Bits and Pieces 64

There are very few things I agree with Mr. Barry Hildebrand on, but I am with him on questioning the placement onto the Finance Advisory Committee of Mr. Eric Alegria, instead of Mr. Willie Wang.

Mr. Wang is absolutely and completely qualified to remain on the FAC and it looks like there is a 'setting up' of things 'going down' in our city.

Mr. Alegria ran for a Council seat in 2011 after recently moving into Rancho Palso Verdes, back then. He had no real experiences in Rancho Palos Verdes, but he was active and a great contributor to the city where he moved from.

Whether Eric Alegria and I are both members of The Democratic Party should be irrelevant when it comes to city matters and city elections. I don't subscribe to some of the comments Mr. Hildebrand wrote about in his recent letter to the editor, but he is another voice to mine that may be starting to think that 'the fix' is in.

If Mr. Alegria decides to run for one of the two seats to our Council this coming November and if Mayor Susan Brooks and Councilman Anthony Misetich support Eric in his race, then you will also know that something that happened this January may have been considered as far back as 2012, I am feeling.

On a slightly different note, in Mr. Hildebrand's letter he mentioned how long it took to get through all the stuff dealing with Rules and Procedures. I got a bit of a chuckle when considering Barry and I are on very different sides of some issues and reading what he wrote got me thinking again that, sometimes folks on very opposite sides of things meet each other in some agreement 'on the opposite side' of the debate circle.

It looks like the new parking lot is beginning to look like a construction area at Marymount College. This is a good thing and it is part of The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project I continue to fully support.

There are 'blankets' up for dust and noise protection and that is also a good thing, I feel.

The staff of The Los Angeles City Planning Department is now in the process of reviewing the comments submitted by individuals and groups interested in The Ponte Vista Project. This is also a good thing, I feel.

What will become of the recommendations made by individuals and groups is still another matter. I do hope staff, planners and city officials look at either keeping the site with its current zoning or looking at a different Alternative than the ones submitted for study. I do believe some big 'tweeking' must be done in order to find the best results for everyone.

It's cold! There, that's it, I'm done with that.

I am on a list to receive Emails and announcements concerning The Clearwater Program and I have heard or read nothing since the meeting was held regarding the Final Environmental Impact Report for the project to place a new Outfall System from Carson to the Pacific Ocean.

What I have heard from still far too many people is there concern for what they believe will be all the surface digging going through parts of RPV and San Pedro, and other areas.

This should not be a problem to worry about. No surface disruption is being considered except for the areas noted in the reports. Gaffey, Capital, Western and other streets should not see any digging along any of their routes.

What will be seen in somewhat distant future is the huge number of trucks moving removed dirt between the Exit Shaft, not slated to be under the cliff at Royal Palms Beach and out of town. This remains highly problematic since Paseo Del Mar is still separated by a landslide.

Whether Paseo Del Mar get fixed before the dirt-haulers start their moves is not known. Let's hope that the fewest number of trips are required and that no trucks are seen north of Ninth Street, in San Pedro.

Oh, by the way. Both the DEIR for The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project and The Ponte Vista Project call for traffic signals at the intersection of Miraleste Drive and Palos Verdes Drive East. Traffic signals have been 'warranted' there, for years.

Still, do you really know anyone who wants to really see signals there? I knew you didn't.