A recent acquisition against Azusa Councilman Robert Gonzales’ campaign has turned out to be half-true.

Rumors had been flying around that Gonzales was using an endorsement from Labor Secretary Nominee Hilda Solis at public forums and on his campaign mailer without the Congresswoman’s permission.

That has turned out to be half true.

Since receiving the nomination from the Obama administration for the position of Secretary of Labor, Solis has taken back all her local endorsements and will not endorse anyone further, according to a spokeswoman for Solis.

Here is the statement from Solis’ camp:

“Since the nomination of Congresswoman Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor-designee, all of her efforts have been focused on the confirmation and transition process. She has not endorsed and will not endorse any candidate. Endorsements that she made prior to her nomination were withdrawn and all endorsed candidates were notified,” said Sonia Melendez, spokesperson for Congresswoman Solis.

But Solis endorsed Gonzales in December and the councilman had prepared mailers and releases including that endorsement prior to her nomination, Gonzales said.

Once she received the nomination, members of her team said Gonzales could use what he had already made, but could not use her name in any new items, he said.

After Gonzales used the endorsement at a public forum, Solis’ team then asked not to use her name at all anymore. Out of respect, Gonzales will bite the bullet on one set of mailers not used and will no longer use the endorsement, he said.

“It is good for her she got the nomination, bad for the people she endorsed,” Gonzales said. “But that is OK.”

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

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.

Those who spend fast, look good doing it.

That should be the new motto for those at the Water Conservation Authority and the San Gabriel Rivers and Mountain Conservancy.

As many local agencies and cities were hit hard by the recent decision by state legislators to freeze about $4 billion in public works bonds, some places escaped the legislators cold budget grip.

How you ask?

Because they already spent the money.

Such was the case with the Canyon Inn land in Azusa that was recently purchased through grants by the Water Conservation Authority. The organization got about $1.2 million from Prop 50 bonds to help purchase the more than $3 million property at Canyon Inn to preserve the land and build a park.

That $1.2 million would have been frozen by the state legislators decisions, thus ending any opportunity to purchase the property – if they hadn’t spent the money already. Instead, all that was left was a $20,000 retainer, which is now being held by the state.

But all the RMC’s projects are now on hold due to the freeze, including the planning process for the restoration and renovations planned for the Canyon Inn area.

Look for more to come on that situation in tomorrow’s paper.

In an effort to bring a booming business center to the downtown area, Azusa took the first major step in the process by selecting a developer for the project Monday night.

Lewis Operating Corporation will be in charge of the project that will bring a full service super market across from the new planned Target, as well as business to the Block 36 area that fell victim to the housing crisis after a mixed residential and retail was proposed for the area earlier.

Here is a snippet from tomorrow’s story to run in the paper and online.

“We went through an extensive interview process,” said Councilman Uriel Macias, who along with Mayor Pro Tem Angel Carrillo was apart of the sub committee that conducted the interview process. “What it came down to, especially in these economic times, in the end it was financial strength and the overall where-with-all for this type of development.”

Developers were evaluated by financial capability, speed at which they could begin development, development time frames, prior experience and relationships with key retailers, and working knowledge of the planning process.

The priorities for the council were solidifying the developer was financially capable to perform the project — Lewis can self-finance the project — matching visions with the city’s Downtown North Advisory Committee, and the ability to develop Block 36 “immediately,” according to the staff report.

“(Block 36) is priority one,” Macias said. “That is one of the areas (Lewis) has to concentrate on. The city has already done everything it can to get it T’d up for development. It is basically ready for a developer to come in here and get going.”

When Joe Rocha was a young man in the 60s, he was disgusted with the reception Vietnam soldiers were greeted with upon returning home. Rocha himself was fortunate not to be drafted because he was in school, but his brother served and the treatment soldiers got has always stuck with him.

“I saw it, I saw the way they spit on them,” Rocha said. “It was awful. It’s not going to happen here.”

As a commitment to never let that happen again as long as he has some power over it, the Mayor of Azusa goes the extra yard each time a soldier returns from over seas.

Azusa, like many other cities, puts up flags across their town in honor of those serving America. But Azusa makes each flag a family event. Often they have the soldiers themselves come out with their families to put the flags up. Council members are usually in attendance and passers by often stop by to take part.

But Rocha started another tradition about two years ago, one that has touched the lives of some his Azusa residents.

Whenever a family member returns from serving over seas and the city puts up a flag for them, he also takes the time to visit the family at their home, bringing them a certificate of recognition along with two small angel statues in class cases for the family.

For Olivia Ordaz, the visit from Rocha, as well as councilman Robert Gonzales, was a special one.

Ordaz has been married to her husband Edgar, an Army Sergeant, for four years and he has been serving in Kuwait for about nine months already. When he returned on leave for a few days, the city was able to put together a flag event in a day and Rocha made the personal visit.

“It makes all the sacrifices that Edgar has done worth while,” Ordaz said. “He was overwhelmed and proud.”

Olivia believes that while the military as a whole is often in the spotlight, individual soldiers are sometimes easily forgotten. But what Azusa and Mayor Rocha do for soldiers in the town lets her know they aren’t forgotten and fills her heart.

“I was skeptical about calling (about the flag) and thought it was going to be a long process,” she said. “But it was very personal.”

Rocha extended a helping hand and comfort to Ordaz, who says she is comfortable with going to Rocha if she needed any help. She has become more involved with the city and plans to volunteer when opportunities present themselves.

Rocha said its important to make families who have someone in the service as part of the city’s “extended family.”

“We are sitting here on a comfortable couch and I know they are in Iraq or Afghanistan and it’s not comfortable,” Rocha said.

For the last two years, Rocha and Azusa’s personal visits with soldiers family’s had stayed under wraps. This one in particular came to light at a special City Council meeting for Rocha.

Ordaz showed up at the public comment with a surprise for Rocha. When Edgar Ordaz returned to Kuwait, he told the story of Rocha’s visit. Speaking to some of his higher ups, he was able to procure a special certificate for Rocha recognizing him for his efforts on behalf of the Army.

It was a special moment for Rocha.

“I was overwhelmed,” Rocha said. “We don’t do it for recognition. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

And then there were five…

That is the number of people who now have plans to jump into the City Council race in Azusa with Nick Rosales announcing he intends to pick up nomination papers Thursday and have them submitted early next week.

Rosales manages a real estate company in Azusa and has been living in the city for five years.

“I think we need someone more adept,” he said. “We need someone who has got the experience and the knowledge to work with a variety different industries and approaches so we don’t find ourselves like we see in L.A.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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