25,000.00. for Homeowners?

Gramps .............................. Here THEY Go Again:

Grand Terrace Redevelopment Agency is planning to use 25,000.00 for home improvements of yard and paint, and garage doors. The plan is that 1000.00 grants will be made for the purchase of material, and the labor costs would be covered by the homeowner.

This is an example of what the REAL purpose of the RDA Funds should have been all along.

WHY NOW? Is this part of the settlement of a law suit? Is this in preparation for an audit or making of a statement of how funds were spent on the existing community and not just on a few New Development Projects? Is this a front of some kind?

When the Mayor continues to report that the City has a "Reserve of 10,000,000,000.00" but fails to say in the next breath the RDA has a debt of 14,000,000,000.00 then there is a false concept of financial stability. The City YES YOU THE TAX PAYERS of GRAND TERRACE are the co-signers of the RDA DEBT. So it is as if you have 10.00 in your checking account but owe your credit card 14.00. You should not be crowing about how financially stable you are.

Add the interest to the cost of that debt and you have problems.

The requirements for spending RDA funds are written. Grand Terrace has routinely neglected the distribution of funds for low income, individual homes, for person not of Senior Citizen demographics. The RDA has been mislead by the same Tom Schwab who has been on medical leave nearly a full year, who has gotten a raise and a home... well above the average compensation of a "Normal" Citizen in Grand Terrace or a City Manager of any town this size in the Nation.

This flagrant waist is being hidden by the good will a few dollars being distributed to a few home owners and businesses. That makes 125,500.00 designated spending after the city had to lay off people at 100 percent lay off, to save under 200,000.00... It is true the RDA funds can't go to pay for the wages of the people laid off. However, IF the City Manager, and City Office Staff took a 10 Percent Pay and Payments cut, they could have continued the same staff.

No like the Bankers Mr. Schwab, Mr. Berry, the entire City Council continue to protect their own interests and are not functioning on the behalf of the Citizens of Grand Terrace, their share holders.

It is time they adjust codes to allow for the people struggling to hold onto their homes to share homes and have renters contribute to the expenses of the homes. Many of our fellow citizens have suffered unemployment, or layoffs, and or serious pay reductions and are thus having a difficult time paying for a mortgage they could afford if they were encouraged to share their homes with folks who still have a job, but perhaps can't afford the still inflated rental costs of apartments or homes.

The only way we as citizens can pull ourselves up by the boot straps is if the City gets off our NECKS and lets us double up the number of people or families in a home, have businesses in all homes, and to allow and promote the food security of our community by allowing small flocks of hens, fruit trees, and other food generating activities in our community.

How different GT would be if every home had several fruit trees, avocado's that provided fruit different times of the year, and old fashioned Victory Gardens for Fresh Vegetables.

YEP, it is time... to get your foot off our NECK City Council... Let us help our self... leave us alone. Again, IF you take Blight Money, your property may be a target of all Future Blight related Action... Be cautious... about accepting the label of BLIGHT on your property. IT Gives the RDA rights over your property and home.

What exact Magic Abilities earn Mr. Schwab or Mr. Berry their 170.000.00 per year or 140,000.00 per year incomes? The City Clerk can sign the three or four contracts the city needs to have administered. Lets see there is TRASH, Police, Fire, contracts, a few Road Contracts, and the Parks and Public Land to Maintain... This could be done by a High School Graduate. What have either of these men brought to our city in a clean above board open negotiation or effort? ZIP... ZERO ... NOTHING...

It is time they are their own budget cut and let the Clerks and Secretaries take care of City Business. No doubt they are doing the work anyway...

100,000.00 Redevelopment Funds Available.

GT Redevelopment Agency is allowing 100,000.00 to be set aside for existing businesses to use for Property Improvements. Each business can apply for 35.000.00 and the business will put up 3,500.00 or 10 percent.

Lets review. So far the Redevelopment agency has gone into debt for nearly 14,000,000,000.00 and the primary beneficiary has been Doug Jacobsen, and Jack Brown Town Center), Manta Corporation (Out Door Adventure Center, Koontz connection), and the Corporation for Better Housing. The Corporation for Better Housing got 50 percent of the cost of building, legal assistance and use of land for 1 buck a year for 60 years... Hmmm. perhaps the deal above may be a better percentage, but it is not a fair sharing of RDA Resources with existing businesses. Many of the businesses have been harmed by RDA aided businesses. Many individuals have been harmed by the threatened use of Eminent Domain to force the sale of their property to a single buyer. (Jacobsen or the RDA).

So for the 3 businesses that may want to take advantage of the RDA FUNDS Please do so knowing that only 100,000.00 is available.

I suggest: The Current Shopping Center install a Out Door Dinning area in the corner of Restaurant Row area and Solar Powered Parking Canopy. The funds the RDA provides and some added funds from EPA and other places may make this a possibility... and in the long run it may decrease operation costs, look good and provide shade for parked cars in the summer.

However... In order to apply for these funds you may be saying, I have BLIGHT I need help to fix it. This admission then could be used in court and if once you have said you have Blight it is nearly a mark for life you have accepted that you are Blight and thus subject to the whims of the RDA and City Council. SO IF YOU TAKE MONEY FROM THE RDA, get a statement that the use of this money will secure a NON BLIGHT Status from the RDA and CITY... in return for your participation in their Blight Removal / Mitigation Program.

Open Letter to the City Council/RDA of Grand Terrace

Will the City of Grand Terrace Buy my house for the Inflated Mortgage Value they were party to causing the inflation and Financial Business to become unstable. Yes right here in Grand Terrace the RDA and City Council promoted the ideas that Debt is ok, and the goal is to have ever increasing cost to housing or High Home Values.

What supported these high home values? Paper, some of it drawn my Council Members and Relations to Council Members. What supported these High Value? Jobs or Productivity that will pay for the citizens to live in the city? An Economy that supports the citizens? An environment or community which is sustainable as a unit?

Now the city is buying more property. Will they buy my house for 350.000.00 that their hype inflated it to .... but now it will sell for about 180.000.00 if I can find a buyer... No... their "Redevelopment" Bonanza their economic plans have nothing to do with the individual family or citizen.

This story plays out over and over in California. When the Big Guys on top can't make budget. They get a raise and lower paid people are fired, laid off, or cutback. Even the Grand Terrace City Council continues to get their full stipend and gas money and medical insurance, and travel at tax payers expense. No it is time for the citizens of the City to say to the Council it is time for you to Plan for a Depression... Make rules and code fit the current economic situation.

I could pay my home payments if I could rent half of my house to a second or third family. Doubling or Tripling up so that the unemployed single mothers are not living in her car... or the Military Folks returning from War have a room and home to come to... But, no this house sharing is actually discouraged by the City Code.

Growing one's own food or having home based occupations and businesses is also discouraged by the city. Even the One Yard Sale a Year is a restriction that should be lifted. Perhaps we should have a City Wide Yard Sale Once a Month with out a permit required. Anyone who wants to sell things from their driveway can say on the 2nd weekend of the month...

No the City Council continues on as if saying to the struggling members of this community. Sorry we can't help you, you'll have to move out of our town... we don't want to have your kind here... go away, we have no services and we plan none, we will make you a non person a person to arrest for begging, selling things at a garage sale... You bother us just get out of town.

Well, that may work in Grand Terrace, but truth is.... there is no way that Grand Terrace can escape the reality that there will be homeless, and lost homes in Grand Terrace in part to their lack of offering available cost effective code modifications that would aid humans during this economic time.

Shame on them and all the Politicians who are still acting like it is ok to put 10 to 20 percent of the US Citizens on the streets unemployed or under employed, and homeless. They were and are part of the Management of Society that brings us to toady's experience in Grand Terrace and California.

It is time that the City Manager, and Staff take a 10Percent Pay Cut, and the City Council reduce it's expense by 10 Percent and those funds go to an emergency relief fund. In addition, the citizens should be encouraged to take in boarders to share houses. The citizens should be encouraged to grow food including eggs. Surplus production can be either sold or given to soup kitchens. Yes there will be a soup kitchen in Grand Terrace if Action is not taken at all levels of the economy.

In addition the City Needs to get on board with a re-finance plan for all homes in Grand Terrace and have all homes re assessed in value for their 1999 prices and if the debt is greater than that the bank should have to forgive the amount of the overage, as they participated in the inflation scam too.

More of the same from our local government will not bring economic stability to our community. There will be no one to buy things at Fresh and Easy or Walgreens if there are no jobs or families left to buy anything. By allowing the homes to house more than one family the income will be able to cover the house cost and have money to spend... It is time to make the adjustment... When and If things get better with the economy the people will move back to single housing arrangement by a natural desire to do so.

Gramps, I sure hope you paid for your new home and got cash for the one you sold in GT. Good luck to the ones who still live here, the City Council is in no mind to help change our local situation other to have more stores and sell more imported things to get sales tax revenue. This form of finance does not work... it will continue to suck the life out of the city and state...

If food is grown in Indio... what do we ship to Indio in exchange? What does Grand Terrace produce? We can not consume more than we produce and then collect taxes on our consumption and think that is sound economics. We can not love higher home prices and curse high gas prices. Have we not repeated this folly enough in history?

Shall we be told at the Next City Council Meeting the equivalent of "Let them eat Cake". Well, that did not work out well for the Rulers of that Society. I hope the City Council will begin to look at the current economic health of the community as needing to make a plan for sustainability and humanity so that GT shines in the times of trouble rather than just goes down like one of the Rats on a Sinking Ship.

Real GT Stimulus Plan: For Citizens and Business

Grand Terrace City Council and City Manger should work on Real Stimulus Plan by revision or suspension of some of the codes restricting the economic and sustainability efforts of its individual citizens.


To aid in helping home owners keep their homes the City Could:

Encourage House Sharing or Temporary Sub Leasing of Rooms and Homes so that Families can double up in a home. (This may stop forclosures in Grand Terrace, and increased population means increased sales tax.) Folks would eat more meals out if the Kitchen and House was busy.)

If the Home Owner is in the Home they should be able to Rent a Portion of their home to provide efficiency and income to pay the morgate. NO RENTAL INSPECTION IS NEEDED. Owner is in residence. Rent is Month to Month... HOWEVER, a 20.00 per month surcharge for added City Paid Services should be charged to any Home with more than 5 Occupants.

All Homes should be designated as sites for Home Occupations. City should provide a means for collection of sales, and sales tax via a GT Business Development Bank. This would allow online sales and transactions. These would be taxed and this would benefit the City... GTPAYs kind of comes to mind as a name...

All Homes should be assessed for a Solar Portch or Parking Cover that will generate Power for the City's Power Demand.... weaning us off of So Cal Edison...

The City Could have a Business of Selling GT ICE... made with our own Water using Solar Power to operate the ICE PLANT.. Or at least inviting a company to do this in GT... We have a resource Water and Sun and we don't use it to its fullest... WE NEED JOBS and TRANSPORTATION TO JOBS in this city.

The City could Encourage the re-establishment of farming and food growing in Grand Terrace. Small Back yard flocks of Hens, for eggs, say up to 6 per house hold. (No Rooster's)

Some of the larger yards could produce fruit and vegetables for our restaurants and Market Night.

In conclusion, the city needs to back off of the limits they put on citizens in adapting to these current economic times. A house with multiple families in it is better than an empty foreclosed home.

The failed City Management Mantra of Higher Home Prices are GREAT ... Debt Financing is GREAT... has come home to the entire country... they have failed to hear the warnings in the past, perhaps they will turn away from their fictional economic plan and grasp onto some that promote sustainability and community.