Applicants interview for BP chief

Baldwin Park is closer to appointing a new police chief, and El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva is in the running.
Councilman Ricardo Pacheco said he thinks theres truth to earlier rumors Alva was already being courted for the spot before former Police Chief Edward Lopez left in February.

Pacheco and the association claim Lopez was fired by the City Council in closed session. City officials say Lopez retired.

Chief Executive Officer Vijay Singhal told me today he and Recreation and Community Services Director Manuel Carrillo are narrowing down their top picks from a pool of about a dozen applicants for the departments top spot interim Police Chief Michael Taylor is among the applicants.

Three or four finalists will be interviewed by the council on Thursday during a special closed session meeting. (For all you Brown Act activists, the city has to post that notice 24 hours in advance so be on the lookout)

But the most interesting part of this story is that rumors are flying that Mayor Manuel Lozano and Councilwoman Marlen Garcia are already introducing Alva as the new chief to business owners and Chamber of Commerce reps.

When I called the chamber today to confirm, a secretary answered the phone and seemed more than willing to patch me through to the chamber president. After putting me on hold for a few minutes, she came back on the line as said the chamber knew nothing about the issue.

Lozano also denied the allegations but said he was invited to an informal meeting last week with Alva, two former council members, the chamber president and several business owners.
Hmmm…did I miss something?

I should also mention that Alva is taking this week off from work over at El Monte. Thats convenient…