PERSPECTIVE--After pulling the rug out from under Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council by announcing he was changing the locks at the facility it used for its office and committee meetings, Fuentes caught some heat from neighborhood council activists.
He must have felt uncomfortable enough that he wrote a letter to the council’s board.
It was not an apology.
If anything, it was insulting.
In his motions to the City Council for approval of his plan to allow two non profits to occupy space that STNC had used for eleven years, he stated that the premises were vacant – an outright lie. His letter repeated the bogus assertion:
“…buildings serving Pacoima and Sunland/Tujunga were completely devoid of city personnel and service providers….I have sought partners who provide essential service to our communities….The Sunland/Tujunga will be fully utilized by providers who have extensive service histories and knowledge of the issues facing our communities.”
I suppose, in his eyes, STNC is not part of the city family and has no history of serving the community. The NC must have been invisible, too, since the building was “completely devoid.”
As I wrote earlier this week, I have no position as to which organizations would better serve the community from the building.
But you don’t give the bum’s rush to a long-time tenant with a record of service reaching back through terms of two previous City Council members.
It is only now he is offering assistance with STNC’s move (no new location has been identified). Undoubtedly, Fuentes acquiesced in the face of criticism. Had he truly cared, he would have provided adequate notice and worked to find a new home for the NC months ago.
(Paul Hatfield is a CPA and serves as President of the Valley Village Homeowners Association. He blogs at Village to Village and contributes to CityWatch. The views presented are those of Mr. Hatfield and his alone. They should not be construed to represent the opinions of the VVHA or the residents of Valley Village, individually or as a group. He can be reached at: [email protected].)
–cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 82
Pub: Oct 9, 2015
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