July Newsbites

***Wildlife Ordinance Update #1***  On June 13th, our Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, together with CD-4 Councilwoman Nithya Ramen, sent a letter to the City Council Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM Committee) requesting that the PLUM Committee reinstate a regulation in the Wildlife Ordinance that had been removed by the Planning Department due to community opposition. The regulation that Yaroslavky wanted reinstated would reduce the allowed square footage for all homes that have slopes on their properties greater than 60 percent (which is equivalent to 31 degrees). Many, if not most, homes in our neighborhood are on properties that have slopes greater than 31 degrees, and would therefore have their allowed home size reduced.  While the City would not require you to remove parts of your existing home, you may be affected if you wish to add on to your home, or if your home burns down in a non-natural disaster (such as a house fire). Yaroslavsky and Ramen also requested that all square footage in basements be counted toward a home’s allowed square footage. On June 20th, with only 3 days notice to the public, and despite the objections of the majority of constituents at the meeting, the PLUM Committee approved the Wildlife Ordinance with Yaroslavsky and Ramen’s more restrictive amendments. The next stop for the Wildlife Ordinance is the City Attorney, and thereafter the Wildlife Ordinance would go to the full City Council to approve it into law. 

***Wildlife Ordinance Update #2***  Around June 30th, many residents received an email from Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky in support of the proposed Wildlife Ordinance. The Councilwoman’s email included a link to a “Fact Sheet”, from Councilwomen Yaroslavsky and Nithya Ramen (CD-4), relating to some of the Wildlife Ordinance’s regulations.

Unfortunately, BAHA has determined that some of the statements in the “Fact Sheet” regarding the regulations in the proposed Wildlife Ordinance, and their consequences for residents, are factually incorrect and should NOT be relied upon. BAHA is preparing a Fact Check of the Councilwoman’s email, which we hope to distribute to our residents shortly.    

BAHA supports legislation to preserve and protect wildlife and pristine undeveloped areas of the Santa Monica Mountains. However, BAHA opposes those regulations that provide little or no benefit to wildlife while unduly burdening residents of fully developed and well-established neighborhoods, such as Bel Air Hills.

***BAHA Administration*** The new BAHA Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 term was listed in the June issue of Newsbites. The new Board held its organizational meeting last month and elected the following officers:

                               President                                           Patricia Templeton
                               Vice President                                   Wendy Morris
                               Treasurer                                           Morrie Glickman
                               Secretary                                           Richard Kipper

In addition, the Board approved the appointment of Chairpersons for the following BAHA committees

                                Architectural                                       Andrew Paden
                                Beautification                                     Inta Kipper
                                Communications                               Richard Kipper
                                Emergency Preparedness                Shelly Steier
                                Hospitality/Events                             Sandra McGarry
                                Membership                                       Jacqui Stafsudd
                                Security                                               Bruce Hofert
                                Traffic                                                  Sandra McGarry

All BAHA members are invited to join one or more of the above committees in which they may have an interest, or simply helping out from time to time. Doing so is a good way to meet neighbors, get involved, and support and protect your neighborhood. Interested? Please send an email with the committee you are interested in, or a request for more information about joining or helping a committee, to [email protected]. Thank you.

***Neighborhood Council Board Seats***  The Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council (BABCNC) is seeking applicants for four Board Seats to be filled by appointment at its July 26th Board meeting. The BABCNC is the Neighborhood Council that represents the area from Sunset to Mulholland, Sepulveda Blvd to Laurel Canyon Blvd. Neighborhood Councils were created by the City of LA to bridge the gap between communities and the City.  They are advisory bodies who advocate for their communities with City Hall on issues of importance to their communities. Board members are considered part of City government but are volunteers. BAHA has two representatives on the BABCNC, and if any of the appointed seats are filled by Bel Air Hills residents it will give our neighborhood a stronger voice on the BABCNC. If you think this might be for you, more information and the application are included in this attachment:  

BABCNC Board Application    

***Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project***  Metro continues to go through the environmental review process and is conducting soils testing in various areas. This project has the potential for significant impacts to the Bel Air Hills community. It is important for our residents to stay informed and involved. To sign up for project updates, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/KsXDI8K/MetroSepulveda.

***Wildfire Preparedness Zoom Meeting 7/20/23***  See attached flyer for full information on this important matter:

MSLA  Agenda for 7-20-2023

***American Jewish University Update***  An item in the May issue of Newsbites, informed our readers about the proposed sale of the American Jewish University (AJU), located at 15600 Mulholland Drive, just outside of the Bel Air Park development entrance on Casiano Road to a company called Education First (EF). EF planned to use the campus to provide English language education to high school and college students from around the world.  Newsbites noted that members of local communities had voiced concerns regarding the negative impact EF’s plans for expansion would have on the quality of life in the area, such as security, traffic, parking and fire safety.  BAHA was recently informed that EF has terminated the proposed acquisition because it was concerned that community opposition would make it difficult to go forward. This outcome illustrates the power of strong local opposition to unwanted local developments. Another example occurred last year when BAHA and the Bel Air Hills community were successful in convincing a proposed cannabis dispensary, which would have been located in the old Bel Air Market, to abandon the project.