Illegal immigrants who return after deportation commit more crimes, the Los Angeles Times reported today.

By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 8, 2008

Illegal immigrants who have been deported at least once from the United States are far more likely than other immigrants to repeatedly commit crimes, according to a study by the nonprofit Rand Corp.

The data indicated that illegal immigrants, overall, were not a greater crime risk, according to the study, which looked at all inmates released from Los Angeles County Jail for a month in 2002.

But among those who previously had been deported, reentered the U.S. and were arrested and released from jail, nearly 75% went on to commit another crime within a year. And 28% were arrested three or more times during the one-year period.

The recidivism rate was much lower for illegal immigrants who had not been previously deported, with 32% of those inmates being rearrested within a year and 7% arrested three or more times during that year.

Since the data were collected in 2002, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has overhauled screening for illegal immigrants and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poured resources into border security. But researchers said the analysis still could have public policy implications for L.A. County and other counties around the nation.

Read more.

The art of adhering to ethical standards is kind of like walking a tightrope. One step to the right or left, and all of a sudden you've got a problem.

For politicians, the craft is especially tricky and it's sometimes hard to tell where that very thin line is crossed.

We learned last week that La Puente City Councilman Dan Holloway's daughter did some contract work for the city over a five-month period spanning December 2006 to May 2007.

Holloway hadn't been elected to the council yet. He still was serving a stint on the Planning Commission at the time.

His daughter, Shannon Holloway, was a contracted photographer and took photos at several city events such as the 2006 holiday parade and the 2007 St. Patrick's Day senior dance.

Records show the younger Holloway charged $50 an hour for the work and made a total of $775 off the city until she was told she no longer could work for La Puente.

The decision came down last spring from City Manager Carol Cowley, who - among other city officials - worried about a perceived conflict of interest.

City policies state no relatives of an officer or employee can work for the city on a full-time basis. Shannon, of course, wasn't working full-time. She wasn't even an employee.

"But it was the perception," according to Cowley.

As of Sunday afternoon, Shannon Holloway still was listing herself as La Puente's "city photographer" from "12/06-Present" on her MySpace page. It was corrected by nightfall.

The city has been using a new photographer since around last June and records show original CD's with all of Shannon Holloway's photos were released back to Dan Holloway in March.

City officials say Shannon made it clear the city no longer could reproduce her work, although some of it is featured in the 2008 La Puente calendar, but only because that specifically was what the work was for.

Councilman John Solis said the issue caused friction between Cowley - who is retiring at the end of this monthafter less than two years as city manager - and Holloway.

"He put up a fight," Solis said. "He was really upset that (Shannon) couldn't work for the city (anymore). That's one of the issues he had with (Cowley)."

Holloway said he really had nothing to do with issue, and it was a former parks and recreation director who knowingly hired Shannon for the work. He also said officials at the state and federal level agreed her contract work technically was not a conflict of interest.

"I was only upset to the point that I asked (Cowley) specifically who had made the complaint to her and it was not forthcoming," Holloway said.

The entire incident brings up key questions on when and where to draw the line when serving in office - or if a line even exists.

Some argue La Puente is a small town with small-town

politics, so there's bound to be some harmless crossover.

jennifer.mclain@sgvn.com

tania.chatila@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477, 2109

This just in from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:

The city of Covina announced today that they will have a special meeting Saturday at 10 a.m.

The closed session meeting is listed as:

"Government Code §54957(b)--PERSONNEL MATTERS
Public Employee Appointment--Title: Interim City Manager"

When I spoke to Mayor Kevin Stapleton on Thursday he said the council was trying to set up a time to conduct interviews on possible interim city manager candidates.

City Manager Paul Philips was fired on Aug. 11 after eight years of service. The council sited philosophical differences for the termination.

The meeting will be at City Hall, 125 College Street.

Interesting that the city would hold a special meeting on a Saturday morning. Reporter Brian Day will be following up tomorrow...

I noticed this on the La Puente City Council agenda faxed to me on Thursday for next week's meeting:

THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION WILL RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54956.8 TO CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS

AGENCY NEGOTIATOR: Executive Director Carol Cowley and Deputy Executive Director Gregg Yamachika

The clause bolded above is not on the agenda that's up online, but it is on the agenda that was faxed to me.

Hmmm....last time the city and Ed Butts Ford tried to negotiate a deal, it didn't work out too well.

Wonder if they are trying again or just putting an official end to stalled talks?

Parking violators beware: La Puente is thinking about increasing several of their parking citation fees.

Apparently, parking tickets in La Puente are fairly cheaper than those in surrounding cities for common violations like disobeying curb markings and parking when the street sweepers come by.

For example, a curb marking violation in La Puente is $28. In El Monte, it's $40, $75 in West Covina and $50 in Baldwin Park... ouch.

If the increased rates are approved, violations could go up by as much as $23 depending on the violation.

See the current and proposed rate schedules here.

Also, the increase could bring in a nice chunk of change to city coffers. If the city raised the rates and doled out the same amount of citations as they did last fiscal year - 6,066 - they could make an additional $90,990 a year, according to a city staff report.

Arcadia could soon require contractors to comply with immigration laws, Alfred Lee reports.

Compliance with migrant law urged
By Alfred Lee, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/03/2008 11:11:55 PM PDT

ARCADIA - In what amounts to a largely symbolic stand against hiring illegal immigrants, city officials are considering adding wording to future contracts that specifically requires contractors to comply with immigration laws.

The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to draft language that could potentially be inserted into such contracts and preserve the city's right to ask contractors for documentation of their employees at any point.

The move could be considered a token gesture, since the city already requires contractors to generally comply with all state and federal laws, including the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

But Mayor Robert Harbicht passionately argued that a stand needed to be made.

"This city has an opportunity to make a statement that we are not going to hire illegal aliens," Harbicht said. "This particular thing is something that's choking this whole region."

The city attorney and city manager were directed to work on drafting the new contract wording, which will be brought back to council for a final decision.

OPEN FORUM: What were your thoughts on Sarah Palin's speech tonight at the Republican National Convention, and did it change your view of her? 

Personally, I was surprised at how entertaining it was, and even funny. I especially liked the joke about the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull. (Lipstick) And she certainly came out swinging, attacking Obama on everything from his views on the war to taxes to his inexperience, which is a theme we've been hearing the past week from Obama's camp of Palin.

The bio for Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District candidate Andrew McIntyre was changed after I posted this entry. It no longer states that he was a member of the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, but instead that was replaced to the San Gabriel Valley River Water Authority.

Background
Andrew McIntyre was born and raised in West Covina. He attended South Hills High School and later went on to graduate from the University of Southern California (USC) where Andrew received his degree in Public Policy Management & Planning.

Commitment To Our Community
San Gabriel Valley River Water Authority
Citrus Valley Health Partners Foundation, Board of Directors
Covina Historic Society, Chairperson
Covina Rotary Club
West Covina, life long resident

Experience
Andrew is currently the Water Resource Manager for the Canyon Water Company. He is directly involved in the daily management and oversight of all water resources required to insure an adequate supply of high quality water.

The La Puente City Council held a special meeting Tuesday night. This is what was listed on the agenda:

THE CITY COUNCIL WILL RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT CITY MANAGER

After the closed session was over, City Attorney James Casso said, "there's no reportable action on that item."

I wonder if there was any talk as to who might be filling City Manager Carol Cowley's position when she retires at the end of this month?

Baldwin Park City Councilman Ricardo Pacheco isn't satisfied with the council's recent decision to exclude about 40 owner-occupied homes from a proposed downtown project.
Pacheco said he wants all homes and apartments excluded too.

"Two months ago, I said I didn't want to include any of the homes and now they've changed their minds and decided to say, 'OK. We'll support Prop 99?"

Pacheco said the proposed project is big enough that officials don't have to include the homes. And he said he wants the city to include the local businesses into the design as well.

Pacheco put this on the agenda for tonight's meeting:

Request by Council member Pacheco for discussion on the following:

1)Request to exclude all homes between Palmrose Street and Clark Street and Bogart Avenue and Downing Avenue from the proposed downtown project; and

2)Request all current businesses in the proposed project area be relocated in the new development

Wonder what his colleagues will say?

Baldwin Park Police Chief Lili Hadsell wants to add one little definition to the city's registered sex offender ordinance.

Reside: To live or dwell at one or more addresses, regardless of the number of days or nights spent there, such as a shelter or structure that can be located by a street address, regardless of physical housing or lack thereof, including, but not limited to, houses apartment buildings, motels, hotels, homeless shelters, and recreational and other vehicles.

According to a city staff report, inclusion of the word's definition will help police better track registered sex offenders.

Ah, the power of words....

I got this e-mail from "Peter the Great" about a series of articles we did on Edward Romero:

You have wasted time writing an article on pastor Edward Romero who wanted to gain name recognition by going to Beijing and trashing a hotel room. You should not glorify his action of property destruction to reach his goals. There is no place in his church or in your newspaper for his criminal behaviour.

There are plently of human rights issues in America like discrimination of Mexicans, illegal aliens, gays, torture of political prisioners in cuba, police beating up innocent Mexicans, etc.
You and pastor Romero should be concerned about those issues instead of those so-called human rights in China.

There are 1.3 billion Chinese. Let them take care of themselves. There was no need for pastor Romero to destroy property, and for you to write about it.

A host of independent trash haulers are threatening a referendum on the November ballot to revoke Athens Services' 15-year exclusive trash collection contract in Montebello.

Except Athens, reporter Amanda Baumfeld reports, isn't having it. Looks like they are threatening a lawsuit if the voters get their way:

MONTEBELLO - Athens Services has threatened to sue the city if Montebello's voters get the chance to revoke the company's trash-hauling contract, officials said Tuesday.
A political fight broke out after the City Council in July awarded Athens Services an exclusive, 15-year contract to haul waste in the city. Before that, 13 different companies collected garbage.

Molinari, who voted against the contract, has not yet signed it. He said he was presented with the final draft Aug. 8.

I'm working on an obituary for Ed Justice, Sr., who died over the weekend at 87 years old.

Justice was one of three brothers that created the Justice Brothers Inc., a Duarte-based company that sells car care additives.

Justice had a passion for cars, planes, bikes, and, well, "anything automotive," Justice's son said.

Justice got involved in stock car racing right as NASCAR was getting started in 1950. After that, Justice's company took off.

Justice retired in the 1980s, although he spent much of his time on the automotive museum at the company's location in Duarte. That was Justice's baby, his son said.

"There is nothing that he loved more than someone who would come in to the museum," said Justice Brothers Vice President Kelvin Muinos. "He would wait for them to come in and pounce on them like a cat waiting for a mouse."

Look for the story in tomorrow's paper.

There is a council meeting tonight and there are several items of interest:

1. Reducing of speed limits.
The speed limit could be reduced to 35 miles per hour from 40 miles per hour on Aroma Drive and Azusa Avenue.

2. Revisit the budget
Councilman Roger Hernandez wants to consider additional budget cuts.

3. Add a cell phone tower at Shadow Oak Park
There is currently a cell phone tower, Crown Castle PCS, at 2121 East Shadow Oak Drive, and it is being recommended that PCS co-locate its equipment on the same site.

The environmental report is going to be released on Wednesday for the proposed NFL stadium in the city of Industry. Of course,  the main concern is traffic.

While many welcome the proposal, some living near the site have worried that a stadium would cause more traffic at the already crowded freeway intersection, Industry Mayor Dave Perez said.

However, Majestic Realty Vice President John Semcken said the stadium project would cause less traffic than a larger commercial center approved by the City Council in 2004 but never built. Read more.

Cities will be monitoring and likely responding to the draft EIR during the next 45 review period. Diamond Bar prepared a 12 page response in May to the Notice of Response for the supplment enviornmental report.

What a weekend for Republican VP pick Sarah Palin. Aside from the Republican National Convention, this weeked she also found out that her 17 year-old daughter is five months pregnant.

Do you think that is going to have any impact on the election?

Welcome back to the work week!

Here's this week's column inspired by the great dialogue by our readers last week. Thanks to everyone for participating in the conversation. There were many ideas that we've not heard from our elected leaders:

They say drastic times call for drastic measures.

We've certainly seen a lot of that as local leaders struggle with faltering revenues and excruciating budget cuts.

In West Covina, every department head was asked to cut five percent from their budget to make up for a $2.1million deficit.

In El Monte, facing a $400,000 deficit, council members slashed the Police Department's funds, maintained hiring freezes and cut back on recreation programs.

And in cities like Pico Rivera, El Monte, San Gabriel and Covina, taxes seem to be the only answer to supplement wavering incomes.

Many city council members have said this undoubtedly is a difficult time and it never is easy making cuts.

But what you would do if you were running the show?

Here are some ideas readers came up with, and they're nothing like what our elected officials have suggested:

Eliminate all car, travel and cell phone allowances for council members, as well as car allowances for city employees. "Stop paying for trips to China, Paris, Mexico, etc.," according to one reader.

Cut back on recreation departments, including youth and senior programs.

"Seniors tend to be better off than most non-retired working age folks. Seniors, though they are on fixed incomes, usually have a lifetime's worth of savings and investments accumulated ... and they also enjoy many discounts that non-seniors do not enjoy," another reader wrote.

Turn off at least half of street lights.
"We're figuratively throwing our money into the sky with all the lighting that goes up where it is not needed," one reader wrote.

Cut back on overtime for public safety, review every contract that has been in place in the city for at least three years and consider cutting staffing of "non-essential things such as school resource officers or farmer's markets," according to another reader.

Require those on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to use public transportation to attend meetings. "They're in charge of the MTA; they should be able to get to the meetings using the same public transit they govern. If it's not good enough for them, it's not good for us, either."

While some of these ideas are downright impossible others are more feasible.

Elected officials say city government is a labor of love.

So maybe they should think outside of the box a little more often. And maybe readers should get up from behind their computer screens and attend council meetings a little more often, too. Give those councils a piece of their minds.

So who is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and why did McCain pick her? It seems I'm not the only one with that in mind. 

Here are some bullet points about her:

 -Roman Catholic
-opposes abortion

-44 years old
-conservative mother of 5
-she played on her college's basketball team, is a hunter, a lifetime member of the NRA
-she was the runner up for Miss Alaska

 Here's one story:

NEW YORK (CNN) -- John McCain's brilliant but risky "Hail Mary pass" choice for vice president, Alaska Gov. Sarah "Barracuda" Palin, has the political world saying first: Who? And then: Why?

The "who" is a young, articulate, smart, tough, pro-life Roman Catholic who is the governor of our northernmost state. She is conservative and a mother of 5, including a son in the Army who is set to be deployed to Iraq on September 11. Her youngest child has Down syndrome.

The "Barracuda" nickname came from her aggressive basketball play on the state championship basketball team. She is a hunter, pilot and lifetime member of the NRA.

She is blunt, outspoken and charming. And don't assume she can't stand toe-to-toe with Joe Biden. She is a great debater. And she was runner-up for the Miss Alaska title, won Miss Congeniality in that contest, and plays the flute.

She also has a compelling story and is a most interesting choice. She will be known by all in 24 to 48 hours in this instant media world and I am betting she will be well-liked.

The "why" is she is a governor and outside the Beltway. Conservatives love her and she shares John McCain's value system. She is also known for taking on the establishment and ethics is her forte.

She defeated the longtime senator and Republican governor in a primary and then went on and defeated the former Democratic governor.

I don't believe people vote for vice president but only for president. That said, I think she is every bit as good a choice as Biden. Alaska has three electoral votes and so does Delaware -- so that part ends up being a wash.

Sen.John McCain picked Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate, according to the New York Times.