myBurbank Talks
myBurbank Talks
The Week That Was and That Will Be - September 18
Ever wondered what’s shaking in Burbank these days? Buckle up for an electrifying episode of Burbank Talks, where we dig into the city’s recent happenings—from a poignant September 11th ceremony to the latest city news. We're fired up to share Ross' perspective on the new urgency ordinance related to no fault just cause evictions. Ross, a renter in the city himself, didn't mince words about the real-life impact of such policies. Don't miss Mayor's full podcast where he shares his views on recent events in the city.
Imagine you're living in Burbank—what would the new tenant protection urgency ordinance mean for you? We plunge headfirst into a deep discussion on tenant rights, rent control, and the soaring costs of living. Stay on top of your game with our updates on local news such as an armed robbery and a bizarre report about a rabid rabbit. We also tip our hats to three newly-graduated Burbank police officers, standing tall and ready to serve.
Get ready for a whirlwind tour of Burbank's latest events, from the lip-smacking National Cheeseburger Day celebrations to the city's plans and ordinances. Let's peel back the layers of the Mayor's situation and possible changes to Magnolia Boulevard and get a sneak peek into the restaurant industry's efforts to amend certain city ordinances. We won't let you miss out on the new bail schedule approved by the Los Angeles County Superior Court either. Its implications for local crime are worth turning up the volume. Join us in this packed episode as we sift through all things Burbank. Get ready for some real talk.
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 everybody. Craig Sherwood here along with Ross Benson.
Speaker 3:Here I am.
Speaker 2:Ross is doing his first gig on the editor tonight. He's a camera switcher, so let's hope he has his Boy, this is fun.
Speaker 3:Lots of buttons to push.
Speaker 2:Lots of buttons. We're live with you on Twitter and on YouTube and so if you were listening to our live broadcast tonight, thank you very much. Yep my heart's ticking we're live. We'll try to keep you awake. For the next hour. We got a lot of stuff. Burbank's been busy. Burbank's always busy. Oh, you're right, people don't realize how busy Burbank. That's why they listen to our show. They always find out, really, what's been going on and what's going to happen.
Speaker 3:So so true, you know, we even get emails.
Speaker 2:Yep. Well, here's our September 18th edition. So back to last Monday, which is September 11th, we had, in the morning, of course, the September 11th ceremony.
Speaker 3:Membrance.
Speaker 2:Yes, in which we actually did a little video and a little photo gallery on which you can look on our website for or on YouTube for the video.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, you know I covered that and I'll tell you it's always touching. You know the guys stand to attention and you think about that day and there weren't a lot of people in the audience, but people did come out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and over the weekend we actually had our mayor, who was participating in a Democratic fundraiser in Santa Clarita, had a little incident with a video and it was kind of a. It was the news of the week in Burbank. So we actually had the mayor on earlier tonight and we did a full podcast with him. I think it took around 50 minutes and we asked him every question we wanted to ask. The rules were we don't tell you the questions in advance, no holds barred, and we're going to be, yeah, no holds barred, we'll be very direct with you and he did a great job of answering all the questions.
Speaker 2:He was honest, he stuck to his guns, he explained himself. You know, and I'm okay with that, I'm okay with what the results. So our podcast will be posted tomorrow, which will be September 19th. You will go to post that podcast on all our platforms and on YouTube and we invite you to check that out and listen to what the mayor has to say. So it was a very good, informative podcast and I commend him for coming on and going through all of that. You know it was, it wasn't fun, but it was, I think, necessary for everybody to understand the facts and his opinions on it.
Speaker 3:You know we were the. He said there was an article in the LA Times the other day, but he said to us tonight that he sat back for a couple of days and he he felt that he wanted to speak to Burbank and we have done his mayor's show and he was honorable to live up to his commitment of coming in and joining us tonight. And it sounds like we have the UFO in our office. Yes, it does.
Speaker 2:Our friendly Dodger dog is dodging around with one squeaky ball he got for a toy, anyhow.
Speaker 2:Well, let's move on to Tuesday, because there was there was a council meeting and, believe it or not, there's the city business going on. To start with, they were supposed to have a closed session. In the meeting, talk about the district mapping, which they had pushed back from another council meeting. It turned out the consultant that they hired was not available to come that night, so once again, they have now pushed it to a further agenda Down the road. So we did not talk about maps and districts yet.
Speaker 3:Well, and they said it wasn't the last second they put it.
Speaker 2:They posted it the day before they announced and they posted it on the agenda that they weren't going to be there.
Speaker 3:So but moving on, moving on.
Speaker 2:Then we of course we had the controversy over the mayor and his actions and fallout. The council members all talked about it. We did post a video and we just started posting the video about what every council member had to say at the meeting. So once again, you know not to paraphrase anything, but we actually did Talk about it. The council also adopted the Burbank Tenor Protection's urgency ordinance. Now, that was a big thing. On the agenda Right, that was also a big thing.
Speaker 3:The meeting could have gone until we hours later.
Speaker 2:That was also a big thing. The meeting could have gone until we hours in the morning if the maps had stayed on the agenda, but they, the urgency ordinance, went to effect immediately. It's not, you know, not the first two years. Something is you know. Basically, it introduces heightened protections for no fault just cause evictions related to demolitions and substantial remodels. So the ordinance is going to require a landlord to obtain permits for demolition or substantial remodeling and provide three months of relocation assistance to tenants impacted by a no fault just cause eviction, specifically due to substantial remodels. For other all no fault cause evictions, the relocation remains the previous standard of one month's current rent. So right now, if it's relocation because of renovations, it's three months of rent. Um, now, ross, you went through this, you know, but a year or two ago and you got zero assistance whatsoever. So I'm a homeowner, homeowner, I don't really, you know what doesn't matter to me much, but what's your feeling on it?
Speaker 3:being being a renter and having gone through this situation before, being a tenant, I'll tell you, you don't have a lot of rights and, especially here in Burbank, the property owner where I lived wanted to kick us all out, which he did. Um, I was there for seven years. My neighbor above me was a 20, I think, seven year resident and they we all got bounced. We lost our security deposits. They had no plans. This was a couple of years ago. What's nice about this new Burbank tenant protection urgency ordinance is the landlord has to get permits prior to bouncing people out which is important, because they can't just say we're going to do this and then they never do it.
Speaker 3:Well, they'll go in and paint. Put a coat of paint on two doors Right.
Speaker 2:They have to have the show and the show but get the permits, which is going to cost them money to get those permits. So they've got, they've got to be all in to do this.
Speaker 3:Yep, and I think that's it's not, and we're not talking about the mom and pop landlords, because they're usually very honest. It's some of these large companies that they don't care. You cooperate not, not even Burbank corporation, exactly. So, um, I I watched this part of the council, uh, the meeting. I'm glad it was passed, with some limitations and so forth, so we have the article. It is in fact, on my Burbankcom. Take a peek at it.
Speaker 2:Now we actually posted the city's uh version of it, yep, so they, you know that's exactly the way they wrote it. So, um, I think it's something you know. I'm not. I'm not sure I'm really for rent control in Burbank. I think it's a slippery slope. I mean, I can see rent control if it's over 20 units, but for anything under 20 units you're messing with people's retirement. You know if, if the cost of living in taxes go up eight, nine percent and you're going to raise your rent six percent, how many years of losing three percent until you finally just are gonna lose your investment completely. So I understand the fact of why it's hard on landlords.
Speaker 3:I can state, as of August 1st I Got a very large $300 rent increase which is what percent. It was nine point eight, two, five, because they, they could have gone ten percent okay you know, but it I mean that's a big chunk. And August was the same time Burbank water power, burbank electric when up their rates went up, yeah, so it was a sock. We want a baboon boom.
Speaker 2:And you know, 300 a month. So you're talking 3600 a year yep, yep.
Speaker 3:So I'm very sensitive to this whole landlord thing and and paying, and yes, I rent, you know so kind of. I'm glad they moved along with it so.
Speaker 2:Well, I think our economy is gonna be in a very interesting place for the next couple years. Was everybody demanding their Fire salaries, the cost of everything going up sky high gasoline, that, everything else and at what point is this all going to Bow, gonna break? I just I Can see something, a huge correction coming of some kind in the next ten years. Oh, it's gonna have to, but perfect 2035 might be in shambles by the economy by then.
Speaker 3:But moving on for the week of the, right.
Speaker 2:Also on Tuesday night now, during the council meeting, there was an armed robbery at the right aid.
Speaker 3:We have a sound effect for that one.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, actually we don't have a. You have the police responding.
Speaker 3:That one is perfect because they did respond they did respond.
Speaker 2:They had an armed robbery right at Hollywood, magnolia and evidently with three masked men coming in at gunpoint, robbing the location at their safes and their registers of all their cash, and they actually pistol whipped one of the employees, one of the clerks there I was told by my customers, one of the gentlemen, and he was had to be transferred to the hospital. So, yeah, that's tragic, you know, and that we, I know that the all the drugstores are robbed, often now for cosmetics.
Speaker 2:That's a that's a that's one of the items they're going in and taking, but they just grab them up the shelf and run out the door. This is actual guns and we want your money. Yep, and you know, a little interesting for the location you. Usually those kind of armed robberies take place near freeways, because the guy likes to be, especially at banks, because they like to say, okay, we'll rob it, get in the car and we jump on the freeway. Right, we're not in the streets, we're, you know, we're, please, can see us. We're on the freeway, me, and we're out of town.
Speaker 3:Literally out of town. And you know what? Right down Hollywood way, you're either going westbound or eastbound.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, eastbound, you're heading down downtown. We don't know which way they went because we're not supplied with that information. We couldn't hear it, so Um and Wednesday was pretty quiet day.
Speaker 2:Well, it was a quiet day. Thursday. We had a release come out, actually, from the the media city animal hospital. I don't know why I didn't come from the city of Burbank or the animal shelter, but but the media city animal hospital put out that they were informed by Los Angeles Public Health Department that a rapid bat was found on East Grinnell Drive on our August 28th rapid or rabbit Rabbit. Rabbit was your. You must have been rapid too. He's a quick, a quick rabbit bat.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, living up on the hill, I go out at night and I see these bats flying around. They're pretty common up there.
Speaker 2:Well, actually there. Yeah, I know a lot of places. I know that the Baseball fields at the two high schools. You know, when the lights go out you see a lot of them flying around and all that stuff and you can hear them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's quick.
Speaker 2:So they want to make sure that people don't, you know, try to pick one up or anything else to say, if it's in your house you'll call the animal shelter. Have them come, you know, come and test it and see if it's what shape it's in. But uh, you know, you gotta be, gotta be aware of that. Also, on Thursday we had three new Burbank police officers who graduated from the Sheriff's Academy. Class for 67 Ross. You were there and Shot their very first ever official Burbank police photos. So you're some little rundown.
Speaker 3:Yeah, on that. I do some pictures for Burbank police Department under contract and I'll tell you it was in Whittier. It was a long day for me. I leave about two o'clock and I had stop traffic from Burbank All the way to Whittier and then once you get there. But we have three new Burbank officers, jimmy Gallagano, anthony Labruno and Isaac Hall, and I'll tell you the chief was busy so he had a couple of not stand-ins yet his right-hand people. He had Adam Cornelis, who's the patrol captain, and Dennis Cremens, who's the Investigations captain, and they handed him his flat badge I got pictures of the first time I got to meet.
Speaker 2:What's? It wasn't. What's a flat badge for people don't know?
Speaker 3:well, flat, bad. They keep in their pocket off duty. It's a same exact duplicate of their regular badge, but it's Buttoned so it fits in our wallet. Yep, there you go but it's the first time I got to work with chief our sheriff Luna, very personable guy. They do an inspection before and chief Luna was the one that does their their inspection. They check their gun, the class, everything, so that was pretty nice. Then we do some pictures. It was a long day, like I said, it got.
Speaker 2:One of your police commissioners actually came for the first time, huh.
Speaker 3:You know? Yes, you're right, ramek Burbank police commissioner. Ramek Cobbian Was the first time I've seen a police commissioner at a police graduation, and probably five to five or seven years, so it was kind of nice. He got to experience the pop in circumstance and he got. He was included in a couple of pictures and he got to meet these guys. So that was rather nice.
Speaker 2:Well it's you know what. That's good. Instead of getting a report done later at a meeting that they'll do nothing about, it's good for me to go experience it. So maybe if they do have questions about some of it, they'll have informed questions. So you know, I think a lot of our commissioners should be more involved in their own areas.
Speaker 3:It's funny. You say that Ramek and I talked the next day, on Friday. I saw him and both captains said to Ramek You're one of the only police commissioners that are that is as active as you are. You're in the station, you do ride alongs, you're involved and they really appreciate Having him there and he's gathering information. I mean what he got to learn the other day. You know the two-hour drive, you're talking to two captains and he can share things, so it's nice to have him along absolutely Well, there was a little police activity, though, on during the weekend.
Speaker 2:From what we understand, there was a barricaded suspect, the 900 block of East San Jose. Once again, we're not able to hear the calls anymore, so we couldn't, you know, but we just we got bits and pieces and what would you hear, ross? Anything that you heard about that.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, what I heard? They requested Burbank police and fire to stand by to assist Burbank PD. Apparently Some details. I did hear that the gentleman apparently was served some court papers, didn't want to leave the property Turned into a barricaded situation. When something like that happens, it probably closed off the street, maybe had the neighbors on both sides leave their places, but In the long run they took him into custody without Any you know, shots fired or anything, I don't know. In fact they canceled the police, our paramedics, so they didn't have to treat him or anything. So but when you, your neighborhood, on a Saturday or Sunday night Comes down with several police officers with guns and all and turns into a barricaded situation, to change this things quite a bit.
Speaker 2:We emailed the Burring police today to try to get Information on it and they were unable to provide information today and hopefully by tomorrow they can send us some information. It's frustrating for us not to be able to get information to you right away, but we're at their mercy and if they want to take a day or two to give us information, that's, we'll put it out as soon as we can get it.
Speaker 3:So that is so true.
Speaker 2:Well, that's kind of it for last week. We're gonna take a quick commercial break and we will be back with you in a second.
Speaker 1:How would you like your business advertised in this very spot? My Burbank talks is looking for local businesses interested in a 30-second spot to appear in our podcasts. If you're interested, please email advertising at my Burbank comm and we'll be glad to discuss all the exciting possibilities with you. Now back to our podcast.
Speaker 2:Okay, craig, sure to hear back with you. Along with Ross Benson, I and of course the voice you just heard on our little commercial was Craig drilling, who's often assignment this week.
Speaker 3:So I thought we were gonna get him via zoom.
Speaker 2:I'm doing zoom, but he had an urgent meeting to tend to tonight also, so we will have him back in studio next week, we hope we miss him and hope he's doing well tonight. Absolutely well, today being Monday, september 18th, couple things. Number one, of course, I have to mention it because it's so important. Today was national cheeseburger day, and to me that should be a national holiday, but anyhow, and we did have a cheeseburger tonight as a as a tribute to the cheeseburger.
Speaker 3:Well, I will say that we we took a dinner break From the studio and over to a local restaurant that serves real good, and I think I saw on your burger cheddar cheese and avocado.
Speaker 2:What is the cheddar cheese burger without avocado?
Speaker 3:Well, I had a BLT that was very good, and the salad with some balsamic and Lemonade, and boy was it yummy.
Speaker 2:And then we broke the rules and had some cherry pie alamode for dessert, because it just looks so damn good and we deserved it. Besides, we put it on the company credit card.
Speaker 3:That's right. That's right. Well, we talk business, we talk business. In fact, it's funny we talked to two people there, gentlemen, that afterwards we talked about our podcast and they both knew about the mayor situation. They not only knew, but the guy said that he knew the mayor from years ago. Yes, so, mayor Constantine, you know there's Vincent.
Speaker 2:He says he has had classes with you before or something, so he wanted to say hi. So giving a little shout out for him right now.
Speaker 2:But that was the you know today national cheeseburger you know what's interesting about our little conversation with him, but he started telling us stuff that wasn't true, because everybody has heard the story now has heard from four different directions. So that's why it's important to listen to our podcast tomorrow and you know it's called issues and and let the mayor Say exactly what happened. Listen to the guy out of his mouth. Okay, then, if you have questions or you have comments, you're gonna be informed person, at least.
Speaker 3:Okay, very, very true, Craig. You know that was the thing that's. What we wanted to do was um, have him come in we. You know he was free to say and he answered all of our questions. But I think people might take a little different approach now when they look at the overall situation. I know I have to listen to tonight.
Speaker 2:I yeah and say it's me, you know I. I'm 95% good with it. Now there's still a 5% part of me that didn't get what I wanted, what you hear on the podcast, but I'm okay the rest of the way, um but yes, what else was today?
Speaker 3:Well, we had two meetings. Oh.
Speaker 2:We had two meetings at the same time. Who? Two sitting innings at the same exact time? Because they can't figure out how to either Put them on different times, different days, whatever it is, you know, um, but we had to have two meetings at exactly the same time, so you had to pick your meeting. You could either pick the sustainable Burbank Commission meeting or the transportation committee meeting is both were started at five o'clock.
Speaker 3:Now I know I'm dating myself. What commercial did they use to say to is it?
Speaker 2:mince, that was a gum. Okay double mint chewing gum.
Speaker 3:Boy, am I dating myself?
Speaker 2:I was never a gum person. But, um, so on sustainable Burbank Commission they met. On their agenda was they talked about the pine tree removal? Because that's coming up before city council again. I guess they want them to weigh in on it. Um, and they have. They're talking about the draft they have for the single use. Uh, foodware, plastics, toxics, toxics and litter reduction ordinance.
Speaker 3:Boy, that's a mouthful. The city council wants um.
Speaker 2:To me it looks to be very in an unenforceable situation in many ways. And Well, I know the restaurants have weighed in and they've listened to restaurants and and you know the restaurants have no choice. They they have to do something, they guess. So they're agreeing to some conditions, but when you look at this and look at how it could be enforced, I don't think it's gonna be fair, I don't think it's gonna be. You know, unless surrounding cities do it. I just think Burbank is going to be behind the eight ball, our restaurants, and I don't think it's uh, a fair or enforceable. Uh, organs, tater trees.
Speaker 3:Well, I do know I've talked to a couple of restaurant owners and, if you recall, several months ago several of the restaurant owners Portos, tally, rand, tequila's, tequila mosque all went to city council and this was trying to be shoved down their throat Of what they rode it as and it wasn't gonna work. Well, they've now met with. It's been six or eight months. They've met, they've rewritten the ordinance With the help of the restaurant owners. I'm told in about another week they're gonna be getting together again with all the Um single use plastics and I'm told there's tons. It's gonna fill up a conference room table, but it's progress. Yes, burbank is ahead of other cities.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, I'll give you an example Patties, on the border of Burbank and LA literally and If you order something from, let's say, tequila's or Tequila's, that will have restrictions on what they have to do and how much they charge you for containers. Patties will have nothing. Yet I can have that food delivery in Burbank from patties With no limits on it, but my food from a Burbank restaurant is gonna cost me more for that for the containers. So you know how are you gonna start? It's right right now. There's no being air bnb is allowed in Burbank. Can't do it. But yet they're all over the all over the internet. Burbank doesn't enforce that right. How they're gonna enforce all these little plastic things and everything. How they're gonna enforce it. It's gonna. It's not gonna happen, and all the restaurants who are not in Burbank won't have to follow it and send their plastics into Burbank.
Speaker 3:I just think you Think you've been a good point. There is who's gonna be the plastic police, yeah, and why is Burbank being Looked at or being handled? Different food trucks or restaurants or so forth? It's kind of like we're gonna talk toward the end of the show about this new bail schedule, yeah, which is just people are coming up with these laws or rules.
Speaker 2:I mean, I still look at this way. Whoever's really behind all this single-use plastic stuff in Burbank? Probably not some of you grew up in Burbank, probably some of you doesn't live in Burbank Somebody who's probably just working for the city and has idealistic, which is and I'm not saying that this is not an issue that needs to be addressed down the line, but when one city only addresses it and not the entire state, it's not a fair. It's not fair and it's probably gonna be just another ordinance of the books that's never, never enforced. You know, and I said there's gonna be no, no, um, plastic police out there going around and making sure everybody's little plastic cup is paid for, or or on a table, or if it's a reusable thing on a table, and and what's gonna happen to, uh, fast food restaurants? You know I mean what.
Speaker 3:I got a question for you. Your system Sustainable Burbank Commission yeah, which I do. I do love the commission. Right now, they're probably loved to come over here and slap you it probably would, it probably would.
Speaker 2:But I'm sorry, I I'm all for that. You know that type of you know, you know planet saving stuff. But Burbank shouldn't be singled out and Burbank businesses should be singled out where it's an unfair advantage to them.
Speaker 3:Well, I do know that it came down from Sacramento. They have dates, they have um Certain times that they have to have it done, so why is it not a state law? Well, I believe that's what they're trying to get Burbank up to.
Speaker 2:No, I don't think no, because these rules aren't applying it in other other cities. Well, there's.
Speaker 3:There's rules that came down.
Speaker 2:You know, when you sign up, when you have a what would you call the um, a proposition, okay, and it passes. It starts on January 1st and starts for the whole state, right, so why don't we have this law starting on January 1st for the whole state?
Speaker 3:Well, that's a good question, you know. I do know that Ashley did a podcast with Amy Ham from the Recycle Center and I remember her saying some dates and times and I've talked to her several times. I get it, folks, we need to start somewhere.
Speaker 2:Nobody's disagreeing with that. But I just think Burbank restaurants are being unfairly burdened on this right now, until they have an equal playing field with everybody else. Just like you know, in baseball you tell one team, you know what, you can't steal bases, but they can, not fair. Well, we're going to put a rule in next year Nobody can steal bases, but right now you just can't steal them this year Not fair. It's got to be one set of rules for everybody, one set of fair playing rules for, and restaurants who are already seeing that their profits going you know five percent, are going to seem probably go lower. This is one more thing to kill restaurants.
Speaker 3:And that is the sad part is the toll that it's taking. You know, I've talked to these restaurant owners and it's not just one vendor, it's like they got to deal with a ton of vendors, Got to change all their you know stock that they have on hand. You can't just throw it away.
Speaker 2:I like to say restaurants like McDonald's or Wendy's or Jack in the Box. If you have seating, you can't give out plastic spoons and forks. If you have sitting inside, you have to provide reusable. Now I have to start having dishwashers at McDonald's.
Speaker 3:Well, did you see what McDonald's said the other day, what they have to say? They're getting rid of their Coke machines. I saw, I did see that. They're also getting away from you. Walk up to the counter and get your food. It will be served to you Right All within ten years, boy.
Speaker 2:Don't hold your breath, because you will turn blue.
Speaker 3:Exactly so it will be. I know we have been invited to go to this next recyclable or sustainable Right Classics event and it'll be interesting what walk away from there.
Speaker 2:I might even try to attend that myself.
Speaker 3:It's early in the morning.
Speaker 2:Oh well.
Speaker 3:But there will be some food.
Speaker 2:I do have an alarm clock. I just you know. Alexa will hopefully be nice to me and wake me up.
Speaker 3:What other meeting was today?
Speaker 2:Well, we had the Transportation Commission. They also decided to meet the same exact time, the same exact building, so you had to have. You just had to run back and forth if you wanted to hear. They're talking about the the 2020 citywide complete streets plan, and you know they want to get a dashboard put together to convey the progress on the city's complete streets goals and policies.
Speaker 3:Well, don't forget now. I don't want people to tell me they didn't know that they're going to put a. I mean, I'm right down Magnolia Boulevard.
Speaker 2:I'm going to talk about downtown Burbank right now.
Speaker 3:Well, oh did I thought it's a wide.
Speaker 2:They're talking about downtown. Well, it's a citywide complete streets.
Speaker 3:I mean citywide Right. They've already decided on the mall or San Fernando Boulevard right Going northbound.
Speaker 2:Right. Now we're talking other parts of the city, so I think Magnolia will be one lane of traffic on each side, like Redugo is, but instead of having a bike lane on the outside, I'll have a medium on the inside, like Chandler.
Speaker 3:Correct. So, and how many? How many years did I hear? Why don't they make Chandler eastbound on one side, westbound on the other?
Speaker 2:The rez. Long time residents don't want that, oh, you're right. So the newer residents who want it like North Hollywood that's why it is North Hollywood, but long time residents in Burbank, and I agree with them All of a sudden, now you're you're, you're locked in, only going one way. You can come in one way then on that street. So you know, I mean, it works fine the way it is.
Speaker 3:We don't have a ton of streets that are in one direction or the other, but I do remember a lot of people won't was it Front Street or was it First Street? That was a single direction. A lot of people don't remember, yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to run along the freeway. I think it was First Street, wasn't it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I believe it was.
Speaker 2:So you know, we've gone through all these changes before and and yeah, and then we get a new traffic engineer and we'll go through different changes again. Look at the guy. A few years ago came in and I was on the side. Let's put blinking yellow lights in our intersections.
Speaker 3:He's not here anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, come into the city. You don't live here, you don't have any. You know you work here for a couple years, you're going to change our city and then you going to leave. I love these people. I love these city people with no investment in the city, who want to come in and do things in their vision and then, once the dumpsters on fire, they run for the lives.
Speaker 3:No, they retire. And yeah, collect their, their pension. Yes, they do. But there is one thing I did here today yeah, I heard about grants to help restaurants.
Speaker 2:What do you mean?
Speaker 3:sitting on the Magnolia Park Merchant Board, we were asked to spread the word to some of the restaurants and so forth. You know, right now restaurants are hurting really, really bad because of the strikes and I'm told that there's grants available to restaurants that have been affected.
Speaker 2:How's the county? Or by the state.
Speaker 3:I'm not sure I believe they're being. That's why I put here it's either through the Burbank Chamber or Burbank Economic Development Department. But if you're a restaurant and you have been you know adversely affected by the.
Speaker 2:You know if you can show a lack. Of you know customers. Your receipts are down 25% from last year at the same time.
Speaker 3:That's a hit and I'm told these are $10,000 grants that do not have to be repaid. So if you're a restaurant owner and we're just trying to spread the word here, take five minutes tomorrow and make a phone call, because that $10,000 can help you out with a lot of things that you know.
Speaker 2:So you know there's times that the government does work for people. You know, and I know, during COVID we got a grant from my Burbank development. You know to help.
Speaker 3:We lost advertisers.
Speaker 2:We lost a lot you know, but they kept you know and we kept all of our riders on Yep. We even kept our photographer on.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's right, we did that's right so moving on, moving on to tomorrow, september 19th, the council is dark. Probably a good thing, you know. I just think you know we do need another week to kind of catch our breath, you know, and we'll see what comes back. We'd talk to the mayor about council members. Is that Mullins' motion to put something on the agenda about the mayor's conduct? So you know he's That'll be next, the following week, I'm sure that'll be the following week and we'll talk about that when it comes up and how it went.
Speaker 3:And then you also have another dark meeting.
Speaker 2:Yes, the police commission went dark. It's going dark on Wednesday, which means no meeting, so we're going to have two meetings at five o'clock tonight and then that's it until um, but until Thursday, Well.
Speaker 3:I do know.
Speaker 2:Even on Thursday there's no more meetings. So that's it Two meetings this week, both at exactly the same time.
Speaker 3:The reason I do know that the police commission is dark next week is because Tuesday they're meeting with the council with independent company that they hire and to go through all that reports and so forth. Ah why they took the week off.
Speaker 2:Sounds like they may be getting a phone call from my Burbank that night. We will, we will we will let you know, because there's a there are shenanigans going on right now which we're not very happy about.
Speaker 3:That's very true. What's going on Thursday?
Speaker 2:Thursday morning, once again morning. There's only one digit on the clock, not even two yet at 10, but that nine o'clock a single digit. Burbank's economic development team wants to invite people to a community meeting to find out more about what economic development does. And here the public suggestions as the city of Burbank develops a five year economic development strategy plan. So they want to all the business and property owners, and you know what? Yeah, this is the Burbank. Yeah, join them. And they want. They want to have a discussion and give input there, you input of the future of downtown Burbank. So that's going to be on Thursday, september 21 at 9am at the Community Services Building. But here is the catch, here's the thing that's going to motivate you to get up and get over there. Refreshments will be served.
Speaker 3:I bet you you'll see fresh portals.
Speaker 2:That's hope I got completely off the subject. I went to a friend's birthday celebration over the weekend.
Speaker 3:You get to wear one of those little hats.
Speaker 2:No, I didn't wear the hat, no, no, they had my mylar balloons. They wonder at least in the air, though, and I told them not to because of what happens with mylar balloons. One of them stopped by the, I guess, is a portals out in Granada Hills, or, and they picked up a, a Porto's cheesecake, and without a doubt and I'm not a big Porto's I've never understood why people want to wait half an hour in line on holiday way to go in and get a pastry or a sandwich. To me it's. I don't get that, but I think I'd stand that line half an hour to get that cheesecake probably the best cheesecake I've ever had in my life. It is absolutely melted in my mouth.
Speaker 3:Well, now I know what to get, you know, I know Betty Porto quite well and I'm going to ask Betty next time we have our staff get together in staff meeting, I'm going to have Betty cook us up one of those cheesecakes or autograph it to.
Speaker 2:It was outstanding. I didn't hear a big Porto's I never had. Just I. It's good food, but I just don't. I don't get any time. You have to wait a long line to get anything.
Speaker 3:I will say I had heard that the city hired a consultant to start formulating and talking to people about some economic things down the road, and this is their way of getting people together as a kind of a task force or whatever, to start that ball rolling.
Speaker 2:It's another outside company, though that's what I always you know, another outside consulting company.
Speaker 2:And we have a lot of those outside consulting companies. I just, I just don't think they get what Burbank is. I know we had problems with the Burbank media master plan with them. They didn't understand how studios studios worked. They didn't understand how neighborhood worked and they're trying to, you know, lump us in with everybody, every other neighborhood in LA, about how we should do things. I'm saying that's not how it works here, you know. Not how it works here, you know, but we'll see what comes.
Speaker 2:That whole thing, I think it's, it's going to be. It's been a waste of money and resources, but I'll give them the benefit of that for now. Moving on to the weekend next week, next weekend, we're going to have a return of pride in the park and this time the pride will be in the park. They're going to move from Magnolia Park, which is really not a park people, there's no slides and swings and they're going to go to McCambridge Park, which actually is a park with swings and I don't have a slide that you have a slide there. So they'll have pride in the park this, this coming weekend, at McCambridge Park from 12 to 6. And you know, we invite everybody to go by and enjoy the festivities.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we got an email I don't know if you got through your email today from Madison Jones who, from Madison Jones was her maiden name that they they moved the event. It was kind of scheduled for Magnolia Park. We're now going to be up at McCambridge Park. Got a lot of events going on 12 to 6 in a real park. Magnolia is a district so I think we're going to get sent a press release tomorrow or the next day.
Speaker 2:That will probably run of what what's going to happen there and maybe schedule events. I have some, I do a stage, maybe a stage with some, you know, sing and dance before they had some dancing and some that's a good place for it.
Speaker 2:You know it should be a park and not in the. We talked last week about having it on closing Magnolia Boulevard and having those businesses lose their potential revenue when people can't drive up to their business. It's just really not a place. It had nothing to do with businesses, so I think having a park is a more appropriate venue for it.
Speaker 3:Well, the city management, police chief parks, the public works director, the city manager this is the city manager sat down, thought about it and for all reasons, they decided it's better to have it up at McCambridge Park, which it is A lot more parking.
Speaker 2:You know other events logistically to know you have to worry about barricades on all the streets and tons of police officers and everybody. It just makes it. It's a lot easier. You know, that's simpler.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it was not changed by one person From a survey of Magnolia Park businesses. This was done by the management and the and the organizers.
Speaker 2:There was a better mousetrap. This time they actually put it together. That's right. Well, we don't have a lot more, but before we get into Ross's rant which this week we have a very good rant for you and Very serious subject we want to thank our you do a little plug and a little thank you. You know we're going to work this. We said now, this next week, we are going to do our first of our we're going to close restaurants podcast and talk about restaurants of the past. You know we're going to follow, I guess, burbank, burbank of the past, and this will be the first of our restaurant edition. We're going to do a couple because there's so many restaurants, but we want to thank Robert King, who sent us an email, you know, helping us out with. A couple restaurants are gone, such as Harry's His note was great on this and then entre entrées and came with soup and salad. You know what? That's true, soup and salad. Everyone's you, one or the other, I think. I think Lancer's usually soup and salad still to. Yeah, I think yeah.
Speaker 2:And a little dessert.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 2:And then he also had another, the becanons arms and people who might remember that, up at third and poem right and that was true British food and the unique store he talked about, kenny Rogers roasters, which was now at when the Wienersstitzel is now.
Speaker 3:Right, nope, no, any Rogers Roasters. Oh, oh, you know what I'm thinking of Roasted Chicken.
Speaker 2:Oh. It was on Magnolia in California, in that little tiny choppin' set I think Kay Rogers Roasters was at the old at the Wienersnitzel and then it became something else after see now what's here we'll have to put our thinking caps on, because it was something else for a long time and then became Wienersnitzel.
Speaker 3:But his note continued on.
Speaker 2:He talked about Papoo's Hot Dog Show.
Speaker 3:I like how he put it. Everything Hill Street Cafe used to be yeah right when he made a point. You remember when it was Keros?
Speaker 2:Yes, I do. I remember when the original Bob's Big Boy Right I read not original, originally Right we used to have three Bob's Big Boys in Burbank, there and on San Fernando, and we think around what Providencia in that era and now the one that's still here, that's the oldest Bob's in the nation, out here on Riverside Drive.
Speaker 3:And the other great place.
Speaker 2:Recalender Pies. Yeah right, that was in San Fernando and then one here in the public.
Speaker 3:Back in the park. Yeah, Well, you know, I put on our nose.
Speaker 2:I think they're gone. There was one in Glendale. I'm not sure if it's still there or not, nope, but there was one in Sherman.
Speaker 3:Oak, I know that's gone, that's gone, and the one on Pacific is gone too.
Speaker 2:Yes, I guess you have to go to your frozen food department and get a recalender's pie or something now.
Speaker 3:No, I've talked to somebody, I think, out east. Oh, I've got some. But you know I made a note. It's funny, you know when for some of us old timers here in Burbank we remember going to just walk them by a restaurant, like walk them by barons, you could smell.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 3:You know, I remember when you and I, I took you for the first time, the Tommy's, the original.
Speaker 2:Tommy's. Yeah, I was with the Tommy's up on San Fernando. I thought, okay, that's Tommy's there. I had no idea. But the OG Tommy's really was, until you took me down on Rampart that one time.
Speaker 3:Well, we went there. There were no shootings. What an education. There were no shootings. I have been there when there were shots fired. I've been there after shots fired, but it's like Tommy's.
Speaker 2:It's 24 hours a day and there's two locations, oh yeah, two locations One on the corner of Shaq and then a building in the same parking lot, and when the Shaq runs out of food they open the main area on the parking lot and they serve out of there until they can restock the shack again.
Speaker 2:And there's always a line. And I remember we parked across kind of across the street in one of our parking lots and we went over there with our food and we ate it on the hood of your car. And then suddenly one of the local characters came by and man looked like a little bit hungry and I watched him reach into the one trash can and pull out a half eaten burger and he kind of had a smell on his face, walked to the next trash can, got some extra chili, threw that on the burger and enjoyed what was left of that. And I looked at my burger and I said you know what? My burger still tastes good. Anyway, I'm okay with it, you know. So it was interesting to see what goes on outside of Burbank sometimes. Get to your education.
Speaker 3:Well, I remember the following year we stopped at that same Tommy's and that guy was still alive and still getting his lunch from each trash can.
Speaker 2:So see that people, all your food really does not go to waste.
Speaker 3:Well, we're going to compile this list. People keep calling me and telling me. They say it blows me around, blows me away how many restaurants we've had in Burbank.
Speaker 2:So yeah, and they're gone now and they were staples, staples. But once again, that's why I worry about the restaurants and the sustainability thing, and only in Burbank, because when you see how many restaurants have come and gone to Burbank, what will this ordinance do to restaurants now barely holding on, especially in the strike and everything else? You know, if they do pass this, the council does pass this, don't pass it until the strike is over for a month or two, so these restaurants have a chance to get back on their feet. First, I mean, but that's anyhow, let's get on to the most important part of our show Ross's rant and this week, your rant. Well, it's not a Burbank only issue, it's a huge issue that does affect Burbank, and it's all about the new bail schedule, that at the LA County. What's the name? Gascon, no Superior Court, superior Court. Well, is this what? Gascon's office? So it is Right, right, I mean it's.
Speaker 3:He's probably behind it as much as anybody else, and the press release that went out is on July 18th, superior Court of Los Angeles approved a new set of bail schedules for suspects arrested in nonviolent felony misdemeanor crimes. You know what you get a ticket, walk away.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's, I understand, a basis of having said. I've heard of people who've gotten arrested and their bills $500 and they don't have the file and they sent in jail two, three, four weeks, even a month, or two, three months to get their court hearing. They're found guilty and they had their sentence of one day after being in jail for three months and I understand there are people like that. But the problem is this is just about every crime, no matter what your financial background is, and it is not going to stop people's behavior.
Speaker 3:Well, the press release goes on to say anybody could look at this press release. That's what kind of gets me. It was put on the Burbank Police Department media page or news events. They didn't send anything out about it. I've seen this several different places.
Speaker 2:You know what let's? Let's put it on our site tomorrow. Okay, yeah, we'll put it on our site tomorrow so people can see what we're talking about here.
Speaker 3:I just want people to know that, as a result of these new terms, law enforcement, law enforcement must cite and release or book and release arrestees on all theft offenses, vehicle code violations and crimes against property. So if somebody breaks your window, steals stuff from your business, police are not going to arrest them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, basically, when these mob break-ins at a store in the middle of the night, that's just a burglary, yep, that's not a crime. Release, not a crime against a person. So they'll cite them, they'll release them, they'll go somewhere else and do it again.
Speaker 3:Now, the only time that this is different is if dealing with elders, minors, some sexual battery crimes, those will be decided by a magistrate, but everything else so, when you go and you shop at Target and you see three police cars there, now they're there because somebody stole something, but you're not going to be seeing somebody in the back of that police car. No.
Speaker 2:And one of my big things also, which I for years I've always been against these businesses that call the police and say I just had a jacket stolen or whatever it is stolen, and the cops go out there and they have four or five units go out and they're tracking the person down and they do catch them and they come back and they go oh no, no, we don't want to prosecute them, we just give us our jacket back. That's not what the Burring Police Department's job is is to chase your jacket. If you're going to call the police and they catch the person, then you need to press charges, because if not, I mean you're never going to get it. They'll just keep doing it over and over again. They just don't have to.
Speaker 3:Well, I have heard, when we could here months ago, calls at 7-Eleven's in town for a bottle of soda and a pack of gum coming to two or three dollars and the police desk would ask you want to prosecute? You want to prosecute? And most of them, some of those for three dollars, would say yes, the rest of them, no, just get us, our I guess our stuff back.
Speaker 2:That's your job. Go chase down people and get our stuff back for us, yeah, we don't. Don't. Don't. Take us, you know, out of our comfort zone to make us actually go press charges or do something. Just get our stuff back, that's. You know, that's not the job of police. But police officers is to enforce laws, not to be your personal servants, not to be chasing, you know, their tail for you, you know. I mean they do enough community services, it is.
Speaker 3:That's right. Well, that was the week. That was the week that will be. We had a lot of stuff that we didn't even know we were going to have. Nope, we never do, and I'll tell you that lemonade is rolling quickly.
Speaker 2:It is it is. It is, and that's it for another week. Hopefully we'll have our Craig Dilling back in the studio next week with us. A short show for a change, but you know what Good information. Make sure once again, tomorrow, on the 19th, to tune in on your favorite platform and listen to our podcast of the mayor. So for Ross Benson, this is Craig Sherwood saying we will see you next week.
Speaker 1:My Burbank talks would like to thank all of my Burbank's advertisers for their continued support Burbank Water and Power, kusamano Real Estate Group, ume Credit Union, the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, gain Credit Union, providence, st Joseph Medical Center Community. Chevrolet, media City Credit Union, ucla Health, tequila's Cantina and Grill, ups Store on 3rd Street and Hill Street Cafe.