April 12, 2022
CITY OF TRINIDAD
ATTENTION: City Council, for April 12, 2022 Meeting
Do you know what extortion is?
Getting money through force or threats.
The City says, settle our litigation against your business for $5,000.00 or we are going to trial and it’ll cost you thousands and thousands more. Well I can’t afford that — not financially, and not morally.
The City is willing to waste my goodwill, hurt my business, hurt our guests, and waste ten’s of thousands of our taxpayer dollars in litigation, for what? More money?
Every resident should be saying: “That’s our money!” “This is over!” “We want every damn bit of evidence that the Council has to be made public. We want to hear what happened and why. We want to see how the Council wasted our money and hurt our businesses. We want to know everything before one more dime is spent for an attorney’s benefit.” Accountability shouldn’t sound bad. Unless some of the things being done, when exposed, might make them look bad, why hide anything? Transparency is not political. Why hide information?
Information is power.
Manipulating and hiding information in Closed City Council Sessions, expensive City litigation, and outright Council misreporting is certainly not being transparent. Why hide anything?
When litigation facts are uncovered, you’ll see the truth. If you don’t see it, you’re either delusional, or worse, complicit.
I misplaced my faith and trust in our city government. Trust has been broken, because they lied. Only transparency and fairness will lead to truth and accountability.
Councilman Jack West voluntarily and knowingly mislead and obstructed the truth and this needs to be publicly investigated by this City council.[1]
Without reviewing any evidence, the City Manager corroborated Councilman Jack West’s misreporting and further said he doesn’t see it as a violation. With this now evident, pre-judicial bias, and his being the City council’s employee, we are fortunate the City manager doesn’t preside over charges of councilmen ethics violations. Appropriately, he should only present them to the Public and City council at the next meeting.
I request the Council add an agenda item and publicly hear my formally filed allegations and review evidence at the next City of Trinidad Council Meeting as provided for in our City’s Code of Ethics.
Sincerely,
Mike Morgan, Owner
Trinidad Bay Bed And Breakfast Hotel
560 Edwards Street
Footnote:
1. MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL, PLANNING
COMMISSION, AND SHORT-TERM RENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020
PDF Pages 26 & 27 of 130, located at City of Trinidad website URL:
https://trinidad.ca.gov/sites/trinidad.ca.gov/files/library/01-26-2021%20cc%20packet.pdf City Council Comments included:
Grover: I want to hear if the Planning Commission needs more guidance from the City Council.
Johnson (Planning Commission): What was the result of the Board of Supervisors meeting on December 15, 2020 regarding considering limiting short-term vacation rentals for all but documented essential personnel during the Pandemic through an Emergency Ordinance or through Public Health Order? 12-15-2020 Joint Meeting Minutes
West: Trinidad residents called in. There was no action taken by the Board of Supervisors.
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 18:33:30 Pacific Daylight Time
Subject: 4-12-22 Council Mee/ng Public Comments- Discussion/Decision Items #4 and #7 Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 5:42:48 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: Richard Bruce
To: City of Trinidad
I ask that the following public comments be read into the public record at tonight's Council mee/ng when the relevant agenda item is discussed.
Discussion/Decision Agenda Item #4- First reading of amended STR OrdinanceAlthough I am the Chairperson of the Trinidad STR Advisory CommiRee I wish to make it clear that these comments are mine alone and should not be construed as a recommenda/on from the CommiRee. I am strongly in favor of the amended STR Ordinance as presented tonight. Both the STR CommiRee and the Planning Commission have spent a significant amount of /me reviewing the Ordinance and making the recommended changes. There were at least 3 Planning Commission mee/ngs where the revision of the Ordinance was on the agenda and to my knowledge there were virtually no public comments. It is /me to get this long overdue revision approved.
I par/cularly am in favor of the addi/on of the language that defines the "Meet and Greet" which was recommended by the CommiRee. I am also in favor of the addi/on of the language that spells out that "Fines for violaOons by STR occupants shall be paid to the City by the Property Manager", as recommended by the City ARorney.
Discussion/Decision Agenda Item #7- Appointment to Fill the Vacancy on the STR Advisory CommiSeeAs pointed out in the background informa/on regarding this item, there has been a "City/General Public RepresentaOve" (City Resident) vacancy on the STR CommiRee for over two years. Due to this vacancy the CommiRee has been "out of balance" between STR industry representa/ves and City residents which has made it difficult to make recommenda/ons regarding some of the more conten/ous issues to come before the CommiRee. I would very much like to see this vacancy filled. However, I have 2 reserva/ons regarding the leRer of interest from Mr. Henry. I want to make clear that I do not know Mr. Henry and have never spoken to him, so my next comments should not be taken as ques/oning his character or integrity. As stated in his leRer of interest, he and his wife own property in the City of Trinidad but they are not yet permanent residents, they currently live "primarily in Chico". I believe that the "City/General Public Representa/ves" should be full /me City residents that have year round experience with how STRs are impac/ng Trinidad. My second reserva/on concerns the fact that Mr. Henry and his wife are previous operators of an STR. Again, I do not know him personally and have no informa/on to indicate that he would not be a fair and open minded commiRee member, however his previous /es to the STR industry give me pause. I would prefer a city resident that has had no personal connec/on to the STR industry that will bring the membership of the CommiRee back into "balance". Please consider these thoughts when discussing his applica/on.
Richard (Dick) Bruce
780 Underwood Drive
Virus-free. www.avg.com