“Newly released Nixon tapes inside.”
ArcadiaWEEKLY V
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THURSDAY, JUNE 25 - JULY 1, 2009 VOLUME 14, NO.51
MONROVIA COUNCIL ADOPTS AUSTERE BUDGET CUTTING EMPLOYEES, PROGRAMS
City Manager: Sierra Madre Has No Surplus
Monrovia’s City Council has adopted a balanced but austere two-year budget that cuts employees and trims programs in the face of continued revenue losses due to the national economic downturn. The Council, in a unanimous vote Tuesday, June 16, closed a potential $2.6 million gap in the budget caused primarily by decreasing sales tax revenues. As many as 22 current City jobs are being eliminated, including a round of layoffs this month that cut four positions on top of the 10 spots that were either eliminated or not filled during the past two years. In addition, 12 current employees are taking an earlyretirement buyout between now and October. Their positions will not be filled. Other cuts will come through attrition, and some currently open spots will not be filled. The City is still negotiating with employee associations, seeking changes in labor contracts that will provide additional savings and com-
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Newly Reconciled Accounts and Echoes of the Real Estate Boom Boosted Apparent Bottom Line in One-Time Adjustment Surplus on 3
Officers go through a street vendor’s cart before confiscating the cart when the man was found cutting fruit. According to city officials, this is health code violation effectively puts this vendor out of business. - Photo by Terry Miller
The Pasadena Police, responding to complaints of illegal street vendors, or those with insufficient permits, executed a sweep Saturday to determine if said street vendors were licensed and had the appropriate health certificates to conduct business within the city limits. Despite the cool, rainy weather Police did manage
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Elaine Aguilar, Sierra Madre City Manager, discusses the city budget at Tuesday evening’s regular city council meeting. Photo by Terry Miller
Pasadena Police and Health Dept. Conduct Illegal Vendor Sweep
to find several street vendors who did not come up to compliance with the laws. When police approached a vendor at Washington Park, they noticed he was cutting fruit and was not permitted to do so. He was therefore in violation of the municipal code and faces a fine of up to $1000 and had his cart con-
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Local Physicians Push for Health Care Reform with Event this Weekend Earlier this month Ellin and Harry Lieberman hosted a full house of OFA activists at their home in South Pasadena to discuss healthcare reform. That June 8th meeting sparked lively discussion on types of healthcare reform, with many attendees sharing personal stories of health care and health insurance nightmares. This Saturday marks the widely publicized the rollout of President Obama’s National Health Care Day of Service, part of his Organizing for America program, in which Mr. Obama has called upon legions of grassroots supporters who helped him win the Whitehouse to help once again by hosting and participating in healthcare reform related events all across the country. The Liebermans, who were instrumental in the local, grassroots campaign last November, are now spearheading this next phase of the movement by hosting another event this Saturday in Pasadena. According to Dr Ellin
Lieberman, this weekend is a chance for Americans to turn the page and move toward meaningful and long overdue health care reform. “The legislation is being crafted in Congress – both houses. The House of Representatives began their Committee deliberations on June 23rd and will continue until all committees finish
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ARCADIA MUNICIPAL WORKERS REDUCE CITY BUDGET DEFICIT In response to the city’s concerning budget shortfall, Arcadia’s police officers, firefighters, and other municipal employees have conceded to reduce their annual salaries and forgo certain health benefits, a move that city officials hope will significantly reduce the deficit. Arcadia is not the first city to implement such a policy. In light of the state’s financial crisis, cities across California have resorted to cutting the salaries of municipal employees in order to close gaping budget gaps, often against the adamant protests of worker unions. In the case of Arcadia, city employees met the salary deferral proposal with amicability, peaceably consenting to assist the council’s efforts in eliminating the gap in the recently passed $48 million budget. City Manager Don Penman approached the four city employee unions—the Arcadia Police Officers’ Association (APOA), the Arcadia Firefighters’ Association (AFA),
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Costly Routine New District Maintenance in Ranger for Angeles National Forest Sierra Madre BY MORGAN CARPENTER
Ellin Lieberman, MD -Photo by Terry Miller
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The Sierra Madre City Council awarded a contract to the Carbon Activated Corporation for the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Replacement Project as part of Sierra Madre’s water filter system. The system constructed in 2005 to remove traces of ground water contamination. This is the first replacement of the system since its construction. Bruce Inman, the Director of Public Works, called the project “a costly, routine maintenance item”. Despite its heavy cost - weighing in at $153,000 - Sierra Madre has “actually been fortunate”, according to Inman. He says this replacement has been budgeted annually since 2005, but it is the first time that Sierra Madre has had to actually replace the GAC component.
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Bob Blount begins this month as one of three district rangers on the Angeles National Forest. In his new position, Blount will oversee operations on the Santa Clara-Mojave Rivers Ranger District, which stretches from Interstate 5 between Castaic and Pyramid Lake, east to Wrightwood, CA, on the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains. The area encompasses 370,000 acres of public lands, much of it bordering on the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley and Wrightwood. Blount is a graduate of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and is a decorated Fire Cont rol, Safety and Weapons Officer in the United States Navy. After nine years of active duty, including tours in Vietnam, Blount spent most of his career in the real estate business. He also obtained a post graduate degree from
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