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