The Oaks board supports the conversion of the Annual Lights Festival in Griffith Park to a pedestrian event. President Gerry Hans sent the following letter to the the LA DWP:

Department of Water and Power of the City Of Los Angeles
H. David Nahai, President
Board of Water and Power Commissioners
111 N Hope St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

March 5, 2007

Dear Mr. Nahai,

The Oaks Homeowners Association joins with much of the community in support of a pedestrian DWP Light Festival event for year 2007.  As a participant at the recent meeting held on February 7th, we must report disappointment in the reception that we received, the lack of progress made to this date, and the lack of understanding of the issues demonstrated at the meeting.

It seems that those conducting the meeting should have known that the principal issue is greenhouse global gases reduction and unwarranted pollution.  It was DWP that set its own goals for GHG Emissions (July 2006), and it is incumbent upon DWP to now adhere to its commitment. A pedestrian event in 2007 is an opportunity for DWP to set an example toward the goal of a higher level of public environmental responsibility.  This might have been understood at the start of the gathering had DWP representatives read the letters they’ve received in the last year, including one sent by The Oaks Homeowners (Aug 11, 2006).

Many of us attending the meeting were unimpressed by DWP representatives’ weak excuses, ignorance of facts, talk of traffic/parking problems, and non-acknowledgment of the excellent suggestions put forth by community representatives.  We can assure you that this is not a NIMBY issue and we do not welcome a DWP response that seems to focus on political spin and PR.  It is a glaring problem and an institutional inconsistency that DWP must recognize and act upon this year.   We will not appreciate DWP delaying through spring and summer (as it did last year) until reaching the fall and then declaring that it is too late to make changes.

We sincerely hope that the next public meeting held regarding this subject is attended by DWP decision-makers, by DWP Environmental Affairs representatives, and professionals sensitive to the environmental problems that their own organization has pledged to work to alleviate.

Sincerely,

Gerry Hans
President

gerry.hans@oakshome.com

P.S. – As a community that wants to affect responsible environmental precedents, Oaks Homeowners previously stated a position (letter, July 26, 2005) on the proposed Granite Fox Power plant in northern Arizona.  We are pleased that the pivotal role that the City played resulted in the abandonment of its construction.

cc via email: Ron Deaton, Paul Wang, Lillian Kawasaki, Kimberley Hughes, Adriana Rubalcava, Greg Bartz, Tom LaBonge, Rory Fitzpatrick