Hollywood Unbound

The Public Square: February 13–15, 2012

2012-02-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

A brief look at items of interest to Hollywood residents that are on upcoming agendas at City Council, City Council Committees, Neighborhood Councils, various City Boards and Commissions, and County Board of Supervisors. LA City Agendas can be found here and LA County Board agendas can be found here. Meeting times, locations, and agendas are subject to change, so be sure to check and confirm.

Monday, February 13:

Budget and Finance Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 6 (Council File 11-0600-S152)
  - CAO's Third Financial Status Report (.pdf) for Fiscal Year 2011-2012.
  - Per the report, “the projected Citywide deficit [of $72.0 million] has been eliminated”. However, the report also notes that the projected budget gap for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1st, will be “between $150 million and $200 million”.
  - Viewpoints: The LA Times writes that “[e]very fiscal year since 2007-08, the city has projected at midyear that it would face a multimillion-dollar deficit and has taken steps to eliminate it. Santana expects the pattern to continue and said the city must find new ways to reduce costs and build up its reserves. The city has adopted severe measures to hold down costs, such as halting hiring for most city jobs.”
Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council Board (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at Santa Monica Boulevard Community Charter School (1022 North Van Ness Avenue).
- Item 10.1 (PLUM Committee)
  - Discussion and possible action relative to a proposed conditional letter of support for Target Shopping Center project proposed for the corner of Sunset and Western (5520 Sunset Boulevard) in East Hollywood.

Tuesday, February 14:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 25 (Council File 12-0208)
  - Motion relative to approving the negotiated payment of $300K, from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the City, to pay for City resources need to facilitate the production of the 2012 Academy Awards (Oscars) at the Kodak Theatre.
  - Viewpoints: Why is the City subsidizing the production of the Academy Awards? The broadcast rights to the Academy Awards generates a significant amount of revenue for the Academy so it is inconceivable that Academy -- unlike a lot of Los Angeles’ special cultural events and festivals -- can’t afford to fully reimburse the City’s for its costs and expenses.
Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee (2:30 PM)
- Item 1 (Verbal Report)
  - Verbal report by City Planning and City Attorney, relative to the preparation of an
    ordinance that would transfer/preserve the land use powers held by the now dissolved CRA/LA.
Mid City West Community Council Board (7:00 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women Building (543 North Fairfax Avenue) in the Auditorium.

Wednesday, February 15:

City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 32 (Council File 12-0031)
  - Transportation Committee Report relative to instructing LADOT to (1) report with recommendations and actions necessary to permanently close Yucca Street to through vehicular traffic at Las Palmas, Cherokee, and Whitley Avenues with traffic diverters that prevent access for vehicles but allow bicycle and pedestrian movement, and (2) to designate Yucca Street as a bicycle friendly street.
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (4:00 PM)
- Item 3 (Discussion)
  - Commission discussion and possible approval on actions related to the Final map of Council District boundaries.
Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at the Women's Club of Hollywood (1749 North La Brea Avenue).

The Public Square: February 6–8, 2011

2012-02-05T20:18:00.001-08:00

Monday, February 6:

Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission - Special Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Special public hearing to gather public input regarding the draft map and boundaries for the new City Council district. See here for the Redistricting Commission’s draft map.
  - Agenda (.pdf)
    - Meeting will be held at Occidental College (1600 Campus Road) in Thorne Hall.

Tuesday, February 7:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- No items of note.
Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee (2:30 PM)

Item 1 (Council File 11-1223)

LADOT report (.pdf) relative to the Southern California Associations of Governments’ draft 2012 Regional Transportation Plan. The draft 2012 Regional Transportation Plan “includes planned transportation projects and demographic assumptions through the year 2035. The plan presents a strategy for the investment of $524.7 billion in the region's transportation system between 2012 and 2035 and, for the first time, a Sustainable Communities Strategy for the six-county region”.
Of interest, the LADOT notes that Southern California Associations of Governments’ “desired and projected land use pattern for the City” for 2035 (as shown on a map entitled "City of Los Angeles Year 2035 Preferred Scenario by Development Type) is inconsistent with many of the City’s Community Plans and “shows a level of residential density considerably higher than shown on the adopted Community Plan maps.” LADOT is recommending that City clarify to the Southern California Associations of Governments that the City “may or may not implement the land use pattern described on the SCS Map for 2035”.
This item will also be at the Transportation Council Committee on Wednesday, February 8th. See below.

Wednesday, February 8:

City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 2 (Council Files 10-0526 and 11-2098)
  - Board or Water and Power Commissioners’ report (.pdf), City Attorney report and ordinance (.pdf), and CAO and CLA to report relative to proposed Water Quality Improvement Adjustment Factor and associated water rate ordinance modifications.
- Item 18 (Council File 12-0182)
  - Motion recommending the transfer $1,000 from the Council District 4 portion of the Street Furniture Revenue Fund to the Bureau of Street Services for the “establish a program to inspect the Deodar Cedar trees on Los Feliz Boulevard”.
Transportation Council Committee (2:00 PM)

Item 5 (Council File 12-0031)
- Continued consideration of a motion (.pdf) instructing LADOT to report with recommendations and actions necessary to permanently close Yucca Street to through vehicular traffic at Las Palmas, Cherokee, and Whitley Avenues with traffic diverters that prevent access for vehicles but allow bicycle and pedestrian movement.
- Viewpoints: Per the motion, the above mentioned Yucca Street intersections have been subject to a temporary vehicular street closure, pursuant to Section 21101.4 of the California Vehicle Code, since 1995. As I noted in this post, CVC Section 21101.4 permits a street to be temporarily closed to the public for 18 months and permits a maximum of eight 18 month extensions. Therefore, the total permitted "temporary" street closure length under CVC 21101.4 is 162 months or 13.5 years. This street closure has been operative since May 1995 – a total of 16.5 years – which clearly is far longer than the maximum legally permitted “temporary” street closure.”
Item 7 (Council File 11-1223)

LADOT report (.pdf) relative to the Southern California Associations of Governments’ draft 2012 Regional Transportation Plan. The draft 2012 Regional Transportation Plan “includes planned transportation projects and demographic assumptions through the year 2035. The plan presents a strategy for the investment of $524.7 billion in the region's transportation system between 2012 and 2035 and, for the first time, a Sustainable Communities Strategy for the six-county region”.
Of interest, the LADOT notes that Southern California Associations of Governments’ “desired and projected land use pattern for the City” for 2035 (as shown on a map entitled "City of Los Angeles Year 2035 Preferred Scenario by Development Type) is inconsistent with many of the City’s Community Plans and “shows a level of residential density considerably higher than shown on the adopted Community Plan maps.” LADOT is recommending that City clarify to the Southern California Associations of Governments that the City “may or may not implement the land use pattern described on the SCS Map for 2035”.

Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission - Special Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Special public hearing to gather public input regarding the draft map and boundaries for the new City Council district. See here for the Redistricting Commission’s draft map.
  - Agenda (.pdf)
    - Meeting will be held at City Hall (200 North Spring Street) in the City Council Chambers.

Redistricting: Redistricting Commission to Hold Public Hearings Across the City to Discuss Draft City Council District Map

2012-01-31T23:11:00.000-08:00

As you no doubt are aware by now, last week the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission finally released its first draft map of the proposed new City Council District boundaries. The Commission developed the first draft map after holding 15 public hearings across the City that were ostensibly designed to gather community input on the proposed Council district boundaries.

The Commission’s draft map was -- unsurprisingly -- greeted with a hail of criticism, with residents of several communities (and a number of City Councilmembers) expressing concerns with the Redistricting Commission’s proposed district boundaries. Below are some links to just a few of the many stories that have been written this week on City’s redistricting process and the Commission’s proposed boundaries:

Redistricting proposal hits hard: 9th District to become poorest in LA – Blogdowntown
Draft Proposal Keeps Hollywood Within 3 City Council Districts - Hollywood Patch
Confusion is word of the day in L.A. City Council remapping - LA Daily News
Angelenos quick to blast proposed council districts – LA Times
Proposed Koreatown redistricting debated – LA Times
Residents balk at L.A. Council District 4's proposed new shape - LA Times
The Five Most Furious Reactions to the Redistricting of Los Angeles – LA Weekly
A Grassroots Call for Honest City Council Districts – Ron Kaye LA
Race, Ethnicity, Class and Hipness -- How (NOT) to Draw City Council Districts – Ron Kaye LA
Council District Maps, Council District Problems - Street Hassle
Perry: New District Lines “Flat Out Politics” - The City Maven
Redistricting the Council: The Pieces Don't Add Up to a Plan – KCET SoCal Focus
The Political Blood Sport Known as Redistricting Comes to L.A. – KCET 1st and Spring

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 1st, the general public will again have the opportunity to give the Redistricting Commission its input on the proposed Council district boundaries. The Redistricting Commission has scheduled a series of seven public hearings across the City to gather public input on their recently released draft map. The schedule for the seven public hearings is show below and the flyer can be found here (.pdf).

If you are interested in where the final lines will be drawn, this set of meetings likely your last chance to (publicly) participate in the process. Following this last set of public hearings, the Redistricting Commission will make its final revisions to the proposed City Council District map, hold a final vote, and submit its selected redistricting plan to the City Council for its consideration by no later than March 1, 2012. Recall, however, that the City Council is not required to adopt the plan developed by the Redistricting Commission and it has the authority to amend and modify the Redistricting Commission's plan as it seems fit.

The Public Square: January 30–February 1, 2012

2012-01-29T21:55:00.001-08:00

Monday, January 30:

No meetings of note.

Tuesday, January 31:

Energy and Environment Council Committee (9:00 AM)
- Item 1 (Council Files 10-0526 and 11-2098)
  - Board or Water and Power Commissioners’ report (.pdf), City Attorney report and ordinance (.pdf), and CAO and CLA to report relative to proposed Water Quality Improvement Adjustment Factor and associated water rate ordinance modifications.
County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 2 (Council File 11-0452-S8)
  - Energy and Environment Committee report relative to the Selection of the Executive Director relative to the appointment of Mr. Frederick H. Pickel to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Public Accountability.
- Item 7 (Council File 10-1504)
  - Ordinance relative to the reconfirmation of the Los Feliz Village Merchant-Based
    Business Improvement District. Per the associated City Clerk report (.pdf):
    - “The assessments for the Los Feliz Village Business Improvement District are used to provide beautification programs, communication, marketing and public relations, and administration which directly and specially benefits businesses within the Los Feliz Village Business Improvement District. These services are funded solely by the assessments collected and are provided only to the businesses which pay the assessments. No services are provided to businesses which do not pay the assessments or to businesses located outside of the District boundaries. The assessment dollars collected fund the budget to provide these services within the District boundaries for the purpose of improving the overall area aesthetics in an effort to attract people and concurrently increase business to stakeholders located within the District boundaries. Such services cannot be provided without charging the assessment. Therefore, the services are a direct result of the assessment collected and only the businesses paying the assessment will receive the service.”

Wednesday, February 1:

Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee (8:30 AM)
- Item 3 (Council File 12-0049)
  - CAO, CLA, and City Attorney to report with an analysis on what obligations the City has to the employees of the CRA/LA under the CRA/LA’s existing collective bargaining agreements relative to the transfer of housing assets and functions from
    the CRA/LA to the LAHD.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 1 (Council Files 10-0526 and 11-2098)
  - Board or Water and Power Commissioners’ report (.pdf), City Attorney report and ordinance (.pdf), and CAO and CLA to report relative to proposed Water Quality Improvement Adjustment Factor and associated water rate ordinance modifications.
Public Works Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Presentation)
  - Presentation from the Board of Public Works relative to the Controller’s Audit of the City’s street furniture contract.
  - Viewpoints: As I noted here, the LA Times recently reported that the City Controller’s Audit (.pdf) of the City’s street furniture contract found that the City lost out on $23.1 million in revenue it should have earned, and that the City’s permit approval process for the installation of street furniture is “very cumbersome” and has “contributed to millions of dollars in lost revenue opportunity to the City.”
- Item 2 (Council File 11-1068-S1)
  - Bureau of Street Service report (.pdf) on the bus bench and bus shelter programs and its plans to ensure that all benches and shelters are maintained in a safe, clean, and consistent manner.
- Item 5 (Council File 11-1246)
  - CAO report (.pdf) relative to a non-motorized, multi-modal, bridge project connecting Griffith Park and the Los Angeles River Bike Path to the North Atwater neighborhood.
  - Per the report, construction of the bridge, which is currently estimated to cost $4.67 million, will be managed by the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation. Funding for the bridge will come from a “donor gift of $4 million, $274,500 from the [Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation], a non-cash contribution of $100,000 from the Army Corps of Engineers for permits, and $300,000 in AB1290 funds…”. Once complete the bridge will be donated to the City and its maintenance will be the responsibility (for at least 10 years) of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps.
- Item 6 & 7 (Council Files 05-1853 and 05-1853-S1)
  - Bureau of Street Services report (.pdf) and City Attorney report (.pdf) relative to a proposed point of sale plan for fixing damaged sidewalks and a proposed ordinance amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to eliminate the City's responsibility for repairing damage done to curbs, driveways and sidewalks by street tree roots.
  - The Bureau of Street Services report (.pdf) identifies a number of potential options for addressing (or ignoring) the issue of sidewalk repair and how each option could be funded and/or enforced.
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission - Special Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Special public hearing to gather public input regarding the draft map and boundaries for the new City Council district. See here for the Redistricting Commission’s draft map.
  - Agenda (.pdf)
    - Meeting will be held at the Ebell of Los Angeles (4400 Wilshire Boulevard) in the Wilshire Ebell Theater.

Weekend Parking Now Prohibited on Several Streets South of Runyon Canyon Park

2012-01-23T22:07:00.001-08:00

Visitors to Runyon Canyon Park (and residents living on nearby streets) should be on notice that new parking restrictions have recently been put in place for "Temporary" Preferential Parking District (PPD) No. 112, which is located just south and west of Runyon Canyon Park’s Vista Street entrance (the segments of Franklin Avenue and Gardner Street that are north of Hollywood Boulevard and west of Vista Street).

The parking restrictions on these segments of Franklin Avenue and Gardner Street have been changed to prohibit non-residents (e.g. visitors to Runyon Canyon Park) from parking on those streets on the weekends. As you can see in the photo, the new restrictions are: No Parking Anytime Except; 2 Hour Parking 8AM-7PM Monday thru Friday.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: These new weekend parking restrictions for PPD No. 112 may help quiet some of the local residents on Franklin Avenue and Gardner Street, but they will do absolutely nothing to reduce the number of people who visit Runyon Canyon Park; do absolutely nothing to reduce the demand for park visitor parking in this area; and, do absolutely nothing to reduce the amount of litter and dog poo being deposited in these neighborhoods by visitors to Runyon Canyon Park and their furry friends.

What these new restrictions will do, however, is increase weekend traffic congestion in this area, as visitors to Runyon Canyon Park spend more time speeding up and down the adjacent streets in a fruitless search for more parking. I wouldn’t be surprised if these new restrictions also cause an increase in the number of complaints from residents living on nearby street that currently lack parking restrictions (such as Curson Avenue and the segments of Sierra Bonita, and Gardner that are south of Hollywood) as those streets will soon be completely overrun by visitors to Runyon Canyon Park.

Sigh. I wish the City would actually take the time to comprehensively address Runyon Canyon Park’s parking issues, instead of just pushing the parking problem from street to street.

The Public Square: January 23-25, 2012

2012-01-22T18:44:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 23:

Ad Hoc River Council Committee (3:00 PM)
- Item 3 (Council File 11-1246)
  - CAO report (.pdf) relative to a non-motorized, multi-modal, bridge project connecting Griffith Park and the Los Angeles River Bike Path to the North Atwater neighborhood.
  - Per the report, construction of the bridge, which is currently estimated to cost $4.67 million, will be managed by the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation. Funding for the bridge will come from a “donor gift of $4 million, $274,500 from the [Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation], a non-cash contribution of $100,000 from the Army Corps of Engineers for permits, and $300,000 in AB1290 funds…”. Once complete the bridge will be donated to the City and its maintenance will be the responsibility (for at least 10 years) of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps.
Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (6:15 PM)
- Agenda not yet available on the web. Search here or here for the Agenda.
  - Meeting is regularly scheduled to be held on the fourth Monday of each month at the Hollywood City Hall (6501 Fountain Avenue) in the Community Room.
East Hollywood Neighborhood Council Community Forum & Board Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at L.A. City College (855 North Vermont Avenue) in the Faculty & Staff Center.
- Item 4 (Presentation)
  - Presentation from UCLA planning students on open space opportunities in East Hollywood.
- Item 9A (Action Items)
  - Discussion and possible approval of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center’s proposed redistricting map (.pdf) and boundaries.

Tuesday, January 24:

Energy and Environment Council Committee (9:00 AM)
- Item 1 (Council File 11-0452-S8)
  - Communication (.pdf) from the Office of Public Accountability's Citizen Selection Committee for the Selection of the Executive Director relative to the appointment of Mr. Frederick H. Pickel to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Public Accountability.
County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- Item 5 (Public Hearing)
  - Hearing to approve the continuation of the Hollywood Bowl Park-and-Ride
    and Shuttle Program to provide service from park-and-ride lots and shuttle
    lots to the Hollywood Bowl for the 2012 Hollywood Bowl Summer Season.
  - Per the report (.pdf), “The Program has been highly successful, transporting approximately 31 percent of the 2011 Hollywood Bowl season attendees to this special event center”.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 2 (Council File 11-2115)
  - Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee report relative to authorizing CRA/LA staff to negotiate and execute a Tri-Party Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Engineering and the Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park for the preparation of a an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Hollywood Freeway Central Park project AND for the transfer of up to $2 Million in Hollywood Tax Increment Funds to fund the preparation and processing of the EIR and EIS.
  - Note: This item was already approved on Friday, December 16th (see Council File 11-2115-S1).

Wednesday, January 25:

Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee (8:30 AM)
- Item 3 (Council File 12-0049)
  - CAO and CLA to report with an analysis of the implications relevant to the transfer of the housing functions of the CRA/LA to the City.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 12 (Council File 12-0049)
  - CAO and CLA to report with an analysis of the implications relevant to the transfer of the housing functions of the CRA/LA to the City.
  - See also the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee agenda above.
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (4:00 PM)
- Item 4 (Discussion)
  - Commission discussion and possible approval on actions related to a draft map of Council District boundaries.
Bel-Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (7:00 PM)
- Agenda not yet available on the web. Check here for the Agenda.
  - Meeting is scheduled to be held at the Community Magnet School (located at 11301 Bellagio Road).

East Hollywood Target: Draft Environmental Impact Report Released

2012-01-21T08:25:00.001-08:00

The Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Target Shopping Center project proposed for the corner of Sunset and Western (5520 Sunset Boulevard) in East Hollywood has recently been released and is available for comment. The Draft EIR is available at the Department of City Planning’s website and several Hollywood area libraries.

The proposed Target Shopping Center project described in the City's Draft EIR has essentially the same scope as the Target Project that was previously approved – and then withdrawn – at this site. The Target Shopping Center project proposes to construct a 163,862 square foot Target store along with 30,887 square feet of other smaller retail, food, and associated uses in a 3-level (and up to 84 feet high) building. The first floor of the building would have retail (along both Sunset and Western) while the Target store itself would be located on the structure's third level. A total of 458 automobile parking spaces would be provided in two parking levels, on ground floor and one above ground.

In order to construct the project, as currently proposed, the project would require a number of discretionary approvals from the City, including exceptions from the Vermont/Western TOD Specific Plan, a Site Plan Review, and a Conditional Use Permit for alcohol.

Written comments on the Draft EIR are due March 5, 2012. All comments on the Draft EIR should be directed to:

Hadar Plafkin
City Planner/Environmental Review Coordinator
Los Angeles Department of City Planning
200 North Spring Street, Room 750
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Fax: 213.978.1343
hadar.plafkin@lacity.org

Hollywood Community Plan: AIA Los Angeles Hosting a “Roundtable Discussion” on the Hollywood Community Plan this Wednesday

2012-01-16T22:49:00.001-08:00

This Wednesday, January 18th, the the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects is hosting a “roundtable discussion” on the proposed update to the Hollywood Community Plan. This roundtable discussion will be held at AIA’s offices (3780 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 800) from 6:30PM to 8:30PM.

More on the event, via the AIA’s website:

You are invited join the AIA|LA Urban Design Committee in roundtable discussion about the proposed Hollywood Community Plan. Kevin Keller and Mary Richardson from the Department of City Planning will participate in the discussion, as well.

The objectives of the meeting will be to learn more about the current status of the proposal and to identify an effective strategy for helping to broadcast greater understanding and support for the long term vision of the Hollywood community.

Rather than simply serving as a cursory presentation of the Hollywood Community Plan, the roundtable will serve as an opportunity for architects, urban planners, community activists and civic leaders to engage in an open discussion about how we can all work together to contribute to the civic discourse and reach a greater consensus about our social, environmental and aesthetic values that will help shape the future of our city.

Per the meeting notice, there is limited capacity so they are requesting that you RSVP. Check this link for more info and to see who to contact to RSVP.

The Public Square: January 16–18, 2012

2012-01-15T20:57:00.001-08:00

Monday, January 16:

City Offices are closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday
Hollywood United Neighborhood Council Board (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at Seventh-day Adventist Church of Hollywood (1711 North Van Ness Avenue).
- Item 7 (Discussion)
  - Update, and possible position/letter, on the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Process.

Tuesday, January 17:

City Council (10:00 AM)
- No items of note
County Board of Supervisors (1:00 PM)
- No items of note.
Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Board (7:00 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at the Los Feliz Community Police Center (1965 North Hillhurst Avenue) in the second floor meeting room.
- Item 8 (Motion)
  - Consideration of a motion stating that the boundaries of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council “should remain intact and reside within a single City Council district”.

Wednesday, January 18:

City Council (10:00 AM)
- No items of note.
Public Works Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Council File 11-1068-S1)
  - Motion (.pdf) instructing the Bureau of Street Services to provide a status report on the bus bench and bus shelter programs, including a report on its plans to ensure that all benches and shelters are maintained in a safe, clean, and consistent manner.
  - Per the motion, the Federal Transit Authority recently completed a civil rights compliance audit of Metro in which they noted that “... the shelters and bus benches that are the responsibilities of the local jurisdictions were consistently and significantly better in the non-minority and non-low income communities that in the minority and low-income communities”.
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (4:00 PM)
- Item 2 (Discussion)
  - Commission discussion and consideration of may presentations by individuals or groups.
Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at the Women's Club of Hollywood (1749 North La Brea Avenue).
- Item 4.A.8 (Public Officials Reports)
  - Presentation from the LADOT re the Yucca Street bollards.
  - Note: CD 13 and CD 4 recently submitted a motion (.pdf) instructing LADOT to report with recommendations and actions necessary to permanently close Yucca Street to through vehicular traffic at Las Palmas, Cherokee, and Whitley Avenues with traffic diverters that prevent access for vehicles but allow bicycle and pedestrian movement (Council File 12-0031).
- Item 11.A.2 (Issue Committees)
  - Report by Environment & Beautification Chair regarding the Hollywood Gateway Sign located on the traffic island at Franklin Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard.
  - Consideration of a motion supporting “the Hollywood Gateway Sign with a contribution of $5,000 towards the repair of the glass panels, lighting and electrical repairs”.
  - Note: For more info on this proposed project see the Yucca Corridor Coalition’s website or check out this Hollywood Patch story from December 2011.

Roundup: January 13, 2011

2012-01-13T20:56:00.001-08:00

News items and commentary from The Local Feed (in the sidebar) and elsewhere 'round the web that may be of interest to Hollywood residents.

*The City Council voted to not serve as the successor agency to manage the closeout of CRA/LA (Council File 12-0049); boots that responsibility to the State. On Wednesday that CAO and CLA released a report (.pdf) recommending that the City elect to not become the successor agency as doing so could, among other things, expose the City to additional personnel and pension liabilities that could end up costing the City up to $109 million. The City Maven reports that “The 9-3 vote was in line with recommendations from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Controller Wendy Greuel, the city administrative officer and chief legislative analyst. The three dissenting votes were Councilmen Ed Reyes, Eric Garcetti and Richard Alarcon, with Council members Jan Perry and Bernard Parks absent.” The LA Times writes that “The council action means some other, as yet unknown, government body would have to step in” and that “If no local government shows interest in the redevelopment agency, oversight could fall to an authority headed by three appointees of Gov. Jerry Brown, who pushed to kill redevelopment.”

*The Hollywood Reporter and the LA Times are both reporting that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is in discussions to move the Academy Awards (Oscars) from the Kodak Theater to the Nokia Theater downtown. The Hollywood Reporter’s story says that “The downtown venue is offering a lease comparable to what the Academy currently pays CIM Group, owner of the 3,400-seat Kodak, but with a perks package that includes more seats, better infrastructure, greater promotional opportunities and more ancillary facilities for parties and press.” The LA Times’ story says that “Criticism of the Kodak has often centered on the theater's tinny acoustics; its steep 37-step grand staircase that leads into the lobby that has often proved treacherous to many female guests in long ball gowns, and the complex's mass-market shopping galleria that stands in stark contrast to the elegant tenor of the Oscars”. Blogdowntown reports that “The Deadline Hollywood blog, however, claim they have a statement from the Academy saying the Hollywood Reporter's story is "erroneous".” Yawn. Everybody knows that the Academy is looking around for new venues (or just saying it is so it can squeeze a better deal out of the Kodak Theater) so these reports aren’t really surprising.

*The LA Times reports that the City Controller’s Audit (.pdf) of the City’s street furniture contract found that the City lost out on $23.1 million in revenue it should have earned. Per the article: The City Controller “found that the city waited too long to grant permits for some of the items than the contract called for” and “that delay, combined with miscalculations of annual fees due to the city, led to the loss of revenue, and could lead to up to $57 million in additional losses unless officials renegotiate the terms of the agreement.” The Controller’s audit also noted that the City’s permit approval process for the installation of street furniture is “very cumbersome” and has “ contributed to millions of dollars in lost revenue opportunity to the City.” One thing that the Controller’s Audit didn’t focus on (but should have IMHO): How the City (mis)manages the funds it receives from this contract. Currently one-half of the revenues generated from advertisements placed in or upon street furniture and from any other uses of street furniture is deposited into the Street Furniture Revenue Fund, and is then distributed equally to each Council District for their exclusive use (*cough the Council Offices use it as Slush Fund *cough*).

The Public Square: January 9–11, 2012

2012-01-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 9:

Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council Board (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at Santa Monica Boulevard Community Charter School (1022 North Van Ness Avenue).
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission - Special Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Special public hearing to gather public input regarding the formation of the new City Council district boundaries. See this post and this post for more info.
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at Los Angeles Community College (855 N. Vermont Avenue) in the Theater.

Tuesday, January 10:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 28 (Council File 12-0026)
  - Motion relative to transferring a total of $500,000 in AB1290 funds (property tax increment funds allocated by the CRA/LA to the City) to Council District 4's general salaries account to pay for Council Office staff salaries and “for funding and support of community services efforts in CD 4.”
  - Viewpoints: While the CRA/LA may have been abolished, it is clear that the misappropriation of the funds the Agency collected for “redevelopment” will continue. $500,000 in property tax funds for Council Office staff salaries and some undefined “community services”? Really?
Mid City West Community Council Board (7:00 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women Building (543 North Fairfax Avenue) in the Auditorium.

Wednesday, January 11:

Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee (8:30 AM)
- Item 2 (Council File 11-2115)
  - CRA/LA Board report (.pdf) relative to authorizing its staff to negotiate and execute a Tri-Party Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Engineering and the Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park for the preparation of a an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Hollywood Freeway Central Park project AND for the transfer of up to $2 Million in Hollywood Tax Increment Funds to fund the preparation and processing of the EIR and EIS.
  - Note: As I noted in this post, if you are interested in this action you are too late. On Friday, December 16th, the City Council took this report under consideration, per “Rule 23 of the Rules of the City Council” (which permits the City Council to take immediate action on unagendized actions if an “emergency” exists) and approved the recommendations of the CRA/LA Board (see Council File 11-2115-S1). The Mayor approved this item on December 22nd.
- Item 6 (Council File 12-0049)
  - CLA and CAO to report on the implications of the California State Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirming that the State Legislature has the authority to abolish State Redevelopment Agencies such as the CRA/LA.
Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners (9:30 AM)
- Item 2 (General Manager Report No. 12-008)
  - Recommendation that the RAP Board approve the allocation of $959,095 in Quimby fees to the Griffith Park Swimming Pool Rehabilitation Project. Per the report, the scope of this project includes improvements to the swimming pool, pool's mechanical systems and equipment, and the bathhouse.
- Item 2 (General Manager Report No. 12-009)
  - Recommendation that the RAP Board approve the allocation of $23,508 in Quimby fees to the Las Palmas Senior Center Building Improvement Project. Per the report, the scope of this project includes improvements to the senior building and the adjacent parking lot.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 14 (Council File 12-0049)
  - CLA and CAO to report on the implications of the California State Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirming that the State Legislature has the authority to abolish State Redevelopment Agencies such as the CRA/LA.
  - See also the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee agenda above.
Transportation Council Committee (2:00 PM)

Item 6 (Council File 12-0031)

Motion (.pdf) instructing LADOT to report with recommendations and actions necessary to permanently close Yucca Street to through vehicular traffic at Las Palmas, Cherokee, and Whitley Avenues with traffic diverters that prevent access for vehicles but allow bicycle and pedestrian movement. Per the motion, the above mentioned Yucca Street intersections have been subject to a temporary vehicular street closure, pursuant to Section 21101.4 of the California Vehicle Code, since 1995 .
Viewpoints: As I noted in this post, CVC Section 21101.4 permits a street to be temporarily closed to the public for 18 months and permits a maximum of eight 18 month extensions. Therefore, the total permitted "temporary" street closure length under CVC 21101.4 is 162 months or 13.5 years. This street closure has been operative since May 1995 – a total of 16.5 years – which clearly is far longer than the maximum legally permitted “temporary” street closure. In fact, it seem that the City only bothered to extend this “temporary” street closure one time, to May 1998, and has been illegally enforcing this street closure since that time (see Council File 95-0619-S1).

Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (4:00 PM)
- Item 3 (Ad Hoc Committee on Outreach)
  - Ad Hoc Committee on Outreach and staff reports on actions related to the outreach program; including a discussion of the “Pre-Final Map” public hearing schedule. Commission discussion and possible approval.
Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Board (7:00 PM)
- Agenda
  - Meeting will be held at the Ebell of Los Angeles (4400 Wilshire Boulevard) in the Wilshire Ebell Theater.
- Item 11.A.3 (Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Boundary Issues)
  - Consideration of a proposed motion on redistricting that “requests that the Redistricting Commission, as part of its current redistricting efforts, re-unite the complete Greater Wilshire area, as defined by our area map (.pdf) and as traditionally understood by our area homeowner and neighborhood groups, fully within the 4th City Council district.”

Redistricting: Unite Hollywood in a Single District? Or Continue to Divide it?

2012-01-08T14:46:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow, Monday, January 9th, the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission will hold its third, and final, public hearing in the Hollywood area to gather input regarding the formation of the new City Council district boundaries. The public hearing will be held at Los Angeles Community College (855 N. Vermont Avenue), in the Theater, from 6:30PM-9:30PM. See this flyer (.pdf) for more info.

This public hearing is the 14th of 15 public hearings scheduled by the Redistricting Commission. Following the completion of this “first round” of public hearings, the Redistricting Commission is scheduled to “tour the City” on January 14th; hold more hearings on January 17th and 18th for “organized groups” to present any maps they have prepared; and, unveil its first draft Council District map on January 25. Once the Redistricting Commission issues its first draft Council District map, it is tentatively scheduled to hold a second round of public hearings starting February 1st. The Redistricting Commission is required develop a redistricting plan and submit its plan to the City Council by no later than March 1, 2012. The City Council is required to adopt a final redistricting plan no later than July 1, 2012.

Hollywood Patch filed a report on last Wednesday’s public hearing, which was held at Friendship Auditorium, and noted that a number of Hollywood residents spoke in favor of uniting Hollywood in one Council District:

Most of the speakers at Wednesday's hearing had ties to the Armenian community or were connected to Koreatown. About a half-dozen were Hollywood residents who spoke about uniting Hollywood under one council district.
Hollywood resident Joyce Dyrector was among those speakers.
“It’s very difficult to deal with development or other things going on a block away from you if you’re in a different council district,” Dyrector said. “I really would appreciate it if you would really look at it and keep Hollywood together under one council district. It would make it so much easier for neighbors to deal with development and everything going on in Hollywood.”
Valorie Keegan, a resident of Spaulding Square, pointed out that having several council districts represented in Hollywood, including Council Districts 4, 5 and 13, is causing conflicts between area businesses and the surrounding neighborhoods. She said these could be avoided if the commission would “possibly bring back Hollywood together.”

Of course, not all members of the Hollywood community share the view that the entire community should be united in one single Council District. Last Friday Hollywood Patch reported that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is “urging its 900 members” to support the current Council District boundaries. From the story:

“Our position is that the business district should remain as it has for 20 successful years,” Leron Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said. “It has worked well to have the core business district remain under the guidance of one councilman familiar with the area.”

To me, this issue – whether or not all of Hollywood should be represented in a single Council District – is the primarily, fundamental, question that Hollywood residents and stakeholders need to speak out on. Two thoughts on this issue:

If the Redistricting Commission decides to unite all of Hollywood in a single City Council District where should the boundaries of “Hollywood” be drawn? Even at its broadest imaginable definition, Hollywood doesn’t have enough residents to constitute its own Council District (each Council District should have about 252,847 persons); so what other communities should be included in a Council District with Hollywood? Silver Lake and Echo Park? Atwater Village? Fairfax and Mid-Wilshire? Koreatown? Studio City? North Hollywood and Toluca Lake?
If the Redistricting Commission decides to continue to divide Hollywood into multiple City Council Districts, then where should those divisions be drawn? Would it be appropriate to divide the community along Neighborhood Council boundaries? School District boundaries? LAPD Bureau boundaries? Separate the commercial and business core from the single-family residential neighborhoods? The hillside communities from the flats? Central Hollywood from East Hollywood? East Hollywood from Los Feliz and Franklin Hills?

Etc., Etc., Etc.

Again, to me, the question of whether or not to divide up Hollywood is the critical one. At this point in time, I don’t really see the advantage in dividing Hollywood up in multiple Council Districts (I’ll post more on that later). In any case, if you have any thoughts on how the City should be redistricted now is the time to speak up. Redistricting only happens once every 10 years, so Hollywood residents and stakeholders should take advantage of any and every opportunity to speak up and tell the Redistricting Commission how they define their community and where the future Council District boundaries should be set.

Redistricting: LA City Council Redistricting Commission to Hold Three Public Meetings in the Hollywood Area

2012-01-02T23:04:00.001-08:00

Starting this Wednesday, January 4th, the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission will hold the first of three public hearings in the Hollywood area to gather public input regarding the formation of the new City Council district boundaries.

As was discussed in a previous post, Los Angeles City Charter Section 204 requires that a 21 member Redistricting Commission be appointed every 10 years to draw new City Council district boundaries. The City Charter requires that Council Districts “each contain, as nearly as practicable, equal portions of the total population of the City as shown by the Federal Census” (i.e. 252,847 persons) and that they be “drawn in conformance with requirements of state and federal law and, to the extent feasible, shall keep neighborhoods and communities intact, utilize natural boundaries or street lines, and be geographically compact.”

If you have any thoughts on what the future Council District boundaries should be; how, and if, Hollywood and its neighborhoods should be divided; and, what criteria and factors the Redistricting Commission should look at to guide its redistricting process; now is the time to get engaged and have your voice heard.

The three upcoming Hollywood area public hearings will be held:

Wednesday, January 4th from 6:30PM-9:30PM at Friendship Auditorium (3201 Riverside Drive).
Thursday, January 5th from 6:30PM-9:30PM at Fairfax High School (7850 Melrose Avenue) in the Auditorium.
Monday, January 9th from 6:30PM-9:30PM at Los Angeles Community College (855 N. Vermont Avenue) in the Theater.

The Redistricting Commission is scheduled to complete its first round of public input hearings (which includes the three Hollywood area meetings noted above) by January 10th. The Redistricting Commission is planning to hold two more hearings (on January 17th and 18th) for “Group Presentations”. The Redistricting Commission is scheduled to unveil its first draft Council District map on January 25. Following that, the Redistricting Commission plans to hold another series of public hearings before it produces its final City Council District map in late February.

The Redistricting Commission is required develop a redistricting plan and submit its plan to the City Council for review and adoption by no later than March 1, 2012. However, the City Council is not required to adopt the plan developed by the Redistricting Commission. The Council has the authority to amend and modify the Redistricting Commission's plan as it seems fit. The City Charter requires that the City Council adopt a final redistricting plan no later than July 1, 2012.

Academy Awards may Abandon the Kodak Theater

2012-01-02T11:03:00.001-08:00

The Hollywood Reporter reports that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering moving the Academy Awards (Oscars) from the Kodak Theater at Hollywood and Highland after the 2013 award show. From the article (emphasis mine):

“Our plan right now is to exercise this [option] and then see what happens, what goes on. We’re open,” Tom Sherak, president of the Academy, tells THR in an interview. “Personally, I love the Kodak. I’ll say that until I’m blue in the face. I’ve been there since the very beginning. But in the next year the Kodak and others will come to us and the [Academy] board will make a decision at some point.”

The Oscars have been held at the Kodak since 2002 but the Academy's long-term contract with the venue includes an "out" clause after ten years.
“This is purely a business decision,” says a member of the Academy board of governors, the non-profit group’s version of a board of directors. “The bottom line is we are going to look at other places and listen to all offers. We may ultimately decide to stay where we are if we can renegotiate a better lease. Don’t forget, things have happened there.”

So the Academy is playing the field and looking for more money. No surprise there. At least they are honest about it.

I’m curious as to what CIM Group, the owners of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center, is thinking about this situation and how they plan to react. Are they even concerned about losing the Academy Awards? By that I mean, would losing the Academy Awards hurt the commercial value, or appeal, of the Hollywood and Highland complex? Or, on the other hand, would CIM prefer to see the Academy Awards depart the Kodak, as that would free up the entire month of scheduling time usually consumed by the Academy Awards and enable the Kodak to accommodate more Cirque de Soleil shows?

Adios CRA/LA: California Supreme Court Rules that the State can Abolish Redevelopment Agencies

2011-12-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the California State Supreme Court issued a ruling (.pdf) affirming that the State Legislature has the authority to abolish Redevelopment Agencies (such as the CRA/LA) but struck down the Legislature’s attempt to allow Redevelopment Agencies to continue to exist in exchange for an additional share of their revenues.

Additionally, the Court revised the statutory deadlines associated with AB1X26 so the law can take effect on a delayed basis. Pursuant to the Court’s revisions, all redevelopment agencies will be dissolved effective February 1, 2012.

Reports and reactions from around LA: LA Daily News, Ron Kaye LA, LA Times, LAT's LA Now Blog, Curbed LA, LA Weekly. Here’s the key paragraphs from the ruling (emphasis mine):

We consider whether under the state Constitution (1) redevelopment agencies, once created and engaged in redevelopment plans, have a protected right to exist that immunizes them from statutory dissolution by the Legislature; and (2) redevelopment agencies and their sponsoring communities have a protected right not to make payments to various funds benefiting schools and special districts as a condition of continued operation. Answering the first question “no” and the second “yes” we largely uphold Assembly Bill 1X26 and invalidate Assembly Bill 1X27.

Assembly Bill 1X26, the dissolution measure, is a proper exercise of the legislative power vested in the Legislature by the state Constitution. That power includes the authority to create entities, such as redevelopment agencies, to carry out the state‘s ends and the corollary power to dissolve those same entities when the Legislature deems it necessary and proper. Proposition 22, while it amended the state Constitution to impose new limits on the Legislature‘s fiscal powers, neither explicitly nor implicitly rescinded the Legislature‘s power to dissolve redevelopment agencies. Nor does article XVI, section 16 of the state Constitution, which authorizes the allocation of property tax revenues to redevelopment agencies, impair that power.

A different conclusion is required with respect to Assembly Bill 1X27, the measure conditioning further redevelopment agency operations on additional payments by an agency‘s community sponsors to state funds benefiting schools and special districts. Proposition 22 (specifically Cal. Const., art. XIII, § 25.5, subd. (a)(7)) expressly forbids the Legislature from requiring such payments. Matosantos‘s argument that the payments are valid because technically voluntary cannot be reconciled with the fact that the payments are a requirement of continued operation. Because the flawed provisions of Assembly Bill 1X27 are not severable from other parts of that measure, the measure is invalid in its entirety.

So, absent some immediate legislative action on the part of the Governor and the State Legislature, the CRA/LA, as we know it, is dead.

What remains unknown at this point is what exactly will happen to the CRA/LA’s, employees, assets, and projects on February 1, 2012.

As you may recall, in March 2011 the CRA/LA entered into cooperative agreement with the City for payment of approximately $930 million for costs associated with CRA/LA funded projects located within the City's existing redevelopment project areas (Council File 11-0086). Per that agreement the CRA/LA would "pledge the unencumbered resources in the current FY2010-11 Budget" (about $344 million) and the "Net Tax Increment from FY2011-12 through FY2015-16" (about $540 million) to the City for the completion of the long list of projects identified in the agreement. The agreement also included the no-cost transfer and conveyance of a significant amount of CRA/LA real estate (.pdf) to the City (Council File 11-0086-S1).

However the City-CRA/LA cooperative agreement may not be valid.

The State Legislature included a provision in AB1X26 (see § 34167.5) that seems to indicate that transfers that occurred after January 1, 2011 (which the City-CRA/LA cooperative agreement was) would be deemed “unauthorized” and would be invalidated. That provision states that the State Controller will review all such “asset transfers” to determine if the transferred assets are “contractually committed to a third party” and, if not, revert those assets back to the redevelopment agency or its “successor agency”.

Obviously there is much more to come on this story.

Hollywood Freeway Cap Park: CRA/LA Commits $2 Million to Fund the Preparation of the Project’s EIR

2011-12-24T21:21:00.001-08:00

Last Thursday, December 15, 2011, the CRA/LA Board approved a report (.pdf) authorizing its staff to negotiate and execute a Tri-Party Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Engineering and the Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park for the preparation of a an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Hollywood Freeway Central Park project. Additionally, the CRA/LA Board approved the transfer of up to $2 Million in Hollywood Tax Increment Funds to fund the preparation and processing of the EIR and EIS.

The Hollywood Freeway Central Park proposes to develop, in multiple phases, a mile long, 44 acre, street level public park, which would be built on a deck over the US-101 Freeway, from Bronson Avenue in the north to Santa Monica Boulevard in the south. In 2008, a feasibility study (.pdf) for the project determined that the Hollywood Freeway Central Park could be built for an estimated $950 million. However, per the CRA/LA Report, the “current cost estimate for the development of the entire park is $725 million” and the first phase on the project “could be built as a stand-alone effort costing $439 million”.

The Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park, a non-profit organization, was formed in 2009 to advocate and raise funds for the development and construction of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park. Additionally, it should be noted that the Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park plans to operate the park once it opens.

So, if this non-profit organization exists, why is this Tri-Party Memorandum of Understanding necessary and why are public, CRA/LA, funds being funneled to this project? It is not clear. From the CRA/LA Report (emphasis mine):

“Since the completion of the feasibility study, the Friends of the Hollywood Cap Park (FHCP) has attempted to identify funding for both the environmental analysis, [EIR], design and entitlement predevelopment costs as well as construction costs. Many of the potential funding sources, while expressing interest in the park, have indicated that further consideration would require progress towards the completion of the EIR and the [EIS]. FHCP has requested $2,000,000 in funding to finance the preparation of these documents.

In discussions between CRA/LA, the Council Office, the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering and the California Department of Transportation, it was concluded that BOE should serve as the lead agency in securing the services and providing the oversight of a consultant to prepare environmental analyses and the EIR and EIS.”

So, while the BOE needed to be involved in the preparation of the EIR / EIS, there really is no reason why CRA/LA funds had to be used to fund the preparation of the EIR and EIS. Interesting. Apparently the CRA/LA could find nothing better to do in Hollywood with its $2 Million in public funds (and no better way to bring about the development of new parks in Hollywood), so it decided to funnel it to this project. Then again, after taking a look at the composition of the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Hollywood Freeway Central Park, I shouldn’t be surprised this group was able to shake a measly $2 Million out of CRA/LA.

My personal feelings on the Hollywood Freeway Central Park project remain the same: More neighborhood and community park land and open space is needed in the Hollywood flats but there are better, smaller, and more cost effective ways to do it. It is simply unimaginable, in this economy, that any agency organization will cough up the $439 to $950 Million dollars needed to build out this one park project. The Hollywood Freeway Central Park project, as currently conceived, really seems to be more of a neighborhood redevelopment scheme designed to boost business for existing establishments and encourage real estate speculation and development in a relatively underdeveloped section of Hollywood. The CRA/LA’s increasing financial involvement in the Hollywood Freeway Central Park project (and the City Council’s rushed approval of the CRA/LA’s action – see below) only serves to cement my views that the project is more about real estate redevelopment and less about park and open space development.

Note: FYI, in case you were interested in following/supporting/fighting this action you are too late. On Friday, December 16th, the City Council took this report under consideration, per “Rule 23 of the Rules of the City Council” (which permits the City Council to take immediate action on unagendized actions if an “emergency” exists) and approved the recommendations of the CRA/LA Board (see Council File 11-2115 and Council File 11-2115-S1). The City Council approved the action and the Mayor approved it on December 22nd. Regardless of what justification the City Council (and the City Attorney) gave, there was absolutely no “emergency” that warranted the immediate approval of this item.

LA Times Pulls the Curtains Back on the Academy’s Proposed Outdoor “Event” Space on Vine Street

2011-12-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

Last week the LA Times posted an article that further details the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ planned outdoor screening site and event space on its vacant Vine Street Property. The site, which is adjacent to the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, was, as you no doubt recall, bought by the Academy to house its motion picture museum, which is now planned for the LACMA owned building (and former May Co. Department Store) at Wilshire and Fairfax.

Per the LA Times article: “[t]he 17,000-square-foot outdoor space is designed to function as a venue for showing classic films and is expected to open in May”. The outdoor screening amphitheater will be built to seat 300 people and site will feature a “a 10,000-square-foot patio designed for special events”. The building that formally housed Big Lots (which I see as “the most blighted structure” on the parcel) will apparently just be used for storage.

Motion Picture Academy's Property on Vine Street

Unfortunately, the LA Times article doesn’t provide much detail as to how intensely the Academy plans to program the site. No word on when the Academy plans to screen movies (spring? summer? fall?). No word on how often movies will be screened at the site (once a night?). No word on what types of non-movie “special events” the Academy plans to hold at the site (private parties? Academy events? farmer’s markets? food truck parking lot?).

It is also not clear if the site will be open and available to the general public during the day and on nights when no programming is planned. Based on the pictures provided in the LA Times’ article (and the site plans posted by Curbed LA in October) that the property will be landscaped will grass turf and trees, which should give the site a very park like feel. Given Hollywood’s lack of local neighborhood park land and open space, it would be great if the Academy could find a way to leave this space open for public use and enjoyment when it is not being used for screening and events.

The idea of an Academy-run event space at this site sounds good on paper. With the right programming and vision, the property could be a read asset (if only temporarily) for the community. The property is currently a blight and an eyesore, and any active use would, I think, be an improvement. That said, it is critical that the Academy make clear to the community (and soon!) exactly what type of event space they envision opening at this site.

The Public Square: December 12–14, 2011

2011-12-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 12:

Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council Board (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at Santa Monica Community Charter School (1022 North Van Ness Avenue).

Tuesday, December 13:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 40 (Council File 11-2019)
  - Motion requesting the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) to report to City Council on the recent reports (see here, here, here, here, here, and here) of misuse of taxpayer funds.
Mid City West Community Council Board (7:00 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at the National Council of Jewish Women Building (543 North Fairfax Avenue) in the Auditorium.

Wednesday, December 14:

Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners (9:30 AM)
- Item 2 (General Manager Report No. 11-316)
  - Recommendation that the RAP Board accept the donation of 0.56 acres of property located at 1171-1175 Madison Avenue in East Hollywood for use as a new public park and community garden.
  - The Los Angeles Community Garden Council was awarded grant funding through the "Parks First" Trust Fund Request for Proposals Process to assist with the purchase of this property. The property, which will be owned by the City, will, eventually, be leased to the Los Angeles Community Garden Council so they can develop a community garden at the site.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 42 (Council File 11-1150-S1)
  - Motion relative to instructing various Departments to undertake actions to effectuate the purchase of property located at 1171-1175 Madison Avenue in East Hollywood for use as a new public park and community garden.
  - See also the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners’ agenda above.
Arts, Parks, and Neighborhoods Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Council File 11-1912)
  - Continued consideration of a City Attorney Report and Ordinance (.pdf) and a City Clerk report (.pdf) relative to amending various sections of the Los Angeles Administrative Code relating to Neighborhood Council elections.
  - Per the report (emphasis mine), “The draft ordinance would postpone elections and grant the City Clerk the authority to extend board member terms for two years”. The report goes on to say that “while the draft ordinance precludes the City Clerk from conducting Neighborhood Council elections during the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year,Neighborhood Councils are not precluded from selecting their board members during this time frame under the draft ordinance.”
Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (4:00 PM)
- Item 2 (Discussion)
  - Ad Hoc Committee on Outreach and Executive Director reports on actions related to the outreach program. Commission discussion and possible approval.

Hollywood Community Plan: City Planning Commission Approves Plan; Moves it Forward to City Council

2011-12-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, as expected, the City Planning Commission unanimously approved the Hollywood Community Plan Update, it’s Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and associated Statement of Overriding Considerations, and the various related rezoning actions and ordinances, General Plan Amendments, and Findings.

In response to some of the issues that were raised at the City Planning Commission meeting, the Commission did make some small, relativity insignificant, changes to the Plan Update. However, the approved plan is essentially the same as was detailed in the City Planning Department Staff Recommendation Report (.pdf).

The LA Weekly attended the Planning Commission meeting and reports that some community members were none to happy with how the Commission scheduled another controversial item for the same meeting, which resulted in long wait for those there to comment on the Hollywood Community Plan:

By the time the Hollywood Community Plan was finally addressed around noon, a pool of 50-odd naysayers had drained...

... to about half that, according to LA Weekly reporter David Futch.
"This Planning Commission knew they had these two giant issues here today, and this is the game they play," Hollywood resident and psychotherapist Lucille Saunders told Futch as they were waiting around. "City staffers are getting paid, developers are getting paid -- but any citizen who comes here and has taken the day off from their job, they're not getting paid."

[snip]

The Planning Commission's big delay charade today silenced some pretty crucial players to the well-being of Hollywood. Weekly reporter Futch says that LAPD Captain Beatrice Girmala and Los Angeles Fire Battalion Charles Butler showed up to express concern that the plan will jeopardize pubic safety.
However, they had places to be, and weren't able to take the entire day off for one ineffectual public-comment period -- which, by the way, began at freaking 1:30 p.m.

The Hollywood Community Plan Update and the Final EIR (Case No. CPC-2005-6082 & No. CPC-1997-43-CPU) will now be transmitted to the City Council its consideration and approval.

The Public Square: December 5–8, 2011

2011-12-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 5:

Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Council Files 08-2020 and 11-1705)
  - Continued consideration of three Department of City Planning reports, dated July 22nd (.pdf), October 5th (.pdf), and November 21st (.pdf), relative to a proposed ordinance amending various sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code that have to do with the City's sign regulations.
  - Per the July 22nd report, the “proposed sign ordinance provides updates to provisions on Sign Districts, requests for deviation from the sign regulations, enforcement procedures and penalties, signs in partially enclosed spaces, digital sign regulations, hazard to traffic, freeway exposure, and other recommended changes.”
  - Viewpoints: Ban Billboard Blight writes that “…this draft contains stronger protections for communities and neighborhoods that could be targeted by new billboards, digital signs, and other forms of off-site advertising. However, significant problems remain.”
Budget and Finance Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Council File 11-0600-S146)
  - CAO's Second Financial Status Report (.pdf) for Fiscal Year 2011-2012. Per the report (emphasis mine):
    - “At this time a Citywide deficit of $72.0 million is projected, consisting of previously identified sworn and civilian salary deficits, new expense deficits and reevaluated sworn and civilian retirement contributions.”
    - “The identification of surplus funds, new revenue, and department reductions would reduce the $72.0 million deficit to $21.4 million, if implemented as proposed.”
    - “Based on expenditure data through October, most departments are projecting to complete the year within budget. However, two departments - Fire Department and Police Department - are reporting sizable deficits estimated at $19.2 million and $8.7 million, respectively. Both deficits have increased since they were initially identified in the First FSR…”
  - Viewpoints: The LA Times reports that CAO Miguel Santana “warned that the shortfall could grow once city officials calculate the cost of cleanup in the wake of this week's ferocious windstorms and the two-month encampment outside City Hall by Occupy L.A.”

Tuesday, December 6:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 7 (Council File 11-0600-S146)
  - CAO's Second Financial Status Report (.pdf) for Fiscal Year 2011-2012.
  - See Budget and Finance Council Committee agenda above.

Wednesday, December 7:

City Council (10:00 AM)
- No items of note.
Public Works Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 5 (Council File 11-1246)
  - Continued consideration of a motion relative to a non-motorized, multi-modal, bridge project connecting Griffith Park and the Los Angeles River Bike Path to the North Atwater neighborhood.
  - Viewpoints: The Los Feliz Ledger recently reported that, at a recent meeting of the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council, “meeting attendees had issues regarding the proposed bridge’s short 5-foot height; that horseback riders would have to share the L.A. River bike path safely with bicyclists in order to reach the bridge; and whether or not the bridge would be illuminated, to discourage potential illegal activity”.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- No items of note.

Thursday, December 8:

City Planning Commission (8:30 AM)
- Items 6 & 7 (Case No. CPC-2005-6082 & No. CPC-1997-43-CPU)
  - Consideration of the proposed Hollywood Community Plan Update; Consideration of the Plan’s Final Environmental Impact Report and its associated Statement of Overriding Considerations; and, various recommendations relative to various related rezoning actions and ordinances, General Plan Amendments, and Findings.
  - For more, see the City Planning Department Staff Recommendation Report (.pdf).

Chop Chop: Street Trees at 5555 Hollywood Boulevard Get the Axe

2011-12-02T07:44:00.001-08:00

Back in October the Board of Public Works approved the removal of four large, healthy, mature Indian Laurel Fig Trees (Ficus trees) from the sidewalk on the Hollywood Boulevard side of the 5555 Hollywood Project; a 120 unit mixed-use senior apartment building currently under construction at that site.

The Board of Public Works approved the removal of these trees because Department of Public Works staff claimed the sidewalk was too small the trees were obscuring the street lights and the crosswalk signal.

However, the Department of Public Works staff failed to point out that (1) the 5555 Hollywood Project is required to repair the sidewalk along its Hollywood Boulevard frontage AND increase the sidewalk width to least 20 feet, which would have been more than sufficient to accommodate the large tree wells these four Ficus require; and, (2) Public Works staff could have, if they wanted to, prioritized these trees for a tree trimming so they would no longer obscure the street lights and the crosswalk signal.

Anyway, that’s old news now as sometime last week the four Ficus trees were cut down and removed:

Oh, and for posterity's sake, here’s what the trees looked like before they got the axe:

The Public Square: November 28 – 30, 2011

2011-11-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 28:

Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission (4:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Discussion)
  - Ad Hoc Committee on Outreach and Executive Director reports on actions related to the outreach program. Commission discussion and possible approval.
Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (6:15 PM)
- Agenda not yet available on the web. Search here or here for the Agenda.
  - Meeting is regularly scheduled to be held on the fourth Monday of each month at the Hollywood City Hall (6501 Fountain Avenue) in the Community Room.

Tuesday, November 29:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 13 (Council File 11-1734)
  - Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee Report, Categorical Exemption, and CEQA findings, relative to appeals of the Central APC's decision to overturn the Zoning Administrator's denial of a Zone Variance and a CEQA environmental clearance related to a request to operate a 10,087 square foot retail furniture store at 939-969 North La Brea Avenue.
  - Recommendations to adopt the findings of the Committee and the Central APC and to deny the appeals.
- Item 26 (Council File 11-1729)
  - Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee report relative to a grant funding agreement with Youth Policy Institute to provide a conditional grant of up to $120,000 to pay for the provision of social and economic development services to residents in the Hollywood Redevelopment Project Area.
  - Per the CRA/LA report (.pdf): “The Youth Policy Institute (YPI) has requested $120,000 in general operating support funding to enable it to provide additional case management services to the residents of Hollywood through its Hollywood FamilySource Center (Hollywood FSC). With the additional funding, YPI expects to be able to increase its annual services by 20% from 2,000 clients to 2,400. Specifically, YPI plans to bolster its workforce development services and to increase its job training and placement outcomes (increasing outcome by 25% from 40 to 50 job placements).”
Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee (2:30 PM)
- Item 1 (Council File 11-1441)
  - Department of City Planning Report (.pdf) relative to possible approaches to ridgeline protection, and what resources are needed to complete a Citywide Ridgeline Ordinance.
  - Per the report (emphasis mine), “[Department of City Planning Staff] recommends adopting the Ridgeline Ordinance and implementing it through the Community Plan Update/Revision process in order to complete the project in a timely manner at minimal cost to the City.”
  - Viewpoints: If the City does end up implementing a Ridgeline Protection Ordinance through the Community Plan Update process it could mean that Hollywood, which is in the final stages of its Community Plan update, may not see a Ridgeline Protection Ordinance implemented for quite some time.

Wednesday, November 30:

City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 9 (Council File 11-1684)
  - Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee Report, EIR, and CEQA findings, relative to an appeal of the Director of Planning's Approval of a Site Plan Review and a CEQA environmental clearance related to a 179 unit Mixed-Use Development with 33,500 square feet of retail use and four levels of parking (596 parking spaces) located at 915 North La Brea Avenue.
  - Recommendations to adopt the findings of the Director of Planning and to deny the appeal.
Arts, Parks, and Neighborhoods Council Committee (3:00 PM)
- Item 1 (Council File 11-1912)
  - City Attorney Report and Ordinance (.pdf) relative to amending various sections of the Los Angeles Administrative Code relating to Neighborhood Council elections.
  - Per the report (emphasis mine), “The draft ordinance would postpone elections and grant the City Clerk the authority to extend board member terms for two years”. The report goes on to say that “while the draft ordinance precludes the City Clerk from conducting Neighborhood Council elections during the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year, Neighborhood Councils are not precluded from selecting their board members during this time frame under the draft ordinance.”

Roundup: November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

News items and commentary from The Local Feed (in the sidebar) and elsewhere 'round the web that may be of interest to Hollywood residents.

*Curbed LA reports that the Selma Hotel project, which proposes to build a 9-story boutique hotel at 6417 Selma Avenue, has found financing and will become the first west coast outpost of the Dream Hotel brand. Per the article, the “hotel will be a partnership with Hampshire Hotels and Resorts, which manages the Dream Hotel brand”. Additionally, the article says that “construction is expected to start in the spring, with opening scheduled for fall 2013”. The City has approved the site to be developed with up to 136 hotel rooms, 90 automobile parking spaces, a rooftop bar/lounge, restaurant and pool facilities, and a pedestrian-friendly paseo in the adjacent public alley. The 9-story (125 feet max) hotel would be built atop an existing, 1920's era, 2-story warehouse, and would total 73,800 square feet.

*The annual Hollywood Christmas Parade is this Sunday, November 27th, at 6PM. Hollywood Patch details the street closings and the list of participating bands and acts. As usual, the parade will start at Hollywood Blvd and Orange Drive, head east to Vine, turn south at Vine to Sunset Boulevard, then turn west on Sunset, back to Orange Drive. No parking signs should already be posted on the streets along and adjacent to the parade route and assembly area. Street closures and restrictions will start on Saturday morning and continue through early Monday morning. Navigate Hollywood has the full list of street closures and parking restrictions available here (.pdf).

*The LA Times reports that the City Council approved a motion (Council File 09-0680) directing the City Attorney, LADOT, and LAPD identify issues relative to the riding of bicycles on sidewalks and develop language to update or replace Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.15. Per the article, the motion “asks, among other things, that the city's Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Police Department and the city attorney draft guidelines for when cyclists would be prohibited from using sidewalks”. Check out this LA Streetsblog post for a little discussion of the issues surrounding Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.15 and sidewalk biking. Personally, I feel that bikes are vehicles and they belong in the street (or on designated bike paths or trails) and not on the sidewalk. Allowing bikes to ride on both in the street and on the sidewalk, and switch between the two whenever they want, can make it difficult for drivers to judge what bikers are going to do at intersections and other conflict points (crosswalks, turn lanes, etc.). My take: If the City is going to continue to allow the riding of bicycles on sidewalks they should change the ordinance to (1) require bikers to move at the same rate of speed as a walking/jogging pedestrian, (2) require bikers to adhere to the walk/don’t walk crossing signals, and (3) require biker to ride in the same direction as the flow of street traffic.

The Public Square: November 21–23, 2011

2011-11-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 21:

Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners (9:30 AM)
- Item 2 (General Manager Report No. 11-306)
  - Recommendation that the RAP Board accept a cash payment of $135,803, and In-Kind Services (valued at $576,102), from Nederlander-Greek, Inc. as payment for the Performance Guarantee penalty for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
  - Per the report, Nederlander-Greek, Inc. the calculated cost of the penalty payment that was owed to the City for the 2009 and 2010 seasons was $452,679.
- Item 2 (General Manager Report No. 11-307)
  - Recommendation that the RAP Board approve a 5-year concession agreement with LA Tennis Incorporated for the operation and maintenance of the Griffith Riverside and Vermont Canyon Tennis Complexes in Griffith Park.
Budget and Finance Council Committee (2:00 PM)
- Item 10 (Council File 11-0187-S2)
  - Report (.pdf) for the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission relative to its Fiscal Year 2011-12 Budget. The City Council Redistricting Commission’s budget request, which covers staffing costs and expenses, is for $750,000.
East Hollywood Neighborhood Council Community Forum & Board Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Agenda (.pdf)
  - Meeting will be held at L.A. City College (855 North Vermont Avenue) in the Faculty & Staff Center.
- Item 9N (Action Item)
  - Discussion and possible action regarding further comments to the Hollywood Community Plan Update.
- Item 9O (Action Item)
  - Discussion and possible action regarding the CRA/LA’s 2010 Hollywood Historic Resources Survey’s “proposed elimination from the official list of historic properties numerous original single-family Hollywood residences constructed circa 1910-1922”.

Tuesday, November 22:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)
- No items of note.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- Item 15 (Council File 09-0680)
  - Request that the City Attorney, LADOT, and LAPD identify issues relative to the riding of bicycles on sidewalks and develop language to update or replace Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.15.
  - Instruction to LADOT to report with recommendations for an outreach and public education campaign on the legal and safe use of bicycles on sidewalks.
- Items 22 & 34 (Council File 11-0187-S2)
  - Report (.pdf) for the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission relative to its Fiscal Year 2011-12 Budget. The City Council Redistricting Commission’s budget request, which covers staffing costs and expenses, is for $750,000.
Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee (2:30 PM)
- Item 1 (Presentation)
  - Verbal report by the Department of City Planning relative to health and food access ordinances promoting urban agriculture, including truck gardening and certified farmers’ markets.
Central Area Planning Commission (4:30 PM)
- Item 5 (Presentation)
  - Presentation on the Hollywood Community Plan Update.
  - Note: The presentation is information and is being provided to the Area Planning Commission for review and comment only. No decisions will be made at this meeting. The Hollywood Community Plan Update and the Final EIR are scheduled to be heard by the City Planning Commission on December 8, 2011

Wednesday, November 23:

Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee (8:30 AM)
- Item 1 (Council File 08-3050)
  - Continued consideration of a motion relative to the establishment of an Economic Development Department.
Jobs and Business Development Council Committee (9:00 AM)
- Item 30 (Council File 11-1606)
  - Motion relative to requesting for the City Attorney to prepare and present an ordinance to eliminate the gross receipt tax for new car dealerships in the City.
  - Viewpoints: The LA Daily News Editorial argued that “the proposal is laudable but should leave struggling business owners impatient for broader changes”.
City Council (10:00 AM)
- No items of note.

The Public Square: November 14 - 16, 2011

2011-11-13T20:52:00.001-08:00

Monday, November 14:

Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council Board (6:30 PM)

Agenda not yet available on the web. Check here for more information.

Meeting location not yet available on the web. Contact HSDNC for more information.

Hollywood United Neighborhood Council Board (6:30 PM)

Agenda (.pdf)

Meeting will be held at Seventh-day Adventist Church of Hollywood (1711 North Van Ness Avenue).

Item 7A (PLUM Committee)

Recommendation that the HUNC Board "reject the Finalized Hollywood Plan EIR because the EIR did not adequately address HUNC’s previously submitted written objections."

Tuesday, November 15:

County Board of Supervisors (9:30 AM)

Item 2D (Community Development Commission of LA County)

Report (.pdf) recommending that the Board approve the allocation of $250,000 in General County Funds to help fund construction costs associated with the development of the Step Up on Vine project, a 34-unit permanent supportive housing project proposed to be located at 1057 Vine Street.

City Council (10:00 AM)

Item 31 (Council File 10-1832)

Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee report relative to amending various sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (1) to allow certified farmers' markets to be permitted in a residential zone through the authority of the Zoning Administrator and (2) to allow certified farmers' markets by-right in agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, and parking zones; if the markets meet certain performance standards.

Item 32 (Council File 11-1786)

Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee report relative to amending various sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to to help streamline the permit process for structures that support solar energy systems.

Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee (2:30 PM)

Item 2 (Council File 11-1684)

EIR, CEQA findings, and an appeal of the Director of Planning's Approval of a Site Plan Review and a CEQA environmental clearance related to a 179 unit Mixed-Use Development with 33,500 square feet of retail use and four levels of parking (596 parking spaces) located at 915 North La Brea Avenue.

Item 4 (Council File 11-1734)

Categorical Exemption, CEQA findings, and appeals of the Central APC's decision to overturn the Zoning Administrator's denial of a Zone Variance and a CEQA environmental clearance related to a request to operate a 10,087 square foot retail furniture store at 939-969 North La Brea Avenue.

Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Board (7:00 PM)

Agenda (.pdf)

Meeting will be held at the Los Feliz Community Police Center (1965 North Hillhurst Avenue) in the second floor meeting room.

Wednesday, November 16:

Housing, Community, and Economic Development Council Committee (8:30 AM)

Item 5 (Council File 11-1729)

CRA/LA report (.pdf) and CLA to report relative to a grant funding agreement with Youth Policy Institute to provide a conditional grant of up to $120,000 to pay for the provision of social and economic development services to residents in the Hollywood Redevelopment Project Area.
Per the CRA/LA Report: "The Youth Policy Institute (YPI) has requested $120,000 in general operating support funding to enable it to provide additional case management services to the residents of Hollywood through its Hollywood FamilySource Center (Hollywood FSC). With the additional funding, YPI expects to be able to increase its annual services by 20% from 2,000 clients to 2,400. Specifically, YPI plans to bolster its workforce development services and to increase its job training and placement outcomes (increasing outcome by 25% from 40 to 50 job placements)."

City Council (10:00 AM)

Item 30 (Council File 11-1606)

Planning and Land Use Management Council Committee report relative to the Central APC's approval of a request to permit three dwelling units in lieu of the maximum permitted two units at 822-824 North Sycamore Avenue (ZA-2009-2937-ZV-ZAA-1A).
Recommendation that the Council adopt the findings of the Central APC and deny an appeal of Central APC's approval of said request.

Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (6:30 PM)

Agenda (html)

Meeting will be held at the Women's Club of Hollywood (1749 North La Brea Avenue).