Westside : Judge Tells Council to Reconsider Project

A judge ruled Wednesday that the Los Angeles City Council should reconsider its denial of a developer’s proposal to convert a massive affordable-housing complex in Venice--called Lincoln Place--into a project consisting mostly of upscale condominiums.

Acting on the recommendation of its Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the council voted unanimously in September against plans submitted by the developer, TransAction Cos. Ltd. The developer subsequently sued the city, contending that the council had acted improperly. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki agreed, determining that the council committee violated the state’s open-meeting law by allowing Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter to participate in a closed-door meeting on the Lincoln Place project. Galanter is not a member of the committee.

If the city accepts the judge’s ruling, the council will have to reconsider the proposed redevelopment. However, Galanter said she probably will recommend that the city appeal the judge’s ruling. Calling the ruling “preposterous,” Galanter maintains that council members commonly sit in on private meetings of City Council committees, especially to discuss issues pertaining to a council member’s district.