CITY COUNCIL MEMBER RESORTS TO SCARE TACTICS AND LIES WHEN CITIZENS OPPOSE HIS PLANS
The planned location for a pet adoption facility at 2999 Wayside is in city council member James Rodriguez’s district. Pine Valley is the subdivision where the pet adoption facility is planned. In January 2010, Rodriguez met with residents of Pine Valley for the very first time, to tell them about the city’s plans for their neighborhood. At that time, Pine Valley residents voiced strong opposition to the plans and, residents of Pine Valley have since spoken at city council several times opposing this location as well.
After Rodriguez failed to convince the residents to stop opposing the pet adoption facility, he then resorted to scare tactics, threats and lies. After hearing many residents oppose the plans in a meeting, Rodriguez told some citizens that if the animal campus was not built, that the city would sell the property and a Cantina would be built there. Rodriguez knew that citizens of this neighborhood have fought very hard to enforce deed restrictions so that businesses could not be built their neighborhood. He knew this threat would scare them. Council member Rodriguez is supposed to be representing the wishes and needs of citizens in his District but instead he is trying to cram these plans down their throats.
Rodriguez later sent letters to the entire neighborhood stating that he attempted to organize a follow-up community meeting, but the Civic Association Board declined. This statement is completely false. The Civic Association did not decline. They simply asked for additional time to notify all residents of the meeting so all could be present. I believe this to be a reasonable request. But instead, Rodriguez sent out letters with a lie intended to tarnish the reputation of the civic association board.
It is also noted that two of Rodriguez’s friends, attorneys Jeffrey Crews and David Ortez, appeared at city council on February 2nd. They stated that they lived in the neighborhood and supported the animal campus in this location. However, we have learned that at least one of these friends does not actually live in Pine Valley. Additionally, the second friend has apparently enlisted young people to canvas Pine Valley to try to scare residents into signing a petition in favor of the pet adoption center. These young people are using the same scare tactics by telling residents that if they do not sign the petition, the city will sell the property and a cantina will be built there. I don’t think it is a coincidence that this is the exact same scare tactic used on residents by Rodriguez.
In addition, Mr. Ortez's young enlistees, and Mr. Crews, himself have been passing out flyers with blatantly false information in order to coerce residents into agreeing to the animal campus. (See a copy of a flyer below) Mr. Crews is a precinct judge and was caught passing out these flyers at a voting location on Tuesday, 03/02/10 even though this activity is prohibited. Precinct officials finally ordered him to stop.
These scare tactics, threats and lies are abhorrent and an abuse of power coming from a city council member and a judge.
This site is a HORRIBLE location for a pet adoption facility. Animal advocates know it and the residents of Pine Valley know it. So when will city council vote to stop it?
In order to stop killing 27,000 dogs and cats every single year, the city MUST focus on programs that will save lives. Bonney Brown, Director of the Nevada Humane Society, turned a high kill shelter, just like BARC, into a no kill shelter. She did it by changing everything. She removed every single program that did not prove to save lives. Read about it here: http://bit.ly/9q5q7A
This mindset is how BARC and the City of Houston must think when contemplating programs for BARC. It is the only way that the City of Houston will ever stop killing 27,000 animals every year. On February 2nd, Rodriguez’s friends talked to city council about what a good “business opportunity” the animal campus would be for “their” neighborhood. But, the city should NOT look at a pet adoption facility as some sort of business opportunity for any council member's district. A pet adoption facility isn’t just any business. This is a business that is “supposed” to be saving lives. Therefore, every single decision regarding BARC must be looked at as to whether it will save lives. A pet adoption facility at this location will NOT save lives.
Millions of your tax dollars will be used to pay for this disaster in the making (Ann Young's estate won't cover it). You have a right to say where your tax money is spent. You have a right to demand that the city make sensible choices, each and every time, that will save lives. And city council should not be allowed to use threats, scare tactics and lies to railroad tax payers and nearby residents into something they do not want and that will be detrimental to their neighborhood.
A new pet adoption facility should be created solely for saving lives, NOT as a feather in a council member's hat.
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SPEAK OUT NOW. A form letter and contact information is below to make it very easy.
Click Flyer above to enlarge.
There are several statements on this flyer that are absolutely untrue and several statements that are very misleading. See statements marked with an "*" above.
LIES
1) “The nearest house will be 1,000 feet away.” This is absolutely untrue. Although, the city and Mr. Crews-Mr. Otez's maps have conveniently left off the location of any nearby houses, I have drawn the closest houses on the map on our webpage here. The property of several houses actually abuts the property where the campus is planned. The only thing separating their houses and this property is their fences or the sewage facility.
2) “The building and parking lots are not in the flood plain.” This too is absolutely untrue. As you can see by the flood plain maps (which were taken directly from FEMA’s webpage) which I have posted on our website here , this property is ENTIRELY within flood plains. In fact, part of the property is in the most severe flood plains. The flood plains cover the entire property, extend all the way across Wayside and onto the property across the street. .
3) “This facility is not affiliated to the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC)”. This is absolutely untrue and absurd. The city’s stated purpose of the planned adoption facility is for adoption of BARC animals. This city is spending tax dollars to build it.
MISLEADING STATEMENTS
4) “This is not an animal drop off center.” Although the city may not “intend” to allow the public to drop off animals at this location, anyone who is familiar with BARC knows that people dump animals there all the time after hours, even when they are not “allowed” to. People drop them over the fence or tie them to the fence and leave. Animals are also dumped at other locations where adoptions take place such as PetSmart stores. With the high number of animals being abandoned in this area, a large number of animals most certainly will be dumped at a pet adoption center if built in this location.
5) “An observatory and astronomy programs are to be included.” The observatory and astronomy programs being discussed are to be held at the NASA building across the street, not at this location. Further, we question why funds that were left by Ann Young, to be used specifically for the welfare of BARC animals, are being instead comingled with programs which have nothing to do with animals.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO SPEAK OUT NOW AND OPPOSE THIS DISASTER.
A form letter and contact information is below to make it very easy.
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