Inglewood Planning Commissioner Chairman George Dotson made an unusual stop at the monthly 5th Avenue Block meeting on Thursday, March 21. He started with an apology for being late, alluding to having just come from the Chamber of Commerce’s Centinela Hospital-based “Meet the Candidates” mixer and networking event.
Many topics of keen interest were explained, among them Block Clubs, the IPD’s attitude problem, real estate development, commerce, the attitude of city hall personnel and quite a bit more.
Dotson sought to set the record straight when it came to who started the 4th Avenue Block Club. “I started the 4th Avenue Block club in 1975.” He also expressed concerns regarding the way the Inglewood Police Department is run. “The way our police ride through our neighborhoods now, they ride like they’re mad at everybody. As far as I’m concerned, we pay your salary. [IPD officers] ride through neighborhoods of the people who pay [them].
Regarding the Century Boulevard Forum and Hollywood Park developments, he offered a number of choice disclosures. “I can tell you: over on Century Boulevard, every one of those businesses are number one in their chain. Chili’s is number one, Red Lobster is number one, In-and-Out are number one. They didn’t even wanna come here!”
Without mentioning why such “number one” businesses in national chains fail to contribute to street maintenance and traffic mitigation, Dotson continued. “Well they found out different. The guy who really made the money was the builder. He made a deal with [the now-number one stores] to come here, because they [weren’t] gonna come without a deal.”
When asked why the “number one” businesses were granted a 10-year moratorium on taxes to the City of Inglewood, Dotson hesitated only momentarily.
“OK, they had to do that, to get ‘em in here. You see, when nobody knows about you and your capabilities, you have to give a little to get a little. Now they all know; there’s no reason to give up [any]thing—especially when MSG get[s] going. Nevertheless, Inglewood did give up “something” when it granted Madison Square Garden a massive set of parcels along and between West 102nd and Century Boulevard for a below- market lease rate and with the property taxes being paid for by the residents of Inglewood.
Dotson explained it away for the moment. “I’ll tell you what happened: When [the Forum] was [purchased], Hollywood Park Tomorrow was broke. They were going to have to just pull outta here and that development would have never been done.”
When it comes to how things can be and are done at Inglewood city hall, Dotson underscored a primary problem. “I know for a fact that the City of Inglewood does not give customer service.
Anytime that people go down there and have a bad experience at city hall, that’s a reflection on the city.”
On the nature of relations between politicians and bureaucrats at One Man, he disclosed that “A councilman] can meet with a [dept. head] any time he wants. [He] just has to call up and say, ‘I’m councilman so-and-so and I wanna meet with you’—and that’s gonna happen.”
Regarding the future of our beautiful city, Dotson did not hesitate, “The city’s going to be redone. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it but, the drawings on it are absolutely beautiful. I wish I could have brought a rendering.”
He did not elaborate on who proposed such plans nor who approved them nor even when—if ever—such renderings would be made available. But he did offer that there re- main some problems.
“Our lights are not synchronized, and we’re not synchronized with L.A...We’re stopping’ people when they need to be goin.”
And lest anyone think otherwise, Dotson did make one thing clear: “I’ve never been a dictator.