The bill would have overruled the objections of the Los Angeles City Council and others opposed to the project who maintain that constructing new homes in the region would increase traffic and burden nearby schools and infrastructure. Additionally, the bill would have forced city officials to adhere to state law in this instance, essentially displacing land-use decisions from local communities into the state’s jurisdiction, officials said.
The bill was set for its first committee hearing on June 18 but seemed headed for doom after it was learned that Fuentes had ties to MWH, including at least $5,000 in campaign contributions from the development firm’s president, Mark Handel, according to state records. The connection set off a round of questions for Fuentes, with some wondering if he wrote the legislation to help Handel and other contributors.
Fuentes could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and Handel would not comment on campaign contributions, but did say he is actively trying to unload the property that may be worth about $12 million.
“We are working with the council office on a methodology by which to sell the golf course to the city of Los Angeles,” he said. Representatives for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel — who has opposed the project and the vacated bill — confirmed city efforts to purchase the property, saying that the main objective is to save the green space.
“We are working in concert with Mr. Handel, committee members, state legislators, the city of Glendale and the county to try and purchase the property,” Greuel’s Communications Director Ben Golombek said.
