COUNCIL ANGERED OVER PROJECT OK BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS ACTION AT ISSUE.Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer In a battle over turf and authority, the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. voted Tuesday to consider overruling o·ver·rule tr.v. o·ver·ruled, o·ver·rul·ing, o·ver·rules 1. a. To disallow the action or arguments of, especially by virtue of higher authority: a Board of Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. decision that gave permits to a controversial El Sereno hillside subdivision after the council put the development on hold for more study. The vote involves a 25-home project on one of the last major swaths of open space in Northeast 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. , but the unanimous decision A Unanimous Decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all 3 judges agree on which fighter won the match. to assert jurisdiction touches on long-simmering frustration among some council members that commissions and department heads answer more to the mayor than the council. "There are times we've discussed on council floor ... the tensions we've felt and at times the disregard, if not disrespect, from city department heads, from city staff, in how they respond to this council," Councilman Ed Reyes Ed P. Reyes has served on the Los Angeles City Council since April 2001. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Councilmember Reyes represents many of the neighborhoods he grew up in including Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. said. "This instance is a reflection of that type of disregard for our priorities as council members." Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents El Sereno, said he was angry that the mayor-appointed Board of Public Works appeared to ignore the council's decision in June to deny permits for the Elephant Hill development until a new environmental study is completed. The board voted to "not only contradict con·tra·dict v. con·tra·dict·ed, con·tra·dict·ing, con·tra·dicts v.tr. 1. To assert or express the opposite of (a statement). 2. To deny the statement of. See Synonyms at deny. but flout flout v. flout·ed, flout·ing, flouts v.tr. To show contempt for; scorn: flout a law; behavior that flouted convention. See Usage Note at flaunt. v.intr. the City Council by allowing the developer to move forward," Huizar said. "I hope we can send a strong message that after the council has decided -- a council that is the ultimate decision-making body in the city -- that that action is taken seriously." But Board of Public Works officials said they weren't ignoring the council. They said they were just following the advice of the city attorney, who said the developer had all the needed approvals and that staff must OK permits to begin grading and building the subdivision streets -- without further study. "We do respect the council's decision as policymakers for the citizens of Los Angeles," said Public Works spokeswoman Tonya Durrell. Indeed the Planning Department, city attorney and Bureau of Engineering have all warned the council that the city doesn't have the authority to stop the development. The council approved the environmental report for the project in 1992, and a final map for 25 homes on 15 acres was OK'd in 2004. The developer, Monterey Hills Investors, applied for the first permits to begin building the subdivision in 2006, which is when Huizar and the community called for more analysis because the original environmental study was so old. In June, the council voted to require a supplemental environmental study, and the developer sued the city over the delays in issuing permits. "I'm just curious what makes the (council) think, with all due respect, that they know better?" said attorney Ben Reznik, who represents the developer. "Every department has looked at this inside-outside." But the council has listened to advice from lawyers with the Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a New York City-based, non-profit non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing. Founded in 1970, NRDC today has 1. and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1979 and dedicated to the acquisition of land in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills, north and west of Los Angeles, for preservation as open , who argue the Elephant Hill project expanded beyond what was studied in the old reports approved by council in the 1990s, and so the city can stop the project. The council has 21 days to reconsider and vote on whether to veto the Board of Public Works decision to issue the permits. kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com (213) 978-0390 |
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