Conflict of interest is the new Heschel talking point

The Jan. 17 letter by Jess Thomas regarding the Heschel School project highlighted Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's duplicitous hypocrisy and the apparent unethical collusion between Zev's deputy, Ben Saltzman, and Heschel attorney Ben Reznic. I would like to add a postscript.

Yaroslavsky was among the dignitaries who just last year honored Thomas as "Citizen of the Year" for his tireless participation in protecting the Santa Monica Mountains.

Zev is widely known as one of the fathers of the North Area Plan and basks shamelessly in the limelight as a champion of the environment. In reality, the NAP was created primarily by OAHOA president Jess Thomas and current planning commissioner Phil Ramuno, who dismissed hyperbolic concepts such as double decking the 101 Freeway and installing monorail, neither of which preserved open space, in favor of the pragmatic notion of limiting urban expansion.

The fact that Thomas and his team delivered a virtually complete text delineating what became the NAP has never inhibited the supervisor from taking credit.

A guest of honor at Heschel fundraisers, Yarosklavsky's conflicts of interest would cause anyone with a shred of dignity to recuse themselves--but not Zev.

While I don't suggest that it reflects on Mayor Edelston, when Edelston first ran for City Council I received a postcard from Yaroslavsky stating, "I rarely endorse a candidate for office, but in the case of John Edelston I will make an exception." There was no mention whatsoever that Edelston was his brother-in-law. I contacted Yaroslavsky, asking if he did not "feel it disingenuous to withhold this information" and got back a note saying that he "believed it to be common knowledge" but it clearly was not.

During the recent fires Yaroslavsky stated that the destruction was a direct result of development where it did not belong and stated, "You will never see development like that again in the Santa Monica Mountains," yet, out of the other side of his mouth, he supports Heschel and Triangle Ranch.

It may be a financial necessity for the City Council to sue the county rather than cave in to Heschel's multimillion-dollar extortion and in doing so, this time, it may be they who save Yaroslavsky's face.
Larry Brown
Agoura Hills