Westside Village Civic Assn., Inc.

October 2002 newsletter

Oct 19, 2002

President's Report

At the time of our last newsletter the process for redrawing the Los
Angeles City Council District boundaries was underway, and the WVCA
Board was attempting to persuade the Council to incorporate all of
Westside Village into the proposed new Coastal District. As you are
probably aware, we did not succeed in accomplishing this. The new
boundaries effective July 1 placed Westside Village residents living
south of Palms Blvd. in the new "coastal" District 11 with Cindy
Miscikowski as its Council representative, while those residents
living north of Palms Blvd. are in District 5 with Jack Weiss as
their Councilman. Our former association with District 6 and Ruth
Galanter has ended since District 6 was moved to the San Fernando
Valley. We already have a good working relationship with
Councilwoman Miscikowski's office since she has represented a part of
Westside Village for several years, albeit a different part from the
current assignment. The WVCA Board has invited Susan Bursk, the
Field Deputy for Councilman Weiss, to attend our October meeting as a
first step in developing a working relationship with the District 5
office. We hope to have both Councilpersons attend and address our
Annual Meeting.

The WVCA Annual Meeting and Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday,
February 19, 2003 in the St. John's Presbyterian Church Fellowship
Hall from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.. More details will be forthcoming in the
next newsletter, but reserve the date on your calendar now.

The election of Officers and Directors to serve on next year's Board
will be one of the important items on the Agenda for the Annual
Meeting. It will be necessary this year to elect a President-Elect
and several Directors to join those whose terms of office carry over
into the next year. A Nominations Committee composed of four Board
members, with Bobby Holliday as Chair, has been appointed to identify
nominees for these positions. The Committee would welcome
suggestions of possible candidates from the general membership. If
you are interested in the possibility of serving yourself, or know of
others you think would be good candidates, please contact Bobby
Holliday (470-9764; >) or Charles West
(839-7320; >).

For another area of service to your neighbors and the WVCA, see the
article on Block Captain recruitment elsewhere in this newsletter.

The Mar Vista Community Council, which includes Westside Village
residents as stakeholders within its boundaries, was certified as a
Neighborhood Council by the Los Angeles Board of Neighborhood
Commissioners in August. The Council is now moving ahead to the
election of a Board of Directors so that it can begin to serve its
function in city governance as defined in the Los Angeles City
Charter approved in 1998. For further information, see the article
elsewhere in this newsletter.

It is with sadness that I report the passing of one of the founding
residents of Westside Village. Charles "Chuck" Ennis died in
September at age 90. He and his wife moved in 1939 into one of the
Fritz Burns houses in the early stages of the development of Westside
Village. The streets were unpaved and the infrastructure was still
being developed. At that time, Chuck was a film editor for the MGM
Studios nearby. He remained in that home for 63 years and was an
ardent supporter of his neighborhood and Westside Village, including
service on the WVCA Board of Directors. He will be missed by all who
knew him.

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Mar Vista Neighborhood Council Certified on 8/13/02


The neighborhood council for Westside Village and Mar Vista, the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), was certified by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners on August 13, 2002.

The MVCC (www.marvistacc.org) is now part of Los Angeles city government, and welcomes Westside Village residents to join in playing a role in how city government affects local issues--street repair, crime control, parks and city politics.

The next milestone for the newly-certified MVCC will be the election of its first Board of Directors, which will probably take place in either January or February. It is rather easy to become a candidate to become part of the Board of Directors, requiring only 7-10 local signatures to be placed on the ballot.

Westside Village residents played a key role in the formation of the MVCC, and it is critical for us to be represented on this Board of Directors! The MVCC normally meets every second Tuesday night of each month at Mar Vista Park Recreation Center Auditorium at 7 p.m., and new members are always welcome to join!

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Will the Westside ever get mass transit?

Every six years, the federal government establishes a priority list of transportation projects to be funded--including the mass transit projects which L.A. County so sorely lacks compared to other metropolitan areas of its size.

The priorities that the MTA and Southern California politicians will push for mass transit during the upcoming 2003-09 cycle are:
1) The Eastside light rail project (Eastside Gold Line, which is another "wing" of the Gold Line to Pasadena that opens next summer) which will connect Union Station to East L.A.

2) The Exposition light rail project (the "Expo Line") that will ultimately connect downtown L.A. to the Santa Monica Pier, although it is approved by the MTA only to Venice/Robertson in east/Culver City

3) A Green Line/LAX connection to a planned remote access terminal adjacent to LAX (the currently-proposed site for this terminal is Manchester Square)--this project will be prioritized under the heading of national defense/security, since the remote access terminal was proposed post 9/11 to enhance LAX security

For those interested in joining citizens advocacy groups to promote more Westside mass transit, please access the following websites:

1) Friends4Expo Transit (www.friends4expo.org)
2) Friends of the Green Line (www.fogl.org)
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The 3200 block of Greenfield hosted its second Labor Day 2002 Block Party and it was a roaring success. We had plenty of barbecued hot-dogs and homemade brownies, salads, and snow cones for the kids; a great neighborhood band; Ping-Pong tables and basketball hoops to entertain. Mostly, the kids just loved having the freedom to ride up and down the street on bikes, skateboards, and in their strollers, not worrying about traffic. Fireman from our local station joined us with their fire truck, ( the kids had a chance to climb up and take a peek), as well as members of our police department. The spirit was high as friendly neighbors had a chance to sit and shoot the breeze in a festive, laid back atmosphere. Our local businesses, the New Trader Joes on Palms and National Flowers on National, helped make this a lovely event. We are a 'sweet and spicy' neighborhood, and we're having a great time getting to know each other and creating community, year by year.

Submitted by Tina Feiger
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Block Captain System Gets Revitalized

Over the past few months, the WVCA board of directors has initiated a revitalization plan for the Block Captain system of Westside Village. The goal is to draw attention to the importance of this system, to recognize the effort of current and past Block Captains and to recruit new Block Captains. Block Captains distribute newsletters, stay aware of local crime patterns, update the list of residents on the block and welcome new residents to the neighborhood.

In June, the board hosted a Block Captain picnic and meeting. About fifty people attended this fun and informative event. The board outlined its plans and explained that while many blocks are well represented by their Block Captains, other blocks either have no Block Captain or need a Co-Block Captain.

During the summer, Everett Wallace worked with many of the current Block Captains to update the list of residents for WVCA. Everett created the Block Captain system in 1980, and it was due in large part to this system that the crime rates dropped and WVCA is a safe and wonderful neighborhood.

Additionally, the board recently distributed WVCA Neighborhood kits to all the Block Captains. These kits contain a list of community contacts, a door-hanger alert for use in case of earthquakes, crime alert stickers, and, in the case of new neighbors, information on WVCA and its work. These items have been included with your newsletter.

The board also used the summer months to learn where help was needed and began the process of filling these vacancies. Following is a list of the blocks that still need Block Captains and the areas needing to be covered. If your block is listed, please consider giving the small amount of time necessary to make a big difference in your neighborhood.

Our biggest need is for Co-Captains to stay aware of local crime patterns and to alert neighbors as needed. One, but not the only, way to do this is to attend Neighborhood Watch meetings. These take place at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, and through the end of the year, will be held at Clover Avenue Elementary School (11020 Clover Avenue at Military). For more information call Jacki Weber at 310-876-3069.

If you wish to volunteer, have any questions about becoming a Block Captain or want to know who your Block Captain is, call Lisa Cahill at 310-837-9635.








DOES YOUR BLOCK NEED A CAPTAIN????

Following is a list of blocks that need Captains or Co-Captains in one or more areas. The areas are:
(N)= newsletter delivery,
(W)= welcoming new neighbors and keeping current block lists,
(C)= and keeping aware of crimes and serve as the Neighborhood Watch coordinator.
For example, the 3000-3200 block of Bentley has two of the duties covered and just needs ?“C?”, a Co-Captain to stay aware of crime in the area.

Bentley Ave. 3000-3200 C
3300 W, C
3400 N, W, C
3500 C
Ellenda 3200 C
Glendon Ave. 3000-3100 C
3200 C
Greenfield 3000-3100 C
3400 C
Kelton Ave. 3000-3100 C
3200-3300 C
3400 W, C
3500 W, C
Kingsland 10800 W, C
Malcolm Ave. 3000 W,C
3200-3300 C
Midvale Ave. 3000-3100 C
3200 C
National Pl. 10700 W, C
Palms Blvd. 10800 W, C
Queensland 11000 C
Selby Ave. 3200 C
Tabor Ave. 10700 W, C
10800 C
Tilden Ave. 3200-3300 W
3500 C
Veteran Ave. 3200-3300 W, C
3400 W, C
3500 C
Westminster 10700 N, W, C
10800 C
Woodbine 10800 C

(Please note: If your block is not listed, you have a Block Captain currently performing all of the duties. Also, if you are already doing one of the duties listed as a ?“need?”, please let us know we made a mistake by contacting Lisa Cahill.)