CicLAvia could come to Pomona

The Pomona Director of Public Works is inviting all "stakeholders" to join in a discussion next Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. regarding an "open streets" event, or ciclovia. The Los Angeles version is called CicLAvia. CicLAvias are great opportunities to bring communities together through eliminating car traffic for six to eight hours, while encouraging active transportation. The concept began in Bogata, Colombia, in 1976.

I've been to the Los Angeles event twice and it is a great event. The Pomona one would be on a smaller scale, as the Los Angeles event attracts people region-wide, up to 100,000 of them at once. My primary concern with the Los Angeles event is the fact that some bicyclists treat it as a raceway and not an opportunity for all human-powered uses, including skateboarders, pedestrians, and just people hanging out on the street, to use the additional space created. In other words, it's a linear park, not a bicycle freeway.

It is also great to see that leadership has changed in Pomona from the retrograde days of just six years ago, when City leaders flushed a million dollar bike lane down the drain due to neighborhood opposition and political opportunism. AB 32 and SB 375 have forced Californians to be more cognizant of greenhouse gas emissions, and include greenhouse gas reductions in planning and land use decisions. An attempt to suspend AB 32 failed miserably in 2010 so it is clear that planning for greenhouse gases will only grow in the future, and one of the most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions, increase public health, and reduce dependence on foreign oil is to provide environments where people can use active transportation for daily tasks. Even today Pomona just has one bike lane, on Hamilton Boulevard, while many of the streets in South Pomona and Phillips Ranch are excessively wide and could be restriped easily to add a bike lane.


The stakeholder meeting is on Tuesday, January 31st, at 6 pm at the Cal Poly Downtown Center. The consultant will have maps of proposed closed streets and other information for consideration.


Please RSVP to Maura Montellano at 909-620-2262 or via email at maura_montellano@ci.pomona.ca.us.

Human Trafficing Film at Fox

I received an email from Nathan Neighbor of Mosaic Community who have an art gallery on Thomas Street and conduct weekly Church services at the Pomona Fox Theater on Sundays. I think that this may be of interest to some of you. Here's Nathan's message:

My name is Nathan Neighbour, and I work with the Mosaic community that meets in the Fox Theater each Sunday.  Next Sunday, January 29th at 2pm we are hosting a community awareness event at The Fox around the issue of human trafficking, a huge problem in the Pomona Valley.  Thousands of girls as young as age 12 are bought and sold in the sex trade industry right here in our city.  

 We will be screening a film called FLESH: Bought & Sold in the US and will have a panel of film makers and community leaders joining us (including the mayor and chief of police).  The Fox has graciously partnered with us to make this event happen and get the word out to the community.

right here in river city!

I can't believe I had to learn it from a Claremont friend, but apparently there's a Pomona pride (lower-case P, because I don't think it's the Prop. 8 kind of Pride) event this weekend -- including a performance by Flavor Flav. Take me back to my youth, Calgon!

Of course, looking at the poster, the misspelling of "amateur" jumps right out at me. Oh, Pomona, why must you always match every step forward with half a step back? Do we want the rest of the West Inland Empire thinking we can't spell? No we do not!

Do any of our fine readers know anything about Diamonds Love Foundation, the co-sponsor of the event?

I learned about this via Twitter. I'm wondering, how many Pomoniacs are on Twitter? I follow @pomonafeed and @tweetpomona (which mainly seems to tweet Pasadena)... Anybody else out there I should follow? [For what it's worth, I'm @mmwwah, but I don't tweet much about local matters, either SoCal or NorCal.]

Redistricting takes center stage

In the span of 16 hours, key decisions will be made that will impact the lives of Pomona residents for the next ten years. This is about redistricting - the decennial redrawing of lines to ensure equitable distribution of population after each census. Redistricting impacts the representation that residents have, and on a greater scale determines whether communities of interest are kept together or are broken apart, and whether the rights of minorities are maintained or regressed. Poorly drawn districts can result in some areas being considered less than others and receiving fewer resources and attention from the elected official, or could invite extensive and costly litigation as attorneys for protected groups challenge the new lines.

At 5:30 pm on Tuesday, the Pomona City Council will meet to discuss council redistricting. The city staff has opted to handle it themselves, and not go into an outside consultant. Staff and the City Attorney have gamely identified 24 possible areas for moving populations and tried to shift them around to reduce deviation as much as possible. With the Phillips Ranch area, District 5 having the least population and North Pomona, District 6, with the greatest population, any district move would have a domino effect on the whole city. Unfortunately, due to poor scanning of the staff report, it is unclear where all these chess pieces will end up. Nevertheless areas near the boundaries of districts, such as Val Verde, Westmont, and Downtown Pomona could be at risk of moving to another district.

Critics of the staff-driven process say that it is not transparent where these considerations come from, that they have not allowed the community to express their preferences as to what they consider a community of interest is, and that they do not provide racial demographic information to ensure that protected ethnic groups are not adversely impacted by these moves, due to Voting Rights Act considerations (which are referred to in the staff report but subsequently not evaluated with respect to the new district proposal). Many cities with districts choose to go to one of the major providers in California of redistricting services - Matt Rexroad's Meridian Pacific, Paul Mitchell's Redistricting Partners, or Doug Johnson's National Demographics Corporation. Having the experience of doing many cities' redistricting helps greatly in understanding the key legal issues that, if not addressed, could result in extensive and costly litigation.

The next morning (Wednesday) at 8 a.m. the Three Valleys Water Board will discuss redistricting of its water district lines. The Water District has two proposals provided by Redistricting Partners that could radically shift the City-based lines of today into lines that do not match up with any water district lines or City lines. In particular, small portions of North Pomona could be disunited with the rest of the city under the "minimal changes" option, with the primary impact breaking Walnut up from one district into three. In "Option A", Claremont and South Pomona could be united in one district that would be extremely diverse in terms of demographics and water purveyors.

Again, there are issues of transparency as Redistricting Partners was selected without any indication of the selection process or how they were chosen. The public input on this has been minimal, with one resident comment and one comment from an elected official.

Everyone has a different perspective of their community. Some would like to see Downtown Pomona as part of one district, while others feel that as many council members as possible should share an interest in Downtown. Similarly, City lines may not be important for some people, and having South Pomona and Claremont in the same Water Board district may still be in a community of interest, being on the east end of the County line.

If you don't feel that your community is being kept whole, let your voices be heard. You can write to the members of the City Council here, and to the Three Valleys Municipal Water District at vhahn@tvmwd.com. You can also speak at the public hearing for the Three Valleys Municipal Water District in Claremont at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, or to the City Council at the Council Chambers during public comment some time after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Repertory Opera Company

Pomona’s Opera Company

presents Gaetano Donizetti's rousing comedy of disguise and deception: Don Pasquale, A Dramma buffo in three acts sung in Italian with English narration.

Brian Farrell at the piano.

Saturdays at 2 pm - February 4, 11 & 18

Wednesday, February 8 at 7 pm

Tickets are $30 for adults. Children $10.

Student Rush with ID $15 on Feb 4 & 8.

Performances are at First Christian Church, 1751 N. Park Ave, Pomona CA 91768

Continuing to bring quality opera performances to our community.

For more information go to www.repertoryoperacompany.org or call (909) 230-4949

Happy New Year

 

As we've left 2011, we now have 2012 to look forward to. This should be an interesting year in our fair city. 

Hopefully the city will move forward on a general plan and the specific plans for the various corridors. How will the elimination of the Redevelopment Agency affect this?

Moving into the new year the Friends of the Pomona Fox has a slate of programs through about May which will be announced as soon as dates are confirmed. The Opera Company has a season set, and the Fox and Glass House are continuing to book quality programs into our thriving downtown.

As always, Pomona Heritage will have its Home Tour in October, and other events as the year progresses and we've always got the downtown 2nd and 4th Saturday events to look forward to.

By May, we should be seeing a flurry of activity leaning toward our civic elections on November 6. Three council districts will be holding elections (the 1st --currently with Danielle Soto representing the area from Garey West to the city line and from the 10 Freeway south to 2nd Street; the 4th--currently with Paula Lantz representing the area from Garey East to the county line and from the 10 freeway south to 2nd Street; and the 6th--currently with Stephen Atcheley representing all of the city north of the 10 freeway; Mayor--currently Elliott Rothman, representing the entire city). Over half of the voting members of the council will be up for election. Sounds like a good time to let our voices be heard regarding what we expect for the next four years.

In addition, there will be at least 2 city items on the ballot with the initiative to restructure how council members are elected in the future, going away from voting limited to districts and expanded to elections for district council members being held on a city-wide basis; and the proposed charter amendments from the Charter Review Commission which completed its work last May. I'm sure there will be a number of posts on both of these issues of vital importance to the city's future.

So with visions of Trash Transfer stations in our past and civic elections in our future, let's hope that we have a good and productive year in Pomona.

Happy New Year!

A Busy Week in Pomona

A reminder that Saturday is the Pomona Christmas Parade. The parade will begin at 2nd and Gibbs Streets in downtown Pomona and travel west on 2nd Street to Park Ave., where it will turn south to 8th Street.

This year's grand marshal is boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley. This year's community heroes are the military veterans from all wars and eras. We will have veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom as well as those who served in the all to brief periods between those wars. In addition there will be special color guards and military vehicles.

If you get a viewing spot near the community judging area at Thomas Plaza, there will also be a special presentation of colors and a 21 gun salute to the veterans, as well as play by play announcing as the units pass by. There are about 120 different units in the entire parade (including marching bands, equestrians, floats, dignitaries, and local civic organizations), with an estimated 2,000 individual participants.

The parade steps off at 10:00 am sharp and is expected to last about 2 hours. Bring a chair and come early to get a good seat.

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Thursday will see a holiday party by the Pomona Valley Democratic Club at Sakira Ichi restaurant in the Mission Promenade center. Join other Democrats in enjoying some food, beverages, and what will surely be some lively conversation. Click on image at left to enlarge.

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CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the passage of the Pomona Public Arts Policy at last Monday's council meeting. This important new ordinance will ensure that all future development will either have a public art element to it, or that the developer will contribute to an arts in public places fund for future arts projects in our public spaces (parks, highway medians, etc.).

The Pomona Cultural Arts Commission is to be lauded for their hard work over the past three+ years to shepherd this legislation through and to create a viable public arts policy for the enhancement of the entire city.

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I'd like to with everyone who reads this blog the Happiest of Holidays. I'm sure that we'll have a lot more lively debate in 2012 as we face municipal elections in November and (as noted by CalWatch) possible redistricting for Pomona's council districts by June. As well as other things that will come up in the interim.

shabby shenanigans -- not ours

I imagine we're all disappointed in city politics to one extent or another, but at least we're not San Fernando. At first glance, this article in LA Observed outlining the city's woes is more amusing (in a Gomer Pyle, "Well, gaaaaaah-leeee!" way) than anything else, but then I got to thinking about what that situation must mean for the city. What a hot mess. I feel sure that dear old Pomona would not and could not sink that low.

Now that I've said that, please, Pomona, don't take it as a challenge!

Pomona City Council redistricting possibilities

In so many words, the folks in Phillips Ranch and Westmont are being overrepresented, while people in North Pomona and Northeast Pomona are getting less representation. The "ideal" district population (population of city divided by number of districts) is 24,843, and District 5, where Phillips Ranch and Westmont are, has only 20,354 people, while North Pomona has 27,115 people.

In typical bureaucrat form, City staff gives the Council an option of maintaining the existing districts, using the excuse that because of foreclosures in District 5, "changing district boundaries at this time would likely create future inequality". However, this reason is hollow since the number of foreclosures in District 5 are not likely to be worse than the rest of Pomona. A 18.07% deviation from the ideal population is very high and would violate the U.S. Constitution, which calls for "one person, one vote", as determined in Reynolds vs. Sims. Keeping existing districts would invite a legal challenge from those in North and Northeast Pomona who feel underrepresented. Such legal costs would likely dwarf the several thousand necessary to draw properly apportioned districts.

In addition, since District 5 is considered more affluent and less Hispanic than the other districts (demographically speaking), maintaining the existing district lines could cause problems with the Voting Rights Act, which states that minority groups should have an opportunity to vote for candidates of their own choosing. Incidentally, Phillips Ranch also has a higher than average Asian American population, and it could be argued that by diluting the district, it lessens the ability for Asians to elect a candidate of their own choosing. The City went to district elections partly because of Voting Rights Act concerns.  Other cities have had malapportioned districts as well for some time (Bradbury is a recent example) but it is less of an issue since there are not significant numbers of minority groups that are protected by the Voting Rights Act. This will also affect the ballot initiative by Vernon Price which is proposing to return to at-large elections of candidates who live in individual districts, but may require Voting Rights Act analysis if passed to ensure that Caucasians, Asians, and African Americans have the opportunity to select candidates of their choosing.

However, the current districts correspond with major arterials and easily identifiable neighborhoods. One common complaint is that the current districts split up the Downtown area, but some argue that splitting up Downtown is fine since more councilmembers have a stake in Downtown. Also, District 6 is compact in that it includes all residents north of the 10 freeway. Any redistricting would likely eliminate that - the most obvious way to redistrict District 6 without breaking up neighborhoods is to move the Val Verde neighborhood into District 1 (as part of a compound move that shifts all of Pomona west of the 71 freeway into District 5), but Stephen Atchley lives in Val Verde. It is very unlikely that any redistricting would pass that ousts any sitting councilmember from their seat.

Another possible redistricting could include shifting District 5 north to the Kellogg Park neighborhood and the area around Ganesha High School (Valwood Estates), District 1 north to cover Wilton Heights (while keeping the Fairplex in District 6, allowing for Val Verde and Stephen Atchley to continue to represent that district), and District 3 to come up along Indian Hill to cover the eastern flank of the city. Either way, the citizen voting age population by ethnic group will need to be checked to ensure that minority voting power is not substantially modified.

See the City staff report here. And if you want to do your own redistricting, Dave's Redistricting Application is an example of a basic web-based redistricting application that includes Census block groups. With the City's legal bills mounting with the Avila lawsuit, trash station theater, and other issues, I would doubt that the City Attorney would recommend to invite more legal troubles. But you never know.

strategic gluttony for the win

Just because I'm 367 miles from Pomona doesn't mean I've changed my reading habits. And that includes the pseudo-blog (pseudo because it's actually professional, unlike any blog I've ever been involved with) LA Observed. And today's LA Observed points us to an amazing work of, yes, scholarship:

Sarah at The Delicious Life made a spreadsheet of all of Jonathan Gold's Essential 99 annual columns. It is a thing of wonderment.

Now, I realize that not all of y'all can get outside of our little corner of the West Inland Empire very often, and not all of y'all are big foodies, but surely some of you are and will appreciate this -- or maybe even make use of it. Pasadena is fairly well represented on the list, and most everyone I know ends up having to go to Pasadena at some point.

(BTW, I'll point out that one of the restaurants booted from the Essential 99 list, Zelo Pizza in Arcadia, is just as good as it always was. Meg-Bob and K-Bob say, Check it out!)

Claim for damages

20111101_091101_Avila_claim

Maltese Falcon--Sunday at 2:00 pm

 

  Sunday Nov. 13
The Maltese Falcon  

Friends of the Pomona Fox in association with the Pomona Big Read 
THIS Sunday, November 13       

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

The Maltese Falcon

       

Doors open at 1:00 pm -- Film Screens at 2:00 pm 
 

1941 Directed by John Huston. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook, Jr., Gladys George, Barton McLane, and Lee Patrick.

TICKETS: Adults $5, Children $3

The Maltese Falcon is considered a classic of the Film Noir genre. With a screenplay by director John Huston, based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, the film tells the story of hard-boiled detect, played to perfection by Humphrey Bogart, in search of the elusive black bird, "The stuff that dreams are made of." For the past year the citizens of Pomona have been encouraged to read the same book, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

The Big Read program is put on by the Pomona Public Library with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This screening of the classic 1941 film is the culmination of a month of events inspired by the book. A murder mystery dinner, a trivia contest, a Chalk Art contest are but some of the events of Pomona's Big Read program. The program has included discussions by individuals who have been associated with detective literature including authors Denise Hamilton, Judith Freeman, Tom Nolan, Patt Morrison, Hector Tobar, and Gary Phillips, as well as Hammett's Granddaughter, Julie Rivett.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Discussion following the film with Denise Hamilton author of Los Angeles Noir, Los Angeles Noir 2, and her latest Damage Control. Denise will discuss the impact of authors like Hammett on the detective film and the Noir genre in particular. Denise will also be available to sign her books. Books will be available for purchase. Sorry, not credit cards (there is an ATM in the theater lobby)

Thanks to our Sponsors for helping to make this program possible:

Food and Beverages at the Pomona Fox

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

Friends of the Pomona Fox operates a concession stand at all of our programs which provides a selection of Popcorn, cold sodas, and candy favorites. For more "Adult" options, Drink, the bar just off the theater lobby, will be open with a full-service bar and a menu of tapas items all of which can be taken into the theater for your enjoyment.

After the Movie

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

We invite you to head to any of the fine establishments in our downtown area, including our sponsor, dba256 Wine Bar as well as 2nd on Second Street Bistro, Vive, Joey's BBQ, Fox Sports Bar. For more information on the amenities in Downtown Pomona, visit the DPOA's web site, MetroPomona.com Please walk around our historic downtown. 

What do you make of this?...

The following request for support appeared in my inbox last night. I find it upsetting for many reasons, in particular: the assumption PD must have done something wrong, the expectation that people would blindly protest something they don't (can't) have any real information about, and the scattered, illogical narrative. What do you make of this?...

On 11/6/2011 8:37 PM, [name removed] wrote:

The family of Andres Avila, a 26 year old student and activist at Mt. SAC was shot and killed by Pomona Police on October 16th at 8:40 am. The family says he was asleep in his car with his girlfriend when he was approached and shot by a Pomona police officer. The family was not contacted for several hours after the shooting. Witnesses said that the officer who shot Andres was the same officer that Andres had filed a complaint against for use of excessive force in early July when the officer used a taser on Andres while he was handcuffed on the ground. The official police comment was that Andres was being uncooperative, and therefore he was shot and killed.

Tomorrow evening, Monday November 7th at Pomona City Hall the family of Andres will be speaking at the city hall meeting, asking for an investigation into Andres' death by a neutral party. They will be putting pressure on the Pomona Police Dept. and attempting to garner support for Andres to prevent the incident from being swept under the rug.

The family is asking for support at the city hall council meeting TOMORROW NOV 7th at 6PM. If there is not sufficient support, the investigation will most likely be dropped. Please Please Please let me know if you can go to support the family and please forward this email widely. Pomona City Hall is located at the corner of Garey and Mission in pomona.

We need to support our local community. Thank you

Rod Gilfry sings locally

Our local boy turned World Class performer is giving a concert in Claremont. Here's a chance to see him before he whirls off again to Paris and Dallas. He will present a romantic, humorous, family-friendly concert with New York music director Christopher Denny, that includes opera, standards, songs from classic musicals and much more!"

You can get more info at www.claremontfoundation.org/index.cfm .

Proceeds will support CCF’s 2012 Community Impact and Arts grants programs in the local area.

See you there?

LizBeth

Joe Romero update

Good news, everyone! (That's for the Futurama fans out there.)

Joe Romero's sister wrote me this morning with an update about his recovery from his stroke. She writes:

He is currently at Country Oaks Care Center in Pomona (recovering slowly, but recovering....). Here is his mailing address; he is so cheered by knowing he is not forgotten!

Joe Romero
8 Village Loop Rd
Suite D, #205
Pomona, CA 91766

I made sure to get her permission -- and she got Joe's permission -- to print his address here. I'm sure he'd love to get cards from well-wishers!

She added that we were welcome to contact her with questions, and I propose posting them here. If she's not reading the blog, then I'll forward them to her.

Go, Joe!

liberry closure?

Word on the street is that the public library will be closed this saturday "for an event." This "event" may well be the Nazi rally planned -- the thinking being that the fewer people near City Hall, the better all round (which makes sense to me).

This is just through the grapevine, though. If any of you more-knowledgeable folks can confirm or deny, I'm sure we'd all like to know. In any case, make sure and call before you head down to the library on saturday!

The pic of the library, btw, is from a postcard, which I found on sale online for three whole dollars, via an image search on "Pomona public library." Unfortunately, all the sales material actually says "Pamona." Dang, I hate that.

wzup?

Calwatch and sgvscanner both tweeted last night about some kind of police-related excitement south of Emerson Middle School. Anybody know what happened? The Daily Bulletin's only coverage of our fair town involves further belt-tightening at City Hall (sigh).

locoblogging

As some of you know, K. and I are moving north, to San Jose (don't worry, M-M-M-My Pomona isn't going anywhere!). I have accordingly been browsing around SJ blogs, to see what the blogging scene is like up there (and yes, I'm considering starting up a M-M-M-My San Jose, although I'll certainly need a catchier name -- suggestions welcome).

San Jose has a few more blogs than Pomona does, although not by much -- which is impressive given that their population is 946,000 and ours is a mere 149,000, according to the 2010 census. One of those blogs is particularly interesting. It consists of open threads in which anybody can post comments -- which are limited to 77 words and are all in verse. The effect is a public poetry wall about the city. Don't you think we need something like that? Pomona doesn't have a lot going for it -- or so it seems sometimes -- but creativity is something have by the bargeload.

I then got to wondering, as one does, about why 77 words. Why not 79 or 67? Dinking around on the web, it looks like 77 words is some kind of meme, but it's not definable enough to locate an explanation or source. Wikipedia is no help. Can anyone cast more light on the question?

never mind the barricades

If you follow sgvscanner on Twitter* or read the San Gabriel Tribune, you already know this, but the US Nazi party is planning a rally in front of City Hall next Saturday. You'll recall they pulled a similar prank last year in Claremont.

The widely-agreed-upon response is to counterdemonstrate -- to let them know that their views are unacceptable. But I'm of a different mind, myself. I prefer to ignore their little antics, to get across the message that they are beneath our notice (as they are). By all means, have ample police on hand (not just for public safety but also to convey the idea that they are a menace thereunto), but let the civilians keep calm and carry on.

Mind you, this isn't a blanket opinion; crackpot movements should be loudly and publicly objected to when they start to take hold. (If only I'd been alive in the run up to 1919, I would have demonstrated against Prohibition at the top of my lungs!) But enacting the battle plan at this point against the Nazis -- esp. in Pomona -- is just giving them delusions, to say nothing of catering to their fondest wishes. After all, you don't see them marching in [fill in the blank with a town known for its vile ethnic opinions].


*How many of M-M-M-My Pomona's fine readers are on Twitter too? I recommend the aforementioned @sgvscanner, and our own @calwatch is to be found there too. You can even read my own bleatings -- rarely about Pomona -- at @mmwwah. Any other suggestions of tweeting Pomoniacs?

this, that, and the other

Why am I not surprised that the mj dispensary closed down yesterday was connected with Jason Abboud?

I was downtown yesterday, and a friend who is a business owner told me that the city is going ahead with the plan to put in parking meters everywhere and upping the amount charged for resident parking, all in order to fund a new parking garage for Western. Frankly, this sounds like it's going to seriously injure the fragile ecosystem of our wonderful downtown. So sad.

Finally, Blogger just now informed me of some old comments held as spam -- even though I check the spam folder regularly. For those of you wondering where the hell that comment went, blame Blogger. And for those of you who are wondering why there are brand-new comments from a year ago -- well, blame Blogger!

Trash station theater

It's a classic kabuki theater in five parts... and the second act is ongoing as the Planning Commission just continued their meeting on the proposed Pomona Valley Transfer Station to October 26 at a time after 7:00 p.m. I tweeted the last hour of the meeting when I got there.

The first act in kabuki is to introduce the players - Valley Vista Services, owned by regional power player and Mayor of the City of Industry, David Perez, coming into town promising jobs and a way to respinsibly handle the region's trash without putting them on trucks to the Puente Hills landfill, and the surrounding community, organized successfully by education and faith leaders concerned about economic, environmental, and health impacts of the station. Add the wrinkle that the expansion of the city's existing trash station was stopped through a lawsuit filed by a "Coalition for Environmental Justice"... which mysteriously has decided to support the 9th Street proposal. Of course, the owners of the existing trash station have gone on record opposing the new station, miffed that the City Council rejected not just their project, but failed to certify their Final Environmental Impact Report - unprecedented in the City of Pomona and may be unprecedented countywide (you can certify the EIR without approving the project). Not that there isn't a legal grudge match between the two already.

Now comes the second act and the Planning Commission. You have the players on the dais - some earnest in trying to keep order and civility like Denton Mosier, some with pointed but relevant questions like Arturo Jimenez, and others who apparently return barbs from the audience like Robert Torres. Others grouse about the time this is taking, but they are not going to abdicate their position from the throne - not now.

Also in the foreground are the community members gamely taking their three minutes - and then some - to express any and all of their concerns about the project. Some use the EIR as a jumping point to raise health concerns (all documented in the EIR, and correctly described as requiring a Statement of Overriding Considerations to overrule), others raise image concerns (never mind the fact that Santa Monica, Downey, and Beverly Hills all have them), a few raise questions of statistical validity and disparate impacts to minority communities, and others speak from a position of passion and emotion about the impact of corporations and outsiders on their community that they have lived and worked in for many years. Surprisingly absent are those who support the project, but in reality at this stage their participation is optional.

In the background are the attorneys, who have insisted that the second act last multiple days, other items be damned - because the lawsuit about expanding the existing trash station (described above) questioned the judgment of unpaid commissioners making decisions at 3 am in the morning. Therefore, in order to preserve the rights to end this play at a date certain, each act must also close on a date and time certain. So the meeting ends at 11 pm because the Brown Act said so, and they put the time on the agenda so that they couldn't be sued about accessibility to the public in the future. And so the participants must trudge to each recitation again and again. A decision will be made - what it is will be irrelevant, because then we move to the third act.

The third act is the inevitable appeal to the City Council. Anyone can appeal, and the proponents having spent thousands of dollars on environmental documents will certainly do so. And the opponents, having at least one sympathetic council member, will also do so. The appeal will be scheduled on a Monday evening. Hundreds of people will speak up against the project. The supporters, feeling that this will be the final decision maker, will suddenly rise up and demand to be heard themselves. They'll wear hardhats promising high paying construction jobs, and state that the increase in traffic on local streets will be negligible, and tout their commitment to green construction practices and green transportation methods. They'll come up with economic studies showing the impact of the project, and regional power players will show up to lend their weight, in front of the microphone and behind the scenes.

And because of the attorneys, and the number of players, this will continue - night after night. (If it doesn't, one from the audience will surely object that they had to get up at 6 am to work the next day, or they're a student who is violating the city curfew ordinance by watching government in action, or complain that a good decision was never made at 3 am in the morning. And they might be right.)

Each one of the seven council members on the dais will also speak their peace. A vote will be taken. Each member will make their own calculation to support or deny, based on the evidence printed, testimony provided, and future positions desired. It will likely be 4-2 or 4-3 (depending on whether they can rule Stephen Atchley, by virtue of his investments in the waste handling industry, has an ability to participate).

And regardless of the decision, we move on to Act Four. This becomes a campaign issue in the 2012 elections. The pro trash station side will attract contributions from throughout the region, showing that Pomona is a business friendly community that respects private property rights. The anti trash station side will have their boots on the ground, their union labor, and the respect afforded to leaders in faith communities. Recall papers are filed and served, mailers are delivered to homes, doors are knocked upon. Attorneys are hired and lawsuits served. Maybe even a ballot measure or two gets added. The necessary pitched battle occurs.

The fifth act is "always short, providing a quick and satisfying conclusion." Either the trash station opens, the people that can move move, and more affordable housing is added to the city. Or the trash station doesn't open, and David Perez waves the white flag and expands his existing facility, handling our region's needs while adding more trucks onto the Pomona Freeway. Just like with the original MRF facility in the early 2000's, or the casinos in the 90's, life goes on - until the next controversy.

say it ain't so, Joe!

Anon. posted in a comment on the last post news that I thought you'd all want to know: Our own Joe Romero -- former police chief and lifelong Pomoniac -- suffered a stroke and is hospitalized. We here at M-M-M-My Pomona wish him a speedy and complete recovery, and we invite you all to post any updates you might have in the comments.

I can't remember the exact GI Joe battle cry... wasn't it something like "Yo, Joe!" Anyway, as the Quakers say, I am holding Joe Romero in the light until I hear he's out of the woods.

singing a different tune

I'm not deeply involved in the issue, but I could not help but roll my eyes when I read in the DB that last night's trash transfer station meeting ended at 11pm without the public having an opportunity to speak. Am I the only one wincing? I sure hope not.

Repertory Opera Company, Pomona's Opera Company,
launches its third season in Pomona with Verdi's stirring masterpiece, Il Trovatore.

Saturdays, October 1, 8 and 15 at 2 pm; and
Wednesday, October 5 at 7 pm.

Performances are at First Christian Church; 1751 N. Park Ave, Pomona, CA 91768


Verdi's Il Trovatore is an opera that defines what opera is. Find out why it's been hot since it debuted in 1853! Consuming love, consuming revenge, fear and obsession bring us the hits (think, Anvil Chorus) that opera is famous for. Be there for the magic!

Wildly popular since its first performance, Il Trovatore's music entertain you with gloriously rich melodies and thrilling coloratura cadenzas. It features one of the most spectacular tenor arias ever written, fiery and dramatic solos for the mezzo-soprano and a couple of Verdi's signature, achingly beautiful baritone arias. Not to mention the famous Anvil Chorus, sung by the gypsies around the campfire. The music throughout communicates intense emotions, vulnerability, self-sacrificial love and passionate ardor.

Tickets are $30
www.repertoryoperacompany.org
(909) 230-4949

with Brian Farrell on the piano
This production is double cast:

Coril Prochnow and Lindsay Feldmeth as Leonora;
James Salazar and Steve Moritsugu as Manrico;
Debbie Dey and LizBeth Lucca as Azucena;
Raul Matas as the Count di Luna;
Sean Hughes and Mark Palmer as Ferrando;
Eddie Sayles and Jonathan Tran as Ruiz
Lawren Donahue and Rachel Payne as Inez

www.repertoryoperacompany.org

Opera Cafe Monday Night

Repertory Opera Company is restarting OPERA NIGHT in downtown Pomona. The new owners at 2nd on Second St. An American Bistro are now hosting this entertainment tradition on the second Monday of every month.

So this Monday, September 12, bring your appetites and your toes for tappin', because the amazing singers from Repertory Opera Company will sing their hearts out with your supper.

Albert is promising a great meatball for a pasta buffet with spaghetti and meatballs, vegetable garlic bread, salad, tea and lemonade. All this for $20 plus tax and tip. You can make reservations by calling Repertory Opera Company at (909) 230-4949. If you would like to be put on the mailing list for these musical evening, email LizBeth at lizbethlucca@gmail.com.

More music!

Rebel Without A Cause & Car Show

Sunday, August 28

Friends of the Pomona Fox
presents a Vintage Car Show and Screening of:

Rebel Without A Cause

Car Show starts at 1:00 pm
Directly across the street from the theater

Doors open at 2:00 pm, Film Screens at 3:00 pm

Sponsored by:

Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments. The film has achieved landmark status for the acting of cultural icon James Dean (who died before the film's release) in his most celebrated role. In 1990, Rebel Without a Cause was added to the preserved films of the United States Library of Congress's National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The story of a rebellious teenager, who arrives at a new high school, meets a girl, disobeys his parents and defies the local school bullies was a groundbreaking attempt to portray the moral decay of American youth, critique parental style, and explore the differences and conflicts between generations. The title was adopted from psychiatrist Robert M. Lindner's 1944 book, Rebel Without a Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath. The film itself, however, does not reference Lindner's book in any way.

Warner Bros. released the film on October 27, 1955, less than one month after Dean's fatal car crash.

Source: Wikipedia

  

Refreshments at our snack bar. Alcoholic beverages and light appetizers available at Drink, accessible from the theater lobby. Food and drinks may be brought into the theater.

Online, tickets will be available at the Will-Call door at the theater.

Prices:	Adults $8.00
	Children 12 and under $3.00

No Sopranos or Tenors Allowed!

Saturday, July 2 at 5 pm
ROC is presenting a most unique concert

The Manly Men of Opera!

Its rare to have even two basses in a concert. Here we have gathered eight of the richest, deepest, smoothest bass voices and presented them in one extravaganza.

For tickets or more information go to
www.repertoryoperacompany.org