Roberti Takes Side of Homeowners in L.A. Controversy on School Sites

In a boost for more than 6,000 Los Angeles area residents threatened with loss of their homes for new schools, an influential state leader entered the fray Thursday.

State Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti asked the State Allocation Board to reserve up to $200 million of available state construction funds for Los Angeles and allow the Los Angeles Unified School District more time to “look at alternatives.”

“The problem of homelessness and lack of housing is every bit as important as the severe problem of school overcrowding,” the Los Angeles Democrat said Thursday. “One cannot be sacrificed for the other.”

Disruption of Neighborhoods

In a letter to Jesse Huff, chairman of the Allocation Board, which grants school construction funds, Roberti asked the board to consider setting aside the funds because the proposals potentially involved “the disruption of established neighborhoods.” Huff had no comment.

The school district says it needs a number of new and expanded schools to meet a projected enrollment increase of 76,578 by 1991. In recent months it has accelerated efforts to acquire land for 18 new schools and 24 expansions at an estimated cost of $392 million in order to speed up applications for state funds. The district established a self-imposed deadline of May 1.

But Roberti said the “needs of residents should be given some priority over a bureaucratic timetable.”

In a separate letter to Los Angeles Board of Education President Rita Walters, the senator asked that “full environmental impact reports” be made in “controversial” projects where residents are objecting, and that a district delegation meet with him “to identify the methods to be used to increase community participation in the decision-making process.”

Walters said through a spokesman she was “hopeful” the state board would earmark $200 million for the district, and was “very anxious” to meet with Roberti.