Category: Granada Hills North

July 4th is one of the best days of summer. Whether you take your party to the beach or stick with a backyard barbecue, remember that fireworks are illegal in the City of Los Angeles! Fireworks are dangerous – they can cause serious injury and death to people, damage homes and property, and potentially start brush fires.

The Emergency Management Department wants us to remind you to celebrate safely. For more safety preparation please visit http://emergency.lacity.org.

Here are our tips for a safe celebration:

• Leave the fireworks to the professionals
• Closely monitor kids swimming in pools to prevent drowning
• Keep grills away from exterior walls and other structures that may burn
• Stay hydrated – drink plenty of water throughout the day

LA Animals Services would also like you to know that they are preparing for their busiest time of year! They need your help to make space in our crowded shelters for the influx of terrified lost pets by fostering a pet for four days or more. If you won’t be in town or can’t foster at this time, please help us spread the word!

The loud sounds of July 4th fireworks frighten dogs and cats. If they get out of the house or yard, they run in fear. Then these frightened pets can’t find their way home and end up at our City shelters.

There are hundreds of wonderful animals of all ages, breeds and sizes waiting to be your temporary companion. Fostering is a great way to see what it’s like to have a four-legged addition to your family. Go to LAAnimalServices.com/foster to learn more or go to the City Animal Shelter nearest you and ask for a Foster application. They’ll get you fostering a pet right away!

There are few things better than watching a movie under the stars in Los Angeles. OK, maybe an all-you-can-eat taco bar under the stars is better, but barely. From an iconic cemetery to a rooftop in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world, L.A.’s spring and summer outdoor screenings are held at amazing venues that make them immersive rites of passage. Several lineups haven’t even been announced yet, but other series are about to kick off and you have to get tickets early or you’ll miss out — these things sell out. We’ll be updating this list throughout the spring and summer, so check back frequently for new stuff. (Continue at LA Weekly)

Councilmember Mitchell Englander and the Department of Public Works invite you to attend a Town Hall Meeting of the Board of Public Works. During the meeting, we will discuss public works projects in our district, offer an opportunity for community members to interact with Public Works staff, and learn about the challenging and exciting work that goes into creating our communities.

Wednesday, May 17
5:30 pm

Mayall Academy of Arts & Technology Magnet
16701 Mayall St. 
Northridge, CA 91343

Click here to view the flyer. For more information, call the Board of Public Works at (213) 978-0262. Per Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, equal access and reasonable accommodation services are available upon request with 72 hour advance notice.

This Saturday, please join the LA Department of Convention and Tourism Development in kicking off National Travel & Tourism Week by showing that the City of Los Angeles does welcome all visitors from everywhere! You may have seen the inspiring #EveryoneisWelcome video which is part of the global welcome initiative launched last week by our partners at the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board to promote LA as a welcoming destination.

We invite you to support the “Everyone is Welcome” initiative by volunteering to help create a large human welcome sign that celebrates the diversity and inclusivity that defines Los Angeles. This event will take place on Saturday, May 6 near LAX at the Carl Nielsen Park, 9100 Jenny Avenue, Los Angeles. Take part in sending a warm welcome to visitors around the world by volunteering for one of two shifts: 8:00am – 11:00am and 11:00am – 2:15pm. Bring your family and friends and enjoy food, refreshments, giveaways and free parking!

Free parking will be provided to all participants at Lot C (of LAX). From this location, participants will be guided over the short walking distance to the location of the event. No parking in the surrounding neighborhoods of the park is permitted.

Dress comfortably! Avoid any branding on your clothing and bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen if you wish as the event is entirely outdoors.

Although the event will feature a family friendly environment and we encourage you to bring family and friends of all ages, an aspect of the event will have a height requirement which will make it unlikely that children under the age of 12 would be able to participate.

To learn more and RSVP – click this link www.discoverlosangeles.com/everyoneiswelcome

The Police Commission is seeking the assistance of the community by completing an online survey to express their thoughts, opinions, and concerns in regards to the LAPD’s video release policy.  We encourage the neighborhood Council members and their community constituents to visit www.lapdvideo.org to complete the online survey.  The survey is provided in both English/Spanish languages, and is completely confidential.

LA police and city leaders are brainstorming ways to combat the rising gang problem in west San Fernando Valley.

A Los Angeles City Council committee Monday discussed ways to combat three years of rising gang-related crime in the west San Fernando Valley.

Although the west valley enjoys a reputation as a quiet area low in crime, it is home to 16 gangs, according to a report produced by the Los Angeles Police Department and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development, or GRYD.

“There are a lot of people out there who think that the west valley is gang-free; they are deeply mistaken. Not only must we fight those gangs head-on, but we must ensure that our children have good prevention programs and healthy after-school opportunities that divert kids from becoming gang members,” said City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents part of the area and introduced a motion calling for the report.

In 2014, 177 violent gang-related crimes were logged in the area. The number jumped to 288 in 2015, then 289 in 2016, according to the report.  Read more »

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is set to deliver his 2017 State of the City address today at City Hall at 10am.

Watch it live at https://facebook.com/Garcetti

The location of the City Hall chambers for the annual speech is a departure for Garcetti, who last year delivered it at an LED maker near the Port of Los Angeles, at the Valley Performance Arts Center at Cal State Northridge in 2015, and at the Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center in 2014.

George Kivorik, Garcetti’s press secretary, declined to give any preview of what the mayor might discuss. A top focus of last year’s speech was the city’s improving employment numbers.

One topic likely to receive attention is President Donald Trump’s actions and rhetoric on immigration.

The president has threatened to cut federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities, and although the mayor has resisted calling for the city to embrace the term, L.A. could be a target for a loss of funds due to the police department’s limited cooperation with federal authorities on immigration.

Two local issues that could be a focus are housing and transportation, as city voters in November approved a measure that aims to raise $1.2 billion to construct housing for the homeless and country voters approved a measure that is projected to raise $120 billion over 40 years for transportation projects.

Garcetti, who was re-elected for a second term in a landslide in March, is set to deliver the speech at 10 a.m., and at 11 a.m. his proposed budget for 2017-18 will be released.

Over the objections of the oil industry, Council President Herb Wesson wants to eliminate oil drilling in neighborhoods where people live.

City Council President Herb Wesson plans to introduce a motion Wednesday to eliminate oil drilling in Los Angeles near homes, schools and other facilities.

The motion calls for a study on the proposed restrictions, which would also include parks, churches and health-care facilities.

Wesson’s motion does not state how far a drilling operation might need to be located from protected facilities, but it calls for the Department of City Planning, with the assistance of the city attorney and the city’s petroleum administrator, to report back within 90 days with an analysis of possible changes to the city’s zoning code that drilling operations be located within “a certain setback proximity” of residential facilities.

Residents who live near drilling sites have been speaking out in recent years and complaining of health complications they believe are connected to the local oil fields. Read more »

Saturday, May 20

8am-11am

10250 Etiwanda Ave, Northridge, CA

$9 per person (Kids 3 and under are free)

The Los Angeles Police Commission Wants Your Input

The Executive Order maintains that wasteful water practice prohibition should still remain in place.

Citing the success of unprecedented conservation efforts and a wealth of recent precipitation statewide, Gov. Jerry Brown ended the drought state of emergency in most of California on Friday. Emergency restrictions will remain in place in Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne counties to help address diminished groundwater supplies in those areas.

The executive order issued by Brown effectively terminates the state of emergency implemented in January of 2014. However, it also keeps a focus on conservation efforts. The order states that water reporting requirements and prohibitions on wasteful practices — such as watering during or right after rainfall, hosing off sidewalks and irrigating ornamental turf on public street medians — will remain in place.

.@JerryBrownGov Lifts #CADrought Emergency, Retains Prohibition on Wasteful Practices: https://t.co/Us34boJViY #SaveOurWater pic.twitter.com/aF9Vvsl0L0

— Gov. Brown Press Ofc (@GovPressOffice) April 7, 2017

Read more »

There have been more than 1,400 residential burglaries in the Valley so far this year, a 25 percent increase in such crimes.

A spike in “knock-knock” burglaries plaguing the San Fernando Valley prompted City Councilman Mitchell Englander Wednesday to call for a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits.

So far this year, the San Fernando Valley has been home to the bulk of LA’s burglaries with more than 1,400 residential burglaries in the Valley. The region has experienced a 25 percent spike in home burglaries. Citywide, there have been more than 1,700 residential burglaries in 2017.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Knock-Knock Burglary Task Force, “Knock-Knock Burglars are organized and target affluent single-family residences located within the San Fernando Valley. The members of these Knock-Knock criminal groups are usually comprised of criminal street gang members who claim territory in the South Los Angeles area. They select homes based on the likelihood of having money, jewelry, and/or firearms within the residence. They are known to knock on the front door to determine if the residence is unoccupied. Once they determine the residence is unoccupied, they gain entry through a rear door, side door or second floor balcony and have been known to disable the alarm.”

“`Knock-knock’ crews are very sophisticated, they know exactly what they are doing,” Englander said at a news conference at City Hall. “They knock on the door and then somebody else will wait on the side of the house.” Read more »

The LAPD is reconsidering its policy to keep body camera footage from the public, and is asking for community input on a new policy.

The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and Chief Charlie Beck outlined plans Thursday for seeking community input on establishing policies for the release of body camera footage taken during critical incidents.

Input will be gathered in community forums around Los Angeles and through a questionnaire available online or on paper.

Speaking to reporters at a new conference at the Police Administration Building downtown, Beck said the resulting policy will likely be a compromise that will please no one.

“This is a balancing act that will have an end result that will be the best servant of everybody’s needs, recognizing that probably no one will get exactly what it is they think should be the perfect policy,” Beck said.

The City Council approved a $59 million plan last June to equip Los Angeles Police Department officers with body cameras, and the department plans to issue the cameras to all patrol officers by the end of this year.  Read more »

• Marco Santana -Senator Bob Herzberg’s office
• Kevin Taylor – Mayor Garcetti’s office
• Gita O’Neill – Assistant City Attorney- Director of Homeless Policies and Strategies
• Field Representative from Councilman Englander’s office CD12
• Sgt. Shorts – Homeless Liaison- Ventura County Police Department
• Betty Eskey – Director, Samaritan Center 
• Wade Trimmer – CEO – San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission 
• Ashlee Oh- Member of County Chief Executive Office 

On March 1^st, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt an update to the existing Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO) and Baseline Hillside Ordinance (BHO). This vote, in effect, establishes new development standards for single-family zoned properties citywide. The changes, as recommended by the City Planning Commission, incorporate additional protections to further limit large-scale homes and related construction impacts. Leading up to Council adoption of the ordinance, the Department of City Planning held public hearings with the community over the course of a six-month period to garner input. Since the adoption of the 2008 BMO and 2011 BHO, the City Council has approved several Interim Control Ordinances (ICOs) to temporarily limit the construction of over-sized homes in certain single-family neighborhoods. With the new amendment in place, the integrity and character of single-family homes citywide will be better preserved.

Some of the adopted changes to the BMO and BHO regulations include the following:

• Establishment of new development standards for single-family zones, including the usage of angled encroachment plane and side wall articulation requirements to reduce the visual impact of building mass;
• Modification to the definition of Residential Floor calculations to further reduce the impact of out-of-scale homes;
• Elimination of nearly all exemptions, which created the big, boxy homes;
• Counting of grading under a house to prevent what was previously an unlimited amount of hillside grading and
• Reduction of Floor Area Ratio for single-family homes in R1 zones.

The Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon is tomorrow! The “Stadium to the Sea” 26.2 mile course takes runners throughout our great City past many iconic landmarks. Various streets along the marathon route will be closed by 3:15 a.m. on March 19, then reopen as early as 10:15 a.m., depending on the location. Streets will reopen by region because of the size and complexity of the event route. Numerous agencies, including the California Department of Transportation and the City of Los Angeles Police and Fire departments were consulted in the planning process and agree that the finalized plan is the best way to accommodate all of the parties involved. Come out to cheer on the runners and enjoy the community aspect of this 32 year Los Angeles event!

From our friends at the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council:

We Need YOUR Help to Tell Senate Committee Members to Support SB 57 WITHOUT Amendments

This Tuesday (March 21), the State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications will vote on Senate Bill 57 (SB 57), which calls for holding off on the re-opening of the Aliso Canyon facility until the cause of the catastrophic well failure in the fall of 2015 is known and made public.

SB 57 is an urgency measure by State Senators Henry Stern and Bob Hertzberg to hold off on the re-opening of the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility until state regulators have completed an investigation to determine the root cause of the leak.

WHAT: Senate Committee Meeting and Vote on SB 57
WHEN: 9:00 AM; Tuesday, March 21, 2017
WHERE: State Capitol, Room 3191
SB 57 has broad bi-partisan support including State Senators Ben Allen (D) and Scott Wilk (R), Assemblyman Dante Acosta (R), the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Mayor Eric Garcetti, and the Los Angeles City Council.

However, amendments that are clearly pushed for by the Gas Company are being inserted into the Bill that would basically render it meaningless. The amendments would remove the need to know the cause for the well failure before the field opens, and would leave it solely to DOGGR and PUC to make the call on the re-opening of the field and the amount of gas they can inject into it.

It is IMPERATIVE that the Bill passes through the committee without these amendments, and we need YOUR HELP to make that happen.

PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND URGE THEM TO VOTE
“YES ” ON SB 57 WITHOUT THE GAS COMPANY’S AMENDMENTS:

The following are the committee members and the phone numbers to their offices:

Senator Ben Hueso (Chair), SD40. (916) 651-4040
Senator Mike Morell (Vice Chair), SD23. (916) 651-4023
Senator Steven Bradford, SD35. (916) 651-4035
Senator Anthony Cannella, SD12. (916) 651-4012
Senator Jeryy Hill, SD13. (916) 651-4013
Senator Mike McGuire, SD02. (916) 651-4002
Senator Nancy Skinner, SD09. (916) 651-4009
Senator Andy Vidak, SD14. (916) 651-4014
Senator Scott Weiner, SD11. He is a co-author of the bill, so please just call to say THANK YOU. (916) 651-4011

Please call as many of the committee members as you can, and impress on them the need to support SB 57 without the absurd amendments. Let them know how it is unconscionable that this facility can re-open before they know what went wrong! Let them know that there are real people and real families that continue to be affected by this leaking facility.

It is our understand that you can view the hearing live here.

Beginning in the 1940s the federal government conducted rocket and nuclear testing activities at the Santa Susana Field Lab in Ventura County with substantial disregard for the environment.  One of its nuclear reactors experienced a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959, and two other reactors experienced accidents with significant fuel damage, causing releases of radioactivity into the air.

In addition to napalm and dioxin incineration in open-air burn pits, dumping of over 500,000 gallons of trichloroethylene and perchlorate, and other contamination from over the 50 years of operations, the site has been left highly polluted with radioactive and chemical contaminants. The parties responsible for cleaning up the Santa Susana Field Lab are: The Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Boeing Company.

In 2010, a legally binding cleanup agreement called the Administrative Orders on Consent (AOC), were entered into by NASA and the Department of Energy with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The AOC requires all of the detectable radioactive and chemical contamination at their Santa Susana Field Lab operations be cleaned up to background levels similar to those before the site was contaminated. Read more »

Saturday, April 22, 2017
9:00 am – 11:30 am

Knollwood Plaza
11846 Balboa Blvd.
Granada Hills, CA 91344

• 5 banker’s box maximum per household.
• Please stay with your items until they are shredded.
• NO wet items or VHS tapes as they will clog the machine!
• You are responsible for unloading your own items from your vehicle.
• Up to five CD/DVD or computer discs per household.
• Paper clips, staples, three-ring binders, and hanging file folders are all OK!