Spring Cleaning!

   Well it looks as if that was accomplished last night. Sir Eric called it renovations.  Either way the dust is gone!

Interestingly while driving to work this morning at 7 am not  single Crawford, Watts or Alcorn sign was in sight, huh I suppose the elves were out all night “spring cleaning”.  Fastest disappearance in history. 

Reality sucks sometimes, I guess.  Sir Eric was so full of himself, and the bootlickers who commented on his blog regularly probably gave him this feeling of invincibility and righteousness.  That balloon really got popped last night.  I am sure he’ll come back, and spin it as the “Dirts” having stolen the election again.  No recognition that maybe, just maybe, his particular brand of isolationism and paranoia may be out of the mainstream.

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Change has Come

To this country and to this blog.  I hope you enjoy the new format. Visit often.

If you are like me you are relieved that this election is over. After 8 years of one long, unmitigated nightmare, we will have a new president.  The adults are finally going to be in charge again!  I’m so excited about this!

Sierra Madre voted solidly for Obama and against Prop 4, both reflected the county and state as a whole. Along with other cities in the San Gabriel Valley, Sierra Madre also voted solidly against Prop. 8, although unfortunately this ended up winning at the state level. However I am pretty sure we have not heard the end of that fight, as it is just beginning.

Sierra Madre’s vote against Prop 8 was a relief to me, given the laughing stock we became back when the City Council adopted an ill-advised amendment to the Municipal Code that attempted to define “family” in a way that excluded so many of us. I am glad to see  Sierra Madre resist the attempts by the Bible thumpers to codify their own particular interpretation of the “Good Book”.  If they spent just a quarter of the time reading our state and federal Constitutions as they do the Bible, maybe they’d be just a little more inclined to understand why so many people oppose legislating narrow versions of morality into our laws. That’s what churches are for.  Keep them separate! Perhaps we should even consider not issuing marriage licenses for anyone, civil unions for all! We need to move past this divisive social agenda and tackle real problems, whether it be the sad state of the downtown, getting our fiscal house in order in Sacramento, or fixing our health care system in Washington.

 

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The Lie that wouldn’t Die

“Good Grief!” – Charlie Brown

Some stories are like the proverbial fish tale, always getting bigger as it gets passed on.

I recently received a mailer from the “Sierra Madre Citizens for Change,” which propagates a lie that has been debunked more than once, by more than one person. And yet it lives, it won’t die.

The mailer states: “Sierra Madre’s budget has ballooned from $7.9 million dollars in 2001 to $18.2 million in 2008. Why?”

This lie was also repeated in the April 5th Pasadena Star-News, in a letter to the editor. Click here for the full text of this letter.

This utter fallacy of the mailer’s statement was analyzed in an earlier piece, click here. A more thorough analysis, thanks to Bill Coburn, can be found here:

Early on, one could be excused for the “$7.9M to $18.2M” nonsense because of lack of understanding of how to read budgets. But the lie wouldn’t die, and it’s not because of a misunderstanding: it’s a deliberate attempt to deceive voters into believing that Sierra Madre’s budget is out of control, and that the incumbents should be turned out of office as a result.

There have been several apologists for this mailer, claiming that neither Mary Ann McGillivary nor Kevin Paschall were behind it. In fact, none other than “Sir” Eric Maundry, aka John Crawford, has been identified as the Treasurer for this mysterious group. Nevertheless, the mailer is an obvious attempt at distorting the truth to assist the challengers in the April 8th election.

The disavowals notwithstanding, it is obvious that at least one challenger, Kevin Paschall, is at least a believer in the Gospel according to “Sir” Eric: on Paschall’s mailer, he claims he wants to “Stop Reckless Spending of Tax Dollars.” It is disturbing that a candidate for City Council has never taken the time to crack open the budget, read it, understand it, and taken informed positions on which to base his campaign platform. Instead, he simply believes what others tell him, and this is a dangerous approach to governance when that other person is the renowned liar himself, Sir Eric Maundry.

Maundry and his various alter egos and allies love to label those who disagree as the “dirts.” A clear case of the pot calling the kettle black!

“A liars punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.” (George Bernard Shaw)

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The Best for Sierra Madre

It’s about time the Star News mentioned our little burb again. Its seems as if they have been avoiding us for some reason? Well just in case you haven’t seen the paper, today not only did they do a front page scoop about the ballot “typo” fiasco, but they eloquently endorsed their pick for Council.

Of the five candidates running for two open council seats April 8, we think Sierra Madre is best served by staying the course with the excellent leadership of incumbents John Buchanan and Enid Joffe. Solid preservationists and slow-growthers, they are also prudent stewards of the city’s touch-and-go finances. They have helped stabilize Sierra Madre’s fiscal picture and will continue to do so when re-elected. Both are proudly “green” – Buchanan is proud of his work for new park space and development impact fees; Joffe’s business is in developing alternative-energy vehicles. Both have served as unifying mayors of the city, have long records of volunteerism and civic activism. Buchanan and Joffe are not finger-pointers but rather people who can bring Sierra Madreans together to meet the unique city’s challenges.

For the City Clerk’s race, we favor a change. We thank Nancy Sue Shollenberger for her service to the city. However, we think Karma Bell should step into the job. We agree with Bell’s platform, to move the City Clerk into City Hall (the office is currently located in Shollenberger’s home). This will provide residents quicker access to documents, minutes and other records.

You can read the editorial in its entirety here.

And speaking of the City Clerk, looks like she took full responsibility for the typographical error. But she doesn’t seem to know how much it will cost to reprint the correction and resend, which seems odd since her office oversees those types of things, right?

“I’m just going to accept full responsibility,” said City Clerk Nancy Sue Shollenberger, who oversaw the preparation of the local sample ballots that went out to roughly 7,000 registered voters last week. Shollenberger, who is an elected official, said voters can expect to see the corrected page in the mailer that went out Wednesday.

She said she was not sure how much reprinting page 10 and re-sending it to voters will cost the city.

Here is the link to the complete story.

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Coffee with Joffe

Ms. Joffee asked me to post a list of her upcoming Coffee’s. I would be happy to put up any other candidates scheduled Coffee’s, just e-mail them over.

Coffees

Friday, March 20, 4:30 to 8PM, at Lucky Baldwins in Kersting Court–first beer free to first 50 attendees

Saturday, March 22 9AM to noon Mary’s Market RSVP Maria Paszek 836-2299

Saturday March 22 4PM to 6PM

Wednesday, April 2, 7-8:30 PM Judy Webb-Martin, RSVP 355-2522

Sunday, April 6, 4 pm to 6 pm. Marie Senese, 569 W. Orange Grove, RSVP 355-1983.

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A letter to the Editor

I received the following with a request to post. I will consider any letters to the editor to be published as long as they are in good taste and do not slander or defame anyone.

Dear Fellow Sierra Madreans:

If after reading your sample ballot you are somewhat confused about the ballot measures, please see the editorial in the following link:

www.sierramadrenews.net

It turns out there are major errors in the printing of the ballot arguments that might lead you to believe the city council and police association (POA) support Measure P. In fact, the council and POA unanimously both recommend the following votes:

YES on U and UA
NO on P

Voting YES on U and UA will help provide vital funding for public safety (decent police wages and paramedic services). If Measure P passes, and U and UA fail, the city will be faced with a budget crisis that will likely lead to cutting virtually all services except public safety (no money for library, parks and recreation programs, etc).

As the editorial and accompanying articles on sierramadrenews.net explain, the errors in the ballot, as well as previous snafus that have cost the taxpayers a lot of money, are a disturbing legacy of our City Clerk, Nancy Shollenberger. After 24 years of running unopposed, we finally have a viable (and very capable) candidate running against her, Karma Bell. I wholeheartedly support and endorse her to be our
next City Clerk. This is a position many voters might tend not to pay much attention to, but in this election please be sure to cast your ballot as a few votes may make the difference in the outcome in a small city like Sierra Madre.

For city council, I recommend the incumbents, Enid and John, who have done a great job and are very knowledgeable of the issues and the government process, as well as committed to environmental improvement and preserving our small town character. The city will continue to face serious challenges going forward, especially budgetary, which will require qualified and dedicated Councilmembers who are able to transcend political issues, roll up their sleeves, make the tough (and sometimes unpopular) decisions, and work hard for the good of the city as a whole. Enid and John have both demonstrated a willingness and ability to do so.

Thanks, and please REMEMBER TO VOTE ON APRIL 8!

Fred Wesley

PS Please pass the word to your friends and neighbors as well!

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Enid Joffe’s Answers to Questions posed

Ms. Joffe responded to my request for answers to the questions posed in a timely manner, asking for a bit more time. It is understandable any of the candidate’s running for office are very busy campaigning, working and some are still on the Council so time is scarce. I appreciate her taking the time to answer the questions posed by the readers of this blog and hope the other Candidates will do the same.

Enid submitted her answers, here is the complete unedited text.

Do you have the ability to work for the citizens of Sierra Madre without a partisan agenda?
I became Mayor immediately following one of the most divisive elections in the city’s history. I have worked hard over the past year to open lines of communication with all residents. My efforts included setting up a special “mayormobile” phone line at my own expense, establishing a monthly Walk with the Mayor, writing an local newspaper column and meeting residents for coffee. I attend and participate in several community events each week and I have also made presentations at many of the civic organizations in town as part of my effort to be accessible and available. I believe that my efforts have helped calm the passions that accompanied the debate over Measure V. As a Councilmember I have been respectful of all members of the Council and sought input from each member prior to voting.

What special talents or abilities do you bring to the table?
I have a passion for politics. My interest in city government dates to 1968 when, as a high school journalism student, I was privileged to attend a press conference held by Mayor John Lindsay of New York. I was hooked. Years after I moved to California, I became a government affairs representative for Southern California Edison. Part of my job responsibilities included attending city council meetings and I attended hundreds of meetings before becoming a civic volunteer in my home town of Sierra Madre. I have learned about Sierra Madre’s issues as a volunteer on the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee, General Plan Committee and Planning Commission. In 2004 I decided to run for City Council and was elected.

My passion for politics is matched by my passion for volunteerism. In addition to my civic volunteer service, I have served on many nonprofit boards of directors included the local chapter of the American Red Cross. I was the first female President of a local Kiwanis Club (Rosemead) and sponsored a Make a Difference Day in Sierra Madre.

What is the definition of a Family, and how do you intend to use it.?
The definition of family that was added to the City (Ordinance 1136, adopted in 2001) and repealed in November 2005 (Ordinance 1234). There is currently no definition of family in the municipal code although the term is used in hundreds of places. The lack of a definition allows flexibility of interpretation. It would be very costly to review every use of the term family in the code and consistently define it so I would not be in favor of that approach. To my knowledge, we have not had any situation where the definition of family has been a problem, for example housing discrimination. My preference therefore is to leave the term undefined in the code for now. However, if it appears that there are situations where discrimination is occurring or might occur, I would be in favor of creating a single, inclusive definition that makes it clear that any responsibilities, rights or privileges that accrue to heterosexual couples or families would also apply to domestic partners or same-sex couples or families.

I’d like to know how all the candidates are going to approach the budget if the UUT fails.
My first answer is that we cannot afford for the Utility Users Tax to fail. As Interim City Manager Don Hopper stated, we are living on our savings. Our residents need to recognize that we can no longer afford all the services we currently provide without some sort of revenue increase. The Ad Hoc Finance Committee took a very, very close look at our city budget and concluded that the monies are being used wisely and there is no waste. They complimented staff for doing so much with so little. As we know, the current one-time funding for paramedics runs out at the end of Fiscal Year 08-09. If the UUT fails, I would propose to re-convene the Ad Hoc Finance Committee to recommend budget cuts and budget priorities.

Are you willing to work to find ways to continue funding of services such as parks and recreation, senior services, and library services. Do you fully support these services?
I fully support the continued funding of services such as parks and recreation, senior services, and library services. I truly believe that it is these “human” services that define the culture of the community. In fact one of my master’s degree papers at UCLA was on this very subject. Measure UA, the advisory Measure connected to the Utility User’s Tax Initiative primarily addresses the funding needs for public safety services. We still have to address our below-market staff salaries and the future funding needs for other city services. I felt that we could not try to address all the financial issues in one ballot measure, but I fully intend to stay focused on the securing the financial future of our city.
10. What is your understanding of funding mechanisms for city services? Have you thought of ways to ensure that wages are adequate for all city employees?
See above answer. As a business owner I believe that the way you attract and retain good employees is by paying competitive wages and benefits. We have a very dedicated city staff but I can not blame any employee who leaves Sierra Madre for another city and receives a double digit salary increase. We have not addressed the true cost to the city of the constant turnover and of city staff and training of new employees. I can think of several instances where the lack of continuity in staffing has created mistakes and duplication of effort. I supported the funding of the Job Classification and Compensation Study to begin addressing this issue. That said, any changes to the salary structure must be fiscally responsible with a secure funding source. That is the challenge I plan to address in the next 4 years.

Would you consider yourself to be a city councilperson for everyone, bearing in mind that we all have vested interests in the town, even if we are politically opposed on some issues.
My professional experience at United Way and Southern California Edison and my leadership on the boards of many nonprofit organizations has taught me to listen to many opinions and work toward consensus. Consensus building is a messy and inefficient process but, in my opinion, it creates a better long-term outcome. In my 4 years on council and particularly in this last year as mayor, I have opened many new avenues of communication with residents including Walks with the Mayor, Coffee with Joffe, a special cell phone number and a newspaper column. What I have learned is that we all share a love for the history and character of this town and a passion for preserving it. We don’t agree on how to go about that. As someone who has spent many years recruiting volunteers and being a volunteer, I appreciate the fact that residents of Sierra Madre care enough to call and email and blog and come to city council meetings. I do believe we need to tone down the rhetoric and keep it about issues not personalities. If re-elected I will continue to do what I do best, listing to all sides of an issue and trying to bring people together to create a consensus.

I would like to ask the Council candidates is: will they, or why wouldn’t they seek new bids and proposals from Arcadia PD, Pasadena PD and the County as a comparison against present services and the quality of services?
We already sought these bids during my term on council and compared the costs to our current public safety budget. The bottom line is that we have a very high level of service in Sierra Madre for the money we spend. If we contract with another city or with the County Sheriff’s Department we will get one dedicated patrol car. I am guessing that backup help could take 10 to 15 minutes to arrive (especially if it is coming from the Temple City Sheriff’s station). I believe that we should focus on continuing to fund the level of service we currently have. The fact is that Sierra Madre is one of the safest communities in California and serious crime is down in the last 2 years. Our Police Department and Police Chief should get full credit for this accomplishment. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

How do you intend to approach the now stagnant projects in the downtown, when will the boarded up buildings become revenue generating tax paying businesses?
Sales tax revenue will never be a major source of income for our community. We currently receive about $200,000 in sales tax revenue or 3.3% of our general fund budget. However we do have a charming and walkable downtown that many cities can only wish for. As a renewable energy business owner by vocation and a planner by avocation, I believe we still have a lot of work to do to create the design guidelines that will give us the downtown we want. Measure V set limits on height, stories and residential density, but was silent on design. We could still get an ugly, boxy, post-modern 2-story office building totally out of character with our traditional downtown. Measure V is the law and I will fully enforce it, but in the next four years, I want to go beyond Measure V to create guidelines that ensure that we keep the human scale and walkability of our downtown. The City has budgeted a small amount of funds for a study to determine what type of businesses would fit with the character of our downtown. I believe that we need a public dialogue on what types of low density, boutique businesses are economically feasible for our community and then a city-wide effort to create those opportunities. Wishing for the Skilled Nursing Facility or Howies to return will not make it so—those businesses were no longer economically viable in our town. We need to replace them with new businesses that can thrive in our charming, small town environment.

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Think Long and Hard Before you Vote

In the ballot that you most likely received yesterday you may have noticed that on page 10 there are a couple of glaring typographical errors. They jumped right out at me. They are located in the first and second paragraph in the Argument in Favor of Measure P, the reference to the UUT as Measure P instead of Measure U.

This is very distressing as the accuracy of the text of this official document is the responsibility of the City Clerk, our City Clerk, Nancy Shollenberger, the one up for re-election.

This is very distressing as the City will now have to do a mailing to every registered voter noting the corrections in the ballot. With the fiscal state of the city we just can’t afford to have these types of mistakes! The cost will be at least several thousands, printing, hopefully proofing and mailing costs. We can not afford these type of mistakes.

I was so appalled that I decided to do a little more investigation. It seems that for 7 years the same City Clerk neglected to publish all adopted ordinances. Ordinances that are adopted are not enforceable unless published, that’s the law. But for 7 years she just forgot. How can someone who has been in office for 24 years just forget to do something that she has been doing all along? This was discovered and made public in 2000-2001. The then City Council over the period of several months had to place on the agenda and repass all the ordinances for that 7 year period. This is again very distressing.

Unfortunately since The City Clerk is not accountable to anyone, not the City Manger not the City Council, seems like not even to herself, there was no type of reprimand for the 7 years of unpublished ordinances. The voters need to make her accountable.

It is also to note that the City Clerk, instead of working out of her office in City Hall like City Clerks should, works out of her home. This is because she also runs a business out of her home. I wonder what stays at her home and what comes to the office? Ballots have been at her house over night, so have many City documents, maybe all those ordinances fell behind the couch? The City Clerk should be working out of City Hall and ANY City related materials should stay at City Hall, and never be taken home.

Think long and hard about the above when you think about ethics and how elections are run in this City. Think long and hard about how close elections have been in the past and where those ballots may have spent the night. Think long and hard when you cast your vote on April 8.

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A Garbage Can Situation

Since the facts are there, newspapers, Herald Tribune, the LA Times and Dr. Laura Schelssinger, we can bring up the question that Ms McGillivray seems intent not to answer.

There are the critics that insist this thread is irrelevant to being a Council person, however it is not irrelevant. When the Presidential Candidates or any other candidate for political office begins to express religious views, family values views or take a stand on abortion what happens? This Country goes nuts. Look at the rumor about Obama being a Muslim. It should not matter what his religious beliefs are, but it does.

So in that light why would MaryAnn McGillivray crusade in the late nineties to deny same-sex couples with kids or foster kids the simple right to call themselves a family. WHY?

Background: In 1997, Then Councilmember MacGillvray prodded the Sierra Madre City Council to adopt a definition of “Family” that excluded same sex marriages, foster parents and couples that, for whatever reason, choose not to marry.

She is quoted by Dr. Laura Schlessinger in the book “Stupid Things Parents do to Mess up Their Kids”.

“The redefinition was considered important because, as Councilwoman MaryAnn MacGillivray said, ‘We didn’t want to expand the definition of family into a garbage can situation…the fact is this community takes a moral stand.’”

So what is MacGillivray suggesting? What is wrong with alternative families? The quote implies they are garbage. How are you going to tell that to a 15 year old foster child who is having self esteem issues anyway?

It seems clear is that MacGillivray has no qualms at all about labeling people according to her personal moral views, and persuading others to do so as well. We the voters ought to think really hard about whether or not this kind of divisiveness has any place in our City Hall. Not to mention that it has no place in politics.
Some additional interesting quotes:

LA Times – 1997

“Councilwoman MaryAnn MacGillivray, who pushed for the separate definition of family, said the City Council should take a moral stand and use its power as ’small town lawmakers’ to maintain the definition of family as separate from any other living arrangement”

What will she try to use that power for next? Censorship?

LA Times 1997

“MacGillivray, however, demanded that the term ‘family’ be limited to those related by blood, marriage, or adoption, and that those living together in other relationships be called ‘housekeeping units’. She said using the word ‘family’ to describe those not related by blood or law ‘degrades the meaning of the term’”.

People were harmed and affected, the families that are a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, and co-residence, were degraded, and the whole family debate fiasco was an embarrassment and is remembered as a black eye on our community.

Herald Tribune

“The Supreme Court in its infinite wisdom, gave us a definition of family that we in Sierra Madre do not think is correct. Sierra Madre is much more adept at figuring out what is best for our community. We are tired of big government jamming these things down the throats of the small community. We don’t have to swallow that”

What will she pick and choose next? I am in shock and awe that she thinks she can take on the US Supreme Court. Who is “we”?

What about the waste of the Sierra Madre City Councils and staffs time and taxpayers money having this debate and adopting the definition in 1997, what might she do next to waste the time and money of our City Council and staff if she is elected?

Thankfully on November 25, the Sierra Madre City Council voted unanimously to repeal MacGillivrays’ definition of family. The blended, gay and lesbian, adoptive, foster and unmarried families in Sierra Madre are now and always will be, families, not housekeeping units.

So it seems she will stay silent about this “family debate” black mark on her resume, perhaps she will also stay silent on the fact that she was not only on the Council but on the General Plan Steering Committee which adopted the General Plan that helped One Carter get approved, and that she would rather litigate the City into bankruptcy than work and deal with the realities of what is going on in the City. Perhaps the next tax increase will be to pay for the attorney fees to litigate and prevent any further developments from occurring in our City.

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New Kid on the Block

I noticed that there are a couple new Blogs in Sierra Madre. Someone left a link to this site, if I didn’t know better I would have thought our own Jim Snider was at work!

The other is here, and in Jae’s own description:

“Centrism” is a political movement that believes in advocating both sides of a given issue in the interests of finding acceptable compromise that benefits the greatest cross-section of society. In most centrist debates, the solution will fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of available options.

“Penitent Ramblings” is devoted to furthering the cause of centrism and common sense both in the national arena, and in the Los Angeles “San Gabriel Foothills” region.

His Blog is good, rational, factual, and not poodle journalism. I think we will be hearing alot more from Jae. I for one look forward to another rational Sierra Madrean trying to get the facts straight, offering an opinion, I might add he offers a unique perspective being a resident of the City and working in City Hall.

I particularly like his most recent post “Seeing the Signs”. His observations on Mr. Paschall’s reasons for running for City Council basically mirror the flyer of his I received in the mail. Vote for me because I voted Yes on V, vote for me because our current Council can’t be trusted, vote for me because? It would be nice if he actually told us why we should vote for him?

So welcome Jae to the blogsphere, and watch out for snarky commenter’s.

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