Burbank

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Fire department cutbacks in Burbank

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove UPDATE: Daily minimum staffing for Burbank firefighters will be reduced from a high of 38 last year to 36 on Monday, July 13. This will not result in any layoffs.   Times are tough. The city of Burbank is tightening its financial belt. I understand all of that, still it doesn’t seem smart to cutback the fire […]
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy Fourth of July!

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank                                “The Star Spangled Banner” Fourth and Final Verse O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation! Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must when our cause it […]
Friday, July 3, 2009

Burbank Mayor Gary Bric, his restaurant, & those trash talking e-mails

Photo: from city of Burbank website I don’t know if Burbank Mayor Gary Bric plays any street basketball, but it’s pretty clear he can trash talk. Earlier in the week, I popped over to Jim Carlile’s Burbank blog and discovered a post from last Tuesday, June 30 about some caustic e-mails he got from the mayor. The town is abuzz with chatter about these e-mail zingers. Mayor […]
Thursday, July 2, 2009

Coach Jose Sandoval enters a plea in a Burbank court

Photo courtesy Jose Sandoval — some of the players and coaching staff Burbank Volunteer Coach Jose Sandoval probably would have preferred to spend this morning out at a sunny park, teaching some local kids how to swing a bat or throw a baseball. Instead, Coach Sandoval was in Burbank Superior Court at 8:30 a.m. today, to face a charge of misdemeanor battery arising […]
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Burbank City Council and those lingering controversies

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Hall In the course of business as usual at last night’s meeting, the Burbank City Council made some decisions involving issues which are continuing to generate debate and controversy. During public comments, Jose Sandoval, a volunteer coach for the Burbank Parks & Recreation Department for 16 years, returned to speak to the council members again. Sandoval coaches five […]
Friday, June 19, 2009

Bummed by rising gas prices at the pumps!

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank A sure sign of summer, rising gas prices. Wait a minute. Prices at the pumps have been climbing for a while. In fact, a gas spike has been underway for the past seven weeks with “no end in sight”, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch dated June 18, 2009. Locally, the price […]
Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Did the Burbank City Council do the right thing?

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove —Burbank City Council, David Gordon, Dave Golonski,  Anja Reinke, Jess Talamantes, and sitting, Gary Bric  There were speeches. There was debate. Still, it came as no surprise that four members of the Burbank City Council chose to oust newly-appointed Police Commissioner, John Brady, at their meeting last night.  Again, Council member David Gordon tried various tactics to persuade his fellow […]
Monday, June 15, 2009

Burbank City Council to revisit police commission appointments

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Hall The controversy surrounding the new Burbank Police Commissioners is about to come up again at tomorrow’s city council meeting. Today the issue is listed as item 13 on the agenda and is described as “Reconsideration of the Police Commission Applicants,” according to the agenda forecast posted on the city of Burbank website. At the center of this […]
Friday, June 12, 2009

Former Burbank Official Marsha Ramos speaks out on hot city issues

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Ex-Burbank City Council Member/Mayor, Marsha Ramos A few weeks ago, Marsha Ramos stepped out of the public spotlight and back into private life after two terms on the Burbank City Council and twice serving as mayor. Also, Ramos has worked on numerous city committees, boards, and panels, including the police commission, over the years. So it should come as no […]