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San Jose to Hit the Brakes on Bicycle Licensing, Adding to Cities Abandoning the Practice

During the 2008-2009 budget year, the city of San Jose collected $636 in bike license fees. For many residents, even the existence of such a fee may be unheard of, as an increasing number of cities have long since abandoned bicycle fees, which were first implemented to help authorities recover stolen bikes. And now it appears San Jose will also add its name to the list of cities that are doing away with bicycle license fees in light of few people actually observing the mandate. A recent audit recommended that the city should either actually enforce the provision or drop it altogether, so it appears the council will favor the latter by striking the requirement from the municipal code. Mercury reports:

“Neither station kept a locked cash box to store the fee receipts, the audit found. And although police were supposed to establish a license database where the information could be accessed to aid in recovering stolen bikes, they had not done so, telling the auditors they were too short-staffed. Other cities have had similar experiences. Los Angeles abandoned its bicycle licensing program last year.”

Seattle and San Francisco’s programs are also no longer in place and LA’s Department of Transportation noted that revenue was far too low to fund a database for authorities to recover stolen bikes. According to the DMV, a city cannot charge more than $4 a year for a new bicycle license and $2 a year for renewal. For more, see here.

Next in Line: Process to Fill SF Mayor’s Shoes Looks to be Combative and Far from Speedy

Suspense about who will fill Gavin Newsom’s shoes as the next mayor of San Francisco continues to circulate as questions about how the city’s combative Board of Supervisors, an 11-member group, will reach a consensus. For one candidate to take the prize, it will take six votes, which many contend is a daunting task in light of the split in politics between more moderate Democrats and strongly left-leaning progressives. The Chronicle notes that “The first supervisor to push a button to get his or her name on the electronic roster to speak can make the first nomination to replace Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is leaving to become lieutenant governor. That nomination will be the first one voted on once all the suggestions are made.” So in the end, it’s all coming down to a button, in a process that has been the subject of much debate and confusion. The agreed-upon process will play out as follows, according to the Chron:

“Under the process finally agreed upon, and unanimously at that, the Board of Supervisors will sit as a committee of the whole and each supervisor can make one nomination from the floor in Round One. No supervisor can vote for nor nominate himself or herself; the successor mayor does not have to be a supervisor. Any supervisor who is nominated and accepts the nomination will be sequestered and cannot participate in the process; they can watch the proceedings on TV from their offices, but they can't be in contact with any of their colleagues - no tweeting, Facebook posts, e-mails, instant messaging.”

During the initial round, if a single candidate fails to obtain the necessary votes, then the process will start over again until someone obtains 6 votes. The board president will fill the mayor’s shoes if supervisors cannot come to an agreement in the end. In any case, the transition does not appear as though it will be quick and easy. For more on the voting process, see here.

Cities May Rethink Their Ties to Firm that Audited Bell; St. Controller to Release Report

Cities in the San Gabriel Valley may re-think their ties to a firm that audited the city of Bell and found no wrongdoing. Specifically, the cities of Pasadena, West Covina, Temple City and Rosemead also have used the firm Mayer Hoffman McCann, which is currently facing scrutiny from the controller's office to ensure that the accounting outfit abides by appropriate auditing principles and government standards, especially in light of the Bell fiasco. A spokesman for the controller’s office stated, “They gave Bell a clean bill of health. It's hard to imagine that any CPA firm could miss the problems that the controller has uncovered so quickly. I won't speculate on what went on, but our audit will detail those findings.” However, according to the firm, it properly performed its duties by "obtaining reasonable assurance" that financial statements were not out of the ordinary and that basic standards were followed. A report on the firm will be released by the controller’s office next month. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports:

“Pasadena's Finance Director Andrew Green said he would wait for the results of the controller's report before making any recommendations about the firm to council. ‘I don't have enough knowledge of what their scope was in Bell,’ Green said. ‘I'm going to review (the controller's report), see what their findings are, and the city will do our due diligence to make sure there are no issues for the city of Pasadena.’ Pasadena has contracted with Mayer Hoffman McCann and its predecessor firm Conrad & Associates since 2000. The firm's total fees charged to the city and its affiliate entities range between about $135,700 and $158,000 a year for the last four years, he said.”

The city manager for Temple City noted that next year the city's contract for that service is scheduled to be bid out again. The Tribune also notes that “West Covina City Councilman Mike Touhey has said he would like to see the city cancel any contract with business that contracted in Bell.” For more, see here.

EPA Grant to Help Several Bay Area Cities Identify Source of PCB Contamination

The Environmental Protection Agency has dished out a $5 million grant that will be shared by several cities around the bay to address PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, a potent carcinogen that has caused contamination in the area’s waters. San Carlos, San Jose, Oakland and Richmond in particular are the cities that are slated to split the funds so that the sources of PCBs can be identified. According to health officials, if people eat fish caught in waters with PCB, it can cause cancer and the public overall has not been greatly informed about the risk certain waters pose. The study funded by the EPA grant will be the first of its kind to examine stormwater. Mercury News points out the following:

“But the grant highlights just how ubiquitous the problem is, and how little water quality experts know about where the legacy pollutant still resides. Thirty-one years after they were banned from manufacture for electrical transformers, circuit breakers and hydraulic systems, toxic PCBs persist in urban stormwater runoff into the bay. ‘I always think, there goes the creek,’ said Jan O'Hara, a water quality engineer and program manager with the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. Every year, the rainy season forces PCB-laden sediment into storm drains and out to the bay.”

Also a problem is sorting out how to address the PCB-laden sediment that fishes feed on, as well as the birds affected from eating the PCB-laden fish. Over the next 20 years, the Water Quality Control Board hopes to reduce annual PCB discharge by 95 percent, which is no easy task based on the lack of confirmation about where the toxins are coming from. Mercury notes that “The EPA grant tacitly acknowledges what scientists have known for decades: that PCBs are still ubiquitous, despite a manufacturing ban in 1979.” However, due to a loophole, the issue has remained a problem and the EPA is now reportedly re-examining its rules. For more, see here.

Shame Game: Huntington Beach Considers Posting Names of DUI Arrests on its Facebook Page

Shame can be a powerful means of changing behavior, at least that’s what city officials in Huntington Beach hope, as they consider posting names of people arrested for drunk driving on its Facebook page. The city’s local paper has stopped publishing this information, and in response, publicly shaming offenders may find a new outlet on the popular social media platform. The city reportedly has a significant DUI problem, with 274 alcohol-related collisions and 1,687 drunk-driving arrests last year. In the past, to address the problem, the city banned drinking games at new bars, but the Facebook proposal would take anti-drunk-driving measures to the next level. During a recent council meeting, Councilman Devin Dwyer asked the police department if it would be on board with posting the names. The LA Times reports:

“’I didn't think public shaming for driving under the influence was such a bad idea,’ Dwyer said. ‘I would use any tool necessary to bring down the numbers of drunk drivers.’ The idea is part of an aggressive anti-drunk-driving initiative by the city that calls for more officers focusing on DUI cases, posting the names of people arrested for drunk driving on the city website and sending letters to bars when one of their patrons is arrested for driving under the influence. […] Reinhart said the Police Department began looking for a new way to publicize drunk-driving arrests after the Huntington Beach Independent, a community newspaper published by The Times, stopped running listings of the arrests.”

The legal aspects of such a proposal are being weighed by the city’s attorney, who happens to have been arrested in the past for a DUI. If the proposal is approved, then time will tell if it has any effect on changing the city’s status as having one of the highest DUI rates in California for a city its size. For more, see here.

Union City Moves toward Smoke-Free Environment w/ New Ban

Union City’s council has stepped up anti-smoking measures through the approval of an ordinance that will ban smoking at all public events and in outdoor restaurant and bar spaces. The ban, which was unanimously approved, will go into effect on Dec. 23 and will ultimately also cover smoking in apartments as well. The new law was partially in response to the low rating that the city received from the American Lung Association for not combating the negative effects of tobacco at the local level. Overall, the city earned a D grade. In February 2012, the ordinance will also cover apartments when it comes to rental dwellings of two or more units. The Oakland Tribune reports:

“Council members received an overview of the association's report in July and directed staff members to prepare changes to the law in those three areas -- smoke-free outdoor air, smoke-free housing and reducing sales of tobacco products -- to raise the city's grade to an A. The new ordinances also will: Maintain the restriction on indoor common areas of multiunit housing; Require apartment landlords to disclose to potential tenants information about the smoking restrictions at the property; Declare secondhand smoke exposure a nuisance; Prohibit smoking in recreation areas such as parks and trails, and unenclosed areas primarily used by children or for physical activity.”

On a related note, in October we relayed that Long Beach’s City Council recently voted unanimously to implement a ban on smoking in all city parks, sports fields and hiking trails, making the city’s recreation areas completely smoke-free. For more on Union City’s ban, see here.

Questions Remain about Maywood’s Viability after Ties w/ Bell and Insurance Issues

Questions and concerns remain about Maywood’s city government in light of the flurry of scandals in the neighboring city of Bell. You’ll recall that prior to news of Bell’s wrongdoings, Maywood made headlines for deciding to contract out most of its services to Bell, as well as disbanding its police force. Now that Bell has dominated the headlines, Maywood’s tricky position has received less attention, as it needs to work on rebuilding after the Bell fallout. The city’s fiscal position is at a point where many believe that Maywood may have trouble even remaining a city in light of questions about its viability. Its reserves are likely very low and you may recall that in the past the city did not file for bankruptcy because its major problems did not relate to cash flow; instead, it was the city’s insurance coverage that caused officials to throw in the towel. Angry critics of city leaders have argued that they are responsible for creating the city’s predicament in terms of insurance coverage by failing to meet basic requests to hire a city manager and renew a police contract. And Maywood’s position has turned focus on other Los Angeles County cities in the area. The LA Times reports:

“The saga — which started with that one ill-conceived police contract in 2003 — has led to questions about the economic viability of some southeastern Los Angeles County cities, where the tax base has withered along with the manufacturing that once supported the towns' incorporation. Formerly home to Bethlehem Steel, Maywood now counts an Arco AM PM, King Taco and a McDonald's among its largest sales-tax generators. But the Maywood police contract story suggests these cities' viability is threatened more by a dysfunctional political culture that undermines their economic progress. Cities have thin budgets and frail civil service. Media coverage and political involvement are anemic, and civic organizations — Maywood has no chamber of commerce, for example — are scarce. In this vacuum, individuals — at times city council majorities — have amassed remarkable power in cities such as Bell, South Gate and Bell Gardens.”

The Times describes city politics and top positions in the region as in constant turmoil. Expertise was also not as valued as much as hiring from within, creating high turnover rates when employees were performing many jobs at once. For more on the history of Maywood’s current position and the viability of neighboring cities, see here.

State Officials Offer No Conclusive Answers on Kettleman City Birth Defects; Dump Ruled Out

The rural area of Kettleman City in Kings County has been the subject of sweeping investigations and studies in order to determine if chemical exposure was the reason for a series of reported birth defects. Recently the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Public Health released a draft report that concluded a toxic waste dump was not to blame for the heart problems and facial deformities of many babies in the small farming community. During the time frame of September 2007 to March 2010, there were 11 babies born with such defects, three of which died. Department of Public Health Director Mark Horton said in a statement that “While we wish there was an explanation for what caused the birth defects experienced by the children we studied in Kettleman City, our investigation finds that no common health or environmental factor links the cases.” Officials came to this conclusion through interviews of the affected families and testing of water, air and soil, as well as analysis of pesticides. Will residents in the small city be satisfied with the report’s findings? The LA Times reports:

“The 160-page report did not satisfy the residents of the community of 1,500 just off Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. They and environmentalists wanted an answer to what was responsible for the birth defects in the community that for decades has endured agricultural sewage, diesel exhaust, pesticides and elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water. Some still suspect that the medical problems were somehow linked to the nearby Waste Management Inc. hazardous waste facility, the largest landfill of its kind west of Louisiana and the only one in California licensed to accept cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. ‘We're very, very disappointed. The state left us with a monster on the loose in town, and we don't know when it will strike next,’ said Maricela Mares Alatorre, a spokeswoman for a Kettleman City environmental group called People for Clean Air and Water.”

As for who was pleased by the report’s findings, Waste Management officials seem to stand alone, noting that the study shows their facility is safe. Those who wanted a more intensive study argued that the state should have also focused on blood or tissue samples and examined pesticides in the houses of residents. On December 2nd, EPA and state health officials will reportedly visit the city to meet with concerned citizens. For more, see here.

City Card: Oakland Approves Municipal IDs that Will Double as ATM Debit Cards

Oakland’s City Council recently approved a contract that will make the city the first in the nation to dish out municipal ID cards that will also function as debit cards. The move is intended to help provide some measure of identification for those who would typically have trouble obtaining a state-issued ID, such as illegal immigrants and the homeless. While the cities of San Francisco and Washington, D.C offer similar municipal ID cards, Oakland will be the first to offer a full debit option. As a full-fledged debit card, city residents will be able to use any ATM and be able to avoid high bank fees, serving as an alternative banking system for the city’s poor. Only one council member opposed the ordinance due to concerns about the city’s budget. The Oakland Tribune reports:

“Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente has been trying to get an ID card system for Oakland residents since the state rejected efforts to issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants in 2004. The City Council voted in June 2009 to issue municipal identification cards and issued a request for proposals. On Nov. 9, the council voted to accept the bid of SF Mexico Services LLC to administer the program and issue the ID/debit cards at no cost to the city. ‘I think we have a responsibility to provide local access and represent everyone,’ said De La Fuente, who along with Mayor-elect Jean Quan co-authored the ordinance last year. ‘We have to provide some way for people to identify themselves so that people don't get arrested ... We have to move forward with the card and not delay further.’”

A timeline for implementation has not yet been developed, but will soon after the contract is finalized. The company that was awarded the contract believes that once in place, around 30,000 cards will be issued annually. It will cost $15 for a card and an additional $6.95 will be charged to have the debit card feature. Many supporters argue that the cards will give immigrants a greater sense of security and that it’s in the city’s interest for all residents to have some form of identification. For more, see here.

Is Your City Leaving its Share of Early Retiree Reimbursements Behind?

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) provided under the federal Health Care Reform laws is an opportunity for employers to recover a portion of their health care expenses for early retirees. Find out how this Federal program can return vital funds to your health care plans when your budget needs it most!

CityNews friend Keenan has worked directly with over 20 clients so far to assist them in becoming eligible to receive more than $16 million in reimbursements.  On December 9, Keenan will host a webinar discussing how you can take advantage of the ERRP program and receive your share of the $5 billion available.

This one hour, no-cost webinar will describe the eligibility requirements and the procedures necessary to obtain the early retiree health care claims reimbursements. The ERRP opportunity is limited and a timely and accurate application is critical.  Sign up here.