Citizen About Town

By Nancy C. Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

E-mail: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

Fax: 626-307-9081

I have asked the Monterey Park City Council, City Manager Paul Talbot and City Attorney Mark Hensley several times during council meetings to please explain to all of the residents what is surplus property so their answers are part of the public record?

It seems that any city owned property can be declared as surplus property if the city decides to sell it to another government agency or non-profit organization.

I asked them to please explain to all of the residents what will happen to our property if another government entity decides to purchase this property to build their own office building or garage instead of LINC?

The attorney and manager stated that the city could refuse to sell this property to another government agency or non-profit organization if they determined that a buyer’s use of this property would not benefit our city.

This Council declared 236 South Ramona a surplus property so LINC can build a six-unit affordable housing project on this site in the middle of our civic enter and purchase several low– to –moderate units now owned by the city.

Staff did mention at a planning meeting that our city manager did not want to be in the real estate business.

This property is a currently a parking lot used by the staff during business hours and the public during the Farmers’ Market and other special events held at City Hall and Barnes Park.

I asked them if the developers fail to complete this project then what will happen to our property? Do we lose it to their lender in a foreclosure?

The attorney said the city would be protected by the deeds of trust.  I wonder if we will be in second position for our loan on the real property?

I am concerned that this Council or any other Council could declare our city owned parks surplus property and sell them to another government agency or non-profit organization for development?

I know we have voted in a law that prohibits any development in our parks but surplus property was not mentioned in our law.

The taxpaying voters deserve answers since this city belong to all of us.

Did you watched the Monterey Park Council meeting where Thomas Wong our representative from the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District reminded the residents that we need to conserve water since California is suffering from a drought?

I smiled and tried not to laugh our loud since this is the same Thomas Wong who is helping the Olson Urban Housing, LLC to sell the voters on changing the zoning from Commercial to Residential during the June 3 election on the 9.15 acres located at 2015 Potrero Grande Drive.

Yes, this site is across the street from Resurrection Cemetery.

If the voters approve the zoning change then Olson will develop the site for 80 single-family homes as a gated community.

Now you know why I noted the irony that Thomas Wong wants us to conserve water so 80 more families could use our precious resource.

The city is looking forward to the property tax that this project would generate at percent of the 2% tax increase per year.

If this property is sold to a commercial developer for a super market and / or brand name restaurants the annual sales tax would be greater that the property tax.

Realtor Bill Ukropina from Coldwell Banker Commercial Realty and the developers from Olson Urban Housing, LLC have publically stated that this location is not a good location for commercial development since it backs up to the Edison towers, a hillside and the property can not be seen from the 60 Freeway.

If the name of Bill Ukropina sounds familiar it is because he has several sales signs on the hillsides of Orange next to the nursery.

I wonder how many houses they will want to cram under the Edison towers for their profits at this location.

Since I don’t know the size of the property I don’t know if we get to vote on a possible zone change for this project.

Monterey Park has many vacant homes and condos for sale as well as most of the condos located at the Atlantic Times Square.

Three hotels want to call Monterey Park home are scheduled to be located in the Garvey / Atlantic area that will deliver more traffic in our neighborhoods. Its only trade off is the bed tax that will provide additional sales tax to help support our city in the future.

Now all Monterey Park needs is more shopping centers for all of the residents. We need the sales tax dollars to keep our city moving in the right direction of prosperity.

Please study the June 3 ballot measure.  A zoning change from Commercial to Residential once approved by the voters cannot be reversed so we could lose a large commercial parcel that could be developed into another shopping center to provide additional locations for those stores that will not fit into our Market Place.

The vote is ours to help determine the future of our hometown. Please vote on June 3.

Congratulations to San Gabriel United Leaders Lee and Pat Freeman. They were honored as the 2014 Outstanding Older Americans in the City of San Gabriel during their April 15 Council Meeting.

I am happy to report that Sacramento decided to strike down SCA 5, a constitutional amendment that would have discriminated against University of California and Cal State Universities students based on administration policies by their gender and race.

The public uproar was very loud as residents of California informed their elected officials in Sacramento that this amendment would have violated our US Constitution.

Sometimes the elected officials listen to the voters or they are voted out of office at election time.

Yes, we have wonderful freedoms in our United States.

We need to protect our freedoms and our God given rights from all enemies both foreign and domestic.

We are very lucky to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Yes, April 15 we pay taxes to enjoy our freedoms.

Remember that many of our military have paid the price of freedom with their blood so we can live in our free country.

Please thank them for their service to our country and honor their memory by voting to keep our America a strong county and a beacon of light to the world.