Petition Filed to Halt Swap in San Fernando

San Fernando City Councilwoman Carmillis Noltemeyer filed a 965-signature petition Monday calling for City Council to revoke or put before voters a measure that allows a land exchange with Los Angeles County to acquire a site for a $2-million police station.

Once the county registrar of voters verifies that 582 registered voters, 10% of the city’s 5,820, signed the petition, City Council has 30 days to either repeal its action or place the issue on the city’s April 8 ballot.

Noltemeyer has been the lone council opponent of the agreement under which the city would swap its 31,000-square-foot police station site on Macneil Street for the county’s 21,000-square-foot interest in a parking lot at 1st Street and Brand Boulevard. San Fernando owns the other half of the parking lot.

“People definitely need to know just what a bad deal this is for the city,” Noltemeyer said Monday after delivering the referendum petition to Donald E. Penman, city clerk and administrator.

Noltemeyer contends that the city has not thoroughly studied the cost of renovating the existing police station as an alternative to construction of a new one. She also has complained that San Fernando will have no voice in what is developed on the property that is turned over to the county.

“In a small city we can put major issues like this to the vote of the people,” she said. “I’m hoping people will see that these terms are just another giveaway by the city and they will demand a better agreement.”

Approved by 4-1 Vote

Since Nov. 18, when the council voted 4 to 1 in favor of the agreement, Noltemeyer and 12 volunteers have been canvassing the city’s residential neighborhoods fors signatures.

In approving the swap, council members said the city will get a bigger, more desirable site for a police station. Plans call for the city to demolish the existing station after the new one is built, then turn the vacant lot over to the county.

Mayor Doude Wysbeek said an architectural firm hired by the city estimated it would cost twice as much to renovate the existing station as to build a new one because of the work needed to alter jail cells for other uses.

City officials say the 30-year-old Macneil Street station is obsolete because it consists largely of unused jail cells.

Although the county has not committed itself to a specific use of the land it would obtain, County Librarian Linda F. Crismond wrote the city that building a library on the site is “the highest priority capital project” for the county library system.

‘Economically Right’

Wysbeek said the agreement is “economically right” for the city and predicted that the referendum will be defeated if put to the voters.

“By taking this to the voters, I’m confident they will go along with the city,” Wysbeek said. “You can get people to sign anything depending on how you represent it. Petitions are easy to sign.”

On Monday night, City Council voted 4 to 1 to give final approval to a measure allocating $2 million in redevelopment funds to build the police station. The money was set aside for that use in 1984.

Noltemeyer voted against the allocation.