Veolia only cares about bottom line
Since September 2003, I’ve been a resident of
Richmond where my family and I purchased our
first home. I’ve been dealing with Veolia on a
direct basis since December 2004 when Richmond’s
city engineer told me that Veolia would be
addressing our continual and ongoing
neighborhood flooding problem.
Since that time, Veolia has assigned three
different neighborhood “supervisors” and various
employees. With each new management change, not
only have I had to repeat the details of our
situation and the flooding in my neighborhood,
but I’ve had to essentially go back to the end
of the “squeaky wheel” queue and reassert myself
all over again. The only consistency I’ve
experienced in the last six-plus years is an
incredible amount of inefficiency, redundancy,
and incompetence.
Cities decide to privatize their essential
services because they conclude they are unable,
or worse, unwilling, to effectively and
efficiently manage the services themselves. They
are seduced by the illusory promise that it will
be a cost-saving measure, entering into the
agreement believing the private contractor will
provide better, streamlined services, and the
panacea for all of their problems. It’s a
pollyannaish view that the private company they
hire has the same motivations for signing the
contract as the city does. The city maintains
the delusive notion that the private company is
merely an extension of their government and its
primary goal is to provide for the citizens as
conscientiously and honorably as the
municipality would. The only difference is the
city will now be relieved of the financial,
bureaucratic, and logistical headaches of the
services contracted. Imagine, all of that with
lower costs. Well, if it sounds too good to be
true...
The private contractor, in this case Veolia, has
only two concerns:
First, its obligation to its shareholders.
Second, its obligation to its contract.
The fine print: The obligation to the
shareholders is what defines the contract.
Period.
The shareholders have only one concern: is the
bottom line getting larger?
Does anyone truly believe that a private company
whose primary obligation is to maximize profits
is going to go out of its way to find the best
solution for a particular situation and the
citizens involved?
It is important to understand that even with an
agreement the city remains the contractor,
ultimately responsible for the work and its
citizens. The private company is merely the
sub-contractor who is only obligated to its
contract with the city.
Cities and its citizens are delusional to
believe that relinquishing control of their
services will free up both human and financial
resources. So, why did Veolia spend $25,000 in
the campaign to re-elect pro-contract board
members? Was it merely Veolia’s altruistic
nature and genuine concern for the citizens of
Novato, acting as an extension of Novato’s
government?
Wake up and smell the sewage.
Jason Myers
NOVATO FLOW PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, April
28, 2010
Contact: Dennis Welsh 415-497-1577
Current and former elected officials join fight
to stop SF Bay polluter from taking reins of
sanitary district plant, urge Novato voters to
reject Measure F June 8
NOVATO –
Former and current Novato and Marin County elected
officials are endorsing a “No” vote on Measure F on
the Novato ballot June 8, expressing major concerns
about turning over a new water treatment plant to a
private company with a poor environmental record,
and a history of raising rates for consumers.
In fact, one Bay Area mayor whose city is stuck in a
contract with Veolia Water – which wants to run
Novato Sanitary District plant – is warning Novato
voters to not privatize their current public-owned
facilities.
"There are three wastewater treatment plants in
Richmond and those ratepayers served by the plant
operated by Veolia are charged three to four times
as much. I caution other cities of going down this
same path,” Richmond mayor Gayle McLaughlin said,
endorsing a “No” vote on Measure F. Veolia has an 8
percent rate increase on the table this year in
Richmond.
Others opposed to Measure F include former Novato
mayor Jim Leland, Novato Planning Commissioner Peter
Tiernan, Fairfax vice-mayor Lawrence Bragman, San
Rafael city councilperson Greg Brockbank and Fairfax
city councilperson Pam Hartwell-Herrero.
“Clean water and sanitation are basic human rights
that should not be corporatized...Novato is ground
zero for the anti- privatization movement in Marin
County,” said Bragman, a former Novato
businessperson and resident.
The Sierra Club of California has endorsed a “NO”
vote on Measure F, which was placed on the ballot by
outraged citizens – 4,000 voters, twice the number
needed, signed a referendum to put the decision on
the ballot after only two weeks of
signature-gathering.
Veolia is expected to spend freely in the election
to claim a $15.6 million contract. It spent $38,000
last November to try to re-elect the same board that
awarded it a contract.
Environmentalists note that Veolia has a terrible
record. The Veolia-operated plant in Richmond has
the 4th worst record for sewage spills in
California, according to the State Water Board.
Burlingame was sued after a Veolia-operated plant
reportedly dumped more than 10 million gallons of
wastewater and untreated sewage into San Francisco
Bay. –
Novato Flow.Org Press Release, Wednesday, April 28,
2010
GUEST OPINION: The hidden costs of Wal-Mart's plans
for RP store
April 28, 2010
Press Democrat
This expansion adds a
grocery component, and the Rohnert Park's City
Council, which will soon review the plan, will
likely focus on the assumed sales tax generation and
job creation such an expansion will provide.
It is important to
recognize that an expansion of mainly grocery items
will not generate a large amount of additional sales
tax revenue, and the assumed loss of Pacific Market
could lead to fewer jobs, reduced tax revenues, less
consumer choice and create a significant vacancy
problem at Mountain Shadows Plaza.
Click here for the rest of the story
Walmart
expansion EIR rejected by RP planning commission,
4-0
The Community Voice
By Jud Snyder April 23,
2010 10:45 am
By a 4-0 vote, Rohnert
Park's Planning Commission turned thumbs down on an
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) from Walmart to
add another 35,256 sq. ft. to their existing store
so they could sell grocery items and produce.
City Council chambers
in City Hall were filled to capacity before the
meeting started at 7pmThursday April 22. A TV screen
high up on the wall in the lobby displayed the
action and folding chairs crammed in the lobby
filled that space. It was SRO everywhere. Several
police officers barred admission to the council
chambers unless attendees already had a seat guarded
by their seatmate.
Click here for the rest of the story
Press Release: Sonoma State University
Tuesday, March 11, 2010 4:30 pm
The Academic Senate of Sonoma State University has
joined the Sonoma Chapter of the California Faculty
Association in voting to oppose the expansion of the
Rohnert Park Wal-Mart into a SuperCenter.
In the Senate's vote, which occurred today, the
resolution passed nearly unanimously, with only one
opposition vote. The CFA Chapter voted on March 3
and passed a similar resolution unanimously.
The Senate's resolution states that the body opposes
the expansion of the Rohnert Park Wal-Mart "because
of the adverse effect this expansion will have on
the community in which Sonoma State University is
located."
The rationale for the resolution explains that,
while many local residents may be attracted to being
able to purchase groceries more cheaply than at
present, there are significantly high costs to such
low prices. These costs include:
+An adverse effect on the labor market in the area,
since Wal-Mart's typical positions include few or no
benefits and pay so far below a living wage that
employees must rely on government-funded services;
+Driving other local grocery stores (such as Pacific
Market or Oliver's) out of business, with the
attendant urban blight spreading through the
shopping centers they anchor;
+bypassing local suppliers, many of which will be
unable to survive without access to customers; and
+Funneling local dollars spent on groceries out of
the area instead of recirculating them within the
economy of Sonoma County.
Although local city governments are struggling
financially, an expanded Wal-Mart would not bring in
significant additional revenue since it would be
selling primarily groceries, which are not subject
to California sales tax.
The Rohnert Park Planning Commission will consider
Wal-Mart's request for an expansion permit in the
near future. A party that is unhappy with the
decision of the Planning Commission may appeal the
decision to the Rohnert Park City Council.
For more information contact Professor Rick Luttmann,
Department of Mathematics,
664-2543 and
rick.luttman@sonoma.edu.
KPFA interview about disenfranchised voters in
Novato Sanitary District
2-24-10
The section starts at 49:57 of the news.
Click here to hear the interview
Upfront: Witness for the prosecution?
Newest board member has
Novato Sanitary District in another fine mess...
by Peter Seidman, Pacific
Sun
1-22-10
It didn't take long. Just days after the lone
opposition candidate to win a spot on the Novato
Sanitary District took his seat, the first
confrontation erupted in a district that has been
wracked with dissension.
Click here for the rest of the story
Infants At Risk as Store Sells Outdated Products
12-16-2009
San Jose Ethnic Supermarket Selling Expired Products
More Than a Year Old, Endangering Infants; Local
Community Groups Call on Owner to Stop
SAN JOSE - A supermarket here with a long history of
selling expired food products more than a year past
the expiration date and which pose a real health
hazard to consumers - especially infants - will be
asked to sign a "code of conduct" here Thursday at a
news conference.
Click here for the rest of the story
Wal-Mart to pay $40 million to settle labor lawsuit
in Massachusetts
David Schepp, Daily Finance
12-03-2009
Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) has agreed to pay $40 million
to settle a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts that
alleged the big-box retailer cheated 87,500 current
and former employees in the state out of pay and
failed to obey work rules. The class-action suit,
filed in 2001, accused Wal-Mart of altering time
cards, refusing to pay overtime, and denying workers
rest and meal breaks.
Under the terms of the agreement, filed Wednesday in
Middlesex Superior Court by attorneys representing
employees, anyone who worked for Wal-Mart between
August 1995 and the settlement date will receive a
payment of between $400 and $2,500, depending on the
number of years they worked at the store, The Boston
Globe reported on its Web site. The average worker
will receive a check for $734, the newspaper said.
"The magnitude is large -- it's bigger than most
settlements paid in wage-and-hour cases," said
Justin M. Swartz of New York-based law-firm Outten &
Golden, wh! o has ha ndled similar cases, including
a pending case against the Bentonville, Ark.-based
company. "But you would expect it to be bigger since
Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer," he told the
Globe.
Click here for the rest of the story
Novato Water Treatment Fight a Sign of the Times
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
December 4, 2009, 12:36 am
Novato is a key local battleground in a regional war
over how to manage its sewage treatment facilities
to maximize economic and environmental benefits. No
sooner had it signed a contract this fall with
Veolia Water North America, a subsidiary of a
French-based international firm, than a local
resident spearheaded an effort to nullify it.
It is a timely subject of debate in the Bay Area,
where communities have been wrestling with the
broader question of whether private-public
partnerships in municipal services make financial
and environmental sense during tough economic times.
Click here for the rest of the story
State Lawmaker, Mexican Consular Back Plan to Help
Workers
December 1, 2009
A Bay Area labor rights coalition for workers
employed by small neighborhood "Mercado" (grocery)
stores - supported by local legislators, Mexican
Consular officials and community leaders - said it
is now seeking to improve the working conditions of
those workers, and consumer confidence in the
Mercado stores.
A NEWS CONFERENCE will be held Wednesday, Dec. 2 at
11:30 a.m. at 240 S. Market Street to release
details of a plan to help workers. Community leaders
and lawmakers, including Joe Coto, a San Jose State
Assemblyman, will participate.
Click here for the rest of the story
Novato Sanitary referendum heads to ballot June 8,
2010
Jim Welte
Posted: 11/24/2009
Nearly one year after the Novato Sanitary District
board voted to privatize a
new $90 million wastewater treatment plant, its
customers will get a chance to
affirm or reject that decision.
The board voted unanimously Monday to put the matter
on the ballot for the June
8, 2010, primary election, setting the stage for an
encore of what has already
been a turbulent battle over the issue.
"We look forward to the June 2010 election when all
the voters in the district
will hopefully be allowed to vote," said Phil
Tucker, project director for
Martinez-based California Healthy Communities
Network, which spearheaded the
referendum along with a trio of opposition
candidates in the Nov. 3 board election.
The group collected more than the necessary 2,178
signatures needed to get the
issue on the ballot, and Marin County Registrar of
Voters Elaine Ginnold
certified the petition drive's success late last
month. June 8 is the next
regular election scheduled in California. It could
cost the district up to about
$77,000. Getting it on the ballot sooner could have
cost the district as much as
$307,000.
Click here for the rest of the story
Bay Area Water Plan Referendum Election Set for June
Next Year
November 25, 2009 - Novato voters
to decide in June if embattled Bay Area water
district - facing federal probe - can outsource
local jobs and control to French-owned firm
NOVATO - An embattled Bay Area sanitation
district - under investigation by the
EPA for allegedly dumping millions of gallons of
untreated waste into the Bay -
decided Monday night it would reluctantly place a
citizen-initiated referendum
on the ballot June 8 that could reverse the
district's plan to outsource much of
its operation and control to a French-owed
corporation.
Click here for the rest of the story
Expert to Tell Salinas Small Businesses How to Fight
Wal-Mart and Big Box
November 5, 2009
Small business entrepreneur promoter makes special
appearance in Salinas Thursday SALINAS - How can
smaller independent businesses and entrepreneurs
fight against national, big box retailers"
That will be the subject of a presentation in
Salinas California, Thursday, when Jeff Milchen,
founder of the nation's first Independent Business
Alliance and expert in small business preservation,
speaks.
Click here for the rest of the story
Novato Sanitary referendum gets green light
Jim Welte, Marin IJ
Posted: 10/30/2009 12:04:32 AM PDT
Privatization of the Novato Sanitary District's $90
million sewage treatment plant will go to voters
next year. The Marin County registrar of voters said
Thursday that critics of the privatization plan
garnered enough signatures of registered voters to
put the issue on a 2010 ballot. The announcement
came just five days before Tuesday's hotly contested
election that will determine the majority of the
five-member district board, which approved the
privatization deal earlier this year.
Registrar Elaine Ginnold said organizers of the
referendum obtained the necessary 2,178 signatures,
or 10 percent of the votes cast in the district in
the November 2006 gubernatorial election. The
campaign, which was spearheaded by an opposition
slate of three candidates for the board and the
California Healthy Communities Network in Martinez,
had turned in more than 4,000 petition signatures.
Click here for the rest of the story
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (See also KPFA Radio News Clip
at bottom or release)
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
Contact: Cres Vellucci, Cal-HCN media relations,
916/996 9170
Ballot measure to prevent Bay Area water agency from
outsourcing jobs to foreign company qualifies for
vote; referendum will save millions for ratepayers
NOVATO
– Environmental and taxpayer groups Thursday
confirmed that a ballot measure designed to reverse
a highly controversial decision by a Bay Area water
agency to turn over control and operations to a
foreign company has qualified for election in Marin
County.
Phil Tucker, project director for California Healthy
Communities Network/Tides, said the citizen
referendum to block a multi-million contract between
Novato Sanitary District and Veolia Water was
surprisingly easy.
"We gathered the signatures in about two weeks, and
we collected nearly double the number needed. We are
very happy this has succeeded," said Tucker. Nearly
4,100 signatures were submitted to the Marin County
Election Dept., and only 2,178 were needed.
Tucker said the NSD Board erred in calculating
supposed savings, and that hidden deals would cost
ratepayers millions of dollars more under
privatization. "We have uncovered millions of
dollars in unreported costs that will be borne by
the ratepayers," he said Tucker.
In fact, Petaluma – with an operation similar to
Novato's – recently severed a deal with Veolia Water
when it was found going back to a public operation
was less expensive to taxpayers. Fairfield-Suisun
has also returned to public operations.
Tucker said the board – under investigation by the
EPA after an FBI raid looking into illegal dumping
into the Bay of millions of gallons of sewage – is
being unduly influenced by Veolia, which has kicked
in tens of thousands of dollars to influence the
board's re-election Nov. 3.
Tucker urged NSD to rescind the current contract
with Veolia Water to stop an election, and save
ratepayers even more money. Or NSD could fight the
election, and the right of ratepayers to vote,
using, ironically, the ratepayer own monies to
disenfranchise them," he explained;
"We would prefer the NSD board be reasonable,
realize that there an overwhelming ratepayer concern
about this bad contract and vote to end their
relationship with Veolia Water," said Tucker.
Click here for KPFA radio news clip
http://kpfa.org/archive/id/55689
(50:13 starts, through 53.34)
Wal-Mart foes target Merced distribution center plan
in suit Groups contend not enough is being done to
mitigate impacts.
By SCOTT JASON
sjason@mercedsun-star.com
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2009
Wal-Mart distribution center opponents said Tuesday
they found flaws in the environmental review and
will file a lawsuit demanding more be done to
minimize the center's impact.
"We should be commended for picking up the torch
that has been dropped," Merced Sierra Club Chairman
Rod Webster said.
The case will be filed either today or Thursday in
Merced County Superior Court. Sacramento attorney
Keith Wagner, who represents the opponents, is still
finishing up his arguments. A copy of the appeal was
unavailable.
Click here for the rest of the story
Video: Wal-Mart opponents say they'll file suit this
week
By SCOTT JASON
sjason@mercedsun-star.com
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009
Opponents of the Wal-Mart distribution center said
today they would file a lawsuit demanding more
measures to minimize the center's impact because the
environmental report was flawed.
"We should be commended for picking up the torch
that has been dropped," Merced Alliance for Growth
member Rod Webster said in an exclusive interview
with the Sun-Star.
Click here for the Video and the rest of the story
El Cerrito and retailers reach agreement
By Dale F. Mead Correspondent
Posted: 10/08/2009 09:50:46 AM PDT Updated:
10/08/2009 09:50:48 AM PDT
El Cerrito has reached a three-way deal with
Safeway, Inc. and Target Corp. to develop the empty
Target store property at Hill Street and San Pablo
Avenue — one with a last-minute twist: land instead
of cash. Proposed a month ago, it was not made
public until this week.
Acting as the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency, at 11
p.m. Monday City Council members unanimously
approved an agreement to acquire nearly 38,000
square feet of the property Target would sell to
Safeway to develop in the future. In exchange,
Target Corp. will forgive a balance of $672,706 on a
loan to the agency in 1992 to cover property
development costs.
Click here for the rest of the story
Novato Sanitary District board race heats up
By Jim Welte
Posted: 10/15/2009 06:34:26 PM PDT
The already testy Novato Sanitary District board
race got even feistier this week, as candidates
engaged in heated exchanges at two board meetings
and a coalition submitted petitions Thursday to put
the district's privatization plans up for a public
vote.
"We all just need to cool off a bit," said board
member Bill Long on Tuesday, a day after multiple
shouting matches broke out at the board's Monday
meeting and a day before Long himself responded
angrily to one of the opposition group's leaders.
Click here for the rest of the story
Bay Taxpayer Revolt; FBI Raid Leads to Ballot
Measure in Novato
October 15, 2009
Thousands of petition signatures will be submitted
here by voters Thursday to qualify a ballot measure
to stop a Bay Area wastewater agency - already under
federal investigation - which plans to outsource
jobs and local control to a French company with a
poor environmental record.
Click here for the rest of the story
URGENT NEWS ADVISORY
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Contact: Cres Vellucci 916/996 9170
‘Hidden costs,' outsourcing jobs and local control
cause Bay Area ratepayers to announce a ballot
measure; EPA continues probe after FBI raid
SAN RAFAEL – More than 4,000 petition signatures
were submitted here by voters Thursday in an effort
to qualify a ballot measure to stop a Bay Area
wastewater agency – already under federal
investigation after a major spill into the Bay –
from near-secret plans to outsource jobs and local
control to a French company with a poor
environmental record.
At a news conference Thursday at the Marin County
Civic Center, Novato ratepayers and environmental
and tax organizations carried in the signatures -
each "book" had more than 100 pages of documents and
signatures - to election officials.
The coalition turned in 4,084. The county requires
2,178 to qualify for an election.
"Our staff and consultants have...uncovered millions
of dollars in unreported costs that will be borne by
the ratepayers. The race to off load operational
responsibility was rushed through that has not been
transparent," said Phil Tucker of the California
Healthy Communities Network/Tide Center.
Ratepayers are upset about recent increases in
rates, the loss of local control over their own
sanitary district and millions of dollars in hidden
costs in the contract to outsource operations.
The Board – already facing criminal investigation by
the EPA after a daytime raid by the FBI earlier this
year over alleged illegal discharges into the Bay –
is being challenged for re-election Nov. 3 in what
has become one of the hottest election races in the
Bay Area.
The board's unpopular action to give up local
control comes after a probe by the FBI and EPA,
accusations that NSD dumped millions of gallons of
raw sewage in the bay, $500,000 missing from the NSD
bank account and the death of a contract worker.
PRESS STATEMENT PHIL TUCKER, PROJECT DIRECTOR
CALIFORNIA HEALTHY COMMUNITIES NETWORK/TIDES CENTER
OCTOBER 15, 2009
On behalf of California Healthy Communities Network,
a project of non-profit Tides Center, I am pleased
to join our Novato community citizens committee in
presenting 4,084 signatures of voters of the Novato
Sanitary District to the Marin County Registrar of
Voters today.
Over 25 community activists have joined in the
signature gathering effort to qualify a referendum
of Novato Sanitary District’s September 21, 2009,
action approving a contract for services outsourcing
the operation, maintenance and management for the
new $90 million Waste Processing Plant to Veolia
Water North America, a subsidiary of French-owned
Veolia Environmental.
After more than 80 years of providing local waste
water treatment services, Novato Sanitary District
turned over local control of essential waste water
treatment to a third party operator of questionable
reputation. This race to off load this operational
responsibility was rushed through an approval
process that has not been transparent and has
questionable and contested cost savings produced by
NSD consultants.
Responding to this action, over 4,000 voters and
ratepayers of Novato Sanitary District are seeking a
referendum ballot measure that would allow a vote to
determine whether or not this contract outsourcing
of essential water treatment services will stand.
Our staff and consultants have reviewed the contract
Exhibit attached to the referendum petition and have
uncovered millions of dollars in unreported costs
that will be borne by the ratepayers of NSD. The
exaggerated savings being publicized by the NSD
Board and administrative staff do not take into
consideration hidden costs and subsidies to Veolia
that undermine the claimed savings.
By letting the voters and ratepayers of NSD decide
this measure through the democratic, public process
of a referendum election, the ambiguities of this
111-page contract will see sunlight and the citizens
and voters of Novato Sanitary District will have a
voice in this important decision that will impact
every NSD ratepayer.
Merced's
Debate Over Wal-Mart Distribution Center
FSN-TV - Fresno
August 19, 2009
Merced,
CA (KFSN) -- The Merced Planning Commission held its
first public hearing on Wal-Mart's plan to put a
massive distribution center in Southeast Merced.
Supporters said they want the jobs. The company says
up to 12 hundred workers will be hired. Half of
those will be full time employees. Opponents were
concerned about the environmental impact, primarily
the air pollution from the five hundred semi-trucks
that will be coming and going from the center 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, along with nearly two
thousand cars driven by employees and others.
Attorney Thomas Libby represents a citizens group
fighting the project. He questioned the accuracy of
the environmental impact report the city staff
prepared for the project. "Are the elected
representatives more interested in jobs for some
people, or are they more interested in health for
everyone." He said.
Click here for the rest of the story
Merced Debate Over Proposed Walmart Distribution
Center
KGBE - CBS TV47
August 19, 2009
There was a packed room at the Merced City Hall
Wednesday night for a public meeting over a proposed
Walmart Distribution Center.
The plan is stirring debate over jobs, road
congestion, smog and more.
If approved the center would be very large, taking
up over 230 acres of land.
Many passionate people showed up for the meeting to
have their voices heard. Half of them made signs and
wore pins that said “Walmart jobs grow our economy”
while the other half shared the opinion of an
article that says “Walmart jobs threaten lives”.
It’s a very heated debate with no compromise from
either side.
Click here for the rest of the story
Walmart Planned Distribution Center in Merced -
Public Hearing
Wednesday August 19, 6pm
Merced City Hall
Upfront: Novato flushed with controversy Can a
sanitary district get a little privacy around here?
by Peter Seidman
Thursday August 13, 2009
How did an organization known for its opposition to
Walmart become involved in the debate over whether
the Novato Sanitary District should turn over
operations of a new wastewater treatment plant to a
company started during the rule of Napoleon III? And
how did that question get wrapped in a charge of
union busting?
The Novato Sanitary District has been a generally
quiet spot on the Marin scene--but not without its
share of controversy. In May, federal agents entered
the district's offices and carried out a search
warrant. Exactly what they were looking for wasn't
clear. Speculation ran through the district that the
agents, who were with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's criminal investigation unit,
were looking for information regarding possible
environmental violations that occurred in 2006 and
2007.
Even the district's manager-engineer, Beverley
James, said she was unsure what the agents really
were after in their search. The district still
doesn't have a definitive answer; the case is
remains an active investigation. The district "has
not received any information" about the raid or any
action that may come in its aftermath, says James.
Wal-Mart Critics Calls News Conference, Charge
Warehouse Threatens Lives
MERCED
- Citizens from throughout the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Valley - concerned about the dangerous
pollution from a planned 1.2 million square foot
Wal-Mart warehouse here they charge will threaten
lives - will make a last-ditch appeal to residents
Tuesday morning to join them in the fight to stop
the world's largest retailer.
Click here for the rest of the story
Bay groups urge delay of outsourcing plan to EPA
plagued French water company
July 27, 2009
NOVATO
- A controversial plan to outsource jobs of a Bay
Area water agency under investigation by the EPA to
an international French water company - which has a
record of environmental violations around the U.S. -
should be delayed, according to a report to be
released Monday by a prominent land use non-profit
organization.
A NEWS CONFERENCE will be held Monday (July 27) at
5:30 p.m. behind the Margaret Todd Senior Center,
1560 Hill Road, Novato. to unveil the report and
increasing opposition to the plan.
The Novato Sanitary District - meeting at the same
location at 6:30 p.m. - is expected to finalize
contract negotiations Monday with Veolia Water -
only a week after announcing details to ratepayers
and the public.
More than 100 people opposed to the plan attended a
hearing last week at a NSD meeting where loud voices
of opposition pointed to the lack of transparency by
the district, and concerns the outsourcing would
cost jobs, lead to sewage spills and rate increases.
Click here for the rest of the story
Novato Sanitary forges ahead on privatization plans
Jim Welte
07/27/2009
In front of a packed house that included two on-duty
Novato police officers, the Novato Sanitary District
board voted unanimously Monday night to proceed with
plans to privatize the operations of its $90 million
wastewater treatment plant. While the meeting
highlighted broad opposition to the proposal to turn
over plant operations to Veolia Water North America,
it stood in stark contrast to the board's
acrimonious, messy meeting on the same subject a
week earlier. The move gives the district the green
light to begin contract negotiations with Veolia.
The board cited the $7.148 million the district says
it would save by handing over the reins of the plant
to Veolia, saying it was simply too significant to
outweigh the opposition's concerns. Much of the
criticism centered on the plan's long-term impact on
the job security of the plant's nine current
employees.
Click here for the rest of the story
Bay Area Water Agency, Faced With Critics and
FBI/EPA Raid
July 18,2009
NOVATO
- The Novato Sanitary District has kept details of
plans to outsource control over a new, $90 million
wastewater plant largely secret from the public, and
is now only holding a "public" meeting in response
to intense and increasing criticism from the
community, a citizens group charged today.
Click here for the rest of the story
Wal-Mart gets OK SuperTarget downgraded, but still a
go
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Thursday, July 9, 2009.
By BOB WILSON Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER
- After more than eight hours of presentations,
citizens' comments and rebuttals during two days of
meetings, the Planning Commission on Wednesday cast
a pair of 6-1 votes that will pave the way for
development of a Wal-Mart Supercenter across the
street from Quartz Hill High School. Nearly three
hours later, the commission cast another pair of 6-1
votes to approve development of a Target store and
shopping center on another corner across from the
high school.
All dissents were cast by Commissioner Johnathon
Ervin, who said he appreciates Wal-Mart stores but
he could not support construction of one that would
be fed primarily by two-lane county roads.
Click here for the rest of the story
Monterey County defers big box issue to committee
By Leslie Griffy • lgriffy@thecalifornian.com •
July 8, 2009
Supervisors could have asked that staff bring back
an ordinance banning single-occupancy stores more
than 90,000 square feet, but instead they decided to
create a committee of interested parties to develop
a proposal and report back to the board and the
county Planning Commission.
Supervisor Louis Calcagno, whose dairy works with a
Wal-Mart milk provider, abstained from the debate
and voting. The remaining supervisors' vote was
unanimous, and supervisors did voice support for
limiting large stores in unincorporated areas.
Click here for the rest of story
Salinas City Council repeals big-box ban
4 to 3 vote ties Wal-Mart's future to use permit,
negotiations with city
By MIKE HORNICK • mhornick@thecalifornian.com • June
3, 2009
The Salinas City Council repealed its ban on big-box
stores with more than 5 percent of retail space in
groceries late Tuesday, but by a 4-3 vote tied
future discussions with Wal-Mart to a conditional
use permit at the former Home Depot in Harden Ranch.
Click here for the rest of the story
Wal-Mart Distribution Center Meets With Strong
Resistance
Published: May 06,2009
MERCED
- A massive Wal-Mart distribution center - which
would service stores throughout the Sacramento/San
Joaquin Valley as far north as Sacramento over to
the San Francisco Bay Area - is meeting with strong
resistance from residents here, according to letters
sent to the City here.
Hundreds of Merced residents have expressed serious
concerns - from air pollution and the safety of
children in nearby schools to traffic and sinking
property values - over the 1.2 million-square-foot
facility planned for their city.
A news conference held Thursday, April 30, revealed
the contents of some of hundreds of letters
submitted to the City at the close of the 60-day
comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact
Report (DEIR).
The City of Merced must now ensure that all EIR
deficiencies are resolved and that there is an
honest and thorough assessment of the impacts of the
distribution center on the neighborhoods, and the
environment.
The project is expected to generate hundreds of
diesel trucks daily, exposing thousands of
residents, including children in nearby schools and
neighborhoods, to pollution as air quality worsens.
Property values of adjacent homes are expected to
sink further because of the 230 acre size of the 1.2
million-square-foot Wal-Mart project.
"I am very concerned about the environmental
hazards," wrote Jason Flores about the Wal-Mart
facility. He said his family had developed
respiratory problems already as residents of Merced.
"I have nephews who are toddlers who live in the
area...and with three schools within 2 miles (of the
Wal-Mart) the Merced City Council should be taking
the health of the community seriously."
The "huge increases" in truck traffic because
"trucks and kids don't mix," wrote citizen David
Martin in his letter to the City of Merced. He said
he thinks the environmental laws are not being
followed.
And, Jaime Enrique, a local teacher, wrote that he
already has many students missing classes because of
respiratory problems (22 percent of area children
carry inhalers now).
"Please think thoroughly how this distribution
center will affect students will respiratory
issues," he said.
Coincidentally, the American Lung Association
today/Wednesday released findings that the San
Joaquin/Sacramento Valley remains the most polluted
region in the country resulting in thousands of
premature deaths because of air pollution.
Signature validated in Salinas big-box ban issue
Staff reports, The Californian
April 29, 2009
The path is clear for Wal-Mart Supercenters to make
their case to Salinas voters after the Monterey
County Registrar of Voters confirmed on Friday that
enough valid signatures had been collected on a
petition to force a referendum on the city's ban of
big-box stores.
The pro-Wal-Mart group Salinas Consumers for Choice
collected 7,195 signatures, in excess of the
required 4,600, or 10 percent of Salinas registered
voters.
The City Council is expected to consider the matter
at its June 2 meeting. Unless the city repeals the
big-box ban, the vote would happen in a special
election or at the next regularly scheduled election
in November 2010.
When the signatures were filed on April 6,
Councilwoman Jyl Lutes - a ban supporter - said this
November is more likely than next.
"The earliest would be June, but I'm going to guess
this November," Lutes said. "There could also be a
tax measure for public safety, and that is very like
to be on the ballot for November."
Click here for the rest of the story
Suisun Wal-Mart hits snag
By Melissa Murphy/
MMurphy@TheReporter.com
03/19/2009
Plans to build a Wal-Mart in Suisun City hit another
obstacle -- the state's water board.
The State of California Regional Water Control Board
announced that it has rejected an application for a
proposed 227,000-square-foot Wal- Mart SuperCenter
in Suisun City.
In a letter addressed to Wal-Mart, the board
explains that there are several questions left
unanswered and notes that the application, among
other things, "does not appropriately consider off-
or on-site alternatives."
The plans to build a Wal-Mart in Suisun City near
the intersection of Highway 12 and Walters Road have
been riddled with controversy for more than a year,
including a recall effort of the City Council that
voted in favor of the project and a failed attempt
to put the issue on a ballot for voters to decide.
Nevertheless, opponents of the Wal-Mart believe the
water board pointed out the problems that they said
were there from the outset.
"They still have questions to answer," said Anthony
Moscarelli, spokesperson for Save Our Suisun, the
group opposed to the project. "They can't ignore the
EIR anymore."
He added that the group isn't anti-Wal-Mart, but
that it is opposed to a mega-store being built amid
wetlands.
He explained that last year, the state notified
Wal-Mart and the city three times that their
application was unacceptable and that Wal-Mart and
the city both knew the land that was purchased by
the store in 2006 was protected delta wetlands and
all development on it was conditional.
Moscarelli as well as the water board pointed out
that there are seven other Wal-Marts within 20 miles
of Suisun City.
In fact another store is set to open shortly in
Fairfield, just five miles away.
"Why do we need two stores that close," he asked.
"It's not necessary."
The water board also wondered why Wal-Mart does not
consider renovating existing stores instead.
Moscarelli explained that the area the Bentonville,
Ark., corporation, the world's largest retailer,
wants to take over is covered in wetlands and that
the proposed 227,000 square-foot store would cover a
natural canal.
"We want the least-damaging proposal," he said. "Why
not build a smaller building that won't cover the
creek?"
"The State Water Board read the same Environment
Impact Report that we did and they also found the
environment documents deficient and lacking in
detail sufficient to protect the delta wetlands and
its water quality," he added in a press release.
"They bought that property knowing the obstacles."
The water board added that it is unclear how the
company came up with the ideal size of the store and
how it will meet the unmet needs of the area.
The water board's decision did not surprise
Moscarelli.
What will happen next?
Moscarelli is unsure what Wal-Mart will do, adding,
"The ball is in Wal-Mart's court."
Representatives of Wal-Mart and city officials could
not be reached by press time Wednesday.
City Council Blocks Super Wal-Mart In Salinas
Council Voted For Big-Box Ban Last Week
March 11, 2009
SALINAS, Calif.
-- The proposed super Wal-Mart set to take over the
empty Home Depot building at the Harden Ranch Plaza
has been blocked.
The Salinas City Council voted for its second and
final time Tuesday to pass the ordinance that bans
big-box stores from also having a grocery store.
Under the ban, any big-box stores with more than
90,000 square feet in retail space cannot dedicate
more than 5 percent of its floor space to selling
non-taxable items -- mostly food.
A large crowd showed up at City Hall to discuss
putting a new Wal-Mart superstore in at the former
Home Depot building.
A big-box ordinance passed last week that bans
stores that combine a large retail operation with
groceries is currently preventing Wal-Mart from
putting in a superstore.
The council voted 5 to 2 -- with Mayor Dennis
Donohue and councilwoman Janet Barnes opposed -- for
the ordinance at last week's meeting.
Click here for the rest of the story
City Council bans big-box stores Supporters,
opponents speak out on ordinance at City Council
meeting
BY MARIA INES ZAMUDIO • mzamudio@thecalifornian.com
•
March 11, 2009
After listening to supporters and opponents of a
proposal to ban big-box superstores, the Salinas
City Council approved the ordinance Tuesday night.
Scores of residents, business owners and union
members gathered at the City Hall Rotunda - while
others filled overflow rooms inside City Hall and
watched the proceedings via cable - and spoke
passionately for and against the ordinance.
After more than two hours of public comment,
including the councilmembers' responses, they
approved the ordinance with a 5-2 vote.
As they did in the first vote on the ban last week,
Mayor Dennis Donohue and Councilwoman Janet Barnes
were opposed.
Click here for the rest of the story
Salinas Spars Over Wal-Mart Proposal Big-Box
Ordinance Proposed
March 4, 2009
SALINAS, Calif.
-- The Salinas City Council voted Tuesday evening to
approve a big-box ordinance that will ban stores
that combine a large retail operation with
groceries.
The council voted 5 to 2 -- with Mayor Dennis
Donohue and councilwoman Janet Barnes opposed -- for
the ordinance after the community spent hours in
public debate over having a Super Wal-Mart come to
town.
Backers of the ordinance said the stipulation
protects other grocery stores in Salinas, but
opponents said a supercenter would give consumers
more choices...
Click here to read the full story
Breaking: Jet Fuel Spill in Suisun Near
Controversial Wal-Mart
-=- A jet fuel pipeline that supplies mammoth Travis
Air Force Base - and is near a controversial
proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter - has apparently
ruptured along Highway 12.
You can read the full story at this URL:
http://newsblaze.com/story/20090224180452zzzz.nb/topstory.html
Quartz Hill residents rally against proposed
Wal-Mart
Antelope Valley Press, Saturday, January 31, 2009.
By JULIE DRAKE Valley Press Staff Writer
QUARTZ HILL - At least 30 residents, including
parents and students, rallied early Friday morning
at the intersection near Quartz Hill High School to
demonstrate their opposition against the proposed
construction of two shopping centers across the
street from the school. Demonstrators waved picket
signs and handed out fliers to passing cars at the
intersection of 60th Street West and Avenue L
between 6 and 8 a.m.
"It's an informational rally to get the information
out to the public about what they can do to stop the
rezoning of these areas," said Loretta Berry of
Quartz Hill Cares, which was founded in December
2006 to oppose the proposed developments.
"It's a grass-roots effort at its finest, just
citizens from all walks of life coming together,"
Berry said.
A Wal-Mart Supercenter and several other buildings
for retail and fast food are proposed for the
northwest corner of the intersection. A Super
Target, Home Depot and several other buildings for
retail and fast food are proposed for the southeast
corner of the intersection.
Another center with a Lowe's home improvement center
is planned near new homes at 60th Street West and
Avenue K, about a mile away.
"If they put in these supercenters, the kids are
going to be truant, not to mention the close access
to cigarettes and alcohol," Berry maintained as a
passing driver honked the car's horn.
Theresa Lea passed out fliers with information about
the proposed projects and letters that residents can
sign and submit to the city in opposition to the
project.
"We need to get this information out to the public
that they can stop it if they write a letter to the
city of Lancaster," Berry said.
Berry said the property at 60th Street West and
Avenue L is zoned residential and must be rezoned as
commercial before the shopping centers can be
constructed.
"If this were already zoned commercial, yeah, you
know, we could fight it and we might have a voice,
but the fact that they have to rezone it to
commercial … we have a chance. We can stop the
rezoning," Berry said.
Berry said her research shows that when a Wal-Mart
moves in, all of the smaller family-owned businesses
within a five- or 10-mile radius go out of business
within three to five years.
"That's all that Quartz Hill is, everything that
Super Wal-Mart and Super Target want to bring here
to this corner, a florist, a bakery, a tire shop,
that's what downtown Quartz Hill is. It's just
madness. We just don't need it," she said.
Berry said the supercenters will not add any new tax
dollars to the city but simply redistribute the
money the existing stores earn.
"And the wonderful community of Quartz Hill will get
all the crime, the trash, the pollution - all the
garbage that goes with supercenters," she said.
Katlin Walters, 15, a sophomore at Quartz Hill High,
held a sign with "No more Wal-Marts" spelled out in
red and blue letters.
"I go to school here and I don't think it will be
done by the time I graduate but for the generations
after me they're going to have more crime; more
traffic, which is already a complaint; more trash,
which is worse; and then we're going to have to deal
with all the people coming in and out and possibly
sneaking on and off campus," Walters said.
"I like this school because I feel safe at this
school and with this I don't know how safe I'd
feel."
Frank Hsu, who held a "Say No to Superstores" sign,
said his children are students at Quartz Hill High
and he does not want to see the shopping centers
built because he is concerned about the safety of
students and about air pollution.
"We have clean air here, we don't want air
pollution," Hsu said.
Cleo Goss wore a sandwich sign equating commercial
centers with crime and carried a sign in each hand,
one featuring plastic merchandise bags attached to
photos of discarded bags in the desert.
"I took these pictures at the Home Depot, the
Wal-Mart and the Target. You can see what kind of
trash. This trash stays with you for life, it will
be there long after you or I are dead," Goss said.
"People coming to the Antelope Valley, seeing all of
this trash spread out, are going to think that the
California state flower is a white plastic bag."
Near the corner where the Wal-Mart Supercenter is
proposed, Ken Turner stood with a silver counter of
the type used to count cars. He said he had counted
618 cars headed westbound on Avenue L from 6 to 7:30
a.m.
Paul Harris stood on the dirt shoulder along Avenue
L looking north toward the Tehachapi mountains. He
said that view will be gone if the Wal-Mart
Supercenter is built.
"This is residential … We came out here for the
ruralness and then they're going to change it to
commercialization," Harris said. "It will be 24/7,
the noise, the pollution, the crime."
John Mendez, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, disputed the
claims put forth by the project's opponents.
"These are different economic times and people are
desperate to hold onto their jobs and are worried
about being laid off," he said.
Mendez said many people have been laid off and the
proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter will provide a local
stimulus to the Antelope Valley by providing almost
400 new jobs, plus jobs in construction.
He said the supercenter also will support jobs
through the purchase of supplies such as household
items and mortgages by the company's employees.
He cited a recent Navigant Consulting Inc. consumer
research study, commissioned by Wal-Mart, that
showed building permits and the total taxable sales
increased after a Wal-Mart Supercenter went in.
Mendez also disputed the notion that small
businesses suffer when a Wal-Mart moves into town.
"It's a misnomer about what happens to small
businesses when a supercenter is built," he said.
Mendez said a supercenter will bring in more
customers for small businesses and help stimulate
downtown business shopping. He said a new Wal-Mart
would be a really good local stimulus through new
construction jobs, permanent retail jobs and
increased suppliers.
The city's Planning Commission will take public
testimony concerning the environmental impact
reports of the proposed center during a special
meeting scheduled for Feb. 18.
Alameda Fire Department Brownouts Begin
ALAMEDA,
Calif. (KCBS) - Rotating firehouse "brownouts" were
scheduled to begin Monday in Alameda. That could
mean a delayed response by emergency officials, to
incidents in the community.
Click here for the full story
Big, empty boxes By Stacy Mitchell
Last update: January 15, 2009 - 4:46 PM
Abandoned big-box stores, dead and dying strip malls
and empty storefronts are about to join foreclosed
houses as one of the defining features of the
American landscape in 2009.
Within a few months, more than one-eighth of the
country’s retail space will be sitting vacant,
according to some estimates. That’s about 1.4
billion square feet, or 50 square miles, of empty
store space, ringed by roughly 150 square miles of
useless parking lot.
It will be tempting to blame the weak economy for
all of this wreckage. But the recession has merely
been the trigger. This avalanche of vacant retail,
much like the mortgage crisis, has been a long time
in the making.
Since the early 1990s, the pace of retail
development has far outstripped growth in spending.
Between 1990 and 2005, the amount of store space in
the United States doubled, ballooning from 19 to 38
square feet per person. Meanwhile, real consumer
spending rose just 14 percent.
With big chains, like Wal-Mart, Target and Home
Depot, leading the way, retail development became,
to a large extent, a predatory enterprise. Waves of
ever-bigger big-box stores and new shopping centers
have succeeded, not by satisfying growing demand,
but by cannibalizing sales, first from downtowns and
older malls, and then from other recently built
shopping centers and big-box stores. City officials
have been largely complicit in this merry-go-round.
Many have clung to the idea that building new stores
creates jobs and tax revenue, when all most of these
projects do is siphon economic activity from other
parts of town. By zoning plenty of open land for
retail, cities have given developers little
incentive to redevelop older shopping centers. Why
bother when fresh ground waits a mile up the road?
Long before the financial crisis hit,
Pricewaterhouse¬Coopers had deemed the United States
vastly "overstored." In a 2003 report, the
investment research firm declared that the "most
overretailed country in the world hardly needs more
shopping outlets of any kind." But few cities heeded
that warning. Indeed, even as the economy began to
slow in 2007, retail development continued at a
furious pace, with more than 140 million square feet
of new shopping centers and big-box stores opening.
We now face a painful reckoning. Already, many
communities are saddled with dying malls and
derelict big-box stores. In Minnesota, abandoned
Wal-Mart stores have been sitting idle in Albert Lea
and Owatonna for years, while Brookdale, the mall in
Brooklyn Center, is fast approaching 50 percent
vacancy. The situation is likely to get much worse
in the coming months as major chains and smaller
retailers close tens of thousands of outlets
nationwide. Vacant stores are not only eyesores.
These blighted properties can drag down home prices
in surrounding neighborhoods, undermine otherwise
healthy businesses nearby and deter new investment.
Sometimes cities manage, often with a great deal of
effort, to find a new use for one of these sites,
but most abandoned big-box stores and strip malls
remain that way for years. These buildings are not
particularly suited to activities other than
retailing, and there are far more of them than
potential uses. The only way to ensure that the
coming wave of deserted stores and shopping centers
does not become a persistent blight on the landscape
and a drag on local economies for decades to come is
for cities, working together across metro regions,
to sharply limit what can be built on undeveloped
land. If colonizing fresh land were no longer an
option, developers would be far more likely, once
the recession ends, to recycle idle malls and
vacated big-box stores. These constraints would also
encourage more efficient use of land. Single-story
box stores with surface parking would give way to
multistory buildings that mix housing with retail.
Indeed, this is precisely what is happening in
Oregon, where urban growth boundaries limit sprawl
and protect the countryside from development. In the
Portland metro, developers are eyeing aging strip
malls built in the 1960s and ’70s as sites for new
multistory buildings that would combine housing on
the upper floors with retail below. According to one
estimate, as much as 70 to 80 percent of the metro
region’s growth could be accommodated by
redeveloping empty or underused properties. It’s too
late to prevent the rash of retail vacancies that
will emerge in the coming months, but, by putting an
end to years of massive overbuilding and sprawl, we
can ensure that these sites are first in line for
redevelopment. Stacy Mitchell is senior researcher
with the New Rules Project (newrules.org) at the
Institute for Local Self-Reliance of Minneapolis and
Washington, D.C. She is the author of "Big-Box
Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the
Fight for America’s Independent Businesses."
Loose Lips: Distribute that idea elsewhere
MERCED SUN-STAR, Friday January 16, 2009
Would the pro-business Greater Merced Chamber of
Commerce let the voice of the anti-Wal-Mart
distribution center movement be heard in concert
with the company's hired spokesman for the project?
Nope.
The Stop Wal-Mart Action Team, or SWAT, sent a
letter Wednesday to the chamber asking asking that
it be able to present "an alternative vision for how
to move Merced in a positive direction" during the
chamber's "State of the Community" event Wednesday.
At the meeting, county honcho Dee Tatum, city leader
John Bramble and smiley-face retailer spokesman
Marko Mlikotin are set to speak. We think it'll go
like this: Economy bad. Distribution center good.
Click here for rest of story
Opposition to Alameda Development Plan Heating Up
Wednesday, 07 January 2009
ALAMEDA, Calif. (KCBS) -- Opponents of a development
project at Alameda Point claim the city is
considering a $700 million bailout for developers at
a time when Alameda is facing bankruptcy. Alameda is
considering using city redevelopment funds to
"privatize" land that used to be part of the Alameda
Naval Air Station, according to "Save Our City!
Alameda" (SOCA), a coalition of Alameda residents
and local organizations
The group launched a television ad campaign on cable
news channels Tuesday in an effort to sway public
opinion against the development project. The
commercial claims SunCal, a private developer, wants
$700 million in taxpayer money to subsidize
infrastructure upgrades for the project, so it can
profit from building housing, said David Howard, a
spokesperson for SOCA.
Click here to read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Contact: David Howard 510-673-0998 dhoward@cal.berkeley.edu
www.saveourcityalameda.org
City of Alameda misleading public, closer to
bankruptcy than it admits; $700 million 'bail-out'
to developer is key to solvency, charges community
group
ALAMEDA – The city of Alameda is closer to
bankruptcy then it will admit, and is misleading the
public about the very real threat to insolvency and
public safety, charged a community group today
opposed to the city granting a nearly $700 million
bail-out to a private developer to re-shape Alameda
Point.
"If city is in such great financial shape, why is it
pushing for rotating fire station closures, and for
a reduction in the number of firefighters from 27 to
24? Remember that disputes between the City of
Vallejo and their public safety unions were a first
step towards Vallejo's bankruptcy," said David
Howard, a spokesperson with Save our City! Alameda (SOCA),
which blew the whistle on the bail-out earlier this
week.
"In its haste to discredit us, the city of Alameda
planning department - whose salaries are paid by
SunCal, the Alameda Point developer - ignored the
source of the ($700 million) figure, which came from
SunCal, not us. SunCal estimated that infrastructure
would total $679 million. With cost overruns and
rounding, let's call it $700 million. Further, in a
March 2007 response to the City of Alameda, SunCal
indicated it would seek "tax-increment financing" -
a city sponsored subsidy - for "infrastructure,"
Howard said.
Although the city planning department now asserts
the projected "bailout" of SunCal for infrastructure
could be no more than $200 million, it is a "classic
case of 'bait and switch, ' " said Howard.
"If a ballot measure backed by SunCal is approved,
we can expect the planning department's $200 million
figure to increase. Any talk of 'fiscal neutrality'
is a joke. When the City uses tax-increment
financing to subsidize a developer, the money used
to pay back the bonds never reaches the General Fund
- the redevelopment mechanism prevents it from
appearing as revenue for the General Fund and the
money is spent before it arrives," said Howard,
noting the city faces tens of millions of dollars in
lawsuits, which would impact the city's solvency.
SOCA will hold a free public forum Jan. 24 at
Alameda Free Library.
NEWS CONFERENCE ADVISORY For Immediate Release
Monday, January 5, 2009
Contact: David Howard 510-673-0998
ATTENTION: Daybook/Assignment Desk
Another city near bankruptcy; ‘bail-out’ to
privatize Alameda Point will edge city of Alameda
closer to insolvency, CNN advertising spot warns
ALAMEDA
– A new advertising spot now running on CNN and
other prime-time news program warns that Alameda may
be the next Bay Area city to file bankruptcy –
especially if it adopts a plan to be announced this
week to privatize Alameda Point.
Alameda is near bankruptcy – rolling “brown-outs” of
city fire stations are being planned and the city
faces tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits – yet
a $700 million “bail-out” using city redevelopment
funds may be used to “privatize” Alameda Point,
charges “Save Our City! Alameda” (SOCA), a coalition
of Alameda residents and local organizations
The group says the situation is so dire it is
running the hard-hitting television campaign
beginning to inform the general public about the
mess. Details of the project will be provided at
Tuesday’s news conference where the spot will be
previewed only for the news media.
The television spot – airing on CNN, Fox News and
other cable news channels in the Alameda area – asks
Alameda citizens to “Stop the ‘bail-out’” and
“Protect public safety” by urging Alameda officials
to reject the proposal, which be the subject of a
public hearing later this week in Alameda.
"SunCal, a private developer, wants $700 million in
City funded redevelopment bonds to bail them out,
and subsidize the required infrastructure upgrades
for the project, so they can profit from building
housing. Alameda taxpayers will be left footing the
bill for this bail-out of SunCal,” said David
Howard, a spokesperson for SOCA.
Suit against Suisun City leaves Walmart in legal
limbo By Ian Thompson
Daily Republic
January 02, 2009 12:41
SUISUN CITY
Walmart is awaiting the final ruling on a lawsuit
against its proposed supercenter in eastern Suisun
City before deciding what to do next.
'The project is still in litigation and we do not
have a timetable at this point for moving forward,'
said Kevin Loscotoff, a Walmart spokesman.
The Suisun Alliance, which opposed the supercenter,
sued Suisun City over the project's environmental
impact report, contending it inadequately addressed
the project's impact on the community and
environment.
The alliance was handed a reverse in November when a
Solano County Superior Court judge issued a
tentative ruling in Suisun City's favor, upholding
the EIR. A final ruling is expected in mid-February.
Save Our Suisun, another group opposing the
supercenter, continues to keep a close eye on the
project and has been critical of the project's
potential impact on wetlands and watercourses in and
around the site.
The proposed supercenter at Walters Road and Highway
12 still needs the blessing of the California
Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The board turned down the retail giant's application
without prejudice on Nov. 21, stating it was still
incomplete by the time it reached as one-year
approval deadline.
As of Friday, Walmart has not reapplied to the board
for permits, according to Bruce Wolfe, executive
officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water
Board.
Having to submit the application again means more
work for Walmart, which will have to re-evaluate the
design of the supercenter to minimize its impact on
wetlands and devise a comprehensive storm water
runoff plan.
Walmart wants to build a supercenter, gas station,
car wash and restaurant on the 21-acre site.
With the exception of the board, all other agencies
have stated publicly that they have no problem with
the project. Suisun City unanimously certified the
EIR.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or at
ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
The next bubble to burst?
Jeff Milchen
Sunday, January 4, 2009
When economic growth stalls, some businesses fail to
survive, so our recession inevitably is accompanied
by such failures. When it comes to retail, however,
the trickle of store closings last year may soon
become a torrent now that the temporary stimulus of
the holidays is past. As with the collapse of
housing prices, the economic downturn is not the
root problem, but simply exposed a long-building
bubble.
Click here for more details
City leaders to consider SunCal plan for Alameda
Point
By Peter Hegarty
Alameda Journal
Updated: 12/31/2008 06:05:28 PM PST
As city leaders get ready to mull over the latest
proposal from SunCal Companies for Alameda Point —
including the possible construction of up to 4,500
homes at the former military base — its opponents
have launched a television commercial, slamming the
plan.
The TV spot from "Save Our City! Alameda" will air
on local cable stations during the first week of
January, or the days before the City Council holds a
public hearing Wednesday on SunCal's draft master
plan for the former site.
Along with new housing, the developer's plan calls
for a library, a new elementary school, parks and a
variety of transit improvements.
Opponents of the massive project note that it calls
for the transfer of public land to a private company
and, with Alameda's ongoing financial crisis,
helping fund the project could push the city toward
bankruptcy. The City Council trimmed $4 million from
the budget in 2008 and more cuts are projected for
the coming year.
"SunCal wants $700 million in city-funded
redevelopment bonds to subsidize the required
infrastructure upgrades for the project," said David
Howard, a leader in the campaign against SunCal's
plans. "Alameda taxpayers will be left footing the
bill for this bailout of SunCal."
Howard said he would prefer the land be converted
into a public land trust.
SunCal's housing proposal, which includes multi-unit
complexes that would be at least five stories tall,
likely will end up in the hands of Alameda voters
since it does not comply with Measure A, which
restricts most housing in the city to single-family
residences and duplexes.
The issue could be on the ballot as soon as
November.
The proposed housing units would be built on 226
acres.
"I would be of two minds about something like that,"
said Jonathan Trebbitt, 33, of Alameda as he rode
his bicycle at the former base, which closed in
1997. "The small-town atmosphere is what draws
people here. But I also understand that a developer
needs to design a project so that it's profitable.
If they can't do that, nothing will happen. Then you
just have blight."
If the plan moves forward, SunCal estimates
demolition could start in 2010 or 2011, with
construction beginning a year later. The entire
project could be completed by 2025.
The upcoming public hearing follows a Dec. 18
meeting on the USS Hornet, where representatives
from the Department of Veterans Affairs outlined
their plans to build a hospital, out-patient clinic
and offices at Alameda Point.
A columbarium to serve veterans and their families
also would be built on the site, which consists of
former runways and now hosts a nesting colony of the
endangered California Least Tern. Speakers at the
December meeting voiced concerns about the impact of
the project on the least terns.
Along with housing and commercial redevelopment,
SunCal's plan includes a supermarket and the
restoration and reuse of some former Navy buildings,
including the "Big Whites" and the bachelor officer
quarters.
Along with saying SunCal's plan will stretch the
city's financial resources, opponents say it will
increase traffic and lead to more "big box" stores
on the Island, which will undercut smaller,
neighborhood businesses.
But supporters say larger stores can inject sales
tax revenue into the city, which will help stave off
future cuts and keep vital services going.
Reach Peter Hegarty at phegarty@bayareanewsgroup.com
or 510-748-1654.
Raley's Denied Civil Rights of Residents in Wal-Mart
Controversy
December 11, 2008
West-Sacramento-based Raley's wrongfully denied the
civil rights to residents in Suisun because it
doesn't even own the property it has banned
petitioners from, charged a Sacramento civil rights
firm here this week in a motion to dismiss the
controversial case in Solano Superior Court. If the
court agrees, residents would regain their civil
rights.
Click here for more details
Wal-Mart ditches Hercules development plans
By Tom Lochner West County Times,
12/04/2008
Related Dec 4: Concord approves Lowe's shopping
center after two years of debate Wal-Mart has
abandoned plans to build a store in Hercules and has
put up for sale a 17¼-acre spread it owns there.
The move could spell an end to years of wrangling
among the mega-retailer, the city and residents who
said a big-box store drawing regional traffic would
betray the vision, enshrined in the Central Hercules
Plan, of a pedestrian-friendly waterfront area.
Click here for more details
Concord approves Lowe's shopping center after two
years of debate
By Tanya Rose Contra Costa Times
12/04/2008
Related Dec 4: Wal-Mart ditches Hercules development
plans CONCORD — A controversial Wal-Mart shopping
center is coming to North Concord — but without the
Wal-Mart.
After two years of applications, appeals and
emotional hand-wringing, the Concord City Council
approved what is now called the Lowe's shopping
center, which will sit on 28 acres along Arnold
Industrial Way.
City leaders promise that though the building
originally planned as the 24-hour Wal-Mart will be
built, it will stay empty until another, less
controversial retailer is found.
Click here for more details
SUISUN CITY: JUDGE ALLOWS LIMITED RECALL PETITION
ACTIVITY AT SHOPPING CENTER
07/15/08
SUISUN
CITY (BCN)
Backers of a movement to recall Suisun CITY Mayor
Pete Sanchez and two council members will be allowed
to collect petition signatures at two locations of
the Heritage Shopping Center, a Solano County
Superior Court judge ruled today.
Mark Merin, attorney for the recall group Save Our
Suisun, said Judge Paul Beeman agreed the shopping
center is a quasi-public forum for the expression of
free speech and ruled the petitioners can collect
signatures in the monument area of the mall and at
the Ace Hardware store.
"Both sides will agree to a stipulated order," Merin
said. Save Our Suisun is still appealing the judge's
earlier decision prohibiting the petitioners from
collecting signatures in front of the Raley's
supermarket, Merin said.
Merin called the judge's ruling "a limited victory"
because the judge recognized the shopping center as
a quasi-public forum. Petitioners, however, will not
be able to freely roam through the shopping center
gathering petitions, Merin said.
Petitioners will be able to collect signatures at
the two locations six hours a day, six days a week,
Merin said. Another hearing on the issue is
scheduled for Aug. 1, Merin said.
Linda Ward, the attorney for the shopping center was
not immediately available for comment.
The Heritage Shopping Center's owner asked the court
for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the
group from gathering the signatures on private
property.
The Save Our Suisun group wants to recall Sanchez
and council members Jane Day and Michael Hudson.
The group claims they have risked the public's
safety by approving a 227,000-square-foot Wal-Mart
SuperCenter on 21 acres at state Highway 12 and
Walters Road near Travis Air Force Base over the
objections of public safety experts, including the
county's Airport Land Use Commission and the
California Department of Transportation.
Merin said the California Supreme Court ruled in
1979 that the PruneYard shopping center in San Jose
was obligated to allow free expressive speech even
on its private property and must yield to the public
interest.
He said Suisun City has no central downtown and that
malls have become the new public market places in
many communities.
Save Our Suisun is already appealing the court
ruling that prohibited signature gathering outside
Rayley's, Merin said.
"This is a very significant question for all free
speech activity. This (the mall) is the preferred
venue," Merin said.
Save Our Suisun has until Aug. 8 to gather enough
signatures to put the recall measure on the Nov. 4
ballot.
Landmark Civil Rights Battle Over Free Speech;
started with Wal-Mart
07/14/2008
In what could become a landmark case, civil rights
lawyers Tuesday will go to court to fight attempts
to criminalize free speech at a Solano County
shopping center where residents have been threatened
with arrest for peaceably petitioning in public
places as guaranteed by state and federal law.
A hearing to decide whether a Suisun shopping center
owner should be granted a restraining order against
residents is set for TUESDAY, 10 a.m., at the Solano
County Superior Court (321 Tuolumne St., Vallejo),
Judge Paul L. Beeman, Dept. 1.
A PRESS BRIEFING will be held at 9:45 a.m. at the
courthouse entrance.
The Law Office of Mark Merin, a major civil rights
firm based in Sacramento, will appear on behalf of
"Save Our Suisun," an all-volunteer community group
gathering signatures to recall Suisun City Mayor
Pete Sanchez, and council members Jane Day and
Michael Hudson.
Merin - considered an expert on free speech issues
involving shopping centers - argues that the
Heritage Mall in Suisun is violating the
constitutional, free speech rights of residents
circulating recall petitions and literature. He
calls attempts to ban or restrict peaceful
petitioning "unconstitutionally restrictive."
SOS is working to recall the city council members
because they have risked the public safety by
approving a Wal-Mart SuperCenter near Travis Air
Base over the objections of public safety experts,
including the County Airport Land Use Commission,
and CalTRANS. SOS also charges the council members
have lost the public trust by raising their own
compensation plans 118 percent, making questionable
loans, and other deals with taxpayer monies.
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News
Police Covered-Up Grandmother's Complaint Against
Suisun Councilman
7/8/2008
The Suisun City Police Dept. - investigating a
complaint that a Suisun City Council member harassed
and accosted a grandmother gathering signatures to
recall him from office - did not make any real
attempt to seriously explore the charges, a
spokesperson for a community group said here today.
Police have told civil rights attorney Jeff Kravitz,
representing Suisun grandmother Mina Guerrero, that
the Solano County District Attorney did not find any
reason to pursue the criminal probe - but police
also failed to interview any eye witnesses, or even
the accused, councilman Michael Hudson.
"We are not at all surprised. The police association
has put up billboards announcing its opposition to
the Recall Election. Despite their assurances, we
knew they would not fully investigate the charges,"
said Cres Vellucci, a spokesperson for "Save Our
Suisun."
"We did, though, expect them to at least interview
eye witnesses and Michael Hudson. But, they did not
even do that," added Vellucci. He added that an
outside agency, possibly the California Attorney
General's office, is being contacted to oversee a
objective investigation.
Members of "Save Our Suisun" - since they began
gathering signatures in April - have been sued,
threatened with arrest by the same police who did
not probe the Hudson matter and accosted by Hudson,
and other Recall opponents. SOS has until August 8
to submit about 2,030 signatures to force an
election to recall Hudson, Mayor Pete Sanchez and
Vice-Mayor Jane Day.
Sanchez, Hudson and Day are the targets of a recall
because, said "Save Our Suisun," they risked public
safety by approving a Wal-Mart SuperCenter near
Travis Air Force Base, despite the warnings of air
safety experts.
The councilmembers also raised their own
compensation plans 118 percent and have made a
series of questionable city financial decisions. In
addition more than $100,000 is missing from the city
coffers, according to one tally.
judythpiazza@newsblaze.com
Recall Campaign in Suisun Turns Dirty
06/19/2008
City Council member accosts petition gatherer, may
have broken law A Suisun City Council member -
facing a possible recall on the November ballot -
may have broken state election laws and made what
could be considered racist remarks when he accosted
a recall signature-gatherer at a public event,
proponents of the recall said today.
Click here for rest of the story
Recall effort hit with order
By Danny Bernardini
06/13/2008
The group leading the recall effort of three Suisun
City council members was hit with a 30-day temporary
restraining order Thursday by Raley's and will no
longer be able to collect signatures near the two
entrances. Ordered by Solano County Superior Court
Judge Paul Beeman, the group Save Our Suisun (SOS)
must now vacate the doorways of the Raley's
supermarket in Suisun City for at least 30 days.
They may, however, still collect signatures in the
surrounding parking lot and shopping center, said
Cres Vellucci, spokesman for SOS.
Click here for rest of the story
Wal-Mart yanks Vallejo project Friday announcement
draws mixed reactions from city residents
By RACHEL RASKIN-ZRIHEN/Times-Herald staff writer
05/31/2008
After four years of wrangling with the city and
vocal opponents, Wal-Mart on Friday withdrew its
application to build a supercenter in Vallejo's
White Slough area, a company spokesman said.
"Wal-Mart had hoped to open a new store in Vallejo,
but current growth plans, coupled with the increased
costs since the project was first proposed in 2004,
have made the project infeasible at this time,"
spokesman Kevin Loscotoff said.
The announcement elicited a wide range of reactions.
City Economic Development Program Manager Susan
McCue had not heard the development Friday, saying
she had to digest the information before
commenting.
Click here for rest of the story
City Council Being Recalled Over Wal-Mart Vote
'Mayor Pete Sanchez...has not kept his public
campaign promises to oppose a proposed big box
development that has negative impacts on the health
and safety of residents,'
Click here to read the full story
Residents hear critiques of big-box retailers
OAKLEY: Large, new stores are in direct conflict
with plans to restore downtown, activists say
By Paula King STAFF WRITER
A few weeks after Wal-Mart abandoned its plans to
locate a Supercenter in Oakley, a local citizens
group opposed to the megaretailer held a town hall
meeting to discuss the impact of big-box development
on the evolving city.
The speakers at Thursday's meeting addressed
community concerns about the proposed 77-acre
commercial project where Wal-Mart was planning to
move. They discussed the environmental review
process and future public hearings surrounding the
River Oaks Crossing shopping center.
"It's not too late to include the citizens and
taxpayers of Oakley in the process of deciding what
kind of commercial growth we want in our community.
Bigger is not necessarily better," Save Oakley Now
spokesman Bob Caughron stated in a news release.
The panel of speakers urged Oakley residents to get
involved in the young city's impending commercial
growth and hold public officials accountable for any
related impacts. Land use attorney Mark Wolfe and
Phil Tucker of California Healthy Communities
Network spoke about how big-box development in
Oakley could harm ongoing downtown revitalization
efforts.
According to Tucker, the development of big-box
shopping centers and the redevelopment of Oakley's
downtown represent two competing visions. He added
that the area doesn't have enough potential shoppers
to support both retail endeavors.
"These plans overlap each other and what that means
is they are drawing their primary shoppers from the
same area," Tucker said. "The downtown development
plan doesn't have much of a chance."
Wal-Mart officials said that the Oakley Supercenter
application was withdrawn because of the nation's
sluggish economy and stagnant stock values. Wal-Mart
has decided not to construct more than 140 planned
stores.
The Supercenter was expected to bring more than 450
new jobs and $700,000 annually in sales tax revenue.
Meanwhile, city leaders are pushing forward with
River Oaks Crossing by luring other major retailers
to the site.
According to Wolfe, Wal-Mart realized the demand is
not strong enough in Oakley. "It still boils down to
these competing visions and the delusion that it
doesn't exist," he said to a crowd of area residents
attending the forum at Vintage Parkway Elementary
School. Wolfe mentioned several California cities
that have banned superstores or imposed limitations
on retailers like Wal-Mart. Among those cities are
Los Angeles, Oakland, Turlock, Stockton and Vallejo,
he said.
As Save Oakley Now's land-use counsel, Wolfe asked
residents to get involved in the public process for
River Oaks.
"What we can insist upon is that all that
information is laid out in front of us," he said.
Mark Gagliardi spoke as an Oakley resident and board
member of the Contra Costa Central Labor Council. He
said he is also interested in seeing the downtown
successfully redeveloped.
"I just think there is a smart way to do it,"
Gagliardi said. "We don't need to put up a big store
that is going to take out the competition."
Oakley resident and Delta Green Party member Paul
Seger said Wal-Mart's way of doing business is
un-American. He asked Oakley residents to demand
accountability from local officials.
"There are so many ways we can use this land," Seger
said.
Paula King covers Oakley. Reach her at 925-779-7189
or
pking@bayareanewsgroup.com
Recall bid gains traction Article Launched:
03/09/2008 08:12:59 AM PDT
Opponents of the recently-approved Wal-Mart store in
Suisun decided Saturday to move forward with a
recall effort against some members of City Council.
More than 40 people reportedly attended the
community meeting, which was put on at Grace Baptist
Church by a group calling itself Save Our Suisun.
Those assembled decided in favor of a recall effort
aimed at Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez, as well as
council members Jane Day and Mike Hudson.
The other two council members, Mike Segala and Sam
Derting, are not being included in the recall push
because they are up for re-election in November.
Describing the group that came together on Saturday,
Suisun Citizens' League member Dwight Acey said,
"They were very, very energized."The group's main
grievance is the council's unanimous approval of a
Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is to be located at
Highway 12 and Walters Road.
In a press release this week, opponents claimed that
council members "disregarded public safety warnings
by aviation experts and other land-use professionals
when they approved the controversial project."
Acey said the intent is to file the necessary
paperwork in the coming days and to begin gathering
signatures "within a week or so." He added that the
goal is to collect 3,000 signatures over the next
month.
Note from Save Our Suisun: Please go to our website
for future news:
http://www.saveoursuisun.com
No removal of airport panel chair By Danny
Bernardini/Staff Writer Article Launched: 02/21/2008
06:16:08 AM PST
A motion to remove John Foster as Solano County
Airport Land Use Commission chair died Wednesday
night on a 3-3 vote by Solano County's mayors. The
issue to remove Foster was discussed during the
mayors' Solano County City Selection Committee
meeting in Fairfield.
Click here for rest of story
VACAVILLE REPORTER: Council must be sure of its
numbers
http://www.thereporter.com//ci_8224016?IADID=Search-www.thereporter.com-www.thereporter.com
(EDITORIAL 2/10/2008)
For months, the question of whether a Wal-Mart
Supercenter should be built on the northwest corner
of Walters Road and Highway 12 has divided Suisun
City. But when Suisun's City Council meets Tuesday
to resolve the issue, it must consider more than its
own municipal matters. The project's potential
encroachment on Travis Air Force Base is of
countywide concern.
The possible conflict with Travis came to light when
the Solano County Airport Land Use Commission
rejected the project in November on the grounds that
it could draw more people to the 20-acre site than
is acceptable under the base's Land Use
Compatibility Plan.
That
plan restricts development around the air base,
mostly for safety reasons. The site in question is
inside "Zone C," which limits the number of people
at any site to an average of 75 per acre, with no
more than 300 within any one acre at any given time.
Depending on how they are calculated, estimates for
the project in question - which includes a Wal-Mart
Supercenter, a sit-down restaurant and a gas station
- come out at well below the limits, pushing the
limits or over the limits.
There are legitimate differences in the way
estimates are made. But as a consequence, those in
favor of the project are inclined to use the methods
that produce low numbers, while those opposed to the
superstore base their calculations on the methods
that produces high numbers. It is imperative for the
Suisun City Council to base its decisions on
realistic calculations, no matter on which side of
the limit they fall.
What the council should not do is downplay the Land
Use Compatibility Plan's restrictions, as the
consultant who prepared the final environmental
impact report suggests. That report claims the
standards set around Travis are arbitrary and more
restrictive than the state of California requires.
If they are more restrictive, it is because the
citizens of Solano County years ago agreed to
protect Travis Air Force Base so that future Base
Realignment and Closure commissions could not use
incursion as an excuse to shut down the county's
largest employer. Remember, Travis contributes more
than $1 billion to the local economy each year.
As the environmental impact report points out,
Travis has a decent safety record - only five
crashes since the base opened, none in the vicinity
of the proposed Wal-Mart - and the store won't lie
directly in the flight path. The report also notes
that planes flying in and out of Travis are too
heavy to be blown off course, but that assumes only
the big planes will be flying in and out of there in
the future. Plus, should Travis ever be pulled out,
the county will almost certainly want to explore the
possibility of using the site as a regional airport.
Unwise incursions now could affect that decision
down the road.
Councilmembers will have tough choices to make on
Tuesday. Suisun City certainly needs the tax base a
Wal-Mart store would bring. But the entire county
needs Travis, and the city must not do anything to
jeopardize the air base.
Wal-Mart Gets Planner Ok Despite Huge Public Outcry
About 'Safety'
Ignoring safety concerns of scores of residents who
fear a new Wal-Mart project here could lead to
deaths along adjacent "Blood Alley," or from
low-flying planes from Travis Air Base or a buried
jet pipeline, the Suisun City Planning Commission
recommended Tuesday night the controversial project
be approved by the City Council.
The decision to rubber stamp the Environmental
Impact Report at a hearing attended by an overflow
crowd of 150 residents was not unexpected. The
planners made it clear that hoped-for sales taxes
were more important than the environment or lives of
residents. Speakers even questioned the tax gain,
saying stores in Suisun and Fairfield would
"cannibalize" each other.
The next step is approval by the Suisun City Council
Feb. 12. It will first have to vote, by a
four-fifths margin, to override the Solano County
Airport Land Use Commission, which refused to
approve the 227,000 square foot project because, the
ALUC said, the project is too big to be that close
to Travis Air Force Base.
The ALUC ruled the project was "unsafe," and would
encroach upon the base something that could cause
the military to move the base, a major concern for
65,000 military retirees in the county. Travis AFB
is the county's largest employer ($1.1 billion a
year, 14,000 jobs).
"This is the biggest project in town. It will be the
biggest disaster in town," charged Dwight Acey,
chair of Suisun Citizens League, one of the
community groups opposed to the project. He said the
EIR shows there will be as many as 70,000 additional
vehicle trips along Highway 12 known as "Blood
Alley" because of all the accidents making it even
more dangerous.
Resident Anthony Moscarelli citing letters from a
national pipeline trust said there are major issues
about a buried jet fuel pipeline within feet of the
project. "There's not one mention of the fuel
pipeline danger," he said, adding the city may be
liable for damages, and that an increase in
insurance coverage would eat up all of the
anticipated sales tax gains.
"I object to my neighbors who will be killed by the
project," said Wayne Monger, a geologist who lives
near the site, and Paul GreenLee of Suisun Alliance,
said "People in the community have said we do not
want it. It does not fit our city." Another speaker
called the decision a "betrayal" of the people.
Another called for a "recall" of elected officials.
judythpiazza@newsblaze.com
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, February 11, 2008
Contact: Cres Vellucci, spokesperson, Suisun
Citizens League, 916.996-9170 (cell)
Attention: Daybook/Assignment Desk
SALES TAX or COMMUNITY SAFETY? Wal-Mart project,
deemed 'unsafe' by state agency & airport oversight
group, is up for final vote on Tuesday
SUISUN
CITY – With the threat of a recall hanging over its
head, the Suisun City Council will decide whether to
put sales tax revenue over and above the safety of
its residents when the Council meets TUESDAY at 5
p.m. at Suisun City Hall (701 Civic Center Blvd) to
decide whether to approve a controversial Wal-Mart
Superstore project.
There will be a 4:30 p.m. NEWS BRIEFING by
neighborhood groups, who have threatened to recall
council members if they vote for the project over
community concerns.
The independent Solano County Airport Land Use
Commission already rejected the Wal-Mart project in
November for "safety" reasons because the project
interfered with the Travis Air Force Base
"compatibility plan." The Cal TRANS Aeronautics
Division supports the "safety concern"
recommendation.
But, the Suisun City Council is considering
overriding the ALUC safety determination because the
city wants the tax money from the development. The
Council could vote Tuesday with a "super-majority"
to take the highly unusual step of overriding the
ACLC, which consists of many pilots and other safety
members who called the project too "unsafe" to
build.
"It's a simple matter of the city and staff
believing the hoped-for taxes will offset the risk
to us, the residents. That's wrong," said Dwight
Acey chair of the Suisun Citizens League.
Acey also said the City will never see those big tax
proceeds. A Dixon councilperson Monday said his town
is only getting a fraction of what they anticipated
from a Wal-Mart Supercenter which opened there in
2005, and warned Suisun City officials to be wary.
Suisun City residents also cite high traffic danger
(Wal-Mart will be located just off Highway 12, known
as "blood alley" because of the high number of
accidents), pollution, threat to nearby wetlands,
noise and an underground fuel pipeline located next
to the Wal-Mart.
URGENT NEWS ADVISORY Sunday, February 10, 2008
Contact: Cres Vellucci, CIPI Strategies,
916.996-9170 (cell)
More bad economic news; Wal-Mart either failing, or
under-reporting sales & robbing city of taxes, Dixon
councilmember to charge Monday
DIXON – Wal-Mart is either grossly under-performing
, or is cheating the city of Dixon out of hundreds
of thousands of dollars in taxes a year, a member of
the Dixon City Council will allege at a major news
conference here Monday.
Details of the charges will be revealed at Monday,
Feb. 11, at 11:45 a.m., at the Dixon Wal-Mart main
entrance (235 E. Dorset Drive, off Highway 80).
Councilmember Michael C. Smith, in a letter late
last week, warned the mayor and city council of
Suisun City to "verify" lofty claims made by
Wal-Mart that it would generate as much as $800,000
in sales tax the first year of operation in Suisun.
City officials in Suisun have said they need the
projected sales tax revenue from the project, and
the taxes would mitigate the safety concerns of
residents and the Solano County Airport Land Use
Commission that rejected the project for "safety"
reasons.
Suisun will vote Tuesday on whether to approve the
controversial Wal-Mart project over the objections
of numerous neighborhood groups, who have cited
safety concerns over the proximity of Travis Air
Force Base, a buried jet fuel pipeline and increased
traffic on so-called "Blood Alley" on Highway 12
where the project is to be built.
Councilmember Smith said his investigation now shows
that rather than hundreds of thousands of dollars in
tax revenue, Dixon has seen only a tiny fraction of
that since Wal-Mart opened in 2003, and expanded to
a Superstore in 2005.
"We received the same rosy picture of hundreds of
thousands of dollars in additional sales tax now
being floated to the city of Suisun," said Smith,
who will make public details of his probe on Monday.
Officials May Fire Commission Pilots Who Rejected
Wal-Mart Project
Elected officials here are ignoring warnings about a
public safety threat from a Wal-Mart Supercenter
project and instead have initiated a plan to oust
military pilots sitting on a county airport
commission which voted in November to oppose the
project because of those same safety concerns.
A news conference will be held TUESDAY, 10 a.m.
at the Solano County Board of Supervisors Meeting
(675 Texas Street), regarding not-too-secret plans
to "decapitate" the Solano County Airport Land Use
Commission (SCALUC) leadership for political
reasons.
Click here for the rest of the story
Wal-Mart Gets Planner Ok Despite Huge Public Outcry
About 'Safety'
Ignoring safety concerns of scores of residents who
fear a new Wal-Mart project here could lead to
deaths along adjacent "Blood Alley," or from
low-flying planes from Travis Air Base or a buried
jet pipeline, the Suisun City Planning Commission
recommended Tuesday night the controversial project
be approved by the City Council.
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