Wednesday’s tightly guarded, last-chance summit meeting at high noon at City Hall is shaping up as an exercise in radical caution.
West Los Angeles College, seeking to greatly upgrade its campus, and governed at the bargaining table by its L.A. Community College District overseers, is pitted against the good professional and amateur burghers of Culver City.
With a lawsuit looming, the combatants barely are admitting the day of the week and, vaguely, the generic hour of the meeting.
The seemingly fretting principals may leave their shoes at the door and pad into the conference room in their stocking feet.
It is not clear which side is more worried, but confidence is nowhere to be found.
At issue: If accord is not reached at this electricity-crackling meeting over the construction constraints that West will employ over the next number of months, the City Council announced late last month it will sue the college/district in an attempt to delay the start of construction until they have an agreement.
After the Community College District trustees approved the pivotal environmental impact report on the construction agenda on Aug. 11, City Hall had 30 days to file suit. The city asked for an extension, and the college said no.
It is the city’s contention that the two sides had what appeared to be an ironclad agreement until departed West President Mark Rocha crumpled and destroyed the parts he didn’t like, and wrote in more favorable terms.
Two newcomers will be at the negotiating table, City Manager John Nachbar and West President Dr. Rose Marie Joyce.
In the latest development, over the name of Dr. Joyce, the following uncommonly cautious statement was issued at the weekend:
“West Los Angeles College appreciates the great support it has received from throughout the community and regrets that a few remain frustrated with our efforts.
“West has been pro-actively and co-operatively trying to resolve any remaining matters between the city of Culver City, Raintree Condominium HOA, Raintree Townhouse HOA and Culver Crest Neighborhood Assn. with regard to our building program and SEIR (supplemental environmental impact report).
“This effort to resolve the matters between the parties has been ongoing since May 6, 1010, the close of the comment period on the 2010 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR).
“The College can make no other comments at this time as it has become an active legal matter.
“Culver City Council has publicly approved and stated that the city will file litigation against the College if the matters concerning West’s building program and 2010 Final SEIR with the Culver City community are not resolved.
“Be assured as the parties continue to work through the differences, West will continue to provide critically needed affordable university transfer and career training for Culver City, West Los Angeles and the other communities it serves, as it has for over 40 years.”
