Here’s a brief rundown of highlights (and some lowlights) of Tuesday’s meeting:
Working the gavel:
Lincoln Crossing: Councilman Gene Campbell, the council’s representative to the West Altadena Project Area Committee, said that Dorn Platz was still involved in Lincoln Crossing, despite pleas from many quarters to sever relationships with the troubled developer. Dorn Platz unveiled plans for Phase II of the development at the Sept. meeting, Campbell said.
Ruth Edwards, who was acting as chair in the absence of Gino Sund, ended up gaveling a heated discussion between Campbell and councilmember Allan Wasserman. Campbell stated that he was only representing his census tract, 4610, on WAPAC, while Wasserman said that he was serving as the council’s rep and therefore the entire town. The council decided that questions about the development should be submitted to Campbell, who will take them to the WAPAC meeting.
Census tract reports: During census tract reports, Okorie Ezieme (CT 4602) started a hard-to-follow litany of complaints about a lack of information from the council chair, especially regarding the cell tower. He was admonished several times to keep his tract report to three minutes (he was given considerably more), and ignored several verbal and gaveled warnings about time until he was cut off by the chair.
- The “pocket park” site at Loma Alta for the monopine/monopalm ATT cell tower has been taken off the board, and the county, ATT, and T-Mobile are looking at another location (rumor has it near the flood control channel behind Loma Alta Park). Still needs to come back thru the Land Use Committee and town council for approval.
The contract for a town-wide trash collection service has been held up, and we should have a better understanding of service and start dates by the end of the year.- Meredith Maxwell of the U.S. Census Bureau made a plea for Altadena to form a Complete Count Committee for the 2010 census.
- Joe Gaydosh from LA County said that mud flows in Altadena were not expected to be significant. While they weren’t expecting debris flows on the streets. some properties could be affected more than others.
- Pasadena city councilmember Jacque Robinson brought the council up-to-date on the Pasadena City Council’s ad hoc commission on youth and neighborhoods, formerly the Pasadena/Altadena 2020 Initiative.
- The county is exploring restripng Lake Ave. from Palm to Loma Alta for traffic calming. The present vision is for a single traffic lane in each direction, with a center lane marked for turning. Former Land Use Commitee member Steve Haussler expressed concerns during public comment that it would make the residential area look like a commercial district where such turn lanes are common. (corrected: that he's a former member, thanx, Steve!)
Working the gavel:
Lincoln Crossing: Councilman Gene Campbell, the council’s representative to the West Altadena Project Area Committee, said that Dorn Platz was still involved in Lincoln Crossing, despite pleas from many quarters to sever relationships with the troubled developer. Dorn Platz unveiled plans for Phase II of the development at the Sept. meeting, Campbell said.
Ruth Edwards, who was acting as chair in the absence of Gino Sund, ended up gaveling a heated discussion between Campbell and councilmember Allan Wasserman. Campbell stated that he was only representing his census tract, 4610, on WAPAC, while Wasserman said that he was serving as the council’s rep and therefore the entire town. The council decided that questions about the development should be submitted to Campbell, who will take them to the WAPAC meeting.
Census tract reports: During census tract reports, Okorie Ezieme (CT 4602) started a hard-to-follow litany of complaints about a lack of information from the council chair, especially regarding the cell tower. He was admonished several times to keep his tract report to three minutes (he was given considerably more), and ignored several verbal and gaveled warnings about time until he was cut off by the chair.
Herbert Simmons, the other representative from CT 4602, also stated that he had been “denied information” about the cell tower. Simmons also wanted to announce his student and teacher of the month winners as new business, but was admonished by acting chair Edwards that it was not council business, it was his own, and enter it into the public comment part of the meeting, which was done.
Ezieme also made a public comment, urging the council to "consult with the community, and not take actions that could be construed as imposing our will over that of the community."
