Mar Vista Community Forum

Cindy Miscikowski's September 2003 E-News

Sep 18, 2003

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski's
September 2003 E-News

September 17, 2003

After the end of summer legislative recess and the Labor Day holiday, City Hall is back to business and it has been quite a 2 weeks for me.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank so many of you who have taken your valuable time to attend hearings and Council meetings on the Adult Entertainment ordinance and my 245 motion on the LAX Master Plan consultant RFP. Your voice and support really does make a difference and I am proud of the effort that you all make every day to make your neighborhoods a better place to live and work.

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT ORDINANCE PASSED BY COUNCIL

As you have likely heard by now, the Council unanimously passed the Adult Entertainment Ordinance that we have been working on for the past several years. Los Angeles now finally has a permitting system for adult clubs that makes sense and some good, tough new regulations that will, for the first time, allow us to make sure that club operators are running their businesses in accordance with local laws. This ordinance will give the LAPD and City Attorney the tools they need to stop those who violate our laws. This new law was a long time in coming but I am so proud that we were finally able to prevail. This was a true victory for our neighborhoods.

I'd like to thank so many people who helped make this happen including the City Attorney, Rocky Delgadillo and his staff Gita Isagholian, Asha Greenberg, Susan Strick and Michael Klekner. Police Chief Bill Bratton, Captain Proctor, who is the head of the Organized Crime and Vice Division, Chief Bill McMurray from the Detectives Unit, WLA Captain Michael Chambers, Wilshire Area Captain Richard Wemmer and Sergeant Carmine Sasso for all their hard work in compiling so much good information on what is really happening out there. Thanks also to Cristi Walden, Don and Prudy Schultz from Van Nuys, Jay Handel, Jean Shigematsu, Jean Ushijima, Tom Donovan, Sylvia Nickel, Ernie and Marilyn Sanchez from Montecito Heights, Vicki and Al Casas, and a special thanks to Kristen Montet and Adena Tessler of my staff who have sheparded this ordinance through the process for so long.

LAX MASTER PLAN FOCUS INTENSIFIES

While I ultimately ended up "receiving and filing" my 245 motion to reject the RFP for consultants to do additional Master Plan advanced planning for Alternative D, I feel very good about the compromise reached with Mayor Hahn and the airport commission. They have agreed not to release the RFP until after the November 7th close of the EIR comment period and not to award the contract until March of 2003 which will ultimately allow more time for us all to provide input on the future of LAX. My colleagues on the Council became aware of just how important this issue truly is for the future of the City and many weighed in behind the scenes with the Mayor's office about the value of ensuring that this process is inclusive and open. The Mayor has committed to us all, in writing, that he will work to honor those principals.

This is just one more step in what will undoubtedly be a long process. As I have said before, I support making some long-needed improvements to LAX and do support a number of the proposals in Alternative D. I continue to have questions about Manchester Square and the security aspects of the proposal that I hope will be addressed during the EIR process. Regardless, I will continue to fight for the process to ensure that we aren't cutting corners or making costly mistakes for the sake of rushing to get a project. This is too important and too expensive a proposal to take those risks.

Thanks to those of you who came out to support the motion from the community. I truly value and appreciate your time and effort.


Calendar Items:

Westchester-Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council will be holding a general membership meeting September 23rd at 6:30pm at the Westchester Senior Center. Agenda will include a discussion of recent public safety issues in the Westchester and Playa del Rey communities.

DONE will announce election results for the Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council on Wednesday, September 24th at 7pm at the Westminister Elementary School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Pacific Palisades Community Council, Thursday, September 25th at 7pm held at the Palisades Library.

The "19th Annual Abbot Kinney Festival" is being held on September 28th. There will be more than 200 arts, crafts, food and community booths, as well as a classic car show and a children's court. Local bands will provide live entertainment.

Palms/Westside Civic Village Association meeting featuring Chief Bill Bratton, Tuesday, September 30th at 6:30pm held at the Iman Center, 3376 Motor Avenue.

Mar Vista Urban Planning Committee, Thursday, October 2nd at 6pm held at Mar Vista Library, 12006 Venice Blvd.

Mar Vista Community Festival and Palms Neighborhood Watch Rodeo Day, Saturday, October 4th at 10am- 3pm, Mar Vista Recreation Center, 11430 Woodbine Street.

Westchester Streetscape Improvement Association, Saturday, October 4th at 10am held at the Westchester Municipal Building. Please join in for another informative and productive community meeting/ discussion about your vision for Sepulveda.

Del Rey Homeowners and Neighbors Association Board Meeting, Monday, October 6th at 7pm, held at Venice Japanese Community Center.

Brentwood Community Council, Tuesday, October 7th at 7pm held at the Brentwood Kaufman Branch Library, 11820 San Vicente Blvd.

West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council-In Formation Certification Hearing, Tuesday, October 7 at 6:30pm, held at University Senior High School, 11800 Texas Avenue.

Westchester-Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council Board Meeting, Tuesday, October 7th at 6:30pm, held at LMU. For more information, go to www.ncwpdr.org.

Westchester Vitalization Corporation, Monday, October 13th at 6pm, held in the Westchester Municipal Building Community Room.

Mar Vista Community Council, Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 7:00pm, Mar Vista Recreation Center

Brentwood Autumn Art Festival 10:00am - 6:00pm Held on the eastbound lanes of San Vicente Blvd. between Saltair Ave. and Darlington Ave. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of West Los Angeles, the Brentwood Spring and Autumn Art Festivals are a major fund-raising effort. Funds raised from the event support scholarship programs for local high schools, special programs at the Brentwood Library and various other community outreach programs.

News Items:

Airport Update- This October, LAX and Los Angeles World Airports will mark its 75th Anniversary. The same year that saw the Wright Brothers' first flight also saw the opening of Van Nuys Airport and LAX, the City's first commercial airport. Among the many observations and celebrations during this anniversary year, LAWA has teamed up with Flight Path Learning Center and the Westchester/LAX/Playa del Rey Chamber of Commerce to open a new headquarters at Imperial Terminal. FPLC has encouraged the public's interest in aerospace as well as counseling young people about advanced education resources and opportunities in Southern California.

I would like to take this moment to commend LAWA staff for their professionalism, dedication and the attention they've given to community concerns. For more information about LAX's 75th anniversary, please go to http://www.lawa.org/75thAnniv/75th.html.

Playa Vista Phase II DEIR- As reported in my last enews, the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Village at Playa Vista has been released and the current comment deadline is October 21, 2003. I am concerned over the amount of information (3 volumes of DEIR and 21 appendices) and the time line projected for review, and have requested that the deadline to comment be extended from the current 60 day period to a full 120 days. If granted by the City Planning Department, the new deadline for comment would be December 21st. The extension would put the deadline for comment at a very busy time for most people, so those who have written to my office should not wait until the last minute. Please use the 120 days to review the document and prepare your responses prior to the deadline; preferably by the end of November or early December.

Mountaingate DEIR Comment Period- The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Mountaingate project to be located on Canyonback Road and Stoney Hill Drive in the Brentwood/Pacific Palisades Community Plan area has been released and the City's Planning Department is currently accepting comments from the public regarding the proposal. The comment period for the DEIR ends this coming Monday, September 22nd. If you want to comment on the DEIR please write to the Department of City Planning, Environmental Review Section, 200 N. Spring St., Ste. 763, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

LADWP Increases Rebates for Water-Saving Washers -
Customers Can Receive Up To $650 For Commercial Clothes Washers
Owners of Laundromats, housing complexes, and other businesses or institutions that use coin-operated, commercial clothes washers can receive an increased rebate of $650 from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) for purchasing an eligible water-saving type washer now through the end of the year. LADWP announced the increased incentive amount, from $450 to $650 per washing machine, as part of an effort to encourage water and energy conservation among commercial, industrial and institutional customers. The supplemental rebate is designed to offset the higher cost of coin- or card-operated, high-efficiency clothes washers, which save about 14 gallons of water per load compared to standard models.

The DWP offers rebates for these and other commercial conservation measures through the "Save Water - Save a Buck" program, implemented in partnership with the MWD. For more information about the "Save Water - Save a Buck" program, please call 1-877-728-2282. Incentives are also available for larger scale water conservation projects through LADWP's Technical Assistance Program, available to commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Examples of eligible projects include "smart" irrigation system upgrades and cooling tower retrofits. For more information about LADWP's Technical Assistance Program and residential water-saving incentive programs, please call 1-800-544-4498 or visit www.ladwp.com/water.

West Nile Virus Update- For the latest updates on what is happening with WNV you can visit www.lawestvector.org In California, to date, there have been no reported illnesses involving locally acquired WNV. Most individuals who are infected with WNV will not experience any illness. Others will have only mild symptoms, such as fever, headache and body aches. Less than 1% of individuals, primarily the elderly and those with lowered immune systems, will develop serious illness that will require medical attention. WNV is transmitted to humans and animals through a mosquito bite. To reduce your risk of mosquito-borne diseases you can take these precautions: avoid spending time outside at dawn and dusk, apply insect repellant, make sure doors and windows have tight fitting screens, eliminate all sources of standing water. You can contact the Los Angeles County West Vector Control District at 310-915-7370 for more information or to report a mosquito problem.

N.C. Websites- Our Neighborhood Councils are re-vamping their websites. In order to keep track of all of the information in their areas, both the Mar Vista Community Council and the Palms Neighborhood Council are continuously updating their websites. Check out Mar Vista's at www.marvistacc.org and then Palms' at http://www.palms-california.us/

The Gabrielino/Tongva Springs Foundation- invites you to come celebrate "Before Columbus Day" on Sunday, October 12, 2003 from 11am-3pm. The site of the celebration, 1439 S. Barrington Avenue, is the former village of Kuruvunga. The event will show how the Tongva lived peacefully and with joy. The event features dancers, singers, flute players, basket makers, hands on exhibits, and food. The event will take place one block south of Wilshire Boulevard on Barrington. This is the south east part of University High School and parking is on Ohio Avenue and Stoner Street at the school parking lot.

The Transportation & Land Use Collaborative of Southern California- is organizing a forum called "Latino New Urbanism." The forum will seek to discuss the nexus between the growing Latino population and future development patterns in Southern California. Visit www.latinonewurbanism.org for additional information and registration materials. We look forward to your participation!

Community Meeting for the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Service Area (NSA)- Will be held on Thursday, October 9th at 6pm at the Vera Davis McClendon Family Center, 610 California Avenue, Venice, CA 90291. The purpose of the meeting is to obtain community input on future Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in the following areas: Public Services, Public Facilities, Neighborhood/Public Improvements, Economic Development, and Housing. For additional information and requests, please contact the Community Development Department staff, Greg Woo at (213) 847-9984, or Jeanne Blakely at (213) 847-3434.

Free Tutoring for Elementary/Middle School Students- The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) recently approved a contract with Sylvan Education Solutions (a sister company to Sylvan Learning Centers) who has 15 years of experience tutoring youth and assisting them in overcoming the challenges that they face in academics. In compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, LAUSD has mailed out booklets to eligible parents with a deadline of September 26th. Sylvan will provide free tutoring to middle and elementary school students that attend poor performing schools. If you have not received the booklet and want to know if you qualify or need more information you can call the Los Angeles Parent Help line at 1-800-246-2154. The schools within the 11th Council District participating with Sylvan are Mark Twain Middle, Richland Avenue Elementary, and Webster (Daniel) Middle Schools.

First "Weeding Social"- will take place Saturday, September 20th from 10am-12pm at the Brentwood Green at the Brentwood Science Magnet School. Bring friends, kids, your favorite trowel, weeder & clippers, gloves, a hat, water and sun screen. They will supply the weeds. The Brentwood Green, which is comprised of seven acres of green oasis, has a soccer field, all new playground equipment and several gardens. When school is not in session the campus becomes a community park and playground, open for all to enjoy. Please contact Barbara Goldenberg at 310.393.7774 (Paloma129@aol.com) or Karen Whitman at 310.471.4157 (Stanwhit@earthlink.net) for more information.

Traffic Lights on Sepulveda- A few weeks ago, a child was hit by a car while crossing Sepulveda at 80th, near a church and the YMCA. Based on concerns brought by some Westchestarians about speeding cars on Sepulveda, I asked LADOT to determine what could be done immediately. On August 20, LADOT added a few seconds onto the traffic light to better allow cars to stop before people enter the intersection. Specifically, LADOT increased yellow and red clearance times to 4.3 and 1.5 seconds, respectively. I am grateful both to the Westchester community for bringing these matters to my attention and to LADOT for quickly finding a workable solution.

Venice Beach Events- LA County Lifeguards report that attendance for Venice Beach during the first six months of this year is 2,952,250 people. It is always fun to visit the Venice Boardwalk to see all of the artists and performers. The Department of Recreation and Parks also sponsors weekly events. During the month of September, you can see the Muscle Beach West Coast Bench Press Championships on Sept. 13; the "Big Blue Classic" handball tournament on Sept. 20-21; and the Venice Beach National Singles Championships Paddle Tennis Tournament on Sept. 27-28.

Veteran's Monument - A big thanks to Curt Curtiss of the Westchester community for his fundraising efforts! Curt is raising funds to move the Veteran's Monument, currently located at the corner of Lincoln and Manchester, over to the area between the new Westchester library and the Municipal Building. The move is necessitated both by community interest in maintaining the monument as well as finding a prominent spot to showcase this important part of the Westchester community. For more information or to become involved, please contact Sharon Sandow in my Westchester office and she will put you in touch with Curt and his committee.

Light the Night comes to Westchester - Please join the Chamber and the Gateway to LA Business Improvement District as they have sponsored the Light the Night Walk for fund-raising and awareness of lymphoma and leukemia. This two mile walk through the Century Corridor area celebrates and commemorates people whose lives have been touched by cancer. This wonderful event will take place on October 2nd at 5959 Century Blvd. Registration begins at 4:30pm and the walk itself starts at 7pm. Please join me and my staff as we walk with family, friends, and supporters of those who wish to signify their commitment to the fight against cancer.

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I hope you have enjoyed this update. As always, I welcome your thoughts and suggestions on making this monthly newsletter more interesting, informative and useful to you. If you like what you see and weren't an original recipient, e-mail your "subscription requests" to miscikow@c11.ci.la.ca.us. Our regular readership has grown continuously, and if you have friends or neighbors you think might like to receive this monthly update, please refer them to us. Thanks for your interest! Also e-mail us if you don't want to receive this newsletter, and we'll take you off the list.

Cindy