Outrageous Behavior

Rosanne Foust, a RWC city council member, on the massive Cargill/DMB project, a housing development that will require filling in valuable parts of SF Bay.   Rosanne Foust’s ties to Cargill/DMB are now well-known—as president and CEO of SAMCEDA, an organization that supports the Cargill/DMB project, her pro Cargill/DMB sympathies are clear. 

A while back, because of this obvious conflict of interest, council member Foust was forced by the Fair Political Practices Commission to recuse herself from participating in Cargill/DMB matters after complaints were received about her ties to Cargill/DMB.

The proposed “advisory vote” would, according to Foust, list the many “benefits” the project would bring to Redwood City residents.  In other words, this “advisory vote” will advertise the “benefits” touted by Cargill/DMB—all at taxpayers’ expense.  By putting such a measure on the November ballot, she and her Cargill/DMB allies will be using local government funds to promote their private financial interests. 

To provide a balanced picture for Redwood City residents, rather than listing just the imagined “benefits “of the Cargill/DMB project, a fair vote (advisory or otherwise) should list all the negative effects of the project that experts say are very likely to occur—huge traffic jams,  impacted schools,  harm to local businesses from increased competition,  higher rates for local residents due to water shortage, and more. 

At this juncture, Redwood City residents need to send a clear message to Rosanne Foust:   Measures or votes sponsored by city governments should not be used as veiled advertisements intended to enrich private companies