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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2020-06-01 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Cathedral City Special Meeting Monday, June 1, 2020 11:00 AM City Council Chambers 68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero Cathedral City, CA 92234 • CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 11:00 AM by Mayor John Aguilar. • PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez led the Pledge of Allegiance. • INVOCATION (MOMENT OF REFLECTION) Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez offered the Invocation. • ROLL CALL Attendee Name Title Status Arrived John Aguilar Mayor Remote Raymond Gregory Mayor Pro Tern Remote Mark Carnevale Councilmember Present 11:00 AM Ernesto Gutierrez Councilmember Present 11:00 AM Rita Lamb Councilmember Remote Mayor John Aguilar, Mayor Pro Tern Raymond Gregory and Councilmember Rita Lamb all participated via video conferencing. • AGENDA FINALIZATION • STATEMENT OF PARTICIPATION BY THE CITY CLERK 1. PUBLIC COMMENT There were no comments for items not on the Agenda. 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. Council Consideration of whether to continue, modify, or cancel the Director of Emergency Services Order 2C - Suspension of Marketing Short- Term Lodging Facilities and other Emergency Orders with Possible action by Council or direction to the City Manager, Director of Emergency Services. Recommendation: To discuss whether to continue, modify, or cancel the Director of Emergency Services Order 2C., and other Emergency Orders, with possible action and/or direction to the City Manager, Director of Emergency Services. Tracey Martinez, City Clerk, announced that the City received 53 emails that were sent prior to the designated cut-off day and time. All of the emails received were shared with the City Council Members and will be made part of the record according to our standard procedures. The following is a summary of those emails: 46 Comments were in support of allowing short-term rentals to re-open. 7 comments were opposed to allowing short-term rentals to re-open. Nicholas Barlow called and indicated that he is a short-term rental owner and in support of allowing short-term rentals to re-open. Michael Pastana called and indicated that he is in support of short-term rentals and allowing them to continue. The following individuals submitted comments for the record. Their comments were read for three minutes and are summarized below. The entire comment will be made part of the record according to our standard procedures. Kevin Andrews, Cathedral City resident, feels that the restrictions need to continue with short-term rentals, and he would like to see them shut down completely. Ruth Grau, Cathedral City Short Term Vacation Rental Owner, stated that she owns a home in Cathedral City and uses it as a short-term vacation rental as well as her personal vacation home. She stated that she has been making a lot of improvements to her home during this time of COVID-19. She outlined the protocols that they have put in place in anticipation of being able to re-open for business. Lisa Silver, Cathedral City resident, supports allowing short-term rentals to re- open under the Riverside County safety guidelines. Ken Harris, Cathedral City property owner, encourage the Council to allow short- term rentals to re-open. He indicated that safety is a priority and they plan to and will continue to work with the Riverside County guidelines. Bridget Carroll Brennan, Cathedral City homeowner, supports rescinding City Order 2C. and allowing short-term rentals to operate under the Riverside County Guidelines. Cathedral City Page 2 Printed on 6/04/2020 Jean-Marc Cloutier, Cathedral City homeowner, supports the Council rescinding Order 2C. and allowing short-term rentals to operate under the Riverside County Guidelines. Susan MacMurchy, Cathedral City homeowner, stated that they do short-term rentals from time to time at their home and have never received any complaints. She stated that as soon as the Council allows for short-term rentals to reopen, they will follow the guidelines of Riverside County. Jason Cochran urged the Council to focus on the trouble short-term rentals and develop policies that will make a difference and lift the moratorium on short-term vacation rental licenses. Jake Mckeon, Cathedral City homeowner, asked that the City Council rescind Order 2C. and allow short term rentals to operate under the Riverside County safety guidelines. Robert Magzanyan strongly urged the Council to consider the many benefits of short-term rentals and asked that they remove Emergency Order 2C. Paul Stankus, Cathedral City homeowner, stated that they are in support of allowing short-term vacation rentals to continue. He feels that those property owners that continue to violate the code should be addressed not everyone. He stated that they are ready to re-open and will follow the Riverside County guidelines. Keith Haarmeyer, Cathedral City resident, stated that he occasionally rents out his home or rooms. He encouraged the Council to rescind Emergency Order 2C. Bryan Gragg, Cathedral City resident, encouraged the Council to rescind Emergency Order 2C. and allow short-term rentals to open responsibly. He feels that this will help the local economy from being just another sad COVID-19 statistic. Jim Cox, Cathedral City resident and short-term vacation rental owner, encouraged the Council to rescind Emergency Order 2C. They will strictly follow the Riverside County guidelines to ensure safety during this health crisis. Elaine Gilruth, Cathedral City homeowner, stated that she would treat short-term rentals the same as hotels and urged the Council to follow directives set by the State and County and trust the experts and the data. She also stated that she does not support permanently banning short term vacation rentals. Gohar Zakaryan, Cathedral City property owner, encouraged the Council to rescind Emergency Order 2C. and to allow short-term rentals to re-open. He assured the Council that they will follow the Riverside County guidelines upon re- opening. Brian Felber, Cathedral City property owner, urged the Council to allow short- Cathedral City Page 3 Printed on 6/04/2020 term rentals the ability to re-open in compliance with the guidelines of Riverside County. Terry Applegate, Cathedral City resident, stated that she does not want to see the elimination of short-term rentals. She feels that the economy benefits from them and would like to see them continue. She feels that a balanced approach needs to be taken to address the complaints, keep responsible property owners, prevent foreclosures, and enhance the City's revenue stream. Cyndie Swauger, Cathedral City resident, encouraged the Council to continue with Emergency Order 2C. Alan Carvalho, Cathedral City resident, encouraged the Council to allow short- term vacation rentals. He stated that he is in favor of vacation rentals that are offered by owner occupied households or even if the owner lives in town. The biggest concern appears to be regulating the violators. He encouraged the Council to consider new ways of approaching short term vacation rentals even if to temporarily boost the local economy while health concerns remain priority one. Joseph Gullo, Cathedral City resident, stated that he is not in favor of weekend rentals or party houses. Damian and Kathi Thomas, Cathedral City property owner, stated that they support the re-opening of short-term rentals and have put in place the guidelines of Riverside County. Kathleen DeRosa, Cathedral City resident, urged the Council to leave the moratorium on short-term vacation rentals in place until Council is prepared to take permanent action based on the committee recommendations. Mathew M. Miller, Cathedral City property owner, asked that the Council lift Emergency Order 2C. immediately. They wish to resume full use of their home without further economic injury. They plan to follow the County's guidelines upon re-opening. Nelli Aruti, Cathedral City property owner, stated that they are proud owners of a home in Cathedral City that they operate as a short-term rental. She stated that they have followed all of the rules and are concerned with the recent talk of rentals being banned. It is her hope that the Council will allow short-term rentals to operate immediately and feels that this step will help the economy of Cathedral City in many ways. Paul Arakelyan, Cathedral City property, expressed his concern with the talk of banning short-term rentals in the City. He feels that short-term rentals benefit the economy of the City. He stated that he strictly follows the rules established by the City. He encouraged the Council not to ban short term rentals. He also encouraged the Council to allow short-term rentals to re-open immediately indicating that he will be taking the necessary precautions that have been outlined by Riverside County. Cathedral City Page 4 Printed on 6/04/2020 Ronald Mendiola, Cathedral City resident, encouraged the Council to keep Emergency Order 2C. in place until the appropriate time. Darryl Keene, Cathedral City resident, encouraged the Council to allow short- term rentals to re-open, which is in line with Palm Springs and the County. Kathy McKenzie, Cathedral City property owner, stated that she is ready to be allowed to re-open her short-term rental. She feels that it is in everyone's best interest to allow short-term rentals in the City, so many people benefit from them. Thomas Faragher, Cathedral City property owner, encouraged the Council to allow short-term rentals in the City and not to ban them. Ed Emond-Worline, Cathedral City resident, stated that he is not in favor of re- opening short-term vacation rentals at this time. The State of California still has the stay at home order in place and we should only to go out for essential needs, this has not been rescinded and won't be until Stage 4. Ethan and Brooke Nordberg, Cathedral City property owner, stated that they are ready to safely re-open their short-term rental and have implemented many policies to ensure that the guidelines are met. Tee Taylor, Cathedral City property owner, stated that they are prepared to not only meet but exceed the guidelines that have been put in place by the County, CDC and booking platforms. She stated that the short-term rental community is taking this situation very seriously. Eric Strong, stated that he supports short-term rentals and urged the Council to make the right decision and to deal with the problem and not harm those who are not the problem. Julie Graham, Cathedral City homeowner, requested that the Council rescind Emergency Order 2C. and allow our short-term rentals to operate under Riverside County safety guidelines. The following individuals provided their comments via telephone and are summarized below: Randy Wiemer, Palm Springs Association of Realtors, expressed the support of the Association to allow short-term lodging. They believe that the County has provided great guidance that can be utilized and encouraged to Council to support rescinding of Emergency Order 2C. Doug Evans thanked the Council and Staff for their leadership. He stated that allowing short-term rentals to open during this time is a health conflict. He encouraged the Council to keep Emergency Order 2C. in place for at least a few more weeks until we know more about this virus. He stated that the City needs to be prepared for the re-opening of short-term rentals with code compliance and fees. Please do not negatively affect residents with business as usual for an industry that does not respect their neighbors. Cathedral City Page 5 Printed on 6/04/2020 Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez stated that he is not in support of allowing short-term rentals to re-open at his time. Councilmember Mark Carnevale stated that he is not in support of allowing short- term rentals to re-open at this time. He feels that once hotels are allowed to re- open, he would support the re-opening of short-term rentals in town. He suggested having a special meeting prior to the expiration of Emergency Order 2C. Councilmember Rita Lamb stated that she is not in support of opening short-term rentals at this time and would like to continue with the order. Mayor Pro Tem Raymond Gregory stated that this item is separate from the long- term issue of short-term rentals. He stated that his main concern is safety. Things are getting better; however, they aren't great. He feels that it doesn't make sense to rush this and is in favor of leaving the order in place at this time. Mayor John Aguilar stated that we are all aware of the pain of those who have made an investment in the community, which is a consideration when making a decision today and in the long term. He is not convinced that it is safe to open short-term rentals at this time. The wellbeing of the citizen's is most important at this time. He stated that this might change for him personally in a couple of weeks, however, he is not there now. M.O. 2020-77 A motion was made by Councilmember Gutierrez and seconded by Councilmember Carnevale, to approve Emergency Order 2D., which amends Emergency Order 2C., as follows: • The Temporary Suspension of all Short-Term Lodging Facility Rentals will continue through June 24, 2020. • Under Enforcement, in addition to the fines that have been established, any person who violates the Order shall have their short-term vacation rental permit or license suspended for one year. RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Ernesto Gutierrez, Councilmember SECONDER: Mark Carnevale, Councilmember AYES: Aguilar, Gregory, Carnevale, Gutierrez, Lamb B. Update on Emergency Actions Related to COVID-19 City Manager Charles McClendon stated that there were no updates on the Emergency Actions related to COVID-19. He reminded everyone that City Hall is still providing services to the community. If individuals require City services, they should call or email City Hall. He also stated that CVAG has prepared a draft letter advocating for the Coachella Valley to be treated as a sub-region and Cathedral City Page 6 Printed on 6/04/2020 separate protocols from the County with regard to the re-opening of businesses. The following individual submitted comments for the record. Their comments were read for three minutes and are summarized below. The entire comment will be made part of the record according to our standard procedures. Terry Applegate, Cathedral City resident, stated that she is in support of maintaining all of the Emergency Orders in place. She feels that wearing facial coverings and maintaining social distancing should remain in place. Council provided direction to the Mayor to support CVAG's efforts and sign the letter on behalf of the City of Cathedral City to become a sub-region, separate from the County, allowing separate protocols for the reopening of the Coachella Valley. ADJOURN Mayor John Aguilar adjourned the Special Meeting of June 1, 2020 at 12:43 PM. ,10 - %9,01,,(.(,,4�P r-, ^, M. .r, City of Ca edral City City CIerlCity of Cathe•ral ►� Cathedral City Page 7 Printed on 6/04/2020