Migraine + public hearing = bad times
There was hardly a dull moment at Tuesday night's Arcadia City Council meeting.
With 15 minutes to type Wednesday's story, here's a few details worth mentioning that didn't make it:
1. Before opening the public hearing on whether to approve Westfield's second phase expansion known as "The Promenade," the City Council voted 4 to 1 to make new rules for that hearing and next week's hearing when it will decide the fate of Caruso Affiliated's The Shops at Santa Anita.
Speaker cards will be collected up until the start of the hearing, at which point the City Clerk will do a Las Vegas-style shuffling to randomize the order they are called. This is in response to voluminous complaints received after the previous week's Planning Commission meeting where proponents and opponents turned in thick stacks of cards -- and according to the city -- the proponents happened to come first.
"It didn't look right," said Councilman Peter Amundson on Tuesday, although he agreed it was an unintended oversight. Amundson added that the city would have to "go overboard" to appear "above the board."
Councilman John Wuo voted against it and questioned why the city should deviate from its traditional process of allowing proponents to be followed by opponents.
The motive cited was that with upward of 100 people wanting to speak, opponents would be required to wait late into the night to speak. Then there's the reporters, who eager to gauge the audience's opinion have to bug out at 9:30 p.m. to write their stories.
2. Westfield America President Ken Wong is smooth. Both Ken and Caruso Affiliated CEO Rick Caruso are the kind of salesmen you can't help but like, regardless of what you think about their product. If Pasadena Councilman Paul Little can publicly suggest Mayor Bill Bogaard resolve disputes with the PUSD by wrestling school board president Peter Soelter, I expect Arcadia Mayor Roger Chandler to come up with an even better means of mediation.
3. When it came to Peter Amundson's turn to lay into Westfield, he made a comment that piqued his colleagues' attention. I'm paraphrasing without my notes: "I'm new to the council and thus my questions are based in reality." To which Roger interrupted asking if that meant the rest of them were not based in reality. I don't think Peter, who was elected largely for his opposition to eminent domain, meant it as it sounded. But maybe he did!
4. The City Council meeting to decide the fate of The Shops at Santa Anita will be held at 7 p.m. on April 11 at the Masonic Temple, 50 W. Duarte Road.
Comments
Posted by: 2 14t3 | April 4, 2007 2:32 AM