Time truly flies, especially when marking the joyous occasion of Ross' granddaughter's eighth birthday. Her growth reminds him of the ever-evolving landscape of Burbank, which we delve into on this week's "My Burbank Talks." From the personal musings of hospital stays to the civic pulse of joint city council and school board meetings, Ross Benson and Craig Sherwood engage in candid discussions about the efficacy of local governance. We don't just stop at the boardroom; we extend our conversation to the vibrant events shaping our community, like the ribbon-cutting of the new Cambria Hotel, vital for upcoming reunions and the city's tourism.
Navigating the complexities of local affairs can sometimes feel as tricky as managing a room full of second graders on a sugar high. Yet, despite the crowded scenes and contentious debates over School Resource Officers and mental health initiatives, we strive to pinpoint where the city could streamline efforts for more impactful results. Addressing the lighter side of Burbank life, we share the ins and outs of familiar grocery store layouts and the comfort of finding your way — a metaphor for the desire to make our city's processes more navigable and transparent.
Wrapping up with a look at the community's heart, we shine a spotlight on the Burbank Animal Shelter and the collective push against homelessness — a testament to the city's compassion and progress. Celebrating Earth Day and acknowledging the dedication of our non-profits, we highlight Burbank's cultural fabric woven through events like the Cultural Arts Commission's meeting and the Chamber of Commerce's beautification program. Join us as we explore the heartbeat of our city, spotlighting the shared dedication that makes Burbank a place we're proud to call home.
Time truly flies, especially when marking the joyous occasion of Ross' granddaughter's eighth birthday. Her growth reminds him of the ever-evolving landscape of Burbank, which we delve into on this week's "My Burbank Talks." From the personal musings of hospital stays to the civic pulse of joint city council and school board meetings, Ross Benson and Craig Sherwood engage in candid discussions about the efficacy of local governance. We don't just stop at the boardroom; we extend our conversation to the vibrant events shaping our community, like the ribbon-cutting of the new Cambria Hotel, vital for upcoming reunions and the city's tourism.
Navigating the complexities of local affairs can sometimes feel as tricky as managing a room full of second graders on a sugar high. Yet, despite the crowded scenes and contentious debates over School Resource Officers and mental health initiatives, we strive to pinpoint where the city could streamline efforts for more impactful results. Addressing the lighter side of Burbank life, we share the ins and outs of familiar grocery store layouts and the comfort of finding your way — a metaphor for the desire to make our city's processes more navigable and transparent.
Wrapping up with a look at the community's heart, we shine a spotlight on the Burbank Animal Shelter and the collective push against homelessness — a testament to the city's compassion and progress. Celebrating Earth Day and acknowledging the dedication of our non-profits, we highlight Burbank's cultural fabric woven through events like the Cultural Arts Commission's meeting and the Chamber of Commerce's beautification program. Join us as we explore the heartbeat of our city, spotlighting the shared dedication that makes Burbank a place we're proud to call home.
From deep in the Burbank Media District. It's time for another edition of my Burbank Talks, presented by the staff of my Burbank. Now let's see what's on today's agenda as we join our program.
Speaker 2:Hello Burbank, greg Schubert here with you once again and through the magic of Zoom, we have Ross Benson.
Speaker 3:Well, the magic of Zoom and whatever else it's called. The week that was the week that will be for april 8th. And guess what? Sis, boom, bang.
Speaker 2:Today was my granddaughter's eighth birthday oh my eight, eight years already, can you?
Speaker 3:believe that. I said that to my son today and he said yeah, in 10 years she's going to be an adult.
Speaker 2:Yeah and about what?
Speaker 3:um four years, she's going to start discovering boys oh no, not if my son uh you know, is loud but that clock behind is uh running well and uh, things are going well and you notice I'm from the palace tonight.
Speaker 4:Yes, you are most.
Speaker 3:Most people probably didn't know that I was laying on a hospital gurney and uh did a show via technology, again via that, and I don't know how many hours later I was on an operating room table.
Speaker 3:So you definitely were on the the dl last week and you still uh, you played injured so, yeah, I'm, yep, I was out for a week and, boy, like my son said a week ago today, and I believe that I was laid up at good old saint joe's, saint joseph's, you know it just uh, that new er is it's, it's big, but boy, it gets full oh yeah, you's not many hospitals around anymore and there's everybody hacking and coughing and kicking and I recognize people you know in the er that I knew and but they took care of me and I found we got other stuff to work on, but we're back with our followers and, uh, another and another.
Speaker 3:Let's Hit the Road, joe.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:You know, joe.
Speaker 2:Yep From St Joe's. Okay, last week's winner, alex Sargent. Alex Sargent, you are the winner of last week's gift card for Hill Street Cafe $25 gift card which you can buy many great meals with that. The word last week was dig and I hope the dig event went well. I think it was at the library last week, so I hope it went well for all the. But it did rain last Saturday, so I don't know if they dug or not. Did the diggers dug, or did they dig or dug or what? I don't know if they dug or not. Did the diggers dug, did they dig or dug or what?
Speaker 3:I don't know. Well, here's his card that I had one sitting here. I don't know what's left on it here, but if he sends us his email, he'll get a great meal.
Speaker 2:I have his email. All you got to do now is I'm going to send it out tomorrow. He'll get it in the mail.
Speaker 3:Congratulations, Alex.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so we're going to move on kind of through. Last Tuesday was because of the school board council joint meeting. There was no council meeting on Tuesday. They instead got together on Wednesday.
Speaker 3:Oh, I thought they didn't have a meeting because I was in the hospital.
Speaker 2:But you weren't in the hospital until yeah, that's right, you were in the hospital last Monday, weren't you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I went to urgent care and then to ER. Yeah, and you know what, when you get into the hospital, time stops. Think about it. Everything stops.
Speaker 2:It's kind of like a casino in Las Vegas.
Speaker 3:No, windows no clocks Really. Yeah, is that same thing down in Morongo.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm sure it's in every casino. They don't want you to know if it's day or night. You know because you're going in the day, all of a sudden it's night. You say, oh, I've got to get out of here, it's nighttime. Or they don't want you to just keep gambling and gambling and gambling. That's the. You know they're pretty smart people. It's kind of like the supermarkets always putting the milk in the very back corner of the store so you have to walk through all the other aisles to get milk, which you always need, or something.
Speaker 3:You know that's funny. You say that because now that I you know, I've shopped at Vons over there on Pass for years, and you're right, and so is oh all they all are.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they just they put the, they put the necessities in the very back of the store, which makes you go through the store to to get to me. Oh, look at that. I mean, pick one of those up by matter too. So that's, it's a, that's a trick of the stores.
Speaker 3:That's why I do everything online ah, but I do know that that's where all the bathrooms are too, because I've having some stomach issues and I've learned where those bathrooms are.
Speaker 2:Another advantage you get at home. I know where my bathroom at home is here. So, anyhow, let's get to the city council meeting. They met together at the community services building. I was once again a little disappointed in the fact that our school board president, emily Weisberg, could not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. She's kind of sat there and looked down and it bothers me. I'll get into it at some other time. But I say this she's protesting something which now I can't remember what it is, and I think there's a lot of people watching that meeting who don't watch school board meetings. They see her just sitting there. They're probably saying you know what's up with that. You know she should announce after every pledge saying, for the public's information, I didn't stand for this reason, but no, she doesn't do that, she just doesn't stand. It's been a couple years now, or over a year. So I think you know I understand a protest, I appreciate a protest, but after a while what are you protesting? You know? Anyhow, let's move on from that.
Speaker 3:That room was full. They had. You know they really didn't do any wide angle shots like they do at city council, but the first couple of rows appeared to be quite full and I was real surprised. I rewatched the meeting. I didn't watch it last week, I was uh well sedated, but uh, I got to watch it yesterday and man, oh man, there it was a yeah, I really couldn't.
Speaker 2:I couldn't tell the crowd. You know, and you know what's up with legend. You know, if legend was on and on his game, he would have had a, a room shot also well, yeah, you know it's how they probably have those cameras set up, but I, you know it's.
Speaker 3:Do you remember when they were remodeling the city council chambers many years ago? They remotely moved up to you know that conference room or community services room and uh, they, they have. You know, you got a all your staff, your city attorney, your, your city clerk, and then have both boards together. But if you think about it, you can't put all those people on the dais no, kangaroo court.
Speaker 2:I got. Yeah, absolutely, you're absolutely right. I nothing got solved. That meeting. There was nothing that meaning that meeting that was except for their little motions they did for their joint resolutions, but nothing got accomplished. In fact, the only thing that happened there was something would come up and then all 10 people would have to comment on it. You know, and I mean, are they worried that if they don't say something that people won't vote for them again? Are they worried that if they don't say something, that people won't vote for them again? Are they worried that they don't say something that people think they don't care? I mean, you know, I think when you say the same thing over and, over and over again in different ways, that's what turns out. The public meeting. Sometimes it's just nothing good came out of that entire meeting.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I will agree, I watched it and you're right, exactly People. Yeah, I will agree, I watch it and you're right, exactly people. You know one council and nick schultz, who ran the meeting, pretty well kind of said in the beginning you know, let's don't rehash what your previous council member said, and so it's kind of frustrating, but I will say, to see those two boards together. You know there was the quorum and everything and so forth and what was the purpose? I mean, I know they're going to have this joint meeting.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, they brought up the thing about SROs school resource officers which I think every school should have one. But of course our school board member, steve Ferguson, is against the SROs and I guess he had a bad experience when he went to school or something and thinks that everybody had a bad experience, where my experiences with my sro at both burrows and and jordan were very positive and oh yeah, I remember them well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I said to my son today talking to him he remembers v jones and gerald schiff and you know you get a relationship and that's what our kids need, you know. And you know he in fact made comment.
Speaker 2:He knows kids that won't go to school knowing that there's a police officer on their campus and that's just yeah well you know, if they're, if that's the reason they're going to school, then they got bigger, deeper problems than a cop on campus. So you know I they're. If that's the reason I'm going to school, then they got bigger, deeper problems than a cop on campus. So you know I mean it was nice to see.
Speaker 3:I will say that it was the first time they kind of showed the new mental health car inside and out, and you know that was four years in the making or three years and finally got it and so forth. But a couple of the other things that they discussed, you know, if you recall, we brought it up here on the podcast last year when they had a school board meeting and people were up in arms about and rightfully so, you know, when we had the intruder at Burbank High and then they had at that school board meeting, you know, some uh, tax and sexual advances and so forth, and they report excuse me, uh, I don't have that cough button today um, they, you know, reported on their findings and they've corrected stuff. Stuff like that needs to be brought out because now with social media runs so rampant and so fast and what was that?
Speaker 2:that was how many months ago yeah, that was what six, eight months ago. Yeah, matt hill is still the superintendent then. I think that was back in last oh, you're right yeah yeah, last may or something, apr or May, so it's been close to a year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that meeting we did go pretty late. It went past 11. They had to get permission, they had to ask the head timekeeper. Can we go past 11?
Speaker 2:My only note on this thing was nothing really accomplished on the night. So we're all keeping score at home home. Four and a half hours and nothing. It's a lot of nothing for four and a half hours. There you go, your city government work, or I should say lack of work. I just think that those meetings are ridiculous. If they've got a real issue, they need to get together and discuss on one issue. Yes, let's do that, but just to have a meeting for the sake of having a meeting. You know, and I never heard an apology from steve ferguson toward um our city manager.
Speaker 2:You're not going to you know, after he threw him under the bus for this, for how long? Because he knows more about how things work than justin hess does, which well what you know.
Speaker 3:The other thing that came to kind of, I will say that it's like some of the council members and school board members. You know they can consolidate. We're a small city. You know print shops, auto mechanic shops, some other things that, uh, I'm glad somebody well, in fact joel schlossman had a whole list of stuff and I'm glad they not only acknowledge joel but they also said we will look into what you, the list that you provided, and see where we can consolidate and save money. And so you know, when joel thinks he doesn't get listened to well, last night was a good example they do listen to joel, and what was his demeanor?
Speaker 2:His demeanor was actually there, he spoke, he didn't yell, he didn't swear, and so all of a sudden, now you heard his message.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you know, like I said, they acknowledged Joel and you know a longtime Burbank resident and you know he had some good points and we'll see. You know again. There are politicians up there as you and I say.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And they can say one thing in front of a meeting and then and they're here today and they're gone tomorrow.
Speaker 2:So, yep, you got it. You know my big thing with the school board I guess the board, because they make the decisions is how they've got rid of all the skill classes. Is how they've got rid of all the skill classes. You know they want every kid to go to college and you know they're taking away the trade stuff. You know auto shops and different things like that. You know an electric shop and all, because you know we need electricians, we need carpenters, we need people who can fix a car, and they don't have any desire to go to college. So we need that workforce.
Speaker 2:And are we preparing that segment of our school for that possibility down the line? Or are we just trying to say, okay, everybody's got to get these grades, take your AP classes and everybody's got to go off to college? And a lot of times college is not even an affordable expense for families, you know, and our kids say you know what? I want that diploma, I just want to, I just want to graduate and I want to get a job in the studios or get a job at a, at a car place or or you know wherever it's going to be. You know, but I'll be preparing them for that job. That's's my question.
Speaker 3:I will agree. And you know, I remember, you know, jordan, you know I think somebody complained. Why do we have two print shops, or the city print shop and the school print shops? Good old Frank Pellegrino, I love the smell of that ink back in the day. Or, you know, chester Fuse you had to set the type, though.
Speaker 3:Well, that's true, I, I, I ran those presses for a lot of time and then at burroughs for gordon rouse. But uh, you know over at our high schools chester fuse, mr holler that today I can pick up a, a compass or a ruler, or you know different tools and it's thanks to them. You ask kids nowadays if they can't find it on Google, forget it.
Speaker 2:The only thing I remember about a chest of foods, the famous four words you used to always say out to the fence. That's it, out to the fence. You did say it wrong in his class. You'd go out and have to stand by the fence outside.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, right by the school parking lot there and yeah, I was there, you know, a couple weeks ago for teacher of the year and it brought back some memories walking by, uh, you know, the the metal shop and the wood shop and are those?
Speaker 2:are there still shops now?
Speaker 3:yeah, well, they're shops, but I think they're being used for uh video and other videos.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely for video. You know that's that's a very important. That's that's an industry in burbank. Absolutely For video. You know that's that's a very important. That's that's an industry in Burbank that kids can get into, you know.
Speaker 3:Well, they should be teaching that. I know the two high schools you know, and Jordan and Doris Hereta being a middle school, but those kids are learning now, at that age and, uh, I can speak for my son, who is an Emmy Award winning gaffer. He didn't learn it, you know, at home watching the cartoons on Saturday. He started off at Burbank High and you know those are real important. Lighting one thing that he told me many years ago. You'll always have lighting, you'll always have TV, you know if it's either movies or whatever. So he's in a field that he knows that he'll have a career for the rest of his life.
Speaker 2:Well, certain jobs. I mean you always need barbers because hair is always going to grow, even if it's only on your chin, and you know you always need restaurants because people always need to eat Yep. So there's certain jobs. You have to always need restaurants because people always need to eat yep. So there's certain jobs you have to always have out there. You know, I used to. I taught video production at krespi for um, for what? Eight, nine years in the early 2000s, and we used to broadcast games live on our football games, our basketball games, and we called it seltnet, and, and I think we were ahead of the curve in a lot of areas.
Speaker 3:so I know today, now, nowadays they do their video production and you know, on a daily basis and the and look at the cameras. You know, back in the day we didn't have the. I look at some of the equipment these kids are using and it's looks like wow I was very lucky.
Speaker 2:I had a, a player who had played for me before, named jeff supan, who was a major league player and a very successful, successful, busy player, and every year he would send a $10,000 donation to me at Crespi to Pay for new equipment, new cameras, new computers, and we had a very nice operation. So he was he's one of the good guys. One of the great guys went out. Oh, let's move on here. We wanted a Thursday, um, oh, you know what we're missing? Here is actually on wednesday. I think we had um, what was that? On tuesday, you know? I can't remember when was our clock dedication?
Speaker 3:tuesday at 11 o'clock oh okay.
Speaker 2:So yeah, we had, uh, the clock dedication in centennial park. Uh, very, very nice, very well attended. Uh, we have a video on. Check our YouTube channel out and Lynn Lipisky did a great article on it. So check that out and you know, anytime you drive by that, and I found it interesting. You know it's a, it has hands and all that stuff. It's a GPS-operated clock, so it's always using, you know GPS, you know tracking, to know exactly what the time is. So, except, I like to see what happens at 2 am on when it changes the daylight savings time. Does it go backwards an hour or does it just stop for an hour, or or what happens on that.
Speaker 3:So, but oh yeah, it's, it's really nice, it's uh, they're at palm and third, what park is that correct? Centennial park and it's uh did I hear the mayor say? It's uh one of only two of the smallest park in burbank it's the second smallest park in burbank yeah, there's one on santa anita, if I recall.
Speaker 3:That is, uh is one of the smallest but really nice dedication. Um, you know, there were a lot of people out there and Rotary has done a lot for Burbank people. That's one of those nonprofits that turn back and give a student of the month Every. Every month. They honor a student in our schools. They honor teacher every year, so that was a really nice event.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they celebrate that clock, for, yeah, it was our hundredth anniversary. So in Burbank that was a nice thing. Um, so, moving back to Thursday, we had another big event and that was the grand. Well, I guess the grand opening. It was the ribbon cutting for the new Cambria Hotel and I went out for that. In fact we will have a video pretty soon and Lynn already has a great article up on my Burbank on it. And it's a very, very nice place. They had a huge, they had sushi bars and they had caviar and they had all kinds of stuff. It was amazing what they had. They had champagne, the whole thing.
Speaker 3:Well, this is a hotel cambria. A lot of people I've talked to so many people that keep asking me where is it? When did it get built? You know, not a lot of people go up hollywood way if they're not going to gary brick's ramp, but in that development that was proposed for a six-story hotel, which it is, and they have a Cambria down at LAX. I think it's one of their flagship hotels. This place is classy. I mean, once you're inside you can't hear the airport, you can't hear the trains going by, but the ribbon-cutting was hullabaloo, as I put it in my notes.
Speaker 2:You probably haven't seen it because we're going down highway, you go under the, under the tracks, under the underpass there, and it's actually to the left at hollyway and san fernando, so you kind of don't really see it as you're going down highway. But it's there and it's a. It's a very nice facility.
Speaker 3:So well, you know what I'm gonna. I'm gonna say that my graduating class burroughs, class of 74. We're having our reunion in august, august 12th. It's a a little uh, you know comment about it, and I'm booking rooms there for people that are coming in from out of state um, it's your and where's it going to be?
Speaker 2:where's your? Um reunion?
Speaker 3:the reunion is going to be at the elks lodge. We've kept it under a hundred dollars. We want everybody to be there. We're doing the day before or the day after a tour of the school, a class picture, a picnic. In fact we got a cruise going. Some people are going on a cruise and I'm part of that on the committee. But I tried to call the Marriott and you. They won't book a slew of rooms for like a reunion down the street. But talking to Cambria, they said they'll. You know you got to guarantee so many and so forth, but you know people leave the Elks Lodge and have to stumble. You could stumble right up hollywood way and get to the cambridge hotel. So yeah, got a nice bar.
Speaker 3:People want to check it out and again, like you say it just it's. It's really classy nice yep.
Speaker 2:And what's the greatest thing about our new hotel, burbank? That's more heads on the pillows, which means more bed tax for Burbank.
Speaker 3:That's right.
Speaker 2:So well, moving on to the weekend, this last weekend two of our nonprofits had events. This past weekend, the Kiwanis Gala and Rotary held their karaoke night at Nickelodeon. So we call this gala season right now. Like you have award season for all your awards in, uh, hollywood, well, we have gala season in burbank, where everyone's having their gala in the first, or actually the what, the third, fourth and fifth month of the year.
Speaker 3:So well, I will say I looked at some. I saw some of the pictures. I wasn't able to attend either of them uh, convalescing, but uh, you know rotary we just talked about rotary giving back to the community. That's how they raise a lot of these funds that turn around, like I. I know rotary. They made, when saint joe's er was being rebuilt, a twenty five thousand dollar donation, you know, and that's from these events, like this karaoke it was very good and nickelodeon, how, how fortunate are we to have? They have a playground out there that is magnificent and, uh, it was a great place to have it.
Speaker 2:Kiwanis has had theirs up at the golf course in lacanada glendale up there, and well, yeah, nickelodeon's got a lot of bad press in the last few months from that series on Max about child actors. I watched it. It was you know it's really not Nickelodeon per se, but you know it's still on their network and still they oversee those shows. So I think all those problems are now over and done with for the last four or five years. So it's just too bad it has to come out like that.
Speaker 3:Oh, I drove by there a couple weeks ago and I felt real bad that. You know we didn't run, the PD did not put it out, but some person, some guy, walked by and tore all those murals on the olive side of the studio there and they were Nickelodeon figures and I noticed that they've taken them down.
Speaker 2:I sure hope they're putting them back Because I remember years ago when Nickelodeon moved in there and they put Spongebob, I think on top of the building and I believe our council member, gary brick at the time, said who allowed that you know, you don't realize, you paint that building like that yeah, you know, and so hopefully they're going to get these murals back up because people come to burbank you know how many times I go up olive and they're standing there to shoot a picture there's two huge traffic, two huge um things to look at our tourist attractions in number one, the nickelodeon place, and number two is that that big mural on the side of warner brothers, of all the uh dc characters up there. You see that everywhere, yeah how many times disney? Does not have anything like that. Do, do they.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, they do, and the problem it's set back on their stages and again the Rancho people complain they don't want to promote, and so those billboards are actually back on their stages. But we remember the Triangle Building and, like you said, all those billboards. How many times do you go by the luca lake hood? There's somebody out there shooting a picture with those billboards over their shoulder. Yeah, people back in pudunk iowa, you know, don't realize. This is the movie capital of the world and all those shows are. That's how they public publicize them. In fact, I didn't know. You knew that our good friend mitch had had on a couple of those shows. He was the still photographer and those are his pictures oh okay, I missed a lot of shows.
Speaker 2:He was the. He was the uh photographer on that on scandal. I know that for a long time. And uh good guy and he also was a. He also shot all the baseball cards back in the 80s. I mean he'd be at dodger stadium and shoot all the players and be on the baseball cards back in the 80s. I mean he'd be at Dodger Stadium and shoot all the players and be on the baseball cards. He's a very interesting person.
Speaker 3:Two and a half men. That was on the side of the billboards and I think Ring your Bell or whatever the different shows. So, Burbank, you know we're famous for a lot of things.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are. So today the Burbank Art Commission had a subcommittee meeting at 11 am. They discussed marketing for upcoming events. So good for them. The Planning Commission met at 6 pm tonight and they had a request for a conditional use permit to allow the operation of an adult daycare facility at 607 South Glen Oaks Boulevard.
Speaker 3:Now that's up in the. I read that report. It's uh, it's a commercial building. They're not doing any modifications to it. I think an entryway, they're changing the steps or something, but uh, the uh planning board had recommended or I shouldn't say the planning board, the staff planning staff recommended it to be passed so probably did, and they're also going to talk about the uh zone text amendment to establish I shouldn't say the planning board.
Speaker 2:The staff, the planning staff recommended it to be passed Probably did, and they're also going to talk about the zone text amendment to establish regulations and development standards for firearm and ammunition retailers.
Speaker 3:That's moving along.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure if this is the final thing, but the one thing. Once again, I'm very, very disappointed about Nothing, about capping the number of stores. I've said it before we need to cap it at five stores and when these 14 or 15, whatever we have when they start going out of business, nobody can come in and take over for them. It just keeps dwindling down until we get five, and if one of the five go out of business, we can add one more back to keep five. But as it is now, what's going to stop the gun stores from coming in and getting two or three or four more stores in different areas of Burbank? And now we'll have 20 gun stores in Burbank. It'll be like Cerritos Auto Center for cars. They'll have the Burbank Shoot'em Center. I just don't know why we aren't putting a cap on how many stores can operate. We don't allow pot stores, we don't allow massage parlors, but we are going to keep allowing gun stores.
Speaker 3:Well, I think that has. It's a while off until we see that brought back and the final on it, and we don't know if they're going to put that in there somewhere along the road or not.
Speaker 2:Well, I think I'm going to actually, as a citizen, write a letter to the city council and say that needs to be done, because it's something I think is that has to be addressed is how many gun shops are allowed to operate in Burbank. Like I said, you can't tell the ones operating now. They can't. I mean legally you can't do that. They can have the right to operate, but as they close down they don't need to be replaced Anyhow. Let's move on here Now.
Speaker 2:If you don't want to go to the Planning Commission and talk about daycare facility or guns, you can go to the Landlord Tenant Commission. They have it at 615 Knight and commissioners made about let's see a rent increase at 557 East Tujunga, apartment M. So whoever was there, a rent increase, they're not happy about it. And the other one was at 1712 West Victory number A in burbank. There was eviction and they're not happy about it. So I'm sure they went to the uh landlord tenant commission and they said their case and then landlord tenant said well, we'll try to call somebody, but there's not much we can do about it. So sorry about that. And off they go.
Speaker 3:Um I believe they also had a presentation on uh yeah this uh utility right.
Speaker 2:The thing, um, it's a they call rubs, which is a um ratio utility billing system. They got a report on that, um, and I think that's how I'm not sure as a tenant I think they can have different meters for different units that way. The way that they're putting that together, I'm not positive, right I, I lived in a place uh, it was a well.
Speaker 3:It started off as a single family resident and then they made it into a multi-family unit and we all had one meter. And when I moved in it was in my lease that we split it three ways. And you know the guy, my neighbor, you know how, who knows if he's not running whatever there to get the electricity up. But you know it's a different way oh, we've lost your.
Speaker 2:Uh, we lost your audio. Not sure where your audio went, but we have lost your audio. So you know what? I'm going to take a commercial real fast as we try to figure out where your audio went. So we will be right back in just a second.
Speaker 4:Enjoying the show right now, thinking you may want to do your own podcast. Viber Ray Talks is renting out our podcast studio on an hourly rate. You can do audio podcasts or both audio and video, and even bring in guests to talk with. We will help you get set up on podcast platforms and start a YouTube channel, and we can edit your productions to make you look and sound your very best. If you are arrested, please drop us an email at studiorentalsatmyburbankcom. That's studiorentalsatmyburbankcom, and we will get back to you. Now back to our show.
Speaker 3:Well, we left off on Tuesday April 9th actually.
Speaker 2:Yep, let's start. Yeah, we'll start once again on Tuesday, april 9th, which is tomorrow, and by the time you're probably reading or listening to this it's today, but we record this on Monday nights, burbank Athletic Commission is going to meet at 6 pm at the Community Services Building and then the City Council, of course, is going to meet at 6 pm. Also, because we can't have one meeting at a time in Burbank, they're going to meet at City Hall. This is an interesting thing. They have an acceptance of a donation of a new concrete play yard, fenced, dog run, donor wall and renovations to the existing turtle pond, which I didn't know. We had a turtle pond valued at $48,260 from the Leadership Burbank Class of 2024 to be installed as a Burbank Animal Shelter. And a little background is it says in 2023,.
Speaker 2:Burbank Animal Shelter has sheltered 650 dogs. The intake numbers are steadily increasing and there's limited space for showcasing animals, especially the larger dogs. There's a need to optimize the shelter's facilities for animal life-saving purposes. Currently, there is insufficient space for large dogs to exercise and be prohibited for adoption, exhibited for adoption, although I know the Friends of the Burbank Animal Shelter have over a million dollars in their account, so I'm not sure what that money is being saved for. But that's and Ross, I think you said the other day that Leadership Burbank hasn't even had a fundraiser yet. So how are they going to get a donation, I I guess, when they haven't had the fundraiser yet?
Speaker 3:well, I every year that class uh comes up with uh a project and this is their project. But yeah, kind of I'm confused. Next uh week is their big fundraising event at johnny carson park and they're saying that you know they're donating 48 000 and and we we ran the release on it, I believe I saw it. Yeah, we did you know they want to put in a big dog run along the back wall and um they're.
Speaker 3:They're kind of cramped you know we had, you know, we had a turtle pond oh yeah, they also have rabbits and every other kind of animal, but they're not putting 48 000 into the turtle pond. It's all these other. You know this new dog run and you know so they could do multiple adoptions. That's how full our animal shelter is. But I'm kind of confused that this came up on the agenda.
Speaker 2:How they're accepting the donation when they haven't even had the fundraiser yet.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? They're also going to review the 2023 Military Equipment Ag Report, so the City Council approved it back in november and basically consisted of of three unmanned remotely piloted aircraft or drones, two remotely piloted ground vehicles, micro robots and six kinetic energy weapons 40 milliliter launchers not milliliter, that's not liquid millimeter.
Speaker 3:Well, I copied and pasted from the thing it says milliliter, that's not liquid Millimeter.
Speaker 2:Well, I copied and pasted from the thing and it says milliliter. On the Milliliters. Wow, I'm not sure you know what. I couldn't tell you a millimeter from a milliliter because I went to Burbank schools and we don't teach the metric system in Burbank schools.
Speaker 3:Well, I can tell you don't drink, because usually a milliliter is what you're consuming alcohol-wise.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, there you go. Well, I don't drink anymore, but I don't drink any less either. Ba-dum-pum, ba-dum-pum. There we go. Okay, they're also going to be holding a public hearing on the Section 8 program for housing. That's a very complicated report and, once again, a little above my level. So I will leave it in their good hands and they will have a 45-minute long presentation about it. So I would tune in if you want to hear about that. And then, in case you're still awake and you're trying to get to sleep I say this every time to our poor Crystal Palmer, our treasurer, but they're going to do an approval of the 2024 City of Burbank Investment Policy and Review of the City Treasurer's Investment Portfolio Report. So you can tell that she will be up there and talking and talking and talking about annuities and friends and bonds and everything else and and you know what, thank goodness for her well, she's pretty sharp on that.
Speaker 3:When she ran originally and for her re-election she uh said showed her interest and is really into that and she's done a great job. We don't haven't had a lot of treasures, you know I mean, uh, that's an elected position and she's been doing a hell of a job. And you know, when you hear these other cities say they're going bankrupt here and there, and you know I mean yeah that's why we're not.
Speaker 2:Thank you, crystal absolutely, she does a great job and I I hate to make it sound like she doesn't matter, she's boring, but you know, let's face it. I mean talking financial stuff is, you know, but it's it's, it's important. And I don't wonder how many council members who really understand what she's talking I'm sure a couple do, but I'm sure out of the five maybe there's one or two might be looking at you know, thinking what am I doing here?
Speaker 3:Well, I think when they um each council member is asked what committee you want to sit on, and a couple of them that show the interest. I remember previous Bob fruto sat on that committee and he was in crystal palmer's office all the time getting reports and, and I guarantee oh, I thought.
Speaker 2:I thought he was going there so he could get his checkbook balanced well, she probably could help with that too okay, uh, they're also going to have an update on the city's uh five year homelessness plan, um, and they said last year there were 71 sheltered and 181 unsheltered homeless in Burbank Um. Of the 181, 57 had nothing. They just were on the streets and had nothing, 24 had makeshift makeshift shelters, three used tents, probably on the freeways, and 97 lived in vehicles. This was a 4% decline. From 2022. That had 188. So it counted seven less homeless people, but that's still a lot of homeless people, you know, I mean.
Speaker 3:Well, but that also goes to show you that we're doing something here in Burbank, caring about the homeless. I mean, that number's going down and all you got to do is drive outside of Burbank, go into LA, go into North Hollywood, Sun Valley I can name off a dozen cities and you think, wow, it's gotten a lot worse, but our numbers are going down, so we are taking care of our homeless.
Speaker 2:And I think what it is. We respond right away. I mean we don't let them sit there and put in 40 motorhomes or build 25 campsites and then we start saying, oh, what's going on here? If one goes up, we're on it. And I think that's what LA doesn't do. La just lets it go and fester until either enough people complain it's in a predominantly rich neighborhood or the news media comes and covers it, because it's funny how they let the let the trailers go on forest on drive as long as the strike was going on, but right after the strike was over those motorhomes got moved out in a hurry. So I'm sure the studios wanted to have a nice look for their tours and everything else.
Speaker 3:So I found that interesting. One of the nice things that burbank did is on their burbank 311 app. If you see a homeless shelter getting set up, even if it's one person, whatever you, there's a spot on there that you can report it the next day they are out there with either the mental health team or the city, the different departments within the city to see what they can do. So you know they're moving along on that.
Speaker 2:And that's one area of the city I will say they are proactive with, so good for them. We have adoption of a resolution declaring a shelter crisis in the city of Burbank. I think the reason they're doing that is that they can get funding and approval to work on their shelter on Front Street for their parking needs and everything else. They build a haunted piano lot. They have a lot and they're using that funding to to uh, fix that place up and stuff. So it's more of a uh, you know they have to. They have to declare a shelter crisis before they can actually get grant money. I guess.
Speaker 3:Well, I read in that report the, uh you know know, they put in a request for three million four hundred fifty thousand and it's from, uh, you know, they, the three cities, uh yeah, the burbank lindale passing the regional housing trust right and then they put that together because it's easier to get grants when cities team up like that than one city applying and it's a it's writing those grants is a real project absolutely.
Speaker 2:Let's move on to wednesday. On wednesday the uh the board of library trustees is going to be the 530th central library. They're going to get reports on social services, customer service, the new central library and board goals. I still don't like that new Central Library. I just think we've got to change it to Central Media Center, central Communication Center, just something to get the word library out of it. Now, library is a bad word but libraries is such a 1940s and 50s word where, moving into the new century and everything else, I just think the technology is crying for a better description. What else here? Burbank Cultural Arts Commission is going to have a special meeting at 6.30 at the Burbank Chamber of Commerce Interesting place to have their meeting. They're going to have their beautification program recognition, the Adopt-A-Box sponsors announcing a Phase 8 of the program. So how do you like that? They're going to announce Phase 8. I think we bought our box in Phase 4, was it? When was that?
Speaker 3:Three or four. We've been at Hollywood Way in Magnolia for several years.
Speaker 2:Now didn't you tell me that somebody did some graffiti on our box?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was sitting there the other day and they cleaned it up the best they can, but somebody keeps tagging it and they're out there cleaning it almost as much as you know. It's just amazing. It's just amazing, yeah. But, the recognition is for to thank the people. You know $500 donation to have a box. You know you're not responsible for it, but you painted or paid for the paint and the person to do it and everything, and so it's they're thanking the people that made their donations absolutely and we thank them also.
Speaker 3:Those those boxes are pretty nice you know, and a lot of people don't stop at the chamber of commerce, and what if you don't have a use to be there? They have a nice boardroom, they have a patio. They can handle a couple hundred people, that you know. Very nice facility, a little parking lot there and there, I know the chamber rents it out, something like this. They probably donated to the city as a mutual agreement. But uh, you know, I know the chamber is always advertising that you could rent their patio and I know there's a couple of chefs that teach cooking there and they do it all right there.
Speaker 2:You know, and you know. The great thing about that also is you've got a parking lot right next to it too, so you don't have to worry about parking. I mean, it's got everything you really need the one-stop location for a meeting.
Speaker 3:Yep, it's a small parking lot, but if they have a big event they share it with Water and Power, whose staff lot is right there. That can handle probably 50 to 75, 100 cars.
Speaker 2:Yep In the evenings it's empty, so why not use it?
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 2:The Park and Rec Board is going to meet also on Thursday at 6 pm at City Hall. They're going to get an animal shelter update Talk about. I guess, in case the commissioners don't watch the meeting on Tuesday at City Council, they'll get another presentation then.
Speaker 3:I'm pretty sure it's going to be the same presentation. But boards and commissioners don't sit down and watch meetings like you and I do.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, we'll talk about our lives sometimes. Let's see what else are we going to have A departmental operations update also. Good for them. We appreciate them. Let's move on to the weekend. It's this coming weekend, ross. Do you have any idea what's coming up on Saturday? What do you think Saturday is?
Speaker 3:Isn't, isn't wait. I'm checking my calendar here. Whoa, even in the palace here I got a current calendar and I think isn't that Earth Day.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's it. It's Earth Day, and of course.
Speaker 1:It's.
Speaker 2:Earth Day and of course, yep. And when you hear that horn go off, it only means one thing that our word of the week is now is actually two words, and that is Earth Week or no Earth Day. Why is it Earth Day and not Earth Year? Why not Earth Decade? But anyhow, it's Earth Day and so Earth Day is our word of the week, and please send that in on your subject line to contestatmyberminkcom. Send your address and we will pick somebody out to win a $25 gift card to Hill Street Cafe, one of the finest dining in town. You will really enjoy it. I have to push that button once the show Anyhow. So Earth Day festivities are 9.30am at the Burbank Community Garden at 1141 Pass Avenue and that's at the corner of Chandler. They built a garden a couple years ago. You're gonna have it and it says enjoy a fun morning in the garden with children, activities, presentations on composting native plants, seed starting and growing vegetables. The event is free and open to community members of all ages. There you go.
Speaker 3:That's going to bring out a lot of people. I remember that was just one of a couple of gardens they hoped to put in and I drove by just about a week and a half ago and, man, there's a ton of people that have lots of plants and veggies growing and you know, I know a couple of people that live over in that part of town and they have plots, as they call them, and it should be a great event.
Speaker 2:Okay, Well, Saturday also is at the same time. It's too bad they're doing two things at the same time, but that's the cause for pause that we talked about earlier. For the Leadership Burbank fundraiser, they're going to have a silent auction and it says enjoy pet-related vendors and shop. So I'm not sure much more than that. That's all they had on the website about it. So let's hope that they can raise their $48,000 that they've already given to the city council three days before that. We hope for the best for them, and then we'll give you a little promo on this, even though it's you know, we always try. You know don't do future events, but we'll put a little promo on. There is that a week from Saturday is Care Walk 16. And that's at Johnny Carson Park and it supports FSA, the Family Services Agency, and you know it's school-based counseling, along with honoring Zantas, and there's a food drive at the event.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I sit on that committee, the FSA Care Walk Committee.
Speaker 2:Hold on, ross. We've got a visitor here, We've got the Dodger cam activated, and well, all I got here is a forehead. But anyhow, go ahead and talk.
Speaker 3:This year I sit on the committee, the Care Walk Committee, and they have chosen Zonta as a recipient of an award and zonta is doing a big food drive right now. In fact, uh, lynn lapinski wrote a nice article that appears on myburbankcom, on our front page for care walk, and she wrote about zonta and so forth. People don't realize here in burbank, if you have a crisis, or even our school-based credit, uh, counseling, people don't need to pay for that. And when they, you know care walk raises funds to do for specifically school counseling and you know you look at other cities and you hear some of this stuff that's going on. It's a nice event. I've been on the committee for many years and, johnny, you're in there and out of there in a couple hours. I mean, it's a nice. You know you walk on the pattern that they have out there and there's other things that if you walk, you walk on the the pattern that they have out there and there's other things that, uh, if you walk, you get breakfast and who doesn't love a good breakfast?
Speaker 3:now, you get pancake breakfast, you get the sausage, you get a, you get the works and thanks to lewis, uh, who, uh, who donates the meals for that. I mean, if you're out, you know, you walk a bit and then enjoy breakfast.
Speaker 2:So most important meal of the day. I need to have one once in a while, okay, um, let's check out here also. You know what that's it for? That's it for our um, our usual stuff. We only have one thing left, one thing and one thing only, and it's probably the only reason you stayed here this long with us on the show, because who does not want to always hear?
Speaker 4:Ross's.
Speaker 1:Rant Ross's Rant Ross's Rant.
Speaker 4:I take a flame through to this place.
Speaker 3:Me Watch out, Doc that must mean it's time for my rent and I have a couple of them. You know I uh one of them. I, I gotta say I've been around the city for a long time and you get conflicts. Like we already read, there's only so many weekends in a year. This past weekend you had kiwanis put on their big gala at the same time that Rotary was having their karaoke night. Now you got to decide are you going to one or are you going to the other? You know they both could use your donations and years ago we tried to start a calendar. We offer a calendar on my Burbank Free of charge. Could anybody could use it. It's burbank related, it's got to be burbank related and you could look far off, you know, and say, well, let's plan on this, let's get it on the calendar. That kind of uh drives me crazy when you can't make it to everything. And then the other, the other rant you know everybody's up in arms this week. You know 99 cents stores are saying goodbye. Everybody's uh. You know everybody, everybody's commenting about 99 cent stores saying goodbye.
Speaker 3:Now I understand that there's some investors that want to take it over, but I remember back in the day we had federated, who went belly up and again I bought. I went to their auctions when they liquidated. I still think I have pens and pencils around here that say federated on them. You got bed bath and beyond. I. I know tim tim conway jr had to see a therapist because bed bath and beyond closed. His wife wondered where he went. Three days a week it was to see his therapist because he couldn't go up to check out the bed and linens at Bed Bath Beyond. What's next Best Buy? You know?
Speaker 2:Well, I'll give you two places, I heard, that are now for sale, and that's one is Lancer's and the other is the Corner Cottage.
Speaker 3:Well, look at that, there's two more places.
Speaker 2:And if they you know, I mean if the owners decide to sell because they either don't make enough money or because they're tired, that's, that's their prerogative well, a lot of uh speculation about where corner cottages is, the church it's going to take it over or whatever.
Speaker 3:They've been there. You think about it. I used to be a corner cottage guy until I'm now a Larry's guy. But the brothers are there every single day. They have been for years and years and years and years, you know, and that's a lot of burritos. You got to turn around to pay for the property and the maintenance and everything. So that's one building and then lancers. You know it might end up on our list of uh restaurants that have come and gone yeah, in fact, I want to mention that real fast.
Speaker 2:Uh, our, our part one of our newly departed restaurants is doing very well on both the podcast platforms and on YouTube. So we appreciate everybody who's given us comments, everybody who's listened to the shows, and we are presently working on part two, which we're going to have up within a week or two and, once again, you know, have another great section of restaurants. So it stirs a lot of memories, you know, and we missed a section of restaurants. So it stirs a lot of memories and we missed a lot of restaurants. So there will be a part three for all the restaurants we missed also.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's you know, you start thinking back and people have told me I've seen people out, people have emailed me. Yeah, you forgot about this one, or forgot about that one, and it's like we've gone through a lot of restaurants in this lovely town.
Speaker 2:Yeah, In the last 50 years, Absolutely. So we appreciate everybody who's watched that show. We appreciate everybody who watches this show too. This show is a little more of a. This show is kind of like listening to the financial report for the city once in a while.
Speaker 3:But Well, if you if you want to send us questions, you got a question or a gripe or you haven't gotten your questions answered say that quickly three times. Send us an email, we'll look into it. I know the city PIO. He gets calls from us quite a bit. You could also, you know, if you wonder what was where or what was how or what event and so forth, give us a quick email.
Speaker 2:You know, I wonder, getting back to your rant, all these organizations who put on the same at the same time and don't you know? So you have two events at once. I wonder if it's the same person who schedules the city meetings, that's, to have two meetings on at the same time. Also, I mean, can anybody get this figured out a little bit? It blows my mind how two or three meetings happen at the exact same time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that is pretty, it gets you. I mean, I know there's a lot going on and I would like to know the rhyme or reason I think they say, of how they schedule city meetings.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So we reminded people of a lot of events going on this week, a lot of meetings. You want to get involved. You don't want to go to a meeting. You don't want to spend hours, like we do, researching you know what you can donate to leadership burbank this weekend you can go to the earth day events. Burbank's got a lot going on.
Speaker 2:I mean a lot going on you're ready for this, though I'm hearing right now you may be getting rain on saturday well, you know, if it does, I don't think you'll fall, you'll melt and I think, I think the earth will still do okay yep, we just won't collect the water nope, no, we don't get the water. Well, I think that's it. Another week, another week, another, another rant another rant.
Speaker 3:I hope uh, you know I keep convalescing here and I'll be able to uh, walk and talk and drive and chew bubble gum at the same time, hopefully by next week's show.
Speaker 2:Love to get you back here in the studio.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, that's it for Ross Benson. This is Craig Sherwood, and we are going to say we will see you again, or well, we will talk to you again and you will see us again next week.
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