Westwood South

Westwood South of

Santa Monica Blvd.
Homeowners Association

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WSSM NEWSLETTER in production.  Coming soon to your home! 

Owners of all single family homes and condominium homes in our area in addition to owner-occupants of local multi-family buildings will soon be receiving our WESTWOOD SOUTH newsletter.  Included in this year's issue (we send one written newsletter annually and post news on the website and send out email blast updates regularly) are a number of articles and a summary of WSSM activities over the past year.  Details about this year's Annual Meeting are included. 

You will receive a MEMBERSHIP FORM in the newsletter.  Please take a moment to complete it and return it to us with your dues. 

HOORAY!  At long last PICO BLVD. between Westwood and Sepulveda has been repaved. 

To those wondering when the section of Pico between Sepulveda and Sawtelle (which continues to be one of the worst stretches of roadway in the Westside) willl be repaved, wonder no more.  That work will not be done until AFTER the 405 improvements in the area have been completed.  There are fears that the new roadway might be damaged as a result of construction (even though the 405 project staff have offered to do any needed repairs should that be the case).  So, we must wait until after the 405 project in our area has been completed.  

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OLYMPIC - Midvale to Sepulveda Repaved!

Though we did not have advance notice, OLYMPIC Blvd. between  Westwood and Sepulveda has also been repaved. 

We are grateful to have these roadway improvements and thank CD 5 and the Bureau of Street Services for their attention to these important arterial streets.

... now about our other streets in bad condition

We have been patiently awaiting resurfacing of some of our local streets which, sadly,  are amongst the worst on the Westside.  This is not a distinction of which we can be proud.  WSSM receives frequent email queries as to why and how the City can continue to leave our streets in such terrible disrepair.  There is considerable frustration area-wide.

The explanation we have been given is one that doesn't provide much hope.  Apparently, the worse our roads are, the less chance there is that they will be repaired.  The City's policy now concentrates on paving streets that are in need of repair but which have not FAILED.  They seek to keep streets from becoming failed roadways.  (You may remember a project undertaken by WSSM a couple of years ago where we graded each of our streets and submitted the information on roadway condition to the local council district office.  Streets are rated on a grade basis from A to F. )

In our case, since many of our streets have already FAILED and will require complete rebuilding (a very much more expensive proposition than those that can still get by with repairs), they are placed on a long list of streets in need of complete rebuilding.   Street Service dollars would be easily spent rebuilding a small number of  failed streets leaving more streets to fail... a vicious cycle.  While the the City's effort to keep more streets from falling onto the list of failing streets may make sense in an attempt to look at the big picture, it leaves us with a dismal situation in the meanwhile with cratered roadways that are nearly impassable.  

One has to wonder how much it costs to send out the City's pothole team over and over to patch up some of our streets --and particularly those adjacent to commercial streets that regularly carry higher volumes of traffic.   News of the City's continuing budget crisis  does not instill confidence that a plan actually exists to repave our streets. 

IT IS TIME THAT THE CITY MAKE AN  HONEST ASSESSMENT OF WHEN EACH OF OUR FAILED STREETS WILL BE REPAVED.  IT IS TIME THAT THE RESIDENTS OF LOS ANGELES ARE SHOWN WHAT IT COSTS TO REPAVE AN AVERAGE CITY BLOCK AND HOW THOSE COSTS COMPARE TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTY AND WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OF SIMILAR SIZE.  WE CANNOT CONTINUE ON INDEFINITELY DRIVING OVER CRATERS. 

We've seen photos of sinkholes swallowing up fire engines in LA. It doesn't take much to swallow up a two-wheeled bicycle with narrow wheels and tires.  How are we to promote bicycle riding in the City if our streets are impassable and the riders can be thrown off their bikes because of  the broken pavement and potholes?  

We'll end this post with a question from a Selby resident from the 1900 block: " What will the City do with the wheel allignment bill for my car  that I would like to send them?  Do I need to take them to Small Claims Court to seek payment?"

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING

Thieves going door-to-door to see if residents are at home....

Our community has experienced an increase in home break-ins during daytime hours when people are away from their homes.  It appears that burglars are going home to home knocking on doors to determine if someone is home.  When they find a home where no one answers, they seek a way to enter -- most usually via a side or rear window or door although front windows have also  been broken and entered.  Stolen goods are often placed in a back pack and carried out by the thieves.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOUR HOME APPEARS TO BE OCCUPIED AT ALL TIMES.  LIGHTS, RADIOS, ETC. SHOULD BE ON TIMERS IF YOU ARE AWAY FROM HOME.  MAIL, NEWSPAPERS, ETC. SHOULD BE PICKED UP BY NEIGHBORS OR HELD BY THE POST OFFICE IF YOU ARE AWAY. 

IF YOU ARE AT HOME AND YOU HEAR A KNOCK ON THE DOOR, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO STRANGERS BUT DO NOT IGNORE THE KNOCKING.  LET THE PERSON AT THE DOOR KNOW THAT YOU ARE BUSY, ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY CALLERS AND WILL NOT BE COMING TO THE DOOR.   CALL OUT TO SOMEONE AT HOME (REAL OR IMAGINED) TO TELL THEM YOU ARE TOO BUSY TO GET THE DOOR.  (If you remain quiet, the burglars may attempt entry while you are inside not knowing that someone is home!) 

It is important that you call the police to report suspicious solicitors, people who are going door-to-door in the area, etc.  It is important that we keep a watchful eye out for our home and the homes of our neighbors.  There will never be enough police to be watching over our homes or the city.  We must be the eyes and ears of the police and alert them to suspicious individuals. 

The notes from a recent CRIME UPDATE meeting with WLAPD Captain Nathan, Senior Lead Officer Sharif and WLA detectives appears on our crime page. 

Sustainable Works 2012 Los Angeles Green Living Workshops   

Get solutions to some of today's greatest environmental challenges and SAVE MONEY in the process.

Funding provided by LADWP through a grant from the US Dept. of Energy

Sustainable Works is a project of Community Partners.  Visit them at: 

 www.SustainableWorks.org

 Should LA City transfer responsibility for sidewalk repairs to property owners?  

This is a proposal being seriously considered by the LA City Council.  Read about it at:  

http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewrecord&cfnumber=05-1853-S1

Want to get involved and help WSSM to track this issue and to help present our views to the City Council?

INVEST IN YOUR COMMUNITY!  SEND IN YOUR WSSM MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND DUES NOW!

We urge all WSSM area residents to take a moment to send in your WSSM HOA dues. Please take a moment to support WSSM's efforts on behalf of the community. Let us hear from you! The membership form can be found on the Contact us page or as the last page of the 2011 Newsletter (link below).

Annual $25 dues can be sent with your membership form to:

Click here for the 2011 WSSM Newsletter and thank you!

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WLA Community Police Station sponsors a number of youth programs including Police Activity League (PAL), the Deputy Auxiliary Police (DAP), and the Cadet Program.  Information about these programs and how your child can become involved can be found on our "Community Links/Resources" page.

THEFTS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES

ARE OUR No. 1 CRIME IN WLA

REMEMBER TO:

Lock It – A reminder to always lock your vehicle.

Hide It – If you must leave valuables in the vehicle, hide them from plain sight.

Keep It – A positive reminder that personal responsibility can safeguard your valuables from theft .

Top Items Stolen from Vehicles:
GPS Devices
Cell Phones/Chargers
Money
Stereos/Radios
Documents, Mail, Check books

For more Crime Prevention Information or to get involved in a local Neighborhood Watch, contact your local Los Angeles Police Station or visit the LAPD Web Site at WWW.LAPDONLINE.ORG 

You are Invited to the Next WSSM Board Mtg:
Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 7:30 pm

We meet at St Timothy's Church - Pico and Beverly Glen Blvds., Chapter Room (basement)   (Access to the room is off the alley just west of Beverly Glen and north of Pico under the stairs.)

We invite you to join our Board meetings, as we discuss issues and strategies of critical importance to our community.  Come to learn, come to listen, come to get involved!

Parking is available behind the church (a limited number of spaces) or on adjacent Beverly Glen or Almayo or on Pico Blvd. after rush hour parking restrictions. 

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THE SPEED HUMPS ARE COMING, THE SPEED HUMPS ARE COMING..... WHEN?

WSSM coordinated the distribution of DOT petitions for speed humps during 2010 in response to concerns raised about traffic safety on a number of our blocks and in response to impacts from the Santa Monica Blvd. Transit Parkway Project. The project's mitigation fund was created to answer unanticipated impacts of the new SM Blvd. configuration.  WSSM reps met with DOT and CD 5 staff to review impacts and discuss remedies.   DOT approved the installation of speed humps for a number of blocks IF those blocks successfully circulated petitions and obtained 75% approval from each block's property owners / residents.  

A number of our blocks were able to achieve the required percent of signatures and WSSM  submitted completed petitions to LA DOT for review.  Our blocks were approved for speed humps just prior to the City’s disbanding of the street hump program due to budgetary constraints.  As a funding source (the SM Blvd. Project mitigation fund) was established and the petitions completed before the speed hump program was disbanded, the main issue became one of when the humps would actually  constructed.  Despite delays and contract approval issues, that work finally moved ahead and those humps have been completed.

Requests for funding additional speed humps in the area between Pico and Olympic Blvds. (not within the SM project mitigation fund boundaries) were presented  to  Westside Neighborhood Council (WNC) committees in June and September of 2009 for funding from the Trammell Crow traffic fund. 

The WNC is empowered to  make recommendations on expenditures of the Trammell Crow Traffic fund created as a condition on the 2000 Avenue of the Stars project when it was entitled to be built.  At that time a fund of $ 300,000 was placed in an escrow account with the City of Los Angeles.  

The Council District 5 office considers the recommendations of the WNC and then has the authority to request funds from the escrow account that was funded by Trammell Crow as a condition of their development agreement with the City. 

Speed humps for Veteran Avenue were requested between Olympic and Pico, petitions were completed and the speed humps were finally installed in early December.

A request for speed humps and traffic calming in the area between Beverly Glen and Prosser, Pico and Olympic was also submitted to the WNC in 2009 but was not approved.   Petitions for speed humps on Tennessee between Beverly Glen and Prosser were successfully circulated by local residents.  Funding for the humps as well as a mechanism to install them now that the City's speed hump program has been disbanded are in the works.

Thanks to those who were responsible for circulating petitions on their blocks and thanks to all for your patience. 

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PICO BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT UPDATE: 

The application  submitted to METRO for funding to begin implementation of a number of  pedestrian and traffic safety improvements identified in the Pico Beautification Project master plan reached the second round of review but was not one of the handful of projects selected by METRO to be funded.  Other sources of funds and/or partnerships to help to pay for street plantings, medians, sidewalk furniture, concrete design and coloration, new lighting, etc.    will continue to be sought.  You can view the complete plan including drawings, tree selections, sidewalk renderings, etc. by going to the WNC website's posting at:  http://www.wncla.org/static/luc_docs/0-MASTERPLAN.pdf.

WSSM submitted a letter of support and also pledged $ 1,000 toward the required matching funds to help demonstrate to METRO the community's support for this project. We look forward to working with businesses and homeowners to improve the Pico business corridor for safety and pedestrian friendliness which will ultimately improve business on the street and improve the character of our community.  Please email Lisa Morocco at waltzworld@gmail.com if you want further information.

The first phase of beautification took place on SATURDAY, Feb.11th when community volunteers joined in to plant the first 20 new trees on Pico.  Since then additional trees have been planted all along Pico between Patricia and Sepulveda.  Now let's watch them grow!  

PICK PICO!

A new Pico Blvd. business promotion campaign is being sponsored by the WNC and will take place the first weekend in June:   PICK PICO!  Plan to drop by our local merchants and take advantage of weekend specials, sidewalk specials and share in  a spirit of community. 

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          Help End Blight and

             Traffic Hazards:

      Report Mobile Billboards

Call (818) 752-5100 or (213) 485-4181.  Press "2" and give location and license plate # (if any)

After years of frustration battling this pernicious form of blight , L.A. now has a legally enforceable ordinance banning advertising trailers parked on City streets.  Thanks in large part to you and others who called and e-mailed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last fall, he resisted pressure from some business interests and signed a bill that authorized cities to ban  mobile billboards that blight the public landscape, take up valuable parking spaces, and create potential traffic hazards.  The law took effect on Jan. 1, and the City has begun citing the trailers and towing them if not removed.  If you see one on your daily commute or in your neighborhood, please report it by calling one of the numbers and following the directions above.

Note:  The law applies only to mobile billboards parked on public streets, but not to billboard trucks being driven or billboard trailers being towed through the streets.  However, if the law now in effect withstands any court challenges and succeeds in getting rid of this blight, the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight is interested in working with concerned communities to mount an effort to expand the ban to moving billboards that also create blight, use energy, and add to traffic congestion.  A number of cities around the country, including San Francisco, have banned ALL mobile billboards, parked or not, and L.A. should follow in those footsteps.

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New City Sewer Improvement Project began fall 2010 affecting blocks on Kelton, Camden, Veteran.  See info posted on this WSSM website:  Environmental  Quality tab. 

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If you see anything that you feel is suspicious, but not an emergency, go to: 

                                www.alertcommunity.com  

It allows citizens on the Westside to document suspicious activity  quickly, easily, and anonymously.   It is not a replacement for a call to the WLAPD Community Station when you believe that an officer should be dispatched.

This web site contributes to the safety of  our community and to the prevention of crime.

The database is accessed only by  the  LAPD.

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Graffiti Removal Resources

In addition to calling 311, you can now report graffiti directly using the City's online 311 function at http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm. Just enter the exact address and a report and clean-up order are automatically generated.
 
The City also is making efforts to explore today's rapidly evolving technology to make it faster and easier for citizens to report graffiti and other non-emergency problems. The City now has its own iPhone application to report problems. The application was created by Citysourced in a public-private partnership and can be downloaded for free on iTunes. It allows iPhones users to take snapshots of graffiti, potholes, illegal dumping and other issues. Using the iPhone's GPS system, the photo and the exact location are automatically sent directly to the City's 311 system. It even notifies the user when the problem is resolved.

To download the app or see pictures of how it works, visit http://itunes.apple.com/app/citysourced/id336854714.