From CPIhazardWatch.org

From: Richard Placone
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2008 1:43 PM
To: Council, City; Barton, John; Burt, Patrick; Drekmeier, Peter; Espinosa, Sid; Kishimoto, Yoriko; Klein, Larry; Morton, Jack; Schmid, Greg; Yeh, Yiaway
Subject: CPI and a toxic environment

Dear Council Members,

Consider this a formal complaint against the city and yourselves for your failure to  take proper actions to safeguard the neighborhood in which I live from the threat of dangerous, life threatening toxic fumes and substances.

For the record, I live at 601 Chimalus Drive, directly across the way from the CPI manufacturing plant.  I have lived at this address for 45 years, long before CPI took up residence in the former Varian Associates buildings.  During this entire time Varian occupied these premises, there was never an instance of the release of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere to my knowledge.

But in the short time CPI has been the tenant there have been two, and maybe three, releases of toxic gases into the atmosphere.  The first of which I became aware occurred around February 2006, when a release of a toxic gas, I think it may have been chlorine, wafted directly over the house across the street from mine.  My neighbor at that time was on his roof cleaning gutters when the gas engulfed him and drive him into the house.  He told me he had no idea what was happening but suddenly began to feel very ill and had to get off the roof before he fell off.  

This and one other incident set off a series of meetings with CPI officials, city staff and a neighborhood committee acting of behalf of the Chimalus Drive neighborhood.  It was my expectation that CPI would be required to eliminate their toxic activities on this site.  Instead, the city granted CPI approval to increase its activities and to increase the amount of toxic chemicals it  could store on site.  CPI of course promises to take precautions to safeguard the chemicals and the manufacturing process.  They have been exceeding slow in doing so, given the seriousness of the matter.  Nonetheless, very recently another chemical spill occurred, this time on the parking lot of CPI, and was quickly contained.  But this only serves to highlight once again the dangers of CPI's operations.

THEY CLEARLY DO NOT BELONG IN OR NEAR A DENSELY POPULATED RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.


Historically, I have been told that CPI moved its manufacturing operations to this site from San Carlos, or somewhere in that area.  This tells me that the city knew what was about to take place, that the city knew of the long standing residential neighborhood on Chimalus Drive, and one can surely assume that such a high touted staff as Council consistently maintains we have, must have been aware of the dangers this could bring to the residents.  As an analogy, how many times have we heard oil companies say oil spills are rare and becoming a thing of the past?  The record tells a different story.

However, the city acted to do all it could to accommodate CPI, and continues to do so to this very day.

I have just received an announcement from the Chimalus Drive citizen's group that CPI is installing, or soon will install, electronic sensors that will warn when a toxic gas release has occurred.  I have been asked if I want to be placed on one or two lists to receive a warning  that this has happened.

Is that supposed to make me feel comfortable and safe in my own home?  Because of lax and uncaring city actions, taken mostly to accommodate the needs of CPI whose executives continually deny that their operations are potentially harmful and even life threatening, I now have to live in what is becoming known as a toxic gas danger zone.  so dangerous that special waring sensors have to be in place to warn us to duck for cover.  TELL ME HOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE SITUATION AT THE DOW CHEMICAL PLANT IN INDIA SEVERAL YEARS AGO, ALSO A COMPLETELY SAFE OPERATION, THAT HAD A SINGLE ACCIDENT, THAT SUPPOSEDLY COULD NEVER HAPPEN, THAT KILLED THOUSANDS OF NEARBY RESIDENTS?

The Council and staff have succeeded is setting up a similar situation here in our very neighborhood.  This is unconscionable, immoral and quite possibly illegal.
How many members of this Council would willing live in a neighborhood that exposed them and their families to this kind of potential danger, or would allow such an operation to move into  their neighborhood?  I daresay none of you would tolerate this.

I am 75 years old, and have looked forward to spending my so called golden years in the quite and peace of my home, in safety from such things as toxic spills and such.   I have made major contributions to this city in years past, and have invested considerable money in my home, so that the city will benefit when it falls into other hands and comes off the Prop 13 tax roll.   Instead, I now have to live in fear that the next toxic spill may well result in injury to me and my neighbors. Moreover, this situation is becoming know amongst real estate people, and more than one have asked me about the CPI  situation when properties near my own have come on the market. I believe it is a real possibility that my property values will be negatively affected by this as will the properties of my neighbors.  As long as the Council tolerates this kind of condition, it will be showing its true self interests, and ignoring the repeated attempts of this neighborhood to have this operation removed from our area.  It should NEVER have been approved in the first place, but since it was, it is time the city take the bull by the horns and act on behalf of the residents, for once.  Otherwise you are derelict in your primary duty as elected officials to provided for the safety and well being of your constituents.  I do not feel safe, and I doubt any of my neighbors do, if what I hear them saying reflects their true feelings.

I sent the Council a fable last year in the form of a newspaper article describing a fatal toxic spill from CPI that killed 6 residents on Chimalus Drive.  Be forewarned and for the record,  should such an event occur that results in a death or injury, I will definitely sue this city  for its failure to take the necessary action to remove this threat.  Further, I am lodging a complaint with Stanford University, the owner of the land on which CPI's facilities exist.

Sincerely yours,

Richard C. Placone