In Brief:
• A
Plan for Lincoln Blvd.
•
Tsunamis trump High Water
•
Hope for Venice Bus
Riders
• How much will it
take for you to sell out your community?
A Plan for Lincoln
Blvd.
An initial hearing was held
on June 13 regarding the Community Design Overlay (CDO) for Lincoln Boulevard.
This was presented by the city of Los Angeles' Planning Department and attended
by around 40 people from the community. The initial concept and shepherding for
this CDO has been spearheaded by the Venice Community Coalition beginning with
an “Envision Venice” workshop held in November, 2003. For more
information, see
www.venicecommunitycoalition.org
----------
Tsunamis
trump High Water
A panel
presentation on the topic “High Waves, Flooding and Tsunami Disaster
Awareness and Preparedness” was sponsored by the Venice Neighborhood
Council, June 7 at Westminster Auditorium.
Although it was billed as a Town Hall, the
meeting failed to attract a cross-section of Venetians. Significantly absent
were residents of Oakwood, many of whom may have more immediate problems than
planning for a Tsunami sometime in the next 10,000 years.
In any case, Tsunamis were the subject
of interest for those who came. Little time was spent discussion flooding or
high waves caused by winter storms or global
warming.
Members of the panel estimated
it would take six months to a year to put up signs warning of potential tsunamis
or providing an evacuation route. Councilmember Bill Rosendahl interrupted to
say he would take immediate action on the signs.
Meanwhile, residents in Venice were
told to go to the second floor of their homes if there was a warning. Those on
the ground floor, presumable, can kiss their ass
goodbye.
----------
Hope
for Venice Bus Riders
A coalition
of bus riders, labor/community and conservation groups is suing the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to challenge major fare hikes
approved by the agency.
According to a
lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Bus Riders
Union (BRU) and the Labor/Community Strategy Center (LCSC), MTA violated the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by approving massive bus fare
increases without considering the environmental impacts of its decision. Rising
fares will turn many riders into drivers, say the groups. Fare increases –
as high as 140 percent – will result in even more air pollution, global
warming emissions and traffic congestion. The MTA’s own projections and
analyses confirm that the increases will cause more pollution.
“The MTA is forcing many
thousands of riders off the system and back into cars,” says David Pettit,
director of NRDC’s Southern California Air Program. “This will bring
into our streets, roads and highways an enormous number of cars, trucks and
other vehicles, increasing pollution and exacerbating traffic congestion.”
Hundreds of bus riders – the
majority of whom are persons of color with an annual median income of $12,000
– testified at the May 24th MTA board hearing, saying they cannot afford
the fare increases and that they will be forced to seek inexpensive,
higher-polluting vehicles, which will cost less than public
transportation.
“If the bus
fares go up, I will have less money to spend on food and clothes for my
children,” says Rosa Miranda, a daily bus rider and member of the Bus
Riders Union. “We’ve already tightened our belts far more than we
can bear, and now we’ll have to tighten even more, as MTA squeezes every
last penny out of
us.”
----------
How
much will it take for you to sell out your community?
AIMCO’s new happy face in
Venice now includes a telephone survey that asks participants what it will take
to get their support for violating zoning and development ordinances. AIMCO, the
giant corporation that owns Lincoln Place Apartments has a new game plan for an
end run around tenant and community opposition to replacing apartments with
high-end condos (see the June Beachhead for
details).
AIMCO has apparently teamed up with
Playa Vista developer, the Maguire Company, to conduct the telephone calling
that has been reported by a number of
locals.
Would you allow the height limit on
new development to be broken in exchange for: affordable housing, open space,
green design, parks and playgrounds, dog parks, jobs for at risk youth, etc.
Reportedly, the survey also asks what media you trust. The list includes the
Beachhead.
Posted: Sun - July 1, 2007 at 08:00 PM