Watching West Covina

I think I'm covering the wrong city!

2009-06-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

The LA County District Attorney's Public Integrity Division has been busy in the good ol' San Gabriel Valley this week.

First, three city officials in Temple City (well, two officials and one official wannabe) were indicted on bribery and perjury, and then yesterday, the DA's office raided the home of La Puente Mayor Louie Lujan and is campaign treasurer.

I said it before and I'll say it again: Investigations are great hit-piece fodder, so when Lujan runs for City Council in November, he's probably going to have a tough time getting re-elected, much less win the Democratic Primary for the 57th Assembly District next year. I always believe that one is innocent until proven guilty, but this guy has a pretty sketchy record, dating back to his first days on the City Council. First, he spent enormous amounts of taxpayer money on fancy meals in fancy restaurants, then his in-laws and his wife were busted for voting twice in his election in 2001

Like I said, though, I'll reserve judgment, except to say my mother always told me to never trust a man whose name is an alliteration.

Dirty Deeds Done... Well, Just Dirty

2009-05-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

With the new baby on the way, I think I need to find a bigger place. But first, I have to unload the one I have. Anyone can tell you it's a buyers' market; anyone who reads, anyway. Now, if only there was a way for me to sell this house for more than I actually paid for it in this market.

Hmm, I suppose I can "sell" it to myself for more than I paid for it, and that way the next sucker who buys it will think he/she's getting a discount when I knock the price down. Brilliant, but legal? I don't know. Maybe I should ask the Wiz Kids at West Covina City Hall.

For those of you just tuning in, this is the latest to fall through the cracks, and boy what a doozy. Once again, the city is entering into an agreement with Pacific Development/TELACU Industries to build more senior housing. The city will dole out $8.6 million to build the 65-unit affordable senior housing complex with its partnership with Pacific/TELACU. Now, if that name is familiar, it should be. They built a similar development right next to the property in question, and it was developed by Thomas Corley and Hank Attina.

Now, if the name Hank Attina rings a bell, that should, too. He is bestest friends foreverest with West Covina City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman. They're such good friends, Good Ol' Arnie represented his good buddy in court when he got popped for a DUI.

But that's not even the meatiest part of this bone. Turns out Bill McIntyre (the same one who employs Mike Touhey as a consultant. What a happy coincidence) sold the property to an LLC called Home LLC for $3.67 million in May 2007. Then, Home LLC turned around and sold it to JV Home for $4.4 million in July 2008.

I know what you're wondering. You're wondering how, just how, can the price jump that much when the rest of the market was in the shitter? Easy: Home LLC and JV Home is RUN OUT OF THE SAME ADDRESS! I shit you not. How can that even be legal?

And how can it be legal for the City Council to commit so much money to a property without appraising it first? Man, there should be a law against that.

Wait... there is: It's called California Government Code 7267.1.

In it, it states: "(a) The public entity shall make every reasonable effort to
acquire expeditiously real property by negotiation.
(b) Real property shall be appraised before the initiation of
negotiations, and the owner, or the owner's designated
representative, shall be given an opportunity to accompany the
appraiser during his or her inspection of the property. However, the
public entity may prescribe a procedure to waive the appraisal in
cases involving the acquisition by sale or donation of property with
a low fair market value.

Low fair market value, eh? Does $3.6 million on a piece of empty 1.08 acre-land sound like low market value? Well, I seem to remember back in 2006, the city sold BKK land to Mike Touhey-client developer Charles Co. for $1.8 million. It was 2.8 net acres, and back then, the Staff urged the council that we were getting paid top dollar for that property.

But you know, that was two years ago. Things have certainly changed since then, right? So let's see what we got goin' on now.

According to the official site of the National Association of Realtors, I can buy 2.2 acres of land, in West Covina, for a mere $1.1 million. Does anyone remember how many acres that Workman land has? That's right, kids, 1.08 acres. And just for shits and giggles, let's see how much $3.5 million could buy me in the San Gabriel Valley.

What, what's this? I could buy about 2.5 acres in nearby Industry. That's about twice what the size of the Workman lot.

Look, I'm a guy who knows how to navigate Google. That's it. The City Staff is loaded with experts, attorneys, economists, etc. and they STILL couldn't see the city was getting bent over? Maybe if Chris Chung spent more time actually doing his job and less time calling people racists, he would have picked up on this. This thing passed 5-0! It was on the consent calendar, for crying out loud.

Then, on Thursday, seeing the error of his ways, Mayor Hernandez called a meeting, hoping to overturn the decision. But alas, he was the only one at the party. None of the other four showed up. Well, I'm sure their excuses are good, but the fact that those excuses are worth about $9 million in taxpayer money is hard for me to believe at this point.

I'll make a public plea that someone who has more than a laptop and a lot of spite take this under consideration. Where's the Public Integrity in this? Now, if only there was, oh, I don't know, some sort of legal body who actually monitors these types of things...

Chu Wins!

2009-05-20T10:04:00.001-07:00

Judy Chu won the Congressional seat left by Labor Sec. Hilda Solis. Congratulations, Dr. Chu. I'm so glad someone who actually LIVES in the SGV will be representing it.

Hey, didn't that guy in the back of this picture used to work for the Tribune? He used to cover West Covina.

Are you serious?

2009-05-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

Before I go on with today's rant, I have this to say:

GO DODGERS!!!!

Now I'm not gonna say the "W.S." word for fear of jinxing it, but I will say that while my heart broke into a million pieces with the news of Manny, It was mended by a young man by the name of Juan Pierre who has made it a little easier to "Think Blue."

Now, on to the rant.

Community Development Director Chris Chung finally filed a lawsuit against Mayor Roger Hernandez, about four years after the alleged incident he's complaining about. Now, Hernandez is a racist against Chung because he is Asian.

Sigh. Seriously?

Wait... Isn't Hernandez backing Judy Chu over Gil Cedillo for the Congress seat?
And wasn't Hernandez John Tran's campaign manager so that Tran would become the first Asian American on the Rosemead City Council?

And, wait, ummm, weren't Hernandez and Tran lifelong friends? I could have sworn I read a few years back that they've been friends dating back to childhood.

So....Roger Hernandez has a thing against Asians? Look, this is what I think: I think Chris Chung has no case so he has to fabricate ongoing harassment to get some cha-ching out of the city, and the other four will give it to him because they want it to hold over their colleague. What I'd like to see is a fair trial. I think that's what the people deserve: a neutral third party. As they have proven in the past, the City Council cannot be trusted. They tried and failed numerous times to "get" Hernandez. It's obvious they cannot be objective.

That's all for today, except:
Judy Chu for Congress!
Vote tomorrow!!
Send a message: No carpetbaggers allowed in the SGV.

One Bill Gil is on a spending roll and other thoughts

2009-04-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

It's not enough that Sen. Gil Cedillo is running for a Congressional seat in a district that he doesn't even live in, but the fact that he's spending this kind of money is ... Dude. I don't even know how to explain it!

And I shouldn't. I'm not the one spending campaign money on lavish meals and trips. Isn't a campaign war chest supposed to be spent on, oh I don't know, CAMPAIGNING?! This guy wants Hilda Solis' seat? He's not even in her league. This makes me want to publicly endorse Dr. Judy Chu! So there you have it. I join the ranks of a TON of other people who actually live in the Congressional district. Go Chu!

In other West Covina news, it looks like nearly 7,000 signatures collected by a group of people who probably put the rest of their lives on hold for a few months, passed the LA County Registrar's test and whether West Covina will have council districts will be on a ballot coming soon. Wow, letting the people decide, that's gotta piss some people off. I'm not one of them, though. I'm glad that West Covina is getting with the real and understanding that the people who live south of the freeway have a completely separate set of priorities than people who live north of it.

AND rumor has it that Steve Herfert it gonna run for Assembly as a *drumroll please** DEMOCRAT!!!! AGAIN!!! That guy changes political parties the way my wife changes shoes; the way Drew Barrymore changes boyfriends; the way Steve Herfert changes political parties!

This isn't unprecedented, though. He did it before in 2000 when his bitter rival, Richard Melendez was running. Now, Roger Hernandez is running and I'm guessing the plan for The Mad Scientist is to siphon votes from him because he hates him so much. But will it work this time? Will people see through his ruse? I think so, considering the guy only becomes a Democrat when he runs for Assembly.

Is there a way to see when exactly Mr. Herfert became a Democrat this time? If so, let me know so I could do some homework myself.

Have a grrrrrrrrreat day!

Should I? Should I not?

2009-03-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

Watcher here, asking my readers a question. Apparently, this little blog could. I have been approached to sell advertising on this space to a company called Wikimetro, who I believe has clients who may be interested in advertising.

The only issue I have with this is if they pay me, I have to reveal my identity, and part of my allure, I'm sure, is people reading from time to time, trying to figure out who I am. So far, I've been accused of being an elderly couple, a young woman, and/or city employee. I like to keep my readers guessing, but with a third baby on the way, a little extra cash wouldn't hurt.

Let me know what you think, or if you have any personal experience with Wikimetro.

Thanks, guys and I'll be posting more often again soon.

Where have you been, Watcher?

2009-03-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Honestly... ALL OVER THE PLACE!

I can write about how more than 7,000 West Covinians want council districts.

I can write about that. I will, eventually, but the wife and I have a new adventure on hand: another kid.

Yeah, I know. Overpopulation and blah blah, but this pregnancy is a little more delicate than the others because she's a little bit older so, essentially, I've been waiting on her hand and foot. Not that I mind. I've just been preoccupied with the other kiddies, and maybe -- just possibly -- going through a bit of what they call "Midlife Crisis." I'm not very old at all, but THREE kids? That's been on my mind a lot lately, and the fact that my company is cutting costs everywhere, and being the HR guy is NOT the most popular position to be in in these tough times.

So, when things get a little more settled, I will write then. Sorry for the delay, folks. Oh, and one more thing: I will no longer post on Leftovers, due to the fact some douche is saying asinine things in my name. FYI: The "West Covina Watcher" on that blog is a copycat and is NOT, I repeat, NOT ME.

NEWSFLASH: All 5 Councilmembers agree on something

2009-02-03T14:17:00.001-08:00

And that something is ....

Judy Chu for Congress!

Why? Probably because she was once an assemblymember, the other only serious candidate is State Sen. "One Bill" Gil Cedillo, who is, frankly, a carpetbagger. His current district includes Los Angeles, Alhambra, Maywood, San Marino, Vernon, and South Pasadena. How far west are those from West Covina, Covina and Baldwin Park? Some say the seat is tailor-made for him. Some believe the seat should go to a Latino, but what would probably be a better idea is a Latino who actually LIVES in the San Gabriel Valley and hasn't spent his/her entire career on a school or water board. While both are important posts to have, I don't think it trains you well for the rigors of Congress. Municipal or State elected officials would probably fair better in the Beltway.

Judy Chu is from Monterey Park. She was on City Council, in the Assembly and now the State Board of Equilization.

Funny thing, though...

Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano and Irwindale Councilman Larry Burrola are endorsing both candidates.

WTF?

What's the point of offering an endorsement when you're endorsing both candidates. That's just dumb, a purely wussy move because it's obvious they don't want to piss anyone off.

Another thing our five illustrious leaders probably agree on?

We're all f*&@ed!

According to the guy who should be the suing the feds and state for making his life a living hell, Finance Director Thomas Bachman, "The sales tax shortfall and other revenue decreases will increase the current year General Fund deficit to almost $3.9 million." Man, that's a lot of scratch.

How do we close that gap? Anyone? Well, we're spending $1.3 million annually on Big League Nightmare, but it's here and there's not much we can do about that. Can a city take donations? How about **drumroll, please**

A REALITY SHOW!!

Yes, yes, yes! Man, that would be awesome. If people are willing to watch a couple of morons raise 18 damn kids, I'm sure people would watch five morons* raise $3.9 million in deficits. I would totally watch it. And they should have a camera in closed session, too. I'm sure it can be edited to leave out sensitive information, but the camera can catch all the drama. Maybe the crew can instigate a fight between Hernandez and Herfert!

Oh, and one of those confession cams for the staff. To think the juicy things they would tell America. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

What about you, readers? What would you like to see on this TV show?

*No, Mrs. Sanderson, I'm not calling you a moron, I just couldn't think of better wordplay.

I heart Little Manila (and you should, too)

2009-01-21T14:50:00.001-08:00

I like to pretend I'm a foodie. I can't cook, but I love to eat (as my previous posts indicate).

But you know who can cook? Mrs. Watcher.

I often tell her the moment I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her was when she cooked for me a nice spicy shrimp and beef dish. We had been dating for about six months before she cooked for me, and when she did, I knew that if I didn't make a move someone else better looking, richer and smarter would nab her. Luckily I thought that, 'cuz guys better looking, richer and smarter than me are about a dime a dozen.

Anyway, when she gets in a rather culinary mood, she ventures to Little Manila in West Covina to stock up at Seafood City. I was reminded of her ritual when I read this in the Tribune.

Little Manila, which is what us West Covinians call it, is always bustling. We have the Filipino McDonalds (Jollibee) and Goldilocks bakery (if you've never had an Ube cake, you haven't lived).

And as an interesting side note, I heard a LONG time ago that the owners of Seafood City and Island Pacific Supermarket, directly across the street, have had a decades-long rivalry stemming from the Old Country. I don't know how true that is, but it would be interesting to find out.

Another interesting side note: Officer Chiles Way (off of Amar) is named for West Covina Police Officer Charles Chiles, who died in a plane crash in 2000.

I know most of my readers come to this site to see my latest ramblings about city hall, but honestly, there's a lot more to West Covina than those five knuckleheads sitting on the City Council. I don't know what happened at the meeting last night because, you know, the whole "meetings taken off the air" thing. So, drop me a line about what happened!

With that being said, go to Little Manila. Go to Bamboo Bistro and have some karaoke with your pork sisig or Max of Manila's world famous fried chicken. And please, for the love of God, have some Ube. Tell them the Watcher sent you. (that won't get you anything free or extra, I just think that's something you say)

Teenage Girl Attacked in West Covina

2009-01-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

This horrible incident shocked a neighborhood today.

A young girl, walking in her own neighborhood, was attacked and sexually assaulted outside at 6 a.m.

From one reader: "I'm sure you have heard already about the young woman who was
assaulted in our neighborhood. The area where she was attacked is
about 2 blocks from where we live. The residents have been asking for
better police presence forever but we never get anywhere."

The attacker is described as being about 5-foot-8, medium build with spikey hair. Police say he was Hispanic, but judging the fact that both Carlton from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and Cameron Diaz are both Hispanic, that's not really helping me out.

If you know ANYTHING, call the West Covina Police Department at (626) 939-8557, or the anonymous tip line at (626) 939-8557.

Walk outs! Better Than "Gossip Girl" (with less hot chicks)

2009-01-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

So, instead of sitting there and completing what has been called time and time and time again a "business meeting," Steve "The Mad Scientist" Herfert, Sherri "I'll Do Anything Steve Tells Me To" Lane, and Shelley "I Like You But You're Wrong" Sanderson walked out while Mayor Roger Hernandez's thoughts as to why the city should have councilmanic districts.

God forbid that a representative from each part of the city be on the city council, instead of having four out of five members live in one neighborhood, which happens to be the neighborhood with the most money. So far, these four knuckleheads approved seven houses to be on two lots, two-story condos smack-dab in the middle of a single-family home neighborhood, practically spit on a guy trying to GIVE the cash-strapped city money, and well, let's not forget the whole trying-to-sell-a-park-to-condo-developers thing.

Meanwhile, the parks in their neighborhood, like Cortez and Maverick, are the crown jewels of the city. Well, there's BLD, too, but you actually have to pay to get into that one. And, well, it costs $1.3 million a year.

I wasn't there, so I don't know the extent of the "drama," but I know Hernandez is a pit bull who doesn't pull punches. The thing about Hernandez, though, is he does it out in the open. His adversaries do it behind closed doors, or use taxpayer money to do it. Most recently, Herfert complained to the Fair Political Practices Commission that Hernandez acted inappropriately when he suggested Chris Chung and Sue Williams take their matters to court, and if the courts find in favor of them, he'll pay the tab himself. Huh? Did I hear that right? Herfert is COMPLAINING about that?

I guess my reaction was similar to that of the FPPC because they sent the complaint back to him with a big "Eff You" on top of it.

SPEAKING OF SUE WILLIAMS

I finally got my hands on a copy of that complaint myself, and it was funnier than an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." First, this woman CLAIMS that Hernandez "instructed" Trib reporter and Leftover Lady Jennifer McLain to print Williams' name in a story.

Really? A woman who basically single-handedly brought down a corrupt water board member and launched a couple of DA investigations with her stories let a council member "instruct" her to do anything? Oh, and this reporter and Hernandez were "text messaging" each other throughout an entire meeting? I believe that phone records track text messaging, and judging by the fact Ms. McLain still has her job leads me to believe that this claim is a fallacy.

Secondly, she's upset her name was in the paper. In case you didn't know, Williams' job title is PUBLIC Information Officer. Somehow, it seems she thinks it means otherwise. All Hernandez really did is say "Hey, look. We have a $2 million deficit and we can't afford the things created in better times, like the PIO position." Based on that, Ms. Williams says her hair is falling out, she has heart palpitations and, get this, "SEVERE RUNS!" LOL! A woman is "embarrassed" that her name is associated with budget cuts, but she's not embarrassed to tell the world that she lives on the shitter?

All of her complaints against Hernandez are basically third-person garbage that really has nothing to do with him at all, so good luck with that, lady.

Please, council, I implore you to let this one get to court because I would love to see this complaint played out live.

Did I mention that Williams retained the same attorney as Chris Chung? I think THAT'S interesting, and frankly, very telling. Especially since these two complaints and Herfert's FPPC complaint came after Herfert threatened to come after Hernandez.

Look, it's no secret I'm a fan of Hernandez. But you know what? A lot of people are. There are a few out there who want to take him down, but apparently, the voters disagreed with them. I like the fact that he fights for what the people want, and I like the fact he isn't afraid to piss off all the right people. That's what the greatest leaders of our time did. Will he be a great leader? Only time will tell. Until then, he has my support, because a guy who could barely scrape together a war chest in the last election, get totally bombarded with a negative media blitz in the days leading up to the election, and still manages to get public support is a guy who I think listens to the will of the people, and isn't afraid to do it.

And I also like the fact that he doesn't live in South Hills.

I'm all kinds of confused

2008-12-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night, the City Council voted 3-1 to let the towing contract go out to bid. I'm all for the bidding process, but apparently, the towers, Royal Coaches, were offering to put ADDITIONAL money in the city coffers -- an additional $120,000 annually.

Wait, let us rewind for second. The council gave Athens (trash) a very nice extension with no bids and it didn't have half the public support Royal Coaches did. Plus, Athens didn't offer $120,000 additional dollars to the city coffers, except it's just taking money from taxpayers and basically doing less work.

Can someone please tell me what the thinking was here? I'm all for being fair, but if the Royal Coaches contract is going out for bid, I argue EVERY SINGLE contract in the city (including Athens) should also go out for bid when their time is up.

Fair's fair.

Plus, I got some news that my girl, Shelley wasn't there Tuesday. She's missed a few meetings these past few months, which is not at all like her. I hope everything's OK with you, Mrs. Sanderson.

(Maybe, though, she's the only smart one in the bunch and is gearing up NOT to run in the 2009 election. I wouldn't sit on that council if you paid me.)

Gobble, Gobble!

2008-11-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Surrender to a higher power

2008-11-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

Look, I'm no expert, but when your two biggest controversies as councilmember allegedly involve alcohol, it's time to surrender. It's time to get help.

I'm not referring to West Covina, by the way, but a neighbor, El Monte, and it's mayor Ernie Gutierrez. Earlier this year, residents charged that Mayor Gutierrez showed up to a city function drunk and the mayor was cursing incessantly while groping his mistress. He denies all charges, of course.

Now, it looks like booze got him in trouble again. He was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, and it looks like someone poured some beer on his head, or something like that.

1. We admitted we were powerless against alcohol, that our lives became unmanageable
When you know you have an important city function to attend to as mayor representing your city, and you still can't step away from the bottle, it's likely you have a problem. When your drinking has become a hot topic in the city you represent, all over the blogosphere, it's time to admit you need help.

2. Came to believe that power, greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
Don't think of that Power is God just now. More hiccups like this and it looks like the voters will be that Power, oust you from office, and from there you can pick up the pieces of your life.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him
That really isn't a bad idea

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
Well, it looks like you have to look at all of it, not just the drinking, but the mistress, the partying you most likely to at taxpayer-funded conventions and conferences. I hear those things are worse than an end-of-the-semester kegger at a frat house.

Oh, there's more. Exactly 8 more, but I don't want to give it all away now because that's a journey you'll have to take without the aid of the internets.

Go. Get help.

Congratulations, Mayor

2008-11-19T09:09:00.000-08:00

Roger Hernandez is now the youngest mayor to serve the city of West Covina.

Congratulations.

Well, I am incredibly sorry I was unable to attend, but was my mailbox filled to the brim this morning.

Among some of the emails reads:

"You should have been there. I hate to admit how many of these things I've been to, and this is the first time I've ever seen such enthusiasm by the people in the audience."

"There was like, a standing ovation. People doing the Arsenio Hall 'woo, woo, woo' thing."

"The party after was awesome. You should have seen Herb Redholtz! If Steve Herfert knew his loyal minion was having such a blast at his sworn enemy's party, he'd pull him off the Planning Commission so fast his head would spin."

"It was a great, positive evening, and I only hope it's an indicator of what kind of leader we will have in City Hall."

"This appointment was a long-time coming, and I'm so glad Herfert the Hater wasn't there to ruin the moment."

Thanks, readers. It looks like I didn't have to write much of anything.

I will say this, though: I think, Mayor, you're going to do a great job. While the position is mostly ceremonial, it is also your responsibility to chair the meetings and to be fair. If I were in your position, I'd want to take revenge out on everybody. But from what I hear, your eloquent speech hinted that your leadership is going to be one of teamwork through a year of what is probably going to be very tough.

Don't F with Da Police!

2008-11-18T11:19:00.001-08:00

It looks like taking a baton from a WCPD Officer will get you dead. As it should.

What are you, crazy? Probably. It's unfortunate, but it seems to me that the man killed at the Target near Big League Dreams was probably extremely mentally ill. When you're an officer on the beat, your first priority is to protect yourself and the people around you. You don't really have time to assess someone's mental capabilities, especially when you're being attacked.

With that being said, I strongly recommend people do what they can to help those with mental illnesses. People like Anthony Ayers, a classically trained musician who had to drop out of Julliard and sleep on the streets because the voices in his head wouldn't stop.

I'm also reminded of John Robert Graham, who lived on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles because he, too, couldn't come to terms with his mental illness. A person, or people, didn't see him as human, and lit him on fire. He burned to death.

I remember John from the days I used to take the bus EVERYWHERE, stopping at Mid-Wilshire to get something to eat. I saw him almost everyday, piercing blue eyes beaming through a jungle of a wild beard, dreadlocks and dirt. He never asked me for money, but I'd occasionally hand some over.

That's why I think it's important for people to recognize how devastating mental illness is, and to also find ways to help those suffering from it. I encourage everyone to go to the National Association of Mental Illness website and educate yourself on the diseases that could be a lot closer than you think.

Now....

Tonight's the night Mayor Pro Tem Hernandez is to be Mayor after being skipped over twice before 'cause he couldn't make nice with his colleagues and they made up some bullshit excuse to keep him from the gavel. Will they do it again tonight? I guess we'll see, though I doubt they will. I'm hearing from several readers that doing so would be a huge embarrassment to them because they gave him his WORD they wouldn't do it again. I'm on pins and needles. All I know is that if it does happen, I want to go to THAT party. Oughta be fun!

Haters gotta hate....

2008-11-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

I know Jersey City is a long way away from West Covina, but I was absolutely shocked when I read about this.

In internets talk "OMFG" does not even come close to how I was feeling when I read about it. Apparently, I'm not the only one. The Ladies over at Leftovers also found it quite interesting.

I think my favorite part of this entire post is that Jennifer McLain states, "At least our council members don't do this," and someone else posted "Well, at least not literally." Later, there was an R. Kelly reference and I effing lost it.

See, it made me a little proud. Sometimes people just drink far too much Haterade in the morning and unleash on the internets, especially the Leftovers blog, and now on mine. That's fine with me. I welcome it. But I was starting to think the people of West Covina and the greater San Gabriel Valley area had lost their senses of humor. Good, witty humor, not just calling someone a fag and hoping it sticks.

So, I will definitely have some more posts about other bodily functions soon enough. Just keep tight. In the meantime, enjoy this video, and when you do, think of Steve Lipski:

From the grassroots: Get Out the Truth!

2008-11-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

America made a good choice when it chose President-Elect Barack Obama to lead them.

What was so impressive about Obama’s campaign is that is started on the ground. Five years ago, no one outside of Chicago knew the name “Barack Obama,” much less knew how to pronounce it. With his strong community-organizing skills and the wonders of the Internets, Barack Obama is a household name that will go down in history, and not just because he is this nation’s first black president, but because I strongly believe he will be the FDR of our time (minus the Japanese internment camps), and will take this country out of our Depression while giving millions of Americans hope.

Now, I bet you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up on a blog mostly devoted to West Covina politics. Well, I see a similar groundswell of a grassroots movement shaping up in our fair city. Will it hit the heights of our President-Elect? One could only hope.

This groundswell is shaping up on a side of the city that has historically been ignored: The Southside. Residents there tended not to pay attention to their local politics unless something piqued their interest, be it the BKK Landfill or the fate of Shadow Oak Park (which is almost done, by the way, you have to go see it if you haven’t.)

However, after the BKK Landfill thing got won by the residents in the ’90s, they went back to their own lives and continued to ignore their city politics, and basically voted people in because their names were familiar. After the Shadow Oak Park debacle, however, the residents didn’t stop there. This group, Concerned Citizens for a Better West Covina, is gaining steam, and not just on the south side.

According to some people who have been e-mailing me since I started this blog, about 100 people showed up at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night. While I was watching this historic election come to a close, they were there. The Concerned Citizens helped organize a push to overturn a decision by the council that would require residents who park on the streets overnight to pay for a permit.
While all the council members voted for it initially, the turnout at City Hall changed their minds.

This is the fourth case in which these Concerned Citizens showed us all that we can beat City Hall and our voice does matter. First, instead of condos, the lower portion of Shadow Oak Park is now an actual park. Secondly, despite a horrific blitz of negative mailers and dirty political tricks, Roger Hernandez was re-elected to the City Council. Third, a community full of beautiful single-family homes will remain so despite a push to build a two-story condo complex by the Faction of Four’s most generous donor, and now, we can park on the streets in our neighborhoods without paying a dime.

As one member of this awesome team wrote to me yesterday, “Last night showed that the residents can make a difference, they just need to make their views known. When the residents show up at Council meetings, send e-mails, and call, they have to listen.”

I think that Nov. 4 should also show us that Rovian politics are officially dead, so I call for the end of the reviled “hit pieces” that come to our mailboxes every election season. I call for the destruction of the fictional “West Covina Senior Citizens Taxpayers Association,” and I call for an end to half-witted, disgusting, waste-of-taxpayer money “investigations” and lame attempts to oust good people out of office.

OFF TO ANOTHER SUBJECT

Yes, I’m talking to you Christopher Chung. Answering questions at a council meeting IS YOUR JOB – calling it harassment is an embarrassment to this city, and an embarrassment to Community Development Commission directors everywhere. You said in your complaint that being “grilled,” or being asked simple questions, which is how I saw it, embarrassed you and would hurt your future employment prospects elsewhere. Well, how does it help your future employment prospects if you’re suing your employer for ASKING YOU QUESTIONS? Good luck with that, buddy. But I don't have to wish you luck, do I? It's already in the bag. You have the unwavering support of the City Attorney, and probably the council majority, to probably put the cash in your hand before you can be proven to be a big, fat liar in front of a judge or jury.

Now, why do I think Mr. Chung is lying? Several reasons.
A. He is an old friend of Arnold Alvarez-Glasman and that guy is probably the dirtiest City Attorney in the history of the world.

B. He filed the claim based on a report from an investigator who has a history of manipulating the truth to fit his clients' needs. For instance, the investigator -- Ed McErlain -- in 2004 investigated a former janitor at Pasadena City College who was fired after being injured. According to the school's award-winning newspaper, McErlain's "conclusion depends on selective use of the evidence."

C. He has no qualms giving gifts to council members, as is proven by their conflict-of-interest records.

D. This "claim" is filed over 2 years after the "incident," just a few weeks before Roger Hernandez is to be mayor, and TWO WEEKS after Steve Herfert, according to an e-mail to City Manager Andrew Pasmant and Police Chief Frank Wills, told Hernandez: "We're gonna come after your ass," "If not us, someone else will, " and "We are gonna sue your ass."

and finally,

E. Chris Chung's initial complaint was filed less than two months before Hernandez's re-election, even though the alleged incident occurred a year-and-a-half earlier.

I think any judge worth his salt will throw this case out, but how much you guys wanna bet it's gonna be "settled" before then?

Congratulations, America!

2008-11-05T09:24:00.001-08:00

You made the right choice.

You chose hope over fear.

You chose civility over discourtesy.

You chose mind over matter.

You chose Barack Obama.

A message from Shelley

2008-11-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

To be perfectly honest, readers, I haven't logged on to the blog in a few days. When I posted my last message about voting, I noticed I had a message underneath my post about Shelley Sanderson, by Shelley Sanderson.

Obviously upset with the Tribune, she decided to post her letter here, and because I'm stoked that she did it here and you all know how much I like her (even though I constantly disagree with her) I'm going to post it again.

Take it away, Shelley:

(Written and submitted to the Tribune)
This letter is in response to an October 13, 2008 article, entitled, " Woman pleads to `disturbing' councilwoman". The article was unfortunately incomplete. My comments at that time had to be limited and perhaps misinterpreted. The caution and limitation was due to the fact there is additional and anticipated criminal/civil cases beyond the telephone stalking conviction against the individual who has been harassing me.

I have been advised that I can offer the following statement.

The individual that had been harassing me threatened me over the telephone calling nine times in one day and later posted a false defamatory video claiming it was me. This same individual has a prior Felony Conviction and that fact made me even more concerned for my family and our safety.

She wrongfully claimed that I was involved in this vile Internet posting. She was trying to defame my reputation as a City Council Member and further hurt my family. Her actions may bring additional charges. I do have a current restraining order against her.

I want to make it absolutely clear that I had nothing to do with the making of that video. The image shown was not me. In fact, I had no idea it existed until I was so informed by the Police Department.

I take this type of slanderous behavior very seriously and will do what it takes to seek justice.

Shelley Sanderson
West Covina City Council

VOTE!!!

2008-11-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today's it. It's time to put on your rubber boots and head to the polls (if you haven't sent in your vote already)

I already did it myself and I every time I vote I feel like I accomplished something great that day, almost to the point where I can go home, sleep away the rest of the day and still feel accomplished.

But I won't.

GO VOTE!!!!!!!!

You Won't Like Me When I'm Angry

2008-10-29T14:10:00.001-07:00

I am absolutely sick to death of opening up the paper and reading things like this.

What year is it again? This is 2008, goddammit and I'm so bloody sick of people who want to act like the Civil Rights Movement never happened. It is not OK, not OK, not OK. It's vile. It's disgusting. And to think that I live so close to it makes me sick to my stomach!!

You watch footage of people coming out of McCain/Palin rallies calling Obama the N-word, "Terrorist," putting on Obama stickers on stuffed monkeys, and people around the country lose their goddamn minds!

This is sickening and I'm so tired of it.

I don't even know where to start or end, or what to say next. This whole thing has just depressed me. Here we are, on the precipice of history, and things like this occur.

I know it's not WeCo, but...

2008-10-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

After hearing that Sarah Palins duds cost $150,000 (paid for not by her, but by unsuspecting Republicans hoping their money went into ads, mailers, strategists, etc.), I thought nothing the McCain-Palin camp would shock me. Then... I read this.

I'd be SO PISSED if I were a Republican. Since I'm not, I think it's effing HILARIOUS! What's even more hilarious is she wants us to think she's an all-around, gosh-darn-it, folksy, middle class hockey mom.

My wife is a middle class soccer mom and she buys her duds at H&M and Target, Macy's if she's feeling especially dangerous.

OMG!

2008-10-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Before I go into the diatribe about what the heck I found in my inbox, I'm just going to say I had a fantastic vacation -- family, foliage, football and Philly Cheeseteaks! Though it's nice to visit back East, I'm glad to be home. Man, those Phillies fans are outta control! I wore my LA Dodger cap and you'd think I was a serial rapist who targets deaf mutes!

Anyway... let's get on with it.

Shelley Sanderson in a sex tape?!?! WTF???? You know, I made it a point to leave alone the Internets when I want on vacation. Actually, it was my wife who kind of gave me this silly little ultimatum, "If you type in 'www' into anything on this vacation, I'm going to dress you up in Dodger Blue and handcuff you to the Broad Street Line." I will NEVER forgive her.

Seriously, my jaw couldn't hit the ground any harder. In case you missed it, or were too lazy to click on the above link, some woman named Charlynda Lamb was busted for "stalking" my girl, Shelley. Apparently, this Lamb woman posted a sex tape that purportedly shows Shelley doin' some naughty stuff and then making threatening phone calls to the councilwoman.

I'm going to play if it's true:

If it's true ... Why would anyone with political aspirations be so stupid?
If it's true ... Why would anyone with four kids, some of whom are probably old enough to use the Internets, be so stupid?
If it's true ... Why did I find out about this AFTER it was taken DOWN from the Internets???
If it's true ... All she needs is a DUI arrest and we have our own little celebrity!

Good god! Now, according to the story, the police say it was not Mrs. Sanderson on the tape, even though Mrs. Sanderson didn't really deny it herself.

Now, because I don't know if it's her or not, I'm just going to go ahead and assume it's not. Still, why would this Charlynda Lamb be stalking Mrs. Sanderson? The woman doesn't even live near West Covina, even though Mrs. Sanderson recalls meeting her -- though she doesn't know where or when, which I find a little odd. If someone was threatening me, I'd wrack my brain trying to figure it out so I can start connecting some dots. But that's just me.

And seriously, google this woman's name and you'll see she calls herself a "model."

OK, then. I had myself, sent Ms. Lamb an email, hoping to get a clue as to "Why?" If she writes back, I'll be sure to let you know about it. And, if you happen to know where this tape is, please let me know so I could settle this nonsense ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Thanks, readers. It's so good to be back.

Vacay!

2008-10-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

Hey, Watcher Readers!

I'm going on vacation for two bliss-filled weeks starting at 5 p.m. today.

Along with shutting off the cell, I promised myself not to look at any screens-- TV, computer, Blackberry, etc. so please hold off on your emails, and don't get offended if I don't reply in a timely manner. I'm outta here!

If you ain't got da scratch....

2008-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Poor Anthony and Theresa Byrne.

In case you don't know, the Byrnes are a West Covina couple with a family, much like a lot of us here in this fair city. They had spent thousands on their quaint Crumley Street home by converting their garage into a bedroom.

Now, I know what you single-family home purists are thinking: That is illegal! Well, it's against city ordinance, and that's why they sought a variance from our illustrious City Council.

But I think what should be said here is that this bedroom is definitely not one of those mattress-on-the-ground, light bulb-hanging-from-the-roof, milk-crate-as-a-table places. This job was done up rather nicely. And no, the Byrnes aren't looking to rent the place out -- they stay there themselves as it is their master bedroom. They built a closet, a bathroom, the works!

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the council, which voted 3-0-2 to strike down the Byrnes' appeal. And I got to thinking, "Why?" when I heard the news from a few of my readers.

I think I can tell you why: The Byrnes' probably haven't spent a dime in the 3's campaigns, unlike OTHERS who ask for variances and get them.

So, the Byrnes wanted ONE variance, right?

Back in May of 2007, the City Council was more than happy to not only approve a far more severe variance, but also an entire ZONE CHANGE for a 20-unit, 2-story condo complex to be built smack dab in the middle of some of West Covina's "beautiful homes."

So, the Council thinks it's OK to completely change the character of an entire neighborhood, but there's something fundamentally wrong about some regular Joe who wants to sleep in his pimped out garage? How does that make any kind of sense? (For the record, my girl, Shelley, and Roger were the two who abstained from the Byrne vote. They probably wanted to allow the variance, but didn't want to go on record as someone who 'ignores' city ordinances; also, Roger was the lone dissenting vote in the approval of the condos)

I'll tell you how: Bill McIntyre wanted to build those condos and he has poured thousands and thousands of dollars into the campaigns of those who approved the project, well except Councilman Mike "The Recuser" Touhey, who had to recuse himself from that vote because he is basically an employee of Good Ol' Bill's.

The Byrnes? I'd be surprised if they gave 50 bucks to any of those politicians for their campaigns.

Next up on "Pissing on the Little Guy: The West Covina Edition" Cell phone towers. About 3 or 4 parks have cell towers. Shadow Oak Park is the only one with two, and last night, a third carrier was added to that mix. Coincidentally (or not), the Shadow Oak Park issue is what united a bunch of residents who -- before they heard a portion of their park was likely to be sold to condo developers -- weren't even paying attention. They united, formed a group, and, somehow, helped to unite some homeowners who fought against that 20-unit condo project and beat it.

Payback, maybe? I'm just speculating. I may be "green behind the ears," but I know how to add, and the sum on this equation doesn't smell too good. (I love mixing metaphors in the morning)

What are your thoughts?

When "Investigation" Goes Nowhere

2008-10-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

I find it interesting that people put so much stock into "investigations," particularly when it comes to their local elected officials.

This comes to mind after reading about Baldwin Park Mayor Manuel Lozano being "investigated" by the Fair Political Practices Commission, and Baldwin Park Councilman Anthony Bejarano being "investigated" for being drunk in public.

Well, the term "investigation" makes some sexy headlines, as well as remarkable hit-piece fodder. You could just pick and choose those headlines, stick them on a mailer, and there you have it: The perfect mail strike.

People who put together hit pieces generally are reliant on the fact that you won't bother to get your lazy ass up from the latest episode of "Flavor of Love" to check the facts on that mailer and take it as gospel. That's what I ALMOST did last November when I was going to stupidly cast my vote for Steve Herfert and some blonde broad who thought having a firefighter husband made her an expert on public safety. (By that logic I'm an expert on coral bleaching results when the symbiotic zooxanthellae are released from the original host coral organism due to stress. Hi, Honey!)

I've shared the story before.

What I'm getting at is this: It's not hard to get anyone "investigated." All you gotta do is file a complaint against the person you want investigated. The end. The investigation could last two hours or two years. It is far too easy.

In Bejarano's case, the DA found he did nothing wrong, but is that going to stop his political adversaries from using this highly suspect arrest on future mailers? Absolutely not.

The moral of the story: Do your own research. Don't believe hit pieces. It really doesn't take that long; I'm sure "Flavor of Love," "Rock of Love," "I Love New York," "Real Chance at Love" will re-run the episode.

It was great Moe-ing you

2008-09-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, like all great things, it looks like the Saga of Moe the Chimp has most likely come to a sad, sad end.

According to chimp experts, it is unlikely Moe, of West Covina, survived the three months he's been in the wild.

To think of all that chimp has done for our fair city. He likely caused our city attorney to lose his post in neighboring Baldwin Park after he pushed to keep Moe there after he was kicked out of here; he allegedly mauled the hand of one of our officers; he turned Vincent Avenue into a circus when his mauled owner, St. James Davis, came home from the hospital; his presence pushed our council to make it illegal to have exotic animals; he pushed our then-assemblyman, Ed Chavez, to pen a bill with a similar theme; and he gave something for the Tribune to write about almost every month for years and years.

I defy you to find a West Covina official, dead or alive, who has gotten more press coverage. I think Moe may have even beaten out former resident and admitted drug user Jason Giambi for that title. Cory Lidle crashed his plane into a building and still got less ink.

So, raise your glass up to Moe. He made me like every chimp I see, from Chimp-An-A to Chimp-An-Zee.

Salud!

Another Day in Blog City

2008-09-23T10:43:00.001-07:00

If I were a Baldwin Park resident, I'd be writing about Councilman Anthony Bejarano's recent arrest for public intoxication.

But I don't, so I won't. But I do have an opinion: Do people even get arrested for that anymore? I've been publicly intoxicated more times than I can count and I've never been arrested for it.

Instead, I'm forced to blog about the City of West Covina's councilmembers fund raising efforts. Booooooo-ring.

"Why, Watcher, is it boring?" you may ask. "Isn't this your bread and butter?"

Well, yes it is, but to tell you the truth: This writing has been on the wall for over TWO YEARS and no one's done nothing. Yes, Bill McIntyre, his family and businesses are clients of Councilman Mike Touhey, and yes, McIntyre happily enjoys that position. He has gotten variance after variance for his projects, and in return, he piles on the cash to those who support those variances, which, I'm sure, make Mr. McIntyre a very rich man.

Oh, and there's Athens, which received an above-Consumer Price Index raise from the city, which is retroactive, and piled more and more money into those campaigns as well.

It's all very boring because it's been happening for ages, but when people turn on their faucet and water comes out, when a pothole is quickly filled, when the police and fire department come when called, most people could care less about back room deals and questionable contributions.

People in this country are apathetic and that's why we are facing the worst financial crisis in ages, because people don't pay a-fucking-ttention. If they did, they would have seen this crisis a mile away, but people at the wheel were blinded by dollar signs when things were good, and they were happy to feast on your apathy.

Now things are bad and people want heads to roll. You know what? You deserve it! Your heads were in the sand, you voted for George Bush because you wanted to have a beer with him.

And the same losers who support the whole Touhey Town philosophy are paying for it now and still don't see it! You know how much Big League Dreams is costing taxpayers annually? $1.3 million fucking dollars!!! And why, again, did we have to take a firefighter off a truck? I'm sure he/she makes less than that.

But no, your heads were in the sand and you were distracted by the shiny bobbles on top of BKK. You deserve it!

Your trash bill is higher than it has to be. But, oh well, keep your head in the sand.

People accuse me of being a Roger Hernandez supporter. I am. I am because his philosophy is the same as mine and his voting record proves it. He has consistently voted against projects I don't believe in, and for projects I do. To hide that record, his adversaries sit awake at night, twisting their mustaches and find new ways to sully his name to distract the REAL issues at hand. But guess what? I'm pretty sure the DA's office is getting sick and tired of being the go-to guy in these petty little disagreements.

The End.

Now... can anyone tell me what a D.B. is?

This explains SO MUCH!

2008-09-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Check our this interesting article in the Los Angeles Times:

Are you a born conservative (or liberal)
Die-hard liberals and conservatives aren't made; they're born. It's literally in their DNA.

That's the implication of a study by a group of researchers who wanted to see if there was a biological basis for people's political attitudes.

They found to their surprise that opinions on such contentious subjects as gun control, pacifism and capital punishment are strongly associated with physiological traits that are probably present at birth.

The key is the differing levels of fear that people naturally feel.

"What is revolutionary about this paper is that it shows the path from genes to physiology to behavior," said James H. Fowler, a political science professor at UC San Diego who was not involved in the research.

The researchers, whose findings were published today in the journal Science, looked at 46 people who fell into two camps -- liberals who supported foreign aid, immigration, pacifism and gun control; and conservatives who advocated defense spending, capital punishment, patriotism and the Iraq war.

In an initial experiment, subjects were shown a series of images that included a bloody face, maggots in a wound and a spider on a frightened face. A device measured the electrical conductance of their skin, a physiological reaction that indicates fear.

In a second experiment, researchers measured eye blinks -- another indicator of fear -- as subjects responded to sudden blasts of noise.

People with strongly conservative views were three times more fearful than staunch liberals after the effects of gender, age, income and education were factored out.

Kevin B. Smith, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a study author, said conservatives were more vigilant to environmental threats, and he speculated that this innate tendency led them to support policies that protect the social order.

Fowler said the study added to the growing research suggesting that over millions of years, humans have developed two cognitive styles -- conservative and liberal. Cautious conservatives prevented societies from taking undue risks, while more flexible liberals fostered cooperation.

"For the species to survive, you need both," he said.

But Jon Krosnick, a political science professor at Stanford University, said it was impossible to draw any conclusions from a study with so few people, all from a small Midwestern town. What's more, he said, it's just too squishy interpreting people's reactions.

"I don't believe any of this," he said. "The people who are most scared are less in favor of gun control. Why wouldn't they be more in favor? Because they need guns to fight the bad guys? You can make up a story in either direction."

The study is the latest to challenge the long-standing dogma that upbringing and environmental factors determine political attitudes. Recent studies have found that identical twins -- who share the same genetic inheritance -- think alike on political issues more often than other siblings.

Last year, researchers reported that the brains of conservatives and liberals process information differently.

None of this, however, suggests that people are slaves to their biology, researchers agree.

The latest study "does not mean that people can't sit down and think about the issues and come to some logical compromise," Smith said. "What it does mean is that it is going to be hard work."

Now I Have a Sweet Taste

2008-09-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was annoyed earlier, but I got this e-mail from Dana Sykes, a community activist and wife to Human Resources Commissioner Fred Sykes:

I thought what Mayor Pro-tem Hernandez did was a nice pat on the back to the police and fire personnel and as well as a pat on the back for Touhey. When Bill was stricken ... Hernandez immediately called for emergency personnel and Touhey asked people to leave to
allow the emergency team to work. Roger stayed with Bill the whole time up to when they put him in the ambulance. Then he went to the hospital to check on him.

Personally he did not have to include me in the posting, all I did was get the
number to notify the family. I have known the Schafers for a little over a year and know both Bill and his wife Izzy. They both are interested in what is happening in the city and are concerned about how our leaders are running it. They have a great family and I knew that they would want to be with Bill.

The entire City staff was wonderful through the entire emergency and sent a car over to pick up Izzy and take her to the hospital. As Roger Hernandez stated, the City came together and helped when it was needed.

Now...that's class.

Queen of Class

2008-09-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mayor Pro Tem Roger Hernandez sent to the Leftover Ladies a note in which he thanked an array of people for helping a man who had a heart attack in the chambers on Tuesday night.

Today, some woman named Cookie Nance had this to say: Lets all not forget that Mayor Sherri Lane was instumental in getting those defibulators put in city hall. Lets also mention that Frank Wills is the one who took the defibulator out, and there is no mention of this, I personally watched Frank Wills rush over to the defibulator and bring it into the council chambers.

First of all, I'm going to ignore the fact this woman doesn't know how to spell. Secondly, WTF?! Hernandez didn't have to do anything. He could have just let it be. He didn't have to thank anyone if he didn't want to, but he obviously felt compelled to do so. He's obviously friends with the victim of this heart attack, and may have been just a little traumatized considering his recent loss and did not remember every single detail that played out in that room.

But, of course, someone had to put a political spin on it because I'm guessing this woman has attended the Steve Herfert School of Pettiness and un-Classy Remarks: The Internet Edition. I bet if she saw Roger Hernandez walk on water she'd say, "See! I told you he couldn't swim!" (that's not mine, I stole it from someone else who was talking about Barack Obama)

That's all I'm gonna say about that. I just have a bad taste in my mouth after reading that post.

Get Well Soon

2008-09-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

According to the ladies at Leftovers, someone had a heart attack inside the West Covina Council Chambers. His life was saved by quick thinkers and the quasi-new portable defibrillator. Here is what Mayor Pro Tem Roger Hernandez had to say:

It is with immense gratitude and enormous pride that I thank the City of West Covina's Fire and Police personnel, who saved the life of my friend, Bill Schafer, at City Hall at last night's City Council meeting.

After speaking at the podium, Bill had what looked to be a heart attack in his seat. Without even a thought several community members, including Planning Commissioner Cesar Cervantes and Human Resources Commissioner Fred Sykes rushed to his aid. Fire Chief Paul Segalla administered CPR and used one of the City's portable defibrillators to help save him. Within three minutes, the city's paramedics arrived and took Bill to the hospital, where he is now recovering.

I'd also like to commend Dana Sykes for calling Bill's wife to ask for his medical history, and my colleague, Councilman Mike Touhey, for helping to arrange his wife's arrival to the hospital.

When I got to the hospital last night, Bill's wife, Izzy, said doctors told her the efforts of the Fire and Police departments, as well as those of the community members, had saved Bill's life.

I have always boasted that we have the best public safety personnel in the San Gabriel Valley, and last night proved it. There is no greater joy I have than knowing that when there is a crisis, we can come together, put our differences aside, and focus on what really matters: The lives and well-being of the people who make up this special city.

I'd like to wish my friend a speedy recovery and I pray that he and his wonderful family stay strong through this tough time.

It is the Watcher's understanding that this is the third time someone had had a heart attack inside the West Covina Council Chambers, in memory, at least. In 1992, a 69-year-old woman had a heart attack after complaining about Athens; and the other was just a couple years ago when a man was appealing to the Planning Commission regarding his home.

Also, I also heard from a faithful reader that meeting staple and Senior Citizens Commissioner Royall Brown (Aroma Drive) suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized last week.

These incidents beg the question: Is City Hall hazardous to your health? My intention is definitely not to make light of these horrible events. I am posing a question that I think will make everyone else think. Are you taking care of yourself? Are you so involved in the City Hall process you are practically drowning in it? Are you a staffer -- or a councilmember -- who sometimes feels so overwhelmed by your work you feel it physically?

I guess what I'm trying to get to is that in the grand scheme of things, whatever is happening at City Hall should not affect your health. Always question and be watchful, but be aware of what you are giving up to put these people under a microscope. My hobby is looking at these people under a microscope, but my outlet is this blog. What's your outlet?

Readers, gadflies, City Staff, City Council: What's your outlet? How do you take care of yourself amid the stress? That is the question I pose to you, and I hope to have a nice, healthy discussion sharing ideas and suggestions.

Thanks!

McCain's LIES!!!

2008-09-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

You win; this isn't exactly a West Covina post but I feel I have a duty. I got an e-mail from a reader who said, "You must be a liberal because you have a sense of humor." Thanks, Reader. I am a total liberal, but I don't want to alienate my conservative friends. If it's one thing I have learned is that there is common ground among us all, especially in local politics. The seats are non-partisan for a reason; the challenges and issues we face on a local level cannot be divided into Liberal Issues and Conservative Issues. Our city leaders take action that sometimes go against their political ideologies: For instance, four Republicans on our City Council voted to pass a bond that will cost more than $50 million to build a ballpark (not a typical Reep move), while a Democrat pushed to cut even MORE spending than the council already had (not a typical Dem move).

But whatever your opinion, register to VOTE! And do it!!

Why Not Sherri Lane?

2008-09-04T13:09:00.001-07:00

It's not every day the Watcher allows national politics take center stage on Watching West Covina. I figure there's enough on the Internets, on TVs, mags and papers to do that. But I found a way to marry both national and local politics, thanks to Sen. John McCain. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't know how to do it. He did this by picking an inexperienced unknown woman as his running mate. So, if he's going to go the way of picking a woman whose been governor of a state with half the population of San Diego for less than two years, and the only office before that she held was mayor of a city with 9,000 people in it, then why didn't McCain pick our very own Mayor Sherri Lane?

Lane already has Palin beat! She's been on the City Council for more than two years and West Covina has -- as of 2006 -- about 107,000.
Lane doesn't have any kids to screw things up for her, like Palin's knocked-up, booze-lovin' 17-year-old hot mess of a daughter.
Lane has over two years' experience doing whatever her colleagues tell her to; she never falls out of line.
Think of how FUN the Senate meetings will be? She'll choose one senator to pick on all the time for speaking out of turn -- even when he/she doesn't-- while she lets all the others wail on him or her, regardless of relevance to the issue.
If McCain dies while in office (which is more likely than not considering he'll be closing in on 80 after his first term), Nancy Pelosi will be the nation's first female president, since Lane will probably run down the Beltway faster than a Jamaican sprinter.

By the way, do you think John McCain picked a female running mate to make his own history, or to make up for the fact he called his wife the 'C' word in front of a bunch of reporters who didn't report it? (if you don't know what the 'C' word is, it rhymes with 'hunt,' 'bunt,' and 'stunt.')

Remember how I said I like ironic humor? Here's one: that clip above is from a comedy troupe I heard of while watching Fox News. As soon as they started to make fun of McCain, they were cut off. Hilarious!

Does anyone have any other reasons why Mayor Sherri Lane will be a better VP than Sarah Palin?

For more Republican hypocrisy, check out the video below.

Remember when "Athens" wasn't garbage?

2008-08-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

Seeing that we just celebrated the most-watched Olympic games in history, I think it appropriate to post about Athens considering it was the site of the first Olympiad in modern times.

I find it interesting, however, that what once was the epitome of greatness and strength has been reduced to trash -- quite literally.

Athens is the infamous garbage hauler of probably most cities in the San Gabriel Valley, and they pay handsomely to be just that. I wouldn't be surprised if they had an entire staff devoted to finding out who's running for what and greasing their wheels like crazy.

Recently, in the city of Montebello, three council members thought it best to give Athens an "evergreen" contract to do all trash-hauling duties. In case you don't know, evergreen means for the next 15 years, even if a hauler comes in saying they'll pick up trash twice every day at five bucks a year, Montebello is bound to Athens and no one can compete for the city's contract.

Sounds like it lacks common sense, doesn't it? It seems the Montebello City Council thought so, too, so they decided to skip on the last meeting and for the first time in 20 years, there was no meeting due to lack of quorum. Well, I have a story that may not be as juicy, but another example of how Athens always gets what it wants from our elected officials.

Athens is the garbage hauler in West Covina and a couple years ago, our esteemed elected officials voted on the MOST curious contract with Athens. Not only did they allow an increase for fuel costs, it was retroactive. Now, Councilman Herfert had a problem with that and stated half the retroactive cost would be "absorbed" by the city, and not the residents. I have a question: don't the residents' taxes make up the city's piggy bank?

Even against city staff's recommendation, the council voted 3-1 to allow the retroactive fuel increase, along with the CPI index increase.

Honestly, though, there was so much double talk going on at that meeting that I was still able to see on TV........ that it's just a little complicated, which is where I find a red flag.

Nothing in this world EVER has to be as complicated as some make it out to be, which is probably why E! cancelled Denise Richards' reality show. It's been my experience when people try to dilute things, they don't want you to see what's staring you in the face. Sure, there are exceptions, and most of those exceptions have nothing to do with dollars and cents. When it comes to taxpayer money, though, all we're talking about is dollars and cents.

The West Covina news is old, but it's just another example of how it seems our elected officials are so devoted to Athens. I dare any elected body to turn its back on Athens, just to see what happens next.

Over the Edge? Me?

2008-08-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

According to a person with the sophisticated handle called "I love West Covina" over on the Leftovers blog, I have gone "over the edge" and he/she is concerned about the council's "safety."

Never have I threatened anyone on this space or on the Leftovers space. I said I thought Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson was a pretty woman. Good God forgive me for stating the obvious. And since these people also have absolutely NO sense of humor ("I love West Covina," "Average Joe" and "The Commish"), I guess I have to explain a couple things:

I'm a happily married man. MAN. What man -- besides those of the homosexual persuasion (not that there's anything wrong with that) -- doesn't look at pretty ladies?

Secondly, I like ironic humor. Irony= an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected. Since I fundamentally always disagree with her on every single vote she seems to cast, I think it's funny I find her attractive.

Thirdly, I like all the attention, so the more you give it, the more I post. If your goal is to wipe me off the face of the World Wide Web, you sure are doing a LOUSY job.

Good luck with that.

Dear Average Joe...

2008-08-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Since my post yesterday, I've been receiving lots of emails from readers really upset about the City Council's decision to pull the plug on televised meetings. All alternatives offered to them were virtually ignored, including a very smart one to have volunteers work the booths. If the city can have volunteers directing traffic and giving parking tickets, getting some to push a couple buttons twice a month shouldn't be so hard.

I also got an email from a friend to read the Leftovers blog and a response to what I had posted by someone named Average Joe.

Average Joe said:

"West Covina Watcher also has some of the info but gives out always misinformation. Mt. Sac chargers the city according to the staff report Appox. $60,000.00 a year plus annual cost of living adjustments for there services to broadcast the meeting only they do not film the meeting or produce it. So that leaves $120,000.00 a year for the 2 Prod Asst. that are city employees one at 42,900.00 Salary plus benefits of $17,754.00 thats health, dental, optical and retirement. The second Prod Asst. $42,268.00 Salary plus benefits of $18,193.00 thats health, dental, optical and retirement. That totals the $180,000.00 Appox. for the cable broadcast. West Covina Watcher I thought you state in your bio that you work for a college what is your salary and benefit the taxpayer pays for you. When government tells you there cost in this case they were telling you both salary and benefits. You took that total and acted like they each make $90,000.00 a year! Come on West Covina Watcher the facts just the facts!"

I don't know who Average Joe is, but he's not really great with the reading and comprehension. I don't work for a college, in fact I'm an HR director for a medium-sized private business, but whatever. I did mention once that my wife works at a university as a researcher/instructor. A private university, so I don't know if the taxpayer pays her salary either.

Also, I don't think Average Joe quite grasps the concept of punctuation. If he had read more closely, he would have seen that I asked if the two guys made $90 Gs a year, hence the question mark. See what happens when emotional people post? That's why you never should blog angry-- you blog smugly. Like me :-)

Oh, and thank you to someone called The Commish, who told me:

"Shelley Sanderson was wearing an orange blazer and you're a perv. Plus, why didn't you mention the real news of the night? The council approved the overhaul of Orangewood Park for soccer fields. We don't have the money, but I'm sure we'll find a way."

Yeah, wishful thinking, Commish. Keep on dreamin'.

Off the air

2008-08-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'd like to first thank all of the loyal readers who wrote me with what occurred at the West Covina City Council meeting last night.

As I understand it, the conversation went quite a while but, as suspected, the Foursome said budget constraints are keeping them from bringing back the broadcasts, even though the odd man out suggested a slew of other trimming options, including lofty contracts with lobbyists and some marketing firm. Why is there a marketing firm when the city has a Public Information Officer? Why, Lord, must common sense flee from our elected leaders in such large numbers?

My favorite email came from reader who I only know as "True Patriot":

"As suspected, the four -- especially Mike Touhey -- played the Public Safety card all goddamn night. He must be a Republican, but instead of using the word "terrorist" to justify his actions, he uses the word "public safety." If we bring cable back we'll have to fire all our officers and kill your puppies. Even though his more thoughtful colleague found ways to cut, they still didn't go for it. He also said something like, 'If you have a heart attack, you won't be looking at cable TV,' which I thought was in extremely poor taste considering his colleague had just lost his father to a heart attack."

Another reader who calls him or herself SWV said:

"Oh that Touhey and his crocodile tears! He was "offended" that Hernandez suggested cutting the public info officer position. He was all choked up. He must be friends with that person or something. I mean, $100 grand they spend on him or her AND they contract with another marketing firm? Yeah... that makes sense."

Apparently the man of the hour was a resident named John Solis who suggested the city look into a grant he had found on the Internets. Shouldn't that be the first thing City Staff look into? How come the council didn't take into consideration other options that were apparently mentioned at the meeting. One reader told me someone suggested volunteers. The equipment's already there!

Hey, whatever happened to just taping the damn thing yourself and posting it on the Internet? Any idiot with a camera phone and a connection can do that. In fact, I employ you, readers, to tape the meetings, send me the digital file and I'll post it right here on this very blog. How much money is that gonna cost? A helluva lot less than the alleged $150-180 thousand.

Although my readers really came through for me today, I'm just a tad disappointed. What was Shelley Sanderson wearing? No one bothered to tell me. I heard that she wouldn't mind doing away with the Herfert Herald, aka Discover West Covina.

Oh, Mrs. Sanderson. I know she probably doesn't like me very much because I constantly disagree with her, but you know how when a hot chick hates you it makes her even hotter? Well, if you're a guy you'd understand...

That's all for today, dear friends. Please...give me your input.

Tonight's the Night

2008-08-19T09:53:00.001-07:00

Dear Watcher Readers,

Tonight is the night I urge you to go to City Hall if you disagree with the Council's decision to cease broadcasting of the City Council Meetings. People have been signing petitions, talking to each other and writing letters to the editor in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. In fact, the paper's editorial board came on the side of the people and is urging the Council members to rethink their decision.

You know what I like about the Council, especially Councilman Mike Touhey, they always find a way to stick to a bad decision even if there's outrageous support against it. Not only that, whenever their reasoning to make these bad decisions is proved to be wrong or rectified, they find ANOTHER excuse.

This is one of my favorites: Mayor Pro Tem Roger Hernandez told the Tribune that there is a lot of fat in the budget that can be trimmed, such as an apparent do-nothing lobbyist, an alleged do-nothing public information officer, and -- of course-- the Herfert Herald, aka Discover West Covina.

Upon hearing that fat can be trimmed elsewhere, Touhey came out and argued only 33 percent of West Covina residents have cable access. Where was this argument before, when HE was Mayor, and HE had the "Mayor Show?" Now that his arch rival is set to be Mayor pretty soon, it's an issue? Oh brother, will the pissing contest between these two egomaniacs ever end?

The Watcher would love to be there, but I have to stay at home with the kiddies. Please let me know what happens, faithful readers.

Could it be?????

2008-08-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Did someone at City Hall actually LISTEN to the people?

As you all know, there have been several complaints regarding the cancellation of the City Council meetings on Charter Channel 55. Allegedly due to budget cuts, the 20-some-odd year broadcast is all of a sudden "too expensive" to operate. Personally, I believe the $180,000 cost projected by City Staff is a bit inflated, but that's just my opinion.

It looks like the City Council will get a chance on Tuesday to rethink their stance. On the agenda, the item is coming back on the Tuesday, Aug. 19 meeting.

Maybe then, by the grace of God, the City Council can think of innovative ways to make the cuts WITHOUT taking away the meetings. All you really need is an open mind.

1. Cut down on Discover West Covina! I know its going from monthly to quarterly, but there are other ways to trim, like hmm, I don't know -- only sending it to people who want it! Like, 35,000 of those things go out, but how many of those 35,000 households actually read it? Make receiving it optional. I know what you're thinking, Mr. Herfert, "How will I ever let people know about BLD?...Again and again and again and again?" Well, you're just gonna have to trust somewhere in that $1.3 million we're paying for BLD each year, there's some cash set aside for marketing... Which brings me to item ...

2. Public Information Officer. From what I understand, a Public Information Officer is like the city's spokesperson to the media. I read the paper religiously and I can't remember a time when West Covina's Public Information Officer was quoted. This person could be writing and designing the newsletter, BUT if you look at the newsletter now, and a newsletter from a couple years ago (before the Public Information Officer was hired), you don't really see a difference in design or writing style. I wonder, is the person writing and designing the newsletter now the same person doing it then? If so, why are we wasting money on a Public Information Officer?

OK, if you guys don't want to lay anyone off, even if they've only been around a short time and don't really do anything (seriously, if you are or know the PIO, please let me know what she does and I'll issue a Watcher-style apology), here's another: Broadcast the City Council meetings only. Stop with all the other things, like the Mayor Show, the Planning Commission Meetings, the events, etc.

I'm definitely not being a hater. I do enjoy those things, especially since I -- born in Dodger Blue -- got to see and hear a speech from the great Maury Wills on Channel 55. But to me, those things can wait til things look a bit brighter, fiscally.

Also, on the Leftovers blog, someone suggested having volunteers work the cameras. What a novel concept! Volunteers!!

Maybe the many people expected to go to Tuesday's meeting will have some other ideas. I got an e-mail from a person called only "KWG" and it reads:

"I am not happy with the city turning off the cable broadcast of its meetings.
I would like to encourage everyone to attend the next meeting and voice our displeasure.
Any suggestions on getting the word out?
I have even considered putting this in the Tribune by buying a quarter page or more.
Please let me know your feelings.
I am in no way associated with the city other than being a resident."

I suggested to KWG he write a letter to the editor to the Tribune. Apparently, this cause of getting the meetings back on the air caught its attention. The editorial board agrees: Broadcasting the meetings yields and open government. While other, smaller, cities are broadcasting -- or looking to do it -- the "Hub of the San Gabriel Valley" is shutting it down. That makes no damn sense.

Godspeed, KWG! You have to tell me what happens, considering I won't be able to see it on TV.

Mom n Pop vs. Chains

2008-07-30T16:24:00.001-07:00

The greatest thing, I think, about living in West Covina is the variety of restaurants. I love that I would have to kind of drive out of the way to a fast food joint and I have a cornucopia of choices that are either Mom n Pops, or chains.

I decided to take a break today from giving the City Council a literary brow beating and focus on my readers, to try to get them involved in something they can all agree on: FOOD!

So, I'll start with listing my favorite Mom n Pop eatery, followed by my favorite chain:

1. The Chicken Box on Glendora Avenue. Basically, if you slathered a volleyball in good barbecue sauce, I'll probably eat it. Don't get me wrong, though, the chicken is superb! In fact, any dead animal on my plate will brighten the Watcher's mood even in the bleakest of times. Isn't that why we eat so much after funerals?

2. BJs Brewery. I also love a good beer and the spicy avocado rolls were made by the Gods. Oh, but don't forget about their pizza, its soft crust and melty cheese. Oh, and the Pazookie. Whoever thought of that is obviously a stoner, I'm just glad he/she remembered to make some for the rest of us.

Now, it's your turn. Don't be shy.

Did You Feel It?

2008-07-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit the Southland today and centered in Chino Hills, just a stone's throw from West Covina. Luckily for me, I work in Cerritos so it wasn't so bad. Not so lucky for the house though. The wife found a photo of Pops broken on the floor, along with a few knick knacks.

Hope all your houses are in tact and you are all safe.

I Feel Like Perez Hilton!

2008-07-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, Watcher readers. In case you missed it, a fine, classy person who uses the handle "Edgewood Insider" gave me my very first Hate Mail! I'm so proud I could piss. The aforementioned Insider states:

"talk about no balls. what's your name? MR. HYPOCRISY! at least shelley uses her real name.should i call you gen. wild bill donovan ( master of spy's [sic]) or bob's big boy. that's right bit** you have been called out. So go ahead take your F***ing comments and stick um up your F***ing As* P.S.BLD Rules"

With the last bit there, I could deduct the writer in question is a 13-year-old angst-ridden boy. Remember when you were that age and you wrote all over your Pee Chee folder: "Metallica Rules!"? Well, some of you may be a bit older or younger than me, but I came of age in the era of Beavis and Butthead, and well, the Insider's rant takes me back to that simpler time. Thanks, friend.

Also, I'd like to address once again why I don't reveal my true identity. Does Batman? Spider-man? Superman? No. They don't, mostly to protect themselves. I'm doing the same. The people in power in West Covina wield a lot of it and frankly, I don't want my family getting harassed or anything simply because the people in power don't like what I say.

I realize I'm comparing myself to comic book heroes, but give me a break. I just saw Dark Knight for the third time.

BIG LEAGUE F***ING DREAMS!

2008-07-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

What did I say?

Got home last night and guess what was in the mail? That's right: Discover West Covina.

And what was on the cover? Yup: Big League Dreams.

Before anyone starts telling me, "Big League Dreams isn't the only thing on the cover, wha, wha, wha." 'Tis true. In the last year, BLD graced the cover of Discover West Covina four times-- That's about 33%.

However, there is not ONE single subject that gets more press in the newsletter than BLD. What about the new soccer fields? Didn't that deserve the star treatment this month?

The planning and community service commissions voted to redo Orangewood Park to include soccer fields for almost 2,000 youth soccer league players. In case you didn't know it, the league, which has been around for a gazillion years, never had a bona fide soccer field on which to play. NEVER. I think that is more interesting than BLD and its "success."

Look, I'm sure a lot of people use it. I'm not doubting that, but we're spending like $1.3 million a year on that damn thing, and in the meantime, we're making cuts to public safety and across the board.

While Discover West Covina tells us how many people go to BLD, how much money its making for the city is conspicuously missing.

Before I get accused of drinking too much Haterade, I do have plans to make Discover West Covina cheaper, if the city continues to insist on publishing it.

1. It doesn't need to be glossy. In fact, why isn't it on recycled paper? I looked for the little recycling symbol and it wasn't there. Yes, I know recycled paper can come in glossy, but I don't think the newsletter is one of those.

2. Make it online only! The Community Recreation Guide in online only now.

3. Take a survey: How many people will be torn up inside if they don't get it monthly or quarterly? Maybe those who really want it can subscribe to it, and those of us who end up just tossing it won't be getting it in the mail. I'm sure the postage costs will decrease significantly.

Those are my ideas. Since Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson is now a Watcher reader, maybe she can take those ideas to her colleagues. The rest of the council can be readers, too, but she's the only one with the cojones to post, even if she disagrees with me. I like her spunk. And her sense of humor.

Don't think the Watcher's getting soft, but you can't deny her cuteness :-)

Big Boy's Back

2008-07-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Looks like Councilman Mike Touhey won't be the biggest guy in West Covina for much longer.

According to this, there's gonna be a new Bob's Big Boy in town.

(Warning: the linked article above refers to the area as an "evolving downtown landscape." I believe that's a typo and the "d" is missing in front of the "e" in "evolving", plus the area is not really the alleged downtown area)

It's taking over the building deserted by Chevy's "Fine" Mexican food restaurant. "Fine" is in quotes because the "food" made me want to "vomit."

The Big Boy was in town up until 1994 then left. To be perfectly honest, I've only went into a Big Boy once (that doesn't sound right, does it?) and that was on my way to Vegas in a little town called Hesperia in the high desert. They call it the high desert because there's a lot of meth there.

Anyway, I remember the food being subpar, but a helluva improvement on Chevy's. If you want some killer Mexican food in West Covina, I STRONGLY, HIGHLY recommend Senor Baja on Glendora Avenue, or Ghost Town West Covina, as I like to call it. Best. Fish Tacos. Ever.

I consider myself a connoisseur, if you will, of fish tacos. I've been all over the land, from the Frisco Bay, to Baja California, and the best fish tacos are right here in the San Gabriel Valley. Yes! Even better than Ensenada. I want to drown in the fish batter and eat my way out.

For the old schoolers, Senor Baja used to be called El Taco Nazo. In fact, the location in Baldwin Park still is called El Taco Nazo, but the fishy goodness is all the same: just the right amount of cabbage and sauce, and fish fried to a crispy brown. Hold on a sec... I think I'm drooling.

So what the hell is this post supposed to be about?

Whatever, man. I'm goin' to Senor Baja. I'll be the guy in the corner in the food coma, sauce all over his face and cabbage on his shirt. Just shake me awake so I could finish my meal.

All You People Up There at City Hall....

2008-07-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

OK. I will start with a disclaimer: In no way do I advocate violence, riots in the streets, breaking windows of small businesses and starting f***ing fires.

It's a joke. It's a song called "City Hall," by comedy musical duo Tenacious D. I found it fitting since I write about City Hall. So, from me to you: Enjoy and lighten up!

Newsflash: Shelley Sanderson Agrees with the Watcher

2008-07-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

This just in: West Covina City Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson has publicly said she agrees with the West Covina Watcher!

In fact, her exact words were: "I couldn't agree more!"

Ch-che-check it out here!

Actually, whether she intended to or not, she let slip her real motive for voting to halt the broadcasts when she claimed the broadcasts helped Fred Sykes "stand on his soap box and have his 5 minutes to campaign for free on the taxpayers money."

You campaign for free on taxpayer money every time you open your mouth on the dais, lady. Tell me, how much taxpayer money over the years have YOU used to fly to conferences, stay in nice hotels, eat, etc? I'm sure a lot. I'm not saying that's a completely bad thing, but if you're going to live in a glass house...

Why not cut the council's and commissions' per diems all together and put that into public safety? Because those per diems are supposed to help enhance the city -- just like the broadcasts.

Bring 'em back!

New Look, New News

2008-07-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hey folks. As you can see, the Watcher did a bit of an overhaul. In no way, shape or form am I web savvy, so I had to go with one of blogger.com's templates.

The reason I changed it is because I discovered California City News and since they were kind enough to link to this very blog on their site, I figured I should do the same, and make it dominant enough for others to see. The other layout made it a bit harder for me to do that.

On to the new news: Concernced Citizens for West Covina is handing out a petition to get the City Council meetings back on the air!

Like I've said over and over, I find the uncensored meetings are a lot more helpful than relying on Discover West Covina, or "Herfert Herald," for my city news, considering the newsletter is controlled by the powers that be.

If you're interested in signing the petition, just shoot me an e-mail and I'll send your info to Mr. Sykes. I'm sure he'll come to you!

Some doubt the petition will do much good, and others suggest just about anyone could sign it, whether they live in West Covina or not. I have to disagree. Mr. Sykes ran for City Council, so I'm sure he has a nice database of West Covina voters he could get to. Secondly, three members of this esteemed board are up for re-election soon. How would it look if they went against the people's will?

What I think, though, is the recent West Covina Fire Department commercials on Charter are sticking in their collective crawl a bit more than this petition. There I am, watching Family Guy on the Cartoon Network when I see this building burning and hear a 9-1-1 call playing over and text on the screen that reads something like "A person can't live without oxygen for more than 4 minutes" and then a little girl is chasing a ball in her pool, then a voice over talks about budget cuts increasing response times.

At first I thought it was regarding all California fire departments, then at the end I learn it is in regards specifically to the WC firefighters.

It probably would have been even better if they showed a photo of the council or the city manager with the voice over saying, "These people want you to DIE!" LOL! I kid, I kid. But they did use the "fear" tactic, of which I have never been a fan, especially since the whole "Going-to-Iraq-without-proper-intelligence-causing-the-deaths-of-over-4,000 Americans-using-people's-fear-of-9/11-to-justify-it" thing.

But that's just me. Any opinions or thoughts?

Where the Streets Have No Name

2008-07-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Looks like the Tribune finally made some calls to figure out what the hell is going on in Ghost Town West Covina.

As the Watcher's already reported back in March, all the great businesses excited for a "downtown revitalization" have packed up and left, such as Romano's Macaroni Grill, Dono Sushi, Vieta Coffee, Juice it Up, Red Brick Pizza and the Hawaiian restaurant that later became Seafood Bay and the Red Room.

Some blame the economy.

I blame petty politics.

The thing is this: Since being elected to City Council, Mayor Pro Tem Hernandez has been talking about downtown revitalization to anyone who would listen. He's been pushing for it for, I don't know, five years or so now.

When the new Lakes development started, everyone was talking about it being a catalyst for something huge -- pedestrian friendly, mixed-use where commercial and residential can co-exist in the same building, and so on. It's all the rage. They even have one of those developments in freakin' Maywood! Maywood, for crying out loud! I used to date a girl from Maywood and my mother wouldn't let me go see her there because she was sure I'd get shot.

Fast forward just a little: The council changes and Hernandez happens to have a beef with re-elected-after-being-ousted Mike Touhey over God knows what, and all of a sudden -- Downtown West Covina revitalization is not plausible, even after the city spent a QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS on a plan and a gazillion citizen meetings. In fact, at one point, the City Council, with Herfert absent, offered to take the plan off the shelf.

The very next meeting, when Herfert was back, it was re-shelved. Wonder why.

While doing research for this post, I came across a very interesting article from the Los Angeles Times, and I think I'd like to post it in all its glory on this very site:

West Covina revives lofty goals for downtown; Talk of transforming the area into an urban village has resurfaced, but not everyone thinks it's a good idea.

Paloma Esquivel

Times Staff Writer

In West Covina, where "downtown" could best be described as a pair of mid-sized avenues anchored by a movie theater, there's talk of transforming the city's core into a bustling urban village. But there's been talk before.

For at least 10 years, the city has fostered visions of a busy downtown where high-end loft-dwellers stroll around the corner to restaurants and locals pass the time chatting at coffee bars. Plans were made and community meetings held. There were even whispers that the city was ready to use eminent domain. But nothing happened.

Earlier this month, talk started up again when the City Council proposed creating a subcommittee to revisit downtown revitalization. What the committee will actually do isn't clear.

There's widespread agreement that downtown businesses are in trouble, but little consensus on how to fix their problems, officials said. Even those who agreed to create the committee disagree about its goals. And the question of whether high-end development addresses the community's affordable housing needs is hardly on the radar.

Business leaders, city officials and community members are split on whether mixed-use development, which blends high-end lofts and condos with office space and entertainment venues, is a good idea, said Gary Lawson, who heads the West Covina Chamber of Commerce. But he said that most agree: "Something needs to be done."

Since 1994, nearly $2 million has been spent on downtown infrastructure improvements and almost $500,000 has been allocated for area planning studies, according to city reports. But downtown still isn't attracting enough customers, Lawson said.

Locals often head to Orange County, Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles for entertainment and restaurants.

Some local businesses are struggling to stay open, said developer Ted Slaught.

"I think downtown is a more idle place today than it was five years ago. We have fewer retailers," said Slaught, who helped develop the city's Lakes center, which includes an Edwards movie theater, a Barnes and Noble, a Macaroni Grill and other restaurants and stores.

Red Brick pizza, Juice It Up and Vieta Coffee have all failed at the center and others are looking to leave.

Slaught blames the city for not moving forward with revitalization plans.

"The Lakes Entertainment Plaza was always envisioned to be the centerpiece of a downtown pedestrian village," he said. Now, "there's a centerpiece but nothing surrounding it."

Councilman Steve Herfert said downtown isn't as troubled as some paint it. There's no need for dramatic change, he said.

"We're a city that's pretty well built out," he said. "Most of the businesses that are downtown are doing OK." But he acknowledged that most restaurants in the area "do well on the weekend, but they don't do well during the week."

The existing downtown area isn't on a major thoroughfare and doesn't attract pedestrians, said Doug McIsaac, city planning director. Without a natural center, the city has to "create the attraction," he said.

He looks to Old Town Pasadena as one possible model.

"Maybe you don't know what you're going to do when you get there," McIsaac said of Pasadena's popular center, "but there are multiple entertainment venues and restaurants and you can park in one place and walk to where you want to go."

Still, plenty of skepticism over revitalization remains. Three years ago, the city spent nearly $230,000 to develop an ambitious plan known as Scenario C. It called for realigning Glendora Avenue and Lakes Drive to create lofts and office space and would have cost nearly $20 million for the improvements necessary to get started -- $14 million was planned for parking upgrades, McIsaac said.

Initially, council members agreed to move forward, but plans were scrapped after elections changed the makeup of the board, officials said.

Councilman Roger Hernandez expects the new subcommittee to revive Scenario C, pushing West Covina into a future where dense housing meshes with entertainment and restaurants, he said.

"The goal is to spruce up the area and create a higher-end village downtown," Hernandez said.

But Mayor Sherri Lane said turning downtown into a bustling urban center isn't a reality.

"That's a major overhaul of that whole area," Lane said. "I'm not in favor of doing something that drastic . . . I have concerns regarding density, traffic and congestion and the strain on city resources."

Councilman Herfert said there may be unrealistic expectations surrounding the committee's overall goals.

"I just don't want to mislead people," he said. "We've gone through this thing so many times. I don't anticipate a whole lot coming out of it."

Interesting... Herfert thought all was well when, obviously, it's not. I can't help but wonder, with his head in the sand so much, how does Herfert's face maintain a perpetual sun burn?

Like I said, we could blame the economy, but before this horrific downturn, we had the money and the city probably had developers salivating to get in there and shake shit up. I know how those bastards work.

But, you know, since Roger Hernandez wants it, we'll probably never get it as long as he's on the council. But if he ever leaves, how much you wanna bet it'll be back on the table?

Interesting Math

2008-07-11T12:04:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, the Watcher is saddened by the cancellation of West Covina City Council meetings on Channel 55. According to city officials, it was due to budget cuts.

However, there was no attempt to kill Discover West Covina, the city's monthly newsletter that goes out to all residents. I have noted on this blog in the past that I would prefer to have the non-edited broadcasts of the meetings than the "Herfert Herald," which is loaded with warm and fuzzy Big League Dreams news and other fluff controlled by the city. Some call it propaganda.

An interesting tidbit, though: Discover West Covina probably costs more to produce than the airing of the Council meetings, according to one of my wonderful readers.

He or she says City Manager Andrew Pasmant stated the broadcasts cost about $150-180,000 a year to produce. However, nowhere have I heard how much it costs to publish the newsletter. So, our friend did some math for us, which is a good thing because the Watcher is not very good at the math. I have the lady in accounting balance my checkbook (I kid.) So, A. Williams is going to break it down for you:

The City manager also acknowledge[d] that the city publishes 35,000 copies of the Discover West Covina magazine every month.

If you conservatively estimate the cost of publishing the Discover West Covina @ approximately $1.75 + .41 postage=$2.16 each. or
35,000 X 2.16 X 12 montn=$907,200/yr.

The City Manager also indicated that they could cut back on the publication, with a 2/3 cut back there would still be a publishing cost $302,400

So... does anyone know how much it costs to publish and distribute the newsletter? If so, I would LOVE to know.

For Those About to Rock....

2008-07-09T12:45:00.001-07:00

We Salute You!

And who, exactly, will be doing some rockin'?

That would be the Sangria Band and hopefully lots and lots of West Covina residents at the Summer Concerts in the Lakes Entertainment Center.

The city is kicking off the Summer Concerts TOMORROW at 7 p.m. Every Thursday until August 28, the city's Community Services Department promises another night of rock 'n' roll, but you'll have to get your sex and drugs elsewhere. Maybe Baldwin Park Unified Board Member Sergio Corona knows where.

This Thursday is the Sangria Band, followed by Opa Opa, Chico, Mariachi Divas, Proud Mary, The Answer, Cold Duck and Soul Sacrifice. Not in that order, though. More details are here.

I'm one of those lame people who go to a bunch of these summer concerts with my fold-out chair and blanket and kids. I used to hate those people. Now I'm one of them.

I'm just glad the summer concerts aren't going to be the latest casualty in the budget cuts.

Think Green

2008-07-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

This post is Leftovers from City Hall got me thinking. No, I don't praise the council enough on the decisions it makes. In fact, I criticize more than anything else.

But, it did do something a while back that wasn't publicized too much, which considering the state of our planet at the moment, is a bit of a mystery to me, that I whole-heartedly agree with: going green.

As a hybrid driver himself, Mayor Pro Tem Roger Hernandez requested last year that the city create a policy where city purchases, including vehicles, are economically friendly.

It passed 4-0.

Congratulations, City Council. I should have gave you kudos a lot sooner, but I didn't have the blog then. Councilman Mike Touhey likes to think my sole purpose for the blog is to take swipes at the council. That's not entirely true.

It's just a fringe benefit.

Thanks, My Spies

2008-07-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Watcher is in a bit of a pickle. Maybe just a little depressed.

As I've mentioned, the City Council meetings are no longer on TV or online, so, unless I go to the meetings, I have to rely on my readers to tell me what happened. "Why don't you just go to the meetings yourself, Watcher?"

Well, two reasons: My wife usually works late on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which leaves me with the kids.

Secondly, I don't want to run the risk of people figuring out who I am. The last thing I need is folks scanning the room for an unfamiliar face, and when they see this tall, lanky, pale guy with a goofy haircut and Don Johnson stubble, they'll go into attack mode and who knows what will happen next.

So, this is what I gathered from at least one reader: The city put the brakes on the much-touted golf course. Thank Jeebus! That would have cost a ton. But be wary: Big League Dreams was shelved once, too. That shelving was pushed by its biggest supporter, Steve Herfert, only to be dusted off when the City Council changed.

Secondly, there was some hub bub about vending machines. Councilman Roger Hernandez wanted to make sure city machines were filled with healthy stuff; Mike Touhey said the city shouldn't play Big Brother.

I know these two often have philosophical differences, but this difference, however, can be easily explained by a picture. In fact, a picture says a thousand words:

You guessed it, Touhey's the guy on the left, Hernandez on the right.

Far be it from me to criticize a person on his/her weight. But Touhey, himself, said for him a Mini Cooper would be "An expensive skateboard."

I like the idea, though, that the city of West Covina follow the lead of its neighbor, Baldwin Park, and stock vending machines with nutritious snacks. The reason this country is looking more and more like the fellow on the left is because we are always in a hurry. What better way to help curb this epidemic than to offer quick snacks to go that don't pile on the pounds?

While I'm in a "criticizing pictures" mood. Hernandez, dude, that grin is cheesier than a high school senior portrait. Take it down a notch.

On a side note, the ladies at Leftovers from City Hall are taking a beating lately, and I'm always up to defend them, despite the fact Jennifer McLain wrote a glowing story on Big League Dreams.

People are just nasty to them and all they are really doing is disseminating the news. I don't get half the flack they do and I'm a lot meaner and opinionated than them. I think they're doing a fine job. Keep it up, Ladies.

In closing, I'd like to thank my friends out there with their tips on everything from Satellite Radio to Budget Semantics.

Have a happy, and safe, Independence Day.

Oh, Moe!

2008-06-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Looks like Moe high-tailed it out of his home in Devore.

If you live in West Covina, and you don't know about Moe the Chimp, you haven't been paying attention these last 30 years or so.

Well, LaDonna and the badly mauled St. James Davis have been wanting Moe free for years. Now that he is, I wonder if they preferred him caged where they could regularly visit him?

Since Moe doesn't have any in-the-wild experience, I'm sure the Davises are desperate to find him. Unfortunately, I think finding the simian will be tough in the forest, but the best of luck to Moe and his human parents. Hopefully, the Davises don't file yet another lawsuit against the city for the latest chapter in the Moe Saga.

Disgusting

2008-06-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Although this didn't happen in West Covina, it is an incident that affects all of us: A student thought it "funny" to replace the names of people in the Black Student Union at Charter Oak High School in Covina with names like "Tay Tay Shaniqua," etc. in the yearbook.

What are these parents teaching their children, and how did this not get caught before the yearbooks were printed? The whole thing is vile and I hope the student responsible gets expelled and this incident is a permanent mark on his or her record. In fact, it should be considered as a form of vandalism and the student should be charged with defacing private property. Yearbooks are worth a lot of money. He or she should also be forced to apologize to each and every student hurt by this, including the students in the BSU and the yearbook staff who worked hard all year to have a product of which they could be proud.

We should all be outraged! Let's call for action!

Charter Oak High School is located at:

1430 E. Covina

Covina, CA 91724

Tel: (626) 915-5841

Semantics in City Hall

2008-06-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Remember in the flurry of '90s grunge bands there was this up-beat, hippy-like band called the Spin Doctors? They're biggest hit, "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" seems to be the only song I remember from that era.

According to VH1, the Spin Doctors have since broken up. So where are they now? My money is on them working behind the scenes at the city of West Covina.

We heard a lot the other night about budget cuts, but city officials were proud to tout the fact no full-time employees got the ax. As a reader pointed out to me in an e-mail, "There were people at the meeting that had been let go and Roger Hernandez was going to address their situation. The city brings up the fact that there were no full-time employees let go because of the cuts in the budget. They fail to disclose all of the part-time employees that were let go due to the cuts. I guess if you are not full-time then you are not really an employee of the city."

Why was this little fact not disclosed by anyone at city hall? The first I heard of it is when it was mentioned by Fred Sykes, and even then I did not know ALL the part-time employees were given the ax. I read the entire staff report and the layoffs were referred to as "personnel cuts." No mention of how many, from which departments and how long ago.

These are indeed tough economic times, but the city of West Covina is notorious for partial disclosure. Now that the meetings are no longer airing on cable or the Internets, it will be tough for the average resident to know what is going on, unless they subscribe to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, or regularly read this blog. **hint, hint**

By the way--while the live broadcasts are being cut, the city decided to keep milling out Discover West Covina, the monthly newsletter delivered to West Covina residents. Content is controlled by the city so it is very unlikely the absolute, pure truth will be added. It kinda reminds me of, oh I don't know, Cuba.

Speaking of which, the city's PIO, Sue Williams still has her job. What the hell does she do there anyway? I've rarely, if ever, seen her quoted in the newspaper, and I'm sure the fluffy stories she probably pitches go ignored. How much does she make, and how much does that newsletter cost? I'm sure we could keep the uncensored stuff streaming and on TV if we got rid of those things.

I'm not hating on newsletters, do-hardly-anything Public Information Officers, or good news from the city. But really, if I read one more fluff piece about that goddamn $50 million Big League Dreams ballpark, I'm going to vomit. Speaking of which, has the city looked into grants to pay for that monstrosity? My guess is no, but that's just a guess. All of that development that popped up along Azusa Avenue, including the Target, Home Depot, is going STRAIGHT to BLD, where I'm sure sales tax revenue could be better spent on police, fire, jobs and other parks that you could use for free.

The argument against that, however, is those commercial entities wouldn't be there if not for BLD. I'll call bullshit on that. It's in a prime location on probably the busiest street in the San Gabriel Valley. I'm sure Target and Home Depot would have taken interest regardless of the presence of the pay-to-play ballpark.

Well, it's too late to grumble about it now, but unfortunately I have this vision. My vision is that episode of The Simpsons when Bart gets his license, rents a car and he and his buddies are psyched to got to the World Fair in Knoxville, and when they finally arrive... ghost town.

I'm just sayin'.

Attack of the Killer Thong

2008-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do, in any way, shape or form, with West Covina.

But I couldn't resist.

Look out, ladies (and some men--not that there's anything wrong with that): Danger could be lurking in your underwear drawer!

Touche, Mr. Touhey

2008-06-18T10:01:00.001-07:00

Last night I had my bowl of popcorn, a nice, cold, sweaty bottle of beer and the remote control.

Unlike the rest of the greater Los Angeles area, however, I was not watching The Game.

I was watching the West Covina City Council Meeting, and to my surprise, it may be one of the last times. The city, inspired by a looming budget deficit, decided to halt all cable TV production.

What? No more poorly shot fluff from city events? While I won't miss the mayor trying to act like a news correspondent on the weekends, I will miss watching the meetings from home. Though I believe I could still watch online.

City Staff took a hatchet to the budget and it looks like the projected deficit is about $2-3 million less than originally anticipated. And that's a good thing.

The reserve is definitely less than it was just a couple years ago, but it's still pretty healthy. According to WC Finance Director Thomas "Bueller, Bueller" Bachman, the reason for the shortfall is simple, although when he talks about it seems like it's not. "That deficit is projected to grow in the future due to a structural imbalance in the General Fund in which revenue growth is not keeping up with expenditure growth," he says in the staff report.

Well, after hearing a lot about numbers and deficits and cuts, I admit I was a little snoozy, especially after my second bottle of beer and an empty bowl of popcorn.

And then, something magical happened.

Councilman Mike Touhey mentioned the council did not send out well-wishes to Councilman Roger Hernandez's ailing father, who passed away just three days after the last meeting, at the June 3 meeting. He explained it wasn't their place to inform the public, in case there were family members out there who didn't know what was going on. If you remember, I was wailing on the council for what seemed to be a heartless act.

At the end of his speech, he says: "There were some shots taken at this council, not by Fred Sykes but by someone else. ... I wanna makes sure all the bloggers out there, WEST COVINA WATCHER, who takes shots at us, says things, to me that was a low blow."

I don't think my blow was necessarily low. Well wishes are well wishes and it wouldn't hurt to send them from the dais. I'm not taking a blow at Touhey, though. He did rise above the pettiness and I believe he was probably sincere, along with Mayor Lane.

So, Mr. Touhey, now that I know you read this blog, I will say this: While I don't necessarily agree with your contention, I understand your reasons. That, and Thanks for the free ad. On TV, no less!

I need some traffic up in here.

Giddy like a school girl

2008-06-17T10:22:00.001-07:00

As I write this blog, I'm not annoyed with the fact my co-worker has Sugar Ray playing on the radio. Normally, I am.

I was stuck in traffic, iPod out of juice, forced to listen to REO Speedwagon on Jack FM because I hate "morning shows."

Still, nothing can touch me today.

The reason is some wonderful person posted something on the Leftovers from City Hall blog about your's truly. He or she called him or herself "Friend of West Covina Watcher" and linked to this very site.

Like I've said before, not many people post on this blog, although I do get emails from concerned residents with tips and whatnot. So it's nice to see some person out there thinks enough of me to go to a blog A LOT of people read and give me a "shout out," as the kids say.

In doing that, however, I feel I have a bigger responsibility to be more up-to-date. Although, I wish I could track the number of people who visit this site. Does anyone know how to do that?

Tonight there's a lot to watch at the West Covina City Council meeting. There may be some drama considering the members will be looking at its $8 million deficit. Just a couple years ago, the members were touting the city's balanced budget and healthy reserve. Now, times seem less rosy. Could it be the economy? Absolutely. No one is safe from that. But who didn't see it coming? Economic times are always cyclical and when we saw the housing bubble get bigger, and bigger and bigger, we should have all known it was going to pop, and with that, the rest of the economy would have followed suit.

It doesn't take a financial genius like, say, WC Finance Director Thomas Bachman, to see this downturn coming. All you have to be is literate and occasionally watch the evening news.

Still, with no other backup plan, like federal and state grants, to fund Big League Dreams, we went and built it anyway. Is it fun? I'm sure it is. Personally, I won't let my kids play so close to a toxic landfill, but that's just me.

But it's too late to bitch about it now. Not enough people bitched about it before, and the council was so caught up in building a Legacy Project for Steve Herfert, they lost sight of what was sure to come. And why no warning from Mr. Bachman? I'll bet all the money in the bank his concerns came up but went ignored and he kept mum for fear of losing his job and that of his boss, City Manager Andrew Pasmant.

Speaking of Mr. Bachman, I can't shake the "Bueller, Bueller" monotone of his voice (Kids of the '80s should get that reference).

Anywho, also on tap is an ordinance that would track sex offenders via GPS. That is B-O-L-D to say the least. I believe this is a Touhey ordinance, but for once I can't really criticize him on it. Five years ago I would have said this is an obvious, blatant attack on the Bill of Rights and should go the way of the dodo (Kids of the '50s should get that reference).

But now I have children and I have to say my Number 1 fear of all fears (and that includes clowns) is pedophiles. I don't believe this ordinance will stand up in a court of law if some brazen rapist challenges it, but I have to commend Touhey for even trying.

Lastly, thank you for reading. Please...Don't be afraid to post messages!

Bye, Fred

2008-06-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is Fred Ortega. He was a reporter with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and the Pasadena Star News. He now works for Judy Chu, who sits on the board of equalization.

I enjoyed reading Fred's stories when he covered the city of West Covina. He was always fair and from the photo above, looked like a pleasant guy.

I'm sure he will be missed, but with the state of newspapers the way they are going, I don't blame him a bit for leaving.

When pettiness rears its ugly head

2008-06-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I watched the City Council meeting. I couldn't do it Tuesday because along with rushing to the polls before 8, I had -- let's say -- a germ-magnetic child situation. Obviously, Councilman Hernandez was not there due to his father's ailment. As a good friend should, Human Resources Commissioner Fred Sykes went to the podium and let the community know he was out due to the health of Mr. Rogelio Hernandez Sr.

Instead of a nice word, a "get well soon," or anything of that nature, all anyone on that dais had to say was "Can we state for the record it's not Councilmember Hernandez, but a family member?" And that was stated by -- you guessed it -- the council member with a heart of gold, Steve Herfert. But that's not what is most disturbing for me. What is more disturbing is that a source who was in the audience told me Herfert had a smirk on his face the whole time. Another had sent me an email and said while some members of city staff attended the wake and/or funeral, Mr. Herfert and Ms. Shelley Sanderson were no-shows at both while Councilman Mike Touhey and Mayor Sherri Lane were not only there, but very, very classy and heartfelt in offering their condolences. Touhey and Hernandez even hugged! I would have paid a million bucks to see that.

I only bring this up because not long ago, Herfert had this whole diatribe about how when horrible things happen, it makes all the bickering and infighting on the dais seem so petty and trivial.

Yeah. Way to NOT be petty, Steve.

Sad news

2008-06-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sad news coming from West Covina. Rogelio Hernandez Sr., father of Mayor Pro Tem Roger Hernandez, has passed away.

Now, if you're a City Council watcher like I am, how many times did you hear Mayor Pro Tem Hernandez start, or end, a story with an anecdote about his father? Many. Here is his obituary:

Rogelio Hernandez Sr.
HERNANDEZ -Rogelio Hernandez Sr., As a young man, Rogelio of Walnut came to the United States with little more than a strong work ethic and a passion to build a life and family of which he could be proud. Fulfilling that passion, Rogelio passed away June 6. He was 63. Rogelio embodied the American Dream and was the epitome of a patriarch. He instilled in his four children the importance of ambition, pride, empathy, and was that rare kind of person who had both a sharp mind for busi ness and a heart for compassion. With those traits, he and his wife, Obdulia, raised children who would become leaders in politics, law enforcement and academia. Always humble and giving, Rogelio also shared a kinship with nature since he was a child on his family's ranch. He often took long walks along the horse trails in Walnut and would become mesmerized by the rolling green hills that hug the 57 Freeway.An oft-repeated phrase in the Hernandez household was "Let's go to the park." He will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him, shaking his hand and landing a kiss on his cheek. Rogelio is survived by his wife, Obdulia; sons Roger, Gilbert and Jaime; daughter Veronica; father, Luis; two brothers, a sister, cousins, and many nieces and nephews. Services begin Thursday at 7:00 p.m. with a wake at St. Elizabeth's Ann Seton Catholic Church in Rowland Heights. Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth's, followed by a burial at Resurrection Cemetery in Montebello.

Biting the hand.....

2008-05-13T10:43:00.001-07:00

According to a fellow named Dan at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Councilman Steve Herfert is feeling sick these days.

And no, it has nothing to do with him being out of shape, or horrid blond dye seeping into his skull. It has to do with an $8 million deficit in the city budget and the fact the city may start paying full medical benefits to to public safety, such as cops and firefighters.

I may or may not agree with that. I haven't made up my mind; all I know is my wife works at a University and her medical care is completely covered by her employer, but when we got married, we had to pay for myself and our kids. However, that sum was EXTREMELY low. Hey, my wife and I push papers around all day. What the guys do for the police and fire departments is much harder, I'm sure.

Whether you agree with the contract is not exactly the point of this rant. It has more to do with the fact that the police and fire departments ENDORSED Steve Herfert in the last election. Cops were even going door-to-door wearing polo shirts with embroidered badges dropping off his material. But not only that, they went on full-scale attack mode against Herfert's opponent/nemesis Councilman Roger Hernandez in the last days of the election.

Now, I don't mind Herfert's stance at all with regard to the benefits of public safety, but I do fault him for saying "I felt kind of sick when I saw the contract," after they worked so hard to get his sorry ass elected.

No gasin' and boozin' in West Covina

2008-05-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

In a complete surprise turn of events, the City Council shot down a proposal to repeal an ordinance that prohibits the sale of alcohol at gas stations.

What? The City Council listened to the residents for once?

I know. I was shocked, too.

Councilman Mike Touhey requested the proposal the same night his client, McIntyre Companies, won approval to build a brand-new gas station. After hearing a bunch of people speak against it, four members of the City Council rejected it at a special meeting, to which Touhey did not attend.

Oh my, my, my. Is there a breaking in the ranks? I seriously doubt it. I just figured the three members of the council who always seem to sway Touhey's way finally realized that VOTERS put them in office in the first place.

Good job thinking for yourselves, guys. I hope it didn't hurt your head too much.

...In Bloom

2008-04-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty slow week for posts because it's been hectic at work and home. But I want to take this opportunity to actually PROMOTE something POSITIVE in the city.

For years, the Cherry Blossom Festival has been a favorite of mine and my family. This year, it is taking place on Saturday, April 26 at the Civic Center Courtyard. If you've never gone, you must. There's delicious food, entertainment and it's a very, very inexpensive way to keep the kids entertained. It runs from noon to 6 p.m.

I hope the weather cooperates because there is rarely a more beautiful event hosted by the city. Maybe because it's in conjunction with the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center.

Oh Brother...

2008-04-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Take out your keys, cell phones, spare change and paper clips out of your pockets and purses: Our City is buying metal detectors.

Yes, yes.

To uphold this weirdo ordinance that prohibits retired and off-duty police officers from carrying their weapons in City Hall, the city will be purchasing metal detectors. This passed on a 3-2 vote with Councilman Touhey and Mayor Pro Tem Hernandez voting against it -- Touhey because he's a lifelong member of the NRA, and Hernandez because he just doesn't feel right about taking the rights away from retired and off-duty peace officers. He calls it "bad public policy." In fact, he went so far as to say he believes this ordinance was brought about specifically because of Fredrick Sykes. (read my post about this here).

But I digress.

The City is buying the metal detectors, even though the council didn't vote on that. According to City Manager Andrew Pasmant, it was an administrative decision.

Give. Me. A. Break.

Booze, booze, booze

2008-04-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

OK. So I promised a post about booze and I'm a little late. But before I start, I'd like to thank a reader from Arlington, VA who suggested I choose a layout a little less like the North Korean flag and enable it so anonymous users could comment on the posts. I thought I did, but I didn't. I apologize. Everyone: Have At It!

So on with booze.

The Planning Commission heard arguments on April 8 against the proposed repeal of a years long ordinance that prohibits the sale of alcohol at gas stations. This comes after the City Council voted to approve a gas station built by Councilman Mike Touhey's well-known developer client. I wrote a post about this already here.

Now we hear from Herb Redholtz, the planning commissioner who is totally gunning for council in four years (not two because his besest friends foreverest Touhey, Sherri Lane and Shelley Sanderson will likely be running for re-election), that the owner of the gas station swears no booze will be sold at his station.

I guess it's a wait and see game. But at this point, most speakers are against this repeal, throwing out all these stats like there's already like 140 places to buy booze in the city, and repealing the ordinance would include 14 more.

The matter is going back to the council because it came from the council, but according to the commissioners, none of them really agree with it.

So... who wants to bet you'll be able to get a six-pack with your top off?

Come to think of it, after paying 4 bucks a gallon, it doesn't seem such a bad idea to take the edge off.

Case Closed

2008-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Looks like Carlos Thrasher won't be facing jail time after all.

That's got to be a relief. Also in this story it claims our Mad Scientist Steve Herfert was also investigated by the DA's office for conflict of interest. Where was the media on THAT one? When Roger Hernandez was investigated, and no charges were filed and the case thrown out, the local press treated it like Watergate!

Oh well. That was a few years ago. Maybe their staff was beefier or better or both. Who cares?

What I do care about is booze... Watch out for the second post on that subject later in the day.

Law & Order: CWC

2008-04-08T09:56:00.001-07:00

Today marks the first day in the trial of former Planning Commissioner Carlos Thrasher.

Look at him here. This guy has seen it all and his allegiance to his country is definitely not in question in this trial.

What is in question, however, is whether he exercised his power on the Planning Commission to "get back" at his former landlord.

Carlos and his company stayed in an office building owned by Ziad Alhassen. That guy owns everything, including almost every dealership on Auto Row. But Carlos got deployed, couldn't pay the rent and Alhassen wanted the money back. In return, Carlos allegedly spearheaded a vote against an Alhassen development when he was on the planning commission. He's also accused of failing to disclose on his conflict of interest forms that he even owed about $17k or whatever to Alhassen. That, I guess, is against the law.

I guess we'll see what happens now. I haven't necessarily formed an opinion yet, mostly because I'm not keen on the laws. I am upset, however, that we -- you, me, her, him -- are paying this guy's legal bills even though he's no longer a commissioner. The Four Bosom Buddies on the council thought we should be paying his bills, even though we are facing a severe budget deficit and have paid through the nose already for legal fees on other issues.

Do you think that's fair?

Weird Science

2008-04-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

OK. Let me get this straight: Steve Herfert earns a bachelors degree in recreation and now he works as a "scientist" for SoCal Edison. I remember him once saying, "All I have is a bachelor's in recreation" when arguing with Roger Hernandez, who holds a masters degree in public administration, about something park-related. I remember that so clearly because somehow, Herfert made me feel guilty for holding a masters myself. From a state school, but still, it's a masters, damnit!

I don't know what Herfert does at Edison, but I did find a very interesting comment on Foothill Cities Blog that says:

Oh, so he reads meters? OK. I. Get. It. Now?

Then I started to ponder Mr. Herfert's scientific skills. Somehow, he got elected a bazillion times to the City Council, even though he's kind of mean to people who don't agree with him and he convinced the city to spend more than $50 million on a ballfield, and convinced everyone that playing baseball on top of a dump is a good idea.

Oh, but my favorite of all faves is the fact that he could be so cozy with a former planning commissioner who is charged with conflict of interest and perjury and convinced at least three of his colleagues to give this guy money for his defense.

Maybe it's because this commissioner, Carlos Thrasher, did a couple of tours in Iraq and tried to resuscitate a guy who collapsed at the dais and later died. Maybe, though, and what of which I am most convinced is he simply hates Ziad Alhassen. According to Ben Baeder of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Herfert got pissed when Alhassen didn't forgive a debt Thrasher owed him on back rent.

"It is clear that Herfert took great interest in the dispute between Thrasher and Alhassen. He wrote a letter to this newspaper on Dec. 22, 2004, laying out his concerns.

'As if the hardship on his family wasn't enough,' the letter read, 'last week Carlos received a letter from the previous landlord threatening to sue him if his full office rent isn't paid within 11 days.'

At the time, the 'previous landlord' was Alhassen, according to Thrasher.

Herfert's letter continued: 'I am seeking to raise a few bucks to help with his previous landlords (sic) demand.'

A month later, at the very next scheduled council meeting, Herfert asked the city's staff to provide him with a list of all debts owed to West Covina by Alhassen, according to council minutes from Jan. 18, 2005. During council meetings in February 2005, he criticized the city's plan to restructure deals with Alhassen. In April 2005, Herfert wrote a letter to this paper criticizing the city council's decision to redraw a contract with Alhassen."

While I sit here with a degree in English Lit and am currently working as a Human Resources manager, I can't fault Mr. Herfert for electing to enter a field that has nothing to do with his degree. According to his past of convincing people to go along with bad ideas, maybe he is qualified to be a scientist. He's working some sort of magic at least.

Badges? We don't need..Wait. Badges Don't Matter?

2008-04-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our illustrious City Council decided best that people should be banned from bringing weapons to City Hall. That is a fantastic idea, except state law already prohibits arms from coming into government buildings, according to West Covina Police Chief Frank Wills.

A local ordinance duplicates state law when it is 'coextensive' with state law.[1] Although state law already prohibits the carrying of weapons in state or local government buildings, it also creates a number of exceptions to this prohibition.[2] The proposed ordinance narrows State law by narrowing the exceptions. For example, contrary to California law, the proposed ordinance prohibits individuals, such as off-duty and retired peace officers, from carrying weapons in City Hall and on adjacent City owned and operated property. As such, the proposed ordinance does not duplicate State law.

Essentially, this ordinance will prohibit off-duty and retired police officers from carrying weapons into City Hall. Thank God! I feel so much safer now that sworn officers who led their entire adult lives upholding the law and keeping communities safe are now unarmed.

Now, the three members of the Council who voted for this ban, Steve Herfert, Shelley Sanderson and Mayor Sherri Lane, will say it's because of safety and scary situations, like in Missouri when a nutjob opened fire on council members. That is scary. Too bad there weren't any other retired and off-duty police officers in the chambers to stop that guy before he started.

No one else will say it, but I will. Their true motive for this ordinance boils down to two words: Fredrick Sykes.

Sykes is an outspoken critic of the City Council and ran for office in November. He's been going to council meetings, speaking out and carrying a rad fanny pack that probably contains a weapon of some sort. He is, after all, a retired deputy sheriff with LA County.

And man, does he look like a badass. He is tall and built like an Iron Man. I bet that guy does nothing all day but drink protein shakes and work out. Well, in between council meetings and his job as a Human Resources Commissioner for the City of West Covina.

But why is Freddy so scary to the Council? They'll never admit they are, but I know better. And you probably do, too. They expect me to believe it's a coincidence this ordinance comes about when Fred is continuously at the meetings questioning their decisions? Why didn't they do this 10 years ago when a deranged ex-employee opened fire at Riverside City Hall. Herfert was on the council back then.

Now, how are we going to enforce this ban? The honor system? Well, if someone is crazy enough to shoot up City Hall, I seriously doubt an ordinance, and maybe a neat little NO GUNS sign, is going to stop him or her.

Metal detectors? E gad. They have enough problems with people not getting involved in the city. Metal detectors are just going to drive people away, that's why Riverside took out their metal detectors in 2004.

I guess we'll see. I'll be the guy sitting in the front row with a bowl of popcorn watching this play out. And I'll be unarmed.

Thoughts?

Oh, Moe!

2008-04-02T09:29:00.001-07:00

How does a chimp have so much power that he's making headlines when he's not even around?

I don't know Moe, never met his human parents, LaDonna and St. James Davis, but I read with much shock and horror as I learned Mr. Davis got mauled by a couple of chimps when he visited Moe on his birthday in some animal haven near Bakersfield.

I didn't think that man would make it through the night. Then a few months later I saw him at El Torito. He didn't have a nose, he was missing an eye and he was in a wheelchair, but other than that he seemed he was enjoying his Sunday brunch.

The Moe "saga" (as the local paper likes to call it) is still going strong in West Covina. Last I heard was the city and the Davises are still duking it out in court over who should be paying for Moe's housing. The Davises sued the city after the police department took Moe away in A-Team fashion after the city passed an ordinance prohibiting the housing of wild animals within the city limits. He was then supposed to be housed somewhere in Baldwin Park but none of the officials -- except for their then-City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman-- knew about it. Did I mention he was also West Covina's attorney at the same time, too? Oh yeah. This guy is the KING OF CONFLICT. Not surprisingly, he no longer worked for Baldwin Park soon after that. I think he might have been fired, but I don't know for sure.

After reading some past entries in the Foothill Cities Blog, I learned he reads it, doesn't like it, and even threatened to sue! Now I'm wondering if he read this little blog since our friends at FC gave us a shout out. If so, welcome, Mr. Glasman, and feel free to leave a comment.

Speaking of comments, I'm getting a ton of great emails from readers. Thank you so much for your support. But please, don't be afraid to post a comment or two.

And here's to Moe: Cheers. It wouldn't be West Covina if we didn't hear about you once in a while.

Oooh, You Make Me Live....

2008-03-26T09:54:00.001-07:00

When I think of my high school days, I rarely have a memory that doesn't include my best friend, Steven. We played football together, we rented a limo to prom together and we hung out almost every day playing video games.

I'm proud to say Steven is still my best friend. Since I don't have any brothers, he was my best man and baptized one of my kids. It's very hard to break a bond with someone you've known since your formative years and spent almost every single waking hour with.

Why do I bring this up in a blog about the city of West Covina? Simple: City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman and local businessman/developer Henry "Hank" Attina.

Word around the campfire is these two are like two peas in a pod. They've been friends for ages. Best friends? I have no idea. But neither one has ever denied being friends. Our friends (well, we're not friends yet but I'm hoping to be) at the Foothill Cities blog lays out the relationship nicely with an article from former Whittier Daily News Reporter Ben Baeder.

Still, you ask, what does this have to do with West Covina?

Because what has been done in Montebello has happened in West Covina but no one knows about it. Why? I don't know.

This is what I do know: The West Covina Senior Villas was built with Telacu. The city gave Telacu about $4 million to build them back in 2002. They started negotiations and such in October of 2001, according to this document. And who was working to bring the Villas to West Covina? Why Hank Attina, of course. And who would be the negotiator on behalf of the city? The city attorney. In this case, Arnold Alvarez-Glasman.

Now, according to the story by Mr. Ben Baeder, Alvarez-Glasman hasn't worked as Attina's lawyer in years; certainly years before this negotiation between the city and Telacu. So it's all good, right?

Wrong, is what a source out of the city of Rosemead tells me (she read my first blog posting and wanted to give me a juicy tip). Apparently this woman wanted to keep Alvarez-Glasman out of her city and dug up a couple of skeletons.

Apparently, Mr. Attina had a little too much to drink one night back in May 2001 and decided to drive home. He got pulled over, arrested and charged with a DUI (he's practically a celebrity already!). When he appeared in court he had an attorney representing him. The attorney: Arnold Alvarez-Glasman. How that guy hasn't gotten his bar card pulled by now is beyond me.

Now I ask, is there a conflict of interest here? I think so, but it's not my opinion that matters. It's the folks at the California Bar Association. I heard a complaint was lodged against Alvarez-Glasman for this very issue, but that is all speculation, fourth-party hearsay and whatnot. He's obviously still practicing law so that means no complaint was lodged, or the bar threw it out.

I don't know what will come of this post, but I hope something. Anything. I just feel uncomfortable about how cozy everyone in leadership positions are with people who want our money to build things or buy our land on the cheap.

Gas Stations and Beer

2008-03-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Most of you may not know this, but the sale of alcohol -- beer and wine included -- is prohibited at gas stations by ordinance in the City of West Covina. I only found this out a few years ago when I tried to grab a six-pack at a fill-up station after a loooooong day at work.

At the time, I might have been a little pissed, but I just went to the nearest 7-Eleven and picked one up there.

This kind if left my mind for a while, until February 5th of this year. What makes that day so special is that I watched this from home. Granted, it might take you a while to get to the good stuff, so I'll break it down for you.

* The City Council, which was wearing the hat of the Community Development Commission, approved 3-1 to sell a prime piece of real estate for a measly $1 million so that a gas station could be built there. It's a patch of land near the almost-complete Big League Dreams sports complex (some call it a sportsplex, which annoys me because I generally dislike two words merging to become one).

* The buyer is the McIntyre Cos. Anyone who has been paying attention the last three years knows Councilman Mike Touhey works/worked for McIntyre as a consultant/lobbyist before getting re-elected to the council four years after getting ousted in 2003. He swears up and down and to anyone who would listen that he does not lobby his colleagues on behalf of McIntyre and other developers who have projects in the city. To protect himself, he always recuses himself. Admirable, no?

* Um.... No. At the very same meeting, February 5th, Councilman Touhey asked his colleagues to hold a discussion on repealing the ordinance that prohibits the sale of alcohol at ** drum roll, please ** GAS STATIONS!

Now, could it be a coincidence that he's pushing for a code change that would greatly benefit his client monetarily? Sure. But as the great Williams S. Burroughs once said:

"In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen.”

A Moment of Silence

2008-03-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

It's not like me to post more than once a day, but this warranted it.

Though we all have our grievances from time to time, and we bitch and moan about things over which we have no or little control, something like the death of this poor woman puts things in perspective. She doesn't live at all far from me and I think that could have easily been MY wife and I was the husband coming home to find the haunting sight of flashing police lights in front of my home to be told she was gone.

It could be any of us.

Mmmmm....Leftovers

2008-03-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already, you have to read the San Gabriel Valley Tribune's "Leftovers from City Hall" blog. My only complaint is that it's light on news from West Covina, the headquarter city of the SGV. But I got an e-mail from one of the blogs authors, Tania Chatila, that the new blog is branching out to include more posts from other cities. She, along with reporter Jennifer McLain, tells us about the stuff going on at city halls that doesn't make it into the paper.

Hey! That was my idea... But I forgive them. I was late. I'm hoping that maybe one day they'll mention this little blog and more people will read it. **hint, hint**

The latest from "Leftovers" includes a subject that's near and dear to my heart: Spelling. Yes, that's right. Reporter Alison Hewitt wrote a post called "Mye Badde." Ms. Hewitt is hoping "Old Town West Covina," which is being requested for "downtown" West Covina (the strip of Glendora Avenue behind the Edwards movie theater), doesn't turn into "Olde Towne West Covina" with those obnoxious Es.

I agree with her wholeheartedly. It shouldn't be called "Olde Towne West Covina."

It should be called "Ghost Town West Covina."

Have you ever been there? Lately? I remember when they opened the Macaroni Grille, that sushi joint and that Hawaiian restaurant. It was a big to-do. Hawaiian dancers were shakin' their hips, people were wearing leis and stuff. That's what I read in the paper anyway because I don't recall getting an invitation to the event. But everyone there was all, "Oh, this is the kick start to revitalizing the whole area," "pedestrian friendly central hub," blah blah blah. That was like, three or four years ago!

So, what happened? Where is my pedestrian friendly central hub? Does anybody know where it is? Did they move it? According to this, it hasn't moved, it just plain sucks! This isn't an overhaul, it's frikkin' landscaping for Pete's sake.

We were promised a real downtown and now all the places that moved in at that Hawaiian-themed event are moving out! I went to that restaurant a couple times and I swear my family and I were maybe one of three or four customers. Why are they all leaving? I bet if you'd ask the owners they'd say it's because they were also promised a big overhaul of Glendora Avenue, too, and never got it. I'd be pissed if I spent all this money on opening a business on the promise of "revitalization" and never got it.

Oh well... Another promise from elected "leaders" promptly thrown out the window. We should be used to that by now. Especially if you happen to live in West Covina.

Calling on the South Side

2008-03-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

For years the folks living on the south end of West Covina regularly ignored what was happening at City Hall. They had the lowest voter turnout of all regions in the city, according to voter registration rolls.

And then, land slated to be used for park space was in danger of becoming condos.

Finally, they woke up and in this last election, the voter turnout increased by about 50%, according to the LA County Registrar's office.

They mobilized like crazy. Everywhere you went "Hernandez & Sykes" signs were up. See, Hernandez was the only current council member who opposed the sale of the land and Fred Sykes was a south side resident who was also like me: he voted, but didn't pay attention to what he voted for.

So that's the history in a nutshell. Many candidates used the "We are 1 West Covina," "United We Stand...," but all those candidates lived in the same neighborhood as four out of five of the city councilmembers, the posh-for-West Covina South Hills area.

After the election, though, the mobilization didn't end. They created a group of concerned citizens called, aptly enough, Concerned Citizens for a Better West Covina. Beyond reading their website, I don't know much about them, so if you do, let me know. I would love to go to a meeting.

They discuss issues like graffiti abatement, creating "districts" and tax hikes. It's good stuff and I urge anyone to take a gander at their site. In fact, I was so inspired by some of their topics, they are definitely on tap for future postings.

Why I'm Here...

2008-03-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've lived in the city of West Covina for many years now, but up until the end of last year, I didn't really pay attention to what was happening at city hall. Like most people, I lead a busy life. I have a full-time job, spouse, kids, etc. While I did what I believed was my due diligence by voting in every election, I could honestly say I cast my vote without really being educated on the candidates.

Who has time?

It wasn't until about October 2007, I started paying attention. I got one of those political fliers in the mail about Roger Hernandez, a city council member, from the West Covina Senior Citizens Taxpayers Association. It said all this stuff about him with these graphics of newspaper headlines on it. But at the time, I didn't know this so I said to myself: "Self, don't vote for Roger Hernandez."

Soon after receiving that flier, a woman came to my door and said she worked for Hernandez's campaign. The fact that I didn't close the door on her speaks volumes of my innate morbid curiosity. I grilled that poor woman, but she was calm and informed me that the West Covina Senior Citizens Taxpayers Association was a bogus front for Hernandez's opponent, Steve Herfert. She showed me a form that proved the only people who made up this organization were Steve Herfert, his family and some random people who didn't even LIVE in West Covina. I still wasn't convinced and I went to City Hall myself, which also speaks volumes to my constant need to always be right.

Well, I was wrong. Steve Herfert was the main contributor to this "organization." Still, I wasn't convinced. I looked for those newspaper articles that were posted on the flier. I found them. Yes! I thought. Retribution!! It's all there in black and white....

But then there was more. Turns out every last charge on that flier was embellished, there was so much more to the story. Defeated, I turned my energy toward finding out more about City Hall, and I found a whole lot. I started reading the local paper more and I had this bright idea to send everything I learned about the West Covina Senior Citizens Taxpayers Association to them.

Have not since read one word about this phony organization -- even after Steve Herfert boasted his endorsement from the association at the Candidate's Forum. OF course he's endorsed by them. I'd endorse myself, too!

Anyway, I decided to start a blog to let people know about it. Turns out Steve Herfert is no longer the biggest contributor to this "Association." They went on full attack mode toward the end of the campaign, and I thought "Who could afford this?" Turns out many, many big developers with whom another council member has financial ties. But that's a story for another day.

City Hall is chock-full of drama and I am proud to say that I have given up reality TV to bring it to all of you. I mean, like a few of you since this is brand new and I still don't know how to advertise it.

Please don't hesitate to send me messages and tips!

**Disclaimer: I don't love or hate any of the members of the City Council. In fact, I've never met them. As far as I'm concerned, they're all politicians and therefore all susceptible to scrutiny.

Watching West Covina

I think I'm covering the wrong city!

Dirty Deeds Done... Well, Just Dirty

Chu Wins!

Are you serious?

One Bill Gil is on a spending roll and other thoughts

Should I? Should I not?

Where have you been, Watcher?

NEWSFLASH: All 5 Councilmembers agree on something

I *heart* Little Manila (and you should, too)

Teenage Girl Attacked in West Covina

Walk outs! Better Than "Gossip Girl" (with less hot chicks)

I'm all kinds of confused

Gobble, Gobble!

Surrender to a higher power

Congratulations, Mayor

Don't F with Da Police!

Haters gotta hate....

From the grassroots: Get Out the Truth!

Congratulations, America!

A message from Shelley

VOTE!!!

You Won't Like Me When I'm Angry

I know it's not WeCo, but...

OMG!

Vacay!

If you ain't got da scratch....

When "Investigation" Goes Nowhere

It was great Moe-ing you

Another Day in Blog City

This explains SO MUCH!

Now I Have a Sweet Taste

Queen of Class

Get Well Soon

McCain's LIES!!!

Why Not Sherri Lane?

Remember when "Athens" wasn't garbage?

Over the Edge? Me?

Dear Average Joe...

Off the air

Tonight's the Night

Could it be?????

Mom n Pop vs. Chains

Did You Feel It?

I Feel Like Perez Hilton!

BIG LEAGUE F***ING DREAMS!

Big Boy's Back

All You People Up There at City Hall....

Newsflash: Shelley Sanderson Agrees with the Watcher

New Look, New News

Where the Streets Have No Name

Interesting Math

For Those About to Rock....

Think Green

Thanks, My Spies

Oh, Moe!

Disgusting

Semantics in City Hall

Attack of the Killer Thong

Touche, Mr. Touhey

Giddy like a school girl

Bye, Fred

When pettiness rears its ugly head

Sad news

Biting the hand.....

No gasin' and boozin' in West Covina

...In Bloom

Oh Brother...

Booze, booze, booze

Case Closed

Law & Order: CWC

Weird Science

Badges? We don't need..Wait. Badges Don't Matter?

Oh, Moe!

Oooh, You Make Me Live....

Gas Stations and Beer

A Moment of Silence

Mmmmm....Leftovers

Calling on the South Side

Why I'm Here...

I heart Little Manila (and you should, too)