The PLUM Committee
LA City Council
The Mayor
PLUM is the acronym for the Planning and Land Use Management Committee of the Los Angeles City Council.
The PLUM Committee is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the full City Council on all matters related to land use, planning, and development within the City of Los Angeles. The PLUM Committee does the following:
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Considers requests for significant development actions, such as zone changes, conditional use permits, and variances.
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Evaluates code amendments, reviewing proposed changes to the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) related to zoning and land use regulations.
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Prepares written reports with recommendations on matters under its consideration, which are then summarized for the full City Council's agenda.
Why is PLUM in our lives now?
WHLA has made considerable effort over that last few weeks in discussions with legislative staff in Sacramento. We sent them detailed notes regarding what is happening with respect to the unsafe and inappropriate proposed high density development of the Woodland Hills Country Club. We laid out very clearly why this development is a bad idea, and how AB 2243 stripped our community of any remaining provisions that would have protected the Girard Tract and its surrounding areas.
The folks in Sacramento were adamant that AB 2011 and AB 2243 were absolutely not intended for neighborhoods like the Girard Tract (ie, low density specific plan, severe fire zones, environmentally fragile wildlife urban interfaces).
The problem is, the legislation contained no preamble or guidance that stated this.
We knew that legislative changes would take time that we don't have. So, we had to find a technical angle to help us. The main one that floated to the top of our list was the definition of "vacant". We emphasized this in the comments we submitted to Sacramento legislative staff.
AB 2243 only had protective provisions in it for vacant land. Sacramento was also adamant that golf courses should count as vacant. However, the City of Los Angeles was not entirely clear on this.
Long story short, our amazing advocate, Senator Henry Stern, listened and stepped in, not only writing a letter on our behalf opposing the development of the golf course, but his staff connected Sacramento legislative staff with LA City Planning, and staff from CM Bob Blumenfields' office.
The result of this effort is LA City Council Motion 26-0184, submitted by Bob Blumenfield. It states:
"I THEREFORE MOVE that the Council instruct the Department of City Planning, with the assistance of the Department of Building and Safety, and in consultation with the City Attorney, to prepare a report to provide a definition in the Municipal Code (Chapter l and Chapter lA) of the term "vacant site' under the the Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act of 2022 that includes golf courses
within a Very High Fire Severity Zone, in the absence of any other contrary controlling definition authoritatively issued by the California Department of Housing and Community Development."
This will go to vote at the PLUM meeting on 2.24.26
Hopefully you submitted comments to PLUM as directed in our recent email to the community.
BUT WE AREN'T DONE YET! SO KEEP SCROLLING...
NEIGHBORS, WE NEED YOUR HELP
If the PLUM Committee approves Blumenfield's Motion, then it will go to the full City Council for vote. If the City Council passes the motion, it then goes to Mayor Karen Bass, who has the option to approve or veto it.
THIS IS WHERE WE NEED YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY MEMBERS, NEIGHBORS...EVERYONE, TOGETHER.
WE HAVE STARTED A PETITION URGING THE LA CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR BASS TO APPROVE AND SIGN THE MOTION SO THAT IT WILL TAKE EFFECT, AND PROVIDE CRITICALLY NEEDED PROTECTIONS FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK AND SIGN THE PETITION TO HELP OUR BELOVED COMMUNITY.