Public commenters urge pause on demolition decision; council continues item 17 to May 6

Public commenters at the Los Angeles City Council raised procedural and fairness concerns about a decision that could lead to demolition of a building under Item 17, and a representative for the property owner said delays had prevented construction of new housing. The council voted to continue Item 17 to May 6 to allow further review.

An unnamed public commenter who asked to speak specifically on Item 17 urged the council to pause the decision and to refer the matter to the city attorney, saying there were “preocupaciones significativas del proceso” and alleging that the city had not disclosed information to the Department of Building and Safety and the court. The commenter asked the council to “pausa esta decisión, creen una conversación con todas las partes para completamente entender la información y llevar a cabo un estudio de cualquier error.”

Rob Shields identified himself as speaking for the property owner and said the owner had repeatedly sought permission to demolish the existing structure to build affordable housing. “Pedimos una y otra vez que nos dé permiso para despejar la propiedad y las estructuras en la propiedad. No nos dieron este permiso … hemos gastado mucho tiempo y mucho mucho dinero y no ha pasado de manera apropiada,” Shields said.

A public commenter also said the delays had cost too much and prevented construction of a 16‑unit building that, according to the speaker, could have housed more than 50 people. The speaker urged the council to convene all parties, review the record and consider an appeal to the city attorney.

After public comment the council voted to continue Item 17 to May 6 for…