By Shel Segal

ROSEMEAD – The Rosemead City Council on Tuesday night appointed longtime city politician Gary Taylor as the new mayor and Polly Lo as the new mayor pro tem. Miller had the distinction of being mayor during the city’s 25th anniversary, and will coincidentally also be mayor during Rosemead’s 50th year since incorporation in1959.

In other council meeting news:

The city would like to raise a banner on city streets for each Rosemead resident who is on active military duty.

The council also proclaimed, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Temple Station, March as “Safe Communities Month.” In addition, it honored the more than 40 graduates of the city’s first Community Emergency Response Team class.

However, because of budget cuts, that class might be its last, prompting city officials to vow to look into ways to fund the program, which aids a community in emergency preparedness when first responders, such as paramedics and fire, cannot get there fast enough, like in the event of a major earthquake striking Southern California.

Caltrans hosted a presentation on work that will be commencing soon on the on- and off-ramps of Interstate 10. As the freeway was built in 1956, work is needed, a Caltrans official said, between interstates 605 and 5, through summer 2011 at a cost of $167 million.

Another presentation was given to the council on the progress of high-speed rail coming to California. This project might be going through the heart of the San Gabriel Valley as it attempts to connect Los Angeles Union Station with San Diego in one hour, 20 minutes, while winding through the valley to the Inland Empire and south to the greater San Diego area.

Also, while there will be a high-rail stop at Ontario International Airport, another San Gabriel Valley spot is being looked for, somewhere between El Monte and Pomona, officials said.

The council decided to extend by one year an ordinance to allow the city to continue studying and making findings regarding mixed-use commercial and residential developments. The city has already extended the ordinance to one year and this subsequent extension is the final one allowed by law.

In addition, the city unanimously approved a prioritized preliminary capital improvements projects list for inclusion in the city’s Parks, Recreation and General Facilities Master Plan.

The next council meeting will take place on March 23 at 7 p.m.

(Shel Segal can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)