Vernon, California
Encyclopedia
Vernon is a city five miles (8.0 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, California
. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census
, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state.
The city is primarily composed of industrial areas and touts itself as "Exclusively Industrial." Meatpacking plants and warehouses are common. As of 2006 there were no parks.
Vernon has a history of political problems, and is now fighting disincorporation after city-government corruption was discovered. California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez has proposed legislation, AB46 to disincorporate cities with fewer than 150 residents. Vernon is the only city that would be affected by the bill.
According to an editorial in the April 26, 2011, edition of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, support to maintain Vernon's city status came come from two powerful groups that were rarely allied: The Business Community (including the California, Los Angeles, and Vernon Chambers of Commerce) and the Labor Community (including the Los Angeles Federation of Labor and the Teamsters), joined together in the battle against Sacramento. Both groups acknowledged that Vernon needed a comprehensive political house cleaning, but both maintained its right to cityhood. On August 29, the state Senate rejected the bill to disband Vernon.
AP
reports that the council approved an amended package that cuts the salaries of council members from $70,000 to $25,000 a year, but not beginning until the end of their current terms. Other officials, including the police chief, also will see salaries trimmed, according to city spokesman Fred MacFarlane. Department heads salaries are now capped at $267,000. Previously, some city officials allegedly made more than $1 million to govern the city.
The council also authorized benefit reductions for officials, established a city housing commission and voted to place a proposal on the city ballot that would change the city charter and limit council members to two, five-year terms. The city owns nearly all residential housing in town and there have been concerns that its officials are de facto landlords of the voters.
The city reforms are partially in response to the bill and were designed "to preclude the Legislature from imposing reforms from outside the city. The reforms take the city of Vernon a lot further toward a more open, transparent and inclusive governance structure," MacFarlane said. "The business community will have a role to play, as will representatives of labor, and those are two key constituencies."
On August 2, 2011, Former state Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, hired by the City to do an independent review of its policies, released a report that found “no significant fault” in Vernon’s compliance with the Political Reform Act, conflict of interest policies, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act.
in 1972 and Hornitos
, in 1973.
In 2011, California State Assembly
man John Pérez
submitted a bill to the California legislature which would have disincorporated Vernon as a city. The allegations of rampant corruption prompted the state Assembly to approve California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez's proposed legislation, AB46, to disincorporate cities with fewer than 150 residents.
Disincorporation would make the city of Vernon an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.
Gloria Molina, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which has voted in support of disincorporating Vernon stated: it is a "company town masquerading as a city." "The city has been a facade for some personal gain issues. The residents are employees of the city or major companies and consequently are controlled." If the bill becomes law, Los Angeles County could and most certainly would absorb Vernon.
"The issue here is about the complete lack of transparency and accountability in Vernon," Pérez said. "We cannot tolerate a situation where a handful of individuals are able to use an entire city as their own personal fiefdom."
In May 2011, Vernon officials said they wanted Speaker Pérez to provide a $200,000 deposit before they would begin to fulfill a public-records request that he submitted as part of his proposal to disincorporate the city. The state Senate rejected the proposal on August 29.
Vernon is the historic site where the Battle of La Mesa
occurred on January 9, 1847, the day after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel
, which ended hostilities in Alta California
during the Mexican-American war, 1846–1848. At the end of the 1800s it was a stretch of unincorporated grassland near Los Angeles' flourishing downtown.
In 1905, Vernon was incorporated by ranchers James J. and Thomas J. Furlong and John B. Leonis, a merchant. Vernon was incorporated to promote industrial development along the railroads in the area. John Leonis, of Basque origin, had come to Southern California in 1880 to work for his Uncle Miguel Leonis
and later established his own ranch on unincorporated county land southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Recognizing the importance of the three major railroads running through the area, he persuaded railroad executives to run spur tracks off the main lines and incorporated the adjacent three miles as the first "exclusively industrial" city in the Southwestern United States. He named the new city after a dirt road, Vernon Avenue, crossing its center.
Leonis created an enticing attraction, leasing property to the founders of the city, for a baseball stadium, a 7,000-seat boxing arena and the "world's longest bar", 100 feet long with thirty-seven bartenders. As industrialists from the East Coast traveled to Vernon for heavyweight matches, Leonis sold many of them on locating their West Coast factories in his village. By the 1930s Owens-Illinois
, Studebaker
, and Alcoa
had opened there, purchasing subsidized electricity from the new utility, Vernon Light & Power. When Leonis died in 1953, he left an estate reportedly worth $8 million, including several parcels of land, to his grandson Leonis. Leonis Malburg first won a council seat in 1956 and was elected mayor in 1974. "Vernon has long been dogged by accusations that it is a fiefdom run by a family that has held sway over the town for generations."
In 1907, on the land leased from Leonis, the founders of the city marketed Vernon as a "Sporting Town." Jack Doyle, an entrepreneur, opened the Vernon Avenue Arena, where 20-round world championship fights were held starting in 1908. Shortly thereafter, the Pacific Coast League
built a baseball park. The Vernon Tigers
won three consecutive league pennants. The Vernon Tigers, a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League
, played from 1909 through 1925.
The Poxon China Company was founded by George Wade Poxon (b 1887, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England) and his wife Judith (née Furlong) who in 1913 were married at St Martha's Church in Vernon. The church had been built by the Furlong family in 1913. George Wade Poxon, a cousin of George Albert Wade (later Colonel Sir George Albert Wade), was well known as the chairman of Wade Potteries Limited in England, which produced Wade Whimsies. George Wade (b. about 1863 Tunstall, Staffordshire, father to George Albert Wade and uncle to George Wade Poxon) owned a pottery in Burslem, Staffordshire, England. The Wade family had been associated with the pottery industry for many years. George Wade Poxon was a member of the Royal Science Academy. At the age of 24, in 1911, he emigrated to the United States. The kilns were located on the Furlong ranch.
Vernon Kilns
was founded in July 1931 after Faye G. Bennison purchased the Poxon China Company in Vernon, California. The Poxon China Company had its headquarters on 52nd Street, which is now part of Los Angeles. Bennison continued to produce Poxon lines, using Poxon shapes until an earthquake in 1933 forced Bennison to develop new and original shapes for the company. Two fires in the late 1940s almost brought the destruction of Vernon Potteries, Ltd., but Bennison decided to rebuild and the company continued to thrive. The company was not able to compete when a flood of foreign imports hit the American shelves and in 1958 Vernon Kilns sold all its holdings to Metlox
. Metlox continued to market some Vernon shapes and patterns under the division Vernonware until 1989. The company produced dinnerware, art pottery, figurines, ashtrays and other popular items. All products were of earthenware, with clays from Tennessee
, Kentucky
, North Carolina
, and England
. Glazes were developed from minerals mined in California
, and many patterns, including all of the plaids, were hand painted.
Vernon returned to being exclusively industrial around 1919. Two giant stockyards were opened and meat packing quickly became the city's main industry. Twenty-seven slaughterhouses eventually lined Vernon Avenue from Soto Street to Downey Road until the late 1960s.
In the 1920s and 30s, heavy industries such as steel U.S. Steel
and Bethlehem Steel
, aluminum Alcoa
, glass Owens
, can-making American Can and automobile production Studebaker
sprung up in the city. The 1940s and 50s added aerospace contractors Norris Industries, box and paper manufacturers, drug companies such as Brunswig, and food processors General Mills
and Kal Kan. Giant meat packers Farmer John and Swift
flourished.
In 1932, after a dispute with Southern California Edison
over industrial rates for electricity, John Leonis sponsored a bond measure to authorize the building of the city's own power plant, which is still operational today, providing the city with its notably lower utility rate.
Most of the city's less than 90 voters are city employees or connected to city employees who live in homes rented at a nominal fee. In 1979 a firefighter tried to run for mayor and was immediately evicted and told he couldn't run. In 2006 a group of outsiders tried to move into Vernon and run for office. The city tried to cancel their registrations but was ordered to allow them to run and to count the ballots. Almost none of the city employees voted for them. Leonis Malburg, the mayor for fifty years, was convicted of voter fraud, conspiracy, and perjury in December 2009. In May 2011, the former city administrator Bruce Malkenhorst, Sr., accepted a plea deal for misappropriating $60,000 in public funds.
In 2006, a controversy arose concerning a few people who moved into Vernon and ran for city council. This marked the first time in more than two decades that there was a competitive race for city council. In 2006, eight people converted a 1950s era office building into a five-room apartment (the building had previously been used as a tanning facility turning sheepskin into billiard/pool pockets), and three of them filed to run for office. The city responded by cutting off their power and moving to evict them as illegal squatters. The City of Vernon alleged that the men were part of a hostile takeover attempt by convicted felon Albert Robles
, who nearly bankrupted the nearby city of South Gate
as treasurer and Eduardo Olivo a former Vernon attorney who also worked with Albert T. Robles, in South Gate.
On June 30, California Secretary of State
Bruce McPherson
called on the city to count the votes and expressed his support for the state to take over the responsibility of conducting the city's elections. During the trial it was alleged that all three of the newcomer candidates had direct ties to Albert T. Robles. Alejandro Lopez is a first cousin, David Johnson, Jr., is the brother-in-law of a business partner, Don A. Huff is associated through Eduardo Olivo. In March 2006, Judge David P. Yaffe ruled the city cannot prohibit legally registered voters who reside within its boundaries from running for city council. The city had to be ordered to allow the election to proceed. An election was held under a court order on April 11, 2006. But the city clerk, Bruce Malkenhorst, Jr., refused to count the ballots until the legal disputes were resolved and temporarily ordered the ballots to be sealed. In August 2006, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz, ruled that the newcomers received free rent and jobs prior to registering to vote and that they were involved in a scheme orchestrated by Albert T. Robles and Eduardo Olivo to "steal" the election, but that such actions were not illegal. On October 16, 2006, it was announced that city officials were ready to count the votes from the contested April 11 election. The officials failed to prove their claim of voter fraud. A judge granted Vernon's motion to count the votes.
The challengers lost by a landslide.
Their investigation uncovered evidence of voter fraud on the part of the ruling family, which, it was asserted, tried to keep out new residents. Leonis Malburg, who has been mayor for 50 years, claimed he lived in a small Vernon apartment in the 2800 block of Leonis Boulevard (named after his grandfather, also a mayor), when in fact he was living in upscale Hancock Park
, Los Angeles. His wife and son also claimed to live in Vernon, voting in Vernon elections though evidence indicated they too lived in Hancock Park. Charges against the Malburgs include voter fraud, assisting unqualified voters, false registration, and perjury
.
Malkenhorst Sr. was charged with 18 counts of "misappropriation of public funds" for reportedly taking $60,000 of city money for personal use. His salary from the city had been $600,000. Malkenhorst is still collecting his pension of $499,674.84. In 2010, Malkenhorst received a reported $510,000 annual pension, plus health benefits, as former city administrator, and is the number one person of the 9,111 retired California government workers receiving the highest pensions in excess of $100,000 from CalPERS
. Malkenhorst retired in 2005.
. Although Vernon and Bell share a border in Southeast Los Angeles County, they are very different cities. Bell is a working-class, largely immigrant city with 38,000 residents. Vernon has fewer than 100 residents and is largely a business and industrial hub." Vernon's City Official salaries once rivaled those of the city of Bell.
had subpoenaed testimony from the city of Vernon. Brown's subpoena sought testimony under oath from Vernon officials about compensation and pension benefits for six highly paid city officials, one of whom received more than $1.6 million in a single year for the city.
According to media reports and other sources, Eric T. Fresch was paid $1.65 million in 2008. In 2009 O'Callaghan was paid $785,000, Burnett, $570,000, and Harrison, $800,000. Malkenhorst, Jr. was paid $290,000 in 2008. Malkenhorst, Sr., who also has been charged with misappropriation of public funds, retired in 2005, and as a former employee, still receives a pension that is the highest in the state of California. Malkenhorst, Sr. has been convicted of fraud and is under investigation for several other charges. Malkenhorst pleaded guilty in May 2011 to illegally using public money to pay for personal items. Prosecutors said that from 2000 to 2005, he was illegally reimbursed for personal expenses that included meals, golfing, massages, a personal trainer and a home security system. He received three years' probation and was fined $35,000, including penalties. He was ordered to repay $60,000 in restitution. He was fined $10,000 in addition to other penalties. His total of $105,000 in fines will be no problem for Malkenhurst who continues to receive the highest public pension in California: $509,664. “The law states that pensions are revoked if an elected official is convicted of a felony, but not in the case of an employee,” said Brad Pacheco, a spokesman for CalPERS. Malkenhorst “would continue to receive his pension according to the law.”
In September 2010, the Los Angeles Times
reported that the inquiry follows the newspaper's report that the then-city administrator, Donal O'Callaghan received $243,898 in consulting payments through June 2010, through Tara Energy, Inc., the company run by his wife, Kimberly McBride. The payments were in addition to O'Callaghan's yearly salary of $380,000 for a total of well over half a million dollars. He was accused of corruption for his role in obtaining city jobs for his wife. O'Callaghan was indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury
on three felony counts of conflict of interest
and misappropriation of public funds. He has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of conflict of interest involving contracts and one of public officer crime.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Eric T. Fresch, the former Vernon city administrator, who now serves as a legal consultant, has passed the $1 million mark for the last four years. He was paid almost $1.65 million in salary and hourly billings in 2008, when he was serving as both city administrator and deputy city attorney. Others in Vernon received $570,000 to $800,000 in 2009. Former City Attorney Jeffrey A. Harrison earned $800,000 in 2009 and City Treasurer/Finance Director Roirdan Burnett made $570,000. In 2008, Harrison was paid $1.04 million.
In 2010, Malburg, the former mayor for fifty years, was ordered to pay more than $500,000 after being found guilty of fraud. Prosecutors stated he claimed to live in Vernon but actually had a home in the wealthy Hancock Park
area of Los Angeles. Leonis Malburg and his wife, Dominica, were convicted of voter fraud and other charges.
State Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) proposed a bill that would divest the pensions of any public official convicted of abusing public funds. The bill, SB115, was killed in a state Senate committee this month, with two Republicans voting for it and three Democrats against. The bill drew the ire of several employee groups, including the AFL-CIO
, the California Professional Firefighters and the California State Employees Association
. These groups and the lawmakers who voted against the bill contended that "it discriminated against public employees relative to private employees and said such a law would really harm innocent spouse and family of the convicted officer who will lose their financial security.” Strickland stated he was “shocked” that the bill was killed. “State law affects judges and elected officials, but not people like Rizzo,” he said. “The argument about the family is a weak argument that can apply to any person convicted of a crime. Families are always affected when you talk about criminals.”
, and manufacture of glass and plastic equipment. Housing is owned by the city and its few residents are employed within the city limits. There are approximately 46,000 direct and 54,000 indirect mostly skilled workers employed by business within the City of Vernon. Among the multitude of businesses is Bon Appetit Bakery, Papa Cantella's Sausage Company, F. Gavina and Sons Coffee, Farmer John Meat Packing and Simply Fresh Fruit, whose products are highly visible in many supermarkets, convenience stores and service stations. True Religion
, a national designer of luxury jeans and other apparel, is headquartered in Vernon. The city is also home to rendering plants, food processors, smelters and metal working companies. Vernon has a $4.5 billion private employer payroll.
Vernon is primarily industrial, with few residents, and so has several singular city services. Vernon is one of 42 jurisdictions in the United States with a Class 1-rated fire department and one of four cities in California with its own health department, which specializes in industrial issues. It has a strong police
force, municipally-owned housing
for city employees, and a light and power department with rates up to 40% less than Southern California Edison and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. These services are designed for industry. City employees and their relatives, make up the majority of the residential sector. In 1989 Vernon formed a redevelopment agency, which has since invested millions of dollars to develop property within the city to successfully attract and retain business.
Companies based in Vernon include seafood processors Red Chamber and PAFCO, apparel company, BCBG Max Azria, and Goldberg and Solovy Foods, and hot sauce company Tapatío
.
In 2008, Vernon was named Los Angeles County's "Most Business Friendly City" for Cities with less than 50,000 residents by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Vernon produces a $250,000,000 flow of revenue every year, much of it from city-owned utilities.
Vernon's zip code is 90058
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.2 mi2. 5 mi2 of it is land and 0.2 mi2 of it (3.57%) is water.
was 21.7 people per square mile (8.4/km²). The racial makeup of Vernon was 99 (88%) White, 4 (4%) African American, 0 (0%) Native American, 2 (2%) Asian, 0 (0%) Pacific Islander, 7 (6%) from other races
, and 0 (0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48 persons (43%).
The Census reported that 112 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 28 households, out of which 10 (36%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13 (46%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 3 (11%) had a female householder with no husband present, 6 (21%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1 (9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5 households (18%) were made up of individuals and 2 (7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4. There were 22 families
(79% of all households); the average family size was 4.
The population was spread out with 21 people (19%) under the age of 18, 11 people (10%) aged 18 to 24, 36 people (32%) aged 25 to 44, 30 people (27%) aged 45 to 64, and 14 people (13%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
There were 29 housing units at an average density of 5.6 per square mile (2.2/km²), of which 4 (14.3%) were owner-occupied, and 24 (85.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 10 people (8.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 102 people (91.1%) lived in rental housing units.
for the city was $17,812. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
Many of the 112 residents of Vernon were city employees. Many lived in housing owned by the city government. As of 2006 about 44,000 people who work in Vernon daily live outside of Vernon.
Vernon is located in the 22nd Senate
District, represented by Democrat Kevin de León
, and in the 46th Assembly
District, represented by Democrat John Pérez
. Federally, Vernon is located in California's 34th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +23 and is represented by Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.
The United States Postal Service
Vernon Post Office is located at 5121 Hampton Street.
. The closest public schools are:
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state.
The city is primarily composed of industrial areas and touts itself as "Exclusively Industrial." Meatpacking plants and warehouses are common. As of 2006 there were no parks.
Vernon has a history of political problems, and is now fighting disincorporation after city-government corruption was discovered. California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez has proposed legislation, AB46 to disincorporate cities with fewer than 150 residents. Vernon is the only city that would be affected by the bill.
According to an editorial in the April 26, 2011, edition of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, support to maintain Vernon's city status came come from two powerful groups that were rarely allied: The Business Community (including the California, Los Angeles, and Vernon Chambers of Commerce) and the Labor Community (including the Los Angeles Federation of Labor and the Teamsters), joined together in the battle against Sacramento. Both groups acknowledged that Vernon needed a comprehensive political house cleaning, but both maintained its right to cityhood. On August 29, the state Senate rejected the bill to disband Vernon.
City status
The Vernon City Council unanimously passed salary limits and other wide-ranging reforms on May 26, 2011, as the tiny Los Angeles suburb fought efforts to eliminate its cityhood.AP
AP
A&P or AP or Ap or ap may refer to:-Education:* Advanced Placement, a program that offers college level courses at high schools across the United States and Canada* Ang Pamantasan, a Philippine university student publication...
reports that the council approved an amended package that cuts the salaries of council members from $70,000 to $25,000 a year, but not beginning until the end of their current terms. Other officials, including the police chief, also will see salaries trimmed, according to city spokesman Fred MacFarlane. Department heads salaries are now capped at $267,000. Previously, some city officials allegedly made more than $1 million to govern the city.
The council also authorized benefit reductions for officials, established a city housing commission and voted to place a proposal on the city ballot that would change the city charter and limit council members to two, five-year terms. The city owns nearly all residential housing in town and there have been concerns that its officials are de facto landlords of the voters.
The city reforms are partially in response to the bill and were designed "to preclude the Legislature from imposing reforms from outside the city. The reforms take the city of Vernon a lot further toward a more open, transparent and inclusive governance structure," MacFarlane said. "The business community will have a role to play, as will representatives of labor, and those are two key constituencies."
On August 2, 2011, Former state Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, hired by the City to do an independent review of its policies, released a report that found “no significant fault” in Vernon’s compliance with the Political Reform Act, conflict of interest policies, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act.
Disincorporation legislation
In 2011, the Los Angeles District Attorney began consideration of a move to disincorporate the city. If this were to take effect, Vernon would be the third incorporated place to be disbanded in the past forty years, after CabazonCabazon, California
Cabazon is a census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2010 census, up from 2,229 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in 1972 and Hornitos
Hornitos, California
Hornitos is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California. It is located on Burns Creek south of Coulterville, at an elevation of 843 feet . The population was 75 at the 2010 census....
, in 1973.
In 2011, California State Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
man John Pérez
John Pérez
John A. Pérez is a union organizer and politician from Los Angeles, California, who has been the Speaker of the California State Assembly since March 1, 2010. A Democrat, he represents the 46th district in the California State Assembly.-Early life and career:Pérez grew up in El Sereno and Highland...
submitted a bill to the California legislature which would have disincorporated Vernon as a city. The allegations of rampant corruption prompted the state Assembly to approve California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez's proposed legislation, AB46, to disincorporate cities with fewer than 150 residents.
Disincorporation would make the city of Vernon an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.
Gloria Molina, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which has voted in support of disincorporating Vernon stated: it is a "company town masquerading as a city." "The city has been a facade for some personal gain issues. The residents are employees of the city or major companies and consequently are controlled." If the bill becomes law, Los Angeles County could and most certainly would absorb Vernon.
"The issue here is about the complete lack of transparency and accountability in Vernon," Pérez said. "We cannot tolerate a situation where a handful of individuals are able to use an entire city as their own personal fiefdom."
In May 2011, Vernon officials said they wanted Speaker Pérez to provide a $200,000 deposit before they would begin to fulfill a public-records request that he submitted as part of his proposal to disincorporate the city. The state Senate rejected the proposal on August 29.
History
Battle of La Mesa
The Battle of La Mesa of the Mexican-American War occurred on January 9, 1847, in present-day Vernon, California, the day after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel during the California Campaign.-Background:...
occurred on January 9, 1847, the day after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel
Battle of Rio San Gabriel
The Battle of Rio San Gabriel fought on January 8, 1847 was a decisive action of the California campaign of the Mexican-American War and occurred at a ford of the San Gabriel River, at what are today parts of the cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera and Montebello, about ten miles south-east of downtown...
, which ended hostilities in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
during the Mexican-American war, 1846–1848. At the end of the 1800s it was a stretch of unincorporated grassland near Los Angeles' flourishing downtown.
In 1905, Vernon was incorporated by ranchers James J. and Thomas J. Furlong and John B. Leonis, a merchant. Vernon was incorporated to promote industrial development along the railroads in the area. John Leonis, of Basque origin, had come to Southern California in 1880 to work for his Uncle Miguel Leonis
Leonis Adobe
Leonis Adobe, built in 1844, is one of the oldest surviving private residences in Los Angeles County and one of the oldest surviving buildings in the San Fernando Valley. Located in what is now Calabasas, California, the adobe was occupied by the wealthy rancher, Miguel Leonis, until his death in...
and later established his own ranch on unincorporated county land southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Recognizing the importance of the three major railroads running through the area, he persuaded railroad executives to run spur tracks off the main lines and incorporated the adjacent three miles as the first "exclusively industrial" city in the Southwestern United States. He named the new city after a dirt road, Vernon Avenue, crossing its center.
Leonis created an enticing attraction, leasing property to the founders of the city, for a baseball stadium, a 7,000-seat boxing arena and the "world's longest bar", 100 feet long with thirty-seven bartenders. As industrialists from the East Coast traveled to Vernon for heavyweight matches, Leonis sold many of them on locating their West Coast factories in his village. By the 1930s Owens-Illinois
Owens-Illinois
Owens-Illinois Inc. is a Fortune 500 company that specializes in container glass products. It is one of the world's leading manufacturers of packaging products, holding the position of largest manufacturer of glass containers in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe...
, Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
, and Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
had opened there, purchasing subsidized electricity from the new utility, Vernon Light & Power. When Leonis died in 1953, he left an estate reportedly worth $8 million, including several parcels of land, to his grandson Leonis. Leonis Malburg first won a council seat in 1956 and was elected mayor in 1974. "Vernon has long been dogged by accusations that it is a fiefdom run by a family that has held sway over the town for generations."
In 1907, on the land leased from Leonis, the founders of the city marketed Vernon as a "Sporting Town." Jack Doyle, an entrepreneur, opened the Vernon Avenue Arena, where 20-round world championship fights were held starting in 1908. Shortly thereafter, the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
built a baseball park. The Vernon Tigers
Vernon Tigers
The Vernon Tigers were a minor league baseball team which played in the Pacific Coast League from 1909 through 1925. Vernon, California, was and is a small town in Los Angeles County. The Tigers, together with the Sacramento Solons, joined the PCL as new teams in 1909 as the league expanded from...
won three consecutive league pennants. The Vernon Tigers, a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, played from 1909 through 1925.
The Poxon China Company was founded by George Wade Poxon (b 1887, Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England) and his wife Judith (née Furlong) who in 1913 were married at St Martha's Church in Vernon. The church had been built by the Furlong family in 1913. George Wade Poxon, a cousin of George Albert Wade (later Colonel Sir George Albert Wade), was well known as the chairman of Wade Potteries Limited in England, which produced Wade Whimsies. George Wade (b. about 1863 Tunstall, Staffordshire, father to George Albert Wade and uncle to George Wade Poxon) owned a pottery in Burslem, Staffordshire, England. The Wade family had been associated with the pottery industry for many years. George Wade Poxon was a member of the Royal Science Academy. At the age of 24, in 1911, he emigrated to the United States. The kilns were located on the Furlong ranch.
Vernon Kilns
Vernon Kilns
Vernon Kilns was an American ceramic company in Vernon, California. In 1931, Faye G. Bennison purchased the former Poxon China pottery. Poxon China was located at 2300 East 52nd Street. Vernon produced ceramic tableware, art ware, giftware, and figurines. Vernon Kilns was one of the "Big Five"...
was founded in July 1931 after Faye G. Bennison purchased the Poxon China Company in Vernon, California. The Poxon China Company had its headquarters on 52nd Street, which is now part of Los Angeles. Bennison continued to produce Poxon lines, using Poxon shapes until an earthquake in 1933 forced Bennison to develop new and original shapes for the company. Two fires in the late 1940s almost brought the destruction of Vernon Potteries, Ltd., but Bennison decided to rebuild and the company continued to thrive. The company was not able to compete when a flood of foreign imports hit the American shelves and in 1958 Vernon Kilns sold all its holdings to Metlox
Metlox Pottery
Metlox Pottery, strictly speaking Metlox Manufacturing Company, was a manufacturer of ceramic housewares, located at 1200 Morningside Drive, Manhattan Beach, California. It was founded in 1927 by T. C. Prouty and his son Willis Prouty, originally as a producer of outdoor ceramic signs. After the...
. Metlox continued to market some Vernon shapes and patterns under the division Vernonware until 1989. The company produced dinnerware, art pottery, figurines, ashtrays and other popular items. All products were of earthenware, with clays from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Glazes were developed from minerals mined in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and many patterns, including all of the plaids, were hand painted.
Vernon returned to being exclusively industrial around 1919. Two giant stockyards were opened and meat packing quickly became the city's main industry. Twenty-seven slaughterhouses eventually lined Vernon Avenue from Soto Street to Downey Road until the late 1960s.
In the 1920s and 30s, heavy industries such as steel U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
and Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
, aluminum Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
, glass Owens
Owens Corning
Owens Corning Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass and related products. It was formed in 1935 as a partnership between two major American glassworks, Corning Glass Works and Owens-Illinois. The company was spun off as a separate entity on November 1, 1938...
, can-making American Can and automobile production Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
sprung up in the city. The 1940s and 50s added aerospace contractors Norris Industries, box and paper manufacturers, drug companies such as Brunswig, and food processors General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
and Kal Kan. Giant meat packers Farmer John and Swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
flourished.
In 1932, after a dispute with Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison , the largest subsidiary of Edison International , is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California, USA. It provides 14 million people with electricity...
over industrial rates for electricity, John Leonis sponsored a bond measure to authorize the building of the city's own power plant, which is still operational today, providing the city with its notably lower utility rate.
Elections of 2006
The city held no contested elections from 1980 to 2006; The "Los Angeles Democrat" said city officials virtually "handpick their colleagues": Out of the five current City Council members, four were appointed, not elected by the voters.Most of the city's less than 90 voters are city employees or connected to city employees who live in homes rented at a nominal fee. In 1979 a firefighter tried to run for mayor and was immediately evicted and told he couldn't run. In 2006 a group of outsiders tried to move into Vernon and run for office. The city tried to cancel their registrations but was ordered to allow them to run and to count the ballots. Almost none of the city employees voted for them. Leonis Malburg, the mayor for fifty years, was convicted of voter fraud, conspiracy, and perjury in December 2009. In May 2011, the former city administrator Bruce Malkenhorst, Sr., accepted a plea deal for misappropriating $60,000 in public funds.
In 2006, a controversy arose concerning a few people who moved into Vernon and ran for city council. This marked the first time in more than two decades that there was a competitive race for city council. In 2006, eight people converted a 1950s era office building into a five-room apartment (the building had previously been used as a tanning facility turning sheepskin into billiard/pool pockets), and three of them filed to run for office. The city responded by cutting off their power and moving to evict them as illegal squatters. The City of Vernon alleged that the men were part of a hostile takeover attempt by convicted felon Albert Robles
Albert Robles
Albert T. Robles is an American politician and former mayor, councilman, treasurer, and deputy city manager for the City of South Gate, California. He also served as an elected Director of the Central Basin Municipal Water District in Carson, California...
, who nearly bankrupted the nearby city of South Gate
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
as treasurer and Eduardo Olivo a former Vernon attorney who also worked with Albert T. Robles, in South Gate.
On June 30, California Secretary of State
California Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of California is the chief elections officer of that U.S. state. The Secretary of State is also responsible for the California State Archives, as well as chartering corporations. The Secretary of State is elected to four year terms, concurrent with the other constitutional...
Bruce McPherson
Bruce McPherson
Bruce A. McPherson is a California politician who was the 30th California Secretary of State, sworn in March 30, 2005. He was nominated to replace former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who resigned on March 4. McPherson, a Republican from Santa Cruz County, served his term as Secretary until...
called on the city to count the votes and expressed his support for the state to take over the responsibility of conducting the city's elections. During the trial it was alleged that all three of the newcomer candidates had direct ties to Albert T. Robles. Alejandro Lopez is a first cousin, David Johnson, Jr., is the brother-in-law of a business partner, Don A. Huff is associated through Eduardo Olivo. In March 2006, Judge David P. Yaffe ruled the city cannot prohibit legally registered voters who reside within its boundaries from running for city council. The city had to be ordered to allow the election to proceed. An election was held under a court order on April 11, 2006. But the city clerk, Bruce Malkenhorst, Jr., refused to count the ballots until the legal disputes were resolved and temporarily ordered the ballots to be sealed. In August 2006, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz, ruled that the newcomers received free rent and jobs prior to registering to vote and that they were involved in a scheme orchestrated by Albert T. Robles and Eduardo Olivo to "steal" the election, but that such actions were not illegal. On October 16, 2006, it was announced that city officials were ready to count the votes from the contested April 11 election. The officials failed to prove their claim of voter fraud. A judge granted Vernon's motion to count the votes.
The challengers lost by a landslide.
Corruption charges
On November 15, 2006, the investigation into public corruption charges in Vernon resulted in charges being filed against the city's mayor, Leonis Malburg, as well as his wife, his son, and the former city administrator. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office had launched an investigation in April 2005 upon allegations that the city's former administrator, Bruce Malkenhorst, Sr., had misappropriated public funds for personal use.Their investigation uncovered evidence of voter fraud on the part of the ruling family, which, it was asserted, tried to keep out new residents. Leonis Malburg, who has been mayor for 50 years, claimed he lived in a small Vernon apartment in the 2800 block of Leonis Boulevard (named after his grandfather, also a mayor), when in fact he was living in upscale Hancock Park
Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California
Hancock Park is a historic and affluent urban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California roughly bounded by Van Ness Avenue to the East, Melrose Avenue to the North, La Brea Avenue to the West, and Wilshire Boulevard to the South.-History:...
, Los Angeles. His wife and son also claimed to live in Vernon, voting in Vernon elections though evidence indicated they too lived in Hancock Park. Charges against the Malburgs include voter fraud, assisting unqualified voters, false registration, and perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
.
Malkenhorst Sr. was charged with 18 counts of "misappropriation of public funds" for reportedly taking $60,000 of city money for personal use. His salary from the city had been $600,000. Malkenhorst is still collecting his pension of $499,674.84. In 2010, Malkenhorst received a reported $510,000 annual pension, plus health benefits, as former city administrator, and is the number one person of the 9,111 retired California government workers receiving the highest pensions in excess of $100,000 from CalPERS
CalPERS
The California Public Employees' Retirement System or CalPERS is an agency in the California executive branch that "manages pension and health benefits for more than 1.6 million California public employees, retirees, and their families"...
. Malkenhorst retired in 2005.
Corruption and disincorporation campaign
"With longstanding political woes, Vernon faced allegations of corruption similar to those in nearby cities such as the City of BellBell, California
Bell is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles...
. Although Vernon and Bell share a border in Southeast Los Angeles County, they are very different cities. Bell is a working-class, largely immigrant city with 38,000 residents. Vernon has fewer than 100 residents and is largely a business and industrial hub." Vernon's City Official salaries once rivaled those of the city of Bell.
Corruption allegations
Expanding legal action against excessive salaries and pensions in two southeast Los Angeles County cities, (then) Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr.Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
had subpoenaed testimony from the city of Vernon. Brown's subpoena sought testimony under oath from Vernon officials about compensation and pension benefits for six highly paid city officials, one of whom received more than $1.6 million in a single year for the city.
According to media reports and other sources, Eric T. Fresch was paid $1.65 million in 2008. In 2009 O'Callaghan was paid $785,000, Burnett, $570,000, and Harrison, $800,000. Malkenhorst, Jr. was paid $290,000 in 2008. Malkenhorst, Sr., who also has been charged with misappropriation of public funds, retired in 2005, and as a former employee, still receives a pension that is the highest in the state of California. Malkenhorst, Sr. has been convicted of fraud and is under investigation for several other charges. Malkenhorst pleaded guilty in May 2011 to illegally using public money to pay for personal items. Prosecutors said that from 2000 to 2005, he was illegally reimbursed for personal expenses that included meals, golfing, massages, a personal trainer and a home security system. He received three years' probation and was fined $35,000, including penalties. He was ordered to repay $60,000 in restitution. He was fined $10,000 in addition to other penalties. His total of $105,000 in fines will be no problem for Malkenhurst who continues to receive the highest public pension in California: $509,664. “The law states that pensions are revoked if an elected official is convicted of a felony, but not in the case of an employee,” said Brad Pacheco, a spokesman for CalPERS. Malkenhorst “would continue to receive his pension according to the law.”
In September 2010, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that the inquiry follows the newspaper's report that the then-city administrator, Donal O'Callaghan received $243,898 in consulting payments through June 2010, through Tara Energy, Inc., the company run by his wife, Kimberly McBride. The payments were in addition to O'Callaghan's yearly salary of $380,000 for a total of well over half a million dollars. He was accused of corruption for his role in obtaining city jobs for his wife. O'Callaghan was indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on three felony counts of conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
and misappropriation of public funds. He has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of conflict of interest involving contracts and one of public officer crime.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Eric T. Fresch, the former Vernon city administrator, who now serves as a legal consultant, has passed the $1 million mark for the last four years. He was paid almost $1.65 million in salary and hourly billings in 2008, when he was serving as both city administrator and deputy city attorney. Others in Vernon received $570,000 to $800,000 in 2009. Former City Attorney Jeffrey A. Harrison earned $800,000 in 2009 and City Treasurer/Finance Director Roirdan Burnett made $570,000. In 2008, Harrison was paid $1.04 million.
In 2010, Malburg, the former mayor for fifty years, was ordered to pay more than $500,000 after being found guilty of fraud. Prosecutors stated he claimed to live in Vernon but actually had a home in the wealthy Hancock Park
Hancock Park
Hancock Park is a park in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, area, which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . The park does not, however, lie within the Hancock Park neighborhood which is...
area of Los Angeles. Leonis Malburg and his wife, Dominica, were convicted of voter fraud and other charges.
State Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) proposed a bill that would divest the pensions of any public official convicted of abusing public funds. The bill, SB115, was killed in a state Senate committee this month, with two Republicans voting for it and three Democrats against. The bill drew the ire of several employee groups, including the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, the California Professional Firefighters and the California State Employees Association
California State Employees Association
The California State Employees Association , was founded in 1932 in Sacramento, California. Its early achievements include creation of the first retirement system for California state workers , creation of a credit union for state employees, winning collective bargaining rights for state and...
. These groups and the lawmakers who voted against the bill contended that "it discriminated against public employees relative to private employees and said such a law would really harm innocent spouse and family of the convicted officer who will lose their financial security.” Strickland stated he was “shocked” that the bill was killed. “State law affects judges and elected officials, but not people like Rizzo,” he said. “The argument about the family is a weak argument that can apply to any person convicted of a crime. Families are always affected when you talk about criminals.”
Vernon's industries
Consisting almost entirely of warehouses and factories, the city's main industries are food service manufacturing, metalworkingMetalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
, and manufacture of glass and plastic equipment. Housing is owned by the city and its few residents are employed within the city limits. There are approximately 46,000 direct and 54,000 indirect mostly skilled workers employed by business within the City of Vernon. Among the multitude of businesses is Bon Appetit Bakery, Papa Cantella's Sausage Company, F. Gavina and Sons Coffee, Farmer John Meat Packing and Simply Fresh Fruit, whose products are highly visible in many supermarkets, convenience stores and service stations. True Religion
True Religion
True Religion Brand Jeans is an American premium clothing line, established in December of 2002 by Jeffrey Lubell and co-founder Kym Gold.In the winter of 2002, True Religion debuted its denim products from its Los Angeles base...
, a national designer of luxury jeans and other apparel, is headquartered in Vernon. The city is also home to rendering plants, food processors, smelters and metal working companies. Vernon has a $4.5 billion private employer payroll.
Vernon is primarily industrial, with few residents, and so has several singular city services. Vernon is one of 42 jurisdictions in the United States with a Class 1-rated fire department and one of four cities in California with its own health department, which specializes in industrial issues. It has a strong police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force, municipally-owned housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
for city employees, and a light and power department with rates up to 40% less than Southern California Edison and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. These services are designed for industry. City employees and their relatives, make up the majority of the residential sector. In 1989 Vernon formed a redevelopment agency, which has since invested millions of dollars to develop property within the city to successfully attract and retain business.
Companies based in Vernon include seafood processors Red Chamber and PAFCO, apparel company, BCBG Max Azria, and Goldberg and Solovy Foods, and hot sauce company Tapatío
Tapatío hot sauce
Tapatío is a hot sauce, produced in Vernon, California, that can be found at many grocery stores in the United States. It rates 3,000 on the scale of Scoville units....
.
In 2008, Vernon was named Los Angeles County's "Most Business Friendly City" for Cities with less than 50,000 residents by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Vernon produces a $250,000,000 flow of revenue every year, much of it from city-owned utilities.
Geography
Vernon is located at 34°0′4"N 118°12′40"W (34.001213, -118.210979).Vernon's zip code is 90058
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 5.2 mi2. 5 mi2 of it is land and 0.2 mi2 of it (3.57%) is water.
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Vernon had a population of 112. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 21.7 people per square mile (8.4/km²). The racial makeup of Vernon was 99 (88%) White, 4 (4%) African American, 0 (0%) Native American, 2 (2%) Asian, 0 (0%) Pacific Islander, 7 (6%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0 (0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48 persons (43%).
The Census reported that 112 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 28 households, out of which 10 (36%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13 (46%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3 (11%) had a female householder with no husband present, 6 (21%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1 (9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5 households (18%) were made up of individuals and 2 (7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4. There were 22 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(79% of all households); the average family size was 4.
The population was spread out with 21 people (19%) under the age of 18, 11 people (10%) aged 18 to 24, 36 people (32%) aged 25 to 44, 30 people (27%) aged 45 to 64, and 14 people (13%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.5 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
There were 29 housing units at an average density of 5.6 per square mile (2.2/km²), of which 4 (14.3%) were owner-occupied, and 24 (85.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 10 people (8.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 102 people (91.1%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
The median income for a household in the city was $62,000, and the median income for a family was $62,575. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita incomePer capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,812. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
Many of the 112 residents of Vernon were city employees. Many lived in housing owned by the city government. As of 2006 about 44,000 people who work in Vernon daily live outside of Vernon.
County, state, and federal
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Vernon is located in the 22nd Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat Kevin de León
Kevin de León
Kevin de León is a Democratic member of the California State Senate, elected to serve Los Angeles County's 22nd Senatorial district in November 2010. The district includes Downtown Los Angeles, East Hollywood, Echo Park, Elysian Valley, Mt...
, and in the 46th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat John Pérez
John Pérez
John A. Pérez is a union organizer and politician from Los Angeles, California, who has been the Speaker of the California State Assembly since March 1, 2010. A Democrat, he represents the 46th district in the California State Assembly.-Early life and career:Pérez grew up in El Sereno and Highland...
. Federally, Vernon is located in California's 34th congressional district
California's 34th congressional district
California's 34th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The district consists of downtown Los Angeles and the neighborhoods of Huntington Park and Bell Gardens...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +23 and is represented by Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
Vernon Post Office is located at 5121 Hampton Street.
Churches in Vernon
- Fellowship Community Church of L.A. (Southern Baptist Convention)
- Holy Angels Parish of The Deaf (Roman Catholic)
- St. John Bosco Catholic Church
Education
Vernon is within the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. The closest public schools are:
- Vernon City Elementary School (within the city limits)
- Holmes Ave Elementary School
- George Washington Carver Middle School
- Gage Middle School
- Huntington Park High SchoolHuntington Park High SchoolHuntington Park High School is a public high school in Huntington Park, California, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.-History:...
See also
- 38th Street gang38th street gangThe 38th Street gang is a Chicano street gang from South Central, Los Angeles. The 38th Street gang is one of the oldest street gangs in Los Angeles.- History :...
- List of California public officials charged with crimes, Vernon