NOTE: Sorry I've been bad about posting this month. It is the breeding season for the animals I'm studying and I've been busy trying to keep tabs and grab data. Expect more regular posts soon, though, and know that I am resenting my study species for tearing me away from that which is truly important: hearting SCV.
Did you hear it—that bellow of rage and distress just a shade more desperate than the noise a mammoth would have made after wandering into a tar pit to be devoured by cave lions? Well that was me. To be more precise, that was me after Mayor Bob Kellar announced that there were going to be SEVENTEEN speakers on the Smiser Ranch property development[1]. Of course it’s a horrible idea to build densely on the Smiser property, I yelled at the commenters on the screen, But you don’t need to remind me every week! I begrudgingly concede that such displays of opposition can be important. Indeed, we know that Jeff Lambert talks to folks at City Hall when we’re not around to listen, so hearing from the public on a week-to-week basis may legitimately reinforce the magnitude of opposition in the minds of City leaders. Lambert, incidentally, was appropriately villainized during comments and would do well to stay clear on Southern SCV.
Before comments about the Avenue project, though, public participation had focused on the closure of the Transitional Care Unit at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. The planned closure would leave the citizens of Santa Clarita without a TCU for at least 18-months, which Mayor Kellar described as an “optimistic” estimate of how long the wait would be.
Everyone in the City and on City Council was upset by this issue and wants to see something done about it. For an in-house opinion, HMNMH's own Dr. Gene Dorio showed up to say that most admissions to Henry Mayo are old people (although I believe he phrased it “senior patients”) who derive a lot of benefit from having a TCU available to them. Public speakers agreed, oft regaling us with tales of ailing mothers using the facility or how they may be in need of it in the near future.
All of these comments could only do so much. “As a council, we have no power over the hospital to tell them what to do…I get very frustrated…that we can’t do anything about it” said Councilmember Marsha McLean. She suggested contacting state agencies to see if there was some way to step in and intervene. McLean also proposed investigating whether a partial, as opposed to full, closure of the TCU was feasible. Councilmember Laurene Weste suggested partnerships with in-city groups like the Senior Center to drive the relatives of TCU patients to visit their loved ones in facilities out of town. Laurie Ender agreed that transportation-based solutions might be the best option assuming there was no way around a closure.
It was Mayor Bob Kellar who took action—at least on paper. He proposed a letter be drafted that said something to the effect of “The closing of the TCU…is an inappropriate course of action.” The agreement to write and send such a letter garnered applause from the masses and settled the issue for the time being.
Next, we heard some bickering over landslides and soil stability and house foundations and heritage oaks that was far too tedious to coalesce into anything meaningful in my mind. If you’re worried about the particulars, well, that’s too bad.
Adoption of the City Code of Ethics and Conduct proved slightly more bearable an agenda item. There were a number of speakers on this issue, one that has been floating around since last year. Claritans agreed that the Code of Ethics[2] was a good start (or an “OK but impotent start” if they were feeling less generous) but that a more aggressive code would be needed. Several called for an Ethics Commission, but the City Attorney noted that such a group would not have the power to enforce or control ethical conduct.
Instead, everyone pointed to an existing hierarchy of what-to-do-when-ethics-are-violated that essentially leads to City Manager Ken Pulskamp. Got a grievance and want to take it to the top? See Ken. Need to report a breach of ethics but afraid of confronting your direct superior? See Ken. All of this led Annette Lucas, among others, to say “I just think we need somebody to check Ken Pulskamp.” [Yikes.]
Everyone on Council was more or less OK with the code, though some tweaking (e.g., a list of who to contact) was needed[3]. The fine-tunings shall come, I think, but until then, it’s a matter of how much you believe Bob Kellar’s closing speech. In it, he expressed how frustrated he is that people harass a City that employs so many quality individuals. “This council and this city lives by a high ethical standard,” he said. If so, I guess there’s really nothing to worry about.
[1]This is the proposal to build about two-million square feet of retail, residential, etc… on a parcel that is clearly much too small to accommodate a project of that scale. Read more about it in my posting here, which also has helpful links.
NOTE: Also check out the site put up by the Calgrove Corridor Coalition. This group arose in response to the proposed Avenues Project, and they have a nice side-by-side of potential City seals.
[2]Read the Code of Ethics and Conduct
[3]Mayor Pro Tem Frank Ferry was a little upset by the issue of ethics even being raised, as was Mayor Kellar.
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Happenings: Boydston Out, Ender In
On this twenty-second day of April, there were not one but two meetings to endure—enjoy?—at Santa Clarita’s City Hall. The first represented a changing of the guard and the second represented Laurie Ender’s public debut and first chance to prove herself as a Councilmember. I suppose I shall discuss both.
I served on City Council and all I got was this Lousy Plaque…
Tonight, it was time for TimBen Boydston to end his 18-month stint on the City Council. A protracted farewell comprised the bulk of a special pre-meeting meeting.
City Manager Ken Pulskamp was the first to thank Boydston for being so willing to take on all the demands associated with serving on the City Council. Councilmember Marsha McLean called her time with Boydston “fun”, and was also deeply appreciative. I was uncertain how Mayor Pro-tem Frank Ferry was going to address TimBen. He decided to sum things up in a light-hearted way, saying “I know you and I had some fun moments both publicly and privately” in reference to their verbal scuffles[1]. Councilmember Weste seemed exhausted as she described all the sacrifices one must make to serve on the Council and thanked TimBen for being willing to make these. Mayor Bob Kellar too was, you guessed it, appreciative.
Then it was TimBen’s chance to hold the talking stick. He expressed his own gratitude towards people who had helped him while on the Council. If it had been the Oscars, the orchestra would have played him off stage after the first twenty, but SCV is more willing to indulge its departing public servants. I’ll spare you the vast list, but he said thanks to folks like Paul Brotzman, people in the City Attorney’s office, administrative professionals on the third floor of City Hall, Gail Ortiz—“High Priestess of Propaganda”, and his fellow members of Council. He gave a shout-out to those representing “different” voices in the dialogue that is Santa Clarita: Jeff Wilson (SCVTalk), Linda Slocum (SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog), and even lil’ ol’ IHeartSCV (I suppose linking here would be redundant).
Boydston then moved on to a discussion of the future. He was optimistic about his replacement, Laurie Ender, believing that she will not just bend to the will of certain councilmembers. He hoped out loud that she will “surprise them much as I did”. TimBen Boydston’s closing tokens were copies of a guide to ethics passed out to all Councilmembers. “May God Bless the City of Santa Clarita” he finished, earning enthusiastic applause.
But that wasn’t the end! Nay, state senator and assemblymen reps were sent to thank him and offer scrolls, letters, plaques, and other arcane forms of written appreciation. The public addressed Boydston, too. David Gauny of SmartGrowthSCV went through some of Boydston’s greatest hits—hospital hard-headedness and increasing arts funding, among others—all while managing to take a swipe at Field of Dreams and indirectly snub Laurie Ender. Bruce McFarland declared TimBen an “honorary democrat” for having acted so ethically and selflessly, thereby eliciting some hearty laughs. Said Cam Noltemeyer, who was grateful for TimBen's push for lobbyist registration: “What a breath of fresh air you were […] We expect you to be coming back up here in two years.” It's not as though Boydston was such a radical or discordant force on the Council, but he was willing to ask uncomfortable questions and really gave thought to the issues he was deciding. He was also persistent, asking lots of questions and giving excellent follow-up on issues (like his 19th public reminder that Field of Dreams is a misnomer). Tony Newhall summed up most of the sentiments expressed by Claritans quite well: “Thank you for being your own man.”
Thereafter, City Clerk Sharon Dawson swore in Laurie Ender next to the City Seal. She received some pretty thunderous applause and looked very pleased. When given her first chance to speak, Ender gave a speech that was a mix of sincere gratitude, the word “honored”, and track and field analogies. Mayor Bob Kellar then took the oath yet again to more thunderous applause.
New Meeting, New Group of Outraged Citizens
For the trend-conscious, outraged Santa Claritan, getting upset about MRFs was so last month. April is all about opposing the Avenue at Santa Clarita[2], a project that developer Monteverde Companies is proposing for what was once the Smiser mule farm. The initial plans include a massive hotel, seven restaurants, and very high-density commercial space packed into a parcel that the reasonable would call far too small. More details on it and helpful graphics can be found on the new site being run by WeThePeopleSCV.
More than twenty Claritans showed up to speak out against this project tonight, and twice as many submitted written comments in opposition[4]. David Gauny suggested that proposing a ludicrous over-development for the site was all part of Jeff Lambert’s[3] plan: “The game goes like this […] the project comes back and it’s reduced 25% […and] the public appears unreasonable because the developer’s done all of these reductions”. Boydston elaborated on Monteverde/Lambert’s transparent, audacious ploy.
After Public Participation on the Avenue at Santa Clarita ended, Old Town Newhall was discussed. Streetscaping and new parking structures are going to be phased in, which five local business owners/commenters thought would be murder on businesses already struggling to survive in the area. They advocated fixing things up all at once to avoid becomin an area forever under construction. Tearing down whole portions of blocks and rebuilding brand new buildings were activities casually mentioned in this discussion, too; it’s going to be interesting (i.e., terrifying) to see how everything turns out.
The last little issue of contention was whether attorney-client privilege would be waived in a matter concerning Bob Kellar--among others--, forms, and finances. This issue arose near election time, and releasing the confidential memo was the City’s way of showing there was nothing to hide. Still, Mayor Pro-Tem Ferry was very upset at the idea of acquiescing to the demands of Kellar/Council critics, calling the relationship between attorney and client one of sanctity. Ultimately, he was out-voted.
The question of the night, though, was how did brand new Councilmember Laurie Ender do? Well, she was lavished with indignation by Cam Noltemeyer, asked a couple of questions, and mentioned near and dear community events when she had her chance to address the public. Overall, I think she’ll fit in just fine.
[1]Or his verbal bullying, depending on your perspective. I thought it was interesting that he added the “and privately.” What goes on behind those closed council doors?
[2]Their site can be found here. Monteverde Companies, incidentally, is based in Santa Clarita.
[3]The man with an uncomfortable blend of private and public planning/consulting experience. His website.
[4]This represented a decidedly pre-emptive strike; they have yet to even contract with a company to produce the EIR.
I served on City Council and all I got was this Lousy Plaque…
Tonight, it was time for TimBen Boydston to end his 18-month stint on the City Council. A protracted farewell comprised the bulk of a special pre-meeting meeting.
City Manager Ken Pulskamp was the first to thank Boydston for being so willing to take on all the demands associated with serving on the City Council. Councilmember Marsha McLean called her time with Boydston “fun”, and was also deeply appreciative. I was uncertain how Mayor Pro-tem Frank Ferry was going to address TimBen. He decided to sum things up in a light-hearted way, saying “I know you and I had some fun moments both publicly and privately” in reference to their verbal scuffles[1]. Councilmember Weste seemed exhausted as she described all the sacrifices one must make to serve on the Council and thanked TimBen for being willing to make these. Mayor Bob Kellar too was, you guessed it, appreciative.
Then it was TimBen’s chance to hold the talking stick. He expressed his own gratitude towards people who had helped him while on the Council. If it had been the Oscars, the orchestra would have played him off stage after the first twenty, but SCV is more willing to indulge its departing public servants. I’ll spare you the vast list, but he said thanks to folks like Paul Brotzman, people in the City Attorney’s office, administrative professionals on the third floor of City Hall, Gail Ortiz—“High Priestess of Propaganda”, and his fellow members of Council. He gave a shout-out to those representing “different” voices in the dialogue that is Santa Clarita: Jeff Wilson (SCVTalk), Linda Slocum (SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog), and even lil’ ol’ IHeartSCV (I suppose linking here would be redundant).
Boydston then moved on to a discussion of the future. He was optimistic about his replacement, Laurie Ender, believing that she will not just bend to the will of certain councilmembers. He hoped out loud that she will “surprise them much as I did”. TimBen Boydston’s closing tokens were copies of a guide to ethics passed out to all Councilmembers. “May God Bless the City of Santa Clarita” he finished, earning enthusiastic applause.
But that wasn’t the end! Nay, state senator and assemblymen reps were sent to thank him and offer scrolls, letters, plaques, and other arcane forms of written appreciation. The public addressed Boydston, too. David Gauny of SmartGrowthSCV went through some of Boydston’s greatest hits—hospital hard-headedness and increasing arts funding, among others—all while managing to take a swipe at Field of Dreams and indirectly snub Laurie Ender. Bruce McFarland declared TimBen an “honorary democrat” for having acted so ethically and selflessly, thereby eliciting some hearty laughs. Said Cam Noltemeyer, who was grateful for TimBen's push for lobbyist registration: “What a breath of fresh air you were […] We expect you to be coming back up here in two years.” It's not as though Boydston was such a radical or discordant force on the Council, but he was willing to ask uncomfortable questions and really gave thought to the issues he was deciding. He was also persistent, asking lots of questions and giving excellent follow-up on issues (like his 19th public reminder that Field of Dreams is a misnomer). Tony Newhall summed up most of the sentiments expressed by Claritans quite well: “Thank you for being your own man.”
Thereafter, City Clerk Sharon Dawson swore in Laurie Ender next to the City Seal. She received some pretty thunderous applause and looked very pleased. When given her first chance to speak, Ender gave a speech that was a mix of sincere gratitude, the word “honored”, and track and field analogies. Mayor Bob Kellar then took the oath yet again to more thunderous applause.
New Meeting, New Group of Outraged Citizens
For the trend-conscious, outraged Santa Claritan, getting upset about MRFs was so last month. April is all about opposing the Avenue at Santa Clarita[2], a project that developer Monteverde Companies is proposing for what was once the Smiser mule farm. The initial plans include a massive hotel, seven restaurants, and very high-density commercial space packed into a parcel that the reasonable would call far too small. More details on it and helpful graphics can be found on the new site being run by WeThePeopleSCV.
More than twenty Claritans showed up to speak out against this project tonight, and twice as many submitted written comments in opposition[4]. David Gauny suggested that proposing a ludicrous over-development for the site was all part of Jeff Lambert’s[3] plan: “The game goes like this […] the project comes back and it’s reduced 25% […and] the public appears unreasonable because the developer’s done all of these reductions”. Boydston elaborated on Monteverde/Lambert’s transparent, audacious ploy.
After Public Participation on the Avenue at Santa Clarita ended, Old Town Newhall was discussed. Streetscaping and new parking structures are going to be phased in, which five local business owners/commenters thought would be murder on businesses already struggling to survive in the area. They advocated fixing things up all at once to avoid becomin an area forever under construction. Tearing down whole portions of blocks and rebuilding brand new buildings were activities casually mentioned in this discussion, too; it’s going to be interesting (i.e., terrifying) to see how everything turns out.
The last little issue of contention was whether attorney-client privilege would be waived in a matter concerning Bob Kellar--among others--, forms, and finances. This issue arose near election time, and releasing the confidential memo was the City’s way of showing there was nothing to hide. Still, Mayor Pro-Tem Ferry was very upset at the idea of acquiescing to the demands of Kellar/Council critics, calling the relationship between attorney and client one of sanctity. Ultimately, he was out-voted.
The question of the night, though, was how did brand new Councilmember Laurie Ender do? Well, she was lavished with indignation by Cam Noltemeyer, asked a couple of questions, and mentioned near and dear community events when she had her chance to address the public. Overall, I think she’ll fit in just fine.
[1]Or his verbal bullying, depending on your perspective. I thought it was interesting that he added the “and privately.” What goes on behind those closed council doors?
[2]Their site can be found here. Monteverde Companies, incidentally, is based in Santa Clarita.
[3]The man with an uncomfortable blend of private and public planning/consulting experience. His website.
[4]This represented a decidedly pre-emptive strike; they have yet to even contract with a company to produce the EIR.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Happenings: MRF Madness, Kellar Critics at City Council Meeting
Oh…my…Lord…there were two-and-a-half hours of public participation at tonight’s City Council meeting. At 3 minutes max per comment, that’s a lot of Claritans with a lot to say. I am in the midst of a rather demanding project right now (thus the dearth of new posts for the past couple of weeks), but things will be considerably better starting next Wednesday. In any case, work and a vociferous public have dictated that I restrict my recap to the public participation portion of tonight’s City Council meeting.
The onslaught of oration began with anti-Burrtec comments, part deux. All Burrtec wants to do is install a Materials Recycling Facility (i.e., indoor dump with high turnover of garbage) next to some Newhall/Canyon Country neighborhoods. But the fine people of Santa Clarita simply will not have said MRF nor the 872 truck trips a day that come with it.
I lost count of commentors after a while because they all seemed to converge on a few common messages. I’ve enumerated these for your convenience:
1. The proposed MRF will be smelly, ugly, and generally unpleasant to live next to.
2. It’s not technically a dump, but there will always be trash present at the facility, so it might as well be a dump.
3. Nearly 1000 garbage trucks every day plus the cars of MRF personnel would make not for traffic headaches but traffic migraines on Sierra Highway.
4. The MRF should be sited next to an existing landfill, not a neighborhood.
Some took things to a personal level when it came to this heated issue. At least two Santa Claritans called out Councilmember Marsha McLean, who took several minutes to complain about an ugly electrical pole earlier in the evening. One woman said “Worried about an unsightly utility pole? Try a dump.” Cringeworthy, no? Other commenters noted that this was a sensitive time with City Council seats up for grabs, and the Council should be more responsive to the public outcry against the MRF. Still others pointed out what they thought was blatant hypocrisy: the City opposes CEMEX on the grounds of pollution and traffic aggravation, but they’re not unified in opposition to the Burrtec MRF that will bring about its own pollution and traffic problems.
Throughout this barrage, Ken Pulskamp and Mayor Kellar made feeble attempts to fight back. Our City Manager told us that “the City is not proposing it [the MRF]; Burrtec is proposing it.” Mayor Kellar reminded everyone that they were only entertaining an environmental impact report, not signing off on the project. But even with these reminders and the Mayor’s request that the audience withhold applause, there was much clapping for Alan Ferdman when he claimed that it was "inappropriate" to so much as consider the MRF. In short, Pleasant Valley and other homeowners made their stance clear: a Materials Recycling Facility off Sierra Highway is completely unacceptable. The attack may be preemptive, even premature, but homeowners want to be sure their opposition is heeded.
Then there were comments targeting Mayor Bob Kellar. Bruce McFarland demanded Kellar follow-the-rules-or-resign not once but twice in a three-minute speech (this is in relation to Kellar's failure to disclose annual earnings, something required of California public officials). Lynne Plambeck looked like she needed a hug as she spoke about how nasty Scott Wilk (who is now working on the re-elect Kellar campaign) has been to her in election mailers through the years. Kellar responded per usual by saying “Thank you Mr./Mrs./Ms. So-and-so. Our next speaker is…” Only after everyone had their turn did he defend himself. I’m not sure who to side with in these Kellar-centered debates. There are conflicting signals. Critics imply improprieties because Kellar has his hands in both City business and the real estate business. At the same time, Kellar comes off as a stoic, generally decent guy who seems like he’s trying to keep his public and private lives separate--who can blame him? Whichever of the two it is, it’s clear that serving on the City Council and trying to lead a private life in Santa Clarita can cause for some serious friction.
I fully recognize that many insanely important things happened after the first three hours of City Council this evening, but for tonight, this shall have to do.
The onslaught of oration began with anti-Burrtec comments, part deux. All Burrtec wants to do is install a Materials Recycling Facility (i.e., indoor dump with high turnover of garbage) next to some Newhall/Canyon Country neighborhoods. But the fine people of Santa Clarita simply will not have said MRF nor the 872 truck trips a day that come with it.
I lost count of commentors after a while because they all seemed to converge on a few common messages. I’ve enumerated these for your convenience:
1. The proposed MRF will be smelly, ugly, and generally unpleasant to live next to.
2. It’s not technically a dump, but there will always be trash present at the facility, so it might as well be a dump.
3. Nearly 1000 garbage trucks every day plus the cars of MRF personnel would make not for traffic headaches but traffic migraines on Sierra Highway.
4. The MRF should be sited next to an existing landfill, not a neighborhood.
Some took things to a personal level when it came to this heated issue. At least two Santa Claritans called out Councilmember Marsha McLean, who took several minutes to complain about an ugly electrical pole earlier in the evening. One woman said “Worried about an unsightly utility pole? Try a dump.” Cringeworthy, no? Other commenters noted that this was a sensitive time with City Council seats up for grabs, and the Council should be more responsive to the public outcry against the MRF. Still others pointed out what they thought was blatant hypocrisy: the City opposes CEMEX on the grounds of pollution and traffic aggravation, but they’re not unified in opposition to the Burrtec MRF that will bring about its own pollution and traffic problems.
Throughout this barrage, Ken Pulskamp and Mayor Kellar made feeble attempts to fight back. Our City Manager told us that “the City is not proposing it [the MRF]; Burrtec is proposing it.” Mayor Kellar reminded everyone that they were only entertaining an environmental impact report, not signing off on the project. But even with these reminders and the Mayor’s request that the audience withhold applause, there was much clapping for Alan Ferdman when he claimed that it was "inappropriate" to so much as consider the MRF. In short, Pleasant Valley and other homeowners made their stance clear: a Materials Recycling Facility off Sierra Highway is completely unacceptable. The attack may be preemptive, even premature, but homeowners want to be sure their opposition is heeded.
Then there were comments targeting Mayor Bob Kellar. Bruce McFarland demanded Kellar follow-the-rules-or-resign not once but twice in a three-minute speech (this is in relation to Kellar's failure to disclose annual earnings, something required of California public officials). Lynne Plambeck looked like she needed a hug as she spoke about how nasty Scott Wilk (who is now working on the re-elect Kellar campaign) has been to her in election mailers through the years. Kellar responded per usual by saying “Thank you Mr./Mrs./Ms. So-and-so. Our next speaker is…” Only after everyone had their turn did he defend himself. I’m not sure who to side with in these Kellar-centered debates. There are conflicting signals. Critics imply improprieties because Kellar has his hands in both City business and the real estate business. At the same time, Kellar comes off as a stoic, generally decent guy who seems like he’s trying to keep his public and private lives separate--who can blame him? Whichever of the two it is, it’s clear that serving on the City Council and trying to lead a private life in Santa Clarita can cause for some serious friction.
I fully recognize that many insanely important things happened after the first three hours of City Council this evening, but for tonight, this shall have to do.
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