Only needing a simple majority of votes from the council, the tax measure will increase the sales tax for six years.  Just like many other cities in the San Gabriel Valley, Duarte is trying to take any measure that can bring in the most revenue at the same time trying not to enable residents from spending.

The council will consider two options:

1.  Increase the sales tax by a quarter percent, which will generate nearly $1 million.
2. Increase the sales tax by a half percent, which will generate nearly $2 million.

Council members are hopeful that what every proposal they agree to, the voters will feel the same way this November. The hope is to fill budget shortfalls that have been created in recent years.

Trying to cope with the shortfall of cash for the city, Duarte has closed the public safety office on Fridays, reduced its graffiti contracts, and reduced its special assignment deputies. Also they have reduced its weekend youth and senior programming, as well as lengthening is tree trimming cycle from 3 to 5 years.

Considering that the next municipal election for Duarte wouldn’t take place until November 2013, council members are weighing all options, including declaring a state of fiscal emergency so they can push this tax measure on the voters this November.

According to the city, it is necessary to declare a fiscal emergency due to the fact that that the state has taken an estimated $2 million in redevelopment dollars since 2008. As well has sale tax revenue being down about $1million per year.

Tuesday’s council meeting is at 7 p.m. at Council Chambers at 1600 Huntington Drive.

The Urban Land Institute, a research group which specialized in responsible land use, has conducted a study regarding the Central Arroyo Seco complex, which has scared sports lovers who want to see the Rose Bowl host an NFL team.

According to the study, the hosting of an NFL team at the Rose Bowl could bring millions of dollars to the city and surrounding economy, but would distract officials from putting into place a long-term plan to boost revenues from the stadium and adjacent golf course.

“The panel recommends that the city not be swayed by the offer to temporarily host the National Football League,” the report states. “Such an effort would be detrimental to the ultimate goal of making the Central Arroyo Seco a sustainable part of the Pasadena community.”

While there is a lot more of studies and economic impact reports to be conducted and finalized, according to Rose Bowl Operating Co. official have said the earliest a team would play in Pasadena would be fall of 2013.

There is a hidden jewel in the San Gabriel Valley.   This hidden jewel is southern cook Mrs. Cassandra’s restaurant, Cassie’s, who brings the roots of Mississippi cooking to the San Gabriel Valley area, specifically Downtown Pomona.  Mrs. Cassie is cooking up food with a heaping portion of soul.  Mrs. Cassie’s food is so soulful; one can find oneself humming a tune while eating one of her specialties.  Everyday is special at Cassie’s.  Whether you come in on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for smothered pork chops, or Fried Catfish Fridays, you will not only be satisfied but back the next day.

Mrs. Cassie’s soul food is a little past addicting.  The irony of it all is that Mrs. Cassie’s soul food is so finger licking good that I cannot specifically put my finger on what makes it so delicious.  Perhaps it is the way she singlehandedly coats every piece of chicken, fish, shrimp, and pork and fries it to delicious perfection.  The meat is juicy and tender on the inside and sealed with a crunchy, golden exterior.  My favorite day to go visit Mrs. Cassie is on Fried Catfish Fridays.  I always get the fried catfish dinner with collard greens and macaroni and cheese.  If I am feeling a little extra audacious, I get an extra side, usually the cheesy jalapeno grits.

If you are not in a complete food coma, ask Mrs. Cassie for her famous strawberry-banana pudding.  It will completely knock your socks off with her sweet, dense but fluffy pudding layered with bananas, strawberries, and my favorite part, vanilla wafers.  In that wonderful kitchen of hers, Mrs. Cassie also conjures up a Southern favorite, peach cobbler.  With a thick, flaky, golden brown crust with succulent, juicy, delicious peaches hiding underneath, you will definitely be searching for a scoop of vanilla ice cream nearby if it lasts that long in your presence.  Mrs. Cassie has graced the San Gabriel Valley not only with her beauty and southern charm but topped it off with a heaping spoonful of downhome cooking that will keep you coming back to her kitchen for more.

Having great concern, Los Angeles County authorities established a 93 mile quarantine area, to limit the spreading of the citrus greening disease, also known as Hunglongbing or Yellow Dragon Disease.

This tiny insect was first seen in California in 2008, but citrus greening disease was just recently discovered. At present, there is no known cure or chemical control that specifically targets the bacterium causing HLB infection within citrus trees.

Citrus greening can be difficult to detect since the host plants may remain symptomless for months or even years before showing signs of infection.

Symptoms include:

• yellow shoots
• leaf mottle
• small upright leaves
• twig dieback
• poor flowering
• lopsided fruit

The USDA and the California department of Food and Agriculture have begun to regulate all green material within the quarantine area to stop the possibility of spreading.

So, if anyone is planning to transport any green material with the quarantine area, you must obtain a compliance agreement from your local county agricultural commissioner.

Some of the requirements include:

• Prior to movement from the quarantined areas, haulers must safeguard green material by covering with a tarp or enclosing in a structure or container for transport.
• Transporters/haulers must operate with a quarantine certification or compliance agreement to transport green waste only to approved receiving facilities operating under a compliance agreement.
• Homeowners who self-haul their own green waste from within the quarantine zone shall follow the same protocols as other haulers.

Known as DNSchanger, this malicious malware is able take over domain name systems and interrupt the way you surf the web.

What is a Domain Name System?

Also known as DNS, is a internet service that converts domain names into numerical addresses. By changing letters into numbers allows computers to talk to each other. If it was not for domain name systems, computers would not be allowed to browse websites, send email, or connect to any internet service.

So given the name, DNSChanger, this malicious malware changes domain names/numbers and allows you  be funneled to fraudulent websites, as well as making the computer vulnerable to other kinds of malicious soft ware

As of July 9 the FBI is disabling its stopgap measure that was put into place after this malware came to light. It is estimated world wide there will be 277,000 computers affected. 64,000 of those computers are located here in California.

To see you your computer is infected, visit http://www.dns-ok.us/