Councilman Woo’s Deplorable Consistency

Councilman Michael Woo’s philosophy of procrastination continues to tax the patience of residents in Studio City. Not to mention the pocketbooks of developers.

If there is anything consistent about Woo’s philosophy, it’s that he is consistent. He “reacts” to situations (sometimes), usually too late in the game to be helpful. What is called for is “action” before a conflict or crisis develops.

A case in point is the story (Aug. 3) concerning his recent interest in chopping off a floor on a new building being built on Ventura Boulevard. Woo knew of this pending problem months ago. Not to defend the developer, but any alteration now to the building could be very expensive. Where was Woo when the building permit was issued and the neighborhood arose in anger?

We can also cite the recent expansion of the Department of Water and Power’s Coldwater Canyon facility, which was heatedly contested but drew no response from the councilman in face of more than 200 protesting residents. He wanted to make a decision at the “appeal” stage and if a sufficient number of residents showed up at hearings. “Hundreds are important in a numbers game; a few people are not sufficient to get the councilman’s attention,” says Eric Roth, his assistant.

In the Hollywood area, it took protesters in wheelchairs hammering on sidewalks to gain Woo’s attention on their complaint that the city was not providing corner ramps.

In face of the ongoing complaints, Woo still has his name emblazoned on a Studio City office door, but when we last visited the office to elicit support on a community problem, to our chagrin, we found the office to be perpetually vacant.

Yes, Michael Woo is consistent, if nothing else.

RONALD TANSKY

Studio City