Here's the Latest

Dear Neighbors,

Here's an update with the most recent happenings at the Wildlife Corridor:

As you may have noticed or heard in the news or through the grapevine, the developer has taken one of the fences down.  Furthermore, both parties (our side and the developer) have signed a stand-still agreement that halts any construction on the lowest of the three lots, at least for the time being.  These are, obviously, great pieces of news for us, and for the animals -- but we're not there yet.  The big issue still needs to be resolved.

What IS that big issue?  It's the same thing we've been fighting for since Day 1, and that the developer has still not provided.  Before construction began, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) provided the Central Area Planning Division with a map that detailed the three vacant lots and their relationship/proximity to the Wildlife Corridor.  What we need from the developer is a map of his construction, laid over the map provided by SMMC, that will show EXACTLY how the new properties will be situated in relation to the Wildlife Corridor.  Until we receive this map from the developer, our work is not done.

With the second home (out of the three planned properties) now being built, it is more important than ever to keep the pressure on the developer to provide us with what we have fairly and respectfully requested.  If you can help us keep up the fight, please click this link: http://laurelcanyonassoc.com

Thanks, as always, for your help and support.

You Can Help!

Please join us at a bake sale on Saturday, October 6 to benefit the Stanley Hills Wildlife Corridor.  The bake sale is from 9am to 12pm, and will be held at the Wonderland Avenue School: 8510 Wonderland Avenue in the Canyon.

If you're not able to join us, please donate to the Laurel Canyon Association.  The Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting our community, including the Wildlife Corridor.

Donations of less than $50 can be made by paypal "gift" to lpitoun@gmail.com.

Told You So...

That first Pumps & Dumps article (posted below) is not the only report on the shady activity of Yossi Atia.  Check out this second link:

http://www.pumpsanddumps.com/2011/11/wednesday-november-23-2011-todays-pumps.html

Where There's Smoke...

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.  As we gear up for another week of fighting to protect our Wildlife Corridor, let's take a closer look at the man behind the 3500 sq. ft. (or is it 4000+? or even more?) estates that would destroy our local habitat:

Yossi Atia, or sometimes spelled as Attia.  Take a look at this article from Pumps & Dumps:

Yossi Attia is also an Israeli national who has been a defendant in dozens of lawsuits alleging fraud and/or unjust enrichment.  Click here to see a list of just some of the cases in which he is a Party (mostly as a defendant) in Los Angeles County alone.  Attia has also been a defendant in several federal cases as well, including those which allege bankruptcy fraud.  Mr. Attia is no stranger to the Las Vegas court system either and has been sued in that district several times.

Full link to the article here: http://www.pumpsanddumps.com/2011/06/once-you-have-reputation-as-con-artist.html

Hmmm... "dozens of lawsuits alleging fraud" ... sound familiar, anyone?

And without coming right out and saying, "Liar, liar, pants on fire" ... well, where there's smoke....

Not Letting the Facts Get in the Way of a Good Story

In this election year, it's become normal for fact checkers to analyze and review just about every single speech, policy and proposal put forth by major candidates.  In an age of infinite distractions, the facts should be paramount and sacrosanct, so people can get straight answers.

Perhaps Yossi Atia, the developer seeking to eliminate the Stanley Hills Wildlife Corridor, could use a fact checker.

Here's a story on Mr. Atia from Wednesday's Los Angeles Daily News:

The three new homes, each about 3,500 square feet and 30 feet tall, are being built on what opponents argue is a substantial portion of the Stanley Hills Drive wildlife corridor. 

Bold added by us.  So one of the city's major newspapers is on record having reported that each property is "only" about 3,500 square feet.  However, here's what Mr. Atia's own website has to say about 2240 Stanley Hills Drive, one of the three proposed homes that would clog the Wildlife Corridor:

Conceived and developed by famed Los Angeles Real Estate Developers, The Atia Group, this 4,000+ square foot estate brings the best of city living, luxury and stunning architecture to the tranquility and serenity of Laurel Canyon.

Again, bold added by us.  3,500 and 4,000+ square feet might not seem like a big difference to some, but it's a big difference to the people and wildlife of Laurel Canyon.  Every inch matters as we protect our environment from outside forces.

This all begs the question: what's going on here?  Did the Daily News simply report an erroneous number?  Or did Mr. Atia deliberately supply them with false information, to make it seem like construction would be less invasive?  Is he falsely advertising the square footage on his website, in a bid to jack up interest (and prices)?  Is this misinformation a sign that Mr. Atia has even larger plans and projects in mind for our neighborhood that he's simply not disclosing?

The truth is: we don't know.  But, Mr. Atia, we deserve to.

Someone in the news recently said, "We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers." That was a pollster referring to one of the major presidential candidates.

Sounds like he could have been referring to Yossi Attia.

The Revolution WILL Be Televised

Here's what NBC News had to say about our fight to protect the Wildlife Corridor.

Within the piece, Laurel Canyon Association President Cassandra Barreres says:

"This is our central park.  This is our area to protect, because it's a valuable part of our city's structure and the beauty of our city.  So, we aren't talking about one specific little road, we are talking about a connective pathway for our migratory animals to survive."

"A Duty to the Local Wildlife"

The Canyon News is now documenting the fight to save the Wildlife Corridor, as well as our duty and responsibility to respect all the creatures -- human and non-human -- that call Laurel Canyon home.  Unfortunately, the developers who come into the Canyon from elsewhere generally don't realize what's at stake:

It’s not unusual for developers to come into the hillsides trying to make a fast buck. They plunk down money without doing their homework.  They look at the land and focus exclusively on how to maximize the dollar return, without any consideration for other local interests. They’re speculators. In this instance, the community is fighting to have the buildings’ square footage give way to a Wildlife Corridor which has been in place for years. The community feels that city administrators should side with the SMMC Wildlife Corridor, which bisects the property. They claim that an interrupted corridor effectively extinguishes the value of the entire corridor.

For more press coverage, check out the articles from The LA Times and Curbed LA.

The Message Spreads

Following the lead of the LA Times, the influential website Curbed LA is also spreading the word about our cause.

The Curbed article also includes a link to the latest "Canyon Defender" video, which you can check out below:

If a 10 year old can grasp the magnitude of this issue, then so should city officials, and in particular Linn Wyatt.

The Fight Reaches The LA Times

The Los Angeles Times recently published a story on the fight to save the Stanley Hills Wildlife Corridor.  Concerned Resident Tom Hulce summed it up perfectly:

“The implications of what is going on are serious,” he said. “For example, retaining walls and fences put up around the construction site 10 months ago are blocking migration patterns of deer, bobcat and coyotes that have existed for centuries.”

There Are Many Ways to Help

We depend on the generosity and commitment of our friends and neighbors.  If you are able to help us in our efforts, it is always greatly appreciated.  We are grateful for all the support!

Please your contribution as a "gift" by email to treasurer Lynn with your PAYPAL:  lpitoun@gmail.com

The Concerned Residents (and Animals!) of Stanley Hills Drive thank you.

Press Release 8/10/12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Laurel Canyon Residents File Lawsuit to Protect Ancient Wildlife Corridor

Laurel Canyon community residents filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to compel the City of Los Angeles to enforce conditions it set on a multi-home project. These conditions required the developer to dedicate part of the project to protect an ancient wildlife corridor, one of the last open corridors for animal migration, running through the Hollywood hills. (Superior Court of California Case #BS138819)

As stated in the case, the City approved the development on the condition that the developer dedicate an easement, as requested by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and neighbors, and that it be recorded in perpetuity. According to court documents, the Laurel Canyon residents later uncovered that the City allowed the developer to proceed with development without the wildlife corridor easement -- the latest in a series of errors over the years at this site favoring the developer.

SMMC Deputy Director of Natural Resources and Planning said, “The narrow wildlife corridor to Stanley Hills Drive approved by the Central Area Planning Commission represents the minimum scientifically supportable corridor width possible in the context of that site -- which includes a new 30-foot-tall house right on the corridor boundary.”

Added Edelman, “The City Departments have now thrown egg in the face of Planning Commission and community by blessing developer house plans that conveniently shrink the most critical section of the wildlife corridor.”

The lawsuit asks that the Court compel the City to follow its own conditions of project approval as well as require the developer to honor its written agreement with the residents.

Screen actor and theater producer Tom Hulce, one of the plaintiffs in the case and a neighbor, said, “It is disheartening that the City has a history of helping this developer and ignoring its own laws to the detriment of the community.”

The lawsuit drew praise from the Laurel Canyon Association, which has been active in protecting the Laurel Canyon area. “Laurel Canyon is a unique oasis of nature that is under attack from spec developers and illegal construction,” said President Cassandra Barrere of the Laurel Canyon Association. http://laurelcanyonassoc.com.

Alison Simard, spokesperson for Concerned Residents of Stanley Hills Drive, which filed the suit, expressed the frustration of scores of neighborhood residents. “It is unbelievable that taxpaying residents have to hire an attorney to sue the City to get the City to follow its own conditions of approval for a development project.”

Rob Glushon, the residents’ attorney, who has previously served on a City commission that decided zoning appeals, said, “This is the most egregious example of the City’s failure to follow its own conditions of project approvals that I have seen in more than thirty years of working inside and outside of City Hall.”

Concerned Residents of Stanley Hills Drive, a California unincorporated nonprofit association, is fighting to preserve our Laurel Canyon animals, our environment and our neighborhood. Concerned Residents of Stanley Hills Drive was initially created for the express purpose of saving the Stanley Hills Wildlife Corridor.

Contact:
Alison Simard (323) 445-8402, alisimard(at)gmail(dot)com
Rob Glushon (818) 970-9014 rglushon(at)lunaglushon(dot)com