Citizen About Town

By Nancy C Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

Email address: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

I addressed the Monterey Park City Council during the April 19^th meeting.

I asked them about the Southern California Edison news article that was posted on ABC news the other day.

Southern California Edison was one of the three power companies in California required to base their rates on an individual’s income.

The news article stated that their corporation would set up a  different level for their rate payers based on their income.

I asked Thomas Wong on April 15^th who would provide them with each individual’s annual income. Would Edison receive copies of their customers’ California State Tax Returns?

Thomas stated that this issue was required by our elected officials in Sacramento not by Southern California Edison.

Since our City Council deals with our elected officials in Sacramento, I want to know what legal rights does the Sacramento group have to release our state tax returns to our electric company?

The next thing our City Official may have to require that our water customers disclose their income for a lower rate.

I believe that all consumers must pay for their usage of electricity, gas, water, phone, internet, credit cards as well as their rent or mortgage.

Please let the Monterey Park residents know what legal rights the elected officials in Sacramento have to demand we declare our income for any utility services.

I am still waiting for my questions to be answered by our city government.

Also on the agenda was 3-H Tree Memorial Program:

I also agree that Victoria Chavez-Calderon should be honored with a tree planted in one of our many parks for her long-time dedication to our hometown.

I met Victoria many years ago when she was volunteering at many of our city events.

Victoria is also a member of our Sister Cities Commission. She represents us in Morelia, Mexico.

Also, on the agenda 3-I Wave Further Reading and Adopt Ordinances for Zone Changes on the Market Place: please see the agenda on the city’s website for more information.

The Council discussed the issue that was approved by Jose Sanchez, Vinh Ngo, Yvonne Yiu and Henry Lo at the last Council Meeting on April 5^th.

Thomas Wong is employed the Southern California Edison who owns property near the Market Place so he could not take part in the discussions of the vote.

Maychelle Yee spoke against the changes to the Market Place that would allow the 8 to 10 acres near the Montebello border to be changed from a Retail Zone to a Commercial Zone. She claimed that it would cause more traffic in the area around the Market Place.

Mark Paulson attended the meeting on Zoom to explain that the developers wanted to have the zone changed to Commercial  so they could attract other businesses into our Market Place.

He reminded the Council that the developer is not making any money with the vacant land on the site and the city is not making any money either.

He suggested to the Council that this change would allow an Amazon Warehouse or a car dealership or other service type businesses to be built on the Market Place site.

Paul Talbot also reminded the Council that many stores are closing down their brick-and-mortar stores in favor of on-line sales.

These businesses would be approached by the road on the Montebello side of the site.

If Amazon Warehouse is built on this site the large deliver trucks would be on the site after the Market Place businesses are closed. The plan is the same for all of the deliveries to the other businesses on the site.

The daily delivers made from the Amazon site would be done by smaller delivery van like UPS, Amazon and other companies.

These new projects would bring more jobs  and sales tax dollars to our community.

Henry Lo asked many questions and decided that he could no long support these ordnances. He asked if the Planning Commission and Traffic Commission have approved this project.

Jose Sanchez asked if the Planning Commission had approved this project.

Karl Berger, the City Attorney informed the Council that for this project they are the Planning Commission.

Vinh Ngo, a banker and Yvonne Yiu, a financial planner understood that on-line sales are the future.

The Council  finally voted  on this agenda item: Henry Lo Abstained, Jose Sanchez voted No, Vinh Ngo voted Yes and Yvonne Yiu voted Yes.

The item failed to be approved.

The Council asked for more information about this issue so it will be brought back at a later meeting.

I believe that Maychelle Yee does not have a banking or financial experience to make this decision. She is our City Clerk not one of our Councilmembers.

I know that Henry Lo has been working for various elected officials in Los Angeles County. He does not have a banking or financial experience to make this decision. He has been relying on our staff and city attorney to help him understand most of the agenda items.

I know that Jose Sanchez is a school teacher. He does not have a banking or financial experience to make this decision. He has been relying on our staff and city attorney to help him understand most of the agenda items.

Councilmembers should be prepared to vote on all of the agenda items. Our staff is available to answer your questions before the meeting or answer your questions during the meeting.

Our Market Place site took us more than 20 years to have a developer interested in the site.

The original ordinance was approved by Council in 2012.

I still hope that our Council will approve the zoning changes so that our hometown will have additional funds to pay for all of our city’s services.

During the May 3^rd Council Meeting I asked when the Council will be ready to review the requested zoning changes on the Market Place from Retail to Commercial since our city could use the higher property taxes as well as additional sales taxes to support our city’s services.

I reminded our elected officials that when I moved into Monterey Park in 1971, we had a very successful downtown shopping area.

Then in the 1980s we became the First Suburban Chinatown so many of our businesses closed down because the new immigrants would not shop in our American stores.

It took us more than 20 years to have a developer, M&M to develop the property called The Market Place. Many businesses would not set up shop in our town because they believed that the new immigrants would not shop in their stores.

The Market Place is now very successful and kept our hometown afloat during the Pandemic.

During the Pandemic many businesses went out of business because many people were afraid to go shopping in public.

Now on-line shopping has become very popular since many of the brick-and-mortar stores are closed as you can see all of the vacant stores in our hometown.

Maychelle Yee our City Clerk is not a member of our City Council so she speaks as a resident.

She may not be aware of our more then 20 years struggle to bring additional shopping into our city.

She said she was worried about the heavy traffic that the new zoning may cause.

Heavy traffic is a good sign that many people are shopping and dining in our city.

Currently the 18-wheeler trucks that serve all of our Market Place stores enter the site from the 60 Freeway thru Montebello.

We currently pay the city of Montebello a percent of our sales taxes for our right to use their streets.

Jose Sanchez is a school teacher and he may not be aware of our more then 20 years struggle to bring additional shopping into our city.

Henry Lo has been working with several elected officials so I am surprised that he is not aware of our more then 20 years struggle to bring additional shopping into our city.

I thanked Vinh Ngo, a banker  and Yvonne Yiu, an investment manager for their Yes vote on the Market Place zoning changes.

I have been attending the City Council Meetings since August 1996 so I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly during the meetings.

Now I hear that it may take 1 more year for additional zoning changes be made to The Market Place by the developers.

I hope the two Councilmembers remember that our hometown needs more stores and restaurants in The Market Place to support our city’s wonderful services.

One of the next agenda items was the 2021-2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

This report can be reviewed by the residents as it is published on the city’s website.

The Council will be attending their upcoming Financial Workshop to better understand our city’s income streams, our assets and our liabilities.

I hope all of our Councilmembers understand the importance of have additional income from property taxes and sales taxes.

Maybe the Council will then decide to review the zoning changes to our Market Place to help increase our  property taxes and sales taxes to pay for our wonderful city services.

The Council approved to have a Tree Memorial to honor Mayor Pro Tem Fred Sornoso who retired from the Council shortly before he died. Fred was a very caring person who helped out his neighbors. He was a Councilmember who voted to support all of the residents in Monterey Park.

I hope that all of our elected officials in our United States of America have decided to protect us from the violent elements that are trying to destroy our “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave”.

May God bless us all and protect us from evil.