UN4LA News - October 2023
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.
FRIENDS OF GRIFFITH PARK SUES OVER L.A. ZOO PLAN
Hoping to halt the excavation of an artificial canyon in Griffith Park, and the destruction of an existing ridgeline, Friends of Griffth Park (FoGP) has filed a lawsuit to stop the Los Angeles Zoo Vision Plan from moving forward. The LA City Council unanimously approved the Plan in August, ignoring pleas from hundreds of Angelenos who believed that the it would have severe impacts on biological resources and wildlife habitat in Griffith Park. The lawsuit argues that the Environmental Impact Report prepared for the project doesn't adequately disclose or address its impacts, and that it also illegally defers consideration of mitigations measures. For more details, see FoGP's press release.
Friends of Griffith Park Press Release
HOUSING PROJECTS GRABBING HEADLINES
Judge Lets Lawsuit against VA Move Forward
It seems that a lawsuit seeking to speed construction of housing for homeless veterans at the VA's West LA campus will move forward. US District Judge David O. Carter rejected the VA's efforts to have the suit dismissed, saying he believed the government had a responsibility to provide housing for veterans. If the parties can’t reach a settlement, the trial will likely begin next year.
LA City Council Approves Controversial 200 Unit Affordable Housing Project
At the end of a contentious hearing on September 19, the LA City Council's Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee overrode the recommendation of the Department of City Planning and granted an appeal filed by the developer of a 200-unit affordable housing project. Residents living near the project site, at 5501 and 5511 N. Ethel near Valley College, protested that the project was out of scale for the neighborhood, which is largely made up of single-family homes. Supporters of the project argued that affordable housing was desperately needed, and that the appeal should be granted.
The debate centered on Mayor Karen Bass' Executive Directive 1, which grants streamlined review for 100% affordable housing projects. While Bass ended up amending ED 1 to specify that affordable projects had to comply with existing zoning, the application was filed before the amendment was made. LA City Planning determined that the project could only move ahead by following the standard discretionary review process. The developer appealed, arguing that State law required the City to grant streamlined approval. The PLUM Committee agreed, and sent the project to the full City Council, which approved it in an eight to five vote.
This isn't the end of the controversy. There are currently seven more applications for affordable housing projects seeking streamlined approval. The Daily News has the details.
Loophole Lets Developers Put Big Apartment Buildings Next to SF Valley Houses
LA City Planning Commission Approves District NoHo Project
In late September, the LA City Planning Commission reviewed the District NoHo Project, which would bring over 1,500 residential units, 105,000 square feet of retail/restaurant uses, and 580,000 square feet of office space to a 16-acre site at Lankershim and Chandler. Of the total number of residential units, 311 would be affordable. The Commission gave the project a thumbs-up, and it now moves to the City Council for final approval.
District NoHo Project Recommendation Report
INGLEWOOD TRANSIT CONNECTOR UPDATE
The Inglewood Transit Connector (ITC) Joint Powers Authority has secured $865 million in funding, and is now seeking further funding for design, construction, and operations. The Authority expects to release final procurement documents this fall, and it is working with three pre-qualified teams of contractors. The ITC will serve the sports and entertainment venues within the Hollywood Park complex, which include SoFi Stadium and the upcoming Intuit Dome. It remains to be seen how the City of Inglewood, which apparently does not provide regular transit service to its residents, will handle the construction of a transit project like the ITC, which is estimated to cost well over a $1 billion.
Inglewood Transit Connector Newsletter
MORE ETHICS ISSUES AT L.A. CITY HALL
LA City Ethics Commission Alleges Violations by Councilmember Lee
Once again, ethics issues are roiling LA City Hall. Investigators for the LA City Ethics Commission have alleged that Councilmember John Lee accepted gifts which exceeded established limits from a businessperson and a developer back in 2016 and 2017. The allegations stem, in part, from a trip Lee took to Las Vegas with former Councilmember Mitch Englander. As a result of the trip, Englander was charged with corruption by the Department of Justice. He eventually pled guilty to one count of obstruction of a public corruption investigation and served 14 months in prison. Lee denies any wrongdoing, and says he will fight the allegations.
Six Years after Lavish Vegas Trip, Councilmember John Lee Faces Ethics Allegations
Yaroslavsky Aide Faces Questions about Conflict of Interest
Some residents of the Westside's Rancho Park neighborhood were not happy when Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky announced plans for an interim homeless housing facility at the intersection of Pico and Midvale. There were accusations that the decision-making process lacked transparency, with little, if any, outreach to the community before announcing the project. Residents also allege that the contract to manage the facility was improperly steered toward an organization that has connections to Yaroslavsky's office. Zachary Warma, Housing & Homelessness Policy Director for CD 5, was apparently closely involved in the process of planning the project. A letter mailed to residents from the CD 5 Council Office names Los Angeles Family Housing as the facility's operator. Could it be a coincidence that, before he went to work for CD 5, Warma was employed Los Angeles Family Housing?
Politician Under Fire over Plan to Turn Parking Lot into Shelter for the Unhoused
