News From the Neighborhood Council Valley Village July Board Meeting

On July 18, Neighborhood Council Valley Village's monthly board meeting changed venues to Faith Presbyterian Church, coinciding with the quarterly Valley Village Homeowners Association meeting taking place catty-corner at the Colfax Charter auditorium. This prompted most of the board members to make a mad dash across Colfax Avenue and Addison Street the moment NCVV was over to catch the tail end of the VVHA news and Neighborhood Watch update.

Here are some of the issues, concerns and events discussed at the Neighborhood Council meeting:

DWP repairs to Magnolia/Whitsett:

In March 2013 the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will tentatively begin construction of a new 7,200 feet pipeline in Valley Village. They will be replacing the 100-year old city trunk line starting from Magnolia Boulevard and the Tujunga Wash to Whitsett Avenue, and then from Weddington Street and Whitsett south to join the new trunk line at Moorpark Street. They anticipate construction will be completed in August of 2015. The general construction information line is 213-367-0902. Additional information can be found at ladwp.com.

Neighborhood Council elections:

Neighborhood Council Valley Village will be holding elections for its board of directors on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 4-8 p.m. at Faith Presbyterian Church for the seats whose terms run out in 2012. Available positions include two homeowner seats, two residential renter seats, a businessperson seat, an education representative seat, and an at-large seat. The term is for four years, and the election for the remaining positions will be held in 2014. Anyone who is a Valley Village stakeholder (someone who lives, works or owns property in Valley Village) is eligible. NCVV hopes to have at least three candidates for every open position. The candidate filing period is July 22 through August 21. Information can be found on the NCVV website or by calling Election Chair Ginny Hatfield at 818-759-8204. The ten Neighborhood Councils that make up Region 4 will be jointing purchasing a full-page ad in the Sunday, Aug. 29th edition of Daily News to advertise the upcoming elections.

National Night Out:

Tuesday, Aug. 7 marks the 29th nationwide National Night Out, an evening to bring the community together to increase crime awareness and keep their streets safe. NCVV will be hosting a free event at Valley Village Park from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be plenty of food and drinks, a live band, Red Cross Puppet Show, Art by Karina face painting, and raffle prizes. District 2 Councilmember Paul Krekorian will be participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of Valley Village Park renovations (only the picnic shade structures have yet to be installed). Members of NCVV, VVHA, Recreation and Parks, and Valley Village Boy Scout Troop 311 will also be attending. Neighborhood Watch and Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) volunteers will be honored. Guests have the chance to race each other on tricycles wearing goggles that simulate what it is like to be drunk. Everyone will have the opportunity to purchase custom Valley Village T-shirts, sweatshirts and leather wraps that were popular sellers at the Colfax World Fair and the Valley Village 4th of July parade. The evening will conclude in a group neighborhood walk by flashlight. All children who participate in the walk will be given an additional gift. Leave your porch light on to show support.

Valley Village now in one Council District:

Since the 2000 census, Valley Village has been split into two Council Districts – District 2 (Paul Krekorian) and District 4 (Paul Koretz). The 2010 census prompted the redrawing of Los Angeles, and as of July 1st Valley Village is now completely in Council District 2.

Chandler speed limit not increased… for now:

The speed limit on Chandler Boulevard between Lankershim Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Boulevard will remain at 35 mph rather than increase to 45 mph as has recently been proposed by the Department of Transportation. The NCVV hosted a Town Hall Forum, fielded dozens of phone calls and emails from Valley Village stakeholders, and vociferously protested the speed limit increase, prompting the DOT to place a moratorium on the decision until further studies were made. NCVV argued that in addition to Chandler’s popular bike path, this stretch of road is regularly used by a large number of Valley Village stakeholders on Saturdays as they walk to temple, and due to the dearth of sidewalks, a speed limit of 45 (which would prompt many drivers to drive much faster) would be incredibly unsafe.

Board liaison to DWP chosen:

NCVV has chosen Business Board member Charles Sulahian as the liaison to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He will keep the board and community abreast of DWP activities as well as field stakeholder concerns and report them back to the appropriate DWP personnel.

Time Out Café Update:

The NCVV Planning & Land Use Committee has been diligently defending the requests of multiple stakeholders who have been protesting the licensing requests of Time Out Café (AKA Red Moon Restaurant & Lounge), which is located at 12516 Riverside Drive. Although the restaurant is just west of the Tujunga Wash and therefore not in NCVV’s jurisdiction, Valley Village residents who live across the street from the establishment have long complained of the noise and late night crowd. The restaurant had been requesting conditions of approval including expanding the hours of operation, having a live DJ, dancing, and private parties. Nearly all of NCVV’s requests were honored by the South Valley Area Planning Commission, with the exception of increasing the weekend operation hours to 1 a.m.

Treasurer’s Report:

Next year Los Angeles will be allocating $37,000 to Neighborhood Council Valley Village. NCVV Treasurer Paul Hatfield presented the proposed 2013 budget which will include funding for events like the Colfax World Fair Booth ($2,500), National Night Out ($2,500), Valley Village 4th of July Parade ($1,000 for two bands), website development and maintenance ($2,000), Neighborhood Purposes Grant ($5,000), special mailings ($5,000), library support ($1,000), and outreach fund ($5,000).

The budget surplus for 2012 will be used to cover costs of the next Neighborhood Council election.

Other news:

NCVV is investigating the feasibility of building a park along the east side of the Tujunga Wash at Riverside Drive and expanding northward to Burbank Boulevard. The most viable plan currently is to build a 100-foot stretch starting at Riverside Drive to use as a template. This phase would possibly be financed through discretionary funds and multiple grants and would be spread over two years.

NCVV board members may suggest that the Department of Transportation paint the curb red in front of Four ‘N’ 20 at 4723 Laurel Canyon Boulevard since there is now a third lane for 101 Freeway entrance and it now seems to be a hazard.

During the previous NCVV meeting, residents of the cul-de-sac at Radford Avenue and Weddington Street complained about kids smoking pot behind apartment buildings and in laundry rooms. Police have been patrolling the area more often, and residents now note that the area has “really been cleaned up.”

In October NCVV hopes to have a Town Hall Forum so stakeholders can meet and hear the goals of Adrin Nazarian and Jay L. Stern, the two candidates who will be facing a runoff election for State Assembly District 46.

Upcoming NCVV meetings:

The next Neighborhood Council Valley Village Board meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 22 – from 6:30 – 9 p.m. in the Colfax Charter Auditorium. The next Planning and Land Use Committee meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 8 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the same location, and the Communications and Projects Committee meetings will be 7:30 – 8:30 the same night in the Colfax Teachers’ Lounge. The next City Services Committee meeting will be held Tuesday, Aug. 14 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the Oakwood High School Library.