Recently in Monrovia Category
Reported in today's paper that Rio Hondo college is investigating potential problems with its Police Academy beyond a testing breach being investigated by the state.
At the heart of the allegations - that include employees watching porn and improper range training - is the school's former Dean of Public Safety and the academy's supervisor Joe Santoro.
Santoro, the former Monrovia Police Chief, is also a Glendora resident that announced his bid for the City Council this week. With his background, both educational and administrative, Santoro was a potential favorite in that election. Now, the fate of that election bid may be directly tied to the outcome of these allegations.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
Likely candidate for the Glendora City Council will leave his post at Rio Hondo college, officials said today.
WHITTIER - Rio Hondo College officials have announced that Dean of Public Safety Joe Santoro, who was overseeing the college's police academy when it was suspended by the state in October for a breach in testing security, has gone on personal leave and plans to retire next summer.
Santoro, the former police chief in Monrovia, has worked at Rio Hondo for more than seven years.
During his tenure at Rio Hondo, officials said the police academy received a 2008 award from the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) for training excellence and organizational achievement.
Currently, the academy remains on suspension following an incident where a police academy instructor discovered actual test questions on a cadet study guide, which college officials said they self-reported to POST.
Santoro has applied to run for Glendora's council. With his history as a police chief and educator, he could be one of the top competitors. His sudden exit from Rio Hondo and the police academy's suspension during his tenure could taint his campaign. At the same time, the fact the program was awarded for excellence can't be ignored.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
I am asking for trouble writing about this, so here is a warning:
This post is Vulcan related.
The first speaker was Margaret Finlay, mayor of Duarte, who compared the issue of the dispensary to that of her city's battle against Vulcan Materials Co.'s Azusa Rock Quarry mining plan.
"People that are for this are those who are doing to make money off of it," Finlay said of the mining plan. "I think this (dispensary plan) is a similar situation."
Leon San Blas, the applicant for the dispensary, said he was opening the business not to make money, but out of the goodness of his heart. San Blas, wheel chair bound himself, uses medical marijuana to relief pain.
I don't think too many people bought the "it's marijuana to help the community" business plan.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
The last time we looked at how many cities posted their salaries online in the wake of the Bell salary scandal and state government officials calling for more transparency, we had just a few that had fallen in line.
As the days have worn on, more cities are jumping on board. To date, here is a list of San Gabriel Valley cities who post salaries online and links to those pages.
Walnut
Diamond Bar
San Dimas
La Verne
West Covina
Baldwin Park
Pasadena
Monrovia
Arcadia
Sierra Madre
Whittier
La Mirada
UPDATED: Lucky 13 is San Marino
UPDATED: Monterey Park joins in. (Note: I couldn't get some of the files to download. Let me know if you can.)
UPDATED: Karen Herrera, Assistant City Manager in Duarte, left me a message while I was away informing me that some city salaries were posted online here.
Only cities with a quick link on the city's homepage directly to a city salary page or document have been included in this list.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
We are keeping track of the cities that are starting to post city employee salaries online after Gov. Schwarzenegger and the State Controller called for more transparency from local governments. Also, various news outlets (the Tribune) have made numerous public record requests from cities in recent weeks.
We already have Monrovia and Diamond Bar on the list of cities that have put the salaries online.
We can now add Baldwin Park to that list.
Know any other cities that have posted their city salaries online? Let me know.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
After a survey of city manager salaries across the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena and Whittier areas (coverage area for our three newspapers) none are making Bell type salaries, but no one is going hungry (or without a six figure salary) either.
And yet another story that shows what goes around, probably came around because of Bell.
Amid revelations that Bell city officials skirted state salary limits by becoming a charter city, Covina council members are shying away from the idea, which was up for their consideration.
UPDATED: Local FYI: Azusa has gone dark, that is to say, they canceled their council meetings in August. La Verne canceled tonight's council meeting, but will be meeting again on Aug. 16.
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
Working on a story about how the economy has affected cities' ability to produce fireworks and Fourth of July celebration events.
In the process, I spoke with the president of fireworks company Pyro Spectacular, Jim Souza.
Jim said the average fireworks show starts at about $25,000 and goes up from there. At a place like the Rose Bowl's Americafest in Pasadena, the cost can be as much as $200,000, Souza said.
(Souza said the Rose Bowl show is his favorite show to produce and his favorite firework is the Golden Eagle, which he described as being like a weeping willow that stretches nearly to the ground and lasts for about 12 seconds)
Pyro Spectacular does the fireworks for shows in Monterey Park, Whittier, Irwindale, Pomona, South Pasadena, Monrovia, and San Marino, among others, Souza said.
The average show has a 24 foot rent-a-truck full of a ton of hardware, several hundred pounds of fireworks, has mortars, launching equipment, and a crew of 8 to 12 people that work on one show all day.
Each show lasts about 20 minutes, with the exception of the larger shows, he said.
As for some cities, Pico Rivera is spending $25,000 on fireworks and Monterey Park is spending about $35,000 for weekend events.
More to come in tomorrow's story.
I know it doesn't seem like anything else matters after the U.S. lost its FIFA World Cup match against new soccer (futbol for those speaking the Queen's English) nemesis Ghana, but there was some news over the weekend, believe it or not.
Reporter James Wagner and I combined to become something of a super group with this piece on crime in the Valinda corridor.
The Glendora City Council had a special meeting last week where they decided to lay off five city employees and combine two engineering departments. An attorney for the employee's association is not pleased.
And while we have chronicled the problems La Puente is having in dealing with its marijuana dispensaries, Monrovia has the seeds of a developing controversy of their own. (My apologies for the pun. I couldn't resist.)
Email: daniel.tedford@sgvn.com | Twitter: @dgtedford @sgvtribune | Facebook: SGVTribune
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a trip to Monrovia this morning and saved a group of developmentally disabled residents from being thrown out on the streets.
The nearly two dozen residents of Regency Apartments -- ages 21 to 61 -- got notices in August that their leases were being terminated in order to comply with housing laws.
Apparently the complex is classified as a senior citizen community, so residents under 62 were asked to vacate.
But on Friday, Schwarzenegger paid a personal visit to tenants of the building and brought with him some good news -- they don't have to move.
Eviction terminated.
Assemblyman Anthony Adams served with recall papers. Read more.
Updated story on the resingation of Rosemead City Manager Oliver Chi. Read more.
Higher than normal number of candidates gearing up for Monrovia election. Read more.
It's election day in several of our cities, including Monrovia, Covina, Azusa, Monterey Park and Temple City.
Any voting issues today?
We got one call this morning about a Covina resident who said the polling place at the Covina United Methodist Church didn't have the information for voters with last names M - Z. It took the guy, whose last name was in the M - Z category, 25 minutes to vote. There were only three people in line, but he had to use a provisional ballot because of the name mix up.
Today, we wrote about the top five most memorable politicians in the San Gabriel Valley last year. But there were also a lot of great stories that came out of area, including politicians, their mishaps, and the results of their actions.
OPEN FORUM: What are some of your top stories out of the San Gabriel Valley during 2008?
Here are some that come to mind:
1. I know this came late in the year, but Congresswoman Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, being chosen as labor secretary will hopefully have a positive impact for the SGV and will also bring with it an interesting race to fill her seat.
2. Budget Shortfalls: We've seen shortfalls across the SGV in cities like El Monte - from $400,000 to $4 million -- to West Covina to Irwindale. And these shortfalls keep growing, too, which means the effects on residents and city employees could only get worse.
3. Taxes approved: You'd think that voters would feel economically stressed, but surprisingly residents rose to the challenge when their elected leaders called on them to raise taxes. Pico Rivera, El Monte, and MTA taxes were all approved, and several school districts got their bonds passed, too.
4. Police contract dispute: We saw heated negotiations in Baldwin Park, Arcadia and Monrovia, but ultimately the police officers got what they wanted.
5. Anthony Bejarano was arrested - but cleared - for being drunk in public; former water board director Dolores Holguin can never serve public office again after being charged with one felony county of misuing public funds; the city paid out $330,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim filed against Rosemead Councilman John Nunez.
Anybody living in a home connected to the area's history should check this out.
Two homeowners in La Verne are applying for the Mills Act, a program that gives property tax back to families that promise to fix up and maintain their old houses. The program can save thousands every year.
The program is popular in some of the area's older cities, such as Pasadena, Monrovia or Whittier.
Reporter Daniel Tedford called the city, and they said about 10 people in La Verne have applied.
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.
Hate Athens? If you do, you're not the only one: http://www.stopathens.com/
Athens serves these cities, according to its Web site:
| Azusa | Bell Gardens | Covina | Glendora | Irwindale |
| Monrovia | Montebello | Monterey Park | Palos Verdes Estates | Riverside |
| San Gabriel | San Marino | Sierra Madre | South El Monte | South Pasadena |
| Temple City | West Covina | West Hollywood |
The same day that Monrovia Mayor Rob Hammond was quoted in the LA Times was the same day that Pasadena Star-News reporter Nathan McIntire found out he won't be running for re-election.
Monrovia mayor will not seek reelection
By Nathan McIntire, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/13/2008 05:12:24 PM PDT
MONROVIA - Mayor Rob Hammond has decided not to run for reelection in April's municipal elections, according to City Manager Scott Ochoa.
Ochoa wrote in his weekly report released today that Hammond has decided to step down at the end of his current two-year term. He plans to return to college to obtain his degree.
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.
Monrovia's got a rumor control page on their Web site that addresses, well, rumors.
I spotted just this on there:
RUMOR
The City ordered First Christian Church to close down its ministry to the homeless and threatened to fine the church $2,000 per day if it did not comply.
Fact: The Monrovia Police Department informed the church's leadership on several occasions that neighbors were filing complaints about the homeless people who came to the church to use its showers and to be fed - complaints that they were sleeping in neighboring yards and urinating and defecating on home lawns.
There were many reports of similar incidents on public property and at the nearby Community Center as well. The church was told that the complaints were mounting, that neighbors were considering a Public Nuisance lawsuit against the church and that the complaints on file with the police department could support such a suit.
The church leadership itself then shut down aspects of the homeless outreach program. At no time did the City or the Police Department order the church to end its program.
I don't remember us reporting on this, but I could be wrong. None the less, it's a pretty interesting issue.....
Star-News reporter Nathan McIntire wrote a story today about mandatory brush clearance in Monrovia.
The catch is property owners are going to have to remove brush on their property, and on other people's properties too.
The ordinance compels homeowners to maintain up to 200 feet of clearance between their buildings and any hazardous brush that constitutes a fire hazard, even if that brush rests on city-owned or private property.
Ochoa said the justification for the ordinance is that homeowners stand to lose more from a brush fire than the owner of undeveloped land.
"The crux of the city's brush clearance and mitigation efforts is to create defensible space around a dwelling," Ochoa said. "What we have done is to place the responsibility on the owner of the potential liability and loss."
If the property is not cleared, the city can enter it, remove the brush and attach a lien to the neighbor's property tax bill for the full cost of services rendered.
Administrative fines also can be imposed if the ordinance is not adhered to. If homeowners fail to respond to three written notices, they can be fined $1,000. Further failure to comply can result in a maximum fine of $5,000.
The ordinance has been in effect since 1992, and the city has never placed a lien on property or fined any homeowners for brush clearance violations, according to Ochoa.
But Jogminas said the law has only been fully enforced since Monrovia terminated its brush clearance contract with the Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures last year. Previously, the county would clear undeveloped land if the landowner did not. The landowner would then be billed, said Jogminas, who lives in the Highland Place neighborhood.
What do you think? Is this justified? Or is the city just passing the buck along?
Read the full story here...
The San Gabriel Valley certainly has its share of all things quirky.
And the King Ranch market in Monrovia off of Huntington Drive is no exception.
Every time I walk into that supermarket, I always notice their interesting take on the claw game.
When most people play this addicting game -- usually found at Chuck E. Cheese's or Shakey's pizza -- the most they can win is a purple stuffed hippopotamus.
And most of the time, it's about 10 quarters later...
But not at King Ranch. The stakes are higher, sometimes $5, $10 and even $20 higher....Is that technically considered gambling?
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