Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association

November 2001 Newsletter

Meet With City Council President Alex Padilla

Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla will be the speaker at our November 14th meeting. Normally our Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month. In November because of Thanksgiving the meeting will be held on the second Wednesday of the month.
Councilman Padilla represents the northeast Valley.
He was first elected in 1999 and became Council President this past July. Although less than 30 years old, he has been working hard to bring City services to the Valley, especially in his area which has been long neglected.
Please meet with Alex Padilla on November 14th and find out why he has been so successfully in such a short period of time.
Jules Feir announces another classic landmark Sherman Oaks restaurant as the Restaurant of the Month. The Valley Inn started in 1947 as Rickey’s Valley Inn. Since 1998 Sophia and Boris Brodetsky have owned it. It is a family run traditional American restaurant. The Valley Inn is the favorite of many prominent people in politics and the entertainment industry. Sophia and Boris generously donate their restaurant and food for many charity events. They are preparing a very special treat for the social hour starting at 6:30PM at our November 14 meeting.
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We had a special guest and a special gift to the community at our October meeting. Councilman Jack Weiss surprised us by presenting a check from the City for $35,000 to help pay for next spring’s Tree Planting along Ventura Boulevard. This grant (along with proceeds from Tree Plaques, the Barbecue at Bloomingdale’s, and other donations) will make next spring’s event the biggest ever. In addition, we had a surprise appearance by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department Search and Rescue Unit. These firefighters volunteered to help at the World Trade Center. Their description of events was an inspiration.
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Todd Baker chairs our Committee studying the cell antennas and noisy equipment proposed for the top of the building on the southwest corner of Ventura and Stansbury. He reports that Councilman Jack Weiss will be supporting the Committee and opposing the Application for the Nextel antennas and equipment less than 20 feet away from area residents. In addition to being unsightly, the large number of antennas and equipment would adversely affect people in the neighborhood.
The Committee wants to thank Bonnie Kopp, Ken Camp, and Miriam Jaffe from Councilman Weiss’s office for their help on this project.
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David Rankell indicates that Councilman Jack Weiss also worked with and helped our Committee concerning the proposal for a carwash at Hesby and Van Nuys Boulevard. The residents are concerned about the traffic, noise, and inadequate on-site parking. The City Zoning Administrator took the case under advisement for 6 weeks so the Applicant can prepare a traffic study.
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Wayne Williams of our Airport Noise Committee indicates that after our meeting with Mayor Hahn last month, the Committee has yet to receive a response from him concerning the Committee’s suggestions and frustrations in dealing with Van Nuys Airport noise. In fact, the Mayor’s City Planning Commission voted 6-2 to allow Van Nuys Airport to continue to grow without restrictions. It will allow new jet facilities to be established at the airport, resulting in more noise.
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A common complaint the Association receives is the poor condition of area streets. A recent Los Angeles Times study focused on the problem. Los Angeles streets are repaved once every 32 years while Santa Monica streets are repaved every 7 years!
During the last 5 years, the City repaved 12.5% of Sherman Oaks streets, however, 26.5% of Downtown, 21.9% of Bel Air and 37% of Watts streets were repaved!!
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A Daily News story recently indicated that enforcement of the Preferential Parking District rules in the eastern section of Sherman Oaks has been drastically reduced. Traffic Enforcement personnel have been moved to other parts of the City.
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Laurette Healey announces that the Association will hold a Private Screening of the new holiday movie “Call me Claus” starring Whoopi Goldberg. It will be held at the new Pacific Theaters in the Sherman Oaks Galleria on Saturday morning, December 1st. Proceeds from the event will be used for Tree Planting on the Boulevard.
Information and tickets will be available at our November 14th meeting. Tickets can also be obtained at Illumination Lighting at 13606 Ventura Boulevard. Information will be available also on our website: www.sohainfo.com and our Information Hotline: 818/377-4590. The movie is a great family holiday movie. Other surprises will take place at the screening.
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Jackie Campbell is chairing our annual Holiday Toy Drive which will be held on Sunday, December 9th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Ralphs Market on Ventura at Hazeltine. New unwrapped toys will be collected for distribution by the Los Angeles County Department of Family Services to San Fernando Valley abused and abandoned children. Ralphs will be supplying coffee and snacks and Jules Feir has arranged special activity. We want to thank Ralphs’ Manager Steve Endo for his help. Further information at our meeting and on our website.
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We want to thank Norm Checkor for organizing our booth at the Sherman Oaks Street Fair last month.
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As is normally the case, there will be no December Meeting or Newsletter. We will be issuing Sherman Oaks UPDATES if we have your e-mail address. If you have not received UPDATES, we need your e-mail address. Please send it to us at soha914@hotmail.com. Also please visit our website www.sohainfo.com