Two things before the weekend
1) Anyone who attends the Ponte Vista Advisory Board meeting tonight, please give us your impressions and whatever else you'd like to share.
2) Check out the "Los Angeles Harbor Area Development Guide " insert in today's Random Lengths.
2) Check out the "Los Angeles Harbor Area Development Guide " insert in today's Random Lengths.
27 Comments:
Please take a look at my blog: pontevista.blogspot.com for news about tonight's meeting.
Thanks.
quite amusing, the last meeting. the facilitator really seemed like a nice guy. up until the part when he explained to the committee that "this is mr. bisno's plan. it's his plan. he's writing it."
uh, come again dude?
The title for the meeting should have been "LET THE COOPTING BEGIN".
Good editorial in the More today from Mark Wells. Well written with substantive points (e.g., increasing the population of SP by almost 9% on less than 1/10 of 1% of the land in SP), the gamble of buying land and the fact that Bisno overpaid for it etc.) And how about the funeral processions that snake around that area. Has Bisno thought about this??
I keep hearing arguments to the effect of: "well, the 2300 number of condos is just a Bisno negotiating ploy, let's just split the difference and settle for 1200-1500 units." I say don't back down from maintaining R-1. The key will be the political pressure on the city council (to which Bisno has already spread around the campaign $$ to; check the LA City Ethics website).
Thanks again Anonymous.
Co-opting will begin when the public doesn't stand strong for what the majority of current residents of the area want to see happen in Ponte Vista. Our group will be devalued if it is not supported by public comments, too.
Calamari made quite a good point to me the other day. Calamari think that real "elitists" live in guarded areas surrounded by gates and fences. Doesn't that sound like what Mr. Bisno wants to build at Ponte Vista?
(Golly Anonymous)it sounds like you were at the meeting last Thursday. I wish I knew who you are. I wouldn't divulge your identity to anyone. It seems we are part of the same side on this issue)
nobody even mentioned pedro's need for mass transit at the meeting. HELLO!?
if bisno is going to start building, and the Port is doing B2B, Pedro needs a dedicated light-rail line.
please visit the Citizens for a harbor Line web site to learn more.
harborline.blogspot.com
Isn't "Ponte Vista Bisno" the same developer once involved in the Lincoln Place controversy in Venice wherein he tried to demolish and rebuild its buildings to charge much higher rents (and after losing in court, selling his stake to his co-owner AIMCO) ?? (if not, let me know)
According to an article dated 9-29-01 in the Times: "The owners of Lincoln Place now refuse to accept tenants who use federal housing vouchers. And earlier this month, owner Robert H. Bisno announced that he had launched a comprehensive renovation - one that would price out many longtime residents." This article also states how many of the residents of Lincoln Place are elderly who couldn't afford to move.
Bisno, identified as chairman of and chief executive of TransAction Financial Corp., is furthermore quoted as saying: "Affordable housing is not a profitable venture."
This doesn't seem to square with his recent blather in the More when he spouted: "In the community, another strong theme emerges -- the need for housing affordable to working families."
I wonder just who exactly is the elitist?
that is the same person, but Bisno sold his interest in Lincoln Plaza to another company called AIMCO. AIMCO then tried to evict everybody from the place.
Linda Immediato at LA WEEKLY has some great stories on it.
My guess is, Bisno got tired of the antagonistic tenants and gave up on the place.
given his record at lincoln place, a good question to him would be,
"how do we know you're not going to pull a Lincoln Place and just forgo the senior housing once you get approvals from the city for your project?"
i really truly applaud the members of the task force. i think you guys are great trying to put a limit on bisno's plan. but you guys have your work cut out for yourselves.
he's a snake people, a snake.
a snake on a plane per chance? lol
We should be so lucky. Any plane, heading anywhere but here.
I honestly didn't know that he had been involved in that disgraceful Lincoln Place scheme.
I don’t read Random Lengths consistently, but have they covered any of these types of issues regarding Bisno?? The community needs to have a clear picture of this developer. As bloggers on this thread know, there’s a lot more to him and his plans than just upbeat columns and advertisements, $500 contributions to local groups, and large signs that say: “A place we can all call home.” Residents need to know about the Bisno machine, i.e., his lobbying expenditures to Rudy S. and others, his campaign contributions to local politicians, and his less than stellar record of attempted development in communities such as Lincoln Place.
RL is not going to publish that kind of stuff. Bisno just forked over a couple of thousand for RL's development guide.
What was with that development guide? It looked like something San Pedro mag would put out. Glossy cover, tons of advertisements by the very people you're writing about.
I found it pretty hillarious that they had an article critical of the national media for not covering big stories, but they haven't printed a critical word about Bisno.
Valid point 9:45.
I wish RL would do a better job of covering the big stories occurring right here and now in SP (such as Ponte Vista) rather than telling us how the awful GWB should be impeached. But if I understand 7:46 correctly, I guess it's smart of Bisno to throw advertising dollars RL's way.
smart? try obvious.
The Random Lengths seems to have stayed pretty clear of covering development issues in San Pedro. I wish they would stop soapboxing about the national issues and concentrate on the local ones for a while, too.
The weak spot in any newspaper is through their advertising department. Always has been and always will be.
Is there a meeting tonight or tomorrow night of the Ponte Vista Comittee? I'm presuming that it's on Thursday, not tonight?
it's tonight.
they have shitty editors there
M Richards,
I look forward to reading your review of tonight's meeting (9/21). FYI, I posted on your ponte vista blog and rec'd a message that comments must first be reviewed by the moderator.
i alerted m richards to the issue with comments on his blog tonight. he said he would take a look.
jack baric left the meeting early. way to go baric!
Chris Yang had a great letter to the editor in today's More San Pedro (9/30), bringing up points that our local lazy press (Daily Breeze) or sell-out press (Random Lengths) have ignored. Other LA blogs have outlined how zoning in LA is basically for sale (especially now under Villaraigorosa) and I wish local reporters would really dig into this and expose the Bisno machine.
hey anonymous,
he never described the press as "lazy" or "sell-outs," nor did he say zoning is "for sale."
perhaps you should re-read the letter again before providing commentary on it.
Never said he did. Now perhaps you should take a reading comprehension class.
touche
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