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Wednesday, February 9, 2000 City madness City Attorney James Hahn says he needs 36 staff attorneys plus 40 outside law firms to help with the Rampart investigation. Earlier, his office estimated the city might have to pay $125 million to settle upcoming claims from the people framed by the LAPD during the Rampart fiasco. More likely, $125 million is only the bare tip of the iceberg. Now the City Council Budget and Finance Committee says we're short on money, so the city will probably have to cut back on street repairs, tree trimming, library hours, emergency calls and other badly needed city services. Either that, or float a bond issue to cover the Rampart costs. Of course, the taypayers will have to pay off the bonds. Meantime, Councilman Alex Padilla is aggressively pushing the City Council to make a gift of $1.1 billion in property taxes from the Northeast Valley to the Community Redevelopment Agency for the next 45 years. Is this madness, or what? -- Susan Steele, Chatsworth No guarantee Regardless of what critics and supporters say about the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, facts are facts: The CRA has been in Los Angeles for 50 years. [However] the CRA has not invited the people of the Northeast Valley Redevelopment area to any of their 17 project areas that are from 14 to 40 years old to show that the neighborhoods and the quality of lives are improved, that more jobs are available, that there's no deferred maintenance or deterioration, no graffiti, no or low crime rate. The CRA cannot show one project area that is a better CRA with a healthier tax base that benefits the entire city. When a redevelopment project is adopted, the city only gets the amount of property taxes it got on the day of adoption. That amount remains the same for at least 45 years. It's like freezing your salary for 45 years. There is no requirement in redevelopment law or the project plan to cure blight. The CRA likes it that way. -- Don Lippman, Los Angeles Poison pill project The proposed Northeast Valley Redevelopment Project Area is a poison pill being promoted by L.A. Councilman Alex Padilla. If the 7,000-plus-acre project area is adopted by the City Council in March, Valley VOTE secession would be dead. Also, Valley FREE petitions to reorganize the school district would be dead -- dead on arrival. State redevelopment law allocates all future taxes in a new project area for 45 years to the existing entities -- the L.A. City Redevelopment Agency and the LAUSD. LAFCO has no authority over redevelopment project areas or revenues. If Padilla's N.E. Valley project is rammed through, any new city or new school district will be denied all new property taxes within the area until at least the year 2046. Even though voters in Padilla's district strongly support secession and a new school district, he is stabbing them in the back via redevelopment tax diversions. -- Christopher Sutton, Pasadena Community ignored - Seizing the Valley Larry Kosmont's Opinions article, "Redevelopment agency gets a bad rap," (Jan. 18) attempts to defend the CRA's proposed seizure of a huge chunk of the San Fernando Valley. Kosmont says 800 buildings in the proposed project area are unsafe but does not mention these are probably many of the same 1,150 buildings the CRA promised, and failed, to repair back in 1994 -- when it set up a smaller ($200 million) disaster-assistance program after the Northridge Earthquake. Kosmont says the $1.1 billion in new Northeast Valley property taxes to be confiscated by the CRA over the next 45 years "should be a source of applause" because it will mean the redevelopment project has been "wildly successful." It means no such thing. The $1.1 billion to be diverted is the CRA's own estimate of the normal cash flow it expects from the project area, even if the CRA does absolutely nothing to help the area. He should know the devastating effects that occur when cities and schools are robbed of the funding they need to provide services to their constituents. The CRA should stay out of the Valley, except for the 6,300 acres it has already wiggled into when nobody was paying much attention. -- Walter N. Prince, Chairman, Planning and Land Use Committee, P.R.I.D.E. Homeowners Group COPYRIGHT © 2000 Daily News Los Angeles ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. ** Sunday, January 2, 2000 Redevelopment Project "Northeast Valley CRA Project," Letters to the Valley Edition, Dec. 26. Enough is enough. I find it appalling that these no-growth advocates opposing the establishment of a CRA [Community Redevelopment Agency] redevelopment zone would take such great protest with Councilman [Alex] Padilla and a community-based agency getting low-income individuals, Latino immigrants and those who live in public housing involved in the CRA public advisory board elections. These are the very people who need to be involved and part of our democratic process. Shame on these no-growth advocates! Seems like they want to be the only ones making decisions in the northeast San Fernando Valley. Maybe by excluding other voices, they can make their case for no growth, secession and Los Angeles Unified School District breakup. I support Padilla and redevelopment efforts in our community. GEORGE FLORES Arleta * * * Freshman Councilman Padilla should be ashamed of himself for being seduced by two CRA-financed organizations to hire six buses to shuttle 100 residents of the San Fernando Gardens city housing project to stuff the ballot boxes for a pro-CRA advisory committee in the northeast Valley ("CRA Backers Take Lead in Balloting,"Dec. 21). This kind of nonsense shows just how far the CRA will go to win approval of its outrageous attempt to take absolute control over 6,835 "blighted" Valley acres and rob the entire city of future property taxes for the next 45 years. The CRA, close to bankruptcy, has recently laid off more than a third of its staff. But even this drastic measure has not solved its years of mismanagement problems. Its $340-million budget is so top-heavy with debt payments that it can't make ends meet, and it has asked the City Council to help out by giving it $9 million to make payroll for its 200 staff members this year. That's the same $9 million the city refused to spend to haul away trash that instead will go into the Sunshine Canyon dump in Granada Hills. Simply put, the CRA needs the property tax money that will be generated by the northeast Valley to stay in business. If it does absolutely nothing except make more meaningless promises to the community, approval of "the project" by the City Council means that the CRA will be allowed to directly confiscate a whopping $1.1 billion in Valley property tax receipts over the next 45 years. That's without one square foot of new structures being built. There are also the very real questions of if, and when, any redevelopment will truly occur. The CRA's own environmental impact report says it can accomplish its objectives by developing only 71 of the total 6,835 acres, and its own current budget report admits that it does not intend to spend one penny in the area for another four years. Even then, four years from now, the CRA's official budget does not include any new construction or redevelopment. Instead, the CRA will "create incentives" for homeowners to borrow money to remodel their own houses, and will help landlords find tenants for buildings near Hansen Dam, presuming the buildings are still empty at that time. Padilla, like many before him, has been sandbagged by the CRA. It is now time for him to wake up and realize that he has been had. He should put a stop to this blatant land grab and get rid of the CRA like a dog gets rid of fleas. WALTER N. PRINCE Planning and Land Use Chair PRIDE Homeowners Group Northridge * * * As a longtime resident of the northeast San Fernando Valley, I welcome the proposed CRA redevelopment zone. I and many others support initiatives that would create jobs, attract businesses and enhance the community's quality of life. Right now there are too few places where families can feel safe to take their children. Our main thoroughfare, Van Nuys Boulevard, is not family-friendly. There are too many nuisance uses, like bars and liquor stores. With a redevelopment zone, Van Nuys Boulevard could be greatly improved. I think its incumbent upon all of us who are genuinely concerned about our community to bring about this positive change. RAUL J. BOCANEGRA Arleta Monday, March 27, 2000 News from Inland Valley in the Times Community Newspapers READER RESPONSE Here's a concept to improve Pomona Two years into their project, Fairplex Village developers still do not have a clear or consistent plan. Potential tenants -- who would be spending their own money, not taxpayers' -- are getting cold feet. Yet nothing seemingly will stop the city from sinking $10 million into Pomona's 10th or 11th big box boondoggle. According to news accounts, retailers' concerns include:
Supporters ignore the first four of these realities, intent on building their cinder-block "legacy." As for the fifth, the solution is to hire yet another "spin doctor" to propagandize Pomona. I have an idea: Instead of another pricey consultant, hire two or three people to clean up trash, round up stray dogs, enforce building codes or run recreation programs. Now that would improve Pomona's image. Better still, spend the whole $10 million now earmarked for corporate welfare on upgrading our neighborhoods. Spending redevelopment money on redevelopment -- what a concept! Dan Dobrin Pomona From: L.A. Times, Letter to the Editor: "Re: 'CRA Backers Take Lead in Balloting' Based upon the results of the Project Area Committee election, cheaters [Padilla] do prosper. I'm a Latina who has lived and worked in the northeast valley my entire life, and I was sickened by the way poor Latino immigrants were given slates and forced to stand in line like chattel. While in line to vote, I had a chance to ask several of them what they knew about the candidates, and they responded that they knew none of the candidates, and were told their lives would improve if they voted for those people on their handouts. Before the election, I was open to the idea of redevelopment, but after seeing how Councilman Padilla and his staff manipulated the community, I've become completely disgusted! Jackie Tapia Arleta" From: L.A. Times, Letter to the Editor: WALTER N. PRINCE Planning and Land Use Chair PRIDE Homeowners Group Northridge Freshman Councilman Padilla should be ashamed of himself for being seduced by two CRA-financed organizations to hire six buses to shuttle 100 residents of the San Fernando Gardens city housing project to stuff the ballot boxes for a pro-CRA advisory committee in the northeast Valley ("CRA Backers Take Lead in Balloting,"Dec. 21). This kind of nonsense shows just how far the CRA will go to win approval of its outrageous attempt to take absolute control over 6,835 "blighted" Valley acres and rob the entire city of future property taxes for the next 45 years. The CRA, close to bankruptcy, has recently laid off more than a third of its staff. But even this drastic measure has not solved its years of mismanagement problems. Its $340-million budget is so top-heavy with debt payments that it can't make ends meet, and it has asked the City Council to help out by giving it $9 million to make payroll for its 200 staff members this year. That's the same $9 million the city refused to spend to haul away trash that instead will go into the Sunshine Canyon dump in Granada Hills. Simply put, the CRA needs the property tax money that will be generated by the northeast Valley to stay in business. If it does absolutely nothing except make more meaningless promises to the community, approval of "the project" by the City Council means that the CRA will be allowed to directly confiscate a whopping $1.1 billion in Valley property tax receipts over the next 45 years. That's without one square foot of new structures being built. There are also the very real questions of if, and when, any redevelopment will truly occur. The CRA's own environmental impact report says it can accomplish its objectives by developing only 71 of the total 6,835 acres, and its own current budget report admits that it does not intend to spend one penny in the area for another four years. Even then, four years from now, the CRA's official budget does not include any new construction or redevelopment. Instead, the CRA will "create incentives" for homeowners to borrow money to remodel their own houses, and will help landlords find tenants for buildings near Hansen Dam, presuming the buildings are still empty at that time. Padilla, like many before him, has been sandbagged by the CRA. It is now time for him to wake up and realize that he has been had. He should put a stop to this blatant land grab and get rid of the CRA like a dog gets rid of fleas.
THE DAILY NEWS OF LOS ANGELES VOTER BUSING CRITICIZED Wednesday, December 22, 1999 Section: News Edition: Valley Page: N4 With one phone call to a transit company, community leaders got enough buses donated to transport residents from two low-income housing developments to vote in the election for control of the San Fernando Valley's largest redevelopment project. When those residents walked off the half-dozen buses at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center in Pacoima on Friday evening, redevelopment supporters handed them stickers supporting the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and a slate of pro-CRA candidates. Leaders of groups including Pacoima Beautiful and San Fernando Valley Neighborhood Legal Services said they wanted to help get typically disenfranchised residents involved in an important community issue. They contend the effort was nothing more than another way to help one of the city's poorest areas. ``We do this all the time. This is informing the community,´´ said Marlene Grossman, of Pacoima Beautiful. ``We said come get involved, come get knowledgeable. Because if people who don´t want (redevelopment) win the day, what a shame.´´ Redevelopment critics and candidates who want the project scaled back counter that the bus service arranged with the assistance of City Councilman Alex Padilla tilted the election in favor of pro-CRA candidates by taking advantage of residents who know little about the project. Those same critics also said community groups who advocated on behalf of pro-CRA candidates might have violated federal laws prohibiting nonprofit groups from campaigning for candidates for public office. ``Those buses were provided on a discriminatory basis to people who are dependent on the social service system for various benefits. People are not going to get on a school bus on a Friday night and vote on something they know nothing about unless they are being cajoled to support a particular cause,´´ said Glen Hoiby, one of the candidates opposed to the proposed project. The ballots cast by residents bused to the election are expected to have a significant impact on who wins seats on the Project Area Committee. Only 46 ballots were tallied after Friday's vote. The remaining 169 are considered provisional ballots because they were cast by people who registered just before the election. Their eligibility to vote was being reviewed before those ballots were expected to be counted by the City Clerk's Office today. The turnout was remarkable compared to the election two years ago, when the PAC was formed to advise the CRA on the Northeast Valley redevelopment project. Fewer than 50 people voted. ``I´m very proud of the large involvement of the community. We should all hope that in any issue that affects a community that there would be such a large turnout,´´ said Neal Dudovitz, executive director of the legal services group. Dudovitz explained that San Fernando Gardens and Van Nuys Pierce Park residents were targeted because those are residents his and many of the other community groups work with regularly. Tenant associations were informed of the election and that bus transportation would be available. ``We have a lot of problems trying to get low-income people to places to have their voice heard,´´ he said. Laidlaw Education Services, the school bus arm of Laidlaw Transit, donated the buses after community leaders contacted the company. Laidlaw officials said the company donates buses to school and community groups across Los Angeles County as a public service. The company also operates a variety of services under contracts with Los Angeles and many other governments and agencies. ``We´ve been doing this for years. We get asked a lot and hardly say no,´´ said Irwin Rosenberg, a Laidlaw vice president. While not opposed to helping more residents participate, critics of the effort said the buses should have been provided to all residents who might have needed transportation. The number of buses also was far more than the two buses City Council offices typically offer to each community group in their district annually. ``We´re all for helping people get to the polls, but why don´t we try getting everyone to the polls and not just people who are going to vote for a certain slate,´´ said Jim Leahy, a PAC member seeking re-election. Padilla has declined to comment on his role in the election. David Gershwin, the councilman's spokesman, said there was nothing illegal or unethical about Padilla's assistance in arranging the bus service or supporting candidates who support redevelopment. ``At this point I think we´re hearing sour grapes from anti-redevelopment people,´´ Gershwin said. [RETURN to Main Page] [RETURN to Main Page] |
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