Recently in Hacienda Heights Category

Reporter Daniel Tedford went out to a pot farm bust in Hacienda Heights this morning.

A house in an upscale gated community was crawling with about 4,400 marijuana plants, according to authorities.

The story is interesting enough, except Daniel had this tidbit to add about the community's welcome sign ---The motto:

After more than 20 years of serving Hacienda Heights, Industry, Valinda, La Puente, Bassett, Avocado Heights and north and south Whittier, KCAT Channel 3 is signing off.

The television station's board of directors voted about two weeks ago to shut the operation down.

As the local television access station in the area, KCAT covered a variety of events in the San Gabriel Valley including the Hacienda Heights 4th of July Parade, Concerts in the Park and the Industry Pro Rodeo.

We sent out a photographer Saturday night to shoot the last taping of Marty's Corner, one of many community-based programs taped at the station's Hacienda Heights location.

I haven't gotten the full scoop as to why the station is shutting its doors yet, but I suspect a slipping economy and little money for public broadcasting likely has something to do with it.

Look for a full story in next weekend's paper. In the meantime, here's some video from the show. One of the Tribune's reporters, Michelle Mills in the clip too:

To all those residents in Hacienda Heights upset at the prospect of a new garbage contract: the county is supposed to vote on this tomorrow. I know, I know. That doesn't mean much since they've rescheduled and postponed this vote several times.

This appeared last week in the Tribune:

LOS ANGELES - Hacienda Heights residents happy with their current trash provider breathed a brief sigh of relief Tuesday when the county postponed a vote on a new contract.

However, next week the county is expected to vote on awarding a seven-year trash hauling contract to Athens Services. The contract would replace the existing residential services provided by Valley Vista Services and Waste Management.

"Supervisor (Don) Knabe asked that this be postponed because he is awaiting some additional information," said Dave Sommers, Knabe's spokesman.

Knabe represents the Fourth District, which is the southern portion of the county and includes Hacienda Heights, Whittier and Diamond Bar.

Hacienda Heights residents said they are upset the county is considering awarding the contract to Athens, which has 19 long-term contracts with cities across Los Angeles County, including West Covina, Montebello and Monterey Park.

Athens spokesman Mike Lewis could not be reached for comment.

The proposed contract allows for a $17.72 monthly rate per customer and would be effective as of March 1. Athens was the lowest bidder out of six that responded to the Aug. 6 request for proposals.

"The whole issue is not a black and white thing. To us, it's not about one price or the other or saving $1.97 a month. It's much bigger than that," said resident Suzanne Fratto, who was among about 40 residents who attended the meeting to protest the contract. Read more.

This time from reporter Jennifer McLain.

The county postponed voting on awarding a seven-year trash hauling contract to Athens Services - which would replace the existing residential services provided by Valley Vista Services and Waste Management.

The issue of exclusive contracts and Athens has been big lately, with contentious debates in Montebellow and Hacienda Heights. In fact, a large group of Hacienda Heights residents swarmed the Tribune offices Tuesday afternoon to express their concerns over the Athens contract.

The county is going to vote next week instead.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Leftovers Column: Fuentes hit for political approach
By Tania Chatila and Jennifer McLain, Staff Writers
Article Launched: 07/27/2008 09:29:44 PM PDT

It seems Pico Rivera's city manager may have committed the cardinal sin in his profession: playing politics.

Of course, that depends on who you ask.

Charles "Chuck" Fuentes says he's just one of the few city managers who actually admit to politicking.

"Am I more political? I'm the first one to say yes, and that's a plus," Fuentes said in an article that ran a week ago in the Whittier Daily News. "Every city manager does what he or she has to do to take care of his majority."

But if you bring the issue up before ethicists at the state and national levels, they say Fuentes - who worked on President Jimmy Carter's re-election campaign and

eventually became chief of staff for Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs - has got it all wrong.

After all, the job of a city manager is to work for all council members, not just the majority, experts said.

And if Fuentes were to read the code of ethics that the members of the International City Manager's Association follow, he would see that endorsing candidates - whether on the local or national level - is a big no-no, said Bill Garrett, executive director of the California City Management Foundation.

"The code of ethics says that you don't play favorites, and don't involve yourself in the political game," Garrett said.

By working for all members of the council, the city manager is completing the obligation to serve the interest of the com-

munity, said Martha Perego, ICMA's ethics director.

"When you have city managers that are more concerned about protecting their jobs and counting votes, then you need to think: Are they serving the long-term interest of the community?" Perego said.

Fuentes is not a member of the ICMA, Perego said.

Nearly 100 years ago, the council-city manager system was formed as a way to keep City Hall staff - the brains behind the requests and wills of council members - from being politicized, according to Garrett.

"It has been set to try to make sure that the manager responds from a professional standpoint, not from a political one," he said.

That hasn't always been the case.

South Gate's former elected city treasurer Albert Robles was convicted of soliciting more than $1.8 million in bribes from bidders on municipal contracts.

According to the Los Angeles Times, three of Robles' supporters formed a new majority on the City Council in 2001.

With their votes, Robles influenced ranks of city department managers, firing those who refused to do his bidding and promoting those who would, even though his official title granted him no such authority, according to the Times article.

"South Gate is a good example of what can happen when a City Council hires someone purely from a political background, and then tells them, `We want you to run this thing the way we want you to run it."'

Of course, some argue politics is inevitable when you are working for, well, politicians.

"Every city manager has to deal with the reality that there is a political component to the job," said Rosemead City Manager Oliver Chi. "But we must continue to strive in all ways to remain apolitical in our efforts to serve every single council member."

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477, 2109

www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov

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

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

El Monte Councilman Art Barrios called this week, asking why I wasn't at the pancake breakfast last Friday. Um, because I had the day off and would much prefer to spend my free time at the beach.

But he didn't care about me: He wanted to know why the Tribune only writes negative stories about El Monte. It's a common complaint we get. Barrios was right, we didn't cover it. But we also didn't cover the dozens of other Fourth of July events in the 31 cities in the San Gabriel Valley. There's just not enough space.

But in honor of Barrios, how about we spend some positive attention to what is going on in your cities this weekend.

OPEN FORUM: What will you be doing in the SGV this weekend? 

It's been a tough few months for many of our cities in the San Gabriel Valley. And judging from the comments on the blog, many are upset at what their cities are doing -- and consequentially what this blog and newspaper reports on.

Most cities are dealing with budget cuts, some are dealing with embarassment by their elected representatives and several have or are facing lawsuits that have rocked city morale. But we may as well take one day to try to muster up some positive feedback about our cities and elected officials.

So, here's an open forum: What have your elected officials done to improve your city?

Local politicians had some harsh words for MTA officials today at a meeting unveiling a plan for toll roads along San Gabriel Valley freeways.

Reporter Dan Abendschein attended the meeting, which he said focused more on MTA's lack of funding for local projects rather than the proposal for HOV lanes on the 10 and 210 freeways.

Here are some snippets of information from Abendschein:

"Before I would even consider this plan, I would have to be assured that we see serious funding for the Gold Line," said Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina.

If the plan is approved, MTA would receive $214 million in federal money, which it could use to spend on additional bus and van service to use the lanes.

Richard Katz, an MTA board member appointed by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, told the Los Angeles Times last week that MTA should not approve the Gold Line unless the toll lane project is approved.

"It wouldn't make sense for us to fund the Gold Line at the same time that [some members of Congress] are trying to take money away from congestion pricing," said Katz. "That doesn't make sense to me. If you're going to oppose this chance to get $213 million, why should we support 80 million over there?"

Sounds like the transportation debate could get heated...

Why depend on foreign oil when we've got in right in our backyard? Bed Baeder reports that oil-pumping companies that own the wells near Montebello, Hacienda Heights, South El Monte, Whittier and Rowland Heights are now reporting huge gains.

I grew up in Fremont, a city in the San Francisco Bay Area that falls between Oakland and San Jose. So did my dad, who grew up in a section of Fremont called Niles, which backs up to a canyon. I've heard plenty of stories from my dad of how the Bay Area changed since he was born, in 1955. An area that was once filled with orchards and undeveloped land is now lined with homes, traffic and industry.

Growing up in the Bay Area and being a reporter for the Bay Area newspapers, I was fascinated with its history, whether it was the ghost story of the White Witch in Niles Canyon, the once thriving and colorful community that lived in the salt marshes in Fremont, or the cult-like history out of Holy City in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

But yesterday, as I was reading "Thirst for Growth," a book that looks at the hisotry of water agencies in Southern California, it hit me: I know nothing about the San Gabriel Valley's past.

I report on the daily murders, crimes and local political upheavels, but I don't know what makes the San Gabriel Valley the way it is today. What are its legends? Are there ghost stories? How has the SGV changed over the years? What did your parents used to tell you about the area? What are the historical landmarks in the area that anyone who has lived here for more than 50 years should know about?

Its been almost two years since I moved here. I guess it's about time that I call it home.

(The photo is a picture of the SGV in 1900, taken from this Web site.)

I just got back from Los Altos High School and their career day. There were a group of nicely dressed students asking me questions from what is the newsroom like to how do you get started in the profession. It was a good exercise for the students and for me. There were a few in the batch that have that go get em type attitude, a few that could easily be the future sports writers and a few who wanted to work for Vogue. I fielded the questions the best I could, but those interested in fashion writing I didn't quite connect to.

Oh yeah, and the question of salary and a dying profession did come up. But I tried to twist it into: By the time you graduate college and are working for a paper, it will hopefully have adjusted by then. Hopefully.

I am scheduled to be a guest at a career day today at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights. A group of 19 students want to talk to a journalist, and for better or for worse, I'm what they end up with. The organizer told me I can expect questions like why I got into this business (I wanted to be a sports writer, and decided at 16 that my byline would be JJ McLain so that I could disguise my gender); what the salary range is (worse than a barista at Starbucks); when I decided I wanted to be a journalist (at 14 when I realized how cool it was to see my name in the newspaper from the sports I participated in); what degree I got in school (religious studies with a Middle Eastern studies focus).

I wonder if I should mention anything about how critics feel that our industry is dying and has no future?