NEWSFLASH PAGE 2 Friday, November 7, 2008- Final Push For Donations 2008! We are very close to fulfilling our financial obligations to a consultant in the Home Depot matter! We need to settle this debt so that we can move on to our next series of challenges! We completely understand that these are not the best times to be asking for donations, but we think you will agree that we've done a pretty good job so far, and we have no intention of ever letting Home Depot skirt the rules or allow their $$$ to buy them a pass to trash our Community Plan! Even now, Home Depot is dumping more money into manipulating this community and the City at large. Help us to level the playing field !!!! Please send $10.00 via our Paypal link above or mail a check to: Sunland-Tujunga Alliance P.O. Box 123 Tujunga, CA 91043 Remember: the NHDC/STA gladly works for free, the rest of the world does not! Thursday, November 6, 2008- Someday, we'll be able to tell you of the absolute shadiness that is going on as we speak... In the meantime, Joe has a post up over at Mayor Sam that we hope you'll take the time to read. Read it HERE. Tuesday, November 4, 2008- LA City Planning Decision Expected Soon! We have reported this before, but it now it looks like it actually may be coming down. According to our sources, the City Planner reviewing Home Depot's application has completed her evaluation and now that is being passed to the higher ups for their review. You'll know the minute we know! Sunday, November 2, 2008- This website is now the #3 result when the words "Home Depot" are entered into Google search! Yeah, we get excited about things like this. Joe has a story about this recent development over at Mayor Sam. Wednesday, October 29, 2008- Some Good News on The DRP Problem! Informed sources are telling us not to be overly concerned with Avis Ridley-Thomas's latest move to start confidential discussions with a whole new group of unknown participants (read Home Depot supporters). It has been suggested to us that this effort will not be taken seriously by the City. This new group does not speak for the community, they are only speaking for themselves. This new group was not selected by the community to represent the interests of Sunland-Tujunga, and permission is not granted to them to speak on anyone's behalf. The majority of the participants at the Oct 16th meeting voted overwhelmingly to suspend the DRP mediation efforts. These participants were selected by the community to represent Sunland-Tujunga, and are recognized and well known leaders. Some of the organizations that were represented at the Oct 16th meeting include the following: Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council Design Advisory Committee (STNC) Little Landers Historical Society S-T Co-Ordinating Council Shadow Hills Property Owners Association C.O.B.R.A. Apperson Street Elementary School PTA Sunland-Tujunga Alliance Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Council No Home Depot Campaign Monday, October 27, 2008- Joe has a new post over at Mayor Sam . Yes, it's all about Avis Ridley-Thomas and the DRP. Friday, October 24, 2008- Avis Ridley-Thomas Lays Down The Law! Recent emails to Avis regarding her decision to continue the DRP mediation with a more sympathetic audience (pro Home Depot) were replied to with this curt response: "Please refer to the California Dispute Resolution Programs Act of 1986." So, that's just what we did. And here is what we found out (so far): Avis Ridley-Thomas and the DRP are in violation with the following requirement of the CDRP Act of 1986: 467.3. Funded program; written statement relating to proceeding; contents Programs funded pursuant to this chapter shall provide persons indicating an intention to utilize the dispute resolution process with a written statement prior to the dispute resolution proceeding, in language easy to read and understand, stating all of the following: 1. (a) The nature of the dispute. 2. (b) The nature of the dispute resolution process. 3. (c) The rights and obligations of the parties, including, but not limited to, all of the following: 1. (1) The right to call and examine witnesses. 2. (2) The right of the parties to be accompanied by counsel, who may participate as permitted under the rules and procedures of the program. 4. (d) The procedures under which the dispute resolution will be conducted. 5. (e) If the parties enter into arbitration, whether the dispute resolution process will be binding. Ms. Ridley-Thomas and her DRP did not provide any of these requirements in writing or even vocally to the participants prior to the October 16th meeting. The only items presented were rules of conduct and a statement that your participation was voluntary, that's it! You can read the entire California Dispute Resolution Programs Act of 1986 at: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/drpa_statutes.shtml We appreciate Ms Ridley-Thomas directing us to the DRP Act of 1986 and we will rely on it in all future dealings in this matter. Thursday, October 23, 2008- Do It Center Steps Up! Showing just who really cares about the community, local hardware store, Do It Center, donates discount cards to the victims of the recent fires! The cards were distributed at last night's Fire Victims meeting and at a Red Cross center in Kagel Canyon. The cards will allow the families to buy supplies at deep discounts and can be used as often as needed! Our hats off to all the good people at Do It Center! Wednesday, October 22, 2008- BREAKING NEWS! Avis Ridley-Thomas and the DRP OUT OF CONTROL! This is just unbelievable! This is the response we received to the letter we sent last night to the City Attorney. Avis Ridley-Thomas was also sent a copy of the letter. See post below this one to read the original letter. Apparently, The DRP is going to ignore the majority vote of the participants at the Oct 16th meeting, and intends to hold further meetings with an individual or group of their choosing until they get the results they are seeking (support for Home Depot)! This is extremely disrespectful to the community and the democratic process. In the world of Avis Ridley-Thomas, votes don't matter, only results. Wednesday, October 22, 2008- STA Letter to City Attorney Regarding Oct 16th DRP Meeting Monday, October 20, 2008- STA Response to LADOT Response (Version 2.5) We have submitted our response to LADOT's latest response and you can read it HERE! Yes, a response creates responses, and it all becomes a point for point debate, and this is part of the whole process. We are very proud of, and strongly stand behind our latest document! This was a group effort by many, and our deepest thanks go out to those who spent so much time working on this! Friday, October 17, 2008- So Now We Know... After last night's DRP meeting was brought to a grinding halt, and we have had a bit of time to process all of the comments made by Barbara Goldfarb and Jeff Nichols, we can come to only one conclusion. The entire DRP mediation was simply a front to coerce the community into accepting Home Depot. We know this, in part, because the option of NOT having a Home Depot was never put on the table, even when requests were made several times. The DRP's purpose was not to act as neutral mediators, but rather as agents for the City and possibly Home Depot itself. This entire DRP process has been an exercise in manipulation, and the residents of Sunland-Tujunga have been the hapless pawns. Fortunately, the community saw through this ruse, and stopped it last night. We hope that even the few Home Depot supporters that were in attendance, can see how they were being played as well. IN OTHER NEWS- The Foothills Forum has a survey going on regarding what residents would like to see on the K-Mart site and in the community in general. You can offer your suggestions HERE! Friday, October 17, 2008- BREAKING NEWS! DRP Talks Suspended! Attendees vote overwhelmingly to suspend talks until the CEQA review is complete! Home Depot's attempt to circumvent the process fails again! We attended a somewhat raucous gathering that had Barbara Goldfarb and the DRP not only trying to justify the meeting itself, but also throwing in some rather dubious albeit revealing statements! For a mediator that is supposed to be neutral, Ms. Goldfarb claimed that "No one can stop Home Depot", while simultaneously admitting that she knows nothing about land use issues (huh?). After everyone was scanned by a metal detecting wand, and before the meeting really even got underway, requests were made to suspend these non binding talks until there was actually something to talk about. Without the benefit of a CEQA determination as to the level of environmental review that Home Depot may have to undergo, these talks were, in the minds of many, way too premature, and a waste of community time, energy and public resources. Speaking of wasting community resources, was it really necessary to have 8 Police Officers monitoring the meeting? The good news is that the DRP farce has been brought to a halt (at least for the foreseeable future), and we can all return to focusing on City Planning and the CEQA determination! Great job everyone! Thursday, October 16, 2008- This Is Just Getting Weird... The DRP has finally sent out confirmation letters to invited participants for tonight's meeting, a day before the actual event! In addition to the letters, many other people received a phone call from the DRP, late yesterday, saying that they had been invited but due to a "mistake", they had not been notified by mail. So with a day's notice, everyone who had no idea whether to attend or not is suddenly asked to drop their plans, change their schedules and "voluntarily" show up tonight in downtown LA at 6 pm. Nice planning, Avis Ridley-Thomas & Barbara Goldfarb!! We will update here as soon as the meeting is over, and we are back in our beloved community! Wednesday, October 15, 2008- We interrupt our No Home Depot coverage to bring you this important announcement... A Lopez Canyon family has lost their home in the fire. They lost everything, they were allowed to leave with the clothes on their backs. They need everything from a place to live- to clothes, furniture, blankets, linens, dishes, etc. Sizes for the family are as follows: Shirts- Man 2x Pants- 40w 32L- Shoes- 10 1/2 Shirts- Man Pants 32w 30L -Shoes-10 Tops Lady Large- Pants 11-13 Shoes- 6 12 yr. Old Girl Tops Large Pants 7 Shoes- 7 5 yr. Old Boy Shirts- 5T Pants 5T Shoes- 10 The little boy loves anything with Hulk. If you would like to help in any way, Please bring your donations to the American Legion Sunland- Tujunga Post 377 10039 Pinewood Ave. Tujunga, CA 91042 Hours Monday-Sunday 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm Drop Off. You can also make a PayPal donation, and learn more about their situation at: http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-10-13.4201799769/groupaction_view Monday, October 13, 2008- DRP Part Three! The DRP (Dispute Resolution Program) takes their traveling show back downtown this Thursday, Oct 16th. This closed door event is supposed to be a meeting between Home Depot and Sunland-Tujunga community leaders, however the DRP is refusing to reveal who has actually been invited! The DRP promised an open and transparent process, but as of yet has failed to live up to that commitment. The fact that this is a closed door meeting, and no one will know who exactly has been selected by the DRP to represent our community continues to make this entire process very suspect. Amazingly, at the last DRP meeting, there were invitations sent to select Los Angeles residents, many of them members of groups that have been solicited by Home Depot to speak on their behalf at public hearings! They did not live in our area, yet the DRP had them listed as participants! The DRP blatantly ignored the Stipulation Order which stated these discussions were to be between HD and S-T community leaders! With the meeting now being held downtown, this dynamic could change. We'll have updates as they come in! Friday, October 10, 2008- Quote Of The Day About Home Depot- "Unless there is oil under that parking lot, they should be gone." -EN, Tujunga (commenting on HD's ongoing waste of money at former K-Mart site) Wednesday, October 8, 2008- STNC Gives Vote of Confidence To STNC Prez Dan McManus! Dan McManus will remain as president of the board. The recent secret meeting set up by Home Depot in an attempt to either influence 2 STNC leaders, or cause a rift in the community has failed. Tonight's vote indicated that the community is ready to move on, and the general sentiment was that Dan was duped into attending the meeting. Dan expressed regret over his participation and was open about the circumstances surrounding the meeting. He received harsh criticism from several in attendance, including a few fellow board members. Bill Manning said how disappointed he was in both Dan and Victor Castro, and Deborah Ray admonished Dan for damaging years of efforts to keep all issues open and transparent. Debi Statland reminded Dan of the letter from the City Attorney ordering that there be no private communication between board members and Home Depot representatives. A member of the audience recalled how the Canyon Hills Project (Rick Percell) used the same shady tactics that Home Depot is now using. As you know, Rick Percell was also present at the secret meeting with HD & the 2 board members. Rick Percell did not reveal to either Dan or Victor that he is a paid lobbyist working on Home Depot's behalf. All in all, we're glad this whole mess appears to be over, and we can return our focus back to frying the big fish, Home Depot! The STNC will soon begin work on formulating and implementing specific rules to prevent this sort of thing from occurring again. Sadly, we doubt that Home Depot, Consensus Planning, or Rick Percell will do the same. Tuesday, October 7, 2008- It Just Never Ends! Home Depot submits response to STA response over LADOT report! Of course, we will be submitting our response to their response later this week! Monday, October 6, 2008- No Decision Yet From City Planning! The highly anticipated decision from City Planning over Home Depot's application for exemption from CEQA has yet to be made. The STA will be submitting further analysis of the LADOT report, as we expect Home Depot will be doing as well. Stay tuned! Wednesday, October 1, 2008- When Will They Ever Learn? No Home Depot "Gang" Members The Home Depot Outreach Team inadvertently provides community with important data proving their store will have massive environmental impacts on Sunland-Tujunga! An email from the Home Depot Outreach Team (Consensus Planning) started circulating around town today. It was supposed to be a smear letter written by a local resident trying to discredit the many people who have fought so hard to improve our community and uphold the Specific Plan. It turned out to be a gift from an apparently inept PR firm giving away more information than they probably should have. Although the letter is probably written in part by Stuart McDougal, it's pretty clear he was not alone in composing this. In this letter, Stuart makes many of the same unsubstantiated claims against the STA that he has been making for some time. Stuart claims that we are neighborhood bullies and some kind of gang using "scare tactics". He's never been able to offer a single incident as proof of his charges, but that doesn't seem to stop him from sending out this nonsense and posting it on blogs around the city. What's interesting in this case, and why we are reporting on it, is that this particular email was sent out by the Home Depot Outreach Team to their email list! Don't they have someone in the legal department look this over before they send it? Did Jeff Nichols approve of this? Alas, we may never know, but we have to thank Stuart McDougal and the Home Depot Outreach Team for providing us with the annual sales figures for the former K-Mart. Why is that so important you ask? In his letter Stuart McDougal states that the annual sales for the former K-Mart were between $6-8 million. Did you know that? We didn't either. Stuart McDougal goes on to say that he estimates the annual sales figures for Home Depot will be $70-80 million. Wow, that's a big difference! Now here is where we have a big problem. Home Depot has claimed, in their own environmental reports, that their proposed store will have less impact and traffic than K-Mart did. How can a store generating $70-80 million per year have less traffic and environmental impacts than a store that was only generating $6-8 million per year? It can't. It's impossible. This is why the STA continues to challenge Home Depot. They are not being truthful. Stuart McDougal may be drinking the Kool-Aid, but we know most people are smarter than that. Read the letter HERE. Look for what we have highlighted in red to illustrate our point. Thank You Home Depot Outreach Team, you just proved our point! The other effect this letter has had is that the STA will now attend the Oct 16 DRP meeting in downtown Los Angeles. We had intended to boycott this closed door meeting, but with the message that Stuart's letter is trying to send, and seeing how he was picked as a "community leader"(huh?) by the DRP, we feel that we have no choice but to show up and try to bring some reality to what otherwise appears to be a very biased and bizarre agenda. Once again, Jeff Nichol's dirty tactics backfire! Once again, we ask Jeff and Home Depot to knock it off. Tuesday, September 30, 2008- STA Submits Response To DOT Report The Department of Transportation submitted their report on Home Depot's application on Sept. 18. We submitted our response today. As was expected, the DOT continues to approve just about anything they are presented. The STA challenged the DOT report a few years ago when Home Depot had submitted an earlier application, and City Planning agreed with us! The DOT report was rejected then, as it should be now. The DOT is making decisions based on outdated and arcane models of traffic patterns and seriously needs to upgrade their entire department. Read the DOT Report HERE. Read the STA response HERE. Saturday, September 27, 2008- We Asked, You Responded! The Letters to Maya are pouring in! Keep em coming! Here is a small sampling! In Other News- How popular and wide read is this website? Well, besides getting hits from almost every time zone on Earth, we are now on the first page of Yahoo's Search results. Forget about typing "No Home Depot" into Yahoo's search engine (We come up as #1), simply type in "HOME DEPOT" and look what happens!!!! Thursday, September 25, 2008- Action Alert! It's Letter Writing Time! LA City Planning is expected to reach a decision on Home Depot's latest application for CEQA exemption next week. We need to send one last round of letters to City Planning before that decision is made! We are insisting that Home Depot must go through a full E.I.R. before they can even consider proceeding with their Project. The negative environmental impacts are too great for the City or our community to settle for any less. The STA has submitted documents proving the negative impacts a Home Depot will have on our area, including the heavy industrial traffic, air quality, and proximity to a school. We have made a "fair argument" with the inclusion of reports by several leading experts that this Project must undergo a Full E.I.R. We need you to write a letter via postal mail or email and send it to: Maya Zaitzevsky, Zoning Administration 200 N. Spring St., Room 721, Los Angeles, CA 90012 maya.zaitzevsky@lacity.org Please Send Your Letter A.S.A.P.! (Don't forget to send us a copy) Thursday, September 25, 2008- Decision 2008 LA City Planning is expected to issue their decision over Home Depot's latest application by the end of next week! We will initiate a letter writing campaign to City Planning later today. Please come back for the full details, including letter writing tips, later this afternoon. This may be the most important letter you ever send! Wednesday, September 24, 2008- UPDATES! Get Your Fresh Updates, Right Here! -In addition to receiving over $15,000 from Consensus Planning in the first quarter of 2008, registered Home Depot lobbyist Richard Percell (of Canyon Hills infamy) also received $7,125.00 in the second quarter of 2008 from Consensus Planning, and an additional $10,950.00 from Consensus Planning in the fourth quarter of 2007. And he wants us to take him seriously? -STA files formal complaint with LA City Ethics Commission over Richard Percell not revealing he is a paid lobbyist for Home Depot when he set up secret meetings with STNC/DAC board members! -The STNC will take up the matter of 2 board members meeting with Home Depot in secret at an upcoming meeting. -Barbara Goldfarb takes her DRP show downtown after being kicked out of North Valley City Hall! In a letter we received Tuesday, the next DRP meeting will be held downtown at 6pm on Thursday, Oct 16th at LA City Hall room 351a. The public, of course, is not invited. -STA fundraising efforts top $1950.00 in less than a week! Thank You S-T, please keep it coming! This does not count the $1500.00 raised at the bake sale/silent auction held last Saturday! We still have a long way to go, but it is so heartening to see our P.O. Box filled with checks, and our PayPal account sending us "Notification of Donation" messages! Tuesday, September 23, 2008- DAC MEETING Vocal And Passionate! Home Depot, Consensus Planning, Rick Percell Emerge As Real Culprits! Victor Castro faced an audience mixed with concerned, angry, supportive, forgiving, and unforgiving stakeholders to address the recent secret meetings held between himself, another board member, and Home Depot representatives. One community member even had a rubber knife sticking out her back to show her displeasure with a STNC/DAC Board Member attending a meeting on such a hot topic without notifying the community. DONE (The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment) also had a representative in attendance to monitor the proceedings and answer questions. The meeting began with Victor Castro explaining how the meeting came to be, and what was said. One of the biggest concerns was why Mr. Castro did not notify anyone before meeting with Home Depot. His answer was that he intended to if the meetings proceeded any further than him just asking questions. He admitted that it was a mistake to not tell anyone and apologized. Mr. Castro also said that if he had known Rick Percell was a paid lobbyist for Consensus Planning, he would have never agreed to the meeting. He also stated that this sort of thing would never happen again. Several stakeholders pointed out that Rick Percell is who should really be on the hotseat for not revealing to Mr. Castro that he is a registered lobbyist working on behalf of Home Depot! Mr. Castro stated that it was Rick Percell who set up this meeting, and Mr. Castro was under the impression that Rick Percell was doing this because he has an interest in retail development along Foothill Blvd due to his Canyon Hills Development. At that point, Dale Thrush, Councilmember Greuel's Planning Director, was asked to investigate whether Rick Percell has acted inappropriately as a lobbyist. Mr. Castro then announced that he would, out of consideration for the community, withdraw from any further volunteer activities until the community decided whether they wanted him to continue being involved. We feel that the focus must be on the continued dirty tactics of Home Depot, Consensus Planning, and Rick Percell. Mr. Castro faced the music tonight, and we are, for the most part, satisfied with the answers he provided, as much as we can be under the circumstances. Let's turn our attention to the real culprits and not let them divide this community or do any further damage to our collective unity. Although we highly disapprove of secret meetings (and we doubt we'll see anymore, anytime soon), these two board members went to that meeting in good faith and with good intentions. We believe that what they walked into was a totally orchestrated charade. Rick Percell never identified himself as a paid lobbyist and instead tried to claim that he was merely interested in retail development in our community. Now a personal message to Jeff Nichols: Stop the lowball tactics. Really. It only backfires on you and the corporation you represent each and every time you try to pull these stunts. Secondly, we know that you are as unhappy with the DRP as we are. Only Home Depot and the City Attorney's office can stop this farce by going back to Judge Chalfant and requesting to amend the Stipulation Order. Lastly, Home Depot is welcome to speak with the community anytime they wish in an open and transparent format. Anything less is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Here is the audio file from the meeting. Let us know if it doesn't work. This file includes all but the first 10 minutes of the meeting. Sunday, September 21, 2008- Who Would Have Guessed? Rick Percell (Canyon Hills) On Payroll Of Consensus Planning (HD's PR Firm)! One of the attendees at last week's secret meeting between Home Depot and two STNC Board Members was Rick Percell, the developer that brought us the controversial Canyon Hills development. According to the L.A. City Ethics Commission, Mr. Percell received a payment of $15,675.00 from Consensus Planning, Home Depot's PR firm in March of this year. Read the filing HERE. Saturday, September 20, 2008- STA Bake Sale/Silent Auction HUGE Success! Over $1500.00 raised in 4 Hours! To See Pics Go HERE! What a day! Not only was the Bake Sale/Silent Auction a big success, but the Wired Cafe is off to a great start! Our thanks to Emerson for hosting this event! Our special thanks to all the Baking Angels and Silent Auction Gift Givers who made this happen! And thanks to all of you that bought the goodies and shared a good time! Special thanks to Tomi Lyn, Paula, Regina, Sherie, Carol, Emerson, Sharon M., Maxx, Terri Hake-Church, Karen Z., and Abby!!! Thursday, September 18, 2008- Home Depot Tries New Dirty Tactic To Divide and Conquer S-T! Holds Secret Meeting With 2 STNC Board Members! The details are still coming in- What we do know is that a secret meeting was held earlier this week at Big Jims Restaurant in Arleta. The meeting was attended by Dan McManus, STNC President, Victor Castro, Chairman of the DAC / STNC VP, Jeff Nichols, Real Estate Director for Home Depot, and Rick Percell, the Developer that brought us Canyon Hills. According to Dan McManus, he was under the impression that the meeting was for the purpose of discussing bringing business to Sunland-Tujunga and was stunned to see Jeff Nichols in attendance. We are still trying to contact Victor Castro to hear his side of the story. Nevertheless, we are dismayed that Home Depot is now holding secret meetings with select members of our community, and elected members of our Neighborhood Council at that! The DAC has scheduled a portion of their meeting on Monday, September 22nd to give Victor Castro an opportunity to make a full report of this meeting. Dan McManus will be out of town and unable to attend. We will have more as the information comes in! Secret meetings are a big no-no in this community, especially when they involve Home Depot. Home Depot has a long history of deceptive and manipulative tactics, and we are sad to report that they have learned nothing from their past mistakes! Wednesday, September 17, 2008- Home Depot Stock Plunges 7.11% in a single day. STA Raises $1000.00 dollars in less than 36 hours! Our STA fund raising campaign is off to a great start with Paypal contributions and postal mail donations pouring in! Thank you Sunland-Tujunga! We must raise close to $10k by November 1st and all we are asking is that 1000 of our supporters send us $10.00! That's it! You can donate by going to the Paypal Links above, or see the post below for our postal address. We are in this fight together, help us to keep this campaign alive & kicking! Monday, September 15, 2008- The STA/NHDC is launching a major fund raising drive! The STA has consultant fees that must be paid off by November 1st, and we need your help! Although all of the members of the STA/NHDC work for free, our consultants and legal team do not. Over the last 4 years, we have been extremely successful at stopping Home Depot, and we need to fulfill our financial obligations to certain consultants in order to keep this campaign moving forward. We only have until November 1st, so we need to raise as much as possible to even come close to retiring this debt. We work very hard for this community and we are asking that you help us now! We also thank all of you that have given so much over the past 4 years, but we are forced to call upon your generosity once again. Please make a donation through the PayPal links above or by mailing a check to Sunland-Tujunga Alliance P.O. Box 123 Tujunga, CA 91043 It's Our Town, It's Our Future! Friday, September 12, 2008- Something's Cooking In Sunland-Tujunga! While we wait for L.A. City Planning to make a determination on the level of environmental assessment required for Home Depot's latest application, and as we continue to expose the DRP for the farce that it is, we do have some other news. We wanted to take a moment to remind you that the STA will be holding a bake sale and silent auction on Saturday, September 20th from 9am till 1pm at the Grand Opening of the Wired Cafe on Commerce Ave! We are very excited to welcome the Wired Cafe into our community, and we are pleased to be able to join in this event with one of our famous bake sales! These STA bake sales are a major source of funding in our ongoing battle with Home Depot, and really help to keep this campaign alive and kicking! Many volunteers put a lot of time into preparing some really delicious treats, and we invite everyone to stop by and taste what these volunteer chefs have come up with! If you can sign up to bake something, contact Paula at warnpjs@aol.com or Tomi at tomi@tomirealty.com All proceeds from the sale of baked goods benefit the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance, Inc. Emerson, the owner of the Wired Cafe, has great coffee and coffee drinks to sip on while you enjoy your baked goodies! HELP US STOP HOME DEPOT, BUY A COOKIE ON SEPTEMBER 20TH! Thursday, September 11, 2008- Proposed Home Depot Goes Down in El Cajon! Read about this long running battle HERE. And.... Home Depot submits response to STA response. You can read it (yawn) HERE. Tuesday, September 9, 2008- DRP Kicked Out of North Valley City Hall! Council District 2 announced at last night's DAC meeting that the Dispute Resolution Program will NOT be allowed to hold any further closed door meetings at NVCH! The DRP held a closed door meeting there on August 25th that was met with protests from residents and the STA and covered by Fox News. When Barbara Goldfarb tried to set up another closed door meeting to discuss the Home Depot issue, she was told to "find another room". Our thanks to CD2 for working for an open and transparent process, and we hope Barbara Goldfarb will finally realize that this town will accept nothing less! Our thanks to everyone that showed up on August 25th to protest! You have made a difference once again! And there's more..... Barbara Goldfarb's claims that the DRP meetings could be binding are not based in reality! CD2 says "Legally Not Possible" It is apparent that Ms. Goldfarb is in way over her head in this matter, as the DRP usually settles disputes between neighbors over issues like barking dogs and loud music at night. This is a much bigger issue than Ms. Goldfarb or the DRP is prepared to handle. This is a Land Use Issue, not a neighborhood dispute, and L.A. City Planning will be making the determination on the level of environmental assessment required, the DRP is a mere distraction and should not be taken seriously. Will the community and the STA continue to participate in and simultaneously protest this farce of a process? You betcha! We wouldn't miss it for the world! Tuesday, September 9, 2008- The Saving Los Angeles Project (S.L.A.P.) Votes To Support The No Home Depot Campaign ! This recently formed coalition of citywide activists and concerned residents, spearheaded by former Daily News editor, Ron Kaye, has voted to support the efforts of The No Home Depot in Sunland-Tujunga Campaign! From CityWatchLA: "SLAP VOTED TO SUPPORT THE "NO HOME DEPOT IN SUNLAND-TUJUNGA CAMPAIGN"--Like the Southwest Museum issue, the Sunland-Tujunga "No Home Depot" campaign is rooted in the local community but raises concerns that need to be understood and supported citywide. City Hall's failure to treat local communities with respect and to engage them seriously in decisions that affect them is at the heart of what's broken in L.A. and what SLAP is really about -- hanging together to make this a great city. Cindy Cleghorn and Lidia Grant and other Sunland-Tujunga activists talked about how the city has gone to extraordinary lengths to trample on the community despite the City Council's agreement that a full environmental impact report is needed before a final decision is made. However, Home Depot has hired at great expense the usual hardball lobbyists and PR manipulators to leverage City Hall." Our deepest thanks to S.L.A.P. for their endorsement of our efforts! Monday, September 8, 2008- Barbara Goldfarb Continues to Destroy DRP Credibility! At the August 25th closed door meeting that the DRP held at North Valley City Hall, Ms. Goldfarb said that the October 16th meeting that was scheduled, should include more members from the community. When a long time resident of Kagel Canyon called her up to request that he be allowed to attend, Ms. Goldfarb asked him whether he supported or opposed Home Depot. He stated that he opposed Home Depot and Ms. Goldfarb told him that they already had enough opponents so he would not be allowed to attend the next closed door meeting. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the DRP is not seeking an accurate representation of community sentiments in these non binding discussions, rather they are trying to create an artificial environment of 50% pro and 50% against. The DRP has had such a problem in creating this phony group of "community leaders" that they have been forced to include representatives from Sylmar (?), VICA (a Studio City based organization), and even a member of the L.A. City Chamber of Commerce. The bottom line is that the DRP is apparently on a mission to resolve this issue with only one outcome, an outcome that is totally out of sync with Sunland-Tujunga. Folks, this is a sham and a scam of the highest order! We have now lodged official complaints with the State Attorney General, The state and county offices of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Councilmember Wendy Greuel, The City Attorney, The LA County Department of Community & Senior Services Dispute Resolution Program, and City Controller, Laura Chick. Not only is the DRP's biased efforts a waste of everyone's time and public resources, it has become a manipulative tool to corrupt the public process and the City's approved policies and procedures for making land use determinations. Friday, September 5, 2008- Home Depot Cancels Plans for Jackson, CA store! The City of Jackson, in Northern California, has fought Home Depot as hard as we have and it has finally paid off! Our congratulations to the community on your success! You can read Home Depot's letter of withdrawal HERE. Amador-Ledger has the full story HERE. Wednesday, September 3, 2008- As requested, here is the larger version of the clip from Fox News. You can also view and comment on this video over at Mayor Sam. Sunday, August 31, 2008- Katharine Russ, of the North Valley Reporter has an excellent story on Home Depot/Latham & Watkins/Rocky Delgadillo/ the DRP/ and how lawsuits run both ways over at Ron Kaye's site HERE! Wednesday, August 27, 2008- Community Leaders? From What Community? Throughout yesterday's DRP meeting, Barbara Goldfarb often referred to the selected attendees as people that were chosen by the "multitudes" to represent Sunland-Tujunga in these discussions. And indeed there were several present that more than qualify as community leaders. Cindy Cleghorn (STNC), Debbie Beck (DAC), Jim Moore (S-T Chamber of Commerce), Kathy Anthony ( S-T Chamber of Commerce), Abby Diamond (STA), LLoyd Hitt (Little Landers), Vic Castro (DAC), Thomas Wescott (Apperson PTA). There were also invitees (who didn't show up) that the DRP claims many voted for to represent our community. These include: Brandon Huffman (President of VICA, The Valley Industry & Commerce Association, a frequent advocate for Home Depot, and doesn't live near here!) David Allen? David Rattray? John R Thompson? We bring this up because Ms. Goldfarb repeatedly stated that these people were our chosen representatives. Later in the meeting, someone asked about legitimate community representatives that were not invited (several of them standing outside protesting this closed door meeting) and Ms. Goldfarb simply stated that they were not invited because her office just kept receiving emails mentioning the same names over and over. If you can figure out what she meant by this, please let us know! Isn't that what the DRP asked for? Or did the DRP have such a hard time finding Home Depot supporters in Sunland-Tujunga that they had to find people who are either not from here, or if they are, simply qualified as a community leader because they support Home Depot? See what we're dealing with? Monday, August 25, 2008- Welcome to the Barbara Show! Barbara Goldfarb, it's her world and she'll make it up as she goes along! First off, thank you to everyone that showed up today to protest the DRP's closed door farce of a meeting. You guys are one very polite, passionate, and vocal bunch! We also thank KTTV 11 for sending a crew and being so interested in this story! It should air tonight at 10 pm. We'd also like to thank the 6 or so LAPD officers that were present, who kept a close eye on Barbara and protected us all from any harm! Now we'll have some more details up later tonight, including bizarre Barbara Goldfarb quotes from the meeting, but we'll just say one thing for now: Barbara Must Go! We think even Home Depot might agree with us on this one...... UPDATE: Here It Comes! Barbara speaks: During the discussion the question was raised about who was invited and why. One attendee asked, "What about COBRA?" (COBRA is the Commerce Owners & Business Restoration Association). Ms Goldfarb replied, "Yea, they have 15 members, they're all "anti", we've got enough "antis", they have no new ideas." Ms. Goldfarb tried to prove that this meeting was notified as private by producing a letter that she said backed her claim. The letter was written by Avis Ridley-Thomas. Nowhere in the letter did it indicate that the meeting would be closed door. When Abby asked her about this inconsistency, Ms. Goldfarb said, "You're rabble rousing again." She immediately changed the subject. On the non-binding aspect of the mediation: Ms. Goldfarb, "... it's non-binding unless the parties make it so" (City Planning may disagree with that statement). And it goes on and on. We'll post more soon. Next up is the invitees of Ms. Goldfarbs choosing. Now remember these are supposed to be community leaders. Stuart McDougal?- writes a lot of letters, thinks this is a big conspiracy by Wendy Greuel. Brandon Huffman? (president of VICA) He was a no show. Ed Elliot? David Allen? Marcia Heatley? David Rattray? John R Thompson? Anne St. Claire? Ms. Goldfarb said that these people were "recommended by a multitude." No offense to the above names, but we have no idea who most of these people are! What happened to Claire Knowlton, Director of McGroarty Arts Center? Elaine Brown, President of COBRA? The Lions Club? The Elks Club? The Rotary? Electra Kruger, President of the Shadow Hills Property Owners Association? Parents of Apperson Elementary? The Foothill Trails NC? You get the idea. This whole DRP process is a sham! Here is a link to KTTV....look for the S-T story! And look closely for when Home Depot exec, Jeff Nichols, pushes Joe! Hey, that's assault, right? Ron Kaye has more HERE! (3rd story down) An Updated KTTV story is HERE. Monday, August 25, 2008- The Closed Door Policy of the DRP! "Open and Transparent" has suddenly become just words as the DRP insists on a closed door meeting later today ! Why is the public being excluded from observing today's DRP "Scheduling Meeting", a meeting held in the very public facility of North Valley City Hall? Our community has always been polite and well behaved at all proceedings involving Home Depot. We call upon the DRP to open this meeting so the public can observe, and to call off their threat of having the LAPD (who certainly have better things to do) provide enforcement over who is allowed to enter City Hall! We ask that anyone who is able to attend this meeting to do so! If we are not allowed entry, we will peacefully protest outside of the facility. This is our town, our future, and we must be included in any and all discussions affecting Sunland-Tujunga! Join us! DRP MEETING 4:30 PM NORTH VALLEY CITY HALL 7747 FOOTHILL BLVD. TUJUNGA Just an observation... for a group that claims to be in the business of settling disputes, the DRP, rather, seems to be the source of even more problems ! Joe has a story on the Mayor Sam Blog about Monday's closed door DRP meeting! Ron Kaye has the story HERE. Saturday, August 23, 2008- BREAKING NEWS! DRP has requested police presence to turn away anyone that they did not invite to Monday's meeting! "The meeting is for invited participants only. This closed door meeting at this location does not violate any existing laws and it's closed door status will be strictly enforced. The Alliance's (STA) irresponsible behavior in issuing its unauthorized public invitation has forced the Dispute Resolution Program to request police presence at the meeting to insure that this process will proceed under the Dispute Resolution Program's policies and rules." -Barbara Goldfarb, DRP, in an email to the STA on 8/22. We are absolutely stunned by this statement! For weeks we have tried to contact Barbara Goldfarb by phone and email to discuss this meeting. She has not responded to any of our calls or replied to our emails for almost a month! On Monday, we were finally able to speak to Eva in her office. Eva told us that this meeting was open to anyone wanting to attend. We were very glad to hear this based on the fact that the DRP has scheduled this meeting at a public facility (the North Valley City Hall) and that this entire process was promised to be open and transparent from beginning to end. Discouraging people from attending a meeting (to the point of bringing in Police) is not inclusive, and does not encourage citizen participation in matters that affect them. The DRP is not creating a good road map for further discussions by ignoring our calls or community input or by calling in the police. We finally spoke to Ms. Goldfarb today by phone and she refused our suggestion that the public be allowed to attend as observers. As to a DRP staff member telling us anyone could attend this meeting, Ms. Goldfarb said that the person didn't know what she was talking about. This is in complete contrast to the statement made by Avis Ridley-Thomas, Director of the DRP, back in April, that this entire process will be "public and transparent". This is obviously not the case. We hope to see you all on Monday at 4:30pm at North Valley City Hall! Please be polite and follow any directions given by LAPD officers. Let's continue to be the peaceful, passionate, and informed group that we have been from the very beginning. You can read the DRP's email to the STA HERE. UPDATE: We're Not The Only Ones That Were Told This Meeting Would Be Open To The Public! "When we called Wendy Greuel's office as you suggested to let her (and also called the STNC) know we wanted any meetings postponed until after August, the woman at Greuel's office assured us in the course of our conversation that we would be able to attend the meeting on Aug. 25 as would anyone whether or not they participated in the April dialogue. Apparently it was our councilwoman's understanding that the Aug 25 meeting was open to the public, not just to invitees." - Judy & Arnold Tosti Friday, August 22, 2008- You Are Cordially Invited To Attend The DRP's Scheduling Meeting! Monday, August 25th at 4:30 PM North Valley City Hall 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga No One Will Be Turned Away! Even though the DRP has only invited participants of their choosing, (and we don't even know who they are), we feel that it is important to demonstrate that this community is united. Come and show your support for compliance with the Specific Plan and the Community Plan, and for an appropriate development that serves the needs of the community. Even though this mediation process is non-binding, a waste of taxpayer money and everyone's time, our voices must still be heard! The purpose of this meeting is for the DRP to schedule further meetings over topics that are yet to be set. The outcome of these discussions, nonetheless, are non-binding. This is a Land Use issue, not a neighborhood dispute. Sunland-Tujunga deserves and requires an appropriate development on the former K-Mart site that meets the needs of the community. Home Depot is not that development . This problem will only be solved when Home Depot is willing to turn this site over to a developer that will build a retail center that serves the needs of our local residents and is compatible with the neighborhood. Incidentally, the STA received our invitation to this event just today. 4 whole days, that's one full business day, before the meeting! In other news- The STNC's Design Advisory Committee(DAC) has unanimously backed the findings of the STA in response to Home Depot's application for Categorical Exemption from CEQA! They are submitting a letter of support to City Planning! Thank You DAC!!!!!!! Tuesday, August 19, 2008- Please leave a message.... While the DRP continues to not take or return our phone calls, we thought we would share this bit of exciting news. Local resident Cindy Cleghorn personally commissioned Athanor Environmental Studies to take a look at Home Depot's Phase 1 Site assessment of 8040 Foothill. This is what she found out HERE. Monday, August 18, 2008- DRP Ignores Community Input, Plans Meeting at 4:30pm on Monday, August 25th! The Dispute Resolution Program, led by Avis Ridley-Thomas and Barbara Goldfarb, have announced that there will be a "scheduling" meeting held on August 25th at 4:30 in the afternoon, at North Valley City Hall. The purpose of this meeting is to arrange the format, time, date & location of the " Community Leader Stakeholder Dialogue " (that's what they are calling it now). Ms. Ridley-Thomas & Ms. Goldfarb received numerous requests not to schedule any meetings until after the beginning of the school year, due to many people being on vacation. They ignored community input regarding the date for this next meeting, and did not even bother to respond to e-mails or phone calls regarding this matter. Why they have chosen this date & time is beyond us, and like most working people, we find it nearly impossible to attend any meeting at 4:30 pm! In our opinion, the DRP is being downright rude and dismissive towards the community! Their announcement arrived in the mail on Saturday to at least one stakeholder, and so now we have less than 10 days (only 5 working days) to try and fit this meeting into our schedules. Additionally, the DRP has scheduled this meeting the same week as the RFA (Residential Floor Area) Hearing, another really important matter for the community that requires preparation, focus and attention. As it stands, the DRP's attempts at continuing talks are a waste of time for the community, our tax dollars, and merely serves as a distraction from far more important matters . The decision makers are City Planning, as this is a Land Use Issue, not a neighborhood dispute. The good news, (yes, there is good news) is that the DRP have scheduled the meeting to be held at North Valley City Hall, a public facility, therefore anyone may attend, whether they are invited or not. Due to Ms Ridley-Thomas and Ms Goldfarb continuing to ignore public input , dismissing community concerns, and refusing to return phone calls or e-mails, we have no choice but to issue an Action Alert! ACTION ALERT! This is an official STA Action Alert! Your Presence is Requested! DRP Scheduling Meeting Monday, August 25th at 4:30pm at North Valley City Hall. NVCH is a public facility and is open to all for any event, no one can be denied entry! No closed door meetings! Please attend this meeting and show how united a community we truly are! Spread the word and bring your friends and neighbors! We understand how hard it may be to get off work, but please try! Let the DRP know that we will not be ignored, or excluded, from participation and input over our town's future! ALSO... Call the STNC so that they can register your complaint at 818 951-7411 AND Call Councilmember Wendy Greuel at 818 352-3287 or 213 473-7072 Please do this as soon as possible! Thursday, August 14, 2008- Updates! -City Controller Laura Chick spoke last night to a well attended STNC meeting! She spent time listening to resident's questions, talked about her battle with Rocky Delgadillo, and was treated to a show of unity by the community when Joe asked the attendees to stand if they opposed Home Depot! Everyone stood but the note taker from Consensus Planning, Home Depot's PR firm! Laura made a good impression and we hope she will visit us again soon! -LA City Council approves ordinance requiring Day Laborer centers at Home Improvement Big Box stores. This is not our issue but you just have to watch the City Council session today where the ordinance was discussed! Fascinating! And watch for all the not so subtle references to the former K-Mart site in Sunland-Tujunga. See it HERE!(starts around 2:18:00 mark). Daily News has the story HERE. New York Times story HERE. China even covers the story HERE. The ordinance would require the store to pay for building and maintaining a day laborer center if City Planning determines it is needed. There are a lot of "ifs" in the ordinance. However, the 100,000 sq ft trigger will probably mean that all future Home Depot stores will be 99,999 sq ft or less. The good thing about this ordinance is that we finally have a definition of a "home improvement store" entered into municipal code. Home Depot has always claimed it is just another "retail" outlet. It's still too early to see how this affects us, and we hope that this ordinance will return to City Council for additional clarification. Home Depot was opposed to this ordinance but that may have just been for show. They have a lot of wiggle room as the ordinance reads now. Monday, August 11, 2008- Since publishing our analysis of Home Depot's application and environmental documents on Friday evening, the website counters have gone crazy! We are getting tons of hits from around the country and even from the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and the Philippines, (huh?) ! We broke a single day record for page loads on a Sunday with an almost 500% increase over our normal traffic. We're not sure what is going on, but it looks like somebody is paying attention! Friday, August 8, 2008- It's Done!!! We started working on this back in March and submitted it to City Planning Today! The STA Analysis of Home Depot's Application for CEQA Exemption can now be read HERE! This is a very large .PDF file so it may take time to download. Enjoy! And we have to thank all of our local friends that spent so much volunteer time on this, without your input and efforts, we could never have put this together: In no particular order- Erin Ferrel, Bill Weisman, Cindy Cleghorn, Sheri Smith, Regina Clark, Jim McGlynn, Paula Warner, Tomi Lyn Bowling, Victor Castro IV, Karen Zimmerman, Mark Seigel, Joe Barrett, Elaine Brown, Dean Sherer, Debby Beck, Nancy Pistol, Lloyd Hitt, Abby Diamond, Peter Moen, Roberta Actor-Thomas, Judy & Arnold Tosti, Juan Martinez, Dan McManus, and others who's names we may have left out but will add as soon as we remember them!!! Thank you Sunland-Tujunga! Wednesday, August 6, 2008- Notice To DRP: No Meetings Until Mid September! While we wait for Councilmember Greuel's efforts on our behalf to come into play, we are asking that all participants that may be invited to the proposed new "dialogue" insist that if these meetings ever take place, they take place on a date that is convenient for the community. It is now August, and many people are away or about to go away on vacation. We feel that any new meetings set up by the Dispute Resolution Program (if they actually occur), should not be held until after school is back in session. Specifically, these new non binding sessions should not be planned until at least the middle of September. If you, or your group receives an invitation from the DRP, please let them know that it is not possible to meet until around mid-September. We'll have more on this later. In other news, the STA response to HD's environmental studies is very near completion. City Planning has been advised that it is soon on the way, and we are very proud of, and thankful to all of our local residents, and others, who worked so very hard in putting this together! Monday, August 4, 2008- Councilmember Greuel Responds! She is raising our concerns with the Agencies overseeing the Dispute Resolution Program, and she will speak with the City Attorney over these issues! Thank You Councilmember Greuel!!! "This (DRP) process is non-binding, and it will not decide whether or not Home Depot opens a store in Sunland"-Wendy Greuel Read her letter HERE. You can read our original letter HERE. Thursday, July 31, 2008- Breaking News! Proposed Home Depot goes down in Long Beach! Developer drops Appeal! EIR ripped to shreds by Judge! HERE. Thursday, July 31, 2008- Avis Responds! Avis Ridley-Thomas, the head of the Dispute Resolution Program, has responded to our letter detailing the many problems with the way her organization has handled the Home Depot dialogue situation. In our 5 page letter, that you can read HERE, we tried to point out the lack of analysis and missing records, the focus on the performance of the DRP instead of the actual results of the April 26th dialogue, and how we and members of the community are feeling manipulated and ignored by her office. Avis has apparently listened to our many concerns, read our detailed letter, and has chosen to issue the following statement: "All processes proposed by the City Attorney's Dispute Resolution Program are entirely voluntary. Anyone who wishes to participate is able to continue to dialogue to resolve all concerns and issues at stake in this matter." Huh? Wednesday, July 30, 2008- Councilmember Greuel to Respond to STA letter Soon! She is the acting Mayor at the moment (Villaraigosa & Garcetti are out of town), there was a heavy schedule at City Council today, and a little earthquake that shook things up, but her office is working on what exactly her actions will be on this important issue! We will post her response as soon as it comes in! Monday, July 28, 2008- We are sending the following letter to Councilmember Greuel, along with various City and County officials regarding the actions and non-actions of the Dispute Resolution Program and Deputy City Attorney, Tayo Popoola. You can read it HERE. Thursday, July 24, 2008- Is the Dispute Resolution Program acting in a biased manner? A considerable number of residents are reporting that the phone calls they have received from the DRP would indicate that this may be true. The primary function of the DRP is to remain neutral in all matters. If one party in a dispute feels that the DRP may be favoring the other party, then the credibility of the DRP is destroyed and they cannot remain as the mediators. We are deeply concerned about the reports we are receiving, and the fact that the "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue" file is obviously incomplete. We will update when we know more. Wednesday, July 23, 2008- The Desperation Of Home Depot! Not being able to find any measurable support in the Sunland-Tujunga area, Home Depot has now taken to standing out in front of their own store, in San Fernando, taking a poll and handing out literature. Home Depot's PR firm, Consensus Planning, had a representative at the San Fernando store over the past weekend asking everyone if they lived in Sunland-Tujunga. Those that said "Yes" were then treated to the corporate spin that we have all grown weary of: "Home Depot will have no more truck traffic than a Target would". (You don't see customers loading pallets of cement out of Target ) "We really care about your community". (Just look at the state of the San Fernando store to see how much they care). and on and on ... you know, the same ol' stuff. Consensus Planning is desperate. Home Depot is desperate. Witness how much more desperate they become in the next few weeks. In the Red Herring Department ... By now you have probably received an email, letter or phone call from the Dispute Resolution Program about the August 4th extension requesting community leaders and especially those that support Home Depot to participate in new proposed "dialogue". Please let them know that (if we must do this) you would like to see the following established groups included: Apperson Elementary PTA LAUSD Monte Vista Senior Mobile Estates Commerce Owners Business Restoration Association (COBRA) Lions Club, Elks Club, Rotary Club, The Little Landers Historical Society Chamber of Commerce The STNC The DAC The NHDC The STA American Legion Kiwanis Club McGroarty Art Center S-T SERVS (Safety & Emergency Response Volunteers Services) Let's not let new groups suddenly appear, and say they represent Sunland-Tujunga, when in fact they may be acting for the benefit of outside interests. (Remember "Friends of Sunland-Tujunga" a Home Depot front group, or "Stop Racism CA", the phony group that Home Depot formed to brand us all as racists?) The bottom line is that any "dialogue" meetings proposed by the Dispute Resolution Program are not necessary and appear to be an attempt to validate their funding and continued existence. The results of these meetings are non-binding, and a waste of time for the community. This is a land use and planning issue, and/or a legal issue. The proposed Home Depot has filed a Project Permit application and is undergoing environmental assessment. After City Planning makes a determination as to the level of environmental review, we will likely have public hearings where the community will have real input instead of wasting our time in non- binding "group therapy" sessions. Monday, July 21, 2008- It's All In The Way You Ask It! Prepare yourself, this is going to be a long post. We finally have the documents from the "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue" that we attended back in April. Imagine our surprise when we discovered tucked in between these 1000+ pages is the summary and evaluation that was not available when we first viewed the documents on June 30th. Whether it was Avis finally fulfilling her obligations due to community pressure, or whether she just "forgot" to have it available when we initially viewed the files, we'll never know. We will try to get it scanned and posted for you to read as soon as we can. Our initial take on the evaluation & summary is that it appears to be thrown together, it is very short, it appears there are pages missing in the comments section that is included, and not all the various comments were acknowledged from the many questions that were asked. In other words, it is incomplete and does not reveal a true picture of the day's event. As you know, Avis is looking to schedule more talks between Home Depot and a smaller group of community leaders in the near future. In the July 14 letter that was sent out, she wrote, "A majority of participants expressed a preference for the Dispute Resolution Program to continue to convene the dialogues." Really? Let's first look at the question that was asked on the feedback forms that may have lead her to this conclusion: Question # 15. "Would you like to attend another dialogue or mediation concerning this topic?" Yes 102 or 56% No 64 or 35% Left answer blank 16 or 8% Of course we would attend another dialogue, if we have to. Some of the strongest opponents of HD said "yes" because we are certainly not going to cut ourselves out of the process. All those opposed to Home Depot would never not attend, because we just can't let these non-binding talks be skewed in any way. The facilitators also filled out an evaluation form at the end of the day. On that form, Question #7 asked, "Do the participants want to continue the discussion?" By the way, there was no summary of the facilitators' answers in the summary. So here's the breakdown. Yes 9 or 27% No 13 or 39% Yes & No 2 or 6% Blank 7 or 21% N/A 1 or 3% Unk 1 or 3% And more interesting is the number of comments written next to Question #15 on the participants' form, which reveal the true sentiment more than the answer "yes" or "no" by itself in Avis' analysis. And more interesting is the number of comments written next to Question #15 on the participants' form, which reveal the true sentiment more than the answer "yes" or "no" by itself in Avis' analysis. For example: "Yes, if necessary". "Depends, I think, the voice of the community is clear". "No, I would like resolution". "Questionable regarding purpose, have Home Depot proceed with EIR mitigation before any further discussion". "No, if there were, I would come, but why would we need one?" "No, this should be last". "I would hope this one would resolve the question and send Home Depot away". "No, we have already expressed our opinions for over 3 years to Home Depot and City Council". And our favorite, "I think it sucks that we had to come to this and miss the Laker game". The question should have been: "Do you think that further dialogues with Home Depot would accomplish anything?" Now watch those percentages turn upside down! We have learned over the past four years that dialogue with Home Depot is a one way street. There is no discussion, only Home Depot telling us what they intend to do. When we ask questions, we are given non-answers. When we ask for alternatives to their proposed project, we are told that's out of the question. Well, it's not out of the question! Home Depot's proposed store is not in compliance with the Community Plan and Specific plan. We've proven this many times already, and we are prepared to prove it again. We also recognize that like any bureaucratic institution, the Dispute Resolution Program can only validate it's existence, and receive funding, by generating work for itself, even though the work they are doing here is non-binding, and can be rejected by Home Depot whenever they like. It's just too bad that we all have to jump through these hoops, when none of us are a party to the stipulation agreement made between the City Attorney and Home Depot. Instead, we are just pawns, as apparently, Avis seeks to keep her job, and Home Depot tries desperately to find the answer they want to hear. Be sure to let the Dispute Resolution Program know your thoughts. The new cut-off date for response to their letter is August 4th. Friday, July 18,2008- Breaking News! Avis Ridley-Thomas extends time period for response to the letter! The new deadline is August 4th. Thank you to all who participated in the Action Alert, you made it happen! As far as having Avis prepare an evaluation of the dialogue, we now have the documents in our possession, so we will just prepare our own! UPDATE 7/20: Evaluation & Summary is included with documents. This was not available to the STA when we visited Avis's office on July 30! From Avis' email: "At the request of many Sunland-Tujunga Stakeholders, the Dispute Resolution program has agreed to extend the period of time for you and/or your organization to consider and respond to our request for your input as outlined in our July 14, 2008, letter. The new cut-off date will be MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2008." See what happens when we all work together? We're calling off the hounds... for now! Thursday, July 17, 2008- If it's Thursday, it's time to CALL Avis Ridley-Thomas! The direct number to her office is 213 485-8324 Even if you have already sent an e-mail, today is the day to speak with her. Please be polite, yet firm. No further discussions can even be planned until Avis completes her evaluation of the April 26th dialogue. The time limit to submit names for representation on any possible future discussions cannot be completed by her unreasonable time schedule. Wednesday, July 16, 2008- STA Action Alert Off To Great Start! Our e-mail inbox was flooded with copies of letters sent to Avis Ridley-Thomas today, so we can imagine how many she has received! Her response? "Thank you for your input. Your response has been forwarded to the mediate@lacity.org e-mailbox so that the lead mediator in this matter, Barbara Goldfarb, can review it and respond at her earliest opportunity." Later in the day, we received this response from her secretary, Yvonne Elias; "Ms. Barbara Goldfarb is the assigned facilitator and will be responding to you. Please forward any further correspondence to the mediate in box at mediate@lacity.org. Thank you." We have also left a phone message, but no reply yet. We feel that e-mails should still go to Avis & Yvonne and not into the general mailbox where they may not get read. Since Avis has imposed a Monday deadline, we don't have time to wait for her to perhaps read e-mail sent to the general mailbox. So please continue sending your e-mails to the two addresses provided in the Action Alert notice. Ms Ridley-Thomas is being unreasonable in requesting the community provide her with names on such a short notice, and the format of her proposed discussions are highly questionable. In fact, her claim that the community wants to continue discussions has many people scratching their heads! Keep Up the Great Work, Sunland-Tujunga! Thank you to all that have written her! Thursday is Day 2 of the Action Alert! You can read a sampling of the letters sent HERE! Tuesday, July 15, 2008- The Dispute Resolution Team Seeks More Talks! The DRT sent out letters and e-mails today to those who had participated in the "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue" seeking to arrange new talks with community leaders. If you have not received a letter or email from the DRT, you can read it HERE. There are a few problems with trying to schedule any type of continuing sessions at this time. The main problem is that Avis Ridley-Thomas and the DRT have yet to complete their summary or analysis of the original "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue" that occurred on April 26th. A summary is needed so that the community and Home Depot will have documentation and a true picture of what was expressed by the participants. We feel that Avis Ridley-Thomas must first complete her obligations before embarking on any new efforts to bring the parties involved together. In an email that Avis Ridley-Thomas sent to us in May, she said, "As I indicated earlier, all letters, e-mails, calls and materials generated from community members will be organized, catalogued, evaluated and delivered to the City Council office for your area as well as the County Department of Community and Senior Services, which administers the Dispute Resolution Programs Act grant funds which we receive. Once that process is complete it is possible to arrange a time to view the materials which we have compiled." (emphasis ours). The Council office has yet to receive anything from the DRT. Additionally, when the STA went to the office of the DRT to view the assembled documents, we found that there was no evaluation, and there was no record of the phone calls received by her office. This process is supposed to be public and transparent. If there was an evaluation, it hasn't been made public. We therefore insist that no further talks be planned until Avis Ridley-Thomas can provide us with an evaluation or summary of the April 26th dialogue. Another problem with the DRT intent for more talks is that they are only giving the community until July 21 to respond to their request for names of groups that should participate. This is too short of a window. The community should be given a more reasonable time period to respond to her request. After all, it is summer and people are busy with vacations, summer school, work, and other activities. What's the rush? Avis Ridley-Thomas has had since April 26th to finish her job, and has not yet completed the task she said she would do. She should, at the very least, allow more than a week for the community to fulfill her request. With this in mind, we are issuing an "Action Alert". Monday, July 14, 2008- Today's "Take Back L.A." Rally was a big success and a blast for all of us! Here is a montage of pixs! The press coverage is HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE. Sunday, July 13, 2008- The Daily News has a story by Ron Kaye about Monday's "Take Back Los Angeles" Rally! Read it HERE. Friday, July 11, 2008- NHDC/STA chairman Joe Barrett is scheduled to speak at Monday's "Take Back Los Angeles" Rally. This event (see flier on front page) is being held at noon on the south lawn of L.A. City Hall. The event is sponsored by the Saving L.A. Project, and spearheaded by Ron Kaye, the former editor of the Daily News. Other scheduled speakers (so far) are Sandra Tsing Loh (NPR "the Loh Down", KPCC "The Loh Life"), Doug McIntyre, ("McIntyre in the Morning", 790 KABC) Jose Aguilar, (Boyle Heights Neighborhood Activist) Steve Barr, (founder of Green Dot Schools), and, of course, Ron Kaye (former editor of the Daily News). "Nothing but greed holds the power structure together and it will crumble in the face of a united community. Our elected officials are held hostage by the unions, developers and contractors who flatter their delusion of self-importance with the money that keeps them in office." -Ron Kaye We hope you can join us, on this Bastille Day, as we begin a movement to take the City away from the lobbyists, developers, and corrupt politicians, and put it back in control of the people where it belongs! Wednesday, July 9, 2008- Enjoy the Quiet before the Storm. And please take a moment to read the following interview with Stacy Mitchell, the author of "Big Box Swindle" HERE. Tuesday, July 8, 2008- Have you ever heard of the "Geoffrey Loophole"? Neither had we, until today. Home Depot knows it well, and appears to use it to avoid paying state taxes in many states, and as a tool to squash smaller competitors and "mom & pop" stores. Read about it HERE. Sunday, July 6, 2008- Parade Pix HERE & HERE ! Abby has the story over at the STA blog HERE! Just an observation.....Home Depot's imaginary supporters were no where to be seen at the parade, (because, they are uh..imaginary??) and Home Depot did not enter a float or support the event, although they could have. Consensus Planning Group handles HD's PR work, but they must have been busy with something else... Also, Here are 2 stories that talk about the Sunland-Tujunga vs Home Depot Battle: CitywatchLA Ron Kaye/CityWatchLA Monday, June 30, 2008- Adventures With Avis! Today was our scheduled appointment with the office of Avis Ridley-Thomas, of the Dispute Resolution Program, to review all of the files from the Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue. We arrived (2 of us) promptly at 10am (the time of our appointment), and were told to take a seat in the lobby. At 10:25am, two uniformed LAPD officers came into the lobby, and were joined by the security guard, a facilitator, and Yvonne Elias, Avis's secretary. Yvonne then explained that we were going to be searched before being allowed to review the documents. The security guard apologized for having to put us through this and said it was "nothing personal". The LAPD waved their wand, as we stood with our hands in the air. The wand kept going off on Joe, so he was asked what was under his pants, what his shoes were made of, and did he have any metallic parts to his body? It was finally determined that the wand was reacting to the metal in the floor, so we were allowed to proceed. We were then led to a small conference room and the facilitator asked the LAPD to wait outside the door for a few minutes. We were pretty puzzled by this treatment and asked if this was normal procedure. The facilitator replied that it was unusual but did occur in some cases. When asked what warranted our being searched and guarded, he said it was because of a scuffle that broke out at the Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue. "Oh" said we. We told him that we were not involved in any scuffle, nor did we know anyone that had been involved, nor had we been able to find out if the incident even actually occurred. He said he understood but "You just can't be too careful these days". "And will Home Depot be searched and guarded when they show up for their appointment?" we asked. "Absolutely", he assured us. We all got a big nervous laugh over the ridiculousness of the situation and then we began to pour through the 1000 or so pages of documents assembled before us. One binder that was close to 3 inches thick contained all the e-mails, letters, and response forms that had been collected from people writing about their support or opposition to Home Depot. We discovered that out of the hundreds of communications collected, There were less than 20 in favor of Home Depot! Out of those less than 20, 4 were from the same guy! One was from a gentlemen in LA Crescenta who thought that a Home Depot in Sunland "...might actually improve circumstances by giving them (day workers), a centralized place to hang out so there wouldn't be so many tiny groups of them throughout a four mile stretch." A person who signed their name as Anonymous said that they had heard rumors of possible snipers should Home Depot be approved. Anonymous also said that "These people (the NHDC) who are running this campaign are vicious enough to retaliate against stakeholders like myself, and therefore, I am cautious about my involvement and prefer to remain unnoticed." Anonymous continues, "Home Depot will provide a safer location for these (day) workers to assemble in, which should be aesthetically pleasing to the residents as well." Another gentleman writes in support of Home Depot, " I would like to see hd move in as it will be very convent (sic) for all the mobil (sic) park people to shop there as well." Well, you get the idea. Just two quick things about the above comments; The NHDC has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the day worker issue out of this battle. Our focus has always been on land use, safety, public school proximity, and traffic. Also, if anybody ever feels threatened or intimidated by anyone from either side, please contact the police immediately. We have never had any reports of this occurring, so let's just keep it that way. These type of rumors are often started by outside interests seeking to cause division in a community, so consider the source first. We have ordered a copy of all of the documents which we should have in the next few weeks, and we will share more with you at that time. UPDATE: Ron Kaye has the story HERE. Monday, June 30, 2008- The North Valley Reporter has a great story out about the LAUSD/Home Depot fiasco in it's current issue. The paper also has reports on the Oro Vista Wildlife Corridor, AB212, and lots more! Pick up a copy before they are gone! Friday, June 27, 2008- Campbell, California's Experiences With Home Depot! A Must Read HERE! Wednesday, June 25, 2008- More Bad Press For Agent Orange Remember Dakota Communications? They were the PR firm hired by Home Depot that brought in all the phony bused in paid supporters, the phony websites, and worked to label us all as racists. They are back in the news, as David Z reports at the LA Times, hosting a fund raiser for Mayor Villaraigosa. This story recaps some of their shenanigans while working for Home Depot. You can read it HERE. After all the bad publicity, Dakota was dumped by HD and replaced by Consensus Planning and Redgate Communications, who have thus far brought us last week's LAUSD/Home Depot fiasco! Also, CityWatchLA has a story on HD's environmental studies HERE. Believe us when we say that HD "voluntarily" submitting these reports likely has very little to do with addressing the community's concerns, but way more to do with protecting the "integrity" of their lawsuit against the City, should they decide to resume it. That's just our humble opinion, of course. Sunday, June 22, 2008- Pictures from Last Night's Joe For Sheriff Party can be seen HERE! Friday, June 20, 2008- Home Depot releases their own environmental studies and not surprisingly, they conclude that their store will have No Negative Impact on Sunland-Tujunga. You can read all 863 pages of their own studies for yourself HERE. Enjoy! Friday, June 20, 2008- Ron Kaye has a new story about the ongoing battle with Home Depot HERE. Thursday, June 19, 2008- Breaking News! Home Depot Responds to Cancellation Of Their "Open House", And apparently, It's all our fault! Read It Here. Our response to their response: We appreciate the courtesy of the LAUSD asking Home Depot to withdraw their application to use a public school facility to promote their business. Home Depot is more than welcome, and can certainly afford, to present an Open House in a private facility. We suggested this to the LAUSD in our correspondence. If Home Depot now has their environmental studies completed, and technical experts willing to discuss the issues with the community, then no one is preventing them from doing so, as long as they use a venue that does not conflict with the law, or if they arrange a meeting using proper channels through City agencies. It is unfortunate that Home Depot is blaming the STA for their own mistakes, creating a "hostile environment", and accusing us of preventing people from getting information. We'll continue to keep the community informed, and will always work towards creating a better Sunland-Tujunga. Thank you for your continued support! We'll see you all this Saturday Night at the Joe For Sheriff Dinner and Dance at the Elks Lodge at 6pm! See the STA site for all the details HERE. By the way, have you written your letter to the City yet? Go HERE for details. Thursday, June 19,2008- Joseph Mailander gives us a shout out today on his Street Hassle blog! HERE. Home Depot issues a press release today that fails to mention the LAUSD fiasco, but does manage to distort reality in an all new way. HERE. Thursday, June 19, 2008- Did You Enjoy The Ride? We hope everyone has had a chance to catch their breath over yesterday's extraordinary turn of events! Over the breadth of a few short hours, we saw the LAUSD draw a line in the sand in the defense of the issuance of permits to Home Depot. This was followed by Home Depot suddenly backing out of their planned "Open House" with no explanation. We'll probably never know what went on behind the scenes for this all to turn out the way it did, but we're just happy that, at least for now, our public school will not be used to promote Home Depot's business interests. Our special thanks go out to LAUSD Board Member Julie Korenstein and her staff for being so professional and understanding. We actually suspect that Ms Korenstein may have had more to do with stopping this event than she is letting on, so to Julie we send a big hug! To read a more detailed recap of this whirlwind week, visit the STA blog HERE. Thank You Sunland-Tujunga for standing together on this! This is the good that can come when we all work together! Wednesday, June 18, 2008- Breaking News! This Just In (5:30 pm)! Home Depot Drops Plans To Hold Open House at Mt Gleason School! We just received a phone call from LAUSD board member, Julie Korenstein, and she said that Home Depot has notified her that they are canceling their scheduled open house at Mt. Gleason School on June 24th! We do not know the details of why they are canceling their plans, but we'll try to find out more. More Later! What a day this has been! Wednesday, June 18, 2008- LAUSD Refuses To Revoke Permit! See Ron Kaye's Breaking Story HERE While we are waiting, we suggest that you read this new story from Ron Kaye about how the city works today, and how it should work. There is a mention of our efforts fighting Home Depot and the current LAUSD mess. Read it HERE. Joe has a new story about this today at Mayor Sam, HERE. Tuesday, June 17, 2008- At tonight's DAC meeting, the representative from Home Depot said that the June 24th Home Depot "Open House" would consist of "stations" that attendees could visit. Doesn't this sound more like a self promotional fair than anything resembling a public meeting? Let's hope the LAUSD comes to their senses and brings a stop to this before our public schools become convention centers for any corporation or business interest seeking to hawk their wares. Also, let's give Julie Korenstein and her staff a break from the phone calls and e-mails today. We think they deserve some quiet time to work this out. Thanks for all you do, Sunland-Tujunga! Monday, June 16, 2008- UPDATE: Mayor Sam has an excellent report HERE. If it's Monday, its time to contact LAUSD Board Member, Julie Korenstein, again! Julie Korenstein 213 241-6388 julie.korenstein@lausd.net Ms. Korenstein has expressed her support for our efforts and her concern for the negative impacts a Home Depot will have on our community and our schoolchildren, so please be nice. Just let her know that Home Depot using public school facilities to promote their business is in violation of the Civic Center Act, and that the LAUSD must revoke the permit that was mistakenly granted. We have sent our response to her along with many other City officials and hope to have this matter resolved soon. Home Depot is welcome to promote their proposed store at a private venue, and we hope that they will also step up and rectify this situation. Your phone call or email will make a big difference today, so even if you have already contacted her office once, please do so again. Saturday, June 14, 2008- Read the NHDC response to Julie Korenstein's letter HERE Read and respond to Ron Kaye's Update HERE. "I must inform you that the information given to you by the School Superintendent is incomplete and incorrect. The Civic Center Act within California's Education Code does not permit businesses, or their representatives, usage of public school facilities as Home Depot wishes to do. If the permit specifically states that Home Depot, as a business, is the entity making the facility request then the permit is illegal. Therefore, the permit given to them is illegal and must be revoked. I ask that you proceed with this immediately."-Stan Sugarman You can read the entire Civic Center Act HERE. Friday, June 13, 2008- From the Office of Board Of Education Member Julie Korenstein: "I received the following information from the Superintendent's Office: "The Civic Center Act mandated by the California Education Code provides that each and every public school is a civic center of the community in which the school resides. As a civic center, the members of the public and other organizations may meet and discuss any subjects pertaining to the educational, political, economic, artistic, and moral interests of the citizens of the communities. Therefore, Los Angeles Unified School District is mandated to uphold the civic center permit policy in a fair, neutral, and transparent process. The issuance or denial of an application for a civic center permit is not an indication of LAUSD's support or disapproval of a proposed use or activity. Whether a civic center permit can be issued is based on the intended use of or the activity. We cannot discriminate against applicants and we cannot make judgment determinations as to whether the applicant's purpose is worthy of the use of a school facility." As you may know, the District was very concerned about the original report and wanted a much more in-depth study done of the impact on the schools and the community. I wish there would have been something else we could have done. I share your frustration. Please make sure you are well represented so that your concerns can be heard." Respectfully, Board Member Julie Korenstein Board District 6 333 S. Beaudry Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.241.6388 Fax 213.241.8451 Thursday, June 12, 2008- Breaking News! LAUSD changes rules to accommodate Home Depot! To qualify for a permit: A group must be non-profit.(Incorrect) Updated 6/12/08: The activity requested must be not for profit. This text above is from the LAUSD website that explains who can or can't rent out school facilities! This change was made today, weeks after the permit to Home Depot was granted. To see this change in full context: Go Here Just yesterday, the rule read as: "To qualify for a permit: A group must be non-profit." Interestingly enough, the application to use school facilities still asks specifically whether the group applying is non profit. See question #2 HERE Unbelievable. Please contact the following two people and share your opinions: Julie Korenstein Board of Education 213 241- 6388 julie.korenstein@lausd.net Kathy Friedman kathryn.friedman@lausd.net LAUSD Civic Center Permit Office 818 587-4350 Read Ron Kaye's Story Excellent story about this HERE! Wednesday, June 11, 2008- Breaking News/Action Alert! Home Depot's June 24th Open House in Violation of LAUSD Rules! Home Depot recently sent out brochures to the community announcing an "Open House" to be held at Mt. Gleason School on June 24th. According to the requirements of the LAUSD/Civic Center Rules: "The major function of the Civic Center Permit Office is the issuance of the appropriate permit to allow for the use of school facilities in conformance with the California Education Code mandate and the Board of Education rules, which require that each and every public school facility be made available as a civic center to members of the community and non-profit organizations for supervised recreational activities, meetings and public discussions, when regular school activities are not disrupted. To qualify for a permit: A group must be non-profit. No money may be charged for admission, nor collected for goods sold. (exceptions exist-please call for requirements). The event must be open to the public." Home Depot is clearly not a non-profit, and this event, if it is allowed to proceed, will set a precedent for other corporations or developers to use public facilities to advance their business interests. The recent "Sunland-Tujunga Dialogue" was a City Attorney sponsored event. This "Open House" is an attempt by a corporation to use school facilities to promote their proposed store. Additionally, the application to use school facilities states; "Any form of announcement or advertising regarding activities held on school property for non school purposes must include the following statement: "This meeting is neither sponsored by nor is in any way connected with the Los Angeles Unified School District. If announcement is in printed form, statement must appear in equally large and prominent type". If you take a look at the brochure that Home Depot sent out announcing this "Open House", you will see that this required disclaimer appears nowhere on the brochure. Home Depot is not a non-profit and is not permitted to use school facilities to promote their business. We call upon the LAUSD to immediately rectify this issue and we urge you to contact the following people, in the next 24 hours, to voice your concern: David Brewer Superintendent of LAUSD 213 241-7000 Julie Korenstein Board of Education 213 241- 6388 julie.korenstein@lausd.net Kathy Freeman LAUSD Civic Center Permit Office 818 587-4350 Home Depot likes to ignore the rules, let's make sure they don't this time! Update: Mayor Sam has the story HERE. Monday, June 9, 2008- Home Depot Presents To Shadow Hills Property Owners Association! Those that were fortunate enough to attend tonight's meeting got to witness firsthand Home Depot's ability to avoid answering questions either through non answers or just by simply clamming up. They also got to witness Jeff Nichols, Home Depot's real estate manager, outright refusal to deal with several unresolved issues (including the bused in paid supporters, the labeling of our community as racist, the phony websites,etc) as well as truck traffic on Woodward, and hours of operation. STA member, Dean Sherer, (a CEQA expert, and longtime City Planner) assured the audience and Home Depot that their application and subsequent studies will be heavily scrutinized. Jeff Nichols also took the opportunity to dismiss those in attendance by saying that they were not representing the entire community. When pressed on this, and on why Home Depot had no supporters present, Mr. Nichols gave us the number of supporters they do have in our community of 60,000+. Mr Nichols finally admitted that they only have 200 supporters based on the positive postcards they have received. "Where are they?" someone asked. Really folks, You just must attend one of these meetings. It's entertainment at its finest! Tomorrow, Home Depot will present to the Chamber of Commerce at 11:30 am at Tierra Del Sol. We'll be there. Go To Next Page |
This letter is to advise you of the final outcome of the recent Dispute Resolution Program meeting that was held on October 16th, 2008. After much deliberation, the participants voted to suspend any further facilitation between the Sunland-Tujunga community and the representatives of Home Depot. It was felt that these talks are premature, considering that no determination has yet been made by L.A. City Planning as to Home Depot's application for categorical exemption from CEQA review. Since L.A. City Planning is the lead agency in this matter, and their determination supersedes any of the non-binding agreements that the DRP is able to arrange, it is vital that we allow the process to fully play out before any further discussion. The entire statement that was voted on and approved by an overwhelming majority stated: "The Participants of the 10/16/08 facilitation meeting suspend the Sunland-Tujunga Home Depot DRP facilitation until after the CEQA process has been completed and all administrative remedies have been exhausted." We would also request that another agency besides the Los Angeles City Attorney's Dispute Resolution Program be contracted to facilitate any further mediation, should that become necessary. At the October 16 meeting it became apparent to many participants and observers that the DRP is not able to properly function in this capacity. Thank you very much, Joe Barrett, President Abby Diamond, Secretary Sunland Tujunga Alliance, Inc. |
| from Avis Ridley Thomas <Avis.Ridley-Thomas@lacity.org> The Dispute Resolution Program has been contacted by a member of the Sunland-Tujunga community to facilitate and/or mediate further sessions to resolve the matter involving the Home Depot. As in every other matter where we are contacted by a member of the community, we are proceeeding forthwith. The process will be voluntary and confidential unless and until the parties deem otherwise. |