Burbank Community Summit a Big Success!
More than 100 Burbank residents attended the Community Summit on Thursday, January 19th. It was standing room only at the VFW Hall on Victory Blvd.
Citizens from all areas of Burbank—the Hillside, the Flats, the Media District, and the Rancho—were in attendance. The purpose of the summit was to encourage community groups to collaborate on common issues of concern.
And the big question of the night was What is happening to Burbank?
David Spell, of Burbank Viewpoints, gave a video presentation about the recent election fraud. $50,000 of public money was misappropriated to the No on Measure B campaign, yet 4 out of 5 council members refused to call for a public hearing to investigate the corruption. David Spell urged residents to join him in applying pressure to City Council.
Media Center resident, Tony Noakes, spoke about the Burbank2035 General Plan that passed in 2013. This developer-friendly revision of our municipal codes paves the way for enormous, high-density, mixed-use development projects, the first of which are slated for the Media District. If you haven’t seen photographs of these proposed developments, please examine the previous post on our web-site. This new vision for Burbank will shock you.
Jim Casey, from Preserve Burbank, spoke about the Single Family Design Guidelines that will be up for a vote in front of City Council. For over six years Preserve Burbank has worked diligently to get regulations passed that would limit mansionization in Burbank. When single family homes are over-built, they obscure hillside views and block the natural light of neighboring properties.
During the time for public comment, neighbors from across Burbank shared their concerns about rising crime, traffic congestion, lack of parking, poor street repair, and limited access to affordable housing. It was inspiring to see the level of passion that Burbank citizens have for their communities.
Many thanks to David Spell, from Burbank Viewpoints, for organizing the Community Summit. Thanks also to the VFW for hosting the event.
The Community Summit was such a success, that many neighbors requested a more regular type of event where residents could exchange updates and ideas.
Save Burbank Neighborhoods thinks this is a great idea. We would like to invite everyone to attend the VFW on the first Sunday of each month for their monthly pancake breakfast. All the proceeds will go to the vets, so we can feel good about eating bacon and carbs while organizing to protect the city we love.
Save Burbank Neighborhoods would also like to invite Burbank residents to join our grass-roots organization. Our group works to protect the safety, charm, character, and property value of our residential neighborhoods.
Currently, we are involved in campaigning for three City Council candidates: Dr. David Gordon, Juan Guillen, and Greg Sousa. All three of these candidates have pledged to listen to residents with respect and civility and protect our neighborhood communities. These candidates understand that we cannot “develop our way out of debt” and they have vowed to support smart growth over irresponsible over-development.
For too long, Dr. Gordon has been the lone voice of reason on a City Council that dismisses the concerns of residents, caters to big developers, and places the interests of corporate outsiders above those of Burbank citizens. We need a 3-2 council majority in order to prevent Burbank from losing its unique and very special, small-town character.
Please join us in saving our city and voting for change. The upcoming election is by mail-in ballot only. You should receive your ballot by the first week of February. In order to ensure your vote is counted, we recommend mailing your ballot by February 25th.
For more information on the Community Summit, check out the Burbank Leader article from Wednesday, January 25th.
For more information on the candidates running for City Council, please refer to Mike and Roy’s engaging and informative candidate interviews.
