* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, MAY PRO TEM, YOU CAN HIT THE GAVEL AND THEN WE'LL PROCEED. OKAY. [Additional Item] THANK YOU. MEETING HAS STARTED. MAYOR PRO TEM CONTOS, WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER, MS. JERRY PATRESS. I'LL CALL HER TO THE FRONT AND THEN I'LL HIT THE THREE MINUTES. WONDERFUL. GO AHEAD, JERRY. THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL. I WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO SPEAK ON THIS SUBJECT AT THE REGULAR MEETING, BUT SINCE IT'S THE AGENDA ITEM TWO, I THOUGH THIS WAS THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR ME TO COME. IT'S A CONCERN OF ME, UM, AND OTHERS, UM, THE CITY MANAGER HAVING A CAUGHT VEHICLE APPARENTLY WITH A RED AND BLUE LIGHT BAR ON IT. I AM HOPING THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED AND I'M JUST GETTING CONFIRMATION THAT IT'S BEEN RESOLVED. UM, CALIFORNIA STATE LAW SAYS THAT NO CIVILIAN CITY EMPLOYEE IN CALIFORNIA CA- CAN HAVE A RED AND BLUE LIGHT BAR SO THAT, UH, ON A CITY VID - VEHICLE. AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE, I GET ASKED, "WELL, HOW COME THE POLICE CHIEF IS NOT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT?" THE ONLY ANSWER I HAVE TO THEM IS HE REPORTS TO THE CITY MANAGER. AFTER THAT, THEN IT'S THE COU - UP TO THE COUNCIL TO DEAL WITH STUFF. IT, THE OPTICS LOOK TERRIBLE. ANYWAY, I BROUGHT YOU MY QUICK AI SEARCH ON IT AND I HOPE THAT WE RESOLVE THIS AND THE CITY MANAGER HAS A VEHICLE WITH AN AMBER LIGHTS BAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. PATRICK. I'LL PROVIDE THE COUNCIL WITH A COPY. THANK YOU. MADAM ASSISTANT CITY CLERK, ARE THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? MAYOR PRO TEM CONSULS, WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS. WITH THERE BEING NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, THIS SESSION IS, UH, UM, WILL BE MOVING, MOVED, MOVED UPSTAIRS AND WE WILL, UH, DECLARE RECESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. GOOD JOB. [CALL TO ORDER] GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER 6TH, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING. IT IS 7:05. MEETING IS NOW IN SESSION. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL DURING ORAL COMMUNICATION MUST COMPLETE A SPEAKER CARD AVAILABLE AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE COUNCIL CHAMBER AND SUBMIT IT TO THE ASSISTANT CITY CLERK BEFORE ORAL COMMUNICATIONS BEGINS. SO SPEAKER CARDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED ONCE ORAL COMMUNICATION HAS STARTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SB707. AFTER ALL SPEAKERS WHO ARE PRESENT IN THE COUNCIL, CHAMBERS HAVE FINISHED, WE WILL THEN HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS PARTICIPATING REMOTELY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MAKE THE PUBLIC AWARE THAT THE CAMERA LOCATED AT THE DAIS RIGHT HERE IS A 360 GOPRO CAMERA AND IS BEING USED TO RECORD ALL IN ATTENDANCE HERE, UH, BY COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ. TONIGHT'S INVOCATION WILL BE LED BY PASTOR MATT CHAVEZ FROM ONE AND ALL CHURCH AND COUNCILWOMAN DIAZ WILL LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. ALL RISE. MAYOR, CAN YOU GROW UP AND STOP INSTIGATING? ALL RISE. PUBLIC. YES. GROW UP. THANK YOU. FATHER, WE THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY, LORD, TO COME AND SERVE, LORD JESUS. WE THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING CITY, LORD, COMING OUT OF, OUT OF STATE OF THE, STATE OF THE CITY. GOD, I'M EXCITED FOR ALL OF OUR AMAZING SCHOOL DISTRICTS, LORD, AND OUR BUSINESSES, GOD. AND WE ASK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED BLESSINGS, FATHER, OVER ALL OF OUR, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, GOD. AND WE THANK YOU, GOD, FOR OUR, OUR LEADERSHIP, LORD, THAT YOU CONTINUE TO GUIDE THEM. BLESS THEIR FAMILIES, GOD, BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR FAMILIES MATTER, LORD JESUS, AND WE THANK YOU, GOD, THAT YOU DO A MIGHTY WORK, LORD, THROUGH THEM, GOD. AND WE JUST PRAY, LORD, THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE, GOD, CONTINUE TO, TO SEEK YOU, GOD, AND SEEK PEACE, GOD, AND SEEK UNITY, FATHER. AND WE THANK YOU, GOD, BECAUSE IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL, LORD, WE KNOW WE HAVE PURPOSE IN YOU, AND WE ASK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING BLESSINGS OVER OUR CITY, GOD, OVER ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES, JESUS. BECAUSE WHEN EVERYBODY FLOURISHES, GOD, WE FLOURISH, GOD, TOGETHER. SO WE THANK YOU, GOD, FOR YOUR LOVE AND YOUR MERCY AND YOUR AMAZING GRACE. IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS, EVERYBODY SAID, AMEN. AMEN. GENTLEMEN, PLEASE REMOVE YOUR HAT AND PUT YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART AND REPEAT AFTER ME. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG - TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. UM, ROLL CALL, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. COUNCILMEMBER GUTIERREZ. HERE. COUNCILMAN WU. HERE. COUNCILWOMAN DIAZ. HERE. MAYOR PRO TEMCONTOS. HERE. MAYOR LOPEZ VIADO. UH, PRESENT. UH, CITY ATTORNEY, IS THERE ANYTHING TO REPORT FROM CLOSED SESSION? NOTHING, MADAM MAYOR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. [PRESENTATIONS] ONTO PRESENTATION. [00:05:10] ALL RIGHT. WE ARE HAVING TASTE OF WEST COVINA PRESENTATION RECOGNIZING PAR TNYC. I'D LIKE TO INVITE MATTHEW LIU TO THE FRONT. OH, KELSEY. OKAY, KELSEY. WELL, NICE TO MEET YOU, KELSEY. SO STEP INTO A WORLD OF BO- BOLD FLAVORS, REFRESHING DRINKS, AND UNFORGETTABLE VIBES AT PARTY NYC IN WEST COVINA. PARTY NYC BRINGS A FUN AND MODERN TWIST TO THE BUBBLE TEA EXPERIENCE, SERVING UP CREATIVE DRINKS CRAFTED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GREAT FLAVOR AND A LITTLE ADVENTURE IN EVERY SIP. FROM REFRESHING TEAS AND COLORFUL CREATIONS TO IRRESISTIBLE COMBINATION, EVERY DRINK IS MADE TO BE ENJOYED, SHARED, AND REMEMBERED. FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PARTY NYC IS OFFERING A FREE BOBA MILK TEA WITH ANY $30 PURCHASE. SIMPLY MENTION TASTE OF WEST COVINA ON YOUR VISIT. SO WHAT IS DIFFERENT WITH YOUR BOBA AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS AND EVERYTHING. I KNOW WE HAVE THE INFORMATION ABOVE HERE AND, YOU KNOW, PAR TEA, IF IT'S NOT THE TYPICAL TY, IT'S THE PARTY, T-A TO DRINK. UM, SO PARTY WAS ACTUALLY STARTED IN NEW YORK AND, UM, WEST COVINA IS SPECIAL TO US BECAUSE THIS IS OUR FIRST LOCATION IN CALIFORNIA. AND, UM, I WOULD SAY OUR DRINKS, IT'S A VERY WIDE VARIETY. UM, RECENTLY WE ADDED MATCHA ONTO OUR, UM, MENU AS WELL. AND WE WANTED TO CREATE A CONCEPT, LIKE A NIGHT MARKET CONCEPT WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME, UM, AND EAT FOOD, UM, AND HAVE DELICIOUS DRINKS. UM, SO YEAH, JUST A PLACE FOR EVERYONE TO COME ENJOY THEMSELVES. MM-HMM. AND WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE? UM, MY FAVORITE RIGHT NOW IS MATCHA. UM, I WOULD SAY ACEMENTES MATCHA IS REALLY GOOD. MM-HMM. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. COME TRY IT OUT. IT'S RIGHT HERE ON, UH, SOUTH GLENDORA AVENUE. AND SO ON BEHALF OF CITY OF WEST COVINA, WE'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE PARTY NYC, CELEBRATING TASTE OF WEST COVINA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY. THEY'RE GONNA TAKE ANO - OUR NEXT TASTE OF WEST COVINA PRESENTATION IS RECOGNIZING BAJIA ENSENADA GRILL. I'D LIKE TO INVITE HANIDA SEGOVIA AND LUZILENA APOLINAR TO THE FRONT. NICE. SO GET READY TO EXPERIENCE THE BOLD, VIBRANT FLAVORS OF THE MEXICAN COAST AT BAJIA ENSENADA GRILL. INSPIRED BY THE RICH CULINARY TRADITIONS OF ENSENADA, BAJIA ENSENADA GRILL BRINGS TOGETHER FRESH SEAFOOD, MOUTHWATERING TACOS, FLAVORFUL MEXICAN FAVORITES, AND UNFORGETTABLE COASTAL INSPIRED DISHES. EVERY PLATE IS PACKED WITH COLOR, FLAVOR, AND THE KIND OF HOMEMADE GOODNESS THAT KEEPS GUESTS COMING BACK FOR MORE. FROM TONIGHT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, BAJI ENSENADA GRILL WILL OFFER CUSTOMERS 15% OFF THEIR TOTAL. SIMPLY MENTION TASTE OF WES COVINA ON YOUR VISIT. SO TELL US, UH, ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE DISH. AND IT'S ACTUALLY PERFECT BECAUSE IT'S THE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, SO EVERYBODY COME OUT AND TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS AND WHAT'S HOMEMADE AND GO FROM THERE. SURE. WELL, MY FAVORITE DISH, YOU KNOW, THAT I LIKE A LOT IS, UH, THE , , WHICH HAS A, YOU KNOW, JUST A JUICE. I MEAN, IF YOU GO, YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA ENJOY IT. AND NOT ONLY THAT IS THAT IT'S, UM, THE TORTILLAS. THEY'RE FRESHLY MADE, UH, CORN TORTILLAS. SO THEY'RE M - THEY'RE MADE ONES, YOU KNOW, YOU ORDER. IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE MADE AND THEY'RE STUCK OVER THERE, NO. AND, UH, UM, ALSO THE BALLENSENADA, UM, UH, . . SORRY. YOU KNOW, WHICH, UM, IT'S ALSO, IT, IT, IT'S GOT, YOU KNOW, A CARNAZADA, UM, ENCHILADA, AND, UH, IT, IT'S JUST GOT A LOT OF FLAVOR IN THERE, PLUS THE FISH TACOS. YOU KNOW, EVERY TUESDAY WE HAVE TACO TUESDAY. WE HAVE THE MOLE. EXACTLY. MOLE. VERY TRUE, VERY TRUE. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, DISHES DEPENDING ON WHATEVER YOU WOULD LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, FEEL LIKE EATING. IF, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALSO CALDOS. YOU KNOW, ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS , WHICH IS LIKE A CHICKEN SOUP, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S GOT A SPICY ON IT, SO CHIPOTLE. SO IT'S VERY GOOD. UM, YOU KNOW, AND WE, WE LOVE TO HAVE EVERYONE COME OVER. WE LIKE TO MAKE SURE YOU FEEL WELCOME, YOU KNOW? AND, UH, I PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW, IF I GET TO MEET YOU, I LIKE TO GREET YOU WITH, BY YOUR NAME, YOU KNOW, AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, WE GET TO SEE YOU. YES, [00:10:01] I WANT. SHE SAY EVERYTHING, BUT UH, MY FAVORITE PLATE, THAT'S , THAT'S THE ONE THAT PLAY IN THE TOP. WITH THE RICE AND BEANS, CHIS QUESADILLA AND ENCHILADA. AND, UM, PICO DE GALLO, AVOCADO, AND WE HAVE A HANDMADE TORTILLAS. AND WE HAVE ANOTHER PLATE, . IT'S A LITTLE BIT SPICY. IT COME WITH A FISH, SHRIMP, OCTOPUS, APPLE ON IT. AND, UM, WE SERVE WITH THE FOUR TOSTADAS ON THE SIDE. BUT IT'S, EVERYTHING IS REALLY GOOD, AND WE HAVE THE HANDMADE TORTILLAS. YEAH, WE HAVE THE CHEESY SAUCE. MAYA, MAY I? YOURS, WE HAVE THEM ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAYS, AND THURSDAYS. UM, HAPPY HOURS FROM 5:00, UM, TO 9:00. AND, UH, MICHELADAS TOO. . I HEAR A LOT ON THE CROWD, UH, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. UM, AND THOSE THAT HAVE ATTENDED, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE O - UH, TAKE ON THE OFFER OF TASTE OF WEST COVINA AND GET THAT 15% OFF. I THINK, UH, COUNCILMAN WU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING. YEAH, I AM A LOYAL CUSTOMER. AM I RIGHT? NO. YOU PLACE ALL THE TIME. AND, UH, AND, UH, YES, I LOVE YOUR - YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR FAVORITE DISH. I LOVE YOUR DIABLO SHRIMP AND DIABLO FISH. THAT IS SO SPICY AND SO GOOD. THANK YOU. I, I'M THERE LIKE ONCE, OKAY, TWICE A MONTH, OKAY? VERY GOOD FISH. UH, UH, COUNCILMAN MEMBER GUTIERREZ. YES. . WE'VE BEEN THERE. WE'VE ALL ORDERED FROM THERE TOO, SO WE JUST GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND SO ON BEHALF OF CITY OF WEST COVINA, WE'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE BAJIA AND SONATA GRILL FOR CELEBRATING TASTE OF WEST COVINA, AND WE HOPE EVERYONE HERE COMES AND ENJOY A NICE MEAL. AND I KNOW I LIKE YOUR CALDO, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT GETS COLD AND THE WINTER'S COMING. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE PROCLAMATION CELEBRATING HIS... OH YEAH. OKAY. SO DO A... ACTUALLY, WE'LL HAVE THE, UM, BALLET FOLKLORICO INTERNATIONAL OF WEST COVINA, LUCIA PARRA. THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A PERFORMANCE FOR US IN PROCLAMATION CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. THEY'RE COMING. THEY'RE COMING DOWN. SO YOU HAVE A PERFORMANCE AND WHAT TIME DO YOU GUYS CLOSE? THEY CLOSE AT 9:00? OKAY. SO TECHNICALLY AFTER HERE, YOU CAN GO AND, UH, HAVE DINNER. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. ONE MOMENT. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. OH, MY VOICE IS TOO LOUD ANYWAYS. SOMETIMES I SAY MY VOICE IS VERY LOUD AND DEEP. OKAY. ANYWAYS, UM, , GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. AND IT'S AN HONOR FOR US TO BE HERE ONE MORE YEAR REPRESENTING OUR COMMUNITY, . THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TODAY. AND, UH, OUT OF THE 30, 32 STATES, WE'RE GONNA REPRESENT ONLY TWO FOR TODAY. THANK YOU. . HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY. [00:16:27] NOW WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE STATE OF JALISCO. THAT WAS YUCATAN. . . . . . AND WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE LAST FROM THE STATE OF YUCATAN. [00:22:13] . COME ON ALL DOWN. CAN WE WAIT? OH, WE COULD ALL COME HERE? . ALMOST. SO, UH, THESE ARE WONDERFUL. IT'S PERFECT FOR CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. SO HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH IS A MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION OF HISPANIC AND LATINO HISTORY AND CULTURE. WHILE WE CELEBRATE HISPANIC AND LATINO COMMUNITIES BEYOND THIS MONTH FROM SEPTEMBER 15 TO OCTOBER 15, WE GIVE EXTRA RECOGNITION TO THE MANY CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING IMPORTANT ADVOCACY WORK, VIBRANT ART, POPULAR AND TRADITIONAL FOODS, AND MUCH MORE. HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THE INCREDIBLE IMPACT LATINOS AND LATINAS HAVE HAD ON THE UNITED STATES FOR GENERATIONS. THE LATINO PRESENCE IS AMER - IN AMERICA SPANS CENTURIES AND THEY HAVE BEEN AN IN- INTEGRAL PART OF SHAPING OUR NATION. UH, MY FATHER'S SIDE IS FROM JALISCO, SO IT'S SO AWESOME TO HAVE YOU GUYS HERE. AND SO ON BEHALF OF CITY OF WEST COVINA, WE ALL ENJOYED THIS. I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO SHARE A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION AND JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THESE LOVELY LADIES HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE HERE, AND WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY IN EVERY WAY. . WHOEVER NEEDS OUR HELP, THE CHURCH, WHOEVER NEEDS OUR HELP, WE'RE THERE. WE ARE THERE TO, UH, UH, BRING EVERYTHING WITH ALL THE DANCES AND COSTUMES AND EVERYTHING SO YOU COULD HAVE A GOOD TIME. OKAY. . . OKAY. SO ON, IN, IN, ON BEHALF OF CITY OF WEST COVINA, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 2026. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'LL TAKE - MAYOR, MAYOR, CAN I SAY SOMETHING REALLY QUICK? COUNCIL MEMBER WU. YEAH, I JUST WANT TO ANNOUNCE, OKAY, AND, UH, OUR, UM, UH, BALLOT, OKAY, PUERTO RICO INTERNATIONAL, OKAY, HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THAILAND, TAIWAN, OUR CESAR CITY IN NOVEMBER, REPRESENT WEST COVINA - OVER. TO PERFORM IN TAIWAN. SO THIS IS A GLORY, OKAY, THEY, THEY JUST DEMAND TO HAVE THIS GROUP TO, IN TAIWAN. SO THEY'RE FLYING TO ASIA IN NOVEMBER. OCTOBER. WE'RE, WE'RE, UM, UH, GONNA FLY IN TWO WEEKS REPRESENTING CITY OF WEST COVINA. THIS IS MY COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS. SO WE'RE GONNA BE THERE REPRESENTING WEST COVINA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. [00:25:11] THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WASN'T SURE TO SAY IT OR NOT. THANK YOU. NO, THAT'S PERFECT. YEAH. THANK YOU, HAILEY. VERY POPULAR. YOU SAY IT, YOU JUST SAY IT'S VERY PROUD. THANK YOU. WES COVINA'S PROUD OF YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. CAN I SAY SOMETHING? LETTY? LETI, CAN I SAY SOMETHING? LET ME, YEAH, GO, GO AHEAD, GO AHEAD. UH, UH, COUNCILMAN GUTERRES. YES. UH, GREAT, GREAT PERFORMANCE. UH, IT'S REMARKABLE TO SEE, UH, OUR CITY, UH, CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH IN, IN ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY. UH, BUT ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I, I DON'T CONDONE, UH, MODELO, I DON'T CONDONE DRINKING. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY NEXT TIME WE DON'T BRING, UH, BOTTLES OF, OF BRANDING, BRANDED BEER, BUT THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THERE'S WATER AT THIS, IN THIS POINT. I KNOW, BUT I STILL HAVE THE LOGO. ALL RIGHT. SO ONTO [CITY MANAGER'S REPORT] THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. UM, GO AHEAD AND PROCEED. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. WAIT FOR THE FIRST SLIDE TO COME UP. THERE WE GO. THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BUILDING AND SAFETY DIVISION AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SUCCESSFULLY RESOLVED A SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY COMPLIANCE CASE INVOLVING AN ABANDONED CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THE PROPERTY HAD BEEN LEFT EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS, CREATING A SAFETY CONCERN AND NEGATIVELY IMPACTING THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. SORRY. AFTER EFF- EFFORTS TO OBTAIN VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, THE CITY PURSUED FORMAL ENFORCEMENT THROUGH THE LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR COURT. ENFORCEMENT ACTION REVOLT, RESULTED IN A COURT ORDER REQUIRING THE PROPERTY OWNER TO ADDRESS THE OUTSTANDING VIOLATIONS AND BRING THE PROPERTY INTO COMPLIANCE. THE PROPERTY OWNER ULTIMATELY FAILED TO MEET THE COURT ORDER DEADLINES AND LATER SOLD THE PROPERTY. THE NEW OWNER PURCHASED THE PROPERTY IN ITS EXISTING CONDITION AND SUBSEQUENTLY UNDERTOOK A COMPLETE RENOVATION, BRINGING THE PROPERTY INTO COMPLIANCE AND SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVING ITS APPEARANCE AND CONDITION. THE RENOVATED PROPERTY IS NOW COMPLETED AND EXPECTED TO BE PLACED ON THE MARKET FOR SALE. THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME DEMONSTRATES THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO ADDRESSING SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY VIOLATIONS THROUGH COORDINATED ENFORCEMENT AND ENSURING THAT NEGLECTED PROPERTIES ARE ULTIMATELY RESTORED TO SAFE, COMPLIANT, AND IMPROVED CONDITIONS FOR THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. I'M PLEASED TO SHARE SOME EXCITING NEWS ABOUT THE REVITALIZ - RE- REVITALIZATION OF A PREVIOUSLY NEG- NEGLECTED PROPERTY IN OUR CITY. PROPERTY WAS SUBJECT OF A CODE ENFORCEMENT CASE DUE TO SIGNIFICANT NEGLECT UNDER THE PREVIOUS OWNERSHIP AND WAS SOLD IN JULY OF 2026. THE, THE NEW OWNERS ARE PROUD WEST COVINA RESIDENTS WHO CURRENTLY OWN AND OPERATE THREE ADDITIONAL BUSINESSES. THEY TAKE POSSESSION OF THE PROPERTY AND ARE INVESTING IN ITS RENOVATION WHILE BRINGING CHOPPED TERIYAKI TO WEST COVINA. PLANS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE OWNERS HAVE BEGUN THE CITY'S PLAN REVIEW PROCESS. WE'RE EXCITED TO WELCOME THESE EXPERIENCED BUSINESS OWNERS TO WEST COVINA AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEE THE PROPERTY TRANSFORMED INTO A NEW AND THRIVING BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING THEIR GRAND OPENING, AND THIS IS THE, UM, THE OLD SPOTLESS BURGER ON GLENDORA AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN WEST COVINA. PUBLIC WORKS HAS DEPLOYED ITS NEWEST STREETS, STREET SWIPING, STRIPING AND MARKING VEHICLE, WHICH WILL SUPPORT THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF ROADWAY MARKINGS, CITY FACILITY PARKING LOTS, AND OTHER PAVEMENT MARKING NEEDS THROUGHOUT WEST COVINA. RECENT ST- STREET MARKING IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE NORTH GARVEY AVENUE, UPDATED STREET MARKINGS BETWEEN SUNSET AND VINCENT. ROLAND AVENUE UPDATED STREET MARKINGS BETWEEN LARK ALLEN AND AZUSA AVENUE. THE NEW EQUIPMENT WILL ALLOW PUBLIC ROOK - PUBLIC WORKS CREWS THE EFFICIENCY, UH, TO MAINTAIN AND REFRESH ROADWAY MARKINGS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, HELPING IMPROVE VISIBILITY, TRAFFIC SAFETY, AND OVERALL ROADWAY APPEARANCE. FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS, PUBLIC WORKS STAFF HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY WORKING TO IMPROVE EDDIE'S DITCH AT VIRGINIA LANE AND EAST CAMERON AVENUE. THE IMPROVEMENTS FOCUS ON REPAIRING THE CULVERT AND RESTORING PROPER DRAINAGE FLOW TO HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF OVERFLOW AND FLOODING AND IMPROVE THE AREA'S LONG-TERM DRAINAGE CAPACITY. PUBLIC WORKS STAFF COMPLETED THE MONTHLY INSPECTION MAINTENANCE OF OUR SEWER LIFT STATION AT 2700 AZUSA AVENUE, HELPING TO MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS SYSTEM FLOW AND REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEWER BACKUPS AND SERVICE DISRUPTIONS. PARKWOOD LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE, UH, BEGAN PROVIDING LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE SERVICES FOR THE CITY ON OCTOBER 1ST. UNDER THE NEW CONTRACT, PARKWOOD LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING OF CITY MEDIANS, ARTERIAL SIDEWALKS THROUGHOUT WEST COVINA. SINCE BEGINNING SERVICE, THE CONTRACTOR HAS BEEN ACTIVELY WORKING THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO IMPROVE THE APPEARANCE CLEANLINESS AND OVERALL [00:30:01] MAINTENANCE OF THESE AREAS. FOLLOWING PHOTOS HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE WORK COMPLETED SINCE OCTOBER 1ST. THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CITY NEAR SHADOW OAK CURRENTLY HAS SEVERAL UTILITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS UNDERWAY, INCLUDING SEE VAULT REPLACEMENT AT SHADOW OAK AND GEMINI, FIBER INSTALLATION ALONG WOODGATE AND PALM AND PAN PLACE, AND THE CITY'S SOUTH SIDE SEWER REPLACEMENT PROJECT. WHILE COMPLETION DATES VARY, THIS WORK IS BEING COMPLETED IN ADVANCE OF THE CITY'S UPCOMING STREET REHABILITATION PROJECT, WHICH INCLUDES THE STREETS SHOWN IN RED AND GREEN ON THE SLIDE. STAFF HAVE COORDINATED THIS WORK TO ELIMINATE FUTURE STREET CUTS AFTER THE ROADS ARE REPAVED. RESIDENTS WITH QUESTIONS CAN CONTACT THE ENGINE- ENGINEERING DIVISION FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION. THE CITY OF WEST COVINA IS CURRENTLY REEVALUATING STREET SWEEPING ROUTES TO ENSURE AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE SCHEDULE WHILE ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO PARK ACROSS FROM THEIR PLACE OF RESIDENCE DURING STREET SWEEPING. DURING THIS REEVALU- REEVALUATION PERIOD, WE WILL BE ELIMINATING THE SAME DAY, SAME TIME STREET SWEEPING ZONES WHILE STAFF FINALIZES OPTIONS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER. THE OPTIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED WILL BE STREET SWEEPING ON ALTERNATE DAYS OR STREET SWEEPING AT ALTERNATING TIMES FOR EACH SIDE OF THE STREET. DISCUSSION TOPICS COULD ALSO INCLUDE ADDRESSING PROBLEMATIC AREAS ALONG, ALONG WITH SIGNAGE AND ENFORCEMENT. CURRENTLY, STREET SWEEPERS WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, HOWEVER, SERVICES MAY NOT YET OCCUR WITHIN THE CURRENTLY POSTED TIMEFRAMES. ONCE NEW ROUTES ARE APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, RESIDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO VIEW OUR STREET, NEW STREET SWEEPING MAPS IN DAYS, TIMES BY VISITING THE WEST COVINA RESOURCE MAP SECTION, THE CITY'S WEBSITE, AND BY SELECTING WEEKLY STREET SWEEPING SCHEDULE MAP. AND WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO A, DO A MASS MAILING TO ALL RESIDENTS WITHIN THE CITY. STATE OF THE CITY EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION EVENT WAS HELD ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH AT THE WEST COVINA SPORTSPLEX. THIS YEAR'S THEME, CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AND CREATING OPPORTUNITY BROUGHT TOGETHER CITY LEADERS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND RESIDENTS FOR AN EVENING HIGHLIGHTED BY THE CITY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ONGOING INITIATIVES AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE. EVENING ALSO INCLUDED THE EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION AWARDS, CELEBRATING CITY EMPLOYEES FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING SERVICE, DEDICATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WEST COVINA COMMUNITY. ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, CITY STAFF PARTICIPATED IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESENTATION FOR LOCAL SCHOOL FAMILIES AT WEST COVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTED THE CITY'S COMMUNITY CENTERS, SPORTS FLEX, RECREATION PROGRAMS, AND CITYWIDE EVENTS. STAFF ALSO HOSTED AN INFORMAL TABLE, INFORMATIONAL TABLE WHERE FAMILIES COULD LEARN MORE ABOUT CITY SERVICES PROGRAMS AND UPCOMING EVENTS. THE CITY HOSTED A RED RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY AT PALM VIEW PARK ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH TO CELEBRATE THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW TRINKET BOX. THE TRINKET BOX DONATED BY PROVI - D- DONATED BY PROVIDES A FUN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CONNECT AND SHARE SMALL TREASURES BY FOLLOWING THE TAKE ONE, LEAVE ONE CONCEPT. RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE, TAKE A TRINKET THEY ENJOY AND LEAVE ANOTHER ONE BEHIND FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DISCOVER. THE EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER CITY REPRESENTATIVES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO CELEBRATE THIS NEW ADDITION TO PALM VIEW PARK. THE WES COVINA SPORTSPLEX PROUDLY HOSTED THE DELTA AIRLINES SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT HOME RUN DERBY ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD. THE EVENT DREW MORE THAN 20 TEAMS AND WELCOMED OVER 500 DELTA AIRLINES EMPLOYEES FROM ARIZONA, BOSTON, DALLAS, SEATTLE, TAMPA, NEW YORK, AND MIAMI. OVER THE COURSE OF THE TOURNAMENT, THE SPORTSPLEX GENERATED 7,000 IN RENTAL FEES AND PARTNERS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES, ANNA'S PIZZA AND COURTYARD MARRIOTT. A HUGE THANK YOU TO DELTA AIRLINES FOR CHOOSING THE WEST COVINA SPORTS PLEX. ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, THE CITY OF WEST COVINA HOSTED THIS ANNUAL MOON FESTIVAL. THE MOON FESTIVAL WAS A FUN-FILLED COMMUNITY EVENT FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES, VENDORS, AND A KIDS ZONE. DESPITE THE WARM WEATHER, ATTENDEES CAME OUT AND TO ENJOY FESTIVITIES WITH A NIGHT ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE WITH A PERFORMANCE BY ANYTHING FOR SALINAS, SALINAS, UH, SELENA COVER BAND. THE WEST COVINA SPORTSPLEX PROUDLY HOSTED THE OFFICER JORDAN J. QUARTER MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FOLLOWING COVINA POLICE OFFICER JORDAN J. QUARTER. THE TOURNAMENT WELCOME OF 15 LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAMS AND FIRST RESPONDER TEAMS ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND FOR A MEANINGFUL DAY OF COMPETITION AND REMEMBRANCE, COMPLETE WITH FOOD TRUCKS, VENDORS AND MORE. AS PART OF PHASE ONE OF THE WEST COVINA PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN, THE CITY IS GATHERING COMMUNITY INPUT TO HELP DETER- DETERMINE FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS AT CALIFORNIA PARQUETTE. THE RESIDENTS AND PARK VISITORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SHARE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AT THE PARK BY SCANNING THE QR CODE AND COMPLETING THE SURVEY. SIGNAGE, SIGNAGE FEATURING THE SURVEY AND QR CODE HAS BEEN ORDERED AND REPLACED AT CALIFORNIA PARQUETTE IN THE UPCOMING DAYS, PROVIDING PARK VISITORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR FEEDBACK. CITY OF WEST COVINA CELEBRATED, YES, PAPA ASIAN CUISINE'S GRAND OPENING AND RIBBON CUTTING ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH. THE GRAND OPENING EVENT WAS A SUCCESS. VISIT THEM FOR GREAT ASIAN SPECIALTIES IN, INCLUDING SHANSHI, NOODLES, DUMPLINGS, AND MUCH MORE. PLANNING STAFF IS REVIEWING A, A FORMAL SUBMITTAL FOR A NEW 328 UNIT MARKET RATE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT [00:35:01] AT 1211 BADILLO ON THE NORTH END OF THE CITY. THE SITE IS A TWO, 21.3 ACRE PROPERTY THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED FOR AN AMAZON DISTRIBUTION CENTER AND NOW IS BEING PROPOSED FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. THIS UP AND COMING PROJECT PROPOSES A WALKABLE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY WITH A MIX OF DETACHED CLUSTER HOMES, DUPLEXES, AND ATTACHED TOWN HOMES ORGANIZED AROUND SHARED OPEN SPACE AND PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS. THE PROJECT IS INTENDED TO PROD - PROVIDE ADDITIONAL HOUSING, DIVERSITY TO THE COMMUNITY AND ESTABLISH A COHESIVE, HIGH QUALITY NEIGHBORHOOD. NO COMMUNITY MEETINGS HAVE OCCURRED YET FOR THIS PROJECT. STAFF HAS RECEIVED PRELIMINARY REVIEW APPLICATION FOR PROPOSED TEXAS ROADHOUSE RESTAURANT AT THE WEST COVINA PLAZA. THE PROPOSAL INCLUDES CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW APPROXIMATELY 90, 8,900 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING TO ACCOMMODATE A FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT. THE PROJECT WOULD INTRODUCE A NEW SIT DOWN, HIGH QUALITY RESTAURANT TO THE WEST COVINA PLAZA COMMERCIAL CENTER. ON SEPTEMBER, SEPTEMBER 18TH, SERVICE AREA TWO HELD A COMMUNITY MEETING ON THE 2100 BLOCK OF KINGS CREST DRIVE. THE MEETING ATTE - WAS ATTENDED BY NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEMBERS AND COUNCIL MEMBER OLE CONTOS. DISCUSSION TOPICS INCLUDED RECENT THEFTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND OTHER COMMUNITY CONCERNS. SERVICE AREA TWO LIEUTENANT PARTICIPATED IN A QUESTION ANSWER SESSION DURING WHICH RESIDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS, DISCUSS ISSUES AFFECTING THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. ON SEP- SEPTEMBER 19TH, OFFICERS CONDUCTED A BICYCLE ENFORCEMENT ALONG AZUSA AVENUE AND GLENDORA AVENUE CORRIDORS, AS WELL AS THE FOOTHILL TRANSIT BUS STOPS, WHICH RESULTED IN A MISDEMEANOR WARRANT ARREST AND ONE CITATION. DURING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21ST, THE WEST COVINA POLICE K-9 ATTENDED THE ANNUAL CANINE CERTIFICATION HOSTED BY LOS ANGELES COUNTY POLICE AND K-9 ASSOCIATION. WE ARE PROUD TO, TO REPORT THAT ALL THREE CANINES SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THEIR CERTIFICATION RECEIVING HIGH MARKS FROM THE INSTRUCTORS. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THE INSTRUCTORS THAT THE WEST COVINA K-9 TEAMS CONSISTENTLY PERFORMED AT A HIGH LEVEL, A TESTAMENT TO THE DEDICATION, TRAINING, AND PROFESSIONALISM OF OUR K-9 HANDLERS AND THEIR PARTNERS. ON SEPTEMBER, SEPTEMBER 25TH, WEST COVINA PD'S, PD DETECTIVES, LOS ANGELES COUNTY PROBOT - PROBATION AND PATROL PERSONNEL CONDUCTED A PROBATION COMPLIANCE OPERATION. THE OPERATION INCLUDED SIX PROBATION SEARCHES THAT RESULTED IN FOUR ARRESTS. TWO INDIVIDUALS WERE ARRESTED FOR PROBATION VIOLATIONS, POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, AND DRUG PARAPHERNALIA. THE OTHER TWO SUBJECTS WERE ARRESTED ON FELONY WARRANTS AND CHARGED, UH, WITH POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE. WEST COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY HAS 109 POLICE OFFICERS SERVING THE WEST, CITY OF WEST COVINA. THE DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS TO FILL ONE POLICE CAPTAIN AND ONE LIEUTENANT POSITION. THESE, UM, THESE POSITIONS ARE INTEGRAL F - INTO THE DEPARTMENT'S LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND THE SELECTION PROCESS IS WELL UNDERWAY. THE DEPARTMENT LOOKS FORWARD TO ANNOUNCING THE APPOINTMENTS UPON COMPLETION OF THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S COMMUNITY ACADEMY KICKED OFF THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1ST. PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN ABOUT CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATIONS, PATROL PROCEDURES, SWAT, AND K9 DEMONSTRATIONS. CLASSES ARE EVERY THURSDAY FROM SIX TO 8:00 FOR A TOTAL OF EIGHT WEEKS IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM. ON SEPT- SEPTEMBER 25TH, THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT HELD A BADGE PINNING CEREMONY AT STATION 122. THE CEREMONY RECOGNIZED THREE PROMOTIONAL BADGES FOR ASSISTANT CHIEF BRIAN MCDERMOTT, FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC JACKSON PARK, FIREFIGHTER, UM, PARAMEDIC SIV JOHANSSON. THE DEPARTMENT ALSO WELCOMED THREE RECRUIT - NEW RECRUITS, JOSHUA GONZALEZ, ALEXANDER DELGADO, AND LUCAS ESQUIRE. ON OCTOBER 3RD, THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU HOSTED THE 8TH ANNUAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK, OPEN HOUSE AT FIRE STATION 122. THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION THEME IS CHA- CHARGE INTO FIRE SAFETY. SAFE CHARGING IS A, IS A SUPERPOWER FOCUSED ON THE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY SAFETY, BATTERY, BATTERY SAFETY AND PROPER CHARGING PRACTICES. THE OPEN HOUSE ALSO FEAT- FEATURED FIRE PREVENTION WEEK POSTER CONTEST, ENTRIES FROM LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THIRD TO FIFTH GRADES. STUDENTS CREATING POSTERS, SHOWCASING THE CHARGE INTO FIRE SAFETY, SAFE CHARGING IS A SUPERPOWER THEME. THIS WAS A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE OF OUR YOUNGEST RESIDENTS WHILE REINFORCING IMPORTANT FIRE SAFETY MESSAGES. THE EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER FAMILIES, STUDENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FIRE PREVENTION, RECOGNIZING POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND KEEPING THEM SAFE, THEMSELVES SAFE AND THEIR FAMILIES SAFE. AS WE APPROACH THE UPCOMING RAINY SEASON, THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT IS TAKING PROACTIVE MEASURES TO HELP RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR INCREASED RAINFALL, SEVERE STORMS, AND THE POP - POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH EL NINO CONDITIONS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS THAT RESIDENTS TAKE SEVERAL SIMPLE STEPS NOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, THEIR FAMILIES, AND THEIR PROPERTY. RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BUILD AN EMERGENCY KIT WITH ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES THAT CAN STAY, SUSTAIN THEIR HOUSEHOLD FOR UP TO 10 DAYS, MAKE AN EMERGENCY PLAN THAT IDENTIFIES EVACUATION ROUTES, AND ESTABLISHES A FAMILY COMMUNICATION PLAN, AND INSPECT THEIR HOMES AND VEHICLES BY CHECKING ROOFS, WINDOWS, GUTTERS, AND DRAINS. WEST COVINA RESIDENTS MAY RECEIVE UP TO 10 SANDBAGS AT NO COST. PROOF OF CITY RESIDENCY IS REQUIRED, AND RESIDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FILLING AND TRANSPORTING... [00:40:01] TRANSPORTING THEIR OWN SANDBAGS. RESIDENTS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO STAY INFORMED BY MONITORING LOCAL WEATHER INFORMATION AND SIGNING UP FOR ALERT LA COUNTY TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS. CITY OF WEST COVINA ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION WILL BE HOSTING CAL- CAL MICRO RECYCLING'S BY MONTHLY ELECTRONIC WASTE RECYCLING EVENT ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 1:00 PM AT THE WEST COVINA MAINTENANCE YARD, 825 SOUTH SUNSET. THE EVENT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR WEST COVINA RES- RESIDENTS TO RESPONSIBLY RECYCLE ELECT - ELIGIBLE ELECTRONIC WASTE AND SUPPORT THE CITY'S ONGOING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS. THE UPPER SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT IS HOLDING TWO FIRE RESILIENT GARDENING WORKSHOPS. THE FIRST WORKSHOP IS IN PERSON ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 11:30 AM AT THE UPPER WATER OFFICE LOCATED AT 8245 EAST FOOTHILL BOULEVARD IN MONROVIA. THE SECOND IS A VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH FROM 6:00, 6:0 PM TO 7:00 PM. TO REGISTER, VISIT UPPERWATER.ORG/WATER.SMAR.WORKSHOPS/TWO HASH MARK. ANYWAY, JUST GO TO MY CITY MANAGER REPORT TO GET THAT, UM, URL CODE. THE 2026 FESTIVAL OF RIGHTS IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24TH FROM 4:00 TO 9:00 IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN WEST COVINA ON SOUTH GLENDORA AVENUE. JOIN US FOR FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, SCARE ZONES, TRICK-OR-TREATING, COSTUME CONTEST, AND FUN. THE CITY'S COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISI - DIVISION WILL HOST AN INFORMAL MEETING TO DISCUSS AND PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY. ALL WEST COVINA BUSINESSES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25TH AT ANNA'S PIZZA FROM 6:00 TO 7:30 PM. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH FELLOW BUSINESS OWNERS, SHARE IDEAS, AND HELP CREATE A SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY-WIDE CELEBRATION OF OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES. THE NEXT LOW-COST SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC FOR DOGS IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH AT SHADOW OAK PARK. REGISTRATION IS CURRENTLY AT FULL CAPACITY, AND WE ARE WORKING WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDER TO ADD, UH, A WAITING LIST. THE FEE IS $50, INCLUDES SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICE, POST-OP MEDS, E-COL- E-COLLAR, MICROCHIP, AND VACCINES. THE SERVICE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE CANINE CONDITION FOUNDATION, LOVE LEO RESCUE LOS ANGELES, AND VETCARE. SEE? AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT FOR TONIGHT, MADAM MAYOR. I THOUGH IT WAS JUST A SCREEN. A LOT OF SLIDES. UH, THANK YOU. UM, [ORAL COMMUNICATIONS] WE'LL, UH, WE'LL MOVE TO ORAL COMMUNICATION. SO PUBLIC COMMENT IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER SPEAKER, BOTH IN-PERSON AND REMOTE PARTICIPATION UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED BY THE PRESIDING OFFICER OR THE CITY COUNCIL. ONCE ALL IN-PERSON PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED, THE ASSISTANT CITY CLERK WILL ANNOUNCE IF THERE ARE ANY REGISTERED REMOTE PARTICIPANTS WHO WISH TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT. IF THERE ARE REMOTE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO WISH TO SPEAK, THE ASSISTANT CITY CLERK WILL BEGIN RECOGNIZING REMOTE SPEAKERS. REMOTE SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED BY NAME, ASKED TO UNMUTE THEMSELVES, AND PROCEED WITH THEIR COMMENT. WHEN A SPEAKER'S TIME HAS EXPIRED, THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE NOTIFIED. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY NOT ENGAGE IN BEHAVIOR THAT IS DISRUPTIVE TO THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THE MEETING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPEAKING OFF TOPIC, SPEAKING BEYOND THE SPEAKER'S ALLOTTED TIME LIMIT, MAKING SLANDEROUS OR PROFANE REMARKS OR USING LOUD, THREATENING, OR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE WHICH DISRUPTS, DISTURBS, IMPEDES, OR RENDERS INFEASIBLE VIA ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THE MEETING. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY NOT THREATEN ANY PERSON WITH PHYSICAL HARM OR ACT IN A MANNER THAT MAY REASONABLY BE INTERPRETED AS IMMINENT THREAT OF PHYSICAL HARM. ASSISTANT CITY CLERK, HOW MANY SPEAKERS DO WE HAVE TONIGHT? MAYOR, I HAVE 24 IN-HOUSE SPEAKERS AND ONE ONLINE. OKAY. UH - OUR FIRST... GO AHEAD. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS JOSH MURRAY, FOLLOWED BY VALERIE MERRILL, FOLLOWED BY BRITT VARGAS. THANK YOU. HELLO, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JOSH MURRAY AND I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF WEST COVINA LIBRARY. ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14TH FROM 4:05 PM, TEENS ARE INVITED TO OUR TEEN LOTTERIA PROGRAM IN CELEBRATION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. TEENS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY THE MEXICAN BOARD GAME, LOTERIA, AND WIN FREE BOOKS. I'D ALSO LIKE TO INVITE THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO OUR FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH AND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00. THE BOOK SALE OFFERS A BROAD RANGE OF BOOKS, DVDS, CDS, AND LOTS OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS. IF YOU NEED A FALL REFRESH ON YOUR READING, UM, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. UM, JUST COME BY OUR BOOK SALE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. VALERIE MERRILL, FOLLOWED BY BRIT VARGAS, FOLLOWED BY RAY VINCENT VARGAS JR. MY NAME IS VALERIE MERRILL. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE. I AM STANDING HERE TONIGHT TO DEMAND ABSOLUTE FINANCIAL [00:45:01] ACCOUNTABILITY AND STRUCTURAL REFORM REGARDING HOW THIS CITY SPENDS TAX DAY, PAYER DOLLARS ON SPECIAL EVENTS, SPECIFICALLY THE ANNUAL MOON FESTIVAL. WE ALREADY KNOW FROM PUBLIC RECORDS THAT THE 2324 FESTIVALS COST OUR TAXPAYERS A STAGGERING $152,000. WE WATCHED THAT FINANCIAL BURDEN QUADRUPLE IN A SINGLE YEAR WHILE A PRIVATE NONPROFIT WHOSE CEO HAPPENS TO BE COUNCIL MEMBER WU'S WIFE KEPT 100% OF THE VENDOR'S FEES AND CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS. AND LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THE TRANSPARENCY IN THIS ROOM. THIS COUNCIL OFTEN CLAIMS IT OPERATES WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY JUST BECAUSE IT CHECKS A LEDGER BOX OR POST A MEETING AGENDA, BUT CHECKING A COMPLIANCE BOX IS NOT THE SAME AS GIVING CITIZENS THE HONEST FACTS. YOU ARE HIDING THE FULL STORY FROM THE VERY RESIDENTS FUNDING THE BUDGET. TRUE TRANSPARENCY MEANS SHOWING THE TAXPAYERS EXACT LINE ITEM INVOICES OF OUR CITY STAFF'S OVERTIME. IT MEANS REVEALING HOW MUCH CASH WAS HANDED TO A PRIVATE ENTITY WHILE THE PUBLIC TOOK A LOSS. NOW AS WE LOOK AT THE 25 AND 26 CYCLE OF THIS FESTIVAL, THE OPTICS HAVE ONLY WORSENED. WHILE THE CITY ATTEMPTED TO MINIMIZE PUBLIC BACKLASH BY QUIETLY MOVING THE EVENT'S FOOTPRINTS OUT OF DOWNTOWN AND INTO THE CITY HALL PARKING LOT, CHANGING THE LOCATION DOES NOT ERASE THE FINANCIAL FAVORITISM UNDERNEATH. STAYING QUIET AND SHUFFLING VENUES WILL NOT MAKE THIS GO AWAY. AS OF AUGUST 2026, THE CALIFORNIA P - FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICE COMMISSION HAS OFFICIALLY OPENED AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION INTO THE MOUS AND CONTRACT DECISIONS SURROUNDING THIS EVENT. AND COUNCIL MEMBER TONY WU, THIS IS NO LONGER JUST A MATTER OF POOR BUDGETING. IT'S A MATTER OF A STATE LEVEL SCRUTINY OVER POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS OF GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 1090 REGARDING FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. OUR NEIGHBORS' CITIES, LIKE ROSEMEAD, HAVE PROVEN FOR A DECADE THAT YOU CAN HOLD A MASSIVE SUCCESSFUL MOON EVENT USING A BALANCED PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH MEDIA CO-PRODUCERS. THEIR MODELING ACTUALLY BRINGS REVENUE DEPOSITS BACK TO THE CITY ACCOUNTS. THEY PROTECT THEIR TAXPAYERS. WES COVINA SUBSIDIZES A PRIVATE INTEREST. THANK YOU. BRETT VARGAS, FOLLOWED BY RAY VINCENT VARGAS, FOLLOWED BY LISA MAYO. HELLO, COUNCIL. THIS IS, UH, BRITTANY VARGAS, MY DAUGHTER. I'LL BE SPEAKING ON HER BEHALF. UH, SHE'S NOT FEELING GOOD. UH, SHE HAS, UH, QUESTIONS. UH, SHE WORKS INSIDE THE MALL IN WEST COVINA AND, UH, SHE HAS AN ELECTRIC, UH, BIKE, AN E-BIKE. SHE GOES TO WORK AND BACK, AND RIGHT OFF THE 10TH FREEWAY, UH, WHEN YOU GET OFF GOING SOUTH ON VINCENT, UH, THERE'S A JUMBA JUICE RIGHT THERE. THERE'S A DUMPSTER RIGHT BEHIND JUMBA JUICE. THERE'S, UH, HOMELESS PEOPLE THERE, ADDICTS, UH, IN THE OFF-RAMP ON THE FIELD. THEY GOT SIGNS ASKING FOR MONEY. UH, THEY'RE IN THE, THE GARDEN RIGHT THERE, THE, THE... UP, GOING UP THE STAIRWAY TO THE FREEWAY. UM, AND SHE'S BEEN BOTHERED AND HARASSED A FEW TIMES WHERE I GOTTA DROP WHAT I'M DOING AND GET OVER THERE. UM, SHE UNDERSTANDS THAT SHE SEES ALL THE CORRUPTION IN THE CITY THAT, UH, MY DAD IS ALWAYS BRINGING UP AND TALKING ABOUT. AND SHE HAS CONCERNS ABOUT A FRIEND THAT WORKS WITH HER, UM, WHERE THE HOUSES ARE SLIDING AND, UH, WHAT'S TAKING PLACE? UH, WHAT ACTIONS, UH, IS THE COUNCIL DOING TO HELP THOSE PEOPLE, THOSE RESIDENTS WHERE THEIR HOMES ARE SLIDING, YOU KNOW, THE FOUNDATIONS ARE MOVING AND STUFF. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WHEN, UH, WE GET THIS BIG STORM THAT EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT? GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S TALKING ABOUT IT, KAREN BASS IS TALKING ABOUT IT. EVERYBODY'S GETTING PREPARED FOR THIS EL NINO, BUT HERE IN WEST COVINA, [00:50:02] UH, THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE JUST SITTING ON THEIR HANDS, YOU KNOW, UM, AND THEY... SHE DOESN'T, UH, SEE NOTHING RESOLVED. UH, HER FRIENDS AIN'T GETTING THE HELP OR THE, UH, PROPER, UH, TREATMENT THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. THEY COME AND ASK FOR HELP AND NOBODY'S HELPING THEM. UH, THAT'S IT WITH HER. THAT'S THE END WITH HER. OKAY? GO AHEAD. I'LL RESTART THE CLOCK. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. OKAY. I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. WE HAD THIS, UH, MOON FEST. UH, THE CORRUPTION IS STILL HERE, STILL GOING ON. EVERYBODY SEES IT. EVERYBODY SMELLS IT. IT'S LIKE THEY SAY, "IT LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, WALKS LIKE A DUCK, IT'S A F*****G DUCK." AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS. WELCOME TO THE MUPPET SHOW. YOU GUYS ARE ALL CORRUPTED. YOU GUYS ARE ALL COVERING EACH OTHER'S ASS HERE. YOU KNOW, I TOLD YOU, YOU BROUGHT THIS GUY, HE STARTED, UH, THE CORRUPTION HERE, YOU KNOW? UH, THE CORRUPTED ENFORCEMENT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GETTING TOP PAY, THEY'RE GETTING, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING PAID AND WHATNOT. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALL STANDING HERE. THEY'RE ALL COCONUTS. UM, TH- TH- THIS THING AIN'T CHANGING. YOU KNOW, I CALL YOU GUYS OUT ON IT BECAUSE I'M HERE FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE RESIDENTS. YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT NOTHING, YOU KNOW? THE FOUNDATION YOUR WIFE HAS, ANOTHER MOON FEST. THERE GOES ALL THAT MONEY TO THE FOUNDATION, THE CHINESE, ASIAN FOUNDATION, WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS. SO NOW YOU WANNA COMBINE IT WITH THE LATINOS. THE LATINOS AIN'T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ASIANS. AIN'T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, YOU KNOW? CHICANO LATINO, THAT'S WHAT I GOT, THAT'S WHAT I WEAR. WE ARE NOT THE MI- MINORITIES NO MORE. WE ARE THE MAJORITY, YOU KNOW? THIS GUY, HE WAS BEING INVESTIGATED. HE JUMPED SHIP RIGHT AWAY. LUCKY YOU SAVED HIS ASS, YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE TO WEST COVINA. YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN CORRUPTED, HE'S A BIGOT, HE'S RACIST, YOU KNOW, HE'S ALL THE ABOVE. THE ONLY THING THAT LOOKS GOOD ABOUT HIM IS THE SUIT HE WEARS. EVERYTHING ELSE, OUT OF THE QUESTION, OUT OF THE QUESTION. SAME THING WITH YOU. THE SAME DAMN THING WITH YOU. AND YOU GUYS AIN'T DOING A DAMN THING ABOUT IT. IT STARTS WITH THE CITY MANAGER, CITY ATTORNEYS, THE MAYOR, THE COUNCIL, YOU KNOW. I MEAN, COME ON, MAN. OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES. THESE PEOPLE WANNA CHANGE. THEY WANNA SEE A CHANGE HERE. YOU'VE BEEN SITTING THERE TOO LONG WITH THAT DUMB GRIN IN YOUR FACE. YOU AIN'T DOING THE DAMN THING ABOUT IT. YOU AIN'T MAKING CHANGES. YOU AIN'T MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. YOU'RE RIPPING THE CITY OFF. YOU ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS CITY, THE 12, 13 YEARS YOU'VE BEEN HERE. IT'S TIME. IT'S TIME. OUT. GET THE HELL OUT. START KICKING ROCKS. LISA MAYO, FOLLOWED BY JERRY PATRICK, FOLLOWED BY MARIO SOBAVARRO. LISA MAYO. WOW. OKAY. MY NAME IS LISA MAYO, AND I'M REPRESENTING... THEY WILL KNOW. THANK YOU, MAYOR LETHI, REPRETENT OLI, COUNCILWOMAN DIAZ, WU COUNCILMAN, AND MR. GUTIERREZ, COUNCIL MEMBER. SEE, I CAN SPEAK SPANISH TOO. VERY PROUD OF THAT. YES. ALTHOUGH I'M ITALIAN, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. UM, I WANNA THANK... I CAME HERE ONLY FOR ONE PURPOSE, AND THAT WAS TO THANK MAYOR LETI AND OLE CANTOS, BECAUSE AT THE RED CARPET EVENT THAT I HAD ON SEPTEMBER THE 26TH, I KNOW MAYOR PROTEM CANTOS IS VERY BUSY, AND I KNOW YOU ARE TOO, MAYOR. I UNDERSTAND WORK IS WORK, BUT [00:55:01] YOU WERE KIND ENOUGH TO DONATE TO MY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. AND OLE, THANK YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH. YOU ARE A PERSON THAT BELIEVES IN SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY, AND YOU TOOK TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO COME TO OUR EVENT. UH, OBVIOUSLY, MY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, THEY WILL KNOW, IS TO TEACH TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS. THAT IS MY WHOLE GOAL IN LIFE. IF I COULD GET IT INTO THE SCHOOLS AND SHOW MY MUSIC THE VIDEOS THAT I HAVE DONE TO SERVE A PURPOSE AND TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF IT, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME IF I COULD DO THAT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS NOT EVER POSSIBLE, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I'M NOT GONNA KEEP ON TRYING, BECAUSE I HAVE THIS GUY BACKING ME UP ALL THE TIME. SO BASICALLY, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR COMING AND THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING, WHICH IS AGAIN, AND LET US NOT REMEMBER, THEY WILL KNOW. US, WHICH IS KINDA FUNNY THAT MY WETMASTER THOUGHT OF THAT, WHICH WOULD MEAN THEY WILL KNOW US AS CHRISTIANS. SO ANYWAY, THAT WAS IT. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. YOU KEEP UP DOING WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO KEEP THIS. REMEMBER, YOU ARE ALL HERE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S A VERY HARD THING TO DO. SO BE BLESSED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JERRY PACHAS, FOLLOWED BY MARIO SABAVARIO, FOLLOWED BY DOUG FOR. THANK YOU. MARIO SABAVARIO, FOLLOWED BY DOUG FOUR, FOLLOWED BY PEDRO GONZALEZ. ALL RIGHT. I'LL TAKE IT. ALL RIGHT, JOHN. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ASK FOR CLEAR FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND SPONSORSHIP ETHIC RULES FOR CITY SPONSOR SPECIAL EVENTS. THIS PAST SATURDAY, THE CITY HELD THE MOON FESTIVAL AT CITY HALL FROM 1:00 TO 9:00. I DID NOT PERSONALLY ATTEND, BUT I HAVE HEARD FROM UNOFFICIAL SOURCES THAT I CONSIDER RELIABLE THAT THE PERCEIVED ATTENDANCE WAS APPROXIMATELY ABOUT 300 PEOPLE OVER THE COURSE OF THE EVENT. I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT THAT IS NOT AN OFFICIAL ATTENDANCE FIGURE, BUT IT RAISES AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. WHAT DOES D - WHAT DID THIS EVENT ACTUALLY COST TAXPAYERS AND WHAT DID WE RECEIVE FOR THE EXPENDITURE? EARLIER THIS YEAR, APPROXIMATELY $40,000 FOR THE MOON FESTIVAL WAS REFERENCED DURING A CITY COUNCIL BUDGET DISCUSSION. I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT THE STAGE ALONE FOR THE MOON FESTIVAL COST APPROXIMATELY $15,000. I WANNA PUT THOSE NUMBERS INTO PERSPECTIVE WITH SOMETHING I KNOW FIRSTHAND. MY BUSINESS PARTNER AND I PRIVATELY OPERATE THE WEST COVINIA NIGHT MARKET. WE DRAW MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE A MONTH AND OUR COST TO PUT ON THAT MARKET IS APPROXIMATELY $3,500. THAT IS NOT $3,500 PAID BY THE CITY, THAT IS WHAT IT COSTS US AS A PRIVATE ENTITY TO OPERATE THE EVENT. SO WHEN I HEAR THAT A STAGE ALONE FOR ONE CITY SPONSORED EVENT MAY COST APPROXIMATELY $15,000, MORE THAN FOUR TIMES WHAT IT COSTS US TO OPERATE AN ENTIRE NIGHT MARKET, I THINK TAXPAYERS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO ASK QUESTIONS. THIS IS NOT A NEW CONCERN. PUBLIC RECORD REPORTING SHOWED APPROXIMATELY $152,000 IN CITY EXPENDITURES FOR THE 2023 AND 2024 MOON FESTIVALS COMBINED. AND AT THE AUGUST 2025 COUNCIL MEETING, CITY STAFF CONFIRMED THAT MOON FESTIVAL VENDOR FEES AND SPONSORSHIP FEES WERE NOT BEING COLLECTED BY THE CITY DESPITE THE CITY PROVIDING STAFF AND OTHER RESOURCES. THE PUBLIC SHOULD NOT HAVE TO RECONSTRUCT AN EVENT'S FINANCES FROM MEETING TRANSCRIPTS, NEWS REPORTS, AND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST. I'M ASKING THIS COUNCIL TO DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER, FINANCE DIRECTOR, AND CITY ATTORNEY TO RETURN WITH A CITY SPONSORED SPECIAL EVENTS, FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY SPON - AND SPONSORSHIP ETHICS POLICY. ESTABLISH A $15,000 MAXIMUM DIRECT CITY EXPENDITURE PER EVENT, PUT A CAP ON IT, 15 GRAND. USE SOME CREATIVITY, YOU CAN DO IT. ANYTHING ABOVE THAT SHOULD BE REQUIRED SPECIFIC COUNCIL APPROVAL IN OPEN SESSION. REQUIRE DISCLOSURE FOR THE TRUE COST OF EVERY EVENT, EMPLOYEE TIME, OVERTIME, POLICE, FIRE, PUBLIC WORKS, EQUIPMENT, WAY FEES, AND OTHER IN-KIND RESOURCES. REQUIRE A PUBLIC BUDGET BEFORE THE EVENT AND COMPLETE FINANCIAL RECONCILIATION AFTERWARDS SHOWING EXPENDITURES, VENDOR REVENUE, SPONSORSHIP REVENUE, ATTENDANCE, AND THE NET COST TO TAXPAYERS. FOR SPONSORSHIPS, ESTABLISH A $500 MAXIMUM PER SPONSOR AGGREGATED ACROSS AFFILIATE ENTITIES WITH ALL SPONSORSHIPS MONEY PAID DIRECTLY TO THE CITY, PROCESS THROUGH FINANCE AND PUBLICLY DISCLOSED, AND ESTABLISH SAFEGUARDS CONCERNING CONTRACTORS, BIDDERS, DEVELOPERS, APPLICANTS, LOBBYISTS, AND OTHERS WITH BUSINESS PENDING BEFORE THE CITY. I'M NOT ASKING THIS COUNCIL TO CONCLUDE THAT ANYONE ACTED IMPROPERLY, I'M ASKING YOU TO ESTABLISH RULES SO TAXPAYERS NEVER HAVE TO WONDER. COMMUNITY EVENTS, [01:00:01] ABSOLUTELY. BYE. DOUG FOR, FOLLOWED BY PEDRO GONZALEZ, FOLLOWED BY RAFAEL CASTELLON. HI, GUYS. DOUG FOUR. I LIVE IN DISTRICT FIVE BUSINESSES IN DISTRICT TWO. UM, I OWN BUN STREET SCOOP STREET AND WE'RE WA - WE ARE WORKING ON A THIRD RESTAURANT RIGHT NOW DOWN THERE. UM, I JUST WANT TO THANK, UH, MS. DIAZ FOR COMING OUT TODAY TO THE HISTORIC WEST COVINA BUSINESS DISTRICT MEETING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING. THANK YOU FOR CITY STAFF FOR COMING TO, UM, YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS MORE THAN WILLING TO COME DOWN, HELP US OUT WITH OUR PROBLEMS. UM, I HAD A BIG PROBLEM IN OUR DOWNTOWN DISTRICT LAST FRIDAY AT ABOUT SEVEN O'CLOCK. I CALLED MATT, THE PUBLIC SAFETY MANAGER, AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WITHIN ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF, HE HAD THE TWO PROBLEMS THAT I HAD SOLVED. UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, FEELS REALLY GOOD FROM A BUSINESS OWNER. UM, HE TOOK CARE OF THE ISSUE AND IT WAS AWESOME. UM, AND I THANK MATT FOR DOING THAT. ALSO, LIEUTENANT STREET, UM, HAS BEEN SO PROACTIVE WITH, UM, ALL THE RIFFRAFF THAT GOES ON DOWN THERE. AND, UM, HE'S A NEW LIEUTENANT TO OUR AREA AND HE IS DOING AWESOME DOWN THERE AND WE ARE VERY THANKFUL TO HAVE HIM. SO THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. PEDRO GONZALEZ, FOLLOWED BY RAFAEL CASTELLON, FOLLOWED BY MARK VANDEREB. SOMEBODY'S PHONE. IT'S FINE. YEAH. GOOD EVENING. UM, I'M NOT HERE TO COMPLAIN. I'M HERE TO, UH, LET THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, UH, SHARE PART OF MY STORY HERE. I, UH, FI - I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF CAL - OF WEST COVINA FOR 30 YEARS, DECEMBER, 30 YEARS. AND THE LAST FIVE YEARS I'VE HAD A DEAL WITH THIS CLOWN HERE IS THE PIECE OF S**T THAT YOU GUYS HIRED, UM, BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T FIND ANYBODY ELSE. YOU HAD TO LOWER THE STANDARDS TO, UM, PUT THIS GUY IN, IN OFFICE. I, UM, MY EXPERIENCE GOES BACK TO HIM WITH A TURF THAT I INSTALLED IN MY HOUSE. IT WASN'T AGAINST LAW BACK THEN, BUT IT IS NOW. NOW IT'S A CRIME. UM, I GOT A TICKET. I PAID. I FILED AN APPEAL. TWO WEEKS LATER OR THREE WEEKS LATER, I GOT ANOTHER TICKET. AND I GOT, AND I, I APPEALED THAT. BEFORE I HAD MY FIRST HEARING, BEFORE I HAD MY FIRST APPEAL HEARING, I GOT A THIRD TICKET. MIND YOU, THE FIRST ONE WAS ALREADY IN PLACE. AND, UM, HE SHOWED UP AFTER I, I CAME TO THIS SAME BODY AND I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PROCESS OF VIOLATING MY DUE PROCESS RIGHTS. AND THE MAYOR WAS, UH, DARIO, I THINK, CASTELLANOS. AND, UH, HE SAID EMAIL HIM AND I EMAILED EVERYBODY ON THIS, ON THIS PLATFORM HERE. AND PAULINA, BECAUSE DAVE WAS IN, UH, I USED TO DEAL WITH DAVE BECAUSE DAVE WAS, WAS IN CHARGE AND I USED TO TAKE CARE OF THE FIELDS AT, BASEBALL FIELDS AT CORTEZ PARK FOR THE LITTLE LEAGUE. ANYWAYS, LONG STORY SHORT, UM, HE SHOWED UP AT THE HEARING AND THE GUY TOLD ME IT WAS, IT WAS NOT NORMAL FOR THE HEAD OF, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY TO SHOW UP OR WHATEVER IT IS. AND, UH, HE WAS TOLD ON A SIDEBAR, "THE ONLY THING I CAN HEAR IS THAT YOU CAN'T DO THAT." SO THE CITY LOST. I GOT MY $800 BACK AND YEAR AFTER YEAR, I GET THE SAME TICKET. AND I WOULD TELL THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WHAT, UH, CHECK THE FILE, YOU'VE ALREADY LOST. OKAY? THEN THAT'S THE END OF IT. THEN PRIVATELY, I HAVE, I'M, I'M HEARING THAT THE PRESSURE'S COMING FROM THE THIRD FLOOR. THAT WAS FROM ONE OF THE LADIES. AND TWO OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, THEY ACTUALLY COMPLAINED ABOUT HIM AND SOME OTHER GUY. I DIDN'T KNOW WHO THE OTHER GUY WAS UNTIL I READ THE EMAILS. OKAY? UM, I GOT CITED AGAIN LAST YEAR AND I TOLD THE GUY, "CHECK THE FILE. YOU'VE ALREADY LOST." WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT YOU GUYS CHANGED THE CODE. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU CHANGED THE CODE. AND WHY? BECAUSE THIS CLOWN SAID THEY NEEDED TO MAKE IT STICK. DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. READ HIS EMAILS, OKAY? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY TONY WU'S EMAILS WEREN'T INCLUDED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE LAW GIVES YOU 10 DAYS AND IT TOOK YOU SIX WEEKS TO GET BACK. NOW THEY'RE GONNA - THANK YOU. NOW THEY'RE AFTER ME CRIMINALLY. FILE YOUR CRIMINAL CHARGES. I'LL SEE YOU IN COURT. RAFAEL CASTELLANOS, FOLLOWED BY MARK VANDEREP, FOLLOWED BY HOWARD VANDEREP. EXCUSE ME, RAFAEL CASTELLON. THANK YOU. [01:05:09] I HAVE A DISTASTE FOR, UH, PEOPLE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE CITY AND DO NOTHING. THEY DO NOTHING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER. I REFUSE TO BE ONE OF THEM. THANKS FOR APPOINTING ME ON THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. I WAS ABLE TO FIND OUT WHERE THE MONEY GOES. THANKS TO CHIEF CORTINA. I WAS ABLE TO BE PART OF, UH, THE CITIZENS ACADEMY AND FIND OUT WHAT THE SAFETY NEEDS ARE NEEDED FOR THE CITY. WELL, COVINO, WE'RE FAILING. YOUR NEEDS ARE BEING IGNORED. WE SPENT 69,000 ON A BOBO PARTY WHILE WE'RE FAILING TO RESOLVE THE STREET ISSUE, THE STREET PARKING ISSUE, WHICH WE CREATED. WE SPENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON FESTIVALS WHILE WE'RE CUTTING BACK ON PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH IS STILL THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE ON OUR LIST. JUST TO CLARIFY, CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY ARE GOING DOWN. VIOLENT CRIMES ARE GOING UP. THESE FACTS, THESE FIGURES ARE EASILY OBTAINED. ANYBODY WHO QUESTIONS THEM EITHER IS NOT LOOKING OR IS TRYING TO HIDE SOMETHING. I'M HERE TO FORMALLY RESIGN FROM THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. THINGS WILL NOT GET BETTER. WE NEED IMMEDIATE CHANGE. ALI, YOUR COURAGE AND YOUR HUMILITY WILL BE NEEDED. BRIAN, I DON'T AGREE WITH ANYTHING, BUT I ENJOY THE WORK YOU DO. I ENJOY YOUR PASSION AND I KNOW WHERE IT'S COMING FROM. YOU GUYS ARE GONNA NEED HELP. THERE'S A GUY NAMED CARLOS YADO WHO CARES ENOUGH TO HELP AND HE KNOWS WHO HE'S TALKING ABOUT. SO WITH THAT, I SAY THANK YOU AND GOODBYE. MARK VANDERAB, FOLLOWED BY HOWARD VANDEREBB, FOLLOWED BY DI- DIANE TORRES. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS MARK VANDERAB, AND I AM A RESIDENT AT 2615 ALTAMIRA DRIVE. THE DEBRIS OVERGROWTH AND DEAD VEGETATION BY OUR HOUSES CONTINUE TO FILL OUR HILLSIDE AND POSE A SAFETY RISK DUE TO THE INSTABILITY OF THE SOIL. ON SEPTEMBER 28TH, A MAINTENANCE CREW CAME BY THE HILL WITH A LEAF BLOWER TO REMOVE SOME OF THE LOOSE DEBRIS AS DIRECTED BY MR. MILAN. HOWEVER, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PICTURES HANDED TO YOU, THE DEBRIS WAS SIMPLY MOVED FROM THE V DITCHES WHERE THE RAINWATER DRAINS ONTO THE HILL ITSELF. THIS DOES NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH THE STABILITY OF THE HILLSIDE. LEAVING LEAVES, LOOSE VEGETATION AND WASTE ON THE HILLSIDE NOT ONLY DISRUPTS THE NATURAL GROUND COVER, BUT CAN CLOG THE V DRAINS WHEN IT RAINS. CLOGGING OF THE DRAINS WILL CAUSE THE WATER TO OVERFLOW, SATURATE THE HILL, AND DESTABILIZE THE SOIL FURTHER. WE IMPLORE YOU TO CLEAR THE DEBRIS AND KEEP UP PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE SO AS TO PREVENT FURTHER EROSION OF THE HILL. THE URGENCY OF OUR REQUEST IS GROWING AS THE EL NINO STORM IS LOOMING NEAR AND OUR SAFETY REMAINS AT RISK. THANK YOU. HOWARD VANDEREBB FOLLOWED BY DIANE TORRES, FOLLOWED BY YVONNE VANDEREBB. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL AND COUNCIL STAFF. MY NAME IS HOWARD AND I LIVE ON ALTAMIRA DRIVE. IN THE PICTURES BROUGHT BEFORE YOU ON PAGE ONE, THE BEFORE PICTURES SHOWS THE VIEW FROM OUR BACKYARD WITH A CLEAR SIGHT OF THE HOUSES BELOW. THE AFTER PICTURE SHOWS OVERGROWN TREES. THOSE TREES ARE LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILLSIDE BEFORE THE WALKWAY, THE PASEO, JUST BEFORE THE CUL-DE-SAC EAST OF TEMPLE AVENUE. WE PAY ADDITIONAL TAXES FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE TREES AND VEGETATION AND THE TREES HAVE OVERGROWN. WE'RE REQUESTING THE CITY TO TRIM THE OVERGROWN TREES JUST LIKE WHAT WAS DONE ON SHADOW OAK DRIVE RECENTLY. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE TWO. WE ARE REVISITING THE HILLSIDE ISSUE. THE BEFORE PICTURE SHOWS LUSH GREEN HEDGES ALONG THE HILLSIDE AND NOTICE THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO OUR WALL. THE AFTER PICTURE SHOWS THAT THE HILLSIDE IS BARREN AND THE WALL IS LEANING. [01:10:01] WE ARE ASKING THE CITY TO PROTECT THE HILLSIDE BEFORE THE EL NINO RAINS TO PREVENT EROSION AND FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE WALLS. IN CLOSING, THE LAST PAGE HAS ADDITIONAL PICTURES. THE TOP PICTURES ARE BARREN, OUR BARREN HILLSIDE, AND THE LAST PICTURE SHOWS MORE OVERGROWN TREES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DIANE TORRES FOLLOWED BY YVONNE VANDEREPP, FOLLOWED BY PATRICIA MENDOZA. GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL. MY NAME IS DIANE TORRES AND I'M READING A REPORT OF THE CONCERNS ON BEHALF OF SHENNY BARRERA NORWELL, WHO IS A RESIDENCE AT 2611 ALTAMIRA DRIVE. AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, SHE IS SAYING THAT DURING THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEETING DATED NINE / 15 / 26, WE MADE OUR CONCERNS KNOWN REGARDING THE HILLSIDE EROSION AND LACK OF MAINTENANCE AFFECTING OUR HOMES. I HAVE TAKEN PICTURES OF MY PROPERTY AND THE ISSUES THAT ARE AFFECTING IT. SHE'S POST... PAGE ONE, MY BACK PATIO FACING THE HILLSIDE IS ALL CONCRETE. THE CONCRETE HAS LIFTED BY SEVERAL INCHES. THE CRACKS ARE GROWING AND WIDENING. PAGE TWO. IT'S MY SPECULATION THAT THE 60 FOOT TREE LOCATED ON THE HILLSIDE IS LIFTING THE CONCRETE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EROSION HAPPENING ON THE HILLSIDE. PAGE THREE, A CLOSE UP OF A LARGER CRACK HAS LIFTED APPROXIMATELY TWO INCHES. THE CONCRETE WIDTH SEPARATION HAS GROWN OVER ONE INCH. PAGE FOUR. SOUTH SIDE WALL IS COMPRISED VERTICALLY APPROXIMATELY SIX FEET FROM TOP TO BOTTOM AND SEVERAL INCHES AND WIDTH IN SOME AREAS. PAGE FIVE. MY ENTIRE PATIO IS SHOWING SIGNIFICANT CONCRETE SEPARATION WHICH REACHES MY SLIDING DOOR. THE CRACKS ARE BECOMING MORE PRONOUNCED LENGTHWISE AND WIDTHWISE. PAGE SIX SHOWS A CLOSE UP OF THE PATIO CONCRETE SEPARATION. PAGE SEVEN IS A CLOSE UP OF MY GARAGE CONCRETE SEPARATION RUNNING ACROSS THE ENTIRE GARAGE. PAGE EIGHT. SOUTH SIDE BRICK WALL PLANTER IS SHOWING SEVERAL INCHES OF SEPARATION AND LEANING. NOT SHOWN ARE ALSO SEVERAL CRACKS IN MY LIVING ROOM FLOOR, CEILING, FRONT PATIO AND DRIVEWAY. THESE CRACKS AND SEPARATIONS ARE NOT MINOR HAIRLINE CRACKS, BUT SUBSTANTIAL IN NATURE. THESE ISSUES ARE EXTREMELY SERIOUS. OUR HOMES ARE AFFECTED BY THE EROSION AND LACK OF VEGETATION THAT HAS TROUBLED THE HILLSIDE FOR YEARS. WE ARE THEREFORE SEEKING THE CITY, THE CITY'S IMMEDIATE ATTENTION TO MAINTAINING AND PROTECTING THE HILLSIDE, OUR HOMES AND OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. YVONNE VANDEREPP, FOLLOWED BY PATRICIA MENDOZA, FOLLOWED BY JESUS GOMEZ. HELLO COUNCIL MEMBERS. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO THANK BOTH OUR NEIGHBORS AT THE CUL-DE-SACS BELOW THE HILLSIDE AND OUR SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS OF ALTAMIRA DRIVE, ALTAMIRA CIRCLE FOR YOUR CONCERNS AND YOUR SIGNATURES OF SUPPORT, SIGNATURES OF SUPPORT. AS A REMINDER, I AM ONE OF THE 10 RESIDENTS THAT MADE A CLAIM OVER SEVEN MONTHS AGO REGARDING THE UNSTABLE AND SHIFTING HILLSIDE BEHIND OUR HOMES. WE UNDERSTAND THAT A UNANIMOUS VOTE FROM THE COUNCIL RESULTED IN CONTACTING A GEOLOGIST TO COME OUT AND SURVEY THE HILLSIDE, AND THEN DECISIONS WILL BE MADE AS TO WHAT ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE COUNCIL FOR THIS DECISION, BUT ALL OF THIS WILL TAKE TIME THAT WE DO NOT HAVE. OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY RIGHT NOW, AND I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, IS FOR THE CITY TO TAKE ACTION AND PROTECT THE HILLSIDE BEFORE THE RAINS COME. WE ARE ASKING THE COUNCIL TO BE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN REACTIVE. WE ARE NERVOUS AND SCARED FOR [01:15:01] OUR HOMES AND OUR SAFETY, SO PLEASE GIVE US, GIVE US SOME RELIEF AND COMMIT TO PROTECTING THE HILLSIDE BEFORE THE RAINS COME AND CAUSE MORE DAMAGE. MYLAN, PER YOUR SEPTEMBER 26TH EMAIL, YOU WENT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HILLSIDE, TOOK PICTURES OF THE SCENERY AND MADE A VISUAL ASSESSMENT OF THE VEGETATION AND TREES. ALTHOUGH YOU RECOGNIZED THAT YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERT ON WHEN TARPS ARE BENEFICIAL, YOU SAID THE HILLSIDE APPEARS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OTHER HILLSIDES IN THE AREA. BUT WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, SIR, I ALSO TOOK PICTURES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HILLSIDE BECAUSE YOUR PICTURES DID NOT SHOW THE EXTENT OF THE ACTUAL DAMAGE ON THE HILL AND THE HILLTOP WHERE YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE LEANING AND SEPARATION OF OUR FENCING. THERE ARE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION, FOUNDATIONS AND PATIOS. NEIGHBORS HAVE ALSO REPORTED CRACKS IN THEIR POOLS AND LIVING ROOM WALLS. ALL OF THESE ARE DAMAGES... ALL OF THESE DAMAGES ARE SHOWING A SIGNIFICANT SIGN OF THE INSTABILITY OF THE HILLSIDE WITHOUT PROTECTION IN PLACE AND WHEN EL NINO COMES, IT WILL HIT THE HILL. WATER WILL RUSH DOWN THE SLOPE AND DISRUPT THE GROUND COVER, WHICH CURRENTLY CONSISTS OF BOTH DEAD TREES AND BUSHES, LOOSE LEAVES, DEBRIS AND WASTE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A DANGEROUS DEBRIS FLOW OR MUDSLIDE. THANK YOU. PATRICIA MENDOZA, FOLLOWED BY JESUS GOMEZ, FOLLOWED BY COLLEEN ROSATI. UH, HELLO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILS. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I BELIEVE WAS JUNE, SO JULY AND AUGUST WE DIDN'T COME OR SEPTEMBER. JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK STATUS REGARDING MS. JESUS GOMEZ AND HER HUSBAND'S PROPERTY. UM, I WAS ABLE TO LOCATE TITLE INSURANCE FOR THEIR PROPERTY. IT'S LAWYER'S TITLE NOW IN FLORIDA, JACKSONVILLE, IN FLORIDA. AND BETWEEN JULY AND AUGUST, A NEW OWNER CAME IN, IN THE COUNTY OF NORTH NORWALK. IT'S A FEMALE, BUT I THINK SHE'S A GOOD FRIEND WITH THE INVESTOR. SUPPOSEDLY SHE BOUGHT CASH THE SAME AMOUNT WHAT THEY OWED, 380. BUT THE FUNNY THING, THEY RECENTLY GOT A LETTER TELLING CONGRATS TO MIGUEL GOMEZ, MRS. JUS - JESUS' HUSBAND SAYING, "THANK YOU FOR THE FULL PAYMENT. YOUR HOUSE IS PAID OFF. WITHIN 30, 90 DAYS YOU WILL BE GETTING A LIEN." BUT THE BANK DOESN'T KNOW THAT MIGUEL GOMEZ IS NO LONGER AT THE COUNTY. SO WHAT I DID, I GOOGLED IT, WHAT IS THE PROCESS WITHOUT CALLING? THEY SAID THAT THE BANK WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH NORWALK AND KIND OF I GET, MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH SOME KIND OF DOCUMENTS AND THEN HE'LL GET A LIEN. THAT'S LIKE AN OPEN DOOR FOR A LAWSUIT. WHY SEND LETTERS TO THESE PEOPLE, TO THE INVESTOR, THE GIRL THAT'S CLAIMING SHE'S THE OWNER, AND TO ALL THE TITLE COMPANIES, AND I AM GETTING REPLIES AND HOPEFULLY EVERYTHING IS GONNA COME OUT OKAY. WHERE I HAVE A PROBLEM AND I'M GONNA ASK TODAY THAT I'M GONNA NEED YOUR HELP, THIS COMMITTEE AND THE MAYOR AND THE CITY ATTORNEY, UM, I CAME TO TALK PRIOR ATTENDING THE MEETINGS TO A POLICE OFFICER, VERY NICE, HUMBLE. HE DID A, A REPORT, BUT IT'S JUST IN A PIECE OF PAPER. I THOUGH HE WAS GONNA DO A REGULAR REPORT, LIKE AN AUTO ACCIDENT AND WITH A FEW PAGES AND THEN I'LL DO HIS INVESTIGATION. HE DIDN'T DO NONE OF THAT. ALL HE TOLD ME WAS, "OH, HAVE TITLE COMPANY CALL ME." UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T WANNA DO INVESTIGATION UNDER THESE REAL ESTATE AGENT COMPANIES AND RE/MAX BECAUSE THEY ARE DEFRAUDING MANY PEOPLE AND IT'S A BIG GROUP. IT'S LIKE A GANG. YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED, EVEN CONSTRUCTION PEOPLE. I ALREADY MET THEM. AND, UM, WHEN TITLE COMPANY CALLS ME OR I DEAL WITH THEM FOR MR. GO - UH, MIGUEL GOMEZ, THEY'RE GONNA ASK ME, "DO YOU HAVE A POLICE REPORT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHO HAVE YOU REPORTED THIS AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" IT'S THE LAW, IF YOU GOOGLE IT. IF THERE'S A CRIME COMMITTED, ESPECIALLY ON PROPERTIES AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DEFRAUDED, ESPECIALLY A SENIOR CITIZEN, IT'S THE LAW. THEY HAVE TO DO A POLICE REPORT. AND THEN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, HOPEFULLY, AND I PRAY, WILL SEND IT TO THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT ATTORNEY. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I'M OKAY WITH THAT. THESE PEOPLE ARE GETTING AWAY. WE'RE, UM, MIGUEL GOMEZ, I DON'T THINK HE'S THE ONLY VICTIM. UM, I [01:20:01] MET THESE PEOPLE. THANK YOU. JESUS GOMEZ, FOLLOWED BY COLLEEN ROSATI, FOLLOWED BY HERMAN. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE, MIGUEL, JESUS GOMEZ WOULD LIKE ME TO RELATE THIS. YOU KNOW, IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS, IT'S A LOT. EVERY DAY YOU LEARN SOMETHING, IT KEEP, IT KEEPS GOING. IT DOESN'T STOP. THE MORE I DIG, IT'S THE MORE... FRAUD, FRAUD. WELL, WHAT THE F**K ARE THEY GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? I HAVE TO REPORT THIS MATTER TO THE UNITED SECRET SERVICE FOR ELDER FRAUD, EXPLOITATION OF PROPERTY, PROPERTY THEFT, FRAUD, REAL ESTATE SIGNATURES ON ACCOUNT OR FORGED SIGNATURES, CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP OF BANK ACCOUNTS OR THE DEED TO A PHYSICAL PROPERTY SUCH AS A HOME OR FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION. THAT'S JUST ONE DEPARTMENT. I HAVE TO REPORT IT TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AT CENTRAL DISTRICT, NATIONAL ELDER FRAUD, THE FBI, THE STATE, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF NOTARIES INVOLVED IN ALL THIS PAPERWORK FOR THE INVESTOR AND THE NEW GIRL THAT CAME IN, AND, UH, THE STATE BAR FOR THE ATTORNEYS I REPRESENT IN THE INVESTOR. I HAVE THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL FRAUD CO - UM, OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUD FIELD OFFICE, USA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HUD, CONSUMER AND BUSINESS, AND THE REAL ESTATE FRAUD COMPLAINT FORM. I'M TALKING ABOUT 13 OFFICES YET THAT HAVEN'T FILED. I'M STILL WAITING FOR A POLICE REPORT, AND NO ONE HAS TAKEN US SERIOUS. UM, I WENT TO THE CITY OF EL MONTE, WE ATTENDED THE, THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THIS GIRL THAT JUST RECENTLY CAME IN IN THE NORWALK REGISTRATION AS THE LEGAL OWNER, SHE'S CLAIMING SHE PAID CASH. SHE REMODELED A WHOLE HOMETOWN PROPERTY WITH NO PERMITS. NOW THAT SHE'S IN THE DEED, THEY'RE SUPPORTING HER AND THE CITY INSPECTORS, AND THEY'RE COMPLETELY IGNORING US. BUT NOW I HAVE THIS. I CAN SLAP THEIR FACE IN A WHITE CLUB. HE'S THE LEGAL OWNER. SO WH - ARE YOU GONNA HAVE RESPECT FOR THE PERSON THAT PAID THE HOUSE IN FULL? IT'S GONNA GET A LIEN OR SOMEONE THAT'S REGISTERED IN THE COUNTY. SO YOU CAN SAY, "WELL, THERE'S TWO PEOPLE THAT LEGALLY OWN IT." SHE'S LIVING IN THE PROPERTY, AND, UM, I INTRODUCED MS. GOMEZ AND HER HUSBAND TO MY BROTHER, MY ONLY BROTHER, MY TWIN. UM, HE USED, HE'S A BROKER. HE USED TO DO THIS MANY YEARS AGO. HE DOESN'T REALLY DO THIS ANYMORE. AND THE FUNNY THING HE, HE SAID WHEN I TOLD HIM, HE SAID, "WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PROPERTY THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE LIKE OBS- OBSESSED?" AND I'VE BEEN TELLING HER, I GO, "WHAT'S IN THE PRIVATE AREA? I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING LAUNDRY MONEY. THEY JUST PAID CASH AND THEY'RE DOING OTHER THINGS." AND THE SAD PART HERE, I'M GONNA SAY IT BECAUSE I'M NOT PERFECT. I CAN BE GHETTO. THESE PEOPLE ARE FROM EL SALVADOR. THEY'RE GUATEMALA. THEY'RE VERY, VERY GHETTO PEOPLE. THEY'RE LIKE THE WORST OF THE WORST. AND, UH, WE ALREADY GOT HARASSED AND BULLIED BY THEM. SO I'M GONNA NEED A POLICE REPORT, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT - THANK YOU ALL. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS COLLEEN ROSATO - ROSATI, FOLLOWED BY HERMAN, FOLLOWED BY CARLOS YADO. GOOD EVENING, COLLEEN ROSATI. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT WEST COMMUNITY BEAUTIFUL. I'M CURRENTLY THE PRESIDENT AND CEO. THIS IS A 78-YEAR-OLD NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION HERE IN THE CITY, AND WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR 78TH YEAR WITH OUR ANNUAL FASHION SHOW AND CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH. THIS IS OUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISER THAT WE DO EVERY YEAR. IT'S QUITE SUCCESSFUL AND PEOPLE LOOK FORWARD TO IT. IT'S ONE OF THE FEW COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT WE HAVE THAT PEOPLE LIKE TO COME TO AND ENJOY AND SEE FRIENDS, AND IT'S FUN. I KNOW YOU'VE COME, LETY, AND SO HAS BRIAN AND OLE, SO THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING WITH THAT. THE FUNDS THAT ARE RAISED AT THIS EVENT GO RIGHT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED HASH - IMPACT, WHICH IS HELPING SENIORS AND RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE HAVING A HARDSHIP CLEANING UP THEIR YARDS. THEY'VE BEEN CITED BY THE CITY, WHICH GIVES THEM MORE STRESS. AND SO WE REACH OUT TO THEM AND LEND A HELPING HAND, IF YOU WILL. IT'S ALL VOLUNTEER BASED. WE DON'T CHARGE ANYTHING. THE FUNDS THAT WE RAISE AT THIS PARTICULAR EVENT HELP BEAUTIFY THEIR PROPERTY. ALONG WITH THAT, WE DO THE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY TOUR THAT'S COMING UP IN DECEMBER, THE HELP KEEP WEST COVINA BEAUTIFUL ART CONTEST, [01:25:01] WHERE THE FUNDS THAT ARE RAISED TO THAT GO TO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE HERE AT WEST COVINA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. THAT'S JUST TO NAME A FEW THINGS. SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING SOME POSITIVE INFORMATION OUR COMING EVENT. IT IS NOVEMBER 8TH. IT'LL BE AT SOUTH HILLS COUNTRY CLUB. I HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US, AND IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, JUST GO TO WEST COVINA BEAUTIFUL FACEBOOK OR REACH OUT TO US AT INSTAGRAM. THANKS SO MUCH. HERMAN, FOLLOWED BY CARLOS YADO. UM, GOOD, GOOD MORNING, UM, CITY MANAGER. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE, THE, THE SPEAKER CARD RIGHT HERE. IT SAYS, UH, FIVE MINUTES, BUT THE CITY CLERK AND THE MAYOR SAID ONLY THREE MINUTES, SO I WISH THAT IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN THAT WHEN I ASK THE CITY CLERK, SHE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING. UM, SO, UM, I AM HERE. I, I WANT TO ASK OUR CITY MANAGER, UH, TO, TO TRY TO PROVOTE, UH, PRO- PRO- PROMOTE, UH, UH, A PEACEFUL, UH, COUNCIL MEETING ENVIRONMENT. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS RECENTLY, UH, I READ ON THE NEWS, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, OUR, UH, MAYOR IS TRYING TO SUE THE COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ OR SOMETHING. SO BASICALLY, I'M SENSING THERE'S, UH, SOME SORT OF A CIVIL WAR IN THE, UH, UH, IN THE, UH, UH, UH, WEST COVINA CITY COUNCIL, AND I'M ALSO AWARE THAT, UH, GUTIERREZ HAS, UH, UH, UH, HAS, UH, UM, UH, THE, THE, THE DISABLED, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WITH AUTISM. UH, THAT REALLY TOUCHED MY HEART BECAUSE I AM ALSO... I WA - I, I ALSO WAS BORN WITH AUTISTIC DISORDER, AND THEN SO FROM THAT, I DEFINITELY FEEL THE PAIN, UM, OF THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BRIAN GUTIERREZ. AND I WANT TO, UH, SHARE ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MY EXPERIENCE, UH, WITH THE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION. UH, I WORK AT THE AMAZON WAREHOUSE FOR TWO YEARS, AND THEN I WAS IN CHARGE WITH THE AISLE BETWEEN 25 TO 50, AND I HAVE TWO COWORKER, AND BOTH OF THEM ARE FEMALE. UH, ONE DAY THAT, UM, UH, I JUST REALIZED THAT THEY INTENTIONALLY LEAVE THE HEAVY BOX TO ME. THEY INTENTIONALLY, UH, UH, DOING THE BOXES, THOSE ARE LIGHTER OR TINY OR SMALL TO THEM. AND THEN EVENTUALLY, I TOLD MY MANAGER, I TOLD THE TWO FEMALE COWORKER, AND I SAID, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. STOP. I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE ALL THOSE HEAVY BOXES ANYMORE. WE GOTTA PAY THE SAME. I DON'T GET PAID EXTRA, AND I'M GONNA DO THE SAME WEIGHT OF WORK AS YOU DO." AND THEN AS A RESULT OF THAT, I WAS TERMINATED ON THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATION CHARGE, AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, UNEMPLOYED RIGHT NOW. OBVIOUSLY, I DON'T HAVE A JOB BECAUSE SO-CALLED, UH, SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATION. SO THAT IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE SEXUAL, UH, HARASSMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATION. AND THEN, UM, I DON'T KNOW THE STORY ABOUT THIS ONE, BUT ONE TIME I WAS ABLE... I WAS TRYING TO CALL THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE. I WAS TRYING TO ASK, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS HER NAME, BUT, UH, UH, I WAS ASKING FOR, FOR GETTING SOME PUBLIC RECORD RELATED, UH, W- WITH THIS, SOME SORT OF CIVIL WAR, BUT SOMEHOW SHE HANG UP THE PHONE A LITTLE BIT TOO QUICK. AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, I'M NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE PICTURE OF THE, OF THE WAR, O- O- OF THE FIGHT, BUT I WANT TO MAKING SURE THE CITY MANAGER, YOU PROMOTE A PEACEFUL COUNCIL MEETING SO EVERYONE MOVING FORWARD TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL INSTEAD OF FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER. THAT'S WHAT I NEED. THANK YOU. CARLOS. GOOD EVENING. UH, SO FOR MONTHS, WE'VE PUSHED THESE POLICIES FORWARD. UH, COUNCIL'S PUSHED THESE DIFFERENT INITIATIVES FORWARD, DEFENDED THEM. I THINK YOU WERE GIVING MYLAN A HARD TIME ABOUT THE STREET SWEEPING, WHY HE DIDN'T HAVE IT SQUARED AWAY YET. AND, UM, AND NOW IT SEEMS LIKE ELECTION DAY IS APPROACHING AND WE'RE DOING IT ABOUT FACE AND, UH, GOING WITH A DIFFERENT TONE. RESIDENTS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO ASK WHETHER THESE CHANGES ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE OF POLICIES WERE WRONG OR BECAUSE CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL ARE TRYING TO REGAIN PUBLIC FAVOR AND SECURE VOTES, AS I LOOK AT YOU TWO, BECAUSE YOU SPEARHEADED THIS. WE SAW IT WITH THE MARKET ISSUES, YOU HARASSED OUR, OUR, OUR FARMER'S MARKET, OUR NIGHT MARKET, THERE WAS A COMMUNITY BENEFIT. UM, AND NOW WE'RE SEEING THIS DIFFERENT APPROACH WITH THE STREET SWEEPING. SO MY QUESTION IS VERY SIMPLE. WHERE WAS THAT APPROACH FROM THE BEGINNING? THESE DECISIONS HAVE REAL CONSEQUENCES. STREET SWEEPING ACTUALLY BECAME A PART OF OUR FAMILY LIFE IN THE CALENDAR, WARNING OUR NEIGHBORS, HAVING TO COMMUNICATE, MOVING VEHICLES. IT WAS JUST A PAIN IN THE BUTT. UM, AND I'VE KNOCKED ON A LOT OF RESIDENTS DOORS, SPOKEN TO A LOT OF RESIDENTS WHO HAD TO CHANGE THEIR, THEIR LIVES. THEY, THEY DID DIFFERENT MODIFICATIONS THEY'RE LANDSCAPING. [01:30:01] SOME OF THEM GOT RID OF VEHICLES BECAUSE THEY WERE, THEY WERE INTIMIDATED BY THIS. UM, AND THAT'S JUST A, A DISRUPTION CAUSED BY THE DECISIONS THAT, THAT THE MAJORITY HERE HAS, HAS VOTED FOR. AND AGAIN, GOVERNMENT SHOULD LISTEN FIRST, ENGAGE RESIDENTS, AND THEN, UH, UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES BEFORE MAKING THESE DECISIONS. IT SHOULDN'T TAKE PUBLIC PRESSURE OR IN THIS CASE, AN ELECTION FOR GOVERNMENT TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE. I ALSO RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT WALMARTO PARK. I APPRECIATE THE CITY FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THAT. I, I DROVE BY BEFORE I CAME HERE AND, AND, UH, THE ENCAMPMENT IS STILL THERE, BUT I APPRECIATE PICKING UP THE, THE FECES AND, AND THE URINE FROM THE CONCRETE. UM, AND IT SHOULDN'T TAKE, IT SHOULDN'T TAKE THAT, RIGHT? THESE PEOPLE, YOU HAVE KIDS THERE. THEY SAID THAT THEY REACHED OUT TO YOU, MAYOR, WITH NO RESPONSE. SO, UM, IT'S KIND OF A, A RESOUNDING ISSUE. AND SO WHEN, UH, ONE OTHER THING, SO FOR OUR CITY MANAGER, I JUST WANNA BRIEFLY ADDRESS PRO- PROFESSIONAL NEUTRALITY. WHEN A CITY MANAGER ATTENDS CAMPAIGN EVENTS INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY, RESIDENTS HAVE LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT POLITICAL IMPARTIALITY AND PUBLIC CONF- CONFIDENCE. THE CITY MANAGER SERVES THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION AND, UM, SHOULD ALSO REFER TO THE ICMA CODE OF, CODE OF ETHICS. AND LASTLY, TO YOU, LETICIA LOPEZ VILLATO, WE ARE LESS THAN 30 DAYS AWAY. UH, I'VE SEEN YOU QUITE A BIT NOW OUT THERE. I THINK IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR ELECTION SEASON TO SEE YOU OUT THERE DOING STUFF. UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION. PEOPLE ARE OBSERVING AND I THINK THAT THEY HAVE TO DECIDE, UH, WHAT LEADERSHIP THEY WANT AFTER NOVEMBER 3RD. AND ONE MORE NOTE, UH, IF YOU'RE OUT THERE MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT ME, I ABSOLUTELY WILL TAKE CARE OF IT. AND, UM, AGAIN, THAT'S, UH, UNCLASSY TO TRY TO GAIN VOTES THAT WAY. THANK YOU. I HAVE A SPEAKER CARD WITH THE NAME TRUMP ON IT. THE SAGA OF WEST COVINA. YOU KNOW, AT ONE POINT IN THIS CITY, THERE WAS A CHIEF OF POLICE INVOLVED IN SOME SEXUAL SCANDAL. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? A CHIEF WAS INVOLVED IN A SEXUAL SCANDAL. NOW, I'M GONNA READ SOMETHING WITHOUT USING OFFENSIVE WORDS BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE GET THEIR FEELINGS HURT, BUT I'M GONNA READ IT AS I RECEIVED IT. SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2026. REGARDLESS OF CHIEF COTINA'S PRIVATE MARITAL CIRCUMSTANCE, EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS RAISED LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT THE PUBLIC'S TRUST IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. WEST COVINA'S RESIDENTS AND CITY EMPLOYEES EXPECT THAT POSITIONS OF THE POLICE BE EXERCISED WITH PROFESSIONALISM, SOUND JUDGMENT, AND APPROPRIATE BOUNDARIES. NOW, WHAT ARE APPROPRIATE BOUNDARIES, EVERYBODY? IS IT THAT THE CHIEF CAN WEAR HIS BADGE AND HAVE SEXUAL AFFAIRS AT ANY TIME, ANY PLACE BECAUSE HE WEARS A BADGE AND A GUN? THAT'S A KICKER, RIGHT? THAT'S A KICKER. SO LET ME READ ON BECAUSE THIS STORY IS SO GREAT. IT SAYS HERE THAT THE WEST COVINA CHIEF CORTINA LIVES IN VENTURA. IS THAT TRUE? IS THAT TRUE? YES. THANK YOU. THERE'S A YES. AMEN. YEAH. SO NOW WE KNOW THAT WE'RE FULLY AWARE OF THE CHIEF COTINA'S SEXUAL CONDUCT. NOW, IS THE CITY POLICE CHIEF CHEATING OR SHOULD I CALL IT CHEATERS? WHO'S HE CHEATING WITH, EVERYBODY? WELL, THIS IS WHAT THE NARRATIVE STATES. WE ARE WRITING TO EXPRESS OUR SERIOUS CONCERNS REGARDING THE EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS THAT WEST COVINA POLICE CHIEF TONI, C-O-N-T-I-N-A FOR THE RECORD, IS CONDUCTING WITH COUNCILWOMAN LETI LOPEZ VIADO AND OTHER RESIDENTS OF OUR CITY. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I MEAN, I GET IT. YOU'RE A POLICE OFFICER, YOU'RE HORNY, YOU WANNA PLAY GAMES, YOU WANNA HAVE TWO AFFAIRS, THREE AFFAIRS, AND, AND, AND GO TO FIGUEROA STREET AND, AND SLEEP WITH DIRTY WOMEN. I GET IT. BUT BRIAN GUTIERREZ WAS RIGHT. THERE'S NO EXCUSE TO BRING IN LIQUOR BOTTLES TO EXPRESS THE WAY WE EXPRESS OURSELVES. BECAUSE IF I USE A WORD, IF I SAY A WORD LIKE PENAL CODE 422.55, [01:35:02] WHICH MEANS, AND I WILL ERITERATE IT TO MEAN WHAT IT DOESN'T MEAN IS THAT THIS PENAL CODE BY THIS DUMB DA SAYS THAT THAT'S HATE SPEECH. I ALSO HAVE A SPEAKER CARD WITH THE WORD COUNSEL ON IT AND THE WORD POLICE WITH SOME OTHER DEROGATORY TERMS. THE NEXT SPEAKER IS FRANCINE SANTA MARIA, FOLLOWED BY STEVE BENNETT, FOLLOWED BY BILL ROBINSON. UM, I DO HAVE SOME PICTURES. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK BRIAN GUTIERREZ AND ALI CANTOS FOR HELPING, UM, US, THE RESIDENTS OF ALTAMIRA, BY, UM, JUST TRYING TO SET FORTH SOME TYPE OF PROCEDURE FOR HELPING US ON OUR HILL. UM, YOU JUST GOT PICTURES. THESE ARE THE FIRST, UM, SET OF PICTURES WITH THE BLUE IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER IS MY HOME. UM, THE FIRST ONE ON THE LEFT SIDE IS THE WALL THAT IS COMING DOWN FROM THE HILL. IT'S SEPARATING. IT DIVIDES US FROM OUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE. IT IS OPEN ABOUT SIX INCHES CURRENTLY. THE SECOND PICTURE, THE MIDDLE PICTURE, TOP PICTURE, UM, IS OUR ONE INCH CRACK LEADING UP TO OUR POOL. IT RUNS FROM MY POOL ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF MY YARD. UM, THE THIRD PICTURE, UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER, IS THE, UH, SWIMMING POOL CRACK, WHICH WILL NEED TO BE FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT'S ABOUT FOUR FEET LONG AND THREE-EIGHTHS OF AN INCH WIDE. UH, THE LOWER LEFT-HAND CORNER IS THE TWO-INCH SEPARATION FROM OUR HOUSE AND THE WALL TO OUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE. THERE IS ABOUT A TWO-INCH GAP. UH, PICTURES FIVE AND SIX ARE CRACKS IN OUR PATIO THAT SEPARATE OUR PATIO FROM OUR HOUSE. SO EVEN THE FOUNDATION FROM OUR PATIO TO OUR HOME IS SEPARATING. UM, OUR CITY MANAGER SAID THAT OUR HILL WAS FINE. UH, GRANTED, HE DID STATE THAT HE'S NOT AN EXPERT. UM, AND HE TALKED, TOOK LOTS OF VERY LOVELY GREEN PICTURES OF OUR HILL. UM, MOSTLY FROM WHAT I COULD SEE WHEN I WALKED THE HILL, UH, THOSE ARE LOCATED AT THE ENDS OF THE HILL. UM, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE SECOND PAGE, UM, WE HAVE PICTURES OF THE GUTTERS THAT ARE COMPLETELY BLOCKED. UH, THERE IS A PICTURE, UM, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CLEANING THAT WAS DONE WHERE ALL THE DIRT WAS TAKEN OUT, UM, AND JUST BASICALLY PILED RIGHT NEXT TO IT. SO WHEN IT RAINS, I'M SURE THAT DIRT IS GOING RIGHT BACK IN THERE. I KNOW IT WAS SAID THAT IT WOULD BE CLEANED, BUT THERE ARE PICTURES OF, UM, BRICKS THAT FELL FROM LAST YEAR THAT ARE STILL THERE ON THAT HILLSIDE. UH, THERE ARE PICTURES OF CONCRETE THAT HAS FALLEN. THERE ARE PICTURES OF TREES THAT HAVE FALLEN THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT THERE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THAT HILL. UH, IN THE MIDDLE, BOTTOM PICTURE IS A PICTURE OF THE IRRIGATION, THE PIPES, UM, RIGHT OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE. IT WAS LEAKING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, UH, WHEN I FINALLY CALLED THE CITY. UM, THEY CAME AND JUST TURNED IT OFF. AND SO NOW WE HAVE LOTS OF BROWN. OKAY. MY TIME'S UP. STEVE BENNETT, FOLLOWED BY BILL ROBINSON, FOLLOWED BY LYNN BUBBERT. MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. INTERESTING NIGHT. YOU KNOW, I WAS HERE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND, UH, I POINTED OUT THAT, UH, TONY WU HAD PUT ON HIS MAILER THAT WE OPENED 3,400 BUSINESSES IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, FIRST PORTION OF THE YEAR. AND I GAVE HIM CREDIT FOR SIX MONTHS OF THAT AND LET HIM KNOW HOW MANY BUSINESSES IT WAS. AND I ASKED THE QUESTION, "IS OUR BUSINESS LICENSE CONTRACTOR DOING A GOOD JOB?" WELL, ACCORDING TO A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST, FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2026, THERE'S BEEN 155 BUSINESS LICENSES APPLIED FOR IN THE CITY OF WEST COVINA. IT'S A FAR CRY FROM 3,400 THAT TONY SAID IN HIS MAILER. [01:40:01] I, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE'S SHOCKED. I, I DON'T EVEN THINK MY MOUTH DROPPED BECAUSE IT'S JUST KIND OF COMMONPLACE TO KNOW THAT TONY ELABORATES. UM, PRETTY MUCH ANY NUMBER HE ELABORATES ON IS OUT OF CONTROL. BUT IT MADE ME REALIZE SOMETHING. I WAS SITTING THIS WEEKEND AND I MENTIONED TO YOU GUYS THAT I LIKE MOVIES, MENTIONED GROUNDHOG DAY WITH STREET SWEEPING AND, UH, STILL GOING ON. IT'S CRAZY. UM, IT'S LIKE THE GUY KEEPS COMING OUT OF HIS HOLE AND SEEING A SHADOW OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THIS IS GONNA END. BUT I WAS WATCHING A MOVIE. I WAS WATCHING BATMAN FOREVER. IT'S A GREAT MOVIE, RIGHT? IT HAS, UH, HAS JIM CAREY AS, AS THE RIDDLER. AND, YOU KNOW, MADE ME REALIZE ON THIS MOVIE, DOES IT REPRESENT THE CITY OF WEST COVINA? I MEAN, TONY, YOUR MATH ALONE COULD BE A RIDDLER. I MEAN, I, I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW YOU GOT TO THAT NUMBER. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY CRAZY. IT'S, UH, SHOCKING TO ME. BUT LET'S, LET'S MOVE ON. AND THEN I, I GOT TO THE OTHER JIM CAREY MOVIES AND I STARTED WONDERING WHO MY, ME, MYSELF AND IRENE BELONGS TO. AND WELL, I, I THINK WE KNOW THAT ONE, SO I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT ONE ALONE AND LET HER DEAL WITH THAT AT HOME. UM, THEN I, I THOUGH TO MYSELF, "WHAT OTHER JIM CAREY MOVIES ARE, ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS COUNCIL?" AND SURE OF THE WHOLE, DUMB AND DUMBER CAME UP. AND, AND YOU JUST, YOU JUST CAN'T, YOU CAN'T WRITE THIS STUFF. AND SO I WAS SITTING THERE AND I'M LIKE, "MAN, DOES JIM CAREY, DOES HE HAVE SOME FORETHOUGHT DECADES AGO TO KNOW THAT THESE WOULD BE RELEVANT TO THE CITY OF WEST COVINA?" AND THEN, AND THEN I SAT THERE AND I SAID, "OH MY GOD, IT'S AN EPIPHANY. WHO DO WE HAVE?" BUT TONY WU IS LIAR LIAR. ANOTHER JIM CAREY MOVIE. AND TONIGHT, I WILL TELL YOU THAT ALL OF THOSE ARE GREAT MOVIES. WE DO NOT NEED TO KEEP SEEING THEM PLAY OUT HERE IN THE CITY OF WEST COVINA. TONY, I HOPE YOU DO NOT GET THE OSCAR. GOODNIGHT. BILL ROBINSON, FOLLOWED BY LYNN, FOLLOWED BY JD. UM, IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, UH, GOOD EVENING COUNCIL AND, AND MANAGER MAKICH. UH, IT LOOKS LIKE I'M NOT GONNA GET MY, UH, WISH ON THE, AN ELECTION THAT'S COMING UP SOON ON THE CANDIDATE FORUM. IT DOESN'T SHOW A LOT OF CONFIDENCE AMONG THE MAJORITY OF THE INCUMBENTS THAT THEY ARE HIDING FROM THE VOTERS IN, IN, IN FRONT OF AN ELECTION. I MEAN, IF YOU PILE FLYERS ON PEOPLE'S PORCHES, BUT YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE A PUBLIC Q&A AND A PUBLIC FORUM, IT SEEMS LIKE A... I MEAN, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MAJORITY OF THE INCUMBENTS. SO, UH, ONE OF THEM SAID HE WAS OPEN TO A, A FORUM, BUT HAVING A, A, A CANDIDATE FORUM BEFORE AN ELECTION SEEMS LIKE A NO-BRAINER TO ME, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M THE VILLAGE IDIOT, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT, THERE'S THAT. UH, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, I, I PERHAPS MADE A MISTAKE A MONTH AGO. I TALKED ABOUT REINER FULMICK, UH, THAT HE'S ABOUT TO GET OUT OF PRISON. HE'S STILL IN PRISON. IT LOOKS LIKE THE GOVERNMENT OF GERMANY IS GONNA HAVE TO FALL, UH, BEFORE HE GETS OUT OF JAIL. AND THE, AND THE GOVERNMENT IS TEETERING, SO, UH, THAT MIGHT HAPPEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BUT PEOPLE MIGHT SAY, "WELL, WHO IS THIS GUY?" WELL, HE SAVED MILLIONS OF LIVES DURING COVID BECAUSE HE HAS ALL THE EVIDENCE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT COVID-19 WAS A FLAT OUT SCAM. EVERYBODY WHO GOT JABBED, AND THAT'S MAYBE 60 TO 70, IT DIDN'T IMPROVE ANYBODY'S HEALTH. NO, IT IMPROVED NO ONE'S HEALTH. ANYWAY, HE HAS ALL THE EVIDENCE. THAT'S WHY HE'S IN PRISON. BUT IT MAY BE ONE OF THOSE CASES. REMEMBER, UH, UH, NELSON MANDELA OF SOUTH AFRICA SPENT YEARS IN PRISON, ENDED UP BEING THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, AND IT COULD BE THAT, UH, REINER FULMICK, UH, ASCENDS TO THE PRESIDENCY OF, UH, GERMANY, DEUTSCHLAND. UH, ANYWAY, I'M SORRY THAT, UH, A, A GOOD... HE WAS KIDNAPPED OUT OF, OUT OF MEXICO. THE GERMAN BROUGHT HIM HOME AND, AND, UH, AND, UH, UH, DREAMED UP SOME CHARGES AND PUT HIM IN JAIL. IT'S BECAUSE HE KNOWS TOO MUCH AND POWERFUL PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF WHAT [01:45:01] HE KNOWS AND THEY'RE AFRAID OF THE GRAND JURY. AND, UH, MAYBE YOU THINK WHAT I'M SAYING IS IRRELEVANT, BUT I'M TALKING TO THE WEST COMMUNITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, SO GOOD EVENING. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LYNN BUBERT, FOLLOWED BY JD, FOLLOWED BY OUR ONLINE SPEAKER, JOHN SHOEMAKER. BUBERT, EXCUSE ME. LYNN BUBERT. . CITY COUNCIL. GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS LYNN BUBERT. I'M ONE OF THE ORIGINAL RESIDENTS OF THE WOODSIDE VILLAGE AREA, AND IN PARTICULAR, ELTAMIRA DRIVE. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT MY NEIGHBORS TONIGHT WHO ARE IN A CRITICAL SITUATION WITH THE HILLSIDE. AND, UM, THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. UM, I KNOW THAT AS TAXPAYERS, WE HAVE PAID TO HAVE THE LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE DISTRICT IN THE PUBLIC AREA ON THE PASEOS AND THE HILLSIDES BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES MAINTAINED, AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN. AND I THINK WE'RE COMING UP TO A CRITICAL SITUATION WITH THE STORMS THAT ARE COMING, AND THESE PEOPLE NEED HELP. IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO THOSE HOUSES ON THAT SIDE OF THE STREET, IT'S GONNA AFFECT THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO, I WOULD LIKE YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS PROBLEM. I WOULD LIKE SOME ANSWERS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED BETWEEN THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND THIS ONE. HAVE YOU DONE SOMETHING? IS ANYTHING IN PROCESS? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS? WE NEED SOME ANSWERS. AND SINCE THIS CONCERNS THE WOODSIDE VILLAGE AREA, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A MEETING AT SHADOW OAK PARK WITH THE NEIGHBORS SO WE COULD EXPRESS HOW WE FEEL AND WE NEED ANSWERS FROM EACH OF YOU. THANK YOU. JD. MAYOR, THAT'S ALL OF OUR, UM, SPEAKERS IN THE CHAMBERS. I'LL GO AHEAD AND MR. JOHN SHOEMAKER HAS UNMUTED HIMSELF, AND MR. SHOEMAKER, THE TIMER HAS STARTED. OKAY, YOU CAN HEAR ME THIS TIME? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, UH, WHEN, WHEN I LISTEN TO SOME OF THE SPEAKERS TONIGHT PRAISING COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ BECAUSE HE'S ROOTING OUT SO MUCH, UH, FRAUD AND WASTE, IT, IT IS ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING THAT HE'S FOUND $150,000 WORTH OF FRAUD AND WASTE, ACCORDING TO HIM, WHILE SPENDING $1.5 MILLION TO FIND IT. HOW INSANE IS THAT? YOU KNOW, I GUESS A GUY WHO DRIVES AROUND IN $100,000, UH, CARS, I GUESS IT'S OKAY TO HIM, YOU KNOW, IF HE NEEDS TO HAVE AN OIL CHANGE, HE JUST GOES BUYS A NEW CAR, SO THAT DOESN'T FIT. IT WAS NICE TO SEE CARLOS YADO, UH, THERE, YOU KNOW, FINALLY SHOWING UP. FOR THE LONGEST TIME, I THOUGH HE WAS AN AI, UH, FICTION CREATED BY BRIAN GUTIERREZ, SINCE I FIND IT AMAZING THAT HE GETS INFORMATION RIGHT AFTER BRIAN GUTIERREZ GETS IT, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. AND THE OTHER THING TOO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE HE WAS ACTUALLY A HOLOGRAM, HE'S REALLY NOT THERE. DID ANYBODY SHAKE HIS HAND? AND THE ATTACKS, THE, UH, PERSONAL ATTACKS, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID, I DON'T LIKE SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE ONE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S ALREADY COST US, YOU KNOW, TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, UH, ON SOLVING LAWSUITS TO PERSONNEL, AND NOW YOU HAVE OLI, WHICH IS SHOCKING TO ME, THAT HE'S ALLOWING SOME PEOPLE IN HIS CAMPAIGN TO ACTUALLY THROW FITS AND THREATEN CITY STAFF. COME ON, OLE, TELL HIM TO KNOCK IT OFF. AND, AND BRIAN, WELL, WE KNOW WHAT HE DOES, HE'S FILED SO MANY DAMN LAWSUITS AGAINST THE CITY, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. THAT'S WHY WE'VE SPENT 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS SO FAR. SO, YOU KNOW, FOLK, FOLKS, GRAB YOUR, THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK HE'S DOING A GOOD JOB, GRAB YOUR SHOULDERS AND PULL HARD. THAT POP YOU HEAR WILL BE YOUR HEAD COMING OUT OF YOUR BUTTS, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW RIDICULOUS IT IS. SO PLEASE START PAYING [01:50:01] ATTENTION. IF YOU PAID ATTENTION, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE COUNCIL WE HAVE NOW. AND BRINGING YADO IN, THIS IS A GUY WHO HIS FAMILY'S BUSINESS HIRED UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS AND THEN REFUSED TO PAY 'EM. THAT'S THE KIND OF POLICIES HE WANTS TO BRING TO OUR CITY? NO, NO, WE CAN'T DO IT. SO THAT TAKES CARE OF ME FOR THE NIGHT. THANK YOU. WE HAVE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS, MAYOR. UH, CITY MANAGER, WILL WE PLEASE RESPOND TO ALL THE C - PUBLIC COMMENTS CONCERNS? SORRY, IT'S JUST - IT WAS A BUSY NIGHT, UM - BUSY NIGHT, YES. THANK YOU, MA - DRAMA. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, JOSH MURRAY, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE ON THE WEST COVINA LIBRARY. VALERIE, UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THE SPECIAL EVENTS MOON FESTIVAL. UM, RAY AND BRITTANY, UM, WE WERE OUT THERE YESTERDAY ON THIS AREA AROUND THE ON-RAMPS AND OFF-RAMPS OF BOTH, UM, VINCENT'S, UM, SUNSET AND AZUSA, UH, FOR ONE UNHOUSED ENCAMPMENTS, UH, A VARIETY OF ISSUES. SO YOUR, YOUR CONCERNS ARE WELL NOTED, AND WE ARE ADDRESSING THOSE. UH, WE JUST RECENTLY WERE ABLE TO FINISH UP, UM, SOME PAPERWORK WITH, UM, CHP WHO ACTUALLY HAS THE JURISDICTION ON THOSE, UM, THOSE PROPERTIES SO WE COULD DO SOME ENFORCEMENT. UH, WE WERE OUT THERE AGAIN YESTERDAY CLEANING AND THROWING PEOPLE OUT OF THERE AND TRYING TO GET IT CLEANED UP. UH, THE AREA BEHIND THE DUMPSTER AT THE JAMBA JUICE, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT, UM, STAFF IS OUT THERE, UM, TOMORROW. WE'LL GET THAT ADDRESSED. AND ANYTHING, UH, RAY, YOU HAVE MY NUMBER. IF, IF ANYTHING COMES UP, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOUR DAUGHTER ON HER ROUTE TO, TO WORK IS INTERFERED WITH IN ANY WAY, PLEASE GIVE ME A CALL. I KNOW WE DIFFER ON A LOT OF OPINIONS, BUT, UM, THE SAFETY OF YOUR FAMILY AND ALL THE RESIDENTS IS OF THE UTMOST CONCERN. UM, LISA MAYO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR UPDATE ON YOUR NONPROFIT. UM, MARIO, UH, MARIO STILL HERE? MARIO STILL HERE. UM, ON YOUR, UH, SPONSORED EVENTS, CITY EVENTS, FEE SCHEDULE, PROCESS, ALL THAT, UM, THAT WAS A MOTHER MAY I BY OUR, OUR MAYOR AND STAFF IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT, UH, BOTH BUILDING, ENGINEERING, UM, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'LL BE RETURNING TO THE COUNCIL WITH, WITH THAT REPORT. UM, DOUG, THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UM, THANKING MATT AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY TEAM FOR GETTING OUT THERE AND TAKING PROBLEMS. HE LEARNED WELL. UM, LIEUTENANT STREET IS A, A NEW LIEUTENANT. HE'S GONNA BE A VERY, VERY GOOD LIEUTENANT. HE'S, HE COMES FROM A, A GREAT BACKGROUND OF ENFORCEMENT, A REAL STRONG POLICE OFFICER. HE'S GONNA MAKE A VERY GOOD LIEUTENANT AND VERY GOOD FOR YOUR SERVICE AREA. UM, RAFAEL, UH, I'M SORRY TO HEAR YOU RESIGNING FROM THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU. WISH YOU THE BEST. UM, FOR THE ALTOMIRA RESIDENTS, UM, YES, UH, I'LL START WITH, YES, I, I DID GO OUT THERE AND I DID TAKE SOME PICTURES, AND YEAH, THEY WEREN'T THE BEST OF PICTURES. I'M IN A SUIT WEARING DRESS SHOES, SO I, I GOT AS CLOSE TO THE HILLSIDE AS I COULD, AND I RECOGNIZE THE DAMAGES IS PROBABLY FAR MORE TO THE TOP. AND WITHOUT COMING ONTO YOUR PROPERTY, UM, I WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK FROM, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC, UH, RIGHT AWAY. SO I'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE OF WHERE WE'RE AT SO FAR. UM, AT THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNCIL, LAST MEETING ON A 5-0 VOTE, THEY ASKED THAT WE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE THE BEST WE CAN RIGHT NOW. SO I HAVE ASKED, AND WHETHER THE WORK WAS SATISFACTORY OR NOT, UH, I'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT. BUT OUR PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING, UH, TREE TRIMMING, MAINTENANCE CONTRACT, AND LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE CONTRACT HAVE ALL VISITED OUT THERE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN ALL THE WORK HAS BEEN DONE. I KNOW THE TREE TRIMMING, UH, THROUGH WEST COAST ARBORIST AND ANOTHER CONTRACTOR THROUGH OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WILL BE OUT THERE TRIMMING AND CUTTING THOSE TREES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT ARE DEAD THAT HAVE BEEN UPROOTED, THAT'S COMING. IT JUST, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE HAVE MULTIPLE, UM, ISSUES IN THE CITY. WE HAVE ONE COMPANY, UH, WE HAVE ONLY, YOU KNOW, 20 PLUS, UH, MAINTENANCE GUYS AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING TO EVERYTHING AS FAST AS THEY CAN, BUT THAT WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF. INTERNALLY, WITHIN CITY HALL, UM, THIS WEEK AND LAST WEEK I MET WITH OUR ENGINEERING DIVISION, UM, AND ENGINEERS. UH, WE'VE DEVELOPED THE SCOPE OF WORK, UH, FOR THE GEOTECHNICAL SURVEY FOR THAT HILLSIDE. UM, THE RFP IS BEING DRAFTED. IT'LL BE BROUGHT IN AGENDIZED ON OCTOBER 20TH. UH, ONCE APPROVED OR SELECTED BY THE COUNCIL, WE WILL POST IT. WE'LL SUPPLY IT FOR THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME. WE'LL ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE COMPANY TO DO THE GEOTECHNICAL TESTING, AND THEN WE'LL RETURN BACK TO THE COUNCIL IN CLOSED SESSION WITH THE RESULTS. SO WE'RE MOVING INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY AS FAST AS WE CAN, UH, WITH THE RESOURCES WE CURRENTLY HAVE, AND I THINK YOU'LL SEE MORE I- IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS. AGAIN, THE INITIAL PHASE WAS JUST TO DO AN ASSESSMENT, SO I, I KNOW THEY DID SOME OF THE CLEANING OF THE, THE V-DITCHES OUT THERE, UH, FOR THE WATER, UM, BUT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY MORE TO BE DONE THERE, AND I DO RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, NOT EVERYTHING HAS, UH, BEEN COMPLETED. UM, I DO HAVE THAT EMAIL CONTACT GROUP FOR ALL ALTOMIRA RESIDENTS, AND I HAVE TRIED TO RESPOND TO THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AGAIN, IT IS ACTIVE LITIGATION, SO I, I DON'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, GET INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL WITH EVERYTHING, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL HAS DIRECTED ME TO, AND TO HAVE STAFF DIRECT THAT ISSUE [01:55:01] AND GET AS MUCH RESOURCES OUT THERE AS WE CAN TO ASSIST YOU BEFORE THE, THE RAINY SEASON HITS. UM, THE MENDOZAS, PATRICIA AND JESUS, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE ON THE, THE REAL ESTATE LITIGATION, REAL ESTATE LITIGATION. AS YOU MENTIONED, 13, 13 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, AND WITHIN LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, THESE TYPE REPORTS ARE REFERRED TYPICALLY TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR REVIEW, AS THEY HAVE THE SPECIALIST IN THE REAL ESTATE FRAUD DIVISION, UM, THAT ACTUALLY, UM, FOLLOWS UP ON THESE REPORTS, BUT WHAT WAS PROBABLY TAKEN AT THE PD IF THEY, IF ONE WAS TAKEN WAS PROBABLY AN INCIDENT REPORT, THEN REFERRED OVER TO THE DA'S OFFICE. UM, AGAIN, I BELIEVE THAT THE PROPERTY, THE PROPERTY IS IN EL MONTE, CORRECT? IT'S, UH, THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION. SO THEY WOULD BE THE HANDLING AGENCY. I KNOW YOU'VE, UH, DEALT WITH THE CITY OF EL MONTE A LOT, AND I KNOW YOU'VE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF STEPS DEALING WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE, AND HOPEFULLY THIS DOES GET RESOLVED. IT IS A COMPLICATED MATTER. COLLEEN ROSATI, THANK YOU ON THE UPDATE ON WEST CAVITA BEAUTIFUL AND THE, THE WORK THAT YOU DO. UH, I KNOW YOU'VE PARTNERED WITH OUR, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION AND HELPED CLEAN A NUMBER OF PROPERTIES IN THE CITY VERY SUCCESSFULLY. UM, GREATLY APPRECIATED. UM, WAS IT HERMAN, THE OTHER ONE? UM, I AGREE. I'LL MAKE SURE THOSE CARDS ARE REPRINTED TO SAVE THE THREE MINUTES. OKAY. AND ALSO, I AGREE, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA HAVE, TRY TO HAVE PEACEFUL, PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS. UM, CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE TO CONDUCT BUSINESS. IT'S NOT TO BE A BACK AND FORTH ARGUMENT SESSION OR ANYTHING ELSE. UM, THAT'S GOTTA STOP AND WE'RE, I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD AND JUST GET TO DEALING WITH BUSINESS. UM, UH, MR. YADO, UM, I KNOW WE CONVERSED OVER THE WEEKEND, YOU BROUGHT SOME ATTENTIONS TO ME AT WALMART PARK. WE DID GET STAFF OUT THERE. UH, WE DID CLEAN THE AREAS THAT YOU IDENTIFIED. UM, I'M, I'M SURPRISED THE, UH, ENCAMPMENT OR THE, THE PEOPLE ARE BACK. UH, WE DID CLEAR OUT A LOT OF STUFF AND, UH, TWO PEOPLE WERE ALSO TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. UH, UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S A CHALLENGE IN A LOT OF PARKS THROUGHOUT THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY AND ALL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS THE UNHOUSED POPULATION HAS STARTED TO MIGRATE IN MORE INTO THE VALLEY, UH, FROM THE LA AREAS. UM, TRUMP, FIRST OF ALL, W- W- WE STRONGLY, AND I STRONGLY CONDONE, UM, THE SLANDERS AND VULGAR LETTERS AND ACCUSATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SENT OUT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS. UM, YOU MENTIONED THE CHIEF. I'VE BEEN VICTIM OF IT. OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VICTIM OF IT. THERE'S NO PLACE IN IT. SO WHOEVER'S SENDING THEM OUT, THEY'RE PRETTY LOW LIFE TO BE SENDING THAT OUT TO PEOPLE, PEOPLE'S FAMILIES, THEIR WIVES, THEIR WORK, THEIR RELATIVES. I MEAN, THERE'S NO PLACE FOR THAT IN CITY GOVERNMENT. I MEAN, EVERYBODY'S HERE TO TRY TO GET A JOB DONE AND, YOU KNOW, THE LETTER THAT YOU PROVIDED, OBVIOUSLY I'VE SEEN IT. IT WAS PASSED AROUND, SENT TO QUITE A FEW PEOPLE. SO LIKE I SAY IS WHOEVER'S SENDING IT OUT, IT'S A REAL LOW LIFE AND, UH, WE REALLY CONDONE THAT AND WE, I WOULD HOPE THAT THAT STOPS AND PEOPLE JUST FOCUS ON BEING PRODUCTIVE IN THIS CITY AND NOT WASTING TIME. IF WE COULD STOP CALLING PEOPLE NAMES, WE DON'T HAVE TO CALL PEOPLE NAMES, SO. YEAH. I STAND BY IT. I KNOW YOU CALLED ME A F*****G IDIOT LAST WEEK, SO I, I HOPE THAT YOU STOP CUSSING PEOPLE OUT. TH'S NOT EVEN - UH, STEVE BENNETT ON THE BUSINESS LICENSE. HDL PROCESSES, ONLY THE TAXATION LICENSES. THEY'RE NOT PART OF THE, UH, OPENING OF NEW BUSINESSES. THAT'S A SEPARATE AREA THAT'S HANDLED THROUGH OUR, OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THE ONLY THING THAT'S PROCESSED THROUGH HDL IS THE TAXATION. UM, BILL ROBINSON, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS ON A CANDIDATE FORUM. I'M NOT, I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANYTHING IN THE, THE CITY AS FAR AS THAT. UM, LYNN ALSO ON THE LM - THE LMD AREAS. UM, YES, THERE'S A TAX INCREMENT FOR THE LMD, THE LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE DISTRICT, THE SEVEN DISTRICTS IN THE SOUTH END OF TOWN. UM, THOSE MONIES ARE ALL DEDICATED BACK TOWARDS, UM, THE MAINTENANCE AREAS. THAT MONEY ONLY GOES SO FAR. UM, THERE STILL NEEDS TO BE SUPPLEMENTED BY GENERAL FUND AND OTHER REVENUE SOURCES, SPECIAL REVENUES, ESPECIALLY SINCE THERE WAS A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE STARTING BACK MAYBE 30 YEARS AGO. AND WE GET TO THIS POINT, THERE'S A LOT TO GET CAUGHT UP ON. UH, MR. SHOEMAKER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, AND I THINK THAT CONCLUDES MY RESPONSES FOR TONIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, AND I JUST WANTED TO ADD, UH, IT'S ELECTION SEASON AND, UM, I KNOW IT GETS UGLY AND IT'S JUST ALWAYS SO SAD TO SEE HOW LOW AND PATHETIC SOMEONE CAN GO WITH PERSONAL ATTACKS, LIE, SLANDEROUS REMARKS AND HIDE BEHIND AN ANONYMOUS LETTER. UM, BUT THERE'S NOTHING TO RESPOND TO UNFOUNDED AND POLITICALLY MOTIVATED ATTACKS AGAINST COUNCIL OR CITY EMPLOYEES, SO I'M NOT GONNA FEED INTO THAT. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY, SO THANK YOU. I HAVE A COMMENT. UM. YES. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, I, I DON'T CONDONE THE STATEMENTS THAT, UH, WERE MADE TOWARDS OUR POLICE CHIEF, BUT, UH, CALLING PEOPLE NAMES IS UNCALLED FOR BECAUSE WE, WE ARE A PROFESSIONAL ENTITY. AND WE SHOULDN'T BE CALLING [02:00:01] ANYONE NAMES. UH, SO THAT'S MY CONCERN. I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT. ALSO, UM, UH, I WANNA SAY, UH, TO OUR AUDIT COMMITTEE MEM- MEMBER, RAFAEL, UH, I'M SORRY TO SEE YOU GO. UH, YOU DID A REMARKABLE JOB ON OUR AUDIT COMMITTEE. I WILL HOPE THAT OUR, OUR CITY MANAGER CAN MAKE SURE AT THE LAST TWO AUDIT COMMITTEES, I AND, AND MAYOR PROTEMCANTO SERVES ON THAT COMMITTEE. UH, I KNOW IN THE LAST TWO AUDIT COMMITTEES, THE AUDIT COMMITTEE HAS MADE MOTIONS AND REQUESTS AND THE FINANCE DIRECTOR HAS COME BACK AND STATING, "I'M NOT GONNA PROVIDE YOU THAT. WE'RE WAITING FOR LEGAL OPINION." THIS IS AN AUDIT COMMITTEE. THEIR JOB IS TO ASSURE OVERSIGHT. WE SHOULDN'T BE BLOCKING THE AUDIT COMMITTEE MEMBERS FROM DOING THE JOB THAT THIS COUNCIL APPOINTED THEM TO DO. AND, AND SO THAT IS MY CONCERN. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN RESOLVE THAT. UM, IN REGARDS TO, UM, UH, THE, THE LADY WHO'S COMPLAINING ABOUT MORTGAGE FRAUD AND SO FORTH, UH, IF OUR CITY MANAGER COULD WORK WITH OUR, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT TO HOPEFULLY DO A COURTESY REPORT, MULTIPLE AGENCIES, THE ONE THING YOU DID NOT MENTION IS THAT MULTIPLE AGENCIES, MULTIPLE AGENCIES CAN CONDUCT COURTESY REPORTS. SO I, I HOPE THAT OUR WESTERN POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN HELP YOU OUT AND, AND CONDUCT A COURTESY REPORT FOR YOU AND, AND SEND THAT OFF TO ENMANTE OR YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCY. UM, IN REGARDS TO, UH, UM, IN REGARDS TO THE HILL SITE, UH, IF EL NINO COMES NEXT WEEK, A MAJOR STORM, WHAT ARE WE GONNA TELL THESE RESIDENTS? "OH, I'M SORRY. WE'RE WAITING FOR THE RFP TO COME BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL. "NO, I THINK THE SOLUTION HERE IS THERE IS NO RULE, UH, IN OUR BOOKS THAT STATE THAT YOU HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON OCTOBER SOME, ON THE NEXT MEETING FOR US TO APPROVE AN RFP. UH, I THINK THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND WE SHOULD PUT THAT RFP OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UM, BECAUSE AS, AS YOU ADMITTED, YOUR PICTURES DON'T MATCH THEIR PICTURES. AND WHEN THAT'S THE CASE, WHEN, WHEN STRO - STORM DRAINS ARE CLOGGED, KNOWING FROM MY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, IT CAUSED DEFERMENTAL EFFECTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE WAS DISCUSSED. UM, UH, IN REGARDS TO, UM, LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE. IS THERE, HMM, IN REGARDS TO OUR SERVICE, UH, AREA WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, HOPEFULLY NEXT TIME YOU CAN ALSO ALERT ME WHEN YOU GUYS HAVE, UH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH SO I CAN MAKE SURE I ALSO INVITE, UH, THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT ONE TO ATTEND. BUT YOU GUYS ARE DOING A REMARKABLE JOB, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, THE INVITE GOES TO ALL THE RESIDENTS IF POSSIBLE. UM, AND LASTLY, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE ALLEGATIONS REGARDING THE LA SUPERIOR COURT CASE, THE GENTLEMAN MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES THAT HE'S COMPLIED WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT AGAINST HIM, THAT SUPPOSEDLY HE PREVAILED IN HIS CASE AND NOW WE'RE GOING AFTER HIM CRIMINALLY. SO RET - UH, A, A REVENGE SPREE ON A COMMUNITY RESIDENT IS NOT THE SOLUTION. SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO BE BRIEF ON THAT MATTER, A CITY ATTORNEY, UH, LATER THIS WEEK. UM, AND, UM, LASTLY, UH, LET'S SEE, UM... HOLD ON. WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO GO BY THROUGH THIS. YEAH. UM - DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY? AND SO I THINK LASTLY, UH, WHAT ELSE WAS TO DISCUSS? UM. YEAH, SO THAT, THAT, THOSE ARE MY MAJOR CONCERNS AND I'LL LEAVE IT AS THAT. OKAY. UM, NOW... OH, UH - I'LL JUST, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ, JUST REAL QUICK ON THE RFP, I, I AGREE, I'D LIKE TO BRING IT IN, UH, POST IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE SCOPE OF WORK WAS COMPLETED THIS WEEK. PART OF BRINGING IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL IS I NEED TO HAVE A BUDGET AMENDMENT APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL TO PAY FOR IT. I NEED A FUNDING SOURCE. IT'S, WE PROJECT IT'LL BE OVER MY SIGNATURE AUTHORITY, SO EVEN IF THE COUNCILORS SAY GO UP TO YOUR SIGNATURE AUTHORITY, I BELIEVE IT'S GONNA BE OVER THAT. SO WE WANNA COME BACK WITH A BUDGET AMENDMENT AND GET IT DONE RIGHT THIS FIRST TIME, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T DO IT RIGHT THIS FIRST TIME, THEN WE WILL ENTER THE RAINY SEASON. SO AGAIN, I WILL HAVE IT AS READY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, UM, AND EXPEDITE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT IT DOES NEED A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. SO DEPENDING ON HOW THE FORECAST PROGRESSES THIS PAST, THIS COMING WEEK, UH, IF IT, IF, IF, IF EL NINO IS APPROACHING SOONER THAN LATER, UH, MAYBE, UM, [02:05:01] UH, THE MAYOR COULD CALL FOR A SPECIAL MEETING AND WE COULD ADDRESS THIS EMERGENCY THAT THESE RESIDENTS ARE, ARE, ARE ADDRESSING A CONCERN TO. COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ, AGAIN, IF, IF, IF WE WERE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THROUGH THE FORECAST THAT EL NINO WAS GONNA AR- ARRIVE SOONER, UM, THAN EXPECTED, YES, I WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE TO ASK FOR THE COUNCIL TO CALL FOR A SPECIAL MEETING. GREAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. UM, WE'RE GONNA [CONSENT CALENDAR] MOVE TO CONSENT CALENDAR. UM, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK, UH, CAN YOU PROVIDE THE UPDATES TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR? I KNOW THERE WERE SOME CHANGES. YES, MAYOR, THANK YOU. MADAM MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, THERE, ON SATURDAY, AN UPDATE WAS PROVIDED TO THE AGENDA. THAT UPDATE BECAME ITEM NUMBER FOUR. ITEM NUMBER FOUR BECAME ITEM NUMBER FIVE AND ITEM FIVE BECAME ITEM NUMBER SIX. THE STAFF REPORT WAS PROVIDED TO ALL OF THE COUNCIL AND POSTED ON THE WEBSITE ON SATURDAY. UH, BEFORE YOU, YOU HAVE A COPY ALSO OF THAT AGENDA ITEM, AND THERE WERE COPIES AT THE FRONT FOR THE PUBLIC. ALSO, IN REGARDS TO THE NATURE, UH, CENTER STAFF REPORT, YOU HAVE ALSO BEEN PROVIDED, UH, THIS EVENING WITH AN UPDATE TO THE INVENTORY LIST, AND THAT INFORMATION WAS ALSO PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC THIS EVENING. THOSE ARE THE UPDATES I HAVE, SO THAT MEANS THERE ARE SIX CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS INSTEAD OF FIVE. ALL RIGHT. UH, SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH SIX? I'M SORRY, IS THERE ANYONE LIKE TO PULL ANYTHING? I'LL ABSTAIN FROM, UH, NUMBER ONE AND THEN, UH NUMBER FOUR. OKAY. WHICH IS, I THINK THE - ANYBODY ELSE? UH, MAYOR PROTEM? NO? NO. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH SIX W- WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FOUR? SO MOVE. OH, GO AHEAD. WHO'S FIRST? OH, OKAY. UH, MAYOR PRO TEM CONTOS. MOVED. AND - SECOND. SECOND. COUNCILMAN WU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAVE A MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM CONTOS, A SECOND BY COUNCILMAN WU TO APPROVE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS ONE THROUGH SIX WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NUMBER FOUR AND COUNCILMEMBER GUTIERREZ ABSTAINING ON ITEM NUMBER ONE. COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ? AYE. COUNCILMAN WU? AYE. COUNCILWOMAN DIAZ. AYE. MAYOR PRO TEM CONTOS? AYE. MAYOR LOPEZ VILLARO. AYE. MOTION PASSES. ALL [4) RESOLUTION NO. 2026-100 - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, CALIFORNIA ADOPTING THE SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION, I.A.F.F., LOCAL 3226 (WCFFA)] RIGHT. ONTO AGENDA ITEM FOUR. GO AHEAD, COUNCILMAN GUTIERREZ. YES. UM, SO MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UH, THE CITY MANAGER, YOU STATED THAT THIS WAS JUST, UH, SOME WORDING CHANGES OR SO- SO FORTH? NO. OH, EXCUSE ME. THE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FFA? YES. UM, I, I'LL LET OUR, UH, UH, FINANCE AND ACTING HR DIRECTOR, KAREN OGAWA, ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS. OKAY. THE HONORABLE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. YES, COUNCILMAN GUTIERREZ. UM, THE FIREFIGHTER ASSOCIATION SIDE LETTER THAT'S PRE - UH, BEING PROPOSED TONIGHT, THERE WERE SOME CLARIFICATIONS THAT WAS NECESSARY. THE INTENT, UH, FOR THE TWO ITEMS, THE HOLIDAY PAY AS WELL AS THE TEMPORARY UPGRADE, UPGRADE PAY, UH, WAS TO BE PERSIBLE. HOWEVER, THE WAY THE ORIGINAL MOU IS WRITTEN, CALPERS, UM, REPORTED BACK TO US SAYING THAT, THAT THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN DOES NOT, UH, MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE PERSIBLE. THEREFORE, WE HAD TO COME BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE CONSIDERATION WITH THE MODIFIED LANGUAGE AS YOU SEE FORTH IN THIS ATTACHED RESOLUTION. GREAT. OKAY. SO I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. UM, SO THIS IS, UH, KAREN, UH, THE CITY MANAGER CHARACTERIZED THIS AS A CLARIFICATION OF WORDING CHANGES. UH, DO YOU, SO DO YOU PERSONALLY AGREE THAT THIS AMENDMENT CHANGES NO EMPLOYEE'S COMPENSATION ENTITLEMENT, LEAVE, LEAVE RIGHTS, ELIGIBILITY RETIREMENT, REPORTING, OR CITY FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS? THE INTENT OF THE MOU, THE FFA MOU, WAS TO HAVE THESE TWO PARTICULAR SPECIAL PAY ITEMS PERSIBLE, IN OTHERS FOR, UM, ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT. BUT HOWEVER, THE MOU THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL AND SUBMITTED TO CALPERS STATED THAT THE WAY IT WAS PRESENTED WAS THAT THOSE TWO SPECIFIC PAY ITEMS WOULD NOT BE PERSIBLE, IN OTHER WORDS, RETIREMENT. SO THEREFORE, AGAIN, THE INTENT WAS TO MAKE THESE TWO PARTICULAR SPECIAL PAY ITEMS PERSIBLE OR RETIREMENT. THEREFORE, WE HAD TO DO THE SITE LETTER. GREAT. AND, AND JUST TO CLARIFY MY QUESTIONS, UH, I SUPPORT OUR FIREFIGHTERS, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE MONEY FOR THEM FOR THE YEARS TO COME. UH, THE NEXT QUESTION IS, KAREN, UH, YOU ARE IDENTIFIED AS A PREPARER OF THIS REPORT. UH, WHAT WRITTEN CALCULATION DID YOU REVIEW BEFORE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL? IF YOU COULD PLEASE PROVIDE THE CURRENT COSTS, THE PROPOSED COSTS, AFFECTED EMPLOYEE COUNT, EMPLOYER RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTIONS, AND ANY CHANGE IN OVERTIME OR STAFFING COVERAGE COSTS THROUGH JUNE 2028. [02:10:01] UM, IF YOUR CONCLUSION IS ZERO ADDITIONAL COSTS, UM, HOW, HOW IS THAT SUPPORTED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT? UM, SO WHEN THE ORIGINAL FFA, THE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION MOU IS TAKEN TO COUNCIL, WE HAD IDENTIFIED THE COST OF THE, UM, MOU AT THAT POINT IN TIME. AND WHEN WE HAD, WE IDENTIFIED THE COST, WE HAD ALSO ASSUMED THAT THESE TWO SPECIAL PAY ITEMS WERE GOING TO BE PERSIBLE. SO IN OUR CALCULATIONS, IT HAD ALREADY REFLECTED THAT. IT WAS, HOWEVER, AGAIN, AS IT WAS TAKEN TO CALPERS, THE WAY THE LANGUAGE WAS WRITTEN DIDN'T CONFORM TO THEIR REGULATIONS. SO AGAIN, WHEN WE ORIGINALLY TOOK THE FFA MOU TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL, WE HAD AN ESTIMATED COST THAT ALREADY INCLUDED THOSE TWO SPECIAL PAYS AS BEING PERSIBLE OR RETIREMENT ELIGIBLE. GREAT. AND FOR THE EARLIER HIRE GROUP, UH, THE AGREEMENT SAYS HOLIDAY PAY IS PAID MONTHLY WITH NO SPECIFIC HOLIDAY DATE DESIGNATED, BUT IT IS ALSO SAYS PAY WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM THE FINAL CHECK IF AN EMPLOYEE SEPARATES BEFORE THE OBSERVED HOLIDAY. UM, WHICH HOLIDAY DOES EACH MONTHLY PAYMENT REPRESENT AND EXACTLY HOW WOULD YOU CALCULATE THAT DEDUCTION? SO, UM, WHEN THE HOLIDAY PAY IS CALCULATED, IT'S AT, AT POINT OF SEPARATION, LET'S SAY. IF YOU SAY YOU LEAVE BEFORE THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, THEN THOSE, THE THANKSGIVING, THE CHRISTMAS EVE, THE CHRISTMAS DAY, AND NEW YEAR'S EVE, THOSE HOLIDAYS WILL THEN BE DEDUCTED. GREAT. IT DEPEND UPON THE TIME OF SEPARATION. GREAT. AND THEN THE, THE TEMPORARY UPGRADE, UH, PROVISION PROMISES 5% - UH-HUH. FOR THE ASSIGNMENT AND REQUIRES PERFORMANCE OF 100% OF THE HIGHER POSITION'S DUTIES, 5% OF RICH PAY RATE FOR RICH RECORDED HOURS, AND UNDER WHOSE WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION? THIS IS PART, AGAIN, THIS WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL MOU WHERE IT STATED THE 5% FOR THE TEMPORARY PAY UPGRADE. WE'RE MERELY CLARIFYING AND DEFINING TEMPORARY UPGRADE PAY. AND, AND SPECIFICALLY, YOU HAVE TO BE PERFORMING THESE DUTIES 100% TO BE ELIGIBLE. IT'S JUST LANGUAGE CLARIFICATION THAT WAS NECESSARY. OKAY. AND THEN, UH, THE REPORT SAYS THE CITY ATTORNEY REVIEWED THE RESOLUTION AND LABOR COUNCIL APPROVED THE SITE LETTER. UH, WAS THE FINANCIAL ANALYSIS DONE INDEPENDENTLY TO PERFORM, UH, BEFORE THE CONSULT REVIEWED THIS TODAY? UM, WE DID THE FINANCIAL REVIEW AGAIN WHEN THE ORIGINAL MOU WAS TAKEN. AT THIS TIME, THE SITE LETTER THAT WAS, FINANCIAL INFORMATION HAS ALREADY BEEN CALCULATED PRIOR TO. SO THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO INCREASE OR ANYTHING IN PERCENTAGES? CORRECT. THERE, THERE ARE NONE. OKAY. OKAY. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE. SO... THANK YOU. 'CAUSE POLICE AND FIRE WANNA BE EQUAL, SO IN, IN PAY. BUT, UM, GREAT. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. THANK YOU. SECOND. ROLL CALL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ, A SECOND, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN WU TO APPROVE CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM NUMBER FOUR, RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA, ADOPTING THE SIDE LETTER OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION. COUNCIL MEMBER GUTIERREZ. AYE. COUNCILMAN WU. AYE. COUNCILWOMAN DIAZ. AYE. MAY I APPROACH HIM CONTOS? AYE. MAYOR LOPEZ VILLARO. AYE. MOTION PASSES, UM, TO CITY COUNCIL REPORTS. ANY AB1234 CONFERENCE AND MEETINGS? SEEING NONE, ANY CITY COUNCIL REQUEST? SEEING [CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS] NONE, UH, ANY CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS? UH, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, ROSARIO DIAZ. I'M SORRY, JUST TO BE REALLY QUICK. UM, UH, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU, UM, OUR CITY MANAGER. HE DID A GREAT JOB ON GIVING THIS PRESENTATION, UM, EARLIER TODAY. UM, I WANNA THANK OUR STAFF. I THINK THEY, THEY'VE DONE, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING SO HARD AND TRYING TO MAINTAIN AND MAKING OUR CITY BEAUTIFUL AND, AND MAINTAIN, YOU KNOW, DOING THE MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THROUGHOUT OUR CITY. UM, I WANNA THANK, UM, ALL OUR STAFF, OUR COMMUNITY SERVICES. THEY'VE JUST BEEN DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, AND I JUST WANNA LET THEM ALL KNOW THAT WE ARE HERE TO, TO PROTECT THEM, AND WE ARE HERE TO DEFEND THEM IN ANYTHING THEY NEED TO DO, HAVE DONE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND, UM, I JUST WANNA TELL YOU, YOU HAVE M- MY SUPPORT 100%. AND, UM, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. I JUST WANNA THANK YOU ALL. YOU GUYS DO A FANTASTIC JOB AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT, REALLY. THANK YOU. UM, COUNCILMEMBER OTERO. YES. I WANNA ALSO COMMEND STAFF, UH, FOR DOING A GOOD JOB. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT SIX EMPLOYEES WERE FIRED AND, AND, AND ONE EMPLOYEE WAS PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE WHO'S UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY, SO IT'S UNFORTUNATE. AND HOPEFULLY COUNCILWOMAN ROSARIO DIAZ WILL, WILL ADVOCATE FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES TOO. SO THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COUNCIL COMMENTS? UM, I, [02:15:01] I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UH, CITY MANAGER, YOU DID A FABULOUS JOB ON YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION. I KNOW THAT WAS A LONG ONE, BUT IT WAS WELL WORTH IT AND IT GAVE THE PUBLIC JUST A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, A LITTLE BIT OF TASTE OF WEST COVINA. EVERY, JUST EVERYWHERE. IT HIGHLIGHTS EVERYTHING, UM, AND TO GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION. UH, SOMEBODY JUST TOLD ME THAT IT'S, UH, OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE, UH, SUSIE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY. I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S HERE WITH US, BUT IF SHE- SHE WANTS A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. THE COMMUNITY SERVICE DOES SO MUCH AND, YOU KNOW, WE THANK THEM FOR ALL THE PROGRAMS AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. UM, I KNOW, LIKE, THAT TRINKET BOX FOUND OUT, LIKE, THE DAY BEFORE, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL FOR THAT 16-YEAR-OLD TO, TO HAVE THAT AT PALM VIEW PARK. I KNOW, UM, ONE OF HER AUNTS, UH, SHE COULDN'T STICK AROUND FOR SO LONG BECAUSE OF CANCER, BUT IT HIGHLIGHTED. AND, UM, FOR THOSE AT TRINKET BOX, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, STOP BY AT PALM VIEW PARK. UM, FEEL FREE TO PUT A TRINKET IN THERE. THE LITTLE KIDS CAN TAKE A TRINKET. SO THIS WAS A PROJECT OF A 16-YEAR-OLD. UM, SO IT'S KINDA NICE TO SEE THAT COME TO FRUITION AMONG THE MANY GREAT THINGS THAT EVERYONE DOES. UM, OTHER THAN THAT, THANK YOU. OH, OH, NOW YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. YEAH. I, I WANT TO BE QUIET, BUT, UM - ABSOLUTELY. SINCE EVERYBODY SAY SOMETHING THAT I JUST WANTED TO SAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SUSIE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND, UH, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS AND, UH, CITY MANAGERS AND ALL THE COMMUNITY SERVICE PUBLISH, OKAY, AND THE PUBLIC WORK. AND TO PUT, OKAY, UH, THE, THE FOURTH ANNUAL, UH, MOON FESTIVAL IN THE CITY HALL, THE PARKING LOT. AND I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S 106 DEGREE. 106 DEGREE AND, BUT WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE SHOW UP AND ESPECIALLY ALL THOSE PERFORMERS, ALL THOSE CHILDREN, THEY PERFORM OVER THERE. WE HAVE, UH, A DANCE MAKER AND WE HAVE, UH, UH, PUERTO RICO AND, UH, WE HAVE, UH, OKAY, AND SISTER, SISTER, AND THEY ALL SPEND ALL THEIR EFFORT AND PERFORM FOR US. SO, AND THIS IS A WONDERFUL EVENT. IT JUST, UNFORTUNATELY, THE, THE, IT'S JUST SO HARD. AND I SUPPOSE I SHOULD GO WALK, BUT I SEE THE PERFORMANCE, SO I STAY, I STAY TILL THE END. EVEN, OKAY, WITH SELENA, OKAY, THERE'S A GREAT, GREAT ENERGY. I THINK WE SHOULD INVITE THEM TO COME BACK FOR OUR SUMMER CONCERT. OKAY, BUT THIS IS A, A GREAT EVENT. OKAY, I WANT TO THANK ALL THE STAFF, PUT THEIR EFFORT. AND, UH, THIS WHAT THE EVENT'S ABOUT, UNITE OUR RESIDENT TOGETHER. OKAY, EVERYBODY, OKAY, OVER THERE, NEIGHBORS, AND, AND ALL THE KIDS PERFORM THE SCHOOL. AND, UH, WE EVEN HAVE, UH, WEST COVINA HEALTH TO DO ALL THE FREE EXAM AND CHECKUP AND, UH, AND THEY CHECK MY ARTERY OVER HERE AND THEY SAY I'M A+. SO I WON'T DIE YET, OKAY? SO I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW I'M GOING TO BE HEALTHY AND CONTINUE TO SERVE. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH TO STAFF FOR YOUR GREAT EFFORT TO MAKE WEST COVINA SO, SO GOOD AND SO GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I, I JUST REMEMBERED I'D LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE THING. SO, UH, THAT SATURDAY WAS JUST AN EXTREME HEAT. UM, I KNOW AT WORK WE HAD TO CANCEL ALL SPORTS OUTSIDE THE FIELD BECAUSE IT WAS JUST EXTREMELY HOT. UH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN AND I, COUNCILWOMAN ROSARIO DIAZ AND I WENT TO THE OPEN HOUSE FIREHOUSE AT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND I, WE SAID, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE LIKE, "WHERE'S EVERYBODY ELSE?" AND THEY SAID THEY'LL COME IN THE AFTERNOON. AND I SAID, "TRADITIONALLY, WHEN DOES MAJORITY OF THE FAMILIES AND KIDS COME?" THEY SAID, "USUALLY IN THE AFTERNOON." BUT BECAUSE IT WAS JUST SO HOT, EVEN THAT, UM, PARTICIPANTS WAS JUST DOWN. SO, UM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ROSARIO DIAZ AND I RETURNED, UM, AT 12, UH, FIF - 12 O'CLOCK WITH THE SENATOR, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ROSARIO DIAZ, MAYOR PRO TEM CANTOS AND I, WE PLAYED AN ACTIVITY GAME WITH ALL THE CHILDREN THERE. I HAD DONATED A FIREHOUSE, UH, IT, IT FITS IT, IT'S A FIRE OPEN HOUSE, A FIREHOUSE, UH, PLAY SET, AND THE OTHER TWO GOT THE, THE SECOND PLACE WINNER, THE THIRD, UM, THE T-SHIRTS FROM THE, UH, FIRE. SO IT WAS A WIN-WIN AND THE KIDS ENJOYED IT. SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK, UM, THIS TEAM, US THREE TO MADE, MADE THEIR DAY FOR THOSE KIDS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. OTHER THAN THAT, HOPE EVERYBODY HAS A LOVELY EVENING AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.