Construction Continues on Coldwater
  Coldwater
 
STUDIO CITY - The DWP last week finished a critical portion of a project to to ensure the reliability of the region's water supply, excavating and shoring up the three work zones along Coldwater Canyon Avenue. With shoring complete, crews will now begin installing a series of connection pieces that will bridge the existing and new trunk lines as the project enters an important stretch.  

The project remains on schedule while traffic near and around the construction site has reportedly - from officers on the scene and personnel with the Dept. of Transportation monitoring - been flowing as smoothly as can be expected given the scope of this project.  

 

Stay up to date with weekly emails from the office of Councilmember Krekorian. To receive these updates, simply send an email to Geoffrey.Yazzetta@lacity.org, with our office. You can also stay up to date with news on Twitter and Facebook. All updates will be posted to our Tumblr page, accessible to everyone via cd2news.tumblr.com/tagged/coldwater

      

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Survivor Commemorates Massacre 
Sumgait Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte 

LOS ANGELES - Twenty five years ago, Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte lost her childhood to ethnic cleansing. In 1988, she was a ten-year-old girl living in the seaside city of Baku, capital of the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan. Like any other young girl, she had childhood aspirations, crushes and dreams. That entire life was swept away as the majority Azeri population drove the minority Armenians out of the country using terror and violence.
 
Anna shared her story last week via a reading from her autobiography,  Nowhere, A Story of Exile, when Councilmember Paul Krekorian and others commemorated the 25th anniversary of the pogroms in Azerbaijan. The event was cosponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles, the Armenian National Committee-Western Region, Unified Young Armenians, the USC Institute for Armenian Studies, Ararat-Eskijian Museum, Sardarabad Bookstore and others.
 
In the Tom Bradley Tower atop City Hall, Anna recounted the events of 1988, when her family was forced to flee for their lives to Armenia, a neighboring republic still reeling from a massive earthquake and unprepared for the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Azeri-orchestrated pogroms. Once there, she found herself an outsider, a refugee girl surviving in an unheated basement and again considered an outsider, this time by her own people.
 
Before the horror began in Baku, throngs of violent Azeris waged a campaign of terror from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28, 1988, against thousands of Armenians in the city of Sumgait, 16 miles from the capital.
 
"During this three-day period, violent, rioting mobs of ethnic Azeris attacked and killed Armenians both on the streets and in their homes - while the police observed and let the events unfold and medical personnel refused to treat the victims," Anna said. "[Those events] entered history under the name of 'Sumgait pogroms.'"
 
Four years after the horrific ordeal that ripped Anna from her home, she and her family settled in the United States and now live in Portland, Maine. She continues to share her story and the parade of horrors that have largely gone unnoticed across the globe and unpunished in the region, even as violence persists.
 
During last week's event in City Hall, Anna and others pointed to the case of Ramil Safarov as evidence that Azeri aggression against Armenians is not history. In 2004, Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azeri army, brutally axed to death a sleeping Gurgen Markarian, a lieutenant in the Armenian army,  at a NATO military camp in Hungary. Safarov was serving a life sentence in Budapest for the murder before Azerbaijani authorities called for his extradition, which the Hungarian authorities granted. Upon returning home, Safarov was pardoned and promoted to the rank of major. His release was celebrated with a parade in Baku and decried by many, including Councilmember Paul Krekorian.
 
Still, Anna remains hopeful. "I do hope for a peaceful resolution of this conflict," she said last year in an interview with The Armenian Reporter.

"I do believe a resolution (peaceful or not) is possible to occur in our lifetime.  What sacrifices and hurdles it will take to get there, is unfathomable to me."

See more pictures from the event here.
 
 
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LAPD Hosts Annual Fundraiser in Sun Valley 
Councilmember Krekorian with members of the 
Jeopardy Program Board and Bob's Big Boy Restaurant goers.
SUN VALLEY - The men and women of the LAPD served more than justice last Thursday during the annual Tip-a-Cop fundraiser dinner.

As Bob's Big Boy Restaurant bustled with patrons, officers weaved through the restaurant attending to eaters and aiming to rack up tips to benefit at-risk youths.

Each year, LAPD officers volunteer a few hours during Tip-a-Cop to wait tables and serve food, earning donations that will all go toward the Jeopardy Program, a gang prevention program for eight to 17 year old boys and girls. The program targets at-risk youth to effect positive, lifelong attitudinal changes through educational and physical projects, from tutoring to martial arts.

Councilmember Krekorian, who stopped by the Sun Valley restaurant, greeted community members in addition to thanking the dedicated members of the Jeopardy Program's board.

"At a time when the city is cutting back its budget, we have fewer opportunities for youth. The Jeopardy Program is the kind of a program that is exactly what we need to steer our youth away from negative influences and give them access to positive activities," the councilmember said.

Donations will help the department purchase supplies, fund recreational and educational programs, and help support the costs of counseling juveniles.

To learn more about the Jeopardy Program or to learn how you can get involved, visit the LAPD website. You can also contact Officer Anna Shahnazarian or Officer Hassel Montoya in the North Hollywood Police Station at (818) 623-4001, for further information about the Jeopardy Program.  
 
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Street Resurfacing 
Continues Throughout District Two
Blue lines = resurfaced streets. Click here for the large map.
EAST VALLEY - Nearly 26 streets - about three miles of road - in the Second District have been newly resurfaced since March by the Bureau of Street Services in collaboration with the office of Councilmember Paul Krekorian.
 
The roads, mostly in North Hollywood and Valley Village this round, are now smoother for drivers and bicyclists in the Valley. Click on the map above or here to see which streets have been resurfaced so far this year.
 
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Stakeholders Share Ideas in Bike Lane Chat
 
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Looking to reach a broad, community consensus, Councilmember Paul Krekorian held the first in a series of working groups last week as debate continues to swirl around the best placement for a bike lane in North Hollywood: Lankershim Boulevard or something else entirely.
 
"Since many in our community have suggested possible alternatives to the Lankershim route, I think we have an obligation to thoughtfully weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the various routes before committing to the one best choice, since this decision will affect the bicycling community as well as our roads, businesses and residents for many years to come,"
Councilmember Krekorian said.

 

During the meeting at the North Hollywood Park Senior Center Building, the Councilmember was joined by members of the bicycle community, business owners, residents and others. A discussion was had about the future of Lankershim, with all in agreement that the NoHo Arts District should continue its growth as a center of commerce and residential opportunity in a key connection point between the San Fernando Valley and communities over the hill.

 

Some stressed that losing a lane for cars along Lankershim, which could be the result of new bike lanes there, would be a safety and traffic concern. Others said placing a lane through the heart of NoHo would increase the region's commercial viability and consistent with other bike paths throughout the city. 

 

The next meeting date and location have not yet been announced.

 
 
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North Hollywood's Whitsett Slope Beautified  
 
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Volunteers returned for a second round of clean-up last weekend, completing Phase One of a community beautification project on North Hollywood's Whitsett slope.


Following up on our last article, volunteers once again gathered on Saturday, April 6, to finish mulching and seeding native plants on the slope.

 

The slope, near a city-owned lot, has been an ongoing problem for more than five years before its path to beautification. The event was a collaboration of Councilmember Krekorian's office and many community volunteers.

     

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LAFD Rolls Out 
Annual Brush Clearance Notices
LOS ANGELES - With summer around the corner and red flag season on the horizon, the Los Angeles Fire Department has mailed its annual brush clearing and fire prevention notice to property owners in hillside communities throughout the city, including in Studio City.

Beginning in May, the LAFD will conduct its annual brush inspections of homes and property located in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, areas the the department says are prone to wind-driven fires. The estimated 130,000 properties in these zones must be in compliance with the Brush Clearance Ordinance or could face fines of up to $320.

Property owners can inspect their own property following the general requirements guide provided by the LAFD. Once completed, property owners can sign and submit a Self-Inspection Affidavit through the mail or online.

Failure to comply with the guidelines will result in an initial $23 inspection fee and upwards of $320 if requirements are still not met after further inspection.

For more information about the LAFD's brush clearance notice, with the website lafd.org/brush. To access more information about fire prevention and brush clearance, click here.
 
 
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Los Angeles Launches 
Mobile App for City Services 

LOS ANGELES - Want to report a pothole repair in your area or access city of L. A. information on the go? Now you can with L.A.'s first citywide mobile app - MyLA311.

The free app launched April 1 on the heels of the city's recent website overhaul, which brought a major redesign and upgrade to the city's website, lacity.org. The app gives Angelenos the ability to locate city resources like parks and libraries, access city services such as submitting 311 service requests for street repairs and graffiti removal using their smartphone's GPS and camera. Angelenos can also pay their DWP bill via the free smart phone app.

Users can also stay informed about city programs and City Hall news with the app, which integrates with the city's and council districts' social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Screenshots of the Anroid app

To learn more about the app visit www.lacity.org/MyLA311. MyLA311 is available to download for free from the Apple iTunes and the Google Play stores.
 
 
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City Hall to Commemorate Arts Day in L.A.
 
LOS ANGELES - Artists and art aficionados are slated to brighten City Hall April 17 to celebrate the second annual ArtsDay.
 
Organized by the non-profit group Arts for LA, the event is an opportunity for artists, art organizations and patrons to speak with civic leaders on the importance of art in the community. Los Angeles County features the second highest concentration of resident artists in the nation and its economic impact is undeniable, according to the 2012 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region. The report found that arts-related industries in L.A. County contributed more than $2 billion to the local economy.
 
The creative artistic output in the region was also on display recently, when hundreds of high school students participated in the third annual Los Angeles Student Media Festival, organized and produced by Councilmember Paul Krekorian. 

"The economic contributions of the arts continues to be among our most important exports," Councilmember Krekorian said. "Events like ArtsDay help remind us all why it's so important that the arts continue to elicit our collective support."
 
 
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Volume 4, Issue 10

Back

April 15, 2013

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cd2.lacity.org 

In This Issue:
Construction Continues on Coldwater
Survivor Commemorates Massacre
LAPD Hosts Annual Fundraiser in Sun Valley
Street Resurfacing Continues Throughout District Two
Stakeholders Share Ideas in Bike Lane Chat
North Hollywood's Whitsett Slope Beautified
LAFD Rolls Out Annual Brush Clearance Notices
Los Angeles Launches Mobile App for City Services
City Hall to Commemorate Arts Day in L.A

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Coldwater Canyon Closure Info:
Closure Now in Effect
Monday - Friday, 
8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, 
8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Take Alternate Routes:
Cahuenga Blvd./Highland Ave.
Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Beverly Glen Blvd.
Sepulveda Blvd.
Interstate 405
Take Metro- visit www.metro.net 
UPDATE: Valley Plaza Park  
Playground is now Open!

The playground at Valley Plaza Park, which was recently closed by the Dept. of Rec. and Parks due to falling tiles, is now open for use!

To see a complete list of neighborhood council and community meetings, please check out our

 Community Calendar.

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