Measure GG Returns + New Gym Plans Take Shape
What's on Monday's City Council agenda and the latest on the former LA Fitness building.
Hello neighbors!
This week, I’ve been thinking about the end of summer. It's only four more weeks before students, teachers and staff at Bonita Unified return to school. I've also been digging into what’s ahead for La Verne—upcoming City Council and Bonita Unified School Board elections.
Local news rarely slows down, even in the middle of summer. Decisions made now will shape our services, neighborhoods and ballots in the months ahead. My job is to help you understand what’s happening, why it matters and how you can weigh in.
Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting La Verne Daily News!
Staci
Election Season Opens and Measure GG Comes to a Head
Highlights from the July 20
City Council Meeting Agenda
➡️ See all the July 20 agenda highlights
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 1-669-900-683 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.
✅ Consent Calendar
Items on the Consent Calendar are routine and typically passed as a package unless pulled for individual discussion.
🔥 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.
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
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. Only two applications came in: Richard Bowen and Brian O'Keefe. Mayor Hepburn and Council Member Steve 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 an outreach push.
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
Exploring Route 66, One Stamp at a Time
La Verne's passport scavenger hunt is drawing families to discover hidden gems, support local businesses and collect prizes before the Aug. 3 deadline.
➡️ Read more about the passport scavenger hunt
Getting Into Shape: Plans Move Forward for Former LA Fitness Location
Plans are moving forward to bring a new 24-hour fitness center to the former LA Fitness location in La Verne.
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