Front Page Online Interview

Posted by Antoine Durr on July 3, 2008
Posted in: In The News, PXP Oil. Leave a comment

Our own Ken Kutcher and John Kuechle were interviewed by Ari Noonan of the The Front Page Online Culver City news blog about the Draft EIR, Ken’s competing CSD document, and the impact of living next to the largest urban oil field in the U.S.

 

Part 1: Will the Voices of Crest Residents and Their Neighbors Be Heard Before PXP Begins Drilling

Part 2: Creating Awareness About the Risks Confronting Residents Near the Oil Drilling Field

Part 3: Gaseous Wakeup Call at 2 in the Morning Was Catalyst for Crest Residents

Part 4: Crest Residents Have a Problem with Supposedly Impartial PXP Drafting Own Regulations

Part 5: For First Community Meeting Crest Residents Will Enter Apprehensively

Draft EIR Released

Posted by Antoine Durr on July 2, 2008
Posted in: PXP Oil. Leave a comment

The Draft EIR for the Baldwin Hills Oil Fields has been released.  It’s big.  It’s Really Big.  You can download it here.  Did we tell you it’s big?  It’s 1400 pages.  That link you just clicked on is a 162 MEGABYTE PDF document!  In the meantime, here’s the announcement by the Department of Regional Planning.

Baldwin Hills Drilling Report on KNX1070

Posted by Antoine Durr on July 1, 2008
Posted in: In The News, PXP Oil. Leave a comment

From KNX1070 NewsRadio:

A big oil company plans to sink a thousand new wells below Baldwin Hills. That has sparked big sparked big safety concerns. KNX 1070’s Michael Linder has an exclusive series of special reports.

Included in this 4 part series are interviews of our own John Kuechle and Culver City Mayor Scott Malsin.  The interviewer, Michael Linder, also has a nice blog about these reports.

Notice of General Meeting

Posted by Antoine Durr on June 1, 2008
Posted in: Meetings. Leave a comment

General Meeting sign

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETING

WEDNESDAY, June 4th, 2008 7:30 P.M. at the El Rincon School Cafetorium

 

There will be a general meeting of the C.C.N.A. on Wednesday evening, June 4 at 7:30 P.M. Please note the new time, as it is one-hour later than our normal start time. It will take place at the El Rincon School Cafetorium. Our guests for this meeting will be:

As always, any topic of interest submitted by any Crest member will also be discussed. See you there.

Also, please note that your annual membership dues are coming up shortly.

The Crest View is going Internet

Posted by Antoine Durr on June 1, 2008
Posted in: Announcements. Leave a comment

In as much as it’s been a pleasure providing this newsletter to the residents of Culver Crest, we sadly announce that this will be the last edition.  However, it is for a very good reason.  Our new website, skillfully and professionally created by our C.C.N.A. Board Member Antoine Durr, eliminates the need to create and distribute a hard copy of what will be posted on the internet.  It will reduce costs and imagine the number of trees we’ll save.  The website will keep you abreast of events affecting the Crest and in a more current manner.  In addition, it provides the ability to post your own news and comments and is therefore a working tool to keep us all more involved and provide better communication.  

The C.C.N.A. will still provide news bulletins on an as needed basis via internet.  If you currently don’t receive our notices, it means we don’t have your email address on file.  Please send us your email address to Mike Bauer at culvercity99 (at) aol (dot) com.

See you at http://www.culvercrest.org

Annual Membership Dues

Posted by Antoine Durr on June 1, 2008
Posted in: Announcements. Leave a comment

July is our fiscal year end for annual dues payments.  If you haven’t already paid, please complete the “Application for Membership” form that is on page 2 of the newsletter and with your annual membership dues of $60 (suggested amount) or more or less, and send or bring it to Mike Bauer at 10676 Esterina Way.

As a reminder, serving on the Board of Directors of the C.C.N.A. is strictly voluntary and without compensation of any kind.  All membership proceeds goes towards expenses incurred for outside services and expenses.  

PXP Oil Fields Update

Posted by Antoine Durr on June 1, 2008
Posted in: PXP Oil. 2 Comments

Your C.C.N.A. Board has been involved in an enormous amount of activity regarding the PXP Oil Fields.  We have attended many meetings sponsored by the Community Health Council that along with Culver Crest, encompass many neighborhoods bordering the oil fields.  There is a movement to bring the conditions of the oil fields and potential damage their activities may cause to the general public, who for the most part are unaware of the consequences of a mishap caused there.  The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) of the proposed future activities of the oil fields is due to be released in mid-June.  Along with that, there is a Community Standards District (CSD), which outlines the framework of the DEIR.  The public will have 60 days after the official release of the DEIR to comment on its content at a public hearing held by Los Angeles County.  There will be a workshop set up at the Vets Center here in Culver City to provide the public with the parameters of both the EIR and CSD.  At this workshop, there will be technical guidance on how to read the EIR and what impact it will have on the residents in the surrounding areas.  The public will have an opportunity to partake in meaningful discussions prior to the hearing.  It is essential that Culver Crest residents attend this workshop to learn more about this issue.  As soon as the time and date is set, we will inform the Crest.  

There are many other action items taking place regarding the oil fields that can’t be detailed here.  In due time, we will inform you of the progress being made and how you can be involved in the process.  This is a very hot issue with major consequences if we don’t act to manage the activity of PXP.

WLAC Update

Posted by Antoine Durr on June 1, 2008
Posted in: West L.A. College. Leave a comment

West Los Angeles College is moving full speed ahead toward completion of their new parking structure atop the southeast corner of the campus.  A new bus route was established up Stocker Road that caused a significant increase in the noise level for the bordering Culver Crest homes and after much discussion, a second temporary 20- foot sound wall was constructed to partially abate the noise.  

Regarding the Stocker strip of land, it has come to the attention of all parties involved, after much coaxing by your C.C.N.A. Board to further look into this matter, that Southern California Edison has now acknowledged that the College owns the Stocker Road property plus an additional 10 to 13 feet of dirt on the Culver Crest side of Stocker.  This means that the College will, if we request it, be able to build a permanent sound wall adjoining Stocker.  

Additionally, Mark Rocha, President of the College, is hoping that the $3.5 billion bond issue on the November ballot will pass.  This would provide $300 million for his College, which would enable it to construct new technology, cinema production, science and sport entertainment buildings, as well as a new physical education and fitness center.  It would also allow them to build a second new parking structure and free up the land near the Overland entrance for other development.  As neighbors of the College, we have to determine whether this is a good thing or not.  While we all encourage furthering education, the question here remains at what expense?  Will the added traffic and noise in our neighborhood be worth the gain?  Your C.C.N.A. Board has and will continue to follow these developments closely to assure that we benefit from and are not victims of this major expansion program.