Town Hall Meeting

BURBANK — Peg Cabrera does not consider herself an avid follower of city politics, but the opportunity to learn about city services and interact with Burbank’s leaders Thursday night was too good an opportunity to pass up, she said. “I don’t really get involved too much,” said Cabrera, who was one of nearly 100 residents to fill the Buena Vista Library’s Community Room Thursday evening for an open house and town hall meeting that allowed residents to mingle with city officials, get to know some of the services Burbank offers and air grievances to City Council members.

Laura Sturza NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- Residents are invited to a town hall meeting Thursday to meet with City Council members in an informal setting. A discussion period will allow residents to ask questions or voice concerns to council members, who will respond. In addition, staff from city agencies will have information tables set up where people can learn more about everything from parks and recreation activities to home remodeling. Information tables will be set up from 6 to 8 p.m. and the meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at Luther Burbank Middle School, 3700 Jeffries Ave. For information call 238-5800.

Sen. Carol Liu will host a town hall meeting Saturday to discuss the latest updates on the state budget, which is again billions in the red. After a protracted three-way battle among the governor, Democrats and Republicans over a projected $42-billion deficit ended in February, the state now faces another gap of about $8 billion due to declining tax revenues. And according to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, nearly every revenue-generating state proposition in the upcoming special May election lacks the required voter support to pass.

Irma Lemus MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- Helping teenagers make better decisions about sex was the goal of a town hall meeting at the Black Entertainment Television Burbank studios. Saturday morning's live taping of BET's "Teen Summit/Rap City: Da Bassment" was sponsored by the cable television network and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The town hall meeting focused on teens' attitude toward sex, as well as communication between young people and their parents.

meeting Laura Sturza RANCHO DISTRICT -- Residents are invited to a Town Hall meeting Thursday where they can meet with City Council members in an informal setting. There will be a discussion period when individuals can present questions or concerns to council members, who will respond. Staff from city agencies will also have information tables set up for residents to learn more about everything from home remodeling to parks and recreation activities.

State Sen. Jack Scott (D-Burbank) and Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Burbank) are co-hosting a town hall meeting on the state's budget crisis and how it will affect local residents. They will offer an update on proposed budget cuts and answer questions Saturday morning. City department heads, school district and labor union representatives and others will provide additional information. The public meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Buena Vista Branch Library, 300 N. Buena Vista St. For more information, call Scott's office at 558-7940 or Frommer's office at 240-6330.

Power outage leaves homes blacked out A power outage Monday left 810 Burbank customers without power for nearly three hours, officials with the Burbank Department of Water and Power said. The outage occurred on Chandler Boulevard and Magnolia Boulevard, between Lima Street and Brighton Street. The cause is still being investigated. ? Council to hold second Town Hall meeting The Burbank City Council will hold the second of its two scheduled open house and Town Hall meetings where residents are invited to air their grievances to council members and peruse what services the city offers.

Rep. Adam Schiff’s recent town hall meeting on health-care reform did more to highlight vehement distaste with government than the actual proposal, and that’s unfortunate. Instead of an adult conversation on the merits of President Obama’s proposed health-care insurance reform bill, the general public have been blasted with images and footage of people engaged in everything from shouting matches with their Congressional representatives, to holding signs that show Obama in the likeness of Adolf Hitler.

State is to blame for unwanted facilities In the article about the Feb. 28 town hall meeting (?Town hall meeting draws crowd,? Saturday), I was quoted as saying that, ?Here we have a council that?s not helping. It?s frustrating.? My problem is with the state Legislature, not the City Council. A five-patient resident care facility is being built across the street from me on Avon Street, and apparently the city has no say. I find it appalling that these facilities can come in and change the character of our neighborhoods without notice.

If city leaders hope to restore public confidence in the Burbank Police Department, they must also be willing to empower the city's Police Commission to better fulfill its watchdog role. That the commission has finally set a date for its first public forum since scandal erupted within the department last year is a good first step toward reversing years of institutionalized impotence. But beyond that Aug. 18 meeting, more must be done to heal public trust scarred by allegations of excessive and improper use of force that have resulted in the firings of 10 police officers, multiple lawsuits involving claims of widespread racial discrimination within the department and a veteran officer's work-related public suicide.

If city leaders hope to restore public confidence in the Burbank Police Department, they must also be willing to empower the city's Police Commission to better fulfill its watchdog role. That the commission has finally set a date for its first public forum since scandal erupted within the department last year is a good first step toward reversing years of institutionalized impotence. But beyond that Aug. 18 meeting, more must be done to heal public trust scarred by allegations of excessive and improper use of force that have resulted in the firings of 10 police officers, multiple lawsuits involving claims of widespread racial discrimination within the department and a veteran officer's work-related public suicide.

Rep. Adam Schiff’s recent town hall meeting on health-care reform did more to highlight vehement distaste with government than the actual proposal, and that’s unfortunate. Instead of an adult conversation on the merits of President Obama’s proposed health-care insurance reform bill, the general public have been blasted with images and footage of people engaged in everything from shouting matches with their Congressional representatives, to holding signs that show Obama in the likeness of Adolf Hitler.

ALHAMBRA — Angry faceoffs erupted Tuesday between activists on either side of the debate on health-care reform hours before Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff had a chance to take the stage at an Alhambra town hall meeting. Some pushed and shoved demonstrators with opposing views. Others tore signs and screamed through red-faced exchanges that often jumped through discussions about funding for public schools, medical malpractice costs and military spending before circling back to the topic at hand.

BURBANK — Sen. Carol Liu answered questions from residents about education, health care, the state’s budget and deficit, and new tax hikes during a town hall meeting Saturday. Adult education student Alejandro Plata, who lives in Huntington Park, heard rumors in school that it could be closing because funding approved from the state budget only finances kindergarten through 12th-grade instruction, he told Liu. Plata, who is a high school dropout, can’t afford to lose his schooling because he said he wants to graduate.

Sen. Carol Liu will host a town hall meeting Saturday to discuss the latest updates on the state budget, which is again billions in the red. After a protracted three-way battle among the governor, Democrats and Republicans over a projected $42-billion deficit ended in February, the state now faces another gap of about $8 billion due to declining tax revenues. And according to a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, nearly every revenue-generating state proposition in the upcoming special May election lacks the required voter support to pass.

The council adopted a weed-clearing program that follows a County of Los Angeles report that identified a list of properties in Burbank that need to be cleared of weeds, refuse and debris. Property owners can complete the abatement themselves or the county will perform the work and recover the cost through a property tax lien. WHAT IT MEANS There is no cost to the city to run the abatement program. ? The council approved a two-year, $4,865 deal between Burbank and 3Degrees, a San Francisco-based renewable energy firm, that will certify the city?

State is to blame for unwanted facilities In the article about the Feb. 28 town hall meeting (?Town hall meeting draws crowd,? Saturday), I was quoted as saying that, ?Here we have a council that?s not helping. It?s frustrating.? My problem is with the state Legislature, not the City Council. A five-patient resident care facility is being built across the street from me on Avon Street, and apparently the city has no say. I find it appalling that these facilities can come in and change the character of our neighborhoods without notice.

BURBANK — Despite calls for reform from community members, many local and state officials say their hands are tied in trying to regulate a sober-living facility in the 1500 block of Clark Avenue. The facility, a nondescript one-story, single-family home down the street from Walt Disney Elementary School and about six blocks from John Burroughs High School on a residential street, has drawn complaints from neighbors who say the home represents a danger to the community. The home houses more than a half dozen residents who are trying to stay clear of alcohol, said Greg Hermann, chief assistant community development director.

Power outage leaves homes blacked out A power outage Monday left 810 Burbank customers without power for nearly three hours, officials with the Burbank Department of Water and Power said. The outage occurred on Chandler Boulevard and Magnolia Boulevard, between Lima Street and Brighton Street. The cause is still being investigated. ? Council to hold second Town Hall meeting The Burbank City Council will hold the second of its two scheduled open house and Town Hall meetings where residents are invited to air their grievances to council members and peruse what services the city offers.

BURBANK — Peg Cabrera does not consider herself an avid follower of city politics, but the opportunity to learn about city services and interact with Burbank’s leaders Thursday night was too good an opportunity to pass up, she said. “I don’t really get involved too much,” said Cabrera, who was one of nearly 100 residents to fill the Buena Vista Library’s Community Room Thursday evening for an open house and town hall meeting that allowed residents to mingle with city officials, get to know some of the services Burbank offers and air grievances to City Council members.