Police Station Sought for Alemany Campus

Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon introduced a motion Wednesday asking for a comprehensive report on the possibility of building an LAPD station on the earthquake-damaged former campus of Alemany High School.

Alarcon said the site has long been considered a contender for the city’s 20th station, but there has been no study to determine the feasibility of acquiring or leasing the land. The station would be the sixth in the Valley.

Alarcon said the site on Rinaldi Street is ideally situated to close a gap in patrol services in Granada Hills, Mission Hills and Sylmar, which rely on the Devonshire and Foothill divisions for services.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the owner of the property, is currently determining the future of the long-closed site. Classes for the high school are now held at a former seminary nearby.

“My concern is the archdiocese might be wooed by another project,” Alarcon said. “This is an expression of good faith to the archdiocese, so that doesn’t happen.”

Representatives of the archdiocese familiar with the issue could not be reached for comment.

A police facilities study conducted in 1996 determined that the city’s 19 stations would not be enough to meet the community’s needs, and recommended that another be added to the Valley.

The project would be considered separate from the proposal to build a safety complex at the old General Motors plant in Panorama City, officials said.

The full council is expected to hear the motion at a meeting next week. If it is approved, the LAPD and city staff are expected to determine the financial impacts, identify possible funding sources and submit a report within 60 days.