HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/2/2019 Item 9, Powers
From:Will Powers <
To:Harmon, Heidi; E-mail Council Website
Subject:Tree ordinance revisions
Mayor Harmon and Council:
I will not be able to attend tonight when you (likely) rubber-stamp the proposed changes in the city tree ordinance. I say
likely because you have a track record of siding with the corporate/developer interests instead of the average citizen in
SLO (e.g., 22 Chorro and
71 Palomar, the latter of which resulted in the slaughter of over 50 trees so out-of-town developers could make a
bundle).
I'm sure that Matt Horn will razzle-dazzle you with power-point explanations about streamlining and efficiency, but the
bottom line is
this:
Your administration is, once again, trying to centralize power so a few people can ramrod through giant developments,
without pesky "impediments" like, you know, the Tree Committee.
People like Rob Rossi and Hamish Marshall have actually deigned to come before the TC: what they found was that their
"look-at-me-I'm-rich-and-I'm-just-trying-to-help-little-ol'-SLO" BS didn't work with the committee.
They had to follow the rules like everyone else and they didn't LIKE that!
So, they've pressured staff to write ordinance changes that put most of the power into the hands of other, more
money-influenced bodies, like the Planning Commission and the Architectural Review Committee.
The average SLO citizen wants MORE trees, not fewer, and LARGER replacement trees, not skinnier ones (take a look at
the "replacement"
"trees" in front of Couch Potato at Marsh and Nipomo: they've been there for 5 years and they're STILL twigs), but I have
no doubt that you'll follow "staff recommendations" and "staff razzle-dazzle" \[read, cow pies\] and pass these changes
with little debate and minimal effort to investigate.
And, another citizen-inspired and citizen-led entity, the Tree Committee, will become an emasculated shadow of its
former self, sitting around expressing frustration with how this city gives not a damn about the people.
Sad, really, but that's the way this council operates.
Will Powers, Ph.D
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