Community Chatter

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

City Buzz: Burbank Police, oversight, and poopgate

Recently, the Burbank City Council renewed the three-year contract of consultant, Michael Gennaco, of the Office of Independent Review, as an independent monitor of the Burbank Police Department. The cost of Gennaco’s contract, $80,000.  In light of the growing tab for the notorious police cases and the BPD’s handling of that nasty incident involving Magnolia Park merchants last August, monitoring […]
Thursday, September 24, 2015

Talk of the Town: Sue Georgino’s consulting job

For months now, there has been chatter around B-town about former Burbank Airport Commissioner, Sue Georgino, and where her true loyalties lie. On the city council agenda tonight, a discussion regarding Georgino’s decision to take a consulting job with the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority less than a year, after resigning her position as a commissioner on that authority representing the interests […]
Friday, September 11, 2015

City Buzz:Burbank merchants’ feud escalates in Mag Park

That bitter merchants’ feud in the 3400 block of West Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, once thought to be dying down,  has escalated with more nasty allegations, a police report, and a mystery videotape. I began covering the dispute back in August of 2014, when it centered on the fight for one-hour parking on the north side of the block. Most […]
Monday, September 7, 2015

Call-out : A Burbank school waters on Monday in the heat

Outdoor watering restrictions are in effect in Burbank, but apparently at David Starr Jordan Middle School on South Mariposa Street they’re not following city rules. As I walked by the school campus at around 11 a.m. today, I noticed some sprinklers spraying steady streams of water on a lawn section dotted with some young trees.The temperature at the time was […]
Monday, September 7, 2015

Labor Day: Enjoy the holiday, remember the workers

“I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.” — John D. Rockefeller
Sunday, September 6, 2015

Walmart moves ahead with a superstore in Burbank

Retail giant, Walmart, is busy converting the old Great Indoors site, at 1301 North Victory Place, into one of its stores. That’s exciting news for some and a reason to go into mourning for others. “The litigation has concluded with respect to Walmart’s permits and we are moving forward with bringing a Walmart Supercenter to our Burbank customers.” Delia Garcia, […]
Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Magnolia Park — Crowds, food trucks & kicks and gear shop

Magnolia Boulevard is continuing to evolve into an interesting trendy place to hang out in Burbank. Last Friday evening with temperatures in the 90s, crowds braved the heat for “Ladies and Gents Night Out.” Local eateries and smoking food trucks provided a variety of menu items for the hungry. Along with store bargains, there was entertainment and artists at work, […]
Friday, August 28, 2015

Superintendent Matt Hill speaks to Burbank Kiwanis club

The new superintendent of Burbank schools, Matt Hill, is making the rounds here in B-town as he continues a personal campaign of “100 days of listening ” Launched on July first, Hill told me in an email that during his first  100 days on the job he plans on “visiting all of our schools, attending PTA meetings, community event(s), sending out […]
Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Some thoughts on Nat’l Night Out in Burbank

I dropped by a couple of National Night Out gatherings in Burbank last Tuesday and found them to be subdued and sparsely attended. My first stop was the primary event in the parking lot of Burbank Police headquarters on Third Street in the downtown area. At around 6:30 p.m.traffic on San Fernando Boulevard between East Olive Avenue and East Magnolia […]