Chinese and Hispanic residents of Sunset Park do nto seem happy with Council Member Sara Gonzalez's justification for her rezoning plan of Sunset Park...or her support of developers who have contributed thousands of dollars to her campaign. From David Galarza's campaign:

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE DAVID GALARZA, CHINESE AND LATINO LEADERS AND RESIDENTS DENOUNCE STATEMENTS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ

Brooklyn, NY — March 23, 2009 — David Galarza, City Council candidate for the 38th district, was joined today by leaders and residents of the local Latino and Chinese community in denouncing misleading comments recently made by Council Member Sara Gonzalez about affordable housing in the district and the rezoning of Sunset Park.

“Council Member Sara Gonzalez continues to call on the community to support a flawed rezoning plan that will ultimately increase gentrification and the displacement of many of the working poor, low income Latino and Chinese residents and small businesses in Sunset Park,” said City Council candidate David Galarza. “We are once again calling on this administration and the Department of City Planning to provide Sunset Park with the equal protection from irresponsible development afforded to neighboring, more affluent and homogenous, communities.”

Among some of the statements Gonzalez made to the Chinese media last week, were that: She would fight to include and fast track rezoning of 8th Avenue; that she hoped residents and small businesses would join her to support this plan because it would be good for the community; and that people should not worry about not being able to build big buildings because it still promotes high-rise development.

“Does she think we are all fools? This rezoning plan will not help small businesses and longtime residents fight against displacement,” said local resident Jerry Weng. “It will only accelerate it by allowing developers to build bigger buildings by upzoning all the avenues which will result in increasing property values and thus increasing rents.”

What Gonzalez did not say was that she’s already accepted over $10,000 in campaign contributions from developers and a pro-landlord lobbying group.

“Gonzalez in the name of speaking on behalf of the ‘community’ really only speaks on behalf of the developers who are contributing thousands of dollars to her campaign,” said local resident Johnny Trelles.

Ironically, Speaker Christine Quinn has enabled Gonzalez to reintroduce a bill that will be voted on in the City Council to extend rent protections while urging the Albany legislature to repeal vacancy decontrol and restore home rule. Yet, while Gonzalez and some of her colleagues continue to support rezonings that are systematically cleansing neighborhoods throughout the city of its longtime residents one has to ask, who are they protecting rents for?

“Everyone knows what happened to the Lower East Side after it was upzoned,” said Chinatown leader Steven Wong. “Our local community businesses and residents started getting rapidly displaced. Most people do not qualify for affordable housing under this plan. There is nothing good about this plan, unless you are a developer.”

Galarza said he will continue to work with local residents and businesses to insure that their voices are heard and that they are provided with the equal protection from displacement that they deserve.

“During these difficult economic times we should be working to protect the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Galarza. “We don’t need rezonings that will encourage luxury development. What we need is truly affordable housing for our poor and hardworking families.”

Funny how so much money is given by developers to politicians and how those politicians are so eager to give those same developers what they want. Jerry Weng seems to have hit on the question I so often want to ask politicians here in Brooklyn: Do you think we are all fools?

Next time you run into a politician you think is taking you for a ride, and I can name quite a few, try asking them Jerry Weng's question: Do you think we are fools?