If you’re following the story you will recall that this L.A. Times editorial kicked off a somewhat misguided firestorm of opposition to Mitch O’Farrell’s recent Council motion 16-1456 seeking to develop a legal tool for banning adults without children from playgrounds in parks in the City of Los Angeles. Of course, this motion turned out to be yet another salvo in the ongoing struggle between Kerry Morrison and all sane Angelenos for access to Selma Park, which she convinced her close personal friend and neighbor Eric Garcetti to illegally curtail because of her irrational fear that people might pass out sandwiches to homeless people in the Park once a week.

This is an old story, and a sad one. Here’s how it goes: Kerry Morrison whispers sweet nothings in the receptive ear of CD13 field deputy Dan Halden at one of their monthly breakfast meetings. Dan, who for some reason thinks Kerry and her minions are Mitch’s constituents, passes the whisper on to “his boss.”¹ Mitch O’Farrell, no doubt contemplating the oodles and scads of money trickling down to him from the heavy-laden coffers of Ms. and Mr. Kerry Morrison, mutters to himself something like “That sounds good! No need to run that by anyone sane! Kerry Morrison and her money would never lead me astray!!”

But once in a while sane people are paying attention, and then all those reasons that seemed so compelling in the back room suddenly start to look a little — and then a whole freaking lot — crazy. This happens all the time.² And it’s beginning to happen again with this whole playground thing. If you subscribe to the Council file , you will have been notified last night that the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council voted unanimously to oppose Mitch and Kerry’s motion (full text after the break if you’re PDF-averse).

This is doubtless the first droplet in what we here at MK.Org predict will be a flood of opposition. Sadly, but also hilariously, the opposers don’t actually seem to understand the letter of the proposed law, although they clearly understand the spirit all too well indeed. So let’s settle back and watch the already-at-a-fever-pitch frustration of Mitch and his spokesdude Tony Arranaga grow and grow and grow, as they issue ever-more-tightly-wound explanations until they finally and quietly decide to cut their losses and let the motion die in committee. Stay tuned!

Contact Information
Neighborhood Council: Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
Name: Lisa Kable Blanchard
Phone Number: (323) 844-3762
Email: lisa.kable.blanchard@ernc.la
The Board approved this CIS by a vote of: Yea(10) Nay(0) Abstain(0) Ineligible(1) Recusal(0)
Date of NC Board Action: 01/10/2017
Type of NC Board Action: Against
Impact Information
Date: 01/11/2017
Update to a Previous Input: No
Directed To: City Council and Committees
Council File Number: 16-1456
Agenda Date:
Item Number:

Summary: We declare that on January 10, 2017, a Brown Act noticed public meeting was held by the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council (ERNC) at which a quorum was present, and the following motion was passed unanimously: Resolved, the ERNC opposes Council File: 16-1456, in which the City Council seeks to restrict access to children’s playground areas to children and parents or guardians accompanying children.

Image of Eagle Rock Park is via Wikimedia with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto.

1. This is the ultra-cute locution by which Council staff refer to Councilmembers. It’s a shibboleth for L.A.’s political insiders. Use it wisely!
2. There are links here, I won’t repeat them. Basically this happened with the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition in 2013, with tour bus regulation, with street characters on a number of occasions, with nightclubs in Hollywood, and on and on and on.