September 2024 Report to the Community

CARMEN CHANG, NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT, INTRODUCED HERSELF TO THE BABCNC BOARD

Carmen Chang, new General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, introduced herself to the board virtually at our August meeting. She provided some personal background including that she hails from the San Gabriel Valley, attended community college and then transferred to UCLA.  Her work took her to Washington DC and several other states, and she served on the Peace Corps in Cameroon from 2016 to 2018.  She eventually returned to Los Angeles to do non-profit advocacy work.  At this time, she is glad for the opportunity to work within the Neighborhood Council system, which she described as the nation's largest and greatest civic engagement model in democracy, focusing on local work, serving community members and neighbors.
 

Questions were asked and answered.  Several board members expressed their wish that members of the Neighborhood Councils were given more respect within the City.  They brought to her attention that under Former Councilmember Herb Wesson, Neighborhood Council members with a Community Impact Statement (CIS) could speak in City Council on a given agenda topic for at least three minutes at the start of the hearing, and we would like to have that privilege returned to us as soon as possible.  Ms. Chang let us know that she has become aware of this and will bring it back to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners.  The BABCNC looks forward to working with her.  

Robin Greenberg 

VOTE ON AB 2525 DELAYED UNTIL NEXT BABCNC BOARD MEETING

At our August 28th Board meeting, Robbie Staenberg, Office of Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (pictured), said that of the 10 bills the Governor has passed, two were to be mentioned at our meeting, AB 2943 (Retail Theft) and AB 2525 (Los Angeles RV Lot Program).

Each element of AB 2943 can be enacted by the legislature and signed into law without voter approval. The bill creates a new crime to target ‘serial’ retail thieves, it expands the tools for police to arrest and retain custody of those engaging in retail crime repeatedly and helps get at the root cause of theft by expanding the use of diversion and rehabilitative programs. 

AB 2525 will assist the City of Los Angeles and other governmental agencies in providing services to people experiencing homelessness by streamlining the City’s ability to lease property from the California Department of Transportation at a reduced rate to store recreational vehicles while the former inhabitants receive services to relieve homelessness.  This includes the ability to use freeway underpasses and similar areas as parking for vehicles including recreational or oversized vehicles.  The Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council’s agenda for the evening included an item to support a City Council Resolution to include AB 2525 in the City's 2023-2024 Legislative Program, however, the evening ran late and this will be voted on at the next board meeting. 

Robin Greenberg

BABCNC UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTS SECOND DRAFT OF THE LANDSCAPE AND SITE DESIGN ORDINANCE TO CREATE A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT IN LOS ANGELES

In July of this year, Los Angeles City Planning (LACP) released its second draft of the Landscape and Site Design Ordinance. This Ordinance will replace the old Landscape Ordinance which was last revised in 1996; its purpose is to create a healthier environment throughout all communities in Los Angeles. 

The draft Ordinance was designed to provide “multiple pathways to advance site design principles that make our streets and sidewalks more walkable, support healthy communities, provide spaces for nature and biodiversity to flourish, and create buildings and places that support positive community interaction.” Alongside the guidelines, City Planning also designed a flexible Point System for applicants, comprised of mandatory and elective standards, which allows applicants to satisfy the requirements of the Ordinance.

The draft Ordinance applies to new, detached residential and non-residential construction. Residential buildings subject to the Ordinance are those with five or more dwelling units and non-residential buildings subject to this Ordinance include commercial, industrial or hybrid-industrial buildings and construction or reconfiguration of vehicle parking areas.

The Planning Staff encouraged input from the community on this updated version as well as the point system, and comments were due by the end of the day on August 30th. 

The BABCNC recognizes that Los Angeles's urban tree canopy is in decline and believes that the city needs to act quickly to enact better guidelines for the construction industry that will promote a healthy canopy. At the August 28th monthly board meeting, the BABCNC, therefore, voted unanimously in favor of a motion to support this second draft of the Landscape and Site Design Ordinance and the Point System along with a list of amendments which was submitted by the Trees Committee from the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance (LANCSA).  The amendments and comments submitted by LANCSA are mostly intended to clarify certain details of the guidelines to ensure that the right trees are planted, that they are planted properly, and that they have the best chance of surviving. Furthermore, the intention is to prevent any misinterpretations of the guidelines and to close any possible loopholes.

A copy of the letter sent by BABCNC can be found here.

The draft of the Ordinance can be found here.

And the draft for the Point System can be found here.

PARTICIPATE IN THE LOS ANGELES RAPTOR STUDY

               Cooper’s Hawk

The Southern California basin is rich in diversity of the raptors that live here. The most common breeding species you’ll see are:

• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Great Horned Owl
• Western Screech Owl 
• American Kestrel 
• Peregrine Falcon
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Barn Owl 

Have you seen any of these hawks on your block? Or heard an owl? 
You can help with an LA study of nesting raptors. If you have seen hawks or owls in your neighborhood, or anywhere in Los Angeles, please submit the location and details in this form: http://tinyurl.com/LARaptorTips. 

Have questions or want to get involved? Contact Friends of Griffith Park Raptor Study Outreach Coordinator, Nurit Katz by text/call- 818-384-9493 or email [email protected].