Some Notes About Last Nights City Council Meeting

With only three opportunities to speak during "Public Comments Not On The Agenda" portion of the regular Rancho Palos Verdes City Council meeting, I needed to attend, listen, and speak. I learned some good things, too.

During the Mayor's remarks, Mayor Wolowicz invited a good speaker from the Peninsula Education Fund ( PEF) to make a shore presentation and ask for a donation of city funds to help the group's mission.

I learned that 62% of the students attending Palos Verdes Unified School. I learned that none of the four cities considered to be on "The Hill" donate no contributions to the PEF.

I learned that other local south bay cities donate funds to their schools.

I learned that all of six cents of each property tax dollar makes its way back to funding Rancho Palos Verdes.

Since much of the revenue coming into cities is based on the number of businesses they have and our city is primarily a residential city, the vast majority of funds we have and use go to city operations and infrastructure issues.

Mayor Wolowicz then offered the mic to Councilman Anthony Misetich. The Councilman asked for time to respond to a recent ad created by Marymount College's representatives that made it appear to the Councilman and many others as if he supported Measure P.

I don't believe I have even seen or heard Councilman Misetich as angry, to the point, dead on correct, and as forceful as he was last night. His multi-page response should be posted for all to read and then come back and read again.

After Mayor's Comments ended and after the agenda was voted on and after the recycle drawing was concluded, it was time for Public Comments Not On The Agenda.

I'll take the second matter spoken about first because I really support what I heard and I hope you do too.

Four speakers came to talk about the need for a skate park on the peninsula.

I learned that if someone is stopped by law enforcement for skateboarding just about anywhere on the peninsula, they could be cited and be required to pay a $90.00 fine. That is OUTRAGEOUS in my view.

I completely agree that a skate park is very much needed somewhere on the peninsula. Since R.P.V. is the largest city, I think it should be somewhere in Rancho Palos Verdes.

If two skate parks could be built, I would have one built at Eastview Park, here on the eastern side of Rancho Palos Verdes.

Two sites have been selected for initial study and they are not on the east side and both face strong opposition from local residents.

I skateboarded as a teenager outside my home which is now in Rancho Palos Verdes. The street I live on is on a hill and back then we could easily criss-cross the stree to go down and even UP, once we learned how to go uphill on a skateboard.

I never did the tricks I see skateboarders do now, just getting around was plenty for me.

A skate park is something that should be approved and it could be available for an entire day's worth or recreation and picnicking, and other things.

The second issue was Marymount. I did my usual thing and put my speaker's form in first so I was called first. I mentioned what I had learned in the two weeks between last night and the previous City Council meeting.

Thankfully, I was not alone in offering evidence of misdeed, deception, misleading and untruths spoken about.

Mr. Jim Gordon gave a accurate statement about facts dealing with issues and he brought backing references to bolster his facts.

Mayor Ken Dyda offered that Measure P is a land use issue and he cited portions of the Measure that would take authority away from residents and provide Marymount with basically unlimited power and authority to do what it wants, no matter what the residents and city officials thought.

Planning Commissioner Jim Knight spoke about the true facts about the processes the Planning Commission took and that the 'straw poll' was requested by a Marymount representative in the first place.

Mr. Jeffrey Lewis presented a PowerPoint concerning the things Marymount writes about and the actual truth and he provided references from legal documents supporting the fact that Marymount has presented false and misleading information, was ruled against in two lawsuits, and continues to be deceptive in their advertisements, statements, and actions.

Of the five speakers dealing with Marymount issues, I seemed to be the least angered and I tied the recent events together in a manner that even brought a laugh or two.

I now realize that the "Marymount Community" is using ignorance to ignore any and all calls to stop what they are doing and listen to objective statements. There has been no evidence that anyone in that community bothers to respond beyond creating more deception with inaccurate information.

Mr. Knight commented that Marymount only needed approval from the Planning Commission to build dorms but they cited Mayor Ken Dyda in an ad and he was not a member of the Planning Commission when dorms were approved.

It seems to be apparent that trying to communicate with the administration of Marymount College or representatives of Measure P are going nowhere and simply naming the members of Marymount's Board of Trustees continues to provide ignorance to the many questions, actions, and events they are responsible for.

I wrote an open letter on this blog to the members of Marymount's Board of Trustees. I have received no response of any kind from members of the Board.

Do some members of the Board really want to see publicly accessable information about them posted on this blog? Months after I found the photo of one shotgun-toting member on the Internet, I still don't feel he would want that posted on this blog.

After finding information about problems by one member in dealing with acceptance to trade futures, I can only imagine that the member would not like that issue brought forth again.

I am still researching a lawsuit filed in a Texas court with one member of the Marymount Board of Trustees being a Defendant. I need to figure out what "Diversity and Fraud" really mean in the context of the lawsuit filed and I don't know how the case, filed earlier this year, turned out.

I need to do more research on one Board member who is apparently the President of another College. I have been asked to write to that College's newspaper, but so far, I haven't found good reason. Maybe the member responds to matter on her College's newspaper more than she responds to my open letter.

So many allegations of misdeeds, deception, false and misleading statement, outright falsehoods, and to some commentators, "lies" coming from Marymount College's attempt to get approved 90% of items already approved to build.

The Marymount College Board of Trustees must step up and step in and participate in being responsible for what has gone on since Dr. Susan Soldoff, a member of the Marymount College Board of Trustees, filed the preliminary paperwork that has led to Measure P.

Perhaps the entire Board voted to go forth with the Measure and approve Dr. Brophy's, another member of Marymount's Board, filing of the lawsuit that he lost in Superior Court.

Councilman Brian Campbell made comments during last night's meeting about Marymount being a Catholic College. There are members of Marymount's Board of Trustees who are Sisters and I can't imagine any of them would support recent actions, advertisements, and comments coming from other representatives of the College they are responsible for being members of the Board of Trustees of.

The Board has had plenty of opportunity to come forward with a statement or take action many residents would like them to take. It does not good service, in my opinion, for the Board to remain silent.

Their inaction and 'stealthy' quiteness allows many of us to consider that the Board approves and/or condones recent events, actions, mailers, and advertisements.

Mr. Jeffrey Lewis, in his PowerPoint presentation last night, showed photos and partial biographies of three members of Marymount's Board and he called on Board members to do something.

Offering publicly provided information about Board members is something everyone has the right to do.

Perhaps it is time to responsibly offer such information.