Playa Vista Loses Major Lawsuit
By John
Davis
Playa Vista and the City of Los
Angeles lost a major lawsuit filed by myself and a number of other plaintiffs.
The court overrode the City Council decision to approve safety measures to
prevent the accumulation of explosive underground gas under phase one, the
unfinished project.
If not properly vented methane gas can
ignite explosively. The methane safety measures are no longer approved at Playa
Vista.
Until the City Council can prove
at a public hearing those safety precautions will really work the safety of the
project will be continually called into question and with good
cause.
People living at Playa Vista
today count on those safety systems. The City Council in approving those safety
measures gave occupants of the project their word it would be
safe.
But now the word of the Council
is no good and has been tossed out by the Court of
Appeals.
Certificates of Occupancy issued by
the City ensure the public can live in a place that is as safe as possible. At
Playa Vista the court found the City did not prove
this.
Councilwoman Ruth Galanter gave
away the Ballona Wetlands to Playa Vista. Cindy Miscikowski voted for phase two
knowing she and husband Doug Ring had land interests in Marina del Rey. Now
it’s Bill Rosendahl’s
turn.
In a press release our City
Councilman said that, “ Questions of public safety are paramount to me. I
will insist that the City officials and the developer do everything in their
power to protect the health and safety of the residents of Playa Vista and the
residents of neighboring
communities.
Now comes the hard part
for the new Councilman, staying true to that statement. Insisting on protecting
the health and safety of the residents at Playa Vista should now mean the
Certificates of Occupancy for everyone living there must be withdrawn if they
are based on unproven safety fixes.
Anything less than the immediate evacuation of the affected residents at Playa
Vista would be irresponsible and potentially place the public in harms way and
the City at grave liability.
Or he,
like George Bush before Hurricane Katrina, could simply bury his head in the
sand hope for the best while the City and residents of Playa Vista suffer the
ravages of untruth.
It is better to be
safe than eternally sorry, no matter how much money is involved when human
health and safety are at stake.
Posted: Wed - November 2, 2005 at 08:31 PM