Paul Krekorian's Year in Review

2011: A Retrospective

For more pictures and to watch a slideshow we created with some of the year's most illustrative photos, check our blog.

Dear Friend:

This past year was a period of change, progress and a collective desire to better our communities. We celebrated talented young artists during the Los Angeles Student Media Festival (the city's only film festival exclusively for Southern Californian high school students), helped deliver miles of new bike lanes in the Valley and encouraged economic growth while also preserving community character and open space. 

It was a year marked with both challenges and hope. We worked with the community to fix parking issues in Studio City and preserve land in Sunland-Tujunga and elsewhere; we convened a Jobs and Business Advisory Committee at Valley College, and we fought for passage of my Local Preference Ordinance, a measure that could create as many as 10,000 jobs in the region.

We opened the Sherman Oaks/East Valley Adult Center, put the brakes on mansionization in Studio City and created a small business assistance program that will create jobs and beautify neighborhoods. We cleaned up tons of trash in the Tujunga Wash and La Tuna Canyon, planted 31 trees along Sherman Way in North Hollywood, helped to eradicate mobile billboards and worked to change the city's outdated policy on murals.

As we close the book on this year, I look forward to a 2012 in which we will continue to shed the weight of a recession that has changed the way the city does business. We will continue doing more with less and making efficiency a standard operating procedure.

Finally, I want to thank you. You've given me the opportunity to represent our community for two years, a special and unique honor that I work to continue to earn each and every day. 

From my family to yours, best wishes for a very happy holiday season, and may 2012 bring bright days to you and the City that we love.

 Very truly yours, 

PAUL KREKORIAN

Councilmember, Second District

SUNLAND-TUJUNGA - A group of vandals used shovels and other gear to carve out destructive and illegal new trails nearly a mile long in picturesque Verdugo Mountain Park in early January, shocking hikers and others who decried the environmental destruction. The damage, which burdened the structural integrity of existing hiking trails, affected nearby fire roads, hikers, horse riders and the natural landscape. Local residents Kristin Sabo and Joe Barrett - hikers, open space advocates and community activists - discovered the vandalism on January 11.

Krekorian's office called in the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Office of Public Safety to help, and the restoration of the natural environment was completed in less than two months. 

(Read more)

Storm Drains Made Safer for Equestrians 
 
SHADOW HILLS - A 2010 accident that took the life of one horse and injured its rider inspired Councilmember Krekorian to find solutions to potentially dangerous storm drain screens. As a result, officials redesigned the storm drain screens along Wheatland Avenue, between McBroom Street and Sunland Boulevard. The new drain screens were completed in mid-March, and along with the removal of any sharp edges, they have reduced the risk of potential injury to animals, cyclists and pedestrians.

(Read more)

 Hometown Heroes Honored

SUNLAND-TUJUNGA - A military banner display instigated by our office and the Sunland-Tujunga community was kicked off in July. The Hometown Heroes program, which relied partly on funding from the Rotary Club, worked with Councilmember Krekorian's office to honor the sacrifice of those serving in the armed forces. The project placed banners on poles along Foothill Boulevard that acknowledged Sunland-Tujunga residents by name who are serving our country.

(Read more) 

Tujunga Wash Cleaned, Housing for Homeless Found  

TUJUNGA - In May, the office of Councilmember Krekorian organized an event to find shelter for the homeless in the Tujunga Wash while clearing 24 tons of debris in an area that had become a magnet for trash and a potential safety hazard for hikers and horse riders in the ravine.

Krekorian brought together representatives from many government and nonprofit agencies, including the San Fernando Valley Mental Health Services, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the Veterans Administration to coordinate and focus efforts to address homelessness in the community. Krekorian's first Homeless Outreach Day resulted in six former residents of the wash moving into permanent supportive housing.

City Invests in McGroarty Art Center   

TUJUNGA - Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion in early May to restore the aging infrastructure of the 90-year-old building of the McGroarty Arts Center. The $250,000 of financing from non-General Fund money enabled the center to fix its electrical problems, kept the heat on in winter and ensured a safer environment for its guests.  

(Read more)

Colfax Bridge Opens   

 STUDIO CITY - The completion of Colfax Avenue Bridge - which opened in July - finalized a much delayed and often frustrating project for local businesses and commuters. In the end, though, Studio City got a seismically retrofitted bridge 28-feet wider and much safer than the old one.   

The new bridge has sufficient room beneath its surface for a bike path on both sides of the concrete-lined river channel and new ADA-accessible ramps. At long last, Studio City has a beautiful new structure that City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said will "stand the test of time, and remain an endearing community icon."

 (Read more)

Krekorian Calls on Chase Knolls Owners to Fix Historical Apartments

 SHERMAN OAKS - Managers of the World War II-era Chase Knolls Garden Apartments moved ahead with plans this year to begin renovating the historic site after Councilmember Paul Krekorian called for their tax benefits to be stripped if neglect of the complex continued. 

If the owner of the Sherman Oaks apartments had not fixed the property, he could have been fined more than $5 million and the tax break the property had enjoyed for nearly a decade could have been revoked. Since 2002, owners of the complex have saved more than $1.3 million in reduced property taxes under a state law known as the Mills Act.

(Read more) 

 Volunteers Clean Up East Valley

SUN VALLEY - The office of Councilmember Paul Krekorian in August, along with the Bureau of Sanitation and volunteers from a local nonprofit group, worked to clear a one-mile stretch of trash and debris from a North Hollywood street long plagued with illegal dumping.   

The clean-up, orchestrated with the Sun Valley Graffiti Busters and paid for with the help of Councilmember Krekorian's office, collected 54 bags of trash and one-and-a-half truck loads of tumbleweed found along Raymer Street, between Whitsett and Fulton avenues.  

(Read more)

 Great Wall Restored

VALLEY GLEN - It is certainly the longest mural in the United States, and it is probably the largest monument to tolerance and multiculturalism anywhere in the world. The Great Wall of Los Angeles, stretching a half mile through the Tujunga Wash flood control channel in Valley Glen, underwent a much-needed restoration in 2011. It was the first time the 35-year-old pictograph, detailing the march of history as it impacted Southern California from prehistoric times to the 1950s, received a facelift. 

With funding from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the California Community Historical Endowment and others, crews were out in full force under the leadership of Judy Baca, mural creator, famed L.A. artist and founder of the nonprofit Social and Political Art Resource Center (SPARC).

(Read more)

VNSO Playground Opens 

SHERMAN OAKS - A wide ranging effort to retrofit nearly two dozen playgrounds in city parks to accommodate children and parents with disabilities continued in April when Councilman Krekorian and other officials cut the ribbon at a Universal Access Playground in Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park. The state-of-the-art design includes equipment upgrades, two sand and water activity centers, a water mister, extra benches and other facilities accessible for all children.  

(Read more)    

Krekorian Pushes for Prop O Funds   

LOS ANGELES -Councilmember Krekorian advanced his long-standing support of saving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course in Tujunga and the Weddington Golf & Tennis in Studio City from development by personally appearing before a city committee in May to seek bond funding to preserve the two community institutions as open space. 

(Read more)  

Council Office, Residents Find Park Compromise   

STUDIO CITY - Councilmember Paul Krekorian's office paved the way for a new vision of Woodbridge Park in May after plans from the neighborhood's Park Advisory Board came into conflict with some neighbors' ideas for the facility. After negotiations and a series of community meetings, Krekorian's office worked with neighbors to successfully retrofit the old plans to balance incompatible concerns concerning the installation of exercise equipment.  

The new plan secluded the exercise area to the north end of the park with accessibility via a decomposed granite path while pairing down the number of exercise equipment stations from 12 to seven. 

(Read more)   

Panel Convened to Chart River Course 

STUDIO CITY - A convergence of neighborhood leaders, environmentalists and government officials met in October in Studio City to elicit public feedback and chart a new course for the future of the Los Angeles River.

Councilmember Krekorian told the panel his office had secured $30,000 in matching grant funds for a series of improvements to the river in Studio City, including enhanced bike and walking paths and other improvements.

(Read more)

Hundreds of Acres of Open Space Preserved 

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Paul Krekorian was joined by City Controller Wendy Greuel and leaders of the Foothills communities to mark the dedication of nearly 280 acres of open space in December.

The historic transfer of 277.5 acres adjacent to the Angeles National Golf Club protects the wildlife corridor that links the Verdugo Mountains with the Angeles National Forest and will now be preserved as recreational open space and protected from future development. In addition to the transfer of land, owners of the golf club will spend $42,000 each year for 25 years for trail maintenance, $15,000 for the MCRA to develop signage for the area and $250,000 to create and maintain equestrian trails in the Foothills.

"This was a process that was initiated nearly a generation ago by Councilman Joel Wachs and pursued through 15 years of diligent work in the community and City Hall," Councilmember Krekorian said. "This inspiring protection of open space is an example of what can happen when an engaged community collaborates with their partners in government and the private sector to develop a vision and make it a reality."

Krekorian Maintains Insistence on In-Depth Scrutiny of Stadium Proposal  

Perhaps no issue elicited as much passion as the oft-debated proposal to bring back the NFL to Los Angeles with AEG using their plan to build a football stadium in Downtown Los Angeles as the lynchpin.

The vigorous debate, however, might never have happened had Councilmember Krekorian not been the first elected official to voice concern early on, at a time when many were already waving pom-poms before the proposal was even presented to the City Council and the public.

Nearly immediately after his lone dissent disrupted the perception that the stadium was a fait accompli, others started questioning the runaway proposal, pressing the brakes on plans that could have profound impacts on Downtown and the entire city. 

At the time, Krekorian stressed the importance of carefully and transparently analyzing the proposal before accepting it. "One thing is for sure," he said at the time, "now more than ever, this city and its taxpayers cannot subsidize a billion-dollar stadium for an NFL team while we're cutting back on services in neighborhood parks."

Throughout the year's discussions on the matter, Krekorian has maintained that any stadium project must not only not cost taxpayers a dime but must also produce substantial positive economic impact. By the beginning of August, the public had an opportunity to see a more fully and carefully developed financial plan for the stadium and convention center proposal. Other issues, including the project's potential impact on traffic and the environment, will be addressed after an environmental impact report, due to be released in January 2012.

North Hollywood Stimulus Program Now in Effect

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - The end of March saw the introduction of the Business Assistance Program aimed at stimulating economic activity along Laurel Canyon Boulevard, between Burbank Boulevard and Vanowen Street.  

The office of Councilmember Krekorian partnered with the Community Redevelopment Agency, which made available 0%-interest loans totaling $800,000 to local businesses. The ongoing project is part of a wider push to revitalize North Hollywood and the East San Fernando Valley.

(Read more)

 Neighborhood Council Reform Package Introduced 

LOS ANGELES - In furtherance of his continuing drive to support and improve the neighborhood council system in Los Angeles, Councilmember Paul Krekorian presented four motions last June aimed at increasing accountability and effectiveness, establishing a path to greater self-governance and improving grassroots participation. As they progress forward, the motions are spurring a much needed conversation on how best to ensure the continued vitality of the neighborhood council movement.  

(Read more)

Job Creating Bill Extended by Sacramento  

BURBANK - In June, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation found that a state film and TV production incentive program enacted by then-Assemblymember Paul Krekorian had created or preserved more than 20,000 jobs in the state and generated about $3.8 billion in economic output.   

Krekorian was part of a coalition in 2011 that called on the Legislature to extend the tax credit, which they did when a bill by Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes to extend it for a year was signed into law. 

(Read more)  

Encouraging Rooftop Solar in LAUSD Schools    

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion in June to allow a one-year extension for pending Solar Incentive Program applications. The motion, approved by the City Council, would allow LAUSD to continue to seek $4.4 million in rebates that will provide necessary funding to move toward improved efficiency and installation of renewable technology at both John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley and the LAUSD's Local District 5 Administrative Office. 

(Read more)

 Accord Struck to Limit Mansionization in Studio City   

STUDIO CITY - After years of divisive wrangling within the community over the need to preserve neighborhood character, the office of Councilmember Krekorian worked hand-in-hand with neighbors to find common ground and broker a compromise that will restrict expansion of nearly

4,000 homes while still balancing individual property owners' rights. 

The Residential Floor Area District, agreed on in September after dozens of meetings with hundreds of residents, went further than the city's ordinance to limit mansionization - the phenomenon of tearing down an existing home and replacing it with one that may be much larger than surrounding homes.

In the end, community groups across a divergent landscape of concerns, previously entrenched in their positions, came together after months of what many called creative leadership by Councilmember Paul Krekorian's office, as staff members worked to adopt a better way of addressing mansionization by limiting size and creating incentives for positive design elements that preserve the character of neighborhoods.

 Mayor Signs Economic Stimulus Ordinance 

CITY HALL - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in October signed into law an ambitious new ordinance authored by Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Bernard Parks aimed at helping local businesses create jobs by getting a larger share of business with the city.

The Local Preference ordinance offers local companies an eight percent advantage when bidding on contracts to do business with the city, a formula that is projected to create up to 10,000 new jobs in the region.  

(Read more)   

Mobile Billboard Ban Toughened  

This year saw the passage of additional state legislation to help cities end the scourge of mobile billboards from our streets. Los Angeles had passed an ordinance to deal with the problem that went into effect Jan. 1, and that ordinance dramatically curtailed the extent of the problem throughout the San Fernando Valley. Still, some billboard operators continued to flaunt the regulations by trying to find loopholes.

Now, new legislation by Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield - signed by the Governor in 2011 - will give L.A. officials more tools to go after the mobile blight.

(Read more)

LOS ANGELES - In November, Councilmembers Ed Reyes and Paul Krekorian held a special joint meeting of their respective committees to continue reshaping the mural ordinance in the City of Los Angeles. Krekorian's goal has long been to repeal the current city prohibition of murals while still preserving the city's ability to regulate commercial advertising 

New Crosswalks in Tujunga 

TUJUNGA - To enhance public safety, especially for students at nearby Mt. Lukens Continuation School and Verdugo Hills High School, city crews striped new crosswalks in May at the intersection of Summitrose Street and Irma Avenue.   

Parents and faculty, including Mt. Luken's Principal Alan Tamshen and school staff member John Laue, had reached out to Councilmember Krekorian's office, concerned that the lack of crosswalks combined with frequently careless and speeding drivers could produce a tragic result. Soon after the discussion, officials studied the location and verified the need for new pedestrian safety measures. New crosswalks were painted soon thereafter.

After Tragic Death, Streetlight Built     

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Less than a year after her she was fatally struck by a car, Emely Aleman's family honored her memory in June as a new streetlight was built at the North Hollywood intersection where the accident occurred.   

Councilmember Paul Krekorian and LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan pushed for the project - at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Archwood Street - to be completed well ahead of its projected 2012 completion date in time for the new school year and to implement new safety measures the community had long requested.

"This is a bittersweet moment," Councilmember Krekorian said at the time, "as we remember a life taken from us knowing that this street light will be a testament to the enduring memory of Emely and will help slow down traffic and keep our community safer."        

SHERMAN OAKS -There were tears, cheers and thanks all around in September as Councilmember Krekorian and law enforcement officials joined the friends and family of 16-year-old Conor Lynch on a bittersweet morning, cutting the ribbon on a new LAPD speed trailer on Woodman Avenue in front of Notre Dame High School. Conor, a Notre Dame student, was fatally struck by a passing driver at the same spot in 2010.

(Read more)