January 11 Meeting Highlights.

First, I think I am going to call the Automated Traffic Synchronization and Control system, ATSAC. This system, monitored from L.A. City Hall, East deals with the synchronization of traffic signals in the City of L.A. and can also control signals in other areas, depending on the management of the systems.

Mr. Bisno claims, as one of his most important mitigation proposals, to provide ATSAC at all the intersections between Palos Verdes Drive North and 25th. Street along Western Avenue.

Guess what? It will be done anyway whether Mr. Bisno pays for it, or not.

The signals along Western Avenue between 25th Street and 1st. Street are owned, controlled, and managed by the L.A. City Department of Transportation. The signals from Summerland to Palos Verdes Drive North, and beyond are owned, controlled, and managed by Cal Trans.
Both organizations have plans and funding being implemented to provide ATSAC for their respective areas and the ATSAC control for the stretch of Western Avenue will be given to L.A. City D.O.T. Both the L. A. City D.O.T. and Cal Trans have documents that give details concerning the start dates for building the system and how long it will take to bring ATSAC online in our area.

The bottom line with ATSAC is not dependent on anything Mr. Bisno does or does not do. There is funding proposed by Mr. Bisno to help pay for the systems. Some of that funding, not needed for ATSAC in the area has been proposed for five other intersections in the surrounding area and some mitigation work for Five Points.

Committee members, like myself, made comments that we would like to have presentations from a variety of parties concerning the Ponte Vista project. We would like to hear comments and have question and answer sessions from people who are experts in their various fields. We will be inviting to speak and provide comments representatives from L.A. City Fire Department and Police Department, as well as L.A. County Fire Department and Sheriffs Department.

Four Neighborhood Councils in and around our community represent homeowners, business owners and various other stake holders. We will invite representatives from the Harbor City, Northwest San Pedro, Central San Pedro, and Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Councils to give their comments and have a question and answer session with the committee members.

We have not, as yet, invited representatives from the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce to come and comment and Q and A, because they have not finalized their comments and we will be inviting them at some future date, I firmly believe.

The committee is not yet in a position to invite any representative of L.A.U.S.D. to give their comments and Q and A session. I feel we will give them an opportunity at a future date, as well.

It is still very clear that traffic is a giant issue concerning the Ponte Vista project. Questions posed to the L.A. City Department of Transportation, by committee members haven't been answered yet and that is a bit annoying, I feel, so close to the end of the comment period. Mr. David Shinder from the traffic engineering firm hired by Mr. Bisno did answer questions posed by committee members and Mr. Nave, during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Unfortunately, I found the D.O.T. representative to be much less informed about the project than I would have thought he should be. I only know the gentleman's first name, Mike. My opinion is that he spoke as a bureaucrat does and it was hard pressed to get concise, direct answers.

The best presentation was given by our own Mr. Jerry Gaines. He and another committee member, Mr. Sal Sotomayor were both on the Western Avenue Task Force that published their report in June, just one month shy of Mr. Bisno's project being announced. Mr. Gaines pointed out the recommendations the WATF made and the ones that were immediately implemented and looked at very strongly. Mr. Bisno's DEIR had the opportunity to include more of the WATF recommendations in the Traffic and Transportation mitigations, but they chose not.

I think the committee will be poised to begin the recommendation process once we have digested the information we will learn at the Open Forum and heard from the variety of representatives we will invite to speak to us. I feel that we all know Mr. Bisno's position and have a very clear understanding of his proposed project. Mr. Bisno has been given opportunities to present his side of the issues in prior meetings, including a November, 2006 meeting which was devoted to his presentation of his proposals. It is my opinion that it is now the committee's responsibility to seek out as much information from many other sources so we can provide Ms. Hahn and the L.A. City Planning Department with the best recommendations possible.

On a side note, it was also made known tonight that Northwest San Pedro and Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Councils have hired an outside traffic consultant to read the Ponte Vista DEIR and make comments concerning the documents. It will be up to the Neighborhood Councils whether they want to share the information with the Community Advisory Committee in person or in writing.