Fox’s Expansion Plans Continue to Draw Criticism

Twentieth Century Fox subverted the purpose of the so-called key group meeting by prohibiting a free flow of public discussion (Times, Feb. 6).

Instead of providing an open forum for public comment with studio representatives, we were told to mill about the studio commissary and address questions to Fox’s development team located in separate staging areas. In that way, Fox could manipulate the proceedings and control the information being disseminated.

Those of us who have read Fox’s Draft Environmental Impact Report wanted to have an open discussion on important issues, such as why Fox publicly states that they can divert traffic from our residential streets when their traffic report clearly shows increased traffic even after so-called mitigations. For these reasons, hundreds of residents affected by Fox’s expansion were angry and protested the proceedings.

Conspicuously absent from this important meeting was Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky. The councilman’s reported ill-tempered remarks regarding our protest against yet another overdevelopment project on the Westside are further proof of the low esteem in which he holds his constituents.

Instead of acknowledging the fact that the majority of Westside residents don’t want this project, Yaroslavsky attacks Laura Lake. Dr. Lake is an environmental expert and community ombudsman who has sided with concerned citizens seeking reasonable city planning.

By way of diverting the focus away from overwhelming community sentiment, Yaroslavsky and his supporters are trying to make Dr. Lake the bogyman in the media. To set the record straight, Dr. Lake lives within the studio’s impact zone. She is only one of a number of Westside leaders and groups protesting Fox’s expansion.

DR. LESLEY REISBORD

Los Angeles

Editor’s note: Reisbord is president of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners Assn.