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As you may recall, it was that "knuckle under or you'll be sued" advice the City was given by the Mighty Michael (and, to be honest, most happily acceded to) in the mid aughts that led to us knuckling under and being sued many times over by various litigious development interests over the last decade. Making One Carter perhaps the biggest money making industry we've seen in this economic backwater for quite some time. And nobody has even built anything there yet.
Common knowledge as this is, you don't have to take my word for it. Or anybody else's for that matter, because here is a brief history of our platinum-plus legal futility from the staff report for Item 2 on Tuesday evening's agenda. Its excessively wordy title being: "Call For Review Of Planning Commission Approval Of Hillside Development Permit 12-01 And Conditional Use Permit 12-08 To Allow Construction Of A Two-Story, 3,125 Square Foot Single-Family Home At Property Located At 610 Baldwin Court."
Making this, if the theory holds true, some of the most specious legal advice the City of Sierra Madre had ever received. Which is saying quite a lot. And approximately one decade into this awful mess, which was initially brought about by that unfortunate decision to cave in by the 2004 City Council (perhaps the worst this City has ever seen), apparently nothing has changed.
As you also probably recall, the Planning Commission, before their reluctant decision to agree to approve the 610 Baldwin Big Build, also had the opportunity to spend an hour and a half with our Colantuono City Attorney. Probably to discuss just this matter.
The possibility presented being that if they didn't knuckle under to the McMansion developer CETT, their attorney, Richie "Self-Serving B.S."McDonald, would probably drag us into Court and sue us. Shortly after that the P.C. gave up what had been a really good fight, and surrendered the baby.
So what is happening early on at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting? The traditional closed session with our generously coiffed City Attorney (all of Michael's legal ladies are generously coiffed, btw), which almost always runs from 6:00pm to 6:30pm, starts an entire hour early.
I seriously doubt that this is any kind of a coincidence.
My guess is that the following screen shot is an indication of what the topic of this 90 minutes of legal lethargy could be all about.
Yes indeed, friends. If the City Council decides to reverse the decision of the Planning Commission on the 610 Baldwin Big Build, the word from our decadal rented legal lulus is we will be sued. And therefore they had better not do that. Which is the same advice Michael Colantuono's legal firm appears to have given the Dumbest City Council Ever in 2004. After which we were sued eight times.
Ten years after. Same law firm, same tactics, same stupid results.
What is it about Sierra Madre and Child Sex Offenders?
We certainly seem to produce more than our share of them. Is there a reason for this? Here is news of the latest local gent most likely to get packed off to the pokey for possession of child pornography (link):
OSU student arrested on child porn charges - An Oregon State University student has been arrested by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly distributing child pornography.
Philipp Jean Bardenheier, 19, of Sierra Madre, California, was arrested on charges of two counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.
His initial bail was set at $20,000, and he was scheduled to appear in Linn County Circuit Court on Monday.
Bardenheier, an environmental engineering student who lives at the Buxton Hall dormitory, allegedly sent child porn to a computer in Linn County, according to a news release.
During an interview with detectives, he admitted to possessing child pornography and using the Internet to download and share it.
Numerous computers and electronic devices were seized during the investigation and are undergoing a forensics examination, and additional charges could be forthcoming.
Since Chief Giannone is often the last person to know about these sorts of things, perhaps someone would be kind enough to forward this information to him? The last thing we need is another potential media conflagration like the one that occurred here a few months ago.
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