On January 26, 2019, the City partnered with Tree People to  kick-off the Calles Verdes project. Mary Lou Mendoza, City Manager Alexander Meyerhoff, and TreePeople founder Andy Lipkis addressed the assembled volunteers prior to the tree planting. The group was later joined by Yasiel Puig, who took time to plant a tree. The event consisted of community volunteers planting 15 trees at Pioneer Park.  In addition, 330 fruit trees were distributed to the community at that event, including pomegranate, figs, guava, lemons, and citrus trees. Special thanks to The Max Factor Family Foundation for generously sponsoring the fruit tree giveaway.

Tree People will continue to work with City staff and volunteers to plant additional trees in City parkways.  The Calles Verdes project will not only help reduce the temperature in the City by planting a total of 750 trees, but it will also decrease the amount of polluted water entering the waterways by capturing runoff water.  Overall  the planting of trees, plants and landscape will help beautify the City, reduce heat island effects and help to moderate effects of climate change within this neighborhood. Click Here to view more photos from the event (photos provided courtesy of TreePeople).

If you would like to volunteer and help the City plant more trees in the parkways, please contact Tree People at https://www.treepeople.org/ for more information.

In observance of Presidents' Day, City Hall will be closed on Monday, February 18, 2019. All emergency services will remain in effect.

On January 31, 2019, the City Manager and the City's Management Team hosted the first in a year-long series of "Lunch and Learn" seminars. The title of January's Workshop was "Pathways to Leadership: Introducing San Fernando's Management Team." 

The event was held in the Recreation Park Gym. The workshop, which was open to all city staff, provided an opportunity to meet and get to know the City's Department Heads. A number of topics were discussed including the various pathways to leadership by the City's management team, department goals and key projects that the City will undertake in the coming year. It was exciting and informative to learn about the diverse backgrounds and varied work experience of the team. 

The Lunch and Learn Series will be held each month throughout the year. The objectives of these workshops include succession planning, team building, enhancing communication, expanding city-wide professional development, providing informal mentoring and fostering a workplace where employees know that they are valued.

The City is constantly searching for new talent. City Manager Alexander Meyerhoff and Associate Planner Gerardo Marquez recently participated in the UCLA Luskin Center Job Fair. The pair met with UCLA students to discuss employment and  internship opportunities at the City of San Fernando. Ten students expressed interest in internships with the City. Unpaid internships are currently available in all departments. 

For more information on employment and internship opportunities with the City of San Fernando, please contact Michael Okafor, Personnel Manager, at 818.898.1239 or  mokafor@sfcity.org.

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On January 8, 2019, the Planning and Preservation Commission approved three requests for conditional use permits (CUPs) for the following projects:

• 1661 San Fernando Road - Approved a request for a CUP for a project at 1661 San Fernando Road, for the operation of a banquet hall within a 6,270 sq. ft. commercial building which would provide 4,096 sq. ft. of banquet hall area within a commercial building in the Mixed-Use Corridor District of the San Fernando Corridors Specific Plan Zone (SP-5). An initial public hearing for the project on December 4, 2018 was continued to this date in order for staff and the applicant to resolve a site plan error from 2015. This error was resolved, resulting in the project providing additional on-site and off-site parking. 

• 720 Jessie Street - Approved a request for a CUP for a project at 720 Jessie Street for the operation of a bus yard within a 48,937 sq. ft. industrial building within the Limited Industrial Zone. The proposed project will make San Fernando home base for Big Bus Tours, an international company that serves 23 cities by providing open-air double decker bus tours of local destinations including Hollywood and iconic beaches. 

• 1946 First Street - Approved a request for a CUP for a project at 1946 First Street for the operation of an automotive impound area within a 22,500 sq. ft. lot within in the Workplace Flex District of SP-5. The proposed project will enable Jon's Towing, which serves the greater San Fernando Valley, to move into San Fernando. The project conditions of approval require the applicant to complete a façade improvement and provide enhanced landscaping. 

The Community Development Department bid farewell to Graffiti Abatement Specialist, George Garcia, on his last day on January 4, 2019. Since 2017, George served San Fernando as the City's first response to eliminate graffiti on public property. George served the City on a part-time basis while juggling a second job in the private sector. The City of Simi Valley hired him as a full-time employee in their Public Works Department - Streets Division. The Community Development Department will miss George, we thank him for all of his work beautifying the community and we wish him all the best as he starts his full-time career in public service.

On November 19, 2018, the City Council approved the formation of a Measure "A" Community Advisory Committee to review the Annual Measure "A" Report and provide general recommended budget priorities for the use of Measure "A" funds during the annual budget process. 

The committee will be made up of two residents, up to two business owners, up to two labor representatives, and one at large member.  The Committee is expected to meet at least twice per year. Anyone interested in serving the community on the Measure "A" Community Advisory Committee is encouraged to apply.  Applications can be found on the City website ( http://ci.san-fernando.ca.us/commissions-boards/).

The following workshops related to employment relations have been scheduled for interested employees to attend on February 13, 2019, at the Almansor Court in Alhambra:

• Human Resources Academy I, and
• Introduction to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

All workshops are presented by experienced employment/labor law attorneys from the law firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore (LCW).

Recruitment for full-time Building Maintenance Worker/Electrical Helper and Public Works Maintenance Worker positions in the Public Works Department has been concluded, and selections have been made. Three selected candidates are currently undergoing the post-offer employment physicals, and are expected to start employment shortly.

Have you thought about a career where you can be involved in serving the community and helping others? Applications are currently being accepted for Police Officer, Reserve Police Officer, Junior Cadet (part-time), Day Camp Counselor (part-time),  Recreation Leader I and II (part-time), Criminology Intern, Finance Intern, and Planning Intern.  Filing for all the positions vary, we strongly encourage you to apply.

On January 18, 2019, at approximately 9 am, Field Training and Canine (FTO K9) Officer Walter Dominguez and his trainee, Officer Kyle Cleveland, observed a vehicle backed into a parking space with the hood up in an area known for narcotics activity.  The officers observed three occupants in and around the vehicle and as the officers made contact, two of the occupants immediately fled. The third occupant was detained and Officers observed a methamphetamine pipe in his hand and several additional pipes in the open vehicle.  The male told officers that the suspect who fled possibly had a gun.  Officers searched the area for the suspect and saw him running westbound on the 210 freeway towards Harding Ave. and Foothill Blvd. San Fernando Police (SFPD) Officers and Detectives, with the assistance of California Highway Patrol, established containment and located the suspect inside of a four-story building under construction.  After multiple attempts to coax the suspect from the roof of the building, Officers climbed onto the roof in an attempt to take him into custody.  The suspect fled again and jumped off of the roof wall and onto the surrounding scaffolding. Officers gave chase and took him into custody without further incident. Because the building was under construction, SFPD contacted the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) to assist with bringing the suspect safely to the ground.  LAFD built a ramp to transfer the suspect from the scaffolding to the building and then carried him safely to the ground.

It was determined that the suspect was on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) for narcotics and the vehicle was reported stolen that morning from Pacoima.  In addition, officers located a replica Uzi-style pistol inside the vehicle.  The second male was arrested for warrants and possession of a methamphetamine pipe.  Excellent work by FTO K9 Officer Dominguez and Officer Cleveland!

Data below provides a summary of work orders submitted to the Public Works Department. 

CATEGORY	OPEN	CLOSED	TOTAL
Curb/Gutter	13	8	21
Doors/ Windows	2	6	8
Fire Hydrants	0	4	4
Gates/ Fencing	0	4	4
HVAC	3	7	10
Landscaping	3	49	52
Lighting/ Electrical	10	39	49
Paint/ Finishes	0	1	1
Parking Lots/ Stalls	0	4	4
Parking Meters	0	4	4
Plumbing	1	37	38
Refuse	52	135	187
Security Systems	0	2	2
Sewer	2	3	5
Sidewalk/ Ramp	24	6	30
Signage	0	3	3
Storm Drain	2	0	2
Street Light	2	6	8
Streets	18	182	200
Streetscape	5	9	14
Traffic Signal	2	16	18
Traffic/ Street Signage	6	18	24
Trees	103	78	181
Water Service Requests	7	32	39
TOTALS	260	720	980

The Streets, Trees, and Sewers (STS) Division takes a proactive approach to fixing potholes throughout the City. This crew of four individuals is responsible for maintaining streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, striping, parking lot maintenance, trees, sewer system and cleaning and maintaining of catch basins and storm drain systems. The Public Works Department maintains a list of the street "hotspots" for potholes and tries to repair these on a regular basis, especially after a heavy rainstorm. The Department also receives calls from residents about potholes, for which work orders are issued and addressed as quickly as possible.

Potholes generally develop on those streets that have badly deteriorated paving including moderate to severe alligator cracking. With repeated traffic loading and wear and tear, pieces of asphalt pop out and over a short period of time, become potholes. To address this issue holistically, the entire street segment would have to be repaved and to that end, the Public Works Department is continually looking for available funding sources that may be used to pave and resurface San Fernando streets.

The STS crew repaired a total of 1,133 potholes between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018, an average of 188 pothole repairs per month. During the month of November 2018 alone, the STS crew completed repairs for 679 potholes, of which 459 were located on Glenoaks Boulevard.

The Department's goal is to provide outstanding and proactive service to residents and, as such, will strive to apply for and obtain funding so as many streets as possible may be repaved and San Fernando residents may enjoy high-quality streets that they truly deserve. 

Data below provides a summary of pothole repairs conducted by the Public Works Department. 

MONTH	NUMBER OF POTHOLES
JULY	81
AUGUST	19
SEPTEMBER	59
OCTOBER	149
NOVEMBER	675
DECEMBER	150
YTD TOTAL	1,133

DATE FILLED	ADDRESS	STREET	CROSS STREET	NUMBER OF POTHOLES
12/10/18	403	N. LAZARD	FOURTH	3
12/10/18	462	N. LAZARD	FOURTH	5
12/10/18	500	N. LAZARD	FOURTH	1
12/10/18	512	N. LAZARD	FOURTH	3
12/10/18	519	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	3
12/10/18	522	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	4
12/10/18	534	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	5
12/10/18	539	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	3
12/10/18	602	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	4
12/10/18	615	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	3
12/10/18	619	N. LAZARD	FIFTH	6
12/11/18	903	CELIS	BRAND	15
12/11/18	909	CELIS	BRAND	4
12/11/18	1030	PICO	MACLAY	4
12/11/18	1020	PICO	CARLISLE	2
12/11/18	1029	PICO	MACLAY	3
12/11/18	625	LAZARD	FIFTH	2
12/11/18	718	LAZARD	GLENOAKS	1
12/11/18	300	S. LAZARD	CELIS	1
12/11/18		SECOND	SECOND	1
12/11/18	1123	CELIS	MACLAY	1
12/11/18	803	SEVENTH	NEWTON	1
12/11/18	900	HARDING	WARREN	4
12/11/18	850	HARDING	PIONEER PARK	2
12/11/18	908	HARDING	WARREN	1
12/11/18		LAZARD	CITY LENGTH	44
12/14/18		TRUMAN	MEYER	1
12/14/18		TRUMAN	HUBBARD	1
12/17/18		CELIS	MEYER	5
12/17/18		SF MISSION	MOTT	1
12/17/18		SF MISSION	KEWEN	4
12/17/18	607	WOLFSKILL		1
12/17/18	224	N. WORKMAN		2
12/17/18	227	HAGAR		1
12/17/18	507	N. MEYER		3
12/17/18	2010	LUCAS		2
12/17/18	1010	ARROYO		3

Data below provides a summary of water services conducted by the Public Works Department. 

WATER SERVICE REPAIRS	4
NEW SERVICE INSTALLATIONS	2
WATER SERVICE UPGRADES	1
WATER METER REPLACEMENTS	6
3/4 INCH	0
1 INCH	2
1 1/2 INCH	0
2 INCH	4

Excel Paving was awarded the CDBG Project at the January 7, 2019 City Council Meeting. The project consists of sidewalk, driveway and curb and gutter repairs, access ramps upgrades and repaving of San Fernando Rd. between S. Huntington St. and San Fernando Mission Blvd. Work is scheduled to begin in February 2019 and be completed at the end of March 2019.

The first phase of the project consists of sewer and water improvements on Glenoaks Blvd. from the West City Limit to N. Maclay Ave. and Harding Ave. from Fifth St. to Glenoaks Blvd.  The City Clerk will opened the contractors' sealed bids on January 31, 2019. The Project will be recommended for award at the regular City Council meeting on February 19, 2019, and construction is tentatively scheduled to start in March 2019.

The City recognized the Help Portrait Committee for their ten-year service program to the San Fernando community. Help Portrait is a nation-wide program organized by local professional photographers and volunteers to provide holiday portraits for families that would otherwise not be able to afford them. Alas Media partnered with the City in 2012 to provide the yearly program at Las Palmas Park. This past year, 2018, marked their tenth and final year, photographing over 100 families.

City Council Presentation on December 1 2018; L to R: Councilmembers Robert Gonzales and Antonio Lopez; Committee Members Rosa Ruvalcaba, Elizabeth Mendez, Magdalena Gutierrez, Tina Gutierrez, and Carmen Gutierrez; Mayor Joel Fajardo; Councilmember Hector Pacheco

The Winter Season of Youth Basketball is off to a good start with 132 kids registered. The program serves participants between the ages of 4 to 16. 

Monday Night Adult Basketball is coming to Recreation Park this Spring! Teams may register at Recreation Park beginning in February 209 and games will run March 2019 through June 2019. Special program introductory rate of $250 per team plus officiating fees. Contact Recreation Park for more information: 818.898.1290.

The evening fitness classes saw an increase in participation during the month of January 2019. A 20% discount was offered on the FitPass and Zumba Pass to encourage people to take charge of their health and join our fun and affordable classes.

The community was invited to a Pickleball demo that was held on January 24, 2019, at Las Palmas Park. Participants learned the fundamentals and tried their hand at this fun paddle sport. For more information on signing up contact Las Palmas Park at 818.898.7340.

The Las Palmas Senior Club will hold their Valentine's Day Dance on February, 16, 2019, from 7 pm to 12 am, at Las Palmas Park. Come and dance the night away to live music and enjoy raffles and door prizes. Contact Las Palmas Park for more information: 818.898.7340.

DATE	GROUP/ EVENT	LOCATION
2/3/19	Camino de Santidand Ceremony/ Recognition	958 N. Maclay Ave.
2/17/19	Camino de Santidand Fellowship Gathering	958 N. Maclay Ave.
3/2/19	San Fernando National Little League 2019 Opening Day Ceremony	Pioneer Park
3/23/19	Studio 44 Fitness Fitness Showdown/ Spring into Fitness	Recreation Park

Las Palmas Park staff hosted a Volunteer Breakfast on January 10, 2019, to show appreciation for all the hard-working volunteers. The Elderly Nutrition Program (ENP), Tierra Del Sol, and all other volunteers took part in a lovely breakfast and received a thank you gift on behalf of the Las Palmas Park staff. The Department is truly grateful for all the support the volunteers provide to keep programs running smoothly.