JMB Realty owns the SunAmerica skyscraper at Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars, and plans to build the 37-story Century City Center on open land at that intersection. The subway station at Constellation would run almost to the lobbies of those two highrises. Another JMB skyscraper, formerly called the MGM Tower, is a half-block away.
JMB's alliance with Villaraigosa dates to 2006, when the Weekly reported that the mayor received $100,000 from the firm to spend on his Committee for Government Excellence and Accountability. At the time, Villaraigosa's committee was lobbying the California Legislature for a new law giving him veto power over the hiring and firing of the L.A. Unified School District superintendent. Villaraigosa's bold and bitterly fought education reform was found unlawful by a judge.
Two years later, Judd Malkin and Neil Bluhm sponsored a June 3, 2008, fundraiser with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to help finance Villaraigosa's mayoral re-election campaign. JMB's event for Villaraigosa in Chicago raked in nearly $96,000, with Malkin's and Bluhm's employees, family members and associates contributing heavily.
Nobody knows how the proposal came about to spend an extra $60 million so that Century City could have a subway stop at Constellation Boulevard. But the estimated extra cost is significant, given that numerous less-powerful cities are being told by Metro that there is no way to pay for many of their own $10 million to $50 million projects from the half-cent sales tax approved by voters. The city of Hawthorne, for example, wanted $52 million for a badly needed auxiliary lane on the 405.
On Oct. 15, 2009, three months after Villaraigosa took office for a second four-year term, Century City's heavy hitters asked for a private meeting with Metro staffers Jody Litvak and David Mieger, to discuss their desire for a subway stop on Constellation Boulevard. Litvak is the Westside Subway community relations manager and Mieger is the planning project director.
Century City chamber president Susan Bursk, a former deputy for ex–L.A. City Councilman Jack Weiss, had met with Litvak four months earlier. Now, Bursk brought along executives from JMB Realty, Next Century Associates, Westfield Corporation and other major Century City land holders. Two aides for L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz, whose district includes Century City, also were present.
No records were kept of what was said. Although government staff were present, Metro spokesman Rick Jager says no audio or video tapes exist of the meeting — and strangely, neither do written notes, which are usual for such meetings.
One bit of information was preserved, however: a brief notation in the Metro log maintained for all Metro meetings. It states that Bursk and her associates "generally favored [a] Constellation station."
Litvak insists to the Weekly that the idea for a Constellation station was generated at public hearings, and was being studied by Metro months before the unrecorded meeting.
Fifteen days after the private sit-down, Villaraigosa publicly unveiled his "30/10" plan to convince the Obama administration and Congress to loan Metro billions of dollars so L.A. could jump-start the Subway to the Sea and other rail projects, finishing in 10 years instead of 30. (No longer the Subway to the Sea, the Westside Subway extension stops miles short of Santa Monica Beach at Westwood and thus would take 23 years, not 30, to build without upfront federal loans.)
After that, the civic cheerleading was in full force.
"If Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has his way," an Oct. 30, 2009, Los Angeles Times article gushed, "Los Angeles County will soon embark on a commuter rail–building boom the likes of which the region has never seen."
Beverly Hills leaders were never informed that the Constellation option to tunnel under the high school campus was under study in early 2009 — yet they met with Metro staff on 10 or more occasions starting in 2007. Still in the dark in August 2009, the Beverly Hills City Council approved recommendations from its mass-transit committee to support a subway line through Beverly Hills that ran beneath Wilshire Boulevard, then switched to Santa Monica Boulevard to run beside Century City.
"A route underneath the high school was never mentioned," says Beverly Hills Mass Transit Committee member Ken Goldman, who's also president of the Southwest Beverly Hills Homeowners Association.
Councilman John Mirisch says Metro leaders "baited the entire community to support the subway by getting them involved, and then switched [the subway route] when political forces got involved."
Sarah Shaw, a general manager at JMB, again met privately with Jody Litvak in March 2010, and a month later Beverly Hills leaders began to hear rumors that Metro was considering a different route.
Brief notes in a Metro log show that Shaw and Litvak discussed "Century City station & alignments." The log says Villaraigosa's ability to nail down a federal loan for his "30/10" concept could help skyscraper owners JMB build their 37-story tower. "Given the economy," wrote Litvak, JMB's leaders "don't know when they would start. If 30/10 happens, construction lay down is a possibility."
At the time, Villaraigosa had grown somewhat obsessed with obtaining the federal loan to build the subway in 10 years. On April 20, 2010, as President Obama was preparing to leave Los Angeles after a visit to Southern California, Villaraigosa rushed to meet him on the tarmac at LAX. He later told news crews covering the president's trip that he hadn't gotten a promise for 30/10 funds — but Obama had appraised Villaraigosa as someone who is "indefatigable and won't take no for an answer."
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The focus on high school remodel is not where the focus should be, the focus should be on safety factors, we are on a water table, gas and oil. There are areas under ground of community emergency shelters. These two points are not often brought to the attention of those making the decisions. Or does it not matter?
It seems like a no-brainer to me. Santa Monica Blvd is a heavily traveled thoroughfare and is a State Highway. It makes infinite sense to me that the subway stop should be on Santa Monica Blvd, not on Constellation. For those who work in Century City and use the subway (minimal) they should easily be able to walk the one block to Santa Monica Blvd. To tunnel under the high school makes to sense. This is clearly a diversion from the original plan just to satisfy JMB, a major donor to Mayor Villaraigosa. If one is going to build the subway, and I contend that it shouldn't be built, it should be on Santa Monica, not under the high school. I contend that it shouldn't be built because it will have zero affect on traffic conditions and will cost hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. Why are we spending that money on something that will not have a beneficial effect on traffic? Nuts!
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Sony laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, PennyJump.com
Right, the business people and residents in the uber expensive high-rises are the perfect target group for use of the subways. Like they'd ever really use it. BH is just doing what it always does, protecting its own little world without acknowledging there's a bigger one surrounding it.
The Los Angeles Planning Commision is in bed with the developers and the City Council members are in a rush to try to make their mark on the city with no regard to the residential areas that abut these developments.
The lack of the Enviromental Impact report is plaguing a development known as The Distric Square at Rodeo and Crenshaw where a 60 foot concrete parking structure will be less than 10 feet from one story, small single family residences.
We attempted to appeal the project as the neighborhood group most impacted by the development and they used Nate Holden to try to sway my neighbors in their direction. Nate Holden was one of the worst, most patronizing City Officials ever.
Our councilman for the 10th district, Herb Wesson, is even worse. Herb Wesson is always looking to grease palms and get his picture in the paper. His office and the planning commision have yet to produce a traffic mitgation proposal, even though my neighborhood will be impacted by the light rail, the metro and the new bus/train line proposed to run on Crenshaw and the additional of a 600+ capacity parking structure for Target and Ralphs. My street, Norton Avenue, is regularly used as a bypass shortcut for Crenshaw with crazed drivers speeding upwards of 60 miles an hour down our residential streets to try to avoid traffic at Crenshaw and Rodeo. With the light rail, this will prove to be a HUGE problem. I did attempt to fight City Hall. Apparently, they are doing all these projects under the radar of the normal citizens who really don't understand the process. We did not receive due notice to review the project or any other mailed notices, and we are the ones that will have this looming eyesore in our backyard. Corrupt! Where there is money in the millions to be made to you think they actually care about our little neighborhoods?Lori HigginsConcerned Citizens of Norton Avenuelori.higgins@gmail.com
oh, boo hoo! poor little beverly hills high school can't make the big bad MTA move their annoying subway line that will serve millions of riders for the next 100 years....so that they can build a subterranean parking garage (to presumably park all those bmw 3 series that mommy and daddy leased junior for getting straight Bs)? are you kidding me?? that is pretty much where i stopped reading this incredibly NIMBY piece of community 'journalism'. beverly hills is everything that's wrong with america. hey patrick 'range' mcdonald - guess what?? we don't really give a f*ck what beverly hills wants. they're lucky that pos high school isn't bulldozed in the process. eminent domain 1 - beverly hills 0.
BH did not support the original Red Line in the 1980s and quickly jump on the wagon to stop it as soon as it had a chance. BH and Cheviot Hill residents constantly complained about the extension of the Expo line as well. And the most recent example of NIMBYism is BH blocking the dedicated bus lanes.
BH recently blocked dedicated bus lanes.
Subway is worth the expense in some areas because of high density traffic and geographical reasons. Also, you would have to buy additional right of ways which are very expensive to do at this point. Metro tries, whenever it can, to use existing right of ways that they already own but are not in use.
Also, with Subways you can run cars more often and faster. Not the case with light rail because of intersections and cross traffic.
This "journalist" doesn't know what he's talking about. The subway will be close to 100 feet underground beneath the rear part of the sports field. Build an underground parking structure? Really? You know how expensive that is? Just build an above ground unit if you really need it which I doubt considering the school has been around for decades and I doubt the enrollment or staff has grown such to justify building it.
You should have done your homework and taken a poll of how many Angelenos would prefer a station directly beneath Century City or on Santa Monica. The overwhelming majority would pick directly underneath. It's also the cheaper and straighter alignment.
What about the fault line that runs along Santa Monica Blvd. in that area?
Beverly Hills has historically blocked public transit projects for social status reasons. The latest being blocking the dedicated bus lanes in BH. It's ridiculous that you'll have dedicated bus lanes from downtown LA up to the BH border, they disappear, and then appear again on the other side of the BH border. Their crying about the subway under the sports field of their pricey privilege high school is selfish, arrogant, and short sighted.
At this late stage in the game, I would prefer that Metro bypass Century City and BH altogether and use the money that would have gone to subway stations in those two cities to move the line that much closer to the beach. Extend the Subway pass the VA two more stations.
Nate Holden is a moron. It's a shame how this deadbeat ex-councilman who never lived in his own district got a great building dedicated to him that the city cannot even afford to use. If this retread had any civic pride or dignity, he would donate a portion of his retirement to help operate and program the Art Center on Washington for the people that he screwed over for years. He has no right to renig on his promise from ten years ago or lie about the Sears building at Midtown to be an obstruction; it never was. That building was an historic art deco icon that was raped repeatedly by his office for multi-faceted swap meet, low-rent retail hoodwinkery until the last bits of it were finally demolished. Midtown Sears, in its glory, was a landmark where you could sit on the roof and overlook most of the entire city, East, North, and West. Neighbors to the South could do the same because IT WAS NOT IN THE WAY of their view to the North. Not at all. You could see clear over it in all directions. Holden is lying through his chipped dentures when he denies this FACT. As was expclaimed in his last election "No more Holden on!" Why would you even quote this liar?? Oh. that's right. You are the LA Weekly.
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Sony laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, PennyJump.com
A revival of rail transit in southern California interests me enough that I've attended most Metro scoping meetings for years. The endlessly outrageously high costs of today's construction projects rob what little hope there is. Among many other things, hopefully some of us have prompted them to build the current "revised locally preferred alternative" under the Japanese Village Plaza for the Regional Connector.
In all the years I've been to Metro meetings of all different kinds, the subway's project director, Mr. Mieger, has been the most gentle, kindest and most respectful person on any side, a true credit to Metro and his profession. He justly deserves no retribution.
For years the Santa Monica Fault has played a major factor at public subway meetings that seems to predate any overt involvement of JMB Realty in the now Westside-But-No-Longer-To-The-Sea-Subway. I wonder how Mr. McDonald feels the fault zone figures into this story.http://la.curbed.com/archives/...
Dave Frevele
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Sony laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, PennyJump.com
One wonders why it is the L.A. Downtown News has nearly no opinion of all the CRA's scandals, from stealing $1 billion, to Eli Broad, to removing tens of thousands of rent-controlled apartments and replacing them with over-priced condos (which have since been reverted to rented spaces) to this latest scandal.
Oh, wait, the DTLA News did write a piece about the CRA: "More Cleantech Disappointment." (http://www.ladowntownnews.com/... However, after apologizing profusely for the CRA's bad luck and all that, apparently there was little room to offer copy on what the CRA is really doing to Los Angeles, and with stolen taxpayers' funds.
In 1947 Walter Lippman complained about how the Commission on Freedom of the Press proposed "that the members of the press engage in vigorous, mutual criticism," responding that "[his] conclusion is that the hard feelings it causes are all out of proportion to the public benefit it causes." Having seen what half-century of restraint has allowed, what has become "out of proportion" is the collusion between corrupt government agencies and certain mouthpieces.
Perhaps it is time to ignore Lippman's adherence to the fellowship and expose the "news"papers that have strayed too far to be brought back. The CRA might not have been so successful if the weekly rag that is in its bag yard—and perhaps the agency's back pocket—had long ago been mindful of the public benefit.
Do your homework, journalist: the existing Wilshire subway would be extended from WESTERN AVENUE, not VERMONT AVENUE. Subway trains have been operating under Wilshire Boulevard westward to Western for over fifteen years, you idiot! Your mistake shows exactly how familiar you are with the reality of mass transit between Downtown L.A. and the west side. However, credit must be given where credit is due: at least you didn't stick your third rate journo nose up the asses of the rampant egos in charge of the Bus Riders Union.
The issue of a supposed threat to sacred Bev Hills High School is just a false issue, is a cudgel for convenient use by so many BH egos full to the brim with themselves.
If there indeed were to be an actual physical threat, the geologic strata could easily be injected with cement as hold-fast while tunneling is conducted. That was the case beneath 12 story office buildings in Downtown L.A. on the first phase of the Redline. I once ran a branch office across the street from the Beverly Wilshire Hotel; believe me, the area and too many of its citizens are simply full of bullshit. This issue of preserving sacred Bev Hills High School is nothing more than an opportunity for these assholes to flare their nostrils. One would think that they'd be happy to have SO MANY MTA red buses eliminated from that jammed thoroughfare called Wilshire Boulevard. But regional transit efficiency doesn't matter to them; their elite superiority must remain front and center, issue number one.
Thank you, Weekly, for saying it like it is. Beverly Hills has always supported the Metro effort...until there was a "bait and switch" and suddenly a much more expensive route which, for no logical reason, was to go under a 100 year old high school in need of renovation. Money speaks...but there will be years of opposition to this. Why not take the logical and less expensive way out and stop on Santa Monica Boulevard?
That's not true. BH did not support the original Red Line Subway, And between BH and Cheviot Hills, have put up delay after delay to the extension of the Expo line. And more recently blocked the dedicated bus lanes in BH.
This article has "backstage" aspects that interest me greatly. I'm so concerned the revival of rail transit in southern California that I've been attended most Metro scoping meetings for years. Among many other things, hopefully some of us have prompted them to build the current "revised locally preferred alternative" under the Japanese Village Plaza for the Regional Connector. The endlessly astronomical costs are the greatest burden to our hopes. In all the years I've been to Metro meetings of all different kinds, Mr. Mieger has been the most gentle, kindest and most respectful person on any side, a true credit to Metro and his profession. I hope nothing bad is now going to happen to him. For years the Santa Monica Fault has seemed to predate any overt involvement of JMB Realty in the now-Westside-Subway-no-longer-To-The-Sea). I'll get in touch with Mr. McDonald but feel that others may want his take on how it figures into his article.
http://la.curbed.com/archives/...
Dave Frevele
The question nobody is asking is why, in a city which is perfect in so many ways for buses and streetcars, are we talking about a subway? For the cost of the subway, we could flood this city with frequent, reliable bus service in dedicated lanes at regular intervals. Streetcars could be used on some high density routes. No, it would not be sexy, and maybe rich white people will never take them (let them choke in their cars), but it would provide a true alternative.
Finally an article that connects all the dots. The story is as old as humankind just follow the money. This is another example of elected officials and large developers taking advantage of the tax payers for their own beat interest. In the case of the politicians it is money and support to future their political careers or secure employment after they leave office. For the developers it is all about the profit. Now those who support Century City developers based in Chicago and their surrogates resort to school yard tactic of name calling. Litigators will say that when you cannot argue the law argue the facts, when facts are not with you attack the person. The Constellation alignment is not supported by the facts so they are attacking Beverly Holls.
Contrary to all these people who just want to trash BH:1. Beverly Hills long ago officially supported the westside extension. That was before Metro switched locations for the Century City station at the behest of CC landowners who simply want to increase their property values. So BH is NOT anti-subway. The High School is the City's only high school and major disaster center. If something happens (construction accident, construction defect, subsidence, etc etc--as has happened elsewhere) it shouldn't be designed to happen under a high school with 2,500 kids and teachers. There is a very good reason why--if Metro did tunnel under BHHS--it would be the ONLY high school in the County (and probably the state) to have a subway tunnel directly under it (contrary to what one of the commentators here incorrectly stated); that ought to tell you something about subways under schools! In addition, it would immeasurably impact the School District's ability to modernize an 85-year old school.2. The people in BH are not NIMBYs and do not want to "keep people out" (despite all the really nasty comments to the contrary). There will be TWO subway stations in BH. That's hardly "NIMBYism."3. Putting the station at Santa Monica (instead of moving it to Constellation) will decidedly NOT stop construction of the westside extension (as several commentators here have said). In fact, construction time will be quicker AND it will cost Metro $60 Million LESS to build the CC station on Santa Monica Blvd. CC landlowners want you and I and Metro to spend $60M more just to make their properties closer to the station and therefore more valuable.4. CC and some of the commentators here make a station at Santa MOnica Blvd sound like it would be the end of the world. It's only ONE BLOCK (along one, but one block). (One commentator here tried to persuade readers that it was the equivalent of 4 blocks. Total nonsense, unless you're secribing Legoland.) And Metro could easily span the one block by a moving sidewalk as in every major subway station and airport in the world. 5. Again, one commentator wants to imply that the author and othes are somehow on BH's payroll. BH has been forced to spend money on engineers and lawyers and others to protect their only high school. Unlike apparently JMB's and others' political contributions, none has gone to the campaigns of the Metro directors!6. The author did a monumental amount of thoughtful research and writing for this article. Those who are trashing him and the LA Weekly simply don't like the conclusions that he came to after talking to, and endlessly researching, BOTH sides.
Those who want to argue the other way, OK. That's reasonable. But don't go trashing the author and BH and its residents just because they have a different point of view.
These anti-progress job and development people infuriate me. There is an implied premise that these homes are somehow entitled to a view of the Hollywood Hills. WHY? This is not a community with an even implied vista. It is a typical neighborhood in the middle of city that "happened" to have a view of the Hollywood Hill because there was an essentially vacant lot across the street. If the house at the corner of my neighborhood were not there I would have a beautiful view of downtown - so what! A view does not prohibit the enjoyment of the beautiful pool that is prominently featured in this picture. This project will provide a much needed service in the community - jobs and a local home improvement place with a greater selection than the osh across the street. It is too bad a Costco is not planned (to my knowledge). It would be great not to send our tax dollars to all other neighboring communities than our own. If these people were smart they would have simply asked for a landscaping stipend for their backyards. Plant a tall hedge or better yet - let the CIM group paint the view of the Hills that you lost. It is Hollywood after all.
A "people-mover" like the ones in most major airports would protect Century City riders from having to exert themselves by walking from the Santa Monica Station.
Beverly Hills High School is the designated "emergency center" for our community - the place to report in the event of a disaster.
An earlier plan to tunnel under Good Shepherd School was quickly squelched by Mayor Villagarosa's relationship with the Diocese.
One entrance to a subway? That is woefully inadequate if it becomes necessary to leave the site quickly.
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Ah, another Patrick Range MacDonald anti-transit article, eating out of Wendell Cox's crazy cake (though in this article, he does come across pretty well). You depress me, LAWeekly. No wonder you are so irrelevant. I laugh every time PRM manages to mention that subways don't reduce traffic congestion. (Basically) true. But you know what also doesn't reduce traffic congestion? Building new roads and freeway lanes. Look at the studies of the 405 expansion, for example. It's been all over the news. Stop taking the attitude that you are somehow being scammed by Metro, and that you are somehow so much more versed in transit expertise than those people over there who are professional transit planners. It may surprise readers of this particular article, but there actually are logical reasons to put the station on constellation avenue. You are completely dismissive of that logic, you don't even address its existence. I'm not even saying their right- I don't personally care either way as long as the damn thing gets built- but I am saying there are legitimate arguments to be made which are totally lost in an unending sea of glib righteousness. You would think this is watergate or something. The Metro staff is completely comprised!!! Don't believe the EIR!!! Please.
The main problem with the whole article is proved right here on the comment board. You make it sound like Beverly HIlls' only reason to protest is because the subway might prevent them from building an underground parking lot for their children's beamers. The absurdity of this "problem" aside (PRM seems to take it at face value), this has just not been born out in the public hearings on the situation, or on the comments here on the comment board. The REAL concern of Beverly Hills parents are issues of FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) about a subway and the supposed danger of tunneling under a high school. Because subways are so unsafe, or something. Of course, this fear is totally irrational, there are tunnels under schools all over the place, and subways exist perfectly safely in all kinds of earthquake prone cities of the world, and have proven to be very safe places to be indeed in an Earthquake. (it wasn't BART that collapsed in the Loma Prietta quake in Oakland, remember.) But the problem for PRM is this argument doesn't fit his agenda: to make the people he wants to make look good and like victims look good and like victims, and to make Metro and it's ivory-tower planners look evil, corrupt, and dismissive.
That LAWeekly could even publish an article that accepts without question the narrative that Beverly Hills is a victim of anything kind of makes me wonder if they've lost a little touch with the city they're supposedly covering. Not to mention their alternative-press roots.
So according to Phelps, by fiat, it is simply impossible that anything negative, unjust or unfair ever be visited upon Beverly Hills. To me, this suggests that Phelps has simply eaten up the stereotype of Beverly Hills, with skin, hair and all. He suggests there are "valid" arguments for the Constellation station, yet simply dismisses all of the arguments used by Beverly Hills as irrational, fear-based nonsense.
While there have been irrational arguments on both sides, the main arguments that I and others representing Beverly Hills have made are based on pure logic and common sense. Respect for the LPA, local control, choosing the least expensive, least intrusive viable route, consistency of criteria, as well as the impacts to the City's only high school are arguments which we have made from the beginning. As well as the fact that many of us are allergic to bait-and-switch maneuvers. Add to this Metro's own ridership projections and the increased travel time of the Constellation alignment, and where is any semblance of "logic" on the Constellation route, other than the, in transit terms, meaningless buzzwords "the center of the center"? You want to keep repeating that you have to build a station in "the center of the center"? Fine -- lose the VA station, which isn't in the center of anything, and build the Westwood station in the "center of the center" of Westwood. Consistency of criteria is certainly one of the definitions of logic.
Metro's staff may be technically brilliant, but their bosses are ultimately politicians, who are subject to the kind of influence Mr. McDonald illuminates in his article. To suggest otherwise is to be woefully naive of business-as-usual in the development world of the LA region.
While Phelps seems to suggest that an "alternative roots" publication, by definition, needs to stick it to BH, because BH is BH, good journalists know that "the man isn't always the man." You want to "stick it to the man," fine, but be sure that you can definitively say the schoolchildren are the "man" you want to be sticking it to rather than developers and their political cronies. And back that up with a little credible information, as well.
The fact, plain and simple, is that tunneling under the high school could limit future growth, renovation, refurbishment and development at the high school. In perpetuity. And all for the sake of the property values of Century City developers. This isn't about a specific garage, but about a campus which serves 2000 kids and which is about half the size it should be under current CDE regulations. Any restrictions on what can and can't be built above the tunnels will unnecessarily tie the hands of the Community forever to make the most out of a location which is going to have to serve future generations of Beverly Hills schoolchildren.
LA Weekly has understood that by not sticking to the script that the Century City PR flacks have been trying to sell as "factual," a script that attempts to make Beverly Hills seem unreasonable and irrational, they are doing the entire region a tremendous service by shining a light on facts and connections which represent the inconvenient truths for many of those in LA's Insiders' Club. Guessing that's just one of the reasons Mr. McDonald recently was named Journalist of the Year by the LA Press Club.
ISN'T IT ENOUGH THAT WE HAVE AN OIL COMPANY TUNNELING BENEATH THE BEVERLY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL AND HUNDREDS OF OUR HOMES COVERING SEVERAL MILES. IN OUR "EARTHQUAKE" LAND IN BEVERLY HILLS, HOW CAN DIGGING AND DRILLING BE A GOOD THING. MY GRANDFATHER WAS AN EARLY BUILDER IN BEVERLY HILLS, SO I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE WHOLE AREA. "WE" DO NOT WANT A SUBWAY IN OUR LITTLE TOWN. WE ARE A UNIQUE SMALL AND FAMOUS CITY.....PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US.AS A PROUD GRADUATE OF BEVERLY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL AND A LONG TIME PROPERTY OWNER, PLEASE LISTEN TO OUR PLEA FOR SANITY. THANK YOU
You're crazy. An oil company? Also, it may surprise you that there are subways in many of the worlds earthquake zones, and they are one of the safest places you can be. Mexico City, Tokyo, etc.
Very complete story with all the "delicious" background info. There's a fight coming up and it's going to make Ali-Frazier seem like a minor sideshow!
Thanks for the article. This is the first article I have read on the subject which did not dismiss the concerns of Beverly Hills parents. We do not want to put our children at risk nor do we want to remove our ability to adapt to the future needs of our children.
Excellent article. A great example of investigative reporting. Follow the money...it leads to politicians who will sell their votes to the highest bidder (donor). There is every good, logical, cost-effective, community-supporting reason to favor the Santa Monica Blvd. route. But Beverly Hills residents don't vote in L.A. City elections, and their reasoned arguments are ignored by Villaraigosa and the MTA staff, whose minds are made up, bought and paid for by Century City developers.
CIM's trying to look innocent during all of this. They must have paid someone off to get the plans through building & safety and planning departments.
This project is 10 years old, so the city must have been pressuring CIM to get something up and running. To add, the city approved them a loan May of last year. And all they have to show for it is a giant wall to cover up the residents' view of the Hollywood Hills.
Andrew has hit the nail on the head. There is a project over on Edinbourgh and Willoughby. It was a four story density bonus nightmare. To "protect" the single family homeowners behind this four story monster building, the City Planning Commission imposed a number of protective provisions.When the developer revised the plans to omit the protections imposed by the Planning Commission, and submitted the plans for Planning sign off, Kevin Keller signed the plans even though the new floor plan shows "enhancements" not allowed by the Planning Commission.
An appeal was filed and Kevin Keller started recusing himself from the room whenever the appeal was heard. Why is Keller recusing himself? What ties does Keller have to the private development project he oversaw? Is there a state conflict of interest violation? Should the FBI expand its investigation of Building and Safety to include the Planning Department.
What a tragic commentary on our society, when big business takes precedence over the welfare and safety of our children. I support the city of Beverly Hills fighting this to the very end.Please tell Zev, and Villaraigosa not to come to Beverly Hills asking for future campaign donations.
Are you kidding? The common person in Los Angeles wants the subway at Constellation. Go to the meetings. This isn't developers shouting for Constellation..this is workforce people. This article is slanted by a PR campaign that Beverly Hills has paid $350K to promote Santa Monica boulevard over Constellation to protect their high school. Please read the facts before passing judgement. This article and the LA Weekly are doing very biased reporting.
By "workforce people," you undoubtedly mean the employees who attended the pro-Constellation press conference and who were ordered to attend by their employers...
Talk about bias, of course everyone agrees, the century city metro station committee contains Century City Developers and Century City Chamber of Commerce people. There is no one from Beverly Hills on the committee. The issue is not where the station should be but where the route should be. The committee has totally ignored that issue.
It is so easy to divert attention by blaming Beverly Hills and resorting to elementary school tactics of name calling but the facts are the facts and they can be found at www.centurycitysubway.org. This article and its author should be commended for taking on the powers that be and speaking the truth about the real motivation for the bait and switch from Santa Monica Blvd. to Constellation. It is the same old story, follow the money. Litigators will tell you that when they are aruging a case to first argue the law, when the law is not on your side, argue the facts, when the facts are not on your side, attack the person, in this case the supporters of Constellation attack the people of Beverly Hills becasue the law and the facts are not on their side.
Thank you for an exceptional, in depth, accurate, report on the misguided attempt by Century City developers to re-route the subway under Beverly Hills High School.Barry AlexanderBeverly Hills Ca
No! This is common everyday people in LA wanting Constellation boulevard as the station. Draw a circle around Century City and the center is Constellation...not Santa Monica boulevard. Plus, developers would love a Santa Monica boulevard station because it opens the golf course for more development (open land). Don't believe this biased reporting.
I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, PennyJump.com
Let's not forget the piece entitled "Touchy MTA Defends Antonio Villaraigosa's $9-Billion Subway to the Sea Rip-Off, Slams L.A. Weekly For Alerting Public" published last September bore Mr. McDonald's name as well. Never mind the sensationalist tone, the current price tag is $5.3B NOT $9B...
Obviously Mr. McDonald and The Weekly have little credibility. But it should be noted that in addition to his poor journalistic habit of only quoting so-called "experts" that support his editorial POV, he fails to mention 2 key facts relevant to the story.
First, describing the distance in question as one or two blocks as has variously been done is misleading. It is actually just under a quarter mile which in Manhattan terms is actually 4-5 (uptown) blocks. Thus anyone seeking to enhance the pedestrian experience in CC would obviously choose the Constellation site. Not that it is necessarily the better site or will attract more ridership but the fact that there are many constituents (in addition to just JMB) that support the Constellation location for this reason is indisputable. Yes, LA is a pay to play town and residents have every right to be cynical of City Hall/mega-developer ties but that fact doesn't in itself negate the validity of a Constellation stop.
Secondly, Mr. McDonald fails to mention that the BHSD only trotted out the underground parking garage argument recently. When news first broke that Metro was seriously considering the Constellation stop there was no mention of an underground parking garage from BHSD but rather ridiculous grasping at straws arguments such as potential damage to the high school or possible terrorist threats. Parents were making absurd arguments that the project threatened their children's lives and the like. Under the tutelage of PR firms and legal counsel BHSD has gotten smarter now is trying to appear rational focusing the argument on impacts to future development plans. This omitted fact fact however seriously undermines the credibility of BHSD's current argument.
Mr. McDonald raises some potentially valid concerns about the ties between the Mayor, JMB, and the Metro board. But given that many of the facts that could determine which station is preferable are as yet indeterminate be it cost, ridership projections, earthquake fault risk, or whatever, this type of reportage does nothing to advance the debate in a rational and objective fashion.
Amazing how far the Weekly has strayed form its roots...
Not sure why you should take New York uptown blocks as the measure of all things. You might as well take crosstown blocks, and the distance in question in Century City is approximately the same as one NYC crosstown block. Or, locally, about the same as the distance on Grand between Temple and 1st in downtown LA.
While there have been irrational arguments on both sides (one frequent argument for Constellation is "Let's stick it to the BH NIMBY's," which considering that Beverly Hills has two stations within its borders is about as irrational as can be), the City of Beverly Hills and the schools have always made the argument that the less intrusive, less expensive route makes the most sense, as it also respects the LPA and the principles of local control. To suggest that the Santa Monica station is not viable -- indeed, a number of self-styled "transit advocates" have seriously tried to compare this with the Green Line missing LAX -- is simply rhetorical nonsense.
The fact that the district's consultants have pointed out the impacts on future campus development, and that the District is now responding to this information by making further arguments does not make the other arguments less credible. However, this latest realization that the ability to develop the site will be restricted forever in the event of tunneling gives an even stronger reason for the City and school to resist the Constellation alignment. Quite rightly, neither the City nor the District sees why the ability of the school district to serve future generations of children on a campus which is already undersized should be compromised, especially when there is another viable route. This is neither irrational nor unreasonable, particularly given the background of the decision-making process which Mr. McDonald has shed so much light on.
You suggest that McDonald's illumination of some of the ties between the decision-makers and the developers is a valid exercise, yet that it's premature to draw any conclusions since we don't have all the information. This is exactly one of McDonald's points (and one I've made previously) and calls into question the subsequent reports and FEIR: if the decision-makers have prejudged the matter and have a vested interest in the outcome, how can the "facts" which emerge be trusted? As I wrote on Huffington Post, there's politics and there's company politics, and the staff of Metro is not stupid. They know what their bosses want and there is every reason to suspect that they will try to deliver. This, of course, calls into question the entire process, and it is one of the reasons why in order to avoid being railroaded and in order to protect its interests Beverly Hills may be forced to resort to an array of various methods. It's most unfortunate, as most people in Beverly Hills, I believe, would like to support the subway extension and the 30-10 ("America Fast Forward") plan, but certainly not at the expense of sacrificing the City's one-and-only, highly valued high school.
Thanks for the input everyone. I look forward to seeing more discussion on the matter.
Take care,Patrick Range McDonald,LA Weekly
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