Did you get your letter from the City today?

(If you didn't, let us know on the Facebook page. We don't know how widespread this mailing was.)

On the outside of the envelope in RED letters it announces: "Public Meeting Announcement - General Plan and Zoning Code Update".

Inside it states something that is not quite understandable unless you are up on  City-speak: "The City of Upland has recently released for public review a Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the following project..." then it lists the General Plan, Zoning Code, Cable Airport Land Use Plan, and Climate Action Plan. It then makes public all of the times it has extended the public comment period and then announces that it will close on July 22, 2015 - most likely before the meeting starts, which is what we have heard from the City Manager. (NOTE: get all your objections to the DEIR in before 5 pm that day.)

Just a few days - that is all they have given residents to re-arrange their schedules, get baby sitters and show up at City Hall for what they are claiming is a VERY important meeting which will lead to two public hearings. And of course, "The City will be accepting public comments at the meeting." Notice they did NOT say DIALOGUE or DISCUSSION.

Why wasn't this letter sent weeks ago when they announced the meeting at a City Council meeting on June 20th?

Why did the City spend thousands of OUR dollars to announce a meeting where we will have no chance to get the General Plan changed to OUR VISION of the City? Why wouldn't they hold a Town Hall meeting and use this mailing to invite folks to something that is productive??

The other point that is so glaring to me is the DATE of the meeting - July 22. If you remember the city put all of its efforts into defeating the court case to allow the Cannabis Coalition to have a special election in July. They said that the odds of special interest groups winning in a July election is high due to the fact that most residents are on vacation and they don't come out to summer elections. Well, then why did our City Manager choose to have this SPECIAL, VERY IMPORTANT meeting during July??? I can put two and two together and tell you this is well planned to defeat us. They are hoping no one will show up and then they can say to the Council, "the dissenters are in the minority. Approve the plan."

They have sent the letter to cover their legal obligations but again this is NOT AN HONEST ATTEMPT to involve the citizens in a decision that will affect them, their children and grandchildren.

We have repeatedly - for FOUR MONTHS (!)  - asked for a TOWN HALL. We want to give our input to the Plan to the City Council. We want to COME TO AN AGREEMENT with them that this plan does not reflect us or our values, that it is part of a political movement. We want them to rewrite the Plan and take out all of the political philosophies and policies that will transform our city.

COME TO THE MEETING JULY 22nd and TELL THEM YOU OBJECT TO THE SHORT NOTICE, THAT YOU OBJECT TO THE PLAN, and YOU OBJECT TO HOW THE CITIZENS ARE BEING MINIMIZED.