Bits and Pieces 63-MAJOR UPDATE

This one should look different. Also, this is an updated post, after I learned some new information at 3:10 PM on Friday, November 30, 2012

Mayor's Legacy Attempt???   UPDATED

Originally, this section contained information about what I thought at the time I created it, was going to be a 'special' meeting or our City Council on Tuesday morning, December 4, 2012 where the agenda for that meeting could have been a ground-breaking/photo opportunity for Mayor Misetich and others on the council at the site of the San Ramon Stabilization Project.

In my comments, I related to two 'legacy items' two L.A.U.S.D. Board of Education members seemed to have been provided a new gym at San Pedro High School and a new Annex to that high school that would be considered their 'legacy' items, well into the future.

I heard that there might be a Tuesday morning meeting where there would be ground-breaking for the San Ramon Stabilization Project, a project that has not been approved yet and where funding to begin the physical ground-breaking efforts has not been fully found.

As it was mentioned that it might occur on the last day of Mayor Misetich's first term, I felt that it would be an improper way of using taxpayer funds and staff's and others' time for something that probably won't move forward until most, if not all, of the funding if finally found.

I also heard that there may have been some in our city who were seeking an approval by The Army Corp of Engineers to come through by today, so that the special meeting could go forward.

In my call to City Hall, a few minutes ago, I learned that the "meeting has been canceled", information provided to me by someone I don't remember the name of, within City Hall.

When I visited the city's Web site looking for the agenda of the next City Council meeting, I found the agenda for the November 20 meeting.

This afternoon I visited the site again and found only the new agenda for the upcoming evening meeting of our Council, this coming Tuesday.

There is other information I know about that is now moot because of the "cancellation" but I think there were some in our city who really wanted the morning meeting to go forward before the meeting was canceled. Personally I believe as much as some wanted the special meeting, it had to be canceled.

I do commend Mayor Misetich and Mayor Pro Tem Brian Campbell for their positive efforts over the YEARS that this very important issue has been in the forefront of the needs our city has. The three 'newer' members of the Council have also shown great interest in seeing that the Project gets done as quickly as possible, but Mayor Misetich and Mayor Pro Tem Campbell have been dealing with these issues for four years now.

Who Is Going To Be Our Mayor On December 5?

In the historic or 'normal' pattern in our city, this would be a 'no-brainer' question. Our city's history has included many times when a current Mayor Pro Tem is just about automatically elected the city's next Mayor. Without actually looking hard into our city records, I can't tell when or if it has been any different.

EXPECT DIFFERENT this coming Tuesday evening.

Our Mayor is elected to that position during the first meeting of the Council in December of each year.

When I heard some news that is recent to me I shuddered to think what may just happen.

After considering what I heard I think that there are some pretty good reasons to have Mayor Anthony Misetich continue being our Mayor.

Looking at the legacy item, it will allow Mayor Misetich more time to help get the money together and possibly actually view the beginning of the real project to stabilize San Ramon Canyon.

Mayor Misetich was voting member of our council when the votes regarding Marymount College were taken and he could use a second term to help deal with the future at that college.

As Mayor Misetich has already announced his reelection bid, he would have that entire campaign time frame as Mayor and not just as a Council member to run with.

I have it on pretty good authority that current Mayor Pro Tem Brian Campbell may not want his turn YET as Mayor and while I think he will make a very good Mayor at some point, perhaps he and others believe that his time as Mayor will be after his reelection, if he wishes to get reelected. (I think the reelection of both Anthony Misetich and Brian Campbell can be regarded as a foregone conclusion because of the first votes for them.)

UPDATE- You may want to keep an eye on your inbox for an Email coming soon from a V.I.P. within RPV.

Just Don't Create A Motion!

On December 18, 2012, officials from Marymount College MAY come to the Council meeting, along with Staff recommendations all dealing with the extension of the time period for the First Phase of The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project.

Nothing has been completed or basically even begun according to the The Project's guidelines and Marymount officials have decided they want a '20 year' plan. They also want an athletic field different from the approved field, more students attending classes in Rancho Palos Verdes and who knows if, when and how they will actually create the 120 new parking spaces required in The Project's first phase.

If the extension of the time frame for Phase One of The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project is not approved on December 18, 2012, The Project will essentially end on that date and it appears that officials at Marymount College never actually intended on building anything according to the city council approved Project.

So, without have any long debates, should staff or Marymount College officials request and extension of the time frame, I feel the best way to deal with it is to have no member of our current council place in motion any extension, of any kind.

What this would do is not put any council member 'on the spot' of coming up with a motion and no member would be put 'on the spot' for seconding a motion that is never created.

Of course, if there is a member who wishes to make a motion and a member who seconds that motion, I hope there are at least three votes to vote down any and all motions to extend something it appears Marymount official have no interest in factually continuing.

Officials at Marymount have grand plans that keep changing. They have ongoing concerns in San Pedro and even in Northern California. I suggest that they move forward on an item by item issue here in Rancho Palos Verdes. Let them bring their 'new' athletic field plans forward, independent of any other plan AFTER there are 120 more permanent parking spaces completed on campus and BEFORE any talk of increasing the student population at the Rancho Palos Verdes campus get debated and voted on.

Keep Reading The Palos Verdes Peninsula News.

I think there is going to be some very interesting articles coming forth within the pages of The Palos Verdes Peninsula News in the weeks and few months to come.

You may want to seek shelter because I think there are some bombshells headed our way.

The Clearwater Program Is Working Towards The Big Dig

The San Pedro Coast lists a meeting concerning The Clearwater Program of The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.

The meeting is to consider the Final Environmental Impact Report for a new Outfall System, a new tunneling project from Carson, California out into San Pedro Bay.

Here is a link to the site:

http://thesanpedrocoast.com/category/utilities/clearwater-program/

I am also including two links to previous posts on this blog in which I include my comments to the DEIR/DEIS of the Project and how and why I feel Alternative 4 is not the one I feel should be approved.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6316793289693893375#editor/target=post;postID=1444365410874827604

The link below is to a post I created on April 9, 2012 and includes my comments to the DEIR/DEIS for The Project.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6316793289693893375#editor/target=post;postID=706091520686019340

I am not able to attend tomorrow's meeting as I will be working. My bet is that Alternative 4 will be approved and moved forward.

Wait, Wait, There's More!

I hope everyone is studying and mulling over your thoughts regarding the issues revolving around The Ponte Vista Project and your contemplations on what comments you are going to submit on that project's new Draft Environmental Impact Report.

But during your concentration, you may want to add some thoughts to another project that is being worked on, not all that far from the Ponte Vista Site.

Marymount College has an off-campus housing facility on Palos Verdes Drive North, between Western Avenue and 5-Points and here is a notice of a public hearing dealing with what Marymount officials and supporters want to do with the site they have been associated with, for some years now.

Click on image to enlarge it.

I have only posted the first page of the notice because I feel it is enough information for those interested and if folks want more information, they are able to find it out for themselves.

When you read what this project entails, please keep in mind what the developers of The Ponte Vista Project want and the four Alternatives dealt with in Ponte Vista's DEIR.

Besides Ponte Vista and Marymount's off-campus housing site, the new small lot houses along Gaffey Street are still being built. The largely uninhabited housing at 5-Points is still nearby and there are going to be a small number of large homes built along Palos Verdes Drive North, near its intersection with Palos Verdes Drive East.

Housing development is moving forward in what can be described as a small area that has not seen much residential development in quite some time.

Add to the housing, the new(er) schools and the new educational, parking and site concerns at Marymount's 'Palos Verdes North' site, we are all looking at more development in the area than has been done in decades.

I hope interested individuals and groups will look at 'the big picture' in terms of residential and other types of development and work to find ways to mitigate traffic concerns we all have and work to finding the best results for EVERYONE.

I will create a post soon that will lean towards pushing for Alternative B for The Ponte Vista Project and if this notice helps you and others to consider more carefully how much development at Ponte Vista is best for everyone, I think that is a good thing.

So It Begins...Again. On Another Blog, Too

Please hop on over to www.pontevista.blogspot.com for the newest post, with illustrations, dealing with The Ponte Vista Project.

FINALLY...IT'S HERE!!!

In today's mail, I received two copies of the new Draft Environmental Impact Report for Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

I got them the same day as the release date of the documents to the public.

It's now 4:00 AM on Friday morning and I just got home for an overnight shoot for a T.V. pilot, so I will get into the new EIR and start posting some items, later on during the day.

The wait was very long and now it is over!