Galanter’s Record

A number of people have been complaining freely in letters about Councilwoman Ruth Galanter’s record on growth during her 3 1/2 years in office. But their complaints remain just that--they voice opinion rather than hard fact to support their claims.

So I thought a few facts might be of interest to your readers.

Several months ago the Los Angeles Department of Transportation compiled a comparison of how Galanter has administered the Coastal Transportation Corridor Specific Plan, versus the record compiled by Pat Russell, the councilwoman Galanter defeated in 1987.

Russell was in office for 20 months while the CTCSP was in effect. Her record during that time: Developments generating a total of 15,611 p.m. peak-hour trips were approved, for an average of 780 peak-hour trips approved per month in office. Of those trips, 43% were exempted from the trip fee called for in the plan.

Galanter, in her first 30 months in office, compiled the following record under the CTCSP: 4,472 total p.m. peak-hour trips were approved, or an average of 149 per month in office. Furthermore, only 17% of the trips were exempted from the trip fee.

According to my pocket calculator, that’s an 81% reduction in the average number of trips allowed by Galanter each month!

The transportation department did not say whether the big Channel Gateway project was included in Galanter’s trip totals. Let’s assume it wasn’t. According to the project’s EIR, the development will add another 1,198 p.m. peak-hour trips to the streets.

This would raise Galanter’s average per month to 189 trips, which is still a 76% reduction compared to Russell. And it should be remembered that Channel Gateway replaced Alan Robbins’ Admiralty Place monster mall, which would have added well over 3,600 p.m. peak-hour trips to Lincoln Boulevard and Russell’s total.

Since vehicle trips are tied to the kinds of new buildings approved, a similar comparison of building permits issued will reveal the same pattern of vastly slower growth under Galanter.

The facts speak for themselves. By any objective measure, Galanter’s term in office has resulted in a massive reduction in growth in the 6th District. Which means she has done precisely what she promised to do in the last election.

LAURENCE WAX

Marina del Rey