The RFP for repaving McCadden Place from Beverly Blvd to 3rd Street has been issued and bids for the construction will be in soon. This construction will not only repair and repave McCadden Place, but repair the concrete curbs that are broken, install curb cuts in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities act (ADA), adjust maintenance holes and water meters and repair concrete aprons. This is the first step in evaluating the response, cost and competence of private firms. For information about the status of this RFP see website: http://www.labavn.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=contract.opportunity_view&recordid=29502.

There have been a increasing number of home burglaries including the ransacking of a car in a garage, and the robbing of a house while the owners were out to dinner. Many of these homes had security systems, but weren’t turned. Please remember, if you have a security system, turn on your alarm. If you leave your house be sure it is locked and secured; even if you’re only running a short errand. Be aware of any suspicious activity and call 911 if you think there may be a problem. If you are the unfortunate victim of a crime, be sure and file a police report. This enables the LAPD to assign precious resources to our neighborhood. Contact Officer Dave Cordova if you are a victim of a crime and Dave can take a crime report. Call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number.

You can pay your dues on the Association’s website at: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ ! Those homeowners who have paid their dues by June 1st are eligible to vote in the Association’s elections and run for office.

The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Kimberly Henry (kimberly.henry@lacity.org) and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.
Updating the City’s General Plan – https://ourla2040.org/

In 1974, as a result of federal funding, the City of Los Angeles passed an ordinance placing the obligation for maintaining sidewalks on the City. Years have gone by, funding has disappeared and our sidewalks are now often obstacle courses. In 2016 the City Council and mayor approved the Safe Sidewalks LA repair program. This program will ultimately review and, if needed, repair all the sidewalks in Los Angeles. After the review is done and the repairs, if necessary, are made the City will provide maintenance for the sidewalks for 20 years. After that the property owner will be responsible for sidewalk maintenance.

If you have a sidewalk that needs repair and you are willing to pay for the repairs, there is a rebate program where you can be reimbursed up to $2,000. The first step to getting your sidewalk repaired is to go to the Safe Sidewalks LA website – http://sidewalks.lacity.org/ and fill out a request. Select the Rebate Program and fill out a request. You can also call 311 to file a request. If you know of a dangerous sidewalk and want an immediate repair or if you’re disabled and there is a broken sidewalk use the options on the website for reporting these locations. In these cases, the repairs will usually be temporary asphalt patching.

Don’t forget to VOTE on March 7th! One of the most important items on the ballot is Measure S, which deals with growth in our city. Please get informed and VOTE! A good place to start your research is site: Ballotpedia – https://ballotpedia.org/Los_Angeles,_California,_Changes_to_Laws_Governing_the_General_Plan_and_Development,_Measure_S_(March_2017)#Overview

Safety is still an issue so lock your house, car and activate your house alarm if you have one. Contact Officer Dave Cordova if you are a victim of a crime and Dave can take a crime report. Call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number. The Association’s website is: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ . The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Kimberly Henry (kimberly.henry@lacity.org) and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative (Measure S) on the March 7th ballot will ask Los Angeles voters to make a big decision about which direction development should or shouldn’t take. Measure S would: 1) Establish a temporary ban on all development projects requiring zoning that lifts land-use restrictions or increases permitted building heights and ban zoning changes that increase the allowed density or height of buildings or a net loss of land dedicated to open space, agriculture, or industry; 2) Prohibit project specific amendments to the city’s General Plan; 3) Require a public review process for the City’s General Plan every five years; 4) Require that environmental impact reviews be done by city staff, and 5) Limit reduction of on-site parking requirements for development by no more than one third. There are exemptions for some types of affordable housing developments and natural disaster reconstruction.

Opponents argue that the development process is transparent and open to citizen input and that Measure S would severely limit housing construction to the detriment of renters, businesses and the city. This measure reflects many residents’ frustration with what seems like out of control development, particularly in Hollywood. However, there are reasonable arguments on both sides and it is up to us, the citizens of Los Angeles, to carefully consider the measures proposed and decide if this is the right course of action. A good place to start your research is site: Ballotpedia – https://ballotpedia.org/Los_Angeles,_California,_Changes_to_Laws_Governing_the_General_Plan_and_Development,_Measure_S_(March_2017)#Overview , which lays out both sides of the argument and has links to further information.

Don’t forget to keep you and your family safe. Lock your lock your house, car and activate your house alarm if you have one. Contact Officer Dave Cordova if you are a victim of a crime and Dave can take a crime report. Call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number. The Association’s website is: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ . The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Kimberly Henry (kimberly.henry@lacity.org) and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

The Association has been working with the City on figuring out what happened when the City started trimming our street trees and ended up removing a large number of trees. Hancock Park is an HPOZ and as such our street forest is protected. Any removal of a street tree in the parkway section of our streets need to be reviewed by the HPOZ Board; something the City did not do. Now, however, the City has agreed to follow its own rules and will not be removing any more trees unless an arborist reviews the decision and the HPOZ board agrees. The tree trimming will resume in the near future. This time, though, they’d trim one block, the Association’s arborist will check the work and determine the job is correct before the crews continue trimming.
As part of our reforesting effort the Association’s Tree Committee has been investigating different varieties of our existing street tree species to find cultivars that are better adapted to the challenging circumstances in our parkways. As many of us have removed grass to install water saving landscapes, the watering of parkway trees has often been forgotten. This means our street trees are suffering a double whammy: less watering from homeowners and extreme drought and heat conditions. As a homeowner you can help by being sure your trees are well watered.

The City has a new contractor to maintain the Highland median and we’re still in the evaluation period as to whether the contractor is doing their job. The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council has sponsored an asphalt truck to do spot fixes in asphalt paving. If you see a pothole in an asphalt street, let your block captain know or contact the Association.

Don’t forget to keep you and your family safe by locking your house, car and activate your house alarm if you have one. Contact Officer Dave Cordova if you are a victim of a crime and Dave can take a crime report. Call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number.

Join a committee and be an active member of the Hancock Park Community. The Association’s website is: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ . The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

Don’t forget to attend the Association’s Annual Meeting on Monday, October 17th, 7PM at 3rd Street School. There will be speakers from the Association, the LAPD as well as Councilman Ryu. This is also the time when the election of the Association’s Board of Directors takes place. If you are a member in good standing, meaning you’ve paid your Association dues, you’ll have received a ballot. The nominees are: Patricia Alexander, Cindy Chvatal-Keane, Jennifer DeVore, Indy Flore, Joel Kozberg, Joanne Medeiros, Pam Newhouse, and Victoria Vickers. Visit the Association’s website to read brief biographies. Either send in your ballot or bring it to the meeting. This is a great opportunity for you to talk to your Councilman, the LAPD and the Association, have your questions answered and find out how you can help your community.

Many homeowners have seen the terrible job of ‘tree trimming’ done by the City’s Department of Urban Forestry. Not only were the trees trimmed much more aggressively than was promised but a large number of trees were simply cut down. The Association demanded the work be stopped and the damage evaluated before anything else was done. We’ll be pushing the Council Office and the city to come up with a plan for replacing the destroyed trees and to hire qualified arborists and workers to work on our trees. The parkway trees of Hancock Park are a vital part of our historic streetscape and are explicitly protected in the Preservation Plan.

Don’t be a crime victim. Lock you house, car and activate your house alarm if you have one. Contact Officer Dave Cordova if you are a victim of a crime and Dave can take a crime report. Call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number.

Join a committee and be an active member of the Hancock Park Community. The Association’s website is: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ . The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

Councilman David Ryu has dedicated over $50,000 of his discretionary funding to finally get the parkway trees in Hancock Park trimmed. The trimming started in September and the city will do two blocks every weekend, starting at 7:30AM and going until 6PM. The streets will be posted so that parking will not be permitted the days of the trimming. We’ll keep block captains informed of the trimming schedule as it is communicated by the Council Office. If you have questions contact Nikki Ezhari in the Councilman’s Office. Her email address is: nikki.ezhari@lacity.org and her phone number is 323-957-6335.

Don’t forget to attend the Association’s Annual Meeting on Monday, October 17th, 7PM at 3rd Street School. There will be speakers from the Association, the LAPD as well as Councilman Ryu. This is also the time when the election of the Association’s Board of Directors takes place. If you are a member in good standing, meaning you’ve paid your Association dues, you’ll have received a ballot. The nominees are: Patricia Alexander, Cindy Chvatal-Keane, Jennifer DeVore, Indy Flore, Joel Kozberg, Joanne Medeiros, Pam Newhouse, and Victoria Vickers. Visit the Association’s website to read brief biographies. Either send in your ballot or bring it to the meeting. This is a great opportunity for you to talk to your Councilman, the LAPD and the Association, have your questions answered and find out how you can help your community.
Don’t be a crime victim. Lock you house, car and activate your house alarm if you have one. Contact Officer Dave Cordova if you are a victim of a crime and Dave can take a crime report. Call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number.

Join a committee and be an active member of the Hancock Park Community. The Association’s website is: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ . The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

Patricia Alexander

Patricia Alexander has been a resident of Hancock Park since 2012. She is a block captain and serves on the Friends of Third Board at Third Street Elementary. Patricia is on the Third Street Elementary Beautification Committee, which in the past year implemented a beautification project on June Street funded by a grant from the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society. Patricia is married to Hani Alexander and they have 3 elementary aged children. Patricia has a BS in Business from the University of South Florida and an MBA from the University of Tampa.

Cindy Chvatal-Keane

Cindy Chvatal-Keane has been a member of the HPHA board for 20 years and she currently serves as the board president. Cindy also co-chairs the Block Captain/Neighborhood Watch, Historic Preservation and Land Use Committees. She is helped formulate a plan for the long-term care and maintenance of Hancock Park’s parkway trees and the Highland Ave Median. Cindy developed and maintains the current block captain email information system, which provides the neighborhood with information about a wide range of issues important to residents such as: crime activity, emergency procedures, lost pets, traffic issues, City meetings that involve Hancock Park, and HPHA meetings. She believes strongly in preserving the residential character of Hancock Park and its R-1 Zoning designation, which protects the status of single family homes. Cindy co- founded the Hancock Park Historic Preservation Advocacy Group and was a key player in the process that culminated in the establishment of an HPOZ for Hancock Park. She currently sits on the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Traffic and Transportation Committee, is a member of the Executive Board of the California Science Center and is an Executive Producer of the television series C S I.

Jennifer DeVore

Jennifer DeVore has been on the HPHA board for 14 years and has lived in Hancock Park for 19 years. She is currently the recording secretary of the board and works on historic preservation, emergency preparedness among other committees. In addition to her work in the neighborhood, she is currently a board member on the national board of YaleWomen. Jennifer has previously been on the review board of the HPOZ for Hancock Park and also on the boards of the Ebell and the Yale Club of Los Angeles. She and her husband, Marc Feinstein, are the parents of three teenage boys. Previously, she was director of marketing at the Los Angeles Times. Jennifer received her BA in American Studies from Yale and her MBA from UCLA.

Indy Flore

Indy Flore serves on the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone board as well as the HPHA board. Born and raised in London, Indy lives in Hancock Park with his wife, Julie Buxbaum (novelist), and their two young children who attend Wagon Wheel Nursery and Third Street Elementary. Indy currently works in private equity and has a background in investment banking and law. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, Oxford and King’s College, London.

Joel Kozberg

Joel Kozberg is a native of Los Angeles and has lived in Hancock Park for 20 years. He is a trial attorney who specializes in the litigation of complex business disputes. As a board member of the HPHA, he has responsibility for matters implicating legal issues. In addition to his legal training, Joel also has degrees in business and architecture, having received an MBA at UCLA and an AB at UC Berkeley. Joel also serves as a board member of Los Angeles Team Mentoring, an organization that mentors at-risk middle school students, including participants at John Burroughs in Hancock Park.

Joanne Medeiros

Joanne Medeiros was raised in West Los Angeles and is a proud graduate of UCLA for her BA, and Occidental College for her MA in Education. She is currently the Southern California Manager for ELLE DECOR and House Beautiful, two of the leading design titles published by Hearst Magazines. She has a passion for residential design, gardens and architecture developed through her professional career and international travel. She moved to Hancock Park almost 12 years ago, remodeling her 1930 Mediterranean villa. Joanne was an important part of the team that planned and implemented the John Burroughs Middle School beautification project. With the help of HPHA and WSHPHS, over $150,000 in local funds were raised to upgrade the school and surrounding grounds.

Pam Newhouse

Pam Newhouse has lived in Hancock Park since 1992 and has served as a member of the HPHA board since 1996. She is currently the chair of the Graffiti Committee, which works to keep our neighborhood graffiti- free. She is also a member of the Parkway Trees Committee, which works on neighborhood beautification through the restoration of Hancock Park’s parkway tree canopy, and a member of the Traffic and Transportation Committee, which seeks to mitigate traffic issues in our neighborhood. She has previously served as the treasurer and corresponding secretary of the Association and as a member of the Land Use/Zoning Committee. Pam is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and has worked as a finance attorney.

Victoria Vickers

In her nearly 22 years on the Hancock Park Homeowners board, Victoria Vickers has served the community in a variety of positions including Recording Secretary, Membership Records, Traffic Committee, Neighborhood Watch Block Captain, and HPOZ Committee. She currently is the Treasurer of the Association. She looks forward to addressing the concerns of the community and preserving the Hancock Park we all know and love.

The Association’s Annual Meeting will take place on Monday, October 17th at 3rd Street School, so put the date on your calendar and plan to attend. The Council Office, LAPD and other important organizations will be there giving information and answering questions. Reports from the Association’s committees will keep you up-to-date on what’s going on in street maintenance, historic preservation, crime prevention, filming and safety. And, most important, this will give everyone a chance to ask questions and find out if there’s a committee that could use your help.

The Annual meeting is also when the election of half the members of the Association’s Board of Directors takes place. If you are a member in good standing, meaning you’ve paid your Association dues, you’ll have received information about the upcoming election and a list of the nominees presented by the Board. These nominees are: Patricia Alexander, Cindy Chvatal-Keane, Jennifer DeVore, Indy Flore, Joel Kozberg, Joanne Medeiros, Pam Newhouse, and Victoria Vickers. Visit the Association’s website to read brief biographies. Ballots for the election will be mailed to members in good standing in the next month.
Crime continues to be a problem so don’t forget to keep you and your family safe by locking your house, car and activating your house alarm if you have one. If you are the victim of a crime file a report with Officer Dave Cordova. Dave can take a crime report if you call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org with all the information, including your name and telephone number.

The Association’s Committees are always looking for new members to so join a committee by visiting our website and be an active part of our community. The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

No one needs reminding that the revitalization of Hollywood has moved south to the borders of Hancock Park. Now the sleepy Melrose border is alive with new construction and Wilshire Blvd.’s Miracle Mile is changing its character from primarily low impact business offices to condominiums and other housing. Growth can be a benefit for everyone, but and that’s where we are now … but … without thoughtful input from neighbors, fair and appropriate regulation and enforcement of the law developers will build, leave and stick us with the mess.

The Association has been working with other neighborhood groups on mitigating the impact of two large developments on Hancock Park’s border. The Farmer’s Insurance property on Wilshire Blvd been sold and the new owners will build condominiums and houses. The developers, working with neighbors, have developed a reasonable plan to balance this new residential activity with the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

Melrose Avenue does not enjoy the same protection that The Park Mile Plan provides for Wilshire and the proposed redevelopment of the Paramount Studios property will have a major impact. Paramount’s first proposal to construct new parking structures, a new office tower and to install electronic billboards creating an Electronic Sign District was not approved at the recent City Planning Commission meeting. City staff, the Council Office, and everyone near this site were successful in scaling back such overwhelming development and raising Paramount’s contribution to traffic mitigation by $500,000.

The work done by you, your neighbors and your Association show that it is possible to have constructive input into large developments. Now, more than ever, it’s important that all of us stay aware of any proposed changes, hearing requests or construction in the areas surrounding Hancock Park. Your participation in writing letters and attending hearings is critical to keeping the residential/commercial balance right for all of us.

The Association’s Committees are always looking for new members to so join a committee by visiting our website and be an active part of our community. The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180.

The Association has completed another successful elm tree planting as part of the Tree Committee’s project to renew Hancock Park’s beautiful elm forest. Trees, like all living things, have a life span and Hancock Park’s elms are reaching the end of theirs. The Tree Committee has removed dead trees, stumps and replanted with a mixture of American Elms, the original elm, and Frontier Elms, a newer, hardier, more drought tolerant variety. Given the unpredictability of rainfall and temperature ranges, the Committee decided to add to the variety to ensure the survival of our arbor.

Councilman David Ryu’s Office has been making a concerted effort to clean up neighborhoods of trash, graffiti and items dumped illegally. Just take a look at the cleanup done at the corner of Lillian Way and Melrose, where the council office cleaned up years’ worth of garbage and erased graffiti on the walls. Working with the LA Conservation Corps the council office has a website where you can request a cleanup – http://davidryu.lacity.org/clean_streets?utm_campaign=w_10&utm_campaign=w_15&utm_medium=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=davidryucc&utm_source=davidryucc .

Unfortunately, crime is still occurring in Hancock Park. Please remember to lock your house, car and activate your house alarm if you have one. If you are the unfortunate victim of a crime file a report with our Senior Lead Office, Dave Cordova. Dave can take a crime report if you call his cell phone, 213-793-0650 or send him an email, 31646@lapd.lacity.org. Send him all the information, including your name and telephone number. The Wilshire Division Front Desk can be reached at 213-473-0476 for questions and information.

The Association’s Committees are working hard to keep Hancock Park a great place to live; so join a committee by visiting our website and be an active part of our community. The HPOZ Preservation Plan -http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park regulates our HPOZ. Contact our City Planner, Renata Dragland (renata.dragland@lacity.org), and use the online form (http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist) if you plan on making changes to the exterior of your house. Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180. LAPD, Wilshire Station Front Desk – 213-473-0476