At its January 24 meeting, the City Council
1. okayed relocation of the Windward School well, and an amendment to an agreement with Black and Veatch Construction,in the amount of $1,421,417, to provide project management and construction services for the well relocation project.
2. okayed Bid #3067 to Univar USA, Inc. in the amount of $381,375 for the purchase and delivery of Sulfuric Acid for use at the City’s Arcadia Water Treatment Plant, for a one-year term.
3. okayed a $300,000 contract for legal services for assistance with labor and employment law with Liebert, Cassidy and Whitmore from February 2012 through June 2013 with four one-year options to review.
4. okayed a professional services agreement with Ingo Manglano-Ovalle for $440,200 for the fabrication of an artwork to be installed in the Palisades Garden Walk that consists of 49 aluminum poles equipped with wind vanes and anemometers, which measure wind velocity. (scroll down to see photo).
5. approved a resolution declaring the City’s intent to participate in the Institute of Local Government’s Beacon Award Program.
6. okayed spending $400,273 to install and configure Transit Master traffic signal priority system components on 56 transit vehicles.
7. okayed re-plastering the Municipal Pools at the Santa Monica Swim Center for an amount not to exceed $16,350 for additional costs.
8. okayed a $27,577 contract with Design Space Modular for demobilization of the temporary trailers which housed the Big Blue Bus staff.
9. okayed Transfer Project Sponsorship of Expo Bike Path to the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the amount of $2,018,650, including federal transportation Enhancement Activities funds authorized by
Metro and authorization for Metro to invoice the City for a local Match obligation in the amount of $672,000.
10. okayed a second modification with Monarch Plumbing & Mechanical, in the amount of $21,952 for additional work for the Beach Restroom Facilities Replacement Project, for a total contract of $220,486; and authorize any necessary changes.
11. okayed resolution to Correct the Penalty Schedule Reference in the Taxicab Rules and Regulations.
12. okayed a recommendation to support the community’s preferred use of the Expo maintenance yard buffer site as open space/park, direct staff to issue a request for proposals for design services for the buffer as open space/park, to continue working with the community on buffer zone design; and to continue to with the Expo Construction Authority, Metro, and their consultant teams on the design and construction of the Maintenance Facility to be a “good neighbor” to the community.
13. okayed Design-Build Contract for Civic Auditorium Remodel & Seismic Upgrade with Morley Construction Company in an amount not to exceed $51,944,432, including contingencies and allowances, and appropriate budget increases.
14.okayed bid No. 3068 to GFI Genfare, for a total amount not to exceed $200,000,for the purchase and service of GFI farebox parts and components for a one-year term.
15. okayed Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment for construction for Palisades Garden Walk and Town
Square Project – recommendation to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to Contract No. 9395 (CCS) with W.E. O’Neil Construction Company in an amount not to exceed $47,014,773, including contingencies and allowances, for construction services for the Palisades
Garden Walk and Town Square; and appropriate the budget increases.
16. okayed a Professional Services Agreement with Keyser Marston Associates in the amount of $80,000, and amended contract No. 9113 (CCS), with Allan D. Kotin & Associates in the amount of $70,000, for the purposes of providing professional real estate and economic development advice and support to City staff.
17. okayed an agreement with the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority for a lump sum payment of $16,500,000 for the required 3% local match; authorize such agreements, as may be appropriate, not-to-exceed $8,850,000 with the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority to perform engineering services and construction of betterments at the
Downtown/4th Street Station; make related appropriations; and, revises funding source for previously authorized betterments at the Memorial Park/17th Street and Bergamot/26th Street Stations and preliminary engineering services at Downtown/4th Street Station.
18. okayed Modification to Contract for improving connections between the Downtown, Expo Light Rail station and Civic Center over the I-10 Freeway –
authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute a first modification to Contract No. 9167 (CCS) with AECOM, in the amount of $740,000 for improving connections between the Downtown, Expo Light Rail Station and Civic Center over the I-10 freeway, for a total contract not to exceed $1,723,112.
19. Then, donning its second hat, as Parking Authority, it okayed consulting services for financial planning and analysis, and debt issuance activities – recommendation to authorize the City Manager to execute a third adjustment to Professional Services Agreement 8724 (CCS) with Public
Resources Advisory Group (PRAG) to increase contract amount by $150,000 for a total contract amount not to exceed $650,000 for the five-year contract term.
20. Then exchanging its Parking Authority hat for its Redevelopment Agency hat, it okayed a resolution approving the Redevelopment Agency’s amended Enforceable Obligation Payment Schedule.
21. Then trading its Redevelopment Agency hat for its Housing Authority hat, it okayed the transfer of responsibility from the City to the Housing Authority for affordable housing compliance monitoring, inspections, waiting list management, enrollment, reporting, and related activities; for affordable housing production and preservation activities; and for implementation and continuing oversight of the Senior Homeless Prevention
and Rental Assistance Program to the Housing Authority; and (ii) to fund said affordable housing responsibilities to be assumed by the Housing Authority by assigning from the City to the Housing Authority the stream of affordable housing
payments required by Cooperation Agreement No. 8180 (CCS); an amount not to exceed $20,282,771, and future payments pursuant to Cooperation Agreement No. 9267 (CCS); and housing set-aside funds as are available from the City.

It then heard the appeal of a Landmarks Commission designation of a vintage house in Ocean Park as a landmark, and, as it rarely does, agreed with the Commission and denied the appeal.

Moving right along, the Council heard and approved the annual development agreement compliance review, but Saint John’s Hospital continues to create parking and traffic problems for its neighbors.

Then some 40 people, including a number of students from both Samohi and Santa Monica College, asked the Council to commit the City to a Bill of Sustainable Rights and pass a Move to Amend resolution that would amend The U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood.

Approval of the Bill of Sustainable Rights, which emerged from a year-long study of the issues by the City’s Task Force on the Environment, which commits the City to formulate the policies and laws that would establish, protect and sustain the rights of the people and the natural environment, ensure clean water, air, soil and energy and develop means of ensuring
the continued health of both the people and the natural environment.

Both the Sustainable Bill of Rights and Move to Amend are national movements.

The Council approved the Sustainable Bill of Rights resolution and directed that it be incorporated in the City’s existing Sustainable City Plan this year.

But it rejected the Move to Amend, which would reverse the Supreme Court’s decision that corporations, in effect, have the rights the Constitution assigns to individuals. The decision has led to the Super-PACs that can spend any amount of money without identifying themselves, backing political candidates and issues and have polluted the political process.

The three lawyers on the Council – Mayor Richard Bloom, Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis and Bobby Shriver – all worried about the language. Davis wondered what such an amendment might do to non-profit corporations. Bloom thought it went too far. Shriver thought the City shouldn’t commit itself to an measure that hadn’t been written.

They had just voted to spend well over $100 million in a blink, but rather than voting to support the campaign to amend the Constitution to deny corporations personhood, the three lawyers and Councilman Bob Holbrook voted to express their disapproval of Citizens United, which sought and won the Supreme Court case that gave the corporations rights that from the founding of this country had been reserved for individuals.