From the VNC:
The Venice Neighborhood Council will hear reports from the City of Los Angeles on changes at the Vera Davis Youth and Family Center at its meeting tonight, April 26th. The meeting will be held in the Westminster Elementary School Auditorium, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd. starting at 7PM.
Word of changes in the funding, management and programs at the Vera Davis Center (VDC) spread several weeks ago; in response, Councilman Rosendahl’s office released the following statement:
It is the intention and goal of Councilmember Rosendahl, the Community Development Department, and the Department of Cultural Affairs [DCA], to keep the VDC operating and open to the public, with a wide variety of services offered to the community. We are working diligently on means to keep the center operating until a Request for Proposal for an operator to manage the VDC and all such City-owned facilities is released, a contractor is selected, and the recommended contractor is approved by Council and the Mayor. That process will be open and fair to all responding agencies. Management of the VDC is planned to be transferred to the DCA on June 30, 2011. There are no plans to close the VDC.
In addition to the agencies who currently occupy space at the VDC, other community services are offered and managed by CDD staff. It is our intention that those services will continue to be provided, if not at the VDC, then in other facilities nearby.
In other business, the VNC will hear a presentation from the US Postal Service on plans to move the Venice Post Office to the Postal Annex across the street and additional plans to sell the old post office building with historical status preserved. Motions will be introduced to support a solar waste compactor pilot program in Venice and to oppose the use of any public funding for a proposed Downtown sports stadium and Convention Center renovations.
Board of Officers Meeting Agenda
Westminster Elementary School (Auditorium)
1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, 90291
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 7:00 PM
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
2. Approval of the Agenda
3. Approval of Outstanding Board Minutes
March 15th, 2011 Draft Board Meeting Minutes
Add minutes link
Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda [10 min, no more than 2 minutes per person – no board member announcements permitted]
4. Governmental Reports (15 min)
• LAPD: Senior Lead Officer Peggy Thusing, (310-622-3968; 25120@lapd.lacity.org)
• U.S. Representative Office, Deputy Chief of Staff, Kate Anderson (310-643-3636; kate.anderson@mail.house.gov)
• State Assemblyperson Betsy Butler, representative TBD
• Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa;Joseph Hari, West Area Representative (213)308-9212); Joseph.Hari@lacity.org)
• City Councilperson Bill Rosendahl: Cecilia Castillo, Field Deputy (310-568-8772; cecilia.castillo@lacity.org); Arturo Pina, District Director, Arturo.Pina@lacity.org
• Westside Regional Alliance of Councils: Mike Newhouse, President (mnewhouse@newhouseseroussi.com); Alternate, Carolyn Rios;
• PlancheckLA: VNC Rep Challis Macpherson (Challis.Macpherson@Verizon.net)
• LA Dept of Water & Power/Memoranda of Understanding: VNC Rep DeDe Audet (daudet@ca.rr.com)
• LAPD Community Police Advisory Board: Nicolas Hippisley-Coxe, (hippisley@earthlink.net)
• LAAlliance of NC’s Representative: Ivan Spiegel, (ivan.Spiegel@venicenc.org)
5. Old Business
[Discussion and possible action regarding the following matters]
A. Bylaws Approval; (10 Minutes) Ivan Spiegel on behalf of the Bylaws Task Force (parliamentarian@venicenc.org) See Exhibit A
MOTION: The VNC Board approves the revised bylaws as submitted by the Bylaws Task Force.
B. Amendment to SR 4 (Community Improvement Project Funding Timetable) URGENT ACTION Ivan Spiegel (parliamentarian@venicenc.org) See Exhibit B
MOTION: The VNC amends the timetable for Community Improvement Funding for the 2011- 2012 cycle to allow the final Board decision on funded projects to occur at it’s May meeting (instead of June due to City Budget restrictions).
6. Consent Calendar
A Standing Rule regarding a records retention policy; (5 Minutes) Ira Koslow on behalf of the Rules and Election Committee (ira.koslow@venicenc.org)
MOTION: The VNC Board shall create the following Standing Rule:
The VNC will keep all VNC business records, including recorded minutes of meetings for a period of five years and, thereafter, all VNC business records may be destroyed.
(Adopted unanimously by REC 03/02/2011)
B Amendment to SR 7; (10 Minutes) Ira Koslow on behalf of the Rules and Election Committee
MOTION: The VNC shall amend Standing Rule 7 to read: The President shall return the approved version by email to the proponents with a copy to the Secretary for VNC records and to the Board.
(Adopted unanimously by REC 03/02/2011)
C Ban single-use Plastic Bags in the city of Los Angeles; (5 minutes)Kristopher Valentine on behalf of the Environmental Committee (kristopher.valentine@venicenc.org) See Exhibit C
MOTION: The Venice Neighborhood Council supports a citywide ban on single-use plastic bags, as has been done by Santa Monica on January 25th, 2010 and Los Angeles County on November 16th, 2010.Adopted unanimously by Environmental Committee 03/08/2011)
7. Scheduled Announcements (5 Minutes)President: Linda Lucks (president@venicenc.org)
• President: Linda Lucks (president@venicenc.org)
o Nominations open one seat on the VNC Land Use and Planning Committee (LUPC)
http://venicenc.org/Apply (Application Online)
• Vice President: Carolyn Rios (VP@venicenc.org)
• Food Truck Update; Jed Pauker (jed.pauker@venicenc.org)
Status report on Venice Food Truck operations and City Task Force work to recommend new regulation of local Mobile Food Vendor operations
• CD36 Candidate Forum (April 27th); Marc Saltzberg (marc.saltzberg@venicenc.org)
• Update on Status of the Vera Davis Youth and Family Center (15 Minutes); Linda Lucks (President@Venicenc.org)
Arturo Pina, District Director, Councilman Rosendahl, Clifford Weiss, Director, Central – West Region, Community Development Department and Olga Garay, Executive Director, Department of Cultural Affairs will present a status report on the future of the Center in the light of budgetary crisis.
• Update on Plans to Change Location and Sale of the Venice Post Office;(15 minutes) Linda Lucks & Amanda Seward (President@Venicenc.org)
Eduardo Ruiz, District Director of the USPO (or other PO representative) will report on the plans to move the Venice Post office to the Postal Annex across the street and plans to sell the old post office with historical status preserved.
USPO officials in Washington, DC and here are in touch with the VNC legal liaison and Kate Anderson of the 36th District Congressional office, and will ask for cooperation of the VNC organizing community meetings regarding updates of the plans which are in the preliminary stages.
• Clean Water (Wastewater) Program; (10 minutes) Joann Moss (joann.moss@lacity.org)
The Bureau of Sanitation would like to attend one of your upcoming meetings to share with your membership how the Clean Water (Wastewater) Program is working for you, discuss how we hope to do more, and receive your input and comments.
8. New Business
[Discussion and possible action regarding the following matters]
A Solar Waste Compactor Pilot Program in Venice Beach; (10 minutes) Kristopher Valentine on behalf of the Environmental Committee (kristopher.valentine@venicenc.org) See Exhibit D
Presentation by James Poss (206-604-9818, jposs@bigbellysolar.com) of BigBelly Solar regarding the efficacy of Solar-powered Waste Compaction system in reducing the fiscal and environmental toll of waste collection. Solar-powered, public-space compactors reduce litter, collection costs and air pollution by up to 80%. Attached recycling modules foster recycling. The devices are proven in 47 states and 30 countries. Currently, hundreds of machines are deployed with success in LA Parks, Ports, BID’s and nine LACCD Campuses.
MOTION: The Venice Neighborhood Council supports the implementation of a Solar-powered Waste Compaction system with attached recycling modules in Venice parks and public streets to reduce the fiscal and environmental toll of waste collection.
(Adopted unanimously by Environmental Committee 03/08/2011)
B Downtown Stadium and Convention Center Renovation; (5 minutes)Mike Newhouse on behalf of Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC) (mnewhouse@newhouseseroussi.com)
MOTION: The VNC opposes public funding (including interest on infrastructure bonds and no forgiveness of loans), require market-rate lease of city land, and a full Environmental Impact Report with no appellate or to other exemptions.
C Non-Permitted Street Furniture Installation in the Coastal Zone; (5 Minutes) Carolyn Rios (Vice-President@Venicenc.org on behalf of the Neighborhood Committee and Sherie Scheer (sherie.scheer@verizon.net) See Exhibit E
MOTION: The VNC believes that the Los Angeles Department of Public Works allowed CBS Outdoor to place street furniture west of Lincoln without a Coastal Development or City Permit and therefore moves that a letter be sent to The CA Coastal Commission and the City of Los Angeles requesting enforcement action in response to a violation of the Coastal Act.
9. Treasurers Report; Hugh Harrison (5 minutes) See Exhibit F
[Discussion and approval of financial statements]
A Attached is the report on expenditures for the period February 22, 2011, through March 21, 2011.
B The Budget Committee is requesting the allocation of funds from the Board’s community project to the pre-event expenditures for the 2011 Venice Community Barbecue.
MOTION: The Venice Community Barbecue Committee has requested and the Budget Committee has approved the financial capacity to fund $600 towards the preliminary expenses for the 2011 community barbecue.
The project was voted affirmatively by the Budget Committee by a unanimous vote.
Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda
[10 min, no more than 1 minute per person – no board member announcements permitted
10. Board Member Comments on subject matters within the VNC jurisdiction.
[10 min, no more than 1 minute per person]
11. Adjourn (approx. 10:00PM)
