Where’s the Transparency for Rezoning Unincorporated LA County Areas?

Residents launch petition to halt the Planning Commission efforts.

2 mins read
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More than 300 Altadena residents have signed a petition to halt the top-down approach to rezoning Los Angeles County’s nine unincorporated areas by the West San Gabriel Valley Area Plan (WSGVAP) when it comes before the LA County Board of Supervisors in December 10, 2024.  The plan includes a General Plan Amendment, changes to land use and zoning designations, and an amendment to Title 22 (County Planning and Zoning Code). A Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (Draft PEIR) has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We believe this rezoning plan will change the characteristics of the neighborhood, increase traffic, increase fire insurance, and negatively affect the environment.

The U.S. Constitution protects the right to petition. We hope the LA County Board of Supervisors will finally listen to the resonating voices of the residents who will be affected if this plan is passed. The signatures were collected in the first week of the petition, which reflects residents’ ongoing concern about the issue.

The rezoning proposal affects the areas of Altadena, East Pasadena–East San Gabriel, Kinneloa Mesa, La Crescenta–Montrose, San Pasqual, South Monrovia Islands, South San Gabriel, Whittier Narrows, and South El Monte Island. The WSGV planning area covers 23.2 square miles and has a 2020 population of more than 74,680 residents. It addresses elements including land use, mobility, conservation and open space, public services and facilities, economic development, and historic preservation.

Grassroots and community input are vital to ensure any far-reaching plan such as this meets the true needs of the diverse communities it will affect. For most residents, the proposed plan is a surprising development, leaving many feeling disenfranchised and powerless. Information about the plan has been limited, and our voices have not been heard despite attempts to interact with the Planning Commission through the democratic process.  

Altadena residents have made several attempts to approach the WSGVAP planning team, but our concerns were dismissed. In a one-on-one meeting the day before the September 25, 2024, Planning Commission meeting, residents requested their concerns be publicly and transparently acknowledged during the presentation. Regrettably, none of our concerns were recognized in the official presentation the following day, and the plan was pushed forward for a BOS vote in December.

Our concerns were not presented, and the commissioners finished the hearing by opening up the floor to public comments. Reflecting the lack of information, only 17 community members attended the meeting to voice their opinions on such a wide-reaching matter. Eight were in favor, six were opposed, and three voiced their concerns for the project.

Residents were inspired to use the petition process to halt the blatantly undemocratic plan being put forward and restore a local representative democratic process. The amount of awareness our petition has raised is very refreshing but frightening at the same time because so many locals have been left in the dark. Free-flowing information and awareness is the only way a true local representative democracy works. Community silence does not indicate approval of this far-reaching proposal but rather is a further indication of the broken process and the lack of outreach.

This plan was created by unelected bureaucrats in a concrete jungle with little to no outreach. They have probably never lived in our communities, let alone ever walked our streets. Through the petition, we hope to halt the current plan and instill a bottom-up, inclusive, equitable decision-making process that restores the principles of local representative democracy. We hope to put an end to the residents’ rampant disenfranchisement and return our voices to the process.

We need to work together at the community level and formulate a specific zoning plan. Please consider signing this petition to advocate for an inclusive, equitable decision-making process and finally stop the disenfranchisement. 

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors holds public hearings on zoning matters on the last Tuesday of every month at 9:30 am in Room 381-B of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration at 500 West Temple Street in Los Angeles.

The short URL of this article is: https://localnewspasadena.com/a3cy

Chris Roumeliotis

Chris Roumeliotis is a passionate 20-year resident of Pasadena and Altadena. When not writing opinion pieces about local issues, Chris can be found hiking the trails near Altadena.

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