Hollywood United Neighborhood Council

Hollywood United Neighborhood Council
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
MINUTES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

Susan Swan called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.

Present were Executive Committee members Susan Swan, Maurece Chesse, Charles Suhayda, Ryan Ole Hass, and Board member Andrew Ettinger.

3. Business card re-design review
Ryan Ole Hass showed the executive officers the new business card design. The officers discussed the design ideas at hand, and also some possible potential designs. Ryan mentioned the various price quotes that this project could entail. The officers discussed the possibilities of having the separate committees and their contact information listed on the cards. Mottos and taglines were also covered. The officers agreed that they like the current design and should bring it to the full board for approval. Motion: to forward the business card design to the board: Susan
Second: Ryan
The motion passed unanimously.
4. Office update
Update pending, introduction of new office manager Jon Abrams
The meeting adjourned at 6:20pm.

FULL BOARD MEETING

1. Welcome and Roll Call
Susan Swan announced that there was a quorum, and called the meeting to order at 6:40pm.
15 present. Present were Susan Swan, Maurece Chesse, Charles Suhayda, Ryan Ole Hass, Robert Abrahamian, Debbi Aldahl, Bechir Blagui, Jordan Birnbaum, Andrew Ettinger, Rodney Hargrove, Will Logue, Bree Long, Jamie Rosenthal, Hilary Royce, and Erik Sanjurjo.
Not present were Scott Larson (absent) and David H. Schlesinger (excused). Erik was excused later due to illness.

2. Approval of Minutes
The January minutes were approved with corrections to the spelling of Erik’s name and removal of an incorrect statement attributed to him regarding funding of NC elections
Motion: to approve amended January Minutes: Susan
Second: Maurece
Vote: 12-0-3

3. LAPD and LAFD Updates
Officer Armen Sevdalian stated that as of 2/9/08, violent and property crime statistics are down. He discussed some specific break-ins in Lake Hollywood, where two suspects were arrested. The cars that were targeted had visible GPS systems, iPods, or cell phones. He presented maps and “warning” flyers. Also, over a two-week period there were four burglaries north of Franklin, east of Beachwood. Those were garage break-ins. The police handed out door-to-door notifications. He then addressed the Burton Way and Bronson shooting – a tagger named “Dopey” was shot. A suspect is in custody, and they are working on a follow-up for other suspects. Also, a traffic stop at Yucca and Ivar was made (on the 11th at 9:40pm) because gang members are targeting each other in these areas.

A stakeholder noted that the car break-ins on Canyon & Taft are done leisurely and thoroughly. Susan suggested that they come to the Public Safety committee meetings. Armen clarified the difference between a burglary and a robbery.

Another stakeholder asked about a drive-by on SuperBowl Sunday, but the officer said he would have to check on that. That day is admittedly a high-crime day.

No one from LAFD was present to make an update.

4. Los Angeles City & County Updates
Norma Vega, the Central Area Director from the Mayor’s Office, introduced herself and defined the Central Area. It’s a large, diverse area, represented only by her. She grew up in Pico-Union and is happy to be here. She passed out a contact list for those who want to get in contact. She passed out a flyer presenting the street closures for next week’s Oscar ceremony. She also discussed an event on July 26th for the central area neighborhoods.
Norma.Vega@lacity.org

5. Public Comment on items not on the Agenda

Raymond Yu announced the 23rd Annual Los Angeles Marathon, among other events. Go to www.lamarathon.com for the whole story.

Lucy Grigorian discussed Highland Avenue and the traffic problems there. A town meeting will be held soon about this.

Andrew Chadsey made a public comment advising that certain proposed parking expansions be curtailed – he has a lot of trouble parking his own car as a local resident. He also discussed crime in the area.

Brandi D’Amore stated that she was instrumental in forming the neighborhood council, and discussed the informal neighborhood watch efforts and unfair ticketing practices in the area. Cars get stolen because their owners can hardly park them anywhere near their homes. She was referred to the Public Safety meeting, which occurs every second Monday of the month at 7pm. Ryan stated that the Councilman should be addressed on this issue. Maurice clarified that the DOT was meant to notify residents about the temporary parking restrictions in question. Susan noted that the residents on upper Canyon area discontinued their street cleaning; always an option.

Another stakeholder discussed the paparazzi issue. Erik said that he spoke to Brian Gallagher from DOT today regarding preferential parking.

6. Executive Committee Reports

1. Susan Swan stated that the Certificates of Appreciation for Jennifer & Anneka Christie will be held for them because they have the flu.

2. Self-Assessment requirements and timetable, possible addition of stakeholder poll, approval of funds for outreach and possible mailing to stakeholders (up to $5000)
Motion: to approve up to $5000 for outreach regarding self-assessment and include polling (including additional polls for Committees) , possible mailing: Susan
Second: Maurece
Vote: 14-0-1

3. Possible motion regarding: When DONE will update the HUNC map on the DONE website to reflect HUNC's Eastern Boundary as approved in our current Bylaws.
4. Possible motion regarding: Update on HUNC Eastern Boundary Change petition of 2/07, Email from City Attorney of 11/07 regarding DONE hold-up of application review, Suggested letter to HUNC from DONE confirming Parks as a Shared Resource, Timeline for going to BONC
Susan discussed the communication with the City Attorney – she wants to make a motion to go to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners as soon as possible for resolution of issue. Maurice suggested that we just go straight to BONC and not deal with DONE. Ryan stated how much the park benches cost. Andrew suggested that all these details go into the letter.
Motion: to write letter to DONE requesting that resolution of Eastern Boundary issue be forwarded to BONC as soon as possible with a request for a letter from DONE that Park is a shared resource and that Eastern Boundary revert to all of Western Canyon and Fern Dell as certified: Susan
Second: Maurece
Vote: 14-0 unanimous
5. Possible HUNC interest in participation in and promotion of the DAW (Director of Animal Welfare) program
Susan stated that the board is able to help animals in the area. Outreach needed to let stakeholders know of opportunities available through the DAW program.

6. Update on Franklin Strip canopies and related issues
Several Franklin Strip establishments are not compliant with regulations. There have been complaints lodged. The board has no current updates on the situations but will let the stakeholders know when they do. Some of the business owners were present and referred to the PLUM committee
7. Update on development of Cahuenga Peak, possible motion (previous motion urging that City purchase CP using Prop K funds was made Feb 2006)
Regarding Cahuenga Peak: The land known as Cahuenga Peak is now for sale from the developers who purchased it five years ago. It’s 138 acres, the land directly adjacent to the west of the Hollywood sign. The city did not buy that land from the Hughes estate at the time, and now many locals want to ensure that the land is preserved. It will be very expensive. Andrew Ettinger suggested a strongly-worded letter be submitted to the Mayor and Councilman about this situation.
Motion: That HUNC write a letter demanding an explanation: Andrew
Second: Robert
Vote: 14-0 Unanimous
Andrew and Ryan will draft that letter with the assistance of Jon Abrams.
           8. Outreach opportunities using SurveyMonkey.com (@$200 annually) and MailChimp.com (@$30 monthly), costs/benefits involved, motion to subscribe to services.
SurveyMonkey (for Polling) and Mail Chimp (for emails) are an easier, cheaper way to communicate with stakeholders and encourage participation. Susan asked for input and reviews, and suggested it be passed on to the finance committee. Ryan called for more attendance at that meeting.
B. Vice-President
          1. Update/presentation on NBC/Universal Project Working Group, and possible motion regarding the development
Tabled to end of meeting.
C. Treasurer
            1. Treasurer's report
            2. Update on 2007 encumbered monies - HBT, HERO, Griffith Park Benches, Pigeon Ovocontrol
            3. Motion to release all encumbered funds (assigned on 2/20/2007 not currently being invoiced) into HUNC general fund for reassignment
            4. Motion to change budget process to require any spending of encumbered funds to be done within a specific period (i.e. 3 months or 6 months)
Ryan Hass passed out a document reporting the spending throughout the fiscal year so far. $69,000 was spent to date. $39,000 was encumbered. $37,000 is currently available. $5000 was spent on neighborhood watch initiatives. $5000 was encumbered towards security cameras. $5000 was encumbered for the Canyon Historical District, but that has not moved forward. Ryan suggested that the monies not spoken for be released into the general fund. He also suggested that all committees stay committed to spending the monies that they request in motion. Invoices should be promptly submitted or else that money should be released back to the general fund. We get $50,000 a year, and there has been carry-over. But unspent money can be taken back by DONE. Ryan proposes to change the budget process to require any spending of encumbered funds to be invoiced within three months and spent within six months of its date of board approval or date of the event (#4, but amended). Rodney asked if there would be a way to modify this process. Ryan answered affirmatively, stating only that a process needs to be created correctly from the outset in order to avoid future problems. Encumbered funds vs. spent vs. available can’t add up to too much ($75,000) before July 1st. Ryan recommends that we spend at least $50,000 responsibly by that date. .

Motion: to release all encumbered funds assigned prior to 7/1/2007 not currently being invoiced back into HUNC general fund for reassignment : Ryan
Second: Andrew
Vote: 11-1-1

Motion: to change budget process to require any spending of encumbered funds to be done within a specific period (i.e. 3 months or 6 months) : Ryan
Second: Maurece
Vote: 14-0-0 Unanimous

D. Office update: There is a new office manager, Jon Abrams. The new office hours will be sent to the members.

7. Update on Council File Submissions for Neighborhood Councils
Tabled, Erik had had to leave early due to illness

8. New Business Card design for review and approval
Ryan said that new cards were needed, and a redesign is proposed. We can use the Hollywood Sign, so the Hollywood sign is part of the design in a photorealistic way. The model that is being passed around is the basic idea, with negligible differences.
Motion: accept the new business card design and purchase them: Andrew
Second: Jordan
Vote: 12-1-1
Ryan asked that everyone email him the correct spelling of their names, their email addresses and phone numbers.

9. Committee and Liaison Reports

A. Budget and Finance
1. Motion to support local Hollywood food bank with purchase of goods up to $2000 to be appropriated $500 per fiscal quarter throughout 2008
A motion to support local Hollywood food bank… was made and seconded. Charles Suhayda recused himself because this motion includes the First Presbyterian Church, but stated that it was a valuable motion.

Motion: support local Hollywood food bank with purchase of goods up to $2000 to be appropriated $500 per fiscal quarter throughout 2008: Jordan
Second: Bree
Vote: 13-0-1

B. Business
1. Proposal for booth at Hollywood Business and Tourism Expo (cost minimum $350): the motion was made by Hilary. Maurece noted that attendance is low, so it may not be worthwhile.
Motion: to get a booth at Hollywood Business and Tourism Expo: Hilary
Second: Rodney
Vote: 7-5-2

C. Education:
                        1. Approval of up to $500 for outreach/supplies for River Clean-Up (Friends of the L.A. River)
                        2. Approval of up to $2500 for a Science and Arts Town Hall in September
                        3. Approval of up to $1500 for Earth Day/Family Night
                        4. Approval of up to $300 for the framing of kids art for show at Hollywood City Hall
                        5. Approval of up to $1000 for possible classroom presentations at Cheremoya School
                              6. Approval of up to $4000 for outreach mailers and support
$9800 in total. Susan read out all of the six separate items, proposal that they be approved in block. Debbi spoke to the Science and Arts Fair to support the kids, to the positivity of the April 22nd Earth Day celebration, and to the successful framing of kids art show with the arts council. The outreach mailers and support number would be for ALL of those events. Jamie asked for clarification on the mailers. Susan Polifronio, a member of the education committee (the co-chair) explained that those are paper costs. Jamie thinks that we need to get off paper, and that this number compared to the cost of the event seems excessive. Susan stated that we need to reach everybody. We have 20,000 stakeholders, and only about 740 are reached by email. This event brings out twice the voter turnout. Will brought up the overall problem of outreach, to which Susan suggested that Will, Jamie, and Debbi work together on potential methods of outreach – billboards, banners, etc. Robert asked to keep item 6 off the block. The vote was suggested to be taken on items 1-5, $5800, though October 2008. Jordan interjected that sending kids to summer programs is good and wished even more funding could go to that.
Motion: to approve up to $5800 for items 1-5 as listed on the agenda: Debbi
Second: Rodney
Vote: 12-0-1
Motion: that HUNC encumber up to $4000 for the Education and Youth committee for outreach and mailers until October 2008: Debbi
Second:Ryan
Vote: 10-1-2

D. PLUM
1. Update on March Hollywood Coalition Joint Town Hall on Hollywood Plan etc, approval of up to $1500 for outreach, food, location
Erik was out sick and couldn’t make the motion. The coalition town hall is March 13th.
Motion: to approve up to $1500 for outreach, food, and location costs for March Hollywood Coalition Town Hall: Susan
Second: Robert
Vote: 14-0-0 Unanimous

                           2. Motion on HUNC position re: Proliferation of Billboards in Hollywood TABLED
    E. PS&T
                        1. Updates from CPAB reps
                             2. Approval of up to $10,000 towards the purchase of the lot at Ivar/Franklin to be used as park or open space
Ryan talked about helping Councilman Garcetti’s office to purchase land and property with $10,000. Tom LaBonge did not fulfill that promise. The idea would be to fence in the property as a park. Jordan would rather give that money to a food bank or to kids.
Motion: to approve up to $10,000 towards the purchase of the lot at Ivar/Franklin to be used as park or open space: Ryan
Second: Rodney
Vote: 12-2-0
      F. Renters
                        1. Approval of up to $3000 for May Town Hall regarding Renters rights and Rent Control (June 3rd ballot item Prop 98)
Proposition 98 to kill eminent domain seizures, will kill rent control in the state of California. The motion would approve up to $3000 for outreach for the May Town Hall regarding rent control. We want people to make an educated vote. Larry Gross is a confirmed speaker at the event, Ryan added.
Motion: to approve up to $3000 for May Town Hall regarding Renters rights and Rent Control (June 3rd ballot item Prop 98): Will
Second: Ryan
Vote: 14-0-0 Unanimous

Susan then asked everyone to double-check their agendas and make sure that nothing was missed. Nothing additional was raised.

12. New Business
Robert noticed that he recently saw a four-car pile-up. The freeway exit at Franklin has similar signal lights, confusing people. Eliminating that right-hand turn from Franklin to Vine would be one potential solution. Ryan reported that LAPD has few records of such accidents, so it doesn’t go to DOT. Without police reports, it’s hard to create a history backing this up and thus requiring change. Susan said this discussion should go to PS&T, and suggested that a motion be brought to the next meeting.

Maurece noted that a DVD will be shown after the meeting about the proposed NBC/Universal project on Lankershim.

13. Submission of proposed Agenda items for March
ADJOURNMENT
Susan moved to adjourn the meeting. Robert seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 9:03pm. The video was then screened for the remaining board members and stakeholders.