Citizen About Town

By Nancy C. Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

E-mail: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

Fax: 626-307-9081

The Citizen’s Voice newspaper is celebrating our 30th anniversary this month.

Frank Arcuri, my husband, began publishing this newspaper called The Monterey Park Voice in May 1986 when the sitting Monterey Park City Council did not listen to the voters request to have English subtitles on our business signs in our downtown business district.

After a long battle with City Hall and a successful election with the assistance of Senator S.I. Hayakawa, other elected officials and residents English was declared the Official Language of California in November 1986 by the vote of the people.

He later changed the newspaper’s name to The Citizen’s Voice as residents from Alhambra, Rosemead and San Gabriel asked him to help them fight their city halls.

This paper is proof that “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

However the current city attorney’s office has declared that requesting English on the business signs maybe unconstitutional.

Staff is currently suggesting that business owners may want to add English to their signs so everyone can shop and eat at their locations.

Since Monterey Park’s future is to be a tourist city having English on their signs will benefits their businesses and the sales tax base of our city.

I enjoyed the Cherry Blossom Festival and Cinco de Mayo events held at Barnes Park. The lack of parking around our civic center is a major issue for residents who want to attend our celebrations.

Every time a Council majority votes to sell our city property and parking lots to a non-profit for the benefit of others I believe the Councilmembers show their lack of respect to the taxpaying votes of our hometown.

The city belongs to all of us not the Council majority or city staff.

Play Days, our birthday celebration will be fun to enjoy.  Good luck on finding a parking space within three blocks of Barnes Park.

Our new city motto should be: Welcome to Monterey Park, now go home, we have no available parking spaces for you.

Another hot topic at several Council Meetings was the discussion on a Conditional Use Permit for a cell tower to be built as a bell tower for Christ Lutheran Church located at 417 North Garfield Avenue.

The plans show the bell tower will incorporate crosses in two places of the tower for transmission of the wireless cell phone waves.

The first meeting was held on April 6th with several residents speaking out against the use of a church and a religious icon for income purposes and well as the possible health issues.

On April 7th I called the Southwest California Synod and filed a complaint for Bishop Guy Erwin about my concerns that the members of Christ Lutheran Church using a bell tower with a cross on it as their cellphone tower with AT&T.

A young man, named Andrias, explained to me that each church has their own constitution and makes their own decision without input from their bishop.

Their decisions are made by a vote from their membership.

At the April 6th meeting two members of the church want the bell tower and one member of the church did not want her church to be used for profit.

At the May 4th meeting I again spoke against this project: I understand the Conditional Use Permit is attached to the property so if the church is sold to another parish or another entity what happens to the cell tower if the new property owner does not want it located on their property?

Can the Conditional Use Permit be revoked by the city?

I agree with Councilmember Teresa Real Sebastian that the Planning Commissioners should not approve Conditional Use Permits. The Council majority should approve these requests during the public meetings that are televised for the residents.

As for the Federal Communications Commission history has proven that they don’t follow their own laws.

Cases in point the FCC ruled some years ago that every presidential candidate should receive equal airtime and the TV and radio stations are not suppose to announce the winning presidential candidate until all the polls have been closed.

If you have been following the current presidential debates and races you know that not all of the candidates received equal airtime.

In 2008 when Barack Obama won his bid to be our president the news media broke another rule and announced his win before the polls in the western states that include California and Hawaii were closed.

So much for the FCC’s strict rules!

If Monterey Park could afford to buy power and influence from the K Street lobbying industry like special interest groups and utility companies.

Monterey Park could tell them NO!

Karl Berger, the assistant city attorney, advised the Council that they should agree to approve the cell tower since Monterey Park would lose a lawsuit filed by AT&T because the FCC guidelines support the utility companies.

At May 4th the Councilmembers again discussed the issue. They all agreed that the Federal government supports big businesses and special interest groups over the residents. Residents should file their complaints with their Congressmember.

Councilmembers Teresa Real Sebastian and Mitch Ing voted to overturn the Planning Commission’s decision on this project.

Councilmembers Hans Liang and Peter Chan voted to deny the appeal.

Councilmember Stephen Lam voted to abstain on this agenda item.

The Planning Commission decision to approve the Conditional Use Permit was upheld.

Another hot topic is the low flying airplanes over our cities, which are too loud and too close to our hillsides.

Monterey Park has long been part of a flight pattern for planes taking off and landing at LAX.

Over the years many residents have complained to LAX and City Hall about the number of airplanes flying over us.

Now with the increase of world travelers more and more airplanes now fill our airspace.

Residents living on the west side of town in the higher hills have their daily lives interrupted morning, noon and night by these airplanes.

City Hall has a staff member who attends the Round Table discussions at LAX with members of other cities faced with the same issues.

According to information provided by City Hall Monterey Park is used as for Extended Downwind Approaches by planes flying into LAX.

The members of the Round Table are hoping to have the flight patterns changed to reduce the number of planes flying over our neighborhood.

The Federal Aviation Administration is the only government agency that can change the flight paths of plane flying into and out of LAX and other local airports.

Please file your airplane complaints with your Congressmember as well as LAX and City Hall.

Our Federal government has a current history stealing the administrative powers from the states, counties and cities.

Many voters agree the Federal government has abused their powers for the benefit of special interest groups.

Please study the issues and candidates before you cast your ballots in the primary election and the November election.

Happy 100th Birthday Monterey Park!

I want to thank my readership for their long-term support of The Citizen’s Voice newspaper.