City retiree medical and pension costs: UPDATE

As requested, here is a .pdf that includes the list of 24 cities in the San Gabriel Valley that details pension and retiree medical costs.

Retiree costs city by city[1].pdf

Top five highest pension costs in 2007-08

1. El Monte: $12.1 million    Total employees: 327

2. West Covina: $9.2 million   Total employees: 429

3. Montebello: $7.8 million    Total employees: 428

4. Arcadia: $6.7 million   Total employees: 286

5. Sante Fe Springs: $6.5 million   Total employees: N/A

Weekend round up

Montebello Councilman Robert Urteaga is being sued for fraud, Amanda Baumfeld reports. The lawsuit comes several years after Urteaga was charged with grand theft, a felony.

Cities across the San Gabriel Valley — except for Rosemead — are pulling the plug on community events like July 4 parades and Easter Egg hunts, Alfred Lee reports.

Gregg Industries is getting ready to close in a month, but employees are working just as hard as they normally do. And when they are out of a job, many are wondering where they will go, Rebecca Kimitch reports.

If there’s no sign telling you that you’re entering the San Gabriel Valley, how will you know? Well, one group of people is proposing that a bridge become the area’s welcoming sign, Nathan McIntyre reports.

Retiree medical costs total $11 million in 24 SGV cities

Medical costs for retirees is increasing, the LA Times reports.

Meantime, 24 local San Gabriel Valley cities are facing a $11 million tab this year to pay for their retiree medical benefits, and that bill is expected to climb as the number of retirees increases, life extectancy rates grow and health-premiums rise. Half of those cities face a total bill of $204 million for future medical benefit costs. Here is the story.

Blanca Rubio drops out of the race, endorses Chu

First came former Assembylman Ed Chavez’s announcement. Now, it’s Baldwin Park School Board Member Blanca Rubio, who announced she’s dropping out. But instead of endorsing Sen. Gil Cedillo, like Chavez did, Rubio is endorsing Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu.

Here’s the press release Chu’s office sent over:

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

Blanca Rubio Decides Against Running for Congress, Will Endorse Chu

Baldwin Park Unified School District Board President Blanca Rubio announced Thursday that she will not be running for the 32nd Congressional District seat vacated by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and is instead endorsing Board of Equalization Vice Chair Judy Chu for the position.

“I want to thank all of my friends and fellow citizens who have encouraged and supported me so far in my efforts to represent the San Gabriel Valley in Congress,” said Rubio. “I urge them all to join me in helping to send Dr. Judy Chu to Washington.

“Dr. Chu is without a doubt the most qualified person to fight for the needs of San Gabriel Valley residents in our nation’s capital,” Rubio added. “She has represented the people of our district for more than two decades at the local and state level. She knows our communities like no one else in this race, and is a proven legislator, negotiator and coalition builder who will bring the kind of fiscal experience needed in Washington to get us out of our economic crisis.”

Rubio’s endorsement caps a marathon week for Dr. Chu, during which she also secured the support of the League of Conservation Voters for her 100 percent environmental voting record, which is extremely important to residents of the 32nd District. She also received the endorsement of the California Teachers Association, which has more than 6,000 members in the 32nd District.

Rubio joins a diverse coalition of more than 75 elected state, city and school officials representing the vast majority of the 32nd District who have already endorsed Dr. Chu’s campaign for Congress. Among her supporters are the entire city councils of El Monte and West Covina, the district’s two largest cities; the mayors of Duarte, Azusa and South El Monte; and all three Assembly members who represent the district in the state Legislature: Dr. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, Mike Eng, D-El Monte and Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles.

Dr. Chu has been elected nine times over the past 23 years by residents of the 32nd District, starting as a school board member, then as council member and mayor of Monterey Park for 13 years and later as Assembly member representing the 49th Assembly District from 2001 to 2006. She is currently the elected representative for Los Angeles County on the state Board of Equalization, which collects $53 billion a year in sales, use and property taxes for the state of California.

The special election for the 32nd Congressional District seat, which includes the cities of Monterey Park, Rosemead, El Monte, South El Monte, Baldwin Park, West Covina, Covina, Irwindale, Azusa and Duarte, as well as the Los Angeles communities of El Sereno and unincorporated portions of East Los Angeles, will be held on May 19.

Thinking about it, Gifts for Guns IS like the ending of Terminator 2

This quote from the Governator this morning at a press conference on gang violence and the “Gifts for Guns” program. The video can be seen here.

“Every time a weapon is surrendered, every time a gun is taken off the street, neighborhoods are safer,” said Schwarzenegger. “The guns will be melted and used for something more positive. I think that was also the theme for Terminator Two. The Terminator let himself down into the molt and he gets melted and he kind of wants to terminate himself in order to stop the violence.”

Thinking about running for Congress? You still have time

Still thinking about whether you want to run for the 32nd Congressional District seat?

Well, you still have time. The deadline is April 6. All you need to do to qualify is be at least 25 years old, have about $1,700, need between 40 to 60 nomination signatures and have lived in the state for the past 7 years – you don’t have to live in the district.

Here’s the county’s press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2009
CONTACT: Marcia Ventura (562) 462-2726 or Eileen Shea (562) 462-2648

NOMINATION PERIOD OPEN FOR 32ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SPECIAL PRIMARY ELECTION ON MAY 19, 2009

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) Dean Logan announced today that persons intending to run for office in the 32nd Congressional District Special Primary Election on May 19, 2009, may file nomination documents now through Monday, April 6, 2009 with the RR/CC at 12400 E. Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650, 2nd Floor, Room 2013, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Special Primary Election on May 19 is being held for the purpose of electing party candidates for the Special General Election on July 14, 2009, which will be held to fill a vacancy for the unexpired term ending January 3, 2010, in the 32nd Congressional District resulting from the resignation of office by Hilda L. Solis. (If any candidate receives a majority of all votes cast at the Special Primary Election, he or she shall be declared elected and the Special General Election shall not be held.) The Special Primary will be held in consolidation with the Statewide Special and Consolidated Elections, including (if required) the 26th State Senate District Special General Election.

Persons wishing to run for office must be 25 years of age or older and a United States citizen for at least 7 years and an inhabitant of the state at the time of the general election. Candidates do not have to live in the district. Candidates must have been affiliated with a party, as shown by his or her affidavit of registration, at least 3 months prior to filing nomination documents, or for as long as he or she has been eligible to register to vote in the State. The candidates must not have been affiliated with any other qualified party for 3 months immediately prior to filing.

The deadline for filing nomination papers is Monday, April 6, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.

The filing fee is $1,740.00 and 40-60 nominating signatures are required. Petition forms are now available for persons wishing to secure signatures in lieu of all or a portion of the filing fee. Signatures submitted on the in lieu petitions may also be applied to the signature requirements for offices on the nominating petition provided they are registrants of the same party as the candidate. All candidates must pay the nonrefundable filing fee or present in lieu signatures at the time they receive their nomination papers. The total number of in lieu signatures needed is 3,000 for Democratic and Republican party candidates, 90 for Green, 87 for Libertarian and 150 for American Independent and Peace and Freedom party candidates. Persons filing in lieu signatures will be notified within ten calendar days of filing the petition of any deficiency. The deadline to file signatures in lieu petitions is Monday, March 23. In the event of a deficiency, candidates may submit, prior to the close of the nomination period, a supplemental petition or pay the pro rata portion of the filing fee to make up the deficiency. The deadline to file a supplemental petition is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 6, 2009.

Further information can be obtained by calling the RR/CC, Election Planning Section at (562) 462-2317 or by going online to the RR/CC website www.lavote.net and clicking on Voter & Election Information.

Persons requiring multilingual assistance in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino or Vietnamese regarding information in this press release, can call (800) 481-8683