UN4LA News - December 2021
A monthly newsletter published by United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles.
UN4LA's mission is to bring communities together to plan for a sustainable future. Growth must be shaped by community engagement, not developer dollars.
COALITION SEEKS TO REIN IN SACRAMENTO THROUGH BALLOT MEASURE
A statewide coalition has begun gathering signatures to put a measure on the ballot that would prevent Sacramento from taking planning authority away from California’s cities. Frustrated by continual attempts on the part of State legislators to usurp local planning power, the backers feel that it’s time to take decisive action. The measure would amend the State Constitution to make it clear that, with few exceptions, local governments control land use and zoning decisions. Backers hope to put the Our Neighborhood Voices Initiative on the November 2022 ballot.
Local Control of All Land-Use Decisions Could Wind Up on Fall 2022 Ballot
REPORT SAYS SNOWPACKS ARE DECLINING FASTER THAN EXPECTED
Officials at the state and local level are making increasingly dire announcements about our water resources, and things may get even worse. A new report in the journal Nature says that California’s snowpacks are declining faster than expected. Because the majority of the water that LA relies on comes from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevadas, this could have serious consequences for Angelenos. LA County just experienced its driest November in decades, and there’s no indication that the dry spell will end any time soon. It’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re going to have to make some significant changes in both water policy and demand management.
A ‘No Snow’ California Could Come Sooner Than You Think
BUS STOPS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD COULD SOON FEATURE DIGITAL DISPLAYS
The City of LA is pushing forward with the proposed Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP). The way city officials tell it, this is a great opportunity to upgrade street furniture, including bus stops, at little or no cost. Unfortunately, they haven’t spent much time talking about the downsides. Citizens are concerned about the fact that bus stops in their communities will be displaying digital ads. They’ve also raised the following issues:
The City hasn’t given proper consideration to research showing that digital billboards may have significant safety impacts.
Some of the structures created under the program will contain wireless devices to gather data from people in public places. STAP documents contain conflicting statements about who will have access to that data and how it will be managed.
The City hasn’t really explained how much revenue will be generated by the program and how that revenue will be spent.
The City’s environmental review doesn’t even mention all the infrastructure needed for the program.
You can find out more by looking at the council file for the program. StreetsLA (Bureau of Street Services) is working on finalizing a contract with the company that will partner on the STAP. The City Council could be making a decision soon.
Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP), Council File: 20-1536
CAN PRESERVATIONISTS SAVE THE CHILI BOWL?
The Chili Bowl in West LA is one of the city’s oldest examples of programmatic architecture, but it may not be around much longer. A developer hopes to demolish it. Preservationists have been fighting to save it. While battles to save historic buildings have become fairly commonplace in LA, this fight has been even more intense and bitter than usual.
The City of LA’s Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee has already held a hearing on the matter, and they rejected the Cultural Heritage Commission’s recommendation to designate the Chili Bowl as a historic monument. But the LA Conservancy forced a new hearing, to be held on December 7, because the PLUM did not allow members of the public to speak on the matter when it was first heard. In their petition to the court, the Conservancy alleged that “[T]he conduct of the PLUM Committee is part of a pattern and practice of the PLUM Committee improperly limiting public comments [….]”
UN4LA CORRUPTION ROUND-UP 2021
Feeling dazed and confused by the endless parade of indictments and plea agreements involving local officials? In order to help you untangle all the threads, UN4LA has prepared a year-end corruption round-up. We’ve tried to boil these cases down to their essentials by offering brief summaries of each one, including where they stand now. Click on the link below to start reading.
