Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council Plans to Take a Role in Valley Redistricting

The Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council passed a motion Tuesday night to support the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) in protecting communities in the San Fernando Valley during the redistricting process.

Currently, the state is in the process of redrawing state legislative and congressional district lines; later this year, the city will be involved in redrawing City Council lines. Stuart Waldman, president of VICA, gave a presentation on the association to explain its purpose and goals.

This year, citizens will draw the borders for the Valley. In the past, elected officials drew the lines, which became a problem in keeping like-minded communities together, said Waldman.  

“I hate to sound like a broken record, but the Valley got screwed in redistricting,” he said. “We get screwed on a lot of things, but on redistricting, we really got the short end of the stick.”

Out of the 12 state-elected officials who currently represent the San Fernando Valley, only three live here.

“There’s a difference between someone who gets stuck on the 101 and the 405 interchange, like I do, and then somebody who doesn’t,” said Waldman.

Right now, West Hills is lumped into the same congressional district as Beverly Hills, even though the neighborhoods are almost 25 miles apart.

“Now you can guess what that congressperson spends most of their time on. In fact, I think they’ve only come to West Hills twice,” he said.

VICA, a nonpartisan group, aims to make the Valley more influential and protect whole communities such as Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks and Studio City, said Waldman. 

“I hate to say it, but our old boss would get a call from someone, and they’d say, 'Hey, this person might run against you, you should cut their house out of the district,' ” said Waldman. “And it’d happen. That’s not going to happen now.”

If communities such as Toluca Lake need to be divided, VICA will look at the neighborhood council boundaries for guidance in keeping those communities together, said Waldman.

Cal State Northridge is conducting a community interest analysis. Next week, VICA is to give a presentation at the university during a hearing for the redistricting committee. VICA representatives will present a regional map of the San Fernando Valley and explain what the Valley is and how to keep its communities together, said Waldman.

“We’re hoping that they listen to us and keep the Valley as whole as possible, and we can say, 'Wow, you guys did a great job,' ” he said. 

The outreach committee of the Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council (GTLNC) will be responsible for the council’s involvement in VICA’s coalition.

Parking and Citizenship Award

During the Planning & Land Use Committee discussion, the GTLNC passed a motion to write a “Community Impact Statement” to express its concern over the city’s ability to reduce a neighborhood’s parking requirements without consulting the public first. The council also passed a separate motion to write a letter in support of continuing the use and operation of Toluca Crossroads School.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge also appeared at the meeting, which was held at the , and presented a Good Neighbor Award to resident Terry Davis, who has served on the GTLNC and the Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce. 

“You are often thought of as Mrs. Toluca Lake,” said LaBonge. “You are truly an angel in the City of Angels.”

Francisco Covarrubias, a field representative for Assemblyman Mike Gatto of the 43rd District, presented Davis with a separate award. Covarrubias said representatives from Gatto's office would be making regular appearances at GTLNC meetings. 

The GTLNC is looking to fill a few vacancies next month; the positions of president, vice president and treasurer are open. Candidate statements are due June 5. The council is also expected to put together a budget next month, which faces a 10 percent reduction from last year.