Temple City Voice

Retail stores and restaurants can now avoid the number of parking spaces required, should they agree to pay an annual in-lieu parking fee.

On July 3rd, 2007, the City Council moved to adopt resolution #07-4507. The resolution will allow for an in-lieu parking fee to be established within the Temple City Downtown Specific Plan.

The in-lieu parking fee is an option future businesses can take if they have deficient parking. The business would agree to pay $750 per parking space missing annually. For example, if Business A is required to have five parking spaces, but only has three, it could pay an annual in-lieu parking fee. The fee of $1500 ($750 per parking space) will help the business meet parking requirements.

Retail stores are required to prove four parking spaces per 1000 square feet. However, restaurants are required to have ten parking spaces per 1000 square feet.

During Council discussion, Councilmember Fernando Vizcarra inquired about whether other cities had this in-lieu parking fee and how much their fees were. Community Development Manager Joe Lambert responded that the fee ranged from $200 – $8000 per parking space.

Some fear that this option will punish businesses rather than encourage commercial businesses in Temple City. One resident noted “I think we’re moving backward.”

Councilwoman Cathé Wilson moved to adopt the resolution. Councilmember Vizcarra seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0.

This article was written by Matthew Wong. It was published in the September 26, 2007 issue of the Temple City Voice.

Nested within the San Gabriel Valley is the tranquil City of Temple City. Temple City, famed for its single- story homes, prestigious education, and the Camellia Festival, is currently in the process of updating its General Plan. This long-range planning document was last updated in 2002.

At the July 10th, 2007 Planning Commission meeting, Commissioners voted unanimously to send invitations to individuals who may possibly be interested in joining a task force committee focused on three main aspects: commercial, housing, and parks and open spaces.

In June 2007, the Communications Task Force Committee was formed. Members of the Communications Task Force will “figure out ways to better communicate with citizens here” stated Planning Commissioner Carl Blum.

In addition, their goal is to encourage residents to participate either as a member of a committee or to fill up a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) survey. SWOT surveys have been available on the City of Temple City website as well as various Temple City businesses.

The Parks and Open Spaces task force committee will work with the Parks and Recreation Commission to incorporate plans for possible lands that can serve as future parks.

The Commercial Task Force committee has been designated to recommend ways to generate sales tax revenues, create a climate for developers to establish businesses, and verify appropriate zoning for various lots. Additionally, a goal is to develop a way to triple the present sales tax revenue the City receives.

The Housing Task Force committee will discuss issues of housing and formulate ways and means to meet the state mandate to build affordable housing.

Also during the meeting, residents volunteered to serve as members of various task force committees. One resident noted that the Planning Commission could make an announcement during the “Concerts in the Parks” events on Wednesdays. Another resident suggested a Civic Education meeting to allow residents the opportunity to understand how the City functions.

The Temple City Voice highly encourages residents to participate in one of these various task force committees to order to improve upon the quality of life of the Temple City community. For more information about the committees, contact Community Development Manager Joe Lambert at 626-285-2171.

This article was written by Matthew Wong. It was published in the September 19, 2007 issue of the Temple City Voice.

Every Wednesday the sounds from “Concerts in the Park” echo music throughout the Temple City Park around 7 p.m. However on August 29th this year, the Temple City community held its second to the last concert of the year. The night was filled with cheer from over six hundred spectators enjoying the show and supporting the band, The Answer that performed that festive night.

The Answer is a band primarily based in the Glendale-Claremont region that will continue to perform live throughout California in the month of September. The group played hit songs from the era of classical rock; a song they played that night was “Brick House,” as made famous by The Commodores. Additional details about the band can be found on their website www.theanswertoclassicrock.com.

The “Concerts in the Park” first debuted in the 1980s. Approximately ten years ago, bands would play in front of City Hall; now bands perform in the gazebo. This event also used to last 5-6 weeks and now lasts 12-13 weeks long.

The “Concerts in the Park” has been successful in previous years primarily because the city has made great effort to host it each year. Cathy Burroughs, Director of Parks and Recreation, said “…the city does pay about $1500 a week for the bands.”

Numerous organizations can be seen with stands in the park during the event. The local Boy Scouts team offered snow cones to the concert attendants while the Temple City Sister Cities sold popcorn and soda.

A new program known as “Shape Up Temple City” had created their stand at the entrance to the concert. Founded by Monica Huynh, its goal is to “promote fitness and nutrition throughout the community.” Members plan to visit Temple City schools throughout the year.

“Shape Up Temple City” had cookbooks filled with healthful recipes for sale. The cookbooks can be purchased for $5 dollars each. The proceeds from the sales go back into the program.

Each year the Concerts in the Park attract an increasing number of people. The number of guests that attend each concert went up from eight hundred last year to nine hundred this year. During some Wednesday concerts, the crowd reached around one thousand to two thousand in attendance.

In the event of next years’ series of concerts, Cathy Burroughs has considered a dance floor near the gazebo and a change of themes for the concerts.

So ends another successful summer of “Concerts in the Parks.”

This article was written by Martin Mao. It was published in the Temple City Voice on September 19, 2007.

Doggone it! Time passes too fast these days and it’s always good to take time off the fast track to smell the roses, or in this case, the fresh cut grass of the Rose Bowl. And who better to spend that very much needed time off with than with man’s best friend? So take a Sunday off on September 30th and bring Lucky, Spot, and Wishbone with you to the 9th Annual Wiggle Waggle Walk…For the Animals 2007.

Here, the festivities start at 8:00 AM and end around 2:00 PM. This event is open to the public with free admission and funds will go towards charity. Walkers who participate will have a choice of walking either one or three miles to help raise money for Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). SPCA’s animal shelter helps all the lost, injured and abandoned animals in their care.

Dogs are not required to participate in the walk; people who have a desire to help animals in need are more than welcome to attend. Afterwards, there will be a Family Fun Fair for you and your dog to enjoy, with shows, games and more.

People and Animals Coming Together, also known as P.A.C.T. Club, a Temple City High School club dedicated to helping animals, will be there to support the cause. This will be P.A.C.T. Club’s second participation in the Wiggle Waggle Walk…For the Animals.

In order to get a free shirt, all participants must register online. To register and read more information about this event, go to www.phsspca.org/about/walk/2007/index.htm. Donations are being accepted and directions are clearly outlined on the website.

This article was written by Angie Yeh. It was published in the September 19, 2007 issue of the Temple City Voice.

Summer has come and gone with changes following close behind. This year the winds of fall that follow not only make the start of autumn known, but also bring new improvements and changes to Temple City Voice.

Created by former Temple City High School Student, then senior Matthew Wong, the Temple City Voice still has the same goal since its inauguration: elimination of community apathy. And while the Voice continues to do so, dedicated to fulfilling the needs of the community with determination and purpose, some old faces remain while others must part ways.

This year, one of the changes coming to the Voice will be the departure of Aaron Liong, the current Assistant Editor-In-Chief. “[Aaron] will be leaving for college at the end of the month,” states Wong. “He served the position of Assistant Editor-In-Chief well. I wish him the best as he heads to college.”

Soon to be taking over as the new Assistant Editor-In-Chief will be Margaret Thi, current staff writer. “I hope to expand our audience, though this is will be a challenge because last year I was only a staff writer,” says Thi. “Now I have more responsibilities but I’m willing to work diligently with our new staff members to improve TC Voice.”

One out of the many reasons the Voice chose her for this position is due to her ability to perform up to its standards. “Margaret has served with the Voice since it was first started,” explains Wong, adding his support of the decision. “I believe she is not only capable but qualified to succeed the current Assistant Editor-In-Chief.”

Apart from the change of a new Assistant Editor-In-Chief, new faces will be joining the Voice as the year progresses. “This year’s staff is definitely stronger then the staff we had last year. We have more students eager to serve the community,” declares Wong. “I am confident that the new staff will continue to make the Temple City Voice proud.”

This article was written by Angie Yeh. It was published in the Temple City Voice on September 12, 2007.
 

For over thirteen months, residents of Temple City have wondered when the “Piazza Las Tunas” mixed-use development would be built. The Piazza, a project that has caused much controversy since the idea of the mini-mall on the site, where the Hawkins and Edwards property used to stand, first came about, has had one groundbreaking ceremony, but construction has not yet begun since approval.

At the June 19, 2007 City Council meeting, the developer and members of the Piazza’s construction management team proposed structural changes. The condominiums will be built of wood in lieu of concrete and light weight steel. The underground residential parking will be made with steel instead of concrete and the retail portion will be braced from steel construction in lieu of concrete.

According to a letter from the construction management firm, A & W Builders, to the City of Temple City, the changers were being made because the previous proposal “was not economically feasible for the developer to move forward with his construction financing.”

Councilmember Dave Capra asked whether the Piazza, formerly known as the “Temple City Galleria”, would be completed by the deadline set in the Developer’s Agreement. The deadline is August 23, 2009.

Members representing the Piazza stated that the deadline would be met.

When asked by Councilmember Fernando Vizcarra what the Piazza team had been doing for the previous twenty-two months, the team responded stating that the schematics had been completed. They noted that they had spent 6 – 8 months on the drawings.

The Piazza mixed-use development project was approved in May 2006, when the previous City Council voted unanimously to approve Ordinances 06-904 and 06-905. Ordinance 06-904 is the zone-change ordinance and 06-905 is the developer’s agreement.

A grassroots effort immediately formed to collect signatures for a referendum on the Council’s decision. A total of 1937 signatures were collected by residents including former and current City and School officials. Former Temple City Unified School Board Member Joan Vizcarra and other residents then presented the petitions to the City Clerk, who rejected them based on a “technicality.”

In June 2007, the former construction manager Jay Liyanage was fired and owner Randy Wang retained a new firm, A & W Builders.

A & W Builders and other members of the Piazza team are expected to deliver an assessment to the City Council in two to three months. The Council will then give a conditional thumb up or down to the team.

The Piazza mixed-use development is expected to generate about $800,000 to $1 million dollars worth of badly needed tax revenue.

Also being discussed was the awarding of $20,000 to the San Gabriel Valley Weekly for increased publication and advertising of Temple City information for six months. Councilmember Vizcarra was the sole opposition to the idea.

This article was written by Matthew Wong. It was published in the Temple City Voice on September 12, 2007.

Loud, intense rock music reverberated from Temple City Park on Thursday, August 16th, 2007. The Temple City Library was sponsoring a free rock concert for teenagers to show that the library is a cool place. Playing at the concert was the High Strung, a band who has been touring libraries all over the country.

It is important for more students to be aware that the library isn’t just a place for reading. It has video games, movies, book clubs, scavenger hunts, and other fun activities. “We’re really excited to host this concert because it’s the first time this library ever tried anything like this and I hope everyone shows up,” says Joshua Irwin, the teen librarian.

The band played with a lot of enthusiasm and their commentary between songs was very humorous. The songs they played were very unique and easy for teenagers to relate to. A good example is “Meal Ticket”, which is about geeks being a constant meal ticket for bullies who take their lunch money. Another fun song is “Gentlemen” in which the jealous narrator wishes to be one in order to attract more ladies.

After an hour of playing their own songs, the High Strung did an interactive activity with the audience. The band members passed out random library books and asked the listeners to pick one line from each book to serve as lyrics for a song. The results were hilarious. “No, Pudge. It’s party time…” and “BAND GEEKS ARE FINALLY COOL!” were only two of the silly lines that were chosen as lyrics.

Members of the crowd were picked to be percussionists and singers. The makeshift band of volunteers were given the name, Mosaic, and the song was titled “Randomness.” Everyone who attended the concert found it very fun and enjoyable. The end result was marvelous and the song was a smashing success.

The High Strung sent emails to14,000 libraries in America asking if they would like a rock concert. Only 32 libraries responded saying yes making Temple City Library part of the .22%. To quote the High Strung’s lead singer, Josh Malerman, our library “has some wild librarians.”

This article was written by Christine Keung. It will be published in the Temple City Voice on September 12, 2007.

The Golden West Avenue murder suspects, Philip Guerra and Christopher Lopez, are expected to appear at the Alhambra Municipal Court later on this month.

Guerra and Lopez surrendered to the authorities last month as the Los Angeles County Sheriffs released photographs of their identities to the general public. Both suspects are 18 years old and residents of Temple City and stand accused of committing a drive-by shooting that killed Deandre Netter, another Temple City resident, on July 25, 2007.

Netter’s murder followed a local stabbing at a Carl’s Jr. store on May 25, 2007. Don Bailey-Meyer was allegedly attacked and stabbed in the parking lot. The suspects believed to be involved in the case have also turned themselves in to the authorities.

Lopez, Guerra, and the individuals involved in the Carl’s Jr. stabbing are said to be members of gangs within the San Gabriel Valley. Gang prevention will most likely be one of the major issues in the upcoming School Board elections.

Lopez is currently being housed at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles with bail set at $3.05 million dollars.

Guerra is presently housed at the Pitchess Detention Center East Facility in the City of Castaic. His bail has been set at $4.4 million dollars.

Lopez and Guerra are expected to appear at the Alhambra courthouse on September 19th at 8:30 a.m.

This article was written by Matthew Wong. It will be published in the Temple City Voice on September 12, 2007.

On June 12th, 2007, the Planning Commission once again designated a portion of the agenda to discuss the General Plan update, which is a long-range planning document for the city of Temple City. The last update took place in 2002.

In May, the Planning Commission stated that the priority of the General Plan update should be the Housing element. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), a regional authority, has assessed a total of 978 housing units to be built. 566 units of 978 required must be “affordable” housing.

At the June 12th, 2007 meeting, Commissioner Jim LeBerthon asked whether or not any low-income housing units would be available to a specific group of people. Community Developer Manager Joe Lambert responded by saying the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development would monitor the low-income housing units.

Then, Chairman Vincent Yu asked whether the low-income affordable housing units would be limited to rental units. Lambert responded that the low-income affordable housing units would not be limited to rental units.

The remainder of the evening was devoted to the formation of the Communications Task Force committee. The Communications Task Force committee has been charged with developing ways to effectively inform the residents of Temple City about the proposed General Plan update.

The following individuals have volunteered to serve on the Communications Task Force Committee: Planning Commissioner Carl Blum, City Manager/City Attorney Charles Martin, Councilmember Fernando Vizcarra, Chamber of Commerce President Linda Payne, John Quintanilla, Patricia Johnson, and Patricia Bateman.

Presently, the Planning Commission has formed three other task force committees: Commercial, Housing, and Parks and Open spaces, in addition to the formation of the Communications task force committee.

Residents are being asked to fill out SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) surveys to assist the Planning Commission and its various task force committees. The SWOT surveys may be found on the City’s website as well as various business locations within the city.

The Temple City Voice community highly encourages residents to be involved with this General Plan update process.

This article was written by Matthew Wong. It was published in September 5, 2007 issue of the Temple City Voice.

Students woke up at the peak of dawn headed to a beach clean-up held at Long Beach by Temple City High School’s Environmental Club on August 9, 2007.

Catching the metro destined for the Alamito beach shores, members of the club aimed to help remove litter from the beach and attempted to encourage other visitors to assist them.

Some individuals held trash bags for others to deposit litter found along the beach shoreline. Collecting empty chip bags, smashed bottles, and various kinds of debris left behind by careless guests, students equipped with gloves are sent to range through the sand.

“The beach is like a human being,” says TCHS Senior, Victor Lu, “you need to like take care of it so that it’ll stay alive.”

The Environmental Club is an organization created by Temple City High School students who are interested in ways to preserve and protect the environment. The club has previously held clean-up projects at the high school and other locations within Temple City such as Live Oak Park.

Initially carefree in its effort and kept calm by the boisterous cheer of team leaders, the group grew tired after hours of the tedious nature of the activity and was demanding a break.

Even as students were attempting to pick the beach spotlessly clean, a thick brown wave would occasionally wash waste onto the beach shores. Also, young children unable to locate a trash barrel would toss their juice boxes into the sand.

Still one TCHS student was not discouraged by this seemingly hopeless expedition, “…compared to the amount of trash on all beaches, the amount we can clean up may not seem like much, but our efforts are not in vain,” said incoming Sophomore Michelle Tsui.

Although few of the other tourists did join the Environmental Club in its efforts, some have decided to instead walk those extra hundred yards to the nearest bin rather than heap their trash on the ground.

When the sun finally began to fall over the western coastline, the Environmental Club decided to head back to Temple City. The members of the party then tore off their gloves, put on their sandals, and started heading toward their rides that would bring them home. The team returned sore, tired, and red with sunburn.

This article was written Martin Mao. It was published in the September 5, 2007 issue of the Temple City Voice.