Let's review the first problem or conflict in their claim to Piety.
Anti Campaign Flier Against Walt Stanckiewitz : Bernardo Sandoval and Sylvia Robles distributed illegally by People who desire to Restrict the Citizens Right To Free Political Expression. Tisk Tisk...
An Individual or Organization identifying as Citizend for a Better One of the grand issues is that the Stanckiewits campaign made available signs to people prior to the City's Code for posting. This code by the way has been proven to be antiquated, and obsolete and if enforced the City will lose the case and most likely a lot of money in the process. Walt Stanckiewitz supporters chose to exercise their right to Political Speech and posted their signs on their own property.
Contrast that to the Citicens for a Good Government. There is a City Code Regulating the distribution of fliers and leaflets.
12.40.010 - Circulation on streets prohibited.
It is unlawful for any person to throw, circulate or distribute upon any of the streets of the city any poster, dodger, circular or other printed advertising matter on paper.
(Ord. 1 § 1(part), 1978: county code § 42.021)
This code is not in violation of free speech because they are not speaking to anyone, they are leaving leaflets or fliers on cars on public streets Which in many cases ended up as trash for others to have to pick up. Those cases where they put the flier on cars on driveways could be considered a trespass. Let's hope the cars did not have alarms on them. That would have upped the anti to being a public nuisance or disturbance. News Papers are not left on the street they are put onto the property of the home being serviced. News Papers have a business and are licensed and regulated accordingly.
Now don't expect any of the intended targets of your flier to bring charges against your efforts. That is something Doug Wilson, Tom Schwab, and Bea Cortes may want to do being that they are sticklers about such citizen participation in politics. However, they never mention that Meg Whitman had signs out in the city long before Walt Stanckiewitz did. Sandoval's signs arrived after the city's preferred campaign start date. If Sylvia Robles had signs distributed to individual supporters If they showed their support early She also is not in control of that.
If the three candidates do not feel compelled to respond to the flier that is their choice However, the blog will respond. Fiction weaving and lies should be addressed. This blog has always challenged its readers to prove a fact wrong show the documentation.
So a response or answer to each line on the Flier will be addressed not by the Candidates it hoped to tar and feather but by the one and only Gramps.
The flier prepared by using words of Heman Hilkey, Doug Wilson, and Tom Schwab, and “Citizens for a Good Government” should provide copy of their FPPC Documents. As have all other people who have posted information by their request.
The fear mongering begins with a false set of claims:
First: They want to Renegotiate the location of Grand Terrace High School. Everyone knows you can't Move the High School's location. The issues now are, now that it is there how to build around it. Look at the current Staff Recommendation to put a Metal Recycling Plant adjacent to the property. Look at Staff and Planning Commission Approved Drawings that put a road right through it. The discussion was that the City Council and the CJUSD has to deal with all the yet to be discovered unforeseen consequences and impact that the High School will bring to the City of Grand Terrace. One of those consequences is renegotiating the law enforcement required. CUSD is contracted to use Colton Police for all Property Protection. How this will impact Grand Terrace MUST be dealt with prior to the NEED to know who do you call. We must answer the What If Question.
There are a lot of WHAT IF QUESTIONS that need to be asked in our city. That is how PLANS are done...
Second: On Sept 14 at the City Council Meeting. Sylvia Robles did not say that you should join the two communities into one City across County lines. She was proposing that a joint service area be established. One already exists, we do use their library services or can use them if we desire. In addition CJUSD in San Bernardino County educates Riverside County Residents who live in Reche Canyon. So the sharing of services between Highgrove and GT is not only possible it is historically done. Seniors have often used each others centers. Our youth attend programs at their Community Center. Grand Terrace if we had the funds, could enter into a joint agreement for some little league fields. Ms Robles was speaking with a time limit over her head and she may have confused people by the examples she gave but her reasoning was sound, historically viable, and would increase efficiency in service being provided.
Third: Citizens should be re-assured by all the candidates who Violated the illegal and ill-advised Freedom Of Speech Limiting Code. It should indicate that this code will be not enforced and change as soon as Freedom Loving Council Members are Elected. Yes there comes a time Laws are Recognized to be Illegal, Unenforceable and Obsolete. For a Group such as this publication is named not to recognize that suggest this flier is simply produced by a different group wanting to stifle citizen participation, education, and freedom of speech. That will include Emperor and All Knowing Schwab, King Wilson, Queen Cortes, Queen Ferre, and Queen Garcia.
Fourth: The three targets do not understand how the city is funded. The fact is they all to well know how this city has been funded and all feel that funding has been ill managed, ill accounted for and is not sustainable if allowed to continue under the practices of The Schwab/Berry management and finance system. Walt Stanckiewits learned this as a Council Member and Sandoval and Robles come to the Council with this understanding.
Fifth: A Code that no Staff can encourage a citizen to come to a council meeting and speak for or against an issue, may be a good idea In the past the City Staff would load up attendance to speak for a Staff recommendation. During times when Agenda and Council Packets were not readilay available to the Public on line. This misrepresented the interests and much needed review process the Council then used to vote upon the Staff recommendations. The practice degraded the decision making process and corrupts the governance of the city. Interested parties should be self interested and self motivated not herded in by the City Manager or City Staff to promote a Staff Recommendation infont of the City Council.
Walt Stanckiewitz: Has lived in GT only 2 ½ years. 2 on the City Council. He has had a business in Grand Terrace for 20 plus years. He has spent most of his waking hours of the day in Grand Terrace over the past 20 years as he operated Pasta Italia here in GT. Unlike other council members he is nearly always accessable. The only citizen he has cut off or had a strong discourse with during a City Council meeting was with non other than Tom Schwab himself. Tom was trying to defend his past management of funds and the Lending of RDA funds to the City with no intent to pay it back. Those were the words that caused alarm and the strong response. Walt Stanckiewitz is right no more are we to allow Tom Schwab and Doug Wilson define the words to hide the truth about RDA finances from the City Council or the Public. No more.
Bernardo Sandoval: recognizes there is a $ 4.6 million dollar debt. That walt has voted for twice & that there has been “systematic abuse of RDA” under the current council. (Sun Sept 19). This systematic abuse of RDA” was directly the result of Tom Schwab and Staff Recommendations dressed up to make that abuse be the proper action to take. Citizens have for years been trying to break through the nomeclature hiding the facts of the situation. It was discouraging that Walt took so long to catch on. But, now that he get's the idea and understands the ill fated future continued use of the systematic abuse and faulty management of Tom Schwab's horse trading, he is committed to the same ideal of not repeating the past and digging a deeper and deeper DEBT HOLE for the RDA and City. Bernardo Sandoval has had past community involvement, including being an active in representing citizens as a citizen at CJUSD Board Meetings, and occasionally at City Council Meetings. Walt has voted for legitimate transfers of RDA funds, not for the 4.6 million dollars of excess that the city is obligated to refund the RDA.
Sylvia Robles: Did bring the Fair Political Practices Commissions' attention to the conflict of interest the City and the Chamber of Commerce had allowed in the past She took the issue to the proper authority and the Fair Political Practices Commission acted in accordance to their responsibility. Her actions were proper and the right civic thing to do. When you think there is a problem in government you should report it and hope for a proper resolution.
This issue has been brought to the City Council many times over the years and it could not even get on the Agenda to be resolved in any other way. As a Member of the City Council, it may have been a conflict of interest for Walt Stanckiewitz to then as a Candidate to enter a Candidate Statement in the Blue Mt Outlook. Walt Stanckiewitz is going to be super alert to avoid even the hint of a conflict of interest. This shows wisdom on his part.
Stanckiewitz and Sandoval have “horse traded” a deal to share signs, fliers, and a Contract with the City of Grand Terrace. It is not a Contract to Run the City. The Contract was Sandoval's first writing and Stanckiewitz was moved by its content and intent and said unlike any of the other candidates that he would sign such a contract and commitment to the citizens of Grand Terrace. This did also result in a sharing of signs and a team effort to reform Grand Terrace Governance. It takes a minimum of 3 votes of the 5 to get reform. That is a fact Jack.
The election is about selecting Reform or Return. We can move forward with Stanckiewitz Robles and Sandoval, or we can Return to Schwabistic management which included real horse trading. Contracts that were incomplete yet approved allowing Tom Schwab and later Steve Berry to make things up as time went along. This is unacceptable as a way to run a city, or to write even the simplest contract. In addition many times there were contracts that should have gone out to bid so that the City Council would have final selection or approval not Tom Schwab/Steve Berry. A
Stanckiewitz should replace the City Attorney who has been at best a poor advisor to the City Council, and clearly a tool of Mr. Schwab and not the City's Attorney, or the Attorney for the City Council. His legal advise and support for Tom Schwab has cost the city mountains of legal fees and problems. Nearly any attorney would better serve this city, than the one selected and loyal to Tom Schwab does. Many Many Many citizens have asked that the City Attorney be replaced.
While Stanckiewitz, Robles and Sandoval agree that there needs to be reform of how the city is governed and uses its finances and how the RDA is managed and uses its finances, they are not carbon copies of each other. There will be active debate and exchange of ideas on a council with all three of them seated upon it.
Mis-Management of Money
Yes, Walt Stanckiewitz voted twice for a “loan” that has helped create a $ 4.6 million deficit for Grand Terrace, (Grand Terrace City Budget, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011). The presentation of the budget was again done by Mr. Tom Schwab, it was with his misrepresentations as to the funds being properly used and designated as legitimate use that Walt Stanckiewitz cast his vote. Walt Stanckiewitz did voice concern that the numbers and representations just didn't seem right to him at the time and he was ridiculed as being ill informed and a financial illiterate by Mr. Schwab. Citizens also received the same derogatory comments directed to them. Tom Schwab represents Debt Funds not yet spent for the items the debt bonds were sold for as “RESERVES”. Spending RESERVES as he defines them was only slightly alarming to the sitting council. When Walt was convinced that RESERVES were not really RESERVES as in that is money we have laying around for a rainy day. He formed the opinion that this situation will not be continued. The new City Manager has quite a chore in repaying those funds mis used in the past and writing future budgets.
The failure to pay the fees to the Red Light Camera is part of the systemic financial mis-management that is emblematic of the Schwab / Berry erra. That should have been a bill paid like the light bill. But, because the Schwab/Berry team wanted to use the money for this and that and thought there is proffit to be had and spent resulting for the camera being in GT. The Finance Department failed to address the issue in a timely and professional manor. It is the responsibility of the City Manager to see this was done in a timely and proper way. Again the failure was not that Walt had to act on the problem, but that the problem existed in the first place.
Walt Stanckiewitz & former City Manager Steve Berry did go on an all expenses paid trip to Sacramento in Jan. 2009 That trip specifically was aimed to train Walt in the functions as a City Council Member, and unfortunately it was part of the attempted brain washing to have him be a drone of the RDA Machine that is in fact being abused.
Walt pressed for the disclosure of the IRS situation and records. He was paid by the city, He tried to pay his taxes after the first year. The question came up, and SHOCK. Tom Schwab had yet another financial management problem WRONG. This time it affected all Current and Past City Council Members, and Planning Commissioners. They were ill informed as to the tax liabilities on their stipends, no witholdings were done, and reported, and now they are subject individually to IRS and Franchise Tax Board Audits for the failure to declare income and pay taxes. Nice gift Mr. Schwab.
Then, ill advised one more time Walt and the Council voted to pay the back taxes. The bulk of which should be paid by the individuals not the City. Thanks City Attorney hired by Tom Schwab. You lead the City Council down the wrong way again.
Brown Act Violation Claim: Oh make me laugh. Payment on taxes is a personnel matter if anything May be behind closed doors Schwab and Ferre put it behind closed doors. Stanckiewitz brought it to the attention of the citizens that the payment was being made. The rest of the council was ready to approve the payment calendar without as much as a whisper. The situation appropriately was a Must be behind closed doors. Its payment should have been announced when the Council Approved the decision, That is the JOB of the MAYOR FERRE not Council Member Stanckiewitz. It is the failure of the City Attorney and City Clerk in their not insisting that the announcement was made at the appropriate time.
Recall the treatment Council Member Hilkey got when he spoke of the Dodson Deal negotiated by Gene Carlstrom and Terra Loma for land he did not think was worth the amount paid nor needed. This was done much after the actual closed door meeting when the payments started showing up on the payments calendar. Oh but that was a deal being done by Tom Schwab...
Facts about Walt Stanckiewitz:
Walt's wife, admits to the “ugliness” of this election. She wrote about all the false statements being made falsely about her husband. That is fact, like this flier there are many statements inflated and take out of context including the suggestion that Walt's wife is suggesting that he Ugly is coming from Walt in anyway. (Stanckiewitz, City News, October 2010).
Walt Stamckiewitz was born in Germany... Ok now we are supposed to draw what kind of inference from that? Walt is a Citizen of the USA, California, County of San Bernardino and GRAND TERRACE. Are we really going to have this be an issue, where a person was BORN? John McCain was born in PANAMA... he ran for President. What is your point?
Family voter registration is at their business not their home as he registers while in transition His former home was burned down. He registered to vote as a resident while living in an apartment prior to the purchase of their current home in Grand Terrace. The Restaurant is where he spends most of his waking hours and was at the time his most permanent mailing address.
Walt Stanckiewitz can answer for his past 2 years on the City Council. Can Tom Schwab, Bea Cortes or John Harper answer the same questions. His was a single voice, often frustrated by the fact that the voting block of 3 Schwab Worshipers who voted consistently as a block supporting and not questioning and resolving issues with “Staff Recommendations”. This is the same Tom Schwab who brought us the Outdoor Adventure Center, Manhole Covers, Bad Contracts for the Senior Housing and so on and so on.
Where was Doug Wilson while all these Tom Schwab/Steve Berry things were presented to the Planning Commission? Where were his objections or Recommendations to the City Council that all was not finished or up to snuff.?
Where were McGuire, McNaboe, Loder, and Sternberg? Have they even addressed the City Council on more than a certificate from the Chamber of Commerce?
Where were the others.
Sylvia Robles, and Bernardo Sandoval were at the podium trying in their limited 3 minutes to bring the issues to the City Council. They have been in preparation for service on the City Council. Citizens should be grateful that they have stepped up and said, ok, I'll run and serve if elected.
Walt Stanckiewitz does want a hand's on approach going forward. The past mayors have relied to heavily upon Staff Recommendations and that has put the City in several situations that have hurt us as a community and financially. He needs a City Council that will be thoughtful and deliberative on all issues brought before it. The ceremonial approval of staff recommendations is over if he is elected mayor. The citizens and businesses will have a real voice and ear for the first time in GT Governance.
That is why the citizens need Walt Stanckiewitz as Mayor, Bernardo Sandoval as Council Member and Sylvia Robles as Council Member..
