Hollywood : Renegade Panel Loses Status

A Superior Court judge on Wednesday rejected for the second time an effort by a Hollywood citizens committee to regain its status as an official group involved in planning Hollywood’s redevelopment.

Judge Kurt Lewin, who last Dec. 6 ruled that Los Angeles officials could break their ties with the Project Area Committee, reiterated the ruling Wednesday after briefly hearing new arguments. “In my view, this is nothing more than a rehash of what was discussed previously,” he said.

For a three-year period that ended last year, the committee was the citizen group designated to work with city officials on the Hollywood Redevelopment Project. The three-year period stipulated by state law ended in May, and the city had the right to extend the committee’s life for one-year intervals or discontinue it.

By last year, critics of the redevelopment project formed a majority on the committee and the city, at the direction of City Councilman Mike Woo, decided to discontinued the relationship. Woo then appointed a second citizens group to replace the committee.

An attorney for the Project Area Committee, Stanton J. Price, said Wednesday that committee members will take a vote on whether to appeal the decision.