****UPDATE – MARIO TURNER UNANIMOUSLY APPOINTED TO PLANNING COMMISSION****
The vacancy on the Santa Ana Planning Commission left by the resignation of Harvey De La Torre, who moved out of the city, will most likely be filled tonight. Item 13A. on tonights city council agenda addresses the issue and the recommendation is to, “Appoint Mario Turner to the Planning Commission”.
The appointment was continued from the December 15, 2008 meeting of the city council until tonights meeting. Turner, who was nominated by Councilmember David Benevides, will most likely receive the support of the entire council despite calls from a tiny group of folks in the community to block his appointment.
The controversy surrounding Turner’s appointment was documented by Art Pedroza in a December 15th post here on the Orange Juice. Mr. Turner is known to be an advocate of affordable/workforce housing from his days on the Redevelopment/Housing Commission and this is something that disturbs a core group of folks that are very vocal at city hall.
What little opposition there is to Mr. Turner was drummed up by affordable/workforce housing opponent Thomas Gordon. Using the “smokescreen” of Mr. Turner’s employment as a means to block the appointment, Gordon wrote a post on the Red County blog opining that Turner somehow had a conflict of interest and enlisted others to pitch that “talking point”. Mr. Turner works for Amcal Development.
Traditionally when a member of the City Council nominates someone for appointment to a board or commission their fellow councilmembers support it as a courtesy to that member. I expect tonight to be no different and would be shocked if any member of the council moved to block this appointment. They would be traveling down a very slippery slope if they did so and would be setting quite a messy precident.
On a personal note, I look forward to serving with my Mario on the Planning Commission and I am excited that we will have someone with his background and experience on board. Harvey De La Torre was an excellent commissioner, one whom I miss tremendously, however I am quite confident that Mario will be a terrific replacement. I cannot wait to welcome him aboard.
Wow something is bothering me about this article maybe its the fact that Sean Mill posts this acting as if he has inside knowledge somehow.
That he knows it doesn’t matter what any residents or business owners feel just that he will be voted in regardless. We the residents know that it matters very little and that we virtually have no voice we are not fools.
This just does not seem like something a member of the planning commission should be posting on a blog.