Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council

NORTHWEST SAN PEDRO NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL

MEETING MINUTES

February 10, 2003 at 6:30 PM, Peck Park

Board Members in Attendance

James Smith Craig Byrnes

Shari Hill William Upchurch

Ray Patricio Shannon Day

David L. Rivera John Greenwood

Emily Rochte Guillermo Villagran

Michael Nizetich Joyce Fischer

Laura Hansen-Lara

Diana Nave

Board Members Absent

Julia Parker (excused)

Steve Druskovich

ITEMS OF DISCUSSION AND RESULTING ACTION

1. Meeting called to order and roll call taken.

2. Minutes of January 13, 2003 approved.

3. Election of vacant board seat representing an Educational Organization.

a. Candidate speeches: (no write-in candidates)

i. James McGivern – Local building contractor, has lived in South Bay since 1967, has children in Taper School, Council member at his church.

ii. Margaret Moilov – Has teaching credentials, taught from levels K through college, currently tutoring in math. Involved with Girl Scouts and community clean-up activities. Has three children.

b. Results of election – Margaret Moilov won election. Term will end May 29, 2003.

4. Councilwoman Janice Hahn

a. Navy Property Reuse – Original plan for use of property took two years to develop. Volunteers of America informed HUD that they would file a lawsuit if they did not receive a portion of the property to use for homeless programs. After a 45 day discussion on the subject, Councilwoman Hahn decided not to agree to a settlement and support the original plan, standing by the community. HUD now has 90 days to either approve the original plan and transfer the Navy property to the end users or disapprove it, stating that the distribution of the property is not balanced (in accordance with the Stuart McKinney Act which states a certain percentage of property must go to the homeless) and the plan will have to be revised. Councilwoman Hahn stated that she is expecting a notice from HUD any day regarding whether or not they will accept the original plan. If not, HUD will allow the City another 90 days for meeting with the homeless advocates to negotiate new recommendations for the distribution of property. HUD also has the right to meet with the homeless advocates to try to resolve the issues. (Copies of the original plan are available on the Councilwoman’s web site).

i. The Federal Government is unable to transfer any of the property to Habitate for Humanity because there are no guidelines for transferring to “sweat equity” programs. Councilwoman Hahn is going to look into establishing guidelines.

ii. As part of the master plan, end users will be giving $1.9 million to homeless services.

b. City’s early notification plan to neighborhood councils – Councilwoman Hahn acknowledged that the early notification plan is not working, as evidenced by the Police Commission when they failed to notify the community in advance of their action concerning response to burglar alarms. Councilwoman Hahn therefore, has introduced a motion to help neighborhood councils get notified in advance of issues being considered. As a result, neighborhood councils will be able to give a written statement on issues and these statements will be given to each councilperson and appear on the committee agenda.

c. War – Approximately 100 cities in the U.S. have passed resolutions against the Country going to war. Councilwoman encouraged the NWSPNC and individual stakeholders to notify her office of their opinion on this matter, before she votes on the City Council resolution. (Board members had different opinions on whether or not the Board should do a resolution on this subject; no action was taken.)

d. Peck Park - Councilwoman Hahn announced the City’s intention to remove the Rangers from Peck Park and that she was opposed to this. This is another result of the City’s shortage of funds.

5. Stakeholder Comments:

a. Anna Hill – Greatly concerned about an open catch basin running parallel to Capitol Drive. It is open from Amelia to Meyler Street. It’s dangerous, ugly, contains trash, and is a health hazard due to the stagnant water. Cars have actually driven in the ditch in the past. Ms. Hill stated she has called Councilwoman Hahn’s Office but has not received a response. She wants to know why the basin is not covered. Response of the NWSPNC was that the matter will be referred to the Issues Committee to research it and provide a response to Ms. Hill and the Board.

b. John Winkler - Wants Peck Park cleaned up. He is proposing a monthly cleanup of the canyon areas, including trash removal and tree and brush trimming. Mr. Winkler suggested that the community could help in this endeavor. Mr. Winkler also stated that since the Canyon encompasses such a large area, a vehicle is needed to haul trash bags and large debris items. Such a vehicle is readily available at no cost to the City of Los Angeles and is called an AKTIV. It is a tracked vehicle about the size of a station wagon, VW powered, and manufactured by Switzerland. Mr. Winkler stated that the City would only need to provide insurance and liability coverage for its operation in the Canyon. The use of the AKTIV would be provided by Mr. Winkler.

6. Angel’s Gate Cultural Center

a. The Center is located at 3601 S. Gaffey Street, in San Pedro. It is a non-profit corporation, which serves to develop an active environment mutually nourishing to the growth of artists, cultural arts and the community.

b. The Center is conducting a variety of classes and is using former Army barracks for studios, galleries, and classes. The Center is also going directly to school classrooms to teach dance classes. They are now starting a ceramic program from 10 am –12 noon on Mondays (six classes for $75) and are considering an evening class. (Call: 547-3524)

7. Public Works Report

a. Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Center on Gaffey – The Negative Declaration has been distributed to the public for comment. Public comment period ends 2/7/03. The Bureau of Sanitation will then prepare a Board of Public Works report requesting approval of the Negative Declaration and responding to any public comments received. After the Board of Public Works approval, the Bureau of Sanitation will file the Negative Declaration with the County Clerk. After a 30-day waiting period, if there are no legal challenges filed, the Recycling Center may open. (Contact: Jorge Santiestaban, 213-473-8150)

b. Street Resurfacing – Five out of the eight locations requested by the NWPSNC, as needing repair, are being addressed (resurfaced) this fiscal year and recognized by the City as needing attention. The Bureau of Street Maintenance states that there are no funds to do sidewalk repairs (two locations requested by NWSPNC). NOTE: After the meeting, Irene Mendoza from Councilwoman Hahn’s Office approached the Board Secretary, Shari Hill, stating that the Council Office has also requested sidewalk repair on Westmont, by Taper School, and was under the impression that it would be repaired this fiscal year. Ms. Mendoza said she would contact Street Maintenance to inquire about this matter.

c. Street Sweeping Pilot Program – At the request of John Greenwood, the Bureau of Street Services will conduct a pilot study, within the boundaries of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, to determine the effectiveness of machine sweeping non-posted routes on a specific day of the month.

i. The pilot study boundaries are: Summerland Avenue to Ninth Street, Miraleste Drive to North Western.

ii. Cleaning Day: 1^st Wednesday of the month between the hours of 8 am and 11 am.

iii. Duration of Study: Three-month period, from April 1 to June 30, 2003. At the end of the study, street cleaning will revert back to the prior non-restricted route program, while the pilot study is being reviewed.

iv. Study: Data on the amount of debris and the number of vehicles parked in the street will be recorded one month prior to the study. The pilot will consist of notifying residents within the pilot boundary of a specific cleaning day of the month, by flyers (distributed by the NWSPNC). After notification, street cleaning will begin on a specified day. If the day is missed due to weather or holidays, the area will be swept the following Wednesday. At the end of the study, the data collected will be reviewed and compared to the data collected prior to the study, to determine if the pilot had an increase in street cleaning effectiveness. The report will give recommendations if posting signs with a specific day of cleaning will be cost effective, if the pilot was a success, and if the program will be implemented Citywide (which will require an increase in funding).

v. Anticipated challenges:

1. On street parking will be impacted due to both sides of the street being swept on the same day. If residents choose to park on the street, sweeping effectiveness will not improve. Program relies on a voluntary compliance.

2. The cleaning effectiveness of other areas may be affected to the pilot study.

vi. General information:

The City has 103 authorized full-time motor sweeper operators, sweeping both posted and non-posted routes. Approximately 40% of streets in the City are on a restricted parking route and 60% are on a non-restricted route. There are three types of street cleaning routes:

1. 858 restricted (no-parking) routes – 4,721 curb miles. Streets are posted with “no parking” signs that state the day of the week and time of the sweeping. DOT will issue parking citations enforcing the no parking time restrictions. Routes are cleaned on a weekly frequency and are 8-10 miles in length.

2. 401 non-restricted routes – 8,058 curb miles. Routes not enforced by DOT, no signs posted, on street parking allowed. Streets cleaned on an on-going rotation. Routes are approximately 31 miles in length.

3. 134 morning routes – 1,538 curb miles. Routes are cleaned during the hours of 3 – 7 am. Selected major arterial streets, industrial, and commercial areas are included. Routes average 40 miles.

8. Animal Shelter – The location of the new animal shelter remains the former Big “C” Hardware store on Gaffey, near the carwash. The property went into escrow January 16, 2003. The shelter is expected to be completed in 2006. There were two issues of concern to the community: traffic and noise. To mitigate traffic, there will be two parking areas: Public parking will be on Gaffey and employee parking will be on Mira Flores. To address noise, the City has hired an acoustic specialist. The Bureau of Sanitation is meeting one on one with any stakeholder who wants to discuss the shelter. (Contact: Allan Espiritu, 213-580-3707)

9. Outreach Committee

a. Bus Bench Shelters – The list of recommended sites for bus bench shelters was hand delivered to Councilwoman Hahn’s office for processing.

b. Newsletter – The Outreach Committee will be working on writing a newsletter for distribution to all stakeholders in the NWSPNC area. The Committee is considering obtaining the services of a professional to assist with the newsletter (line item has been added to the NWSPNC budget for this purpose). It is hoped that the newsletter will be distributed prior to the election in May.

10. Treasurer’s Report

a. NWSPNC has a balance of $606.89. In the month of January, $15.68 was reimbursed to a board member for outreach activities. The Board Secretary Shari Hill questioned the record keeping in the checkbook, stating that notation of “outreach reimbursement” was not sufficiently informative. She felt that records needed to be more detailed to indicate what was purchased, as the NWSPNC was accountable to the City and its’ stakeholders. The Treasurer, Bill Upchurch, assured Ms. Hill that appropriate records were being kept and that receipts were available. Ms. Hill felt that detailed information should be easily available in accounting documents and that one should not have to review receipts to find specific information. Ms. Hill agreed to generic descriptions of expenditures in accounting documents, such as “refreshments”, in lieu of “outreach reimbursement”.

b. A proposed budget for the NWSPNC for a 12-month period was presented to the Board. Total amount allocated was $38,450. Vice-President Craig Byrnes recommended that line items amounts be increased to reflect a budget of $50,000, the amount allocated by the City. The board agreed. Diana Nave made the motion to approve the budget; Joyce Fischer seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

i. Community Endeavors

1. Community Beautification --------------------- $15,550

2. Community Projects ---------------------------- $10,000

3. Grant Writing Fees ------------------------------- $ 5,000

ii. Equipment

Computer and software ------------------- $ 2,000

iii. Outreach - newsletter

1. Mailings (two) ------------------------------------ $ 9,000

2. Composition -------------------------------------- $ 3,000

iv. Miscellaneous

a. Name badges, name plates, banners - $ 750

b. Photocopying ---------------------------- $ 1,000

c. Stationery Supplies --------------------- $ 500

d. Postage other than newsletter --------- $ 200

e. Refreshments ---------------------------- $ 500

2. Website (annual maintenance) ------------ $ 1,000

3. Scholarship (youth scholarship fund) --- $ 1,500

11. Issues Committee – Met on January 30 and addressed the following topics:

a. Budget – Recommended the inclusion of Community Beautification, Grants Writing, Community Projects, and Scholarships.

b. Johns S. Gibson and Channel Cal-Trans Property Cleanup – Complete, thanks to the cooperation of Cal Trans.

c. Open Storm Drain (Drain located off Capitol between Amelia and Meyler) – Committee researching.

d. Navy Land (addressed by Councilwoman Hahn at this meeting)

e. Port Issues - Board Member Shannon Day brought to the Board’s attention the issue of the tax on bunker fuel. In 1991 the State imposed a tax on bunker fuel. The result was a 50% drop in sales of bunker fuel and a net loss of revenue to our community and the State. AS a result, a ten-year moratorium was placed on the use of that form of taxation. When the moratorium was up, Congress voted to extend it for an additional ten years, however, the Governor vetoed that legislation. Legislation is now being introduced to re-instate the exemption. After the legislation is introduced, the Issues Committee will consider drafting a resolution for consideration by the NWSPNC.

f. Community Cleanup – Peck Park (report by Shari Hill)

i. March 8 – At the request of the Peck Park Advisory Board and Peck Park Recreation Supervisor, the NWSPNC has coordinated a clean up of the baseball fields at Peck Park to get ready for baseball and t-ball season. Date of cleanup: March 8, 10 a.m. The Board’s newest board member, Margaret Moilov, has arranged for a Girls Scout troop to perform the cleanup. The City’s Clean Sweep Program will bring the trash bags and rakes and the NWSPNC will purchase drinks and donuts for the volunteers.

ii. Tour –The NWSPNC and Peck Park Advisory Board are coordinating a tour of Peck Park specifically for City and organizational representatives. The purpose of the tour is to give all parties an opportunity to personally see the current condition of the Park. The focus issues are maintenance and security. This tour will take place on February 22, at 9 am. In addition to board members, representatives from the following entities are expected: LAPD, Councilwoman Hahn’s Office, Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Audubon Society

g. Peck Park (Report by Diana Nave)

i. Leland Park – Planting of 200 trees has begun. Rec and Parks will develop a regular schedule for cleaning up litter.

ii. Field of Dreams – Field house with restrooms is in the design stage (5% complete) with funding secured under prop 12. Estimated completion is 9/1/04; meanwhile there are portable restrooms available.

iii. Peck Park

1. Issue of Restrooms still under consideration. One option is to expand the use of the service building (cost and availability funds being researched). Another option is to purchase a Viacom restroom. However the restroom includes advertisements, which is against the City policy on public property. (Rec and Parks is researching the possibility of an exemption to this policy.) The board discussed the problem of keeping the current restroom clean. Board Member Laura Hansen-Lara suggested getting the community involved to help. Diana Nave suggested posting the graffiti hotline number inside the restroom.

2. Promotion of Nature Trails – Meeting set for February 14, at 9 a.m. with Palos Verdes Peninsula Conservatory, Audubon Society, and Rec and Parks.

3. Safety Fencing – Fencing has been installed around the storm drain. More fencing will be installed at several places along trails. A retaining wall will be placed in July.

4. Drainage problem on Patton – No response from Street Maintenance yet.

5. Q-Star Cameras – Rec and Parks is exploring the use of these cameras with motion detectors and sound as a deterrent to inappropriate night usage of restrooms. Camera costs $3,000. There is a concern about the sound from the camera disturbing nearby residences.

6. Youth Employment – Rec and Parks is exploring a youth employment program to assist with Park maintenance.

iv. Street Repair – Reported above under Public Works.

12. PCAC (Mike Nizzitich)

a. Board member Mike Nizzitich attended a PCAC Air Quality Subcommittee meeting on February 5, 2003. The discussion of the meeting addressed how to remove the pollutants from diesel truck exhaust, resulting from the age and various models of the trucks. The two pollutants that were of concern were NOX and the particulate matter. The four possible solutions to this problem, that are available at this time are:

i. Gateway Cities Proposal – They offer money for the replacement of trucks, model years prior to 1984.

ii. Emulsified Fuel – Adequate with particulate reduction, but has the least reduction in NOX. This is very god method for off road trucks (in the terminal) but compliance of the on-road trucks could be difficult to achieve.

iii. Catalytic Converters – Effective, but can only be installed on newer model trucks.

iv. Particulate Filters – Effective, but can only be installed on newer model trucks.

b. Also discussed was how to remove 2.5-micron particulate size pollutants from the exhaust, since the research data provided only went down to the 10 micron particulate size.

13. Next Meeting – March 10, 6:30 p.m., Peck Park.

MINUTES PREPARED BY: MINUTES APPROVED BY: DATE:

Shari Hill, Secretary John Greenwood, President

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