By now, everyone in Pacifica has seen the Peebles Corporation Quarry logo, on mailings, signs, and on cable TV. Although more vague than the Trammell Crow deceit a few years back, more is similar than different in this extremely well financed "sell job" that is blanketing our home town. The sketch is sketchy, somewhat New Englandish, the typography elegant, the whole package is considerably more sophisticated than our last round with a snow job.

We've heard the promises before, a new City Hall, a new Library, now even a new Swimming Center, all possible if you just vote Yes on Measure L for 355 more homes. Of course, just like last time, the sales job fails to mention that they won't pay for any of these facilities. They talk about tax revenue, but even with Redevelopment Zone re-allocation of taxes, once again our community will be left footing much of the bill for residential services that are already strained. Their out of state campaign also promises open space. You know, the hillsides they can't build on anyway.

It actually gets worse, Mr. R. Donahue Peebles and his $500 million Peebles Atlantic Development Corporation (PADC) contend that traffic will get better with their new multi-million dollar homes on the Quarry flatlands. How will this happen exactly? It seems all they propose is the current plan to widen Hwy 1 between Rockaway and Vallemar, a project already in process and I think of questionable value. The mitigation money they say Peebles would pay would not be enough to build freeways nor can it magically reduce traffic.

The new and ominous wrinkle is the threat. If you don't give us our "rich-man's enclave", you'll get a god-awful Wal-Mart! In other words, we'll show you, you ungrateful Pacificans, you'll get an ugly big box store on your beautiful coast if you don't give us our luxury houses and luxury hotel. This "take our toys and go home" carrot and stick routine insults our intelligence and our right to decide our own destiny. This community is being "handled" by a public relations firm. I don't like being worked over by big money.

A pollster called my house a few weeks ago, pressing hard to find some stinging line that would resonate criticizing the current council. They said they were calling from New Jersey. I've since learned they were hired by the Peebles group in Coral Gables, Florida. It also seemed clear they were very pointedly trying to stir up trouble in our home by repeating distortions and half-truths about the current council and cloaking it as a poll. They were clearly pushing challengers to the current city council. We don't need this sort of outside trouble making in our Pacifica community. What kind of partner will the Peebles group from Coral Gables actually be if these are their tactics in our already strained democratic process.

Well over $800,000 of big out-of-state money is being funneled into our town attempting to buy this election, according to the last campaign financial filing report deadline before the election. What will we find out, when the final campaign reports are due after election day, about big Florida money and local campaigns that just happen to support the big out of state developer? This may not be illegal, but it is wrong. It was wrong to pay more than $6 a pop for signatures gathered to get this corporate measure on our local ballot.

We would be willing to work with Mr. Peebles and his corporation through our own planning process, to come up with a plan that really did reflect the desires of our community. The only way that will happen is if we vote No on Measure L and preserve our right to a public vote on a real plan.

One bio on the internet describes Mr. Peebles as having a "commanding...style" who succeeded in the fiercely competitive South Florida luxury real estate market. This is not rough and tumble South Florida, Quarry development must be a partnership, not a command sent to a bought-and-paid-for rubber-stamping city council. We must retain our right to vote, and his corporation needs to present an actual plan.

I am a local businessman who might benefit from a massive development, but I am voting No on L and preserving my right to vote on a carefully considered, community developed plan.

Stephen Johnson
Photographer, Author, and local businessman

The above was printed as a Letter to the Editor in the November 1st, 2006 Pacifica Tribune, and is republished here with the author's permission.