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Playa Vista Update NBC4 Burning Questions Update Part 2, July 28: Transcript and video Summary of KNBC's Investigation for the Mayor LA Weekly, July 19 2006: "BAD GAS: Is city playing fast and loose with potential Playa disaster?" Read the article by Jeffrey Anderson contempt of court charges! July 14, Grassroots Coalition and its new attorney, Richard Fine, filed a contempt of court motion. The charges: 1. The City of LA illegally issued dozens of building permits and certificates of occupancy at Playa Vista in spite of Grassroots Coalition's October 26, 2005 California Appellate Court victory that vacated the methane mitigation measures required for building. 2. The City of LA violated a court order to follow the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by proceeding with a peer review study of Playa Vista's methane mitigation measures instead of following CEQA which would provide for both full public participation and full disclosure of the data used in the studies. Since 1993, Grassroots Coalition's President Patricia McPherson has lead the fight for full disclosure of health and safety issues related to oil field gases at Playa Vista and the surrounding areas. Grassroots Court Victory In October 2005, the California Appellate Court agreed with Grassroots Coalition and its partners that the impact of dewatering (continuous removal of groundwater) on the methane mitigation measures had not been adequately studied. Specifically, the Court cited concerns that: (a) buildings could sink (subsidence) (b) a toxic groundwater plume could spread The Court also ruled that the City must determine whether to perform a Supplemental or Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) according to CEQA, as Grassroots had demanded.(When Playa Vista appealed the ruling, the State Supreme Court refused to hear it.) Both the City of LA and Playa Vista have tried to avoid a serious CEQA-study every step of the way. Grassroots Coalition is proud to have supported Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. For the first time in the history of the fight for the Ballona Wetlands, as a Los Angeles City Councilmember he was willing to ask well-informed hard questions about Playa Vista. He deserves our ongoing thanks. If you find the content of this page alarming, contact all of the City Council Members who voted for Phase II of Playa Vista. (Antonio Villarigosa was the only no vote.) Ask them to stop the project and do a Subsequent Environmental Impact Study (SEIR). Tell them their Chief Legislative Analyst Report was defective and should have not been a serious reason for their approval of Phase II. Email Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
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