The LookOut sm confidential

THE LOW-DOWN ON THE TOWN
Impudent
,
uncensored account
By
C. Castle

Jiggling The Playa Vista Crack & Instant Karma

Jiggling The Playa Vista Crack

So, by now you've heard that Dream Works has pulled out of Playa Vista. And
that Playa Vista has vowed to build a movie studio anyway -- with the help
of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter and Mayor Richard Riordan.

Why would Playa Vista's partners mention Galanter and Riordan at all in a press
release about the unraveling of its key project? Why would the press release keep
mentioning that Playa Vista plans to continue working closely with the City of Los
Angeles on the development project? Politics.

Playa Vista needs Los Angeles.

The project's partners may be feeling pressured to help Galanter save face now that
the deal she fought so hard to bring to the Westside - and the incentives she pushed
so hard to get for Dreamworks - have fallen apart. And, to a lesser exent, the same
thing holds true for Riordan.

The project's managers owe a lot to the city and it's not a good thing when a key piece
of the project unravels.

Plus, Playa Vista may want to send a warning to the anti-Playa Vista activists that this
is no victory and that, in fact, they face even tougher challenges ahead. Riordan has
proven that he is formidable, willing to throw his weight and his money behind the
projects he believes in - charter reform, Los Angeles Unified School District, certain
Los Angeles City Council candidates.

Playa Vista could be next on the list.

Where does Santa Monica fit in all this?

Expect councilmembers Richard Bloom, Michael Feinstein and Kevin McKeown to
use this latest turn of events to further the city's own efforts to defeat the project. For
example, the three are still working on a plan to take back Lincoln Boulevard from
CALTRANS in order to have more control over traffic volume flows traveling from
Jefferson Boulevard and the Playa Vista area.

Losing Dream Works is a crack in Playa Vista's foundation; count on Santa
Monica to jiggle the crack even wider.

Instant Karma

Councilman Michael Feinstein practices environmentalism as hard as he preaches
it. He eats only vegetarian (no dairy products even), rides a bicycle or roller
blades and washes the dishes in a trickle of water.

But being environmentaly friendly doesn't always guarantee instant karma.

In recent weeks, Feinstein has had his bicycle stolen, and now he had the cap
on a front tooth he once chipped munching on a vegetarian taco elbowed off
during a basketball game. The tooth accident came just days before a council
meting, sending Feinstein scrambling for his dentist.

As luck would have it, voters recently approved salary and benefits for council
members, so Feinstein had his tooth capped in time for the cameras.

Now there's good karma.
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