Thank you SoMar members party July 2011
No Meeting April, 2011
Thursday January 13, 2011 Minutes
Christopher McKinnon called the meeting to order at 6:20 pm. Self -introductions were made. Christopher announced that October’s A Taste of SoMar was attended by more than 30 people. It did not cost a lot and took in more.
Treasurer’s report: just over ________
Linda offered the traffic report from the Neighborhood traffic management committee mentioning Michael May was a new engineer for the Western District at Westchester. There was not a lot on the agenda and one of those was restricting parking for overnight vehicles. They will meet again on March 9th and agreement with DOT items on the agenda first. It’s not an official meeting and will discuss the problems of DOT, Safety, Security and Graffiti.
The new Senior South Mar Vista officer will be Marcie Garcia.
Graffiti abatement from Pacific Graffitti Solutions may get funds cutback by 50%. The City Council either voted or postponed it.
There were concerns on the corner of McLaughlin Avenue and Washington Place with a possible new catering business with small trucks next to Don Chuy’s. Crime report: there was a robbery at McLaughlin and Venice.
Heidi is retiring Januay 25th at Casa Sanchez on Centinela, 6-9pm, please rsvp to Monica Harmon.
New Business:
Election of new officers in July again. There is a 1 page quarterly newsletter but all info now on the website. Sponsorships are still available which are business cards located on the website.
At Zacatecas –VeniceBikiniBar the MVCC voted to not support patio & wine license and anyone interested should pursue public hearing.
Old Business:
$15 dues are now due.
Scattergood Olympic High voltage underground route with alternatives, to be presented to public on February 23/24th
Next SoMar meeting is April with another eating fundraiser at one of the local restaurants and there are several possibilities.
There was brief discussion about some kind of clean up of the library grounds and around the fire station . Currently once a week a local mental health facility members come over and pick up trash about the library—other possibility BIGSUNDAY.org, Clean and Green Team involved.
Submitted by Joan LoPeer edited by C. McKinnon
October 2010 Meeting was the “Taste of Somar”
Thursday July 7, 2010 Minutes
Steve Wallace called the meeting to order at 6:25 P.M.
Minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report: was given by Christopher McKinnon. The envelope enclosed in the last newsletter and mailed out worked for member renewals. The balance is currently _____. The goal is _____. The existing money is the result of sponsors including from MVCC, a few patrons, sponsors and new members.
Traffic: Linda G. The last LADOT meeting was May 12. 6 out of 18 items related to South Mar Vista area.
1) Petition to restrict oversized vehicles
2) Street services filled in some of the requested potholes in the alley. Len is going to follow-up with more addresses.
3) LADOT investigating need for a stop sign at Wade and Watsch
4) Barbara Ave is complaining about a citizen storing 3-4 trucks filled with trash
5) Traffic design problems referred to Culver City regarding the intersection at Washington and Inglewood
6) Next meeting is scheduled for July 14 at the CD # 11 field office in West Los Angeles.
Safety and Security
Pat Karasick, Pacific Community Advisory Board member reported that citywide violent crime is down 7.1%. Unfortunately, there were 7 homicides over July 4th. Homicides are up 2.7%. There are currently 9,937 sworn officers in LAPD.
On the weekend before July 4th, residents of the North Oval Neighborhood Association experienced waking up to malicious, sexual and racial graffiti written in wax on their cars. The NONAssociation also announced the closing of the North South alleyway parallel to McLaughlin. The gates are being installed after a 3-year discussion with city agencies.
Last month in Car area A49 there were 13 burglaries and or thefts from motor vehicles. This is a preventable crime. People need to secure their homes and not leave valuables visible in their cars. Neighborhood Watch is important. Good neighbors watch out for each other. Lighting is important. Could you break into your own house easily? If you can, than so can others. Citizens need to file reports with the Pacific Community Police Station, 12312 Culver Blvd. 310-482-6334 and email Senior Lead Drake Madison. At 33997@lapd.lacity.org.
Why report to both? The first is to document the incident. The Senior Lead Officer needs to know, so that he can keep track of incidents in his area. Captain Jon Peter’s July message regarding burglaries was passed out.
Michael Scheffe will set up a South Oval Neighborhood Watch meeting, time and date to be coordinated with SLO Madison.
New Business:
Election of So-Mar officers is a two-year commitment. Currently, the officers have served for 4 years. They remain unchallenged. Steve Wallace will continue as President, Christopher McKinnon as Treasurer, Joan LoPear was elected as Secretary. Vice-President seat remains empty. Self-nominations can be presented to the President, Steve Wallace.
July Newsletter- Julia Jones stated that there were not enough articles submitted. There was a discussion of electronic vs. print. It was decided to have one more print newsletter distributed. After that a one page informational sheet will be made available at the Farmer’s Market and the Mar Vista Library. The electronic version is located at www.southmarvista.org The blog is also located on that site. You can sign up to be sent updates.
The Venicebikinibar.com is the website for the newly named Zacatecas Bar at 12017 Venice Blvd. 310-397-8292. The liquor license is up for renewal in October. The bar also may be cited for illegal banners.
Old Business:
a) Blog site is ready for people to sign up at www.southmarvista.org
b) Dues of $15 for 2010 are overdue
c) No news on the Scattergood-Olympic underground power line Environmental Impact Report (EIR) dates for public meetings.
d) Rumour is that nearby developer Kilroy Realty Corporation is distributing the Fight Bundy Village yard signs protesting the Bundy Village project
e) Membership drive/party: to be held on a Saturday 5:00-7:00 P.M. as a private party in September or instead of the October meeting. Steve Wallace is willing to talk to local restaurants so that it can be billed as a “ Taste of SoMar”. Please send ideas to him.
Upcoming events:
MVCC is having their meeting next Tuesday night July 13th, 2010
Public Comment:
Neighbor would like help starting a Woman’s Club. Concern voiced about recycling scavengers. Concern expressed about the crumbling curbs on Grand View between Venice and Pacific.
Respectfully submitted, PatKarasick Acting Secretary
Thursday, April 8, 2010 Minutes
Treasurer Christopher McKinnon called the meeting to order. 6 attendees
January minutes are posted on the website www.southmarvista.org. They were accepted.
Treasurer’s Report given by Christopher McKinnon reported that after being an association for 5 years the bank account (at Wells Fargo) total was _____. ____ was from dues collected, _____ from Sponsorships.
Traffic report was tabled.
Senior Lead Drake Madison gave the Safety and Security Report. According to the latest COMSTAT crime is up 3%. Theft from motor vehicles is disturbing because of the educational push to NOT leave anything valuable in cars. Robbery and aggravated assaults are almost seasonal because more people are out. Be aware of your surroundings. Half of the robberies have been cleared.
Taggers sometimes transition into gangs. Gang unit is following up on the shooting incident at Centinela and Pacific.
New Business:
Nominations for new officers are being accepted. It is a two-year term from July to July. Please respond to Steve Wallace if you are interested in running.
April newsletter will be finalized after the MVCC elections on April 11 and results are delivered on April 18.
1 attendee recommend that the meetings be every other month, not quarterly
Maritza Przekop is running for the Zone 5 Director position, she is a write candidate.
SOMAR Improvement Projects grants:
Ideas proposed:
Pacific tree planting, money to be used to cut concrete. Suggestion of a sign notifying neighbors of SoMar support
LAFD #62 landscape project
Crosswalks in Zone 5, Washington Place and Centinela
Old Business:
Blog site for SoMar is up at www.southmarvista.org
Scattergood/Olympic powerline : Full EIR is being implemented
Membership drive in the summer, have elections at another site that can accommodate food and drink, making it more like a party.
Dues are overdue; envelopes will be mailed.
Julia is always seeking articles. They can be electronically sent to her at: Juliaj@mac.com
Respectfully submitted,
Pat Karasick
Thursday, January 14, 2010 Minutes
Christopher McKinnon called the meeting to order. Self -introductions were made.
Senior lead Drake Madison handed out new 5 Points of Contact. He announced that Jon Peters was the new Captain III of Pacific. He also reported on his meeting with the new Chief of Police, Charlie Beck. Besides, command staff changes, Chief Beck dismantled the PII program sending them back to regular patrol, and the good news that Senior Lead program would still stand.
Crime is down, except for burglary, which is up 11%. Continue to keep valuables out of sight in vehicles.
Nixle is a national website for LAPD crime and other notifications site available free: www.nixle.com
If you have any questions write Officer Delatori at 32914@lapd.lacity.org
Scattergood-Olympic: Sal Grammatico is concerned about environmental issues and the impact on the existing 36” gas pipe and the Charnock earthquake fault. CD #11 has requested a full EIR Study. There is an excellent article in the Argonaut reporting on a meeting that the Councilman sponsored.
Newsletter: ASAP needs more writers and articles to put out a January issue. We also need advertisers. Currently, print copies are available at the Library, Farmer’s Market and the Venice Grind.
Treasurer’s Report: This is the 5th year for the organization. Currently have _____ mainly from membership dues and Sponsorships. SOMAR is soliciting projects to improve the area. Some suggestions were: earthquake trailer, and pocket park.
Zone 5: Christopher McKinnon will vacate The Directorship of Zone 5 on the Mar Vista Community Council on June 30. It is a two-year commitment.
Membership Drive: Suggestion to have a walk and end with a party serving food and drinks. T-shirts? Cafepress.com prints T-shirts on demand. Handbands, hats? There was a discussion of what accessories to order and how to avoid having extra inventory.
When blog site is updated will try to automate e-mail signups and automatically issue reminders of the meetings.
Public Comment: Idalia Santos is a member who lives near the Airport. She would like to see the businesses in the area spruce up their facades and improve the curbs. She also would like to change the trashcans for something more aesthetically pleasing. She is concerned about youth hanging out on Pacific.
Respectfully submitted,
Pat Karasick
Thursday, October 9, 2009 Minutes
Author: STEVE WALLACE
We had a number of items on the agenda, in public comment; there was a reminder of the Livable Blvd’s. Walking Tour covering Venice Blvd. was on October 17th with information and outreach being done this Sunday 11th October at the Farmers Market at the MVCC Tent. If you want to help shape the Venice Blvd of the future, then be there, because there are some people in City positions want to see Venice look like Wilshire Blvd. The meeting on the 17th is at St. Johns Presbyterian Church at 1100 National Blvd.
Linda offered the traffic report from the Neighborhood traffic management committee and it looks like the city is playing games because any time they ask for speed signs, stop signs or any kind of sign, they are asking to refer it when in the past they would erect these signs if they made sense. Politics as usual!
Linda also mentioned the Scattergood Project, this is an electrical cable and some fiber optic cable coming from Olympic Blvd to the Airport and would be traveling through Mar Vista down Inglewood Blvd. This is underground cable and they will be digging up the streets and we all know how the traffic is on Inglewood without reducing it to 1 lane in places while the construction is going on. A Meeting has been arranged for DWP to present this project at the Traffic Committee at MVCC on October 27th.
LAPD SLO Madison was not available as they were on narcotics enforcement duty. Pat K. give us an update and basically major crime is still way down in Mar Vista, but petty crime is still on the rise. Cars are being broken into because people are leaving iPods or computers or anything else that looks of value. Homes are being broken into when windows are left open. Stuff is being taken from garages when doors are left open. So do not leave valuables in plane sight was the message and report all crimes, even graffiti and illegal dumping. And if you see someone, take a photo of the person and hopefully the car, if the LAPD catch them, you get paid $1000.
We have an opportunity to bring the Carnival that is held once a year outside the LAPD Pacific division, a pretty big Carnival as it takes up a whole block of Culver Blvd. from Centinela to Inglewood. We just need a place to put it. We would benefit from the carnival as we get a share in the takings. Grand View School was discussed, they are open to the opportunity, however we think that LAUSD is against it. We will continue to work on this.
Chrysalis Volunteer Organization has obtained a grant and want to clean up Venice Blvd. for a day, this will be done on October 22nd and they will clean the down town area between Centinela and Inglewood as well as the alleyways.
On the same day a Business Watch for Venice as well as the meeting to help kick off the Mar Vista Chamber is being organized.
There is discussion about community housing being built on Grand View Blvd. I have to say that I give the principle of the school the idea; I just think its being blown out of proportion for massive financial gain. The former PTA confirmed how parking would be sadly reduced and that it was not a good idea. LAUSD representatives will be at MVCC PLUM on 20th October at the Library to discuss further.
The North Oval will be cleaning up and planting at the Fire Station again on Saturday 10th October. They have also organized a volunteer group from Meadowbrook to clean up the Library parking lot on a regular basis.
We had a discussion about encouraging more members and an idea to offer holiday gifts for around 5 members with a lottery type event. Names would be pulled out of a hat to win maybe a $50 voucher to Curious Pallet, maybe 5 $10 cards for free coffee at the Venice Grind. Also offering a free cup of coffee at the Grind when you renew your dues for 2010.
Culver City Development at Marcasel and Washington was passed at Culver City Planning, they are however leaving the traffic portion open for further discussion for over a year after the project is built as a lot of people were concerned about the traffic that could use Atlantic and East as cut through streets and Atlantic for U turns to get to the development if the turning lane was full of traffic.
The meeting was adjourned at 8pm
Thursday, July 9, 2009 Minutes
The meeting this evening concluded after many topics were discussed. Kate Anderson was introduced, she is running for State Assembly in the 53rd District, our district. Kate has all the credentials, you can view here information at http://www.kateanderson.org. Please take a look at Kate’s web site, she lives in Mar Vista and would be an asset to have in the Assembly. Christopher McKinnon the Treasurer give his report, he indicated that our account was in the black, however membership is down and dues renewal is down. its still only $15 per year, please support your neighborhood association. Linda Guagliano give her report from the last 2 monthly MVCC traffic liason meetings with LADOT, CD11 Staff and LAPD. 4 items in South Mar Vista were discussed. Replacement of a street sign on East Blvd that is being taken care of, Parking Meters on Venice Blvd. between Centinela and Inglewood will be changed to 2 hour limits, they will also increase to 8pm and Sundays just like the rest of the City. A request from the Temple ohr Ha Tora on Venice was made for parking meters outside to be changed to 15 minute limits so that drop offs can be made easily. They are also looking for a handy caped only parking meter out side the Temple. A request was also made to extend the time on the left hand turn traffic signal Westbound Venice turning onto Southbound McLaughlin. Pat give a Safety and Securty report, LAPD SLO Llanes was on vacation and LAPD SLO Madison was on an early shift. Major crime is still down, however petty theft was still on the rise due ti opportunists taking advantage of valuable items being left in cars and windows being left open in homes. LAPD national Night out is at Mar Vista Park. LAPD Pacific Division clean up project is on July 18th, volunteers welcome. Also on July 18th is the Mar Vista Library Book Sale starts early am. Summer newsletter will again be printed on demand. It will be available here on the blog at the farmers market,the library and a number of retail facilities on Venice Blvd. If you are interested in completing an application for the Beautification Improvement Grants, Grants of $10,000 are available for your community projects and we can help you complete them. An update on the Medical Marijuana facilities, the ones that have hardship exemptions filed are being discussed at LA City Planning and Land use downtown each week, last week the owner of the Rainforest Collective on Venice Blvd. was told to close his operation. It is our understanding that the City has not allowed any Dispensaries that filed for a hardship exemption after 2007 to continue with there businesses so far. 22 in the City so far have been told to close there doors right away or face a fine. Mar Vista park Fall Festival is scheduled for October 3rd 10am-4pm. Coffee Connection on Centinela has movie nights and is offering popcorn. We are looking for a Secretary for the association, simple position, take meeting minutes every quarter, put them on the blog. We are also looking for a Vice President, if you are interested, please let me know. Please tell your neighbors to support our organization, membership is $15 per year, please let us know if you have any issues or any subjects you would like us to work on or any projects like neighborhood beautification you would like us to consider. Steve Wallace
South Mar Vista Neighborhood Association 