The Alliance was started by Bel Air residents frustrated at the failures of the Bel-Air Association to protect their health and safety from dangerous land development. The Alliance has been very successful in its first year of operation and has been instrumental in getting solid changes implemented including authoring the position paper that culminated in the city council adoption of the ICO which limits excavations under houses to 6000 cubic yard. The Alliance has also been responsible for opposing major projects and their unsafe digging and hauling plans. 

In contrast, there have been several bizarre cases where the Bel-Air Association has worked against the interests of its own paying members and residents by either taking no position or supporting unsafe building projects. The letters written by the Bel-Air Association are published below (click on the links) and serve as a reminder to Bel Air residents of their ineptitude.

1) 944 Airole Way - 96,000 sq.ft. house and 40,000 sq.ft. basement.

2) 901 Strada Vecchia - Developer currently charged and sued by L.A. City Attorney office for building without plans and repeated and continuous construction while under the city's 'order to stop work'.

3) 10697 W. Somma Way - 44,000 sq.ft. house and approximately 30,000 cubic yards of dirt hauling via a small lane off Stone Canyon Road

Bel-Air residents have experienced two major victories recently with the Somma Way project settlement and LADBS sending 901 Strada Vecchia to the L.A. City Attorney.

One unfortunate result of the successes has been that the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance (BAHA), the chief organization behind community efforts to fight back from rogue construction, has come under fire from another Bel-Air organization, which many residents feel has been no help at all to the community.

In a community letter on June 10, Bel-Air Association (BAA) President Ron Hudson attacked the BAHA, along with its President/CEO Fred Rosen.

The timing of the letter is curious after several weeks of successes that directly involved the BAHA. The LADBS’ decision to deny the appeal filed by owners of the 901 Strada Vecchia megamansion marked another step toward victory for homeowner Joe Horacek, who spent countless hours and millions of his own money to bring the city’s attention to the project developed by Mohamed Hadid, right above his Bel-Air home.

Horacek did so in unison with the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance (BAHA), which has quickly become the loudest and most effective voice defending Bel-Air residents against renegade construction and unsafe practices. BAHA members sent e-mails, showed up to meetings, and let it be known that they were battling alongside Horacek to keep an illegally constructed home from being built.

One construction war in Bel-Air has finally come to an end, thanks to a settlement reached last week by the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance (BAHA) in its lawsuits against both the city of Los Angeles and the owners of the 10697 Somma Way project.

The BAHA had originally filed suit after the approval of an application to export 29,474 cubic yards of earth from what was slated to be a 40,000 square foot home.

According to a statement from the BAHA, mitigation steps taken by the Somma Way owner helped pave the way for the settlement.

“As a result of various steps taken by the owner/developer of the project, to further mitigate the Somma Project’s impacts upon the Bel-Air community, and also recent actions taken by the City to substantially mitigate the volume of dirt export from large hillside development projects in Bel-Air (including a limit of 6,000 cubic yards of export from any one Bel-Air project), the alliance has agreed to settle its lawsuit against the city of L.A. and the Somma Project.”

The statement added that the BAHA would take no further action against the Somma Way project, provided the project owners abided by the terms of the settlement, and that the BAHA “looks forward to working closely with city officials as the city develops its new ordinance for more responsible development in the Bel-Air hillsides.”

One Bel-Air housing battle came to an end this week with the Somma Way project settlement, and another inched closer to the finish line with the LADBS denying 901 Strada Vecchia’s appeal.

The two results should have led to a victory lap for the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance, a coalition of Bel-Air residents who have worked tirelessly since their formation last May to fight construction projects that bend the law and ignore community concerns.

Instead, another group, the Bel-Air Association, has used the two victories for the Bel-Air community as an opportunity to pat itself on the back for two results it had absolutely no hand in.

The LADBS’ decision to deny the appeal filed by owners of the 901 Strada Vecchia megamansion marked another step toward victory for homeowner Joe Horacek, who spent countless hours and millions of his own money to bring the city’s attention to the project developed by Mohamed Hadid, right above his Bel-Air home.

Horacek did so in unison with the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance (BAHA), which has quickly become the loudest voice defending Bel-Air residents against renegade construction and unsafe pracitices. BAHA members sent e-mails, showed up to meetings, and let it be known that they were battling alongside Horacek to keep an illegally constructed home from being built.

The underlying reason for the Alliance's existence is that the BAA has abdicated its right to represent our community---we all know the 3 R's--but are you aware of the 4 I's --which the BAA exemplifies--irrelevant, incompetent, incapable  and inept. 

We deeply care about this community--and many of us do not like the fact of the friction that has been created. For those who feel that way---what are you protecting? was it better before as the community was taken advantage of by developers whose motto was ask for forgiveness not for permission (and they got away with it) and we had unlimited hauling and unlimited trucks? --and the city paid no attention to us. Old axiom--you can't make omelettes without breaking eggs---and you cannot change existing behavior--or lack of it--by being passive. 

We as a community deserve better--there was a time when this community was more genteel--homes were 3,000-5000-10000 feet ---and the hillside was intact--in that world, the BAA was relevant. Then the world changed---technology let you take huge amount of dirt out of the hillsides--which was not possible before. Houses became 20,000'--40,000' and 95000' with 180 caissons---(fyi--with 180 caissons you can practically build a bridge)--and what did our neighborhood association do--absolutely NOTHING! 

Many of you have requested Ron Hudson's letter that was sent to members of our community along with selected emails Fred Rosen sent to Ron Hudson.  CLICK HERE to read Ron Hudson's letter to the community along with a few more emails Fred Rosen sent to Ron Hudson.  Also, please see message from Fred Rosen below:

All

The letters and emails from me (to which I added a few) must be viewed in light of the following circumstances:

1. We have tried to sit down with the BAA since last August and they refuse to meet--all they do is stonewall--and if anyone would like to see their responses to the interrogatories--please feel free to ask and I will supply

2. There is no transparency in their organization---when was the last time anyone received a financial statement--I never received one in the 8 or 9 years I was a member.

3. Who are the directors--and how have they been elected?

4. The last time most of us almost saw Paulette was the meeting at the BAA's offices with Councilman Koretz in April--she refused to leave her office, engage with the residents and had 3 bodyguards--at the Association's expense to protect her--from what I'm not sure.....

After months of claiming no illegal work was being done at the notorious Bel-Air megamansion 901 Strada Vecchia, Los Angeles Building and Safety officials reversed course this week and hammered the site over a multitude of new code violations.

Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety Chief Inspector Luke Zamperini confirmed to The Courier that LADBS officials found additional code violations at the site during a walkthrough of the property Monday.

An inspection of the site on Monday produced a list of 18 different types of unpermitted work that had been done in violation of a previous stop-work order. That list included everything from the installation of new concrete decking,  an accessory pool deck structure, new retaining walls, new stairways, electrical wiring, new heating and air ducts and much more.

The inspection also uncovered 12 unapproved changes to the approved floor plan.

It's been nearly a year since the Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety originally revoked construction permits at 901 Strada Vecchia in Bel-Air.

Then, in April, LADBS inspectors cracked down with an order to remove all unapproved construction.

On Tuesday, the LADBS commissioners decided that 901 Strada Vecchia's time is up.

LADBS commissioners, by a unanimous 4-0 vote (commissioner Javier Nunez was not present), rebuffed an appeal by 901 Strada Vecchia over the LADBS’ order to remove illegal construction. The commissioners found that the LADBS did not “err or abuse its discretion” in handing down the Order to Comply in April. The ruling came down after nearly two hours of testimony and public comment from both sides.

See this [BLOG POST] and my [PRIOR EMAIL]. Dan Love and I attended the meeting---I guess Ron Hudson's idea of protecting the community is channeling Marcel Marceau. He did not say one single word during the meeting---he brought a land use person to the meeting who knew very little about our community and who added very little. So I am totally confused how he represents that he is working with City when he is totally silent during the meeting and does not advocate one solitary idea how to remediate the situation---in my world, I would call it delusional.

Dan Love and I attended the meeting and actively engaged with city officials from various departments who are involved with the project. We will have more meetings with them before the project begins to provide as much remediation as possible for the community during the construction.

This is another example of the lack of integrity of the BAA and Ron Hudson---and why they need to be replaced and the BAA reconstituted. Mr. Hudson--who I'm not sure how he was elected--in light of the lack of transparency in the BAA's governance--has no problem misstating facts and taking credit for actions he has nothing to do with.

After months of claiming no illegal work was being done at the notorious Bel-Air megamansion 901 Strada Vecchia, Los Angeles Building and Safety officials reversed course this week and hammered the site over a multitude of new code violations.

Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety Chief Inspector Luke Zamperini confirmed to The Courier that LADBS officials found additional code violations at the site during a walkthrough of the property Monday.

An inspection of the site on Monday produced a list of 18 different types of unpermitted work that had been done in violation of a previous stop-work order. That list included everything from the installation of new concrete decking,  an accessory pool deck structure, new retaining walls, new stairways, electrical wiring, new heating and air ducts and much more.

The inspection also uncovered 12 unapproved changes to the approved floor plan.

As supporters of the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance know, the Alliance has been proactive in supporting legal efforts to assure compliance with applicable building codes on the 901 Strada Vecchia construction project. There has been willful disregard of the conditions and restrictions  placed on this project--which many of you have pointed out through the continued vigilance of our community.  Attached for your information is the just issued Supplemental Order to Comply finding numerous violations of the earlier Stop Work Order and imposing stringent measures, including the specter of possible demolition and removal of the unauthorized, unapproved construction and restoration of the site to its approved state.  We will keep you informed of further developments. Please see documents attached including the Los Angeles Times article.

• Document 1
• Document 2
• Document 3