What's New, What's Next?

The Rudderless Steering Committee of R Neighborhoods Are 1 met Thursday evening and will continue efforts to help bring beautiful single-family homes on R1 sized lots to all of Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

Folks, just because many of us feel we have won Round One in our battle to save San Pedro and the rest of OUR community, we all know that it is only the beginning and we are NOT going anywhere but into Round Two and each and every future round, if necessary.

Here are some of the items discussed at last night's meeting: (What's New)

R1 Petitions:

Every signature counts, every signature is appreciated, and new signatures are required. We will still be at selected sites to gather signatures on R1 petitions. We are continuing to encourage everyone to visit http://www.rneighborhoodsare1.org/ and get news and information, and also download more R1 petitions to get even more folks to sign up to save OUR community.

We all need to continue to be visible throughout OUR community and support R1 NO COMPROMISE, especially since Bob is not even considering any real compromise to his outrageous plans.

Fund Raising:

Bob is rich and his companies have funds to work his way through L.A. City Government. Bob seems to be willing to spend whatever he wants to spend attempting to saddle all of us with a development that is so out of proportion to the rest of OUR community, that is MUST NOT be approved of.

R Neighborhoods Are 1 is an all volunteer organization. Nobody gets one penny of compensation, other than reimbursement of expenses they have funded themselves, if they want to.
Every single button associated with R1 or opposing Bob's plans have been donated to the cause, both in material expenses and time making each and every button.

Now that Round One seems to have gone our way, we need to really start collecting funds to support the rounds that are assuredly coming up.

R neighborhoods are 1
1536 W. 25th St. #223
San Pedro CA 90732-4415

We need to start saving real funds for buses to get our members and others interested in really saving OUR community, to downtown Los Angeles, when it is time. We need to provide lots of reasonable, realistic, responsible, and respectful individuals like yourself to go with us and let the City Government and City Departments know that we demand R1 NO COMPROMISE at Ponte Vista.

Buses and their drivers cost money to hire. This is one item in which your contributions will be greatly appreciated.

R neighborhoods are 1
1536 W. 25th St. #223
San Pedro CA 90732-4415

Bob is rich and his companies have money to fight for what he wants. His legal team is made up of some of the best lawyers and legal firms, anywhere.

There will come a time when R Neighborhoods Are 1 will need to hire lawyers to help in our fight to save OUR community. Legal fees are high and hiring attorneys is very expensive.

It is now time to begin a great effort in seeking contributions to hire lawyers on OUR behalf. I may be sometime before we need them to come on board, but the costs that will be incurred mean we cannot start soon enough, and now is the time.

R neighborhoods are 1
1536 W. 25th St. #223
San Pedro CA 90732-4415

According to the Web Master at www.rneighborhoodsare1.org, there will be links established for contributors to provide much needed funds via the Internet, on that site.

Blight:

Many individuals believe Bob Bisno has made deliberate attempts to make the Ponte Vista site more blighted in order to demonstrate, somehow, that he needs to improve the land.

Everyone driving along Western between Avenida Aprenda and P.V. Drive North, is stuck looking at a site that looks purposely blighted and destroyed.

How much vermin, varmints, and polluted water is on that site, now? How can the developer get away with causing such a site in OUR community.

What does the L.A. City Health Department and/or other City Departments think about the site?

Shouldn't Bob be required to eliminate all the blight and restore the area to the condition it was before anything was built there, so long ago?

The blight at Ponte Vista lowers home values of everyone living in the area, whether they live in San Pedro or R.P.V. Why should these residents be negatively impacted so that Bob can make it look like he "needs" to have new construction built at Ponte Vista?

It is time for residents along Fitness Drive, in The Gardens, down in the Westmont neighborhood, and folks living west of Western Avenue who have as their views the blighted Ponte Vista site, to individually and collectively call on Bob Bisno and the City of Los Angeles to do something about what is now seen at the site.

If Bob won't mitigate the blight, what makes anyone believe he will truly mitigate anything else?

Moving Forward: (What's Next)

We have had our chance to savor what many believe is a victory over Bob and his plans. It is true that the CAC surprised us all with their recommendations, and it looks like the majority of the members of the CAC are on the side of OUR community.

But we all must realize that there is still much to do. We need to continue to volunteer our time, money, thoughts, and efforts all the way through the many steps that still are in the future.

There are still many bumper stickers left and the button making process will continue. We are looking for real interest in folks who truly want yard signs. Even though the Steering Committee has decided to curtail, for the time being, buying any more yard signs, if folks really want them, I suggest they contact R Neighborhoods Are 1, or a Steering Committee member and let us know that it is important to OUR community to continue to provide yard signs.

Your added contributions could also support acquiring more yard signs.

R neighborhoods are 1
1536 W. 25th St. #223
San Pedro CA 90732-4415

Your Rudderless Steering Committee is becoming more involved in reaching out to other areas in the greater Los Angeles Area. Over development is not special to northwest San Pedro and there is a need for all of us to come together and fight developers, all over the area, who want to change how we live, work, and play.

Bob and his bunch have reached out all over the area and we also need to let our movement grow. Including others in our fight means we include ourselves in others' fight for THEIR communities.

As we spread our message, perhaps you have family members and friends fighting for THEIR communities. We need to let these wonderful people know that we want to include them in the greater struggles we are all having, against over development and quality of life issues.

It is not wrong to talk to others about shared problems. combining forces into a greater cause can't be wrong, and you know that.

Moving forward also means moving farther. Providing our message to more people in the desert that is Los Angeles also means that we will no longer be ignored as the community at the end of the world, as far as L.A. goes.

With the very thin strip of land that connects San Pedro to the rest of the City of L.A., San Pedro always seems to be the dangling end of something much bigger. San Pedro get shorted in so many way. Connecting people in other parts of Los Angeles means that we remove that little ribbon of land that separates San Pedro and OUR community from the rest of the area.

Moving forward also means that R Neighborhoods Are 1 should be taken very seriously by governments, politicians, bureaucrats, developers, and everyone else who thought we were just a "rabble" bunch of "ranting elitists".

You all have helped us greatly in stating to everyone that we are here, we are strong, and we will be listened to, no matter what Bob and all the B.s. (Bisno supporters) that surround him say.

Strength in numbers and strength in convictions says to everyone that our members do have a say in what happens in their lives and OUR community.