Budget cuts in El Monte

i know alot of employees were upset but it seems that by the end of the meeting evryone was trying to work together. everyone seemed like they were try not to cut jobs if they could. the tax idea did not sound too bad either.

things are really bad right now but i feel very sorry for the employees who might get laid off.

things are really bad right now but i feel very sorry for the employees who might get laid off.

Public agencies only have a few options when it comes to deficits of that size: lay offs, raise taxes, or cutting non-essential services. We're not talking about a private enterprise that has a myriad of options. Cities aren't run "for profit" so it's not like they can temporarily cut dividends to stock holders. This isn't exactly news, nor is it rocket science.

They need to stop giving pay raises and golden retirement packages to the El Monte Police. Just look over the last couple of budgetted lines for the EMPD and you will see the significant hikes. Totally unreasonable, even for El Monte. No one on the city council really pays attention to the citys budget. Spend today, worry tommow. Or in this case next fiscal year. The mayor and the other three just wished it and Mussenden rubbed the magic lamp that Moseley has in his briefcase. Sounds silly, but that is how it was done for those four. Now we all can see what their wasteful spending has done to our city. We will pay dearly for their stupit mistakes in taxes. Like the cost of food and gas is not enough. Get real.
Like always, Emily just likes to grand stand. "Poor pitiful Emily." She thinks that it is always about her. Not the city. She looks for programs that are really good for the city and then begins her little song and dance. What a idiot. She is a true actress, in the worst way. She dosen't know any better. She is just not a smart polician. She thinks with her gut. Gruntting most of the time. She needs to go.
Ciities are run just like a big business. Incoming funds and out going expenses. To work with in your aloted budgetted funds. You put some money away for the unforeseen future.You work within those simple rules. Just like running your home expenses. But on a bigger scale. Yes, it is truly not rocket science. But when you have a mayor and council that can't balance their own check book, what do you expect.
YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTED FOR!!!

Mr. Hernandez, i do think that the city needs to have more responsiblity on spending but i do not think that your type of empty headed anger solves anything. you can go ahead and start playing politics, the rest of us are going to try to work on problems and make the city better. i can tell you I will not vote for anyone who continues to look at this problem and use it as an excuse to grand stand politically. I will vote for those people who offer solutions and who put el monte before politics. I was very please with Art and Jay Gomez. it looks like they really want to do something good for the city.

This post was edited overnight. Last night you had a quote from a city employee who claims the budget was delayed because of someone threatening to shoot people in finance. i am glad you had the good sense to pull that quote. the person you quoted is completely distorting the truth. first, the incident she is referring to happend almost 2 years ago and the guy she is talking about did not threaten anyone. He was just venting to someone else about how badly he had been treated over the years by the person you quoted and her friends. He NEVER said he wanted to hurt anyone. I am glad you finally showed some taste in the quotes you put up. If you want to continue taking quotes from this person you might want to consider her motives.

I will agree with you on Jay and Art. They do come up with some decent ideas at times. But not always. That is why we are in the mess that we are in. Remember just count to three. That are all the votes that are needed to pass or deny a agenda item, expense or budget.I have lived here in El Monte all my life as did my parents and grand parents. My children and grand children are also part of this city. We are very proud residents. But I have had it with the nonsense that Gutierrez and Ishigaki play out daily. They make our city look bad. The spending is out of controll. The mayor and council approve or deny the amounts paid out. It takes all five to support or not support an idea, expense or what have you. I have paid close attention on what they all say and how they vote. Some say one thing come election time yet do another once elected to office. Actions do really speak ouder than words in El Monte...especially at city hall.

I was at the meeting. It was supposed to be a budget workshop. That meeting was not a workshop. An actual budget workshop would have allowed for some type of dialogue. The City Council and City Manager want you to believe they are open to ideas but they are not. I believe the City Manager should take a pay cut or resign. He has failed in no small way to manage the city. He has not earned his salary, his car allowance or any of the other perks. There are going to be layoffs and forced retirments. City employees that earn a fraction of his salary are going to lose jobs. However, he will continue to receive an obscenely large paycheck for doing very little (other than firing people) until he retires. Why wasn't El Monte better prepared for a revenue shortfall?

I do not think anyone should focus blame on the Police Department. A budget is not rocket science. The problem is that the Mayor, the City Council, City Manager and Finance Department are not competent. It is very clear that they are all more familiar with politics and perks of office than policy and fiscal discipline.

I am worried about the millions of dollars the city is going to spend on the Transit Village project. All real estate development is risky. This project has tremendous potential to transform the city. Yet, City Hall East does very little to inspire any confidence in their leadership, vision and professional expertise.

Employees are concerned about losing their jobs, there is talk of tax increases, and cutting city services, but all one council member gets worked up about is the Holiday House and the Children's day parade. For heaven sakes woman, increasing taxes means less money the citizens have to spend to put food on the table and a roof over their heads and you are worried about cutting out a parade and the Holiday House. Get your priorities straight! Wait a minute....does your daughter work on either of those projects??????

Come on people, this problem is not completely the councils fault. They can only make decisions based on the information they are given by the City Mangler and the, um, Deputy City Mangler for Finance and the council is being taken for a ride by those two. Some of those dollar amounts just don't look right. And the Finance Mangler claims that she needed to hire another assistant to help her with the budget then why are we just seeing the budget for the first time on July 2nd? Maybe she should hire a 3rd assistant. And deleted quote, i did notice that something was missing from the original posting,if something like that did happen a city hall (which i hope it didn't) shouldn't there be a police report to back that up?

Emily only cares about parades and fun houses. She lives in LaLa Land. She could care less about anyone at city hall. Yet her daughter will keep her job, medical, dental, vision a a great retirement package. She comes first on Emily's Own Agenda. Remember her moto, "Let them eat bread." How can that possiblt be if Emily makes sure that she sucks up the bread crums. She is a self centered, arrogant, stupit jerk. She can not make a reasonable decision if her sorry excuse for a life depended on it. Just look and listen to her. She rumbles on and on like a idiot. She has to be recalled. Three more years of this broad is way too many. By then she would of consumed the entire city. GODZILLA LIVES IN EL MONTE. RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!
Emily do usall a favor. Get out. You are pathetic.

Why does Mator Gutierrez, Gomez, Barrios and Ishigaki want to have the residents pay through the nose for a mistake that they overlooked years ago. They knew good and well that the city had financial problems. They have the final say on what is approved. By taxing us that will not solve the cities defecit at all. The more money that comes into the city the more that they spend and spend. It creates more financial opportunities for them to attack. They are not very smart on knowing how to handle money. It is not theirs to spend. But they sure act like it is. The city mangler holds his accounting staff accountable. That is why he gets paid the big bucks. He has no formal education in running a city. But he was the only "yes man" avaliable. That is why the city of El Monte is in a financial disaster. The black hole keeps getting deeper and deeper. Ernie and his 3 amigos are at the bottom of the pit from hell.

None of this belly aching and finger pointing is going to do anything to solve the cities budget problem. Dedicating ourselves to a solution will. Taking lots to see who is "more to blame" and "who should be thrown overboard" won't save anyone's job; won't make the defecit go away; and won't to squat. Staff made recommedations on cuts and recommendations for revenue. They also make recommendations for making sure reserves are built up. Listing all the people you think shoud be got rid of is a waste of time. The person who replaces them is just going to have to do the same things being recommended right now anyway. The only difference is that we will have wasted a whole year fighting with each other instead of using that time to start making this right. Stop being jerks and start being leaders ALL OF YOU - POLITICANS, RESIDENTS, EMPLOYEES...EVERYBODY.

Dear Better Face Reality: You seem to know or at least claim to know alot about the finance department. you also seem to be pretty bitter towards the finance manager. she is one of the few people who is actually trying to fix things. I remeber the rest of you witches in finance and what back-stabbing crones you all were. Talk about incompetent. they had to hire someone to help the current finance manager because you lazy doing nothings were doing just that: NOTHING. You back stabbed the last finance manager and now you will do the same with the new finance manager and the next one after her. If there are lay-off, and I really hope there are not, i hope the first pink slip goes to you.

The finance director always get the blame no matter what. Good, bad or indifferent! However it is still the city managers responsibility to meet with the director and staff to see where the city is at financially. Mussenden is the one that should be held responsible. He takes no part to find a common ground and solution to help fix the cities deficiet. He doesn't know what to do or even begin to understand what is happening to this years city budget of 08-09 in El Monte. When will El Monte get a city manager that will bring the city council together?
Jim Mussenden seems to help fuel the fire between the entire city council. He is not a problem slover. He can't even control his own city staff to do right by the city council. He is out of touch with them all. They are intimidated by him and don't really care for him at all. They have to put up with him or loose their jobs. He needs classes in "How to Respect and Help City Employees." Not who should I fire next because they made a mistake. Watch and listen to what he says and how he handles himself. Nervous and unsure!

The residents in El Monte were told we would lose essential police services if measure P was turned down. The citizens said "NO" to more taxes. Suddenly an error in the finance dept. was discovered and a band aid was put in place...the police even managed to purchase a new helicopter. Consultants were hired for work that the high paid city staff isn't capable of performing. Spending went on, like there was no end to the money.

"No" on measure P should have been a clear message to the council that the citizens were tired of business as usual and wanted some changes made. It didn't happen. Now we are in a more serious mess than before. As expensive as elections are....maybe the most economical thing to do would be to get rid of the folks that are spending the money. By the way...the food in the back room before council meetings for staff and council...do you potluck or are the taxpayers footing the bill????? In case you haven't noticed, those are not money trees in the city hall parking lot.

It would be a shame if the only thing accomplished over the next few months and the next year was continued infighting between council members, city employees, management and residents. PEOPLE, any person who replaces the list of people who you believe should be replaced will only have to make the same TOUGHT decisions that we as a city are not confronting NOW. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WILL BE THAT WE WASTED ANOTHER VALUABLE YEAR (MORE TIME WE DON'T HAVE) FIGHTING WITH EACHOTHER. THE ONLY ONE WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS IS THIS NEWSPAPER WHO JUST LOVES TO WHAT A CITY LIKE OURS SELF-DESTRUCT SO THAT THERE READERS IN WEST COVINA AND ELSWHERE CAN LAUGH AT US. Is there blame to go around? MAYBE. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO FIGHT OURSELVES, HOWEVER. NOW IS THE TIME TO WORK TOGETHER AND GET THINGS BACK ON TRACK. WE ARE BETTER PEOPLE THAN THAT.

The scare tactics that were used on measue "P" were drastic. They were suppose to make people become afraid. No one in their right mind wants to loose police services. But they went overboard. The over spending that took place did not matter to Ken Weldon. He had to have it all no matter what. He could care less if the residents had to flip the bill. Fixed incomes or not. High cost of gas and food, people losing their homes. If you don't have the money you don't buy anything, give raises, hire more staff, etc. It simply doesn't work that way. Since Gutierrez, Ishigaki, Gomez and Barrios were backed financially by the ELPD, they were bought and owed big time. Now look at the kaos and deficit in the city. It all stems back to corruption and pay backs at city hall.

Try telling the people who are about to loose their jobs just that.Tell the bill collectors. I'm sure they don't care about money problems in El Monte, especially at city hall. They mayor and his three amigos havenot been fiscally responsible at all. Broken promises with no substance what's so ever. That is what the city of El Monte got with those pack of wolves.

I found out the police chief is retiring in Nov. on $200,000.00 a year is this true?

NO WONDER EL MONTE IS IN A DEFICIT. THEY OWE THE BIG CHEESE. THEY WILL PROBABLY SPEND BIG BUCKS ON HIS RETIREMENT PARY. ADD THAT TO THE CITIES DOWN FALL.

Is it true that Ken Weldon got a brand new Mercedes van? Will he be able to fill up his big luxary gas tank at city hall? The same gas pump that the El Monte Police and city cars fill up their cars and trucks on? Is it right that the residents of El Monte pay for him to drive around in his expensive car and flip for the cost of gas? We all know how expensive gas is. Where does he get off? Can the Tribune please check on this asap.

No, it is a Cadillac SUV. Lots of gas. Lots of mula.
Is Weldon's $200,000 retirement plugged in for the next hundred years? We don't want him to miss a car payment. So what if the city will be in the RED again. The mayor doesn't give a hoot. Just keep the beer a comin for him, Jim, Clarke, Ken and food for Emily.

Mayor Gutterrez and Council Members, Gomez and Barrios and Mussenden will be going to a fancy city paid resort in Ranch Bernardo. Does the city pay for their spouses, girlfriends or significant others.I would like to see their expenses. Room, food, drinks,registration, liquor tab, room charges, their daily stipend, gas expensees, etc.,etc.
That is where you will find interesting expenses.
All expenses paid by the over taxed residents of El Monte...and I do mean residents. I do mean...us.

Next meeting I'll bring that up.

http://www.savecityofelmonteservices.com/

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.....

If you believe that sacrifices SHOULD BE SHARED....

If you believe that the El Monte PD should behave like the Redlands PD and share in the sacrifice.....

Then come to the City Council meeting this coming tuesday....

March 3, 2009. Get there at 6:30 or sooner before the PD takes up all the seats.

February 28, 2009 12:47 AM

I don't care for the politics in our city. It is pretty bad when our Police only care about their pay and not our safety. They should of tried to make a deal with the council. They know better. We count on them for everything. I think that the city council should get the Sheriff's Department in our city. They would do much better than the mean police that we have. I saw Sheriff Baca's press conference on T.V. Their crimes are down in the cities that they work in.
That is the kind of Sheriff and protection that we desperately need in El Monte.

The budget in El Monte will get worst. The Police only are about them selves. That is ashame. They should of worked with the council. Maybe it is best to go with the LA County Sheriff. We could save a lot of money in the long run. Things will only get worst with the El Monte Police.

The budget in El Monte will get worst. The Police only are about them selves. That is ashame. They should of worked with the council. Maybe it is best to go with the LA County Sheriff. We could save a lot of money in the long run. Things will only get worst with the El Monte Police.

MARCH 3rd at 6:30 p.m.

CITY HALL 11333 Valley Boulevard, El Monte, CA

CITY COUNCIL BUDGET MEETING

BE THERE.

EL MONTE BUDGET

Sacrifice MUST be shared.

The residents of El Monte have sacrificed in their own lives and by agreeing to pay MORE in taxes....

SEIU and Civilian Mid-Managers have sacrificed by agreeing to 10% pay cuts....

The Police in Redlands sacrificed rather than playing games with their cities budget process....

SACRIFICE MUST BE SHARED. IF YOU BELIEVE THIS THEN COME TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING THIS TUESDAY AT 6:30.
City Hall, 11333 Valley Boulevard, El Monte, CA

http://www.savecityofelmonteservices.com/

EL MONTE BUDGET MEETING TOMMOROW

City Hall 11333 Valley Boulevard
at 6:30 p.m.

I noticed Ernie Gutierrez is running, again, for Mayor.

In his bid for reelection he states that he accomplished reducing crime and made El Monte safer and CLEANER. If he wants to make El Monte CLEANER why doesn't he start with his own personal residence. (Not sure if he still owns it, maybe, his former wife got it in the settlement.) Regardless, he has preached for years for a cleaner El Monte and all the while his property was discusting; a real pig sty! That's right, drive by and see for yourself.

But, could Code Enforcement write his up? Oh no, hands off. He was untouchable. What a hipocrite! Hey Gutierrez, why don't you practice what you preach. Grab a lawnmower, a rake and a paint brush.

I noticed Ernie Gutierrez is running, again, for Mayor.

In his bid for reelection he states that he accomplished reducing crime and made El Monte safer and CLEANER. If he wants to make El Monte CLEANER why doesn't he start with his own personal residence. (Not sure if he still owns it, maybe, his former wife got it in the settlement.) Regardless, he has preached for years for a cleaner El Monte and all the while his property was discusting; a real pig sty! That's right, drive by and see for yourself.

But, could Code Enforcement write his up? Oh no, hands off. He was untouchable. What a hipocrite! Hey Gutierrez, why don't you practice what you preach. Grab a lawnmower, a rake and a paint brush.