Pico Water District campaign finance reports

Pico Water District
(Reflects data through Oct. 22)
David Raul Gonzales: Filed form stating she will spend less than $1,000

Carol Pierce: Filed form stating she will spend less than $1,000

Henrietta Salazar
Raised  $2,122,spent $1,337, and has $785 in cash on hand
Contributors:
Ramon Becerra of Missionn Viejo, $1,000
Carol Pierce of Pico Rivera, $400
Frances Rodelo of Chino, $200
Source: Documents filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office

Orchard Dale Water District campaign finance reports

ORCHARD DALE WATER DISTRICT\

Dennis Azevedo: Filed form stating he will spend less than $1,000

Yvette Stevenson-Rodriguez
Raised $2,580, spent $1,762 owes $545 to herself and has $1,362 in cash on hand
Contributors include: Local Union IBEW, $1,500
Gideon Kracov of Los Angeles, Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, $250
Central Basin Municipal Water District board member Robert Apodaca, Jan and Jeff Baird South Whittier and Whittier Union High school board members, Mario Trujillo of Downey, $100

Loyd Timm: Filed form stating he will spend less than $1,000

La Habra Heights Water District campaign finance reports

For the second election, all of the campaign finance reports were available on time at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office. 

As we did two years ago, we’ll report some of the basic information for the Whittier-area school and water board elections. We’ll list them one at a time, in no special order. The information will include the total amount of raised, spent and how much cash they have on hand as well as all of the contributors above $100.

The goal is to get all of these published by Friday giving you the voters several days to take a look before the election. First off will be the La Habra Heights Water District Board of Directors.

LA HABRA HEIGHTS WATER DISTRICT
(Reflects data through Oct. 22)
Judy Hathaway-Francis
Raised $2,391, spent $3,860, owes $2,204 to herself and has $735 in cash on hand
Contributors include Judy Ennis and Roy Francis (husband) of La Habra Heights, $300
Janice Jensen of La Habra Heights, $200.
John Bridges, James Koury, Margarita McCoy, Catherine Metzger Richard McLish of La Habra Heights, and Toshi Yokota  of Monterey Park, $100

Pam Mc Vicar
Raised $3,522, spent $2,318, and has $1,203 in cash on hand.
Loaned $500 to her campaign, no contributions $100 and above.

Mark Perumean
Raised $2,061, spent $688, has $1,372 in cash on hand
Contributors: Marty for Brea City Council, $500
Carol Perumean donated $1,186 to host luncheon at home

Robert Wilson
Filed form stating he will spend less than $1,000
Source: Documents filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office

La Habra Heights blogger Stephen Blagden says he’s not “anti-Shauna”

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.

Is Whittier city staff now anti-liquor?

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.

Whittier seeks legislation to exempt Nelles from anti-redevelopment law

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.

Questions about overconcentration of liquor licenses

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.

On-site vs. off-site liquor consumption, is there a difference?

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. 

Calderons on the ballot

With Wednesday’s announcement that former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, D-Montebello, running for the 58th state Assembly District that includes Pico Rivera and Montebello, there could be three Calderons on the ballot in November 2012.

There’s also brother, Ron, a state Senator from Montebello, who’s running for Congress against Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, and may Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood. The latter hasn’t announced where she will run. And then there’s Ian Calderon, son of Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D–Industry, who’s running for the 57th Assembly District that includes the city of Whittier and surrounding unincorporated area as well as much of Norwalk.

So far, it’s unknown if Tom Calderon will face serious opposition. Ian Calderon probably will have to run against former Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez, D-Norwalk, and Anthony Rendon of Whittier, who’s already raised $146,000. All of the other candidates have similar numbers.

Thievery everywhere

It appears in today’s world thieves will take anything that’s not
nailed down and even that doesn’t keep things from bring stolen. Just
look at the Whittier Senior Center where someone absconded off with
some storm drain grates.

“How ludicrous that someone would would hop over a wall to take these
things,” said Chris Magdosku, assistant director of public works.

The grates aren’t worth that much, maybe $50 a piece, Magdosku said. But
these aren’t the only things that have been stolen. Copper wire from an
air conditioning unit at the library and before the Greenway Trail even
opened, copper wire was stolen from conduits.