Quirk Could Switch Vote on $6 Million McDonald’s Move
Credible community sources report that Councilwoman Sharon Quirk has second thoughts about her vote to commit $6 million in redevelopment funds to move McDonald’s 150 feet east—right across the street from her alma mater, Fullerton High School.
The move is opposed by the HS District due to traffic concerns on congested Pomona Ave. Health-conscious parents point to studies showing kids at high schools within 500’ of fast food outlets have 5% higher obesity rates. Councilman Dick Jones complained that the redevelopment agency is stuck paying for the entire move—that the supersized multi-national McDonald’s Corp is paying nothing.
This is a one-sided deal that deserves to be deep fried!
Quirk is within her powers to re-agenize the item and vote against it. She could join Jones and Nelson to counteract this Big Mac attack on our wallets and waistlines.
Will Fullerton High School’s venerable arches soon be in the shadow of the Golden Arches? Or will Quirk wisely put the $6 million back in the redevelopment kitty to fight blight at some more appropriate location?
FUHS is the only high school with two alumni in baseball’s Hall of Fame (Who are they, bloggers?) So, step up to the plate, Sharon. Get off your sesame seed buns and get this back on the agenda. This is a civic embarrassment that only you can reverse!
They are the “Big Train” Walter Johnson and “Arky” Vaughan. Everybody knows that.
And don’t forget Gary Carter of Sunny Hills High.
BTW, at this point a lot of the $6 million has already been wasted. The move will add another $3 million. Here’s a thought that doesn’t seem to have occurred to anybody: let them build their new monstosity around the McDonalds!
Quirk could send them back to the drawing board, but that would really anger all of her friends in the Save the Fox campaign. I don’t think she has the guts to pull something like this.
The Save the Fox campaign is DOA. It’s just been used by City staff to create another mammoth boondoggle. At first the tail was wagging the dog. Now there’s no tail anymore.
The “Fox” will end up as a facade in front of another McSpanish McDinosaur.
When was the last time a Council-person changed a vote after realizing they voted the wrong way?
I don’t know. Probably never. That would be an admission of error. The closest thing I can think of is when Jones changed his vote on the SRO in 1997; of course he had voted the right way in the first place!
I cant believe the city of Fullerton would pay $6M in this insane economy to help the largest a franchise of the largest fast food company in the universe (ranked #107 on Fortune 500 w/ revenues at $23B and assests at $28B) move 150′ from its current location? This is the single largest waste of money. If they want it moved so bad, let McDonalds spend their money. How much more can Fullerton make off this move anyways???
Get with it. Lucky the rest of the city just flat out doesn’t pay attention to the money wasting going here, so as usual this will just go unnoticed. I suspect this will come up again in a VERY bad light when people find out what is happening here.
What a shame!
Dear Trick-or-Treat:
I changed my vote back in ’85. I had originally supported (w/ Ackerman & LeQuire) closing off Teri Place & Derek Dr. to keep frat row parties from spilling over onto the R-1 areas.
2 weeks later, we reopened the issue & I joined McClanahan & Catlin for a parking permit system. Changing long-establish circuation patters was just not workable.
Jones also changed his vote on the City Lights SRO proposal, after he was threatened with a lawsuit over his disparaging comments regarding the possible future residents. Sa & I voted against it because of the developers doubtful credentials.
A swing voter can reagendize any issue, if their vote could make a difference. It HAS happened before.
Hey Norby, when are you gonna endorse Nelson, dude? We’re waitin’, bro’.
“Changing long-establish circuation patters was just not workable.”
What about the East 100 block of Whiting Avenue? That was a pretty “long-established ciculation pattern.”
Of course they didn’t study alternatives to moving the McDs. That would have required turning over an irregular shaped parcel to mister big-time-developer-with-no-money-down to actually demonstrate some creativity at site planning. Better to just give away a perfect rectangle – even if it costs the taxpayers an extra SIX MILLION FREAKING DOLLARS!
I really wonder how many of the Save the Foxers would like to take their signature back!
quirk the jerk is succumbing to the pressure of ffff exposing her shady deals and poor judgement
She won’t change her vote. I’ll give odds.
#10, “turning over an irregular shaped parcel to mister big-time-developer-with-no-money-down to actually demonstrate some creativity at site planning.”, the essence of redevelopment. And because of the lack of “creativity at site planning” and design, it’s back to the drawing board for the next group of redevelopment staffers in 20 years or less, in the business it’s called “big government”.
Right on, Frazier. And thank you Supervisor Norby, for your Fullerton legislative history update on the importance of vote-changing, when changing one’s vote is simply the right thing to do.
In one corner, a huge corporation, under guise of a local businessman; in the other, City of Fullerton, hoodwinked into abetting the feeding of malnutritious food to its young residents! On this issue, I must entirely side with Council members Jones and Nelson. McDonald’s shouldn’t receive ONE DIME from City of Fullerton! Long-term costs upon Fullerton’s citizens to provide financial assistance to this global firm are catastrophic!
By eating this food, Fullerton students become less prepared to excel at school, less productive citizens, and will suffer crippling long-term health problems! Obesity, cardiac distress, diabetes! This isn’t idle speculation, but medical fact! Our Latino population’s particularly susceptible to these complications! Not even to mention high civic costs to clean up paper and plastic waste, which is daily generated from this eatery!
I defend, though not happily, McDonald’s or any firm’s rights to build wherever it wants; pay the going rate, meet all governing local, state and federal rules and requirements.
But it’s just wrong for Fullerton to subsidize McDonald’s operation, in any way. Wrong for Fullerton to favor one company over another. Wrong for Fullerton to justify such future ugliness, in the name of civic beautification. Wrong for Fullerton to victimize its young, to enable old people feel good about themselves. Wrong. Wrong Wrong.
I strongly urge Council members Keller, Quirk, Bankhead to carefully reexamine their votes, and put Fullerton first! Put Fullerton first; provide a safe, healthy environment for its young! Put Fullerton first; cautiously rein in civic waste! Put Fullerton first; focus not on global corporate greed, but on local civic virtue!
Every time Fullerton citizens drive by Fox Theatre, and marvel at its future apotheosis as local cultural shrine, please think of thousands of Fullerton young children, teen-agers, young adults who’ll have paid the price to make this happen. Very soon, they’ll have even fewer steps to pick up their Egg McMuffins, Mcfries, and six dollar dollar Super-sized Big Macs.
It hardly seems possible!
Sorry to be so cranky. But I’m truly flabbergasted by this civic-inspired fiscal imprudence and grave social justice.
The Enabler
Enabler, very well said. I hope we get to hear more from you on this blog.
Right on, Enabler!
A little side note, a few weeks ago, I saw an obese teen tagging on a utility box near my office, so I took a picture of him with my phone (it’s amazing how convenient a cell phone can be) and called the cops. Within minutes a police officer diligently met up with me, and I shared the image with him. From the image, and with the help of his mobile laptop, we ID the kid!
One guess where the obese teen was at just 30 minutes after he defaced the utility box?
If they truly wanted to make a difference in for our children, who will inevitably become taxpayers, they should ban all drive thru fast food within 500 to 1000 feet of a public school campus for children under 18 years in the entire city of Fullerton.
The traffic is horrendous off of Chapman and rather than single out a particular restaurant just make a ordinance to include all drive through restaurants and no grand father clauses to exclude any.
Then instead of paying (ludicrous amounts) private individuals for property who are savvy enough to rip off the taxpayers by relying on their sentimental notions on “beloved structures” (Fox)
Take a step back, take the emotion out it and make a more pragmatic view on the actual cost to the taxpayers.
Now this Mc Donald’s owner if he has his way will do the same as the previous owner of the Fox, take his money and ask for more so he may have monetary assistance for “Extras”.
I am pro business but I am not pro corporate welfare.