Hollywood United Neighborhood Council

July 21,2003

Board Meeting of the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood Upper Terrace-Community Room, 6054 Yucca St., Los Angeles, California, 90028.

Agenda Item #1: Welcome, Roll Call

Meeting called to order by President Joel M. Fisher at 6:30 PM. Welcome remarks .

Roll Call : Attending were Board members Robert Abranamian, John Balasz , Russell Brown, Maurece Chesse , Ann DeBello , Andrew Ettinger , Joel M. Fisher, Norma Foster, Viktoria Gaw , Andrew Glazier, Paul Godfrey, Scott Larson, Susan Polifronio , Hillary Royce, Chris Stehr , Charles Suhayda and Susan Swan. Members of the public were also in attendance.

Agenda Item #2: Approval Of Previous Minutes

Susan Polifronio : Motion to accept into the record the Minutes from the previous Board Meeting of June 9 th . Second: John Balasz . Motion Carries.

Agenda Item #3: Officer Reports

Vice-President Russell Brown discussed the updated master calendar handed out and the upcoming Mayor's Budget Day Forum. Russell requested that each Committee come up with an appealing flyer for the unofficial posting sites. Russell also stated that the meeting/mediation to agree on Boundary changes had been arranged with Greater Griffith Park NC, as mandated by BONC. Corresponding Secretary Susan Swan asked that Board members access the website to look at the updates and to comment on any changes they would like to see. Recording Secretary Susan Polifronio stated that the email group list will be completely uploaded by mid-week of the 28 th . HUNC will now be able to email notices to stakeholders with email accessibility. A request was made to Committee Chairs to submit a 100 word update of the activities of their committees for the August newsletter. Submissions need to be in by August 15 th . Jennifer Christie has been hired for 10 hours a week to help with database entry, newsletters, phone calls, flyers etc. She is a volunteer at Cheremoya School and works in the office, teaches crafts afterschool , has started a newsletter of low-cost things to do with kids in Los Angeles and is also a member of Hollywood Presbyterian. She will be starting this week. Treasurer John Balasz entered into the record a budget recap current to 6/24/03. The amount remaining as of June 24 th is $9,350.00. Russell Brown stated we are having trouble with the City debit card and he is working on straightening this out.

Public Comment for Items not on the Agenda: Joan Bryant wishes to be part of the Arts Committee. She currently works on helping musicians understand the legal issues involved with contracts, etc. Joan wants to help set up the Arts Committee and to help educate artists on Organizations that can help them in their careers. Joel Fisher thanked Joan for her interest and requested she speak to Chris Stehr before the end of the night. Carol Baker Thorpe mentioned "Arts Committee-Go to the Event Organizers". John Farrion entered into the record a letter referring to the Public Safety & Transportation Committee re: regulating foot traffic across Franklin Ave. around Tamarind & Cheremoya. John, representing HCAN, wants traffic from Cheremoya and Tamarind traffic going south only be allowed to make right turns at Franklin and would like the street in front of or near Cheremoya Ave. School painted to indicate that there is a school nearby. The letter will be forwarded to DOT from HUNC. Jim McQuiston informed the Board that Northridge NC had been denied certification on issues involving neighborhood inclusion and other concerns. The Northridge NC were planning a protest in front of the City Council for the 22 nd and he requested that Board members attend and ask the City Council to uphold the BONC decision.

Agenda Item #4: Committee Reports

Education and Youth Committee Chair Chris Stehr discussed the re-igniting of the "Friends of Cheremoya" group. The committee will be planning a yearly dinner to support Cheremoya with various groups being requested to buy a table. Co-Chair Andrew Glazier will have a flyer for the next meeting. He also requested that the newsletter help publicize the volunteer opportunities. Joel Fisher humorously stated his support. The date for dinner will be either mid-September or early October.

Agenda Item #5: Speaker: Due to Time commitments, Joel Fisher asked that Carol Baker Tharp of the Urban Planning Management Firm speak at this point.

Summary of talk : Charles Suhayda

"Lessons from Tom Sawyer: The Secret of Recruiting Volunteers & Keeping Them Involved"
La City now has 74 Neighborhood Councils. We want to ask---What are the reasons that people get involved with Neighborhood Councils ( NCs )? How do you get people involved and keep them involved? You have to provide both reason and meaning.

(1) Give straight talk about expectations and the scope of the work.

(2) You need to match volunteer talents with institutional needs. Ask volunteers for specific things with a specific timeframe.

(3) In her research with NCs she found:
* there are few newcomers; most who get involved in NCs have been involved in community activism for 10-20 yrs.
* what did these people like most ?---- Getting things done.
* community activists want to see newcomers come into NCs and are not trying to protect their positions.
* what community activists disliked---people with a very narrow agenda, or those who turn out for only hot-button issues.
* why do people get involved initially?---Because of a local issue that affected them personally. Then, the longer they stayed involved the more they began to see the connections between their own self-interests and the interests of the community. But the dilemma is--when new people are recruited, newcomers want their own issues solved, whereas longtimers are more focused on the good of the whole community.

(4) Working with Volunteers
* Make requests very specific
* Ask people to do jobs according to their gifts and what gives them meaning. Match people according to skill sets. Examples: work with schools---parents, teachers; publicity work---marketing people; events---producers, promoters. Churches are an untapped source for volunteers. Also consider--League of Women Voters, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc.
* Give newcomers support: (a) Orientation--what are the expectations and scope of the work; (b) Celebrate accomplishments; (c) Make people feel welcome; (d) Offer encouragement; (d) Revamp meetings---stick to problem solving in meetings; value people's time (90 min max for meetings); (e) Connect people with the mission---connect volunteers with your outcomes; celebrate successes; (f) Value and build relationships-Thank you's , recognitions, praise people publicly; (g) Make personal appeals to people so that they feel wanted and included.

Continue Agenda Item #4: Committee Reports

Neighborhood & Environment Chair Susan Swan discussed the Griffith Park Master Plan series of 3 meetings recently held at Friendship Hall. One of the " hot button" issues in Griffith Park was that of bicyclists versus pedestrians versus equestrians .
Neighborhood & Environment will be changing their committee meetings to the
4th Tuesday of the month. Filming Sub-Committee Co- Chair Scott Larson reported on the filming issues with EIDC. Protests have been made to the EIDC and to organizers that our Hollywood/Central area was omitted from any Community Outreach Meetings that were held. To date, no meetings are planned for our area. The committee is also working on ways to mitigate filming problems between residents and film crews by following the model Susan Swan set up as the film lia i son for the Oaks: create a system of individuals who know their neighborhoods and can assist film crews in lessening negative impacts to the neighborhoods

Public Safety & Transportation Chair Joel M. Fisher recapped the discussion on the crosswalk at Franklin and Tamarind and asked Ann De Bello to send the request through the Council Office. Viktoria Gaw stated she had submitted the corners on Beachwood needing handicapped access to Maurece Chesse for photographing along with the problem corners at Franklin and Vine.

Outreach Committee Chair Viktoria Gaw stated that many new stakeholders had been signed up at the HUNC Franklin Village Street Fair. Outreach is also working with Russell Brown and Hillary Royce in organizing the July 31 st HUNC Social. Viktoria and Norma Foster had visited a neighborhood watch group as outreach. Susan Swan & Viktoria Gaw are working on a one year celebration event. This will be discussed at the next Neighborhood & Environment meeting on July 29th. Susan Polifronio has been able to upload the emails to a yahoo group that will now allow for emailings to the HUNC stakeholders. All Committee Chairs are requested to send friendly descriptions of committee meetings in a timely manner to Susan Swan for email notifications. VG requested that the Harmony start weekend outreach hours again.

Social Services & Faith-Based Chair Charles Suhayda discussed the positive outreach and raising of awareness done by various social service organizations at the Franklin Village Street Fair. He recommends an outreach in the fall to service providors .

CPAB Liason Norma Foster reported on the below normal crime statistics now that suspects were in custody for the recent crime wave on Franklin Ave. and in the hills.

Arts Sub-Committee Co-Chairs Norma Foster and Andrew Ettinger discussed the success of the AIDS Choir from South Africa in their recent visit to LA. Susan Swan requested a write-up for the webpage.

Agenda Item #6: Old Business

Hillary Royce & Russell Brown are doing the strategic planning for the "Advance". It will be an opportunity to map the next 6 months to a year.

Agenda Item #7: New Business

Kay Tornberg & Dave Monks presented a proposal to save the 1906 colonial revival house at 1749 N. Harvard Bl . The house was originally owned by James R. Toberman, 2 term mayor of LA in the late 1800's. Mayor Toberman established the UCLA Campus and the redline . His brother, Charles Toberman, was a significant figure in developing Hollywood. The Hollywood Heritage is working on preserving the house and attempting to get private funding in purchasing the property from its new owner. The intention is to use the house as a Community Center, something the neighborhood has a great need for. Joel Fisher asked if there were any guarantees the house would not be demolished before any kind of agreement could be reached. Motion by Andrew Ettinger to support Hollywood Heritage in their pursuit of saving the house at 1749 N. Harvard Bl . Second by Paul Godfrey and Maurece Chesse .

Discussion: Jim McQuiston stated that HUNC might consider hearing from the present owner before voting and the GGPNC had just voted on the same issue but was considering hearing the other side. He stated we need to consider the best and highest use for the land. He suggested that the house could be moved if the decision was to save it. Dave Monk stated GGPNC had given very outspoken support. Walter Blackman thought we denied due process by not hearing both sides. Joel Fisher stated that this was not a property for low-cost housing, but perhaps a community center. Charles Suhayda stated that perhaps we could move the house to a core tourist district. Kay Tornberg stated that moving it away destroys its historic importance. One of the criteria used for saving is the connection to historic events.

Voter called by President Joel M. Fisher: Unanimous in Favor of supporting the effort to save the house.

Russell Brown: Invitations for HUNC July 31 mixer have been mailed. Volunteers are needed to help that night with serving. Viktoria Gaw re-iterated the need for volunteers. Please contact Russell Brown with any names that might not be on the list.

Griffith Park Boundary Update: Joel M. Fisher stated the city had requested that HUNC and GGPNC mediate the issue of sharing the park as a resource. Joel, Russell and Lucinda would be attending the mediation along with 3 from GGPNC. Gary de la Rosa would probably be the mediator and the date picked is 8/6/3. Susan Swan is to pick a date before mediation for Board members to meet. Meeting of interested persons will take place at Victor's Restaurant and the discussion will be on area overlap designated for public use and how we all can share. Jim McQuiston stated that he has seen all the DONE maps and data and the map shows HUNC and GGPNC sharing the area.

Mayor's Budget Summitt : If not already registered, you need to go through Christine Jerian . Designated delegates are Joel M. Fisher, Ann De Bello and Susan Polifronio . Norma Foster as alternate.

Motion by Susan Swan reported that the Neighborhood and Environment Committee had voted to ask the full Board to vote to "urge that the City Council work harder to find more funding to acquire the available private land bordering Griffith Park to ensure more open space". Second by Andrew Ettinger . Passed Unanimously.

Motion by Susan Polifronio to Adjourn. Second John Balasz . Unanimous.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:45 by President Joel M. Fisher

Minutes Respectfully Submitted by Susan Polifronio