Saturday, October 3, 2009
Photo: Burbank City Councilman Dave Golonski from Burbank city website Burbank City Councilman Dave Golonski is not happy with the way the Burbank Leader newspaper reported on that statement read by Mayor Gary Bric at last Tuesday’s city council meeting. The much-talked-about and reported-on statement is the first official public reaction from the entire city council to a slew of police lawsuits […]
Friday, October 2, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove —Burbank Police and Fire Headquarters. In a recent Los Angeles Times story about the FBI probe and those lawsuits filed by former and current members of the Burbank Police Force, Burbank City Attorney Dennis Barlow had very little to say. City Attorney Barlow is quoted as saying he “… was unable to comment on the FBI investigation or […]
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Mayor Gary Bric read a statement at last night’s council meeting. Finally, after weeks and months of mostly silence or as some folks have described it stonewalling, the Burbank City Council spoke out last night about the controversial and very messy situation surrounding the police department. Back on May 13, I wrote a post about the alleged problems in the BPD and called on the city […]
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Police Vehicle The legal problems for the city of Burbank and its embattled police department got a whole lot worse this past week. On Tuesday, well-respected Ex-Deputy Police Chief Bill Taylor filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was demoted to captain for drawing attention to several serious incidents in the department, including discrimination […]
Friday, September 11, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Burbank officials have hammered residents with new water restrictions, penalties, and higher rates recently. We’re in a water crisis they insist. Well, you’d think if the shortage is as serious as they say, the first order of business would be to make the city as water efficient as possible. There are indications this has not been a high priority or the […]
Monday, September 7, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank I have some mixed feelings on this Labor Day. Nationally, unemployment is at a 26-year high of 9.7%. In California, the jobless rate has soared to 11.9%. There is evidence the recession-battered economy is making a slow recovery, an encouraging sign. Still with so many people out of work it’s hard to cheer the upturn […]
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Hall Now that the Burbank City Council has filled the vacant seat on the police commission, hopefully, that body can move forward with a busy agenda. Last night, real estate consultant and long time Burbank business owner, Raymond Gerald Adams, was the top vote getter out of a field of six contenders. Adams received […]
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
I know it was not the “Big One” we’ve all been dreading here in Southern California, but yesterday’s quake felt like a major shaker to me. So what if the U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude was a measly 2.9. I’m telling you, when it struck at around 3:58 p.m. yesterday afternoon, I thought, uh-oh, this is going to be a wild ride. First, I hear […]
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Photo: Irfan Khan/ Los Angeles Times Two California journalists, newly freed from North Korea, shared an emotional reunion with family and friends at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank this morning. After months of negotiations, Former President Bill Clinton was able to fly to North Korea yesterday and secure the release of 36-year-old Euna Lee and 32-year-old Laura Ling. In the photo […]