BREAKING NEWS!! Las Lomas voted down 10-5
Despite the best efforts of the City Attorney and Councilman Richard "ZORRO MARXIST" Alarcon, Greig Smith and nine other members of the City Council voted to give the controversial project the boot.
Now the lawsuits will be front and center.......
Links to Zuma, Daily News, Rick Orlov, LA Observed , LA Times
Huizar, Reyes, Parks, and Wesson voted with the "ZORRO MARXIST"
****On the subject of Density and their lobbyists****
Steve Lopez and Zev do "DRIVE BY" on Density
When is one consider a lobbyist?? Autry foes file Ethics complaint
Now the lawsuits will be front and center.......
Links to Zuma, Daily News, Rick Orlov, LA Observed , LA Times
Huizar, Reyes, Parks, and Wesson voted with the "ZORRO MARXIST"
****On the subject of Density and their lobbyists****
Steve Lopez and Zev do "DRIVE BY" on Density
When is one consider a lobbyist?? Autry foes file Ethics complaint
Labels: greig smith, las lomas, Richard Alarcon
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 3/19/2008 01:19:00 PM
31 Comments:
The Times has an article on unregistered Las Lomas lobbyist Hillary Norton Orozco. What they fail to mention is that Orozco is married to long time Rchard Alatorre aid Gerard Orozco. Antonio, Alatorre, Griego are all involved - look to see this project breath a second life. The nimbys don't have a chance.
Seems like these things always get a second life, doesn't it?
Grrrr....
The Las Lomas project - which has many good elements - is wrong for that area and should be done as a massive private re-development project somewhere in the flatlands as a way to upgrade a down and out neighborhood.
However, here is my prediction:
APRIL 3rd: Developers of the massive Las Lomas real estate project on the northern end of the San Fernando Valley announced today a $113 million lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles for failure to process its application to build a 5,553 home "mini-city." The developer has also named the County of Los Angeles and the City of Santa Clarita as additional parties in the matter.
Las Lomas developer Dan Palmer said that his company acted in "Good faith with the city and at some point this city is going to have to learn to respect private property rights and stop sandbagging legitimate business."
City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Councilman Grieg Smith - who lead the movement to stop Las Lomas - had no comment on the pending litigation.
Las Lomas has retained the politically connected law firm of Latham and Watkins to represent itself in the suit.
---
JULY 15th: City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo announced today that his office has entered into an agreement with developers of the controversial Las Lomas housing development whose project was derailed by a motion passed by Councilman Greig Smith in March. Delgadillo was joined by District Attorney Steve Cooley and various members of the Santa Clarita City Council in making the announcement.
While precise terms of the settlement are not public, representatives of Delgadillo and the developer, Dan Palmer, announced the following:
1. Las Lomas will put a "stay" on their $113,000,000 lawsuit against the City.
2. Las Lomas will submit a new application, revising downward the number of homes to be built to 3,203 and will enter into negotiations with the City and County of Los Angeles and the City of Santa Clarita.
3. The City Attorney has agreed to limit this process to a maximum of 12 months, unless both
parties mutually agree to an extension.
4. Las Lomas will drop the litigation if the application is approved.
5. Las Lomas will resume the litigation if the application is not approved.
6. Either party can pull out of this agreement at any time.
7. The City Attorney's office will work with the County and the City of Santa Clarita to spearhead a regional outreach program to the community and will form a "Stakeholders Committee" to mediate between Las Lomas
and the community.
Perry didn't vote with Zorro?
Oh yeah. Las Lomas isn't Downtown, is it?
Good job by David Z going after this story and the lobbyist Orozco. Now he needs to investigate the corrupt bullshit Huizar and others are deep into with developers in CD14. Can we all say Wyvenwood. Interesting look who voted YES. The clowncil members who have been the most corrupt with developers. Why isn't Alatorre mentioned cause we all know he's in deep shit with these guys.
...Alarcon voted to keep the project alive, along with council members Ed Reyes, Jose Huizar, Herb Wesson and Bernard C. Parks.
USC and Biotech. Look out Hazard Park.
Delgadillo will do anything this particular developer asks him to do. He is very close to Ms. Orozco and her husband. It's absurd on its face that the developer could prevail in a lawsuit for anything more than recouping proven out of pocket costs of the planning process for a development that is not within city limits. But Delgadillo has discovered that, as city attorney, he can issue an "opinion" and further bind the city, even if there is no legal basis for it. Your other commenters are correct. This developer plans to sue his way to success, and Delgadillo is part of the scheme.
Same M.O. for Elephant Hill.
It was really wrong of the Zorro Marxist to keep saying that the developer will sue the city, "and we will lose. It's a lawsuit we can't win." What an idiot.
Even the City Attorneys, who sided with him, kept telling him to shut up so as not to prejudice the case should it go to litigation, but he wouldn't, too riled up against "instant attorney Smith." He's not exactly a brilliant legal mind himself.
The Orozco connection explains it.
That's very wonderful news. I don't know how Greg Smith did it. It's by far the biggest success story of the year. He convinced some very powerful people (not referring to the Council) and is one incredible Councilmember. S-T needs to take notes.
A lawsuit? Pffft. The city has leeway to "err and abuse it's discretion", and legally get away with it, in these matters. Sammy's wrong again. Do you think those powerful people, next month, are going to "up and change their minds"?
What nobody has mentioned is that Hillary Norton Orozco use to be the Vice President at a public relations firm that milked the City of Los Angeles and DWP for many millions of dollars not too long ago. That's right! I'm talking about Fleishman Hillard (I think I might have misspelled it, but you get the point). Hmmmm, I guess some people just never change...
What is going on with Wyvernwood lately?
4:41
Actually, the "millions" overbilled was the Controller Chick's typical hyperbole. F-H only had a $3 million contract with DWP, copped to goosing the invoices by less than a half mil, and in the end, the courts could only prove that $250,000 of the billing was fradulent.
Still the city got $6 million from F-H in a settlement, and some really corrupt flaks got black-balled (for a couple months, anyway).
OH, and our midget mayor won the election because Jimmy Hahn was also "corrupt" and "going to jail" because they suckered him in.
Let's not forget that Hilary was also the Chief of Staff for 3 City Councilmen -- Richard Alatorre, Mark Ridley-Thomas, and (drum roll please!) Richard Alarcon.
The truth is that Smith had to horse trade like there's no tomorrow. And that was only for a first round vote.
Yes Sammy is right. This will make Home Depot look like a bake sale. Palmer will sue; Rocky will settle. And ST can learn from this? Hmmm. I don't think there's too much anyone can teach Joe or Abby.
Ultimately I don't think this version of Las Lomas will be built. Not because of Smith but because of the economy. But unless the City of LA could take the land for a park, someone will build there.
Palmer doesn't even own half the land he wants to build on -- it's just an option to buy from an elderly couple, who some sources say have been intimidated into talking to the press about it and may not want to exercise their option to sell.
Palmer got the option based on its being supposedly almost worthless, and wanted to make it valuable by getting this deal to build a town. Instead of sharing any value with the old couple.
Smith knows about this, and what is says about Palmer's "character," and his supposed "rights to develop." Maybe he's got more dirt on Palmer, too, if Palmer wants to play hardball.
He didn't sound all that tough after the vote, did he? Just "disappointed," and "will likely sue?" This is no HD == that co. may be unethical, too, in how they played the ST game, but they're a major national job provider. Palmer is a snake oil salesman by comparison.
Right. Hillary is nothing but a Norton and to use her married name is the worst thing she did, the scum-sucker. But she lost, so let's move on.
If Palmer wants to build, he can build his 247 homes and the NIMBY'S won't say a word.
That's what it's zoned for and that's what the NIMBY'S will give him.
So sue away, tough guy. Then when you come back into the city of LA looking to get annexed, don't get angry when we tell you to fuck off for suing us and then coming back with a smaller project to be annexed.
Today changes the way that the city does business. Get used to it Hillary and hubby!
And WHAT is he suing for?? That's the best part. This property is in the county, not the city. I'd love to hear what the judge says.
There is NO lawsuit. That's the great thing about this crazy mess.
Whine, whine.. Palmer whines to the court that he bought the property zoned as A1 and then tries to get the zoning changed and the city of Santa Clarita, the county and the city of LA all say no.
That should be worth some big money!
Oh man, this is so crazy.
Dan, go hook up with your wife's family in Orange County. They like your dumb growth ideas down there.
And tell McCain I said hi.
Antonio is not involved. If someone has led you to believe that, they are wrong. Antonio knows nothing about this and his staffers aren't listening to Hillary.
They have constituents to serve. I think he's had it with lobbyists and union who don't have the best interests of the city at heart.
I think you're all wrong about him. He wants to do the best thing for the city.
Are you kidding, that Antonio is not "listening" to the Las Lomas $$$backers? One of the Las Lomas lobbyists is Richard Alatorre, one of Antonio's "trusted friends and advisers"......
You fools! Hilary and the mayor are compadries. Vva Ricard Alatorre!He is her last bosss to whom she was chief of staff and to whom the mayor relys on for all his wisdom and words!
But that is not what Palmer wants: he wants what Ahmanson Ranch was able to acquire--millions for doing nothing by having the SMMC buy the entire property to save it from the ravages of devlopment. It may not be the radar screene--but that is the motive. think about it--what else could it possibly be--it surely not the developemnt that Palmer has put forth--anyone wtih any plannig backround knowns it's not a real project--it's a big lie! meant only to provoke a big cry to save open space.....and then of course the sale of the property by the state to Mr. Palmer.
The only question left is who is the biggest whore of them all--Richard Alarcon or the Mayor?? We all know that Alatorre is in his bed and rules everthing that goes on there. The five council members who voted with Los Lomas are total Whores. . . the Mayor who refuses to "get invovled" is the biggest of them all. He is doing it for Alatorre . . and it will come back to haunt him becuase it is so obvously sordid and corrupt. Hilary your time is up. . .Antonio. . . bale while you can. . as to the rest of you five council whores. . .your time will come. Palmer is yesterday but we will get you tomorrow for your sins!
Oh no. Palmer was told straight up from the beginning that there was NO MONEY to be secured to buy him off like the Ahmanson Ranch buy-out.
It ain't gonna happen. That was state or federal money and that coffer is empty right now.
Palmer may have wanted that someday, but it's too late for that now. He waited too long.
You all put too much stock into Alatorre and the Hillary connection in relation to the mayor. He's moved on. Face it. That was his old "gang" that voted FOR the project. He's not one of "them" anymore. He's one of the Riordan crowd.
The mayor may want the project to happen or he may not but I doubt he is too tuned in to it truthfully. He should be, but his staff likes to shelter him. So let's find out what his staff knows. That's the key.
My guess is the mayor would rather this one slip by him without his input. There are big donors and unions on one side and lots of votes on the other.
His staff may have differing opinions on the project, but they probably all agree on keeping this one at arms length from the mayor.
I agree. Of all the things that Antonio has been through lately, Las Lomas isn't going to be the battle that he chooses. There is way too much opposition and not enough support.
10:10 - You're funny. The SSMC has no money.
Hillary Norton never support Antonio for Mayor. Both times she sided with the "old school" supporters of Hahn. She doesn't approve of his personal life.
This is well beyond a "horse trading" issue. Obviously, the "city visionaries" have decided that it's not the time for a "Las Lomas" scale project in the area. There's too many unresolved problems, such as environmental, tranportation, etc. Maybe something in the future, two to three years, but not now.
"Hillary Norton never support Antonio for Mayor. Both times she sided with the "old school" supporters of Hahn. She doesn't approve of his personal life.'
Hillary did support Antonio in CD14. It suprises me that she 'doesent approve of his personal life' when hers is not a shining example of personal behavior.
What about the new development of condos & low income projects coming to Cypress Park? It's going next to Taylor Yard. It this the best kept secret or what?
Shame on Richard Alarcon and his four other City Council buddies for voting for the horrible and ill-conceived Las Lomas housing project. Alarcon is completely out of touch with the community and has sold out to the developer and labor unions that championed this disastrous project. Alarcon turned his back on all of the Neighborhood Councils and other groups that had already weighed against Las Lomas.
If 5,550 homes and 2.3 million feet of commercial space were proposed in Griffith Park (similar terrain and traffic issues), then I’m sure that Alarcon, Jose Huizar, Bernard Parks, Ed Reyes and Herb Wesson would have been appalled and aghast. This project isn’t even located within the city limits yet Alarcon is afraid of the mere prospect of an unwinnable lawsuit to justify the development.
Perhaps those disgraceful five should have glanced at a map. The project is less than a mile away from the Sunshine Canyon Landfill that the City Council agreed to triple last year and just yards away from the very freeways that collapsed in the 1971 and 1994 earthquakes. Add to that the scarring of the mountains, adding traffic to an area already choking in congestion, lack of water and electricity and you have a recipe for disaster. This project should have been nipped in the bud a long time ago.
Fortunately, we will never know how many millions of dollars and thousands of lives were saved this week by Greig Smith and the other nine Councilmen who voted to terminate Las Lomas. We do know that a majority of the City Council had the cajones and smarts to do the right thing for our community. Hooray !
What we lack in our City Council chambers is accountability. I would hope that the few folks who bother to vote will remember how their Councilmen stood on this important issue. If Alarcon is unwilling to act like a man, then he should find another occupation. Our beloved City needs decisive leaders, not labor union sellouts. Whoever it was in the planning department that permitted this tragic development to get as far as it did showed the same lack of backbone as Richard Alarcon and both deserve to be relieved of their duties.
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