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Mountain Views News Saturday, June 28, 2025

From the City of Sierra Madre's Website"

CALIFORNIA RAPID RESPONSE NETWORKS

The City Of Sierra Madre is sharing this regional legal resource made available by the ACLU of Southern 
California for individuals seeking guidance on immigration enforcement activities. https://www.aclusocal.
org/en/california-rapid-response-networks 

BEAR SIGHTINGS IN SIERRA MADRE ON THE RISE


This 172 Kg (379.195 lbs.) female bear, approximately 2 years old was trapped on the Mt. 
Wilson Trail. Photo submitted by Bob Spears.

THIEVES BREAK IN 
TWO SIERRA MADRE 
BUSINESSES

SIERRA MADRE 2025=2026 BUDGET ADOPTED - CHALLENGES 
AHEAD By Kevin McGuire

City Council approved earlier this month, the 
Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Annual Budget after 
receiving an update and breakdown by Finance 
Director Anthony Rainey during a recent public 
hearing. Three resolutions were adopted on June 
10, 2025, adopting the budget and approving the 
Gann Appropriation Limits and Fee Schedule. 
The turnout for this public hearing was minimal, 
and no public comments were made. 

City staff began working on the budget in April, 
utilizing a zero-based process that involves a 
line-by-line review of expenditures with Rainey 
and the City Manager, Jose Reynoso. 

According to Mr. Rainey’s report, while 
expenditures surpass current-year revenues, the 
use of reserves is both sensible and compatible 
with the city’s financial policies and legal 
obligations. This approach enables the city 
to meet the community’s needs and sustain 
essential services without compromising its 
economic stability. 

The inclusion of reserves reflects responsible 
fiscal stewardship and a balanced budget, in line 
with recognized government finance practices, 
even as efforts continue toward achieving long-
term structural balance, according to Rainey. 
The General Fund shows a projected shortfall of 

$900,000, which is attributed to one-time capital 
projects at the Sierra Madre YMCA, which 
is property owned by the city. The remaining 
gap, approximately $560,000, stems primarily 
from baseline cost increases, including a rise 
in CalPERS contributions and other combined 
increases in non-personnel services accounts.

Sierra Madre can expect approximately $35 
million in total revenue in the upcoming 
fiscal year, according to the report. This is the 
culmination of $20.9 million from various 
government funds, including the General Fund, 
Special Revenue Funds, and Proprietary Funds 
such as water, sewer, and internal services. On 
the other hand, the city is expected to spend 
approximately $45.8 million, which is broken 
down as follows: $31 million for government 
operations and $14.8 million for proprietary 
operations.

Staffing Needs

Staff is recommending funding for 91 full-
time positions in the city and 20,080 part-time 
seasonal hours for FY 2025-2026. There is a 
growing demand for increased customer service 
for the Planning and Community Preservation 
areas. Filling these staffing needs aims to benefit 
the community by providing expanded services 
and enhanced program delivery. 

General Fund Summary

The proposed FY 2025–2026 General Fund 
budget shows a projected funding gap of $1.46 
million. According to Rainey, this results from 
$19.1 million in total expenditures, along 
with $336,900 in transfers out and $100,000 
in contingency allocations, which exceed 
the projected revenues of $18.05 million. No 
transfers in are included in this proposed budget. 

In this projected funding gap, $900,000 
is attributed to multiple, one-time capital 
projects: the installation of an ADA-compliant 
elevator at $750,000 and the YMCA pool 
safety improvements, which total $150,000. 
These projects are eligible for funding from 
Unassigned General Fund Reserves because they 
represent one-time capital improvements. Staff 
recommends that the City Council authorize the 
use of $900,000 in reserves at the time of budget 
adoption to fund these improvements fully. 

In summary, Sierra Madre is expected to bring 
in less revenue than last fiscal year and incur 
approximately $14 million more in expenditures. 
This will undoubtedly pave the way for a more 
challenging road ahead for the city. 

Future Concerns

After many years of a budget surplus, the city 
may seek to find other sources of revenue and 
resort to budget cuts to avoid digging a deeper 
hole for itself down the road. 

Here are some things that need to be considered 
in the future. 

• According to Director Rainey, 
it is projected that the General Fund 
will incur deficits in the coming years, 
as expenditures are expected to grow 
at a faster rate than revenues. Sierra 
Madre also faces significant new funding 
pressures related to emerging community 
needs and ongoing labor negotiations. 
• These reports have identified 
critical operational and infrastructure 
needs in both the Police and Fire 
Departments to meet the evolving safety 
and emergency response requirements of 
the community. 
• There is a growing gap between 
the Classified Employees Association 
(CEA), Mid-Management, and Executive 
Management salary ranges. This causes 
challenges in recruiting and retaining 
employees. This also puts a burden on 
efforts to offer competitive wages similar 
to those of surrounding cities. 
• Sierra Madre is in the process 
of a major expansion and renovation 
of the existing library. Although this 
renovation will address space issues, it 
will also raise questions about staffing 
and funding for future operations. 
• Pension and retirement 
obligations continue to be a long-
term fiscal challenge. These necessary 
liabilities have a significant impact on the 
City’s annual budget. The City remains 
committed to its Pension Funding Policy 
and is projected to maintain a funded 
ratio of approximately 84%. 
• There are $15.1 million in new 
capital appropriations for Fiscal Year 
2025–2026, along with $2.92 million in 
carryover funding from prior fiscal years. 
These investments support a broad range 
of critical infrastructure and service 
improvements. 


Water and Sewer

The Water Enterprise Fund is projected to 
generate $7.3 million in total revenues, primarily 
from customer service charges of $6.95 million, 
and receive an additional $26,000 in transfers, 
resulting in a total available resource of 
approximately $7.33 million. Total expenditures 
are projected at $7.91 million, resulting in 
a net reduction in available resources of 
$584,000. Within the expenditure plan, $2.4 
million is allocated to capital outlay to support 
key infrastructure investments [$882,000 of 
carryover from FY 2024-2025], according to 
Rainey’s presentation. 

The proposed budget for the Sewer Enterprise 
Fund projects totals $1.36 million, primarily 
from service charges of $1.33 million. Interest 
income is projected at $25,000, with no 
additional revenues or transfers included in 
the budget. Total expenditures are estimated at 
$1.05 million. 

Resources from FEMA for the Eaton Fire were 
not considered for this budget plan, according 
to Rainey. 

Here are the resolutions that were adopted.

• Resolution 25-39 adopting the fiscal 
year 2025-2026 budget 
• Resolution 25-40 approving the Gann 
appropriations limit for FY 2025-2026 
• Resolution 25-41 approving the FY 
2025-2026 fee schedule.


According to city staff, by adopting this budget, 
the City Council will continue to implement 
the Strategic Plan in a fiscally responsible and 
community-focused manner. 


The tranquility of Sierra Madre was disrupted 
sometime between late Wednesday evening or 
early Thursday morning, when a thief broke into 
two popular Kersting Court businesses. Mother 
Moo Creamery (pictured above) and Something 
Healthy Cafe were both vandalized and had their 
cash registers stolen.

According to SMPD Chief Gus Barrientos, the 
cash registers at both locations were taken and 
recovered. One was found abandoned on Montecito 
Avenue. It is believed the break-ins occurred 
sometime after midnight but were not 
discovered until approximately 5 am. by a passing 
jogger.

According to security cameras, the break-ins 
were committed by one masked thief, believed 
to be male. Investigation into the identity, including 
the analysis of fingerprints at the crime 
scenes is ongoing. Video cameras at multiple 
locations are also under review.

SMPD regularly patrols the town, especially the 
downtown area at night. As a result of this incident, 
Barrientos stated that the department has 
implemented increased patrols in the area.

Anyone with any information on these burglaries 
should contact the Sierra Madre Police Department 
- 626-355-1414.

S. Henderson/MVNews

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com