This is a series of videos showing Bob speaking up for fairness at the San Diego City Council. I downloaded them from the San Diego city web site and Bob helped me with some of the descriptions and background information.
Back on Jan 8, 2008, Bob K went to the San Diego City Council to get the Torrey Hawks added to the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board. Here's the video of that meeting:
The Advisory Board met from the fall of 2008 through the winter of 2010. At that point, the Chairwoman (Ginny Barnes) announced that the Board would discontinue its regular meetings. Bob had attended every meeting of the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board, and in February of 2010 he began asking the San Diego City Council to extend the duration of the Advisory Board and make it a permanent Board to oversee the Gliderport.
In this first video, Bob asked the City Council to extend the duration of the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board. Bob reviewed the history of the Settlement Agreement which formed the Advisory Board, and Bob pointed out that the City Park Advisory Board contains volunteers with the expertise that the City does not have. Bob stated that it would be irresponsible for the City to terminate that Board, and Bob asked the City Council to extend the duration of the Advisory Board indefinitely.
February 16th, 2010:
In this video Bob played an audio recording of his attempt to speak at the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board on February 18th, 2010. Bob was asking the Board about how citizens' ongoing concerns would get to the City if not through the Advisory Board. The chairwoman of that Board (Virginia "Ginny" Barnes) refused to allow Bob to finish speaking on the topic. You can hear her clearly saying "I am not going to let you finish". After playing the recording for the City Council Bob went on to specifically ask Sherri Lightner and the rest of the City Council to investigate the conduct of the Torrey Pines City Park Adivisory Board Chairwoman with respect to the procedures and the legal agreements that formed the Board.
February 23rd, 2010:
In this video, Bob asked Councilmember Lightner to introduce a City Council Resolution to continue the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board. Bob specifically asked Councilmember Lightner to add such a resolution to the City Council's agenda.
May 11th, 2010:
In the following video, Bob points out that neither Parks and Recreation nor Real Estate Assets was providing proper oversight of the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Bob states that the Advisory Board is exactly what's needed because it includes all stakeholders at the park. He asked Sherri Lightner to ask her representative on the Advisory Board to seek an extension of the Board so it could provide oversight at the Gliderport. Bob also mentioned the first national hang gliding and paragliding day, and invited all members of the Council to visit the Gliderport on that day.
May 18th, 2010:
Bob reminded the City of the effort to stop the area code split of the 935 area code and the participation of Mayor Golding on the Council during that proceeding. He expressed his disappointment in the "strong mayor" form of government with regard to the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Bob again pointed out that the City of San Diego has no expertise in aviation which is yet another reason why the Advisory Board is needed.
May 25th, 2010:
Bob again urged the Council to extend the term of the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board. Bob read from the 2007 Settlement Agreement.
June 15th, 2010:
Here Bob urges the San Diego City Council to keep the Advisory Board going when it was being dismantled:
These are some video clips of Bob requesting oversight back in 2011.
In this first video, Bob reviews the history of the settlement agreement, reviews the history of the Advisory Board, and makes a case to keep the Advisory Board meeting.
January 11th, 2011:
This was Bob speaking about the death of Lyne Perry who took her life after confiding to Bob about the bullying she had suffered by some of the "in" pilots. Bob reads her letter to him where she specifically mentioned the common bullying by David Jebb and Gabe Jebb - the City of San Diego concessionaires - who ran that City Park.
June 7th, 2011:
Here, Bob asks the City Council to NOT approve the Advisory Board's final report until it addresses the ongoing and future management issues at that park:
In this video, Bob begins to show the City Council some pictures of Robin Marien giving "the finger" and smoking at the non-smoking Gliderport. Bob again points out the need for oversight of the Gliderport concessionaire and the need for the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board:
September 25th, 2012:
Bob reported on his meeting with Council President Young which prompted him to review the City Charter. Bob points out that the City clearly did not form a Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board because it's not possible to form an Advisory Board under City Charter 43b. Bob introduced his one-page resolution to extend the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board indefinitely. He asked any and all Councilmembers to introduce and support that resolution.
October 2nd, 2012:
Bob again presented his recent discovery that the Torrey Pines City Park "Advisory Board" was actually formed under the wrong section of the City Charter. According to the Council Resolution, the "Advisory Board" was formed under the Charter section reserved for Citizen's Committees. Bob urged the City Council to fix this:
October 9th, 2012:
After meeting with City Council President Tony Young, Bob recalls Tony Young's own words - "Good catch" - regarding Bob's discovery that the "Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board" was formed ... not under the City Charter section defining Advisory Boards ... but under the section defining "Citizens Committees" which have much greater limitations on their duration and purview.
October 16th, 2012:
In this video, Bob presents his proposed resolution which would continue the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board under City Charter section 43b which defines Advisory Boards.
Bob recalls how his first visit to the Torrey Pines Gliderport in 1983 contributed to his acceptance of an engineering job with General Dynamics that same year. Bob goes on to urge the City Council to continue the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board so the user groups of that park can contribute to the oversight of their park.
February 5th, 2013:
Bob met with Mayor Filner on February 9th, 2013 and reported the outcome to the City Council. Bob again asked the Council to pass the proposed resolution continuing the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board:
February 12th, 2013:
In this video, Bob reviews the results of his work on the San Diego area code splits from 13 years ago. I knew Bob at that time, and I remember his long effort to stop the divisive splits. I helped Bob take the original informal poll of public opinion on the split. I was there when Marti Emerald interviewed Bob for their news story at his home in La Jolla. I remember Bob's effort to bring the matter to the Mayor and the City Council. I remember the Mayor and City Attorney following Bob's petition with their own petitions. Because of his work, 13 years later, the 935 split (scheduled for 2000) has still not been forced upon us. Bob concluded his 3 minute speech by pointing out that San Diego works best when city government works with citizens. Bob's effort in 1999 and 2000 is an excellent example. Why won't the city work with him to fix the Torrey Pines Gliderport?
February 26th, 2013:
In this video, Bob points out that many pilots won't come forward because of fear or legal settlements that have bound them to silence. He read Lyne's letter to him where she references the bullying. Bob concluded by asking the City Council to stop the bullying and restart the Advisory Board.
March 5th, 2013
Bob did an internet search for incidents at the Gliderport over the last 3 years and presented the news reports from various news agencies to the City Council. Bob again urged the Council to reactivate the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board before anyone else gets bullied, beaten, ... or airlifted.
March 19th, 2013
In this video, Bob continues reporting on the accidents and violations of the City's smoking ordinance by Robin Marien (gliderport concessionaire). Bob also shows the retaliation where employees and friends of the concessionaire circle him with video cameras in Bob's face trying to intimidate him. Bob concludes by again asking the City Council to reactivate the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board to oversee the concessionaire. Bob specifically asks Sherri Lightner to take action.
March 26th, 2013:
In this video, Bob reports on his meeting with Mayor Filner requesting either an Advisory Board or a Citizen's Committee. Bob comments that while Mayor Filner can unilaterally create Citizen's Committees, only the City Council can create an Advisory Board. Bob urges the City Council to take that direction.
April 9th, 2013:
Bob presents his proposed resolution to the City Council and requests that Council President Todd Gloria add it to the agenda for an upcoming Council meeting.
April 16th, 2013:
In this video, Bob starts off by showing a photo collage of his flight the day before (on April 22nd). Bob talks about the bullying and the accidents and presents proof of his efforts to meet with Sherri Lightner (who has refused to meet with him). Bob also points out how silly it is for the Council to use their own flawed resolution to justify their own flawed resolution.
April 23rd, 2013:
At the April 30th meeting, Bob asked to have the Torrey Pines issue added to the Council's agenda for the regular Tuesday April 14th meeting. Bob went on to review his proposed resolution in detail asking to have the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board continued to oversee the park. Bob appealed to all members of the Council to address the matter since Sherri Lightner has refused to do so.
April 30th, 2013:
Bob's request to speak on May 14th (clearly stated in the previous video) was later denied because the issue had been "heard" the night before (May 13th) when Bob was not present to speak.
From that point onward, through all of June and the early part of July, Bob worked with the Mayor's office to get oversight at the park (I know because I attended some of those meetings myself). The Mayor's political problems in early July necessitated Bob's return to the City Council to continue seeking oversight at Torrey Pines. Bob pointed out the inconsistency between Todd Gloria's calls for Mayor Filner to step down and Todd Gloria's own failure to address much worse issues at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Todd Gloria was quoted in the press saying "The people of San Diego, and especially those women he has mistreated, need to be assured that we as a city will not tolerate intimidation and harassment." Bob pointed out that Todd Gloria had been informed many times about the bullying (intimidation and harassment) at Torrey Pines ... including a written statement citing bullying by a woman who ended up taking her own life. And yet with all that evidence, Todd Gloria took no actions to correct the problems at Torrey Pines.
Bob went on to show an example from the previous weekend where the Torrey Pines concessionaire (Robin Marien) was violating the terms of his lease by closing the Gliderport to flying activities so he could sub-lease the property ... for a private company picnic!!
It's really amazing to see all of those videos put together like that. Thanks for going to all of that trouble to download each full video, find the sections about the gliderport, crop them out, and post them!!! Seeing them all together leaves no doubt in anyone's mind that I have been diligent in seeking public oversight of our public parkland.
Thanks very very much for taking the time to do this!!
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization:US Hawks at ushawks.org View my rating at:US Hang Gliding Rating System Every human at every point in history has an opportunity to choose courage over cowardice. Look around and you will find that opportunity in your own time.
If anyone wants to know how corrupt the San Diego government has become, please view that video. You'll notice at the very beginning I explicitly asked the "City TV" department to focus the camera on my slides. I presented 19 slides, but when they did the "editing" they only chose to show 3 of them!!!
This isn't the first time this has happened. I've even called the City TV department in advance of my presentation to let them know to show the slides, but they always "pick and choose" what they want the public to see. It really is disgusting.
Here are the slides. If you play the video in the background you can listen to what I was saying as you watch each slide.
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Those are the slides that someone in the City of San Diego doesn't want you to see.
Join a National Hang Gliding Organization:US Hawks at ushawks.org View my rating at:US Hang Gliding Rating System Every human at every point in history has an opportunity to choose courage over cowardice. Look around and you will find that opportunity in your own time.
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