While the main event last Thursday evening was an L.A. Unified School District candidate forum, the action came from a confrontation between a Marquez parent and the Pacific Palisades Community Council.
The PPCC forum featured board incumbent Steve Zimmer, who is endorsed by United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), and challenger Kate Anderson, a former Congressional attorney who supports teacher evaluation reform and charter independence.
However, despite all the controversy related to big money, charter schools and reform in this school-district election, the topic that drew the biggest response was L.A. Department Water and Power’s effort to build a second electrical distribution station (DS-104) in the Palisades.
“I have children at Marquez [Charter] Elementary School and I’m very concerned about the possibility of a distribution station being built next door,” said a parent, who identified herself only as Danielle, to the two candidates and the PPCC. “I understand that there have been some disagreements between the Marquez community and Community Council about whether it would be acceptable to build a distribution station next to the school. Going back to what you both discussed, how do you feel about a disagreement between the Council and the school district?”
Much like several other members of audience, this Marquez parent seemed to be interested in only one topic—the possible construction of the distribution station on DWP property adjacent to Marquez Elementary.
The task force, made up of 15 Palisades residents/volunteers, has been working alongside DWP staff in meetings closed to the public since late September to narrow down possible locations for DS-104. According to various task force members, DWP chose to close the meetings to the public and press in order to prevent “grandstanding” and “complications” in the process. This decision has led to certain members of the task force butting heads with the Community Council over the transparency of the process.
The task force was agreed upon last June after a meeting between Zimmer, DWP General Manager Ron Nichols and Councilman Bill Rosendahl, which was prompted by local opposition to build DS-104 next to Marquez.
“This Community Council has not taken a position about the placement of DS-104,” said PPCC President Barbara Kohn told the audience before the candidates had a chance to answer. “The only thing this Community Council has taken a position on was, if there was going to be task force, to have more transparency and to have the task force meetings open to press.”
The Community Council has never debated or discussed the placement of a distribution station in the Palisades, Kohn reiterated.
Gil Dembo, a task force and PPCC member, said: “I think we have to make it clear that the DWP will make the final decision. The task force is just an advisory board and has no authority whatsoever to make a decision.”
“Regardless of whom your board member is, you are hearing from both us that we are opposed to having a power station at Marquez,” Anderson said to the audience, drawing applause. “What you heard from me, is that I have experience working for community councils [Anderson is an elected member of the Mar Vista Community Council], which I will use to try and find a solution for this community that fits everybody. But as a parent, who would be concerned as well, I will fight to make sure we don’t have a power station at Marquez.”
“There is more engagement that we as elected representatives could have with all the stakeholders in the community at the appropriate juncture in the process,” Zimmer said, after also stating his “unequivocal” opposition to DS-104 being constructed next to Marquez Elementary.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
