Transparency in Leadership

By Luis Alvarado

Our city has received some improvements but at what cost? More importantly, could we have done better? With constant news illuminating many possible improprieties, we need to ask ourselves....are we well represented.

This was a big deal...we must have muffins! So a helicopter was dispatched to Ford Ord to get the muffins. They arrived on time and the briefing was a success.

It was not until later in life that I realized how wrong this practice was, why was I eating dehydrated pork patties MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat) and he gets the royal treatment. It's just the way it was. Rank has its perks!

Recently the residents of Pico Rivera learned that certain Council Members and an undisclosed number of officials with their families enjoyed a similar perk provided by their position. We learned that in efforts to circumvent having them receive parking citations; the City Manager approved an undisclosed number of Vehicle License Plates to be inputted into the machines used to give out the citations. This practice precluded the vehicles from receiving citations for any violation at any time regardless if the vehicle was being used for official business.

From reading the Whittier Daily News, the number of License Plates inputted into the machines stand between 15 and 20. Councilman Salcido brought this matter up at the Council Meeting on September 8th. 2009 as he objected to the standing policy. The minutes of the meeting reflect that the inquiry was categorized as new business. On the last Council Meeting of September 22, 2009 I voiced an inquiry. I asked, were is the Council with this practice? I said although the Whittier Daily News indicated that the City Manager had a change of heart and the City Attorney said "the law applies equally to all" the policy was discontinued.

I asked what about the council? were do they stand in this practice? The City Manager indicated that the issue has been resolved and the matter was over. Councilman Salcido asked who was on the list. City Manager Fuentes said there is no list "there never was one." Earlier that day I had the same question, so I filed a request for public records to identify all the license plate numbers that had been submitted for exclusion.

The City has 10 days to respond, yet I feel they will attempt to hold their ground and indicate that there never existed such document. Maybe not one document, but I am certain the information can be obtained. Anyone who follows current investigative documentaries knows that in today's world of technology this information can be extracted. I think the residents of Pico Rivera need to know who received this perk before we call the matter over.

Luis Alvarado, Resident of Pico Rivera