By Mary O’KEEFE

On Thursday a candidates’ forum was held at the monthly meeting of the Crescenta Valley Town Council (CVTC). Although there are only four candidates to fill the six open seats, three regular seats and three alternates, the purpose of the forum was to hear how the candidates view their role on the Council.

Vice President Harry Leon said there were two other candidates who had applied but their applications were rejected because they did not live within the CVTC area. CTVC acts as an advisory board and is a liaison between the community and the office of the 5th District of the LA County Board of Supervisors, currently Kathryn Barger. The Council deals with a variety of local issues – some that are brought to the attention of council members by other members and some that are brought to the forefront by community members.

Those who serve on the CVTC must live within the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County La Crescenta/Montrose.

Of the candidates, three are incumbents: Kerri Lewin (who was not present at Thursday’s meeting/forum), Chris Kilpatrick (who presently serves as president) and Jeffrey Rodriguez. Daniel Kim, who had previously served on the CVTC, is the fourth candidate.

The moderator of the forum was community member Stuart Byles who asked the candidates similar questions as to why they decided to run, run again or are returning to CVTC, what their accomplishments have been or what would they want to accomplish in the future and what their vision for their tenure if elected.

“I did take a three-year hiatus,” said Kim of his last term with CVTC where he served as recording secretary.

He added he took time off from the Council to concentrate on his business and his family; however, he said he didn’t stop working for the community during his time away from CVTC. He continued with parent participation at his children’s schools and with the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles – north area.

He said he hoped to represent parts of the community that may not be as active with the CVTC. He wanted to reach out to elementary and middle school families to get them involved with the Council and with their community. He has a child in elementary school and one in middle school.

“This is a good place in my life to come back and serve my community,” Kim said. He also noted that he is a lifelong resident of La Crescenta – “born and raised.”

Kilpatrick said he first ran for CVTC because he was concerned about what he saw in his community – and that concern remains.

“We are losing the character of our community,” he said. He referenced that there were “outside forces” that were attempting to impose themselves onto the community.

“The attitude for a long time was ‘There is nothing we can do about it,’” he said. When he first ran three years ago the community was in the middle of COVID.

“We were told to mistrust law enforcement,” he said. “We had huge housing projects all over the place and our streets were not safe [due to traffic issues].”

Kilpatrick added he was proud of the accomplishments by the CVTC over the past three years.

“We kept [a violent] sexual predator out of our community with one of the biggest efforts I’ve seen in the history of living here,” he said.

He also noted the Council’s work through the Land Use Committee (LUC) and ongoing work with law enforcement concerning traffic safety.

“Although we all have these challenges, the number one asset we have is community involvement,” he said.

Rodriguez echoed Kilpatrick and Kim in the importance of community involvement.

“We are at a crossroads here,” he said, referring to the work with LUC and changes in process and ordinances like Short Term Rentals. “All of these [issues] require an active voice. I am running again to be that voice.”

All three candidates emphasized the need to encourage more community involvement, not just when people disagree or have issues with something but also when they see positive things occurring.

The meeting ended with residents who voiced their concern about U Matter Luxury Resort, a business that has moved into a neighborhood on Frances Avenue. The Council heard similar concerns raised in the past and has organized a meeting on Nov. 1 that will involve Los Angeles County officials, including staff from Planning and Permitting. At that meeting residents hope they will get direct answers to questions regarding the parameters of this business.       

One of the concerns has been the inconsistent information that has been provided by U Matter Luxury Resort on their website as it has changed numerous times.

A resident asked the Council on Thursday for clarification on what the Nov. 1 meeting will cover and what the time limit will be for questions from the community and residents. She also asked why there was a 5:30 p.m. start time for the meeting. Her concern was that residents who work would not be able to get to the meeting at that early hour.

Kilpatrick explained the earlier start time was to give the community more time to discuss the issue. The meeting is being held at the La Crescenta Library community room, which closes its doors at 10 p.m. Kilpatrick said he did expect the meeting to take some time and wanted to give residents as much time as possible by starting at 5:30 p.m. He encouraged people to come to the meeting even if they could not be there at the start time.

Another resident was upset with the Council for a number of things including his observation of CVTC members speaking with representatives from U Matter Luxury Resort before the meeting. Those representatives left after speaking to the CVTC members.

The resident said that action was against the Brown Act. The Ralph M. Brown Act, or “Open Meeting Law” enacted in 1953, guarantees the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies.

Although the speaker insisted CVTC was subject to the Brown Act it is not.

“[It is] an independent body and was not created/sanctioned by a governmental agency,” according to a spokesperson with the office of Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

CVTC is a private non-profit organization that is a liaison to the supervisor’s office.

The U Matter Luxury Resort representatives had requested to be placed on Thursday’s agenda. However, they were informed by CVTC that was not possible at that late date since the agenda had already been released days earlier.

The special meeting concerning this business/property will be on Nov. 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the La Crescenta Library community room, 2809 Foothill Blvd.