To: Members of Homeowners of Encino
and Encino Residents
From: Gerald A. Silver,
Pres. Homeowners of Encino
SUBJECT: #304 ENCINO COMMUNITY UPDATE
WORK STARTS ON THE NEXT VENTURA BLVD. EYESORE--
16704 VENTURA BLVD. 125 UNIT APARTMENTS
As you drive down Ventura Blvd., near Balboa (southside) you will notice that work has begun on the 125 unit apartment complex, formerly known as "Gold Mountain." Gone are the trees, shubery and open space as giant earth movers claw into the hillside. The Gold Mountain project was approved several years ago and will add another 125 apartments, with hundreds of auto trips to jam the already grid-locked sections of Ventura Blvd.
Added to the other night-mare apartment projects on Ventura Blvd., you can expect more traffic, noise and congestion. This makes one wonder, what 'genius' at the LA Planning Dept. came up with the idea of mixed-use apartments on Ventura Blvd.? If there was ever a need to revise the Ventura Blvd. Specific Plan, it is now. No more mixed use, or apartments on Ventura Blvd.!
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HOME BOARD VOTES TO OPPOSE MEASURE B
ON THE MARCH 3RD BALLOT
To learn more about this measure, please read the email below from Ron Kaye, former Daily News editor. While the move toward alternative energy sources is to be commended, Measure B is wrong-headed. A few salient facts: The DWP reports the amount of new power in mega-watts (MW--DC! The average household requires AC power to run its appliances. Converting DC to AC voltage involves an inverter with a power loss from 20% to 60%! And to make matters worse, there are no practical ways to "bank" wind or solar energy. You can't simply put excess wind or solar energy in a tank like gasoline for later use.
And finally many electrical engineers are asking "who will make the wind turbines?" "The wind is everywhere, but not so the design and manufacturing expertise needed to make the high-tech machines that harvest energy from the wind." [Design News 11/03/2008).
Vote NO on Measure B!
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Sunday, January 11, 2009 5:08 PM
VOTE "NO" ON MEASURE B!
To: Everyone:
We can beat this Proposition B solar fraud. We can stop Jack Weiss from turning putting a "For Sale" sign on the City Attorney's office. We can put a watchdog for the public in Nick Patsaouras into the Controller's office. Yes we can!
You won in court Thursday against the attempt by the special interests backing Prop. B to intimidate us and stick us with the bill, thanks to legal skills of City Attorney candidate Noel Weiss. We won again when the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils unanimously voted to oppose "B" and adopted a strong resolution (see below).
Now we need to build on this momentum. We need some money to pay our legal costs and we need money to mount a professional campaign. Here's how to contribute: DWP Committee for advocacy, c/o of Secretary/ Treasurer Heinrich Keifer, 5669 York Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90042.
And right now we need you to get out and communicate the message to Neighborhood Councils, homeowners groups and any other organizations you're involved in and anyone else you can. Let me know if you're willing to volunteer or need more information. We need help with mounting a strong ground operation, Internet campaign operations, fund-raising and other activities.
The key talking points are these:
* Mayor Villaraigosa has raised electricity rates 25 percent in his three years and Prop. B will send rates soaring out of control.
* Prop. B is a charter reform that is nothing but a power grab by the mayor and City Council to eliminate public input and oversight.
* With unlimited power over how billions of dollars for solar energy are spent, the mayor and council have a license to steal, to give away all your money to lobbyists, consultants, contractors, the DWP union and anyone else they want.
* This isn't a solar plan at all since there is no planning, no study, no engineering, no financial analysis.
* Prop. B will cost too much, generate less solar energy and stifled development of a solar industry in L.A. because the private sector is frozen out and the ownership of rooftop solar units and the installation and maintenance of them will belong exclusively to the DWP which lacks the leadership and managerial skills to successfully carry out a project this big.
Here's the VANC resolution:
Solar Power is the Future...
But "B" is Bad for LA!
*Say NO to Blank Checks to the DWP
*Say NO to a City Hall Power Grab
*Say NO to non-competitive Contracts
*Say NO to planning without Public Input
*Say NO to Higher Rates
Take Control of the Future of Solar & Renewable Energy in Los Angeles...
VOTE "NO" ON MEASURE B!
Ron Kaye
Honorary Chairman
Saving L.A. Project
ronkayela.com
cell 818-621-8349
office 818-704-8418
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HOME BOARD VOTES REQUEST A FULL EIR ON THE
VBS EXPANSION PROJECT.
The HOME Board has not taken a position as yet on the VBS expansion project, with its one-block long, 3-level parking garage. HOME has requested the City Planning Dept. to require that VBS complete a full EIR instead of a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) . The HOME Board does not believe that the issuance of a MND goes far enough to protect local residents and the environment.
The MND proposes to "protect" neighbors from construction noise by limiting construction hours from 7 am to 10 pm.! Or that neighbors will be given "two weeks prior to construction" notice of when construction begins. A full EIR would more fully and completely analyze consruction issues, long term impacts and provide a forum for public hearings on this project.
HOME is please that the local neighbors have been meeting with VBS officials and are working to resolving key differences.
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LA Weekly Feb. 11 2009
L.A. Billboard Cheerleader Richard Alarcon Opposes Digital Ban
By Christine Pelisek
Los Angeles' City Council voted 10-4 today to support a state moratorium on digital billboards. This will rankle billboard companies who claim that California assemblyman Mike Feuer's proposed law takes away local control just when City Hall is trying -- again -- to get a handle on billboard clutter.
Four council members refused to endorse Feuer's bill, AB 109: Richard Alarcon, Tony Cardenas, Bernard Parks and Ed Reyes. Alarcon offered the novel argument that Feuer's digital ban could give Sacramento an opening to divert "fees" from billboard companies away from L.A. coffers and into the state treasury.
That's an odd idea, since City Hall has utterly failed to collect a single dollar in its widely ridiculed seven-year effort to squeeze "inspection" fees out of the huge billboard firms -- and Alarcon has been nowhere to be found during that fight.
Alarcon also called Feuer's proposed bill, which would prohibit building any more of the the glaring, wildly unpopular digital billboards in California until Jan. 1, 2012, a ``wolf in sheep's clothing,'' according to City News Service. He managed to ignore years of City Council failure to act against billboard blight, saying: ``On the face of it, I don't like the notion that the state is controlling something that we should, frankly, step up and have control of.''
Alarcon couldn't exactly be described as a man out to control billboard proliferation. Last year, he proposed to create the Valley's first "sign district," which would ignore local zoning and allow five giant billboards totaling nearly 18,000 square feet in working class Panorama City -- an area where residents have fought to make the streets more livable.
Alarcon also voted - along with every other council member - for disastrous settlements between the city and billboard giants that allowed Clear Channel Outdoor, Regency Outdoor and CBS Outdoor to turn more than 800 longtime billboards in virtually every area of the city into ultra-intense LED digital billboards.
Ed Reyes, another billboard fan, also refused to back the Feuer ban today. Like Alarcon, Reyes has proposed a "sign district" to allow massive new billboards on the west side of the 110 Freeway downtown, on such streets as Beaudry, Boylston, First, Second and Third.
Copyright 2009 - LA Weekly
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RESPONSES TO #303 ENCINO COMMUNITY UPDATE
Sunday, January 25, 2009 7:04 PM
Dear Mr. Silver:
Great work Sir. Let us hope and Pray we can get this all sorted out, and our fine city does not turn into a Ghetto with 30,000 Signs burying us under tons of filth, crime, prostitution, drugs and more!
Just today we were almost involved (I am not making this up. It truly happened) in a 3 car accident, as a 9 foot 'Street Sign on a TRAILER' was sitting on VENTURA BLVD in front of Ralphs (Near Our Lady of Grace Church) which normally is a three lane street but, not today, this HUGE SIGN WAS BLOCKING THE RIGHT SIDE WHERE WE 'NORMALLY DRIVE' and people were caught (as we were) surprised this HUGE monstrasity was staring us down and in the street....We couldn't believe it.
I am certain if you asked anyone driving out there, 'what company and what products were being advertised?' they would NOT KNOW! We see the huge 9 foot sign, huge TRAILER it sits on, we get PISSED and swear and wonder 'why we ever moved to Encino?' and then we thank God we were not killed in a three car pile-up.
It must stop. You know this, and I Pray the city takes it head out of its ass, and stops taking 'Perks' (allegedly: Golf? Dinner? more?) to ALLOW these sign companies and advertising bullies to destroy our fine city!
JV
Encino
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Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:58 AM
Jerry-
It seems as if the Council only cares about themselves and their 'potential' fees. But L.A. has been shown to not care. The City has allowed rogue billboards & mega-advertisements to go up all over and cowers when someone says they will sue them over reasonable restrictions. Encino is looking more like some part of Tijuana every day, more giant billboards, trailers with ads, vacant buildings & lots......
But there is good news! Mayor 'Villar' wants to go right to Phase III water restrictions so they can fine you or cut off your water for brushing your teeth with the water tap on or taking too long a shower. But going after ILLEGAL billlboards, nope can't do it.... All to save water so that unchecked development can march ahead and be advertised on billbaords. Ahhh progress in Los Angeles.
RMK
Encino
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Call the Councilmembers below now, and demand action!
Councilmember Jack Weiss
weiss@council.lacity.org(818)971-3088, Fax (818)788-9210
Beverly Kenworthy, Planning Deputy
beverly.kenworthy@lacity.orgCouncilwoman Wendy Greuel
wendy.greuel@council.lacity.orgPlanning Director, Dale Thrush
Dale.Thrush@lacity.org(213)473-7002, (818)755-7676, Fax: (213) 680-7895
Coucilmember Dennis Zine
zine@council.lacity.orgJose Martinez Field Deputy, Tarzana & West Hills
Jose.M.Martinez@lacity.org 19040 Vanowen Street
Reseda (818) 756-8848 (Office), (818) 756-9179 (Fax)
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TO KEEP YOU INFORMED ABOUT ENCINO OVER-DEVELOPMENT,
HERE IS A TALLY OF WHAT IS COMING TO THE ENCINO AREA:
33 unit condominium, 4741 N. Libbit Avenue (just off of Ventura Blvd.)
42 unit condominium (Balboa Grand), 5021 - 5041 Balboa Blvd.
62 unit condominium, 4949 Balboa Blvd.
131 unit apartment (Avalon Bay), Ventura Blvd. near Noeline
51 unit apartment, (Woodrise), 16100 Ventura Blvd. at Woodley
51 unit condominium, 15222 Ventura Blvd., just each of Sepulveda
500 unit apartment complex, Sepulveda Blvd. and Camarillo
125 unit apartment (Gold Mountain) 16704 Ventura Blvd.
58 unit condominium, 5239-5305 Lindley Ave. (replaces 39 apartments)
31 unit condominium, 4410 Sepulveda Blvd. (near Greenleaf off-ramp)
43 unit condominium, 5168 Yarmouth Ave. (replaces 29 apartments)
120 unit apartment, 5501Newcastle Ave. (replaces 71 aparts.) incl. 9 low income units
43 unit condominium, 5445 (5501)Lindley Ave. (replaces 44 apartments)
112 unit apartment, 18301 Ventura Blvd., at Etiwanda
12 row houses, 4726 Petit (between Petit and Rubio) (sub standard lots, no side yards)
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HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Attend the hearings and meetings and speak out against intrusive
developments.
2. Write/phone/email Councilmember Jack Weiss and state your objections, ask
his Planning Deputy Beverly Kenworthy to attend the hearing and support the
residents' position.
3. Meet with your Councilmember Weiss and his Planning Deputy.
4. DEMAND a building moratorium along Ventura Blvd. in Encino.
5. DEMAND that the Ventura Blvd. Specific Plan be amended downzoned to
reduce by-right development and mixed use density bonuses.
6. Call your friends and neighbors in Sherman Oaks and Tarzana and ask them
to insist on amending the Ventura Blvd. Specific Plan.
7. Join Homeowners of Encino and assist in bringing back some sanity to
Encino.
8. Sign and return Petitions opposing over-development projects.
HANDS OFF OF VENTURA BLVD.!!!
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Homeowners of Encino (HOME) serves as a watchdog over Encino community issues. It monitors the work of elected officials, the Encino Neighborhood Council (ENC), Van Nuys Airport, etc. HOME is NOT another form of Neighborhood Council. Neighborhood Councils by law must represent Chambers of Commerce, business interests, developers, apartment associations, high-rise building owners, homeless, and "anyone who lives, works or owns property" in Encino. HOME's mission on the other hand is to preserve the single-family habitability of residents living in Encino. As such, it actively addresses issues of traffic, congestion, aircraft noise, over-development, sign blight and air pollution. While the Encino Neighborhood Council seeks to be all things to all people, HOME targets issues that specifically affect the residential quality of life, and is
NOT under the control of the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhoods (DONE).
If you are not a Homeowners of Encino member, please join, mail a $30.00 check to: Homeowners of Encino, PO Box 260205, Encino, CA 91426
Name________________________________________________________
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Phone_________________ Email_________________________________
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