Westside Village Civic Assn., Inc.

Westside Village News & Views --Feb 2003

Jan 26, 2003

You are invited to the Westside Village Civic Association 2003 Annual
Meeting and Dinner

Thursday, February 20, 2003
St. John's Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
Southwest corner of National and Military

All Westside Village Residents are welcome.
Seats will be available for latecomers who can not attend the dinner.
Dinner is $5.00 per person. Children 10 and under are free.
Care will be provided for young children during the program.

Program

5:30 Registration

5:45 - 6:45 Mexican Buffet Dinner served by Baja Bud's

7:00 Comments by LAPD Senior Lead Officer Anthony Vasquez

7:05 WVCA Business Meeting

Reports by the President and Treasurer
Elections of Officers and Directors

7:30 Remarks by Councilman Jack Weiss, Fifth Council District

7:50 Remarks by Deputy Sandi Sawa, Eleventh Council District

8:00 Closing remarks and adjournment

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President's Report

WVCA will hold its 2003 Annual Meeting and Dinner on Thursday,
February 20 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of St.
John's Presbyterian Church, 11000 National Blvd. Please note that
the date for this event is one day later than was announced in the
previous newsletter. This change was necessitated by a conflict of
the previous date with the schedules of the City Council members
invited to speak. As things stand now, Councilman Jack Weiss of the
Fifth District will be our principal speaker and Deputy Sandi Sawa
will represent Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski and the Eleventh
Council District. This will be the first opportunity for most WVCA
members to interact directly with Councilman Weiss, who now
represents about two-thirds of the Westside Village residents
following Council redistricting. Ms. Sawa recently joined
Councilwoman Miscikowski as her Deputy for the West Los Angeles area.

We hope many of you will attend this event to meet with your
neighbors and show your support for your Civic Association. Further
details about the Meeting are included in the newsletter and the
enclosed flyer. Please submit your reservations for the dinner by
completing the form at the bottom of the flyer as instructed and
returning it to Richard Saltsman with your check by February 17.
Members who wish to attend the meeting and program beginning at 7
p.m., but not the dinner, may do so without charge.

The election of new Officers and Directors to replace those retiring
from the Board is an important item of business at the Annual
Meeting. I would at this time like to thank retiring Board Members
Julie Weinberg, Peter Handwerker and Kyle Arndt for their valuable
contributions to the welfare of Westside Village residents.

A dues notice and envelope are attached to this Newsletter for your
use in paying the 2003 annual dues of ten dollars per household to
WVCA. We would like to equal or surpass the approximately 50 per
cent of Westside Village residents who have been dues-paying members
in the recent past. These dues are used to support publication of
the newsletter and other activities of the Association. Please
enclose the attached form with your check in the envelope provided,
and send it to our Treasurer, Richard Saltsman.

I am pleased to report that fourteen new Block Captains and Co-Block
Captains have been recruited, and most of our 42 blocks have
generated, or are in the process of generating, updated resident and
phone number lists in connection with our efforts in the past year to
reinvigorate our Block Captain system and participation in the
Neighborhood Watch program. Board member Lisa Cahill has been
primarily responsible for the recruitment of new Block Captains and
Co-Block Captains, and Everett Wallace, although not currently a
Board member, has once again voluntarily taken on the demanding and
time consuming task of coordinating the preparation and recording of
the block lists. The residents of Westside Village owe both of these
individuals a hearty vote of thanks for their dedicated efforts. Our
thanks also go to the continuing and new Block Captains for their
vital services.

While acknowledging individuals, we should also recognize Greg
Severson and Don Elliott for their special services. Greg has
recently taken over the responsibility for managing the assembly and
distribution of the newsletter to to the Block Captains who deliver
it to the approximately 1,100 residences in Westside Village. Don
composes the newsletter and puts it together in suitable form for
printing by a professional printer. Don, who is a professional in
this area, has voluntarily served WVCA in this way for many years.
The Association is indebted to them and thanks them most sincerely
for these important contributions.

This is my final report to you as President after three years of
service in that capacity. This has been a rewarding experience for
me that has brought me into contact with a surprisingly large number
of Westside Village residents. I would like to extend my personal
thanks to my fellow Board members and Westside Village residents for
their friendly cooperation that made my experience a pleasant one.
My service on the Board has convinced me that the WVCA serves a
useful purpose for Westside Village residents, and deserves your
continued support and participation.

Charles West
(310) 839-7320; west@chem.ucla.edu
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The Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) received certification by the city last fall, and this new Los Angeles Neighborhood Council includes Westside Village . Since then, the MVCC has been preparing for an election to choose the Council's 13-member Board of Directors. Stakeholders (who live/work/both within the boundaries of the MVCC) who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to run for a seat on the Board if they obtain the signatures of 10 other stakeholders.

Bylaws call for 13 "at-large" Board seats to be filled in this initial election--in other words, there will be no requirements that each neighborhood be included. To date, residents of Westside Village have been very active in getting the MVCC certified, and it is hoped that we have excellent representation in this new Neighborhood Council.

All stakeholders, i.e., anyone who lives, works or owns property within the Council?¹s boundaries, may vote in the election, tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 13.

An Elections Committee, chaired by Evelyn Dravecky, is establishing procedures for the upcoming election. The committee wants to encourage as many stakeholders as possible to vote, which will require lots of volunteers. We have many small jobs that will take only a few hours. Please join the committee, or if you can offer a few hours of help, please contact Evelyn at (310) 397-2050 or edravecky@msn.com.

The boundaries of the MVCC are ?­ roughly ?­ from Walgrove on the west, to Overland on the east, and from Washington Place on the south to the Santa Monica Freeway on the north.

Although all councils are advisory only, we expect the MVCC to have clout with public officials, because it represents large numbers of individual stakeholders, as well as businesses, homeowner associations and a variety of business groups, religious and educational institutions, service clubs, etc., in Mar Vista/Westside Village.

During the next few weeks, information will be disseminated to the community on how to register to vote and/or become a candidate for the MVCC's first Board of Directors. The MVCC will play a major role in safeguarding the quality of life for everyone who lives or works in Mar Vista/Westside Village, and we invite all who are interested to participate.

We encourage you to attend our meetings that are held at 7 PM on the second Tuesday of each month at Mar Vista Park. For further information including the MVCC borders, check out the Council's Web site at .

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Traffic Regulation at Palms Middle School

In recent years there has been a growing problem of traffic
congestion on the streets around Palms Middle School at times when
students are arriving in the morning and departing in the afternoon.
This has led to a generally chaotic situation at peak hours, with
resulting illegal parking and other infringements on neighboring
residential properties and hazardous conditions for students and
others attempting to cross the streets at these times. Until
recently, efforts by the immediate residential neighbors, led by
Mirja Bishop, to work out better arrangements with the School
administration for handling this problem have been frustratingly
unproductive.

Recently, a plan has been developed by the LADP Officer who has
responsibility for traffic management and safety in westside school
zones, in consultation with the Palms Middle School administration,
including Principal Didinger, and the immediate residential
neighbors. All parties have endorsed this plan enthusiastically.
The first phase has already been put into effect. All MTA buses
discharging or picking up students now do so at a passenger loading
zone on the north side (westbound lane) of Palms by the School. All
LAUSD School buses discharging or picking up students now do so at a
passenger loading zone on the south side (eastbound lane) of Palms by
the School.

The second phase of the plan calls for the installation by the LA
Dept. of Transportation of a series of no-turn signs at a number of
nearby intersections and the designation of passenger loading zones
on Kelton and Woodbine. The net effect of these controls will be to
cause traffic bound for the school to flow north on Kelton from the
east-bound lane of Palms to passenger loading zones on Kelton and
Woodbine and to exit going east on Woodbine; the westbound lanes on
Woodbine would be kept free of traffic during these periods by the
no-turn signs. These no-turn signs would be operational only during
the periods of 7;30 to 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The Department of Transportation has approved the application of
Palms Middle School for the regulatory signs necessary to carry out
the second phase of the plan. The WVCA and Councilman Weiss' office
assisted in this process with supporting letters. The signs should
be in place by the end of February. Residents who use these streets
in the vicinity of Palms Middle School should be alert for these new
restrictions. The expectations are high that the full implementation
of this plan will alleviate the traffic problems and improve the
safety for students during the rush hours at Palms Middle School.

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Traffic Regulation in Westside Village

The LA City Department of Transportation (LADOT) is responsible for
traffic lights, traffic signs, parking meters and street signs,
together with most traffic control designations such as speed zones,
and parking enforcement and intersection control. The WVCA proposes
to invite a representative from the Western Section of LADOT to one
of its meetings (tentatively, the April meeting) to discuss traffic
management in Westside Village and what might be done to improve it.
It would be helpful in preparation for this meeting to have input
from Westside Village residents about specific traffic management
problems with Westside Village streets that need attention. Please
send your comments in writing to Bobby Holliday, 3206 Greenfield
Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034 or via e-mail to
(bobandmo@earthlink.net). (See a separate article in this newsletter
for information about speed bumps and their installation.)

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Slow Down Through Westside Village with Speed Humps

You see speed humps scattered throughout Westside Village - and your feelings about them likely depend on whether you live on the street, or are using it as a thoroughfare. Regardless, they serve a purpose - to reduce vehicle speeds on residential streets to near the legal speed limit. Here?’s the process to get one on your street.

1) Request a petition: Send a letter to the Department of Transportation requesting a speed hump petition, along with the neighborhood representative?’s name, address and phone number. Include the name of the street on which you?’d like the speed humps installed and include the boundary cross streets (e.g., Military Avenue between Palms and Charnock Road). Mail Department of Transportation, Speed Hump Program, 221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Or fax (213) 580-5580.

The petition submitted must be signed by at least 75% of residents on the street - that includes corner houses with no door or driveway openings on the street. Petitions can be submitted any time, but must be submitted by June 30 to be considered for the following fiscal year.

2) Department of Transportation reviews and evaluates: Once the DOT receives your petition, it will conduct a study to determine of your street meets the criteria for the installation of speed humps: i.e., no steep slopes, sharp curves, frequent driveway openings. In addition, speed data limit must show that the critical speed of vehicles exceeds the speed limit by 5 mph or more. (Arterials do not qualify.)

3) Wait: The study can take four to nine months. Then, if sufficient funds are available, it will take about another year. If funds aren?’t available, it could take many years. If you are approved, your neighborhood could privately fund a speed hump. Cost could range from $4,000 to $16,000.

You can find more information online at www.lacity.org. Search on the words ?“speed hump.?” - Jacki K. Weber

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Opportunities at the New Palms-Rancho Library

The new two-story Palms Rancho Park Branch Library opened with appropriate fanfare on November 25 as government officials, school children and neighbors celebrated the event and cut the ribbon. The new facility is light and spacious and designed with state-of-the-art electronic resources. There are special areas for children, teens and adults plus a multipurpose meeting room upstairs for supplemental library and community programs.

The only thing missing from the new Library, according to Maggie L. Johnson, the dynamic Librarian in charge, is a cadre of volunteers to more fully realize community programs. Ms. Johnson says there really only two qualifications for volunteers: ?“interest and enthusiasm.?”

Here is a sample of how you can apply your talents and energies and become an active Friend of the Library:
Tutor basic reading and writing skills
Mentor teenagers
Participate in the grandparent program
Outreach the library to the homebound
Participate in a poetry reading
Lead an author discussion

For more information and questions, contact Maggie Johnson (310-202-4586) or complete the Volunteer Form at www.lapl.org/volunteers_opp.html

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Be a Responsible Dog Owner

About two months ago, a neighbor?’s dog viciously attacked my 12-year-old dog while we were out on a walk. The neighbor had let go of her dog?’s leash because he was too big and powerful for her and she could not control him. If it hadn?’t been for a third neighbor - a good Samaritan - who grabbed a broom and hit the attack dog until he unclenched my dog?’s neck, my pet surely would have been killed.

Then last week I was out again walking in the neighborhood - this time by myself. I saw a dog running loose down the street, stopping to sniff and do his business on any front yard he pleased. Several feet ahead of him was his owner. The man would stop every couple of minutes and wait for his dog to catch up.

I wondered, was this dog vicious or friendly? Was this another attack waiting to happen? And if the animal had defecated on someone?’s lawn, would the dog?’s owner have cleaned it up? The answer to that was certainly no. The man was oblivious to his pet?’s behavior.

I caught up to the man and asked, ?“Why isn?’t your dog on a leash??” He responded in a cavalier way. I walked on, realizing this man had no respect for his neighbors or community.

My dog has suffered a lot. But thank goodness, after several-hundred dollars worth of medical care, she?’s almost completely recovered. We?’ve started walking in the neighborhood again. She loves to get out. Most dogs do. If you currently don?’t walk your dog on a leash, I hope you?’ll start. I hope you?’ll clean up his mess after he defecates in the street or on someone?’s lawn. And if you chose to walk an aggressive animal, I hope you?’ll keep him muzzled. Luckily, there?’s a happy ending to our story. The victim could have been a small child.

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Gas Powered Leaf Blowers are Illegal in Residential Areas

One of our members has asked that Westside Village residents be
reminded that the use of gas powered leaf blowers in residential
areas of the City of Los Angeles is banned. City Ordinance No. 171,
440 states: "... no gas powered blower shall be used within 500 feet
of a residence at anytime after July 1, 1997 with the exception of
leaf vacuum devices which operate at a sound level not to exceed
45dB(A). Both the user of such a blower as well as the employer of
such user, if any, shall be subject to the requirements of and
penalty provisions for this ordinance." Thus, it is the homeowner's
or resident's responsibility to make sure that the use of a leaf
blower on his or her property is in compliance with this ordinance.

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Crime Trends/Neighborhood Watch

The following are the crime statistics representing November 24, 2002 through December 21, 2002:

Aggravated Assaults 2
Burglary / Theft from vehicle 34
Robbery 4
Burglary (Residential/Business) 22
Grand Theft Auto 21
Sexual Crime 0
Homicide 0

During this rating period the Palms/Westside Village Area has experienced an increase of graffiti activity. The graffiti, which does appear to be gang related, has been most significant in the alleys and streets adjacent to Motor Avenue and Tabor Street.

The officers working our area giving extra patrol but we need your help, if you observe any suspicious activity or graffiti being written call the police right away. Operation Clean Sweep can be reached at 800-611-2489 for graffiti removal at no cost to you. Try programming into speed dial on your mobile and home phones. It makes calling a snap. And remember graffiti breeds graffiti, so it is important to remove graffiti as soon as possible.
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Mark your calendars and come to the following meetings. You?’ll learn more about the neighborhood and meet a few neighbors:

Neighborhood Watch: Tuesdays, February 18th, March 18th and April 15th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Clover Avenue Elementary School Auditorium, 11020 Clover Avenue at Military. Visit lapdonline.org, click on ?“Community Events?” and scroll down to ?“Pacific Area?” for more information.

Westside Village Civic Association Annual Meeting: Thursday, February 20th, 2003 - Join your Westside Village neighbors for dinner and the annual meeting at Fellowship Hall of St. John?’s Presbyterian Church, 11000 National Boulevard at Military. Meet representatives from the offices of Councilwoman Miscikowski and Councilman Weiss, along with our senior lead officer, Anthony Vasquez, and other pillars of our community. See the insert in this month?’s newsletter for more information.

Mar Vista Community Council: One of the outcomes of charter reform in the City of Los Angeles, Mar Vista Community Council is organizing to facilitate communication at the City level to improve city services, among other things, on our behalf. Monthly meetings are held at Mar Vista Park Auditorium (near Palms and Sawtelle). Upcoming meetings are scheduled for Tuesdays, February 11th, March 11th and April 8th at 7:00 p.m. For more information visit www.marvistacc.org.

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The City?’s GreenLA Program
In 1996, the State Assembly mandated Assembly Bill 1890 (the Energy Restructuring Legislation), which mandated that 2.85% of electric sales of all California utilities be directed toward ?“public benefit?” programs. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power?’s budget for Public Benefit Programs is 60 million dollars. Homeowners can benefit in several ways:
Solar Photovoltaic Program
As described in the previous newsletter, the DWP will subsidize the construction of residential roof-top solar-electric installations. The goal is to add 100,000 solar power roofs by 2010. To learn more, call (800) 473-3652.
The DWP will provide rebates of up to $150 for water-efficient washing machines. Call (800) 544-4498 to learn more about this program.

In addition to the above, the DWP will provide cash rebates of $10 to $500 for qualifying products in the following categories:
Refrigerators, Clothes Washers, Dishwashers, Air Conditioners, Ceiling Fans, Programmable Thermostats, Dual-Pane Windows, Whole-house Fans, Pool Pumps, Heat Pump Systems, and Evaporative Coolers. Call (800) 374-2224 to learn more.

The GreenLA web site is located at www.greenLA.com .

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Graffiti on Freeway

The Department of Transportation reports that money has been allotted for clean-up and restoration of murals on the highways in LA. The first phase of this project is expected to begin early 2003 and includes the murals between the National and Overland off ramps along I-10 west. If you have questions contact Erika_Gallo@dot.ca.gov