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Around the Town With Sir Eric Maundry
By Eric Maundry | May 12, 2008
“You see firemen, you see cops, and these guys risk their lives everyday. They do this all the time … to be able to see a smile on some of these people’s faces - they’ve gone through so much, they’ve lost so many friends.” - Billy Joel
Recently this city put out a press release entitled, “Thank You From Sierra Madre.” In it all who contributed to rescuing Sierra Madre from the terrible fires of a few weeks back were thanked for their efforts. And as one of the many who watched as the fires closed in on their home, nobody appreciates those efforts any more than I. Standing in my front yard at 4AM on that fateful morning, and watching as the hills all around me were devoured by flame, was one of the most sobering and fearful sights I have ever witnessed. I have always appreciated the professionalism and skill of the good people who work in the various uniformed agencies that serve this town, but until now it was always an intuitive thing, an obligation that I knew was owed, but never properly thought through. But after the wildfires of 2008 that gratitude has become a more personal thing. There is nothing quite like the prospect of having your house burned to the ground to stir the heart and make you realize who your friends are.
The press release discussed above contains the following phrase:
Sierra Madre would like to thank our own Police Department, the Police Departments of Pasadena, Monrovia, and Arcadia, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs and all the other law enforcement agencies who implemented the evacuation procedures and protected us during the fire.
Put into this context, it is very understandable why the widely excoriated quotes of “Bad Boy” and “Hay” (suspected by some of being connected to Monrovia City Councilman Thomas E. Adams), as detailed by Robert C. J. Parry, have struck such an emotional chord here. Insinuations that Monrovia Police Department officers write bogus tickets and harass citizens in order to coerce themselves a raise, use their guns to intimidate the innocent, or that their services are worth no more than $15 an hour, drew much very justifiable outrage on this site. As did the way in which these atrocious comments were delivered. Even in an atmosphere poisoned by a rancorous police wage disagreement, the contempt revealed in these remarks was truly beyond the pale.
I have sometimes wondered what it must be like to be a member of a Police Department and see yourself reviled by the very people you have dedicated your professional life to protect. That criminals and wrongdoers might dislike you is one thing, but how do you deal with the posh and comfortable citizens of your town when they turn on you? You being one of the few standing between these people and those who would do them harm?
Recently, former Sierra Madre Mayor Glenn Lambdin emerged from his Hawaiian exile to become the new columnist for both the Mountain-Views Observer and Bill Coburn’s Sierra Madre News website. And a rocky beginning it has been. Few have seemed willing to rally to the improbable theory in Glenn’s journalistic debut that Joe Mosca could have been denied the Mayor of Sierra Madre gig because he is gay. Not, as most will tell you, because of Joe’s abject betrayal of his supporters after the 2006 City Council elections, or that his outsider and developer first agendas are in direct conflict with what the voters of this town have repeatedly demanded, or even that he just hasn’t done all that inspiring a job. No, according to Glenn, it’s all because Joe lives with a dude. Most have seen through this absurd and shoddy political artifice and have greeted Glenn’s comments with indifference. Like anyone would actually care.
But that is neither here nor there. What I would like to discuss are Glenn’s observations about the Sierra Madre Police Department, made during the time when questions regarding their demands for a pay raise first truly seized the attention of this town. These comments made by Lambdin need to be examined in light of the broader discussion of how we value and respect our police.
On November 11, 2007, Foothill Cities regular 91024 published on his “Sierra Madre” site an article entitled “Public Service Announcement.” This pithy post pondered a poll conducted by the Police Officers Association, one hoping to gauge the opinion of people in Sierra Madre about an impending police raise initiative. And as brief as this article is, it did lead to a 29 comment debate between Glenn Lambdin and someone posting as “OxyClean.” And while much of this rancorous blog squabble is of dubious value, there are two comments made by Mr. Lambdin that stand out and need to be closely examined. Especially in light of the Monrovia revelations. The entire conversation can be found in the attached commentary to the article.
The discussion had turned to the SMPD pay raise initiative, and in this comment (12/04/07 11:45AM), Glenn declares his opposition to it. Plus a little more.
“As you probably know, I spent 4 years in the belly of the beast and can say with all certainty that yes, there are officers that couldn’t and didn’t get hired in the higher paying cities because they didn’t have the qualifications. Some tried but they just didn’t graduate high enough in the academy to qualify. That’s not denigration, its just the fact. The problem is that nobody wants to step forward and say so because like the one post said, they are afraid of retaliation. But facts are facts!”
The insinuation that Sierra Madre Police are retaliatory thugs willing to use intimidation to silence any discussion of their supposedly deficient qualifications is an ugly one, and very similar to charges made by “Bad Boy” and “Hay.” Two of the slanderous allegations detailed by Mr. Parry in the Monrovia context, that “MPD officers write bogus tickets and harass citizens,” and that “they are security guards worth no more that $15 an hour,” bear a striking resemblance what Mr Lambdin said here.
On 12/07/07 (9:41AM) Mr. Lambdin reiterated his outlier assessment of the Sierra Madre Police department:
“… and to that other poster, if I post here and get a ticket or harrased (sic) as some have suggested, so be it, even if others do the same thing and don’t get theirs. I’ll take whats coming to me because I believe that I am right in my belief. That’s not gonna stop me from openly opposing an initiative that I honestly believe is not in the best interest of the taxpayers. That’s why I post my name.”
Again, the same ugly insinuations about police intimidation, plus Mr. Lambdin’s crackpot assertion that the Sierra Madre Police Department would use just those kinds of tactics to bully citizens into voting them a raise. That an agreement on this issue was finally worked out with this city, and that the resulting ballot initiative was overwhelmingly approved, puts this eccentric claim into a proper perspective. And honestly, did anyone in this town feel any undue pressure whatsoever from our Police to vote for Measure U? Of course not. If only the City Council and City Clerk races had been as peaceable and mild.
I hope that Mr. Lambdin will make good use of the two venues that carry his column and apologize for these rather nasty statements he made late last year. He owes it to both a Sierra Madre Police Department that performed so heroically during the recent fires, and to the people of Sierra Madre for so badly insulting their intelligence.
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Topics: Main Page, City Council, Cops and Robbers, Sierra Madre |
May 12th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Wow great post.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:03 am
yeah, and this is the same heroic group that a couple years ago was touting “SIERRA MADRE SUCKS” as it’s mantra
glenn is right, you become a sierra madre cop because you can’t hack it anywhere else or you want the pressure of a no action town
as citizens, we should have the right to know the qualification of our officers, where they graduated in their class and background in law enforcment - if sierra madre is their first job etc -
even our chief said we get the lower qualified applicants and it ain’t about money, in the real world, if you want to earn more money, you step up in your career and sierra madre is a major step down in law enforcement
people, please, sierra madre isn’t a “small town”, it’s surrounded by 10 million people and there are plenty of real police officer jobs around like with the LAPD - you know, chasing real crime - not arresting kids with air soft guns
or handcuffing a skateboarder or a grandfather for squirting water or the standard traffic stop
and joe, he flat out lied to me, face to face about where he stood with the downtown development and i feel that he is just using sierra madre for his own ambitions - he does not deserve to represent sierra madre
if mr. lambin believes that joe didn’t get to be mayor because he is gay, that’s absurd
i didn’t read any of the eccentric claims about the smpd in mr. lambin’s post that he is being accused of by sir eric
mr. lambin did not accuse our police department of bully tactics, he was just responding to the claim of others that this would happen
sorry, “in my opinion” (ala steve tobia) this reeks of petty jealousy, mr. lambin has the respect and creditablity in town. i’d vote for him again if he ever ran
and he has a column in the local paper, something sir eric lost….
May 12th, 2008 at 9:42 am
To Glenn Lambdin:
Wasn’t it enough that you made a complete fool of yourself at the last city council meeting?
Joe Mosca, who was facilitating the meeting at the time, had to stop you…..you were totally out of control.
Now you write a “column” about the subject?
One lady who read your “column” said you sound like some disturbed jilted ex.
You are a bully, Glenn. You always have been.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I’ve got my waders on, traipsing through all the b.s. from some bloggers on this site. Watch for more archives to be deleted so people aren’t held accountable for their history.
They’ll be deleted almost as fast as the city website, which has a NEW version as of last week of Mosca’s resume. The old one, you may remember, has the councilman a senior assistant attorney at Borowitz, Lozano & Clark LLP. Nobody at the law firm knows who Mosca is. Even if he left the firm years ago, his resume should have been changed promptly.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Lambdin’s lawsuit against Measure V was paid for by BIA attorneys and he lost. Then he proclaimed victory. I really don’t think our city needs any more fibbers on council, thank you.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Let’s try to keep it dignified, people…
May 12th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Eric
Valiant attempt at creating drama. But just as always, you avoid facts like the plague. The entire text of Glen’s comments were in opposition to the Police Initiative because it would have drained the entire general fund, what you refer to as having”dubious value”. Gee wiz, Eric, even you have to be able to grasp some part of that reality! A drained general fund is nothing more than “dubious value”. Are you for real?
You conveniently overlooked the fact that even the police officers assoc. dumped their own initiative and campaigned against it. They agreed with Glen.
Perhaps the real issue here is that you just cant stand Glen. Thats cool, not everyone can.
But Eric, really, you sound like a spoiled jealous little boy lamenting the fact that Susan kicked you off her paper and now Glen is writting there.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Anonymous: The POA agreed with Glenn that they are not deserving of a raise, and that as officers they “lacked the qualifications” to get jobs in better paying cities? And therefore had to settle for Sierra Madre? And that they would possibly use intimidation to get what they want?
My, I would sure like to see some documentation on that wild one. Please provide it.
Taxes were proposed and approved by the voters of Sierra Madre to pay for the police raise. Nobody was threatened, no retaliatory methods were used, and the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of doing just that. And that hopefully will take care of the General Fund issue.
And for the record, and just so you won’t keep dragging this tiresome little fib around like a small child with a security blanket, I post my articles here because the readership is far larger and more diverse than anything The Observer provides these days. With its irregular publishing ’schedule,’ and its inconsistent delivery methods, not to mention an editorial policy that defies all logic, The Observer has lost much of its former influence in this town.
And if you need proof, ask yourself this; if The Observer still has the juice it once did, why did Enid Joffe and Karma Bell lose? The Observer pulled out all the stops to help them in their campaigns, and both failed to win.
Print is dying, ‘Anonymous.’ It is losing much of the influence it once had, and the advertising revenue that sustained it is in flight as well. The LA Times has lost 300,000 subscribers in the last several years, and has fired many its staff members, including reporters. They just couldn’t afford to keep them anymore.
I moved on and am quite happy that I did.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
kudos, madame maundry/aka/joan crawford, on your uncanny-incomparable ability to turn a positive into a negative.
it must be a tremendous burden to be the stick which stirs the pot. i can only imagine how difficult that task must be, and the energy you would have to exert, to avoid hitting large chunks of truth in order to keep your stew of agenda driven bovine fecal matter seasoned to suit the taste of your malcontented followers.
on the richter scale of the ridiculous you rival the most recent geological disturbance in china.
again, congratulations on such sensational simmerings - and, indeed, thanks to all of the fire departments and law enforcement agencies who served above and beyond the expected call of duty to protect sierra madre during this most recent fire.
that was the story upon which a positive should have been expanded. too bad it was seized as nothing more than an opportunistic segue to advance sir eric’s cesspool of negativity.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
The reason the SMPD “dumped” their initiative was because former Mayor Enid Joffe and current Mayor, Kurt Zimmerman cut a deal with them.
A deal that never would have had to have been made had Enid, John B. and Joe Mosca voted to continue negotiations with the Officer’s union.
Kurt and Don voted to continue talking and trying to cut a deal without having to go to ballot measures.
John, Enid and Joe did the same thing with Measure V. When over 1800 residents signed a petition to get to vote when development projects got too big, why didn’t they just vote that in, instead they cost us all a very costly and contentious election.
Which is why, so many people wondered WHY??? And we still do.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Eric
Again you avoid the facts. Like I said, all of his comments were targeted toward the POA initiative. Not Measure U, or UA like you so conveniently jump too and try and mix as if they were the same thing. Dude, focus!
If Glen’s assesment of the POA initiative was wrong, how about you address why you supportred the POA. Why dont you comment on why the POA dumped their own initiative. Eric, even you gotta admit that the POA initiative was a mess.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
#10
Wrong!!!! Watts and Zimmerman voted to approve the conditions of the POA. That would have broke the General Fund. They never voted to continue negotiations!!!! Get it right.
And what really funny is that by you saying that Kurt helped “cut a deal” to avoid the POA initiative, then even Kurt was in agreement with Glen’s assessment of the POA initiative. It was garbage!
May 12th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
well, okay, maybe i wouldn’t vote for glenn if he ran again
forgot how he sued over measure v
and, the mvo is a shell of it’s former self - once katina left, the paper lost it’s edge and it became a feely goody paper
May 12th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
What seems clear from both Monrovia and Sierra Madre is that city halls didn’t scrimp and save and cut corners to provide for police and fire. The taxpayers expect public safety to be Number One priority - not big salaries for department heads and large sums for consultants.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
For the record, the troubles regarding the distribution of the MVO predated Katina’s departure from the paper. The fact is, the paper had a honeymoon with the post office who, for the first six months of the paper, received the papers one day and mailed them out the very next day. After about six months someone at the post office read the fine print of the postage rate the MVO was paying. The post office discovered they had a five day window to mail the paper. So they stopped mailing the paper in a timely fashion. Bad news for a paper trying to print timely news. Too bad. Subsequently finding a workable distribution method has been a tough slug.
Being somewhat responsible for the “feeling goody” part of the paper I take Anonymous charge as a compliment. And particularly in a city where rancor and vitriol seem out of control feeling goody is a good thing.
Plus the fact that the MVO reports news. Finally, if you think the MVO ignores what you perceive to be the truth I dare you to contact Susan Henderson and ask for space to contribute your flavor of truth.
May 12th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Sir Erik
#11 has a good point. If I remember correctly, you were opposed to Measures U and UA. That leaves us to believe that you were in favor of the Police Associations ballot.
What I find amusing about you eric is that you now jump on the bandwagon of U and UA as if its your victory when you were so against them before. Sounds hypocritical. Actually, it is hypocritical
Explain how the city could have survived without a general fund.
May 12th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I have found when a person, or a chimp for that matter, is exposed to various knowledge from different perspectives ones’ point of view may change or vary a bit. It’s called evolution, people.
May 12th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Film credit: Aunt Blanche, Sister Myrna, Grandma Gilly, Spike and Casey from from next door.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLtR8_qw_yM
May 13th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Zox you outdo yourself using public safety personnel to further your agenda. Your favorite paper, the Mountain-Views, dated April 28 as the smoke was settling, had Lambdin whining about MacGillivray, Henderson gushing about coffee with Joffe, and an ill-advised cartoon of 3 council members sitting around a bonfire spurning state and federal money. And was that a “special edition” April 28 because there was no paper the week before? The last published date before that was April 13.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:34 am
*scratches head* huh?
ike, reading your post would lead me to believe that there might still be some smoke lingering up there in that canyon. if you get my drift? *nudge nudge - wink wink*
May 13th, 2008 at 3:47 am
So many things to comment on here. Where does one start?
zox, who constantly reminds us that zox speaks with the highest of all moral purposes in mind, and always espouses the positive in life, stoops to accuse someone he/she disagrees with of drug abuse. My my. Was it a Blue Monday kind of thing?
Canyon Ike, I think it would be safe to say that the money being burned in that unfortunate cartoon you speak of is city tax money used to pay for legal advertising placed with The Observer in the belief that it will be published and distributed in a timely manner.
Wild Thing seems to believe that Sierra Madre doesn’t have a General Fund. Or at least that the General Fund was somehow going to be taken away. No explanation of how that was going to happen, however. My opposition to Measure U stemmed from the realization that the numbers just don’t add up. Even the Pasadena Star News, while endorsing Measure U, noted that it is not a 6% tax increase, but a 12% increase. (See Centinel’s 3/26 article on this topic for further edification.) The wording of this deceptive initiative has also left it wide open to legal challenge, something I hope will not happen. Also, this is a rather wily document in that it does not specifically state that the money is going to pay our cops more dough. It could be used for all kinds of other purposes as well. Which is why I voted for Measure P. At least there you could have no doubt as to where the money would be going. Alas, only a relative few agreed with me, and life goes on. Fortunately we now have a City Council that can be trusted with our money, and I suspect all of the right things will be done.
Rich, who is regarded as a funny guy and always takes the time to remind us of that when he comments here, you know, just in case anybody has forgotten, continues to show an innate talent for spin. The MVO under the previous regime was a true weekly that arrived in the mail, everybody received a copy, and at least to my recollection always on a pretty timely basis. And even if the rascally Post Office worked that 5 day window, at least people actually received a copy. Of course, this really wasn’t as big an issue as it is now because at that time the MVO wasn’t taking city money. Something to ponder as this city continues to suffer from the lack of a truly independent newspaper.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Eric:
I never said SM has no general fund. So get it right johnnie boy! At present, its at about $1.3 million. What I did say was if the POA initiative passed, the general fund would have been depleted. Within 2 years.
If you read the analysis, which a link can be found on the city site, its all there.
But then that would mean you’d need to review the facts, which we all know is cyrptonite to Sir Eric.
But hey, thanks for your pathetic attempt to bankrupt the city.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Rich to say there were “troubles” with the newspaper’s delivery predating its present configuration casts aspersions on the California Marketing direct mail company and our Post Master, who all performed reliably and professionally without errors, complaints or issues.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Katina!
We sure do miss you friend!!!!!!!
You always told the truth and you still do.
The “dirts” love to use the “Luciferic Inversion”
(turning truth into falsehood). It seems all the local papers do the same thing…..must be a “dirt disease”.
Again, Katina, your voice is missed.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Luciferic Inversion. Cool saying.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:31 am
re:#21 - you are absolutely correct, joan.
forgive me, ike, for inferring that you may inadvertently inhaled smoke of a dubious origin.
however, in my own defense, please allow for the possibility that your hebetudinous assertions precipitated a momentary metagrobolization of my otherwise buddha-like mind.
om
May 13th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Katina,
You would know more than me. So it isn’t true the post office stopped their timely distribution of the paper? Also, Mr. Crawford refered to the “previous regime”. I was led to believe Susan Henderson was part of the management of the paper when I was generously asked to start writing for it. She wasn’t part of the previous regime?
May 13th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
P. S. to Katina,
I wasn’t criticizing the post office. Just pointing out that, as far as I was told, they couldn’t guarantee the continuation of such a prompt delivery schedule under the rate the paper was paying.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Wild Thing: You must have me confused with John “$36,000 Consultancies ‘R’ Us” Buchanan.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
# 29 - funny one Eric
you could have added “color me green” somewhere in there - which John B still never defined just how he was going to turn the city green and what issues would he ignore for his personal agenda
May 13th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
When did it become “wrong” to deny Kris Miller Fisher, but “right” to deny Joe? Right is right and wrong is wrong, whether it’s someone you like, or someone you don’t like. Kurt painfully demonstrated that it is easier to talk about doing what is right, rather than doing what is right.
One other thought, Maryanne during her campaign asked for more volunteers (volunteer = selfless giving). How much more hypocritical does it get than carrying out probably the most selfish act I have witnessed in this city’s history (striking a deal with Kurt to put her into Mayor Pro Tem—keeping in mind she was the lowest vote getter of all 5 city council members)?
Sierra Madre politics are now officially disgraceful.
PS I voted for John and Maryanne.
PPS I like Joe.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Here! Here!
May 14th, 2008 at 8:13 am
More BS from the losers.
Get over it dirts.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:51 am
OK Kids,
Here’s the deal. You only have to read the first paragraph of Sir Eric’s most recent article to know that it is full of his usual exaggeration and twisted reality. Check it out, he states the following:
“Standing in my front yard at 4AM on that fateful morning, and watching as the hills all around me were devoured by flame, was one of the most sobering and fearful sights I have ever witnessed.”
……….. And nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a dramatic role SIR ERIC.
Honestly, you’d think he lived in the Canyon, or on Sunrise Hill, or even Camillo. You don’t Eric. First of all, the hills are not all around you or your house, and the ones that were close were not “devoured” by flame. Thanks to the efforts of the firefighting resources the city was able to avail itself of. And as a side note, if that was one of the most “sobering and fearful sites” you have ever witnessed then I submit that you don’t get out much.
My point here is, please don’t let Eric drag you all into his irrational rants and tirades and twisted thinking. Stay on point folks. As I scan through your comments here are a few examples of how less than thoughtful comments can rewrite history:
The negative comments about Glenn Lambdin’s opinion of the POA Initiative have been intermingled with Measure U & UA. Two different issues. And two entirely different effects on the city’s budget. The POA initiative would have taken any control over salaries away from the city, requiring us to always pay the PD at minimum, what the next lowest paid PD in the San Gabriel Valley was getting. And by the way, U & UA only gets us part way to resolving our fiscal problems.
Reflections on Kris Miller Fisher vs Joe Mosca: Kris was not overlooked for Mayor. She had already made it abundantly clear to her fellow council members that she was most likely moving out of the area and would not be able to complete a year as mayor. Given that FACT,not wanting to seat a mayor that was not sure she would be living here, the council did not follow the traditional order of reorganization. Again, an entirely different situation than the recent shameful and disgraceful reorganization that just took place.
On the MVO: The paper is far more diverse than it ever was before. Just check some back issues. It was riddled with support for Measure V. In my opinion it was nothing more than a propaganda rag used to lure the voters into passing a poorly written initiative that is only now starting to show the signs of what will ultimately have a devastating effect on the city.
And more recent news:
Maryanne digressions: Did anyone notice during last night’s council meeting that she has already gone back on what many of us knew was a “Pie Crust” (easily made easily broken)campaign promise? She promised up and down that she could participate and vote regarding One Carter. That she had no conflict. Oops…….she recused herself. The precedent has been set. She’d be a fool not to step out every single time from now on. Because she made the right choice in protecting herself and the city from even more litigation, do her supporters now turn their backs on her like they did Joe? And just to make sure everyone’s paying attention. This means that in all decisions regarding One Carter, John, Joe & Kurt will have to have 3-0 votes to move anything along because otherwise there will not be a majority since Watts is also out. Quite an interesting quagmire.
Just trying to keep it on the up and up. Sir Eric’s Kool-Aid should come with a warning label.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am
In regards to MacGillivray….you are in for a surprise, Turtle Park.
Stay tuned for yet another disappointment for all you dirts!
You all were horrified when she ran for CC.
She was the one candidate you feared could beat you. We knew she could win, even in spite of no free press in Sierra Madre, and she did. She did it with a clean run campaign and won it on her own merits.
You tried every dirty trick in the book to slander the woman, and get her defeated.
Your new “paper” MVO shamelessly touted Joffe and Bell……didn’t work did it? MaryAnn and Nancy were the winners. In spite of the hideous and fallacious campaign against these two ladies….they still WON!
How about let’s all move forward? Sierra Madre, like the rest of the country is facing some difficult times ahead, some tough challenges.
We all stuck together in the fire crisis.
Everyone came through. Everyone! Let’s continue to do so.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:25 am
The proposed settlement agreement joins Carter and Stonehouse together. How is it that MacGillivray can pick and choose which portion of the settlement agreement she can participate in since they’re tied together? A yes or no vote on the settlement agreement would be for both Carter and Stonehouse.
If I’m not mistaken all of the pending lawsuits challenge the city on matters that affect both Carter and Stonehouse, so I’m not sure what type of a stunt Zimmerman was trying to pull off in bifurcating Carter and Stonehouse so that MacGillivray could participate in the Stonehouse discussion.
Closed session agenda last evening included discussion regarding the Stonehouse/Carter litigation. Did MacGillivray recuse herself from that portion of the closed session meeting?
It would seem that a hornet’s nest has been opened here.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Turtle Park, I was evacuated. As was my entire neighborhood. The damned thing came very close, and it was the judgement of the folks running the show that all had to leave the area.
Sorry that wasn’t good enough for you. I’m certain that others in the area would have somewhat stronger opinions on your assessment to share.
You have avoided discussing Glenn’s (or is that your) disparaging remarks about the Sierra Madre Police Department. That was the point of the article. You can tap dance your way around the intricacies of the various measures in the hopes of diverting attention away from the real topic here, but that is not at the heart of what was discussed. And your avoidance of the topic is quite telling. Looks like it was a bullseye to me.
It is nice to know what you don’t want to talk about. And what do you do instead? Treat us to the usual frantic bluster and nonsense. Just a one trick pony, ain’t ‘cha?
How’s that crossword puzzle working out for you?
May 14th, 2008 at 11:38 am
LTU…you have to be a realtor.
MaryAnn is a very sharp and experienced council member, she has several attorneys hired and on this issue. Mayor Zimmerman is an attorney as well. So are Joe Mosca and John Buchanan….I think they know what they are doing without being second guessed by a realtor.
Sandra Levin, our city attorney, has cleared MaryAnn to vote on Stonehouse, obviously, or she would not have been at the dais when the discussion was taking place…..she hasn’t been CLEARED for One Carter….YET.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I find that when several attorneys need to be hired someone has a pretty good idea that they’re treading on thin legal ground.
The fact that there are three attorneys sitting on the council is meaningless. The FPP will probably have the last word on this anyway.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
? anybody know why the Monterey Park police are in town writing tickets today? I saw them pull over three vehicles, two commercial and one SUV - is crime so bad in SM that we have to contract out?
I’d understand if Arcadia or Pasadena wanted to send a message to SMPD to stop patrolling in their area, but who/why invited Monterey Park?
May 14th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
handicapper, john b is just a human resources attorney, not a real attorney
george mauer said once that our council looked like “barrister’s row” - too many attorney’s and nothing ever gets accomplished
the council needs business people
i’ll never vote for another attorney again
May 14th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
[…] Anonymous ? anybody know why the Monterey Park police are in town… […]
May 14th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Just called SMPD and was told that Monterey Park is in town because of the Pedestrian Decoy program that was conducted. Here’s the press release, it was discussed during last night’s City Council meeting, as well.
Sierra Madre Police Department Pedestrian Decoy Awareness Operation
The Sierra Madre Police Department will be conducting a pedestrian decoy awareness operation on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, beginning at 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. within the city of Sierra Madre.
The emphasis will be an education approach by law enforcement officers on the importance of stopping for pedestrians in a crosswalk.
Just curious - you say they wrote tickets - that doesn’t sound like “an education approach.” Do you actually know they wrote tickets, or did you just assume they did because you saw them pull over three vehicles?
May 14th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Isn’t it true that a driver is suppose to wait to proceed only after the pedestrian/s have completely left the crosswalk?
I have been guilty of proceeding once someone is well out of the way, and a friend told me I would get a ticket one day for that, if they aren’t out of the crosswalk, onto the sidewalk.
True or not true?
May 14th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
It’s been many years since I studied the DMV pamphlet on this stuff, so it could quite possibly have changed, but it used to be that you had to wait till they left the crosswalk if it was one that had stripes across it. If it was two parallel lines, with no perpendicular stripes, you didn’t have to wait. Noticed today that we seem to have both types downtown.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Why don’t you find out the laws, Bill and post them for folks.
It just might save someone a ticket, or worse, injuring someone.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Checked the DMV handbook online, it doesn’t really address this issue.
Pedestrians
Pedestrian safety is a serious issue. One in six traffic fatalities is a pedestrian. Drive cautiously when pedestrians are near because they may cross your path.
A pedestrian is a person on foot or who uses a conveyance such as roller skates, skateboards, etc., other than a bicycle. A pedestrian can also be a person with a disability on a tricycle or quadricycle or in a wheelchair.
* Respect the right-of-way of pedestrians. Always stop for any pedestrian crossing at corners or other crosswalks and at corners with or without traffic lights, whether or not the crosswalks are marked by painted lines.
* Do not pass a car from behind that has stopped at a crosswalk. A pedestrian you can’t see may be crossing.
* Do not drive on a sidewalk, except to cross it at a driveway or alley. When crossing, yield to any pedestrian.
* Do not stop in a crosswalk. You will place pedestrians in danger.
* Remember—if a pedestrian makes eye contact with you, he or she is ready to cross the street. Yield to the pedestrian.
* Pedestrians have the right of way at corners with or without traffic lights, whether or not the crosswalks are marked by painted white lines.
* Allow older pedestrians more time to cross the street.
Crosswalks
A crosswalk is that part of the pavement where the sidewalk lines would extend across the street and it is set aside for pedestrian traffic. Every intersection has a pedestrian crosswalk whether or not there are painted lines on the street. Most crosswalks are at corners but they can also be in the middle of the block. Before turning a corner, watch for people about to cross the street. Pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks, even if the crosswalk is in the middle of the block.
Crosswalks are often marked with white lines. Yellow crosswalk lines may be painted at school crossings. Most often, crosswalks in residential areas are not marked.
Some crosswalks have flashing lights to warn you that pedestrians may be crossing. Look for pedestrians and be prepared to stop, whether or not the lights are flashing.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Also don’t forget the intersections without cross walks you must yield to peds as well.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
never mind, found out about the influx of out of town coppers
pedestrian crossing sting operation
May 14th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Bill, I assumed that because the Monterrey Park officer had a ticket book in his hand and I overheard him saying he was impounding a vehicle, which could have been for something else.
I hope they wrote tickets because too many people in SM barrel through the walkways or zip off when a pedestrian is 1/2 way across
May 14th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
and never ever anywhere in the state of california do you ever make a U turn in any down town city! that means if you are going north on baldwin and catch a primo spot in front of bean town you CAN NOT TURN INTO THE SPACE, it is a U TURN NOT A 3 POINT TURN, because when you are done drinking your coffee you will back out and then you have now completed your U TURN. also, you all stop throwing cigaretts in the street, planters, sidewalk, gutters etc etc, all the store owners every morning are sweeping and picking up those nasty things. you think throwing in the gutter is good, try swimming in our ocean!because that is where they will end up! also never turn in front of a police or fire station ever! your U TURN fine is now 4 x the amount!!a regulaR U turn is about $330.00
May 14th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Thanks for posting these blank!
I have one to add. Please clean up after your dogs….it is the law.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
i might be a blonde but i learned all these traffic laws the hard way!!!
May 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Hey, at least you LEARNED.
We know there are plenty of folks out there on the roads, our roads, that don’t ever seem to learn, much of anything, let alone how to drive.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Just a note on the quality of SMPD officers. Having a father who is a retired Police Commander and having worked in la enforcement in a civilian capacity, testing with numerous agencies and now being employed by the Los Angeles Superior Court I absolutely know for a fact that being a Police Officer is not an easy job. The current SMPD Chief Diaz cam from Pasadena PD. In order to be on the Command staff there you are required not be extremely educated and a very good officer. You do not promote there in a good ol’ boys network environment.
It is no secret that the SMPD are the lowest, and I mean LOWEST, paid department in Southern California. I see these folks everyday
and have been employed with a few of them. They are hard working and dedicated people. As in every dept, there are a few officers that probably would have a hard time being productive in a larger city. Every dept has that problem. But, there is one thing that the author of the article failed to address…..The courage that these men and women show day in and day out is not one that is often spoken of and recognized. Many of critics of law enforcement do not have the nads to step up and try to that job nor have the mental capacity to do it. They hide behind the safety that those officers provide them and post nasty articles. They sure love the Police when they have to call them for service. Not every officer is nice but try doing their job for a week and see how your personality and life changes.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Turtle Park:
The Sierra Madre Weekly, Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley News,and websites Downtown Dirt, Cumquat and Sierra Madre News Net fought vehemently against Measure V. The other side wasn’t represented at all in opinion pages until the MVO.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Let us not forget Tobia in his Magazine, against Measure V, and Tesoro, in his Sierra Madre News, who was a real preservationist. So that is 7 media in the area against Measure V to 2 who stood up for the people’s right to vote in editorials. Since Tesoro didn’t publish that frequently, you could say it was 7 to 1.5.