Years ago, a Mayor of Concord admitted to taking bribes. He gave the money back. He went on to serve in the State Assembly. Concord is a a safe place for bad people to serve in office. So, this story does not surprise me.
“Instead of choosing respected developer Catellus, Concord went for an inferior bid from politically connected Lennar and their subsidiary Five Point Holdings. It did not matter that political influence from Lennar allies including Willie Brown bribed then Concord Mayor Tim Grayson with donations to his Assembly Campaign. In addition the City Manager broke the Brown Act by trying to suppress a staff recommendation in favor of the Catellus proposal.
Catellus CEO Ted Antenucci was so disgusted he withdrew from the selection process despite the time and funds his company spent on a project worth several billion dollars of revenue. At the end Lennar and their allies were victorious but it would prove be a hollow victory.”
More sleaze from Concord—and the people of the town will suffer.
Is change possible? by Richard Eber
Richard Eber, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views, 7/14/22
If you hang out with boa constrictors, expect to be strangled. Apparently the City Council of Concord has not received this message. In trying to select the best master developer for the surplus 4000-acre parcel Naval Weapons Depot, they have selected vendors that more resemble 10 most wanted FBI posters than so called partners.
Instead of choosing respected developer Catellus, Concord went for an inferior bid from politically connected Lennar and their subsidiary Five Point Holdings. It did not matter that political influence from Lennar allies including Willie Brown bribed then Concord Mayor Tim Grayson with donations to his Assembly Campaign. In addition the City Manager broke the Brown Act by trying to suppress a staff recommendation in favor of the Catellus proposal.
Catellus CEO Ted Antenucci was so disgusted he withdrew from the selection process despite the time and funds his company spent on a project worth several billion dollars of revenue. At the end Lennar and their allies were victorious but it would prove be a hollow victory
A couple years later after spending some 15 million dollars given to them by the City, Lennar walked away with most of these funds and the project itself. The bidding opened up again which pitted highly respected Brookfield Properties versus controversial developer Albert Seeno whose bid was submitted as, Concord First Partners (CFP
Much like what occurred with Lennar, influence from labor unions and the local garbage company won the Seeno group the contract because of a highly touted Project Labor Agreement (PLA).
A year later the Seeno group renounced the PLA saying building the 40,000 units with such an agreement in place was too expensive. Their previous tender was not feasible. The Seeno group further promised to sue the City if their demands for change in the original agreement were not met.
It might be asked why a City Council and a City Manager decided twice to do business with companies who refused to submit financials with their bids, have been the subject of FBI indictments, and have a record of being involved with litigation at every turn?
Apparently, this fiasco does not matter to Concord voters. Incumbents and those supported by local special interest groups have won every election. The City Manager Valarie Barone has been given a couple of raises as chaos continues unabated.
Most of the time City Council members have won unopposed in District Elections foisted upon them by Sacramento. This same outcome has been repeated across the State as the monetary influence of office holders and wealthy candidates has enabled them a massive advantage in District elections. So much for a system that was supposed to make it possible for minorities to gain an equal footing in the electoral process.
Critics point to this system which was pushed upon cities in California by the Voting Act of 2001. If municipalities preferred at large elections, they were successfully sued for non-compliance by ambulance chaser Attorney Kevin Shenkman.
Welcome to democracy in California and its one party rule. Thanks to the top vote getters in primaries (regardless of Party affiliation) completing in November, this has resulted in the electorate having little to choose from in most cases. Very little competition exists accept in a few Central Valley precincts where the GOP has a voice.
Even then the practice of vote harvesting and redistricting has made it virtually impossible to challenge the Democratic monopoly. It has come to the point that if a conservative wants to run for office, they must either be Independents or become pretend liberals.
Despite such a dismal record Gavin Newsom, who has all but declared his intentions to run for the Presidency in 2024, is eager to spread California Progressive ideology to the rest of the Country. Taking kingmaker Bobby Baker’s advice, If you want to be drafted, you have to do it yourself”, California’s governor is currently purchasing media exposure in Florida.
If Newsom is successful, the first priority of Democrats is to eliminate the Electoral College. Were this the case the outcome of elections would be determined in large cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Making matters worse many Progressives are upset that in the US Senate, states like North and South Dakota have as much representation as the California-New York duo.
Throw in ranked choice elections, support from the traditional news outlets, packing the Supreme Court, and censorship imposed by social media; Democrats look forward to generations of political domination.
In short Progressives want to overturn the Constitution and make the USA a virtual one party society.
Such an outcome which seems well in sight right now scares the hell out of me. Even where I live in Concord, political opposition to the powers that be seems impossible. Other than committing a homicide or being filmed conducting lewd acts in a restroom at the park, defeating the power brokers is unlikely to happen.
Even when elected officials pass away, retire, or move on to another office, lap dog replacements are always in the pipeline. Grass Roots political movements appear to be a thing of the past. One can’t even water a lawn as the State is unwilling to build new water storage facilities. Soon utilizing unlimited electricity at home will come under attack because of California Green New Deal policies.
No one seems to care.
I do think there is hope for conservative reform both where I reside and in California. It may not be in my lifetime but somewhere along the line sanity will return to the: Golden State.
My only question is how many hard working families and businesses will need to flee this Progressive hell hole? When will voters rebel against high taxes, poor public education, failed energy policies, high housing costs and suffocating environmental regulations?
These are critical issues to be answered this November in places not called “California”.
