All it took to turn this shopping plaza into a dump was $45 million

That's right, a 50-year-old shopping plaza that should have been the centerpiece of the Crenshaw District is Exhibit A of urban blight. What happened to the millions of federal and private dollars? Ted Rohrlich has the answer, and you're not going to like it.

Los Angeles leaders gambled on a check-bouncing, politically connected developer to shepherd the project. And after $15 million in government subsidies and more than $30 million in private investment, taxpayers -- and the community -- have lost.

"It's disgraceful," said Karen Ceasar, secretary for the neighborhood council at a recent meeting packed with angry residents. She accused elected officials of a "failure to care."

It started with high hopes by city officials and big promises by an iffy businessman, and ended with a neighborhood saddled with a weedy parking lot rimmed by a handful of dying businesses. It's a twisty tale, and Ted puts it into order. Full story here.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[kevin fong]

How come Hammond is not in jail.

[George]

Belmont Learning Center, Killer King Hospital, now this. No wonder there is a budget shortage and the city must raise taxes.

[RB]

I say bulldoze the whole thing and build a 20 acre park. That will do more for the beauty of the area than another concrete monstrosity.

[Frank]

And what? Somebody raised and got taxpayers money, pitched an idea, and then just kept the money and paid some officals under the table. That's what always happens when things don't go through. We as the unimportant people cant really do anything, we need a powerful voice to speak up for the people, but that's hard when that voice is slienced by greed.