City Council rubber stamps Elephant Hill parcel discount sale to Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

 The City of Los Angeles $9 Million Dollar Elephant Hill Property. City Council just voted to sell 25% to Joe Edmiston's Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for less than $500,000.

"Idiot" and "loser" are prominent parts of Elva Yanez's vocabulary (** especially when you oppose her). Will Elephant Hill become Yanez's and Controversial Educator Marcos Aguilar's personal play area, in thanks for their continuing support of CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar?

** As a disclaimer, this blogger should state for the record that I am a member of the LA-32 Neighborhood Council and at times when blog postings merge into issues that may involve the council on some level, it is best to be open and transparent about the connection. That said, there was nothing open or transparent today at City Hall regarding "the bargain basement sale" of public property to grow the land empire of SMMC/MRCA 's Joe Edmiston. 

.Almost two years ago, CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar "flipped and flopped his way" to a $9 Million Dollar deal to purchase 19 acres of  prime open space in El Sereno known as Elephant Hill. The "flip" on the Elephant Hill Controversy was when Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee members CD 1 City Councilman Ed Reyes and CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar granted then Elephant Hill owners Monterey Hill Investors, an exemption from the regulations of the new Northeast Interim Control Ordnance (ICO), that controlled hillside development. The "flop" took place when Councilman Huizar, under pressure from eco-constituents, forced the Elephant Hill property owners to submit a Supplemental EIR, despite opposition from city officials. This resulted with property owner's attorney Ben "I held fundraisers for Huizar" Reznik, to bark "LAWSUIT" and you have $9 Million Dollars of barrow money going to the Monterey Hills Investors for their property.

Some have speculated that price for the property was over-inflated and the strategy of Councilman Huizar was design to reward a client of Ben Reznik in return for campaign contributions. Two years later, the SMMC offer the market value of $500,000 for five acres which raise eyebrows about the true motivation for the Elephant Hill purchase

Meanwhile for the likes of Academia Semillas del Pueblo Principal Marcos Aguilar and Elva Yanez, their support and shilling for Councilman Huizar's Elephant Hill Boondoggle will result in them getting exclusive access and planning opportunites for the land that has become another "soil ground of corruption in CD 14".

Your thoughts..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14