Enjoy the "process"! 😄

ERIC PREVEN’S NOTEBOOK - Last week, the LA County Board of Supervisors frequently tossed around the term "process," and I decided to tabulate its occurrences in the transcript. Here's the breakdown:

• "public process"
• "provide additional information on what elements should be included and steps required to form a truly independent ethics commission"
• "a public process"
• "ethics compliance process"
• "public input process"
• "public process ethics experts"
• "input process"
• "public input process"
• "public process"
• "public process"
• "input process"
• "input process"
• "going forward process"
• "going forward process"
• "public process"
• "going forward process"
• "public process"

This week, only one of the four reports referenced on the county agenda was available on Monday: the 117-page Five Year Plan of CSEC, or more formally, Reports on the First Responder Protocol and Advocacy Services for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children and the Newly Formed Child Trafficking Leadership Team. Read the full report here.   

The Board disrespects meeting attendees by not posting materials timely that were ordered months ago.

County Scroll: 

A boatload of scroll presentations from the Board of Supervisors, that will be practicallly doubled if Measure G passes and Horvath gets to expand her troop, include honors for Paws for Life, recognized for transforming lives; Fifth District small business owners for "National Women’s Small Business Month"; L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan for their Community Resource Centers; Hispanic Heritage Month honorees; and Marylouise Oates along with the Downtown Women’s Center for their commitment to supporting survivors of gender-based violence during "Domestic Violence Awareness Month." All capably arranged by Supervisors Hahn, Barger, Solis, Mitchell, and Horvath, respectively.  

Thanks to the Board for posting presentations on the agenda.  Does the City Council do that as well?   

No!  

"Get him out of here!" 

Down On Figueroa:

I hope Jason from Smoke & Scan (S&S) notices that Tuesday's Board agenda actually is about activity down on Figueroa—and yes, it’s fairly nasty!  The idea of a mass migration of county bureaucrats from Temple street to swanky digs on Figueroa to bail out a developer (Brookfield tk.) is a non-starter.  

According to reports, LA County has offered $215 million to purchase the gas company tower at 555 W. 5th Street and 350 S. Figueroa Street.  Fesia Davenport, the unelected CEO, may initiated a lowball offer, reminiscent of the $5 Jason references weekly.  

It may be just enough to do the trick. 

Our brave county counsel will be negotiating price and terms against Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee on behalf of GCT Commercial Mortgage Trust 2021-GCT, Commercial Mortgage Pass-Through Certificate Series-GCT—but you can call them Bob!  

It’s frustrating to see public officials prioritizing upscale accommodations in closed session meetings while the community's needs are frequently overlooked. 

Tuesday City Style: An·glo·phile

Django Sibley, a former police officer in the United Kingdom, was named executive director of the Los Angeles Police Commission recently, so he may have more information on item 45 on the Tuesday City Council closed-session agenda. The Council plans to recess to Closed Session to consult with legal counsel regarding M. M. G., A Minor, et al. v. City of Los Angeles, et al., United States District Court Case No. CV21-03845-HDV(KSx). This case stems from an incident involving LAPD members on May 30, 2020. Bob Blumenfield (CD3) allegedly examined it closely during a backroom session of the Innovation and Sneaky Activities Committee, aka BudFi. There is a good chance the city clerk will just read out a dollar value followed by 15 ayes. We shall see! 

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has said she intends to off the job of Chief of Police to one of the candidates by the end of the month. That's TODAY!  

Progressive Nithya Raman (CD4) Calls for Immediate Relief: 

"Whereas residents of the Los Feliz area in CD 4 need immediate relief from the lack of residential parking on their blocks as a result of businesses and restaurants on Hollywood Boulevard, Hillhurst Avenue, and Vermont Avenue, we must expand the Preferential Parking District 101. 

Raman stopped short of declaring an emergency.   My heart goes out to Talmadge residents.
 

Capri Urban Baldwin, LLC 

+ the LAPD South Traffic Division Lease: 

The original contract was $1,592,740.74 for rent of approximately 21,000 square feet of office space for the Los Angeles Police Department's South Traffic Division at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Shopping Center, Unit 193.  

First Amendment to the contract in 2017 extended the lease with options, which have now been exercised through September 30, 2025.  

Here comes a cool 18-month extension as a 

How much rent will the city pay?   

The monthly rent with 3% annual increases has risen since 2013 to $35,000 a month—a significant increase from the previous $1.   

At the rate of $35,000 a month approximately $630,000 in rent.  

In 2021, ownership changed from Capri Urban Baldwin, LLC to HAAS BHCP Property Owners, LLC. 

"Interesting!"

Any idea who is behind the LLCs involved in this arrangement?  LLCs often operate in the shadows, making it difficult to discern who truly benefits from these transactions.  

Perhaps Council President Harris-Dawson (CD8) will announce the entities receiving this lease extension. 

Background: The LAPD South Traffic Division has leased space at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Shopping Center since 1989, initially paying $1 per year until renovations made that rate unsustainable (Herb Wesson).   

"Get him out of here!" 

Reliable Properties* Replacement Parking 

Dear Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky (CD5),

Kudos on the City Council and Mayor approving the construction of an interim housing project at Pico Boulevard and Midvale Avenue on a former Los Angeles Department of Transportation parking lot. Since this is a critically needed facility, it has reduced the availability of public parking in the area. To mitigate the impact on the community, your Council District 5 staff have identified a vacant property at 11040 W. Pico Boulevard that could be leased for replacement parking.  Excellent. 

One thing, “a lease agreement with Reliable Properties or other designee of the property owner"  Is that language too loosely goosey?  It seems you've learned a thing or two about the art of discretion and flexibility from your highly esteemed (and extra sneaky) father-in-law, Zev. 

And thank you for neatly consolidating, bunching and pooling dollars in the Arts Development Fee Update, while reducing unwanted items like: ...who needs an “Autumn Festival” and “Public Art Project” when you can have one “Holiday Special Event 2024” for the same price?    

What cost?  

No further questions, your honor..

The Facilitators:

The collusion between Harvard Westlake and the Studio City Neighborhood Council is beyond belief. One critic summed it up perfectly: "I've never seen such CRIMINALITY within a volunteer body like this! Unreal!"  

Last week's meeting was practically deserted—hardly anyone online or in person. Chip Meehan, the President has done a good job keeping the public away, and their hybrid setup is apparently a joke.

Here’s the scam: the neighborhood council doesn’t agendize Harvard Westlake’s construction update. Instead, they let HW sneak in during “public comments on non-agenda items,” dodging any accountability. By using this Brown Act trick, they meet their requirement to attend meetings without having to face questions from the public or even the board. One speaker called them out for running this sneaky play, but Mr. Meehan continues to shield HW from scrutiny, protecting developers at the community’s expense.

And it's not just Harvard Westlake getting velvet glove treatment—take the new LA Clippers arena, where lawmakers passed a bill allowing alcohol sales until 4 a.m. in the club. Governor Newsom even signed the exclusive "drink all night" bill during a quiet news cycle to keep it on the down low.  This is concierge corruption at its best, designed to keep the people in the dark while Steve Ballmer and Harvard Westlake and other sporty powerhouses march forward to LA28 unchecked, often protected by neighborhood councils that bend over... to accommodate the regional vision of Mayor James T. Butts of Inglewood. 

The Final Tuesday in September 2024: Data Dump

Moderator: Our next participant is Eric Preven. Your line is open. You may begin. 

Smart Speaker:   Thank you. I’m not sure which SPA I live in, but we have issues in Studio City and North Hollywood. It was nice to see the Councilwoman Raman come down and lecture the Board briefly. The emergency center is an idea that Katy Yaroslavsky likes to talk about, and it’s not a bad idea, to use the shared information model since we’re all trying to address the crisis. But the problem is that we already have infrastructure in place.  So once again we're adding where we can't necessarily sustain what we have. 

When I hear about the great data mining they did, figuring out that people have been in the interim housing for so long, sometimes over a year, well, we already knew that.  And now we’re talking about setting up a separate office, trying to roll up the tiny sleeves. I’m very worried about further expansion—it sounds like CES part two.

And moving to the climate emergency, it's a significant problem of our time. It’s a great idea to get people indoors so they don’t overheat and suffer on the streets. But then we have more 41.18 zones rolling out from City Hall at an alarming rate—

Executive Officer: Thank you, your time has expired.

Insurance Games:

Moderator: Our next participant is Eric Preven. Your line is open. You may begin.

Smart Speaker:  Yes, I brought this up last week. The FFAs losing their NIAC insurance is a serious issue, and I’m confused about why the insurance companies are allowed to walk away, and why the County can’t simply self-insure. There are 1,900 people in our County, and I believe 9,000 statewide. It’s not such a big task to get insurance coverage for them. The County employs 105,000 people—we could easily put a few more individuals on some kind of policy to ensure the FFA services continue.

Maybe this isn’t the right solution, but we don’t want good organizations that are doing a decent job to disappear. They should be allowed to stay. But remember there is a history of many problems in this space, with stunning fraud abuse and waste, and maybe we should go back, focus on what works, and support the entities that do a good job.  If they are only plus minus, we can drop them.  These places need regular pruning, as you know, that is part of the problem. There’s an enormous amount of [indistinct] that we never hear about.

I’d suggest canceling Measure G and focusing on the real work we need to—

Executive Officer: Thank you, your time has expired.

Looking good and visible. 

Lead Poisoning:

Moderator: Next speaker, Eric Preven. If you are muted, please unmute and speak directly into your phone. You may begin. 

Smart Speaker:  Thank you. No children or anyone should be exposed to this level of lead contamination. I’m not clear on what we are doing to improve things. Awareness is important, especially with the City of L.A. having reached a settlement against Monsanto over a class of industrial chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) made between the 1930s and 1977. You could ask the new President Harris-Dawson if he wants to use the $35 million collected to clean up the mess in your shared district—that would be very appropriate.

Another concern I have is with the contamination in schools. This is dangerous, and I don’t know what our strategy is. We are wasting money. Can we consider dropping Measure G and using those funds more effectively? And I would suggest moving public comments to the start of the meeting so that people, your constituents, don’t have to wait all day listening to you alternate between thanking one another and endless bickering.  Thank you. 

Executive Officer: Thank you, next speaker, please. 

County Library Staff:

Moderator: Our next participant is Eric Preven. Your line is open. You may begin. 

Smart Speaker:  I do love libraries. I love the idea of them being part of the community where civic meetings and learning happen. Everyone should be included. I appreciate the librarians who treat unhoused individuals with dignity. I agree with the previous speaker—it can’t be the librarians’ responsibility alone.

We were able to set up forums not because of the neighborhood council, but in spite of it.

Note Beeman Park (lower left) now destroyed by Raman/Krekorian to make room for HS court. 

Dignity is the key word.  We certainly do not need more Supervisors with huge staffs shutting down public comment.  That we are doing nicely with the current set of five.  And I know you like to work with Councimember Raman and all her besties over at city hall, but please look down from on high Chair Horvath, and take note of the tiny speakers at City Hall.  

Is there dignity in Yvonne Wheeler appearing the size of #BlumenfieldKnows?  I can say that I do not  appreciate that.  I like to see all speakers get equitable treatment and our the Librarians should be deeply respected. 

Executive Officer: Thank you, your time has expired. 

Zero Vision:

Moderator: Next participant, Eric Preven. If you are muted, please unmute and speak directly into your phone. Your line is open.

Smart Speaker:  I was listening closely to the suggestion that it’s impossible to get an intern these days. That it could take six months. So, I just want to raise questions about how the hell we’re going to fill all these unmet needs and positions.  

I’m concerned that as we "lock arms," even if we had more concierges working at a high rate of inconsistency it wouldn’t be enough to fill these gaps.  And I'll get to vision zero, but I'm pretty sure LA28 is going dangle jobs and internships that will be gobbled up by the very same young aspirational worker-types that we need at the county.   So... the Olympics is like the private sector a competitor. 

The fact that we can't book a Vision Zero honcho... is embarrassing. How long is Supervisor Mitchell and her residents going to have to wait until the roads do not result in countless deaths?    Some of us in Studio City are worried about dangerous hauling routes.  We've had multiple car accidents at the Sportsmens chokepoint.   And Harvard Westlake, putting a stadium in the quiet, wooded area that was a golf course ... to put up a parking lot and giant athletic complex... zero vision. 

Executive Officer:  Thank you, your time has expired. Next speaker please. 

Bureacracy is a Be-atch:

The Planning and Land Use Committee meetings are intolerable. Chair Marqueece Harris-Dawson, once flanked by Mark Ridley-Thomas and Gilbert Cedillo, then supported by John Lee and Bob Blumenfield, who go along with whatever is decided. Harvard Westlake's agenda item for a Cultural Historical Designation of Studio City Golf and Tennis was just one of 14 items, including ONNI towers on the day it was heard. Only 45 minutes of comment were allowed—which is a joke. 

Terri Austin, had gathered 13,000 signatures to designate the whole golf course, but the heritage commission recommended destroying most of it anyway. There was a Hail Mary attempt to stop the school’s athletic complex plans.  Nope.

Harvard Westlake, represented by Edgar Khalatian, got the greenlight to nix the 9-hole golf course to build a high-security facility supposedly open to the public—though only when the School is not using it, which is never. The school won’t stop until they have the world's finest high school athletic facilities; Their motto,"Honestly, who cares about Studio City?"

Despite having a lot to say on that particular day in Planning, I was never called up to speak. Under Mr. Harris-Dawson's leadership, Planning and Land Use is unwelcoming to certain public voices.

Though Mr. Harris-Dawson was actually elected, in a way he was eally more of an appointee  because he had the support of still-not-indicted Herb J. Wesson.   As you know, the  integrity of an appointee can be measured in part by the quality of the individual making the appointment, Herbert J. Wesson. 

(Eric Preven is a longtime community activist and is a contributor to CityWatch.)