Category Archives: Streets

Clearwater Program set to become a reality

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Sanitation District No. 2 Board of Directors will consider certification of the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Clearwater Program and adoption of the Master Facilities Plan (MFP) on Wednesday, November 28, 2012, at 1:30 p.m. at the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County Board Room, 1955 Workman Mill Road, Whittier, California.

This program’s purpose is to build a new outflow pipe to move treated wastewater from the Sanitation Districts’ plant in Carson to the ocean. The Sanitation Districts’ preferred site to construct this tunnel is Royal Palms Beach, just west of the White Point Landslide. Other alternative construction sites are Terminal Island and Angels Gate Park

Since the landslide occurred on November 20, 2011, there has been an updated traffic study and the proposed route for construction traffic would be 110 freeway to Gaffey Street to 9th Street to Western Avenue to Paseo del Mar. Construction would begin in 2016. The peak of construction is expected to occur in 2020.

You can view the EIR Appendices, published November 2012, on the Clearwater EIR page.

The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council endorsed Alternative 4, the Royal Palms site, on March 19, 2012. The Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council opposed Alternative 4 due to the proximity to the White Point Landslide and to the earthquake fault, which in 1933 caused the closure of the White Point/Royal Palms thermal pools.

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The NWSPNC has opposed alternative 4 and recommend alternative 1

Neighborhood Watch follow-up

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LAPD Sr. Lead Officer Eve Wight has a follow-up to Monday’s Neighborhood Watch meeting in South Shores for all that could not attend:

1. We continue to address the issue of trash scavengers in the area, one guy was recently cited, both in South Shores and in North Western San Pedro where his vehicle was impounded.

2.  Crime in South Shores has been pretty low for the last couple of weeks, and a lot of that has to do with you folks.  Clearly you have been diligent about locking your doors and windows, and not leaving valuables in plain view in your vehicles and homes.  GOOD WORK! Lets keep it up.  Unfortunately, however, the rest of San Pedro isn’t doing so great.  So it is important to maintain your good security habits when you are out and about around town.

3. The Albertson’s on 25th and Western has been seeing an increase in what we in the Police business call a “Beer Run.”  Kids come in and grab a six pack then make a run for it.  These crimes are thefts, but they can wind up being reported as a”Robbery” when the suspect is confronted by and employee or citizen and uses force to escape capture.  There has already been one robbery of this type reported at the Albertson’s.  Be mindful that just because the Daily Breeze crime report says robbery, it doesn’t necessarily mean bad guys with guns and ski masks.  I have already spoken with the management at the store and we discussed come possible solutions to the problem.  The most obvious of course in increased security.  I urge you all as I did at the meeting to write a letter to Albertson’s Corporate Offices.  Let them know you don’t feel safe shopping there and that you are hoping that the Corporate office can give the store some support in getting extra security.

4.  Rec and Parks will be making some updates and improvements to Alma Park [21st St and Meyler] in the hopes that it will reduce the amount of criminal activity that has been developing there.  I will let you folks know how the improvements are going.

5.  We recently had an issue with supposed “Charity” curb repainters.  They come by and leave you a notice that says if you don’t want your curb repainted post this sign on your door.  If you don’t post the sign, they repaint your curb and expect you to pay.  You are under no obligation to pay for a service that you did not request.  Don’t let these guys intimidate you.  If they come down to the neighborhood and you feel as though they are getting aggressive, call 911.

6.  I attended a meeting today regarding the landslide.  There is going to be some work done over the next two months to clear up the area, secure the raw edge and create some drainage for water, hopefully before the rainy season really gets under way.

7.  We also talked about the cyber block captain program that we are trying to get started here at the station.  The CBC would be our main contact person for their block or area and they would maintain an email list of their neighbors.  We here at the Station could then forward out crime or suspect information to the CBC who would then be able to share that information with his or her email list.  We are asking for volunteers for this position.  It would require you to “pound the pavement” a little bit and get some additional names and emails, but once the lists get going we think that it will be an awesome resource.  Please email me if you are interested in volunteering as a CBC on your block or in your area.

8.  Rec and Parks has received the request to trim the greenery in and around Bogdanovich Park, so they have it on their list and hopefully will get to it sooner rather than later!

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Alma Gate to open November 26

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It was standing room only at the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council (CSPNC) meeting last night when San Pedro High School Principal Jeanette Stevens announced that the Alma Street gate at the Olguin Campus will officially be opened full-time. She stated that school administrators decided to open the entrance during full operating hours, 7am–5pm, on school days beginning this November 26.

Ms. Stevens said that parents and students were not included in the original decision to keep the gate closed and that using the entrance at Gaffey and 32nd Streets creates an extremely unsafe situation. Plans are to use Alma Street for the six one-way bus trips during lunch and nutrition as it is being used currently. The decision regarding which entrance buses will use at the beginning and end of the school day has not been made.

Resident Dan Malstrom pointed out that the use of Alma Street for buses was not included in the original Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and that traffic has doubled since the closure of Paseo del Mar due to the White Point landslide. He requested a new EIR examining the school’s additional use of Alma Street.

Council board member Marcie Miller asked why the Alma Street pedestrian gate has not been opened before for students walking to school. Ms. Stevens said it was not open because there would be no turn around point for vehicles dropping off students. With the gate opened, parents will drive into the school, drop off children, and exit.

Other concerns brought up by board members and attendees: raised manholes and sinking asphalt; damage to utility pipes under Alma Street due to weight of buses and increase traffic; people stepping in front of buses or taking pictures of students using Alma gate; buses crossing over the center line to enter and exit through Alma gate.

Jacob Haik of Council District 15 spoke of four traffic safety measures that are currently being considered by the city: 25 mph speed limit when children are present (already approved), sidewalk continuation on Alma St. from the edge of LAUSD property to 37th St., resurfacing, and speed humps. Speed humps might not be an option because of the incline on Alma Street.

One suggestion by a resident at Alma and 30th is to make Alma Street one way at certain times of the day and one way in the other direction at other times of the day.

CSPNC president June Burlingame Smith announced that the traffic guard will return to Gaffey Street to assist students crossing Gaffey.

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CSPNC to discuss Alma St, White Point Landslide and more

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Tonight’s agenda for the monthly board meeting of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council (CSPNC) contains several items of interest for residents.

Item #8: Discussion and possible action on White Point landslide.

Item #10: Discussion and possible action on San Pedro Community Plan issues concerning the three corners at 25th St. and Western Ave. and some locations within the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council Area and the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood area.

Item #12: Motion urging improvements to sidewalks on Alma Street including the completion of the sidewalk on the east side of Alma Street — going southward from the end of Los Angeles Unified School District property to 37th Street — without exercising emminent domain.

The CSPNC meeting will be held on Monday, September 24th at 6:30 pm at the Cabrillo Marina Community Building at Cabrillo Plaza, Berth 28. The public is invited to attend.

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Large crowd attends Coffee with the Principal

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Do you want answers to questions regarding the new Olguin Campus? Well, you are going to have to wait because the hour and a half “Coffee with the Principal” meeting did not allow time for questions and answers. The first 45 minutes was utilized to play a game trying to get neighbors to interact with each other. The rest of the meeting, unfortunately, seemed to further the polarization of the pro-open Alma St. gate neighbors with the pro-close Alma St. gate neighbors.

Posters were set up on opposite sides of the room for residents – one pro-open gate, the other pro-close gate. Separate microphones were used for each “side” for 30-second airing of concerns. Separate notes were being shown on the large overhead screen. Let’s hope the Town Hall Meeting planned for September 12 at 6pm at the flagship campus auditorium will be better utilized to bring residents together on this issue instead of furthering the divide.

The main topic this morning, of course, was the use of Alma Street for buses and pedestrians. Principal Jeanette Stevens said bus trials were run the week before school opened and they realized the Gaffey Street entrance was not going to work between classes because travel time was too long and the gate at Gaffey Street is too narrow for buses turning left out of the school. In mid-September, the gate is scheduled to be moved 20′ further from Gaffey Street to enable more room for buses to turn.

Currently buses are using Alma Street at several periods during the day – during nutrition, lunch and seventh period. Since some classes and sports are held at only one campus, students must travel back and forth to participate. Concerns from neighbors included the safety of Alma Street, cars running the stop sign at Alma and 30th Street, kids not having time to eat lunch (eating is not allowed on buses), and the extra time it takes for kids on the north or west side of campus to use the Gaffey Street entrance at 32nd Street.

Several possible solutions were suggested by residents: create a one-way loop utilizing Leavenworth Drive and Osgood-Farley/32nd Street, add adult supervision for traffic and pedestrian usage of the Alma Street entrance, start or end school 10 minutes earlier/later to allow time for busing via Gaffey St., or allow pedestrian access only at Alma Street.

Do you have ideas on what can be done to make this new campus work for the kids and the surrounding neighborhood? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Remember: Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Olguin Campus, September 12 at 6:00 pm at the flagship campus auditorium, San Pedro High School, 1001 West 15th Street.

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Read past articles about the Olguin campus here. To receive instant news updates, subscribe to Email Alerts on the homepage at TheSanPedroCoast.com.

 

Olguin Campus Alma St usage meeting Thursday. Wind turbines coming in 2013.

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Proposed locations for six wind turbines. Click to view larger.

Design for six 12-kW vertical-access wind turbines has gotten under way after approval from the California Coastal Commission. The design will be sent to the Division of the State Architect (DSA) for approval and then a contract will be awarded for construction. Installation of LAUSD’s first wind turbine project is anticipated to occur in the summer of 2013.

School buses using the Alma Street entrance to the SPHS Olguin Campus. Click image to view larger.

Since the first day of school on Tuesday, August 14, school buses have been utilizing the Alma Street entrance to the San Pedro High School’s John M. and Muriel Olguin Campus. LAUSD officials had told the neighboring community during the construction phase that the only entrance to the Olguin Campus would be on Gaffey Street and 31st Street where a new traffic light was installed. Alma Street was to be used only in the case of emergency due to the street’s narrow nature, lack of parking, and lack of a complete sidewalk.

Students have been climbing over the perimeter fence at Alma Street to meet awaiting vehicles. A local resident also reports that the Alma Street gate is left open during the afternoons and students are leaving the campus.

This Thursday, August 30 at 8:30am, Principal Jeanette Stevens will be holding a “Coffee with the Principal” meeting to discuss Alma Street usage and other developments at the new campus. The meeting will be held on the Olguin Campus in the Multipurpose Room and is open to the public. If you cannot attend, please let us know your question in the comments section below and we will attempt to get answers for you.

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Read past articles about the Olguin campus here. To receive instant news updates, subscribe to Email Alerts on the homepage at TheSanPedroCoast.com.

Palisades may lose bus service

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MAX Line 3X route pre-landslide. Click image to enlarge.

The MAX Line 3X is considering an alternative detour because of the White Point Landslide and complaints about the bus on Alma Street. The change would effect both the morning and afternoon routing and would eliminate the only Palisades bus stop, at Paseo del Mar and Patton. The USAF Housing stops at White Point Drive and Constellation Way would pick-up/drop-off on the opposite sides from the pre-landslide route.

MAX Line 3X route pre-landslide, current, and proposed. Click image to enlarge.

There will be a MAX Policy Steering Committee meeting at 5:00 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012 in the West Annex of the Torrance City Hall, 3031 Torrance Blvd. to discuss the proposed changes. The meeting is open to public. Download the agenda here.

If you have any questions regarding the proposed service changes, contact MAX Administration by telephone at (310) 618-6266, email at maxbus@TorranceCA.Gov, or mail at Municipal Area Express Torrance Transit System, 20500 Madrona Ave. Torrance, CA 90503.

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Meeting discusses landslide causes and remedies

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It was a packed house at the landslide meeting last night at White Point Elementary School to hear the results of the geotechnical report by Shannon & Wilson. City Engineer Gary Lee Moore presented the findings and long-term options.

Cause of Landslide

Storm drain separations fround prior to landslide. Click to view larger.

Nothing was found to definitively cause the landslide but several factors may have contributed to the landslide: irrigation, long-term coastal bluff erosion, precipitation, residential development, road construction, and underground utilities. The one factor that was found to not have any impact on the landslide was the Nike missile facility.

Interior of Nike missile silo at White Point. Click to view larger.

Land Movement & Water Levels
There has been no significant (> 1/10″) land movement at the monitoring sites. Ground water levels have increased by 15′ on the west side of the landslide. On the east side near residences, the ground water level has actually decreased by 1′.

Immediate Repairs
Immediate repairs will consist of grading the edge of the landslide to make it more stable. Dirt from the grading will be placed in the deepest crevices of the slide to even out the bottom. This will provide adequate surface drainage to convey water during the rainy season away from impacted areas.

Immediate repairs to surface area of landslide. Click to view larger.

A 170′ buffer zone around the slide will enable the construction of two U-turn areas. Earth anchors need to be placed into the slide area to prevent further movement. Additional monitoring wells and drains will be installed. These immediate repairs will cost approximately $5–8 million.

Proposed immediate repairs include U-turns. Cul-de-sac design could be complete in two to three months. Click to view larger.

Six Long-Term Options

  1. Do not reconnect Paseo del Mar (less than $1 million)
  2. Reroute the roadway through White Point Nature Preserve. Gates at each end of WPNP would close the road at night. ($4–8 million)
  3. Graded roadway. This slide got a good laugh at the meeting as the road looked like a skateboard half pipe. ($4–8 million)
  4. Return road to original level with retaining wall ($22–27 million)
  5. Return road to original level with no retaining wall ($42–50 million)
  6. Construct a bridge ($57–62 million)

A rerouting of Paseo del Mar would include gates for closure of the road every evening. Click to view larger.

Councilman Joe Buscaino fielded written questions from residents at the meeting. Here are a few of the questions and answers:

Q: Why was the report not released prior to the meeting so residents could ask more informed questions?
A: Changes were being made to the report over the weekend and the city attorney needed to be consulted first.

Q: Will the WPNP restrooms be connected to sewer lines prior to the Home Tour fundraiser in October?
A: This is being made a priority item. A link to the county lines would be cost prohibitive at $600,000 so other options are being considered.

Q: Will the Army Corps of Engineers be involved?
A: Congresswoman Janice Hahn has requested funding from the Army Corps on June 18th. The City Department of Engineers will be scheduling a meeting along with congressional offices.

Q: What affect will the slide have on the proposed Clearwater Project at Royal Palms and visa versa?
A: The City Department of Engineers is unfamiliar with that project.

Q: What will the decision process entail?
A: The process will be subject to some type of environmental review but maybe not an EIR. After the funding, construction usually takes three to four years.

Several requests were made by residents to work on traffic calming measures on Alma, Patton and Hamilton streets. Fire Station 101 Chief Terrazas said the narrowness of Hamilton is a problem. When another station covers for Station 101, they inform them of the alternate routes to Paseo del Mar. Residents also asked for increased police patrols on nights and weekends.

The full 800-page report can be accessed online at the City’s Dept. of Engineering website.

Media Links:
Councilman Buscaino’s video reports
KTLA5 Video
ABC7 Video
ABC7 Video – includes interview Andrea Vona of the PVPLC (update)
Daily Breeze article
KPCC article
Random Lengths News article (update)
L.A. Times article (update)
KQED article (update)

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More landslide articles can be found on our Landslide Page. To receive instant news updates, subscribe to Email Alerts on the homepage at TheSanPedroCoast.com.

Two White Point Landslide meetings to be held tonight

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Photo via LA15th.com

Tonight, there are two meetings regarding the White Point Landslide.

The regularly scheduled Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council meeting has several items on the agenda (pdf) concerning the landslide including a slot of time for City officials to report on the geotchnical report. The City did not take up the offer to report the findings at the CSPNC meeting and has yet to formally respond to requests submitted in April.

The CSPNC’s White Point Landslide ad hoc committee has been working on many issues including street signage, lighting, fencing, police patrols, maps, and funding. A copy of the committee’s latest report can be downloaded here: Landslide Committee Report 6_15_12

The CSPNC meeting is at 6:30 pm at Cabrillo Marina Community Building, Cabrillo Plaza, Berth 28, Via Cabrillo Marina Way, San Pedro.

City Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office is holding a meeting tonight where City Engineer Gary Lee Moore will present his findings of the geotechnical report about the White Point Landslide at a community meeting. The report details what factors contributed to the landslide, the proposed repair options, and the estimated cost associated with each option.

The City’s meeting will be held at 6:30 pm at the White Point Elementary School auditorium at 1410 Silvius Avenue, San Pedro, CA.

The written geotechnical report will not be available online until after the meetings, on Tuesday, on the City’s Dept. of Engineering website.

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More landslide articles can be found on our Landslide Page. To receive instant news updates, subscribe to Email Alerts on the homepage at TheSanPedroCoast.com.

White Point Landslide findings to be unveiled June 18th

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Photo via LA15th.com

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino has announced that City Engineer Gary Lee Moore will present his findings of the geotechnical report about the White Point Landslide at a community meeting. The meeting will be held on Monday, June 18, 6:30 PM at White Point Elementary School auditorium at 1410 Silvius Avenue, San Pedro, CA.

The verbal report will detail the factors that contributed to the slide, as well as proposed repair options, and the estimated cost associated with each. The written report will be available online the following day, Tuesday, June 19th on the Dept. of Engineering website.

**UPDATE** The landslide meeting will be held the same date/time as the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council meeting. This means that community leaders will be unable to attend the landslide meeting and residents will be able to attend only one meeting. Please contact Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office at councilmember.buscaino@lacity.org or (310) 732-4515 to ask him to hold the landslide meeting at the CSPNC meeting (already on the agenda) or reschedule the landslide meeting.

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More landslide articles can be found on our Landslide Page. To receive instant news updates, subscribe to Email Alerts on the homepage at TheSanPedroCoast.com.