1999-12-08 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 12-08-99Page 23 of 31 RAY: So, they used to have a strong Mayor form of government, and then switched? J. OTTERSON: The Mayor that I remember, he would come to work. He’d do a few things and then, pretty soon, he would fall off to sleep and he would have a pipe in his hand, and before he did this, he would, into the trash can. N. OTTERSON: It’s the truth. J. OTTERSON: This is true, and ultimately, the fire engine would come up. N. OTTERSON: True. J. OTTERSON: Yes, that’s the honest to God’s truth. IRVINE: That helps for communication. The Fire Chief has to come running in. N. OTTERSON: It’s the truth. It’s the truth. RAY: I don’t even know where Riverside is. Excuse me. J. OTTERSON: You know where LA is, of course. RAY: Okay. J. OTTERSON: Well, you know, 250,000 people, that’s a pretty good sized town. RAY: It is. Right. So, is it like a suburb of Greater Los Angeles? J. OTTERSON: No. No. No. N. OTTERSON: Sixty miles east. RAY: Sixty miles east. J. OTTERSON: In fact, when I was a kid, I was hitchhiking around, and going to the beach and things like this, I would, sometimes, have to ask - well, like Anaheim; Anaheim was about 35 miles from it, and I would have to ask somebody, how do you get out of this town, and get to Riverside. Riverside? I never heard of it. And it was all orange trees. It was the citrus capital. M. HERKES: So, it was agriculture? J. OTTERSON: Pardon? IRVINE: It was. N. OTTERSON: It was. J. OTTERSON: But now most of the citrus groves are gone and mostly all of it is - RAY: Okay, and in terms of the City functions, do they perform similar - are all the functions that this County does - I mean, they have Police, Fire, Public Works, Parks and Rec? J. OTTERSON: Oh, yes. N. OTTERSON: And they own their own utilities. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 12-08-99.html7/1/2011