Get The Champaign Ready For Thursday's Planning Dept. Meeting Regarding Condo Conversions
[ALTHOUGH GREG HAS A GREAT POINT THAT "HERE WE GO AGAIN'...ZD IS THRILLED THAT CITY COUNCIL WILL BE ADDRESSING ZD'S (AND NOEL WEISS, WITH CHUCK TENANT'S) NUMBER ONE ISSUE ON THE YEAR END COUNTDOWN..."CONDO CONVERSION ORDINANCES". SO THURSDAY COULD BE THE HAPPIEST DAY IN ZD'S EIGHT MONTHS AT CITY HALL! AND GREG NELSON, FROM www.CityWatchLA.com, WAY TO F'ING GO, MY MAN!!!]
'Here We Go Again' - City Council Bypasses NCs Again; This Time It's Condo Conversion Ordinance
By Greg Nelson
Apologies to the late President Reagan but ‘here we go again”! First it was the burglar alarm policy, then the proposed 18% water rate hike, Measures R and H, and the proposed billion dollar street repair bond issue. Each one came flying out of left field as if someone purposely waited until the last minute so that the public and the Neighborhood Councils wouldn’t have time to know what was happening. And each time the Neighborhood Councils were promised that “it will never happen again.”
Now it’s the proposed condominium conversion ordinance. A subject close to the hearts of Neighborhood Council activists all across LA.
The recommendations from the Planning Department were just released, and we’re told that they have been scheduled for the Planning Commission meeting next Thursday, December 14.
The recommendations could be the greatest thing to ever hit town, but the point is that the City Charter’s Early Warning System guarantees that Neighborhood Councils be given enough time to weigh in before decisions are made, unless there is some overriding urgency, which there isn’t.
The report is 40 pages long. It will take that long just to read and understand the report, and that leaves no time to schedule a Neighborhood Council meeting.
Don’t blame the Planning Department. It has been building a fantastic working relationship with the Neighborhood Councils. Its new director, Gail Goldberg, fell from the heavens and landed here.
The problem is that Planning was given a strict deadline by the City Council’s Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee to get this matter to the full City Council by December 20, its last meeting of the year. Before you ask, the chair is Councilmember Herb Wesson, and the other members are Ed Reyes, Tony Cardenas, Eric Garcetti, and Jan Perry.
And, don’t you know that somewhere in between those two dates we’ll get yet another last minute (24 hours?) notice that the HCED and the Planning and Land Use Committee will hold special meetings to discuss the matter.
There is no drop-dead date to get this enacted. It’s possible that if the Neighborhood Councils had been given an opportunity to provide their input, the proposal could be going forward with an active support group.
That’s the way the City Charter intended the process to work. Let the planners plan. Let the Neighborhood Councils participate in their government. And let the City Council make the final decision at the end.
Perhaps it’s time for the City Council to adopt some rules that define how and when it will provide an “early warning” and respect the rights of the Neighborhood Councils.
Certainly, the Neighborhood Councils do not want to slow up City Hall business, but when a matter is of citywide importance and isn’t urgent, what would be the reason for not letting the Neighborhood Councils participate in the process?
That’s a rhetorical question. The answer is: when rushing it through is politically expedient and helps elected officials pad their resumes.
Need to know—Planning Commission meeting: Thursday, December 14 (3 p.m.) at City Hall (Rm 1010).
From: www.CityWatchLA.com
Greg Nelson...Major ZD Hoody Hoooooooooooooooo for this one! Come sing a song at my Holiday Karaoke Party.
'Here We Go Again' - City Council Bypasses NCs Again; This Time It's Condo Conversion Ordinance
By Greg Nelson
Apologies to the late President Reagan but ‘here we go again”! First it was the burglar alarm policy, then the proposed 18% water rate hike, Measures R and H, and the proposed billion dollar street repair bond issue. Each one came flying out of left field as if someone purposely waited until the last minute so that the public and the Neighborhood Councils wouldn’t have time to know what was happening. And each time the Neighborhood Councils were promised that “it will never happen again.”
Now it’s the proposed condominium conversion ordinance. A subject close to the hearts of Neighborhood Council activists all across LA.
The recommendations from the Planning Department were just released, and we’re told that they have been scheduled for the Planning Commission meeting next Thursday, December 14.
The recommendations could be the greatest thing to ever hit town, but the point is that the City Charter’s Early Warning System guarantees that Neighborhood Councils be given enough time to weigh in before decisions are made, unless there is some overriding urgency, which there isn’t.
The report is 40 pages long. It will take that long just to read and understand the report, and that leaves no time to schedule a Neighborhood Council meeting.
Don’t blame the Planning Department. It has been building a fantastic working relationship with the Neighborhood Councils. Its new director, Gail Goldberg, fell from the heavens and landed here.
The problem is that Planning was given a strict deadline by the City Council’s Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee to get this matter to the full City Council by December 20, its last meeting of the year. Before you ask, the chair is Councilmember Herb Wesson, and the other members are Ed Reyes, Tony Cardenas, Eric Garcetti, and Jan Perry.
And, don’t you know that somewhere in between those two dates we’ll get yet another last minute (24 hours?) notice that the HCED and the Planning and Land Use Committee will hold special meetings to discuss the matter.
There is no drop-dead date to get this enacted. It’s possible that if the Neighborhood Councils had been given an opportunity to provide their input, the proposal could be going forward with an active support group.
That’s the way the City Charter intended the process to work. Let the planners plan. Let the Neighborhood Councils participate in their government. And let the City Council make the final decision at the end.
Perhaps it’s time for the City Council to adopt some rules that define how and when it will provide an “early warning” and respect the rights of the Neighborhood Councils.
Certainly, the Neighborhood Councils do not want to slow up City Hall business, but when a matter is of citywide importance and isn’t urgent, what would be the reason for not letting the Neighborhood Councils participate in the process?
That’s a rhetorical question. The answer is: when rushing it through is politically expedient and helps elected officials pad their resumes.
Need to know—Planning Commission meeting: Thursday, December 14 (3 p.m.) at City Hall (Rm 1010).
From: www.CityWatchLA.com
Greg Nelson...Major ZD Hoody Hoooooooooooooooo for this one! Come sing a song at my Holiday Karaoke Party.
Posted by Zuma Dogg @ 12/09/2006 11:48:00 AM
9 Comments:
Zuma:
You should plan to attend the December 14th Committee meeting.
So you know, I don't think the Neighborhood Councils were entirely by-passed. Each member
got a copy by email of the Report. The rules do need to be clarified so that meaningful input can be gained. But there is no reason why N/C's can't weigh in ASAP on this.
This issue has been hanging around since May of this year. If N/C's want to be relevant, nothing has stopped them from moving forward since that time.
This legislation needs to be passed. It includes a raise in the tenant relocation payments. The amounts are still too low, but we're finally getting a little traction here.
Stay well.
Dear Eric Garcetti,
Now that all these condo conversion, ICO, tenant's relocation rights issues have been pushed to the forefront, why are you c-blocking, y'all?
I was just reading over some of my old agendas and comparing them with Council votes (cause I'm making my list, and checking it twice to see whose naughty and nice) and I see that you were naughty.
How come on November 22, 2006, when City Council was set to vote on the Ellis Act Reform that ZD has been so vocally supportive of on TV 35, KABC, Mayor Sam and even PLUM/Housing Committee meetings, you pulled it off the agenda and sent it into that same file box that Jan Perry files my Public Comment speaker cards, as soon as she sits in for you as Pro-Tempe.
In other words, why did you 86 the Ellis Act Reform that maintains rent control for newly constructed apartments (for five years) so your shady pals can't just tear down and rebuild on the same land, as a way of side-stepping rent control laws.
AND DON'T GIVE ME ONE OF YOUR USUAL DIVERSIONARY SOFTBALLS, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE, 'Well gee, Zuma...As you know I support tenant's rights and support everything you are talking about, however, I need to spend some more time going over the "Environmental Impact Report" (that the City Attorney's Office already signed off on, so what do you care? " Oh my goodness, the sad thing is you probably ARE gonna hide behind some reason like "need to spend more time with the Environmental Imapct Report, or sand-bag like that.
So Eric, I know I'm not allowed to ask questions to Councilmembers during public comment, and you are not allowed to answer them: So maybe you can simply post a reply here, in this comment section, as to why you pulled the Ellis Act Reform vote from City Council on November 22nd. And please don't say it's cause you need more time to read the enviromental impact report, of you'll simply be doing a parody of yourself.
Zuma Dogg
Public Advocate of the Community
It should be mentioned that most of the problems with tenant's relocation rights is in Wendy Greuel's district. She is unhappy that she is getting bad public press on this, but sorry to say, that's where all the complaints are coming from. I know Wendy is 100% aware of all the concerns, but for some reason, she continues to be the biggest bulwark on City Council when it comes to so effectively stone-walling all these condo conversion issues.
Councilmember Wendy Greuel, please join your fellow Councilmembers who are finally moving ahead with plans to merely enforce existing law (regarding vacany rates relating to condo conversions) and condo conversion ordinaces, coming to a vote before year end recess. But please, do something. After all, you are an elected official to represent the constituents of your district. I'm not saying some special interest money can't roll into your coffers, somehow...but at least do something for the people who elected you to represent them. (You must have told them you were going to do SOMETHING?) Awesome, thanks Wendy!
ZD
But she is running unopposed. It's disgusting that the current council members are running unopposed. NOT because they are doing a good job but because there isn't anybody out there who is independently wealthy so they can spend their own money just to win a council race.
Wendy started out so good, but one should know that if you are a council member who has open space in their district, the developers with money will get to you every single time. Now you can imagine how her constituents feel about her. Let's see how many people actually come out and vote for her now. I think most of the unopposed districts will simply not vote since there is no point. In fact, I think everyone who lives in a district with a Measure R candidate who is running unopposed should purposely leave the council box unmarked.
Just so all you councilmembers don't think it's because you are doing such a grand job! That is not why you're unopposed. It's the money.
ZUMA BABY,
DID GIL CEDILLO BASH THE MAYOR AT CEREMONY?
http://the-fourth-world.blogspot.com/
ZD,
During general comments time, you are allowed to ask questions of the City Council. And they can answer. They prefer you to ask it of the entire Council while talking to the chair. The Brown Act
allows them to give brief answers. The restriction is that they cannot get into a discussion because there might be other members who would like to be part of the same discussion. If you have a question that can be answered simply, and you have no intention of turning it into an argument or discussion, go for it! You might even have to remind them that they can respond. If they cross the line, the City Attorney will warn them.
Neighborhood councils are getting disrespected at every turn by city clowncil. They need to organize as they did against the DWP rate hike and storm that planning meeting. If there's anything council members hate most its bad publicity and they take the medal this year for that. All NC reps available to show up at the meeting should. You know damn well the media will be there to listen. The council has become more sneaky then ever and its about time someone put a stop to it.
Curious as to why there are so many important issues scheduled this week for neighborhood councils, be they committee meetings like BONC, E&N, Ethics, Planning or whatever.
Mandatory conflict of interest training the same day as an important committee meeting. Issues on various agendas that neighborhood councils aren't even aware of or haven't had time to take action on.
It would appear someone is trying to block them out. We know that isn't true since every single person in city government has promised not to bypass neighborhood councils. So who could it be?
The fish stinks from the head.
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