Lopez Canyon Appeal Goes to City Council on Wednesday
This Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council will vote to approve or deny an Appeal filed by the Community Alliance for Open Space (CAfOS) in opposition to a truck driving school favored by Councilman Alarcon and the Mayor. The Lopez Truck Driving Academy has been granted a Use Variance to operate on land designated as Open Space at the closed Lopez Canyon Landfill. The Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUM) has no recommendation on the matter after a split vote (Krekorian-Yes to Appeal, Huizar-No).
If you don't already know the backstory on this ridiculous project, take the time to read this excellent and comprehensive report from Petra Fried in the City.
In a nutshell, if the City Council votes to deny the Appeal, Open Space Zoning throughout the City will now be up for grabs for uses outside of what is allowed by right.
Open Space Zoning is so precious in Los Angeles, a city with the lowest Open Space zoning per capita among major U.S. cities, that once land receives this designation it becomes sacred land to local denizens. Richard Alarcon's attempts to force this project onto Open Space land is practically considered sacrilegious and as a dangerous precedent by land use activists.If you don't already know the backstory on this ridiculous project, take the time to read this excellent and comprehensive report from Petra Fried in the City.
In a nutshell, if the City Council votes to deny the Appeal, Open Space Zoning throughout the City will now be up for grabs for uses outside of what is allowed by right.
Alarcon defends the zoning variance by constantly pointing out that he was involved in getting the old landfill declared Open Space in the first place. So apparently, in his view, that entitles him to decide when and if the land actually can't be used for projects that are not allowed by Open Space zoning.
The Sierra Club, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the entire L.A. County Board of Supervisors, Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, numerous Neighborhood Councils and community groups throughout L.A. have urged Richard Alarcon to find a more suitable location for his pet project, but their pleas have been to no avail.
At a recent Planning and Land Use Management hearing on the matter, Councilman Paul Krekorian (who voted to uphold the Appeal) urged Deputy Mayor Larry Frank, Councilman Alarcon, and CAfOS to work together to find an alternative location. CAfOS, after numerous attempts to contact Deputy Mayor Frank, was told by staff that Mr. Frank was "too busy" to meet and discuss other options.
Alarcon has not responded publicly to Krekorian's request, nor has he returned phone calls to CAfOS.
Labels: lopez canyon truck school, paul krekorian, Richard Alarcon
Posted by Unknown @ 6/28/2010 09:00:00 AM
12 Comments:
Sorry, but I hope this appeal fails. Not that it doesn't have merits, but because you folks either voted for, or decided not to vote at all, with a thief and liar like Richard Alarcon running things.
You KNEW Alarcon was a scumbag. But you put more energy into the Home Depot project than you did in something far more important: GETTING A GOOD REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOUR DISTRICT WHO WOULD LISTEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS.
I've got zero sympathy for you on this. Maybe next time you won't put a thief and liar into office.
Hey Nuch - if this goes through, you're gonna get your ass sued off.
You ready for that?
Uh Chick,
Kagel Canyon residents, who are most affected by this project are not in Alarcon's district, they are county.
The Home Depot fight was in CD2, again, not Alarcon's district.
Degradation of Open Space zoning is a City wide issue, it doesn't matter what district you are in.
Try to know what you are talking about before you put your foot in your mouth again.
Joe B.,
That's no way to talk to the dead.
But lookie here, wise ass. Why are you lobbying LA City Council if this is something not in their purview?
From the grave, Chick.
The Lopez Canyon landfill is City, Kagel Canyon, which is adjacent, is county.
Read Petra Fried's report.
I don't care and neither should you. But if Chick had squeezed in a Sizzler bottomless iced tea every now and then between the vodka tonics, maybe he'd be hosting another banner in the fall!
Was it all of my verbal gaffes that tipped you off about my imbibing during the games?
I didn't realize that people noticed that I kept calling Shaq "Kareem" and Kobe "Jerry." Fuck that shit. I needed my drinkie, er, "medication."
For those of you (Higby) who still think Phil is really slaving away at the Recall Villaraigosa campaign, he posts this:
"No TJR for a few days
I rented a sweet red Mustang and I'm blasting out to Las Vegas to go play poker at the World Series of Poker.
I'll be back in a few days. Wish me luck."
FOR ANYONE WHO IS THINKING OF CONTRIBUTING MONEY TO PHIL, YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT YOUR DONATION, LIKE MINE, WENT TO THE $10,000 ENTRY FEE FOR THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER. THIS IS A SILVER SPOON MORON WHO NEVER DOES AS HE SAYS.
It doesn't surprise me that phil jennerjahn is running away with our money to play in a $10,000 poker tournament. Compulsive gambler perhaps?
hey 11:46 AM - I've heard the new City Attorney is 43 out of 44 in trial wins, so I wouldn;t count your chickens before they're hatched. I've asked around, not sure he has a position on this.
Just about EVERYONE who does not have a vested interest in the idiot truck driving school is now on record against this hair-brained idea. And the Mayor and Alarcon could have easily found a better location... it's just by giving away the people's land for free, they can grease the palms of El Protecto Barrio -- the union-backed organization that is sucking on the Workforce Investment Act tit at City Hall.
The City granting itself a variance from its own General Plan demonstrates the height of arrogance of the Mayor's Office and Alarcon. "Only the little people pay taxes" Leona Helmsly famously said. In the City of Los Angeles, only the little people have to comply with the General Plan and fundamental zoning policies. The Mayor can toss the laws out the window and do whatever he wants: including running diesel semi-trucks up and down any residential street he wants!
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