OF IR MINUTES 1971 CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING December 12, 2024 City Council Chamber 1 Civic Center Plaza Irvine, CA 92606 CALL TO ORDER The special meeting of the Irvine City Council was called to order at 4:05p p.m. on December 12, 2024, in the City Council Chamber, Irvine Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, California; Mayor Agran presiding. ROLL CALL Present: 6 Councimember: Mike Carroll William Go Melinda Liu James Mai Kathleen Treseder Larry Agran Councimember: Councimember: Councimember: Councimember: Mayor: 1. CLOSED SESSION City Attorney Melching announced the following Closed Session item: 1.1 CONFERENCE WITHLEGAL COUNSEL-ANTICIPATEDLITIGATION: Significant Exposure to Litigation (Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(2) or (3)): One Case There were no requests to speak. City Council Minutes RECESS December 12, 2024 Mayor Agran recessed the City Council meeting to Closed Session at 4:10 p.m. RECONVENE TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING Mayor Agran reconvened the City Council meeting at 5:20 p.m. Mayor Agran, on behalf of the City Council, announced that no reportable action was taken in Closed Session. 2. COUNCIL BUSINESS 2.1 CONSIDERATION OFA REQUEST BY MAYOR AGRAN TO DISCUSS ADJUSTMENTS TO IRVINE'S POWER PROFILE SELECTION AT ORANGE COUNTY POWER AUTHORITY (OCPA) AND DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO ISSUE A NOTICE OF INTENT TO This item was agendized at the request of Mayor Agran, who asked for City Council consideration regarding adjustments to Irvine's power profile selection at Orange County Power Authority (OCPA)and directing the City Manager to issue a notice of intent to withdraw from OCPA. Oliver Chi, City Manager, provided a brief overview and background related to OCPA, and responded to questions. Jeff Melching, City The following individuals spoke in opposition to the City withdrawing from WITHDRAW FROM OCPA Attorney, also responded to questions. OCPA: Tomas Castro The Grinch David Martinez Tiffany Lin Charlie Jackson, Huntington Beach resident Dominic Bendinelli, Buena Park resident Sheidaa Saedifaez, Irvine resident Doug Elliott, Irvine resident, Community Services Commissioner, and OCPA Community Advisory Committee Member Roger Gloss, former Co-chair of Orange County for Climate Action Danny Gray, Capistrano Beach resident and Member of Orange James Ward County Chapter of Climate Reality Project Braedon Schmidt, Irvine resident Aashay Mody, Irvine High School student Margo Finlayson, Foothill Ranch resident Prepared by the City Clerk's Office 2 City Council Minutes December 12. 2024 Nancy Colocino, Irvine resident Kyler Chin Leeza Bondarchuk Lida Jenney, Irvine resident Tom Osborne, Laguna Beach resident Jayne Jung, Irvine resident Ginger Osborne Andrew Gregson, Irvine resident Melisa Masri, Irvine resident Max Wang, Irvine resident and Finance Commissioner Wen Zeng, Irvine resident Keith Linker, Irvine resident Jutta Gamboa, Immediate Past Present of Irvine Rotary Taulima Nua, Irvine resident Joclyn Rabbitt-Sire, Huntington Beach resident Taulima Nua, Irvine resident Dylan Slayton ViN Nguyen, American Academy of Pediatrics James, Irvine resident Marcie Obstfeld, Irvine resident Casey Gallagher, Orange County resident Rebecca Jacobson, UCI medical student Sitbear, Irvine resident Jeremy, Irvine resident Jen Chiou, Irvine resident Katherine Chang Karen Nguyen Sohrob Habibi Ankur Parikh Dane Carstens Craig Preston, Costa Mesa resident Kevin, Irvine resident Buzz McCord, Huntington Beach resident Ayn Craciun, Irvine resident Kent Morris, Fullerton resident Jill Hargis Lisa Ryder, Irvine Green Business Program manager Prepared by the City Clerk's Office 3 City Council Minutes December 12, 2024 The following individuals spoke in support of the City withdrawing from OCPA: Walter Nobrega Harvey Liss, Irvine resident Michelle Johnson, Irvine resident Mike Rough Vicki Johnson Alan Meyerson, Irvine resident Mona Dee Fox, Irvine resident Eric Neshanian, Irvine resident Andrea Katy Wright, Fountain Valley resident Christina Shea, Irvine resident Amal Alkalla, Irvine resident Sarah Rhee (949) ****360 Don Geller, Irvine resident and Finance Commissioner Susan Sonne, Vice Chair of the OCPA Board of Directors and Buena Park Councimember, spoke in opposition to the City withdrawing from the City Council discussion included: noting the importance and significance of OCPA to the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan; inquired about potential impacts to the City if a letter of intent to withdraw was issued to OCPA; and questioned volatility and distress in the electricity market. OCPA and responded to questions. RECESS Mayor Agran recessed the City Council meeting at 8:10 p.m. RECONVENE THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING Mayor Agran reconvened the City Council meeting at 8:18 p.m. Additional City Council discussion included: noting challenges posed by OCPA; suggested accelerating the installation of solar panels on rooftops, planting oft trees, and fleet electrification; inquired about the City's monthly electricity budget; questioned the applicability of the Basic Choice tier to new customers; inquired about timelines associated with the issuance of anotice of intent to withdraw ('notice") from OCPA in 2025; discussed the ability of residents to opt to higher renewable energy tiers; and questioned the ability to rescind the notice if outstanding issues were rectified. Prepared by the City Clerk's Office 4 City Council Minutes December 12, 2024 ACTION: Moved by Councilmember Mai, seconded by Councilmember Carroll, and unanimously carried to: to the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA): Direct that the City of Irvine take the following actions as they relate 1) Reduce the default OCPA energy tier for City of Irvine residents and businesses to the Basic Choice level. 2) Withdraw from the OCPA pursuant to ar notice in the form and tot the parties required by Section 6.1.2 oft the Orange County Power Authority Joint Powers Agreement, to be provided by 3) In the meantime, direct that Irvine Directors on the OCPA Board take all steps necessary to protect the interests of the City of Irvine and customers within the City of Irvine as they relate tot the operations, management, finances, and ongoing existence of OCPA, and report back regularly to the Irvine City Council as to the status of reforms being instituted at the City Manager to OCPA in 2025. OCPA. 2.2 CONSIDERATION OFA REQUEST BY MAYOR AGRAN TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE UPDATES TO THE CITY'S EXISTING SIGN ORDINANCE This item was agendized at the request of Mayor Agran, who asked for City Council consideration regarding updates to the City's existing sign Jeff Melching, City Attorney, provided an overview of proposed revisions to the City's existing sign ordinance regulations related to election signs; and noted that second reading, if introduced for first reading, would take place via a public hearing at the January 14, 2025, City Council meeting. Harvey Liss, Irvine resident, spoke in support of the proposed updates. Tom Chomyn, Irvine resident, spoke in support of the proposed updates and suggested that City staff also pick up signs for non-City candidates. Doug Elliott, Irvine resident and Community Services Commissioner, also spoke in support of the proposed revisions; Councilmember Liu's suggestion to make an exception for districts that do not have a vote center; allowing signs on both sides of the street when an arterial included boundaries between districts; and increased enforcement pertaining to giant banners; and also suggested that campaign sign placement be REGULATIONS RELATED TO ELECTION SIGNS ordinance regulations related to election signs. allowed 15 or 20 days prior to early voting. Prepared by the City Clerk's Office 5 City Council Minutes December 12, 2024 Jeremy, Irvine resident, spoke in support, and suggested a cap of 250 campaign signs for City Council candidates and 500 for mayoral Eric Neshanian, Irvine resident, spoke in support of adding a campaign sign size restriction of 150 square inches to the proposed ordinance. Branda spoke in support of instituting a limit of one campaign sign between streetlights on each side of a street and increased enforcement City Council discussion included: inquiring about potential for litigation related to free speech rights; suggested that campaign signs be allowed outside vote centers 24 hours prior to an election to the extent that state law permits; suggested an exception for locations near freeway entrances and exits; inquired about the City's ability to ban all campaign signage in the public right of way; questioned applicability of the ordinance in instances where an arterials determined district boundaries; inquired about sign limitations at intersection; and questioned the timing of sign ACTION: Moved by Mayor Agran, seconded by Councilmember candidates. related to campaign sign regulations. counts by Election Day. Treseder, and unanimously carried to: Introduce for first reading and read by title only AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING ZONE CHANGE 00946138-PZC TO AMEND SECTION 7-3-3 OF CHAPTER 7-3 OF DIVISION 7 OF ZONING ORDINANCE RELATING TO SIGN TYPE #107 TEMPORARY NON-COMMERCIAL SIGNS, as amended, to include revisions noted in the Errata memo dated December 12, 2024, and the following modifications added to the end of the section titled "Sign installation and removal" in Exhibit A: . subject to the following exceptions: 1) No more than four signs on City-owned public property within 250 yards of any freeway onramp or offramp shall be 2) No more than four signs may be placed on public property at or within 250 yards of a vote center on days when the permitted. vote center is open." Prepared by the City Clerk's Office 6 City Council Minutes ADJOURNMENT December 12, 2024 Moved by Councilmember Carroll, seconded by Councilmember Treseder, and unanimously carried to adjourn the meeting by consensus at 9:41 p.m. OF IRVINE dbs MAYOROFTHECIY CaRS January 14, 2025 CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF IRVINE Prepared by the City Clerk's Office 7