Second Fire at Lombard

November 18, 2015 Palisades News Page 15
Security App
(Continued from Page 1)
overhead, or a traffic accident causes road
closures, residents call Palisades Patrol,
which is based in the Village, to ask what
is happening.
“With our 24-hour monitoring and patrol
operations in our various patrol communities,
this app will help provide community
awareness,” said Gates Security CEO
Scott Wagenseller (Palisades News owner).
“It will also lessen calls to our office for information
in emergency situations.”
“The app goes out directly to everyone
who has signed up and they will get information
immediately,” said Gates Operation
Manager Denise Montelongo.
Park said the app will send out an initial
alert statement, “Gates Security Community
Alert,” and information will include
time of occurrence, type of incident and
location. For example, one posting might
read: “11:07 am, traffic accident, 300 blk of
Toyopa Drive.”
Additional information may also be
available such as photos and video, estimated
time that the incident will affect the
area and a narrative: “2 car t/c, firefighters
on scene, duration 2 hours.”
Park and Montelongo said the app will
ATRIUM
HAIR SALON
Men’s Hairstyling
Customer Service #1
Happy
Thanksgiving!
_______________________________
Tuesday-Saturday 9-5 For Appointments
860 Via de la Paz 424.272.9267
be used only for serious breaking news that
affects the quality of life.
“The fire department is constantly rescuing
people from our local mountains from
hiking and biking accidents. These incidents
do not impact our commute or whether an
evacuation is necessary and will not be included
in our alerts,” Wagenseller said.
To add the app, go to the Apple Store and
search for Gates Security, create a user name
and profile and choose an area (Gates Security
covers Brentwood, Pacific Palisades,
Malibu and Conejo Valley (Agoura Hills to
Thousand Oaks).
Users can select one or all areas to receive
notifications and must press “select notification”
to receive notifications on the phone
or tablet device.
Asked how many alerts residents should
expect, Park said: “One weekend was busy
and there were three alerts in the Palisades
alone. Some weekends there are none.”
If you have trouble setting up your
iPhone or Android, Montelongo can help.
Call: (310) 454-7741.
Under-Age Drinkers
A Problem for Owner
A.C. Chaudhry, owner of State Beach
Liquors at Pacific Coast Highway and Entrada,
and a member of the Santa Monica
Canyon Board, reported that he is having
issues with under-age youth attempting
to obtain alcohol.
Several teenagers have attempted purchases
using fake identification from other
states.They were turned away when they were
unable to show a California driver’s license.
Additionally, under-aged youth are asking
transients to purchase alcohol for them. One
transient who attempted to buy beer, was
turned away. That same transient was listed
in the crime report on November 7, at 12:05
a.m., because he entered the business, pulled
out a knife and threatened “I will get you.”
AMAZING MUSIC STORE.COM
ALL AGES, ALL STYLES!
Group & Private Lessons • Instrument Rentals & Sales
Caruso
(Continued from Page 1)
to form an organization (named PaliTown)
that can focus on the common concerns,
research each issue and then try to reach
consensus on solutions “that work for our
community and Caruso.”
“Caruso has been very good at reaching
out to the community and sitting down
with people,” Kamer said. “But everybody
has a different perspective, so when people
raise an issue, his usual response is, ‘We’ll
look at it.’ Our answer should be, ‘We have
looked at it and we have some ideas. Let’s
see how we can work together.’”
Kamer’s initial survey found that more
than 70 percent of the respondents were
concerned about traffic—specifically its
impact on Sunset and the Alphabet Streets
neighborhood. They believe that Caruso’s
argument doesn’t ring true when he states
that because gas stations are the numberone
generator of traffic, removing the
Mobil station on Swarthmore will balance
out the traffic generated by 54 businesses
in his development.
Several audience members expressed
skepticism about Caruso Affiliated’s required
traffic study, which has been conducted
by an independent contractor and
should soon be available to the public.
One person asked, “If the traffic study
concerns us, and doesn’t go far enough,
what do we do?” Another person asked, “If
we don’t believe this data, we need to get
data from another source. Can the community
fund a second report?”
Kamer asked for volunteers who can
analyze Caruso’s traffic study and explore
hiring a traffic consultant. Local architect
Randy Jefferson will head this committee,
joined by Linda Andrews.
Parking is also seen as a major problem,
according to almost 70 percent of the people
who took the survey.
Members of the audience said they feared
that despite Caruso’s insistence that his
project is “overparked” (going beyond the
code requirement), his underground, twolevel
parking structure will prove insufficient
if Palisades Village is successful, and
this will cause shoppers and employees to
park on various Alphabet streets.
“[Parking projections] have to be based
on use,” one person said. “Restaurants require
a higher number of parking spaces.”
Another person noted that the proposed
specialty grocery store “will generate heavy
traffic at busy times of day.”
Attorney Ted Weitz volunteered to head
a committee on parking issues, assisted by
Reed Saxon and Ron Dean.
The next issue for discussion focused on
defending the community’s Specific Plan,
crafted by a committee of residents and approved
by the City of L.A. in 1985. The plan
establishes criteria regarding building
heights, building mass, setbacks, signage
and landscaping. Caruso is seeking a subarea
application, which allows for variances
from specific plans.
“He’s asking for exceptions to our Specific
Plan,” said attorney Ron Dean, who
served on the original committee. “We need
to see exactly what his plan looks like, when
compared to the Specific Plan. Get the
facts, then we can debate the exceptions.”
Dean will lead the Specific Plan committee,
joined by Joan Graves, another member
of the original committee.
A fourth group, the CUP/alcohol license
committee (consisting of Robin
Weitz, Patty Detroit and Lisa Hay Morrin),
will seek more specifics regarding Caruso’s
effort to obtain 10 alcohol licenses with one
blanket application. This would include
three existing licenses, one license for the
movie theater, one for the grocery store and
five for eating establishments.
The fifth and final committee, focused
on aesthetics, will be chaired by Rick Leslie.
During the evening’s discussion, when
Kamer asked for a show of hands, audience
members clearly opposed Caruso’s proposal
to make Swarthmore a one-way street. And
nearly everyone raised a hand when Kamer
asked, “How many feel we should get rid of
the market?” This reflected the group’s belief
that concerns about traffic and parking
would ease if Caruso could scale back the
overall size of his project and have far fewer
storefronts than the current 54.
The fact-gathering process will continue
tonight (November 18) at 6:30 at the Pali -
sades Recreation Center when the Commu -
nity Council hears a report about Palisades
Village from its Land-Use Committee.
The public is invited.
NEXT ISSUE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2
Send us your comments and suggestions to
spascoe@palisadesnews.com
Get Your Advertising in Place Now!
Contact Jeff: (310) 573-0150 • jeffridgway@palisadesnews.com
Grace: (310) 454-7383 • gracehiney@palisadesnews.com
THANK-YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS!
Please patronize them, and tell them
you saw their ad in the News!
310.230.7377
hollydavis@coldwellbanker.com
www.hollydavis.com
BRE #00646387
HOLLYDAVIS
PREVIEWS ESTATES DIRECTOR
Whether you are buying or selling a home,
condominium or income property, I will produce
the results you are looking for and have the
right to expect.