Enid Joffe's Answers to Questions posed

Ms. Joffe responded to my request for answers to the questions posed in a timely manner, asking for a bit more time. It is understandable any of the candidate's running for office are very busy campaigning, working and some are still on the Council so time is scarce. I appreciate her taking the time to answer the questions posed by the readers of this blog and hope the other Candidates will do the same.

Enid submitted her answers, here is the complete unedited text.

Do you have the ability to work for the citizens of Sierra Madre without a partisan agenda?
I became Mayor immediately following one of the most divisive elections in the city’s history. I have worked hard over the past year to open lines of communication with all residents. My efforts included setting up a special “mayormobile” phone line at my own expense, establishing a monthly Walk with the Mayor, writing an local newspaper column and meeting residents for coffee. I attend and participate in several community events each week and I have also made presentations at many of the civic organizations in town as part of my effort to be accessible and available. I believe that my efforts have helped calm the passions that accompanied the debate over Measure V. As a Councilmember I have been respectful of all members of the Council and sought input from each member prior to voting.

What special talents or abilities do you bring to the table?
I have a passion for politics. My interest in city government dates to 1968 when, as a high school journalism student, I was privileged to attend a press conference held by Mayor John Lindsay of New York. I was hooked. Years after I moved to California, I became a government affairs representative for Southern California Edison. Part of my job responsibilities included attending city council meetings and I attended hundreds of meetings before becoming a civic volunteer in my home town of Sierra Madre. I have learned about Sierra Madre’s issues as a volunteer on the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee, General Plan Committee and Planning Commission. In 2004 I decided to run for City Council and was elected.

My passion for politics is matched by my passion for volunteerism. In addition to my civic volunteer service, I have served on many nonprofit boards of directors included the local chapter of the American Red Cross. I was the first female President of a local Kiwanis Club (Rosemead) and sponsored a Make a Difference Day in Sierra Madre.

What is the definition of a Family, and how do you intend to use it.?
The definition of family that was added to the City (Ordinance 1136, adopted in 2001) and repealed in November 2005 (Ordinance 1234). There is currently no definition of family in the municipal code although the term is used in hundreds of places. The lack of a definition allows flexibility of interpretation. It would be very costly to review every use of the term family in the code and consistently define it so I would not be in favor of that approach. To my knowledge, we have not had any situation where the definition of family has been a problem, for example housing discrimination. My preference therefore is to leave the term undefined in the code for now. However, if it appears that there are situations where discrimination is occurring or might occur, I would be in favor of creating a single, inclusive definition that makes it clear that any responsibilities, rights or privileges that accrue to heterosexual couples or families would also apply to domestic partners or same-sex couples or families.

I'd like to know how all the candidates are going to approach the budget if the UUT fails.
My first answer is that we cannot afford for the Utility Users Tax to fail. As Interim City Manager Don Hopper stated, we are living on our savings. Our residents need to recognize that we can no longer afford all the services we currently provide without some sort of revenue increase. The Ad Hoc Finance Committee took a very, very close look at our city budget and concluded that the monies are being used wisely and there is no waste. They complimented staff for doing so much with so little. As we know, the current one-time funding for paramedics runs out at the end of Fiscal Year 08-09. If the UUT fails, I would propose to re-convene the Ad Hoc Finance Committee to recommend budget cuts and budget priorities.


Are you willing to work to find ways to continue funding of services such as parks and recreation, senior services, and library services. Do you fully support these services?
I fully support the continued funding of services such as parks and recreation, senior services, and library services. I truly believe that it is these “human” services that define the culture of the community. In fact one of my master’s degree papers at UCLA was on this very subject. Measure UA, the advisory Measure connected to the Utility User’s Tax Initiative primarily addresses the funding needs for public safety services. We still have to address our below-market staff salaries and the future funding needs for other city services. I felt that we could not try to address all the financial issues in one ballot measure, but I fully intend to stay focused on the securing the financial future of our city.
10. What is your understanding of funding mechanisms for city services? Have you thought of ways to ensure that wages are adequate for all city employees?
See above answer. As a business owner I believe that the way you attract and retain good employees is by paying competitive wages and benefits. We have a very dedicated city staff but I can not blame any employee who leaves Sierra Madre for another city and receives a double digit salary increase. We have not addressed the true cost to the city of the constant turnover and of city staff and training of new employees. I can think of several instances where the lack of continuity in staffing has created mistakes and duplication of effort. I supported the funding of the Job Classification and Compensation Study to begin addressing this issue. That said, any changes to the salary structure must be fiscally responsible with a secure funding source. That is the challenge I plan to address in the next 4 years.

Would you consider yourself to be a city councilperson for everyone, bearing in mind that we all have vested interests in the town, even if we are politically opposed on some issues.
My professional experience at United Way and Southern California Edison and my leadership on the boards of many nonprofit organizations has taught me to listen to many opinions and work toward consensus. Consensus building is a messy and inefficient process but, in my opinion, it creates a better long-term outcome. In my 4 years on council and particularly in this last year as mayor, I have opened many new avenues of communication with residents including Walks with the Mayor, Coffee with Joffe, a special cell phone number and a newspaper column. What I have learned is that we all share a love for the history and character of this town and a passion for preserving it. We don’t agree on how to go about that. As someone who has spent many years recruiting volunteers and being a volunteer, I appreciate the fact that residents of Sierra Madre care enough to call and email and blog and come to city council meetings. I do believe we need to tone down the rhetoric and keep it about issues not personalities. If re-elected I will continue to do what I do best, listing to all sides of an issue and trying to bring people together to create a consensus.

I would like to ask the Council candidates is: will they, or why wouldn't they seek new bids and proposals from Arcadia PD, Pasadena PD and the County as a comparison against present services and the quality of services?
We already sought these bids during my term on council and compared the costs to our current public safety budget. The bottom line is that we have a very high level of service in Sierra Madre for the money we spend. If we contract with another city or with the County Sheriff’s Department we will get one dedicated patrol car. I am guessing that backup help could take 10 to 15 minutes to arrive (especially if it is coming from the Temple City Sheriff’s station). I believe that we should focus on continuing to fund the level of service we currently have. The fact is that Sierra Madre is one of the safest communities in California and serious crime is down in the last 2 years. Our Police Department and Police Chief should get full credit for this accomplishment. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

How do you intend to approach the now stagnant projects in the downtown, when will the boarded up buildings become revenue generating tax paying businesses?
Sales tax revenue will never be a major source of income for our community. We currently receive about $200,000 in sales tax revenue or 3.3% of our general fund budget. However we do have a charming and walkable downtown that many cities can only wish for. As a renewable energy business owner by vocation and a planner by avocation, I believe we still have a lot of work to do to create the design guidelines that will give us the downtown we want. Measure V set limits on height, stories and residential density, but was silent on design. We could still get an ugly, boxy, post-modern 2-story office building totally out of character with our traditional downtown. Measure V is the law and I will fully enforce it, but in the next four years, I want to go beyond Measure V to create guidelines that ensure that we keep the human scale and walkability of our downtown. The City has budgeted a small amount of funds for a study to determine what type of businesses would fit with the character of our downtown. I believe that we need a public dialogue on what types of low density, boutique businesses are economically feasible for our community and then a city-wide effort to create those opportunities. Wishing for the Skilled Nursing Facility or Howies to return will not make it so—those businesses were no longer economically viable in our town. We need to replace them with new businesses that can thrive in our charming, small town environment.