Council Of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO) Votes To Call On Mayor/Council To Rescind LaFarga Appointment To Planning Comm'n

' Council Of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO) Votes To Call On Mayor/Council To Rescind LaFarga Appointment To Planning Comm'n

LBReport.com

News

LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

(Aug. 2, 2017, 3:45) -- LBREPORT.com has learned that LB's grassroots Council of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO) -- a group recently revived under the leadership of veteran civic activist Robert Fox with representatives of a number of neighborhood groups and prominent advocates citywide -- has voted overwhelmingly to call on Mayor Robert Garcia and the City Council to rescind their recent appointment (Mayor chosen, Council approved) of Josh LaFarga to LB's Planning Commission.

We're told the July 27 vote was nearly unanimous, with only the Wrigley Association abstaining (on grounds it needed the Association's approval.)

[Scroll down for further.]

On July 14 Mayor Garcia announced the surprise resignation (effective in October) of an incumbent Planning Commissioner and simultaneously announced the appointment of Mr. LaFarga, who until only weeks earlier was an L.A. resident and former member of an L.A. City Hall Commission. Real estate records show Mr. LaFarga bought a house in North Long Beach in late May, just weeks before Mayor Garcia chose him for the position on a City Hall body with voting/recommendation powers on land use, zoning, development and neighborhood impacting projects citywide.

Sponsor

Sponsor

Mr. LaFarga holds a leadership position in the Laborers Plaster and Tenders" Union ("LiUNA!") Local 1309, whose PAC has made campaign and officeholder contributions to the Mayor and a number of LB Councilmembers. The union's PAC gave Mayor Garcia's "officeholder account" $1,000 in May 2016 and $1,000 in May 2017. It also gave $750 in Sept. 2016 to the "officeholder account" of Councilman Roberto Uranga.

The union PAC also gave $400 to the re-election campaign (2016 write-in) of Councilmember Dee Andrews (2016 write-in), $800 ($400 primary + $400 runoff) to the 2016 election campaign of Council candidate Jeannine Pearce, and $40,000 (May 2016) to the "Mayor Garcia, Foster & O'Neill Committee to Support Measures A & B" sales tax increase on the June 2016 ballot)

Sponsor

On July 18, the Council voted to approve the Mayor's desired appointment of Mr. LaFarga (among several other Mayoral choices) 8-0. (Councilwoman Gonzalez recused herself as the Mayor appointed her significant other to the LB Transit governing board.)

Developing.

Sponsor

Sponsor