The Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Downtown Los Angeles is the subject of this satiric illustration by the Civic Bee
Municipal Advisory Council* * *
9 January 2014
John F. Krattli
County Counsel
County of Los Angeles
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, Ca 90012
Dear Mr. Krattli:
We are in receipt of your 12 December 2013 [letter] and question the statement that you have reviewed the Littlerock Town Council Resolution, and fully agree that there may be a misunderstanding.
We are not seeking independence from the County of Los Angeles and were we to gain Municipal Advisory Council Status, our intention was to form council departments within the structure of our MAC to bring forth the wishes of the residents within Littlerock on such matters as Planning, Building and Safety and Code issues, with the ability to present Community Views with some reasonable expectation that our voices would be heard within a reasonable timeframe.
As you may be aware, we have submitted a Community Standards District Document some three years ago and have yet to hear any feedback from the County. This is hardly the “robust” response mentioned in your letter. Furthermore, the lack of response on that issue, in our opinion, rings hollow when measured against your statement that the “current system has worked well over the years”. Perhaps the view of our “enthusiastic community involvement” and “critical input” looks different when observed from your perspective.
We feel that there is no opportunity to comment, nor an immediate mechanism to convey our position on the dictates by the Board of Supervisors without the lengthy process of going through various functionaries within the Bureaucracy.
As we enter 2014, I am reminded that the County does provide valuable services to the rural area known as The Antelope Valley, but at what cost to the constituents of the Fifth District?
To state that you do not believe that anyone at the County has ever acted in a way “that deprived any resident of Littlerock of his or her constitutional rights”, simply ignores the fact that Law Suits have been filed and County Agents have been deposed and have admitted therein that actions they have taken have no basis within the so-called Regulations. They are actually interpretive memos and are interpreted in an arbitrary and capricious manner at the whim of whatever code enforcement person happens to be on scene.
Furthermore, the Supervisor in charge of the inspectors (see deposition of Oscar Gomez in civil litigation case MC023494, filed 29 May, 2012) has admitted that he has never even read the documents upon which his agents base their actions.
The true facts regarding the fairness and equity issues at play here in the Antelope Valley has been pointed out clearly within a video produced by Reason T.V. (23 August 2011 and available on YouTube) concerning the land issues in the rural area. Reporter John Stossell has highlighted the intrusive nature of local government in a series titled War on the Little Guy and the constitutional trespass that is at play. To cast aside these abuses and make a statement that no unfair treatment or different standards apply out here is to be disingenuous or uninformed.
Since the County is all encompassing in its role of Legislative, Executive and Quasi-Judicial (see Citizens Guide to County Services page 23) it has and does infringe on the liberties of residents, with no real mechanism for redress of grievances, and falls short on its motto “enriching lives through caring and effective service”. These abuses fly in the face of the State Constitution as relates to Articles 1, Section 1, Section 7 and Section 13.
As a matter of course and conduct and demonstrating a pattern and practice of intimidation, threats and arbitrary “enforcement” of land use issues, we are amazed that a statement is forthcoming that “we do not believe that anyone at the County … has deprived any resident of Littlerock of his or her Constitutional Rights.”
As to the question concerning the Municipal Advisory Council history in California, there currently exists Fourteen MACs within the state, none in L.A. County. What is L.A. County so concerned about?
The Littlerock Town Council is on record in its position that the unincorporated areas in the Antelope Valley are not well served under the current system and have no real avenue for redress of grievances.
Sincerely,
Ronald P. Bolger,
President, Littlerock Town Council
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Read the Littlerock Town Council’s Sept. 6, 2013 Resolution hosted on Jan B. Tucker’s website (scroll about midway down the page), The Detective’s Diary, at janbtucker.com/blog.