Date: 02/18/11
Contact: Paul Koretz - City Councilman District 5 Sean Bayliss - Planning Deputy
Response Rating: Excellent
Action Taken: Have been diligent in keeping us updated on status of Hadid's Development Permit (expired) and possibly instrumental in speeding the 'Stop Work' order which went into effect February 25, 2011. Will continue to keep us updated regarding new permits and public hearings.
Contact: The Federation of Hillside and Canyon Assoc., Inc.
Response Rating: Excellent
Action Taken: Have put us on the agenda for their next meeting, Wednesday, March 2, 2011. This group has a track record of having been effective in stopping other developing.
Date: 03/10/11
Contact: Howard Berman
Response Rating: Excellent
Action Taken: Email from intern Zach and Phone Conversation with Esther Azal indicating strong desire to help. Want us to tell them what we need and they will do all they can. Had been busy helping folks out with workshop to save homes from foreclosure but see saving the canyon as a high priority as this open space is dear to Congressman Berman's heart.
Date: 02/24/11
Contact: Howard BermanResponse Rating: Poor
Action Taken: Informed us that Hadid was within his legal rights as a land owner when in fact he was operating on expired permits. Said they would look into ways to help us.
Date: 03/10/11
Contact: Sierra Club - Have been informed by a fellow activist that Sierra Club really does have "bigger fish to fry" and because they are dealing with huge nation and world-wide issues they cannot get involved in the more community based matters i.e., we need to wake up our community and get this taken care of.
Response Rating - I don't know. Every part of the world affects the world and they could at least give some advice to a fledgling group like ours.
Date: 02/24/11
Contact: Sierra ClubResponse Rating : Poor
Action Taken: None. They have bigger fish to fry.
Date: 02/24/11
Contact: National Resource Defense Council (NRDC)Response Rating: Poor +
Action Taken: Referred us to eco-usa.net to find a posted list of California Environmental Organizations that may be helpful. They may indeed be helpful but the NRDC is not.
Date: 02/24/11
Contact: Santa Monica Mountain ConservancyResponse Rating: Undecided
Action Taken: ??
Date: 02/28/11
Contact Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy
Response Rating: Medium - Good
Action Taken: Members of the Conservancy offered advice and are researching some areas of concern that were raised at the meeting. Some said that they would be in touch with us. At this point there was not any tangible help offered other than what "we" should do. No mention of how much money they could put towards purchase of land, no mention of legal help. One mention of 'eminent domain,' was possibly the high point of the evening. It is hard to say at this point how supportive the Conservancy will be and what they are actually able to do, if anything, to help us.
BUT, there is interest, and one member wants to hike the trail himself to check it out.
Also, one Conservancy Member said he had a good contact for us with the Sierra Club. If this proves helpful, we will give the Sierra Club a higher rating.
Date: 03/05/11
Contact: Franklin Canyon Hikers, Picnickers etc.
Response Rating: Excellent.
Action Taken: As a result of the flier distribution by members of savefranklincanyon.com, many have joined the cause contributing evermore resources!
Double click here to edit this text.
Contact: The Trust for Public Land
Response Rating: Medium - Good
Action Taken; Paige Rausser, Progect Manager for the Santa Monica Mountains and Franklin Canyon was out and traveling but cc'd on the email from Tori Kier, the Project Manager of Parks for People of The Trust for Public Land. Tori said to give Paige a few days and that she would get to us. This organization could be helpful. A description from their site of what they do is as follows:
Contact: Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy Members Edmiston, Edelman, Rosen and Kishbaugh (email)
Response Rating: Excellent
Action Taken: Mr. Edelman almost immediately responded to the following email bringing clarification to certain matters. Both the email he responded to and his response follow;
"Dear Conservancy Member,
I am contacting those whose emails I have, and/or who have expressed helpful intentions regarding our cause, with concerns raised by some of the 245 members of the group savefranklincanyon.com.
The questions that consistently arise from those newly discovering Hadid's development are, "Why did the Conservancy let this happen, and why was the trail not marked as 'Private Property?'
Furthermore, a few have mentioned that they have spoken with Hadid, who said that the Conservancy had ample opportunity to purchase the land very inexpensively.
Disgruntled folks say stuff like, "All they care about is getting us for going thru stop signs."
I understand that there are probably valid reasons for the Conservancy having not purchased the land but I am with these folks in feeling not represented by the Conservancy - Was there no realization that if "Canyon Frequenters" knew that there was land that could be purchased for the Conservancy there would have been monetary support? Where was an attempt to notify us - the ones who are impacted?
We have a meeting coming up this Thursday at 7:30 in Beverly Hills and we also have been given a place for a future meeting at Franklin Canyon - some room that will hold 150 people. Is there someone representing the Conservancy who can speak to us on these issues. When is a good time?"
RESPONSE from Paul Edelman 3/8/11 (same day)
Hello Ellen et all - Here is the scoop. When the MRCA’s Santa Monica Mountains Open Space Preservation Assessment District No. 1 was funded in 2003 money became available to acquire the subject property. A first appraisal was done in approximately 2005 covering a minimum of five ownerships along the ridgeline. We were negotiating with virtually every landowner and had a couple of them almost on the hook. They were all shocked that their property had just nominal value because of poor and steep access. In any case, all of the acquisitions fizzled because of reasons like death, uncooperative partners, unreachable owners, Mr. Hadid, etc… Some of the owners needed cooperation with others to string together access to Coldwater Canyon. Acquisition money was not an issue. Then Mr. Hadid stepped in at some point and acquired the whole show. He initially said he would not sell for a factor much higher than even the available $3.5 million. Every 9 months or so his agent would check in to see if we do a deal for more. Ever vigilant to protect this land, the MRCA contacted Mr. Hadid to see if he would hold off on a sale or development while the MRCA did yet another appraisal. That appraisal is dated April 2008. The value did not interest Mr. Hadid. Staff checked with his agent at least two times since then to see if Mr. Hadid had a change of heart to sell at the MRCA’s appraised value. The answer was no. Staff recently heard through sources that Mr. Hadid had a $10,000,000 offer on the table from a developer wanting to do at least eight estates. To the best of our knowledge that transaction fizzled but the records do show that the property was recently transferred to another entity. In short, the MRCA cannot pay more than appraised value, and the gap between the owner’s expectations and appraised fair market value has been too great for over five years.
I have spoken briefly with Mr. Hadid once since the trail closure and have had some limited email correspondence with him. We have put forward to him the idea of buying a trail easement with the same funding source. That idea is under his consideration. The MRCA in its management of Conservancy and MRCA properties does sign the entrance of parks but does not sign private property where it touches parkland. Generally when the MRCA attempts to raise private funds for underfunded acquisitions, private contributions sometimes come in $10,000 increments, a few more $1,000 checks but mostly $100 checks. Generally the MRCA only asks for such donations when a property is under contract with a funding deadline or if private funding is needed to pay more than the appraised value. In all cases the staff time necessary to set up, solicit, prod and manage those donations is high to say the least and unfunded. However, we hope the MRCA and Conservancy have greatly underestimated the subject community and it can raise the seven figure plus amount of money to add to the MRCA’s approximately $1.8 million of Assessment District money to lure Mr. Hadid (or the new owner) into a land sale of all or a portion of his multiple lots. Our attorneys would have to bless a deal where the MRCA optioned a property for more than the appraised value. At this point, that appears to be the only surefire solution to very quickly solve this combined trail closure and multi-resident ridgeline grading threat. Hopefully that helps round out the picture. As the staffer in charge of making this deal since 2004, I can assure you I have walked around with a small hole in my heart for half a decade hoping for a positive outcome. Now it looks like something must shake out in the near future, and we will work with your coalition to make the outcome as positive as possible. Sincerely
Paul Edelman MRCA Chief of Natural Resources and Planning
This Progress Report Page is itself a 'Work in Progress.' The most recent 'Response Ratings' are in RED