City Moves to Add Hearing Panel Sites

Reversing a previous action, the Los Angeles City Council moved Friday to expand the number of locations where the city can hold zoning and planning hearings at night.

At the behest of Councilman Richard Alarcon, the council instructed planning officials to find three new meeting sites, in the northeast San Fernando Valley, East and South-Central Los Angeles.

The expansion is expected to cost about $14,000 to rent meeting rooms in neighborhood schools. Planning and zoning hearings are now held in Sherman Oaks, downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles and San Pedro.

On Wednesday, the council dismissed the expansion plan, deciding instead to give each council member the authority to schedule more night meetings at the existing sites.

But Alarcon asked the council to reconsider that decision, saying the meeting locations and times must be more convenient to the public.

His proposal, however, sparked a debate between two Valley council members over the location of the new meeting sites.

Planning officials had recommended adding new locations in the northeast and West Valley, and eliminating the existing site in Sherman Oaks.

But Councilman Mike Feuer, who represents Sherman Oaks and surrounding neighborhoods, protested, saying he would support the proposal only if the Sherman Oaks location is retained.

Councilwoman Laura Chick, who represents the West Valley, argued that a site is needed for her district because the Sherman Oaks location is not convenient to her constituents.

“Sherman Oaks is not in the West Valley,” she argued.

Council President John Ferraro tried to quell the feuding by reminding the council members that “this is all the city of Los Angeles.”

In the end, the council instructed planning officials to come up with the three new locations and present them to a council committee for final approval.