Wednesday, April 11, 2007

CAC Meeting on April 12, 2007

The next Community Advisory Committee meeting for the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project is scheduled for Thursday April 12, 2007 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in San Pedro.

The meeting, which begins at 6:00 PM will feature a presentation by the folks from the City Planning Department who will introduce some conceptual plans for Ponte Vista based on the recommendations, partly from the Community Advisory Committee members.

During the last three meeting, members of the committee, along with representatives of the Planning Department have developed concepts, designs, and ideas for what they might like to see at Ponte Vista.

The committee, created by Councilwoman Janice Hahn, is attempting to make recommendations to the Councilwoman, the Planning Department, and Bob Bisno, the project's developer, on what would be best suited for our community.

In other news:

Start looking, beginning Thursday morning, for bumper stickers and lawn signs from your friends at R Neighborhoods Are 1. The steering committee for the group has signs and bumper stickers available, and a donation for the sign, bumper sticker and button would sure help the group out. Please visit their Web site at http://www.rneighborhoodsare1.org/ for more information.

If you are out and about this weekend in the area of the Albertson's store on Western Avenue, near Westmont, and you are there between Noon and 4:00 PM, please stop by and say to some volunteers and fill out an R1 petition, if you haven't done so already. If you can't stop by, and you want to sign a petition, you can find many copies on the Internet by visiting the Web site above, looking through the pages of this blog, or visiting either Northwest San Pedro, or Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Councils' sites by clicking on the link to the right.

Thanks to whoever was the 10,000 page viewer on this blog. Whether you stayed for a very short while, or read a page or two, I appreciate your visit and I hope this blog didn't bore you.

There are some folks who think that there are not too many individuals who support R1 at Ponte Vista and the new group has few real members. I don't know the exact number of "members" but I know a few things about some numbers.

Both the Northwest San Pedro and Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Councils have boards of directors. Those boards represent the members of the organizations. those organizations represent over 40,000 households in San Pedro and both boards of directors have gone on record opposing Mr Bisno's current plans and propose keeping Ponte Vista R1.

Mira Vista HOA represents a 600-home association, and its board of directors oppose Mr. Bisno's current plans and propose maintaining the current zoning at Ponte Vista.

In fact, there are numerous homeowners associations and coalitions that oppose Mr. Bisno's current plans and favor keeping Ponte Vista R1.

Even though I still call for compromise and believe it will bring both the senior housing so many of the supporters claim they want, it will also mean Bob Bisno would have to supply all the mitigation for the project, I am quite shocked at the number of people who have signed the R1 petitions. This town may become known as the place that finally took a real stand against big development, and turned away a developer who wanted a development that was just too big.

4 comments:

Tom said...

Mark,

Sorry to disagree. I hope I don't break the consensus we seen to have formed about seeking compromise.

But...
Despite what you've said about supporters of the R Neighborhoods Are 1 concept, you have yet to name, and the people involved have yet to step forward, the "steering committee" of R Neighborhoods Are 1.

The officers of the HOAs and board members of the Neighborhood Councils you cite are public record. So far, the membership of the "steering committee" is still a secret. Why? What are they trying to hide? Their small number or their obstructionist agenda?

What is the "steering committee" trying to hide? Each of Bisno's support groups makes their membership public. Why is the "steering committee" special and deserving of anonymity?

As my posts have demonstrated, I don't support the Ponte Vista proposals as written. I've caught a lot of flak for not opposing Bisno outright, and I'll most likely catch a lot more before this process is finished. But at least I put it out there and am willing to take my lumps. But when a group will not even identify themselves it makes whatever position they espouse suspicious.

All this does is reinforce my contention that a large number of people are being unduly influenced by a radical few using terrorist tactics. And their refusal to make themselves known is just an attempt to shield themselves from any responsibility for making false and misleading claims. Not only are they using terrorist tactics, they are acting like cowards. Why don't they declare their stance and stand up for their beliefs in the light of day?

M Richards said...

Ow Tom, you've hit a nerve!

For anyone to use or suggest that any of the members of the steering committee are using "terrorist tactics" is beneath the user of those words. We have enough problems dealing with the whole "terror and terrorits" issues in our country that those terms are now very derogatory and I wish you would not use those particular words. You invite language from others that can only engorge their rage.

I am a member of the steering committee, if you think you want to know more of the members of that group, just come to a CAC meeting and ask around. I bet many of the steering committee members will be wearing R Neighborhoods Are 1 buttons, tonight.

The group has absolutely nothing to do with anything violent, untrue, or deceptive. I leave the deception to the Bisno organization and their repeated uses of false and demeaning propaganda.

If anyone wants to know the opinion of a member of the steering committee, find out who they are and ask them. I am a steering committee member and I am quite willing to share my views and my considerable base of facts and figures to inform anyone about any issue concerning the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project.

Of all the members of the steering committee I know, there is only one individual who may have witnessed any violence in his life. This individual is an L.A.P.D. officer and on the committee, he is one of the most giving, friendly, and informative individuals I know.

What is "radical" about keeping a site with its current zoning? What is "radical" about leaving well enough alone? What is "radical" about maintaining what the Los Angeles City Council found quite reasonable to do when it established the current zoning at Ponte Vista? What is "radical" about allowing folks the opportunity to buy a single-family, detached home in San Pedro? What is "radical" about finding some secure place where seniors can enjoy a new home in their later years?

I do not see, and cannot find where anything about R Neighborhoods Are 1 is radical at all. What Bob wants to do is very radical in terms of numbers and types of homes, only at Ponte Vista. He wants to take just about the last large area in our community and make it look like all the other condo developments that are being built. He wants to radically change the composition of the area and the look of the region.

The R Neighborhoods Are 1 group has stood up and taken their stance. They want the current zoning of R1 residential and OS1 open space maintained at Ponte Vista. Their stance is the simplest, most straight forward, and least complicated of all.

Those of us who want compromise are the ones that have to prove our point. Tom, you have suggested proposals and some of them I totally agree with. It is up to us to make our reasonings known as you and I have both done.

In the very near future Tom, you will see members of the steering committee and others interested in R Neighborhoods Are 1 actually stand up for their beliefs. You will be able to meet some of the members at Albertson's on Western near Westmont this weekend.

As someone who does not totally agree with what R Neighborhoods Are 1 is doing at this time, they are the only recognizable opposition group to Ponte Vista, other than the boards of the neighborhood councils. I feel that comments like your about the new group will only inflame folks even more and the new group could get even more members.

I think Tom, your comments have indicated you know some of the other members of the steering committee. I don't see the group as "obstructionist" because they want to maintain what is there. They will be obstructionist if they can't find a way to get a road built to Mary Star and still keep the site all R1. That is something I have warned them about and I hope that point is getting through to some of them.

Tom, I challenge you to try and come up with any evidence that anyone opposing the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project is using any tactics that you might call "terror". I wish you hadn't used that incindeary word, but you did, so now please explain yourself.

Every time Bob uses misconceptions, falsehoods, errors, and mistakes, and everytime someone calls opponents to Bob's current plans "ranting elitists" or someone uses "fighting words" like "terror or terrorist" they only help the oppostion to Bob and a large development.

Tom, in some small way, it seems to me you are now contributing to the ideals of R Neighborhoods Are 1 by some of the language you use, and it makes the job of folks like me and you, who want compromise, that much harder.

Tom said...

Mark,

What do you call people then who keep their identities secret and spread propaganda in order to make people afraid?

Perhaps I should have said "economic terrorists". I don't know.... "Panickers" doesn't seem to get across the seriousness of what is happening. People are in fear, real fear, of having their neighborhoods mobbed by hordes of newcomers. For those used to the laid-back ways of our town. This is "terrifying".

Other than you, I know of no other member of the "steering committee". Any attempt to figure it out would be just a guess. Why can't they just come forward and listed themselves on the press release?

Mark, on this I have to stick to my position that it gives the perception they are hiding something.

As far as "radical", I come to that conclusion because from what I have heard and read, there is nothing on earth which would makethem soften their position. That, by definition, is radical.

I should nothaveto ferret out the members of the steering committee by going around looking for buttons. They demand transparency from Bisno. All those on his advisory boards had to declare themselves and abstain from activities if they happened to be involved with any neighborhood councils. Why should R Neighborhoods Are 1 be held to a different standard?

So perhaps the word carries an emotional charge. Give me a different word to use which describes their behavior and I'll use it. I definitely do not want to be classified in the same category as them since I have classified them as throwing gasoline on the fire.

M Richards said...

O.K. Tom, now we are getting back on track.

The "propaganda" you believe the group is spewing out are facts that can be sources from public documents including reports from Bisno Development Corp. and government agencies.

I would agree that some folks might actually be "panicky" at the prospect of 2,300 units at Ponte Vista and all that comes with that much housing. There is still too many unknowns that have some folks really anxious. None of those I think are members of the steering committee.

I think your point about steering committee members making themselves known is more valid than invalid. I do feel, however, it is up to the individual member to make themselves known, if they choose to. I will write that none of them would be worried about their membership being known, but it is up to them and not me to let you all know who they are.

I don't reveal the names of folks I write Emails to and I communicate with folks on all sides of the issues of Ponte Vista.

Even though transparency is "demanded" from Bisno, I must admit to you that that fact is not always the case. Bob has lobbyists and others who we don't know about and his wealth provides him with priviledges we don't have.

Bob also is continuing, in open public sources, a pattern of deception that he continues to get away with.

Before Mr. Wilson was selected as the spokesperson for R Neighborhoods Are 1, we had planned on a press conference where our picture would be taken and everyone would be able to see who is on the steering committee at that time. We are still considering an event where we all will be available. There are upcoming events in our community where members will be out.

One way to find some members of the steering committee is to look for their five-star "ranting elitist" buttons. This is a button that signifies there profound interest in the Ponte Vista project but oppose Bob's current plans. Not all "five-star ranting elitists" are members of the steering committee, but the vast majority of them are.

I will write to the steering committee members and if they want their name released, I will post their names on this blog. Fair enough?
MW