Staples Project Meeting Canceled

A Los Angeles city official canceled a hastily called committee hearing Tuesday on a proposed $1-billion development next to Staples Center after members of the news media complained that the meeting’s agenda was not properly posted.

Members of the City Hall press corps voiced concerns that the city clerk’s office did not follow provisions of the Brown Act--California’s open meeting law--when distributing the agenda for the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

The committee’s agenda was available on the Internet but was not posted at any public location, including in the City Hall lobby or outside the third-floor meeting room. What appeared instead on the bulletin boards was an earlier notice that the meeting had been canceled.

The Brown Act requires that agendas for special meetings be displayed in public locations at least 24 hours in advance.

“It appears that it wasn’t posted, and I’m not sure why,” said Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton, who announced at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday that the meeting was off.

Deaton had asked that the committee hold a special meeting to consider the project, which calls for construction of two hotels, a 7,000-seat arena and a large entertainment complex next to Staples Center. If the council does not vote on the proposed expansion by Sept. 5, the project’s developers--billionaires Philip Anschutz and Rupert Murdoch--must begin the process of seeking approval again.

With time running out, a city official said the committee will hear the proposal next Tuesday morning. The full council will take up the matter later that day.

The committee meeting caught even council members by surprise.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski interrupted a New Mexico vacation to attend the session. She said she was disappointed that the meeting was canceled but did not think it was appropriate to hear the matter without proper public notice.