Dan Abendschein reports that West Covina plans to make $5 million in cuts to narrow its projected deficit to $3 million.*

What Abendschein also tells us is that West Covina spends 77 percent of its budget on public safety. Yikes. Vallejo, the northern California that is declaring bankruptcy, spent up to 75 percent of its budget on public safety.

"You could eliminate all non-public safety city hall personnel, and still not close the deficit," West Covina Finance Director Tom Bachman said.

*****

"Over 10 years our spending on public safety has jumped 99 percent, while non-public safety has only increased 41 percent," Bachman said. "It is hard to see a budget solution that does not involve public safety."

I doubt the city will talk about bankruptcy any time soon. After all, another big reason Vallejo is broke is because of mismanagement. For example, Vallejo's city manager was raking in $317,000. West Covina City Manager Andrew Pasmant is making about $215,000.

*This was updated after a reader pointed out an earlier typo. Thanks to the commenter that stood up for me, but it was my bad. :/

Posted at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

During my early morning 7.5 mile run today through Irwindale and Azusa, I noticed a Day Laborer sign where nearly a dozen men were lined up. My running partner told me that he has seen that line get as big as nearly 40 people.

What I found interesting is that the city condoned it. Why else would they have a sign and provide what looked like bus stops for these workers? It is a very different attitude than we hear from residents that complain about day laborers at places such as Home Depot.

Posted at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A couple of week's ago I blogged about La Puente officials' consideration of re-opening City Hall every Friday.

Looks like they want to know what the community thinks about that.

Go ahead, take this survey. You know you want to.

Posted at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The hot story out of Sacramento today: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to borrow money against future lotto sales to eliminate the deficit.

Here are some excerpts from the AP story by Juliet Williams that ran in our paper today:

The $144.3 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that begins in July is a byproduct of a slowing state economy. Tax revenue has been falling far short of what California needs to keep pace with spending, leading to a $15.2 billion shortfall.

The other $10 billion would remain in a reserve fund the governor wants to create to help the state get through rough financial times in the future.

Williams reports the proposal still requires voter approval come November.

If not....

...the governor would ask the Legislature to approve a temporary 1 cent increase in the state sales tax to pay for the reserve fund. It would last no more than three years.

Ugh, death amd taxes...you know the saying.

Posted at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mike Sprague reports that Whittier is facing a $1.8 million deficit.

WHITTIER - The days of easily balancing the city's budget are over, thanks to rising sales and property taxes.

Instead, City Manager Steve Helvey will go to the City Council during an 8 a.m. Saturday study session looking for ways to balance the fiscal 2008-09 budget.

While the overall budget of $99.7 million is balanced, the key general fund isn't. It has a projected deficit of about $1.8 million.

"On Saturday, we'll give a list of ways we can balance the budget," Assistant City Manager Nancy Mendez said. "There's eight to 10 different ways to balance the budget."

Posted at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Taboo, a Rosemead High Graduate and member of the popular music group the Black Eyed Peas, swung buy his former school for a motivational speech yesterday in honor of "Astronaunt Day." He spoke alongside NASA astronaunt John Olivas.

I'm not exactly sure why Taboo spoke on Astronaunt Day, since he has nothing to do with NASA or astronauts, but the kids seemed to enjoy it, Claudia Palma reports.

Posted at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Reporter Dan Abendschein has an interesting story in today's paper about the benefits of sports industry to the local economy.

Depending on who you talk to, that industry can either boost local economy or simply do nothing at all.

Of course, the local tie is developer Ed Roski's bid to build an $800 million NFL stadium in Industry.

What side are you on?

Sports in the greater Los Angeles region is a $2.1 billion industry, according to a study released by sports promoters Wednesday.

"Those are very small employment numbers," said Kyser.

The study, conducted by UCLA graduate students, looks at professional sports, college sports, horse racing and other annual sporting events in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

"This is one of the strongest sports markets in the country, and the study shows what kind of an impact it has on the local economy," said David Simon, president of the L.A. Sports Council.

(...)

The impact of sports on a local economy is a subject that has long been under debate. Developers and sports team owners, eager to capitalize on public funds, have long touted the benefits of the sports economy.

Economists have been split on the issue: most agree that building a new stadium where one has already existed does not help the economy.

A 2004 study by economists Edward Coulson and Gerald Carlino suggested a new stadium brings benefits to a neighborhood, by raising local property values and bringing in customers to local restaurants and businesses.

The question for cities is whether it pays for the government to invest in sports.

Read the full story here.

Posted at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A letter that snuck into a public stack of records containted information that Rosemead officials said shouldn't have been made public yet. The letter was written by a developer wanting to attract national retailers to the Levitx Furniture site on Glendon Way, off the 10 Freeway. In the letter, it names Best Buy as the interested party.

Yesterday, I got a call after my story was edited and out of my hands asking that we hold off running the store name because they are still negotiating with Best Buy. Normally, the city likes to hold off on announcing those sorts of things until the deal is finalized, officials said.

Well, we ran the story. If the negotiating goes bad, don't blame me. I'm just the messenger.

Posted at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You can't tell by driving by it, but the Starbucks located in the new shopping center across from Big League Dreams is now open. The barista said it opened on Friday, and if you could believe it, there was not one person in line, and not one person going through the drive through. There was just a lonely customer sitting in the store, drinking his coffee. I'm sure that will quickly change.

It doesn't look like the other stores and restaurants, such as Quiznos or El Pollo Loco, are open yet, but signs say that they are coming soon. I don't know what that means, exactly.

Posted at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CSU fee hikes approved, the Associated Press reports

CSU committee approves 10 percent tuition hike Associated Press Last Updated 11:02 am PDT Wednesday, May 14, 2008

LONG BEACH -- The cost of attending a California State University campus is likely to go up again in the fall.

A committee of the CSU Board of Trustees on Wednesday authorized raising yearly undergraduate tuition by $276, or 10 percent. The increase means that undergraduates will pay an average of $3,797 next year, twice as much as what a CSU school cost in fall 2000.

The 23-campus system is under orders from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to reduce campus spending to help make up a statewide budget deficit. Several trustees said they had to ask students and their families to shoulder some of the burden.

The proposal approved by the Board of Trustees' finance committee is scheduled to be considered by the 23-campus system's full board late Wednesday

Posted at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last night's Rosemead City Council meeting was fast. But it was also extremely frustrating. Council members balked at one another over whether to change minutes from summary to action; debated on why hard copies of city documents are sometimes better than computerized documents; and accused one another of preventing Rosemead from being transparent.

Councilmembers Maggie Clark and Gary Taylor said last night that the decision to go from summary meetings, which has more detail than action minutes, is just another attempt by majority to keep residents in the dark.

Mayor John Tran and Councilwoman Polly Low, however, both said that was ludicrous, and that it was Clark and Taylor that have been trying to keep the actions in City Hall distant from the public.

What I wish I could have told them last night was this: No one cares about the minutes. And even if they did, they don't have access to them.

Case in point: Last night, traffic commissioner Brian Lewin, who attends nearly every meeting, spoke on an issue about the city wanting to raise the rates for those who use the community centers. Brian went up to the podium, and spoke for nearly five minutes about how this is fine, but we shouldn't raise the rates for Rosemead residents.

If Brian would have read the staff report, he would have seen that that is exactly what is being suggested, Gary Taylor pointed out to Lewin.

But Brian didn't read the report. Why? I'm going to speculate that he didn't read it for a few reasons.

No. 1: Residents only have two days before the meeting to review the staff reports, which sit on the counter Monday and Tuesday. And they have to make sure to go to City Hall or to the library to do so.

No. 2: Unlike at most other cities, which make their staff reports available to the public DURING the meeting, Rosemead keeps those documents locked up.

No. 3: The documents aren't available online. If they were, I am sure someone like Brian Lewin would read them.

So, who cares how detailed the minutes are if the public can't view them?

Posted at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last night's meeting was recorded last night by video camera. That means that DVD's of the meeting will be available to the public at $5 a pop. And hopefully, this also means that the council will eventually be putting these meetings online.

Posted at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Jennifer McLain reports today about a countywide traffic signal synchronization program that will involve six San Gabriel Valley cities...

The program aims to increase mobility through reduced travel times by coordinating signal lights in the major arterials that run through the county.

Over the past few months, nearly $10.8 million worth of grants has begun to be distributed among several local cities, including Azusa, Rosemead, Montebello, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs and West Covina.

There are more projects are on the way that will use that money, said Bill Winter, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works assistant deputy director for traffic and lighting.

Last March, after several years of stalled funding, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority - which provides 80 percent of the money for the program - opened up funding to cities in the San Gabriel Valley

Posted at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As expected, concerns about the amount of traffic a football stadium could bring to the area if built in Industry are coming to fruition.

Note this letter that ran in our Opinion section today:

A stadium at the Pomona (60) and Orange (57) freeways? Are they insane?

Posted at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're expecting the La Puente City Council to discuss extending an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Charles Co. tonight, don't hold your breath.

Here are some excerpts from a story I wrote for tomorrow's paper:

A recent land deal, the economy and a proposed big-box retail project at a main thoroughfare have officials rethinking negotiations with a prominent developer.

La Puente officials have been in negotiations with the Los Angeles-based company for about a year for what has been preliminarily projected as an 11.5-acre retail commercial center in the 1300 block of Hacienda Boulevard at Fairgrove Avenue.

Mayor Louie Lujan and Councilwoman Nadia Mendoza say they want to "take a step back" and weigh all options before moving forward with a developer for the project, pegged as a retail center.

Councilman Dan Holloway said he has concerns about lingering effects of the city's budget.

And council members John Solis and Lola Storing disagree with their colleagues all together, citing loss to the city and wasted time.

City staff members have 45 days to solicit interest from developers who formerly submitted plans to the city for the project.

Some of those previous developers include Newmark Merrill, Lowe Enterprises and Ed Roski's Majestic Realty.

Maybe Roski will build his football stadium in La Puente instead?

Posted at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Talk about climbing the corporate ladder...

MONTEBELLO - A former city bus driver and manager at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has become the city's newest department head.

The position was open for nearly nine months after Allan Pollock left in June. Jackson, also known as AJ, began the stint in April and says her 15 years of experience will aid her in her new post.

Posted at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looks like residents can keep using the Sawpit Wash Trail in Monrovia to jog and walk their dogs, Melissa Pamer reports.

The city had been embroiled in lengthy litigation with a local homeowner who wanted to restrict accesst to the trail where it crosses his property.

But a Pasadena Superior Court judge has sided with the city to keep the trail open to the public.

The story is defintely worth the read.

Posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

West Covina officials are forecasting an $8 million deficit next fiscal year, according to reporter Dan Abendschein.

Apparently, the city has released a report that anticipates expenditures in 2008-09 will go up by $4 million.

Problem is, the same report predicts revenues will only increase by about $500,000.

Now I'm no math major, but that cost-benefit analysis just doesn't seem to add up.

City staff members will be presenting ideas to the City Council Wednesday on how to cut down on the preliminary $8 million deficit.

City Manager Andrew Pasmant told Dan some of those include an across-the-board cut for each city department, early retirements and hiring freezes.

Read the full story here.

Posted at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I hear there was a nice turnout today for the viewing and funeral services for Tom Grueter, a former La Puente planning commissioner.

Grueter died last week at his La Puente home from what family members believe may have been a heart aneurysm. He was 70.

Grueter and his family were known for their long-standing contribution to the dairy industry in the San Gabriel Valley -- Grueter's parents started up Grueter's Swiss Dairy in the 1920s.

The dairy farm was one of the largest in the area at that time -- located on what is now the Pacific Palms Resort -- and provided local businesses, residents and schools with milk.

Tom Grueter worked there until the business shut down in 1975.

He served on the La Puente Planning Commission from 2003 to 2007.

A viewing and funeral services for Grueter were held today at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights.

I hear several city officials attended.

Posted at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a story I wrote last week about Baldwin Park naming its first female police chief, Sierra Madre Police Chief Marilyn Diaz told me that she was the first female chief in the county's history, Inglewood Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks was the second and Hadsell is now the third.

Since then, I've gotten some calls and e-mails from readers pointing out other female chiefs......

Just in case you did not know, Margaret A. York has been the Chief for the Los Angeles County Police since the end of 2003. Please see us on the web. www.LACPOLICE.org

Bradley Sheffield, Sergeant
Los Angeles County Police
Recruitment Unit

I also got a call from someone who said the Los Angeles Count transit police had a female chief, though I haven't been able to confirm that.

I take it Diaz was probably referring to chiefs of municipal police departments when she made her statements to me, still the others are worth mentioning.

Posted at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)