Tag Archives: Chairman Mark Macarro Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians

Liberty Quarry

Granite Construction Purchases Ethics Awards

Granite Construction Named to Ethisphere’s 2011 “World’s Most Ethical Companies” For 2nd Year in a Row

Award Recognizes Exceptional Ethical Leadership Actively Upheld within Various Industries

WATSONVILLE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE: GVA) announced today that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2011 World’s Most Ethical Companies. Out of a record number of nominations for the award, Granite secured a hard-earned spot on the list by going the extra mile and implementing upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry.

“Granite places a strong value on corporate responsibility. Being named to Ethisphere’s 2011 World’s Most Ethical Companies list is a testament to the solid foundation we have in place,” said James H. Roberts, Granite President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to sharing an unwavering dedication to the highest ethical standards from employees at every level of our organization….
( click to read full article at Granite Construction’s website)

Given Granite Construction Corporation’s actions in Temecula, their pay-the-fine-admit-no-fault (see below) policies and their often disingenuous re-interpretation of reality, it was with great interest that I discovered the following article – and the fact that Granite pays for their award either directly to Ehisphere (a for profit company) or one of its affiliates.

It’s All Good

Beware of corporate consulting firms offering awards for corporate ethics.

By Will Evans

Sometime in the next week or so, something called the Ethisphere Institute is scheduled to announce this year’s list of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies.” If past years are any indication, the winners will have their press releases ready to go, and news outlets across the country will eat it up. There’s just one hitch: These ethics awards—let’s call them the Ethies—may have ethics issues of their own. (click to read full article)

Here are some of the fines Granite has paid – yet admitted no wrong-doing:

State of NEVADA – Air Resources (click)

09/22/1993     $3,500.00    #1040                  HUMBOLDT
01/22/1998     $12,000.00   #1270                  LYON
03/25/1998     $8,000.00     #1301,1302,1303  LYON
09/24/1998     $30,000.00   #1334& #1335      ELKO
12/16/1999     $9,670.00     #1386                  MINERAL
04/20/2000     $6,785.00     #1424& 1425       CARSON CITY
08/22/2000     $15,300.00   #1441,1442,1443  CARSON CITY

Air violations raise questions about Granite Construction Quarry Aggregate Research.com

Stimulus funds aiding companies accused of fraud, pollution – California Watch

Granite Construction maintains that the cited safety standard is “too vague and ambiguous…”  $60.00 fine.  Who paid for all the fees?  The taxpayers?  Another subsidy for Granite due to the old-boy network of ethics?

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to Pay Nearly $1 Million for Alleged Clean Water Act Violations: Granite Construction pays $250,000

OSHA – Fatal Bridge Fall – Granite Construction Corp. pays $240,000

Agency cites Granite Construction for 40 of 61 violations regarding discharges into Yaquina River and its tributaries from June 2006 through May 2007    $240,000

Granite Pays (reimburses?) San Diego $400,000 for “possible” overcharging and billing
for work that was not done.  Admits no wrong-doing.

Granite Construction to pay $1.1M of $4.6M settlement with government over minority contracts

Earth, Liberty Quarry, Petition, Sacred Sites

Banned by the Valley News Network and recent posts elsewhere

North County Times and the Fallbrook Valley News like to delete my comments on articles related to Liberty Quarry.  I wonder why?

I came across some interesting articles the past 24 hours and have posted some comments which I am reproducing here:

Since AB-742 was recently introduced, Granite has been crying for “local government” to decide the issue. Given LAFCO’s denial of the City of Temecula’s original annexation plans due to a request from Granite, I’d be tempted to say some of the $10 million dollars that Garry Johnson has invested spoke louder than local government.

This fight is far from over:  Granite will not go away easily.

Support AB 742. Join both Native American and non-Native Americans to enact legislation which will save Native American sacred sites as well as the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California:  http://www.ab-742.com
________

EVERYONE needs to stay committed to the political process. We MUST elect officials of integrity – and vote them OUT of office when they cease to represent us.

“The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.” – Brown Act, 1953   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Act

Peter  Terezakis
5:53am on Thursday, September 15, 2011

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Tribe, Granite Fight Over Sacred Site

The construction company and the tribe argued about whether a site near a proposed quarry is sacred.

Granite cares about nothing except converting rock into cash.  They will continue to use their time-tested scripts to achieve goals and ride over local communities using millions of well-placed dollars to grease the wheels of the corrupt to do so.

Support AB 742. Join both Native American and non-Native Americans to enact legislation which will save Native American sacred sites as well as the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California: http://www.ab-742.com

Peter Terezakis

6:36am on Thursday, September 15, 2011

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County Planning Commission Rejects Mining Operation
Village News Network
… of its fifth and final public meeting regarding the 414-acre Liberty Quarry, … The city of Temecula attempted unsuccessfully in 2009 to annex the land …

• Quarry jobs:  Most would be taken by unemployed union members from outside of the area.
• There is no way to put a lid over the entire quarry.
• Winds blowing over the quarry will create a partial vacuum pulling material into the atmosphere.
• superfine particulate matter will mix with moisture in the air and form an aerosol which will not fall to the ground.
• ” Editor’s note: This story is actually from a news service; it is not an article written by one of our writers.”  – That is a pathetic excuse for how YOU have chosen to portray this issue to YOUR public.
• “….the news service is from Los Angeles who was there and they are in no way in Granite’s back pocket…”  This is an equally pathetic statement proven wrong by the contents of the article.

The Editor and Staff ought to be embarrassed for printing Granite’s press release spin as fact.  If FVN was at all concerned about advertising from the community which it ostensibly represents; this article would never have come to print.    Since you chose to endorse this article the only question is how much money are you directly taking from Granite or its affiliates?

Support AB 742. Join both Native American and non-Native Americans to enact legislation which will save Native American sacred sites as well as the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California:  http://www.ab-742.com

Peter  Terezakis

Note:  This following comment on the article published above was removed twice by the Village News Network editors and/or staff.  After answering a challenge question on a return visit to prove I was not a SPAMBOT, I was allowed to post this same text a third time.   When assembling this page I went to check to see if my comment was still up.  As of today, my computer has been banned from their network.

Earth, Sacred Sites

Et Tu, KPBS? “Casino Money Goes To Protecting Indian Sacred Sites”

BY ALISON ST JOHN
September 2, 2011
The article on the KPBS website may be read in full here

I admit to being upset by the article referenced above.
So much so that I wrote the following – which KPBS has elected to leave visible.
————————————————

Great headline! Maybe the author could work in, “Granite Construction Corporation receives $29 Million Dollars of Federal stimulus money for work on roads within the Navajo Reservation and uses $10 million to destroy sites sacred to the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.

Or a fact or two about the project:

The quarry would be a mile and a half long and as deep as the Empire State Building is tall. It would be one of the largest gravel pits in the nation. Blasting would occur every day that the quarry is open (six days) and operation would be from 7 am until 10 pm. Deforested areas visible from the highway (due to loss of ground water) would be painted green.

A note about the involvement of local government:

The communities surrounding the site selected by Granite Construction Corporation have been fighting the proposed quarry since at least 2005. Documentation to this effect is available to the public via PDF of the Temecula City Council. Over 40,000 residents, 500 local businesses, and 140 area physicians have signed petitions protesting the proposed quarry.

On March 8, 2011 the City Council of the City of Temecula passed Resolution No. 11 opposing the Liberty Quarry project after spending $784,000 to annex properties and analyze/debunk Lilburn’s EIR paid for by Granite Construction Corporation. Lilburn’s motto of “Getting to Yes” gives insight into their methodology.

It was only after the failure of local communities and local government to stop Granite Construction’s plans that the Native American community became involved. Now both Native and non-Native Americans are doing their utmost to prevent the project.

On Wednesday August 31, 2011, the Riverside Planning Commission voted to deny the project as the benefits of the project did not outweigh the risks.

And a closing thought:

Why KPBS has chosen to malign the efforts of concerned communities surrounding the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill and proposed Liberty Quarry with a borderline racist slant is beyond my comprehension.

The Liberty Quarry project would destroy the LAST wild river and LAST coastal wildlife corridor in Southern California. The fact that it contains sites which are sacred to people who have inhabited those lands for 10,000 years is axiomatic and I respect that.  Native American beliefs and customs are different than those of my Christian heritage; but possibly not all that dissimilar from my forefathers belief system.  Here is something else which I understand: All Creation is Divine.

Mr. John Petty (3rd District Planning Commissioner) raised an interesting topic at Wednesday’s meeting regarding Riverside County’s outdated permitting process. I trust that this is something which will be pursued.  Regardless it is time to re-examine our treatment of “undeveloped land.”  The negative effects of eighteenth century attitudes toward our vanishing natural world is impacting us all and not in a good way.  It is time for a change based on facts: not the weight of a financial juggernaut.

http://sacredskysacredearth.com/ab-742/

A 1,000 residents of Temecula gathered to make their voice heard
A Message to Elected Officials and Granite Construction Corporation