Three-alarm election
Fire Department critic Philpott seeks Glendale council seat
By Carl Kozlowski 12/24/2008
After waging a yearlong yet ultimately unsuccessful battle to make cuts in Glendale Fire Department staffing and spending, local activist and former Pasadena Police Chief Bruce Philpott has announced plans to run for a seat on the Glendale City Council in the April election.
In throwing his hat in the ring, Philpott — who served with the Pasadena Police Department from 1963 to 1991 — cited several issues facing Glendale beside fire-related concerns.
“I simply saw an opportunity to make government work more cost-effectively in coming up with new models for the Fire Department, and then I started applying that effort to the overall city finances and saw some very disturbing trends,” Philpott said in a phone interview last week.
Philpott noted the devastating impact that the economic downturn has had on cities nationwide, observing that “many other cities are building too much on credit and racking up debt.” However, he feels that the cure to Glendale’s woes lies in reducing the city’s payroll.
One man, no band
Musician and Pasadena resident Arthur Nakane has spent much of the past five decades entertaining Los Angeles-area residents and tourists as a literal one-man band. But following the theft of most of his customized instruments and related sound-system equipment, Nakane fears that he may have played his last tune.
Despite his occasional work as a Japanese translator, Nakane’s main source of income came from tips for his performances.
On Dec.16, Nakane discovered that the Toyota pickup he uses to transport his self-created musical rig — which enables him to play keyboards, drums, electric guitar and harmonica and sing, some simultaneously — was broken into in the garage of his home near Fair Oaks Avenue and Glenarm Street.
Since then, the inventive tunesmith, who has appeared on late-night TV shows and local news programs, has worked his media contacts to land coverage of his plight.
Nakane has established a Paypal account to collect donations for equipment replacement and redesign. He estimates that it will take about $3,000 to make everything perfect again. Those who wish to help can visit www.paypal.com and type in Arthuronemanband@hotmail.com, or write him at Anakane@hotmail.com.
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