MINUTES
Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council
Regular Meeting of 02/13/2002
Ken McAlpine called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m. There were about 40 people in attendance. The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
Welcome Newcomers
Ken welcomed all the newcomers and gave a brief overview of what a Neighborhood Council is and does.
Recognition of Guests and Dignitaries
Mark Montonaga, Angelil Graham Architects, Childrenâs Museum LA; Candace Barrett, Executive Director, Childrenâs Museum LA; Matthew Fitzgerald, DONE; Barry Stone, Jr., City of LA Community Program Assistant, Commission for Children, Youth, and Their Families; Josh and Johnnie from the Cardenas Campaign.
DONE Update
There are approximately six certified Neighborhood Councils and approximately 96 working on certification.Ê Matthew Fitzgerald also did a question and answer session.
Treasurerâs Report
Nedd Brown reported that we had income of $42.50 in t-shirt and water sales. The Neighborhood Councilâs balance, as of 02/13/02, is $1,099.86.
Correspondence Report
Brenda McAlpine read the letter that she sent to the Foothill Leader on behalf of the Neighborhood Council regarding the photo essay on drug use.
Minutes
The minutes of the January 9, 2002 meeting were approved as written.
Programs
Candace Barrett and Mark Motonaga made a presentation on behalf of the Childrenâs Museum of LA. Sally Thompson, who was originally scheduled to do the presentation, was unable to attend. There will be two campuses built and the first one will be at Hansen Dam in Lakeview Terrace. The building will be environmentally friendly. Groundbreaking will be in the summer or early fall and building will occur over the following 18-24 months.
Action Team Reports
Reports were provided on Planning Issues, Certification, Outreach, Insurance, Safety and Scenic Plan.
A motion was offered by Martha Houck requesting that a letter be sent to the Council District Two office asking for an injunction against developer plan approval prior to Council Representation and the passage of the Scenic Preservation Plan. Nina Royal seconded. The motion was passed.
A report on STORG was presented.
Nina Royal said that a misrepresentation had been made in the approved minutes from the January 9, 2002 minutes regarding Arco. It was not closed due to age. It was closed as Arco refused to renew the lease.
A report on Redistricting was presented.
Tony Cardenas mentioned that he was at the Commission Hearing in Woodland Hills. He asked that redistricting be postponed until after the election. He also stated that the City Council postponed it until March 29th.
Mike Jimenez of Wendy Greuelâs campaign said that the vote to postpone has to be unanimous and there are two meetings/hearings.
There is a Map Committee meeting tentatively set for February 16th at the McAlpine house.
Nina Royal mentioned that she submitted a letter on behalf of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood CouncilÊ on December 19, 2001 requesting that Sunland-Tujunga be left together.
New Business
Brendan Gibson of Bridge Focus reported on the meeting that was held to work on establishing a tutoring program in Sunland-Tujunga (see attached).
Ken McAlpine reported that the Planning meeting resulted in ten ideas for a hallmark project for the Neighborhood Council. He would like to form a committee to go through the ideas and recommend three and create a more detailed report on those three. He also spoke about upcoming events. There will be two Jazz in the Park type events this year. Jazz in the Park in July and potentially a Blues in the Park in May. He asked that volunteers see him after the meeting to sign up to be a part of either of those committees.
The Honorary Sheriff deadline is late March. Ken mentioned that the Neighborhood Council may wish to sponsor someone.
Joe Eiben brought up the fundraiser at the Easter Carnival.
Ken McAlpine informed everyone that there will be a meeting on Friday, February 15th regarding the Foothill Leader and getting a new community paper established.
Ken also mentioned that there are comment cards attached to the agendas for tonightâs meeting and asked people to put there suggestions in the basket in the back of the room.
Jane Fangianello mentioned that there is an event at the Elks Lodge on February 23rd called Monte Carlo night, which is sponsored by the Chamber and the Elks.
She also reported that there is a hearing on March 4th at 2:00 p.m. regarding the Old Theater. They need variances on parking, liquor and dancing.
Open Forum/Announcements
Katrina Canyon, poet laureate, announced a planning meeting for the upcoming Poetry Festival that she is organizing. She passed out flyers with details on the time and location of the meeting, as well as a prospectus on the festival itself.
A resident commented the polling places have been changed for this upcoming election due to the redistricting and cautioned attendees to pay close attention to the information that they receive in the mail this year.
Tomi Lyn Bowling announced the Community Clean-up on February 23rd to clean up the wash. She urged all to attend.
Tony Cardenas spoke on redistricting. He announced that everything said at the microphone at redistricting meetings goes into the permanent record. He made a point at the recent meeting to request more hearings on redistricting. He said that the Neighborhood Council can request that a meeting be held in Sunland-Tujunga.
Penny Blackwell moved that the Neighborhood Council send a letter requesting a community meeting on redistricting in Sunland-Tujunga. Laurel Fest seconded. The motion was passed.
The Chairman asked the Correspondence Secretary to write the letter.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
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REPORTS
Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council
Regular Meeting of February 13, 2002
Planning Issues: ÊPenny Blackwell gave a report on planning issues, which is attached.
She also reported that she attended the Institute of Real Estate Management forecast breakfast. Los Angeles was not hit as hard as other cities in California.
Storm Water Runoff legislation is in the works. It will be hard to enact as it will declare that only natural water can go down storm drains (excluding soapy water when a car is washed, etc.)
A longshoremanâs strike is expected.
Major events are coming to the ãKodakä development in Hollywood (from New York and other places).
Staples is building a hotel.
30 acres in Culver City is going to be developed as a tennis area.
Downtown Los Angeles is becoming more like a traditional downtown area with buildings that have retail on the ground floor and housing above.
Certification:Ê Lynn Bedri reported that nothing has moved forward from the last meeting. She asked that people who havenât signed the certification forms please do so. A meeting will occur later this month, but the date has not yet been established.
Outreach:Ê Brenda McAlpine reported on the activities of the Outreach Committee over the last month. A copy of her report is attached.
Insurance:Ê Mark Seigel reported on the information collected by the Insurance Committee, which is attached. Mark recommended that we let it ride for now. He said that the Insurance Committee will be doing further investigation with Matthew Fitzgerald of DONE, utilizing the city attorney for advice.
Safety:Ê Nina Royal reported that we have lost Captain Ken Garner to the Business Transportation Services.
There will be a CAR meeting on Monday, February 25, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building.
We will probably be losing lead officer, Jay Roberts, to a promotion.
The Volunteer Surveillance Team went out on February 8th. 18 people from the La Canada and LaCrescenta areas were caught at Tommyâs at 2:00 a.m. They all went away with tickets.
The crime rate in Los Angeles is going up overall; however, the crime rate for the Sunland-Tujunga area is not currently rising.
There will be a march/rally on Monday, February 18, 2002 (Presidentâs Day) at Boyle Heights area to Parker Center. Anyone can call Nina to help represent Sunland-Tujunga at the rally.
45 people are graduating from the CERT program. The next set of classes will start on August 6th.
Scenic Plan:Ê Steve Crouch reported that White Bird is currently doing work at the Cross. They are taking core samples. According to Dale Thrush, White Bird is ready to start their project.
10 lots were recently auctioned near the Cross for $56,000. White Bird missed the bid. There is rumor that $500,000 has already been offered to the now current owners of the land (who are unknown).
STORG:Ê Ken McAlpine resigned as Chairman of the Sunland-Tujunga.org Committee, citing his additional responsibilities as Chairman of the Neighborhood Council. He asked for new volunteers for the committee and a new Chairman. He asked that volunteers contact him after the meeting.
Redistricting:Ê Lloyd Hitt reported on the various redistricting meetings and attendances since the Neighborhood Council meeting in January (see attached).