Walnut council (minus one) opposes recall

Posted on February 14, 2009 by mngiadmin

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Tensions seem to be running high in Walnut, where newly-inducted Mayor Mary Su and Councilwoman Nancy Tragarz (to the left, to the left) have been targeted for a recall effort.

The two, along with councilmen Tom King and Antonio Cartagena, held a press conference Saturday morning disputing claims that Tragarz and Su haven’t done enough to oppose the proposed NFL stadium in neighboring Industry.

Reporter Brian Day attended the press conference and said the first thing he got from Tragarz was a written statement, and a typed, two-page list of all the documented action she’s taken on the stadium. Gotta give her props for being prepared.

Here’s some of things she wrote on her list:

Sept 11: attended presentation at Senior Center until 10:30 to hear residents concerns

Oct 6-7: Receive approx 100-200 emails on stadium including alleged Brown Act violations

Oct 7-8: Researched law on Brown Act

Nov. 2-3: spent over 5 hours interviewing Task Force applicants

Jan: sent out additional 11 letters to Railroad, School Board, etc. enclosing resolution and asking for their support

Jan. 31: I attended Rally against the stadium

One interesting tidbit about Saturday’s meeting: Councilman and former Mayor Joaquin Lim wasn’t there. He told Day he wasn’t invited, and wouldn’t really give an opinion on the recall. Do I smell a rift coming on?

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  • Anonymous

    People have been receiving “e mail about what Tragarz has done a while back, but she forgot to mention that during Dec closed session, they voted 4 to 1 to suspend the task force.

  • Walnut resident – recently lost job

    The people leading the attack against the stadium represent a small, uneducated voice of our community. We need new opportunities of employment and this stadium will bring it. I lost my job recently and in six months i’ll be out in the street with my family if i can’t find something soon. It’s time to make the the best economic decission and move forward to support the stadium. Wake up WALNUT, you people have no clue!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    I am for jobs as well. The original plan for the stadium site (business center & distribution centers) will also bring jobs. These jobs will be better paying, permanent, with benefits. These are the jobs that bring long term economic benefits. Stadium jobs are part time, minimum wage, seasonal, transient jobs. You won’t make enough to support a family working at the staduim. Even the construction jobs will be short term. But, the business center will provide the jobs which will offer you the long term stability you are seeking.

  • Fighter for Walnut

    There were over 1,000 people at the rally on Jan. 31 and while I am sorry you lost your job, don’t bet on Ed Roski or Industry to give you one that pays anything above minimum wage, IF, that.

    The people of Walnut will NOT get jobs from this.

    We will get:
    -Unbelievable higher levels of pollution that will hurt our kids

    -More traffic than we can handle at the 57/60 interchange

    -A complete and FOREVER loss of plant life and the ecosystem that makes our community the beautiful rural setting it is

    -More noise and light pollution that will disrupt our lives

    -More crime because some outsiders, drunk after games, hurt, steal, and assault local people after the games. Just ask LAPD or Pasadena PD. They know from decades of experience.

    -Property values, already in trouble all over the U.S., will get even worse in Walnut, Diamond Bar, and Chino Hills because the City of Industry EIR only calls for a 150-buffer between the stadium and nearby homes.

    -YOU wake up and look at how these council members formed a task fake task force to quell opposition and when these community people started fighting Roski, the council disbanded the task force in a secret meeting.

    -If you don’t stand up now and fight this stadium, you will regret it for the rest of your life.

    -Sure, you may react later by moving away, but the health damage to kids will be done FOREVER. Asthma, cancer, and other enhanced impacts from all the extra traffic, construction disturbance of the ground and the flying dust, the vibration of all the heavy equipment and construction disruption. THINK ABOUT IT AND ACT.

    -The city council, except for Lim, has BETRAYED the people. They are telling their closest supporters they want to cut a deal with Industry to give them money for an aquatic center in Walnut, paid by Industry, and the Walnut opposition will go away.

    -TRAITORS! What good is an aquatic center if kids can’t breathe well enough or long enough to enjoy the damned aquatic center?

    -Look into the facts! Don’t react just from emotion.

    -READ THE SEIR. It is flawed and hurts EVERYONE in the cities around the stadium.

    -Ed Roski has lied by saying his “two teams” have agreements to play in the Rose Bowl and L.A. Coliseum. Those are flat out LIES. First of all, Roski has no teams, just a pipe dream.

    -Call the Rose Bowl and Coliseum and ask them if they will let Roskis teams, if he EVER gets them, play there. They have said publicly that under NO circumstances will they allow Roskl or anyone else to play temporary seasons there.

    -The only reason Roski wants this stadium is NOT because he loves NFL football. It’s because he wants to join one of the most elite clubs in the world – the small group of 32 NFL billionaire owners.

    -As a result, he will sell out the surrounding communities, offer 30 pieces of silver to the Walnut city council, and they claim in public they are trying to stop Roski. If so, hire a legal team that will be ready to go to court and challenge the Industry EIR as soon as the project is approved on Feb. 26.

    -Why waste all this time sitting on their hands and let the enemy, Industry and Roski, control what the Walnut council does

    -RECALL THE BASTARDS! They have failed the people of Walnut.

    -They have LIED to the people of Walnut

    -They have SOLD OUT the people of Walnut

    -They have VIOLATED their SWORN OBLIGATION to put the interests of Walnut first

    -Get rid of the city attorney, Mike Montgomery, who has served as Industry’s lawyer and has worked with Roski to promote Industry’s bullying and ruination of the communities around Industry.

    -DO YOUR HOMEWORK if you care anything about your own health and that of your family

    -WE MUST ALL FIGHT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES AS LOCAL CITIZENS. Our troops have proven that freedom isn’t free. There is a price to pay to fight Roski from within the community of Walnut and neighboring cities.

    -Roski has money, but he has no heart and no soul.

    -The meek people of Walnut will rise and win and shall inherit the earth, as the Judeo-Christian Bible says

    -Send Roski and his stooges on the Walnut city council to HELL!

    -FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Recall the Walnut city council and stop this stadium, while you still can.

  • anonymous

    Just curious…when did the Council vote to disband the task force?…which meeting? I think you may have some legal footing to unravel that action if it was taken during a closed session, especially if not listed on the agenda. I am unaware of any provision of the Brown Act which allows them to disband the task force in closed session?

  • Another Anonymous

    To the previous Anonymous:

    The City Council suspended the task force at a “closed session” meeting, and of course it would not be on the agenda. Four voted for suspension, and one against. Guess who cast the sole vote against? The excuses given by the four voted for suspension said they had already secured an attorney, and had no further need for the task force. What a crock!!! Since when any attorney knows what Walnut citizens want? The attorney doesn’t even live in Walnut. The four councilpersons NO LONGER represent Walnut residents who previously voted them in!

  • anonymous

    You might want to check in with Calaware regarding this closed session action. From the information you have provided, it appears the Council failed to meet the mandates set forth under the Brown Act (open meetings)
    I believe http://www.calaware.org is the website to reach them for assistance., but if wrong a quick google search should provide their website.