How will the DPOC Central Committee vote on Community Land Trusts?

Two months ago, the DPOC tabled a resolution supporting Community Land Trusts, non-profit organizations that use taxpayer funds to help identify and develop affordable and low income housing in Orange County.  The draft resolution was good, but incomplete and those of us on the Central Committee from Irvine were able to lead an effort to table the resolution to add provisions to make it something we all can support.

That draft resolution was submitted to the Resolution Committee last week.  Missing from the original resolution was a provision that Community Land Trusts adhere to the Brown Act and open meetings to the public.  Additionally, asking the party to encourage Community Land Trust organizations to support developments near public transportation or retail that makes it easy for the residents in affordable/low income housing to walk to retail (a grocery store, pharmacy, a dry cleaner et al).

Prompting this were changes made to the Irvine Community Land Trust which has millions of dollars in taxpayer funds but has since closed meeting to the public and the Brown Act is no longer followed.  Additionally, Maryann Gaido, who has more institutional knowledge about the ICLT than anyone, was removed from that body a couple of months ago while Patrick Strader, a consultant to FivePoint, remains on the board in what seems to be an obvious conflict of interest given his political contributions to two Irvine City Council members who are on the Board as well.

This action prompted nearly 90 members of the Democrats of Greater Irvine to unanimously pass a resolution to call for the Irvine Community Land Trust to abide by the Brown Act, and that the City of Irvine’s Sunshine Ordinance should be applied immediately to ICLT.  Will the DPOC listen to the large number of voices in Irvine who all agreed this is a good thing?  We’ll argue that case at Monday’s meeting if the new resolution is agendized.

Our friends have Irvine Watchdog posted this terrific story on the meeting and the vote.  From the story:

The Irvine Community Land Trust was established by the City Council in 2006 and has received $35 million to date of public cash and land from the city and will receive another $23.5 million in taxpayer money over the next six years from the Department of Finance settlement funds…..Around June 2018, the ICLT closed its doors to the public. Their monthly board meetings and meeting minutes are now private, violating the Brown Act.

The ICLT met Monday afternoon and DGI member Joe McLaughlin tried to attend.  He was turned away and posted this on Facebook:

So I attempted to attend the monthly meeting of the Irvine Community Land Trust today at 4PM. I was turned away by Melissa Fox, an attorney for the trust and a staff member. Highly disappointing that, in my opinion, this public body created by the City of Irvine 12 years ago continues to violate the CA public meetings law.