• Sacramento Keeps Chipping Away At Local Control

Newsom Signs More Housing Bills

Governor Newsom signed the full list of housing bills below

Preventing and Ending Homelessness 

• AB 3093 by Assemblymember Chris Ward — Land use: housing element
• AB 799 by Assemblymember Luz Rivas — Interagency Council on Homelessness: funding: state programs
• SB 7 by Senator Catherine Blakespear — Regional housing need: determination
• SB 1395 by Senator Josh Becker —  Shelter crisis: Low Barrier Navigation Center: use by right: building standards

Accountability 

• AB 1886 by Assemblymember David Alvarez — Housing Element Law: substantial compliance: Housing Accountability Act
• AB 1893 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks —  Housing Accountability Act: housing disapprovals: required local findings
• AB 2023 by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva — Housing Element: Inventory of Land: Substantial Compliance: Rebuttable Presumptions
• SB 1037 by Senator Scott Wiener — Planning and zoning: housing element: enforcement 
• AB 1413 by Assemblymember Phil Ting — Housing Accountability Act: disapprovals: California Environmental Quality Act
• AB 2667 by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago — Affirmatively furthering fair housing: housing element: reporting
• SB 393 by Senator Steven M. Glazer — Civil actions: housing development projects
• SB 450 by Senator Toni Atkins — Housing development: approvals

Housing Streamlining and Production

• AB 2243 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks — Housing development projects: objective standards: affordability and site criteria
• AB 2488 by Assemblymember Phil Ting – Downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing districts: City and County of San Francisco
• AB 2199 by Assemblymember Marc Berman — California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: residential or mixed-use housing projects
• AB 2694 by Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward — Density Bonus Law: residential care facilities for the elderly
• SB 312 by Senator Scott Wiener — California Environmental Quality Act: university housing development projects: exemption
• SB 1123 by Senator Anna Caballero — Planning and zoning: subdivisions: ministerial review
• SB 1211 by Senator Nancy Skinner — Land use: accessory dwelling units: ministerial approval

Transparency and Efficiency

• AB 1053 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel — Housing programs: multifamily housing programs: expenditure of loan proceeds
• AB 2117 by Assemblymember Joe Patterson — Development permit expirations: actions or proceedings.
• AB 2430 by Assemblymember David Alvarez — Planning and zoning: density bonuses: monitoring fees
• AB 2553 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman — Housing development: major transit stops: vehicular traffic impact fees
• AB 2663 by Assemblymember Timothy S. Grayson — Inclusionary housing: fees: reports
• AB 2926 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra — Planning and zoning: assisted housing developments: Notice of expiration of affordability restrictions
• SB 937 by Senator Scott Wiener — Development projects: fees and charges

Housing Protections 

• AB 2801 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman — Tenancy: security deposits
• AB 2747 by Assemblymember Matt Haney — Tenancy: credit reporting
• SB 611 By Senator Caroline Menjivar — Residential rental properties: fees and security
• SB 900 by Senator Tom Umberg — Common interest developments: repair and maintenance

Tribal Housing

• AB 1878 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia — Housing programs: tribal housing program
• SB 1187 by Senator pro tem Mike McGuire — Housing programs: Tribal Housing Reconstitution and Resiliency Act

Wildomar Rap opinion time

What we need most is an informed electorate. 

Very often I run into people who think that common sense is what rules the day in politics, which is a flat out joke.

If someone would make a graph of housing costs and government interference (the road to Hell paved with good intentions and all) we'd see a direct correlation. 

Above and below you'll see dozens of new laws added to the books with the desired intention of making housing more affordable for all, but we all know that there will be an inverse reaction that will see affordability issues compound to the negative over time. 

Remember, elections have consequences. Yet, I don't see the voters of California wising up and changing out the one-party rule that has systematically made this state ever-increasingly too expensive for most people. 

Look on the bright side of things, next year there are sure to be dozens more similar bills looking to remove local control and push their one-size-fits-all agenda onto those of us who still live here that Governor Newsom is sure to sign.

• AB 3093 (Ward) — Makes changes to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) process, including requiring local governments to account for people with extremely low incomes and those experiencing homelessness in their housing elements.

• AB 1893 (Wicks) — Modifies/clarifies the Builder's Remedy law under the Housing Accountability Act. New Builder's Remedy projects must comply with certain site restrictions, density limits, and other standards. However, builder’s remedy projects will also have a lower percentage of affordable housing required.

• AB 2488 (Ting) — Allows San Francisco to establish a downtown revitalization and economic recovery financing district.

• AB 2667 (Santiago) — Requires local governments to use a new standardized reporting format for the 7th and each subsequent revision of the housing element.

• SB 450 (Atkins) — Makes changes to California’s upzoning law, SB 9. Local governments will be required to approve or deny an application for a new SB 9 unit or lot split within 60 days and provide homeowners with a reason and remedy if their application is denied. It also mandates consistency in local objective zoning, subdivision, and design standards to ease the burden on applicants. 

• SB 1037 (Wiener) — Strengthens the Attorney General’s ability to seek civil penalties against cities that violate state housing laws. 

• SB 1395 (Becker) — Makes it easier for local governments to use tiny homes as shelter for the unhoused.

For a full list of the enacted housing legislation, click here. 

On Thursday, the Governor also announced new guidelines for the HomeKey+ program, which will provide up to $2.2 billion in funding for permanent supportive housing.

At the signing, Newsom took another potshot at cities and counties for their role in the housing and homelessness crisis.

“There’s never been more support to address all of those concerns than in the last four or five years,” Newsom said. “So what gives? Time to do your job. Time to address the crisis of encampments on the streets in this state. And yes, I’m not going to back off from that. And you will see that reflected in my January budget. I’m going to fund success and I’m not going to fund the rhetoric of failure anymore.”

Originally seen at California City News

https://w.californiacitynews.org/2024/09/newsom-signs-housing-legislation-impacting-local-governments.html

• California City News Run Amok: 002 When A City Fights The State

I'm dialed into city-level news from all over the state, and sometimes the nation. I'm reprinting parts of a recent story here.

I'm sharing this story from Elk Grove as a reminder of what happens when a city tries to go toe to toe with the state. Even if they are a well-off city with a population nearing 200,000.

According to the story, Elk Grove is only paying $150,000 of the state's legal expenses. I can guarantee that their own legal fees are going to be at least double that. 

In the last six years, there have been several projects in Wildomar where the state has completely removed local control. Where the city had no say whatsoever in approval or denial... or even to have such projects meet similar conditions of approval that other projects must fulfill. 

California announces settlement resolving Elk Grove’s housing project denial

• By Tom Joyce | The Center Square contributor
 
• Sep 9, 2024

“We can’t solve California’s homelessness crisis without creating new housing and supportive services," Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "Elk Grove is not immune to this challenge, and the city’s decision to block these efforts — wasting valuable time and resources — is especially shameful. We expect Elk Grove to follow the law — continued refusal will not be tolerated.”

The state filed the lawsuit when Elk Grove denied a 67-unit supportive housing project for failing to meet the city's zoning standards, even though the city previously approved a similar project for market-rate housing.

"The project would have been located in Elk Grove’s historic district, a high-resource area critical to the state’s goal of providing communities of opportunity for people of all incomes," a release said. "The project would have provided off-site and on-site services to assist residents in maintaining housing and maximizing their ability to live and work in the community."

California sued Elk Grove in May 2023 for violating state laws, including Senate Bill 35 and the Housing Accountability Act, along with fair housing laws like the Nondiscrimination in Land Use Law and the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing statute.

Elk Grove eventually reached a separate settlement agreement with the development to move the project to a different area of the city. However, the city's reason for denying the project was still illegal, created needless delays for people seeking housing, and caused a preventable year-long legal battle, the release said.

Elk Grove agreed to be subjected to reporting requirements that monitor its future compliance with California housing law as a part of this settlement. It must also identify more locations for low-income housing development and pay the state $150,000 in legal costs.

“This settlement reflects what I’ve said all along: California’s housing laws are not optional. Local governments that violate our laws to deny affordable housing opportunities to Californians will be held accountable,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “While I am pleased that this is now behind us and that Elk Grove ultimately approved even more homes for those most in need, the city’s refusal to do the right thing over and over again cannot be swept under the rug. These are not ordinary times. Millions of Californians are struggling to keep a roof over their heads or lack housing altogether. Every local government therefore has both a legal and moral responsibility to help us meet the moment. If other cities believe they are exempt from that task, Governor Newsom, HCD Director Velasquez, and I will continue reminding those cities that they are in the wrong.”

Gustavo Velasquez, Director of HCD, said the settlement will help the state provide its people with more sufficient housing.

“This is a victory in the state’s efforts to expand the availability of much-needed supportive housing, consistent with California’s strong legacy upholding fair housing rights for people with disabilities and for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness,” Velasquez said. “We are resolute to see that every community in our state affirmatively furthers fair housing and expands integrative communities of opportunities. Our team will work with the City of Elk Grove to ensure this settlement is the first step in a lasting commitment to housing residents in need.”

Before the lawsuit was filed, HCD issued a Notice of Violation in October 2022. It warned the city that denying the Oak Rose Apartments would violate state law.

Attorney General Bonta sent the city letter on March 16, 2023, urging it to reverse its unlawful denial of the Oak Rose Apartments to avoid legal consequences.

One can view the settlement agreement here.

Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

• Project Touch Wildomar

Are you familiar with Project Touch? Have you heard of it?

It's an organization started about twenty years ago by Anne Unmacht in Temecula to help prevent homelessness. You can read more about its history at their website if you'd like.

Click Photo To Visit Website

Project Touch owns a three-acre property in Wildomar and will be expanding the current layout, which currently houses up to eight residents, to one that will have eighty bedrooms.

Knowing this was coming closer to reality, I felt it my duty to get the details out to the residents of Wildomar. I met with Anne and she was happy to answer my questions so I could share them in blog form here.

Joseph Morabito (center), Anne Unmacht (center right) at the 2023 Murrieta Wildomar Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner.

The proposed plan has eight single-story buildings divided in two. Each building will have two kitchens separated by walls with five bedrooms on each side. 

Eight, ten-bedroom structures with a common adjoining laundry room for each building. The existing 3BR two-story house will remain too.

Project Touch purchased the property three years ago. It's been housing single men, and at the moment there is only one there, and he's employed as a security guard in Canyon Lake.

There are no construction timelines at this point, but when pressed, Anne hedged that groundbreaking is possible in a year.

The funding that Project Touch has lined up will pay for the first of three phases which is between two or three of the buildings mentioned above. Anything beyond that is still not even on the back burner yet.

The Wildomar Campus will be about homeless prevention, not something akin to a soup kitchen/flop house seen in big cities.

How does Project Touch choose its residents?

Anne reminded me that Project Touch has been doing this work for twenty years and they are the only homeless prevention/shared housing operation of their kind in the region. 

For years they've gotten referrals from school districts, hospitals, and law enforcement (such as domestic violence situations, or coming across a mother and her children in a car). Also from social services, adult protective services, child protective services, and other groups that work in this endeavor. 

The current view from Grand Ave.

What may not be common knowledge is that since Project Touch has contracted with Wildomar and City Net they have been housing homeless men from Wildomar, outside of Wildomar. In their other operations which are better suited for that need.

All totaled, Project Touch has 265 beds in the region, at this moment in time, they have 225 clients. 

"I encourage people to think about the fundemental choice [necessary to be in the program]. Do you want someone who comes into a very strict program, with lots of resources, to keep them out of homelessness, or do you still want them to hang out on your streets and the unknowns?"

- Anne Unmacht

About How Long Do Individuals Stay Before Moving on?

As you could probably guess, there is no set answer, it varies depending on the situation. There are some who are with Project Touch for a short time, perhaps reconnecting with family, or they find a more suitable program for the individual's needs. 

They work with agencies throughout the county. They have a very comprehensive resource book online that they update every year. 

Some people may be there a month or two, while others, such as senior citizens with health issues and no family have been with Project Touch for five and six years. 

As more permanent low-income housing comes online, their longer-term clients have an opportunity to make that move.

I quipped, "People will be glad to learn that the average stay isn't something like eleven days." 

To which Anne responded forcefully in a tone of clarification, "One of the focuses of this campus (Wildomar on Grand Ave) is going to be the single moms and families who have been with us [for years] but are currently in a location that is much more conducive for someone that is entry-level."

This will be home for those who have been part of Project Touch for quite a while. "I'm very particular and selective about the people that will be living on that campus," Anne reiterated.

What Kind Of Oversight Is There To Keep Difficult People In Line?

When it comes to difficult clients they first aim for behavior modification approaches. Their goal is to not make the person homeless again by kicking them out, but they do have an "infractions" system where a person can be "written up" for a minor or major infraction. 

After the second write-up, there's a mandatory meeting with the director, Anne herself, to see if that person is suited for shared housing or not. That happens on occasion, and then a "strategic exit plan" is implemented. They are also prepared for immediate exits if the situation calls for it.

"For the most part people [we deal with] are cooperative because we're offering them something they really want. We're not going out trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, we're dealing with people that want help and don't want to be homeless."

- Anne Unmacht

In their existing properties, they have staff which includes case management, and someone who monitors the shelter at night.

At the Wildomar location, there will be live-in staff. 

There are many unknowns at the time of this blog as they are exploring their options with County services, including, possibly onsight parenting classes, anger management classes, financial literacy classes, and other similar services that will help people become independent of government services. 

Regarding Project Touch Staff

Generally, the staff comes from those who have gone through their system and have proven themselves over a long period of time. 

Having the experience of the program under their belt, they are uniquely qualified to assess what they're presented with. In common parlance, don't bullsh*t a bullsh*tter. 

Her main go-to staffer is twenty-year Marine vet, Darryl Chambers. He initially came her way as a client after his family hit a bump in the road and she helped them find an apartment.  

Staff meetings are weekly with internal training, outside training, Zoom meeting training, and other educational components. 

As Project Touch moves forward with the county they are reaching a different level where all clients are entered into the HMIS system and they'll have a dedicated staffer for it. 

Link to HUD's page about HMIS

Link to Project Touch Facebook page

I asked Anne if there was anything she'd like to add:

[What] I would share with the community is to reflect on the word "the homeless". It almost makes it feel like you're going to Sea World to feed the dolphins or the seals. The homeless are not "the homeless". 

These are veterans, human beings, single mothers, who are trying to make it. These are people who are leaving bad situations for the well being of their kids, and I always say, "There but for the grace of god go I".

There are no guarantees. Life can throw you a curveball anytime. Always remember you just don't know that the same thing could happen to you. Have some compassion. Don't operate in fear. 

Once we get our campus open we'd love for people to come and volunteer, get involved, we'll have lots of opportunities. It's actually a lot of fun, when you're helping other people there's no looking back.

Link to Project Touch Instagram Page

Wildomar Rap opinion time

I know that the location of this homeless prevention facility has worried many people. That's understandable. 

Google Map view. Project Touch property yellow/red highlight.

We all have our own ways of going about things; the way we form opinions or come to conclusions. For me, the primary factor revolves around getting the facts of the matter, and then putting together an opinion with a firm base in reality.

The upfront facts, in this case, indicate all the decision-making leading to an 80-room homeless prevention facility being at the location in question happening well outside of the City of Wildomar.

Though 2M dollars is coming from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, the decisions go beyond them too, all the way to Sacramento. 

It's a similar story to that of Tres Lagos in the new parts of Windsong Valley. Local control wasn't even on the table. 

When I first was apprised that this was being considered, knowing it had SB 35 protections where the city can't even hold a public meeting about it as was done with Tres Lagos, I made my opinions known that public outreach needed to be a key component. 

Anne Unmacht and Project Touch want to be good neighbors, and she agreed that such outreach would be done.

In the interim, I yielded my position on the Homeless Subcommittee to, then newcomer to the City Council, Ashlee DePhillippo, and haven't been in the loop due to the restrictions of The Brown Act. 

I wanted to attend a recent community meeting hosted by Project Touch at the site on Grand Ave but was blocked by the City Attorney. 

In a perfect world, cities would be perfectly laid out like it was the old computer game SimCity, but we live in a real world, that isn't planned out, and when it's in California, the one-size-fits-all approach of Sacramento rules the day.

Instead of getting all wordy as can all too often be my custom, I'm going to end here. 

If you have questions there are many resources you can investigate listed in this blog. 

You can also add Mayor Bridgette Moore as an information source. She's running for re-election from that area of Wildomar, and she has been at the forefront of getting information out through social media, emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings. 

• Tres Lagos Is STILL a Done Deal

I'm sorry that this type of blog is necessary, but it is. 

It really makes me angry when I see misleading information being pushed onto the residents. It's even more vexing when it's done by someone that claims to want to represent them on the city council (Kenny Mayes lost his election bid in 2020). 

A post made by Kenny Mayes in a private Facebook group called Save Windsong Valley.

Either he knew he was kicking the hornet's nest for his own jollies, or he can claim ignorance. I wonder which it'll be. 

We know that he didn't ask for any clarification from the city or the county. He read that Tres Lagos was back on the agenda and posted a link to it with no opinions or attempted explanations. 

Like clockwork, concerned residents took the bait and started posting on social media about an issue that was nailed shut long ago. 

Fanning the flames is his favorite pastime. 

Why are we relitigating this?

Yes, it sucks.

Tres Lagos was approved at the state level. The city had no say so in it. If that sounds preposterous, I agree. You should see the other laws that Sacramento has pushed on us, taking away local control and making our neighborhoods less safe.

The ruling party (The Democrats if you're unsure) couldn't care less about Wildomar or any other community. If you voted for the blue team, you made Tres Lagos happen. 

If you're not up to speed on this issue, follow the keywords at the bottom of the blog to see past blogs on it. 

Them is the facts.

However, when people intentionally spread misinformation, upsetting the community, I feel it's my obligation to get you answers from a higher authority than loners that thrive off of the conflict they leave in their wakes on social media.

I emailed Supervisor Kevin Jeffries. 

Here is the exchange: 

Good morning Kevin,

Looks like Tres Lagos is hitting the BoS agenda for March 28^th.

link to the agenda item in question

 A resident posted this information and is encouraging people to go down to the meeting and ask for Tres Lagos to be halted by not funding it.

Can you give me some information that I can share with my constituents on this agenda item and whether or not Tres Lagos can be stopped. I thought this was a done deal, but residents have been fed false hope and I need to address it again.

I appreciate any clarification you can share with me.

Regards,

Joseph Morabito  

Mayor

Here is his response that I received about an hour later.

Joesph - here is the details from county housing staff…..

Yes. This project was already approved, and we are simply holding the hearing. The action doesn’t obligate or approve the project as that was done at the State level. Below is a more elaborate answer that explains the process, but it might be overkill. 

It is what is called Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) hearing. As a condition of securing an award of funding from the state a public hearing is required. This can be done in the City where the project is done, or we can hold the hearing at the County level. As the City of Wildomar did not want to hold the hearing we are holding the hearing. The hearing in question doesn’t obligate the County to make any loans or approve the award of funds. The County simply holds the hearing, and the bond allocation is awarded by the State to California Statewide Communities Development Authority who issues the bonds. The bonds then are purchased by a bank in this instance Chase.

You might find this interesting but Signature Bank up until last week was going to purchase the bonds, but as they failed the bonds are going to be purchased by Chase.

Hope this helps and if you have any questions or concerns let me know.

I'm truly sorry for anyone that thought they needed to write a letter, or an email, or even worse waste their morning going to a meeting in downtown Riverside that had nothing to do with approving or disapproving this godawful project. 

Please remember this when Kenny Mayes throws his hat in the ring looking to represent you on the Wildomar city council next year. I know that I'll remember it, and you can count on me to remind the voters who the real Kenny Mayes is if he actually runs in 2024.

If you still haven't figured out that the source of this misinformation isn't a trustworthy source, let's revisit the classic Aesop's Fable of the Farmer and the Snake.

On the ground lay a Snake, stiff and frozen with the cold. The Farmer knew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and put it in his bosom to warm it back to life. The Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the man who had been so kind to it.

Moral: There are some who never change their nature, regardless of how well we behave with them. Always stay alert and maintain a distance from those who have a long track record of negativity. 

If there is any question, the above was written by Wildomar Mayor Joseph Morabito. 

Email is jmorabito@cityofwildomar.org

Lastly, if anyone thinks that the above opinion is out of line, you have the right to think that. As for me, I'm tired of watching good people get jerked around by the thoughtlessness of others and I'm going to call it out even if that rankles some people. 

•                •                •

when someone tells you who they are believe them.

– Maya Angelou

Wildomar Rap has been telling you who he is for nearly 10 years.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• City Council Special Meeting August 2021 Tres Lagos

There's no point in completely rehashing this matter. If you would like more backstory, please click the keyword Tres Lagos at the bottom of the blog.

It's just a hastily cobbled-together mock-up to give a rough idea of what it might look like. I have no idea if the "French Style" will look anything like this or not, and the windows aren't the same. It's just to give you an idea of what three-story buildings on those ten acres might look like. 

I want to thank the residents that came in person (and those that watched on zoom or live stream). It was a full house considering the lingering covid restrictions, and despite the fact that this was a foregone conclusion since day one.

To sum up the meeting without getting into the weeds, it started with Wildomar's city attorney explaining a series of laws that Sacramento has passed over the years. 

Capped off by the odious SB35 that threatens elected officials to not say things that could even "chill" the project. I'm sure that they weren't using the modern slang version of "chill" which is the super hip way of saying "cool".

Even though there is scant similarity between classic "cool" and modern day hipsters and their "chill" neither is anything remotely like the "chill" mentioned in reference to SB35 and what Scott Wiener intended when he wrote the bill. 

After the attorney was finished speaking, the planning director gave an overview of the project. Followed by another presentation by the developer.

Next was public comments, and I counted nine residents that spoke in the chamber and another five online. They were all good comments, but the two that were stellar in my view came from Janice Hare and then over zoom, Kory Stare. 

This isn't the academy awards where I'm going to thank everyone involved, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mari Bacon by name, and acknowledge her tireless efforts in getting the word out to the community through her group Save Windsong Valley.

Like I mentioned at the top, I don't want to give an exhaustive postmortem on this meeting. The link to the complete video is below and I encourage you to watch it if you have a spare three hours lying around. 

As a quadruple reminder, this meeting didn't legally even need to happen 

SB35 allowed for all the paperwork to be done by the planning department and the city council could have thrown up our hands and said, "Aw shucks folks, the power was taken away from us."

I'm so appreciative that when I was going over Tres Lagos in a one-on-one meeting with staff, and I said that we had an obligation to go in front of the community, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, they agreed without hesitation.

Believe me, lesser city councils would have gladly dodged this bullet. Remember, Wildomar didn't. 

The way that city councils work in California is that a voting majority cannot work on an issue together (the vaunted Brown Act). That means only two members can discuss any one item. I worked on this item with Bridgette Moore for at least this entire calendar year.

She was very helpful and carried my Dragon A-- more than once as she arranged many Zoom meetings with countless concerned residents. 

For all the things already on her plate, she added this monster to it. Even though the project is well outside of her district, and it would have been completely understandable had she not been able to find the necessary time. I think she actually gets 36 hours in a day and just hasn't told anyone else about it. 

She and I were both contacted by the developer in the final weeks before the August 26th meeting. I inquired with staff whether Palm Communities had been willing to change the things that the Save Windsong Valley group had asked for.

When I'd heard that there were no changes made, I couldn't imagine the point of meeting with them. However, Bridgette did opt to meet with them, and afterward thought she might have a deal in the works to at least move the buildings off the property line.

I don't want to speak for Bridgette, but I know that she wouldn't have brought the subject up at the meeting if she wasn't fairly certain that it would be accepted based on the meeting she had had. 

It was in hopes of moving the buildings further back from the property line and having the parking closer to the street. If you want to see how that part went down, go to this part of the meeting video: 2:27:30 

Remember, with SB35, this type of project gets to dictate the process. They are the ones that can demand conditions and waivers, the city cannot.

When given the chance to prove that they were indeed, good neighbors (as they'd been proclaiming), they balked and said, "We've met the city's guidelines." 

They also said how they'd already spent tens of thousands of dollars as part of the reason why they weren't interested in making this concession. 

Imagine what they could buy with that kind of largess... probably a corrugated patio cover with a disco ball, maybe one of those rusty metal T-Rexs for their front yard, and a couple of cases of Coors Light for their yearly Christmas party.

There are soooo many more important things to use those funds on than the neighborhood they're in the process of wrecking... and since the state said they could run roughshod over anyone they damn well please, they did. 

Congrats, time to contact the humanitarian of the year organizers and get to nominating them. (What, I poured it on too thick there? Fine, strike that part about humanitarian of the year from the record)

Then it was my turn to speak

I had some prepared remarks that pointed the blame to myself first, then to staff, followed by the developer of course, but then reminded everyone that it was the one-party rule that has been in Sacramento for decades... and those that keep voting them in that owns the root cause of this whole fiasco.

The thing is, all levity aside for a moment, that area was failed by the very people put in place to keep a watch out for them. Sad and pathetic!

"But now that they have the power of SB35 behind them —they're in charge. Not too dissimilar to when a preschooler is in possession of a loaded Glock wanting a cookie. It's their show and their demands must be met." 

The above was part of my comments... check out the video.

Being in love with the camera, I actually set up my phone to take some reverse-angle footage of when I was speaking. If you think my blogs can get convoluted, take a look at my nearly eight-minute verbal diatribe below. 

Note to self: next time don't use the water bottle as a tripod, you might get thirsty and have no way to wet your whistle. 

That was it, we voted on it and the final vote was 4-1 to approve the waivers and conditions. 

I'm not some hero here

The others knew that we had no choice but to approve it or face a losing lawsuit from the developer, not even attaining a Pyrrhic victory... (is a Pyrrhic defeat a thing?)

Which could have cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend, or to put this back on the next agenda to then switch the vote... and I would have switched mine before costing the city money on a no-win situation.

If this would have been allowed to go through the standard review process I have relative confidence that it would have been a 4-1 or a 5-0 vote to deny it.

It was a long meeting, with just one topic, and if you choose to watch the video you'll get the complete picture of what transpired. 

The only other thing that I'll address, and here I'll go back to glossing over something that is actually rather serious, but it doesn't directly affect the residents... so if you can read between the lines, cool. 

Towards the end, staff seemed to forget the pecking order of things and who works for who. Let this be a friendly reminder, that such actions won't go unanswered in future meetings.

You do not attempt to throw your employer under the bus, much less all five of them —especially not on a moot point that has nothing to do with what's being voted on, and delude yourself into believing that is acceptable.

If you have a difference of opinion and you want to clear the air, that's what backrooms and woodsheds are for, not an open meeting. I'm not here to kiss anyone's hindquarters.

But Joseph, isn't a blog just as inappropriate a place for such a thing? 

Hmmm.... you may have a point there. 

Use this link to get the the three hour video

PostScript. After the meeting, as I was making my way out of the council chambers I met up with one of the developers and remarked, "Well, you survived. You absorbed the arrows well."

Despite my palpable dislike for Tres Lagos, I don't carry that over to the people involved. He seemed to understand our positions, even if not to the point of changing anything. Sort of the difference between empathy and compassion. I wished him a good evening and a safe trip back home. It is possible to disagree and still be civil.