Community Forum Brings Residents, City Officials Together to Discuss Local Issues
Residents questioned city leaders about the budget, public safety, Measure A, housing and community priorities.
Updated 1:37 p.m. May 30 with corrected attendance numbers and to correct the abbreviated name of the coalition.
The La Verne Coalition of Concerned Citizens, also known as LV3C, hosted a community forum Wednesday night at Lighthouse Baptist Church in La Verne.
According to Rick Bowen, an administrator of the private La Verne Concerned Citizens Facebook Group and moderator for the evening, more than 40 residents attended the event, which featured a Q&A with City Manager Ken Domer, Finance Director Christy Lopez, Council member Steve Johnson, and La Verne Firefighters Association President Dave Bonanno. Another 600 people watched online, Bowen said.
Bowen said he also invited representatives from Bonita Unified School District to participate. Bowen said he was told Superintendent Matt Wien had “previous commitments” and could not attend. Bowen also invited Board of Education members during a recent board meeting, but no district representatives attended Wednesday’s forum.
Residents asked questions about the City budget, the ongoing firefighter-paramedic negotiations, the Sierra La Verne property, and Bonita Unified’s proposed Measure A bond.
LV3C is a private community Facebook group with about 1,800 members.
Major Themes of the Night
- Budget sustainability and rising personnel costs.
- Police overtime and accountability.
- Firefighter-paramedic compensation dispute.
- Future of Sierra La Verne and state housing mandates.
- Measure A and concerns about BUSD transparency.
- Preservation of community events amid budget cuts.
- Long-term fiscal planning versus maintaining current service levels.
- Local control versus increasing state mandates on housing and land use.
More stories on some of these topics coming soon!
