Odds and Ends 23

Isn't it "odd" that Bob is now claiming the process he endorsed and paid so much for, he now considers to be "outside the process"?

The "end" of the CAC's mission appears at this time to be with its meeting in August where they will finalize and submit their report to Councilwoman Janice Hahn with their recommendations that soundly rejected (10-1-1) Mr. Bisno's current plans and approved recommendation for keeping the zoning current at the Ponte Vista at San Pedro site (8-4).

Many of us waited to learn that the CAC would actually adopt a majority report and minority report calling for a range of density and unit numbers in a majority report and a R1 minority report. We were wrong in our thoughts and were surprised when the CAC did what it actually did.
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Signatures on R1 petitions continue to come in and there should be no letup in the collection of signatures of learned individuals who want to keep the quality of their lives as high as it is, at this time.

The R1 group is allowed to collect signatures at this Sunday's Music by the Sea, but paid petition gatherers must remain on the public sidewalk on the edge of the park to collect their signatures. A group supporting R1 has paid the organizers to attend the affair while the permit holder has indicated he has not been paid one cent by Bob and/or his contractor to be allowed to be in the park while the permit holder holds the permit for the park.

If anyone sees individuals on the grass or in any other part of the park attempting to collect signatures in support of Ponte Vista at Music by the Sea and Shakespeare by the Sea, it would be appreciated that you report what you witness to the booth sponsored by the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, so they can alert the permit holder and have those paid petition gatherers told to leave the park or they will be escorted out of the park and onto the sidewalk where they have every right to be.
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I think I have covered just about everything that has happened this week surrounding Ponte Vista in posts on three different blogs. It will take me a little longer to find out and confirm what business is going to replace the jo-ann's that is going bye-bye at the corner of P.V. Drive North and Western Avenue. I have heard it is a market of some kind. The parking situation in that area has decreased substantially since the last supermarket was there and that was a long time ago.
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There are, of course issues I can remind folks to look further into by visiting other posts.

So Bob doesn't like the outcome of his own game. He brought it to Ms. Hahn and City Planners. He paid for the whole thing, He endorsed, committed himself and his organization to the game he now calls "outside the process". This is one of the many issues I feel everyone should think about when they think about the credibility and true feelings of Mr. Bisno.

We have seen in writing statements that have been proven to be false and I still keep those statements on file if anyone wishes to challenge me or anyone else on these matters. We have seen events, paid for by Mr. Bisno's organization, that attempt to gain converts to his position, but it seems his position changes from time to time.

He has told us exactly what his 2,300-unit would look like and the amenities it will have. Then he changed his mind and is now telling us exactly what his 1,950-unit project will look like and have in it. He continues to use the words; "will", "will have", "will be", "is going to", "is going to have" as if they were true facts. One true fact that Mr. Bisno may tell you, but usually is not included in any statements he makes is that; Absolutely nothing has been approved of for being built at the Ponte Vista site. I can tell you that the site will remain R1, but that would not be the truth and it would not be correct to state as fact that the site will always remain with the zoning it currently has.

Mr. Bisno provided funds to create a letter opener in the shape of a single-family home, yet he has stated that there will be no single-family housing at Ponte Vista. He even stated that there would be "single-family housing" in the wording of the survey he paid for and still he contends that there will be no single-family housing.

Mr. Bisno made statements at the June 18 rollout of his lower number of total units plan and attempted to state that if R1 remains at the site, he might apply for density bonuses for Ponte Vista. This was the first time, to my knowledge, Bob expressed verbally in public, his "intent" to use density bonus at Ponte Vista.

His "threat" was quickly countered by the fact that there is nowhere in any application of any proposal to use density bonuses and everyone was informed that he has the right to use density bonuses with any application for any number of units at Ponte Vista.

On June 18, it appears, Mr. Bisno had as his best defense against R1, the "threat" of density bonuses. It is extremely unlikely that Bob would truly consider density bonus at Ponte Vista, no matter what number of units is actually applied for, in the opinion of many, many individuals.

This "threat" is another example, in my opinion, of Mr. Bisno's use of the English language to further confuse gullible persons.
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After witnessing the collecting of perhaps several thousands of signatures on the R1 petitions, I feel I am in a position that I can claim that we see about one person in a hundred folks we greet at supermarkets who either support Bob's plans, whichever one is valid at the time, or won't sign the petition because they disapprove of keeping the zoning as it currently is at the Ponte Vista site.

All the R1 petition gatherers I watch are cordial and we never argue with folks who claim support for Bob's project.
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I think I need to let you know what I witnessed at a prior CAC meeting, because of the statements that the Ponte Vista debate is an emotional issue.

There were two pictures on the front page of a recent edition of The Daily Breeze.
The bottom picture illustrated on of the many, many buttons I have made and donated to the cause.
The top photo was of the back of the head of Mr. Tony Ringor. During a meeting of the CAC in which Ms. Hahn attended, I believe the meeting where Mr. Bisno rolled out his 1,950-unit plan, I was sitting so close to where Ms. Hahn was standing, I witnessed Mr. Ringor crying to Ms. Hahn and carrying a handmade sign for her and others to read. When I state "crying" I do mean just that. I saw tears on his cheek as he tried to speak to Ms. Hahn who seemed very, very comforting to Mr. Ringor and did her best to calm the gentleman down.

Mr. Ringor at that very moment was the most emotional moment I have ever seen from anyone, at any time, at any place, concerning the Ponte Vista at San Pedro issue.

Mr. Ringor's actions do demonstrate very disturbingly, I feel, that this issue is still very emotional with both supporters of Mr. Bisno's and opponents of his plans. I feel that is too bad.

We should be beyond most of the emotional outbursts and we should deal with all of these issues from a more thought provoking arena. Emotions ran very high at the beginning and that was probably the time to express our emotions. But now, I feel, we must look into our thoughts and ideas and discuss and debate these issues more intelligently than emotionally.

Bob may be emotionally upset that his process he found to be "outside the process", but that doesn't mean we need to be as emotional and less thoughtful, concerning the issues.

Fight, debate, discuss, and work intelligently and let Bob and Mr. Ringor display their emotions to all of us.

I am very defensive of Mr. Ringor's passion for something he truly believes in. I think and feel that there are supporters of Mr. Bisno's who are just as resolved to get Mr. Bisno's plans (whatever they truly are now and in the future) approved, as there are thousands of us who do not wish for any changes in the current zoning at the site.

Mr. Ringor and anyone else has the right and duty to defend what they really believe in, just like so many of us have the right to question Mr. Bisno and his plans.

We must not condemn Mr. Ringor in any way. I can report what I witnessed and still feel that Mr. Ringor is trying his best to support Mr. Bisno's plans. Tony Ringor is also a member of OUR community and whether we concur with his opinions and feelings or not, I am thankful that there are some folks who have strong opinions and feelings and are willing to express them, even though I don't agree with them.

Mr. Ringor is doing his best to support what he feels is in the best interest of himself, his family, and the community that supports Bob's plans. We must not feel, in any way, that we should support what Mr. Ringor believes, but we need to acknowledge that there are folks who are passionate about Bob's plans, whatever they are, and that there truly a number of individuals who strongly wish for senior housing and/or a huge development in northwest San Pedro.

I will defend Mr. Ringor's wish for senior housing because I continue to wish for more housing for seniors in OUR community. I just believe the "cost" to OUR community would be too high for the limited benefit of having senior housing at Ponte Vista.

There are areas in San Pedro in and around the Crescent Drive area that would be able to hold the density required for senior housing in San Pedro.
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I wish and hope everyone who is troubled by the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of Ponte Vista would let their Board of Directors know that they should reconsider their endorsement of Ponte Vista and, at least, temporarily rescinding that endorsement until the full membership has a chance to weigh in on that endorsement.

The Board and the Chamber's Executive Director, Ms. Camilla Townsend, know who belongs to the Chamber and they know how to contact those members. I personally know of members who want the zoning to remain current at Ponte Vista, but they MAY not be in the majority.

Since it appears that there was "bungling" going on during the announcement period of the Chamber's endorsement AND there was some statements that the reporting of that endorsement had some problems AND some members of OUR community are hopping mad about the endorsement such that they are claiming they will not shop in San Pedro AND since the CAC and so many others are against what the Chamber's Board endorsed, I think that the Board should try to make correct, and revisit their endorsement OR come out strongly and attempt to defend that endorsement. Remaining silent on the issue is not something that I feel is in the best interest of the Chamber and those who oppose the endorsement of Ponte Vista by the Chamber's Board.