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| It is your choice. |
Plus we are now under the thumb of a Mayor and two bobblehead councilmembers who have already made up their minds about all they want to do. That being tax high (and then higher), charge more (and then even more) for city services like water and sewers, all while spending money like there is never going to be a tomorrow. Which there will not be if they don't somehow learn to stop the madness.
So really, what would be the point in going? You're more likely to get a better outcome at traffic court. Or just about any other place where they could care less about your opinions, and prefer that you simply leave.
Another thing is these folks aren't even all that nice about it. The sense of entitlement and privilege is suffocating. It may be your money, but it is their universe. Enjoy your services, because soon you're going to be paying a whole lot more for them. Or else.
For what it is worth, I will be down there in the slough, along with a few of the other regular attendees. And it should be a pretty interesting meeting. The utility tax (UUT) do-over ballot initiative is on the agenda, as are some of the wackiest and most unnecessary cash spends in recent Sierra Madre history. Which is saying a lot.
Watching the UUT 3 try and justify a colossal $150,000 spend for boutique downtown commercial street signage at one moment, while the next crying poverty and claiming they have to raise every tax and rate available or the world will end, is just great theater. And then there is Nancy Walsh's strange $60,000 Memorial Park uni-sex bathroom obsession. I am not sure I even want to know what is up with that.
If you didn't know any better you'd think you were watching a situation comedy about the most dysfunctional small city government ever imagined. And perhaps you are.
It all kicks off at 6:30. Be there, or be someplace else. Through the magic of the Internet, the choice is yours.
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
Chris Koerber is out sick tonight. Looks like he has the flu. Nothing but bobbleheads tonight I guess. Depending on which Capoccia shows up.
ReplyDeleteoh-oh
DeleteThat's boring.
DeleteI hope it's boring - and not too dangerous.
DeleteI would like to hear the service offered by the Whatnots.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Bromide is in rare form tonight.
ReplyDeleteHarabedian announces that "we have gone live" on the budget online - a project that was years in the making, and it becomes a "we" for the young fellow.
ReplyDeleteNancy doesn't want to call the EENERS by the name EENER.
ReplyDeleteShe is very proud of the title - it was one of her victories.
DeleteI will miss Nancy Walsh's meeting reports:
ReplyDeleteI went to a meeting. There was a lot going on.
Ken Goldstein at the podium - guess we'll be seeing a lot more of him as he revs up for the council election.
ReplyDeleteKen Goldstein just made a campaign appearance.
ReplyDeleteYes, he suggested that the Dutyman House could double as a love shack for city employees.
DeleteHow about residents? Let residents have a chance at renting it.
DeleteGoldstein is like a firefly. Flitting about on the library board, and then buzzing over to the planning commission. The guy just can't finish anything he starts here in Sierra Madre.
DeleteGoldie's a pol. During the last election he was money bagman for Chris Holden. Helped him raise the cash he needed to buy his leadership post in the State Assembly.
DeleteThis resident is right! Volunteers should be used instead of staff, as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteNancy couldn't have enjoyed that.
DeleteVolunteers bring out her sneers like nothing else does.
DeleteHey, has Mary C gone over her three minutes? where is our three minute man?
ReplyDeleteNancy has him on vitamin E.
DeleteA Red Cross Ambassador who has never been to a city council meeting - hope she hooks up with the CERT volunteers.
ReplyDeleteSounded like she's another resident, like the "Mayor" who doesn't know that Sierra Madre volunteers actively participate in disaster preparedness.
DeleteI want to be an Ambassador to Sierra Madre!!!! Most folks get to go to foreign places. On second thought, maybe SM qualifies as a foreign place.
ReplyDeleteGreat a presentation. What would our business meetings be like without the frivolities?
ReplyDeleteShorter? More productive?
DeleteThe Bottle Shop. with its taxpayer financed wine tasting room. Why the CRA had to go away.
ReplyDeleteso Nancy Walsh frequently frequents the Bottle Shop. Maybe she stopped in there before the meeting tonight.
ReplyDeleteBill lets her have an extra taste.
DeleteWithout Koerber there, they will fly through the money spending portion.
ReplyDeleteCapoccia's got some good questions.
DeleteJohnny Process said "I'm good."
DeleteHarabedian and Moran and no doubt Walsh have no questions at all about the money. What a surprise.
DeleteThey're waiting for the credit card bill.
DeleteThe financial director has put a big chunk of money in the wrong account? oops.
ReplyDeleteWhat is that about?
DeleteJust a bookkeeping error - and the only council member who caught it was Capoccia.
DeleteSorry, I've had it with these clowns. Can't stand watching this crap anymore !
ReplyDeleteI know that feeling oh so well. Maybe take a break - get some fresh air, and then try again in a while.
DeleteAlcohol helps.
DeleteJohnny says even though the penalties for water use are gone, you all better behave yourselves. Otherwise they'll fine you for water we buy elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteSo after the Sullivan's left, how many folks are left in the audience?
ReplyDeleteThe room is about a quarter filled. A couple of faces we don't ordinarily see here.
DeleteThey may get up for public comment on the storage/bathroom issue.
DeleteHarabedian just gave the citizens a pep talk about water conservation.
ReplyDeleteBecause we've been so very good, the council will not fine us.
However, and here's the real lie, "we want to go back on our wells."
Not gonna be possible with the development boom.
Johnny has no problem with keeping an inside joke rolling.
DeleteDanny's second unit deal is just a way of back-dooring high density. Delayed infill development.
ReplyDeleteIt's a way of placating the state and it's hand maiden, SCAG.
DeleteHas anyone seen or heard of Zardoz, the same thing happened there too!
ReplyDeleteA resident of 23rd-century Earth becomes involved in a revolution after discovering the hidden truth about society's rulers in director John Boorman's sci-fi drama. Sean Connery plays Zed, the central rebel, who begins the film as a member of the Exterminators, a band of skilled assassins who exact a reign of terror over the lesser Brutals. The Exterminators answer only to their god, a gigantic stone image known as Zardoz. Haunted by doubt about Zardoz's true divinity, Zed chooses to investigate. His disbelief is confirmed when the god proves to be a fraudulent tool of the Eternals, a secret society of brilliant immortals who pretend to divinity in order to exploit the masses. Knowing the truth, Zed sets out to reveal the hoax and destroy the Eternals' unjust rule.~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
DeleteFunny to watch them have a giggle about "affordability"
ReplyDeleteAnother inside joke.
DeleteGood for you Barbara Lee ....caching the flaws in this second unit ordinance. we need to get the general plan approved ASAP.
ReplyDeleteJosh believes everyone who moves to Sierra Madre wants to have a home. I guess that is true. Otherwise you would have to sleep outside.
ReplyDeleteJohnny's tie looks like a tropical fish.
ReplyDeleteI think Johnny is enjoying a new expanded sense of himself up there, without Koerber. Kind of off the leash.
DeleteThanks Capoccia for actually answering Barbara Leigh's remarks. She can be hard to follow, but it doesn't pay to dismiss her comments as nonsensical, as Moran did, with his laughter and condescending reply.
ReplyDeleteBarbara speaks at a higher level than Josh.
DeleteWalsh and Harabedian both concluded their discussion with "I like it."
ReplyDeleteMaybe they were talking about cookies.
DeleteOh boy! time for our taxes to be increased!
ReplyDeleteAll four council members look very comfortable.
DeleteJohnny's dumb question. Can a future City Council raise the water UUT to 10%. No Johnny. You can't raise taxes without the consent of the citizens through the vote.
ReplyDeleteMimicked exactly by Walsh.
DeleteHe is afraid that if the water rate increase fails then the UUT water tax cut wouldn't be proper. Gosh, we wouldn't want to give the residents a break now, would we.
Deletewow so the council must have received a lot of negative feedback on this tax increase, they are busy looking foe ways to justify their decision.
ReplyDeleteOr to not be seen as foes.
DeleteHey, I missed what our very expensive legal counsel had to say. Did it matter?
ReplyDeleteNo.
DeleteBarbara Lee is on a roll tonight! I like putting the UUT taxes toward the bond payments.
ReplyDelete"There doesn't seem to be a solution."
ReplyDeleteHarabedian - a leader of the future
Q) Are we not men?
DeleteA) We are DEVO
No Josh, we do not pay down our bond debt every month. what about the 2003 bond debt? Josh is in to his best fear mongering mode.
ReplyDeleteYa know a good word to describe Moran's attitude when he gets into those pronouncements? Supercilious.
DeleteHe has a lot of anger.
DeleteJosh says we pay down our bonds every month. What about the interest only payments on the 2003 water bonds? We are paying interest only on those bonds. Is that paying down a bond? Interest only payments?
ReplyDeleteThank you 7:36. I knew something slippery was going on when he uttered that with such certainty, but didn't catch it.
DeleteJosh:
DeleteA) Doesn't know what he's talking about
B) Lied
It's potty mouth time!
ReplyDeleteMoran is assuring us that a lowering of the rate is possible. A born reverse mortgage salesman, yeah?
ReplyDeleteTry and hold him to it.
Deletehah!
DeleteLottery odds would be preferable.
DeleteMPT* asks why can't we all just get along?
ReplyDeleteFeeling nothing strongly himself, he cannot understand those that do.
Deletewhy will storage space for the seniors help the entire community?
ReplyDeleteI agree it would benefit the seniors, and the Hart Park house - but the Community as a whole? No. It will hurt the community as a whole because it will decrease the amount of toilets for the public. Bad idea.
ReplyDeleteIt is a kiddy park, for God's sake.
DeleteGo Pat Go! They are public restrooms. There are tons of kids playing there. What is best for the community. That is the question.
Deletevery few seniors even go to the center.
ReplyDeleteso, we open up space in the Hart Park house and then fill it back up with couches etc. What sense does this make? BTW, the Seniors do not own the Hart Park House, the Hart Ark House belongs to everyone. just like the tax monies they plan to use to pa for it.
ReplyDeleteIf other groups meeting there and storing stuff, that's an easy problem to solve. Tell the groups they can't leave their junk there. Bring it in, take it out.
ReplyDeleteThere's a pretty shocking lack of imagination in finding storage.
ReplyDeleteAlcorn is making a great deal of sense, and is relying on historical accuracy.
ReplyDeleteThat means she won't be heard by 3 of the 4 people sitting on the dais.
"Ill- conceived" is the best description I've heard about this.
ReplyDeleteExcelllent letter!
ReplyDeleteGreat letter from David C.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions - shelves, or a storage shed.
ReplyDeleteOh, Johnny wants to do a big old restoration of everything. Sure, why not spend, spend, spend.
ReplyDeleteWhy are Walsh and "her seniors" perpetrating the fantasy that mothers of young children were interviewed by the Community Services Commission?
ReplyDeleteBecause they are selfish and only care about what they want.
DeleteAnybody catch the faces Nancy made at Pat Alcorn?
ReplyDeleteGo to the senior center on a regular day - there might be 15, 20 people there.
ReplyDeleteMoran is ambling towards approval.
ReplyDeleteHe just threw in his kid. He wants the new bathroom, and to give the seniors their storage.
DeleteSo these bathrooms are nasty and gross. Who cleans them? A city employee?
ReplyDeleteNobody. They'd rather pay a few hundred grand to renovate them than get out a bucket and some soap.
DeleteJosh is in favor of unisex bathrooms. That will play well in the upcoming election.
ReplyDeleteHere's the moment - Johnny speaks. He's for it.
ReplyDeleteGoodnight.
Ok, now I've hit my limit.
ReplyDeleteThey're tone deaf. Don't they know how the term "unisex bathroom" is going to play out there in the community?
ReplyDeleteNancy says 70% of the people living in this town are seniors. It is not the truth.
ReplyDeletehttp://sierramadre.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm
it's not the council's job to find storage space... Send it back to staff. there were no alternatives given in the staff What the He double toothpicks.!!! Nancy thinks the brand new Hart Park house is a shabby solution for the cities seniors. really??? It's not the Senior's center, the whole thing belongs to the community, Nancy, not just the seniors. Maybe the seniors can use the new Kensington facilities.
ReplyDeleteWhy not have the seniors use the underutilized community center by the pool?
Deletenancy, please shut up!!!!!! I am beating my head against the wall!!! I hope Neuroblast is saving this Nancy tirade.
ReplyDeleteI am not watching anymore - a person can take only just so much. Who is she after? Which innocent bystander is being excoriated for displeasing the mayor?
DeleteMayor's head explodes. Film at 11.
ReplyDeleteThat would make the Memorial Park restrooms smell like roses in comparison.
DeleteWhy is Elaine speaking? No on ea sked her a question.
ReplyDeleteShe is trying to rescue Nancy's unisex bathroom dreams.
DeleteSo I hope the council members aren't going to use the pottys in the park during the break. and, I wonder whose armis being twisted right now?
ReplyDeleteJosh waffled. He is not going to vote with Johnny and Mayor Cray Cray.
ReplyDeleteWhat?!
DeleteJosh knows how this could play with the residents. He bailed.
DeleteI'm amazed! He had good sense?
DeleteHe chickened out. He knows what parents in the community would say about a single unisex bathroom in a kid's park.
DeleteOh No. Nancy lost! don't worry, she'll get revenge
ReplyDeleteOoooooh, people better step carefully around her.....
DeleteHey, where's exmayor Doyle? Too busy to drop in and sell his SGVEP to us?
ReplyDeleteShades of Mr. Mosca - We represent 31 cities.
ReplyDeleteAh Gosh. Not anymore of this garbage, please.
This is nothing but SCAG in a different dress. Or pair of pants.
ReplyDeleteActually it's Buxton redux.
DeleteIt's run by Realtors and developers. And it's leader is Bart Doyle. It's crony business politics at its worst..
DeleteThey go up to Sacramento and talk about our needs. We definitely need more talk.
ReplyDeleteif this SGV Eco Partnership is so great, why didn't Sierra Madre join before?
ReplyDelete"Only" $2500 - and certainly big cities who pay a lot more won't get any preferential treatment.
ReplyDeleteTaxes are going up. That should cover it.
DeleteOh for goodness sake, if Doyle is involved, figure it out - it's a hustle.
ReplyDeleteThere goes Capoccia, talking sense again.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall Mr. Shay guaranteeing that he would bring any new businesses into town. this is all pie in the sky and the only group that benefits is the SGV Economic Partnership.
ReplyDeleteIt is something Harabedian made up. It has no basis in reality.
DeleteThank you council member Capoccia - a $2,500 fee to this vanity organization requires a $250,000 in goods sold to make that up.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Process can't wait to spend the taxpayer's $$$.
ReplyDeleteJohnny never had to hoe.
DeleteDidn't we pay Buxton $30,000 to bring in new businesses? This will work any better?
ReplyDeleteHarabedian, Walsh and Moran don't live in the same town I do. They see empty store fronts and a dead downtown.
ReplyDeleteJohnny wants a business that excites him.
DeleteHow about a balloon store?
Deletehey Johnny, here's how to help businesses in Sierra Madre....spend more of your own personal money downtown. BTW, our chamber of commerce is all volunteer, and they don't do much.
ReplyDeleteSo the Buxton boondoggle, the chamber, the business owners in town - all of these are ineffectual and in need of this consultant in "partnership" form. It's bs, plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteNancy and Johnny don't have a clue. About anything.
DeleteJohn Cappocia is returning to his former self. Maybe there is some hope.
ReplyDeletesorry, he voted for a one year membership. so predicable..
Delete"Tangible return" - shocking idea.
ReplyDeleteOk, so Sierra Madre will be the low payer of membership, how much attention will this group pay to our fair town? they're going to work harder for those who pay greater membership fees. this is such a waste of money.
ReplyDeletehahahahah - really? Nancy, Josh Moran tried to boycott our business district.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or is Walsh making less and less sense?
ReplyDeleteShe is edging into dementia.
DeleteShe doesn't seem to be following the comments that are made before she speaks.
DeleteGreat, this guy is offering to have someone talk to Elaine as soon as the holidays are over. Wildly productive conversation, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteNow we get to discuss Nancy's $150,000 sign boondoggle
ReplyDeleteThe two faces of our councils - we are so broke we can't make it without more and more taxes, but hey, let's pretty the place up with new signs!
DeleteStaff has ability, but the timing would be prohibitive? Huh?
DeleteIt could cut into lunch.
DeleteWe are Sierra Madre, not Pasadena. If you can't find your way around here in this small city, go back to wherever you came from.
ReplyDeleteWe're taxing the residents to death, but we need signs? Seriously????
ReplyDeleteThey are going to go for it. Never thinking it could be a project that would be all volunteer. Want to get rid of $25,000.
ReplyDelete"Working with outside firms." Huh?
ReplyDeletewhy are we spending all this money? we already have a map of downtown in Kersting Ct. What a waste of over. One hundred thousand of your dollars.
ReplyDeleteOur community is broke. Don't vote for the signs.
ReplyDeleteWHAT if we have the SGV Eco. Partnership group handle this sign thi g for us. After all. We just ave them 2500.00 dollars.
ReplyDeleteIf they vote for the signs, we need to vote them out. Our city is just too small and over taxed to even entertain this.
ReplyDeleteSo what are they planning to spend?
ReplyDeletepeople with money use Yelp.
ReplyDeletesign of the times. and it will only cost you one hundred twenty five thousand dollars.
ReplyDeleteJohn Capoccia points out that the money isn't in the budget, and we should talk about it when next year's budget is discussed. How logical.
ReplyDeleteJohnny says the money is fungible. Spend the reserves. Oh, why not?
ReplyDeleteMPT* is always up for spending more money.
ReplyDelete2, 3 and 5. How much does that come to?
ReplyDelete$42,500.
Deletehttp://66.92.220.85:8090/tylercm/eagleweb/downloads/6___City_Signage_Plan.pdf?id=DOC104S25.A0&parent=DOC104S25
Johnny just doesn't understand what it is like for us grownups. The silver spoon is still hanging from his lips.
ReplyDeleteI have a great idea - let's let some of our well to do community members sponsor the signs. What a win-win!
ReplyDeleteSo they are having a discussion without knowing the impact on the reserves....
ReplyDeleteYes but Aquilar is 75% sure it won't fall below the 50%, and Harabedian thinks he might remember that too. Inspire any confidence?
DeleteWhy doesn't the city manager know?
DeleteShe didn't want to embarrass Johnny.
DeleteLike writing a check without knowing what your balance is. Who cares. It's the city's money.
ReplyDelete