City Hall News : THE REGION : Mayors Again Unable to Fill AQMD Vacancy
San Gabriel Valley cities and the county’s other suburbs will be without representation on the Southland’s air quality board for a second month because their mayors failed for a fourth time to fill an open seat.
Despite several roll calls at a meeting of mayors last Thursday, none of three Valley candidates garnered enough votes.
The latest stalemate led angry mayors to call for reform in the way board seats are filled.
“There has to be a change in the statute that regulates how this is done,” said Sierra Madre Mayor Clem L. Bartolai. The winning candidate must earn votes of 42 cities with a total population of at least 2.3 million.
The mayors deadlocked on Pomona Councilwoman Nell Soto and La Canada Flintridge Councilwoman Joan C. Feehan. La Puente Councilman Louis R. Perez dropped out after the first ballot.
At one point, Soto won the votes of 37 cities with 2.1 million residents. But she could not attract further support from the backers of Feehan, who is seen as having stronger environmental concerns.
Since November, the mayors have met four times to elect a replacement for Henry Morgan, who was recalled from the Covina City Council.
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