The City Manager is charged with enforcing all applicable Federal and State laws as well as municipal ordinances.
The functions within the City Manager's Office include: Redevelopment Project Area, Human Resources, Information Technology, Environmental Sustainability, Budget and Administration, Cable Television Administration, Legislative Analysis, Recreation Programs, Park Development, Special Event Coordination, Special Projects, Capital Improvement Administration, Grants, Shoreline Policies, and Public Art Program. As well as Public Safety functions which include Fire Department, Marine Safety, and Code Enforcement.
The City Manager/Public Safety Director, David Ott, is appointed by the City Council to organize and administer all City departments to achieve the Council goals, policies and programs.
To view the City Manager's employment agreement and subsequent amendments, please click on the following links:
Contact the City Manager's Office by calling (858) 720-2431 or send an email to the City Manager's Administrative Assistant.
CITY COUNCIL WORK PLAN
A City Council Work Plan is developed and adopted by the City Council on an annual basis. The Work Plan consists of four key components. They are:
- Community Character
- Organizational Effectiveness
- Environmental Sustainability
- Fiscal Sustainability
To view the entire document, please follow the link City Council Work Plan.
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
In 2004, the City Council adopted a Redevelopment Plan. The Plan is intended to help the City fund various improvements that have been identified in the Highway 101 Commercial Corridor Specific Plan, the Fletcher Cove Master Plan, and the Eden Gardens Master Streetscape Plan. The project could also provide some of the funding for Phase III of the Train Station.
SHORELINE POLICY DOCUMENTS
The City currently manages various shoreline and coastal bluff strategies. The following are brief descriptions of each program.
SAND COMPATIBILITY AND OPPORTUNISTIC USE PROGRAM (SCOUP)
The City of Solana Beach and other cities are working with SANDAG to obtain permits in advance of potential projects to place opportunistically available sand on our local beaches. The City of Solana Beach was the first City to obtain all necessary regulatory permits necessary to begin implementing this beach restoration program. Permits were obtained from the California State Lands Commission, California Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. The City has already identified several approved development projects that will be generating beach quality sands in the next two years and will actively working with the property owners to encourage and promote the use of the opportunistically available material for placement on the City's beaches. Please click the link below for additional information:
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS 50-YEAR BEACH RESTORATION PROJECT
The US Army Corps of Engineers is working with the City of Solana Beach and the City of Encinitas to implement a long term beach sand replenishment program to reduce the effects of storm damage on the City's shoreline and coastal bluffs. The project team has developed and won approval for developing the first methodology and approach to incorporate federal and state sea level rise projections into the project design in compliance with new regulations established by the USACE in July 2009. A revised draft EIR/EIS is currently being prepared and will be circulated for public review in 2010-2011. Additional federal funding in the amount of $305,000 has been approved for the next fiscal year and State funding requests have been made and continue to be pursued by the City. Solana Beach and Encinitas Staff continue to directly manage the consultant team including the coastal engineering contractor and environmental contractor. For further details please click below:
REGIONAL BEACH SAND PROJECT #2
Solana Beach and other coastal cities are working together to advance a repeat of the successful 2001 project which brought more than 2 million cubic yards of sand to beaches in the region. In December 2009, SANDAG initiated preparation of the draft EIR/EA for the second RBSP. The City is working closely with SANDAG and their contractors to ensure a successful RBSP 2 and is exploring the possibility of placing a greater amount of sand in the City than was placed in 2001. SANDAG has completed many of the necessary environmental studies including completion of an offshore borrow site analysis and sediment compatibility testing to locate offshore sand deposits that can be used for the next beach nourishment project to be implemented in 2012. SANDAG has received funding from the State that would fund 85% of the RBSP II. These funds come from the Public Beach Restoration Fund and require a 15% match from the local cities participating in the RBSP 2 (Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside and Imperial Beach). For further details please click below:
FLETCHER COVE SUBMERGED REEF PROJECT
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Solana Beach are working together to develop the conceptual engineering design for a submerged reef located offshore from Fletcher Cove. The primary goal of the reef would be to retain sand to create a wider beach. The Fletcher Cove Submerged Reef is based on the multi-purpose conceptual reef planned for Ventura County (Oil Piers Reef). In November 2009, the City completed the conceptual engineering design study for a submerged reef at Fletcher Cove, the goal is to retain sand to create a wider beach and to improve recreational opportunities in the City. Conceptual reef designs have been completed and sand retention volume estimates are anticipated to be available in Winter 2009. The draft report will be available on the City's website for public review in early 2010. Funding commitments for future phases of the project are being pursued to support the initiation of necessary environmental review, design and permitting activities. Please check back to this web page for future updates.
LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM - LAND USE PLAN
The Local Coastal Program (LCP) is a planning document prepared by cities and counties for areas within the coastal zone as required by the California Coastal Act of 1976. The Coastal Act is intended to ensure that coastal areas of California are utilized and/or developed in a manner responsive to State wide public objectives. The City worked with the local citizens group during the first half of 2009 to respond to comments from Coastal Commission staff on the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Land Use Plan (LUP) and develop a revised LUP. The revisions were based substantially on the diligent efforts of a citizens group comprised of knowledgeable citizens, including attorneys, beach front home owners and representatives of a major environmental organization, all with extensive expertise and knowledge of coastal issues.
The City submitted a revised LUP in September 2009 to the California Coastal Commission (CCC). City Staff met with Coastal Staff in December 2009 to discuss the status of the CCC review and processing schedule and to establish a schedule of ongoing coordination meetings to ensure timely review and processing of the LUP.
Linked is the most recent version of the revised Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan which the City submitted to Coastal Commission. Please check back to this web page for future updates.
IMPACT MITIGATION FEE STUDY FOR SHORELINE PROTECTIVE DEVICES
In anticipation of the implementation of the LCP described above, in 2008 the City of Solana Beach has initiated the process to establish a reliable methodology to accurately, and fairly determine net Mitigation Fees associated with shoreline protective devices to mitigate for the impacts on sand supply and public recreation associated with these devices. The City will also evaluate the potential for offsetting factors relating to potential public benefits associated with shoreline protective devices. The City conducted a public information workshop on these fees on September 18, 2008. In the interim, the City is assessing new shoreline protective devices a $1,000 per linear foot fee deposit that will be applied to the actual fees once adopted by the City. At the urging of the CCC, in 2009 the City agreed to rely on the CCC methodology for assessing sand supply impacts associated with seawalls and revised its draft LUP accordingly. As a result, the City redirected the efforts of the mitigation fee study to focus on identifying the public recreation effects of seawalls including identifying the value of the sandy beach. Data collection efforts were completed in July 2009 and the City anticipates releasing the Draft Report for a 60-day review period in Winter 2009. Check back to the City's website in early 2010 to review the draft report.
SAN ELIJO LAGOON RESTORATION PROJECT
The City of Solana Beach is working with the City of Encinitas as well as other regional, state and federal stakeholders to develop the San Elijo Lagoon Restoration Project (SELRP). The San Elijo Lagoon forms the boundary between Solana Beach and Encinitas and is a coastal wetland with significant biological and ecological resources. Over the past several decades, the ecological system has gradually degraded due to urban development that has altered the hydrology and increased sedimentation within the lagoon. The goal of the SELRP is to enhance and restore the biological functions and values of the San Elijo Lagoon Reserve with a balance of habitat types. A restoration plan will be developed with various project alternatives that would restore habitat functions and values of the lagoon consistent with the strategies identified in the San Elijo Lagoon Enhancement Plan (County of San Diego 1996) and the San Elijo Lagoon Action Plan (San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy 1998).
COASTAL REGIONAL SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN
Solana Beach is an active participant with SANDAG in developing the Regional Coastal Sediment Management Plan.. The SANDAG RSMP is part of a larger statewide effort underway to more effectively manage coastal sediments which began in 2007. The Management Plan builds upon what has been developed for the California Coastal Sediment Management Master Plan, which has a goal of developing a process that facilitates the management of sand on a regional basis. The Regional Management Plan is a guidance and policy document that will discuss how management of sediment targeted at coastal erosion can be implemented in an expeditious, cost-effective, and resource-protective manner throughout the San Diego region. The sediment sources identified as part of the Regional Management Plan can be placed on regional beaches under the SCOUP and regional projects.
On April 2, 2009, the SANDAG Shoreline Working Group recommended approval of the RSMP to the Regional Planning Committee (RPC). On April 3, the RPC approved the RSMP and on April 24, 2009 the RSMP was approved by the SANDAG Board of Directors. Please click here for a link to the SANDAG and Statewide Coastal Sediment Management Plan.
FINAL MASTER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT - SOLANA BEACH SHORELINE ORDINANCE
In 1994 the City of Solana Beach adopted a Shoreline and Coastal Bluff Ordinance superseding the previously existing and inherited County standards. Since then, in response to increased rates of bluff erosion and loss of beach sand associated with El Niño, concern has also increased over balancing public safety, property rights and environmental resources. In 2002, the City prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to revisit the issue as to how, if at all, it may be appropriate to modify the existing Ordinance or seek other policy alternatives for managing the 1.7 mile City coastline. The EIR also addresses geology, soils, land use, biology, recreation, public access, population, housing, aesthetics and utilities. The EIR is also intended to be helpful to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the preparation of their much larger and more encompassing studies of the Solana Beach and Encinitas coastline. In 2007, the City recertified the Master EIR for another five years continuing to make the EIR suitable for tiering certain identified subsequent projects identified in the Master EIR including non-emergency bluff retention device projects. The recertified Final EIR can be downloaded and viewed from this website by selecting the appropriate link below.
Appendices that accompany the Final EIR
HUMAN RESOURCES
Human Resources provides for administration of recruitment and selection, personnel policy administration, classification and compensation analysis, employee benefits administration, equal employment opportunity, workers' compensation administration, training and development, and employee and labor relations. The City is committed to strong organizational development and top customer service. You can check out the Human Resources Webpage or e-mail Human Resources.
COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM
The City Manager's Office administers the Annual Community Grant Award Program as described in the City's Administrative Policy for non-profit 501(c)3 Charitable Organizations. On December 9, 2009 the City announced the 2009/2010 Grant Program award recipients.
Requested funds are available as a one-time-seed-money to organizations that qualify under the City's criteria in order to augment community service programs, projects and service activities to the community. We invite all eligible, non-profit organizations to utilize this program.
