Gas Tax Karen Spiegel speaks with forked tongue. She also tells people she disagrees with to “go to hell”. One one hand being abrasive and abusive to political enemies can have its’ upside (See also Donald Trump), however being brusque and abrasive with no real power to back it up can be disastrous.

This is probably why Karen Spiegel was subjected to an attempted Recall. While 95% of Recall efforts fail to make the ballot, and roughly a third of those that do, fail, Recall efforts usually fall in to one of two categories. 1. It is a group of extremists trying to impose their political brand on the municipality or 2. Legitimate outrage from a group of stakeholders that feel marginalized.

In my research on Karen Spiegel, I am of the opinion that she does not play well with others. Witness this article from the Press-Enterprise (that unlike the Sheriff’s Race, actually covers events in Corona):

Though not mentioned in the petition, Morgan said “the straw that broke the camel’s back” involved the city’s plans for a railroad grade separation at McKinley Street. Corona will receive $84.45 million for the project as part of the recently-approved state gas tax increase.

At a June study session, the council agreed to study three options for the project: build a railroad bridge over McKinley, raise McKinley over the railroad or leave it as it is.

Morgan said the council should eliminate raising the road as a choice because several businesses on McKinley would lose their property under that option.

“They’re going to wipe out twenty-something, thirty businesses,” he said.

Wouldn’t a City Council Member try to work with the community to re-locate affected businesses? Have hearings to solicit better ideas?

Of course not – being right and jamming down the project appears to have been the MO. Amazing things happen to people, especially those in office long-term. 

The City Council was supposed to vote on this $100M business destroying project last June 28th, but it was vehemently opposed by over 150 local businesses owners and residents who showed up and spoke in protest to the surprise of the entire city council. So the city council decided to delay the vote and “study it further.”

The city Public Works Director, Nelson Nelson, contacted BNSF Railroad in September and was told of unreasonable BNSF demands for the 2nd option which is elevating the “Railroad Over the Road” which would save local businesses and property from eminent domain and many others from closing, including Shell Gas Station, Chuck-E-Cheese, Self-Made Gym, Food 4 Less and Simply Fresh Markets, because McKinley car traffic would be diverted from the 91 freeway off ramp up to 40′ high, over the rail road tracks and 1/2 mile down to Magnolia Avenue.

So the city has quietly waited from September until the start of the holidays to vote on the only option left, which is to elevate McKinley “Road Over Rail” up to 40′ high for 1/2 mile from the 91 freeway to Magnolia Avenue, hoping people would be too busy to show up and protest.

To throw people off even more and not show up, the city council had set the “Study Session” for the day before Thanksgiving, November 22, at 3:30pm. Then suddenly changes it, at the last minute to the following Tuesday, November 28th at 3:45pm.  Furthermore, the City of Corona City Council is calling it a “Study Session” instead of a “City Council Meeting” so they do not need to notify by law the businesses and residents that a vote will be taking place as per the Corona City Clerk.

Even the Corona Chamber of Commerce is silent on this business destroying bridge matter because the President of the Corona Chamber, Bobby Spiegel, is the husband of Karen Spiegel, who is a Vice-Mayor/City Council Member and sits on the board of the RCTC who allocated the $84.5M for the bridge project after 10 years of planning.

Hmmm. Cozy. Mr. Spiegel is a big-wig in the local Chamber of Commerce? Nice to see Corona is no different than so many other jurisdictions. Based on my research, it looks like Corona is run by a very small group of people, so small in fact that you could fit them in a phone booth.

Nice to see the games being played with hearings. Nice to see the pre-ordained outcome. Freedom appears to be an illusion as Gax Tax Karen Spiegel seems to know better than the rest of us.

Nice to also see the hand out for the Gas-Tax Money. The $84.5MM for the bridge (the total price tag will be over $100MM if it is built) was part of the Price for Richard Roth and Sabrina Cervantes’ vote for SB1, which is on the ballot as Prop 6 due to a taxpayer revolt against it. (vote yes on 6, by the way)

The issues in Corona are pretty straightforward. The issues in Supervisoral District 2 are pretty straightforward: Jurupa Valley nearly filed a municipal BK in the last 10 years, was rumored to be looking an unincorporating, Norco and Corona are suffering from the effects of financial woes and increasing Crime, the 91 Freeway is a nightmare made worse by the decisions of government (the 15 is not much better), local leadership is inbred and new entrants in to the fray are annihilated, and of course the age old debate about development vs NIMBY-ism.

Spiegel is 100% the old guard. She has been on the Corona City Council for two decades and her husband runs the local Chamber of Commerce. They both have significant ownership of the problems in Corona. As such, Spiegel is not qualified to be a supervisor and people should choose Eric Linder instead.

Now we are getting a flavor for Karen Spiegel.

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