Moving Forward with Valley Plaza
Valley Plaza's original plans from developer Bob Symonds  Photo/San Fernando Valley Relics

 LOS ANGELES - Since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake damaged the Valley Plaza Shopping Center and left many of its buildings unusable and empty, the former hub of economic activity has become a shell that has blighted the neighborhood.  

 

That could soon be changing after Councilmember Paul Krekorian and the Los Angeles City Council took the first step toward laying out a vision to revitliaze Valley Plaza last week. The Councilmember introduced a motion, seconded by four of his colleagues, that will begin the process of ensuring the city can utilize all necessary means to spur the development of Valley Plaza and eliminate blight, including the use of eminent domain powers if necessary. 
 
"We need to move forward with a revitalized Valley Plaza shopping center that will uplift our community rather than degrade it, that will contribute to the ongoing economic recovery of the area and create jobs, and that will include neighborhood-serving businesses, restaurants and community amenities," Councilmember Krekorian said.
 
The Great Recession and other factors have led to failure by the private owners of the property to restore this important retail center, and the state's elimination of the Community Redevelopment Agency has left the city with few tools to encourage them to do so. 
 
As the region's economy continues to improve, now is the time to act, Councilmember Krekorian said. 
 
"After years of meetings and discussions, it is time for action," he said. "North Hollywood and all of the East San Fernando Valley deserve a restored shopping center worthy of our great city and I will not rest until we make that happen."

 

  

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New Sign Increases Neighborhood Safety 

New road marking accompanies the new stop sign | Photos/CD2

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A new stop sign at the intersection of Laurelgrove Avenue and Dehougne Street aims to increase safety for pedestrians and the community.

  

When constituent Luis Ovies walked into the North Hollywood field office in February, he shared his concern about the intersection not too far from Valley Plaza Library and the pedestrians who cross there.

  

The North Hollywood corner of Laurelgrove Avenue and Dehougne Street, is frequented by children crossing the street to access the nearby library or Valley Plaza Park. During his visit to Councilmember Krekorian's field office, Mr. Ovies shared his concerns about speeding in the region and stressed the need for more safety measures.

 

The CD2 team worked with Dept. of Transportation engineers to assess the safety concern at the intersection and approved the installation of a new stop sign in mid-March. Last week, the neighborhood welcomed its brand new stop sign and road markings.

 

The new stops aims increase safety for the community | Photo/CD2

 With a recent uptick in accidents involving pedestrians, the office of Councilmember Krekorian has worked with local law enforcement and community organizations to increase safety measures and educate the community about road safety.

 

Is there an issue in your neighborhood? Let us know!

 


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 Tons of Bulky Items Removed 
from Council District 2
 

LOS ANGELES - Council District 2 is free of nearly 100,000 pounds of debris after crews swept through the San Fernando Valley last month at the behest of Councilmember Paul Krekorian.

 

September is the fourth highest month for bulky item removal in 2013. Since January, the Bureau of Sanitation has hauled away nearly 375 tons or 749,000 pounds of bulky items - large household items such as mattresses, couches, and other furniture, often times left on the curb to be discarded, clearing the way for cleaner neighborhoods in North Hollywood, Sun Valley and beyond. 

This graph shows the number of bulky items in tons that have been removed to date per month. | Graph/CD2

Is there an area in your neighborhood in need of care? Let us know by calling (818) 755-7676 or dial 3-1-1 for the city services directory. You can also email us, Tweet us, or send us a message on Facebook.



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City Leaders Shine Spotlight 

on Domestic Violence

Councilmembers Paul Krekorian, Mitch O'Farrell, Mike Bonin, Nury Martinez and Joe Buscaino with Fox 11 News Anchor Christine Divine and members of the Domestic Violence Task Force. 
| Photo/CD2

LOS ANGELES - Before his career in public service began seven years ago, Paul Krekorian came face to face with the horrors of domestic violence. As an attorney working pro bono for the Domestic Violence Project, he worked on cases like the one he spoke about last week, during City Hall's commemoration of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

 

A man drunkenly stumbled into his home one night, pointing a gun at his wife's head, the Councilmember relayed. She whispered, pleading with him not to, that it would wake their sleeping children.  

 

That was enough to diffuse the situation and the woman escaped with her children that night.

 

"When you think about the life that those children have ahead of them, whether they were victims directly of...physical abuse or not, those children living in those households have had their lives degraded. They have had their futures endangered," Councilmember Krekorian said.

 

"They will be more likely to be perpetrators of violence or people who accept violence as an ordinary thing in their life. Neither of those is an acceptable situation."

 

[Watch the councilmember's speech here]

 

The councilmember was joined last week by Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Attorney Mike Feuer, Councilmembers Mike Bonin, Bob Blumenfield, Joe Buscaino, Mitch O'Farrell and members of the Domestic Violence Task Force to raise awareness about the hidden harms of domestic violence.

 

The Los Angeles Domestic Violence Task Force was established in 1994 to assist city leaders in developing and coordinating programs to stop domestic violence and make recommendations to the City Council on legal advocacy, legislation and other policies relating to domestic violence. Earlier this year, Councilmember Krekorian appointed San Fernando Valley native Lauren Gallant as the Second District's representative to the task force.

 

According to national statistics, an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assaults by an intimate partner each year. One in four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime, and women ages 20 to 24 are at greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence. In 2011, there were 10,282 known cases of domestic violence reported by the LAPD.

 

"Let's redouble our efforts, continue this commitment [against domestic violence] and bring an end to this scourge on society," Councilmember Krekorian said.

 

For more information visit the LAPD website, or contact (800) 978-3600 the Domestic Violence Hotline at to get help.

 

 
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NoHo Arts District to Host 
First Ever Literary Night
To view the flyer above, visit Litcrawl.org/la 
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - For at least one night in October, the NoHo Arts District will become the city's center of literati as Lit Crawl L.A.: NoHo is set for its debut.

 

Spread across 12 locations in the heart of the Arts District, Lit Crawl is a literary festival where the neighborhood's participating venues will host a combined selection of two dozen events on Oct. 23 for a night of live readings from L.A. authors, book signings, storytelling, literary performances and poetry, bringing L.A.'s diverse literary communities together.

 

All Lit Crawl events are free and open to the public, although some venues are restricted to those who are 21 and over. The Lit Crawl will begin with Phase One of scheduled events from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by Phase Two from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. and end with a "Speak-Easy" closing party at The Hesby from 9 to 11 p.m.

 

A few of the night's featured guests include Gregg Hurwitz, bestselling thriller and comic book writer; Mike Sager, award-winning journalist and novelist; Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander; and Jeffrey Lewis, Emmy Award winning Hill Street Blueswriter.

 

Founded in 2004 by San Francisco's Litquake literary festival, Lit Crawl takes over a neighborhood and transforms it into a scene of literary wonder. The annual event series has taken place in New York City, Austin, London, Iowa City, Brooklyn, and Seattle, drawing crowds of more than 6,000 people ready to explore the world of literature in their communities.

 

For the complete schedule of events and locations, visit the Lit Crawl L.A. website litcrawl.org/la/2013-schedule.

 

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City's Fight Against 

Mobile Billboards Victorious

FoxMobileBillboardsCrop
A thing of the past
LOS ANGELES - For years, Councilmember Paul Krekorian and his colleagues on the City Council have fought the scourge of mobile billboards. Their efforts have dramatically curtailed the extent of this problem throughout the San Fernando Valley. Still, despite the ban, some billboard owners continued to flaunt the regulations by trying to find loopholes.

Skirting regulations will become even tougher after Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1253 into law to help Los Angeles and other cities in California crack downon unlawful mobile advertising displays.

The law, introduced by Assemblymember, now Councilmember Bob Blumenfield adds civil penalties to the list of punishments a local government can establish by ordinance on the illegal mobile billboards.  
 
Read more about the new law here.

 

 
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Earthquake Preparedness Events to Shakeup Community Readiness

 
LOS ANGELES - Get ready to drop, cover and hold on as L.A. gets ready for two earthquake preparedness events set to educate the community about safety and disaster readiness.

 

In its fifth year, the Great California Shakeout is scheduled for 10:17 a.m. on Oct. 17. The annual event prepares Californians and participants worldwide about earthquake safety and what to do in the event of a major earthquake. More than 3 million participants in Los Angeles County and 9.3 million across California will perform the drill on Thursday morning, with as many as 23 million registered to participate worldwide.

 

Whether you are in your home, at work, school, or anywhere else, drop, cover, and hold on as if a major earthquake is occurring at that very moment. 

 

To be counted in this year's drill, click here to visit the ShakeOut website and register. The website also features additional resources about the campaign and earthquake readiness and safety.

 

If you miss the drill, NBCUniversal and NBC4 are slated to host an Earthquake Preparedness Open House on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Universal Studios backlot. The community event, which is free and open to the public, will teach event goers how to prepare their home, family and pets for an earthquake related disaster, assemble emergency kits and share other information about earthquake readiness.

 

To attend the Earthquake Preparedness Open House, RSVP here by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/s/59XFZ7J. For more tips on earthquake safety, visit the readyLA website.

 
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New Youth Center Opens in Burbank

The Youth Center opens in Burbank 
| Photo by Armenian Cultural Foundation Burbank
BURBANK - Burbank welcomed the addition of a new youth center last week, giving the community access to a facility for youth programs.

 

The 14,000 plus square foot center has meeting rooms, office space and a large open area for athletic programs. The construction of a basketball court, gym and a second floor for additional meeting and office space is planned for the future of this $3.5 million project.

 

The Youth Center is "the culmination of a quarter century of occasional disappointments, big dreams, and most of all, lots of hard work to find a facility best suited to our community's needs," said Stepan Boyajian, Armenian Cultural Foundation of Burbank chair. Councilmember Krekorian, who was in attendance for the ribbon cutting, celebrated the work of the organization and the community partnerships that brought the project to fruition. 

Councilmember Krekorian pictured with supporters and members of the Armenian organizations who will maintain the center's operation.

The facility will be maintained by the Armenian Cultural Foundation with various organizations such as the Armenian National Committee of Burbank, Armenian Youth Federation, Armenian Relief Society and Homenetmen contributing to the center's social, cultural and athletic programming.

 

The Burbank Youth Center is located at 75 E. Santa Anita Ave.. It is open Monday through Friday at 4:30 to 10 p.m. For more information, contact (818)562-1918. 

 

 
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Photos From Around Town
Councilmember Krekorian and the District 2 staff, pictured above with Associate Dean Rabbi Cooper, Executive Director Rabbi May and MOT Director Liebe Geft, had the opportunity to tour the Museum of Tolerance, a multimedia museum in Los Angeles designed to examine racism and prejudice in the United States and the world.

 

The Los Angeles City Fire Department held its annual memorial service on Saturday to honor fallen firefighters. The service in Hollywood at the LAFD Museum commemorated 263 members of the L.A. Fire Department who have been killed in the line of duty over the years. | Photo/CD2


City officials attended the 2013 AIDS Walk in Los Angeles. Pictured above with Councilmember Krekorian are City Controller Ron Galperin, Mayor Eric Garcetti, West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land and Anthony Portantino. | Photos/CD2

 

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Volume 4, Issue 26

October 14, 2013Back
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cd2.lacity.org 

In This Issue:
Moving Forward with Valley Plaza
New Sign Increases Neighborhood Safety
Tons of Bulky Items Removed from Council District 2
City Leaders Shine Spotlight on Domestic Violence
NoHo Arts District to Host First Ever Lit Crawl
City's Fight Against Mobile Billboards Victorious
Earthquake Preparedness Events to Shakeup Community Readiness
New Youth Center Opens in Burbank
Photos From Around Town

October Events Around Town:

 

10/12: 

Free Women's Self-Defense Workshop

Homebuyer Expo

10/17: 

Used Linens Drive 

10/19: 

50 Years of Television at the CBS Studio, LAPL Lecture

10/19: 

Earthquake Preparedness Open House

10/23: 

10/24:

Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet Job Fair

 

10/27:

3rd Annual 5K In Honor of Conor

 

 

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

 Community Calendar.

Check our blog out on Tumblr, where you can read daily news stories and updates of our neighborhoods and beyond. Click below or on cd2news.tumblr.com