Monterey Park Fire Chief Gets Reprimand for Frank Memos : FIRE: Chief Reprimanded : Please see FIRE, Page 7 Continued from Page 6

MONTEREY PARK — City Manager Mark Lewis has reprimanded Fire Chief James O. Page for a series of internal Fire Department memos that comment unfavorably on local political leaders and refer to residents as “the great unwashed masses.”

For example, the memos call former City Councilman Cam Briglio “a master of misinformation” and refer to former Acting City Manager David P. Bentz as “no dummy” whose temper, “when it flares . . . tends to reveal his true feelings.”

The purpose of the periodic memos was to outline the Fire Department’s strategy in support of a proposed takeover of the city’s fire safety operations from the county Fire Department. The Times last week obtained copies of the memos, called Countdown, which were edited by Page and written by him and three members of the Monterey Park Firefighters Assn.

The City Council earlier this year approved a study of whether the takeover would save money, result in better fire protection, and benefit local firefighters in terms of career opportunity, pay, promotions and pensions.

Fire District Mergers

In the last three decades, the move toward regional fire protection has gathered momentum throughout the Los Angeles area. Forty-seven small and medium-sized communities have merged with the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire Protection District.

Lewis, who became city manager Aug. 22, said: “Somebody asked me if I was going to fire the fire chief. I said no. I’m new on the job, and I’m not going to fire the chief.”

Lewis would not say how he learned about the Countdown. Several council members said they were shocked last week when they found out about the memos, which have been distributed to firefighters since last spring.

The city manager met privately last Friday with Page, a Monterey Park native who was once a county Fire Department battalion chief and who was appointed the city’s chief in 1986. On Saturday, Lewis briefed the council in a closed session. He met with Page again Monday.

Neither Lewis nor Page would provide specifics about their discussions, except to say that they were very frank. Lewis would not say what, if any, disciplinary action he took against Page.

The chief did say that he would “not continue to edit or distribute the memos.” But he said he could not stop the firefighters association from writing about the possible takeover.

Lewis said the two “talked about why the content of the Countdown was not appropriate.” But he added: “I don’t think the idea of publishing the Countdown is inappropriate. The concept of communicating in writing on daily basis with the people that work for you is not a bad concept. It just got carried away in this case, and the chief understands that.”

Page characterized his meetings with Lewis as the equivalent of a child being taken by a parent to a back yard woodshed for punishment. “I think Mr. Lewis and I are very clear what he expects from me. I think he is the best thing to hit Monterey Park in a long time. Mr. Lewis wants me to participate with him in elevating the level of public policy discussion (on the takeover issue) . . . so it can be done in a more deliberate, less emotional manner.”

The chief made these comments Tuesday in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C., where he was attending the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs convention. He addressed the convention on how the Monterey Park department has overcome language barriers in a community where many people speak only the languages of Asia and Latin America.

Mayor Christopher F. Houseman called the memos “an unfortunate occurrence.”

Likewise, Mayor Pro Tem Barry L. Hatch said, “it’s regrettable, and I have strong, strong feelings about it.”

Neither Houseman nor Hatch would comment further.

Anti-Rumor Device

Page, the chairman of the board of three fire safety and emergency services publications distributed nationally, said publishing the memos was a way to counter rumors and to provide accurate, up-to-date information to Fire Department personnel concerned about the takeover issue.

The memos, which were not made available to the public, were posted in fire stations and could be obtained by firefighters at the chief’s office.

Although he did not usually write the memos, Page said, he would meet daily with at least one of the three firefighters he appointed to write them, and he would review the material.

Capt. Mark Khail, one of the three who helped write the memos, said he could not comment on the matter. Union spokesmen could not be reached for comment.

Page defended the memos, saying that by working closely with the firefighters association in publishing them, he defused labor-management tensions.

‘Took a Chance’

Describing himself as an untraditional fire chief, Page said: “I took a chance with my people and made myself vulnerable.”

Before he became chief, Page said, the department had not been managed well, and “I had to turn that around.” During his tenure, he said, no grievances have been filed by the firefighters association.

Had he not used such a management style with the 46-member association, Page said, “they would have a storefront (union) office on Garvey Avenue with a bank of telephones, trying to influence the political process.”

Page, who is a non-practicing attorney, said he carefully screened the memos for libel problems. “Frankly,” he said, “some of those (memos) were really toned down (in editing).”

Regardless, he said, the memos were distributed within the Fire Department and were not intended for public consumption.

Although the possible takeover has generated very little public controversy, the memos reflected some of the public debates on politics and community issues in recent years.

The June 3 Countdown made this comment: “It’s probable that remnants of Monterey Park’s old power structure will never grasp the concept of regional fire protection.

“We may see and hear suggestions that annexation is simply another way of ‘giving away our fire department.’ Since Monterey Park no longer has an English-language newspaper of its own, it is likely that the ‘plantation owner mentality’ will be presented to council members via personal phone calls.”

In an interview, Page acknowledged that two English-language newspapers are published in the city but said they have not adequately covered the Fire Department.

The June 21 memo dealt with a helicopter field trip that City Council members were to take the next day as part of a tour of county Fire Department facilities.

”. . .We got a taste of the bizarre environment that seems to be the driving force in (Monterey Park) politics,” the memo said.

Activist’s Dream

Councilwoman Patricia Reichenberger, according to the memo, had called Page’s office to say that a local community activist thought it was a bad idea for three council members to fly in a helicopter at the same time. The memo noted that the activist’s wife later told Page about an unspecified dream her husband had.

The Countdown continued: “This kind of alarmist behavior by community ‘activists’ should be anticipated as we get closer to a final City Council decision on (takeover).”

Under the heading of “Up Jumps the Devil!” the July 20 memo reported that former City Councilman Briglio was apparently “dead set against” the takeover and was “mad because firefighters wouldn’t support him for reelection.

The memo also said: “. . .Before last April’s election, Councilman Houseman was privately labeling . . . Briglio ‘the wrecker’--in reference to Briglio’s tendency to rant and rave, distorting messages and intents, and getting meaningful discussions off track. . . .

“It would be a mistake to dismiss Briglio as an illiterate buffoon. He is a master of misinformation, and he has a strange but certain appeal to the fringe element that disrupted council meetings so consistently while Briglio was in office. Between bug spray appointments (Briglio is an exterminator), he spends a lot of time . . . fostering his contacts in hopes of another run for office. . . . It is likely he could inspire the great unwashed masses to turn a pivotal council meeting into a disorderly shouting match.”

‘Fought Like Hell’

In an interview, Briglio, who was defeated for reelection in April, said: “I fought like hell for the Fire Department, and now this is the way they kick me in the teeth.”

Briglio said any fire takeover should be approved by the voters. So far, he said, he has not made up his mind. “The facts are not in. If there’s a savings, the city will go for it. If there isn’t, the city will not go for it.”

The July 15 memo commented on the announcement that Lewis, then city manager of South San Francisco, had been selected to replace Acting City Manager David Bentz, who had said he was not interested in the job.

“The people (in the South San Francisco Fire Department) don’t feel Lewis understands fire department operations very well. . . . His greatest strength (and interest) seems to be in municipal finance and community development. He is not afraid of (and works best with) strong department heads.”

Lewis and other city officials said it is important that the controversy does not confuse the issue of whether the takeover is a good idea.

Before continuing negotiations with the county Fire Department, Lewis said, he wants “to make sure that we do a very good job of reviewing all the issues involved.” In doing so, he said, “we want to make sure the council is comfortable and . . . the public is comfortable with the (takeover concept).”

Following are excerpts from internal memos distributed within the Monterey Park Fire Department during the last three months. They deal with a proposal for the county to take over the city’s Fire Department.

Yesterday . . . was a good day for hopeless optimists because it seemed to deliver large quantities of horse manure. First there was the report that (county fire chief) John Englund was retiring.

Roadblocks (to the takeover) seem to be the work of a (county) deputy chief who has in the past expressed great apprehension about competing for promotions against (Monterey Park’s) present chief. Apparently the game plan is to keep (Monterey Park) and a certain fire chief out of the (county system until) after Englund’s replacement has been selected.

A little bit of ignorance or misinformation presented at the wrong time or place could kill some very important career hopes for a lot of people.

Closed mouths and open ears will serve us best at this time. By waiting for each hint of opposition, identifying in advance the probable opponents, and preparing a thoughtful strategy to counter the opposition, we’ll be much better off than (with) knee-jerk reactions to people who have a natural affinity for conflict.

John Gee (of the county Fire Department’s administrative staff) was Chief James O. Page’s guest at the Lions Club. Gee had the opportunity to meet a number of the community’s elders (former mayors, councilmen, businessmen, etc.). These are the people most likely to argue against (the takeover), probably because it symbolizes change, and many of them spend much of their time complaining about changes that have occurred already in Monterey Park.

A complicated tale of politics, ambition, embezzlement and revenge has entangled the highest ranks (in the county Fire Department). Our primary interest . . . is whether the fallout from the Paternostro embezzlement will somehow complicate or retard the potential for (the takeover).

(William Paternostro, an accountant in the county Fire Department, was charged in June with embezzling $526,663 from 1982 until 1987.)

(The news media does not seem) to be paying attention to the story. In an age of trillion-dollar federal debts, multibillion-dollar fraud in defense contracts, and six or seven kids getting murdered every night in South L.A., a million-dollar embezzlement doesn’t attract much attention.

Speaking of heartburn.

Former City Manager Lloyd de Llamas dropped by City Hall. Lloyd still has considerable influence in City Hall and Chief Page felt it wise to give him a briefing. We could make some caustic remark about how Lloyd made our day, but he probably did us a favor.

Smoke from Schabarum:

Even though (Monterey Park) is not in his district, County Supervisor Pete Schabarum may offer some unwelcome (and damaging) opinions. When the Pomona (Fire Department merger with the county) came before the board, Schabarum actually opposed it.

The longer the issue remains quiet and uncontroversial here at home, the greater the chance of getting (Supervisor Ed) Edelman’s support.

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