Election Season Opens and Measure GG Comes to a Head: Here's What's Happening at the July 20 City Council Meeting
Council members will call the November election for three City Council seats, take a final vote on the trailer parking ordinance, adopt new salary and benefit resolutions, and decide whether to move forward with a Proposition 218 process to raise the Measure GG paramedic fee.
Updated 2:25 p.m. July 18 to correct the phone number for calling in to the Council meeting.
La Verne City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 20
Where: City Hall Council Chambers, 3660 D St., La Verne
How to attend: In person, via Zoom at LaVerneCA.gov/zoom, or by phone by calling 1-669-900-6833 and enter ID 833-1417-8680 when prompted.
🔗 July 20 City Council Meeting Agenda
🔗 July 20 City Council Meeting Agenda Packet (pdf)
The meeting will adjourn in memory of John Malarkey, a longtime City Recreation Leader and volunteer with La Verne Girls Softball, who is remembered for his dedication to La Verne's youth and community programs.
Civic Tip: Before the regular meeting, Council enters Closed Session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss labor negotiations with the City's employee associations, plus two legal matters: the existing Guerrero v. City of La Verne litigation and one potential-exposure case.
Note: Council Member Rick Crosby will attend this meeting via Zoom from Sacramento.
Presentations
Fire Safe Foothills (FSF) Introduction—A wildfire preparedness and community resilience program funded by the Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, FSF serves communities across the San Gabriel Valley foothills, Antelope Valley, and Angeles National Forest.
National Parks and Recreation Month—Recognizing the Parks and Recreation Department's work maintaining safe, welcoming public spaces and offering inclusive programs for residents.
✅ Consent Calendar
Items on the Consent Calendar are routine and typically passed as a package unless pulled for individual discussion.
City Council Minutes from the June 15 meeting—Routine approval of the prior meeting's minutes.
2027–2030 CDBG Cooperative Agreement—Every three years, Los Angeles County must re-qualify with HUD as an "Urban County," and La Verne must re-up its participation agreement to continue receiving Community Development Block Grant funding. The City uses CDBG money for the senior meals program and sidewalk accessibility projects. LACDA requires cities to sign by July 31.
Why it matters: No direct cost to the City and no impact to the General Fund—this just keeps the door open to grant funding the City already relies on.
Film Permit: Danielle Bruncati Productions—A short film is set to shoot at a private residence at 1459 3rd Street July 24–26. Filming stays indoors (bedroom, living room, office, kitchen scenes), no stunts, no loud noises, and won't touch public infrastructure. The production will pay the City's standard film permit fee.
Trailer Parking Ordinance (Final Adoption)—This is the follow-through on the ordinance Council gave first reading to on June 15. It sets new rules for parking utility, commercial, recreational, boat, and personal trailers on public streets—general prohibitions, time limits by trailer type, a temporary permit process for things like moving or construction projects, and a nuisance declaration for violators. Enforcement will stay complaint-based, and vehicles with valid disabled placards remain exempt from overnight restrictions. Council approved the first reading 4–0 in June with Mayor Pro Tem Kashifalghita absent for military duty; the July 20 vote makes it official.
➡️ Read the draft ordinance in the Meeting Agenda Packet (p. 48)
Why it matters: If you've noticed trailers parked long-term on neighborhood streets, this is the ordinance addressing that. This is the last step before it takes effect.
FY 2027 Office of Traffic Safety Grant Award—The Police Department was awarded $66,500 to fund two DUI/driver's license checkpoints, five DUI saturation patrols, distracted-driving and speed enforcement operations, and motorcycle/pedestrian/bicycle safety enforcement between October 2026 and September 2027.
Why it matters: No General Fund cost—this is the money behind the checkpoints and patrols you may notice around the City this year.
Election Resolutions for November 3, 2026—Council formally calls the City's General Municipal Election, requests Los Angeles County consolidate it with the statewide election, and adopts the rules for candidate statements. Three City Council seats—Districts 1, 3, and 4—are up for four-year terms. The nomination period opened July 13 and runs through Aug. 7 (extended to Aug. 12 if an incumbent doesn't file by the deadline). Estimated election cost: $57,273.
Why it matters: If you live in Districts 1, 3, or 4 and have ever thought about running for Council, the filing window is open right now. Check laverneca.gov/districtmap to confirm your district.
📢 Public Hearings
🗣️ Want to comment on a Public Hearing item? You can speak in person (fill out a comment card at City Hall), attend via Zoom and raise your hand when the item is called, or email cityclerk@LaVerneCA.gov by noon July 20. You'll have up to three minutes.
Confirmation of Weed Abatement Charges, FY 2025–26—Los Angeles County cleared noxious weeds and rubbish on 83 parcels that didn't comply after a February protest hearing. Council is asked to confirm the charges—$21,604.45 total, averaging about $59 per parcel—so the County Auditor can add them to the property tax roll.
Why it matters: This doesn't cost the City anything; it's the County billing individual property owners for cleanup they didn't do themselves.
Discussion Calendar
🗣️ Want to comment on a Discussion item? You can speak in person (fill out a comment card at City Hall), attend via Zoom and raise your hand when the item is called, or email cityclerk@LaVerneCA.gov by noon July 20. You'll have up to three minutes.
EIFD Board Public Member Appointment—A public seat on the Public Financing Authority's Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District Board has been vacant since Wayne Hurley resigned in April. Despite outreach that reached more than 12,400 people on social media, only two applications came in: Richard Bowen and Brian O'Keefe. Mayor Hepburn and Council Member Johnson, who chair the board, will recommend one for full Council appointment.
Why it matters: The EIFD Board helps finance infrastructure tied to the Old Town Specific Plan and the Metro A Line extension. It's also a small case study in how hard it can be to fill volunteer City boards, even with a real outreach push.
CalPERS Retired Annuitant: Robert Russell—Battalion Chief Robert Russell is set to retire August 22, but a long-term leave of absence elsewhere in the Fire Department's command ranks has created a gap. Council is asked to authorize a temporary, CalPERS-compliant appointment bringing him back for up to 960 hours a year, capped at one year, to keep emergency response coverage steady.
Why it matters: No new cost—staff says it's cost-neutral to cost-reducing compared to covering the gap with overtime, and it keeps an experienced commander in the Fire Department while the leave plays out.
Benefits Resolutions for Executive and Middle Management—Updates the benefit resolutions for department heads and middle management/professional/confidential staff, mainly raising the City's medical contribution to match what was already approved for the Police Officers' Association. Estimated cost: $43,200 a year, offset by a transfer from the Measure LV Fund.
Why it matters: This is routine follow-through on compensation parity across employee groups—expect more of these as negotiations with other unions wrap up.
Salary Chart for Full-Time Employees—Reflects negotiated raises: 3% for Police officers, lieutenants, and the captain; 5% for firefighters; 0.5% for fire engineers and captains; plus a scheduling change for the Information Systems Specialist role. Total General Fund impact: $147,595, also offset by Measure LV.
Why it matters: These are the contractual raises City Council already committed to through labor agreements—the July 20 vote formalizes the numbers.
🔥 Hot Topic
Measure GG & the Paramedic Service Fee—This is an the item I flagged back in June: Council directed staff to return with a Proposition 218 proposal instead of putting a Measure GG increase on the November ballot. The proposal sets the assessment at $14 per month, up from the current rate, with future increases tied to a formula that blends fire personnel costs and medical care inflation—replacing the general CPI formula from 1980, which the City says hasn't kept pace.
Some context on why: paramedic and ambulance transport costs are running about $3.8 million a year, while Measure GG revenue plus insurance billing brings in roughly $2.76 million. The Fire Department says the investment is paying off in outcomes—its 2025 cardiac arrest survival rate jumped from 7.4% to 37% for hospital admission and now beats county, state, and national averages.
Because this is a property assessment under Proposition 218 rather than a ballot measure, the process runs differently from a regular election: property owners, not registered voters, vote by mail, and if a majority protest by weighted ballot, the increase can't move forward. The July 20 discussion is about authorizing staff to start that formal notice-and-ballot process—it's not a final decision on the fee itself.
Why it matters: Every La Verne property owner would eventually get a ballot on this. It's the mechanism that keeps residents from ever seeing a bill for an ambulance ride, and the July 20 discussion is about how, not whether, the City fixes the shortfall.
Learn more about Measure GG
Staci Baird
La Verne Joint Public Financing Authority
Mobile Home Park Budgets—Council recesses to meet as the Financing Authority and approve annual operating budgets for La Verne Mobile Country Club and Valley Rancho Mobile Home Park. Both parks fund themselves through space rent, with no subsidy from City sources. Notably, this year marks the 30th and final year of the bond payment used to buy La Verne Mobile Country Club back in 1996—it will be paid off in September. Valley Rancho's budget includes $23,400 for laundry and restroom work and $17,400 for a new meter bank serving four homes.
Why it matters: Once that bond retires in September, more of Mobile Country Club's rent revenue is freed up for park upkeep instead of debt service.
🗣️ General Public Comment Opportunities
- In person at City Hall—fill out a speaker card before the item is called
- By email to cityclerk@LaVerneCA.gov—submit by noon on July 20; comments are shared with the full Council and become part of the public record
- Via Zoom—visit LaVerneCA.gov/zoom or call 1-669-900-6833, ID: 833-1417-8680; raise your hand to request to comment. (To raise your hand in Zoom, click the Reactions or React button at the bottom of your screen, then select Raise Hand. On a phone, tap the screen, select the More (...) icon, and tap Raise Hand.)
Public comment is allowed:
- During Public Hearings
- On Discussion Calendar items
- On Consent Calendar items if pulled for separate discussion
- During general public comment for items not on the agenda
Upcoming Dates to Note
👥 Civic Meetings
Transportation & Infrastructure Commission Wednesday, July 22, 4 p.m. | City Hall Council Chambers
Old Town La Verne Business Improvement District Monday, Aug. 3, 8:30 a.m. | Café Wang, La Verne
City Council Meeting Monday, Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m. | City Hall Council Chambers
Development Review Committee Tuesday, Aug. 4, 9 a.m. | City Hall Council Chambers
