Joe Mosca

One of the principal arguments the opponents of Measure V are using is that we should defer decisions about community planning to our elected officials. There’s one major flaw in that argument. We tried that, and it failed.

In last year’s election for City Council we had a broad slate of candidates. The three candidates that expressed reservations about the Downtown Specific Plan and who promised the people a referendum on the final draft won a landslide victory. The people had spoken, and their wish was clear.

We thought we were safe. Whatever decisions and compromises our City Council made, the residents would have a final say in the matter. When Joe Mosca broke his campaign promise and reversed his position on the DSP referendum, it registered a 12 on the community Richter scale. He terrified us. And his betrayal galvanized our community.

I’ve heard a lot of opinions about Joe Mosca, all the way from he’s a mole the developers planted, to he’s young, inexperienced, and politically naive. Whatever your choice, he’s a disaster. Not just for the voter’s who trusted him, but also for the side he’s gone over to.

Joe Mosca’s betrayal took compromise off the table. He almost single handedly put Measure V on the ballot.

Compromise is what politics is all about. His removing the possibility of compromise has brought us to the degree of political polarization we currently face in Sierra Madre.

What was Joe Mosca thinking? What makes him think he has more experience, maturity, and wisdom than the residents who voted for him. Whatever he thinks, he’s wrong.

Joe Mosca started off his tenure on the City Council a hero and became, in a few months, one of the most despised residents this community has ever seen. That takes real talent. The real tragedy is he’d still be everyone’s hero if he just used his head.

There has been a major failure of Joe Mosca to grasp the political realities of Sierra Madre. Regardless of party affiliation, when it comes to Sierra Madre itself, the vast majority of residents are conservative. Sierra Madre is a family community. We have no desire to become another Old Town Pasadena. We want a town that’s safe, secure, and prosperous, a place where our kids can congregate at Bean Town after school and in the evening without us having to worry about them.

The signs of a reversal in the real estate market were clear last Spring. Everyone saw it. We need to maintain the value of our homes. As long as the homeowners feel prosperous, the contractors and building tradesmen who do the additions, remodels, and maintenance on our homes will have work. And if we keep Sierra Madre a desirable place to live, the realtors will have a strong housing market and an income, however modest, to get them through to the next boom.

My greatest fear is that they’ll kick out Taylor’s Meats, bulldoze Howie’s, and get a building started. Then, the crash will come all work will cease, just like 1990.

Given last April’s election, the outcome of the vote on April 17th seems predictable. So Joe, if you want to be a hero again, here’s my suggestion. Resign!

Get out of the way and let this community heal the gaping wound your poor judgment inflicted. Run again if you want to. Maybe we’ll give you another chance, but, for the sake of everyone, end the nightmare you’re betrayal created. And let the City Council, once again, become the community forum it should be.