Caltrans will hold two public workshops on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 24, to provide information and take public input for drafting regulations related to the sale of recently approved surplus properties in the so-called 710 Corridor, the proposed route of a surface road meant to connect the Long Beach (710) and Foothill (210) freeways.

However, a Caltrans official told the Pasadena Weekly that the agency won’t begin selling the properties until an alternative to the surface connector road is chosen sometime in spring 2015. Currently, five alternatives to the surface connector are being considered: a 4.5-mile-long tunnel, light rail, increased bus service, traffic improvements and a no-build option.

With plans to build a surface road connecting the two freeways now shelved, more than 580 homes seized through eminent domain and hardship sales by Caltrans in the 1960s are considered surplus. Due to years of neglect by the state agency, more than 180 of those structures are unoccupied or too dilapidated for habitation.

Senate Bill 416, authored by state Sen. Carol Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge, and signed into law two weeks ago by Gov. Jerry Brown, provides for the sale of those homes by state transit officials. However, there is no timeline in the bill that requires Caltrans to sell the properties by a certain date.

"Caltrans will know how many properties will be for sale once the project is determined," said Caltrans spokesperson Maria Raptis. A draft environmental impact report for the project is set to be released sometime this spring, with the final decision expected to be made the following year.

"We can’t sell excess land until we know if there’s a project or not, and if there is where the alignment will be," Raptis said. "Even if it’s an underground tunnel, there are things like ventilation, access, maybe a maintenance area, that will have to be above ground and that may be on a property that we need. Otherwise, we’ll have to buy property back."

In a letter mailed to tenants living in the 710 Corridor, Caltrans announced that the regulations drafted at the upcoming meetings "will implement existing law (the Roberti Act) and establish the procedure for the sale of SR-710 properties which were developed as single-family or multifamily family housing and which are no longer deemed necessary for use by Caltrans (surplus residential properties)."

Under the Roberti Act and SB416, the properties must first be offered to low- to moderate-income tenants in good standing at an affordable rate. Properties must also be sold to current and former tenants at "fair market value." However, under Liu’s legislation, the properties can be sold "as is," meaning Caltrans is no longer required to make any needed repairs before selling the properties, as it was under Roberti’s law.

As for next steps, Don Justin Jones of the group United Caltrans Tenants (UCT) said they will have to see what "directives, policies and strategies come out of these workshops, and see how those are translated into deeds and actions. We’re going to approach this in good faith and remain objective."

UCT will be holding a meeting Sunday to discuss the sale of the homes.
Others are more skeptical than Jones.

"If we want something done, we have to do it ourselves," said Pasadena property rights attorney Christopher Sutton. "The first step is [Caltrans Director] Malcolm Dougherty must issue an affirmative written decision to the director of District 7 listing each individual property by address and Caltrans ID number that he finds to be ‘surplus.’ We believe these hearings are just a distraction. So we’re going to come up with a comprehensive list ourselves and petition Dougherty directly to declare them surplus, and then go to the three city councils [Pasadena, South Pasadena and Los Angeles] requesting that they also push for that. We’re going to take on the job that staff should be doing themselves."

Sutton acknowledged that SB416 is a major step forward, but he maintains serious doubts that Caltrans staff at District 7 in Los Angeles will get the job done. Sutton said the Los Angeles Caltrans office is a completely insubordinate "pirate ship" that doesn’t follow orders from Sacramento.

After Dougherty declares the properties surplus, the next step would be assigning two full-time staff members to see out the process, Sutton said.

"Unless you get the right person assigned to do this job, nothing will happen," said Sutton. "[District 7 Deputy Director] Andy Nierenberg said their unofficial plan is to start selling the homes in January 2015. They’re just going to drag their feet forever. Even if they started in January 2014 and averaged 10 sales per month it would take at least to the end of 2017 to sell all the properties."

In an email to tenants, Sutton said they should restrain their excitement for SB416 and the possibility of soon owning their homes, adding that it’s going to be "a long and tedious process."

Roberto Flores of UCT is also worried that the upcoming meetings with Caltrans aren’t being held in good faith.
"If the hearings on rental rates [held earlier this year] are any indication, we’re in trouble," said Flores. "Are these hearings just a show? Are they going to be a democratic, participatory process, or are they just going through the motions because it’s mandated? We’re concerned about that."

At a recent UCT meeting, Jones recommended that tenants start preparing for the implementation of SB416 by getting their finances in order, as well as all paperwork, contracts, correspondence and agreements they’ve had with Caltrans.

"The starting point, as far as tenants are concerned, is whether or not they have a present or former contractual relationship with Caltrans," said Jones. "You have to have that to even qualify for this bill. It can be broken down into four parts: the people, the properties, the process and the results. We’re just at the threshold of the process. The goal of our group is to make sure everyone has a roof, that there’s no loss of housing."

Flores urged tenants to adhere to an all for one and one for all mentality. He said that everyone can get the best deal if they all stick together.

"We have to unite and think in terms of all of us, as opposed to individual tenants just worrying about their own house," he said. "We are going to fight as hard as possible for a humanitarian policy that includes everyone, so no tenant is thrown out."
Another tenants group, Caltrans Tenants Association (CTA), sent out an email to tenants urging them to attend the upcoming Caltrans workshops and make their concerns known.

"Every tenant is encouraged to make their comments known at the upcoming Caltrans meetings," states the CTA email. "Our input must be included in the discussions regarding the sales process. The association will attempt to speed up the procedure and ensure that it is fair to all tenants involved. The association’s goal is to provide as complete and accurate information as possible so that we can all make wise decisions."

Sutton said it will take about a month to come up with the comprehensive list of properties that he will submit to Dougherty for consideration to be declared surplus so that the process can formally begin.
"But I remain skeptical that District 7 will ever undertake such a task, because it requires thought, commitment and the regular use of math," said Sutton. "No law is the law truly until it is implemented."

Caltrans will hold two public workshops, one from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the El Sereno Senior Citizens Center, 4818 Klamath Place, Los Angeles, and the other from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Pasadena Convention Center, Ballroom C, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. United Caltrans Tenants will hold a meeting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Eastside Café, 5469 N. Huntington Drive, El Sereno.

Since 2007, the Pasadena-based sustainable design and urban landscape architecture firm La Loma Development Co. has turned schools, parks, museums, residential properties and other landscapes into beautiful, environmentally sound Gardens of Eden.

Now they’ve begun converting the property once utilized by historic Paul’s Auto in Northwest Pasadena, which serves as their headquarters.
The 30,000-square-foot auto mechanic yard and warehouse on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Washington Boulevard is now being used as a center for green job training, ecological skills, sustainable development, urban architecture, permaculture, art and food systems.

Dubbed “The Shed” by La Loma founders Marco Barrantes and Michelle Matthews, an entrepreneurial married couple and new parents, it had its inaugural open house on July 14, with more than 200 people attending for presentations, food and live music.

Now, several more events are planned, with the next one taking place from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Barrantes, Sustainable Food Systems adviser for University of California Cooperative Extension Rachel Surls, Muir Ranch Director Mud Baron and Panther Ridge Farms Manager and LA Neighborhood Land Trust Director Hop Hopkins will be discussing the past, present and future of urban agriculture in Los Angeles and how to shape current policy to encourage local communities to grow food instead of lawns.

‘Desert’ oasis
Barrantes and Matthews have big plans for The Shed. In what is currently a large concrete yard, they see a sustainable garden paradise.

“This whole location is the natural extension of La Loma’s original goal,” said Barrantes, principal of La Loma, “which is promoting, designing, creating and supporting sustainable communities with a big emphasis on local watersheds and food systems. We’ll have some sort of eco depot or permaculture nursery. Basically a demonstration site where we can really show off green roofs, green walls, green houses and natural pools, where we could hold educational workshops as well as events of any kind but specifically towards that end.”

The Shed is located in the middle of a large food desert in Northwest Pasadena. Barrantes said they want to have a food commissary on the property, which would include a partnership with the city of Pasadena in order to have food carts and trucks at the location. Jones Coffee said it would donate the equipment needed to have a café on site.

“We could have really big events, like farmers markets or crafts fairs or festivals,” said Barrantes. “With the food commissary we’ll help with the food desert problem in this area. There are a lot of people who walk by here from the different schools, there’s the business park and some city offices, so there’s a lot of people here and there’s no food. We want to solve that. By becoming more of a presence here we hope to change this derelict, no man’s zone that this corner was.”

Sustainable transformation
The Shed just happens to be the latest of La Loma’s varied and metamorphic projects. The sustainable development firm has been transforming public and private landscapes across LA County for years. It has received the Golden Arrow Award multiple times and this year won the city of Pasadena’s Green City Award in Urban Design.

They’ve worked on several local sustainable garden projects as well, including Arlington Gardens on South Pasadena Avenue, the rooftop garden of Art Center College of Design and natural habitats at schools such as Main Street Elementary in Los Angeles and Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale.

“We really like working with them,” said Barrantes. “The educational component in that is really fun as well, showing them that we can turn what was once just asphalt and dying lawn into a more natural habitat, a dry creek with a pond to attract butterflies, dragonflies and birds. We want to do the same type of thing for Kidspace Museum.”

Matthews said that her favorite project so far was the Public Fruit Theater, which was a broken concrete amphitheatre that La Loma built with artist collaboration group Fallen Fruit for LA County Museum of Art.

“It was a really pretty amphitheatre,” said Matthews, La Loma’s creative director. “There was an orange tree in the center to pay homage to the orange groves that used to be part of the county. We donated about $20,000 to get it built, but eventually they had us tear it down because it was in the way of a big tram that hauled the ($10 million, 340-ton ‘Levitated Mass’) boulder over from Riverside. I call it LACMA’s pet rock.”

Besides projects at parks and schools, La Loma also transforms residential properties into beautifully designed landscapes through urbanite, organic gardens, water harvesting and catchment, sustainable landscaping and engineering, green roofs, natural pools and habitat ponds.

The natural pools are an interesting feature because people can swim in them as well as drink from them.

“It’s at your own discretion to drink from it,” said Barrantes, “but it’s safe in the sense that it doesn’t have toxic waste, chlorine, chloramines or any of that stuff in there. It’s biologically filtered through the roots of the plants, which are growing essentially hydroponically in the gravel. If you really wanted to have it as drinking water you’d have to test it, but you feel good if you drink some of it, it’s not like you just drank chemicals. It doesn’t hurt your eyes or mess up your hair if you swim in it.”

“The main thing for me is when you go to these projects beforehand, you see a nice house with a lawn and a gated pool, and it’s fine,” said Matthews. “It’s like everybody else’s house. But then when you come back after Marco’s done with it and the design is done and everything’s installed and it’s a year later, it’s thriving. It feels good to be there. There are butterflies and hummingbirds and dragonflies. It smells good, feels good, looks good. It’s just a big difference and you notice it. People really love it. We have the opportunity to work with clients who really value what we do and give us free reign to do what we want. It’s a different energy, for sure.”

La Loma avoids putting in standard residential landscaping staples such as raised beds and planter boxes unless a client asks for them. They use minimal wood touching dirt, minimal lawn if any and minimal new cement if any. If a client wants a structure they try to be creative by using reclaimed wood, bamboo, timber and metal work. They get plants and materials from local nurseries.

“We try to walk the talk and stay as local as possible,” said Barrantes. “I totally cringe when we have to order something from Texas or Florida. Doesn’t make sense to me. We try to support local economies and have relationships with local vendors as much as possible.”
Family business

Barrantes and Matthews were introduced by a mutual friend in 2008 when Matthews was a senior designer at the Museum of Contemporary Art. At the time, she didn’t know what a landscape designer did. Her photography and artwork dealt with the failures of landscape. She was really impressed by the garden that he designed and built at his parents’ house. They began dating and he asked her to work with him.

After completion of what they call their demonstration garden at Barrantes’ parents’ house, Charles and Betty McKenney called and asked La Loma to help with Arlington Gardens, which Barrantes says was the catapult to success.
Barrantes, who has citizenships in Peru, Italy and the United States, got his master’s degree in landscape architecture at UC Berkeley, where he served for five years on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. This year, Barrantes and Matthews had a baby boy, Mateo. They said that running a business as a couple and new parents had its pros and cons.

“It’s beneficial but also a double-edged sword because you can talk about work all the time,” said Barrantes. “It never goes away. In any healthy relationship, when you work together, you have to have boundaries. I personally prefer not to wake up first thing in the morning and hear about something to do with work. But it is awesome; two heads are better than one.”

La Loma Development Co. presents “The Rebirth of an Agricultural Empire: From Top Food Producer to Food Desert, What Happened and What’s Next for Growing Food in Los Angeles County” from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday at The Shed, 1355 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Visit theshedpasadena.bpt.me for tickets. For more information, call (626) 421-6185 or visit lalomadevelopment.com.