© 2011 Brentwood Residents Coalition. All Rights Reserved.
P.O. Box 491103 o Los Angeles, CA 90049 o T: 310.476.1383 o F: 310.476.2604 o E: BRC90049@aol.com
The Brentwood Residents Coalition advocates to protect and improve the quality of life for residents on a City-wide basis, including:
Baseline Hillside Ordinance
The BRC actively participated in the passage of the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, sometimes referred to as the Hillside Mansionization Ordinance, which was designed to protect the natural beauty of hillside areas within the City of Los Angeles by preventing the out-of-scale development of single-family homes in hillside neighborhoods. The Ordinance became effective on May 9, 2011.
Bus Bench Program
The BRC initiated a successful community outreach campaign to encourage the City Council to amend a proposed City program that would have allowed the installation of advertisements on bus benches located in areas subject to zoning regulations that restrict or prohibit commercial advertising, including Scenic Highways, Corridors and Parkways, Specific Plan protected areas, Coastal Zones, Streetscapes, and other areas protected under the law.
Clean Hands Ordinance
In September 2010, the BRC initiated a campaign for the City to adopt a “clean hands” land-use ordinance to hold developers and property owners who violate land-use requirements accountable. Clean hands requires that, if a violation of the zoning or other land use codes exists on a property, the City will not process a new application for that property until the existing violation is remedied. In July 2011, Councilmember Dennis Zine brought the clean-hands issue to the City Council, which referred it for committee review. The BRC is actively supporting enactment of an effective clean hands ordinance and has suggested language necessary to accomplish that goal.
Core Findings Ordinance
The BRC worked with the Planning Department and other community groups to revise the draft Core Findings Ordinance. The purpose of the proposed Ordinance is to consolidate and standardize approximately one-quarter of the discretionary land-use findings in the Zoning Code, eliminating redundant and confusing “findings” without changing the substance of the law. Several of the BRC’s proposed revisions were accepted by the Planning Department and approved by the Planning Commission and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) of the City Council. The Ordinance is now under review by the City Attorney before final consideration by the City Council.
Modified Parking Requirement District Ordinance
The BRC initially opposed this draft Ordinance, which would have provided the option of creating a Modified Parking Requirement District allowing for deviations from code-mandated parking requirements without adequate consideration of impacts on residential neighborhoods. The BRC proposed a number of changes to the draft Ordinance, many of which have been incorporated into the current draft. The BRC is working with Planning Staff and a land use consultant to fine tune the “findings” language as the proposed Ordinance moves to the PLUM Committee of the City Council.
Mulholland Bridge Realignment
Given the likely significant adverse impacts on traffic patterns, bicycle and pedestrian safety, wildlife connectivity, aesthetic and recreational resources, and the long-term growth inducing impacts of the project, the BRC joined with other organizations and individuals in demanding CEQA-mandated environmental review of Metro’s plan to realign the Mulholland Bridge and LADOT’s associated plan to widen Skirball Center Drive into the hillside.
Redistricting
The BRC filed letters in opposition to proposals to split the 23rd Senate District and the Third Los Angeles County Supervisorial District in a manner that would divide the Santa Monica Mountains “community of interest.”
Sign Ordinance
The BRC is working with the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight and a wide cross-section of other community organizations to protect against the proliferation of billboard blight. The BRC and its partners have proposed revisions to the current draft of the Sign Ordinance and are also seeking a moratorium on new digital “on-site” signs.
City-wide Advocacy
