New Citizens Group Battles Montebello on Eminent Domain

A new citizens group led by former City Councilman William M. Molinari is stirring up City Hall.

The group, South Montebello Area Residents Together (SMART), was formed earlier this year as a neighborhood improvement association to tackle such issues as reducing crime and improving youth programs south of Whittier Boulevard, organizers said.

But for now, SMART is waging a growing campaign against a proposal to give the city Redevelopment Agency the power of eminent domain in two areas of South Montebello.

Hundreds of Signatures

The group has collected hundreds of signatures in opposition to the proposal. And at Monday night’s council meeting, about 50 SMART members showed up to watch their leaders lash out at the council for not consulting with them on the proposal.

SMART contends the proposal could have a devastating effect by bringing more industry into neighborhoods without properly buffering residents from increased traffic, noise and air pollution--which could eventually force people from their homes.

City officials are listening.

Councilman Art Payan asked the City Council to form a citizens committee to provide public comment as the city moves forward on the eminent domain plan.

“There’s not sufficient input from citizens south of Whittier Boulevard,” Payan said.

The council is to decide whether to form the citizens committee at its next meeting. The city also has scheduled seven town meetings next month to explain the controversial proposal.

“Public input on that (eminent domain) is critical,” Mayor Arnold M. Glasman said in an interview. “One of the most difficult tasks is gauging the minds of the community. SMART assists that informational dialogue.”

But while officials are acknowledging SMART’s growing strength, they are also a bit wary. City officials say the group may be using scare tactics to generate opposition to the eminent domain plan.

Councilwoman Kathy Salazar said she has received reports that SMART members told area residents their single-family, owner-occupied homes may be taken through eminent domain. The City Council has said the plan they will consider would exempt owner-occupied homes from eminent domain. That plan will not come before the City Council for final approval at least until October.

‘Difficult Time’

“I have a very difficult time with accepting the scare tactics that have been used,” Salazar said. “I can understand a community group getting together, but not if it’s going to be used in a negative way.”

Molinari, a veteran community activist and SMART chairman, said the reports are an attempt to discredit a group that is challenging a city plan. Molinari said members have tried to accurately inform residents how they would be affected by eminent domain, which includes increased traffic and other problems associated with development.

“We have never made any attempt to do that (mislead residents),” Molinari said. Why would we be deceitful with people we have to live with. What we’re talking about is making sure people understand all the aspects of eminent domain.”

Molinari, who lost his bid for reelection to the City Council last November, said he first began discussing the formation of the South Montebello group last January. But the group did not actively begin recruiting members until May. SMART claims about 400 adult members, including 30 who signed up last week, Molinari said. Membership costs $10, a fee the group says will be used only to pay for operating expenses, including SMART’s newsletter.

The group has been increasing its visibility in the community in the past few months. It held its first general membership meeting in July. Molinari said it was attended by about 300 people. SMART has been distributing balloons carrying the group’s name at city events.

At a recent board of directors meeting at Molinari’s South Montebello home, about 15 directors and members discussed the problems facing their neighborhoods and the goals of the group. SMART is a nonprofit neighborhood association, Molinari said.

Large Problems

They talked about large problems such as improving the area’s police and fire protection, and of fighting against drug use and gang presence in South Montebello.

They spoke of improving the general appearance of Montebello by organizing youths to paint over graffiti, cleaning up litter and lighting dark alleys.

The SMART directors glowed over a small triumph: the council last month expanded the activities program in Holifield Park in South Montebello after a member complained. The city anticipated expanding services at the park, but the input from the SMART member helped expedite the expansion, said Al King, director of parks and recreation.

City officials say they are troubled because the group divides the city into north and south, which could create hostilities between residents of the same city. But Molinari says the division was created by the economy of Montebello. Virtually all of the city’s industry is south of Whittier Boulevard, while commercial and residential development is concentrated to the north.

Sixty-six percent of the city’s population lives in the north, and 34% lives in the south, a city official said.

Molinari noted that none of the current council members live in South Montebello, and only a few residents from the southern region serve on the city’s various commissions.

‘Lack of Sensitivity’

“We have a feeling here, in some respects, there may be a lack of sensitivity,” Molinari said. “As we got talking to one another we realized we had common concerns but no vehicle to represent them to the city.”

SMART board members say most of their common problems stem from living with industry. There are the truck yards with their noise and smoke. SMART members say their sleep is often disturbed and they worry about breathing exhaust from the vehicles and emissions from nearby industry.

“When I bought my house 35 years ago, it was all residential,” said board member Harry Haprov. “Slowly they’ve turned it into commercial.”

And because of these problems, SMART members say, eminent domain is now most on their minds.

The city’s Redevelopment Agency wants the council to give it the power of eminent domain to spur growth in two redevelopment areas in South Montebello. The Redevelopment Agency has the power of eminent domain in a third redevelopment zone to the north.

The two areas are the 287-acre South Montebello Industrial Redevelopment Project Area, formed in 1973, and the 332-acre Montebello Economic Revitalization Project area, which was formed in 1982.

The South Industrial Project area is mostly industrial but includes some residences and commercial property. The Economic Revitalization area, which covers central Montebello and stretches into the south area of the city, is mostly industrial with commercial property along Whittier Boulevard and some housing. There are 374 residential units in the two areas, including 25 single-family homes, officials said.

General Strategy

Redevelopment officials have a general strategy that anticipates bringing more industry into the areas to create more jobs and generate additional tax revenue for the city. The strategy does not anticipate displacing a “significant number” of residential properties in the area, said Victor Grgas , community development director.

City officials point to an ongoing moratorium on new trucking operations in the area as an indication that they are dealing with the development problems affecting South Montebello.

But Molinari says SMART wants a more specific plan that details how residents will be protected against noise, pollution and traffic if more industry moves into the area. He said the group also would like a plan that specifies where renters can relocate into affordable housing if they are required to move. Molinari said the group has collected more than 700 signatures during a petition drive in opposition to eminent domain.

“At least give the people all the information about it (eminent domain) before a decision is made,” Molinari said. “Our perspective is as the people who have to live with that decision on a day-to-day basis.”

One SMART member who lives on Espanol Avenue within the South Industrial Project area fears she may eventually be squeezed out of her home even though owner-occupied residences would be immune from eminent domain. A disposal firm with its fleet of trucks is already across the street and the Redevelopment Agency recently bought two nearby homes from willing sellers. Grgas said the agency has no immediate plans to develop the two properties, but would eventually like to see a revenue-producing business there.

“I don’t know if I’d like to be here surrounded by an undesirable environment,” said Eleanor Trigueros, 74, who has lived in her home since the early 1940s.

City officials say the group’s concerns will be considered when the proposal makes its way before the city’s Planning Commission, and then before the City Council. Some city officials are at least a little troubled that the group is making so much noise before those hearings even have been scheduled.

“I think they can be a very constructive group,” Payan said. “My personal experience has told me so far they’re impatient.”

A proposal to give the Redevelopment Agency the power of eminent domain in the South Industrial Project area was voted down by the council in 1981 in the face of strong opposition from industrial firms and residential property owners.