The first annual Pick Pico event was a tremendous success.  Thanks again to the Westside Neighborhood Council for its fantastic leadership role in making this possible!  More than 75 stores and restaurants in the area offered great deals and discounts in order to promote shopping locally.  To start the event, a total of 150 parents and children, wielding brooms and trash bags, cleaned up Pico Blvd. between Sepulveda Blvd and Patrica Ave.  Councilmember Koretz thanked everyone for their hard work.

Then the Pico Prize Patrol went into action!  Lisa Morocco from the Westside Neighborhood Council, joined by Councilmember Koretz and a number of 5th Council District staff members, walked up and down Pico Blvd., passing out gift certificates to customers, including kids.  For example, one young person received a $50 gift certificate to Children’s Book World. The Councilmember didn’t just preach the virtues of shopping locally – he joined in shopping locally, by making a purchase at Kirby’s Pet Store. In the course of the day, hundreds of participants received free reusable Pick Pico bags.  A big shout out goes to the local businesses on Pico Blvd for their efforts, and thanks to the Westside Neighborhood Council for being so productively involved in their community.  See you next year!

The Department of Water and Power will have a street crew working on Beverly Glen on Monday, June 11 from 9am to 3:30pm and then on Tuesday, June 12 from 9am -3:30pm. They will be repairing 380 feet in need of more repaving due to the damage done by a water blow out back in February. The DWP will have Traffic Officers at the bottom of Sunset and top of Mulholland and there will be complete closure between Crater Lane and Corfu. People who live in the immediate vicinity will be flagged through. Message boards with alerts for motorists are expected to be up by Thursday evening, June 7.

People in that general area should schedule their travel time accordingly, and might consider starting off earlier than usual on their travels during those days.

Please spread the word!

As you may already know, President Barack Obama is making one of his visits to Los Angeles on Thursday, May 10th, and so there might be an impact, hopefully minimal, on traffic in parts of the 5th Council District and other areas of Los Angeles, that night. 
 
Precise information about any president’s motorcade route is always kept secret and subject to change, for obvious reasons involving individual safety and national security. What we know is that President Obama will arrive at Los Angeles International Airport roughly at 6pm on Thursday; he will then travel by helicopter and motorcade to an event being held at George Clooney’s home in Studio City. Upon departure from that event, President Obama is expected to travel to the Beverly Hills area and a hotel there. On Friday morning, he will go back to LAX and the plane that will be there.
 
That means that Valley, Hillside and Westside neighborhoods and commuters could conceivably experience some impact.

The most dramatic impacts are as follows:
 
North of Ventura Boulevard, any motorists on Laurel Canyon Boulevard or its connecting streets will likely face delays and/or road closures from around 5 to 8 p.m.
 
Local access to Studio City south of Ventura Boulevard will be closed off from around 8 to 10 p.m., and all local residents must be able to present a current photo ID to be given access.
 
There will definitely be some road closures and security measures in and around Fryman Canyon and perhaps elsewhere. The LAPD has suggested that residents in the Fryman Canyon general vicinity either stay at home during that time or plan to be elsewhere entirely during that period of time.  The LAPD also urges people who are not local residents there to stay out of the area during that period of time.
 
Ventura Boulevard should stay open, as hopefully should Laurel Canyon Boulevard north of Ventura, though there may be some ripple effect from any local and adjacent street closures or by the motorcade itself or related vehicles.

Hopefully, you will experience no inconvenience or delays during the President’s brief visit.

The Israel Festival is happening Sunday, April 29, from 9AM to 6PM, at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center. Full of meaningful activities and fun festivities, the Festival is a community-wide event celebrating Israel’s 64th Independence Day and sponsored by the Israeli Leadership Council.  Information about registration, directions, parking and pre-purchased tickets can be found at www.celebrateisraelfestival.com.

Many people will come and have a great time, but it is VERY IMPORTANT that those who go to the Festival show great respect for the surrounding residents and neighborhoods.

FESTIVAL PARKING:  to maintain the flow of parking near the festival and surrounding areas, visitors should follow festival parking signage and directions and only park in the designated parking structures provided for festival attendees, at $10 per car.  Please be respectful to the neighbors and refrain from parking on the streets around the park and in the neighborhood.  Here are the locations of the five pertinent parking structures – the first four are in walking distance to the festival, and shuttles to and from all the structures are available all day.

(directions to the garages can be found at http://www.celebrateisraelfestival.com/directions.php)

Fox Studios Lot (or Gate) Number 7, at 10210 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90067
Fox Studios Lot (or Gate) Number 4 at 4000 West Galaxy Way, Los Angeles CA 90067
Century Park West Garage, 2030 Century Park West, Los Angeles CA 90067
Constellation Place Garage, 10250 Constellation Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90067
Avenue of the Stars Garage, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles CA 90067

WHAT WILL THE ISRAEL FESTIVAL BE LIKE?  Here is their press release that describes what will be taking place:

SPECTACULAR 15,000-PERSON, COMMUNITY-WIDE FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE ISRAEL’S 64TH INDEPENDENCE DAY TO BE HELD APRIL 29 AT CHEVIOT HILLS RECREATION CENTER ON MOTOR AVENUE FROM 10AM-6PM

Day will start with a 1.5-mile “Salute to Israel Walk” escorted by the “9/11 Tribute Cars” at 8:30am. 5 stages with performances throughout the day; “Positively Israel” pavilion showcasing Israel’s innovations in technology; massive 5-foot art installations; official ceremony with local and state dignitaries at 1:00PM hosted by Michael Medved of KRLA kicked off by the skydiving team. Kids Amusement park, Vendors, Café Tel Aviv

WOODLAND HILLS, CA (April 19, 2012) – Thousands are expected to attend the highly anticipated, community-wide “Celebrate Israel Festival” sponsored by the Israeli Leadership Council (ILC) on April 29, from 10:00am-6:00pm. The event will be held at the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center park, 2551 Motor Ave. in Los Angeles.

The day begins at 8:30am with a 1.5-mile free “Salute to Israel Walk” presented by StandWithUs. Hundreds will walk from the park to the Museum of Tolerance and back to show solidarity with the State of Israel. A salute to Israel drive-by will herald the start of the walk with the 9/11 Tribute Cars “Fueled by the Fallen.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department Golden Stars Skydiving Team will kick off the official ceremony on the main stage at 1:00PM. Dignitaries include: State Assemblyman Mike Feuer, Council General of Israel David Seigel, Councilman Paul Koretz, LA County Sheriff Leroy Baca, Councilman Dennis P. Zine, LA Controller Zev Yaroslavsky, City Controller Wendy Greuel, Congressman Brad Sherman, among others including Festival Chairs Debby and Naty Saidoff and ILC chair Shawn Evenhaim. Syndicated radio talk show host Michael Medved will emcee.

Israeli star Eyal Golan toplines the Festival’s 5 stages with performances throughout the day including folk dancing and DJ Dance Party.

The pinnacle of the festival, “Positively Israel,” pavilion will showcase the small state’s leading innovations in technology; a massive 5-foot art installation and tents featuring Spirituality, Judiaism and a Genealogy database to store the family history. Kids will frolic in the KIDZONE Amusement park and everyone will enjoy Café Tel Aviv with ethnic Israeli foods, world music, drum circles, folk dancing and a 200-vendor village showcasing Israeli artwork, paintings, sculptures, fine arts, jewelry, Judaica gifts and much more.

Pre-purchased discount tickets are available online at $9 for kids and $15 for adults. Door prices are $12 for kids and $19 for adults and kids under 3 are free. Family packs are available online only. There are designated parking structures. Registration, directions, parking, and pre-purchased tickets are at: www.celebrateisraelfestival.com for the morning “Salute to Israel” walk registration click on the “walk” tab. The Walk is free, but tickets must be purchased for the Festival beginning at 10am.

Co-sponsors of the “Celebrate Israel Festival” include: Debbie and Naty Saidoff ,StandWithUs, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, Jewish National Fund, Jewish Life Television, Mati Israel Community Center and Hidbaroot Los Angeles.

Israel’s myriad technological innovations will be showcased at the “Positively Israel” Pavilion, an interactive space spearheaded by Jewish National Fund (JNF). It highlights imaging, renewable energy and energy conservation, sustainable agriculture, water management, medical technology advancement, integrated photo swapping applications, digital product placement, and the newest in “windows” car technology, to name a few.

One of the Festival’s goals was to engage the community through art. The Youth Art Expo features 5-foot art pieces by the four finalists from My Israel Art Installation competition depicting their interpretation of the Star of David and the Menorah. Art installations are funded by the ILC. TheYouth Art Expo is an initiative of the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles to engage young artists.

The Digital Jewish Genealogy Database is presented by the Museum of the Jewish People, (Beit Hatzfutzot). A high-tech, multi-faceted database will give attendees the opportunity to enter their family’s history via iPads and laptops where the data will be collected and preserved for generations to come.

The KIDZONE area will include an amusement park with rides for all ages, free arts and crafts area, kids stage with live entertainment all day, face painting, stilt walkers, a petting zoo, juggling acts and more.

Spiritualism and Judaism tent is offered by Hidabroot Los Angeles with lectures and information from renowned Rabbis, a stand-up comedian and kosher food dedicated to Orthodox guests.

Bringing a slice of Israel to the Southland, the Festival includes Café Tel-Aviv where visitors will indulge in ethnic Israeli foods, world music, drum circles, folk dancing. Don’t miss vendor village featuring over 200 vendors showcasing Israeli artwork, paintings, sculptures, fine arts, jewelry, Judaica gifts.

Councilmember Paul Koretz has been working with the community to protect the Beverly Grove neighborhood from out of scale homes and construction. It is important that everyone gets involved and knows the facts of what is being proposed.

Councilmember Koret'z intention with the RFA (Residential Floor Area overlay) is to protect the Beverly-Grove community from the largest, most out-of-scale homes that may be proposed, but to still allow for appropriate additions to accommodate growing families and changing tastes. He will continue to work with all sides and all stakeholders on this important issue but sincerely hopes this debate can be framed based upon facts rather than misrepresentations and intimidation. The Councilmember and his staff hope the information below is useful in understanding his proposal.

RFA Community Letter

RFA Powerpoint Presentation

RFA Motion

Councilmember Paul Koretz and his staff would like to share with you the following construction updates regarding the Mulholland Bridge and the 1-405 San Diego Freeway provided by Metro:

ATTENTION RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE VICINITY OF THE MULHOLLAND BRIDGE AND THE I-405 SAN DIEGO FREEWAY

The contractor is scheduled to implement additional full directional freeway closures in order to further construct the falsework structure for the Mulholland Bridge. The falsework structure is designed to facilitate the reconstruction by providing temporary support to the bridge. The directional full freeway closures will be from the 101 freeway to the Getty Center Dr. ramps, weather permitting. Each night, ramps within the freeway closure limits may begin to close as early as 7:00 pm and freeway lanes will begin to close as early as 11:00 pm, leading up to the full directional freeway closure between 1:00 am and 6:00 am.

Anticipated closure schedule:

March 23 - Northbound I-405 freeway from Getty Center Drive to Ventura Blvd. (freeway lanes closures staring at 11:00 pm)

March 24 - Southbound I-405 freeway from the 101 freeway to Getty Center Dr. (freeway lanes closures staring at 11:00 pm)

What: Falsework construction to support the reconstruction of the Mulholland Bridge

When: Full directional freeway closures are anticipated to resume Friday, March 23, 2012, and occur for a total of approximately two nights, weather permitting. Each night, ramps within the freeway closures limits may begin to close as early as 7:00 pm and freeway lanes will begin to close as early as 11:00 pm, leading up to the full directional freeway closure beginning at 1:00 am.

Where: Between the Getty Center Dr. ramps to the 101 freeway

What to expect:

- Sepulveda Blvd. will remain open during the nights of the full directional freeway closures and will be used as a detour route. Detour maps are available at www.metro.net/405

- Emergency access will be maintained at all times

- For a listing of daily closures and latest updates visit our website at www.metro.net/405 or follow us on twitter: twitter.com/I_405 and Facebook at facebook.com/405project

This Sunday, March 18, is the 27th Annual City of Los Angeles Marathon, and while it is a wonderful experience for many participants and spectators, it is always going to involve street closures, which can be a source of inconvenience to those trying to get from one place to another during the relevant hours.

Official street closures along the route are: http://www.lamarathon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Course-Closures-20121.pdf

Street closures that are not along the actual route but that will be closed except for local access are: http://www.lamarathon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012-Additional-Street-Closures1.pdf
Please drive with special caution due to the rare presence of the marathon in our city – especially if the streets are wet with rain – and visit the official website (www.lamarathon.com) for a lot of background information and any updates.

The course for the 26.2 mile race is the same as last year, reaching from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica and the ocean.  The marathon starts Sunday morning at 6:55 a.m. for people with wheelchairs, 7:00 a.m. for those with hand cycles, and 7:25 for everyone else who is participating, but street closures along the route will have happened by 3:15 a.m. that morning with signage to that effect posted, and a temporarily restricted, no-parking policy will be strictly enforced.  The route has been carefully shaped through a coordinated process that includes significant input from the LAPD, LAFD and LADOT. Those who suffer the unfortunate fate of having their vehicles ticketed and towed to an Official Police Garage should call (213) 485-4184 and select Option 2 or go online at http://www.opgla.com/. 

The official course map can be found here:  http://www.lamarathon.com/event/course-map/

Congratulations to all who take part, and thanks to all those who make this huge event possible. Stay safe and sound and have fun, everyone!

March 7th Press Conference featuring L.A. Councilmember Paul Koretz and animal welfare advocates opposing the repeal of the Hayden law (that protects shelter animals from premature euthanasia)

WHAT: Currently, in Sacramento, there is an attempt to repeal the Animal Adoption Mandate -- the so-called "Hayden Law" -- that requires that animal shelters hold stray dogs and cats for 4-6 days (depending on the hours that the shelter is open to the public to redeem or adopt animals). If repeal is allowed to occur, the State would revert back to the old law of holding them for only 72 hours before killing/euthanizing them. Obviously, this would lead to many animals being killed in shelters, often before owners desperately searching for lost pets are able to retrieve them alive. The attempt to repeal the Animal Adoption Mandate (Hayden Law) also calls for eliminating the requirement for shelters to provide lost-found posting opportunities, record-keeping, and necessary and prompt veterinary care. It would allow shelters to immediately euthanize all animals besides cats and dogs valued as pets, such as rabbits, pot-bellied pigs, hamsters, turtles, reptiles and cats.. After the conclusion of the press conference, during that morning's City Council meeting, Councilmember Koretz will be introducing a resolution urging the State not to repeal the Hayden law, which will have a devastating affect on animal shelters throughout CA. Humane organizations and elected officials at all levels of government are working to have this taken off the repeal list.

WHEN: 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 7, 2012

WHO: 5th District Councilmember Koretz will be joined by Judie Mancuso, president of Social Compassion in Legislation, Heigl Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, Take Me Home Animal Rescue, The Paw Project, Stray Cat Alliance, Last Chance for Animals, REVA Foundation, Coalition for Pets and Public Safety, Operation Blankets of Love and other animal welfare groups and individuals – along with a dog and a cat from our city animal shelters, to be adopted out!

WHERE: Los Angeles City Hall, Council Media Room (3rd Floor behind Council Chambers)

WHY: Councilmember Koretz says, “If the Hayden Law is repealed, countless animals across the State will unnecessarily be put down. Currently, this mandate establishes the frame work to save animals lives and help get companion animals adopted out of our shelters. If this law is repealed it will set our progress back decades.”

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