Bridge Project Update
On October 12, Pacific Palisades Community Council, in its advisory role to the offices of State Senator Ben Allen and City Councilwoman Traci Park, addressed the matter of the bridge that would connect George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon to Will Rogers State Beach at a special meeting called for this purpose.
The meeting was called because the office of Councilwoman Park had informed our Potrero Canyon Oversight Committee on Wednesday, October 11, that a Board of Public Works Agenda item scheduled to be heard on Friday, October 13, would place the bridge project, if affirmed, squarely on the path to a pre-design phase and eventual completion.
Since PPCC had not yet given the community an opportunity to be informed that this juncture was upon us and had heretofore failed to present to the offices of Allen and Park a statement of community support for the bridge, begotten through our normal methodology of a noticed and open forum for the discussion of community issues, the officers agreed to call a special meeting to allow the community to consider and discuss the bridge project, as currently contemplated, and resolve to move ahead or call for a pause.
PPCC hosted a two-hour meeting, robust with debate and discussion on the topic, which revealed a focused concern around public safety issues that were articulated unmistakably by speaker after speaker.
Each pointed out various elements of the public’s safety that are priorities for the community—some are currently at risk with unreliable functioning gates and locking mechanisms at the newly opened Potrero Canyon Park, some are enduring concerns surrounding law enforcement and the lack of resources that remains a challenge for the Palisades, and some are expected to become priorities as foot traffic increases with the opening of the bridge and new challenges emerge as an attendant circumstance.
Representatives from both the office of Councilwoman Park and the office of Senator Allen (who funded the project at the behest of community advocacy) were present, as was our senior lead officer from Los Angeles Police Department, who affirmed that he would like to see increased law enforcement resources dedicated to Pacific Palisades when the bridge becomes operational.
Others insisted on the support of rangers, and yet other community members spoke about the need to be mindful of safety and security surrounding the bridge and its intended use.
After hearing from all who wished to speak, the board voted with strong majority to allow the project to advance to the next phase, passing a motion to “allow the contractor hired by [Bureau of Engineering] to conduct meaningful outreach in order to garner the community’s feedback through the process of the pre-design phase, and implement the results of the feedback in a substantive way that will address the items of common concern and incorporate community sentiment into the final bridge design, including its public safety elements. These may include, but will not be limited to, hours of operation/open to the public, fences, gates, lock mechanisms, monitoring, law enforcement resources, patrolling, cameras, etc.”
PPCC has been the voice of the community for more than 50 years, representing residents, organizations and business stakeholders, both through elected and appointed representatives. We have the good fortune of remaining a community council and as such, advocating effectively with our city agencies, as well as county, state and federal agencies and elected officials.
We have made it unequivocally clear, in this case, to city and state offices responsible for the unfolding of the bridge project that community outreach and public safety are paramount for the successful implementation of each step related to the eventual bridge that will connect our small community to the county shoreline.
As the outreach phase is set to begin, the office of Councilwoman Park has pledged to host a public meeting sometime in mid-November (possibly the week of November 12) to provide an update on the proposed bridge, receive feedback and have the departments address any concerns. They will also have an opportunity to hear the community’s priorities, concerns and expectations surrounding the bridge project, some of which PPCC has made clear in our formal letter reflecting our position.
Our board has made clear that the outreach phase of the pre-design process must entail robust and purposeful outreach to the community for substantive feedback that is meaningfully considered and reflected in the final project. You may see our full position letter on our website at pacpalicc.org.
Maryam Zar
PPCC Chair
The Palisadian-Post accepts letters to the editor via email at mypost@palipost.com or mail/hand-delivered at 881 Alma Real Drive, Suite 213, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. To be considered for publication, letters must be signed, and are subject to editing for length and clarity. Opinions expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the views of opinions of the Palisadian-Post.
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