Anonymous said...
I’m not so concerned about Landsdell working a trash deal in Los Alamitos Were those comments posted by a disgruntled city employee or Gardena city official? Who knows. If Landsdell leaves we‘re still stuck with our city council. Talk about making deals. Look at all the stuff that's gone on with Waste Resources and Phoenix Waste in Gardena. Gardena citizens many not be very vocal but they’re not naïve.
Comments posted anonymously or cited on Gardena Watch are the express opinions of those individuals and not the opinion of Gardena Watch.
Showing posts with label Mitch Landsdell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mitch Landsdell. Show all posts
10/10/2007
10/07/2007
City Manager Moving?
Anonymous said...
Mitch Landsdell is trying to make a move behind the scenes to leave Gardena and move to the City of Los Alamitos as it's new City Manager, post firing of their former City Manager. The rumor is that he is trying to work a deal into Los Alamitos so a new trash company can be brought in...maybe Landsdell has more $$$$ through the trash men than we all know!Landsdell is working with the Los Alamitos City Council majority, led by Egomaniacal Councilman Troy Edgar to make his move into Los Alamitos...check it out.
October 7, 2007 9:51 AM
Comments posted anonymously or cited on Gardena Watch are the express opinions of those individuals and not the opinion of Gardena Watch.
Mitch Landsdell is trying to make a move behind the scenes to leave Gardena and move to the City of Los Alamitos as it's new City Manager, post firing of their former City Manager. The rumor is that he is trying to work a deal into Los Alamitos so a new trash company can be brought in...maybe Landsdell has more $$$$ through the trash men than we all know!Landsdell is working with the Los Alamitos City Council majority, led by Egomaniacal Councilman Troy Edgar to make his move into Los Alamitos...check it out.
October 7, 2007 9:51 AM
Comments posted anonymously or cited on Gardena Watch are the express opinions of those individuals and not the opinion of Gardena Watch.
6/17/2007
Trash hauler: City reneged on deal
From an article in The Daily Breeze, 02/05/07:
Daily Breeze - Torrance, Calif.
Author: Gene Maddaus STAFF WRITER
Date: Feb 5, 2007
Abstract (Document Summary)
When first asked about it, [Oscar Medrano] said he did not remember who called the meeting. Later, he said it was held at [Kosti Shirvanian]'s insistence. He also said that he agreed to attend as a "mediator" between the two haulers. But according to Shirvanian, Medrano called the meeting and was hardly impartial.
Once the deal was arranged, Medrano called Councilman Steve Bradford, and Bradford came to the meeting, according to Shirvanian. Medrano explained the deal to Bradford, and Bradford agreed to pull the termination notice off the upcoming council agenda, Shirvanian said.
To Shirvanian, the real reason for the notice was given by Medrano at a meeting at City Hall on Jan. 16. Shirvanian planned to meet only with [Mitch Lansdell] and his staff, but Medrano sat in. Shirvanian said that Lansdell discussed the complaints and other service issues, but Medrano wanted to talk about Papaian, who was losing $30,000 per month on the residential contract.
Daily Breeze - Torrance, Calif.
Author: Gene Maddaus STAFF WRITER
Date: Feb 5, 2007
Abstract (Document Summary)
When first asked about it, [Oscar Medrano] said he did not remember who called the meeting. Later, he said it was held at [Kosti Shirvanian]'s insistence. He also said that he agreed to attend as a "mediator" between the two haulers. But according to Shirvanian, Medrano called the meeting and was hardly impartial.
Once the deal was arranged, Medrano called Councilman Steve Bradford, and Bradford came to the meeting, according to Shirvanian. Medrano explained the deal to Bradford, and Bradford agreed to pull the termination notice off the upcoming council agenda, Shirvanian said.
To Shirvanian, the real reason for the notice was given by Medrano at a meeting at City Hall on Jan. 16. Shirvanian planned to meet only with [Mitch Lansdell] and his staff, but Medrano sat in. Shirvanian said that Lansdell discussed the complaints and other service issues, but Medrano wanted to talk about Papaian, who was losing $30,000 per month on the residential contract.
6/14/2007
Gardena City Council weighs trash deal to help company
The firm that picks up residents' garbage is losing money; city leaders may try to help.
By Sandy MazzaStaff Writer (Daily Breeze 06/14/07)
The Gardena City Council rejected a rate-increase request from its residential trash hauler, Phoenix Waste and Recycling Services, but is instead considering suspending $160,000 in fees.
The council voted Tuesday to postpone its decision until the June 26 meeting and asked City Manager Mitch Lansdell to discuss alternatives with the trash hauler, which has said it's financially strapped.
The company is contractually entitled to raise customers' rates by 58 cents a month this year, but it asked for a much larger increase from the current $14.25 a month to $18.36.
Instead, the city proposed suspending two fees charged to the company - for the city's household hazardous waste and recycling compliance programs - totaling $80,000 a year for two years.
The council "directed me to go back to discuss with Phoenix some alternatives to the current proposal of suspending fees for two years. I'm not sure what form that will take," Lansdell said.
He said it may be similar to sales-tax-rebate programs the city has had with other businesses, such as its two card clubs and a Target retail store. In those cases, the companies were expected to return the money when business improved.
"They pay a fee to the city based on their gross receipts. The city returned a portion of that. … When their business grew to a certain level, they paid it back."
Though the city is not required to assist these businesses, it does so "to be a good business partner," Mayor Paul Tanaka said.
"This could be the city's way of `investing' in the trash company with the idea of ensuring their financial well-being so they can do the service needed to be done with no unnecessary (rate) increases," Tanaka said.
Phoenix Waste has struggled with finances and reports of improperly influencing council members since it won the trash-hauling contract in 2005.
The company may have been doomed from the start in bidding on a city proposal that was not viable, Phoenix Waste Vice President Haig Papaian said.
"We made a mistake in our books but not in our service," Papaian said.
He said unexpected increases in gas and dump fees, among other things, have caused the company to lose more than $400,000 a year on this contract.
Phoenix agreed to a low fee - compared with surrounding cities - for its services when it won the contract in 2005 because council members said they would not accept any bidders that would charge more than the monthly rate that the former hauler charged, Lansdell said.
When the city sent out the request for proposals in 2005, Gardena wanted a trash and recycling system that separates solid waste from recyclables for a monthly cost to the consumer of $13.60.
"That was the rate Waste Management was giving at the time," Lansdell said, though he acknowledged that Waste Management did not offer three carts or automated trucks.
Phoenix was the only company that agreed to the low rate. Papaian said he knew the figure was low but thought the company could eventually make a profit.
"We didn't know fuel (and dump fees) would go up that much," Papaian said.
Some residents said they were disappointed with Phoenix Waste's requests for raises above the allowances in their city contract.
"Trash always seems to be a problem in the city," resident Steve Sherman said. "These were business people. … They must not have known what they were doing when they took this contract if they're defaulting now."
Papaian's contributions to council members' campaigns before his company got the contract have become the focus of controversy.
He said he donated to the campaigns of of Mayor Paul Tanaka, Councilman Steve Bradford and Councilwoman Rachel Johnson in 2004 because he wanted to contribute to the city, not because he wanted to influence their future votes. None of his direct contributions, which totaled $3,000 to council members, were illegal.
"There were no illegal campaign contributions done. We did not contribute to anyone on this council while we had this contract," Papaian said.
The council gave the city's commercial trash hauler, Waste Resources Inc., a five-year termination notice this year because of complaints with its service, Lansdell said. Lansdell said Waste Resources also asked for a rate increase, and that request will be decided by the council in the next few months.
By Sandy MazzaStaff Writer (Daily Breeze 06/14/07)
The Gardena City Council rejected a rate-increase request from its residential trash hauler, Phoenix Waste and Recycling Services, but is instead considering suspending $160,000 in fees.
The council voted Tuesday to postpone its decision until the June 26 meeting and asked City Manager Mitch Lansdell to discuss alternatives with the trash hauler, which has said it's financially strapped.
The company is contractually entitled to raise customers' rates by 58 cents a month this year, but it asked for a much larger increase from the current $14.25 a month to $18.36.
Instead, the city proposed suspending two fees charged to the company - for the city's household hazardous waste and recycling compliance programs - totaling $80,000 a year for two years.
The council "directed me to go back to discuss with Phoenix some alternatives to the current proposal of suspending fees for two years. I'm not sure what form that will take," Lansdell said.
He said it may be similar to sales-tax-rebate programs the city has had with other businesses, such as its two card clubs and a Target retail store. In those cases, the companies were expected to return the money when business improved.
"They pay a fee to the city based on their gross receipts. The city returned a portion of that. … When their business grew to a certain level, they paid it back."
Though the city is not required to assist these businesses, it does so "to be a good business partner," Mayor Paul Tanaka said.
"This could be the city's way of `investing' in the trash company with the idea of ensuring their financial well-being so they can do the service needed to be done with no unnecessary (rate) increases," Tanaka said.
Phoenix Waste has struggled with finances and reports of improperly influencing council members since it won the trash-hauling contract in 2005.
The company may have been doomed from the start in bidding on a city proposal that was not viable, Phoenix Waste Vice President Haig Papaian said.
"We made a mistake in our books but not in our service," Papaian said.
He said unexpected increases in gas and dump fees, among other things, have caused the company to lose more than $400,000 a year on this contract.
Phoenix agreed to a low fee - compared with surrounding cities - for its services when it won the contract in 2005 because council members said they would not accept any bidders that would charge more than the monthly rate that the former hauler charged, Lansdell said.
When the city sent out the request for proposals in 2005, Gardena wanted a trash and recycling system that separates solid waste from recyclables for a monthly cost to the consumer of $13.60.
"That was the rate Waste Management was giving at the time," Lansdell said, though he acknowledged that Waste Management did not offer three carts or automated trucks.
Phoenix was the only company that agreed to the low rate. Papaian said he knew the figure was low but thought the company could eventually make a profit.
"We didn't know fuel (and dump fees) would go up that much," Papaian said.
Some residents said they were disappointed with Phoenix Waste's requests for raises above the allowances in their city contract.
"Trash always seems to be a problem in the city," resident Steve Sherman said. "These were business people. … They must not have known what they were doing when they took this contract if they're defaulting now."
Papaian's contributions to council members' campaigns before his company got the contract have become the focus of controversy.
He said he donated to the campaigns of of Mayor Paul Tanaka, Councilman Steve Bradford and Councilwoman Rachel Johnson in 2004 because he wanted to contribute to the city, not because he wanted to influence their future votes. None of his direct contributions, which totaled $3,000 to council members, were illegal.
"There were no illegal campaign contributions done. We did not contribute to anyone on this council while we had this contract," Papaian said.
The council gave the city's commercial trash hauler, Waste Resources Inc., a five-year termination notice this year because of complaints with its service, Lansdell said. Lansdell said Waste Resources also asked for a rate increase, and that request will be decided by the council in the next few months.
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