Points of the City Council Meeting on June 14

The meeting began at 5:40 PM. Both council members Pam O'Connor and Bobby Shriver were late. Closed session lasted from 5:45 PM until 6:45 PM. The consent calendar had dozens of items and one resident objected to that many. This resident criticized the council for hiring too many parking consultants at an outrageous expense. Also objecting to contracts being awarded to large campaign donors of Terry O'Day, and for not raising concern about the radiation appearing in this country as a result of the catastrophe in Japan. Another resident spoke out passionately against the rent rate increases due Sept. 1st.

Expo is expected to arrive in service at the upcoming Bergamot Village in 2015.

Resident input on the outline of the Bergamot Project ranged in scope from Heinz's prior high campaign donations to five council members, who in turn refused to recuse themselves, to Bob Holbrooke's former rude treatment of a female member of "Common Cause", during the first Bergamot Project introduction during a recent meeting. 

Terry O'Day wanted to see underground parking at the Bergamot Village which eminently makes sense.

On the continuing consent calendar agenda item #13G, Bobby Shriver explained to the public the reason for the lawsuit he and law professor Lawrence Tribe initiated against the Veterans Administration, on behalf of homeless and mentally ill combat veterans.

The VA in West LA was designated as a soldiers home in 1888.  Bobby is rightly outraged that commercial enterprises are working out of there. Though Mr. Shriver's outstanding efforts for vets is well known for many years, he admits that all the work has not yielded one more available bed in many years. The city attorney will assist in any way possible as stated by Marsha Moutrie. Council  passed the Shriver resolution unanimously.

On item #7A the Yahoo parking agreement, 16 residents asked to speak. Fifteen  of the sixteen were flatly against the agreement from which there are many by-products of and including setting a precedent of St. John's Hospital  possibly having to avoid building their 500 vehicle parking facility as they had agreed to do.

Gregg Heacock noted community activist eloquently and articulately gave convincing arguments for voting against. Another speaker called this a continuing "employee unfriendly city", as the Yahoo center which formerly charged employees no fees for parking, will charge fees now which can reach $182. per space per month. This speaker also pointed out that employees living in Pasadena etc. did not have the luxury of alternate transportation. Another resident accused the council of not enforcing developer agreements on a regular basis and raged at their incompetence.

Kevin McKeown and Bobby Shriver offerred a proposal to delay the vote until the figures were examined but they were both overruled by the five others. Many folks left so disappointed that I believe the next election will reflect the deep unhappiness felt by so many residents in the city wide organizations reflected in opposition.

Kudos to McKeown for his principled stance on this and his statements on the rent hike stated last weekend.

Shriver and O'Connor departed at 12:40 AM.

Public input was spirited as well with one resident blasting the remaining council members for the continued elimination of special needs priviledges, and handicapped opportunities for speaking early. This resident pilloried the council for not "caring what the residents thought.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:10 AM.