L.A. ‘Tea Party’ Seeks Slow Growth

It sure didn’t look like a Boston Tea Party.

The 50 people who gathered Saturday at Mercury Savings in Sherman Oaks were not drinking tea. It was obvious they weren’t in Boston. But one thing was for sure--they were as angry as the patriots who dumped tea into the harbor in 1773 to protest unfair taxation.

The protest at this gathering, the participants proclaimed, was of rampant development and the gradual erosion of the quality of life for Los Angeles residents. Calling themselves “the sons and daughters of the slow-growth revolution,” they came from throughout the San Fernando Valley and as far away as Palm Springs to form a strategy to preserve their life styles.

By the end of the meeting, the participants agreed to form a committee that will study the possibility of writing an initiative that will slow growth.

The meeting was organized by four slow-growth advocates who decided it was time for leaders from similar groups all over Los Angeles to band in a unified front. They wanted the leaders to become acquainted and form a plan.

‘Defend Ourselves’

“This group is meeting to defend ourselves against our legislators,” said Dick Hubbard of Calabasas, head of the Coalition for Planned Growth and Responsible Government. “It’s a tragic occurrence when we have to call people together from all over the county to say, ‘Oh, my God, what are we going to do?’ ”

During the day, the leaders listened to experts and advocates talk about problems associated with increasing development: clogged traffic, a lack of sewage facilities, disappearing open space, needs for water conservation and new housing.

The participants sometimes exploded when the subject of developers came up. “The government is in the pocket of the developer,” screamed one. Whenever the name of an opponent to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who says he supports planned development, was mentioned, the candidate was cheered.

Some of the crowd said they were pleased that people in other parts of Los Angeles shared their concerns. “This is really educational,” said Karl Teigler of the Sierra Madre Homeowners Assn. “I’m glad people are getting together. They better, or things will get out of hand.”

Phil Duarte, a resident of Diamond Bar, posted on a wall large color pictures of deer and a scenic mountain area that are threatened by a proposed condominium project. A banner that read “Help Save Your Canyon and Wildlife Life Style” was near the photos.

“It’s nice to know that when you’re a little blade in one of these grass-roots groups, there are lots of other little blades around,” Duarte said.

“I’m pretty pleased with the way it all worked out,” said Gerald Silver, head of Homeowners of Encino and the Alliance to Control Development in California. “I just wish we had figured out a name for the group. Boston Tea Party doesn’t quite fit, but it will do as a working name for now.”