Cerritos City Council Meeting Minutes
MINUTES OF A JOINT SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CERRITOS AND THE CERRITOS REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY HELD JANUARY 8, 2008
CALL TO ORDER
The joint special meeting was called to order at 1:45 p.m. at Cerritos City Hall, Third Floor, City Manager's Conference Room, 18125 Bloomfield Avenue, Cerritos, California.
ROLL CALL
Councilman/Member Bruce W. Barrows
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Councilman/Member Joseph Cho, Ph.D.
District Director Bill Grady
Mayor Pro Tem/Vice Chair Jim Edwards
Congressional Aide Crystal Xu
Mayor Laura Lee
City Manager Art Gallucci
City Clerk Josephine Triggs
Assistant City Manager Kathy Matsumoto
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Chris Fuentes, Cerritos resident, asked Congresswoman Sanchez to co-sponsor H.R. 1524, a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that a deduction equal to fair market value shall be allowed for charitable contributions of literary, musical, artistic, or scholarly compositions created by the donor. He commented on the merits of arts education and funding and asked Congresswoman Sanchez what the prospect might be of her serving on the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, a subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.
Congresswoman Sanchez commented on the strength of H.R. 1524, and addressed the difficulty in attaining appointments to Appropriations Committee/Subcommittees, noting her seniority on other committees such as the Judiciary Committee, which was involved in the investigation on firing of US Attorneys as well as legislation aimed at addressing the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and its potential to avoid the possibility of foreclosures on homeowners. It was noted during ensuing discussion that her office could alert the City to funding opportunities for the arts.
MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION AND/OR CONSIDERATION
The City Council/Redevelopment Agency met with Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, 39th Congressional District, for the purpose of discussing matters of mutual concern and interest.
City Manager/Executive Director Gallucci presented potential projects for earmark funding for the coming year, which included water infrastructure projects, senior housing photo voltaic system, Del Amo Bridge replacement, and expansion of the Cerritos on Wheels bus fleet.
Congresswoman Sanchez noted that Cerritos did not receive earmarks last year due to organizational impacts associated with the change in the majority. She referenced an analysis of successful funding areas such as transportation, youth employment and after school programs as well as those projects falling in the $300,000 range.
Discussion ensued regarding the Del Amo Bridge project and the possibility of using earmarks for the City's share of initial engineering costs; the focus on water-related issues; the energy-saving aspects of photo voltaic technology; and senior transportation. Further discussion was held regarding the Federal budget process; efforts to prevent funding cuts and pass a near-term economic stimulus package; California's fiscal emergency; and the ports and maglev. With regard to the writer's strike, Ms. Sanchez indicated that hearings, either field or capitol, would be held in the near future.
Congresswoman Sanchez indicated that her office would work closely with the City in an effort to prioritize requests for earmarks that result in funding for the City.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
/s/ Josephine Triggs
Josephine Triggs, City Clerk
/s/ Art Gallucci
Art Gallucci, Redevelopment Agency Secretary
ATTEST:
/s/ Laura Lee
Laura Lee, Mayor
Approved: January 28, 2008
