Council Ignores Majority’s Wishes

It was really amazing to sit through the San Clemente City Council meeting on March 24 and witness citizen after citizen voice objection to an issue and then the majority of the council members ignore their testimony.

This was a Tale of Two Issues, one being Verde Canyon and the other the proposed hotel in the Pier Bowl.

A parade of Verde Canyon residents testified that they opposed development in their pristine canyon and did not wish an environmental impact report to go forward.

Even after substantial public testimony against this, guess what? You’re right, the City Council decided that an EIR would be appropriate “to get all the facts.”

Well, I just wish our City Council would get all the facts prior to deciding if a hotel is viable in the Pier Bowl, how many rooms it should have, and how many stories. All of these decisions have been prior to an environmental impact report for this proposed development.

Maybe I just got this backward, but shouldn’t we wait until the EIR is finished before making these fundamental basic decisions?

What is the difference between the council wanting an EIR for Verde Canyon to “get all the facts” and making these decisions prior to the hotel EIR?

I’ll tell you what the difference is. The City Council has its own agenda and once again is not representing the majority of citizens of San Clemente.

The council ignored the recommendations of San Clemente’s General Plan Advisory Committee, the Community Design Commission, Planning Commission and hundreds of residents who have testified, written letters and demonstrated against this massive white elephant in a fragile and historic Pier Bowl--the heart and soul of San Clemente.

You bet the council has its own agenda, and it doesn’t include the citizens who live here.

G. WAYNE EGGLESTON

San Clemente