For "Affordable Housing"? For "The Children"? Or Just More "Pay To Play"?
The L.A. Weekly recently published an article by David Zanhiser entitled "Friends In High-Rise Places," that I hope you will read. Zanhiser connects some disturbing dots. Here is a self-explanatory excerpt: "The homeowner associations that cover much of the Westside let out a collective groan last March after developer Beny Alagem unveiled plans for dramatically remaking the Beverly Hilton — razing the tiki bar known as Trader Vic’s and building two 13-story condominium towers on the site."
"After all, neighborhood leaders had learned only two weeks earlier that another developer planned to add 262 condos to the Westfield Century City shopping center on Santa Monica Boulevard, just blocks from Trader Vic’s. And a third developer had already spent weeks pushing for city approval of two 47-story condominium towers nearby."
"Community groups in and around Century City found a new reason to worry last week: Developers of all three projects have poured a combined $275,000 into Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign to seize power at the Los Angeles Unified School District, making them three of the takeover campaign’s five largest contributors."
http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/friends-in-high-rise-places/14158/
Posted by Walter Moore @ 8/05/2006 10:42:00 PM
31 Comments:
Public VS City Council
WATCH IT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-MyVi3oSgI
Pictures speak louder than words
Villaraigosa and Nunez bail on LAUSD audience
La Raza boy gets Arrested after acting out on the LAPD
Do ya still wanna live in L.A.?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXcXXe_jdZ0
William Bratton talks about cracking down on LA street gang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZPjOvEemrI
JOEY vicitim
South Los Angeles Gangs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ4NUBSpF5E
VILLARAIGOSA
LAPD
ARE U WATCHING?
EVIDENCE @ THIS LINK
Beat Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ2ygeEaW2Q
Prison Gangs of San Quentin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtxAONaXY4A
The Los Angeles JEWnior Mafia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhxhmUWk2UQ
Bloods,Crips,MS 13, and Others....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmZesolieBQ
Different Gangs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wt4_JDY1-U
Joe Ramallo worked under Alex Penela -Florida. Sounds similiar to Villaraigosa & Travel Traders-Florida.
June 07, 2004
Quote of the Day
"The single most treacherous and dishonest person I dealt with."
-- Al Gore on Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas(D), quoted by the Miami Herald.
Villaraigos wants us to trust him when he hires (Joe Ramallo) individual organized illegal fundraisers, worked under Alex Penelas?
Joe Ramallo works for AV his right hand dude...He managed legislative affairs for Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas. Penelas a major money launderer and well connnected. He ripped off constituents tax dollars. Drugs anyone?
But Walter,
According to your logic ( see your posts about Home Depot in Sunland-Tujunga), these developments will provide jobs, both during and after construction, and
as long as they have complied with all zoning laws, then they should be allowed to open. Your beef seems to be that they donated to the Mayor.
And you don't think that Home Depot has done the same?
Controversial SCI-Arc Lot Up for Lease
Developer Richard Meruelo has put up for lease the 25,000-square-foot empty lot next to the Southern California Institute of Architecture in the Arts District
Backroom Deal?
Governator + Villaraigosa+ Meruelo
State to Assess Whittier Site for a Prison
The state was poised to sell the property to Los Angeles developer Richard Meruelo for $107 million when the item was pulled from the agenda of Friday's Public ...
Nelles sale halted; prison plans eyed
San Gabriel Valley Tribune - State Public Works Board members had been scheduled Friday to formally approve the sale of the 73-acre site to developer Meruelo Maddax Properties of Los Angeles, which submitted a high bid of $107 million. Instead, acting on a request from the
Source: www.sgvtribune.com
Do you agree with the city's decision to clear the way for purchase of the Nelles property by Meruelo Maddax Properties?
YES OR NO
VILLARAIGOSA'S LIES=THOUSANDS DIE
http://www.stopthekilling.net/stkavillaraigosa.htm
Villaraigosa's Takeover Attempt Would Have Dangerous Repercussions
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=31769&format=html
insane insane insane!!!
Really interesting article by Zahniser. Suggest some of you read it. "Pay-to-play", anyone???? Deja vu all over again?
Who is the psycho posting all the gang crap? Get a life or go to another site!!!! I wish David Zahnisher who I believe is one of the best reporters in LA should investigate the Playa Del Rey project. Paul Moyer Channel 4 did a story how all the permits were rushed through and the land is on methane gas property. when Paul showed the report to wimp Antonio, he just said I will look into it. I guarantee those developers also gave money to Antonio. David isn't afraid to report the facts and other lazy reporters should take his lead. I'm beginning to like Steve Hymon's stories recently. He outed the Building & Safety Dept. for political preferences. This is what we like to see in our newspapers. The corruption and outing of these assholes.
Daily News Opinion.
...Villaraigosa decries the disconnect between the agency's officials and constituents, describing a bureaucracy that has become so remote from the people it serves that it can't hope to turn around without outside intervention. Which is, of course, where he comes in a take-charge mayor who will get things fixed, hold people accountable and empower ordinary folks to play important roles.
But wait a minute: Is Villaraigosa talking about the Los Angeles Unified School District or the city he heads?
Villaraigosa's assessment of the LAUSD and its current state of abject failure is right on target. But what he doesn't see or perhaps doesn't want to acknowledge is that the same things are true of City Hall.
To 12:34:
Apples and oranges. Home Depot in Sunland simply wants to move in an existing facility for an existing use (retail). The developers in the piece are changing the use (from shopping centers and hotels to residential), and are building massive new buildings, much, much bigger than what was there before.
If Home Depot had wanted to build a 14-story condominium building there, I would have opposed it. Furthermore, please remember that I proposed a neighborhood-friendly alternative as my first choice: use eminent domain to take the land while fairly compensating Home Depot, and put in a park. We need more green space in this city, not more construction.
I also believe -- and someone out there who knows can correct me if I'm wrong -- that building these structures and changing the use is NOT in accordance with current zoning, and, on the contrary, requires a change.
Furthermore, yes, part of what is disturbing is the pay-to-play angle: they give hundreds of thousands of dollars to Villaraigosa, through his "Excellence in Government" committee, that they could not give to his mayoral and/or gubenatorial election camapaigns. He will then use that money to buy a bizillion ads to plaster his smiling face on every TV screen in the state.
Public policy should be based on what's good for the public, not on who makes the biggest campaign contribution.
Mr. Moore, I don't know all of the specifics, but I think it's safe to assume that the Century City and Beverly Hilton projects will require zone changes and/or some other types of discretionary approval. That means environmental review under CEQA and hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council.
The battle in S-T concerns whether Home Depot requires a zone change and/or some other types of discretionary approval to occupy the Kmart site. The City believes it does not. You are right to counter Joe B. by saying this is a case of apples vs. oranges: there's a big difference between building a condo tower at a mall or hotel and remodeling an existing retail building for Home Depot.
If the LA Weekly article proves anything, it's that land use is a political issue, no matter how us planners and neighborhood activistis like Joe B. wish it weren't. I like the message that Joe B. has brought here: citizens need to be involved with land use decisions in their neighborhoods. The best that the homeowners groups on the Westside can do is to fight these projects tooth and nail against these politically-connected developers.
If you want to read about corruption and "unusual" operations at L.A. Dept. of Building & Safety, just take a look at series of articles in the L.A. Weekly by Jeffrey Anderson. They have been writing about this for the past several months. L.A. Times has now finally gotten to it, but the Weekly has been on this for a long time now.
And the Times article is by Patrick McGreevy, not Steve Hymon...
Mr. Glaser --
Thank you for sharing your expertise! This group really is a brain trust.
I'm sorry if I've hurt you on Mayor Sam's Sister City Blog. My posts have hurt individuals and I'm eternally sorry. Please forgive me.
*
peace
*
Take down Trader Vic's? It's a landmark. . .an icon of Mai Tai's past. Oh No! Curses!!!
Too bad it's not in LA or our neighborhood Council could do something about it.
NCs Snubbed by City Council on Ballot Issues
By David Lowell, CITY WATCH
LA’s City Council passed two ballot measures this week … one extending their term limits and one for a $1-billion general obligation bond that will go to the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
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