Brea’s Folly, Part 3: Manley Letter Bullying City for Not Completely Sharing His Delusions

By
Greg Diamond
– June 15, 2015Posted in: brea, Fresh Juice
Dwight Manley gives Downtown the side-eye -- and smacks around City Staff.

Dwight Manley gives Downtown the side-eye — and smacks around City Staff.

I did a Public Records Act request last week to find out what if anything Downtown Owners Dwight Manley and Mark “Blight” Caplow (who owns the all-but-abandoned former Tower Records building that you see above) had had to say about the Staff Report put out by the City prior to Downtown Parking Structure vote.

I got more than I could have bargained for.

Here’s the most significant document I found; I used Optical Character Recognition to make it into a text file, though I can post the original image file if anyone really wants.  (I’d need some time to eliminate personal email addresses and phone numbers.)  I’m reversing the order of the emails within it so that it reads chronologically.

I’m going to open a separate item to comment on what you read below.  — GAD

[1] From: Colacion, Jennifer
>Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2015 5:13 PM
> To: City Council
> Cc: Execs; Lilley, Jennifer; Tinio, Maribeth; Pierce, Laura; Harris-Neal, Lillian; Ryan, Cindie; Pharis, Liz; Reimer, Chris
> Subject: Downtown Parking June 16th Staff Report>

> > > > > Good Evening Council,
> > > >
As requested the Staff Report and all attachments have been uploaded to the Dropbox for you to access. In addition, they have been made available to the public, and can be found using the following Iink: http://www.ci.brea.ca.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=588
>
> If you have any questions, please let me know.
>
> Jenn Colacion
> Administrative Clerk II – City Clerk’s Office
> City of Brea
>1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, CA 92821

[2] From: Crabtree, David<DAVIDC@ci.brea.ca.us
> To: Dwight Manley<redacted>; ‘MarkCaplow'<redacted>
Cc: Gallardo, Bill <BILLGA@ci.brea.ca.us>
> Sent:Tue, Jun 9, 2015 5:25 pm
> Subject: FW:Downtown Parking – June 16th Staff Report
> >
>Hi Dwight and Mark- Re below info, click that link and it will take you to our website and further link to staff report just posted. Council too has it, literally, just now. Talk to you soon, Dave

[3] On Jun 9,2015, at 5:53 PM, [DManley] wrote:

> Dave and Bill, I’m almost speechless at what you have pulled here. Where is the not to exceed option? Where is the shaved down cost for the 485 only plan without all of the contingencies? Why is Ron Wendel, a non owner of Improv, used to call me and Robert Hartman hypocrites? The Improv is leaving if this doesn’t happen. Stuart and Robert have both said it. They will now send a letter, and we will publish it if that’s what it takes.
> This staff report is offensive. I was told the “Beard” plan wasn’t even a possibility, and I now see it’s really just my old plans with his name on it.
> While this thing purports to be transparent and open, I could not find anything showing Mr Beard being closely associated with Tim O’donnell? Where are those relationships listed?
> All I can hope at this point is that three council members are not bamboozled by this and can just do what Bill promised would be an option, but somehow isn’t even mentioned.

[4] > From: Crabtree, David <DAVIDC@cLbrea.ca.us>
> To: dmanleyinc <redacted>
>Cc: MCaplow <redacted>; Gallardo, Bill <BILLGA@ci.brea.ca.us> afanticola <redacted>
>Sent: Tue, Jun 9, 2015 5:55 pm
> Subject: Re: Downtown Parking – June 16th Staff Report
>
>Huh? Not the response I expected. Face to face tomorrow will be good, I’m lost in your comments. David Crabtree, AICP Community Development Director City of Brea

[5] On Jun 9, 2015, at 6:01 PM, [DManley] <redacted> wrote:> >
Borders on criminal what was pulled here….the fantasy question answer forum? We can talk tomorrow, but you are burning a bridge that isn’t the kind you just replace with one of Tim’s cronies. Where is the not to exceed 9m option, less the RDA$?  You’ve loaded this up with so much crap, and the housing ones are both impossible, and you’re just making consensus impossible, which Tim loves, so he can have more power.
>
> Bill, I thought you were going to show leadership with this. All that has happened is a huge can of worms is being opened, and it’s obvious to me, and I will make sure everyone knows in the end who did what.
>
> Where in the hell is the support for the Brea downtown here?
[DManley]

[6] > From: Crabtree, David <DAVIDC@ci.brea.ca.us>
> To: dmanleyinc <redacted>
> Cc: MCaplow <redacted>; Gallardo, Bill <BILLGA@ci.brea.ca.us>; afanticola <redacted>
> Sent: Tue, Jun 9, 2015 6:09 pm> Subject: Re: DowntownParking – June 16th Staff Report
>
> Dwight- the report recommends the Downtown Owners option to move it forward!! Appreciating the realities of pricing are higher to realize the design, there are reasons for that which can and will be explained to Council. Costs are costs, this just lays them all out. If it can be realized for less via the final bid, so be it, but based on what our estimators predict, these are the numbers. Not looking to burn any bridges, there is no crony issue at play, the support for Brea Downtown is huge! Looking forward to talking, you don’t seem to be reading this situation the same as I am. Dave

David M Crabtree, AICP Community Development Director City of Brea, CA

[7] On Jun 9, 2015, at 6:14 PM, “[DManley]”<redacted> wrote:
> >where does it say you recommend that?

[8] From: Crabtree, David <DAVIDC@ci.brea.ca.us>
To: [DManley] <redacted>
Cc: MCaplow <redacted>; Gallardo, Bill <BILLGA@ci.brea.ca.us>; afanticola <redacted>
Sent: Tue, Jun 9, 2015 6:17 pm
Subject: Re: Downtown Parking – June 16th Staff Report
Page one, top paragraph, staff recommendation. … Option 2 is YOUR garage. We say move that forward, and consider getting to vetted costs and schedule for Option 3, which is Jamboree, within 45 days. In that period, work to move the Option 2 happens so it’s getting the Design Build RFP written and the bidders list updated, etc.

David M Crabtree, AICPCommunity Development Director City of Brea, CA

[9] >From: [DManley]

Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 20156:37 PM
To: Crabtree, David
Cc: [MCaplow]; Gallardo, Bill; [afanticola]
Subject: Re: Downtown Parking – June 16th Staff Report
>It says 2 and 3…and it says 3 costs less than 2. It also says in the stupid lying Q/A section that “build it and they will come” and “nothing came from the owners” about higher taxes or businesses!! Are you kidding? Bill, we went over all of this with you. This was written to confuse and muck up something that was DELAYED only because David and Christine PROMISED me the “menu” would be only things that are vetted and real options. Instead, the kitchen sink is in here, lies are in here, and the not to exceed 9m isn’t here. I’ve been attacked, both as “OWNER”, “LANDLORD”, “MANLEY”, and “DWIGHT”, as Tim apparently wanted to make sure he got me from every angle.   [DManley]

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About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)