Time to focus on what will surely happen
post Election Day, March 7, 2017.
First,
if we want more field space planned into our communities, we must fight for it:
Understand that the people and organizations
pushing mega densities--coupled with significantly reduced public participation
in planning decisions AND ‘trickle down’ affordable housing theories-- across
the United States are clearly NOT friends of youth sports.
Real, playable, team sports field space for
families would appear to be outside of their place-making, dense walkable city
universe (Where are all those proposals to purchase and transform ‘parking
craters’ into sports fields, anyway?).
The JJJ “Build Better LA” initiative which
passed last November will be implemented
to the max to speed housing production.
It bears repeating early and often: this JJJ density will come completely
without recreation infrastructure to accommodate accelerated growth unless
youth sports organizations unite and stand up to be counted.
In
fact, JJJ does not address any future infrastructure needs or support.
A search of the
text of JJJ reveals that the word ‘infrastructure’ is not mentioned anywhere.
Sports fields? Oh, yeah, they’ll likely be
an afterthought conveniently located on the perimeter of the 450 square miles
of high rises some envision for Los Angeles. Have fun spending hours on several
modes of transit to get your kids there in time for a game.
BTW, if you’re thinking, well, the schools
will have fields, guess again.
Although LAUSD has goals for school density
defined as ‘ratio of students to available acreages’, LAUSD is no longer required to provide said field space as
the Rodriguez consent decree was lifted in 2006. The good people
of Mar Vista have fought off several LAUSD attempts to build over school fields
which presently experience significant demand for team sports
Second,
what we must do now:
Get online and demand playable field spaces
be written into the update of the Los Angeles General Plan Framework as a core public value. You can find the survey here. If it has been
taken down, write Planning directly. Find LADCP information here.
Then, write your councilmember and their
planning deputy. Find Council office information here
After that, organize. Other groups are inorganization mode already, and they are not paying attention to field space.
Get on the email notification list for
general plan and community plan updates, and go to EVERY hearing with the same
message.
Get all your families to go.
Get on public record.
Get your children
involved because engagement for this is beyond
important for them.
Get on
social media.
Why? Because these days your government pays closer attention to social media
opinion via Facebook and Twitter than it does to local organizations. If the
choice is between doing what 20,000 people want on Twitter, or doing what a
local neighborhood wants…you get the idea.
Third,
if we want to keep the right to have real influence in the planning decisions
shaping our communities, we will have to stop these legislative ‘end runs’ to
Sacramento which cut off local planning, mask future infrastructure needs, and
deny our rights to the initiative process.
Sacramento has already morphed granny flats
up to 1200 sq ft, and a ratio up to 50% of the size of the
primary unit. Occupancy cannot be limited. Practical result? Lots of people along with
their individual vehicles can occupy an ADU that large. NO owner occupancy
required. BTW, if within ½ mile of transit, NO parking required.
It would be one thing if these additional
units were counted as density and their impacts on infrastructure could be
rationally and fairly assessed in California. However, under Government Code Section 65852.2(a)(2) ADUs cannot be counted. They are effectively
invisible for planning purposes. The presumption under current state law is,
they have no impact. That means they don’t show in assessments for police,
fire, water, power, sewerage, schools…or recreation facilities.
So, there you have it: already a potential doubling—maybe even tripling--of
population density with zero infrastructure accountability.
NOTE: In Seattle, Washington, the similar,
not so subtle effort to eliminate single family zones entirely through ‘pen
stroke planning’ conversion to triplex zones has run afoul of environmental laws. Impacts were not adequately or accurately assessed.
Furthermore, Assembly Bill 943 authored by
Democratic Assembly Members Santiago and Burke will increase the passage
threshold from a simple majority to a two-thirds supermajority for passage of
any local ballot measure “that would
curb, delay, or deter growth or development within a city, the ordinance shall
be enacted only if it is approved by at least two-thirds of the votes cast on
it at the election”.
So, it’s
the ‘Game of Zones’ in the City of Angels and winter is already here.
Where
will your children play?
