Sept. 6. 2012
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
YOUR ATTENDANCE IS CRITICAL
THURSDAY SEP 13, 2012 PPCC Board Meeting
7:00PM
Palisades Branch Library (861 Alma Real)
Tell the Pacific
Palisades Community Council:
NO distributing
station next to Marquez Charter
Bring your kids if you don’t
have a sitter. Bring friends and family.
Our strength is in our numbers.
We need a large showing to
demonstrate our concern about this issue.
PPCC
Meeting Details
The Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) has
asked LADWP representatives and Councilman Rosendahl’s office to come to the
meeting to discuss the proposed new electrical distributing station serving Pacific
Palisades. The PPCC (whose “elected” representatives generally receive a TOTAL
of only a couple hundred votes from the entire Palisades each year) will assert
to decision makers that they are the only community voices on this issue.
To date, the PPCC has refused to recognize or
support our calls for DWP to take the Marquez Site off the table. For
months, the PPCC watched silently while DWP pursued plans to build the
distributing station directly next door to Marquez Charter. Indeed, its
silence speaks louder than words. In
fact, internal DWP memos indicate that certain PPCC leaders have affirmatively encouraged
DWP to pursue the Marquez Site in order to dissuade DWP from pursuing its
number one choice behind Fire Station 23.
Abandoned by the PPCC, we formed our own coalition
to convince decision makers to ask DWP to take the Marquez site off the table. Yet, DWP
continues to pursue the Marquez Site. Therefore, it is critical that all of us attend the meeting to
demonstrate that, in fact, the
community at large OPPOSES the placement of the DWP distributing station
directly next door to Marquez Charter—a pride of the community.
For the
sake of our children’s safety and health, and to protect our school, attend
this meeting to demonstrate your opposition to the DWP distributing station
next to Marquez Charter – this is our chance to speak up for ourselves when
PPCC has refused to represent us. Your participation and support at
this meeting are critical to our success. As we have said since the
original February Town Hall, the coalition’s opposition -- in large numbers
and with persistent voices -- is the only way to stop DWP from putting its
power distributing station next to Marquez Charter!
Other
Developments
It has been a busy summer for our
Coalition. We’ve spent hundreds of hours looking through thousands of
documents and uncovered new disturbing details about the site selection
process. A new community task force has been announced that includes
members of our own Coalition of Palisadians to Keep Marquez Charter Safe.
While we enter task force deliberations cautiously optimistic about the
outcome, we enter deliberations with some reservations. Many of you have
noticed the “for sale” signs along the fence of the LADWP lot next to the
school. NO—the LADWP lot is not up for sale. Rather, the canyon
behind the site is for sale. We have some ideas about that land. For further details about all of this and more, please visit our "Latest Developmets" page.
June 19, 2012
Dear Marquez Parents, Friends and Neighbors,
Your help is urgently needed. A power distribution station in the heart of Marquez Knolls, directly next to Marquez Charter, presents numerous serious environmental, safety and health concerns:
- FIRE & EXPLOSION RISKS
- FATALLY FLAWED GEOLOGY and LANDSLIDE RISKS
- COMMUNITY DISASTER EVACUATION PROBLEMS
- AIR QUALITY IMPACTS and HEALTH RISKS from construction
- Construction NOISE IMPACTS
- TRAFFIC IMPACTS during construction and operation
- Impacts on COMMUNITY DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANS
- Increased RISK OF CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA AND OTHER ILLNESSES
associated with electromagnetic fields - DETRIMENTAL IMPACT on MARQUEZ CHARTER FUNDRAISING & RANKINGS
- WILDLIFE IMPACTS & AESTHETIC IMPACTS
Community
opposition -- in large numbers and with persistent voices -- is the
only way to stop DWP from putting its power distribution station next to Marquez
Charter!
What You Can Do Right Now:
1. Sign the “No to Marquez Power Station” petition on-line and put a link on your Facebook page
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-to-marquez-substation/
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-to-marquez-substation/
2. Email and call about your concerns and objections to our elected representatives
- Councilman Bill Rosendahl – Councilman.rosendahl@lacity.org or (310) 575-8461
- Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s District Director Norm Kulla – Norman.Kulla@lacity.org
- LADWP General Manager Ron Nichols – Ron.Nichols@ladwp.com
- LADWP Project Liaison Victoria Cross – Victoria.Cross@LADWP.com or (213) 367-4141
- LA School Board Representative Steve Zimmer – Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net or 213-241-6387
We have started the process of reaching out to Mayor Villaraigosa to urge him to tell DWP to take Marquez off the table from consideration as a potential power distribution site. As evidenced by the positive responses we've received thus far from Councilman Rosendahl, LAUSD Superintendent Dr. John Deasy, LAUSD Board Member Steve Zimmer and many others, a forceful community opposition—in large numbers and with consistent voices—is the only way to keep DWP from putting its power station next to Marquez Charter Elementary.
We,
therefore, urge you to email the Mayor the sample letter of concern
below or something else you draft on your own. The Mayor's contact
information is also listed below.
SAMPLE LETTER TO MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA:
SUBJECT: NO PROPOSED DWP SITE NEXT TO MARQUEZ SCHOOL
Office of the Mayor
Los
Angeles City Hall
200
North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Re: Proposed
LADWP Electrical Distribution Station Next to Marquez Charter Elementary School
in Pacific Palisades
Dear Mayor Villaraigosa:
I am a [resident of Pacific
Palisades] [and a parent of [a] student[s] at Marquez Charter Elementary School
in Pacific Palisades]. I write to
inform you about the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s proposed
electrical distribution station to be located at 16931 Marquez Avenue, Pacific
Palisades, CA 90272, in the heart of a quiet residential enclave, right next to
our local public elementary school, Marquez Elementary.
I
strongly oppose, and am gravely concerned about, the DWP’s proposal. It will seriously jeopardize the health and
safety of the school’s students, teachers, staff, and community, as discussed
below. I ask that you please call upon
DWP to eliminate the Marquez site from further consideration and immediately
re-direct its focus to an alternative site.
At a Town Hall meeting on
February 29, 2012, DWP presented its plans to build a large electrical
distribution station next to Marquez Elementary. DWP has indicated the station will be 23 feet
both above and below ground, and will have multiple structures spanning at
least 1.5 acres. The community has
widely objected to DWP’s proposal and has submitted to DWP a petition, now with
500+ signatures, to oppose the proposed distribution station. The Marquez Elementary community has also circulated
its own petition opposing the DWP’s proposal, garnering hundreds of parent
signatures and still counting.
My major concerns with the
proposed distribution station include:
- Fire Hazards and Risks of Explosion – Fires and explosions at electrical distribution stations are common occurrences, rendering it a question of “when” and not “if.” The Marquez site lies above a canyon of dry vegetation, and the entire area is located within a “red zone” fire area – the highest fire hazard zone risk category. If an explosion occurs or a fire erupts at the Marquez site distribution station, it can easily set the canyon or the school ablaze. On top of this, recent cut backs to the City Fire Department budget have further compromised our community’s fire protection services. Under these circumstances, introducing new risks of electrical distribution station fires and explosions to a residential community within a red zone fire area, right next to an elementary school, is reckless.
- Evacuation Route Problems – The Marquez site is located on a residential avenue where traffic conditions are already severely stressed, especially during Marquez Elementary’s drop-off and pick up times, when carpool and parked vehicles ensure a daily bottleneck. The other surrounding narrow residential streets can support only limited ingress/egress for emergency vehicles and responders to any fire or other emergency occurring at the proposed distribution station. Under these circumstances, any necessary evacuation of the surrounding area – including all of Marquez’s 600+ students, 100 staff members and numerous volunteers; the additional 200+ students and staff of the preschool and childcare facilities in the immediate vicinity; as well as nearby families (many with young children and elderly people) – would promise pandemonium.
- Geological Problems and Risk of Landslides – The area is known to be geologically unstable and has a history of landslides. Construction of this scale 23 feet above and below ground and covering 1.5 acres will require serious alterations to the landscape, and may destabilize the geology of the area. A resulting slope failure in a heavily populated residential area and a location next door to an elementary school is a risk not worth taking.
- Electromagnetic Fields (“EMFs”) – The health effects of prolonged and consistent exposure to EMFs have undergone continuous studies and debate in the medical and scientific community since the 1970s. Even with conflicting reports about direct causation, epidemiological studies have shown a consistent connection between EMFs exposure and increased risks of childhood leukemia and asthma. In the absence of any concrete proof that EMFs are unequivocally safe, DWP should not gamble with the health and safety of our public school children nor that of the community. Our children should not be the guinea pigs in the study of the effects of EMFs.
- Construction Air Quality Impact and Health Risks – The multi-year construction of the distribution station would cause significant air quality impacts, including emissions from on-site construction equipment as well as particulate matter from dump trucks and concrete trucks traveling through the neighborhood. Hundreds of Marquez students and staff as well as families with very young children and the elderly (some home-bound) would be subjected to these pollutants for many hours a day, five days a week, for at least 18-24 months. The effects of these pollutants on children and the elderly, especially those with asthma and other respiratory conditions, could result in serious health problems. Additionally, the hundreds of children and constant traffic of construction vehicles in close proximity to each another would create a serious safety risk.
- Noise Impact During Construction & Operation – Noise from the proposed massive construction project lasting at least 18-24 months, and the operation of the station, would certainly compromise the learning environment of the hundreds of Marquez Elementary students as well as disrupt the neighborhood’s peace and quiet.
- Impact on Marquez Charter Community – Marquez Charter is one of two public elementary schools in Pacific Palisades. It is a classified as a “Distinguished School” with an outstanding Academic Performance Index score of 936. Marquez Charter could not have achieved this without the support of its committed parents. During the 2010-2011 school year, the school’s parents raised $580,000 to support its curriculum, more than 70% of the school’s budget. Many families move to the area in order to send their children to Marquez Charter, making it an important part of the local community. In addition, approximately 20% of the students choose to come from other areas of Los Angeles to attend Marquez Charter. If the electrical distribution station is built next to the school, parents will seek to transfer their children to another public school or send their children to private school. This loss of students would undoubtedly cause a huge financial hit to the school and adversely impact its academic achievements.
- Impact on Local Area Emergency and Public Safety Resources – For many local area families as well as other schools and daycare facilities down the road, Marquez Charter is the designated place of reunion and emergency assistance in the event of a natural disaster. If the distribution station were itself to be at risk in the event of a natural disaster, this would render Marquez’s designation as an emergency reunion and assistance location impractical.
The above concerns are widely
shared by other community members as well as many elected representatives and
decision-makers. Councilman Bill
Rosendahl, LAUSD Superintendent Dr. John Deasy, Los Angeles School Board
Members Steve Zimmer and Bennett Kayser as well as the LAUSD Office of
Environmental Health & Safety have stated their unanimous opposition
toDWP’s plan, and they all have publicly urged DWP General Manager Ron
Nichols to
eliminate the Marquez site from further consideration. Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, City Controller
Wendy Gruel and staff from Councilman Eric Garcetti’s office also have
expressed agreement with the many health and safety concerns stated here, and
have pledged their support in efforts to oppose DWP’s proposed electrical
distribution station.
To date, despite the numerous
calls from the community and elected representatives and decision-makers, DWP
has refused to remove the Marquez site from consideration. While DWP asserts that it is continuing to
explore additional potential sites and alternate approaches, it has refused to
provide any updates, even though the public has requested them repeatedly and
DWP has promised transparency of process.
Thus, I now ask you, as our Mayor, to call upon DWP
General Manager Ron Nichols to definitively remove the Marquez site from
further consideration. Time is of the
essence. DWP’s search for additional
potential sites and alternate approaches can continue after the Marquez site is
taken off the table. The school’s high
rankings and much needed funding are in jeopardy – families pondering a move to
the area in order to send their children to Marquez Elementary are thinking twice before doing so. Many current and
prospective parents are already applying to other public schools and
considering private school options, rather than risk their children’s health
and safety. Merely saying “DPW is
looking for alternatives” is simply not sufficient at this point.
So that parents, teachers,
and the principal can return focus to school programming, learning, and
fundraising, and to stop the damage to the school that has already begun, I ask
you to call upon DWP to take Marquez Charter Elementary off the table from
consideration now.
Sincerely,
Name: ______________________________
Address: ______________________________
3.
Email & call your elected Pacific Palisades Community Council
Representatives and Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association
- Area 1 (Pacific View Estates, Castellemare, Paseo Miramar and Sunset):
Barbara Kohn 310-454-8185 barbara@kohn.com - Area 2 (Palisades Highlands and Palisades Dr to Sunset):
Paul Glasgall 310-255-5462 pglasgall@aol.com - Area 3 (Marquez Knolls/Bel Air Bay Club, N & S of Sunset from E of Palisades Dr to and Bienvenida):
Jim Rea 310-354-0790 jarea@kw.com and Christy Dennis 310-454-2824 christydennis@aol.com - Area 4 (N and S of Sunset from Bienvenida to Temescal Canyon):
Harry Sondheim 310-454-4667 hbsondheim@verizon.net - Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association: info@MarquezKnolls.com
