Monday, September 19, 2011

Fresh & Easy, New Biz @ The Coffee Stop: Agenda Items For TONIGHT!

We all walk that fine line between community involvement and attention to our own lives. Community involvement can be demanding, so can our own lives. Community involvement can be rewarding... it can also be demoralizing. The reason so many people stop participating in their community after an initial rousing interest is because equally enthusiastic people with opposing views take it too far and turn their opposition into something personal. Now that would be a good bill to support: The Keep It Clean In Town (KIC-IT) bill to prevent: personal attacks, Facebook insults, snide remarks on Forums and rages on hate sites…

Anyway, in case you’re game, a couple of important meetings are scheduled for this week. First is the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee (STNC LUC) meeting tonight at 7747 Foothill Boulevard in Tujunga at 7pm. A number of items are on the agenda including a report on the new business going in at the former Coffee Stop drive-thru.

This business was originally embraced by the STNC LUC and the STA but now the Sunland Tujunga Alliance (STA) has turned against it: reporting the business owners’ failure to pull permits. The STA previously reported the business was allowed to “clean up the site” without permits; the owners also met with STNC LUC Chair Tomi Lyn Bowling after an LUC meeting had adjourned, and were encouraged to proceed but return to 'meet the community' at a meeting beforehand. Their expressed desire to fence in the entire site to prevent theft of tables and chairs left outside and the plan to eliminate the drive-thru went unchallenged. They never returned and began work in the evenings… this has tongues wagging.

Another item of interest on the agenda is the report on the progress and hearings about the request of Fresh & Easy for a conditional use permit for liquor sales at their proposed new site in Tujunga. This is a site permit only, based on prior sales allowed at the previous store: a Ralphs Grocery with full service checkouts.

A good deal of strategy goes into this request as F&E has policy they will not consider a site without it. This argument is further made into a hot topic because AB183 (the Fresh & Easy Bill) is before the Governor to prevent liquor sales at Fresh & Easy Stores due to self serve check-out stations.
Finally, a very important hearing is scheduled for the public at 10 am tomorrow September 20, at Marvin Braude Center 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard Room 1B in Van Nuys 91401 to express their concerns to the City of LA on the Fresh & Easy controversy. Here is the link for that meeting

I urge you to get involved… but be prepared, the opposition is out to win at any cost. Participate whenever you can, hear what all sides have to say and form your opinion. If you are an activist at heart that’s great but you may have to have thick skin…it is well to note that a movement initiated by the activists on 'this' side practices anti-hate, even dare-I-say-it? Peace. Give it a chance...

11 comments:

Sunlander said...

The STA is not opposed to the restaurant at the former Coffee Stop location. They, like the entire community, wants construction done correctly and with permits.

Get your story straight before printing false accusations.

Brock Ba'jer said...

Get your head out of... the sand, Sunlander. Read "Whats wrong with this picture?" on the STA wordpress site. That is not a "welcome to the community" letter. Get your story straight before printing false accusations.

Sunlander said...

OK. Brock Ba'jer I took your suggestion and reread that post. Here is the first3 sentences:

This is a photo of the former Coffee Stop at 7937 Foothill Blvd. This photo was taken Wednesday night at around 8:15 pm. The new tenants of this site are converting this location into a restaurant, which is a great improvement to the site and a welcome addition to the community.

The tone continues with this sentence copied and pasted from the STA site: "We welcome this type of business to the community, but they need to do it right and not “build first, and beg forgiveness later”.

So as anyone reading this can see, my post on your website was factual and your story is once again a smokescreen filed with inaccuracies.

Brock Ba'jer said...

Sunlander,
Thank you for rereading the article. It just doesn’t sound very friendly to me: (it reads in part)

“So, what's wrong with this picture?

”The new tenants have yet to apply for or be granted a single permit that allows them to perform this construction work. The tenants have not yet applied for a Change of Use Permit (the last legal use was as a drive thru dairy/gas station). The tenants are also performing construction at night, which is a big no-no! The tenants have also not provided a set of plans or even a rendering to the STNC Land Use Committee for review.

”We welcome this type of business to the community, but they need to do it right and not "build first, and beg forgiveness later". Complaints have been filed by the STA and Councilman Krekorian's staff is aware of the situation. We are following this one closely!”

But that is just my take on the article.
Thank you for your opinion, Sunlander.

Duh! said...

Duh! said...
Today's F&G hearing was for signage which was approved.

Tomorrow, F&G will have a second hearing at the Marvin Braude building in Van Nuys at 10 am which will be to obtain a CUB. A CUB is a conditional use permit for the sale of alcoholic beverages within the City of Los Angeles. The city must approve a CUB in order for F&G to obtain a Beer and Wine license from the state Alcoholic Beverage Control.

If the CUB were to be denied, it is unlikely that the ABC would approve a license.
(Sorry, edited for spelling error,)

Duh! said...

Seems Ms. Meares is off on another tangent on some other blogspot. I hear she thinks that I opposed F&E coming to Tujunga. As usual she does not know what she is talking about. I am the LUC member who made the motion to support F&E.

I did, however, opine later as to the volumes of information about F&E that were not disclosed to the LUC members prior to making that motion.

For Instance,

F&E has recently closed 160 stores in the US,

F&E pays minimum wages and no benefits,

F&E does all of their checkouts through automation,

F&E will be selling beer and wine through these self serve checkouts which MADD opposes, and

so does the State Legislature via AB183.

Elaine Brown - a MADD

Robin M. said...

Elaine

Is this another attempt to discredit me? That does not work any longer. The citizens of Sunland Tujunga are on to your fear tactics, lies and character assassinations.

We all read your attempts to rile up the masses by striking fear into them with claims that Fresh and Easy would be selling alcohol to their children. Now we see you are attempting to say you never did this.

As I said, your fear tactics do not work any longer. Not one person was at the hearing to speak against Fresh and Easy obtaining a liquor license... not even you. How do I know this? I was there.

Robin M. said...

Oh one more thing... what tangent on which blogspot are you referring to? I don't see anything that I wrote that deserves these accusations.

Brock Ba'jer said...

Robin M,
A person can oppose an element of a project without opposing the whole project. That is what the Specific Plan is for, as an example: to refine projects so that community members are satisfied with the whole proposal, and elements that aren't entirely satisfactory can be amended. The presence of a manned checkout stand for instance would meet with the approval of many who oppose this one element of Fresh & Easy. That would make a world of difference and gain them greater support.

Robin M. said...

The Specific Plan does not dictate if a business has a manned check out.

Stop posting inaccurate information as if is fact.

The previous statement goes for people, incidents as well as the Specific Plan.

Brock Ba'jer said...

Don’t you wonder why you are given free reign, Robin? Every word you write confirms suspicions about you.

Stop writing and spend time with friends and family. Repair damaged friendships: your raging anger destroys more than your chosen enemies. You also destroy your own reputation (and your family’s) with your comments and self anointed position on topics you misunderstand.

You should have spent more time in N.Y. Of course there are people who love you. Why waste your time with those who don’t? Your money can’t buy what you desire… you just have to rethink your desires.

Rethink also your position: you have never been attacked, every single action against you has been in someone elses defense. You are always the attacker.

Try not charging in like a bull in a china closet. You are not a bull; you are a woman.

Take Care. No one truly wishes you anything but good.

Honest.