Dear Friends and Members of Mid-City Neighbors,

Early this morning, Marc Luzzatto had a Golden West Demolitions crew come to Village Trailer Park to demolish 10 trailers–in violation of the Draft EIR, which states that “no trailers are proposed to be demolished” (p. 168). Fortunately, David Lathem, a resident of VTP, had called me early Saturday morning to ask for help. He sent me the notice he received last Thursday, announcing that the demolition was scheduled for Monday. I called our own Board Liaison Member Catherine Baxter for advice. Soon an email was sent to various City Council Members and Planning Director David Martin and another to the leaders of the various neighborhood associations to alert them to the situation. Kevin McKeown contacted the city attorneys and Rod Gould, our City Manager, questioning the legality of this proposed action. Meanwhile, some neighborhood leaders contacted members of the Landmarks Commission, which had unanimously decided to consider giving Village Trailer Park landmark status, and others contacted the press.

As the demolition team examined trailer B-1, set to be their first victim, Zina Josephs of the Friends of Sunset Park arrived with signs for a protest. Residents of the park came out of their trailers and gathered by the entrance. Soon Ashley Archibald of the Santa Monica Daily Press rode in on her bike, followed later by video teams from KTLA Channel 5 News and KNBC Channel 4 News drove their vans onto the lot. Residents had plenty to say about Luzzatto and living under the constant threat of having to leave their homes at Village Trailer Park. They also talked about how good it was to be part of a community of people who looked after each other and how much they wanted to preserve this wonderful setting they were in at the sunset of their lives.

The demolition team scurried when the cameras came. Interviews proceeded throughout the morning. Jennifer Bjorklund will give her report tonight on NBC4 News. Jim Nash will give his report on the KTLA News. .

After leaving the park, we discovered that the city issued a temporary Stop Work order this morning. Kevin McKeown will request, tomorrow, that his fellow members of the City Council accept an emergency item to “direct staff to explore means whereby the City can best protect the safety of Village Trailer Park residents and of the existing affordable housing, and assure that all of the City’s own options with respect to various ongoing processes are preserved.”

We ask that you contact City Council Members by phone or email, , or come in person to ask them to put this on the agenda and vote to follow due process by supporting this motion.

Remember: It takes a village to save a Village Trailer Park.

Thanks to all of you for being involved,

Gregg Heacock
President of Santa Monica Mid City Neighbors