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VANGUARD
Weekly News
Week of January 22, 2006
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VANGUARD
Weekly News
Week of January 22, 2006
HEADLINE NEWS:
Published independently by Vanguard -Our vision is to live in a City where all people, regardless of geography, background or economic status, can enjoy accountability, integrity, effectiveness and responsiveness from our elected officials and each of the city's departments
CONTENTS:
1)
Council
2) Commentary
3) This just in!
4) Public Service Announcements,
Calendar, CPRA responses
5) Letters & Quotes
6) Vanguard Meetings
7) Contributions
1. Council - January 24, 2006
Council-- Click for Agenda
1:00 PM Closed Session - We'll find out when we get the bill!
2:30 PM Special Session to approve requests to Fed.
6:00 PM - Law firm retained to fix Standard Construction Contracts. Only $26K (to start) The proposal should be read by all, especially
pages 2-4.
8d -
Conversion Density waiver for condos at: 411 Palm, 334 E
Redevelopment Agency - Agenda
2:30 PM - Nothing other that a fast pay check
Housing Authority - Agenda
2:30 PM — Closed Session on eminent domain
If the RDA & HA only met when there were agenda items, the annual savings would be about $50,000.
2. Commentary
You may agree or disagree with the views below. Feel free to comment on them.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why does the Council need to have a 2003 Jeep Wrangler assigned to them when they already get car allowances? City manager Starbird said - 1) The Council doesn't have a Jeep Wrangler, it belongs to Parks and Recreation, 2) if it shows on the inventory list, it will be changed. City inventory records indicate that Vehicle # V06007 is a Jeep Wrangler that is assigned to City Council, license #1164156
Claims against the City:
People who feel that they have had a loss that was caused by or through the agency of the City may file a claim with the City Clerk for recovery of damages, for instance, a power surge burning up electronic equipment, a tree limb falling on your car, a trip and fall on city walks, failure to provide accommodations required under the American's with Disabilities Act. The City may approve the claim and work out a satisfactory settlement or it may deny the claim. The latter allows the claimant the opportunity to sue. A review of claims indicates that the City is making itself very vulnerable to sending these matters to litigation. But as the public we only know when the Council reports out of CLOSED SESSION that 'a claim was denied, or a settlement in the amount of $XXX was agreed upon."
Our review indicated that the losses and claims are not a learning experience for the City as they keep happening. The City is mostly self-insured for the claims and the lawsuit judgments and settlements.
Vanguard Predicts: There
will be some very serious litigation on
Vanguard was the only member of the public standing up for finding new resources to pay for the Council's land indulgence rather than raiding the reserves. Statements made to Council follow:
"Mayor, Council, Staff I am Barry Allen for Vanguard
The reserve policy was established once upon a time at, I believe, 50%. Then it eroded to 35%. Now you are being asked to drop it to 30%. Now I understand that we need to find the money to pay for our land indulgence. Maybe how to pay for it should have been considered when the land was purchased during closed sessions of the Council. Maybe staff should be sent back to see how some of the $200 million in payroll could be trimmed to buy this property. Maybe the budget should contain a set amount to buy open space each year. The reserves have been so decimated that the things we the people need take a back seat to a council legacy of how much more can be taken from the reserves.
Have the people spoken? Do we really need these 80 acres? How will it be used? Are there funds available so that the people will have safe access? Maybe there should have been a public hearing on the necessity of this acquisition? I don't recall any. Ask yourselves: Is this purchase a financial necessity for the people? Or has it just been a windfall for the sellers, according to news reports, are building affordable housing projects in another city?"
Stop being treated like a
TAKE ACTION - GET INVOLVED Join a Vanguard Committee --
Vanguard establishes two committees. If you would like to serve on either committee, please contact us. ► Vision Committee creating a workable vision & plan for the City. The committee will answer the question of what the
City will look like in the coming years.
Public Safety Committee - Police, Fire and Medical Emergency. A viable solution to increasing public safety presence
while saving the city millions.
► GET YOUR OWN Electronic, sortable Excel Spread Sheet of Campaign Contributions.
See for yourself the numbers.
Trace the threads. Follow the trail. Only $100 for over 800
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Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This Just In:
Excerpts from CFAC Article on Brown Act Suit
"There must be limits on local governments' use of closed sessions to settle suits. The litigation loophole represents a potentially huge delegation of governing authority from the political process - where decisions must be made openly by representatives who are accountable to voters - to the legal process, which is shrouded in the secrecy of the attorney-client privilege, confidential meetings in judges1 "chambers11 and court records sealed from public view.
And because legislative bodies will often prefer secrecy when addressing a controversial issue, you donft have to be a conspiracy enthusiast to imagine your local city council or board of supervisors fabricating a lawsuit purely as pretext for excluding the public from their deliberations.
The
temptation is great. It's so much easier, of course, for politicians to
make public policy without having to contend with the public. But that's not
the political process envisioned by
Find missing money in the 50 states - It is possible to find money that is owed you or your business. When checks are returned undeposited, the payment is made to the State. They don't look for you. You must contact them. The link prides a quick way to check.
From LA Daily News: Burbank Planning Board Member booted for having an undisclosed conflict of interest in a matter before the Commission For full article
First televised long range planning program adjourned early. According to City Hall sources that wish to remain anonymous, there was a lack of callers. Maybe they were watching Larry Zarian as he interviewed a well-known Council critic. Was CM Quintero prescient? He was not on the dais.
4. Public Service Announcements
♦:♦ Non-profit needs automobiles in running condition to be used by a charity in exchange for tax-deduction letter and form 8283.
♦;♦ Donate your working Windows computers to non-profit for tax deduction.
Changes in Tax Laws:
When donating a car check to see if the car will be resold or used for the mission of the charity. If it is used by the charity then your deduction is the Full Market Value of the vehicle. Check out donating stock instead of proceeds.
♦> Non-profit community groups need
donated meeting space in
♦> A Security Consultant (CPP) and a Business Management Consultant (CMC) will donate10% of revenues to non-profit organizations as a result of business generated through the Vanguard weekly news. Learn how-to build your business profitability - add sales and reduce expenses - strategic planning, add new markets and communicate your success. Then protect your assets. Call Vanguard.
Both Consultants have years of experience in their field. You can make your business profitable and protect your assets!!
Save these Dates
Police Department provided names and affiliations of the members of the Police Advisory Committee. They are available through Vanguard.
City provided requested security contract for City Hall. Actually it is for a receptionist and will cost the City over $20 an hour for the second year of the contract.
The City provided a list of their vehicular assets. Some assets are missing from the list. No wonder the outside auditor questioned the City on that issue.
Regarding the Beeline Bus Operation: The policies and procedures for handling the fare collection from the fare box
through the counting process including 2005 logs of fares collected and the names of people (employees, contractors and
others) that are present during the collection and counting procedures.
City Reply: Please be advised that there are no records responsive to your request below.
[MV Transportation takes the cash and then gives the City credit with the monthly bill. Trust but NO ACCOUNTABILITY!!
An educated guess is about $50K per month is in the fare boxes.]
5. Letters & Quotes: --
ED NOTE: The opinions in this section are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Vanguard. This op-ed section represents the pulse of the people. Please note that only initials are used for your anonymity.
We get a number of emails on a variety of topics. Regrettably we cannot publish them all. Once the website is established, they will be posted there. A number of people object to the content of the letters. Vanguard chooses not to censor the letters, as they are representative of the community and the feelings of those that live here.
Re: Police to pay for own "bullet proof" vests.
Management wants police to help pay for their own protective vests? Before the council starts to debate on this item I suggest that they look under the dais and read the fine print on the insulating material there..."Ballistic Panel." Yep, it's
true, there is ballistic paneling (i.e. bullet proofing) hiding under the dais protecting council members and staff from....... ???
How much did the council(s) and staff help pay for this item?
If they can find the money for ballistic paneling on the dais, to protect themselves from the outraged citizens, they should certainly have no problem finding money to protect police officers from crazed criminals.
Further, I find it hard to believe that the police department can find funding to stage elaborate crosswalk stings with the likes of the Easter bunny, but can't find any money to protect their own officers from real life threats.
Something is very wrong with this picture. DW
I obviously missed this in the Glendale NP. Unfortunately, I will be out of town on the 17th. What would MORE than pay for these vests would have been the ridiculous amount of money spent for that real-time system to tell people when the next bus is to arrive...so all those riders can access the info on their PDAs when they are waiting for the bus! I keep wondering who Mr. Najarian, who promoted this, received a campaign contribution from to encourage him to award this contract. Might be interesting to see if there is any connection. SS
[Vanguard spoke about this issue. Police officers get a uniform allowance and this money comes from there. So if you see an officer whose uniform is dirty, he probably spent his allowance on a vest.]
Statement by Vanguard to Council on vests:
"Mayor Council Staff I am Barry Allen for Vanguard
I was appalled that City Staff proposed that you vote on the consent calendar to have 44 police officers pay for their own ballistics vests through a matching with Federal money. Where are the priorities? These vests are for the dedicated men and woman who protect us while we work, play and sleep.
A small sum. About $17,000. One month's salary of the City manager, the value of the Jeep Wrangler assigned to the city council. 40% of the GMA political contribution to the city council. If each city employee would give $10 then that would be way more than enough.
This
is not
OK
let's forget the nice stuff. Let me speak to the economics. Where is risk
management?
I understand the officers get a uniform allowance for the care and replacement of their clothing. It should not be for their safety equipment.
Let us get our priorities straight."
I sleep so much better at night knowing that the government is checking to see how much porn I have looked at on the
Internet.
RA
6. Vanguard Meetings:
The word is getting out
about Vanguard, the Vision and the
7. Thanks
to those who have sent their checks in. Your financial support will help keep
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