Council OKs Project Sought by Former Yaroslavsky Aide

At the urging of Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday authorized a nonprofit group represented by the husband of Yaroslavsky’s longtime top aide to build housing over a city-owned parking lot in Sherman Oaks, sidestepping competitive bidding procedures.

To comply with legal requirements, the council declared that awarding construction rights to the Jewish Federation Council was “in the public interest and necessity.”

The Jewish federation still must obtain a $6.25-million loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund its 83-unit senior citizen housing project next to a bustling Ventura Boulevard retail strip that has recently become a favorite haunt of stylish youth, dubbed “the Melrose of the Valley.”

Representing the Jewish federation in its negotiations with the city has been Westside attorney Howard Katz, husband of Alisa Katz, Yaroslavsky’s chief deputy. Katz said his maximum fee for developing this project--as set by HUD--would be $40,000.

“I get a fraction of what I get paid by my other clients,” Katz said. “This is not a windfall.”

Yaroslavsky could not be reached Tuesday to comment on Katz’s involvement in the project.

Katz--a former Yaroslavsky aide--said it was immaterial that he had worked for Yaroslavsky and that his wife now works for the lawmaker.

“This thing has not been ramrodded” by Yaroslavsky, Katz said. “I had to yell and scream to get it. . . . I didn’t have the cooperation of the city, including Zev Yaroslavsky.”

Katz said competitive bidding for the right to build housing over city parking lots “takes too long” and “it becomes political.”

The motion to grant the Jewish federation the construction rights was introduced by Yaroslavsky on May 25. Yaroslavsky subsequently introduced another motion to amend the Sherman Oaks community plan for the project, change the site’s zoning from parking to residential, and provide a 50% unit density bonus.