NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS

COMMENTARY-In recent years, there’s been a frenzy of legislation activity, such as density bonus and Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) laws, to correct, overnight an issue that has been developing for nearly fifty years –

THE DOCTOR IS IN - Local attorney Traci Park did something that no one has done for several years--and that is to openly declare her candidacy for CD11, the Westside Los Angeles district whose current Councilmember Mike Bonin richly deserves to be replaced--either by recall or in our next municipal election. 

SCHOOL HEALTH - Maribel Ahumada says she lost her sister and nephew to COVID-19 last December. So when the vaccine became available this spring she took her 16-year-old triplet sons to the grand opening of a vaccination center at San Pedro High School in Los Angeles so they could all get their shots.

POLICE BEAT - On a Wednesday afternoon in April 2018, Gardena police officers got a “triple beeper” over their radios — three high-pitched squawks signaling an emergency. As many as 20 shots reportedly had been fired near a local park.

NEIGHBORHOOD RECALL-When Aliso Village opened in 1942, the modern housing project was a radical new experiment. As one of ten new developments in Los Angeles,

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-The General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment has declared the Budget Advocates an illegitimate organization because it does not appear in the City Charter. I beg to differ. 

CAL MATTERS-State-funding efforts to shelter unhoused residents in converted motels could be a game-changer for Motel Drive, an area of Fresno that city leaders say has long been overrun by drugs, human trafficking, and prostitution.  

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-This video was made after I took my last Ethics Training around 2012 when I took my last Ethic’s Training in the Wilshire District with City Attorney Darren Martinez, I believe that they were filming that meeting for training purposes. I would love to see that video! 

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-As I write this, Neighborhood Councils that have elections planned in 2021 for their communities, have already begun elections for their Board members.

RANDOM LENGTHS REPORT-On Dec. 21, 2020, the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council voted 12-0 to request that the West Harbor project include the council in the planning process of the project, which means sharing environmental impact reports and Coastal Development Permits.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Emails obtained by Circling the News reveal that City officials know the proposed elder care facility in the Highlands was too large per City code. The proposed 64,646 sq. ft. building should be no larger than 52,274 sq.ft.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--The Los Angeles City Council today unanimously passed a motion to review SoCalGas’s permit to operate the Playa Del Rey Gas Storage Facility located in the Ballona Wetlands.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--We want to create a place for dialogue, so people can feel like it’s accessible to them, not just as a space for leisure but as an educational space.  — Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles 

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--City of Inglewood residents have demanded more affordable housing be made available for low to moderate income renters. Community coalition, Uplift Inglewood, is assisting with those efforts via lawsuits and demands for rent control. The city is holding on to four (4) properties, slated for affordable housing, but have yet to make plans available to the public.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--The battle to save Tom Bergin’s Tavern and Restaurant from the wrecking ball took a left turn without signaling at the Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUM) hearing on May 21, 2019.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Los Angeles City Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Joe Buscaino took action today to stop neighboring cities from pushing people experiencing homelessness into Los Angeles neighborhoods.

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS (INSIDE INGLEWOOD)--The District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division “concluded that the [Inglewood] City Council did violate the [Brown] Act by failing to provide a sufficient agenda description” of the ENA between the City and Murphy’s Bowl. 

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--For decades, San Fernando Valley residents have continuously been taxed for transit and have not received a reciprocal amount of investment in service. Metro finally has an opportunity to work with a community that has come around to supporting the implementation of mass transit, after decades of fighting about what mass transit in the San Fernando Valley means. 

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce (IAACC) will host Women Business Leaders Champions of Change on June 13, 2019. The event will honor a couple of business owners and two municipal employees. Why is IAACC hosting so many events, charging thousands to potential sponsors and more importantly, who is really benefiting financially from their costly events?

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--The following is excerpted from a letter sent by the Miracle Mile Residential Association to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in advance of their vote on April 9, 2019 to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for LACMA’s redo of the museum. The letter in its entirety can be read here.   

NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--The Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro continues to move forward with extensive development that will create jobs and bring new restaurants, retail stores, and a large entertainment venue to the waterfront.