The Ebell of Los Angeles
4400 Wilshire Blvd.
Wed., July 14, 2010, 7 p.m.
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PUBLIC Comment: The public is requested to fill out a” Speaker Card” to address the Board on any item on the agenda. Comments from the public on the agenda items will be heard only when that item is being considered. Comments from the public on other matters, not appearing on the agenda but within the Board’s subject matter jurisdiction, will be heard during the Public Comment period. Public comment is limited to two (2) minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Board.

1 Call to Order (James Wolf)

2 Roll Call (Elizabeth Fuller)

3. Reading of the Minutes (Elizabeth Fuller) (5 mins)*

4. President’s Report (James Wolf) (60 mins)

A. GWNC Election Results/Certification Update

B. Seating of Elected Board Members & Alternates
Area 1 (Brookside) – Owen Smith
Area 2 (Citrus Square) – Benjamin Rosenberg
Area 3 (Country Club Heights) – Frances McFall
Area 5 (Hancock Park) – Kiki Gindler, James Wolf
Area 6 (La Brea/Hancock) – Frederick Pickel, Steven Katz
Area 7 (Larchmont Village) – Federico Mariscal, Karen Gilman
Area 8 (Melrose) – Yigal Arens, Naftali Rubin
Area 10 (Ridgewood/Wilton-St. Andrews Square) – Patti Carroll
Area 11 (Sycamore Square) – Elizabeth Fuller
Area 12 (Western-Wilton) – Matthew Oldham
Area 13 (Wilshire Park) – John Gresham
Area 14 (Windsor Square) – Jack Humphreville
Area 15 (Windsor Village) – Charlie Dougherty
At-Large – Jane Usher, Margaret Sowma
Renter – Clinton Oie
Business – Jane Gilman
Education – David Lunzer
Religion – Alex Jones-Moreno, Michael Genewick
Other Non-Profit – Mary Rajswing

Oath of Office:
I pledge to represent the Greater Wilshire NC with dignity, integrity and pride.
I will encourage other points of view, even when they differ from my own.
I will respect, value and consider everyone’s opinion.
I will find the good in my neighborhood and praise it and promote it.
To my neighbors, and to neighborhoods throughout the City of Los Angeles, I pledge to do this to the best of my ability.

C. Nominations/Elections of Board Members & Alternates to vacant seats*:
Area 1 (Brookside) – Alternate
Area 2 (Citrus Square) – Alternate
Area 3 (Country Club Heights) – Alternate
Area 4 (Fremont Place) – Board Member & Alternate
Area 9 (Oakwood-Maplewood-St. Andrews) – Board Member & Alternate
Area 10 (Ridgewood/Wilton-St. Andrews Square) – Alternate
Area 11 (Sycamore Square) – Alternate
Area 12 (Western-Wilton) – Alternate
Area 13 (Wilshire Park) – Alternate
Area 14 (Windsor Square) – Alternate
Area 15 (Windsor Village) – Alternate
Renter – Alternate
Business – Alternate
Education – Alternate
Other Non-Profit – Alternate

D. Election of Board Officers*
I. President
II. Vice President
III. Secretary
IV. Treasurer

E. Committee Sign-ups
I. Land Use
II. Outreach
III. Ad Hoc Funding Guidelines

F. Possible date change for September meeting (Rosh Hashana conflict)*
G. CD4 Update (Nikki Ezhari)
H. 42nd Assembly District Update (Haeyoung Kim)
I. 26th Senate District Update (Andrew Lachman)

5. Treasurer’s Report & Budget Items (20 mins)

A. Monthly budget report/approval (Elizabeth Fuller)*
B. Hiring of assistant for meeting minutes (Elizabeth Fuller)*
C. GWNC 2010-2011 budget approval (Elizabeth Fuller)*
D. NC Budgeting Changes Recommendations from Harbor Gateway NC (Elizabeth Fuller)*
E. City budget update (Jack Humphreville)

6. DWP Oversight (Jack Humphreville) (5 mins)*

7. Community Concerns (20 mins)

A. Memorial Library landscaping (Owen Smith)* – Project details and funding request
B. Senior citizen concerns* (Joan Taylor)
C. Koreatown boundary status/review*

8. Outreach Committee (Elizabeth Fuller) (5 mins)

A. Website re-design update
B. GWNC booth for Larchmont Fair*

9. Land Use Committee (James Wolf) (60 mins)

A. 4th Street Bike Boulevard
Issue: The LA Bike Coalition is proposing to help create a bike and pedestrian-friendly corridor along 4th Street, from Cochran to Hoover. “Sharrows” have already been painted along the street to mark proper territory for bikers. Further elements would include improved intersections, landscaping and other traffic calming measures. The Coalition will be pitching the project to City Council Member Tom La Bonge to seek Council support and funding.
LUC Recommended MOTION: That the GWNC support the general concept of a 4th Street Bike Boulevard and encourage the Bike Coalition to work with the individual Neighborhood Associations along the proposed route to create appropriate solutions (crossings, markings, landscaping, etc.) for the portions of the project in their areas.

B. Yeshivath Torath Emeth Preschool – 7002 W. Clinton
Issue: School received approval for the construction of a new preschool building at corner of Clinton & Sycamore. (GWNC voted to oppose the CUP application, after hearing complaints from neighbors about traffic and parking problems, and possible violations of previous CUP conditions at the school’s other buildings in the neighborhood). Neighbors have filed an appeal, based on seven claims including the lack of a “foundational right” to build a school where none existed (the old facility was licensed as a day care center), a required traffic study that was never done, many long-standing CUP violations on other parts of the school campus, and ongoing problems with traffic, parking and noise. City Council PLUM Committee hearing on the appeal is scheduled for July 13; hearing at full City Council meeting scheduled for July 21.
LUC Recommended MOTION: That the GWNC:
1. Support the neighbors’ appeal to reverse the Planning Commission decision regarding CPC-2008-5028-CU and its acceptance of an MND in relation thereto.
2. Send a letter to the PLUM committee and the City Council reporting the motion/support.
3. Write to the General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, inquiring about the current status of each of the current CUP violations and asking how LADBS plans to adequately investigate these violations given the hap-hazard timing of occasional inspections with a school curricula.
4. Write to the office of Zoning Administration to initiate a Nuisance Abatement / revocation of the COs and CUPs for the school buildings at 555 N La Brea, 540 N La Brea, and 7002 Clinton.

C. California Marketplace CUP -- 450 S. Western
Issue: Owner’s representative Mark Armbruster presented plans for a 3-story, 80,000 square foot retail and restaurant development at this address. Site is currently occupied by a Korean market and surface parking lot. New building would house the same market on the ground floor, with retail and restaurants on the second floor, and retail, restaurants and an open courtyard on the third floor. Project was originally approved in 2006 (for 130,000 square feet), but stalled and then scaled down because of the economy. City council office has suggested design elements including a more pedestrian-friendly corner entrance and landscape articulation of the adjacent parking structure, which the owners have accepted. Property lies across both R3 and C2 zones, so will need various entitlements to allow commercial development on the R3 portion. Current market is in the same physical position, however, so these uses are already in place. Also requesting a blanket CUP to allow liquor sales at up to 7 restaurants within the complex (though each individual restaurant would have to go through a public review and comment process). LUC members expressed concerns about noise and suggested conditions for mitigation, which applicant agreed to consider.
LUC recommended action: Project is just outside official GWNC boundaries, but we will send a letter to the zoning administrator reporting the applicant’s visit and our appreciation of their efforts to comply with requests from city council office and consideration of our suggestions, as well as urging the applicant to continue working through the entitlement process with the city council office and other agencies.

D. Larchmont Bungalow – 107 N. Larchmont
Issue: Business was permitted to operate as a take-out without tables and chairs, but had permit and certificate of occupancy revoked after operating as a full-service restaurant with seating. City has filed a criminal lawsuit against the owner based on violations of agreed-upon conditions; owner has filed a civil suit against the city claiming selective enforcement. On June 23, criminal court granted a continuance until August 24…after it was learned the Department of Building & Safety revoked the affidavit the owner signed promising not to install tables & chairs.
LUC recommended action: None at this time, though the case brings into focus the larger issues of Q Conditions on Larchmont, including the need for a wider analysis of the number of food establishments operating, what permits they’re operating under, and how conditions are being applied and enforced, with the goal being preservation of the Boulevard’s neighborhood-serving character.

E. Responsible Density Increase in R1-R3 Areas
Issue: Stakeholder Tina Mata presented her ideas for preserving facades of buildings in historic areas while allowing physical and density changes that would accommodate changing demographics and influx of new population.
LUC recommended action: None at this time. Committee members suggested she bring her ideas to the St. Andrews Square Neighborhood Association (which has already agendized the topic), the AIA, Urban Design Institute, City Planning Department and other organizations for further discussion and development.

F. St. Andrews Boarding House
Issue: Inspector visited property reportedly being used as boarding house, but language issues prevented full analysis of the situation. Not clear whether property is being used in conflict with zoning allowances or not. Inspector will revisit soon.
LUC recommended action: None at this time. Committee members will look into what is and isn’t allowed under current zoning.

G. Vacancy on Windsor Square HPOZ Board
Issue: HPOZ Board notified us of vacancy and asked if we’d like to recommend any candidates. (Unlike Hancock Park HPOZ Board, the GWNC does not officially get to nominate a candidate in Windsor Square.)
LUC recommended action: None at this time. Committee member Mike Genewick did report that he has applied through the City to fill this position.

H. Wireless Telecommunications Requests
Issue: 1. Meter pedestal in public right of way at Muirfield/Olympic. 2. AT&T antenna installation atop Pac Bell building at 666 S. La Brea. 3. AT&T cabinet at 201 S. Gramercy. Stakeholder John Kaliski, who is working on the Memorial Park beautification project, objected to installation #1, saying the park was designed as a contemplative space and should be preserved as such, not used as a “dumping ground” for various extraneous equipment.
LUC Recommended: None at this time. All three applicants will be invited to make presentations at the August LUC meeting. LUC’s telecommunications subcommittee will also begin working on general guidelines for this issue (e.g. generally encouraging location of equipment in commercial areas instead of residential neighborhoods, etc.).

10. Board Member Comments/New Business (10 mins)

11. Public Comments (10 mins)

12. Announcements and Adjournment (5 mins)

* Board Action May Be Requested or Required on These Items

Translators, sign language interpreters, and listening devices for the hard-of-hearing are available upon request. To ensure the availability of services, please make your request at least three (3) business days (72 hours) before the scheduled meeting date by contacting the GWNC Board Secretary, Elizabeth Fuller via email: info@greaterwilshire.org or Neighborhood Council Project Coordinator, Betty Wong Oyama at (213) 473-5095 or email to betty.wong@lacity.org .

In compliance with Government Code section 54957.5, non-exempt writings that are distributed to a majority or all of the board in advance of a meeting may be viewed at our website at http://www.greaterwilshire.org or at the scheduled meeting. In addition, if you would like a copy of any record related to an item on the agenda, please e-mail info@greaterwilshire.org or telephone (424) 901-1409.