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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - 55B Orozco, Norma From:Kara Grant <kara@grant-law.net> Sent:Tuesday, October 06, 2020 4:01 PM To:eComment Subject:Comments Re City Council Hearing 10/6/20 Attachments:Al Bushala Decl.pdf; Bushala v. Alvarado Smith - COMPLAINT.pdf; Bushala v. Alvarado Smith - COMPLAINT\[1\].pdf; Pulido email to Wallace re SANE appeal October 2019.pdf; Pulido Form 700 Santa Ana 2020.pdf; Pulido Form 700 Supervisor 2019.pdf; KGL - Comments to City Council Re Rescinding Approvals - FINAL - 091520.pdf Importance:High Dear Mayor Pulido and Councilmembers: Mayor Pulido is disqualified from participating or voting on any matters related to the SANE v. City of Santa Ana lawsuit or regarding the Russell Fischer project at 301 and 325 N. Tustin Avenue. You are disqualified from participating or voting Closed Session item 1C, on today's agenda and item 55B on the consent calendar. You are disqualified due to your conflicts of interest--including the same conflicts of interest that disqualified you from participating or voting on the appeal in October 2019. It was the same conflicts of interest that precluded you from participating or voting on the secrete settlement agreement with Russell Fisher at the last hearing as we stated in our prior comments. (We sure hope you did not vote on the settlement agreement with Russell Fischer at the last hearing, item 1D on the closed session agenda from the City Council hearing of September 15, 2019.) The reason why you are so bothered about evidence of your relationship with Wallace being exposed publicly is that you know that it is not kosher for her to be your assistant, best friend, and business partner, while at the same time being highly compensated as a "permit expediter" for the City of Santa Ana, by developers seeking approvals and permits from the City of Santa Ana, for which are mayor, and have been mayor for many years. You know that your relationship with Wallace provides her with influence to get things done at the city because of her close relationship with you (well known within City Hall). You also are conflicted because Wallace's effectiveness at getting her clients' projects approved by the City is the most important factor in whether she has a lucrative consulting business (as she currently has) or not. In addition, you and Wallace were (and still are) business partners in a variety of different enterprises when the Russell Fischer project came before the City Council. It is not permissible for you to participate in any matter on which Wallace is or was a consultant at the City of Santa Ana. Attached are some of the more recent documents showing this improper relationship. In addition to the conflicts of interest existing before, you now have an additional conflict of interest in that you are personally invested--and in fact hired an attorney to make an appearance on your behalf--in preventing discovery into your relationship with Jill Wallace. You have an interest in avoiding your own deposition, and obtaining documents from you including your text messages with Wallace, and preventing us from taking Wallace's deposition and obtaining documents from her as well. We also object to Councilmember Sarmiento participating or voting on Closed Session item 1C, on today's agenda and item 55B on the consent calendar. Councilmember Sarmiento was disqualified from participating or voting on the appeal in October 2019 due to the contributions that Chase Russell made or attempted to make for your benefit and based on the communications you had with him shortly before both the October 2019 hearing and today's hearing where Chase asked you point blank to help him get his project pushed through (and now has asked you to help him once again) shortly before the hearing and you did not refuse to do so. With all do respect, at a minimum, there is the lack of at least the appearance of impartiality and we request that you not participate or vote. For item 55B, Russell Fischer's letter only requests that the City Council rescind the 2019 approvals and all permits and entitlements that it was based on, including the lot line adjustment. That is all you should do today. You should not attempt to make any finding about the reason why Russell Fischer is not pursuing the project, whether it is because of COVID, or it is because the Judge has enjoined the development of the project without bond and indicated that Russell Fischer is likely to lose on the merits on multiple grounds. Russell Fischer has not provided you with any documentation to substantiate its claim that the financial viability of the project has changed for Covid or any other reason. 1 Similarly, the City Council should not attempt to make any findings about the force and effect of any prior approvals, or whether those approvals were affected by the adoption of the 2019 approvals or anything else. The 2018 approvals are not before you today. As you all should have learned in your first year civics’ class, the role of the City Council is to pass laws and it is the rule of the Courts to interpret those laws. Judge Wilson has already described the City's position that the 2018 entitlements and environmental mitigation measures were not "somehow set aside" or abandoned. In describing the City's attempted explanation, Judge Wilson bluntly stated : "that's what I would call a linguistic explanation for something that otherwise on its face on the documents themselves is completely contradictory" and the explanation could not be reconciled "with the documents themselves where that provision is deliberately struck through" as part of the 2019 approvals. (SANE v. City of Santa Ana, Case No. 30-2019-01104316, Transcript of Proceedings, June 18, 2020, pp. 8:19-9:26.) Judge Wilson was incredulous that no reasonable person would look at the resolution and think they are required to comply with the mitigation measures from the MND and MMRP. And it is by virtue of the poison pill provision included in each of the 2018 approvals that striking mitigation as a condition caused each of the other approvals to become invalid. The City Council should not approve the current resolution without removing these unnecessary and meritless statements. Including these statements in this resolution will ensure that the lawsuit is not moot and that the City and Russell Fischer will face additional litigation--now 100% at the taxpayers’ expense when it was all at Russell Fischer's expense--that it will lose for adopting these spurious so-called findings. The only reason the Council would include these findings is to try to do a favor for Pulido, Wallace and Russell Fischer. Enough favors, it’s time for the City Council to act in the best interest of the City and its constituents. 2 I incorporate by reference the comments submitted to the September 15, 2020 City Council hearing, which are attached hereto, as well as the attached documents. Thank you, Kara Grant -- Kara E. Grant | Attorney at Law KARA GRANT LAW 17595 Harvard, Suite C-202 Irvine, CA 92614 t | (949) 579-9330 e | kara@grant-law.net This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential and/or proprietary information (and, in some cases information protected by either or both doctrines of attorney-client privilege and attorney work-product), and is intended only for the individual(s) or entity or entities to whom the communication is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this email by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is strictly prohibited. If you are not an intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, and delete and destroy all copies of the original message. 3 Fmfduspojdbmmz!Gjmfe!cz!Tvqfsjps!Dpvsu!pg!Dbmjgpsojb-!Dpvouz!pg!Psbohf-!1903203131!21;63;53!BN/ 41.3131.12235257.DV.QO.DKD!.!SPB!$!5:!.!EBWJE!I/!ZBNBTBLJ-!Dmfsl!pg!uif!Dpvsu!Cz!f!Dmfsl-!Efqvuz!Dmfsl/ 1 EXHIBIT Therefore, this week, At this point, I think it As for me, I am in meetings "Danny McPhail" ; Kevin Bacon ; jillwallace13@gmail.com ; Miguel Pulido ; Tom Zeigler"Al Bushala"Operating AgreementMonday, October 10, 2016 6:09:00 PMimage001.png I leave it to you to discuss a mutually convenient time to meet. Thomas A. Zeigler Equity Shareholder1 MacArthur Place, Suite 200Santa Ana, CA 92707T: 714.852.6800F: 714.852.6899tzeigler@alvaradosmith.com From:To:Subject:Date:Attachments: I met with the Bushala’s today and we discussed the Operating Agreement.would be best if we all met to finalize any outstanding issues to make sure everyone is on the samepage.throughout the day tomorrow, and then I am in San Francisco on Wednesday.Thursday and Friday are best for me. Regards, Tom NOTICE OF STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY. This transmission constitutes an electronic communication within the meaningof the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 USC 2510, and its disclosure is strictly limited to the recipientintended by the sender of this message, together with any attachments. This communication, including itsattachments, may contain confidential and privileged material for the sole use of the intended individual or entityrecipient, and receipt by any party other than the intended recipient does not constitute a loss of the confidentialor privileged nature of the communication. Any review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are notthe intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message, orany attachment, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original senderimmediately by telephone or by return Email, and delete this message along with any attachments from yourcomputer. Fmfduspojdbmmz!Gjmfe!cz!Tvqfsjps!Dpvsu!pg!Dbmjgpsojb-!Dpvouz!pg!Psbohf-!1202403131!15;31;39!QN/ 41.3131.12235257.DV.QO.DKD!.!SPB!$!3!.!EBWJE!I/!ZBNBTBLJ-!Dmfsl!pg!uif!Dpvsu!Cz!Nbsl!Hvujfssf{-!Efqvuz!Dmfsl/ Fmfduspojdbmmz!Gjmfe!cz!Tvqfsjps!Dpvsu!pg!Dbmjgpsojb-!Dpvouz!pg!Psbohf-!1202403131!15;31;39!QN/ 41.3131.12235257.DV.QO.DKD!.!SPB!$!3!.!EBWJE!I/!ZBNBTBLJ-!Dmfsl!pg!uif!Dpvsu!Cz!Nbsl!Hvujfssf{-!Efqvuz!Dmfsl/ MAPulido@santa-ana.orgjillwallace13@gmail.comFwd: Appeal Application No. 2019-03 (Russell Fischer Commercial Center Project (Santa Ana Needs Equity,William Conklin, Karina Rangel Conklin, Yoon Hee Choe v. COSA, Council, Planning Commission) and NOITuesday, October 22, 2019 8:30:45 PMSanta Ana Needs Equity, WilliamConklin, Karina Rangel Conklin, Yoon Hee Choe v. COSA, Council,PlanningCommission-c1.pdfATT00001.htm From:To:Subject:Date:Attachments: Tfou!gspn!nz!jQipofCfhjo!gpsxbsefe!nfttbhf; ! . ! Bt! ! !! / ebufe! 12224335 . *!sfrvftujoh! -!xijdi!xfsf -!qspqptfe! 312: . !! 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