$33 million dollars for La Verne City Improvements with NO new taxes

"WOW" LA VERNE KEEPS GETTING BETTER! Part 1 of 2... $33 million dollars for La Verne City Improvements with NO new taxes. Mayor Don Kendrick and City Manager Bob Russi talk about yet another program to improve the City of La Verne. Part 2 will be posted on La Verne Proud Monday, August 26.

Foothill Blvd. with Mayor Don Kendrick

Did you know that there are about 90 restaurants in La Verne and 75 of them are on Foothill Blvd.?? Here's Mayor Don Kendrick with a little history and just some of the things you can find on Foothill in La Verne.

La Verne Mayor Don Kendrick: Youth and Family Action Committee

State of the City by Mayor Don Kendrick

Busy week at the food bank

The last few days have kept me extremely busy as donations have been coming in faster than I can keep up with. Fours loads from San Bernardino takes three hours per load, then move into our warehouse for storage in San Dimas, we had four loads of paper products. With one load to deliver this morning I should be off for several weeks, but things are always fluid at the food bank, and we never say no to donations.

Learn More About La Verne Water by Mayor Don Kendrick

What’s New, La Verne?
by Mayor Don Kendrick

In last month’s article about restaurants in La Verne, I came up with a whopping 77 restaurants, with more on the horizon.  There is now going to be an easy way to access this list, and possibly, categories!  By the time you read this article, you will be able to go on the City of La Verne’s web site and scan the list.  The City’s web site is cityoflaverne.org.  Next time you can’t decide where to go to eat, this resource is at your fingertips!

Water – Our Most Precious Commodity

The city’s water rates have recently been raised, and there seems to be some parts of it that need a better and more thorough explanation.  I will try and bring you up to speed.  The “water” bill we receive includes charges for the Paramedic fee, Refuse (trash, recycling & green-waste) & Sewer charges as well as water charges.  There are 2 different charges for water: “Minimum Service Chrg” and “Water Consumption”.  Minimum Service Charge is the fixed cost of the system to get the water to our homes.  This would include such things as the upkeep of the pipes in the ground, personnel, equipment, utility costs, etc., as well as Metropolitan Water District and Three Valley Water Fees (non-water delivery costs that are passed on to La Verne).  Minimum Service Charge is determined by the diameter size of the meter delivering water to your home.  Most residences in La Verne have a one-inch diameter service meter in front of the home.  That cost is currently $36.40 every two months, or $18.20 per month.  The Water Consumption part of the bill is just that: The more water we use, the more we pay. The average residence in La Verne uses approximately 36,000 gallons every two months.

To put these charges in perspective in comparing them to 15 other communities which includes Glendora, Pomona, Ontario, Claremont, San Dimas, Chino, Upland, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, Diamond Bar, Walnut, La Puente, Azusa, Covina and Monrovia, at the end of our last fiscal year, June 30^th, 2017, La Verne had the lowest Minimum Service Charge of all these cities, $36.40.  It should be noted that La Verne likely has the lowest rate because this rate has not been raised since 2009.  There are two reasons for this: the recession and the drought.  The Public Works Director felt we could get by if the decision to raise rates was delayed until we, the residents, were past the recession as well as the drought.

La Verne has two sources of water.  One is our own, and one we purchase.  We have a number of wells we use to pump ground water from aquifers that sit under the city.  The amount of water we can pump for our use depends on the amount of rain that fills these aquifers.  In drought years, less can be pumped, which until last winter seemed to be the new norm.  The La Verne community uses approximately 7,500 acre feet on average, which translate to 2,443,882,000 gallons per year.  For the upcoming year, La Verne will be able to pump approximately 30% of our needs from our own wells.  This means we will be purchasing 70% from the Three Valleys Municipal Water District, our wholesale water supplier.  Some cities have much more ground water available, so they pay less than La Verne, and some cities don’t have any ability to use ground water aquifers, so they pay much more.

So, what do the new rates look like and how does it match up with our neighboring cities?  The Minimum Service Charge will go up to $51.00 every two months or $25.50 per month, an increase of approximately $7.00 per month.  La Verne residents will pay $3.55 for every 1000 gallons we use, about the same as a bottle of water at a convenience store.  When doing a comparison with both the Minimum Service Charge and Water Consumption Fee, La Verne sits in the lower half of compared cities: residents in 9 cities will pay more than La Verne residents and only 6 will pay less.

La Verne currently offers a lifeline discount which is 50% off the bimonthly Minimum Service Charge for low and moderate income households. Information can be obtained by calling the Public Works Department at (909) 596-8741.  It should also be noted that the “Water Fund” is a “restricted” fund and cannot be used for other purposes within the city.  The City of La Verne owns its own water company and it is a separate business and treated as such.  We are very fortunate to have this asset in La Verne.

Moving food and fertilizer at the food bank

As many of you know I'm a full time volunteer at Sowing Seeds For Life, a food pantry and food bank. A food bank supplies food pantries, a food pantry gives food to people in need in our community, we wear both hats. Needless to say, many days after moving thousands of pounds of food, I'm exhausted and just want to relax in front of the boob tube. So in case your wondering why I'm not posting daily, now you know.

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

Los Angeles Times 1910

Be informed: Subscribe to your local newspaper - Grist

Is there an untapped market for print in local journalism? - Poynter

Publisher launches Spanish-language newspaper - Compton Herald

Facebook’s algorithm isn’t surfacing one-third of our posts - Medium

Russian Journalist Dies in Hospital After Brutal Beating - The Moscow Times

The Washington Post's Ruben Castaneda Recalls a Near-Suicide Mission - LA Weekly

Della Femina Sells The Independent Newspaper To Billionaire Ron Perelman - 27 East

Majority of staff at two B.C. newspapers approve deal to save some jobs - RD News Now

sideline's empty newspapers question information overload in today's world - Design Boom

University of Tennessee student newspaper cuts print edition to twice weekly - The Tennessean

Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

Facebook has started to flag fake news stories - Recode

Why newspaper subscriptions are on the rise - Tech Crunch

The 22 Newspapers That Matter Most to Wall Street - Yahoo

Journalism under fire: challenges of our times - Editors Weblog

Ownership of Local Newspapers Passes to Japan - The Local News

German publishers are skipping Facebook’s fake-news initiative - Digiday

Former Intercept writer, arrested in connection with bomb threats - Poynter

African-American owned newspapers thriving amid industry slump - KXAN

Newspapers matter: We knew you’d come crawling back to us - Miami Herald

The Canadian Newspaper Industry is Getting a New Jolt of Life - Editor and Publisher

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

This Tuesday vote for Mayor Don Kendricks for re-election

How to Tell a Secret in the Digital Age - New York Times

Journalism under fire: challenges of our times - Editors Weblog

There are now 114 fact-checking initiatives in 47 countries - Poynter

Celebrating Newspaper in Education Week - Winter Park/Maitland Observer

Southland Publishing Buys Los Angeles Downtown News - LA Downtown News

Lexington passes ordinance that newspaper vows to fight - Lexington Herald Leader

Cleveland Scene newspaper box removals never should have happened - cleveland.com

The daily newspaper is on life support and the plug is being pulled - OnMilwaukee.com

A. H. Belo Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2016 Results - EIN News

Golden retriever makes sure every newspaper gets to the right doorstep - Albuquerque Journal

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

The largest thermometer in the world 

RedEye to reopen as weekly — just for fun - Robert Feder

Some of the best journalism stories in 2016 - Editors Weblog

Condé Nast has been eyeing The Hollywood Reporter - CNN

Nikki Finke back in business to dish on Hollywood - Page Six

Mother Jones Is Named Magazine of the Year - New York Times

Pricey publisher subscriptions require a special sales approach - Digiday

New York Times hires No. 2 editor from The Wall Street Journal - Poynter

Where to Follow Real News and Get Actual Facts if You Live in L.A. - L.A..Magazine

Boston Globe Declares ‘Bitter End’ for Patriots in Early Edition Newspaper - The Wrap

10 Journalism Brands Where You Find Real Facts Rather Than Alternative Facts - Forbes

Where's The Blogging Pressman?

I'm often asked why I'm not blogging everyday, some days I'm moving tons of food, and too exhausted afterwards to do much more than read. Tuesday I moved 25,000 pounds of donated food, which kept me busy for just under ten hours.

All of this food will be given away over the next few weeks to our clients that visit Sowing Seeds for Life, so it's all worth the extra effort by all the volunteers.

We're always seeking volunteers, if your interested in helping, come by 1350 Arrow Highway, La Verne, CA. 91750 from 10;30A.M. to 4:00 P.M. or call 909.392.5777

Fourth of July Parade in La Verne, California

I had a great time working as a volunteer for the parade in La Verne last Saturday, still a bit sore from riding a bicycle all day. We experienced very few problems, one of the older cars over heated and stalled, which we pushed to the curb, and the horses left a deposit onto the street. Besides that, everyone had a great time celebrating Independence Day.

With Mr. La Verne, Tim Morrison

The Blogging Pressman is back

The month of June was an extraordinary one for the food bank as we moved food seven days per week, so the blog lay dormant as I juggled family time with volunteer time. Yesterday was the first time in over thirty days I actually had nothing to move, and the break was well received on my part.

Pictured above is former Los Angeles Times Sports Writer Larry Stewart, part of our team at Sowing Seeds For Life. Appears everyone I cross paths with from the newspaper are former employees.

Regular posts will begin again this Monday.

SOWING SEEDS FOR LIFE

1350 Arrow Highway
La Verne, CA. 91750

(909) 392-5777

Food Bank Open Today from 11am till 4pm - La Verne, CA.

Mary and Tajha both work full time jobs, yet find the time to volunteer

As the food crisis intensifies across America many families have been able to bridge the gap by visiting local food banks, such as Sowing Seeds For Life. Depending on weather conditions and the cars snaking down Arrow Highway we will distribute food to anywhere from 550 to 650 families today. The only requirement for receiving food, you must reside in Los Angeles County.

Sowing Seeds For Life

1350 Arrow Highway

La Verne, CA. 91750

(909) 392-5777

Open the 1st and 3rd Wednesday every month from 11am to 4pm

The second Friday of each month for seniors and veterans

The last Saturday each month from 1pm to 3pm, open to anyone in need 

Free Thanksgiving Meals Will be Served Tomorrow

On Wednesday November 26th visit Sowing Seeds For Life and you'll be served a turkey dinner from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and before you leave you will also receive a bag of food that was donated by customers of Von's Market in La Verne.

DPI Labs Inc. 1350 Arrow Hwy LaVerne, CA 91750 Phone: 909-392-5777 Ext. 271

Sowing Seeds For Life - Food Pantry - Open Today

The food pantry will be open from 1pm though 5pm this afternoon, with a light drizzle falling at this very moment, the crowd may be smaller than usual.

Two weeks ago the girls from San Dimas High School became volunteers, which was very helpful.

We can always use volunteers








Sowing Seeds For Life
1350 Arrow Highway
La Verne, CA. 91750

909-392-5777 

Support Sowing Seeds For Life Fundraiser

Sugar Shane Mosley's MMA Showdown will be making a donation for every seat purchased, visit Sandra at 1350 Arrow Highway, La Verne, CA. 91750 and help Sowing Seeds For Life do what they do best, aid the needy with food.

My daughter Kristine with the Champ Sugar Shane Mosley