FHHCC Home

Eastwood Coalition Fire Bond Report

Submitted 3/4/04

Representatives from the Eastwood Coalition & Franklin-Hollywood Hills Action Team attended the Administrative Oversight Committee of Proposition F Fire Bond on Thursday, February 26, 2004.

Here is a summary of what took place:

Approximately 20 neighbors/business owners attended the Administrative Oversight Committee meeting to share their feelings about the proposed acquisition of property on Hollywood Blvd. between Van Ness & Taft for the purpose of relocating Fire Station 82.

Business owners asked that they not be required to relocate and start over, many at an advanced age and with family dependent upon their business. They are not willing to sell. The owner of the apartment building also asked that she not be displaced as she had purchased the building for her family and friends - she is also not willing to sell.

Neighbors told about the gridlock on Hollywood Blvd and the difficulty getting out onto Hollywood Blvd. as well as onto the northbound on ramp of the 101 freeway that narrows to one lane at the bottom. The egress of the fire station would be on Hollywood Blvd and it would be extremely difficult for the trucks to leave in either direction.

Response time is currently ideal for most of the service area - but to lock the fire trucks onto a very small plot of land in an area of extreme daily gridlock could cause that good response time record to change. This would also add to already lengthy response time to the Hollywood hills.

Each of the many speakers suggested that the Florentine Gardens land was perfect for Fire Station 82 and didn't require displacing many businesses and families. Gridlock doesn't happen at that location and it isn't in the middle of a neighborhood. 
 
Here are some details of the testimony from the neighbors: 

There were about 20 representatives from the community present; neighbors, California Donuts, Seven-Eleven, Yai Thai Restaurant and others.  

K.C. (President of Eastwood Coalition) brought up the fact that the minutes of the previous AOC meeting were inaccurate in stating that the city’s announcement about the proposed location was well received by the community.  He asked that the minutes be changed to show that the community is clearly in opposition.  The Chairman stated that the minutes would be corrected.  

Steven (neighbor) asked that Alan Kawaguchi give an update about the status before further public comments were made.  

Alan showed a map of the proposed location and gave a brief history of FS 82’s land acquisition process to date.  He mentioned that all the businesses and homes to be relocated had been contacted with the exception of the 6 unit apartment building.  Alan stated that there was a language barrier between the City and the apartment building owner and that he was working on getting a Thai interpreter.

Steven (neighbor) passed the committee copies of a letter from the Eastwood Coalition (and surrounding community) that had been faxed to Council District Offices 4 and 13 the week before.  The letter was signed by 15 of the most affected neighbors.  He stated that the letter was an abbreviated version of what the neighbors were about to say in public comment.   

Steven then showed that Alan Kawaguchi’s map did not show the Hollywood Freeway on ramps that are less than 100 yards away from the proposed location, or the names and locations of the businesses and homes at stake.  He stated that the existing Fire Station 82 on Bronson was a very short distance away but caused the least amount of disruption to the neighborhood because there is never any traffic issue there. He made it clear that Hollywood Blvd. would be the fire truck egress and that the side streets were for ingress only. He pointed out that the traffic on Hollywood Blvd. is often bumper to bumper and spoke to the fact that there would be heightened noise to the neighborhood while the fire trucks worked for long periods of time to get out onto Hollywood Blvd through this gridlock.  What about Florentine Gardens?  

Sahni  (franchise holder of Seven-Eleven) told this committee that 7-11 has been on that spot for 30 years and that running a 7-11 is all he knows how to do. He has held the franchise for 10 years. It is the only 7-11 on Hollywood Blvd and is responsible for over $200,000 in sales revenue for the city of Los Angeles. He is concerned for his family and putting his kids through school if he has to close down. The city cannot afford to give him the $700,000 which is what it would take to transfer/relocate and even then, a replacement store would more than likely be a great distance from his home.  

Rivers (neighbor) criticized the city for choosing a site that would destroy vintage architecture (The Good Shepherd Shelter) when a long strip of open land existed so close by (the Florentine Gardens location).  He said that The City must come up with additional money if needed. 

Harry (neighbor) gave some specific history on the Craftsman House the Good Shepherd Shelter is in.  He is working closely with Hollywood Heritage to get more information regarding this 1916 Craftsman home. He also commented on the good level of neighborhood communication in general and said how wrong the site choice is (destruction of good neighborhood components) when Florentine Gardens made so much more sense.

John (neighbor and spokesman for Prontip, owner of the apartment building) said that Prontip has owned the building for 10 years and doesn't want to leave. She chose the home not only because it is within walking distance from her restaurant, but for its stability and safety.  Since discussion of her relocation and the coming fire station, she has had little rest.  She is old and worries that she won't survive the relocation.  She doesn't think she can start over and does not believe that a price can be set for the stability she has worked so hard to establish. 

Pastor Greg Hoenes (7^th Day Adventist church) reinforced the good relationship the church and community has with the LAFD.  He added that the Florentine Gardens location is more appropriate in that there also happens to be a courthouse and a Salvation Army Youth Center there.  Logical city planning would position the firehouse at that location as well.

Martha (neighbor) told the committee that this group is not against fire stations or the committee but that the group wants what is best for the community.  She also mentioned that as long as she has lived in the neighborhood, Florentine Gardens has not been good neighbors and she prefers that site for the fire station.  She also said that 7-11 and the restaurants are excellent neighbors and that those businesses are like family. She said that unlike most 7-11 stores, this one actually makes the neighborhood safer.

Dave ( Eastwood Coalition rep.)  made additional points about the congestion on Hollywood Blvd at the proposed location and made it clear that the Florentine Gardens location never has any traffic congestion.  

Astrud (neighbor) commented on the fact that the proposed upheaval, destruction and compromise would  bring only one more ambulance to the community.  She also said that with our population growing so will the eventual need for additional space for the Fire Station which will necessitate more land grabs and the loss of more old homes on Taft and Van Ness.  She also pointed out that her husband’s business (Mel Pierce Camera) would suffer if traffic was pushed back further east on Hollywood Blvd to keep the Fire Station Ramp clear.  (Her husband’s camera shop is one block east of Taft Ave. She read his statement which pointed out that currently it is hard to get customers to come to his shop because they have little parking and it’s difficult to pull away from the curb at most times during the day with Hollywood gridlock the way it is.)  

K.C. (Eastwood Coalition) said that Florentine Gardens is a better, more logical choice for the fire station because of its size and location.  He also mentioned that “The City-mandated Community Noise Exposure Level test” or CNEL test that was done at the previous proposed location  was bordering the legal limit.  The new location (next to the freeway) would put the CNEL past the legal limit.

Cookie  (representative from Yai Restaurant) said that they have been there for 21 years, that moving would be hard for her parents since they would have to start over again. It would be hard to rebuild the clientele that they enjoy now.  She also suggested that the City contact the owner of the Saab repair shop across the street from her restaurant because she had heard that they were willing to sell.  

Alan Kawaguchi dismissed this suggestion as the Saab repair shop is part of the parcel of land that also has the existing pool hall as well as a large apartment building now under construction.  The City had abandoned that prospect months ago.

Huok Cheng (The owner of California Donuts)  said that he has 2 children and has been there for 15 years - he expressed his desire to keep his business. 

Jose (owner of Natalie Peruvian Restaurant) was present but chose not to speak. 

Fran (Franklin-Hollywood Hills Community Council) mentioned that the response time goal for the fire department is being met (five minutes or less) in the entire service area except for the Hollywood hills. She said that placing the fire station on a small site that is a guaranteed gridlock twice a day is to place it at risk of extending response time to the already well-served areas as well as extending the poor response time to the Hollywood Hills.

She added that the community meeting at Hollywood Billiards for the purpose of getting neighborhood consensus yielded a good amount of angry verbal protest from the community.  She questioned the wisdom and legality of holding such a meeting in a place that served alcohol.  She also asked that the Fire Bond group work harder to acquire Florentine Gardens.

Fran then suggested that the Salvation Army Youth Center may be able to assist the land acquisition process by possibly buying a portion of the available property to expand their center. This would allow a full sized Regional Facility a fulfill the Fire Department’s needs.  Moreover, the community closest to that location welcomes the Regional Facility instead of Florentine Gardens.
 
 This report respectfully submitted by Steven Carthy, Eastwood Coalition Neighborhood Organizer.