issam najm, president; susan gorman-chang, vice president ... · 9/12/2018 · equipment. sempra...

Issam Najm, President; Susan Gorman-Chang, Vice President; Gabriel Khanlian, Secretary; Andrew Krowne, Treasurer; David Balen, Signer; Asaad Alnajjar; Brandii Grace;

Jason Hector; Alex Kim; Becky Leveque; Hassan Memarian

Meeting Minutes – 12 September 2018 - DRAFT

Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council (PRNC) Board Meeting

Wednesday, 12 September 2018

Porter Ranch Community School (PRCS) 12450 Mason Avenue, Porter Ranch 91326

DRAFT MINUTES (PENDING BOARD APPROVAL)

1. Meeting call to order

▪ President Issam Najm called the meeting to order at 6.50PM. 2. Welcome

▪ Issam welcomed over eighteen stakeholders, along with [eventually] ten board members. 3. Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence in honor of 11 September 2001 and 12 September 2008

▪ Issam led us in a moment of silence to honor September 11 and September 12 (which was the ten-year anniversary of the Metrolink/Amtrak train disaster in Chatsworth).

4. Roll Call

▪ Gabriel Khanlian performed the roll call and a quorum was declared.

Here (10) Asaad Alnajjar, David Balen, Susan Gorman-Chang, Brandii Grace, Jason Hector, Gabriel Khanlian, Alex Kim, Andrew Krowne, Becky Leveque, and Issam Najm

Absent (1) Hassan Memarian

5. Motion to Approve Minutes from August 8, 2018 PRNC Board Meeting

▪ Brandii mentioned that there was a typo that omitted her serving as Chair of the Harbor City Neighborhood Council Homelessness Solutions Committee.

▪ Gabriel Khanlian made a motion to approve these minutes; David Balen seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

6. Motion to Approve the August 2018 MER

▪ The following credit card transactions for General Operations Expenditures were presented:

Date Vendor Amount August 2 Hostgator.com $ 65.70 August 2 Web Network Solutions 75.98 August 8 Ameci’s Pizza and Pasta 300.00

August 11 Porter Valley Country Club 1,769.96 August 14 WPY Investment Group 112.02




August 14 WPY Investment Group 32.69 August 14 WPY Investment Group 62.74 August 14 WPY Investment Group 29.57 August 14 WPY Investment Group 104.46 August 23 Minuteman Press 17.52 August 23 Storage Inc. of Chatsworth 144.00

Total $2,714.64

▪ Andrew Krowne made a motion to approve the August MER; Gabriel Khanlian seconded the motion, and it passed:

Aye (8) Alnajjar, Balen, Gorman-Chang, Hector, Khanlian, Kim, Krowne, and Najm

Ineligible (1) Grace

Absent (2) Leveque and Memarian

7. Treasurer’s Report

Budget Amount $42,000.00

Expenses to Date Funding Requests 0.00 Credit Card 3,147.42

Total Outstanding Commitments 1,540.96 Pending Payments 0.00

Net Available $37,311.62

Cash Balance $38,852.58

▪ Treasurer Andrew reported that the net available is slightly inaccurate, pending a $600 invoice from Webmaster Wendy Moore.

8. Conversation with LAPD Devonshire Division Commanding Officer, Bryan Lium

▪ Saturday, September 29 is the annual Valley Disaster Preparedness Fair, 9AM to 1.30PM, at 9400 Shirley Avenue, just south of Plummer Street. Everyone is urged to register online to receive a complimentary Family Emergency Preparedness Starter Kit; one kit per family while supplies last.

▪ The LAPD/Devonshire is very active on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Next Door, and Instragram. They also have a new app that everyone is urged to install on their iPhone and/or Android.

▪ The community’s feedback concerning Next Door has been very positive, and everyone is urged to sign up.

▪ Susan reported that the PRNC is very concerned about the homeless, and has donated $5k to Clean Streets/ Clean Starts (CS/CS). She recently attended a meeting of the Sylmar Homelessness Solutions Committee and was sad to report that crimes against the homelessness have gone up as follows:

Rape Robbery Murder

Up Up Up

107% 40%

200%




▪ The LAPD could impound more RVs [especially those with expired plates] but they have nowhere to store them, so the LAPD does not bother to apprehend them.

▪ Becky asked about crime statistics: The Devonshire Division, which covers over fifty-square-miles, leads the city with a 15% reduction in crime so far this year. In addition, there have been no homicides.

▪ Some folks mentioned a reduction in street racing. The LAPD, led by Sergeant Andrew Kukla, has put together an enforcement task force to combat illegal street racing; their first weekend resulted in sixteen impounds and eight arrests. After impound, the LAPD requires that the heavily modified racers be returned to its original specifications.

▪ Jason mentioned there is a challenge in getting the information to the LAPD. He would prefer to communicate via text and asked Brian if the LAPD could accept a direct line between the stakeholders and LAPD officers. Issam added that we lack an emergency communication plan; Brian mentioned that 911 is the emergency communication plan. Call 311 to report non-emergencies. Someone asked about 911 emergency response times. Citywide, the response averages seven-minutes, the Devonshire Division averages a response of just less than that at 6.9-minutes.

▪ Someone suggested Crime Stoppers; however, this is a private entity, whereas Devonshire Tips is the LAPD.

▪ Brandii suggested that since the area needs more police recruits, and there are many homeless individuals, perhaps the LAPD could hire the homeless. Brian replied that recruiting is handled from the downtown headquarters. In addition, a bachelor’s degree is not required to join the LAPD, but candidates must be over age 20½.

▪ The LAPD has a citywide part-time youth cadet program; three of these youth volunteers are at the Devonshire Station, alongside over two hundred volunteers. Brandii offered to help the LAPD with their volunteer coordination, as she has experience leading over one hundred volunteers.

▪ A stakeholder asked about a fire near the YMCA at the end of August; the cause of that fire remains unknown.

▪ Another stakeholder asked about someone who fell into a mineshaft; the trespasser was handled by the LAFD, the LAPD was not involved.

9. Legislative Report from Assemblymember Dante Acosta

▪ Mr. Acosta was raised in Granada Hills in the shadow of Aliso Canyon. As a teen, he worked multiple jobs, including serving ice cream and assisting at his mom’s bridal salon. His family moved to Santa Clarita thirty-years ago.

▪ Mr. Acosta introduced Carlie Olson from his Simi Valley office; Angelica Chavez is also available to assist constituents via his Valencia office. His offices are fully accessible and his staff is willing to make certain that any issues anyone has with the state will be handled by the appropriate agency.

▪ Mr. Acosta is very concerned about Aliso Canyon; he co-authored, alongside Senators Henry Stern, Robert Hertzberg, and Scott Wilk, a bill to shut down Aliso Canyon until a root cause analysis was created.




However, this was killed in the senate. He recently signed a letter requesting that the $119.5m settlement stay within the Porter Ranch area, rather than diverting some of the funds to cow farmers in the San Joaquin Valley.

▪ All energy companies require natural gas, but we must be safe about its storage, and protect people who live nearby. Hospitals are very keen on natural gas, as it is used to heat the air, water, and sterilize their equipment. Sempra Energy wants to keep Aliso Canyon open for reliability issues. Solar (with lithium battery and storage issues) and wind power are insufficient to meet all our needs.

▪ The “Real ID” act was passed by the federal government in 2005, the California DMV is still not ready to participate in this program.

▪ $79m was earmarked for a DMV audit, yet Governor Brown pressured three senators to kill this audit; he did not want every newspaper to California to have the headline that the DMV was being audited. In addition, the DMV was unable to implement Saturday hours, as promised. Mr. Acosta asked the DMV’s Director Jean Shiomoto about the wayward $79m; apparently, this went to overtime. Director Shiomoto has led the DMV for over five years, following a thirty-year career there. A new governor will be in place next January, and Ms. Shiomoto may be replaced at that time.

▪ Mr. Acosta and the ACLU voted against SB10 which eliminated money bail, which led to the closure of many related businesses and the unemployment of over 30,000 bail bondsmen and their support personnel. California feels that they will save money by not incarcerating as many people. Alternatively, California will create a new marshal-type service that could cost $200m. He heard of a story whereupon someone was arrested on a Friday night; the family posted the $1k bail. When they were found innocent on Monday, they forfeited that $1k. However, when a wealthy person is found innocent after raising bail, their bail money is refunded.

▪ In addition, child abuse (which could lead to the death of the child) and terrorism are no longer classified as serious felonies.

10. Presentation from representatives of elected officials or City department

▪ This agenda item was tabled, as no one was unavailable. 11. Public Comments on Matters not on the Agenda and within the purview of the Board

▪ Ryan Valencia, campaign manager for Christy Smith, introduced himself and mentioned that this 38th assembly district includes Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Porter Ranch, as well as Northridge and Chatsworth (north of Devonshire Street). Christy understands the frustration of the Porter Ranch people and looks forward to the full closure of Aliso Canyon ASAP. She is disappointed that $19m (of the $119.5m settlement) will go to cow farmers in the San Joaquin Valley and pet projects of SoCalGas.

▪ Rob Rampton from Richmond California is in town attending a conference, and stopped by to urge the people of Porter Ranch to pursue a larger settlement, as this $119.5m will not last long.

▪ Glenn Bailey from the Northridge East Neighborhood Council (NENC) distributed one of the NENC’s 250 “Neighborhood Watch” signs and urged the PRNC to purchase these signs for their community.




▪ Thursday, September 13, the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) will meet at the Sherman Oaks Hospital. This will feature a town hall with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment’s (DONE’s) General Manager Grayce Liu to discuss possible improvements to the neighborhood council system.

▪ The annual Congress of Neighborhood Councils will be held on Saturday, September 22, at city hall. Board members and stakeholders are urged to RSVP by Tuesday, September 18. Parking, breakfast, lunch, over thirty workshops, and limitless networking opportunities will be provided. To ensure adequate food, lunch will be via a ticket. Janice Hahn will be the keynote speaker, and a surprise guest will give the closing address.

▪ As one of 36 budget advocates (who support the 98 neighborhood councils), Glenn mentioned that PRNC’s budget representatives are Andrew, Jason, and Susan. The advocates meet with the managers of the various city departments in October. This is followed by the creation of a white paper and a March 2019 meeting with Mayor Garcetti to discuss the city’s annual budget.

▪ Stakeholder Lane Semper felt that she was cut off during the August 11th retreat, and thinks the PRNC is doing a great job.

12. Board Member Comments

▪ Becky mentioned that Friday, October 12 is the annual Supporters of Law Enforcement in Devonshire (SOLID) $10 all-you-can-eat pasta dinner at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 9501 Balboa Boulevard from 5PM to 8PM. The area SLOs will serve you dinner, and there will be a silent auction.

▪ Asaad recommended that the PRNC donate $500 or $1k to SOLID via a Neighborhood Purpose Grant (NPG). In addition, the Safety Committee will meet on Thursday, September 13.

▪ David Balen reported that the PRNC recently donated $2,500 to the PRCS. They are in the process of installing a beautiful banner highlighting the PRNC; hopefully, this will encourage more people attend the monthly PRNC meetings.

▪ In addition, a new park is awaiting sign-off by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Also, Vice President John Love from Shappell Properties may attend the October PRNC meeting to discuss the new Vineyards Shopping Center.

▪ Regarding the Aliso Canyon Ad Hoc Committee, Chair Susan reported that they received fence-line funding via that aforementioned $119.5m settlement. She thanked the 79-people who commented online regarding this settlement. Their next meeting will be Monday, September 24, at the library.

▪ Regarding the Homelessness Solutions Committee (HSC), Chair Susan mentioned that the second round of the already funded CS/CS program is being planned. This leads to a coordinated entry system for housing and job placement. CS/CS alumnus Fraser recently got a job at Medtronic of Northridge. The HSC meets on the first Thursday of each month at the Pillars Café, 19700 Rinaldi Street.

▪ Regarding the Sustainability Committee, Chair Susan reported that they meet at the library on the third Tuesday of each month. They hope to do an educational presentation on climate change.




▪ Outreach Chair Brandii mentioned that she developed a calendar for the coming year, as discussed at the August 11th retreat. She attended today’s memorial regarding the ten-year anniversary of the Amtrak/Metrolink train disaster. She took offense to someone who mentioned during the benediction “our community was stronger by their passing”; no, our community was stronger by living wonderful lives.

▪ Jason reported that he and his family picked up trash near Braemore Canyon. The Parks and Recreation Department has added more trashcans along Braemore Road; these bins are now full. Perhaps we can inform property owners that they are responsible for cleaning this area?

▪ He also spoke of trees along Reseda Boulevard.

▪ Jason saw the PRNC signage while escorting his daughter to kindergarten at Castlebay Lane Charter School.

▪ Saturday, September 15, there will be a PRNC (along with YMCA, Wal-Mart, and CD12) –sponsored graffiti and trash clean up at Limekiln Canyon. Folks will meet at 8.30AM at the Valley Christian Presbyterian Church, 19514 Rinaldi Street, and walk down the tunnel. Formal advance registration is not required.

▪ The Parks and Recreation Department is already aware of that fire near the YMCA and are removing a few dead and burnt trees.

▪ Regretfully, the note-taker could not hear Alex Kim’s comments.

▪ Issam reported that when someone emails the board, everyone will see it, yet the secretary should delegate the response action. This alleviates multiple responses to one email.

▪ Over the next few months, the PRNC will alternate meetings between the PRCS and the Castlebay Lane Charter School.

▪ Currently, the PRNC’s physical postings (agenda, etc.) are near the Coldwell Banker offices at 11280 Corbin Avenue; this may be relocated to either the Town Center or the Holleigh Bernson Park.

BREAK

13. Presentation on the upgrades planned for the Porter Ridge Park and Wilbur Tampa Park

▪ Parks supervisors Jorge DeLoera (for the West Valley (west of the 405)) and Therman Calloway were joined by Playground Designer Guy Donahoe from Little Tykes to review the Wilbur Tampa Park (at 12001 Wilbur Avenue) and the Porter Ridge Park (at Reseda and Sesnon Boulevards).

▪ Both parks are designed for children, ages 2 to 12, with sand removal, increased handicap access and water bottle fillers. The city does not have distinguishable park areas for children less than two years of age.

▪ Therman mentioned that earlier this year, the Clippers agreed to redo all outdoor basketball courts within the city’s parks. All backboards will include the Clipper’s logo.




▪ Park areas reserved for older children will have a different colored surface. Someone mentioned that the Holleigh Bernson Park has a large popular blue area. Guy will take the popularity of the blue area into design consideration.

▪ Someone requested that each park have a surrounding fence; however, Guy responded that this would create an undesirable hard surface.

Wilbur Tampa Park

▪ This was originally built in 1989, yet it lacks wheelchair access. The new park will double in size with lots of shade (via long-lasting canopies). The new playground will be at the lower tier for handicapped accessibility from the street. Although everything will be accessible to the disabled, it will remain fun for able-bodied children.

▪ In response to Brandii’s query, the only handicapped accessible swings will be the “baby buckets”.

▪ A large tree, benches, and picnic tables will remain.

▪ Parking and streetlights will be available from both sides of Wilbur Avenue, but the park will not have its own lights.

▪ They will do repairs to the street, and fence off a slope to prevent kids from running down the slope towards Wilbur Avenue.

▪ There will be a colorful rubberized surface (made from old tires); a sample of this material was distributed throughout the room.

▪ There will be a new spinner, which goes slower than those from the drive-ins of our youth.

Porter Ridge Park

▪ The caterpillar at the park (as shown in the 1982 movie, ET) will remain. The city will install new benches nearby. The rock climbing area will be removed.

▪ This park currently has two swings in a pit; one of the swings will be removed to allow for handicapped access.

▪ There will be a hyper-net area and a five-piece bongo musical instrument for children ages 5 to 12.

▪ The 8’ swings will not have shade, as the shade canopy bubbles are 7’.

▪ Brandii suggested accessible swings and slides for children with severe disabilities, such as cerebral palsy.

▪ Issam suggested solar lights, as this park is a hang out for after-dark shenanigans. 14. Discussion and possible action to approve the $500 NPG for City of Angels Community Choirs (COACC)

▪ Andrew Krowne recused himself.

▪ The COACC is having their annual fundraising Fall Follies Gala on Saturday, October 20th at Temple Ahavat Shalom, 18200 Rinaldi Place.




▪ The NPG will assist COACC in putting on this wonderful show that generates funds needed to operate their scholarship program.

▪ In exchange, the PRNC will receive outreach by having their logo placed on the website (coacc.net) and will be included in the printed Fall Follies Gala’s program.

▪ This NPG will benefit Porter Ranch by supporting the arts and help empower children to build a brighter future for our community.

▪ Kim from the COACC reported that this $500 would be used for fundraising, space rental, and scholarships for children who would not otherwise afford to be in this program. Jason asked about the cost of participating in this program; the reply was approximately $225/person.

▪ Approximately forty children, ages five to sixteen, participate, along with thirty or forty adults.

▪ 25% of the COACC children are from Porter Ranch; other children come from Chatsworth, Northridge, and Granada Hills.

▪ Although they rehearse in Granada Hills, they have participated in local events attended by PRNC stakeholders (such as the Granada Hills and Chatsworth holiday parades), as well as at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion/LA Opera, California Adventure in Anaheim, as well as twice at Carnegie Hall, NYC.

▪ David requested that the choir perform at the annual PRNC holiday party.

▪ A stakeholder mentioned that this is a great outlet for the children.

▪ Glenn Bailey mentioned that NPG donations should be to performances that are free and open to the public. Also, there was a confusion regarding the Chatsworth and Granada Hills addresses as entered on the NPG. Kim mentioned that they sell tickets. Instead perhaps they should call their tickets “a donation”.

▪ Issam Najm made a motion to approve this NPG, provided that the address on the application be corrected, and if there are any other challenges to the donation, Kim will repair the error and address the October PRNC meeting; David Balen seconded the motion, and it passed:

Aye (6) Alnajjar, Balen, Gorman-Chang, Hector, Leveque, and Najm


Recused (1) Krowne

Absent (3) Khanlian, Kim, and Memarian

15. Discussion and possible action to authorize the Safety and Traffic Committee and the Sustainability

Committee to develop a “PRNC Resilience and Preparedness Plan" as well as identify a “Resilience Hub” to be submitted to the Board for discussion and approval

▪ This Resilience Hub will be where people can get services in the event of an earthquake or another blowout; FEMA, Red Cross, and other service providers will go to this place to meet with people.

▪ Brandii Grace made a motion to approve this agenda item (with the addition of the Outreach Committee); Issam Najm seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.




16. Discussion and possible action to provide $500 to the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) to be a Neighborhood Council (NC) sponsor for both the Election Forum on October 11, 2018 and the VANC Anniversary Mixer March 14, 2019

▪ Susan Gorman-Chang made a motion to approve these two $250 expenditures (one for the Elections Forum, the other for the March event) [rather than one $500 expenditure]; David Balen seconded the motion, and it passed:

Aye (6) Alnajjar, Balen, Gorman-Chang, Hector, Krowne, and Najm


Absent (4) Khanlian, Kim, Leveque, and Memarian

17. Discussion and possible action to set up and staff a PRNC table at the Valley Disaster Preparedness Fair on

September 29 from 9AM to 1:30 PM

▪ The PRNC has already funded this activity, but we must have multiple volunteer board members. Asaad, as Chair of the Safety Committee, will take the lead on this activity.

▪ Asaad Alnajjar made a motion to approve this agenda item; Brandii Grace seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

18. Approve board member reimbursement to Jason Hector for $55.12 for Post-It Easel Board and Sharpie

Markers purchased for the PRNC Retreat

▪ Susan confirmed that this re-usable item is within the storage unit.

▪ Someone mentioned that this expenditure should not be approved after the fact. However, this was part of the budget for the retreat/office supplies, and will be expended from that portion of the budget.

▪ Andrew Krowne made a motion to approve this $55.12 reimbursement; David Balen and Asaad Alnajjar seconded the motion, and it passed:




19. Discussion and possible action to authorize the Outreach committee to begin planning for the PRNC Holiday

Party with a budget not to exceed $3,500, with the understanding that, before any funds are spent, the committee will bring an itemized list of expenditures to the Board for approval at the October meeting

▪ Susan Gorman-Chang made a motion to approve this [up to] $3,500 Outreach expenditure; Andrew Krowne seconded the motion, and it passed:







20. Discussion and possible action to approve supporting Safe Halloween activities in Porter Ranch with a budget not to exceed $1,000 with the understanding that, before any funds are spent, the Outreach committee will bring an itemized list of expenditures to the Board for approval at the October meeting

▪ Brandii explained that this $1,000 would be for outreach items. She recently visited all the vendors at the Porter Ranch Town Center (PRTC) and the business managers supported hosting a Safe Halloween activity at the center. However, many will require corporate approval. Several long-term vendors have been adversely affected by the Aliso Canyon blowout.

▪ David, Jason, Asaad, the business-folk of PRTC, and many stakeholders told Brandii that safety is their key concern.

▪ David also felt this may be redundant, as many area churches, schools, and the Northridge mall already do a similar activity. He feels that we will require support from the business owner, Shappell Properties (who he will reach out to) and the LAPD. He appreciated all the efforts that Brandii has done, but she may want to do more research, and perhaps postpone this until 2019.

▪ Andrew added that this might not be an approvable expenditure.

▪ Susan Gorman-Chang made a motion to approve this agenda item; Asaad Alnajjar seconded the motion, and it passed:

Aye (5) Alnajjar, Gorman-Chang, Hector, Krowne, and Najm


No (1) Balen


21. Meeting Adjournment

▪ Issam adjourned the meeting at 9.38PM.

issam najm, president; susan gorman-chang, vice president ... · 9/12/2018 · equipment. sempra...

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