" Bob Bisno is Going to Save San Pedro"

"Bob Bisno is going to save San Pedro". Do I need to write it again? Okay, fine. "Bob Bisno is going to save San Pedro." Linda D'Ambrosi, a strong supporter of Bob's current plans spoke those words and repeated them several times during her comments to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) at tonight's meeting.

Linda D. has lived all of her 57 years in San Pedro, she claimed, (well, she actually has lived in RPV for some time), she is a real estate agent, when she chooses to work, and mentioned how affluent she is, for some unknown reason.

You all should have been there. I know I didn't pee in my pants while I was howling with laughter, but I can't say some of the other 40-50 folks who were also laughing out loud didn't wet themselves. This was just one small event in what turned out to be a very interesting meeting.

First, the Planning Department presented their conceptual idea of what they thought the CAC wanted at Ponte Vista. Missing was any single-family residences and any Senior Housing section, that many of the CAC members actually wanted to see. In short, the drawing presented by the Planning Department was criticized by just about everyone in the room, supporters, opponents, and probably even the wait staff for the hotel.

The audience for tonight's meeting had over twice as many folks wearing R Neighborhoods Are 1 buttons than all the supporters in the room, including the wait staff. To suggest that this new group has few members or is just a small group would be in error, and the numbers of folks willing to donate to the cause and get buttons, bumper stickers, and lawn signs, will grow, I am sure.

When it was my time to speak I pointed out that Mr. Bisno claims in multiple publications that there will be "single-family housing" at Ponte Vista when he actually plans none. I suggested that if it is true he wants "a mix of single-family housing, condominiums, and town homes" like he has repeatedly written, then he should build a beautiful, secure, and comfortable section of condominiums and town homes for seniors and the rest of the residential lots be of R1 size. That way seniors will get what they want, folks who want R1 lots will get most of the property that way, all the mitigation, including a road to Mary Star would get built, and it would provide a compromise that I believe we all can live with, IMHO.

All the speakers in support of Mr. Bisno's current plans said basically the same thing they always say, except good old Linda. The many, many folks who spoke in opposition to Mr. Bisno's current plans spoke about different things and did not repeat too many issues.

It was very apparent that nobody on the CAC had any real good comments about the conceptual drawing supplied by the Planning Department, except John Greenwood. He spoke about some of the amenities that the drawing suggested, but he was not pleased about not seeing any single-family housing, and was concerned whether there is a real want for a separate senior housing section.

During the next meeting, on April 26, there is supposed to be a presentation and a Q&A session with the City Department of Transportation. Unfortunately, they have such a low credibility factor with the members of the CAC and many of us, it might not matter what they present because nobody will believe them, anyway.

It appears to me that the powers that be, perhaps Janice Hahn, the Planning Department, Bob Bisno, and some others in city government want the CAC's job wrapped up as soon as possible and definitely by June. This is very, very unfortunate. Ponte Vista at San Pedro will forever change the nature of our community, no matter what is built there. It is probably the last large open area on which to have the opportunity to build out rather than up. No one should hurry this process along. The land will not go anywhere unless a large earthquake moves it, and then why build anything there. The land has time. Our community has only one chance to do this correctly. If it is not done right, we will all suffer.

Victor Griego is back as the facilitator and he proposed that the CAC try to work on finding some concensus during the next meeting, on what might work at Ponte Vista. It also appears to me that Victor is trying to speed the CAC along, and I believe that is not in our community's best interest.

Whether you support Bob, oppose Bob's current plans, or want some kind of compromise, we all need to take as long as it takes, learn as much as we can, and be ready to live with the consequences, whatever they are. Even though Janice Hahn might want Bob out of her town as soon as possible, that is no excuse to shortchange the processes and become shortsighted to her voters.

Tonight, R Neighborhoods Are 1 showed a tiny bit of muscle getting so many folks out to the meeting on less than 24 hours notice. I can just imagine that Bob will have his supporters out in force on April 26, as well he should. The new group will be out and about. If you don't see us around, perhaps we will knock on your door. I won't advise you to sign the R1 petition because I have not signed it, for reasons you should all already know. But if you feel the calling to support a group opposed to Bob's current plans, perhaps you might want to sign a petition, put a lawn sign in your front yard, while you still can, wear a button, and try to help create the best possible outcome for OUR community.