November 2008 Archives

You might say that in La Mirada in the next week or you will see trash companies coming and going.

On Tuesday, Consolidated Disposal Services will go before the council to make its last request for a rate increase. It's rumored to be substantial.A week later, La Mirada city staff is expected to unveil their choice for a new trash provider in La Mirada. It's expected to save residents money.

Staff is choosing between Athens Services of Industry and Edco of San Diego County. The winning company would get a seven-year contract with three one-year options and take over service on July 1, 2009.

Last Friday, I blogged about a story about local merechants and lawsuits against them  that was going to run last Monday. Well, the local fires here bumped that story; so we'll try again. This time it's supposed to run Monday.

And here's the same promo I wrote last week:

A number of merchants at the Whittier Boulevard-Broadway intersection are crying foul over several lawsuits a San Diego attorney has brought against them over disability issues.

Are the merchants right in saying the lawsuits are an attempt to hold them up for money or are the attorneys and plaintiffs correct in saying these businesses needed to make their locations more accessible? Read the story and you can decide.

It seems the news just keeps getting worse for college-bound high-school seniors.

The California State University system will be limiting its enrollment next year for the first time ever, in response to the state's budget woes and the increasing numbers of applications it's already received so far for the Fall 2009.

And that's a major cause for concern among Whittier-area students, as the 23 CSU campuses are a favorite for higher education for many of our local students.

Local college counselors say the important thing for seniors to remember is Nov. 30 -- that's the deadline to turn in CSU applications.

Past that date, you can forget about any chances of getting in for the 2009-10 school year.

More on this in Monday's paper.

Whittier City Controller Rod Hill is making the rounds talking about the budget crisis the city faces. He spoke at the Parks and Recreation and Commission Wednesday and will be doing double duty Monday night when he goes to the 5:30 p.m. meeting of the Social Services Commission at the Whittier Senior Center, 13225 Walnut St. and the 7 p.m. meeting of the city Library Board, in the history room of the library, 7344 S. Washington Ave.
Whittier -- like many cities -- faces budget problems caused by the national economic tsunami.

City Manager Steve Helvey has asked all of his department heads to come up with a list of cuts equal to 5 percent of their budgets. He plans to take this to the City Council in January 2009. But just maybe we'll get a preview of the cuts at Monday's meetings. That's why I plan on being there and writing about it later.

It was worth the $12 to have lunch with the Whittier Host Lions Club on Thursday. About 80 rapt Lions listened to Whittier Union High School District Superintendent Sandra Thorstenson deliver some good news about the state of education at a time in our nation's history when a little good news was most welcomed.

Longtime Lion Bruce Martin jokingly asked Thorstenson if she could retroactively adjust his cumulative GPA, "but the statute of limitations ran out."

Thorstenson thanked the surly group for helping to pass Measure W, a $75 million bond extension the district will use to shore up its aging infrastructure and beef up its technology programs.

Then she made a PowerPoint presentation that showed, despite having 71 percent of students classified as socioeconomically disadvantaged, her kids were raising their Academic Performance Index scores, were narrowing the "achievement gap" and seeing 99.5 percent of students passing the mandatory California High School Exit Exam.

About double the number of Advanced Placement tests were taken by college-bound pupils than six years ago and more students met all the course requirements to enroll in four-year universities than ever before.

The superintendent said her district encompasses 42 square miles and serves all youths in Whittier, feeding from five elementary districts.

"If they come from poverty, but have a secure home life, it's OK. We can do incredible things with them, no matter where they live," Thorstenson said. Although admitting, "It's like starting a race behind the start line."

"The kids used to fall through the cracks. Now they just stub their toes."

Whittier High School students have already thrown themselves into the spirit of the holidays.

This morning, they're organizing and creating baskets filled with donated food, which will be delivered to local needy families sometime over the next few days.

It's part of their annual effort to assist those less fortunate in the community as the food-heavy Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

More on this in Friday's paper.

Lots of love and mutual admiration filled the air last night at La Serna High School for a special dedication of Camalich Court, the school's newly renovated quad that was named after former Principal Leo Camalich.

School leaders heaped praise upon the soon-to-be-retired Camalich, who still works in the Whittier Union High School District as an assistant superintendent.

Camalich, who led the school for 22 years until 2004, seemed genuinely touched by their sentiments and said the experience was a humbling one for him. He also said he's glad to know he'll always be a part of his cherished La Serna High.

The full story, with photos, will be in Monday's Whittier Daily News, as part of our weekly Student Life page. Check it out that day in print or online!

Classified employees are going on the record about Rio Hondo College administrators.

Officials with the Classified School Employees Association, Chapter 477 say they've had problems with the college's leaders lately regarding staffing issues, in particular two employees whose jobs were up for elimination at last week's board meeting.

CSEA protested at the Nov. 12 board meeting -- and no one lost their job -- but there's a bigger concern with Rio Hondo's administration, says CSEA Chapter 477 President Lisa Sandoval.

The big problem, she says, is an "us vs. them" attitude that the administration has taken on with the classified staffers, which include receptionists, facilities and maintenance workers and other non-certificated positions.

In response, college officials said they couldn't speak to other people's feelings, but it's "too bad" that some workers were disgruntled and unhappy, and that it sometimes happens at large institutions.

Want more on this? Check out the inside pages of Wednesday's Whittier Daily News.

A number of merchants at the Whittier Boulevard-Broadway intersection are crying foul over several lawsuits a San Diego attorney has brought against them over disability issues. You can read all about it in Monday's newspaper.

Are the merchants right in saying the lawsuits are an attempt to hold them up for money or are the attorneys and plaintiffs correct in saying these businesses needed to make their locations more accessible? Read the story and you can decide.

It looks this week could be a busy one for city officials and reporters trying to keep up with all of the activities here in Whittier. You'll see some of these upcoming things in stories, but probably not all. One report can only do so much.
But the week will start with a ribbon-cutting ceremony 9 a.m. Monday for the Greenway Trail at the Palm Park, continue with Planning Commission and City Council meetings (Monday and Tuesday, respectively) and end with a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Wednesday.
The first question to ask about the ribbon cutting ceremony is the trail "really truly open?" Yes, I know that hordes of people have been using the trail, but city officials have said the trail isn't open, citing the fact they haven't taken it over and construction wasn't finished. It has to do with liability issues. We'll see what they say on Monday and you may see that lead in a Tuesday newspaper story.
But Monday won't be through until the Planning Commission at its 7 p.m. meeting discusses -- not approves -- tightening of the city's adult business ordinance, a new cell tower law and a parking structure design law.
The latter is a direct consequence of the Whittier Uptown Specific Plan the council is expected to approve at its 6:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting. That's not the only thing on the agenda. The award of a contract for the new police station also is expected. There's good news on this one. It looks like the bid came in about $2 million short of the architect's estimate. We'll see what the means for the city's budget, but it's about time we got some good news in Whittier.
And speaking of budgets, the Parks and Recreation Commission at its 7 p.m. Wednesday meeting will discuss possible city budget cuts and the effect on services. Remember the commission doesn't meet at City Hall but rather the Senior Center, 13225 Walnut St.
While you can watch the City Council and Planning Commission on channel 6 on cable television, the Parks and Recreation Commission is not on television.

Here's a sneak peak at a story we'll break in the paper this weekend--

PICO RIVERA -- Less than two weeks after one financial crisis in the city was eased by the passage of a one-percent sales tax increase, officials say another crisis is on the horizon.
According to City Manager Chuck Fuentes, the city is undercharging for water service and needs to raise rates by 60 percent to break even. Water rates in the city are currently $1.3994 per 100 cubic feet.
Fuentes said more than a million dollars annually is taken from the general fund to make up for deficiencies in the city's water fund.
"To get the city back on track financially requires that we stop subsidizing the water," Fuentes said.
Fuentes said that a failure to pass a 60 percent water rate increase would mean that money garnered from the sales tax increase would be needed to pay for the water budget gap.
The money gathered because of Measure P is expected to total about $6 million annually. About $4.8 million will go to closing the budget gap in the city's general fund, but the remaining $1.2 million was pledged to parks improvements and paying for a new library during the campaign in favor of the measure.
"Whatever monies we get from the one cent are going to be basically running the water system," Fuentes said Friday. "A big chunk of that is going to basically have to go to subsidize the water system and we didn't factor that in."
Fuentes said spending on recreation projects would be very conservative until it is known whether water rate increases will be possible.
Councilman David Armenta said he disagrees with the proposed increases and plans to vote against them.
"I think it's totally wrong," Armenta said. "The city just passed a one percent tax increase, which I think is going to impact the people a lot. When do we stop taxing the people?"
Councilwoman Gracie Gallegos said she would not support using Measure P money to pay back the water fund, saying staff should find another way to solve the problem.
"At all costs I want to avoid dipping into those monies that are allocated," Gallegos said.

Fuentes has commented that this issue should come back to the City Council within the next few weeks, and it seems likely that the city will get the ball rolling as soon as possible on the increase.

Fuentes has criticized previous administrators for mismanaging the city's money and says now he's cleaning house, and that's going to mean tough decisions for residents.

Need ideas on holiday gift ideas? The Montebello Town Center may have the solution for you with its participation in the "Give Green Gift Card."

     Whittier Police will be on the lookout for drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts during November 17 to 30.

     "The Click It or Ticket campaign has shown that Californians have gotten the message that seat belts work," said Police Chief David Singer in a statement. "But hundreds still are dying every year because they didn't buckle up. Our officers will not accept excuses or give warnings. It really is Click It or Ticket."

     If stopped and found to be in violation, officers will issue citations without warning. Tickets for a first violations range from $80 to $91 for adults and $330 to $401 for children under age 16, depending on the county.

     More than 280 law enforcement agencies statewide will be participating in this year's Click It or Ticket mobilization.

     Funding was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

At exactly 10 a.m. today the Whittier Daily News office on Greenleaf was shaken to its foundations.

A massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake knocked out our phones, our power and our ability to put out tomorrow's newspaper.

Editor Tim Traeger immediately sent police reporter Ruby Gonzales up the street to the Police Station to monitor relief efforts. Reporter Mike Sprague headed to Uptown to speak with those who all too vividly remember the 5.9-magnitude Whittier Narrows Earthquake of 1987.

Reporter Sandra Molina headed to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, where emergency crews were providing triage to hundreds of injured Whittierites. Education reporter Tracy Garcia went to the local school district office to get official word on how our children fared in classrooms littered with broken glass and scattered books.

In the end we had to fire up our electric generators in West Covina and all reporters and editors put out your Whittier Daily News electronically and sent it to Woodland Hills to print. It arrived about four hours late on Friday because drivers had to take side streets to bypass crumpled freeways.

The scenario could happen. In fact many feel the Big One is imminent. So the drill, although fake, made us all think about taking the steps to be prepared. And so should you.

     Congratulations to Whittier Police Officer Jason Zuhlke and his wife who recently welcomed an addition to their family.

     Jackson Zuhlke was born 8:30 p.m., Monday. The proud father reports his son is 19.5 inches long and weighs nine pounds four ounces. He is their first child.

     The elder Zuhlke is a familiar face in town since he is the community relations officer and also the department's spokesman.

This apparently is going to be "continuation week." By that I mean, La Mirada's expected City Council hearing on its new trash hauler will be continued from the 6:30 p.m. meeting today until Nov. 25 while city staff continues to investigate and negotiate. The council earlier had authorized staff to negotiate with EDCO of San Diego County and Athens Services of Industry.

Still, tonight's meeting will be historic. The council will be voting on whether to ask voters to increase the transient occupancy tax (bed tax) in the March 3, 2009 city council election. I've covered La Mirada since 1994 and increased taxes is just not on the council's agenda. But times change and we'll see what happens tonight.

"Continuation" fever also continues Wednesday when the Whittier Historic Resources Commission will have to wait until December to decide if the Whittier College home, 13501 Earlham Drive, can be demolished or is eligible for designation as a historic landmark. In this case, Commissioner Steve Castellanos will be absent and only two of the four remaining commissioners are eligible to participate. Thus, this item will be continued until Dec. 10.

Santa Fe High School sophomore Gabriel Guerrero is inauguration-bound this January.

That's because Gabriel was picked to participate in the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference because of his prior involvement with the Congressional Youth Leadership Council in Washington D.C.

That means he'll be on hand Jan. 20 to witness the historic inauguration of Barack Obama, the first-ever black man to be elected U.S. president.

He was an avid Obama supporter during the campaign -- and even though the trip will cost upwards of $3,000, Gabriel and his mom say they figure it's worth it.

For more on this story, check out Tuesday's paper.

     Booking slips are public which means anyone can get names of suspects, ages, city of residence, the charge they were booked on, where they're being held, bail amount and court hearing dates.

     In Los Angeles County, booking information on suspects can be found at lasd.org
Go to the inmate information section. However, the sheriff's booking system doesn't list the specific charges but says if it's a misdemeanor or a felony.

     Suspects in federal cases cannot be found in this booking system.

Relief may be on the way for weary motorists/parents at Hoover Elementary School, who battle with an extremely narrow street and nasty two-way traffic when picking up and dropping off their kids at the 480-student campus.

The city's parking and transportation commission approved Hoover's new school-traffic safety plan at its Thursday night meeting, which calls for right-turn restrictions, an expanded passenger loading zone and a new valet program to help ease congestion in the mornings and afternoons.

Right now, police have been stationed at the school to keep traffic moving and ticket parents who ignore traffic laws -- like double-parking and parking in loading or restricted zones -- in their zeal to get their kiddies to and from campus.

But school officials say in a few weeks, there will be a new valet program in place to get kids in and out of cars quickly during drop-off and pick-up times, as well as a new one-way traffic direction to calm the current chaos.

Check out Saturday's paper for more details.

Sure, the mayor of Pico Rivera ( along with the city manager and many staffers) wanted Measure P to pass. The measure proposed raising the sales tax by one percent to close a $4.8 million budget gap and would allow the city to tackle a library project and parks improvements.

Some even expected it would pass, but most everyone said it would be a nail-biter election. And when I came in to work on Election Night, I was expecting a close race, maybe too close to call before deadlines for the Wednesday newspaper.

Instead, the measure won by a landslide, with 68 percent of voters in support. The measure needed just a simple majority (50 percent plus one) to pass.

Watch the paper this weekend for a story that explains why officials believe the measure did so well, despite the shaky economy and concerns about government spending.

     A fundraiser to benefit a 15-year-old La Serna High School student injured by a hit-and-run driver will be held from 4 to 9 p.m., Thursday at Southern California Pizza, 12259 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada.

     All proceeds will go to the Arianna Varela Fund which will pay for her medical expenses. A family member said Varela was recently transferred from UC Irvine Medical Center to HealthBridge Children's Hospital in Orange where she is undergoing rehabilitation.

     "She's doing really, really good," said her aunt, Catherine Del Ferraro.

     On Oct. 3, Varela crossed the street to attend her school's homecoming game held at Cal High. A driver hit her and didn't stop. He or she hasn't been found.

Longtime La Mirada resident Scott Young called the newsroom about 8:30 a.m. on Election Day to report a "verbally abusive" No on Prop 8 supporter who was allegedly passing out election materials within 100 feet of the polling station at the La Mirada Recreation Center on La Mirada Boulevard. Young said he called both the Registrar-Recorder's office in Norwalk and the La Mirada Police Department to have the man removed.

"It's a hot-button issue," Young said. Prop 8 would amend the state Constitution to define marriage as between "a man and a woman" and has drawn fervent demonstrations for and against the measure. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that a whopping $73 million has been spent for and against the proposition.

In tomorrow's paper, we'll take a look at a small business in Whittier that started as part of a woman's dream to help grieving families bury their loved ones.

Ruth Turk, who owns a pair of flower shops in Whittier along with an antique store, opened a "casket showroom" three years ago because she saw so many of her clients rushed into decisions when planning funerals and memorial services.

Here's a sneak peak below:

WHITTIER -- One local woman doesn't just want to brighten your day with roses; she wants to help plan your funeral.
Ruth Turk's expertise is flowers, but her little shop on Workman Mill Road, called Rosemill, meant she saw many grieving families who came to her store looking for blooms to honor the dead.
After her own bout with breast cancer three years ago and planning her own funeral when faced with mortality, Turk, 63, said she felt even more for the grieving families she believed were mishandled by mortuaries and larger, one-stop shopping funeral services. So she decided to open her own small store, the Casket and Monument Co.
"I had no idea who I was going to run it," Turk said. "I just decided I was going to open it."
Turk has made a living as a florist in Whittier for more than 40 years and has two locations, Rosemill and Rosemill on the Boulevard, located on Whittier Boulevard. At the boulevard location, she was also business partners with her longtime "significant other," Charlie Sanford.
Sanford went in with her on the new casket business when the spot next to Rosemill on the Boulevard was available for rent. A friend, Heather Kobler, had recently retired and volunteered to manage the store.

For more on this story, check out Tuesday's Whittier Daily News.