Development News and Comments
BLACK WEDNESDAY FOR HOLLYWOOD PARK July 8, 2009:
Inglewood City Council approved all zoning changes, the Hollywood Park Specific Plan, and the Development Agreement. Hollywood Park Land Company has been given everything that they asked for and now have total control of the property. It is a very sad outcome indeed.
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF INGLEWOOD AND HOLLYWOOD PARK LAND COMPANY LLC: http://www.cityofinglewood.org/agendastaffreports/07-08-09/o-5.pdf
QUESTIONS ABOUT BAY MEADOWS LAND COMPANY? STOCKBRIDGE REAL ESTATE FUNDS? GOLD BRIDGE CAPITAL? PLATINUM ADVISORS? WETHERLY CAPITAL GROUP?
READ ARTICLES AND VISIT WEB SITES - OH, THE TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE
5/23/09 LA TIMES: Subpoenas Issued in Pension Fund Corruption Investigation: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pensions23-2009may23,0,7404437.story
5/9/09 SACRAMENTO BEE: California Lobbyist Helped Developer Get NY Pension Money: http://www.sacbee.com/politics/story/1847026.html?mi_rss=State%20Politics and WOTNEWS: This link gives related articles at the bottom of the article http://wotnews.com/like/california_lobbyist_helped_developer_get_ny_pension_money/2098699/
5/1/09 NY TIMES: Cuomo Issues 100 Subpoenas in Pension Fund Inquiry: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/nyregion/02pension.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=PENSION%20FUNDS%20CUOMO&st=cse
GOLD BRIDGE CAPITAL: CLOSED DEALS http://goldbridgecapital.org/closed_deals
PLATINUM ADVISORS: Another Darius Anderson connection: http://www.platinumadvisors.com/sacramento.aspx?n=662625
STOCKBRIDGE REAL ESTATE FUNDS: www.sbfund.com Website conveniently unavailable at this time.
BAY MEADOWS LAND COMPANY: www.bmlc.com Website conveniently unavailable at this time.
Web site created for redevelopment proposal: http://www.hollywoodparktomorrow.com/
Update on City Council meeting, June 3, 2009: All I can say is that if this is politics as usual, then I am amazed that the good citizens of this country have any faith in our democratic system at all. How can a city government publish an agreement between the city and the developer BEFORE THE PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE HELD? How can a city council approve amendments ON THE SPOT WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OR INVESTIGATION of public comments? Did the Mayor and City Council happen to read this agreement and understand what a FLAWED DOCUMENT it is and that they will be left blowing in the wind? How can a developer convince an entire city staff, including the council and mayor, to virtually SIGN OVER ALL RIGHTS, be allowed SPECIAL TREATMENT for every municipal code, zoning right, and entitlement? The racing industry did have representation at the meeting: Jack Van Berg, Mr. and Mrs. John Shirreffs, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, Cathy Walsh, HP employees, and racing fans. But their words fell on deaf ears. The City Council approved the FEIR and zoning change to “Major Mixed Use”. By the end of the meeting, little progress was made through all agenda items. The next meeting will be held next Monday, June 8th, 5:30pm. Three agenda items pertaining to the zoning changes have been held off until July 8, 2009.
Update on City Council meeting, May 28, 2009: As most of us left our jobs 1-2 hours early to suffer through rush hour traffic to get to Inglewood City Hall by 6:00pm, we were not happy when we were informed at the meeting that the public hearings pertaining to the proposed 238-acre Hollywood Park Mixed-Use Project would be continued to next week, Wednesday, June 3rd, 5:30pm. The LA Times ran an article in the Business section in the morning and this prompted two news stations to send crews to the meeting. Finally, some media attention!! Councilwoman Judy Dunlap asked to comment each time Mayor Dorn moved to reschedule an agenda item. She repeatedly asked that for those who came to this meeting specifically for Hollywood Park and will not be able to come next Wednesday be allowed to comment and her requests were denied. She asked that next week’s meeting begin at 6:00 or 7:00pm rather than 5:00pm so that people could get there and Mayor Dorn denied this request but agreed to change the time to 5:30pm. She apologized to the many angry citizens for the inconvenience. Councilmen Franklin, Morales and Tabor were silent. Once again, the absence of horse racing industry personnel was appalling. Even though the opportunity to save the racetrack is small, the City Council is still open to feedback and lobbying against the demolition by the racing industry! They are very interested in the possibility of slots. The fight continues!!
Update on Planning Commission meeting, May 11,2009: It was a marathon meeting from 7:00pm until well-past midnight. In attendance: majority BMLC people (cheerleaders) and some Inglewood school district members, several concerned citizens and half a dozen pro-Save Hollywood Park people. The Planning Commission had eight items on the agenda to give recommendations to the City Council pertaining to zoning and entitlement changes. THEY APPROVED ALL FOR RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL. It felt like a rah-rah, shish-cum-bah meeting for all who are involved in the development plan. I have never witnessed such a travesty of justice. I am a neophite when it comes to politics, and believe me, this was the ultimate slam against liberty and justice for all. I have testimony from union workers at Hollywood Park who have been told when they ask why the union is not taking a stand, that it is a done deal, and that they will be fired if they speak up. What the heck is going on? BMLC is certainly not going to keep anyone who is at Hollywood Park informed about what is going on - the owners, trainers, etc - God forbid if the racing industry people are kept informed of public hearing dates or given the chance to unify against the demolition of the race track! If you go to the agenda of the City Council that shows approval of monies being given to the city of Inglewood from BMLC (or Hollywood Park Specific Plan), the page now shows unavailable. This is the line item:
“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.
Update on City Council meeting, May 4, 2009: There were many individuals from the horse racing industry who attended this meeting. Mayor Dorn is a piece of work, to say it nicely. He informed all of us who wished to speak that he decided to cut our time to 2 minutes rather than 3 minutes and asked that anyone who spoke state whether or not they were an Inglewood resident. Among the many people who commented, I was so thankful and appreciative that Jack Van Berg and Neil Drysdale gave their comments to the City Council. Mr. Drysdale, dapperly-dressed as usual, and speaking with his wonderful accent, said the magic word, “SLOTS”, and I swear that the City Council members’ reaction was like watching five faces riveted to a slot machine that was going “DING-DING-DING” and absolutely dropping any conception of tearing down Hollywood Park. As the meeting wore on, the City Council and Mayor Dorn proceeded to dress down Mr. Meaney regarding parking and school issues. One question that was posed by City Council was, ” Why haven’t we heard from the horse racing industry people until now? Where are they?” Personally, I finally saw the lights going on with the City Council regarding the smooth and fast-talking BMLC smoke-and-mirrors routine that is being sold to them. A small glimmer of hope for our crusade to Save Hollywood Park! I spoke again at this meeting and because of the time limitation, again I was not able to finish. To read what I prepared for this meeting, please read: inglewood-plan-mtg-5409
Webmaster Note: On March 25, 2009, I attended the Planning Commission Special Meeting held at the Inglewood City Hall. The purpose of this hearing was to provide the Planning Commission and the public an opportunity to review the proposed project and to provide input. The attached document is the comment that I addressed to the Planning Commission. Unfortunately, halfway through, I was told by the Commission Chair that my time was up and was not able to finish beyond the “Third Victim” paragraph. For those of you who are interested in my comment, please read: letter-inglewood-city-council
Horseracing fans at Hollywood Park overhear:
“Rumor has it that they are closing Hollywood Park.”
Aghast, “What? No! That’s horrible! That’s so sad! Who made this decision? Why? What are they going to do with the land? Can’t something be done to stop this? To close this park would be akin to taking down the Hollywood sign. It shouldn’t be closed but made a registered historical landmark!”
A concerned person would start asking around to get answers. It seems that discussions regarding the status of the track are behind closed doors and rumors abound; we are led to believe that is is a done deal, like the Pied Piper leading us to our demise. One cannot find a unified front speaking out against the possibility of closure.
If you want to see the plans for Hollywood Park, please go to http://www.cityofinglewood.org/depts/planning_and_building/planning/hollywood_park_mixed_use_project_.asp
Included on this page is an 844-page Environmental Impact Report, full of facts and figures for your reading enjoyment. There is also the 244-page Hollywood Park Specific Plan with drawings of any other community that you can find in southern California.
The management of Hollywood Park must have been doing something right, as their web site gave the encouraging news of increases in both daily handle and field size for the 2007 Autumn Meet, surpassing the previous year. The 2006 year also had a substantial increase.
In 2005, upon the sale of the track from Churchill Downs Inc (a corporation with a vested interest in the future of race tracks) to Bay Meadows Land Company (just having a company name that proclaims procuring land for development and money investment should make everyone think twice) the press release stated, “In BMLC, we selected a buyer who not only recognized the value of Hollywood Park, but also is committed to continuing racing at the venue and motivated to improve the California racing environment,” says Thomas Meeker, CDI’s President/CEO.
And the response from the new owner, “We are pleased to be acquiring this premier horse racing facility,” said Terrance Fancher, President of BMLC. “Hollywood Park has a storied history in southern California and we are looking forward to working with the existing management team to continue to strengthen the racing operations. We will work diligently with all segments of the horse racing industry, California’s elected officials and racing enthusiasts to find long-term solutions to the economic challenges facing the horse racing business in California today,” continued Fancher.
Sounds good so far, but whoa, hold your horses! His next quote states, “We also will seek alternative uses for the current racetrack site, in collaboration with the City of Inglewood, in the event that our best efforts are unable to improve the underlying economics of the horse racing industry and to stem the tide of horses leaving the state.”
The question that begs to be asked is, “Did BMLC spend even a tenth of the time or money coming up with a plan to preserve Hollywood Park as a racing venue as they did getting an 844-page environmental impact report together for the city of Inglewood?”
I do not understand what is happening. Is it a “done deal” that Hollywood Park is going or is there a way to fight this? Thank you , Joyce
The draft EIR has been completed, comments were accepted until November 24th.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE DRAFT EIR STATES THE SUPERIOR USE OF THE PROPERTY IS THE CURRENT USE.
I have not seen any final version of the EIR or responsess to the comments submitted.
Lets all get on our horses and form a protest. Chain ourselves to the trees. Write the NTRA, Bloodhorse, Thoroughbred Times and buy ads in the DRF. This thing is a silent killer that is sneekig up on us. We must act swiftly. Get the word out.
In this time of credit drought, how is it financially practical for this plan to realize its execution? Let’s see the books, not plastic models and PowerPoint presentations. What politicians, developers, banks, funds, and individuals have their fingerprints on this smoke and mirrors scheme? Come on Horseracing fans, saddle up and gallop over the the Public Hearing in Inglewood next week. Make your voice and presence count.
All the past presidents, board members, and executives at Hollywood Park need to be investigated by an independent board to find out how such malfeasence of office took place. Hollywood park sold to a real estate developer–we all knew what was in store for the future. Those greedy boomers and $$$$ is all that matters. That is why this sport is dying, it is already on life support gasping for air—even in Kenyucky, they cannot even pass a casino bill to salvage their tracks……sad state of affairs–but what you have, are the wrong people, in the wrong positions–and that is what happens when you hire based on the buddy system, nepotism, cronyism, and right last names. Welcome to america.
Frank, You are right on the money here! The employees of Hollywood Park are having to answer to their employer, BMLC. How they can stay in their job positions without cringing or quiting or fighting or doing what is right is beyond me! Any moral person put in their positions would defy them but what good would that do other than them getting fired? Maybe the money is too good? How can they face anyone who works there or the patrons of HP? The answer is that they do not. They hide. They do what they are told. They are dispicable characters.
I have been told by numerous union employees at the track to be silent, that it is a done deal, that if they are caught saying anything to fellow employees or distributing any kind of materials about this, that they will be fired. Gee, I wonder how much money it costs to buy off the union?
Latest rumors I heard last week: 1) A neighbor complained about the roosters crowing on the backside. The HP Plant Manager ordered all chickens and roosters to be slaughtered. This was done. 2) In the middle of the night last week, someone was allowed into the infield and they slaughtered all migratory birds in the lakes. I wonder if they got a permit? Isn’t this poaching? I believe that this has to do with the Mitigation Measure MM I-3 brought forward to the Inglewood City Council on June 3, 2009, “The Project Applicant shall develop a Migratory Bird Management Plan, in consultation with the Los Angeles World Airport, to manage the potential population of birds at the lake in Lake Park. The Plan shall be approved by the City prior to the issuance of the first grading permit to create the lake. The Plan shall be implemented through the required CC&Rs for the Project.” When the City Council asked Mr. Meaney about this, his reply was, (and I am not quoting word for word) “Don’t worry. There will be no problem. We will take care of this situation.”
When someone spoke at this same meeting and asked the City what they were going to do for all the people who live on the backside and will be displaced, the mayor and city council members were shocked that anyone lived there! When the mayor asked Mr. Meaney about this, he had the nerve to get up and say that very few people live there and that they are there part time and follow the horses and not to worry, they would take care of it. Well, I know for a fact that horses are there year-round and that the folks who live there are there year-round and that there are close to 500 people who live on the backside!
What is BMLC going to do next? Since they got rid of the birds, I guess the next thing to get rid of are the people who live there. What are they going to do? Padlock their doors? Put them on Pincay Ave?
Sorry, I am getting madder by the second. I cannot tell you how incensed I am regarding the treatment of the people who work at HP. No one is standing up for them. No one has the money or the back up or the power to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Just as the people in KY are revolting, so should the people here in California. I am at a total loss why people do not understand that if they don’t Save Hollywood Park, they are not saving themselves!
Update on migratory birds in the infield lakes: Friday night racing fans could see only the pink flamingos. No geese, no ducks, not even seagulls in sight. Very eerie.
Saturday afternoon: Spotted 3 geese and a dozen ducks with the flamingos. A few seagulls over the grandstand. Amazing - they magically reappeared…
Thanks Admin; your website and remarks are appreciated. Been in the horse business a long time. Seen enough good people, as well as the shysters. Killing migratory birds?!?! We are in a severe recession and these joker politicians/govt. lackies have nothing better to do then slaughter animals?!?
The administration at HP is one of indifference, apathy, and greed. They care about $$$$, not the equine atheletes nor the hard-working, dedicated backside mexicans, and others who love these horses and take great pride in their jobs.
I dined in the clubhouse and the menus were torn and tattered–embarrassing. remember, a fish rots from the head down. You are only as good as your administration. Those greedy baby boomers in charge over at HP need to be fully investigated for pay-offs, kick-backs, side deals etc….by an independant panel of investigators. Money, sex, and drugs are the three dominant motivators in American life. $$$$=closure of HP to these shady business practices. The city of Inglehood is also in bed with the “developer.”
With all the extremely wealthy people/owners in horse racing, why are they so quiet about HP’s future. Why don’t they step in financially to assist? Where is the outrage?
Also, Mr. Meaney is uniformed, ignorant, misinformed, or plain stupid. There are HUNDREDS of people who live FULL -TIME on the backside of HP. THere are HUNDREDS of equine atheletes who live on the backside. These state/county lackies need to stop voting themselves pay raises, benies, OT, pensions, slaughtering ducks, throwing parades, and start getting informed about their constituents and their constituents’ livilihoods.
well, there will be no more HP per the council meeting on 7/8/09 and demolition for HP will commence in ~ 1year. I would like to thank all the greedy baby boomers, businessmen/women, trustfunders, and some of the “horsemen” who use/abuse mexicans and dope their horses to give themselves a hearty clapping on a job well done. As you drive in your Richard Shapiro keyed fancy car back to Santa Barbara to your third home, think about ALL the jobs lost, all the equine atheletes lost, and all the history/tradition lost——b/c of greed. Not surprising given the sad state of affairs in the USA. Where is the greatest generation? Replaced by unethical, greedy boomers, and gernation x-ers who only concern is $$$$ and laziness, and using people/institutions for their own self grandisement.
Having spent years in the horse industry in CA and KY,
I can say, I have NEVER seen a more corrupt, inbred (nepotism/buddyism) fest “business” in my life. Wrong people, in the wrong positions—and they STILL WONDER why no one/very few are interested in horse racing??!?!?!?!?!? They picked clean the millionaires and billionaires, and no that more fresh blood is out there to take advantage of. sad. HP no more.
The boutique meets AKA, Saratoga and Del Mar still attract sizable crowds, and those that have money or get money from the credit card to expend on horse racing. It will very interesting to see who they hire for TOC prez, probably another insider, or horse racing politician. Hence, the beginning of the end of CA racing.