Redevelopment Committee Changes Election Policies

Community advisers for the North Hollywood Redevelopment Project Tuesday night unveiled new regulations to tighten up the group’s election procedures after voter confusion at a meeting two months ago ended in a shoving match.

The 16-member group is called the Project Area Committee or PAC.

The new rules, which PAC members will vote on at next month’s meeting, call for voters and candidates in attendance on election night to provide proof that they reside or own a business in the 740-acre North Hollywood redevelopment zone. Residents must show identification containing a picture, such as a driver’s license, and merchants will have to bring a copy of their business license before being allowed to vote for PAC members.

Election notifications would be published in a newspaper, and elections would be held at the first PAC meeting 30 days after publication.

The committee did not reschedule the controversial elections to fill nine vacancies on the volunteer panel.

“We feel these changes are appropriate and basically nail down all our procedures,” David Gered said. “We want to make sure elections are fair and for everyone to know what kind of proof is needed.”

The regulations stemmed from a contentious meeting in March, when several redevelopment foes from Hollywood accused the PAC of conducting elections tainted by insufficient public notice and confusing rules on voter eligibility.

Amid the confusion, two North Hollywood PAC members walked out of the meeting, depriving the panel of a quorum and leading to an abrupt, angry adjournment. When a Hollywood resident attempted to videotape the comments of a North Hollywood PAC member, a shoving incident erupted.

Tuesday night, a uniformed Los Angeles police sergeant stood watch over the meeting at the First Baptist Church on Ostego Street. Police were called by the CRA at the request of PAC members, said Jerry Belcher, the redevelopment project director.

Several Hollywood activists attended the meeting, and one man videotaped the discussions. The Hollywood residents have long protested redevelopment plans in their own neighborhood and have said they are determined to bring their campaign against CRA policies to North Hollywood.

Norton Halper of Hollywood, one of the protesters at the previous meeting, told the group, “It’s unfortunate you may think of me in an adversarial role,” but he said the interests of the redevelopment agency and the interests of the inhabitants of the area do not always coincide.

The protests come at a sensitive time for the North Hollywood redevelopment project. The CRA is planning to mount its own drive soon to seek public approval to empower the agency to spend tens of millions of tax dollars to continue urban renewal in the area. The City Council and mayor will ultimately approve the massive spending increases.