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Whittier Informed, Whittier, CA (2026)

05/11/2026

The City of Whittier spent years pursuing ownership of 7 miles of Whittier Boulevard from Caltrans. In 2025, the state handed it over, along with a one-time $16.7 million payment to help cover future costs.

So what's the plan?

According to City Manager Conal McNamara, there isn't one. But if the city council wants one, staff can put it together.

The city invested that $16.7 million in a government-backed investment account, earning around $350K in interest this year. The goal is to use that interest for ongoing costs, without touching the $16.7M except for one-time costs like trucks and equipment. But personnel alone will cost $466K/per year. That's already more than the interest covers.

Councilmember Vicky Santana raised the question: where does the money come from to actually improve Whittier Blvd if we are only spending interest?

To put it in perspective, the Painter Ave and 5 Points intersection projects currently under construction are costing up to $7M (those are Metro-funded). Now, the city has the whole 7 miles of the Blvd to consider.

The city is projecting a $3.6 million deficit for FY 2026-27, growing to $9 million by 2030. McNamara pointed to increasing sales tax revenue as one solution to fund an improvement plan for Whittier Blvd.

The budget proposal review for 2026-27 returns to the city council on May 12.

05/08/2026

Back in March, there was an informal community meeting to discuss the 9 townhomes + 1 ADU development that will demolish and replace 2 single-family homes on Camila St in Uptown.

Now, the project has been officially submitted and is headed to a public hearing on May 14 at City Hall.

At a public hearing, your comments become part of the official record and can influence the board's decision, including requiring the developer to make changes to the design.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄:

▪️The architect describes the style as both "Contemporary Farmhouse" and "Craftsman"
▪️Units are for-sale at market rate, no affordability requirements
▪️9 three-story townhomes ranging from 1,229–1,307 sq ft, two bedrooms each
▪️Tuck-under garage parking for each unit, plus 3 general guest spaces
▪️The ADU to be built above the covered guest parking space and is bundled with one unit, not sold independently

The homes being demolished were built in the early 1900s, around the same era as The Bailey House, Whittier's first home and a protected historic landmark down the street.

Consultants hired by the city and the developer determined that these homes don't qualify for the same protection.

Also down the street: Hoover Elementary School.

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: May 14 at 4:00 PM | Whittier City Hall, Design Review Board Meeting

05/08/2026

Whittier's 2026-27 budget is being reviewed this week. There's a lot to unpack, but here's what every resident should know first: the city is spending more than it makes.

The new city council, sworn in just one week ago, is learning the city is projecting a $3.6M deficit for the coming fiscal year. It’s being covered by drawing from reserves: savings set aside for pensions, homeless services, and road maintenance.

But it doesn't stop there. The city's own 5-Year Financial Plan projects that gap growing to more than $9M annually by 2029-30.

▪️In 2024, the city projected this 2026-27 fiscal year would end with a surplus of $889K
▪️By 2025, that flipped to a projected $1.1M deficit for 2026-27
▪️Today the reality is a projected $3.6M deficit (a $4.5M downward swing in two years)

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲?
No. Whittier has strong reserves. But spending more than you earn year after year puts those reserves on a path toward depletion.

That context matters given that on March 24, three weeks before the April election, the outgoing council approved raises of up to 27% over three years for city executives and the entire police department, and a 19% raise for the City Manager. The full long-term cost was not disclosed in the public-facing documents.

In recent years, Whittier looked financially healthy on paper. Two things obscured the real picture.

▪️COVID made the numbers look better than they were. The city spent less, put projects on hold, and got federal relief money that isn't coming back.
▪️Then in 2025, the state transferred Whittier Blvd to the city along with a one-time $16.7M payment for future road and maintenance costs.

One-time funding sources temporarily strengthened the city's financial picture, even as long-term spending pressures kept growing.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁
The city continues reviewing the budget Tuesday, May 12 at the next City Council meeting.

05/04/2026

Councilmember Mary Ann Pacheco challenged the city to do more than post resources in Spanish.

"Some things may be available, but if you don't know how to get them, or you dont know they exist, they are in reality not accessible. So they may as well not exist," Pacheco said at the April 28 City Council meeting.

The topic was Whittier's Title VI Program Plan, a federal civil rights requirement for any city that receives federal transportation funding. The plan, updated every three years, is meant to ensure the city's transit services are accessible to all residents regardless of race, color, or national origin.

This update covers Dial-A-Ride, a city-operated transportation service for seniors and residents with disabilities.

The plan outlines bilingual brochures, Spanish website translation, and interpretation at City Council meetings upon request. It does not describe any targeted outreach to make sure Spanish-speaking residents know those resources exist.

According to the plan, which cites 2021 U.S. Census data, roughly 7,033 Whittier residents, about 8.6% of the population, speak English "less than very well."

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁: A Spanish-language notice posted on Dial-A-Ride vehicles and at senior centers is supposed to tell riders how to reach the city if they believe their civil rights have been violated. Questions about the level of review given to the Spanish-language version arise from two details: typos in the Spanish text and a wrong number, a 559 area code that reaches Able Inc., a disability employment nonprofit in Visalia, nearly 200 miles away, with no connection to the City of Whittier.

For a Spanish-speaking resident who sees that notice on a vehicle and calls, it leads to Visalia.

05/03/2026

Following the April 14 election, former Vice President Kamala Harris left a voicemail for newly elected council members Aida Macedo, Vicky Santana, and James Becerra.

During the swearing-in ceremony on April 28, Macedo said, "Whittier was put on the national radar due to our community and our hard work. We gave hope to the country.”

04/26/2026

The final results are in and the numbers tell a bigger story than just who won.

Whittier is divided into 12 precincts for city elections. Newly elected James Becerra, Vicky Santana, and Aida Macedo swept every precinct.

There's a nearly 3x gap in turnout between the lowest and highest performing precincts in the city.

80% of votes were already cast by mail before polls even opened. The outcome was largely shaped before a single in-person ballot was counted.

Overall turnout jumped 107% from 2024 to 2026, from 8,202 votes to 17,006.

Since 2016, Joe Vinatieri has gotten 5–6k votes in off-cycle elections, and his opponents about 1.7k. His 2026 total (5,298) fits that pattern. Becerra’s 11k doesn’t…this was a different voter group.

Whittier holds its city elections separately from statewide elections, which historically leads to lower turnout. The newly elected council said at candidate forums they would move elections back to align with state dates, and now they have the power to do it.

[Edit: in a previous image, Precinct 22 was incorrect. That image was corrected and re-upload.]

04/23/2026

Three weeks before the April 14 election, Whittier's outgoing city council approved sweeping changes to executive and police contracts. Then voters removed all three incumbents from office on Election Day.

Competitive compensation at this level is standard across California. What's noteworthy is that these decisions were made during the last city council meeting before an election.

Here's what was approved on March 24:

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀
Raises of up to 27% over three years were locked in for all executive city hall employees and the entire police department — from patrol officers to captains. Seven director positions also received a separate 2% market rate adjustment on top of those raises.

𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
City Manager Conal McNamara received a 19% raise less than one year into his tenure, bringing his salary to $365,000 per year (or $30,417 per month.) His severance package was also expanded and can now reach up to $547,500 if the incoming council decides to replace him. Every time city directors receive a raise, he automatically gets one too.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
After approving raises for all executive directors, the council created two new positions to supervise them...
— a Deputy City Manager-Administration overseeing Human Resources and Risk Management
— and a Deputy City Manager-Operations overseeing Public Works.

Both positions require a minimum of five years experience in their respective fields.

𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁
Police management and city directors can now convert up to 200 hours of unused vacation into cash every year. By 2028 that's worth between $16,000 and $27,200 annually on top of base salary.

𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁
The full three year cost, or even an estimate, does not appear anywhere in the public facing documents. The agenda report states future costs will be covered by existing reserves without specifying how much.

There is much more included in the March 24 package than what is listed here — these are some of the highlights.

Mayor-elect James Becerra and Councilmembers-elect Vicky Santana and Aida Macedo inherit all of it when they are sworn in on April 28.

04/18/2026

In July 2025, Councilmember Mary Ann Pacheco held a press conference in front of City Hall calling for the removal of Planning Commissioner Richard Quirk.

The call came after a video surfaced showing Quirk and his husband dressed as an ICE agent and an undocumented immigrant at a costume party.

In the months that followed, residents spoke at meetings and called for action. Pacheco push for his removal, but the rest of the City Council ignored the issue.

Pacheco later requested a review of the city’s ethics policies for appointed officials, including commissioners. That item was delayed and Pacheco was told that it wouldn't be discussed until May.

Now, just days after Mayor Joe Vinatieri and Councilmembers Fernando Dutra and Octavio Martinez lost their re-election bids in the April 14 Whittier City election, Quirk has resigned from the Planning Commission effective immediately.

04/15/2026

Whittier Election Night — First Count Results

Mayor: James Becerra — 67%
District 2: Vicky Santana — 63%
District 4: Aida Macedo — 69%

Note: These results reflect vote-by-mail ballots processed through 3 p.m. today and in-person ballots from Saturday through Monday. Election Day in-person votes are still being counted tonight.

Final ballots are still being counted, but Joe Vinatieri is on pace to end his time in office after 20 years, Fernando Dutra after 26 years on the city council and commissions, and Octavio Martinez after a single four-year term.

Additional ballot counts are scheduled for Wednesday, Friday, and April 21.

04/11/2026

If you want to vote in person for the 2026 Whittier election, voting locations are now open April 11–14, from 7am to 8pm daily.

City Hall: 13230 Penn St
Palm Park: 5703 Palm Ave
Whittwood Library: 10537 Santa Gertrudes Ave
York Field: 9110 Santa Fe Springs Rd
Michigan Park: 8232 Michigan Ave

If you're not registered to vote, you can still register up until election day.

We’re already seeing more mail-in ballots submitted than at this point last year, but turnout is still on track to be low.
Every vote over the next four days can shape the future of Whittier.

After the 2024 local election, when only about 8,000 people voted, the Whittier Daily News asked Mayor Joe Vinatieri about the low turnout.

He said, "Those who wanted to vote, voted and there's no real excuse other than you chose not to vote."

Is it that simple?

Are you voting? Why or why not?

04/07/2026

That roller skating rink we heard was coming to the Whittier Packing House at Penn St and Whittier Blvd…It's not happening.

We first heard about the potential comeback of a Skateland-style rink in 2024, when the City announced during its State of the City address that a roller rink was expected to come to the Packing House, neighboring King Richard's Antique Center. The announcement generated a lot of excitement. For many residents, it felt like something iconic was finally returning.

Soon after, we received tips that the project wasn't moving forward, but we weren't able to confirm at the time.

Then this past week, 10 days before the April 14 local election, the Whittier Daily News published a Q&A with Mayor Joe Vinatieri about his 2026 reelection campaign, in which he said, “I am hopeful a new roller-skating rink will open in the future when the Whittier Packing House opens.”

So we reached out to the property developer, and on April 6, they confirmed it: a roller rink is not being pursued.

The concept was explored early on in coordination with the City, but further review revealed it would require a special permit, along with substantial building upgrades and retrofits to meet current code. Given the scope and cost, it was ruled out.

Instead, the developer says they are now focused on bringing in food, wellness, and family-oriented tenants as part of a broader redevelopment plan for the site.

Stay tuned as we continue to follow developments coming to the Whittier Packing House.

Whittier Informed

05/11/2026

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

05/04/2026

05/03/2026

04/26/2026

04/23/2026

04/18/2026

04/15/2026

04/11/2026

04/07/2026

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