Click play, then follow along with our live commentary on this hearing here.

Taix French Restaurant is a beloved Echo Park landmark that has become the poster child for how billionaire developers continue to corrupt Los Angeles City Hall–even while multiple councilmen and civil servants are facing RICO charges or have confessed to taking bribes.

Unindicted CD13 councilman Mitch O’Farrell has done some crazy stuff to L.A.’s historic preservation ordinance for the benefit of Trump mega donor Clyde Holland’s Taix demolition scheme, declaring a few insignificant bits of salvage to be “a protected landmark.” O’Farrell’s actions set a disturbing precedent, make a mockery of one of the nation’s oldest and strongest preservation laws, and have infuriated his constituents–some of whom have sued the city!

Taix owner Mike Taix, who lives in Utah, provides obfuscation to what should be a simple matter, with his claim that it is his failing business that needs to be “saved” by demolishing the building. But there is no Legacy Business program in Los Angeles, and retention of business use is not mentioned anywhere in the historic preservation ordinance that Mitch O’Farrell has weaponized in the service of demolition.

Here is video of the first in a series of public hearings, in which developer Holland Partner Group seeks to justify its request to avoid an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as required under CEQA, upzone the parcel, eliminate parking, provide no infrastructure upgrades to the already crowded roads and otherwise profit far in excess of what is legally allowed or good for the community.

Their highly paid team of attorneys, architects, lobbyists and obviously hired callers occupy the dark side of the playing board, along with the forces within City Hall that grease the wheels every time a councilman signals special interest in a development.

But the light side of the board is far more crowded and convincing, packed with passionate Angelenos who love Taix, care about the Echo Park community and have had enough of the gaslighting claims that these lousy projects–many of which are filled with empty, overpriced units or illegally rented by the night–are doing anything to address the housing crisis or make this city anything but worse. They are worth listening to!

To learn more about why the Taix project is such a big deal, and how you can get involved in saving it, see these links:

• Let’s Talk Taix: The Most Interesting Historic Preservation Battle in a Generation

• Silver Lake Heritage Trust’s Writ Of Mandate

• Friends of Taix Facebook group

Our live narration of the hearing is below:

Esotouric’s live narration of the Zoom hearing:

Video now online from today’s Taix hearing. Are you with the Angelenos who love the place, or unindicted CD13 councilman Mitch O’Farrell and his billionaire buddies? Tune in and pick a side! https://esotouric.com/taixmarch2022/

Now to the matter of Taix redevelopment.

No decision will be made today. City Planners will only listen & prepare a recommendation report. They regularly put their thumb on the scale for the benefit of big developers, and in violation of law and logic. So this is likely to be quite painful. But LA is worth fighting for.

Holland Partner Group’s Taix redevelopment doesn’t qualify for the TOC upzoning scheme so instead they are asking their pal Mitch O’Farrell to apply SCPE (“Skippy”) benefits. Yeah, it doesn’t qualify for them, either.
https://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=22-0297

Development Director Ryan Guthrie is hosting the presentation for Holland Partner Group, the out of state developer that bought Taix in an off-market deal and seeks to demolish the treasured community landmark and legacy business for this hideous pile. Housing or Airbnb?

Mike Taix, who lives in Utah and has been an absentee manager gives a history of his family’s restaurant as part of his ongoing testimony that he plans to reopen a tiny cafe in a new building. We are skeptical and wish he’d sold the business instead of the land under it.

Mike Taix claims he quietly shopped Taix around as a redevelopment opportunity and after talking to a dozen companies, Holland Partner Group had the best idea for preservation. Come on! This is silly. Taix was NOT known to be on the market in the small community of operators.

Depressing to hear AC Martin’s Jim Dixon badmouthing the architecture of Taix French Restaurant, a treasured community landmark that holds memories of so many wonderful gatherings with friends and family, many of whom no longer live. It is all to justify the demolition.

Followed by Jeremy Grant of AC Martin, talking about aspects of Echo Park’s architectural and cultural history that are supposedly being integrated into Holland Partner Group’s horribly unsuitable upzoned Taix project. We love Echo Park so much we’re working hard to destroy it!

Oh yeah, that is the funky, gritty Echo Park we all know and love.

The new wee Taix would have outdoor dining, steps away from Sunset Boulevard’s heavy traffic and the exit to the parking garage. How “charming.”

Good lord. Allan Abshez, Chairman of Los Angeles Real Estate Department at Loeb & Loeb, seeks to justify applying massive upzoning bonuses the mixed-use Taix project doesn’t qualify for because they are “saving” Taix. (They’re not saving Taix.)

Allan Abshez, Chairman of Los Angeles Real Estate Department at Loeb & Loeb, is misrepresenting the Cultural Heritage Commission hearing results and claiming CHC only found it significant as a Legacy Business. There is no such program in LA.

Holland Partner Group is spending a freaking FORTUNE to jam through the demolition and upzoning of French Taix Restaurant. Allan Abshez is giving a master class in misrepresentation. Cute how they refuse to show photos of the landmark people love in this “evolution” series.

Thank god this nauseating Holland Partner Group presentation is over. Now real human beings—and a few real estate lobbyist shills—will be heard from as Angelenos step up to save Taix!

Please call in and demand an EIR, as the law requires.

Adrian Scott Fine, Director of Advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy, calls in to address the discretionary approval that the city is trying to split between Planning and City Council. Demolishing Taix has an impact. Warns CEQA applies, demands an EIR.
(They have, can sue.)

Our Richard Schave asks for an EIR to be prepared and City Planning not bypass the requirements under CEQA. Please look at Dinah’s down near the airport, where development and a vintage restaurant can coexist. Let’s keep it honest and straight and do the right thing.

Kaveri Nair says his dad lives nearby and he’d rather wait for a bus in front of a thriving restaurant. Doesn’t seem to have ever set foot in popular Taix.

Caller: Holland Partner Group mislead Planning Commission by failing to reveal they have been sued over Taix, claiming to meet with community when they exclude many, misrepresenting Cultural Heritage Commission’s statements on criteria. LA has no Legacy Business!

Charles Fisher, who wrote the successful landmark nomination for Taix as approved by CHC then corrupted by Mitch O’Farrell, calls out the difference between SALVAGE and landmarking. Hey AC Martin, I landmarked your DWP and you can do better than this.

Obvious paid shilled caller does not give their name, reads a short script packed with Holland Partner Group Taix talking points. Does one get enough for lunch at Taix by making one of these calls? Hope so!

Architectural historian Daniel Paul, who contributed to the Taix landmarking nomination, schools the Planning Department on the criteria of character defining features that the Cultural Heritage Commission found valid. What is being proposed is just salvage, for CEQA avoidance.

Daniel Paul: Silver Lake Heritage Trust doesn’t oppose building taller and thinner on the parking lot, which might cost more money for the developer, but which could save the historical resource Taix. That’s it really: Mitch O’Farrell is doing this to save Holland Partner Group $

Another paid shill caller, repeating Holland Partner Group talking points with no passion. Ka-ching!

Brian Haigh, longtime Taix customer, calls out the horrible traffic around the project and now they want only .5 parking spaces per unit. Knows Mike Taix sold out and is a partner in demo project. By “saving” Taix they seek to upzone the parcel. So blatant. We can’t see the sky.

Aloha Lima, a 25 year resident, wants to know how Holland Partner Group got people to call in, because nobody she knows supports this project. Offended by the claim it’s for “affordable housing.” There are lots of empty overpriced units in the neighborhood now. Need an EIR!

Carol Cetrone of Silver Lake Heritage Trust calls out Holland Partner Group’s misrepresentation of the Taix demolition project as some kind of preservation win, and suggestion that community groups support them when so many oppose. Demands an EIR. There is room to build & save.

Hey, exactly one YIMBY called in: Luke Klipp. He sounds pretty different from the previous callers in support of the Taix project, who were obviously paid for their time and didn’t care about what they were reading. And… he claims this is a low income housing project. Yeah, no.

Allan Abshez from Loeb & Loeb, suggests the lawsuit against the city over Taix PLUM Brown Act violations have no impact on the developer. Again misrepresents CHC decision. Suggests because Mike Taix can’t make his business succeed, no one could. Mike: sell it already! Enjoy Utah!

Jackie calls in in opposition of the Taix project, because so many of these over hyped new developments never get built and locals end up leaving.

Stephanie Bartling is an Echo Park local who says there are so many expensive new projects that are filled with empty units. Taix is the kind of place the community cares about. Nobody wants any more of these new developments.
Well, you know, the out of state owner does.

Unbelievable: Holland Partner Group doesn’t want to do any improvements to the already horrible intersection, while having a steady stream of cars coming out of the parking lot to Sunset. Developer did a parking study several years ago, claims no significant impact. Ha ha ha!

LA City Planner Oliver Netburn says he will be preparing a report based on this Taix hearing. Additional hearings not scheduled, might be in the summer. Email him if you want to be on the notification list: oliver.netburn@lacity.org

Aloha Lima calls back, wants to know how HPG gathered their data that supposedly shows no impact by the project on Sunset Boulevard traffic. Ryan Kelly says rules for analyzing projects are now easier for developers. Aloha unconvinced. What about Dodgers, school? Pls reconsider.

Brian Haigh agrees with the caller concerned about traffic. It is bumper to bumper to go from Silver Lake to Echo Park now, and this is not baseball season. Lemoyne and Logan are nightmares. People LOATHE this. Taix project would ruin the neighborhood.

Steven Luftman @saveLytton demands a full EIR, reminds City Planning that Taix is a landmark even if it was bogusly reduced to a bar top and sign by Mitch O’Farrell.

Emma Rault says Taix should be subject to a full EIR and not demolished. Also, she says as a biker the traffic is so bad around it that she had to wear a mask before the pandemic.

Caller asks for clarification on the supposed affordable units to be included in the Taix project and used to justify upzoning request. City Planning staff rattles off numbers really quickly nobody.

There’s a lot of skepticism about these units and who gets access to them.

Caller Cindi continues grilling LA City Planner Oliver Netburn on the supposed affordable units to be included in the Taix project.

City Hall is under Federal investigation for real estate corruption. The city fails miserably to protect, create, enforce affordable housing.

Hearing concludes. Save Taix! Say no to Mitch O’Farrell’s fake “landmarking” scam for the benefit of Trump megadonor Holland Partner Group. There’s plenty of room to build up and around the building, and an operator who cared could make a go of the joint.