By Brandon HENSLEY

Updates on LA County Housing Initiatives and the herbicide Roundup were made during the Crescenta Valley Town Council on April 20 at the La Crescenta Library.

LA County Planning’s Ayala Scott spoke to council about two new ordinance updates in progress, the density bonus and accessory dwelling unit ordinance. These efforts will be to comply with state requirements that have not yet been implemented.

The density bonus ordinance allows for developers to build more affordable units.

“The enticement … for developers to do this is allow them to do more density, so more units than what the zoning would normally allow,” Scott said. “So in exchange for building a certain minimum [number of] affordable units, they may get to build more units overall and that way they can break even on the project as a whole.”

The ordinance will include housing for seniors and provide incentives for special needs housing.

The other ordinance Scott mentioned deals with accessory dwelling units, known as ADUs, “backyard homes” or “granny flats.” They are lower-cost housing in single-family communities. County is updating regulations that encourage the building of ADUs and to provide more flexibility for prospective homeowners.

Henry Bauer, a pest control advisor, spoke to council to alleviate any concerns about the herbicide Roundup, a weed killer which is used in county parks. A California judge recently ruled against the manufacturer of Roundup, Monsanto, which will allow the state to list glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as a chemical “known to the state to cause cancer.” This is in accordance with Proposition 65, a 1986 measure known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.

The ruling doesn’t limit the use of Roundup, but rather enforces the warning label, Bauer said.

“We’re informing the public, even though it’s not required by law, that Roundup is considered caution material, which is the lowest ranking material: danger is number 1, warning is number 2, and caution material is number 3,” he said. “It’s the most used product in the country for herbicide control, and also probably in the world.”

Roundup is sprayed in Glendale parks between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. in specific areas. It has a two-hour dry time from application.

The Burbank Unified School District recently discontinued the use of Roundup, citing health concerns.

New CV Sheriff’s Station Capt. Chris Blasnek was introduced before council. Blasnek succeeds Bill Song, who was promoted to commander and will be transferring to the Technology and Support Division. Blasnek is new to the Crescenta Valley, and had praise for what he’s seen so far.

“What I’ve been introduced to is a staff that is just phenomenal, and rescue team that is unbelievable … I cannot thank everyone [enough] for their hospitality,” he said.

He met council president Harry Leon at the Tri-Valley Special Olympics on April 8 at Crescenta Valley High. He said he was “in awe” of the community support and “started to feel at home very quickly.”

The next CVTC meeting is on May 18 at 7 p.m. inside the community room of the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Blvd.

  Brandon Hensley