Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council (PRNC) Board Meeting Wednesday, 9 January 2019 Porter Ranch Community School (PRCS) 12450 Mason Avenue, Porter Ranch 91326 APPROVED MINUTES 1. Meeting call to order President Issam Najm called the meeting to order at 6.23PM. 2. Welcome Issam welcomed over seventeen stakeholders, along with [eventually] ten board members. 3. Pledge of Allegiance Jason led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. Roll Call Gabriel Khanlian performed the roll call and a quorum was declared. Here (10) Asaad Alnajjar, Susan Gorman-Chang, Brandii Grace, Jason Hector, Gabriel Khanlian, Alex Kim, Andrew Krowne, Becky Leveque, Hassan Memarian, and Issam Najm Absent (1) David Balen 5. Motion to Approve November 2018 Monthly Expenditure Report (MER) Date Vendor Sub-Category Amount October 17 City of Angels Community Choir Neighborhood Purpose Grant (NPG) $ 500.00 October 25 Jason Hector Office 44.88 October 25 LAUSD Civic Center Permit Office Office 533.48 October 25 Moore Business Results Office 17.51 October 25 Moore Business Results Office 547.19 October 26 Nobel Middle School PTSA NPG 500.00 November 1 Storage Etc. Office 124.00 November 15 EIG Constant Contact Office 465.41 November 16 Apple One Office 219.45 November 16 US Post Office Outreach 356.00 November 26 FedEx Office Office 133.70 November 28 Domino s Pizza Office 124.62 Total $3,566.24 Andrew Krowne made a motion to approve this MER; Gabriel Khanlian seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. 6. Treasurer s Report Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 1
Budget Amount $42,000.00 Expenses to Date Funding Requests 4,555.32 Credit Card 7,127.58 Total Outstanding Commitments 0.00 Pending Payments 448.30 Net Available $29,868.80 Cash Balance $30,317.10 Treasurer Andrew reported that the items that have not yet been paid (ie, holiday party expenditures) do not yet appear on this report. 7. Presentation from representatives of elected officials or city departments Ron Rubine, district director of CD12, mentioned that the city council has been on hiatus; hence there has not been much activity. The city council recently appointed former councilman Greig Smith to represent CD12. Mr. Smith will be eligible to vote at council meetings, but will not be eligible to campaign to fill this seat during the Tuesday, June 4 th special election. If no candidates receive more than 50% of the vote at that time, there will be a run-off. Jason asked about the Porter Ranch Arts Trust Fund, which may have a budget of approximately $206,000; the follow-on steps remain unknown. 8. Update from NC Budget Advocate This agenda item was tabled, as there was not a budget advocate in attendance. 9. Public Comments on matters not on the agenda and within the purview of the board Northridge East Neighborhood Council (NENC) board member Dr. Loraine Lundquist mentioned that she is a candidate for the city council seat vacated by Mitchell Englander. She is a community advocate, sustainability committee member, and a professor at CSUN who will fight for her community. She looks forward to providing exceptional city services and making certain the streets are paved and the potholes are filled. She was originally an astrophysicist; since becoming a mom (and foster parent) her passion is environmental issues and homelessness solutions. In addition to her duties chairing the Homelessness Solutions Committee for the NENC, she is also a member of the West Valley Neighborhood Alliance on Homelessness (WVNAH). The WVNAH will meet in Granada Hills in February, whereupon she will advocate for getting our homeless into housing. Keith Hamman is concerned about Porter Ranch s many sign ordinance violations; he is particularly concerned about the excessive signage from Toll Brothers. These signs create trash, block the flow of sidewalk traffic, damage the new utility poles, and the landscapers are inconvenienced to remove the a-frame signs. Keith s dad (Mr. Hamman) moved to Porter Ranch four months ago, and loves all the great park activities throughout the community. Stakeholder Manuj expressed concern about robberies within the Porter Ranch community. Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 2
10. Board member comments and committee updates Asaad recommended that the PRNC host a town hall meeting prior to the June 4 th special CD12 election. In addition, his day job involves enforcement of the sign ordinances on behalf of the city. He has previously never heard from Keith Hamman, yet he added that signs on grass are outside of the city s jurisdiction. Asaad also mentioned that he serves on the PRNC s Safety and Transportation Committee, who meet monthly with the LAPD. The LAPD reports that there has been a strong reduction in crime throughout this area. However, it has been discovered that many crime victims leave their doors unlocked. Susan Gorman Chang serves on the Sustainability Committee and reported that they meet on the 3 rd Tuesday of each month; their next meeting at the Porter Ranch Library will be Tuesday, January 15 th. She pointed out a bin whereupon rubber-soled sneakers are collected for recycling to be ground up and used in playgrounds. Susan also serves on the Homelessness Solutions Committee, which meets on the 1 st Thursday of each month at the Pillar s Café. Saturday, February 16 th, she will participate in a Public Homelessness Forum at Granada Hills High School. She also serves on the Aliso Canyon Ad Hoc Committee, whose goal is to seek a permanent fence line. They will not meet again until the court approves the descent decree; this will take at least seven weeks. On behalf of the Outreach Committee, Brandii Grace thanked all the volunteers who worked for the holiday party, which came in under budget. Brandii is working to reformat the PRNC website. She asks that if anyone posts a committee meeting, please let her know so that she can post it onto PRNC s Facebook page. She added that there is currently a homeowner s association meeting here at the PRCS whereupon they are discussing crime. Jason hopes that the PRNC sponsors some sort of town hall prior to the June 4 th CD12 election; he will have further details at the February meeting. As a representative of the Education Committee, he mentioned that the teacher s strike (postponed until Monday, January 14) is eminent. The Castlebay School has a plan in place to keep large groups of student in an assembly. Jason also attended the city s forestry meeting; it was mentioned that Cal Fire would do an inventory of all trees. In addition, the Board of Public Works hopes to have a tree summit later this year. Jason added that free mulch is available Monday through Friday, 7AM to 2.30PM, from the Van Norman Recycling Center, 11701 Bulcher Avenue, Granada Hills. Jason requested a new business category in the agenda. As chair of the Beautification Committee, Alex Kim thanked Keith Harmon for noticing the excessive signage throughout Porter Ranch, and he will look into that. The Beautification Committee meets on the 4 th Tuesday of each month at 6.30PM at the Porter Ranch Library, and interested parties are always welcome to join them. Hassan expressed concern about street racing, particularly at Sesnon and Reseda Boulevards. This area has a great many tire marks. However, the racing often occurs between 1AM and 4AM. Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 3
Issam mentioned that he recently met with Supervisor Kathryn Barger regarding the letter concerning the Public Utilities Commission and So Cal Gas. He also met with the County s Department of Public Health. Friday, January 11, Issam will fly to Sacramento to attend the Energy Commission meeting, including a discussion of gas prices. The Elections Committee is working with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and will meet on the 1 st Thursday of each month at the Pillar s Café; this will immediately follow the Homelessness Solutions Committee. The Rules and Bylaws Committee has been formed; they hope to have the new standing rules to bring to the board for a vote by the end of this fiscal year (end of June). 11. Presentation, to be followed by a discussion and possible action on CF17-1311, "State of Street Related Infrastructure Programs in Los Angeles." The report details recommendations to improve Los Angeles street-related infrastructure and associated programs. Link to full report: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-1311_rpt_cao_11-21-17.pdf Laila Alequresh talked about the evaluation of the city street s infrastructure. When one crosses the street, they will pass through areas maintained by twelve different government agencies. The actual public right of way is from the side of one building to the opposite side of the street to the side of that other building. As a result of a desire of the Mayor and Council to improve the delivery of public works services, the Office of the City Administrative Officer retained Laila, a FUSE Corps Fellow, to prepare a report on the street s infrastructure. Ms Alequresh worked with the Departments of Public Works, Transportation, Water and Power, the City Council, as well as Mayor Garcetti s office. Over 400 interviews were conducted, numerous field observations were performed, and the operations of both the city and other municipal jurisdictions were studied to learn from their experience. The final report highlighted six key areas of opportunity for improvement: o Alignment: Address decentralized governance of infrastructure programs and differing goals which can unintentionally impact service delivery to our residents; o Communication: Break down silos between divisions, bureaus and departments and share relevant information across groups in a timely manner; o Coordination: Synchronize street related programs so activities are sequenced and completed in the correct order to preserve investments and improve on-time project delivery; o Customer Centricity: Build stronger relationships with our constituents by putting the customer first; o Data and Technology: Improve data collection, data sharing and usage; integrate technology o solutions where appropriate to manage programs; and, Planning: Improve planning using a strategic, outcomes based approach that spans all street related programs. Additional information can be found in their 404-page report or by reaching out to Laila at ladeuresh@lacity.org. A stakeholder asked about a blueprint of the underground pipes; Laila mentioned that the maps exist, but they are not always accurate. For additional information, the Public Works Department holds public meetings three times a week. Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 4
Issam mentioned that the PRNC might generate a Community Impact Statement (CIS); this would be agendized for a future meeting. BREAK 12. Discussion and possible motion to approve the NPG application submitted by Castlebay Lane Elementary School in the amount of $2,500 Jason recused himself prior to this discussion. Vice Principal David Garringer from the Castlebay Lane Elementary School mentioned that last year, the PRNC helped with two robots, two playing fields, and registration fees for events. One team won two awards, and qualified for the state finals in March. Saturday, February 16, Castlebay will host a robotics tournament with 24-teams competing. Gabriel asked if these robotics activities are open to non-castlebay students; the response was negative. These robotics activities are supervised by Castlebay teachers, and due to the logistics and security, the participants must be Castlebay students. One of their coaches is a high school student from Granada Hills High School. Her teacher remarked about how this coaching experience has enabled her to grow. Andrew Krowne made a motion to approve this NPG application; Becky Leveque seconded the motion, and it passed. Aye (8) Gorman-Chang, Grace, Khanlian, Kim, Krowne, Leveque, Memarian, and Najm Recused (1) Hector Absent (2) Alnajjar and Balen 13. PRNC Elections Update and Discussion of Overall Activities Jasmine Elbarbary from DONE reported that the 2019 PRNC elections will be held on Saturday, May 4, here at the PRCS. For information on candidacy and the election, the DONE website is rich with information. There is a cute video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3s6cam-bmi; this covers what it means to be a candidate, etc. The PRNC candidate registration will be Saturday, January 19 through Tuesday, February 19. There will be a neighborhood council candidate workshop from 10AM to noon on Saturday, January 19, at the Marvin Braude Building, 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard, Van Nuys. This informational session will instruct potential candidates how to prepare their candidacy and what to expect in the campaign and subsequent neighborhood council leadership. This will be followed, from 1PM to 3PM, with a workshop to encourage women to run for council seats. Space is limited for these workshops, so please RSVP ASAP. If you are unavailable, another workshop (date TBD) will be held in Mission Hills. Brandii will post this information on the PRNC s Facebook page. 14. Update on Overall NC Activities and Calendar Susan reported that, as PRNC is halfway through the fiscal year, now would be a good time to review activities, calendars, etc. Brandii recommends discussing this at an Outreach Committee meeting and returning this issue to a future PRNC meeting. Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 5
Issam urged any board member, who has something that should be considered for the calendar, to please speak up. Jason and Asaad would like to see a candidate forum for CD12 s June 4 th special election. However, Brandii Grace and David Balen may run for this council seat and will need to recuse themselves. Jasmine added that she has contacts with many high school students (especially her alma mater, Cleveland High School) who may be available to volunteer for the Earth Day festivities (tentatively scheduled for April 2019) and these requested town halls. 15. Motion to recommend to the City of LA Recreation and Parks Department that the new 50-acre be named Porter Ranch Community Park and the pavilion to be named Porter Pavilion and include a fixed marquis and/or display or plaque with some historical background about the founders of Porter Ranch and surrounding areas Susan recused herself prior to this discussion. Jason reviewed the historical significance of 1870s landowners George and Benjamin Porter, and felt it was important to have Porter Ranch somewhere in the park s name. Stakeholder Ron Nagai mentioned that he is completely in favor of this park, and attended the November 16 th council meeting where they discussed naming this park Bloom Park. He is also concerned that there is already a Porter Ranch Park, which is the Holleigh Bernson Park, and recommended signage honoring Holleigh Bernson at the corner of Sesnon Boulevard and Porter Ranch Drive. Stakeholder Anya also urges the PRNC to support this park. Alex and stakeholder Ron Nagal supports the motion as it is currently written. Andrew supports naming this the George M. Porter Park. Brandii, Issam, and Hassan support calling it the Porter Ranch Community Park and recommend that the board reword the motion. Becky wondered if there was a Land Use Committee meeting to discuss this; Jason replied that there was a meeting, but there was no vote on this issue. Gabriel mentioned that he likes the parks name to be Porter Ranch Community Park; however, he is not in favor of the park pavilion to be named Englander Pavilion. He also stated that CD12 candidates should also discuss this and they do have the ability to change the name of the park if park isn t named that the community wants. Issam stated that he is in favor of naming the park Porter Ranch Community Park but disagrees with his fellow board member regarding the name of the Pavilion. He has no problem with it being named after Councilman Englander as he has done a lot for the community, and much of the planning for the park was done under his watch and at his urging. He feels that it is good to recognize that. Jason added that the Parks and Recreation Department has eliminated the name Bloom Park (as recommended by Mitchell Englander) from consideration. Becky mentioned that CD12 (and specifically Mitchell Englander, Hal Bernson, and Greig Smith) have done a great deal of support for the parks of Porter Ranch. Jason Hector made a motion to name the 50-acre park the Porter Ranch Park with the pavilion to be named Porter Pavilion ; Andrew Krowne seconded the motion, yet it was amended prior to a vote. Jason Hector amended the motion to split it to name the 50-acre park the Porter Ranch Community Park ; Andrew Krowne seconded the motion, and it passed. Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 6
Aye (6) No (2) Recused (1) Absent (2) Grace, Hector, Khanlian, Kim, Memarian, and Najm Krowne and Leveque Gorman-Chang Alnajjar and Balen Jason Hector made a motion to recommend to the city s Recs and Parks Department that the pavilion at the new 50-acre park include a fixed marquis and a historical plaque honoring the founders of Porter Ranch, George and Benjamin Porter; Gabriel Khanlian seconded the motion, yet it did not pass. Aye (3) Hector, Khanlian, and Kim No (4) Grace, Krowne, Leveque, and Najm Abstain (1) Memarian Recused (1) Gorman-Chang Absent (2) Alnajjar and Balen Issam reported that the city s Rec and Parks Department would meet on Monday, January 14. These motions would allow a representative of the PRNC to attend and make a recommendation regarding the new park s name. 16. Motion to authorize the Education and Schools Committee to organize a Town Hall meeting and spend up to $950 on the venue, food, and supplies Jason mentioned that this town hall would be similar to what has been done before on other topics. The main discussion points will be about the children moving into the new homes being built throughout Porter Ranch, and what we can do about insufficient room in our schools. Jason Hector made a motion to approve this expenditure; Brandii Grace seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. 17. Motion to approve a Board Member Reimbursement (BMR) for Gabriel Khanlian in the amount of $27.36 Andrew Krowne made a motion to approve this expenditure; Hassan Memarian seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. 18. Discussion and possible action to authorize up to $320 for refreshments ($275) and table covers ($45) for the West Valley Neighborhood Alliance on Homelessness Forum scheduled for Saturday, February 16 at Granada Hills Charter High School Susan Gorman-Chang made a motion to approve this expenditure (whereupon the Northridge East Neighborhood Council will also contribute); Brandii Grace seconded the motion, Jason recused himself and it passed unanimously. 19. Meeting Adjournment Issam adjourned the meeting at 8.55PM. Meeting Minutes 9 January 2019 - APPROVED Page 7