Thursday, September 19, 2013

Pacifica Council Forced to Delay Public Meeting to Discuss Highway One Project


http://www.fixpacifica.com/docs/highway_meeting_delayed.pdf


Kathy O’Connell
City Clerk
City of Pacifica
170 Santa Maria Ave.
Pacifica, CA  94044
(650) 738-7307

33 comments:

todd bray said...

ROFLMAO. And that cute little quote from mayor Eddie Munster, OOPS I meant Len Stone, about how long people have been waiting to find out about this (widening) project.

Perfectly contradictory, misinforming and for want of a better word unintentionally tongue in cheek.

Anonymous said...

You see this mess? This is what I'm talking about. Regardless of which side of the highway you're on, this stumbling around is exactly why this town is regarded with such contempt by the county and anyone else with an IQ higher than the speed limit. You can't fix stupid.

Tom Clifford said...

I'm a little puzzled by this announcement since it is about the delay of meetings that have as of yet not been scheduled. For that matter why not go forward with the meetings? The Public could learn in detail what Cal-Trans intends to do and the impacts of the project. The City Council could better understand what the informed Public's true desires are.

Having the meetings run at the same time as the court hearings means no additional delay after the legal issues are settled.

Hutch said...

I heard this was cancelled because Sue Digre did not want a Caltrans official present and the others did. Some on the no side are not interested in truth, only in stopping the process.

Anonymous said...

You're puzzled Tom? Think of poor Lennie.

Anonymous said...

Isn't Stone the only member of this council to have clearly and publicly come out in favor of the widening? Maybe Len is just a little pissed that the circus has come to town. Putting his foot down? I'm sure there's a legal opinion somewhere, or one will materialize, to support this action.

Anonymous said...

Really, Hutch? The other 4 caved in to Sue? "I heard" that hardly ever happens. Oh, wait, has campaign 2014 started?

Anonymous said...

Oh, please. Gimme a break. The council has done everything they can to avoid having any public hearings on this project. Now they have a perfect excuse for putting it off indefinitely.

Hutch said...

No I didn't say the council caved to Sue. Sue is the one who wanted this meeting for her little group of anti everythings. The others said only if Caltrans is there and Sue said no thanks.

todd bray said...

Please, this note supposedly from city hall is a knock off . And I'd appreciate FixPacifica owning up to this... Kathy.

Anonymous said...

Mayor Len will find himself placed iN a sleeper hold by Mary Ann, the whole time she will be saying. "Be a good boy Lennie and you will not get hurt"

Anonymous said...

Hutch, you're saying that this press release is fiction and that the real reason the public hearings were cancelled is because 4 council members wanted Caltrans there but Sue didn't. That still reads as Sue got the meeting cancelled.

Kathy Meeh said...

Todd 853 and Anonymous 954 here's the Press Release link for this article directly from the City of Pacifica. Allegedly the City of Pacifica website has not been hacked. (Also Steve posted the PDF version under Fix Pacifica, so he might have received that through Fix Pacifica email from Kathy O'Connell).

954, I think Hutch 709 is recounting the city council meeting where Sue Digre tried to override the Caltrans process, and setup a City mediation meeting against highway widening. The city council sentiment was 4-1 against. There was no second and no vote once the intent was uncovered.

Hutch said...

You may be right Kathy. I thought this was that same meeting.

Pacifica Index said...

For those interested, the City Council Meeting in question is detailed HERE.

Anonymous said...

This is garbage. Oh excuse me, "I heard this is garbage."

Hutch said...

Exactly, that's what I was talking about

"motion which was seconded by Councilmember Digre until, upon clarification, she withdrew her motion when she learned that O'Neill's meeting proposal would include a Transportation Authority slide-show."

Kathy Meeh said...

Yep that was the 3/25/13 city council meeting, Hutch 746, 1042. And thanks for your Pacifica Index, "No action from Council" recount of that meeting, Chris 944.

Kathy Meeh said...

Yeah, well this continued clarification began with the 8:53 PM (9/19) comment from Todd Bray, who suggested Fix Pacifica printed a City Council "knock-off" (myth, lie) submitted under the City Clerk's name. Egad, and really Todd?

So you may thank Todd for his "imagination", and this subsequent several comment explanation redundancy. You'd think Todd would apologize for his lapse of judgement, expressed paranoia, and wasting our time, but he probably will not. Since the comment was directed to my attention, you've got my follow-up attention and reply, Todd.

Here's a thought for you, Todd: think economic progress! Development and a safer, widened highway are good for this city and our community. Yesterday Hutch made a good point on another thread when he said you cannot turn-back the clock. The population is growing and we must adapt to reality.

Anonymous said...

Setting aside the question of authenticity of an undated city press release on the postponement of meetings that were never scheduled, Hutch's original response to it @709 (I heard...)gets a timely assist from Kathy to explain the postponement mentioned in the press release is actually the result of a meeting that took place in March. So, that's the "official" time and space defying spin, is it? I'll take my response in another dimension, please.

Kathy Meeh said...

222, nope, no spin. Just recall of a city council meeting, and a timeline provided by Chris 944.

222, you missed the part where Todd 853 (9/19) made up a story about the Press Release, and pinned the tail on Fix Pacifica (and that comment was directed at me).

Yet, you choose to set aside "the question of Press Release authenticity", then claim I was explaining city meeting postponement???? Well that is taking your response to "another (mythical) dimension" (your words, to which I added "mythical"). Get a grip, 1) authenticity matters, and 2) I had nothing to say about the City press release meeting postponement.

The reality in this city is goofy enough without setting aside facts and context, 222.

Chris Fogel said...

Setting aside the question of authenticity of an undated city press release on the postponement of meetings that were never scheduled, Hutch's original response to it @709 (I heard...)gets a timely assist from Kathy to explain the postponement mentioned in the press release is actually the result of a meeting that took place in March.

Let's see if I can clear things up (fingers crossed):

There was a City Council meeting in March, during which an item was placed on the Agenda at the direction of Councilmember Digre who wanted to have a city-led "community discussion" about the Highway 1 project BEFORE the final EIR was released. Council had said in the past that they would have this discussion AFTER the release. Digre's attempt to get this prior discussion failed (detailed at link above).

The press release refers to the meetings that Council intended to have after the FEIR was released -- i.e. right about now. The postponement referred to in the press release is for a meeting unrelated to the meeting that failed to materialize earlier in March.

By the way, the press release is legitimate. I have a script which automatically downloads any document uploaded to the City of Pacifica's CIVICA document management system, and this came through. A few minutes later, the City Clerk sent me a copy of the same press release directly via email. The press release is odd looking though and I had initially thought it was missing a page due to the lack of signature or date. But it's the real deal.

Tom Clifford said...

Thank you Chris for clearing up the confusion about the timing of the two different Types of hearings.

Anonymous said...

Todd,
Are you really you or are you John Curtis?
Come on..... come clean you little rascal.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Fogel. In Pacifica time-travel is such a handy skill. It figures, you'd have it down. Who can blame them for not signing the thing? And dates? Why set temporal limits? You be careful out there!

Anonymous said...

Gee, now that I understand the disjointed timeline and the problem with clarity, I wish this doc was a fraud. Clarity is almost as important as authenticity. Particularly in a "news release" intended to inform the public. And, put down the pitchforks, because I don't think Meeh or Sinai would make stuff up. I just wanna be happy.

Hutch said...

They are reporting on the Patch that thank's to Peter Loeb and Hal Bohner's law suit the City had to cancel these meetings. Thanks again guys.

http://pacifica.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/lawsuit-filed-against-caltrans-roadblocks-highway-1-public-meetings

Anonymous said...

That's incorrect, Hutch. It's not the Peter Loeb and Hal Bohner lawsuit. The Patch article says it's because of a lawsuit filed against Caltrans by Pacificans for a Scenic Coast. The attorney is Celeste Langille.

Hutch said...

My main point is correct.

"The community meetings planned by the City Council to hear the thoughts of Pacificans about Caltrans' proposed work on Highway 1 ...are now delayed because of a lawsuit filed against Caltrans."

Kathy Meeh said...

Same group of NIMBIES, different names, potential legal cash award for attorneys if they win or lose against the city and/or Caltrans on any technical eco-merit. The State needs to stop feeding this eco-"cash cow".

The lawsuits are reminiscent of Brent Plater, etc. against Sharp Park Golf Course. Those groups lost, but walked with cash-- why not Bohner and Langelle, etc.? After all, its not like there's a long term, outstanding highway congestion, bottleneck problem in Pacifica-- even though science and observation indicate otherwise.

But thanks for your every-so-correct clarification. Since you're in the know, perhaps you will supply the link to each lawsuit so we may all understand the complaint issues, and clarify the principals.

Pacifica Index said...

litigation

Anonymous said...

Oh look, lawsuits. I guess the plaintiffs really wanted those public meetings to be held. Maybe the city, especially the Mayor with his mind all made up, should listen up when the public he serves asks to be heard. Serves, not rules. The press release blaming the same people who asked for public meetings for the council's failure to hold them is surreal. Even for Pacifica. Smooth move, Mayor Stone.

Anonymous said...

I can tell y'all from personal experience. Just finished litigation where 8 parties all had legal fees a tad over $500,000.

That's 4 million dollars in legal fees. Oh and the problem to fix would have cost about 2 million buck s to fix.

A tremendous waste of time and money.

These carpet bagging environmental attorneys know, they can make a fortune suing, losing and getting paid attorney fees.

Insanity!