The Seal Beach City Council appointed two alternates to fill at-large positions on the Local Coastal Plan committee Monday, Sept. 12. Councilman Gary Miller objected to automatically naming alternates to the committee and suggested waiting. The vote was 4-1 in favor of the new appointments.
The appointments followed the resignations of several volunteers on Seal Beach committees. One of those resignations was submitted by phone hours before the council meeting was held.
According to the staff report, which was prepared before the fourth resignation came in, former council member John Larson and Bonnie Gasior and Planning Commissioner Robert Goldberg quit their at-large positions on the city’s Ad Hoc General Plan/Local Coastal Plan committee.
The committee works on the city’s General Plan, a guide to land use in Seal Beach, and on the Local Coastal Plan. Seal Beach does not have a Local Coastal Plan.
The California Coastal Commission must approve one. Once approved, a Local Coastal Plan would allow the city to perform some of the services of the Coastal Commission—which would streamline the permitting and building process for anyone who owns real estate within 5 miles of the coastline.
Larson resigned on Aug. 4. His letter said that he could no longer serve.
Goldberg’s Aug. 22 letter of resignation cited a conflict of interest, although he didn’t use that term: “Due to my recent appointment to the Planning Commission, I will soon be involved in the review of the committee’s work as a planning commissioner. ”
The staff report to the council said the alternates serving on the committee could be appointed to the at large positions.
Councilman David Sloan said he had an appointment to make.
Councilman Miller said he did not want to rush. He said he was not in favor of automatically making alternate committee members at-large committee members.
Councilwoman Ellery Deaton suggested moving an at-large position. Deaton said the Local Coastal Plan was important to the city. Deaton said everyone in District 1 or District 3 who wants to make an addition to their home must go to the Coastal Commission.
Director of Development Services Mark Persico said the council needed to appoint three people to the committee to meet quorum. City Attorney Quinn Barrow said each council member could appoint two members to the committee.
Miller said he would like to make a nomination to the committee himself. Deaton made a motion to accept the appointments made by council members Sloan and Gordon Shanks and to appoint Brandon Powers into one of the vacant at-large positions.
The motion passed 5-0.
The council then accepted the resignations and ratified the appointment of Lauren Sosenko to fill a vacant position on the Parks and Recreation Commission.
