DE CIS ION DUE ON SECRET SCHEME

TO \liDEN STADIUM \lAY

li'HY HAS THE PUBLIC been kept In Ignorance of a scheme to build an overpass across
the Pasadena Freeuay at Stadium \lay and to triden Stadium \lay to six lanes from the free-
nay to Elysian Park Avenue? If adopted utthout modification the proposal uould route
dolmtom-to-valley traffic directly into Barlou (lung) Hospital and Elysian Park,
THE PROPOSAL Is to come before the City Council's Planning Committee for adoption
Nov. 28 (at 2 p.m., City Hall Council Chamber, Room 340), but the official notification
of the agenda ! tem uas s !lent about the overpass and the road-utdening. It referred
only to community plans for Central City North and Figueroa Terrace. There is, moreover,
no mention of'e!ther the overpass or the road-uidenlng in the Figueroa Terrace "Plan" or
its accompanying Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Nor are they shoun on the EIR's
"Project Area Map," nhich also omits three-quarters of the plan area, The road-utdening
and overpass are sho1m only on a separate map available upon request.
THERE IS SOME HANKY-PANKY as nell about a City Council motion that uould partially
mitigate the harm to Elysian Park from a heavy Increase in traffic. That motion has been
approved by the Council's Planninll Committee but, contrary to normal procedure, it 1ras
not foruarded to the full C! ty Council for action. Instead, It uas returned to the Plan-
ning Department lrhich had already approved it, as had Planning Director Calvin Hamilton
and the Planninll Commission, by unanimous vote.
THE MOTION, introduced into City Council by Council President John Ferraro, second-
ed by <Z>uncUtronan Peggy Stevenson, ltould make construction of the freeuay overpass contin-
gent upon the actual or assured realignment of Stadium \lay, so as to bypass the avenue of
palms In Elysian Park and the Bar lou Hospl tal. Traffic uould be routed via Academy Road
around the Dodj2'er Stadium parking lot, to rejoin Stadium \lay south of the hospital.
THE ONE-PAGE 'PLAN' for the 166 acres of Figueroa Terrace (about the size of
Chinatom) is a caricature of community planning, Six of the nine pages of its EIR are
quoted from a report about another area (Chlnatorn) compiled by a different agency (the
Community Redevelopment Agency) more than a year ago, and since revtsed, The feu statts-
tics given about Figueroa Terrace are contained in the appendices. They Include traffic
figures that shor an eight-fold increase, if the plan Is implemented,
THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE requests: (1) That the Ferraro-Stevenson motion be sent
in the customary manner to the City Council for action on the Stadium Way realignment.
(2) That any plan for all or part of Central City North, Chinatom or Figueroa Terrace in-
clude the provisions of the FerraroStevenson motion. (3) That the nord "assured" be
clarified by addition In parenthesis of the l<Ords: "land acquired and money appropriated."
SAVE THE DATE -- FOR CHINESE BANQUET
CIRCLE FEBRUARY 24 on your 1979 calendar for our 14th Annual Chinese Banquet.
Same place -- Hongkong Lon Restaurant. Same time -- 7 p.m. We'd like to say
"same price" but if ue did, ue'd have to skimp on quality and quantity, So
this year's reservations ill be $12.50 each. We're sorry about that, but ue
promise a gourmet feast. Details later. Save the date.
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
N011 AND AGAIN the sun shines on us. This is one of those times. Pres. Carter has
signed the $1,400,000,000 National Park and Recreation Act of 1978. Of the total,
$150,000,000 is allocated for the Santa Monica Mountains Parks that rill extend from the
ocean at Point Mugu to Elysian Park. To our friends of the Santa Monicas, ue say: "Good
for you, for a job nell donel"
MORE GOOD NEWS -- Race track promoters have been stopped from an attempted land-
grab of 700 acres of Sepulveda Basin. The rip-off uas loudly protested -- so loudly that
the cries 11ere heard at City Hall, and listened to, Good riddance, lie need our parks.
AND CAUSE FOR GRIEF
SORROW, TOO, has come to us, We have lost tuo loved members, Winifred Belts and
Rubin Bassin. It uas 1/inifred rho faithfully called members to remind them of the monthly
meetings. She participated in all our festivities but could be counted on, too, for un-
glamorous tasks such as mailing parties. Rubin, l<ho had been ailing for some time, had a
ready smile for everyone. Health permitting, he enjoyed taking part in our activities.
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WINIFRED, 87, died of cancer Sept. 17, She lived with her niece, Eugenia
tage, a Steering C0111111ittee member . Her ashes 'IMre shipped to hernative Missouri, In
place of flovers, Eugenia asked friends to send donations to the Citiaens Co!oaittee,
RUBIN, 89, died Oct. 2 of cardiac arrest. who knev him beat called him a
"gentle man," who gave and inspired much love, He is survived by his vife, Gertrude,
also a Steering Committee member,
ECHO PARK'S \lESt BANK MAY BE SAVED
I think that I shall never see
A 1600-foot-long concrete vall
As lovely as 37 full-grown trees.,,(Apologies to Ogden Nash)
HOPES ARE HIGH that the bulldozers can be kept out of Echo Park, and that the 37
mature trees and grassy slope leading to the.vater's edge vill be saved, A motion by
City Council President John Ferraro, seconded by Councilman Marvin Braude, provides for
abandonment of a project to replace the park's west bank by a concrete 1rall 1-12 feet
high and as as two-and-one-half city blocks (1600 feet), so as to create. an extra
traffic lane for Glendale Blvd. the motion also calls for transfer of jurisdiction of
the land to Recreation and Parks. It uas passed unanimously by the Council's Public
Works Committee and sent to the full Council. Community opposition uas spearheaded by
the Echo Park Coordinating Council.
* * *
OUR THANKS once to the Westside Environmental Center, Ohio Ave, and Sepul-
veda Blvd. In II, Los Angeles, for a uelcome donation from their recycling activity,
DONATION FOR COURT CASE ............................ $, ___ _
ELYSIAN PARK STATIONERY, DONATION $3,50 + mail.$'-----
MEMBERSHIP, DUES ($1) , $ ___ _
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