Northridge Community Council 8-18-03 Update |
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Here is the agenda
Opinion by Charles Brink, Vice President.
LA City created Neighborhood Councils to block secession. The language in the charter and the ordinance talk about independent neighborhood councils as a voice to influence the City of Los Angeles.
What this now has become is the councils are controlled by the City of Los Angeles, with local city councilpersons determining who the "suitable people" are to lead the Neighborhood Councils. Even though the language of the ordinance specifically prohibits the city from choosing Neighborhood Council leaders, the downtown power structure has decided that they intend to use the Neighborhood Councils as puppets of the government to eliminate the homeowner associations' power.
The leaders of the Northridge Council stand for independence and following the wishes of the community. It is no wonder they have been denounced as the "wrong people" to lead the community.
We tried having a Town Hall format and we were crushed by the city. We countered by requiring an opinion poll made before we vote on any issue. We still maintain our open format through our Website and we allow any stakeholder to place any item on the agenda.
Frankly we scare the hell out of the LA City power brokers. They do not want to recognize the residents' concerns in a community. The City will not address growth, traffic and congestion impacts. For example, the North Valley Planning session on the 21st proposes to convert property from RA Residential into high-density condo/apartments. This is the goal of the city and not the goal of residents.
By killing the independence of the neighborhood council, making them nothing but a rubberstamp of the government, and making them the only recognized voice of the community. The LA City controlled Neighborhood Councils will support these anti community changes.
If you value independence then come help us fight the city to keep our council independent. Don’t just give up because it's hard to fight city hall. Together as an independent council we can fight them all and even win some of the time.
News Stories: Smith backs LAX plans | No justice for Northridge | New water park a welcome treat in sultry heat | Neglected and closed
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~1573843,00.html
Hahn's proposal gaining support
By Rick Orlov Staff Writer
Despite concerns about financing, Greig Smith on Friday became the first City Council member to formally endorse Mayor James Hahn's $10 billion proposal for modernizing Los Angeles International Airport.
Smith said the plan, which is now subject to public hearings, provides the safety and security needed for the traveling public.
"Our first concern has to be to make sure we are providing a facility that is safe to the public and that we have done all we can to protect people and our economy," Smith said at a news conference. "This plan does that."
The 15-year construction project would limit the airport's growth to 78 million passengers a year and create an off-site facility for screening passengers and luggage.
"When you look at the airport now, there are 34 million vehicles a year coming into the Central Terminal," Smith said. "That's 34 million chances of someone bringing in a car bomb or other device."
Smith was joined by John Miller, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department's counterterrorism bureau, who also endorsed the proposal. "This really addresses a wide range of concerns and goes a long way to harden the target," Miller said.
The Rand Corp., however, has previously criticized the plan, saying it would leave LAX even more vulnerable to an attack because it would create choke points of potential problems.
Miller dismissed the research group's criticism. "They are offering a limited solution," Miller said. "The airport they are talking about doesn't exist in this world. It would be an airport you can neither attack nor fly out of."
Hahn appreciated Smith's support, spokeswoman Julie Wong said.
"The mayor believes this proposal will increase public safety, and he hopes other council members look at it as closely as Councilman Smith and come to the same conclusion," Wong said.
Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, in whose district the airport is located, and Councilman Jack Weiss, who has become a leader on the council dealing with security issues, are still studying the plan.
"I am going to look at it in terms of what it does for the city and the community, as well as security," Miscikowski said. "I think this needs a lot more study."
Smith said he was also concerned that Los Angeles taxpayers would have to pay the full cost for a facility used by residents throughout Southern California."I would like to see a way that we could make sure everyone who used the airport had to pay for it, but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," Smith said.
LA has no money to repair the Northridge pool but plenty of money to expand LAX.
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20951~1535080,00.html
City Hall rubber-stamps DONE outrage
By unanimously rejecting a group of Northridge residents' application for a neighborhood council, the Los Angeles City Council has completed the corruption of the neighborhood council system.
That corruption was already rampant at the city's misnamed Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. That's why, after DONE rejected their application on largely subjective and arguably political grounds, the Northridge residents appealed their case to the City Council.
They fared little better there.
The council and the bureaucracy, it turns out, are on the same side -- and that's against neighborhoods that dare to criticize City Hall's business as usual.
Now the Northridge residents plan to take their case to court, as well they should. Maybe there they'll receive the justice that's nowhere to be found in City Hall.
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E20954%257E1505867,00.html?search=filter
By Dana Bartholomew
Staff Writer
PANORAMA CITY -- It's as muggy as Miami, as soupy as San Francisco and as sultry as San Antonio.
Only it's Southern California in the middle of a heat-and-humidity wave of hot tempers, sweaty brows and frizzy hair.
"It's sort of like the East Coast -- hot and humid," weather specialist Bruce Rockwell said Thursday from the National Weather Service office in Oxnard, where it was 14 degrees cooler than in the San Fernando Valley.
"It'll be slightly cooler (today) and make it less unbearable."
Temperatures across Southern California on Thursday ranged from 82 in downtown Los Angeles to 91 in Burbank and 109 in Lancaster. It reached 93 degrees in Chatsworth, 94 in Northridge, 95 in Van Nuys, 97 in both Woodland Hills and Simi Valley, and 101 in Newhall.
Humidity ran as high as 90 percent in the morning, but tapered off to 50 percent in the afternoon.
Few were as eager for relief as the dozens of children in Panorama City waiting for the ribbon to fall on the city's first aquatic "splash pad" playground.
"Does it get hot in the San Fernando Valley?" yelled City Council President Alex Padilla, one of many dignitaries to celebrate the interactive fountain.
"Yessssss!," screamed the kids.
"Does it get hot in Panorama City?" Padilla continued. "Let's stay cool, let's get wet and in just a minute we'll get to push that button."
With a watery woosh, the $300,000 splash pad whirred to life -- a 15-foot-by-30-foot mass of blue and yellow wheels, buckets, pipes and valves drenching the children in cool relief.
The state-of-the-art playground, funded by the Department of Water and Power and managed by Department of Recreation and Parks, will be duplicated this summer at parks in North Hollywood and South Los Angeles.
"It really takes the old wading pool to the next level," said Manuel Mollinedo, general manager of the parks department, who was joined by Mayor James Hahn, City Controller Laura Chick and DWP chief David Wiggs.
City officials say the new splash pads are safer and cheaper to run than swimming pools, and use far less water.
"I don't like it, I looove it!," said Diandra Miller, 8, of Panorama City, wet to her toes in a pink bathing suit. "It's so cool."
Steve Andersen, with 5-year-old Michaela in tow, agreed. Before the renovation of the park's jungle gyms and splash park, he would drive his daughter to a park in Sylmar to avoid the park's infamous blight.
"I've never seen so many kids here -- never, never, never," said Andersen, 28, of Arleta, who grew up playing baseball at the park. "It's busier now than it's ever been."
"When it's humid, it'll bring relief to the children," said Jeri Morgan of Panorama City, who was there with her two young grandchildren. "I haven't tried it yet, but I'm tempted."
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~21663~1471103,00.html
Re "$4.4 million OK'd for Valley parks" (June 18):
This is the start of the third straight summer that Northridge Park's swimming pool is still both neglected and closed because of lack of repairs. Harrison Sheppard's article clearly shows us that not only has Mayor Hahn ignored Northridge since his election three years ago but so has newly elected Greig Smith and his predecessor, Hal Bernson, of this very district.
The City Council has voted to spend millions on park "projects" that don't exist yet (riverfront park within just miles of the fairly new Lake Balboa) and on a Reseda Park pool building upgrade.
It's ridiculous that Northridge Park's main pool and building remain closed and there's no mention of funds for repair.
Michael Mayer Northridge
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