La Puente and its commissions
I did a blog post a couple weeks ago about how the La Puente City Council is in the middle of a commission revamp.
Officials basically say the city is trying to set some clearer guidelines for its commissions: what appointments need to be made, what old commissions can be phased out, what commissions can be combined, etc.
Well, here are some e-mails sent Wednesday from a La Puente staff member that offer some insight into the issue:
Hello All,
I am interested in finding out if your city has an Education Commission. If
so, please forward their scope of duties and by-laws. It is greatly
appreciated.
Thank you,
Lillian Ayala
Management Analyst
City of La Puente
layala@lapuente.org
(626) 855-1538
(626) 961-4626 (Fax)
And a second e-mail ....
Hi Everyone,
I am interested in finding out if your city has a standard policy for the
appointments of all commissions and committees. I am interested in seeing
if some policies address the following:
1) Elected officials are prohibited in participating in a
commission/committee.
2) Members may only serve on one commission/committee at a time.
3) Is there an interview process,? If so, what does it consist of.
4) Are alternates chosen?
Please forward a copy of your policy if possible. I'd appreciate receiving
any policy you may have.
Thank you,
Lillian Ayala
Management Analyst
City of La Puente
layala@lapuente.org
(626) 855-1538
(626) 961-4626 (Fax)
My question: Are La Puente elected officials considering serving on these commissions? And is the city considering allowing a person to serve on more than one commission at a time?
Comments
I'd like to add a third question: Why does the City of La Puente need an Education Commission? They already have a school district (Hacienda-La Puente USD) with an elected governing board serving them.
Posted by: Dog Spot | March 24, 2008 11:51 AM
OK, so who is the dumb one here? Even I know that LP has elected officials (non Council Members) serving on Commissions and some other people serving on more than one Committee. Maybe if reporters would get off their duff and actually show up at Council Meetings they might know what is really going on! Who edits this stuff? Obviously no one! And Dog Spot should know the school boards (there are 3 serving LP) are not part of city government. Finally, where do you get off reading, not to mentioning printing, routine city e-mails requesting info? Really, get a life, or at least a brain. No wonder the Tribune is dying trying to pass this BLOG garbage off as news. Alas, we're not fooled!
Posted by: Voodoo Daddy | March 25, 2008 2:47 AM
Voodoo: I DO know that school boards are not part of city government; that's exactly my point--why does a CITY government need to establish an education commission?
Let's reverse the situation. How would the City of La Puente feel if the 3 school districts each formed La Puente City Government Commissions?
Posted by: Dog Spot | March 25, 2008 9:13 AM
Voodoo Daddy seems to have little understanding of local government and the laws that apply to them....wouldn't be surprised if Voodoo works for the city.
The emails are public records and the paper, along with the public at large, has every right to view them....after all, it is the people's business that is being conducted!
Posted by: gilman | March 25, 2008 5:43 PM
Just wondering....these emails seem alot like a public records request.
The La Puente official is asking other cities to provide records on how commissions are run...just wondering if they get the records "promptly" and for "free".....or if they are put off, required to fill out a city prescribed form in writing, required to pay prohibitive up front copy charges, etc.?
You know..the stuff the average pesky citizen must endure when trying to obtain public records.
Posted by: Just wondering | March 25, 2008 5:49 PM
Yo, Dog Spot, The reason I've heard for an education commission is to oversee the scholarship program in LP. Since the money comes from the city, probably would be good to have the city hand it out rather than the school boards. LP also has some kind after school program, so not all things educational come from the school boards, none of which I might add are located in La Puente.
Posted by: Voodoo Daddy | March 26, 2008 1:14 AM
Voodoo: So, the reasons for this proposed commission are the following: 1) to hand out scholarships; 2) The three school districts don't have their administrative offices within La Puente; 3) The city runs an after-school program.
Wow, all very compelling reasons to form a new commission. Or not.
Posted by: Dog Spot | March 26, 2008 9:49 PM