Rocklin Citizens for Council Change

Times are hard for all of us, with rising energy prices and the economy in general. We are all forced to watch our money and budget. We expect our city leaders who are accountable to us, the taxpayers, to also budget and be frugal with the tax money entrusted to them. 

 Currently, the city of Rocklin pays a Public Relations firm to help Rocklin’s City Council members write speeches and provide advice to the tune of $250.00 an hour. Rocklin paid out over $8,200 of our tax money to the same Public Relations firm for a one day event in November of 2007 to make the announcement that Rocklin was the first Climate Smart City in the state. Our tax money was also used to have this PR firm monitor both the Placer Herald and the Sacramento Bee during the Measure H campaign to the tune of $155.00 an hour.   

My question is if the city council cannot write their own speeches, why can’t qualified city staff who are already on the payroll help write these PR speeches?  Why can’t city staff who are already on the payroll organize a one day event, without paying an outside PR firm  $8200.  And I am sure the city of Rocklin can find paid city staff  to monitor  what is printed in the Placer Herald and the Sacramento Bee without being charged $155.00 an hour.

These are tough times and it is imperitive that the people’s hard earned taxes are used wisely.  As a taxpayer I would say  the city of Rocklin needs to tighten its belt and cut the frills of hiring a PR firm to do something that city staff could do.

Note: This information was received by invoking a public request to the city of Rocklin.  Please go to http://betterrocklin.org/taxes.html to view the original documents.

Valley View Parkway is a cross town highway that connects highways 80 and 65, bringing 14,000 vehicles a day into our city. This highway will be used by people who do not even live in Rocklin. Valley View Parkway will be used it as a short cut- cars will race by our schools, parks and retirement communities. The heart of Rocklin, Park Drive will be severely impacted. We do not need another 14,000 cars a day added to our streets and neighborhoods. Why does this current city council insist on this traffic nightmare, that degrades our way of life???

Solution: We can elect new city council members who can remove this road from the Rocklin General Plan by a simple majority vote of our City Council. This simple solution will help to maintain our way of life and stop thousands of vehicles a day from entering our streets.

We do not need more traffic in Rocklin – Remove the incumbents

“It’s kind of like a big smile with a gap in the teeth”, Says Todd Lowell, Chairman for the Rocklin Area Chamber of Commerce about Rocklin’s downtown.

You would never know by looking at Rocklin’s downtown that our city played a very important part in our state’s and our country’s history. The first railroad roundhouse was built in our city 150 years ago and was instrumental in opening up the West. Rocklin’s granite quarries have helped to build the city of Sacramento and San Francisco.

What has our current city council done in the last 25 years to develop the “heart and soul” of our city?

Historic Front Street, once a bustling town 150 years ago is virtually vacant. Most citizens refer to the downtown as a ‘blight.

Why has there been no effort by Vice Mayor Peter Hill who has been in the city council for 25 years or Council member Kathy Lund who has been in office for over 20 years, or Council member George Magnuson who has been in office for over 17 years or our 10 year vetran, Mayor Brett Storey.

Why has this city council been able to approve strip mall after strip mall and one housing development after another and not think about bringing to life Rocklin’s historic downtown?

Welcome to ‘Citizens for a Better Rocklin’ Forum.

It’s time to elect a New Rocklin City Council. 

It’s time to elect City council Members with fresh ideas and a Vision for our city.

The City of Rocklin has been ruled by the same City Council for many years now and like like a stagnant pond, there are no new ideas, direction or vision. If you add up the total number of years that Council Members Peter Hill, George Magnuson, Brett Storey and Kathy Lund have been in office it comes to 71 Years!  While our current city council are good people, the time for change is long overdue.

Traffic in Rocklin is getting worse and worse,  yet our current city council wants to build a  cross town highway that will add 14,000 vehicles a day  into our community, making a short cut for people living outside of Rocklin.  This highway adds no value to our city and makes a bad traffic situation worse. All that is needed to stop 14,000 cars a day  is for the city council to remove the highway from the General Plan.  Why does our elected city council want to increase the traffic in our city?

Where is our downtown? For over 20 years now, old Rocklin has remained undeveloped, with many neighborhoods without sidewalks. We have amazing 150 year old history in our downtown - The Railroad Roundhouse, The Old Downtown, and The Quarry’s - but all you see are vacant lots. If it hadn’t been for a group of Rocklin Citizens, Old St. Mary’s Church would have been lost. Where is the Park promised for St. Mary’s?  Why has the heart and soul of our city been ignored?

Our City Council  has no vision for our city. Our city is homogenized to look like every other city in the Bay Area or Los Angeles. Our city council keeps approving strip mall developments that have the token Pizza Place, Nail Salon and McDonalds.  How many strip malls do we need in Rocklin?  And to make matters worse these strip malls are 40% vacant.

Where were our city council members in last February’s election when the Park Measure did not pass? Why didn’t any of the City council members have town hall meetings about approving the park measure? Why didn’t  any of our City Council Members endorse the Park Measure ?

Coming this November we have a chance to  replace  three of the  ‘old guard’ - Peter Hill, Brett Storey and George Magnuson and elect people to the city council that can truly represent the citizens of Rocklin. It’s time to get rid of the ‘old dead wood’ and create a new vision for Rocklin.

The goal of our coalition of Rocklin neighbors and groups is to identify, financially support and help elect candidates for city council who best reflect that vision and are dedicated to achieving an open, responsive and representative government that will achieve the best possible future for the city and citizens of Rocklin.

Please  let us know what you think and let’s get a conversation going among the people of Rocklin.