Temple City Voice

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is currently investigating bribery allegations made by Randy Wang against city officials.

Wang, the owner and developer of the Piazza at Temple City, accuses councilwoman Judy Wong, councilman Dave Capra and then-Mayor Cathé Wilson of bribery in a September 2008 counter-suit against Temple City.

The developer alleges he gave $13,000 in cash to Wong, Capra and Scott Carwile, a former city council candidate during the March 2007 elections. Carwile was then politically allied with Wilson. Wang also accuses Wilson of requesting a condominium in exchange for support of the Piazza project.

The Pasadena Star News reported on December 17, 2008 that the D.A.’s Public Integrity Division had officially begun investigating the allegations.

“No reportable action was taken by the [City] Council” said Joseph Buchman at the December 16 City Council meeting. Buchman, of Burke, Williams and Sorensen, LLP, was hired in 2008 to represent the City.

The City Council plans to “cooperate fully with the D.A.” added Buchman. On Monday, December 15, City Manager and City Attorney Charles R. Martin and all five city councilmembers testified before a grand jury.

The Piazza at Temple City, formerly known as the “Piazza Las Tunas” and “Temple City Galleria” has broken ground twice. The project once promised 52 one-bedroom condominiums and a large shopping center.

On December 2, the City Council voted 3-2 to send the Piazza back to the Planning Commission for review. Wang and his third construction management team had hoped to remove the residential condos because of the bad housing climate.

“It is my opinion that the applicant should submit a new ‘planning application’ and apply for a conditional use permit” wrote Community Development Manager Joe Lambert in the December 18 City Manager’s Weekly Report.

Lambert noted the Piazza team would need to file an updated mitigate negative declaration and conduct two new studies for traffic and parking and shadow and shade.

Randy Wang has until August 23, 2009 to complete the Piazza development as originally proposed. If it is not complete, the City has the option to purchase the 3.7 acre lot for $5 million.

This article was written by Randy Shun. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 27, 2009.

The trial of a 2007 Temple City murder began on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. Philip Adrian Guerra and Christopher Gilbert Lopez both appeared at the Pasadena Superior Court.

Guerra, 20, and Lopez are accused of committing a drive-by shooting that killed Deandre Netter, a Temple City resident, on July 25, 2007.

The Pasadena Star News reported on Tuesday that both men pleaded not guilty to killing Netter, then 17, on Golden West Avenue.

The two individuals surrendered to authorities in August 2007 after being sought by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs. Law enforcement officials had released photographs of Guerra and Lopez to the general public on August 7, 2007.

Netter’s murder in 2007 followed a local stabbing at a Carl’s Jr. store on May 25. Don Bailey-Meyer was allegedly attacked and stabbed in the parking lot.

Guerra is presently being housed at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

This article was written by Matthew Wong. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 27, 2009.

In 2003, the governor ran his campaign ensuring his supporters that he would maintain the educational budget. Today, he is advocating a four billion dollar budget cut that would, among other things, slash the state’s amount of teachers by twenty percent.

Here in Temple City, it does not take much to notice the immediate effects. Many younger teachers have already been handed pink slips, which if carried out, would signify the loss of their jobs. The district has also cut back in other avenues – less funding for field trips, textbooks, supplies, etc.

With the economy in recession, I realize the need to regulate spending in our state.

However, there are other issues that should be considered before education – namely, illegal alien benefits, which already costs the state ten billion dollars each year.

Cutting the educational budget means a denser student to teacher ratio – with classrooms already crowded, it is hard to envision more students packed into one room. How will the individual needs of each student be addressed?

It would be increasingly difficult, with the increased workload on the remaining teachers – more homework, projects and tests to grade. As currently ranked 47th in the nation in terms of education, this would only mean an alarming impact on the value of education students today receive.

Education is a fundamental necessity in our society, which functions on the basis of a “give and receive.” The lack of contributors to our society would inherently precipitate the lack of societal advancement.

Cutting down on the budget directly impacts our society – perhaps the young girl who may someday cure cancer or the young boy who may someday solve a future economic crisis may never get the chance to do so, all because they are being forced to sacrifice for a crisis of which they are not responsible.

This opinion was written by Leslie Wu. The views of this author do not reflect the views of the Temple City Voice or its staff. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 20, 2009.

Temple City High School’s annual musical, “Damn Yankees” opened at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse over the past weekend.

The musical opened with Meg (played by Anna Halverson), complaining that “Six Months Out of Every Year,” her husband, Joe (Baldwin Ngai and Aaron Kappe), is stuck in front of the television watching baseball. Joe wishes how he could show those ‘damn Yankees,’ having played baseball in his youth.

The Devil, Mr. Applegate (Samuel Thorne) appears to him, offering Joe the chance to relive his youth and lead his favorite team, the Washington Senators, to victory against Yankees. In exchange, he offers his soul, but asks for a trial period to see if he wants to be young again.

Mr. Applegate agrees, and Joe sings “Goodbye Old Gal” to Meg to pursue his dream.

The Washington Senators just lost another one of their games, thought never losing “Heart.” Once Joe and Applegate arrive, Joe is drafted onto the team, quickly leading the Senators to victory.

Applegate has Lola (Michelle Leong), his right hand woman, try to seduce Joe away from Meg, ensuring he gets Joe’s soul. Joe prevails in the end, and Lola takes over Mr. Applegate’s position as devil.

“It was good,” said Temple City High School sophomore, Michelle Nguy, “this year, they had a smaller cast, but it worked out well for them.”

This article was written by Ava Cheng. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 20, 2009.

Randy Wang, the developer and owner of the “Piazza at Temple City,” was dealt a big setback on Tuesday, December 2, 2008.

The City Council, as members of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), voted 3-2 to send the project back to the Planning Commission. CRA Agency Members Ken Gillanders and Fernando Vizcarra dissented from the majority decision.

Wang faced growing opposition from both the CRA and Temple City residents in attendance.

During the meeting, CRA Member Judy Wong was asked by fellow Agency Members Dave Capra and Cathé Wilson to clarify whether she had commented that Capra and Wilson wanted money in exchange for support of the Piazza development. Wong stated the accusation was not true.

CRA Agency Members were hesitant in continuing negotiations with Wang unless he agreed to drop the lawsuits. Gillanders suggested giving the developer 30 days to “clear the air” regarding the bribery allegations.

Residents also lashed at the developer for attempting to re-negotiate the project in the midst of a lawsuit against the City and elected officials.

After hearing from residents, CRA Vice-Chairman Capra inquired whether Community Development Manager Joe Lambert and Executive Director Charles R. Martin felt the changes being proposed were minor or major. Both stated they felt the changes were “major.”

Capra then suggested the CRA to refer the project back to the Planning Commission for a ruling. Agency Member Wong agreed.

Executive Director Martin agreed, stating if the CRA finds the changes as minor, they could approve the design. If the changes are major, the Piazza must return to the Planning Commission.

Vizcarra, an early Piazza opponent, agreed the changes were major; however, he asked the CRA to agree to one direction on the project and stick with it. Gillanders agreed.

Following a much heated discussion among CRA Members, the Piazza team was allowed to make a PowerPoint presentation on the Piazza design.

The new proposal consisted of 139,000 square feet, with approximately 108,000 square feet allocated for retail use. The plan still included space for office use and a banquet hall. The 52 one-bedroom condominiums were removed.

A total of 480 parking spaces will be required, stated Jane Housden of HTH Architects.

The Piazza team proposed two plans for the parking structure. The first option included a five-story structure capped at 45 feet tall, while the second alternative proposed a six-level structure at the height of 55 feet.

Following the presentation, the Piazza developer asked the CRA to support the new project. Wang did not comment on the pending litigation.

Chairwoman Wilson then announced she would support Capra and Wong’s move to send the project back to the Planning Commission.

Construction could begin in about a year, noted Lambert in response a question by Agency Member Vizcarra about the consequences of sending the project to the Planning Commission. The new plan also would require zone changes, a new development agreement, and additional environmental studies, he added.

The Piazza at Temple City, formerly known as the “Piazza Las Tunas” and the “Temple City Gallerias” has broken ground twice. The project once promised 52 one-bedroom condominiums and much needed sales tax revenues to Temple City.

The developer has until August 23, 2009 to complete the Piazza development as originally proposed; otherwise, Temple City has the option to purchase the 3.7 acre lot for $5 million.

In September 2008, the developer filed a countersuit alleging Mayor Wilson, Mayor Pro Tempore Capra, and councilwoman Wong of soliciting bribes. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is currently investigating those allegations.

This article was written by Randy Shun. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 20, 2009.

The City Council of Temple City voted 4-1 to join a regional economic organization to try to improve the city’s depressed economy on December 2, 2008. Councilman Ken Gillanders voted against the proposal.

Temple City is now one of twenty-nine cities to have membership with the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership (SGVEP).

Mike Shay, Vice-President of Investor Relations, had presented a proposal to the City Council on October 21.

On Tuesday, Shay returned to ask the city to consider joining at either the General Membership Level (GML) or Leadership Membership Level (LML). A GML entitles Temple City to be represented by City Manager Charles R. Martin; whereas, a LML entitles full council representation.

Temple City Mayor Cathé Wilson stated her support for a LML and councilwoman Judy Wong agreed.

Councilman Gillanders preferred the GML because it would have only cost Temple City $2500 annually. He stated there was no evidence the SGVEP would benefit the City.

The rest of the City Council did not agree with Gillanders and chose to support Wilson and Wong’s plan for the Temple City to attain membership with full council representation. The fee for LML is $5000 for twelve months.

The City Council has been active in pushing to ameliorate economic conditions in Temple City.

In June, the City Council adopted the Small Business Developer Center (SBDC) proposal lobbied by the Temple City Chamber of Commerce. Then, in September, the City Council voted to end a controversial non-retail business moratorium. The moratorium had been in place since April 2008.

In addition to the City’s present woes, Temple City faces declining sales tax revenues, money used to run the local government.

“The fiscal picture for next year is even more desperate with depressed sales tax revenues, and lower interest paid on reserves” wrote City Manager Martin in his weekly report on November 20.

As of November 30, Temple City has cash reserves of approximately $29.5 million. An additional $4.5 million is owed to the City by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

This article was written by Randy Shun. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 13, 2009.

The new City Council voted to elect councilwoman Judy Wong as the 2009-2010 mayor of Temple City. Councilman Fernando Vizcarra was elected mayor pro tempore.

This is a breaking news story. More information will be available soon.

The final election results for the March 3, 2009 City Council elections are in and challengers Vincent Yu and Edward “Tom” Chavez are officially the winners.

“A total of 226 remaining provisional and vote-by-mail ballots were counted” said City Clerk Mary Flandrick in an e-mail to the Temple City Voice on Tuesday, March 10.

Yu, a Planning commissioner, and Chavez, a Parks and Recreation commissioner, received 1944 and 1474 votes, respectively.

Former city councilman Chuck Souder, who came in third place, got 1135 votes. Incumbent councilman Ken Gillanders and Mayor Cathé Wilson garnered 729 and 705 votes. Political newcomer Silenus Ong came in last at 422 votes.

There were six candidates running for two positions on the City Council.

On Election night, both Yu and Chavez received the most support from the vote-by-mail ballots. The outcome of the vote-by-mail ballot count is often an early indicator of a candidate’s strength.

The original number of provisional and vote-by-mail ballots stood at 235 on March 3. They were sent to the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters for signature verification. Only 9 ballots were disqualified.

According to City Clerk Flandrick, voter turnout for the local election was 20.2%, excluding the ballots counted on Tuesday, March 10. In the 2007 City Council elections, turnout was around 18.7%.

“While voter turnout improved from two years ago, it is still disappointing to see so few residents participate in the election” said Matthew Wong, founder of the Temple City Voice.

“Local elections usually receive lower turnout, but what voters need to understand is that every vote really does count and can change the outcome of the election” added Wong.

Yu and Chavez will be sworn in at the March 17 City Council meeting. Mayor Wilson and councilman Gillanders will also then vacate their seats.

Both Yu and Chavez will serve through 2013. Two vacancies will need to be filled on the Planning and Parks and Recreation commissions.

This article was written by Melanie Thi. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 13, 2009.

Superintendent Dr. Chelsea Kang-Smith, school board members, parents, and teachers gathered in the Temple City High School Media Center for a special budget meeting on Monday, March 9.

The meeting began with parents and teacher speaking out against the laying off of teachers. High school English teacher Ms. Lilah Herman asked, “How is this keeping cuts away from [the] students?”

She talked about how the firing of teachers would lead to the increase of each classroom size by five. Students would not be given the individual attention they need.

Dr. Kang-Smith talked about how the budget crisis is a national epidemic and that many districts are forced to close down schools. The board was not aware of the state’s new budget until February.

In the budget, 62% of the cuts were made in education. Dr. Kang-Smith stated that even considerably well off districts are faced with this is problem and that “difficult times like this need us all to work together.”

The School Board plans to save money by reducing the number of special education aids, district office clerks, custodians, and noon duty aides. They plan to eliminate the tech-lite stipend and lay off IRC employees. They also plan to reduce campus supervisors and kindergarten and ELD aids.

Another way the School Board plans to conserve funds is by renting District facilities to Chinese schools and organizations such as Chess Masters. The estimated cost of utility use by all Temple City organizations is around $10,000.

Thirty-six pink slips will be handed out to teachers in the district, but there is always a chance for those slips to be rescinded.

This article was written by Christine Keung. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 13, 2009.

Temple City held its annual Camellia Festival from Friday, February 20 to Sunday, February 22.

The city is known for the annual festival and attracted people of all ages and backgrounds. Carnival rides, games, and concession stands were on display at Temple City Park all weekend.

Different groups within Temple City, as well as marching bands coming from several schools throughout Los Angeles County, participated in the parade held on Saturday. Saturday boasted the largest number of visitors.

A large van acting as a food stand sold “carnival food”, popcorn, sodas, cotton candy, and nachos.

Also, several clubs from Temple City High School and Oak Avenue Intermediate School had stands that sold refreshments, such as root beer floats, cups of caramel and sliced apples, snow cones, and soft drinks for fundraising.

The price of games ranged from about one to three dollars. There were games of skill such as shooting a red star with a rifle and climbing an unstable ladder.

For games that attracted the younger carnival attendants, there was a game of chance that consisted of flipping over rubber ducks to reveal their markings for prizes.

Ticket booths were scattered along the park where people could purchase admission tickets to the attractions and rides.

These mechanized rides included a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, a spinning ride called the Sizzler, and the infamous Megaloop, an attraction that hurls riders upside down in a loop.

This year’s theme was “Backyard Adventures.”

This article was written by Jason Alvin Wu. It was published in the Temple City Voice on March 6, 2009.