Rags Riches: Burbank City Council Roundup

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(Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Sherman Pore was a little man in trouble. He was desperate in attire, desperate in manner and urgent in his appeal. “I need your help.” he said “I’ve never done this before.”

I may be many things, but my true weakness is when one of God’s creatures mistake me for an angel. Someone – a wag, a gadfly or perhaps a member of City Hall’s labyrinthian power structure had told him to talk to me and as I exited the narrow security scanner in the entrance alcove to the Burbank City Council chambers while waiting for my Junior Reporter bag, Sherman poured out his heart to me.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to, but I want to sing the National Anthem and they say they don’t do that. You see, but I have to. They’re going to close Dimples. Tear it down. And I want to make my statement. I want to sing the National Anthem. Will you help me?”

“I’m new here, myself. I don’t know anything about singing in Council Chambers.”

“If you could just stand when I sing. Could you just be the first to stand? If you do, then maybe everyone else will stand too. Everybody should stand when the National Anthem is sung.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to stand. Even first.”

What Sherman Pore didn’t know was that I have been many things in my past and although I am at peace with most of those things, I am most proud of causes that are the right thing to do. Even when those causes are doomed to failure.

“Thank you so much!” he gushed, “May I sit next to you?”

“Umm, I will be typing away – being here is my job.”

“Oh. Okay.” Dressed in cracked vintage patent leather spectator pumps (white sidewalls with pumpkin accents) that once had been a signature personal statement and also wearing a silver sequined party fedora, Mr. Pore was wearing a creatively sewn white shirt with Victorian poet sleeves that had seen better days and a nice fitting brocade fabric vest that wasn’t quite the match one would hope for under the Prime-Time lighting of the City Council chambers of the Media Capital of the World, Burbank.

The hat was off his head the entire proceedings because Mr. Pore was proper, if he was anything else.

The music started. The television monitors showed the opening segment and Mr. Pore and I were seated at his request in the front, on camera. For the next couple of hours I typed madly while Mr. Pore fidgeted.

At 6:00 PM the Mayor called to order the Council and the invocation was given by a local minister of the Christian faith. The minister then led the flag salute. “…one nation, under God”, we all concluded. City Clerk, Zizette Mullins, called the role and the Mayor made announcements . Burbank Kiwanis clubs were recognized, as well as the youthful High School Key Club presidents and the Mayor proclaimed us all under the authority of Burbank Kiwanis Day. When he was done, 32 people got up and left the chambers. 27 people were left, 5 of them Burbank Airport Authority job applicants.

Then the Council members said what they did for the city the last seven days and introduced additional items: Masonic Temple stuff, official letters (upsetting residents again) from the high-speed rail authorities, Washington Elementary school and the Burbank boys and Girl’s Clubs getting project-funded, free shuttles during construction of I-5 exits (which won’t be done for years), and Lincoln Blevins informing us that all Burbankers have super low power rates because we are “taking the time to do it right.” This is unlike Los Angeles which the city manager predicted would “go off a cliff”.

Still Sherman Pore waited and fidgeted. He kept asking me for reassurance. An older man who’s best days were 30 years of nights at Dimples, was scared of his last performance. I think he was more scared than the first time he was up on stage.

The Council members were still fresh. There had been no gadflies yet to endure. No votes had been cast and so the energy of the city’s leaders focused on Lincoln Blevins and his presentation slides and positive message.

“So we have no way of knowing if the Burbank efforts are making an impact on Global Warming?” asked the mayor incredulously. “I don’t know. I don’t know.” I heard several times to several questions from Mr. Blevins.

Emily Gabel-Luddy and Vice-Mayor Frutos both were concerned about seniors like Mr. Pore. “When you were doing your survey (Mr. Blevins) how many were retired?”

“We didn’t ask that” was the response.

The City Attorney then reported on the closed session earlier. Burbank’s participation in litigation against California Bill 7 which is about the state mandating to us prevailing wage requirements just would not do, we were told.

“Burbank IS a Charter City and this goes to the Heart of our rights.” She emphasized.

Finally it was time for Public Comments. Mr. Pore put his hand on mine.

“You’ll be fine”, I assured him. “You’ll be just fine.” I smiled as warmly as I could. I hoped as a fellow performer in my own past that he was some kind of musical savant and that tonight would be a Golden Microphone moment. After all, Burbank’s Public Information Department had just achieved that honor and the mayor had waxed poetic about his being served when he did his “Mayor’s Show”.

This is exactly what I next typed: Public comments: Sherman Pore sang the National Anthem and he sang it in celebration of Dimples Karaoke Lounge that is closing. We all stood and sang with him. He made a passionate plea to save Dimples. He would like to see the city save and reassemble the building someplace else. “Open it somewhere else and keep it in Burbank.” He pleaded.

I sang with him. I sang louder because he needed me to and he faltered a bit. I sang clearer and on key because I am often paid to and I guess I just wanted to be that strong voice out in the pews that shakes up the choir in their stage lofts in a church I happen to be visiting. God forgive me, but I sinned with pride.

Mr. Pore sat down next to me. He was shaking. “How’d I do?”

“You did just fine”, as I squeezed his forearm.

“Play Ball!” a wag had shouted after he was done. And last night’s meeting truly began. It was a doozy.

A Candidate for City Council was called out for being anti-gay. The aging man who spoke broke down in tears and was shaking so hard that he faltered on the marble steps leading to the street.

Burbank City employees were called out by Susan Kessler for eating lunch in front of her house in their “big trucks”.

Deb Bailey opined about parking and was pleasantly supported by council members who later voted to replace free parking on neighborhood streets with parking permits. Burbank’s residents will have to purchase resident permits like they do in Beverly Hills.

Sam Calderwood was a neighbor: “I live on Brighton Street and am a retired employee from the City of LA. I’m going to pay a fee to park in front my own house? Just leave us our regular parking that we’ve got.” For his trouble, comments were made about Los Angeles city workers.

It was a litany of woe from the public and responsive government in action. For instance, bikes are going to be outlawed on the horse bridge over the Los Angeles river at the Rancho end of Mariposa Street. Note to non-cyclists; Mariposa is the beginning of the Chandler Bikeway and is not designated connector street to Verdugo and Riverside – which are main bike land streets used by thru-riders.

A mature gentleman approached the podium and told another tale of woe: It seems the Relocation Addendum given to a building’s tenants in buildings to be destroyed by the Talaria Project is unfair.

And then the votes:

The City Council was split both in how they voted and what they voted on in allowing outdoor seating at restaurants. Some places will be allowed and some won’t.

Regarding the “Approval of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Transmission Agreement Amendments Associated with the Refunding of Prior Amounts – Burbank Water and Power”, there was no one prepared to touch it.

“We seem to have a constipation of action” mused the Mayor – no one wanted to move or second the action.

Finally outgoing member Gary Bric MOVED and Emily Gabel-Luddy SECONDED the measure. the VOTE: Yes,Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes.

The City Council was split in a tie on who represents Burbank in planning the airport’s future. A compromise candidate was decided on in a remarkable second vote after Emily Gable-Luddy decided to have council members actually explain their thinking. 3 to 2 was the final vote to appoint the only applicant who wasn’t present. Someone named Ray Adams. Several members of the Council, including the Mayor, admitted they hadn’t even talked to some of the candidates. Although, sorry, Dave Golonski, not a single vote for you.

Still Mr Sherman Pore waited. The Council had not yet responded to his pleas, his performance and his plight. They had approved another Talaria related measure. Talaria displaced his performance home and performance community. They had allowed the developer to relocate the tenants living in the project’s footprint with a relocation addendum that was read aloud and made my cold dispassionate heart proud in it’s economy of compassion. Tenants had to leave and they had to leave in and on the terms laid out or they got nothing.

Then we listened to Agenda Item 7; small lot subdivisions. Young Martin Potter was making his very last presentation to the city leaders before jumping ship to work for Pasadena. On his way out he handed an eager City Council a report on what call in some circles are called “mini-mansions” but also known as “Bungalows”. It’s simple and straightforward and if you are a homeowner, start coveting your neighbor’s house if its adjacent to you and for sale.

When this trend hit Seattle it created an economic boom for small builders and aggressive house flippers. If your subdivision has two adjacent properties and you get zoning permission then you can tear both existing structures down and build four micro-homes. Yes, I wrote 4. The value of a micro-home is less than a full home. But the total value of four micro homes wildly exceeds the value of two existing structures. Voila!

These things are cute as a button and in fact are just as small. Even the Mayor admitted “Their (sidewalks) are for skinny people.” They are also for the “Young Millennials” (under 30 years olds) at the Cartoon Network”… “My people!” admitted Mr. Potter.

Sherman Pore waited. He hunched down in his chair. But it’s hard to hide a man dressed as he was. I reminded him he was still partially on camera.

Johnny Carson Park is being renovated – $3 million budget.

More documents needed to be approved. They were approved; 5 – 0.

The Housing Authority wanted to release homeowners from owner occupied neighborhood covenant agreements like the kind my mother lives in that keeps developers from building 4 micro-houses on two adjacent lots. Passed: 5 – 0. But to be fair, there was a constipated pause in the room. Then outgoing Gary Bric moved it and Emily Gabel-Luddy seconded the motion, saying as she did. “I’ll second it just so we can move ahead here…

Five YES. “Passes 5-0”

Another issues was decided. “Certain Real Property (was) transferred to a successor agency” at the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Victory Boulevard.” Congratulations for the city to keep the Dr. David Burbank Sculpture and make it an Open Space instead of being zoned commercially because it used to be a gas station on that location. Emily Gabel-Luddy made a forceful argument that without a vote for that, someone could come along and “do something with it”.

Mr. Sherman Pore had finally had enough. He was tired. Exhausted by Ms. Bailey’s parking problems and Mr. Potter’s plans to remake Bedford Falls, I mean, Burbank. He thanked me with tears in his eyes for “all your help” and gave me a new shrink-wrapped CD entitled: “Sherman Pore, For My Lady Love.”

“Do you know ANY of these songs?” He asked. I blindly pointed to the first song on his CD and sang softly enough not to be reprimanded by the Mayor “The very thought of you”. He had heard the City Manager promise him a call from Joy Forbes in the Economic Development Department. He had heard words and begrudging acknowledgement that Dimples was a goner and that it is sad… but…

I moved to another location out of the eyes of Burbank’s viewers. My computer batteries were running low and I was charging them in the outlet on a back wall while still typing away the night’s proceedings.

The Mayor had moved to go past 11:00 and now the Council was considering Dr. David Burbank’s sculpture and then Parking Permits to replace free parking. The Mayor stated; “I am terrified of violating parking in Beverly Hills.” It’s former employee and now Burbank City Manager intoned that Beverly Hills is only 5.7 square miles and has 40 plus parking enforcement officers citing tickets night and day.

“When this comes back I am definitely supportive.” Said the Mayor. So the City Council directed the staff to “return with a Second Step report to consider amendments to the City’s residential preferential permit parking program.”

“We are NOT Beverly Hills” summed up the Mayor. Only gadfly Mike Nolan said some things and the meeting was adjourned.

Final NOTE: I would like to quote what is written on the back of Sherman Pore’s CD he gave me.

“Every once in awhile, an American Idol contestant touches the hearts of Idol viewers in a special way. The latest contestant to pull off such a feat was none other than sixty-four year old Sherman Pore. Even though Sherman was 36 years over the American Idol age limit of 28, he showed up at the auditions with a petition to be an American Idol contestant. Sherman told a touching story of losing his “Lady Love” to ovarian cancer. There has been unrelenting fan support in letters and on the Web asking Sherman to make his music available. Production is appropriately lush and sweeping. Recorded at the famous Capitol Studios, Studio B, Sherman has made a recording that stands up to any of the greats in this genre.”

There is a sticker on the CD that says: $1 per CD has been donated to City of Hope for Cancer research, treatment and education.” It has a City of Hope logo.

 Editors Note: Rags Madison covers City Council meeting like no one else with his take – opinions expressed are his alone and do not represent myBurbank