ARROYO SECO NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES

 Monday, March 26, 2007
Monterey Adult Day Health Care Center
5926 Monterey Road (at Ave. 60)
Los Angeles , California 90042
7:00PM

MINUTES

Meeting called to order by President Ernie Sanchez.

Roll Call: All were present but Paula Sirola, excused; Darlene Roker, excused, RuthAnne Tarletz, excused, Ida Simms, excused, Scott Folsom, excused. Unexcused were Diane Grigsby and Sara Lopez.

Public Comments:

Rob Schraff commented on the job searches for the webmaster position. He expressed concern that the description of webmaster was too simple, that the job should specify creation of original content and creating a html document. He is concerned about where the job description is posted, and said it should go out to Craig's List, etc. He is concerned ASNC is paying too much money.

Paul Gerst, a representative from T-Mobile, asked for approval for the T-mobile site on Avenue 43.

Elliot Secular commend on Lummis Day preparations. Occidental College is the primary sponsor. At the May 5 th fundraiser, there will be performances by Los Californios, as well as author Mark Thompson and poet and performer Linda Albertano. There will be plenty of wine and a tour of Heritage Square .

Raymond Wu announced his birthday party Friday march 30 th at noon, Empress Pavilion.

Board Discussion/Action Items:

1.  Approval of minutes from meetings of Jan 22, 2007 and Feb 26, 2007. Minutes approved as corrected.

2.  Treasurer's report-Pat Griffith . Summary of what has actually been spent. She said there is a need to begin the budgeting process with a budget meeting, and a need to decide what is still active on items that have not been spent. Scott Folsom will take over Latona school project. Two weeks for budget committee.

3.  Moved and seconded to hire Maxine Cain to be transcribing secretary.

4.  Joe Riser, Hermon Local Issues Committee:

4a. Requested the ASNC support installation of a basketball court at Hermon Park in place of, or as an addition to, existing tennis courts there. Discussion about placement of basketball court, either over a current tennis court or where the old maintenance shed is currently. Motion approved.

4b. Requested the ASNC board ask Councilmember Jose Huizar's office to closely follow Councilmember Tony Cardenas pilot program in his district which calls for abandoned shopping carts to be collected within 48 hours of a complaint by the Bureau of Sanitation, andbe ready to use the study's findings in CD14 as well. There are 20-25 abandoned shopping carts at any given time, from as far as across the Arroyo. Until Councilmember Huizar's office is written to, recommend that district's stores be contacted to suggestion alternative ways to accommodate their patrons without the patrons removing carts from the store property.

Discussion: Locking carts is not feasible for small, independent markets. Albertsons takes people carrying groceries home in a shuttle. Motion to write to Councilman Huizar approved.

4c. Requested ANSC board support to demolish a neglected, nuisance property at 5812-1/2 Monterey Road through the city's Nuisance Abatement office. Now used by groups for late-night parties and a constant graffiti target. Lot and vacant building pose a fire threat to adjacent structures, including Northeast Mental Health.

Discussion: Has the neighborhood prosecutor been contacted?

Motion to write to Nuisance Abatement office approved.

5.  Sycamore Grove representative, Josef Bray-Ali

5a. Requested that the motion to purchase subscription to an online public real estate records database tabled until next month and/or discussion at public use committees' meeting.

5b. Requested that links to public property information sources, such as LADBS Parcel Profile, LA County Assessor Maps, Navigate LA, ZIMAS, be provided on ASNC website.

Discussion: ZIMAS is Zoning Information and Mapping Aerial System.

Motion approved.

5c. Suggested wording on a sample petition to change the name of Avenue 43 to Lummis Street, Lummis Way, or Lummis Drive.

Discussion: getting petitions and canvassing Avenue 43. Have Spanish-speaking petitioners and a draft of the statement in Spanish. Place on next month's agenda to find out how many people would need to be canvassed. When contacted, Mike Fong of Ed Reyes' office said the working could be simply, “I support changing the name of Avenue 43 to Lummis Drive .” Elliot Sekuler suggests paying high school students or college students to canvas residents. Maggie Barto asked which signatures are necessary, property owners' or tenants'. She had heard that up to eighty percent of owners' signatures would be necessary to sign the petition. Ernie Sanchez thinks from his experience that the percentage of signatures necessary is negotiable and it would honor Charles Lummis.

Motion to amend the wording of the statement to “ Lummis Drive ” approved.

Motion to make a sample petition approved.

5d. Motion to set up a working group to slow Figueroa traffic near Sycamore Grove Park Motion approved.

6.  Jack Fenn, Montecito Heights Local Issues Committee

6a. Requested that a motion be made that the City of Los Angeles, principally through the cooperative efforts of Council Districts 1 and 14, which are served by the helipad and share Debs Park, find the means to transfer the property from the Department of Water and Power to the Department of Recreations and Parks, thus accomplishing the following: permanency of the helipad with the ability to improve it, expansion of Debs Park to contiguous land, maintenance of the site by the nearby Recreation and Parks personnel, protection of valuable open space, access by the public to the periphery of the site with its views and nature, the elimination of the present fence line to mitigate an endemic dumping problem, and an end to the questions hanging over the community about the eventual disposition of the site by the DWP.

Motion was approved.

7.  Motion for funding of $1835 for the ASNC Dog Training Program-Lezle Stein. Friends of Hermon Dog Park to be site of classes for dog problem-solving classes for people that cannot afford group or private classes. Lezle is going to councils to get help with advertising, promotion, community awareness, and articles for these classes. She works with housebreaking problems, digging, reducing loose dogs, exercising the dogs, having tags on the dogs, having them spayed and neutered, etc. She has a Spanish interpreter. She has gotten approval fromLincoln Heights ' council, has one full class (10 dogs), and a waiting list. She has a separate phone line set-up. She thinks she can handle several hundred people.

Discussion: Josef Bray-Ali asked what the capacity of the dog park is. Lezle said her goal is to reach a different group of people than currently use the dog park. Pablo Lopez supported it. Eliot Sekuler wanted to use the dog-training classes as an education outreach for registration with the ASNC as well.

Motion approved.

8.  A suggestion has been made to review existing committees and liaisons for need and appropriate chairs, Ernie Sanchez.

Discussion: Bill Murray stated he has served on committees and is the one who suggested that new people who want to be allowed to head committees.

9.  Motion from David Brunk to go out again for bid on all offered paid positions. He said there have been no responses for the webmaster position. He said he thinks webmasters would need close contact with the organization heads. He said he thinks the Outreach Committee should handle it. Division 7 has given a bid. He offered to hold meeting to further handle the advertising for the position.

Motion to continue search for administrative assistant and bookkeeping assistant, drop the webmaster position approved.

Discussion: Pat Griffith said she has tried to respond to qualified applicants. Webmaster would not be contracted, but employed on an at-will basis. Jack Fenn's wife did due diligence and thought the current rate is very fair. Bill Murray stated he has served on committees and is the one who suggested that new people who want to be allowed to head committees. David Brunk, community non-profits, resigned from the board and announced the June 2 nd party. Ernie Sanchez did not accept the resignation.

10.  Motion to take a position on the LA River Revitalization draft Master Plan. Paula Sirola absent.

Eliot Sekuler was at the LA River Revitalization Plan meeting. He says anything focused on the Arroyo Seco was omitted from the plan. He thinks a letter to councilmembers requesting inclusion of the Arroyo Seco in the LA River Revitalization Plan is in order, even though the deadline for public comment was 5 p.m. today.

Public Comment: hope this is voted for positively. Jerry Schneider notes that requesting that the Arroyo Seco be a linear extension of the five sites would be more appropriate.

Motion approved.

11.  Naheed Quershi absent.

12.  Report from the LADWP/MOU Oversight Committee Liaison Peter Parrish on the Solar Incentive Program and the Energy Efficiency Program.

LADWP can replace obsolete appliances with the help of a rebate from the city. Low flow toilets and compact fluorescent bulbs would be provided. This is not promoted or advertised on the LADWP site, KCET, or through flyers or inserts in bills. He suggested that the General Manager of the DWP be asked to give a presentation about the energy efficient programs.

Discussion: Jerry Schneider asked if other councils are requesting this as well. Peter Parrish replied yes, Harbor Gateway and a council in the valley. He said the solar program is being restarted after being out of commission for three years. CSI, the California Solar Initiative, started the first of this year. ECAF (Energy Cost Adjustment Factor) may cause rates of DWP customers to go up. Peter Parrish said the DWP is dragging their feet on solar. Maggie Barto said to patronize a bakery near the 5 Freeway and No. Broadway as it is going completely solar. Peter Parrish will send Ernie a proposal by the next meeting. David Brunk asked about whether a program exists for residential homeowners applying for rebates for furnaces and high efficiency air conditioners? Peter Parrish could not find one.

13.  Report from Planning Dept/MOU Oversight Committee Liaison Zara Scoville on Pilot Notification Program.

Planning Depart/Memorandum of Understanding.

Jerry Schneider stated the ASNC is different from other neighborhood councils. There was discussion about mailbox pickups and sorting of applications to appropriate councils. Eliot Sekuler said that although he is no longer a local issues committee member, he is still receiving applications. Zara said that in 3-4 working days, a committee on land use will have to be formed. Motion tabled until next meeting.

14.  Committee Reports:

a. Communications and Outreach: Please get information to the webmaster (Bill) in a timely manner.

b. Public Safety, Bill Murray: Rich Rodriguez retirement potluck, 2 nd Wednesday of April (11 th ), at 7:00 p.m.

15. Reports from Liaisons:

a. LA Congress of Neighborhood Councils: Bill Murray

b. MW Elementary School Multipurpose Room, David Brunk: June 2 nd party at the Friends of MW Schools' building.

16. Future meeting dates and location-President

17. Adjournment