At the Tuesday, January 26, 2016, City Council meeting, the City Council will review an agreement for the City of Arcadia to temporarily provide police patrol services, seven days a week between the hours of 6:00 pm and 6:00 am beginning Sunday, February 7, 2016. Staffing levels within the Sierra Madre Police Department (SMPD) have reached a level where there are insufficient personnel to provide safe and reliable police services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Apparently City Hall jumped the gun on this a little bit because their equivalent governmental figures in the City of Arcadia have, according to Mayor Cappocia, agreed to do no such thing. At least not yet. This item was then accordingly removed from the roster and will only reappear after Arcadia has actually agreed to help the imperiled Sierra Madre out.
So you know, the next meeting of the Arcadia City Council takes place on February 2nd, and any possible deliberation about patrolling Sierra Madre's police depleted streets does not appear on their agenda. At least it doesn't yet. It is a week until the event takes place, so things could always change. But so far there doesn't appear to be too much urgency in Peacockia about this matter. You can link to that meeting agenda by clicking here.
My guess is that February 7th start date for Arcadia police patrols described in that City of Sierra Madre website article cited above will not be met.
Remember, that same item was also published by Pasadena Now, SierraMadreNews.net, the Mountain Views News and on the City of Sierra Madre Facebook page. Hopefully all of those vigilant news resources will be issuing corrections and clarifications, and soon.
The oddest part of this abrupt course correction last night was Police Chief Larry Giannone pronouncing the delay to be "no big deal." I believe that a lot of people were previously led to understand that it actually was a big deal.
Certainly all of that City Hall initiated press in the publications cited above might have led some to have that impression.
Yesterday Preserve Sierra Madre sent out the following email
The good news is all of that was ratified last night by the City Council. Both Councilmembers Goss and Harabedian did voice their usual misgivings about all of this, but in the end voted for it along with the rest of their fellow Councilmembers. Gene Goss cited last night's strong advocacy by John Hutt for getting him on board.
Any way you look at it this really was a big victory over bad development. Hopefully none of this will be challenged after the election is over.
The City Hall $7,500 Measure UUT Media Blitz
This so-called nonpartisan effort to "educate the residents" about Measure UUT was passed unanimously by the City Council. Here is how one group of unimpressed commenters described this last night.
I hope they don't spend it all in one place.
One more thing. The stop sign requested by residents for the intersection of East Highland and North Mountain Trail was approved. This despite the advice of the stop sign engineer from Wildan. A lot of concerned parents turned out for this item. The school kids who cross there every morning will be be better off because of their efforts.
sierramadretattler.blogspot.com