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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/23/2008 - STAFF REPORTS - 00 Charles Sachs 335 West Mariscal Road Palm Springs, CA 92262-290735 (760) 325-5398 / onrs@earthlink.net January 23, 2008 PALM SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Tree Removal and Permits I hate liars. I hope many will see "Atonement", Golden Globe Best Picture and now Oscar nominated that deals how one lie ruined many lives. Also I hope those who saw me last month did not think I was trivializing what could be a "local issue", cutting down over 20 trees without a permit and condo owners not fully informed. One ruined my home and greatly effected seven others. When I finished was surprised three were applauding my appeal. Our association manager at our last monthly meeting, which sadly did not recall our board, said I lied saying she worked for her mother Merry Ellen Hill and Associates. She said it•or part had been sold to Doug Bothe. This only further agitated some owners against me, one vertically, follicle challenged, "twit" later said; "I don't care about trees." Board member Brian Johnson, who I believe is a shrink and professional witness said, "There was complete notice of all trees being cut. We all inspected them." I have asked for months for documents still not supplied. Mr. Johnson, talking at a pace that would turn a "Fraser" episode into a mini-series, said, "More trees are to be cut down." Again, have asked Ms. Anderson for documentation of past and now future cutting. No reply. This is not a "silly Casa de Oro" condo local issue, being painted by �i l�v73�v��t18 /�7d�.t✓C �Nr�iJT CHARLES SACHS January 23, 2008 Tree Removal Page Two Ms. Anderson and uninformed others. I recall, now here almost four years, public objections when John Wessman cut down two trees along a street when building some condos. Neighbors objected they too did not have to be cut down or could have been moved. I deplore you, review a possible way the city, as many others do, require a permit to cut trees to make sure there really is a problem, not as Ms Anderson was caught in lies by other owners. am speaking to owners at all associations. Attend your meetings. Demand records. Ms. Anderson I believe runs eight other associations. Have they had similar cutting? She said that my comments made Casa de Oro a laughing stock. Some aspects are. It is a great location. My back view is worth a million bucks. My front was, now worthless. Does anyone care about this? "if you don't care about others, don't expect others to care about you." As far as ownership, I did not find any business permit for Mary Ellen Hill and Associates in city records. This last month was the first meeting posted correctly since Ms. Anderson became manager two years ago. I am sure you would not keep your City Clerk if he missed any postings that would make yours then illegal. Atone, Ms. Anderson. 448 words Charles Sachs 335 W. Manscal Road Palm Springs, CA 92262-290735 (760) 325-5398 /onrs@earthlink.net January 18, 2008 Ms. Cindy Anderson Maryellen Hill &Associates 1111 Tahquitz Canyon Way, #120 Palm Springs, CA 92262 SUBJECT: Trees/Recall Dear Ms. Anderson: wondered why you would be surprised that I had to go to the City Council to address the issue of trees being cut down not only here, but also around the city without a permits. I have asked you for months for documentation which you and the board have refused to supply. You were also caught by other owners of a false claim it was an insurance issue as well as hiring an uninsured and unlicensed company against board directives. What do you expect? To make objections about this, telling people my accusations were incorrect, is counter productive and inflammatory at the meeting and throughout the community as you said you had made. In the light that other hostile owners, most living off site or new, have no realization of the past, present and your future plans in many areas. Others verbally harassing me and you and the board never calling to order their rude behavior shows your intent to try to shut me up. Again, supply me your notes as outlined why the trees were cut down with proof from whatever source that made that claim (water and power company for example). Brian Johnson said more trees are to be cut down, confirming rumors I had heard. Supply a list of those now of those trees, location, reason, date of planned cutting and who will be hired for that. As far as the recall and costs, send me a complete copy of the costs for review and who was hired for any services. My statement about wishing to stop it but could not was because you refused to supply key information on the recall options, other owners did not run to make an alternative choice other than the same members or those who have similar views. It would not correct major problem areas. It is the owners who did not step up to the plate. For Mr. Estes to say others who did not vote against to recall means they all would have voted against it is truly stupid. Why vote when there was no change. YOU gave no option to stop it. It is Vou and the board's fault for the recall. As said, it would not have happened if you had not cut down the trees without owner's notice and consideration. Do not evpn tell people that/fooled them and not sicn a future recall. Many are not pleased showed with 1/3 voting for the recall even as presented. And by the way, that was the first meeting you have correctly posted 72 hrs before in the two years you have been manager, with your claimed 19 years of experience. It had to be done right due to the recall. That is why/signed in for the first time. All other meetings of this board and by you have been technically illegal. Yours truly, Jay Thompson From: Dana Stewart [abccdana@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 11:11 AM To: Steve Pougnet; Ginny Foat; Rick Hutcheson; Jay Thompson Subject: Development- City Council , Wednesday- FYI Dear Council and Staff, 1-23-07 Thank you so much. Good to see you at the CC meeting last week, and to see the concern of Council regarding the incident with Pedregal. Again, it is NOT just the use of explosives! This is about no notice, dangerous air pollution, changing property lines, viewshed destruction, and the intrusion onto the Tramway Road of 3 counter- traffic driveways for this project. These are issues of current residents property rights. We will be sending the exchange between us and Kay Hazen..... Meanwhile, although you have talked the talk about "green building", you did not walk the walk when you appointed the worst possible fox to guard the henhouse of city development. NEXUS, our nemesis. Firstly, we think that this has got to be illegal. And secondly, why couldn't you haver chosen the Mondrian group, who are building green and at the correct height limits?! Once again, we reported the findings of the State Seismic Safety Commission's hearing about the danger of tall buildings. By the way, look in any dictionary, and you will find the definition of "skyscraper" as anything over a few stories. Tall. higher density will produce more traffic, which causes more pollution, and then the buildings themselves increase retention of the fouled air. Then there's the water use. Do you really want a mini-Las Vegas built, instead of an enormously profitable eco-tourism haven, like Vail, Colorado?! Why haven't bidegradable sealants been mandated, rather than squandering our water? For that matter, why haven't you mandated solar on all new construction? Instead you have approved the windmills - Don't get me statred on that one! Steve, you should speak to our engineer, Steve Sobotta, who was a city planner for Palm Springs. He said you could phone his cell number: 660-9714. He, and John Souliere of the CVEP, know the grand plan of the "GREED" Path - more ineffective, counterproductive monster windmills. Another energy fraud. How about the 2 million gallons of water per day they want to contaminate with PCBs for their peak power station, and the power towers marching through Snow Creek? We'd like you to restore our town to revitalize it. Not destroy it to completely reconfigure it. What is happening to the iconic Riviera? The Orchid Tree, the DFP, the PSCC, the Art Colony, the Rael project? Why are developers allowed to buy, blight, and bulldoze? Why are they not required to maintain the property until time of remodel, as did The Lodge in Rancho Mirage? Think of the TOT we've lost. Rick, thank you for your inquiry of Mr. Ewing. Roxann Ploss gave her excellent research to the City, on the examples of action by Long Beach and others, 3 years ago! Also, the City of Santa Monica abandoned their plan that you are following, 3 years ago. They deemed it as environmentally and economically undesirable. We don't want more rooftops, we want more tourists! c�6r�c3/oZ60,6 1/23/2008 Thank you, Ginny, for questioning Craig Ewing as to the falsified results of the public survey. Very glad to see that the much-needed Animal Shelter might set the example for future development. Congradulations. Now we need to look out for our human population, too. All the best, Dana Stewart and James F. McKinley (760) 864-4181 P.S. Our company, ABCC, and E-Village Solar, are on the RFP lists for UCR, COD, Copper Mountain College. How do we get on the RFP list for Palm Springs and the Animal Shelter? Public Comment: January 9th, 2008 Dana L. Stewart and James F. McKinley, and the Palm Springs Public Counsel, Palm Springs Good evening to our new City Council, and a Happy New Year to one and all. A holiday miracle was a parting gift from last year, and we hope it will inspire you to take concrete actions on behalf of your constituents. And, a new approach to development in Palm Springs. The household of Dr. Anthony Streutker, his visiting brother, his housemate Victoria, and a workman, were traumatized when a 10-pound boulder shard, from exploding a boulder, at the open-pit mining Pedregal project, came crashing through their roof and ceiling. Victoria came within one inch of being killed! Just what will it take to eet vour undivided attention to our concerns?! For over 5 years, the Chino Canyon and Little Tuscany neighborhoods, conservation organizations, experts and authorities, have come before Council and begged, cajoled, referendized, and sued, for attention to the multitude of concerns that are the result of such hazardous developments. Ifearing after hearing has yielded nothing but approval after approval of exceptions to the rules. How is it that State air quality laws are routinely waived?! We trust that our new City Council will lead us to fully engage in the new millenium of eco-architecture and design (Mr. Mills), and the very substantial rewards of eco-development and eco-tourism for our eco-sensitive lauds. Green building from the ground up. You cannot rearrange the mountains to suit flat-land cookie cutter hones. Not just the obvious banning of rock crushing and explosives must be addressed. Rock removal, on just the minor scale of Tuscany Heights and Pedregal, threaten land destabilization. The seismic, air, and noise pollution are unbearable. These issues have been brought forward time and again, and have been ignored and unresolved. Please, address the warnings in the reports of the many experts and impacted citizens. Without notification, or negotiation, property lines are changed,views are oblfderated, permits 1/23/2008 are violated, destabilizing mass-grading and terracing continue. Because they can. Please address the property rights of the current residents. The values of their homes have been rained. A Moratorium. We plead for your immediate stop-work order on ALL such dangerous developments, approved, underway, or proposed; and for you to provide independent assessments that health and safety are assured. It would certainly make for a Happy New Year for us! Hope it's a great 2008. Thank you. Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find,them fast with Yahoo! Search._ 1/23/2008