Tuesday night’s City Council meeting was more notable for Council members’ behavior than for their decisions.

To borrow a phrase from Joe Mankiewicz’s brilliant “All About Eve,” it was a very “bumpy night.”

Councilman Ken Genser got the meeting off to a fractious start by challenging City staff’s recommendation that the City spend $1,1 million on new trash and recycling containers. Genser believed the large purchase was at best premature. City Manager Lamont Ewell and Environmental Programs and Public Works Director Craig Perkins disagreed. Vigorously.

When the argument ended, a Council majority approved the purchase.

Genser’s ire escalated during a discussion of an Appeal of the Landmarks Commission’s approval for demolition of a “non contributing structure” and construction of new residence at 2642 Second Street in the Third Street Neighborhood Historic District.

In questioning Associate Planner Roxanne Tanemon, who prepared the staff report, which supported the Commission’s decision, Genser behaved as if he were a prosecuting Attorney and Tanemon were a defense witness. The illustrated report was exhaustive and detailed, but he peppered her with questions that had less to do with its content than its organization.

It’s a complex question: what is appropriate in a Historic District?
Though Genser added more heat than light to the proceedings, the appellants, the property owners and their architect, and other interested residents, as well as City staff, focused on the issue. But. in the end, the Council failed to answer the question, voting 3-3 on both a motion to deny the appeal and a subsequent motion to remand the project to the Landmarks Commission for further work, As a result, under the rules, the Landmarks decision was upheld.

Another appeal. of the Planning Commission’s approval of a Development Review Permit for construction of a 19-unit condominium project at 1433 14th Street that will displace a senior care center, was less heated, but more bizarre. The appellants were neighbors who objected to the proposed project and the loss of the care center, but only one neighbor was present.

She said a neighbor who sent a letter opposing the project to the Pnning Department had subsequently received a death threat. Frightened, he and the other neighbors withdrew their objections. The Council denied the appeal, upholding the Planning Commission’s approval, and directed staff to investigate the death threat allegations and suggest procedures should a similar situation arise.

Members of the Council grew grumpier as the evening wore on, alternately snapping at and chastising each other.

It also introduced, as amended, for first reading an ordinance approving the Development Agreement amendment between the City and Maguire Properties – 3030 Olympic, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company for Lantana East, and heard the first reading of an ordinance approving the Development Agreement amendment between the City and Maguire Properties – 3301 Exposition, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company for Lantana South, to allow a funding alternative to constructing facilities at Edison School campus for joint City use.

The Council also authorized the following contracts: Sussman Prejza, the designers of the City logo, in the amount of $140,000 for design of Mini Blue buses; Payment Resources International in the amount of $560,000 for credit card processing; Liebert Cassidy Whitmore law firm in an amount not to exceed $160,000 for labor-related legal counsel;Teri Black & Company in an amount not to exceed $150,000 to provide executive recruitment services; Hartford Life Insurance an increase to a new amount of $830,000 to provide life insurance specified in employee contract agreements.

In other business, it approved updates to the City’s investment policy, authorized an agreement with the Pico Youth and Family Center in the amount of $81,000 for tenant improvements and relocation costs, authorized an employment agreement with the Assistant City Attorney, and Adopted an amendment to the City’s Conflict of Interest Code to amend positions that must file economic interest statements.

At a special meeting on Tuesday, February 19. Next year’s budget will be discussed.