1 David Yakobson
From: Stanley H Epstein <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2024 10:53 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Fwd: Items 5 G and 5 I on Tuesday’s Agenda
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed
EXTERNAL
Kindly include in written comments for both Items specified above.
Thanks. Stan Epstein.310 393 7619
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: Stanley H Epstein <[email protected]>
Date: August 26, 2024 at 6:40:19 PM PDT
To: David White <[email protected]>
Cc: David Martin <[email protected]>, Phil Brock <[email protected]>, Douglas Sloan <[email protected]>, City Clerk <[email protected]>, John Alle <[email protected]>, Oscar de la Torre <[email protected]>, Lana Negrete <[email protected]>, Gleam Davis <[email protected]>, Caroline Torosis <[email protected]>, Christine Parra <[email protected]>, Jesse Zwick <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Items 5 G and 5 I on Tuesday’s Agenda
There is still time for you to do the right thing and restore something to your professional reputation by immediately issuing an order that the current Chase Bank and Pier ( involving Greg Morena) leases be attached to their respective Agenda items to be acted on tomorrow evening. Your failure to do so , or to rationally explain why you differ with your predecessor, will not be forgotten.
Stan Epstein
Sent from my iPad
Item 5-G
August 27, 2024
Item 5-G
August 27, 2024
2 On Aug 26, 2024, at 6:27 PM, Stanley H Epstein <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear David. Neither you, nor anyone on your behalf, has responded to the inquiry below. It seems you want Staff to to hide essential information on the Agenda from Council and the public, and that you are reversing the totally important and wise policy of your predecessor. I think this to be a significant measure of your poor performance in your position.
Stan Epstein
Sent from my iPad
On Aug 23, 2024, at 9:36 AM, Stanley H Epstein
<[email protected]> wrote:
Dear David. About 5 years ago, at my suggestion, the then City Manager instructed all Senior Staff that whenever there is an item for Council affecting an existing lease( by modification, extension, cancellation, or otherwise), that the Agenda include an attachment of the existing lease.
As an attorney with decades of work on significant leases, I know that neither I nor my client would ever deal with a change to an existing lease of any kind without having that existing lease available . Our City should be just as careful!
The attachments for 5 G and 5 I ( Chase Bank and Greg Morena deals) both lack the respective existing leases, thus depriving the public and Council of extremely important information.
Therefore, please instruct David Martin today to have the Clerk promptly add attachments of both existing leases to the Agenda.and thereby remove a major objection to the items.
Incidentally, I am aware that informed and valuable
community activists have major problems with the
proposed Greg Morena transaction.
Sincerely, Stan Epstein. 310 393 7619
Sent from my iPad
Item 5-G
August 27, 2024
Item 5-G
August 27, 2024
1 David Yakobson
From: Stanley H Epstein <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2024 9:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 5G-Aug. 27, 2024
EXTERNAL
This is an example of David Martin and David White ( both of whom approved the Staff Report)seemingly attempting to deceive Council and the public. Here is the story:
1. The current bank branch lease to Chase from the City at 1333 Fourth Street expires on April 30, 2026, more than 19 months from now.
2. The Report claims that “Typically, commercial branch banks require a lead time of two years to identify and move to a new location” . That is the reason provided for going to Council now, instead of in 2026 or 2025.
3. The 2 year requirement is blown out of the water by the fact that the new deal gives the City ( not the bank) three options to further extend for one year each..David intentionally omits how much notice must be given to the bank upon each option’s exercise, but surely it does not exceed six months each time.
4. Therefore, Chase will not know until 6 months before lease expiration each time whether its lease will be over and it should find another location.This destroys the phony staff claim that two years is needed by the bank!
5. Messrs Martin and White, and Martin’s Senior Development Analyst ( Nia Tang) either were conned by the bank on this point or they decided to con Council and the public.
6. My call and email Thursday to Ms. Tang for an explanation were not returned. Also, the City Manager has not responded to my inquiry as to why the existing lease was not attached to the Agenda, as required of all lease changes by David White’s predecessor.
Stanley H. Epstein. 310 393 7619.
Sent from my iPad
Item 5-G
August 27, 2024
Item 5-G
August 27, 2024