Plaudits and Bashing Overtake Council Meeting

Tributes poured out and tempers flared at Tuesday night's regular meeting of the Hermosa Beach City Council, as councilmembers and the public, in turns, celebrated retiring City Manager Steve Burrell and debated a city-wide ban on polystyrene containers.

The council also approved additional dispersement of funds for the Marineland Mobile Home Park project, in which the residents are attempt to purchase the park with help from the city. The council did stipulate that the funds would not be released until they receive a document reassuring them that the park will remain an affordable housing project.

But the night started with repeated thanks and honors for Burrell, who retires officially on March 30.

"You're going to need a good contractor to help you build a wall for all your commendations," said Rick Koenig of the Hermosa Beach Historical Society.

Burrell received certificates of appreciation and proclamations of thanks from officials representing State Assemblymember Betsy Butler, Congresswoman Janice Hahn, State Senator Ted Lieu, as well as gifts from each of the councilmembers and the public, including a solar oven from former members of the city Green Task Force.

"We didn't know how to function," Dency Nelson said, on behalf of the group. "He would lead us, really, by the nose."

Burrell was repeatedly thanked for his 18 years of service to the city, as well as for his accessibility.

"He has been so accessible and so incredibly interested in everything," said Councilman Michael DiVirgilio, about Burrell. "It's a really great approach to local government."

But the warm feelings soon evaporated as the council took up the public hearing on a new ordinance to ban the use of polystyrene by city businesses. Commonly known as Styrofoam, the plastic with the recycle code #6 is commonly used to package food items for take out. Environmental advocates object to the use of the material because it breaks down into tiny pieces, thus adding to high trash levels in the oceans, and is eaten by marine life.

Councilman Kit Bobko first took issue with a recent Daily Breeze article which quoted a city staff member, whom Bobko declined to name, but Pamela Townsend is quoted in the article. Bobko claimed that Townsend's comments in the article advocated the ban.

"This is unacceptable," Bobko said, adding that the comments indicated that "staff wants this... The decision has already been made."

Bobko went on to attack the language in the ordinance, saying that it implied that it could be used to run businesses out of the city and even put people in jail.

"How many times do you need to get caught with a plastic cup before you can't do business in Hermosa Beach?" Bobko asked City Attorney Michael Jenkins, then went on to ask about how businesses potentially "smuggling in" polystyrene containers to use would be dealt with.

Members of the public, during the hearing portion of the meeting, objected to Bobko's response.

"Let's come back to being reasonable about how a city imposes this ban," Nelson said. "[Polystyrene is] something we need to get rid of. It's not about an errant piece of Styrofoam coming into town. It's about making the statement that we don't want it."

Nelson added that the citizens who had been working with city staff members on the issue had consulted with the restaurants in the city (who would be most affected by the ban), and pointed out that approximately 50 other cities in the state of California have enacted similar bans.

Sarah Sheehy, of the California Grocers Association, asked that clear polystyrene, which is also used to package items like rotisserie chicken, be dropped from the ban.

"It could have devastating effects on grocery stores," she said. "It would decrease profits and put stores at a competitive disadvantage."

Councilman Peter Tucker spoke in favor of the ban after expressing concern over Bobko's taking issue with Townsend's quotes in the article.

"I was a little shocked," Tucker said, about taking the staff member to task. "Tonight wasn't the right place to do that."

Tucker said that the staff member's deparment head should have been the person to deal with the issue.

Soon after, Mayor Howard Fishman called for the vote on the ordinance, which passed, with DiVirgilio and Bobko voting against.