The Sun Post on Friday reported that mayoral candidate Robert Oliver was "ordered to remove" some derogatory statements about Lathrop city manager Yvonne Quiring from his campaign website by Quiring's attorney. Oliver's website has changed significantly over the past couple of
weeks going from a single long diatribe against Mayor Sayles and the city manager to a more condensed version of why he's against the mayor in 6 talking points. Oliver supporters over on the "smear website" urge a vote for him because "Oliver is a man of God, Kristy is the devil."We previously named current Lathrop candidates who have posted on the "smear website" and questioned their character and integrity for even allowing their names to be associated with it, let alone joining in spreading the malicious gossip. Those candidates are: John Rock (for mayor), Oliver, Steve Dresser's wife (Dresser is a current councilman running for re-election) and Rosalinda Valencia (for city council). This week we add a new name to those posting there: Lathrop city council candidate Chris Mateo. The city of Lathrop has a real brain trust running for public office this year.
As to the actual issues in Lathrop, it's a little unclear where everyone stands because they don't talk much about that. It's much more entertaining to gossip and talk about scandals and who doesn't like whom. Reading between the lines (and some since-deleted web content) it seems a lot of the discontent with the mayor hinges on her vote to hire the current city manager. Since personnel issues are cloaked in secrecy, we may never know what happened with the shake-up of city staff. Most likely, the new city manager had high expectations for staff and that ruffled some feathers. Expecting people to actually earn their bloated salaries and golden benefit packages? Off with her head!
Another thing we keep hearing is that Sayles "took developer money" for her campaign and she's in the pocket of the developers. But then we hear that the reason for the problems in Lathrop is that the mayor didn't do what the developers wanted and so they took their business to Manteca. Manteca city council is definitely in the pockets of developers, but Mayor Willie Weatherford recently said Lathrop was getting all the plum businesses because of Lathrop's developer-friendly policies.
Jackie,
ReplyDeleteYes, I did respond to a lady on the Kristy smear site. It was not to smear or spread rumors about anyone. I sent this lady, Steve's e-mail address in case she had any questions for him. I wrote only the one time and never again. I believe that you owe me an apology, considering that you made it sound as if I'm always writing and smearing Kristy. Let's see if you recant your statement and clarify it. Since you don't seem to know my name, I'll just sign,
Steve Dresser's wife of forty years
Dear Mrs. Dresser (Joyce),
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting us know how you came to post over there. I do apologize for including you in with the others since you say you never wrote there again.
Jackie
Jackie,
ReplyDeleteApology accepted. Thank you,
Joyce
Richland Planned Communities Teams with Farmland Trust on Landmark Ag Land Protection Agreement; Lathrop-Area Exchange Would Be One of Largest in State History
ReplyDeleteLATHROP, Calif -- Richland Planned Communities has donated nearly 1,000 acres to the Central Valley Farmland Trust, the state's leading agricultural preservation organization, assuring the prime farmland will be permanently protected from development.
In one of the largest agricultural land transfers in California history, Richland and the Farmland Trust took advantage of a rarely used law, referred to as a "Williamson Act Easement Exchange," to set aside agricultural land in San Joaquin County forever.
landowners can reduce their property assessments by signing long-term contracts to keep their land in agricultural use. Landowners who want to proceed with development must pay a steep financial penalty to cancel those long-term contracts or wait 10 years for the contracts to expire.
Williamson Act cancellations usually result in the loss of farmland. The Williamson Act Easement Exchange assures that ag lands will be preserved permanently.
Bridgett Luther, Director of the California Department of Conservation, praised the preservation agreement in a letter to Lathrop Mayor Gloryanna Rhodes authorizing the exchange.
"I am pleased that the City and the parties to the easement have been able to use the Williamson Act Easement Exchange Program," Luther wrote. "The local and state agricultural economy will benefit from this agreement and the resulting permanent agricultural conservation easement."
Central Valley Farmland Trust Executive Director Bill Martin applauded the pioneering nature of the exchange. "We're very pleased to be part of this easement and appreciate the efforts of Richland and the Department, especially having to navigate in uncharted waters given the fact this approach has been utilized so few times." he said.
"Richland is very proud of this accomplishment and appreciates the diligent work of our staff and consulting team, and the hard work of the Department and Trust," said Richland Senior Vice President Stephen Thurtle.
The Legislature passed the law that allowed the exchange in 1998, but due to the cumbersome findings required, it has only been used a handful of times. Dubbed "the easement exchange," the provision allows for a Williamson Act contract to be rescinded (canceled), subject to transferring permanent agricultural land of equal or greater size, monetary value, and agricultural suitability.
Bill Geyer, a consultant and lobbyist in Sacramento, who was part of Senator John Williamson's (Williamson Act) team, was a major player in creating the 1998 law.
"We wanted to establish a provision that allowed contract cancellation dollars to benefit agricultural conservation," said Geyer.
Normally, funds generated by this process are sent to the State General Fund and are not used for the preservation or enhancement of agricultural land, something Geyer, farmland owners and environmental groups wanted to see changed.
By taking advantage of the law, Richland's exchange diverts more funds and protects more farm land -- 927 acres worth $5 million -- than any previous easement. Thus, "Mainstone" property, south of the Lathrop, will never be developed.
In exchange, Richland was only allowed 308 acres under contract to be rescinded five years early. John McCaull, a consultant working with Geyer on behalf of Richland, stated that, "(the exchange) was by far the largest we (Geyer and McCaull) had worked on or of which we were aware."
Thurtle, Richland's Senior Vice President, added: "We recognized this opportunity and committed to the rescission in our approval process." Thurtle was referring to the adoption of the City of Lathrop's Central Lathrop Specific Plan, for which Richland was the project proponent, as well as the annexation of Richland's planned Land Park at Lathrop project.
Richland's representatives in San Joaquin County, Don Troppmann and Clifton Taylor, could not have been happier with the outcome.
"Richland made this commitment to the City and San Joaquin County and delivered something special," said Troppman. Added Taylor: "It was not easy, with so few examples of the process, and it would not have been possible without the experience of Geyer and McCaull, and the commitment of the Department and Trust to our timeline."
RICHLAND PLANNED COMMUNITIES
ReplyDeleteHaving developed various types of real estate products in differing market locations and conditions over a long period of time, Richland has gained a broad understanding of the real estate industry and maintains the necessary skills and knowledge to identify and exploit future opportunites as they become available.
Presently operating in Florida and California, Richland Communities' core business is the delivery of entitled development parcels along with primary infrastructure to merchant builders and end users. Given the long lead times necessary to obtain development approvals, existing inventories of entitled property are being aggressively absorbed.
As a result, great opportunities continue to exist for well positioned development projects. Richland currently holds many outstanding residential, office and retail projects throughout California.
Richland Investments, the parent company of Richland Communities and Richland Towers, a broadcast and telecommunications tower owner, has years of experience in strategic land location, land development, property management, and tower ownership. To learn more about Richland's tower division click on Richland Towers.