GAME OVER!

Common sense has prevailed and the Mandarin Immersion project has been scrubbed. Full details at: www.stopcommuterschool

However, we must be vigilant and continue to protect field space at all our public schools.

Red Card: Eject the Twain DEIR's Rec Spaces Analysis

Let's look at the Twain DEIR Recreation 'impact analysis' in Subchapter 3P. 

The  DEIR states on page 3P-5, under Paragraph 3P-4:

Less than Significant Impact

The proposed project would not increase the use of existing neighborhood and regional parks or

other recreational facilities that would cause or accelerate substantial deterioration of the facilities.

And, the DEIR concludes on Page 3P-7:

            3P.5 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS

The proposed project would not result in significant impacts to recreation. Therefore, there would

be no cumulative impacts.

By conflating field space acreage with other rec spaces, including asphalt space occasionally doubling as parking space, the DEIR deliberately avoids analysis of the removal of one half of the existing sports field utilized by community youth sports under the Civic Center Act at Mark Twain Middle School.

Users will be forced to seek other space in a domino effect, thereby increasing use of other field space in the area. The DEIR fails to investigate impacts of this loss because it omits any study of existing area ball fields’ permit availability for team practice/game play. The DEIR somehow assumes any additional burden upon other facilities will somehow be absorbed to the level of less than significant impact.

Area fields’ physical condition and maintenance cycle with regard to the ability to handle more hours of play was not assessed.

Nor was the potential availability of adequate permits. 

Ask any youth teams sports parent--permits for consecutive practice dates/times/games are notoriously difficult to obtain at local public rec facilities. 

Schools; state parks; and neighboring municipalities all have different threshold policies on field permits for groups—particularly groups which draw membership from outside the municipality--and it cannot be assumed those other jurisdictions’ fields would have available permits, or that they would absorb more users without physical impacts such as increased wear and tear; traffic; and noise.

Twain Mandarin Immersion DEIR 

Stop Commuter School

800

800 Parents and Kids Want Playable Field Space in Santa Monica…

But the working group recommendations for the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium property include—drum roll—a high rise hotel!

This in spite of the assurances made to local families as Tongva Park was developed:

“According to the 2002 Civic Center Specific Plan, there was to be a high intensity multiple use park (Tongva Park) with the understanding that there would also be real open space at the corner of 4th and Pico. It is now time to deliver on that promise”.  The Need for Civic Center Open Space, by Mario  Fonda-­Bonardi AIA  for  SMart, letter dated September 26, 2014 to the Santa Monica Lookout.

Time to remind Santa Monica’s government what was promised. Join the Save the Civic Center Field Facebook Group’s rally. Show up and speak up at the Civic Working Group meeting May 20 at 6:30 pm at the Civic Auditorium. Free parking.

If you can’t go, email civic@smgov.net and Council@smgov.net to let them know it is time to keep their promise to local families on the field space. Get your neighbors involved.

Details at: Save the Civic Center Field Facebook Group

Wallace Motion to be Withdrawn at BOD Meeting

MVCC will send out an email blast this evening confirming the following statement:

"The Motion to remove Steve Wallace as Co-Chair of the Planning and Land Use Committee and appoint Mitchell Rishe as Chair" will be withdrawn at tomorrow's meeting". Bill Koontz - Chair MVCC

CALL TO ACTION or, no good deed goes unpunished

In an astounding turn of events--proving the adage that no good deed goes unpunished--the Mar Vista Community Council will consider a motion to REMOVE Steve Wallace as MVCC Planning and Land Use Management Committee Co Chair on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 7 pm, Mar Vista Rec Center.

Steve Wallace advocated strongly--and some people apparently take exception to strong advocacy-- for saving the field space at Mark Twain just one week ago. In his speech, he recounted the thousands of man hours of work our hundreds of MVCC Zone 6 neighbors have done on a response to an inadequate Twain DEIR. The MVCC BOD then voted to support the community's motion and rejected the confusing conflicting motion.

Now, Steve's volunteer job is on the line.

For those of you who might not know, Steve has served Mar Vista ably, well, and fairly for a decade on our MVCC land use committee. He championed the reconstruction of the Venice Bl median; the opening of the new restaurants and businesses we all enjoy now in our town center; and he has worked diligently on land use issues large and small for US. When LAUSD wanted to put a bus operation-- wiping out 3 fields at Webster--Steve helped us save that space.

If you support saving field space for our kids, and you want to help Steve, email the MVCC BOD today and tell them to RETAIN Steve; SEND the official letter on the April 27, 2015 action to LAUSD's EIR consultant forthwith [as they should have already done]; and WORK  WITH our neighborhood in genuine partnership on planning issues in the future. Send to:

Chair
At-Large Director
Bill Koontz
bill.koontz@marvista.org

First Vice Chair
At-Large Director
Mitchell Rishe
mitchell.rishe@marvista.org

Second Vice Chair
Community Director
John M. Kuchta
john.kuchta@marvista.org

Secretary
At-Large Director
Melissa Stoller
melissa.stoller@marvista.org

Treasurer
Zone 3 Director
Bill Scheding
bill.scheding@marvista.org

At-Large Director
Yvette Molinaro
yvette.molinaro@marvista.org

At-Large Director
Robin Doyno
robin.doyno@marvista.org

At-Large Director
Sherri Akers
sherri.akers@marvista.org

Zone 1 Director
Ken Alpern
ken.alpern@marvista.org

Zone 2 Director
Brad Wilhite
brad.wilhite@marvista.org

Zone 4 Director
Michael Millman
michael.millman@marvista.org

Zone 5 Director
Michelle Krupkin
michelle.krupkin@marvista.org

Zone 6 Director
Valerie Davidson
valerie.davidson@marvista.org

A very big thank you to FC Los Angeles parents, players and coaches who came out last night and spoke to the importance of retaining playable field space on the Mark Twain MS campus. With an overflow, SRO crowd,  the Mar Vista Community Council voted to support the West Mar Vista Residents Association motion--that is, the motion that preserves the field space at Twain. Well done! 

Whereas the Mar Vista Community and the parents of the Mandarin Immersion
Program at Broadway Elementary School agree with Board Member Zimmer’s
statement, and as quoted: "To find a balance for educational needs and the
protection of the quality of life of the Mar Vista Stakeholders", and

Whereas the Draft Environmental Impact Report “Mandarin and English Dual-
Language Immersion Elementary School Project” prepared for the Los Angeles
Unified School District ‘LAUSD’ by Sapphos Environmental, Inc. for the LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety was released for review March 26, 2015, and

Whereas that Draft EIR clearly states the alternative of least impact is the
‘Redistricting Alternative’,

Therefore, the Mar Vista Community Council asks that LAUSD and Board
Member Zimmer implement "The Redistricting Alternative", and the MVCC also
requests the support of Councilmember Bonin going forward, as it offers the
least impacts to the community; preserves valuable open space; enhances
community equity by promoting use of existing local underutilized campus
facilities--thereby improving neighborhood schools; and saves the public $30
million on a new campus that is not needed.

MARK TWAIN/MANDARIN IMMERSION PLAYGROUND ACRES

In 1986, LAUSD was sued, and forced to apply a reasonable student density/playground space formula to campuses:

“In the case of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), compliance with the Rodriguez Consent Decree, which additionally recommends the following playground areas:

Elementary School

Up to 500 students           1.4 playground acres

Up to 750 students           1.7 playground acres

Up to 1,000 students        2.0 playground acres

Up to 1,250 students        2.3 playground acres

Junior High/Middle School

Up to 2,400 students        6.0 playground acres

High School        

Up to 3,600 students        9.0 playground acres

When the consent decree was lifted in 2006, LAUSD issued Policy Bulletin BUL-2574.0 which stated:

“On April 7, 2006, the District obtained a favorable court ruling that ended the Rodriguez Consent Decree. The court denied the plaintiffs’ request to extend the term of the decree beyond December 2005. While the District has prevailed, it is important to continue to maintain the established policies and procedures used to ensure that the school density guidelines are kept and that the highly qualified and experienced teachers are equitably distributed among all schools.”

Screen shot of Twain showing existing playground acres

Proposed project states on page 3P-5 of the DEIR that there is ‘no net loss’ of rec facilities/acres:

Implementation of the proposed project would provide the new Mandarin and English Dual-Language Immersion Elementary School with elementary and kindergarten play areas, potentially resulting in no net loss of recreational facilities after the removal of a portion of an athletic field (1.9 acres) and an oval track (1.0 acre). Approximately 2 acres of the turf athletic field would remain as part of the middle school campus, as well as approximately 3.06 acres of asphalt recreation area, including nine tennis courts, 12 full-sized basketball courts, six half-sized basketball courts, 11 four-square courts, multiple handball courts, and a straight track for short-distance running. The oval track would be redrawn around the remaining asphalt recreation area.

·        DEIR states the total of the remaining playground space as approximately 5.6 acres.

·        Rodriguez Consent Decree Bulletin recommends space of 1.7 acres [elementary school] for up to 750 students and 6.0 acres [middle school] for up to 2400 students for a total of 7.7 acres. ZIMAS calculates existing Twain playground space at about 7.8 acres.

·        LAUSD is therefore violating its own stated policy on playground space at Twain by creating a potential net loss of 2.2 acres or about 1/3 of the existing space. LAUSD needs to retain all the existing playground space if a new campus is added.