PreservePVE Community Newsletter - Nov 2023 Safety and Good Governance

PVE Community Newsletter

Serving Lunada Bay, Malaga Cove, Montemalaga and Valmonte

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PVHA HOMES ASSOCIATION
- Board Election
LAND
- Density Projects Need Safety Requirements
SAFETY
- Burglaries and ALPR License Plate Readers in PVE
GOOD GOVERNANCE / RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- Can Donors Direct legislation?
COMMUNITY
- PVE Charity - Providing Soccer Equipment to Children Internationally
Q&A:
- Does Al Muratsuchi Support State Forced Density?
- Does PreservePVE Support Revitalization?

PVHA - Homes Assoc Election

PVHA is a private corporation, independent from the city. All lots in PVE and Miraleste (RPV) have PVHA deed restrictions.

PVHA has the responsibility to uphold our deed restrictions as our city was designed. Do we have a Board willing and able to fight for our city in the face of state forced density laws?

Quorum: unless 50% of voters return ballots, the PVHA Board has chosen NOT to count the votes and has reappointed themselves rather than seating the candidates we elect. Please help us reach a quorum so votes are counted.

Who is allowed to vote?: One vote is allowed for each lot in PVE and Miraleste (RPV) by land owners only. Each landowner is automatically a PVHA member. You can not opt out of your membership. There are no dues. Elections are annual.

Are Government owned parcels counted?: Yes. PreservePVE has identified 230 publicly owned parcels and sent a letter to the PVHA requesting affirmation LINK. Also a letter to the four government agencies requesting a neutral vote to count towards the quorum has been sent LINK.

Who are the candidates:

New: Greg Jones, ChiaJu Lin-Pressman, Brian Pressman and Kim Rhodes
Incumbents: Mahmoud Farzaneh, Keith Geiger, Christine McNamara and Stephen O’Neil

How do the candidates differ?: The following questions were submitted to the candidates about how they would honor a non-quorum vote and protect our deed restrictions LINK. The results are due back Nov 15th and will be shown here before November 23rd. Ballots are expected to be mailed out by December 1st due back early January.

What if I can not decide who to vote for?: Minimally, you can send in a blank ballot, but MUST sign the envelope and then it will be counted towards the 50% quorum, to seat the elected candidates.

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Burglary Abatement and ALPR License Plate Readers

BURGLARIES

Residents selected a Burglary Abatement Program as their #1 choice in the Community Survey. LINK
Council could request the police chief provide a burglary abatement program and integrate the ALPR cameras into a comprehensive program.
Council has not reviewed or published monthly Police crime statistics since 2022 LINK

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF OUR ALPR LICENSE PLATE READERS?

May 23: The police budget included replacement of the four inoperable ALPR license plate readers LINK (page PD50) costing $10K each ($40K total)
June 27: Council approved budget that excluded the cameras LINK
July 15: Council approved $180K for a Tree Inventory LINK
July 26: PVE Foundation emailed residents requesting $350K in donations for 20 ALPR cameras, at $17,500 each LINK
Today: Council has not authorized or funded replacing the four ALPRs cameras
PVE shares license readings with over 700 governmental agencies around the US LINK who can share (and sell) data to other organizations

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Should the Police Chief and Council direct Police Department equipment decisions rather than a private charity? LINK
Should Residents have a voice in the decision and full disclosure of data sharing with 700 govt agencies?
Should charities collect donations for policies/legislation prior to the Council approval?
Are donations refunded to donors if policies/legislation is rejected by Council?

Can Donors Direct Legislation?

Prior PVE Councils foresaw this conflict and enacted a Gift Policy to prevent conflicts, by prohibiting gifts in exchange for legislation. LINK

Impact:

The PVE Foundation stated they will gift their AECOM Study to replace city hall and develop surrounding open space. LINK

Before the city accepts the gift, city policy requires:

The City Manager must evaluate whether the gift gives rise to an appearance of impropriety
The City Council must accept the gift in the meeting agenda
The staff report for the agenda item shall include the city manager’s evaluation of the proposed gift.

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This important Gift policy prevents private parties from collecting donations and/or pressuring our Council to enact legislation. Private organizations have a clear path to first seek Council approval before collecting money. Private organizations should not promise donors they have the power to enact legislation, nor should they collect donations for projects they do not have the authority to deliver.

DENSITY PROJECTS NEED SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

PVE is in a high disaster risk area with limited emergency exits, like Maui. We need Objective Criteria that includes safety requirements for Density projects to follow.

LA County’s Safety Element, obligates cities in flood, slide, fire or earthquake zones to require development projects mitigate these risks. Further, LA County prohibits lot splitting (subdivisions) in very high fire zones and amendments that would increase residential density in fire- and flood-prone areas. LINK

PVE is in all four of these zones, with risks further exacerbated by limited exits, drought with decreasing watering rights (-35%) increasing fire risks.

The State allows PVE to establish Objective Criteria density projects must follow, which should include mitigating safety risks introduced or exacerbated.

Opportunity for Council:

If safety obligations for development projects are included in the PVE Housing Element’s Objective Criteria then density projects must follow so these projects do not introduce risk or require the community to shoulder the cost of risks they introduce.

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PVE Charity - Providing Soccer Equipment to Children Internationally

GET!GIVE!GO! is a local PVE charity providing soccer equipment to communities around the world since 2009. This picture is in Uganda.

Vicki Leach Gomez, a commercial interior architect, founded the charity in 2009, with her children, Matt and Megan.

Vicki is the sister of Doug Leach who is a local architect for many PVE homes and has served on the PVHA Art Jury.

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Newsletter Inquiry

Q1: Does Al Muratsuchi support state forced density?

Recently, our Assembly member Muratuchi passed 45 forced density laws, most of which were in Sept 2023 LINK This includes AB2295 to replace children’s playgrounds with workforce housing.

Q2: Does PreservePVE support revitalization?

Absolutely. PreservePVE supports revitalizing plazas, community events, support for our local businesses and maintaining infrastructure as needed with Good Governance practices.
PreservePVE did not take a position against the Roundabout, but opposed the city’s approach to change the face and character of the city entrance, without the support of the residents.

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We are residents preserving and supporting our beautiful city.

Newsletter subscription requests: Link

Comments: email Info@PreservePVE.org

Palos Verdes Estates’ unique charm is reflected in its magnificent trees, ocean vistas, architecture, dedicated open space, protected coastal habitats, and scenic roadways.

The PreservePVE Newsletter focuses on land, good governance practices, safety and community.

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Prior Newsletter Issues:

June 2023: Special Edition Survey Results: LINK
July 2023: Safety Edition: LINK
Aug 2023: Conflicts of Interest: LINK
Sept 2023: Land / Safety: LINK
Oct 2023: Burglaries / Public Housing: LINK

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Legal Disclaimer:

This newsletter and PreservePVE do not provide legal advice or legal information. Information is shared by volunteers who are not attorneys which is general information and not a substitute for legal information or advice. The use of reliance of any information from PreservePVE, including this site, is solely at your own risk.