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Council meeting centers on worker’s comp claim
by Carly Mayberry
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Redondo Beach city council had considerable discussion about the worker’s compensation claim of former Redondo Beach Fire Capt. Chandler Oblenes who recently passed away. Oblenes, described as a dedicated captain and family man, suffered a heart attack 17 years ago in a fire truck while on the job. The discussion didn’t center on the legitimacy of the claim but rather the penalty the City of Redondo Beach would incur if the claim weren’t paid within 10 days.
"This is a very legitimate claim as far as I’m concerned. There’s no question about that," Mayor Greg Hill said. "But we shouldn’t have to undergo this kind of public discussion."
In question by the council was the fact that the city would receive a 31 percent discount if the claim was paid within 10 days. Confusion centered on the fact that most council members were unaware of the discount, which would equal $510,000.
City Attorney Jerry Goddard suggested to the council that they approve the claim, with payment on it pending.
"This is really unfortunate that we don’t really understand what we’re approving," Hill stated.
"I feel a little blind-sided by this," Councilman John Parsons said, who expressed to the council his previous request to be made aware of any workers’ comp claims the city was responsible to pay.
Councilman Mike Gin made a motion to approve the claim with a request to City Risk Management Specialist Jill Buchholz for further information.
"I would request that the mayor and city council receive documents about how the workers’ compensation process works," Gin said.
Buchholz said she would discuss with City Manager Lou Garcia and Assistant City Manager Sue Armstrong how to keep the council better informed about future workers’ compensation claims.
In other news:
Councilman Schmalz said he would soon be announcing the timetable concerning the left turn signal to be installed at the intersection of Artesia and Rindge.
"This is one of the more dangerous intersections of the entire city," Schmalz said.
With a number of his neighbors in attendance, resident Tom Conroy requested the council’s assistance in saving a 100-year-old rubber tree located at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Sapphire. Council members said they would take the matter under consideration. ER