September 2008 Archives
Records are starting to pour in for a request to look at all local agencies that currently employ or have once employed Del Terra, a construction management company that has or has had contracts with five San Gabriel Valley school districts and two cities.
Recently, Del Terra's owner Luis Rojas tried to negotiate a deal on behalf of his sister's company, Alliance Services Group, in La Puente, but that failed. Rosemead hired Del Terra more than a year ago.
So what are we requesting? Contracts, payment histories and bid submittals by Del Terra.
What story are we going after? It's too early too say. It depends on the records. At the very least, it could be a success story about the Industry-based company that is branching out from its school district work to local cities.
Have you mustered up the strength yet to take a look at your 401k? If you have, here's a pick-me-up:
Iowa man faces charges after hugging officer
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 09/29/2008 12:41:22 PM PDTIOWA CITY, Iowa--A hug has landed an Iowa City man in hot water. An Iowa City man who thought a police officer just "needed a hug" faces several charges including assault on a peace officer and public intoxication.
Police said a 21-year-old man was arrested on Saturday. According to police records, the man ran up to the officer and stuck out his arms.
The officer told him to "get away," but the man didn't take the hint and embraced the officer.
When the officer told the man to put his hands behind his head, he refused. He was then handcuffed.
A small city is about to open its doors to the world wide web.
Today, the South El Monte City Council will vote on approving a contract with a company that will live stream council meetings onto the city's Web site.
However, it will only be the audio.
The price tag will be $18,920, and an $815 monthly maintenance. The agreement will be with Granicus, Inc., a company used by other cities such as El Monte and now Rosemead.
As more and more cities move toward getting their meetings online, West Covina in July decided to cut off its broadcasts online and the television as a measure to save money during a deficit.
Local democrats vote down bailout, but all local Republican representatives voted for it, Dan Abendschein reports.
Valley Democrats Hilda Solis, Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano and Linda Sanchez all voted against the bill. But Valley GOP congressional representatives David Dreier and Gary Miller voted in favor.
Industry Mayor Dave Perez said that aside from West Covina and Monterey Park, South El Monte is the newest city to voice its support for the NFL stadium in Industry. South El Monte approved it on Sept. 9.
Meantime, Industry officials are still dealing with whether they should approve an extension for those wanting additional time to review the environmental report.
This weekend I wrote a story about the motivations of local candidates to get on water boards. Of the candidates I spoke to, each said that they have a desire to give back to the community and they are interested in water.
Others were a little more skeptical. Some said these candidates likely want to advance their political careers. The stipends, travel allowances and medical benefits don't hurt either.
Resumes of current candidates for the Water Replenishment District of Southern California and the Upper San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Three Valleys and Central Basin municipal water districts include former assemblymen, school board members and council members.
Upper District candidates Trevino served on the Central Basin Water District, and Clarence Wong served on the WRD board. Trevino resigned in 2003, and Wong ran but failed to win a second term.
Former Assemblyman Ed Chavez ran unsuccessfully in 2007 for the Mt. San Antonio College Board of Trustees, and is now running for Upper District. So far, he has raised nothing for the water race, although records show that he loaned himself $14,000 for the school board race.
He could transfer the money from that committee to his current run, according to state campaign finance laws.
Central Basin candidate Phillip Hawkins, who has $22,766 in his coffers, is a former one-term assemblyman who has been on the board since 2000.
Ed Vasquez, also running for a seat on the Central Basin board, is a former Montebello councilman. Vasquez raised $18,904, according to reports. He is married to current Montebello Councilwoman Rosie Vasquez.
These obscure boards are rarely noticed by voters but are in charge of budgets that often are larger than those in our city government's. Plus, these boards are responsible for managing for a vital, declining resource.
One aspect that the story doesn't get into is where the money is coming from. The story was already long enough, and I figured the money trail will be worth a story of its own. Look for that later this week.
Monrovia's got a rumor control page on their Web site that addresses, well, rumors.
I spotted just this on there:
RUMOR
The City ordered First Christian Church to close down its ministry to the homeless and threatened to fine the church $2,000 per day if it did not comply.
Fact: The Monrovia Police Department informed the church's leadership on several occasions that neighbors were filing complaints about the homeless people who came to the church to use its showers and to be fed - complaints that they were sleeping in neighboring yards and urinating and defecating on home lawns.
There were many reports of similar incidents on public property and at the nearby Community Center as well. The church was told that the complaints were mounting, that neighbors were considering a Public Nuisance lawsuit against the church and that the complaints on file with the police department could support such a suit.
The church leadership itself then shut down aspects of the homeless outreach program. At no time did the City or the Police Department order the church to end its program.
I don't remember us reporting on this, but I could be wrong. None the less, it's a pretty interesting issue.....
Every month I go to the California Fair Political Practices Commission Web site and I search the monthly enforcement decisions for local officials.
August spotlighted Pomona:
Paige Bruyn, Vehicle Parking District Commissioner, City of Pomona, failed to timely file her 2005 annual statement of economic interests. $250 fine.
No one local for September.
I was just sifting through the Baldwin Park City Council agenda for Wednesday, and it's pretty thin....
I did spot this however:
BIENNIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE
Staff recommends City Council waive further reading, read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 2008-063 entitled, "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BALDWIN PARK, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE"
Sounds like more of a technical vote than anything, but I wonder what the code says? And I wonder what they are amending?
Looks like West Covina police aren't too happy with the amount of runs they've been having to make to the Crazy Horse bar/night club in West Covina.
Jennifer McLain reports that police officials want the club to hire more security guards - that means a nightly minimum of four in the restaurant and two more in the parking lot.
The Crazy Horse Steak House and Saloon, at 1360 W. Garvey Ave. South,
has attracted large numbers of fights, arrests and calls for service
since it opened nearly one year ago.
"(Calls for service) is running a bit high, but that is a kind of
difficult thing to measure against other establishments in the city
since there is nothing that compares to it," said Cmdr. Mark Dettor.
At a six-month review of Crazy Horse on Tuesday by the West Covina
Planning Commission, police officials requested that the private
security staff be better trained and that additional guards be placed
in the parking lot.
Records show that while arrests have declined the past six months at
Crazy Horse, the variety and number of crimes have increased and
could be attributed to the lack of police presence.
*********
From August 2007 to January 2008, there were 22 arrests and nearly 30
calls for service, including fights, public intoxication and medical
assists stemming from fights.
During this time, Crazy Horse employed uniformed West Covina officers
on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until May.
The number of incidents has spiked at the Crazy Horse since the officers stopped regular patrols, which was required by the city-approved permit.
From February to August, there were 80 calls for service, including
43 crime reports, for incidents including general disturbances,
fights, carjacking, rape, grand theft and assault with a deadly
weapon. There were 11 arrests.
When I worked at the Glendale News-Press, I spent a lot of time covering litigation between developer Rick Caruso (who has successfully built his Americana at Brand project) and General Growth (owners of the Glendale Galleria, who fought Caruso tooth and nail on the project, but to no avail).
It seems wherever Caruso goes, opposition follows.
In Arcadia, a project he is trying to build in the parking lot of the Santa Anita racetrack is also facing some hurdles, Star-News reporter Alfred Lee reports.
A judge is expected to decide today whether to modify or finalize a July ruling that found nearly a dozen faults in the city's project EIR.
Washington is looking at a $700 billion bailout, California is facing an economic crunch and many San Gabriel Valley cities are weathering budget shortfalls. But Pasadena apparently has $2 million for a "quieter" helicopter.
The move to buy one was prompted by resident complaints of loud choppers hovering at night, according to Pasadena Star-News reporter Dan Abendschein.
Of course, Glendale and Burbank have quiet helicopters too.....
Another week, another installment:
Starting the Leftovers from City Hall blog was kind like of opening a really big suggestion box.
You know, the kind where you fill out an anonymous form with either accolades or gripes and then drop it into an old wooden box, hoping that someone will actually read it.
As a result of the blog, people leave, e-mail and phone in comments all the time. Some of them are news tips or tidbits of information we never knew. Others are questions readers would like us to ask.
We got a call last week from a Glendora city employee. She said she was calling on behalf of several Tribune readers.
The woman, who called herself Fran, complained the name "Leftovers from City Hall" left a bad taste in her mouth (no pun intended).
She said in her day, leftovers meant those things on the dinner plate that you didn't want to eat -- the stuff that gets pushed into a napkin and eventually ends up in the trash or the dog bowl.
She argued the blog name implied something similar.
Surprisingly, Fran didn't comment at all on the content of the blog -- but that's because she said doesn't read it.
"I just can't bring myself to read the blog because I am so offended by the title," Fran said.
The woman suggested we change the name to "Round-Ups from City Hall."
"Cities already get a bad reputation. We don't need a negative title making things worse," she said.
Reporting is essentially a craft, which means we have to take a multitude of information and whittle away until we've constructed the most important 15 inches of text readers need to know.
That leaves a lot of leftovers that are relevant, funny, quirky and notable, but just don't make the final cut for print.
Instead of packing those leftovers up with the rest of the dingy, old notebooks stocked away in our desks, we decided to put it out there.
Judging from the number of comments we get, we know not everyone likes that idea.
But again, judging from the number of comments we get, we know there is a hefty readership out there that enjoys reading about all the ins and outs of local government.
So maybe the leftovers aren't so bad.
We don't know about everyone else, but we were always taught to finish everything on our plates.
Coming out of the movies at the Edwards 18 cinema in West Covina early this afternoon, Jennifer McLain and I spotted West Covina Mayor Sherri Lane and Councilman Mike Touhey at a mini fair right in front of the theater.
More than a dozen booths were set up - food, local businesses, law enforcement, a rock-climbing wall and even Baldwin Park-based Royal Coaches towing company.
We stopped to chat with Touhey briefly, who seemed to be having a pretty good time. The event was actually the first-ever Latin Fest sponsored by the West Covina Chamber of Commerce.
A tentative agreement on the bailout plan has been reached...
(From AP)
By CHARLES BABINGTON and ALAN FRAM
Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON -- Congressional leaders and the Bush administration reached a tentative deal early Sunday on a landmark bailout of imperiled financial markets whose collapse could plunge the nation into a deep recession.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the $700 billion accord just after midnight but said it still has to be put on paper.
"We've still got more to do to finalize it, but I think we're there," said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who also participated in the negotiations in the Capitol.
"We worked out everything," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., the chief Senate Republican in the talks. He said the House should be able to vote on it Sunday, and the Senate could take it up Monday.
The plan calls for the Treasury Department to buy deeply distressed mortgage-backed securities and other bad debts held by banks and other investors. The money should help troubled lenders make new loans and keep credit lines open. The government would later try to sell the discounted loan packages at the best possible price.
At the insistence of House Republicans, some money would be devoted to a program that would encourage holders of distressed mortgage-backed securities to keep them and buy government insurance to cover defaults.
The legislation would place limits on severance packages for executives of companies that benefit from the rescue plan, but details were sketchy.
Also, the government would receive stock warrants in return for the bailout relief, giving taxpayers a chance to share in financial companies' future profits.
To help struggling homeowners, the plan requires the government to try renegotiating the bad mortgages it acquires with the aim of lowering borrowers' monthly payments so they can keep their homes.
The measure's main elements were proposed a week ago by the Bush administration, with Paulson heading efforts to push it through the Democratic-controlled Congress.
Democrats insisted on greater congressional oversight, more taxpayer protections, help for homeowners facing possible foreclosure, and restrictions on executives' compensation.
To some degree, all those items were added.
At the insistence of House Republicans, who threatened to sidetrack negotiations at midweek, the insurance provision was added as an alternative to having the government buy distressed securities. House Republicans say it will require less taxpayer spending for the bailout.
But the Treasury Department has said the insurance provision would not pump enough money into the financial sector to make credit sufficiently available. The department would decide how to structure the insurance provisions, said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., one of the negotiators.
Money for the rescue plan would be phased in, he said. The first $350 billion would be available as soon as the president requested it. Congress could try to block later amounts if it believed the program was not working. The president could veto such a move, however, requiring extra large margins in the House and Senate to override.
Despite the changes made during an intense week of negotiations, the heart of the program remains Bush's original idea: To have the government spend billions of dollars to buy mortgage-backed securities whose value has plummeted as hundreds of thousands of Americans have defaulted on their home loans.
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Saturday that the goal was to come up with a final agreement before the Asian markets open Sunday night. "Everybody is waiting for this thing to tip a little bit too far," he said, so "we may not have another day."
Hours later, when he and others told reporters of the plan in a post-midnight news conference, Reid referred to the sometimes testy nature of the negotiations.
"We've had a lot of pleasant words," he said, "and some that haven't always been pleasant."
"We're very pleased with the progress made tonight," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "We appreciate the bipartisan effort to deal with this urgent issue."
Wonder what our local pols think? And what do all of you think about the plan?
That's right, La Puente City Manager Carol Cowley's last day in the office was Thursday.
Technically, the last day of Cowley's contract is the 30th, but she's off on Monday and Tuesday, which means she gone, baby, gone.
No word yet on her contract negotiations to stay with the city as a consultant through the end of the year.
But judging from the fact that it's Saturday night, and no special meetings have been scheduled, my gut tells me that likely won't happen.....
Baldwin Park just can't seem to stay out of the news lately......Here's a story I wrote that ran in today's paper:
Just a side note, Lozano told me Thursday he was going to fax me all the documents he sent to the FPPC showing who exactly paid for the trip and how much they paid. But on Friday, Lozano's documents were no where to be found.
He didn't return at least a dozen calls I placed to him throughout Friday morning, afternoon and evening.
Also, Frank Chu (whose father Nelson Chu is alleged to have paid for the trip) dodged most of my calls Thursday and Friday.
Here are the top SGV stories today:
The county budget is taking a $128 million hit now that the Governor approved the state's budget. Here's the story.
The Walnut City Council opposed to the NFL stadium. This is the first city to oppose it. Monterey Park and West Covina city councils both passed ordinances approving the stadium, Bethania Markus-Palma reports.
The state Department of Public Health faulted Citrus Valley Health Partners in connection with its employees' use of fake CPR cards, Tania Chatila reports.
AQMD hearings continue regarding El-Monte based Gregg Industries, Rebecca Kimitch reports.
Hundreds of residents attended the Walnut City Council meeting last night to express their opposition to a proposed NFL stadium in the City of Industry. According to a news update written by reporter Bethania Palma:
Open Forum: What impact would an NFL stadium have on your community?The majority of residents in attendance opposed the project, wearing stickers that read "No stadium." Many voiced concerns about traffic, noise, pollution and increased crime in their city.
"The reality is if this stadium is not stopped our quality of life will be completely destroyed," said resident Shiuh-Ming Ellis. "Walnut will become a suburban slum."
Only for two hours that is.
Rose Bowl to try vehicle ban
Human-power only on the loop on Thursday
By Janette Williams, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/22/2008 10:34:38 PM PDT
PASADENA - In a two-hour experiment this Thursday, the 3.3-mile loop around the Rose Bowl will be given over to walkers, skaters, strollers and cyclists - no sharing space with anything that's not people-powered.
The 5 to 7 p.m. ban on vehicle traffic is a pilot program designed to find out how traffic impacts the increasing numbers of recreational users, and so far it's a one-off, Assistant City Manager Stephanie De Wolfe said Monday.
San Dimas is considering building a BMX park to address the problem of BMX riders in the city's skateboard park, which is not allowed.
Problem is, it'll cost between $220,000 and $385,000.
Read reporter Brian Day's full story here....
Just last week La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan told me he had no one in mind for this proposed transition manager position he wants to get off the ground.
But I guess he changed his mind.
Lujan made a motion Tuesday night to have the city attorney negotiate terms and scope of services with Frank Tripepi, president and CEO of Willdan Financial Services, for that very position.
If the name Willdan rings a bell, this is probably why:
August 29, 2007
Author/Byline: Jennifer McLain Staff Writer
Section: News
ROSEMEAD -- Management of a $12 million bridge project more than halfway completed will be turned over to a new company.
The City Council on Tuesday voted to oust Willdan Associates, its current construction management company that has been with the city for 26 years, and replace it with Del Terra Group.
Del Terra was selected after it and ACS Group were interviewed by the council.
Duties include overseeing the renovation of the Garvey Bridge and future redevelopment projects.
The move will help cut costs and avoid conflict-of-interest concerns, some council members said. But council members Gary Taylor and Margaret Clark said bringing a new construction management firm in the middle of the Garvey Bridge renovation could bring delays.
After Councilman John Solis asked: "And this transition (manager), are we hoping to make him a city manager?"
Storing replied: "Of course."
To which Lujan replied: That would be up to the City Council.
I should add that the motion to negotiate with Tripepi was approved on a 4-1 vote.
****Another bit of information on Tripepi, apparently, he was once a city manager in Rosemead:
Former Rosemead City Manager Frank Tripepi was also 27 when he took on the job in 1975, according to a 1975 article by this newspaper. At the time, Tripepi was the second youngest city manager in the San Gabriel Valley.
There is little to update today about Anthony Bejarano, the Baldwin Park councilman who was arrested on Friday for alleged public intoxication.
As a side note, Bejarano was replaced last week on the Metrolink Board of Directors. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made two new appointments to the board following the fatal crash on Sept. 12, according to the LA Times.
Here is the follow-up story today that ran about what is going on with the police report taken when Councilman Anthony Bejarano was arrested on Friday.
Review sought in arrest of Baldwin Park councilman
Bejarano claims being targeted for opposing police salary hikes
By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/22/2008 11:23:57 PM PDT
BALDWIN PARK - Councilman Anthony Bejarano's arrest Friday on suspicion of public intoxication has him and another city leader questioning the integrity of the Police Department.
Councilman Ricardo Pacheco alleged a possible cover-up in the release of Bejarano, who was arrested - but not cited or charged - on Friday for allegedly being drunk in public.
Bejarano, however, believes he was unfairly targeted because of his opposition to salary increases requested by the Police Officers Association.
Chief Lili Hadsell said both accusations are unfounded and believes the arrest has been "blown out of proportion."
"I don't believe that he was unfairly targeted. He was not given special treatment," Hadsell said. "It was a drunk-in-public arrest. We need to just let it go and finish the investigative part of it."
Those arrested for being drunk in public are commonly released without a citation or charges filed, Hadsell said.
City and police officials are now awaiting the police report before deciding how to proceed. Hadsell said she did not expect the report to be released until next week because she was going out of town for a work-related conference.
Chief Executive Officer Vijay Singhal said he is still trying to figure out all the details.
"We have different versions coming from different people," Singhal said. "We need to follow the process, and unless it is completed, no one can say for sure what happened."
Bejarano was booked on suspicion of public intoxication shortly after 10 p.m. on Ramona Boulevard near La Rica Avenue.
The incident began when an officer stopped to investigate a white, four-door sedan stopped in the middle of Ramona Boulevard with two pedestrians standing nearby. One of those pedestrians was Bejarano.
The driver, 31-year-old Collin Spencer of Monrovia, allegedly moved the car a short distance in the presence of the officer and was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
Bejarano and 32-year-old Jose Diaz of Monrovia were arrested on suspicion of public intoxication as they appeared drunk and were standing in the middle of a major roadway.
Bejarano, an attorney, said he was handcuffed after he told Spencer he had constitutional rights and didn't have to answer the officers' questions.
"I was immediately arrested after that statement," Bejarano said.
Bejarano said he had been drinking earlier in the night Friday but was not intoxicated when he was arrested.
On Monday, Bejarano said he believes there is already an investigation into the handling of the incident.
"At worse, it was a case of some kind of political retaliation," Bejarano said. "At best, it was a misunderstanding."
Pacheco said he plans on discussing the item in public once he gets a copy of the police report.
He also said he believes charges should be brought against Bejarano.
"I still need the facts, but if these allegations are true, and if the chief doesn't want to take action, there are other measures of the law," Pacheco said. "Like going to the District Attorney's office."
Not everyone is excited about Ed Roski's proposed NFL stadium. Take residents June Wentworth, Shiuh-Moing Ellis, Rex Yee, Lucy Pao, and Lawrence Reinhold, for example. These five submitted a letter to the editor calling on residents to come to Walnut's council meeting on Wednesday to protest the proposed stadium.
This is the same stadium that is causing trouble among the Walnut City Council, and is reason for an alleged Brown Act violation that led to a slap on the wrist from the District Attorney's office.
Here's the letter that ran today:
Speak against stadium
We urge all Walnut residents to come to the Walnut City Council meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to speak out on the proposed NFL stadium to be built in the city of Industry.
Based on reading the Draft Supplemental Environmental Report (DEIR), listening to the developer's presentation and applying our own experiences, in our opinion, the proposed stadium project will significantly and negatively impact Walnut.
The City will derive no benefit from the project, other than in the most general sense which in our view, equates to inconsequential probabilities.
As Walnut residents we must protect our most significant assets: our homes, our families and our quality of life. These are community values worth fighting for. We will not apologize for fighting and protecting our homes, our families and our city.
We do not accept claims that resident arguments regarding the NFL stadium and its impact on the city are coming from uninformed citizenry that just don't get it and just don't understand what's good for them. We all have the right to oppose this project.
We believe Walnut residents know exactly what they are fighting for, particularly if given quality information in a timely manner.
We say, residents, trust your knowledge, trust your experience, trust yourselves! Thirty percent of Walnut residents have a bachelor's degree, 9 percent have a master's degree and 3.5 percent have degrees beyond a master's.
We are leaders. We know what we want. We can see the truth!
Speak out on this issue! It is not a done deal. We can oppose this project even though it is not in Walnut's jurisdiction.
Tell the Walnut City Council that we expect them to protect our homes, our families and our quality of life. Tell them that we do not want the negative impacts to our community the NFL stadium project will cause.
Tell the Walnut City Council to oppose the stadium.
June Wentworth, former mayor, Shiuh-Ming Ellis, Rex Yee, Lucy Pao, Lawrence Reinhold, Walnut
The Three Valleys Municipal Water District board member who admited to lying about being a Medal of Valor recipient could be in even more trouble.
Xavier Alvarez, 50, is now facing felony charges of misappropriating public funds, insurance fraud and grand theft.
Alvarez was named in a felony complaint for arrest warrant filed last Friday.
I submitted a public records request around 11:30 a.m. for a police report, which should detail Friday's arrest of Baldwin Park Councilman Anthony Bejarano, who was later released on a $250 bail for allegedly being drunk in public. No charges or a citation were filed.
Here's the story that ran on Sunday.
Baldwin Park Police Chief Chief Lili Hadsell said she sent back the report today because she had some questions about it, and expects it to be re-submitted by the end of the day. But if it doesn't make that deadline, the report likely won't be released until next week because Hadsell is going out of town, she said.
Once the report is released, Councilman Ricardo Pacheco said he will decide how to proceed next. Pacheco, who believes that Bejarano was given special treatment because of who he was, said that if the police department doesn't investigate how the incident was handled, that Pacheco will consider taking the issue to the District Attorney's office.
On the flip side, Bejarano believes he was arrested because of who he was. Bejarano characterized the incident as, "at best, a misunderstanding." At worse, politically motivated, he said.
More to come in tomorrow's story.
Amanda Baumfeld reports that a Montebello school district staffer is being sued for also working for the San Bernardino City Unified School District.
Montebello district officials claimed that Director of Classified Personnel Jeff Josserand, who has worked with Montebello since May 2006, breached his contract when he became acting director for the San Bernardino City Unified School District in 2007.
Leftovers Column: Money no object for police chiefs
By Jennifer McLain and Tania Chatila,
Staff Writers Article
El Monte Mayor Ernie Gutierrez thinks he's got the finest Police Department around. "And they don't come cheap," Gutierrez said at a meeting last week.He sure got that last statement right.
At a time when the city is facing a $400,000 budget deficit, officials still have managed to pay their top-tier Police Department heads some of the highest salaries in the San Gabriel Valley.
Last week, the City Council approved the salary for El Monte's newest police chief, Thomas Armstrong who will be getting $235,000 a year when he takes over Ken Weldon's seat in December.
Sure, it's a far cry from Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton's annual paycheck of $300,442 a year to protect nearly 4 million residents.
But it's not too far behind the $268,153 Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca makes every year.
Gutierrez told reporter Rebecca Kimitch Armstrong's salary is competitive with area cities.
Most police chiefs in the Valley can't even match the $195,000 El Monte's assistant police chief Steven Schuster is going to get to serve a population of 115,000.
Let's take a look:
Montebello police Chief Dan Weast, a 24-year veteran of the Police Department, receives an annual salary of $144,996 plus a car, benefits and retirement. Montebello's population is 62,150.
West Covina police Chief Frank Wills makes $179,184 a year. The city has a population of 105,000.
Covina, a city of 48,000, pays its police chief $151,000 annually.
The police chief in Pasadena, a city of nearly 133,000, gets $203,000 a year.
Baldwin Park police Chief Lili Hadsell is making $155,000 a year. The city has a population of 70,000.
It's obvious Gutierrez stands behind his Police Department. The police officer's union donated $10,000 to Gutierrez' campaign in 2007. In 2005, the union gave him $8,000.
And in 2003, the union spent $6,000 on mailers supporting Gutierrez, Juventino "J" Gomez and Emily Ishigaki in the council race.
"We have to have the finest Police Department. You have to have a good chief," according to Gutierrez.
Interestingly enough, Armstrong and Schuster's salaries combined amount to $30,000 more than the $400,000 budget shortfall the city is facing.
A few months back, as the council hashed out ways to brace for a possible reduction in their workforce as a result of the budget, Councilwoman Pat Wallach suggested, "Have we asked employees to donate part of the salaries back to the city to wait for the city's budget to straighten out? If everyone gives a little bit, then it saves the little guy on the bottom."
In case you missed it...
Candidates decide to get an early start
Fundraising kicking off for 2009 W. Covina City Council election
By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/20/2008 10:57:06 PM PDT
WEST COVINA - Campaign contributions are rolling in for a City Council election that is more than a year away.
Records show fund-raising efforts among the council members vary in ranging from the amounts generated to types of donors.
The top fundraiser so far this year is Mayor Sherri Lane, who has raised nearly $32,000. Councilman Mike Touhey has raised almost $27,000.
Reports from the remaining members of the five-member council show considerably smaller amounts of campaign cash was picked up during the reporting period.
Councilman Steve Herfert raised $8,660 this year, and Councilman Roger Hernandez raised nearly $3,000. Each has three years remaining in office.
Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson, who is up for re-election in November 2009, has raised nothing.
"I haven't had time to fund-raise," she said.
She said she typically does not start fund-raising until the year of the election.
She added her empty campaign fund is not an indication of whether or not she will be seeking re-election.
"I would like to run again, but we will have to see how everything is going," Sanderson said.
Herfert and Lane did not return calls.
It may appear early to begin campaigning for an election in November 2009, officials said, but lingering debt has motivated most to continually raise money.
Touhey remains $40,000 in debt from the previous election and needs to raise money to bring the balance to zero, he said.
According to campaign records, Touhey has raised $26,349 so far this year, with $16,500 applied toward repaying personal loans from his private business to his campaign. Hernandez has raised nearly $3,000 this year, and half of that has gone to repaying a nearly $10,000 loan.
Sanderson, Herfert, and Lane have outstanding loans, records show.
West Covina is one of the few cities in the San Gabriel Valley that has campaign contribution limits.
Businesses can give no more than $1,000, and an individual cannot donate more than $500 to any one candidate, Deputy City Clerk Sue Rush said.
Records show some contributors have sidestepped the city's campaign contribution limit laws by contributing thousands to council members.
Touhey, Lane and Herfert have received money from individuals or companies associated with Athens Services, the company that has West Covina's residential and commercial garbage collecting contracts.
Touhey got $7,000 from Athens-associated donors, including Dennis Chiappetta, executive vice president of Athens, and nearly a half-dozen companies owned by Ron Arakelian, the CEO of Athens.
Lane received $4,000 and Herfert received $1,000 each from donors linked to Athens.
Another common donor that appears in the campaign records is the McIntyre Cos., a Covina-based development, management and real estate firm that is a client of Touhey's personal consulting business.
Those affiliated with the McIntyre Cos., including Canyon Water Company, Andrew McIntyre and William McIntyre, contributed $3,000 to Lane and $3,000 to Herfert.
No matter where the money is coming from, Touhey said it does not influence his politics.
"I am very much a business person, and a lot of people that support me have that same type of mind-set," Touhey said. "But my votes are my votes are my votes. (Contributions) do not have an affect on me."
Hernandez, whose term expires in 2011, has collected nearly $2,000 from affiliates of developer Ziad Alhassen.
"One can make the argument that contributions don't influence them, but the bottom line for me is that the money trail is pretty telling," Hernandez said. "Those that support the projects get the money."
It will be interesting to see how this story plays out...
Baldwin Park City Councilman arrested
By Brian Day, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/20/2008 01:08:59 PM PDT
BALDWIN PARK - City Councilman Anthony Bejarano was arrested late Friday on suspicion of public intoxication, police said.
Two other men were also also arrested in the incident, which occurred shortly after 10 p.m. on Ramona Boulevard near La Rica Avenue, Baldwin Park police Sgt. Chris Hofford said.
Collin Spencer, 31, of Monrovia was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Hofford said, and Jose Diaz, 32, of Monrovia was booked on suspicion of public intoxication.
An officer stopped to investigate when he noticed a white, 4-door sedan stopped in the middle of Ramona Boulevard with two pedestrians standing nearby, Hofford said. One of those pedestrians was Bejarano.
"What becomes apparent fairly quickly is that they were all drinking," Hofford said.
The driver, Spencer, who allegedly moved the car a short distance in the presence of the officer, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Hofford said.
Bejarano and Diaz were arrested on suspicion of public intoxication as they appeared drunk and were standing in the middle of a major roadway, the sergeant said.
"The officer characterized them as less than cooperative," Hofford said, however they did not resist arrest or interfere with the officer.
It was not known why the car was stopped in the street or whether Bejarano and Diaz had been riding in the car prior to the incident, Hofford said.
According to court records, Bejarano and Diaz posted $250 bail for the alleged misdemeanor offense and were released. Spencer was released after posting $5,000 bail.
Bejarano and Diaz were released without court dates pending further investigation, as is common practice when dealing with public intoxication incidents, Hofford said. It was not immediately clear when Spencer is due for arraignment.
No further details were immediately available
Baldwin Park property owners are going to get to vote next year on whether they would be willing to pay about $8 annually per parcel to fund service with the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District.
A contract was signed this month between the city and the district to provide services for 10 months for $102,000, according to city staff reports.
But the city has also committed to completing a ballot measure before the contract ends on June 30, in hopes of becoming a district member city.
The cost to conduct the ballot measure is estimated at $30,000.
If approved, the assessment tax would be tacked onto Los Angeles County property tax rolls.
Would you vote for it?
The LA County DA's office apparently gave the Walnut City Council a warning after it allegedly violated the Brown Act.
Reporter Bethania Palma is working on the story. She said City Council members noted on a recent agenda that they would be reviewing certain city employees' qualifications to act as consultants on the NFL stadium.
Instead, they polled individual council members on whether they would be in favor of the stadium.
Tsk, tsk.
A developer is claiming that Temple City officials asked for money in exchange for their support on a project in the city.
.TEMPLE CITY - The developer of the long-delayed Piazza mixed-use project has accused unnamed city officials of soliciting bribes in return for cooperation on the project.
The accusations were made in a countersuit filed on behalf of Randy Wang, owner of TCD Enterprises, as part of an ongoing litigation battle with the city.
"Representatives of the city of Temple City and the Temple City Redevelopment Agency have repeatedly solicited bribes from cross-complainants, and have conditioned their cooperation with the progress of the project on the payment of bribes, which have included demands for condominiums and cash payments," the cross-complaint stated.
It also alleges officials made a specific request
Developer's counter-complaint alleging bribery for $3,000 from Wang, which he was instructed to deliver in an envelope at an Arcadia private school. Read more.
With the addition of new reporters, we have reshuffled the cities that we now cover. Just in case you have news tips or want to get ahold of your reporter, here is who is covering what:
Rebecca Kimitch: South El Monte, El Monte, Rosemead*
Daniel Tedford: Glendora, La Verne, Azusa
Tania Chatila: Baldwin Park, La Puente
Amanda Baumfeld: Montebello, Covina, Education
Bethania Palma: Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar, Walnut
Jennifer McLain: West Covina, Irwindale, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Water
*I have to admit that I am feeling a little sentimental about leaving Rosemead. The city went through a lot since I began covering nearly a year and a half ago. The sexual harassment lawsuit, the hiring of Bonifacio Garcia, the changes among management and in City Hall, and the number of developments that came out of the city all made for good stories.
It is rewarding, though, to see how the city has progressed during that time. Agenda packets are now given to the press, the meetings are going to be broadcast online starting next month, the City Chambers are complete. Overall, there is more transparency in City Hall.
Thanks for all the good stories Rosemead!
I spotted this on the La Puente City Council agenda this morning
Negotiations with City Manager Carol Cowley are still on. But I guess the city is also looking into hiring a separate "transition manager" to help transition the new city manager -- whoever that may be -- into the top spot.
You might also remember that officials are thinking about hiring a firm to help find a permanent city manager replacement.
So that means if everything falls into place, Carol will essentially act as an interim, a private firm will help hire a full-time replacement and then a transition manager will help transition the replacement in as carol phases out....Wow, those sure are a lot of resources for filling one position.
"I don't think its too much at all," Mayor Louie Lujan said.
Just in case you haven't seen this in the paper, here is a letter to the editor Dan Holloway's daughter, Shannon Holloway, wrote regarding last week's Leftovers column:
Soured on column
Re the San Gabriel Valley Tribune column by Jennifer McLain and Tania Chatila (Sept. 8) that questioned ethical standards in general and those of my father and me in particular:
It is upsetting to realize that although I was one of the major subjects of the piece, the writers didn't take the time to talk to me before going to press with such half-truths. I'd like to set the record straight.
I was hired by the city of La Puente as a contract photographer in 2006 without any assistance from my father who at the time was an appointed planning commissioner. I applied, interviewed and was hired on my own merits and was paid at the rate offered to me by the city. My photos of city events were to be used on their Web site and in their newsletter and calendar. I retained all copyrights and allowed the city the one-time use of any photo within the same calendar year.
After working the May 2007 Cinco de Mayo event at La Puente Park, my previously scheduled events were put on hold with no explanation. I later contacted the city only to learn that my services were no longer needed. I was informed that an "anonymous councilperson" had complained, because I was Dan Holloway's daughter.
City Manager Carol Cowley told me that there was a perceived conflict of interest despite acknowledging there was no violation of the FPPC, attorney general or the city ethics codes. Cowley knew this complaint was purely political and divulged as much to me.
If anyone was unethical here, it was the city who violated our written work agreement on numerous occasions by using my photos more than once without further compensation. They chose to stop running photographs, which was also fine with me. I chose to let the matter drop without pursuing the pay owed me for the pictures. When I requested digital copies of my photographs the city decided to return the original discs.
At that time I tried to change my work information on MySpace. Technical difficulties prevented me from editing or deleting the field. In the following months it slipped my mind and became an oversight on my part. When brought to my attention I immediately changed the dates.
This entire experience, including this article, greatly saddens me. I am not a public person and questioning my ethics for political gain or to fill column space when I have done absolutely nothing wrong is in and of itself unethical.
Shannon Holloway
La Puente
So as was expected, the Baldwin Park City Council last night asked for a report that outlines all the ramifications of putting a proposed public safety initiative on the November 2009 ballot.
City Clerk Susan Rubio confirmed at the meeting that the signature verification process has been completed, and the initiative qualifies for the ballot. But that doesn't mean the initiative is all clear yet.
The report will include a legal analysis by the city attorney and must be completed within 30 days.
After the City Council receives the report, the council will have 10 days to either adopt the initiative as submitted or put it to the voters.
Wonder what they'll chose....
So the El Monte City Council approved the salaries for a new cheif and assistant chief in preparation for the December retirement of Chief Ken Weldon. And the grand total: $429,000.
The new chief, Thomas Armstrong, will be getting $234,000.
And the new assistant chief, Steven Schuster, will be getting $195,000.
According to the story written by new reporter Rebecca Kimitch, "Mayor Ernie Gutierrez said the salaries - $234,000 for the chief and $195,000 for the assistant chief - are competitive among cities in the San Gabriel Valley."
Aside from the increases coming at a time when the city is facing a $400,000 deficit, it also comes just one week after this story about the El Monte cop that shot himself in the leg.
"We have to have the finest Police Department, and they don't come cheap," Gutierrez said.
We've got two new reporters in the newsroom.
Rebecca Kimitch and Daniel Tedford both started this week.
Rebecca will be taking over El Monte, South El Monte and Rosemead.
Daniel is getting La Verne, Azusa and Glendora.
Everybody say welcome!
Reporter Amanda Baumfeld fleshed out this story on former Pasadena City Manager Cynthia Kurtz being appointed as Covina's interim chief executive on Tuesday.
Star-News reporter Nathan McIntire wrote a story today about mandatory brush clearance in Monrovia.
The catch is property owners are going to have to remove brush on their property, and on other people's properties too.
The ordinance compels homeowners to maintain up to 200 feet of clearance between their buildings and any hazardous brush that constitutes a fire hazard, even if that brush rests on city-owned or private property.
Ochoa said the justification for the ordinance is that homeowners stand to lose more from a brush fire than the owner of undeveloped land.
"The crux of the city's brush clearance and mitigation efforts is to create defensible space around a dwelling," Ochoa said. "What we have done is to place the responsibility on the owner of the potential liability and loss."
If the property is not cleared, the city can enter it, remove the brush and attach a lien to the neighbor's property tax bill for the full cost of services rendered.
Administrative fines also can be imposed if the ordinance is not adhered to. If homeowners fail to respond to three written notices, they can be fined $1,000. Further failure to comply can result in a maximum fine of $5,000.
The ordinance has been in effect since 1992, and the city has never placed a lien on property or fined any homeowners for brush clearance violations, according to Ochoa.
But Jogminas said the law has only been fully enforced since Monrovia terminated its brush clearance contract with the Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures last year. Previously, the county would clear undeveloped land if the landowner did not. The landowner would then be billed, said Jogminas, who lives in the Highland Place neighborhood.
What do you think? Is this justified? Or is the city just passing the buck along?
Read the full story here...
We just got this e-mail from West Covina Councilman Roger Hernandez:
It is with immense gratitude and enormous pride that I thank the City of West Covina's Fire and Police personnel, who saved the life of my friend, Bill Schafer, at City Hall at last night's City Council meeting.
After speaking at the podium, Bill had what looked to be a heart attack in his seat. Without even a thought several community members, including Planning Commissioner Cesar Cervantes and Human Resources Commissioner Fred Sykes rushed to his aid. Fire Chief Paul Segalla administered CPR and used one of the City's portable defibrillators to help save him. Within three minutes, the city's paramedics arrived and took Bill to the hospital, where he is now recovering.
I'd also like to commend Dana Sykes for calling Bill's wife to ask for his medical history, and my colleague, Councilman Mike Touhey, for helping to arrange his wife's arrival to the hospital.
When I got to the hospital last night, Bill's wife, Izzy, said doctors told her the efforts of the Fire and Police departments, as well as those of the community members, had saved Bill's life.
I have always boasted that we have the best public safety personnel in the San Gabriel Valley, and last night proved it. There is no greater joy I have than knowing that when there is a crisis, we can come together, put our differences aside, and focus on what really matters: The lives and well-being of the people who make up this special city.
I'd like to wish my friend a speedy recovery and I pray that he and his wonderful family stay strong through this tough time.
Roger Hernandez
Mayor Pro Tem
City of West Covina
That's right, reporter Amanda Baumfeld said the Covina City Council appointed an interim city manager at their meeting last night. You might be surprised as to who it is:
Cynthia Kurtz, retired Pasadena City Manager, will take the top spot. She was awarded a contract for $12,900 a month with a car allowance. She will start on Oct. 1.
Apparently, the contract covers 30 hours of work a week, according to Baumfeld. But if Kurtz works more, "she will be compensated." Baumfeld is going to find out how....
After all that debate over the number of verifiable signatures submitted for a proposed public safety initiative in Baldwin Park, the city and the Police Department have finally reached common ground.
The Baldwin Park Police Association submitted nearly 5,000 signatures to the City Clerk's office several weeks back for a proposed ballot measure that would essentially protect officers' pay.
But there was some debate over how many of the signatures could actually be verified with the county. After several weeks of back and forth between the BPOA and the city, the matter has been resolved.
The City Clerk has confirmed the BPOA has submitted verified signatures for more than 10 percent of the city's registered voter base, meaning the initiative can qualify for the November 2009 ballot.
Tonight, the council will decide whether to just accept the initiative, place it on the Nov. 3, 2009 ballot, or ask for a report laying out the possible effects and impacts of the initiative.
City staff members are suggesting the latter.
The San Gabriel Valley certainly has its share of all things quirky.
And the King Ranch market in Monrovia off of Huntington Drive is no exception.
Every time I walk into that supermarket, I always notice their interesting take on the claw game.
When most people play this addicting game -- usually found at Chuck E. Cheese's or Shakey's pizza -- the most they can win is a purple stuffed hippopotamus.
And most of the time, it's about 10 quarters later...
But not at King Ranch. The stakes are higher, sometimes $5, $10 and even $20 higher....Is that technically considered gambling?
I guess this means the longest budget stalemate in California's history is just gonna get longer....
It's not up online but this story ran in today's paper about La Puente officials negotiating with City Manager Carol Cowley to try to keep her as a consultant through the end of the year.
In case you're not familiar with the story, Cowley announced last month she would be retiring after less than two years as city manager.
So the countdown is on: including today, she's got only seven work days left before she's out. While her retirement date is Sept. 30, she's got two vacation days she is taking on the 29th and 30th, and City Hall is closed on the 26th. So the 25th is really her last day.
LA PUENTE -- City officials are trying to negotiate a contract with the city manager to keep her on the job until the end of the year.
Carol Cowley announced last month she would retire on Sept. 30 after less than two years in the top executive seat.
But officials want to keep her in City Hall as a consultant through the end of the year to ease the transition until her permanent replacement is hired.
The two parties have been negotiating through their attorneys for the last three weeks.
"We're about 90 percent done," Mayor Louie Lujan said. "It's just about calling a special meeting to finalize the contract. We're literally negotiating fine points now."
Cowley is the city's first female city manager. She was a city clerk in La Puente for several years before taking on the city manager role on Jan. 1, 2007.
As part of her pension, Cowley would be paid for the rest of her life about half of her nearly $140,000 yearly salary. Her health and dental benefits will be paid by the city for the rest of her life.
Consulting money would be paid on top of that.
"I think the money is fine, I think the terms are fine," Councilman John Solis said of the negotiations. "They are just trying to figure out what kind of hours we are talking about."
Officials would not release any further details regarding the proposed contract, citing state laws. Less than a handful of closed-session meetings have been held to discuss the issue.
Cowley declined to comment.
"There's always the chance she and the city could not agree on terms," Lujan said.
The city could have an interim city manager or have Assistant City Manager Gregg Yamachika "step up and oversee the transition," Lujan said.
A final decision would have to be made before Sept. 25, which is scheduled to be Cowley's last day, Lujan said.
Meanwhile, the council on Tuesday appointed Lujan and Solis to an ad hoc committee to oversee the hiring process for Cowley's replacement.
La Puente has already received proposals from five executive search firms. They are: Roseville-based Bob Murray & Associates, Los Gatos-based Avery Associates, Peckham and McKenney, Ralph Andersen and Associates and Long Beach-based Alliance Resource Consulting, LLC.
Lujan said he also has received several phone calls from people interested in hearing more about the position.
"I want to find a city manager that's fair," Solis said. "That's hard to find these days. Everyone plays the political game. It's like a needle in a haystack, but can you find it."
Looks like we were able to pull together this bit on the passing of David Dreier's mother...
U.S. Rep. David Dreier announced Tuesday the death of his mother, Joyce Dreier-Hagood.
She died Sunday in Kansas City, Mo., the congressman's office announced. She was 81.
Dreier-Hagood was born in Kansas City. She was a graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., class of 1950. She married H. Edward Dreier Jr. on Sept. 9, 1950. They had three children.
After Edward Dreier died in 1997, Dreier-Hagood became president of the Dreier Development Co. On Valentine's Day 2000, she married Thomas A. Hagood, her Rollins College classmate.
They couple split their time between Kansas City and Rancho Mirage until his death this past August.
"My mother was always full of life and accomplished in so many ways," said Dreier, R-San Dimas. "She was a concert pianist, a champion badminton player, a successful entrepreneur, and most important, a wonderful mother to my sisters and me, and so many others. She will be deeply missed by her church, her community, her friends, and most of all her family."
Dreier-Hagood was active in many civic and philanthropic organizations. In Kansas City, she was an active member of her church, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Junior League, the Kansas City Symphony, the Lyric Opera Company of Kansas City, and the Nelson-Adkins Museum.
In Rancho Mirage, she was a member of the Thunderbird Country Club, The Club at Morningside, Friends of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Muses 100 of the McCallum Theater, and the Desert Museum.
Besides her son, she is survived by daughters Denise Dreier Despars of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Dana Dreier Lamont of Auroram Illinois; and two granddaughters, Leslie LaRue Lamont and Lisa Lee Lamont.
Dreier will deliver remarks at a memorial service to be held Thursday in Kansas City. The family suggests memorial contributions to the charity of the donor's choice.
Star-News reporter Dan Abendschein has an interesting story running in Monday's paper about the race for the 26th Congressional District. Here's a sneak peek:
For 28 years, Rep. David Dreier has been the man for the 26th District, brushing off challengers in election after election with little worry or concern.
This year, however, the powerful House Republican from San Dimas faces a more serious -- or at least well-funded -- challenger than he has in years.
With more than $500,000 already in hand, local businessman Russ Warner's bid for the 26th Congressional District seat also comes at a time when Dreier's party is increasingly out of favor with the public.
Even so, local political experts don't give Warner much of a chance.
The Associated Press moved this story on Saturday....
FAIRFIELD
Gene Allen Combs, 45, of Suisun City and Nicole Stewart, 33, of Fairfield were booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of murder and use of a firearm, Police Chief Kenton Rainey announced at a news conference.
Police still were searching for a third suspect, 32-year-old convicted felon Henry Don Williams, in the death of 22-year-old Councilman Matt Garcia.
Garcia, one the state's youngest elected officials, was shot in the back of the head the night of Sept. 1 as he stepped out of his car outside a friend's home in the Cordelia section of Fairfield. He died four days later after he was taken off life support at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
Fairfield police said the suspects had been in the neighborhood trying to collect a drug debt, while Garcia talked to his friend nearby. Combs was a passenger in a car driven by Stewart, investigators said.
"Another passenger exited the car, then shot and killed victim Matt Garcia," police wrote in a statement of probable cause for Combs' arrest. "After the shooting, suspect Combs left the shooting scene with the shooter and failed to contact the police."
There's no evidence to suggest that Garcia was actually involved in any drug deal, said acting police Capt. Darrin Moody.
Police declined to discuss further details of the shooting.
Garcia was only 21 when he was elected to a four-year term in November, becoming the youngest council member in the history of Fairfield, a city of 105,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento.
Several thousand people attended a memorial service for Garcia on Tuesday at Armijo High School, his alma mater.
An interesting, very loose connection: One of the suspects is from Suisun City. Suisun City police Chief Ed Dadisho was initially in the running for the Baldwin Park police chief position but dropped out of the running at the 11th hour. I wonder if Dadisho or his department was involved in the investigation at all?
We got this e-mail earlier on a West Covina political activist that died last week. Sorry, I don't have a photo of her and I can't locate much other information, but hopefully we'll be able to follow this sometime next week....
Longtime Democratic activist Gladys Cannon passed away last week after a
long battle with cancer.
Born August 15, 1926 in Edmunds, Washington, she moved to California as a
teenager and worked for 47 years in the lithography business until her
retirement in 1988. She was involved in many professional and political
organizations.
The West Covina resident was a member of the board for 17 years of the
Graphic Communications International Union Local 405. She was deeply
committed to Democratic causes and was actively involved in the San Gabriel
Valley Democratic Center, as well as the Los Angeles County and state
democratic parties. She received numerous awards for her political activism,
including the Elvira Roberti Award from the Los Angeles Democratic Party for
"a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the ideals and principles of the
Democratic party and to the needs and dreams of all people."
"Along with her husband Frank, Gladys was the face of the Democratic party
in our community. Her contributions will long be remembered and she will be
deeply missed," said Assemblyman Dr. Ed Hernandez.
Cannon also received special honors from Congresswoman Hilda Solis who
selected her as an outstanding example of volunteerism in her district. This
award hangs above the fireplace at the Cannon home.
She was an avid sports fan and a member for 27 years of St. Christopher's
Catholic Church.
Cannon is survived by her husband, Frank Canon of West Covina, one daughter
Nancy Hutchings, four step children, Vincent Egan Cannon, Mary Bly Diaz,
Gregory Canon and Brian Cannon, along with seven grand children and seven
great grand children.
Monday, September 15th
Viewing from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Rosary 7:00 p.m.
Custer Christiansen Mortuary
114 S. Glendora Avenue
West Covina, Ca 91790
(626) 919-3443
Tuesday, September 16th
Funeral Service 10:30 a.m.
St Christopher's Catholic Church
629 Glendora Avenue
West Covina, Ca
(626) 960-1805
Burial/ Graveside Service at Rose Hills immediately after Church Service
Reception will take place back at St. Christopher's Church after the Burial.
Speaking of animals and shelters, we paid a visit to the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter last week, where nearly $2 million in county funds is slated to improve the shelter's animal clinic.
The entire facility itself is definitely in need of some upgrades.
The clinic works out of a small trailer and the grounds could use a face-lift.
You'd be surprised at the amount -- and the kinds -- of animals you can find at the shelter.
There were easily more than 60 dogs there when we went, many of them pitbulls or pitbull mixes.
There were also a ton of cats and kittens and even two horses!
Wonder how much it costs to adopt a horse?
As you can all probably tell, we love stories about animals here at Leftovers. So when I saw this lede from reporter Bethania Palma's story, I couldn't resist:
SAN GABRIEL - The Humane Society of the San Gabriel Valley has a cat-astrophe on its hands.
The shelter has the capacity to house about 100 felines, but a booming kitty population has the volunteers and staff scrambling for space. Now at double its capacity, the Humane Society is trying to raise funds to build a new cat area.
"The living quarters right now are extremely tight," said volunteer Jennifer Tang. "We're just overwhelmed. We really need help."
The organization has the space -- a large octagon-shaped enclosure once used for unconventional pets -- but now needs to add appropriate flooring, a ceiling, drainage and cat furniture.
Tang said the Humane Society rarely euthanizes animals, so the ones that don't get adopted typically live the rest of their lives at the shelter.
"We really want to give them somewhere where they're comfortable and have the space to play," Tang said.
But shelter officials said with a slow economy and breeding season in full swing, dozens of cats are getting abandoned at their doors every week.
Cat adoption, anyone?
Can u guess which side of the vote most city officials are on?
Sales tax ballot battle gears up
Groups organize over Measure P in Pico Rivera
By Airan Scruby, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/13/2008 09:55:17 PM PDT
PICO RIVERA - As November's political races head into the home stretch, this city is gearing up for its own fight.
Pico Rivera voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to approve Measure P, which would raise the sales tax in the city to 9.25 percent from 8.25 percent. If approved, the tax is expected to bring the city about $6 million.
City employees and City Council members have come out in support of the tax hike, saying that without it, Pico Rivera will have to cut about $4.8 million to balance its budget. That would shut down recreational programs, close the swimming pool at Smith Park, deprive many city employees of their jobs and more, they say.
"We have a grass-roots group of residents," Mayor Ron Beilke said Friday. "We're going door to door."
Beilke chairs a new group set up by residents in favor of the tax. He said he and others have opened an office on Telegraph Road, are walking neighborhoods and organizing to tell residents about what they say are the benefits of Measure P.
City Recreation Supervisor Lupe Aguilar said she and other members of the Pico Rivera Municipal Professional Confidential Employee Association support the measure.
Although city employees cannot advocate the tax while they are working or using city resources, they can support it in their off-time.
"We are currently trying to rally our local churches, the youth organization, we're trying to get different storefronts, and family and friends of course," Aguilar said.
She said she believes losing money and cutting programs would be difficult for Pico Rivera to recover from, even if cash becomes available in the future.
"Once a city goes backward, it's very difficult to get the city back on its feet," Aguilar said.
The Service Employees International Union, a city employee's union, also supports the tax.
Beilke said even the Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce has given its support to the measure. Beilke said the group voted 11-2 in favor of supporting the tax.
Chamber Executive Director Roger Hartter said the board did vote in support on Aug. 29 but that no further statement would be given until a press release was issued.
Not everyone supports the measure, however. Councilman David Armenta said he is against raising the tax and that it could make some businesses leave the city.
Although the tax would add just one penny on the dollar, that can mean a difference of hundreds of dollars on large purchases like cars and appliances.
"That one percent is their competitive edge," Armenta said.
The tax made the ballot despite Armenta's disapproval. It took a required unanimous vote from council to place it before voters. That vote came when Armenta missed a meeting while on a fishing trip. The council voted 4-0 in favor of sending the tax to a vote.
According to Armenta, no effort has yet been organized against the tax, but he will continue to speak out against it and expects that a group of business owners and a group of residents who oppose it will soon form.
Bijan Radnia couldn't be in a stickier situation.
According to Whittier Daily News reporter Mike Sprague, the businessman bought a historic station on Hadley Street in Uptown for $1.2 million in January 2005.
Only problem is, Whittier's zoning codes prohibit gas stations there. And because the property doesn't have enough space for parking spots, it really can't be developed into anything else.
"He is in a unique situation," said Jeff Collier, director of Community Development for Whittier. "It doesn't comply with the Uptown Specific Plan. It's not a downtown use."
Assistant City Manager Nancy Mendez said Radnia could reduce the size of his building to lessen the need for parking and get more spaces.
But Radnia says structurally that wouldn't work.
"You can't take part of it down," he said. "It would be less expensive to demolish it and build a new one."
But why do that when the building is in good shape, he said.
You're probably wondering how the gas station was ever built there in the first place.
Apparently, it started out as a tire store in 1927 and then turned into a gas station in the 1940s. The previous owner said it was "existing, non-conforming" when he took it over.
According to Sprague, "Once the station sat vacant for six months, that use was considered abandoned and couldn't be reinstated..."
We've seen issues similar to this in other cities. In Rosemead, Chinese American Live Poultry has been operating against city codes for almost 20 years.
Kind of makes you wonder what the codes are there for in the first place. Of course, there is always the argument of grandfathering in uses....
It seems the battle over the proposed Gold Line extension wages on, with no end in sight.
Star-News reporter Dan Abendschein pretty much sums it up with this clever analysis:
"The arguments on both sides lend themselves to a maddening chicken-and-egg situation: The MTA says it does not want to commit local funds because the federal funds are not guaranteed. Legislators complain they cannot secure funding without more of a local commitment."
Read the full story here.
I wrote this story earlier this week.....
BALDWIN PARK -- The proponents of a recall effort are threatening to sue the city clerk over a technicality that killed their initiative.
A letter sent to Susan Rubio last week warns she should "be prepared to defend (her) actions in court," unless she rescinds the earlier decision to reject the recall papers against three City Council members based on election code violations.
Rubio -- who is an elected official -- could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Local businessman and Pomona resident Greg Tuttle initially served recall notices on Anthony Bejarano, Marlen Garcia and Monica Garcia in June.
The proponents accuse the trio of mismanaging the Police Department and criticize Bejarano and Marlen for their support of a downtown redevelopment project, among other grievances.
But the city rejected the effort because two sets of documents were not filed at the same time, as cited in the state election code, Deputy City Clerk Laura Nieto said.
Proof of publication of the recall notices served on the three council members were submitted to Nieto on July 1 and placed in a file. On July 10, Tuttle filed blank copies of the proposed petitions intended for circulation. According to the election code, "at the time of the filing of the two blank copies of the petition, the proponents shall also file proof of publication."
Officials said Tuttle did not ask that all the documents be combined when he filed the petitions.
"All they had to do was pull the papers out of the file and put them together," Tuttle said. "It was all there. Now they are claiming it's all null and void and I have to start over again."
Nieto said the city is "just going by what the election code says," and it was not the city clerk's job to take previously filed documents and attach them with the proposed petitions.
Tuttle called the move a delay tactic, and accused the city of trying to trump the recall effort.
In the letter Pasadena-based attorney Christopher Sutton sent to Rubio on Sept. 3, Sutton calls the reasoning "a fraudulent excuse to reject these petitions. This rationale is ridiculous and merely a smoke screen..."
Sutton, who is representing the proponents, also accused Rubio of potentially violating civil rights and voting rights.
"Do not protect these three council members...Do not become a part of their disreputable group or follow them into a pattern of unlawful conduct," the letter states.
Sutton did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.
"(Rubio) had a really bad city attorney directing her course of action," Tuttle said.
City Attorney Joseph Pannone confirmed his office was consulted before the decision was made. He called the final determination "proper."
He also said Wednesday the city had not responded to Sutton's letter, nor had he be given direction to respond.
"That letter from that attorney is long on bluster and short on facts," Councilman Anthony Bejarano said. "If they sue, that just demonstrates their interets are purely their own."
Tuttle said if Rubio does not rescind the decision in the coming weeks, they will file a civil lawsuit against her only, because "she is personally responsible."
"Obviously, they have questions about the actual process itself," Mayor Manuel Lozano said. "They have the right. I have confidence in the city clerk's office that they are doing the right job."
Do you vote based on name recognition?
Well, Water Replinishment District of Southern California candidate Linda Fuentes, whose maiden name is Unruh wants her name to appear on the ballot as Linda Unruh-Fuentes. She is married to Chuck Fuentes, Pico Rivera's city manager.
But according to reporter Mike Sprague's story:
"That makes her opponent, Albert Robles, unhappy. He can't change his name to escape the stigma of the same-named former South Gate city treasurer who was sentenced to 10 years in state prison on corruption charges."
It was confirmed today that Walmart paid out a $400,000 settlement earlier this year over a lawsuit by the Garvey School District and Save Our Community, a non-profit corporation.
But who got the money?
The attorneys. All of the money went straight to attorney's fees, said Cory Briggs, the lawyer who represented both Garvey and SOC. The issue came to light recently as rumors have surfaced and some questioned the "secretive settlement," including at last night's council meeting.
More to come on the story later.
El Monte police officer shoots self in leg
Article Launched: 09/09/2008 11:44:56 AM PDT
EL MONTE - An El Monte Police officer accidentally shot himself in the leg, authorities said Tuesday.
The officer, who officials declined to name, was hospitalized Monday evening after his gun went off while he was at work, according to El Monte Police Lt. Dan Burlingham.
"It was one of those things," he said. "It got him in the thigh area of the right leg."
The officer was treated for his injuries at a hospital and released Monday night, Burlingham said.
The officer is resting at home and will probably recover, he said.
Pasadena-based attorney Christopher Sutton - who was hired to represent the proponents of a recall effort against Baldwin Park council members Monica Garcia, Marlen Garcia and Anthony Bejarano - is accusing the city of all sorts of malfeasance.
Greg Tuttle submitted recall petitions several weeks ago, but those petitions were rejected based on some procedural issues (Tuttle didn't file the petitions at the same time as he filed a proof of publication).
Last week, Sutton sent a letter to the city essentially threatening a lawsuit unless they rescind their original decision.
Sutton called the rejection "ridiculous and merely a smoke screen to prevent the circulation of otherwise valid recall petitions."
He also accused the city of engaging "in conduct that could subject you to liability for violating civil rights and voting rights. Do not protect these three council members."
Will the city heed this "warning?" Doesn't look like. City attorney Joseph Pannone told me this morning he has not replied to the letter nor has he heard any intention by the city to do so.
I just put a call into the city clerk's office in Baldwin Park expecting to talk to Laura Nieto. But, to my surprise, Chief Deputy City Clerk Rosemary Gutierrez answered the phone.
Gutierrez has been out for months on an injury, but apparently she is back and feeling better.
That should take a load off of staff members ......
OPEN FORUM: Do you care that Osama bin Laden still hasn't been caught?
We are working on a package in honor of Sept. 11. One of the stories, which I have been assigned, is about Osama bin Laden. Where the heck is this guy?
I have to admit, I felt pretty embarassed calling our local politicians, professors and intelligence agents, asking them for an update on bin Laden. After all, we are a local newspaper. Unless bin Laden is hiding out in one of the mining pits in Irwindale, is this really a local story?
Absolutely.
It turns out that there are quite a few local experts and politicians, including Congressman Adam Schiff, who are very passionate about the topic, and have theories about where bin Laden is, why we haven't heard any updates on the search and how the Iraq War has impacted the search for bin Laden.
Look for the story on Thursday.
The teenage son of former Irwindale Councilwoman Rosemary Ramirez found himself in some trouble early Sunday morning after he plowed through a neighbor's wall while he was driving home around 4 a.m.
But it ended up being a non-issue. A police report was not made, no one was arrested, no one was hurt, and neighbors decided not to press charges on what was classified initially as a hit-and-run.
Here are some pics taken of the wall, at the corner of Irwindale Avenue and Peppertree Lane.
And here is the damage of the truck, found in front of Ramirez's home.
IRWINDALE -- The teenage son of former Councilwoman Rosemary Ramirez fled the scene after he drove his truck into a neighbor's brick wall.
A resident called police around 4:10 a.m. on Sunday to report a possible hit and run suspect who ran his vehicle into the wall at the home of 4940 Irwindale Ave., police records show.
The driver's name could not be released because he is a juvenile, said Police Chief Sol Benudiz.
The search continues in Covina for an interim city manager to take over for former City Manager Paul Philips, who was fired in August.
Two people were interviewed on Saturday for the iterim position. In the meantime, the assistant city manager is running the show.
But once they find an interim, the search for a permanent city manager will begin.
Who wants to go to a Rosemead council meeting when 90210 is back?
Consider my hand raised - for the council meeting.
1. Rosemead Boulevard could end up in the hands of the city, not Caltrans.
2. Cal-Poultry, the city's only slaughterhouse, wants to renovate its building. But in order for that to happen, the city needs to approve a change to the code that would allow for a slaughterhouse to exist, even though it's been operating in the city for nearly 20 years without such an amendment to the city's code.
3. (She's a dance dance dance dance dancing machine. Watch her get down, watch her get down.) Oh, sorry. I'm just prepping myself for the dance floor that could be opened until 1 a.m. if the city approves a use permit for the VIP Restaurant at 8772 Valley Boulevard.
4. There will be an update on the lawsuit filed by two Rosemead employees, Randy Haro and Robert Ballin.
5. I've heard that there is going to be some discussion during the public comment period about a 2004 lawsuit filed by Save Our Community against Walmart. More on that later...
There's quite a long list of candidates running for seats of our local water boards for the November election. Who are these people and why are they running? I'll have more on that later, but feel free to chime in if you've got any background on these candidates.
Central Basin Municipal Water District
1. Hawkins, Phillip D.
2. Martuscello, David
3. Montalvo, Rudy
4. Pesci, William
5. Silva, Yvette L.
6. Vasquez, Ed
San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
1. Inocentes, Mason Buchanan
2. Reichenberger, Joseph
3. Vasquez, Leticia
4. Wong, John
Three Valleys Municipal Water District
1. Lantz, Fred
Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
1. Brown, Royall K.
2. Chavez, Ed
3. Forbes, Frank
4. Garcia, Leon
5. Lizet, Angulo
6. Mendoza, John
7. McIntyre, Andrew M.
8. Munoz, Arthus James
9. Robinson, William "Bill" R.
10. Trevino, Charles
11. Wong, Clarence
Illegal immigrants who return after deportation commit more crimes, the Los Angeles Times reported today.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 8, 2008
Illegal immigrants who have been deported at least once from the United States are far more likely than other immigrants to repeatedly commit crimes, according to a study by the nonprofit Rand Corp.
The data indicated that illegal immigrants, overall, were not a greater crime risk, according to the study, which looked at all inmates released from Los Angeles County Jail for a month in 2002.
But among those who previously had been deported, reentered the U.S. and were arrested and released from jail, nearly 75% went on to commit another crime within a year. And 28% were arrested three or more times during the one-year period.
The recidivism rate was much lower for illegal immigrants who had not been previously deported, with 32% of those inmates being rearrested within a year and 7% arrested three or more times during that year.
Since the data were collected in 2002, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has overhauled screening for illegal immigrants and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poured resources into border security. But researchers said the analysis still could have public policy implications for L.A. County and other counties around the nation.
Leftovers Column: Ethical standards often out of focus By Jennifer McLain and Tania Chatila, Staff Writers Article Launched: 09/07/2008 11:03:07 PM PDT
The art of adhering to ethical standards is kind of like walking a tightrope. One step to the right or left, and all of a sudden you've got a problem.
For politicians, the craft is especially tricky and it's sometimes hard to tell where that very thin line is crossed.
We learned last week that La Puente City Councilman Dan Holloway's daughter did some contract work for the city over a five-month period spanning December 2006 to May 2007.
Holloway hadn't been elected to the council yet. He still was serving a stint on the Planning Commission at the time.
His daughter, Shannon Holloway, was a contracted photographer and took photos at several city events such as the 2006 holiday parade and the 2007 St. Patrick's Day senior dance.
Records show the younger Holloway charged $50 an hour for the work and made a total of $775 off the city until she was told she no longer could work for La Puente.
The decision came down last spring from City Manager Carol Cowley, who - among other city officials - worried about a perceived conflict of interest.
City policies state no relatives of an officer or employee can work for the city on a full-time basis. Shannon, of course, wasn't working full-time. She wasn't even an employee.
"But it was the perception," according to Cowley.
As of Sunday afternoon, Shannon Holloway still was listing herself as La Puente's "city photographer" from "12/06-Present" on her MySpace page. It was corrected by nightfall.
The city has been using a new photographer since around last June and records show original CD's with all of Shannon Holloway's photos were released back to Dan Holloway in March.
City officials say Shannon made it clear the city no longer could reproduce her work, although some of it is featured in the 2008 La Puente calendar, but only because that specifically was what the work was for.
Councilman John Solis said the issue caused friction between Cowley - who is retiring at the end of this monthafter less than two years as city manager - and Holloway.
"He put up a fight," Solis said. "He was really upset that (Shannon) couldn't work for the city (anymore). That's one of the issues he had with (Cowley)."
Holloway said he really had nothing to do with issue, and it was a former parks and recreation director who knowingly hired Shannon for the work. He also said officials at the state and federal level agreed her contract work technically was not a conflict of interest.
"I was only upset to the point that I asked (Cowley) specifically who had made the complaint to her and it was not forthcoming," Holloway said.
The entire incident brings up key questions on when and where to draw the line when serving in office - or if a line even exists.
Some argue La Puente is a small town with small-town
politics, so there's bound to be some harmless crossover.
jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com
tania.chatila@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477, 2109
This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:
The city of Covina announced today that they will have a special meeting Saturday at 10 a.m.
The closed session meeting is listed as:
"Government Code §54957(b)--PERSONNEL MATTERS
Public Employee Appointment--Title: Interim City Manager"
When I spoke to Mayor Kevin Stapleton on Thursday he said the council was trying to set up a time to conduct interviews on possible interim city manager candidates.
City Manager Paul Philips was fired on Aug. 11 after eight years of service. The council sited philosophical differences for the termination.
The meeting will be at City Hall, 125 College Street.
Interesting that the city would hold a special meeting on a Saturday morning. Reporter Brian Day will be following up tomorrow...
I noticed this on the La Puente City Council agenda faxed to me on Thursday for next week's meeting:
THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION WILL RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54956.8 TO CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS
PROPERTY: 1515 N. Hacienda Boulevard
NEGOTIATING PARTIES: Michael Hastings of Direct Point Advisors, Consultant for Ed Butts Ford
AGENCY NEGOTIATOR: Executive Director Carol Cowley and Deputy Executive Director Gregg Yamachika
The clause bolded above is not on the agenda that's up online, but it is on the agenda that was faxed to me.
Hmmm....last time the city and Ed Butts Ford tried to negotiate a deal, it didn't work out too well.
Wonder if they are trying again or just putting an official end to stalled talks?
Parking violators beware: La Puente is thinking about increasing several of their parking citation fees.
Apparently, parking tickets in La Puente are fairly cheaper than those in surrounding cities for common violations like disobeying curb markings and parking when the street sweepers come by.
For example, a curb marking violation in La Puente is $28. In El Monte, it's $40, $75 in West Covina and $50 in Baldwin Park... ouch.
If the increased rates are approved, violations could go up by as much as $23 depending on the violation.
See the current and proposed rate schedules here.
Also, the increase could bring in a nice chunk of change to city coffers. If the city raised the rates and doled out the same amount of citations as they did last fiscal year - 6,066 - they could make an additional $90,990 a year, according to a city staff report.
Arcadia could soon require contractors to comply with immigration laws, Alfred Lee reports.
Compliance with migrant law urged
By Alfred Lee, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/03/2008 11:11:55 PM PDTARCADIA - In what amounts to a largely symbolic stand against hiring illegal immigrants, city officials are considering adding wording to future contracts that specifically requires contractors to comply with immigration laws.
The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to draft language that could potentially be inserted into such contracts and preserve the city's right to ask contractors for documentation of their employees at any point.
The move could be considered a token gesture, since the city already requires contractors to generally comply with all state and federal laws, including the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
But Mayor Robert Harbicht passionately argued that a stand needed to be made.
"This city has an opportunity to make a statement that we are not going to hire illegal aliens," Harbicht said. "This particular thing is something that's choking this whole region."
The city attorney and city manager were directed to work on drafting the new contract wording, which will be brought back to council for a final decision.
OPEN FORUM: What were your thoughts on Sarah Palin's speech tonight at the Republican National Convention, and did it change your view of her?
Personally, I was surprised at how entertaining it was, and even funny. I especially liked the joke about the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull. (Lipstick) And she certainly came out swinging, attacking Obama on everything from his views on the war to taxes to his inexperience, which is a theme we've been hearing the past week from Obama's camp of Palin.
The bio for Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District candidate Andrew McIntyre was changed after I posted this entry. It no longer states that he was a member of the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, but instead that was replaced to the San Gabriel Valley River Water Authority.
Background
Andrew McIntyre was born and raised in West Covina. He attended South Hills High School and later went on to graduate from the University of Southern California (USC) where Andrew received his degree in Public Policy Management & Planning.
Commitment To Our Community
San Gabriel Valley River Water Authority
Citrus Valley Health Partners Foundation, Board of Directors
Covina Historic Society, Chairperson
Covina Rotary Club
West Covina, life long resident
Experience
Andrew is currently the Water Resource Manager for the Canyon Water Company. He is directly involved in the daily management and oversight of all water resources required to insure an adequate supply of high quality water.
The La Puente City Council held a special meeting Tuesday night. This is what was listed on the agenda:
THE CITY COUNCIL WILL RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT CITY MANAGER
After the closed session was over, City Attorney James Casso said, "there's no reportable action on that item."
I wonder if there was any talk as to who might be filling City Manager Carol Cowley's position when she retires at the end of this month?
Baldwin Park City Councilman Ricardo Pacheco isn't satisfied with the council's recent decision to exclude about 40 owner-occupied homes from a proposed downtown project.
Pacheco said he wants all homes and apartments excluded too.
"Two months ago, I said I didn't want to include any of the homes and now they've changed their minds and decided to say, 'OK. We'll support Prop 99?"
Pacheco said the proposed project is big enough that officials don't have to include the homes. And he said he wants the city to include the local businesses into the design as well.
Pacheco put this on the agenda for tonight's meeting:
Request by Council member Pacheco for discussion on the following:
1)Request to exclude all homes between Palmrose Street and Clark Street and Bogart Avenue and Downing Avenue from the proposed downtown project; and
2)Request all current businesses in the proposed project area be relocated in the new development
Wonder what his colleagues will say?
Baldwin Park Police Chief Lili Hadsell wants to add one little definition to the city's registered sex offender ordinance.
Reside: To live or dwell at one or more addresses, regardless of the number of days or nights spent there, such as a shelter or structure that can be located by a street address, regardless of physical housing or lack thereof, including, but not limited to, houses apartment buildings, motels, hotels, homeless shelters, and recreational and other vehicles.
According to a city staff report, inclusion of the word's definition will help police better track registered sex offenders.
Ah, the power of words....
I got this e-mail from "Peter the Great" about a series of articles we did on Edward Romero:
You have wasted time writing an article on pastor Edward Romero who wanted to gain name recognition by going to Beijing and trashing a hotel room. You should not glorify his action of property destruction to reach his goals. There is no place in his church or in your newspaper for his criminal behaviour.
There are plently of human rights issues in America like discrimination of Mexicans, illegal aliens, gays, torture of political prisioners in cuba, police beating up innocent Mexicans, etc.
You and pastor Romero should be concerned about those issues instead of those so-called human rights in China.
There are 1.3 billion Chinese. Let them take care of themselves. There was no need for pastor Romero to destroy property, and for you to write about it.
A host of independent trash haulers are threatening a referendum on the November ballot to revoke Athens Services' 15-year exclusive trash collection contract in Montebello.
Except Athens, reporter Amanda Baumfeld reports, isn't having it. Looks like they are threatening a lawsuit if the voters get their way:
MONTEBELLO - Athens Services has threatened to sue the city if Montebello's voters get the chance to revoke the company's trash-hauling contract, officials said Tuesday.
A political fight broke out after the City Council in July awarded Athens Services an exclusive, 15-year contract to haul waste in the city. Before that, 13 different companies collected garbage.
Independent haulers since then have circulated a petition calling for a referendum to be placed on the November ballot that would revoke Athens contract and allow other haulers to work in the city.
A referendum is when an approved or proposed measure by a legislative body goes to a vote of the people.
Athens representatives claim the petition for the referendum is flawed, and independent trash haulers misled the community when they obtained signatures.
********
The 15-year contract with Athens, worth about $7.8 million annually, provides Montebello with a one-time payment of $500,000 and 7.5 percent of gross receipts from commercial accounts. On July 23, it was approved on a 3-2 vote by council members Kathy Salazar, Robert Urteaga and Rosie Vasquez. Mayor Bill Molinari and Councilwoman Mary Anne Saucedo- Rodriguez voted against it.
Trash haulers are against the contract, which would force them to find work elsewhere as their contracts are phased out over the next seven years.
The haulers - who have formed the political action committee Montebello Residents for Honest Government - submitted a referendum with more than 6,300 signatures to the city clerk Aug. 20.
The law required the group to gather 2,550 signatures or 10 percent of the city's 25,496 registered voters to qualify for the ballot.
Montgomery said petitioners had only 30 days after the July 23 approval date to turn in a referendum.
Petitioners did not have time to wait for the final contract to be finished, he said.
Montgomery said the referendum process suspends the contract with Athens.
Molinari, who voted against the contract, has not yet signed it. He said he was presented with the final draft Aug. 8.
I'm working on an obituary for Ed Justice, Sr., who died over the weekend at 87 years old.
Justice was one of three brothers that created the Justice Brothers Inc., a Duarte-based company that sells car care additives.
Justice had a passion for cars, planes, bikes, and, well, "anything automotive," Justice's son said.
Justice got involved in stock car racing right as NASCAR was getting started in 1950. After that, Justice's company took off.
Justice retired in the 1980s, although he spent much of his time on the automotive museum at the company's location in Duarte. That was Justice's baby, his son said.
"There is nothing that he loved more than someone who would come in to the museum," said Justice Brothers Vice President Kelvin Muinos. "He would wait for them to come in and pounce on them like a cat waiting for a mouse."
Look for the story in tomorrow's paper.
There is a council meeting tonight and there are several items of interest:
1. Reducing of speed limits.
The speed limit could be reduced to 35 miles per hour from 40 miles per hour on Aroma Drive and Azusa Avenue.
2. Revisit the budget
Councilman Roger Hernandez wants to consider additional budget cuts.
3. Add a cell phone tower at Shadow Oak Park
There is currently a cell phone tower, Crown Castle PCS, at 2121 East Shadow Oak Drive, and it is being recommended that PCS co-locate its equipment on the same site.
The environmental report is going to be released on Wednesday for the proposed NFL stadium in the city of Industry. Of course, the main concern is traffic.
While many welcome the proposal, some living near the site have worried that a stadium would cause more traffic at the already crowded freeway intersection, Industry Mayor Dave Perez said.
However, Majestic Realty Vice President John Semcken said the stadium project would cause less traffic than a larger commercial center approved by the City Council in 2004 but never built. Read more.
Cities will be monitoring and likely responding to the draft EIR during the next 45 review period. Diamond Bar prepared a 12 page response in May to the Notice of Response for the supplment enviornmental report.
What a weekend for Republican VP pick Sarah Palin. Aside from the Republican National Convention, this weeked she also found out that her 17 year-old daughter is five months pregnant.
Do you think that is going to have any impact on the election?
Welcome back to the work week!
Here's this week's column inspired by the great dialogue by our readers last week. Thanks to everyone for participating in the conversation. There were many ideas that we've not heard from our elected leaders:
They say drastic times call for drastic measures.
We've certainly seen a lot of that as local leaders struggle with faltering revenues and excruciating budget cuts.
In West Covina, every department head was asked to cut five percent from their budget to make up for a $2.1million deficit.
In El Monte, facing a $400,000 deficit, council members slashed the Police Department's funds, maintained hiring freezes and cut back on recreation programs.
And in cities like Pico Rivera, El Monte, San Gabriel and Covina, taxes seem to be the only answer to supplement wavering incomes.
Many city council members have said this undoubtedly is a difficult time and it never is easy making cuts.
But what you would do if you were running the show?
Here are some ideas readers came up with, and they're nothing like what our elected officials have suggested:
Eliminate all car, travel and cell phone allowances for council members, as well as car allowances for city employees. "Stop paying for trips to China, Paris, Mexico, etc.," according to one reader.
Cut back on recreation departments, including youth and senior programs.
"Seniors tend to be better off than most non-retired working age folks. Seniors, though they are on fixed incomes, usually have a lifetime's worth of savings and investments accumulated ... and they also enjoy many discounts that non-seniors do not enjoy," another reader wrote.
Turn off at least half of street lights.
"We're figuratively throwing our money into the sky with all the lighting that goes up where it is not needed," one reader wrote.
Cut back on overtime for public safety, review every contract that has been in place in the city for at least three years and consider cutting staffing of "non-essential things such as school resource officers or farmer's markets," according to another reader.
Require those on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to use public transportation to attend meetings. "They're in charge of the MTA; they should be able to get to the meetings using the same public transit they govern. If it's not good enough for them, it's not good for us, either."
While some of these ideas are downright impossible others are more feasible.
Elected officials say city government is a labor of love.
So maybe they should think outside of the box a little more often. And maybe readers should get up from behind their computer screens and attend council meetings a little more often, too. Give those councils a piece of their minds.
Recent Comments
anonymous on So long, Mussenden: Welcome aboard Mr. Bobadilla i wish you good Luck and the only way you ...
Anonymous on 'We have a great Police Department' El Monte Councilman says: HERE ARE SOME FUN FACTS ON THE "CRIME" ISSUE THAT THE POA IS TRYING SC ...
BUYER BEWARE on Rio Hondo trustee to run for El Monte mayor: I HEARD SLICK ANDY IN HIS STATEMENT TO SEIU SAYS that HE'S ACCOMMPLISH ...
Anonymous on Budget cuts in El Monte: I noticed Ernie Gutierrez is running, again, for Mayor. In his bid fo ...
Anonymous on Budget cuts in El Monte: I noticed Ernie Gutierrez is running, again, for Mayor. In his bid fo ...
em resident & employee on So long, Mussenden: Jay Gomez could not tolerate this from a city manager ... the city ...
El Monte Voter on El Monte city manager could be axed over arrest: When you mark your ballots, see who is endorsing and financing the can ...
Voter Beware on El Monte city manager could be axed over arrest: HERE ARE SOME FUN FACTS ON THE "CRIME" ISSUE THAT THE POA IS TRYING SC ...
Voter Beware on El Monte city manager could be axed over arrest: VOTE, BUT....... JUST BE SURE YOU DON'T VOTE for THE TROJAN HORSE CAN ...