[1:08] Okay by the clock on the wall.
[1:10] It is 630. I‘d like to call the
[1:13] order the October 6th, 2026
[1:16] City Council meeting to order.
[1:17] The public is encouraged to
[1:19] join the meeting online or by
[1:21] phone at the numbers printed on
[1:23] the agenda, which can be found
[1:25] on the city‘s website at
[1:27] Diamondback, gov or in person.
[1:30] Main auditorium, where we sit
[1:32] right now. South Coast Air
[1:33] Quality Management District We
[1:36] have also allowed public
[1:37] comments to be submitted in
[1:39] advance to the City Clerk, if
[1:41] any were received, they will be
[1:43] noted. For the record, when we
[1:44] get to the public comment
[1:46] period. This meeting is being
[1:48] recorded and by participating
[1:50] you are giving your permission
[1:51] to be televised. This meeting
[1:53] will be rebroadcast every
[1:54] Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m.,
[1:56] and alternate Tuesdays at 8
[1:58] p.m. and archived for viewing
[2:00] on the city‘s website. We will
[2:03] have the Pledge of Allegiance,
[2:05] followed by the invocation and
[2:07] the roll call. Please stand for
[2:09] the Pledge of Allegiance, led
[2:10] by Councilman Chow, and then
[2:11] please remain standing for the
[2:13] invocation from Pastor Tim
[2:14] Park, lead pastor of
[2:16] Evangelical Free Church.
[2:18] Please stand please. Right hand
[2:19] in heart. Ready? Begin. I
[2:22] pledge allegiance to the flag
[2:24] of the United States of America
[2:26] and to the Republic for which
[2:27] it stands. One nation under
[2:30] God, indivisible, with liberty
[2:32] and justice for all.
[2:44] Thank you mayor. Thank you.
[2:46] Council members. Would you join
[2:48] me in prayer? Our Heavenly
[2:50] Father, we thank you for the
[2:51] opportunity to gather tonight.
[2:53] Thank you for our city leaders,
[2:55] for our mayor and our council
[2:56] members. And father, I thank
[2:58] you for the many public
[2:59] servants who faithfully serve
[3:01] our city and for those who
[3:02] protect us and God, as we do
[3:05] every time we gather for our
[3:06] Council meetings, we ask that
[3:08] you give everyone here tonight
[3:09] wisdom. Give our leaders wisdom
[3:12] to make sound decisions. Give
[3:14] the residents and the business
[3:15] owners of our city discernment,
[3:18] patience, humility, and
[3:20] gracious attitudes as they take
[3:22] part in tonight‘s discussions.
[3:25] Father, you‘ve blessed us with
[3:26] a wonderful city, so help us to
[3:29] be good stewards of our
[3:30] community. Bless our meeting
[3:32] tonight. May the conversations
[3:34] be thoughtful, respectful, and
[3:38] fruitful. I pray all these
[3:39] things in the name of Jesus.
[3:41] Amen. Amen.
[3:49] Thank you, Pastor Park,
[3:51] especially for being here in
[3:52] person. We appreciate that.
[3:55] City Clerk Santana, can you
[3:56] please call the roll?
[3:58] Yes. Mr. Mayor. Council member
[3:59] chao. Here. Council member Liu.
[4:01] Here. Council member. Tang
[4:03] here. Mayor. Pro tem lo here.
[4:05] Mayor Tai here.
[4:06] So we are all here. Uh. City
[4:09] manager McLean, are there any
[4:11] changes to the agenda?
[4:12] There are no changes, mayor.
[4:14] Thank you. Sir. The agenda is
[4:16] hereby approved. That brings us
[4:18] to special presentations. We
[4:21] would like to, if you would
[4:22] join me down here, we will have
[4:23] a certificate of recognition
[4:25] to. I‘m going to do my best
[4:27] with the name, my DD. Charla.
[4:31] Did I get it? Yes. Excellent.
[4:34] Let‘s go downstairs.
[5:04] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
[5:07] very much.
[5:08] Okay, here we are. We are going
[5:11] to, uh, probably I‘m going to
[5:12] talk a little bit more than I
[5:14] normally do, because I just cut
[5:15] right to the end, but I want
[5:17] everybody to understand this.
[5:18] is in recognition. The
[5:19] Dunbar City Council proudly
[5:21] acknowledges and thanks a DD
[5:23] Chawla Diamond Bar High School
[5:25] student class of 2027 for her
[5:29] leadership as California Hosa
[5:31] State Parliamentarian Student
[5:34] representative for the Walnut
[5:35] Valley Unified School District
[5:37] and a student led, is a student
[5:40] lead yes and Student lead of
[5:44] Los Angeles County Civic
[5:46] Changemaker Project. Have you
[5:49] got enough to do? Yes. Okay.
[5:51] Thank you for helping immigrant
[5:53] students find a sense of
[5:54] belonging and for your efforts
[5:57] to build bridges between public
[5:59] health and policy. Your
[6:01] commitment to bring about
[6:03] positive change in the world is
[6:05] inspiring. We can‘t wait to see
[6:07] what you do next. That‘s data
[6:09] today, October 6th, signed by
[6:12] the entire council.
[6:13] Congratulations. So you‘re
[6:15] going to have to. Do you want
[6:16] to take a picture now or after
[6:17] we do this.
[6:24] Are we where you want to. Yes.
[6:26] Is this Mom and Dad? Oh,
[6:31] excellent. Excellent.
[6:35] Okay, how about you?
[6:39] Oh, yes.
[6:46] Okay.
[7:10] Don‘t go. Because she‘s going
[7:11] to tell us about all this. Tell
[7:13] us how you decided to do this
[7:16] and what it means to
[7:17] everything.
[7:19] Of course. So, first of all, I
[7:20] just want to thank you all for
[7:21] being here. And I want to thank
[7:23] the the council members
[7:24] specifically for recognizing
[7:25] this. It really means the world
[7:27] to see some of the work that
[7:28] I‘ve done, um, be appreciated
[7:30] at this scale, especially so as
[7:33] for Hosa, Hosa is a future
[7:35] health professionals
[7:36] organization. It involves
[7:38] career technical education and
[7:40] it‘s something I‘ve been
[7:41] involved with as a leader for
[7:42] the past four years at Diamond
[7:44] Bar High School, and something
[7:45] that this year I‘ve taken to
[7:46] the state level. So we‘ve
[7:48] organized certification
[7:49] workshops actually in the
[7:50] Diamond Bar Library last year,
[7:52] where we taught about 25 middle
[7:54] schoolers and high schoolers
[7:55] how to stop the bleed. So
[7:57] phlebotomy skills. And then
[7:59] we‘ve also organized different
[8:01] outreach workshops at middle
[8:02] schools and high schools within
[8:04] our district. And we also lead
[8:07] competition opportunities
[8:09] within the whole state. And so
[8:12] I‘m really proud to be a member
[8:13] of that organization, and I‘m
[8:14] so grateful to have it
[8:16] recognized here today. I‘m also
[8:18] really grateful to all the
[8:20] teachers that I‘ve had within
[8:21] Diamond Bar, because they‘ve
[8:22] been such an incredible support
[8:24] system. They‘ve always pushed
[8:25] me to excel, but they‘ve always
[8:27] been there with me every step
[8:28] of the way, and of course, to
[8:29] my parents and to my family
[8:30] for.
[8:31] Being and talking to them.
[8:33] I mean, they‘re here with me
[8:34] today and they‘ve always been
[8:36] here standing with me and
[8:37] supporting me in everything
[8:39] that I do. So I could not be
[8:40] more grateful to them. Thank
[8:42] you so much.
[8:46] So I love the fact that you
[8:47] said you‘ve been doing this,
[8:48] you know, for like probably
[8:49] since you‘re 14, right? Well,
[8:51] that‘s a long time because
[8:53] you‘re like four years older
[8:55] now. That‘s amazing. Keep up
[8:57] the good work. And it‘s going
[8:58] to be very interesting to see
[8:59] how how just how much impact
[9:02] you have on the things that
[9:03] you‘re in entitled. Thank you
[9:05] so much for being here.
[9:06] I appreciate.
[9:06] You, you..
[9:10] thank you, thank you, thank
[9:12] you. Congratulations, mother.
[9:14] Congratulations.
[10:10] All right. That brings us to
[10:11] city manager reports and
[10:12] recommendations. Uh, Mr.
[10:15] McClain, uh, tell us about El
[10:17] Nino preparedness.
[10:19] Thank you. Mayor and members of
[10:20] the city council. Um, we
[10:22] thought it would be
[10:22] appropriate, given the fact
[10:24] that we‘re entering the fall
[10:26] and winter rainy season,
[10:27] despite the fact that it‘s been
[10:28] very warm the last week or so.
[10:31] To talk about the El Nino
[10:33] situation that we expect going
[10:36] into the next season. So just
[10:38] briefly, I am not a
[10:40] climatologist, but I will do my
[10:42] best to describe what El Nino
[10:43] is. This is a climate event
[10:45] that can result in extreme
[10:46] weather events. And so as we
[10:48] enter the rainy season, um, all
[10:51] experts are expecting that
[10:52] we‘re going to see heavier
[10:53] rains than usual or extreme
[10:55] weather events in the Southern
[10:56] California region. So we need
[10:58] to be prepared for that. Uh,
[11:01] our city staff has been working
[11:03] on a comprehensive plan to deal
[11:05] with public spaces. So our
[11:07] staff and our public works team
[11:08] is out now preparing any public
[11:11] areas that are under the city‘s
[11:12] care and maintenance slopes,
[11:14] public spaces, our drainage
[11:16] infrastructure, all of these
[11:17] things to ensure that they‘re
[11:19] ready for an extreme weather
[11:20] event or a heavy rain. We also
[11:23] want to remind private property
[11:24] owners to do the same on their
[11:26] property. It‘s better to be
[11:27] proactive and to be ready, and
[11:29] if nothing happens, at least we
[11:31] were ready for that. If it did.
[11:32] And so start by clearing
[11:34] gutters, drains v ditches
[11:36] before it rains. Have them
[11:37] ready to go so that you don‘t
[11:38] run into a problem. If we do
[11:40] get a storm, downspouts and
[11:42] runoff, make sure that that‘s
[11:43] directed away from buildings
[11:45] and properties. Inspect your
[11:47] slopes and any other areas that
[11:48] might be prone to flooding or
[11:50] mudflows. Secure outdoor items
[11:54] and stock up on sandbags. Are
[11:55] our fire stations have sandbags
[11:57] available and those are
[11:59] available for free? So go down
[12:00] there and make sure that you
[12:01] have those ready in case we get
[12:02] a big storm. And with El Nino
[12:05] or any other disaster or
[12:07] emergency situation, it always
[12:09] pays to have an emergency plan
[12:10] and a kit ready. Um, do that
[12:13] today. Whether it‘s El Nino, an
[12:14] earthquake, a wildfire, or any
[12:16] time that we might have to
[12:16] evacuate, it‘s good to have a
[12:18] plan in place for your family
[12:19] and a kit ready to respond. The
[12:24] city and our community
[12:25] relations team has done a great
[12:26] job putting together some
[12:28] information that is readily
[12:30] available for residents and
[12:32] businesses on our website and
[12:34] in many of our outreach
[12:35] materials, including the
[12:37] Diamond Bar Connection
[12:37] Newsletter and our weekly
[12:39] highlights E subscription
[12:41] newsletter. If you go to our
[12:43] web page, Diamond Bar Gov Nino,
[12:47] you‘ll find a whole hub with a
[12:49] number of different key
[12:51] preparedness information, slope
[12:53] maintenance guidelines, how to
[12:54] prepare your home and family
[12:56] where you can find sandbags,
[12:58] what to do during and after a
[13:00] storm. How to prepare an
[13:02] emergency communications plan.
[13:05] How to develop storm related
[13:07] contacts and resources so you
[13:08] know who to call if you are in
[13:10] a tough situation, and then you
[13:12] can learn more about the city
[13:13] storm preparations that we‘ve
[13:15] got going on as we speak. Our
[13:21] community relations team is
[13:22] also, as we do with most
[13:24] information that we put out. We
[13:25] put together a comprehensive
[13:26] plan and we put things in
[13:28] print, in video and on social
[13:29] media. They have prepared a
[13:31] short video that goes over this
[13:33] in about two minutes. And I‘d
[13:34] like to show that now. And this
[13:36] will be on our city‘s website
[13:38] and our YouTube page and social
[13:40] media channels here this week.
[13:45] While it‘s too early to know
[13:46] exactly how much rain Diamond
[13:48] Bar will receive, preparing now
[13:50] can help protect your home when
[13:51] storms arrive. Here are a few
[13:54] things you can do now to get
[13:55] your home ready. Clear drains,
[14:00] gutters and areas where water
[14:02] collects, clearing leaves and
[14:04] debris can help reduce puddling
[14:06] and allow rainwater to drain
[14:08] properly away from your home.
[14:10] Inspect your roof for damage or
[14:12] areas where water could enter,
[14:14] making repairs ahead of time
[14:16] can help prevent leaks and
[14:17] water damage. When heavy rain
[14:18] arrives. Secure outdoor
[14:21] furniture, trash and recycling
[14:22] bins, and other loose items.
[14:25] Securing these items can keep
[14:26] them from blowing away or
[14:28] becoming hazards during strong
[14:30] winds and heavy rain. Look for
[14:32] weak or damaged tree branches,
[14:34] addressing them ahead of time
[14:35] can reduce the risk of falling
[14:37] branches during stormy
[14:38] conditions. Pay attention to
[14:41] slopes and hillside areas
[14:42] around your property. Heavy
[14:44] rain can increase the risk of
[14:45] mudslides and debris flows,
[14:47] especially on steep or unstable
[14:49] slopes. If you need sandbags,
[14:51] they are available locally at
[14:52] fire stations 119 and 121.
[14:56] Sandbags can help redirect
[14:57] water, mud and minor debris
[15:00] away from vulnerable areas of
[15:01] your property. To help prevent
[15:04] stormwater pollution. Keep
[15:06] leaves, trash, chemicals and
[15:08] other pollutants out of streets
[15:10] and storm drains where rain can
[15:11] carry them into local
[15:12] waterways. Prepare your vehicle
[15:15] for wet weather. Check your
[15:17] tires, windshield wipers,
[15:20] headlights, brakes and other
[15:22] essentials before driving in
[15:23] stormy conditions. Create an
[15:26] emergency kit. Include
[15:28] essential supplies such as
[15:29] water, non-perishable food,
[15:31] medications, flashlights,
[15:33] batteries and first aid
[15:35] supplies. Know your resources
[15:38] and sign up for alerts. Know
[15:40] who to contact for storm
[15:41] related issues and emergencies.
[15:43] Review your insurance coverage
[15:44] and sign up for Diamond Bar
[15:46] emergency alerts and alert LA
[15:48] County. A little preparation
[15:50] now can make a big difference
[15:52] when the rain begins. Don‘t
[15:54] wait for the rain. Prepare
[15:56] before the storm.
[16:05] And so again, we would
[16:06] encourage members of the public
[16:08] to utilize the resources of the
[16:10] city has posted on its website
[16:11] again, that website, as it‘s
[16:12] shown on the screen, is WW
[16:15] Diamondback, Nino. And that
[16:18] will be the hub for all of our
[16:20] El Nino and storm preparedness
[16:21] information. Our social media
[16:24] accounts will also provide
[16:25] updates as we go, along with
[16:27] additional tips. And in the
[16:28] event of a storm, any important
[16:30] information for the public to
[16:31] know. And also our YouTube
[16:33] channel will have this
[16:34] informational video that we
[16:35] just showed on the the channel
[16:38] here. Moving forward for the
[16:40] rest of the rainy season. And
[16:43] with that, I‘d be happy to
[16:44] answer any questions. And thank
[16:45] you for the time.
[16:46] Any questions?
[16:47] Um. Just one, just one
[16:49] clarification.
[16:51] You mentioned that the fire
[16:52] stations are places you can get
[16:54] the sandbags. Uh, can you
[16:56] clarify whether you can just
[16:58] walk up and say, hey, can I
[16:59] have some sandbags? Or do you
[17:01] fill up the sandbags yourself?
[17:03] And if so, what type of tools
[17:04] would you need to bring to
[17:05] accomplish that?
[17:07] Yes, the stations have sand in
[17:09] the bags available out in
[17:11] front, and so you‘d need to
[17:12] bring a shovel to fill them up
[17:13] and prepare them and take them
[17:15] away.
[17:17] Great.
[17:18] Thank you.
[17:19] Any other questions?
[17:21] Thank you, Councilman Lou.
[17:22] Uh thank you mayor. Uh, thank
[17:25] you, City manager McLean. I was
[17:27] wondering if, uh, what are the
[17:29] areas that the staff have
[17:31] identified as the most
[17:32] vulnerable in Diamond Bar? And
[17:34] what can the city and our
[17:37] residents do in prepare for
[17:39] this? Before our big, first big
[17:41] storm?
[17:43] I would say that the most
[17:45] important or priority locations
[17:47] would be any slopes that are
[17:48] adjacent to properties and any
[17:50] drainage apparatus or ditches.
[17:53] Um, make sure that those are
[17:55] cleaned out before so that
[17:56] they‘re not clogged in the
[17:57] event of a rain. So those two
[17:58] would probably probably be the
[17:59] top priorities. Um, as it
[18:01] relates to kind of the bigger
[18:02] picture.
[18:05] Certainly we can work on that.
[18:06] Thank you so much.
[18:08] Any other questions?
[18:10] Councilman Tang?
[18:11] Thank you.
[18:12] Um.
[18:15] We have discussed there are
[18:18] several areas with trees in the
[18:21] city. That‘s a more vulnerable.
[18:25] Uh, during the storm condition,
[18:27] for example, the the Bradford
[18:30] peach trees. And they are easy
[18:32] to the branches are easy to
[18:34] fall off during the stormy
[18:36] weather. And so that are we are
[18:38] sending out the crew to check
[18:40] the if there‘s any weak
[18:42] branches that we we should
[18:44] probably trim them the before
[18:46] the storm comes.
[18:48] So we have our public works
[18:50] team. Our public works
[18:51] maintenance team works with the
[18:52] city‘s arborist, West Coast
[18:54] arborist to look at trees
[18:56] across the city. No matter the
[18:58] um species, to ensure that
[19:00] they‘re safe. And if we need to
[19:01] make any adjustments, um, our
[19:03] staff will work with the
[19:04] arborist and the tree trimming
[19:05] crews to have them in place.
[19:08] Now, it is in a storm
[19:10] situation. We‘re not going to
[19:12] be able to find every situation
[19:14] in which there might be a
[19:15] branch that needs to be
[19:17] addressed. Um, so it‘s really
[19:18] important that people that have
[19:19] trees on their property do
[19:21] inspections and make sure that
[19:22] their trees are prepped for any
[19:24] weather as well.
[19:26] But we‘ll do the check on the
[19:27] public areas, right?
[19:29] We do. Our staff is already
[19:31] checking on public slopes and
[19:34] public areas that are
[19:35] maintained by the city and
[19:37] owned by the city, to get them
[19:38] ready for a storm situation.
[19:41] So you say, if I‘m driving
[19:43] during the storm condition, all
[19:45] of a sudden I see a fallen
[19:47] trees on the on the street.
[19:48] Which number? The driver should
[19:51] call.
[19:51] That you can call the city. Any
[19:53] of the numbers are mainline 909
[19:55] 839 7000. And we‘ll be able to
[19:58] direct to the proper person. I
[20:00] believe our public works line
[20:02] is (900) 983-9704 zero.
[20:05] That‘s around the clock. Um,
[20:08] response. Right.
[20:09] Uh, we do not have 24 hour
[20:11] coverage, but if we do have an
[20:12] emergency situation, if we get
[20:14] notice from the sheriff‘s
[20:15] department, which is something
[20:16] that‘s happened in the past, we
[20:17] respond to that and dispatch
[20:19] the proper personnel.
[20:21] Thank you.
[20:23] Any other questions? Okay.
[20:26] Seeing none. Thank you very
[20:27] much, Mr. McLain. That brings
[20:29] us to public comments. Public
[20:31] comment is the time reserved on
[20:33] each regular meeting agenda to
[20:35] provide an opportunity for
[20:37] members of the public to
[20:38] directly address the Council on
[20:40] consent. Calendar items, or
[20:42] other matters of interest, not
[20:44] on the agenda that are within
[20:46] the subject matter jurisdiction
[20:48] of the Council. Although the
[20:50] City Council values your
[20:51] comments pursuant to the Brown
[20:53] Act, members of the City
[20:55] Council or staff may briefly
[20:57] respond to public comments if
[20:59] necessary, but no extended
[21:01] discussion and no action on
[21:03] such matters may take place.
[21:05] There‘s a five minute maximum
[21:07] time limit when addressing the
[21:08] City Council at this time. I‘ll
[21:10] call up speakers who have
[21:11] submitted a speaker card first,
[21:14] then City Clerk Santana will
[21:16] ask for those callers. Join
[21:19] that. Joining the
[21:20] teleconference who may wish to
[21:22] speak under public comments. I
[21:24] have received two speaker
[21:26] cards. Let‘s begin with Bruce.
[21:29] Keisha.
[21:44] Oh, that‘s just sad. Honored
[21:47] Council Captain Coursey, deputy
[21:50] Sotelo. Mister McLean and long
[21:54] suffering staff. I‘m Bruce
[21:56] Chitty here representing the
[21:58] Rotary Club of Walnut Valley
[21:59] and thanking the good citizens
[22:00] of Diamond Bar and Walnut for
[22:02] turning out in impressive
[22:04] numbers for the council
[22:05] candidate forums hosted by our
[22:07] club in September. All eight
[22:09] candidates were invited to the
[22:11] forums on equal terms were
[22:12] introduced beforehand to the
[22:14] format and the rules of the
[22:15] forum, and by zoom to those
[22:18] Rotarians chosen to draft the
[22:19] questions to put to the
[22:21] candidates. Six candidates
[22:23] chose to attend, three in each
[22:25] city. Rotarians of the drafting
[22:28] committee themselves, citizens
[22:30] of Diamond Bar and Walnut,
[22:31] crafted questions which were
[22:33] judged to be of immediate
[22:34] importance and interest to the
[22:36] voting public and of course, to
[22:38] ourselves. Since we live here.
[22:40] I was a member of that
[22:41] committee, along with six other
[22:43] club members. The candidate in
[22:45] our club had neither hand in
[22:46] the drafting nor foreknowledge
[22:48] of the questions themselves.
[22:50] Now, while each of us brought
[22:53] our personal perspective to the
[22:54] effort, we were guided by and
[22:56] fortified in our drafting by a
[22:58] common allegiance to four
[23:00] foundational rotary principles
[23:03] truth, fairness, goodwill, and
[23:06] friendship, and mutual benefit.
[23:09] In fact, our club and each of
[23:11] the 4800 rotary Clubs worldwide
[23:13] start each meeting with a
[23:14] pledge to each other to
[23:16] honestly meet the standard of
[23:18] what is called the Four-Way
[23:19] Test of everything. We think,
[23:20] say and do. Now, put a pin in
[23:23] that for just one moment.
[23:25] There‘s no way that rotaries
[23:27] founders could have imagined.
[23:28] In 1905, the global reach of
[23:31] the movement they had started,
[23:33] but before long it became clear
[23:35] to rotary needed to appeal to a
[23:36] universal set of core ethical
[23:38] values recognizable to and
[23:41] spoken by men and women of
[23:43] goodwill, spanning nation,
[23:45] culture, religion, race, tongue
[23:47] and ethnicity. And so was
[23:53] devised this thing called the
[23:54] four way test. The four
[23:56] questions that we speak aloud
[23:57] at the outset of each meeting
[23:59] after our pledge of Allegiance
[24:00] to the flag of the United
[24:01] States of America, and our
[24:03] prayer to the Almighty. So let
[24:06] me go back. Here‘s this pin.
[24:08] The four way test of everything
[24:10] we think, say, or do. The four
[24:12] questions we place to each
[24:13] other at every meeting. First,
[24:15] is it the truth? Second, is it
[24:18] fair to all concerned? Third,
[24:21] will it build goodwill and
[24:22] better friendship? And fourth,
[24:24] is it beneficial to all
[24:26] concerned with these principles
[24:29] in front of mind? It was easy
[24:30] to craft a format which
[24:32] advantaged neither incumbent
[24:33] nor challenger, providing fair
[24:35] and level access to a vital,
[24:37] interested audience. And even
[24:39] more so, the questions
[24:40] themselves, which gave the
[24:41] audience a clear view with
[24:43] which to evaluate the
[24:44] truthfulness, the fairness, the
[24:47] comity or the neighborliness
[24:49] and public benefit of the
[24:50] candidates, replies. In this,
[24:53] as in our previous forums and
[24:56] in all our efforts, the Rotary
[24:57] Club of Walnut Valley strives
[24:59] to set the standard. You know,
[25:01] one of these days I‘m just
[25:02] going to have to memorize one
[25:03] of these things strives to set
[25:06] the standard for positive,
[25:07] productive public participation
[25:09] in our city‘s affairs by doing
[25:12] honor to that simple pledge, we
[25:15] do sincerely hope that those
[25:17] who attended and those who
[25:18] watch the YouTube and Facebook
[25:19] videos to be posted shortly, we
[25:22] do sincerely hope that you all
[25:24] judge our efforts successful,
[25:26] which is to say, truthful,
[25:28] fair, neighborly, and
[25:30] beneficial to all concerned. We
[25:32] look forward to our next
[25:33] opportunity to serve our
[25:35] communities and welcome any and
[25:36] all suggestions for
[25:37] improvement. We meet at 8 a.m.
[25:40] Tuesday mornings. The Diamond
[25:41] Bar Golf Course in the bar, and
[25:45] so with that, ladies and
[25:46] gentlemen, thank you and good
[25:48] night. God bless.
[25:51] Thank you, Mr. Trisha. Uh,
[25:55] Cynthia, you.
[26:02] Uh, good evening, Mr. Mayor.
[26:04] Council member, city
[26:06] staff and members. Audience. My
[26:08] name is Cynthia. You from
[26:09] member library. I‘m happy to
[26:11] report that our special edition
[26:14] hello Kitty library card launch
[26:16] was has been very successful.
[26:20] Uh, it sparked viral social
[26:22] media hype across the Southern
[26:23] California on September 18th.
[26:25] System across L.A. County
[26:27] library. About 16,000 new
[26:31] library cards were registered
[26:32] and 20,000 cards replaced. Just
[26:35] on that day in Denver. The
[26:37] response was particularly
[26:39] strong. We had over 100 people
[26:42] waiting outside of our library
[26:43] building before we opened, and
[26:48] our staff process cards at a
[26:50] rate of 2.7 cards per minute.
[26:54] In fact, the member library was
[26:56] the first in the LA County
[26:57] Library system to run out of
[26:59] the library card, doing so by
[27:01] 12:30 p.m., with additional
[27:04] staff from the library
[27:05] headquarters. Later that
[27:07] afternoon, our library
[27:08] distributed the highest number
[27:10] of hello Kitty library overall.
[27:13] One customer told us that she
[27:15] hasn‘t read in years, and the
[27:17] hello Kitty card was the sign
[27:19] she needed to get back to
[27:21] reading. Beyond the hype.
[27:24] That‘s why this card meters. We
[27:27] also have some hello Kitty and
[27:28] friends themed program coming
[27:30] up this Saturday at 2 p.m. we
[27:32] are hosting hosting a program,
[27:34] create, connect and Celebrate
[27:36] with hello Kitty and friends,
[27:38] featuring an afternoon of
[27:40] crafts and activities centered
[27:41] around community and
[27:43] creativity. Oasis are welcome
[27:45] to join us. Additionally,
[27:47] please note that the library
[27:49] will be closed on Monday,
[27:50] October 12th for Indigenous
[27:51] Peoples Day, but our digital
[27:53] library is always open 24 over
[27:55] seven online. Thank you for
[27:56] your continued support of the
[27:58] library. Please visit our
[27:59] website at our County library.
[28:00] Org for more information. Thank
[28:02] you.
[28:06] Miss you. Is there
[28:07] anybody else that would like to
[28:09] speak to the council that
[28:11] hasn‘t had an opportunity or
[28:12] didn‘t bring a cart? City Clerk
[28:17] Santana were there any public
[28:18] comment emails received or are
[28:21] there any callers on the line?
[28:23] Yes, Mr. Mayor. One email was
[28:25] received from Mr. David Zoo. It
[28:28] was forwarded to the city
[28:29] Council and placed at the
[28:30] entrance of the meeting for
[28:31] public viewing. And at this
[28:33] time, if any member of the
[28:34] public joining this meeting via
[28:35] teleconference would like to
[28:36] address the City Council,
[28:37] please select the raised hand
[28:39] icon in your go to webinar
[28:40] program. And there are no hands
[28:43] raised. Mayor.
[28:45] Thank you very much. Again, one
[28:46] more chance. Is there anybody
[28:47] that would like to speak to the
[28:48] council on any issues? Okay.
[28:50] That will end that. And seeing
[28:54] no one, we will now move on
[28:55] schedule. Future events and
[28:57] consent calendar. Mr. McLellan.
[29:00] Thank you. Mayor. The schedule
[29:01] of future events begins with
[29:03] National Coffee with a Cop Day,
[29:04] which will be held tomorrow,
[29:06] October 7th, from 830 to 10
[29:08] a.m. at the Diamond Bar, Walnut
[29:10] Sheriff‘s Station that‘s
[29:11] located at 21695 East Valley
[29:14] Boulevard. On October 11th.
[29:17] This Community Relations
[29:18] division will hold a city
[29:20] information and resource table
[29:21] at the Hannum Chain market
[29:23] World at 21080. Golden Springs
[29:26] Drive on October 12th. A
[29:29] measure Q informational
[29:30] presentation will be held at
[29:32] the City Hall Windmill Room
[29:33] from 630 to 8:30 p.m. on
[29:36] October 13th. The Planning
[29:38] Commission will meet in the
[29:39] City Hall Windmill Room that
[29:41] begins at 630. Our next coffee
[29:44] with a cop will be held on
[29:45] October 13th, from 530 to 7:30
[29:48] p.m. at Paris Baguette, located
[29:50] at 21050 Golden Springs Drive.
[29:53] We will hold a city Government
[29:55] explained presentation on the
[29:56] role and responsibilities of
[29:57] the City Council on October
[29:59] 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at
[30:01] the City Hall Windmill Room.
[30:03] The Traffic and Transportation
[30:05] Commission will meet on October
[30:06] 15th at 6:30 p.m. at the City
[30:09] Hall, Windmill Road. We will
[30:11] hold another measure Q
[30:12] informational presentation on
[30:14] October 17th from 9 to 11 a.m.
[30:17] that is a Saturday at the City
[30:18] Hall Windmill Room, diamond Bar
[30:21] restaurant week begins October
[30:23] 19th and runs through October
[30:25] 25th, so be sure to go out and
[30:26] eat at our local restaurants.
[30:28] And then finally, our next City
[30:30] Council meeting will be held on
[30:31] October 20th at 6:30 p.m. here
[30:33] in the South Coast, Air Quality
[30:35] Management District Auditorium.
[30:37] Moving on to the Consent
[30:38] Calendar, item 6.1 is the City
[30:41] Council minutes of the
[30:42] September 15th Regular Meeting.
[30:44] Item 6.2 is ratification of the
[30:47] check Register dated September
[30:48] 9th, 2026 through September
[30:51] 22nd, 2026, totaling
[30:54] $782,547.57. And that wraps up
[30:59] the consent calendar.
[31:00] Mayor., that is a very heavy
[31:03] consent calendar. Anybody want
[31:05] to take anything?
[31:06] I‘ll move for approval. I‘ll
[31:07] say nothing. I‘ll move
[31:09] approval.
[31:10] A second.
[31:10] Okay. We have a motion from
[31:12] Councilman Chow. Second from. I
[31:15] know what we call you. Mayor
[31:16] Pro tem. Call the roll, please.
[31:20] Yes, Mr. Mayor. Council member.
[31:21] Chow.
[31:22] Yes.
[31:22] Council member Liu.
[31:23] Yes.
[31:24] Council member. Tang. Yes.
[31:25] Mayor pro tem lowe. Yes. Mayor.
[31:28] Yes. Okay. That brings us to.
[31:33] Public hearings. Tentative
[31:35] parcel map number 83773. Case
[31:38] number PL 22022-119. Mr.
[31:42] McLain.
[31:44] Thank you. Mayor. Our senior
[31:45] planner, made Nakajima will be
[31:46] giving the presentation this
[31:47] evening.
[31:48] Good evening, mayor and members
[31:49] of the City Council. Tonight‘s
[31:55] request is to split an existing
[31:57] 2.3 acre parcel into two one
[31:59] acre lots. The property is
[32:01] currently developed with the
[32:02] home and the purpose of the lot
[32:04] split is to create a new vacant
[32:05] parcel that can be developed in
[32:07] the future. The site is located
[32:10] in the Diamond Bar Country
[32:12] Estates on the north side of
[32:13] Ridgeline Road, west of
[32:15] Deringer Lane. In 2019, a lot
[32:18] line adjustment was recorded to
[32:20] adjust the side property line
[32:22] between this lot and the lot to
[32:23] the west. Prior to the
[32:24] adjustment, the subject parcel
[32:26] was 1.8 acres and the
[32:28] neighboring lot was 1.5 acres.
[32:30] After the adjustment, the
[32:32] subject parcel increased in
[32:33] size to 2.3 acres and the
[32:35] neighboring lot was reduced to
[32:37] 1.02. This lot line adjustment
[32:40] was processed specifically, to allow this
[32:43] property to acquire enough land
[32:45] to meet the minimum one acre
[32:46] lot size requirement for this
[32:48] lot split. These are photos of
[32:52] the subject lot. The existing
[32:54] home will remain on parcel one,
[32:55] and a new home will be proposed
[32:57] on parcel two at a future time.
[33:01] This is the layout of the
[33:03] proposed parcel map. Both
[33:04] parcels will be just a little
[33:06] over one acre in size. The lot
[33:10] split conforms to all of the
[33:12] city‘s subdivision standards,
[33:13] such as minimum size, parcel
[33:16] width, depth, and the owner is
[33:19] required to pay park fees for
[33:21] the subdivision. The fees are
[33:23] used for the creation of new
[33:25] parks or improving existing
[33:26] parks. Staff used a fair market
[33:28] value of 2.8 million acres per
[33:31] acre, consistent with the
[33:32] recent local benchmark for
[33:34] comparable land sales in
[33:35] Diamond Bar. To acquire land
[33:38] for park space based on the
[33:40] formula and the valuation of
[33:41] land for the park. The in lieu
[33:43] fee for this project is
[33:44] $47,600. On three occasions
[33:50] before this hearing, staff was
[33:51] contacted by a resident stating
[33:53] that public records indicate
[33:55] the lot is 1.79 acres and
[33:58] therefore does not comply with
[33:59] the minimum lot size. But as
[34:01] noted earlier, a lot line
[34:03] adjustment was recorded in 2019
[34:05] to facilitate this subdivision.
[34:08] It was also noted that the
[34:10] project requires approval from
[34:12] the HOA. While true that the
[34:14] owner is subject to the
[34:15] corners, it is the owner‘s
[34:17] separate obligation to follow
[34:19] their rules. The subdivision
[34:20] fully conforms to the city‘s
[34:22] code, and the city must base
[34:24] its decision solely on if the
[34:26] required findings can be made.
[34:28] Lastly, there was another
[34:30] concern that the construction
[34:31] will cause environmental and
[34:33] burglary issues to neighbors.
[34:35] The lot split is subject to the
[34:37] city‘s development standards
[34:39] and environmental review
[34:40] requirements. The city has
[34:42] evaluated this project for
[34:43] potential environmental
[34:45] effects, and has found that the
[34:46] project will not have any
[34:48] potentially significant impacts
[34:50] on their environment. With the
[34:51] proposed mitigation measures.
[34:55] We acknowledge the commenters
[34:57] concern regarding construction
[34:58] site security. However, this
[35:00] request is for a subdivision
[35:02] and no construction is proposed
[35:03] at this time. At the time of
[35:05] development, construction
[35:07] activities will be subject to
[35:08] our requirements in terms of
[35:10] grading, erosion control, site
[35:12] maintenance and other
[35:13] construction related
[35:14] activities. Compliance with
[35:16] these requirements will be
[35:17] required as conditions of
[35:19] approval at that time. Staff
[35:22] prepared an initial study and
[35:24] notice of intent to adopt a
[35:25] mitigated negative declaration
[35:27] for this project. AB 52
[35:29] requires tribal consultation
[35:31] for project subject to secure.
[35:33] One tribe responded. The
[35:35] Gabriel Llano Band of Mission
[35:36] Indians, who have requested a
[35:38] certified Native American
[35:40] monitor be on site during
[35:42] ground disturbance to protect
[35:43] any cultural resources that
[35:45] might be found. Staff has
[35:47] included this mitigation
[35:48] measure in the mitigation,
[35:50] Monitoring and Reporting
[35:51] program. No other comments were
[35:53] received. With that, staff is
[35:57] recommending that the City
[35:59] Council open the public
[36:00] hearing, close the public
[36:01] hearing and adopt the
[36:02] resolution. Adopting the
[36:04] mitigated negative declaration
[36:05] for the project and approving
[36:07] tentative parcel map number
[36:08] 83773. Based on the findings of
[36:11] fact and subject to the
[36:13] conditions of approval. This
[36:15] concludes my presentation.
[36:18] Thank you very much. Let‘s open
[36:20] the public hearing. Is there
[36:21] anybody that would like to
[36:22] speak to the Council on the
[36:25] item? 7.1. Please come
[36:28] introduce yourself.
[36:33] Hello, my name is Charlie. I
[36:36] live in the country. Uh, you
[36:40] know, near the subject lot. Uh,
[36:46] I like to say a mere t and all.
[36:50] The council member and doctor
[36:52] Ken. Uh. Good evening. Um, my
[36:57] opinion is that I searched the
[37:01] property, uh, from the
[37:03] assessor‘s office and the Los
[37:07] Angeles County office, and it
[37:10] turned out to be the largest
[37:12] 1.78 or 1.79, which is seven
[37:22] 78,878, uh, square foot, which
[37:28] is about 1.79 acres. So my
[37:35] opinion is if, uh, the rural
[37:39] zoning require, uh, at least
[37:42] one acre for the subdivisions,
[37:45] the subject lot does not meet
[37:49] the requirement. Uh, that‘s my
[37:52] opinion. Of course, the country
[37:55] has a HOA. I don‘t know whether
[37:57] that‘s, you know, uh, the
[38:00] subject need the approval from
[38:03] the country. The HOA. Thank you
[38:07] so much.
[38:08] Thank you for being here.
[38:09] Anybody else would like to
[38:10] speak on this item? Okay.
[38:14] Hearing nobody, we will, um,
[38:16] close the public hearing. Um,
[38:19] may. Can you. I think we all
[38:21] heard that earlier. If you
[38:22] could just, uh, speak to
[38:24] Charlie‘s concerns.
[38:26] Yes. So the document that
[38:29] Charlie was referencing was
[38:31] likely an outdated parcel map.
[38:33] That‘s what the lot used to
[38:34] look like. But after the lot
[38:36] line adjustment was processed,
[38:38] the subject parcel increased to
[38:40] 2.3 acres. And they did that
[38:42] specifically so that they can
[38:44] do the slot split.
[38:46] Okay. Thank you very much. Yes.
[38:49] Please go ahead.
[38:51] Update that. Uh, well, would it
[38:53] be an updated of of the final,
[38:56] uh, acreage of this property?
[38:58] So that will be official in
[39:01] black and white that the, that
[39:03] the property is more than two
[39:05] acres and can be divided. Would
[39:06] it be in a formal document like
[39:08] that?
[39:13] Uh, really quickly. So the
[39:14] answer is yes. After that line
[39:16] adjustments. Uh, then it gets
[39:19] the city engineer approval and
[39:22] stamp, and then it goes to the
[39:23] county. My my understanding is
[39:26] that counties are a little late
[39:28] in updating their records. So
[39:31] these go to the county, not the
[39:33] assessor, but the county
[39:35] clerk‘s recorder‘s office. And
[39:37] there‘s a separate property,
[39:40] uh, property office for LA
[39:42] County. And it‘s a big
[39:44] bureaucracy. So by the time it
[39:46] gets to the actual map
[39:48] available to the public, it
[39:50] will take some time.
[39:53] But shall we wait until the
[39:55] formal, uh, document to.
[40:00] Document has been approved, and
[40:02] it‘s with the county. But
[40:04] whether so. And it‘s in mylar
[40:08] form. When that gets digitized
[40:11] and available to the public,
[40:13] that can take some time. So if
[40:15] you go to the right office,
[40:17] you‘ll be able to see it where
[40:18] you cannot take it and you
[40:19] cannot touch it. You can only
[40:21] see it if you want to copy.
[40:24] It‘s going to take some time.
[40:26] Thank you.
[40:28] Any other.
[40:28] Questions? No. Okay.
[40:31] Someone like to make a motion.
[40:36] I‘ll make the motion for
[40:37] approval. Um. For resolution
[40:42] 2020 6320, second.
[40:45] Okay. I have a motion from
[40:47] Councilman Chao and a second
[40:49] from Councilman Liu.
[40:52] Call the roll, please.
[40:53] Yes, Mr. mayor, Council member
[40:54] Chao.
[40:55] Yes.
[40:55] Council member Liu. Yes.
[40:57] Council member. Tang.
[40:58] Yes.
[40:59] Mayor. Pro tem lo. Yes. Mayor.
[41:01] Tai.
[41:01] Yes. Okay. That passes
[41:03] unanimously five zero. And that
[41:05] brings us to, uh, council
[41:08] consideration, which we have
[41:09] none of, uh, council
[41:11] subcommittee reports and
[41:12] meeting attendance reports.
[41:14] Let‘s start with, uh,
[41:16] Councilman Tang.
[41:18] I have no report.
[41:20] That was short and sweet. Thank
[41:22] you. Uh, that brings us to
[41:24] Councilman Liu.
[41:26] Uh, thank you, mayor. I thank
[41:28] staff for the presentation and
[41:30] also the detail. Uh, response
[41:32] and clarifications. Thank you.
[41:35] Uh, as always, um, the weather
[41:38] lately has been very hot and
[41:41] humid. Uh, please continue to
[41:43] check up on each other, our
[41:44] neighbors, and also the rain
[41:46] that‘s coming, apparently next
[41:47] week. And when that happens.
[41:49] Let‘s also check on our
[41:50] neighbors as well. And with
[41:53] that, and I look forward to
[41:54] seeing everyone around town for
[41:56] Restaurant Week. As I say, good
[41:58] night. Thank you.
[42:01] Councilman Chow.
[42:03] Thank you. Mayor. Just a quick
[42:04] report. I did attend the Cal
[42:06] City‘s, uh, annual conference.
[42:08] Uh, so, if you recall, I‘m a
[42:10] voting delegate, so I was able
[42:12] to vote on the, uh, the
[42:13] resolution. Just a quick recap.
[42:16] So the General Assembly
[42:18] resolution one was submitted by
[42:20] the city of Marietta. Uh, it
[42:23] was approved, as amended. So
[42:25] just to summarize, the
[42:26] resolution calls on Cal City to
[42:28] consider forming a statewide
[42:30] working group to explore a
[42:32] constitutional amendment or
[42:34] other legislative policy or
[42:36] ballot based strategy to
[42:38] strengthen local control. Uh,
[42:40] and also preserves the state‘s
[42:42] role in setting broad housing
[42:44] goals and enforcing fair
[42:45] housing safety and
[42:46] environmental standards, while
[42:48] advocating for additional
[42:49] affordable housing funding
[42:50] resources. So essentially what
[42:52] it does is it‘s asking the
[42:54] state board of Cal City to form
[42:56] a statewide advocacy body where
[42:59] they can advocate for the state
[43:01] to pass some sort of, um,
[43:03] potentially a ballot measure in
[43:05] 2030, uh, for a constitutional
[43:08] amendment. So that did pass
[43:09] with overwhelming support at
[43:11] the General Assembly at the Cal
[43:13] City. Um conference. In
[43:17] addition, I attended several
[43:18] sessions, and one of the things
[43:19] that was most interesting, the
[43:21] folks from Santa Barbara
[43:24] actually presented on what
[43:25] they‘re doing with the State
[43:26] Street. So for those of you
[43:28] that have visited the city,
[43:30] they‘re doing very interesting
[43:31] things there. So they have
[43:33] completely revamped the entire
[43:34] State Street. And the way they
[43:36] did it, they actually divided
[43:38] that street into different
[43:39] sections. So they have one area
[43:41] designated the Funk Zone. I
[43:43] don‘t know if you have been
[43:44] down there and wondering is,
[43:45] designated as the art zone. And
[43:47] once purely for entertainment,
[43:49] and they repurposed a couple of
[43:51] buildings to, um, to
[43:53] headquarters of different
[43:54] corporations, and some of them
[43:56] took over the vacant Macy‘s and
[43:58] Nordstrom. So they‘re doing a
[44:00] lot of good work down there.
[44:01] And I was able to take back
[44:02] some ideas and talk to a few
[44:03] folks. Some of the council
[44:05] members from Santa Barbara. So
[44:06] as we start to develop our own
[44:09] downtown area, I think there‘s
[44:10] a lot of things we‘re going to
[44:11] learn from them. And so glad
[44:14] that I was able to attend that
[44:15] conference, and hopefully we
[44:16] can bring some of those ideas
[44:18] to our subcommittee meetings in
[44:19] a couple of weeks and, and see
[44:21] if we can get some of the ideas
[44:23] to implement it here. So with
[44:24] that, I‘ll say good night.
[44:25] Thank you.
[44:26] Mister Chair. I just
[44:28] don‘t want to burst your
[44:29] bubble. There will be no funk
[44:31] area in Diamond Bar.
[44:32] Oh, we‘ll bring the funk.
[44:37] Mayor Pro Tem lowe.
[44:39] Well, that‘s very exciting
[44:40] because I lived in Santa
[44:42] Barbara for several, many
[44:43] years, so I love that city. And
[44:45] so it‘s, uh, I remember when
[44:47] they were building that, uh,
[44:49] Macy‘s and that whole, um,
[44:51] Paseo that was really, really,
[44:54] um, a big thing. And so it‘s
[44:56] glad I‘m glad that they were
[44:57] able to repurpose that and, and
[44:59] do something good with that.
[45:00] Um, this period I attended the,
[45:03] uh, the Los Angeles County, uh, public Los Angeles Library
[45:08] Commission and, uh, and there
[45:10] we were introduced to the hello
[45:13] Kitty promotion, which our
[45:14] librarian talked about today.
[45:15] And, uh, I think we need to
[45:17] tell them that, of course,
[45:18] Diamond Bar is number one once
[45:20] again. Um, and it was really a
[45:22] very, very, forward thinking
[45:24] promotion. And the library is
[45:26] doing lots of things for the
[45:28] community, including, um,
[45:30] getting people to read. And now
[45:32] the other new thing is, um,
[45:34] having Writers Summit. So for
[45:36] aspiring authors who want to
[45:38] write something or if you have
[45:39] a book in your brain, well, you
[45:41] know, if this is the time and
[45:43] our library is here to help you
[45:45] to develop your skills and
[45:46] bring your creativity to life.
[45:48] Um, thank you, Mister McLean,
[45:50] for your staff on the, um, El
[45:53] Nino and the preparedness. Um,
[45:55] we just really need to be
[45:56] prepared so that, um, so that
[45:59] we avoid problems later on. So
[46:02] thank you. And with that, I‘ll
[46:03] say good night.
[46:05] Thank you. I do, I echo that,
[46:07] thank you very much, City
[46:08] Manager McLean, for bringing
[46:10] that El Nino information to the
[46:12] community. It‘s it‘s one of
[46:14] those things where you don‘t
[46:16] want to be caught thinking, how
[46:19] come nobody told me this was
[46:20] happening? How come? How come
[46:22] there‘s going to be a huge, uh,
[46:25] I think I think it‘s on coming
[46:27] up on Sunday. It could be
[46:29] Monday that we‘re going to
[46:30] have, uh, be inundated with
[46:32] water so we can use it. It
[46:33] beats the heck out of the heat.
[46:35] So, uh, having said that, I
[46:36] will say, uh, I‘m sorry about
[46:39] the very again. I‘m sorry about
[46:42] the Red Sox, but go, Dodgers.
[46:45] Okay, can you get into that
[46:47] with that? I will say at 715.
[46:49] Good night and God bless you.
[52:04] We‘ll see. Are they on your
[52:34] desk? On my desk. I‘ll probably
[52:37] go right now on your. Okay. And
[52:38] I‘ll leave em on your desk.
[52:39] Okay. Perfect. Thank you. And
[52:40] I‘ll probably go through you
[52:41] then. That‘s fine. I think I
[52:43] left for you. I left some stuff.
[52:45] Is. Is anybody in? Oh, yeah.