After losing his seat Tuesday in the West Covina Unified School District school board race, George Fuller took defeat with grace and a sense of professionalism.

He lost to challenger Eileen Jimenez and incumbent Jessica Shewmaker.

"Ms. Shewmaker has done a good job and I assume she will continue to do so. I really do congratulate her for what she has done. I would like to say it has been a real pleasure to serve the community. I appreciate those who have supported me over the years. I look forward to serving the community in years to come and really appreciate that."

Fuller, upon reflection, felt his stance on a contract issue with San Jose Edison Academy may have been his stalling point. He took an unpopular stance, he said, which may have given fuel to Jimenez's campaign.

-- BALDWIN PARK CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

SUSAN RUBIO 2,178 29.74
MARLEN GARCIA 1,673 22.85
CRUZ BACA SEMBELLO 1,605 21.92
ANTHONY J BEJARANO 1,275 17.41
HENRY HUANG 592 8.08

-- BALDWIN PARK CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

SUSAN RUBIO 2,178 29.74
MARLEN GARCIA 1,673 22.85
CRUZ BACA SEMBELLO 1,605 21.92
ANTHONY J BEJARANO 1,275 17.41
HENRY HUANG 592 8.08

-- BALDWIN PARK CITY GEN MUNI MAYOR

MANUEL LOZANO 2,491 58.46
RICARDO PACHECO 1,770 41.54

-- DIAMOND BAR CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

STEVE TYE 3,081 24.01
RON EVERETT 2,624 20.45
LING-LING CHANG 2,408 18.76
ROBERT L VELAZQUEZ ,384 10.78
DAVID T LIU 1,291 10.06
LUCY HUANG 1,148 8.94
S DHAND 898 7.00

-- DUARTE CITY GEN MUNICIPAL COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

MARGARET E FINLAY 1,429 20.67
T PARAS-CARACCI 1,292 18.69
PHIL REYES 1,104 15.97
ROSALIE ZESATI 883 12.77
LIZ REILLY 869 12.57
BROOKS-WASHINGTON 399 5.77
TONY SANCHEZ 379 5.48
ARTHUR L MOSS 374 5.41
M WILSON-BUCHANAN 84 2.66

-- EL MONTE CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

NORMA MACIAS 2,790 30.05
J "J" GOMEZ 1,590 17.13
RICHARD GARNER 1,515 16.32
ART BARRIOS 1,379 14.85
KIEN LAM 1,280 13.79
ANGEL RALPH NUNEZ 730 7.86

-- EL MONTE CITY GENERAL MUNI MAYOR

ANDRE QUINTERO 3,621 67.48
ERNEST G GUTIERREZ 1,745 32.52

-- EL MONTE CITY SPEC MUNI MEASURE

RR - OVERNIGHT PARKING ADVISORY - YES 2,028 38.99
(ADVISORY VOTE ONLY) - NO 3,173 61.01

P - MAYOR/COUNCIL TERM LIMITS - YES 2,153 41.53
(MAJORITY OF VOTES CAST) - NO 3,031 58.47

-- LA PUENTE CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

DAVID E ARGUDO 1,083 31.14
LOUIE LUJAN 838 24.09
RENEE CHAVEZ 785 22.57
LOLA K STORING 772 22.20

-- MONTEBELLO CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

W M MOLINARI 2,383 16.57
A R "ART" BARAJAS 2,255 15.68
FRANK A GOMEZ 2,006 13.95
G "JOE" VENEZIANO 1,765 12.27
R "ROSIE" VASQUEZ 1,603 11.15
NANCY CADENA-PEREZ 1,364 9.48
JAMSHID J JAVAHERI 1,213 8.43
JORGE MANZUR 1,143 7.95
RICHARD GARCIA 651 4.53

- MONTEBELLO CITY SPEC MUNI MEASURE

M - PUBLIC SAFETY ORDINANCE - YES 3,552 81.81
(55% OF VOTES CAST) - NO 790 18.19

-- PICO RIVERA CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

DAVID W ARMENTA 1,754 21.59
GUSTAVO CAMACHO 1,605 19.75
EA "PETE" RAMIREZ 1,190 14.64
M "MARTY" MORONES 1,176 14.47
RON BEILKE 1,110 13.66
LUIS ALVARADO 931 11.46
RAUL RIESGO 360 4.43

-- SANTA FE SPRINGS CITY GEN COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

LOUIE GONZALEZ 1,155 18.87
BETTY PUTNAM 981 16.03
JUANITA TRUJILLO 974 15.92
MICHAEL MADRIGAL 855 13.97
JOSE ANGEL ZAMORA 722 11.80
LILLIAN C PUENTES 639 10.44
ALBERT "AJ" HAYES 438 7.16
GARY MENDEZ 356 5.82

-- SO EL MONTE CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

ANGELICA R GARCIA 638 35.46
JOSEPH J GONZALES 539 29.96
BLANCA M FIGUEROA 380 21.12
RAUL PARDO 242 13.45

-- SO EL MONTE CITY GEN MUNI MEASURE

SE - EXTENSION OF MAYORAL TERM - YES 631 58.64
(MAJORITY OF VOTES CAST) - NO 445 41.36

-- SO PASADENA CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

M A CACCIOTTI 2,346 39.09
PHILIP C PUTNAM 2,033 33.87
W "BILL" SHERMAN 1,623 27.04

-- WEST COVINA CITY GEN MUNI COUNCILMEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

SHERRI LANE 4,670 21.42
MICHAEL TOUHEY 4,342 19.92
SHELLEY SANDERSON 4,225 19.38
FREDRICK SYKES 3,671 16.84
COLLEEN B ROZATTI 2,974 13.64
S GOMEZ-PEDROZA 1,915 8.79

WEST COVINA CITY GEN MUNI MEASURE

D - COUNCIL ELECTION BY DIST - YES 3,057 37.08
(MAJORITY OF VOTES CAST) - NO 5,187 62.92

-- EL MONTE CITY SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

A R SALCEDO 2,271 22.91
EDDIE ZUNIGA 2,191 22.11
ROBERTO E CRUZ 2,046 20.64
JANYE LEE IBERRI 2,001 20.19
ROBERT M BARRIOS 1,402 14.15

-- GARVEY SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

A "TONY" RAMOS 866 27.89
JOHN YUEN 750 24.15
IRENE FLORES 748 24.09
BOB BRUESCH 741 23.86

-- MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

JOE A MORENO 1,105 26.42
ROBERT L GRIFFITH 1,104 26.40
ADAM C CARRANZA 1,042 24.92
IRMA L ZAMORANO 931 22.26

-- ROSEMEAD SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

DENNIS MCDONALD 687 20.81
RHONDA A HARMON 645 19.53
FRED S MASCORRO 638 19.32
FRANCES R CHAVEZ 426 12.90
ROBERT KHAN TRAN 423 12.81
TRACY L LOA 346 10.48
BARBARA MURPHY 137 4.15

-- VALLE LINDO SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

GLORIA OLMOS 489 32.19
RUDY T MARTINEZ 390 25.67
DAVID R DEL RIO 368 24.23
J "JACKIE" TOVAR 272 17.91

-- EL MONTE UNION HIGH SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

CARLOS G SALCEDO 4,509 22.96
T "TESS" VELASCO 3,204 16.31
JOHN TRAN 3,005 15.30
BEN ESCOBEDO 2,808 14.30
TONSON MAN 2,616 13.32
STEVE A ORTIZ 1,919 9.77
JANE M MYRING 1,580 8.04

-- BALDWIN PARK UNIFIED SCH GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

HUGO ANTONIO TZEC 2,284 33.28
TERESA I VARGAS 1,667 24.29
PAUL A FLORES 1,311 19.10
OLGA S MORALES 1,243 18.11
JAMES MILLER 359 5.23

-- BASSETT UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

VICTORIA A MEDINA 590 17.30
ART SANDOVAL 523 15.34
PAUL SOLANO 510 14.96
TAIWAN A ALVARADO 479 14.05
R "BOB" FUENTES 431 12.64
ANDREA S ELIAS 359 10.53
JOSHUA L ACEVEDO 229 6.72
LIZET ANGULO 105 3.08
MARISSA V CASTRO 98 2.87
FRANK T MORALES 86 2.52

-- CHARTER OAK UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

JANE A BOCK 1,236 34.87
DON DAVIS 1,101 31.06
DAVID R ROSE 816 23.02
P "TRISH" DIAZ 392 11.06

-- COVINA-VALLEY UNIFIED SCH GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

CHARLES M KEMP 1,926 30.50
RICHARD WHITE 1,728 27.37
KIM ROGERS 1,426 22.58
TERI M MEISTER 1,234 19.54

-- DUARTE UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

REYNA E DIAZ 1,725 36.76
KEN M BELL 1,674 35.68
TOM REYES 1,293 27.56

-- EL RANCHO UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

RACHEL CANCHOLA 2,807 29.47
RITA JO RAMIREZ 1,876 19.70
JOE RIVERA 1,849 19.41
LUPE SALAS 1,669 17.52
LORRAINE DE LA O 1,323 13.89

-- GLENDORA UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

CHUCK GOMER 2,535 31.29
MIKE A GAUTREAU 2,072 25.58
DENICE K DELGADO 2,051 25.32
LINDA S BOYD 1,443 17.81

-- HACIENDA LA PUENTE UNIFIED GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

RUDY R CHAVARRIA 3,162 23.63
ANITA PEREZ 3,068 22.93
JOSEPH K CHANG 2,899 21.67
HENRY E GONZALES 2,253 16.84
MIKE ITOW 1,998 14.93

-- LA CANADA UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

SCOTT E TRACY 1,687 22.21
SUSAN BOYD 1,649 21.71
JOEL PETERSON 1,574 20.72
NEAL S MILLARD 1,244 16.37
DAVE WILCOX 749 9.86
ERNEST J KOEPPEN 694 9.14

-- MONTEBELLO UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

HECTOR A CHACON 5,490 27.04
EDWIN "ED" CHAU 4,913 24.20
GERRI GUZMAN 4,306 21.21
C M ILLINGWORTH 3,651 17.98
MARYLOU SAAVEDRA 1,945 9.58

-- NORWALK-LA MIRADA UNIF SCH GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 4

ED HENGLER 2,296 18.66
ANA M VALENCIA 2,198 17.86
MARGARITA L RIOS 2,174 17.67
DARRYL R ADAMS 2,065 16.78
CHRIS PFLANZER 1,890 15.36
J G URQUIDI 1,681 13.66

-- ROWLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

ROBERT F HIDALGO 1,901 18.05
CARY C CHEN 1,764 16.75
GILBERT G GARCIA 1,667 15.83
A KIMO MORRIS 1,464 13.90
PHILLIP R ESTRADA 1,373 13.04
CECILIA S ORNELAS 1,085 10.30
C J GREEN 722 6.85
BRIAN A GUTIERREZ 557 5.29

-- SAN GABRIEL UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

DENISE MENCHACA 1,257 21.44
PHILIP HU 1,243 21.20
MATTHEW C STADTLER 978 16.68
KEN K TCHENG 945 16.12
ANDREW L AMMON 724 12.35
CYNTHIA L JUVINALL 715 12.20

-- SAN MARINO UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

C JOSEPH CHANG 1,655 32.19
JENG YEN 1,483 28.85
NAM JACK 1,465 28.50
L "LINDA" WU 538 10.46

-- TEMPLE CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

MATT W SMITH 1,165 39.80
JOE WALKER 1,058 36.15
K KNOLLENBERG 704 24.05

-- WALNUT VALLEY UNIFIED SCH GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

NANCY A LYONS 2,972 26.26
HELEN HALL 2,586 22.85
CINDY M RUIZ 2,252 19.90
ANYORK LEE 2,142 18.93
MICHAEL WEST 1,365 12.06

-- WEST COVINA UNIFIED SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

EILEEN M JIMENEZ 1,989 22.99
JESSICA SHEWMAKER 1,792 20.71
GEORGE FULLER 1,718 19.86
MICHAEL T FLOWERS 1,596 18.45
MINDY MIRACLE 1,557 18.00

-- KEPPEL UNION SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

ROBERT M DUTTON SR 437 18.26
CHRISTINE C SMITH 434 18.14
VANCE D POMEROY 426 17.80
GEORGIA L HALLIMAN 410 17.13
JEFF SAUER 362 15.13
JAMES MONROE LEER 324 13.54

-- LITTLE LAKE CITY SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 2

HILDA A ZAMORA 1,626 43.21
GEORGE S BUCHANAN 995 26.44
A "AJ" MUMTAZ 802 21.31
HENRY J BESTWICK 340 9.04

-- LOS NIETOS SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

MARISA B HERNANDEZ 563 27.28
ART ESCOBEDO 483 23.40
SILVIA R MONGE 312 15.12
DIANA L VILLALBA 270 13.08
GRISEL VASQUEZ 258 12.50
DAVID NAVA 178 8.62

-- SOUTH WHITTIER SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

JORGE S HERNANDEZ 685 37.85
SYLVIA V MACIAS 443 24.48
LAYLA AVILA 420 23.20
JOSUE ALVARADO 262 14.48

-- WHITTIER CITY SCHOOL GOVERNING BOARD MEMBER
VOTE FOR NO MORE THAN 3

LINDA L A SMALL 1,824 28.64
KEN HENDERSON 1,789 28.09
EFRAIN ACEVES 1,763 27.68
G SYLVIA HURTADO 993 15.59

With six out of 11 precincts reporting late Tuesday night, La Puente council candidate David Argudo took the lead over two incumbents in the race for a pair of open seats on the council.

By 11 p.m., Argudo had 589 votes. Councilwoman Lola Storing was behind him with 508, and Mayor Louie Lujan trailed with 493. Former City Councilwoman Renee Chavez was the lowest vote-getter with 445 votes.

Again from reporter Rebecca Kimitch, but this time early El Monte elections:

EL MONTE -- In early voting results Tuesday night, three incumbents appeared to be headed for defeat in the races of El Monte mayor and two open City Council seats.

Voters instead favored union-backed candidates Andre Quintero, 34, for mayor and Norma Macias, 38, for City Council.

Quintero had a significant lead over incumbent mayor Mayor Ernie Gutierrez.

"If these results hold, the community is definitely looking for new leadership," Quintero said.

Quintero is a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles and a former Rio Hondo Community College District trustee.

In the City Council race, Macias, an architect who oversees infrastructure projects in South El Monte, and Kien Lam, 30, an information security specialist for a biomedical company, held the number one and two spots.

They were followed by Planning Commissioner Richard Garner, 60, a 32-year city employee; incumbents Juventino "J" Gomez and Art Barrios; and finally Angel Ralph Nunez, 57, a 20-year city employee.

WEST COVINA - Mayor Roger Hernandez at a meeting Tuesday called for an investigation of the West Covina Senior Villas project after a city employee told him that fellow employees are being asked to unlawfully approve parts of the project.

Hernandez said a city employee approached him because city employees are being asked "to unlawfully approve things to move the project forward."

Hernandez asked City Manager Andy Pasmant to investigate the project and all employees involved with the development.

Developers Pacific Development/TELACU Industries proposes to build a 24-unit condominium complex on Workman Avenue. The complex would provide affordable housing to seniors.

From reporter Rebecca Kimitch about the Irwindale City Council race:
(As a side note, Irwindale was the only San Gabriel Valley area city that did not turn over its election to the county)

In Irwindale, the city's voters put Council members H. Manuel Ortiz and David "Chico" Fuentes ahead for two open seats on the council, with all but a handful of ballots counted, according to unofficial results.

Ortiz and Fuentes were followed by Raul Anthony Hernandez, Darlene Osmonson, and Patricia "Patsy"Gonzales.

"All the hard work paid off," Ortiz said.

The winners will be responsible for selecting a new city manager and police chief. City Manager Robert Griego and Police Chief Sol Benudiz both announced they will retire at the end of the year.

They will also face challenges regarding city finances.

"The economy has hit our city, so we just to continue working hard to bring our city back to the way it was. Residents will see changes coming," Ortiz said.

The two measures on the ballot - Measure T, a transient occupancy tax and Measure U, a utility users tax - are also headed to victory.

More early reporting, this time out of La Puente:

In early election returns Tuesday night, two incumbents were leading against two challengers in the race for a pair of open City Council seats.

Mayor Louie Lujan and Councilwoman Lola Storing, both seeking third terms, appeared to be winning against former City Councilwoman Renee Chavez and businessman David Argudo, a newcomer to local politics.

Storing could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

"I'm happy at the possibility of returning to the council for another four years," Lujan said.

"I think all the candidates worked really hard," he said. "We all had individual messages but for the most part, I don't anticipate this being a change election."

Lujan is currently under investigation by the District Attorney's Office over alleged campaign finance violations. He said what role, if any, the investigation played in the campaign was always up to voters.

Lujan is also mulling a run for state Assembly and said if re-elected to the council, he would continue to explore that option.

Argudo, co-owner of JDL Financial in La Puente, ran for City Council in 2007 but lost to Councilman John Solis by just 27 votes. He said he decided to run again to bring change to the council.

Chavez also ran for council in 2007 but as an incumbent. She lost, finishing 94 votes behind Solis.

She also ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic ticket for the 57th Assembly District seat in 2006. At the time, she was trying to fill the seat being vacated by her husband, Ed Chavez, who was being termed out.

Both Argudo and Chavez did not return calls seeking comment.

There are 14,098 registered voters in La Puente.

Some early reporting from the Baldwin Park race:

Incumbent Manuel Lozano led in early election returns Tuesday night against former Councilman Ricardo Pacheco in the race for mayor.

Meanwhile, in the City Council election, City Clerk Susan Rubio appeared to headed toward an upset win over incumbent Anthony Bejarano, according to early voting results.

"I'm definitely happy, but these are very preliminary," Lozano said. "Obviously, we have to wait and see what transpires when all precincts report."

If elected, this will mark Lozano's sixth term as mayor. He was first elected in 1999 and ran unopposed in 2007. There are no term limits in Baldwin Park.

Lozano said he was not concerned about where the figures would fall for write-in candidate Greg Tuttle because, "he's not on the ballot and he's not a resident."

Figures for Tuttle were not available Tuesday night. His nomination papers were initially rejected by the City Clerk because he was not registered to vote in Baldwin Park at the time.

He later qualified as a write-in candidate, although his name did not appear on ballot information mailed to voters.

Tuttle, who owns Tuttle's Parts Exchange on Ramona Boulevard, has been a vocal critic of the City Council and was a strong opponent of the city's failed downtown development project with developer Bob Bisno.

Although they were running against one another, Tuttle still supported Councilman Pacheco in the mayor's race. Pacheco's current term doesn't expire until 2011. Because he hasn't relinquished his seat, Pacheco will continue to serve on the council if he loses the mayor's race.

In the City Council race, Rubio and Garcia took an early lead against incumbent Anthony Bejarano and candidates Cruz Baca Sembello and Henry Huang, respectively.

"I'm not focusing on Anthony or anybody else right now, I just really want to speak for people who do not have a voice," Rubio said. "I'm super excited about the possibility of serving the people of Baldwin Park."

Despite their early leads, Rubio and Garcia cautioned against calling the race before ballots were counted.

"It's early ... right now," Garcia said. "We always think (absentees) are kind of a mixed bag."

Garcia -- who was "optimistic about her candidacy -- said it appeared that more voters had turned out for this election than in years past. She believed that larger turnout would help her in the race.

As for the city clerk's seat, Christina Berumen led over Alejandra Avila and Brandie Rivera Woods, respectively.

City Treasurer Maria Contreras ran unopposed for her seat.

And what's you're experience been like so far?

We've already gotten a lot of calls today about polling drama in La Puente, where school officials are accusing Bassett Unified school board candidate Art Sandoval of violating campaign laws. The sheriff's deputies have been called out to several polling places, and deputies were even stationed at Van Wig Elementary School.

What's voting been like for all of you?

In case you have questions about the election, how to vote or want to track results on Tuesday, keep this Web site bookmarked on your computer ...

And Happy Voting on Tuesday.

I wrote a story about a week ago about construction starting on a 2.2-mile stretch of the 10 Freeway in Baldwin Park, where Caltrans is building a carpool lane on either side of the highway.

This construction -- between the 605 interchange and Puente Avenue -- is actually part of a larger, three-phase project aimed at creating carpool lanes on each side of the interstate from Los Angeles to the San Bernardino County line.

Baldwin Park officials were pretty excited about the start of construction, because they say that portion of the freeway is heavily traveled and often bottlenecks.

But it seems they're not the only ones who have been looking forward to the expansion. Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, Assemblyman Mike Eng, and several other dignitaries from Baldwin Park, the CHP and MTA will be meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday -- yup, Election Day -- for a groundbreaking ceremony.

Don't fret, it won't be on the freeway. It'll be near it, in the parking lot area of Guadalajara Grill Restaurant, 14610 Garvey Ave. in Baldwin Park.

An article I wrote that ran in today's paper:

LA PUENTE -- Officials are considering cutting a break for local sports leagues who pay to use the city's fields.

The City Council voted 3-0 Thursday to have staff members look into restructuring the city's parks fee schedule, so leagues with less than 60 percent of members who live in La Puente can pay cheaper rates.

Mayor Louie Lujan and Councilwoman Nadia Mendoza did not attend the meeting.

Several years ago, the city approved a two-tiered fee schedule for sports organizations who use the parks. Leagues with at least 60 percent of La Puente residents as members pay a resident rate. Leagues that don't meet that threshold pay a more expensive non-resident rate.

At Thursday's special meeting, officials cited tough economic times in the proposal to bump that threshold to 51 percent.

The issue still needs to come back before the council for a final approval.

**************
The council's decision was prompted by concerns from the La Puente Junior All-American Football league. Organization officials said their usage rates recently jumped from $3,100 to $9,400 per season because they failed to meet the 60 percent standard.

This was a pretty heated issue at the special City Council meeting that was called last week. I'm told a lot of residents and supporters of the football league showed up, many of whom spoke on the league's behalf.

It seems the city originally was just considering scaling back the fees for that one particular league, based on their concerns. But now it sounds like they're considering a cutback across the board for all sports organizations.

We'll see if it gets final approval.

I know it's not local but what do you guys think --- a step towards more open government, or a ploy to make it appear that way?

I wonder what our local cities would come up with if they published something similar ...

West Covina's gone and done it again.

For the second year in a row, the city has scheduled a council meeting on the night of an election -- last year it was the presidential election, this year, it's the local municipal election.

There's only one item on the agenda for Tuesday night, an update on a senior housing project.

Mayor Roger Hernandez told reporter Amanda Baumfeld he's been asking to discuss this before the council for months -- but he didn't want to do it on election night.

Hernandez said even though he is opposed to meetings on election night, he can't cancel the meeting without a majority of the council agreeing to it.

Councilman Mike Touhey said Hernandez can cancel the meeting, and accused him of setting a double standard.

Based on one of her campaign mailers, it feels like La Puente City Council candidate Renee Chavez is running for higher office.

Chavez recently sent out a flier promising she would fight for "free healthcare."

Last time I checked, the healthcare debate was between Congress and the White House.

I'm not sure what Chavez could do locally to provide free healthcare to residents in La Puente, but if she's elected, maybe she'll tell us.

Dana Sykes left me a message earlier this week informing their had been "numerous errors" on the campaign finance reports filed for the Concerned Citizens for a better West Covina.

Sykes is the treasurer for the group, which is supporting Measure D -- a controversial proposal to divide the city into five council districts

But Sykes is also the wife of Fred Sykes, who is running for City Council in the Nov. 3 election.

As a result, Dana Sykes said she hasn't been involved in the record-keeping for the Concerned Citizens group, and it recently came to her attention that there were errors on the reports filed Oct. 22. She blamed the mistakes on an assistant who didn't know the group had to file its expenditures ---- the heart of campaign finance reporting.

This news comes days after West Covina resident Lloyd Johnson sent a letter to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office questioning the legality of three campaign mailers the group sent to residents supporting Measure D.

In Johnson's letter, he accused the Concerned Citizens for sending out the flyers but not reporting the postage and printing costs of the three mailer.

We haven't hadn't a chance to look for ourselves, but Sykes said she has filed amended forms with the West Covina City Clerk.

Apparently, Huy Fong Foods Inc. - which produces and distributes the ever popular Sriracha sauce - is getting a little too hot for Rosemead.

The company is in negotiations with Irwindale to move its entire operation to a 22.9-acre site on Azusa Canyon Road. Talks have been ongoing for nearly nine months, and Irwindale City Manager Robert Griego said he hopes to put a cap on it by December.

The owner of Huy Fong declined to comment on the plans Wednesday. But officials in Rosemead and Irwindale said the company is simply getting too big for its own facilities.

"It looks like we're close to finalizing the actual transaction," Griego said. "It's really exciting because their plans are to actually double in size over a period of time."

Huy Fong is currenlty housed at a 68,000-square-foot plant in Rosemead. But the company has grown since first opening shop in 1986.

"When you have places like Irwindale, which may be to offer a cheaper place to do business ... I don't blame a business for wanting to jump on that," said Councilman Steven Ly.

Upon learning of the negotiations, Rosemead officials at City Hall Wednesday morning were trying to schedule a meeting with the company's owner -- an 11th-hour bid to persuade Huy Fong to stay put.

"We just want to speak with them to find out if there's anything we can do to entice them," Rosemead City Manager Jeff Allred said. "But we also understand they are very much a booming business and they have expansion needs."

If they move to the Irwindale, Huy Fong plans to increase its operating facilities by nearly 10 times -- constructing a 626,186-square-foot building with offices, a warehouse and a manufacturing plant, said Ray Hamada, Irwindale's director of planning and community development.

It would probably take a year and half to two years to complete the move, Griego said.

Officials have not named a price on the land, at 4702 Azusa Canyon Road, just yet, but the property is appraised at about $20 million, Hamada said.

Here is a link to latest video of the Montebello Hills courtesy of Cookhill Properties:

'The Montebello Hills Specific Plan - A new community. A better future.'

Cook Hill Properties LLC submitted the Montebello Hills Specific Plan on December 2007 to build 1,200 residential homes, a series of trails and a public park on a portion of 480 acres of open space.

Cook Hill is a development consultant for Plains Exploration & Production Co., which owns the property.

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