A Politically Incorrect Blog About Living in Woodland Hills, California

Local Blogger Forces LA Councilmember Zine To End Week Backpedaling

From the Valley Vantage:

It seems that many people’s mastery of the English language has been called into question by Zine.  Apparently, “it’s a done deal,” actually means “don’t worry, it hasn’t been fully decided yet and there will be plenty of time for public comment.”  I am quite pleased that I called out Mr. Zine publicly on his comments to Karen Koe, and he has been forced to engage his constituency.

I find it interesting that in the article Zine remarks that the Costco may not even end up at the The Village site at Owensmouth & Victory.  (As a side note, I wonder if Zine picked up a backwards pedaling bicycle at the new Performance Bicycles store?) However, since that is the only proposal anyone is putting forward, you can pretty much be assured that’s where it will be going.  Zine is clearly working closely with Costco, as he has said repeatedly, and obviously also Westfield, since they have put forth a proposal for it.

So, Mr. Zine, where is the alternate proposal that doesn’t involve The Village?  Unfortunately, for everyone, this proposal is going to be put forward as, “If you want a Costco, if you want these jobs and development in Woodland Hills, it has to be at this site.”  You can already tell where that’s going.  Unless alternatives, and “plan Bs” are developed, this will come to a simple “yes” and “no” decision, which as Zine decrees, “the decision comes out of my office.”  We already know what that decision will be if it comes down to Costco at The Village or no Costco at all.

This article is also quite interesting that it reveals that Costco plans to abandon it’s Canoga Park Costco location that has been a cancer on that community for a number of years.  No matter how much you love Costco, you must admit that is true.  They are not a very good corporate neigbhor for that community.  I don’t personally think that would be the case for a higher end store in Woodland Hills, but no one should ignore the obvious fact that even the parking lot at the Canoga Park location is a sewer, last I looked.

Thanks to Tanya Peel for the heads up on the Valley Vantage article.

Popularity: 7%

Westfield To Hold Workshop For The Village Changes, Community Urged To Attend

If you care about Woodland Hills, you should download this PDF to read about Westfield’s proposed changes for The Village.  Then, you should come to their workshop and voice your opinions and concerns on Wednesday July 28th.  See my annotated illustration above for a diagram of the proposed project.

Popularity: 7%

Filming Today & Tomorrow At Bank On Corner Of Erwin & Owensmouth Involves Gunfire, Helicopter

I drove by here this morning and you could tell they were gearing up old vacant bank for action.

LAPD writes:

Filming at the 21700 block of Erwin St, Woodland Hills with helicopter and simulated gunfire Mon 7/12 and Tues 7/13.

Filming at the 21700 block of Erwin St, Woodland Hills with helicopter and simulated gunfire Mon 7/12 and Tues 7/13 from 7:00am to 10:00pm. The filming scenes will involve a low flying helicopter and simulated automatic weapon gunfire. Also, make-up will simulate bullet wounds on actors. The low flying helicopter will fly in the areas surrounding the 21700 block of Erwin St.

Popularity: 4%

The West Valley In Embroiled In All Out War With Burglars

People are afraid and this is very real.  Monday’s arrests are not the end.

LAPD Topanga Station Writes on Wednesday:

Numerous residential burglaries occurred today in Chatsworth, Canoga Park & West Hills. Lock your doors and windows when you leave home. Be aware of strangers in your neighborhood and report suspicious activity immediately 8187564800 or in emergency call 911.

They also sent out these tips:

Burglary Prevention Tips

Lock all windows and doors – even if you live on the second floor of an apartment building. Lock sliding glass doors. Two-story residences – lock upstairs windows, sliding glass doors, and French doors. Remember suspects can climb onto a balcony.

Alarms: Use it! Add additional window security (example – pins in the window or wooden dowels in sliders)

Install motion detectors on all levels of the residence.

Never leave a ladder outside and accessible to a burglar.

Relocate valuables. Most burglars take property from the master bedroom.

Photograph and make a list of your valuables. Include serial numbers.

Vacation Strategies:
Let a trustworthy neighbor know that you are away. Ask that person to keep a lookout for your residence. Leave on one (1) light inside your home.

Mail and newspapers should be picked up or stopped.

Have a neighbor or friend park their vehicle in your driveway or parking slot.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Detective Theresa Gordon at 27033@lapd.lacity.org

Popularity: 5%

Former Zoning Administrator Harpoons Dennis Zine Over Move To Circumvent Canoga Park Neighborhood Council

I came across this fascinating editorial/commentary/article regarding an apparent move by Dennis Zine to prevent the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council from being able to have input on a zoning variance for a recycling center in Canoga Park at 21616 Roscoe Blvd.  The gist here seems to be that Zine is for the project, but the NC and adjacent residents and businesses are not, so by allowing the ZA to meet prior to the next NC session, their input can be effectively circumvented. It should be noted however, that according to supporting documentation provided in the PDF linked at the end of this post, support in the community is mixed and not exactly as 100% negative as Perica’s missive would have you believe.

CityWatchLA.com reposts an e-mail from Jon Perica, a former Zoning Administrator for the City of Los Angeles:

The announcement Thursday by Councilman Zine to muzzle the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council over an appeal of a public nuisance recycling use adjacent to residential uses is SHOCKING!

Councilman Zine had been persuaded to give the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council an opportunity to conduct their independent public hearing.  The original neighborhood council hearing should have happened in the fall of 2009 so the neighborhood council could have made a decision on the appeal filed for a recycling center to operate 66-ft from adjacent residential uses in lieu of the Code required 1,000-ft (a 93% reduction).

The councilman has suddenly decided that he does not want to get any input from the neighborhood council after having only one incomplete hearing by just their planning committee and not the Board of the neighborhood council!

Zine has scheduled the City Council Planning Committee to meet this coming Tuesday May 4th at 2 pm at room 1020 of City Hall and this Planning Committee will vote to deny the local community appeal without hearing from the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council.

In all the time I have worked at City Hall as a Zoning Administrator and in the 5 years I have been a private consultant, there has never been such an obvious effort to deny the legal right of the neighborhood council to comment on a planning case before the City Council acted.

I think that the councilman realized that there was a reasonable chance that the Board of the Neighborhood Council might support the appeal and he didn’t want to take an action in supporting the recycling use against the possible neighborhood council if they opposed the use.

If you set the City Council hearing before the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council can meet later in May, you clearly prevent the possibility of any dissenting input that would conflict with the councilman’s position.

In effect, the councilman was using the neighborhood council for his own advantage for one neighborhood planning meeting only when it would help him to look good.

When the NC planning committee voted to continue the hearing a month and appeared to have serious reservation about the many adverse impacts caused by the recycling use, Councilman Zine scheduled the next City hearing of the Council Planning Committee on the recycling appeal before the neighborhood council would take their final in late May.

Neighborhood councils were set up to provide the “voice of the community” and the councilman clearly does not want to hear what the Canoga Park community wants to say.

This is an insult to the local neighborhood council and to the whole 10 year old City process that set up 90 different neighborhood councils to provided important input to help the City make better land use decision.

This action by Councilman Zine seems to be an effort to ignore what the “people” have to say. The councilman is telling the 368 residents, business people and customers surrounding the recycling center who signed a petition or wrote letters against this business at 21616 Roscoe, that their voices counts for nothing and only the one lone voice of the recycling operator, who has caused serious public nuisance problems for 4 years, really counts.

It appears that Councilman Zine really doesn’t care about input the neighborhood council or those local people who suffer from daily recycling problems.

In an apparent response from Zine’s office, Jonathan Brand writes:

I have discussed the information presented at the meeting with my boss.  He has instructed me that he wants to proceed with the case and the PLUM hearing on the 4th of May.

I found a PDF about the project on the City of Los Angeles’ website here, which details some of the neighborhood concerns.

Popularity: 2%

Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council Earth Day Town Hall Tonight

If you’re looking for some last minute plans for Earth Day, the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council is hosting a town hall tonight with a guest speaker from Heal the Bay.  I will also be celebrating our oceans as I down some oysters at Morton’s tonight.

They write on Facebook:

Join Us for an Earth Day Town Hall – The Conditions of Our Oceans

Please Join us on Thursday, April 22nd at 7pm

EARTH DAY 2010 – Town Hall Meeting

The Conditions of Our Oceans
How San Fernando Valley Residents Can Help Protect our Rivers, Oceans and Watersheds

Featuring Guest Speaker Dave Weeshoff from Heal the Bay, a local environmental organization dedicated to improving water quality off the California coast. (http://www.healthebay.org/)

Presented by the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council

*Light refreshments will be served*

Special thanks to the Woodland Hills-Tarzana Chamber of Commerce

LOCATION:  Woodland Hills Academy Multi-Purpose Room

20800 Burbank Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367

* Overflow parking (if needed) is available across the street in the Kaiser parking lot.

Popularity: 3%

The Collateral Lender Zoning Variance Defeated

Many apologies, as this actually happened at end of March.  I overlooked a comment posted by Ryan, a homeowner on Don Pio Drive that I had met at a February Neighborhood Council meeting where a zoning variance for the proposed new location of the The Collateral Lender had been discussed and a recommendation voted upon.  I ran into him at Whole Foods one morning last week where he reminded me about the comment.

He wrote:

We just received word the other day that the Variance, thankfully, has been DENIED!!!

No words just yet on the The Collateral Lender’s next move, if any.  I’ll keep you posted.

Popularity: 2%

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