Recently in Glendora Category

Walnut filed NFL stadium.

Hacienda Heights to go out to bid for trash contract. Sorry Athens.

State of City addresses in both Baldwin Park and Montebello.

Covina's Walt Allen is now Mayor.

Glendora Mayor Karen Davis set to lead council again.

Skateboarding parrot has been stolen.

Assemblyman Anthony Adams, in dire need of some positive press after he has taken a beating on the state budget from fellow Republicans, has named Glendora Mayor Karen Davis the Woman of the Year for the 59th Assembly District.

Davis just won reelection in Glendora as the highest total vote getter in that election. It was her first bid for reelection since being first elected in 2005.

Davis is also a Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Glendora.

Release to follow:

ASSEMBLYMAN ADAMS HONORS MAYOR KAREN DAVIS

Held annually, the Woman of the Year ceremony celebrates California's extraordinary women. Started in 1987 to help commemorate Women's History Month, the event has become one of the Capitol's most anticipated celebrations of community service each year. Honorees are presented with a certificate from the State Assembly recognizing their outstanding contributions to their community during a special ceremony in the Assembly chambers.

A story I wrote came out in the paper today about the Elwood Family Apartments in Glendora that offer some affordable housing as part of their complex.

Often when I write about businesses or things like that, I could some phone calls from people thinking I represent the business. Nothing unusual. I just take the phone calls and point them in the right direction.

But I have had a large response to this story, with more than the usual phone calls asking me about the complex and calling with interest.

It seems there are a lot of people out there who are interested in affordable or low-income housing. Could it be a sign of the tough times out there? Likely.

Unfortunately, the complex is already at more than 50 percent capacity and was already reviewing numerous applications for apartments. Now, with the story they may be fielding more interest than they can accommodate.

So, if Glendora or any other city is thinking about getting a low-income housing project going, know this: The demand is there.

Some additional notes on Glendora's City Council election and some recap:

Each council candidate has seemingly put the budget and the economic crisis as the major issues for this election.

Joseph Tweini wants to initiate an immediate hiring freeze, salary freeze, promotion freeze, and explore cutting bonuses.

Mayor Karen Davis wants to avoid layoffs, but "golden handshakes" are definitely on the table.

Kristen Parisi wants no one department to bear the whole burden, but instead wants it shared.

Gene Murabito wants to look at group purchasing agreements. Attack revenue streams before cut services.

In terms of business, all of them say they want to help business stay strong in Glendora.

Murabito feels the city is already "built up" and the building boom the city has seen over the last 8 years or so will begin to slow down. With that, the focus should be on attracting consumers to area businesses.

Davis points to Route 66 as one area that still could use some work, as well as building to prepare for the future Gold Line.

Tweini is all about the Gold Line. The project will "revitalize" the downtown area, in his words. People will commute to Glendora just to shop and eat, he said.

Parisi thinks the city's efforts to help business should be more broad as some areas and businesses get more positive attention than others.

And on the issue of the often 5-0 vote council (which I think is an interesting):

Parisi doesn't think it is healthy. Many of those who speak at the public comment time during council meetings, often chastising the council, support Parisi. She wants to add some perspective to the council.

Tweini, who isn't very critical of the council, still believes they are often guilty of "groupthink".

Davis says "Having a 3-2 vote doesn't make a point more than a 5-0." As long as there is healthy discussion, it is good for the community, she says. Also, each council members various background adds to the dynamic.

Murabito has said he has voted differently than the council on some of his Planning Commission votes, but still supports the council. His opinions are similar to that of Davis on the issue.

Some interesting quotes:

"When I hear the word cut, I hear the word eliminate and that is not what I want to do. Would I be willing to reduce a service from 8 hours to 6? Certainly. My fear is when we eliminate a service it is always difficult to bring it back."
Gene Murabito

In response to a question about the often contentious public comment portion of City Council meetings, Davis had this to say:

"I think that comes with the job. When we agreed to put ourselves in public service, with that comes the good and bad. We have to be willing to listen to people's input even when sometimes you may not particularly like it."

"We need some balance on the council. Some common folk. I don't think Glendorans are all one mind"
Parisi

"It is on us to come up with a different approach. We can improve in that area."
Tweini

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 right, Glendora City Council hopeful Brian Pagac is no more --- the news of his campaign's termination and candidate withdrawal came via a moderator on Wednesday at a candidate's forum, Daniel Tedford reports.

That leaves Glendora Planning Commissioner Gene Murabito, Mayor Karen Davis, Kristin Parisi, and Yousef "Joseph" Tweini vying for two open council seats.

I guess Pagac couldn't make it to the forum to make the announcement himself.

That was...um...nice?

Given the nature of some of Glendora's City Council meetings - often filled with contentious public comment sections - I half expected some fireworks from the candidates forum last night.

But it was, mostly, a cordial affair. Candidates responded to the question, there were no side swipes, character assassinations, or major flare ups. In fact, apart from a few moments, most candidates didn't address any of their counterparts negatively.

While some of the questions bordered on stuff you would see at a high school election debate, most centered on issues of concern.

I don't know if I would go as far as to call it refreshing, but it was a healthy departure from previous city council elections I have covered that have centered on personal attacks.

As far as the forum itself, each candidate seemed to represent themselves well. "Joseph" Tweini had some trouble with staying within the time constraints. His slow, methodical speech and often use (overuse?) of his notepad got him cut off and ended some of his statements prematurely. He also had some trouble hearing the questions at times due to an echo on his side of the stage, he said.

Karen Davis, as expected being a pastor and incumbent Mayor, seemed to have the best command while talking. She also was one of the only ones to crack some jokes the audience enjoyed.

Parisi did the best in terms of separating herself from the current council and the often agreement between the candidates. Some of the people I was sitting near really liked it when she talked about "adding alternate perspectives and opinions" to the council.

Murabito really seemed at home talking about the budget and money issues. He should, considering he owns a business, is an accountant and teaches accounting.

A couple big events coming up in Glendora and Azusa.

Glendora will host its City Council Candidates forum Wednesday night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Glendora High School Event Center. You can find the flyer for the event here.

Also, Azusa will have its state of the city address Thursday at 7:30 a.m. More on that here. Cost is $20.

Speaking of...what is with charging to go to the state of the city address? Is it to keep the number of people in attendance down? It would seem they should have these in a place where as many city residents could show up and here what is going to be said. Lots of cities charge to see these things and I don't understand it. Times are tough and to think that most people will shell out $20 to hear a state of the city address is somewhat far fetched.

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

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.

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

The Glendora Library, recently closed due to flooding, has reopened after the damages have been fixed.

Story time, unfortunately, has still been canceled until the new year.

WF Construction's subcontractor (who bore responsibility for the recent flooding) fixed the damaged areas and their insurance company paid for the effort to the tune of about $100,000, according to WF Construction officials.

More to come on that subject tomorrow.

Erica Landmann-Johnsey and the Friends of Glendora had their lawsuit against the city rejected Friday by a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge. The judgment may signal the end to a case against a proposed assisted living facility in Glendora that Johnsey and her group felt was approved without the city vetting it the necessary environmental process. The court disagreed.

Johnsey is a regular speaker at City Council meetings, along with others who are apart of the Friends of Glendora group.

There is a scheduled council meeting for Tuesday night, and it could be expected that this decision may come up during the public comment portion of the evening.

It should be a fun time to kick off the long Christmas weekend. Here is an excerpt from today's story and look for more online and in the paper tomorrow.

GLENDORA - A lawsuit against the approval of 125-bed assisted living facility was rejected Friday by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.

The lawsuit brought against the city of Glendora by a group called the Friends of Glendora claimed the project didn't meet environmental standards and failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act.

But the court saw it differently as Judge James C. Chalfant denied the claim.

"We are disappointed in the decision and we are weighing our options for an appeal," said Friends of Glendora Attorney Cory Briggs. "I think the judge simply views the law differently from the way we view it. Judges are human, sometimes they make mistakes. We think he made a mistake."

The living facility is intended primarily for seniors and is a two-story, 97,000 square foot facility on the northwest corner of Gladstone Street and Bonnie Cove Avenue. It was approved in February by the council and Planning Commission. The lawsuit originated shortly after that decision.

"Certainly, from the city's perspective, per the city council's direction, we undertook extensive investigation and analysis on the project, not just once, not just twice, not just three times, but four times to ensure all the environmental impacts were reviewed and analyzed," said Glendora City Attorney D. Wayne Leech. "We feel the city not just met the level of expectations required by (California Environmental Quality Act) but went over and above that."

GLENDORA -- Competition is tight in Glendora as councilman Mark Kelly has decided not to run for reelection leaving his City Council seat open for the taking. At the same time, Mayor Karen Davis is seeking reelection.

"I think during these challenging times that our state and our nation are facing, we as a community have fared better than other places," said Davis.

Davis is one of five community members running for the City Council. Kristin Parisi, Brian Pagac, Gene Murabito and Yousef "Joseph" Tweini have also thrown in their hats.
Pagac and Parisi did not immediately return phone calls for this story.

Murabito, who serves on the Glendora Planning Commission, had been planning a run for City Council in 2008 for about five years.

"I think the council overall has done a good job," he said. "Can we improve? Absolutely."
Murabito worked in aerospace for 25 years before he left that in 1999. He then opened an accounting service that is based in Glendora.

"In my business we are always looking for ways to change and improve, rather than get passed up," he said. "My strength is in my character."

Tweini, a chemical engineer, ran for the City Council in 2007 and received the least amount of votes of the candidates. But that experience and opportunity for residents to get to know him will help him this time around, he said.

"This time it is going to be different," said Tweini. "I am a manager, so I can manage things, manage budgets. I do have the overall picture of what the city is looking for."

A graduate of UCLA and a resident of Glendora for 15 years, Tweini hopes for the opportunity to serve the residents.

"I am not running against anybody, I am running to serve the community and the people of Glendora," he said. "If (the people) like the person and vote for them, I will support the decision of the people."

This week marks the municipal election filing deadline for several cities in the San Gabriel Valley. San Dimas, Covina and Monterey Park's filing periods closed on Friday. Azusa and Rosemead closes today, La Verne and Glendora close Wednesday.

Look for stories throughout the week about who will be vying for these seats on these city council's.

I am heading now to Covina to take a look at the filing papers, and pick up the statement of economic interest papers. The filing period for the city clerk's position in Covina has been extended to Wednesday because Covina City Clerk Rosie Fabien is running for council.

Just because the presidential election is over, doesn't mean there isn't still interesting election news on the horizon.

Reporter Daniel Tedford reports that Glendora Councilman Mark Kelly isn't going to be running for reelection come March 2009.

It appears Kelly wants to spend more time with his family.

Nomination papers were due in about two weeks.

Mayor Karen Davis is also up for reelection and will be running.

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.

Still working on getting in touch with some of the hopefuls for City Council in Azusa and Glendora, but here is a list of names of those who have pulled papers during the nomination period. The period opened Monday and ends the first week in December.

Pulling papers doesn't mean the person will run for City Council, but does show their interest. In order to officially run, papers must be submitted and then approved by the L.A. County Registrars office.

Glendora:

Mayor Karen Davis pulled papers, showing hopes for reelection.

And two newcomers pulled papers, Gene Murabito and a regular at council meetings, Edward Brubaker.

Azusa:

All three incumbents up for reelection pulled papers, which are Keith Hanks, Robert Gonzales, and Mayor Joe Rocha.

City Clerk Vera Mendoza is seeking reelection and a regular speaker during public comment at council meetings Art Morales is planning a run against her.

As for newcomers to the city council, Edward Alvarez pulled papers.

Outgoing Sen. Bob Margett, R-Glendora, is among the nearly dozen California lawmakers that will be taking a trip to India to learn about education reform and environmental protection, the L.A. Times reports:

Because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he may call a special session to deal with the budget shortfall, Senate leader Don Peralta (D-Oakland) has approved the trip on the condition that those who fly overseas return to California if a budget vote is scheduled.

Those planning to attend the trip include Sens. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro), Dave Cox (R- Fair Oaks), Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego), Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), Bob Margett (R-Arcadia) and Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles). Sen. Dick Ackerman (R-Irvine) had planned to go, but told organizers he may stay home.

This is a little late in the day for this, but I have a little gossip from the Glendora City Council meeting Tuesday night. I had a press conference at USC this morning and those of you who know that drive know part of my day was wasted on the 10 freeway.

Anyone that has been to Glendora council meetings knows there are some familiar faces in terms of the city's gad flies. All cities have a certain number of individuals who speak at each meeting, either about general city concerns or a certain few subjects. Glendora has them. Azusa has some. When I worked in Newport Beach, they had some notable ones. (Here is looking at you Allan Beek.)

But at most council meetings, the city council usually briefly addresses concerns or doesn't pay much attention. At Glendora's meetings, the members have a tendency to comment back and sometimes things can get interesting.

At Tuesday's meeting a woman by the name of Erica Johnsey spoke at the podium addressing issues concerning Colorama Nursery in Glendora for the second consecutive council meeting (that I know of). She had some questions about chemical spraying times.

Well, councilman Ken Herman had a response.

He first said he would address the issue by falling "back on reason and logic." Then accused Johnsey that if the issue was concerning another nursery, then maybe she would have something else to complain about. Johnsey, from the audience, yelled at Herman, claiming his comments were inappropriate. I couldn't make out what Herman had to say during that as I was sitting directly in front of Johnsey. There was a short, awkward silence directly following.

Good times were had by all.

Later after the public comments, Mark Kelly addressed the audience, and one comment in particular concerning a complaint against the police department, by saying something to the affect of "We appreciate you coming up here and stating your case (...) Sometimes we don't need to sit up on the dais and take up time to explain what we have done." He then explained what he had done.

By the way, just a shot in the dark here, but aren't city council meetings held so the public can get a glimpse of what the city is up to?

The final minor drama of the evening was when Councilman Doug Tessitor was a little peeved that the Coast Guard wasn't included on the brochure for the Glendora War Memorial that was approved at the meeting. The brochure has the seals from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines, but no Coast Guard. Apparently, according to Mayor Karen Davis, the city went off the Department of Defense's list and the Coast Guard is under the Department of the Treasury.

Tessitor argued the Coast Guard serves their country, risks their lives and should be included on the brochure and on the war memorial. Davis said those who lost their lives in service would be included on the memorial, including the Coast Guard, but pointed out it is a "war" memorial. Tessitor then added there is a war on drugs and that he felt not including the Coast Guard was a "slight."

It was clear no one meant to "slight" the Coast Guard, but Tessitor had a point.