glory glory hallelujah

I don't recommend the crappy Chinese restaurant in Chino Hills that a friend dragged me to for lunch the other day, but I do recommend the drive back.

Just after you pass under the 60 heading north on Garey, you've got the most glorious view: Reddening sweetgum trees lining the road, palm trees in the median, and a snow-capped mountain straight ahead, as if Garey went directly to the summit. I don't know what mountain it is -- something west of the Baldy/Etiwanda/Cucamonga complex.

If I could have stopped the car and taken a photo from the middle of the road, I would have. Since I couldn't preserve the experience, you'll just have to make the drive yourself.

Anonymous writes

Anonymous left the following in the comments to my last post. S/he admitted that it was completely off topic, so I'm spinning it out as a post of its own. M-M-M-My Pomona is a community blog, and anyone who wants to sign up as an author (under whatever pseudonym) should drop me a line with an email address and ask to be added.

In the meantime, I give you.... Anonymous!

Pomona fiscal Budget Woe's may be off comment but important to the resident's of Pomona.
I wanted to share my opinion. So here’s my rant.

The Pomona City government is facing another budget shortfall of over $4.5M. Last year they outsourced a few city services like a few park maintenance positions, outsourcing street sweeping, building and safety and the like. The City departments were all asked to reduce their budgets by 10%, and most did.

Pomona’s finance department grossly under estimated future (2009 2010) revenues resulting in this year’s budget shortfall again! I presume they were expecting that the property values in Pomona would take off and maybe double. Nonetheless, and despite their gross miscalculation we are only ½ way through the year and face another financial crisis.

Idea’s that are currently floated within the City are to, close the Public Library, eliminate park maintenance, another round of layoff’s that will further impede service, and reduce the Police department services, while delivering salary increases to the cops still on the payroll. In other words, Education, children services, and public safety take a back seat, because somehow the fiscally responsible thing to do is hand the control of the City to our gangs, and invite the uneducated hoards of surrounding gang members a promise of safe refuge.

It’s time the City take bold steps that would build up the Pomona families and children.

Outsource the Police Department To LA County – The Pomona Police Department is an expensive under performing City service. Aside from all the liability law suite’s that they create, they under serve the community. The City can obtain a larger Police presence, that are better trained, have state of the art technical equipment, and the backup of the entire LA County Sheriff’s Department. Better service and capabilities at ½ of the $50 million dollar price tag that they now consume.

Outsource the Public Library – This is a service we may lose completely if something isn’t done and savings aren’t obtained. We over pay the city Director and employee’s while cutting services to the public. A large portion of the public depends on the Library for education computer and internet services. Having the Library outsourced would decrease the general budget and still provide service to those that depend on the Library.

These two departments will no doubt rise to arms in an effort to remain at the Pomona money trough where they have grown use to gorging their huge appetites from.
However the citizens of Pomona must to rise up and insist that the Mayor, the City Council, and the City bureaucrats do not create a disaster in our city, but take bold measures to insure we keep, and improve our vital City services to create a long term strategy that provides a financial surplus. I am concerned as a resident of Pomona, for the long term health of our City. Outsourcing these enormous and expensive services will do just that.

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

So, the Pomona Heritage progressive dinner was this past weekend -- isn't anyone going to post a report? Is it true that John Clifford and Ed Tompkins got into a brawl in front of Paula Lanz's house over which one of them got to wear the tasseled lampshade on his head and which one had to settle for the pleated one (because pleats flatter no one)?

In the absence of salacious gossip, I'll raise another issue that's been making the rounds: A neighbor (the same one who shot a raccoon in his yard) has a serious grudge against a large tree in his yard but doesn't think he should have to get city permission to have it removed. So he is going to spike it with poisoned nails that supposedly will kill it in a matter of months.

Do such things really exist? Supposedly they're sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc., but I can't find any trace of them on the web.

For what it's worth, rehearsing our old argument about raising major tree removal permits so high that people don't bother is rather beside the point; this particular neighbor wouldn't bother if the price were 15¢.