by Dave Emerson

Straight to the top

May 9, 2013 in Cypress, Decency, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property) By: Dave Emerson

(Los Alamitos, 5/9/2013) Dave E here.  I’m posting this late because I just returned from a fairly lengthy, hastily called meeting by a group of mainly Cypress residents concerned about ProLogis proposed facility.  There’s some interesting controversy developing within the opposition, but more on that later.

I think one thing all “sides” of the opposition can probably agree on is our Thursday columnist’s unique idea for a “top down” approach: 

 by Highlands Guy:  The more I read about how the area communities have come together for the common good, the better I feel. There are a lot of good folks around who have taken the time to get informed, talk to their neighbors, and speak up at city council meetings. And I must note that my vote for the current Los Alamitos mayor is already paying dividends.

He’s a good guy, but more importantly for his position, he is intelligent and renders decisions based on accumulated facts and the Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

Backpedaling continues in Cypress, but is it enough? (Weekly Media Post)

May 8, 2013 in LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments By: Dave Emerson

Cypress Wetlands 040 (2), Lois Waddle

Part of the Cypress Golf Course’s “back 9″ slated for homes under Measure A. Photo by Lois Waddle

Breaking News from the Citizens for Responsible Development.  Details to follow in a separate post, or in your comments below.(Los Alamitos/Cypress, 5/8/2013) Lots of local news for you to report and comment on again this week, much focused on Cypress’ double barreled issues,  Proposition A and the ProLogis Development, the result of last year’s Proposition L.

The photo on the left is one of several lakes on the “back 9″ of the old Golf Course, the area Proposition A wants to rezone from “Public/Semi Public” use to allow residential and local retail.  Proposition A also includes another ten acre parcel north and west of Costco which would be zoned for light industsrial, although the owner has offered some supposedly binding changes.

I’d still like to see it stay the way it is.

I’m off to a Traffic Commission tonight, so at this point I’ll let you report and respond to whatever you found of interest today or recently in any media relating to our town.

Click “read more” to post your report or comment Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

Traffic Commission revisits Farquhar this Wednesday, 5/8/2013

May 7, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Commissions, Traffic By: Dave Emerson

(Los Alamitos, 5/7/13)  Tomorrow’s the second Wednesday of the month, meaning it’s time for Los Alamitos’ Traffic Commission’s monthly 7 pm meeting at City Hall.

In response to a request last year from Alice Jempsa among others, city staff has taken a fresh look at traffic issues on Farquhar and potential additional traffic calming actions that might help resolve at least some of them.

If you live near or frequently use Farquhar, you might want to stop by City Hall around 7.  The agenda is available online (click here), but not the detailed agenda report on Farquhar, so I’m including it below.  I’ve added the bold and the subjeadings in bold italics for those among us who like to scan.  [Items in brackets and italics are also my additions]

Begin agenda report:

Background:  2003-4 Traffic Calming Studies

The Traffic Calming Study was started back in late 2002 and was mainly concerning the Old Town East area and the Cottonwood Church issues. In 2003, the Traffic Commission recommended the preparation of a comprehensive Traffic Calming Study for the Apartment Row, Carrier Row, New Dutch Haven, Old Dutch Haven, and Suburbia Neighborhoods. Later on, Old Town East, Greenbrook, and Woodcrest were added.

The Los Alamitos Traffic Calming Study was completed Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

May Calendar: Los Alamitos Council Meeting this Monday, 5/20; Food trucks all month

May 6, 2013 in Community Calendar & Bulletin Board, Cypress, Your reporting and comments By: Dave Emerson

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(Updated 5/16/2013:  Food Truck lineups in comment below, next Los Al Council meeting this Monday, Cypress the following week)

(Los Alamitos)  The big news is another special City Council Meeting a week from today (Monday, May 6) with a 5 pm session to appoint or reappoint Traffic and Cable TV Commissioners followed by a 6pm Budget session.  Click here for the agenda for both meetings, followed by an extensive Staff Report.

Then on to the good stuff on Thursday as Food Truck Thursdays return to the U.S. Bank parking lot on Katella just east of Los Alamitos Blvd. from 5-8:30. Trucks this week include:  Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

A Seal Beach resident reports on ProLogis’ Carson Logistics facility

May 5, 2013 in Cypress, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Our Future By: Dave Emerson

Prologis Carson sign 3PL Global LLC (2)(Seal Beach, 5/5/2013) Enea Ostrich lives in Seal Beach’s College Park East and works in the transportation industry.  Her work gives her great insight, and great concern, about ProLogis’ planned 625,000 square foot, 33 acre Logistics Center  in Cypress.  

Enea recently visited a ProLogis facility in Carson, and I asked her to share what she learned:

by Enea Ostrich:  As we know by now, Prologis, the Real Estate Investment Trust, plans to build a truck distribution center on  Katella  at Enterprise Avenue.

It appears they are not talking about regular trucks at all, but container trucks that circulate from and to the port of LA/LB and are 20 feet to 45 feet long. The capacity weight in tare weight (empty) is 6,000 lbs to 12,000 lbs. The normal additional cargo weight in those containers vary from 20,000 lbs to 40,000 lbs.

This equals destruction of our city roads, period. In another detailed written information piece, I will be posting for you the photos of the trucks and roads in Carson–it is sickening.

This IS about quality of life lost to everyone if Prologis gets their way and builds this facility.  If we don’t fight this, it can and will affect the following communities:

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by Dave Emerson

HG on Squishy Goals (More thoughts on Los Al’s 2013-14 Budget)

May 2, 2013 in City Budget, City Council Meetings, Highlands Guy's Thursday Columns, Our Future, Our Priorities By: Dave Emerson

(Los Alamitos, 5/2/2013)In work in both the private and public sectors I’ve always been taught that  goals must be measurable.  So I was shocked to read the “goals” for our Council, City Manager, and others cited by our Highlands Guy below!

 Once again our Thursday columnist asks some very good questions, especially in light of this Monday’s 6 pm Council Session on the 2013-14 budget.  by Highlands’ Guy:

Yes, the Prologis/Cypress mess is still with us. And yes, there are still a lot of good neighbors from Cypress, from Los Al, from Rossmoor, from Long Beach, from Garden Grove still fighting the good fight.

But, as I noted last week, there are still other issues that must be prepared for and responded to with intelligence, insight and common sense. It is with this in mind that I offer some thoughts to our City Council on getting ready for the 2013/14 budget process that continues at the 6 pm portion of their Special Council Meeting this Monday, 5/6/2013.

Maybe the best way to determine if our city officials have been effective is to look at the “department goals” set down in stone in Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

Your 5/1/13 weekly media report: Prologis everywhere!

May 1, 2013 in LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Local Media review & reporting, Your reporting and comments By: Dave Emerson

schoolinlosal(5/1/2013, Los Alamitos) This weekly post is for you to comment and/or report on media items of  interest to West Orange County residents.

This morning, before I’d even gotten beyond the Register’s  Sports Section (DUCKS BEAT REDWINGS!!!!) or seen the News Enterprise I received the following e-mail from a dedicated Cypress community activist:

Hi everyone,

 I get the OC Register every day and have access to the online version and, good news, both versions have the latest ProLogis trucking story.  The hard copy is even better with a map of the area, etc.  The story is on Page 1 of the Local section of the OC Register, continues front & center on page 3.
This story does a really good job of telling our concerns about the project – so even though the title of the article may be about “developers cutting projects’ scope”, the article itself is great in that it talks a lot about the negative impact the facility would have on local school children….. the school district officials are speaking out now, in part, I think, Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

ProLogis proposes fewer trucks

April 30, 2013 in 2013 Issues, Cypress, LART ("Los Al Race Track" property) By: Dave Emerson

prologis plans4cyp (2)(Los Alamitos, 4/30/2012) In a report published online this evening the OC Register’s Roxana Kopetman indicated that

Prologis plans to reduce the number of truck bays at the site from the current 127 bays “in direct response to the community’s concerns,” said Atle Erlingsson, spokesman for the San Francisco-based company. . . .

Prologis, billed as the largest owner, operator and developer of industrial real estate across the world, is looking to make revisions to its 33-acre proposed project. The company is expected to release a revised plan, with fewer truck bays, within Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

Rossmoor Homeowners Assn on ProLogis

April 27, 2013 in LART ("Los Al Race Track" property), Our Future, Rossmoor, Schools By: Dave Emerson

lahsmasks(Rossmoor, posted 4/27/2013:)  This letter speaks for itself, and speaks wisely and clearly of the impact of the ProLogis terminal to tens of thousands of local residents, especially our youth and seniors (bold added):

 

Mr. David Boyer, President
Los Alamitos Unified School District Board of Education
Dr. Sherry Kropp, Superintendent
Los Alamitos Unified School District

Dear Mr. Boyer and Dr. Kropp:

The Rossmoor Homeowners Association is deeply concerned about the potential health and safety risks that would affect students at the Los Alamitos Unified School District as a result of the proposed Prologis warehouse in Cypress. RHA hopes that the school district joins us in opposing this project as it is currently designed.

Such a massive industrial facility has no place in a neighborhood that has residential streets, churches, a nursing home, a hospital, a large Read the rest of this entry →

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by Dave Emerson

Retired, looking for my niche

April 26, 2013 in Crime and police, David Lara, shooting from the hip" By: Dave Emerson

Today, we learn more about our newest columnist and the co-leader of the Rossmoor Predator Management Team, Dave Lara.

(Rossmoor, 4/26/2013, by Dave Lara):  It was the Friday of my first week as an investigator with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. A deputy district attorney walked into our office and said “I need help.”

He told my partner and I that he was in a jury trial where the suspect was charged with burglary and assaulting the victim as she walked into the door of her residence. However, “unfortunately, there was no one to identify the suspect.  ”   The D.A.  felt that the suspect would not be convicted.  The suspect had a long record of violent crimes against both women and police officers.

I did not tell him this was our first week but this sounded Read the rest of this entry →

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