(Aug. 23, 2020, 8:10 a.m.) -- The City Council voted on August 18 without discussion or dissent to extend a contract with the City's long-time retained arborist firm that -- pursuant to a City authorized work order -- performed May 2020 peninsula median tree trimming during nesting season and a baby bird (which may or may not have been a Great Blue Heron) fell to its death from its palm tree nest..
The incident produced public dismay and prompted a Coastal Commission staff proceeding that alleged the City-authorized work order violated Coastal Commission wildlife protection/bird nesting rules. At the time, then-Public Works Director Craig Beck indicated a report would be forthcoming on what took place. However to LBREPORT.com's knowledge, no such report was publicly agendized for Council discussion or provided as a non-agendized "to-from-for" memo to the Mayor/Councilmembers. Mr. Beck recently retired and his successor, Eric Lopez, submitted and signed the Aug. 18 agendizing memo for the contract extension...which makes no mention of the May 2020 incident.
City management's Aug. 18 agemndizing memo indicated that the $3.4 million contract extension through March 31, 2021 "will provide adequate time for staff to complete a new procurement process without interruption to services" and "also provide resources to address items that were awarded one-time funding in the FY 20 first budget appropriation adjustments. Additional contract authority is needed for tree services for the Residential Street Improvements Program and the ADA Accessibility Programs prior to the start of street improvement and sidewalk repair work."
As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, a February 18, 2020 Council "consent calendar' (no discussion) voted extended the contract through Sept. 30, 2020 for $500,000...and its accompanying agendizing memo indicated the extension would enable a new contract procurement process (which hasn't happened yet.)
The Aug. 18 item was agendized for separate Council discussion with an agendizing memo here, but in a peculiar procedural action -- unprecedented in our viewing over 25 years of City Council proceedings -- Mayor Robert Garcia indicated some person -- he didn't say who or explain why -- had asked that ten agenda items (which happened to include this item) be approved in a single vote. City Attorney Charles Parkin indicated a single vote was allowable if the City Clerk individually announces each item and public comment is allowed on each item.
At some point during that procedure, Mayor Garcia -- whose City Charter duty is to preside at City Council meetings (considered his full time employment) -- disappeared (during the teleconferenced meeting) and was replaced by Vice Mayor Dee Andrews.
Earlier that day, Garcia indicated in a Tweet that he would appear on MSNBC [part of its 2020 Democrat convention coverage] at some point after 6 p.m. Pacific time...and did so in an interview focusing on various politically charged matters.
At no point did any Councilmember(s) question or object to Mayor Garcia's peculiar procedural request. None objected to his exiting the Council meeting at which he is supposed to preside. And none mentioned the May 2020 tree trimming incident.
[Scroll down for further.]
