The April 15th meeting was held on ZOOM TV with all Councilmembers, staff and speakers addressing the agenda issues by ZOOM in their homes or by phone.

Agenda Item 5-D was the Mayoral Rotation. The rotation was changed because we now must vote by Districts and we now must vote in even years.

Our current law required that the highest vote winner will serve as Mayor and the second highest vote winner would serve as Mayor Pro Tem.

Fred Sornoso from District Three won the highest votes in his district; Henry Lo from District Four won the highest votes in his district and Yvonne Yiu from District Two won the highest votes in her district.

Since these new candidates did not have any experience sitting on our City Council City Clerk Vince Chang gave the Council three recommendations to choose from:

Based upon all of the above, the City Council should consider what policy it wishes to implement short-term and long-term for the mayoral rotation. Several options are available:

The Council utilizes the existing system and selects Councilmember Fred Sornoso to become Mayor Pro Tem. He would then become Mayor on May 5, 2020.

The Council extends the term of Mayor Hans Liang and selects Councilmember Peter Chan to be Mayor Pro Tem. Each succeeding Councilmember’s term as mayor or mayor pro tem would be extended for a period of time until 2024 at which time all mayoral rotations would again conform with the existing system.

The Council could abandon the existing system (as provided by Section 6 of Resolution No. 1 1507) and instead utilize a traditional method of selecting the mayor and mayor pro tem via a nomination and vote for each position.

Whichever method the City Council chooses, it should implement that system on April 15th to select (at a minimum) the Mayor Pro Tem. Thereafter, a resolution memorializing the decision would be placed on the agenda for the next regular City Council meeting.

All of the Councilmembers discussed the three options and voted to extend the term of Mayor Hans Liang and select Councilmember Peter Chan to be Mayor Pro Tem.

They also discussed the Mayor Rotation Schedule Hans Liang serving as Mayor and Peter Chan serving as Mayor Pro Tem until October 22, 2020.

Peter Chan would serve as Mayor and Fred Sornoso would serve as Mayor Pro Tem until April 12, 2021.

Fred Sornoso would serve as Mayor on April 13,202; Henry Lo would serve as Mayor on March 29, 2022 and Yvonne Yiu would serve as Mayor on March 14,2023.

Deputy City Clerk Cindy Trang worked out this Schedule to give the new Councilmembers 50 weeks as Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem until the March 3, 2020 election to replace Hans Liang from District One and Peter Chan from District Five who will be termed out after two terms as Councilmembers.

Councilmember Yvonne Yiu suggested that she work with Cindy Trang to make the rotation schedule more favorable to the current and new Councilmembers.

The May 6th Council Meeting was held on ZOOM TV with all Councilmembers, staff and speakers addressing the agenda issues by ZOOM in their homes or by phone.

Mayor Hans Liang opened the meeting by asking City Clerk Vince Chang to swear in Peter Chan as Mayor Pro Tem.

Peter Chan accepted the job as Mayor Pro Tem.

Hans Liang congratulated Peter Chan.

Agenda Item 2-A Mayoral Rotation.

Councilmember Yvonne Yiu worked with Cindy Trang to make the rotation schedule more favorable to the current and new Councilmembers.

Schedule A as noted above.

Schedule B suggested 15 weeks for Hans Liang serving as Mayor until August 17, 2020 and 15 weeks for Peter Chan servings as Mayor until November 30, 2020.

The new Councilmembers would serve as Mayor for 56 weeks.

Fred Sornoso would serve as Mayor until December 27, 2021; Henry Lo would serve as Mayor until January 23, 2023 and Yvonne Yiu would serve as Mayor until February19, 2024.

The two new Councilmembers from District One and District Five would be seated by the number of votes that they won in their Districts. They would each serve 41 weeks as Mayor.

Schedule C suggested 10 weeks for Hans Liang serving a Mayor until July 13, 2020 and 10 weeks for Peter Chan servings as Mayor until September 21, 2020.

The new Councilmembers would serve as Mayor for 51 weeks.

Fred Sornoso would serve as Mayor until September 13, 2021; Henry Lo would serve as Mayor until September 5, 2022 and Yvonne Yiu would serve as Mayor until August 28, 2023.

The new Councilmember from District One and  the new Councilmember from District Five would be seated by the number of votes that they won in their Districts. They would each serve 51 weeks as Mayor.

The Council discussed the three choices and voted for Schedule B.

Hans Liang asked Fred Sornoso if he would be OK serving as Mayor in December. Fred Sornoso said he would be with their help.

Agenda Item 4-A  A Public Hearing to consider an amendment to the Garfield Village Specific Plan (SPA-19-01), Zone Change (ZC-19-01) and Conditional Use Permit (CU-19-04) for the reconstruction of an existing service station (ARCO) and construction of new 24-hour drive through coffee shop at 2425 and 2439 South Garfield Avenue.

Mark A. McAvoy, Director of Public Works/City Engineer/City Planner presented the agenda item with Senior Planner Samantha Tewasart, the Applicant with his development staff and a member of Starbucks corporation.

The following is part of the Staff Report:

The Applicant is requesting an amendment to the Garfield Village Specific Plan (’GVSP’), a Zone Change (from Garfield Village Neighborhood Shopping District (GVN- S) to Garfield Village Commercial Services District (GVC-S)) and a Conditional Use Permit to allow the demolishing and reconstruction of an existing service station and construction of a new 24-hour drive-through coffee shop. Pursuant to the GVSP, service stations are conditionally permitted within the GVC-S zone, only. On October 22, 2019, the Planning Commission adopted Resolution No. 20-19.1

The Project was presented to the City Council at its December 18, 2020 regular meeting. The City Council reiterated the concerns raised by the Planning Commission and, in order to sufficiently address these concerns, the item was set for the February 5, 2020 City Council meeting. Due to scheduling conflicts, the Applicant requested that the item be continued to a date uncertain. At the February 5,2020 meeting, the City Council granted the Applicant’s request for a continuance, requested a copy of the focused traffic analysis, and requested that the public notification radius be extended to 500 feet (rather than the 300 feet required by Government Code 65090 and Monterey Park Municipal Code (MPMC) 21.32.070.4

2425 and 2439 South Garfield Avenue are adjacent lots located in the South Garfield Village (”Project Site”). The applicant, Garfield Oil, LLC (”Applicant”), seeks an amendment to the Garfield Village Specific Plan (SPA-19-01) to change the zoning designation for the Project Site from GVN-S to GVC-S (Zone Change (ZC-19-01)). To allow for the demolition and reconstruction of a service station and a 24-hour drive- through coffee shop in the GVC-S zone, the Applicant also requests approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CU-19-04) (collectively, these requests are referred to as the “Project”). 2439 Garfield and 2425 Garfield were both purchased by the same property owner and together these addresses take up two lots on the same block. The Applicant is proposing to combine and develop both lots in a single phase as part of the Project. An in-depth analysis of the Project is set forth in the Planning Commission staff report dated October 22,2019.

At its October 22, 2019 meeting, the Planning Commission raised the following concerns:

Traffic circulation within the alleyway and on-site;

Security and lighting issues related to the operation of a 24-hour drive through coffee shop; and

Whether the proposed Project conforms with the intent of the GVSP.

While the alleyway is one alternative to access the property, the primary access ways will be two existing driveways on Garfield Avenue and one existing driveway on Pomona Boulevard. Further, the proposed drive through aisle will exit directly onto a public right-of-way (i.e., the alleyway to the rear of the Project Site). According to the GVSP, vacation of alleyways may be provided as a lot-consolidation incentive bonus. However, the City’s Engineering Division determined that, for this Project, vacation of the alleyway would not be feasible because it would require the alley to be divided between the Project Site and a few other properties located to the west. To incentivize the consolidation and development of the Project Site, and in consideration of the fact that the alleyway by nature tends to carry less volume than streets and roadways, the drive through aisle may exit directly onto a public right-of-way for this Project.

With regard to security, the Police Department was informed of the proposed 24-hour operation of the drive through coffee shop and recommended conditions of approval, including installation of security cameras and an alarm system, among other things. New lighting must also be provided on the property to deter any unwanted activity.

Finally, with regard to the South Garfield Village Specific Plan, four character-areas were identified as part of the Specific Plan one area being the Primary Village Gateway, which is the general area around the corner of Pomona Boulevard and Garfield Avenue. According to GVSP 2.4.2, this is a major gateway area for automobile traffic into Garfield Village, as well as for transit users and pedestrians (especially with the potential location of a future Gold Line station in proximity to this area). Additionally, park lets, outdoor dining and public gathering areas also help to emphasize the high-energy entryway into Garfield Village. The objectives of the GVSP also include improving mobility in the area and encouraging revitalization of the neighborhood commercial business area and connectivity to the surrounding neighborhoods (GVSP 1.2.2). The proposed Project would: increase the use of a currently underutilized property and complement the surrounding neighborhood by taking advantage of nearby retail draws (GVSP 2.3.1); upgrading the appearance of the Garfield/Pomona intersection and existing facades (GVSP  2.3.2); and provide outdoor gathering/dining areas (GVSP 2.3.3).

The legal notice of this hearing was posted at the subject site, City Hall, Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library, and Langley Center on April 13,2020 and published in the Wave on April 13,2020, with affidavits of posting on file. The legal notice of this hearing was mailed to 75 property owners within a 500 feet radius and current tenants of the property concerned on April 16, 2020.

There were six speakers on this issue. Five speakers did not want the Council to approve this project. One speaker wanted the Council to approve this project that would improve the South Garfield area and increase sales and property taxes to Monterey Park.

City Attorneys Karl Berger and Natalie Karpeles were also available to answer any questions.

Perrie working with the Applicant spoke about the Traffic Project that they presented to the city that listed the direct and indirect that may impact the driveway from the coffee shop. Drivers will have to wait for a gap in traffic to enter the road. There would be no significant traffic changes.

Samantha Tewasart said the property does not need a new CEQA since the property is already developed. The development site is less than 7% of the site. They only need 6 parking spaces. They project is being developed in our built out city.

Mark McAvoy was ready to answer questions.

Henry Lo asked if the Applicant surveyed the neighborhood.

The Applicant said he has spoke with the residents and the businesses in the area.

Yvonne Yiu questioned the exit into the alley.

The Applicant said there would be no effect on the driveway into the alley. Starbucks would like to be opened for a 24 hours next to the freeway. The gas station would be opened 24 hours a day.

A member of the Starbucks Corporation said they want to be a good neighbor. They could be opened from 4:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Fred Sornoso said he did not like the full package. This is in his District. Several of the residents have complained about the traffic issues that this project would cause.

We already have too many Starbucks in the city. It would destroy the South Garfield Village. This will be on the main entrance to our city. This project would not be good for our city.

Peter Chan asked about the zoning change. Samantha Tewasart advised him that the floor area was the same at 65% of the lot and the gas station height would be two stories. These are small size lots. The service station and the drive though are subject to the Conditional Use Permit. Garfield and Pomona are streets with high vehicle and pedestrian usage.

Peter Chan asked if the project meets the less than the required conditions. Samantha Tewasart said the alley exit would be used to exit the coffee shop.

Perrie working with the Applicant said the alley way has minor uses.

Peter Chan said people would drive in Garfield and exit in the alley.

The Applicant said the gas station would not have garage services if the projects were approved.

Peter Chan asked if the 24 hours could be adjusted to 5:00 AM to 11:30PM?

The Applicant said they would have outdoor seating for 20 people under a canopy and restrooms.  They were OK to change the hours of operation of the coffee shop.

Hans Liang asked the city attorney if this project met all of the legal requirements of the Traffic Study done by the Applicant.

Karl Berger said all of the legal requirements have been met.

Mark McAvoy said all of the requirements have been met on the Traffic Study. They will request that the Applicant set up signs to advise people on the flow of traffic.

Hans Liang asked if the staff had any questions on the data collected?

Mark McAvoy stated that all of the data met with the city’s guidelines and rules.

Hans Liang asked the Applicant if it is OK to reduce the coffee shop’s hours to 5:00AM until 12:00 PM?

Henry Lo agreed that signage is important in front of the alley.

Mark McAvoy asked the Applicant to make and post the signage.

Perrie working with the Applicant said there would be signage for the drive through in and out on Pomona.

Mark McAvoy stated they should not restrict the traffic on Fernfield.

Fred Sornoso said he needed more data from the Applicant and Starbucks. They need security. He wants to keep the neighborhood friendly.

Yvonne Yiu said she visited the site and did her homework. This is a Neighborhood Shopping Center. There will always be traffic. In this time in our history we should do more drive through businesses. This is a National Tenant moving into our city. It is a Jackpot for the area! These businesses would benefit our city.

Hans Liang asked the Applicant if the coffee shop hours could be adjusted to 5:00AM to 11:30PM?

Peter Chan made a motion and Henry Lo seconded it.

Fred Sornoso made another motion to table this agenda item at this time.

No one seconded his motion so it failed.

The Council majority Henry Lo, Yvonne Yiu, Peter Chan and Hans Liang voted YES. Fred Sornoso voted NO.

The agenda item passed.

(Editor’s notes: Fred Sornoso said this project was in his District 3 and he was against it. Since his campaign statement read “Fred received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an option in Accounting from Cal State University Los Angeles. In 1989 Fred passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and became a licensed CPA in 1994 after five years of public accounting experience.”

Fred Sornoso campaigned on his education and his services to his neighbors.

I found it very interesting that he spoke about District Three being his District. Did anybody tell him that the voters in District Three elected him into office but he was elected to serve all of the residents, business owners and our staff?

Fred Sornoso only has one vote to approve or deny any agenda items.

Did anybody tell Fred Sornoso that another one of his jobs, as a Councilmember is to bring new businesses and/or developments into our city for additional sales and property taxes?

I suggest that Fred Sornoso meet with his mentors before the Budget Hearings so they can explain to him that our city’s funds are based on our property taxes, our sales taxes, and special grants for certain projects.

Since the COVID-19 virus closed down many of our local businesses our sales tax base will be lower than normal.

Maybe the Council should consider placing our Sales Tax increase to 10.25% and Monterey Park 2040 Land Use back on the November ballot to let Sacramento know that the residents and businesses owners in Monterey Park want to save our hometown.

Without more income some the city staff maybe laid off if we cannot meet our payroll.

I live in District 5. I have attended our City Council Meetings since August 1996 and have witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly.

Monterey Park has been my home since September 1971.  The Market Place is the first Shopping Center on my side of town.

The Market Place is very successful but we need more businesses and developments to pay for our good city services.)