Citizen About Town

By Nancy C Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

Email: nancyarcuri@the citizensvoice.net

During Monterey Park’s February 16^th City Council Meeting  approximately 130 residents and business owners told our Councilmembers not to vote to accept Measure R funds from METRO to open up Garvey Avenue from Atlantic to New as a six lane mini-freeway during Rush Hours to accommodate drivers who want to take a short cut through our hometown.

Staff recommended that street parking on Garvey would be restricted during certain hours, our street be restriped to make new traffic lanes and our center divider to be reduced to allow this traffic nightmare to happen.

A representative from Supervisor Hilda Solis’ office told our City Council and staff said she was hoping to request the approval  from METRO to use the Measure R  funds for additional benefits for our cities was the first speaker.

Some speakers suggested that parking structures would not be beneficial to all of the stores. It would only benefit the stores located close by the structures.

Some speakers stated the many businesses located on Garvey Avenue would lose business without street parking during Rush Hours.

Other speakers reminded Council that St Stephen and Inez Schools are located on Garvey Avenue and the street parking would be restricted  during the time the parents drop off and pick up their students.

More speakers were concerned that the Rush Hour traffic would be dangerous to the students and senior citizens who walk up and down Garvey Avenue.

The City Clerk’s Office received an additional 33 written statement that were not received in time to be read during the meeting. They will be posted on the City’s website as part of the public record.

I am sure most of the written statements were not in favor of making our  Garvey Avenue a race track.

Several Monterey Park residents and business owners stated that our staff did not reach out to everyone involved because of the Pandemic.  The public meetings were held on ZOOM.  Many people do not use ZOOM.

I requested the Council table this agenda items until City Hall was opened to the public and we could attend meetings for our chance to voice our opinions and concerns.

Our five Councilmembers listened to the presentation from staff and heard from our residents and our business owners voice their opinions and concerns that included 8 residents and business owner in favor of this speedway and 7 speakers asking for this item to be tabled until the staff did more public outreach before voting to accept the Measure R funds to redo Garvey Avenue, build bike lanes on Monterey Pass Road and build 2 or 3 parking structures in our downtown area at unknown areas.

Our five Councilmembers voted to accept funds to build bike lanes on Monterey Pass  Road and build 2 or 3 parking structures.

They asked staff to see if they could have more public outreach before they make any changes  to Garvey Avenue.

Staff said they would have to speak with METRO to see if METRO would approve our changes to their program.

The Measure R fund are our gas tax funds that were not used to complete the 710 Freeway from Long Beach to Pasadena.

Many residents feel these funds should be used to fill in our potholes and resurface our streets, make repairs or replace our old water and sewer pipes under our streets, repair or replace our damages sidewalks, make our city safer for the seniors, the students and everyone to visit and shop in our downtown businesses.

Why should our gas taxes pay to built parking structures that would house equipment to charge any electric cars?

Have any electric car owners paid into Measure R at the electric charging stations?

Monterey Park has owned property at Lincoln and Garvey which is a small shopping center.

I recall that corner property could not be sold to Chinese investors because it was the site of a Funeral Home.

I guess that location could be used for a parking structure.

Since the price of real estate in Monterey Park is very expensive, I wonder what locations will our city buy to house the other two parking structures?

Maybe we should purchase the vacant lot at Garvey and Garfield and the vacant lot at Atlantic and Garvey?

Maybe we should hire more Spirit bus drivers to transport our people and their packages from our local stores to their parking structure since it could be a long walk for many people?

Many people feel that this Pandemic that has closed down City Halls,  County Offices, Sacramento Officers and our Federal Offices has been used to make businesses decisions without input from us the taxpaying voters and stakeholders in our America.

I remember that famous quote made by a member of the Democratic  Party “Never let good crisis go to waste”.

I firmly believe that this Pandemic was created to try to change our United States of America from a Republic into a Communist or Socialist country.

Do you recall that famous quote from Nikita Khrushchev that America will be destroyed from within?

Mr. Khrushchev must have realized that life in America was wonderful but some Americans wanted to change our destiny from Capitalism to Communism or Socialism.

Some Americans think we should live under conditions like in Cuba, in Venezuela, in Russia or in China where all of the property and businesses are owned by the government who would then dole out education benefits , food, housing, medical care and financial assistance to special people who fit their criteria for these benefits.

The hard-working taxpayers would still be required to take care of those people who chose not to work for a living but want our United States of America government to take care of them from their mother’s womb to their tomb.

I have worked in Corporate  America for 47 years before I retired at the age of 65.

I have worked  all of those years to support myself and my American Dream.

I am not willing to support people who are not willing to work to support their America Dream.

Our United States of America is in danger of becoming a Communist or Socialist country by radical members of our society who want all of us to pay them for some mistakes made by some of our ancestors.

My ancestors immigrated to the United States of America from Ireland and Germany in the late 1700s and early 1800s for their religious  freedoms and their personal freedoms.

They joined other immigrants from their former homelands to build new lives in our United States of America and to achieve their American Dreams for themselves and their families.

Most legal immigrants want to achieve their American Dreams and immigrated to our America for their religious  freedoms and their personal freedoms.

Immigrants from Communist or Socialist countries are warning us, Americans to be careful who we vote into office because some elected officials want to destroy our Republic.

The November Elections are fast approaching us so please carefully vet your candidates before giving them your vote.

If you do not like their views then do not vote them into office.

If you cannot vote for that person or you may be able to write-in another candidate or maybe write in “None of the above” to send a message that you do not like any of the candidates on your ballot.

Some of our government officials have been playing fast and loose with our elections so many people have become discouraged with many of our elected officials that they have decided that their vote or their voice does not matter anymore.

These American voters have lost faith in our election system and have decided not to bother to vote in any election.

I agree that our elections have consequences so I vet my candidates and vote for the best persons for the job.

I am not happy with the Democratic Party and their views so I may not vote any Democrats into office even if I voted for them in the last several elections.

I hope and pray that God will continue to love and support us and our United States of America.