Community Commentary:

Help, Santa Claus.

If we had better accountability and transparency, the public would have more respect for our elected officials and senior staff.

All I want for Christmas is not my two front teeth, but responsible government where printed reports from staff are accurate. Let me give you a few examples, Santa.

The first event was the indigenous tree ordinance. Someone thought it would be a great idea to micromanage our indigenous trees with new regulations and stiffer fines for the violators. Staff and council, before approving the new ordinance, in my opinion, did not think the whole process out. Can you imagine one would have to get city approval to cut a branch as small as two fingers thick or a trunk as small as 6 inches around? The ordinance brought unwanted fame and fodder for talk radio. The incident also damaged the city’s image and gave it a black eye.

The next thing that came up was a confrontation between Councilman Bob Yousefian and city staff over how the staff remapped Glenoaks Boulevard. Staff used antiquated measurements. This affected Yousefian personally, because he lives on Glenoaks Boulevard. He told staff to get their records correct. Yousefian won the battle but lost the war as he was censured for bad behavior by his colleagues and lost his position on the Airport Commission.

Santa, do you and Mrs. Claus smoke cigarettes? I personally gave it up 38 years ago. We had a smoking issue before the City Council this year. The Pasadena Weekly accepted Councilman Dave Weaver as the person who was interviewed for the newsletter, but the public thought it was Mayor John Drayman. What was said in the weekly really became a distraction, as the real issue was the smoking ordinance before the City Council.

The city manager is the chief executive officer for the city. He was hired by the City Council to manage the day-to-day business of the city. He is paid $242,000 plus benefits and pension. He gives answers when requested by the council. All financial reports from staff to the City Council have his signature, and to be quite honest, Santa, I do not think he reads these reports or he counts too much on his senior staff for accuracy.

Also, what is troubling, Santa, is that he micromanages his personnel, and nobody gets fired for making errors. He just covers for them. They are civil servants whom he protects.