This week's council excitement
Here’s what you can all expect from City Council meetings in the San Gabriel Valley this week:
La Verne council members are expected to give a last and final approval to the Lutheran High School master plan Tuesday night. It will include all the amendments discussed before: a 400-student max instead of 500, no stadium lighting, no Friday night football games, no non-school uses of facilities unless approved through a separate CUP process, and changes to the school’s public announcement system.
In Baldwin Park, council members will attempt to hash out details in the police chief mystery during closed session Wednesday. Mayor Manuel Lozano tells me the council expects to officially appoint an interim police chief, which they will announce later Wednesday night in open session: let me guess, Capt. Michael Taylor. Sorry, I know, my mother would say I'm counting the chickens before they hatch, but let's say I have a hunch.
Reporter Alison Hewitt tells me it should be an interesting meeting Tuesday in West Covina where the council will consider banning the sale of puppy-mill puppies, duplicating and bolstering existing state and federal laws; requiring businesses to create ID cards for employees who are in-home service workers (ie, cable guys) so that residents don't have to be scared to let them in; and expanding the number of streets where cars with "for sale" signs would be banned.
Some interesting things also out of Azusa Tuesday, including a whopping seven closed session items on property negotiations. Wonder what the plans are for those sites? As for open session, Mayor Joseph Rocha has an item about a former gun club site and the council will consider eminent domain on a few properties along Alameda and Azusa avenues.
And finally, planning commissioners will be the topic of choice in Diamond Bar Tuesday night where council members are expected to fill open positions on its commissions. Here’s a tidbit right out of the agenda: The City of Diamond Bar currently has three standing commissions that serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council. City Council Members are authorized to appoint one individual each to the Parks & Recreation, Planning, and Traffic & Transportation Commissions, respectively, to serve two-year terms. Upon the end of each term, City Council Members may choose to reappoint standing Commissioners or choose new appointees. February 29, 2008 marks the end of the current term. At this time, it is appropriate for the City Council to make their Commission appointments for the next two years.
I should not there are also meetings in Covina and El Monte, but nothing pressing seems to be on the agendas, according to Tribune reporters.
I think an interesting story would be one that discusses the appointment of city commissioners--more specifically, how each council appoints them.
The way Diamond Bar does it appears to be a little unusual. I don't think many cities allow each council member to appoint their own commissioner for every advisory body. Most cities that I have observed over the years appoint each commissioner with a majority vote of the council.