Rio Asch Phoenix, CD14
Dear L.A. City Council, We are writing to you as an advocate to oppose the Verdugo mountain development project Canyon Hills, which will impact both vital ecosystems and a chance for wildlife habitats to persist in the Los Angeles area. On a personal note, my family and I enjoy the Verdugo mountains every week, exploring the trails, and observing the incredible systems of wildlife who persist there.
I believe there is a growing consensus among residents and community voters that this type of development is a mistake. Please advocate for us and ensure this project does not move forward.
Thank you.
Hayley Hicks, Burbank, CA
Dear Vince, As someone who lives beneath the beautiful Verdugo Mountains and spends a lot of my time exploring them, I write to you with urgency in hopes that you will make the right decision and say NO to the proposed Canyon Hills development. While I understand that the development was approved almost 20 years ago, it's plain to see that the standing FEIR is extremely flawed, and the developer's plans can be best described as negligent. While the development has been held up, we have been given the gift of time and observation. This parcel has burned 3 separate times since project approval, most recently in the La Tuna Fire. The development only has one road in and out. But the blood that has potential to stain your hands is more than human-- as someone who has been a part of an extensive scientific surveying effort, there is so much life that will be obliterated if this project is allowed to move forward. Rare plants holding on for life in this beautiful complex ecosystem, a pair of endangered mountain lions that has potential to breed and bolster their imperiled species, an endangered native bumble bee that has taken refuge here as climate change has pushed its species south... the list goes on. Please do the right thing and say NO to an ecological and ethical disaster. LA can do the right thing.
Haley Hopkins, Glendale, CA
Dear Maya, I am following up on my correspondence with your office begun May 26, 2023. I wrote then in support of The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s letter to your office expressing a need for a new EIR for the proposed Canyon Hills development at 7000 La Tuna Canyon Road. The SMMC letter stated that “The wholesale ecological viability of the Verdugo Mountains ecosystem is at stake” were a grading permit to be issued for the (now) 19 year old entitlement of the project.
Your office responded on June 9, 2023 that,
“Pursuant to State law, no new environmental review is necessary unless a subsequent discretionary action is needed…There are no new or pending discretionary actions needed. However, please note that City Planning is reviewing their permits to ensure compliance with the conditions of approval as well as mitigation measures, including mitigation that address environmental impacts related to biological resources and protected trees.”
I have learned from the ongoing work of NoCanyonHills that a mountain lion has been objectively verified at the 7000 La Tuna Canyon Road site. This new information, along with the in depth cataloguing of rare and endangered plant and insect species at site by NoCanyonHills, presents an imperative case for a discretionary action to call for a new EIR and issue no grading permit for the Canyon Hills development until such a review is undertaken.
I look forward to your response.
Christian Kasperkovitz, CD7
Dear L.A. City Council, We need to preserve what we love most about LA County; the natural beauty of our oceans, mountains, and deserts. We need to be caretakers for the natural world and the creatures within it.
We do not need yet another community of track homes built in our foothills, displacing animals and destroying the beautiful, natural grace of our surroundings.
Please vote no to the Canyon Hills homes.
Thank you.
Elizabeth Currer, Pasadena, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I am writing to encourage the Los Angeles City Council to request a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the area of the proposed Canyon Hills Development in Tujunga. The previous EIR appears woefully inadequate and clearly does not accurately document the biology of the area, as evidenced by recent observations of mountain lions and rare plants. In addition, the serious safety concerns related to fire have not been addressed by the Council. I sincerely hope that Councilmembers are aware of recent events in Hawaii and hope that you will learn from this unfortunate history by rethinking the wisdom of approval for Canyon Hills.
I am also writing as a resident of Montrose, frequent hiker in the Verdugos and as a mental health professional. Accessible green space is rare enough as it is for Angelenos. Green space provides documented mental health benefits to the registered voters in your city as reflected in this research.
Please take appropriate steps to sustain the health of the Los Angeles environment and Angelenos by requesting a new EIR and declining to issue a grading permit for Canyon Hills.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lockhart, LMFT, Montrose, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, Please help preserve La Tuna Canyon’s priceless biodiversity, the home of mountain lions and plants that are under recovery after fires. The proposed 300 acres of canyon lands property development must be stopped. An environmental risk assessment of a very high fire area zone must be evaluated. This is the time for the city council to consider climate change and see that opening up more land to luxury gated communities is not a priority for Los Angeles. Low to medium cost housing that helps Angelenos stay in the city where they can work and contribute to society is a better solution. Please think of Mountain Lion P-22 who made world news as Los Angeles Mountain Lion, don’t replace beautiful habitat with tar roads full of solvents and fast cars that will contribute to running over animals.
Please say no to destroying mountains, grading of mountains that will introduce machinery and a human footprint which will cause irreversible environmental damage. Please side with nature and healthy preserves, so much nature should not be sacrificed for the gain of a few.
I request that an environmental impact report be submitted before moving forward with the luxury Canyon Hills project.
Do not allow or grant a GRADING PERMIT.
Ester Gonzalez, CD14
Dear L.A. City Council, In light of recent documentation of several threatened species, including one with federal protections, it is imperative that the grading permitting process be suspended indefinitely to ensure their continued viability and persistence in what is already a limited range. The Verdugo Hills represent a crucial habitat, not only serving as a habitat and corridor for wildlife, but serving the public good. The destruction of this place eliminates crucial habitat and a corridor and deprives the human populous of one of the last bastions of natural space so important for the wellbeing of our society, both physiologically and mentally. The long term costs of moving forward with this development,both intangible and tangible, greatly outweigh the short-term financial benefits and allowing further progress toward development when such compelling evidence has been presented is unconscionable.
Craig Burrows, San Gabriel, CA
Dear Monica, I grew up in the Tujunga area and I am begging you to do something to stop the Canyon Hills project and all other disastrous development projects within Los Angeles. Sunland-Tujunga is probably one of the last of the wild places of LA and this is proved by the fact that there are not one, but two mountain lions living in the Verdugo Hills. This is a sign of a healthy enough ecosystem that we simply will not be able to get back if it is developed over. This land must be protected in perpetuity for future generations and for the wildlife that depends on it. If we lose this, we lose a part of ourselves. Please do something.
No Canyon Hills!
Thank you.
Mason Inumerable, CD7
Dear L.A. City Officials, LA desperately needs to hold onto its wild open spaces. Several dozen luxury homes in a high wildfire area just cannot be justified in 2024.
For the love of open space, the scenic beauty surrounding the 210, wildlife corridors, native trees and plants, and holding onto the last bits of wildness in our megacity to pass on to future generations of people and the natural world itself, please do NOT issue a grading permit for this project!
Thank you.
Matt Ribarich, CD14
Dear L.A. City Council, Please do not issue the grading permit for Canyon Hills. It is imperative that the ecological disaster that is grading (and then building, this project) be avoided at all phases at it is your responsibility to do so. The EIR is flawed and it is your responsibility to revisit and do not issue a grading permit.
Kelsey Perry, Goleta, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I was born and raised in the Northeast side of Los Angeles. It is very important to the future of Los Angeles nature and its habitat by maintaining and preventing future luxury development in its place. It is important for Los Angeles residents to coexist and protect the wildlife and plants. We have constant loss of wildlife habitat, flooding, and fires because of this reason. It is important to not to build housing on top of a delicate, historic natural ecosystem. It is important to preserve this habitat for future generations.
Elizabeth Barrios, Los Angeles, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, Please do not issue a grading permit to the Canyon Hills site. This is a beautiful mountain full of wildlife and habitats. We need to keep this untouched and keep this for our wildlife.
Heather Praun, Altadena, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, I wanted to write on behalf of protecting the land that is the verdugo hills by urging you to stop the development of Canyon Hills. This area of land was surveyed about 20 years ago -not by you - and has since then recently been found to be home to rare native plants, babbling books, mountain lion, and more animals. What makes L.A. special is the access to wildlife and this area of land is important to us for future generations. Please help save this area for our wild friends and plants and fight for a better Los Angeles - one that emphasizes and respects the natural world around us. Not to mention this housing development would be in a constant state of fire danger and flooding - absolutely ridiculous.
Phoebe Dean, Glendale, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, Protect this wonderful piece of land and the species that live in it. Canyon Hills is clearly a poor decision practically, environmentally and politically.
Please deny this grading permit. It serves no good.
Danny Romansky, L.A., CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, What your pockets hope to gain by stripping the public, the ecosystem, future generations of children and the hope to sustain the environment—will it really be worth it?
Can you tell yourself letting another part of nature die under the guise of tract homes and luxury community living will be for the best? Can you sleep at night with that knowledge? Give our children a chance to experience a world that isn't a hellscape of cheaply made buildings NOBODY can afford. Give the land the chance to heal and live. Give your public a chance to have access to nature that is quickly dying out.
Do the right thing, for ourselves, the greater public good that you claim to serve for, and for what good our land has left for conservation.
Your children will remember you as people who destroyed the land in the name of money.
Suzanne Whifler, Glendale, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, As a Payómkawish $ungáal, Southern relative to the Tongva Nation, I urge you to support No Canyon Hills and fight the development of all current undeveloped Tongva Nation. This land should go back the Tongva before colonial greed leads to our absolute inability to survive on this land. The floods and fires that threaten current residents are due to the lack of Traditional Ecological Knowledge of settlers who are 200 years new to this continent. We can help heal what has been done so that all of our grandchildren and great great great grandchildren will have a chance at survival. Please protect the biodiversity we have and restore that which is damaged.
Ohó
Alexis Dyer, Payómkawichum Nation
Dear Monica, I am truly disgusted by your greed and complete disrespect for precious life. You have no right destroying the biodiversity of our sacred mountains. Your job is to represent the people, and you are failing. If this project continues and destruction takes place, consider yourself out of a job because you will not be voted back in. The power of the people will never be defeated. Listen to your constituents, and do your job. This is as important as life itself.
Daisy Wiggins King, CD7
Dear L.A. City Officials, With so little wild land left in Los Angeles, it is imperative to save and cherish that which we have. We all suffer when wildlife habitat is destroyed. There are many solutions to increasing the housing stock of Los Angeles that do not require destruction of wilderness for luxury homes.
In addition, building in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is unconscionable. How many homes and firefighters’ lives must be lost before we stop building in these areas?
Heather Westenhofer, Orange, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I am truly disgusted by your greed and complete disrespect for precious life. You have no right destroying the biodiversity of our sacred mountains. Your job is to represent the people, and you are failing. If this project continues and destruction takes place, consider yourself out of a job because you will not be voted back in. The power of the people will never be defeated. Listen to your constituents, and do your job. This is as important as life itself.
Joana Chairing Azterbaum, 34th District
Dear L.A. City Council, Please save the beautiful mountains that we ALL take refuge in - animals, plants, birds, bugs, and humans.
Alexandra Leekley, CD13
Jeff Wirth, CD7
Dear L.A. City Council, I urge the City Council to reconsider the approval of this development and to commission a new, updated Environmental Impact Report (EIR) considering significant environmental concerns that have emerged since the original report.
Existence of Mountain Lions: Recent evidence has shown the presence of at least two Mountain Lions in the Verdugo Mountains. These are not only a vital part of our local ecosystem but also a symbol of the wild beauty that our city. The construction of the Canyon Hills development threatens to displace these animals, disrupting their natural habitat and putting their survival at risk.
Wildfire Risk: The Verdugo Mountains are a HIGH-RISK area for wildfires. The proposed development would not only place future residents in potential danger but also exacerbate the risk of fires spreading to adjacent communities.
Habitat Destruction: The development plans for Canyon Hills would lead to the destruction of over 300 acres of biodiverse habitats. This area is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, and its loss would be irreplaceable. The environmental cost of such a project is too great to ignore, and it is our responsibility to protect these natural resources.
Given these concerns, I request that the City Council halt any further progress on the Canyon Hills development until a new EIR can be conducted. This report should take into account the current environmental challenges, including the presence of mountain lions, the increased risk of wildfires, and the potential for significant habitat destruction.
NO CANYON HILLS!
Eric Arneson, Goleta, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I’m writing to you as a lifetime resident of Los Angeles, a lover of nature, and someone who raised my kids to respect & enjoy the wonderful biodiversity of our environment.
I beseech you to deny a grading permit to Canyon Hills. We do not need more high-end housing in one of the last remaining wild areas of Los Angeles. We need the Verdugo Hills left alone so that their plants and animals stand a chance of surviving urbanization and the ongoing climate crisis.
We don’t need more development & resources being diverted to areas that are and should remain less accessible. Housing in areas with a higher likelihood of wildfire put firefighters’ lives at risk.
We need wild places for the sake of the lives that depend on it, out of respect for the original stewards of this land who knew and still know that we are not separate from nature, and to allow for all of us to recognize the wonder of the more than human world.
Do not put profit over biodiversity. Say NO to Canyon Hills.
Mary Gallo, CD13
Dear L.A. City Officials, Please say no to the Canyon Hills project. Recent fires have made this project inconceivable. During the La Tuna fire people had a hard time evacuating and some were not able to at all. Tujunga Canyon Boulevard is at full capacity and since the fire jumped the 210 freeway it was closed during the fire. Allowing this project to continue here could cost many lives in the future.
Please say no to any request for Canyon Hills to go forward.
Yvonne Johnson, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, Completing a new housing development for the ultra-rich in this sacred ecological region is an environmental catastrophe. The destruction and obliteration of this delicate ecosystem robs future generations of humans, plants and animals alike of natural beauty and priceless unaltered space. Prioritize planet preservation over opulence and greed and recognize the threat to our environment and humanity. NO CANYON HILLS. Do not allow this proposal to move forward. Do your jobs and listen to your constituents.
Ava Leupold, Ojai, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, I am writing to ask you to make an informed decision that prioritizes the safety of LA residents, as well as our native wildlife and ecology. The Canyon Hills development project is an outdated plan that would not only destroy an entire habitat comprised of vulnerable California species, it would also put those who might end up living there in a fire vulnerable location. Los Angeles needs to stand up and be a leader in conversation, sustainable initiatives and public health, safety and wellness. Conserving this land would add benefit in all those sectors. I implore you to really look at the plan, look at the out dated permits and see that the grading permit must be put on hold, and the project itself must be completely reevaluated and cancelled. We DO NOT need more luxury homes. We NEED more open wild spaces for future generations to enjoy, and for our native fauna and flora to flourish.
Sara Hamel, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, CD4
Dear L.A. City Council, Much has happened since the Canyon Hills project was approved 20 years ago. Perhaps your predecessors didn’t see the impact a project of that breadth would do to the precious open spaces of Los Angeles. That was before climate change took center stage, before unrelenting droughts, before yearly destructive fires, before floods and landslides, before we knew the consequences of our actions or inaction. Now we know and you are a new body of legislators that are now wiser than your predecessors. Please don’t turn the clock back and realize the value of our hills, ridges, open spaces, our wild critters hanging on, our needed breathing space.
Please re-evaluate the Canyon Hills and deny the project going forward and be the voice of reason and protection for a better, wiser Los Angeles.
Thank you.
Laurel Dean, San Diego, CA
Dear Binh, As an engineer please take a closer look at the land of La Tuna Canyon slated for destructive development.
As a constituent of Los Angeles, I kindly ask that you help stop the luxury gated CANYON HILLS project that looks to destroy 300 acres of pristine and biodiverse Tuna Canyon. A grading permit should not be granted. This is a very high fire zone and it is still recovering from fire scars thanks to vegetation that has slowly come back.
A priority should be creation of low to medium cost housing. Not these McMansions in nature.
This is home to La Tuna Mountain Lion and many other thousands of species.
Please say no to bulldozing nature for profits.
Thank you.
Ester Gonzalez, CD14
Dear L.A. City Officials, I live in the area that would be impacted by the proposed Canyon Hill development. The paved and developed neighborhoods nearby have many vacant lots that could be developed for housing. The open space where the development is proposed is densely populated with wildlife and should be preserved for all Angelinos as open space. I get cougars, bobcats, coyotes, and even a bear wandering through my yard. There are hawks, owls, and many other species of birds and insects. We need to preserve and protect the biodiversity and open space for everyone. Please do not allow housing development in the open space areas of the verdugos.
Thank you.
Dr. Beth F Baker, CD7
Dear L.A. City Officials, I am writing you today to ask that you withhold the grading permit for the "Canyon Hills" Development Project in the Verdugo Mountains near Sunland-Tujunga. This location is a hotspot of biodiversity in LA County and serves as an important wildlife corridor, bridging the urban sprawl between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Santa Monica Mountains. There is photographic evidence of mountain lions on the proposed site of development (something that the 20-year-old environmental impact report failed to note) along with various fully protected, rare, and endemic species of plants and animals. To allow for the destruction of untouched, pristine native chaparral and riparian habitat at this site would not only be a moral failure, but a legal failure as well. Grading the site and filling in a perennial stream would be in violation of the Federal and State Endangered Species Acts, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and the California Fish and Game Code 1602, to name a few. If the City allows for grading and development of this location, there is sufficient evidence to ensure that the City and the developer will be found in violation of state and federal regulations. This grading permit MUST be withheld. Beyond the potential legal repercussions, I hope you all can appreciate the inherit value of this site besides its potential to spin the wheels of industry. To lose such a place would be an injustice. It would be better to protect this place for generations to come.
Thank you.
Kevin Fistanic, CD11
Dear L.A. City Council, Please do not allow the verdugos to be further developed. One of the best features of LA, and what sets it apart as a major city, is the access to wild places. While much of the verdugos have already been developed there are still places that feel wild and it’s an amazing resource to have so close.
Will Carter, CD4
Dear L.A. City Council, This part of the Verdugo mountains is an incredibly diverse and important ecosystem. In particular, it is a crucial habitat for mountain lions, as evidenced by the discovery of La Tuna Puma on trail cameras in the proposed development site. Developments have severely impacted the habitat of mountain lions, which remain an at-risk species. We’ve already seen far too many mountain lions killed by cars because their habitat has been encroached upon by developments exactly like this one. If we want to preserve the future of these magnificent animals within our wonderful city and county, we need to keep their home safe. Shrinking their environment through this development would push the mountain lions even further into residential neighborhoods and highways, creating a risk both to them and to residents.
The mountain lions are just one of the many flora and fauna abundant in this area. This land is not vacant — it is populated by plants and animals that we are at risk of losing forever if this development goes through.
Please withhold the Canyon Hills grading permit and preserve this crucial part of the Verdugo mountains.
Sincerely,
Natalie Robehmed, CD14
Dear L.A. City Council, The Canyon Hills development project in the Verdugo Mountains would do devastating damage to a precious wild place in Los Angeles. We must protect such places not degrade, pollute and destroy them. I strongly urge you to not grant any grading permits for this project. That would be an unnecessary tragedy.
Noel Rhodes, CD14
Dear L.A. City Officials, Hello, my name is Nicole and I am a resident of Tujunga, in Los Angeles County. Please do not grant a grading permit for the Canyon Hills project.
We cannot unring the bell of climate change, and these homes being built in a high fire zone, destroying much needed vegetation, will put us all at risk. AND! There are protected species here.
Please don’t rely on a 20 year old EIR. That’s ridiculous.
Nicole Georges, CD7
Dear L.A. City Officials, I'm a lifelong resident of La Crescenta, and I am asking you to consider what the lands of the Verdugo Mountains mean for the community. The destructive fires in 2017 have already destroyed so much — we do not need more developments happening as our mountains are still recovering, and at the same time, still providing for our native and local plants and animals. The Verdugo Mountains give our native and local flora and fauna refuge from the bustling highway to live, rest, and thrive. Recently, another mountain lion had been discovered wandering these lands, in addition to the presence of the La Tuna Puma.
Please ask yourselves, if their home is destroyed, where will they go? If displaced, how will they get to the next place safely? Is building luxury homes for a select few really worth destroying the homes of those that already live on this land?
I urge you to deny the grading permit and reenvision the future of land stewardship and what power you hold to take part in it. If a grading permit is issued, that is one step closer to destroying their home. Join us — Say NO Canyon Hills!
Amanda Luansing, La Crescenta, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, Without a doubt, the efforts to protect and conserve 300+ acres of threatened wildlife habitat in the Verdugo Mountains: Fernandeño Tataviam and Gabrieleno Tongva land comes from people but also from a place. When changes are made there are never ending waves of impact. The impact to an environment like this one cant be quantified. If you care for the land that supports the interlocking species we all rely on for balance and environmental peace, you will reconsider before you approve building the Canyon Hills development.
We, the people of LA, stand with the land and say no to the canyon hills development. Stand with us.
Thank you.
Vivian Ponte Fritz, Los Angeles, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, The city does not need more unaffordable housing. What it does need is more wild spaces to sequester the massive amount of carbon produced by the city. Saving the Verdugo Mountains has a lot more relevance to the future health of this area than a prospective luxury housing project. Please convince us the city works for the concerns of average citizens who appreciate these natural spaces, and not solely for the interests of developers and investors.
Sincerely,
Concerned Citizen.
Zachary Schiff, Altadena, CA
Dear Monica, I’d like to request a new EIR done on the Canyon Hills project in Los Angeles. The Verdugo Mountains are a beautiful sight to see and home to MANY species of plants and animals some of which are endangered -- for example, the mountain lion. There have been many resident reports of mountain lions and bears in the area of the Verdugo Mountains. The EIR from 2003 states false information on the existence of these lions and bears. There are hardworking scientists figuring out more than the Environmental Impact Report states, I kindly ask for this new report to be done IMMEDIATELY. As you know the Whitebird Inc. company has plans to develop 200+ luxury homes on these fruitful mountains. This can be prevented by a new EIR report. Let’s protect the wildlife we have left!
Thank you.
Nevaeh Carrillo, Orange County
Dear L.A. City Officials, Dear “public servants”/politicians,
As a second generation LA Native with children who are 4th generation LA Natives I am heartbroken by the corruption, apathy, destruction and CONSTRUCTION I have seen across the city. Historic homes, bungalows, apartments and buildings are torn down to build high rise commercial and residential boxes; often plants and trees are cut down in the process. Instead of restoration and preservation being prioritized it’s capitalism that has the final say. When I look around at the development all over the city I can’t help but notice the DRAMATIC increase in the homeless population. Of course there’s a correlation. I also notice the lack of conservation efforts that I remember being part of our culture growing up here. Our city needs every bit of nature that exits to survive and THRIVE. We cannot afford to give up any more land to build housing when there is PLENTY of housing that already exists. This land can NEVER be replaced. Furthermore, anyone who can afford a home in “Canyon Hills” can live anywhere else in the world. This is irresponsible AND unacceptable. We stole this land from the indigenous people. It’s time to give it back; to the “tree people”, “animal people”, “water people” and “earth people”. It’s time to stop the desecration of the land and to do what is ethically, environmentally, and practically just.
Shelayna Kennedy, CD4
Last spring I hung a sign at the end of our driveway, which is shared by three households. The sign stated : SAVE OUR LOCAL MOUNTAINS: NO CANYON HILLS. I texted everyone to ask if this was okay, told them about the proposed development, and the movement for a new EIR. I was a bit nervous, we are all really different. Immediately they texted back: YES! We stand with you! Since then, I have joined other neighbors sharing awareness in the community of the Canyon Hills proposed development. When people hear about it they say nearly the exact thing every time: “Why would anybody do that? It makes no sense.”
Councilperson Rodriguez, I ask you as our CD7 representative, why have you not stood up for our community and called for a new Environmental Impact Report for the Canyon Hills development site? Why have you not used your voice to say the Canyon Hills Development is NOT in the interest of District 7 and greater Los Angeles?
I eagerly await your action to speak for our community and our city: No Canyon Hills.
Respectfully,
Christian Kasperkovitz, CD7
Dear L.A. City Officials, I am a 10 year Burbank resident and an avid hiker/biker and outdoor enthusiast. My family and I cherish every aspect of the Verdugos: from the stunning visual landmark to the amazing trails that we frequent literally every weekend. We have chosen to remain residents in Burbank even though we both commute very far for our jobs because of these hills and the beauty they add to our lives. Diminishing any piece of their majesty with building of any kind would be a travesty and would rob so many of their peaceful retreat.
Please reconsider developing these hills.
Respectfully,
Grace Chochola, Burbank, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I am writing to provide my input concerning the grading permit for the Canyon Hills project at 7000 La Tuna Canyon Road.
I've lived in Southern California for nearly 20 years and in Glendale for ten years. Part of the beauty SoCal has to offer are the surrounding mountain regions, trees, wildlife, and hiking trails. I love that we are a standout state that cares about what happens to the future of our earth.
I think we should work to preserve such areas as the Verdugo Mountains. Not do the exact opposite that directly affects our land's preservation.
Moving forward with building luxury housing in cherished areas of nature is not the right thing to do. To do so, presents additional wildfire risk, puts wildlife in jeopardy, and will compromise our ecosystem even more.
Recently the presence of two mountain lions have been confirmed in the Project area. This means the preservation of the land at 7000 La Tuna Canyon Road is a significant factor in supporting a vulnerable and important species in our native landscape.
Please listen to our concerns and do what's right.
Thank you.
Annie Blanco, Glendale, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, No Canyon Hills is working tirelessly to preserve the Verdugo mountains vital habitat. Please help to save this land from harmful, destructive development.
Jill Abatemarco, CD2
Dear L.A. City Council, I'm writing to encourage you, ask you, plead with you, to cancel the Canyon Hills project. We're already seeing devastating climate change around the world and in our area. All is not lost! Preserving our natural resources is the most important factor in protecting our planet and our lives. Canceling the Canyon Hills project is a first step, which must be followed by even greater change in the way we manage our mountains and open spaces.
When I moved to the Los Angeles area in 1988, the mountains were just minutes away from my apartment in North Hollywood. But I couldn't see them from my window because of smog. Now, I can look out my window in Pasadena and see the mountains every day.
We CAN make positive changes. We CAN make things better.
What will the future be? You obviously care about LA enough to work as hard as you do on the City Council. What will your legacy be? I encourage you to take us ALL into account, not just developers, and envision a beautiful Los Angeles of the future, surrounded by a healthy ecosystem, with our beautiful mountains and a clear, blue sky.
Petrea Sandel, Pasadena, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I am writing to ask that you ensure no grading permit is issued for the Canyon Hills development. This is a doomed project—these houses will be uninsurable, threatened by wildfires. They pose a threat to human life and must not be allowed to continue. There is clear evidence of endangered species living on the land, as well as video proof of a potential breeding pair of mountain lions in the area. Grading the land would crush any life that lives underneath the soil. Continuing to carve into Los Angeles’s dwindling pieces of untouched land is deeply irresponsible. It violates the trust that angelenos place in their local government to hold their lives and futures above moneyed interests, real estate developers who have no motivation to protect this land for posterity, and who disrespect us all by creating a fire risk that we simply cannot afford. Again I am asking you, please do not approve the grading permit for the Canyon Hills development.
Thank you.
Emilia Bartelheim, Glendale, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, Please consider the NCH mission statement. Take the side of wildlife and biodiversity over destructive urban sprawl.
“Today, as we face unprecedented biodiversity loss, climate-related catastrophe and cultural dispossession, we must say no to a project like ‘Canyon Hills’ that harms far more than it heals; that devalues (destroys) life in favor of profit.” Heed these words! The ecological integrity of your region is under threat. Please care for the land, think of generations to come. Protect the remains of wildlife biodiversity in your area!
Jazmen Yoder, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, In 100 years, when every hillside has become a driveway and this land has been stripped of its soul, do you think your decedents will look upon it and exclaim “Ah, yes. This was all worth it.”
Or, do you think they will wonder why their grandparents chose profit over lilies? Cul-de-sacs over oak trees? Bulldozers over bumblebees?
*•*•*•*•*
I’d like to leave you with a quote from environmental activist, Julia Butterfly Hill:
“Every moment brings a choice; every choice has an impact.”
Monica, Vince, Binh, Maya — what impact do your choices make?
Cassie Ferrick, Glendale, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, I oppose the Verdugo mountain development project Canyon Hills, which will further degrade and destroy what little wild space we have left. We have been afforded the privilege of enjoying this landscape along side thousands of wild animals and place that call it home. Habitat and critical ecosystem are reduced, further threatening already endangered flora and fauna and the biodiversity necessitated for their survival.
Please ensure that this project does NOT move forward. At absolute worst case, please see to it that NO grading permit is issued.
Thank you.
Elena Tillman, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I am writing to express my concern regarding the proposed Canyon Hills development project and its potential impact on the precious ecosystem of the Verdugo Mountains. As a resident of Los Angeles, I urge you to take immediate action to prevent the issuance of a grading permit for this project and to prioritize the conservation of the Verdugo Mountains.
The Verdugo Mountains are not only a historically cherished resource of the Tongva people but also a vital habitat for diverse wildlife and plant species. They provide essential ecological functions for Los Angeles, such as clean air and water, and recreational opportunities. Any development in this area threatens to irreversibly harm this delicate ecosystem and diminish the quality of life for current and future generations.
Instead of prioritizing short-term gains, I urge the City Council to prioritize long-term sustainability and environmental stewardship by rejecting the grading permit for the Canyon Hills development. Instead, let us focus our efforts on preserving and enhancing the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Verdugo Mountains for the benefit of all.
I urge you to listen to the voices of concerned residents and environmental advocates and to act in the best interest of our city and its natural resources. Together, we can ensure that the Verdugo Mountains remain a pristine wilderness area for generations to come.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Luke Duncan, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, Please deny this grading permit. This project is clearly a bad idea both functionally and politically. Do the right thing and serve the greater good.
Nichole Wood, LA County, CA
Dear Vince, I’m writing to you as a lifetime resident of Los Angeles and a nature lover. I am writing to you today to deny the grading permit to Canyon Hills. We need to leave the Verdugo hills as it is. We don’t need any more development in an area where wildfires are common. There are millions of plants, species that live there. Do the right thing and deny the permits.
Magali Le Gaspe, Burbank, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, My name is Dr Cynthia Quezada. I am a veterinarian and have lived in Los Angeles my entire life. Growing up in the heavily industrialized Wilmington area, one of my most pleasant early memories was visiting local open green spaces. The contrast between the chaotic noisy hurried environment I was used to and the peaceful time I spent out in nature was so welcome. Many of these spaces have since been developed. Little remains of their previous splendor.
Unfortunately, as our ever evolving city expands and grows, too many of these precarious spaces have disappeared. Our native flora and fuana has been driven to the brink. Once our open spaces are gone they are gone forever. Taking with them the plants and animals that are not just synonymous with our great city but also a part of our heritage. Coastal oaks once covered our hills. The California Grizzly that adorns our state flag is now extinct. Our celebrity cougar P-22 managed to survive isolated in Griffith Park. Until he too succumbed to the hazards of our busy metropolis.
This brings me to another island of refuge for wildlife in our city, the Verdugo Mountains. Which is now threatened by development. This will not only negatively impact the local environment and its residents but would also destroy an important wildlife corridor. Every time one of our few islands of open space is destroyed, it further isolates the remaining patchwork of habitat. Please help us protect the Verdugos and our city’s legacy.
Cynthia Quezada, Inglewood, CA
Dear L.A. City Officals, The grading and development required to complete this project will be entirely devastating for ecology of the verdugo mountains, which are an important habitat within the greater Los Angeles area. It’s vital that we protect the natural resources that make Southern California an attractive place to live, not only for humans but also for the flora and fauna that make this place so special. If we don’t set boundaries and protections in place, we are at risk of losing some of our greatest assets.
Kara Holekamp, CD1
Dear L.A. City Council, I am an avid cyclist and hiker who frequently spends time in the Verdugo Mountains. They are a treasure that must be conserved for the biodiversity that lives there and for future generations of Angelenos to appreciate the wild areas so near to our cities. We do not need another luxury development scaring the delicate and disappearing wilderness of LA County.
Thank you for your time.
Jonathan Straus, Burbank, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, Please deny the grading permit for Canyon Hills and prevent urban sprawl from destroying the wild and scenic habitat in the Verdugo Hills, which supports special status species, including mountain lion, Crotch's bumblebee, Davidson's bush-mallow, San Gabriel oak, Plummer's mariposa lily and ocellated Humboldt lily. The proposed development is located in a Very High Fire Severity Zone, which would put future residents in harm's way and prevent them from obtaining fire insurance. It contradicts many of the targets listed in L.A.'s Green New Deal Sustainability Plan 2019 in regards to vehicle miles traveled (VMT), affordable housing near transit hubs and 'no-net loss' of native biodiversity. The obsolete environmental impact report from 2005 fails to address the cumulative impacts brought about by habitat loss, species decline, frequent catastrophic wildfires, traffic congestion and pollution. Please assist the community in its effort to acquire and preserve this biologically diverse natural area for everyone's benefit. Thank you for your consideration.
Joel Robinson, City of Orange, CA
Dear L.A. City Officials, As a homeowner in Tujunga and frequent visitor to the La Tuna Canyon wilderness area, I urge you to oppose the Canyon Hills development project.
The extreme fire risk, additional traffic, as well as damage to one of the only wild areas left in the middle of LA home to multiple mountain lions, make this a no brainer for me.
Let the rich people find somewhere else to live.
Please require a new Environmental Impact Report.
Alexander Brayman, CD7
Dear Maya, Maya Zaitzevsky, I found your name on a list from No Canyon Hills. It says that you are the Principal L.A. City Planner in the office of Zoning Administration. I typically appeal through metaphor, but a quick search of your name discourages me from pleading poetics.
There is not a havoc that can be wreaked on native plants or valley plunged into dirt or a Puma’s home destroyed that will go unnoticed, Maya. A coalition is tracking the way the juice drips from your hands. A firefighter once told me, “if it’s predictable, it’s preventable”. You must also realize this development will one day burn in the path of wildfire?
Lately, on my lunch breaks I sit in the community garden on my block and watch bees feast on every flower. I wonder when our consumption became interwoven with violence.
Ali Giordani, CD13
Dear Vince, I write in regard to the proposed “Canyon Hills Project” in the Verdugo Mountains.
I have nothing to say that has not been said more eloquently by the scores of Southern Californians who have previously written to express their deep concern about the proposed Canyon Hills development and its potentially devastating effect on an already desperately precarious ecosystem. I have nothing to say, but everything to feel. I feel fear for the survival of California’s delicate ecosystems. I feel fear for the future of our green spaces. I feel compassion for the protected and special status species proven to inhabit the proposed site - the mountain lions and the oaks, the bees and the lilies. I feel anger and frustration that the voices of the so many people seem to carry less weight than the money of one rich developer. And I feel hope that my tiny little message of fear and anger and compassion might add to all the more eloquent voices that have already spoken and will move you to do the right thing - to withhold a grading permit to the Canyon Hills Project.
Thank you for your time,
Will Sheff, CD13
Devlin Gandy, Ojai, CA
Dear Vince, I am writing to you as the person who is charged with developing policies that shape the future of our city and guides development decisions.
I am writing to request you deny the grading permit for the Canyon Hills project at 7000 La Tuna Canyon Road. The Canyon Hills parcel represents an irreplaceable piece of connectivity for the biological and environmental health of our city. Creating luxury housing for a few is hardly a compensation for such a vital piece of land.
The Canyon Hills site is a key piece of landscape ensuring for LA:
+ cooler, cleaner air;
+ better water filtration and sequestration;
+a less costly fire regimen;
+ support for the exceptional biodiversity that is unique to our city and a vital part of our physical and mental health;
+ boundless education and hope possibilities for our youth...
Recently the presence of two mountain lions have been confirmed in the Project area. This means the preservation of the land at 7000 La Tuna Canyon Road is a significant factor in supporting a vulnerable and important species in our native landscape.
The proposed development’s location at the edge of the Verdugos is critical. Sitting between the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains, the Verdugos may not be geographically large, but what they do for the viability of LA's mountain lions, floristic diversity, support of rare insects, and in creating CONNECTIVITY is immeasurable. To lose a part of them makes an outsized impact. In fact, the modest scale of the range makes their importance all the more pivotal. As The Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy put it in a letter to City Planning last year, “The wholesale ecological viability of the Verdugo Mountains ecosystem is at stake” were a permit to grade be approved.
I strongly urge you to stand for the future of our city and deny the grading permit for the Canyon Hills development.
Respectfully,
Christian Kasperkovitz, CD7
Dear L.A. City Officials, We do not need another development for the rich. We need to preserve our wildlife, biodiversity, and planet. Focus on more important projects like bringing affordable housing to our cities.
Sasha Burik, CD5
Dear L.A. City Officials, I have lived in Sunland since 2003. Often I've driven through the Verdugo Hills, taken walks in the natural scenery, never thinking such rugged terrain, full of native flora and fauna, would be destroyed by yet another group of profiteers, to make exclusive homes for a select few.
We hike this area. Endangered animals and plants make this their home - the last bit in this urban sprawl we call Los Angeles. A development will put homes right in the middle of one of the most fire-prown areas - remember the destructive fires of the last decade, only getting worse with climate change effects.
Until official investigations and conservation solutions are worked out, it is vital to ensure NO GRADING PERMIT is issued for this unconscionable project. Conserving this land and its local heritage is the priority of local residents, but not without addressing the legislative channels and bureaucratic loopholes that allow a project such as this to receive a greenlight in the first place.
We are calling for SYSTEMIC CHANGE as well as IMMEDIATE HABITAT CONSERVATION.
I have not failed to notice the elected officials who've kept silent or dragged their feet - passively allowing development to proceed.
Thank you for your time.
Victor Ortiz, CD7
Dear L.A. City Council, I'm writing as a wildlife researcher focused on connectivity between the San Gabriel mountains and the smaller ranges of the Verdugos and San Rafaels. The area proposed for the Canyon Hills Development sits directly on top of what has been identified as the best (and possibly only) viable option for wildlife movement through this area. The data is current and widely available, and as such cannot be ignored. Aside from multiple other reasons to delay or deny the project (high fire danger, overcrowding and traffic concerns), the ecological damage Canyon Hills would cause would be permanently devastating.
The Council simply cannot claim "we didn't know" at this point.
Johanna Turner, CD3
Dear L.A. City Officials, The grading permit for Canyon Hills is based off of extremely inaccurate and outdated data. Destroying this ecosystem would be an absolute tragedy and would have a major impact on countless native species, including legally protected species. Projects like this only make our communities worse. It is not fixing the housing crisis we are in, and it is contributing to the mass extinction event we are currently living through. I have lived here my entire life and it disgusts me to see how much has been destroyed just in the 25 years that I’ve been alive, while the housing crisis has only gotten worse.
Patrick Dyer, Pasadena, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, 2023 was the warmest year on planet earth. Here’s the thing: there is only one planet Earth, just as there is only one Los Angeles.
It has come to my attention that it is within your power to make significant decisions regarding the proposed development ‘Canyon Hills’ in the Verdugo Mountains.
As a parent raising my kids in Los Angeles County, I am extremely proud of the fact that while we are a world-class city there is significant effort by many incredible organizations: non-profits, museums & botanical gardens, research institutions, outdoor educators and community organizers who prioritize and promote the role of trees, nature and biodiversity unique to LA. It is these trees, these mountains, these habitats that support the quality of life that Los Angeles County residents enjoy. Nature is healing. Nature is infinite and we need to preserve all we can at this seminal moment in human history.
I urge you to halt permitting for Canyon Hills.
Please prioritize this critically important biodiverse habitat that benefits all of us living in the LA basin the way it is now — wild, natural, carbon-sequestering, and full of life.
Think of P-22’s global impact and legacy. Protecting the territory of two potentially breeding mountain lions is an incredible opportunity for wildlife and nature conservation. I urge you to do the morally just thing. The Verdugo Mountains are an infinitely generative resource to Los Angelenos as they are. Development would be disaster.
NO Canyon Hills.
Kelsy Wakefield, Pasadena, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I am writing to you as an advocate to oppose the Verdugo mountain development project known as "Canyon Hills". I have lived in the Los Angeles metro area for a decade now, with eight of those years in Silver Lake.
There is a multitude of reasons why this development should not happen. The assertions and assumptions of the original EIR (2003) were deeply flawed, viewing the Verdugos as an island with "no regional connectivity" and claiming that mountain lions were not present. These claims are demonstrably false. There is an abundance of documented mountain lion evidence, most notably from trail cameras. It is also well documented to be the home of the endangered Bombus crotchii, which is a CESA candidate. Development risks the future of these species and will negatively impact everyone else who calls the area home.
The area is a high fire risk area, with recent and intense nearby burns. What is the point of building housing that's going to keep burning down?
It is also an example of poor urban planning. Luxury sprawl developments don't alleviate the crisis of affordable housing. By continuing to contribute to the sprawl of LA, we further lock ourselves into a carbon intensive way of life. New housing must be affordable, built near transit hubs and should be examples of building de-carbonization.
Given these concerns, I implore you to not allow this development to proceed.
Say NO to Canyon Hills!
Adam Resnick, CD13
Dear L.A. City Council, Hello,
I am a licensed Landscape Architect practicing in Los Angeles and the greater Southern California region. My practice requires my participation with projects of all scales and typologies, and I have a great respect for the thoroughness of California’s permit review process. It has always been my understanding that the strict enforcement of code review here represents the State’s high bar and progressive leadership with environmental protections. I am happy to defend the often lengthy process to my clients in favor of supporting a culture of enduring solutions.
Advocates for the protection of Canyon Hills, of which I include myself, are calling for your scrutiny and withholding of a grading permit in advance of large scale impacts that cannot be reversed. Critical wildlife presence and ecological value has been identified in the area which cannot be traded for any purpose.
I understand the need for development generally, though let it be in areas where development patterns are already established rather than in the region’s exceptional and limited open spaces. Many of us are also concerned with issues regarding the provision of adequate housing in LA and would love to support development proposals that address our neighborhood communities who are struggling to maintain rising rental demands, which is not this proposed project.
Diligence in the consideration of this and all Open Space proposals is imperative to our collaborative roles in stewardship. Please understand our growing concern, and support our advocacy for “no canyon hills”.
Katy Foley, CD13
Dear L.A. City Officials, Puma concolor, Bombus crotchii, Malacothamnus davidsonii.
All protected species all found within the project site.
Subsequent EIR now!
Devon Christian, Glendale, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I grew up in Long Beach and currently live in Berkeley, CA. My uncle, Howard Towner, was one of the scientists behind the recognition of and ultimate preservation of the Ballona Wetlands. Standing at the wetlands, watching the migratory birds, one can see and feel the crucial importance of habitat preservation. We don't need to push further into wild lands. We don't need to fragment more habitat. I urge you to withhold the grading permit. Don't make an irrevocable mistake. It is your job to make decisions for the future. We can't be shortsighted. Work today to preserve tomorrow.
Arvel Hernandez, Long Beach, CA
Dear L.A. City Council, I’d like to see the City prioritize the amazing biodiversity and ecologies of my home. The Canyon Hills development site is full of life year-round and acts as a vital linkage between different habitats, important enough to be included in the 2023 Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act boundary.
Connectivity is just as important for the life already there as it would be for residents of the development. The area has burned three times since the project approval. With only one proposed road in and out of the community I think this project is too negligent and dangerous to go forth.
Also imperiled by this development are mountain lions and CESA-candidate Bombus crotchii which are now well documented at the Canyon Hills development site, significant findings that were not present in the 2003 Canyon Hills EIR. I think CEQA and CESA protections necessitate a new EIR and the City withholding a grading permit to the developer.
LA can do more to protect biodiversity in and around the city; halting this irresponsible development is critical.
Adam Gelbart, CD5
Dear L.A. City Council, I implore you to ensure no grading permit is issued for the Canyon Hills development. The ecological impact from developing these 300 acres of land would be devastating.
The LA area is 1 of 36 global biodiversity hotspots and it's a big reason why this area is so beloved by locals and visitors alike. At the same time we are facing massive losses of biodiversity due to development and climate change, and we must do everything we can to protect what little have left.
The proposed ‘Canyon Hills’ development represents both a direct impact to local species and habitat (by outright destruction of intact native scrub and woodland), as well as an indirect impact by the elimination of the wildlife passage under the 210 Freeway.
On top of that it is economically irresponsible to expend resources on building unsafe, unaffordable and uninsurable homes in a wildfire zone. We urgently need affordable housing that improves our resiliency climate change. This project is not it.
Please listen to the concerns of your constituents and make the ethical and responsible decision to stop the grading permit.
Amanda Downey, CD13
Dear L.A. City Council, Thank you for your time and service.
As a resident of La Crescenta (neighboring the Verdugo Mountains) who cares about improving public health outcomes for all, I am writing to strongly urge you to DENY the grading permit for the Canyon Hills development.
We live in a time where every effort to preserve in-tact wild spaces is critical to the health of our region’s land, people, plants, and animals. While in the past it may have been the norm to bulldoze natural ecosystems to pave the way for the building of our urban cities, we know now that doing so weakens our very own ability to withstand forces of nature. That’s why we see: more intense wildfires, floods, erosion, and other natural disasters.
As a mother of a 14-month old boy, I am becoming more and more aware of the downsides of destroying precious ecosystems. I want my son to be able to have a chance to enjoy the natural wonders that this land has to offer. There are many creative ways to build housing for all, like: repurposing old and existing buildings, modifying city codes and parking minimums, building more efficient public transportation, popularizing 15-minute cities, among other solutions.
Again, I urge you to DENY the grading permit for the Canyon Hills development. The future of our children and the life in the Verdugos depends on this important decision. Feel free to reach out - I look forward to discussing this important matter with you.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Ho, La Crescenta