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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Presentation of the City of Culver City Coyote Study and Management Plan by Loyola Marymount University/Los Angeles Center for Urban Resilience; and (2) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: January 23, 2023
Contact Person/Dept.: Shelly Wolfberg, City Manager’s Office
Phone Number: (310) 253-6000
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Commission Name:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Dr. Eric Strauss, Loyola Marymount University Center for Urban Resilience; Quoc Tran, Culver City Unified School District Superintendent; Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/18/2023)
Department Approval: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager (01/17/2023)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) receive a presentation of the City of Culver City Coyote Study and Management Plan by Loyola Marymount University/Los Angeles (LMU/LA) Center for Urban Resilience (CURes); and (2) provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
After experiencing an increase in the number of coyote encounters, the City Council adopted the Culver City Coyote Management Plan on January 25, 2016, that followed a similar format to that found in the cities of Seal Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Calabasas, and Rancho Palos Verdes. This Management Plan provides guidance to manage the amplified presence of coyotes with an emphasis on education, enforcement, and lastly trapping when public safety is at risk.
Due to the increased concerns in the community and the desire to manage the increased coyote activity in neighborhoods, on September 26, 2018, staff met with Dr. Eric Strauss from LMU/LA CURes to discuss a Culver City Coyote Study and Management Program.
On February 11, 2019, Police Department staff, along with Dr. Strauss, presented a draft proposal illustrating an overview of the project. After public comment/discussion, staff was directed to host a community meeting providing continued dialogue. On March 13, 2019, staff and Dr. Strauss held a community meeting presenting information and heard concerns of the various stakeholders. Prior to the community meeting, on February 26, 2019, Dr. Strauss and his colleagues had a meeting with community members to further discuss the public’s concerns regarding the management proposal. Information from both meetings was incorporated into the new plan and scaled the interventions to reflect the expressed priorities.
On May 13, 2019, the City Council approved the revised City of Culver City Coyote Study and Management Program proposed by Dr. Strauss; authorized the Police Department to implement the program and approved a three-year Agreement with LMU/LA CURes for the implementation of the Culver City Coyote Study and Management Program, in an amount not-to-exceed $210,000.
DISCUSSION
LMU/LA CURes has prepared the Culver City Coyote Management Report (Attachment 1). In this report, “the scientific staff at the LMU Center for Urban Resilience, along with affiliated scientists, collaborators and students conducted a three-year management study in order to assist the City of Culver City and its residents in managing the dynamic challenge of coexisting with resident and transient coyotes. Despite the considerable social and logistical upheaval caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, CURes staff and collaborators collected and analyzed data continuously through the various phases of the pandemic. The goals of the project were to: 1) Gather appropriate ecological, technical, and human social data with regard to coyote ecology and human-wildlife conflict; 2) analyze these findings in comparison with other studies conducted across North America; and 3) develop durable management interventions linked with formal and informal education to reduce the negative impacts of the expanding coyote population in Culver City and beyond. The researchers’ findings are a part of this report.”
Additionally, LMU/LA CURes researchers provide a set of management suggestions included in the following four recommendations:
1. Increasing specialized education for stakeholders with regard to reducing coyote risk.
2. Implementing a suite of interventions at the individual parcel level that can decrease the potential threat from coyotes.
3. Following a tiered response to coyote management with respect to documented incidences.
4. Introducing a palette of strategies that can be applied to residential pet owners as they try to find a balance between pet safety and outdoor activities.
The researchers indicate “each of these interventions have detailed elements in the report that allow for a tiered response to coyote conflicts with humans and their domestic pets. The success of these approaches is contingent upon the creation of effective feedback loops among the stakeholders so that gaps in the response do not occur, and the management interventions are geared to the existing and future threats.”
At the January 23, 2023 City Council Meeting, LMU/LA CURes researchers will present an overview of the study, along with their findings and suggested management tools for the City. They will also be available to answer questions about their work.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact for the City Council to receive the LMU/LA CURes presentation and discuss the report. Any implementation efforts that require outside services would be presented to the City Council for consideration at a later date.
ATTACHMENT
2023-01-23__ATT__LMU/LA CURes Culver City Coyote Report
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Receive a presentation of the City of Culver City Coyote Study and Management Plan by Loyola Marymount University/Los Angeles (LMU/LA) Center for Urban Resilience (CURes); and
2. Provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.