Recently in Diamond Bar Category

S. Dhand is one of seven people running for two spots on the Diamond Bar City Council.
But don't expect to see a picture of him anytime soon.

The West Covina-based physician -- who has been practicing medicine for nearly three decades -- wasn't too keen on providing his photo when reporter James Wagner asked him for it.

Dhand told Wagner he didn't think it was appropriate.

The political newcomer has been a Diamond Bar resident for 28 years, and isn't affiliated with any political groups or leaders.

He'll face two incumbents in the Nov. 3 election.

Wonder what is campaign mailers will look like?

S. Dhand is one of seven people running for two spots on the Diamond Bar City Council.
But don't expect to see a picture of him anytime soon.

The West Covina-based physician -- who has been practicing medicine for nearly three decades -- wasn't too keen on providing his photo when reporter James Wagner asked him for it.

Dhand told Wagner he didn't think it was appropriate.

The political newcomer has been a Diamond Bar resident for 28 years, and isn't affiliated with any political groups or leaders.

He'll face two incumbents in the Nov. 3 election.

Wonder what is campaign mailers will look like?

Diamond Bar is celebrating its 20th birthday, and during that time, politicians have been playing hard-ball, Bethania Palma Markus reports.

Former Councilwoman Eileen Ansari, who served on the council from 1993 to 2001, has first-hand experience, as do many who have run for City Council.

"They were saying I went to Pakistan and went to meet with al Qaeda," she said of a City Council election she lost eight yeas ago. "They go after people's kids. They go after everything."

I got this update from a Diamond Bar resident about the city's meeting last night. The hot topic: the NFL stadium.

Here's the letter:

"I attended my city council meeting in Diamond Bar.

The attendance was overwhelming and surprisingly filled with those IN SUPPORT of the Stadium project slated to be constructed in the City of Industry.

The council took two hours of comments under "public comments" portion of the meeting. All councilmembers took attentive notes with seriousness and appreciated the imput from the public. Then, several councilmembers reminded the public that they, city staff and others are acutely aware of the project's impact towards Diamond Bar.

The Fire Department and Sheriffs Department was present to maintain order. It was possible that the Fire Department was present due to the large flow of audience, which caused an overflow for concern of the capacity of those in the room.

Nevertheless, it was one of the most important meetings that the council had in years regarding the Stadium controversy. For those have been regulars at Diamond Bar City Council meetings concurred that they have never seen such meeting crowded, besides swearing-in new councilmembers or Mayor rotation. You were lucky to find a seat, if you arrived late, but several Sheriff Deputies were very helpful to coordinate by finding mpty seats for late arrivals.

Furthermore, it appeared that there were few official's from Majestic watching the meeting proceedings and thanked those for attending as the evening progressed."

Now that Barack Obama's stimulus plan has been signed into law, we may be seeing more and more cities signing on -- or reinstating -- contracts with lobbyists.

La Puente is one example: they recently approved a contract with Joe A. Gonsalves and Son for lobbying services through the end of the fiscal year at $3,000 a month. Officials say the service will help ensure La Puente's stake in stimulus money.

Joe A. Gonsalves and Son is one of the biggest lobbying firms in California, with a long list of San Gabriel Valley clients including, Irwindale, Industry, Diamond Bar, Glendora, Arcadia, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the San Gabriel Valley Water Association. They also represent the Willdan Group of Companies, parent company of Willdan Financial Services -- of which La Puente interim city manager Frank Tripepi is CEO and president.

This story I wrote for Tuesday's paper basically breaks down the debate on lobbyists: some argue they are a waste of money, while others argue lobbyists do work that local legislators can't always do.

Obviously, some SGV cities see the need because their paying big bucks for the service. For example, in 2005, state records show Industry paid $52,000 to Joe A. Gonsalves and Son, and Irwindale paid $57,200.

That's why he's drafted legislation to "remove the incentives and loopholes in our current laws that encourage illegal aliens to come to the United States to live, work, and overstay their visas," says Congressman Gary Miller's press people.

Of course, H.R. 994 is appropriately named the Loophole Elimination and Verification Enforcement Act ---- a.k.a. the LEAVE Act.

Wonder who thought of that one?

Miller represents the 42nd District, which includes Diamond Bar, La Habra Heights, Rowland Heights and Whittier

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...

I go this email earlier today about the transition in Diamond Bar City Hall:

FYI: Last night at the Diamond Bar City Council meeting the council picked Ron Everett as Mayor and Carol Herrera as Mayor Pro Tem during the council reorganization event, which occurs every year in December.

Jack Tanaka was given well wishes and certificates from Senator Bob Huff's office, Rep. Gary Miller's office, LA County Sheriff, LA County Fire Department.

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.

Sorry about the lag of posts the past few days. I was out at the fire in Diamond Bar on Sunday and Monday.

But even while covering a disaster, there was still time to talk local politics. One of the council members who was forced to evacuate was Councilman Wen Chang, who lives in the exclusive Country Estates.

Chang told me about the Diamond Bar Foundation gala that got cancelled on Sunday because of the fire. But with all the catered food already ordered, the foundation opted to send the filet mignons and sushi to the evacuation center.

After Chang got finished telling me about that, I thanked him and told him it was nice to meet him in person. Prior to that, we'd only spoke over the phone. The last conversation was about the proposed NFL Stadium, which Chang, like most of the council, opposes. So, Chang used the opportunity to tell me about why he opposed it, and said that he is just looking out for the best interest of the community.

Driving through the communities of Country Estates and Diamond Ridge, I only saw one house with signs that said "No Stadium."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's a sample:

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

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

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

-- "Character does matter."

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

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

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

A police report was not made, no one was arrested, no one was hurt and neighbors decided not to press charges on what was classified initially as a hit-and-run.

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

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

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

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

The environmental report is going to be released on Wednesday for the proposed NFL stadium in the city of Industry. Of course,  the main concern is traffic.

While many welcome the proposal, some living near the site have worried that a stadium would cause more traffic at the already crowded freeway intersection, Industry Mayor Dave Perez said.

However, Majestic Realty Vice President John Semcken said the stadium project would cause less traffic than a larger commercial center approved by the City Council in 2004 but never built. Read more.

Cities will be monitoring and likely responding to the draft EIR during the next 45 review period. Diamond Bar prepared a 12 page response in May to the Notice of Response for the supplment enviornmental report.

Welcome back to the work week!

Here's this week's column inspired by the great dialogue by our readers last week. Thanks to everyone for participating in the conversation. There were many ideas that we've not heard from our elected leaders:

They say drastic times call for drastic measures.

We've certainly seen a lot of that as local leaders struggle with faltering revenues and excruciating budget cuts.

In West Covina, every department head was asked to cut five percent from their budget to make up for a $2.1million deficit.

In El Monte, facing a $400,000 deficit, council members slashed the Police Department's funds, maintained hiring freezes and cut back on recreation programs.

And in cities like Pico Rivera, El Monte, San Gabriel and Covina, taxes seem to be the only answer to supplement wavering incomes.

Many city council members have said this undoubtedly is a difficult time and it never is easy making cuts.

But what you would do if you were running the show?

Here are some ideas readers came up with, and they're nothing like what our elected officials have suggested:

Eliminate all car, travel and cell phone allowances for council members, as well as car allowances for city employees. "Stop paying for trips to China, Paris, Mexico, etc.," according to one reader.

Cut back on recreation departments, including youth and senior programs.

"Seniors tend to be better off than most non-retired working age folks. Seniors, though they are on fixed incomes, usually have a lifetime's worth of savings and investments accumulated ... and they also enjoy many discounts that non-seniors do not enjoy," another reader wrote.

Turn off at least half of street lights.
"We're figuratively throwing our money into the sky with all the lighting that goes up where it is not needed," one reader wrote.

Cut back on overtime for public safety, review every contract that has been in place in the city for at least three years and consider cutting staffing of "non-essential things such as school resource officers or farmer's markets," according to another reader.

Require those on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to use public transportation to attend meetings. "They're in charge of the MTA; they should be able to get to the meetings using the same public transit they govern. If it's not good enough for them, it's not good for us, either."

While some of these ideas are downright impossible others are more feasible.

Elected officials say city government is a labor of love.

So maybe they should think outside of the box a little more often. And maybe readers should get up from behind their computer screens and attend council meetings a little more often, too. Give those councils a piece of their minds.

Open Forum: Should council members go on conferences out of state if their cities are facing deficits?

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?

It looks like a 1 percent sales-tax hike isn't just a theory...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to end the stalemate over the state budget Wednesday by offering a compromise spending plan that calls for a temporary 1 percent sales-tax increase and additional cuts.

In the past, the governor has said he is against raising taxes. But with the budget nearly two months overdue, he said it is time to move beyond partisan ideology. He said Republicans and Democrats must find a middle ground between taxes and cuts to state programs.

California was supposed to have a budget in place by July 1, the start of the fiscal year, but lawmakers differ over how to close the $15.2 billion deficit.

"This compromise budget proposal puts our state on the road to fiscal sanity and will give California a budget that works," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference.

The governor's proposal has put him in the curious position of having Democrats as allies, and getting criticism from his own Republican party.

Senate majority leader Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, said she appreciated the governor taking a practical view of the budget.

"I applaud the governor for forgetting about campaign pledges and ideology and trying to do what is right for California," said Romero. "We have to do cuts and we have to have new revenue ... we can't borrow our way out."

But Assemblyman Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, said he expected there would be no compromise as long as new taxes were part of the plan.

"It's a non-starter for us. ... it is the wrong thing to do to people in this kind of economy," said Huff. "Sadly, the governor has lost credibility on both sides of the aisle... he has not been the strong rudder he was earlier in his term."

Read more.

Billionare land developer Ed Roski, who wants to bring an NFL stadium to the city of Industry, is still jumping through the many hoops to find a team that wants to play in his state of the art facility.

But at least he'll have the city of West Covina backing his plans. West Covina City Council will vote on a memorandum backing the stadium, which will be near the intersection of the 60 and 57 freeways.

BTW: Interesting that Roski has said in the past that traffic impacts in that area will be minimal if a stadium comes to town. Do you believe him?

Here's the staff report:

City of West Covina
Memorandum
A G E N D A

ITEM NO. D - 8c
DATE August 19, 2008

TO: Andrew G. Pasmant, City Manager
and City Council

FROM: Chris Freeland, Assistant to the City Manager

SUBJECT: RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NFL STADIUM IN THE CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIFORNIA

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that the City Council adopt the following resolution:

RESOLUTION NO. _____________

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA DECLARING ITS SUPPORT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NFL STADIUM IN INDUSTRY, CALIFORNIA.

DISCUSSION:

On October 28, 2004, the City of Industry approved an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a 4.8 million square foot Industry Business Center to be located near the intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways in the City of Industry. On April 16, 2008, Majestic Realty Co. applied for modifications to the EIR to permit the development of a football stadium suitable for a National Football League (NFL) team and reduce the size of the Industry Business Center Development.

The proposed 592-acre development is to include:

Stadium (with Team Facilities): 75,000 Seats, including 11,000 Club seats and 175 Suites

Office Buildings: 1.49 million sq. ft.

Retail Shops: 833,000 sq. ft.

Restaurants: 162,000 sq. ft.

Live Theater: 5,000 seats (60,000 sq. ft.)

Movie Theater: 1,200 seats (60,000 sq. ft.)

Green and non-parking Open Space: 271 acres

The proposed stadium will include the following:

Total Seats: 75,000 (expandable to 80,000 for Super Bowl games)

Suites: 175

Club Level: 11,000 seats

Team Offices: 45,000 sq. ft.

National Football League (NFL) Attraction: 40,000 sq. ft.

Team Store and Other Sponsored Retail Stores: 30,000 sq. ft.

Restaurants: 30,000 sq. ft.

Banquet facilities: 20,000 sq. ft.

NFL Team Training Facility: 115,000 sq. ft.

Medical Center and Clinic: 100,000 sq. ft.

Parking Spaces: 25,000 spaces

According to Majestic Realty Co., the shape of the Los Angeles Stadium will be an asymmetrical bowl which will provide improved seat positions and site lines for both general admission and premium fans.

The Stadium will anchor nearly 3 million square feet of mixed-use (entertainment, retail, commercial, office) development designed to express the Southern California lifestyle and provide retail and entertainment to families year round. The proposed project will create thousands of new jobs in the region and based on Majestic Realty's success with Staples Center, property values of the surrounding communities will increase.

City staff also anticipates that the development could create ancillary benefits, such as, increased property tax, hotel occupancy tax, sales tax revenues, and the opportunity for new commercial developments/tenants in West Covina if the proposed stadium is approved.

The proposed stadium is completely funded with private investment funds and will be constructed using recycled materials, water conservation features, and other "green" elements to be environmentally friendly, including the restoration of adjacent waterway and trails.

Attached is a resolution supporting the proposed stadium project, as well as, a rendering of the proposed development.

FISCAL IMPACT:
The anticipated increases in sales tax, property tax, hotel occupancy tax, and other revenues to West Covina from the proposed stadium are unknown at this time.

Prepared by:

___________________________
Chris Freeland
Assistant to the City Manager

If all the tax measures pass, including a one-cent sales tax hike that the Governor is allegedly suggesting, cities such as Pico Rivera will be paying as much as 10.75 percent in sales tax.

Here are the proposed city and county tax measures appearing on the November ballot affecting San Gabriel Valley voters:

El Monte
What: A half-cent sales tax for a period of five years
Expected revenue: $4.4 million a year
Reason: To preserve funding for public safety, street and storm drain maintenance, rebuild reserve funds, plug a $400,000 deficit

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
What: A half-cent sales tax increase for 30 years
Expected revenue: $30 - $40 billion
Reason: To improve traffic flow, expand public transportation, extend light rail with airport connections and provide clean-fuel buses

Pico Rivera
What: A one-cent sales tax increase
Expected revenue: $6 million
Reasons: To preserve public safety, community programs, plug a $4.8 million deficit, and maintain city infrastrcuture

Pomona
What: An increase of the utility users tax to 10 percent from 9 percent for 2 years and 2 months
Expected revenue: $1.8 million
Reasons: Maintain city services and capital improvement projects

San Gabriel
What: An increase in the utility users tax to 8 percent from 6 percent
Expected revenue: $1.2 million
Reasons: Improve police protection and investigations that reduce crime, preserve fire and paramedic emergency response times, plug a $600,000 deficit, and perform capital improvement projects.

This just in from reporter Bethania Palma:

DIAMOND BAR -- The City Council last night chose to do away with proposed changes to the city's dial-a-ride program and keep it as-is. The only change will be an expanded service area for medical facilities, from a 10-mile radius to a 20-mile radius.

Here's Palma's original story:

Ride changes protested
By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/01/2008 11:23:49 PM PDT

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2236