Funding Issues Main Topic At Hawaiian Gardens Council Meeting

By Larry Caballero

Consent Calendar items on a city council agenda are usually considered routine and are enacted by one motion and one vote, unless discussion is desired. Yet all of the items were removed from the calendar for discussion at the Jun. 13 Hawaiian Gardens City Council meeting because two of the members—Barry Bruce and Reynaldo Rodriguez—had budgetary concerns.
“We need to cut consulting costs,” Rodriguez said. “We’re making these firms rich.” Three firms alone, said Rodriguez, received more than $500,000 from the City. “And I’m not counting attorney fees.” Rodriguez wanted to cut these services to provide more funding for seniors, youth, park and recreation projects and to protect the City’s reserve from future economic downturns.
Bruce had concerns about the City’s donation policy related to general city contributions to non-profit organizations and local schools. “The guidelines are too general,” said Bruce. “We give grants without documentation and we need full disclosure to be sure that residents from Hawaiian Gardens, and not only surrounding communities, are taking advantage of the benefits the City provides.” Bruce was concerned that local schools are always expecting Hawaiian Gardens “to rescue them.”
In some cases, the program had already expired before the City was asked for funding. “That’s just rude,” said Bruce. He wanted future requests for funding to be made in person and an oral presentation, with a slide show if possible, to the Council once the project had been completed.
Bruce also had a problem with the ineligibility requirements by the City for a religious organization that wants to support a non-religious program. He gave the example of providing suits for parolees. “We need to be more proactive and do more to benefit all the members of our community.”
Bruce also had concerns that there is little or no enforcement of the requirement that at least 75% of all Hawaiian Gardens residents need to benefit from any program that the City is funding.
Gomez reminded Bruce “we are the little city with a big heart.” He felt that some programs that did not meet the 75% requirement could still deny many City residents of a service. After much discussion, the Council supported the 75% requirement that could only be changed at the discretion of Council members.
A Resolution of the Hawaiian Gardens City Council approving the exchange of Proposition A Transportation Funds for fiscal year 2010-2011 between the City of Hawaiian Gardens and the City of West Covina also was approved. Proposition A was passed by the voters in 1980 that allowed cities to purchase, sell or transfer funds to mutually benefit each city. Hawaiian Gardens would pay West Covina 75 cents on the dollar to purchase its funds to be placed in the General Fund to help defray future expenditures. Hawaiian Gardens should save approximately $90,000 annually for approving the exchange.
During the Public Comments portion of the meeting, Rosie Gomez, wife of city councilmember Mike Gomez, thanked three of the members for their support of a June memorial barbecue in honor of a slain law enforcement officer. “It was well attended by deputy sheriffs from all over the southland.”
Another resident was not so pleased. “There are residents in this community who live their tragedy every year. They have been affected by violence, too, and yet there is no recognition by the City for them.”