Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association

MINUTES - Board Meeting 04-20-04

Minutes and attachments

SANTA MONICA CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETING
MINUTES OF MEETING
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2004- 7:00 pm

Recorded by: Lisa Bittan
Attending:
Members: Lisa Bittan, Elizabeth Bradshaw, Mike Deasy, Shirley Fischer, Quentin Fleming, Judy Golden, Joan Graves, Leslie Hope, Greer Macready, Alex Man, Steve Richards, Jill Soffer, Cynthia Winter, George Wolfberg, Asta Young
Excused: Lucinda Mittleman, Marilyn Wexler
Guests: Todd Borzi, Monique Ford, Mark Landay, Linda Renaud
Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm
Minutes of March 9, 2004 meeting
The minutes of the March 9, 2004 meeting were approved.
Treasurer’s Report:
The treasurer was not present and there was no report presented. Steve Richards put a package together for non-profit status. George Wolfberg has received a letter back from the IRS acknowledging receipt and will hear back in approximately 120 days. Steve was elected Assistant Treasurer by unanimous vote.
Committee Reports:
Committee on Future Use of Canyon Service Station: The City’s conditional use approval to do detailing has been vacated by the State Court of Appeal because the Canyon Station failed to provide evidence to support all of the five required findings.
Committee on Potential Design Overlay Issues: At the suggestion of the committee, the June 1 meeting will include an open community discussion of canyon development issues.
Final Planning for Annual Meeting to be held on May 4, 2004:
A flyer containing assignments for the annual meeting [see attached] was passed around and discussed in detail.
Old Business

a. Impact of Proposed Construction at 4 sites on Amalfi Drive, Sumac & Sage Lanes: An update was given from the Council Office [Monique Ford] and from Todd Borzi, Chief Inspector of the Department of Building and Safety. Mr. Borzi stated that the Department of Building and Safety (B&S) attempts to reduce the impact to the neighborhood of the simultaneous construction. However, the Department’s ability to impose the conditions set forth in the document relating to the construction at 216 Amalfi Drive is limited. Those conditions imposed on the project at 216 Amalfi Drive (“216”) were above and beyond the scope of the Building Code. They were imposed by the City Zoning Administrator against 216 primarily because 216 lies within the coastal zone and required a coastal permit. The proposed construction at the other properties may not require a coastal permit and may be “by right” projects not requiring a zoning hearing. B& S cannot prohibit or restrict a by-right permit project.
Nonetheless, B & S will be proactive and attempt to get the homeowners of these properties to be good neighbors and voluntarily adopt some or all the conditions imposed with respect to 216. B&S’s experience in the past is that homeowners try to cooperate in this type of situation.
In any event, if there is extreme noise, it should be reported to the police.

b. Proposition K: a 2nd email has been sent to the director of the project. No meeting has been scheduled yet.

c. Neighborhood Traffic Study: Attached hereto and incorporated by reference is correspondence relating to George Wolfberg’s meeting with West Los Angeles Traffic Engineer Mo Blorfroshan concerning those issues.

Other Business
None.

Meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:45 pm.

Next Meeting, Annual Meeting, scheduled for May 4, 2004
See attached documents [2].

SANTA MONICA CANYON CIVIC ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING – MAY 4, 2004

Task Who Status
Notification / Announcements?¼ Email to members /former members?¼ Snail mail to members?¼ Flyers to Community?¼ Press Release to Post, Mirror George WolfbergGWCynthia WinterGW Mailed 4-16-04Flyers complete 4-14-04emails sent.
Secure Room / Banner set up GW Night of May 4 reserved
Check in of members / ballot hand out / other hand outs /single entrance required Betty Bradshaw, Joan Graves, Marilyn WexlerAsta Young [name tags for members] []Prepare check-in list at last moment, []have extra dues envelopes available. Name tags for board complete [GW]
Program must haves:?¼ Board Nominations?¼ Election Committee: hand out/count ballots Barbara Archibald, et alLisa Bittan, Leslie Hope, Lucinda Mittleman Ballot ready to print-addresses?Ballot box done
Program elements [Order?]?¼ VNOC / Prop K status?¼ Cindy Miscikowski?¼ Officer Chris Ragsdale?¼ President’s Report?¼ Canyon Development Cmte.?¼ Dr. Mark Gold, Heal the Bay?¼ Undergrounding Utilities Alejandro Ortiz Written report Jill SofferInformational handout; Signup sheet. Standing by if needed to reportConfirmed.Confirmed[]Available at meeting[]Story boards on displayConfirmed[]Handout being prepared
Set up / Refreshments /Decorations / will set up tables on the side of room near entrance—orientation of room will be sideways. Steve Richards will coordinate. Committee: Jill Baldauf, Jill Soffer, Marilyn Wexler []Marilyn Wexler - 2 Coffee Pots[]GW heavy duty extension cord
M/C GW
Order of Program Business items first, followed by Cindy Schmooze time 7 to 7:30 when meeting starts.
Clean up Everybody
Display items??¼ Historical Society Photos?¼ SM Historical Society sale?¼ Canyon History Books sale GW has photosPalisades Bookseller []Other photos found[]Village Books will attend[]Leslie Hope to follow up
Hi George,
Here is my answer to some of the Santa Monica Canyon Traffic Study items:
On Amalfi Dr:
My office did the preliminary study for the feasibility of speed hump installation on 300 block of Amalfi Dr (north of Upper Mesa). This stretch of Amalfi Dr does meet the physical requirement, however, we forwarded this study to our Speed Hump Program Section for further study. That office will do a speed study and check for drainage. If the street meets all the qualification, then a petition will be forwarded to a person who is going to circulate it. I will notify you once the process is completed. The resident at 326 Amalfi Drive has an open request in our office for speed hump study. Most probably, if everything is OK, we will forward the petition to this resident.
East and West Rustic Road and Sycamore Road, speed concern:
Do you know if the residents are willing to petition for speed humps? If not, our office can study possible installation of curve warning signs and maybe even stop signs. These streets are narrow and with cars parking on one side of the street, it is very difficult to speed on these streets.
Entrada Dr:
The crosswalk and traffic signal installations are not warranted at Amalfi Dr because they do not meet our guidelines. I am willing to do another study for possible installation of an uncontrolled marked crosswalk in summer (on a Sunday) at this location. Stop signs cannot be installed on Entrada Dr due to high volume of traffic.
I will check the location where the island was removed. I am assuming that this is at Entrada, East Channel & Ocean intersection, right? I will check to see if we can modify this or whether the yield sign can be changed to a stop sign.
I also will check the sign in the median that is causing visibility at Mesa and West Channel Road intersection.
The crosswalk on Entrada Dr at Stassi Lane cannot be recommended due to poor visibility.
I will check the possibility of turn prohibition out of gas station onto Entrada Dr at PCH.
If there is anything else that I did not cover, please e-mail me and I will investigate. I am leaving for the Venice Mobility Action meeting and will be back in the office tomorrow.
>>> George Wolfberg 04/20/04 11:35AM >>>
Mo,
You were going to get back to me on the accuracy of my understanding of
steps being taken on some of the Santa Monica Canyon traffic study items we
discussed last week. I want to report to my board tonight. Thanks,
George