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Jae Leaving City of Sierra Madre
By Centinel | May 2, 2008
Over at Penitent Ramblings, Jae is taking a new job and leaving the Foothilliest of Foothill Cities:
So today I announced my official resignation from the City of Sierra Madre. I’ve been here almost two years, and I figure that’s just about long enough for a planner to hang around a town that doesn’t plan. (Laughtrack, anyone?)
I’m taking a job with a private company in Salt Lake City, Utah… which is where I grew up and my family still lives. I’m still really nervous about this, and hoping I’m making the right decision, but everything is just falling in line so quickly and easily that it just seems right.
This has been a challenging experience, and I’ve learned so much that I’ll be taking with me. Fighting misinformation. Working with hostile entities. Overcoming divisive political situations. Trying to reach the middle ground.
Best of luck to you, Jae. Be sure to read the full post.
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Topics: Main Page, Sierra Madre |
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Beautifully said.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
sierra madruh will really miss you…
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
so long, good riddance, don’t let the door hit you on the way out
anybody that aligns with that crew he thanks, isn’t serving the town, he’s serving the loud crowd
if his comments are real, it’s good we are losing an immature city employee, his comments are pretty stupid
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 am
Thank you Anonymous. You are an axehole. Let’s try to keep the tone at “I’m a functioning member of society” level.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
Jae, from his farewell address: “Fighting misinformation. Working with hostile entities. Overcoming divisive political situations…. the paranoia and vitriol of Sierra Madre…. snarky blog commentors…”
Poster number 3 - the proof in the pudding. Sorry to see you leave, Jae. We didn’t agree on everything, but you always had well-reasoned points of view. I really enjoyed reading your blog. Best of luck…
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
It is always interesting to see the JAEs and the Bill Coburns of this world complaining about things that they too share some guilt in. Their attempts to present themselves as being the epitomes of moderation while at the same time having participated with such brio in the vicious slash and burn politics we saw so much of during the recent election is just a bit much to take.
Politics is politics, and we all understand that the game here isn’t bean bag. But if you’re going to play that game, don’t run around constantly yapping about how you’re an altar boy. It reeks of hypocrisy.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Too bad Jae is leaving the madruh. He has a lot of positive energy.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I always thought that what JAE’s site did best was to convey the siege mentality that many in our city hall seem to share in. That JAE somehow never seemed quite willing to admit that many of those complaints about city hall might have had at least some validity was his most glaring shortcoming. A true “moderate” would have grasped that. The debt, out of control spending, unpopular development agendas, and lack of accountability there, is what led to those “hostile entities” that he found so difficult to understand. People do have a tendency to complain about government, and when that government isn’t up to the job, the complaining grows louder. And JAE seems to have found the roar deafening.
And isn’t it always the way? That the parties most responsible for the creation of these problems do so much to place the blame on the messengers? Of course, we can’t say JAE is personally responsible. By his own admission his contributions there were slight. But he certainly did share the attitudes of those who were.
Never have I seen a city hall so much at war with so many of its own taxpayers. Hopefully this election has gotten us past this sad condition.
Goodbye JAE. Hopefully someday you will have figured it out.
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Fly under the radar on your next job kid. You’ll be more effective. Good luck.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Take off and soar at your new job Jae. You have alot ahead of you and you will do just fine with everything. As you said you are a little worried that you are making the right choice, but a little time there and you will find your grove in the couch and fit right in. And for all the axeholes out there you sure are lucky you dont have so many people criticizing you at your jobs. It take a certain person to work for the public and I think that Sierra Madre IS losing a valuable and dedicated employee. GOOD LUCK DUDE!
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I read your blog. What was the point of saying the Pinney Hotel did not comply with Measure V? In case you forgot, Measure V only applied to the downtown/core. And actually it could be built in the downtown ..if the residents voted yes.
Enjoy the skiing. Have a safe trip.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
your welcome centinel, coming from an even bigger one…i take that as a compliment
ironic that the “siege” mentality is not associated with the developers, but those that don’t want the city to be over run with condo’s -
at least he didn’t thank beth buck
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
There’s been a lot of talk about pushing Measure V protection across the rest of the City. Certain councilmembers have said so on the record, and a newly elected councilmember’s push to update the general plan may have that intent as well.
I just wanted people to understand that they aren’t really afraid of density… it’s massing. I think Slackfarmer and a few other people have been trying to hammer the same nail for a long time, and people just don’t get it: DENSE is good, MASSIVE is bad.
In any case, thanks to everyone who has posted the kind comments about me. To my detractors… well… I’d just like to say that I’ve never pushed a pro-overdevelopment agenda (I favor slow and smart growth). The only overspending I see is on our city legal bills… and that’s not because we have some high priced consultant or ten-thousand dollar toilet seats… it’s because our policy decisions of project denial and interfering with private property rights lead us into court.
If you, Joe Taxpayer, wants smaller legal bills, then stop fighting everyone who wants to use their legally established right to build on their property. If you want to stop them from using their legal rights, then be prepared to be in litigation. It’s a simple decision… and attorney’s fees aren’t cheap anywhere. I think there needs to be a balance. No growth policies will keep this city in court for decades… smart growth measures will reduce legal expenses and free up funds for other expenditures.
And finally, with city staff using computers from the 90’s and office furniture from the 70’s… I just can’t see this “overspending” conspiracy. Our city leaders are very fiscally responsible (almost miserly) and keeping this city afloat on a shoestring budget. They should be commended.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Oh, and to anyone who hates “the crowd I run with”… I’d LOVE to talk about how your crowd has treated me, my friends, and my coworkers.
The whole “dirt”y story… May 17th over at my blog. Maybe even here, too.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Jae, good luck.
To others, remember that it takes two to have a siege. Some finger pointers ought to look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are part of the problem.
(If you answer “no,” you’ll need to try again).
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
O, Jae Boy, we are going to miss you very much!
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Remember…you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays in the SLC.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
but, jae is such a good planner, i am sure he will plan ahead!
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
xx
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Well. Sierra Madre will have a hard time filling your shoes, especially now, as anyone in their right mind would not want to come and work in our tree ring circus. Lets hope the council can figure how to pull their heads out of the sand. God Speed.
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:04 pm
“Smart growth,” unfortunately, is both an oxymoron and a euphemism at the same time.
Sorry, but anybody who knows anything knows that such glib and meaningless jargon is just a part of some carefully prepared sloganeering designed to force rapid development down the throats of those who don’t want it. SCAG uses the term all the time, and that sadly decayed and eminent domain addicted conglomeration of ambitious small-time bureaucrats is about as popular as cancer these days. The Invasion of the Home Snatchers just isn’t a love inducing cause for most people.
Anybody who wishes to see “smart growth” in action is invited to head on down and view the parking structure and apartment anthill at the Gold Line’s Sierra Madre Vista station. A horror of absurdist planning that looks like something out of Clockwork Orange. The funny thing is most of the people living there use the parking structure for their cars, which they get in and drive to work every morning. Check it out some time. The notion that housing people next to light rail will cause them to use the trains that go nowhere just ain’t happening.
Sierra Madre Villa Station is a standing mounment to the failure of “Smart Growth.” It should serve as a warning to anyone who would believe that centralozed planning beauracracies know better than you do.
Let’s leave the centralized planning concept at the heart of “Smart Growth” on the dustheap of history. It didn’t work for the Soviet Union, didn’t do all that much for Nazi Germany, and it certainly won’t work here. We have a great lifestyle in Sierra Madre, and as the last election so eloquently showed to anyone with the ability to see, the people of this town are more than willing to defend it.
Didn’t know that you were such a true believer, JAE. Hard to believe that there are still people who actually believe in such fascistic nonsense.
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Canada has centralized planning and it works pretty well. *shrugs* You don’t have to be a commie to make it work.
Our state and local attempts at centralized planning are disastrous because they don’t have enough teeth to really make things work. If we did, then there’d be (at the very least) a development impact fee on every new home in Beaumont and Rancho Cucamonga (and all points east) to build transit infrastructure to get the IE homeowners to their employment centers on the west side without clogging up our local freeways.
My new place in Salt Lake is a mixed use development built at the terminus of the light rail. Hopefully driving in my car (though a hybrid) will be a thing of memory past. THAT is the benefit of smart growth. Running transit through the less dense neighborhoods to collect people and bring them to those nodes? Also smart growth. Getting people off the streets and onto the sidewalks… out of their cars and into cafes… that is the essence of smart growth: enhancing the quality of life without degrading the environment.
Sierra Madre used to be a similar “transit oriented development.” All of the hotels, apartments, and cottage homes (”density”) were clustered around a transit node (”Red Car”). That’s your beloved history, people… how can you hate on it so much?
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Oh, but I will agree with El Bongo about “The Stuart” down at the Villa Station… it DOES look something out of Clockwork Orange, eh droogs?
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Nobody want to ride the damn train, Jae. That is the fallacy to what you’re pushing here. The core of the “smart growth” illusion is that people will give up their cars and ride boxy little trains with hard plastic seats. Trains that will still require you to catch a bus once you get to the end of the line.
The real deal about “smart growth” is that it opens up already built-out areas for redevelopment. It’s all about the money to be made through mulching suburban neighborhoods and turning them into condo jungles. The notion that this is all being done to save the world, or to welcome the millions of people that we are somehow obliged to move here, is just wacky hippy utopian designed to sucker the gullible.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
with the population of california projected to double by the year 2050 - forty short years from now - and gasoline currently hovering around $4 a gallon and rising rapidly and steadily, it will be interesting to see how many people begin to embrace what the unablogger describes as a “wacky hippy utopian[sic]”
let’s face it, kiddies, growth is inevitable. unless, of course, you live in sierra madre where the regression-ist - “i’ve got mine and i’m content to see the downtown of sierra madre decay like a cadaver in the sun” crowd decry anyone - like jae, who has the realistic vision to appreciate that ’some growth’ has to occur in order to sustain the viability of this community - as “pro BIG development” and a “dirt.”
when gas hits 7, 8, 10 dollars a gallon, and sierra madre is a ghost town, i’ll look forward to seeing you on the platform for the gold line.
good luck in salt lake, jae!
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
First, zoxie, I did not use the word “dirt,” so cut the fibbing that is so typical of you. And secondly, do you ride the Gold Line now? Or are you just another Sunshine Scaggie who likes to wave the flag while impatiently expecting others to make all the sacrifices?
Tell you what, how about you donate your home to SCAG so that they can build some train condos on your property right now? All those people who want to move here by 2050 will thank you!
May 4th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Good luck Jae.
May 4th, 2008 at 12:42 am
forgive me. i obviously had a lapse in judgment. i obviously incorrectly assumed that unablogger meant that you were only one person. my reference to the term “dirt” was used in the context of a specific “crowd” of people. in my vocabulary the word “crowd” usually denotes more than one or several.
since you apparently took that reference personally and seized the opportunity to, in essence, call me a liar, shall i then presume that you suffer from a multiple personality disorder or just a tremendous ego, for which you feel compelled to assume that my reference to “crowd” was directed at you specifically?
more importantly, yes, i do avail myself to our public transportation - both bus and rail. i also ride a bicycle and i don’t believe our (sierra madre’s) general plan would allow for “train condos.” but, hey, if i thought that by building a train condo on any property i owned (i own none, by the way) we could prevent any future wars and the subsequent loss of life, i would donate that property in a heartbeat.
cheers!
May 4th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Multiple Personality Disorder isn’t unnecessarily a bad thing.
What if there is no gas that anyone can afford without going into debt? What if all the jobs are far away?
Is Sierra Madre just an expensive island community all to itself? Maybe. There is a lot of creativity jammed into those crevices. Anything is possible. SM isn’t quite what I’d call “an ordinary place.”
May 4th, 2008 at 6:48 am
I think what zox and Jae are not taking into account here is the development of alternative fuels for automobiles. Electric cars, hydrogen powered cars, these are technologies that are growing rapidly. The car culture will most likely survive, and with it the style of living most people in Southern California prefer. And I agree, much of what is called “Smart Growth” is merely a justification for redevelopment, and all that goes along with it.
May 4th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Peter Barnes… I think you hit it on the head: People in Southern California moved here from New York and the densely packed cities of the East Coast to escape that lifestyle. The descendants of those individuals created the car culture and invented the freeway. They like sprawl, because it means an escape from supermassive skyscrapers.
Regardless, even if we can create purely emission free vehicles, we’re still going to be in a perpetual rush hour until we get some of those cars off the road.
When I visit San Francisco (often, because I love it there) I always make it a point to ride the MUNI N-Line (Judah) out to Golden Gate Park. That runs through a much lower density neighborhood that is very “street-facing” with one and two story buildings (cafes, shops, delis, etc) facing the light rail. It’s fantastic, and it’s most decidedly NOT the “Del Mar Station” experience… which I think is the ugliest building ever. Try to look at Judah Street as an example of smart growth instead of some of the undesired supermassive developments.
There is a middle road. There always is.
May 4th, 2008 at 10:48 am
What I always find strange in these discussions of smart growth, density and the like is the idea that development is driven by commies, central planners, and the evil SCAG. As if without any government interference the market would produce suburban neighborhoods dominated by the single family home and Sierra Madre would never be threatened by condos. In reality Southern California would be much more dense and developed if the central planners and their zoning rules didn’t restrict development.
May 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I’m curious to know why some of the people posting here are so quick to lable any higher-density developments as “bad,” yet the thousands upon thousands of poorly-built tract houses that spring up 50 miles to the north and east escape scorn. Seems backwards to me.
May 4th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Dear Jae, obviously you have a vision for the future of Southern Californa. Your “smart growth” thoughts directly address the variety of environmental concerns you seem to hold. It is great that you feel so strongly about the issues.
However, with all due respect, that is not your role as a government official. Instead, your role is to design the planning program which is sought by the citizens of your area. You are not hired to invoke your vision for the future, but to assist the public in reaching “their” vision.
While it is certainly ok to share your thoughts on “smart growth”, not everyone agrees with you. Not everyone wants to live in Canada, or San Francisco…instead some prefer the suburban lifestyle we enjoy here.
May 4th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
On the other hand, it is great that he has the courage to publicly advocate what he believes on his own time on his own blog. I see no evidence that he is using his opinions about design to circumvent the citizen’s will. Indeed, such transparency should be encouraged, not clamped down on.
May 4th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Yum. I love that comment by Calwatch.
Jae, I hope you stay with the blog here. Your thoughts/experiences re. Sierra Madre even when you are based elsewhere are valuable. Perhaps you will be even more free to share them with us.
Good energy is hard to find, and it’s nice that we don’t all have to agree. I appreciate much of the other viewpoints as well (Gilman). No one can evolve in a vacuum. Diversity of opinion and information is so key.
May 4th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Thanks to Calwatch and Miss Havisham for their recent comments. (35 & 36)
I may not like Measure V or the Downtown Overlay, but I enforce those laws to the letter, because that is my job. I can encourage citizens to plead with their councilmembers to change the laws, but until such a time they are repealed or altered, it’s not my place to make policy.
I’m sure cops don’t like ticketing everyone that speeds, but they do their job as well.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Jae you put the city in legal jeopardy with your foolish comments about One Carter in your blog. I don’t know you, but the people you have thanked I do know and they lie constantly. You say density is good, but in Sierra Madre, it clearly is not. There is already gridlock in town at certain hours of the day, and in Pasadena it can take a half hour to get to one side of town.
Good luck with your move, wish you could take your pals with you. As somebody said above, none of the issues about growth in SM relate to anything but a few making lots of money. Look at the horrible houses on Alegria across from St. Rita’s with no backyards going for $1 million apiece. They are just crammed on that little lot. A joke for its residents, a boon to its developer and realtors. That’s what its all about, nothing more and nothing less.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:09 am
A city employee involved in planning actually discussed on his own blog a matter involving the city, a developer, and currently under litigation?
Jae, you sure you weren’t merely fired? You should have been.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:29 am
“Gridlock” in Sierra Madre. Looks like a good day for hyperbole.
If you want “gridlock,” go to the Westside.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Gridlock!!! You are kidding? Even at the busiest time of day, it never takes more than a few minutes to traverse the entire lenght of Sierra Madre Blvd. from Michillinda to Santa Anita, and some of that is due to people who get off the crowded freeway to travel through town.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:33 am
A few minutes? At around, say, 6PM? Not in my experience, Wes.
You do know that when you come to visit us from wherever it is you live, we do have speed limits here, right?
May 6th, 2008 at 9:09 am
It is a crawl on SM Boulevard at peak hours. It can take 15 minutes.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Downtown Sierra Madre as a whole, and the area around Kersting Court in particular, is the epicenter of driver idiocy. While calling it “gridlock” is a real stretch (go almost anywhere else in LA), I’ll admit there are slowdowns in the evening, but I’d say that traffic volume is less to blame than the blatant disregard for traffic laws exhibited by the Parking Hunters.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:45 am
obviously, jae wasn’t qualified to work for the citizens of Sierra Madre, his opinions are juvenile and his, he forgets that he works for the people and since he doesn’t care, he should have been fired
appears that he quit because it was obvious he wasn’t a good fit for the city
and why in the world would the citizens of Sierra Madre care about his opinions?
traffic, wait until the foolish few attempt to once again build masssive condo developments at Howie’s and the Skilled Nursing
again, goodbye jae and take your foolish ideas with you - teenagers…jeez
May 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Whatever traffic you get a peak hour isn’t SM traffic, it’s pass through traffic. Not related to development in SM, minuscule contribution to the overall peak traffic.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Sure, Wes. Whatever you say.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:45 am
wes, i agree, but if the DSP advocates would have had their way, we’d have over 150 condos within a couple blocks of downtown and a 3 story parking garage - and that agenda is still being pushed
May 6th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Important celebration tonight in the Canyon!!
http://sierramadre91024.blogspot.com/
May 6th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Dear Senor Los Locos,
I take umbrage at your recent post. Your decision to remain anonymous shows a particular cowardliness!
The assorted school-yard tactics employed by you and your jack boot mentallity commune, are only excercises in attemted abuse. These games are learned easily from the play ground bullies.
Once someone is brave enough to take the miscreant one head on, the issue is resolved and hopefully everyone learns something from the unfortunate exchange.
The laws of God, Common Law, and humanity keep me in check one day at a time. The creator protects all “creatures” great and small.
Unfortunately, you have obviously chosen the correct moniker. The normal Janes’ and Joes’ pick names for particular irony. There exists a freedom of expression in the nom-de-plume’. It is not meant to be an alibi.
“Get off of my Cloud.” Jagger & Richards
Please refrain from attacking my family and friends in any form of text, media, or verbal communication. I would consider this an invaluable kindness.
“Some day you may ask a favor from me, now this day may never come….”
with all the usual formalities, T.C. Canterbury
May 6th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Ted: Where are you getting your information from, the voices in your head??? What’s with the idea of 150 condos in the downtown area????
A three story development could mean that one of the “stories” could be parking below grade, with two stories above grade which would reduce the massing of a project.
2-30-13 is for simpletons with a lack of design knowledge or imagination. Whoever the idiot was that came up with the idea that parking below grade counts as a story should be publicly humiliated in Kersting Court.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
morgan he’s talking about the dsp, you know that. he didn’t say above or below ground. two projects call for a total of 130 condos, with other properties up for sale that number could easily go higher. 2-30-13 is not about design knowledge it is about density. you know that.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
T.C. I am sure nobody realized you have a family member working in the realty office selling the homes mentioned. If they knew that, I am sure there would have been no mention of it.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Separating design from density is the height of ignorance.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
wes, it is the height of ignorance if you are an architect. you imply if a building is low density, then it would be ugly, or badly designed.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
No.
A good design can make density almost unnoticeable, and a bad design will make it worse. Same with a low density building. Bad design can make any building stick out like a sore thumb; good design can make it fit in nicely.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
thank you wes, that makes sense. how much more density do you think sierra madre can handle?
May 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Also Wes, I have heard talk from a few about how nice it could be if we had a little health resort on One Carter. What do you think about that? People say it could bring business in, a destination. I’ve heard people talk about lovely grounds, hiking info, yoga, restaurant, bar, swimming pool, bedrooms, solar energy. Some people in town would definitely have the sensibility to design it. Would that be low impact?
May 6th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Oh, that is a historically grounded idea, Lil lano #58.
Note: I subscribe to the use of “a” in this instance because the “h” is not silent. An honest usage.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
The sad thing is that those who own The Skilled Nursing Center (and there is a topic for debate) never seem to submit plans that fit city code. Rather we get treated to these humungous condo and shopping area monstrosities that in no way fit either the character or legal requirements of this town.
And, of course, nothing ever gets built there. One of the misconceptions pushed by certain habitual posters here is that somehow we as a city are responsible for nothing being built on this storied site. And nothing could be farther from the truth. It’s just that those who own the place don’t believe that they should be forced to comply with city codes.
You can’t help but wonder what it is about this mysterious ownership that puts them above the law.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Wow, a mixed use retail/hotel development up on Carter. What ya’ smokin’ Lil???
I wonder how the neighbors would like a restaurant and bar right there in the middle of their residential neighborhood. Jeez, Louise, you consider that use low impact?
Property is priced based on its highest and best use, Lil. Do you think anyone will pay tens of millions of dollars for “a little health resort at One Carter?”
You said, “Some people in town would defnitely have the sensibility to design it.”
WHO WOULD THAT BE?
May 6th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Have you ever been to Lavender Hill in Calistoga?
May 6th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I hear Dorn Platz has declared itself to be an indigenous California Indian tribe, and that they are now discussing opening a casino at One Carter.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Isn’t the Altadena Country Club in a residential neighborhood? Fred Wesley or Don Watts could design it. Watts did a beautiful job on Montecito. Wesley did a beautiful job on the Esperanza senior housing.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Well, the Dorn family is an old local one. Heh!
May 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
No Zane Green…it’s the Caruso guy. They are planning to build a smaller version on the Grove up there and it will extend to Crawfords home on Grove. Get it? Grove to Grove?
May 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorns/
May 6th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Not sure I grasp the references here, YouHeard. Is this a bar reference? Are we discussing a brand of Scotch here? Your cryptic references are confusing to me at times. Is this something to do with your ability to conjure up spirits from the dead? Do you ride a broomstick and talk to cats?
May 6th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Morgan, you sound like a realtor.
I see quite a few attractive 2 story buildings already in downtown and a 3 level parking garage is still a 3 level parking garage and a couple of councilmembers were in favor of it
thank goodness this is dead issue, Measure V is the law and regardless of what a turnstile employee (jae) thinks, the citizens have spoken
May 6th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Ted: What’s rattling around in your noggin? It doesn’t matter what my profession is, a one story parking garage below grade (that means underneath the building where you can’t see it) shouldn’t count as a “story.”
May 6th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I wouldn’t park underground in an earthquake area. I don’t even go to the underground movie theater in Pasadena.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Lil #64:
You miss the most important point of all: Carter is zoned residential, not commercial. It will be a cold day in hell when you see the zoning up there change that dramatically.
While I understand that the Altadena Country Club is located in a residential neighborhood, it has been there since 1910. That was long before most of the homes currently there were developed. Therefore, this could hardly be called a comparison.
Check out the pictures for yourself here:
http://www.altaclub.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=242982&ssid=98183&vnf=1
It’s sort of like what Liliano looked like before the high density tract housing was built around there, wouldn’t you agree?
And by the way, the neighbors at ATCC complain all of the time about parking, noise, and improvements to the club, etc…It’s amazing to me that they bought a home right next to the club and didn’t think that maybe they’re running a business there.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
What marvelous linkage, LTU.
Future small business owners in SM, take a look here. http://www.loansenseplus.com/search.asp?type=cz&criteria=91024
The banks used by other SM businesses may be of help to you. I don’t know. I just thought it was an interesting little webfind. I am not recommending anything.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Hey Zane Green…post #68…i was trying to be funny just like you. You were trying to be funny in post #63 were you not?
May 6th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Morgan, I believe it does matter what you do for a living. As far as I can tell there are 3 groups of people who defend over-development in this town on the Foothill site.
1) Realtors, for the natural reason that they’d have lots of new things to sell.
2) City Hall employees, many of whom were chosen by previous City Councils for their dedication to the gross development cause. Plus blogging gives them something to do while they’re in the office.
3) Those with nest eggs invested in projects such as the Skilled Nursing Center and Howie’s.
You do realize that all this really is about is money. If the above 3 groups can beat down the will of the people of this town to where they just throw in the towel, then Sierra Madre will be a veritable gold rush for the kind of tacky crap being built in so many less stalwart places.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
#2 is a piece of paranoid crap.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Dear Mr. Ike N. Howser,
It seems an overstatement to say that anyone who loves and/or lives in Sierra Madre is in favor of gross over development. That’s like suggesting that developers are coming to gut the Rialto Theater leaving only its facade as a bone for aesthetics.
Are they? I’ve been assured that idea resides only in my wild-eyed irrational lying head. That’s what happens when there is a rush to judgment, a flee from rehab, and listening for too long to Amy Winehouse.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Ike, you are paranoid.
1) Realtors have plenty of homes to sell in the San Gabriel Valley. If Realtors depended on their living based on only the homes sold in Sierra Madre they’d be in the poorhouse.
2) If City Hall employees are dedicated to developers and their projects, why did they leave the developer of Carter and Stonehouse out in all of their good will toward development?
3) The owners of SNC and Howie’s don’t have all of their eggs in the Sierra Madre basket.
Ike, do you perform charitable works for no pay everyday? I was just wondering what type of work you do that makes you better than those that design, construct, or sell homes. Quit the hatin’, man. There’s no room for that in such a small town.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Frau Ulrich: You know for a fact that the owners of SNC and Howie’s do not have all of their investments in these two projects? Could you share some of that information with us? It’s information so very many would be interesting in seeing.
No, I do not perform charitable works everyday for no pay. Unfortunately I have to work for a living. And I must tell you, I find the supercilious presumption to a superior moral standing by certain leisured elements within Sierra Madre to be a bit, well, cloying. It is nice that they dedicate some of their endless leisure to sprucing the place up, but honestly, please stop rubbing our noses in it.
Nobody enjoys hearing from the privileged about how much better they are than everyone else.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Ladies, Ike was referring only to those for overoverdevelopment, not all who love Sierra Madre, including you. As for Jae’s mentors, I’m surprised T.C. wasn’t more proud of their accolades. These Jae Birds were proud supporters of the Downtown Dirt and/or cumquat sites that put out a great deal of, well, dirt, on people who didn’t agree with overoverdevelopment. His jackboot/commune/bully metaphor is odd, to say the least. Is T.C. getting tender in his old age? If he is, that’s a good thing and I’ll buy him a smoothie at Bean Town. I have a neighbor who is a developer, by the way, and he voted for Measure V. He said you can still make plenty of money with Measure V. I don’t know anybody who has a problem with designers, builders or realtors. I do know some people who don’t want the town wrecked because of greed.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
xxx
May 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Ike: How could any investor have ALL of their eggs tied up in either of those run down properties that have little (Howies) and no (SNC) source of income? They’ve been sitting there like that for a long time now. Common sense tells me that I’m on the right track here. There are lots of investment vehicles, real estate just happens to be one of them.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
My so-called “juvenile” opinions are shared by 49.9% of the town, as evidenced by the last few nail-biting elections.
And I have never represented the town in my blog. There is no confidential information, no official decree, and absolutely no policy making in my blogging.
Quite honestly, I wish I could post everything I know and have been involved with. Maybe I’d gain some credibility with some of my detractors.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Jae give it a rest. The friends you thanked and what they stand for doesn’t say much for you. How is it possible you could gain credibility if those are your values: dirt ‘n quat. There’s still time, however, if you want to come clean to a federal investigator and reveal all you know.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
That depends Laurel, if the eggs are poached, fried or scrambled.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:26 am
yeah, jae, guess you failed democracy 1001 - 50.1 is still a majority….
? you never blogged on city time did you? wonder if we could check the server….in the real world, you would have been reprimanded or even terminated for blogging about company business, obviously juvenile….
and yes, your three or four friends (developers/realtors) have thanked you, now go peddle off to where ever with what ever you do
May 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Interesting blogs. I’m in a carpool with 5 people. I drive a hybrid. I try to do my part but its still not enough. I think our Govenor should offer incentives to corporations and large companies that allow their employees to work from home. In this computer day and age, many of us spend 8 to 10 hours each day on the computer. Most of that can be done remotely. That seems obvious with all the outsourcing to India. As long as you have a remote access to your office computer, you can work from home. That would allow for one less car on the road, less traffic, no need to expand the freeway lanes, no need for a toll road, less road repairs, less fuel comsumption, less fuel demand, lower fuel prices, less smog, less stress on the employee, reduced health problems, reduced health premiums….