May 2008 Archives

Looks like the discussion on the report looking into allegations that Mayor Ernie Gutierrez was drunk at a city event didn't make it onto El Monte's agenda for Tuesday. City Manager Jim Mussenden said Thursday that the report wasn't ready yet, and seemed doubtful that it would make it on to the agenda next week. But then again, it may never make it on to the agenda if he reviews the report and decides the findings are benign.

Some commenters have suggested a "cover-up." We'll just have to wait and see.

I just spotted this on our Web site:

Council speaker falls, dies
By Melissa Pamer, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/28/2008 08:54:13 PM PDT

DUARTE - A resident collapsed in City Council chambers after addressing the council during public comments Tuesday night and later died of a heart attack.

John McKiernan, 52, a longtime Duartean, attended the council meeting to speak to the panel about the height of a neighbor's fence, which McKiernan said exceeded city limits.

"When he left the podium, he just collapsed ... right there in my arms," his friend, Jim Hunley, said through tears Wednesday.

McKiernan had said at the outset of his comments that he wasn't feeling well, city officials said. He continued speaking and fell to the floor after he returned to his seat, City Manager Darrell George said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Bobby Wyche attended to McKiernan. He found him breathing and with a pulse.

When paramedics arrived, they used a defibrillator to attempt to revive McKiernan, then took him to a local hospital, where he died, George said.

The meeting was adjourned after McKiernan's collapse.

Hunley said McKiernan died of a massive heart attack.

Another round of bills came in for Rosemead City Attorney Bonifacio Garcia. Two invoices total $71,594. But as Garcia has said in the past, "My clients get what they pay for."

Here are the invoices:

GCR_-_January-February.pdf

GCR_-_February-March_Invoice.pdf

 

Councilman Steven Johnson pleaded not guilty today to a conflict of interest charge, stemming from a 2007 council vote.

We didn't have a reporter at Pomona Superior Court when Johnson entered his plea this morning, but my guess is it was probably pretty cut and dry.

If you're not familiar with the case, the District Attorney's office filed a misdemeanor count against Johnson earlier this month based on a vote he cast at a 2007 council meeting.

At that meeting, Johnson voted for a University of La Verne expansion plan despite being advised by the city attorney to recuse himself based on a potential financial conflict.

Johnson operates an insurance business along Arrow Highway, a few hundred feet from the campus. He also co-owns the 3,500-square-foot property on which his business sits.

I called Johnson today, and he sounded a little caught off gaurd over the phone. In the end he only had this to say to me: "I don't have any comment."

Johnson will be back in court July 2 for a pre-trial hearing. Officials say he'll have the option to select a jury trial or court trial. Apparentlly, until then, his attorney will be reviewing the DA's case file including discovery documents.

Johnson faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Also, If convicted, Johnson's misdemeanor count would be considered a violation of the

Political Reform Act, which would prohibit him from being a candidate in an election for four years from the expiration of his term, Callahan said.

Johnson is up for re-election in March 2011.

This from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

The city of Montebello is holding its State of the City Address today at the Chamber of Commerce.

City officals will present information about their achievements and progress, updates on graffiti and crime prevention, issues facing the community and plans for the future.
Tickets are $40 at the door. The event runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Wow, $40 to know the state of the city? Do cities always charge that much for these things? It's just a question.

What every parent wants in a role model for their children:

BALDWIN PARK - Baldwin Park Unified board member Sergio Corona admitted to police when he was arrested last week that he smoked methamphetamine and marijuana earlier in the night, according to police records.

A partially redacted crime report from May 22 states that Corona was shaking uncontrollably, kept licking his lips and grinding his teeth after police pulled him over on Los Angeles Street for driving erratically. Read more

There's been a change of heart in El Monte City Hall.

Just yesterday, City Manager Jim Mussenden said that an investigative report looking into the alleged actions by El Monte Mayor Ernie Gutierrez would be issued in closed session because of concerns over potential litigation.

But today, he said that it was decided that the report needs to be discussed in open session - if it makes it on the agenda.

After Mussenden reads the report, he will decide whether to place the item on the agenda.

Gutierrez was accused earlier this month of attending a public, city-sponsored event drunk, and was groping his girlfriend and shouting out vulgarities.

UPDATE: Turns out it's not Whittier's newest traffic calming device. It's just an ad for Pioneer Suspension.

Councilmembers Gary Taylor and Margaret Clark want their names removed from a series of signs that can be found on several construction projects around the city. The signs, which are paid for by architect Michael Sun, currently say that the projects are brought the community by the Rosemead City Council, City Manager Oliver Chi said.

It will be interesting to see if Clark and Taylor feel the same way when the projects are completed.

Baldwin Park's been in the news a lot lately.....

Instead of curling up with a good book last night, I spent the evening poring over 20 pages of a Baldwin Park police report detailing Sergio Corona's arrest last week.

Thanks to the city attorney, a large portion of the report's narrative was redacted -- I'll be fishing for that explanation later today.

But until then, here are some highlights of the report:

*According to the report, officers Tased Corona twice in the chest
*Under the "Drug Influence Evaluation" portion of the report, Corona said, "I had some speed earlier."
*Corona later told police, that he had "smoked methamphetamine and marijuana" earlier that night
*After being administered Ativan (a kind of relaxer) at a local hospital, Corona had this to say to police: "What the f*** happened? I don't remember anything that happened. Am I in trouble? I don't remember anything."

Throughout the report, police also document Corona's behavior and physical state: his heart rate was as high as 140 beats per minute, he was rocking his body back and forth and side to side, he was grinding his teeth and he was having eyelid tremors ------- all that in addition to the shirtless, sweaty descriptions we already knew about.

I got an interesting call early this morning from Matthew Weintraub, the spokesman for El Monte.

Apparently, the city employee I talked to for this blog post and some other officials were a little "distressed" about the content of the post.

Weintraub said he didn't want people in the community thinking the city was trying to hide anything by not putting the archived video online more promptly. It finally went up about 30 minutes after my initial call to the city clerk's office, Weintraub said.

I guess I can't blame their concerns about perception among residents considering everything that's going on in that city right now.

Anyway, that's their side and they're sticking to it.

This video came to mind as Tania Chatila was reviewing the police report that documented the arrest of Baldwin Park School Board Member Sergio Corona.

In the report, Corona, who was arrested for vandalism and being under the influence of a controlled substance, said this to the Baldwin Park Police:

"Just kill me. I want to live. I am alive."

It's amazing how a story about Baldwin Park cracking down on garage sales suddenly becomes a topic about illegal immigration.

Here's one example of the comments found on the story: "Why not adress the illegal alien street vendors and gang activities instead of picking on the residents?"

Tonight's the night: the Baldwin Park Unified School District meeting starts at 6 p.m. and we're almost sure their will be people there commenting on board member Sergio Corona's arrest last week.

Reporter Brian Day will be out there in case any bombs are dropped.

I haven't been able to get the district superintendent or board president on the phone, but we're hearing the board is meeting in closed session now --- and Corona isn't present.

Several board members and council members have said publicly Corona should resign to take care of his "issues."
.

Irwindale is the next city in the SGV to add a ban on medicial marijuana locations. The City Council will vote on it at it's meeting on Wednesday.

The downtown development proposal in Baldwin Park may be dragging --- pending two legislative proposals to restrict eminent domain powers --- but it sure ain't sweating off any heat.

People are still up in arms about the whole thing. If you're not familiar with the project, the city is in talks with Bisno Development to revitalize 125 acres of the downtown area with luxury housing, high-end restaurants and shops, a hotel and charter school.

Here's the most recent installation in a laundry list of e-mails I get regularly from opponents of the project:

City built on shaky ground

Just an interesting note: the person who sent me this had a lacclink.com e-mail address, which means he or she is somehow affiliated with the Los Angeles Convention Center.

 

Baldwin Park is getting real technical with my public records request to see the police report detailing school board member Sergio Corona's arrest last week.

I just got off the phone with the PD ---- looks like the city attorney is going to have the final say on whether I can get that report. I'm aware these requests usually go through legal counsel anyway, but it feels like this time, it's more than just a motion.

Also, FYI, Corona posted $20,000 bond on Thursday afternoon, so he's a free man. His case has yet to be filed with the courts, which means it'll probably be a few weeks before he's arraigned.

This comment popped up on the blog on Monday about a missing May 20 City Council meeting out of El Monte:

I have been trying to view the May 20,2008 council meeting that is
showm on the El Monte web page. Why hasn't it appeared. Is someone
making sure we don'r view it? Removing or destroying videos that
pertain to public meetings is a federal offense. These tapes are for
public access under the freedom of information act. That is our rights
as a resident. Please don't tell us the video equipement broke down or
the actual video was destroyed by the hand of God. That just won't work
anymore. We really would like to see it. Is it avaliable from the city
clerk's office? El Monte Resident-MIA Video

I called the city clerk's office this morning to figure out what happened.

My first question: Was there actually a meeting? I was told there was.

My second question: Is there a reason why it's not online? "That's because I forgot," the lady on the other line said, followed by a chuckle.

No fear, this simple, open government slip-up is supposed to be resolved in the next hour or two.

I'm just glad someone noticed in the first place.

Today, the Leftovers from City Hall column appeared in the paper. The only problem: you can't tell it's a column. In the future, it will have Tania Chatila and my pictures, which should make it clear that the column is NOT a regular news story.

Hopefully, the kinks will be worked out in time for next week's column. In the meantime, here is this week's.

Politicos gone wild was theme of the week
By Jennifer McLain and Tania Chatila, Staff Writers

It's been a week of lies, sex and sweaty thieves for our San Gabriel Valley elected officials.

From El Monte Mayor Ernie Gutierrez's alleged public drunkenness and vulgar outbursts to Baldwin Park Unified School Board Member Sergio Coronas's arrest on suspicion of vandalism and driving under the influence, it's been one embarrassment after another for our local leaders.

Let's start with the lies.

Three Valleys Water District

Small-time water official Xavier Alvarez has had big problems since he was caught in a web of lies, including falsely claiming that he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Alvarez has since been censured from the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, pleaded guilty in a federal court for lying about having received the medal and has been asked to resign from the board.

Now, he could be in even more hot water.

The District Attorney's office said Friday it will begin investigating Alvarez for misappropriation of public funds, said Dave Demerjian, head of the public integrity division.

Alvarez was censured in October by the board of directors for illegally funneling benefits - paid for by the district - to a woman he claimed was his wife.

But according to director Brian Bowcock, that's not all Alvarez lied about.

Bowcock presented a four-page list of lies on Wednesday that Alvarez reportedly told during two separate water-related tours.

Some of these lies included that he played for the Boston Red Sox, that his wife is a Latina starlet and is hounded by the paparazzi, that he was shot 16 times, that he earned the Medal of Honor and two purple hearts, and that he once rode motorcycles - and still wears the chaps at public events to prove it, Bowcock said.

El Monte

El Monte residents are calling for the censure of Mayor Ernie Gutierrez, who allegedly had groped his girlfriend and showed up to a city event drunk.

The actions of Gutierrez surfaced two weeks ago at a City Council meeting when

El Monte resident Henry August called Gutierrez an "embarrassment" for the mayor's actions - including vulgar outbursts - at a recent Sister City event.

Councilwoman Emily Ishigaki said at a council meeting last week that she did some research on rules and regulations regarding censure, "Which is what I think people want us to do," she said.

On Tuesday, Councilwoman Patricia Wallach took on the issue of discussing Gutierrez's alleged actions that occurred during the Cinco de Mayo fundraiser and dance.

"I wanted to put this on the agenda so that the community would not think that we are sweeping things under the rug," Wallach said.

But, after staff does look into it, a report will be issued - in closed session.

And Gutierrez is married.

Baldwin Park

El Monte is not the only city trying to keep things as quiet as possible.

Baldwin Park Unified School Board member Sergio Corona was arrested by police Thursday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and felony vandalism.

It was reported that Corona was "shirtless and sweaty," and got Tased when he refused to comply with police while breaking windows at a home.

There are also suggestions there are more details in a police report, but Baldwin Park Police officials are refusing to release the public information.

Newly-appointed police Chief Lili Hadsell said the department doesn't normally release reports when investigations are open.

Strange, since we've been given those documents in the past when reporting on more serious crimes, like murder investigations.

"I understand about the murders but that's a little bit of a different situation only because we don't normally have suspects in custody," she said.

Regardless, a public records request has been sent.

It's too early to tell how the parents will react to news of Corona's arrest, but I'm sure Corona will get an earful at the next school board meeting on Tuesday.

And politicians wonder why they get bad raps.

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477,

Ext. 2109 www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov

What a tough past few weeks for Sierra Madre. First the fire, now the mudslides. The Sierra Madre City Council called a special meeting today to declare a state of emergency. But they are making progress. According to the city's Web site, all roads have now been re-opened as of 5:20 p.m.

Experts say California's in a water crisis.

Still, gallons of just that flowed into the streets of La Verne Wednesday in what looks like a water main break.

Hope the city got that cleaned up quickly.

Rosemead City Manager Oliver Chi and City Clerk Gloria Molleda are both up for 5 percent raises on Tuesday.

Chi, who currently makes $170,000, would be bumped up to $178,500 and Molleda, who makes $80,000, will make $84,000, if the council approves their raises at their evaluations on Tuesday.

"Another quality project brought to you by the Rosemead City Council."

This was found at Del Mar and Emerson.

And this one on Walnut Grove and Valley...

 

Notice how these quality projects attract graffiti?

 

We got a new look guys.....

I'm told this is the future of Leftovers whether you like it or not.

The embedded ads may take some getting used to, but generally, it's a little cleaner layout and this will give you guys more access to the homepage.

Enjoy.

Former Valley County water board director Dolores Holguin, who is being charged with one count of misuing public funds, pleaded not guilty today at Citrus Courthouse in West Covina. Her preliminary hearing is set for July 2.

Valley County is located in Baldwin Park.

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld's story today on Baldwin Park school board member Sergio Corona's arrest is full of interesting details.

Corona was Tased and arrested early Thursday morning after he allegedly smashed some windows at a Sandstone Street home. When police tried to stop him, they said Corona approached them "shirtless and sweaty."

Among the charges filed against Corona: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, being under the influence of a controlled substance, felony vandalism and driving with an expired license.

Corona's colleagues say the outburst isn't like him.

"This is completely out of character for him," said Baldwin Park Unified School District Superintendent Mark Skvarna. "He has always been very professional. It is as much of a shock to me as it is for everybody."

Really? Baumfeld reports on....

In November 2001, his driver's license was suspended after police pulled him over for suspicion of drunk driving. While criminal charges of drunk driving were dropped, his license remained suspended for six months.

Police haven't released a motive yet in the most recent incident, but school board President Jack White said it had something to do with an ex-girlfriend.

What's love got to do with it?

What do Malibu and the unincorporated area of Lennox have in common? Nothing!

Malibu is a wealthy beach community whose median income for a family was $123,293. In Lennox, which neighbors Inglewood and Los Angeles, the median income for a family was $27,991.

So, considering the disparity, how does this make sense:

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will vote on proposals that would increase garbage collection and disposal fees for single family residences in the Lennox area from $206 to $279 per year; and in Malibu from $120 to $180 per year.

When we left the office for lunch at 1:30 p.m., it was overcast. When we left the restaurant, it was pouring, streets started flooding, Tania Chatila had to wrap her cast in plastic and a girl who just received a pedicure had to figure out just how to get to her car without water touching her feet.

Save Our Community posted that Duff School is scheduled to be closed.

Duff School: Although the name sounds straight out of The Simpson's, it's not. It's a Garvey School District elementary school that will likely be closing next year due to continuing declining enrollment in Rosemead. This will be the second closure in three years, which may surprise those who keep warning of "overcrowded" schools in Rosemead. . . .

 

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld will include this in a story for the weekend detailing the number of schools that will be closed in the San Gabriel Valley.

Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez believes that his attacks on his spending were racially motivated, the Sac Bee reports.

"Everyone's done it like this," Núñez said of previous legislative leaders. "The difference is there are some in politics who want to judge me in a certain manner.

"Because of the fact I am Mexican, they think I have to sleep under a cactus and eat from taco stands."

Núñez's spending included more than $47,000 in plane fare, more than $5,000 at a wine cellar in France, and more than $2,500 for "office expenses" at Vuitton, the Los Angeles Times reported last October

Three Valleys Municipal Water District Director Brian Bowcock called district Board Member Xavier Alvarez a "disgrace" at the board's Wednesday meeting and asked him to resign, Daily Bulletin reporter Will Bigham reports today.

You'll recall Alvarez pleaded guilty to falsely claiming he won the Medal of Honor, which has touched off furor in the community and among local veterans.

As promised, Bowcock ripped Alvarez a new one and even called for recall campaign to remove Alvarez from his seat.

Alvarez' defense: "I said it," Alvarez said. "I regret it - the way that I said it."

Everybody's chatting about a sweaty, shirtless incident last night involving Baldwin Park Unified School District Board Member Sergio Corona.

You gotta love BP.

The Sac Bee does its own audit of its local cities and finds that access to public information is lacking.

A former Arcadia councilman died on Sunday, Kevin Felt reports.

ARCADIA - Four-time Arcadia Mayor Charles Gilb, who helped changed the face of the city by spearheading several key civic projects, has died, his family announced.

Gilb died Sunday at his Arcadia home from malignant melanoma. He was 83.

He had served on the City Council for 16 years, beginning in 1974.

"In Arcadia's history there have been two dynamic personalities: one was Charles Gilb and the other was Lucky Baldwin," said City Councilman Roger Chandler.

This just in from Will Bigham:

Alvarez asked to resign
Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/21/2008 02:11:14 PM PDT

CLAREMONT - A local water representative called for the resignation this morning of director Xavier Alvarez, who has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming he won the Medal of Honor.

At a meeting this morning of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, Director Brian Bowcock called Alvarez a "disgrace," read from a lengthy list of Alvarez's lies and urged Alvarez to have the "decency to resign your position."

"You are a disgrace to the district, a disgrace to south Pomona and a disgrace to the Latino people of the community," said Bowcock, who represents La Verne and Claremont. "But most of all, you have disgraced and embarrassed the servicemen and women of our country."

 

I just got these notes from reporter Brian Day, who went to the El Monte City Council meeting last night.

Word on the street was Mayor Ernest Gutierrez was going to be censured for alleged misappropriate behavior at a city-sponsored fund-raiser a few weeks ago.

Well, the censure didn't happen, but the following comments were made:

Councilwoman Patricia Wallach:

Regarding the item listed under her name regarding the city's Cinco de Mayo fund-raiser/dance, at which the mayor allegedly made some sort of offensive remarks, she said, "I wanted to put this on the agenda so that the community would not think that we are sweeping things under the rug. Normally we don't comment on things like that that are done in public comments. We do ask staff to look in to the matter, and that's exactly what happened."

Wallach then asked the City Manager, Mr. Mussenden, when the council would receive a report on the incident.

Mussenden said, "We're evaluating the event and asking questions of people who attended the fund-raiser and dance, and we will be reporting back to you."

He added that the report will hopefully be presented at the next council meeting. "That item will be in closed session," he said.

Awwwwwwwwwwww.

Councilwoman Ishigaki was the only other council person to chime in, saying she had researched rules and norms regarding censure, "Which is what I think people want us to do," she said.

The rules and norms drafted by an ad-hoc committee in 2006 state, she said, "The city council should not impose censure on any of its members for the exercise of his or her 1st Amendment rights, no matter how distasteful the expression was to the city council, to the public, or to the city... However, nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the city council from collectively condemning and expressing strong disapproval or criticism of such remarks."

"I wasn't there, and of course I'd never approve of this," Ishigaki said. "The norms and procedures protect any elected official... on 1st Amendment rights. I think we need to spend more time on El Monte burning, with sewer assessment and trash issues and budget problems and employee problems. I think that's what we were elected to do."

I think I'm going to have to start attending city functions waaaaay more often.

Will Bigham reports that Three Valley's Director Xavier Alvarez's days could be numbered on the water board.

Brian Bowcock said Alvarez's false claim that he won the Medal of Honor has embarrassed the district and bogged down staff members who continuously field calls and receive e-mails from people outraged over Alvarez's lies.

Bowcock said he will urge Alvarez to resign after reading a three- page list of what he says are Alvarez's lies at this morning's board meeting.

Looks like Foothill Ford in La Verne is the newest victim in Ford Motor Corp.'s downsizing plan.

I confirmed just a little while ago the dealership will shut down on the 31st.
That means about $100,000 yearly loss to the city. The dealership is one of La Verne's top 10 sales tax generators.

The next door Hyundai dealership that just moved in from Glendora a few months ago isn't going anywhere I'm told.

In fact, Hyundai will be expanding out when Ford leaves -- making it the last standing dealership in La Verne.

Still no word on what city officials will be doing to fill the void, but Mayor Jon Blickenstaff tells me he would just like to see a successful business there.

Wouldn't we all.

Gosh, this scenario out of Montebello Unified School District sounds oddly familiar.....

By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/19/2008 10:09:13 PM PDT

MONTEBELLO - Parents are outraged that the Laguna Nueva School principal is leaving.

Joe Hernandez will be retiring this year. He has been with the Montebello Unified School District for 19 years.

Robert Henke, district spokesman, said Hernandez submitted retirement forms and his request was approved by the board on April 3.

But some parents say the decision is politically motivated and that the principal was forced to choose between early retirement or being demoted to teacher.

"(Hernandez) not playing politics with the board," said parent Sandra Gonz lez. "They (school board) need someone who will push the traditional calendar."

More than 150 parents and students attended last week's school board meeting demanding the board reverse its decision. According to parents, a petition was given to the board asking that Hernandez remain principal.

Hernandez declined to comment on his situation Monday but did say he will be retiring.

Star-News reporter Melissa Pamer's lede says it all:

DUARTE - The city has become the latest San Gabriel Valley municipality to gamble on the uncertain future of the Gold Line extension.

Keep reading....

If you saw the paper today or visited our Web site before about 10 a.m. this morning, then I doubt you missed the story on Rosemead Councilman John Nunez' apology letter.

Jennifer McLain reports the letter, dated April 2008, was distributed to Rosemead employees with their May 8 paychecks.

It stems from a lawsuit -- settled earlier this year for $330,000 -- claiming Nunez sexually harassed a former employee.

Nunez has denied the allegations.

In the apology letter, he says he's "an affectionate person of the 'old-school.'"

Read the story here.

Check out the letter here.

I was sifting through the 460s today for Friends of Baldwin Park, a committee sponsored by Bisno Development, LLC. supporting a proposed multi-million dollar downtown development in Baldwin Park by the same company.

THE Robert Bisno himself has contributed $10,000 to the committee, a little over half of which has already been spent, documents show.

That's not including a couple grand he's donated to City Council member campaigns.

Hey, this stuff costs money right?

 

On Friday, Jennifer McLain told me about a ridiculous ad she saw on TV for a new, home pregnancy test. The tagline was somewhere along these lines: "It's the most advanced stick you'll ever pee on!"

Come Monday morning, I see this in my inbox:

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REPRODUCTIVE CENTER TO OFFER PIONEERING TEST OF A WOMAN'S BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

Plan Ahead™ Test Offers Most Accurate Measurement of a Woman's Biological Clock

Beverly Hills, CA - May 16, 2008 - Southern California Reproductive Center (SCRC) has joined forces with Repromedix Corp, the nation's leading diagnostic laboratory for fertility testing, to offer the PlanAhead™ test, a cutting edge test measuring a woman's biological clock. PlanAhead is an innovative blood test that provides a much more convenient, accurate and less costly method of assessing a woman's supply of eggs, by combining several factors such as the measurement of ovary-related hormones AMH, Inhibin B, and FSH.

The flack asked if our paper would be interested in this "ground-breaking new test."

I think not.

The skin color on a mural of Jesus Christ sparked the ire among some Biola University students and community members, Sandra Molina reports.

LA MIRADA - In the 18 years since a prominent Los Angeles muralist painted it, the 40-foot depiction of Jesus Christ on a Biola University building has sparked controversy.

Students of color say they are offended by Jesus being portrayed as white.

But what makes this story even more interesting are the heated and sometimes racist comments that follow it. For example:

Who the hell cares what the blacks, muslims and illegals don't like! Now that the blacks and muslims have a half black muslim running for prez, they are all bent out of shape about Jesus? Go f yourselves!

And:

Let's not waste our time and energy on the shade of Jesus' skin color. My guess is you can't spend several days walking in the HOT desert and still be white as snow. What's the difference if His skin color was light, dark or black? He is who He is... Where were these protesters when they took Jesus out of our schools, flag salute, etc?

Our time would be better spent lobby against SAME sex marriage, or killing babies through abortion.

Today is the last day to register to vote for the June 3rd State Primary. Registration info is available at www.lavote.net, or through the voter registration request line at (800)481-VOTE.

The county clerk's office at 12400 Imperial Highway will be open tonight until midnight.

Also, people can register and get info at the West Covina Mall, 112 Plaza Drive in West Covina. Volunteers will be there from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Interesting comment string on Melissa Pamer's story about frustrations over the Monrovia Police Officers Association's recent negoiating tactics.

Here's one example of the comments:

The real story here is the comments that have emmenated from Councilman Adams' escrow business:

- Monrovia police officers are lazy

- They're underworked security guards, worth about $15/hour

- They harrass people and write bogus tickets

- They use their guns to get money from people

-The last MPD officer to be injured on the job was hurt because he ate too many donuts at once.(Actually, Sergeant Verna was shot in the face on March 30).

Councilman Adams has not disassociated himself from the comments, nor decried them. Because, the bottom line is, Adams, like much of the council, fundamentally disrespects the work of police officers.

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. :/

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.

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.

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.

"Our crisis is real, and it is very serious," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference at the Capitol.

The centerpiece of Schwarzenegger's budget relies on a plan to make the state lottery more lucrative and thus more attractive to potential investors.

The Republican governor hopes to raise $15 billion over the next three years by selling bonds based on anticipated lottery revenue. He will use about $5.1 billion of that in the 2008-09 fiscal year to help erase the state's deficit.

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.

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."

 

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.

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.

That $2 billion industry employs about 3,385 people in full-time jobs, according to the study. That's less than the 4,500 employed by the county's mining industry, according to Jack Kyser, the chief economist of the Los Angeles Economic Development Commission.

"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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

 

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

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?

Walnut already is complaining about the Mt. SAC traffic.

Anytime after 4:30 p.m., it takes me 20 to 30 minutes to get from Valley Boulevard to the 60 Freeway; normally, it only takes me 6 minutes.

From Brea to the 60, anytime after 3p.m., it's a good 40 minutes and normally it's only 10 minutes.

Who will pay for the repairs of our roads? Of course, us! Not the rich one who is putting in this stadium!

Have you ever tried to get north or south on the 57 Freeway when the Angel Stadium or the Honda Center, where the Ducks play, are having an event? This is a very bad idea!

Jean Jernigan
Walnut

 

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.

In a special meeting Monday, the Community Development Commission voted 3-2 to solicit interest from developers who previously submitted proposals for the Hacienda Boulevard project, essentially stalling talks with the Charles Co. for the same development.

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?

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.

Aurora Jackson, 37, will be the transportation director overseeing an operating budget of $22 million and 170 employees - the city's largest department.

"She has all the tools to be an excellent director," said City Administrator Richard Torres. "We have been without a permanent leader for a long time."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There are some fighting words in Fred Ortega's article about the open Senate seat in the 29th District. State Sen. Bob Margett is vacating the seat, and now Bob Huff and Dennis Mountjoy are going to duke it out to represent the convservative district.

"Bob Huff has no name ID and Margett's endorsement doesn't mean much," said Mountjoy, whose father served in the Assembly from 1978 to 1995 and authored Proposition 187, the controversial measure that would have denied state services to illegal aliens. "The Mountjoy name has been on the ballot for 30 years and is still good and strong. It stands for principle."

Interesting article by Dan Abendschein about the lack of info out there on county judges who are elected to the bench. I'm sure that if Judge Judy were to run, she'd win hands down.

County judges have the power to sentence criminals, settle contentious civil disputes and decide the legality of local ordinances.

Choosing who gets to make these important decisions rests with voters.

But local bar association officials, judicial candidates and sitting judges agree that residents often know very little about the people they choose.

"Judges can have more impact on people then their local legislator," said Brent Braun, who evaluates judicial candidates as part of a committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. "Yet many people choose the person on the ballot because they like their name or because they only want to vote for a prosecutor or for some other arbitrary reason."

I sure hope everyone's weeked was better than that of this woman, who was attacked in the face by a pelican.

This from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

Montebello appears to have a pretty full agenda for Wednesday. Here is some of what the City Council will discuss:

-An ordinance to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.

-Possibly adopt Robert's Rules of Orders. The council had a special study session on this item in March. The only member who verbally disapproved of adopting the rules was Mayor Bill Molinari who does not see the need for "another layer of bureaucracy."

-They may decide to construct a Fire Department Training Center in the city.

Meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1600 Beverly Blvd.

Here are the agenda highlights for Rosemead's City Council meeting on Tuesday.

---The city is purchasing four hybrid cars at $150,000 with AB 2766 funds - implemented to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles.

----Go out to bid for companies that can get documents online. The council earlier this year approved $58,000 to purchase an electronic document management system.

----Change how the city prepares its minutes, and consider providing DVDs to the public. The city currently sells audio tapes at $5 each.

----The city will vote on appproving a $10,000 reward to people who have information on a murders that have occurred in the city.

----In closed session, there is a conference with labor negoitations with the Rosemead Employee Association.

Talk about a bad week for local politicians.

Between Dolores Holguin, Steven Johnson and now Gary Clifford from Glendora, SGV officials are getting slammed.

GLENDORA - Two young Glendora women arrested last year for putting stickers on the political signs of Glendora elected leaders can take their lawsuit against Councilman Gary Clifford to trial, a judge ruled today.

However, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry Green said that, from his perspective, the lawsuit involves "small town politics" and "a campaign prank" and should never go before a jury.

(...)

Keleigh Marshall and Christina Giammalva, both 19, filed the suit against Clifford in May 2007, alleging false arrest and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The stickers the women placed on the signs on Feb. 19, 2007, read, "This sign violates Glendora city ordinance," a reference to Glendora's law prohibiting campaign signs on public property.

They were confronted by Clifford, who was among those running for re-election and was eventually successful in holding his seat, according to the women.

(...)

The women maintain they were handcuffed by the side of the road and taken to the station in separate patrol cars. They said they were booked, searched and kept in jail for four hours, interrogated separately and not allowed to talk to their parents and lawyers.

What I don't: the judge apparently said he did not think the case should ever go before a jury. But he ruled to let it go to trial anyway.

Go figure.

I want to scream. It's Friday, Rosemead City Hall is closed, and it is impossible for me to get the supplemental information for the agenda. I have to wait until Monday, which means that the stories have to wait until Tuesday.

Almost every other city in the SGV post the staff reports online, although there are other only cities that don't it, like Industry and Montebello (both of which aren't exactly pillars of open government ). La Verne also doesn't post it. I wonder what their excuse is. After all, Rich McKee, champion for open government, is a planning commissioner for the city.

But alas! I can see the light. On Tuesday, Rosemead is starting the steps to getting documents online. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't get access to the staff report!!

Don't mess with politicians and their golf courses.

Star-News reporter Kevin Felt wrote a story in today's paper about the future of the Arcadia Par-3 Golf Course.

Apparently, Kare Youth League wants to buy a sliver of the 18-hole, 1,947-yard-long course - 9/10ths of an acre at the edge of the property. Problem is, it would involve moving one hole.

Here's what the council had to say about that:

"I would never be interested in selling any portion at a fair price," said Councilman Roger Chandler, who described himself as an avid user of the course. "I would only be interested if we sold it for an extraordinary price. You can only sell this land once, then it's gone forever."

In January, Councilman Peter Amundson noted a city formula that estimated the value of Arcadia's park at about $500,000 an acre. But Chandler said Tuesday that he didn't think $1 million for the land would be enough.

More than $1 million for 9/10ths of an acre? Sounds like John Martin, Kare executive director, could be willing to pay it.

"We are very interested, no matter how many candy-bar sales it takes," said Martin, noting that Kare provides recreational opportunities for 600 children at its facility. "I have to believe there is a way to bring this all together to help all parties involved."

Are you serious? The man who Mayor Antiono Villaraigosa wants to nominate as the finance director is requesting a $290,000 salary, which is $70,000 more than the outgoing CAO is getting. The increase comes at a time when the city is dealing with a $406 million budget shortfall, the Daily News reports.

It's amazing to me that as we all deal with a crappy enonomy and many of us can barely finagle a minimal cost of living adjustment that our governmental officials are generously giving themselves raises on our dime.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's nominee to oversee Los Angeles' finances is facing growing opposition from the City Council over his lobbyist connections and his request for a $290,000 salary - far higher than the pay of the current city administrative officer.

The mayor nominated his former chief deputy, Marcus Allen, in March and since then Allen has been meeting with council members to lay out his plans for the post and discuss his salary request, which is $70,000 more than the salary of outgoing CAO Karen Sisson.

The pay request comes even as the city faces a $406 million budget shortfall and would make Allen the fourth-highest-paid official in the city - making even more than the mayor.

The mayor also has the option to give general managers a 5 percent merit bonus that could boost Allen's pay to $305,000 a year.

Melissa Pamer reports that Monterey Park developer Jason Chung has a laundry list of things to do to get his condo project up and running.

MONTEREY PARK - A developer who wants to build luxury condominiums along a busy, commercial stretch of Atlantic Boulevard plans to go into overdrive marketing his project to investors in time to meet a new, city-imposed January construction deadline.

Jason Chung has a lot to accomplish before then - including raising the necessary cash, getting approval for his building plan, demolishing the property's existing structure and grading the lot.

"You think he's going to be able to get all that done in seven months? I don't think so," city Director of Development Services Adolfo Reta said Thursday.

On Wednesday, Monterey Park City Council members approved a permit extension for Chung on a 3-2 vote that followed two hours of heated debate and public comment.

 I had a chance to talk to Baldwin Park Chief Executive Officer Vijay Singhal earlier, and he informed me Lili Hadsell was appointed police chief last night.

Because she is already with the department, it works like a promotion so no contracts needed for approval. A new agreement will be drafted, but that's it, she's the big cheese now.

Officials say she'll be making $155,00 a year - $15,000 more than former Police Chief Edward Lopez did.

Sierra Madre Police Chief Marilyn Diaz - who worked with Hadsell when they were both at the Pasadena Police Dept - told me Hadsell is the second female chief of police in the SGV, and the third in LA County.

Diaz was first in the SGV and county, and Inglewood Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks was the second in the county.

Talk about girl power.

 

Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, has a new $200,000 gig lined up once he terms out of office by the end of the year, the Associated Press reports.

SACRAMENTO -- State Sen. Jack Scott of Pasadena has been named the next chancellor of California's community colleges.
The Board of Governors for the 109-campus system voted unanimously for Scott on Thursday.

Scott, a Democrat and former teacher, is chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Before he was elected, he served as president of Pasadena City College for nearly a decade. The 74-year-old will be termed out of office at the end of the year. He says he is thrilled to take on the new role, where he will continue to push for more funding for education.

The chancellor's position pays nearly $200,000 a year and includes a state-paid car. Scott replaces interim Chancellor Diane Woodruff.

On the way back from Taco Nazo in Baldwin Park, Tania Chatila and I spotted these rims for sale. For whatever reason, when we saw it we both cracked up.

Who locks their rims around a tree and puts them up for sale? And where is the fourth rim?? What am I going to do with three rims?

But I can understand why this would be a better alternative than Craigslist.

In case your curious, the rims are $500 bucks.  

It's never a dull moment in Baldwin Park.

Looks like contract negotiations with El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva for Baldwin Park's police chief position have fallen through. Sources tell me he was just asking for too much (apparently a lieutenant in El Monte can make more and get better benefits than a chief in Baldwin Park).

So whose next in line? BP's interim Police Chief Michael Taylor? Think again. It's BP's interim Capt. Lili Hadsell, who was a lieutenant before former Police Chief Edward Lopez left.

Hadsell did not turn in an application for the job when the city was soliciting candidates. Mayor Manuel Lozano told me she wanted to, but thought she didn't think she met the criteria.

Her contract is still pending approval, but Lozano said he's confident it'll go through this time.

If it's affirmed, Hadsell would be the first female chief in BPPD's history.

 

 

 

El Monte resident Henry August called El Monte Mayor Ernest Gutierrez an "embarassment" for the mayor's actions at a recent sister city event. August, who spoke at the El Monte City Council meeting this week, lambasted the Mayor for showing up at the event drunk, groping his girlfriend on the dance floor, and using "very bad language."

Apparently, the mayor asked a group of women from the sister city what he could do for them. The ladies said they wanted a graffiti cleaning machine. The mayor's response, according to August: "I f***ing control the city. I can do whatever I fell like doing."

After August spoke, no council members or staff followed up on his comments. And from what reporter Claudia Palma tells me, there aren't any plans to talk about it either.

To watch the video, go to http://webmail.medianewsgroup.com/express/express.asp and click on the 5/6/08 meeting's video. It's about 43 minutes into the meeting.

I finally checked out Big League Dreams last night with my softball team. It is awesome! Batting cages were cheap ($1 for 18 balls), it's really clean, it's safe and the fields are beautiful. Plus, it was totally packed. All the fields had teams playing on it, there were indoor soccer teams playing, kids running around the playgrounds, and people boozing it up in the snack shacks. Who would've thought this is a former landfill?!

It costs $3 to get in, but you get a $2 token that you could use in the snack shacks - which aren't shacks at all.

And in case you forgot which council members were responsible for bringing the Big League Dreams to the community, there is a plaque proudly displaying the names of the councilmembers and the city manager. I can't blame them. This is probably the best thing West Covina's got going for it. That, and this is the city where the Tribune is headquartered.

Melissa Pamer reports on the ongoing negotiations between Monrovia and its police department, which has recently stepped up its tactics by threatening a recall election and by putting up billboards.

On Monday, police launched a telephone poll to gauge voter enthusiasm for recalling three City Council members. On Wednesday, the union began two police-supported ballot initiative petition drives. And on Friday, two billboards critical of the City Council and city manager - and paid for by the police union - went up just outside Monrovia.

Also, the union Thursday appealed an April 23 decision by a Pasadena Superior Court judge denying its request for a neutral arbitrator to help forge a new contract.

City Manager Scott Ochoa, whose own compensation package has come under fire from the MPOA, called the recent actions "publicity stunts" that would not influence city officials. However, he said the tactics had made negotiations "distasteful."

The District Attorney's office has filed a criminal charge against City Coucilman Steven Johnson, accusing him of a conflict of interest on a vote he cast in January.

The misdemeanor count was filed in Pomona Superior Court late Tuesday and it stems from a January 16 council meeting in which Johnson voted to approve a University of La Verne expansion despite being advised by the city attorney to recuse himself based on a potential financial conflict.

Johnson co-owns a 3,500-square-foot property along Arrow Highway, on which he operates an insurance business.

Because the business is located within 500 feet from the campus, state law presumes voting is a conflict

Johnson didn't return my calls Wednesday, but he's said before he doesn't think the project will affect his property value.

Johnson's arraignment is scheduled for May 29, and he faces up to six months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Ouch...

The arraignment was postponed today for the charge against former Valley County Water Director Dolores Holguin, who is being charged with one count of misusing public funds.

If convincted, she faces a maximum of four years in prison and will be prevented from ever serving public office again.

Her arraignment date is rescheduled for May 23 at Citrus Court in West Covina.

The city of Vallejo is going to declare bankruptcy, the Associated Press reports. The city's horrible financial woes are due to generous pensions and salaries given to the firefighters and police officers. Those funds make up between 75 and 80 percent of the city's general fund.

It's a little scary knowing that cities could actually declare bankruptcy. The story states that immediate impacts that residents will see are that potholes won't be filled or that more detectives won't be added to the force. Yeah, like that's the worst it. I wonder what the long term effects will be on the city and its residents.

Here's part of the story:

Vallejo is set to become the largest California city to declare bankruptcy after leaders voted in favor of the solution to its spiraling budget crisis.

The city council voted unanimously Tuesday night following hours of public comment and months of failed negotiations with police, fire and other unions.

City Manager Joseph Tanner and the city's finance director had advised filing for bankruptcy before its fiscal year ends on June 30 because Vallejo faces a projected budget deficit of $16 million and has no money in its reserves.

The San Francisco suburb of 117,000 people also is expected to generate $5 million less in revenue than projected because retail sales and property values are down amid an economic slowdown and slumping real estate market, according to a report issued by Tanner.

Many officials and residents attribute Vallejo's fiscal troubles to overly generous pay and benefits to the city's police and firefighters. The salaries for police and firefighters currently take up 75 to 80 percent of the city's general fund.

Read more

What every city council should be focusing its time on: Roosters. The Los Angeles City Council is taking on the issue of limiting one rooster per property because the birds are noisy, dirty and used in animal fights, City News Service reports.

Los Angeles Seeks Limits on Roosters

By ALICE WALTON

City News Service

LOS ANGELES - Concerned that roosters are noisy, dirty and often used in animal fights, the Los Angeles City Council today discussed a plan to restrict ownership of the birds to one per property.

The city's Animal Cruelty Task Force was instructed to report back in 30 days on the
ramifications of limiting possession of roosters, but not chickens.

Neighbors complain that roosters can be noisy and create sanitation issues, and Animal
Services officials warn that in many cases, roosters are used for cock-fighting.

"Animal Services has told me they receive 50 complaints a day about roosters," said City
Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

I wonder how the number of complaint calls compare to, say, graffiti.

Baldwin Park officials have been taking a lot of measures lately to get rid of blight and clean up the city's image.

You may remember an ordinance passed earlier this year requiring all business that offer shopping carts to customers to install a cart containment system to keep abandoned carts off city streets.

Then there was the ban on all new check-cashing businesses and payday loan centers. The city is hoping to eventually phase them all out over time.

Now, the city is cracking down on garage sales. Here's a list of strict guidelines the City Council will consider imposing tonight:

1. Garage sales shall be limited to the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

2. No garage sale shall be conducted, and no goods or merchandise sold or offered at any garage sale shall be displayed on any public sidewalk, parkway, alley or street

3. Goods and merchandise sold or offered at any garage sale shall not be displayed before 7 a.m. and shall be completely removed from the premises by 4 p.m.

BP laying down the law....

Read the entire staff report here.

There are several interesting closed session items slated for tonight's Baldwin Park City Council meeting. They may peak your interest as much as they peaked mine:

RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL

A)CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATOR (GC §54957.6)
Agency Negotiators: Vijay Singhal, Chief Executive Officer; Richard Kreisler and other representatives as designated
Employee Organizations: SEIU, Clerical; Professional and Technical Employees; Police Management Employees; Confidential Employees; Baldwin Park Police Officer's Association and General Management Employees
****Months after heated contract negotiations with BP police officers ended on a somewhat sour note, the city and police are at it again. Wonder how many rounds this bout will go for?

B)CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR (GC §54956.8)
Property: 3200 Puente Avenue City Negotiators: Vijay Singhal and Joseph Pannone Negotiating party: Home Depot Legal Department Under negotiation: Terms and conditions of a lease of real property
*************Hmmm, the city negotiating with Home Depot over a lease property? My gut tells me this is related to a day laborer center on the Home Depot lot.

D)PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT (GC §54957)
Title: Chief of Police
**************This looks like a status update on contract negotiations with El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva for police chief, which I hear may be hitting a snag over salary figures.

I just got word La Puente officials have settled with property owner Victor Gudzunas, who owns a prime piece of Hacienda Boulevard the city's been eyeing for over a year.

The city has been in eminent domain proceedings for the land since last summer, and it seemed all was lost a few weeks ago when the city refused to budge from its $6 million offer, and Gudzunas from his $6.5 million demand.

A trial seemed eminent.

But it looks like all that changed this morning. I don't have all the details yet, but I'll post them as soon as I know.

**********Looks like the settlement price was $6 million - an offer Gudzunas initially refused about two weeks ago.

It's City Clerk Week in Baldwin Park, or at least it will be after the City Council officially proclaims it so at tonight's meeting.

Speaking of which, La Puente has finally filled its City Clerk position. Amy Turner started about the beginning of April, and word on the street is she's doing pretty good so far.

Hopefully, she'll stick around longer than the former city clerk, who lasted about three months.

Former Valley County Water director Dolores Holguin is facing one count of miuse of public funds. She is going to appear in court Wednesday morning in West Covina. I don't know the details of the charge yet, but she was previously sued by Valley County for allegedly inappropriately billing the district for $15,000 worth of meals, health care and cell phone charges. That lawsuit was settled last month. Look for story tomorrow.

I got a call from one Rosemead resident who said that she spotted a Vietnamese flag flying side-by-side an American flag on Valley Boulevard in Rosemead. Apparently, the flags have created quite a stir, and several residents have complained. I haven't had a chance to make any calls yet to see if this is a story or not. Have you seen the flags? Were you irritated?

Interesting use of CDBG funds....

Hello All,

Does your City currently use CDBG funds to pay for parking enforcement
services that enforce streetsweeping parking restrictions in low/moderate
income census blocks? Any information on this is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Lillian Ayala
City of La Puente

Then again, this could be leftover money.

It seems a 4-1 divide within the La Puente City Council is getting deeper.

Councilwoman Lola Storing is accusing her colleagues of putting the city in jeopardy over a closed session meeting held last month.

Storing said she walked out of the April 22 meeting after City Attorney James Casso, City Manager Carol Cowley and Assistant City Manager Gregg Yamachika were asked to leave first.

She claims Mayor Louie Lujan asked the top execs and legal counsel "point blank" to leave the room. Councilman Dan Holloway said Lujan did want to discuss the items "as a council" only.

But Lujan said he never asked anyone to leave. "I asked the City Council if they were willing to discuss the item in closed session as a council only," he said.

Looks like everyone agreed except for Storing who didn't want to be back there without an attorney.

Smart move, according to Douglas Johnson, a fellow with the Rose Institute of State and Local Government who said he was "flabbergasted" (I know I must have butchered that word) after I explained the scenario. "It's not illegal, but it's risky," he said.

Look for the story in Wednesday's paper.

It's been a while since my last post - I've been out of the office for a couple days thanks to a broken left wrist.

It happened a week ago in a car wreck. Not fun to say the least.

I've got a full-arm cast on that reaches to about my left shoulder. Luckily I'm right-handed, but that doen't mean typing isn't difficult.

With only five functional fingers, blogging over the next four weeks should be a lot of fun. (Are you sensing my sarcasm?)

This week on the agenda for the Board of Supervisors is the approval to recognize a week or the month of May as:

1. "Nurse Recognition Week""
2. "Building Safety Week"
3. "Asian Pacific American Heritage Month"
4. "Foster Care Awareness Month"
5. "Mental Health Awareness Month"
6. "Motorcycle Awareness Month"
7. " AG DAY LA"

I didn't spot the "Come Into Work Late and Leave Early Month." Maybe I'll request that for the month of June.

I spotted this in my email today from the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich. It states that welfare costs for illegal immigration in LA County was over $36 million in March, which is projcted to be at $432 million for the year.

I wonder whether the supervisor will be at any Cinco de Mayo events today?

WELFARE COSTS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN
L.A. COUNTY OVER $36 MILLION IN MARCH

LOS ANGELES COUNTY - According to new data from the Department of Public Social Services, nearly twenty five percent of Los Angeles County's welfare and food stamp benefits goes directly to the children of illegal aliens, at a cost of $36 million a month -- for a projected annual cost of $432 million.

"The total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers far exceeds $1 billion a year - not including the millions of dollars for education," said Antonovich. "With $220 million for public safety, $400 million for healthcare, and $432 million in welfare allocations, illegal immigration continues to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County taxpayers."

In March, illegals collected over $19 million in welfare assistance and over $16 million in food stamp allocations.

Woohooo! It works!!! So many things to share with you guys! Expect more blogging... :)

I've tried to post blogs all week, but the site has been down. Sorry for the confusion. I doubt that this post will even make it, but we'll give it a try.