It Is Just Like Old Times Down At Sierra Madre City Hall

"Those patches are silver and black. Like the Raiders." 
- Reader comment and an unfortunate correlation. 

Happy days are here again. With the 10% UUT back in place thanks to some of the most easily manipulated voters to be found anywhere, all of the usual suspects downtown are back to their devil may care ways. In this case the Sierra Madre Police Department. And who could possibly blame them? Ever since half of that department deserted the community they were sworn to protect for the few extra bucks to be found elsewhere, things have been kind of down at the mouth for the old SMPD. So what better way to cheer the remaining boys and girls in blue up than by getting them some nice new patches and badges?

Here is an exchange that took place recently on the City of Sierra Madre's Facebook page (link). Chief Giannone is announcing a cop couture make-over for the SMPD, and then there is that one commenter who just didn't dig it.

So that building pictured on that new SMPD patch, is it perhaps the Kensington? I am not sure I would recognize that structure otherwise. And the pile on that new badge? Is it an historic community landmark I somehow missed during the 15 years I lived there? Maybe it was something from the never constructed DSP? I cannot recall ever seeing anything quite like that in town. Maybe it's from Arcadia.

The other day an article announcing the latest Sierra Madre City Council line-up appeared in the Pasadena Star News (link). Here a newly minted Mayor Gene Goss shines counterintuitively about something we talked about frequently on The Tattler previous to April 12th:

“We’ve turned the corner on (the city’s yellow water problem),” he said. “With the passage of Measure UUT (this recent April election), our budget will now be stabilized without having to dip into our reserves. We’re not out of the woods yet, but that’s a good first step.”

Another city issue Goss said that will benefit from the passage of the Utility User’s Tax measure is the city’s 100-year-old police department.

“With the passage, we will be able to rebuild and keep our police department in good standing,” said Goss. “In the coming year, the council will build on these successes.”

So you see? Measure UUT was never about water infrastructure repairs or fixing sidewalks or any stuff like that. It was always about trying to accommodate Sierra Madre's many millions of dollars in unmet CalPERS debt, employee benefits and raises. As exemplified by the resurrection of this community's extremely expensive boutique police department.

All of that other stuff was pushed off until the 2018 election when either a new parcel tax, or increased property taxes (or most likely both), will be placed on the ballot. I am sure this will be publicized with yet another $30,000 Pasadena postcard campaign proclaiming it all essential to saving Sierra Madre.

Just like Measure UUT was. Only it later turned out to be something else.

Enjoy your new badges and patches.

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