You know its bad when the liberals in California do this...
Environmental exemptions OKd for football stadium in City of Industry
The California Senate acts after its leader is unable to persuade a citizens group to drop its lawsuit against the proposed facility.
By Patrick McGreevy
Reporting from Sacramento - Unable to mediate a settlement with opponents of a football stadium proposed for the city of Industry, the California Senate approved a measure Wednesday that exempts the project from state environmental laws.
The action was taken after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) was unsuccessful in negotiating an agreement that would have a citizens group drop its lawsuit seeking to block the 75,000-seat stadium. The suit alleged that the project violated state environmental laws.
The Senate decision to exempt the stadium from the laws was blasted by Howard Wang, a vice president of the group Citizens for Community Preservation, which filed a lawsuit demanding that the developer redo an environmental impact report.
"It's a sad day for California," said Wang, a college administrator. "It opens up the door for other developers who are well-off enough to hire lobbyists to go to Sacramento and get exemptions from the environmental laws."
The bill, which passed on a bare majority vote of 21 to 14, was drafted to allow developer Ed Roski's Majestic Realty to build the stadium with private funds near the intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways to attract an NFL team.
Steinberg cited the double-digit unemployment rate in Los Angeles County as a reason for granting the exemption.
"These are extraordinary times," said Steinberg, adding that the stadium is "an opportunity to create thousands of construction jobs, thousands of permanent jobs."
However, Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) said the bill would mean that California's environmental laws are "mortally wounded."
"We are allowing powerful interests to take away the rights of citizens to challenge laws made by this body," he said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stadium15-2009oct15,0,3576859.story
Common sense has finally reared its head in Sacramento. The eight person citizen group wanted to force them to install a dome on the stadium, as well as other extortion demands. Now they get shit.
Environmental exemptions OKd for football stadium in City of Industry
The California Senate acts after its leader is unable to persuade a citizens group to drop its lawsuit against the proposed facility.
By Patrick McGreevy
Reporting from Sacramento - Unable to mediate a settlement with opponents of a football stadium proposed for the city of Industry, the California Senate approved a measure Wednesday that exempts the project from state environmental laws.
The action was taken after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) was unsuccessful in negotiating an agreement that would have a citizens group drop its lawsuit seeking to block the 75,000-seat stadium. The suit alleged that the project violated state environmental laws.
The Senate decision to exempt the stadium from the laws was blasted by Howard Wang, a vice president of the group Citizens for Community Preservation, which filed a lawsuit demanding that the developer redo an environmental impact report.
"It's a sad day for California," said Wang, a college administrator. "It opens up the door for other developers who are well-off enough to hire lobbyists to go to Sacramento and get exemptions from the environmental laws."
The bill, which passed on a bare majority vote of 21 to 14, was drafted to allow developer Ed Roski's Majestic Realty to build the stadium with private funds near the intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways to attract an NFL team.
Steinberg cited the double-digit unemployment rate in Los Angeles County as a reason for granting the exemption.
"These are extraordinary times," said Steinberg, adding that the stadium is "an opportunity to create thousands of construction jobs, thousands of permanent jobs."
However, Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) said the bill would mean that California's environmental laws are "mortally wounded."
"We are allowing powerful interests to take away the rights of citizens to challenge laws made by this body," he said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stadium15-2009oct15,0,3576859.story
Common sense has finally reared its head in Sacramento. The eight person citizen group wanted to force them to install a dome on the stadium, as well as other extortion demands. Now they get shit.
