Ethics and Pensions

With the scandals that rocked the city of Bell, it's been suggested that we need to look in our own back yard. Anonymous asked if someone wouldn't bring forth the evidence of wrongdoing in our city. I'm not personally privy to anything that would rise to that level where a prosecutor would be interested, but I'm very aware of some things going on that are of very questionable ethics.

The most recent case-in-point was the "gaming" of the system by Councilmember Cristina Carrizosa to significantly increase her retirement once she leaves the city council. While it appears that she did nothing illegal, the ethics of this situation is certainly in question.

But even more importantly to me, is that the problems in Bell have been linked to citizens' not being aware of what was going wrong with their city. Here in Pomona, we have several blogs and some decent reporting that has stanched many of the grevious problems. A few years ago a few members of the city council decided that they should also get paid (separately) for being the redevelopment agency. Citizens found out about it and rose up and stopped it. I'm currently on the city's Charter Review Commission and we are looking at the possibility of creating an ethics oversight commission within the city and strengthening the ethics for the council, commissions, city management, police, candidates for office, and others under the perview of the charter, all to enhance citizen oversight to avoid the problems that Bell ran into.

However, I have an even more basic question. SHOULD PART-TIME COUNCILMEMBERS BE GETTING A PENSION AT ALL? Those in the private sector who work part-time usually don't get any benefits. This is the way that banks, grocery stores, and WalMart have been keeping their costs down for years. By hiring people and limiting their work hours to under 30 per week, they don't pay retirement, medical, and other benefits. Why are we so generous to our city council members?

Public service is not supposed to enrich those who are serving. To suggest that council members are doing such an extraordinary job as part-time employees negates the work of all of the others who work part time at little or no personal benefit (do you hear me unpaid commissioners?). Councilwoman Carrizosa stated that she "earned" the additional pension money. So that means that she worked harder than councilmembers Lantz, Atcheley, Saunders, Rodriquez, Soto, and Mayor Rothman? I undestand that their pension will be based on a $9600/year salary (the mayor twice that) and not what they got from their full-time jobs.

Again, this is not about what is legal, but about what is ETHICAL and FAIR.

I look forward to the comments on this item.

_________________________

Remember, August 2nd the council will decide whether or not to put replacing Pomona's Police Department on the ballot. I will be out of town and can't attend. I'm fairly sure that the council knows where I stand on this issues as I've spoken on it in the past. If you haven't spoken out, do so!!!

American Graffiti at the Fox

Sunday, July 25

TIME CHANGE

Doors open at 5:00 pm
Screening begins at 6:00 pm

A Friends of the Pomona Fox Family Screening of American Graffiti

Awoooohhhh, the Wolfman is calling you to get in your hot rod and cruise on over to the Pomona Fox Theater for the classic film, American Graffiti. Join Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfus, Harrison Ford, Susanne Summers, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Philips, Paul LeMat, and Charles Martin Smith as they spend their first night of freedom after high school crusin' the streets and hangin' out at Mel's Drive-In. So "Where Were You in '62?"

SPECIAL ADDED ATTRACTION!

Appearing just outside the theater will be the actual 1956 Ford Thunderbird driven by Susanne Summer in the film. "The '56 Thunderbird convertible was purchased by Clay Daily and his wife in 1964 on a used Ford car lot in San Bernardino, CA. It had been painted red and had 55,000 miles showing. A few years later the Dailys moved to Petaluma, CA. This where they had the car painted white. In 1972, Clay's wife had the car parked in downtown Petaluma. When she returned to the car to go home, she found a piece of a brown paper bag on the windshield. Someone had written a note on the paper and asked if the car's owner would like to have the car in a movie. They left a telephone number and said to call if interested. The Dailys thought it was a joke, but they called anyway. To their surprise, it was Lucas Films and they wanted to use the car! The Dailys agreed and the T-Bird appeared in the movie. All of the night shots were done in downtown Petaluma, so Clay and his wife were able to watch some of them."

The Daily's, now living in the Diamond Bar area, have graciously agreed to display the classic car at our July 24 screening after showing it at the Petaluma salute to American Grafitti in May and prior to it's going to Reno, NV for the Hot August Nights Festival. In addition, there will be a number of cars from the era on display outside the theater as well. Join us for Cars, Music, and a classic American film.

Popcorn, sodas, and candy will be available from the snack bar. Hot food and "adult" beverages will be available from Drink, the adjacent restaurant before, during, and after the screening. There will also be a door prizes and other surprises

Prices:	Adults $3.00
	Children 12 and under $2.00

let the sun shine in

Well, I'm back from my jaunt to southern Indiana and East Tennessee. Thanks to my fabulous co-authors for keeping the blog going in my absence!

Thanks also to AnonyMark for alerting me to Dave Allen's article on Cristina Carrizosa's pension and the discussion that resulted from it. I must say, D-Bomb does some stellar investigative journalism when the mood strikes him -- and that's more than I can say for most of the other newspapers I read.

Fair warning, though: A few of the comments in the discussion are pretty anti-Mexican. (I would say "racist," but Mexican isn't a race. Still, I suspect those commenters feel similarly about anyone brown.)

I'm posting the links because I don't know if everyone has seen the article, and frankly, one of our problems seems to be dissemination and discussion of information. We here at M-M-M-My Pomona make no claims to journalistic integrity (or writing quality, for that matter), but we can at least help out with the goal of opening up discussion. Open discussion leads to open government leads to healthy cities.

All Pomona middle schools on state emergency transfer list

Parents of Pomona middle schoolers, you can pull them out ASAP, under a new state regulation adopted by the State Board of Education yesterday in compliance with the state "Race To The Top" federal grant. In fact, every single traditional middle school in the City of Pomona was on the "open enrollment" list. From Palomares to the north, Emerson to the east, Marshall to the west, and Simons and Fremont to the south, every single one was an "open enrollment" school. Previously, the list was titled "low achievement" schools, but that was changed due to a quirk with the state law, which classified some well-performing schools as poor even though they were above the state average.

However, no one would identify the middle schools in the City of Pomona as well performing. All of them are in the lower two deciles, although some are above average when demographics of the student and parent population are considered. Nevertheless, it is interesting that Pomona schools actually do well at the elementary school level - with even the ones in the "bad" areas doing well above average when demographic considerations are included - the high schools, despite the bad reputation, are also performing above average when demographics are considered, with respectable high school exit exam pass rates - while the middle schools are doing a poor enough job to get put on the state list.

The emergency regulation calls for school districts to notify all parents with students in the schools on the "open enrollment list" by the first day of school that they can transfer their kids out. Unfortunately, the only performing middle school in the Pomona Unified School District is Lorbeer Middle School, in Diamond Bar. There are also the K-8 schools that former Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana created, but most of them are geared for students to continue forward from the elementary school level. However, the Open Enrollment Act also allows parents to transfer to schools outside of the district, and many of them, such as Bonita, Walnut Valley, and Claremont, have been interested in interdistrict transfers due to declining child populations in those cities. The regulation states that once a student is enrolled outside of their home school, that they will not have to reapply.

Although districts are permitted to set their own due dates for applications, the districts that parents are transferring their kids to will need to respond back to the home district by September 30, 2010, with all transfers concluding by November 1, 2010. Subsequently, notification will be made at the start of the calendar year, with transfers effective the fall of that year. Districts are not require to permit transfers out of the district if it would upset the "racial and ethnic balance" of the district. In the past, as I personally experienced, Pomona Unified has used that to prohibit non-Hispanics from transferring out of Pomona city schools. However, some legal reviewers have cautioned against using that as a rationale, for it violates Proposition 209. Each district will have to come up with a procedure within the next month as to how they wish to arrange for transfers, and the ability for districts to reject students transferring in is limited.

To have all Pomona middle schools on a list that many will interpret as "failing" could be devastating to the district as it attempts to have voters pass a $96 parcel tax increase on all property. I am sure that the ballot argument opposing the tax will be made that highlights this uncomfortable fact. Or advocates of the tax increase could argue that the fact that since all Pomona middle schools were put on the state emergency list, it is evidence that we should put money into Pomona schools to improve. With the utility tax and school parcel tax increase, possible Sheriff's contracting, and other hot topics, there are real choices for our community.

Calfironia Bank and Trust closing down in downtown p-town

I just read this article last night (about the California Bank and Trust closing the Pomona branch) and got to thinking. There are three banks in the downtown area that have huge parking lots. Now it's no secret that I'm no friend of parking lots. I consider them to be something that discourages walking and heavily encourages driving. I never enjoy walking across the BofA parking lot to get to downtown and even less enjoy walking past the Chase parking lot to get to Antique Row. Now I can understand that the Chase building has other offices in it but, with the closure of the CBofT Pomona has an opportunity to increase foot traffic to larger areas of Downtown Pomona.

I know this is a long ways off, since we still need to find something to do with the Pomona Pond/Pit. But, I never like to miss an opportunity when I see one. I know we have some council members that are big fans of cars and parking lots. But, what are the the residence's thoughts? We've got a great plan infrastructure that can easily be converted to pedestrian and mass transit oriented movement. Not to mention some of our poorer residents walk, ride bikes, and take the bus anyways. But is this something we'd all want?

claremont, city of trees and felonies

This article is just too, too sweet. All of Claremont's efforts to be a classy joint are for naught -- turns out a prominent citizen was smuggling arms to Somalia. I would say, "You're slayin' me here!" except that I wouldn't wish to be taken literally.

The question remains: What international crimes do you think Pomona's seemingly-upstanding citizens might be hiding? I've done a fair bit of smuggling myself -- cheese from England, sausage from Germany (minds out of the gutter, people!), drugs in Asia back in my wild youth. Perhaps our John sold nuclear-weapon plans to Ptomania in his own wild youth? Or Chainsaw Ed, not Ramón Mercader, was the man behind the icepick that killed Leon Trotsky?

Come on, we can't let Claremont get one over on us this way! We have a reputation to protect! Let's go do some crimes!

Bonus points for anyone recognizing the movie quotation. And I'll have a post soon about the Sheriffs Dept. proposal, which Calwatch posted to Twitter, but I need to read through the damn thing first.

July events for community calendar

If you are aware of any Pomona-based events in July that do not already appear on the calendar in the right hand column of this blog, kindly let us know about it by sending a note to pomonaevents@gmail.com.

sheriff taylor would have been SO disappointed in you boys

Original Skrip sent me this little tidbit from the Daily News the other day: LA County Sheriffs are drinking on the job more than usual. (Take a moment to ponder the first sentence of the article, I implore you.)

You gotta wonder what is driving them to drink -- is the inevitability of covering poor benighted Maywood or the possibility of trying to match the Pomona Police Department? I'm sure the LA County Sheriffs are fine women and men, but I have to say, I've never seen a member of the Pomona PD soused on the job.

Suddenly I have floating through my head that old Commander Cody song. "My pappy said, Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop driving that hot rod Lincoln"....

Health Reform information session

The following message is from Pastor Rick DeBruyne:

"Just a reminder for those of you in the region, tonight [June 23] at Lincoln Ave. Church is hosting an informational meeting on Health Reform @ 6:30 PM in Timmer Hall, 1547 Lincoln Ave., Pomona, CA. I have attached a flier for your convenience.

"Dr. Faisal Quazi from Western University in Pomona will be presenting. No matter where you stand, this is an opportunity to learn more. It will not be a debate on the pros and cons, rather information on how it might affect you.

"If you are not able to attend but would be interested in participating in or hosting a future presentation, please email Dr. Qazi and cc. me.

"Please note: We are hosting this as a service to the community at the request of a colleague in the city. This invitation and the presentation should not be taken as an endorsement or reflection of the views of Lincoln Ave. Church."

It's Summer--A good time for a Movie and Ice Cream

Two great events this weekend, in addition to 4th Saturday ArtWalk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friends of the Pomona Fox Family Film!

Sunday, June 27

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday is your chance to hiss the Nazi villains and cheer the daring-do of America's favorite hero, Indiana Jones. Friends of the Pomona Fox, in association with the Pomona Fox Theater and the City of Pomona, is pleased to announce our next film program at the Pomona Fox Theater. We will be screening the first adventure film to chronicle the exploits of Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys Davies, and Denholm Elliott. Directed by Stephen Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, Raiders is one of the most popular films of all time. Doors will open at 1:00 and the film will screen at 2:00 pm. Price: Adults $3.00          Children 12 and under: $2.00 Time: Doors open 1:00          Films screen 2:00 pm Your 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 and wine, as well as hot food available from 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 Indy! We'll have a life-size cutout of the Raiders character should you desire a souvenir photo. DOOR PRIZES: Some lucky attendees will be able to walk away with some great prizes, just for showing up. Drawing will be held just prior to the screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ice Cream Social--After Raiders! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Historical Society of the Pomona Valley will be holding their annual Ice Cream Social at Phillips Mansion on Sunday, June 27 beginning at 4:00 pm. Ice cream, fish toss, bubbles and demonstrations of life during the period of the historic Phillips Mansion will all be part of the fun. The mansion was recently restored and furnished with period furnishings and will be available for tours. There will be plenty of time to both enjoy the Friends of the Pomona Fox's screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as enjoying this fabulous historic site and ice cream social. We invite all our members to join us for this event.

Its a party!

Pictures are in from last Saturday's Carmen. There's a whole lot of shaking going on. Meg wrote about two people she particularly like: Nicholas Shelton is on the far left. Danielle Marcelle Bond, Carmen, is the one dancing on the table, of course. Meg also gave a shout out to the children's chorus, here they are:

Allie Casillas; Carmella Porcelli; Courtney Pocock; Donna Borges; Emily Pocock; Hannah Borges; Jacqueline San Nicolas; Leonie Casper; Maddie Waasdorp; Melissa Sutha; Monica Dortha; Nicolas Pinal; Sean Marcum; Sophia Lin; and Vanessa Casillas.

There's one last performance, this Saturday. For info and more pics go to the ROC website: http://www.repertoryoperacompany.org/ and Repertory Opera Company's Facebook page.

Meg has invited me to contribute to the glorious m-m-m-my Pomona blog. Thank you. I'll try to highlight all the "Cultcha" and fun goin' on.

To that end, here's a reminder that we get to see movies at the Pomona Fox Theater all summer. This Sunday, June 27 at 2 pm is "Raiders of the Lost Ark"; adults $3; children $2. For more info go to http://www.pomonafox.org/

Repertory Opera Company redux

Flash mobs -- you gotta love 'em. My favorite flash mobs are when a sizable proportion of the people in some crowded place break out into song and/or dance, like "Doe a Deer" in Antwerp's Central Station.

The most recent musical flash mob I've seen is "Brindisi" sung in Philadelphia's Reading Market (you know the tune, even if you don't know the name of it), from La Traviata -- which of course put me in mind of the ROC, which staged this opera not long ago.

Here's the vid:


I got to thinking... what if the ROC did flash-mob publicity for their next opera? I know they sang some of the greatest hits from Carmen at the Palomares Adobe to publicize the performance, but that was planned. How about an unplanned performance -- guerrilla aria? And if they were to do it, what would be good venues? Aside from Art Walk (too easy), I propose the LaVerne Target store on a sunday afternoon (because if I have to stand in line for 10 minutes, I'd like to have something interesting to listen to). Other ideas?

just curious

We're getting a whole bunch of hits on the most recent post that are coming directly from Facebook. Is there a M-m-m-my Pomona page on FB or something? If so, somebody let me know -- I wanna join! Or if someone has linked to the post from their own FB page, that would be cool to know, too.

Actually, I wouldn't join a M-m-m-my Pomona Facebook page, mainly because I refuse to join or like anything on FB, for privacy reasons. Those are the things that FB datamines for advertising, and by not liking or joining anything, I never see any ads. But I'd still love to know if such a page is out there.

it ain't over till the slim vamp dies

I have to say, it's rather disturbing how much opera depends on domestic violence for its story lines. But that didn't impede my enjoyment of the Repertory Opera Company's staging of Carmen yesterday afternoon, not one bit.

As I learned in the Introduction to Opera class I took as an undergrad (where I acquired my love of opera -- before that, I thought it was just goofy screeching), opera is a combination of carefully-schooled voices, fine acting, and stage spectacle. The ROC's production of Carmen lacked the stage spectacle of the Met (after all, it's community opera, directed by our own Lizbeth Lucca, not Plácido Domingo or Peter Gelb), but it made up for it with the other two components.

If you don't know Carmen, it's a pretty basic story, based on a novella by Merimée: Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy kills girl. At least this is one Pomona homicide that won't make the LAT crime map. The music is some of the most memorable in the repertoire of western opera; apparently, when Carmen debuted, people were humming the songs in the streets of Paris. I defy you to do otherwise; I'd bet dollars to donuts that the 150 or so folks at yesterday's performance are all whistling "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle," "Prés des rampartes des Seville," or good old "Tor-e-a-dor en ga-a-a-arde!"

I wouldn't want to be be mistaken for an opera critic, but I'll single out three things that really struck me: the voice of Nicolas Shelton, who played Zuniga; the acting skill of Danielle Marcelle Bond, who inhabited her role better than most grand divas I've seen at the LA Opera; and the children's chorus, who were utterly adorable (make sure you say that weeth a Franche accent). Every aspect of the production ranged from very good to fantastic, though; I'm sure other things struck other folks, and feel free to post about them in the comments.

There are two more performances left: Saturdays the 19th and 26th, at 2pm at the First Christian Church. You can buy tickets at the door, and if you show up an hour early, there is a lecture about the opera. A show at the Dorothy Chandler pavilion will run you at least a benjamin, but this is well under two jacksons -- what a deal.

Now, people, go out there and get some Culcha!

The first photo is of Maria Callas, who was probably the most famous Carmen ever (and deservedly so). The second one is of Enrico Caruso as Don José -- who, I must say, rather resembles the ROC's James Salazar, or, rather, the other way round.

following up

Over at the Metro Pomona blog, they're running a poll as to whether filming Love, Barack was good or bad for downtown. Head on over and cast your vote!

Meanwhile, up the road a piece, I verified that someone has taped a handmade "ARE" over the ungrammatical construction sign. It certainly doesn't look like city work -- for one thing, it's on a piece of fancy stationery (the kind you use for inkjet party invitations). Sistas be doin' it for themselves, I guess.


See you at the Opry tomorrow afternoon? C'mon, Carmen's just about the best introduction to opera I can think of. Try it, you'll like it! Be there or be scared: 2pm, the church behind the CVS on Garey.

meanwhile, up the road a piece...

Spotted in the City of Trees and Ph.D.s. Further, deponent sayeth not.



(I realize this is more of a Dave Allen-type post, but he's on vacation, and the rest of us just have to pick up the slack.)

our safety • our police

This just showed up on the LAT website:
LA County Sheriff's Department Might Be Booted Out of Compton

I'll update with more info as it drifts in over my transom.

As promised, here's the update from this morning's mullet-wrapper. And indeed, they've gone and done it.

PUSD dual-language immersion programs?

I can't seem to find evidence of any dual-language immersion programs in the Pomona Unified School District. Am I missing them or do they not exist? Such programs exist in a some relatively nearby cities (e.g., Ontario).

If they don't exist here, what are the chances PUSD would ever create them? Should such programs be a priority?

Cardamom?

Does anyone know where I can find some cardamom pods? I struck out at Hoa Binh, Cardenas, and WinCo (though WinCo has plenty of ground cardamom in their amazing bulk section). At this point, instead of wasting gas driving around town, I figured I should turn to your collective wisdom.

I'll trade you homemade chai in exchange for your cardamom knowledge.

Overheard at the farmers market

As I loaded the car with all the goodies acquired at this morning's farmers market, I overhead the following half of a cell phone conversation:

[paraphrasing ]

"Sweetie, I'm going to start coming here every Saturday. I just picked up what would have been $40 worth of produce at [insert some store name here I had never heard of] for $10...yes, all organic..."

Indeed, the prices are stunning. And the stone fruits are in!

goodbye, historic Pomona, it's been nice knowin' ya

I just finished reading through the city manager's budget recommendations that Anonymous just posted in the comments to John's comedy club report, and it's a doozie. Go read it now -- I'll wait.

There are some things that make perfect sense to me, like reducing graffiti removal, deferring median maintenance, and not keeping the cop-chopper up in the air circling over my house when there's no crime underway/reported (for a savings of $132k). All of these cuts will have negative effects on the city, but they seem easy enough to beef back up in better times (assuming we ever have better times).

The library cuts -- $800k worth -- pain me enormously. If these proposals are accepted, we'll be going from 18 positions to 10, with many of our favorite library employees being cut to halftime. The library would be open only four days a week, and they'd close the computer lab (which, as someone mentioned in the April 19 city council meeting, is the only place to get on the internet for free in the city). It's enough to make you weep.

The budget proposal also pretty much does away with the historic district entirely, leaving only the fancy signs. No more in-progress violation support (whether it's stripping materials from foreclosed homes, unpermitted construction, or illegal tree-trimming; greatly-reduced enforcement overall.

Moreover, the report recommends the dissolution of the Historic Planning Commission (among others), and that is what I interpret as the city manager's complete dismissal of the historic districts. Without code enforcement or the HPC, tearing down your Craftsman bungalow and building a zero lot-line McMansion in its place will be officially in violation, but there won't be anyone to do anything about. At least, not unless the neighbors go vigilante. Want to cut down the city-owned sweetgum or linden tree in front of your house? The city says, "Go right ahead!"

There are many terrible cuts recommended in the budget report. Most departments are getting it in the neck, the police most of all (from what I can tell). There will be many negative effects for our fair city, on nearly every level and for nearly every citizen. Over and over, the budget report describes the impact as reduced property values and increased crime.

I am not saying that historic preservation is more important than library services, after-school programs for kids, or police protection; it's not. But the historic districts are what drew me and K. to Pomona in the first place, and several of our friends have followed us here for the same reason. If historic preservation becomes a thing of the past, the city will lose cultural diversity and become even more the cesspool that the rest of the county thinks we are now.

Claremont Insider used to call us Poor-Moana, and I -- ever the optimist -- thought that was unfair. But not any more. Our city is poor, and I'm moaning.

Comedy in Claremont

I had the opportunity on Saturday evening to take the lovely Mrs. C and daughter C to to the new Flapper's Comedy Club in the Claremont Packing House. Located in the interior/upstairs of the beautifully restored structure (near the loft apartments -- hopefully the neighbors are OK with this), the club is an intimate venue with seating for 75 and even for the 8:00 pm show, it was near capacity.

Having been to comedy clubs in Hollywood and Sacramento, I know that you need to get there early if you want to ensure that you're not seated next to the stage where the comedians have a chance to use you as part of their acts (not my favorite thing). So we enjoyed the atmosphere and show from the back row.

Because I wasn't particularly planning on blogging about this, I don't recall the names of the comics (I found some info online), but their acts were very good with the MC warming the crowd up with great aplomb. The first act was, naturally, the weakest. He attempted to be somewhat shocking but pretty much fell flat. The second act, an African American comedienne--Vanessa Graddick, was very good. Her jokes about her day job as an LA County social worker were hilarious. And when she went on a rant about people's grammar, it was right up my alley. The headliner, Bil Dwyer, who has appeared on Conan, |Last Comic Standing, and other shows, was right up there with other shows I've seen featuring comics from Last Comic Standing.  He even personalized his routine for the local crowd pointing out that this was a high class crowd, being CLAREMONT and NOT MONTCLAIR (you know, those guys out in the other county). However, as a Pomonan, I was less appreciative of is comment noting that there's a Pomona Freeway so you can get to Pomona faster. "Why would you want to do that? If I was forced to go to Pomona, I'd lollygag as much as possible."

The show was excellent, the venue was great. If you go, there is a two-drink minimum. Unfortunately, my Merlot, served in a small plastic glass was less than good. With wine at $9 a glass and soft drinks, water, etc. at $4 a small plastic glass, it's about what you expect. The appeal here is the comedy, not the quality or price of the beverages. But the service was very good for a comedy venue. The wait staff tried very hard to not get in the way as they took orders and delivered drinks. Food is available from the neighboring Hip Kitty menu.

You can see their upcoming shows at the Flappers.com web site. There is also a location (with a much larger seating capacity) in Burbank.

Booty poppin' 7 year olds

Evidently the World of Dance Competition was held in Pomona last month. Who knew? A news story just popped up on the feed at the pomonawatch about a controversy over a routine performed by 7 years to Beyonce's Single Ladies.

I just watched the youtube clip of the performance. These little girls are tremendously talented dancers, but OMG! They are wearing "sexy" black and red knee-highs and lingerie while booty popping.

I'm at once horrified and impressed (and kinda glad I'm not raising a girl in this culture).

Here's the video:

Request for Calendar Contributors

The Pomona Events calendar is up and running. Now, we need people to contribute events to the calendar.

If you are involved with an organization that hosts public events, please e-mail pomonaevents@gmail.com for an invite to contribute content to the calendar. Or, if you know anyone involved with these organizations, please encourage them to get in touch.

The goal is to create a one-stop-shop for information about Pomona events. I, for one, would love to be able to just look at the sidebar of the blogs for information about events rather than going to a bunch of different web pages in search for an activity.

Here is a list of just some of the organizations we'd love to see included on the calendar:

- Cal Poly Pomona's music, dance, and theater departments
- Fox
- Glass House
- Pomona Valley Historical Society
- All things Downtown (e.g., Art Walks, Antique shows)

General Plan Study Session on Tuesday

The next General Plan study session is set for May 11th at Western University's Cooper Hall (309 E. 2nd Street). The meeting is scheduled to start at 6PM.

The study session will cover a range of topics including the following:
• Pomona Tomorrow—The Future City Structure

• Mobility
• Height and Intensity
• District Character and Market Focus
• Public Space
• Community Identity

If you have questions about the study session or the General Plan Update process, you may contact the City of Pomona Planning Division at 909-620-2191, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.


The Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th, has been cancelled.

mark your calendar

If for some reason you haven't been following the Pomona Neighborhood Watch blog, you should -- not least because Pride in Garfield Park has debuted the Pomona Events Calendar that she and our own Chainsaw Ed have been working on. It's a great resource for all of us, and I'll work on embedding a miniature version of it in the sidebar here.

My first experiment with it was to add an event, based on a mailer that arrived in today's mail: The May 18th community meeting to discuss the building of a new fire station at the request of the LA County Fire Department (and the closure of our two existing stations). This came up in the April 19th city council meeting, during which Councilmembers Atchley and Soto were particularly outspoken in encouraging community participation. I can only reiterate what they said: Come out and make your voice heard!

Although I have as many frustrations with city council as the next chump, I don't envy them the current situation one little bit. We all roar out of our caves at the threat of cutting or diminishing city services, but they still have this $10-million-plus shortfall to deal with. The fact is, we all need to do as one of the public-commenters at the city council meeting said and work together to come up with creative solutions to the funding crisis. It's increasingly obvious that we need to work on revenues, as several folks have pointed out.

Calwatch made the point that John Mendoza's ballot proposal is a step in the right direction, and I'm in complete agreement. We need to speak out with one great voice and let city council know that maintaining the quality of life and unique identity of Pomona is of utmost concern and that they can count on us to help, not just kvetch at their decisions.

To the barricades, comrades!

I'm just saying...

You can buy one at Cafe Press for some future city council meeting...

Pomona Bakery Rises like bread dough

If you haven't seen the Metro Pomona blog (and why haven't you?). On Wednesday, April 28, they announced that the Pomona Bakery was returning:

Oh Boy! They're Back! (almost)

Good news folks. The Pomona Baking Company will reopen June 1 under new ownership. Pete and Kim Anerio will pick up where the Baking Company left off. Same menu, same quality, but more of it. They have plans to expand to a deli operation as well, so fresh sandwiches and other goodies will be available. There is a grand opening planned, but the date is not certain. When we find out, we'll let you know.

Let's give Pete and Kim a big welcome to the neighborhood.

Monday Council Meeting

Well it's time again for our city's leaders to meet and decide the big issues facing Pomona. Or at least it's time to give David Allen something to write about.

The items on this week's agenda include:

• Closed session discussion of a pending lawsuit, Coalition for Environmental Justice in Pomona vs. City of Pomona
• Closed session labor negotiations with city employees, police managers, and police officers as well as unrepresented employees.
• Recognition of outgoing commissioners

Consent agenda items:

• A couple of proclamations for Municipal Clerk's Week and National Public Works week as the city figures out how to cut employees and outsource (sorry couldn't help the editorial comments).
• Notice of intent to hold a public hearing on giving out contracts for our solid waste disposal in the city to Athens, Burrtec, Mission Recycling, Valley Vista, and Waste Management (some of the largest contributors to local candidates)
•  Application for a gang prevention and intervention grant
• Unappropriation of $365,500 from Neighborhood Stabilization funds to go to a contract to build a Garfield neighborhood center for $285,500.
• John Mendoza's 2% utility tax increase proposal
• Appointment of Hector Diaz to the Vehicle Parking District
• Legislative Advocacy subcommittee recommendations

Old Business:

• Adoption of action plan for CBDG (Community Development Block Grant) funds
• Demolition of 1885 small Victorian structure at 942 West Holt (deemed historic by the Historic Preservation Commission) overturning the findings of the HPC
• Discussion of composition and appointment of Charter Review Commission

New Business

• Fundings: $300 for Pomona Valley Christian Ministry for their homeless feeding program, $600 for security at St. Madeleine's Church Fiesta, $250 for sponsorship for Chamber of Commerce's Police Awards Ceremony (as the council studies whether or not to replace them--There goes that editorializing again)

Public Hearing

• First St. Waste Transfer Station

The meeting will be adjourned in memory of Carolyn Kirkpatrick, longtime resident, former Pomona Heritage president and friend of Pomona.

And the Survey Says . . .

Last night we got a call at the Clifford home from someone asking our opinions. Yes, we were surveyed. So what were the important issues? Was it what movies we like? What laundry detergent we use? While we've had those in the past, this one was about things going on in the city of Pomona. The interviewer didn't identify who had commissioned the survey, but they had our information, who we were, where we lived, etc. (Is it time to get paranoid?)

The main issue that they wanted to know about was what we thought of saving $5 million by bringing in the LA County Sheriff's Department. They asked the same question in four different ways (a common technique when you're trying to influence the outcome of the survey). So now the idea is floated that the Sheriffs will save us $5 million, a full month before the "study" is done. WOW, that was fast!! This was obviously a campaigning effort on someone's part to try and get backing for the "proposal" of the Sheriff's.

So what other questions did they ask. Hmmm. With three council seats up for re-election (and none in the district where we live) they asked what we thought of councilmember Carrizosa, and how we through Mayor Rothman was doing (and he's NOT up for re-election until 2012). They also asked which proposal for the waste transfer station that we preferred. As well as some generic questions such as "What do you think is Pomona's biggest problem?"

Have any of you out there gotten this call? What did you think of the survey?

Ideas?

In response to the most recent post, Anon, reflecting on Monday night's Council meeting, pointed out, "Unfortunately, there was nothing constructive added to the pool of idea's to plug the 8? 10? 15? million dollar gap."

Good point. So, fine minds of Pomona, what brainstorms can we offer? Let's hear all the ideas; big and small. Heck, we just might stumble on something.

watching the meter click over

Well, aren't we a popular blog! The pageload statistics are through the roof, and the unique visitors are much more numerous than usual too. The really interesting factoid is where those visits are coming from. The statistics don't reveal the location of most homes and offices (Verizon, SBC, and other big service providers), but governmental organizations are clearly labeled. And I am quite amused to notice that we're getting more hits from neighboring city halls than from our own. Plus a huuuuuuge number of visits from the LAC Sheriff's Dept. Anyone care to interpret the data for us?

In his last post -- which I was very happy to see indeed, because I *heart* his level of expertise and good judgment -- Calwatch points out that we're only talking about a free Phase I study here, and even the Phase II study might not be that costly.

But I'll go ahead and plant my flag: It's a waste of time and effort (and ergo other people's money) to do even a Phase I study, because outsourcing is unacceptable, as long as we have the current PD.

The issue for me is community policing, something that supposedly is the most effective strategy, and which our PD has made some serious progress with over the last few years. I even understand that our crime rate is down in a statistically-significant way. If we outsource law enforcement, our police officers go from people building a career in a single city, working with the folks in that city, to building a career in a county-wide system and moving from location to location as staffing and personal needs dictate.

I want law enforcement officials who spend their careers learning the 23 square miles of our fair city like the backs of their hands, not ones who work in a system that covers 4000 square miles. That's community policing for you.

Moreover, someone whose career is based in a city system is much more likely to live in that city. I don't know what percentage of our police officers live in the city, but I can guarandamntee that it's more than the percentage of LAC sheriffs, were we to outsource. That adds extra force to my opposition to outsourcing public safety, because I'm pretty sure that at least some of our citizens would be out of a job with the handover.

Even a Phase I study is a pointless waste of time in my book. And have you ever been on a committee in the final stages of decision-making when someone raises a beginning-stage issue? Half the room (or more) turns to him, figuratively or literally, and growls, "The time to raise that concern was at the beginning of the process, jerkwad!!!"

I will not be that jerkwad; I'm saying it now, and I'll keep saying it. I want the issue dealt with NOW, not at Phase II or at the ballot box. If this is their belief, I want to hear city council tell us to our faces that possible financial savings is more important than a functioning community.

See y'all at council tonight!

On a Much Lighter Note

So, I teach one day a week in Downtown LA on Fridays. Since my last class ends at about 6:00 pm, I usually stop and have some dinner so I'm not caught in the worst of the "getaway" traffic on the 10 freeway.

This past Friday at about 7:30 pm, as I was driving north on Olive, there were suddenly some cones blocking off the left lane (one way street). I moved one lane to the right and was stopped two cars back from the crosswalk. I then saw, in the crosswalk, a guy dragging another guy backwards looking toward the curb to the left . . . What the heck . . . so I looked toward where he was looking and saw a man and woman pointing guns at these guys . . . uh oh . . . then I glanced up to see a boom mic. Oh! The couple with the guns were Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakarides.

In case you didn't know, CSI: NY is filmed right here in LA. I've seen NY cabs and buses on a number of occasion cruising the downtown streets.

Oh, ain't it grand to be in LA.

Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater

And now for a counter viewpoint on the police contracting issue...

It's great that everyone is in support of our local police. Pomona PD does do more with less than any other police department east of the 605 freeway (El Monte PD, which laid off officers in 2009 following the decimation of their auto center, may be the closest situation to Pomona).

But, let's look at what is actually being proposed in Monday's staff report.

LASD representatives will prepare, free of charge, a Phase I law enforcement services evaluation for basic and additive services. However, should the Council pursue contracting with LASD for law enforcement services, a complete Phase ll Evaluation outlining a turn key transitional process would be required. Potential costs of a Phase I evaluation would be identified based upon information analyzed within Phase I. Additionally, payment for any costs associated with a Phase II evaluation may be deferred until the City either discards the contract option, or until it can be incorporated as a part of negotiations to engage Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as the law enforcement agency for the City of Pomona.

I've never seen so many people oppose to basic information necessary for making sound decisions in my experience with government. Sure, there are vested interests for contracting, but there are interests everywhere. When reviewing the comparable numbers from other contract cities (page 10) it does appear that there could be savings achieved through contracting. What I would look for is something to bind the Sheriff's Department into an accurate Phase I estimate, such that the Phase II estimate doesn't incur additional costs on the city. In other words, the Phase I estimate should be as conservative.

Of course there are cons to contracting - loss of local control, liability without accountability, reduction in community identity. But the Sheriff's Department is a professional organization, and provides a wealth of resources. The recent merger of the Los Angeles County Safety Police has increased the Sheriff's headcount. Mutual aid is provided based on agreements which can be cancelled at any time, while the Sheriff's Department can draw upon their resources internally, without going through other agency's chain of commands. It is the responsibility of the City Council to evaluate the options available for public safety - contracting with LASD, creating a Joint Powers Authority with surrounding cities (like Tri-Cities Mental Health), or continuing with the existing police department structure. While it is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that the study and report is as fair and accurate as possible, it does not mean that all options shouldn't be on the table.

In any event, as it is a charter provision, voters will be asked to vote on it anyway in November 2010. If you are strongly in support of the Pomona PD, make sure you save some energy for that fight.

Message From Pomona PD Officer's Assoc

Dear Neighbor,

The Pomona City Council is attempting to go behind our backs and shut down the Pomona Police Department. On April 1st the City Council unexpectedly proposed eliminating our local police force and bringing in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department - even after telling the police department that no such plans were in the works.

Thankfully, when faced with an overwhelming crowd, the City Council chose to postpone their vote on the matter until April 19th.

Pomona’s Police Department is vital to the safety of our families and our businesses. We need our own police force -- not a sheriff’s department responsible for unincorporated areas, other contract cities, courthouses, and county jail facilities.

Before the next meeting this coming Monday, April 19th, please let the Pomona City Council and City Manager know that you won’t be blindsided by their dirty tricks.

Call City Hall at (909) 620-2311, or if busy call (909) 620-2042.
Please also email your City Council Members below.
Mayor Elliot Rothman: elliot_rothman@ci.pomona.ca.us
City Manager Linda Lowry: linda_lowry@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilwoman Danielle Soto: danielle_soto@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilman Freddie Rodriguez: freddie_rodriguez@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa: cristina_carrizosa@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilwoman Paula Lantz: paula_lantz@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilman Tim Saunders: tim_saunders@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilman Stephen Atchley: stephen_atchley@ci.pomona.ca.us

Show your support for the Pomona Police Department and attend a rally prior to the City Council meeting on Monday, April 19th, 6:30 PM at the Pomona City Council Chambers (at City Hall). Call your own Pomona Police Officers' Association at (909) 392-8982 for more information and to make sure we keep you informed on this critical situation.

Your own Pomona Police thank you for your interest and support!

Paid for by the Pomona Police Officers’ Association
2822 Metropolitan Place
Pomona, CA 91767-1854

Join the fight to protect Pomona’s Police Department today!
Email pomonapoa@aol.com for more information.

I assume that the PAID FOR line was on a printed version of this notice. I received it as an email from several sources. John Clifford

The "H" word for 2009

I originally wrote this back in January, but it was relegated to the draft folder. Now with the discussion of dumping the city's police force for the LAC sheriff, I figured it was timely to flick the dust off.


If you happen to occasionally engage in some P-town gossip at the water cooler (assuming you're still employed), feel free to spread the news that 2009 marked only the third time since 1985 that Pomona's homicide total was seventeen or less. The 2009 count is unofficial, but wow, congrats to the Pomona PD, the city administration, and most importantly the residents of Pomona.


I took a bit of a hiatus on the map building during the second half of the year, but fortunately our trusted friends working at the San Gabriel Vally Tribune aren't too good at geography and have included Pomona and Claremont in their SGV homicide map.

Well, I apparently took so long the SGV map is no more, so if you're a picture person, the LA Times may be your only choice.

Pomona and the internet?

Anyone out there have insight into how to access the city of Pomona's website? Did the city forget to pay its bill or have we reached the point that the city's checks are starting to bounce?

It's probably a transient problem and will be working perfectly before I receive any replies, but it's been down for about 8 hours today.

Thanks in advance.

Council to Study Cuts to Public Safety

This post is in response to Anonymous' comment in the previous post.

First off, the headline I chose might be a little misleading. The study is to find ways to cut COSTS for public safety. Agenda item 13 (lucky number?) on Monday's council agenda calls for a study of the costs of the Fire Department AND the potential for getting rid of our local police department and contracting with County Sheriff.

Is this really about looking at Fire? Given that the LA County Firefighters have never seen a decrease AND they are the largest contributors to council candidates, I doubt it. This is about getting rid of the Pomona PD. This is something that has been brewing for a long time. In speaking of the dismantling of Pomona PD and hiring of LA County Sherrif, one Councilperson even told community groups that this was a "Done Deal."

The last time there was a Charter Review and subsequent changes, the citizens determined that such a change has to be confirmed by a vote of the people, not a city council decision.
According to our city charter:

Sec. 706.  City Police Department/Chief of Police.

(b)   Within the departments established, police services as required by law shall be performed by Pomona City Police Department employees. The City may not contract for primary police services with the County of Los Angeles or other police agencies without a vote of the City's electorate. The City may contract for ancillary police-related services without a vote of the electorate. (emphasis added)

Is this the reason that the city council has decided not to appoint a Charter Review Commission and to be COMPLETELY OUT OF COMPLIANCE with the city charter? Are they afraid that a citizen commission would disagree with them? Under the City Charter:

"Article XVII.  Charter Commission

"Sec. 1701.  Charter Commission.

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."

Note that there is NO wiggle room in this section. The Council shall in January 2010 appoint a Commission. However they have not done so and it is NOT on the agenda for April 5. So we're now 4 month late--WHY? According to the definitions in the charter itself"

"Sec. 1501.  Definitions. 

(a)   "Shall" is mandatory and "may" is permissive."

 So the council is not following the law (the charter is the supreme law governing the city).

There is no legitimate reason for this delay.  The council and staff have known for over 10 years that this was coming up. They've had adequate time to comply with the requirements of the LAW.

According to the original opinion of the city attorney. The council could have named itself as the commission. However, since the council already has (and has always had) the right to amend the charter (submitting it to the voters), why would the framers of section 1701 have even have put this as a requirement? I believe that it is clear that the intention of the framers was that this should be a CITIZEN's commission, NOT the city council.

Unfortunately, I will be out of town for this meeting, but will be following it closely. Let's see what the council is trying to do. Will they follow our laws or will they try and pull something over on us?

Disclosure: I have applied to be on the Charter Review Commission so have been following its progress closely.

Some PUSD news

For my blogging return, I thought I'd start with a cut-and-paste from a Pomona Unified email. My condolences to the families and friends.


PUSD family bids sad and fond farewell to two long-time teachers

A death in the family is always difficult, but two in one weekend is almost unbearable. Staff, students, and parents were stunned to learn of the deaths of two long-time teachers Mar. 27 and 28. Decker Elementary teacher Greg Shaw (left) passed away unexpectedly, and Garey High Athletic Director George Perry (right) and his wife, Clara, died the next day in a car accident. Both men were generously praised for their genuine care and concern for our students and for their colleagues. The memorial service for Mr. Shaw is scheduled for Fri., April 9, at 3:00 p.m., Messiah Lutheran Church, 4861 Liverpool Street, Yorba Linda. The memorial service for George and Clara Perry will take place Sat., May 1, from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., at Mountain Meadows Golf Course, 1875 Fairplex Drive, Pomona.

Please support your local Pomona schools and those individuals who dedicate their lives to the education of our youth.

Free Help For Old Homes

Pomona Heritage
Old Home Restoration Workshop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, April 3

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

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

Friends of the Pomona Fox Family Film Day!

Sunday, March 28

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 Your 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.

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.

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.

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.