Results tagged “City Hall” from RCNow

The city is getting ready to apply for a state park grant in order to build a 3.5-acre park on Madrone Avenue just north of the Cask N Cleaver restaurant. Residents in the southwest part of the city are encouraged to give input.

Three community forums will be held starting next week so the city can get input on design concepts and safety considerations. They will be on:

Nov. 30; 7 p.m. at Los Amigos Elementary on 8498 Ninth St.

Dec. 1; 10 a.m. at Casa Volante Mobile Home Park on 8651 Foothill Blvd.

Dec. 5; 10 a.m. at park site on 8649 Madrone Avenue

The city recently mailed a survey to nearby residents about the park. The survey can be mailed back to the city or completed online here.

The City Council meeting starts early today, 6 p.m., so that a number of people can be recognized by city leaders. The Lions Club, A.C.E. all-star teams, the year's "community heroes" and others will get some props.

Not a whole lot on the agenda for the 7 p.m. portion of the evening. The city is expected to amend the municipal code so that permit parking districts can be established without a minimum size requirement. With this amendment, the neighborhood near Chaffey College can begin the process of creating a permit parking district.

Library Director Robert Karatsu will lead a workshop on future plans for the second floor of the Biane Library at a special meeting today with the City Council, library board and library foundation board. It'll be 3 p.m. at the Cultural Center Celebration Hall.

The agenda for the 7 p.m. City Council meeting is very light. Organizers behind National Night Out, Linda Bryan of the Military Family Support Group and Minuteman Press will be honored at the start of the meeting. Planning Director James Troyer will present the results of a community survey as part of the General Plan update process. The Community Services department will present the Healthy RC Living show and Web site.
 

Traffic Engineer Jon Gillespie presented a plethora of traffic calming options for Red Hill last night -- speed humps, speed pillows, rumble strips and radar speed signs. None were approved.

For one, they're just too noisy. Residents could be driven crazy with the sound of cars going over humps and bumps in front of their house.

They're also ugly. The radar speed signs, which are run on solar power and remind motorists how fast they're going, seem like a good idea. But most people probably don't want one in front of their house, said Gillespie.

One resident complained to Gillespie after the city installed such a sign, saying he didn't like looking out the window in the middle of the night and seeing "Your speed 50."

He also told Gillespie, "It just didn't fit with my landscaping."

 

The City Council voted to raise parking ticket fees last night. So in about a month or so, the parking violation that would cost you $30 today will cost you $50.

Most tickets (parking in "no parking" zone, at a red, white or yellow curb, violating the 72-hour rule, blocking a driveway) will go from $30 to $50.

The most expensive ticket you can get in the city is parking or blocking a handicap stall. That ticket will go from $255 to $300. But who does that?

It might not have been the meeting that Mayor Don Kurth wanted ...

The City Council took the middle ground in regards to anti-smoking legislation earlier today, remaining hesitant to back strict restrictions on apartments and local businesses.

But it agreed that a ban should be in place for some public areas and directed staff members to draft an ordinance that would prohibit smoking in transit stops and outdoor service lines.

It was a mild defeat for Kurth, a physician specializing in addiction medicine who led the effort to enact a smoking ban on city-owned properties. Kurth felt the need to protect non-smokers' right to breath clean air but his colleagues felt the need to protect local businesses in this sinking economy.

"I don't want Rancho Cucamonga to be known for being lackadaisical about smoking but I don't want the city to be known for being a nanny city either," said Councilwoman Diane Williams.

"What about the kids? What about the people who don't want to inhale smoke?" asked Kurth. "We as government are responsible for protecting the rights of those who wish not to breath that smoke. I think it's time for our council to protect those who are not in the position to protect themselves."

Today's award for City Hall's most gracious employee goes to ... Fabian Villenas, the principal management analyst for the City Manager's Office who has led the work on the smoking ban issue under City Council direction.

Commenting on remarks made by the community in a smoking survey, Villenas said, "No matter where you stood on the issue (the comments) were very compelling and very genuine."

But Villenas failed to mention one comment from a disgruntled person: "Passing regulations on information that is highly suspect, IS WRONG!!!! ... Lets dump Fabian Villenas now. I WANT TO LIVE IN A FREE CITY AND COUNTRY!!!"

Maybe you were among the 773 people who completed a city survey earlier this year on smoking. Maybe you were among those who wrote these comments:

"This is obsurd...."

"I quit smoking over six months ago."

"Stop trying to turn Rancho Cucamonga into Berkeley and leave us alone!"

"whats next no blacks allowed in rancho Cucamonga No Jews allowed no muslins only yellow shoes ect. ect. This is America !!!!!!!!! You are going to far !!!!!"

"This would be awesome to have these places smokefree. Nothing kills your appetite or evening more than sitting down on a patio at dinner and having the people next to you start smoking. Yuck! I would like to taste my dinner, not die because I went out to dinner."

"Your priorities are all screwed up. Build Central Park. Second hand smoke kills...but outdoors, second hand smoke is non existant due to the fact of being outside. Stop acting like children and build this city on Rock and Roll."

"Do not prohibit smoking. It is enjoyable and relaxing at restaurants and hotels."

"Barbequs is proven to create canser."

"Thank you for asking!"

"Come on, in restaurant patios...if they can't stop smoking for 45 minutes or so to eat, then they should save money by eating at home then they can smoke all they want. Didn't knwo eating was so stressful. Thanks for the survey."

 

It was nice to take a month-long break from City Council meetings. Today, it's back to work.

Smoking ban is the topic of a special meeting at 3:30. Council members will mull extending the ban in the Tri-Communities Room on the first floor of City Hall.

At the start of the 7 p.m. meeting, the council will say some nice words about former Fire Chief Peter Bryan and then welcome in Chief Mike Bell.

Several parking issues will be addressed including the neighborhood near Cucamonga Canyon, where a permit parking system will likely be approved. Also, the city will likely approve new fines for parking tickets.

The city will also finalize the specifics of the landscape maintenance district special election and set Dec. 2 as the date in which the ballots will be due and counted.

Get to City Hall early for a good parking space. Half the lot is closed for renovation.  

This city with a unique name has a City Hall full of people with even better names. I was reminded of this yesterday when I bumped into Shirr'l Griffin of the city clerk's office. Anyone with a punctuation mark in their first name should get a special mention.

There are hundreds of people who work at City Hall and I've only met a small group of them. But here is a very subjective list of the top five names who work in this city. Feel free to disagree and add your own.

5. Jon Gillespie -- I've written a number of stories throughout the years about traffic in the city and every time I quote this traffic engineer, I get an automatic urge to listen to Dizzy Gillespie. I've never asked Jon whether he's into bebop but if he's as cool as his name suggests, he is. Jazz just makes bad traffic better, don't you think?

4. Shirr'l Griffin -- I made the mistake the first time I met this amicable deputy city clerk of calling her "Sheryl." Her name is nowhere near that bland. Shirr'l is pronounced Sher-rel; "sher" as in usher and "rel" as in relative. This name is even better written. Who needs a vowel when you can have an apostrophe?

3. Ravenel Wimberly -- Why this planning commissioner goes by Ray is beyond me. If this was my name, I'd make everyone call me Ravenel. Heck, I'd make everyone call me Ravenel Wimberly every single time they want my attention.

2. Tabe van der Zwaag -- Although I've spoken to Tabe, I've never quoted him, which is a relief. How do I write his surname in second reference? van der Zwagg? Van der Zwagg? Do I dare to just use Zwaag? I'm not one to change my name if I marry but if I ever had a chance to have both a Z and a W in my last name, I'd drop Leung in a heartbeat.

1. Salvatore Spagnolo -- Who is this, you ask. Why it's Councilman Sam Spagnolo. The mystery of the councilman's real name is one of the reasons why he gets top billing. I ask the question I posed to Ravenel Wimberly. Why wouldn't you use Salvatore? It's got stature and flavor.

"Sam was something that just stuck ... all through school and the military," Spagnolo said.

I have one pet peeve, however. Many people mess it up and call the councilman "Spagnola," thus making him sound more feminine than he actually is.

All in all, a great name. Salvatore Spagnolo. Let me guess, you're Italian?          

At 1 p.m., there will be a subcommittee meeting on the parking situation in Cucamonga Canyon. The public works subcommittee, consisting of council members Rex Gutierrez and Diane Williams, will discuss the implementation of permit parking for the residential neighborhood near the canyon. The meeting is in the Tri-Communities Room on the first floor of City Hall. 

There's a new outdoor kiosk at the main entrance of City Hall, a computer that lets you conduct city business electronically. You can view previous council meetings, renew your business license, see bids and proposals, buy tickets to Lewis Family Playhouse, etc. It's like a very well bookmarked computer with touch screen technology.

These are the normal online services you can get on your own computer so it's mainly for computer-less people.

Assistant City Manager John Gillison said many people don't know what that machine is.

"A lot of people try to get cash out of it but it's not an ATM," Gillison said.

LifeStream will host a blood drive Thursday at City Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Donors can be as young as 15 but minors need to have a parent fill out a consent form.

In the first of three landscape maintenance district meetings, one resident said the proposed increase of $168 in annual fees in the Caryn community was worth it because it equates to roughly four Starbucks a month.

Tonight, at a similar meeting in Terra Vista, one resident said the proposed hike of $123 is worth it because it equates to about 33 cents a day, or less than the cost of a pack of gum.

That was fuzzy logic to Pat Harrison, who was one of about 40 people who attended tonight's meeting. She told me later, "But I don't chew gum."

This fall, three communities will vote on whether to pay more for better landscape services.

The next meeting will be for the South Etiwanda community, or landscape maintenance district 8. The meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday at Summit Intermediate School. If you live in this neighborhood and care about your property taxes, you should attend. It's very likely there will be cookies and bottled water.

Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about landscape maintenance districts including information about the "service level matrix" at this city Web site. 

More than 80 residents in the Caryn community attended tonight's meeting on the proposed landscape maintenance fees hike and all were wondering, "What's up with the weeds?"

One resident said the vines in the public right-of-way have grown into her backyard, giving rodents a passageway into her home.

Another resident said there's no where to jog because the weeds have taken over the sidewalk.

Many said they were happy to vote for a fee increase, at about $14 more per month, but only if they can be assured the neighborhood will go back the way it used to be -- neat and tidy.

"$14? That's like three Starbucks," said resident Kari Boyer. "We just want our city back."

The city has started a Healthy RC dining program, an effort to get local restaurants to serve good-for-you items. During the public hearing on the fate of Pepper's Mexican Restaurant last night, the owner indicated that he might participate in the Healthy RC initiative.

Last year, the Planning Commission wanted to take away Pepper's ability to serve distilled spirits because it had been operating outside of its permit. People were getting arrested for public intoxication, the bartender served to drunk patrons and the bouncer got into a nasty brawl. Not so healthy.

My what a difference a couple of months have made. My suggestion: Ditch the bouncer and serve veggie quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas. Very healthy.

The City Council, by the way, gave Pepper's a second chance and overturned the Planning Commission's decision. What do you think? A healthy decision?

Remember Pepper's?

It's the Mexican restaurant on 19th and Archibald that got a spanking from the Planning Commission last year for operating like a bar and not like a restaurant. For one, the owners called it a bar, that's a no-no. But also, it closed its kitchen, hired a bouncer and brought in a dance floor.

Because of this, the Planning Commission wanted to revoke the restaurant's conditional use permit and prohibit the sale of liquor.

In March, the City Council gave Pepper's a second chance, saying it'll revisit the issue in July.

At tonight's meeting, the city is expected to overturn the Planning Commission's decision because so far, Pepper's has been on good behavior.

Much to the chagrin of neighbors, officials broke ground on San Sevaine Villas, an affordable housing complex planned on Foothill Boulevard near East Avenue. The 225-unit project met fierce opposition when the City Council approved it in 2007.

But times were different then. Perhaps with all this foreclosure mess, residents are more understanding of the need for housing at all income levels.

Not really, said Gracia, the stigma is still there.

"I wish it was true but I don't think so," he said.

Perhaps Northtown, the housing corporation developing the apartments, should consider giving San Sevaine a fancier name.

Over on Foothill and Center, another affordable housing project unwanted by neighbors is underway. The 166-unit complex is called Villaggio on Route 66.

I live next to a Jiffy Lube. I would love to live next to the Villaggio. 

The YouTube videos mentioned in Josh Dulaney's article in today's paper focus on Fontana lawmakers but Rancho's leaders are warning the state against taking local funds, too.

As reported in Sunday's paper, Fire Chief Peter Bryan is retiring.

Bryan is perhaps the most affable and press-friendly person in City Hall. He might even be the most affable, press-friendly person I've ever met. Sometimes I wonder how someone so darn nice can be another person's boss.

Councilman and former Fire Chief Dennis Michael was the one who hired Bryan. Michael called Bryan the "hardest working fire personnel" he's ever known. He said he would get to work at 7 or 8 a.m. and his inbox would already be filled with Bryan's e-mails sent at 2 or 3 a.m. So Bryan is nice and doesn't need sleep. Is Bryan a superhero?

I caught up with the chief after his coffee break today to talk about the Hellman Station and found out his secret. Bryan, who works out at the gym every day, is fueled by coffee in the a.m. and Monster energy drinks in the p.m. He's human after all, a very caffeinated human.

Will his successor, Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bell be just as affable and press-friendly, I wonder. Bell's father was a journalist, an indication that Bell will either be press-friendly or will run away from the press.