Civility Matters: Restoring Respect in Public Debate

To whom it may concern,

I am not sure where people are getting that 3 council members are voting to overturn the planning commissions or that they are on the take from Burgis or the Fire District or Union. There are lots of comments online about it and I don't think they are fair.

I believe we should assume noble intent until proven otherwise. Frankly, I was surprised by the unanimous vote from the Planning Commission. If you had asked me beforehand, I would have guessed it would be a 2-2 split. Their unified decision speaks volumes, and I think it’s important that we stay focused on that. 

What we need to do now is make sure the City Council hears us clearly: this isn’t just about opposing a fire station—it’s about opposing bad planning. The County has shown a consistent pattern of dismissiveness and pressure tactics, and we must respectfully highlight that behavior. Equally important is reminding the Council that the proposed design does not meet the Downtown Specific Plan. Commissioner Flohr and the other Commissioners gave a detailed and thoughtful list of reasons why it fails to comply. If the Council chooses to overturn that, I hope they will address each point raised and explain their reasoning—item by item.

As for the coverage in that so-called “news” source, they’ve cherry-picked sound bites out of context, ignoring the real, substantive issues at stake. I hope the Council chooses to focus on the material concerns, not the noise.

Let’s keep advocating with clarity and respect. The facts are on our side.

Sincerely,

Donald E. Hester

Commandant

Delta Diablo Detachment 1155, Marine Corps League