Letters to the Editor

[Editor’s Note: After the newspaper last Thursday published a hotly worded email by Eric Bauman, Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, (“Republican Strategist Brought in to Help Parks in Supervisor Race”) bitterly critical of L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks in his race for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors, Nov. 4, Mr. Parks asked — did not demand — Mr. Bauman take his words back. Mr. Bauman reportedly said he did not authorize sending out the email.]

Regarding tonight’s special 7 o’clock meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission in Council Chambers:

If you drive by the Culver City Skateboard Park on Jefferson Boulevard, you would notice something.

Kids skating without any helmets or pads.

Since the soft opening last year, the posted rules have been ignored. Only on two days has Culver City tried to enforce the posted rules. Those two days were the Saturday Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting last year and the day after.

[Editor’s Note: With less than two weeks to go until the County Regional Planning Commission votes on the set of regulations known as the Community Standards District, which will govern the Inglewood oil field, Culver Crest activist Dr. De Benedittis forwarded this interim CSD proposal yesterday afternoon to three parties. They are the County Planning Dept. staff, the County Regional Planning Commission and the five members of the County Board of Supervisors.]

The abrupt resignation of Denise Tyrell as spokesperson for the Metrolink commuter train company in the aftermath of last Friday’s fatal crash in Chatsworth is indicative of the risk-averse political atmosphere of our region.

She had permission from the CEO, David Solow, to make the statement blaming Metrolink’s engineer.

[Editor’s Note: The statement that Culver Crest activist Suzanne De Benedittis made last Wednesday before the County Regional Planning Commission at a public hearing on expanded drilling in the Inglewood oil field.]

On Monday night, a joint meeting of the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency approved a continuance of the appeal hearing against the decision of the Culver City Planning Commission’s decision to approve a four-story condominium complex at 4043 Irving Pl., currently a parking lot stretching one block from Irving Place to Lafayette Place.

The request for a continuance was made by the developer at the urging of the City Council staff so that he could address the concerns of the community who have been vociferous in their opposition about what they see as a huge complex completely out of keeping with the neighborhood.

Re ‘Ugly Story Behind the Resignation of Metrolink’s Front Person,’ Sept. 15.

I appreciate your candor in reporting about the resignation of Metrolink's Denise Tyrell.

My take on the whole thing is that Metrolink wanted to separate themselves from the engineer’s sub- contractor, Violia Transportation, maybe for liability reasons?

I had heard that CEO David Solow had given her the okay to go with the story, and County Supervisor Mike Antonovich was first to fire back at her.

I enjoyed the comedy piece written by former School Board member Marla Wolkowitz (“Seems Uncomplicated: Getting Your Child to School Safely,” Wednesday).

During her (far too) long and unproductive tenure on the Board of Education, culminating with her graduation speech telling high school students that they ought to travel the world (as if all of these students all had the means to afford such luxury), I always assumed that Ms. Wolkowitz was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Now I wonder if perhaps she fell out of the drawer onto her head long ago.

The appeal opposing the four-story, block- through development on Irving Place, approved by the Planning Commission, will be heard at Monday night's 7 o’clock City Council meeting at City Hall.

The most important, over-arching concern is that it is inconsistent with the City of Culver City's General Plan in its size, density, parking configuration and heavy impact on local traffic and street parking.

If you were in the Downtown neighborhood on any weekday morning, you could not miss the usual sights:

Parents driving their children to school. On Van Buren Place, you usually see 10 or more cars illegally double-parked. With parking at a premium just for the people who live on Van Buren, school parents are on their own. Parents get their children out with traffic driving by.