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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Officials Speak at Chamber Breakfast; Bamattre a No-Show

A morning breakfast meeting sponsored by the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber of Commerce brought out about 100 people to hear a slate of city, county and regional officials talk about the state of the communities of the northwestern Valley and a brief discussion about the recent controversy surrounding the Los Angeles Fire Department. The two-hour event, at The Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills, also featured one of the first appearances of city Planning Director Gail Goldberg in front of a large Valley crowd. Goldberg took over the position nine months ago and said she is focusing on reforming the department, which last October was the subject of a stinging audit by City Controller Laura Chick. Goldberg said the department has focused on long-term planning and started eight new community plans, including in Sylmar and Granada Hills, with plans to add four more next year. The department is also working on streamlining the entitlement process, she said. “We have not done real planning in this city,” Goldberg said. “I think the missing piece in Los Angeles is urban design.” Richard Hunt, the general manager of San Fernando Valley region for the MTA, also spoke about transportation issues and the success of the Orange Line busway that opened last year. Hunt also said the transportation agency has purchased 35 new articulated buses, 17 of which will serve Van Nuys Boulevard starting Dec. 17. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca also talked about policing the Antelope Valley, where the population has exploded in recent years. “It is the last frontier that’s left,” he said, adding later that the sheriff’s epartment has focused on new training to keep its force educated. “There must be this idea that you develop people to do the best they can do,” he said. Other speakers were State Assembly members Lloyd Levine and Audra Strickland, County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Sean Kane and city Fire Department Capt. Tim Manning. The event was to include Los Angeles Fire Department Chief William Bamattre, who is embroiled in a cloud of controversy over how his department handled a reported hazing incident. The latest case came to light after a 2004 incident in which a black firefighter’s spaghetti sauce was laced with dog food in a firehouse prank. The firefighter, Tennie Pierce, sued the city alleging the hoax was racially motivated and amounted to harassment. The Los Angeles City Council agreed to settle the case out of court for $2.7 million, only to reverse course after photos surfaced showing Pierce participating in similar pranks, prompting Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to veto the settlement. The incident touched off a wave of protests about the alleged racial insensitivity of the department, which Bamattre has helmed since 1995. In light of the controversy, Bamattre canceled his appearance at the breakfast event yesterday. The mayor’s office this afternoon confirmed that Bamattre would be announcing his retirement at 3 p.m. today. This morning, though, the only reference to Bamattre during the breakfast came in a brief comment from Valley City Councilman Greig Smith, one of 11 council members who originally voted to settle with Pierce out of court. (He later changed sides after the photos came to light.) Upon taking the dais to address the crowd, Smith turned and said with a chuckle, “I don’t want to complain, but somebody put dog food in my eggs.” The comment, which initially drew small amounts of nervous laughter, visibly stunned some audience members. In a question-and-answer session, Smith told the crowd that he felt Bamattre had been unfairly blamed for the Fire Department problems. He also said the city had not given the captain enough support to address the issues. “He asked for the resources and didn’t get them,” Smith said. If Bamattre does step down, Smith said the city should look nationally for a replacement, “like we did with Bill Bratton,” the LAPD Chief hired in 2002 after a successful crime-fighting career in New York City and Boston. “We need a leader who’s going to say ‘enough is enough’,” Smith said. “Somebody that’s very strong.” Chamber Executive Director Nanette Phelan said Bamattre canceled early Wednesday. Despite the no-show, she said the event came off without a hitch. “It offers access like no where else to officials,” she said. “It’s just a broad spectrum that benefited from this.”

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