Mar Vista Community Forum

Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski's July 2003 E-News Edition

Jul 25, 2003

July 25, 2003

We're closing in on the first month of the new Council and just this week, the new committee assignments were announced by Council President Alex Padilla.

I am quite pleased with my new committee assignments. I will remain as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, become the Vice Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and will join the Commerce, Energy and Natural Resources Committee which has jurisdiction over Los Angeles World Airports, the Port of Los Angeles, and the Department of Water and Power.

While these are all very high profile committees with quite a few complicated issues to address, I am also very excited to continue my work with the LAPD, LAFD and the Animal Regulation Department as well as continue working to protect the City's finances. I am also very excited to join the Commerce Committee which will give me the opportunity to continue to shape the LAX Master Plan and regional airport issues.

Speaking of the airport, also this week I introduced a motion, seconded by 6 of my colleagues on the Council, calling upon Mayor Hahn and the Board of Airport Commissioners to extend the comment period on the draft EIR for LAX from 45 days to 120 days. I believe, as do numerous others in the community and beyond, that 45 days is simply not enough time to review a proposal of this magnitude and that we owe it to all involved to provide the additional time.

Despite my early outreach to the Mayor's office to accomplish this prior to the release of the Draft EIR, they were reticent to go beyond 90 days. The City Council is set to hear this motion next week.

Calendar items:

Westchester-Playa del Rey Neighborhood Council meets next on Tuesday, August 5th at 6:30pm at Loyola Marymount University.

Pacific Palisades Community Council meets next on Thursday, August 28th at 7pm at the Palisades Library.

Brentwood Community Council meets next on Tuesday, August 5th at 7pm at the Brentwood kaufman Library, 11820 San Vicente Blvd.

Mar Vista Community Council meets next on Tuesday, August 12th at 7pm at Mar Vista Recreation Center, 11430 Woodbine St.

Board of Library Commissioners, August 21st at 11am at the new Westchester Loyola Village branch library.

Del Rey Homeowners and Neighbors Association, August 4th, 7pm, Venice Japanese Community Center

Palms Community Council meets next on Tuesday, August 19th at 6:30pm, Iman Center

Pacific Division Police Advisory Board Meeting, August 20th, 6:30pm, Marina Beach Marriott Hotel.

Remember that the Brentwood Farmers market on Gretna Green is held every Sunday.

Airport:

LAX Update- The Master Plan and Draft EIR has been released and is available for you to review. You can find the plan at one of these locations:

1. The Master Plan Web site: www.laxmasterplan.org

2. Public libraries, including Westchester, Venice, West Los Angeles, Culver City, Inglewood, Lennox and El Segundo.

3. Airport officials have set up a reading room in the Imperial Terminal adjacent to the City of El Segundo. There is also a photocopier and fax machine available for use.

4. If you want your own personal plan, it is available for purchase ($50 for a CD-ROM, and starting at $1,100 for a hard copy consisting of several phone book-sized volumes).

5. Various community organizations, such as the Osage Neighborhood Association and the Westchester/Playa Del Rey Neighborhood Council have received copies of the plan.

Public Comment Period- The public comment clock officially started July 11, two days after the plan release, and will end on August 25. I remain opposed to the 45-day public comment period and I am pressing the Mayor's office to press for more time for the community to review the plan. In addition, the Inglewood City Council and the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors have recently asked for more time.

Public Hearings- Nine hearings will occur in August, all on different days and throughout the city. The first hearing is on August 11 located downtown, and the last hearing will be at the Furama Hotel in Westchester on August 23. Please come with questions, comments and healthy dialogue!

The full hearing schedule is as follows:

Monday, August 11, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Radisson Plaza Hotel
3515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles

Tuesday, August 12, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Ontario Airport Marriott
2200 E. Holt Blvd., Ontario

Wednesday, August 13, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Luminarias Restaurant
3500 Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park

Thursday, August 14, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Peck Park
560 N. Western Avenue, San Pedro

Monday, August 18, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Hollywood Park Pavilion
3883 West Century Blvd., Inglewood

Tuesday, August 19, 2003
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Airtel Plaza Hotel
7277 Valjean Avenue, Van Nuys

Wednesday, August 20, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Joslyn Community Center
1601 Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach

Thursday, August 21, 2003
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM Palmdale Regional Airport
41000 20th Street East, Palmdale

Saturday, August 23, 2003
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Furama Hotel
8601 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles

For more information about LAX, the master plan, or the public comment process, please contact David Kissinger in my Westchester District Office at (310)568-8772.

Planning Update:

The Mountaingate Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)- was released for comments on the proposed 29 unit single-family home development located at 2050 Stoney Hill Road/Canyonback Road in the Brentwood area.

All comments should be sent to the Planning Department by September 22, 2003, to: Mr. Jimmy Liao Project Coordinator Department of City Planning 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

This project has been on the table for quite some time while the developer has done years of work with the adjacent community. The proposal is to subdivide approximately 449 acres into 32 lots, of which 29 lots (about 25 acres) would be used to construct 29 single-family homes. The remaining 3 lots (about 424 acres) would be set aside as permanent open space.

The DEIR can be found in several places:
1. My West Los Angeles district office at 1645 Corinth Avenue, Room 201 2. Brentwood Kaufman Branch Library, 11820 San Vicente Boulevard 3. West Los Angeles Branch Library, 11360 Santa Monica Boulevard 4. Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real

In addition, as of July 26th the DEIR should be up on the Planning Department website at www.lacity.org/pln - click on Meetings/Agendas/Environmental then click on DEIR.

My office is also reviewing the DEIR and would be interested in any comments you might submit to the record. If you have any questions about this project please feel free to contact Kristen Montet of my staff via email at kmontet@council.lacity.org.

News You Can Use:

Newsrack Ordinance- As you may already know, the Board of Public Works submitted a draft newsrack ordinance to the City Council last month. The proposed ordinance came before the Public Works Committee for the third time this past Wednesday, during which the City Attorney presented a report which supported the City's right to regulate the placement of newsracks. After much public comment and discussion, the Committee asked the City Attorney and Chief Legislative Analyst to report back in a month with an ordinance based on the City's current code, which regulates newsracks, but with a new mechanism for permitting racks that would allow the City to charge a permitting fee in order to pay for the enforcement of newsrack guidelines. The City's existing ordinance is a comprehensive law, however the lack of enforcement funds has, in part, hindered the City from properly regulating newsrack guidelines in the past. Although a new ordinance has been a long time in coming, I was very pleased with the Committee's decision to keep the existing, court-tested code and amend it in order to address permitting fees among others. I look forward to an amended newsrack ordinance in order to start the clean up and regulation of our City's sidewalks which have been blighted by unregulated newsracks for too long. For a copy of the report and to find out when this ordinance will be coming back before the Public Works Committee you can contact the City Clerk at 213-978-1074. (The new report, however, is being worked on so the Clerk's office probably will not have a final draft until after the first of the month.) You can also contact Julie Pietroski of my staff who has been following this issue, at 213-485-3811.

3-1-1- Just as a reminder the City has an information number which has operators at all hours who can connect you to all of the various City Departments throughout the City. 3-1-1 is a new program and state of the art especially for a City of our size, so I would recommend using this number when you need information on any issue dealing with City services. And of course if you encounter a problem with the new service we are always open for feedback and helpful suggestions.

District News:

Westchester Office Staff- A big welcome to Nikki Kelley and Krista Pleiser, both new to our Westchester district staff! Nikki, a longtime Council staffer, will be taking over the office manager position in Westchester and will be responsible for special event motions and running the office. Krista, who worked previously at Westchester Park, is very knowledgeable about the community and will be serving in the position of council aide.

West Los Angeles Office Staff- Another big welcome to Monique Ford who has joined our WLA office as the Field Deputy for Pacific Palisades. Monique is a graduate of Cal. State Univ. Northridge (B.A. Political Science) and previously worked as the Visitor Services Assistant Manager at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Community Meeting Regarding Potrero Canyon- The community is invited to attend a meeting about the City's Department of Recreation and Parks' plan for Phase Three of Potrero Canyon's restoration. A riparian habitat and landscape plan are required and we need the community's feedback as we move forward with designs. The meeting will be held on Monday, July 28 at 6pm at the Palisades Recreation Center Old Gym. If you have any questions, please contact Jane Adrian at
213-978-7228.

State Veterans Home- The State Department of Veterans Affairs and the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration are holding community meetings starting this fall to discuss a new approximately 400-bed Home for elderly and disabled veterans. This home will be on the northeast portion of the campus, near San Vicente and Bringham, and will include a variety of services for vets, including Alzheimer care. Look here for more information on upcoming community meetings.

Westchester Recreation Center- Construction is proceeding on schedule for the new Recreation Center, and completion is expected by late October or early November. Starting Monday July 21st, the existing parking lot at the Rec Center will be closed for repair. However, the newly constructed west parking lot extension will be opened at that time, providing parking for 23 cars.

Sepulveda Task Force- Now known as the Westchester Streetscape Improvement Association, is working diligently towards a community charette. The charette will be held Saturday, August 16th at the Westchester Municipal Building from 10-2, and will be an excellent opportunity to come out and share your vision for Sepulveda. Plans are underway for the charette, and your thoughts and suggestions are welcome! Please come to a planning meeting for this unique community event Wednesday, July 23rd at 6pm at the Westchester Municipal Building. For more information, please contact Sharon Sandow of my staff at (310) 568-8772.

Police Commission meeting in Council District 11, West Los Angeles- On Tuesday, August 5- The community is invited to attend a Police Commission meeting to be held at the Felicia Mahood Senior Center, located at 11338 Santa Monica Blvd, at Corinth Ave. The Police Commission oversees the day to day operations of the LA Police Department. Topics on the agenda will include deployment, gang-related issues, local crime issues, false alarm policy, and traffic safety. In addition, there will an opportunity for the community to make comments on other issues of concern.

Westchester Billboard- As you may be aware, Summit Media LLC owns the billboard atop the IHOP restaurant at the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Manchester Avenue. They were recently contacted by Los Angeles Airport Commissioner Alan Llorens regarding the content of the billboard at that location. Due to the Commissioner's discovery and phone call, Summit Media discovered that this particular advertisement was placed at the Sepulveda/Manchester location in error. They removed the advertisement immediately and apologized for the inappropriate content at this location. I wanted to bring this story up as a positive example of making the extra effort to inquire about things in the community and to commend Summit for responding to the call.

Del Rey Neighborhood Council- After months of collecting signatures and working on the By-Laws, the Del Rey Neighborhood Council is going forward to the Board of Neighborhood Councils on August 26th for certification. The location has not been set yet but if you would like to attend, please contact Sandi Sawa at (310) 568-8772.

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. If you have friends or neighbors you think might like to receive this monthly update, please refer them to us. Our regular readership has grown continuously, 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