Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Free Help For Old Homes


Pomona Heritage
Old Home Restoration Workshop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, April 3
Pomona Heritage Restoration Workshop

FREE
Old Home Restoration Workshop
Saturday, April 4, 2009
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Trinity United
Methodist Church
676 N. Gibbs
, Pomona, CA.
FREE 

Scheduled Workshops May Include:

Window Repair · Window Replacement · Pomona City Codes · Faux Painting · Foundations · Historic Lighting · California Native Plants · Drought Tolerant Gardening · Historic Hardware · Paint Stripping · Plumbing Repair · And More

Learn About Pomona Heritage's $5000 Restoration Grants Program


For more information visit: www.pomonaheritage.org

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore!


Friends of the Pomona Fox Family Film Day!
Sunday, March 28
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The Wizard of Oz
Friends of the Pomona Fox, in association with the Pomona Fox Theater, is pleased to announce the first film program at the Pomona Fox Theater. We will be screening the classic 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, and Frank Morgan. Directed by Victor Fleming, Oz is one of the best loved films of all time. Doors will open at 12:30 with tours of the theater available to early attendees and the film will screen at 2:00 pm.

Price: Adults $2.00
         Children 12 and under: $1.00
Time: Doors open / Tours 12:30
         Films screen 2:00 pm
More information? http://www.pomonafox.org

Oz cutoutsYour favorite movie munchies will also be available with fresh-popped popcorn, a selection of fountain soft drinks, and delicious candy.


For the adults, there will be beer, wine, and other bar items, as well as hot food available from THE DRINK restaurant/bar located just off the lobby next to the theater's entrance (and yes, you can eat and drink inside the theater).

Have your photo taken with Dorothy and her friends! We'll have life-size cutouts of the Oz characters should you desire a souvenir photo.

Why Not Make a Full Day of It?

Prior to attending the Oz Screening, enjoy a Sunday Brunch at THE DRINK restaurant in the national register historic Pomona Fox Theater. Brunch is an all-you-can-eat make-it-yourself Pancake bar with all the toppings. Also included is your favorite champagne beverages.


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

the h-word in p-town


It's been ages since Our Ed has posted his Pomona homicide report -- or indeed posted anything at all. I notice that the LAT has gotten back on the bike (they had a homicide report long ago, didn't they?) and has started up an interactive homicide map.

I realized this when reading the sad story of a girl who was killed at Olive and Glenroy when two guys pulled up in a car, asked if she and her friend were affiliated with a gang, and then shot them when they said no. "Olive and Glenroy" was colored and highlighted, so I clicked through, and lo and behold, there was an interactive homicide map.

And you know what it told me? It told me that there have been 21 homicides since Jan. 1, 2007 within two miles of that intersection. Which is all fine and dandy until you realize that there have been FORTY within two miles of Towne and Columbia.

That's right, people -- us District 4 "rich white people" (as Cristina Carrizosa once called us) are some bad-ass muthafuckas. You'd better be in it to win it if you gonna mess with the Craftsman Crips, because we will take a brotha DOWN. Statistics don't lie: We are twice as murderous as Dictrict 2, and don't you forget it.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Council Meeting Tonight

Tonight is another city council meeting. The agenda can be found here.

First up will be two proclamations. The first will declare April 2010 as "Sexual Assault Awareness Day." The second will declare Feb. 26, 2010 as "Richard Barker Day" (I always love how timely the proclamations can be). Richard Barker is a Pomona philanthropist and historian who presented a display on the citrus industry in early Pomona at Western U on Feb. 26.

With that important business out of the way, the council will next move to comments from themselves, the city manager and the public.


After that is the consent agenda. These are items which don't have to be discussed and can be just voted on en mass. They include:
  • Finalizing the Pomona Valley Hospital Specific Plan
  • Ordering an engineering report on street lighting and landscaping in the special assessment district (Phillips Ranch)
  • Authorizing staff to apply for grants for recycling
  • Approval of $125,000 for consulting services for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program
  • A $38,040 contract with for the sweeping of the Vehicle Parking District parking lots downtown
  • A resolution authorizing the receiving of local sales tax records and allowing certain city officials access to them
  • A resolution amending the 2009-10 operating budget
  • A resolution in support of the Local Taxpayer Public Safety and Transportation Act of 2010
Then it's on to old business.

  • First up is an update on an application by Premiere Medical Transportation to operate emergency medical transportation vehicles in Pomona in a non-emergency capacity
  • An appeal of the Planning Commission's denial of a second one-year CUP for a condominium project at 92 Rio Rancho Road.
  • Consideration of options for enforcement of temporary signage (banners) violations citywide
  • Proposed ordinance requiring a permit to use inflatable recreational structures (bounce houses) in city parks
  • Designation of Paula Lantz as delegate to So Cal Association of Governments (SCAG) genearl assembly
  • Then public benefit expenditures:
    • $400 to support bus transportation to/from recreation activities
    • $100 to Vejar School for purchase of school spirit T-shirts for students
    • $650 to Community Wellness Partnership of Pomona for mailing of Care Packages to Pomona Veterans
    • $700 to Pomona Heritage for expenses associated with the Old Home Restoration Workshop
The only public hearing this evening is on a resolution approving the city housign authority's 2010-2015 annual plan.

Interestingly, Item 11 was pulled prior to posting (according to the agenda currently on-line) but I seem to recall seeing it early and I could have sworn that this was to be regarding the formation of the Charter Review Commission. The last time the charter was amended (about 12 years ago), a provision was added Article XVII. Sec. 1701, which required that "Beginning in January of the year 2010, and in January of every tenth year thereafter, the Council shall appoint a Commission to consider and propose amendments to the existing Charter. No later than twelve (12) months from each inception, the Commission shall submit its proposals to the City Clerk for placement on the ballot at the next scheduled election."

The Charter Review Commission should have been APPOINTED in January (the council could have started taking applications any time previous to that in order to accomplish this). Here we are now in mid-March and not only has there been no appointments, but it's now not even on the agenda. The council only opened applications in January, then extended it to mid-February and still can't seem to create a commission.

I reading the item prior to it being pulled from the agenda, the city attorney had suggested that the council could constitute itself as the Charter Review Commission. HUH? There are currently three ways to amend the charter. The Council can do it through their regular process, the public can do it via initiative (collecting signatures to get it on the ballot), and the Charter Review Commission. If the council can already change the charter then why would they need to be constituted as a separate commission? I somehow doubt that was the intent of the framers of that section of the charter. Is the current council afraid of what a citizen committee might put on the ballot? According to the way that I read the charter section quoted above, whatever the commission decides on WILL be placed on the ballot. There is no provision for review by the council, just by the city clerk to ensure that it is in keeping with the requirements of election law.


Disclaimer: I have applied to serve on the Charter Review Commission. So, I've been following this with a great deal of interest.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Aladin Jr. Groupon

Although I love the daily-deals available at groupon.com, I rarely purchase them because the vendors are too far away for my homebody self.

But today! Oh yes today! The groupon for the IE is for Pomona's very own Aladdin Jr. $10 for $25 worth of grub. What a steal! The deal "tipped" before 9AM, so you're assured the price if you buy into the deal anytime before midnight.