Monterey Park Fires Its Entire Planning Board

MONTEREY PARK — A bitterly divided City Council voted this week to fire the city’s five-member Planning Commission, saying the action could pave the way for an aggressive campaign aimed at reshaping development in the city.

Criticizing the planners for not reflecting what some council members say is a mandate to curb growth, the council voted 3 to 1, with one abstention, to dismiss the entire commission.

“The city is involved in a fresh, new look at the problem of development,” said Councilman Chris Houseman, referring to a massive Community Design Program that will soon enter the planning stage. “That has to include a fresh, new approach on the Planning Commission.”

“This Planning Commission has never related to the people of the community,” agreed Councilwoman Patricia Reichenberger. “They do not reflect the feelings of the council.”

Mayor in Dissenting Vote

But Mayor G. Monty Manibog, who cast the dissenting vote at Monday’s turbulent meeting, described the action as unprecedented and unfair.

“(The council majority) is trying to mold Monterey Park into their own image,” Manibog said. “You don’t take commissioners who have served honorably and in a dedicated manner and then fire them.”

Councilman Cam Briglio, who abstained from the vote, said he was willing to consider appointing a new commissioner to one of the seats but not all.

“It’s just a little too late,” Briglio said. “It’s like closing the barn door after the horse got out.”

Planning commissioners are appointed to the nonpaid, part-time positions by the mayor with the council’s approval. New members are scheduled to be selected at a Feb. 18 meeting.

Although the council welcomed them to compete for their old positions, most of the fired commissioners said they were unsure whether they would reapply.

“I am very hurt by this,” said Patricia Chin, a member of the commission since 1982. c certainly don’t feel I have done anything to deserve being replaced.”

David Barron, who was appointed to his four-year term in 1985, questioned the wisdom of replacing the commission so late in the planning process.

“I suggested to the council that it was better not to change horses while they’re crossing a very important stream,” Barron said. “It might delay the planning effort going on now.”

The commission’s dismissal comes just as the city is nearing completion of its Community Design Program, a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing congestion and encouraging high-quality development in Monterey Park.

The four-pronged project features a community design study to recommend zoning changes and new architectural standards, a citywide traffic study to improve parking and traffic flow, an economic study to evaluate the city’s mix of commercial tenants and a South Atlantic Boulevard study to suggest possible redevelopment projects for the commercial strip.

The council has spent about $250,000 on consultants for the project, which has been supported primarily by council members Reichenberger, Houseman and Barry Hatch.

City officials speculated that a Planning Commission more in tune with those three members would probably help expedite implementation of the design program.

In addition to the Planning Commission vote, Monday’s meeting was repeatedly punctuated by indications of the deep political divisions that separate Manibog and Briglio from the council majority.

Several times, the meeting grew more heated when Manibog implied that Houseman had tried to exert his influence on the consultants being paid to study the design project.

“You’re completely out of order, Mr. Mayor,” Houseman shouted.

“It is not out of order,” Manibog replied.

Houseman then pointed to several members of the audience who are serving on a citizen advisory committee for the project.

“You’re insulting them this evening,” Houseman said, adding that the mayor had implied the committee was not functioning independently.

“That’s a big smoke screen, Chris,” Manibog said.

“And you’re puffing it out,” Houseman said.

Finally, as commotion in the council chamber quieted, Houseman said, “What a pile of (expletive) this all is. I don’t even have a shovel for it.”

Later, when Manibog brought up the charge again, Houseman turned to him and said:

“You’re a liar and you don’t know crap about it, buddy. You accuse me of this with your McCarthyism tactics.”

Ongoing conflicts between the two factions developed shortly after Houseman, Reichenberger and Hatch each ousted incumbents in last April’s election, a victory that was widely interpreted as a mandate to curb development in the city.

In politically volatile Monterey Park, petitions to recall Briglio, Reichenberger and Hatch were filed last week with City Clerk Pauline Lemire. She said she has 30 days to verify the signatures, after which a special election could be held in May or June.

One of the new council’s first actions last year was to impose a citywide moratorium on the construction of multifamily housing, as well as on commercial buildings in most areas. The moratorium is scheduled to expire on April 28.

Moratorium Issue Arises

Monday’s meeting erupted again when the three freshmen members attempted to extend the moratorium for another six months as a way to control growth in the commercial areas until the design project can be approved.

Briglio, who had supplied the necessary fourth vote for the moratorium last year but later withdrew his support, opposed the extension because he said the construction ban had been unfairly harsh on many local businesses.

“I think this is a bunch of garbage,” Briglio said of the proposed extension. “Until you clean up the garbage . . . I won’t go with it.”

After Houseman tried to explain why he thought the moratorium was essential to the design project, Briglio blurted:

“Apparently, I don’t speak English. Clean up the garbage.”

Later, Hatch turned to Briglio and sharply criticized him for squabbling about the moratorium.

“To me, it is rather bewildering to hear you, as an elected official, undermine the dreams of the community,” Hatch said.

With only the votes of Hatch, Houseman and Reichenberger, the extension could not be approved.

A public hearing and a staff report on the moratorium extension are also scheduled for the Feb. 18 meeting.