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By Jake Christie
October 22, 2016 (Spring Valley) - In a move that was totally out of the blue, Spring Valley Community Planning Group members L. Ben Motten and Hezikiah Herrera have tendered their resignations this month.
While Motten would not respond to any emailed queries, Herrera emailed Jake Christie his resignation letter in which he stated: “.….I am currently selling my home in Spring Valley and will no longer be residing within the group’s jurisdictional boundries.….please accept this as my official planing group resignation letter.” Herrera was with the SVCPG for nearly two years, a very quiet man.
On the matter of L. Ben Motten’s resignation, Spring Valley Plannning Chair Lora Lowes wrote the following to Jake Christie in an email: “He has always said that he would be running for office. He has 6 businesses and is very busy plus he has to move somewhere to run for some office.” Motten had been with the group for more than five years, seemed to know what was going on with the Department of Planning and Development Services (formerly the Dept. of Planning and Land Use), very knowledgeable on where development was going on in San Diego County.
Losing members has been a continual problem with the 13-person planning group, mainly due to people leaving the area; for example long-time member Michael Daly resigned in September of 2014 because his wife got a job in San Francisco and he sold his house and moved with her. Others “retire out”; Richard E. Preuss, former police officer, moved on to the anti-drinking, anti-medical marijuana dispensary group Institute for Public Strategies. As long as there are eight members to make quorum, the planning group can conduct business; Jake Christie cannot remember a time when the group missed quorum and had to go home.
Any Spring Valley readers interested in joining the group can attend one of their meetings at the Otay Water District headquarters at 2554 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard at 7p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.
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