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Please consider a tax-deductible donation to V.O.I.C.E. on behalf of efforts to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. You can donate online via Pay Pal. Just click the "Donate' button.

Or you can mail your tax-deductible donation to: V.O.I.C.E., P.O. Box 273, Montrose, CA 91021





Check out Eric Noland's article, "Storm Water Project Could Save Golf Course", available for viewing on the magazine site [pg.9]. Or in pdf format at SaveTheGolfCourse.Org.



Councilmember
Paul Krekorian's
October 18
Statement

“I will continue the fight to retain the Verdugo Hills Golf Course in its current state and press to keep it open to preserve much-needed green space in our community. That is why I have convened a working group of dedicated city staff members and departments, including the city’s Office of Chief Legislative Analyst, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and the Department of Recreation and Parks to explore all options to find funding to acquire the golf course, giving us all peace of mind once and for all.”

View the entire statement.

Play VHGC!

Grab your clubs, a couple of friends, and head on over to the VHGC for 9 or 18 holes of golf, or make a little time for some practice on the driving range. The VHGC is open evenings.

Visit Play VHGC! for basic information about the course, including prices, phone number and even an indepth review of the course.




AB 212 & the Verdugo Hills Golf Course

"This was a truly bad bill, in every sense of the word."
Los Angeles Daily News Editorial, June 9, 2008

A 2008 state zoning ordinance bill tailored to benefit MWH Development, could have provided the developer the zoning changes necessary for the proposed 229 unit housing development. The Los Angeles City Council, led by Councilmember Wendy Greuel, opposed the bill, which was eventually pulled by its sponsor, State Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes.

Read on for information about how this bill evolved and how it was stopped.



Special thanks to V.O.I.C.E. for providing webspace for the Save the Golf Course effort.

Saving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course property is one of V.O.I.C.E.'s current projects.

V.O.I.C.E.

Contact

Phone

(818) 249-0900

Fax

(661) 250-2008

Email

gcvoice@gcvoice.org
















What's Next with Prop O?


From the November 23rd eBlast:  The Bureau of Sanitation, which oversees Prop O projects, is currently conducting an indepth review of the Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project. As you may remember L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian proposed the VHGC for Prop O consideration this past May.

We anticipate the report will be presented to the Citizens Oversight Advisory Committee [COAC] and Administrative Oversight Committee [AOC] at their December or January meetings. If approved by both committees, the AOC will place the project in line for funding, pending resolutions of any special requirements set by the committees, as well as the availability of funds.

At the appropriate time, we will ask members of the community, community organizations, and elected officials to let Councilmember Krekorian, the Bureau of Sanitation, and the Los Angeles City Council know that they support Prop O funding for the Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project. We believe that overwhelming support from the community could help ensure that the Verdugo Hills Golf Course receives Prop O funding and is preserved for future generations.




Krekorian Outlines Prop O Plan to Save
the Verdugo Hills Golf Course


On Monday evening, July 18, community members gathered at the North Valley City Hall Auditorium to hear Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian's proposal for preserving the historic Verdugo Hills Golf Course.

Sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council’s Land Use Committee, the evening began with a ten-minute presentation by the Councilmember outlining his history of water-related activities while serving as a member of the State Assembly.

While emphasizing that nothing is certain at this point, he then addressed his nomination of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course as a candidate for Proposition O funds. Krekorian emphasized that if approved the Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project would clearly be a 'win-win': improving water reclamation, diminishing pollutants while preserving open space and recreation.

Proposition O is the bond measure passed by the voters of the City of Los Angeles in 2004 to protect the public health by cleaning up pollution, including bacteria and trash, in the City’s watercourses, beaches, and the ocean. In addition, Prop. O seeks to fund projects that will protect water quality, provide flood protection, and increase water conservation, habitat protection, and open space.

Following a series of questions to the Councilmember, V.O.I.C.E. President Richard Toyon provided a PowerPoint presentation which outlined the history of the golf course, the Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project proposed by the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Sanitation, and how that project meets the various criteria for Prop. O funding.

Key to the presentation was V.O.I.C.E.’s Verdugo Hills Golf Course and Regional Park Plan that was introduced to the public in 2008. The Plan, designed by Toyon, envisions a sustainable golf course based on the principles of Audubon International’s Signature Program. It includes features for storm water capture, ground water recharge, and water quality improvements.

The V.O.I.C.E. plan provided the basis for the Bureau of Sanitation’s Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project, but the Bureau’s plan adds significant enhancements including an 82,000 square foot bio-filtration area near the Blanchard Flood Control Channel and a 22.3 acre foot subsurface storage facility for water re-use at the golf course or for infiltration into the aquifer.

We ask that you let the Councilmember know you support the use of Proposition O funds to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. Let him know you agree that the VHGC is an excellent candidate for this kind of program.

You can email Councilman Krekorian at:
councilmember.krekorian@lacity. org
Please also copy:
Damian.Carroll@lacity.org
info@savethegolfcourse.org


Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project


Portion of Regional Park drawing showing the golf course itself.  Click 

image for more information. Partial View of "Verdugo Hills Golf Course & Regional Park"
Designed by Richard Toyon, 2008


Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project, which is being evaluated for Prop O funding, builds upon the Regional Park Plan with additional water elements to enhance storm water recapture and reduction of pollutants.

For example, the Storm Water Project would include sub-surface storage capacity while retaining important recreational benefits such as the golf course/driving range and hiking trails.

Verdugo Hills Storm Water Project builds upon the Regional Park 

Plan designed by Richard Toyon in 2008






Proposition O is the bond measure passed by the voters of Los Angeles in 2004 that funds projects to clean up pollution in the City’s watercourses, beaches, and the ocean. Councilmember Krekorian has proposed two potential new projects for Proposition O funding: the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and the Studio City Golf and Tennis Center.

While nothing is certain at this point, this is a small positive step in the fight to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. We thank Councilmember Krekorian for his continued support for preserving this historic recreational resource and his efforts to accomplish that task.


To find out more about Prop O, its projects and its long range benefits, visit the Proposition O website. You can find out about the criteria for Prop O funding, as well as view some of the projects that were approved for funding, such as Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles Zoo Parking Lot, and the South Los Angeles Wetland Park Project. It's well worth checking out.





VHGC & Prop O in the News


Prop O Funds Looked At for VHGC",
Jason Kurosu, Crescenta Valley Weekly,
June 2, 2011

"New game on for two courses",
by Dana Bartholomew, Los Angeles Daily News,
May 28, 2011

StudioCityPatch: Krekorian Pushes for Prop O Funds





Envisioning a Regional Park
While We Wait for the FEIR

Preserving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course is MORE than saving just the existing golf course. The extended property of the VHGC provides space for additional forms of recreation for local residents. The Verdugo Hills Golf Course & Regional Park could become a recreational destination for us all.

The City of Los Angeles already faces a shortage of recreational parkland. Loss of the VHGC would only worsen the situation. In fact, the 2009 Draft Environmental Impact Report acknowledged this. The loss of recreation is a significant negative environmental impact that cannot be mitigated. There is no way to lessen that loss.

In 2008 Richard Toyon, President of VOICE, explored what the VHGC could become. Toyon's drawing, below, captures a variety of ways in which a regional park could evolve. Even in the best of economic times a regional park would have to be created in stages. While developing a new regional park would take a significant amount of time, preservation of the golf course and some basic improvements to the site would put it well on the way to becoming the envisioned regional park.

If the VHGC is lost, we also lose the prospect
of greater recreational opportunites for future generations.




View enlarged image of plan


What are the Possibilities?

  • Preservation of the Golf Course - The 18-hole, 3-par golf course and driving range would be retained and enhanced based on Aubudon International's Signature Program for sustainable golf courses and could provide an ideal location as the home of the Los Angeles County Junior Golf Program.

  • Expanded Recreational Resources - An adjacent 'River Park' could be designed to include six tennis courts or 2 soccer fields; a 1.1 mile 'Tuna Camp' multi-use trail and a 'Verdugo Mountains Loop Trail' could produce opportunities for hikers, joggers, and casual mountain bikers.



  • Recognition of Historic Significance - Interpretive elements could celebrate the site's history, including the Tongva village of Wiquanga and World War II's Tuna Camp internment depot.
  • Water Retention and Recharge - Catch basins throughout the course would create opportunities for storm water retention and groundwater recharge. Living in Southern California we must be vigilant not only in conserving water but also finding ways of maximizing it's production.



  • Habitat Restoration- 'Laid back' walls along the Blanchard Flood Control Channel would promote restoration of riparian habitat.
  • Economic Viability - Golf courses are a unique kind of recreation - they are self-sustaining. They can generate revenue. In addition, adding a Banquet Hall and/or Community Center could offer rental potential.



  • Educational Opportunities - Although the property across the street from the VHGC is not included in the proposed housing development, Toyon included examples of how those parcels could provide an outdoor classroom and picnic area for students from local schools to visit.
View an enlarged VHGC & Regional Park Map

For a more detailed description visit
Envisioning a Regional Park