Moorpark Officials Should Listen Up

I have noticed that at Moorpark Planning Commission and City Council meetings, it is always stated that any public comments must be limited to three minutes. However, this rule is always waived for the developer’s representative. Why is that? Why does the applicant have priority over the citizens of Moorpark? After all, the only time that the public can be heard is through the public hearing process or by a letter to City Hall. The developer, on the other hand, meets with city representatives often during the time that he waits for approval/disapproval from the commission and the council.

At the Planning Commission meeting of Aug. 12, the Messenger Development representative spoke for 30 minutes during the public comment period. (This was after staff had already “explained” details of the project for 30 minutes.) All other speakers were cautioned that they had three minutes to deal with this project--a project which will have a huge impact on their lives.

There are people in this city (not part of city government) who have become very knowledgeable about the Messenger project. These folks have spent hours studying the draft environmental impact report and other pertinent documents. They have gathered information from sources outside of the city. They have a good grasp of the implications of this project. Members of the Planning Commission and City Council could benefit greatly from listening to these people. City officials and the public need to know about the negative aspects of this development.

If the developer can talk for 30 minutes, trying to make us believe that there are no problems with Hidden Creek, we should also be able to listen to 30 minutes from those who don’t agree and can give us reasons why. It’s the only way that the commissioners and council members can make an informed decision. Their decision must benefit the people of Moorpark, not just the developer. After all, who do these city officials work for . . . ?

DAWN MORTARA

Moorpark