January 2009 Archives

A university professor and Baldwin Park pastor has filled a recently vacated seat on the school board.

Paul Flores was appointed by a unanimous vote of the Baldwin Park Unified School District Board of Education on Thursday.

He is replacing Marco Dominguez, who resigned Jan. 1 after accepting a full-time position to teach Spanish at Texas Tech University.

Flores is director of the Azusa Pacific University Liberal Studies/Undergraduate Education K-8 Program, and an assistant professor of liberal studies. He is also a pastor at Church of the Redeemer in Baldwin Park.

Flores will finish out Dominguez's term, which is up in November. He plans to run again during the board's November elections.

A total of five candidates initially applied for the open seat -- Flores, Luis Carranza, Olga Morales, Leonor Garcia and David Olivas, the former Baldwin Park city councilman who announced early last year he would not be defending his council seat because he wanted to focus on his law career.

Olivas and Garcia withdrew their applications before Thursday's special meeting, district Superintendent Mark Skvarna said.

Olivas said he only applied because at the time, no other applications had been submitted.

So it's a big day in the Montebello Athens saga. Too bad we can't get Montebello Mayor Rosie Vasquez on the phone long enough to comment on it.

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld called Vasquez just a few minutes ago, to ask her about a judge's decision today to dismiss a referendum that would have given Montebello voters the chance to revoke a Athens Service trash-hauling contract.

But Vasquez couldn't talk ---- she was busy putting her grandbabies to sleep.

Here's a snippet of Baumfeld's story:

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Yaffe rejected the referendum at a hearing Friday after not being able to find the date when the Montebello City Clerk signed the trash contract.

But the judge said it is 30 days after the city clerk signs it, according to Montgomery.

Tonight's the night.

The Baldwin Park Unified School District Board of Education is expected to appoint a new member today to fill the seat recently vacated by former member Marco Dominguez.

Here's the list of interested candidates:

Luis Carranza
Paul Flores
Leonor Garcia
Olga Morales
David Olivas

A few interesting notes. Anthony Bejarano, Sr. and Mary Ferrer ---- who ran for the board in the last election, but lost ---- aren't up for the job. Bejarano, Sr. had expressed no interest in it, and actually, he said the board should appoint Ferrer since she got more votes than he did.

And also worth mentioning, Olivas is the former Baldwin Park city councilman who announced early last year he would not be defending his seat because he wanted to focus on his attorney career.

"It's the point in time when I should be at my peak in terms of number of clients, earnings and I simply cannot do that when I'm spending a good portion of my day being a council member," Olivas said. 

So, late yesterday Irwindale Councilman Larry Burrola announced that in addition to supporting Sen. Gil Cedillo for Congress, he would also be endorsing Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu.

Burrola is not the only one endorsing both Congressional candidates; so is Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano.

It raises the question: What good is it to endorse two candidates? After all, it's not like we can vote for two people for one seat.

Star-News reporter Dan Abendschein points out a new blog about public pensions, Calpensions.com. The blog is a project of Ed Mendel, a reporter who covered Sacramento for nearly 30 years.

Here's a snipet about the blog:

About us

The main focus of Calpensions.com is the pair of big pension funds based in Sacramento, the California Public Employees Retirement System and the California State Teachers Retirement System, which have two of the world's largest investment portfolios.

There also are more than 80 smaller public employee pensions funds in California. Among them are 22 pension funds operated by counties, 32 by cities and 25 by special districts.

Most of the pension funds face the same basic issues. Are pension benefits negotiated by employer unions too generous? Will growing pension costs cut deeply into funding for other government programs?

With their investment clout, the big pension funds can push for better corporate performance, energy-efficient buildings and other policies. The operations of these wealthy and powerful funds are worth a closer look.

So who does Sen. Gil Cedillo, who is running against Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu for Congress, have on his side? Here's a list of his endorsements.

Among the local pols supporting him are:

City of Monterey Park
Mayor Benjamin "Frank" Venti

City of Baldwin Park
Mayor Manuel Lozano* (He is also supporting Chu)
Council Member Marlen Garcia

City of Irwindale
Mayor Larry Burrola* (Also endorsing Chu)
Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Ortiz

City of La Puente
Council Member John Solis

City of Duarte
Council Member Phil Reyes

El Monte Union High School District
Board Member Carlos Salcedo
Board Member Salvador Ramirez

Azusa Unified School District
Clerk Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez

The Covina Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans for an extension of the Aurora Chater Oak Hospital, located in a residential neighborhood and next to an elementary school. The commission approved it on a 4-1 vote, and now it will move to the City Council.

Residents have 30 days to appeal the decision.

Departing City Councilman Mark Kelly is going to endorse Gene Murabito, planning commissioner, to fill the seat Kelly is vacating.

Kelly announced some months back he would not seek reelection after serving one term on the City Council to spend more time with his family.

Along with incumbent Karen Davis, four others are vying for spots on the council, including Brian Pagac, Kristin Parisi, Yousef Tweini, along with Murabito.

It wasn't exactly a shocker that Kelly chose to endorse Murabito (he already supports Karen Davis' reelection) as Murabito already works with the city and is the more high-profile candidate. Kelly's letter is printed below.

Mr. Tedford,

Mark Kelly, Mayor Pro-Tem
City of Glendora

Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu seems to be swiping up the endorsements as she campaigns for the Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Hilda Solis. 

The press release below notes that Assemblyman Mike Eng -- Chu's husband -- is endorsing her. The press release also points out that she received support from council members -- "many of them Latino" -- in the SGV. Could that be a jab at Sen. Gil Cedillo, who is also vying for the seat?

I got this press release earlier today:

***PRESS RELEASE***
Dr. Judy Chu Announces Slew of Local Endorsements
Overwhelming Support Adds Momentum to Congressional Campaign

Dr. Judy Chu, Vice Chair of the California State Board of Equalization
and candidate for the 32nd Congressional District Seat being vacated
by Labor Secretary Designate Hilda Solis, announced today her
endorsement by nearly 70 elected officials representing the cities,
school districts and water boards of the 32nd District.

"I want to thank these local officials for their overwhelming
support," said Judy Chu. "They understand that there is no other
candidate in this race that knows the people of the 32nd Congressional
District better than I do. I am part and parcel of this district,
having taught students at East Los Angeles College for 13 years, and
the people of the district have trusted me to be their leader by
electing me as their representative 9 times over the past 23 years."

So far, Judy has been officially endorsed by the entire City Councils
of El Monte and West Covina, the two largest cities in the district,
as well as all five members of the South El Monte City Council. In
addition, she has secured the support of a majority of Council members
- many of them Latino - from most of the 15 cities in the 32nd
District, including Azusa, Baldwin Park, Duarte, Monterey Park and
Rosemead.

"Dr. Chu's support among the vast majority of the 32nd District's
Latino elected officials reflects her reputation as an effective
coalition builder, and shows that she understands the issues that
matter most to the district's ethnically diverse community," said
Assemblymember Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, who has endorsed Judy. "I
believe she is the best person to represent the San Gabriel Valley in
Washington."

Judy's avalanche of support from the cities of the 32nd District adds
to the considerable momentum her campaign has gained since she first
declared her intention to run for the seat on Dec. 22. In addition to
Assemblymember Hernandez, Judy has been endorsed by Assemblymen Kevin
De Leon and Mike Eng, who along with Hernandez represent most of the
district's residents at the state level, as well as nearly 30 of the
area's school board and water board members.

The weak economy seems to be affecting just about everything. Now, Amanda Baumfeld reports that it is also affecting campaign fundraising out of Monterey Park.

There are six council candidates running in the Monterey Park race. So far, Councilman David Lau has raised nearly $75,000, although none of that occurred this year and that was all done during a fundraiser. (Man, if that was at one event, Lau sure knows how to fundraise!)

Meantime, Councilwoman Sharon Martinez has raised $10,000. She said businesses, which is where she gets her funding, are tapped out.

OK, so maybe not extravaganza. But Glendora and San Dimas both have meetings tonight.

On tap: Glendora, in its consent calender, is approving a number of street and constructing projects. A slurry seal project for Route 66 between Lone Hill Avenue and Lorraine Ave for about $140,000 should be approved. Also a Gladstone Street Water Improvement should be approved for about $612,000.

As for new business on the agenda, Glendora will be discussing the naming of its new Library Expansion Room

In San Dimas, a public hearing will go over the performance report for fiscal year 2008-2009 and the proposed fiscal year 2009-2010 projected use of funds.

Glendora's city council meeting is in council chambers at 7 p.m., 116 E. Foothill Blvd.

San Dimas' council meeting is in council chambers at 7 p.m., 245 E. Bonita Ave.

A comment I frequently hear when I am out and about is that residents want to help their community, but they just don't know where to go. Now that Obama has called on our public service, I am hoping to provide regular information on the blog about where people can go to help.

I'll post more as I find them. If you have any ideas, want to volunteer, or need volunteers, keep us posted.

1. One agency is Women At Work, a Pasadena-based career counseling agency aimed at helping women find work. They need volunteers Monday through Thursday. To find out how to volunteer, call 626-796-6870.

2. Cory's Kitchen in Irwindale also needs volunteers. Cory's Kitchen is a food bank that provides groceries to the needy. To contact them, call (626) 305-0392. 
 

San Dimas City Council members, Planning Commissioners, city staff, council candidates and some locals took a tour of about 200 acres of land in the foothills near Glendora Jan. 24 as a proposal for development of the land will make its way to the city this summer.

The land, owned by NJD and Kim Scott, has been controversial in the past as Scott has had his issues with Glendora.

Scott has previously tried to unload the land, and it appears he finally might have a chance at a development deal in San Dimas.

Mayor Curt Morris said the tour was to give people involved a sense of what is actually on the ground when proposals are presented on paper.

They spent three hours touring the land. Morris said it may be difficult to try and build a residential neighborhood up there as the terrain is rugged. Also, a road that would be adequate for housing would be difficult, he said.

I was also cruising L.A. Observed today and saw they had linked to a L.A. Times story about a D.A. investigating the Temple City mayor and two City Council members for soliciting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and a condominium from a developer in exchange for their support of a $75-million mall project.

Weird...I have this strange feeling of Deja Vu.

Wait...that's cause the Tribune and the Pasadena Star-New, written by Alfred Lee, had a story about the beginning of this saga here more than a month ago, Dec. 12. And then this one on Dec. 17. And then there was this one on prosecutors seizing tapes Jan. 8.

Is equestrian life fading into the sunset? Well, that's what an LA Times article concludes. Among the equestrian centers referenced is one out of the city of Industry.

In December, a collection of ramshackle stalls near the city of Industry abruptly shut down, forcing out a small group of Mexican immigrants who had boarded their horses there at low cost.

The stables had been a gathering place for vaqueros from Zacatecas and Guerrero, and the closure prompted some of the families to give up their horses altogether. The loss follows the disappearance of many other stables along the San Gabriel River watershed.

For the horse lovers out there, where do you ride?

One city manager offers to work for free, while another one gets a 10 percent raise. 

Temple City-City Attorney City Manager Charles Martin, who gets $96,696 a year as city manager and $61,980, offered to continue working after his retirement free of charge, while La Verne City Manager Martin Lomeli got a pay bump to $194,580.

Temple City has 33,377 residents, and La Verne has 31,638 residents.

Alfred Lee reports:

TEMPLE CITY - As the economy sputters and cities dig deep to avoid cutting services, one high-ranking bureaucrat said he is willing to work for free.

Amidst discussion about his potential retirement and replacement, City Manager-City Attorney Charles Martin has offered to continue on in both of his positions - as an unpaid volunteer.

"I was contemplating my retirement on February 5, 2009, but that if the Council could not find a replacement by that date, I would be happy to return the benefit of my 44 year tenure with the City by continuing in office - even if I had to serve as a volunteer, without pay for a part or all of that time," Martin, 84, wrote in a Jan. 15 manager's report.

Wes Woods II reports:

LA VERNE - City Manager Martin R. Lomeli will receive a 10 percent increase of his base salary. The City Council approved the increase Tuesday night by a 4-1 vote.

Later in the week, Lomeli said he was "very grateful" for the increase. The increase was a management performance award, city officials said.

Lomeli's pay had been $14,741 a month and now will be $16,215 a month, or $194,580 a year.

Those opposing the expansion of a public behavorial health care center, Aurora Charter Oak Hospital, at 1161 E. Covina Blvd., will have another chance to voice their opinion about the proposal at the planning commission meeting on Tuesday. 

Last week, residents hosted a meeting with Covina Councilman John King, and representatives from several elected officials -- including those from the offices of Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Gloria Molina, Assemblyman Ed Hernandez.

Neighbors are opposing the addition of another 30 or so beds because they say there are already problems at the facility with patients sneaking out and heckling their children from the site.

As one person pointed out, this is the same facility that operates Las Encinas, a posh and well landscaped facility in Pasadena that was the location of Dr. Drew's TV series, Celebrity Rehab. Las Encinas also got some negative press recently when it was reported as the site of two deaths, a suicide and a rape.

(Pictured is Chyna, a former "star" on Celebrity Rehab.)

At the very least, Aurora Charter Oak residents want a higher wall and better landscaping so that their children and homes are blocked from those seeking help at the facility.

You're weekly fix:

It seems like every week now there's something new in the race for Rep. Hilda Solis' seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The latest round of politicians to announce their interest in the Congressional seat -- which will be empty if Solis is confirmed as President Barack Obama's labor secretary -- are Blanca Rubio and Ed Chavez.

Rubio, president of the Baldwin Park Unified School District Board of Education, said she's definitely running and thinks her experience would allow her to successfully serve the people.

Chavez, on the other hand, still is tossing the idea around. The recently elected Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District board member has formed an "exploratory committee to gauge the level of support" for his candidacy."

Chavez lately has been taking some heat in the political community from residents and colleagues questioning why, months after getting elected to the water board, he would consider running for higher office.

According to a recent press release he sent out, Chavez said he wants to "fight for the people and not for the greedy corporate giants."

If he runs Chavez (and Rubio) will square off against Board of Equalization Chariwoman Judy Chu, who recently was endorsed by two of the most powerful labor unions in the region -- the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and Service Employees International Union.

**********

What a week in Industry.

First, 60 voters approved a $500 million bond for infrastructure improvements, about a third of which will go toward improvements around developer Ed Roski's National Football League stadium slated for Industry.

Then, the City Council essentially paved the way for the stadium's construction by approving its environmental impact report.

Of course not everyone is happy, including representatives from Walnut and Diamond Bar. Walnut Mayor Joaquin Lim has said Walnut would explore legal options if the EIR was approved.

Lim said he understands the NFL project could bring benefits to the region, but wished politicians would try to look at the project from Walnut's point of view.

"I have always avoided saying anything about other cities," Lim said. "But I wish some of the other leaders would put themselves in our shoes."

**********

It's official. After a few flubs and two swearing-in ceremonies, Barack Obama is our 44th president.

Residents and politicos alike spent Inauguration Day last week hosting parties and barbecues to watch the historic ceremonies that come with the official swearing-in of the president.

Locally, the Democrats of the San Gabriel Valley hosted their own shindig at Taste of Texas, a barbecue restaurant in Covina. The co-hosts were La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan, West Covina Mayor Roger Hernandez, Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu and Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, who was there in spirit because he actually was in Washington, D.C.

As a side note, organizers said the venue had nothing to do with Texas-native George Bush. The restaurant was chosen because it's in the middle of the 57th District.

There are two letters today that appeared in the Tribune about the proposed districts. Both letters oppose the idea. Here's the start of one letter:

As a homeowner in West Covina since 1954, I have seen my share of loony, boneheaded schemes presented to the city and its residents over the years for their approval. Remember the giant aviary at the old BKK site, or the "performing arts center" where Target now sits, or the gambling casino atop the Class III landfill or the double decking of the Azusa Avenue/Amar Road intersection? Or, how about the high rise Hyatt or Marriott at The Lakes?

One point made by one of the letter writers is that the information distributed by those seeking signatures on the petition is misleading. We've heard this claim before. But who do you believe? West Covina city politics are so divided, and each side has so much disdain for their "opponent" that its been difficult to cut through the rhetoric.

I'm heading to Downtown L.A. later this afternoon for a press conference about the county placing the ratings of area nursing homes on its Web site.

County Supervisor Michael Antonovich -- who also pushed for the county's restaurant grading system -- is the man behind the idea. So if you're looking for a nursing home, not only can you find the information on the county's Web site, but you can now also see how they fared in the federal government's five-star rating system.

This comes days after state regulators announced they would be fining Casa Bonita Convalescent Hospital in San Dimas $121,000 after the death of one of their patients.

Here's the county's Web site...

Capitol Weekly looks at Rep. Hilda Solis, Board of Equalization Chariwoman Judy Chu, Sen. Gil Cedillo, and Sen. Gloria Romero.

The article comes after a big day for Chu, who on Thursday received endorsements from the Service Employees International Union and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

What a week in Industry. First, 60 voters approve a $500 million bond, then on Thursday, the City Council paves the way for the NFL stadium by approving a environmental report.

Let's see how Walnut responds. Earlier, Joaquin Lim said that the city would explore legal options if the EIR was approved, and now it looks like other cities and agencies could be following suit. The countdown begins...

The city of Baldwin Park is rallying behind efforts to stop a trash-sorting facility from being built on the border of Irwindale and Baldwin Park.

The City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday night opposing the project, created an ad hoc committee to track the project's progress, and directed staff to look at the city's options against the project.

Athens Services wants to build a material recovery facility on a 17-acre site across from the Santa Fe Dam at Live Oak Avenue and Arrow Highway in Irwindale.

"We don't need what potentially could be known as a cesspool right next to the residents of Baldwin Park," Mayor Manuel Lozano said at yesterday's meeting. "Yes, obviously they have indicated they have this filtration system that's state of the art ---- my foot ... that air has to be let out somewhere."

Councilwoman Marlen Garcia told me today she hopes Irwindale will see the potential risks to Baldwin Park residents and reconsider the location of the facility. She said Irwindale has had this site in mind for five years, but Baldwin Park just found out about it.

"It's disheartening to see this, they are our neighbors," she said.

Athens and Irwindale officials contest the potential risks, and say if any impacts are found, they will be addressed in an environmental impact report. But, they argue, the new state-of-the-art facilities used to sort trash from recyclables are safe --- even for the employees working on the inside.

More on the issue in tomorrow's paper.

It looks like Walnut Mayor Joaquin Lim is getting a little tired of out-of-the-area cities throwing in their two cents about the stadium project.

This from Ben Baeder, who attended an Industry City Council meeting this morning:

Walnut Mayor Joaquin Lim said he understands that the NFL project could bring benefits to the region, but he wished politicians could try to look at the project from Walnut's point of view.

"I have always avoided saying anything about other cities," he said. "But I wish some of the other leaders would put themselves in our shoes."

Not only do many of his constituents hate the idea of having a stadium nearby, traffic and air pollution from the project will affect the entire region, he said. "We're all in this together."

The Industry City Council on Thursday approved an environmental report regarding the stadium.

At the council meeting, Monterey Park Mayor Frank Venti, La Puente Councilman Dan Holloway and Claremont Councilman Sam Pedroza all spoke in favor of the project.

SGV city hall news wrap-ups:

 -- Industry voters -- all 82 of them -- will go to the polls today to vote on allowing the city to borrow $500 million for infrastructure improvements. And could these improvements help improve roads needed for the proposed NFL stadium? Of course. Read more. (And here's the LA Times story.)

-- The West Covina City Council is meeting tonight to talk about districts, but a memorandum released to the council members tells them that it is a violation of election code to vote on the issue since the petition hasn't been submitted or approve.

-- The Police Officers Association of Los Angeles County is going to recognize Covina Police Chief Kim Rainey tonight at the Covina City Council meeting. Rainey led the department in dealing with one of the most horrific massacres in the region.

-- Vulcan Materials is going to open access to Fish Canyon Trail in Duarte through its Azusa Rock Quarry site on Saturday.

West Covina City Council is meeting tonight. The agenda is light, but one of the hot topics is the districting issue. Last time, Councilman Mike Touhey brought it up. This time around, it is Mayor Roger Hernandez.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

I celebrated President Barack Obama's inauguration this morning by covering an event held by the Democrats of the San Gabriel Valley at the Taste of Texas, a bbq restaurant in Covina. The organizers said that the venue had nothing to do with Texas native George Bush, but that it was chosen because it was in the middle of the 57th District. 

The co-hosts of the event were La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan, West Covina Mayor Roger Hernandez, Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu, who is running for Congress to replace Rep. Hilda Solis, and Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, who was not there because he was in Washington, D.C.

Other elected leaders at the event were La Puente Councilman Dan Holloway and Bassett Unified School District Board Member Laura Santos.

Chu said she listened to Obama's speech as she was driving between inaugural events. She made it to the Taste of Texas just moments after Obama's speech, and then she took the stage.

"This is a great moment in history," Chu said. And then almost a second later, she made her pitch for why she decided to run for Congress -- she wants to make sure the San Gabriel Valley gets represetnation -- and she hopes she can count on the voters in the San Gabriel Valley.

With a special election expected to be in March, she said, she doesn't have time to waste.

Potlucks, mimosas, parties?

Many of us will be at work, but how will you be celebrating history tomorrow?

It's Monday. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

I had a long weekend myself. I had Friday off and took a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium - the Dragon Horses were amazing - and saw the Greene and Greene exhibit at the Huntington Library which will be there till Jan. 26.

But, as I did have Friday off, I just noticed that Glendora has campaign disclosure statements up.

Check them out, as I will be looking them over myself. If you see anything interesting, shoot me an e-mail: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com

Here it is, your weekly dosage of Leftovers:

Foul odors, traffic, noise, pollution and declining property values are among a handful of concerns Baldwin Park residents have about a proposed trash-sorting facility bordering Irwindale at Live Oak and Arrow Highway.

Apparently, "passionate pleas" from residents -- who reminded council members of the upcoming March election -- swayed their final decision.

It's only been a week since Rep. Hilda Solis' Senate confirmation hearing, but Republicans are already kicking up dust over her nomination for labor secretary.

Politico.com has the story...

Here it is in a nutshell:

Senate Republicans, frustrated over the answers they say they're not getting from Rep. Hilda L. Solis, may try to block her confirmation as Barack Obama's secretary of labor.

*******

During the California Democrat's Jan. 9 confirmation hearing, Solis repeatedly told senators that she could not speak for the incoming Obama administration on the card check bill, and she told Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) that she was "not qualified" to speak about maintaining right-to-work laws that prohibit workers from paying union dues as a condition of employment.

"These aren't positions that you're allowed not to have an opinion," Wyoming Sen. Michael Enzi, the ranking Republican on the committee, told Politico. "These are extremely critical things that she was asked about. Each of the people that asked questions from the Republican side asked about different areas of labor law and wondered what she was going to do. And we still don't know."

Enzi said it's "too early" to say whether he will place a procedural hold to slow down her nomination, saying he was still reviewing her written responses to additional questions from committee members.

The race for Rep. Hilda Solis' seat just keeps getting better.

Now former Assemblyman Ed Chavez has formed an "exploratory committee" to decide whether he will also throw his name in the hat for Congress.

Chavez ran unsuccessfully in 2007 for the Mt. San Antonio College Board of Trustees, and is currently serving on the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. Chavez is the husband of former La Puente Councilwoman Renee Chavez, who was ousted in 2007.

Here's a copy of the press release he sent out:

Many of you may very well have a received a notice in the last few days informing you of scheduled power outages on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

That's because Southern California Edison had planned for 37 outages that day in its 50,000-square mile territory, which includes the San Gabriel Valley.

But oh, wait, it's Inauguration Day.

Oops.

Edison spokesman Steve Conroy said the Rosemead-based power company will now be deferring all of those outages to a later date, unless they are related to public safety or a customer wants the service completed.

"(We did this) because of the inauguration and the historic nature of the inauguration associated with our next president," Conroy said.

I've talked to a few SGV residents already, who received notices saying their power would have been out from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They were pretty upset, considering television networks will be covering most of the inaugural activities all day long.

Guess they won't have to worry anymore.

I know it's out of the area, but it's still kind of cool.

Students at Village Academy High School in Pomona have sent a video message to President-Elect Barack Obama about the economic crisis.

They've also posted it on YouTube....

Baldwin Park Unified School District President Blanca Rubio just told me she's running for Congress.

"After much consideration with my family and members of the community, I am going to throw my name in the hat for (Hilda Solis' seat)."

Solis was recently tapped to be President-Elect Barack Obama's labor secretary. Since then, several local politicos have jumped in and out of the race to fill her vacancy.

Rubio will be going up against heavy-hitter Judy Chu, who is chariwoman of the Board of Equalization, as well as some others. But Rubio isn't fazed.

"I know I can do it, I know I can," she said. "No disrespect to anybody, but I'm from Baldwin Park."

Gina Aguirre, assistant city prosecutor for El Monte, left me a message last night about my most recent request for the full report detailing Mayor Ernie Gutierrez' Nov. 18 arrest:

"I believe my secretary is sending you out the notice for the additional time and we should have a response for you shortly."

I haven't received any notices yet, though Aguirre's message could count as verbal notice. At least this time around I got a response within the 10-day period outlined in government code.

 It appears unauthorized street curb painters have invaded the city.

I just spotted this flyer on the city's Web site that says some residents have "received flyers
indicating street addresses will be painted on the curbs in their neighborhoods."

The only problem is the city hasn't authorized these people to do the work.

It'll be a busy meeting next week for members of the Baldwin Park City Council, who will me discussing several interesting agenda items.

Among them is a proposal to bring Superior Market into the city, work out a deal with the day laborers to build a day laborer site, discussion of a trash sorting facility bordering Baldwin Park and Irwindale, and an innovative plan to encourage contractors to hire city residents for construction jobs.

Straight from the city's mouth:

***APPROVAL OF POLICY TO ENCOURAGE HIRING OF CITY RESIDENTS / BUSINESSES FOR CITY-FUNDED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS
Staff recommends City Council approve a policy to encourage the hiring of city residents or businesses by contractors of city-funded public works projects and direct staff to develop guidelines as to when these incentives become applicable: a) if a contractor of a City-funded capital project hires a city resident or business for a substantial portion of the work, the contractor is entitled to the following incentives: 1) City will expedite the payment of contractor's invoices by fifteen days (instead of payment in 30 days after approval, the payment would be 15 days after approval) and 2) City will provide a cash incentive of $100 per resident/business hired; b) in addition the following language shall be included in City contracts: PURCHASES OF SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS AND USE OF RESIDENTS WITHIN BALDWIN PARK. For work performed, Contractor agrees (i) to seek bids for supplies and materials from businesses located within the City of Baldwin Park, with the intent to make purchases from those businesses if such purchases can be made at competitive prices; and (ii) to employ residents of the City of Baldwin Park to the extent feasible.

***Request for Council consideration and discussion to repeal Ordinance No. 1290 and reconsider the Superior Market Urban Downtown Development project. Due to the recent withdrawal of the Bisno Development proposal the Council must proactively pursue other development alternatives. Direct staff to place on the next City Council agenda the repeal of Ordinance No. 1290 and staff report on Superior Market development proposal for review; and

***Request for Council consideration and discussion of the proposal from Jornaleros Unidos of the San Gabriel Valley to sign a non-binding community agreement with the city to organize and implement a Day Labor site plan. Direct staff to place on next City Council agenda a staff report with agreement and designate Jornaleros Unidos of the San Gabriel Valley as site organizing committee

***PROPOSED RECOMMENDATIONS RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY AND TRANSFER STATION WITHIN THE CITY OF IRWINDALE IMMEDIATELY ABUTTING THE CITY OF BALDWIN PARK (LOCATION: APN: 8535-001-911)
Staff recommends City Council 1) direct staff to explore options to protect residents and visitors from the negative and adverse impacts as a result of the construction and operation of the MRF/TS in the city of Irwindale; and 2) consider forming a City Council ad-hoc committee to monitor the city of Irwindale's activities and proceedings directly related to the MRF/TS and strategize and conceptualize potential directions to oppose the MRF/TS; and 3) waive further reading, read by title only and adopt Resolution No. 2009-002 entitled, "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BALDWIN PARK EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 322,972 SQUARE FOOT MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY AND TRANSFER STATION WITHIN THE CITY OF IRWINDALE IMMEDIATELY ABUTTING THE CITY OF BALDWIN PARK."

Just got this from City Manager Robert Griego about the proposed materials sorting facility in Irwindale.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

PROPOSED MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY IN IRWINDALE

This letter is in response to the article published on January 14, 2009, titled "Residents Trash Talk Athens Proposal". Athens Services is proposing a Materials Recovery Facility and Transfer Station (MRF) on a 17-acre site at the intersection of Live Oak Avenue and Arrow Highway in the City of Irwindale. The facility will receive residential and commercial waste, green waste and construction waste from the San Gabriel Valley region, up to a capacity of 6,000 tons a day. All waste will be sorted and then distributed to recyclers, landfills, and compost facilities. All loading, unloading, and sorting activities will take place in completely enclosed buildings incorporating state-of-the-art technology. For example, air from the building will be vented through the roof after it passes through odor-neutralizing scrubbers. As with any other MRF operations, the disposal of hazardous materials is illegal and prohibited.

This proposal will only be considered after a thorough Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been prepared. The EIR provides information about potential impacts to traffic; aesthetics; air quality/odors; greenhouse gases; water quality; land use as well as other related matters. The EIR should be ready for public review and comment by June. The City will continue to be open and work with neighboring cities about the process of this proposed project. At least one more public workshop on the project will be held before the EIR is released for public review and comment.

The Puente Hills Landfill is scheduled to close in 2013 and solutions need to be found for future solid waste disposal. The proposed MRF will meet this critical need for trash disposal for the San Gabriel Valley.

Please call the Irwindale Planning Department at (626) 430-2208 if you have any questions, comments or concerns about this important regional project.

Robert Griego
City Manager
City of Irwindale

Officials with Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, are blowing up my e-mail today with press releases.

In case you're interested:

Washington, DC - Congressman Gary Miller has been tapped to serve as the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee's newly created Subcommittee on International Policy, Trade and Technology. He now becomes the senior-most Republican on the panel, which has jurisdiction over international monetary policy; international finance and banking; international financial and monetary organizations, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank; and promotion of international trade in financial services.

And in other news:

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Gary Miller reintroduced legislation to significantly increase Southern California's supply of water. The Santa Ana River Water Supply Enhancement Act of 2009 authorizes federal funding for a number of important local water projects. When complete, these projects will increase Southern California's water supply by 37 billion gallons per year.

And in even other news:

Washington, DC - Congressman Gary Miller today introduced legislation to extend the loan limit increases, which were temporarily increased in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

More news anyone?

Washington, DC - Congressman Gary Miller plans to introduce a bill that would require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to address the issues and recommendations indentified in the their recent report to Congress.

I think Miller's office must have just gotten a hold of my e-mail address....

The Independent Cities Association held a press conference this morning to announce their endorsement of plans to bring an NFL stadium to Industry.

Billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. wants to build an $800 million stadium-entertainment complex on 600-acre plot of land northwest of the 57/60 freeway interchange. The ICA's board voted earlier this month to support the project.

"We are hopeful for this project," Association President and Covina Mayor Kevin Stapleton said. "For the region, it will be an economic stimulus."

The ICA is made up of 52 full-service cities across the Southern California, including cities in the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino County. Members include Arcadia, La Habra, Pasadena, Chino, Baldwin Park, West Covina and Pomona.

Several current and former politicos attended Thursday's event, including Baldwin Park Councilwoman Marlen Garcia, West Covina Councilman Mike Touhey and former Monterey Park Mayor Betty Chu.

Chu touted the project's location.

"Everything is about location," she said. "Being a football fan, we've wanted an event like this for so long, and it must come to fruition."

Of course not everyone is on board with the proposal. The city of Walnut has adopted a resolution opposing the stadium and Walnut Mayor Joaquin Lim wants a new environmental analysis drafted for the project.

Majestic officials will be meeting with the California Contract Cities Association on Feb. 4 to present stadium plans.

Walnut is a member of the CCCA.

San Bernardino County tax assessor, Bill Postmus, who has battled drug addiction, was arrested Thursday for allegedly possessing meth. As a side note, Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Claremont, is a former aide to Postmus.

LOS ANGELES -- The tax assessor for San Bernardino County, one of the nation's areas hardest hit by the real estate bust, was arrested Thursday for investigation of possessing methamphetamine and related paraphernalia.

Assessor Bill Postmus, 37, was arrested a week after he told county leaders he had overcome a substance abuse problem.

Postmus, a former chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, was taken into custody at his Rancho Cucamonga home, where investigators found a substance believed to be methamphetamine, said district attorney's spokeswoman Susan Mickey.

Search warrants related to the same investigation were also served in other cities in
Orange and San Bernardino counties, but Mickey said she could not say how those warrants were linked to the Postmus case.

Postmus could not be immediately reached for comment through his office.

In a statement, supervisors Chairman Gary C. Ovitt called Postmus' behavior "intolerable." "This is a sad and embarrassing day for the county," he said.

Postmus oversees the setting of property values for tax purposes in the county of about 2 million people in the inland region east of Los Angeles.

San Bernardino County surged during the real estate boom, but has fallen hard. It reached an all-time high of nearly $173 billion in property value in 2007 -- more than double the county's assessed value in 2000. Last fall, the county ranked as having the seventh-highest foreclosure rate and the state's biggest drop in home values -- 40 percent.

Ovitt said he plans to personally keep "very close tabs" on the operations of the assessor's office and will keep in daily contact with Assistant Assessor Dennis Draeger to ensure the office functions without interruption.

Ted Lehrer, spokesman for assessor's office, said he could not comment on Postmus' arrest, but said it will not affect the operation of the office, which employs more than 200 people.

Last week, Postmus told supervisors that he had beaten a drug problem and planned to
finish his term, which is due to end in 2010. He said he would not seek re-election.

Ovitt said the board will vote whether to remove Postmus from office at its Jan. 27 meeting. He said the board has already been instituting reforms at the assessors' office and demanding more accountability from Postmus. 

The board was also moving to open its own investigation of Postmus, he said.

Last June, a grand jury issued a scathing report on the assessor's office, charging
that many of Postmus' staffers engaged in political activities during the work day
and sent e-mails to arrange political meetings and ask for campaign contributions.

The report also found that many of the employees lacked experience or training in
assessor work. One employee was arrested on the day of the report's release on
charges of presenting false evidence to a grand jury and destroying public
records.

Before that, Postmus, a former chairman of the county Republican Party, had been a
controversial figure in local politics.

In 2007, Postmus was named in a state audit of the Victorville-based
California Charter Academy. The school's founder was indicted on charges of grand
theft and misappropriation of public school funds.

In 2005, another grand jury faulted Postmus, then chairman of the supervisors, for
delays in approving a permit for a second air-ambulance service, putting residents'
lives at risk.

The report suggested that county's sole air-ambulance service received favorable
treatment because the company had given thousands of dollars in campaign
contributions to the supervisors. Postmus denied those accusations.

Athens has been in the news a lot lately. Today is no different.

Jennifer McLain reports that the South Coast Air Quality Management District is meeting today with Athens to discuss a lawsuit that alleges $18 million in odor and safety violations.

DIAMOND BAR - An $18 million lawsuit filed against trash hauler Athens Services in July for neglecting to correct odor and safety violations could be moving toward a trial.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District meets today for a case management hearing with Athens in Los Angeles Superior Court. There, they will discuss how to proceed with a lawsuit that alleges Athens' Industry-based facility failed to fix at least 14 violations, dating back to April 2005.

He hopes a settlement can be reached outside of court.

Counting on your tax return? Well, hopefully your bill collectors will take IOUs.

The Washington Post reports that California is considering issuing tax refund IOUs because the state is running out of money.

I just got off the phone with Baldwin Park Unified School District Superintendent Mark Skvarna and he told me Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, gave him a ticket to the Jan. 20 inauguration.

President-Elect Barack Obama will be sworn in during the historic ceremony, and whether you voted for him or not, the opportunity to attend is an honor.

Skvarna said he, unfortunately, had to give the ticket back to Solis' office because all the flights and hotels in Washington, D.C. are booked. He still appreciated the gesture.

"It was very kind of her to give me a ticket," Skvarna said.

La Verne is hosting its state of the city address at noon on Jan. 29 at the Sierra la Verne Country Club.

Mayor Jon Blickenstaff will be giving the address. It'll be his last public ceremony, since Blickenstaff is retiring at the end of his term.

 It seems taggers have taken over the former site of Altmans Winnebago Inc. in Baldwin Park. The Caltrans-owned property that fronts the 10 Freeway has become an eyesore, according to city officials, as a myriad of graffiti lines the building's walls.

City officials are in contact with Caltrans to clean up the site. Caltrans spokeswoman Judy Gish told me today they plan on meeting with contractors tomorrow for graffiti removal. But she warned: "Within a very short time of the clean-up, the graffiti will be back."

It seems graffiti removal is costly and timely, and Caltrans simply doesn't have the resources to continously clean up the site everytime a tagger gets his spray paint can on it.

The city monitors the site regularly to make sure all gates and fences are secure, but they can't do anything more ----- it's not their property.

"It is a priority (for us)," Mayor Manuel Lozano said. "Unfortunately, it's probably been a little more slow-paced because the property does belong to Caltrans."

At an event last night, I ran into the director of the Azusa Food Bank and chatted him up a bit.

It appears Azusa Food Bank is in the same situation as so many other food banks. Donations have leveled out or lessened while demand has increased, creating a tough situation.

At their last food distribution event, the amount of families they had doubled from their normal figures reaching into the hundreds.

So, if you can spare it, now would be a good time to try and donate some food to the bank.

Distribution events are the second Saturday of every month.

Here is the organization's contact info.

501 E. Foothill (Behind Saint Frances of Rome Church)
Azusa, CA 91702
Phone: (626) 969-2397

Cal-Poultry, a popular poultry slaughterhouse among the Asian community, will have to shut its doors. Interesting how three council members flipped their December vote from yes, keep the slaughterhouse open, to no, shut it down. Reporter Rebecca Kimitch said that a number of residents spoke at the meeting on Tuesday complaining about the slaughterhouse.

A number of residents also reminded the council members of the March election. Here's Rebecca Kimitch's story:

Council slams door on slaughterhouse
Posted: 01/13/2009 10:45:21 PM PST

ROSEMEAD - Passionate pleas from residents Tuesday night convinced three council members to reverse their earlier support for the expansion of a well-known poultry slaughterhouse.

Instead of allowing Chinese American Live Poultry, 8932 Garvey Ave., to expand, the city will take steps to close the business down, even if it involves court action, Mayor John Tran said.

"The will of the people is saying we don't want (the slaughterhouse), so we will challenge it. We will take it to court," Tran said. "This is a risk, it's a liability, but if that is a liability we want to bear, that is what we want to do."

The city council had last month approved, by a vote of 3-2, a change to the municipal code that would have allowed CAL Poultry to expand, and allowed more slaughterhouses in the city.

A second reading and approval of the change were necessary to make it official. Such second readings are often considered formalities, however on Tuesday, three council members did 180-degree turns of their support.

Resident after resident told the council how they have been bothered and disgusted by smells emanating from the slaughterhouse. And they cited the business' long history of violating health and zoning codes.

CAL Poultry has been selling freshly slaughtered chickens and duck since 1991. A decade after it opened, animal slaughtering and storage was banned in the area. However, CAL Poultry was allowed to stay under the condition that it not expand.

Two years ago, complaints from neighbors began to pour in to the city about odors and chickens running loose in the street. The city tried to get the place to move, but ran into legal challenges since it is legally allowed to be there. Though city and county officials have periodically found the business to be in violation of laws, every time the owners have fixed the violation, city staff said.

The business' owners said they could fix the odors by being allowed to add a filtration system to the roof, and asked for the municipal code change to allow that expansion.

Until Tuesday, Tran and council members Peggy Low and John Nunez thought the change was the best way to deal with the odors, over the objections of council members Margaret Clark and Gary Taylor.

The Independent Cities Association, which is an organization of 52 Los Angeles County cities, unanimously approved a resolution supporting the proposed NFL stadium in the city of Industry.

Not a member of the ICA is the city of Walnut, which has so far been the lone city against the stadium. Walnut is a member of the Contract Cities Association, which has not yet voted on the stadium.

Monterey Park Mayor Frank Venti, who is a member of the ICA, said that he is "incensed" with Walnut Mayor Joaquin Lim's continued disapproval of the NFL stadium.

"As the Mayor of Monterey Park I am incensed that Waquin Lim thinks that he has a wall around Walnut, and that he can keep jobs form any of the cities here. I am inncesed that these rich wealthy people in Walnut feel they can stop this development," Venti said.

I found this on Monterey Park City Council Candidate John Bedros Abajian Web site :

"Remember: we're in charge of our city; there is no Batman or Superman to make things right. No superhero can help.

Or Can He?"

The picture features Abajian as Crutchman.

With president elect Barack Obama's inauguration coming up on Jan. 20, how do you plan to celebrate - or mourn, depending on your perspective about his election? Any parties? Here's how Beyonce and U2 are honoring the president.

On Monday, more than 200 residents crammed in to the Irwindale Council Chambers to hear Athen's Services proposal for the 17 acre site. The materials recycling facility would receive a maximum of 6,000 tons of trash a day. Here is a mock up of the proposed facility.

The site would not be a place where trash was dumped -- it would only be a place where trash is sorted from the recyclables. It would also bring in an estimated $2 million to $4 million annually to the Irwindale's coffers.

Assembylman Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park, was selected to the California Transportation Commission, it was announced Monday. The commission is responsible for the programming and allocation of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements throughout California.

Speaking of San Gabriel Valley roads, the streets are being torn up at Temple Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard in La Puente as a part of one of the many street improvement projects in the city.

There are a few interesting things coming out of Irwindale over the next few days:

1. Materials recycling facility: There is a meeting tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to talk about a proposed trash sorting facility that will be built at Live Oak and Arrow Highway. The facility will be enclosed, and it will receive trash from across the San Gabriel Valley.

The good news is that for Irwindale, the project will bring in between $2 million and $4 million a year. The bad news is that for nearby residents in Baldwin Park, this could mean more traffic. City Manager Bob Griego said that there won't be any odors from the place because it is a covered facility.

2. Hotels: The city of Irwindale has many types of businesses, but hotels aren't among them. That could change, however, if the Irwindale City Council likes what it hears at a special meeting on Wednesday.

The Vimco Hotel Group will present that development commission with a proposed hotel plan for the vacant site at 15744 Arrow Highway. The site was formerly where the casket building business Shannon Casket operated.

This just in from Amanda Baumfeld:

MONTEBELLO - The City Council will decide if they will spend $7 million in bond monies on projects in the area around the Montebello Hills.

Possible projects the bonds could fund include reconstruction of the Taylor Ranch, which was demolished in December; street improvements along Whittier and a performing arts center feasibility study among others.

If projects are funded with the tax-exempt bonds 85 percent of the projects have to be completed in three years.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. At City Hall, 1600 Beverly Blvd.

La Verne City Councilman Steven Johnson's conflict of interest case was tabled again Monday morning.

Johnson's attorney has had the pre-trial hearing continued more times than D.A. Jonlyn Callahan likes to talk about. The reason being that an expert compiling a report for Johnson needs additional time.

Last time, the expert needed 45 days and got it. This time the "elusive" expert, as Callahan described them, asked for 30 days. The judge granted it, but with the warning that at the next hearing a trial date would be set.

Johnson's attorney and Callahan will meet again Feb. 17.

Here is this week's installment of Leftovers from City Hall

Leftovers from City Hall: Race for Solis' seat starts to take form
Posted: 01/11/2009 07:09:32 AM PST

The race to fill Rep. Hilda Solis' seat is setting up nicely.
Solis was appointed Labor Secretary on Friday by President-elect Barack Obama. As a result, there has been much talk as to who will fill her seat in Congress.

The top contenders were Sen. Gloria Romero and Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu - that is until Romero dropped out of the running late last week. Now, San Gabriel Valley politicians won't have to split hairs over who they will endorse - they can back Chu as she seeks Solis' spot, and can support Romero when she runs for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

That's not to say, of course, that all local politicians will be supporting Chu. Romero threw her endorsement to state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles. Other contenders include Emanuel Pleitez, a relatively-unknown 26-year-old financial analyst from El Sereno.

There's also been speculation that state Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, and his brother state Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Montebello, may also take shots at the seat.

Mayor Manuel Lozano

That trip Mayor Manuel Lozano took to China in 2007 is stirring up more debate.

The District Attorney's office is reviewing allegations of conflict of interest, stemming from a complaint received in September, said Dave Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division.

He wouldn't say who filed the complaint, but City Council critic Greg Tuttle seems to think the DA's review comes from a grievance he filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission in August.
In that grievance, Tuttle alleges businessman Nelson Chu paid for all of Lozano's expenses during the trip - including hotel and airfare - but Lozano never claimed the trip on his statement of economic interests.

Chu, who once owned an industrial warehouse in Baldwin Park, denied paying for the trip. Lozano said expenses were paid for by a bank in Rowland Heights. He also called Tuttle a "congenital liar."

Tuttle argues his complaint is rock solid.

Council district debate continues

The debate over whether West Covina should form council districts continues to drag on.

It's been a hot topic since December when a community group started collecting signatures to put the issue to a vote of the people.

Now, Councilman Mike Touhey is considering his own districting measure for the November ballot.

The discussion dominated last week's council meeting, which ended abruptly when Councilmembers Sherri Lane and Shelley Sanderson walked out while Mayor Roger Hernandez was talking.

Hernandez had accused his fellow colleagues on the dais of ignoring portions of the city where they don't live. That didn't sit well with any of the council members.

Lane was the first to walk out. Then Sanderson, but only after she asked Hernandez several times to stop making "speculative" accusations without having all the facts.

Councilman Steve Herfert left prior to Hernandez's comments. He had a prior commitment.

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477, 2109

www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov

The allegations that Temple City elected officials demanded bribes is gaining momentum. Prosecutors seized tape-recordings made by a developer who claims three city council members asked for bribes -- thousands of dollars and a condo --  in return for support on a project.

Prosecutors seize tapes in Temple City bribery probe
By Alfred Lee, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/08/2009 04:11:18 PM PST

TEMPLE CITY - Prosecutors have seized tape-recordings made by a developer who claims they support his allegations that city leaders demanded bribes from him in return for cooperation on a long-delayed development project.

The recordings contain conversations between Randy Wang, the developer of the Piazza mall project, and City Council members. The recordings back up Wang's claims of bribery solicitation, said his lawyer, Patrick Duffy of Monteleone & McCrory.

"They support the allegations that are in our affirmative defense," Duffy said.

Wang has accused Mayor Cathe Wilson and council members Judy Wong and David Capra of demanding thousands of dollars in cash payments and a condominium from him in order for his project to progress smoothly through City Hall.

Wilson, Wong and Capra have denied Wang's claims. Read more.

Local politicians at the city level are likely breathing a sigh of relief now that State Sen. Gloria Romero and Assembylman Ed Hernandez withdrew their names from the race to fill Rep. Hilda Solis' spot.

Now, our local San Gabriel Valley politicians won't have to split hairs over who they will endorse -- they can support Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu as she seeks out Solis' spot, and can support Romero as she seeks out State Superintendent.

Otherwise, it would have been interesting to see who the SGV politicians would have ended up endorsing, risking possibly losing endorsement in their future endeavors.

Did you feel it? A 5.0 earthquake hit San Bernardino at 7:49 p.m. Thursday.

*It was later reported only as a 4.5 magnitude earthquake.

Looks like Gloria Romero won't be running after all for Hilda Solis' soon-to-be vacated seat in Congress.

She just dropped out of the running, according to Capitol Alert.

That leaves Judy Chu as a heavy contender, considering the backing she's recently received from local pols, like Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina.

Before I toss out the notebook from Tuesday night's council meeting, there were a few other items of interest:

1. Chris Chung and Sue Williams claim: City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman reported that during the closed session meeting to discuss the pending claims filed against the city by Chung and Williams that Mayor Roger Hernandez recused himself from the discussion.

Chung and Williams each allege that Hernandez subjected them to hostile work environments. Other than that, there was no reportable action regarding the claims.

2. Citizen task force to review the budget: This was an idea proposed by Hernandez, and it didn't gain any support from his collegaues. Among their concerns was that such a citizen committee would use too much staff time and therefore would be costly.

Councilman Steve Herfert added that he did not want to relinquish his power to people on a subcommittee who may not know what is going on financially in the city or in the economy. "I was elected to be a guardian of taxpayer dollars," Herfert said.

One of Councilman Mike Touhey's chief concerns was that since most of the city's coffers go toward labor costs, that he wouldn't be comfortable having citizens on the committee arguing for whose jobs to keep and whose jobs could be lost.

At the end of the conversation, Hernandez made the motion for getting the subcommittee on board. "Is there a second to the motion?" Hernandez asked. "I didn't think so."

3. On the agenda, Hernandez proposed bringing back the broadcasts of the meeting with private donations, but he didn't have the "confirmation letter" and wil be bringing that back at a later date.

This was posted on our Web site earlier (when we were having some blog issues):

Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, will not seek the congressional seat of Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, according to his staff members.
Hernandez had initially shown interest in the seat, but will now endorse former state Assemblywoman Judy Chu, who is running in the race. Chu currently serves on the state Board of Equalization.

Solis is leaving the seat to become Secretary of Labor in the incoming Obama administration.

Solis' seat is all the buzz.

Another name just got thrown into the hat for Rep. Hilda Solis' seat.

Emanuel Pleitez is joining Judy Chu and Gloria Romero in the fight for the soon-to-be vacated post. Solis is President-Elect Barack Obama's pick for labor secretary.

I don't know much about Pleitez -- to be honest, I've never heard of the Democrat who hails from East Los Angeles. But according to a press release sent to the newsroom today, Pleitez currently serves as a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Team for the Treasury Department.

Here's his bio:

Emanuel Pleitez was born and raised in the Eastside of Los Angeles. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in El Sereno and earned his B.A. from Stanford University. Pleitez currently serves as a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Team for the Treasury Department. He previously worked in the offices of then-Los Angeles City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa and under U.S. Senators Tom Daschle and Hillary Clinton on the Senate Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee. In the private sector, Pleitez has worked as a Financial Analyst in the Securities Division at Goldman Sachs and currently resides in El Sereno.

Want to hear what the Monterey Park council candidates have to say? There will be a council candidate forum hosted by the Soroptomist International of Monterey Park/Rosemead at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at 320 W. Newmark Ave.

Terms are up for council members David Lau and Sharon Martinez.

For those who care about water news, here is an update that some may find interesting:

At the first board meeting with Director Al Contreras taking over as President, the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal District board voted 3-1 to replace Tony Fellow on the board for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Fellow was the vice chairman and was Chairman Timothy Brick's right-hand man.

Fellow was replaced with Bill Robinson, who has served as 20 years on the Upper District but never on the MWD. Fellow served 16 years on the MWD, and has been on the Upper District for 18 years.

President Contreras said he wanted to give the other people on the Upper District a chance to serve on the different boards. But some think that the move just shot Upper District and the San Gabriel Valley in the foot when it comes to water issues.

As Brick put it, "This is all politics. But now Upper District will have to get in the back of line."

The agency received a complaint in September and have been probing the issue since, said Dave Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division.

The allegations stem from a 2007 trip Manuel Lozano took to China as part of a speakers delegation. The trip was never claimed on Lozano's statement of economic interests.

He claims the trip was paid for by a bank executive from Rowland Heights.

Local businessman Greg Tuttle - who has had it out for the council for more than a year - filed a complaint with the FPPC in September. He said he did NOT file a complaint with the DA, and the DA won't tell me who did.

More to come in Thursday's paper.

I just spotted this on the Web site for the Fair Political Practices Commission. It's based out of San Bernandino County but it's still interesting:

Mark Christopher Chevrolet, Inc., Mountain View Chevrolet, Inc., Mark Leggio, and Diamond Hills Auto Group, Inc., located in San Bernardino County, were the true source of twenty-three campaign contributions, totaling $66,400, made to candidates for state and local elective office, and a state recipient committee, between January 2002 and June 2006. The contributions were made in the names of Respondents' employees, business associates and/or their family members. During the same time period, Respondents made contributions in excess of the Political Reform Act's campaign contribution limits, and failed to properly report all contributions on their major donor campaign statements. $150,000 fine.

The Daily Bulletin did a story on it...

From last night's West Covina City Council meeting:

"We feel like mushrooms kept in the dark and fed manure," said resident Elsie Messman on what it feels like to be a West Covina resident.

The agenda may have been light tonight for the West Covina City Council meeting, but the drama sure wasn't.

The meeting ended abruptly after Councilmembers Sherri Lane and Shelley Sanderson walked out while Mayor Roger Hernandez was talking. The topic: council districts. Well, sort of. It was more of a tangent about why council districts would be good for the city from Hernandez's view.

His opinions came after council members said their thoughts on the council districts and after about a dozen residents spoke, both in favor and against.

Hernandez started listing some of issues that the existing four council members have allegedly ignored or voted against, and he accused them of ignoring the portions of the city that they don't live in.

That didn't sit well with any of the council members. Lane was the first to walk out. Sanderson asked Hernandez several times to stop making "speculative" accusations without having all the facts, but Hernandez kept talking. And then left Sanderson.

Councilman Steve Herfert left prior to Hernandez's comments.

In the end, it was just Councilman Mike Touhey and Hernandez. No action was taken on Touhey's recommendation to get the district measure on the November ballot because more research needs to be done. But a lot of people had a lot to say about it.

More on this tomorrow.

Councilman Steve Herfert gave a shout out today in a letter that he wrote to the editor about the opening of Bob's Big Boy. In the letter, he thanks Councilmembers Mike Touhey, Sherri Lane and Shelley Sanderson "who have worked with me to bring back Bob's."

Herfert said that he spent eight years along with Touhey, Lane and Sanderson to bring Bob's Big Boy to the city, and he did not thank Mayor Roger Hernandez because the Mayor was not part of those negotiations.

*Hernandez said that he voted along with his colleagues to bring in Bob's Big Boy, but city officials are now telling me they don't think there was a vote on the item. Confirmation will come later today.

This whole district discussion raises a few questions that have so far gone unanswered. Mainly, when would the election be and how much would it cost if it were a special election?

Fred Sykes, who along with about 20 other people has been pushing to get residents to vote on council districts during a special election, said that he would like to piggyback on the special election that is supposed to be held to replace Congresswoman Hilda Solis. That way, the election would only cost $10,000. But after speaking to assistant city clerk Sue Rush, there seems to be a few problems with Sykes' hopes.

• One, a special election date has not been yet been set, so determining whether the timing of the district measure would coincide with the special election is still unkown.
• Two, there may be portions of the city that is not represented by Solis, and therefore not everyone in the city could cast a vote.
• Three, regarding cost, I couldn't get a confirmation that it would cost the number Sykes said it would.

Then there is Councilman Mike Touhey, who wants to get a redistricting measure on the November ballot. It's cheaper that way, Touhey said. He predicted that a special election could cost as much as $127,000. Again, that is a number that I couldn't confirm with the city clerk's office.

It is clear there is a lot of back and forth between Touhey and Sykes, and I'm sure we will see more volleying tonight.

Covina City Council will host a special meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. to discuss possible actions to take following the aftermath of the Christmas Eve massacre. The meeting will be at Covina City Hall, 125 E. College St.

Azusa approved a new ordinance last night that changed their rules regarding the request of public records.

The new rule of law forces all public record requests concerning the city go through the city clerk's office.

The city is pursuing this course of action to avoid further lawsuits. Apparently, according to the staff report, a "man" has been calling whoever he can within the city that might not know the full laws concerning public records requests. He then makes requests to those persons, verbally, and if and when they don't meet the demands in time, he files a lawsuit.

The new law makes all those requests go through the city clerk and encourages all requests to be written. It cannot state that requests must be written.

I shot an e-mail over to Terry Francke, general counsel for California Aware, and he said the ordinance is in good order and perfectly legal for the city to do.

He did question its use with reporters calling police to beat check, and also felt the word "oral" was more appropriate than the word "verbal."

Here is a link to the ordinance's language and proposal.

When I get the chance to talk to the city, I hope to find out who the "man" is.

Today, we wrote about the top five most memorable politicians in the San Gabriel Valley last year. But there were also a lot of great stories that came out of area, including politicians, their mishaps, and the results of their actions.

OPEN FORUM: What are some of your top stories out of the San Gabriel Valley during 2008?

Here are some that come to mind:

1. I know this came late in the year, but Congresswoman Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, being chosen as labor secretary will hopefully have a positive impact for the SGV and will also bring with it an interesting race to fill her seat.

2. Budget Shortfalls: We've seen shortfalls across the SGV in cities like El Monte - from $400,000 to $4 million -- to West Covina to Irwindale. And these shortfalls keep growing, too, which means the effects on residents and city employees could only get worse.

3. Taxes approved: You'd think that voters would feel economically stressed, but surprisingly residents rose to the challenge when their elected leaders called on them to raise taxes. Pico Rivera, El Monte, and MTA taxes were all approved, and several school districts got their bonds passed, too.

4. Police contract dispute: We saw heated negotiations in Baldwin Park, Arcadia and Monrovia, but ultimately the police officers got what they wanted.

5. Anthony Bejarano was arrested - but cleared - for being drunk in public; former water board director Dolores Holguin can never serve public office again after being charged with one felony county of misuing public funds; the city paid out $330,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim filed against Rosemead Councilman John Nunez.

It's meeting time in West Covina on Tuesday:

1. Closed session meeting to talk about two cases of anticipated litigation. Hmmm, could that be to discuss the claims filed by Community Development Director Chris Chung and Public Information Officer Sue Williams. Chung and Williams retained the same attorney and claim that Mayor Roger Hernandez subjected them to a hostile work environment. Chung is demanding $3 million; Williams hasn't asked for anything....yet.

2. Hernandez wants to set up a citizen task force to address the budget issues.

3. Hernandez also wants to talk about using private donations to start back up the televsion broadcasts. There is no indication on how much money that means and who the private donor is.

4. Councilman Mike Touhey wants to talk about districting. He asked that staff prepare a report to examine how to get districts on the ballot. Touhey's efforts comes at a time when those on the Fred Sykes camp are working to collect signatures to get a ballot measure diving the city into fifths in an election.

Sykes wants this to go before the voters "as soon as possible," but as a way to save money he recommends placing the measure on the special election for Congresswoman Hilda Solis' open seat. This is the second time Skyes has tried to get this on a ballot.

Touhey thinks that Sykes is doing this because Sykes just wants to get on the council and since he was rejected in the last election, he is drawing up districts.

Sykes denies that -- he said this is about equal representation -- and thinks that Touhey is doing this because he wants to draw up "Touney town."

Good morning and Happy New Year. A number of our readers were out on vacation or on furloughs the past couple of weeks, so now it is back to business. Sigh.

Among my New Year's resolutions is to follow up on all those outstanding public records requests blanketing the San Gabriel Valley. My first stop: El Monte.

They've got a handful of documents for me about the city manager's salary, annual compensation paid to city council members, car allowances, cell phone allowances, and pensions plans or any other benefit paid to council members and the city manager.

The debate over crime at El Monte's motels is getting a little heated. In case you missed these stories this weekend, they are defintely worth a read....

try, try again.

So that's what we're doing. I e-mailed this to El Monte's city attorneys this week, asking again for the police report detailing Mayor Ernie Gutierrez' Nov. 18 arrest.

As I understand it, if the investigation is complete (and to our knowledege, it is) the full report should be public record: 

I am re-submitting this records request in the hopes that I may get
the documents I originally requested. In Novemeber, I submitted a
records request for the police report detailing Mayor Ernie
Gutierrez' Nov. 18 arrest. The city attorney's office responded with
a summary of arrest details, including date, time and an incident
synopsis.

Tania Chatila
Staff Reporter
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
tania.chatila@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, Ext. 2109
Fax: 626-338-9157
1210 North Azusa Canyon Road
West Covina, Ca 91790

In the spirit of the New Year, this week's Leftovers column looked at the "Top 5" news stories based on reader comments and interest on the blog:

It's 2009 and there's no telling what tidings the new year will bring our local cities. But before we dive in, let's take a look back.

Here's a list of five stories that garnered the most comments and interest from blog readers in 2008 (in no particular order):

*In May, accusations surfaced that El Monte Mayor Ernie Gutierrez showed up at a sister city event drunk and shouting vulgarities. The allegations kicked up a whirlwind in City Hall, and criticism from residents who questioned Gutierrez's ethical standards as an elected officials. An in-house investigation cleared Gutierrez of the allegations.

But soon after, the mayor was arrested on allegations he was involved in a domestic argument with someone he was dating -- and not his wife. Charges weren't filed, but some City Council members expressed disappointment over the incident. Gutierrez eventually was removed from a commission over the arrest.

*Three Valleys Municipal Water District member Xavier Alvarez was found guilty in July of violating the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, which makes it a crime to lie about receiving certain medals.

He was sentenced to three years probation, and was fined $5,000 for falsely claiming to be a Medal of Honor recipient.

Alvarez continues to sit on the board and faces more legal trouble. He faces three felony charges for grand theft of personal property, insurance fraud and misappropriating public money.

*South El Monte Mayor Blanca Figueroa recently received international acclaim when her colleagues voted to ban her from working in her City Hall office past 11 p.m.

Figueroa has a habit of working late -- sometimes as late as 3 a.m. -- and some of her colleagues have accused her of living her in office.

She's denied those claims, but does admit to making the office her own. She decorates it with accolades, photos, beta fish, plants, a plasma television and snacks.

*A Montebello trash contract dispute that already was getting a lot of attention took an interesting turn when a group leaked documents detailing City Councilman Robert Urteaga's criminal history on the Internet.

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

Urteaga said his conviction dated back to his years as a UCLA student when he was 21. Putting himself through school, he took up sports gambling to make extra money. He said he was remorseful.

*Baldwin Park school board member Sergio Corona is serving three years probation for a misdemeanor charge stemming from his May arrest.

The board's youngest member pleaded guilty in October to resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer. He was sentenced to one day in jail, fined $150 and was ordered to pay $100 in restitution fees, she said.

Corona, 34, was Tased and arrested on May 22 after allegedly breaking the windows of a home on Sandstone Street while shirtless and sweaty.

Following the incident, Corona then faced a myriad of criticism from parents and City Council members, especially over initial police reports that said Corona admitted he had smoked methamphetamine and marijuana the night he was arrested.
Subsequent toxicology reports did not support those allegations and Corona denied the claims. He did, however, say he took "full responsibility" for the arrest.

Baldwin Park Councilman Anthony Bejarano said he's endorsing Judy Chu for Rep. Hilda Solis' seat. Solis is President-Elect Barack Obama's pick for labor secretary, which means she'll be vacating her current post soon.

Chu is on the California Board of Equalization, and she's going up against Gloria Romero for the position. 

Monterey Park Mayor Frank Venti recently announced he's gunning for Romero.

Who do you think will get the spot?

As the details of the Covina Christmas Eve slayings unfold, we are finding that more and more local politicians had ties to the victims.

Former La Puente Councilwoman Renee Chavez told reporter Brian Day today that she knew one of the nine victims, Cheri Ortega. Apparently, Chavez and her husband Ed --- who is serving on the Upper San Gabriel Municipal Water District --- went to high school with Cheri.

Here are some exerpts from Brian's story running in Monday's paper:

"Today, I'm just trying to remember the positive things about her," Chavez said.

"I can still remember her laugh in my head," Renee Chavez said.

It's 2009! Wonder what tidings this year will bring for our local elected officials and cities?

As you probably have noticed, posts have been pretty slim the last few weeks. Many of us (including myself) have been out on vacation so it's been hard keeping entries consistent.

But we're hoping this year will bring better, more frequent posts for your reading pleasure!