That Brad Hess, project manager of the new police building, said the city is so overbuilt that city leaders and staff can’t find an alternative to the Cota lot for the new station? Council member Meagan Harmon, who prides herself on her pragmatism, chose public safety over the pleas of farmers. Council member Oscar Gutierrez said, “Those who don’t live here don’t get a voice” — they are not the ones calling 911, nor should they have input on how the city is operated. He chastised Sam Edelman for not knowing how many farmers live in the city. Does Mr. Gutierrez know how many Police Department employees live in the city? Meanwhile, staff couldn’t say how much traffic comes in and out of the current building on Figueroa, although they have been asked for several months by Council member Jason Dominquez. Mr. Gutierrez’s most theatrical moment was his explanation of the importance of his duty to uphold the oath he took 18 months ago. We suspect his stance was buoyed by his unopposed win this November, with his tenure guaranteed until 2024. Council member Eric Friedman’s crocodile tears still allowed him to toss aside the commuters and farmers in favor of staff’s recommendation to evict them from their home of 35 years. So much of the city has been developed that the farmers’ market is being elbowed out by the new police station. Brian Cernal said the state updates codes every three years, so our new police station will need updating within its first five years? The Cota lot was planted as an idea months ago, and once an idea is planted, it is hard to uproot. Justifications were posed as deliberations with rubber stamps prepared long before Tuesday’s meeting. Ongoing failure to plan for the future brought this to our doorstep. Stay tuned for the CEQA report. Wanna bet they check the exempt box?
—Bonnie Donovan and Natasha Todorovic
