The Closed Session business on this week’s Tustin City Council may take longer to shuffle through than the Open Session. The Closed Session will be split with the city council re-convening for labor negotiations discussions at the end of the Regular Meeting.

One interesting item on the Closed Session Agenda is a consultation with the chief of police regarding a threat to public services or facilities. It’s hard to imagine anyone seriously considering harm to our sleepy little town’s civic structure. Of course, labor negotiations are commencing….

Three liability claims and the usual real estate negotiations round out the Closed Session.

Although a Public Hearing on the Community Development Block Grant consolidated plan and action plan head up the Regular Session, I doubt there will be much discussion. This was supposed to be the second required public hearing on the report. Staff have apparently not had enough time to do what they do. So, they are asking for a continuance.

There is not a lot on the Consent Calendar either, save for Item 6, Third Amendment to Contract with CR&R Incorporated.

The waste and recycling police are at it again with another rate increase. I am not and will never be a fan of, what I believe is, one of the worst waste management companies a city ever had the displeasure of being stuck with. Their equipment, although supposedly “green”, is frequently broken down and the trash bins they use are of the worst quality (I’ve had three of them break). Nonetheless, they provide their fair share of campaign funding to the City Council and their aspirants. So, don’t expect anything besides a quick 5-0 vote to accommodate them. There are some ancillary items city staff are also recommending that might be of interest. You can read the staff report here.

The sole item under Regular Business is the establishment of a Veteran’s Advisory and Ad Hoc Committee. This is John Nielsen’s baby and, as we previously opined, a ploy for him to try and get back in good graces with the veterans in the city. Let’s not forget that there are strong indications that Nielsen intends to run for the legislature. We previously wrote about his anti-veterans collaboration with Amante.

Now, it seems, he is smart enough to know he needs the veterans on his side. Perhaps this and the recent applause for the Veterans Memorial will get him back in their good graces.

As I said, the labor negotiations discussions follow the Regular Session. Don’t expect to hear anything on their outcome for a few weeks. The increases in tax receipts, however, bode well for the rank-and-file employees if they don’t cave (against the reported advice of their negotiators) like they did last time.