Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

[Ride Warrior]

Developer/puppet master Suncal and it's dancing marionettes (councilmembers Kring, Galloway and Hernandez) had announced that their pro housing / anti vacation destination resort initiative would bipass voter petition signatures - and simply muscle in their initiative on the ballot without qualifying it.

The three self-serving councilmembers apparently received surging public condemnation, and are now thinking about making an effort to garner thousands of sigs as Soar/Disney did with their Resort District Preservation Initiative. I do believe that Suncal and fiends can now kiss their initiative goodbye. They are finally starting to get the picture that there is little support for it. Resort supporters in attendance at the October 23rd Anaheim City Hall meeting should be enough to make the three councilmembers fall harder than a giant sequoia tree. Timberrrrrrrrrrrr!

SOAR Alert: BACKROOM DEAL FALLING APART .

BACKROOM DEAL FALLING APART
Suncal Withdraws Request
for City Council Shortcut!
Public outrage may have killed the "backroom deal' between developer Suncal and three members of the Anaheim City Council.

For months the developer has threatened to use three city council members - Lucille Kring, Laurie Galloway and Bob Hernandez - to put an anti-tourism initiative on the ballot WITHOUT VOTER SIGNATURES. That initiative would have NULLIFIED the SOAR "Resort District Preservation Initiative" and adopted new, anti-tourism laws in Anaheim. All three council members indicated support for the idea.

SOAR has led the effort to publicly expose this backroom deal and pressure city council members to abandon this anti-tourism measure.

Today it was revealed that Suncal has requested that the city abandon consideration of this initiative. In a letter filled with anti-Walt Disney Company propaganda (the letter is below), the developer's front group indicated it would abandon efforts to have the council place the measure on the ballot - and would instead attempt to collect signatures. It remains to be seen whether that will occur.

SOAR ASKS KRING, GALLOWAY, HERNANDEZ TO FORMALLY DISAVOW ANTI-TOURISM PROPOSAL

Be There

On Tuesday night, October 23, SOAR committee members will ask the three council members to FORMALLY disavow any future efforts to place this anti-tourism measure on the ballot or to enact it into law without an election. Please join us at this critical city council meeting!

Anaheim City Hall 5 p.m.

200 S Anaheim Blvd

Anaheim, CA 92805

For more information, please visit our Web site at www.soaranaheim.com

[Wesley815]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Good topic, I hope people attend!

[techskip]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Well, glad to see it defeated but at least it gave Disney a wake up call and in a sense forced their hand!

[Ride Warrior]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Good topic, I hope people attend!

Thanks, Wesley. Me too! I hope the place is packed. Are there any MiceChatters who plan to attend? Here are the particulars again - just in case there are those who wish to stand up for our resort at the meeting.

Tuesday night, October 23

Anaheim City Hall 5 p.m.

200 S Anaheim Blvd

Anaheim, CA 92805

[ROBONICS95]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Well, glad to see it defeated but at least it gave Disney a wake up call and in a sense forced their hand!

I was thinking the same thing, I feel Disney definitely made a smart choice.

[Ride Warrior]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Well, glad to see it defeated but at least it gave Disney a wake up call and in a sense forced their hand!

I wish that it wouldn't have happened this way, techskip. Just the same, you have a keenly sage perspective and I wholeheartedly agree with you. Disney would likely have never committed to a billion dollar capital outlay for any sort of resort improvement and expansion had it not been for the controversy - and definitely would not be planning to begin construction next year.

Suncal and the three councilmembers are to be disdained for attempting to prevent the Anaheim resort from becoming more like WDW and Tokyo in scope. Nevertheless (in spite of themselves), we can also thank them for getting Disney off it's butt.

[dland_lover]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

In a letter filled with anti-Walt Disney Company propaganda (the letter is below), the developer's front group indicated it would abandon efforts to have the council place the measure on the ballot - and would instead attempt to collect signatures. It remains to be seen whether that will occur.

Where is the letter?


(And I'm glad to see this happening! Get rid of tourism? Do they know what that would do to the city, as well as, all the surrounding areas that benefit from an influx of money spending people? Yikes. What were they thinking?? GO DISNEY!!! :yea

[Darkbeer]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

I went to the City of Anaheim's web site to find it, and couldn't.

But did notice that CDPA (Committee to Defend and Protect Anaheim) aka the SunCal backed group mailing address is San Diego, CA 92119. (Form 460 for the 2nd Quarter of 2007)

Yep, a locally based group just looking out for the "little" guy .....:lol:

[JeffYardDog]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

I went to the City of Anaheim's web site to find it, and couldn't.

But did notice that CDPA (Committee to Defend and Protect Anaheim) aka the SunCal backed group mailing address is San Diego, CA 92119. (Form 460 for the 2nd Quarter of 2007)

Yep, a locally based group just looking out for the "little" guy .....:lol:

As opposed to Disney who looks out for the little guys, i.e. their low paid employees.

Spare me the kettle pot stuff.

[ROBONICS95]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Wasn't the letter originally attached to this email from SOAR?

[Darkbeer]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Here is the CDPA Form 460, with the San Diego address... (Yep, the "little" guy whose main company will make tens of millions in profit JUST by the rezoning, and then make even more profit by selling off the rights to build the project....)

http://209.234.149.20/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=85374

And here is the SOAR Form 460 from the same time period

http://209.234.149.20/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=85440

Note that their address is Anaheim, CA

But I am glad that Ms. Kring saw the light and let SunCal know that she was to vote against placing the "AVE" measure directly on the ballot, and that she expected the SunCal/CDPA group to gather signatures, just like the SOAR (aka Disney backed) had to do. She does have her limits, and I wonder if the current Disney actions, such as announcing the Grand Californian expansion, and now the DCA Billion Dollar plus expansion helped her change her mind.....

Now the bigger question, in this "depressed" housing market, does SunCal even bother trying to get the initiative approved for signatures, or do they just drop the matter all together.

Or maybe they go thru the legal motions, but then don't bother to pay for folks to gather signatures, basically letting the measure die.

I really think that SunCal has taken polls of Anaheim Voters, and has seen there is no real chance for them to win.

[ROBONICS95]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Where is the letter?

Terribly scanned image, but this is it.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Thank you, Robonics95!

[ROBONICS95]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

You bet...

It is extremely hard to read though. I was using a piece of software to translate the document into a readable Word doc but the software was having issues reading the scanned image.

Oh well.

[dland_lover]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

^Thanks for posting that.

What I gather out of this letter is this:

"Oh most honorable city counsel members: please bend over so we can more easily kiss your wonderful buttocks. Thank you for this most rare and special privilege" blah blah blah.

Pfft. Can you say, desperate? Now who's resorting to childish behavior?

And, "They have no respect for the Democratic process". Yeah, that's why they're gathering signatures and going about this in a fair manner, instead of just skipping that whole process, commencing butt-kissing, and disregarding all that trivial public support paperwork. Just go ahead and push your own personal interests, no matter what it takes. (Until of course, they decided to drop that ploy and actually put forth effort to see if the public is at all interested in their proposal).

Sheesh.

(By the way, I am politically neutral and uninvolved, I just think that SunCal's actions are just a little childish and ridiculous.)

[Ride Warrior]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Here is the CDPA Form 460, with the San Diego address... (Yep, the "little" guy whose main company will make tens of millions in profit JUST by the rezoning, and then make even more profit by selling off the rights to build the project....)

http://209.234.149.20/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=85374

And here is the SOAR Form 460 from the same time period

http://209.234.149.20/weblink7/DocView.aspx?id=85440

Note that their address is Anaheim, CA

But I am glad that Ms. Kring saw the light and let SunCal know that she was to vote against placing the "AVE" measure directly on the ballot, and that she expected the SunCal/CDPA group to gather signatures, just like the SOAR (aka Disney backed) had to do. She does have her limits, and I wonder if the current Disney actions, such as announcing the Grand Californian expansion, and now the DCA Billion Dollar plus expansion helped her change her mind.....

Now the bigger question, in this "depressed" housing market, does SunCal even bother trying to get the initiative approved for signatures, or do they just drop the matter all together.

Or maybe they go thru the legal motions, but then don't bother to pay for folks to gather signatures, basically letting the measure die.

I really think that SunCal has taken polls of Anaheim Voters, and has seen there is no real chance for them to win.

As always, Darkbeer, great research and a good read!

Terribly scanned image, but this is it.

You nailed it ROBONICS! Great jpb. Thanks.

[Ride Warrior]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

You bet...

It is extremely hard to read though. I was using a piece of software to translate the document into a readable Word doc but the software was having issues reading the scanned image.

Oh well.

The doc is a little fuzzy, but plenty clear enough. Super recovery. :thumbup:

^Thanks for posting that.

What I gather out of this letter is this:

"Oh most honorable city counsel members: please bend over so we can more easily kiss your wonderful buttocks. Thank you for this most rare and special privilege" blah blah blah.

Pfft. Can you say, desperate? Now who's resorting to childish behavior?

:lmao:

dland_lover, i do believe that you summized what Suncal said in their "our a$$es are kicked" letter.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Anybody got a LARGE Fork

[aashee]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

Disney - Left Suncal - right

[dland_lover]

Re: Anti-Tourism Initiative Apparently Quashed By Public Outrage

I transcribed the letter:

Committee to Defend and Protect Anaheim


October 19, 2007


Dear Mayor Pringle and Members of the City Council,

In a previous letter that our Committee submitted to your honorable body, we requested that the City Council place the Anaheim Voter Empowerment Initiative on an upcoming election ballot. As noted in the text of that letter, this action was justified as a matter of equity by treating the largest landholder within the resort district similarly to how they propose to treat other landowners. Protecting the taxpayer is always an appropriate and meaningful thing to do.

The purpose of the Anaheim Voter Empowerment Initiative was to help safeguard the city against a repeat of Disney's reneging on its promise to our city in the 1990's. I am of course referring to the Disney Corporation's mothballing of their proposed world class WESTCOT Resort and their substitution of this heralded resort with their underperforming California Adventure Park. It has been well documented that the Disney switch cost our city tens of millions of dollars of anticipated revenue even after taxpayers shelled out millions to finance Disney's freeway off ramps, a mega parking structure and other resort area infrastructure.

The Disney Corporation's much ballyhooed $1.1 billion proposed fix of California Adventure in the last few days serves as a confirmation of our assertion that our city was shortchanged this last decade. Clearly, Disney wouldn't need to fix it if it wasn't broken. Our coalition will be monitoring this new proposal to insure the taxpayers of Anaheim are protected.

I have great respect for our democratic process and for all of our city council members whether or not we personally agree on each and every issue. It has been a sorry spectacle to witness the same few ill mannered individuals, sadly all representing Disney, publicly heap unwarranted scorn on our elected city council with their childish insults, name calling and catcalls from the audience. No elected official who gives their time and effort to public service should have to endure this type of rude and insulting behavior, whatever the reason. In this case, it is just because they do not agree with the majority about this particular issue. They have no respect for the democratic process.

The Committee to Protect and Defend Anaheim, in the best interest of the city, and in the best interest of protecting our treasured democratic process, has decided to gather the necessary signatures to place the Anaheim Voter Empowerment Initiative on the ballot. We hereby respectfully withdraw our request to have the City Council undertake that action.

Sincerely,

Diane Singer
Chair
Committee to Protect and Defend Anaheim


Paid for by the Committee to Defend and Protect Anaheim. Sponsored and major funding by SCC Acquisitions Inc., a Homebuilder.
P.O. Box 25129, Anaheim, CA 92525