by Jamie Bissner
On August 28 the Altadena Town Council (ATC) met with Mike Antonovich’s Senior Deputy Sussy Nemer and Planning Deputy Edel Vizcarra to discuss the final draft of the Altadena Visioning Report. All of the attendees were provided a copy and all took the opportunity to question Nemer and Vizcarra. We have all been cogitating this tome for over a month.
We left the meeting with a better understanding of the Visioning and the process related to revising our community standards. We also knew it was necessary to fill the two vacancies on the town Council before tackling this formidable task which, when completed, may dictate our guidelines and directions for the next 15 plus years.
With the two seats filled at our September meeting we will move forward at the October gabfest to establish a Subcommittee and will be making applications available to the community. Some in town have already submitted qualifications. Applications will be due shortly after the October ATC roll-out so that the Executive Committee can consider them and present all applications to the full Council in November at which time the selections will be made. The Subcommittee format will be established by the full Council next Tuesday also.
My personal feeling is that a lean membership mostly comprised of Altadena’s talented professionals with backgrounds and experience related to the complex matters will serve us best and condense the matters that must be addressed.
I would like to see the members ratify a plan and return to ATC in May of 2013 for ratification by the entire Council in June. Following that the County will vet our ideas and suggestions; a process that will take over 18 months. With these two years I’ve illustrated for refinement and ratification as well as our need for County assistance in the endeavor once it is adopted, we will then have only two more years of reliable cooperation from our Fifth District Supervisor. Mike Antonovich will be termed out four years from the start of our subcommittee and we have no way of knowing what assistance, if any, we will receive from his successor. Mike and his people have contributed greatly to our town for more than 30 years.
Ed. note: Jamie Bissner is vice-chairman of the Altadena Town Council, but told us he wants to emphasize that this does not represent the council’s point of view — it is entirely his own opinion.
by Jamie Bissner
We left the meeting with a better understanding of the Visioning and the process related to revising our community standards. We also knew it was necessary to fill the two vacancies on the town Council before tackling this formidable task which, when completed, may dictate our guidelines and directions for the next 15 plus years.
With the two seats filled at our September meeting we will move forward at the October gabfest to establish a Subcommittee and will be making applications available to the community. Some in town have already submitted qualifications. Applications will be due shortly after the October ATC roll-out so that the Executive Committee can consider them and present all applications to the full Council in November at which time the selections will be made. The Subcommittee format will be established by the full Council next Tuesday also.
My personal feeling is that a lean membership mostly comprised of Altadena’s talented professionals with backgrounds and experience related to the complex matters will serve us best and condense the matters that must be addressed.
I would like to see the members ratify a plan and return to ATC in May of 2013 for ratification by the entire Council in June. Following that the County will vet our ideas and suggestions; a process that will take over 18 months. With these two years I’ve illustrated for refinement and ratification as well as our need for County assistance in the endeavor once it is adopted, we will then have only two more years of reliable cooperation from our Fifth District Supervisor. Mike Antonovich will be termed out four years from the start of our subcommittee and we have no way of knowing what assistance, if any, we will receive from his successor. Mike and his people have contributed greatly to our town for more than 30 years.