Former City Council WomanSanta PaulaHand SaluteTo the Editor: I have been asked by Mercer-Prieto Post 2043, Veterans of Foreign Wars to bring the following matter to public attention:You may have recently noticed some persons not in uniform rendering a hand salute to our flag instead of just placing their hand over their heart. Or you may notice this if you attend patriotic services over Independence Day weekend. These persons are veterans or members of the armed services not wearing their uniforms. This change in protocol results from a Congressional amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, which states that, “Members of the Armed Forces and veterans can salute the flag during the National Anthem as well as during the hoisting, lowering and passing of the flag. Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform.”Delton Lee JohnsonSanta PaulaLandscaper laudedTo the Editor:I recently came to Santa Paula to visit family and friends. I was absolutely thrilled to see Coleman Landscape taking care of the City’s parks and several other properties owned by the City. These properties have never looked better. During my visit, I understand that the city is looking to make cuts in their finances; one particular is the maintenance for these parks and city accounts. I heard during a recent city council meeting, some employees were stating they should be able to take care of these places and that the city didn’t need an outside contractor. Driving around town looking at various places, you can see which places are cared for by Coleman Landscape. The corner of Peck Road and Harvard, where the new planting was done last October during Santa Paula Beautiful, looks great. This I believe was done by and is being maintained by Coleman Landscape. I think the city needs to really think long and hard before letting their employees take over any of these accounts and let Coleman Landscape continue doing what he does best. He truly knows what he is doing when it comes to knowledge of the plants, fertilizers, and irrigation and many other things. It really shows he cares about each property and the appearance of your city.Then the city needs to address each department….Why does it take 2 guys to read the water meters? One to actually read it and one drives behind him…. What a waste of time and city money. I could go on… I have seen firsthand several other departments where time and money is wasted. These employees pass the buck when it comes to repairs… especially fixing something as simple as a sprinkler valve…. It eventually ends up someone from the city calling Coleman Landscape to fix the problem….These are the city employees who want to take over the landscaping projects of the city? The city better wake up and see that they have a good thing with, Coleman Landscape!Diane FullerHanford CaliforniaPerpetual Lawsuits vs. CapitulationTo the Editor:On June 29 the Santa Paula Council will consider a tentative agreement reached with the Cabrillo developer (CEDC) regarding Plaza Amistad. The project has become somewhat less than popular, and Cabrillo has renamed it Paseo Santa Barbara.The location is along west Main Street, just west of and adjacent to the existing Weyerhaeuser plant, immediately beside a rail line designated for eventual Metro-Link use.Previous councils have been very generous to this developer. Five years ago, at their request, zoning on this property was changed from Industrial to High-Density Residential by a council whose members were subsequently rejected by voters. That council even gave this developer $400,000 that should have been used to upgrade existing sub-standard housing. New leadership on the Council led to rejection of the project along with a series of lawsuits filed against the city by this friendly developer. As I wrote previously, “This leaves current council members in a quandary. They may be forced to choose between approving another ruinous Cabrillo project that will be a perpetual drain upon our schools and community, or face unending lawsuits paid for with public funds available to this ‘non-profit’ developer.”The original plan called for 150 units contained in one massive abomination (3 stories up and a 300+ car underground garage). The new project calls for 11 separate two-story structures. Parking is to be outside and restricted to no more than 190 vehicles as compared to the 300+ previously planned.Overall, the project has been improved---and we need to thank Council members Ralph Fernandez, Bob Gonzalez, Fred Robinson, and Jim Tovias for their leadership. Councilman Gabino Aguirre always votes with Cabrillo; he has backed every loutish proposal they ever offered. In an effort to escape the threat of perpetual lawsuits and move on, the Council is expected to approve the agreement. I am certain that council intent is honorable and find it tempting to support the improved version. But this would conflict with the best interests of the city and those who come after us. The first payment of blackmail is inevitably the smallest.The revised project would still bring 90 additional low-income families, their 190 vehicles, and social problems with enormous and perpetual impact upon our schools and community. This is inappropriate in a city that already has the highest percentage of low-end housing in the county. The much-touted payments in lieu of property taxes will not even approach the true cost of increased police and other services. The location in an industrial area adjacent to an existing factory and a railroad is just wrong. Approval will result in loss of an important site for future light industry, and the proximity to Weyerhaeuser could cause closure and loss of existing jobs at this plant.They come here because they consider us an easy mark. Does anyone doubt the outcome if Cabrillo had applied to locate “Paseo Santa Barbara” in the city bearing that name? Does anyone doubt the outcome if they had applied in almost any city other than Santa Paula? Delton Lee JohnsonSanta Paula
Letters to the Editor
June 26, 2009
Opinion
Goodbye… and good luck
To the Editor:Well as you all know, Santa Paula, Wally Bobkiewicz is leaving the city of Santa Paula as our city manager to take a job as the city manager for the city of Evanston, Illinois. Wally has been a very good fixture for our city, and a very good friend to all of us, too, and his friendship and hard work will never be forgotten here for as long as we will remember him.His gracious hard work, devotion and dedication, as well as his determination will never be forgotten, either, for Wally has made a place of his own for one of which he will be remembered for doing the job that no one will ever be able to do by doing what he did. I mean no matter who will be taking his place, they will have some big shoes to fill and it will be hard to fill the shoes that Wally will leave a big void and a big hole to fill, and they will be empty ones to fill also.But no matter what Wally was to the city of Santa Paula, to me Wally was one tough class act to follow because of what he did for the city, and that is keep it going and running. And it will be very, very extremely tough also to find someone as hardworking, tough and very devoted, dedicated and determined to the job as well as Wally did. And that is a very big task for someone to do, but no matter what the outcome will be, all I know is that the person who will replace Wally will have a lot to fulfill once he or she is hired on after Wally is gone.But regardless of what happens and goes on, all I can say is that Wally, no matter what happens next buddy, all I would like to say is good luck and best wishes to you, your family, and to your endeavors for what you do in the future. And best wishes to you and your future on your new ventures with your new job, okay.So goodbye, so long, farewell and good luck, and the best of luck to you and your family. And to all of your endeavors and your ventures, to my friend, okay.John BravoSanta PaulaHelp and supportTo the Editor:To the residents and community of the city of Santa Paula, as you all know or maybe you don’t know, the annual Santa Paula Citrus Festival is fast approaching or is upon us now and is coming up very fast in July on the weekend of July 17th through the 19th and we need your support. But most of all we need your help to make this a very good successful one again this year – we can use all the help that anyone here can give us.Your help is desperately needed to help out with whatever is really needed. It is very vitally important that we get all of the help that we can get and it is imperative that you come up and step forward as well as by stepping up to the plate, and try to help us out no matter what it takes or who it is.Well regardless of what and who it is, all I am saying is that if you are interested in helping us out this year, here are two contacts you can get hold of. One is Kiwanis President Bill Grant at 525-4968, and/or Mary Mata at the ARC at 933-9029, and they will be able to help you out by giving you the necessary information that you need to know on what we need to have done and what you need to do and know also.And if you can do this for us, we will be more than happy and delighted to have you help us out, and the more we get the more it will be good for us to have a very successful good one this year. I hope you come forward to help us out too so it will be a good one too.So please give us your help and support this year so that way we could have a very good successful Citrus Festival this year, okay.John BravoSanta PaulaGod bless our City CouncilTo the Editor:Our city is blessed with a city council that I am very proud of. It took us years to elect a council that can see and do things for Santa Paula’s economic future. A few years ago things were not looking too good, because some of the previous council members had some political agendas that prevented them for acting for the whole city’s economic future. Today’s council with Mayor Ralph Fernandez, Bob Gonzales, Jim Tovias and Fred Robinson have worked very hard as a team to accomplish a much better economic development with Cabrillo. These are men that we all can support and be proud of. God bless them!! David KaiserSanta PaulaWally’s a Winner!To the Editor:As a member of the Santa Paula City Council that hired Wally Bobkiewicz as city manager in 2002, I have followed his actions very closely. Previous articles and comments have been informative and acknowledged several accomplishments, however, neither set the context nor accentuated the true qualities of one of Santa Paula’s finest city managers.Mr. Bobkiewicz was hired during a period of chaos, after five former and interim city managers had left the city, a long time city attorney who had not been evaluated in decades and a Department of Justice lawsuit that resulted in a settlement that concluded the City’s voting patterns were racially polarized, diluting the majority Latino citizen’s vote.It took a highly skilled individual to pull a community together, when the fabric and morale of residents, staff, and city council members was so negatively impacted. A mere ‘cheerleader” could not have been in the position to help a community find its’ true self. These are not the usual qualifications found in recruitment magazines and websites. It took an exceptional person to combine the normal city management skills with a good sense of the community identity, a plan to adopt a visioning process with city residents, a healthy respect for the cultural and unique characteristics of the geographic location, the people, and economic condition of the community. During the period that Wally served the City, many accomplishments can be directly or indirectly tied to either Wally via council direction or thru his own initiative that impacted a much more diverse population than ever before seen.Mr. Bobkiewicz, with staff and residents used a view of “asset based” analysis to accomplish the following, the adoption of a city-wide visioning process that was inclusionary of every neighborhood with bilingual and bicultural representation, Spanish language interpretation of City Council meetings, filming City Council meetings, a Housing Element was adopted that finally addressed the lack of affordable housing and set reasonable goals for all housing income levels, festivals brought people together like the Fandango and De Colores, a Labor Day parade, and the first National Farm Worker monument that is soon to be erected in Santa Paula.The Arroyo Report was released that evaluated the entire police department and made much needed recommendations. City committees and advisory commissions (up until most recently) school boards, and city council are now more ethnically diverse, a sign of a healthy community that values and acknowledges differences and respects the voices of all residents, regardless of economics. More residents are involved in volunteer efforts that feed the homeless, assist the frail and elderly, and churches are thriving with enthusiastic, spirit-filled members.This progress and positive attitude did not just happen in the last year. It took seven years of cooperation, listening to the community, and promoting the best qualities of Santa Paula. Sometimes it just takes a special person to set the tone and others will pick up the melody. Santa Paula is a better place because good leadership flourished and Wally Bobkiewicz was a big part of moving Santa Paula forward.Santa Paula will have a new opportunity to continue in the best interest of all residents thru a community process that will allow input from all segments of the City. I encourage the current City Council to engage in a transparent process that engages a variety of opinions in the selection of the new city manager. It is the most important decision to be made and should be done with thought and careful analysis of the right qualifications.Laura Espinosa
