The Bel Air Alliance was informed earlier this week that we were denied our Preliminary Injunction on Somma Way---click here to read a copy of the Judge's Decision. It is our intention to proceed with the trial which is scheduled for July.

Among the notable points in the decision is the following:

"Fifth, it is significant that another Bel Air homeowners' organization, the Bel Air Association supports the project in return for WPG (the Defendant) agreeing to certain terms and conditions ........."

All of which were imposed at the hearing--and which were proposed by the Alliance.  This is another example of the Bel Air Association working against the interests of the residents of Somma Way and the supporters of the Alliance--and another reason why that organization needs to be taken over by our group.

You all should write to Ron Hudson--current President of the Bel Air Association (who by the way isn't even a homeowner in Bel Air--he lives in an apartment)---his email address is ronallenormolu@aol.com  and let him know how you feel--even expressing the sentiment that was expressed at our meeting for the Alliance to take over the BAA.

Mohamed Hadid allegedly has been hurling threats at the neighbor’s property manager, blaming Mr. Sebastian Garcia for the photographs of illegal work being undertaken at 901 Strada Vecchia following a stop-work order and multiple building violations. Threats prompted a call to the LAPD who took a statement from Mr. Garcia. Garcia, who has managed the property at 940 Strada Vecchia for approximately 35 years, says he was threatened several times. “On Monday, he was really mad,” said Garcia, describing Mohamed Hadid. “He thinks I’m the one who called about him. He said, ‘I’m going to work him over,’ and he is going to put me in jail.” According to Garcia, at least five times in the last two months Hadid has verbally threatened him. Workers, he said, “have followed me home. Hadid and his security guard at 901 Strada Vecchia are at issue, alleges Garcia, and Monday morning, the two apparently were not aware that Garcia’s wheelchair-bound employer and property owner, Carol Cramer, heard this tirade. She called the police. LAPD responded, said Garcia.

The ICO was carefully crafted to each neighborhood to protect sensitive areas from the impacts of Mansionization. In Bel-Air, the ICO says, “No building permit shall issue for a project in Bel-Air on a hillside area lot where the exempted grading … exceeds 6,000 cubic yards.” This temporary ordinance is meant to put a moratorium on overdevelopment while the city planners study ways to fix problems with the Baseline Hillside Ordinance. Loopholes do not allow developers to increase height, but they may excavate without restriction. Homes are thus being built two-thirds underground. They only require hauling permits to remove the dirt.

The Bel Air Homeowner’s Alliance (BAHOA) today commends the City Council’s approval of an interim control ordinance (“ICO”) aimed at controlling the over-development in many of Los Angeles historic neighborhoods including Bel Air. The ordinance prohibits the hauling of more than 6,000 cubic yards of dirt, enough to build a 6,000 square feet basement, from a single residential construction site.

“The City Council’s action today was the direct result of the Alliance’s efforts to solve this problem,” said Fred Rosen, President and CEO of the Alliance. “We are committed to implementing solutions that protect our community and its residents.”

After the due process of dozens of citizens appearances and comments before the Planning & Land Use Management Committee of the City Council in PLUM Committee hearings on February 24th and yesterday, the Committee approved an Interim Control Ordinance ("ICO") to limit import and export of soil for construction projects in Bel Air to 6,000 cubic yards, subject to various limited technical exceptions and exclusions.  This is a major move forward to ensure responsible development in Bel Air and mitigate the adverse environmental and safety impact of excessive truck traffic in our community.  This action was initiated by our Alliance through the Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council to the Western Region Association of Councils and ultimately to the City Council over the course of many months through 2014 into this year.  

Finally, after a spate of oversized, over-publicized and over-mansionized projects have focused attention on the portentous residential development in Los Angeles, the L.A. City Council has found a voice that resonates with residents and voters to stop over-building the City. Tuesday is showdown time, setting the old guard pro-development Bel-Air Association against the newly activated residents of the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance in a battle for their Bel Air neighborhood. A meeting of the Los Angeles City Planning and Land Use (PLUM) Committee Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 2:30 p.m. will consider an Interim Control Ordinance (ICO) that will limit excavation to 5,000 cubic yards of soil in Bel Air. The Bel Air Homeowners Alliance is requesting that the neighborhood show its support. “Section 3 Prohibition F. Bel Air. Notwithstanding any section of the LAMC, no building permit shall issue for a Project in Bel Air on a Hillside Area lot where the exempted grading under Section 12.21.C.1-(f)(3)(i) of the LAMC exceeds 5,000 cubic yards.”  The Bel Air Homeowners Alliance (BAHOA) sent out an email to residents, requesting that they express their support for the ICO. “The City Attorney’s office has drafted an Interim Control Ordinance (ICO) that is set to be heard by the City’s PLUM Committee . . . which, hopefully, will be followed by the City Council’s final approval. This is a major milestone. .  . The ICO will greatly aid in tightening up the loophole that existed in the Hillside Ordinance, which basically limits the building height, but failed to take into account digging down. This 5,000 cubic yard dirt removal limit will prevent developers from literally removing our hillsides as they dig their 40,000 sq. ft. basements,” said the BAHOA letter.  But the Bel-Air Association, billing itself as a homeowners advocacy group, has sent out misleading emails telling residents not to support the measure in a ‘Hail Mary’ bid to blindside the Alliance, fool residents, and bring pressure to bear at City Council for the developer’s team.

Alliance Supporters-- Your urgent help is needed-- Please click here to sign our petition TODAY (23rd February) in preparation for tomorrows Planning and Land Use Management Committee. The Alliance seeks to approve interim control ordinances #181480 and #179883 to limit excavation and hauling dirt to 5000 cubic yards for each residential project in Bel Air. Please also click here to send and automatic email to city officials supporting the Alliance's position. The email will automatically load with prefilled information... you simply have to click 'SEND' to send the email!

The Board of the Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council has motioned to approve the appointment of Maureen Levinson to the Board, replacing representation that heretofore had been reserved for the Bel-Ar Association (BAA).

Bylaws are being amended to designate the territory previously claimed by the BAA as a “district” of the Council that will be subject to public election of one Board Member by the stakeholders. 

Residents have expressed increasing disappointment with the BAA, and in the past year, there has been little, if any, support from the Association for homeowners as they battle the affects of  oversized development, increasing excavation, unchecked hauling, delivery, construction and cement trucks, and the very real possibility of accidents or blocked streets during an emergency that could result in death.

Bel Air Alliance Board members comment on the reckless position taken by the Bel-Air Association in their recent blog post
 
Once again the Bel-Air Association is working against the interests of the residents and against the safety and security of the streets and roads in our neighborhoods--and this is one more reason why they are no longer an effective voice for our community.  Excavating and hauling of dirt has been the single largest problem that we endure on a day to day basis on our city streets.  The result of the digging and hauling is that we have literally thousands of truck trips up and down our narrow streets and roads. The Board of the Alliance has spent hundreds of hours working with our Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council and in cooperation with the Western Region Association of Councils to lobby our City Council to put limits on the hauling. With this Interim Control Order we put a limit of 5000 cu yds to each residential project.  That is enough digging to build a 5000 sq foot basement under any new home.  Even with the proposed  ICO limitation, the digging and hauling would result  in some 1000 truck trips for each property that elects to remove 5000 cu yds of soil for a basement excavation. And this is before considering any other truck traffic for delivery of materials, grading and all the other traffic that comes with a new large house construction.

The Alliance lead the issue of obtaining limitations on the hauling and excavation of soil which has created unsafe truck traffic on our streets.  The approval of the Interim Control Order (ICO) will limit the excavation and hauling of soil from lots in Bel Air to 5,000 cu yds.  Currently, the LADBS has no limitation on excavation or hauling.  Next step is the approval  of the ICO by the Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) on February 24th and then to City Council for final vote of approval.  See the actual document here

Alliance Board of Directors discuss the violations of the stop work order at 901 Strada Vechia with Ray Chan and Jeff Napier of the LADBS. Please click on the read more link to view the full dialog.