Brentwood Community Council

August 1, 2006 Meeting Highlights

Sep 03, 2006

CRIME REPORT
At the August 1st, 2006 Brentwood Community Council meeting, Bette Harris, Public Safety Representative delivered the Crime Report on behalf of Senior Lead Officer Phillip Enbody. Crime, overall, on the Westside is down from the prior year. No homicides had been reported in the first six months of 2006. However, in the past two weeks, three gang-related homicides have been reported in the area near Hamilton High School.

NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR CONGREGATIONAL/MINISTERIAL POSITIONS
The Brentwood Community Council approved the addition of Liz Cheadle as Congregational/Ministerial Representative and Jeff Kaufman as Alternate.

COUNCIL DISTRICT 11 UPDATE FOR BRENTWOOD
Andrea Epstein, Field Deputy to Councilman Bill Rosendahl gave a comprehensive presentation providing updated information on various topics concerning Brentwood:

1. Left Turn Lane Construction on Sunset Boulevard at Mandeville Canyon Road ?– Construction will take place over a nine-month period and will be split into three phases. Phase 1 will take approximately four months, during which time the Contractor plans to construct the north side of Sunset. The Contractor will re-stripe the south side to provide for one moving lane in each direction on Sunset at all times. In addition, the Contractor will provide for one left-hand turn lane for Sunset east-bound to Mandeville north-bound at all times, and for one moving lane in each direction on Mandeville Canyon Road at all times.

Phase II will entail the construction of the south side of Sunset, expected to take four months. The Contractor will re-stripe the north side to provide for one moving lane in each direction on Sunset at all times. In addition, the Contractor will provide for one left-hand turn lane for Sunset east-bound to Mandeville north-bound, and for one moving lane in each direction on Mandeville Canyon Road at all times.

During Phase III, the Contractor will construct the left turn pocket area at Sunset and Mandeville (about two weeks worth of work). During this construction, the Contractor will provide for one moving lane in each direction on Sunset and one moving lane in each direction on Mandeville Canyon Road at all times. Miscellaneous contract work at the site will be completed during the next two week period as well as re-striping of the road to provide for the left-turn pockets and two moving lanes in each direction on Sunset.

During the construction of Phases I, II, and III, the Contractor will maintain in and out access for all properties, maintain pedestrian access and access to pedestrian push buttons at signalized intersections at all times.

Signage or Other Notice to Residents and Commuters ?– Prior to the start of construction, the Contractor will give the residents/properties that front the project a minimum of ten day advance notice of the construction start date in writing. To inform the commuters, the Contractor will place two Changeable Message Signs (CMS), one for each direction on Sunset for a two week period prior to the start of construction activities and one week after start of construction. The Contractor will then replace the CMS with large construction signs.

Impact to Commute During Construction ?– The commute will be impacted by delays. In order to mitigate and minimize the commute delays, the Bureau of Engineering and Department of Transportation have developed and incorporated a traffic lane/traffic mitigation control plan as a requirement in the contract. The Contractor will implement and maintain these measures during construction.

2. San Vicente Lighting Outages ?– Street light outages that had been reported at San Vicente near Darlington have been corrected. (The BCC enthusiastically applauded Andrea Epstein for her extraordinary efforts in addressing this problem and for visiting the site at 2:00 a.m. when the outage was to have been remedied to ensure that the problem had in fact been corrected). Brentwood and Pacific Palisades have very old lighting infrastructure, which requires upgrading. Councilman Rosendahl presented a motion to City Council earlier in the year requesting that the Department of Water and Power (DWP) prepare a report for the Commerce, Energy, and Natural Resources Committee within 30 days, detailing how many localized blackouts have occurred in the City since September 2005, identifying whether there are certain neighborhoods that seem to experience blackouts with unusual frequency, identifying the major causes of the blackouts, and identifying steps that could be taken to reduce the number of blackouts in the future, and in particular to address power stability in City neighborhoods which seem most susceptible to frequent blackouts. Councilman Rosendahl?’s motion also requested that the DWP prepare a report proposing a method for ensuring that communities and their Council representatives are kept fully informed about blackouts and the status and schedule for repairs.

3. 50/50 Sidewalk Program ?– The program, which started as a pilot program in the San Fernando Valley, has been extremely successful. Residents requesting sidewalk repairs pay 50% of the cost and the City pays 50%. The average cost to the homeowner is approximately $1300 -- more for corner homes. Some of the advantages of the program include no permit or inspection fees for the homeowner; workmanship is guaranteed for five years; and the work is performed according to the latest specifications. The program includes concrete sidewalk reconstruction, tree trimming, tree root pruning, and repair of affected sprinkler system, if required. Council District 11 has had 137 ?“buy-ins?” of the 535 Citywide thus far this year. The program is available to private homes and apartment buildings, but not intended for commercial businesses.

4. Radiological and Chemical Waste on VA Property ?– Councilman Rosendahl expressed concern in a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson regarding news reports about possible contamination of land leased to the City, by the VA, for recreational purposes. The Councilman said that he is committed to ?“resolving, beyond any doubt, that all hazardous contamination at the West LA VA is identified, contained and cleaned up.?” News reports had mentioned the possibility of radiological waste, asbestos, lead, chemical wastes and the potential of other unknown waste products. The Councilman also asked that the entire area around the unlined waste disposal sites be investigated for possible groundwater contamination. He recommended that an independent panel of experts be assembled to advise the community about the potential health risks, both on and off-site.

5. ?“Housing Size?” Ordinance ?– Councilman Bill Rosendahl supports Tom LaBonge?’s motion that the Department of City Planning, in conjunction with the City Attorney and the Department of Building and Safety be directed to prepare an ordinance amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to establish the appropriate size of single family homes in flat and hillside areas. The ordinance should consider: the size of the structure in relation to the size of the lot (floor area ratio) for both new construction and additions to existing homes, the relationship between percentage of slope and allowable buildable area amendments to existing Specific Plans and municipal code provisions to ensure consistency.

6. ?“Neighborhood Protection Package?” ?– The Los Angeles City Council passed Councilman Jack Weiss?’s ?“Neighborhood Protection Package?” to help residents protect the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The package includes strengthened enforcement against developers who repeatedly violate code requirements; notification when demolition permits are issued; improved construction site management, including a set of rules of the road for builders to minimize nuisance to neighbors.

7. View Protection Ordinance ?– Councilman Rosendahl has submitted a motion directing city officials to research view protection programs in other cities statewide and to prepare a draft ordinance for review by the Planning Commission, the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and the City Council. The motion specifically directs the Planning Department, City Administrative Officer, and City Attorney?’s Office to develop policies, amendments to the City?’s Municipal Code, and funding mechanisms, to protect views from impacted neighborhoods.

8. Brentwood Gateway Monument ?– The Rotary Club proposed two 3-ft. marble monuments to mark the entrances to Brentwood at 26th and San Vicente and Darlington and San Vicente. Brentwood Beautiful had originally conceived the idea. Councilman Rosendahl helped fund the project through the Viacom Street Furniture Fund. Through this fund Viacom provides monies to each council district for street beautification projects. James Murphy of the Rotary Club is shepherding the project, which has received approval from the San Vicente Design Review Board. He indicated that some businesses have also pledged funds. The Rotary?’s goal is to complete the work this year ?– Brentwood?’s Centennial.

9. ?“Free Metered Parking for Hybrid Vehicles ?“ Ordinance ?– Electric cars, natural gas cars, the hybrid Civic, the Prius, and the Insight are cars qualified to display the Clean Air Stickers, which allow free meter parking in the City of Los Angeles, and allow driving in the car pool lane. When this motion was first submitted to the Department of Transportation and approved by the City Council on July 9, 2004, it was temporary and had to be re-approved every six months by Council. It has recently become a permanent Citywide program, but only for cars exhibiting the Clean Air Stickers can park for free in the city of Los Angeles.

10. ?“Global Warming?” Action ?– Councilman Rosendahl proposed the Global Warming initiative in the hope that the City of Los Angeles might play a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

11. Hotel Angeleno Update ?– Speaking to the issue of the Hotel Angeleno?’s controversial exterior lighting, Andrea Epstein indicated that the Department of Building and Safety would enforce the original Conditional Use Permit that states that the building is allowed lighting for only three weeks in December. Roy Marshall said that he is working with Hotel Angeleno?’s landscape architect to create a landscape plan for the area in front of the 25-ft. soundwall to lower the impact of the wall to the surrounding community.

NEXT BCC MEETING: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2006 ?– The next BCC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5, 2006 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Brentwood Kaufman Library. The BCC meets regularly on the first Tuesday of each month. Meetings are usually held in the Community Room of the Brentwood Kaufman Library. The BCC agenda is posted at the library one week prior to the meeting date. To receive the BCC?’s monthly agenda by e-mail, contact Chairwoman Wendy-Sue Rosen at RosenFree@aol.com or visit the BCC website: http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/la/brentwoodcc.

(Bette Harris serves as Public Safety Chair and Recording Secretary on the BCC.)