Trouble is, Mr. Messinger does not know how many landowners and how many of the 77 business entrepreneurs feel as strongly as he does about resisting the project.
Could be a smaller, larger or middling number.
Certain that the City Council will certify the South Sepulveda teardown and rebuild at a July meeting, Mr. Messinger said that business owners who are as mad at City Hall as he is, may seek to recall the entire City Council.
This option, he acknowledges, is a last resort and a longshot. But we need to put it on the table.
Meeting last night with representatives of Sunkist Park residents and of the property owners on the west side of South Sepulveda, Mr. Messinger said one of his objectives is to get the land/business/home owners thinking as a unit or a team.
Competing Interests?
Each group has a different agenda, Mr. Messinger said, but we agree about three points:
We dont want the 800 condos that (the developer) Bob Champion wants to build.
We are concerned about the loss of the local businesses in the project.
And we are opposed to the forced seizure of property through eminent domain.
Not Feeling Optimistic
Before surveying his colleagues and neighbors on how they feel about selling to Mr. Champion, Mr. Messinger said that he wanted to be optimistic about the chances of succeeding.
But I have been pessimistic ever since I heard about the $7 million last week, he said.
Reason to be Glum?
At the third in a series of five public meetings of the Citizens Advisory Committee on South Sepulveda, it was announced that, if the project is built, City Halls share of property taxes for the 12 1/2 acres would soar from the present $1.5 million to $6 million or $7 million a year.
Very hard to fight the $7 million, Mr. Messinger said. Sadly, in politics, the $7 million trumps everything else.
