Bonin Fields Questions from Community

By JACQUELINE PRIMO | Reporter

Councilmember Mike Bonin sat front and center, flanked by the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) board at the PPCC public board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10 at the Palisades Branch Library where he responded to residents’ questions and complaints on a variety of topics related to the Palisades.

“It was great to spend some time with the Pacific Palisades Community Council, and to answer important questions from board members and residents about homelessness, development, traffic, the Olympics, bike lanes, urban beekeeping and a whole lot more,” Bonin told the Palisadian-Post after the meeting.

“The PPCC is a strong and long-standing organization that predates the city’s Neighborhood Council system; they are a great voice for the community in Pacific Palisades,” he added.

PPCC President Chris Spitz deftly facilitated the Q&A session, keeping the discussion flowing and trying to get to as many questions on different topics as possible.

As Bonin entered the room, three protesters marched in and stood quietly against the wall, holding signs with numerous sayings, including, “Bonin ignores kids with bee allergies,” “Bonin wants beehives 5 feet from your outdoor pets” and “Bonin wants beehives without beekeeper accountability.”

The signs also showed images of a girl being attacked by a swarm of bees and the face of a man who had been allegedly attacked by bees.

“Why can’t you change the ordinance to make [the beekeepers] accountable?” asked protestor Kacy Rozelle during the Q&A. Rozelle stood alongside Marcia Rozelle and her teenage son, who Marcia says is allergic to bees.

Bonin said the ordinance to legalize urban beekeeping began with his predecessor, Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, adding he has heard “overwhelming…nine-to-one” testimony in favor of the ordinance.

In addition to concerns about beekeeping, many of residents’ questions related to the problem of homelessness.

“I think the City has failed on this issue for a generation or so,” Bonin told the standing-room-only crowd.

Bonin said that while the City works on providing more housing for the homeless, he is working to provide more resources to assist the “unsheltered homeless population” in the interim.

“Our policy has really been ‘sidewalks first,’” he said in reference to the “housing first” motto regarding the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles.

Bonin said he is working with the mayor on the broad framework of a plan to address homelessness in LA, which will be unveiled by the end of September or the beginning of October.

Bonin said he plans to attend a future meeting of the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness to address more of the community concerns on homelessness and answer any outstanding questions.

Residents can direct questions and concerns on community issues to Bonin’s field deputy Sharon Shapiro at sharon.shapiro@lacity.org.

The PPCC’s next meeting is Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. with a (tentative) discussion regarding Bonin’s motion on short-term residential vacation rentals.