A Conflicted MAC Part 2

On April 6, 2021, I wrote "A Conflicted MAC" about how Salida Municipal Advisory Council board members had voted AGAINST our community by supporting the gas station planned within 500 ft of the Vizcaya neighborhood. To briefly recap that post, Salida MAC Chair, Leng Nou is employed by Stanislaus County and Stanislaus County stands to gain a drainage basin at a 200% discount off the price if the project is approved. And new Salida MAC board member, Bob Elliott, became employed as of March 1, 2021 at the very same real estate company handling the transaction of the land. Both voted in favor of the project at the March 2021 Salida MAC meeting. Their votes benefit their employers and are the opposite of what the majority of the community has expressed at that meeting and past ones.

With the passing of new Salida MAC board member, Debbie Nutt, her vacancy was filled by the appointment of Tom Burns to the Salida MAC council. Tom Burns has served on the Salida MAC board previously and also served on the Salida Fire Protection District board.

Patrick and Tom Burns at April 27, 2021 Salida MAC meeting.

It will be interesting to see how Tom votes on the gas station re-vote slated for the Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in-person Salida MAC meeting. Tom also brings a conflict-of-interest with him to the table: his son, Patrick, is Chief Engineer of Salida Fire. Patrick has said at a previous Salida MAC meeting that the gas station project is worth the equivalent of 5,000 homes in tax revenue to Salida Fire Dept. Incidentally, Patrick mentions in the recording that the Salida Fire Dept has been in the red, but I have heard they are now back in the black. This is difficult to verify since the fire board has canceled their last two meetings. Anyhow, I point this out because putting the Fire Dept in the black is not a justification for voting in favor of all development. Development needs to be conducive to nearby neighborhoods.

Patrick is a Salida resident and I have always thought it admirable that he doesn't cast a vote in the community poll vote the MAC conducts because as a Salida resident, he has the right to vote. I assume he doesn't because of the conflict-of-interest. But will his father do the same?

The purpose of the MAC is to represent the community, and not their employers or their family members' employers. This is stated in Government Code section 31010: "...a municipal advisory council may represent the community to any state, county, city, special district or school district, agency or commission, or any other organization on any matter concerning the community."

A large number of Salida residents support the Vizcaya neighborhood and have signed the online petition and circulated paper petitions. It's not hard to see why if you put yourself in their shoes; would YOU want a gas station built within 500 ft of YOUR neighborhood? Please support Vizcaya and sign the petition here.