Greetings Good People of Los Angeles, First and foremost, I would like to thank our Council Vice President Howard Benjamin for all the great work he has done over the past 2 1/2 years, but especially throughout this very busy month of October. Mr. Benjamin honorably represented our Council during the “Voting Reform Meeting” that we co-hosted with LA City Councilman Herb Wesson earlier this month. Mr. Benjamin not only was responsible for researching, purchasing and arranging shipping for numerous outreach materials for the Council he also exhibited leadership and professionalism during the Health Fair our Council co-sponsored with LA City Councilwoman Nury Martinez. Thank you Vice President Howard Benjamin -- you are a scholar and a gentleman. Secondly, the VNNC is continuing our “Speaker Series” and will be welcoming Los Angeles City Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Miguel A. Santana. It is important to bring the people of Los Angeles closer to their government and the powers that be. It is our job as local elected officials to facilitate meetings, workshops and summits to make this possible. I look forward to hearing from CAO Santana at the Council Meeting on November 12th, and seeing how we can all work together to promote the common good throughout the City of Los Angeles. (cao.lacity.org/SantanaBio.htm) And finally, the VNNC has started planning an Environmental Symposium in the West Valley to start the process of making Los Angeles the nation’s first “100% Green City,” as well as address the cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, commonly known as Rocketdyne, for the first quarter of 2015. We are also in the early stages of gathering speakers for a citywide Planning Summit in March 2015. Again, it is an honor and privilege to serve as your Council President, and thank you for this great opportunity to be a part of our community. -George Christopher Thomas, Council President Van Nuys Neighborhood Council empowerla.org/ vnnc.org 1. Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America 2. Roll Call (Quorum Call) 3. Comments from the Chair (President) of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council 4. Public Comment (On matters within the VNNC Board’s Jurisdiction.) *Speaker Cards: 2 minutes, 1 Public Comment Time. (This includes speaker cards on any and all agenda items -- a limit of 10 minutes for the entire meeting per Stakeholders and Councilmembers alike) 5. Secretary’s Report -- Approve October Minutes 6. Treasurer’s Report -- Jeanette Hopp and/or Howard Benjamin (Second Signatory) -- Approve Treasurer’s Report 7. Committee Chairperson’s Reports, Budget Advocate’s Report, Elected Officials’ Reports & Election Chair’s Report 8. New Business a. Neighborhood action. The Ban of fracking in Los Angeles. Volunteers from Food and Water Watch (FWW) are presenting on the hazards of urban drilling. They are asking (us) to prepare a community impact statement in support of a fracking moratorium that will be voted on by the City Council either in October or November. FWW hopes the council will support their cause and ban hydraulic fracking in Los Angeles, especially in Van Nuys. (Daryl Gale & Amy Turnbill – Food and Water Watch) Discussion and Possible Action on a Letter of Support. b. Speech and Presentation by Alexa Meyers, student ambassador from Granada Hills Charter High School. Ms. Meyers will be discussing DECA, which is a truly worthy program that develops emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of marketing, finance, business administration and hospitality. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. (15 minutes) c. Speech and Presentation by Charles Robbins of The Village Family Services. The Village Family Services is Southern California’s leading bilingual family wellness agency providing a comprehensive range of services to achieve permanency and safety for neglected and abused children and youth. Our approach centers on family wellness amid client-centered, strength-focused, trauma-informed, evidence-based and culturally competent care delivered by a compassionate, bilingual staff. The Village Family Services envisions a day where all children and youth are free of social, emotional, verbal and physical harm. d. The VNNC to design and print a “Constituent Services Guide” for use in outreach and mailing activities. The CSG will be a beneficial addition to the VNNC’s image to the general public and will help the council bring local services to our constituents. DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE FUNDING ACTION (NTE $1500) e. Additional Items and Requests f. Possible Funding Requests g. Speech and Presentation by Sandy Logan. Mrs. Logan will be gathering support from the Council regarding the Merchant Committed project. The Merchant Committed project reminds stores owners/managers of the “Best Practice” they should already be implementing as part of their CUP (city) and ABC licensing. We want to recognize retailers on their efforts to prevent underage drinking. (15 minutes) h. Update and request for action on the parking situation on Cedros Street. The VNNC has been addressing an ongoing problem with the residents and the businesses in the area, and has reached out to Councilman Tom LaBonge and his field staff to assist the council in resolving the situation. 9. Old Business a. Consideration and possible vote on filling vacant seats on the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. The VNNC will entertain any and all membership applications submitted for vacant seats. -- ACTION ITEM 10. Announcements 11. Adjournment
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 16:41:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015