Alhambra Charges $30 to Attend State of the City Address

EDITORIAL

Alhambra State of the City Address advertisement as it appears in Alhambra Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Around Alhambra’ publication (Photo – Staff)

If you want to attend Alhambra’s State of the City Address, you have to fork over $30 or sponsor a table for $300.

By Sean McMorris

You also had better be retired or get time off work to attend because it is on a weekday at 11:30 am.

This always has been the case according to Sharon Gibbs, Executive Director of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce and host of the State of the City Address. When asked if residents who did not want to pay the $30 fee could still attend, Ms. Valero, Chamber office assistant, said no.

The Chamber’s stance changed slightly after Colorado Boulevard.net contacted Alhambra City Manager Jessica Binnquist for comment. Binnquist reached out to Ms. Gibbs who then said that there would be no $30 fee for attendees who wished to attend the address but not eat, provided that the Chamber was contacted in advance so that seating arrangements could be made. This is not, however,  how the event is advertised, and it appears that free attendance was reluctantly agreed to after Ms. Binnquist spoke with the Chamber about the issue.

Ms. Gibbs also clarified that it is not guaranteed that those who do not pay can attend, but only that the Chamber would try to accommodate non-paying attendees. “I cannot guarantee it [free attendance],” Gibbs said, “Space is limited–just like all events, only so many people can be accommodated.” When pressed as to whether payees would be given preference over non-payees, Gibbs declined to answer.

Both Gibbs and Binnquist emphasized that the $30 fee was for lunch at the event, which is provided by Almansor Court. Brad Perrin, the owner of Almansor Court, Inc., is the beneficiary of a 50-year no-bid contract with the City for concession services. Mr. Perrin and his many LLCs have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to current and former Alhambra City Councilmembers over the last decade. Similarly, the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, which hosts Alhambra’s State of the City Address, is the beneficiary of annually renewed no-bid contracts with the City worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. One of those contracts, a contract for business promotional services, specifically states that the Chamber will provide a forum for the Mayor’s State of the City Address.

State of the city addresses ought not to be formal luncheon events

When asked why a sponsor is needed for the State of the City Address, let alone the Chamber, Ms. Gibbs replied that “it allows business owners and [Chamber] members to attend and hear the State of the City.” The problem with that statement is that state of the city addresses are not solely for business owners and Chamber members.

When pressed on whether she thought more people could attend the event if it were in the evening or on a weekend, Ms. Gibbs defended the time slot by saying “people who want to attend during lunch can attend.” City Manager Binnquist also noted that the address would be live streamed on Facebook for those who could not attend.  That is hardly the point.

State of the city addresses ought not to be formal luncheon events solely for campaign donors, power brokers, and other politicians to schmooze and pat each other on the back. And who wants to be singled out as the “accommodated non-payee” sitting in the corner? Thanks, but no thanks Alhambra Chamber and City Hall.

‘Never heard of such a thing…’

The State of the City Address should be a public event for residents, held at a time and place that accommodates the greatest number of working families. No fees whatsoever should be associated with the event, nor should it be sponsored by organizations with policy agendas seeking to curry favor with politicians.

What Alhambra is doing with its State of the City Address is not the norm and it should end. The offices of the city clerks of San Gabriel, Monterey Park, South Pasadena, San Marino and Pasadena all confirmed that there are no fees associated with their State of the City Addresses. An employee of the San Marino City Clerk’s Office said she “had never heard of such a thing.”

Let them eat cake

It is time for the City of Alhambra to end this practice and to open up its State of the City Address to the people served by Alhambra politicians. Otherwise, Alhambra City Hall risks looking like a good ol’ boys and girls club that is exclusive to those who can afford a seat at the table. Until then, those who cannot pay or take time off from work are relegated to watch from a distance on Facebook. Cake all around!

>The Alhambra Mayor and City Councilmembers declined to comment for this article.