With already more than 80% of the General Fund the West Covina Public Safety Unions are only concerned about their pay and benefits. Only a few if any of the sworn West Covina Police and Fire Officers live in the City of West Covina; therefore, with a major personal interest in another community the financial well-being, the quality of our City Services, the appearance of the City and the integrity of the City Council don't matter to them! 

Does the City of West Covina have Police and Fire Departments or do they have the City of West Covina? When we, the Taxpayers, are not involved there is no effective supervision, no accountability and it is easy to convince us to vote (if and when we vote) against our best interest!

City Council Candidates Sykes and Toma, two career Officers of the Law, are under political attack by the Public Safety Unions; because, if and when the City of West Covina files bankruptcy our police and fire unions win by getting absorbed into the L.A. County employment system and when you do not live here you have no regard for the overall quality of our City and the residents lose more local control of their government services! 

Our City's current financial problem was put in place in circa 2000(s) when City Councilmembers voted for City budget breaking (bankrupting) employee pension plans and major municipal bond debts (borrowed money) without a defined plan of how to pay theses obligations other than the general fund which is how the City serves the taxpayers. Now, there is not enough revenue (money) accrued by the general fund to pay for all the City services, working employee salaries and the cost for all the retired City Staff's pension plans. Please see the California pension crisis > (http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-pension-crisis-davis-deal/).

Apathy!

Apathy is very costly and we cannot afford it. This is evidenced by the more than 25,000 residents in Shadow Oak/South San Jose Hills Community who pay taxes and get under served and underrepresented at our City Hall.

How is it that a Trash Company can own a City of more than 110,000 people without the permission of the majority of those who live there, when they (the residents) did not vote directly for their permanent indentured servitude?

How is it that the City of West Covina can be represented by a Mayor who is anti-immigrant in a minority majority City and he is a "DRUG ADDICT" who is currently on probation?

Why is it that our electives can continuously and admittedly fail to represent the best interest of the majority of their constituents locally to nationwide?

The answer is "APATHY"! The boss (the majority of the residents) is not watching, little to no oversight, no accountability and there is not much chance that they (Corrupt Elected Officials) will be fired (recalled). On the current West Covina City Council the majority of the Councilmembers got less than 3,000 votes in a City of more than 110,000 residents to get elected. In West Covina less than half the residents are registered to vote, approximately 48,000 of the registered voters failed to vote in the last West Covina Municipal Election and only a few residents attend and observe any of the City Council Meetings!

Our local Boards of Government manage the tax dollars that impact us where we sleep, our public and school safety, public education, the water we use, the value of our property and the quality of our lives. When the taxpayers do not care to participate,verify and be watchful of whom is doing what with our dollars and public resources our best interest is disregarded and our public resources get converted to private gain/use! FS

___________________________________________________

West Covina City Council Meetings:

The location is the City Hall, 1444 West Garvey Avenue South, City Council Chamber - Level One, West Covina, CA 91790  in the WCCC Chamber

The next regularly scheduled WCCC Meeting is Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 6PM closed door (not public) and 7 PM open to the public

The L.A. County Commission on Human Relations (LCCHR) has a regular meeting every first Monday of each month. For more details please visit: www.lahumanrelations.org  

For real time and recorded viewing of the City of West Covina Government Meetings please visit: www.westcovina.org and on YouTube at: City of West Covina Live. 

If you do not know about something, then you fail to worry and or do anything about (the) something; also, to stand silent and do nothing is to give approval!  FS

West Covina is now a company town; read Athens Waste Contract and its numerous amendments now posted at www.westcovina.org!

When we are forced to pay for something, we should be able to choose and be selective about what we are paying for!

The Audit by the California State Controller's Office (SCO) published in July 2015 reveals some serious problems! It, the audit, is a guide towards the changes that must be made and the best practices that should be enacted at the West Covina City Hall. 

We the people need to become actively involved, make intelligent use of our constitutional rights, strengthen our memory and our resolve to verify what our leaders advocate! Know that Taxes, Funds and Franchise Fees are synonymous dollars taken from residents and transferred to the City; so, when a W.C.C.C. candidate told you in a fancy and also expensive campaign brochure "no new tax" they lied!

We must “Vote”! Vote by mail; because, should you have an emergency on election day you may not be able to vote! Prepare to vote today; so, that when election day arrives you will have already voted by mail or that you will not forget to cast your very important vote. Constituents, please change to a lifestyle of voting, verify issues, platforms (must read the fine print on circulars/mailers/flyers), the candidate's integrity and vote with high propensity!

Voting by mail allows you to vote from most anywhere, a cruise ship, jail, your sick bed and you start voting 30 days prior to the people who vote at the polls on election day until 8PM (at the closing of California election day voting). Please know that at in the U.S. there are some law makers who are attempting to take away your ability to vote; so, please 'VOTE"!

Please, help me to help you (us, our community).

Create a compartment in your life for community and government; by means of that, you will improve our condition and oversee your tax dollars.


First, I serve West Covina as a Community Activist, Appointed Commissioner, Former Elected West Covina City Councilman and Mayor. I also serve and work as a member of various Community Service Organizations for the betterment of the Community. I am not able to know your dreams for our City; therefore, I knock on your door, I ask for your informative communication, I contact many in public, I ask for involvement, participation and support.

My work is about our future, our quality of life and the direction of our City. At this time West Covina needs every resident working to solve our problems. The most important part of Democracy is you, "The People", showing up and having a presence!   

"Because I'm living here, I want to keep the city in the most favorable conditions for us."  Lucia Su of Monterey Park, CA 91754

The City of West Covina was incorporated in 1923 and it has well over 110,000 (per California State Controller's Office) residents that are living in an area of approximately 17 square miles; we have varying demographics and geographies, eight water districts and seven school districts plus the Los Angeles County Office of Education's International Polytechnic High School, with many diverse cultures and concerns.
 
Not voting and engaging your Local Government is to disregard and undermine your rights, your vested interest, the value of your property, your quality of life and the future of our City.

Let us look at what happens when residents fail to vote in the General Municipal Elections; the results are we get the government we deserve. The City of West Covina has a large silent majority that is not paying attention to their local Government (Tax Dollars). The cost is probably higher than most of us care to think. To see what we pay in salaries plus their benefits to our California Public Employees, Elected City Council (Community Development Board Members/ Successor Agency) and City Staff/ Personnel please visit: www.sco.gov.

Our budget deficit is an ever-growing force of destruction to our City! When you fail to balance the budget you are not able to govern. Presently West Covina City Services are funded by attrition. Most of our problems are connected to decisions by former Super Majority of Four City Council, voter apathy and our City has lost a great deal of tax dollars due to the economic downturn of 2008 and in 2018 the City West Covina is in bankruptcy mode ! So please whenever possible, shop, recreate, eat, work, conduct and create your business in West Covina and pay attention to your City Hall.

Please remember to encourage everyone to frequent our City because every penny of revenue is needed. When you spend your money in West Covina the attached taxes helps to pay for City Services, staff salaries and benefits! At this time the City of West Covina budget deficit is somewhere approximately $9 Million. Our most important City Departments (Police, Fire, Code Enforcement and Public Works) are under staffed and insufficiently funded; therefore, West Covina is no longer a full service City!


 Neils Bohr (Physicist) > "The best weapons of dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapons of openness".




The residents of the City are appointed by the City Council to the present list of Citizens' Commissions - Community and Senior Services Commission, Human Resources Commission and Planning Commission. The City Council is the Successor Agency to the Former West Covina Redevelopment Commission.  

Fredrick Sykes


 

Fred has spent his entire adult life working for the public:

Ø  Compton P.D. Community Service Officer (1971 - 1973)

Ø   L.A. Co. Deputy Sheriff (Retired) 33 years (1973 - 2006)

Ø  City of West Covina Planning Commissioner (2009-2010)

Ø  City of West Covina Human Resources Commissioner (2008-2009)

Ø  Vigorous advocate for the residents (2006 to Present)

Ø  Member of the West Covina City Council (2011 – 2015)

Ø  Mayor Pro Tem (2014)

Ø  Mayor, City of West Covina (2015)

Ø  Currently: Member of the L.A. County Human Relations Commission

 

                                  "West Covina"
What will our City look like if we fail to maintain high standards in the maintenance of our City, our Municipal Code Laws and the planning of what we want our City to be in the future? For the many residents who have said to me that they do not pay attention to local elections I say that, "the people who are elected to the City Council have the sphere of control that affects your pocket book, your local tax dollars, the safety of where you live, the value of your property, the quality of your lives, the allocation of city resources, the future for you, our children and our City!" 

Shadow Oak/South San Jose Hills community is again very underrepresented and our interest (money/resources) is too often disregarded at the West Covina City Hall:

https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/07/06/west-covina-ponders-resident-exodus-from-landscape-maintenance-districts-to-form-their-own-hoa/


The 2018 West Covina Voting District Map is gerrymandered and not community based! The area south of Francisquito Avenue, where the majority of the City lives, is currently represented by two City Councilmembers that live north of South Hills high School. Vote for people who want fair and equal representation citywide and only then the voting districts can be established so that every part of our City is better represented at City Hall! 

          

The technical process requires the formation of nearly equal districts based on population (ideally within 5 percent from smallest to largest). However, other factors also play a major role including: topography, geography, cohesiveness, contiguity, compactness, integrity of territory, communities of interest and significant and sensitive land uses.

The below map should be our 2020 objective because it has compactness, cohesiveness, the integrity of territory, communities of interest, significant and sensitive land uses (such as the toxic dump, hills, major streets, the freeway, other communities and Cities ) that was all ignored by the City Council in 2018!  More information is at http://www.westcovina.org/residents/council-districts/faq 
                          

In 2018, an even year election, the cost to filing your campaign ballot statement has been reduced to $600. When we ran for the West Covina City Council in 2015 to place your name and campaign statement on the ballot in English only the cost was $1,100 and now $300.00; for your name and campaign statement to appear on the ballot in both English and Spanish the cost was $2,200 and today is $600.00. My campaign lawn signs that are two sided, that you can read from a passing car at 50 MPH, cost $8.55 each (for a batch 100) ready to post (5x1400) and political mailers, door hangers and flyers will cost many thousands of dollars. Most people have no idea of the environmental and financial impact from our methods of political campaigning because money trumps and apathy is in vogue. Increased citizen involvement equals decreased cost and facilitates the Democratic Process! 

Contributions to West Covina City Council Candidates and Officeholders are not tax deductible and they are limited to $500 from individuals, Political Action Committees, and Businesses in any given calendar year.

Full disclosure of any campaign donation in the amount of $100 or more is required. For more details please see West Covina Municipal Codes at: www.westcovina.org.  




Every successful campaign by the average, $65,000 a year income, resident in the City of West Covina needs the lauded vote, the financial assistance and volunteer support of the people!
 
Every amount is appreciated and brings us closer to our objectives; fair and equal governance Citywide.

To volunteer, have any questions or comments; please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Direct: (626) 806-4272

Facsimile: (626) 581-2107

E-mail: FredrickSykes@FredrickSykes.com or Fredrick.Sykes@linkline.com

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor

Every resident can be a nexus for positive change! Engage your local government! We have a City of West Covina App, you can protest, petition, recall, request verbally via telephone, demand in writing; also communicate with our City Council in person and at the ballot box (vote). 


Voting is democracy, it helps you protect and assert your interest!


All politics is Local!

The Oligarchs, Oligopolies, Plutocrats and Kleptocrats are attacking:

See how money corrupts our officials and quashes our interest!

Our Democracy is becoming more corporate oriented and less "We the People" oriented; we, the people, the not involved majority is the problem! Corporations are not people. Corporations are instruments and tools created and used by people!

The muscle of democracy is our ability to vote! Democracy is not perfect; however, increased participation has a history of making it better! Please obtain and become familiar with the FPPC 460, 700 political forms, independent expenditures and other forms of political communication (see City Clerk) they will help you understand recusal(disqualification), Influence Peddling, wrong doing, conflict-of-interest activity, Forms of Political Corruption, criminal conduct, sycophants, traitors, political pawns, puppets, malfeasance and missappropriation of Public Money/Tax Funds. You will learn who is buying the loyalty of your elected Officials and just who is really in control of your government! Please learn to Vote for and support someone only after you have independently vetted and assayed all the Candidates. We are not forced to vote for anyone; therefore, only vote for the person(s) you trust to protect and assert your interest; ignore all others. 

To reverse our loss of transparency, our lack of diversity and diminished democracy just remember the eligible public:

Must vote and everyone who is available should attend the City Council Meetings every first Tuesday and every 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7PM.

Not being able to vote is not an excuse for not participating; because, the rich and powerful do it all the time!

 
The Planning Commission meets every second Tuesday and every fourth Tuesday of each month at the same time and place as the City Council and that is in the City of West Covina Council Chamber.

The volume, the speed and the power of the message "We are Watching" is predicated on how many residents get engaged and show a presence at City Hall. Should we fail to participate in the governmental process we will lose our rights, diminish our ability to control our government and become more like the Cities of Bell, California 90201 and Vallejo, California 94590.
           
Source: Fredrick Sykes

For an application and information on the City of West Covina Commissions  such as the Community Services/Senior Citizens, H.R., Planning and or to Check City Activities/Notices please contact any member of the WCCC or visit the Official City of West Covina Website at www.westcovina.org. 

Need more information see page 5 of this website and or contact City officials >               
www.westcovina.org and please use the City of West Covina and Nextdoor Apps. 

Go to the West Covina City Hall !
1444 West Garvey Avenue South
City Council Chamber - Level One
West Covina, CA 91790

Write-City Hall
Mailing Address:
City of West Covina 
P.O. Box 1440
West Covina, CA. 91793

 

The Proliferation of Telecommunication Towers Continues: 

The power of the Telecommunication Companies and other Special Interest Group's money is able to have our Representatives, from Congress down to our local governments, ignore reality.

The residents have a decline in democracy when these towers are installed without their expressed consent. Residents have many concerns: precarious economics in America, domestic and foreign terrorist, uncertain fuel cost , the decline of aesthetics of the City, a loss in the quality of life, the decrease in the value of our property, slope failure, earthquakes, storms, other powerful natural and human made disasters. Now we have the added concern with the Telecom Towers being placed closer to our homes when there is no need for increased service in this area of West Covina. With the increase in proximity comes the perception, anxiety and ruminating the history of radiation. The fear about the negative effects of radiation can create stress, a powerful physical and health risk in and of itself.

Communications and certain Special Interest Groups have better representation at City Hall than the residents and other stakeholders, just follow the money. You would think there is a law against this type of variance and governance. The Telecom Towers should be installed by need and not by greed. And when they are permitted they should be constructed in a subterranean design (see southeast corner of Amar Rd and Lemon St, Walnut, CA 91789)! 

 Only through citizen participation can your government build a better City for us and combat corruption.

The residents are already indebted to $67 Million for six baseball fields; additionally, learn about the Millions owed to CalPERS that is owed, there is no money set aside to pay this debt, this debt is paid by taking money that pays for our City services! Wake up West Covina!