Lynwood, CA - 90262 Local paper reports that City Manager Roger Haley declines pay increase.
Read story here.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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37 comments:
Very nobel
Let's see what the directors do.
Maybe the Lynwood School District Super will take a hint from the City Manager and return his last pay increase. He spent the huge surplus and now lay off teachers, support staff and Maintenance cuts. But no cut to his bloated $250,000 salary!
Lynwood city council is up to their usual tricks. They just paid out $$$$$ 212,000 to Aide's attorney. STOP THE CORRUPTION!
Well,the council should take a lesson from Mr. Haley.However, Haley does earn $189+perks a year.His consideration is appreciated.Now if he could get the greedy council members to give up thier 10k discretionary dollars.After all, it's tax payer money (50k x 4 years=200k)That money could pay for a police officer or better yet it could pay for Lynwoods rape kits to be examined through updated DNA matches.But,what's the chance of that happening?Very sad that we have a female Mayor that does NOTHING for the women of this community.Shame on the Mayor!!!
Sylvia Ortiz (not anonymous)
At a salary of $2006,000.00 per year plus other perks, like $1000.00 for car allowance.
Even for Council members to award any increase at all will be like AIG deal.
There should be a salary reduction for any one taking over $100,000.00 across the board, then I would applaud any one.
Review all contracts for consultants not only "none profits" but all. There are some that draw thousands of dollars buy doing very little or nothing for our city..
Lynwood Watch Dog!
Congratulations to the recepient of the Woman of the Year award!
Oh and it wasn't Sylvia Ortiz.
Shame on you Sylvia for being loser and being angry with our Mayor for trying to do something for the community. Sounds like you are just a hater. You and your corrupt cousin Aide Castro should form a haters club. You both do a great job of always hating on people trying to do the right thing. Or better yet...your time should be better spent trying to improve your miserable life! Get a job and a real purpose!The recall is over and we've gotten rid of the corruption!
In Lynwood, auto-parts store customers frustrated by tax hike
12:02 PM | April 1, 2009
At an auto-parts store in Lynwood, Gerardo Diaz, 22, expressed frustration at the state's sales tax increase as he plunked down $80 for a new car battery.
He said he lost his $15 an hour job at a refinery two months ago. Diaz said it was difficult enough to make ends meet when he was working and now he is feeling even more squeezed. He said he wished state legislators would have come up with another way to balance the budget.
“But what other way is there?” he said. “I can’t think of any.”
But another customer, Juan Diosdado, 34, who was purchasing rear lights for the Chevy truck he recently bought, took a different view. The contractor said he thought state officials were making a mistake by increasing taxes.
“If you’re going to increase my taxes, I’m going to think a lot more before I spend,” he said. “How are we going to fix the economy if we don’t spend?”
Diosdado said he was glad that he had already registered the truck so he would not have to pay higher vehicle license fees that will kick in next month.
-- Esmeralda Bermudez
Congratulations Lourdes! Lynwood's Proud Of You. She's One Lynwood Latina We Can Be Proud of!
EDWARD A. ORNELAS/eaornelas@express-news.net
SAHA Board Chairman Ramiro Cavazos joins in the unanimous vote:
Lourdes Castro Ramirez is to take over next month at $200,000 a year.
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Recommend 0 By Josh Baugh - Express-News After a false start Thursday and a marathon session Sunday, the San Antonio Housing Authority’s board of commissioners unanimously selected a housing director from California to head the agency.
Board Chairman Ramiro Cavazos said he and the board’s lawyer will finalize a deal with Lourdes Castro Ramirez, the director of Section 8 housing for the city of Los Angeles, in the coming days. She will probably start as SAHA’s president and CEO the first Monday in April, Cavazos said.
The commissioners championed Castro Ramirez’s experience, ability to speak Spanish and track record on turning around the Housing Authority of Los Angeles’ Section 8 division as their top reasons for selecting her. She’ll be expected to bring broad institutional change to SAHA.
“She understands for us to be a modern, leading public housing authority, we need sweeping changes to our culture here,” Cavazos said. “We really are not where we want to be. We’re not close to the things we need in a housing authority.”
Cavazos said the board has made clear what it needs to see under Castro Ramirez and will “continuously reaffirm that. She will set a very good direction to follow the policy changes the board is seeking.”
After putting off the decision at Thursday’s meeting, the board chose Castro Ramirez over two other finalists — SAHA’s interim president, Ret. Gen. Freddy Valenzuela; and Lloyd Blanchard, a former professor and chief operating officer of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Several members of the League of United Latin American Citizens — including national President Rosa Rosales — spoke on behalf of Valenzuela, saying the community wanted someone local who knows San Antonio’s issues.
“We have a person born and raised here on the West Side, a person who gave many years of service for our country, a person who came in (during) very difficult times, and who’s done a good job,” Rosales told the board Thursday.
But Valenzuela said then that he wasn’t sure whether he’d be selected.
“I told them in my interview, if they vote their heart and conscience, then I’m the guy,” he said. “If they vote based on politics, then it’s not me.”
Valenzuela took over as interim president last summer, when SAHA President Henry Alvarez left under pressure and took a similar position in San Francisco.
One condition of Valenzuela’s interim tenure was that he wouldn’t seek the permanent position. However, he threw his name in the hat, withdrew, and then re-entered before making the final tier.
Others on Thursday and Sunday spoke in favor of Castro Ramirez.
Activist Ralph Velasquez, who sat on SAHA’s Mirasol Task Force, said she was clearly the top choice.
Castro Ramirez has been with Los Angeles’ housing authority since 1999. She began climbing the ranks there and was named acting director of Section 8 in 2005, then director in 2006.
The Section 8 division is the second-largest in the nation, according to Castro Ramirez’s application documents.
Castro Ramirez oversees the disbursement of $398 million in federal rental subsidies for about 50,000 residences, as well as an operating budget of $53 million and 440 employees, her interview documents said.
Castro Ramirez has a bachelor’s degree in political science and Chicano studies and a master’s in urban planning, both from the University of California-Los Angeles.
SAHA Commissioner Richard Gambitta, who chairs the board’s human resources subcommittee and led the search efforts, said Castro Ramirez’s master’s degree in urban planning is “essential.” He also lauded her ability to speak Spanish and her current job experience.
“I think they’re all assets in the city of San Antonio,” he said.
Gambitta also gave Castro Ramirez high marks based on her interview, which included meeting with community stakeholders and employees as well as board members.
“I saw her get stronger through the day,” Gambitta said, recalling her “positive interactions” with stakeholders.
SAHA has offered a $200,000 annual salary plus benefits, including a car allowance, cell phone and retirement plan.
The board also voted Sunday to retain Valenzuela as a consultant as long as 90 days and to appoint Chief Financial Officer Ed Hinojosa as interim president and CEO until Castro Ramirez begins.
Of course i didn't recieve the Woman of the year award because I'm not the woman of the year. I'm just a mother, wife and commmunity activist.Me and GOD have our own score card.
Sylvia Ortiz (not anonymous)
Too bad the Mayor doesn't follow the city managers example. Instead of hitting up the city manager for a campaign contibution.The Mayor is scrambiling to get funds to get her reelected.In the 2005 election the Mayor spent 20k to get elected. Where did she get the money? She only has a minal job at an insurence company. She's cutting deals.How eles would she be living in the house that she occupies.She has NO education and no roots in Lynwood.She's not fooling me,i know all about her life in Lynwood and the husband she betrayed.
Did you forget that the council makes $780 a month? This changed when the new council got on board in January 2008.
Just so you know, the Mayor didn't have to decrease her salary in January. The bill that passed actually authorized her to keep the same salary until her term ends (November 2009). The Mayor actually chose to decrease her salary.
Learn how to speak and write English! Is this Arturo Reyes?
Learn how to speak and write English! Is this Arturo Reyes?
Lynwood City COuncil salay:
1. Monthly 800.00
2. Car allowance 250.00
3. Communication Allowance 250.00
4. All mileage reimbursement
5. $100 Daily Per Diem for Meetings
6. Other Stipends from LRPA and LRA
7.Other stipends like HUB Cities, County Sanitation district etc...
8. Free taveling to Mexico and other exotic places like Las Vegas where Maria takes her lover. So we Lynwood taxpayers are also paying for her lovers trips.
9. HealthCare Dental and Visional Benefits 1,200 monthly for councilmember and their entire family.
10. Free jobs to all their cronies and we already know who they are...
11.Whatever else they can manage to steal while in office
12. OVERBILLING and plush city contracts to their friends and family.
These are just some examples.
STOP THE CORRUPTION IN LYNWOOD!
1. $780
2. $250
3. Up to $250 (a reiumbursement for cell phones) the strange part is that the complainers are the ones that use up their minutes and then complain, you know all the stupid calls from the Calderons, Garcia's, Ortiz and so on.
4. Wrong - no stipends
The rest, I will not spend my time on.
Even if the figures you wrote in the previous posting were correct, the Lynwood council is not even making the minimum wage!
I say they get an increase. My neighbors, and family feel that ALL 5 of them, are doing a great job!
The streets are dirty.
Dirty sidewalks everywhere.
Dogs are loose in the streets.
Kids throw their trash on the streets and even out of the car as their parents drive down the street.
Cars speed, run signals, drive through stop signs, pass dangerously on the right side.
Commercial trucks are allowed to drive and also park on our residential streets.
Dumping takes place under freeway overpasses.
Wild chickens in the streets.
Wild rabbits in the fields.
Trash left in front of homes for days at the curb.
Empty lots (repeat offenders)take months to be enforced and cleaned after months of complaints.
The same walls have graffiti painted over daily.
and we have plenty of bakery and party shops to shop at in the city...
City Council is not a position to get rich or to view as a position of full employment. It is a position to serve in planning and improving the community you live in.
I'm glad your happy with the passiveness that this city council plans and runs this city.
Parrot face Castro should stop defending herself on this blog. She sounds like the previous council. You were elected to serve the people and not yourself. That's why it is called public service pendeja! Aren't you stealing enough fron the school district!
11:16am - April 9
You are a idiot, and your family and neighbors don't have a clue on what is going on.
4:02pm - April 9
You are so right. Our City turned into a third world city.
Filth, trash, graffity, drugs and gangs.
We have total anarchy:
Absence of any form of political authority.
Political disorder and confusion.
This is what is happening with our City leaders. And things will be worse in time to come.
Believe me, all the signs are here.
Lynwood resident says:
If I was paid as much as this city manager, i wouldn't have no problem giving up my increase just to keep my job. The city council is ignorant and cites that he "stepped up to the plate?"
Well, how can other regular employees step up to the so-called plate, when they're not even making 25% of what the city manager is making. Many employees live pay check to pay check.
Some of these high profiled city employees have many luxuries and make over $100K a year. Why doesn't the council cut their pay.
is it true alfreddie johnson wants to run for city council this year
I doubt it. Alfreddie doesn't even come around Lynwood, anymore.
Lynwood is a dump and so are the elected officials. They are all corrupt. But what else can you expect when we elect people who can't read write or speak english. We get people like the one's we have now that only care about getting rich off Lynwood taxpayers. Stop the corruption!
We need a much tighter enforcement of codes in this city.
Park or drive a commercial truck on residential streets- automatic citation(Only exception is for moving).
Caught Dumping - citation
Empty lot exceeds grass/weed height of 12 inches - citation
Trash in front yard or at curb on none trash pickup days - citation
Walking dog without leash - citation
loose dog(fence inadequate or gates not closed) -impound or citation
We sheriffs to step up ticketing all violations red lights, stop signs, registration etc.
To cleanup this city - we need to to stop dragging our feet and give the citation immediately... no more warnings first...
The cleanest cities are those that do not mess around with the above code violations.
And if the city council or mayor are to busy with other obligations to run this city, RESIGN , and let someone who understands the responsibilities of the position step in place.
Lynwood should support Coachella!!! Look for the Lynwood Knight Flag.
I agree, hit them where it hurts.
Pretty soon there will be no more parking at night on streets. Let's see what all the folks with converted garages have to say!
they will say where will we put our 12 cars the city lets us park up - down the street and around the corner...
Gee whiz,looks like someone has a crush on Loureds.Maybe now with a pay raise she could afford someone to clean her house.It's a mess,.I'm shocked to know that she has a master????She also so ditzy at the planning commission meetings.
Try walking your dog in this city loose dogs everywhere.
Same dogs every day.
1 Janie P Abbott area
2 Fernwood to Firebalm HS area
3 New Ham Park area along
Josephine - Duncan to Virginia =
all houses leave their gates open and dogs to run loose and chase people down the streets..
Complaints to the city = no corrective actions taken.
Animal control = never seen is the area patrolling streets.
Add this to the growing area of where the city officials are to passive and allow the city residents to do whatever they want...
That's why I walk my two dogs with a stick! If another dog comes around, I will beat the shit out of it.
Re: 4/24 11:46am posting...the lynwood city council are the only ones that can do anything about this but they don't. They only care about increasing parking fees, increasing water fees, increasing untility user tax fees to name a few and giving lush jobs to their polittical cronies and traveling with their lovers on lynwood taxpayer back. Stop the bleeding of lynwood taxpayers.Stop the corruption!
If the city took care of the loose dog problems people would'nt have to carry sticks when walking down the street.
Too many loose dogs - Too many pitbulls on the loose.
Last week walking down the street with my dog, I had 2 dogs loose in front of me, and 2 dogs loose behind me. If it comes down to my dog on the leash getting attacked I guarantee you the other dogs are going to get hit.
More - too many careless people leaving their dogs loose.
If you are going to call anyone names - call the owners who let their dogs run loose to threaten other dogs, children and people walking down the street the names.
To the city officials - Too many loose dogs - Too much trash on the streets.
We have a bunch of do nothing illiterate city council people. They can barely read and write. What else can you expect from them. That's Lynwood's main problem. Yeah the do nothing city clerk doesn't help either. Her salary is too high. Her job is a part time job too. She is definatly not worth her $50,000 a year plus perk salary.
Both City Clerk and Treasurer make $1,000 a month, $12,000 a year!
Just got my lynwood city bill in the mail and noticed I get charged $26 for something called "Readiness to Serve".
Does anyone know what that mean? Most of my bill comes from this charge. What does that pay for? Please help.
How is ex-mayor Paul Richards doing now? Any news about this smooth talker.
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