Press Release

April 16, 2020

WHILE PANDEMIC RAGES, CITY OF LA RELEASES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR NEW MILLENNIUM HOLLYWOOD PROJECT

Under a Cloud of FBI Investigations, and for Same Developer that Built the “Leaning Tower of San Francisco,” LA Officials Slap Public in the Face

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the City of Los Angeles on April 16, 2020 released the draft environmental impact report for the new Millennium Hollywood skyscrapers project.

And the City did so with the bare minimum 45 days for the public to comment.

“Could the city be any more corrupt at this time?” said attorney Robert P. Silverstein, who has successfully fought the LA City Council and Millennium developer for several years.

Regarding the city’s action today (see notice from City Planning Dept. at bottom of this email), Silverstein noted:

“This is the project that the Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Mitch O’Farrell greenlighted to put skyscrapers on top of the 7.0-magnitude Hollywood Earthquake Fault.”

“This is the project where Councilman Mitch Englander in July 2013 mysteriously conducted the hearing that led to the City Council’s approval.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMe7fq_ZXcQ&t=13s

“Englander last month agreed to plead guilty to federal obstruction of justice, part of a wider-ranging federal corruption probe of LA City officials.”

“This is the project that won the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee approval in June 2013.

Two of the committee’s three members were Councilman Jose Huizar, who is himself under FBI investigation, and Englander, soon to be in federal prison.”

“This is the project where the City’s Department of Building and Safety, under then head Raymond Chan, approved the developer’s bogus earthquake studies.

The FBI is also investigating Chan, as repeatedly reported in the media.”

“This is the project where the California State Geologist warned the City Council of grave threat to human life because of the project’s location over the Hollywood Earthquake Fault. 

The mayor and City Council ignored the state’s top geologist.”

“This is the project that Caltrans fought, stating the city and Millennium’s traffic studies were fraudulent.”

“This is the project from the same developer, Millennium Partners, guilty of the ‘Leaning Tower of San Francisco’ disaster.”

“And this is the project that more than 40 community groups and thousands of residents pleaded with city leaders to deny, all to no avail.”

That forced stopthemillenniumhollywood.com, a community group represented by Silverstein, to sue the City Council and Millennium in 2013.

In 2015, Silverstein and the community won the trial against the City Council and Millennium.

The City Council and Millennium appealed and lost.

The City Council then went to the California Supreme Court and again lost.

“But like Jason from the grave, Millennium is back.”

“This time they slightly tweaked the project and are lurking under a new name, called ‘Hollywood Center’. 

But a rose by any other name stinks just as bad,” Silverstein said. 

“‘Hollywood Epicenter’ is more accurate,” he added.

“These massive proposed skyscrapers will have all the dangers of the original project, and more.”

Silverstein explained that developer Millennium Partners rebranded the project “to avoid the taint of their bogus earthquake studies, and to hide their connection to the San Francisco leaning and sinking tower, one of the biggest construction screw ups in modern times.”

On the same day Garcetti is reported in the LA Times to be looking at pay cuts and furloughs for city workers because of the COVID-19 crisis, and announced “there will be big cuts,” his Planning Department drops this bomb on the public, said Silverstein.

“In this dire time, it’s a disgrace that Garcetti and his strained city staff are working so tirelessly for a developer with such a shady record,” Silverstein said.

“What kind of leadership is this, and how many more city officials should the FBI investigate?” asked Silverstein.

Contact:

Robert P. Silverstein robert@robertsilversteinlaw.com

818-970-1836

# # #

Notice emailed from City Planning Dept. on April 16, 2020:

Hello,

You are receiving this email because you are an interested party and/or a mandated recipient of the Notice of Completion and Availability for the Hollywood Center Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

This email is to inform you that the City has released the Draft EIR for the Hollywood Center Project, which is now available for public review on the City's website at the following location:

https://planning.lacity.org/development-services/eir/hollywood-center-project-1.

In addition, digital copies may be provided via CD-ROM or USB flash drive. Due to current events surrounding COVID-19, the City is taking additional steps to provide the public access to documents. Should you need special accommodations, please contact me directly.

The comment period for the Draft EIR is from April 16, 2020 to June 1, 2020.

If you wish to provide comments, please reference the Environmental Case No. above, and submit them in writing by Monday, June 1, 2020, no later than 4:00 p.m.

Written comments may be submitted via:

Mail: Mindy Nguyen

City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning

221 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1350

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Email: mindy.nguyen@lacity.org