Active Projects

Action related to the ill-conceived 2377 Midvale so-called “low-barrier homeless shelter” in a single-family neighborhood.

  • NEW business owner lawsuit filed (8/30/24)
  • TRO GRANTED
  • Removal of parking critical to local small business.
  • Violation of the Exposition Specific Plan.
  • Violation of the Westwood/Pico Neighborhood Oriented District.
  • Violation of mayoral Executive Directives.
  • Violation of competitive bidding laws.
  • Various actions relating to a flawed new law (LAAC 8.33) which allows for near unchecked power and uncontrolled abuse of an expired emergency declaration to conduct secret negotiations, award projects without competitive bidding  and evade existing land use laws.
  • Use of emergency declarations for chronic issues deprives the public of clear and consistent rules governing both public and private sector development, transparent governance and due process rights.

FTC is actively monitoring the “Fox Forward” plan.  Key issues will be exceeding allowable “Trips” and development rights under the existing Specific Plan, increase first-responder demand and impacts on traffic along Olympic Blvd.

Infrastructure

FTC seeks to ensure that the type, amount, and location of development be correlated with the provision of adequate supporting infrastructure and services.

Fixing The City

FTC has funded projects that literally fix the city including lane delineators that have reduced accidents on Olympic Boulevard near Century City.

Community Benefits

FTC settlements have provided resources for local schools, parks, libraries, police and firefighters as well as provide for neighborhood beautification.

LAFD Response Times

Building on FTC’s ground-breaking statistical work in 2012 proving reported LAFD response times were flawed, FTC continues push for first responder resources which correspond to the increasing demand for services.

Completed Projects

Hollywood Community Plan

FTC prevailed in its lawsuit to stop a flawed community plan from being implemented.  The City has submitted a new plan that has the same flaws and also seeks, per City documents to “overrule and supersede” the courts ruling.

Malcolm/Glendon Project, Flawed Earthquake Fault Study, Resident Notification of Fault

  • FTC filed a Building and Safety Appeal to force compliance with the Alquist-Priolo Act.  The City denied the appeal.  FTC then took the case to court and won new testing.  The eastern building is built over a known fault trace and the western building had no seismic study at all and shows a mapped fault trace running through the property.

10400 Santa Monica, Flawed Earthquake Fault Testing, Earthquake Safety, TOC

  • An action and ongoing effort to enforce Measure JJJ’s requirement for affordable housing AND good jobs.  The bargain with voters was affordable housing AND good jobs in exchange for larger buildings.  The City is not enforcing the requirement of good jobs.  Also focuses on first-responders, building on or near earthquake faults.

Expo Overlay Zone

FTC filed suit concerning increases in allowable density under the Expo Specific Plan given that police & fire response times are inadequate (despite their best efforts).  The trial court ruling has been appealed.

FTC has won a petition for writ of mandate challenging the net loss of affordable units and compliance with the Westwood Multi-Family Specific Plan.  Key finding:  TOC does not have “the force of law.”

Pico/Olympic One-Way

FTC members led the fight to challenge the ill-conceived proposal to make Pico and Olympic one-way which would have created massive cut-through traffic in local neighborhoods.

Motion Picture Academy Museum

FTC successfully worked with the Academy to address traffic, advertising and noise impacts.

SB 1818

FTC members successfully built a coalition of neighborhood groups and challenged the City’s over-generous interpretation of the density bonus law that had little to do with affordable housing and far more to do with uncontrolled development.

Casden Project

FTC worked with a broad coalition and the council office to challenge the Casden Project at Pico/Sepulveda in its originally proposed form on the basis of traffic and other impacts.

Catalina Project

An action to force the city to adhere to its own rules, laws and procedures for project approvals and general plan amendments as well as requiring consistency with the community and general plan.

An action designed to address public safety issues, require consistency with the community plan, require consistency with the general plan and to enforce an undisclosed covenant.

Mobility Plan 2035

FTC’s first successful challenge of the Mobility Plan resulted in the council rescinding and then re-adopting the Mobility Plan.  FTC then reached a settlement with the City that addressed before/after first-responder response time measurements, project transparency and defined minimum outreach.

2301 Westwood Blvd/TOC

Fix The City successfully challenged this TOC project which, among other things, violates transitional height requirements.  FTC also has general plan consistency issues and finally believes, based on city data, that insufficient first-responder resources exist in the areas.

The project was abandoned after the FTC lawsuit.

Quimby Funds

FTC worked with CD5 to ensure that the local councilperson must approve transfers of Quimby Funds out of their district.  Quimby funds are generated from residential development for park capital costs.

LACMA/Parking

While FTC does not oppose the LACMA expansion, it is very concerned that a failure to mitigate subway parking demand will result in reduced patron parking and increased neighborhood parking intrusion.

Short-Term Rentals, Restricted Units, Replacement Units

FTC is researching the impact that short-term rentals have on the amount of housing units in the City, with an emphasis on affordable housing.  This effort also includes the loss of rent-restricted units to TOC and other density bonuses.  The previously existing rent controlled units are not being replaced.