Saturday, July 25, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
4th of July Fireworks
The last part of the annual 4th of July Fireworks at Walnut High School as viewed from our backyard. The video taken with my BlackBerry Storm.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
GATE Students Dissecting Cow's Eye
Amanda was very excited at the opportunity but she was a little scared and nervous. She insisted that I go with her and had been nagging for the whole week (Parents are encouraged to participate with their child). She was so persistent that I had no choice but to comply. I left work early just to see a bunch of kids dissecting cow eyes... :)
I am sure they had a lot of fun and they learned a lot. I enjoyed spending the time with my daughter and of course taking the pictures....
The instructor helping them get started..
They finally get the hang of it...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Our Email to Jan, our Special Counsel regarding AQMD's Recent Letter
Date: Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 1:11 PM
Subject: AQMD's Recent Letter
To: Jan Chatten-Brown
Dear Jan,
CAS is always concerned about the deficiency of SEIR approved by the City of Industry and friends of CAS have been very actively pursuing various public agencies' comments with regarding to the proposed Stadium project.
Recently, a friend of CAS, Howard Wang, pursued the road of AQMD. On Feb 6, 2009, he went to the AQMD board meeting and spoke in front the entire Board meeting during the oral communication. He was the first one to speak. As you can read from the attached AQMD public comments by Howard, he made a very powerful speech. His speech was immediately echoed by the Chairman of the Board of AQMD, Dr. Burke. Subsequently, the SCAQMD did issue comments and guidelines to the City of Industry's SEIR on Feb. 11, 2009 (see attached). We have read their letter and are thrilled by the AQMD's comments such as "As acknowledged in the Draft SEIR, air quality impacts from the proposed project are expected to exceed most of the SCAQMD's recommended regional significance thresholds for construction and operation by a wide margin and are also expected to exceed the localized thresholds for PM2.5 and PM10 by a relatively large margin during construction." ; However, it seems to us that the following concerns were not addressed by the SCAQMD sufficiently:
1. The lack of enough comments and demands from AQMD with regarding to the air quality impacts of the continuous operation of the stadium combined with the grid lock traffic.
2. The air quality effects of the proposed 'peak-time' GAS-FIRED Power Plant at the Bixby Rd.
3. The greenhouse effect of the 660 acres greenery turned into a 660 acres of asphalt area that has the potential of increasing carbon/dioxide emissions as well as overall temperature in our region.
We are wondering if the above concerns can be raised by you during future litigation. San Gabriel Valley has the worst air quality in the nation. Stadium certainly will not help improve that title. Howard Wang has done a great job in AQMD meeting. Now we are counting on you to protect us with the many serious issues of air quality.
Thank you for your continuing response to our concerns.
Sincerely,
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
An Open Letter to Jan Chatten-Brown from CAS
Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Subject: An Open Letter to Jan Chatten-Brown from CAS
To: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.
Cc: jlim@ci.walnut.ca.us, tcartagena@ci.walnut.ca.us, tking@ci.walnut.ca.us, msu@ci.walnut.ca.us, ntragarz@ci.walnut.ca.us
Feb. 11, 2009
Dear Jan,
Thank you for your 'Open Letter to Residents of Walnut Concerned about the Proposed NFL Stadium' (see attached)
After review of your letter, we as a group of very concerned residents in the Walnut and Diamond Bar area, would like to express our serious concerns and comments to your letter as follows:
1. Why did we see so many times, the word "mitigation measures" in your letter? In the third paragraph you wrote you will ask Industry to "adopt all feasible mitigation measures and alternatives." In the fourth paragraph you wrote "the City of Walnut will continue to try to identify the most stringent mitigation measures feasible and propose them to Industry in case the stadium project is ultimately approved." You also wrote you want our views, and said "Your views on what measures could be best to protect the interests of Walnut residents would be very much welcome."
We think the central focus of your work for us should not be to keep finding 'Mitigation Measures' instead, your focus should be to ask the City of Industry to redo a completely new EIR which will fully disclose all the negative impacts which were either not disclosed, or not fully disclosed, or disclosed in error in the EIR they just certified!
2. In your 5th paragraph, you asked the residents to provide you with specific adverse impacts of the proposed stadium project. The whole purpose of a new EIR is to disclose all of the specific adverse impacts. We need to hire a team of experts to provide accurate data to prove to the court that serious adverse environmental impacts do exist! It should be our City's responsibility to hire a team of experts to gather all the specific adverse impact information. You wrote we need "photographs of traffic or testimony about how long it already takes you to travel on streets that would be impacted". This data might be helpful, but what we really need again is comprehensive expert analysis and evaluation of all the negative impacts, supported by accurate data and not a few residents' unscientific pictures or comments!
3. In your 6th paragraph, you asked us to provide you with studies about "economic benefit". If you go to our website http://www.nonflstadium.com , you will find so many study and articles about this subject. Attached is the link to one of the studies at http://www.cppa.utah.edu/
There is so much research available to prove that the long term, sustaining 'economic benefit' from stadium project claimed by the developer is simply not true.
4. In your 7th paragraph, you asked us to explain why the Industrial Business Center planned originally would be better than the Stadium and Entertainment Complex.
Again, it is unfair for the residents to provide you the explanation. This analysis should be done by the traffic engineer, economist and other experts who must be hired by our City, to fully compare the two projects economic and environmental impacts to the regions.
We have consulted with other real estate attorneys who are well versed in the CEQA law, and we were advised that:
If we want to legally challenge the EIR, it is perfectly legal to do so NOW!!!
We know that you are a very reputable environmental attorney. Unless you have been instructed otherwise by our City Council Members, we urge you to reconsider your present stand on legal action to challenge the EIR and advise our City Council members to authorize you to take that action NOW!
We, the Walnut residents are counting on you to take the most aggressive stand to legally challenge the EIR NOW and later legally challenge the 'Project' once it is approved. We look forward to your continuing effort to protect us. We will do our very best to support you. Your hard work and the ultimate success will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
CITIZENS AGAINST STADIUM
PROTECT WALNUT, DIAMOND BAR, ROWLAND HEIGHTS, AND OTHER SURROUNDING CITIES!
PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE!
PS. We noticed that your open letter was printed on the City of Walnut's letterhead without your signature, please provide explanation if possible. Thanks
Open Letter to Residents of Walnut Concerned about the Proposed NFL StadiumEmail from Leo Lee, a traffic engineer for 30 years regarding the 'misleading' info. on 'traffic' impact put out by the developer
From: Leo Lee
Date: Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Subject: Stadium Flyer
To: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.
I got a flyer in the mail today about the proposed stadium that I suppose is mailed to all Walnut residents. It has an article entitled "The Truth about Traffic" that talks about how little traffic impacts there will be to Walnut roads, and an addition of "about 1900 cars would be added on Grand Avenue through Walnut, not the 75,000 cars some stadium opponents claim".
As a Traffic Engineer by profession of 30 years, I cannot agree with its content. I have reviewed the Traffic Impact section of the SEIR, and I found that it is flawed in its basic assumptions.
Firstly, it is a supplemental EIR to the IBC development. A stadium is a major land use change that would require an EIR of its own.
Secondly, the study only attempts to address the traffic impacts of the proposed stadium and associated facilities, it doesn't address the impacts of 'secondary developments' - hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. that would spring up in the surrounding neighborhoods spurred by the stadium.
Thirdly, even the technical analysis was flawed, leading to a gross underestimation of the amount of traffic that may be generated (like only 1900 cars on Grand).
Fourthly, it doesn't address how the traffic mitigation requirements will be built. The study recommended widening Grand Ave at a number of intersections, but the City of Industry will only be responsible for a 'fair share' of 10% to 40% typically, depending on the location. But without the stadium, these widening would not be required, so the fair share analysis is not applicable here. Fair share allocation is usually used in smaller developments whereby the impacts are so small that it won't warrant any immediate improvements, and yet the improvements may be needed in future when the cumulative impacts of the future developments make the mitigation measures necessary, so a 'fair share' cost is applied to this current developer such that the City gets a coffer of money for future mitigation use. A Stadium by itself is a major developments, so that any negative impacts shall be 100% paid for by it.
Please spread this word so that more City residents is aware of this and will not be misled.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Walnut mayor sworn in amid controversy
Mary Su made history last week when she was sworn in as Walnut's first female Chinese-American mayor.
But tension was high as divisions in the city over a proposed NFL stadium in neighboring Industry dominated the ceremony.
More than 250 people crammed into the Walnut council chambers Wednesday and packed into the adjacent overflow room.
"I'm very proud because I'm also Chinese-American and she helps so many people in this community," said Jessica Lee, 17, of Walnut, this year's Miss Teen Taiwan World Queen. "She's the first Chinese-American woman to be mayor in Walnut, and I'm sure she inspires a lot of people in the community.
"The day before the swearing-in ceremony, members of the vocal community group Citizens Against the Stadium filed recall paperwork against Su and Councilwoman Nancy Tragarz.The group said they did not feel the two showed enough opposition to the project.
Members of the group were also angry about views expressed by the city attorney on the likelihood a lawsuit could stop a project in a neighboring city.
The council was scheduled to "evaluate the performance" of City Attorney Mike Montgomery, with possible action. Some had speculated he would be terminated, but the council expressed overall satisfaction with his performance and no action was taken.
Michael West, who lost a bid for City Council in April's election, is spearheading the recall effort.
He said community members were angry the council voted in closed session to suspend a citizens' stadium task force.
"It really shows where you're coming from and what your intentions are," he said. "(Councilman) Joaquin Lim has shown a lot of leadership.
"Officials have said the task force, appointed by the council to research the project, was suspended because a special attorney was hired to begin legal consulting on the stadium issue.
Some wore white T-shirts that said "No Stadium," while others wore stickers that read "Yes Stadium, Yes Jobs.
"In a move some called unheard of in Walnut, Lim, who has led an anti-stadium movement, abstained from voting for Su. He strongly disagrees with her on the stadium, he said.
"The stadium has become the centerpiece of politics and Walnut today," he said. "We don't see eye-to-eye on the stadium.
"Walnut residents expressed a wide variety of sentiments Wednesday night. Some talked about the recall effort.
"I want to let you guys know we're behind you," Kenny Silverberg told Su and Tragarz. "(They) are trying to recall people that have tried to help our community.
"Others talked of the $800million stadium and entertainment complex proposed for Industry by billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. and his Majestic Realty Co.
Resident Brigid Bjerke said she wanted the council to pull out all the stops to halt the stadium.
Photo Gallery
Recall Election in Walnut?
From: Nancy Tragarz [mailto:ntragarz@verizon.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2:42 PM
To: 'Nancy Tragarz'
Subject: recall
The proponents of the recall claim Mary Su and I are not doing enough to oppose the stadium. I believe I have done everything I can legally or politically do to oppose the stadium and over the last six months I have spent hundreds of hours researching the facts, laws, speaking to elected officials and their staff and seeking support from the SQAMD, WVUSD and Regional Chamber of Commerce by speaking out at their board meetings The Council has done everything the CAS (Citizens Against the Stadium) group has asked us to do. The Stadium is NOT in our City. Attached is a timeline. Any phone calls or emails you can send AGAINST THE RECALL to the attached list of recall leaders would be great. Also attached is an Open Letter to Walnut Residents from the City's Special Counsel, an environmental law attorney we hired to advise us on this matter. Note a recall election would cost the City thousands and thousands of dollars. Mary Su and I need all the support we can get right now.
The recall isn't really about the stadium, it is about politics. See email below sent just after the election in April, long before the stadium issue arose. Only they are going after me since Tom King recused himself from the stadium issue. Tom Sykes would NOT help them.
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Reinhold
To: 'Tom Sykes' ; Pissedoffpapa@aol.com
Cc: 'J.A. Lim' ; 'JUNE WENTWORTH' ; rexyee@juno.com ; 'Rex Yee'
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 11:13 AM
Subject: Next Election Cycle
Hello Tom:
Sorry about the election.
Are you interested in working with me to help bring about change on the council? I would like to see Mr. King replaced at a minimum, but my goal is to replace both Mr. King and Ms. Su.
Please understand, I am not suggesting that you run again. I am asking you to help me. I believe your assistance along with others will be quiet rewarding.
Lawrence Reinhold
Law Office Of Lawrence Reinhold
A Professional Law Corporation
9660 Flair Drive, Suite 438
El Monte, California 91731
Ph: 626.453.8880
Fax: 626.453.8887
Email: lr@law-r.com
Website: www.law-r.com
Time Line
Open Letter Stadium
Recall Leaders
