December 2007 LGR Report
Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you ... to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old ... Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world ... stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death... Then you can keep Christmas! But you can never keep it alone.
-Henry van Dyke
STATE:
New laws for 2008
AB 840 (Emmerson – R-Rancho Cucamonga) Real Estate Licensees - Existing law authorizes the Real Estate Commissioner to suspend, revoke or deny the issuance of a real estate license to a person who is convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. AB 840 instead authorizes the commissioner to suspend, revoke or deny a license if the Department of Real Estate finds that a conviction is “substantially related” to the qualifications, functions or duties of a real estate licensee. C.A.R. supported AB 840 because it provides an important clarification of the regulatory authority of the department.
Position: Support
Status: Signed by the Governor on July 27, 2007 (Chapter 140, Statutes of 2007)
AB 1020 (S. Runner) Recordation of a Change in Ownership - This bill authorizes governmental entities to record “digital” documents in the same way that they can now record “digitized” documents. C.A.R. would have supported this bill if it had been amended to allow private submitters to also record digital documents.
Position: Watch as Amended
Status: Signed by the Governor on October 5, 2007 (Chapter 277, Statutes of 2007)
AB 1168 (Jones) Social Security Numbers - AB 1168 requires the Franchise Tax Board to
remove the first five digits of a Social Security number on lien abstracts and any other records created by the board that are disclosable under the California Public Records Act prior to disclosing the record to the public. C.A.R. opposed the bill until it was amended to ensure that real property records remain accessible to the public and that unnecessary additional costs are not imposed on the recording of documents.
Position: Watch as Amended
Status: Signed by the Governor on October 13, 2007 (Chapter 627, Statutes of 2007)
SB 385 (Machado) Real Estate Mortgages - The Real Estate Law allows the Department of
Real Estate (DRE) to regulate mortgage loan brokers. This bill allows DRE to regulate licensees making loans, even when they act as principals. It also requires all financing regulators, including DRE, to apply federal guidelines regarding nontraditional mortgages. C.A.R. opposed SB 385 until it was amended to limit Department of Real Estate inquiries about “specialized” licensee activities unless those inquiries are related to mortgage brokerage.
Position: Watch as Amended
Status: Signed by the Governor on October 5, 2007 (Chapter 301, Statutes of 2007)
AB 641 (Torrico) Developer Fees - A re-introduction of AB 2526, co-sponsored by C.A.R. in
2006, AB 641 defers local government development fees until occupancy permits are issued for housing developments with at least 49% of the total units reserved for occupancy by lower income households. C.A.R. supported AB 641 because it will enhance the financial feasibility of constructing affordable housing.
Position: Support
Status: Signed by the Governor on October 13, 2007 (Chapter 603, Statutes of 2007)
REGION
The federal Environmental Protection Agency secured $12.5 million from businesses to help clean groundwater in the San Gabriel Basin. The money comes from a settlement with 39 parties, including Southern California Edison, Electronic Solutions and Cardinal Industrial Finishes. Those companies, and others, including defunct businesses as well as small mom-and-pop operations, are believed responsible for contaminating local groundwater with industrial solvents, volatile organic compounds and the rocket fuel additive perchlorate. The contamination, which took place over decades, led federal authorities in 1984 to declare the water table below a vast portion of the eastern San Gabriel Valley as a Superfund site. The money will be used to clean water from wells in the South El Monte area. The settlement brings the total amount of money from local polluters to about $400 million.
Tesco, the world's third-largest retailer, will rolled out its first six U.S. grocery stores on Nov 8th in an ambitious bid for American shopping dollars. The six Fresh & Easy stores opening today are in Arcadia, Anaheim, Hemet, Los Angeles, West Covina and Upland. The Hemet site had its soft opening a week ago. The British retailer, whose U.S. arm is based in El Segundo, will follow the first half-dozen store openings in Southern California with 30 more planned by December. It hopes 200 stores will be in business by the end of 2008. Tesco plans to spend $2billion over five years to open possibly hundreds of stores in California, Arizona and Nevada - within trucking distance of the company's massive distribution center near Moreno Valley. Labor groups have criticized the retailers practice of hiring only part-time employees.
LOCAL
AZUSA:
Talk of moving the Senior Center parking lot has some elderly residents worried about their safety. Dissatisfaction with conceptuals that show town homes where the parking lot sits was expressed during the city's second Citizen's Congress meeting. The idea involved moving the parking lot across the street from the center, at 740 N. Dalton Ave. City staff has expressed a desire to seek alternatives including building on top of the existing parking lot. City officials, developers and the Downtown North Advisory Committee Saturday discussed plans for mixed-use housing projects and efforts at bringing retail - including grocery stores - to Azusa. Renderings of proposed projects at Foothill boulevard and Dalton Avenue and other downtown sites were displayed.
BALDWIN PARK:
A plan to transform downtown into a trendy "urban village" has sparked outrage from some business owners and residents who could be affected. Baldwin Park is currently in an exclusive negotiating agreement with Bisno Development Co. for what could be a multi-million dollar face-lift of 125 acres of the city's main commercial corridor, along Maine Avenue and Ramona Boulevard. The Century City-based company is drafting an environmental report. It will study the feasibility of 8,000 residential units, 3 million square feet of commercial space, 750,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, a 300-room hotel and a 1000-student charter school. According to the agreement with the city, Bisno has agreed to front $2 million per acre for the project. The boundaries stretch from Clark Street on the north, La Rica Avenue on the west, city limits on the east and Sterling Way on the south. That area includes more than 200 businesses and homes that face relocation through eminent domain, depending on how the project pans out. If developed, the project - which could take up to 15 years to build - would be Bisno's first redevelopment project for a city and its largest project ever. Many business owners and residents contest that the plans - which envision a downtown with loft-style homes and condos, as well as high-end shops and restaurants - are too "grandiose" for the city's socioeconomic base. Opponents also claim the project has been kept "hush hush" and an attempt to force out the city's working class in exchange for residents with higher incomes.
In other matters after six months of negotiations, police officers agreed to a contract proposal that will include a 2.5 percent pay increase. But the Baldwin Park Police Association is still unsatisfied with the one-year agreement. The group represents 61 sworn officers and sergeants, and about 20 nonsworn staff members. According to the agreement, sworn officers will get a 2.5 percent pay increase and a $1,250 medical cap. The medical cap is the amount of money officers receive each month to pay for medical insurance for themselves and their families. If unused, any or all of the money can be cashed out. Under the existing contract - which was adopted in 2004 - salaries for police officers range between $4,156 and $5,570 a month. Salaries for sergeants are between $5,157 and $6,910 a month.
With 16 of 16 precincts reporting in the November 6th election, incumbent Councilmember Ricardo Pacheco was returned to office and newcomer Monica Garcia will also take a seat on the dais. Pacheco and Garcia were the top fundraisers in the race, raising $38,062, and $35,955.84, respectively. Mayor Manuel Lozano, who ran unopposed, was reelected to his position.
Results were:
RICARDO PACHECO 1,388 25.39%
MONICA GARCIA 1,355 24.79%
SUSAN RUBIO 1,092 19.97%
JIM DEXTER 937 17.14%
VICTOR SALDANA 695 12.71%
DIAMOND BAR:
Incumbent Councilmembers Jack Tanaka and Carol Herrera were easily returned to office. With all precincts reporting Tanaka and Herrera will serve for another four years.
Results:
JACK TANAKA 4,206 42.86%
CAROL HERRERA 2,468 25.15%
FRAN PEREZ 1,623 16.54%
B B GROSSMAN 784 7.99%
MANGAL GULSHAN 733 7.47 %
EL MONTE:
Pat Wallach was the top vote-getter in the November 6th El Monte election, despite raising far less than her fellow incumbents and one well-financed challenger. Wallach won with 28 percent of the vote, beating fellow Councilwoman Emily Ishigaki by about 140 votes. Architect Norma Macias came in third with about 25 percent and failed to unseat either incumbent. Mayor Ernie Gutierrez easily bested challenger Mel Montes, 75 to 25 percent, with 100 percent of precincts reporting. The city's utility tax measure, Measure A, passed by a 63 percent margin. Measure A reduces the telecommunications portion of the city's utility tax by a half percent, while expanding the tax to newer communication technologies like Internet phone service.
Results:
CITY COUNCIL
P A (Pat) WALLACH 2,071 28.38%
EMILY ISHIGAKI 1,933 26.49%
NORMA MACIAS 1,845 25.28%
FRANK AMEZCUA 1,449 19.85%
MAYOR
E G (Ernie) GUTIERREZ 3,256 74.9 0%
MEL MONTES 1,091 25.10%
INDUSTRY:
The San Gabriel Valley could be home to a National Football League team. Edward Roski, CEO of Industry-based Majestic Realty and co-owner of the Los Angeles Kings and Lakers, has met with NFL representatives about building a stadium in the city. The site being considered is the Industry Business Center, is a 600-acre plot located north of the Pomona (60) Freeway, west of the Orange (57) Freeway and adjacent to a 400- acre industrial and retail project.
LA PUENTE:
Dan Holloway and Nadia Mendoza were voted in as the new city council members on November 6th. Mayor Lou Perez and Councilwoman Renee Chavez lost their seats. Council Member John Solis kept his seat in a narrow 27-vote victory over David Argudo. Chavez trailed Solis in the voting by 94 votes. In an election with many candidates, Holloway, Mendoza, and Solis were elected with about 19 percent, 17 percent, and 15 percent of the vote respectively.
Results:
DAN HOLLOWAY 1,088 18.91%
NADIA A MENDOZA 997 17.32%
JOHN M SOLIS 882 15.33%
DAVID E ARGUDO 855 14.86%
RENEE CHAVEZ 788 13.69%
LOU PEREZ 626 10.88%
M R (MARTY) PAZ 231 4.01%
BEN ACTON 208 3.61%
C MANDERVILLE 80 1.39%
ONTARIO:
KOA Corp. of Monterey Park and Ontario will conduct a $500,000 study of options for ending the Metro Gold Line at LA/Ontario International Airport. The 12- to 16-month study began in November. Among its tasks, the team will hold community outreach meetings, assess public and private rights-of-way, conduct traffic analyses, and identify potential rail routes and station locations. Current plans include extending the line 24 miles from east Pasadena to Montclair in two phases, which still await federal approval and funding. Adding an additional six to eight miles to bring the light rail line to the airport may strengthen the proposal to federal appropriators. San Bernardino Associated Governments, Sanbag, and the Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG, are paying for the $500,000 study. Since the actual route from Montclair to LA/ONT has not yet been carved out, public outreach will be a critical part of the project.
SAN DIMAS:
Glendora and San Dimas have banded together to defeat a developer's long-standing, controversial plan to build luxury homes in the foothills. The two cities are jointly applying to the state for grant money to purchase and preserve about 500 acres owned by Texas-based developer NJD Ltd., which has agreed to sell if the offer is sufficient, officials said. If the cities were to acquire the properties from NJD, the deal would bring an end to a contentious battle over hillside development that has been echoed by similar foothill preservation efforts across the region. But the price tag -- upward of $20million, according to city officials -- remains an issue. The land would have to be appraised again as part of the grant process. About 80 percent of NJD's current holdings were appraised at $20 million in 2005. The cities want to win funding from the state's San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, which plans to distribute $63million in California bond money that is available for open space and habitat preservation. Glendora and San Dimas will have to compete with other grant applicants to get about a third of that funding, a possibility that officials acknowledge as unlikely. The conservancy turned down a similar joint application from the cities in 2004. Since the last grant attempt, NJD suffered a dramatic defeat at Glendora polls in October 2006 after a bitter initiative campaign to get voters to approve 338 homes on property owned by the Glendora Country Club. Had the measure gone through, the club would have received new, NJD-built facilities and a golf course by swapping its land for the developer's foothill property. The initiative, Measure A, was defeated by an overwhelming 91 percent of voters. It was the most expensive ballot measure in city history. The land, which local environmentalists say is part of an important wildlife corridor, would be preserved for habitat and watershed protection. The cities intend to build hiking trails and use the land for educational purposes.
WEST COVINA:
On October 27th the public got its first view of the multimillion dollar Big League Dreams Sportsplex. The facility has turned the former BKK landfill into a money-producing facility. The Big League Dreams facility is six baseball fields, a set of batting cages, two restaurants, a soccer field and more. Future plans include an office complex, a golf course, the nearly-complete Target/Home Depot shopping center and possibly a hotel. The management company expects Big League Dreams to be ready for public use in January. The city will gain an estimated $460,000 annually from its share of Big League Dreams' revenue, starting in the fifth year of operation.
In conjunction with the Big League Dreams Sportsplex a proposal to put a police satellite station near the southern part of the city is being discussed. The proposal would build a police base near the Big League Dreams sports complex on the site of the former BKK landfill. The facility is projected to coast about $1.5 million and could be constructed within a year. The idea is in the preliminary stages and the facility could be sited in any one of several locations near Big League Dreams.
With 29 of 29 precincts reporting in the Nov 6th election returned Steve Herfert and Roger Hernandez to the City Council. Results were:
STEVE HERFERT 3,123 24.02%
ROGER HERNANDEZ 2,607 20.06%
KARIN ARMBRUST 2,482 19.09 %
F "FRED" SYKES 2,449 18.84 %
ROB SOTELO 1,768 13.60 %
JOHN SCHEUPLEIN 570 4.38 %
Date Posted: 12/5/2007
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