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ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - I wonder if Rick Commons, the head of Harvard Westlake School is fixing to move on. People in Studio City, according to Harvard-Westlake boosters, who appear to have enlisted the insult specialist, Stuart Waldman, to press their toxic case are curious.
The head of the Valley Industry and Commerce Alliance tweeted that he'd fixed a Tweet that he'd seen about a "massive" demonstration… for accuracy. He was being sarcastic and in full suck-up-to-power mode.
Mr. Waldman, or Stu as he’s known around town, said, in a clear effort to denigrate Studio City that "hundreds" of protestors were more like: "Tens of rich, white Studio City homeowners gathered outside the Weddington Golf + Tennis facility to protest any change…"
If there were a sphygmomanometer for the collective Studio City, at this point, it would show a serious regional hypertensive crisis. "I’m a gd change agent!"
Cut to: The Godfather, as Michael Corleone warns his lieutenant, ”Only don't tell me you're innocent. Because it insults my intelligence and makes me very angry."
As I recall, that was a scene where Michael was banishing a member of the organization to Las Vegas. That's where the Weddington kids went before selling Studio City to the billionaire boys club and CIF basketball champs!
Incidentally, the notion that the indigenous peoples of Studio City are unreasonable and resistant to change, should be carefully examined. We had Krekorian, now we have Raman. That’s change! Or is it?
It is my understanding that local people have already lawyered up, but the real moment in the story, where the Indigenous peoples rise up in anger, is down the road. It’s surprising that Harvard Westlake feels that a strategy of steamrolling will work.
And now it appears that the July 12 appointment may have to be rescheduled due to an agenda bungle.
Ooops:
Dear Planning, This was posted just in the last hour as far as we can tell because we've been checking since 8 AM It was not posted 72 hours in advance by 9 AM yesterday (Sunday)... so the meeting can't happen. The Notice of the Public Hearing says on the first page: "The meeting's agenda will be provided no later than 72 hours before the meeting at planning4la.org/hearings.
Get some rest.
Anger Management:
Many experts have agreed that it is important when a private tax-exempt school is imposing an imperious selfish plan on the taxpaying locals to understand the actual waters that you are navigating carefully and not rely too heavily on the politicians that you have been …{don't say bribing} inducing.
As an example, a dear old friend passed away some years ago in Hollywood, there was a Buddhist ceremony down at Fisherman’s Village in the Marina. A Dalai Lama-like character led us down to the pier, where he’d arranged to symbolically release 1,000 live fish into the water. As each fish swam its separate way... the whole is broken down into many ... the tiny parts... dissipate and blend into the ocean.
It sounded deeply moving.
The reality on the day in question was another story. The Lama had been unaware of the enthusiastic gulls and pelicans that immediately swooped down from the air and the voracious sea lions that charged up from the deep.
It was a feeding frenzy.
History, Take Two:
Plutarch, the Greek philosopher, historian, biographer, and priest, lived in Rome during the first century CE. I'm sure the summer travel there was better back then.
Plutarch was an avid defender of free will, and of the soul’s immortality, his ideas have influenced many other great thinkers over the centuries.
For example, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that he found it impossible to "read Plutarch without a tingling of the blood.” Sounds like a case of pre-historic hypertensive crisis.
Emerson was referring to "Parallel Lives," a collection of written portraits of well-known Greeks and Romans, such as Caesar, Cicero, and Alexander.
Plutarch focused less on listing his famous subjects’ accomplishments than on evoking their characters, their human nature.
So, what the "f" is Charlie Munger thinking about?
One very upsetting detail, and it makes me wonder if the head of school might be ready for a change, is the discovery of a letter - not surprising - sent to the alumni urging them to call in and support the school’s plan. But Harvard Westlake alumni are not the residents of Studio City, and should not be imposing their plan on them.
The "anyone can call in" letter:
On July 12, the first in a series of public meetings will be held toward a final determination about the River Park project. As you recall, 2 athletic fields, one with a track around it, a gymnasium complex, a swimming pool, + eight tennis courts, and underground parking, a one of kind water reclamation plan, with solar and native landscaping. Harvard Westlake is committed to sharing this remarkable facility with local school children, community groups, nearby residents, and organization partners, like Special Olympics and Friends of LA River. At this time it is important that Nithya Raman and her staff hear from every single member of the Harvard Westlake community, how important it is to the school and how beneficial for Studio City. Click here and you can find a form letter that you can modify. And feel free to speak from the comfort of your own home. Please email Stacey Marble our Director of Community and public affairs.
#End
I contacted Stacy Marble and she has yet to respond.
She’s probably got her hands full with all the questions from alumni. “is this really a good idea?” "Why isn’t this done.” “It should be a slam dunk, right?” “Why is it so hard to get this through?” “Why is Commons going around begging the alumni to call in?”
“Why haven’t the Studio City people been shut up with the argument that the mayor will turn it into affordable housing?”
Eric Garcetti and Paul Krekorian understood that every good political engine needs a couple of engineers. But maybe Nithya Raman and Karen Bass could be different. Time will tell.
Also, important to consider that the boundaries of the proposed project are a vessel with limitations, and like land, they ain't making any more.
The approach adopted by Edgar Khalatian of Mayer Brown who was appointed by Mayor Garcetti as some kind of Land Use panelist, and has been twizzling his mustache for nearly a decade trying to impose an enormous athletic complex near the campus on Studio City residents, will fail.
Of course, the School and its billionaire benefactor should reasonably get something for their $42.5 million investment, but the conditional use permit is just a starting point.
If the school were smart, and they do have very good test scores, and won the CIF basketball championship, they would adopt a modest, efficient program with tennis courts, a couple of fields, and a gym. The rest of the space (about half) would remain outside the school’s facility for the community, as the publicly accessible golf and tennis amenity it has been for years.
Studio City has a right to drive balls and practice putting. A Three hole would be charming.
The optics of billionaire Charlie Munger destroying our community's public open space amenity and … get this, the new plan has a WALL around it -- not good. I was having a hard time with the first proposed gate!
And the School doesn’t need yet another swimming pool. They have an enormous one on campus, the one concierge/chief of staff, Karo Torossian wanted to take a dip in. Remember?
Someone ought to toss Munger a copy of “Parallel Lives” so he’ll learn that… a life — like a mind — is more than the sum of its parts. Whereas a vessel is finite and will eventually run out of space, a fire once kindled will continue to burn, and consume everything around it.
Welcome to Studio City. "Here's your hat, what's your hurry?"
Everybody In The Pool:
The county has a giant agenda on Tuesday and will be proclaiming July 2023 as “Parks Make Life Better!” Month.
Yes. What about the local pools?
San Fernando Hours Operating Hours Monday - Friday
6:00 am - 9:00 am or 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Lap swimming
Public 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm ONLY
Saturday 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm and 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Closed Sunday #Disappointing
Lindsay Horvath, Supervisor kicking off the limited hours of swimming.
Revised Board Delegated Authority Policy 20.170 - Contracts for Legal Services
Please find an interesting revision on Tuesday's agenda:
OFF the Record:
"The council returns from its three-week summer break on Aug. 1,"
Pulitzer Prize winner, David Zahniser wrote in the Los Angeles Times.
Correction Request: The summer recess was from 7/7 - 7/28. From and including Wednesday, July 5, 2023 To, but not including Tuesday, August 1, 2023 Result: 27 days
Alternative time units 27 days can be converted to:
3 weeks and 6 days
7.40% of 2023
Sneaky, but also tricky.
(Eric Preven is a longtime community activist and is a contributor to CityWatch. The opinions of Mr. Preven are not necessarily those of CityWatchLA.com.)
