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To all Mulwood and Concerned Residents:
On May 13, 1999. the Superintendent of the Las Virgenes Unified School District, John Fitzpatrick, sent
a
LETTER TO OUR COMMUNITY
in response to the May 10 "open forum" hosted by the District at Bay Laurel
School concerning the District's decision to locate a new middle school on the Hellman property. Rather
than acknowledge the overwhelming sentiment against the District's decision voiced by the great majority
of those in attendance, and rather than indicate that the District has taken this sentiment to heart and is rethinking its decision, Dr. Fitzpatrick's letter seeks only to justify the District's decision. The letter also
shows that, contrary to the District's "lip service" that it will consider alternative sites, the District is
bound and determined to locate the middle school on the Hellman property, no matter what. In our
opinion, the letter also reflects that the ongoing "environmental impact" studies are only being
accomplished to justify the District's decision to place the middle school on the HelIman site, not to
obtain information to be used by the District to make an "independent judgement" as to the viability of
the Hellman site. Adding insult to injury, Dr. Fitzpatrick claims that members of our community who
spoke at the May 10 meeting provided "erroneous statements or information," and purports to use his
letter to "clarify" or "correct" us. It shouldn't take you very long to realize that rather than "correct" any
"erroneous statements," Dr. Fitzpatrick's letter is a position paper designed to further the District's
agenda to locate the middle school at the Hellman site, no matter what.
Regrettably, every once in a while, we read in the newspaper about a scandal in a particular school
district. The most recent scandal involved the Belmont project and the Los Angeles Unified School
District. Ten years after the LAUSD administration and its consultants went forward to build the
Belmont school on a toxic waste site, Sacramento, the newspapers and most importantly, the taxpayers
are wondering "how could this happen?" In our opinion, our District and Administration have become
unacceptably insular in their zeal to locate a middle school on the Hellman property. In our opinion, Dr.Fitzpatrick's May 13 letter demonstrates that the District has "circled the wagons," does not intend to
consider the views of the taxpayers or the affected neighborhood, and certainly does not intend to
consider alternative sites unless required to do so by Sacramento or the court. We shouldn't wait until it is
too late to do something about it. We'll start by responding to Dr. Fitzpatrick's letter:
1. "No site has been acquired nor have any agreements been reached" You've all heard it.. The
Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Zimring, has been telling everyone who will listen, since last fall,
that a middle school on the Hellman site is a "done deal." Under state law (Public Resources
Code section 21082.1(c) (I), the District must make a specific finding that the Environmental
Impact Report ("EIR") reflects the "independent judgement" of the District. But if a middle
school on the Hellman site has been a "done deal" since last fall, how can the District render an
"independent judgement" based on an EIR that has not even been completed yet? The simple
answer is that it cannot. This will likely result in the court setting aside the District's EIR, causing
additional delays in the construction of a new middle school.
Moreover, the District does not have to reach an "agreement" with Hellman. If Hellman refuses
to sell at the District's price, the District can take the property through a process known as
"eminent domain," build the school, and have a jury determine, years later, what the District
ultimately will pay for the land. Dr. Zimring has already told Mr. Hellman and his partner Mr.
Spiegel that if they refuse the District's price, he intends to take the property by eminent domain.
2. "Any type of negotiations or discussions relative to purchase of land be held in strict confidence." The District and Hellman / Spiegel are millions of dollars apart in their negotiations. We presume that the
District does not want you to know what the real numbers are because then you will know
that the price tag for acquiring the land and building a school on the HelIman site will likely
exceed $15 million. Alternative sites would be many millions of dollars cheaper to acquire and
build out. Also, keep in mind that whatever you may have heard regarding the price the District
says the Hellman property is worth, the final number will be determined by a jury in the Superior
Court in the eminent domain proceedings initiated by the District.
3. In order for the district to have approval to build on any site, traffic and safety conditions must be approved through the EIR" Who's kidding who At the May 10 meeting, the District's traffic engineer stated that his "study" rated the intersection of Paul
Revere and Mulholland Highway as
an "A" under current conditions. Numerous speakers noted how patently ridiculous such a
conclusion was, and it was pointed out by one of the Mulwood residents that the District appeared
to have conducted its traffic study during Spring Break when the schools weren't in session! The
final blow to the District was the Mulwood resident who produced the
(independent) traffic study
of the City of Calabasas which currently rates the intersection as an "F"
In our opinion, we
should take no comfort from the EIR process, which as discussed above, apparently is being
conducted not to gather independent information, but to gather only such information as will
support the District's decision to build a middle school on the HelIman site, no matter what.
Speaking of traffic, at the May 10 meeting, it was pointed out to the District that a school on the Hellman site would have an extremely deleterious impact on the Mulwood neighborhood, and presents an extreme danger to the children who would attend. Paul Revere (and by extension,
Wrencrest and Bluebird) will become the driveway for a school at the Hellman site. It will be the route of choice from Calabasas Park as well as Hidden HilIs / Bell Canyon.
This won't be just
during the school week, because Dr. Zimring has repeatedly stated that he intends to rent out the
school and the athletic fields for weekend events. To make matters worse, the State Department
of Education has already made a specific finding that with respect to the Hellman site, "student
pedestrian safety is a major concern." Many speakers at the May 10 meeting made the point
that the Hellman site is manifestly dangerous and made it clear that they will not permit their
children to walk to school or to cross Mulholland Highway to get to such a school. Of course!
The proposed middle school would be located on a highway, with only one lane in each direction
where the speed limit is 45 mph, and where, we know, the speed limit is regularly ignored. To
make matters worse,
the site is at the top of an upgrade, and it is located at a blind curve!
In our
opinion, the District (in Dr. Fitzpatrick's words, "the advocate for the children") should not be
advocating an agenda that will result in placing our children in harm's way.
4 'The Hellman site is ...essentially a 'balanced' site requiring little or no import or export of dirt"
There are three massive canyons that exist on the HelIman property, each of which will have to be filled in.
If this is a "balanced" site, the only way to possibly achieve that balance will be to wipe
out every mountain and tree to create one giant, flat lot. An ecological disaster, to be sure.
5. The Ahmanson project is not within the boundaries of the school district and... is not available."
Dr. Fitzpatrick's letter doesn't even mention the other alternative sites! We have been
researching other available sites for a middle school, none of which would have the same
destructive impact on the host neighborhood that Mulwood would experience from a school at the
HelIman site, nor the potential danger to our children. Of course, the District has demonstrated
thus far that it is unwilling even to consider any alternative to the HeIlman property, but you
should know that these sites exist:
Alternative Sites
a. Calabasas Road adjacent to the Acura dealer.
On the east side of the Acura dealer, which is relatively flat a 10 acre parcel is reportedly planned for a BMW dealership and
another 10 acre parcel is unused and owned by Sperling nursery. The BMW dealership
has not commenced construction yet and they currently have an ongoing business at
another location. If the District moves quickly, and offers but fails to reach agreement on
a price, the District could take both parcels by eminent domain, just as it intends to do
with the HeIlman property. On the west side of the Acura dealer, the parcels total more
than 15 acres and a "For Sale" sign is displayed on the property.
b "Oak Property."
which is the former Baldwin property at the end of Calabasas Parkway.
We are informed that the District already owns some of this property. This would be an
ideal site, as it is situated in Calabasas Park and in the center of new homes and the new
construction in the District. Moreover, the back of this site allows for a connection to
MuIholland Highway for an access route which is not through the main gate for students
not coming from the Park. It would appear reason able to require the new owner, New
Millennium Homes, to dedicate some additional acreage to the District, out of their 500-
acres, near the District-owned parcel.
c. The northern tip of Parkway Calabasas near Craftsman and Douglas Fir Road.
There is
plenty of open space in this area for consideration.
d.
Treeland Property MAP
located at Valley Circle and the 101. There are two legal parcels
here. One parcel of 18 acres fronts on Valley Circle, and the other 9 acre parcel could
continue to be used for the nursery business, is the owner so desired. This would seem to
be an ideal site.
e. Lupin Hill Elementary.
This site, on the northern side of Las Virgenes, is
already
approved by the State Department of Education for a middle school. The solution here is
to relocate the elementary school to a new smaller site in the area, where there is plenty
of open land available, and to build the new middle school on this state approved
property.
f. Motion Picture and Television Home fields.
The District walked away from this site,
fearing lengthy and expensive litigation. As discussed above, the District should have the
same concerns regarding the Hellman site. However, the motion picture site is clearly
superior to the Hellman site in. that the motion picture site has far better access, will not
disrupt an established neighborhood, won't endanger the children, and has far lower
development costs then the HelIman site.
g. Mulholland Highway and. Cold Canyon.
This site was dismissed summarily by the
District "as a big hole in the ground." Any additional cost to fill the site would easily be
offset by the greatly lower purchase price, the fact that it is not adjacent to existing
homes, and the absence of the child safety issues inherent in the Hellman site.
h. Adjacent to A.E. Wright
The District could expand A.E. Wright simply by relocating the
headquarters of the School District.
i. The entire corridor of the 101 Freeway. between Calabasas Parkway and Las Virgenes.
There certainly seems to be plenty of open space here.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Senator Tom Hayden
California State Senate
23rd District
10951 West Pico Blvd., #202
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310)441-9084
Fax: (310)441-0724
Assemblymember Sheila James Kuehi
California State Assembly
41st Assembly District
16130 Ventura Blvd., #230
Encino, CA 91436
Phone: (818) 501-8991
Fax: (818)501-8432
Delaine Eastin
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Department of Education.721 Capitol Mall
P.O, Box 944272
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916)6574766
Fax: (916)657-4975
David MacEwan, Consultant
California Department of Education
School Facility Planning Division
c/o Riverside County Office of Education
Division of Governmental Relations
& Support Services
P.O. Box 868
3939 Thirteenth Street
Riverside, CA 90502-0868
Phone: (909) 369-6364
Fax: (909) 369-6363
Honorable Zey Yaroslavsky
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Hall of Administration, Room 821
500 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Attn: Ms. Ginny Kruger, Deputy
Phone: (213) 974-3333
Fax: (213)625-7360
Robert Sibilia, Mayor
Dennis Washburn, Mayor Pro Tem
James Robert Bozajion, Member of Council
Lesley Devine, Member of Council
Janice Lee, Member of Council
City of Calabasas
26135 Mureau Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
Phone:(818) 878-4225
Fax: (818) 878-4215
Robert Yalda.
Director, Transportation &
Intergovernmental. Relations Dept.
City of Calabasas
261.35 Mureau Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
Phone: (818) 878-4225
Fax: (818) 878-4215
Larry H. Rubin, President
Judy Jordan, Clerk
Amy Berns, Member of Board
Charlone Meyer, Member of Board.
Dick Koppel, Member of Board
Las Virgenes Unified School District
4111 North Las Virgenes Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
Phone: (818)880-4000
Fax: (818) 8804200
John F. Fitzpatrick, Superintendent of Schools
Donald Zimring, Deputy Superintendent
Las Virgenes Unified School District
4111 North Las Virgenes Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
Phone: (818) 880-4000
Fax: (818) 880-4200
Mulholland Tomorrow
7510 Sunset Blvd., #1401
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Attn: Robert Hertzberg
Phone: (213) 427-8145
Old Topanga Homeowners Association
3319 Old Topanga Canyon Road
Topanga, CA 90290
Attn: Carl Gibbs, President
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