SIERRA MADRE EDITION


SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2017 

VOLUME 11 NO. 3

CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON NEW 
CITY MANAGER CONTRACT

MUCH NEEDED RAIN PROVES TO BE A CHALLENGE

Many Trees in Upper Canyon Suffer

From City Manager's Report

Canyon Crest Drive - Public Works staff was alerted to a fallen mature Coast Live Oak on Thursday, January 
12th that was completely blocking the one-way section of Canyon Crest Drive. The following Saturday, 
Januarys 14th, Public Works staff was informed of an additional mature Coast Live Oak that had fallen and 
blocking Fern Lane, a small one-way street just off of Churchill Drive.

 In both cases, the trees were privately owned, as are essentially all trees in the Canyon areas, and the residents 
were diligent and had the road blockages cleared in a very timely manner. Staff feels that the failure of the trees 
is most likely due to the years of drought and then a sudden persistent rain that probably weighted the outer 
canopy portions of these trees.


After receiving applications from 
75 candidates, 10 of whom had City 
Management experience, the Sierra Madre 
City council met in 3 closed sessions last 
week to find the person whom they believe to 
be the best fit for Sierra Madre. According 
to the staff report submitted for the next 
council meeting, they unanimously agreed 
upon Gabriel Engeland who last served as 
City Manager of Trinidad, Colorado.

Mr. Engeland will replace outgoing City 
Manager Elaine Aguilar, who retired after 
serving over 9 years in the position.

Engeland, a graduate of Central Michigan 
University with a BS in Community 
Development and a Masters in Public 
Administration from the University of 
Kansas, has been on what has been described 
as the ‘fast track’ to city management. He 
most recently served as the City Manager 
of Trinidad, Colorado (2015 to present), a 
town of 8,465 residents which is a “Home 
Rule Municipality”.1 Prior to that, he served 
as the Assistant to the Town Manager of 
Gilbert, Arizona from 2012-2015 and also 
served as the Interim Parks and Recreation 
Manager (9 months) and Development 
Services Director (5 months) in Gilbert.

As Sierra Madre’s City Manager, Engeland 
will become the administrative head of city 
government, responsible for the enforcement 
municipal laws, direct daily operations 
of the City, making recommendations 
to the Council, preparing and managing the 
city’s budget, appointing and supervising all 
City department heads and employees, and 
supervising the operation of all City departments. 
Like most cities in California, Sierra 
Madre is a general law city2 run under the 
“council-manager” form of government. 

The proposed contract offers Engeland 
a base salary of $182,000 per year (a 
substantial increase over City Manager 
Aguilar’s salary of approximately 
$156,000) plus a full benefits package and 
car allowance. It will also cover $5,000 of 
Engeland’s moving expenses. The contract 
does call for a commitment from Engeland 
of at least 5 years of employment with the 
City of Sierra Madre.



Mayor Gene Goss says that, “He had the 
best combination of experience, education 
and leadership characteristics” of all the 
candidates applying for the job. “I am 
thrilled that we found him and that he is 
willing to come and work for us”.

The decision to offer the position to 
Engeland was unanimous by all members 
of the council. A formal vote is expected 
Tuesday evening. 

1 Home Rule involves the authority of a local 
government to prevent state government 
intervention with its operations. Theextent of its 
power, however, is subject to limitations prescribed 
by state constitutions and statutes. 

2 General Law: (definition) A general law city 
is one which operates under laws and rules 
established by the State of California. The 
council-manager form of government is similar 
to that of a private compa-ny’s board of directors 
and CEO. The council-manager form is the 
system of local government that combines the 
strong political leadership of elected officials in 
the form of a council or other governing body, 
with the strong managerial experience of an 
appointed local government manager. This estab-
lishes a representative system where all power is 
concentrated in the elected council who then hires 
a professionally trained manager to oversee the 
delivery of public services.

S. Henderson/MVNews

Gabriel Engeland, City Manager Candidate

The City of Sierra Madre has sandbags available to residents at the City 
Maintenance Yards. The Maintenance Yards are located at 621 Sierra Madre 
Blvd., behind the basketball courts. Please bring your own shovel.

SAFETY TIPS FOR HEAVY RAINS:

· Clear debris and overgrowth from drainage channels and rain gutters before
rains.

· Be very cautious if holiday lights are still up and being used. When saturated
with water they can cause a short. Surge protectors are recommended.

· Keep fuel in your car; power outages might shut down gas pumps.

· Do not use any food, even canned, that has come in contact with rainwater.

· Stay away from storm drain channels and other bodies of water.

·Keep your disaster kit updated with flashlight, extra batteries, portable battery-operated radio, first aid kit and manual,
emergency food and water for your family and pets, non-electric can opener, essential medications, sturdy shoes and comfort 
items for children.

· Allow extra time and caution for travel.


GROUP LIVING FACILITIES ORDINANCE ON 
COUNCIL AGENDA

The Sierra Madre City Council will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 
to consider amending applicable chapters in the Zoning Code to include regulations of 
“group living facilities” in the Zoning Code. The objective of the amendments are to:

• Provide a framework for the inclusion of housing and care facilities for people with
disabilities in the City.
• Provide some protection to a vulnerable population in the absence of State or Federal
licensing or other regulatory oversight.
• Update the definitions section of the Zoning code to conform to current Health and
Safety Code definitions.
• Establish procedures and operational requirements for unlicensed group living
facilities and licensed group living facilities with seven (7) persons or greater.
• Identify zoning districts where such uses can be located subject to a conditional use
permit.
• Establish conditional use permit requirements, application procedures, and operational 
requirements in a new Chapter 17.94 – Group Living Facilities Subject to a Conditional 
Use Permit.