this has to do with our General Plan. We know we need one in order to grow up and I think what we are waiting for is some type of direction from the _ 8_ ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Nine JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE -• Continued General Plan consultant, but at the same time I think the Chamber of Commerce should be out there saying What do we need to attract people to an Industrial Park if we had an Industrial Park - so we could have some guidelines. And last, but not least - I still • insist and I haven't been able to sell the City Council on it, but I still insist we need a Blue Ribbon Commercial Executive Committee made up of a Councilman, a Planning Commissioner, a staff man, and members of the Chamber of Commerce so when they get a Chevrolet Agency or a Cadillac Agency or an industrial concern or anything else that shows the slightest inkling of interest, that we can go out and get it, and that we can sit down at a round table and discuss with them the things that can't be discussed at an open Council meeting for fear of offering them something that we don't offer somebody else or for fear of the press getting it and misconstruing and printing an intent that was not meant - with all due respect to the press. But this is what happens and we do need somebody out there grabbing these guys and saying look come to West Covina and let's sit down and talk about what you need to bring you to our community. All of this could be discussed prior to the matter coming to the City Council . We would have a Councilman and a Planning Commissioner and it in no way would obligate that Planning Commissioner or City Councilman, but it makes it much easier when they can go back and say to the Commission and the Council - I am enthused - this may work out . We can no longer .sit back and say alright fellows this is West Covina, what are you going to do for us? I think it is time we say - what can we do to bring them to our Community? Phil Wax: Well I still say the key to everything you said or anybody else said - is the City. We, as individuals or as a working group, there are just so many people we can talk to, but the mechanisms have to come from the City and it has to Come .professionally and economically and has a lot to do with things that we cannot sit in on. We don't own anything, we don't intend to purchase anything. It is strictly something the City has to put together. We can bring you every type of facility you can speak of but where are you going to put it? That is the City's responsibility to develop a program of where they can put the facilities. You have to have a professional action program or advice at this level. In my opinion the City is the key. And you need professional advice at city level on an action program, not on what we need because we know what we need, but on an action program so we can go out and bring you the things your action program calls for, but you have to deliver the action program. I would say at this time that the possibility of the City taking on a full-time staff man of high caliber, say someone of Mr. Fast's ability that knows his way around and has a good head so when we sit down he can make decisions; someone that can be the liaison for the City and keep the things going at levels that we can't approach or get to,because something can't be public knowledge in advance. But you can't keep hitting these impasses by not having this type of professional involved, it just can't be done. The City has to recognize its responsibility and its responsibility is to get out and pay for the professional advice needed. We cannot go out and neglect our own businesses plus everything else involved in these things in trying to put programs together. It is impossible. Councilman. Gleckman: I agree with everything you say. • George Zartman: I think this is what Councilman Gleckman was trying to say with regard to the Committee he suggested putting togelther. . Councilman. Gleckman: Unless you have some force to go out and wheel and deal and talk intelligently as to where you could put it , etc. , you will never get anything because there are too many factions in this City that get ahold of parts of something like this and they have a private interest and that is where we are getting hurt. - 9 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Ten JOINT MEETING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued Chris Tambea I have a proposal that I have related to the Executive Board. This is not official Chamber action, but for the sake of discussion - - it seems to me that one of the ways for accomplishing the kind of things we have been discussing is the formation of a nonprofit Development Corporation. It would be financed on a matching fund basis or whatever formula is decided upon by both the municlip.al entity the City of West Covina, as well as citizens or business people. The Development Corporation funds would be used to step`. in after certain locations have been identified for new development and the neighborhood type of development alluded to. Such a corpora- tion could take options on land or buy outright in order to be able to do the wheeling and dealing before there is even a prospect in the offing - and then at that particular stage of the gamewhen I get a prospect in my office or Mr. Menard gets a prospect in the Planning office, or someone says why don't we have a particular type of business here, we could then say we have a 12 acre sight for this or a one acre sight for that, or a building that can be used for this and here is the price and it is not going to change just because you determined you had an interest in it. In my opinion this kind of arrangement would do more for the progressive development and/or redevelopment of West Covina than anything that has been discussed in the past years. Councilman Gillum: I agree with what Mr. Gleckman has said and with what Phil has said. This Council has taken steps to start certain projects and many of them were with the support • of the Chamber of Commerce, but I think if this City is going to survive I can't lay it on the Chamber's shoulders and say it is partly your fault - if it is going to survive and become what we all hope it will I think it is the responsibility of the Council. It is a little difficult at times getting these things started but I think we are going to have to have the courage to take bold steps. I feel that after the Council has decided that this is what has to be done then the Chamber can lend its support and get behind it and help work out the programs. . I think it is a good idea of setting up a Committee to work on these things but it all boils down to the five men on the Council to make that final decision. What we have on the books now as far as ideas are concerned, and what the Chamber has proposed and some of these other ideas, are all fine, but if we can't put them into action it is wasting time. We have tried to initiate some programs that at times seemed to be a little advance but it still boils down to the Council making a decision and standing by it. Councilman Gleckman: You are taking the end result and I am talking about as long as we have the Chamber of Commerce and we are having these type of meetings we are discussing what the Chamber and the City can do jointly, individually and collectively, and as far as I am concerned I am restricting my conversation to that. . Once the decision is made by the City and we can't expect the Chamber to make that decision - but we are talking about once the decision is made and then in :what way the Chamber and the City can implement the projects together. Who starts them? Who cares? Or who is going to be working on them? I am taking their Task Force Committee that they say they are setting up and I am saying what I would like to see them do with • the Task Force Committee. Councilman Gillum: What I am trying to convey to the Chamber is that when they get things..;.they:appreciate,.,. thatL they have an obIigation to themselves and the project they are working on to see that the City Council is made aware at that time of all the aspects of the project and that it is important to the City as a whole.. I think through their efforts the information they get, would be of help to the City Council. - 1.Q - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Eleven JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued Phil Wax: The point I make and I am using CBD because I have been working in this area - I have approached the major property owners who feel that they can either buy out or negotiate with other property owners and these people right now are most anxious to move in a direction providing we have professional advice in what direction you.will permit them to move. What I am pointing out is that when you speak of one major thing there is really a series of things that your professional people working on your General Plan just give you a rough sketch of things, saying eventually this will be a mall, eventually this will be a street, etc. All this is fine but can the Chamber go out and tell them where and when this street is going. to be knocked out? I had lunch today with a man that said you havea mall concept, fine, I am interested and willing to move right now ..... but again -how can I tell them anything concrete, I am not a professional man. Councilman Gleckman: That is why we should have a Committee .... Chris Tambe: That is precisely what I have said. Mayor Krieger: Let's not forget something of the past history. We haven't sat down on January 29, 1968 - this Central Business District Committee came into existence over 2 years ago when Mr.. Nichols was .Mayor and we met with a group of property owners and tenants. There were all kinds of efforts made.; -.but in private conversation and discussion with these people, and let us kid ourselves not, when it comes right down to it, it is each man for himself and that is just the way it is going to cut. There are two things'a City can do, it can get into private enterprise and take over some of this land and do the development itself, or it can be fulfilling its true concept which is a-repre-sentative concept and a noncompetitive concept in terms of development, but I don't -know of any program that has come before this Council in the last two years that this Council said "no" to. I would like to have somebody point it out to me, any program that has come before this Council in the last two years that has had merit. I know -many times we have tried privately with people trying to get them together to talk dollars and cents and how.they could benefit themselves, but it all,boils down to individual against individual. This Council has tried to play a constructive role time after time - receptive to new ideas, there wasn't one person that ever left this Council Chamber that could say they didn't listen , they didn't give me a chance - because we have been very receptive to new ideas and new programs and we have tried to create this kind of climate, but it still boils down to how much a _ci.ty,can interject itself without taking over. It is a very delicate balance and there are certain tools a community can use. I think it has been amply demonstrated that we are willing to consider anything as long as it has merit to it and as long as it is documented.'.. But we are not going to buy pie in the sky and we are not just going to go chasing our tails around in circles.. There is a tremendous tendency in the private segment of the community to be hypptjetic'al in a certain respect, that is they want the City. to do certain things and anticipate the City has power to do certain things but if it interferes with their own business or activity then all of a sudden it is an infringement on their right, and that is a delicate balance to maintain. Councilman_Gleckman: What I am saying is you have a Task Force Committee - and I am in agreement with what you are doing here and I guess I am repeating. what Harvey said - we are prepared to act in any manner in which these Task Force Committees may need our help. Later on this evening we are going to talk about changing the name of Service Avenue and at that particular time I propose to say to change the name from the freeway to the furtherest eastern boundary of the City. . Work out alignments - the maps we have in our agenda showing what has been proposed in.the past. I wish the other council members - Dr. Snyder and Russ Nichols were here, so we could discuss what alignment - where we go from here - when are we going to get it done, and when are we going to start on the pLoject and what we will have when we get through. Set a goal, set a time - and you have to do something to accomplish it by that time. - 11 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Twelve LOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued .All we do everytime we sit down is get a report andW:d am not knocking the Chamber, because I am only generalizing now, but we sit down, we get a report and we look at • it and say "fine". And 3 months from now again these are the areas in which we are looking -and 6 months from now these are the areas . What I am saying I would like to see these Task Force Committees with these particular things come in with reports of progress on each of these items and then sit down and discuss like we are doing tonight and discuss what we as a Council can do. I am saying - from a certain standpoint - you gentlemen have showed us this is what you are doing, we are not saying_ this is what you should do, you are saying to us this is what you are going to do, so fine ..... John. Stiles: Harvey says no reasonable plan was ever presented to the Council that has been turned down and I can't agree with that, but in the back of my mind I believe there were many surveys and many plans that came off the -Chamber and that have been re- jected. We were to talk tonight about the future but you brought in the background and your attitude on what our reports have been, and I think to a degree Harvey's - and since we brought in the background I don't give a hoot what we do or what we gather it will not be received by this Council. Councilman Gleckman: John Stiles: • Councilman Gleckman: You are wrong, John..... I am not wrong. You are wrong,. John. John Stiles: Your own arguments aside from Harvey, was putting the monkey on the Chamber's back. We are not in a position to do it, we are not qualified - we are only a bunch of citizens and business men making a study. Councilman Gleckman: Why do you have a Task Force Committee then? What are you going to do just look at it? Phil Wax: What are you going to do outside of a lot of talk? Councilman Gleckman: We are going to be on your backs to see how far you come along in the plans you set out on and in what way we can help you'; I must have said that at least four times tonight. John. Stiles: We. can create all the plans in the world but what are you going to do about it ? Where are you going to get the money to realign. Service Avenue ? We can come up with the methods because they are available, there are all kinds of them and we know this, but what. are you going to do about it? Councilman Gleckman: Well then why don't you come up with the methods and let us take it from there? '_V1i e are talking Walnut Creek Parkway and that isn't even on here. John Stiles: There has to be a start somewhere, you can't have a core area without the boundaries. You must create the boundaries and then you must do the things essential to create that area . Councilman Gleckman: I don't even see a core area on here, John. - 12 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued John -.Stiles: Neither _dp I. Page Thirteen Councilman Gleckman: I am only talking about the things that you have on here. • Can I ask you again - why do you give us this? What do you intend to do? Phil Wax: We don't intend to do it by ourselves. We will sit with you people and we will work together. You tell us your limitations and we will tell you our limitations but every time we meet we make progress by trying to chip away at some of this and doing the best we can. Councilman Gleckman: Let's do just exactly what you are saying, Mr. Wax. I see here — Brokerage Office. What do you want us to do? Phil Wax: This was a goal set down for a specific group of people to work on only. They will work on nothing else but this Brokerage office. Councilman Gleckman: John, how long have you had a committee working on a Brokerage Office? John Stiles: You know how many years. • Councilman Gleckman: I only ask for one reason - have you at anytime come to the Council and said - here's our problem with a Brokerage Office and here is where we would like to have your help? Chris Tambe: No. Councilman Gleckman: Alright - here it appears on the list. Mayor Krieger: Let's try and set the tempo, of this - we are tookkrng; dh.edd and I don't think the Chamber can ask us to -cook ahead unless they are going to iook:.alnacdwith us. The reason I said what I did was because I felt there was a tendency to drift backwards and I wanted to lay the ground rules right now - - this Council has not turned down anything that has been proposed to us to look ahead.and I am not saying the Chamber has done that either, but either we are going to start looking ahead.together or we might as well start operating independently of each other. If these Task Force Committees are what the Chamber proposed to bring into existence - I think it is a fine idea. Because it again puts emphasis on a specific project and you challenge the Council with these programs. Now certainly there are areas you can't come up with solutions to or develop the total program for. But if you come to the Council and say - look this is what we have going for us, this is as far as we can take it , we think it is a good idea, now do you like the idea and if you do, what can you do to bring it about? That is as much as I am talking about. John Stiles: In connection with this and in answer to Lenny's question - this is one -tenth of the. Task Force Committee's that we can create, and it is not all inclusive and need any of these necessarily have to be worked on, it all depends on the need.of the moment in and out, conserving the energy of the men for what is needed. - 13 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Fourteen JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued Councilman Gleckman: As I said many times this evening - this is great, I am glad to see this - where can we help you? Phil Wax: I am telling you where you can help us. Did we steer you wrong when we made the recommendation in a strong manner and fashion for you to spend the $25, 000 that was spent for the Economic =Base Study for an action program - now would you feel this was a bad investment to the City? Mayor Krieger: This was a recommendation that came from the Chamber of Commerce and bought by the City. Phil Wax: I am asking you from the standpoint of dollars spent by the City, would you say it was a bad investment? Mayor Krieger: I don't think the investment has been fully utilized. Phil Wax: You are not answering the question. From an investment standpoint if it were fully utilized where it should have gone, would you say it was a bad investment? Mayor Krieger: It was a tool that hasn't been fully used. The Data Bank .is first coming into its use.. The Economic iBaa@ Study - - the Community Goals Committee have come in with a • specific recommendation. The Chamber of Commerce might take on a couple of those recommendations as projects. One was to change the name of this City, for example. Phil Wax: The point I am making is, if you don't spend a dollar to get the type of advise to take you into action forward programs then it is just going to be your opinion, or my opinion, or George's opinion, and. who will believe the opinion? So I say, Williams, Cook & Mocine are working in some of these areas on the General Plan, and I say the City should cohtinue to work with them professionally and bring some of the programs to the Chamber so we can take and make a study and move it out in every direction that it can be exploited - take it out through the Task Force Committees and let them work on it. So again we need this type of advice and we need a liaison from the City that we can come to, that can help us work the two sides, and you need an updating in the Economic .'Bas;e; Study also. So again you may talk to Real Estate Research and see if something new has developed and if some new committees can be developed to work in there. But - we cannot take it on ourselves because we don't know how to approach professionally to make into an action program. Just to spend time, you can pick up books on what other cities are doing, but it takes an action program and we cannot get on them until we know the direction the programs -will take us. Councilman Gillum: Mr. Stiles - on these different Task Force Committees - when they are formed - I imagine it would give help to the Task Force Committees to have a member of the staff participate for instance the Industrial Park - to have someone maybe meet with that group from the City and bring back the information you might need. Chris Tambe: Personally, I disagree with you. John Stiles: This is the concern I have - we get off on a tangent and it may not be the right direction. We don't have the knowledge that the Planning staff has. Chris Tambe: The point _.we . started a about 1-1/2 hour ago had to do with the prospect of involvement, and at a couple of points I tried to gN a hand in. Really what we are talking ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Fifteen JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued about is attitude. I don't care if we are talking about reports, written or oral, or what have you - we are talking about attitude and. Len if there is anyone on this side of the table that could answer your question about when,- - it would be me. Because, I am • the only one of this group on this side of the table that lives with this on a day-to-day basis. My answer to your question about —when - is just as soon as we can do it. That may not be good enough but all I can tell you is within our abilities to motivate and work with volunteers, these jobs are going to be accomplished every bit as soon as we can do it. As an example - I say to Don Casler - this year I have discussed with the President and the Board would like to take on the Huntington Beach Freeway project and the Minibus project. The Huntington Beach project for our purposes is to get us to the point where we will take a stand for or against a route.. That has been in our work for 2 years and we are just about that far away- there will be a recommendation from the Huntington Beach Freeway committee on February 15th. What the Board is going to do with it I can't say anymore than you or anybody can say what the Council is going to do. But I am not about to put down on paper as to my suggestions as being incorporated in a report to the Council under my signature that there will be a decision on February 15th because if there isn't you will want to know why not, and you have ever right to ask - why not? But we are not in a positi cn to tell you. We don't have the same respective organization that the City Council has, where you can_:tiirn to the staff and say - look we want this report by such and such a time. We don't have that. Neither do we have the ability through the taxing power to have dollars in such and such an account and end up . where you can take from this account to conduct an Economic : Ba;se Study. NM don't have that ability. I wish we did. George Zartman: I think this is pretty generally recognized on both sides of the table, dollars and cents wise, but what these gentlemen are asking for is - fine, you have a list here and now where do you stand on it? And you have just told them that on one particular instance and that is what they wanted to know. Lenny indicated this list on the lefthand side is good. Maybe what we want to know is what priorities they would like to see on this list so maybe we can say to these people let's get moving on this right now. Mayor Krieger: You admit and it is well recognized that you have so much talent to draw on in the Chamber of Commerce and so many that are workers and the Chamber has brought these Task Force Committees into existence, now what is the priority the Chamber has attached to these things? Maybe we do have some comments as to those things we think we would like some information on. George Zartman: I would say that one that is coming to a head is the Huntington Beach Freeway. You asked us not too long ago to go into the Charter City concept. We are not going to wait a full year to get an answer to you on that one. You want it now. . The Operation Office Committee has been working for a couple of years, we had one or two hot prospects that fell by the wayside, not by our fault but in the negotiations with the individuals. Now the General Plan - if we don't get some answers on this nothing, will get started in two or three other areas. There are two or three areas that I consider major. Councilman Gleckman: I already talked about this but again I see Brokerage problem - alright you have a problem, what is it, can we help you? - 15 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Sixteen TOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued Chris-: Tambe: We don't want any help from the City on the Brokerage Office. Councilman Gleckman: Fine. On the CBD Development, we have been involved • and if we can take it a step further - let's talk about it. We are willing to go further. On the Community Services Building - as you know we are working on it - we are doing what we can on that. General Plan Revision - none of us can do more than we are doing right now., Huntington Beach Freeway - we had Citizens Committee. Has any of our staff refused to work with you at any particular time? Have we at anytime said "no" to you? Industrial Park - has there been anytime that you came to us and. said we want to do this ? John. Stiles: Your arguments are like the question - when did you quit beating your wife? Councilman Gleckman: Okay John, that is my point. We are not beating you in anyway. I am saying to you this is great, where can.we help you to get the job done? Phil Wax: I told you where. We are trying to work on the Central Business District concept because of the major problem that exists in just one little block, but three areas are tied in with it. You have to come with the professional plan on what you want done • and then we will pursue it from there. Mayor Krieger: You know that is exactly what Williams, Cook & Mocine are paid $55, 000 to do and you know the Planning Commission has been studying this constantly and the staff is working on this. You know this for a fact. John Stiles: Yes. Mayor Krieger: Alright - you know it for a fact that certain of these programs are under study now and we are waiting for these reports back. If the Chamber of Commerce in the meantime has any independent thinking on this that isn't predicated on an.expert's analysis from outside there is nothing wrong with the Chamber coming in with its report at the same time. I don't think you felt that it was premature - for example, to ask for the material that Williams, Cook & Mocine gave to the Planning Commission so you could take it back to the Executive Board so they could take a look at it - that wasn't premature. You were excited by that thinking.._ .We .made it available - the Executive Committee was enthusiastic'- that was the word used.;.: VV-e would like to have the benefit of the Chamber's preliminary, thinking on this thing too so we can see where it is we can use our money to the best effect, where we can use our manpower to the best effect and where we can develop to the best effect. There is no conflict of interest here. I just think that there is a tendency to drift off in the directions of historical confusion on these things. But there are mechanisms the City can get • engaged in but there is only so much money and so much manpower that is available to us. Certain of these programs and projects are at stages where the Chatn2ber of Commerce has as much information as the Council has. `The Chamber has available as much information on the Charter City right now from the Citizens Blue Ribbon Committee - as the City Council has. We just got this last Monday and these reports are available to you. I don't expect you to have it any sooner than the Council. Take a look at it. I would like to have you look also at the Blue Ribbon Committee recommendations on Community Goals. There is a lot of material in their report, that report took up where the Economic rBa.sp� Study left off. Where our $25, 000 left off we got a free report from - 16 - ADJ. C. C. 1-29-68 Page Seventeen JOINT MEETING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued the Blue Ribbon Committee on Community Goals. There were a number of items in there that I would like to see you pick up and perhaps you can focus some Task Forces around those recommendations. As far as the General Plan Revision - we are waiting • on the consultants but the feedback is constant. They are always feeding back reports to the Planning Commission. You have to grab those things as soon as they come off the press, they are available to you. the same as they are to us, or they will be made available . All you have to do is come to us and say these things are not available and they will be made available right away. Nobody has ever closed the door. Councilman Gleckman: If we can't discuss these things then why don't you hand us these reports and we will look at it and say - fine. Phil Wax: There is no communication, that is why we can't expedite any of this. This is a situation where we have to work together. I would much prefer to meet here in the City at 7: 30 in the evening rather than at 7:30 in the morning at some breakfast meeting, but I don't want to come up here and fight you everytime we say something. We are working for the same goals, all we want to do is get it done as quickly as possible and the best way. I don't feel we are going to be able to communicate if you say - tell me what you have in mind in a Brokerage Office. I haven't the slightest idea what a Brokerage Office even means in West Covina. If you want a report, I will write you one, but what will it do for you? If you sat down with us and gave us some idea of what a Brokerage Office meant to the City and as a Council what you want to see happen - fine, then we will sit down and try and make this together, but we are not going to be able to do it when you sit back and say "I dare you." Councilman Gleckman: I am sorry then Phil. You and John both took the wrong impression. You tell me I should tell you about a Brokerage Office and you tell me you have been studying this thing for two years. All I said was - where are you and when do you hope to get it completed? Now if that is improper to ask you then don't show me these things and I won't ask you and you surprise me, how is that? Phil Wax: I am saying. if you are interested in that particular field then go to the. Task Force Committee and say fellows maybe I can help you. We are all here for the same purpose. Mayor Krieger: I think we are really still talking about the same thing but approaching it from different directions and we are still going to get on common ground. This is a matter of interest to the Chamber and obviously of interest to the. City. Right? (Agreed.) Then we have a common.ground. Now, John, when you have this Task Force Committee working and if there is something they run into that more or less stops them, such as what is the City's thinking on this - if you ask us we can get an answer to you immediately. • Chris Tambe: I would like to say I agree with the comments made by all three of the Councilmen. With rare exception there aren't many things you haven't gone along with us on - there are a couple of matters - but with regards to these particular problems our purpose in coming to this meeting tonight was not to say to you that we want your help, it was prospective - remember? These are the projects that our Board of Directors has voted on to undertake in the next 12 months, our member- ship hasn't even seen this yet. We have chairmen only in name. So we are not in a position to say to you that the Community Services Building is going to be built - 17 - • ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 JOINT MEETING - CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Continued in 6 months. We don't even have a Committee for it yet. Mayor ,Krieger: with city participation, Page Eighteen Nobody is suggesting this Chris - all we are suggesting is that when youbring. these Committees into existence and you run into problems with them that have to do let us know. George Zartman: My question to you then is when we run into a problem - how do we let you know - how do we approach you on this? Councilman Gillum: John - would it help if you had a staff man functioning in these Committees to carry back to the City the information that you require to go further into this - in fact I asked this awhile back and. Chris said "no. " But I would like your answer on it. John. Stiles: Alright you could help but we must remember that the Chamber man is in business all day long and so are your staffinen and they devote a lot of time and when we meet it is in the evenings. I think we can go a long ways before we would need staff help and you have said and we have always felt we could get staff help when needed, but first we have to go a certain distance by ourselves. Chris Tambe: In the past we have had help through the cooperation of the City Manager's office and I want to make it very clear that we work very closely together not only. the City Manager and I, but his assistants - Mr. Menard, etc. There is never any problem of my getting information from them or they getting information form- u-s or our working together. For example the City map - you voted the other night on this and Mr. Fast and I worked on it without any trouble. We work with the Chief of .Police . Mr. Aiassa and I have discussed having staff on several occasions and several years ago we did have staff but we found it wasn't needed so we started to back off - it was a mutual thing. And mow if he wants a staff man on a Committee he states he does and if we want someone to help or if I felt a need for this kind of liaison it would be readily accomplished. John Stiles: I think all we are going to do now is repeat. I think a certain philosphy has been suggested and it has been of help to me - I think if we may terminate this meeting now, and as someone suggested, it can continue on a monthly basis until we can get established or on a quarterly basis. I would like a little more time to digest what we have and at a later date continue the discussion. Mayor Krieger: John, as I understand it, what we discussed tonight was your program for the year ahead for the Chamber of Commerce. What the Council has said in response is we are very much enthused about this specific application of talent to specific • problems. . As this talent is brought to bear on these problems we want to know if there is any information or assistance you need from the City. As soon as it is requested.w.e will direct our attention to that question immediately. There are certain areas of interest to the City Council that may not be on this list that we think the Chamber of Commerce can also play a role in and we would like to see the Chamber maintain that jcfi�ilityto take on those projects and you indicated this is your thinking also. As far as communication -'I have never felt that there has been any lack of communication between the officers and directors of the Chamber ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page. Nineteen IOINT MEETING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - Continued of Commerce and the City Council. I have never really felt any disagreement of philosphy between the Chamber and the Council, certainly not in recent years. I think it is important that each of us keep aware of what the other body is doing. We send Council liaison to the Board of Directors meetings and I am sure if the • Executive Board wanted to extend the invitation to the Council liaison to attend the Executive meetings I am sure that representative would be present. I think it is equally important that the Chamber of Commerce send representatives to the Council meetings, and I think particularly to the Planning Commission, because there is a lot going on at the Planning. Commission level that is lost in.translation because there is no one present from the Chamber of Commerce. The whole purpose of this meeting was to not reestablish communication, because I don't think it has ever been broken down, but just to bring us up to date on what the other body is presently doing. As far as scheduling additional meetings, it is no burden on this Council, if the Executive Board ever feels that it is tdeairous..' of a meeting - it is a very simple matter to say we would like to meet with you guys and it will be set up. Councilman Gleckman: I might also say I think something like this is as good as anything you have given us before in a report because the other reports have been in great detail and I don't think it said anything more than what you have here. We can read between the lines, we know what you are doing. And again I repeat all I said tonight is - where can.we help you - the door is open. • John Stiles: With regard to what has been said - I believe we should disband the discussion now until a lattr date. (MEETING RECESSED AT 9:20 P.M. COUNCIL RECONVENED AT 9.30 P.M.) SERVICE AVENUE NAME CHANGE Mayor Krieger: We have a staff report dated January 26, 1968, in response to the point that Councilman Gleckman brought up last week. Is there anything to add to the report, Mr. Aiassa? Mr. Aiassa: We did put a map in the report showing the basic problems we are faced with and some of the future problems we are going to be faced with in the name change. I feel this is of significant importance and,I would recommend to the Council that it be referred to the Planning Commission for study. Councilman Gleckman: I don't mind referring it to the Planning Commission but I think we should first discuss it a bit in order to give them some type of direction as to what we are talking about, rather than. just throwing it in their lap. Mr. Aia s sa : This will be a major sign erected on the Freeway - a lit sign. Mayor Krieger: As I remember the procedure, it is not necessary to have a public hearing but a matter of courtesy to hold public hearings on street name change, but it is not a matter of law.. And if there is no interest at Council level then it is not worthwhile but if there is some interest then perhaps we can give the Planning Commission some directions as to what we want them to concentrate on. So without talking about specific names, let's talk about streets . - 19 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Twenty SERVICE AVENUE. NAME CHANGE - Continued Councilman.Gleckman: But I would like to suggest a name that I thought about in order to give the street some reasoning of continuous - shall we say, one street east and west • through the City and that would be Civic Center Wa;y:;: So that anybody getting on that street would know it would lead to and from the Civic Center. This Street would follow the route we talked about with some changes to make it more even .especially from -Vincent Avenue east along the channel (referred to map mentioning red line and brown line on map as possible east -west street.) Mayor Krieger: One of the problems we have which we alluded to is that we don't have any integrity in streets on the South side of the Freeway. We have a strange conglameration of street, names running into each other being named differently. Maybe at least we could give some consideration to a respective street carrying one name, and with the new interchange coming in at Orange and Pacific, I think that is probably the time for this suggestion. (Further discussion by Councilman..Gleckman, referring to the map the Council members had.) Mayor Krieger: The list that staff has given us lists quite a few businesses that would be involved on Service Avenue between Sunset and Orange but then when we come from Sunset to Vincent there is very little in terms of existing frontages - which would indicate that it might be a tremendously good time if we are going to do it to rename now before businesses get • established. Then when we go further east on Vincent I would be more hesitant - I would think it would tie: in more with an actual street replacement that might take place in the future which. would provide some continuation for Walnut Creek Parkway after it intersects at Vincent. I would like to see us particularly direct the Planning Commission to concentrate on Service Avenue and Walnut Creek Parkway between Orange and Vincent Avenue and get some identity to a street that right now. bears two names. Councilman .Gleckman: I would agree but I would like to pass along to them to bear in mind to keep running that same street all the way further east to Grand. Avenue iatbr..:on a-nd keeping in mind whatever- they did.would have to keep on to the east end of the City rather than J--og around. Mr. Aiassa: There is one other item - Baldwin Park has a street called Baldwin Park Boulevard and here would be one opportunity for the City to have a lighted sign with the name of West Covina. You have no other place except the signs that the State puts on that will bear the name of West Covina. Mayor Krieger: Rather than talking about a specific name we are talking more about the street itself. I certainly think that lends itself to a logical change. I don't think any of it would be too difficult and I can speak with great sensitivity on the subject because my office is on the Street under discussion. My office was on Glendora Avenue' when I first came out and I was in favor of that change. Councilman. Gillum: I went over this and I think it is a good idea. I have no preference as to name. . I would go along with your thinking as to bringing it clear over to Vincent. Councilman Gleckman: And you are still giving them one and a half to two years to do it. - 20 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Twenty-one SERVICE AVENUE NAME CHANGE - Continued Motion by Councilman Gleckman, seconded by Councilman Gillum, that the Planning Commission be directed to investigate the name change of what is presently Service Avenue and Walnut Creek Parkway extending from the south of the Freeway to • Glendora Avenue. Councilman Gillum: One question. You are only talking from the Freeway then? Mayor Krieger: Yes, south of the Freeway. Councilman Gleckman: Then later we will take it from the Freeway north. Councilman. Gillum: In the past we have had certain instances, such as Irwindale, benefit where we have changed the name on one side and not on the other side - are we going to have the same problem here ? Mayor Krieger: That originally started with the E . S . G . V . Committee and we discussed for months before we made our recommendations and most of the recommendations came for naught. I think it is a shame but each. City T-epr_esentative when they went back to their own City Council could not sell the Council and I was a case in point. I don't know when the cities are going to reconcile this problem, I rather doubt that they will. • It has been moved and seconded that the Planning Commission be directed to investigate the name change of what is presently Service Avenue and Walnut Creek Parkway extending from the south of the Freeway to Glendora Avenue. Any objections? No objections, so ordered. Councilman. Gleckman- Mr. Mayor - before we go on to the next subject when do we intend to try and implement the east -west street at Council level? Or at least direct the Planning Commission to send some type of recommendation to the Council so we can get started? Mayor Krieger: I would have two thoughts in response. I think we just spent about $21, 000 for the traffic consultant - they are feeding their stuff in to the General Plan Consultants and I would like to see some material from them on this subject; and secondly I would like to see a fuller Council and thirdly I would like to see the Freeway Agreement buttoned up completely. Councilman Gleckman: Okay. I just want you to know I am going to keep requesting some action on this item. RESOLUTION NO. 3732 The City Clerk presented: "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY . ADOPTED OF WEST COVINA URGING THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT TO TERMINATE ITS FIRST - PHASE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CORRIDOR RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM NO FURTHER WEST THAN THE CITY OF WEST COVINA. " Mayor Krieger: Hearing no objections, waive further reading of the body of said Resolution. - 21 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Twenty-two RESOLUTION NO. 3732 - Continued Motion by Councilman Gleckman, seconded by Councilman Gillum, that the City Council adopt said Resolution. Motion carried on roll call as follows: • AYES: Councilmen. Gillum, Gleckman, Mayor Krieger NOES: None ABSENT: Councilmen Snyder, Nichols. Mayor Krieger: Mr. Aiassa - how can we best implement this Resolu- tion ? Mr.. Aiassa: Send it direct to the Rapid Transit Authority addressed to their President, and also see that Mr. Mansville gets a copy. Mayor Krieger: The Rapid Transit, care of their Chairman, the Board of Supervisors, and there are twenty-four cities in the San Gabriel Valley - a copy should be sent to each of the Mayors. Also, Pete Schabarum, the three State Assemblymen, State Representatives, League of California Cities, Mr. Whitmore, Mr. Richacrdsan. And I would also like to see a communication sent to the President of the Chamber of Commerce with a copy of this Resolution and asking in what manner the Chamber feels, if they concur in this Resolution, that they can be of assistance. (Councilmen agreed.) Mr. Aiassa: May I also suggest to the Chamber that they induce 9 other Chamber people to go along.... . Mayor Krieger: This is what I would like to hear back from the Chamber. STORM DRAIN PROTECTS, VINE CREEK, CAMERON AVENUE, CITRUS AVENUE Motu by Councilman Gleckman, seconded by Councilman Gillum, and carried, that the Council receive the staff report and file. PLANNING_:ASSOC.IATE POSITION Mayor Krieger: An item that the City Manager asked to be added to the agenda having to do with the Planning Associate position - is there any objection? (No objection..) The report of January 2 6th with a recommendation appended thereto _`is before us. Is there anything to add, Mr. Aiassa? Mr. Aiassa: am Motion by Councilman. Gleckman, seconded by Councilman Gillum, and carried, that the City Manager be authorized to employ the individual whose application has been attached hereto as Planning Associate at Salary Step B and that if he performs satisfactorily that at the six-month review he be advanced to Step C according to memorandum dated January 26, 1968. ------------ MAYOR'S REPORTS Mayor Krieger: We now find out that the Five Lanterns want to shoot off their fireworks on the 1-2-3 of February rather than the 26-27th. Is there any objection to granting them - 22 - ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Twenty-three MAYOR'S REPORTS - Continued this request, or any other Chinese Restaurant in the City so disposed? (No objections.) Request will be granted. Mrs. Preston will you advise the Five Lanterns, please. • mayor Krieger: YrWe have a request for a oclarttit ofi-tha.tc.came..in. late. Is there any objection to addfrTg tfris item to the agenda - a proclamation for February 7 - 13th as the Founding of Boy Scouts in America anniversary? No objections, So proclaimed. Mayor Krieger: We have a letter from Mr. George Zartman. Mr. Zartman wishes to express his appreciation to the Council for its thoughtfulness in commending him for his services as the Chamber of Commerce President by the presentation of a Resolutirn and a City Seal plaque. Mayor Krieger: We received, last week, the Citizens Blue Ribbon • report on the CCitytCharter... _I found it to be a very imaginative document and I would like to see, with the Council's permission, this document circulated through the City Manager's office to each of the respective Department Heads that might be concerned with this subject matter. I am not restricting it to but I am particularly thinking of the Planning Director-, the Controller and the City Engineer. I think this report has implications and certain technical aspects to it which I would like to have the Department Heads comment on with regard to their Department. For illustration, the Planning Director indicated a week or two ago, when we were discussing zoning ordinance, that there was a difference between the powers of a General Law City and that of a Charter City. I think if this Blue Ribbon report were circulated for their comments and observation as it may affect the working of their Departments, as well as the City _Manager and the City Attorney, I think it would be of help to have it analyzed. Councilman Gleckman: Councilman Gillum: I have no objections. I think it is a good idea. Mayor Krieger: Alright. Mr. Aiassa, the reports then will be submitted to your office for circulation to your Department Heads as well as the City Attorney, City Clerk, City Treasurer and your office for comments and a report back to the. City Council. i----------- COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS Councilman Gillum: I am sure my.fellow Councilmen will remember that a year ago I was fortunate enough to be asked to represent the City and the Chamber of Commerce on the Mobilo Economy Run and I have been given the honor to do so this year. Last year at each overnight stop we sent communication to `the Mayor of each City. This year we are going to different cities and the Nation's Capitol and will end up in Wew' York .- . I would like to represent the Chamber of Commerce and the City as I -23- ADJ. C.C. 1-29-68 Page Twenty-four COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS - Continued did last year. As you remember last year we had a small screwdriver with the name of West Covina, California - on and they were well accepted. We do have a die on this and I would like to request of the Council, if we have the funds available in the amount of $300. - to purchase approximately 1000 screwdrivers to be distributed on the run.. And • those left over could be distributed to people that come to the City, etc. n U Mayor Krieger: Are you prepared to make a response to this Mr. Aiassa? Mr. Aiassa: I believe we have the $300. Councilman Gleckman: I have no objection. Motion by Councilman Gillum, seconded by Councilman Gleckman, that the City Council approve in the sum not to exceed $300. funds to provide promotional items for use on the Mobil Economy Run. Motion carried on roll call as follows: AYES: Councilmen. Gillum, NOES: None ABSENT: Councilmen Snyder, Mayor Krieger: Councilman Gillum: Gleckman, Mayor Krieger. Nichols. What is the date, Mr. Gillum? April 2nd through the 7th. The Chamber's car this year will be an Olds'- Toronado. Councilman Gleckman: I attended the East San Gabriel Valley meeting, Thursday night, Walnut hosted.it. One of the comments regarding Rapid Transit was that they appreciated West Covina's position but they felt if they could get the first phase started they would then ask funds for phase two which would encompass the City of West Covina. I bring that to your attention even though I did not agree with their reasoning. Motion by Councilman.Gleckman, seconded by Councilman. Gillum, and carried, that there being no further business, this meeting adjourn at 10 p.m. • ATTEST: CITY CLERK APPROVED: v /�i MAYOR - 24 -