Sunday, March 6, 2011

Moving Forward

There's not much more I wish to write about concerning Measure C. I may post a photo of me voting while holding my nose, but then again, I may not.

Our 'usual' polling station, Crestwood Street School's auditorium is not going to be used for the March 8 election.

We get to combine our voting with a visit with my mother at the Palos Verdes Villa.

From there, we all must move forward, no matter what the results are.

There are a few truths that will last long after the County Registrar counts the votes.

San Ramon Canyon will still need repair.

More candidates for three City Council seats may quickly announce their candidacy.

By over a 10% margin, more than 68% of our city's voters told Marymount College that while they may all support The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project, the addition of on-campus housing at the site was not approved by the voters.

Conservatives and liberals will still attempt to join together to make R.P.V. the best place to live, despite the State, National, and International issues that divide people.

A new 'tax' or 'fee' could and probably will be placed on a future ballot by our City Council, perhaps as early as this November to seek to increase revenue for improvements in our city's sewer system.

I feel the Annenberg Foundation will continue with its full page ads and lobbying efforts to redevelop the Point Vicente area.

Our City Hall and offices will continue to age and talk will increase about redeveloping that element of our city.

The newest Environmental Impact Report for the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project will probably be published in late spring or early summer. I am getting information that L.A. City Councilwoman Hahn may not be as objectionable to having apartments and other leased units at the location. The current proposal for building 1,135 units might move down, only slightly.

Since Ms. Hahn is trying for a House seat, we will need to see how that goes in relation to her possible influence at attracting Federal funding for San Ramon Canyon repairs and whatever she feel is appropriate now, for Ponte Vista.

If Measure C fails, I now look towards March, 2013 as the earliest date for another election on a proposed charter but I also contend that it could take up to ten years before a final vote that would approve a charter will take place.

I hope our residents remember that Rancho Palos Verdes is not Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, or Rolling Hills Estates. While we may all share "The Hill" we are all unique for many reasons. We need to keep reminding ourselves that we aren't so much alike from the other three cities mentioned, as we are different. Comparisons between our city and the three other cities demonstrate who different our city really is.

I hope more residents, either as individuals or with new groups, watch what happens in our city in the coming months and years. We seem to have a more proactive government in our city these last few years and that means we need to look, listen, learn, and act more than perhaps folks in the three other cities mentioned.

We must do better at educating our residents rather than lobbying them with the use of special interest tactics and some of the worst forms of politicing we have seen recently.

Residents of Rancho Palos Verdes did not put their best feet forward as they could have done and as they should have done, in my opinion. We all should have done better and represented our city in a better light. The latest campaign demonstrated why there are those in our city who choose to not be involved or interested and there are plenty of reasons not to blame them for that.

Moving forward between March 9 and the first Tuesday in November will test the mettle of many residents, it appears. Recent information and a troubling campaign by both sides seems to indicate the campaigns for the three seats on our Council could become just as ugly as things we have seen, heard about, or read, recently.

We can't stop, step back, and attempt to go back to 'the way it was'. When we objectively look at history it tells us that what we may wish to remember is not what we should remember and what was not true.

There was a period of time our city's governors were not as proactive about infrastructure, goals, and other issues. We can't go back there anymore. We must move forward.

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