Mayor Sam's Hot Sheet for Thursday
The City of Santa Clarita Valley is up in arms about a development project near Sylmar. Las Lomas is a major mixed use, transit oriented development that will combine housing, office space, retail and a Metrolink station. It will bring jobs and housing to an area that needs it. Mayor Villaraigosa is being urged not to follow through with the City of Los Angeles' plans to annex the area, but Los Angeles needs to have control over the area, not a bunch of CAVEs and NIMBYs in Santa Clarita who have no business messing around in the Valley. Encourage the Mayor to support this important development which will be a major boon to our local economy.This is why you don't mess with property owner's rights - developer Rick Caruso has won several million dollars in a lawsuit related to interference with his Americana at Brand development in Glendale. Take heed Sunland-Tujunga!
Mayor Sam's Sunland-Tujunga prediction: Due to actual and perceived conflict of interests between the City Attorney's office and the law firm Latham and Watkins, the City will be forced to hire outside counsel to defend it in the lawsuit filed by Home Depot over the blocking of opening their store in the community. Also, the City will have a tough time defending such a high powered case. Therefore, the City will decide to settle with Home Depot, place a number of cosmetic restrictions on them, perhaps require some donation to the community and grant the retailer the permit to build out and open their store. Game over.
Labels: americana at brand, cave, glendale, home depot, las lomas, latham and watkins, mayor antonio villaraigosa, Mayor Sam's Hotsheet, nimby, rick caruso, santa clarita, sunland-tujunga
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 11/15/2007 12:14:00 AM
45 Comments:
Seeing how all of your other predictions about Sunland-Tujunga
vs Home Depot have not turned out well, I won't hold my breath on this one either.
OMG! Major kudos to Mayor Sam for being so completely S-S-S-Stupid about Las Lomas! Transit-oriented?? Yeah, if you call gridlock from 16,000 more vehicles every day on the 5 fwy "transit."
Man, are you dumb!
Well I would certainly like to debate you on the property owner, Dan Palmer's rights here, Mayor Sam.
I don't think you're serious about Santa Clarita being NIMBY's here, but if you are, please, please, please come to my house and let me give you the tour. Santa Clarita has every right mess around in the Valley. You aren't informed enough about the project. Economic boom? You couldn't be more wrong.
Didn't Gail Goldberg just say to San Pedro last year in April 2006, this very statement? She is 100% right.
"In every city in this country, the zone on the land establishes the value of the land. In Los Angeles, that's not true. The value of the land is not based on what the zone says or what the plan says. It's based on what that developer believes he can change to zone to. That is disastrous for this city. Disastrous. Zoning has to mean something in this city."
Bummer that Dan Palmer bought all 555 acres that are currently zoned agriculture or open space WITH THE INTENT to get the zone changed to build 5800 houses and 2.3 MILLION square foot of commercial. He's promising a school (not his call-it's the Superintendent of Schools in Sacramento), he's promising other things that he doesn't have the right or the money to build and will eventually fall to the Los Angeles tax payers.
Santa Clarita wouldn't annex this unincorporated county property because they want it kept as open space. You stated yourself what Los Angeles wants - some revenue that doesn't even exist yet, much less will be a major boon.
Bad information, bad project, bad location, bad traffic.... I could go on and on.
If we are supposed to be conserving water, why should we give it to a new, massive over-development like the "anything but smart growth" project in a FIRE ZONE where there is no infrastructure, will interfere with the federal Rim of the Valley legislation, but most importantly...
Sorry. It isn't zoned for that. We should not change it. This will be a long drawn out process and there is more community opposition than you can imagine.
I'll stop now because Los Lomas is the topic for my speech class next week and I must go finish my notes. (which I could do in my sleep)
Glad I stopped in and glad you got one good post in there about the Mayor not taking the money, but here - you are getting bad information. Sorry.
Compared to all the other TOD i.e. NoHo, Hollywood Vine, etc. this has a ton of commercial office space. People could actually work there PLUS there will be a Metrolink stop. This is FAR smarter than the unmitigated sprawl of Santa Clarita.
Joe in your previous antics Rocky was not a factor. Now he is. The City won't have much choice. And as is being discussed, Wendy was obligated to support you guys on the first round and now her get out of jail free card is being printed.
Santa Clarita wants to be their own city and do their own thing so they can go to hell. They have no business being in the Valley, they are not the Valley but all of a sudden they want in on everything here. Our Valley institutions are starting to include them as if they were part of the Valley (along with Lancaster and Palmdale - what the hell is up with that?)
We here in the South Valley are far closer to and have far more in common with Hollywood and the Westside than Santa Clarita. Why aren't they included?
Anyway the project makes sense since it will be practically a self contained city. More than those pink stucco burgs out you know where.
I will not go so far as to call you dumb Mayor Sam. Not at all, but you don't seem to be educated about this area of the Valley.
Traffic is the biggest nightmare you can imagine there and I have great pictures since I live here. What bothers me is that you've bought into the Metro station BS. How much do you know about that deal? Has that been approved? Is the developer going to pay for that $400,000,000+ new station or the taxpayers?
This is worse than Ahmanson Ranch and I'm sure you read Greig Smith's White Paper on Las Lomas. If not, I'll send it to you.
Anyway developers in SCV do not want the competition of Las Lomas.
How does a Metrolink station cost $400,000,000? Its a platform. I don't even think that a Metrorail station costs that much.
Mayor Sam,
Perhaps you should go to bed now.
You are not at your best.
Anyway, as it is Santa Clarita should pay for a high speed rail line down the 405 for all the traffic they send into the Valley. Then they can have something to say.
Mayor Sam you should avoid debating with the emotional C.A.V.E.s like Joe Barron. They are seldom rational.
It is NOT a transit-oriented project. I can't believe you've fallen into that crazy idea. Since when can you MAKE people live where they work or vice versa?
Guess what? Did you know that part of the property currently sits in Santa Clarita? It is straddling L.A. and Santa Clarita in unincorporated county.
Good for you all in the South Valley. None of you should be affected by this. I don't think your traffic problems are from Santa Clarita (with their bad sprawl-yes I agree) running down to the South Valley to work in your Bed, Bath and Beyond or Borders.
But we here in Granada Hills WILL have to deal with them. We already deal with them trying to get down Balboa (right past Las Lomas) to get to "real" jobs downtown and over in Warner Center.
That's okay. We always get dumped on here. I guess that's why we're fighters and proud NIMBY's if that is what you want to call us.
Maybe you can buy an affordable (I'll believe that when I see it) house there overlooking the largest dump in the U.S.
My blood pressure is up now. It's too late for that. I must go study. I really do have a speech on this at school next week...
No, Santa Clarita City Council has had problems with the developer in the past.
Who got sued there over this?
They don't want the project. Neither should the City of L.A.
And NO, it isn't a freaking platform! Google that one or go to stoplaslomas.com and read about it. This is too frustrating...
You get sucked in by Marty?
I see you're ignoring my zone change question.
Wait a minute ... a Metrolink station 300 feet beneath those mountains? I'm from Sylmar and I know those mountains. That is simply the most insane thing (the metrolink plans) I've ever seen. The developer has to be joking, and if not, good luck with that one Granada Hills, Sylmar and to a lesser extent, San Fernando (how do you think all those Santa Clarita folk are going to get around the freeway ... yeppers, Rinaldi to Hubbard. Hubbard to San Fernando Road). Santa Clarita, eh, I could give a flying pig about. It's the east/west valley folk I'm worried about.
People used to go to Calabasas just over a decade ago, because it was empty except for the Cantina. Now the sprawl is going further west, there's not a speck of land left on the westside, not even for a school. Get used to it. We're sick of everyone crowding into the westside and clogging our freeways and roads, adding to the smog and congestion, to work here and downtown and Santa Monica. If you guys want to reduce traffic, create more business out there and stay put. Dumb as it sounds, "smart growth" is inevitable.
The site is on an earthquake fault.
Everyonr knows what happens to that pass, in an earthquake.
....Even proponents say gentrification could create tension with the street's business owners, most of whom are Hispanic, who eventually will be expected to upgrade their restaurants and shops, or move. Mr. Huizar, whose connection to the street dates from a childhood of watching Spanish-dubbed martial-arts movies in Broadway theaters, believes all interests can be accommodated. Community activists say efforts already are under way to help commercial tenants relocate to available properties within blocks of Broadway.
HUIZAR NEEDS TO CLEAN UP THE ILLEGALS ON BROADWAY THAT MAKE IT LOOK LIKE TJ. AGAIN, HUIZAR IS HELPING DEVELOPERS.
Mayor Sam,
YIKES! I don't think your's is the sentiment of the majority of residents surrounded by the project.
Isn't that the project that Alarcon is overseeing that Alatorre is lobbying for? (Maybe someone can clarify?)
Not that it means anything, but even Greig Smith is against it. (Although you always have to be suspicious that it is politically motivated...but Smith's opposition REALLY, REALLY flys in the face of Councils unwritten "Rule of 15" where you don't speak out against other CM's projects outside your district. So I'm tending to give CM Smith "props" for the RIGHT reasons regarding his opposition.
But again, Smith opposition, or support...from what the people in the area tell me...it won't be real fun in that area with the Las Lomas density monster project comin' to town.
Zuma Chicken...
CM G. Smith opposes Las Lomas because his district straddles the project and he got um a lot of dem voters over dere.
However watch for a flip flop soon.
For once Mayor Sam wasn't duped but you are. Ignore the rantings of a bunch of fat high school educated housewives.
One remaining tip Mr. Zuma:
Check out a developer from Santa Clarita whose name I will email you.
Sniff around for some astroturf.
Look for some payments to your favorite people.
One last thing Zuma and Sam.
I know a friend of yours from CD5.
We have access to some information that you may want to see.
We will help you follow the money on the Las Lomas opposition.
They won't make the mistake you know who made.
8:51am,
Where's the dupe? Seriously...email me your take. I'm a big fan of one of the people who was complaining to me about Las Lomas...and the pueblos seem to be against it...what's good about it/where's the zd "dupe".
Post it here, or email it to me. I didn't just wake up one day and say, "I wanna be against Las Lomas today."
I am basing my opposition on outreach to ZD from the public.
Zuma,
Once again your Spidey Senses are right on.
Seriously, any of you South valley "yahoos" who aren't familiar with the area, specific, need only take a good look-see at it to see what a knucklehead idea it is. And while I will admit that Santa Clarita bugs the hell out of me and I avoid it like the plague, I gotta side with them on this one.
But just on this one issue. They can kiss my valley ass (ample as it may be) on all others.
Kim Thompson gets me hot all over when she talks about Las Lomas.
She is a stone fox who knows her stuff and, poor Mayor Sam, she just blogbanged him all the way back to I-O-WAY!
Thank god for Kim. Finally we have someone who brings smarts and sex appeal to this blog while Zuma, Red Spot and Mayor Sam bring just the opposite with amazing regularity. She is a tasty treat.
Ahhhhhh.
The Americana lawsuit has NOTHING in common with the Home Depot suit.
The American suit was becuase the Galleria (a private party) attempted to interfere with the prospective opportunity of Caruso. That's illegal.
As an elected government official, Greuel's actions are constitutionally protected free speech. You can not sue to stop an elected official from taking an action unless you are denied due process or the action otherwise violates the law (such as personally financially benefitting from the transaction).
Mayor,
I think you are way outnumbered on this one.
Just read what Curbed LA says today:
http://la.curbed.com
2:04 - See what the city did regarding slope density restrictions already with the miniscule in comparison Canyon Hills Project in Tujunga. Basically threw the zoning out the window and created their own formula for the slope calculations. I'm jaded enough to think that it will go in, but maybe half the size. To much $$$ going around....
Get some info before you start touting what Palmer calls "smart development". By-right, based on the zoning of the property, he can legally build around 200 homes on the 555 acres, with slopes accounted for. Instead, he wants to cut off the top of the mountain, eliminate all but 20-feet of "wildlife corridor", and all so far without being able to get water-rights or transit integration.
The plan to dig a 30-story elevator down to an ancient rail-tunnel is not supportable, and METROlink has said they don't see any reasonable transit connection happening.
The new development lingo equates "mixed-use" as "smart-growth". All of the North Valley communities from Chatsworth to Sunland vehemently disagree with such blanket definitions. In some places, mixed-use is smart-growth. In other places it's an incursion that mars the character of a community. Las Lomas has been stopped by LAFCO, and now the City of LA wants to play with it. I'm sure Palmer prefers LA (lack of) oversight, as the (Lack of) Planning Commission will approve building anything anywhere and on an expedited basis. Welcome to LA. Hope you have lots of water in your car, 'cause you'll be spending most of your life in it, and the local water tap is running dry.
Does Kim still have that sassy hairdo? I agree that she is hot.
I would call Joe Barrett and Jim Algor private parties. They may claim to be elected officials but I don't believe they are.
look:
-FAT
-WHITE TRASH
-OLD
-POOR
-VALLEY COLLEGE GRADUATE AT BEST
= GRANDA HILLS/NORTH HILLS/SUNLAND TUJUNGA
NIMBY BANANA CAVE
(GOD FORBID THE MEXICANS ARE COMING)
"HUIZAR NEEDS TO CLEAN UP THE ILLEGALS ON BROADWAY THAT MAKE IT LOOK LIKE TJ. AGAIN, HUIZAR IS HELPING DEVELOPERS"
No matter how he spins it, Huizar will enable the developers in everything THEY want.
Sure, Santa Clarita figures that if anyone's going to get all that revenue, they want to be the ones. Too bad for the locals: times like this, so few big developments want to invest and add taxes, the cities will salivate all over themselves to get the revenue.
My, my, my..
You all really run the gamut here. I'm either a fat, high-school only educated, dumb, old, poor white trash NIMBY banana cave (what?) or I'm a stone hot blonde (huh?).
I'm neither. I have several years more than a high school education and I'm not that fat, god.. but I have 20 pounds to lose. I'm not hot, but I may have been 20 years ago. So I'm old, I guess - but since I don't feel it, I'll have to blow off that comment. I prefer to call it wise. I do know what I'm talking about on Las Lomas, Sunshine Canyon, Providence Holy Cross and a few other planning and environmental issues around town as much as that bothers some people.
And I know you can't be talking about me being worried about Mexicans coming. Unlike the racist haters, I'm here to HELP them get here and proud of the fact that I am and I do take Spanish at a Community College, so I guess you could rip a new one for that - silly me.
So I will ignore all the haters and just go about my busy life... dragging my old, fat, uneducated (you believe) self around to meetings opposing Las Lomas based on solid facts. Then maybe I'll go try and hold up some permits for BFI and stop developers from buying property BEFORE they get zone changes.
I know Kim. Kim is a friend of mine. You are no Kim Thompson. :)
You and even her sell her short. She is a STONE FOX (man I haven't heard that word since high school) and in many ways. And no she is not at all fat and I really doubt she's even right that she has 20 pounds to lose (where?).
And her foxiness goes way beyond her looks. Now I don't always agree with her liberal Democrtatic views, but I salute her for being sort of the modern day Erin Brockovich of the Valley (but better looking). She could have settled into a quiet comfortable suburban life but she feels called to something more. She not only gets involved in her causes she studies them, asks questions and never quits. Yea it pisses me off because on some things I don't agree with her. But she rocks none the less.
Let the EIR get done on Las Lomas. Everyone take a break and then reconvene.
Rock on, Kim!
Don't worry about the haters, Mayor Sam and I are right behind you. We got your back.
Now, if only Mayor Sam would stop staring at your ass...
JACK HOFF=JIM ALGER
Anonymous said...
JACK HOFF=JIM ALGER
November 16, 2007 10:31 AM
NOPE, not even close...
JIM ALGER=JIM ALGER
JACK HOFF=4th Floor Lobbyist
Mayor Sam, don't get conned. Dan Palmer only wants to inflate the value of the Las Lomas land to sell at a huge profit to the agency that buys the land for the wildlife corridor.
Sam, go check out some of Dan Palmer's finer developments. Try Jake's Way Apartments, the Narcotics Garden Spot of Canyon Country or check out the Condos he built in the river right off Highway 14.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Looks like www.LasLomas.com is up and they've addressed some of these comments. Project actually looks quite interesting...
Now go to stoplaslomas.com. Even more interesting.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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