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Kay Ayala stated the she has been living in Pleasanton since 1983 and that it is nights <br />like this that makes her decision even brighter. She thanked all those present for <br />coming out because she did not think anyone was going to come out. She stated that <br />she thought she was going to be the lone wolf here saying she surveyed her neighbors <br />and her aerobics group, and all of them want a free enterprise system here in <br />Pleasanton. She addressed the Commission that she thinks its job is easier tonight, <br />and she appealed to all the people present tonight to go to the City Council meeting <br />because the Council will also need their support. She thanked the Commission for <br />doing its job and asked that it deny the appeal. <br />Chris Pareja stated that he actually has two business addresses in Pleasanton and that <br />he is also registered to attend the Catholic Community of Pleasanton. He indicated that <br />for full disclosure, he is actually a candidate for the House of Representatives governing <br />this area. He stated that one of the things that has not been addressed previously in <br />detail is that it is not only the property owner and the anchor tenant who are going to <br />suffer, as well as the businesses in the complex that are dependent upon having an <br />anchor tenant, but also people on fixed incomes and low incomes who will be brought <br />into Pleasanton by recent legislation. He indicated that it is not fair to bring in lower <br />income and affordable housing into communities and not provide options for them to get <br />low -cost foods, which is one of the things that he has heard from the beginning as <br />opposition to approval of this plan. He added that he has also heard, in talking with <br />other citizens, that this is the same type of orchestrated effort that is happening with the <br />other WalMart neighborhood stores, including the one in San Ramon. He indicated that <br />he supports people's rights to unionize, but he does not support the views of this kind of <br />bullying or the use of government zoning as a weapon against other citizens of the <br />community. He added that it is not right and is almost a dysfunctional relationship kind <br />of scenario where "if we cannot have you, then no one else can." He requested the <br />Commission, as voiced by everyone except for one, to deny the appeal and move <br />forward with bringing in the new WalMart grocery store into town. <br />Linda Gheno stated she has lived 30 years directly across from the shopping complex <br />and that she liked having Nob Hill; however, she was not exactly in favor of this grocery <br />store going in. She indicated that she has watched this whole area grow, and while she <br />does not buy her groceries at WalMart, she is fine if WalMart wants to go in there. She <br />stated that she is fortunate enough that she can drive all over the place to buy whatever <br />she wants to buy, and she thinks it will be great for people in the area who do not have <br />cars and who can walk over there. She stated that her main concern is that shopping <br />carts are left all over the place. She indicated that she recently wrote a letter to the <br />Mr. Dolan about WalMart shopping carts left all over around that City block and that <br />nothing has been done. She indicated that she would really like to see some regulation <br />about that because it trashes up the neighborhood. She added that she was afraid <br />there would be RV's and campers in the parking lot, like those in the WalMart parking <br />lot on Rosewood Drive. She noted, however, that this was addressed earlier by the <br />property manager who would be monitoring the matter. <br />PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, March 19, 2012 Page 9 of 15 <br />