Citizen About Town

By Nancy C. Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

E-mail: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

During the Monterey Park City Council Meeting on April 19th the City Council supported the residents request to deny Equitable Vitrines request to place their statue of Eve in the middle of the Cascades waterfall.

For more information on this story please read “Saving The Cascades”.

I asked why did Randall Avila, a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, fail to do his homework and remember his childhood history, when he made a motion on January 10, 2017 to the City Council to recommend that Equitable Vitrines remove the statue of Athena from the Cascades Waterfall that was formerly called Heritage Falls Park and replace it with a statue called Eve at their request?

When you visit our hidden jewel on El Portal you can see Peter Snyder’s creativity now called The Cascades Waterfall with a replacement statue of Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War.

In July 2005 Mary Duce and Chuck Carter along with other members of the Historical Society, residents and business owner attended the dedication of the new Athena now securely located in the apex of the waterfall.  This statue was donated to the city to complete our historical waterfall.

In October 2015 the waterfall was repaired using some of the $400,000 of Prop A funds provided by the County Board of Supervisors.  The repairs included updating the electrical and plumbing on the site as well as repairing the sidewalks, planting a new lawn and flowers and adding a few benches.

If you look at the dedication plaque you will see that Randall Avila’s name is listed as one the Parks and Recreation Commissions, who worked on this project.

Since he stated during his run for City Council, during the March election, that he was raised in Monterey Park. Why would he even recommend that Equitable Vitrines alter our hometown history?

I attended the May 1st Recreation and Parks meeting and spoke at Oral Communications.

I introduced myself as the Editor and Publisher of The Citizen’s Voice newspaper and a resident of Monterey Park since 1971. I wanted to meet Commissioners Paul Duke Lee, Philip Chang and Bryant Yang. I already have met Doris Lau and Randall Avila at several city events over the years.

I told them I just want to know why you listened to the request from Matt Connolly and Ellie Lee from Equitable Vitrines to replace Athens at the Cascades Waterfall on November 7th of last year and did not advise them that your commission could not make this decision to alter city property?

I told them you should have sent them to speak to City Manager Ron Bow at City Hall since their request was way above your pay grade.

I asked them why did Commissioners Lee, Chang, Lau and Avila approve their project to remove Athena and replace it with their statue of Eve?

As Commissioners you should know the city’s history of our El Encanto and our Cascades that are registered with the state as a historical site. The Cascades is part of our city seal.

Don’t you recall Ordinance No. 1934 voted into law by the taxpaying voters on April 14th, 1998?  We voted to keep our parks open spaces and prevent any developments from being built in any of our parks.

You should have read this law in Section Two 21.07.010 Purpose, which protects our historical, cultural and scenic parks from any modifications.

I am sure you didn’t recall this law since you may not have paid attention to the history of our hometown.

Did you violate this law?  I will ask the Council to get a legal opinion of this issue.

Can you legally recommend a dog park or a community garden based on the ordinance?

Again we will need more legal opinions if this commission wishes to make any changes in our parks that are not approved by the voters.

I told them you are all sitting in my doghouse after your actions on this issue.

During the Council Meeting May 3rd I spoke at Oral Communications.

I have just handed you all a copy of Ordinances 1934 entitled Open Space regarding our parks.

When Fred Balderrama was on the City Council a developer asked him to help build a gated community in Garvey Ranch Park.

The residents, other Councilmembers, City Manager Chris Jeffers and City Attorney Tony Canzoneri rushed to have an ordinance voted into law to prevent developers from building their developments in our parks.

When Frank Venti was on the City Council he wanted to move a temporary Fire Station Two into Elder Park, while the new station was being built.

He was reminded about this ordinance. The answer was NO.

I am asking for a legal opinion from our city attorney if the Parks and Recreation Commissioners violated this ordinance Section Two 21.07.010 Purpose, which protects our historical, cultural and scenic parks from any modifications when they voted to approve a motion on January 10, 2017 to the City Council to recommend that Equitable Vitrines remove the statue of Athena from the Cascades Waterfall that was formerly called Heritage Falls Park and replace it with a statue called Eve at their request?

This commission needs guidance from this council, city manager, city attorney, superintendents from the Parks Department and Recreation Department to learn their legal roles as commissioners.

I want to know why they had a Measure A public meeting with the residents for their suggestions for the best use of our funds to improve our parks. They failed to provide promised notes to several of these residents who attended this meeting.

The most voted improvement on project was to upgrade and install more covered bleachers around the Barnes Park swimming pool. The dog park was last on the residents’ list but now first on the commissioners’ list.

I want to know if they violated the Brown Act when they add their comments to the “Next Door” apps?

I strongly suggest that this council, city manager and city attorney hold a public workshop on the duties and responsibilities of the Parks and Recreation Commissioners before they make another earthshaking mistake.

Their next mistake may have legal repercussions if they violate our Ordinance 1934.

I am still waiting for answers to my questions from the city council, city attorney and the city manager.

I hope they all read the ordinance and follow our city laws to protect our open spaces in our parks from requests to alter our parks for the needs of a few people at the expense of all of the residents of Monterey Park.