Is Chagnon TIED to the gun club?

[Serious questions and doubts]

I got another one of those sick gun club mailers, the third one I've seen. What's been bothering me that Diane Chagnon's name never appears nowhere on these fliers. Yet it mentions EVERY other candidate's name in some pro or con fashion, and every time it tells us NOT to vote for Chagnon's opponent, Uriel Macias.

I did alot of searching on the web and I found that the gun club has a web site with a pretty well hidden message board. The messages don't say ''too'' much (they even warn their members that ''anti-gun club spies'' might find the board) but I ended up finding some information on there that I think is kind of disturbing. This is from who sounds like the group's organizer (in a different post, he actually takes credit for the mailers and naming themselves the ''Save Azusa Committee''):

From: "Rick Tretter" <ricktret@p...>
Date: Sat Feb 26, 2005 8:10 am
Subject: Update 2/26/05

I don't want anyone to think that I'm ignoring the distribution
list, but there hasn't been a lot to report. We're still
moving
forward in the Azusa election. The folks in Mountain Cove
(mtncove.com) held a "Coffee with Uriel Macias" this past
week, and
apparently didn't invite Diane Chagnon. They have another one
scheduled for Sunday, 2/27 with Joe Rocha, Bob Donnelson, and Angel
Carrillo. None of the candidates who are supportive of the Club are
invited. I wonder how that makes Chagnon feel. They don't like her
now because they found out that she takes money from Vulcan.

Ok, now why is this guy being so sympathetic to Diane Chagnon? WTH is going on!? It sounds as if the gun clubbers he's sending this out to understand the deal, but I sure don't. Why do they prefer Chagnon and dislike Macias so much?

There is some nasty under the table politics going on that we don't know about. If you wanna check out where I found this for yourself, go to sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/sgvgc/ .... you'll have to register for yahoo and sign up, but I managed to get in to the site myself.

[GunHolstered]

Well let's see, Chagnon along with her council comrades, voted to evict the gun club in 18 months. However, they left a window of opportunity for them to apply for an extension. Her name has mysteriously been deleted from the gun club mailers. Could she possibly be playing both sides of the fence at the same time? You Decide.

[Dianes Dirty Politics]

I just found in my mail a phony sample ballot (it even calls itself a ''sample ballot'' which I'm sure is illegal) from the gun club that now outright tells you to vote for Diane Chagnon for mayor. Someone else asked what she was saving her $10K campaign budget for..... was this it?

The gun club has been using the name ''Save Azusa Committee'', which this adverstisement has in very small writing on it. To say I feel like we've been being lied to by Chagnon is an understatement! She's been playing both sides the whole time.

[Dianes Dirty Politics]

Oh, and a friend called me this morning. Yesterday they got that gun club advertisement that was first mentioned left on their door. It has pictures of OSAMA BIN LADEN on it, warning us that our ''national security would be in jeopardy'' if we don't vote their way.

[So What]

I am voting for Diane Chagnon AND I think our National Security is at stake if our right to bear arms is threatened. I don't if Chagnon is for or against the gun club, but she has not presented herself to be the extremist that some of the others have.

Vulcan Materials has a LEGAL RIGHT to continue mining for the next 30 years, and they have a lease with the gun club. It does not bother me one bit that Chagnon has taken money from Vulcan Materials, the leaseholders of the gun club.

And if you think I am serious, you must be out of your freaking mind. Only the special interests would support Chagnon for Mayor when she is obviously out for herself and the special interests rather than for the people and progress of Azusa!!!

[Chagnon Gun Club Connection]

OK, you had me confused there for a second.

I really hope this last-minute gun club / vote-for-Chagnon ploy BACKFIRES all over them (Chagnon & the gun club both!) just like Madrid's anti-Monrovia Nursery flier did.

[secret is out]

Secret is out, after the mailer I received today from the gun club telling me to vote for Diane. Hey, Guess what she has been playing both sides of the fence, what a little snake....and have been playing mountain cove residents, too. Does she think we are all ignorant, someone help me understand? I don't know who to vote for now?

[Follow The Money]

One thing is UNDENIABLE...Diane Chagnon is on the take from Vulcan Materials (as far as campaign contributions), and Vulcan Materials is the Gun Club's landlord. Vulcan Materials stands to lose their tenant should the gun club be shut down.

Follow the money........

[shame on you]

Spreading vicious lies. The gun club did NOT put Diane's name on it because she supports the gun club. She does not support the gun club. Anyone that says she does is lying to people. The gun club did it for a simple reason, because if Diane wins as Mayor, there will be an additional seat open. You people are sad.

[Oh The Shame]

Shame On You,

You should be ashamed of ignoring the fact that your candidate for mayor is taking money from Vulcan Materials! Vulcan Materials is partially responsible for the ugly haze that covers our mountains at times, especially in the summertime, as well as responsible for giving the gun club a home in our community!!!

By supporting Vulcan Materials, Chagnon is also supporting the gun club and it is for this reason that she has been able to stay out of their crosshairs!

If anybody is sad, it is Chagnon supporters who refuse to face up to the facts.

[Talk about a bad CYA]

Guest-shame said:

Spreading vicious lies. The gun club did NOT put Diane's name on it because she supports the gun club. She does not support the gun club. Anyone that says she does is lying to people. The gun club did it for a simple reason, because if Diane wins as Mayor, there will be an additional seat open. You people are sad.

What a load of garbage. There's no logic in what you just said: The gun club doesn't get to pick who would fill a third open seat, not even the voters get to pick. The new council appoints it, and everyone knows that would do nothing for them.

But I'm sure that's the canned response we're going to be hearing, especially at tonight's council meeting. By the way, you didn't bother explaining why the people on the gun club's message board appear to care so much about 'how Diane feels.'

and please, let's not start accusing people of 'spreading' anything. Like it or not, the gun club itself has done that for you.

[Poss 11 more years of gun club]

What ''Gunholstered'' said above makes a very good point. Many people probably aren't aware that the ordinance closing down the gun club gives them 18 months to leave AND allows them up to a TEN YEAR extension should they apply for it.

Given the circumstances of their support for her, I feel Chagnon may have tried to meet the Gun Club half way in exchange for their helping eliminate her competition. Macias has been crystal clear about his position against the gun club, and he, Bob Donnellson, and Angel Carrillo all came out against the extended 10-year time window.

But Chagnon has articulated her responses to gun club inquiries very carefully. What else could be the reason for their helping her BUT that she's already promised them her support of a 10-year extension? That's really the only rational explanation as to why they've been backing her. I think it's painfully (and shamefully) obvious that an under-the-table deal was struck between Chagnon and the gun club - - to help get her elected to mayor in exchange for her approval of an extension.

Now if by some unfortunate, senseless turn of events, she *still* gets elected, we truly are screwed.

[Mirador]

So....how many receive the phone call tonight telling you to vote for the people supporting the gun club?


And for "So What"

I am voting for Diane Chagnon AND I think our National Security is at stake if our right to bear arms is threatened.

What a crock!

Just how exactly does closing the gun club interfer with your right to bear arms?

[Missfire]

Mirador guest
So What was just being sarcastic, read the last paragragh and you'll see. Anyways, that call tonight came from Xavier Hermosilllo. That's the gun club's spokesperson and P/R guy.
the interesting thing is that in the beginning of that message he passes himself off as an Azusa Police Assistant Chief. Azusa does not have anyone in this capacity but isn't that still impersonating a police officer? not to mention a big fat lie?
It's just a sign of how desperate they are getting. I hope no one takes them seriously!

[Follow The Money]

I was at the council meeting last night...all I can say is that we have a very sad city council...too bad they are ALL not up for re-election.

It was one big, excuse my french, circle jerk last night, with the most pathetic comments coming from outgoing Mayor Madrid and Mayoral candidate Diane Chagnon. Then there were the sitting city council members, especially Hardison, who were, in so many words saying that we should stick with the candidates already in office (Rocha as council member and Chagnon as Mayor)...probably looking for a nice juicy deal for a furniture store at 1/3 its value, I suppose!

Mayor Madrid basically patted herself on the back for a job badly done, and spoke of her "promotion" to work for Gloria Molina...good riddance!!!

Diane Chagnon was really pathetic in trying to portray herself as the only true victim of the gun club mailers since they DID NOT oppose her, as they opposed the other candidates. The way she tried to paint it, this was all a plot against HER! LISTEN UP DIANE, SWEETHEART...last time I checked, your biggest campaign contributor was the gun club's landlord!!!

Thank God that what's his name, the newspaper editor is out of here...he looked ready for a nursing home and some meds the way he was trying to challenge whoever wrote the gun club flyers to a fistfight.

All in all a pathetic group...Carillo spoke briefly as did Donnelson...saw Macias in attendance, but I don't know if he spoke at the very beginning as I was 5 minutes late.

Look, we are already stuck with Hardison and Chagnon (as council member) and that looks bad enough...anybody appears than they would be better than Rocha...poor guy sounds like he will break if you touch him the wrong way...very fragile.

When the drama club from Azusa High School came looking for a handout for a trip to New York (to see a Broadway musical and other activities), Joe Rocha not so generously proposed that the City of Azusa give them $100 total towards their $22,000 costs, or less than half of one percent of their total cost!!! This from the same city council that just gave a $1 million handout to the former city official for the furniture store!
In the end, they upped the ante to $1,100, or about 1% of what they gave, in equity, to the former city official.

Honestly, I think the current group is just looking to stay as much together as possible to set themselves up with similar deals, and Diane Chagnon appears to be the dirtiest one of them. Don't be surprised if she ends up with the Ranch Market location one day in a deal where the city buys it and sells it back to her for 1/3 the price, just as this sitting city council did with the furniture store.

Vote for change NOW! Although we cannot get rid of Hardison and Chagnon (entirely) tomorrow, we can start the ball rolling in the right direction. We can start taking control of our city now instead of having the wool pulled over our eyes for one more election!

[Mirador]

How many of you are really familiar with Azusa's government? Do any of you know what it was like from about 1975 - 1995?

How many of you are familiar with what this council has accomplished and tried to accomplish, even with the albatross Madrid, from 1996 - 2003? By the way this Council is being lambasted by some of you, it's obvious you haven't a clue!


Hopefully with Madrid out of the picture, perhaps Azusa has a chance.

Oh BTW ~ One of the best people on the Council is Joe Rocha!

[Missfire]

We (MC residents) may not have been here very long but we have been vigilant and involved since we have been here. Azusa is our home now and just like other residents who have been here longer, we want to see progress in this city. We want to spend our money here rather than neighboring cities. We want a nice places to shop within close proximity. We want the gun club out and a nice park in. We want Vulcan to give us a better deal. I think being on the council is a tough job and to be perfectly honest I wouldn't want the job if they gave it to me. However, I think that no matter what we will be getting new people into the council so we should try to make sure we get the right ones in. If we elect Macias ( who I believe is a great asset to the city) we still get to keep Dianne ( who seems to have some skeletons in the closet) but over all seems to have done alright. Then if get get any combo of Rocha, Donnelson, or Carrillo we would have a fairly decent council who could hopefully work together for the the best of the city and not special interests. Let's think about what would be the best overall scenario for the city and not so much about individual egos.
VOTE: MACIAS
ROCHA

[Missfire]

We (MC residents) may not have been here very long but we have been vigilant and involved since we have been here. Azusa is our home now and just like other residents who have been here longer, we want to see progress in this city. We want to spend our money here rather than neighboring cities. We want a nice places to shop within close proximity. We want the gun club out and a nice park in. We want Vulcan to give us a better deal. I think being on the council is a tough job and to be perfectly honest I wouldn't want the job if they gave it to me. However, I think that no matter what we will be getting new people into the council so we should try to make sure we get the right ones in. If we elect Macias ( who I believe is a great asset to the city) we still get to keep Dianne ( who seems to have some skeletons in the closet) but over all seems to have done alright. Then if get get any combo of Rocha, Donnelson, or Carrillo we would have a fairly decent council who could hopefully work together for the the best of the city and not special interests. Let's think about what would be the best overall scenario for the city and not so much about individual egos.
VOTE: MACIAS, ROCHA, DONNELSON, CARRILLO

[Clueless Mountain Cover]

Mirador,

Thankfully, many of us in Mountain Cove came from communities where we have come to expect more than what we have seen in the last couple years from the Azusa City Council. Hopefully, once Montarra is built, the City will continue moving in the right direction, attracting a much more diverse mix of citizens than currently exists in Azusa.

It is a sad commentary that in 2005, supposedly 10 years after the city council was said to be so bad, that Diane Chagnon, Joe Rocha, Dave Hardison, Cristina Madrid and Dick Stanford can pull the backroom deal kind of BS that allowed a former city official to get a prime property for $1 million less than its true value, and without even a competitive bid!

I seriously doubt that if there were not two incumbents and two retiring members of the City Council that this would have ever occurred. Don't think for one second that these council members are not looking for similar treatment on their way out. I sure wish I knew more details about their scandalous behaivour...hopefully the lawsuit by the Smart City Grinds owner will bring a few skeletons out of the closet.

[Clueless Mountain Cover]

>>I seriously doubt that if there were not two incumbents and two retiring members of the City Council that this would have ever occurred.

What I mean is that there are two incumbent city council members, Hardison and Chagnon, whose seats are not up for re-election this time around, unfortunately.

HEY DIANE...What are you going to do with that extra $10,000 in campaign donations that you have not spent??? Saving up for a down payment on a furniture store (or a partnership in Blockbuster) ;D

[another opinion]

Well, the truth is, the city did not give away a portion of the value of the property. And I have a feeling that the case will be thrown out of court. The city did not do anything illegal.

In truth, what the city did was require the new developer to make an additional investment into that lot of more than $1 million dollars. The idea is to make that property a premium property and not have it developed on the cheap. Or to put it another way, a Standard Pacific development over an inexpensive KB Homes development.

I'm glad that the city council pushed for quality.

[another opinion]

Hello Mirador,

I just wanted to mention that I agree with you. I have lived in this valley my entire life and have seen how much this city has improved in the last 10 years. I'm a little embarassed by the behavior of some of the neighbors. And I just want to say that they do not represent all of us. Rocha is an excellent city council member and I'm sure that he will win.

The city council is made of of human beings that are doing their best to improve this city. And I personally appreciate what they have accomplished and worked on. I'm also looking forward to the future improvements as well. It is too easy for people to make up stories when they don't understand the complete issue. Just look at the messages on this board and you can see it done time and time again on various issues. It is a very sad thing to see.

I do wish the new city council much success in the future. And I hope the residents will consider treating them as they would want to be treated, with fairness and maybe a little understanding.

[clueless mountain cover]

another opinion,

Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?

It is the equivalent of the City of Azusa buying a Mountain Cove property for the full market value. The subject house has no landscaping yet, but the City paid the necessary price to acquire the house.

Then, the City turns around and sells it to outgoing councilmember Stanford or outgoing Mayor Madrid, for 1/3 the price paid, so long as they promise to pump some money into the house to make it more attractive!

Bottom line, the former city official got a $1 million discount, will pump money into the property, likely from the refinancing of the property, and then have a much more valuable property that belongs to him, not the city.
At the end of the day, after only a few months, he will likely have a property worth over $2.5 million for no more than a $1 million investment on his part.

Anybody with any remaining brain cells can see that this is a hustle...nothing more, nothing less. The good citizens have been swindled in order to benefit a former city official...like I said, don't think that Chagnon and Hardison are not setting themselves up with similar deals.

[AK47]

Very, Very Upset!!! It was a very close race... Why did the Gun Club had to intervine using "Dirty Politics" to mess with peoples minds not to vote for Macias... those flyers made a great impact in the campaigning, sending wrongfull messages to the citizens of Azusa...while Macias being a clean, honest and sincere candidate not retaliating and keeping it clean!!!

I also dont understand why "Diane Chagnon's" name was not in the flyers, from my understanding shes also against the gun club staying...it smells funny...and dirty...

Wrongfull messages: The Gun Club stated that Macias its against public safety...hummm well lets see Macias is a U.S Navy member devoted to his country.....and Chagnon has not so ever any background in military or police... Macias promise to donate part of his salary as a mayor to the Azusa Police Explorers...hummm and they say hes against public safety...yeah right!!!

Great job Diane!!! lets see what else is under youre sleeves!!!