I thought it would be informative if I posted all of the public comments that I have made in the media and at public forums and elsewhere to give those who are interested a better understanding of my views on a variety of subject.  I’ll also give fair warning that there are a lot of similarities in some of these statements because the main issues are pretty clear in my mind.  In any event, I hope you find this informative and enjoyable and if you live in Area 3, I hope I can count on your vote.

Area residents have three ways to cast their vote this year for their PPCC Area Representatives

 1. Vote by mail ballot postmarked no later than September 5, 2014

 2. Vote in person at the Palisades Recreation Center on September 6, 2014

3. Vote in person at the Farmer’s Market on September 7, 2014

Remember: only one vote per household is allowed.  Multiple votes from a single household will result in the cancellation of all votes from that household.

AREA 3   Marquez Knolls and both sides of Sunset Boulevard from Palisades Drive to Bienveneda Avenue, Saint Matthew’s School, and the Bel Air Bay Club, including the following:

1.      From Sunset Blvd. the western border is the eastern boundary of Area 2, north to 16882 Charmel Lane.

2.      The northern boundary is the southern border of Topanga State Park.

3.      The eastern boundary is the rear lot line of properties on the east side of Bienveneda and Shadow Mountain Drive., Via Anita and Via Cresta and thence westerly from 1479 Via Cresta to Bienveneda.

4.      Both sides of Bienveneda Avenue south to Sunset Boulevard excluding Las Pulgas Road.

5.      West on Sunset Blvd. to Baylor Street, south on Baylor and Las Casas to its southern terminus at Grenola and directly south to the Pacific Ocean. 

As a Realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty and a twenty year Pacific Palisades resident, I understand the importance of a strong community with dedicated volunteers.  I have supported that ideal through my service on the PPCC for the last four years as the Area 3 Representative.  I also support the community through active service on the boards of the Autry National Center, the California Art Club and the Central Coast Wine Classic charity auction.  It would be my honor and privilege to continue this service to the community as the Area 3 Representative for the next two years.

Richard Cohen, a former chair of the PPCC and an activist in my area sent a set of questions to both candidates.  Here are his questions and my replies.

I am interested in learning about your positions on various Area 3 issues.  Could I trouble you to let me know your views on a few matters?

Where do you stand on the DWP distribution station issue?  Are you absolutely opposed to the proposed station being built on the DWP property adjacent to Marquez Elementary School?   Or do you see pros and cons of various locations?  Would you favor carving out land from Los Liones Park behind Fire Station 23 as a preferable location?  (Note that State Parks has indicated that that will not be allowed.)  What would you think of Bernheimer Gardens as a possible location?  How would you describe your attitude toward this set of issues?

Are you familiar with St. Matthew’s Parish request for relaxation of various conditions and restrictions on their use?  There is a pending case in which St. Matthew’s have asked for city permission to increase enrollment to 384 (currently capped at 325), park in front of neighbors homes (currently forbidden) and relax other restrictions.  Many neighbors on Beinveneda and in the surrounding area organized to oppose expansion of St. Matthew’s.  There is an unfortunate history of St. Matthew’s violating their conditions. In the school year 1999-2000 and in every school year since 2002-2003, St. Matthew’s – by their own admission — has been in violation of their enrollment cap. Where do you stand on the issues pertaining to the tension between St. Matthew’s and its neighbors?

I look forward to hearing from you as I consider my vote for Area 3 representative.

Warmest regards,

Richard Cohen  

Dear Richard,

Thank you for your kind words, for your interest in Area 3 issues and for allowing me the opportunity to respond to your questions.

As you know, I served on the DWP Taskforce before it was disbanded.  One thing I learned was that every site under consideration came with significant obstacles and limitations.  Among the parcels, four or five were located near schools.  We tried diligently (and successfully) to keep our recommendations focused on locations other than those close to schools.  I do not believe that such a facility should be placed near a school.

The Tier 1 sites may or may not be the ones the LADWP ultimately decides to pursue.  We will not know until they announce their final candidates for CEQA review.  Regardless of which sites are under consideration, there will most certainly be lawsuits threatened or filed as the final location will affect the valuation of homes in the immediate vicinity.

As for the two locations that you inquired about, the old Bernheimer Gardens site is subject to material geological issues that may make it unsuitable for development.  If selected as one of the candidates, it will be interesting to see how the LADWP intends to mitigate those issues.  As for the parkland, the State of California has made it very clear that they will not allow the use of any land in the Los Liones Park.  I do not see any reason to believe that they will change their position in this matter.

All of this being said, it is imperative that we upgrade our electrical distribution infrastructure in the western portion of Pacific Palisades. We must work with the LADWP in whatever final site they decide to pursue while at the same time standing ready to challenge them on material issues that may affect the health and safety of the community.
I am very familiar with the St. Matthews Conditional Use Permit issues, more as a result of my prior membership on the MKPOA board than from the PPCC.  As you know, I have long supported constructive dialogue between St. Matthews Parish and the affected neighbors, something that St. Matthews seemed largely reluctant to pursue.  I am in agreement that St. Matthews must demonstrate its willingness and ability to stick with the current terms of the CUP, prior to entering any discussions regarding changes.  In my mind, those efforts to comply with the current CUP should be pursued at least during the entirety of the upcoming two year Area 3 Representative’s term

While I have your attention, i’d like to comment on a few other long term issues that are of interest to me.  I have been active in keeping an eye on bluff-side development proposals for multi-family properties along Sunset including the projects at 17000 Sunset and 17030 Sunset (Coaloa).  This is an area that is ripe for developer over-reach and one that requires constant vigilance. Also, I am anxiously awaiting the implementation of the Administrative Code Enforcement law to allow Department of Building and Safety officials to directly cite code violators.  Likewise, I would like to see improvements in the enforcement mechanisms for the Baseline Hillside Ordinance.  I see far too many new (post grandfathered) construction projects that completely baffle me as to how they comply with the ordinance.

Certainly the central city redevelopment project to be undertaken by Caruso Associated is a project that many, including myself will be interested in monitoring.  Likewise, I am very interested in any efforts to amend and update the specific plan for the community.

If you have any other questions regarding my candidacy, please do not hesitate to call or email me.

I hope I can count on your support.

Regards – Jim

Richard had one followup question to which I also replied.

I’m curious about your sentence:  ” I am very interested in any efforts to amend and update the specific plan for the community.”  I’m sure that we are all interested in this important issue.  As you know, there are those who feel that the specific plan is too restrictive and should be modified to allow denser development, third stories, mixed use, etc.  This has been couched in terms of possible trade-offs for other street-level benefits by some proponents.  On the other hand there are many community members who remember the pre-specific plan days of auto shops, billboards and general strip mall ambiance in the Village.  Personally I am on the side of those who consider themselves guardians of the specific plan.  Any changes to relax restrictions on development are likely to destroy the village feeling we have come to cherish.  Where do you currently find yourself on this question?

Hi Richard,
In this instance, my general belief is that the specific plan that we have in place has served us well.  Though I know that a review process has been initiated by the city (and I don’t profess to know a great deal about the details of it), my concern is that if we open up the plan for wholesale changes, the process will be so dominated by attorneys representing development interests that the citizen voice may well be overwhelmed … something none of us wish to see (or hear).  Thus, if any changes are to be made, they should be done delicately, gingerly, sparingly and with great caution and careful consideration.

I hope that helps clarify my thoughts on the issue.

Regards – Jim

Matt Sanderson, reporter for the Palisadian Post sent around a series of questions for all of the Area candidates and I replied to all of his questions.  I suspect his article will be published this week or next.

Hi Matt,

Thank you for your questions.  It will be my pleasure to respond to them.

Regards – Jim

1. How long have you lived in Pacific Palisades and what are the three most important changes you’ve seen in that time? (100 words max) 

I have lived in the Palisades for 20 years in Marquez Knolls.   The most important changes that come to mind are the death of the downtown merchant district and the potential redevelopment of the area by Caruso Affiliated.  The PPCC has grown in stature, recognition and importance over the years.  The Farmer’s Market on Sundays has proven to be a healthy gathering place for the community at large.  Finally, the impact of the internet on community relations activities is a very important development.

2. What local issues are most important to you? (150 words max) 

The location. construction and operation of the new LADWP distributing station is an important development for the whole community, but particularly for my area where several highly controversial potential sites are located.

We are always concerned with developer overreach, particularly in the areas along coastal bluffs on Sunset and stand ready to challenge inappropriate developer’s plans with local planning authorities.

The redevelopment of the central business district is likely one of the most important things to happen in the next 20-30 years and we must insure that it is well done without disabling specific plan protections that have guarded the community for several decades.
I look forward to Administrative Code Enforcement becoming law, allowing Building and Safety to cite code violators on the spot.

We all have to become more mindful of sustainability / climate change issues such as water and energy availability, sea level rise and wild fire conditions.

3. Where is Pacific Palisades going from here? (150 words max)

I hope we manage to maintain the small town charm of today’s Pacific Palisades.  There is little room for development growth, so new development will have to take place by creative reuse of existing properties.  I hope that such reuse is done with the spirit of our specific plan and character of our community in mind. As we look to refine our specific plan in the coming months and years, I hope that we do so with great care, protecting the planning laws that have protected our community so well in years past.

4. Optional: What is your career and educational background? What are your hobbies? (50 words max) 

I love working in residential real estate with Sotheby’s International Realty serving Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas.  I have a BBA and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.  My professional specialties include finance, technology and marketing.  My hobbies include, photography, fine wine, fine art and travel.

Finally, the PPCC held a candidate’s forum last week where each candidate delivered prepared statements and answered questions from the audience.  This is the prepared statement that I delivered.

My name is Jim Rea.  My wife Jodie and I have lived in the Marquez Knolls neighborhood of Pacific Palisades for the last 20 years.  I work here and in surrounding communities as a Realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty.

I have served on the PPCC as the Area 3 Representative for the last four years.  I also served on the LADWP’s special taskforce regarding the location of the proposed Distributing Station in the western part of Pacific Palisades.  I also worked for four years on the board of the Marquez Knolls Property Owner’s Association.

I know that in order to maintain the value of our communities it is important to protect against unfair and unsafe development while at the same time respecting and protecting individual’s property rights.

I believe there are a number of highly relevant issues in my area including enforcement of the baseline hillside ordinance, the ability of the building and safety department to issue on the job citations for code violations (otherwise known as administrative code enforcement), protection of the coastal bluffs from irresponsible development and a strong and effective community care facilities ordinance.  That said, the upcoming site selection for the LADWP’s Distributing Station No. 104 will be a highly contentious event for the community in Areas 1, 2 and 3.  I am committed to doing everything I can to prevent the station from being built near any of the many schools in the area and will assist any property owner who has legitimate concerns about the location of the station.

As a Realtor, I regularly reach out to members of my local community and I always include a reminder that I am available as their Area 3 representative to assist them with any issues they may have.  In addition, I am excited about the ability to use Nextdoor.com to message local area residents about current issues.  I intend to continue and expand that outreach in the next two years.

As for the community at large, certainly the redevelopment of the central business district looms large on anyone’s radar screen, including mine.  As well, any efforts to reform, modify or update our specific plan is of vital interest to the community and to me.  Our specific plan has served us well in the past and any efforts to modify it must be done carefully, judiciously and sparingly.

Thank you.

My pledge to you is to professionally handle all of your real estate needs whether it is searching for a new home or property, selling one that you already have or helping you address your real estate needs anywhere in the world. My goal is to make your real estate experience pleasant, productive, focused and hassle free.

I would love to discuss any real estate needs that you may have.  Please give me a call at any time.

Jim Rea, Realtor
Sotheby’s International Realty – Pacific Palisades 
(424) 354-0790
Jim@JimRea.com

By: archcomm

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