Letters to the Editor:
Our mountains are precious to Brentwood as the beaches are to Santa Monica. A 50-acre-plus development – Nicolas Berggruen’s think tank and lobbying center –in our remaining wild land open space seems nearly a crime.
Berggruen’s 450 acres is a wildlife corridor, with four mountain lion sightings in recent months and two new cubs born here. Impacts on other wildlife will be high. Noise, traffic on Sepulveda, helicopters, construction vehicles grinding past homes at Mountaingate, light pollution and blocked view sites will be transformative.
The wildfire risk multiplies to Mandeville Canyon and Brentwood Hills west of Berggruen’s acres of brush and tall grasses. Five years of construction with many cigarette-smoking workers, then thousands of visitors for decades in an area swept by 50 mph autumn winds scare us. Full wind-driven wildfires cannot be stopped by any means. (See Santa Rosa Fire!) The Bel Air fire with 484 homes lost and 16,090 acres burned was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds. This development is on top of an old methane gas-emitting city dump. There are 8,300 landfill fires every year in America. What are we thinking?
The Berggruen Institute is dedicated to “good governance” in California. There are many thoughtful people associated with it, some of them very active ecologists. I urge them to convince Mr. Berggruen to build his campus in a part of the city that would be enhanced by it, not diminish our precious wild open space, nor bring more risk to our very flammable mountains.
John Binder
Upper Mandeville Canyon Association President
Who could possibly be against world peace and good governance? But the Berggruen Institute has a few problems to overcome. If they could guarantee their development will not increase fire danger or encroach on open spaces held in trust for the public, or that they will not alter the quietude of our canyons through helicopter noise, or choke Sepulveda Pass with traffic, then I am sure our community would welcome them with “open arms”
Why not develop 10 of the acres that are already approved by the City for the prior land owners? Develop only the Eastern edge of the site so that we could have a “cultural alley” along Sepulveda – Skirball, Berggruen, Getty, then bequeath the other 95 percent to the wildlife in perpetuity. That’s what I would consider good “governance that would lead to the betterment of society” and the natural environment.
Please, let’s not forget that our community will not be invited inside. This is not the Skirball or the Getty, as this is not a public space. As far as I can tell, this project will be a burden, not a bonanza, to Brentwood.
Teri Redman Kahn
Learn about the Berggruen Institute’s Proposed Plans
The Berggruen Institute has purchased land in the hills above Brentwood for the purpose of building a think tank that will tackle big societal problems. The institute will discuss its plans in greater detail on Sun. Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Skirball Center’s Haas Conference Center.
Experts on methane, fire safety, traffic and other issues will be given time to present their concerns. Nicolas Berggruen and Councilmember Mike Bonin will attend. The public is invited to attend, but seating is limited to 200.
For more information visit NextDoor.com or email: terikahn2003@gmail.com.
