Recently in Bradbury Category

A Forbes' list of America's most pricey zip codes lists Duarte at the top with a median home costing more than $4 million.

But the list has created some controversy (and angry reader mail to Forbes) considering the zip code used, 91008, is actually that of Bradbury. Most Duarte residents actually have the 91010 zip code (as evidenced by the city's recent celebration on Sept. 10).

Forbes addresses the issue in a blog that outlines its reasoning (USPS designates the zip code as Duarte) and discusses the issue of whether Bradbury is its own city or a town with a city (Duarte).

For those in the San Gabriel Valley, the issue is pretty simple. Duarte is not Bradbury and doesn't boast the million dollar foothill homes that can be found in the hilltop that is Bradbury.

At the end of Forbes' blog, they come to a similar conclusion. Bradbury is actually the ritzy neighborhood that takes the title of most expensive zip code. It is the USPS that refuses to recognize it.

During the Vulcan Mining Proposal frenzy, a lot of allegations, claims, numbers, facts, questionable facts, mud, and dirt have been thrown around by a lot of numerous parties on all sides.

In an article over the weekend (there were actually two Vulcan mining stories this weekend, including this one about taxes ) City Managers in Azusa and Duarte squared off via letters regarding the release of public records by Duarte and any possible settlement deals between Duarte and Vulcan.

Duarte fired back saying the review process for the proposal has been inadequate, the environmental report on the project is insufficient, and that Duarte has been open and honest throughout.

And all those points have their merits.

But one claim by Duarte City Manager Darrell George struck me as misleading, if not wrong.

In arguing that Azusa's staff has slanted the review process in favor of support for the mining proposal, George laid out a few "key points."

One of those was that Azusa packed the Planning Commission prior to the vote. From George's letter:

"Azusa replaced multiple anti-mining planning commissioners in the months leading up to the consideration of the mine expansion project."

Some background: In the fall of last year, Azusa made the four seated planning commissioners all reapply for their jobs, as well as opened up the positions to applicants. Azusa made it known that part of the move was in an effort to secure a full commission that could assess and vote on the mining issue. (That didn't work out as they planned as you can see here)

Three of those commissioners had to reapply despite their terms not being up. Commissioner Sandra Rentschler's term had expired and would have had to reapply anyway.

Of the four commissioners, Christopher Dodson and Jess Alva were reappointed. Rentschler was found to have a conflict of interest by the Fair Political Practices Commission regarding the Vulcan issue as she lives in the Mountain Cove community of Azusa that rests near future mining if the new proposal is NOT approved and the old mining plan is used. She was not reappointed.

Jorge Rosales, who had previously been apart of an anti-mining group Save Van Tassel was also not reappointed.

In addition, one commission seat was vacant. Commissioners Debbie Kindred, Shawn Millner and Jack Lee were appointed as new commissioners.

In my experience and through interviews with nearly all these persons, the only anti-mining activist previously on the commission was Jorge Rosales.

In fact, it could be argued that Rentschler stands to gain from moving the mining away from Mountain Cove with the new proposal. What she would have voted, we may never know.

So claims of "multiple anti-mining" commissioners being removed is questionable, at best.

Secondly, the vote for the proposal from the commission ended 3 to 1 in favor, with commissioner Jack Lee abstaining after he purchased a home in Mountain Cove and suffered from the same conflict as Rentschler.

Alva, Dodson and Millner voted in favor while Kindred was the sole opposition.

If you are keeping score at home, that means of the two new commissioners chosen to replace the "anti-mining" folks, to help support this proposal, the vote was even, 1 to 1. If Azusa was trying to pack the vote with the new commissioners, they vetted them about as well as Obama's administration looked over some of its nominees tax records.

When I asked Darrell George about this statement, which he issued as a written statement and read aloud at last week's Duarte City Council meeting, he backed off, instead saying clarification from Azusa was needed.

"It would be nice to hear back and have a reply to that then, because that is the impression we were getting," George said.

Think your city is hot stuff?

Find out this weekend. Reporter Daniel Tedford is working on a story about the top cities in the San Gabriel Valley. Tedford is using a CNN/Money Magazine formula to rank the cities based on housing affordability, job growth, marriage and divorce rates, commutes, school test scores, and crime rates.

Just a heads up, you'll likely be VERY surprised to see whose at the top and bottom of the list.

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.

Many of our cities are facing budget cuts. So, here's an uplifting weekend question:

If you were in charge, what would be the first thing that you would cut out of your city's budget?

My apologies for not updating the blog earlier today. Because today will be a late night -- I got in at 2 p.m. to cover the El Monte meeting -- I am just now getting into the daily grove.

For the reader concerned about our Gregg Industries coverage: It is my understanding that a reporter has been covering that and is still at the hearing. We will have an update when she returns.

And yes, chasing down dead ducks and chickens does cut into blogging and reporting time.

It's the weekend! So here's something to think about:

Would you ever consider running for the City Council? Why or why not?

Sierra Madre community and personnel services director Michelle Keith has taken a job as Bradbury's city manager, according to Pasadena Star-News reporter Alfred Lee. Keith will be making $106,000 a year.

BRADBURY - The Bradbury City Council has appointed Michelle Keith, Sierra Madre's director of community and personnel services, as the new city manager.

A fixture in Sierra Madre's local government for 15 years, Keith was appointed unanimously Tuesday night and will start July 21.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to help (Bradbury) continue to preserve the small community they are, and help them in maintaining their values as they move forward," Keith said.

Donald R. Hopper, who has been serving as Bradbury's interim city manager for the past five months, praised Keith's selection.