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Motorists can soon expect to see construction crews installing speed humps along five neighborhood streets, after the city council on Monday awarded a contract to the project’s only bidder.
But the way in which the city council chose to conduct the vote made some members laugh.
After Mayor Giselle Hale and council members Diane Howard and Alicia Aguirre said they would recuse themselves because they lived within 500 feet of project sites, Vice Mayor Diana Reddy told members they would need a majority of votes from a quorum to allow for action on the item. Council member Lissette Espinoza-Garnica was not present.
The city could, however, require a council member to take part in the vote to establish a quorum even though the council member may have a conflict of interest, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission. To do so, the city would need to choose a city council member using a “random means of selection.”
In this case, the city chose to draw straws.
“The city attorney will hold in her hand, three straws of varying length,” said Reddy. “The council members Aguirre, Hale and Howard will each draw a straw. The council member who draws the shortest straw will add to the quorum and will participate in the vote on this item.”
Aguirre chose the shortest straw and rounded off the quorum. The vote for the speed humps project passed.
“I think everybody who witnessed that just probably witnessed history because I don't believe we've ever had to resort to the straws before,” said Hale. “Thank you to our city attorney who had to probably dig very deep into the code to find that trick.”
The city will pay R & M Paving Contractors $550,500 to install the speed humps along the five roads, but the cost of the project could increase, if necessary, by up to 10%.
The speed humps will be installed along the following roads:
Hudson Street: Hopkins Avenue to Jefferson Avenue
Hazel Avenue: Woodside Avenue to El Camino Real
Oak Avenue: Valota Road to Hudson Street
Canyon Road: Oak Knoll Drive to Highland Avenue
Edgewood Road: Melrose Place to Wellesley Crescent
