Council Blow by Blow for 3-23-09

TREES AGAIN! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH

Late gettin' started. Closed session they did some stuff but won't tell us what it is. "Gave direction to our representatives directed toward a particular outcome," the mayor sez.

Everybody's here, even Madison and Robinson. McAustin leads the pledge and gets it right.

BACK PATS: Sister city German intern at KPAS who's about a foot taller than the sister city guy. Barry Gordon gets back on the PCAC board, whatever that one is. The ninja turtle is back! Cool, huh, dude? Robinson talks about the marathon and the John Muir alum who came in first. Congrats dude. He ran 26 miles in under 3 hours. Then he talks about how to do it better. But he's talkin' to the Council not the goofy Ahab-lookin' promoter guy. McAustin talks about a save your home workshop Pasadena did. Gordo talks about a neighborhood cleanup at Washington Park. How many council members does it take to pat themselves on the back? All of them.

PUBLIC COMMENT:
Joe Dumbacher: Talks about a new bank he's starting.
Pastor Anthony Kim: Talks about rat infested basements and thinks the city needs to do something about it not make renters sue landlords and he's getting sued about rats.
Mary Donnely Crocker from Young and Healthy likes the marathon 'cause it gave them $$$.

CALL FOR REVIEW OF VIVE BAR PLAN: Madison wants to call this up to the council but then says to put it off for a week or two so they can work it out with the owner.

COUNCIL PAL GETS ON ARTS COMMISSION: Gordo's got a new arts commish.

COUNCIL GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE: They subcommittee's back with I guess the same recommendations. They don't name any names to name this time, but dance around it and finally throw it all back to get council recommendations for next week to appoint the committee. Haderlein says the committee can't do any more than they already did so if they don't like this plan, they need to start again and appoint people themselves. Madison pitches for his pals but it's not going anywhere. Back to the start. Geez. If they can't do a fair committee how're they gonna do a fair general plan? Public Comment: Planning Commish McDonald says get on with it.

PASADENA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PLAN: Pasadena Christian wants to expand. Everybody seems to like the plan. Public Comment:Pastor Smith lives across the street and likes the plan. Carol Potter isn't so happy with them. Bill Flynn loves the plan and the school. Dale Trader is suspicious. This guy hates everything. Another woman won't leave her house when school's dropping people off or having events.David Guler says the school's ok. Richard Chin likes the school, too.

TYLER'S TREE CLUSTER-FUCK-A-TORIUM: Staff says to hold off cutting down trees for four months, rethink all the plans except Playhouse.
Public Comment: Little from the chamber says don't do a moratorium and stick to the plans. Rhonda Bennett from South Lake says let them cut down their bad fuck-us trees, too. Arthur Folds hat wearing elder surfer dude in shades says plant big trees. Si Carlberg says she's a certified arborist and the ginko trees are good. Arlinda Romo from Playhouse says save our plan. Surfer chick says start over. Michael Seal from Boston Court says do the plan. Jim Potkin says save the process and do a citywide assessment to pay for trees and sidewalks. Laura Paul complains about waiting to talk and doesn't like getting limited and says the public would have come out more if they knew what was going on but that's lame-o babe. People who give a shit are there. She bitches about the arborist woman who talked earlier. Strident-woman says healthy trees should never be cut down. Joan Chin says she wants large canopy trees. Mark Nay says we do plans and we stick to them, not like LA. Paul Jacoy from Playhouse wants the council to keep to the plan. Trolly Nina Chomsky challenges the language and interprets it all for council. Crystal Balvin bitching biddie wants to know why we can't get more time because they waited 13 years already. She thinks most of the community agrees with the biddies but taht just ain't true. Most people don't care either way. Phoebe Wilson says the decision was made in the early '90s and was political to satisfy the Old Town businesses. Man these biddies are a bunch. Do they meet at the Odd Biddies Hall? Asian store owner likes trees down so people can see their business and their signs. Carla Walecka from Playhouse says save the plan.

Tyler loves them trees and wants to save them fuck-us trees on east Colorado. He wants to spend money on consultants and stop the Playhouse District trees, too. Bogus Bogaard says it's gotta take longer but no trees come down until they get done. They're gonna do another public engagement process 'cause they're so successful doing that with the general plan committee. Staff dude says the trees the Playhouse wants already meet the requirements. Soberer sounding Robinson says do the Playhouse plan. Haderlein says to do everything else first and then do the Playhouse trees. They vote on the whole deal but don't get enough votes when Bogus abstains and Gordo and Robinson say no. Haderlein resurrects the first three parts and that passes unanimously. Robinson and Gordo try to plant the Playhouse trees but they are the only yes votes and Bogus abstains. McAustin asks about doing some art thing in place of the trees but that's a joke. Gordo asks what we doing here. Dude, you're going with the trees the bitchin' biddies want or just to stop what's there. McAustin speaks the bitchin' biddies mantra and Bogey pronounces the decision dead. Holden says they need to say what happens next and they need public hearings about what happens next. Holden takes a snipe at Beck when Beck reminds them all that they've had the plan in front of them ten times in the last ten years. Two and a half more hours on trees and it's gonna come back in nine months with some other kinda tree half the people don't like. Gordo's kinda smug when it gets clear the Playhouse area is gonna look like hell for a whole year but nobody else much cares about that.

CONTRACT FOR METRO BUS SYSTEM ON COLORADO BOULEVARD: This is the one that got pulled back last week 'cause Gordo and Madison's union cronies didn't like it. Gordo tries to say it's not a union issue, but dude, IT'S THE IBEW PEOPLE WHO ARE COMPLAINING and what happened was IBEW never sent apprentices to the company. Nice try Gordo, but nobody's buying that. Shilling for the union is what it is. Gordo's earning his payback today. Union backing when he runs for mayor. Whaddya think? Public Comment: Jeffrey Hurst from the company says you can't change the rules after the bids are in. he says the unions wouldn't send anybody so they couldn't have apprentices. Joe Miedle from Manuel Brothers says they will submit the paperwork and try to get apprentices. Pat Owen IBEW union guy says Manuel Brothers sucks and has no local hires. Kim Craft IBEW shill good ol' boys some union bullshit comments. They finally do the contract with Gordo voting "pay more for union guys" No!

ELECTION RESULTS: In district 7 there's a runoff, in the others Godro and Holden got reelected. Honowitz is back in for school board and we got Elizabeth Pomeroy and Ramon Miramontes on school board too. Voters stayed home in droves and lots more voted by mail this time. Some back pats for the city clerk.

NO DIESEL BUS ORDINANCE: Gets passed.

Robinson wants to save the Status of Women Commission that's due to go out of business. Mayor wants to know about the new city website.

POST FIGHT WRAP-UP: 6 hours and we get fuck all thats useful. Gordo wants to waste money on his union cronies. Tyler wants consultants so the bitchin' biddies get to fuck over the Playhouse people and nobody's got trees on Colorado now. Special interests: 1 Pasadena citizens: 1; Union craps gonna go to Ed Tech where we all get fucked behind closed doors.

Not your best City Council.

D.