The Seal Beach City Council adopted a Master Tree Plan on Monday, March 28, by a vote of 4 to 1. District 4 Councilman Gary Miller dissented. Miller said the document was not well written. He described parts of it as confusing. However, District 2 Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said she liked the plan as it was. The plan was adopted without the changes Miller advocated.
According to the staff report by Public Works Director Sean Crumby, Seal Beach adopted its first “Street Tree Policy and Administrative Guidelines” in 1997. The city began updating the Street Tree Master Plan in April 2009.
The council held a study session on the Street Tree Master Plan on Feb. 7.
The plan was placed on the consent calendar for the March 28 council meeting. Consent calendar items are approved without discussion. However, Miller pulled the tree plan from the consent calendar.
Miller said he wanted residents to decide if they want a tree or not.
Crumby said the city desired flexibility on tree policies. For that reason, the city has a primary type of tree of a street and secondary tree. He said that sometimes a tree insin’t available or there is a disease issue with that tree.
“So the city residents will have to take what the city gives them?” Miller asked.
Councilman Miller apparently proposed a number of changes to the plan. Councilwoman Deaton did not want to make major changes to the plan.
“I don’t think we should micro-manage it all,” she said.
Miller said the council should implement the priorities for trees.
Deaton said priority for trees should be set by the director of Public Words or a designated person.
“I’m just saying we have final approval,” Miller said.
Deaton said she liked the Master Tree Plan the way it was.
Miller said the plan would allow the city manager to set priorities and to treat council districts differently. Apparently frustrated, Miller suggested continuing the matter to the next council meeting.
Deaton said she was aware of his concerns. She also said Miller had made a lot of changes to the plan at the last minute.
Deaton said she thought the city should let the Tree Committee and Public Works do their jobs.
Tree activist Jim Caviola expressed frustration with Miller’s objections “This is just a book about trees,” Caviola said.
“I’m not here to endorse confusion,” Caviola said.
Deaton moved to accept the tree plan as presented.
Budget activist Dr. Robert Goldberg praised the tree plan. “It’s a beautiful plan, a beautiful vision of what the city can be,” Goldberg said.
However, he did have one concern. “Usually, with a Master Plan, you have a section for budgeting,” Goldberg said. The 2011 Master Tree Plan doesn’t include a budget section.
Joyce Parque, a Seal Beach activist who frequently criticizes the council, said Caviola raised money for trees for Seal Beach. “Where was College Park East?” she asked.
She did not mention that College Park East is Councilman Miller’s district.
“I didn’t see any of you down in that tent,” Parque said. She was apparently referring to fund raising events held under a tent on the beach for Trees for Seal Beach.
Mayor Michael Levitt asked why every tree on each block be identical. Crumby said the city needed to have an appropriate tree available for the space available on any given street. He also said a uniform look was desirable.
Caviola said architects generally recommend that all trees on a block be uniform. He also said that the forestry service advised against having too many of one kind of tree all over the city in the event of disease.
The council finally voted on Deaton’s motion. The tree plan was approved, unchanged.
