PVP Watch and Rancho Palos Verdes Issues

The following is a copy of the monthly newsletter which is emailed to subscribers by Ken DeLong. You can subscribe to this newsletter by going to www.pvpwatch.com. This newsletter is a great way of staying in touch with what is going on with issues affecting Rancho Palos Verdes.

RPV City Hall – The Continuing Sagas

Monks Case Readers will recall that in the last Newsletter (Oct. 11th) we reported that the Appellate Court had reversed the Trial Court’s decision and had ruled against RPV. We raised the issue concerning ongoing fees and costs. Councilman Tom Long responded with the following statement- “First, the City will suffer no monetary liability as a result of the Monks decision even if the decision is upheld on appeal unless the city disobeys the ruling once the appeals are done and create new financial liability. The reason: Monetary claims were settled by the city’s insurer during the trial. And yes, I do take credit for helping to arrange the negotiations with the JPIA (Joint Powers Insurance Authority) and the plaintiffs that brought about that settlement.” PVP Watch finds that the monetary claims settled during the trial were only a “Temporary” settlement for lawyer’s and fees, etc. Presuming the Appellate Court’s decision is upheld, we are told that there will be claims for permanent damages for RPV “Taking” the Plaintiff’s’ properties without just compensation. Damages awards could amount to serious money. We question whether permanent damages were included in Councilman Long’s JPIA agreement? What is RPV’s liability? Attorney fees can go on & on. RPV intends to appeal to the California Supreme Court. What will this cost? Is this an appropriate use of the resident’s tax dollars? While Doug Stern proclaims the openness he has brought to RPV City Hall, one thing RPV residents will likely never know is how much Stern, Long and their associates have spent on this matter for attorneys, consultants etc since Stern changed the Portuguese Bend development rules in 2002. Of course, much of this contributes to the fact that RPV legal fees are usually substantially more than other local cities.

Valero Station / CVS Pharmacy This is an issue that’s of particular interest to those living in the area adjacent to Hawthorne Blvd & Granvia Altamira. For some time, the owners of the Valero Service Station have been seeking a change in zoning that would allow conversion to a CVS pharmacy. The vast preponderance of the residents living in the area are opposed to the conversion. At it’s October 14th meeting, the RPV Planning Commission denied the zoning change request. The Denial letter is posted on the PVP Watch web site. Click HERE, go to Current Issues to read the entire response.

Breaking News An appeal was anticipated and a hearing was scheduled for the November 6th RPV Council meeting. However it seems CVS has decided against the project and the owners of the Valero Station have requested a continuance until the Council’s January 20, 2009 meeting. It is reported that they wish to continue to pursue a change to Commercial zoning and have requested time to determine viable alternatives.

RPV City Hall Kudos It has been reported that RPV City Hall engaged some goats for brush clearing / fire hazard elimination duties. Sounds like good management and environmental friendly decision making to us. Just one question, how were the goats trained to not eat the precious Native Habitat?

St. John Fisher Church It is our understanding that nine neighbors have appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of the Church’s modernization plans. The RPV Council will hear this matter on November 18th. Those wishing to comment should send their comments to [email protected]by noon Nov. 11th

Marymount College Campus Improvement Project The RPV Planning Commission, at its October 28th meeting, conducted the first hearing on the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the proposed Marymount College Campus Improvement Project.Twenty six (26) speakers spoke in favor of the project stating to the Commissioners and the capacity crowd of interested citizens that the project is fully consistent with the City’s general plan. The consensus of the speakers was that the final EIR confirms that the College can mitigate all of the potential project related impacts and that the FEIR should be certified to allow the project to begin construction without further delay.

Six members of the ‘Concerned Citizens Coalition / Marymount Expansion.” were opposed stating that independent EIR was poorly done, unreadable, and needed a lot of work. We believe the Planning Commission will hold additional hearings on this matter. Stay tuned for Planning Commission hearing dates.

Peninsula Active Recreation Fields and Facilities Recently PVPUSD Superintendent Walker Williams hosted representatives of Peninsula youth sports programs to provide input regarding the uses and needs of recreational facilities on the Peninsula. Included were Peninsula city officials with the anticipation that others might recognize the need for playing fields and gymnasiums by their constituents. Presently, the load of our active recreation needs is being carried mostly by the School District and the City of Rolling Hills Estates. We urge the Cities of Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills elected officials to participate in developing additional facilities for active recreation needs on the Peninsula. We commend Mr. Williams for taking the lead on this important and often forgotten priority.

For more about what is going on on the Palos verdes Peninsula visit my website https://www.maureenmegowan.com