Vanguard

Weekly News

Week of February 5, 2006

City of Glendale, CA

HEADLINE NEWS: It takes pull to get into City Hall - Unless You Use the Backdoor

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)       Announcements, Calendar

5)               Vanguard Meetings

6)       Contributions

1       Council-Feb.7, 2006

Council-  Click for Agenda                                                                  It takes PULL to get into City Hall

1:00 PM   Closed Session - We'll find out when we get the bill!                  unless you use the back door!

6:00 PM 8a - Camino San Rafael slope repair

 '       Ci         HU        I       '         V

Redevelopment Agency _ Agenda

2:30 PM - Nothing other that a fast pay check                ?                         ■*

Housing Authority - Agenda

2:30 PM - Nothing other that a fast pay check

If the RDA & HA only met when there were agenda items, the annual savings would be about $50,000. Overheard at a meeting: "Vanguard wants to know why we have RDA and HA meetings with zip on the agenda. We have to be at City Hall anyway on Tuesday so we may as well be paid for it."

CM Najarian claims he found the City Council Jeep. Now that he has the license number (provided by Vanguard as a result of a CPRA request) he can recheck. There are 7 of the Jeep Wranglers.

2.       Commentary

You may agree or disagree with the views below. Feel free to comment on them.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Does the City have a policy for after hour's entrance to the City Hall complex?

Personal Initiative: John Lee spoke at City Council last week about the lack of mirrors in the rest rooms at the Glendale Train Station. They were taken down because of graffiti. John bought a mirror and hung it one evening. The next morning it had been taken down by security and stored for John to retrieve. Does the City really need to stomp on personal initiative? Wouldn't it be better to applaud such actions?

Compensation Committee - Sarbanes-Oxley is the law that requires accountability from public corporations. One facet requires a compensation committee to be established that does not have ANY personal vested interest in the outcome. - What if the City had a compensation committee, one that is selected by lottery and not by management or the Council so as to provide fairness to both the firefighters and the taxpayers?

Coming up this summer is the renewal of the firefighters ddnfr^cti tiast contract gave them a 20+% raise. Their employee association contributed $16,500 to those elected to the Gbtiihcilin April. Scton City management will be starting the negotiations to give raises to the firefighters. You and I will not be able to even listen to the negotiations. After the fact we will be told that the contract has been signed and that the cost of labor will go up. We, the people, need to participate in

this process. With people costs approaching 1/2 of the SQIS.OPO.OOObgqlgetthe City will not be able to live within its means. Call your CM today. Tell him you want accountability.and to stop giving away the store.

Steve Lopez on pension reform: "Now there's even less of a chance for honest leadership, fjeraus^ nS ?* • • -"^k.j    <*-.

. -i nme when no politician dares speak the truth, especially if if means risking donations from public ^mplo\»v; nw-r - -,

■ \-r.;i-r/V'hile, evidence is mounting across ne state that we're.headed for disaster as the bills cone fl.io on n!; Tl Car.r-v , uii: oment plans out there.'  Click for full story

Elected officials running for another office: Gus Gomez - City Council to Judge; Ara Najarian - GCC to City Council; Paul Krekorian - Burbank School Board to Candidate for 43rd Assembly; Frank Quintero - City Council to Candidate for 43rd Assembly. Dave Weaver and Bob Yousefian - City Council AND serve on Airport Commission. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get ahead and do community service. However, each of these people promised to serve one constituency, the one that voted for them. Let's discuss CM Weaver and Yousefian first. Their self-appointment to the Airport Commission has come into direct conflict with the elected role as council members. There have been several council meetings they were not able to attend due to airport business. Time to change that. With Quintero and Krekorian: Should they have to give up their present elected seats while they stump for election? Should the campaigning last only 6 weeks as it does in England? The two candidates for Dario Frommer's seat have already raised in the neighborhood or $1/2M.

Rail Crossing at Pelanconi: Was it necessary to discuss^this issu^ in a closed session? This matter needs to be shared
with the entire community as it affects all of us. Patrick ^sihius^certe^                more open that the City Government.

Long Range Planning (LRP): "Tell us your Priorities," means that each of us has to select from priorities that have been pre-selected. Members of the community that dared to challenge have been told that they are too knowledgeable and should not participate, or words to that effect by one CM and another suggested that the results of his table (at an LRP program) shouldn't be counted. Shame on the City and shame on those council members for this sham.

c        .           Stop being treated like a

TAKE ACTION - GET INVOLVED Join a Vanguard Committee --

Vanguard establishes 3 committees. If you would like to serve on a committee, please contact us. Vanguard has had requests for a Land Use Committee and a Mobility Committee.      i •, s \ •. • •

Vision Committee

What will Glendale lopj^ like in.lQ^P'jgtr .50 years? This is an oppQrtunity,to give youf Jnput ^sjp YOl) R vision for our City.

Public Safety Committee

There are changing needs in the community that will irnpact public safety (Police, Fire, Paramedics, Disaster Preparation). This committee looks at resources and needs and wiljplgqe them before the people. Your input is needed.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Committee

ADA compliance is one of the most important needs for oijf agiinig population. It was a forgotten issue on the Long Range Planning sessions. It is a forgotten element in the City Hall facilities! There are only 3 handicap parking spaces at the City

Hall garage. Only one of them allows accessibility to City Hall.

We need Vanguard to help retrieve information and share it. In order to do that, Vanguard needs YOUR financial support!!

Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This Just In:                                                                           u \{)

Alex Theater allegedly violates ADA. Lawsuit follows denial of claim by City. For full story from GNP click here. For story behind the story...become a Vanguard Supporter. Vanguard predicted this situation via the Crystal Ball

A MORR study notes that the state's redevelopment agencies consume 10% of all state tax dollars, have racked up about $56 billion in debt and have used eminent domain to gobble up privately owned land for hotels, malls and big-box retailers. Not only can municipalities create these redevelopment agencies without direct voter approval, the agencies can incur debt without a thumbs-up from voters.   Read complete LA Times Article herfe

The latest on Disney campus from the LA Business Journal — Read it all here
4.             Announcements

Save the Date

Feb. 22 7PM Central Library: Denise Nicholas Freshwater Road

Help your Glendale business grow. A free consultation with an award winning business consultant, Click here for a FREE
consultation.                                                             '     rL       :      -    :

Retailers, Business Owners - it doesn't take much to protect your assets from theft. Click here for a FREE security consultation

_________________________     VANGUARD SUPPORTER'S ONLY!__________________

Real Story behind the Alex Theater ADA Complaint       /

What CM voted on two issues in which he has a financial interest that could be affected by his vote?

California Public Records Act request and response - After hours employee policy

Complaints Filed

Input from the 'moles'

5.         Vanguard Meetings:

Host a Vanguard meeting. Let's set up a time to meet you and your neighbors to dialogue about our city.

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