What a week this was!
I will put the trivia first: Bob Bisno's new proposal for Ponte Vista at San Pedro!
This plan was roundly condemned by opponents, government leaders, bureaucrats, and even many supporters of Bob's Ms. Hahn thought so little of it that she apparently instructed the members of her advisory committee to come up with their own proposal and not even take the time to review Bob's plan before they came up with their own recommendations.
"Nineteen fifty is not too swifty!?
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R1 petition signatures gatherers so far stands at 8,766 as of June 21. That is 5,670 signatures gathered in just short of three months! Every single signature received was collected at a cost of ZERO dollars and ZERO cents.
Every single signature collected on pro-Bisno petitions, survey cards, sign-up cards, interested buyers cards and forms, were touched by folks receiving paid compensation if one form or another to receive, collect, and process them.
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I think it is becoming more obvious that all of the L.A. Area needs to stop for some time and rethink "smart growth" and higher density developments.
The Mayor of Redondo Beach has suggested a moratorium on any new building.
The City of Rolling Hills Estates has ended its "Overlay Zone"
Recall Jack Weiss is growing momentum
L.A. City Attorney Rocky D. seems to be in a bit of hot water.
Mayor V. of L.A. has been rumored that he will become a new father.
The developer of Ponte Vista at San Pedro is calling only for about a 15% reduction in the number of units he wants to build
Playa Vista has new lawsuits being issued the longer it continues to be built out.
The housing market is in a crunch.
Centre Street Lofts is offering a 2-year-no HOA dues and fees incentive to attract new buyers to a development that is not selling out fast enough.
None of these issues by themselves can make us rethink decisions about building higher density housing. Taken together they seem to paint a picture of a larger community that does not want higher density building, at least now and for the time being.
Politicians can't be trusted. Units are going unsold, communities are scaling back their outlook on developments, and there seems to be a growing call stating: "enough is enough."
The greater L.A. metropolitan area has a higher population density than New York City, I have been told. Why should the folks already living here accept more high density housing that will only increase the nightmares on everyone and decrease the quality of life for all of us?
We may "need" the housing, but an ever-growing number of us do not "want" higher density developments. We pay our taxes, we buy items in this area, why shouldn't we get what we want?
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It is important to vote on June 25, for Board of Director seats on the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council. Making a statement that you support the candidates you support and coming out in numbers demonstrate to everyone that the Board can remain a strong Board and they can influence poloticos and bureaucrats. A large voter turnout means that the Board can use those turnout numbers to demonstrate its strength when confronting balking individuals they have to deal with.
For information on voting and candidates, please read other posts on this blog.
A wonderful person has come up with an interesting slogan that I printed on some buttons and it seems to be quite true:
"IF YOU DON'T VOTE, YOU DON'T COUNT!"
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The petition signing table is scheduled to be at Trader Joe's from Noon until 3:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. There will not be any petition gathering at Peck Park on Monday June 25! The R1 group is not going to do what Bob and his gang attempted to do last year, and place anything in the park. If you want to qualify yourself to vote in the election by signing the R1 petition, you need to do it prior to June 25.
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Tom Field has posted his thoughts about Bob's new plan, on his blog. We still agree to disagree about the size and scope of the project, but I was not as upset with his post as he thought I might be.
His criticism of Chuck Hart and Ray Patricio's comments that I too feel are racist, were fine by me. I think Joe Donato, who is running for honorary Mayor of San Pedro, was out of line and didn't understand that CAC members get to talk all they want, but the public only gets a limited time to comment. If Joe doesn't like what CAC members say, then he probably should not attend those meetings and find some other way to support Bob.
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Thursday June 28, same time, same place, is the next CAC meeting.
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A friend of mine was contacted by a person who knew Bob Bisno when they were both very young. I am trying to get confirmation on everything my friend told me before I publish what I learned. Stay tuned.
6 comments:
I read on this blog that a great guy by the name of Chuck Hart said something "racist" at a CAC meeting. So I went slumming over to the other blog. According to "Tom" Chuck said: "We need more million dollar homes." We don't have them now but we used to. Back before RPV came into existence every house on the east side of the Palos Verdes Hills (except behind the gate at Rolling Hills) out to Marineland had a San Pedro mailing address--and the kids went to Pedro High. I didn't find any "racism" as to what Chuck said so now I'm lost.
Thanks Mellonhead for your comment.
There were more than just me and Tom Field who thought Chuck's comment was attempting to say that he wished for more expensive housing so certain individuals would not be able to afford the more expensive homes.
The way he said what he said seemed to imply that he does not like having such a racially inclusive community as we have.
Some of got an inferrence that Chuck would not like to see more minorities move into the area.
It was a combination of what he said and how he said it, that we thought was offensive.
Chuck is a great guy, but sometimes great guys say stupid things. There are at least a half dozen of so folks other than Tom and I that found what Chuck said to be offensive.
Back before parts of R.P.V. were annexed into that city, many areas were considered to have San Pedro Mailing addresses. But out on P.V.Drive South and most of P.V.Drive East, those kids went to P.V.P.U.S.D. schools including Miraleste High School.
I think the intersection of P.V.Drive East and P.V.Drive South was the dividing line for who got to attend S.P.H.S. on that side of the hill.
The "Eastview" section, until a few years after it was annexed had kids only attending L.A.U.S.D. schools. Now that area of R.P.V. can select which school system to send their kids to.
There may soon come a time when no student living in R.P.V., close to either Crestwood or Dodson will go to either school.
MW
Redondo Beach did not move forward with the moratorium due to internal politics.
The way I see it the word "racist" is used far too much these days. It can put a label on someone when it's not true. IT'S DIVISIVE!. I don't like it and don't use it unless it is absolutely necessary. When talking about the schools my time frame was the mid to late 1950's when I was in high school. There was no Miraleste High, or PV High yet. If you lived in Miraleste or Portuguese Bend you went to Pedro High. If you lived in Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, or Palos Verdes Estates you went to Narbonne.
Thanks anonymous and Mellonhead.
I can agree with your idea about the word "racist" as I pondered your comment. I wish I knew of a better word to suggest something that less divisive as that word is. You are correct that it is divisive and almost slanderous these days, but I am having trouble thinking of a word that I could use to describe how I felt Chuck's comments were. What did you think about what Ray Patricio said? Would there be a less divisive word that could be applied to his comments.
As far as local schooling, I can only use my experience from beginning in 1960. I know Miraleste High wasn't built back then because I used to go riding horses on Mr. and Mrs. Woodbridges' land that they donated to become part of the Miraleste site.
Mellonhead's description would be in line with the age when Palos Verdes Peninsula High School must have been built in the 1960's, when I think it was originally called Rolling Hills High School.
The Mayor of Redondo Beach thought about a moratorium and even that suggestion made in public by a politican probably took some guts. A moratorium probably won't happen, but just the suggestion of something like that may make calls for slowing down building higher density housing at least a little stronger.
As far as Chuck's call for R1, I am much more pleased by that then by the stances taken by John Greenwood and Dan Dixon who I feel should support the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council's represented population that strongly favor keeping the Ponte Vista site with its current zoning.
John Greenwood has an 853-unit compromise recommendation that he rolled out at the last CAC meeting and Dan is still working toward a compromise recommendation he can author or agree to.
When looking at John's recommendation, it looks strikingly like the recommendation Dan, Lucie Thorsen, and I crafted when I was still a member of the CAC. The three of us worked with an Urban Planner and another staffer from the Planning Department to come up with one of the three illustrations that the CAC brought forth at an earlier meeting. If I hadn't gone over to the R1 side on May 29, I probably would think that John's current recommendation is something the CAC should strongly look at.
If John's recommendation finds more favor with the CAC members who want compromise, that would be better than Jerry Gaines' "three times R1" recommendation he mentioned at the last CAC meeting.
Of course, Betsy Weisman told everyone that the Planning Department doesn't really need to even consider any recommendation coming from the CAC or Ms. Hahn, but perhaps she may put a little weight into whatever the CAC comes up with.
Folks who believe in one compromise proposal over another one should voice their thoughts at CAC meetings. The CAC would like to hear from folks who might agree with recommendations they come up with. If you like John's 893-unit recommendation having 93 SFR's on R1 sized lots with the remaining 800 in stacked buildings, it probably would be a good idea to let CAC members know that on June 28.
If the CAC feels it must come up with a recommendation of some sort of project with mixed use units, wouldn't it be better to support a smaller number of units recommendation over a larger number of units recommendation?
MW
As far as "racism" is concerned, here is what I posted on the other site to counter "Tom's" alligations of racism. Racism claims are just stupid, politically correct BS, that this town usually trys not to be a part of.
Okay, now I've seen it all!!! The R1 supporters are racist. Tom, you have made a ridiculous assertion about Chuck's comment and as far a Ray's joke...it was funny and even people of Mexican heritage in San Pedro would be laughing with him. My Mexican buddies who were born and raised here have no problem at all joking around like that. Just as I have no problem with people calling me a cheap Slav or making cheap Slav jokes. Real Pedro people are not bothered by it. This is the nature of San Pedro that we all like. People like you want to destroy it. It proves to me that you really have no clue about what the community of San Pedro is like...none whatsoever.
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