Grace E.

Simons, Chairman

No. 51. POLICE LANDGRAB SET FOR COURT TEST

November 30, 1972

1ffi LOST at the polls. 1fe now turn once more to the courts. We filed suit Nov. 22 asking that the transfer of 21 acres from Elysian Park for use as a Police Academy, as approved by the voters Nov. 7, be declared void. The case is set for hearing Thursday, Dec. 28, at 9 a.m., in Dept. 65 of the Superior Court (County Courthouse). THE SUIT, listing five Citizens Committee members as plaintiffs, seeks declaratory relief, a temporary injunction and a court order calling upon the Police Department to cease training recruits in Elysian Park uithin a "reasonable" time. "Reasonable" is construed as not more than three years. Causes of action are: (1) violation of the City Charter; (2) and (3) violations of Federal and State Envirorunental Quality Acts; and (4) violation of the State Park Protection Act of 1971. THE PURPOSE of the 1971 la,., according to its author, Assemblyman Alan Sieroty, l1as "to prevent the reduction of public park land throughout the State of California" and to inhibit its transfer to other agencies for non-park purposes. In this instance, procedures detailed in this and the other relevant statutes were ignored. COURT ACTION is costly. The Proposition "U" campaign left our treasury as bare as the cupboard of Old Mother Hubbard. In fact, ue had to borrol1 money to initiate the court test. But lack of money cannot keep us from doing l1hat must be done. 1/e started our first battle to save Elysian Park from a trade shou/convention center with a borroued $500. What 11e did then, ue can do now. We'll find the means. There is no other nay, if Elysian Park is to be preserved. ENJOY CHINESE GOURMET BANQUET JANUARY 27 ONE ENJOYABLE WAY to help our ailing treasury is to attend our 10course, gourmet Chinese banquet Saturday evening, Jan. 27, 1973. Seafood specialties, not available in summer months, l1ill be added to Peking Duck and other delectables. Social hour at 6 p.m.; Dinner at 7. TO SIT 1HTH FRIENDS, please send in your checks together, 10 to a table, $10 per person. Organizations may l1ish to reserve one or more tables. Chinese banquets are prepared in multiples of 10, so 're regret ue cannot accept late reservations. Checks .should be made out to the Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park, and sent to Marion Siu, 1471 Avon Park Terrace, L.A. 90026, not later than Jan. 15. (Telephone: NO 1-3373). Come, join nith us, enjoy yourself, and help uin the battle to save Elysian Park! VOTE TO SAVE PARKUNEXPECTEDLY HIGH IN THE ERA of the uell-financed lie, a victory at the polls against Proposition "U" uould have been little short of a miracle. We were pitted in unequal contest against the combined pouer of the Mayor, the Police Chief and eight City Councilmen, all of whom betrayed their trust. They are sworn to uphold the City Charter. Instead, they ganged up to subvert it, and steal a park. UHAT IS SURPRISING is not that ue lost, but rather that in a campaign of less than three months ~e rolled up a vote of 431,345, or 46 per cent, to 514,852 for our opponents. IHth nearly a million votes cast, "e failed by only 83,507. The impressive "NO" vote ~as due, in large measure, to the exceptional cooperation of many organizations and individuals. The pity of it is that, uith lb:dted resources, ue could not reach the majority of the voters. As a reminder, the eight Councilmen uho approved the give-avay uere: Councilmen Bernardi, Ferraro, Gibson, Lindsay, Mills; Nouell, 1/achs and Wilkinson. Councilman 11achs cast the "suing" vote. He si'ded uith the park-destroyers. ELYSIAN PARK VIEIIS -- CARDS YOU'RE PROUD TO SEND BY THE DOZEN -- One of our friends sent in for a package of Elysian Park cards -then came back for 20 dozen more. Park vieus .are on the front cover, a Don Figge poem on the back, with center pages blank for a personal message for Christmas or other occasions. We ask $1.50 donation for 12 cards and envelopes. TELL THE PRESIDENT A 35,000-ACRE National Urban Park in the Santa Monica Mountains can become a reality, if Pres. Nixon uill give White House priority to legislation already introduced in Congress. You can help him make up his mind, if you will have the enclosed petition from the Friends of the Santa Monica M<:>untains 0 Parks filled out and :;:-eturned.

CITIZENS COMMITTEE TO SAVE ELYSIAN PARK 1672 Morton Ave., Los Ange!es, Calif. 90026 I MA 5-8427 THEY PLAY GAMES \liTH THE ENVIRONMENT IT's ENOUGH to make a saint cynical. The special interests and the politicians uho serve them seem to be telling us something about their "concern" for the world ue live in. Here's uhat comes through: "lJe'll obey the lav if it suits us. If not, ue'll ignore it, sabotage it or, if necessary, change it." The attempted Police take-over in Elysian Park is Exhibit No. 1. Exhibit No. 2 is the equally shameful scheme in Sacramento to take the teeth out of the California Environmental Quality Act. NOWELL TO 'GUARD' COASTLINE -- for vhom? Exhibits No. 3 and 4 involve efforts to gut the Coast Initiative approved by the voters. Council President John s. Gibson, Jr., appointed Councilman Louis Nouell, an open opponent of the measure, as the City's representative on the Regional Commission to protect the coastline, vhile ouners and developers have filed a 509 BILLION -- yes, BILLION -- dollar damage suit against the State. Nouell was one of those uho called the Coast Initiative a "sure step to economic disaster." Nowell and Gibson both voted to dismember Elysian Park. FERRARO THE 'GUARDIAN' OF ELYSIAN PARK -- Councilman John Ferraro, former Police Commission president, 11as the chief promoter in the City Council of the Police landgrab in Elysian Park, Proposition "U". In the recent gerrymandering to equalize the number of people represented by each councilman, Elysian Park, vith zero population, 11as shifted to his district. We uonder uhy.

GOURMET CHINESE BANQUET, $10 per person ELYSIAN PARK CARDS, pkg. 12 cards, donation $1.50 DONATION FOR COURT CASE MEMBERSHIP ($1)~ Name Address Zip Code

$_______ $_______ $________ $________

Phone

IsAVE

ELYSIAf'i PARK

gourmet Chinese banquet January 27

Bulk Rate Postage Paid Los Angeles, Calif. Permit No. 30167

u.s.

DATED MATERIAL