STEPHEN J. GILBERT, PE
May 2, 2009 Via e-mail
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl
Council District 11
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Subject: Widening Sunset
Dear Councilmember Rosendahl,
It was with great sadness that I heard you had announced your support for the widening of Sunset. I say sadness because you from the onset of your administration have relied on the rule of law. In this case you have broken this hallmark of your tenure of guiding the City and your constituents toward a better quality of life always relying on the rules. You have been ill advised by someone or group who obviously have or have not related to you the history of Sunset as a Scenic Corridor. If you do not back the Brentwood – Pacific Palisades Community Plan what other rules are you going to set aside to satisfy the needs of others who do not have the same commitment to the rule of law and interest in the community as you have demonstrated?
I suggest you read the article in the April 30 instant, edition of the “Palisadian Post†. Jack Allen’s short history of the theory that a widened Sunset will solve the traffic problems of Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. I know you have received many letters from your constituents pleading that you reverse your support for the widening of Sunset. The Brentwood Park Property Owners’ Association and I have made it clear we DO NOT support the widening of Sunset even though the City has tried to convince us that this will be our panacea for the traffic problem in our communities. Jack Allen points out the 405 is the bottleneck not Sunset and I agree. The improvements of northbound 405 will open up the 405 from the 10. This will open the ability for the trio of on ramps, Wilshire, Santa Monica, Olympic/Pico and the 10 to absorb more vehicles relieving the need of so many that are forced to enter on Sunset. The vehicles entering on Sunset all must travel through residential neighborhoods while the trio of onramps are fed by commercial streets. Please, concentrate on the trio of onramps not the Sunset onramp for relief of the Sunset/405 gridlock.
Along with the sadness of your announced support I was appalled with the actions of what must be the product of our Department of Transportation (LA DOT) in trying to sneak by the citizens of Bel Air and Brentwood as part of the soon to be issued contract for the up-grades and addition of the HOV lane on the northbound 405; two left turn lanes from Sunset west to the northbound 405 at the same onramp as westbound Sunset traffic uses with no notice, or public review as required for this configuration by CEQA, inclusion in the EIR and other instances of breaking the rule of law. This type of under the table negations should never happen and you should never allow this type of clouded transparency in your District. In the article by Mr Allen he notes yet another LA DOT ploy to fool the citizens by blinding them to the fact that the increase in time, be it only 114 seconds, was only for through traffic on Sunset and did not include the northbound traffic to the 405 from eastbound Sunset. In actuality there are now, and has been for about a year, two eastbound through lanes of traffic and two right turn lanes of traffic for the northbound 405 on the Sunset Bridge.
So I too come to plead your help in delaying the addition of this project to widen Sunset in the 2009 Tip Call for Proposals until the next round of proposals when the complete project can be on the table as Supervisor Yaroslavsky seems to suggest in calling for a meeting of CalTrans, Metro and LA DOT. This will allow the entire affected community to be involved in the total project not just one Home Owners Association. Then and only then can the community make an informed decision.
Most sincerely yours,
Stephen J Gilbert
c: Mike Feuer, Assemblyman 42nd District
Zev Yaroslavsky, Supervisor 3rd District
Brentwood Community Council
Brentwood Park Property Owners’ Association
