Recently in Irwindale Category

From reporter Rebecca Kimitch about the Irwindale City Council race:
(As a side note, Irwindale was the only San Gabriel Valley area city that did not turn over its election to the county)

In Irwindale, the city's voters put Council members H. Manuel Ortiz and David "Chico" Fuentes ahead for two open seats on the council, with all but a handful of ballots counted, according to unofficial results.

Ortiz and Fuentes were followed by Raul Anthony Hernandez, Darlene Osmonson, and Patricia "Patsy"Gonzales.

"All the hard work paid off," Ortiz said.

The winners will be responsible for selecting a new city manager and police chief. City Manager Robert Griego and Police Chief Sol Benudiz both announced they will retire at the end of the year.

They will also face challenges regarding city finances.

"The economy has hit our city, so we just to continue working hard to bring our city back to the way it was. Residents will see changes coming," Ortiz said.

The two measures on the ballot - Measure T, a transient occupancy tax and Measure U, a utility users tax - are also headed to victory.

Looks like Irwindale is losing two city executives to retirement.

Along with City Manager Robert Griego, Police Chief Sol Benudiz is also retiring.

Benudiz's last day is Dec. 31, after which he will continue on as an interim chief until the city can find his permanent replacement.

It will be three years in September since Benudiz took the role of heading up the department.

He said his decision to leave has nothing to do with officials' recent interest in the Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services.

"This entire experience has been very, very good," Benudiz said. "I'm very happy that I came here."

Benudiz said he does not have another job lined up, but is looking forward to opportunities in government or in the private sector in the future.

"I have relatively young children and I'm relatively young and I don't own an RV," he said. "The traditional retirement model of jumping in an RV and traveling doesn't really apply."

Almost a year ago to the day, Irwindale City Manager Robert Griego confirmed he could be leaving his job to take a city administrator position in Woodburn, Ore.

But Griego never left.

Now, city officials say he's retiring. And the City Council is hosting a closed session meeting Monday at Irwindale City Hall, to discuss "public employee appointment ... Title: City Manager."

Council members are being pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing, saying they are not at liberty to discuss the matter because it is a closed session item.

But Mayor Larry Burrola did say this was not something he anticipated. He said he would be able to comment more freely after Monday's meeting.

"We are going to have to discuss some issues ... Obviously (Griego) wants to retire and he's at that age to retire. We're not in the position to fire him."

Burrola would not elaborate further.

The Irwindale Chamber of Commerce is going to take a trip to Egypt, and what's you to join it. I called the Chamber to get more info, but the office is closed today.

I'm not sure what the details are...like cost and why and who this is open to and whether any tax dollars are involved, but here is the press release:

IRWINDALE - The Irwindale Chamber of Commerce invites you to travel with the chamber to Egypt, departing March 5-13, 2010. Cruise the Nile on traditional feluccas, discover unforgettable attractions like the Pyramids and bustling Cairo, the chaotic bazaars and the fascinating Nile-side towns.

Indus Travels will host a pre-tour presentation on Wednesday, June 17, from 5:30 - 7:30 PM at the Irwindale Community Center, located at 16102 Arrow Hwy, Irwindale. For more information please contact the Irwindale Chamber of Commerce at (626) 960-6606.

Irwindale Police Officer and Union President John Fraijo could not be reached by press time when the story about the budget deficit in Irwindale ran over the weekend.

Police officers refused to forgo their 4 percent salary increase, as outlined in their contract that expires next year. the city asked all employees to forgo their cost of living adjustment this year in light of a projected deficit.

When I spoke to Fraijo today, here is what he had to say about the recent article, reaction and negotiations with the city and the 34-member police union:

"Unfortunately, the article has unfairly damaged the reputation of our members. The article makes it sound like we are the reason the city is in a deficit, when in fact our cost of living adjustment, the 4 percent, is only equally to $160,000, and the city's proposed budget has a $1.6 million deficit built in it.

Our 4 percent is equal to $160,000, and the city's proposed budget is $1.6 million -- which is 10 percent.

We are not demanding a raise, we are only going forward with terms of 2 year contract that the city mutually agreed to only a year ago. The 4 percent cost of living adjustment was a concession on our part even after the last salary survey completed showed our salary ranking was eight of the ten local surveyed cities. Our members are not being greedy; we sat down with department administrators and city officials approximately three months ago, when they said the city's projected deficit continued to rise to over $1 million because of mismanagement.

We sat down about three months ago when city's deficit was projected to rise. At the time, they asked us to work with them, change the schedule, and agree to a change in our contract that would lower the amount of officers assigned to a shift.

This was not an agreement to cut back on overtime, and instead of the city acknowledging our contributions toward lower costs, they publicly stated that they could have imposed the changes even if we didn't agree to it.

Although the city manager pointed out the cost of services are rising in the article, he also publicly, in front of council, advised the council against the change to Sheriff's. I can assure you that my members are completely committed toward providing a quality service to both residents and members of our business community.

Obviously, the budget deficit was not created by one department in particular."

It looks like Irwindale city employees with be foregoing their 4 percent cost of living increases as part of a proposed 2009-10 budget proposal. Well, not all of the employees - the police officers are still demanding their raise.

In response, the City Council on Wednesday with a 3-2 vote called for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to prepare an estimate of the proposed cost savings if the city of Irwindale got rid of its police department and instead contracted with the sheriff's department.

Another budget cut that finance administrators recommended were that planning commissioners and city council members ditch their health benefits, which would result in a cost savings of more than $200,000. Council members expressed hesitation on that one, and will decide at a future meeting whether they want to sacrifice their health benefits to save the city money.

Lots of local government stories over the weekend, both by the Trib and even the Times, which featured a story about El Monte.

Valley County is hiking its rates for water users in Irwindale, Azusa, West Covina and Baldwin Park. Read more.

The owners of the indoor swap meet, Covina Mini Mall, finally came forward and agreed to fix 39 code violations. Read more.

Is horse racing dead? Not yet, but just about. Read more.

Monrovia City Hall will remove brush from public property, much to the relief of the residents, who were previously told it was the responsibility of homeowners. Read more.

The late Thelma Powell, whose husband opened Powell Camera Shop in Covina in 1952, was "one of those sweet little ladies," writes Martiza Velasquez. Read more.

Overhaul of the 10 and 605 freeway interchanges could start a year earlier than expected. Read more.

Public safety in El Monte could take another hit, only this time around, its the fire fighters. One of the city's four fire stations could be closed as a result of a growing deficit. Read more.

Meanwhile, the LA Times writes an overview this weekend of El Monte, its history, and how the city has been hit especially hard by the recession. Read more.

Monterey Park officials scratch head wondering why bus ridership is falling in their city as it climbs everywhere else. Read more.

The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District is going to consider yanking Bill Robinson on Tuesday from his appointed post on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California after he questioned whether the labor unions are immune from budget cuts.

In the meantime, Irwindale City Manager Robert Griego said that he will meet with the police officers union and managers union on Wednesday to inform them of possible ways to control cost measures such as controlling overtime, modifcation to different benefit programs, and modifying things like tuition reimbursement to reduce operating costs.

Jennifer McLain reports today that the "Jardin de Roca" or "Garden of Rocks" city has been offering subsidized medical and vision coverage to residents for 30 years. The price tag: $1.

The plan cost the city $1.1 million last year.

In many cases, the coverage is better than what some residents get from employers, said City Manager Robert Griego.

Residents in the 2008-09 fiscal year paid $3 for a 34-day supply of generic medication. The $3 refills were unlimited.

Glasses frames less than $55 were free. So were lenses. And for a $25 deductible, a resident could get contact lenses.

"Our program should be the last resort," Griego said. "Unfortunately, residents are turning to this program first."

*****I find it very interesting the comments made on this post. So I will just say this: When we decided to put this up, in no way was it to make any other statement then, 'Hey, that's funny - on our way to lunch, we saw two different police agencies in the drive-thru across the street in a matter of days. Wow, I guess they love In-N-Out as much as we do.' Nothing more. And yes, this is located in borderline Baldwin Park, West Covina and even close to Irwindale. The end.

Our office is located right across the street from a very popular In-N-Out Burger in West Covina.

So popular, we spotted two different police agencies grabbing lunch in the drive-thru in the last five days: Irwindale and Baldwin Park police. Hey, we love In-N-Out too....

***Just to make it clear, this is the address for the In-N-Out straight from the Web site:

West Covina, California 91790

The bad economy affects each of us in different ways. For me, I save money by going for the cheaper brand of pasta sauce and no longer buying bottled water. For the city of Irwindale, the bad economy means no more police escorts during funerals, according to its agenda.

Apparently, as a way to help make up for some of the $2.7 million deficit, Irwindale residents are going to be asked to make do without some things. Aside from the funeral escorts, which are provided for private, non-official use at a cost of anywhere between $600 to $1,000 an event, the city will also suspend the practice of waiving rental fees.

At its meeting on Wednesday, the Irwindale City Council will be asked to adopt the ammended budget, form an ad-hoc budget advisory committee to oversee the 2009-10 fiscal year.

On the closed session agenda is the city manager.

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.

Hey, Baldwin Park residents: Good news. The city of Irwindale extended the length of time for you to get your comments in there about your concerns of the proposed Materials Recycling Facility at Live Oak and Arrow Highway.

This is the facility, remember, that Baldwin Park residents are against because they believe it will bring with it lots of traffic, odor and noise. It is being proposed by Athens Services in the city of Irwindale.

You have until Feb. 13 to get your comments in, according to the city's Web site.

To fax your comments, dial (626)962-2018.
To call planner Paula Kelly, call (626)430-2209.
To email your concerns, use paulakelly@ci.irwindale.ca.us

All of us are feeling the strains of the weak economy, and the National League of Cities reports that nationwide, so are cities. Of the 156 cities that responded to the league's survey, 83 percent said they had spending cuts this year, and 80 percent said they anticipate spending cuts next year.

Here's what they cut to save money:

• Hiring freeze and/or layoffs     69%
  Delay, cancellation of capital infrastructure projects    42%
  Across the board service cuts     22%
  Cancelling libraries, parks, events, etc.    20 %
  Reworking employee health care plans    14%
  Public safety    6 %
  Reworking employee/retiree pension plans    4%
  Human/social services    3 %
  Other    17%

And how are they raising revenues?

• Raising property taxes   14%
• Raising sales tax   6%
• Raising income tax     0%
• Raise or institute new fees    49%

Locally, SGV cities have taken some of these approaches, both in cuts and raising money. El Monte and West Covina, for example, instituted across the board cuts, and Irwindale City Manager Robert Griego is recommended to his council they consider the same.

Here it is...

When we think about the financial meltdown cash-strapping America, we usually think about the shrinking job pool, toxic housing market and weakened bank industry.

But there are other things being affected by this economic downturn, something near and dear to the hearts of our local politicos -- campaign fundraising.

In Monterey Park, some of the six City Council candidates running in the March 3 race are having a bit of trouble filling their campaign piggy banks.

So far, Councilman David Lau has raised nearly $75,000, but none of that occurred this year. Most of the money actually was raised during one event.

Councilwoman Sharon Martinez hasn't had as much luck. She's only raised $10,000 because businesses -- where she gets her most of her contributions -- are just tapped out.

****************

Speaking of money, San Gabriel Valley city managers are dealing with the fiscal crunch in a variety of ways.

Temple City's City Attorney/City Manager Charles Martin has offered to work for free after his Feb. 5 retirement if the city can't find his replacement before then.

In a report earlier this month, Martin said he "would be happy to return the benefit of my 44-year tenure with the City by continuing in office, even if I had to serve as a volunteer."
Martin gets $96,696 a year for his duties as city manager and an additional $61,980 annually for being city attorney.

On the other side of the spectrum, La Verne City Manager Martin Lomeli just got a 10 percent pay raise, which takes him from $14,741 a month to $16,215 a month. His yearly salary will be $194,580.

The only dissenting vote was from Councilman Steven Johnson.

Temple City has 33,377 residents, and La Verne has 31,638.

****************

It wouldn't be a week of political news without an update from the Hilda Solis race.

The already long -- and we mean long -- list of endorsements for state Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu now includes her husband, Assembly Mike Eng, and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.

A lot of Chu's support is local, although several San Gabriel Valley politicians have come out in support of Sen. Gil Cedillo.

They include Monterey Park Mayor Frank Venti, La Puente Councilman John Solis and Baldwin Park Councilwoman Marlen Garcia.

And those who just can't decide? Irwindale Councilman Larry Burrola and Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano have endorsed both candidates.

I guess the real test will come inside the voting booth.

So, late yesterday Irwindale Councilman Larry Burrola announced that in addition to supporting Sen. Gil Cedillo for Congress, he would also be endorsing Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu.

Burrola is not the only one endorsing both Congressional candidates; so is Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano.

It raises the question: What good is it to endorse two candidates? After all, it's not like we can vote for two people for one seat.

So who does Sen. Gil Cedillo, who is running against Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu for Congress, have on his side? Here's a list of his endorsements.

Among the local pols supporting him are:

City of Monterey Park
Mayor Benjamin "Frank" Venti

City of Baldwin Park
Mayor Manuel Lozano* (He is also supporting Chu)
Council Member Marlen Garcia

City of Irwindale
Mayor Larry Burrola* (Also endorsing Chu)
Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Ortiz

City of La Puente
Council Member John Solis

City of Duarte
Council Member Phil Reyes

El Monte Union High School District
Board Member Carlos Salcedo
Board Member Salvador Ramirez

Azusa Unified School District
Clerk Xilonin Cruz-Gonzalez

A comment I frequently hear when I am out and about is that residents want to help their community, but they just don't know where to go. Now that Obama has called on our public service, I am hoping to provide regular information on the blog about where people can go to help.

I'll post more as I find them. If you have any ideas, want to volunteer, or need volunteers, keep us posted.

1. One agency is Women At Work, a Pasadena-based career counseling agency aimed at helping women find work. They need volunteers Monday through Thursday. To find out how to volunteer, call 626-796-6870.

2. Cory's Kitchen in Irwindale also needs volunteers. Cory's Kitchen is a food bank that provides groceries to the needy. To contact them, call (626) 305-0392. 
 

The city of Baldwin Park is rallying behind efforts to stop a trash-sorting facility from being built on the border of Irwindale and Baldwin Park.

The City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday night opposing the project, created an ad hoc committee to track the project's progress, and directed staff to look at the city's options against the project.

Athens Services wants to build a material recovery facility on a 17-acre site across from the Santa Fe Dam at Live Oak Avenue and Arrow Highway in Irwindale.

"We don't need what potentially could be known as a cesspool right next to the residents of Baldwin Park," Mayor Manuel Lozano said at yesterday's meeting. "Yes, obviously they have indicated they have this filtration system that's state of the art ---- my foot ... that air has to be let out somewhere."

Councilwoman Marlen Garcia told me today she hopes Irwindale will see the potential risks to Baldwin Park residents and reconsider the location of the facility. She said Irwindale has had this site in mind for five years, but Baldwin Park just found out about it.

"It's disheartening to see this, they are our neighbors," she said.

Athens and Irwindale officials contest the potential risks, and say if any impacts are found, they will be addressed in an environmental impact report. But, they argue, the new state-of-the-art facilities used to sort trash from recyclables are safe --- even for the employees working on the inside.

More on the issue in tomorrow's paper.

Just got this from City Manager Robert Griego about the proposed materials sorting facility in Irwindale.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

PROPOSED MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY IN IRWINDALE

This letter is in response to the article published on January 14, 2009, titled "Residents Trash Talk Athens Proposal". Athens Services is proposing a Materials Recovery Facility and Transfer Station (MRF) on a 17-acre site at the intersection of Live Oak Avenue and Arrow Highway in the City of Irwindale. The facility will receive residential and commercial waste, green waste and construction waste from the San Gabriel Valley region, up to a capacity of 6,000 tons a day. All waste will be sorted and then distributed to recyclers, landfills, and compost facilities. All loading, unloading, and sorting activities will take place in completely enclosed buildings incorporating state-of-the-art technology. For example, air from the building will be vented through the roof after it passes through odor-neutralizing scrubbers. As with any other MRF operations, the disposal of hazardous materials is illegal and prohibited.

This proposal will only be considered after a thorough Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been prepared. The EIR provides information about potential impacts to traffic; aesthetics; air quality/odors; greenhouse gases; water quality; land use as well as other related matters. The EIR should be ready for public review and comment by June. The City will continue to be open and work with neighboring cities about the process of this proposed project. At least one more public workshop on the project will be held before the EIR is released for public review and comment.

The Puente Hills Landfill is scheduled to close in 2013 and solutions need to be found for future solid waste disposal. The proposed MRF will meet this critical need for trash disposal for the San Gabriel Valley.

Please call the Irwindale Planning Department at (626) 430-2208 if you have any questions, comments or concerns about this important regional project.

Robert Griego
City Manager
City of Irwindale