Recently in City Council happenings Category

At 81 pages, Wednesday's City Council agenda packet was the thinnest in memory. It weighed less than an iPad.

Packets in past months have been as thick as 700+ pages.


According to the city manager's office, the city has saved 900 reams of paper, or $10,000, after buying iPads for the council and enacting other paper-saving measures.

City Attorney Jim Markman once stated the iPad changed his life.

But Councilman Bill Alexander, the Luddite on the council, said, "I hate it."

Alexander prefers his council agenda packet in paper form. He likes dealing with highlighters and sticky notes.

"I guess I'm just old-fashioned," he said. 

Alexander also hates e-mails and text messages.

"I don't get any excitement over the typed word," Alexander said.

I wonder if that applies to newspapers.

City Hall staff members recently took down the signs, flags and other adornment hung on a street pole bearing the military banner of Ronnie Pallares. The items were placed there by family and friends to memorialize Pallares, the 19-year-old Army combat engineer who died in Afghanistan in 2010. Since his death, the Haven Avenue street pole has been adorned with flowers, Christmas lights and other sentimental items. The picture at right shows the pole before the items were taken away.

Although Pallares' mother, Brenda Pallares, does not object to the city's actions, Pallares' uncle, grandmother and other relatives are hurt and upset.

On Wednesday, City Council gadfly Jim Moffatt blasted the city for removing the items, which have since been returned to the family.

"He gave his life for the country," Moffatt said. "I don't see any reason for that not to be up."

Moffatt suggested the sentimental decorations remain until the Freedom Courtyard is built. Freedom Courtyard is a planned veterans memorial at Central Park. Construction for the project is expected to begin this summer.

Public Works Services Director Bill Wittkopf said it's a matter of public safety, particularly if the items spill out into the sidewalk or are blown away by high winds. He said memorials can typically be up for no longer than 30 to 45 days.

"The city does not mean any disrespect," Wittkopf said.

Pallares' uncle, Vince Pallares, did not address the council but shouted to Wittkopf from the audience, "If your son dies, I'll give you 30 days to mourn."

Later during the meeting, Councilman Bill Alexander said he would like staff to identify a place in the city where families can go and mourn or honor military personnel until the Freedom Courtyard is built.

"We owe it to those people who served the military, particularly those who paid the ultimate sacrifice," Alexander said. "We can't put a time frame on how long people grieve."

"I don't disagree," said Mayor Dennis Michael and directed the city manager to locate such a site.

Planning Commissioners Frances Howdyshell and Ray Wimberly have been reappointed by the City Council to serve another four-year term. The two were first appointed by the council in 2007. Their new terms will take them through Dec. 2015.

Today is marathon meeting today. From now until about 4 p.m., the City Council and department heads will be talking about the demise of the redevelopment agency, how to work better as a team, what's in store for 2012 and economic/political issues beyond Rancho Cucamonga.

It's lonely here. Like always, I am the only non-City Hall person here listening. Where's gadfly John Lyons?

I'll be here by myself typing my observations all day. You can follow me on Twitter.


Follow @RanchoNow

Tomorrow, the City Council will work on consensus building at 8:30 a.m. during a special meeting at Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. This meeting takes place twice a year and is led by consultant Bill Mathis.

After lunch, there will be a discussion on 2012 goals and the future of the redevelopment agency. The city is expected to name itself a successor agency after a state supreme court ruled to abolish redevelopment agencies in California.

The topic of the Hellman Avenue eucalyptus trees resurfaced at last night's meeting.

Last week, the city cut down five blue gum eucalyptus trees, despite the trees having historic status. A group of residents who pushed for the historic status and at last two planning commissioners were upset that the tree removal took place without advanced notice.

Public Works and Services Director Bill Wittkopf told the City Council that an annual survey was recently conducted on all of the city's eucalyptus trees. Seven trees were discovered with severe health problems. Sulfur fungus were found on some trees, indicating decay.

According to Wittkopf, two city arborists and another independent arborist deemed the trees a public safety hazard. On a hazard rating scale from one to 12, with nine or higher indicating a hazard, six trees were rated 10 and one tree was rated 9.

Two of those trees are due to be removed after Jan. 1, Wittkopf said.

Councilman Chuck Buquet reminded the audience that the city did not only get a second opinion, it got a third opinion.

"While this is regrettable, it does get my attention when it's a 10," Buquet said, referring to the hazard scale.

Others on the City Council did not comment.

Luana Hernandez, a Hellman Avenue resident who first brought the issue up to the Planning Commission, said she thought it was a conflict of interest that the arborist who deemed the trees unhealthy was also the company hired to cut down the trees.

"When they tell me this tree is deemed unhealthy, I have a hard time understanding that," Hernandez said.

Hernandez said an arborist hired by a homeowner had deemed the trees healthy.

The last City Council meeting of the year began beautifully. Opera singer Rod Gilfry serenaded the audience with a couple of songs. It got everybody in a cherry mood including Mayor Dennis Michael, who tried to sing a portion of his proclamation to Gilfry. That didn't go as beautifully.

In "How Are Things in Cucamonga?" Gilfry sings about earthquakes and coyotes. Later, he told the Council that the family has lost eight cats to coyotoes' hunger pangs. Yikes.