The next General Meeting of the Culver Crest Neighborhood Association will be on Thursday November 20, 2008, at the El Rincon School Cafetorium.

Agenda:

1. Call to order
2. Secretary’s minutes and adoption
3. Treasurer’s report
4. Police and community watch - Lt. Ron Iizuka
5. Notes on the election - Mark Salkin and Jill McKeon
6. Presentation and overview of current construction projects at West Los Angeles College - Robert Miller of Turner Construction
7. Update on PXP oil - Ken Kutcher and John Kuechle
8. New Business
9. Elections including the count and announcing the winners

The County Board of Supervisors has set its agenda for the upcoming meeting next Tuesday, October 21, 2008.  We are item #58.  This is the meeting at which they will consider (and most likely ratify as-is unless we show up en masse) the currently flawed CSD.

Hearing on amendment to the County Code, Title 22 - Planning and Zoning, to establish the Baldwin Hills Community Standards District (CSD) to establish new development standards and operating procedures for oil and gas production operations in the unincorporated portion of the Inglewood Oil Field (2); and find that the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) has been completed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and reflects the independent judgment of the Board as to the environmental consequences of the proposed CSD, that the mitigation measures identified in the FEIR are the only feasible mitigation measures and find that the remaining, unavoidable environmental effects associated with potential future oil production operations at the Inglewood Oil Field have been reduced to an acceptable level and are outweighed by specific health and safety, economic, social and environmental benefits of the CSD as stated in the Environmental Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, and approve and adopt the Environmental Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations. (Regional Planning)  (08-2219) 

There is also a supporting document (200+ pages) that goes with this agenda item.

The FINAL public hearing regarding the CSD for oil drilling in the Baldwin Hills is going to be held on Tuesday October 21, 2008, at 9:00am, downtown at the Board of Supervisors Auditorium, 500 W. Temple St. Los Angeles, CA 90012.

County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke has indicated that she will put forth the motion to approve the CSD as-is, despite that it is flawed due to being rushed through the system.  She would rather have this go into law — a weak CSD that fails to address key provisions — than insist that the CSD + EIR process be done correctly and done well.

Here is the flyer that is being circulated.  As well, we have taken out small ads in our two Culver City newspapers.  It is critical that you attend this hearing.  With your help — but really, mostly with your presence — we can influence the County Board of Supervisors to extend this process and do it right.  

With the help of the City of Culver City, we have arranged for park+ride busses to take us downtown so that we do not need to drive ourselves and then deal with parking.  Be part of history, make your voice heard!

The Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance (GBHA) is a working group within the Community Health Councils (CHC), that consists of neighbors and homeowners associations from neighborhoods that flank the Baldwin Hills Oil Fields, united in their goal to ensure that the new regulations regarding the oil fields are the best possible.

The Culver Crest Neighborhood Association is part of the GBHA.  Board members of the CCNA have been regularly attending GBHA meetings, coordinating strategies, and coming up with solutions.  Included in that solution is their (our) own Community Standards District (CSD) that was written as a better alternative to the one from the County (which was originally written by PXP Oil).

We say “our” because one of the key members of the GBHA and primary author of the GBHA CSD is Ken Kutcher, who is an advisor to CCNA’s Board of Directors.

Here are the minutes from our general meeting of June 4, 2008. Please inform us if there are changes that need to be made before they are presented and adopted during our next general meeting (Sept. 25, 2008).

Culver Crest residents Ken Kutcher and Suzanne De Benedittis are featured on The Front Page Online. 

http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/…/KutchertoCommissioners-DocumentsNotReadytobeForwarded

http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/…/CitizensallGroupPosts31-ChangesonDrillingforCountytoConsider

http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/…/ActivistSaysPXPShould-BearaLargerShareoftheBurden

http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/…/HowtheCountyShouldProtectResidents-OnceOilDrillingResumesNextMonth

http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/…/KutcherallsLatestMessageCountysAttitude-TowardBaldwinHillsEIRIsaPolicyCall

Despite a huge meeting with the authors of the EIR, none of our comments (”our” here means Culver Crest via the Greater Baldwin Hills Alliance) made it into the CSD.  Thus, here is our response to that hastily crafted Revision 2 of the CSD by the L.A. Department of Regional Planning.  Attached here are responses by CCNA board advisors Ken Kutcher and John Kuechle.  As well, there is a “redline” document, which very clearly shows what our changes are/would be vs. the original.

The Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning released their revised Community Standards District (CSD) document. Public comment is seemingly not solicited, as there is a cover letter that recommends it be adopted by the Planning Commission.