Alhambra : Parole Office Fears Heard

A delegation of city officials from Alhambra and Monterey Park went to Sacramento Monday to discuss with two state legislators and three state Department of Corrections representatives citizens’ concerns about a state parole office in Alhambra.

For weeks, residents have been complaining that the office, which opened in February at 1721 West Garvey Ave., is improperly located in a neighborhood of single-family homes on the border of the two communities.

According to Monterey Park’s acting City Manager David P. Bentz, the local officials agreed to help state officials try to find alternative sites for the office. The office serves as a counseling center for more than 1,000 former prisoners who live in East Los Angeles and the western San Gabriel Valley.

Corrections officials agreed to meet again with the city managers of Monterey Park and Alhambra on Aug. 19, Bentz said.

State Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier), and Assemblyman Charles M. Calderon (D-Alhambra) told the local officials to encourage residents to continue writing letters in their campaign to relocate the facility, Bentz said. “It’s hoped that we can find a mutually agreeable solution to the problem,” Bentz said.