BAHA ALERT - IMPORTANT JUNE INFO AND DATES

Posted on 06/02/22

1.  WATERING RESTRICTIONS START JUNE 1ST

2.  REVISED DRAFT WILDLIFE ORDINANCE IS OUT. MEETINGS HAVE STARTED – JUNE 2nd IS THE NEXT ONE

3.  ELECTIONS ARE UPON US – JUNE 7TH IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE

 

1.  WATERING RESTRICTIONS START JUNE 1ST:

The third phase of the city’s Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance passed on a 13-0 vote, approving drought rules released by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on May 10. The watering limits go into effect June 1, the DWP said.

Watering time is capped per station at only 8 minutes, or 15 minutes for sprinklers with water-conserving nozzles, on two days a week. Customers with street addresses ending in odd numbers can water on Mondays and Fridays, even numbered addresses can water Thursdays and Sundays, before 9am or after 4pm only.

2.  REVISED DRAFT WILDLIFE ORDINANCE IS OUT. MEETINGS HAVE STARTED –

JUNE 2nd IS THE NEXT ONE:

The City of LA has released the revised DRAFT Wildlife Ordinance (“WO”), which now includes a revised version of the Ridgeline Ordinance.  This proposed ordinance WILL impact the property rights of all homes in Bel Air Hills, and for most homes in our neighborhood there will be a significant impact.  The regulations are triggered by certain construction activities and/or removal of certain trees.

The DRAFT WO contains restrictions on Setbacks; Fencing, walls, and hedges; Grading; Residential Floor Allowance (which is basically the size home you are allowed to build on your property); Lot Coverage; Vegetation and Landscaping, Lighting, Windows and Trash Enclosures, and adds to permitting requirements.

The WO contains additional severe restrictions on properties that have a Ridgeline and/or a “Resource” Buffer anywhere on their properties.   Most homes in our neighborhood have a Ridgeline or Wildlife Buffer on their property. To find out if your property has either Buffer, please check both maps at the links listed below as provided by the City of Los Angeles Planning Department.

To find your home, put your address in the upper left corner and use the +/- buttons in the lower right corner to zoom in and out.  Be sure to check that the map has returned the correct property. Additionally, you must zoom out so that your whole lot is visible to tell if you are affected by a Buffer. Properties that are affected by one of these Buffers will have a black outline around the property perimeter (but this only appears when the whole lot is visible)

Ridgeline Buffers Interactive Map – (brown coloring indicates a Ridgeline)

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/779e7266be1d40298035cb0394a58f63/page/Ridgeline-Buffers/?data_id=dataSource_8%3A0%2Cwidget_34_output_1%3A0

Resource Buffer Interactive Map (green coloring indicates an Open Space Buffer, blue coloring indicates a water-related Buffer)

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/779e7266be1d40298035cb0394a58f63/page/Resource-Buffers/?data_id=widget_34_output_1%3A0

You can find the text of the Proposed Wildlife Ordinance here.  Please read it!

https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/706b2aa2-4b3b-43c4-8aeb-b5cc378e36cd/2022_City_of_LA_Revised_Draft_Wildlife_Ordinance_Public_Release.pdf

If there is sufficient interest, BAHA will hold a town hall to discuss/explain the Wildlife Ordinance.  Please email BAHA at [email protected] if you would like us to have a Wildlife Ordinance meeting open to all residents, whether members or not.

The Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council is holding online Zoom meetings on the Wildlife Ordinance. You are encouraged to attend and comment at these meetings (see below). Written comments must be received prior to 5:30pm the day before the meeting for that subject and do not preclude you from making oral comments at the meeting. The June 2nd meeting will cover Section 6, A-E and Section 6, F, 1, a-b and Section 6, F, 1, c.  These Sections include applicability, i.e. what triggers the regulations plus setbacks, fences, walls, hedges, and grading and more. Additional regulations will be discussed at subsequent meetings.

(Neighborhood Councils play an advisory role in the Los Angeles municipal government. They gather, vet, debate, and come to a consensus on matters that impact City life and policy, and deliver their official stance on these issues in letters called “Community Impact Statements” (CIS), which are shared with City decision-makers, such as the Mayor, City Council, or City Departments such as City Planning).

Below is the current online meeting schedule for the BABCNC Ad Hoc Subcommittee for the Wildlife Ordinance.  More information and surveys/comment forms can be found on the Ad Hoc Subcommittee’s website at https://www.babcnc.org/proposed-wildlife-district.php. 

Zoom links for the meetings can be found in the meeting Agendas at that website. Additional meetings may be scheduled and will appear on the BABCNC website at the above link.

Thursday, June 2, 2022 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Monday, June 20, 2022 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Thursday, June 23, 2022 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Tuesday, June 28, 2022 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

Thursday, June 30, 2022 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm

3.  ELECTIONS ARE UPON US – JUNE 7TH IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE:

Los Angeles Mayoral Candidates and Council District 5 (CD5) Councilmember Candidates were extensively interviewed by the Council District 5 (CD5) Coalition of Associations, headed by Dr. Marcia Selz. The candidates’ responses have been compiled into two separate matrices: Newsletter #1-A & Newsletter #3A. There is a tremendous amount of interesting information in these documents which were carefully produced as a public service by the CD5 Coalition of Associations.