SPOTLIGHT on an NC, Part 2
Not to have anyone’s feeling left out, we’d like to focus on punk ass and Chief Gaslighter for the SCNC, Board Member, Randy Fried!
Let’s share the back story.
Meet the ArchVillains…
Harvard Westlake, home to rich privileged adults with kids, has decided that they want the Weddington Golf Course so their HIGH SCHOOL (caps added for emphasis, cause this isn’t a college, it’s a frigging high school!!!) can build a super stadium… again for a frigging HIGH SCHOOL!
Forget the fact that the actual owner of the property had willed it for public use and as a gift to the community.
At a previous meeting, the SCNC voted to support the application for the historic designation of the Weddington Golf Course. The language was supported by 8 other NC’s. The application was voted on and approved, but at the last minute, someone on the planning commission/or the city changed the language, effectively changing the meaning and the significance of the application.
For the record, the only one that thinks he has the authority to do this kind of shit, which he doesn’t, is
Vince Bertoni.
We’ve watched his destructive ass waive the planting of thousands of trees and even waiving in lieu fees AFTER VOTES HAD BEEN TAKEN leaving the account that was set up to hold that money empty for almost two years. The amount of money around protentional lawsuits against the City…holy shit. How this guy has not been fired is beyond comprehension. Oh wait. Mike Feuer was the City Attorney. Say no more.
Appalled, by the bait and switch, the SCNC Cultural Affairs Committee placed a motion on the agenda to correct the record on what was and was not supported. Now here is where punk ass Randy comes in…
The Committees have voting seats for members of the public or for the NC Lay person NON-BOARD MEMBERS.
They are not required to do training of any kind inside the NC system. Per the SCNC Bylaws, only Board Members are subject to any and all rules, and that is affirmed across the City.
Randy firmly states:
1) how offended and incensed he is that a non-board member, committee member, (properly added to the Cultural Affairs and Public Safety Committee), sits on a volunteer board called Save Weddington. (Save Weddington advocates for the maintenance and historic designation of a 67-year-old Public Amenity). It was built by Joe Kirkwood in 1955.
2) He then asserts his reason for his firm stance is that this Volunteer Board is currently suing the City for literally the reason above, the switcheroo, and what this motion is entirely about! Batshit right? It gets worse.
3) He then proceeds to IMPLY that this uber volunteer, (the volunteer, who trains community members in disaster preparedness and was awarded CPAB member of the year award – twice), this community advocate, is actually a lobbyist and that her affiliation with the lawsuit through the volunteer board somehow taints the committee’s request to correct the record.
At this point, Richard “Trump” Niederberg decides to weigh in asserting that this same volunteer is an unpaid lobbyist. He keeps repeating his version of the “big lie” to the bitter end calling her an unpaid lobbyist 6 times, each time denying that he said it. The ridiculousness of the statement seemed to sneak past a couple of board members.
There is no such thing as an unpaid lobbyist.
“Lobbyist” means a person who is employed and receives payment, or who contracts for economic consideration, for the purpose of lobbying, or a person who is principally employed for governmental affairs by another person or governmental entity to lobby on behalf of that other person or governmental entity.”
After angry comments from the public, Randy attempted to defend himself by claiming that there is no difference between developers taking over a board with their opinion and Save Weddington.
Really Randy? There’s no difference? One is an all-volunteer board protecting a public amenity/asset and the other is Harvard Westlake; greedy pigs flinging their money around with a fuck you to the neighborhood.
Community members were able to re-orient the conversation back to the topic which was, that the City changed the language of a document that 8 boards signed onto, and the Board should correct the City’s record.
And then DUMB, err DONE weighs in represented by Lorenzo Briceno claiming there is nothing preventing this vote…. BUT “they should know that all committee members are subject to the board rules regardless of whether or not they are board members”.
Well, once again, it’s so affirming to know that once an idiot, always an idiot. Lorenzo consistently exhibits unmeasured incompetence. The only thing he’s learned to do is play both sides of the fence. And we bet you money that if someone files a CPRA request asking for all correspondence between Randy and DONE… just saying.
We were inspired by the fact that most of the board saw past Randy and Richard’s bullshit and voted to do the right thing.
So Randy, do tell what you are getting to obstruct community input. We’d love to hear about it.
Neighborhood Councils.
…the operative word being neighborhood, is entirely about supporting community goals, NOT developer goals and not bougie rich people goals. You are not EVER required to support a project that is shit just because just because a developer or a council member whines. NC’s are not here to be their bitches. They are hear to give actual community input.
And dear Randy, a project is not by right when it requests 40 feet above allowable… Perhaps, Land Use is not the venue for you.
Do better. Do the right thing.
Thank you for addressing this incident. I think it boils down to what a person’s own agenda really is. Neighborhood council board members should endorse their community interests and voices. Not their own. In this case I believe that Randy’s agenda was way off balance. There was no need, especially on this particular clear cut motion to cause such a fuss and waste a large amount of valuable meeting time! Board members should do their homework and not be swayed by another member with a personal agenda.
To hear at that CNC meeting that Patty was accused as being a lobbyist was the most outrageous accusation I’ve ever heard. Patty spends hours of her time for YEARS to run/attend events for Studio City residents. Always helping make Studio City a better place for all. She deserves public retraction of that false accusation and public apologies. Others must have motives to make them behave in this way but those comments were completely false and unwarranted.
While I initially supported former president Randy it was either him or a slate of candidates backed by the Democratic national socialists. I’ve come to find former president Randy to be what I would call a schmoozer. He talks a game but he does not do the work. He enjoys standing with the government big boys. It’s actually quite gross the damage he’s done to the Studio City Neighborhood Council who has had trouble finding its way for a while. I cannot figure out why these people join boards for their own personal agendas at the expense of their community. Former president Randy started his presidential term by pushing out bylaws chair Eric Preven. Some may say Eric is kind of spicy but Eric did the work. That’s what these boards need to learn. You don’t need to be friends with everybody, but you don’t push people out who actually do the work. Who does former president Randy choose to replace Eric as government affairs chair? Someone who never attended an SCNC meeting. The icing on the cake… Former president Randy’s pick for GAC chair never showed up at any of the meetings once she was appointed chair.
Former President Randy is former because he chose to stand by his land use chair pal Lisa( I’m connected to Krekorian and Karo Torossian ) Karadjian. The worst Land Use Chair ever to hit the SCNC. Lisa finally got the memo and ran for cover. Lisa has failed up. She is now a South Valley Planning Commissioner alongside her appointment to Ventura Cahuenga Specific Plan Review Board. We need to lose these unelected bureaucrats.
Step down former president Randy. You can have your moment in the sun during your one minute of public comment like the rest of us.
To say that Patty Kirby is a lobbyist is to say the person making this strange accusation either has no idea WHAT a lobbyist is- or somehow has issues with a person who is a community activist. Why would anyone on the SCNC have an issue with community activists? It really begs the question of that persons bias to- Developers? Why would the SCNC have an issue with voting to correct a change made at last minute by the City that completely gutted the decision of the L.A. Cultural Commission? The commissioners found Studio City Golf and Tennis a Historic Cultural Monument based on 2 of the Cities qualifications for such a designation. They added a suggestion of the property reverting to it’s historic name of: Studio City GOLF and Tennis. 15,000 Los Angeles residents petitioned their support of this, and 12 Neighborhood Councils (including S.C.) voted support. I think the SCNC should be responsive to their stakeholders, the reason for N.C’s to exist, and not name call them. I hope Patty puts in a code of conduct violation in to the Board and that the Board does not tolerate this behavior. There seems to be of a pattern certain N.C. board members who disparage community activists, as well as congressionally recognized community activist Boards. They should step down.