Building-Limits Initiative

Let’s cut Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky down to size.

Who is he trying to fool with his article (Editorial Pages, April 1), “Let’s Cut Los Angeles Down To Size,” co-authored by Councilman Marvin Braude? Is he trying to fool the casual observer of city politics, the voters outside his district, anybody who has not had a chance to see him operate with regard to overdevelopment in his Fifth District of West Los Angeles?

We certainly did see him in action, and he didn’t come across as a knight in shining armor, stemming the tidal wave of demolition and overdevelopment in our neighborhood. We were the ones who brought to his attention every single argument he so eloquently employed in his article against overdevelopment.

We urged him, pleaded with him to do something, anything, to moderate this misguided rush of construction termed “urban strip mining” by independent urban planners. But to no avail.

He let us know, in no uncertain terms, that he sided fully with the developers. Yes, he was instrumental in finally having the City Council pass a building moratorium, but only after his image as protector of the public was seriously threatened by media publicity of our plight. Even then he managed to put a nice loophole in the moratorium through which any developer, after private negotiations with him, of course, could pass through comfortably without much compromise. And so, the demolition and reckless construction continue.

We are only one of many neighborhoods affected by his consistent, one-sided support of development in his district. I think he has to do a lot more than grandstanding with his initiative, which would limit growth mostly in areas where no developer wants to build in the first place. We urge him to try to gain back the respect of his constituents with effective actions that would balance the desires of developers with the needs of the public.

WOLFGANG VEITH

Los Angeles

Veith is director of the North Westwood Village Residents Assn.