The Impeach Dennis Zine Article From The Valley Vantage

From the August 26th issue of the Valley Vantage, with regards to the August 18th Woodland Hills Warner Center Neigbhorhood Council meeting:

Neighborhood Council Meeting Erupts Amid Cries of “Impeach Zine!”

A week ago, news stories and press releases proclaimed that Costco’s plan to move to Warner Center was a “done deal.” But it looks like residents and businesses in the West Valley have only just begun to fight that notion.

At a meeting of the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council Board (NC) on August 18, there were no specific items on the Agenda concerning the proposal for a Costco in Warner Center. Using the Public Speaker card, however, several representatives stood and challenged the NC to take the lead on community outreach concerning the proposal. Two speakers specifically demanded the recall of Councilman Dennis P. Zine over of his role in moving Costco from its existing site on Roscoe Blvd in Canoga Park to the proposed Westfield Village project at Topanga Canyon and Victory Boulevards.

Jim Anderson, the Neighborhood Council’s at-large representative, was the first to stand and demand the recall of Councilman Zine, saying “his actions are contrary to the area’s best interests, and he has deceived and manipulated the public.” Anderson questioned if the Councilman’s actions were contrived to gain financial support for his purported run for City Controller when his term ends. Anderson pointed at the Councilman’s efforts in helping Westfield massively alter their plans for the supposedly “upscale” Village project without ever opening discussion of potential problems with the community at large.

Echoing Anderson’s plea for Zine’s recall was Neighborhood Council representative Marty Lipkin. He was even more emphatic about Zine’s recall. “He has lied to his constituents. He has betrayed our communities. He has conspired with Westfield, Costco and the Mayor to push a hastily conceived and ill-advised plan down the throats of people who deserve at least some say in the future of their neighborhoods. Am I calling for Zine’s head? Absolutely—except I’m not sure there’s anything in it,” he said.

On a slightly different note, Shirley Blessing, a well-respected Woodland Hills leader, said that she has received dozens of calls from apoplectic neighbors who are incensed at the Councilman’s “utter lack of respect for the communities he supposedly represents.” She urged all to stand tall, and state their case to their representative; “Just say no. This plan lacks foresight and vision.”

Joyce J. Pearson, currently the Community Based Organization Board Representative for Area 2, called for a series of three Town Hall meetings with residents and business owners, paid for from the Council District’s coffers, but hosted by an impartial entity who could prevent the meetings from turning into PR events. “I’m sure our Councilman is open to ‘full transparency’ on this issue—and to picking up the tab for these hearings on what many consider proposed changes to our community too important to ignore. It’s an idea that could only prove to be beneficial to all,” Pearson stated.

Pearson pointed out that when concepts for The Village were first presented several town halls and seminars were held by both Westfield and the Neighborhood Council to introduce the concept of a retail/entertainment/commercial destination to virtually the entire West Valley. “Sure, the economy has changed,” she said. “But to disregard the public’s involvement in the project now would be unfortunate.”

Gordon Murley of the Woodland Hills Home Owners Organization offered another insight. “There seems to be a lot of ‘City of Bell’ in the development – especially dumping Costco on the community. There were no meetings with the community to refine what was being proposed.  All of the dealings have been behind closed doors and all the deals worked out between the various City entities, Westfield and Costco. Nowhere were there any invitations to have the

community sit in with Costco or those in the City to voice concerns since there is a Warner Center Specific Plan. We would hope that planning is more than telling a community what they are going to get. Woodland Hills and especially Warner Center deserves planning that will not lower the quality of the visual development that would bring a sense of a place people want to visit and invest. And, the fact that they have not yet revealed just how much they’ve given away to Costco in terms of tax breaks and subsidies from the City, creates concern.”

In a follow up interview, according to Pearson and Blessing, many of the residents and businesses that have contacted them keep asking why there isn’t an Ikea going in instead of a Costco? Ikea is also a big box store, but it is willing to have second or third stories. Anderson and Lipkin said that many of the people they’ve talked to have been calling for some sort of “impeachment” hearing that would force the
Mayor and the Councilman to bring all the details of the Costco deal into the spotlight.

“People aren’t happy about this,” Anderson emphasized. “They know they’ve been kept in the dark and misrepresented by their so called representatives. They want someone they can trust, and they don’t seem to trust Councilman
Dennis Zine anymore.”

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