VIDEO: Mid-Town NoHo NC Discusses Prostitution on Lankershim, High-Speed Rail

The Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council met Wednesday in the Senior Citizens Center at . Due to some board members who had not arrived by the start of the general meeting, Mid-Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council President, Mary A. Garcia, moved to begin the meeting with public comments.

Eric Menjivar, field representative of State Assemblyman Mike Gatto, informed the community about the actions to be taken on a complaint about an unlawful homeless encampment by the 170 Freeway in the Valley Glen area. He advised the MTNHNC board and the meeting attendees that CalTrans and the California Highway Patrol will definitely clear out the encampment, clean up the residual trash and fix "a hole in the fence" that the illegal campers have used to access the site.

Jerrell Walls, Vice President of MTNHNC, spoke about a couple of current police and safety issues concerning the Mid-Town North Hollywood area. Walls explained the LAPD's latest tactic on fighting prostitution in the northern part of Lankershim Boulevard. He said that LAPD's vice unit is focusing more on getting the "pimps" for their criminal activity, instead of only arresting the "ladies of the night." He gave a revealing anecdote about how these women are constantly victimized by their pimps and even their customers, and the LAPD's tactic of driving out the pimps appears to be more effective at fighting prostitution in the area.

Walls also updated the attendees on the complaint about the possibly dangerous crosswalk at Blakeslee Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard. Walls explained that he contacted the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the City Of Los Angeles and put forth a formal complaint, in which the DOT responded by saying that the intersection currently poses no serious problems, and until there is more evidence to support a serious safety issue, the city cannot facilitate improving the crosswalk with special signals, crossing controls or actuators. In short, nothing is going to change at the Blakeslee and Magnolia crosswalk. And if "a pedestrian accident problem were to develop" there, DOT says that the crosswalk may be removed and crossing will be prohibited at that spot, due to the city's current budget dilemma. This stance by the DOT brought a bit of sarcasm from Mary Garcia, who commented, "Thanks for the good news."

Ted Kriesel, board member MTNHNC, invited area non-profit organizations to share the MTNHNC booth at the new . He also asked for volunteers from the stakeholders or the general public, to help man the booth during the market hours, which are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., every Saturday, rain or shine.

Radomir Luza, board member MTNHNC and also a , reiterated Kriesel's invitation for the public to volunteer at their Farmer's Market booth, voicing some positive personal experience in the booth and his general enthusiasm for North Hollywood. Luza also plugged the event, with the next one happening on November 5. (See the Patch Calendar for more event details.)

Yvonne Demery, board member MTNHNC, and the beautification committee chair, invited the public to Mid-Town NoHo's monthly neighborhood clean-up, which will occur on the last Saturday of every month. She also invited the attendees to the Beautification Committee's monthly meetings at the North Hollywood Police Station, held at 7 p.m. on the last Monday of every month.

Michael Pauls, representing , presented the upcoming improvements to the .  The organization will add an additional 2,317 square feet to the existing store, currently in the permit phase. Construction is projected to complete in March 2012.

Gazala Pirzada, Manager of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in North Hollywood, updated the board and the public about current North Hollywood projects not affected by the State of California's Supreme Court stay, concerning the law throughout the state (Bills ABX1 26, which call for the elimination of redevelopment agencies and create successor agencies; and ABX1 27, where redevelopment agencies that make payments to the state are exempt from elimination). Pirzada informed the attendees that these two recent bills have passed in California and are directly affecting the CRA's functions. ()

Greg Bartz, Community Liaison for LADWP, updated the status of the ongoing decisions regarding a "ratepayer advocate" to oversee the activities of the DWP. Bartz noted the recent progress toward the appointment of a "ratepayer advocate," which might not be called, "ratepayer advocate." It could be named something different altogether, and be a title like the recently named five-member "Citizens Committee for the Appointment of the Executive Director of the Office of Public Accountability," a committee appointed by Los Angeles City Hall in August 2011, according to an information sheet provided by Bartz. (Go to www.ladwp.com for more information.)

Alex Shoor, a representative for California's High-Speed Rail Initiative, gave a presentation introducing key points touting the benefits of the proposed statewide transportation project.

After a vote, the MTNHNC board installed Vivian Sampson as the "general at-large seat" on the neighborhood council. Sampson resigned her previous seat on the council due to a grievance matter, now resolved.

Robert "Pep" Peppermuller, presented his application for the "District 5 seat" on the neighborhood council for the board and the attendees, and after a vote, Peppermuller was accepted, and was invited to take a seat with the MTNHNC.

Jose Hernandez, one of the organizers of the NoHo Arts District Farmers Market, made a plea to the board for $2,500 for website design, chairs, tables, tents and other needs for the operation of the weekly farmers market event. After a vote, the MTNHNC granted the organizers the funding.

Corinne Cobb, of Operation Love Ministries, presented a request for $1,000 funding to refurbish and repair an old van that they intend to use for ministry work. The board held Cobb's request for more discussion at their next meeting, stating the reason that the board needs to research the legality of a neighborhood council funding a group tied to a religious organization. Cobb and her supporters argued that they were not a group that excludes others, and that Operation Love Ministries was an organization that helps people of all beliefs. The board explained that they were not rejecting the funding, but needed to learn more about the legal aspect, since it is public dollars possibly supporting a religious cause.

After a confusing discussion about the "accuracy" of the past several month's minutes, the board decided to make an effort to edit the board meeting minutes for better spelling and corrections before they were printed and made public.

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