During an hour-long discussion Jim Scholz and Robert Riggs proposed the idea to the council.
Riggs gave a detailed presentation on three options – a community redevelopment commission, a project area committee and a nonstatutory advisory committee on redevelopment.
He said the Vision Task Force Steering Committee meets monthly to discuss the city's issues and the vision for improving the city, and members have come to understand that redevelopment is a primary challenge.
Because the city didn't follow redevelopment rules for housing, it was sued by Clearlake Housing Now, Riggs explained. The case was settled in 1999, and is still the source of a dispute over whether the settlement was properly carried out.
A redevelopment commission would give citizens a sense of involvement and could also assist in keeping redevelopment on track, said Riggs. It also could offer continuity when city staff changes; there have been fairly dramatic personnel changes in recent years, he added.
The first option, said Riggs, is a community redevelopment commission, which is authorized under state law and would need to be created by the council. It would have seven members, who could not acquire interest in property within the project area. The downside of such a group would be its requirement of city staff time and commitment of resources.
A project area committee, the second option Riggs presented, also is established by state statute, and would consist of representatives of interest groups – residential owners and occupants, business owners and organizations like the Chamber of Commerce – from within the project area, which is almost the entire city. The group would need to maintain an office and have meetings governed by the Brown Act.
Riggs said a project area committee appears to not be applicable to Clearlake, because it's redevelopment plan doesn't use eminent domain.
The third option is the informal, nonstatutory redevelopment advisory committee, which doesn't need formal members or terms of office, and can easily be disbanded, said Riggs. However, its lack of a defined role may keep members from accomplishing much.
Riggs said the Vision Task Force Steering Committee also had considered proposing the city Planning Commission or the steering committee monitor redevelopment. However, he said the Planning Commission already has a lot to do, and the steering committee is focused on the Vision Task Force.
Some kind of extra attention is in order, said Riggs. "We think that the future of redevelopment is closely tied with the future of the city," and he suggested that getting citizens involved can help.
Council member Judy Thein said she was impressed by Riggs' presentation. "I'm really glad to see citizens get involved."
She asked how the citizens group would develop its knowledge of the topic. Riggs said they would need to educate themselves.
Councilman Roy Simons said such committees as Riggs was proposing are common in cities around the state; those that don't have them falter in their redevelopment purpose, which is what has happened in Clearlake, he said.
Simons said some action has to be taken quickly, because the redevelopment implementation plan only has two years left.
"We need this committee," Simons said.
Mayor Curt Giambruno asked Simons if such a committee had been formed earlier in the life of the redevelopment agency. Simons said he served on such a group for a year, but it eventually disappeared because people were afraid taxes would go up. "We could never quite get through to them."
City Administrator Dale Neiman said there are problems with a citizens redevelopment commission in his view. He said there are actually very few of them in the state, and that they're usually formed when a redevelopment agency has a housing authority.
Riggs said Neiman was confusing the proposal of a community redevelopment commission with a community development commission.
Simons asked Neiman if he agreed that one of the city's problems has been that it hasn't been educated on redevelopment.
Neiman said he believed that former city staff didn't have experience in redevelopment, and hiring qualified people is key to staying out of trouble in such matters.
Giambruno said it would take some time to digest all of the information Riggs presented, and he suggested a decision on whether or not to form a group should wait until the beginning of next year "because you might have a different council." Simons reiterated his belief that time was of the essence due to the two years remaining in the plan.
Vice Mayor Chuck Leonard said he thought such a committee could be of help, but he said it might be challenged by not having access to information about redevelopment issues discussed by the council in closed sessions.
Simons suggested that a committee couldn't do more damage to redevelopment than the city already has done.
The council reached consensus to bring the topic back for discussion after further study.
Council looks at PEG policies, approves rate increases
Neiman took to the council a discussion on policies for PEG TV Channel 8 relating to televising candidates forums.
He asked City Attorney Malathy Subramanian to look at station policies to determine if things are being done appropriately. This past week he exchanged e-mails with county Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Cox, and Neiman found out there already is a policy document adopted by the PEG Committee. However, he couldn't find a record of the City Council ever adopting the document.
Neiman said he wants Subramanian and County Counsel Anita Grant to review the policies to ensure they're adhering to state and federal law.
Subramanian said there "are very limited things" that cannot be shown on the PEG Channel, such as commercials and obscenity. Currently, they're requiring indemnification agreements from individuals submitting programs for broadcast in case there is a lawsuit over content.
Showing candidates forums, as long as they are fair and impartial, is allowed under current law, but Subramanian said the Fair Political Practices Commission may create stricter guidelines for the kinds of information public agencies can provide in such broadcasts.
Community resident Dante DeAmicis said public access is entirely based on public forum law, and said that should have been included in Subramanian's analysis.
He added that no franchisee has ever been successfully sued due to content submitted by a community member. "You're greatly, greatly exaggerating any risk to the city."
A public forum such as PEG belongs to residents and isn't discretionary, DeAmicis said the city can't just decide to get rid of it.
Giambruno asked Subramanian about public forum law. She said it's a complicated issue that is far from settled, and relates mostly to public places that are considered public forums.
"The city can't spend money in support of a political purpose," said Subramanian, suggesting the city may want to have another entity manage the channel in order to alleviate financial and liability concerns.
Council members agreed to err on the side of caution and have Subramanian and Grant review the station's existing policies. Subramanian said they should be able to go through the lengthy document within a week.
In other business, the council approved a 3.1-percent rate adjustment for Clearlake Waste Solutions, which was seeking an increase to deal with higher gas prices. The company initially had asked for a 9.67-percent increase. The company also has agreed to make a donation to sweep the streets in the fall.
They also adopted abatement of public nuisances at 13351 Country Club Drive and 3806 Pearl Ave.
With the state now having adopted a budget, the city will begin holding its own budget workshops. The council tentatively agreed to hold hearings on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, but will confirm those dates with Simons, who left the meeting early, and Council member Joyce Overton, who was absent to attend a conference.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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