Whittier Election Heats Up As "Chainsaw Joe" Sign Targets Mayor With 20 Years on City Council
For two years, the plan to remove more than 100 trees from Uptown Whittier has divided the community, sparked a lawsuit, and triggered a state investigation into the mayor. Now it has become the centerpiece of the April 14 election.
A political sign targeting Whittier Mayor Joe Vinatieri is showing up around the city ahead of the April 14 city election. The sign, which reads "Chainsaw Joe Has Got To Go," was paid for by Save Our Trees Whittier, a group officially registered with the state as a political committee. The committee has endorsed James Becerra, one of two candidates challenging Vinatieri for mayor.
Vinatieri has served on the Whittier City Council for 20 years, the last 10 as mayor. He is being challenged by Becerra and Isaiah L. Leon Savage.
What is the Greenleaf Promenade?
The Greenleaf Promenade has been one of the most divisive issues in Whittier in recent memory. The $20 million project calls for removing 108 trees — including 83 ficus trees that have lined Greenleaf Avenue since the 1960s — along a three-block stretch between Wardman and Hadley streets in Uptown Whittier. The trees would be replaced with 118 smaller trees and shade structures.
The project grew out of a smaller, one-block pilot called the Gardens of Uptown, which would have preserved clusters of trees and was estimated at $3.8 million. That project was shelved during the pandemic. The latest version expanded significantly in scope — and in controversy.
In December 2023, the City Council voted to pursue the full promenade plan, choosing to remove all of Uptown's ficus trees at once rather than gradually replace them over time. The following June, the council voted 3-1 to move forward with some changes, including larger replacement trees and added shade structures, in response to community concerns about lost shade and reduced carbon capture.
Supporters of the project argue the Uptown area, last updated in the 1980s, is overdue for a makeover. The redesign would bring wider sidewalks, outdoor dining spaces, street furniture, and decorative lighting. City officials have also pointed to aging water pipes beneath Greenleaf Avenue as an additional reason the trees cannot be saved.
Critics say the cost is too high — not just financially, but for the environment. The city's own report projected a significant drop in the trees' ability to absorb carbon in the first year after removal, with levels not expected to recover for 24 years. A community petition to save the trees has gathered more than 8,200 signatures, with residents arguing the ficus trees are essential to Uptown's shade, charm, and walkability — and that younger replacement trees would take years to provide any meaningful canopy.
Why the project is on hold
In late 2024, the Whittier Conservancy — a local preservation nonprofit — filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court. The suit alleges the city broke state law by skipping required environmental reviews before approving the project.
Under California law, cities must assess the potential environmental impact of major projects before moving forward. The conservancy says the city failed to do that — specifically around the project's effects on shade and the trees' ability to absorb carbon. The suit also alleges the city improperly bundled a water main replacement project with the promenade to avoid additional review, and that the final approved project lacked enough detail to meet legal requirements.
The conservancy says it went to court only after repeated attempts to work out a compromise with the city were rejected. The project is currently on hold.
Whittier is not alone in this fight. Cities across California, including Beverly Hills and Burbank, have faced similar lawsuits over the removal of mature urban trees.
The Conflict of Interest investigation
The sign also calls out an active state investigation into Mayor Vinatieri. The complaint was filed by Conny McCormack, a Whittier resident, former L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, and founder of Save Our Trees Whittier, the same committee that paid for the sign.
At the center of the complaint is a vote Vinatieri cast on August 22, 2023, to expand the promenade's footprint by 51% — without stepping aside from the vote, even though he owns Auntie's Bakery and Cafe at 6506 Greenleaf Ave., a restaurant located directly along the promenade route. Vinatieri had stepped aside from most other promenade-related votes, making this one instance stand out.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission — the state agency that enforces political ethics rules for elected officials — confirmed it opened a formal investigation in September 2024. The agency has not determined whether a violation occurred. If one is found, consequences could include fines, hearings, and other legal action.
The Greenleaf Promenade, the lawsuit, and the FPPC investigation are expected to be central issues in the April 14, 2026, mayoral race. Vinatieri faces two challengers: James Becerra, who has been endorsed by Save Our Trees Whittier, and Isaiah L. Leon Savage.
