L.A. City Council Considers Lowering Appeal Fee for Developers

• Citizens shouldn't be charged for the fundamental and constitutional right to petition their government. When that happens, with have an elitist system where only affulent people or those with political connections steer the direction and power of our government and how taxpayer money (and give-a-ways) is spent.

• What blatancy. Usually our elected officials are more subtle in favoring the developer over the small property owner. This time subtlety has gone out the window by lowering fees for developers and raising fees for non-developers.

• The City Councilmembers seem unaware that people have been pushed too far by elected officials who give financial breaks to multi-million dollar corporations will sucking every last cent from the taxpayer. One trick the article does not mention is that the City funnels appeals through LADBS so that residents have to file a second appeal under LAMC 12.26 K where the fee is $3,000.00. Not only does the council lower the fees for developers, it increases fees for homeowners. The time has come to throw these crooks out of office. While people have to fight these ill-conceived measures in city hall, the more permanent solution is to support new candidates who will oppose the LaBonge's and Garcetti's of this town. Leopards don't change their spots. Rick

• The very idea that our City Council would consider cutting appeal fees for the wealthy while screwing the average resident with such huge fee increases is the height of arrogance. There will be a revolution if the Council implements this thoroughly botched effort by Gail "the developer's whore" Goldberg. Off with her head! She actually has a straight face when she suggests that it's fair to have billionaire Phil Anschutz (Staples Center/LA Live) pay for the full cost of an appeal, and lucky middle class homeowner gets a terrific "discount" of paying half of the cost of an appeal. What a bargain Gail! What balance! Let's Just Do Planning. While there should be some fee for planning appeals to prevent frivolous appeals, it must be more than nominal but not so much as to foreclose appeal rights. The current fee is fair and that is where it should stay. The cost should be put on the project applicants, some of whom propose hairbrained projects that are the true cause of the need to file an appeal. Very few appeals filed currently are frivolous. And, because even the current $74 can be a hardship, Council should add a hardship waiver based upon income.

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