More Comments on the Pasadena Sun article "710 Freeway Coalition faces growing efforts against linking the route to 210"

 http://www.pasadenasun.com/news/pasadena-0131-710-freeway-coalition-faces-growing-efforts-against-linking-the-route-to-210,0,2132152.story


Charles E. Miller: What is amazing here is how the pro-710 cities are using public funds set aside to study or pay for transportation project (Measure R tax) to politically challenge the very public that opposes them.

Is that even legal?
Even if it is legal, than it is certainly unethical.

Those citizens like myself that oppose the 710 expansion are noted and qualified professionals in transportation, healthcare, tunneling engineering experts, PR and online relations - most more qualified than those that Metro has hired. Volunteering hundreds of hours that could otherwise go toward community hours are instead squandered fighting political largesse.

This is an additional financial drag on charitable giving that needs to accounted for in the negative column for political discourse and campaign financing.


Joe Cano:  Mr Quon, Jim Oswald (Gensler Consulting) is on video showing the threatening behavior . The uncut footage shows many of your consultants actually enjoying the proceedings & a good amount of laughter being heard off camera. My footage shows you did not run in fear as well as your staff. see footage in link(https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rli7dbUKWdo). A PR rep. named Lillian is seen capturing Mr Oswald hostile actions with a cell phone so that footage is in your possesion. Please be honest & admit that you & your paid consultants look foolish on camera. PR consultant Katherine Padilla kept pulling away anyone that started to flounder under questioning. Steve Madson apologized to Freddie Hannan for 'your' consultant's rude & threatening behavior & promised to have more informational meeting after our group was attacked by your paid staff. It's on video for all to see & disputes your entire narrative in this piece. I wil compile all videos from Pasadena & Cal Stae LA Open Houses & forward to my contacts at the State AG's office. You can make false statements to the public but not an investigators & least of all the feds. Oh & by the way El Sereno revokes your El Sereno credentials. We are ashamed to know you are from our town with your recent behavior. Go can join Barbara Messina while you are in exile. Your corporate credential are superceeded by the public's right of free speech.

Great Place to Build a Tunnel!

1. Information on the Raymond Fault 

 http://www.digplanet.com/wiki/Raymond_Fault

The Raymond Fault is a fault across central Los Angeles County and western Ventura County in Southern California.

San Gabriel Valley area

The eastern end of the Raymond Fault branches from the San Andreas Fault in the San Gabriel Mountains where it forms the east fork of the San Gabriel River and Monrovia Canyon. The fault is very straight and follows a WbS path. It then goes straight west through Arcadia and the Santa Anita Racetrack in the San Gabriel Valley, and then forms the San Rafael Hills in San Marino and South Pasadena, and Raymond Hill after which the fault is named.

Los Angeles–Ventura areas

The fault continues west to form the hills of Highland Park, the lower eastern Santa Monica Mountains from Dodger Stadium, Silver Lake, and Griffith Park through the Hollywood Hills above the Sunset Strip and Studio City. Further west the Raymond Fault creates the higher central and western Santa Monica Mountains from Beverly Hills and along the southern San Fernando Valley to Thousand Oaks and Malibu, and on to Point Mugu at the Pacific Ocean.

The fault then continues underwater to form the northern California Channel Islands, and beyond to where it terminates.

External links

 

• Southern California Earthquake Data Center: Raymond Fault
• USGS Earthquake Hazards Program database: Raymond Fault

2. Significant Earthquakes and Faults

 Chronological Earthquake Index 

 http://www.data.scec.org/significant/chron-index.html

Pasadena Earthquake

Type of Faulting: left-lateral strike-slip, with very minor reverse motion
Time: December 3, 1988 / 3:38 am PST
Location: 34° 8.47' N, 118° 7.96' W Directly below the city of Pasadena.
Magnitued: M_L5.0
Fault Involved: Raymond fault
Depth: 15.6 km

Apart from its effects on local residents, this quake was notable for a few seismological details. First, it was followed by an unusually small number of aftershocks for a quake of its magnitude, the largest of which was hardly noticable -- only a magnitude 2.4 (unless the Montebello earthquake is considered an aftershock of this event). Second, it served to bring the debate over the sense of motion of the Raymond fault closer to an end, by providing a clear example of left-lateral movement most likely located along that fault.


(Many of us remember the Pasadena Earthquake: a whole lot of shaking going on! After this quake, there have been at least 42 quakes of significance in the Southern California area, including ones widely felt in the Pasadena area: 1991, Sierra Madre, 5.8; 1992, Landers, 7.3; and 1994, Northridge, 6.7. Before the Pasadena Earthquake, don't forget the North Palm Springs Earthquake, 5.6, and the Whittier Narrows Earthquake, 5.9. Also, don't forget that the rupture of the San Andreas Fault, the Big One, is long overdue--Isn't that the one with a branch to the Raymond Fault?--with research showing that it is capable of a magnitude 8.1 earthquake [see http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/10/local/la-me-san-andreas-20101010 and numerous other articles].)

3.  710 Study Geotechnical Analysis

 Appendix T Geotechnical Study Technical Memorandum.pdf

 The convergence of the Peninsular Ranges and the Transverse Ranges has resulted in a very complex geologic structure. As the northwest vergent blocks of the Peninsula Ranges interact with the south vergent Transverse Ranges, a series of new structures has formed to accommodate the collision, including east-west compressional folding and thrusting and east-west trending left lateral faulting to shunt structural blocks off to the west. The San Gabriel Basin is a large down-warp created by regional north-northeast to south-southwest directed compressional geological forces that have uplifted the San Gabriel Mountains and folded the rocks in adjacent hills. Although they are called blind, these contractional thrust faults do express themselves at the surface by the uplift of the hills and valleys within the study area. The Elysian, Repetto, and San Rafael Hills in the western part of the study area are primarily a result of late-Quaternary-age folding and uplift (less than about 500,000 years old). The faults and folds in the hills largely trend southeasterly from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Puente Hills and are commonly referred to as the Elysian Park Fold and Thrust Belt (EPFT). Known active surface faults in the SR 710 Study area are the Raymond and Alhambra Wash faults. The Eagle Rock and San Rafael faults are generally considered to be potentially active because there is inadequate evidence as to their recency of activity.

Local Geologic Setting

Regional Faulting

The surface faults of greatest significance to the project are described in detail as follows. They include the Raymond fault, the Alhambra Wash fault, the Eagle Rock fault, and the San Rafael fault. The Raymond fault is the major active fault in the project area. It is a left-lateral, reverse-oblique fault that dips steeply (approximately 80 degrees) to the north. It extends southwesterly from the Sierra Madre Fault Zone at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains through the communities of Monrovia, Arcadia, San Marino, and Pasadena to the Raymond Hill area of South Pasadena, where the Raymond fault trends more westerly through the communities of South Pasadena, Highland Park, and possibly into Los Angeles for a length of 12 to 15.5 miles. The most-recent major surface rupture on the Raymond fault occurred sometime about 1,000 to 2,000 years ago and the recurrence interval for surface rupturing events may be about 3,300 years. (Odd that the report doesn't mention to Pasadena Earthquake in 1988 along the Raymond Fault. My comment.)There is little consensus on the rate of slip, with estimates varying from 0.1 to 0.4 millimeters per year (mm/yr) up to 1.5 mm/yr. Earthquake magnitude estimates are moment magnitude (MW) 6.0 to 7.0, with 6.7 preferred (an event that would generate 3 to 5 feet of displacement). The State of California (California Geological Survey [CGS]) has established an Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone (APEFZ) along the Raymond fault from the San Gabriel Mountains in the east to near the intersection of Avenue 50 and York Boulevard on the west.

The Alhambra Wash fault is a short northwest-southeast-trending fault in the southern part of the San Gabriel Valley that steps the Whittier fault northward. The surficial expression of the fault segment is approximately 1.5 miles long extending from SR 60 on the southeast to San Gabriel Boulevard on the northwest. The fault is designated as an APEFZ and, therefore, is considered to be active. The potential for surface displacement on the Alhambra Wash fault is poorly known but unpublished work has confirmed multiple late Pleistocene to Holocene ruptures. The maximum magnitude of an event on the Alhambra Wash fault could be about 6.25 if it ruptures separately, but it likely ruptures in larger events with the Whittier fault. The potential for surface rupture displacements along the Alhambra Wash fault would be expected to be lower than for the Raymond fault.

The San Rafael fault trends along the southerly side of the San Rafael Hills across the Arroyo Seco then along the north sides of Grace and Raymond Hills in southwestern Pasadena (Lamar, 1970). To the northwest, the fault apparently dies out north of the Eagle Rock fault as a series of disjointed strands in the basement complex of the San Rafael Hills. It has been observed to dip northeast at 80 degrees with basement rock to the north against Tertiary-age sediments to the south. The kinematics and recency of activity for this fault are unknown. The San Rafael fault is believed to merge with the Raymond fault near Lacy Park in San Marino. The fault is not known to be active; however, a recent geotechnical study at the Blair International Baccalaureate Magnet School identified subsurface faulting in seismic imaging, the age of which is unknown and still under study.

The Eagle Rock fault, mapped as an eastward continuation of the Verdugo fault, lies between the San Rafael and Raymond faults (Lamar, 1970). Southeast of the San Rafael Hills, the fault may be expressed by irregular terrain in a nearly flat surface of overlying terrace deposits. The fault is well exposed where it separates granitic rocks from conglomerate-breccia of the Topanga Formation west of Arroyo Seco. The fault appears to merge with the Raymond fault at Raymond Hill. A combined rupture of the Verdugo and Eagle Rock faults is the most likely scenario for the maximum earthquake magnitude on the Eagle Rock fault.

Numerous additional faults are mapped (Lamar, 1970) in the southwestern part of the study area, forming a complicated region of intersecting faults and fault-bounded blocks. The largest of these faults corresponds to the trace of the northwest-trending Highland Park fault. The Highland Park fault trends for approximately 6.5 miles from Monterey Park through Alhambra and El Sereno to Highland Park. The Highland Park fault appears to terminate against the western continuation of the Raymond fault in the vicinity of York Boulevard. The Highland Park fault is not considered by the CGS (2002) and California Division of Mines and Geology (1977) as active. The Highland Park fault also has not been included in the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 2 (UCERF2) catalog.

4. Ken Hudnut, Cal Tech Geophysicist, on the 710 Freeway Tunnel:

www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier...

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
710 freeway – proposed tunnels and related earthquake issues. Ken Hudnut, Ph.D. Geophysicist ... 710 tunnel alternatives & faults ...

More on "710 Freeway Coalition faces growing efforts against linking the route to 21"
  
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com/

February 3, 2013

 

 710 Freeway Coalition faces growing efforts against linking the route to 210 (Pasadena Sun - click here): Just as Los Angeles County transportation officials embark on an environmental study of options for closing the freeway gap between Alhambra and Pasadena, the lobbying group that supports the controversial tunnel option finds itself trying to regain its footing in an uphill public relations battle.

After more than two decades of lobbying for a connection between the Long Beach (710) and Foothill (210) freeways, Nat Read retired in September and passed leadership of his group, the 710 Freeway Coalition, to Harry Baldwin, a former mayor of San Gabriel who works out of his home.

Paul Talbot, city manager for Monterey Park, said that with Read out of the picture, the 710 Freeway Coalition was essentially starting over.

“Well, we had a relationship with Read Communications for many years,” he said. “Now Harry just took it over, so it's early, but they're trying hard.”

Together with his daughter, Kendall Flint, and her communications firm, Flint Strategies, Baldwin is trying to continue Read's advocacy, but they now face an opposing lobby that in the last year has grown in size, organizing power and fervor.


 The No 710 Action Committee, which wants to see the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority summarily shut down any effort to extend the freeway, claims about 60 volunteers, many of whom have a personal real estate and quality-of-life stake in the outcome. They organize, exert political pressure on local elected representatives and make their voices heard at public hearings.

( Mod: Oh boy, yet another PR consultant waltzes onto the stage. At least they're keeping it in the family this time. Are Clean Air Kendall's services something taxpayers are obliged to pay for? Or perhaps this is a "usual suspects" driven enterprise? It probably doesn't help that she is a pal of Arnold Schwarzenegger - click here.)

Another Comment to
 Letters to the Editor: No PR types at the Metro meeting-3

 http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_22481715/letters-editor-no-pr-types-at-metro-meeting

Other comments published on this blog at

 http://www.710studysanrafaelneighborhoodposts.com/2013/01/comments-to-letters-to-editor-no-pr.html

and

  http://www.710studysanrafaelneighborhoodposts.com/2013/01/more-comments-to-to-editor-no-pr-types.html

and

 http://www.710studysanrafaelneighborhoodposts.com/2013/01/more-comments-to-to-editor-no-pr-types_31.html

 

Susan Martin Bolan on the 710 Freeway public meetings: 

The protest that happened in Pasadena (right beside me) was not threatening at all.  It was just a small group of people who are fed up with not being heard and they let it be known.  I was sympathetic to their frustration but continued my conversation with the consultant I was talking to, trying to get some answers.  The Alternatives Analysis Report had only been released 5 days earlier and I couldn't possibly digest it in that short amount of time.  "Flawed" is not a strong enough word to describe this awful EIR process.

 

 

 

 Letter from Caltrans I-710 Tenants on Rental Rate Increases

Letter was written to:

Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker John Perez, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez, LA City Councilmember Jose Huizar, Senator Kevin de Leon, Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez, Senator Carol Liu

Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty, Caltrans District Director 7 Director Michael Miles, Deputy District District of Right of Way District 7 Andrew P. Nierenberg

Message from Caltran Tenant's Tri-City Network: 

 

We, the members of the Caltrans Tenant's Tri-City Network, are distributing
this communication to all noticed parties for the purpose of calling attention to

the unwarranted and harmful practices that Caltrans has undertaken recently

in relation to their astronomical rental rate increases of state-owned properties

along the 710 Corridor.

We are calling for a Moratorium on Caltrans' rent hikes and for Caltrans to

address the community concerning their intentions at a forthcoming Tenant's

Assembly.

We are also asking for our various elected officials to step up and support area
constituents in this time of crisis. After all, who can afford a 100% rent increase in a 3 year span?

We believe that common sense dictates that Caltrans comes to the table to

discuss and negotiate any proposed rent increase's so the community does not

suffer unnecessarily.

We would appreciate a response to the attached letter. Please direct any correspondence to the following email address: freyjaseidr@yahoo.com

Thank You,

Caltrans Tenant's Tri-City Network

 

The Letter:

 

To:  Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker John Perez (53^rd District), Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez (51^st District), LA City Councilmember Jose Huizar (CD14), Senator Kevin de Leon (22^nd District), Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez (24^th District), Senator Carol Liu (25th District)

To:   Caltrans Director - Malcolm Dougherty, Caltrans District 7 Director - Michael Miles, Deputy District Director of Right Way-District 7 - Andrew P. Nierenberg

To:   All Caltrans Tenants of the 710 Corridor & United Against 710 group

To:   Pasadena Weekly, LA Times, The Voice Community News, LA Weekly

To:   Joint Legislative Audit Committee & California State Auditor - Elaine Howle

From:   Tri-City Caltrans Tenants Network

Date:  January 21, 2013

The following is in response to Caltrans’ letter dated December 28, 2012, where Caltrans insists that it is mandated by the State Constitution to raise rents to market level of all those that were not already in the Departments’ Affordable Rent Program.  It is particularly in response to what we consider to be an unfair and insensitive schedule of hikes of 10% every 6 months and to Caltrans’ arbitrary and unaccountable decision making process.

MORATORIUM ON RENT HIKES: 

We Caltrans Tenants of all 3 affected cities (Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno) call for an immediate moratorium on any rent hikes for the following reasons:

1.       Caltrans chooses to ignore the State of California Attorney General’s opinion (Opinion no. 07-801, Dec. 30, 2009) that permits, as an exemption to the rule of charging market rents, “any property on the 710 route that qualifies as Surplus Property, under the Roberti Law.” Caltrans also ignores the Joint Legislative Opinion that states that there is “no constitutional or legal requirement” for Caltrans to charge fair market rent and gives discretion to the Caltrans Director. (http://www.caltranstenants.com/newsTF2.html; 2004)

2.       Caltrans fabricates when it declares that it must follow the 2012 California State Audit’s recommendations; after all, they are only recommendations of faulty, biased and incomplete audit.  Caltrans is picking and choosing the recommendations to follow. 

3.       Caltrans’ rent increase schedule of 10% every 6 months or 10% every year is completely arbitrary, unconscionable and unrealistically exorbitant by any standard Hobbs Act 18U.S. C. S 195 (b)).  It is immoral and callous considering the economic crisis and the current cost of living.  Evidence shows that Caltrans has recently changed their policy to coincide with and justify their actions (Title 21 Public Works, Chapter 24).

4.       Caltrans refuses to reveal what it deems to be the current “fair market” rent.   They provide the increase rate but the tenants do not know what 25% below or above means because the tenants do not know what the current fair market rent is for each house.   Caltrans did not provide the tenants the method used to  determine what they call “fair market” rents as mandated in their own Rental Handbook (11.04.05.00) and policy and previous agreements with Tenants in the Caltrans Rental Housing Task Force—Final Report  Feb., 2004.

5.       Caltrans unilaterally froze the rents 3 or 4 years ago because the State of California was in a financial crisis and ostensibly there were no monies to fix the houses properly and sufficiently enough to justify a rent increase. A thorough reading of the 2012 audit will prove that the houses were not left unattended because of the lack of money, but because of Caltrans administrative malfeasance and waste of funds.

6.       Caltrans, to this date, has not repaired the vast majority of Caltrans homes that are rapidly dilapidating and not in code.  The material basis for a rent freeze still exists. Caltrans has also not considered into their rent hike formula the hundreds of thousands of dollars and time invested by the renters to maintain their homes in livable and dignified conditions.

7.       Caltrans has not made public their old or new Affordable Rent Program structure.  At this point it is completely arbitrary. We have no idea who qualifies.  As of yet, Caltrans has kept their program a secret and has not provided the basis for Caltrans rental rate calculations or its compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act regarding these calculations and its privacy protection measures. Tenants are reluctant, with good reason, to send highly confidential personal information, such as social security numbers and income tax information that is requested by the Caltrans letter. Caltrans could examine this data at our homes to confirm our entitlement and thereby avoid the long term risks of Identity Theft (Privacy Act).

8.       Caltrans approaches market value as if the “market” was infallible and beyond human manipulation.  We all know that Wall Street greed had plenty to do with creating the housing bubble, inflated prices and ultimately to blame for its burst.

IT IS FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE THAT WE CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM OF RENT INCREASES  

CALTRANS PRESENCE at a TENANTS’ ASSEMBLY:  We Caltrans Tenants call for Caltrans administrators’ presence at an open Tenants’ Assembly to explain their actions in person.   We feel it is necessary that Caltrans justify their actions in an assembly of the tenants and their families.  We are open to mutually agreeing to such a gathering.

MORATORIM on CURRENT EVICTIONS & REINSTATE All WRONGLY EVICTED TENANTS:  

REOPEN and REDO The AUDIT: Although the Audit has been used as an excuse for the rent hike, it does provide sufficient information concerning Caltrans wrong-doings.  We, the Caltrans Tenants call for a complete investigation which we believe would uncover multiple cases of criminal activity worthy of prosecution.  (Please see the People’s Audit).

We are the people, we are the taxpayers, and may we remind you, we are your employers.  Caltrans administrators and staff are public servants and we demand accountability and respect.  We have rights which we expect Caltrans to honor.  Overall, Caltrans has shown incompetence in management, abuse of authority, complete abrogation of responsibility to maintain the homes adequately and complete disregard and disrespect of tenants’ rights.  Caltrans has shown distain for the Roberti Law and has arbitrarily made-up and applied its own policy as it goes along.  This dysfunctional relationship between the California State Department of Transportation and tenants is completely unacceptable.   We, Caltrans tenants will not stand still.  We will do all within our power to right this wrong and obtain justice.

Caltrans Tenants Tri-City Network