The city of Inglewood is set to enter into another Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with a company that is already not performing at another city parcel.
Thomas Safran & Associates continues to be awarded the rights to build affordable housing projects, that sit untouched.
Several Inglewood Housing Authority lots, scattered around Districts 1 and 2 continue to lay dormant, while residents continue to desire more affordable housing options.
Related: ENA between the City of Inglewood, Inglewood Housing Authority and Thomas Safran & Associates
Inglewood Mayor James Butts has taken steps to create an ordinance to create rent control, but the public is still waiting for the final revisions to become a concrete law. Right now residents rely on a temporary emergency ordinance, which continues to be extended.
Recent articles aimed at discrediting James Dolan, owner of the Forum, is using the rent control issues, to build public sympathy over the “need” to build the Clippers arena.
The city, along with consultant The Robert Group, continue to post and share articles on the city’s social media accounts, that paint the city as an “impoverished, poverty stricken low-income community”, in dire need of the Clippers arena, all while the Mayor created an initial ordinance allowing rent to be raised up to 8%.
Is this why Mayor Butts had a change of heart on the rent control issue? Using the 22% of the city’s residents, listed as below-poverty level, as leverage to build the arena?
Thomas Safran was allowed to purchase lots on Market Street that still sit vacant three years after they were purchased.
Related: When will the Inglewood Housing Authority develop their Vacant Land
Other former sites, owned by the Inglewood Successor Agency, were initially sold to preferred owners, then miraculously were sold back to the city, then sold at a higher cost. The former Burger King/AMAN Inc building was owned by the city, then sold to AMAN Inc, for use as a STEM center for students. AMAN then sold back to the city, who then sold to the LA Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
Is Safran & Associates “land banking” for the city?
Other items on this week’s council agenda include setting public hearing dates for the FY 2019-2020 Annual Plan for CDBG/Section 8 funds.
The city is having some repairs done to the rooftop of City Hall, so they are extending agreement 19-016 with Mesquemai Inc, dba Olympique Facade through 2020. The current contract expired in 2017 for window washing which was only 50% completed. Now they need another year to finish the work.
Josephson Institute of Ethics is receiving approx. $63,000 of Asset Forfeiture Funds for ethics training.
