CITY HALL STRIKES BACK; VAN NUYS CIVIC CENTER FUNDS ON HOLD.Byline: Beth Barrett Daily News Staff Writer An informal City Hall moratorium A suspension of activity or an authorized period of delay or waiting. A moratorium is sometimes agreed upon by the interested parties, or it may be authorized or imposed by operation of law. on new borrowing has found its first target: restoration of the Van Nuys Civic Center, officials said Tuesday. One day after the release of a new poll showing overwhelming support for secession in the Valley, City Controller Rick Tuttle Rick Tuttle (born 1940) was Los Angeles City Controller from 1985 to 2001. He stressed the importance of creating a strong democratic influence at UCLA, which was in his words "the best large public university in a major city. said it would ``not be prudent'' to add significantly to the $1.4 billion debt Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. has run up for the downtown convention center, computers, police and fire vehicles and court judgments. A City Hall committee is set Thursday to consider four options to redo To reverse an undo operation. See undo. the Van Nuys center, ranging in cost from $15 million to $54 million. ``Setting aside the merits of this project, we don't want to become a high-debt city, because that cripples cripples see osteomalacia. options for the future and burdens the taxpayers,'' Tuttle said. Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. vowed to find a way to preserve the Van Nuys project, and several Valley council members disputed whether the city's debt debate should be used to scuttle the project. But San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. community leaders expressed outrage, saying the debt concern is simply the latest in a long string of delays to the project. ``We've been waiting since January of 1994 for Van Nuys City Hall to be rebuilt,'' said Richard Close, co-chairman of the Valley VOTE secession group. ``We've been told, Just wait, we're planning, we're going to build it, you're going to have a rebuilt City Hall. And now we're being told they're not sure they're going to spend the money? ``After spending over $300 million to fix up the Los Angeles City Hall, they're debating whether to spend the money on Van Nuys City Hall? It's outrageous.'' Added Don Schultz For the Marketing expert, see . Don Schultz is a former president and a former vice-president of the United States Chess Federation. He was born in New York in 1937 and currently lives in Florida. He was elected vice-president on August 14 2005. , president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Association, ``When it comes to costs expended ex·pend tr.v. ex·pend·ed, ex·pend·ing, ex·pends 1. To lay out; spend: expending tax revenues on government operations. See Synonyms at spend. 2. in the San Fernando Valley, it becomes a cost-cutting method; when it comes to downtown City Hall, it's OK.'' The budget for downtown City Hall renovations is $273 million, but could exceed $300 million if several options are included. `We will find a way' Riordan promised that rising concern about the city's debt problems will not be an excuse to stop significant improvements to the Van Nuys Civic Center. ``We have to find a way,'' he said. ``We will find a way.'' But he added that it would be irresponsible to go more deeply into debt unless the city's economy improves markedly. The mayor said the city might use a private developer to carry the project rather than sell bonds. The issue will be considered Thursday by the Municipal Facilities Committee, composed of a mayor's representative, City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie and the City Council's chief legislative analyst, Ron Deaton. Comrie said the Van Nuys center will face stiff competition from other projects unless the council adopts higher ceilings for both voter-approved and non-voter-approved debt. The $1.4 billion is non-voter-approved debt, and is part of the city's overall $14.4 billion debt. While the Van Nuys Civic Center is the major non-voter-approved project affected by the debt situation, a $168 million, voter-approved library bond faces similar scrutiny, Comrie said. And other projects stand to be reviewed in the future. Estimates for the Van Nuys project were prepared by the city's Department of General Services and a member of the Voit Co. team, which would be the project's developer. A $15 million proposal would renovate part of the old Van Nuys City Hall, while a $54 million plan would include a new office and commercial complex. Dan Rosenfeld, the city's asset manager, said it is critical that the Van Nuys project moves forward soon to take advantage of low interest rates and to solve the problem of city workers scattered Scattered Used for listed equity securities. Unconcentrated buy or sell interest. at 15 locations, some in trailers. His staff is recommending that Voit Co. be authorized to go ahead with a 154,000-square-foot building, to include a one-stop constituent service center. Restoring a landmark The 66-year-old landmark City Hall's first two floors would be restored, and a 285-space underground parking garage would be built. ``Our facility services to the Valley are inadequate,'' Rosenfeld said. ``The buildings are old and hard to find. The service simply isn't up to the level the public deserves, and the public knows it. ``The only place services are consolidated is in the Yellow Pages.'' Rosenfeld said he's concerned that the city's focus on its debt policy will mean losing an opportunity to move forward on a project that eventually will reduce the city's operating costs operating costs npl → gastos mpl operacionales . Robert Voit, a major developer of Warner Center and other Valley properties, could not be reached for comment about the impact on his Civic Center plans. Broader issues Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski Cindy Miscikowski represented the 11th District on the Los Angeles City Council for two full terms from 1997 through 2005. Previously, she was an aide to Councilman Marvin Braude and the Executive Director of the Skitball Cultural Center in its beginning stages. , whose district includes the Civic Center, said the Van Nuys project should not drive the city's debt debate. Added Valley Councilman Richard Alarcon, ``I don't believe the discussion of moving forward on the Van Nuys project should be a major part of the consideration on whether or not we should increase the debt when there are much broader issues.'' For instance, the city is considering proposing $650 million or more in new debt for police and fire stations and libraries. Councilman Michael Feuer Michael Feuer (1958-)[1] is a Californian politician and lawyer. He now represents the 42nd Assembly District which includes Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and part of Los Angeles in the California State Assembly. He was elected in 2006 on the Democratic ticket. , who introduced the moratorium motion, said that while he supports the Van Nuys Civic Center renovation, it's still unclear whether it should be financed with more debt. ``The question of whether we can afford it is what's on What's On (Traditional Chinese: 熒幕八爪娛) is a weekly half-hour TV series that airs on Fairchild Television. Format Originally started in 1996, the show is currently the longest-running program in Fairchild Television history. the board,'' he said. Valley Councilwoman Laura Chick said that while the debt has to be dealt with, the Van Nuys center should not be the ``breaking point on this issue.'' |
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