Imperial Beach Voters Guide

I.B. Voters' Guide

Perspective

Continued from page 1 about it's intended purpose. It is not so much to preserve wildlife as it is to promote development. Developers and environmentalists are strange bedfellows. The County's Endangered Species Act, which SWIA helped create, activates a loophole in the Federal Endangered Species Act that allows developers to move forward unhindered by environmental studies and reports. The establishment of the Estuary and South Bay Wildlife Refuges provides mitigation for unbridled development around the bay. SWIA has been active in helping set up the Otay Valley Regional Park and San Diego River Valley wildlife preserves. While the concept of preserves sounds good, the actual reasons for promoting them are not for the benefit of the wildlife. San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla and San Diego Councilman Ralph Inzunza sit on the board of the Otay Valley Regional Park; or the "Green Belt" as it is called in Chula Vista. This land which was purchased by the county is some of the most polluted property in the county. A landfill, a tanning plant and a slaughterhouse all dumped polluted material into the stream over the years. Setting this land aside for wildlife mitigation will eliminate the need to clean up any toxic materials that might be located there. The same is likely true for the property where the Chula Vista Nature Center is located. Many years ago a cottonseed oil fire raged for three days, leaving a layer of poly-

cyclicaeromatichydrocarbons. Most of the land being purchased and annexed to these regional parks is in the flood plain and is unsuitable for building anyway! Two of the largest companies that are eating up habitat in the Otay Valley are the Otay Land Company and Hanson Aggregates. Cox appears to have a family connection with the Otay Land Company. And Hanson Aggregates was cited by the bureau of mines for mining 30 additional acres without permits. The acquisition of property for the Otay Valley Regional Park lets them all off the environmental hook. Cox even voted for the purchase of land from the Otay Land Company for annexation to the Otay Valley Regional Park! Mayda Winter and Patricia McCoy's non-profit is only eligible for grant money because it is a non-governmental, non-profit group. Educational institutions also qualify for grant money. SWIA is involved with grant money and a plethora of groups and agencies that qualify for grant money. Our location next to the border means federal money. Our pollution situation means federal money. Our wildlife refuges mean federal money. Working closely with SDSU, San Diego County Parks, State Parks, Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others, there are incredible amounts of money flowing through the SWIA office. Requests for financial information made over two years ago have gone unanswered. Strangely enough, many of the same people involved at SWIA's core are involved with a political action committee that promotes local candidates, political issues and causes.

Page 2 - I. B. Voters' Guide - Nov. 2004

While the political action committee which seems to be spearheaded by Michael and Deborah Carey may be separate on paper, plenty of their issues are discussed in the offices of SWIA. So are many issues before our City Council and Regional Agencies. The Careys published a fake newspaper just before the last election attacking the character of Ron Rogers and promoting the re-election of Patricial McCoy and Diane Rose. Up until two years ago they were in control of the I.B. Sun newspaper as their

mouthpiece and political tool. Mayda Winter derives her fulltime income from her position with SWIA. The Fair Political Practices Act precludes Ms. Winter or Mrs. McCoy from voting on any issue within 500 feet of anything in which they might have a financial interest. Since the estuary boundary touches South Seacoast and I.B. Boulevard, their votes regarding weekend beach rentals on South Seacoast were clearly illegal! Mrs. McCoy claims to have never made a dime from SWIA, but I'm sure they've paid travel

and meal expenses over the years. SWIA's refusal to document its finances says it all for now! A number of issues have been voted on by the current council which are within 500 feet of the South Bay Refuge where SWIA administers grant money. Railroad rightof-way leases and historicity issues, bike trail, trestles and water flows under them; Redevelopment Agency proposed amendment area, relocation of the City Yard, and proposed development on the bayfront for eco-tourism are

By Ed Kravitz [email protected]

tions are now coming under closer scrutiny. The land parcels around the bay were gobbled up like it was a Monopoly game. Titles and deeds were shuffled to confuse and complicate the transactions. The more parties involved in a property transaction, the less likely it will be undone later in court. Malcolm orchestrated the coordination of redevopment agencies of several South Bay cities with the Port's real estate division to make some of the largest real estate transactions since John Spreckels died. They include the former Naval Training Center (where Corky McMillin is now building near the airport), the new ballpark area, Campbell Ship Yards, the B.F. Goodrich land swap, the South Bay power plant, western salt and others. Some of Malcolm's closest confidants were also involved with adjacent properties as demonstrated by Mrs. Greg Cox's involvement with the Mid-Bayfront property and

with B.F. Goodrich in Chula Vista. The fact that Cox and Malcolm support Mayda Winter and the other ladies on the council should come as no surprise, because these projects could never have happened without Imperial Beach's votes of support at the regional agencies that made these decisions. Mayda Winter, Patricia McCoy and SWIA (through its attorney, former councilman Steve Haskins) carried out a very large land transaction on behalf of David Malcolm when they laundered a parcel of property in which Malcolm had financial interest, via SWIA with a grant from the State Lands Commission or the Coastal Conservancy into the hands of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. This land transfer did not come without conditions. Malcolm was charged with perjury when deposed by the

Secret plans for redevelopment

T

he Brown Act and the Fair Political Practices Act are laws passed by the legislature to keep public decisions in an open public forum and to prevent elected and appointed leaders from enriching themselves through the votes they make while in office. The ladies on our current council have shown little or no respect of these two state laws and the best way to illustrate this is to share some of our research on the secret development plans that have already been made outside a public forum. Former San Diego Port Commissioner David Malcolm already had his master plan for bayfront development in 1997 to 1998. Many large property transactions were conducted by Malcolm, David Chapman and the Port real estate division at that time. Some of these transac-

SEE PERSPECTIVE, PAGE 3

SEE PLANS, PAGE 5