Holmby News 1-24-20

HOLMBY NEWS
January 24, 2020

From the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association, serving the Holmby Westwood community since 1960.

1.  Street Repair Requests
2.  Synthetic Turf Field at Westwood Rec. Center
3.  SB-50 Housing Bill Update
4.  Parkway Trees Update
5.  Earthquake Safety
6.  Holmby Park – All Cleaned Up
7.  News from the Mayor’s Office
8.  Angeles Academy of Music – New in Westwood
9
.  Upcoming Community Events
10.  HWPOA Contact Information

1.  STREET REPAIR REQUESTS

The Bureau of Street Services has scheduled a Small Asphalt Repairs (SAR) truck (which is described as 1 small asphalt repair truck, consisting of 2 workers and asphalt), for the Westwood Neighborhood Council area, to perform small asphalt repairs on Februrary 26, 2020.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council has asked us to submit suggested locations in our neighborhood for small street repairs. The city will only send the SAR truck to a total of 15 locations in the entire Westwood Neighborhood Council area, so Holmby Westwood will only see a handful of repairs.

The type of repairs that can be addressed with this program include the following:
– Potholes and pop outs
– Skin patching of eroded or cracked areas
– Some repairs on concrete streets

If you are aware of any spots in our neighborhood that would be particularly good candidates for this program, please send requests to Dana at hwpoa@aol.com no later than Wednesday, February 5.  Please only send street repair requests, not sidewalks or curbs.

NOTE: Street repaving is not part of this program.  Please do not submit requests to repave streets.

2.  SYNTHETIC TURF FIELD AT WESTWOOD REC. CENTER

The Recreation & Parks Commission has approved the installation of a controversial synthetic-turf soccer field at Westwood Park.

The synthetic field, which replaces natural grass in the park, will measure 180 feet by 300 feet, have LED lighting and 20-foot-high netting behind the goals. There will also be paint on the field to accommodate soccer and flag football. The field will not be fenced. City programming will occupy Tommy’s Field 45% of the time, 35% will be allotted for permit reservations, and the remaining 20% will be open for public use.

More information can be found in this Daily Bruin article:
https://dailybruin.com/2020/01/19/commission-approves-synthetic-turf-field-at-westwood-park-after-months-of-debate/

3.  SB-50 HOUSING BILL UPDATE

SB 50 is an attempt for the State to override local zoning restrictions to allow for multi-family housing in single family residential neighborhoods. That could result in apartment buildings in the HWPOA neighborhood.

As of today, SB 50 has been taken by Senator Atkins to the Rules Committee where it is waiting to be voted on.  The bill has to be out of the Senate by the January 31 deadline.

Here is a link to an article from the LA Times yesterday:

LA Times – SB 50 article

Please continue to follow this in the local news as the story is evolving on a daily basis.

4.  PARKWAY TREES UPDATE

Dalehurst Avenue
Thanks to the Holmby Westwood Green Team and TreePeople, Dalehurst Avenue now has 22 newly planted Canary Island Pines.  In addition, the City has removed 7 dead Aleppo Pines and several tree stumps from the street.  Drop by and see what has been accomplished.  It looks great!

Tree Trimming
You have probably noticed city tree trimmers in the neighborhood.  The City has developed a schedule for trimming parkway trees.  While the schedule for this fiscal year includes the majority of streets in Holmby Westwood, it does not include every street.  Streets that are not included will hopefully be addressed in the next fiscal year.  We will continue to press for completion of trimming throughout the neighborhood.

5.  EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

This week marked the anniversary of the 1994 Northridge earthquake.  Read about the quake’s significance and how you can prepare for the next one by clicking the link:

Remembering the Northridge Earthquake

We also experienced a 3.6 earthquake earlier this week, which was a good reminder that we should prepare for disasters that may occur in Los Angeles.

A few years ago, HWPOA hosted a Disaster Preparedness presentation, with speakers from the LAFD and a geologist from UCLA.  Videos of the presentation can be found on YouTube:

Part 1 – https://youtu.be/dxLoVloKvyw
Susan Reuben (HWPOA Vice President) discusses our neighborhood preparedness plans; Lt. Mark Akahoshi (LAFD Battalion Chief) discusses earthquake preparedness and the CERT training program.

Part 2 –  https://youtu.be/8xaTlJEhM5s
Debbie Weiser (Geologist) discusses earthquake hazards in West Los Angeles, the “Big One”, and what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.

Below, you will find links to a number of websites that may be helpful with earthquake preparedness and safety:

In addition, ShakeAlertLA is a mobile app that sends alerts to users within Los Angeles County that an earthquake of greater than magnitude 5.0 or level IV intensity has been detected and that they may soon feel shaking.  The app is available for both Apple and Android devices and available in both English and Spanish. You can also use this app to prepare for an earthquake, get details on recent earthquakes, and find help after an earthquake.

6.  HOLMBY PARK – ALL CLEANED UP

Earlier this month, the curbs and crosswalks around Holmby Park were filled with dead leaves and mud, which was unsightly and made it difficult for pedestrians to walk or get out of their cars.  HWPOA contacted the city to request street cleaning around the park and the city quickly cleaned up the mess.

7.  NEWS FROM THE MAYOR’S OFFICE

The Mayor’s Office recently sent out a newsletter with updates on a variety of programs, events and other announcements.    Topics include:

  • LA Public Library to End Late Fees
  • Jobs with Summer Night Lights
  • LADOT Speed Hump Application
  • Census Goodwill Ambassador Program

The notice can be found here:

News from the Mayor 1-20-20

8.  ANGELES ACADEMY OF MUSIC – NEW IN WESTWOOD

HWPOA would like to support our local businesses.  Angeles Academy of Music is a new business that recently opened up in Westwood Village at 10921 Weyburn Ave.  They offer piano lessons, voice lessons, violin lessons, guitar lessons and cello lessons.

Website:
Angeles Academy of Music

9.  UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS

American Neorealism, Part One: 1948-1984 – Jan. 10 – Feb 8 at the Billy Wilder Theater.  In the aftermath of WWII, Italian neorealist filmmakers sought to directly represent the social reality of their time though non-professional actors, location shooting and open-ended narratives. John Cassavetes, Barbara Loden, Charles Burnett, Shirley Clarke, Billy Woodberry, Kent Mackenzie and other American filmmakers embraced this movement as a rich alternative to Hollywood’s classical style.

For more information about this series and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, click here:
https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2020/american-neorealism

Cuisine.Art.People. Festival 2020 – UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance is setting the plates for 12 nights of great food, fun and lively conversation in L.A.’s beloved restaurants, cafes and watering holes. 12+ amazing people are seated at each table to ‘break bread,’ raise a glass and exchange what’s on our minds in an intimate setting to help support the cultural life of Los Angeles. All proceeds benefit CAP UCLA programming. Click below for a schedule of events and to make reservations:

https://www.cap.ucla.edu/CuisineArtPeople

10.  HWPOA CONTACT INFORMATION

HOLMBY WESTWOOD PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
P.O. Box 49180
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310-470-1785
Email: hwpoa@aol.com
Web site: www.holmbywestwoodpoa.org
Pay Membership Dues: https://squareup.com/store/hwpoa

You Are Invited . . .

  • To attend our monthly Board Meetings*
    NEXT MEETING – FEBRUARY 11
  • To let us know your concerns about our community and your ideas about how we might work to improve it
  • To become involved in our Association.

*Board Meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Belmont Village (10475 Wilshire Blvd.).  Please confirm prior to attending.