web analytics

Rss

Venice News Updates

News of Venice, CA and Marina del Rey CA

Council to Vote on 100 Percent Clean Energy for Los Angeles

Posted by :reta On : September 14, 2016
0

Category: City, Councilman

Tags:,

 

By David Graham-Caso, Communications Director for Councilman Mike Bonin

The Los Angeles City Council will vote Friday on a motion authored by Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Mike Bonin calling for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to chart a path to 100% clean energy in Los Angeles.

The Bonin-Krekorian legislation instructs LADWP to form a research collaborative with energy experts, local universities and other stakeholders to identify the specific steps necessary to generating all of the electricity Los Angeles needs from clean, safe and renewable resources.

“This is an enormous step forward that will help restore our environment and lead us to a sustainable future,” said Krekorian. “For the third year running, Los Angeles was ranked as having the worst air pollution in the country, which is unacceptable and unhealthy for our families and neighborhoods. To reverse this trend we need big thinking and bold, smart action. Our legislation provides a pathway to 100 percent clean energy in Los Angeles, which will reduce greenhouse emissions, cut pollution and lead the city toward greater energy efficiency.”

“Much of the gorgeous coastline of the district I represent will literally be under water within decades if we do not take dramatic action to stop using harmful and climate-polluting fossil fuels,” said Bonin. “Los Angeles can lead the way and show cities around the country – and around the world – that clean energy is here and ready to power thriving economies. This legislation will make sure that our transition to 100% clean energy happens as quickly and as strategically as possible and serves as a road map for other cities that want to join the clean energy future.”

Bonin, Krekorian and environmental activists and leaders will appear at a media meet with visuals outside City Hall East following the vote at Friday’s regular City Council meeting, which should be about 11 am.

 

Bikes! Bikes! Bikes Galore!

Posted by :reta On : August 9, 2015
0

Category: Uncategorized

Tags:, ,

cicLAvia1_edited-1
On Venice Blvd at Abbot Kinney Blvd with bikers going east.

cicLAvia2
On Venice Blvd at Abbot Kinney and bikers lined up.

It was bikes galore. CivLAvia—-Culver City to Venice Beach Sunday. How many bikes? How many bikes can one put in six miles of two-lane highway, going both ways? That is how many bikes.

Weather was overcast until about noon when the sun came out and it was hot. Lemonade stands, water, and fruit stands were the hot spots.

Stop More Billboard Blight

Posted by :reta On : May 20, 2015
0

Category: Billboards

Tags:

A bill before the California Assembly, AB1373, would exempt an approximately 40 square block section of downtown Los Angeles from regulations of the California Outdoor Advertising Act.

This bill was introduced at the behest of the developer of a large mixed-use project adjacent to the 110 freeway who seeks to put up advertising signs, including electronic displays, that do not conform to provisions of the Outdoor Advertising Act regarding sign size, spacing, and “off-site” advertising. Such signs would greatly increase visual blight and clutter in the area, as well as present a potential distraction and hazard to motorists on one of the most heavily-traveled sections of freeway in the city.

Such legislation could jeopardize California’s federal highway funding. The state is charged with implementing and enforcing the federal Highway Beautification Act, which mandates a 10% per cent reduction in funding if provisions of that Act are violated.

The state should not be in the business of granting such favors to individual property owners or groups of property owners, which amounts to a kind of “spot” zoning. There is no measurable benefit to the people of Los Angeles from this bill, but an arguable detriment in the proliferation of large, commercial ads in the visual landscape of the city. The only real benefit is to the developer of this project now under construction, in the form of revenue from advertisers seeking a captive audience of freeway users.

Take action:www.scenic.org/ab1373

Council to Vote on Hiring Attorneys to Fight Citizen Suits

Posted by :reta On : December 16, 2014
0

Category: City, Councilman, Los Angeles

Tags:,

As bizarre as it sounds, the city council is to vote this morning on whether to hire outside counsels to handle suits brought by citizen groups. This information is from the Encino homeowners group.

Historically Los Angeles has used its own City Attorneys to defend the City in land use, CEQA and Brown Act litigation. The frequency of these types of lawsuits has increased because the City has failed to adhere to the requirements of CEQA and the Brown Act. This failure has strained the capacity of the City Attorneys to provide CEQA advice and defend CEQA litigation impacting the City’s own public projects.

Land use entitlement approvals that are granted by the City include a condition requiring the developer to defend and indemnify the City in the event of Real Party litigation. The change of practice to exercise its rights to the defense and indemnification from developers has not been tested. The City could incur massive legal expenses hoping it will be reimbursed by developers. There is no guarantee that the expenses incurred will actually be reimbursed.

Email/Call you Councilmember Now!

Councilmember.Cedillo@lacity.org
Councilmember.Krekorian@lacity.org
Councilmember.Blumenfield@lacity.org
Councilmember.LaBonge@lacity.org
Councilmember.Koretz@lacity.org
Councilmember.Fuentes@lacity.org
Councilmember.Parks@lacity.org
Councilmember.Price@lacity.org
Councilmember.Wesson@lacity.org
Councilmember.Bonin@lacity.org,
Councilmember.Englander@lacity.org
Councilmember.Ofarrell@lacity.org
Councilmember.Huizar@lacity.org
Councilmember.Buscaino@lacity.org
Mayor.garcetti@lacity.org
Michael LoGrande – Planning Michael.Logrande@lacity.org

The Il Villaggio Toscano (IVT) project:

On August 28, 2013 over the strong community objections, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to approve the 325 residential unit Il Villaggio Toscano (IVT) project at Sepulveda Blvd. and Camarillo. The IVT developer received entitlements to build 325 multi-family residential units and 52,000 square feet of commercial with 1,206 parking spaces. Height of the buildings would be 82 feet. The gross floor area for the project would be 582,359 feet. The project adds 5,800 new daily car trips.

Attorney Robert Silverstein was hired by the Sherman Oaks Residents For a Safe Environment to protect the public interest. (Sherman Oaks Residents for a Safe Environment v City BS145096LASC). The lawsuit was filed against the City because residents in good faith believe that the entitlements granted by the City were invalid on land use, environmental approvals and Brown Act grounds.

Residents rightly objected to the traffic, noise, congestion, infrastructure damage and pollution that the massive 8-story, 325 unit apartment buildings would bring. The EIR was devoid of meaningful mitigation measures and contained many flawed conclusions. The lengthy document obfuscated traffic, congestion and infrastructure problems while going on at length about tangential matters ignoring mitigation measures that are required by CEQA. The EIR reached faulty conclusions claiming impacts were reduced to “less than insignificant” when in reality the impacts are significant.

The City Attorney is now hiring an army of outside lawyers to fight the residents who believe that the land use and environmental entitlements were granted improperly. The solution to this dilemma is for the City to scrupulously abide by State law, stop granting faulty entitlements and avoid engaging in fruitless litigation against residents. The City should not spend another dime ganging up with outside law firms to defend environmental and land use entitlements that were approved improperly.

To read more details, go to CF NO. 14-1606 and 14-1438 below:

http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=14-1606

http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=14-1438

To view or listen to the Tuesday, December 16th, 10 am LA City Council hearing live, go to:

http://lacity.org/GOVERNMENT/ELECTEDOFFICIALOFFICES/CITYCOUNCIL/COUNCILANDCOMMITTEEMEETINGS/COUNCILMEETINGVIDEO/INDEX.HTM

Homeowners of Encino is a 501c(4) non-profit organization that has a long and successful record of addressing community issues, including traffic, billboard and sign blight, airport noise, over-development, and land use issues.

Email: homeowners-of-encino@earthlink.net
Website: http://homeownersofencino.wordpress.com\