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Gramps: Will you post this on the GrandTerracenews Blogspot? Brian’s TerraceTruth blocks people from making a comment… thanks I AM a Being… Being in Red… He doesn’t answer email either… what is he afraid of… ghosts… anyway, here is my response or thoughts on the Bea Cortes Statements he posted.
thanks
IAM a BEING
Black is Bea Cortes and Red is IAM a BEING
Brian, thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide my candidate’s statement. The following are my positions on the issues that affect Grand Terrace:
1. Eminent Domain - is a tool that is usually exercised for a public purpose such as a street or a traffic signal. The Redevelopment Agency for The City of Grand Terrace currently has eminent domain power only for non-residential zoned properties. In the case of the recent attempt to acquire a parcel on Barton Road, the City Council chose not to utilize eminent domain and the developer will be building a project that doesn’t include the parcel that couldn’t be acquired privately. This TIME, after much PROTEST, and errors on the part of the City Manager/Redevelopment Director's Part.
Watch out for the TOOL here it comes, The City on a WHIM can Change the Zoning on YOUR PROPERTY, and then USE EMINENT DOMAIN on YOUR PROPERTY for Commercial Development. THIS HAS happened that the CITY has rezoned PROPERTY without the Consent of the Current Owners’ Limiting their ability to Sell or transfer their property as they desired. So translated. WE didn't use it on Jo Stringfield this time but we can and want to be able to in the future. SO anyone who is living in Grand Terrace where the City MAY want to use it as Commercial or other land use, Bea Cortes thinks it is just fine to say to the land owners You don't really have full power over your land, Mr. Business Owner, or even you little home owner, we can just change the zoning... and work around your idea of ownership rights to property.
2. New High School - I believe the new high school in Grand Terrace will be a positive addition to our City. Currently you can go from Kindergarten thru Junior High in the City of Grand Terrace but you leave the community in order to attend high school. I have been working diligently with the school district for some time to develop the third high school here in Grand Terrace. I believe the high school is very much needed as the current two campuses of the Colton Joint Unified School District are terribly overcrowded and a new high school is necessary.
This idea of a High School Predates her living in Grand Terrace. It actually predates the City as a City. The Issue and concerns raised about a High School is the location selected being near a Pre existing Power Plant, in an Industrial Zone, and near Active Rail Tracks and the size of the school. BUT, BEA has no comment or concerns on these issues raised by citizens.. These are real concerns. But what is happening is the city bought the land and couldn't find a buyer faster or "better than" the CJUSD. So Poof we'll sell a property to the school and retire some of the Debt we went into to buy the property, and play developer. This is not the best site, nor is a school with more than 2000 the best for a High School. This school is planned to house more students than the educational ideal. I wonder where the OLD PRE CITY PLANS had the High School Site. That would be an interesting bit of data and history.
3. The Town Center Project - is important to the City of Grand Terrace. Stater Bros our only grocery store is currently on a month-to-month lease and the uncertainty of the ability for them to stay at their current location is a serious concern. Although the project is smaller than once planned, I believe that the Barton Road corridor will be improved by building a new store for Stater Bros as well as bring in other businesses that allow people the opportunity to do their shopping in Grand Terrace.
Black is Bea Cortes and Red is IAM a BEING
Brian, thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide my candidate’s statement. The following are my positions on the issues that affect Grand Terrace:
1. Eminent Domain - is a tool that is usually exercised for a public purpose such as a street or a traffic signal. The Redevelopment Agency for The City of Grand Terrace currently has eminent domain power only for non-residential zoned properties. In the case of the recent attempt to acquire a parcel on Barton Road, the City Council chose not to utilize eminent domain and the developer will be building a project that doesn’t include the parcel that couldn’t be acquired privately. This TIME, after much PROTEST, and errors on the part of the City Manager/Redevelopment Director's Part.
Watch out for the TOOL here it comes, The City on a WHIM can Change the Zoning on YOUR PROPERTY, and then USE EMINENT DOMAIN on YOUR PROPERTY for Commercial Development. THIS HAS happened that the CITY has rezoned PROPERTY without the Consent of the Current Owners’ Limiting their ability to Sell or transfer their property as they desired. So translated. WE didn't use it on Jo Stringfield this time but we can and want to be able to in the future. SO anyone who is living in Grand Terrace where the City MAY want to use it as Commercial or other land use, Bea Cortes thinks it is just fine to say to the land owners You don't really have full power over your land, Mr. Business Owner, or even you little home owner, we can just change the zoning... and work around your idea of ownership rights to property.
2. New High School - I believe the new high school in Grand Terrace will be a positive addition to our City. Currently you can go from Kindergarten thru Junior High in the City of Grand Terrace but you leave the community in order to attend high school. I have been working diligently with the school district for some time to develop the third high school here in Grand Terrace. I believe the high school is very much needed as the current two campuses of the Colton Joint Unified School District are terribly overcrowded and a new high school is necessary.
This idea of a High School Predates her living in Grand Terrace. It actually predates the City as a City. The Issue and concerns raised about a High School is the location selected being near a Pre existing Power Plant, in an Industrial Zone, and near Active Rail Tracks and the size of the school. BUT, BEA has no comment or concerns on these issues raised by citizens.. These are real concerns. But what is happening is the city bought the land and couldn't find a buyer faster or "better than" the CJUSD. So Poof we'll sell a property to the school and retire some of the Debt we went into to buy the property, and play developer. This is not the best site, nor is a school with more than 2000 the best for a High School. This school is planned to house more students than the educational ideal. I wonder where the OLD PRE CITY PLANS had the High School Site. That would be an interesting bit of data and history.
3. The Town Center Project - is important to the City of Grand Terrace. Stater Bros our only grocery store is currently on a month-to-month lease and the uncertainty of the ability for them to stay at their current location is a serious concern. Although the project is smaller than once planned, I believe that the Barton Road corridor will be improved by building a new store for Stater Bros as well as bring in other businesses that allow people the opportunity to do their shopping in Grand Terrace.
The Current Location is More than Available for a longer term lease agreement it is Stater Brothers who prefers to own their own buildings that is the driving force behind the Town Center. It is Jack Brown saying he won't sign a long term lease even with a remodel expanding the store in the current location not the Property Owner Kicking Stater's Out at an end of a Lease. In addition, there would be a back fill into the Old Staters, perhaps a store with lower prices. We can hope. But Bea Cortes represent the situation like Staters is being kicked out of its current location rather than the fact that Jack Brown wants to own his building, and Jack is accustom to getting what Jack wants, ask him. Suggesting that it is Not all about Jack is to promote a fiction, dare I say Lie?
4. Recall - I believe in the process of the recall. It is a tool that is available to any individual resident to exercise. However, I believe in the case of the current attempt to recall two council members is unnecessary and not one valid argument has been made to justify it. However, if the proponents can secure the necessary signatures, it will then be up to the residents of Grand Terrace to decide if these two dedicated council persons should be removed. I don’t think that the citizens of Grand Terrace have the desire to do that; however, I respect the process.
When continued service of the Two Recalled Council Members runs the risk of the city being subject to increased Debts, and Council Decisions that result in Law Suits that the City Loses... A Recall is a means to Limit the Effects of Faulty Actions by eliminating those making faulty decisions in future decisions made on the publics behalf. The Recall Issues have been enumerated else ware in the blog. She voted with them on every issue and if she were not up for re-election would be facing the same RECALL EFFORT. ALL STATEMENTS IN THE RECALL RELATE TO HER RE-ELECTION EFFORT, no Doubt she doesn't understand the reasons.
5. “Safe and Sane” Fireworks - and their sale have been an issue recently in the community; as a result, a Citizens Task Force has been organized and will give their recommendations before the City Council. I believe that both the Little League and Soccer are dedicated to our youth sports and that fundraising is needed for those groups to keep the prices of those activities down so that as many individuals can join and participate.
For Bea Cortes to say this is a recent Issue leads to the shear wonderment where Bea Cortes has been for the past 4 years. This has been an issue every year Fireworks have been sold, and the issue gets bigger and bigger every year. The Council waits till the trauma of the past 4th has drifted away like so much smoke wafting over the homes and hills, then it appears on the Agenda in December. Where is that Review After the 4th to review the data on arrests and calls into the Hot line. Or the cost of the Fire on Blue Mt. Note the Alleged "Arrests" were not in the Arrest Record. If the city wants to do something constructive, they can have the GTDAYS as a Sports Fundraiser for the City and allow the city to use city staff and city contacts to solicit the funds for sports programs rather than one day of outside entertainment.
6. Direction of Grand Terrace Development - Grand Terrace has been a very sedate community for most of the years that it has been incorporated. Looking at the budget of the City of Grand Terrace, it is evident that in order to maintain the services provided, street repairs, law enforcement, Fire Department, all these things require funding. The Sheriff’s Department alone takes over a third of the City’s general fund and each year it increases approximately eight percent. This needs to be paid for somehow and the proper way for us to do that is to increase our retail commercial base. One percent of any sales in the City of Grand Terrace come back to the city for programs within the city. It is only through increasing this source of revenue that we will remain viable in the future as a city.
Increased Development and Retail Sales will not pay for the Debt the City Redevelopment Agency has to pay off. 9 Million for the Senior Villas is a debt that will not be paid back to the city it was essentially Gifted or is planned to be to the Corporation for Better Housing. The City will not be getting that money back. AFTER 60 Years the City will get the Land and an Old Building. That Building will be a Liability by that time, not an asset worth even 9Million plus the interest payments. That is only part of the CRA DEBT our limited budget is making principal and interest payments on. Bea Cortes has never communicated understanding of these facts. She reports there is a Reserve of 5 Million as if that is a fantastic big number. Well it is if there were no long term debts to wipe it out. That 5 Million is Operating Cash Flow. It does not represent a true net balance of city assets being in a positive. DEBT is the biggest cost to the city.
7. Most Qualified Candidate – I believe I am the most qualified candidate for City Council due to my long history of community involvement, business experience and regional leadership. I am concerned about preserving and enhancing our quality of life in Grand Terrace. We need active, involved and experienced leadership to attract new businesses and build a new high school. Smaller communities like Grand Terrace must rely on the quality of their leaders. My long history of community involvement, business experience and regional leadership will help me to build coalitions to create a better future for our city.
Bea Cortes has been using her City Council Membership to promote her business. These borderlines on unethical behavior. Her combined add showing her "Professional Function as a Realtor" suggests do business with Be Cortez Realtor, and Bea Cortes City Council Member will help you at City Hall. Wink Wink. To allow this to continue is disrespectful to the citizens of integrity in this city. Her regional government involvement includes membership in the League of California Cities who actively promote the use of Eminent Domain for Development and do not support the modification of California State Law to Protect your Property Rights. IF the citizens want to be part of a Regional Identity, we may as well be annexed into Loma Linda or Colton or San Bernardino. Grand Terrace became a city with the hopes to retain its rural, bedroom community identity. OH how far we have been driven by the Material Goals of the Few, at the expense of the many. Bea Cortes does not represent your best interest. She has proven this over the years on the Council. Her replacement will bring a breath of fresh air and a new perspective, and will not have in the fore front of his mind, how a decision will impact real estate sales.
