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.

yay, you, LAT

This screenshot is from the LAT website at 6:04pm.

Am I the only person who has a problem with it? Maybe I'm too sensitive; maybe it's unreasonable to ask the international desk to know the difference between Chile and Argentina, much less the difference between Concepción and Santiago. That's my problem -- I'm just too pedantic.

TOPomona CHEF

My name is Meg, and I am a reality-tv addict.

I don't watch 'em all, but I watch enough to qualify -- Project Runway, Shear Genius, Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen, Real World (a story for another day), and the best of the lot, Top Chef.

Lo and behold, Top Chef is coming to Pomona! Ilan Hall, the cute-but-goofy winner of Season 2, is going to be giving a cooking demonstration at Cal Poly, and then serving a three course meal, all for the low, low price of $40. Alas, I can't go -- we'll be driving back from a trip to deep snow -- but you can. And if you do, please take notes and let us know all about it!

Hm... If Top Chef can come to Pomona, why not Real World? There's some great real estate downtown; they could posh it up, the roommates could move in, and they could embarrass themselves at Characters, the Drink, dba, and Acerogami. Quick, someone call MTV!

'nuff said

Courtesy of Jill Carroll, photographer to the royals:

Curley's Key Shop to the Rescue

Pride in Garfield Park is having internet troubles, so I'm posting this heartwarming story of Pomona Triumphant in her behalf.

A friend asked recently for a recommendation of a "key guy." We suggested Curley's Key Shop at 306 E Monterey Ave, here in P-town. The friend dropped me an e-mail this evening to rave about her very positive experience at Curley's. To summarize the review, she said, "Your key guy rocks!"

I asked her to describe the nature of her need; here's what she said:

We bought a used car. It came with key and the automagic-door-unlocky-thingy.

The key worked in the ignition but none of the doors. The
unlocky-thingy worked on the doors (which is why I didn't notice the
problem with the key until we got home).

A Claremont vendor hemmed and hawed and gave me a hard time for buying a used car. Said it probably went to a chop shop and gave me lots of horror stories about other things that might be wrong with the car.

Curley's took the door apart, made a new key and it worked. Then they
made more keys!

Plus they were pleasant and didn't try to make me feel like an idiot.

I heart Curley's. I heart Pomona.

So there you have it. Another vote of confidence for Curley's Key Shop.

movie mayhem

A friend who lives on the 200 block of Columbia called me this morning to ask whom to call about inconsiderate asshole movie crews. Actually, the word he used was "right fuckers."

The neighbors did receive warning, including notice that they needed to move their cars by 8am. So my friend had a guy banging on his door *yelling* at him about his car at 5:40am. That's the way to start a great day!

It's also garbage day, and the garbage truck came by in a hurry, throwing all the recycling, yard waste, and trash together, so that it will all end up in the landfill.

Then the movie crew heaved the bins into yards to get them out of the way, crushing plants and in some cases throwing them against the sides of houses.

Overall, my friend reports that they are being completely inconsiderate in every possible way, and that when he tried to talk to them, they told him that he was should be grateful they were there.

His question is, whom does he contact to complain? I suggested emailing our city council rep and phoning the mayor's office. Any other suggestions?

saturday night fever

We're gonna be at Art Walk tonight -- will we see you there? It's the place to be, especially as Bunny Gunner has a new show opening tonight.

I know you read the MetroPomona blog, but go over and contribute some reasons to love P-Town -- they'll never get to 909 reasons without your help.

This afternoon I met a friend for lunch at Shalizar, the new Persian restaurant at Foothill and Towne Center that replaced the old Persian restaurant, Falcon's Nest. Maybe it was what we ordered, but the food was better than the time K. and I tried Falcon's Nest.

The two of us split an eggplant starter that I can't remember the name of (not baba ganoush), and I had a bowl of Ash-Reshteh (noodle soup). My pal had a chicken stew of some kind I can't recall -- maybe fesenjan? Anyway, everything was very tasty.

Please complete the Community Needs Survey

If you haven't already done so, please pLeAsE PLEASE complete the city's Community Needs Survey. Not sure why your responses matter? Check out my elevator speech at the PomonaWatch blog.

Opera_tunities

The Repertory Opera Company, Pomona's own resident opera company, has announced their upcoming performances.

A Valentine to the Community
Serenades of Love

Repertory Opera Company presents an elegantly romantic afternoon with extravagant desserts and a concert of beloved melodies on Sunday, February 14 at 2 pm at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pomona, located at 242 E. Alvarado Street, Pomona, CA  91767.

ROC's gifted singers will soothe you with melodies of Puccini, Mozart, Brahms and many others.  Bring your partner or bring a whole table of friends and enjoy decadent desserts and beautiful music.

Tickets are $30 for coffee, tea, desserts and concert.

Reservations are required.  For reservations or more information, call (909) 230-4949.  Seating is limited. 

 

Upcoming events -

Repertory Opera Company will be performing
   La Traviata , Saturday, March 13 & 24 at 2pm 
   Carmen, Saturday, June 12, 19 and 26 at 2pm

At First Christian Church of Pomona, 
1571 N. Park Ave

Looking for a place to watch the big game?

If you're looking for a fun place to watch the Super Bowl, consider the Finish Line or Honolulu Harry's.

The Finish Line is a big ol' sports bar connected to an OTB joint on the grounds of the Pomona Fairplex. The Finish Line boasts many large screens, reasonable beverage prices, and hearty bar fare. I called to inquire about tomorrow's specials, but nobody picked up. 2201 N. White Ave, Pomona.

Honolulu Harry's is located on Central, just north of the 60. This tiki joint's retro flare and excellent food and drink specials are sure to satisfy. 1/2 price appetizers and $3 well drinks during the game. 12206 Central, Chino.

step right up!

I know that 99.9% of M-M-M-My Pomona's readership also checks out the Metro Pomona blog (99.5% of them before coming here), but for that fraction of folks who doesn't, head over there now and take their poll.

Do it for me.

gitalong, little dogies

Ms. Lois at the Pomona Public Library has written to let us know that the annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable is going to be held in the children's room of the library -- that's the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children's Room -- this saturday from 1-3pm. There will be storytelling, crafts, gingerbread by the Pomona Baking Company, and general bibliophilic good cheer. Meg-Bob sez check it out! (Ms. Lois's joke of the day is also particularly good.)

I'll try to stop by (although I have to work on saturday, wah), out of a strong sense of support for our library. Fie on anyone who wants to dump our local library (by Pomonans, for Pomonans) in favor of being another half-toothed cog in the sub-operational machinery of the LA County system!

Get a Haircut for Haiti

The Savoie Salon in downtown Pomona is hosting a fundraiser for Haiti on Sunday, February 7 from 12 - 4 PM. The stylists are offering $20 hair cuts (blow dry not included so that they may fit in as many clients as possible). The event is first come, first serve. 100% of proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

because print journalism isn't dying fast enough

Just when you thought the LA Times didn't have another foot to shoot itself in, it miraculously finds one.

I was working at home this morning when I hear a bellow from the living room: "The @#$% LA Times has found another way to shrink the comics!" (You gotta understand, the comics page is the first thing either one of us reads, and it's probably the only reason we still get the paper.) Sure enough, there's a giant banner ad in the middle of the funnies.

You know, I'm happy (okay, well, grudgingly willing) to be part of the hospice staff for the slow demise of the LA Times, but as you'll see in the picture, this wasn't even a paid ad. What the motherfucking hell is up with that?!? Go ahead and destroy my reading experience in the name of increased ad revenues, but shrinking the funnies for sheer (and pointless) self-promotion is just a thumb in the eye.

Dear LA Times: This is my fist, and I'm shakin' it at you!

Applicants Sought For the City's Charter Review Commission

The following is from the Pomona Chamber of Commerce blog.

Pomona City Council seeks individuals interested in serving on a Charter Review Commission. Commissioners will have an opportunity to make a difference in the community by providing recommendations to the City Council to update the City Charter. Commissioners serve on a volunteer basis and are appointed by the City Council. The City of Pomona is seeking individuals with a strong interest in the community to be considered for the commission.

A link to the Charter Review Commission Application Form can be found on the City's website at www.ci.pomona.ca.us. Applications are also available at Pomona City Hall, Office of the city Clerk, 505 S. Garey Ave. The deadline for filing an application has been extended to Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 5:00pm. Applications should be filed in the City Clerk Development.

For further information, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 909-620-23411.

Me again: This will be an important commission. The original deadline was Jan. 27 but it was extended due to a lack of applicants.  If you're concerned about how the city is run and want to have a say in city government, this is your opportunity. There will be 15 people appointed to this commission, two by each councilperson and three by the mayor.

Love, Barack

In looking over the agenda for tomorrow's (Feb. 1) city council meeting, I noted that one of the items was the approval for the city to enter into a business assistance agreement with CMS productions for filming in the city of the feature Love, Barack. So what is this film that we're offering to spend $13,225 in assistance to entice here?

A quick search in IMdB gives this synopsis of the film: "Politics makes strange bedfellows, but never stranger than when a month before the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, a beautiful, idealistic local Obama volunteer coordinator reluctantly falls for her Republican counterpart: a sexy, savvy, African American conservative. Sparks fly, tempers flares, heads turn, and romance blossoms for this mismatched pair of campaigners in the frantic and intoxicating days leading up to Election Day. Can the politics of love conquer all? Written by Nuclear Mango", Directed by Doug McHenry (New Jack City)

Further looking into the production company, it looks like they're mostly into TV with shows like Love Accidentally, CSI, The Good Wife, back to a 1955 production of CBS Television Workshop. Sounds like good credentials.

Love, Barack is set to star Bollywood “Bombshell” Mallika Sherawat (their description, for more information see the article at The Urban Network -- http://www.urbannetwork.com/cms/index.php?news=1928.

Looking over the agreement document, it looks like they will be filming mostly downtown.

IN OTHER CITY COUNCIL NEWS
Also on the agenda is an appeal by the city's redevelopment agency of the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of a demolition permit for an early 1880s house owned by the city. The house is older than the city which was founded in 1888.

murder and mayhem

Ed hasn't posted his Homicide Watch in a while, but this morning's paper informs me that there has been yet another deadly shooting within a mile of the house. Yesterday afternoon, two guys were killed and one wounded at Ted Greene Park (on LaVerne Ave. between Towne and Garey).

It seems like a nasty bit of business, which is another way of saying that I don't feel any less safe in our fair city, unless I develop a sudden penchant for dressing in particular colors and tangling with no-goodniks. I have no intention of doing so, and don't you start!

supermarket socializing

I stopped by Hoa Bin, the Vietnamese supermarket on Holt, the other night, mainly to get some dill. They don't have it all the time, but they usually do, and it's always cheaper than the other supermarkets (and about the same as the Persian market in Upland).

While I was there, I picked up a few varieties of mushroom for the Hungarian Mushroom soup I was making, some dandelion greens, cilantro, broccoli, and sweet potatoes (all for a grand total of $9.13 -- suck it, Von's!).

Standing in line at the till, a young Asian(-American) woman fell in behind me. The grandma in front of me was having a long conversation with the cashier, and as we waited, the young woman asked me, "Do you know how to cook with these ingredients, or did you get a recipe off the Food Network?"

The question still kind of boggles me. The clause about the Food Network wasn't derisive or anything, but I gotta wonder, what's so hard about cooking with mushrooms, herbs, and sweet potatoes? It's not like my basket contained jackfruit, bitter melon, and chicken feet.

On the other hand, I enjoyed chatting in line. That doesn't happen very often around here, or at least not most of the places I shop. It would be nice to do something about that, but then again I don't want to turn into my grandmother, who would tell family stories to toll collectors.

whoever you are...

Speaking of fine upstanding young men of Pomona, does anyone know whatever happened to Geggy Tah? Sonic Youth had their usual effect on me, Vampire Weekend will rock my world, and Owl City, well, I'll give him a chance to convince me that he has more than one song in him, but if Geggy Tah played the Fox, I would REPRESENT.

Theater of the Absurd at Pomona Council

While the Pomona City Council meetings are often portrayed as "theater," last night's meeting spilled over into that weird world of "Theater of the Absurd." And David Allen wasn't even there to witness it. While the agenda was relegated to a single public hearing (along with the normal consent agenda and closed session), it went on all of Monday night and into Tuesday morning (so much for the short meetings).

The topic last night was the Conditional Use Permit for Angelo's Pizzaria (sic) (although logos and signage seem to be a bit schizophrenic as they call it Sports bar, Restaurant, or Bar & Grill depending on whose PowerPoint we were looking at). The issue was that after months and months of Angelo's operating as an entertainment venue, without an entertainment permit, an agreement was made, in October, with the city setting new CUP conditions for the venue. These conditions had time limits for compliance that ranged from immediate to 60 days depending on the item. Three months later, the location was still out of compliance with the agreed to conditions, so the city was considering next steps. Those steps might include revocation of their CUP, essentially shutting them down, or some other form of sanctions, or modification to the conditions of the CUP.

Because revocation was on the table, the hearing was different than normal public hearings before the council. This time lawyers were involved. The city seated a special prosecutor, not the city attorney, and both he and the applicant's attorney could cross-examine "witnesses" who spoke.

First up was Angelo's group who had a large number of "witnesses" who attested to how wonderful Angelo's was and what a great place it was to work or to frequent. With the exception of the facilities entertainment/marketing manager, none of them really addressed the issues of whether or not the location was in compliance with their CUP or why conditions were either reasonable or unreasonable. The marketing manager talked about the unreasonableness of limiting the site (with its full hard liquor license) to those 21 and over after 9:00 pm and the limiting of their hours serving alcohol to 11:00 pm.

Then Jason Aboud, the owner of Angelo's presented his case. He stated that he thought that he should be receiving an award for his work in the city and NOT being chastised for not meeting unreasonable conditions on his business (which he had previously agreed to). He wanted his hours extended and to be able to allow 18-21 year-olds in at all hours. He expressed that he had complied with all the conditions and that someone at the city was "out to get me and close me down."

Now comes the absurdist part. There were two speakers from the general public who put in speaker cards, Virginia Madrigal and myself. Mrs. Madrigal gave an impassioned speech about how the site had changed from a family-style pizza parlor to a "bar" and that they were not complying with the regulations for a bar. That their descriptions of the place as a restaurant was in conflict with their marketing as a sports bar, nightclub, and music/dancing venue. All to the core of whether or not the conditions of the CUP should be enforced and were reasonable.

Then the applicant's attorney asked to cross examine her. He went on the attack asking her what her personal stake was in Angelos. He asked her if she frequently spoke at council meetings, suggesting that this was in some way her entertainment. He went on to attack her as someone who was nosing in on something that didn't concern her.

Given his attack on her, I was not particularly looking forward to my own testimony. However, I forged ahead and spoke directly to the issues of whether the conditions of the CUP had been met. My point was not that the CUP should be revoked or that the conditions were reasonable or unreasonable, but that the perception of the city is that anyone can come, do what they want, and then just fight it and they can get away with it. We've seen it over and over again in our city on a number of issues. Here it is definitely "easier to ask forgiveness than ask permission."

Then it was my turn to face the inquisitor. He questioned why I was, at the late hour of 9:45 taking up the council's time with an issue that did not directly affect me. Didn't I trust my council to be able to make their own decisions? He portrayed me as a gadfly who just likes to get up and talk on issues that don't concern him. THEN, he asked if I had ever been to the People's Republic of North Korea! WHAT???? I refused to answer and stated that I was very offended by the question (However, full disclosure demands that I respond here that I've never been to North Korea, however I have been to the People's Republic of China--my only visit to a communist country). He then asked me a series of questions about what I thought was permissible in a pizza parlor or sports bar.

Now maybe I've watched too much Law and Order but I didn't see where any of his questions related to my testimony or to the issues being decided. This guy went way out of bounds.

After all the testimony and rebuttals (we looked back at 9:45 with longing), the final decision was to restrict the liquor sales to beer and wine and to require all CUP conditions be met prior to the March 1 council meeting (actually by Feb. 23) or staff would bring back a recommendation to revoke the CUP. Mayor Rothman (who seemed to feel that letting them get away with ignoring the CUP conditions would in some way send the message that Pomona was "Business Friendly") and Councilman Atcheley voted against. We finally got out at about 12:20 AM.

Lessons from history

Stew and I attended last nights Miss Pomona Scholarship Pageant, as did our Mayor, most members of the Council, a couple members of the school board, loads of proud families, and at least one couple shopping for a caterer.

After enjoying good eats from the buffet line, we listened to rockin' speeches given by the three finalists about the history and future of Pomona. After each speech, the Mistress of Ceremonies offered reflections and insights about the pageant.

During one such reflection, she commented that David Allen had asked her if the pageant was sexist. She said no, and offered the following two lines of evidence in support of her position:

1. Pageants have been around for a long, long, long, long time. [Ah yes, now I understand why unequal pay for equal work is also not sexist. Huh?]

2. Boys could answer these questions, too. [Right. So why don't we invite them to do so? Surely the young men of Pomona would also like to compete for scholarship money.]

I have no idea how either of these points connect with the issue of sexism. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten me. While you're at it, what do you think about the idea of Mister Pomona Scholarship event? Or maybe even an inclusive, less gender dichotomized event?

There were a couple other cringe moments during the pageant, but mostly the event was a lovely celebration of the achievements and promise of the young women of Pomona. Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who made the event possible! And, a truly heart felt thank you to the 22 contestants who stand as the jewels in Pomona's crown. You impress and inspire.

Now, how do we go about booking the Queen and her court for community events?

Weekend Happenings

A couple of events going on this weekend in our city:

Miss Pomona Pageant Coronation Ceremony

Saturday January 23rd. at 5pm at the Masonic Lodge, 395 S. Thomas St.

The field of 22 has been whittled down to the final 3. See who the winner is. This is being billed as a "Scholarship Pageant" and NOT a beauty pageant. Today's event will include food and beverages and the winner will be picked after a 5 minute speech from each of the remaining contestants. To RSVP or more information, (909) 469-1121

The judges are DPOA president Carolyn Hemming, Western University President Phillip Pumerantz Ph.D, Daily Bulletin Columnist David Allen, Director of Community Outreach College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences Cal Poly Pomona, Jonnie Owens, and former teacher and PUSD Board Member John Avila.

A Tribute to the USO: Buckingham Burlesque

And on a little less wholesome note:

Buckingham Burlesque att the American Legion, 239 Holt Ave., Pomona, (909) 620-0943. Saturday, 8PM. $30 pre-sale; $40 at the door. 18+.

Sometimes you’re really glad that you live in the era that you do. Sometimes. Not often, because all of the really cool stuff seems to have come and gone. Thanks to the gals at Buckingham Burlesque, however, that old-timey art of voluptuous females draped in feathers and sequins cavorting playfully on a sparkling stage and showing some—but not all—of their jewelry is alive and well. And you don’t have to hide in dark alleys and feel sleezy going to see them, like you did back in the old days of prohibition and the Moral Majority. To celebrate the ladies of the fanning fans and bubbling bubbles, Buckingham Burlesque is throwing themselves a five-year anniversary party this Saturday where you not only get to hang out at theAmerican Legion, you also get dinner, a DJ and dance floor, the Americana rock of Count Smokula, and oh, yeah, Hottie McHottertons smoldering up the room! Sirens include: Mable, Isis Starr, Lolita La Vey, Pepper La Rue, Venus De Mille, Audrey DeLuxe, Victoria Vengeance, Diamondback Annie and, Charlotte La Belle Araigneé.

grumpy as they wanna be!

Hey, everybody, Claremont Insider got back on the bike! After a nearly-six-month absence, the auteurs and curmudgeons behind Claremont's least temperate blog have started writing again -- one more great thing to come of this glorious rain. I don't always agree with the Insider, but I sure missed 'em when they fell silent.

whither journalism, part 873

I'm surprised that the usual sources of reliable local information aren't all over this, but the Daily Bulletin's parent organization, the Media News Group, has filed for bankruptcy. Now, if there's one thing we've learned from all the SoCal newspaper jiggery-pokery of the last half-dozen years, it's that declaring bankruptcy doesn't mean the end of the print run, but it doesn't bode well for quality, at least if the LA Times is any indicator.

I'm planting my flag now: If there is any attempt to sack Dave Allen, I will be calling you all to the barricades, and I damn well expect you to be there with me. Despite being a benighted Claremonster, Dave has been a good and loyal friend to Pomona, and we take care of our own. Ploughshares into swords, people.

The pikkie is Dean Singleton, owner of the Media News Group, not Dave Allen. To my knowledge, Dave has never leaned back in red suspenders, gloating like the cat who pulled the turkey off the dining room table..

semper gumby

I've been a fan of Gumby and Pokey since the mid-60s, when it was one of the very few tv shows my mother considered wholesome enough for me to watch (Captain Kangaroo and Walter Cronkite being the other two). Little did I know that Gumby's roots are in the West Inland Empire! You gotta read the obituary for Art Clokey, the creator of Gumby, whose story began when he was adopted from a halfway house at age 11 by an art professor at Pomona College. Given that Gumby was the first claymation on tv, I think we should add it to our list of Cultural Triumphs of the Inland Empire.

Housing Division Annual Report

I arrived home the other day to find not one, but TWO(!) copies of the city's Community Development Department Housing Division Annual Report for Year 2008 to 2009.

Then, last night while feeding the youngster, I read the report cover to cover (good times had by all). My read through left me with both questions and a better sense of official city efforts to make Pomona an even more livable city.

My biggest question is this: Which budget line paid for the production of this 8 1/2 X 11, 10 page, high-gloss piece loaded with nonsense clip art? Presumably all Pomona households received a copy (or, in some cases, two copies), so this was a large scale mailing. Given the fiscal state of our fair city, I question whether the city might have saved a few pennies by creating a less glossy report with less filler material. It just seems wasteful.

Despite my concerns about costs, format, and the absence of an articulated purpose for the piece (I would have liked to know why I received the report, for instance, or why the report exists in the first place), I was nevertheless impressed by the number and scope of housing-related programs in the city.

If you haven't read the report, give it a quick glance. I'm guessing many of us have unknowingly benefited from these programs. Those of us in the Garfield Park area have certainly benefited from some of the public facility and infrastructure improvements like new playground equipment and alley improvements.

And, most importantly, take the time to complete the needs survey, located between pages 6 and 7 of the report. My two copies of the report each contain two copies of the survey -- I guess this means our household can vote early and often? Submit surveys by February 5 to inform decisions about where the city should focus their housing development efforts.

The survey instructions tell us to call the city if we don't know our district info. Sure, you could do that. Or you could turn to page 7 to see a map of the city with districts specified.

truer words were never spoken

The word of the day (à la Pee-Wee's Playhouse) is DRINK.

DRINK is what Pride in Garfield Park and I went out for last night, pointing the car toward dba256. But as we drove past the Fox, there was a sign reading DRINK. We took this as an imperative -- there was no question mark after it -- pulled over the car, and went inside.

DRINK is the ground-level bar at the Fox, DRINK is what they serve, and DRINK is what we did. PiGP had a manhattan (although they were sadly out of cherries), and I had a dirty gin martini[1].

In the event, our drinks were served by Dan-O (Danno?), who used to serve us at dba256. And who should stop by to chat with us but Jonny, who still pours at dba. Downtown Pomona now has three rather posh (or at least non-divey) bars, and there seems to be a lot of congress between them. All three are certainly at the top of my playlist.

DRINK is very low-key and sophisticated, verging even on elegant. Lots of dark wood furniture (and chairs upholstered in either dark leather or taupey tweed), poshly-lit bar, the whole shebang. But it's not dark or moody, either (like Acerogami).

PiGP and I agreed that while excellent, DRINK could reach perfection by putting in an espresso machine and opening during the day as a coffee bar. After all, three nice bars but not a single café? That's not a proper downtown!

DRINK has wireless (locked), and the tables are already laid out in perfect coffee-bar configuration. For the price of an espresso machine and a barista, they could really turn DRINK into a unique BDTP (Beautiful DownTown Pomona) destination. Pleeeeeease?

[1] Yes, you purists, I know I shouldn't have to specify "gin" when speaking of martinis, but I dare not risk being served insipid vodka. That is what the world is coming to, yea verily, and I will go to my grave protesting. You may bury me with a bottle of Martin Miller's, or at least Plymouth.

ushering in the new year

I hope 2010 is off to a galloping start for everyone. 2009 was rough on a lot of folks I know; let's hope we've put such nonsense behind us.

K. and I just got back from 10 days on the wrong side of the Continental Divide, seeing family and reminding ourselves that no matter how catastrophic the state's budget and leadership crisis is, we'll always have the weather. (Feel free to rub my nose in this sentence come August.)

The cat weathered our absence just fine, thanks to wonderful neighbors who attended to his physical and emotional needs. That didn't stop him from waking me up every 90 minutes last night, nuzzling my face and purring, as if he were a newborn baby. Not that those purr, in my (limited) experience.

My to-do list is predictably enormous, and I'm calling for advice on one item. I generally buy my xmas cards right after xmas and put them away until December. Does anyone have suggestions for stores with spiffy cards on deep markdown?

The best xmas card we got this year (or perhaps any year) was a picture of a friend posed next to light-pole graffiti that read "Pretty boy looking for strap-on girl to make me her bitch" -- with the inside message of "May all your wishes come true!" So, as an alternative to cool cards on sale, suggestions of appropriate local graffiti are also welcome.

In addition to stacks of xmas cards (and I mailed mine from the east coast), we came home to a big packet from Pomona Heritage: It seems they are revising their bylaws and have sent them out to the membership for review. I haven't looked over them yet, but it certainly seems like a good idea. As the president's cover letter said, no more notification of board members via telegraph has got to be a win. Three cheers for all the folks who slaved over the revisions -- and God bless us every one.

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¢.

winged cacophony

Ah, fall -- the season when the parrots of Temple City and Arcadia take a little vacation in Pomona. A pretty large flock just flew overhead a few minutes ago, sounding like a swarm of demons, and I've seen them a few other times this year. I wonder why Pomona and why late fall every year? I've read what I could on the subject of the local pandemonium of parrots, but the question goes unanswered.

For those of you not up on your local parrotry, this particular flock dates back to well before the 1920s, and it's made up of at least six species -- one of them not even a parrot at all, but a parakeet. Their base of operations has been the current LA County Arboretum since back when it was Lucky Baldwin's giant estate. Apparently our tendency to plant very tall trees and exotic non-native plants is particularly conducive to urban parrots.

The important thing to know is that San Francisco and Brooklyn got nothin' on us. (Okay, maybe they have a few things on us, but nothing psittaform.)