278 replies to this topic

[Bob]

At the June 22nd Council meeting, our Initiative will be discussed. The entire staff report is on the City web page under Council Agenda / Staff Reports / Items 9a and 9b.

You will find that the report states that the County Registrars Office has validated our signatures! [thumbsupsmileyanim.gif]

Total signatures collected: 4,365
Total valid signatures required: 2,932
Total valid signatures per the County: 3,765
Percent of signatures collected found to be valid: 88%
Percent of actual to required valid signatures: 128%

Note that we took just 5 weekends to collect these (37 days). State law allows 180 days. We took just 20% of the time allowed with a purely voluntary effort (no paid gatherers). THANKS AGAIN TO THE MANY FOLSOM RESIDENTS THAT DONATED THEIR VALUABLE TIME TO HELP! YOU ARE ALL AWESOME! [biggrin.gif]

Also, thanks to each and every Folsom voter that signed our petition to put this Initiative to a vote of the entire City. Your enthusiasm and show of appreciation when signing was a huge boost to our signature gatherers, and conformation that we are doing the right thing for our City. [biggrin.gif]

It was so easy because the initiative is short, simple, to the point, and delivers what residents want and deserve.

Our message continues to be "Read it for yourself." Go to www.folsomgrowth.org to see a copy.

Regardless of what the City does from this point, it will be on the November ballot and it will pass because it is good for Folsom residents and Folsom voters are smart enough to let their common sense guide them.

From the report, it appears that at this coming June 22nd Council meeting, the staff will recommend that the Council pass a resolution to approve submission of the Initiative to the County for its placement on the November ballot. (They could delay the submission up to 30 days, which appears to not be the track they will take, but not prevent it.)

There are a number of very interesting and telling statements by the City contained in the report. For anyone who has read it: Please post your opinion.

Regards,
Bob Fish
Folsom Residents for Sensible Growth

[cybertrano]

Thank you Bob!!!

[EDF]

I read the report... and what a bunch of stinking lies...

I had to chuckle this morning when I read the SacBee's slap at our own Andy Morin...

Andy has been a big disappointment for me... He campaigned on giving the voters of Folsom the last say on South of 50... but of course like any stinking politician he's come out on the other side....

I can't trust people like him...

I see that "staff" wants to put on a "competing" initiative.... wasn't that what Andy baby proposed during the last council meeting....?

[melloguy]

QUOTE (Bob @ Jun 20 2004, 10:38 PM)

The entire staff report is on the City web page under Council Agenda / Staff Reports / Items 9a and 9b.

Tried this link this morning and at lunch and come up with an error. Also tried one other location (City Council Agenda Package) and also got an error. Sent an e-mail to the City Clerk's office this morning requesting access to electronic versions of the staff reports and am waiting on a reply.

[EDF]

The City Council moved the initiative forward last night...

They also intend to put out their own initiiative....

Trouble is.... they want less open space... and they don't intend to widen Hwy 50.....

What do you think...?

[waterbaby149]

What do I think?
2 of those guys are going to either run again or we can put new people in - let's now band together to make sure that they are not in office again and further move for the people of Folsom to ELECT their own mayor. We need to have better control over our government and the decisions that are made/forced down our throats by cc.
It is the full intent of the cc to confuse the voters so bad, because they must think we are all stupid, that they will get what THEY want.

[camay2327]

A year or so ago I asked what we the people of Folsom had to do to elect our own mayor. I think the city charter has to be changed to allow that to happen. I do think that we the people should have the right to elect our own mayor, otherwise they just vote one of the good guys in as mayor every time.

Lets go for it. Someone has to start it and get it going....

[cybertrano]

camay and EDF take the lead and we follow.............

[tessieca]

I think you would find common support for a direct mayoral election. I don't think the council would agree to a charter amendment. They like the power plays and such that go on in that appointment. They will say that it would create more expensive elections, etc.

Someone needs to prepare a simple initiative to modify that portion of the charter. The petitions would almost sign themselves.

[camay2327]

I know that most of the city council members do not want the members of the community to vote in the mayor, they want to do it themselves. I think that I know one of the city council members that would like to see a vote by the community.

I wouldn't know where to start in getting this going but might be willing to help!!!!

[EDF]

Call the City Clerks office....

They might even have some forms...

Its time we take back control from this council...

I am totally disappointed by Eric King and Andy Morin...

Starsky and King are up for re-election this year...

[Andy_Morin]

Interesting and ouch!

It is time to chime in after perusing the old forum this evening.

I’ll begin by addressing Ed’s disappointment in some of us council members. As Ed and some of you know, as I campaigned a few years ago for the council seat I now occupy I clearly and unequivocally professed my support for a public vote directing an annexation / development plan south of highway 50. Ed feels betrayed because I don’t support his plan. Although I most certainly support the right for this initiative to be on the November ballot I oppose it’s content for a very simple reason.

I repeatedly appealed to Ed, Bob, Sara and Val to show some real trust in the public and simply support of vote of the public after a planning / visioning process. A good plan gets the OK a bad one get the boot. This was aggressively resisted because they feared any development. Outside environmentalists helped condition this measure with the tricky little county line to Hazel Avenue highway 50 widening poison pill. Because of cost, environmental and CalTrans jurisdictional issues this would pretty much preclude any Folsom involvement in that area. Now I know that appeals to some and great; support this initiative but beware.

My concern remains the prospect of another entity, such as Sac County or Rancho Cordova endorsing the land owners at some future date. Now I know this is certainly arguable, not a guarantee and maybe not even a concern for some, but I simply cannot risk this possibility no matter how small while watching the store from my council seat.

An alternative initiative that does not saddle the process with an impossibly onerous precondition is supported unanimously by the council for this reason. Final language will be refined at our July 13th meeting and I encourage anyone to contribute.

This is an important issue for us Folsomites so please, as I always like to say, stay informed, stay involved and stay in Folsom. I’ll contribute more as this friendly and lively civic discourse continues.

The discussion of a directly elected mayor is intriguing. West Sac just approved this in March by a 75% to 25% margin for 2 year terms. I believe Tess is right. This would be a relatively easy signature drive. In Roseville, the highest vote getter is Mayor Pro Tem their first 2 years and Mayor the second 2 years of the 4 year council term. What do any of you think about these alternatives? I’ll see what some of the other council members think.

Andy
Folsom City Council

[waterbaby149]

Thank u Andy for getting involved in the forum
but we have found as the citizens of Folsom that we can't leave it up to the cc to take care of things
I came across your champaign agenda on the internet
u have gone 180 degreees
i sure u feel you are right after hearing your fellow cc
but they are not the ones that elected u - it is people like Bob, Ed and Val - and that is why a couple of your friends are going to face strong opposition at election time should they decide to run again
it would be nice, for once, to have the cc take an action that pleases the citizens of this community
like electing our own mayor
or putting the Save the Park issue on the ballot
or adopting the 50 proposal w/o the necessity of an election

[john]

Andy,

thank you for speaking up. I wish more CC members chatted on this board, as it's a great way to discuss the things publicly in a non-threatening way. I've spoken at CC meetings and it is quite intimidating.

Anyway, I think you have some valuable ideas. I too have had mixed feelings about the November ballot initiative - if Folsom does not develop it, Sacramento County or Rancho Cordova will. I'd rather see Folsom's official plan for development, and if it looks good, we OK it, if it doesn't, we don't.

The thing I think a lot of people realize is that this land will get developed sooner or later. It's not going to be barren weeds forever. We may as well come up with some ideas and go from there.

I support voting for a development plan, but I don't think it's as simple as "we don't want it developed, so if we vote against it, it will never get developed". That's not how it works.

[EDF]

Andy and the forum....

Come on Andy....

Let's be honest here ok....?

Regarding the Hwy 50 freeway requirement from Hazel to the El dorado County line...

I am sorry, but you are spreading a lie when you say there is the so called "poison pill" in our initiative...

The reason why Cal-Trans will not build the additional lanes is because WE HAVE THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTANTS in the region... We are therefore "OUT OF COMPLIANCE" and that is why they won't build the freeways, no matter who pays for it...

Inspite of the current gridlock, are you asking us the voters to believe that future development is not going to impact our traffic even more...? and your solution is to build "parrallel feeder roads" like Iron Point....which is "staff's proposal"....

I will let Bob Fish refute your assertion that Rancho or the County would then be the next "logical" choice for the land owners to apply for development permits....

We discussed this outside of the June 8th Council meeting... Bob gave you tons of information... have you ever bothered to check it out for yourself...? Its dog gone almost impossible for them to go to the County or Rancho... you are spreading "mis-information"....

And this is why we don't trust the CC...

If your initiative passes, the power will still be in the CC's hands and you guys will just do the same old... same old.... "waive a little reg." here... we'll "give you a credit for this".... and we'll "delcare a negative impact there"...

The power of our initiative gives the voters not the City Council the final say on the development plan South of 50, yours keeps the "final say" in the hands of the "city hall" crowd....

You all should know that the so called "visioning process" would never have happened had it not been for the citizens of Folsom bringing our petitions... City Hall only acts our way when we get involved....

How many signatures could we have received if we took the whole time alotted.....? we got over 4,400 in just 5 weekends..... We had 180 days...

How many votes did you get in the election Andy....? Just curious....