Citizen About Town

By Nancy C. Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

E-mail: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

Fax: 626-307-9081

Our City Attorney Mark Hensley attended the July 9 Ad Hoc Committee meeting and did answer some direct questions from Peter Chan and Joe Rubin.

He explained several times that he could not provide a written copy of his legal opinion since Councilmembers Betty Tom Chu, Teresa Real Sebastian and Mitchell Stanley Ing voted against providing this data to the public.

Former Councilmember Chu attended the meeting and shook her head NO at each of the questions asked by Mr. Chan and Mr. Rubin.

I did request that Mr. Hensley read Measure J into the record and his legal opinion. He has been ordered by three Councilmembers not to provide his opinion in writing.

Mr. Hensley did state that in his opinion if Los Angeles County Fire Service reduces the staffing level of 17 firefighters per shift than this section of Measure J should stand in a court of law.

The taxpaying residents are still requesting this legal opinion should be made public.

The Council majority of Chu (a retired lawyer and banker), Real Sebastian (a real estate attorney) and Ing (a banker and former loan officer) decided that their legal opinion and the threat of litigation by the Firefighters Union was justification to withhold Mr. Hensley’s legal opinion from the residents.

These Councilmembers have allowed this union to determine the fate of our hometown.

Have you ever heard of few employees demanding their employer merge with another employer to increase their paychecks and benefits?

I wonder if the Southern California Edison employees would be able to sue and force their employer to merge with Pacific Gas and Electric for the benefit of the employees and the detriment of the stockholders.

The taxpaying voters are the stockholders of Monterey Park.

We pay for the legal fees of our hometown and we are requesting a copy of Mr. Hensley’s legal opinion on Measure J.

Mark Hensley is our city attorney and his legal opinion on Measure J should not be withheld from the public.

Sometimes the transparency in this city is clear as Vaseline smeared on camera lenses.

Of course the old Council majority’s decision rules at this time.  It could be challenged in court.

I want to go on record thanking our City Manager Paul Talbot for his leadership on browning out a fire engine at Station 61 and saving the taxpayers approximately $67,000 a month in overtime.

I hope that this cost saving measure will continue until the city is in a better economic situation.

The $67,000 a month savings could be used to repair our aged infrastructure and improve our quality of life.

The firefighters should man-up and accept their responsibility to pay their 9% of their CalPERS pension and help their employers in this economic downturn.

After all the firefighters still have their jobs which is more than I can say about our general employees who have already lost their jobs and the general employees who are working now worry if they will have their jobs in the future.

I know living on the $450 a week maximum unemployment benefits is not easy for people who are trying to provide for their families and themselves.

A special thank you to our police officers who are paying their 9% of their CalPERS pension and lived on a 5% pay cut from 2010 to their current 2012 contract. They realized that the city needed their financial assistance and were more than willing to help us.

A special thank you to our general employees who are working for us under very stressful conditions. They have already been paying their share of their CalPERS pension.

Since seven of the eight Monterey Park employee groups have already agreed to pay their full employee portion of the CalPERS retirement cost it is time for our firefighters to join with their fellow employees and help the taxpaying voters support our Monterey Park.

My hometown is one of thousands of cities, counties and states facing financial hardships in the world economic downturn.

We are very lucky in America that most people pay their fair share of taxes that support our cities, counties and states.

We need our elected officials to start a “rainy day fund” and add money every month to help support our hometown.

We need elected officials that understand that “money does not grow on trees” when they agree to employees’ contracts and give them unlimited funds in overtime and benefits.

We need taxpaying voters to watch over our elected officials and demand their accountability of our money.

Yes, we taxpaying voters need to keep a closer watch over our money during these hard economic times and in the future.

Mitch Ing and Teresa Real Sebastian seem to be desperate to fill Betty Tom Chu’s open seat on this Council.  They again voted to appoint Larry Sullivan to this seat during the August 8 meeting.

The opening was not announced to the public with the request for applications from interest parties.  They did not interview anyone for the position. They should have followed the proper procedure on appointments.

David Lau and Anthony Wong have already stated that the taxpaying voters should choose their Councilmembers.

I agree that we the voting residents should election our Councilmembers during the March 2013 election.

Why should we allow two Councilmembers with the support of our firefighters determine the future of our hometown?

I am sure they already have their GO County supporter ready and willing to be their third vote to force the fire service issue on the ballot even if it does not benefit Monterey Park residents.

Since money seems to be no object to the fire unions they seem to be the driving force pushing their agenda on the residents.

This Council was voted into office to work for the residents not a special interest group.

Do not destroy our hometown because some of you owe political favors to the firefighters.

The vote again was two yes votes (Ing and Real Sebastian) and two no votes (Lau and Wong). This agenda item failed with a divided vote.

The seat will be opened until the March 2013 election.

Resident Betty Tom Chu spoke during Oral Communications and stated that the city firefighters are not getting a fair deal.  They passed up their raises in the 2010-2012 contracts to benefit the city.

Yes they did and then they willing spent $85,000 of their dues to pay for another study from Los Angeles County and a private consultant to try to push a ballot measure asking the voters to GO with the County fire service. This was their plan so they could have more financial advantages.

The taxpayers would foot the bill and have no input into the County fire services.

The consultants’ report has not yet been received by the city.

The firefighters have still not agreed to the city’s 2012-14 contracts.

Most taxpaying residents believe that the firefighters are receiving more income based on their overtime then any of the other employees and most residents earn annually.

Please study all of the issues and candidates on the November ballot since the future of our America is in the balance.

This election maybe the most important election ever held in our lifetime.  The future direction of our country is at stake so pay attention to all of the candidates and determine who are the best people to help us keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave.

This is our America and your vote does count.