Bits and Pieces 59

Remember that 'minor modification' that our City Council approved for Marymount College where they were going to mitigate the on-street parking problems, FINALLY, with a 'simple' addition of a few parking spots?

Remember when their Land Use Attorney got up in front of the council and made comments that seemed to indicate that the College would have the new parking spaces in by the beginning of this Fall's term?

Remember when folks like me questioned whether there is any true or real things to believe in as part of Marymount's ideas of how they want to proceed with Phase 1 of The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project?

Remember when I mentioned about the concept that some within the staff or our city consider that whatever Marymount currently wants should be the last thing considered, until something else might come along?

I seem to remember all of that, but it appears there are only a few of us in our city that wish to remember.

In a recent letter, it appears that Marymount, through what they contend is no fault of their own, has no intention of providing even the fifteen additional parking spaces on its main campus prior to the start of classes this fall.

I wonder how much more of this our current council makeup will tolerate.

I expect that during the upcoming August 7, 2012 council meeting, Marymount officials will do their best to illustrate why they must have more time (my guess is two years) to comply with what they agreed to do, as far as Phase 1 goes, by September 30, 2012.

I also expect to hear and read language that will be offered to our council that Marymount MUST have an increase in student enrollment numbers at their Palos Verdes Drive East campus before they find out if they get their extension on what they originally promised to do.

I was hopeful that Marymount officials would (at least) begin to do what they said they would do, several months ago. I may not like their new ideas about Phase 1 but I was encouraged that they said they wanted to have the new parking spaces in, on time.

Silly me!

We did have occasions to visit the new Broiler Express on Western Avenue. It is run by the same team that provide us and San Pedro with Fantastic Cafe.

The food was equal to what we have always enjoyed at the two Fantastic Cafe's two San Pedro locations and the added bonus of having another drive-thru,  increases opportunities to those of us in R.P.V. and elsewhere.

Do you think our city's Fourth of July Celebration will be different this years as it has been in the past? Aside from this not being an election year for our city's council, I wonder what, if anything, is new.

The celebration takes place this year on the 20th anniversary of Mark and Terri's wedding so thank you all so very much for celebrating, year after year.

Here is my first big 'shout out' for Scalawag Production's "Oklahoma" playing at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro on August 10 and 11.

I am the set builder for the youth production and I think audience members will enjoy a great show with spectacular performances by talented performers, ages 13-18.

While I have been to wonderful performances by youth productions on The Hill, "Oklahoma" will feature talent from on The Hill and off.

It's not July yet and this week has provided some hot days. Terri says 'June Gloom' may be returning to end June on a cloudy mornings note, but I think it will be nice to keep it as cool as it can be, for a bit longer.

Are you going to attend any of the festivities revolving around the public opening of the Battleship Iowa's first week?

There are quite a number of veterans in eastern R.P.V. and even though we all may not be Navy vets, I think we can enjoy this new attraction on the waterfront so many of us can see from our homes.

There is also the opening of a giant crafters' shopping area inside Warehouse 10 in the Port of Los Angeles. This old warehouse is close to 22nd Street and Minor Avenue, if I am not mistaken.

Perhaps there are crafters from R.P.V. who will have stalls in the shopping area. Please support them and others working to create artful things.

Right now I wish today was the first Wednesday in November. I am sick and tired of National and Statewide politics for the time being. I wonder if any readers of this blog have a working time machine I could use.

It looks like most of the work on the power polls along Western Avenue in R.P.V. is finished. THANK GOODNESS!

5-0 Vote Raises Your Fee and City Revenues

Hey conservatives, when you voted to elect (now Mayor Pro Tem) Brian Campbell, (now) Mayor Anthony Misetich, Councilwoman Susan Brooks and Councilman Jerry Duhovic, did you know you would be voting to elect folks who have no real trouble raising fees and generating revenue at the MAXIMUM level requested?

Being a very liberal person, I thought is was folks like me and the three former council members, Wolowicz, Stern, and Long who would raise fees to the highest level possible.

By a vote of 5-0, the R.P.V. City Council voted to raise the fees for Residential Customers of EDCO by the MAXIMUM allowable increase of 2.3%.

Sure, that's not really a big amount as far as how much we are going to pay, but what about the principle and campaign rhetoric we heard from all of the candidates.

With the MAXIMUM increase requested, our city's coffers also get an increase of about $10,850 this coming year from EDCO.

Then, let's take into account that everything that Marymount College's administration and supporters have asked for, from this council, has been approved.

It kind of continues to prove my point about the conservative-dominated City Council.

It looks like as far as they are concerned, business interests within and for our city come first.

Government size and increases in revenue come second.

Residential interests come last, of those three.

Is this a good thing? Not for me! I continue to think and feel that our elected representatives represent the residents who voted them into office, FIRST!

I then think the members should consider government working for RESIDENTS, second.

I would like to see business interests, especially one who are owned and/or operated by non-RPV residents coming in third, within the group of three.

Lower taxes? Well, considering the increase in revenue (tax) this council will require EDCO to pay, I guess all of them who claim or claimed they were interested in lowering your taxes might be saying something on one side of their mouths, but it comes out quite differently from the other side of they mouths.

Remember, the increase in revenue the city gets is from the increase in fees we are all going to now have to pay.

As for me, I didn't see my EDCO service improve even 2.3% during the previous year. We see a staggered collection time, during the day. Our waste is picked up fairly early in the morning and our recycle and green waste may hang around until late afternoon.

Sometimes we have to make trips at different times of the day to bring in our cans. Wouldn't a one-time period per day be better to bring our cans from the street, rather than taking one back in the morning or having it linger out there empty, until the last truck picks up the last container?

We all understand that costs go up. One chart in the package for the increase stated that there was an increase of 1.9% (in total for that graph), .4% less than the rate increase was approved for.

In one Email to one council member, I suggested that no rate increase should be voted on, but I did state that I thought a 1.15% increase could be considered favorable. As a liberal and someone who can afford the 2.3% increase, I really don't mind that too much, especially if it leads to raises for working folks at EDCO, they could all use a raise, I think.

Time and votes have demonstrated that business interests in our city, what businesses want and how they go about getting what they want, is going to be a major issue, for at least the next two years.

Watch Marymount get every extension they request. Sit back and witness Marymount being given an increase in student body counts at its Rancho Palos Verdes campus.

Consider what we might see in the awarding of contracts.

Gaze at the length of time it takes to make even emergency repairs necessary when dealing with San Ramon Canyon, when it could involve possibly great delays in traffic by our residents.

I'm the leftest. I'm the liberal, yes, you are most welcome to consider me a progressive. It would normally be odd for someone like me to mention the increase in fees to residents, approved of by this council. But after all the campaign jargon, literature, statements, ideals, mentions and now votes by the majority of members of our council, it appears they favor business more than they support our residents, in my sole opinion.