A decade-long effort to find a new home for the Los Angeles Police Department took a curious turn Thursday when the city's Cultural Affairs Commission refused to endorse plans to build on a downtown site near City Hall.
The commission voted 5 to 1 to send a letter urging the City Council to revisit its decision. It was the second time in two weeks that the commission rebuffed the plan.
"It doesn't feel right -- it feels like we're being railroaded," said Commissioner Lee Ramer, who said she is troubled that the council appears to have ignored the concerns of downtown residents.
Some downtown residents want a park at the site -- the block south of City Hall -- and some commission members agreed Thursday that may be a better use of the land.
The council has struggled for years to find a new home to replace the LAPD's decrepit Parker Center. A site in Little Tokyo was rejected last year after residents there protested. Another plan to move the LAPD into the city-owned Transamerica building also fizzled.
The standoff between the seven-member commission and the 15-member City Council was unusual. The commission -- which spends much of its time reviewing architecture, public art and streetlight designs for city property -- has rarely taken steps that put it at odds with the council.
Downtown Councilwoman Jan Perry said that it was "highly unlikely" the council would reconsider where the new headquarters should be built. "We have to respect the commission's opinion," she said. "But the process was exhaustive and intensive."
Councilman Ed Reyes, who heads the council's Planning Committee, echoed that view. He said there are plenty of new parks being planned for downtown, including green space near the new Belmont Learning Complex, along the Los Angeles River and a park in an old rail yard northeast of Chinatown known as the Cornfield.
"I don't think we're going to appreciate the fact the commission is trying to establish their own agenda," Reyes said. "If they're not going to take us seriously, why should we take them seriously? It puts us in a very negative place."
At issue is the block of city-owned land bordered by 1st, 2nd, Spring and Main streets downtown. The block is occupied largely by the old Caltrans building -- the agency recently moved into a new building one block east -- and other smaller buildings the city has acquired.
