November 22, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Letter to the Editor: Response to Lauren Cole’s Brentwood School Editorial

By Jeff Appel

After reading the article from your Guest Editor, Lauren Cole, I had to respond. With all due respect, even the title of your guest editorial piece is misleading and sensational. There is absolutely nothing in the City’s approval of Brentwood School’s Master Plan that in any way increases traffic! How it can even be construed as such is mystifying. I’ve read the Planning Commission Report and it has not, as Ms. Cole puts it, been “gutted.”

I live in the neighborhood adjacent to Brentwood School’s East Campus and am a member of the RNBS (Residential Neighbors of Brentwood School) and the BHA (Brentwood Homeowners Association), so I have been watching this process carefully for several years. But even if I hadn’t, a read of the conditions makes it clear that the school will reduce traffic and is required to start with a minimum 12.5% cut effective when the new school year begins in September.

And that is only the beginning. Mike Bonin has somehow gotten the School to agree to a whopping and unprecedented 40% reduction over time. This is way beyond what the City can legally require, and I am confident from past interactions with the School that they are honest in their commitment and will meet this challenging requirement.

How? Brentwood School has made it clear that they are, and will be, using a number of methods and tools such as increased carpool size, mandatory busing, remote vanpool drop off and pick up locations that are at least two miles from campus, and moving evening events out of peak traffic hours. They have already begun implementing many of the initiatives.

When Ms. Cole says that Brentwood School could “contribute 45% less peak hour traffic than it does today, if it had similar requirements as The Archer School for Girls,” I have to assume she is referencing busing. The final conditions approved by the PLUM Committee have a 40% requirement for busing on their East Campus, which it did not have before. Even so, I do not believe this is the one-size-fits-all solution she imagines it to be. Personally, I think it would be a nightmare for the only solution to be many more large school buses to clog up Sunset Blvd. six times every day – in and out in the morning, then in and out again, and then out again after sports. And let us not forget that Archer did not volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts to have such a large busing requirement. They were required to do this as a condition of being allowed to open a school at their current location.

Since the inception of this process, Brentwood has taken a different approach from Archer by negotiating a tough private land use covenant with BHA and its closest neighbors, RNBS. Moreover, Brentwood School has been operating as a school continuously at its current location since 1930, and on the same footprint of land – no expanding into the residential neighborhood, ever, and no intention to do that in the future.

In addition, Ms. Cole’s contention that Brentwood School can “substantially reduce its requirements by helping Paul Revere Charter School students get buses,” is incorrect, or at least incomplete. I checked and the largest trip reduction credit the School can get is 10% ever, no matter how much they help Paul Revere or any other schools along Sunset reduce their own traffic. This is a program that is a win-win for everyone, and I think Ms. Cole is short-sighted not to see the benefits. I called Brentwood today about Ms. Cole’s claim that no one can verify if these Paul Revere buses are full and confirmed that they have filled FOUR buses for next year with Paul Revere students RIGHT NOW and are working on a fifth bus. They are also working with other schools to expand the program which comes with no credit but is done because IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO and that is what Brentwood School does.

I find it interesting that Ms. Cole is now holding up the Planning Commission’s action as the greatest thing in the world, when she filed an appeal of that very action that included 16 pages of scathing criticism. Perhaps if she focuses on the overall benefits of the comprehensive trip reduction package, rather than getting lost in the weeds of the condition language, she will come to appreciate the PLUM Committee’s action just as she did the Planning Commission’s.

Personally, I thank Mike Bonin for pushing Brentwood School to meet this unprecedented level of traffic reduction, and I’m proud of the School for rising to the challenge. BCC may be unhappy with the final language, but my neighbors and the Brentwood Homeowner’s Association are strong supporters of such a community oriented institution!

Related Posts

Video Shows Officer-Involved Shooting Outside SMPD Station

November 22, 2024

November 22, 2024

Officials Have Issued a Viewer Advisory, Cautioning That the Material May Be Distressing The Santa Monica Police Department has released...

Donate Blood and Save Lives at Culver City Fire Station This Weekend

November 22, 2024

November 22, 2024

Get a T-Shirt, Gift Card for Participating in the Cedars-Sinai Blood Drive The Culver City Rotary Club, in collaboration with...

LAPD Motorcycle Officer Hospitalized After 405 Freeway Crash in Sepulveda Pass

November 21, 2024

November 21, 2024

Collision Near Skirball Center DrivePossibly Involving a Tesla Caused Major Traffic  The 405 Freeway was the scene of a motorcycle...

Santa Monica Police Release Body Cam Footage of Deadly Force Incident Outside Headquarters

November 21, 2024

November 21, 2024

Graphic Video Shows a Violent Assault on an SMPD Officer by a Knife-Wielding Suspect The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD)...

Breakaway Café Opens New Venice Location with Beachside Grab-and-Go Window

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

Bayse Brothers Bring Their Signature Breakfast Dishes and Good Vibes to Venice Breakaway Café, a popular breakfast and lunch eatery...

Last Minute Additions to the Best Thanksgiving 2024 Feasts and Pies To Go

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

If Other Faves are Sold Out, Here’s All The Quality Places to Try Now Celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary...

Everytable’s Holiday Meal Collaboration To Support LA’s Unhoused Youth

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

Chef Created Thanksgiving Meal Benefits My Friend’s Place. Everytable, the mission-driven company committed to making scratch-cooked, nutritious meals accessible to...

Los Angeles City Council Codifies Sanctuary Protections for Migrants with New Citywide Ordinance

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Mayor Bass Prioritized the Ordinance after Trump’s Mass Deportation Threats The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to officially...

The Palms Community Council’s Executive Committee Schedules Special Meeting for Nov. 20

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Meeting to Address Open Board Positions and Committee Updates The Executive Committee will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov....

Hammer Museum Presents 10th Edition of MoMA Contenders: Screenings, Conversations with Top Filmmakers

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Lineup Features Films by Steve McQueen, Sean Baker, and Brady Corbett The Hammer Museum will host the 10th edition of...

Film Review: Wicked

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

By Dolores Quintana Director John Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights) has crafted an effervescent take on the blockbuster...

Randy’s Donuts Arrives in Culver City with Free Donuts and a $250 Gift Card Giveaway

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Grand Opening on November 19 Includes Sweet Giveaways Starting at 6:00 a.m. The time is finally here. Randy’s Donuts is...

Nicole Nagel’s Futuristic Eric Moss Designed Brentwood Home To Hit Auction Block

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

The Spaceship-Like Property Heads to Auction With No Reserve in December German actress Nicole Nagel, who was part of the...

LA Controller Kenneth Meija: City Left $513 Million of Homelessness Budget Unspent

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

Inefficiencies Blamed for Underspending Despite Record Allocation in FY2024  The City of Los Angeles hasn’t spent over half of its...

West LA College Expands Zero-Cost Textbook Programs with $600K Grant

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

College Aims for 50 Zero-Cost Textbook Programs by 2025  West Los Angeles College (West) is expanding its zero-cost textbook program...