Burbank has not escaped the bumps and bruises of the brutal recession, but yesterday it got some good news from one of the top financial agencies. Standard and Poor’s upgraded Burbank’s credit rating to “AAA,” the highest grade possible. S&P credited the Media City with a strong local economy, steady tax base, low debt, high reserve balance, and attractive location in […]
File Photo from March 2008: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Council Member/Mayor Marsha Ramos Former Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos is speaking out again about those allegations of misconduct against the Burbank Police Department. Ramos is interviewed in Today’s Burbank Leader about a deposition she gave last month to attorneys representing five Burbank Police officers, who filed a lawsuit against the […]
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Judgment in the Burbank PD For several days, I’ve been hearing about some ominous letters handed out to some members of the Burbank PD, the result of information gathered during those hush-hush investigations for alleged misconduct in the department. A source tells me that those who have received letters include Sergeant Chris Canales, […]
Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Police patrol car A new controversy is causing more debate and concerns about the Burbank Police Department. This time, the questions are being asked about the actions of Burbank police officers involved in that dramatic pursuit/suspect shooting last Monday, March 29, that ended near Universal City. Television news video of that incident has focused nationwide attention and more scrutiny on […]
It’s a wrap for Burbank Mayor Gary Bric Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Mayor Gary Bric read a statement about the lawsuits and investigations swirling around the Burbank Police Department at the September 29, 2009 city council meeting. Mayor Gary Bric is off the hook… somewhat. Last night, Bric presided over his last Burbank City Council meeting. Over the past […]
Burbank City Councilman David Gordon responds to his critics Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — At the November 3, 2009 city council meeting, Councilman David Gordon called for a major step in dealing with the growing Burbank police scandal Burbank is still buzzing about the snub of two-term Councilman David Gordon by his colleagues on the council. On Monday, Dr. Gordon was passed […]
Catching up on some items from the past few days. Fire Service Day in Burbank Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Crowds turned out for the salute to Burbank Fire and Police Departments on Saturday, May 8, 2010 The streets surrounding the Burbank Police and Fire Headquarters in Downtown Burbank were blocked off for the “Fire Service Day” celebration from around 9 […]
City budget cuts terminate after school program Monday, August 16, is back to school day for the Burbank Unified School District. For some David Starr Jordan Middle School students and their parents, there might be more than the usual degree of anxiety that goes along with the first week of school. Recently, I got an e-mail from a very upset parent who felt blindsided, […]
Two suspects. Both accused of sexually victimizing a child. The Burbank Police Department chose to release the mug shot of one suspect — while refusing to do so in the second case. Did the BPD apply its policy fairly? I don’t think so. Here are the details. The male suspect is 35-year-old Manuel Retana. He was arrested last Tuesday, September 7, and accused of […]