Westside Village Civic Assn., Inc.

November 2003 Newsletter

Nov 02, 2003

President?’s Message


This past summer seemed to go so quickly for me that ?“The Third Annual Greenfield Labor Day Block Party?” came sooner than expected, but was a great way to end the summer and begin the new Fall Season. There were many neighbors and friends there to celebrate along with four members of Fire Station #43 and Anthony Vasquez, our LAPD liaison. There were food and games, a raffle, announcements, and more food. If you or anyone you know in Westside Village is interested in having a block party, please feel free to call and I will give you the information needed to complete the process.
As most of you know, the board doesn?’t meet throughout the summer months but convenes again in September. In July, however, we celebrated the Block Captains for their commitment and hard work by having the Second Annual Block Captain BBQ Picnic at St. John?’s Presbyterian Church. It was a great turnout seeing old friends and neighbors and meeting new ones. There was a raffle of three baskets of groceries, gifts, and party favors from Trader Joe?’s that went to recipients that have served as Block Captains for many years and an additional basket that was presented to Everett Wallace for his outstanding work presently and throughout the years on the Block Captain program and also for the updating of names and addresses on the various streets throughout Westside Village. One of board members, Lisa Cahill, has also been an active participant in organizing much of this data. Some of you may have received dues notices throughout the summer. This was another project initiated by Mr. Wallace to increase our volume of paid members. It was quite an effective and innovative idea, which raised our membership substantially.
Another yearly event in which the Westside Village Civic Association participates in and donates to is the Bike Rodeo sponsored by the LAPD. This past year it was incorporated into the Mar Vista Park Community Festival, which took place on Oct. 4th. The purpose for this Bike Rodeo is for children, who would otherwise not be able afford bicycles, to have the opportunity to win one and also learn safety tips from the officers from the LAPD who are present. There were fourteen bicycles given away, pony rides, a dunk tank, arts and crafts, and moon-bounces. There was also entertainment, food, and T-shirts
given away to volunteers by the Mar Vista Park Community.

Department of Transportation

In the last Newsletter, I addressed a few of the traffic issues that had been raised by the community. In this issue, I would like to address the remainder of the concerns and suggestions with the official response from Mo Blorfroshon at the Department of Transportation.
In regard to the request for a left turn phase for North and South-bound Sepulveda Blvd. and Palms Blvd., the LADOT has concluded that that it cannot be justified at this time. This decision came after a comprehensive traffic engineering study of this intersection. They included the information from existing traffic controls, Police Department records of accidents and field observations of the movements of vehicular traffic. Left-hand signals are only installed at locations where there is a sustained high volume of traffic and where there is a recorded pattern of accidents. The field observations revealed that the majority of vehicles attempting to make a left-hand turn could do so within two signal cycles. The LADOT feels that allocating time for a left turn signal would reduce the time allotted for the movement of through traffic, thereby increasing congestion at the intersection.
At the intersection of Charnock and Overland there was a request to implement a stoplight. This intersection met the requirements for the standards and guidelines and was submitted for implementation. It will take approximately three to four weeks for approval and an additional amount of time before the City appropriates it on the calendar for construction.
There were a few requests for all-way stop signs for the intersections of Greenfield Avenue and Rose Avenue, and Greenfield Avenue and Queensland Street. All of these were denied due to the low volume of vehicles approaching these intersections and the fact that the field observations revealed that the visibility is adequate. A certain number of traffic accidents are also required to meet the requirements for all-way stops. I know there have been quite a few accidents on these two intersections, but the problem is that people don?’t report them to the police. Without a clear record of the accidents, any investigation will be circumscribed by the lack of accurate information.
The corner of National and Overland has proven to be quite dangerous for pedestrian traffic because of the fence that is located along the freeway exit. The LADOT informed me that they would look into this matter for the possible removal or alteration of the fence. Through field observations, they found it to be potentially dangerous for cars to adequately anticipate pedestrian traffic due to lack of visibility.
There is a three-way light on the corner of National and Overland that allows traffic to turn left without the interference of cars exiting from the 10 freeway. Unfortunately, there is no left-hand signal to direct traffic that they have the right of way so sometimes traffic doesn?’t take advantage of this opportunity. There cannot be a left-hand signal here because there is a ?“walk?” sign that signals pedestrians that it is clear to walk. With a left-hand signal, there is no right-of-way for pedestrians so it cannot be implemented.
The last e-mail request had to do with the new right-hand turn lane implemented on the southbound lane of Westwood and National. There are no easy solutions to this problem of the bottleneck but one of the ideas put forth by the LADOT to try to rectify the situation was to extend the red on the curb for no parking for forty feet along the Westside of Westwood Blvd. under the bridge. This would alleviate the bottleneck for a longer stretch of road. This, as of yet, has not been implemented but I will keep in contact with the LADOT to ensure that whatever can be done will be done.
These were the decisions and suggestions from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. I have tried to be as thorough as possible procuring information regarding your inquiries but if there are any more questions concerning the issues that you have raised, feel free to e-mail me.
Thank you,
Bobby Holliday-President
WVCA@earthlink.net


CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF LEARNING

Clover Avenue Elementary School is proudly celebrating its 50th birthday anniversary this school year. There are many special events which will be occurring this year to mark this historic "Golden Anniversary".

The Welcome Back dinner in September started off the year with a 50's theme; parents and staff dressed up in poodle skirts, pedal pushers, greased back hair, and bandanas. Hamburgers (and veggie burgers) and fries were served, and an "authentic soda fountain" was built by a parent which served up root beer floats.

Also planned for the school year are: new Clover T-shirts with a specially designed logo commemorating the 50's celebration; weekly Trivia Questions revolving 50's themes; a reading program which will encourage each child to read 5000 pages and then receive a special treat with the Principal, Mrs. Maureen Melvold.

The culminating event of the 50's Celebration will be a Reunion Picnic on the newly installed grassy area at Clover on May 15, 2004. We are inviting ALL Clover alumni to return to Clover to join us at the picnic. There will be games and fun, and a chance to find old Clover friends. If you are a Clover alum, or know of any Clover grads, please save the date and spread the word. We are starting an email list, and would like to include ALL Clover grads. Please send your email to pattijolawhon@aol.com, or call Janet Brown at Clover (310) 479-7739 and leave your information.

We look forward to a big turnout for this big event!



One Call to City Hall: our 311 Number

When you see an abandoned car, a tree limb in the street or a swarm of bees, do you put off reporting it because you aren?’t sure what number to call and don?’t want to deal with the bureaucratic maze? Last year Mayor Hahn recognized that getting the right number was a problem for a lot of Angelenos and devised a companion telephone number to 911 for non-emergency calls. It is 311, One Call to City Hall. 311 is easy to remember, toll free, round the clock and provides immediate access to more than 1,500 City Services.

It works like this. You dial 311 at any time of the day, night, week or year and you get a human being--what the City calls an ?“Ambassador.?” You explain the problem or what you want to know to the Ambassador and then the Ambassador connects you with the department to solve your problem or answer your question. It?’s painless.

Think of 311 this way ?“Burning building? Call 911.
Burning question. Call 311?“






Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training

The next local CERT training class in the Mar Vista area will be held at
Venice High School for seven consecutive Mondays beginning, November 3,
2003 and ending December 15, 2003. For enrollment please contact Teresa
Haro at (310) 574-0642. The course is free, but, space is limited. For
more information go to www.cert-la.com.


THE 72-HOUR RULE ?– BE A CONSCIENTIOUS NEIGHBOR

A vehicle may not be left on a city street for more than 72 hours ?– after which it is considered abandoned and may be cited and then impounded. Every 72 hours, vehicles must be moved ?“a considerable distance.?”

Why care about an abandoned car? We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood in which people are concerned about their families, their neighbors and their property. We take pride in keeping the Westside Village as livable and lovely as possible. Please do your part by preventing our streets from becoming a parking lot.

An abandoned car is an eyesore and the L.A. Department of Transportation will have it towed if you contact 800) 222-6366. You must give the location where it is parked, it?’s license plate, make and model. If you have additional questions our ?“own?” LAPD Senior Lead Officer Anthony M. Vasquez is available by cell phone at 213-509-6743.




CRIME IN WESTSIDE VILLAGE

Like the rest of our City, Westside Village has a very high rate of vehicular crime ?– our cars are broken into, items are taken, autos are stolen. To many of us, this comes as quite a surprise; we like to think we live in a quiet, idyllic neighborhood and in most ways, it is. The fact that we are unaware of this problem is disappointing to our Senior Lead Officer Anthony Vasquez since, clearly if we don?’t know about it, we can?’t change it. Now that all of you readers know we have a problems, here are some of Officer Vasquez?’ suggestions:
?• Never leave items of value out in the open. Put your laptop, your shopping bags, etc., in the trunk.
?• Lock and secure your car.
?• Park your car in the garage, in a well-lit space
?• Get to know your neighbors ?– and their cars. Stay alert and ask your neighbors to do the same
?• If you see something going on that looks suspicious, call the police ?– that?’s how they catch the criminals.



Tree Care Session on November 8


Jennifer Scott-Lifland will supervise a hands-on tree care session in Westside Village on Saturday, November 8 from 9a.m. until noon. Jennifer is the Tree Care Manager for TreePeople and is an ISA certified arborist. The primary focus of this session will be the magnolia street trees that were planted along the 3000 through 3500 blocks of Veteran Avenue almost four years ago by volunteers participating in a Westside Village community tree planting program. Re-staking, weeding and reworking the planting site, and pruning will be done as necessary. A ?“tree walk?” with commentary about tree identification and care will be included.

Volunteers from the community who wish to participate will be welcome. Previous experience isn?’t necessary. Wear appropriate clothing for gardening, including a sun-hat and gloves. All necessary tools and materials will be provided by TreePeople.

Participants should gather shortly before 9a.m. on the southeast corner of the intersection of Veteran Avenue and National Boulevard.

If you have further questions or need additional information, call Jennifer Scott-Lifland (Phone: (818) 623-4841; e-mail: jlifland@treepeople.org.



Mass transit update

Two current bills that will profoundly affect future Westside mass transit were signed off by outgoing Governor Davis--had he not signed them, they would have become law after their passage by the Legislature.

S.B. 504 (Kuehl, D-Santa Monica) establishes an Exposition Light Rail Line Construction Authority that will be devoted to the planning and funding of the future Exposition (or "Expo") Light Rail Line that will connect Downtown Union Station to Santa Monica. This special authority will be similar to the Gold Line Authority in that it will have a specific focus to enhance public-private-governmental partnerships to expedite the construction of this transit line.

S.B. 314 (Murray, D-Culver City) allows the County of Los Angeles and the MTA to use a voter-approved half-cent sales tax increase (for 6 1/2 years only before sunsetting) to specifically pay for the following:

1) The full Exposition Rail Line to Santa Monica
2) The Gold Line extension to Irwindale
3) The Red Line extension to Fairfax
4) A Downtown Regional Rail Connector to allow for one-seat rides from Santa Monica to Pasadena, or to connect any of the several rail lines that all intersect at Union Station--this is a necessary engineering step as our light rail network becomes ever higher in its daily ridership and maximum capacity
5) I-5 widenings in the Antelope Valley and in east L.A. County
6) A Crenshaw Busway that connects the Red Line to LAX to the Green Line
7) More buses and rail cars

Of note is that this proposed sales tax increase is VERY specific in what it will fund, and it entirely prioritizes the Exposition Line--which is now the number one priority of all unfunded MTA rail transportation projects.

Currently, any transportation funding proposition requires a 2/3 voter approval, and the MTA will not pursue this new countywide proposition until a previous statewide proposition that reduces the voter threshold to 55% (as we currently have for education funding) can be passed first.



DWP substation news

Distributing station 145 (DS 145) is the new DWP electrical substation to be built at the intersection of National and Bentley, where we currently have two businesses, a Petco and an adjacent dry cleaners. DS 145 is needed because of increasing electrical needs of the Westside Village and adjacent regions north of National, and will likely allow for our electrical usage for decades to come.

The dry cleaners will relocate to Palms and Sepulveda, and although the DWP is assisting the Petco with relocation costs, the owner is currently having trouble finding a new location big enough for that store to relocate.

There is a poster of the new electrical substation at Councilmember Jack Weiss' office at 822 Robertson, Suite 102. Although an indoor structure had been originally planned because the land parcel was smaller than usual, the cost of an outdoor structure is $3.5 million less. Furthermore, an outdoor structure is usually preferred by the DWP because it's safer, cheaper and easier to maintain. The machinery within is farther apart and this structure is more flexible for future load growth.

Construction of this substation is slated for either this winter or spring, with work scheduled from 9-3 to be completed some time in the winter of fall or winter to 2005. The substation will be roofless but enclosed in 24-foot high walls to prevent the adjacent condos from being able to see within. There will be a 15-16 month construction period, with demolition in early 2004 and construction commencing approximately in April 2004. The walls will be built prior to the internal machinery to minimize the timeframe when we actually have to see construction occurring.

There was no shortage of effort to enhance the visual impact of the new substation, which is meant to be attractive and modern. The outside walls will have a combination of rust-colored slate and tile corners, with color concrete-based walls (graffiti-resistant) leaning to the outside instead of a boring vertical configuration. The walls facing National Blvd. will have corten (pre-rusted) steel that will have gleaming horizontal lines that will make the structure look modern. There will continue to be an alleyway behind the structure, but the wall facing that alley will be in brick.

The maintenance parking will ultimately be indoors, and the currently open blacktop will be taken up by the new structure--resulting in less cars overall to that parcel than we now have. Mature trees, not mere seedlings, will be planted using the great DWP Green Program now used to construct and landscape new structures. The final parcel of land will be much greener than the current blacktop parking lot that now exists.

As for the noise, there will be the newest form of low-noise transformers, meant for outdoor usage. The noise level will be 60 dB within, but only 20 dB outside the walls, which is a level defined as a "residential region not near a major surface street or freeway. The noise will be greater from National Blvd. than it will be from the substation.

The electromagnetic waves emitted from the substation, which have never been proven to be a cause of cancer or chronic illness, is virtually down to zero a few feet outside the station, and will be absolutely zero at National Blvd. or anywhere south of that street.

Residents of Westside Village may not like its new neighbor better than our current ones, but that parcel was chosen after a long search in the neighborhood and the substation is necessary to meet our ever-increasing electrical needs.