Newsletter/Meeting Recap

On June 8th, PPCC heard from Officers Basaker and O’Dea regarding traffic law enforcement task forces in and around Pacific Palisades to deal with motorcycle drivers and to enforce laws that are intended to keep us safe on the road. We also heard from Tricia Keane, Director of Land Use & Planning, from Councilmember Mike Bonin’s Office.

Officers Basaker and O’Dea informed us that an enforcement task force had most recently been conducted in Pacific Palisades on 6/4/17. Sergeant Eun, their commanding Officer, had previously informed me that more would be arranged for Wednesday nights, and funding was being sought for habitual enforcement on Sunday mornings. In May, West LAPD Traffic division conducted safety task forces on 5/3/17 and 5/21/17. This was in addition to random on-going extra patrol conducted by traffic and patrol divisions. Their efforts led to a large number of citations, warning and vehicle impounds. Riders were also counseled to drive in a manner that is mindful of, and consistent with, traffic flowing through a small town with children, pedestrians, bicyclers and seniors. There were also a few DUI arrests made during evening enforcement. Officers also attempted to redirect bikers to other routes, when the opportunity presented itself. These enforcement efforts, we are told, were in response to the community’s concerns, with a primary focus on unruly motorcyclists. However, enforcement action was also taken when vehicles and/or pedestrians were observed committing traffic violations.

We also heard from Tricia Keane who explained the recent Recode process in Los Angeles, and spelled out which Palisadian communities were affected, and how. See notes in our minutes; interested community members may reach out to Tricia for more information at tricia.keane@lacity.org. Tricia also informed us that Councilmember Bonin is concerned about new statewide cell tower legislation (SB 649; passed in the Senate and now in the Assembly), which seemingly aims to curb local controls and deals a blow to “home rule,” a principle that we fiercely seek to protect. Tricia informed us that Mike Bonin opposes SB 649 and would be writing to Assemblymembers Bloom and Ridley-Thomas, whose Districts fall within CD11, to advise them of his opposition.

PPCC held Officer elections for the 2017-2018 term; Zar, Wolfberg, Holdorff-Polhill and Cohen were re-elected as Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Our thanks to everyone who attended the meeting, and all those who follow our work and engage in the process of protecting and preserving this community by giving us their input and participating in the community-wide conversations of important issues that we regularly address.