Tim Casey

Gov. George Deukmejian has declared the second state of emergency in six months in Redondo Beach as the result of a May 27 fire that destroyed much of the city's historic pier and caused $7-million damage. The governor's declaration is a prerequisite to the city qualifying for state disaster assistance funds and for a similar presidential declaration, City Manager Tim Casey said.

The City Council unanimously overrode a veto by Mayor Barbara Doerr and adopted an ordinance requiring all new billboard applicants to obtain conditional-use permits from the Planning Commission. The ordinance, which will take effect early next month, also limits the boards to a height of 45 feet and a surface area of 300 square feet. Doerr had urged the council to adopt a stricter ordinance that would eventually eliminate billboards from the city.

Nearly 40 more bus stops in the city will soon have either benches or shelters under a plan approved unanimously by the City Council at its last meeting. The new benches and shelters will be installed at 37 bus stops and managed by Patrick Target Media. They will double the number of Laguna Niguel bus stops that have the rider amenities. Patrick Target Media, which sells advertising space on the shelters and benches, pays the city $28,800 per year, a proportion of its annual advertising revenue.

The Redondo Beach City Council has moved to prevent a state ruling from forcing the eviction of people who live on boats in King Harbor. Reacting to a State Lands Commission statement that too much residential use of the harbor amounts to private use of public land, the council voted unanimously to have the city staff prepare an emergency ordinance to forbid evictions based on the ruling.

From the city attorney to the public works director, a series of officials will update council members tonight on efforts to repair devastation caused by last month's landslide. "We'll be focusing on the events of the past three weeks, tracing the chronology, discussing what the long-term fix might be," City Manager Tim Casey said. "It will be an up-to-the-minute status report."

After seeing the city recreation staff struggle to operate in the cramped Community Center building and adjacent trailer in Crown Valley Park, the City Council has decided to investigate building an addition to the center. The council agreed last week to pay Design Arc Architects $3,200 to study the feasibility of adding offices and a second community multipurpose room to the center.

The first store in the Marketplace at Laguna Niguel--a Mervyn's department store--opened Thursday. According to store manager Jacki Ebel, business was brisk at the 77,000-square-foot store, which is the first of three major stores planned for the center. Although job fairs for prospective Mervyn's salespeople in June were only lightly attended, Ebel said the store is fully staffed.

The City Council voted 4 to 0 to introduce an ordinance setting the salaries of the city clerk and city treasurer at $4,000 a month, an $805 raise. If the ordinance is given final approval at the council's Nov. 4 meeting, the raises would take effect after the March election, with the terms beginning April 1, 1987. The two full-time positions would also receive a 5% salary increase each year, resulting in a salary of $4,630 after April 1, 1990, according to City Manager Tim Casey.