A day before the La Habra Heights City Council is to make a decision on whether to keep City Manager Shauna Clark, she got a vote of confidence from an unexpected source.
La Habra Heights blogger Stephen Blagden said it isn’t true that he doesn’t like City Manager Shauna Clark.

“I actually disagree that I’m anti-Shauna,” he said. “Any problems that I have with her would be over policy or the execution type thing that has her taking the direction from the council,” he said. “Shaun’s very competent and capable,” she said. “She does what she’s told to do.”

Still, Blagden in his blog, www.lahabraheights.net, often criticizes city actions, such as how it does weed abatement and its spending policies. But he blames the City Council members, not Clark.

Has the city planning staff changed philosophies on allowing restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages? Typically, a new restaurant would come in or an old one would apply to the city for permission. The normal background checks would occur, police would look it over and if all was OK, staff would recommend yes. Then, the Planning Commission and sometimes the City Council would argue and occasionally overturn staff. Bu they mostly went through. In fact, there are 31 liquor licenses in the Uptown area.

But on Tuesday, when the new restaurant, Wingmaster, 6518-22 Greenleaf Ave., suite 12, a new restaurant that also plans on selling buffalo wings,  came to the commission looking for a conditional use permit to sell beer and wine, the staff recommendation was negative. “Staff is not supportive of beer and wine for on-site consumption based on the fact that the census tract No. 5015.04 is overconcentrated,” stated the staff report. “It should be noted that there is an existing restaurant (Bambooze Sushi and Brew House) located within the same shopping center that has an active beer and wine license.” That’s an issue that typically got short shrift from city staffers, in particular dealing with restaurants.

However, the Planning Commission came to the rescue Tuesday, voting 5-0 to override staff and provide the conditional use permit for Wingmaster. It will come back in a month and approve the actual necessary resolution.

When the state Legislature decided to abolish redevelopment, Whittier city officials warned that the state’s sale of the now-closed Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility might be jeopardized because money was needed to provide help to the developer, Brookfield Homes. Well, the city is now working with Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Industry, and state Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, on legislation that would exempt the site from the laws to eliminate redevelopment.

There is no bill language yet available, but Jeff Collier, chief assistant city manager, said there could be a vote some time next week. “The language would allow this to go forward and essentially allow for the prior redevelopment law to still apply.”

Collier said the city hasn’t reached any agreement with Brookfield that purchased the property for $42.5 million. But as much as $20 million in redevelopment funds might be needed to subsidize low- or moderate-income housing or other needed street improvements.

Any such bill must be passed out by Friday when the state Legislature will adjourn until next year.

When approval for a new 7-Eleven at the northwest corner of Beverly and Norwalk boulevards was denied in March by the City Council, it was in part because there is an overconcentration of liquor licenses where it’s location. But then, there’s the Valero gas station, which is kitty corner to the proposed 7-Eleven. Its owner also wants to sell alcoholic beverages and will be asking the Planning Commission for approval at its 7 p.m. Tuesday meeting.

Only there are no other liquor licenses in its area. And yet the two locations are divided by the distance of the diagonal of the intersection. Jeff Collier, chief assistant city manager, said it’s because of the way the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control looks at areas.
“It’s just the way they draw the boundaries for the census tracts,” Collier said. “We were making that argument when they were talking about the 7-Eleven.”

In that case, there were two licenses nearby but also several on Whittier Boulevard. Valero, however, has none in its census tract. “It’s the anomaly for the law the way it’s written,” he said.

In any case, it will be interesting to see what happens at Tuesday’s meeting. Will residents show up in protest or will no one be there? We’ll report what happens  on-line and in the paper the following day.

Is there a difference between selling alcoholic beverages to be used in your restaurant or taken out of a convenience store.

The 7 p.m. Tuesday Planning Commission might just illustrate that there is. The Valero gas station at the southeast corner of Beverly and Norwalk boulevards is requesting permission to sell beer and wine. Considering that a 7-Eleven and Walgreen’s have been denied permission to do the same thing, Valero just might run into opposition.

However, the new restaurant, Wing Master, 6518-22 Greenleaf Ave., suite 12, Whittier, want to sell beer and wine on-site. Of late, requests like these have gone through Planning Commission easily as long as they’re not asking to sell hard liquor or stay open past midnight. Wing Master isn’t requesting either. Tuesday could provide another clue if there’s a difference.