Council Meeting Recap: July 20, 2021

All council members were present for the Tuesday, July 20 City Council meeting. The session started at 5 p.m. and lasted about 4 hours. Here's what you missed:

CSUDH partners with City of Carson to provide program for seniors.

Dean J. Kim McNutt from the California State University, Dominguez Hills, College of Extended and International Education presented information about programs the college is offering to Carson residents. The dean mentioned several programs and offerings of the college, including those that were transformed and offered virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) provides individuals age 50 or older with educational, social, and cultural opportunities. Annual membership is $30 and parking at CSUDH is offered at discount of $20 annually for members of the program. Most courses are free or as low as $5. We are excited to see this partnership between the City of Carson and CSU Dominguez Hills. To learn more about the programs offered by the College of Extended and International Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills, please visit their website. More info about OLLI is available here.

Long Beach Transit could be coming to Carson.

The City of Carson is considering partnering with Long Beach Transit to help remedy some of the fixed route needs, according to Robert Lennox, director of community services/parks and recreation. Sara Baumann, government relations officer for Long Beach Transit (and a proud Carson resident) gave a presentation detailing how the proposed routes would connect to the larger Metro rail lines and several Carson hotspots, including UCLA-Harbor Medical Center, Carson High School, Carson City Hall, the South Bay Pavilion, and CSUDH. City Manager Sharon Landers said that staff and LB Transit will work out an agreement and anticipate getting this going as early as September.

Council votes to add a regular council meeting to the month of December.

The Carson City Council voted to realign council meetings to twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays for the entire year. Previously meetings were held on this schedule for February to November, with December holding only one meeting on the first Tuesday, and January holding meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. presumably to coincide with holiday breaks and celebrations. The unanimous vote increases the number of regular annual meetings from 23 to 24 and creates a uniform schedule for each month.

Council receives public safety projects update.

The City of Carson is closer to having improved surveillance cameras and bike lanes. The City Council heard a presentation about surveillance cameras from Assistant City Manager Dave Roberts and Captain Damon Jones. After hearing about all the benefits to infrastructure this proposal would bring, the council voted to continue moving forward and hear an update in 90 days. An update about bike lanes from Public Works Director Eliza Jane highlighted the progress of the various types of lanes in the City. An update on the bike lanes project will be brought back to the council in six months with completion expected within the next two years.

Council votes to rescind the Hero Pay resolution.

The Council voted to rescind Resolution No. 21-088, which was implemented to allow larger grocery stories to provide $4 an hour “Hero Pay” increases. The move comes after discussion with the unions and anticipation of grocery store closures if Hero Pay is implemented in the City. The Council initially wanted to rescind it outright, but the City Attorney reminded the Council that they need a formal resolution to rescind the original resolution. So it will be formally rescinded on the next consent calendar.

*Please note that the uploaded video to the City website for the July 20, 2021 Council Meeting is missing a good portion of the beginning of the meeting and begins in the middle of the Cal State Dominguez Hills presentation from Dean McNutt.