School Board Candidates to Speak at PPCC Thursday, February 28 amongst other things

1. LAUSD District 4 Candidate Forum
Steve Zimmer (Incumbent) and  Kate Anderson will speak and take questions

2. PPCC will vote on a new Community Care Facilities Motion
Stop the City of LA from Gutting the Code and allowing Boarding homes in R1 and R2 zones.
(Below, please see proposed COMMUNITY CARE FACILITY ORDINANCE MOTION, recommended by the Land Use Committee in response to the recent City Council Motion by Richard Alarcon, seconded by Bill Rosendahl that will “GUT THE CODE” for our R1 and R2 residential zones by allowing by adding boarding houses as a “by right” use and enabling parolee-probationer homes to proliferate apartment building and all other areas zoned R3 and above without necessitating a conditional use permit.
Please direct all questions and comments to PPCC, Chris Spitz, Jennifer Malaret and George Wolfberg

3. Update from the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates about the Mayor's Budget Survey and the current state of the City's Budget - Guest: Jay Handal

Mayors Budget Survey is now LIVE Please take the survey today

The Mayors Annual Budget Survey is now live and ready to be taken. Please, give us your input by taking a few minutes and filling in the survey. Below is the URL to cut and paste into your location box to access the survey. Thank you in advance for taking the time to help us help you. www.la.budgetchallenge.org 4.  2012 Golden Sparkplug Awards Nominations are open until March 9. Do you know someone who sparked an idea in 2012 that brought people together on a project that was a benefit to the community of Pacific Palisades, and was done on a purely volunteer basis? Send your nominations to  Pacpalicc@aol.com

Thursday, February 14 from 7 to 9 p.m.

PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Palisades Library 861 Alma Real Drive, PP 90272

1. Stop the City of LA from Gutting the Code and allowing Boarding homes in R1 and R2 zones.
(Below, please see proposed COMMUNITY CARE FACILITY ORDINANCE MOTION, recommended by the Land Use Committee in response to the recent City Council Motion by Richard Alarcon, seconded by Bill Rosendahl that will “GUT THE CODE” for our R1 and R2 residential zones by allowing by adding boarding houses as a “by right” use and enabling parolee-probationer homes to proliferate apartment building and all other areas zoned R3 and above without necessitating a conditional use permit.
Please direct all questions and comments to PPCC, Chris Spitz, Jennifer Malaret and George Wolfberg

2. Hear the the Candidates running for Council District 11 and let them know we won't have our quality of life jeopardized.  Please forward question for the CD-11 candidates to pacpalicc@aol.com

Mike Bonin   http://mikebonin.com/
Odysseus Bostick  http://www.bostick4la.com/pledge
Tina Hess   http://hessforcouncil.com/
Fred Sutton   http://www.fredericksutton.com/

3. THE 2013 GOLDEN SPARKPLUG NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN NOW
Pacific Palisades Community Council needs your help in finding a special Palisadian who should
receive the 2013 Golden Sparkplug Award. The Golden Sparkplug Award honors those
residents of the Palisades who ignited ideas and projects into community action in the Palisades that
benefit all of us. If you would like to nominate your favorite Palisadian, here are the criteria:
1. The person must have launched a new idea or project benefiting the overall community
during 2012. The project can still be in progress and/or completed.
2. The Project must have a major community impact and/or be a sustainable project.
3. It must have broad community effect and/or affect a large group of persons.
4. It must be a voluntary contribution above and beyond, and not business related or part of
one's business or job.
The nominee may be an adult or youth. But only one member of a group or committee is permitted.
Please send the name of your nominee along with an explanation of their community project, and
why you think they should receive the award in 200 words or less. Include your name, address and
phone number, as well as the phone number and address of the nominee. Your can e-mail your
nomination to Pacpalicc@aol.com, or mail them to Pacific Palisades Community Council, Golden
Sparkplug Award, P.O. Box 1131, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Deadline for nominations is
Saturday, March 9, 2013. The Golden Sparkplug Award ceremony will be held in the Spring at a
gala event.


COMMUNITY CARE FACILITY ORDINANCE MOTION. 
Jennifer Malaret, Chris Spitz and George Wolfberg. 

PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION RELATED TO THE CITY OF
LOS ANGELES’, DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, RECOMMENDED COMMUNITY CARE
FACILITY ORDINANCE; COUNCIL FILE 11-0262; REPORT NO. R13-0014 DATED
JANUARY 3, 2013 AND ALARCON-ROSENDAHL- AMENDING MOTION 31B DATED
JANUARY 30, 2013 -

Whereas, for more than six years the City of Los Angeles has deemed it necessary to update the Los
Angeles Municipal Code’s (“LAMC”) existing definitions of family and boarding/rooming houses
to provide effective tools for the City to enforce its zoning laws relative to transient shared housing
operations in low-density R1 and R2 zones.
Whereas, the Pacific Palisades Community Council (“PPCC”) has supported an update to the zoning
code via the enactment of a well-balanced Community Care Facilities Ordinance (“CCFO”),
currently evidenced by Planning’s most recent Report No. R13-0014 (the “January 2013 CCFO”)1.
PPCC has asked for nominal protections as found in other cities that seek to maintain stable single family
neighborhoods by:
• prohibiting unlicensed and illegal boarding homes, as well as parolee/probationer facilities,
• imposing concentration and distance limits from sensitive uses, and
• public notice for larger facilities that serve seven (7) or more residents.

Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Pacific Palisades Community Council:
(A) OPPOSES the Alarcon-Rosendahl- Amending Motion (“Gut the Code”) because this
proposed amendment would eliminate the historic prohibition of the establishment of boarding
houses in low-density R1 and R2 zones by removing the definitions of “family”, “paroleeprobationer home,” “single housekeeping unit” and “boarding or rooming house” from the zoning code. Alarcon-Rosendahl’s Gut the Code Motion also eliminates the requirement for a conditional use permit for parolee-probationer homes in any residential building located in R3 or more
restrictive zones. Thus, the Alarcon-Rosendahl Gut the Code Motion opens all residential areas of
the Palisades2 to transient boarders by allowing any R1 and R2 property owner to rent to as many
persons, including paroles/probationers, as the code allows without parking requirements, and
performance standards to protect neighbors and limits to protect residential blocks, schools and
churches.
(B) SUPPORTS the proposed Westside Regional Alliance of Councils’ (“WRAC”) Motion written
in opposition to the Alarcon-Rosendahl Gut the Code Motion:
We, the members of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils, oppose Amending Motion 31B,
submitted January 30, 2013 to Council File 11-0262, on the following grounds: (1) Lack of
1 The January 2013 CCFO was written following four (4) human executions that occurred in an
overcrowded, unlicensed City of Los Angeles boarding home and a unanimous vote of the City Council’s
Public Safety Committee on January 2, 2013 recommending that the Council approve the CCFO subject to
several amendments.
2 PPCC urges all homeowner groups and stakeholders to research and consider that perceived protections
offered by HOAs, CC&Rs, & other covenants may not apply due to federal and state housing laws.
sufficient staff support and lack of a funding mechanism, (2) Inability to presently enforce codes, (3)
Anticipated 10% across the board budget cuts to all City departments slated for FY 2013-2014, and
(4) Complete lack of transparent fiscal analysis. We further strongly oppose the continued gutting
of the R1 and other low-density residential zones in the City of Los Angeles. The General Plan of the
City of Los Angeles protects the residential character of these zones. The City is therefore required
by law to prepare a General Plan Amendment and to produce a full Environmental Impact Report in
compliance with CEQA to establish any ordinance adding boarding houses as a by right use into
low density residential zones.
(C) URGES THE LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL TO:
(1) Maintain and preserve the definitions of “family”, “parolee-probationer home,” “single
housekeeping unit” and “boarding or rooming house” in the January 2013 CCFO;
(2) Preserve the conditional use permit requirement for Parolee-Probationer Homes as listed in
the January 2013 CCFO;
(3) Maintain and preserve the Parking Requirement, Public Benefit and Performance Standards
as listed in the January 2013 CCFO;
(4) Ensure that the City’s zoning authorities shall have appropriate enforcement resources for all
licensed and unlicensed Community Care Facilities with nuisance, parking, infrastructure
overutilization and zoning problems, and that all landlords of Community Care Facilities
be required to appropriately and sustainably pay into a dedicated fund to ensure all
funding, manpower and other resources to perform such enforcement.
(5) Provide a phase-in period of one year coupled with a reduced [or waived] fee for that year
for the Directors Determination specified in LAMC 12.22 EXCEPTIONS, A. USE #27,
REASONABLE ACCOMODATION to provide a path to legitimacy for existing
unlicensed group homes which do not adhere to the definitions specified in (C)(1) herein
but serve protected populations as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
(6) Include the recommendations of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck set forth in the Chief’s August
14, 2012 letter to City Council [previously circulated/public document; available upon
request].

January and February 

are packed with important events at PPCC Meetings, and

at sponsored events by PPCC.

All are welcome to attend and participate.

1. PPCC Meeting Thursday, January 24 at 7 p.m.

New Location: Palisades Recreation Center

Small Gym  -  851 Alma Real Drive.

TOPIC:  DWP Distributing Station 104  (7:20 p.m)

Part 1.  Topic Introduction and Introduction of PPCC Board Members appointed by DWP to the DS-104 Task Force (Amy Kalp, Public Safety, Police & Fire and PPCC Representatives on the DS-104 Task Force; Kelly Comras; Paul Glasgall; Jim Rea; Gil Dembo; Joyce Brunelle).

 Q&A Period Limited to Questions from PPCC Board Members directed to those PPCC Board Members who Have a Dual Role as DS-104 Task Force Members.

Part 2.  General Public Comment – DS-104 Substation (7:40 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.)

    Procedures: speaker cards will be provided and must be completed by anyone wishing to comment. 

Speaker cards will be organized in an order to be determined by PPCC.

Speaker time will be allocated based on the number of persons wishing to speak during the time period allotted for the meeting up until approximately 9 PM. 

Prospective speakers should plan to limit their public comment to between 1 and 3 minutes. All members of the public are expected to adhere to and honor their allotted time period for comment. 

City of Los Angeles Park and Recreation Staff have graciously agreed to donate their facilities and their time/timer for the purpose of this meeting. There shall be no rebuttal, no opportunity to speak twice and no ability to cede one’s allotted time to another speaker. All participants at this meeting are required to adhere to the code of conduct and code of ethics for public service.

All are welcome to attend and participate.

2.  Pacific Palisades Community Council 

Palisades-Brentwood Planning Department Forum

Proposed Comprehensive Zoning Code Revision

For the City of Los Angeles

Gilbert Hall

Palisades Charter High School

Saturday – January 26, 2013

9:30 am – 12:00 pm

This is a meeting hosted as a public service by PPCC for the community to become informed about the proposed Comprehensive Zoning Code Revision for the City of

Los Angeles that is being currently proposed by the City’s Planning Department. 

Initial changes are proposed to affect low-density residential zones and open space. 

The Public is Welcome & the Meeting is Free!

3.   PPCC Land Use Committee Meeting

      Agenda:  TBA    

          Date: Thursday, February 7 

          Location: The Palisades Library

          Time:  12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

          Open to the Public.

4.  PPCC Meeting

City of Los Angeles Council District 11 Election 

Candidates’ Forum 

    Thursday February 14, 2013 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

     Location: Palisades Library

 PPCC will be dedicating its regularly scheduled meeting on February 14 as a 

community service for Palisades and West Los Angeles residents to come celebrate 

Valentine's Day with your community and meet the candidates who are vying for election as 

Los Angeles Council District 11’s next Councilmember. 

The Candidates who will be in 

attendance, with referral to their websites are: 

     Mike Bonin http://mikebonin.com/; 

   Odysseus 

Bostick http://www.bostick4la.com/pledge;

   Tina Hess http://hessforcouncil.com/ and 

   Fred 

Sutton - http://www.fredericksutton.com. 

Any member of the 

public is free to forward questions for the CD-11 candidates to pacpalicc@aol.com

(Questions will NOT be provided to the Candidates in advance of the forum).

   

4th of July Photos

Photos from the Pacific Palisades 4th of July Parade taken by Janet Turner

PPCC Officers Elect: Chris Spitz, Barbara Kohn and Jennifer Malaret

PPCC Chair Emeritus Richard Cohen and Patti

PPCC Treasurer for Life Ted Mackie and Carolyn

City Councilman Bill Rosendahl and Mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel

Citizen of the Year and PPCC At Large Representative George Wolfberg

Community Service Award winner John Wilson and wife

Golden Sparkplug Winner Sam Lagana

Golden Sparkplug Winner Colleen McAndrews Wood

Palisadian Post Publisher Roberta Donahue with Graphics Director Ed Lowe

West LA Captain Evangelyn Nathan

PPCC Election Notice

PPCC Newsletter - Spring 2012

PPCC Spring Newsletter - Right Click - Open in New Window to see readable image

PPCC CONTINUES TO OPPOSE LOS ANGELES' CITYWIDE SIGN ("BILLBOARD") ORDINANCE

The most recent hearing by the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee ("PLUM") took place at City Hall on 12.5.11.  It became evident to those residents and neighborhood stakeholders in attendance that two out of the three committee members have turned deaf ears to residents on the big issues - advertising in parks and public facilities, grandfathering sign districts and billboard takedowns.  The draft ordinance is going back to the City Attorney and will be remanded for further PLUM public hearings likely to occur in the first quarter of 2012.

The PPCC urges you to become involved.  Contact us.  Join our efforts and opposition.  Come to a PPCC meeting (every other Thursday night in the Library) or go to City Hall.  Make your voice heard if you care about any of the following issues:

* Advertising and donor signs on public park land and in recreational center spaces (like our gyms, baseball fields and tennis courts at the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center);

* Billboards (including digital displays) in your parks, city owned facilities, schools, apartments and other multi-family property courtyards;

* Light trespass onto, and illumination of, residential properties located at traffic intersections;

* Honoring the intent of the 2002 City of Los Angeles' ban against additional billboards - meaning that for any new billboard put up, the removal of an equivalent amount of old billboard square footage would be mandatory; 

* The installation of 16 massive sign districts (including the LA Zoo) without public hearing, CEQA study, equity or social justice analysis or study of community benefit measures applied for.

The LA Times noted recently that City officials, in their desperate efforts to solve the current budget shortfall, are attempting to sell out our residential neighborhoods, city parks and other public facilities using off-site signage/billboards to "maximize special revenue from advertising opportunities, such as banners and signage."  The PPCC believes that this IS WRONG.

DO YOU?

The use of Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers is against the Law

LAPD has recently issued a citation for the repeated use of illegal leaf blowers on E. Channel Road. They are bad for everyone's health and the environment. Users and their employers may face fines of $100 for each use according to Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) 112 (c). Some residents in our neighborhood have pooled their funds and purchased a legal electric leaf blower for about $100. For additional information please click on
ZERO AIR POLLUTION LA
For a printable flyer to give to your gardener please click on
Gas-powered Leaf Blower Flyer

~Haldis~

We've posted the Minutes from our October 13, 2011 meeting on the PPCC website.  Check out the latest news on:

1.  Things happening in Potrero Canyon, with DWP street markings around tow, motorcycle noise and illegal car sales in the Alphabet Streets (Sec. 7.1).

2.  Police updates including the federally-ordered  release of non-violaent state prisoners starting in January 2012 (Sec. 8.2).

3.  What's going on with the community care facility and billboard ordinances, along with Administrative Citation Enforcement efforts for building code violations (Sec. 8.3, 8.4).

4.  PPCC wants City traffic impacts considered when the County does real estate development.  Case in point is a huge project in Marina del Rey that is going to impact our traffic (Sec. 10.1).

5.  The City's efforts to update laws regarding the aesthetics of retaining walls (Sec. 10.2).

Streamling Traffic Signals on Sunset Blvd, - ATSAC

Work is performed on Sunset Blvd. which requires closure of the eastbound right lane in stages from PCH to Kenter for a project which will streamline the traffic signals. According to the contractor, the work along the street is expected to be completed by March of 2012. This project includes trenching for cables and sensors, upgrade of signal technology, installation of cameras, and left turn arrows.

A number of residents have asked what this is all about.

The upgrade of the traffic signals on Sunset is part of the Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control (ATSAC) System, a state of the art technology that can reduce travel time by 12 percent, intersection delay by 32 percent and intersection stops by 30 percent. Los Angeles is a pioneer in the use of this traffic mitigation technology. At a conference at Duke, they showed what all traffic control centers of the next century will look like. LA is the model for ATSAC.

The installation of the ATSAC technology aims to create a steady flow of traffic at 35 mi/hr on Sunset through the Palisades

The City's ATSAC control center is four floors underground below City Hall East.

The speed/traffic sensors along the freeways and the freeway cameras are part of the ATSAC system.

ATSAC is a computer-based traffic signal control system that monitors traffic conditions and system performance, selects appropriate signal timing (control) strategies, and performs equipment diagnostics and alert functions. Sensors in the street detect the passage of vehicles, vehicle speed, and the level of congestion. This information is received on a second-by-second (real-time) basis and is analyzed on a minute-by-minute basis at the ATSAC Operations Center, to determine if better traffic flow can be achieved by changing the signal timing. If required, the signal timing is either automatically changed by the ATSAC computers or manually changed by the operator using communication lines that connect the ATSAC Center with each traffic signal. To supplement the information from electronic detectors, closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance equipment has been and continues to be installed at critical locations throughout the City.

The Department has installed CCTV cameras at 270 locations and new sites are being added. The major benefit of the ATSAC System is the ability to effectively manage dynamic traffic flow. Evaluation studies of the ATSAC System show that travel times, traffic signal delay, vehicular stops, air emissions and fuel use are significantly reduced.

The ATCS will automatically adjust traffic signal timing in response to current traffic demands by allowing ATCS to simultaneously control all three critical components of traffic signal timing, namely cycle length, phase split and offset.

The full report can be found at the LA City DOT site at: http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/html/atsac_1.html

~Haldis~

10,000 Non-violent Prisoners to be Released Starting January 2012

At the Community Police Advisory Board (C-PAB) meeting last Tuesday, LAPD announced that, beginning January 2012, 10,000 non-violent prisoners will be given $200 each and released unsupervised from LA County prisons. LAPD warned that citizens should be prepared for a significant increase in crimes.

C-PAB is attended by leaders of neighborhood and community councils and home owners associations and an urgent request was made by LAPD to distribute this information to the residents.

The release of the prisoners is the result of a controversial decision by the United States Supreme Court which requires that tens of thousands of California state prisoners will be released because of violations of cruel and unusual punishment.

The order is due to overcrowding, leading to what the court calls "constitutional violations." It is one of the largest prison release orders in U.S. history.

~Haldis~

LA City Administrative Code Enforcement - ACE

Residents in the Palisades and elsewhere in the City have been frustrated by the non-enforcement of City Ordinances and laws, generally contained in the City Municipal Code: Barking dogs, noisy parties, construction without permits, illegal construction, dog bites, gas powered leaf blowers, and the list goes on. Non-enforcement affects public safety, creates visual blight, and creates public nuisances.

A violation of the Municipal Code is a criminal act and the City Attorney's office says that they are not prosecuting such "minor" infractions criminally with staffing shortages and the courts overloaded with much more severe cases, alas: no enforcement, lawless behavior and citizen frustration.

The City Departments are just as frustrated. The public safety aspects of increasingly brazen violators of the Municipal Code are of major concern especially within LAPD, Animal Services, Housing Authority, and Building and Safety, and in the City Attorney's Office itself.

Council member Paul Koretz with the support from City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has sponsored an enforcement program that addresses the many unenforced violations of the City's Municipal Code. It decriminalizes minor violations and allows the inspectors in the field to issue tickets similar to parking tickets. This Administrative Code Enforcement (ACE) system is designed to be self funding through the collection of fines and not a burden on the tax payers.

PPCC has taken a position of support for the ACE program with special emphasis on enforcement of Building and Safety code violations. We must support this ordinance to bring law and order back to our community, stop the brazen scofflaws, and bring respectability back to the City Inspectors and Officers who are charged with enforcement but find their efforts negated by the City Attorney's refusal to prosecute.

The link to the LA Times article below provides additional details.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-code-20110926,0,4753148.story

~Haldis~

Suspects Sought In Amalfi Burglary

By Sue Pascoe, Staff Writer

2011-09-23
Three burglary suspects broke into a residence on the 700 block of Amalfi on Tuesday, September 13, at 9 p.m. and took an unknown amount of property, including jewelry.

The men were caught on surveillance tape as they gained entry by forcing open the front door.

They are described as 1) black male, 6' around 235 pounds 25 to 30 years old; 2) black male, 5'9' and 185 pounds, 25 to 30 years old; and 3) black male, 5'9' and 185 pounds about 30 years old.

According to a KCBS story on September 21, police said the men are suspected of multiple crimes that have occurred recently along the Sunset Boulevard corridor in Pacific Palisades. LAPD's West Los Angeles Burglary Detective Greg Davis at (310) 444-1568 is seeking information.

Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore reminds residents to remain vigilant, lock doors, set alarms and report any suspicious activity.

To view the surveillance video, go to: www.losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/09/21/suspects-in-string-of-pacific-palisades-burglaries-caught-on-tape/

Re-published courtesy Palisadian-Post

PPCC Board Meeting - 09.08.11

PPCC Board Meeting - 09.08.11

The PPCC has been working hard to protect and improve the quality of life in Pacific Palisades.  Do any of these topics interest you?

*  Preserving our beautiful PRIDE bus benches
*  Improvements in Portrero Canyon
*  Asilomar street repairs
*  Night-time noise from organized motorcycle rides
*  Improvements to the California Incline and Pacific Coast Highway
*  Upcoming Park Advisory Board Meetings at the Recreation Center
*  LA Bureau of Santitation's plans to raise rates and fix infrastructure
*  Sewage spill onto Malibu Village and Pacific Coast Highway
*  Proposal to study a Business Improvement District by Palisadian merchants
*  The City's proposal to change municipal regulations that govern off-site signs (billboards)
*  AEG Stadium

If so, then please take a look at the minutes from our meeting by clicking on this link:  http://www.pp90272.org/minutes2011.htm#8SEP11

News From Rustic Canyon Park

Rustic Canyon RC Ball Field in process

City Engineer advises that the Rustic Canyon "Prop K" project will be completed in mid-November 2011.  Delay attributed to need for hydroseeded grass to grow and an oversight in the contracting process that missed the need to install needed irrigation infrastructure for the field.  Well, the voters did vote on this specific project which was defined as an irrigation project.

Suspect Sought in Antique Gift Store Robbery

 September 12, 2011                                                                                                          

Suspect Sought in Antique Gift Store Robbery

Los Angeles.  LAPD West Los Angeles Area detectives are asking for the public’s help in providing any information that will lead to the arrest of a suspect responsible for a robbery in the West Los Angeles Area.

On September 12, 2011, at approximately 10:20 a.m., an African-American male entered “The Gift Garden Antiques Store”, located at 15266 Antioch Boulevard.  The suspect entered the location and forced the owner to the rear of the store, when he then tied her up.  The Suspect  took the money from the register and several gold and silver items. The suspect walked away from the store in an unknown direction. 

The suspect is described as an African-American male that appeared to be 20-25 years of age.  He stood about 6 feet tall and weighs about 150 pounds.  The suspect was dressed in dark colored clothing and was armed with a handgun. 

The suspect is considered ARMED and DANGEROUS.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call West L.A. Robbery Detectives at (310) 444-1520. 

During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.    

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).  

Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.   
All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” 
Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.

# # #

PPCC Opposes Parking In Front of Residential Driveways

Friends of PPCC,

Call Councilman Rosendahl at 310- 575-8461 or join us at City Hall on Wednesday, July 27 at 2 p.m. to oppose on-street parking in front of residential driveways.  Read more below.

Best,

Janet Turner, Chair

Pacific Palisades Community Council 

July 25, 2011                                                  Via E mail councilman.rosendahl@lacity.org

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl

200 N. Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Re:      PPCC Opposes Rosendahl Motion to Allow the City of Los Angeles to Issue Permits for On-Street Parking in Front of Residential Driveways / Continued Consideration by City Transportation Committee on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 2:00 PM.

Dear Councilmember Rosendahl:

PPCC is opposed to your Motion that instructs the City to examine the benefits of using a local permit process to allow residents to park in front of their driveways

because on-street parking in front of driveways presents many safety concerns and:

1      Is wholly opposite to the primary reason the CVC does not allow the same. I.E., emergency vehicles must be able to park out of the way of street traffic.  There is no rational basis to prioritize increased residential parking supply over the safety of a single Los Angeles resident or a first-responder.

2      Will not only restrict three-point turns, it will eliminate the space for a car to get out of the way of an oncoming vehicle.

3      Ignores the fact that many streets, such as the Alphabet Streets in the Palisades, often have room for only one car to pass and the escape is into the open space in front of driveways. This problem is magnified with construction vehicles, dumpster and large vehicles parked on our neighborhood streets.

Attached is a letter detailing several other concerns.

We would encourage you to consider withdrawing the Motion, primarily because it presents safety concerns.

Sincerely,

Janet Turner, Chairman 

Pacific Palisades Community Council  

310-573-0382

                                   

CC:  City Council Transportation Committee, Whitney Blumenfeld, Joaquin Macias, John Gregory, Norm Kulla

********************************************************************************************************
Pacific Palisades Community Council, your voice in the community
This list is solely used for communication and notification on issues pertaining to the Pacific Palisades Community Council We do not share this list with others. If you wish to be removed from this e-mail list, please reply to this e-mail with the word "REMOVE" in the subject area.

Photos From The 4th of July Parade

A few snaps from our own Jennifer Malaret of the Pacific Palisades 4th of July Parade.


Thanks Jennifer!

Heads Up From the Chair

Heads Up from the Chair
By  Janet Turner   (Editor: Barbara Marinacci)

1 . Warning about July 4th vulnerability to burglary

The LAPD's  West LA Area's Commanding Officer, Captain Evangelyn Nathan, recently sent out an e-mail asking us to assist the police force in deterring local property thefts during the all-day 4th of July festivities that go on here. Many residents participate in the celebration, and Pacific Palisades also attracts lots of out-of-towners who enjoy spending Independence Day with us.

The LAPD, of course, will assign plenty of officers to watch over the three crowd-attracting local events-the 5 /10 K run, the small-town-style parade through the Village, and the fireworks show at PaliHi. Knowing how focused the police will be and aware that the Palisades is an upscale community, burglars doubtless plan to reap benefits from people's absences from their premises. They will search for homes whose residents, clearly elsewhere, have negligently left doors unlocked and windows open.
   
The weekly crime reports that many of us see surprise and even shock us with ample evidence that people living here often fail to protect home security, and also that they and visitors to this community get careless about leaving valuables clearly visible in their unlocked vehicles.
   
So if you're going away from your house anytime on the 4th, please lock your doors and windows-and turn on your alarm system if you have one.  And whether you leave your car at home or drive and park it elsewhere, keep it locked … and hide from view anything you don't want to be stolen.
   
Although our community seems quite safe compared with most other ones in the LA area, it is often vulnerable to property crimes. And therefore so are YOU. Be extra vigilant on Monday, July the 4th!

2.  Retirement of Fire Chief

We have learned that Fire Chief Millage Peaks is retiring on July 11, after 35 years with the LAFD-including the past 22 months spent as its head administrator.  In that position, he was obliged to oversee the severe decisions, caused by ever-worsening fiscal conditions in the City of Los Angeles, that strip some $54 million from the Department's 2011-12 budget. Doubtless the widespread protests of outraged citizens, to which our Community Council and Palisades residents contributed,  vocally at meetings and in print, caused Chief Peaks unwelcome stress. He will soon be relieved of it.  However, we'll have new stresses of our own, for as of July  5-the day after our town's traditional 4th of July celebrations-Pacific Palisades' fire station in the midst of the Village will undergo drastic cuts.  Station 69, alas,  will be one of LAFD's cost-cutting targets, with 12 firefighters (a third of its accustomed personnel) departing and Engine 69 removed from dependable service here.  Despite LAFD's assurances, we will no longer feel adequately protected from fires that start up in the mountain areas just beyond our homes.  We are pleased that Councilman Bill Rosendahl ultimately voted against the proposed new LAFD budget,  and also continues to express his concerns -as he did in his Letter to the Editor published in the Palisadian-Post on June 30-over the Palisades' increased vulnerability due to its unique geographic isolation, with few traffic routes into the community.

3.  AEG's plan for a new stadium and revamped Convention Center

AEG has a proposal to the City of Los Angeles that's pending City Council approval. This ambitious entertainment company wants to construct an NFL stadium, to be called Farmers' Field and seating up to 76,000 people, in downtown Los Angeles. Planned to be operational by 2016, it would be located next to the Convention Center, where AEG would demolish an outmoded hall and build a new one, and also create new parking lots nearby. The construction work and, later, hospitality services, would generate many thousands of decidedly needed new jobs.  AEG's CEO, Tim Leiweke, recently presented the plan's specifics at a meeting of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, some of whose members expressed doubts about this ambitious project's feasibility. A much larger meeting of representatives from District 11's eight neighborhood and community councils, as well as concerned members of the public, took place in Mar Vista on June 27. Three PPCC representatives, Quentin Fleming (a USC business professor) and Jamie Schloss (Attorney),  and Jim Rea (MBA, Realtor) again questioned particular aspects of AEG's plan. For instance, what would happen if AEG couldn't persuade an AFL league team to sign a franchise deal and move to Los Angeles (which in past years lost two such teams)? And what protections would be in place to protect the City of LA, already in financial straits, from being further imperiled if the stadium, with its construction partly funded by municipal bonds, failed to generate sufficient income? Other speakers also challenged the wisdom of AEG's plans. It was also pointed out that a competitor, Ed Roski, already has a permit to build an NFL stadium in the City of Industry, which wouldn't present the traffic congestion problems that already beset downtown L.A.

We're pleased that Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who had set up the Mar Vista meeting, has asked five Palisadians to serve on his blue-ribbon panel , which will further investigate the wisdom of allowing AEG to proceed with this project-subject as it must be to City Council approval. They are Richard Cohen, Quentin Fleming, Jamie Schloss, Jim Rea all from PPCC, plus John Petrick former Chamber President.

Proposed New Football Stadium for Los Angeles

Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of AEG, the owners and operators of STAPLES Center and L.A.LIVE will be speaking at Pacific Palisades Community Council on Thursday, June 9, 2011 about the multi-purpose Event Center and modernization plans proposed for the Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles (commonly referred to as "The Stadium")

In an e mail to PPCC, Mr. Leiweke's representative said "We have found that there is a lot of mis-information about the project and welcome the opportunity to speak to the community about the proposal.  As you know, this project has attracted City-wide attention as the event center would be the home to an NFL team. 

If anyone would like to learn more or has an opinion about the proposed Stadium I would like to encourage them to attend PPCC.  We met at the Palisades Library 861 Alma Real Drive, Pacific Palisades, on Thursday June 9 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Janet Turner, Chair
Pacific Palisades Community Council