CommentsFIRST PERSON-The systematic corruption of the Los Angeles Planning process has just taken another leap forward with motions from LA Council President Nury Martinez.
In a nod to the current FBI corruption probe, she introduced three motions calling for changes in how the City processes developments.
The first motion calls for high value projects to skip the Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) and go directly to Council. She figures that it removes one step in the process where bad things can happen. I wonder if she thinks there are no other dirty councilmembers to be bought or that vote trading won’t take place in the hallways anymore? All this will mean is that the public will have one less chance to speak or put documents in the record before the Council votes.
This is a terrible idea.
The second motion calls for new criteria to be established for when discretionary projects and Conditional Use Permits can be granted. She blames the outdated zoning code for holding up housing entitlements. No Council President, the existing criteria are in place to protect the public from developers gaming the system. However, we know few of you follow the rules, so this is an attempt to remove embarrassing moments for councilmembers. Too many pesky stakeholders asking how something got approved when the code calls for something else.
Another terrible idea.
The third motion calls for a potential ballot measure to get Los Angeles 450,000 new homes by 2029. Ballot measures supported by government are beyond corrupt and should be avoided at all cost. Look at Measure JJJ which got almost 64% support of the voters and never delivered. We were supposed to get good family supporting union jobs and what we got was a Frankenstein monster called Transit Oriented Communities. We got no good paying union jobs. Instead we got neighborhood destroying projects.
The third terrible idea.
Only people living inside a bubble of their own making can come up with stuff this lame. What we need is for the members of City Council to hold the planning department and various commissions to the letter of the law as it exists. No more excuses, no more I don’t have the votes explanation, just follow the code and laws on the books. If that is too confusing for people making $164,600 a year, then they should take a look at freezing zoning in place. You buy a piece of property and you get to build exactly what the zoning says you can build. No more discretionary actions or conditional use permits.
I can hear the armies of lobbyists and people who make their living by pushing and supporting discretionary actions screaming so I offer a second option. Level the playing field. Have every LA City Councilmember pledge to base all their decisions on what is contained withing the Framework Element, Community plans, Specific plans and LAMC.
Start by insisting that there be demonstrated adequate infrastructure as called for in the plans before approving the project. Then look at the conditions that must be met to grant a discretionary approval. Most importantly make sure that staff reports from the Planning Department check all the above boxes. Do not allow wiggle room or generalities, just the facts should be considered and then let’s have a full debate on the project.
Then I would also ask that councilmembers set up community panels modeled on Councilmember David Ryu’s discretionary funds task force. The public does not have the resources in time or money that many advocacy/lobbyist groups possess. We do not begrudge them that access, we just think it is time for all of us to have a seat at the table.
The panels should be made up of residents and business owners in the district. Let them do the fact checking so that a comprehensive report can be presented to the Councilmember and their planning staff. I like Councilmember Ryu’s discretionary funds task force because it was a great idea, an example of thinking outside the box. It was not something included in a pledge all CD 4 candidates took at the time, but it turned out to be a problem I had overlooked. So, I am asking Councilmember Ryu and his opponent Nithya Raman to take a look at this new pledge, and sign it as is, amend it or reject it.
It would be helpful if other individuals running for other Council Districts also signed it. I will immediately send this pledge to both candidates in the CD4 runoff.
We, the voters must know exactly where you stand on these critical matters when we head to the polls on November 3. So, I respectfully request that you endorse this pledge:
I ____________________________ candidate for the office of Councilmember for Council District 4, pledge to:
- Continue or improve upon the land use and Infrastructure transparency initiative as it currently appears on the CD 4 website under Key Initiatives.
- Expand it to include any changes contemplated in CD 4 by any City Department that would make changes to the Community Plans, i.e. Bike Plan, Mobility Element, and Recode LA. Too often the majority of stakeholders receive no advanced notice of these changes.
- Set up a Task Force modeled on the discretionary funds task force to deal with all projects requesting discretionary actions. Members would include residents and business owners who live in CD 4. Members should have knowledge of the Framework Element, Community, and specific plans in CD4 along as well as the Charter and LAMC.
- Faithfully follow the policies for decision makers as outlined in each Community Plan in CD 4, as well as Policy 3.3.2 of the Framework Element.
- Require the City to officially document and demonstrate that the infrastructure in the area of any contemplated project (requiring discretionary approval) not be threatened in relation to user needs. This would include particularly critical services, such as water, power, and sewerage, as well as public schools, police and fire services, and transportation infrastructure. Police and Fire services as stated here are not tied to any particular funding or staffing issues as they can change, but rather deal with the California State Constitution Article 13, Section 35 (Local Public Safety Services).
Candidate Signature: __________________________________
Date: _______________________________
(James O’Sullivan is a long-time community activist and the President of the Miracle Mile Residential Association.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
