Spelling Out Rialto’s Financial Future Without The Utility Tax

07 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

Rialto is in a very critical point in our cities existence and many may be looking to the incoming development as a saving windfall. We are here to tell you that this isn’t the case Rialto is in a tough spot and its going to take everyone doing their jobs to get us through it.

The reason we say everyone doing their jobs is right now some staff and the community are the only ones stepping up to the plate and if the rest of the players don’t figure that out, own their bad and get on board with getting things back on track it is going to spell disaster.

Here are the players as we see it and what they need to do to get things moving the right way:

  1. The Community – This group of people have been doing a lion share of the heavy lifting. Most people believe they have no recourse and they must accept bad leadership and money mismanagement. This is not the case even though we may be on a certain leaders team it never hurts to remind those leaders we support we can no longer give them blanket support for a laundry list of bad calls. You can see how the city council is fracturing as they all split off to their specific groups and ask for help with dealing with the others. When it comes to the Utility Users Tax the community can’t support TAX AND SPEND Liberals in such high majorities when voting and then look at a tax that actually provides us services we all say we want to keep as a bad thing.
  2. The City Council – I have never been a fan of forming a consensus I believe it leads to to many back room deals and excludes the community at large as a few key power groups ideology reigns supreme. Yet on this issue I see it as juvenile to allow the whole city to suffer just to make a political point. I say this because the issue of declaring a financial emergency still hangs in the balance and is holding up Rialto’s ability to see where we are going over the next 10 years. City Council is playing political chicken with our future, information that has come from staff says that City Council is having an issue declaring a state of emergency because we still have a healthy surplus. A surplus that will only afford Rialto a 6 month time frame of stability if the worse was ever to happen. It seems like City Council wants us to be broke and defaulting on loans before we do anything to right our unstable future. I don’t know anyone that would look at their personal or business finances and see a real financial avalanche heading their way and not do anything within reason to stop what seems to be inevitable. One of City Councils epic failures was the 3% at 50 PERS offering. According to sources to help with employee retention Councilman Ed Scott brought this in. Now this program is no longer offered to new employees but employees already in this program have it no matter what.
  3. The Mayor – Mayor Robertson has done a very good job of pushing the blame for failures onto other people or pretending that things are better than they really are. Mayor Robertson is the biggest holdout when it comes to declaring a state of financial emergency in this city and this isn’t the 1st time she has pulled this stunt. Four years ago she pulled the same stunt as she threw a tantrum and asked public safety to make massive concessions like no longer being able to cash out comp, sick, holiday or vacation time, $300 cut in uniform allowance and no raise. Now she is taking things a step further as now Mayor Robertson wants to once again ask Public Safety to forgo a raise, loose all special assignment pay and take everyone back one full step in pay. Remember this is the same Mayor that wanted to give herself a massive raise for a very part time job.
  4. Staff – Staff plays a big role in what is going on here since they seem incapable of giving the Council, Mayor and Community a true and honest look at the consequences of staff recommended actions. Many times staff have fallen on the sword for the Mayor and City Council to shield them from the consequences of their actions. Yes staff works hard and puts in long hours but when they keep the truth from the community or shield the electeds from the consequences of their actions they sully all the hard work they have put in.
  5. City Attorney – Some day we will have a city attorney that doesn’t rip us off (Jimmy Gutierrez) and we will have one that has the testicle fortitude to stand in the gap and advocate for the community rather than cover up for the Council and Mayor. In one case the city has spent $720,000 already in defending the city in a legal case that could have been fixed had someone stopped everyone’s egos. Also the City Attorney needs to remind the Mayor that giving away buildings to friends and political allies is a slippery slope to gifting of public funds. We are not saying this is the case but a property on Riverside Ave in Downtown seems to have changed ownership without any other public consideration and it has a lot of people scratching their heads.

 

Video by rialto-now

Comic Con Comes to the Inland Empire

20 Mar 2017 Leave a comment

 

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

COMIC CON REVOLUTION COMES TO

THE ONTARIO CONVENTION CENTER

 

Ontario and the Inland Empire Get Their Very Own Comic Con at

The Ontario Convention Center in Ontario California Saturday May 13, 2017

 

Ontario, California March 8, 2017 – The Ontario Convention Center located at 2000 E Convention Center Way, Ontario, California will be the home of Comic Con Revolution.  The Inaugural 1-day event at the Ontario Convention Center will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2017.  The show brings Heroes, Villains, Princesses, Pirates, Aliens and so much more to the Inland Empire.

Comic Con Revolution is an event for long time comic collectors as well as first timers and families who want to experience the excitement.  Hardcore fans will recognize many of the names on the guest list while families and first time comic convention attendees will quickly see what makes these events so much fun.

Attending comic cons can be expensive – we want to make it affordable.  Comic Con Revolution offers a variety of pricing options so that the entire family can enjoy the experience.  Adult tickets are $25, teen tickets (13-17 years-old) are $15 and kids 12 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.  One adult ticket allows for up to two free children’s ticket.

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

“We are very excited to bring an authentic comic con experience to the City of Ontario and the Inland Empire community as a whole,“ said Atomic Crush Events co-founder Mike Scigliano.  He added, “The team behind Comic Con Revolution is working overtime to bring you an amazing experience.  Come join the revolution!”

“We are thrilled to welcome Atomic Crush Events to the Ontario Convention Center” said Michael Krouse, President and CEO, of Ontario Convention Center.   “Finally our very own Comic Con!  We know visitors to this event will be in for a treat with the planned program, exhibitors, and camaraderie of fellow collectors.”

Comic Con Revolution, a family friendly environment, will feature a full day of programming and events which includes panels featuring screenwriter Doug Jung who wrote the scripts for movies including Star Trek Beyond.  Other panels include creating comics, creator & comic spotlights, cosplay panels, kid’s panels, and capped off with a Cosplay Contest.  Our show floor will feature exhibitors & vendors who sell movie memorabilia, toys, t-shirts as well as full guest list of top industry talent.

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

Guests currently scheduled to appear include Karl Altstaetter (Mirror), Tim Bradstreet (Marvel Comics Covers), Sandy King Carpenter (Producer Ghosts of Mars, Vampires), Matthew Clark (Injustice: Ground Zero), Mike Collins (ABC’s of Halloween), Neo Edmund (Clan of the Vein), Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Life After), Derek Fridolfs (Li’l Gothams), Joel Gomez (La Muerta), Steven Gordon (X-Men Evolution Animated Series), Travis Hanson (Life of the Party), Ray-Anthony Height (Midnight Tiger), Doug Jung (Screenwriter Star Trek Beyond, God Particle, Scalped), Scott Koblish (Deadpool), Mike Kunkel (Herobear), Hope Larson (Batgirl), Livesay (Dr. Strange), Scott Lobdell (Red Hood & the Outlaws), Pamela Lovas (Regular Show), Raychul Moore (Cosplayer & Gamer), Todd Nauck (Spider-Man), Whilce Portacio (Comic Legend), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers), Paolo Rivera (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953), Patrick Scullin (Super Siblings), Beth Sotelo (Grump), Cat Staggs (Wonder Woman), Art Thibert (Superman), Gus Vazquez (Big Hero Six),  Vivid Vidka (Cosplayer), Dave Wagner (Dot Problems) and Tommy Walker (Actor on Netflix’s Daredevil) .  Additional announcements will be made as guests continue to confirm and support the show.

For tickets to the Ontario event go to http://vor.us/99c4c

Video by rialto-now

Is city council responsible for the traffic issues in Rialto?

10 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Crime, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Ed Scott, Flores Park Neighborhood Watch, Grace Vargas, Inland Empire, Jimmy Gutierrez, Joe Baca Jr, joseph williams, Lynn Hirtz, Nieghborhood Watch, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Parks, Rialto Police Department, Shawn O'Connell Tags: , , , ,

traffic chart

Who is to blame for the traffic problems here in Rialto? Well to determine this we need to look at how we arrived here. Rialto Police Department is looking to secure another traffic grant in the amount of $202,070. This grant is primarily to be used for DUI, seat belt and distracted driving enforcement. It can be used for other things but since we use this grant primarily for DUI enforcement Rialto Police stick to this use.

We were told at the last coffee with the chief meeting in a side conversation that the city of Rialto has been removing job openings from the list when it comes to staffing new officers. So with promotions and retirements the department is stretched to fill spots. Another area of contention is the lack of employee benefits that a officer can obtain here in Rialto verses other local departments. So what ends up happening is we train officers they get the fast paced experience that Rialto has to offer then they lateral into another agency and we are short another officer.

So the chart above is from Tab 7 on the agenda for the meeting on August 11th. We have pasted the paragraph in the chart below so you can clearly see what Rialto Police say we have in regards to traffic personnel. Now unless we have been lied to I thought we had a traffic Cpl. but with that being said does the total number of sworn personnel being six make you feel good about the cities ability to control traffic here? Now lets look at the rest of the paragraph. We could have three more officers working traffic but the problem “is not known due to budget issues”. 

Also collisions have doubled and injuries are on the rise and people are still dying. The chart tells you that 22350 CVC is the number one collision factor. What is this California Vehicle Code? It is for speeding. Followed by unsafe left turns or U turns and then its for DUI.

So what are the problems who is to blame:

  • So we can’t staff our traffic division to proper levels but were adding more and more commercial traffic every three months by selling away prime property to major warehouse companies. Yet the traffic commission keeps approving these businesses stating that we have adequate staffing to keep the city safe from the massive increase of truck traffic.
  • So we see that for at least the last three years U turns have been identified as being the second most cause of vehicle collisions and atributed to 69 injuries. So has public works, engineering and the traffic commission failed to recognize that they are forcing people into unsafe driving maneuvers by installing raised cement medians.
  • The former Public Works Director addressed community concerns about speeding in local communities in residential areas near schools and parks by increasing the speed limit in these areas. Now you can go as fast as 40-45 MPH through most local neighborhoods Riverside Ave north of the 210 freeway is the same speed? Remember the number one cause of injuries, victims and deaths is speeding. Flores Park has been advocating for reduced speed limits and a stop sign in front of Flores Park & Dallahan Elementary for the last 5 years and the city keeps saying no. The last time they said no it was because the Neighborhood Watch Program doesn’t make money for the city.

I’m not sure about you but it looks like the Traffic Commission, Mayor, Planning Commission, Public Works and City Council have all fallen asleep at the wheel and if the community doesn’t stand up and stop this Rialto will become a traffic nightmare.

City Council meeting is August 11th at City Hall at 6 pm

PROBLEM STATEMENT Our Traffic Unit is currently staffed by a Sergeant, 2 Motor Officers, 2 Accident Investigation / DUI Enforcement Officers, 1 Commercial Enforcement Officer and 6 Parking Enforcement Civilians. Over the past several years, we lost 2 Accident Investigation / DUI Enforcement Officers due to selections to other assignments. We also lost 1 Motor Officer due to a medical retirement. The time line for the replacement of these positions is not known due to budget issues with the city. This grant will assist us in providing enforcement activities that will serve our City population that now number in excess of one hundred thousand people.

22350 CVC – No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.

21801(a)CVC – The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left or to complete a U-turn upon a highway, or to turn left into public or private property, or an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction which are close enough to constitute a hazard at any time during the turning movement, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to the approaching vehicles until the left turn or U-turn can be made with reasonable safety.

23152(a)CVC – It is a misdemeanor to drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Interviews for New City Attorney

04 Dec 2013 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Crime, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Inland Empire, Jimmy Gutierrez, Mike Story, Rialto, Rialto, Shawn O'Connell

Well it looks like the bids are in and we have 5 contenders for the City Attorney job here in Rialto. We have 4 new bidders and the existing Attorney Jimmy Gutierrez. You can watch the interviews unfold in person, on the internet or via the public broadcasting channel.

get-attachment

City Council Meeting September 10, 2013 Agenda

10 Sep 2013 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in Bad Commerce, Budget, Ca, Chief Mat Fratus, city attorney, City of Rialto, Currupt, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Flores Park, Inland Empire, Jimmy Gutierrez, Joe Baca Jr, June Hayes, Mike Story, Public Safety, Rialto, Rialto, Rialto Fire, Rialto Police Department, youth Tags: , , , , ,

Agenda of the Regular Meeting of the City of Rialto City Council

We are going to post each and every city council agenda the Monday before the meeting. We will add content in a different color to help explain items of interest or highlight items that will you need to know.

Also twitter users can follow a play by play of the council meeting by following us at www.twitter.com/Rialtosnow or following #RialtoCityCouncilMeeting. Also if your friends with Flores Park Group on Facebook our tweets land there as well.

Of course you can watch the meeting live on TV or the internet by clicking this link http://rialto.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 You can also go in person and be part of the solution and help us show our elected officials you care and are engaged.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Pro Tem Edward Palmer

INVOCATION: Pastor Harry Bratton – Greater Faith Grace Bible Church

City Council Regular Meeting September 10, 2013

City of Rialto Page 4 Printed on 9/5/2013

City Attorney’s Report on Closed Session

PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS

1. Transportation Commission 2012 Annual Report – Dennis Barton, Chairperson.

2. Cold Case Update – Lt. Hardin and Sgt. Stella.

ORAL COMMUNICATIONS

City Council to consider removing or continuing any items on the agenda

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

All matters listed under Consent Calendar are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion in the following form listed. There will be no separate discussion on these items. If discussion is required, the item will be removed from the Consent Calendar and will be considered separately. Vote may be by roll call.
CONSENT CALENDAR

The consent calendar is a collection of various items that either are of a low dollar amount and do not require the attention of a TAB ITEM, or there is nothing for the council to discuss. Yet many times items like E10 below are stuck in here to skirt the Community and even the council if they are not watching closely. This is where items like reducing the time limit from 5 to 3 minutes for public comment were laid. If it wasn’t for some council members and community members watching them it very well could have slid right by the community.

A. WAIVE FULL READING OF ORDINANCES (ACTION)

1. Waive reading in full, all ordinances considered at this meeting.

B. APPROVAL OF WARRANT RESOLUTIONS

B.1 Resolution No. 50 (06/28/13)

B.2 Resolution No. 1 (07/05/13)

B.3 Resolution No. 9A (08/30/13)

C. APPROVAL OF ACTION MINUTES

C.1 Regular City Council Meeting – June 25, 2013

D. SET PUBLIC HEARING

Here is where the public has the opportunity to address the council on anything not on the agenda – Limit to 5 minutes

D.1 Request City Council to Set a Public Hearing for September 24, 2013

to consider Development Agreement No. 13-01 between the City of Rialto

and I-210 Logistics Center II Fund IX, LLC, related to the development

of a 763,640 square foot distribution facility on a 35.2 acre site located

at the northwest corner of Baseline Road and Linden Avenue in the

Employment Zone of the Renaissance Specific Plan.

City Council Regular Meeting September 10, 2013

This is being used to set up a public hearing on a proposed logistics center being built at Linden and Baseline. So on 9-24-13 the community can come out and voice their support or concerns with this proposed project.

E. MISCELLANEOUS
E.1 Request City Council to Adopt the Updated Hazard Mitigation Plan for the

City of Rialto.

E.2 Request City Council to Approve annual purchase orders with Willdan

Financial Services in the total amount of $41,300 for the Administration

Services of the Landscape and Lighting Districts and the Community

Facilities Districts.

E.3 Request City Council to Authorize Street Closures for the Rialto Fire

Department Annual Fire Prevention Open House

Yes the council needs to approve street closures for city events.

E.4 Request City Council to Approve the Purchase of Two New Ford Escapes

for Fire Prevention in the amount of $46,671.66

2 New vehicles for the Fire Department

 

E.5 Request City Council to Ratify the Emergency Purchase and Installation of

Eight Air Conditioning Units from Davidson’s Air Conditioning & Heating,

Inc. in the amount of $25,000.

E.6 Request City Council to Authorize Issuance of a Purchase Order in the

Amount of $31,050 to Lockwood Engineering Company for Civil

Engineering Design Services for the 2013/2014 Annual Curb, Gutter and

Sidewalk Project, City Project No. CB1404.

E.7 Request City Council Approval of a Notice of Completion for the Federal

Safe Routes to School Project at Merle Casey Elementary, City Project No.

100819, Federal Aid Project No. SRTSL 5205 (014).

 

E.8 Request that the Rialto Utility Authority Approve an Extension of Site Use

Agreement by and between the Rialto Utility Authority and Hackman Capital

Equipment Acquisition Company LLC, Tiger Valuation Services LLC, and

Hunter Consulting Inc.

E.9 Request City Council to adopt Ordinance No. 1532.

ORDINANCE NO. 1532

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RIALTO,

ADDING CHAPTER 3.33 AND REPLACING CHAPTERS 3.34, 3.36, 3.40,

3.44, 3.48, 3.52, 3.56, 3.60, 3.64, 3.68 AND 3.72 OF THE RIALTO

MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES.
E.10 Request City Council to approve Engagement letter for Legal Services with

Colantuono & Levin, Professional Corporation.

Here the city is looking to use an outside Law Firm to handle a lawsuit. So we are paying Jimmy Gutierrez and his firm $600,000 thousand a year to not handle city lawsuits? Not to worry though Jimmy Gutierrez will oversee the company and charge the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to watch someone else do the job we pay him to do. Unless someone pulls this item this will be approved without a second thought more money wasting.

City Council Regular Meeting September 10, 2013

City of Rialto Page 6 Printed on 9/5/2013

TAB PUBLIC HEARING

TAB 1

Request City Council to Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider the Adoption

of Resolution No. 6332 Establishing Advertising Fees for the Rialto

Progress Community Magazine.

TAB 2

Request City Council to Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider Any

Objections from Property Owners on the Amount of Weed Abatement Costs

Assessed on Their Properties, and to Approve the Placement of Weed

Abatement Fees on County Tax Rolls.

TAB NEW BUSINESS

TAB 3

Request City Council to Approve the Preliminary Site Plan for the Bud

Bender Park Rehabilitation Project, City Project No. CB1302 and to

approve Budget

Resolution No. 6333 Appropriating $30,000 from the Park

Fund (210).

TAB 4

Request City Council to Approve and Award the Contract to Braun

Northwest in the amount of $356,259 to Refurbish Three Ambulances.

TAB 5

Request City Council to Approve the Contractual Agreement with Fire

Apparatus Solutions and Approve a Purchase Order in the amount of

$125,000.

TAB 6

Request City Council to Adopt Budget Resolution No. 6334 Appropriating

$125,000 and to Approve a Professional Services Agreement with Hall &

Foreman, Inc., in the Amount of $100,360 to Complete the City of Rialto

Master Plan of Drainage Update.

TAB 7

Request City Council to Approve a Cooperative Agreement for the

Development of a Joint Groundwater Model for the Rialto/Colton

Groundwater Basin.

TAB 8

Request City Council to Approve Amendment No. 3 to the Agreement for

Legal Services with Gutierrez, Fierro & Erickson, A Professional

Corporation.

Looks like Jimmy Gutierrez is FINALLY ready to sign his TEMPORARY contract. 

 

 

Issues over Rialto City Attorney Contract

24 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by rialto-now in American Water, Barbara A. McGee, Budget, Ca, city attorney, City of Rialto, Currupt, Deborah Robertson, Ed palmer, Inland Empire, Jimmy Gutierrez, Joe Baca Jr, Mike Story, Rialto, Rialto, Shawn O'Connell, Uncategorized, Water, wwwstoprialtowaterratehikes.com Tags:

jimmy

Jimmy Gutierrez is our current city attorney in the city of Rialto. According to reports from City Hall he has operated over the last 5 years on a $600,000 a year for his base salary. What is worse is he nickel and dimes the city for every little thing he does raising the rate we pay him every year more and more.

This year with some fresh blood in the council many contracts have come under review and put back out to bid. The thought process according to Mike Story is to make sure we are getting the best bang for our buck. The city of Rialto has made changes to many contracts saving the city and the community thousands of dollars. From the contract security services, to street sweeping and technology services the fat is being cut and the city is looking to streamline services. City attorney Jimmy Gutierrez’s contract ended in June 2013. So what do we do?

Under the guise of cutting fat city council formed a committee to look at ways of reducing attorney costs for Rialto. What the Sub committee came up with was a temporary extension of City Attorney services with Jimmy Gutierrez. This was done so that the city could develop an RFP and bid out services for Attorney costs for the city. Another task was writing Jimmy Gutierrez’s extension while reducing costs. City staff reported as well as Councilwoman Lynn Hirtz over the phone that it was difficult to get Jimmy Gutierrez to make concessions on his pay to help the city further save money. It wasn’t until right before the July 23rd Council meeting that Jimmy Gutierrez reluctantly agreed to a compensation adjustment.

Joe Baca Jr. said at the July 23rd council meeting that the communities biggest issue was with the city attorney is the cost. Is that really the greatest concern of the community? I remember most recently that Jimmy Gutierrez along with City Clerk McGee gave city council direction to ignore the fact that the Rialto residents received enough signatures to remove the toxic water deal that is already hurting Rialto residents. Or how about the Super Wal-Mart that is set to increase crime and create more business blight that our city can’t or refuses to take action on. Councilman Baca seems to miss the fact that it appears our attorney has been doing his best to rip off the community under the guise of business as usual. Jimmy Gutierrez has also been arrested in suspicion of driving under the influence and was allowed to plead no contest and avoid any real consequences. Also lets not forget Jimmy Gutierrez is also the city attorney for 3 other cites.

We had the opportunity to speak with some of the players involved in this meeting:

I reached out to City Administrator Mike Story and asked who wrote this contract? It was developed by Councilman Joe Baca Jr. & Lynn Hirtz who are the subcommittee of the council looking at the contract along with Jimmy Gutierrez. So Jimmy Gutierrez and the subcommittee wrote it? Jimmy Gutierrez prepared the contract at the direction of the subcommittee. After several attempts by the subcommittee to get Jimmy Gutierrez to make their recommended changes including a reduction in fees, the subcommittee directed me (Mike Story) to make the changes they requested.

I reached out to Lynn Hirtz and she said that she only voted for the temporary contract with Jimmy Gutierrez because she felt obligated to. Councilwoman Hirtz stated over the phone that she felt obligated to vote with Councilman Joe Baca Jr. in reference to an amendment that was brought up by Councilman O’connell. Councilman O’connell brought up a very important “what if” Jimmy Gutierrez does go over the 160 hour limit each month. So mayor Deborah Robertson made a amendment that if Jimmy Gutierrez does go over the 160 limit anything over that would have to be approved by the council PRIOR to going over the limit. So due to the fact that the subcommittee that she was a part of brought this forward Lynn Hirtz & Joe Baca Jr moved and seconded the motion. She never thought of a situation where Jimmy Gutierrez would go over the 160 hours he was allotted by the temporary extension so she wasn’t sure why it was even an issue. Lynn Hirtz said she wasn’t a fan of the extension but went along with Joe Baca Jr. who was the biggest proponent of the city attorney extension. Lynn Hirtz also commented that Jimmy Gutierrez was upset that he would no longer be able to “ITEMIZE” for extra costs the gimmick he has exploited to bump up his compensation over the years.

Shawn O’Connell said July 23rd meeting I approved the contract the way it was written was never vetted by an attorney I instructed our city attorney to spend no more than 160 hours. This contract offers no way to control his ability to charge more and put the citizens at further liability which was what I was trying to convey on July 23rd. Mayor Robertson’s motion which I voted for instructed Jimmy Gutierrez to inform Mike Story before he went over the allotted 160 hours, My fear is this isn’t the way its going to work out.

The second issue is with the time line for releasing the RFP and beginning to look for other options for our city attorney. The proposed timeline for releasing the RFP begins releasing on October 1st. Mayor Pro-tem Ed Palmer asked why were we waiting until the bitter end to release the RFP. Mayor Pro-Tem said that if we run into issues like we did with security contract where there is a bump in the road. The issues was with the original RFP release schedule it would leave us without attorney services the first 14 days of January. Joe Baca Jr. refuses to look at the fact that Jimmy Gutierrez is out as our city attorney. Councilman O’Connell & Mayor Pro-Tem Palmer want to keep us from keeping someone on as our attorney that will act as a disgruntle employee.

What was most frustrating was that even though Lynn Hirtz saw an issue with the late releasing of the RFP she voted for it out of pressure to do so by Mayor Robertson & Councilman Baca Jr. because she was on the subcommittee. When I asked her over the phone about it she said she wanted to vote with Councilman O’Connell and Mayor Pro-Tem Palmer but she felt obligated to vote with her subcommittee co-member. I asked her if she thought Jimmy Gutierrez was going to mail it in these last months and try and collect as much money as possible. She said she never thought about that but since I brought it up she was so worried I was right and she may have made a poor decision.

I spoke to Councilman O’Connell prior to posting this story. Councilman O’Connell stated that the city attorney has yet to sign this contract offering the council and COMMUNITY the unique opportunity to revisit the contract and make the appropriate changes. The ACTIONABLE item is TAB 6 on the upcoming council meeting this Augsut 27th meeting at 6 pm.

So the question is do you agree with Councilman Joe Baca Jr. is the amount of the contract the ONLY issue you have with the city attorney contract? If it is do you believe that Jimmy Gutierrez waiting until the last moment to reluctantly agree to a reduction in fees then not sign the contract after a month does that sound like someone that is willing to work on price? Why does Councilman Joe Baca Jr. appear to run to Jimmy Gutierrez’s defense at every turn? What does that relationship pay the Baca family back? Where is the value for such a vigorous defense? Councilman O’Connell is right we have a unique opportunity here.

Watch the council meeting for yourself these tab items are at the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9QcQ26VvwQ

Jimmy Gutierrez can charge $225 an hour for attorney services and $75 an hour for paralegal services.