Brentwood News 11.25.22

14 Veterans Sue VA for Failing to Build Housing on West Los Angeles VA Campus

Lawsuit contends

Angeles VA campus

By Sam Catanzaro

14 veterans are suing the Department of Veterans Affairs, alleging the agency has not lived up to its promise to build affordable housing on the West Los Angeles VA campus.

The case is essentially a redo of a 2011 case that centered on how the federal government obtained the property West Los Angeles VA sits on. The land was donated to the government in 1887 by Arcadia Bandini

de Stearns Baker, a wealthy widow, under the stipulation that it would serve as a home for veterans. The 2011 case alleged that the VA failed to meet its obligations, and a few years later the agency agreed to build 1,200 apartments for veterans.

Los Angeles veterans are now suing the VA again, saying the agency is not building the housing it promised. The lawsuit contends that this harms disabled veterans since the West Los Angeles VA sits in one of the priciest neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. Plaintiffs argue that if disabled veterans can’t afford rent in the vicinity of the VA’s West Los Angeles Medical Center, the government’s lack of affordable housing on the campus prevents them from accessing the essential healthcare they are entitled to.

“That’s not just inhumane, and it’s not just immoral, and it’s not just a set of

[expletive] lies. It’s also against the law,” said plaintiff attorney Mark Rosenbaum with Public Counsel told NPR. “We trusted the government to come through, and that turned out to be a grievous error.”

The lawsuit also seeks to force the VA to utilize land currently leased to Brentwood School, a parking lot business, an oildrilling company and UCLA for veteran uses. Last year, a VA Office of Inspector General report found that several of these leases were out of compliance with the agency’s legal obligation to “principally benefit veterans and their families.” The inspector general called out the VA for completing only one building containing 55 units, out of the 480 projected in a fouryear target. The inspector general found that “reasons for VA’s limited progress include required environmental impact studies, needed infrastructure upgrades,

the need to establish a principal developer enhanced-use lease, and challenges faced by the developers in raising needed funds from public and private sources,”

The VA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Traci Park Declares Victory in CD-11 Race Over Erin Darling

in me to usher in a new era. Voters spoke convincingly that they want a different kind of leader and CD11 has sent a message that the Westside is done with ‘business as usual’ at City Hall.”

By Sam Catanzaro

Traci Park has declared victory in the Los Angeles City Council District 11 race over Erin Darling in the election to replace Mike Bonin.

Following a November 17 vote count, Park held a 5,010 vote lead over Darling and issued a statement Thursday afternoon declaring victory.

“We feel confident our lead will stand and declare victory. It is gratifying that we received more votes thus far than any other L.A. city council candidate in the 2022 general election,” Park said. “I am humbled and honored that the constituents of CD11 have placed their trust and confidence

“From the beginning of our campaign, constituent services and an open-door policy have been a priority and my commitment has always been to represent the neighbors and stakeholders across the District. Whether you voted for me or not, I will work hard to represent you and be your voice on matters big and small at City Hall. We intend to bring about desperately needed change to make our schools, parks, and neighborhoods safer, and I will attack the homelessness crisis with the compassionate urgency required. We have a lot of work ahead,” Park added.

Darling also issued a statement conceding the race to Park.

“While the margin’s been tightening, as we’ve been monitoring the votes, my team and I no longer see a path to victory. I couldn’t be prouder of the campaign we ran, or more heartened by the way the Westside showed up to support us - a last-minute,

totally grassroots, at times shoestringbudget affair. This campaign brought together groups and neighbors across the district, who will continue to work together for compassionate and effective solutions to homelessness, stability for renters, and clean air and water,” Darling said. “I’d like to congratulate Traci Park - she ran recordsetting campaigns in both the primary and this general election. In the wake of the rancor and divisiveness of the last two years and the shocking, damaging attitudes on the leaked tapes, the Westside, and LA in general, are in deep need of healing and unity that transcends race and economic status. I wish Councilmember-elect Park the very best in that crucial work.”

Park’s victory came the day after Karen Bass was declared winner in the Los Angeles Mayoral race over Rick Caruso. Also this week Robert Luna declared victory over incumbent Alex Villanueva in the LA County Sheriff Race. Voters also seem on course to approve County Measure A, which would give the LA County Board of Supervisors the power to remove the Sheriff for cause, with the measure

currently picking up over 71 percent of the vote. In the LA County Board of Supervisors race to replace the seat being left vacant by Sheila Kuehl for District 3 – which includes much of the Westside –West Hollywood Council Member Lindsey Horvath leads State Senator Bob Hertzberg by 4.48 percentage points.

At the statewide level, Governor Gavin Newsom holds a comfortable lead over Republican challenger Brian Dahle while at the federal level both Senator Alex Padilla and Congressman Ted Lieu each seem likely to hold onto their seats.

“We intend to bring about desperately needed change to make our schools, parks, and neighborhoods safer,” park says in statement

the agency not meeting legal obligation to house veterans at West Los

Rick Caruso for Homelessness Czar

So what’s the solution?

Rather than make a lot of recommendations, let’s start with just one: I hope Karen Bass will ask Rick Caruso to serve as LA’s homelessness czar.

We have new mayor, Karen Bass, and a new CD11 city councilmember, Traci Park.

Congratulations all around!

The work now begins in earnest. Homelessness is Issue No. 1.

As people debate the causes and cures for homelessness, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.

The system is too complex, too expensive and horribly ineffectual. People get paid lots of money for producing little if any results.

Some argue for temporary shelters and tiny homes, figuring we can work on permanent supportive housing later.

Some say permanent supportive housing is the only thing that works – but permanent supportive housing takes years to build and costs too much.

Mental health professionals say that without adequate “wrap-around services,” more housing alone won’t do the trick. Many homeless individuals are “service resistant” and don’t want housing – or services – even if offered.

It’s complicated. There’s one thing that’s not complicated: We all know moving people from this street corner to that street corner solves nothing.

It’s way past time to try something new.

If he is given the mandate, the authority and the funding to fix this problem, I think he will do it. He’s a can-do guy, and he obviously knows how to build things.

He has served on other city commissions; serving as homelessness czar would be a natural next step. This is the biggest challenge of our times.

By reaching out to her former opponent, Karen Bass can show the city – and the country – we’re taking steps to overcome political division. I hope, if offered this role, Rick Caruso will accept it. We need his talents.

If Karen Bass and Rick Caruso work together, this is a situation where “one plus one equals three.” There will be complementarity, synergy – a multiplier effect.

In the business startup community, it is often said you should not dive right in and build the business. You should first build the team that will go on to build the business.

People, it is said, are more important than having a great idea or even money. Many great startups with promising ideas fail – and lose money – because the wrong people are in charge. Leadership is important. A great leader who is dealt a bad hand will figure out how to turn that bad hand into a winning hand.

Abraham Lincoln famously formed a cabinet made up largely of those who ran against him – the “Team of Rivals,” as author Doris Kearns Goodwin put it. When Barack Obama became president, he named Hillary Clinton – his opponent in the 2008 primary election – his secretary of state.

I hope Karen Bass and Rick Caruso will find their way clear to work together.

Traci Park, our new CD11 representative, was asked many times on the campaign trail if she would be endorsing Karen Bass or Rick

Caruso. She wisely stayed out of it, saying she would need to work with whichever candidate was elected.

I’m sure she will work well with Mayor Bass – and “Czar” Caruso, should this idea come to fruition.

I know many don’t like the title, “czar.” They can figure this out a proper title. Titles aren’t the issue. Getting results is the issue.

I hope this new partnership happens. It would be good for the city. It would offer excitement – and hope. Fingers crossed.

Founding Publisher

Dog Rescued After Being Lost in Santa

Monica Mountains for a Week

Smokey the

dog saved by Malibu Search & Rescue and local non-profit Dog Days

Search & Rescue

By Sam Catanzaro

Search and rescue crews safely recovered a dog that had been missing in the Santa Monica Mountains. The dog, named Smokey, had been stuck in a 200-foot-deep canyon for a week before being rescued by the Los Angeles Sheriff Department Malibu Search & Rescue Team.

According to Dog Days Search & Rescue – a nonprofit animal search and rescue organization – Smokey went missing on November 5 in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu. The organization says it heard about Smokey’s disappearance and reached out to the owner to assist.

“We went out and met with his owner, hung lost flyers, searched the area but did not see him. We were concerned that Smokey was injured and stuck somewhere but the mountain area was so wide open and vast,” Dog Days Search & Rescue wrote in a social media post.

Then on Friday, November 11, workers

clearing a property in the mountains noticed a dog stuck 200 feet down a cliffside. Later in the day those same workers saw a “missing” poster for Smokey from Dog Days and realized it was the same dog they saw down in the canyon.

“They were not able to get the dog to safety but they recognized it from our lost flier and reached out to Smokeys owner who then called us. It was dark by now and Smokey was still out there, potentially hurt and had been without food or water for days,” Dog Days said. “We had to go out right away and we immediately knew that this terrain would require additional team and equipment so we reached out to the Los Angeles Sheriff Department Malibu Search & Rescue Team for help. They immediately responded and recognized the urgency and met our team and the owner out in the area of the sighting. They were able to locate and extract Smokey, who had probably been stuck in this spot for a long time.”

Malibu Search & Rescue says it was able to rescue Smokey within two hours of being contacted.

“We responded immediately and within a couple hours of the initial contact, the dog was safely rescued from 200 ft over the side. Weak, but in good spirits, the dog was transferred to

its owner,” Malibu Search & Rescue said.

According to Dog Days, Smokey appeared stable but was sore, coughing and his legs were weak and possibly injured so he had to be carried out.

“His owner waited nearby and when he saw Smokey they were both so happy to be reunited,” the Dog Days said “We rushed

Smokey over to the vet’s office late last night and stayed with his owner. Smokey was sent home and will be recovering and is awaiting additional test results.”

Dog Days said it will share an update on Smokey’s status when it has more info. This article will be updated as more details are shared.

Person Reports Being Shot in Brentwood Road Rage Incident Los Angeles Seeing Drop in Luxury Home Sales

Incident occurs following road rage incident on 405 recently

A person was reportedly shot in the shoulder following a road rage incident in Brentwood recently

According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the incident occurred on October 30 around 10 p.m. as the suspect and victim were respectively driving on the 405 Freeway. Police say the suspect exited the 405 at Wilshire Boulevard and traveled west. The victim tells police that the suspect pulled up next to him in the area of Wilshire Boulevard

and Westgate Avenue.

“Victim stated that the suspect pulled up next to him near Wilshire/ Westgate. Words were exchanged, and the suspect fired one round that struck [the] victim in the shoulder,” the LAPD said.

The victim fled West in his vehicle and stopped at 26th Street and Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.

The LAPD noted that officers checked the area of Wilshire and Westgate and found no evidence of shots fired.

“No radio calls were generated in the area for shots fired,” the LAPD added.

The suspect is described by police as a Hispanic or middle eastern man in his 60s driving a silver or dark gray Lexus SUV.

By Dolores Quintana

According to a recent report, the Los Angeles area has seen a 44 percent decrease in luxury home sales in recent months, data from Wall Street Journal shows. As predicted, higher interest rates, inflation and consumer caution have all contributed to the bottom following out of the market after two years of an outrageous sellers’ market.

Redfin.com has reported that sales of the most extravagant estates from June through the end of August have declined 28.1 percent overall throughout the nation compared to the previous year. No year in the new millennium has had a larger drop since 2012 and is even worse than the original 23.2% decrease in the first year of the pandemic.

In California, the drops were even steeper, in Los Angeles, the sales dropped 44 percent, while in San Diego dropped over 65 percent. However, New York City’s sales only dropped 12 percent.

Herman Chan of Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty said, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal, “Six months ago, people were buying homes over-ask and with no appraisal. They didn’t even bat an eyelash. Now, it’s like crickets.”

No one is sure how a proposed ballot measure in November will further affect luxury real estate sales. The so-called “megamansion tax” raises the transfer tax rate on estates that sell for over $5 to $10 million to four percent and for any properties that sell for over $10 million’s transfer tax rate would increase to 5.5 percent. Unite To House LA is the group that put the measure on the ballot with the intention to use the tax money raised by the transfer tax to help house the unhoused by financing new affordable housing and using it to prevent evictions and help buyers of first homes according to Bloomberg.com. Currently, the transfer tax rate is only 0.45 percent.

44 percent drop in highend home sales in Los Angeles, Redfin report shows

Rent Hike Forces Beloved

Brentwood Italian Restaurant to Close

Vincenti Ristorante shuts its doors after 25 years

By Dolores Quintana

Vincenti Ristorante’s 25-year run in Brentwood has sadly come to an end as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The restaurant was well-known and loved in the entertainment industry and many celebrities flocked to Vincenti’s during those two decades. Their regulars included Ted Danson, Harrison Ford, Frank Gehry, Diane Keaton and Rob Reiner according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The restaurant officially closed on October 15 after the building where it was located was purchased by Caruso some years ago.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chef Nicola Mastronardi and Maureen Vincenti opened the restaurant in 1997 and Vincenti, the wife of the restaurateur who owned Rex ll Ristorante, said, “We couldn’t pay the rent which was triple what it had been. Costs escalated so much.” This became evident when their lease with the previous owner expired and Caruso offered them new terms. Vincente said that the new landlords “were good to us” and gave them the option to remain in the space until a new tenant was found at which point

they would be given 90 days to vacate.

A new tenant was found during the summer and, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Caruso received “$1 million in abated rent from the end of 2019 through September 2022.” said a source reportedly close to Caruso according to The Reporter.

Vincenti said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, “People sent us flowers and letters; it was like a death in its own little way.”

Mastronardi and Vincente are in the process of finding a new location for the restaurant and came close at a site on Robertson and 3d which fell through. Mastronardi has set his sights on Santa Monica as a possible new home for the restaurant. The tapas restaurant Telefèric Barcelona took over the space. Vincenti said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, “We are happy that someone came into our home.”

San Diego-Based Parakeet Cafe Opening Brentwood Restaurant

Restaurant planned for Brentwood Town Center early 2023

By Dolores Quintana

Another new restaurant is coming to Brentwood at the Brentwood Town Center, this time it is a new location of Parakeet Cafe, a restaurant from San Diego as reported by What Now Los Angeles. This will be the second Los Angeles location for Parakeet Cafe after they open a new Parakeet Cafe in Beverly Hills by the end of this year.

According to an interview with What Now Los Angeles, Jonathan Goldwasser, the owner of Parakeet Cafe, hopes that the new location at 13050 San Vicente Boulevard will be open

in early 2023. The restaurant specializes in healthy food options and even has a quote from Hippocrates on the front page of their website. The website explains the restaurant’s philosophy and says, “Our personal journey has lead us to find and explore the life-altering powers of organic, whole-foods and ethically sourced ingredients. This goodness that makes us happier, healthier and lets us connect with our own bodies and others.”

The Brentwood Town Center has other restaurants like Nagao Sushi, Blue Bottle Coffee, Pressed Juice, and Le Pan Quotidien among other retail outlets. According to What Now Los Angeles, the new Parakeet Cafe will be ensconced in a 2,134-square-foot space. Parakeet will serve acai bowls, salads, soups and egg dishes like shakshuka and even has a macrobiotic menu item along with toasts and salmon burgers.

SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dr. Louise Jaffe, Chair; Barry Snell, Vice Chair; Dr. Susan Aminoff; Dr. Nancy Greenstein; Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez; Rob Rader; Dr. Sion Roy; Catalina Fuentes Aguirre, Student Trustee; Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D., Superintendent/President Santa Monica College | 1900 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 | smc.edu