Tuesday, April 9, 2024

The largest approvals at the April 9, 2024 meeting were multi-year (2019–2024) labor agreements: AFSCME Local 3947's agreement carries recurring annual costs of $712,620 and $524,290 plus $87,631 in additional costs (Item 2, 5-0); CMEA/AFSCME Local 2325 carries recurring costs of $413,691 and $373,169 plus $74,248 and $53,814 (Item 3, 5-0); and a companion salary plan amendment for unrepresented employees was also approved 5-0 (Item 4). The council additionally approved, all 5-0 with limited floor discussion: $29,000 to Impact Overhead Door Service for water facility gate repairs (ARPA-funded); $40,000 to Sherwin Williams for anti-graffiti paint; $25,000 to BP Ford of Long Beach for Ford fleet maintenance; $11,000 to O'Reilly Automotive for auto parts; and $7,485 to Maven Roofing Company for a Luders Park skylight repair drawn from an insurance recovery account — while a $57,600 recurring landscaping contract with Zorro Landscape Inc. (Item 6) was pulled by staff before a vote, with staff stating it needed clarification and would return at a future meeting. Structured agenda data flags that several vendors appear across multiple line items totaling amounts above their stated resolution ceilings: Impact Overhead Door Service totals $87,000 across four line items against a $29,000 authorization; Sherwin Williams totals $80,000 across two line items against a $40,000 authorization; and BP Ford totals $50,000 across two line items against a $25,000 authorization — no council member raised these discrepancies during discussion. Twelve residents spoke during public comment on topics including street prostitution near schools, fire station conditions, inoperative security cameras, potholes, graffiti, and the absence of an AED in city hall, but none addressed any of the spending items voted on that evening.