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Count to Three.1...2...3... commented on Rosemead agenda highlights
commented on How did that get in there?
Todd K commented on Minute madness
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commented on Term limits on the way
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commented on Vietnamese flags in Rosemead
Five compared to Three commented on Polly Low responds to letter writer
Jennifer McLain commented on Everybody's working for the weekend
Taboo, a Rosemead High Graduate and member of the popular music group the Black Eyed Peas, swung buy his former school for a motivational speech yesterday in honor of "Astronaunt Day." He spoke alongside NASA astronaunt John Olivas.
I'm not exactly sure why Taboo spoke on Astronaunt Day, since he has nothing to do with NASA or astronauts, but the kids seemed to enjoy it, Claudia Palma reports.
A letter that snuck into a public stack of records containted information that Rosemead officials said shouldn't have been made public yet. The letter was written by a developer wanting to attract national retailers to the Levitx Furniture site on Glendon Way, off the 10 Freeway. In the letter, it names Best Buy as the interested party.
Yesterday, I got a call after my story was edited and out of my hands asking that we hold off running the store name because they are still negotiating with Best Buy. Normally, the city likes to hold off on announcing those sorts of things until the deal is finalized, officials said.
Well, we ran the story. If the negotiating goes bad, don't blame me. I'm just the messenger.
Last night's Rosemead City Council meeting was fast. But it was also extremely frustrating. Council members balked at one another over whether to change minutes from summary to action; debated on why hard copies of city documents are sometimes better than computerized documents; and accused one another of preventing Rosemead from being transparent.
Councilmembers Maggie Clark and Gary Taylor said last night that the decision to go from summary meetings, which has more detail than action minutes, is just another attempt by majority to keep residents in the dark.
Mayor John Tran and Councilwoman Polly Low, however, both said that was ludicrous, and that it was Clark and Taylor that have been trying to keep the actions in City Hall distant from the public.
What I wish I could have told them last night was this: No one cares about the minutes. And even if they did, they don't have access to them.
Case in point: Last night, traffic commissioner Brian Lewin, who attends nearly every meeting, spoke on an issue about the city wanting to raise the rates for those who use the community centers. Brian went up to the podium, and spoke for nearly five minutes about how this is fine, but we shouldn't raise the rates for Rosemead residents.
If Brian would have read the staff report, he would have seen that that is exactly what is being suggested, Gary Taylor pointed out to Lewin.
But Brian didn't read the report. Why? I'm going to speculate that he didn't read it for a few reasons.
No. 1: Residents only have two days before the meeting to review the staff reports, which sit on the counter Monday and Tuesday. And they have to make sure to go to City Hall or to the library to do so.
No. 2: Unlike at most other cities, which make their staff reports available to the public DURING the meeting, Rosemead keeps those documents locked up.
No. 3: The documents aren't available online. If they were, I am sure someone like Brian Lewin would read them.
So, who cares how detailed the minutes are if the public can't view them?
Last night's meeting was recorded last night by video camera. That means that DVD's of the meeting will be available to the public at $5 a pop. And hopefully, this also means that the council will eventually be putting these meetings online.
Here are the agenda highlights for Rosemead's City Council meeting on Tuesday.
---The city is purchasing four hybrid cars at $150,000 with AB 2766 funds - implemented to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles.
----Go out to bid for companies that can get documents online. The council earlier this year approved $58,000 to purchase an electronic document management system.
----Change how the city prepares its minutes, and consider providing DVDs to the public. The city currently sells audio tapes at $5 each.
----The city will vote on appproving a $10,000 reward to people who have information on a murders that have occurred in the city.
----In closed session, there is a conference with labor negoitations with the Rosemead Employee Association.
I want to scream. It's Friday, Rosemead City Hall is closed, and it is impossible for me to get the supplemental information for the agenda. I have to wait until Monday, which means that the stories have to wait until Tuesday.
Almost every other city in the SGV post the staff reports online, although there are other only cities that don't it, like Industry and Montebello (both of which aren't exactly pillars of open government ). La Verne also doesn't post it. I wonder what their excuse is. After all, Rich McKee, champion for open government, is a planning commissioner for the city.
But alas! I can see the light. On Tuesday, Rosemead is starting the steps to getting documents online. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't get access to the staff report!!
I got a call from one Rosemead resident who said that she spotted a Vietnamese flag flying side-by-side an American flag on Valley Boulevard in Rosemead. Apparently, the flags have created quite a stir, and several residents have complained. I haven't had a chance to make any calls yet to see if this is a story or not. Have you seen the flags? Were you irritated?
Alright, it's Friday!!!! What a perfect night for a ... meeting?
Rosemead City Council is having a special meeting tonight at 6 p.m. to reconsider a land use designation from medium density residential to low density residential. I'm sure there is a reason that they are having the meeting tonight, but come on. It's the start of the weekend!
In course you're wondering, no, I won't be covering the meeting. Not because I have crazy weekend plans, but I'll still be at work cranking out stories for the weekend.
Rosemead voters should expect another election, only this time on whether to approve term limits. Council members on Tuesday agreed that they want to take term limits to the voters. The term limits will be a total of three terms, or 12 years. The council members must sit out for two years and then they can run again.
How will you vote?
I reported todaythat the Rosemead City Council will discuss term limits at its meeting tonight. While the council can discuss term limits, the decision is up to the voters.
Because of space restraints, the story was edited and this important tidbit was removed: The cost of such an election would be $75,000.
Rosemead City Attorney Bonifacio Garcia, who has already went over the city's legal budget with six months left to bill, told the city council last week that he wanted to reduce his cap from $30,000 to $20,000. Either way, the cap does not include "extraordinary circumstances," like litigation.
Is Rosemead getting burned on legal fees? It's hard to tell without looking at every city and reviewing each item that needs legal advice.
This letter writer and Rosemead resident writes that she feels "cheated" by the information sent to her in a flier by Councilwoman Margaret Clark. Speaking of fliers, I got a call saying the Clark sent out another flier, but that it is not connected or paid for by Rosemead Partners. If you haven't been following the Rosemead flier saga, it has caused councilmember Polly Low, John Tran and John Nunez a lot of headaches because they think the information of these fliers is misleading. So far, the fliers have talked about changes in city ordinances such as the general plan or zoning changes.
Changes not new
I attended the Rosemead City Council meeting of Feb. 26. I had received a postcard from council member Margaret Clark that stated there are several alarming changes the city is about to implement. I was scared and concerned, so I attended the meeting.
To my surprise, most of the things stated on the postcard were already existing regulations in the city! There were only one or two items that were new changes. Clark claimed some of the items are true, but Mayor Tran clarified that only one or two items are new changes.
Now I feel cheated. How can a council member send out postcards that are untrue? We elect city officials and expect them to be 100 percent truthful, not 20 percent or 50 percent.
Clark got many people upset and apparently this is not the first time. I was told that many months ago she had sent out postcards related to fence height and got many people upset. Again, that postcard contained only partial truths.
I don't expect to agree on everything with the council members, but I do expect them to be 100 percent honest and truthful. Is that too much to ask?
Stacie Chester
Rosemead
This letter, written by South El Monte Mayor Blanca Figueroa, ran today in our paper. I wonder if this is foreshadowing any redevelopment efforts by the city of trailer parks, as has been done in Monterey Park. There are also talks on the table of developing former trailer park land in Rosemead.
Keep up trailer parks
It is unfortunate how some of our mobile home/trailer property owners treat renters, not only in South El Monte but in other surrounding cities.
First of all, the upkeep is deplorable and can sometimes be a health and safety issue. These owners make enough off of these people, most of which are on a fixed income, usually seniors or single parents.
Many of these homes are too old to move, so relocation is out of the question. Simply by paving the area where these homes are located, adding sufficient lighting and adding shrubs and plants can help an area look a thousand times better. People have the right to live in a nice, upkept place that they call home.
I want to thank all other owners who have pride and respect for their renters. Others can learn from you. Your places are very nicely kept up.
Blanca M. Figueroa
Mayor
South EL Monte
If there was a vote to place term limits on your city council member's seats, how would you vote?
In Rosemead, there may be a discussion about whether that could be a possibility in the city.
Just got a tip from Rosemead Mayor John Tran that Rosemead native Taboo, and member of the Black Eyed Peas, was cast for the character of Vega in "Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li." Here's one story confirming it.
This is the second movie adaptation of the video game, "Street Fighter."
Tran and Taboo are long time friends.
Polly Low sent this email to me today. I forwarded it along to our opinion desk, but figured I'd post it, too:
This letter is a response to the inaccuracies written by Mr. Michael A. Saccaro in his letter, New Same as Old (Tribune, March 23, 2008). First, he stated that “It appears from her [Polly Low] comments on the plan that she feels the city is like a doughnut hole…” The facts are that this was a comment made by another council member and I have never made comments that the city is like a doughnut hole. Mr Saccaro’s unfortunate and woeful opinion that we do not have “…any high-rise buildings with mixed uses like other cities do. Therefore, she [Polly Low] voted with Mayor Tran and Councilman Nunez for acceptance of the plan” is based on fiction. I have never stated or even implied such statements. I think it is important for me to clarify that these were not my comments or feelings.
The only fact that appeared correctly in Mr. Saccaro’s letter was that “many speakers spoke for and against the revised general plan”. He is absolutely right. There were residents who spoke for the plan and some that spoke against it. As a council member I recognize that any projects or decisions will have its pros and cons. It is my responsibility to understand the benefits for the city and the concerns of its residents and it is my responsibility to work with staff to mitigate the concerns as we strive for a win-win situation. Sometimes it is easier to not move forward in fear of controversy. People elected me to make policy for the betterment of the city. Not doing what is beneficial to the city in the long run due to fear of controversy is a selfish and cowardly act. In contrary to Mr. Saccaros’s letter, the majority of the council is very interested in listening to both sides of each issue. We do our best to mitigate the concerns while moving the city forward to provide more and better services to the residents.
Polly Low
Rosemead City Council Member
It was just a matter of time before I wrote this story. It was all dependent on the receipt of Bonny Garcia's bills. What I still don't understand is what is the point of having a $30,000 a month cap if it doesn't include things like litigation?
ROSEMEAD - The city attorney is over his legal budget by $43,000, with six months remaining in the billing cycle, records show.
Rosemead City Attorney Bonifacio Garcia of Garcia, Calderon and Ruiz has charged the city $205,000 since July, the start of the fiscal year. The legal budget for the firm's services in 2007-08 is nearly $162,000.
Garcia did not return calls.
"That is outrageous," said Councilwoman Margaret Clark. "If we are overbudget, we are going to dip into our reserves. This is the wrong time to be overspending on anything."
Its been a year since Bonifacio Garcia was hired as the Rosemead City Attorney. Since that time, he has billed the city nearly $325,000. And now that the city has received several outstanding invoices from Garcia, it looks as though he is now officially over the city's 2007-08 fiscal budget.
There will be a story about it in tomorrow's paper.
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.)
![Nunez_comp[1].jpg](http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvgov/2008/01/21/Nunez_comp%5B1%5D.jpg)
Rosemead Councilman Gary Taylor mentioned a week ago that he obtained notes written by an private investigator, who was hired to look into allegations by a former finance employee that she was sexually harassed by Councilman John Nunez (left).
The 60 pages of notes detail interviews will nearly 20 City Hall employees, and the information is not always flattering to Nunez. I wrote several stories about these confidential notes, which city officials said they had never seen.
Now that Councilman Taylor has them, I wonder what he will do with them? Will he distribute them to the council? Will he make them public record? I guess we will wait and see.
I went over to Baldwin Park today to review some public records requests I submitted a few weeks back.
Among them were attorney’s fees over the last two years. Looking at monthly totals dating back to 2007, it’s pretty clear that Rosemead’s attorney Bonafacio Garcia, of Garcia, Calderon and Ruiz, is still in the lead for city attorney bills.
Baldwin Park legal fees, for example, were about $17,000 in November, $17,000 in October and $12,000 in December.
That’s nowhere near some of Garcia’s all-time highs for the year in Rosemead — like that $52,677 bill for work done last May.
Just to give you an idea of how cost breaks down in BP, here are some of the line items from the invoices:
*$1,137.50/ 6.5 hours/ Review election results, phone conference, research zoning ordinance, attend City Council and CDC meetings/ Nov. 7
*$350/ 2 hours/ Visit with Caltrans/ Dec. 11
By the way, at the time of the above bills, Stephanie Scher was the City Attorney. She retired last December. Joseph Pannone from Aleshire & Wynder, LLP is the new city attorney.
I’ll eventually be looking into his bills as well...
A story I wrote last week titled Cultural Upheaval is still getting comments. The story focuses on the resignation of the president, Robin Hu, who said he left because the chamber is too political, the books are kept poorly and they aren't doing enough to embrace different cultures, particularly the Asian community.
The resistance communities have to changing demographics is a story I want to do, but it's easier said than done. While there are plenty of people who make anonymous comments about the change or say racist comments under their breaths, no one will go on the record to talk about the issue. Here's just a blurb of one comment I received this weekend:
"It is sad to live in a place where you can't even have a simple conversation with your neighbor because they do not know the English language. It is also sad when you drive in a parking lot that has arrows and people are driving the wrong way because they don't either understand what the arrows are for."
In Rosemead, every time I write in stories the "council minority" when I refer to Councilmembers Gary Taylor and Margaret Clark, it does not just refer to how they are outnumbered by Councilmembers John Tran, John Nunez and Polly Low.
No, Clark and Taylor truly represent the minority race in Rosemead. But I can tell by the off-the-cuff remarks and the anonymous comments that there is resistance or denial to these changes. So will we see that story? Not until someone is willing to talk on the record. And what would that story say? If done right, it would tell the story of changing demographics, resistance to change, how minorities are becoming empowered and how the old majority feels slighted. And I can't think of a better example a community that is dealing with this change than in Rosemead, as symbolized by the council members: two caucasian council members.
Rosemead City Manager Oliver Chi told me that City Attorney Bonifacio Garcia recently submitted a bill for November - he is four months behind in billing the city. The price: nearly $70,000. Good thing the city has a $30,000 cap.
Garcia said at the meeting that the reason he is behind in his bills is because of, basically, technical difficulties. But it's all fixed now, he said. Once those bills come in, I'm sure there will be a story.
Tonight was, in theory, the evening of the mayoral rotation. But no one rotated anywhere. Mayor John Tran is keeping his title for another year, and Councilman John Nunez is keeping his title as Mayor Pro Tem. Here's how it went down:
After Tran collected a pile of certificates and plaques given to him by local dignataries including the offices of Assemblyman Mike Eng and Congresswoman Hilda Solis, it came time for the announcement of who the new mayor was going to be. Tran nominated Nunez, who was the next in line to be Mayor.
But Nunez grabbed the mike and explained that he had some personal issues in his life that he needs to deal with and that he thinks it's best he focus on those. So, Tran was nominated, which was an action that drew loud applause from the audience. Low seconded it. It was approved on a 3-2 vote, with minority council members Gary Taylor and Margaret Clark voting against it. They stayed silent during this whole discussion.
Now, rewind back one year ago. If you recall, Nunez was supposed to be mayor then but instead urged Tran to take that opportunity.
Obviously, there are questions here. That's why there will be a story in Thursday's paper. But for the time being, anyone have any theories about what's going on here?
I love reality TV. The Rosemead City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday would be a good pilot. Here's what I'll be going for:
1. A new pending lawsuit. Don't know much about it. If you got the info, fill us in.
2. The Mayoral rotation. I'm expecting the conversation won't be pretty. (I wasn't really serious about me serving as an honorary mayor. I don't think I would want that job. But I was serious about changing my name to Jennifer McMayor. It has a nice ring to it.)
3. Garvey Avenue needs resurfacing and it will cost about $1 million.
4. Councilman Gary Taylor wants to know where City Attorney's Bonifacio Garcia's outstanding bills are.
5. Mayor John Tran wants to send out a letter to residents addressing Rosemead Partners event that was marketed as "Rosemead's Inagural State of the City Address," which wasn't a city sponsored event.
That's what I'll be there for. They should really start offering popcorn at these meetings.
Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Who do you think will be Rosemead's next mayor?
Will it be the next in rotation, Councilman John Nunez, who was sued -- along with the city -- for allegedly sexually harassing a former employee? The lawsuit was settled.
Will it be Councilwoman Polly Low, who is just concluding her first year on the City Council?
Will it be Councilman Gary Taylor, who has been recommended to the Grand Jury for alleged Brown Act violations?
Will it be Margaret Clark, who has sent out a round of fliers picking apart proposed city ordinances?
Will it be Mayor John Tran - I don't even know if that is possible for a mayor to serve two terms consecutively - because the council won't be able to agree on anyone?
Or will it be me, Jennifer McLain, who is now the most infamous and annoying city reporter in Rosemead's history?*
My vote is me, honorary mayor. You can just starting to refer to me as McMayor.**
The City Council will talk about it at its next council meeting on March 25 at 7 p.m.
*I am joking
**I am not joking.
West Covina police officers and firefighters got a raise, Alison Hewit reports. Do you think Monrovia is jealous?
Raises for police officers and firefighters are expected to cost $1 million more than was budgeted for the departments this year.
Meanwhile, the city has estimated a $2 million deficit at the end of the year.
But proponents said the contracts will keep the departments competitive and attract good candidates. Other cities, including Sierra Madre and Arcadia, have increased pay and benefits recently.
"This is a good pay raise that brings us closer to what other departments are paying, and they've increased our retiree medical to keep up with the growing medical costs," said Detective Scott Fahey, vice president of the city's Police Officers Association. "That's a big deal. We're real happy with that, and it's going to make us really appealing."
I asked the same question in the Monrovia post: Do we know exactly what the salaries are for the firefighters and police officers?
Who went to the Rosemead Partner's "State of the City" address Wednesday night. I didn't. (I know. It's hard to believe, but I have a personal life, too.)
What did you hear? What was said? Was it controversial? If you went, please, please, please let us know what happened. Here is one point of view as posted on Save Our Community.
I've been wanting to write a story about career politicians in the San Gabriel Valley, but easier said than done. Tonight, I did minimal research, looking for which SGV Councilmember has served the longest. Unfortunately, not each city has bios posted online about their council members, and information is very limited in general online about the council members and their histories. So I figured I'd turn to you guys for help:
What council member in your city has served the longest?
Here's all I know. (Hey, I said I did minimal research. I gave up after five cities didn't have anything posted about their council members.) I'm hoping that with your help, this list will grow:
Rosemead
Gary Taylor
First elected: 1974
Total years: 34
*BTW. I want to do the story because I find the topic interesting. I'm not saying that it is good or bad that there are council members who have served on the council for X many of years. That's your call. My boss seems to think this isn't a story because voters continue to reelect these local career politicians.
I just got a call from Steven Ly, president of political action committee Rosemead Partners. He informed me that there would be a "state of the city" address on Wednesday. I was confused for a second. I thought, wait, why haven't I heard about this from the city? It turns out that it isn't sponsored by the city, but by Rosemead Partners. So, I asked Steven, "Do you think it is misleading to call it state of the city if it's not sponsored by the city?"
He said no. "If we approached the city with the idea, it would be Mayor John Tran, or [John] Nunez giving the presentation. We obviously have problems working with them." Councilwoman Margaret Clark will give the presentation, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Rosemead Community Center. It is paid for by Rosemead Partners.
What do you think about the address? Here is one opinion against it.
There's quite a discussion on Save Our Communityabout the definition of a community activist, a term that I used to refer to a Rosemead resident.
What's your definition of a "community activist"?
Rosemead council meetings are cancelled next week because Councilmembers Margaret Clark and John Nunez are going to Washington, D.C. for a conference.
NOTICE OF CANCELLED MEETINGS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the regular meetings of the Rosemead Community Development Commission and the Rosemead City Council, to be held on March 11, 2008, at 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm respectively, are canceled due to lack of quorum.
The next regular Community Development Commission and City Council Meetings will be held as a JOINT MEETING on March 25, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at the Rosemead Center, 3936 N. Muscatel Avenue, Rosemead, CA 91770.
Just got the campaign finance numbers for Rosemead. Here are the highlights:
Mayor John Tran donated $7,400 worth of his campaing finance money to Garvey School Board members Henry Lo and Janet Chin, and Rosemead School Board candidate Qui Nguyen. Lo got $5,200, Chin got $1,000 and Nguyen got $1,200. Tran has $6,361 remaining in his coffers. Tran lists his treasurer as Henry Lo.
Councilwoman Margaret Clark reimbursed the Committee to re-elect Ron Esquivel for $247 in postage costs. I'm assuming that was for the mailers she sent out regarding general plan changes. Clark has $1,250 remaining in her coffers. Clark's treasurer is Alberta Lambert.
Councilwoman Polly Low gave $500 to Garvey School Board member Henry Lo, and $1,000 to Garvey School Board member Janet Chin. Low has $892 remaining in her coffers.
Councilman John Nunez loaned himself $1,800. He also donated a total of $1,064 to Henry Lo and Janet Chin. He lists his treasurer as Bob Bruesch, a Garvey School Board member.
Political Action Committee No on Rosemead Recall gave $402 to another Political Action Committee, Rosemead Partners. Rosemead Partners was the only fundraiser of this batch of statements. The committee received $4,935 in contributions, and spent $2,112. They have $3,985 remaining. Lewis and Company donated $250 and gave $150 worth of copies; and Wal-Mart donated $200 worth of refreshments and snacks to the committee.
As the election nears, that's when the real money will start rolling in.
Rosemead Council Chambers in City Hall is under construction. City Hall will remain open during the construction, but the meetings will be held across the street at the community center, at 3936 Muscatel Ave. I got a little sentimental today when I saw the orange chairs tossed in the street next to the dumpster. Sigh. Oh, the countless hours I've sat on those chairs.
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