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Hollywood Park is more than just a piece of land
with an oval track and pink flamingos in a pond.
WE MUST NOT IGNORE THIS RACETRACK!
TAKE BACK WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS AND GET IT OUT OF THE HANDS OF DEVELOPERS!
SHOW SUPPORT FOR OAK TREE RACING ASSOCIATION!
COME ON, HORSE RACING INDUSTRY PEOPLE!!
UNITE AND FIGHT for Hollywood Park. It is critical for our industry.
Please read and consider new ideas given on the Brainstorming Barn page.
If you care, speak up!
Please visit www.savehollywoodpark.com for more information and great tips on the “How You Can Help” page.
The California Legislative Counsel issued an opinion on June 21, 2006.
They said: “Instant Racing machines are no more slot machines than the machines currently used to place bets on live horse races.” They go on to say that there is no requirement in the CA Constitution that horse races be live in order to wager on them and that they may be regulated by the State Legislature.
In other words, the Legislature only has to approve the bill to make it law.
The door to gaming at tracks has just flung wide open - let’s hope the legislators who care about racing in California walk through it!
http://www.standupca.org/news/dan-morain-ruling-may-backfire-on-tribal-casinos
http://www.standupca.org/news/calif-tax-deal-with-gaming-indians-voided
NEARLY 1,200 OF YOU SIGNED THE PETITION - THANK YOU ALL!
SIGN THE PETITION!! Go to http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-hollywood-park.html and SPEAK UP!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND MESSAGES ON THE PETITION
Hollywood Park Web Site: www.hollywoodpark.com, which usually goes “dormant” when the races are elsewhere, is being updated daily! They are posting articles several times a week, updated their history page, and added an iPhone application. SHOCKING NEWS!! Could it possibly be that the owners have had second thoughts about running the track into the ground and committing economic suicide?
RECENT NEWS ARTICLES:
8/7/2010 Bloodhorse Hollywood Park Plans to Race Through 2011: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/58272/hollywood-park-plans-to-race-through-2011
8/20/2010 Oak Tree Plans for Meet at Hollywood: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=5479908
8/19/2010 Ray Paulick Report on August CHRB Meeting: http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/stronach-tells-chrb-synthetic-tracks-are-%E2%80%98voodoo%E2%80%99/
8/19/2010 Bloodhorse Oak Tree Headed to Hollywood After All: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/58471/oak-tree-headed-for-hollywood-after-all
They said: “Instant Racing machines are no more slot machines than the machines currently used to place bets on live horse races.” They go on to say that there is no requirement in the CA Constitution that horse races be live in order to wager on them and that they may be regulated by the State Legislature.
Queen Zenyatta wins 2010 Vanity Handicap, her 17th victory. Thank You, Zenyatta. Well done!
6/13/2010 “Zenyatta Wins Vanity” http://hollywoodpark.com/news/zenyatta-wins-thriller-over-st-trinians-in-vanity-undefeated-mare-earns-record-17th-win-in-a-row
7/18/2010 “Zenyatta Horse of the Meet” http://hollywoodpark.com/news/zenyatta-horse-of-the-meet-in-media-poll
8/4/2010 “Zenyatta Goes for 18th In A Row” http://hollywoodpark.com/news/zenyatta-goes-for-18th-in-a-row-saturday-in-hirsch
8/10/2010 “Zenyatta Back Home After Staying Perfect in Hirsch Win” http://hollywoodpark.com/news/zenyatta-back-home-after-staying-perfect-with-another-hirsch-victory
8/21/2010 Ray Paulick Report on Zenyatta: http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/zenyatta-to-stay-home-at-hollywood-park-until-breeders-cup/
Awesome Gem, a fierce competitor who lays it all down every time, wins the 2010 Gold Cup and his first Grade I race.
7/10/2010 “Awesome Gem Upsets Rail Trip in 71st Gold Cup” http://hollywoodpark.com/news/awesome-gem-upsets-rail-trip-in-71st-gold-cup-1000-hollypark-wins-for-martin-pedroza-514127-pick-six-carryover-for-sunday
8/22/2010 North County Times “Will Fourth Pacific Classic be the Charm for Awesome Gem?” http://www.nctimes.com/sports/columnists/paris/article_2d67276b-aff7-5ea4-9cdb-be68bb3ba194.html
- Hollywood Park is home for retired champion Lava Man. Loves his new job as stable pony for Doug O’Neill barn.
I t would truly be a tremendous loss of history.
Hollywood Park needs to be preserved. There is a great deal of history involved with this park.
What also needs to be considered is the fact that the location allows for easy access to all persons who wish to see live horse racing without having to go long distances. Santa Anita and Del Mar are nice places too, but they require long vehicle trips or, as in the case with Del Mar, use of the train. Both options can be great inconveniences. Please leave Hollywood Park open so that those of us who enjoy live racing can have the opportunity of experiencing it.
Look at the great horses that have raced at Hollywood Park as well as the greatest jockeys. How can you even think of closing this wonderful venue. Citation and the last Triple Crown Winner Affirmed raced there, as well as Round Table, Swaps, Native Diver, Lava Man, Seattle Slew, Vigors, Megahertz, Cocoa Beach, Wait A While, Panty Raid, and my own personal favorite, Miesque. And these are just a very few of the great, great horses to have raced and made history there. Landaluce and Native Diver are buried there, and they do not deserve to be disturbed. And the great Exceller who beat two Triple Crown Winners in the same race, and who is the only horse to have such an accomplishment. If you tear this track down, Shame on You!!
Please think about what you will be doing, and don’t do it!!!
We need a little less conversation, a little more ACTION, please!
HOLLYWOOD PARK IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RACE TRACK IN THE COUNTRY, WITH LAKES, FLOWERS,WILD BIRDS, EUROPEAN WALKING RING AND WELL MAINTAINED BUILDINGS , RESTAURANTS AND GROUNDS.
THE RACING SURFACES HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL FOR THE HORSES AND THE BARN AREAS ARE CLEAN AND MODERN.
THE TRACK IS EASILY ACCESSED FROM ALL FREEWAYS IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA.
A MORE AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT COULD EASILY IMPROVE THE ATTENDANCE THROUGH AGRESSIVE PERSONAL TRAINING IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING THE WONDERFUL HORSES AND EVENTS AT THE TRACK.
We need to buy the track from the developers. Prices are down and like most developers will not be able to start this project for years if ever. A website to collect money for shares would be useful. I’ll take a piece.
A developer bought the El Toro Marine Base and ran out of money. There sits the acreage for the largest all sports facility in the world, golf, football, baseball, horseracing, soccer, you name it. All freeway easy for a song.
I met you at the Inglewood Planning Commision meeting. I got a copy of a special meeting of the City Council/Redevelopment Agency and wondered if you are familiar with a couple of items on the agenda:
CSR-1 Closed session - Confidential - Attorney/Client Privileged; Potential Litigation, Hollywood Park Project (Parties: Inglewood Redevelopment Agency/City Council and Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC; Negotiator for the City/Agency: Timothy E. Wanamaker).
What potential litigation might there be between the City Council and Hollywood Park Land Co.?
Also, there was a “Staff report recommending adoption of a resolution amending the 2008-2009 fiscal year budget to receive funds from the Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC for the provision of professional services to cover costs for processing and review of the proposed mixed-use development of the Hollywood Park Race Track, and approval of amendments to agreements therewith.
Recommendation:
1) Adopt resolution:
2) Approve Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 08-34 (Advance Funds Agreement) by adding $155,006 to the contract bringing the total amount received to $880,965.10; and
3) Approve Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 08-51 (PBS&J, Inc.) to extend the contract for one year and add $155,006 to the contract bringing the total amount of the contract to $263,931.
What exactly does this mean? That they have received more than 1 million dollars for “processing and review” of the proposed development?
They are also requesting that a public hearing date be set for April 22 or 23 for the Draft Environmental Impact Report and Draft Specific Plan but, so far, I have not seen it listed on the website.
Please feel free to contact me. There are some people working to try and stop the destruction of Hollywood Park but they may not be working fast enough.
The last paragraph of Government Code 54956.9 (b) (1) holds the key. The City Council fears litigation exposure based upon advice of legal counsel related to the HP project. They will meet in a closed door session, not open to the public, to discuss their legal options in RE HP litigation exposure. It would appear that the HP development project is about to get litigious.
As far as the funds in the fiscal budget, it does appear that Hollywood Park Land Company is providing funds for professional services for more than $1 Million. It costs money to prepare an 810-page EIR…
The City Council has called a special closed session meeting for Friday, April 17, 2PM. One agenda item - CSR-1 Closed session - Confidential - Attorney/Client Privileged; Potential Litigation, Hollywood Park Project (Parties: Inglewood Redevelopment Agency/City Council and Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC; Negotiator for the City/Agency: Timothy E. Wanamaker).
This must be serious if they are meeting within 3 days of the meeting on Tuesday and in the same week.
Someone is going to sue somebody. Who knows?
Although a long way away I watch HP on TVG . The loss of any track is a loss of part of the great sport of racing. Your delema with the slot issue is one of the main aspects of revenue for track and horsemen. In Ontario , Can. the gov’t controls the gaming, ie. Indians have casinos, tracks, and private est. The cut is different for each as some are run by tribes, others by private & Ont. Lottery & Gaming controll others outright but oversee the rest. With the race tracks the track owner receives 10% of gross, horsemen 10% of gross, town 5% of gross and the rest to the gov”t. If your gov”t took control of track slots they would be real income as opposed to promised income, and the track and horsemen benifit, thus keeping tracks open. Erik Quarter Horse racing sector..
The planned destruction of this great park and facility makes me sick to my stomach. Why can’t the racing community come together on this? I used to own horses; never race horses, but I lived in Southern California.
Southern California horse-racing is the backbone of the state. In this economy, yes things are slow. What makes the city of Inglewood so certain that this is a good thing? Developers always say, “it’s a good thing to build. We have all this money that we are going to spend in your city.”
Southwest Airlines bought Piedmont (which had been a hub for the Dayton, Ohio area). Southwest promised that they would stay. Within a year, Southwest Airlines packed up and took everything away. There was no more hub and the millions of dollars that had been spent on the airport; well the city is still trying to recoup. DHL had big plans for the same plans for Dayton International Airport, Ohio. They were going to make their company more productive than UPS. The city again poured millions into the development project. DHL went bankrupt.
Can you see where these promises are headed? Developers will say and do everything to get what they want. Once they do, they either build or they don’t. If they do build, the area that had once been charming and historic and gracious is replaced by another parking lot, sterile mall, too-expensive living quarters, and if it fails, the city of Inglewood will have to basically eat the whole thing.
Is this really what everyone wants? On paper maybe it looks great, but after the developers have built, or not, they will be gone; looking for fresher pastures elsewhere. The promised money to the city is not going to be nearly what was claimed.
Sincerely,
Laura T. Brooks
Laura,
I WAS literally sick to my stomach by the end of last Wednesday’s meeting. As far as I am concerned, the city of Inglewood sold their soul to the devil. To sit through that meeting and witness the approvals for all zoning changes, the Hollywood Park Specific Plan, and the Development Agreement - giving the owners of Hollywood Park EVERYTHING they asked - sent a chill down my spine.
To listen to Mr. Meany at the end of the meeting telling the city, “Thank you for giving us everything we wanted. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,” made me sit cringing, as if I had been slapped across my face.
But my anger lies with the horse racing industry leaders most of all. The lack of support is something that I can’t understand. We have less than a month to find someone, an attorney, who can file legal action to halt this travesty of justice.
It is a very sad time for Hollywood Park and for the horse racing industry for sure.
It is very sad to see that Hollywood Park is closing. I don’t know if it is due to the economy. I heard new condominiums, homes, movie theaters, shops etc. are coming. That might boost revenues for the city. That’s why may be they are approving it. But I hope they at least put a simulcasting location to keep the horse racing fans coming.
Well whatever these so called “Owners” are doing to make Hollywood Park look BAD, they are doing a Great Job. I was there July 16th and just about ALL the Employees there have a “Don’t Care about anything” attitude now. They know they are on the Titanic. The “Track of the Lakes and Flowers” now has a Mosquito Cess Pool on the Far Turn that looks like a run off from the L.A. River instead of a Lake, and the Track Railings for the Grass Course seem to be missing down the starting shoot. If you DO find a Human being manning a Betting window they say “I’m not open for anything just go two sections down” .That’s where the Computers are. That’s Progress. That’s where Hollywood Park is going too. Not open for anything. Just Imagine what Ingle-HOOD will be with more Houses and Malls. I’m sure there are just MILLIONS of People waiting to go shopping there in THAT Neighborhood.