Central Basin and West Basin were happily married for 16 years. And then came the bitter divorce in 2006, followed by two lawsuits and likely the squandernig of thousands of rate payers dollars.

Of course, neither agency had that number at their fingertips when I asked them how much it cost them to litigate over the past two years. At West Bast, General Manager Rich Nagel assured that the costs were "minimal," whatever that means. And at Central Basin, the costs are significant enough that they are asking West Basin to pay for attorney's fees.

Here is the most recent in their break-up:

Water districts remain at odds
By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/29/2008 11:44:55 PM PDT

COMMERCE - A court order last week still won't bring an end to a bitter divorce between two water districts that serve nearly half of Los Angeles County.

The West Basin and Central Basin municipal water districts have waged war against one another after the two split joint operations more than two years ago, this time disagreeing over how much each should pay for employee retirement expenses.

Judge Robert Heff on Oct.20 ruled that West Basin Municipal breached a settlement agreement with its former business partner, Central Basin Municipal Water District.

Central Basin officials said West Basin owes their district $1.09 million in employee retirement expenses.

But West Basin said that number is about $350,000 too high.

"We believe the information provided by Central Basin to the court was inaccurate," said West Basin General Manager Richard Nagel. "We've been discussing with the board how to correct that step."

After the judge ruled, Central Basin said it wants legal fees from West Basin.

Nagel said the West Basin's board will have to decide whether to appeal.

West Basin and Central Basin from 1990 to 2006 carried out joint operations from a building in Commerce.

Just before the partnership ended in 2006, West Basin filed a lawsuit against Central Basin because the two parties could not agree what they owed one another, such as employee liabilities.

West Basin provides water to the

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western portion of Los Angeles County, from as far north as Beverly Hills to as far south as Rancho Palos Verdes, and as far west from Hermosa Beach to as far east as Carson.
Central Basin serves areas from Lakewood to Montebello, Willowbrook to La Habra Heights, including Pico Rivera, Monterey Park and Whittier.

Central Basin General Manager Art Aguilar said he hoped the recent court judgement would put an end to the ongoing legal battles with West Basin.

If fights continue, Aguilar places the blame on West Basin.

"To continue this is a waste of rate payers money," Aguilar said.

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477

www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov

Have questions about the proposed parking ordinance that West Covina might impose? Well, the city prepared this on posted it on its Web site.

The parking ordinance discussion will resume on Tuesday, where the City Council will consider adopting the fee schedule as well as put its final stamp of approval on the language of the ordinance, which was first passed earlier this month.

City officials emphasized that this ordinance is designed to improve safety and remove blight, and that it is not a revenue producer. Officials also said that they have been receiving dozens of calls from residents over the past month regarding the ordinance. Some calls have been complaints, others have supported the ordinance, and others wondering where they should pay. (Also, there's been a flier circulating out there in opposition to the flier. Has anyone seen it or can you email the flier to me at jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com?)

According to the city, the proposal includes the following:

1. For residents and guests that need to park on the street for one night, single night permits would be available from automatic permit machines that would be located at secured locations, such as fire stations.

2. Annual overnight parking permits will be available to single-family and multi-family type complexes. However, residents must demonstrate there is insufficient on-site parking and that all vehicles are registered to the property.

3. Annual permits will not be issued for recreational vehicles. Recreational vehicle owners can purchase single night permits to load and unload.

Just to re-emphasize, the public hearing on Tuesday will be about how much to charge for the permits and the parking violations. The meeting, on Election Day, begins at 7 p.m.

Covering Proposition 8 - the proposition hoping to place an amendment in California's Constitution making marriage exclusively between a man and a woman - one thing is very clear: people are passionate about it.

Both sides have strong feelings of support for their cause, which leads to vigorous discussions and debate on the subject of gay marriage. The problem is, since it is such a contentious issue, some are wondering if it is truly possible to have open, progressive discussion concerning the subject.

From all of the people I talked to concerning Prop 8 for stories, while having extreme differences, seemed to agree on one thing. The proposition's public debate hasn't been a healthy one.

Take a look at the comments on the stories on the Tribune's website. Each story on Prop 8 is met with hoards of comments that sling mud back and forth, often filled with personal attacks or ugly words.

"It is causing a major divide among the people of California and it is, unfortunately, doing that. It is going to cause more problems within the society," said Shawn Tanuvasa, the director of the Institute of Religion for a local chapter of the Church of Later Day Saints. .

"I don't think the campaign has been structured right. There is a lot of confusion around it," said Julie Tinney, a recently married lesbian.

"I think it can be a polarizing issue and what I am hearing a lot in the last week or two is that just as people in the presidential campaign are fed up with the politics as usual, and they want to talk about the issues, I am hearing some of that talk around Prop 8," said Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Church in Pasadena.

It is easy to see why problems arise in the debate over the issue. One sees it as a matter of civil rights and basic freedom. The other, along very similar lines, sees it as a matter of faith and religious freedom. Either way, it is a fundamental difference in belief that is not easily swayed.

Most issues, journalists know all to well, are not black and white but carry with them varying degrees of positives and negatives. They are clouded by the nature of existence that doesn't usually allow something good without some element of unease, that doesn't create evil without some level of humanity.

And that is what seems to be missing, by all acounts, from the debate surrounding Prop 8 and gay marriage. Both sides seem to have left out the humanity. While advocating there own side, some have forgotten they are arguing against the beliefs and way of life as others. And to argue against that, often enough, is to argue against that person on a very personal level.

People carry their religion with them, as a well fastened part of their being. For some people, their worth and existence revolves around their faith in God and the Bible. Arguing against that religion, and often, trying to discredit that religion can be intensely hurtful.

On the other side, gay and lesbian individuals believe this is who they are and they have accepted and embraced that, whether or nor they chose it or not. To separate them from a portion of society because of that lifestyle can leave them feeling alone and rejected.

Either way, when this issue is decided Tuesday, someone will be left out in the cold. What the effects of that will be remains to be seen. What I do know is that whoever "wins" this battle may celebrate that victory on Wednesday, but we should all be a little sad because no matter what, that victory will come at a cost at our neighbors expense, by punishing them for who they are and what the believe. We will have taken something from them, pass or fail. And with that, we all may have lost a little bit of our humanity.

"I think there is a possibility to agree to disagree," Tanuvasa said.

On the issue of Prop 8, I am not so sure.

Can you believe it? Little old Rosemead finally has its meetings online!

Check it out at here.

For about a year now, there's been lots of on-again off-again talk about big-time developer Rick Caruso's plans to run for Los Angeles mayor.

The latest is chronicled on an L.A. Observed post.

What's the local angle? Caruso is currently trying to get a project built in Arcadia, but it's being contested. 

Outgoing Sen. Bob Margett, R-Glendora, is among the nearly dozen California lawmakers that will be taking a trip to India to learn about education reform and environmental protection, the L.A. Times reports:

Because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he may call a special session to deal with the budget shortfall, Senate leader Don Peralta (D-Oakland) has approved the trip on the condition that those who fly overseas return to California if a budget vote is scheduled.

Those planning to attend the trip include Sens. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Dave Cox (R- Fair Oaks), Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego), Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), Bob Margett (R-Arcadia) and Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles). Sen. Dick Ackerman (R-Irvine) had planned to go, but told organizers he may stay home.

There is going to be a Town Hall meeting on the proposed redevelopment project in Baldwin Park tonight at 6 p.m. at St. John's Catholic Church, 3883 Baldwin Park Blvd.

The church is lending their hall to Bisno - the developer - for the meeting, but isn't offering an official stance for or against the issue. Apparently, the church passed out a total of 5,000 fliers in their bulletins to let people know about meeting.

I've gotten some calls from business owners who don't attend that church, and didn't get the flier. They found out about the meeting through other means - they'll be attending anyway.

Since it was my day off yesterday, reporter Bethania Palma attended the La Puente City Council meeting last night. The most interesting thing on the agenda was Councilman John Solis' item about a tow services agreement. Judging from Palma's web update below, it seems Solis may have been considering going with another tow company for impound services.

Unfortunately for Solis, the majority of his colleagues on the dias didn't think that was such a good idea, especially considering the ongoing investigation into former Industry traffic Sgt. Joe Dyer for allegedly stealing $500,000 in tow revenues from city coffers.

And still no word back from Solis - going on three weeks now without a call back from the councilman.

LA PUENTE - City officials Tuesday night chose to forego further discussion of the city's current tow contract and stay with what they have - for now.

Solis did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment.

We forgot to put this up this week...so here it is. Monday's Leftovers:

So just how does $500,000 go missing from city coffers over the course of many years without anyone noticing?

"In the future we have to make sure this doesn't happen again," Lujan said. "We have to make sure we have checks and balances to prevent it."

Councilman Steve Herfert on Tuesday said that accusations made about him are false. Councilman Roger Hernandez allages that Herfert threatened him in a closed door meeting, as detailed in this previous post.

"This is so untruthful that it turns my stomach," Herfert said. "When he gets in trouble, he makes accusations that are unfounded. It is unfortuante that he is picking on me, and he is saying things I didn't do." 

Among the statements made written by Hernandez and addressed to City Manager Andrew Pasmant, Hernandez alleges:

As you are aware, during the closed session of September 2, 2008, Councilmember Herfert directed several loud and threatening statements towards me. Specifically, he directed the following comments towards me: "We're gonna come after your ass," "If not us, someone else will, " and "We are gonna sue your ass." They were made in a physically aggressive manner, while leaning into my personal space and waving his finger in a confrontational manner, which made all staff and councilmembers visibly uncomfortable. I understood his statements and body language as making a threat upon my life and livelihood. As I noted to you then and the Chief of Police thereafter, these statements caused me to fear for my personal safety.

Amanda Baumfeld reports that an African American woman last week discovered that someone spray-painted the n-word on her car.

The house is located in unincorporated Covina, a section of the county that is represented by Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Baumfeld's story will appear in tomorrow's paper.

One year after the Community Development Commission Director Chris Chung filed a harassment claim against Councilman Roger Hernandez, Chung is now asking for $3 million from the city, according to a letter sent by his attorney dated Sept. 23.

"This amount is reasonable in light of the Tennie Pierce case where a firefighter was awarded over $2 million for eating dog food and retaliated against for complaining about the incident," according to Chung's attorney, Victor Jacobovitz.

Chung is also asking for agreement to protect him from future retaliation and termination by ensuring continuous employment through the retirement age of 60, which will also include 4 percent annual cost of living adjustments.

Chung alleges that he was subject to a hostile work environment as of March 20, 2006, when Hernandez allegedly berated and belittled him, as well as used profanity and disparaging remarks. Here is the story that we initially reported when the claim was filed:

Claim of harassment targets councilman
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA) - Friday, September 28, 2007
Author/Byline: Alison Hewitt , Staff Writer
Section: News

WEST COVINA - A city staff member filed a claim against the city that accuses a councilman of "continuous retaliatory and harassing acts," according to a document obtained Friday.

Community Development Director Christopher Chung filed the claim Wednesday naming Councilman Roger Hernandez, according to the documents.

On Friday, Hernandez denied the allegations.

A city-commissioned investigation reported in December that Hernandez verbally attacked several city employees, and Chung was among those identified after the report came out. Chung accused Hernandez of retaliating against him for participating in the investigation.

"It's not something that I want to get public, and it's been a hard decision to make," Chung said. "I was hoping that it would stop, and I don't see it stopping. It's just been very difficult."

Hernandez denied taking any action against Chung, just as he had originally denied harassing any employees.

"I haven't spoken to Mr. Chung in more than a year, probably," Hernandez said. "He works very closely with the city attorney and any attempts they make to attack my character is strategically timed with the current election cycle we're going through."

Hernandez, who is frequently a lone opposition vote on the council and has had disagreements with the city manager and city attorney, is one of two council members running for re-election in November.

Chung's claim accuses Hernandez of damaging Chung's health and reputation, causing physical and mental stress, "stress-induced diabetes" and damage to his future employment prospects.

In the claim, Chung accuses Hernandez of naming him as one of the city employees complaining of harassment when his name was supposed to remain confidential, and of making "statements which (implied) that I and the city attorney were doing something unethical."

The amount Chung is seeking was marked "unknown/unlimited."

Hernandez called the claim "just another repeated attempt" to destroy his reputation. Hernandez was investigated by the District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division regarding complaints that he improperly accepted a steep discount on a car and that he misused employee time to create a video that was used by residents at a council meeting. He was not prosecuted in either case.

Councilman Michael Touhey said he was deeply concerned about Chung's claim.

"We've warned Councilman Hernandez that his temper tantrums could cost us money," Touhey said. "That's what we were concerned with all along. Some (employees) have been badgered at meetings, and that's where we've warned (him) that they have rights."

Sorry about the lack of blog posts today. I've been chasing down a ouple of West Covina City Hall stories, went down to Montebello Unified School District to review Del Terra documents, and have also been working on a story about the opening of the lower level of Shadow Oak Park.

There was a grand opening for the 10-acre parcel on Saturday, and the preservation of the land is a victory for many a resident who wanted to keep the land from being developed. The price tag is $1.3 million, and construction began in January, according to a past article by Alison Hewitt.

Have you checked out the park yet? What are your thoughts?

Smoking bans in cities have become pretty popular over the last several years.

The latest city to join the club: Pasadena.

According to reporter Dan Abendschein, the City Council approved the new smoking ban Monday.

It takes effect in November, would prohibit smokers "from lighting up in outdoor restaurant patios, at bus stops, in ATM lines and within 20 feet of the entrance to any commercial building."

It doesn't look like enforcement is going to be very rigorous though.

But exactly how the smoking ban will be enforced -- and whether the city will actually issue citations to violators -- is still up in the air. And given the city's past history with a previous no-smoking law adopted in 2004, an aggressive crackdown seems unlikely.
********
Enforcement will be primarily the responsibility of several employees at the Health Department, not the police.

Health Department employees will not be out patrolling for smokers, said Wilmore. But like Calabasas, they will respond to complaints from businesses and individuals, he added.

Pasadena police will be trained about the new law, but enforcement will be a low priority, Chief David Melekian said. Don't expect a cop to show up if you complain about illegal smoking, he added.

Other valley cities that also have smoking bans include South Pasadena and Baldwin Park.

Look for Dan's story in tomorrow's paper.

The economic crisis is hitting home in the San Gabriel Valley, particularly Whittier, where officials are planning to slash $2 million from the budget to offset the loss of some major retailers.

Mike Sprague reports that City Manager Steve Helvey "is asking all of his department heads to come up with a 5 percent cut to make that happen."

Apparently, in December 2007 Board Ford shut down, followed by the closures of a Chrysler dealership and Whittier Mitsubishi. A Mervyns retail store will be the next to go.

"Helvey said he will let the department heads come up with their own budget "hit list." Those have yet to be developed.

But he wants to slash entire programs, not just diminish them.

"I'd prefer to stop things we do than doing things halfway," he said.

Helvey said the cuts may affect personnel, but it's too early to say if there will be layoffs.

Look for the full story in tomorrow's paper.

You know it's election time when those mailers start showing up in your mailbox.

And in Pico Rivera, not everyone is happy about a particular mailer backing Measure P -- a 1-percent sales-tax increase initiative the voters will be asked to approve come Nov. 4.

Whittier Daily News reporter Airan Scruby has a story running in tomorrow's paper about the issue.

Here's a brief look at the story:

According to Public Information Officer Bob Spencer, the City Council allotted $35,000 for an "educational outreach program," and so far about $30,000 has been spent, mostly on glossy mailers sent to voters.
********
The mailings assert that money to fight crime may dry up, recreational programs will disappear and staff will be fired if the tax measure fails, leaving a $4.8 million budget gap.
********
Mailers have also announced the support of four of five council members, Sheriff Lee Baca and the El Rancho Unified School District.

Opponents to Measure P, including Councilman David Armenta, say the campaign by the city to educate is really about fear mongering.

"It's not an information program," Armenta said. "It's a scare tactic campaign."
*********
No formal complaints have been filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission, organization spokesman Roman Porter said.

According to Porter, materials put out by the city could seem to lean in favor of the tax, but would not necessarily violate the law.

Have any of you guys seen these mailers? What do you guys think: is this educational or propaganda?

Nothing major from the California Fair Political Practices Commission by way of fines here locally except for this:

Paige Bruyn, Vehicle Parking District Commissioner, City of Pomona, failed to timely file her 2005 annual statement of economic interests. $250 fine.

The decision came down in August. I didn't even realize Pomona had a Vehicle Parking District Commission.

I was just checking out the agenda for Tuesday's La Puente City Council meeting, and it seems they have some very interesting items on there.

First:

***Hmm, City Attorney James Casso told me last week he would be discussing several *options* with the City Council in regards to recouping $500,000 in missing tow fees from La Puente coffers. Could a lawsuit against the County and the Sheriff's Department be brewing?

Second:

****Wow, that was quick. A week after the theft of nearly $500K in impound fees from La Puente went public, Councilman John Solis is requesting consideration of a towing service agreement, according to a city staff report.

I wonder if he's looking to Bob's Towing again for the job? Last August, Bob's Towing submitted an unsolicited bid to the city for an exclusive franchise agreement. Solis said the agreement would bring in more dough for the city, but the council didn't buy into it.

Haven't had a chance to ask Solis about the item - ever since the tow story dropped, he's failed to return about a dozen of my calls.

A boo-boo on Temple City's part may cost the city $50,000 and may earn City Manager/City Attorney Charles Martin a raise, according to Star-News reporter Alfred Lee.

TEMPLE CITY - When city manager-city attorney Charles Martin revealed earlier this month that the city had been flagged by the IRS for improperly hiring full-time employees as independent contractors, he attributed it mostly to Temple City's contracting of parks and recreation workers.

Turns out, Martin himself was part of that problem.

Since taking over the dual roles of city manager and city attorney in 2005, Martin has been paid as an independent contractor, rather than as a city employee.

That has allowed Temple City to avoid providing medical, dental or retirement benefits to Martin, and to pay him less than it might otherwise have to.

The city also does not have to pay or withhold taxes on Martin's behalf, as he gets paid on a 1099 tax form instead of a W-2. Such contractors are responsible for paying their own income taxes.

The city, which may be fined up to $50,000 by the IRS for such hiring practices, plans to comply with the audit by changing the wording of some contracts, and also by converting some contractors to regular employees.

Martin will be reclassified as a full-time employee as of Jan. 1, and he might receive a pay increase at that time, Financial Services Director Monica Molina said.

I read this story from the Daily Bulletin and nearly fell of my chair:

POMONA - A Santa Monica man accused of threatening to kill Rep. David Dreier in June was sentenced Friday in Pomona Superior Court to spend one year in a mental-health facility.

Thomas Aaron Brothers, 41, was suspected of repeatedly calling the Republican House member's district office in San Dimas to complain about being harassed by the government for wearing women's underwear.

During a conversation on June 13 with a staff member at the office, Brothers reportedly became irate and threatened to kill Dreier and the staff member.

Brothers pleaded no contest in August to one felony count of threatening a government official.

As part of Brothers' plea bargain, prosecutors withdrew two additional felony counts.

At a July preliminary hearing, Dreier staff member Richard Rea testified that Brothers left three "very colorful" phone messages on the district office's answering machine late June 12 and early June 13.

In the messages, Brothers made numerous vague references to "purple and pink" and complained of government harassment for wearing women's underwear, Rea said.

Hope this guy knows he'll have a very limited wardrobe in his lockdown facility.....

Parking issues have been in the news a lot lately.

That being said, here are is the new fee schedule for parking citations in La Puente:

*Temporary parking restriction posted (i.e. street sweeping) .... $41
*Failure to display current tags .........$57
*No front or rear plates ................$37
*No parking curb markings .......... ...$41
*Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant ............$41

Better mind those signs.

I got this e-mail yesterday about a post office dedication for San Gabriel's first Asian mayor.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Adam Schiff announced that the San Gabriel Post Office will be named after former San Gabriel Mayor, Chi Mui at a dedication ceremony at the post office on Saturday, October 25, 2008. Rep. Schiff authored the legislation (H.R. 5477) to pay tribute to former Mayor Mui by naming the post office after him, and it was signed into law by the President in August. A search by the Congressional Research Service indicates this may be the first post office in the nation named for a Chinese American.

Mayor Mui spent a lifetime bettering his community as a volunteer and public servant. Mayor Mui passed away on April 27, 2006 after a courageous battle with cancer. The bill was cosponsored by nearly every member of the California House Delegation.

Frank Girardot and I pieced this together from interviews we did over the course of the week....

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is reexamining how it collects towing fees in response to allegations a former traffic sergeant took nearly $500,000 from the city of La Puente in impound revenues, officials said.

"We are doing that now," Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. "We are probably going to go to a cashless system. Using something like an ATM card to make it more difficult for theft to occur."

Whitmore also said the department is reviewing several other internal policies and will consult with the Board of Supervisors.

Former Sgt. Joe Dyer, who used to work out of the Industry sheriff's station until he retired in May, has been under investigation since the beginning of the year.

Officials believe he was collecting towing fees intended for La Puente, but not turning over all of those fees to the city.

"Let's just say that this has been a wake up call for the department," said Michael Gennaco, chief attorney for the Office of Internal Review.

The OIR is an independent agency that reviews alleged policy violations within the Sheriff's Department. They are aware of the allegations against Dyer and expect to receive a copy of the case once it is submitted to the District Attorney.

Sheriff Lee Baca said last week he expected to submit the case by the end of the year.
"It's still an ongoing investigation," Whitmore said. "But once it's done we will seek a prosecution."

There was one other case within the department involving mishandled tow fees, Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

The incident took place in 2007 and involved a deputy in Compton who was disciplined with a 10-day suspension after failing to follow the department's money handling procedures, Whitmore said.

"There was no evidence of any funds missing," Whitmore said. "Apparently he was not doing the paperwork properly. There was no money involved."

The incident is chronicled in the OIR quarterly report released earlier this year.

Apparently, the sheriff's may not be the only ones taking making changes. La Puente is also looking at its own internal cash-handling procedures.

I've been attempting to talk to interim City Manager Frank Tripepi about it, but he hasn't called me back in a week.

*******READ THE FULL STORY HERE 

There are some pretty loaded accusations made by Councilman Roger Hernandez about Councilman Steve Herfert. The letter below was sent from Hernandez to City Manager Andrew Pasmant last month, and it appeared in my inbox yesterday.

City Hall is closed today, so I will not be able to confirm any of these accusations. Herfert could not be reached for comment.

I'm not even sure if this is worthy of a story. The first reaction when I told collegaues about this was, "Here we go again." West Covina Council members always seem to be bickering. But then, they are not the only ones.

Here's the letter:

From: Roger Hernandez, MPA
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 4:48 PM
To: Andrew Pasmant
Cc: Frank Wills
Subject: Formal request for assistance with respect to closed session

Andy,

I am writing in order to make two formal requests, which I have outlined below.

As you are aware, during the closed session of September 2, 2008, Councilmember Herfert directed several loud and threatening statements towards me. Specifically, he directed the following comments towards me: "We're gonna come after your ass," "If not us, someone else will, " and "We are gonna sue your ass." They were made in a physically aggressive manner, while leaning into my personal space and waving his finger in a confrontational manner, which made all staff and councilmembers visibly uncomfortable. I understood his statements and body language as making a threat upon my life and livelihood. As I noted to you then and the Chief of Police thereafter, these statements caused me to fear for my personal safety.

At that time, I asked for your assistance in documenting the events I described above. You responded, while throwing your pen upon your notepad, that you could do nothing because it was a closed session. I understand that information discussed during a closed session is confidential; however, Councilmember Herfert's comments, first of all, had nothing to do with any closed session item that was placed upon on the agenda and nothing to do with any matter for which we could have legally convened a closed session. Moreover, Councilmember Herfert's comments, which I deem to be a threat upon my life, may be criminal activity. I would think that criminal conduct, in the form of battery or assault, for example, cannot be protected from disclosure. Therefore, I believe that Councilmember Herfert's comments were not confidential. They were stand-alone personal attacks upon me and, whether criminally actionable or not, should not be permitted.

In addition, I understand that as a councilmember, I have a right to feel safe when attending to my duties as an elected official. As councilmembers, we all do. Therefore, at this time, I'd like to make the following two requests:

1.) I would like law enforcement personnel to be present during all closed sessions. I have contacted the Chief of Police in order to request his assistance in this regard. I was, in fact, absent for twenty-five minutes of open session due to both my fear and my desire to properly document the events that had transpired with the appropriate authorities. Had there been law enforcement present during the closed session, I may have had the opportunity to join my fellow councilmembers at the beginning of the meeting. This should not happen again.

2.) I would like all closed sessions to be tape-recorded in order to potentially deter further attacks and also for evidentiary reasons, should there be a need to take further action.

Lastly, I would like to note for the record that Councilmember Herfert's conduct was, at minimum, unprofessional and alarming for the other councilmembers present. His actions undermine the institutional foundations of our governance: Intimidating other councilmbers is inimical to productive discussion and action. It further undermines our duties as elected officials and the proper execution of our responsibilities. As Councilmember Herfert should know, terror is not conducive to the creativity and hard work necessary to overcome the challenges faced by our City.

Please confirm that you have received this email and advise me of your conclusion with respect to my requests.

Roger Hernandez

It was a proud night for one of Azusa's city councilman.

Uriel Macias was sworn in as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Navy at a private ceremony at the Eagles Lodge in Azusa.

Macias, while expected, was beaming. He took the time to thank many of his friends personally and wore a smile the whole night.

City officials were telling me that he may be one of the only city council members in the San Gabriel Valley, if not Southern California, that is a commissioned officer in the Navy. To be a commissioned officer you have to be currently enlisted.

Look for more about Macias online later today and in the paper tomorrow.

As for the ceremony, many city officials and local business owners were in attendance.

Macias told me it was originally intended to be a small affair, but ended up having about 50 people in attendance.

Planning Commissioner Jorge Rosales was there. Chief Executive Officer of the city's Chamber of Commerce, Irene Villapania was there. As was the city's Public Information Officer Martin Quiroz, and other city employees. For the hour or so I was there, I didn't see any of Macias' fellow councilmen.

I've been on the Mongols beat the past few days so I got behind with blogging. There are a couple of stories I wanted to talk about.

1. Palin's expenses: No, not the $150,000 shopping spree, but the doctored expense reports.

Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

These types of stories have been my bread and butter in the San Gabriel Valley. I wonder what makes this story any different than, say, former water board member Dolores Holguin who racked up a series of personal expenses and charged them to the district. Holguin pleaded guilty last week to a felony misuse of public funds.

2. Only in El Monte. I was always under the impression that traffic lights were a major cash flow, but Rebecca Kimitch reports that's not the case in El Monte.

EL MONTE - Cameras will no longer capture images of vehicles that race through red lights at two intersections, the City Council decided Tuesday night.

The council voted 5-0 not to renew a contract with Redflex Traffic Systems to operate the cameras at the intersections of Peck Road and Ramona Boulevard and Santa Anita Avenue and Lower Azusa Road.

The cameras do not generate enough revenue to be worth the man hours spent on their operation, city manager James Mussenden told the council.

"But it's not about revenue, it's about saving lives," he added.

This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

With the endless controversy that seems to emit from Montebello City Hall it appears they are attempting to promote themselves in a better light.

The council voted unanimously to add the position of city spokesperson to staff. The public information officer will be paid between $61,764 and $75,096. Not a bad salary for a time when most cities are in debt and have hiring freezes on their hands.

A staff report indicates, "there is a need to provide timely information of an often crucial nature to the public through the use of press releases, articles, message boards, announcements, flyers and broadcast."

No word on who they will hire or when the new spokesperson will start.

Albert Robles was cleared of all charges he was facing for allegedly violating campaign codes, Airan Scruby reports.

Albert Robles serves on the Water Replinishment District of Southern California, and unfortunately shares the name with the former South Gate treasurer who was convicted to 10 years in prison of corruption.

Robles, 39, of the WRD, out of Lakewood, has served on the board since 1992.

Not a whole lot of city news in today's paper, but that's mainly because of this great package on a nationwide raid by the feds on the Mongols Motorcycle Club, which has roots in Montebello.

If you haven't already, you should check it out...

She's Courtney Chou Lee, 17 and a student at Arcadia High School.

An interesting tidbit: she's trained in Chinese folk dance.

If you've been reading our paper for the last few weeks, you've probably noticed an increasing amount of local election stories.

Today is no different.

Alfred Lee wrote this piece about the Senate's 21st District race, which Carol Liu is favored to win.

We also had this piece from Jennifer McLain about the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.

This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

I found this to be pretty interesting.....

Councilwoman Mary Anne Saucedo-Rodriguez was set to discuss a possible limit on campaign contributions at an Oct. 8 meeting. It was an listed under her council oral but for whatever reason she opted not to discuss it.

The agenda for Wednesday's meeting is out and I thought Saucedo-Rodriguez would have moved the item to this week. But it happens to be left off the agenda.

Perhaps the councilwoman gave the idea a second thought

Today I finally got around to a record's request that La Puente Valley County Water District has kept for me for about a month now. The request was inspired after I received a series of anonymous calls asking me to look into RC Foster, a contracting company that Valley County and other water agencies in the SGV has used for several years to build water clean up facilities.

I don't know whether there is a story there. I just asked for invoices, bid submittals, contracts and minutes, and still need to review the docs at one more agency.

Back to today. While going through the minutes, I came across a familiar name: La Puente Councilman Louie Lujan, who apparently got his start in politics on the La Puente Valley County Water District. I didn't realize that until I came back to the office and checked out Lujan's bio:

At the age of 23, he was the top vote getter among three candidates vying for two positions on the La Puente Valley County Water District in November of 1999.

In past stories about water districts, some have said that water boards are the springboard of political careers, while I've heard others say it is the landing pad. And then, there is that group that just get stuck there, and end up serving on the board for 20 years plus.

It seems that water politics is a mixture of both, although it would be an interesting story to see how the demographics, including age and gender, on our water boards, and city councils, have shifted today compared to 10 years ago.

Would you guys read that story?

The West Covina City Council meeting on Tuesday is cancelled because there is no scheduled business.

Being a reporter is often a thankless job. In fact, it is often one filled with things very different than thanks. In fact, it usually runs more with words that start with an h and sound like bait. Or other people think reporters "b-lame."

But it is nice when something you do seems to have some sort of a positive impact, if one can be found.

At tonight's Azusa City Council meeting, Mayor Joe Rocha will bring to the discussion the idea of a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case Pauline Squires.

Squires was killed in a hit and run four years ago, and her mother Yoshiko was disappointed that a reward was never offered. More can be found on this story here:

Who knows if the reward will catch the killer, but if this can bring some closure to the Squireses, I guess that is something.

In other city council notes, chalk another one up against Measure R.

The measure on November's ballot would institute a half cent sales tax to benefit transportation, but has been widely opposed by a lot of cities in the San Gabriel Valley. Glendora opposed voted to oppose it last week, others have in the past, and now La Verne is getting in on the anti-Measure R party. A resolution to oppose the measure appears on tonight's council meeting agenda.

Open forum: Are parking permits in West Covina a good idea?

The city is still looking into the price of parking permits, as well as the cost of the citations. At the city council meeting two weeks ago, there was an even number of people who spoke in favor and against having the parking permits. The council unanimously passed it.

New ordinance will require residents to get overnight parking permit
By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/17/2008 11:41:15 PM PDT

WEST COVINA - Starting next year, drivers who leave their cars parked on city streets could get a ticket.

The West Covina City Council has unanimously approved a parking plan that requires drivers to get an overnight permit if they want to park on city streets between 2 and 6 a.m.

"We think it will be beneficial to public safety, and will improve the quality of life and aesthetics," said Shannon Yauchzee, public works director.

The restrictions will apply to all West Covina streets. The ordinance is expected to be finalized at the Nov. 4 council meeting, where the council will also host a public hearing to discuss the proposed parking permit costs and fees.

West Covina is still preparing a cost analysis and has not decided on permit fees or parking violation costs.

In La Verne, a yearly parking permit is $50, and a temporary permit runs $3 a night. Tickets in other cities range from $40 to $100.

No one is ignoring the fact that Baldwin Park resident and attorney Victor Saldana likely won't win his bid for the 57th Assembly District seat.

That's cause he's running against incumbent Ed Hernandez, who has serious ties to the San Gabriel Valley, has about $400,000 more in his campaign coffers and leads a district that is heavily Democratic.

But you can't hate a man for trying...

Incumbent favored in 57th Assembly District

Blog

Get the scoop on local politics at theLeftovers from City Hall blog

Political experts and local party members say a heavily-favored incumbent will run away with a victory in the 57th Assembly District race on Nov. 4.

Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, would serve a second term if re-elected. He faces Victor Saldana, a lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for Baldwin Park City Council in 2007.

As a strongly Democratic district "known to protect incumbency and party control," Hernandez will be a tough candidate to beat, according to David Menefee-Libey, politics professor at Pomona College.

The 57th Assembly District represents several cities in the San Gabriel Valley, including Azusa, Covina, La Puente, West Covina, Industry and Baldwin Park.

Hernandez was first elected to office in 2006 and is chair of the San Gabriel Valley Legislative Caucus.

"I have two years of experience and I've brought a significant amount of resources to the San Gabriel Valley," said Hernandez, who lives in West Covina and runs two optometry practices in La Puente and Duarte with his wife.

Hernandez said he's got a proven track record.

"The priorities are obviously transportation," he said, adding that he helped secure about $74 million for improvements to the 10 Freeway and 605 Freeway interchange.

Hernandez also emphasized his interest in water issues, health care and his hopes to bring a trauma center to the San Gabriel Valley.

According to campaign finance statements filed with the secretaryof state, Hernandez has about $425,000 in his bank account - which includes contributions from a long list of Valley organizations and elected officials.

Among them is more than $4,000 from the Coalition for a Safe and Clean and Environment - which is headed up by La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan's brother - and another $1,250 from Louie Lujan.

Baldwin Park Councilwoman Marlen Garcia donated $500, and Miller Brewery donated $3,600, according to documents from the state.

Saldana said he's raised about $30,000 for his campaign. This is only the second time he has ever run for public office.

While experience is helpful, Saldana said it's not the only quality of a good candidate.

"I think education is my strong suit," Saldana said. "I'm a lawyer by profession. I've been advocating for people all my life. This position would be no different."

Saldana is a long-time Baldwin Park resident who has a practice in Diamond Bar.

His biggest concern is the economy.

"Everybody is having a tough time making ends meet," Saldana said. "I would really like to focus on easing burdens on California taxpayers by lowering taxes. I would like to ease the burden at the pump too, and I'd like to also cut wasteful government spending."

Kathy Howard, vice chairman of the 57th Assembly District Republican Central Committee, called Saldana a "credible candidate," but also spoke to the difficulty of winning in the district.

"(Saldana) wants very much to make a Republican presence even though he pretty much knows he's not going to win," Howard said. "But he's going to try really hard."

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2109

Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano says he wants to track down the citizen that turned in a parolee and teenager for allegedly vandalizing the Baldwin Park veterans memorial at Morgan Park.

Here's some of a story reporter Brian Day wrote for Sunday's paper:

Louis Andrew Lopez, 23, of Baldwin Park and a 16-year-old Baldwin Park boy were booked on suspicion of felony vandalism, Baldwin Park police Sgt. Chris Hofford said.

"I would definitely like to recognize this person," Lozano said.

I think I see a certificate presentation on the horizon at one of the next council meetings.....

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld wrote a very telling piece this weekend about the effects an exclusive trash contract with Athens Services in Montebello could mean for local independent trash haulers.

Apparently, the refuse business goes way back for many Montebello Armenian families:

The 15-year agreement, worth $7.8 million annually, grants Athens exclusive rights to all trash hauling in the city. It phases out contracts with the 13 independent haulers who currently collect trash in commercial areas.

"It's the most precious thing to the Armenians to maintain their culture," Hagopian said. "But if you don't have business in the city you have to move and you lose those bonds that are hundreds of years old. What a terrible thing to lose."

It's been a while since I've blogged, but that's mainly because I've been working on this story about a former Industry sheriff's sergeant that allegedly pocketed $500,000 in tow fees meant for the city of La Puente. His name is Joe Dyer.

We should have a follow-up story running in Tuesday's paper. But until then, here are some new tidbits I've gathered:

*Officials say they're reviewing options to recoup the nearly $500,000. La Puente City Attorney James Casso said he expected to discuss the matter with the City Council at its Oct. 28 meeting, but he would not say if the possibility of a lawsuit against the Sheriff's Department or Los Angeles County was on the table.

*If convicted, Dyer would not lose any of his retirement benefits, according to Janice Golden, assistant executive officer with the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association. LACERA is the retirement agency that serves the sheriff's department.

We're also working on some other ledes....more to come when we know it.

I got this email this morning of an anonymous West Covina resident who "reviewed" the West Covina Norms for himself/herself:

"... I decided to test the new NORM'S in West Covina.

They didn't pass my somewhat mediocre benchmarks. Suggest you try it yourself before you write your next article.

My experience this morning:

7:00 A. M. Hesitancy about seating me where I tried to sit.

Waitress let me know that "Oatmeal" was only instant microwave. Deal breaker!

Two eggs and fruit (only melon) was OK - but NO biscuits and gravy today.

Coffee - Only "non-dairy" creamer. Would have preferred half-and-half. No biggie.

On my table - - No catsup, jelly or extra paper napkins.

My coffee refill was on time. (without asking) I waited but NO CHECK on table - had to go to register but the attendant didn't seem to know what to do with me. (He was willing to pay the odd penny.)

I didn't venture into the Restroom but the new facility looks nice and clean. No "take-out" until after November first due to an occasional long line.

Who has had similar experiences?

No week is complete without a Baldwin Park elected official gracing the pages of the newspaper. This week, it is Dolores Holguin, whose political career is now over.

Holguin was convicted yesterday to a felony count of misusing public funds. She was facing up to four years in prison. Instead, she will not serve any time in prison but she will never be able to serve as an elected official again.

Former water director pleads guilty to abusing public funds
Holguin 'barred' from public office
By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 11:59:23 PM PDT

POMONA - A former Valley County Water District member is barred for life from holding public office after pleading guilty Thursday to misusing $6,200 in public funds.

Dolores Holguin, who in 2007 was honored by State Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles for her service, was also ordered by a Pomona Superior Court judge to pay back the $6,200 and to serve 200 hours of community service and two years of probation.

She was the first woman and first person of Latino descent to serve on the board.

"This case serves as a message that public officials are supposed to exercise the utmost care when spending the public's money," said Deputy District Attorney Edward Miller.

Holguin, 59, did not return calls for comment, but has previously denied any wrongdoing and believed the allegations were purely political. She already has paid restitution.

Valley County serves water to nearly 65,000 residents in West Covina, Irwindale and Baldwin Park, where the district's headquarters are located.

"The district is very pleased with the outcome," said the Valley County's attorney Keith Lemieux. "This closes a bad chapter in the district's history."

Holguin's expenses included "inappropriate" local dinners, meals on trips where she already received stipends, cell phone bills, and a district-funded lawsuit brought on her behalf seeking the removal of fellow Valley County board member Al Contreras.

The allegations against Holguin began in 2006, when Valley County filed a civil lawsuit alleging she improperly billed the district for more than $15,000 in cell phone, meal and medical expenses.

An internal report alleged that Holguin pocketed nearly $4,700 in medical reimbursements from the district while she was already receiving coverage through her employee's union.

The case was settled this year, and she was ordered to pay $11,300 to the district.

In November 2007, Holguin was censured from the board, and then she lost re-election to her seat, which she held for 12 years. She was replaced by Jonathan Contreras, son of Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District Director Al Contreras.

"Stories like this are never positive for the public perception of elected officials," Al Contreras said. "But the public can be reassured that she is out of here and will not return to public office."

Despite the allegations swirling around Holguin, she was honored in 2007 by Sen. Majority Leader Gloria Romero as Woman of the Year for inspiring a piece of legislation preventing elected officials from simultaneously holding conflicting elected positions.

Among the directors forced to resign because of Romero's bill was Al Contreras, who also held a seat on the Valley County board. Holguin sued Contreras, and the district paid for it, which the District Attorney later said was illegal.

Romero did not return a call seeking comment.

Throughout the past two years, Holguin called allegations "political," and said she would eventually be vindicated. She also said expenses were approved by the board and denied any wrong doing.

"Other board members and management of the water board are guilty of the same conduct, and now it remains to be seen if they too will be prosecuted," said Holguin's attorney, Glen Jonas. "If they are not prosecuted, than the message is as long as you keep your political power, you don't have to worry about being prosecuted."

Current board members deny Jonas' and Holguin's accusations.

"She continues to lie," said Valley County President Marianna Lake. "She has lied from the beginning. It is about time for her to pay for what she's done."

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477

www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov

No one is above the law, Sheriff Lee Baca said on Thursday. Not even the sheriff's deputy suspected of skimming nearly $500,000 worth of La Puente's towing fees.

The deputy, Sgt. Joe Dyer, retired in May when he was suspected of taking the money.

Chatila reports that former La Puente City Manager Carol Cowley was the first one to notice the discrepancies, and an investigation followed in January. Cowley recently retired from her position as La Puente city manager.

Sheriff deputy suspected in theft of $500k of city's towing fees
By Tania Chatila, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 11:59:21 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES - A sheriff's deputy is suspected of embezzling nearly half a million dollars in towing fees from the city of La Puente, officials said Thursday.

Sheriff Lee Baca said the department's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau is investigating allegations that former traffic Sgt. Joe Dyer stole nearly $500,000.

"My belief is that no one is above the law and I think that the criminal justice system will act appropriately in this case," Baca said Thursday.

Dyer, who could not be reached for comment, retired in May after detectives "established a need for an investigation regarding funds at the Industry Station that were missing," Baca said.

Dyer's supervisor, Capt. Michael Smith, was reassigned to the sheriff's headquarters in Monterey Park effective Sunday, officials said.

Baca said the reassignment had nothing to do with the investigation. He also said he did not believe any other sheriff's deputies were involved.

The District Attorney is aware of the case, Baca said. He expected it would be submitted for review by the end of the year.

"We've done as much as we can to build a good strong case," Baca said.

The investigation was launched in January.

John Stites, president of the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, the union that represents Dyer, said higher-ups in the department bear responsibility for the missing money if the allegations turn out to be true.

"We're not accountants; we're not money men," Stites said. "Often times they put us in positions we are not trained to handle and it ends up going bad. I've seen it happen more than once."

La Puente contracts with Haddick's Towing for tow services. The city is supposed to receive $168 in administrative fees every time a car is impounded, said Laurie Marshall, who together with her sister, Bonnie Welch, owns and runs Haddick's.

The fees are paid to the sheriff's Industry Station, which issues a receipt that the driver must provide to reclaim his or her vehicle at La Puente-based Haddick's, Marshall said. The driver then pays a separate fee to Haddick's and the car is released.

Dyer dropped off the administrative fees and receipts at City Hall, where staff members reconciled the fees with the receipts Dyer provided, La Puente City Councilwoman Lola Storing said.

"Apparently, he wasn't giving all the money or all of the receipts," Storing said.

City officials never compared their receipts with Haddick's, Storing said.

"Our tally matched out what we should have had," Storing said. "It just didn't jibe (with Haddick's records)."

Storing believed former City Manager Carol Cowley was the first person at City Hall to notice the discrepancies.

Cowley declined to comment Thursday.

At a 2007 City Council meeting, Cowley noted the city anticipated receiving about $90,000 in towing fees for fiscal year 2006-07.

Marshall said Welch was at the meeting and questioned the figure.

"Once the information came out ... Bonnie knew it was not accurate information and she called Carol," Marshall said.

At that time, Haddick's officials estimated La Puente should have received $160,000 in towing fees for fiscal year 2006-07.

Welch could not be reached for comment Thursday as she is vacationing in Mexico.

Marshall said sheriff's investigators have asked the towing company for financial records, which Haddick's provided.

Haddick's also furnishes tow services in Industry, but collects administrative fees directly. Those figures are reconciled by Industry officials monthly, Marshall said.

Baca said the investigation did not involve anyone in La Puente City Hall or other cities.

City Attorney James Casso and Councilman Dan Holloway declined to comment on Thursday.

Councilman Louie Lujan said he was aware of "a matter," but would not divulge details, citing state open meeting laws.

Councilman John Solis and Councilwoman Nadia Mendoza could not be reached for comment.

Baca said other deputies have been investigated in the past for embezzling money. But, he said, the problem is not rampant within the department.

Storing said the city is entitled to get its money back from the county. Baca said he didn't know of any plans to reimburse La Puente.

"I don't think the city has made any indication they expect the county or the sheriff's department to provide that money," he said. "We're investigating a crime."

Staff Writers Frank Pine, Frank C. Girardot, Ben Baeder and Ruby Gonzales contributed to this story.

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2109

Rosemead Ok'd its general plan, and, gasp, it was passed on a 3-2 vote. Council members Gary Taylor and Margaret Clark dissented. Here is the story. 

Aspects of the general plan are:

-- Allows an additional 6,000 housing units - a nearly 50 percent increase from the current 14,700 units. The increase is projected to bring the city's population to 80,000 residents from the current 58,000.

-- Under the plan, most growth would be in development where apartments or condominiums would be above or near street-level businesses. Such projects could be six or seven stories tall.

Much like the Wal-Mart fiasco, the general plan is deviding the council and the community. But then again, what doesn't divide the Rosemead City Council?

And I understand why. Just look at the demographics, lengths of terms by each council member and their voting history. Clark and Taylor have a combined 50 years on the council, while Tran, Low and Nunez have a combined seven years.

Naturally, these leaders have their followers, and what results is a disjointed council that can rarely agree on anything.

Dolores Holguin, former director on the Valley County Water District in Baldwin Park, pleaded guilty today to one count of misusing public funds.

Investigators said that Holguin improperly charged personal expenses to the district, including meals, attorney's fees and telephone bills. She was ordered to pay back the district $6,200.

Deputy District Attorney Edward Miller said that he hopes the case serves as an example to public officials.

"It is a message that public officials are supposed to exercise the utmost care when spending the public's money, and if it is not an actual and necessary expense for their function, it is probably illegal," Miller said.

I got an e-mail from La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan yesterday rounding up some of the highlights from Tuesday night's meeting

A proposal to allow alcoholic beverages at the new Community Youth center was stalled once again.

Resolution against Measure R passed

Resolution supporting the NFL stadium passed

Resolution supporting Measure RR passed

I made a public statement about Sheriff's on cell phones. I have received 5 complaints in the last week or two (2 new ones this morning) about deputies talking on phones when they are in their squad cars. It is becoming very problematic. I demanded that the new Captain stop this behavior.

Busy night.......

I was pretty curios a couple of weeks ago when I started noticing Ed Butts Ford listed on closed session items for the La Puente City Council meetings.

No, they're not negotiating for that infamous Hacienda Boulevard parcel again.

Looks like after that deal fell through, they decided to go to Plan B: asking the city help for help in remodeling their service center.

This story will be running in tomorrow's paper:

LA PUENTE -- In an effort to ride out the economic storm battering the nation and the automobile industry, Ed Butts Ford wants the city's help in improving their service center.

But the project has been scaled back and the Iannones are now looking for help with $640,000 in upgrades. The city would not be loaning any money up front.

The story will be fleshed out in the paper, but that's the jist. Apparently, Ed Butts officials are trying to work out a deal with the bank for a loan. Once that happens, they'll have to go back to the city and work out a deal.

We'll see what happens this time.

Amanda Baumfeld hits a homerun in her story about Montebello Councilman Robert Urteaga's criminal record. Baumfeld said that she had the information several weeks ago. Earlier this week, http://www.stopathens.com/ posted info about Urteaga's record.

Urteaga was accused in 1999 of five counts of check forgery and one count grand theft.

In a July 1999 plea agreement between Urteaga and prosecutors, the forgery counts were dropped by the district attorney, according to court documents.

Urteaga, 33, is the youngest Montebello councilman to be elected in the city's history.

As a side note, any member of the public can find out whether anyone has a criminal record. But where to look and how much to pay sometimes discourage people, including reporters, from looking. Los Angeles County Superior Court charges $4.75 to run a criminal case index.

So I guess what I'm saying is that we don't always run criminal reports on council members, unless we get tips. (hint, hint.)

 Montebello trash fight reveals councilman's criminal record
By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/15/2008 11:42:17 PM PDT

Urteaga court documents MONTEBELLO - A fight over a trash contract turned to mud slinging when a group opposed to the plan put materials from a City Councilman's criminal record on the Internet.

In 1998, Councilman Robert Urteaga pleaded no contest to grand theft of personal property totaling $30,000, according to court documents.

"When I ran for office, I knew eventually someone would dig into my background and dig this up," Urteaga said. "I just don't think that this incident happening 10 years ago is a true reflection of who Robert Urteaga is."

Details of the conviction have been on a Web site opposing the city's proposed contract with Athens Services since Oct. 9.

Urteaga along with Councilwomen Kathy Salazar and Rosie Vasquez became a target for independent trash haulers after they voted in favor of a contract with Athens Services in July.

The exclusive 15-year contract, worth about $7.8 million annually, provides Montebello with $500,000 and 7.5 percent of gross receipts from commercial accounts. It phases out contracts with the 13 independent haulers who currently collect trash from commercial areas.

More recently the same council majority voted to postpone a decision on placing a proposed referendum on the ballot. The measure would put the Athens contract to a popular vote.

The criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney's Office in February 1999 accused Urteaga of five counts of check forgery and one count grand theft.

In a July 1999 plea agreement between Urteaga and prosecutors, the forgery counts were dropped by the district attorney, according to court documents.

Urteaga said he accepted responsibility for his conviction, is remorseful and wants to move forward.

"Mine is a story of success, and I didn't let this one incident destroy my life," Urteaga said. "I am a big believer in second chances."

Nonetheless, independent trash haulers are questioning Urteaga's role on the City Council and his support of the Athens deal.

"He really has no ethics in politics or in business," said Aron Patrosian, a trash hauler. "Politically it doesn't look good; he swept it under the carpet and hoped no one would see it."

The conviction dates back to Urteaga's years as a UCLA student when he was 21, he said. Putting himself through school, he took up sports gambling as a means to make extra money, he added.

The councilman said he got in over his head and started losing, so he made bigger bets.

"I got into trouble with people you don't want to get in trouble with. I took money that didn't belong to me," Urteaga said. "My mistake was I didn't ask for help. I was too embarrassed."

The money was taken from a friend he worked for at the time, Urteaga said. He performed 60 days of community service with Caltrans and paid off his debt. He was on probation through November 2002.

Urteaga's older brother Armando, vice president of the East Whittier School District School Board, refers to the incident as a "bump in the road."

"We do things when we are younger, and we don't realize how it can impact the rest of our lives," Armando said. "With Robert, he's learned from his stupid silly mistakes, and he is trying to move forward."

Still the conviction has some residents and the mayor asking whether can Urteaga can hold political office?

"It's very disheartening," Montebello Mayor Bill Molinari said. "There is no question that politically it's very damaging to be involved with grand theft and forgery."

Montebello has no laws that would prevent a felon from running for office, according to City Administrator Richard Torres.

"There is no disqualifying factor that prohibits Urteaga from holding office or participating in any duties as a council member," said City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman.

A law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in July targeted office holders with felony convictions. But grand theft was not covered in the proposal, authorities said.

"Certain felony convictions prevent those from holding office, but grand theft is not one of them," said Dave Demerjian, head of the District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division. "Forgery would have prevented him from holding office, but the fact that he was not convicted and only charged (with forgery) would not disqualify him."

Police Chief Dan Weast, who endorsed Urteaga's campaign when he was president of the Montebello Police Officers' Association, refused to comment on Urteaga's conviction.

Vasquez and Salazar remain in support of Urteaga.

"If people want to dig into my personal record, I will accept what comes forward," Urteaga said. "They are trying to pressure me to resign, and I am not going to let them. I am going to fight this."

This is a little late in the day for this, but I have a little gossip from the Glendora City Council meeting Tuesday night. I had a press conference at USC this morning and those of you who know that drive know part of my day was wasted on the 10 freeway.

Anyone that has been to Glendora council meetings knows there are some familiar faces in terms of the city's gad flies. All cities have a certain number of individuals who speak at each meeting, either about general city concerns or a certain few subjects. Glendora has them. Azusa has some. When I worked in Newport Beach, they had some notable ones. (Here is looking at you Allan Beek.)

But at most council meetings, the city council usually briefly addresses concerns or doesn't pay much attention. At Glendora's meetings, the members have a tendency to comment back and sometimes things can get interesting.

At Tuesday's meeting a woman by the name of Erica Johnsey spoke at the podium addressing issues concerning Colorama Nursery in Glendora for the second consecutive council meeting (that I know of). She had some questions about chemical spraying times.

Well, councilman Ken Herman had a response.

He first said he would address the issue by falling "back on reason and logic." Then accused Johnsey that if the issue was concerning another nursery, then maybe she would have something else to complain about. Johnsey, from the audience, yelled at Herman, claiming his comments were inappropriate. I couldn't make out what Herman had to say during that as I was sitting directly in front of Johnsey. There was a short, awkward silence directly following.

Good times were had by all.

Later after the public comments, Mark Kelly addressed the audience, and one comment in particular concerning a complaint against the police department, by saying something to the affect of "We appreciate you coming up here and stating your case (...) Sometimes we don't need to sit up on the dais and take up time to explain what we have done." He then explained what he had done.

By the way, just a shot in the dark here, but aren't city council meetings held so the public can get a glimpse of what the city is up to?

The final minor drama of the evening was when Councilman Doug Tessitor was a little peeved that the Coast Guard wasn't included on the brochure for the Glendora War Memorial that was approved at the meeting. The brochure has the seals from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines, but no Coast Guard. Apparently, according to Mayor Karen Davis, the city went off the Department of Defense's list and the Coast Guard is under the Department of the Treasury.

Tessitor argued the Coast Guard serves their country, risks their lives and should be included on the brochure and on the war memorial. Davis said those who lost their lives in service would be included on the memorial, including the Coast Guard, but pointed out it is a "war" memorial. Tessitor then added there is a war on drugs and that he felt not including the Coast Guard was a "slight."

It was clear no one meant to "slight" the Coast Guard, but Tessitor had a point.

Hate Athens? If you do, you're not the only one: http://www.stopathens.com/

Athens serves these cities, according to its Web site:

I am working on a story about the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, which has a total of 10 candidates, including Andrew McIntyre, and I rememered this picture that I took about two weeks ago.

The photo was taken a week before a statue donated by the McIntyre Co. was stolen. Reporter Brian Day, who followed the story about the stolen statue, told me that he called McIntyre to get some info about the stolen statue.

After he spoke to McIntyre, the grandson of the founder of the development company, he had a final word for Day: "Vote for McIntyre." I don't think that made it into the story.

Police on the hunt for 300-pound statue

COVINA - For the second time in four months, police are scouring area metal recyclers in hopes of finding an expensive statue stolen from a Covina business.

The statue, a 300-pound life-size depiction of a teenage boy carrying an American flag valued at more than $35,000, was discovered missing Saturday morning from the property of the McIntyre Cos. in the 300 block of East Rowland Street, police and company officials said.

In late June, another of the four statues the company had set out on its property was stolen, but later recovered at a Montclair metal recycler after a manager, who had seen news reports about the theft, received the statue and called police, authorities said.

"Hopefully, we'll have the same

outcome as last time," said McIntyre Cos. co-owner Andrew

McIntyre.

West Covina city officials, including Mayor Sherri Lane, and Councilmen Mike Touhey and Steve Herfert, attended the grand opening today of Norms Restaurant, 501 North Azusa Ave.

There were about 40-50 people there, including Norms president Philip Singerman, and lots of staffers from West Covina. 

What Norms employees seemed especially excited about was the retro look and feel of the place, as well as the Neon sign.

Norms first opened in So Cal in 1949, and now there are 17 locations across the area. And the best part? It's 24-7.

As I drove through Rosemead today, I noticed a number of signs that cropped up on lawns protesting the Charter City proposition. Reporter Rebecca Kimitch said a story about the proposition will appear this weeked.

Police are telling us that a Pasadena woman lit her house on fire before shooting and killing herself yesterday morning, a day before she was supposed to be evicted because she couldn't pay her mortgage. Our reporter is out there now.

At times like these, any information about avoiding foreclosure will help.

On Oct. 17, there will be a foreclosure prevention seminar hosted by Congresswoman Hilda Solis from 5 to 7 p.m. at 4100 Baldwin Park Blvd. in Baldwin Park.

This story about West Covina Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson evolved through the day as I worked on it yesterday. Initially, there was no reference to a sex video, but after speaking with West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell it became clear that the video was a vital part of the investigation. Still, several questions remain unanswered. Mainly, why was Charlynda Lamb targeting Sanderson? Lamb won't return calls, and police and Sanderson say they don't know.

Here is the story:

Woman pleads to `disturbing' councilwoman
By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/13/2008 11:43:47 PM PDT

WEST COVINA - A Lake Elsinore woman who posted an Internet sex video targeting a city councilwoman has been convicted of disturbing the peace for making threatening phone calls to the councilwoman, officials said Monday.

Charlynda Lamb, 32, posted a video in several Internet forums purporting to show West Covina Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson engaged in sexual activity in 2000.

Sanderson, 43, filed a criminal complaint against Lamb in January, alleging Lamb was threatening and harassing her over the phone. Sanderson on Monday declined to discuss the video.

``I need to make sure that nothing compromises the ongoing investigation,'' Sanderson said. ``I am a victim here.''

West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell, who hadn't seen the video, said police didn't believe it was Sanderson in the video.

``It's my understanding from people who have viewed the tape that it was not Ms. Sanderson,'' he said.

Police discovered the video while investigating Sanderson's allegations against Lamb.

Lamb, initially charged with making annoying, threatening or harassing phone calls, pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace last month and is due back in court March 23 to pay a $120 fine.

Lamb and her attorney, Albert D'Antin, did not return calls Monday.

West Covina police said Monday that they are conducting an ongoing investigation of other material found on Lamb's computer.

``We found some things on the computer that concern us,'' Mitchell said. However, ``the investigation of Ms. Lamb's victimization of Ms. Sanderson is complete at this point.''

Mitchell said Lamb posted the sex video on the Internet, but did not produce the video.

The video, described on YouTube as ``Birthday Bash Bits taken from a Birthday Bash,'' appeared on such Web sites as MySpace, which is where police found it.

MySpace and YouTube have removed the video.

Sanderson said she met Lamb once but could not remember when or where. She also does not know why she was the target of Lamb's ``annoying phone calls.''

Several calls were received in one day in January and Sanderson said she felt her life was in danger.

``She actually stated that, `I (am) coming to get you,''' Sanderson said of Lamb.

Sanderson made a police report and filed restraining order against Lamb. During a September hearing in the case, a judge banned Lamb from making contact with Sanderson.

This is not the first time Sanderson, first elected to West Covina City Council in March 2001, has sought a restraining order while serving as a councilwoman, she said.

Nearly two years ago, she obtained a restraining order against a man who threatened to do ``not so nice'' things to her, she said.

``I've been in politics for a while now, and it is interesting how forward people are. As a politician, you have to be more tolerant of what is said about you, whether it's true or not,'' Sanderson said. ``The thing I don't like is injustice. I don't like when a person can say horrible things about a person and get away with it.''

The same day that Monrovia Mayor Rob Hammond was quoted in the LA Times was the same day that Pasadena Star-News reporter Nathan McIntire found out he won't be running for re-election.

Monrovia mayor will not seek reelection
By Nathan McIntire, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/13/2008 05:12:24 PM PDT

MONROVIA - Mayor Rob Hammond has decided not to run for reelection in April's municipal elections, according to City Manager Scott Ochoa.

Ochoa wrote in his weekly report released today that Hammond has decided to step down at the end of his current two-year term. He plans to return to college to obtain his degree.

El Monte resident Elsie Neilson has this to say about the police chief and assistant cheif salaries. Do you agree or disagree? :

RE: EL MONTE POLICE DEPT. SALARY INCREASES

In view of El Monte's budget deficit and the Nation's financial crisis, this is certainly a poor time for the El Monte City Council's vote to increase the salaries of our Police Chief and Assistant Police Chief to $234,000 and $195,000 respectively. WHAT IS THE COUNCIL THINKING??

If research had been done regarding salaries of Police Chiefs in surrounding cities, they would have found that El Monte salaries are considerably higher, so it is not a matter of having to be competitive, as Mayor Gutierrez says.

Talk about inequities....this is the ultimate slap in the face to the taxpayer who has lost his job and still must pay taxes for what seems to me to be obscene salaries.

Note, for comparison, that the yearly salary of the Vice President of the United States is presently $221,000.

Elsie Neilson

I'm working on this story for tomorrow:

WEST COVINA -- A city councilwoman expressed concerns for her life when she filed a restraining order against a Lake Elsinore woman last month.

West Covina City Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson said a series of harassing phone calls on Jan. 3 prompted her to file a police report against Charlynda Lamb.

"There are still violations that have occurred since the restraining order was issued," Sanderson said. "It is still under investigation by the police department."

Sanderson said that she met Lamb, 32, once, but could not remember when. She also does not know why she was the target of Lamb's "annoying phone calls," which occurred on one day.

"She actually stated that. 'I was coming to get you,' " Sanderson said.

This email appeared in my inbox over the weekend. It's from Rich McKee, a La Verne planning commissioner and open government advocate who has sued several cities in the name of the Brown Act. He also cc'd the email to the District Attorney's office and Walnut city officials. He is alleging that some Walnut residents, who are in support of the NFL stadium, are victims of harassment at recent city council meetings:

Walnut City Officials:

I believe it is my responsibility to make you aware of my receipt of allegations of harassment and intimidation from four Walnut residents in regard to treatment they received both outside the recent city council meetings and within. All claim to be stadium supporters and all of the claims have been essentially the same, citing physical intimidation outside the meetings and continued harassment within.

How were they identified - - they were not wearing buttons in opposition to the stadium. I share these concerns with you, because all four allege that city officials did little or nothing to protect the First Amendment rights of those there to express their support for the stadium project, and allowed an atmosphere that made some fear for their safety.

It is my opinion that the city, without reasonable efforts to protect the rights of those coming to a limited public forum to express themselves directly to the city council on matters within its jurisdiction, when the city is aware of the harassment and intimidation, places itself not only in legal jeopardy, but in jeopardy of losing its reputation for fairness in representing all the residents of Walnut - - much as we saw happen a few years ago in places like South Gate.

Sincerely, Rich McKee

Good morning. Here is this week's installment of our column.

Leftovers Column: Valley politics has its winners
By Jennifer McLain and Tania Chatila, Staff Writers
Article Launched: 10/13/2008 12:18:22 AM PDT

If it's not diving stocks or the tanking economy, then it's something in the water at our local city halls.

It seemed like an endless newsweek filled with legal battles, arrests and convictions among San Gabriel Valley politicians last week. Let's take a look at who came out on top:

South El Monte
Political activist Michael Lewis, who received plenty of press a couple of years ago for helping pro-Wal Mart residents in Rosemead, got slapped with a fine by the Fair Political Practices Commission.

He could pay up to $25,000 for failing to report contributions to South El Monte candidates in a 2003 City Council election.

Lewis agreed to pay $12,000.

And the winners are: Mayor Blanca Figueroa and councilmen Hector Delgado and Luis Aguinaga. They don't have to give back the contributions totalling $7,200. Aguinaga and Figueroa did say they would do so gladly if asked. Delgado did not return calls.

West Covina
The former campaign manager for Councilman Roger Hernandez was convicted of one count of voter registration fraud for registering to vote in West Covina but not actually living there.

Paz Oliverez, 32, still believes she was "vindicated" because the case against her was reduced from two felonies to a single misdemeanor.

The whole incident unraveled during the 2007 City Council election when Councilman Mike Touhey spilled the beans on her peculiar living situation.

And the winner is: Hernandez. Oliverez resigned from his campaign, but Hernandez still managed to win a seat on the council.

Walnut
Mayor Joaquin Lim doesn't want a proposed NFL stadium in neighboring Industry because of traffic, pollution and the hit to property values. So he's doing everything he can to stop it.

Among those things: outright opposition to the stadium and a plan to sue Industry if it doesn't give Walnut additional time to review the stadium proposal.

Open meeting expert Rich McKee is calling Walnut out for the above decisions, and a few others, made by the City Council in September.

In a letter to Walnut and the District Attorney, McKee accuses Walnut of breaking the law for making decisions on issues not listed on the agenda.

The DA is looking into it.

Lim said the council did nothing wrong.

And the winner is: Industry.

Whether they get the football stadium or not, it has more businesses than it does residents and always will be making money.

Azusa
In America, life revolves around hamburgers, and it's no different in Azusa.

Angry residents presented two councilmen with recall papers for their opposition to a 24-hour drive-through at T-Burgers.

Their hearts may have been in the right place, but their paperwork wasn't. They got the 35 signatures they needed, but didn't realize they had to submit the papers to the city clerk before giving them to Councilman Angel Carrillo and Uriel Macias.

And the winner is: Carrillo and Macias, at least for now. As of Friday, the city clerk had not received new paperwork.

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477, 2109 www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov

What a day in LA.

Dodgers lost

West Covina Councilman Roger Hernandez's former campaing manager pleads no contest to voter registration fraud. Read here.

Montebello decides to hold off decision to let voters decide on who their trash haulers should be. Read more.

Walnut decides to back off ban of proposed businesses that could benefit the NFL stadium. Read here.

Michael Lewis and and the Citizens for Better Government Committee violated campaign laws five times in South El Monte's mayoral and city council elections for failing to disclose late contriubtions to Mayor Blanca Figueroa, and councilmen Hector Delgado and Luis Aguinaga. Lewis -- yes, this is the same Mike Lewis that helped pro-Wal Mart residents in Rosemead -- and agreed to pay $12,000 in fines. Read more.

Former Rosemead City Manager Frank Tripepi will be hired $20,000 a month as a consultant for La Puente. Read here.

Editorial board urges a "no" vote for El Monte's proposed Measure GG, the half-cent sales tax. Read here.

I drove out to La Puente City Hall yesterday to review some documents about Del Terra and Arnold Alvarez-Glasman's firm, Glasman, Colvin & Adams.

On my way there, I drove past the La Puente Community Center which is coming together very nicely, I must say. I remember the first time I drove passed it, it was old, dingy and covered with tarp. Not to mention the fact that it hadn't been open in years...

But a lot of time and a lot of money later, it seems the community center could be re-opened to the public as early as next month.

A tentative grand opening has been set. I'll post more when it's all confirmed. In the meanwhile, enjoy these pics I took while I was driving...

While we're by far the worst, looks like California isn't the only state slammed with budget deficits...

Not everyone is against a proposed NFL stadium in Industry...

A got a tip the other day from a reliable source who told me after Baldwin Park board member Sergio Corona's May arrest, people in Baldwin Park were making T-shirts that read, "Shirtless and sweaty."

Anyone seen one?

The NFL stadium campaign is sure in high gear these days.
We got this invitation to attend an informational presentation on the proposed project from John Smecken.

Date: Friday, October 10, 2008
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Location: South Coast Air Quality Management District Government Center,
Auditorium
21845 Copley Drive, Suite 1170
Diamond Bar, CA 91765

Please RSVP to the Chamber at 909.860.1904 or info@regionalchambersgv.com

Do you think they'll bring up the recent Walnut controversy and the Walnut City Council's very vocal opposition to the stadium?

Speaking of city managers, in talking to La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan on Wednesday about Frank Tripepi's recent appointment to transition manager, Lujan started talking about the possibility of La Puente needing to reevaluate it's city manager salary when a full-time replacement is hired.

Lujan talked about the decreasing pool of qualified city managers out there. He also referred to this story (salaries.pdf) from the Press-Enterprise about upped city manager salaries.

I spotted a $300,000-something salary in there somewhere.

Yikes.

Carol Cowley was making roughly $140,000 when she retired last month. But that's because, Lujan said, she didn't have a degree and she had no experience.

If Tripepi were to stay on as a transition manager for a year, he'd make $240,000 in La Puente.

Lujan talked about a very narrow gap between the lowest and highest city manager salaries in the SGV. Let's take a look.

In Rosemead, City Manager Oliver Chi makes about $178,000 a year.

Irwindale's Robert Griego makes about $180,000.

Michelle Keith took a job as Bradbury's city manager for $106,000 a year.

Covina's former city manager Paul Phillips -- who was city manager for eight years -- got $95,280 as part of a six-month severance package when he was fired a few months back. Double that, and the figure you get was his outgoing salary.

Cynthia Kurtz, who is serving as Covina's interim, is making $12,900 per month -- if she were there for a year, she'd make $154,000.

And in Pasadena, Michael Beck makes about $265,000 a year.

Finally got a call back from Azusa City Councilman Uriel Macias on the recall efforts being made to oust him and his fellow councilman, and cousin, Angel Carrillo.

Macias didn't have much to say and declined from making any comments except to call the reasons for the potential recall "absurd."

For now, the recall papers still haven't been formally submitted and processed with the city clerk. And even then, 35 signatures compared to the about 3,000 needed isn't really something to scream about. But I have been getting some e-mails from people suggesting they would support a recall, so Macias may have to face up to it sometime.

As for Carrillo, I still haven't been able to reach him for comment.

It's unclear what, if any, money Tripepi will get for the work, since he already receives a salary from Willdan.

Tripepi will essentially be serving in a quasi-interim city manager role, taking on the duties formerly held by Carol Cowley. Cowley retired last month and negotiations to keep her on as a consultant through December went sour.

Apparently, the City Council held a closed session meeting about the negotiations about a week before Carol's last day. Well, no action was reported leading Councilman John Solis to believe that negotiations were done.

But city officials held on to hope, stating that negotiations had not officially been called off.

Except that Carol's last day came and went with no progress on the negotiations, and since none of the council members brought it up again, the negotiations died just like that.

Solis said last week that Cowley was willing to work 40 hours a week plus additional hours for meetings for roughly $12,000 a month -- her outgoing salary.

Solis seemed concerned about paying Tripepi anything more than Cowley, since he has no experience in La Puente.

Mayor Louie Lujan's reasoning for the pay is as follows: the city has about $110,000 left budgeted for Cowley's old position.

At $20,000 a month, that gives the city about five and half months of pay to Willdan without exceeding current budgeted costs.

For now, at least.

Willdan's contract is indefinite, so Tripepi will stay on essentially until the city finds Cowley's permanent replacement.

Lujan's goal was to hire within three to six months.

And don't expect Tripepi to move into that full-time role. He made it pretty clear on Monday that's not a job he wants to do again.

"Never. That's a business I never want to do again."

Tripepi was city manager in Rosemead for almost 30 years before retiring in 2002.

Our job as reporters is to report the news.

I think that we do a fine job covering breaking news, whether that is when an investigation is launched or when the day a murder occurs. But following the story after that, well, that is when reporters sometimes fall short. And we certainly have our reasons: other stories break, investigations get held up, and news tips dry up.

This is a theme that has come up several times this week, including this comment by Pico Rivera Mayor Ron Beilke.

Dear Jennifer,

The Whittier Daily News did a great job covering the incident with my son and my two employees with front page stories and courtroom pictures. I did appreciate that the paper mentioned that no charges were filed against my son in the case, especially given Sheriffs discovered that he made two 911 phone calls reporting the person with the gun who was later convicted of the crime.

However, when charges were dropped against my two employees, I couldn't help but notice that that information didn't warrant a front page headline proclaiming that the mayor's employees were cleared of all charges. In fact, no mention of that little fact was even made in this blog that I am responding to here. Of course, I knew all along that charges would be dropped once authorities had time to examine the evidence of the case.

It is unfortunate that stories are so obvioulsy slanted to sell papers and to create sensational headlines. I would hope that when you do report on incidents you at least give as much ink to clearing the names of individuals as you do when smearing them.

While the story did not make front page news, it was in the paper: 

Charges dropped against Pico Rivera mayor's employees

San Gabriel Valley Tribune (West Covina, CA) - July 15, 2008

Author/Byline: Sandra T. Molina
Section: Breaking

 

WHITTIER - Sonny Anthony Costello was sent to the early disposition program Monday by a Whittier Superior Court judge, in the case where a reserve deputy's 45-caliber gun and vehicle was stolen.

The program allows for parole and probation officers to compile data and then make a recommendation to the district attorney's office, said Olivia Rosales, deputy district attorney in charge of the Whittier D.A.'s office.

"If the judge, our office and the defense attorney agree on the recommendation, then it's accepted and (Costello) serves his sentence," she said. "If not, then he will return to the Whittier court for a preliminary hearing."

The edp hearing is scheduled for July 23 at the Downey Superior Court.

Costello is still in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Two of the other four defendants in the case, Arlene, Cano, 19, and Lorraine Ochoa, 21 pled guilty to possession of stolen property and were sentenced to three years probation and work detail for Caltrans, Rosales said.

Charges were dropped against the final two defendants - Miguel Perez, 19, and Ivan De Jesus Marquez, 24. "There was not sufficient evidence against them," Rosales said.

Perez and Marquez worked for Pico Rivera Mayor Ron Beilke at the time of their arrest last month. "Justice was served," Beilke said Tuesday. "They went through the process and have been cleared."

I'm working on this story for tomorrow:

The former campaign manager for West Covina Councilman Roger Hernandez was convicted last week of voter fraud.

Paz Oliverez pleaded no contest to one count of voter registration fraud. She received 24 months of probation, $100 resistituition, and 200 hours of community service.

According to deputy District Attorney Gary Nielsen, Oliverez said that she changed her voter registration from her Los Angeles home to West Covina because she intended to move into the home of her employer, Hernandez. But, Oliverez never moved.

The issue originally came to light last year during the election. West Covina Councilman Mike Touhey said that he submitted a complaint to the District Attorney's office after he picked up on a couple of comments that Oliverez made about her residence.

She will still be able to vote during this election.

Here is the story that ran last year, written by Frank Girardot in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune on Nov. 4:

WEST COVINA - Paz Oliverez resigned as Roger Hernandez's campaign manager Saturday, saying she made a mistake registering to vote at the city councilman's home for Tuesday's election.

In a resignation letter dated Saturday, Oliverez blamed West Covina Mayor Mike Touhey and Hernandez's election opponent City Councilman Steve Herfert for "going to great lengths to attack, defame and discredit Hernandez.

"They could not attack Councilman Hernandez on his voting record, which is solid and always on the side of the residents," Oliverez wrote. "In an effort to repair whatever damage I may have caused to the reputations of Councilman Hernandez, his running mate Fred Sykes, and their numerous supporters, I hereby tender my resignation."

Touhey on Saturday questioned Oliverez's qualifications as a campaign consultant and said he felt bad for Hernandez.

"She charged $6,000 to Hernandez's campaign, claiming to be a political expert." Touhey said. "If she's not, maybe she owes council member Hernandez a refund."

On Friday, Touhey accused Oliverez of voter fraud for registering to vote out of Hernandez's West Covina home while living in Los Angeles.

Oliverez acknowledged Friday changing her voter registration to West Covina from her actual home address in Hollywood.

She called Touhey's accusation "just one more dirty trick" to try to damage Hernandez's reputation before Tuesday's election.

Registering at a location other than one's place of residence is illegal under federal election laws, said Marcia Ventura, a spokeswoman for the registrar's office.

Oliverez, who is listed on Hernandez's campaign disclosure forms as a consultant, gave police her Leland Avenue address in Los Angeles when officers responded Oct. 26 to a neighbor's call of possible domestic violence at the councilman's Kauai Street condominium.

Hernandez was hostile and threatening to officers responding to the nonemergency call, police said.

One officer reached for his Taser when the councilman attempted to close a garage door on the officer, according to the police report.

Hernandez and Oliverez have denied any argument occurred in the residence. They have filed complaints with West Covina police, claiming the officers' actions were politically motivated and driven by Touhey.

West Covina police forwarded their complaints to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for independent investigation.

Touhey said he requested the voter registration status after reading in Oliverez's formal complaint to police that she was "home alone" at Hernandez's condominium before officers arrived to investigate last week's complaint.

"She told police she did not live there," Touhey said Saturday. "I still don't understand how that had anything to do with me."

This just in from Bethania Palma:

As if Walnut residents weren't angry enough at City of Industry for proposing a 75,000-seat NFL stadium next door, a bad email address added insult to injury.

Walnut residents and city officials at Wednesday night's City Council meeting said an email address provided by Industry intended for submitting comments and opinions on the NFL stadium was no good.

Today I tried to email the address given to residents, planning@cityofindustry.org and it shot right back into my inbox.

"This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently."

I called Industry and asked where comments about the NFL stadium should be sent, and the operator said to the city manager, Kevin Radecki. But, she added, he would be out of the office until next Wednesday.

A Pomona City Councilman was arrested for driving drunk.

Pomona councilman Elliot Rothman arrested in DUI

POMONA - Pomona City Councilman Elliott Rothman was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, police said Wednesday.

T-Burgers owner James Bicos didn't know about an effort to recall Azusa city councilmen Uriel Macias and Angel Carrillo until he read about in the newspaper, but now that he does, he is all for it.

Bicos is still upset about the way he was treated and the issue was handled when he went to the council to get a 24-hour drive thru approved for his T-Burgers restaurant in Azusa. It was eventually denied.

He credits both Macias -- who abstained from the actual vote -- and Carrillo with that decision.

About an equal number of residents spoke in support of and in opposition to a proposed overnight parking restriction that could be imposed on the city streets. The City Council approved the ordinance 5-0 last night, although the city will consider whether to impose fees at a later date.

Also at the meeting last night the council approved a cell tower for Shadow Oak Park, and it also voted to deny an appeal made by a property owner who illegally converted his garage into a bedroom.

So, at Monday night's Azusa City Council meeting there was a bit of drama when Roger Starks, a marketing consultant, stepped to the podium to announce a petition to start a recall of council members Angel Carrillo and Uriel Macias.

Apparently, while we had some clue this might happen as well as another news outlet, no one mentioned it to the City Clerk.

This is important because papers to start a recall -- a mere 35 signatures, according to Starks -- have to be formally filed with the City Clerk before the next phase can begin, which no one seemed to do in this case.

Whoops.

All that trouble for nothing.

I called Starks to let him know the city told me the papers had not been filed and he seemed confused.

He was under the impression someone had already contacted the City Clerk.

Starks, when he was a young, struggling actor, used to work as a process server to earn some extra dough. When one of his clients sought help in serving the recall papers, he took on the task -- without payment. Little did he know that handing the papers over at a city council meeting after describing why a recall is needed during public comment, then arguing about the process with the City Clerk and then being told to sit down by the City Attorney, isn't a formal submission.

I expect the papers will be formally submitted sometime soon, but until then, Macias and Carrillo are still off the hook.

Also, at the same meeting, I learned it was the 51st anniversary just the other day of Sputnik being launched by the Russians. The original date was Oct. 4, 1957.

The more you know.

Which Web site has the best music: Industry or Pico Rivera.

Walnut city leaders aren't just saying "no" to the stadium. They also could be saying "no" to anything that may support the success of the stadium, including the widening of roads, nightclubs, hotels and liquor stores.

The Walnut City Council, at the suggestion of Mayor Joaquin Lim, left, Wednesday tonight is considering placing a moratorium on land uses "in response to the NFL stadium." Read the staff report here.

When I asked Industry Mayor Dave Perez about this, he said he was "highly disappointed" by the actions that the Walnut City Council has taken, and said that it could affect future partnerships between Industry and Walnut.

Looking for some flare while watching the debate tonight? Some people played bingo during the vice presidential debate. Tonight, some will be playing drinking games.

For all those government employees and teachers: How do you fell about your retirement money being used to purchase the state's debt?

Well, that's one suggestion by a California lawmaker, according to the Sacramento Bee.

With California's wallet emptying out faster than the cash is trickling in, state officials scrambling to pay the bills have set their sights on new lending sources: California's two biggest public pension funds.

Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, has proposed that the California Public Employees' Retirement System purchase the state's looming debt. The money would keep California operating - including paying state employee payroll and funding schools - into next year.

Florez outlined the plan in a letter to state Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Friday. Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar on Monday said his boss will also float the idea to the California State Teachers' Retirement System. Lockyer sits on the boards of both funds.

"I just thought, 'Nobody is talking about CalPERS as a possible investor,' " Florez said Monday. "They might be able to get us a better deal than the banks, and we might be able to give them a better return on their investment than the stock market, especially right now."

But the idea doesn't sit well with everyone.

"If the state can't borrow money from the credit markets, why would CalPERS be interested?" said Keith Brainard, research director for the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.

Pasadena's virtual gadfly is calling it quits and his attorney is advising him to take down his blog, Foothill Cities blog is still down, and Rosemead's city Web site is finally up.

And the newest targets of a recall election in the San Gabriel Valley are: Azusa City Councilmen Angel Carrillo and Uriel Macias.

The two men were presented with recall papers - although the story indicated that the paperwork may be incomplete - at the City Council meeting Monday, according to a story by Daniel Tedford.

The men are being targeted for their roles in a vote against Azusa T-Burgers restaurant's request for a permit to open a 24-hour drive-thru.

Macias abstained from that vote because he lives within 500 feet of the establishment, but Carrillo voted against it. The statement read by Starks linked the two claiming Carrillo and Macias are cousins, which Starks later said was a potential conflict of interest.

We haven't written an update in a while, but the case for former waterboard member Dolores Holguin continues. Her next court date is scheduled for Oct. 16 in Pomona. This article rain in May:

The District Attorney's Office Tuesday filed a criminal charge against a former water district director, accusing her of misappropriation of funds.

Former Valley County Water Board Director Dolores Holguin faces one felony count of misusing public money, said Dave Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Public Integrity Division.

"I will be completely vindicated of this charge," said Holguin, who is scheduled to be arraigned today at Citrus Court in West Covina. "Just like I was vindicated in the lawsuit."

The charge concludes a two-year investigation and comes less than one month after Valley County and Holguin reached a settlement agreement over alleged inappropriate expenses.

If convicted, Holguin, 59, faces a maximum of four years in state prison and disqualification from public office, Demerjian said.

"There were allegations of numerous misappropriation of funds," he said, "from misusing her cell phone to inappropriate expenses."

Valley County sued Holguin in October 2006, alleging that she improperly billed the district for more than $15,000 in cell phone, meal and medical expenses.

An internal investigative report alleged that Holguin pocketed nearly $4,700 in medical reimbursements from the district while she was already receiving coverage through her employee's union.

"All of these expenses were approved by the board and were agendized," Holguin said. "Absolutely nothing was down under the table. Everything was done on the up and up."

West Covina's meeting is tomorrow night. And no, you won't be able to watch it on TV or online.

Among the hot items on the agenda are:

1. Considering implementing overnight street parking restrictions. City Manager Andy Pasmant said the restrictions have a number of benefits, including reducing crime. A downfall that residents will likely bring up is how will this impact their pocket books.

2. Consideration of a cell tower at Shadow Oak Park.

3. Salary increases for the West Covina Firefighters.

The District Attorney's office is investigating the Walnut City Council for allegedly violating the state's open meeting laws when it approved four items relating to the proposed NFL stadium.

Why is it an issue? Because the four actions taken, shown below, weren't on the agenda.

1. Pass resolution opposing NFL stadium

2. Authorize the city staff to sue Industry if it doesn't allow a time extension for review of the environmental report

3. Draft a letter of opposition against the stadium to be sent to area state, county and federal officials.

4. Develop a citizen taskforce to review the environmental report, was on items that weren't listed on the agenda.

The DA's office received two complaints on topic, including one received today by open meeting activist Rich McKee. The DA said the other complaint was received on Thursday, but would say who submitted.

These two complaints come just weeks after the DA submitted a stern warning to the city for violating state open meeting laws over the same topic: the NFL stadium.

I asked Mayor Joaquin Lim today about the connection between the original DA warning and the new complaints.

"The first DA letter has already been addressed, the DA said the case was closed, and I don't think it is worth bringing it back up," Lim said.

More to come later...

Leftovers Column: City's image takes a beating
By Jennifer McLain and Tania Chatila, Staff Writers
Article Launched: 10/05/2008 11:04:48 PM PDT

It's been a rough few months for the city of Baldwin Park's image.

Residents still are concerned about school board member Sergio Corona's arrest in May on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

He currently is facing misdemeanor charges of vandalism, resisting an officer and driving without a license in connection with the arrest.

Then last month, Baldwin Park Councilman Anthony Bejarano was booked on suspicion of public intoxication.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office said last week week it would not be filing charges against Bejarano, who said he was not drunk the night of his arrest.

Still, the incident has stirred unrest in the community and has brought to light a question that often goes unanswered in the political realm - just how high should the ethical and moral bar be set for our public officials?

We put the question out there and got some interesting responses from anonymous readers of the Leftovers blog.

Here's a sample:

-- "Let's face it none of us is perfect in our personal lives..., we go through divorces, we have children who occasionally get in trouble, we occasionally say things in frustration or in the heat of the moment that upon reflection we wish we didn't say, we sometimes get our facts wrong."

-- "Yes, we do hold our elected officials to a higher standard, especially when they are representing us at a public event."

-- "I'm not saying we treat our elected with kid gloves in terms of their policy positions or in terms of factors which might impact their ability to act fairly, honestly and impartially. But I don't care to know about him having a simple argument with a spouse or that his or her kid got a D on their algebra exam or that (on one isolated) night they may have seemed a bit tipsy..."

-- "Character does matter."

Our elected officials have been in the news a lot lately over questions of ethical behavior among themselves and their relatives.

Pico Rivera Mayor Ron Beilke's son was recently detained by the sheriff's department in a case where a reserve deputy's .45-caliber revolver and vehicle were stolen. Beilke's son wasn't charged, but two of the 17-year-old's friends were.

Last month, the teenage son of former Irwindale Councilwoman and Baldwin Park Chief Deputy City Clerk Rosemary Gutierrez plowed his car through a neighbor's wall while driving home around 4 a.m.

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.

Then in El Monte, Mayor Ernie Gutierrez - who is not related to Rosemary Gutierrez - took a lot of heat for allegedly showing up at a city event drunk and shouting vulgarities.

In May, city officials prepared a report looking into Gutierrez's actions, but concluded the allegations had no merit.

We see this all the time - someone in the public spotlight, whether they be authorities, politicians or entertainment superstars, slips up and all of a sudden their abilities to perform come into question.

Only voter turnout will tell us how much constituents really care.

Not too long after the DA issued a warning to the city of Walnut for alleged state open meeting law violations, Rick McKee with the government watchdog group Californians Aware is accusing the City Council of doing it again.

The initial DA warning was prompted by an Aug. 13 meeting in which the council went into closed session to discuss the qualifications of a certain employee to act as "liaison to the City of Industry with respect to pending projects of concern to Walnut."

Instead, in the meeting, council members were polled by Mayor Joaquin Lim on whether they would support a resolution to oppose the construction of an NFL stadium in neighboring Industry, according to this story by reporter Bethania Palma.

Well according to a complaint sent to the city by McKee very early this morning, the council took action on yet another four unagendized items relating the proposed NFL stadium at its Sept. 24 meeting.

City administration acknowledges that, on September 24, 2008, "the City Council took action to establish a citizen's task Force as a five member panel charged with monitoring the proposed stadium project and providing the City Council with advisory input." (Agenda Backup, Item 8, October 8, 2008.)

Thus effectively, by employing surprise, the Council's discussion and action on these four unagendized items of business denied the people their right to proper notice, thereby depriving interested members of the public the opportunity to comment directly to the City Council on these items before action was taken - - rights guaranteed by the Brown Act (§§ 54954.2 and 54954.3) and Article 1, section 3 of the California Constitution.

Most disconcerting is the fact that these violations come only 14 after the Council's warning by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office of the Council's Brown Act violations of August 13. 

Cure Demanded: The City Council, as required by § 54960.1, shall rescind the action taken on each of these four non-agendized items of business, identified above.

The complaint was also sent to the DA's public integrity unit.

I'm sure we'll be following this story today....

In the meantime, here's the complaint: Walnut_-_Brown_Act_Demand_10-6-08-1.doc

Pasadena Star-News report Alfred Lee has a profile running in Monday's paper on Arcadia First!, an organization that is fighting the mall project proposed by developer Rick Caruso at the Santa Anita Park race track parking lot.

Here's a sneak peek:

ARCADIA -- Bernetta Reade knows her organization isn't loved by everyone in town.

"There were people that would come up to me and point their finger at my face and call me all kinds of names," she said. "It got personal. Some people took disagreeing with the project very personally."

Reade is the executive director of Arcadia First!, an organization that has long worked to stop the upscale mall proposed by developer Rick Caruso at the Santa Anita Park racetrack parking lot.

It is made up mostly of Arcadia residents and business owners. But it is bankrolled by Westfield Corp. -- which manages the Westfield Arcadia shopping mall next to the Caruso project, and has sued to stop it.

Reade herself is a paid consultant who lives in Reseda. That fact, along with the group's association with Westfield, has led to its dismissal by some as an "AstroTurf" campaign.
"Fake grass-roots," Mayor Robert Harbicht said. "There are a lot of people who have legitimate concerns. It's just that Arcadia First! is essentially a front organization."

***
Despite its high visibility, little is known about the group, which claims about 5,000 supporters. It will not disclose exactly how much money is given by Westfield, nor make public the names of all the members of its decision-making executive committee.

****
Tax returns filed by the group for the two-year period from October 2005 to September 2007 indicate the organization received $1.38 million in direct public support during that time -- most of it, officials said, coming from Westfield, in addition to hundreds of other donors.

*****
The group declared it spent about $425,000 on consulting fees; $372,000 on legal fees; $174,000 on printing and publications; $131,315 on postage and shipping; $39,330 on conferences, conventions and meetings; and $37,704 on advertising.

In addition to those revenues and expenditures, the organization declared it received in 2007 $1.2 million worth of donated "postage and printed material in support of community events and public hearings." That was paid for directly by Westfield, Reade said, including the costs of citywide mailings of three different DVDs.

We see stuff like this all the time, where groups opposing big development projects get significant financial backing from the same business organizations that would compete with those developers....

What's your take?

Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, coauthored this legislation signed last week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hernandez was a La Puente optometrist before deciding to run for office in 2006, when he beat out then La Puente mayor Renee Chavez, who was hoping to take over her husband Ed Chavez' seat. Ed Chavez was being termed out.

Hernandez will face off with Victor Saldana in November for the 57th.

Saldana, 38, is a law clerk who unsuccessfully ran for Baldwin Park City Council last year. As of April, Saldana said he had raised under $10,000 and state finance records at that time showed Hernandez had more than $250,000 in his bank account.

More on that race coming soon as we draw closer to Super Tuesday....

Jennifer McLain had a very interesting story that ran in today's paper about the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, which isn't a public agency but sure does get some very "public" benefits.

The Watermaster is a nonprofit, court-ordered agency that is afforded public benefits, uses public money and and does not have to adhere to state open-meeting laws.

While by traditional definition it is not a public agency, employees receive public retirement benefits provided by CalPERS and get public health benefits.

What do you guys think?

Hopefully as business-friendly as La Mirada and Santa Fe Springs, which are finalists in the Most Business Friendly City competition in Los Angeles County, Whittier Daily News reporter Sandra Molina reports.

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. annually designates a city most business friendly in two categories based on population.

This is the first year in the three-year history of the award that there is a distinction between cities with populations of 50,000 and above or under, LAEDC officials said.

The winner will be announced Nov. 17.

A fundraiser was held Sunday to benefit the family of Irwindale Councilman H. Manuel Ortiz's nephew, who suffered a stroke in August at just 15 years old.

Marcos Lepe, a student at Northview High School in Covina, has been hospitalized since the stroke.

Family members to reporter Brian Day on Saturday that Marcos is recovering, but his family is bombarded with medical bills.

All benefits from today's dinner, held at the Irwindale Senior Citizens' Center, are going to the family.

"I'm very pleased at how the community has come together," Councilman Ortiz said. "I'm just overwhelmed by the response we've received."

Seven-hundred tickets to the event had been sold by Saturday afternoon. Sounds like it was a success.

Some residents who live near Azusa Pacific University are hoping to finally win a long battle to get students' cars off their streets.

Many residents have been complaining for years that a student housing complex nearby, and its lack of parking stalls, has put an unnecessary burden on residents. Students, not having a place to park near their home, opt to park in front of homes, lining streets with cars.

APU, County Supervisor Gloria Molina and residents now seem to be in agreement on a solution. For more, look in this weekend's newspaper.

Phew, it's Friday, which is also our busiest day in the newsroom. And that means that blog posts typically run low because we are chasing down stories and preparing the paper for the weekend.

So we are counting on you to keep the blog lively:

What questions do you want asked about your cities or your elected officials?

Here is the District Attorney's two-page response regarding the arrest of Councilman Anthony Bejarano: click here.

Back in May, two Glendora residents came forward with the proposal to change how the City Council represents the city. Instead of a general council where each member can be from any part of the city, is voted in by the whole city, and represents the city, the proposal would have each council member represent a district.

A number of cities have this type of city council, including cities I used to cover in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

Oh, hi. I am the new Glendora, Azusa and La Verne reporter for the Tribune - Daniel Tedford. I came from the Daily Pilot (nice little shout out), which covers those two O.C. cities.

In Newport Beach, they have a district council similar to what these residents were proposing. Council seats would be based on districts, in Glendora's case five districts while Newport Beach had seven. Those running for city council would have to live in the district they are running for and their nomination papers would have to be signed by residents of that district.

During elections, those seats would then be separate races. In district 1, the nominated parties would run against each other and not against those candidates running for district 2.

This is where things can get tricky.

In Newport Beach, the entire city can vote for each district, not just their own district. But in Glendora, the proposal asked that residents of a district would vote in their district official, and not any other council representative. A system much like Congress and state assembly.

Well, it all didn't matter anyway, because the two residents never filed the papers and signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot by the deadline of Sept. 8, according Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers.

"It just sort of died away," he said.

I just whipped this up. Look for complete story tomorrow:

The District Attorney's office will not file charges against Councilman Anthony Bejarano, who was arrested for suspicion of public intoxication last month, officials said Thursday.

Bejarano, 31, and Jose Diaz, 32, were arrested on Sept. 19 for being drunk in public, and Collin Spencer, 31, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The District Attonrey's also office rejected the case against Spencer, but it will be filing charges against Diaz for a one count of being drunk in public, which is a misdeamonor, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office.

A resident who spoke at the Baldwin Park council meeting last night told the council during a discussion about the recent incidents involving Councilman Anthony Bejarano for the drunk in public arrest and the FPPC probe into Mayor Manuel Lozano this:

"As public officials, I hold you to a higher standard of morality and ethics, higher than us because you hold a position of trust. "

Open Forum: Should public officials should be held to a higher standard?

To take it a step further, how high is too high and how low is too low?

The Macy's site at the Westfield mall in West Covina is being knocked down to make way for retail and restaurants.

Other news from the mall is that the Steve and Barry's, a clothing store that carries such brands as Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker, is closing.

Click here to take a peek at the Bejarano police report.

The Baldwin Park Police report detailing the drunk in public arrest of Councilman Anthony Bejarano was released today. (The fee was even waived by the clerk's office.)

As I was picking it up around 3:30 p.m., Bejarano was walking out. "It's interesting," he said.

In the report, it alleges that Bejarano "was boisterous and uncooperative" during the booking process.

"He refused to answer routine booking questions and refused to sign the standard medical form and fingerprint forms," the report states.

The report also alleges that, "As Bejarano spoke, I could smell an even stronger odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. I could see that his eyes had a slightly, red glossy appearance. ... It is my professional opinion Bejarano displayed obvious symptoms of alcoholic beverage intoxication," wrote Sgt. D. Parnell.

The report also states that Collin Spencer, who was with Bejarano that night and was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, was carrying a bag of marijuana. He also had with him a medical card permitting him to carry it.

There are three different narrative reports written by three separate officers.
After reading over the report, I called Bejarano to get his thoughts on it, and how he will proceed next.

"The reports, each and every one, are one inconsistent with each other, are inconsistent with the police press release and are grossly inconsistent with the truth," Bejarano said.

He said that he will bring up the incident at the next council meeting.

More to come later...

UPDATE (4:38 p.m.) : Laura Nieto from the city clerk's office called around 3:10 p.m. to let me know the records were ready. And they waived the fee.

12:05 P.M. I just got the response to my public records request that I submitted Sept. 22 to the Baldwin Park City Clerk's office. I requested the police report taken for the incident involving Councilman Anthony Bejarano. I also requested the number of drunk of public arrests made in the past month.

According to a letter I received by the Baldwin Park City Clerk's office, the city needs an additional 14 days to answer my request.

The state's open meeting law, the California Public Records Act, allows for the additional two weeks after the initial 10 day required to respond to a record's act under the following provisions:

An agency has 10 days to decide if copies will be provided. In "unusual" cases (request is "voluminous," seeks records held off-site, OR requires consultation with other agencies), the agency may, upon written notice to the requesters, give itself an additional 14 days to respond. (§ 6253(c)) These time periods may not be used solely to delay access to the records. (§ 6253(d))

I wouldn't consider my request "voluminous," but perhaps the report needs to get consultation from the attorney's office. Even so, it appears to be taking a long time to answer a request to get a copy of the police report.

To take a look at the response, click here: 10-01-08_Response_-_McLain.pdf

While driving this morning from Monrovia to the Garvey School District in Rosemead via Rosemead Boulevard, I noticed dozens of signs for both Charles Trevino and Clarence Wong, who are both running for the seat on the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District.

They are running against incumbent Frank Forbes as well as Arthur James Munoz.

What signs are you starting to see pop up?