Call to Action: Request Assemblymember Isaac Bryan to extend the California State mandated rezoning deadline date for the Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills and View Park Westside Area Rezoning Plan.
EXTENSION requested BEFORE January 21, 2025, our FINAL HEARING DATE with Supervisor Holly Mitchell and the Board of Supervisors.
CLICK the email link below to send an extension request to Assemblymember Isaac Brayan. Make sure you add your name and address at the end of the email request. Thank you so much.
Assemblymember.Bryan@assembly.ca.gov
If you’re having problems with the link above please cut and past letter below in the body of your email and send to:
Assemblymember.Bryan@assembly.ca.gov, caleb.rabinowitz@asm.ca.gov, kenneth.cruz@asm.ca.gov, WestsideAreaPlan@planning.lacounty.gov, info@daphnebradford.com
Dear Assemblymember Isaac Bryan,
Please accept this email as a request to EXTEND the February 12, 2025 deadline required for Supervisor Holly Mitchell to submit her decision regarding the Westside Area Plan rezoning project for Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, View Park and West Fox Hills.
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) formula is FLAWED, leading to unfair and inequitable assessments of future housing needs for the communities mentioned, as well as for other communities across California. The Los Angeles County Planning Department and the Los Angeles County Planning Commission both agree the RHNA formula is FLAWED, continues to cause problems and requires reform
I’m thankful that Supervisor Holly Mitchell is supportive of our request for a 10-12 month postponement. All we need is for you to commit to writing a quick bill extending the state mandated February 12, 2025 deadline.
Our FINAL WSAP hearing meeting with Supervisor Holly Mitchell is scheduled for January 21, 2025 and I’m respectfully requesting that you extend the state deadline BEFORE our FINAL January 21, 2025 hearing.
Thank you in advance
Please add the entirety to the public record on this matter.
Regards,
Name:
Address:
RHNA is FLAWED!
Los Angeles County Planning Commission AGREES!
What is RHNA: Regional Housing Needs Assessment
RHNA is FLAWED!
Los Angeles County Planning Commission AGREES!
RHNA is FLAWED!
CA State Auditor AGREES!
Los Angeles County Notice of Public Hearing & CONSIDERATION OF A FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
The Los Angeles County (“County”) Regional Planning Commission (“Commission”) conducted a public hearing to consider the Final EIR (“FEIR”) for the Westside Area Plan that will add 6,212 units of housing to Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, View Park and West Fox Hills. Ladera Heights will be rezoned to accommodate more than 50% of the proposed housing units. See table below.
Extension of Draft Westside Area Plan (WSAP) Documents Public Review Period: Friday, August 16, 2024
The project team encourages you to provide comments and feedback by August 16, 2024 so that we can amend the drafts to incorporate your feedback.
CLICK the email link below to send the WSAP/PIER comment listed below.
WestsideAreaPlan@planning.lacounty.gov
If you’re having problems with the link above please cut and past WSAP/PEIR Comment in the subject section, cut and past letter below in the body of your email and send to:
WestsideAreaPlan@planning.lacounty.gov, HollyJMitchell@bos.lacounty.gov, commission@planning.lacounty.gov, info@daphnebradford.com
Dear Supervisor Holly Mitchell, LA County Regional Planning Commission and Westside Area Planning Team.
I am for fair and affordable housing and I wish to express my strong opposition to the proposed rezoning of single-family neighborhoods and the excessive upzoning of commercial parcels located in Ladera Heights and Windsor Hills-View Park. As a resident of one of the aforementioned Los Angeles County WSAP areas, the rezoning of these locations will drastically alter the cultural character of our community and create a traffic nightmare. I’m requesting the removal of the Ladera Center, University Church, Slauson-Fairfax/Home Depot, Slauson-Fairfax intersection, and other essential community assets from the WSAP opportunity site list.
The 3 mile, predominately single family, Ladera Heights neighborhood and the Windsor Hills-View Park bedroom communities were not created to accommodate “Greater mix of uses and housing types” as stated in the Draft Westside Area Plan documents. Ladera Heights would receive the majority of the State’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation of 4,760 units. This proposed WSAP plan will be detrimental to the health, wealth, culture, safety, and well-being of residents, as well as increase health disparities for our community.
FLAWED Westside Area Plan Community Engagement
According to the 2022 US Census American Community Survey data there are 2,654 households in Ladera Heights and 4,911 households in Windsor Hills-View Park, totaling 7,565 households in the WSAP residential neighborhoods.
The “Junk Mail” styled June 2023 USPS delivery of 6,300 flyers EXCLUDED 1,265 HOUSEHOLDS located in the WSAP target areas of Ladera Heights and Windsor Hills-View Park. The 387 initial survey responses collected narrowly represents 5% of community residents. It is impossible, arbitrary, and capricious to create a community-based plan without incorporating the needs and voices of 95% of community members. Also, I didn’t receive the June 25, 2024 flyer via USPS mail as indicated in the WSAP documentation. THEREFORE THIS CURRENT WSAP project implementation should be HALTED, POSTPONED, DISCONTINUED and deemed NULL and VOID!
The WSAP planning team distributed 6,300 flyers resulting in only 387 community residents completing the initial survey. Hundreds of Ladera Heights and Windsor Hills-View Park residents stated they DID NOT receive a survey via USPS mail delivery. The WSAP teams negligence in providing the equitable opportunity for ALL households to participate in the initial June 2023 community engagement efforts has resulted in a large majority of Ladera Heights and Windsor Hills-View Park tax paying residents feeling DISENFRANCHISED, DISENGAGED, DEFEATED and unaware of the rezoning of their homes and shared community commercial spaces. This erroneous mailing invalidates Land Use Goal #2: “Community-based planning efforts that implement the General Plan and incorporate public input, and regional and community level collaboration.” Just like many WSAP residents, I’m thinking “It doesn’t matter how we feel, Supervisor Holly Mitchell and the LA County Regional Planning Commission have their minds made up.” THIS IS NOT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT!
If the WSAP Planning team would have mailed the initial June 2023 flyer with the word “rezoning” printed on official LA County envelopes with the Zoning Code Amendment language included on the June 2023 flyer, I believe community engagement participation from Ladera Heights and Windsor Hills-View Park residents would have been much greater. The Zoning Code Amendments language “The Project would amend Planning and Zoning (Title 22) of the County Code to: (1) Establish a Planning Area Standards District (PASD) to create development standards that are specific to the Westside: (2) Maintain and preserve the existing characteristics of residential neighborhoods” should have been included on the initial June 2023 community engagement and survey request flyer. The flyer language did not include the word “rezoning,” the actual purpose of the WSAP agenda in Ladera Heights and Windsor Hills-View Park. THEREFORE THIS CURRENT WSAP project implementation should be HALTED, POSTPONED, DISCONTINUED and deemed NULL and VOID!
I vote in Los Angeles County during every election. Please add the entirety to the public record on this matter.
Regards,
Name:
Address:
LA County’s Proposed Land-Use and Zoning Changes for Ladera Center:
To change the current land-use from Commercial-General to Mixed-Use with the following maximums:
Building heights: maximum 65 feet (an estimated 4.5 to 6.5 stories), with building heights reduced to transition to adjoining residential neighborhoods. The current height restriction for Ladera Center is 35ft/ 2 stories.
Density: Up to 150 dwelling units per acre
Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.): 3.0 - - this means that one-third of the total buildable acreage of land can have a building on it. Currently the F.A.R. for Ladera Center is 1.0 since it is for non-residential.
Total Property Acreage within LA County: 10.4 acres
Parking: This property is not subject to mandated automobile parking requirements within Assembly Bill 2097. However, if a proposed project for this site would have more than 10 dwelling units then the parking would need to meet current standards. Overall parking requirements depend on what a proposed development project would include.
Link to Fact Sheet: https://mitchell.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/5.18.24_Updated_WestsideAreaPlan_LaderaCenter_FactSheet.pdf
Current Status of the LA County West Side Area Plan:
Los Angeles County is in the process of drafting a proposed plan and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The EIR analyzes the potential effects zoning and land use changes can have on the environment, including traffic, and efforts to mitigate those effects. The EIR is scheduled to be available for a 45-day public review starting on June 18th, 2024 to allow residents to provide feedback on the plan.
Supervisor Holly Mitchell is looking forward to reviewing the EIR and community feedback from residents to inform her decision on this important issue at the end of this year. To receive updates from our office on this topic, scan the QR code or email: HollyJMitchell@bos.lacount.gov
Additional Information
To learn more about Los Angeles County’s Westside Area Plan, visit https://planning.lacounty.gov/long-range-planning/westside-area-plan/ or email WestAreaPlan@planning.lacounty.gov.
LA County Westside Area Plan
The Westside Area Plan focuses on the unincorporated communities in LA County’s Westside Planning Area. These communities are: Ladera Heights, View Park – Windsor Hills, Franklin Canyon, West LA Sawtelle VA, West Fox Hills, Marina del Rey, and Gilmore Island. The Westside Planning Area is one of the 11 planning areas established as part of the Planning Areas Framework in the Los Angeles County General Plan Update in 2015.
The Westside Area Plan aims to streamline and update existing County regulations in these communities to encourage more housing development, historic preservation, and multi-modal transportation, while focusing on environmental justice issues around oil wells and future development. The Westside Area Plan will consider the guiding principles of the General Plan including: Smart Growth, Community Services & Infrastructure, Economic Strength & Diversity, Environmental Resource Management, Healthy, Livable & Equitable Communities, and Community Voices, Strengths & Outcomes.
The Area Plan is a long term project that will take several years to complete. Project phases include research and data analysis; community outreach, workshops, and visioning; development of goals, policies and implementation actions; and preparation of the Area Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning is the planning department for all areas outside a city in LA County. The department provides all major planning functions for these unincorporated areas: writing long range plans, reviewing development projects, and responding to zoning complaints.
STRATEGIC PLAN
L.A. County Planning’s 2023 Strategic Plan for Equity emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Strategic Plan reflects the Board’s anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion (ARDI) initiative. It also recognizes that our work needs to address our society’s systemic challenges. We understand that embedding equity into everything we do – including how we work together and what projects we work on – is critical in creating a more equitable LA County.
Visit Strategic Plan to learn more.
Los Angeles County-Westside Area Plan “UPZONING” Ladera Heights
L.os Angeles County-Westside Area Plan “UPZONING” of Ladera Heights
L.A. County’s “proposed upzoning” and land use of Ladera Heights properties in the 90056 zip code has begun. Property owners please be on the look out for letters explaining what the “proposed upzoning” and land use combination allows and how it affects your property. (See photo)
A major concern is the land use “upzoning” from H9 to H18 allowing 0-18 dwelling units per net acre. Although Westside Area Planning department is offering one-on-one virtual consultations with an LA County Planner, the department should also discuss this major “upzoning” with all residents in Ladera Heights. The “proposed” Westside Area Plan goals and upzoning changes should be in full collaboration with LA County tax paying property owners and residents.
Are you an experienced environmental lawyer or planner? Let's review LA County's WSAP Environmental Impact Report document on Wednesday, June 26th, 5:30pm-7:30pm at the View Park Bebe Moore Campbell Library. Please confirm your attendance blipthatvote@gmail.com.
ONLY 10 seats left in the reserved meeting room. Per my conversation with the Westside Area Plan principal planner, Julie Yom, she advised we begin with reading the executive summary, introduction and the project description to obtain the project overview and follow through with specific chapters (noise, hydrology, etc.) of your interest.
Los Angeles City: Community Plan Updates
Los Angeles City Planning is in the process of updating the City’s 35 Community Plans, which guide policy and land use in Los Angeles’s neighborhoods. The City updates the Community Plans periodically to reflect changes in the areas they govern, ensuring the plans remain effective tools for guiding growth and development.
Together, the 35 Community Plans make up the Land Use Element of the City of Los Angeles’s General Plan, the policy document that expresses the City’s vision of the future.
Westside Community Plans Releases New StoryMap
The Westside Community Plans Update team is excited to announce the release of the 2024 Draft General Plan Land Use Storymap!
The StoryMap showcases the draft General Plan Land Uses that address issues such as housing, transportation, climate change, and equity across the westside region. Thank you for all the input received from community members and groups who have engaged in the process so far. We look forward to continued feedback and engagement from all stakeholders to continue informing future drafts of the Community Plans, and we will be taking feedback throughout the entire Community Plan Update process.
The StoryMap features updated draft General Plan Land Use Designations for the Palms-Mar Vista-Del Rey, West Los Angeles, Westchester- Playa del Rey, and Venice Community Plan Areas including the coastal zone, based on feedback received after the publication of the Westside Community Planning Advisory Group (WCPAG) meeting materials throughout 2023. The interactive map highlights the land use and zoning regulations, such as Height Limits, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and Density, that are permitted at a parcel level. The StoryMap reflects a wide range of stakeholder input received through outreach meetings held virtually and in person, as well as through received written comments.
View the StoryMap here: StoryMap
In addition to the StoryMap, Draft General Plan Land Use maps are available to view for each of the four Community Plan Areas, as well as a Summary of Refinements made to the Subareas from the 2023 Drafts, and a high level summary of each Community Plan.
Mar 17, 2024
Victory! Stop the 90 Freeway Tear Down! Movement WON
Stop the 90 Freeway Tear Down! Movement WON our battle against Streets for All's wasteful grant request seeking $2million dollars for a feasibility study justifying the demolition of the CA 90 Freeway aka Marina Freeway. VICTORY DECLARED!
U.S. Department of Secretary Pete Buttigieg heard our loud voices and REJECTED the Streets for All Marina Central Park 2023 application for the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program. The CA 90 is our "freeway to everywhere" and should be permanently off limits in all Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program applications moving forward.
Thank you to all 8,562 of you who supported the Stop the 90 Freeway Tear Down! Movement. Thank you to everyone who signed and emailed me opposition letters. Your letters made a HUGE impact. The U.S. Department of Transportation included them in the Streets For All grant application file. Thank you Secretary Buttigieg for listening to the 8,562 supporters who signed the Stop the 90 Freeway Tear Down! Movement petition. A special thank you to change.org for selecting Stop the 90 Freeway Tear Down! to be a part of the movement: Los Angeles Standout Petitions of 2023.
I'm proud to announce my next campaign with the launch of the Bipartisan Lincoln Independent Project (BLIP), a Political Action Committee with a goal to provide a non partisan platform for Democrats, Republicans and Independents to unite on common issues and work together to Educate voters, Empower constituents and Exile voter apathy. 71% of registered Los Angeles County voters DID NOT VOTE. BLIP That!
Together we will change that on November 5, 2024. Your support and donation of whatever fits your budget will be greatly appreciated.
BLIP That! Donation today https://www.efundraisingconnections.com/c/BLIP
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Posted on 10/20/2023
Los Angeles – Mayor Karen Bass today issued the following statement:
“I want to be very clear – I do not support the removal or demolition of the 90 freeway. I’ve heard loud and clear from communities who would be impacted and I do not support a study on this initiative. I thank Angelenos for continuing to make their voices heard about this important issue.”