It just might be a sign of our times that one of the wisest and most conscientious of all the governing bodies here in Sierra Madre is the Planning Commission. Rooted in our City and its finest values as they are, it is no wonder that the decisions rendered there are made with only the community's needs in mind. Something that is in such stark contrast to much of what we have seen coming from, say, City Hall, or even the City Council itself. Which apparently answers to paranormal forces only a very few can perceive.And the Planning Commission has become something of a draw in town as well. For the second consecutive meeting running a Planning Commission get-together brought in a fairly decent sized crowd. Which, when you consider that there was only one item on their agenda, and something that should certainly have been non-controversial, was kind of a pleasant surprise. But then again, this is Sierra Madre, and everything is controversial. Even the awarding of a CUP for the opening of a Martial Arts Studio in the old and now defunct Highlander Liquor location at 303 W. Sierra Madre Boulevard.
In the one Yelp notice on the old Highlander Liquor store still extant (click here), which is now sadly out of date due to its unfortunate demise, a reviewer by the name of "Bob the Sniper Cat" informs us that the proprietors of that establishment lost their license to sell alcoholic beverages due to a run-in with the ABC. This later proved to be fatal as the store's remaining mix of salty party snacks and carbonated soft drinks was not quite enough to sustain it as a business. It was then that The Highlander lost its commercial viability, and a new occupant was soon needed.
Fortunately, a new tenant by the name of Gary Gapezzani has come to town, and thanks to the Planning Commission Sierra Madre will soon be home for his fully fledged martial arts training facility. Gary apparently is a master in the arts of self-defense, and he will be sharing his wisdom with Sierra Madre's youth. Which is a good thing when you consider that one of the most underserved demographics in this community is our adolescent and teenaged residents.
Think of it, when was the last time something opened up in this town that caters to the needs of our kids? I personally cannot remember such a thing happening lately. And certainly the large crowds of young people that gather downtown most afternoons could use a positive and life-enriching place to go. There has to be more to teen life in Sierra Madre than heavily caffeinated drinks at Starbucks.
Of course, judging by the 3 reader comments over at the Sierra Madre Patch on this matter, there was some opposition in the community. Among other things, these individuals claimed that Sierra Madre would be better served by the opening of a new restaurant there. Now I'd hate to seem overly critical, but I do not think that the already over-indulged and extremely well-dined middle aged populace here requires yet another restaurant to ignore. Besides, do they really need to have everything in town? Does it always have to be about them?
Perhaps these critics would be better served if they too enlisted for some martial arts training. It is never too late to turn your life around.
P.S. - Special thanks to Mr. John Herrmann for stepping up at public comment and reading the statement we posted yesterday here on The Tattler. The school play I got to attend was very entertaining, and I learned a lot about the history of gold rush California as well.
The best SCAG bashing op-ed ever!
There was a time not too long ago when the only place you could go to read a fine thrashing of our uber-regional central planning regime SCAG was right here on The Tattler. We were really lone wolfing it on the topic back then, and quite proud of it.
But those days are no more as SCAG bashing has become something of a craze in the area served by our favorite RPO. With RPOs all over the state now taking it on the chin as well. The venue for the latest instance of this truly exciting new journalistic trend is the Ventura County Star. The piece is entitled "Get real about dense growth and mass transit," and it positively sizzles (click here). Here is a small taste of what its author, Debra Tash, has to say:
How many know that SCAG, once tasked to plan for future growth, has now morphed into a regional government that will alter our lifestyles and erode our freedom. How many of the taxpaying citizens of our county would agree to having so much of their transportation dollars funneled into transit and away from road expansion? How many would agree to plans for denser, pack-and-stack development in what are suburban communities?
Denser development makes sense for Santa Monica; however, it makes no sense whatsoever in communities like Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley where people have moved to raise families and enjoy a suburban lifestyle.
Be aware, we are watching you, know what a sham the Compass Blueprint is and how your efforts are shackling the very people you have, as elected officials, been sworn to serve.
You really do need to read the whole thing. It will brighten your day.
And the Green Party nominee for President of the United States is ...
... Roseanne Barr? While no such nomination has yet been made, the intention of the former doyenne of the hit TV sitcom "Roseanne" is this will soon become so. This from Associated Press via Yahoo News (click here):
Roseanne Barr said Thursday she's running for the Green Party's presidential nomination - and it's no joke. The actress-comedian said in a statement that she's a longtime supporter of the party and looks forward to working with people who share her values. She said the two major parties aren't serving the American people.
"The Democrats and Republicans have proven that they are servants -- bought and paid for by the 1% -- who are not doing what's in the best interest of the American people," Barr said.
"I will barnstorm American living rooms," she said in a candidate questionnaire submitted to the Green Party. "Mainstream media will be unable to ignore me, but more importantly they will be unable to overlook the needs of average Americans in the run-up to the 2012 election."
No word yet if celebrated Sierra Madre green-like person Mayor John Buchanan will be jumping on the Roseanne Barr bandwagon anytime soon. Though certainly nobody would be better suited to take the Tom Arnold spot on a Barr-led presidential ticket than our fine Mayor.
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
Thanks for posting the Ventura County Star article by Debra Tash.
ReplyDeleteWe have several relatives in Ventura County.
I passed this article along to them.
Thousand Oaks and surrounding areas have some very good citizens who stand up and fight against SCAG type control of their property.
They share they same concerns as we here in Sierra do. Property values in certain very nice areas up there have decreased due to over building and government regulation promoting all the things we don't need, but they "rule" that we do.
Bravo Debra Tash! Keep up the fight. We'll rid ourselves of these SCAGGIES.
I'm glad to see that people are beginning to recognize what SCAG is, an unrepresentative government, not needing to deal with the "inconvenient" constituency of elected officials, and are for all intents, an arm of development businesses.
ReplyDeleteIt is in effect, a constitutionally illegal entity.
I don't think people realize that when they elect someone to sit our their City Council, they are also putting them on various other agencies.
DeleteOf course, many operate more like secret societies than public agencies and the public is not engaged, not informed and generally left out of the entire process. SCAG and SGVCOG come to mind as examples.
SCAG is where cities who want to get around the wishes of their residents go to get bad planning and development done. The demonizing of people who are happy with their towns and the way they are is a part of that process. God knows we have seen a lot of that in Sierra Madre.
ReplyDeleteThe martial arts studio is also offering classes for adults.
ReplyDeletePart of the reason the meeting was well attended was because there are some residents who will be adversely impacted by the parking. Two or three residents got up to talk about the parking on Lima, and how hard it is to find a place since the employees of Taco Fiesta park on the street. Residents have permits to park on the street and sometimes can't find a place.
ReplyDeleteThe martial arts studio is great, but it will bring more cars and it doesn't have enough parking. A deal was worked out with Cafe 322 for the daytime, and that's very smart, but that won't work for the evening classes. Throw into the mix the Alfington and good luck finding a parking space anywhere on that part of the street.
Can't people just park a couple of blocks down the way and walk a little?
DeleteOne more reason, the so called "assisted living facility" which will actually be a high priced hotel for wealthy seniors, should be canned. The SNF should be a SNF. with 50 beds and qualified licensed professionals caring for our elderly and ill.
DeleteI think it's unfair to make people buy a permit to park on the street they live on, and then not take measures to see that there are indeed places for them. One lady said it was hard to come home from work and not find a place on that block. And most Southern Californians aren't really clued into the whole walk a couple of blocks thing.
DeleteArnold's Hardware has agreed to allow the martial arts students to use their parking area in the evening.
DeleteMy kids like 322 so we go to that restaurant. At 6 or 7 at night, the street is full. Martial arts classes for adults in the evening will mean some parking hassles, because adults won't be dropped off. I don't mind, but let's not pretend it's not going to happen. The development services worker who gave the pitch said that he checked the street at times in the day. Try when it's busy, at night. And the body builder type was saying there would be zero impact.
DeleteOh come on, how many body builder types will rush to this place at night?
DeleteHow many go to the other fitness center in town.
You're grasping at straws.
This is a good project. Like Crawford said, we need a place like this for kids.
Yep, just like there's magic water, there are magic parking places in town. No worries. It'll be fine.
DeleteIf you think parking is bad now, wait until the ALF arrives in the city. Those residents on Lima and Hermosa need to speak out at the next Planning Commission meeting.
DeleteSolution oriented, make the ALF itself smaller, provide more parking, and put it to a public vote. Easy win.
DeleteBuchanan and Mosca used to praise the SCAG and treat their representitives like royalty when they visited Sierra Madre city council meetings.
ReplyDeleteThe only council member who attended all their meetings, spoke up for the rights of small cities, was, you guessed it, MaryAnn. As soon as she was elected in 2008, she started attending all their meetings, along with a few other concerned residents. They were pretty shocked at what was really being pushed on us by these SCAG people.
Now tht the CRA money is gone, why isn't SCAG being dismantled too?
ReplyDeleteA lot of the money that funds SCAG is Federal, not state. They aren't quite as broke as Sacramento. Though they are well on their way. This would be a good question for David Dreier.
DeleteThe market place should dictate what gets built and what does not. SCAG and their cracked crystal ball predictions on what the future is going to look like is no better than having a palm reader plan your city. Personally I think they're nuts.
ReplyDeleteDrier has been gerrimandered out of Sierra Madre, and won't be representing us very much longer, thanks to the Demofascists
ReplyDeleteSwinging your teabags early this morning, I see.
Deletenope, they are just expressing their Libertarian rights to free speech while we still have what's left of the Constitution.
DeleteYup, please note, the "rights" to free speech is not Libertarian, it applies to all political philosophies here in the good old US of A. If you want a good scare, go read the Patriot Act, it is the cornerstone of the assault on the Bill of Rights. The "Demofacists" didn't write that law.
DeleteAnybody been through an airport lately? You need to get a full body X-Ray to get through security. Not kidding.
DeleteYou could go blind trying to spot the differences between the donkey and jumbo.
Delete@ 10:57 That is so true it hurts, both parties are bought like commodities on the open market by corporations.
DeleteThe big difference between the two parties is who they give our tax money to.
DeleteGood morning all, the rest of us have been awake for quite some time.
DeleteLook at the bright side. If the martial arts center creates parking problems, how will it look when the discussions about the Alfington's CUP gets underway.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out for me last night were the remarks by the residents who live on Montecito directly behind the alfington. I hope the developers will actually listen to what they say and make some changes.
ReplyDeleteDon't want to harsh your mellow 8:11, but developers listening? Changing?
DeleteThose people caught my attention too.
DeleteMany are seniors who own condos directly behind the ALF. It will absolutely destroy their peace and quiet, and destroy their property values!
Thank God the planning commission has common sense.
Make sure Moran and Walsh lose the majority vote in April.
God help us, if they don't. Pay attention and watch out for "Manchurian Candidates"
Who are the "Manchurian Candidates"?
DeleteAch, 11:36, don't ask. There are more aluminum foil hats in Sierra Madre than you might realize.
DeletePlease explain how it will "destroy" property values.
DeleteHave the owners of the Dojo been apprised of Matheson's interest in youth activities.
ReplyDeleteWill the Green Committee be making a presidential endorsement soon?
ReplyDeleteNeeding (?) and getting a parking permit for on-street/overnihgt parking is a by-product of multiunits without adequat on-site parking for the number of drivers/car owners per unit. Transitory parking for commercial use is really a different problem to my way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteTry to find parking around the park when the Cong is in session, phew, plan on walking.
I find parking easily when ever I go to Taco Fiesta for a snack or BofA for the money machine. Now, parking and doing laundry (west of BofA) is hit and miss as there is a tutoring facility there now taking up lots of spaces. The west end is a pretty busy place but that is good.
Probably the best way to solve the downtown parking problems is that every time a business closes and a building becomes vacant, never allow it to be rented again. After a while there will be enough parking for all of your needs.
ReplyDeleteRob Stockley, is that you?
Delete8:53 is having a drama morning. Maybe trying to kick coffee?
DeleteSharing parking lots is the best solution, and it looks like Arnolds and Cafe 322 are onto the mutual benefit of it. Too bad the corner architects office won't open up their usually half full lot for the same mutual benefits.
ReplyDeleteTwo people that really ought to shut up: Roseanne Barr and Bonds Buchanan.
ReplyDeleteHey, this is a transit corridor. Just hop on the roundabout to Hastings Ranch and catch the Gold Line and you could practice martial arts in China Town, and the one hour class could turn into an all-day all-green excursion.
ReplyDeleteSounds good. The US exported all of its business, so why shouldn't we?
DeleteSend children China Town on foot. If return, give Black Belt.
ReplyDeleteMake them work in an Apple factory first.
DeleteWow - you guys are getting pretty rude
DeleteReally? Why thank you. What kind of pretty are you?
DeleteHow much is riding on the next election? A whole scary lot. Including two appointments to the Planning Commission as two members will be termed out.
ReplyDeleteThe average cost of basic assisted living facilities in California is $4,000/month. If there are more amenities, then they can be as much as $5000/month. I looked for my inlaws down inland from the South Bay, these were the stats, and I found them to be true. Why is Alfington going to charge $6000/month?
ReplyDeleteMedicare will pay hospice $5,000 per month per patient.
ReplyDeleteBeen to your mailbox yet? That ridiculous PR event, the state of the city, is announced on a postcard you paid to mail yourself.
ReplyDeleteLet the UUT sales pitch begin.
Delete"Preserving Our Sense Of Community." Translation: We need more money.
DeleteBuchanan must have a taste for irony.
DeletePreserving trees, just like he did on One Carter.
Preserving the sense of community, just like he's done by ignoring residents.
Sometimes I feel like our city is being run by a used car dealership.
DeleteWhy our "sense" of community? Why not our community itself?
ReplyDeleteMr. Buchanan did announce this speech at the last council meeting. He said he had already given it to the Women's Club, so yes, it will be an encore performance of vote yes, or sadly, unfortunately, die.
ReplyDeleteSo then it is a sales pitch for extending the UUT, and at 12%.
DeleteAs Gomer Pyle used to say: "Surprise!"
It's a threat disguised as a pitch. Or Buchanan business as usual.
DeleteI wonder what public relations agency cooked up this one. And how much we paid for it.
DeleteTattler, I hope you are planning on getting together a list of the sponsors of this shin-dig like you did last year for Mosca's 'Working Together the Sierra Madre Way.' It's probably safe to assume the Edison might be involved again.
ReplyDeleteAnybody know what was going on at St. Rita's this morning? Talk about parking problems...
ReplyDeleteFelony campaign material distribution. Homeland Security was called in.
DeleteYoung Johnny had to re-create last Saturday's parking scenario so he could re-distribute flyers with a new date and place TBA since it didn't work out at St. Rita's. How about that shiney little light? Johnny, if you can't stand the heat...
DeleteThis morning was the funeral of Mike Delgatto, former fire captain of the SMVFD. The Delgatto's have been in Sierra Madre for years, owned the Pantorium Cleaners.
DeleteRIP Mike.
Delete