Board Attendees: Janice Santos, Parliamentarian; Chris Nevil, President; George
Gross, 1st VP; Wendy Averill, 2d VP; Elizabeth Pollock, Recording Secretary;
Tobyann Mandel, Director; Aaron Bernardin, Director; Lillian Jenkins, Advisor;
Steve Knight, Advisor.
Guests: Karen Guthrie; Brian Reiff, who live near Wendy Averill and the proposed
condominium conversion; Marlene Savage, local resident. Kathryn Frengs, deputy
to Councilman Rosendahl; Rhey Lee, deputy to Congresswoman Jane Harman.
Approval of Minutes
– The minutes of the January 9, 2006 board meeting were reviewed and approved.
The minutes were distributed electronically, but Janice Santos needs a hard
copy by mail.
Treasurer’s
Report - The treasurer’s report for January 1 through January 31, 2006
was distributed electronically before the meeting. During January we paid $250
to the Venice Japanese Community Center for the use of their room for board
meetings.
Crime Report –
Most recent meeting was January 11, 2006. Minutes were sent to George Gross
for posting on the website. Not yet posted as of February 12, 2006. Meetings
are held at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, and during 2006, each
board member will sign up to attend one meeting, rather than having one person
attend all of the meetings. Chris Nevil circulated a signup sheet.
Traffic Committee
– The 90 freeway bridge over Culver Blvd. is to be done by November 2006.
There will be a bikeway on Lincoln Blvd., and Michelle Monry is the City Bike
Coordinator. Playa Vista will have a pedestrian bridge across Lincoln Blvd.
There is going to be left turn arrow at Centinela and Jefferson. NEXT MEETING
APRIL 5.
Before the February 6, 2006 board meeting, Playa Vista announced that Maricela
Gomez had been named director of government relations, responsible for managing
PV’s relationships with governmental entities and participating in company
community relations and philanthropic programs. Michelle Fleenor has been named
director of special projects, will work closely with the community relations,
government relations and development teams at PV. She also will be the direct
liaison to PV residents and several local Neighborhood Councils. There are 4000
residents now living at PV.
Before the meeting, George Gross circulated an email “rant”about
the dirt that has been generated near Centinela and Jefferson as a result of
the Playa Vista Phase II grading/construction. There are also problems with
bright lights and noise. Question: What PV rep should be invited to hear the
complaints?
Newsletter –
Steve Knight needs to have all articles by March 1, 2006 so the newsletter can
be prepared and distributed at least 15 days before the next general meeting.
General Meeting --
Next general meeting tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 29, 2006. Our
theme will be Emergency Preparedness. (Just after this board meeting, President
Bush announced that two years ago, there was a plot to hijack and airplane and
fly it into the tallest building in Los Angeles, then called the Library Tower.)
Congresswoman Jane Harman chairs the Intelligence Committee in the House of
Representatives, and we will try to have her speak at the meeting. Her schedule
probably will determine the meeting date.
Elizabeth Pollock is to prepare a written question regarding preparedness to
deal with gas leaks from the Southern California Gas Company facilities. The
City of Los Angeles will be asked to supply emergency preparedness kits for
the attendees at the meeting. (Wendy Averill circulated a sample.) We may have
some exhibitors at the meeting.
Certified Emergency Response Team (“CERT”) training will be held
March 6-13, 2006.
At a Bray Street block party, a senior suggested that some meetings be held
during the day so that seniors who do not drive at night would be able to attend.
The consensus of the board was that meetings still should be held at night,
but board members could offer rides to interested seniors.
Membership –
Tabled. Casey Anderson not present. No word on software selection.
Website – Minutes
will not be posted until they have been reviewed and approved by the board.
“Problem” residents/locations will be identified by block number
only. Names of individual complainants will not be mentioned. For example, on
Bray Street there is an area below the 90 freeway where there are no homes.
People park there, engage in illicit activities and leave their trash.
Chris Nevil paid our annual website maintenance fee and will need to seek reimbursement.
DRNC - According
to an article in The Argonaut, elections were held January 21, 2006, and 80
ballots were case. No candidates filed for Area G, which represents Mar Vista
Gardens, so the members will need to appoint someone to serve. The other seven
people elected to two year terms were: Area A, Jonathon Neumann, four votes;
Area B, Fred Waltman, 28 votes; Area C, Renae Paonessa, four votes; Area D,
Elena U. Rodriguez, four votes; Area E, Bill Hinton, one vote; Area F, Glen
Michaelsen, seven votes; Area H, Mary M. Anderson, 20 votes. Neumann was the
only incumbent. Officers are up for election in October.
Steve Knight (DRNC president) reported that David Curtis Stephan filed a challenge
to the election, and the election cannot be certified until it has been approved
by the final decisionmaker, the City of Los Angeles Office of Neighborhood Empowerment.
Steve voiced concern that there might not be a quorum present for the next DRNC
meeting on February 9.
Del Rey Park Task
Force – The report is that all five of the top bidders want the property
at its existing use level (M2), i.e. they will not be seeking a zoning variance
that would allow pressure to have part of the land used for a park.
Pacific Division
Update – Our letter asking the City to restore our police staffing to
October 2004 levels did go out.
There has been vandalism on Wagner Street. Senior Lead Officer Pete Llanes has
cell no. (310) 622-3972. Senior Lead Officer Heidi Llanes has cell no. (310)
622-3971. We can also call Kathryn Frengs, Councilman Rosendahl’s deputy,
(310) 568-8772.
Fire Station 62 is scheduled to open April 8, 2006.
During February, the Westchester-Playa del Rey area experienced a series of
burglaries by two different gangs of young men. Residents were encouraged to
reemphasize Neighborhood Watch programs. These were daytime robberies where
someone would knock, and if no one answered, the burglars would enter through
a side or back door or window.
OLD/CONTINUING BUSINESS:
A. 501(c) (4) status: Appeal still pending. (On February 22, 2006, we received
a letter that our appeal was turned down because we are not a philanthropic
organization (501(c)(3), and our organization benefits primarily our members.
We have 15 days from the date of receipt to appeal again.
B. Motion Regarding
Expo Line – Tabled.
C. Ballona Watershed
Coordinated Vision Endorsement - Tabled.
D. Proposed By-Laws
Change to Allow for Increased Dues - Chris Nevil moved, Tobyann Mandel seconded
a motion that at the Spring General Meeting, if a quorum is present, a proposal
shall be submitted to the membership that Article IV, section 3 of the by-laws
be amended by striking the phrase “which fee shall not exceed the sum
of five ($5.00) dollars per year per member.” Thereafter, the Board of
Directors would decide the amount of the membership fee.
E. 2006 Annual Budget
- Tabled. Treasurer Michelle Rudo not present.
NEW BUSINESS
A. Resignation of Kathy Briar as DRHNA Director. After more than a decade of
service, Kathy Briar has resigned. Councilman Rosendahl and Congresswoman Harman
will seek to have certificates of appreciation prepared. Kathy’s letter
of resignation asked that she not be given any gift, so Tobyann Mandel moved,
George Gross seconded that a donation of Fifty Dollars ($50) should be made
to the Feral Feline Alliance in honor of her many years of service. (The amount
of the donation was based upon the donation made to the SPCA when Treasurer
Marcia Romano resigned after 14 years of service.)
Marlene Savage was appointed to fill the balance of Kathy Briar’s term,
and Marlene can run for the full two year term at the April General Meeting.
B. Death of Guy Doeh,
DRHNA Director. Shortly after the meeting we received the sad news that Guy
Doeh passed away on February 6, 2006. He had been completing the directorship
that became vacant when Elizabeth Pollock became corresponding secretary in
April 2005. A new director will be needed, and we need to decide if a donation
to an appropriate cancer research organization would be an appropriate tribute
to this former president and long-time member of the organization.
C. Corresponding
Secretary. We still need a candidate to fill the Corresponding Secretary position
that was left vacant by Ken Browning’s resignation in Spring 2005. The
term will run until Spring 2007.
D. Office Hour Meeting
with Councilman Rosendahl – Chris Nevil and Steve Knight met with the
Councilman.
1. Steve Knight wants a resolution that when developments are approved in the
Del Rey Neighborhood Council’s territory, the Quimby Funds should not
go outside of Del Rey. Steve will ask the Parks & Recreation Department
how much we have in Quimby Funds. We might want to spend them to repair a building
in Glen Alla Park.
2. Re: police
staffing. The whole city is short-staffed.
3. Traffic
Mitigation Plans for Playa Vista Phase II are underway. James Haskins has requested
that preferential parking be introduced on the west side of Centinela.
E. Condo Conversions
on Culver Blvd. between Stoner and Slauson (blue and white building).
Property will increase from 65 to 91 units, and from 65 parking spaces to 181
reserved and 47 guest parking spaces, from two stories to three stories. Area
is zoned for 45 foot height limit. They want to decrease the setback from Culver
Blvd. to only four feet (like the neighboring property). They want to use the
alley for access. Has the alley been vacated by the city?
Kathryn Frengs suggested calling Bill Rosendahl’s planning deputy, Stephanie
Zarro, at (213) 473-7011. Mitigation efforts can be written into the development
package.
NEXT MEETING MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2006 AT 7 P.M.