Saving Clover Valley - Referendum Letters
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Referendum opponents infiltrate, sabotage
Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007
The people of Rocklin are opposed to the Clover Valley development. They're opposed to its traffic impacts.
People who live in Rocklin also want better air quality not worse, so they don't want more cars and they don't like oak
trees removed. Remember the battle over the K-Mart oak? That was one tree.
The Clover Valley developer plans to add cars and remove 8,000 oak trees.
The referendum to stop the development is being sponsored by the people of Rocklin, en masse.
For the last year or so the developer, who lives out of state, has been attempting to reshape the perception of his
project and the community wide effort to stop it.
Working the issue for the developer is a public relations firm, at least two law firms, and a few talking heads who sell
their local credibility by the hour.
With the advent of the referendum, he's engaged an outfit whose sole purpose is to infiltrate and sabotage our
communities referendum effort by means that include physically blocking petition signers, harassing signature
gatherers, complaining to store managers about petition gatherers, personal legal intimidation, false or frivolous police
reports, distributing signature rescind cards with misleading information, hiring out of town people to stand in front of
stores specifically to confuse citizens and cause them to become frustrated with the issue.
All of this and more has been unleashed on our community these past two weeks. What is next boys?
Dave Bennett, Rocklin
Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007
The people of Rocklin are opposed to the Clover Valley development. They're opposed to its traffic impacts.
People who live in Rocklin also want better air quality not worse, so they don't want more cars and they don't like oak
trees removed. Remember the battle over the K-Mart oak? That was one tree.
The Clover Valley developer plans to add cars and remove 8,000 oak trees.
The referendum to stop the development is being sponsored by the people of Rocklin, en masse.
For the last year or so the developer, who lives out of state, has been attempting to reshape the perception of his
project and the community wide effort to stop it.
Working the issue for the developer is a public relations firm, at least two law firms, and a few talking heads who sell
their local credibility by the hour.
With the advent of the referendum, he's engaged an outfit whose sole purpose is to infiltrate and sabotage our
communities referendum effort by means that include physically blocking petition signers, harassing signature
gatherers, complaining to store managers about petition gatherers, personal legal intimidation, false or frivolous police
reports, distributing signature rescind cards with misleading information, hiring out of town people to stand in front of
stores specifically to confuse citizens and cause them to become frustrated with the issue.
All of this and more has been unleashed on our community these past two weeks. What is next boys?
Dave Bennett, Rocklin
| Developers hired outside help to block referendum Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007 A referendum is a Constitutional right. However, a well-financed effort is going over the edge to discourage, halt and thwart a legal, important Democratic process. While the Save Clover Valley group is legally gathering signatures, the development side has hired outside blockers, threatened the Save Clover Valley people, and is now acting as if they are trying to save Clover Valley with bogus petitions, when in fact they are merely going along with development plans. When the time comes to vote on whether to save or pave Clover Valley, remember these desperate, despicable, anti-democratic, pro-development dirty tricks and vote accordingly. Katie Cather, Loomis |
Clover Valley partners out to disrupt our rights
Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007
The group approved by the Clover Valley Partners to create confusion and disrupt the referendum process is working
overtime. Every registered voter who signs our referendum petition is exercising their right as a citizen.
We are petitioning for the right to vote on the future of our city and the quality of life of its residents. Once it is on the
ballot, you can vote for more development and traffic or against it.
We are willing to take the risk that our community knows what's best for it. Why is the opposition so afraid to let the
citizens of Rocklin exercise this basic right?
This is our city government and our right as citizens of Rocklin to petition it.
Janet Dunlap, Rocklin
Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007
The group approved by the Clover Valley Partners to create confusion and disrupt the referendum process is working
overtime. Every registered voter who signs our referendum petition is exercising their right as a citizen.
We are petitioning for the right to vote on the future of our city and the quality of life of its residents. Once it is on the
ballot, you can vote for more development and traffic or against it.
We are willing to take the risk that our community knows what's best for it. Why is the opposition so afraid to let the
citizens of Rocklin exercise this basic right?
This is our city government and our right as citizens of Rocklin to petition it.
Janet Dunlap, Rocklin
| Voting is a freedom we are all entitled to Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007 The other day in front of Safeway, I signed a Clover Valley petition for the referendum which allows Rocklin residents to vote on this issue. I then came home to a letter and a phone call from the "sensitives." They proceeded to tell me what I know to be falsehoods about the referendum and its ramifications for Rocklin. From what I understand they are asking people not to sign to vote! Voting is a freedom that every American is entitled to. It is our right. Not only was the request to take away that freedom, but there is a postcard I can fill out to rescind my signature. My signature can be taken out, erased, like it never existed. Isn't this still a free country? Isn't our signature something very personal we put on every important document in our lives? It says, "this is me, I'm giving you permission to use this and I trust it will be guarded with no harmful intent." It is very personal and unique to us all. This should insult us, like our signature doesn't matter. It matters a great deal! No matter how one feels about this issue, I ask that no one allow them to erase your right as an American citizen to put your John Hancock wherever you choose. Suzanne Kizer, Rocklin |
Something doesn’t add up with latest offer
Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007
In the ongoing debate over saving Clover Valley, I've studied the arguments put forth by the pro-development side.
There is something that doesn't make sense.
They say that the landowners have drastically reduced the number of homes to be built from 952 homes to 558 - an
almost 400-home reduction. The plan is to build upscale homes at an average cost of about $1 million each.
That's about a $400 million reduction in sales that they are more than willing to walk away from, just because they
decided to "listen to the community."
I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that developers would walk away from that much business due to "community
feedback."
Yes the community is very concerned about this development and the enormous increase in traffic it will bring, the
thousands of oak trees that will be chopped down, the ancient Indian sites that will be paved over, and the lost
opportunity for a one-of-a-kind park for all of us to enjoy.
Is it more likely that the reason the plan was reduced was because the original development plan of 952 homes is no
longer feasible as per the Environmental Impact laws and other city needs?
The pro-development side keeps threatening Rocklin citizens that the current referendum going around to let the voters
decide on the fate of Clover Valley would cause the "reduced plan" to go back to the original plan of nearly 400 more
homes.
Considering that these developers have repeatedly made it clear that they want to maximize their profits, wouldn't they
want the referendum to go through? Something smells fishy with their argument.
Lisa Loebs, Rocklin
Placer Herald - Thursday, September 13, 2007
In the ongoing debate over saving Clover Valley, I've studied the arguments put forth by the pro-development side.
There is something that doesn't make sense.
They say that the landowners have drastically reduced the number of homes to be built from 952 homes to 558 - an
almost 400-home reduction. The plan is to build upscale homes at an average cost of about $1 million each.
That's about a $400 million reduction in sales that they are more than willing to walk away from, just because they
decided to "listen to the community."
I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that developers would walk away from that much business due to "community
feedback."
Yes the community is very concerned about this development and the enormous increase in traffic it will bring, the
thousands of oak trees that will be chopped down, the ancient Indian sites that will be paved over, and the lost
opportunity for a one-of-a-kind park for all of us to enjoy.
Is it more likely that the reason the plan was reduced was because the original development plan of 952 homes is no
longer feasible as per the Environmental Impact laws and other city needs?
The pro-development side keeps threatening Rocklin citizens that the current referendum going around to let the voters
decide on the fate of Clover Valley would cause the "reduced plan" to go back to the original plan of nearly 400 more
homes.
Considering that these developers have repeatedly made it clear that they want to maximize their profits, wouldn't they
want the referendum to go through? Something smells fishy with their argument.
Lisa Loebs, Rocklin