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URGENT Action Alert

URGENT * Action Alert * Save Elephant Hills * URGENT * Action Alert

Huizar Calls for More Environmental Review for Elephant Hill !!
Motion Goes to Full Council on June 20th

At the June 12th PLUM hearing, Councilmember Jose Huizar voted his conscience and introduced a motion requiring the developer of 24 luxury homes on Elephant Hill in El Sereno (Tract 35022) to undertake a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR)! This motion is a tremendous victory for El Sereno and Northeast Los Angeles as a whole! This motion will be heard by the full City Council at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at City Hall, Room 340.

Councilmember Huizar was moved by testimony regarding the significant changes in the development and the need for equitable environmental protection under the law for the low-income residents of El Sereno. Citing ambiguity regarding the allowability of a SEIR, Councilmember Huizar rightfully decided on the most cautious approach—requiring additional environmental review for the public’ sake.

As you will recall, Tract 35022 was illegally expanded from 16 to 25 acres since final tract approval in July 2004. Two years later, a sinkhole created by workers provided significant new information about a natural underground water system that was not identified nor could have been foreseen in the original environmental impact report (EIR). The EIR for Tract 35022 was started 23 years ago and was approved in 1993; the shoddy engineering plans for the original development have only gotten worse.

Once again the developers of Tract 35022 are using the threat of a lawsuit to bully the City, this time into sidestepping environmental oversight of a gentrification-inducing development of million dollar homes in a community that once provided working people affordable homes. Residents must call on City Councilmembers to follow Huizar’s lead; support his motion based on the facts; and, compel the developers of Tract 35022 to undertake additional environmental review.

What You Can Do:

1. Attend the City Council hearing on Elephant Hill at 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 20, 2007, in Room 340, City Hall, 200 S. Spring Street (enter on Main). The File Number for this item is #04-1413.

2. Call the following City Councilmembers and urge them to follow Huizar’s courageous lead and vote IN FAVOR of the motion for a SEIR for Tract 35022. (File Number #04-1413.)

Ed Reyes (CD 1) - (213) 473-7001
Wendy Gruel (CD 2) - (213) 473-7002
Dennis Zine (CD 3) - (213) 473-7003
Tom LaBonge (CD 4) - (213) 473-7004
Jack Weiss (CD 5) - (213) 473-7005
Tony Cardenas (CD 6) - (213) 473-7006
Richard Alarcon (CD 7) - (213) 473-7007
Bernard Parks (CD 8) - (213) 473-7008
Jan Perry (CD 9) - (213) 473-7009
Herb Wesson (CD 10) - (213) 473-7010
Bill Rosenthal (CD 11) - (213) 473-7011
Greig Smith (CD 12) - (213) 473-7012
Eric Garcetti (CD 13) - (213) 473-7013
Janice Hahn (CD 15) - (213) 473-7015
3. THANK Councilmember Huizar for voting his conscience and the motion requiring a SEIR for Tract 35022! Email: councilmember.huizar@lacity.org or Call 213-473-7014.

4. For ongoing information about Elephant Hill check out these blogs:
http://www.saveelephanthills.blogspot.com/ and http://latinourbanforum.blogspot.com/

For more information contact: saveelephanthills@yahoo.com 6/14/07

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