Neighborhood Council Valley Village Meeting Presents Multiple Upcoming Events

The August 24, 2011 meeting of Neighborhood Council Valley Village packed in a load of agenda items and was finished in record time in order to accommodate the 7:30 pm presented by Brad Sherman, congressman for California’s 27th district. Here's what was discussed:

Valley Village Redistricting

Although Valley Village stakeholders had a tremendous outpouring of comments submitted to the commission requesting that Valley Village be kept in the same district, the final map presented by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission has Valley Village separated into two congressional districts, with boundaries drawn primarily down Colfax Avenue and zig zagging down to the Hollywood Freeway and up to Burbank Boulevard. The majority of Valley Village will be in the San Fernando Valley West – Calabasas district and a small portion will be represented by San Fernando Valley East – Tujunga. Although this was not the wish of the NCVV board, president Tony Braswell commented, “It may work to our advantage that we have two voices in Congress.”

Projects Committee

Suzanne Lewis noted that the August 2nd National Night Out was a “great success” and attracted about 1,000 people.

Planning and Land Use Committee

New construction is down across America, including Valley Village. This has enabled the committee to spend their time reviewing other issues such as opportunities to down zone existing projects and work on floor area ratios and height limitations.

Although there are over 60 communities on the waiting list, Valley Village is #11 in line to receive a sound wall. It is estimated that a barrier along the 170 Freeway will be built sometime in 2015.

Communications Committee

NCVV is getting more hits on its new website and approximately two to three emails a day since the new NCVV banners went up. Regarding the use of emails from NCVV to Valley Village stakeholders, Steven Stokes admitted that he usually sends three emails announcing particular events, which seems to be the optimal number to alert and remind recipients.

Elections Committee

Ginny Hatfield revealed that the city clerk has been conducting neighborhood council elections, but is currently investigating other options, including an electronic system. Although many NCVV board positions will be expiring in 2012, there will be no formal NC elections for any neighborhood council area until 2014.

City Services Committee

Jeff Walker declared that Los Angeles would be using a different company for park benches and that the benches will be green with metal grates and constructed so no rain will be pooling in the seats. The city will earn revenue from bench advertising. NCVV has requested five new bus shelters for Valley Village, including one on the southeast corner of Riverside Drive and Radford Avenue.

Valley Village Vision Task Force

Volunteers are still needed to interview longtime residents and walk neighborhoods to find relevant buildings for Survey LA. More information can be found on their website.

NCVV Finance Report

Treasurer Paul Hatfield’s finance report revealed that August 2nd’s National Night Out came in $58 under budget.

LAUSD Board District 3

Tamar Galatzan’s Chief of Staff Hilary MacGregor and District Director Jennifer Brogin gave a short presentation of events in LAUSD Board District 3. They mentioned that Tamar Galatzan is the only LAUSD board member who actually has children attending an LAUSD school (nearby Riverside Drive Elementary). Approximately $1.5 billion has been cut from the LAUSD budget in the past three years, and another $4 million will be cut in 2012. STAR test results tended to be higher in District 3 than in other areas. Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences is a new high school that will be opening in Granada Hills on September 7th. Our Community Charter School, a K-6 elementary school in Chatsworth, opened August 24 and will focus on cutting waste, standards-based promotions, technology and facilities planning. There are more affiliated charters than ever, and 17 out of the 18 affiliated charters are in the Valley.

Valley Village Homeowners Association (VVHA)

VVHA president Peter Sanchez gave a short presentation about the role of the homeowners’ association and how it differs from Neighborhood Council Valley Village. He also handed flyers entitled The Valley Village Story which told the history of Valley Village and explained many of the achievements of VVHA throughout the years, including park improvements, landscaping along the Orange Line, restricting airport expansion, and fighting to get a sound wall along the 170 Freeway.

28th District of California (Howard Berman)

Congressional staffer Pearl Ricci announced that Howard Berman has been spending a lot of time meeting with various community groups. She also said that there have been coyote sightings in the area. Due to budget cuts, there is currently only one person in animal services who handles coyotes, so Pearl advised residents not to leave pet food outside their homes.

Council District 2 (Paul Krekorian)

This was the last meeting for long-time field deputy Pat Davenport, who will be passing the reigns to Nikki Ezhari from Congressman Paul Krekorian’s office. Nikki announced that the office should be called if stakeholders find any areas with overflowing or absent trash bins and additional bins will be provided. She also revealed some upcoming events in the area.

Andrew Lachman – State Assembly run

Andrew Lachman announced his candidacy for 46th District of the State Assembly, which will be vacated in 2012 by Congressman Mike Feuer.

Mark Reed – Congressional run

Mark Reed announced his intention to run as the 2012 Republican candidate in California’s 30th Congressional District against incumbents Brad Sherman and Howard Berman. He is hosting a series of Residents’ Forums, which will be held at American Legion Post 308 in Reseda.

Dayne DaLuise – Miss Valley Village run

20-year old Dayne DaLuise has lived in the Valley Village area her entire life. She is a senior at CSUN majoring in ecology and is representing Valley Village in the Miss California USA Pageant. She is trying to raise $5,000 in sponsorship money for the contest.

Colfax Charter Elementary School boundary changes

Several members of the audience brought up the question about the recent boundary changes to Colfax Charter Elementary School. Because the school had reached its maximum capacity, LAUSD has changed the Riverside Drive/Colfax Charter optional area to now be solely the Riverside Drive Elementary School district. The boundary runs down Laurelgrove Avenue. The participants were disturbed that they were not consulted before the boundary change, and they were concerned that their property value will now go down since they are suddenly not within the coveted Colfax district. The NCVV president sympathized with their plight, but let the participants know that it is an issue in which NCVV has no control.

Upcoming Events:

Great Wall of Los Angeles

A community picnic to celebrate the restoration of the world’s longest mural will take place Saturday, September 17 from 3 – 6 p.m. on Coldwater Canyon between Burbank Boulevard and Oxnard Street. Guests are invited to bring their own picnic, blanket and chairs, and food trucks will also be available. This free event is presented by the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC).

The NoHo Taco Cook-off Festival

On Saturday, September 24th from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sears of North Hollywood hosts the NoHo Taco Cook Off. Tickets are $4 online or $5 at the door and help support The Forgotten Dog Foundation. The event includes 25 gourmet food trucks, live music, dancers, aerial performances, piñatas, booth vendors, belly dancers, hula-hoop performers, dog adoptions, and raffles. A panel made up of gourmet food truck owners will judge the taco recipes of 20 amateur chefs. Prizes include a Kenmore range, compact refrigerator, or food processor, a BBQ grill and cutlery set. For information about the event or to enter the taco competition, call (323) 654-0442 or log on to http://nohofoodtruckfest.com.

5K Run/Walk in Honor of Conor

Last year, 16-year old Conor Lynch was killed by a hit and run driver in Sherman Oaks while training for a cross-country event with his Notre Dame teammates. On Sunday, October 16, a 5K Run/Walk will be held in his honor at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park. Proceeds will benefit programs that raise awareness and promote the safety of pedestrians, runners, cyclists, and young drivers. For more information or to register, visit The Conor Lynch Foundation or active.com.

2011 LA Congress of Neighborhoods

Saturday, September 24th from 7:45 a.m. – 4 p.m. the Neighborhood Councils of the City of Los Angeles presents the 2011 LA Congress of Neighborhoods, a free event designed to increase public participation in government. Participants may choose to attend three sessions of the 21 workshops offered, and breakfast and lunch will be served. The event will be held at LA City Hall.

Neighborhood Council Social

NCVV president Tony Braswell invited board members to attend the Social Evening of Neighborhood Councils to be held Saturday, September 10 from 7 – 10 p.m. at CBS Studio Center.

September NCVV meeting moved

Because the next regularly scheduled NCVV meeting coincides with Rash Hashanah, it will instead be moved to September 21.