The oath of office given last week to the three La Habra Heights council members went smoothly -- unlike at the presidential inauguration. Or so Councilman Layne Baroldi pointed out after newly Brian Bergman, Stan Carroll and Carl Westerhoff were sworn in at Thursday's council meeting.

"I just wanted to thank Judge (Michael) Cowell because we'll be saving some time," Baroldi said in reference Norwalk Superior Court judge. "Unlike the chief justice of the supreme court, he got the oath accurate so we don't have to redo this again," Baroldi said. "He was doing it without any teleprompter or notes." Baroldi was referring to John Roberts, who made a mistake in giving the oath to President Barack Obama.

Of further note, Thursday's meeting took only 11 minutes. "This may be the shortest City Council meeting on record," said newly elected Mayor Howard Vipperman.

Think it's easy to make budget cuts? The Whittier City Council isn't finding it so. A proposal to save $74,347 by closing down rest rooms in 10 of the city's 14 parks was on Tuesday's City Council consent calendar. Well, the item was taken off for discussion and eventually put over for more study and information.

The plan is to close rest rooms at Central, Guirado, Kennedy, Laurel and J.G. Whittier parks permanently. Those at Joe Miller Field and Anaconda, Broadway, Lee Owens and Leffingwell parks would be open when school is out, during school breaks and major holidays. They would be closed when school is in session. Rest rooms would remain open at Michigan, Palm, Parnell and Penn parks.

But Council members weren't so sure this is a good cut."I have huge concerns about closing rest rooms," said Councilwoman Cathy Warner. Warner said while it's true many people using the parks live nearby, it isn't always easy to get back home in time.
"When you hang out with 3-year-olds, it won't work," she said. "You won't get back in time."

But Councilman Owen Newcomer said closing rest rooms -- while inconvenient -- is one way to save money. "Yes it is undesirable," Newcomer said. "Is it more undesirable than removing programs or making people pay prohibitively high fees for programs? I don't want to see keeping a bathroom open and getting rid of a program that brings people there."

It is with great sadness that I report today that Sylvia Hilliard is retiring come April 3.

For the past 20 years or so, she's been the smiling face greeting people who come into our office on Greenleaf Avenue. Sylvia has helped grieving families place obituaries, enabled businesses to thrive by placing their ads and generally been an intergral force in humanizing this newspaper.

Staff at the paper are having a pot luck luncheon on Thursday, April 2. Drop by our office at 7612 Greenleaf and say goodbye. Sylvia will be sorely missed.

Tim Traeger

Editor

Whittier Daily News

Well deja vu didn't happen at Tuesday's Whittier City Council meeting. You can chalk it up to Mayor Joe Vinatieri's illness that caused him to leave after the council unanimously agreed to allow an Easter sunrise service.

That meant the issue of whether a wall on the 14800 block of Mar Vista Street should be allowed to remain was postponed for either a month or more. Of course, Vinatieri's illness wasn't the only reason for the delay on this issue. Hugo Gutierrez, owner of the property, was absent.Gutierrez, is seeking a variance to allow the wall to stay. City staff has said it should be denied.

Another issue postponed was a July 4 celebration.  Councilwoman Cathy Warner wants to reconsider a council decision to do nothing. She did vote earlier against a fireworks display.

The council also didn't discuss whether to review its historic resources ordinance. In addition, a proposed local economic stimulus plan and business assistance action plan was put off for another day.

It might seem like deja vu at Tuesday's Whittier City Council meeting. Past topics of discussion, such as fireworks and a controversial wall will be back on the 6:30 p.m. agenda.

City officials and Hugo Gutierrez couldn't reach a compromise on the 13- to 15-foot wall he built on his property on the 14800 block of Mar Vista Street. So, the council will decide Tuesday whether to grant him a variance or make him tear it down. City staff is recommending no to Gutierrez's request.

Fireworks also will be back on the agenda. Councilwoman Cathy Warner has asked the council to reconsider holding some type of July 4 celebration. This will be the third meeting in which the council will debate the issue.Warner and Councilmen Bob Henderson and Greg Nordbak had voted in February against putting on a fireworks display.

But Warner was absent at the Feb. 24 meeting when the council voted 3-1 to do nothing.
Warner has previously said that while she opposed spending $12,000 on fireworks, she had supported some kind of less expensive program, such as a flag-raising ceremony or a picnic.

Final reminder that La Serna High's musical has its final performances this week. Here's more information from the school district:

  WHITTIER - The La Serna Theatre Department's spring musical production of "Me and My Girl" will be performed tonight, Thursday and Friday at the Whittier Center Theatre, 7630 S. Washington Ave.

By Airan Scruby
Staff Writer

LA HABRA -- Famed attorney and representative for Angels in Waiting Gloria Allred was asked to leave Nadya Suleman's new house around 7 p.m., more than three hours before the babies arrived.
La Habra Police Department spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said officers went to the house in the evening after receiving a call from a woman who identified herself as a nanny for the children.
The woman said she needed help asking an unwanted guest at the house on Madonna Lane to leave.
"Turns out it was attorney Gloria Allred," Knapp said.
According to Knapp, Allred left the house willingly once officers arrived, after speaking with Suleman's attorney, Jeffery Czech of Santa Fe Springs. She continued to wait outside for Suleman to return.
Allred issued a statement via e-mail Wednesday afternoon.
In it, she said someone named "Marcy" allegedly made the call from inside the house, but the only Marcy at the residence denied having made the call after police arrived.
The police told her no criminal activity had been reported, and after speaking with Czech, she decided to wait outside.
"Later, after Nadya had arrived, I asked her whether or not she had wanted me out of the house," Allred's statement said. " She said absolutely not and that she wanted me there. The protection of the nurses from Angels in Waiting who are my clients was my paramount concern and I wanted to be sure that they were able to do their job of caring for the babies upon their return and protecting the best interests of these high-risk, premature infants. I am very proud of the nurses and that the protection of these babies is their paramount concern."
Czech did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Two of the babies, who are the longest living octuplets in history, left the hospital with their mother around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, hospital spokesman Jim Anderson said.
Their black SUV was swarmed by paparazzi on the drive, and more than 200 reporters, paparazzi and onlookers crowded around the $564,000, four-bedroom, three-bathroom home Tuesday night, damaging the car and garage door in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infants.
airan.scruby@sgvn.com
(562) 698-0955, Ext. 3029

LA HABRA - At least one major player in the unfolding story of the Suleman octuplets missed the commotion Tuesday night, when the first two babies were released from Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center.

We can't write everything that happens at of a City Council meeting because of lack of time and space (in the newsprint edition at least). But there were lots of little stuff that might interest some people at Tuesday's Whittier City Council meeting. Here's some of the "little" things that happened:

Dogs on a 6-foot leash will be legally permitted on the Greenway Trail and Hellman and Murphy Ranch parks.

The Friends of the Library's lease with the city for the Book Sale Center, 6703 Comstock Ave., was renewed for a term of one year with three one-year extensions. The city only receives a $1 year in rental. But then again the Friends have contributed $225,000 during the last three years to the library.

If you're a veteran with a Pearl of Harbor, Legion of Valor, American Prisoner of War, Congressional Medal of Honor or Purple Heart license plate, you can park for free in the metered parking places in Whittier.

A new 1,900 square-foot 24-hour convenience market with a carwash and gas station at 15735 Leffingwell Road was given the OK.

Congratulations to Whittier Councilwoman Cathy Warner. Her daughter, Jillian Farnsworth of Mesa, Arizona, delivered Warner's 21st grandchild Feb. 25. "My husband and I are pleased to announce we have a boys soccer team with the birth of our 11th grandson," Warner said at Tuesday's council meeting.

The newest grandchild is Beckham Todd Farnsworth.
And she's only a granddaughter away from a girls soccer team.

Friends and just interested Whittier residents showed up in Whittier Superior Court to watch the expected trial of Whittier activist Joe Marsico Monday. Except that Marsico, 66, was a "miss-out." That's court jargon to mean that he wasn't on the bus from Los Angeles County jail and didn't make it to Department 4 of the court where trial was scheduled to begin. The reason was unknown Monday.

Marsico, who has run in the last 15 of 16 Whittier City Council elections, in jail on charges of misdemeanor battery charge and two probation violations. Present in the courtroom Monday were Sam Guyan, Charlie Schiada, and Emma Vogel. In addition, his son, Ralph, was there.
But they'll all have to wait until tomorrow when his trial now is scheduled to begin.

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