I was recently asked to identify a few “quick fixes” for the Los Feliz area; things that needed to be done and that could be addressed relatively simply. Here are a few issues I have identified.
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1) Eastbound traffic turning right from Los Feliz to Riverside Drive is constantly being clogged because of stopped buses at the bus stop there. A simple solution here is to cut in and create an indent so that buses are not interfering with traffic in that lane. We can design the indent either around the deodar or, if necessary, we can relocate the tree a few feet to the west.
2) Confusing policies, quick fixes, and a lack of a comprehensive plan for maintenance has now resulted in our $700,000+ “Gateway to Los Feliz,” the Vermont triangle, becoming a homeless encampment. I will take money from the CD4 discretionary fund and the savings from cutting my salary in half (that’s $90,000 right there) and get it to organizations like the wonderfully efficient PATH, and work with the inspiring East Hollywood Los Feliz Homeless Coalition so that we can immediately get these folks the services and shelter that they need. The facilities and the resources are there, and PATH does a really great job of connecting the people in need with the help that they need. For the record, I was against and I am still annoyed by the amount of money that was spent on that triangle. Once we get those folks the help that they need and clear the triangle, I will use what I calculate to be $1,262 of discretionary funds and 50 volunteers to replant, restore, and fix the sprinklers at that site.
3) City lights – the current proposal to build 202 apartments on the Ford parking lot with the multiple variances that they are requesting would be a disaster for Los Feliz. This developer is proposing maximum height, maximum width, a lot-tie, annexation of a lane between the two lots, and is offering minimum parking in return. Alternatively, this site represents a golden opportunity to build a “mini park” as an amenity for Los Feliz. I am against almost all of the requested variances on this project, but I insist that were any of them to be granted, that the developer is met with a requirement to deliver a park to the community in return as an exaction.
4) Greek theater – After studying the flawed point system that the City of Los Angeles used to score Nederlander-AEG versus Live Nation I concluded the following;
– The dog you know is better than the dog you don’t. Nederlander-AEG have a proven track record (not perfect, but they have improved immensely over the last few years in particular with regards to noise levels) and they have institutional memory of this site, the community, and our concerns,
– If you read through the proposal closely you will see that the Livenation proposal received points multiple times for the same thing. The whole thing is flawed. Every way that I look at it, the Nederlander-AEG proposal makes more money, more real revenue for the city, and it really is a no-brainer. We know this operator, and they are offering more real revenue for the city. 
