Come celebrate the re-launch of the site as Los Angeles’ leading source for news on the effort to green and clean our county’s transportation system.

To celebrate the “re-launch,” LA Streets Blog is throwing a party and fundraiser in West L.A. on August 25th. The party starts at 7:00 at 11555 National Boulevard and will feature drinks and munchies served in a casual atmosphere. Who’s coming? Some Streetsblog royalty: Sierra Club leader Darrell Clarke, Move L.A.’s Denny Zane and the Green L.A. Girl herself to name a few.

The suggested cost of admission is $20 with a $5 discount for students. All this is on a sliding scale…Streetsblog isn’t going to turn anyone away that wants to hang out. You can pay at the door or in advance via PayPal.

Drinks, munchies, a raffle, a chance to hang out with cool people…and all for $20 ($15 for students). Naturally, these are suggested donations, you won’t be turned away anyone if you want to get down with Streets…blog.

You can donate at the door or through PayPal or JustGive through the Streetsblog website at http://la.streetsblog.org/

For our transit riding friends, The Big Blue Bus Line 8 runs from both UCLA and Santa Monica right by the St. Andrews. Look for the stop at National and Federal.

http://www.bigbluebus.com/busroutes/location/index.asp?routeid=8

Let’s party! Because the next day it’s back to work…

At Open Neighborhoods we were inspired by Gore’s clean energy challenge, and soon launched a petition drive in Mar Vista to build support for a neighborhood goal of 100% clean electricity by 2018.  We also began organizing with other homeowners to negotiate a group discount on solar installations for our homes.

In 2009 the GoSolar Mar Vista community solar program soon became the largest group solar installation in LADWP history, with 33 solar installations and over 105kW of electricity generation.  Mar Vista is now generating 1.75% of its electricity through solar power — and the neighborhood has officially adopted a goal of 100% clean electricity by 2018.

In recognition of the two-year anniversary of Gore’s climate challenge we are excited to announce new green power communities in neighborhoods including Santa Monica and Del Rey. Petition drives are now underway in these neighborhoods to build support and awareness of the 100% clean electricity goal.  Using a new service provided by EarthAid.net, residents can link up their utility accounts to compare electricity use and earn rewards for energy savings. Culver City and Venice green power community websites will be launching soon.

We have just received a number of exciting proposals from leading solar installers for a second community solar program to begin this August. The four-month program will offer solar workshops and information sessions, free solar assessments – and a rigorous selection process ensuring the best group rate and qualified solar installer available for residential and commercial solar installations. For more information about the GoSolar 2010 community solar program visit www.openneighborhoods.net/gosolar.

The EPA’s Green Power Communities program recognizes cities, towns and villages in which the local government, businesses, and residents collectively buy green power in amounts that meet or exceed EPA’s guidelines for buying clean renewable energy.
Benefits of participating in the EPA program include national recognition, expert resources and media/communications support.

All green power purchasing is completely voluntary under the program, and the EPA recognizes three kinds of green power purchases: onsite generation, utility-provided green power and renewable energy credits.  Visit www.marvistagreenpower.org to learn about green power purchasing options and take the Green Power Pledge!

Mark your calendar for the Wise Power Use Expo on September 28th from 6 to 9 pm. at the solar-powered Windward School in Mar Vista to learn more about the EPA program and how you can switch to 100% clean electricity through energy conservation and clean, renewable power.

Though the L.A. Planning Commission approved plans for the Bundy Village & Medical Park in March, though project developer Westside Medical Park met fierce opposition from neighborhood groups and two LA City Councilmembers.  The project had prompted street protests, petition drives and hundreds of “Fight Bundy Village” lawn signs from Westchester to Pacific Palisades.

Poet and writer Lewis MacAdams, founder of Friends of the Los Angeles River, said “This is an important day, one we’ve been working toward for years. It is a day when the EPA has essentially redefined the L.A. River and its values. In other words, starting today, a flood control channel is only one of its many characteristics.”

U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said “We want the L.A. River to demonstrate how urban waterways across the country can serve as assets in building stronger neighborhoods, attracting new businesses and creating new jobs.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas subsequently announced the purchase of a four-acre portion of the Compton Creek riverbed from Crystal Casino and Hotel. The stretch of creek bottom been devastated by decades of storm runoff and illegal dumping and is now controlled by the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

Currently residents can water for 15 minutes at a time on Mondays and Thursdays, before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. The DWP will be examining a plan to allow irrigating three times a week, up to eight minutes per session on specific days based on those living in even- and odd-numbered addresses.

SATURDAY, JULY 31
1:30 – 6:00 PM, BESS P. MALTZ CENTER
8844 BURTON WAY, BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211

Cost is $30 before July 26, and $40 thereafter.

For more information,
email: michelleazar@me.com or sabrams@huc.edu

The LA County Regional Planning Commission will hear the proposal on July 14 and consider a a zoning change to accommodate the high density residential project.

Residents and neighboring property owners have gathered 200 signatures on a petition that calls for the building to be scaled down to meet the current land-use guidelines. LA City Councilman Bill Rosendahl has sent the LA County planners a letter saying he was against the zoning change.

City of Angels held services at the sanctuary for a few years following the 2001 death of the Rev. O.C. Smith, who sang as Count Basie’s vocalist and won a Grammy in 1968 for his version of Bobby Russell’s “Little Green Apples.”

Photos from the event: Del Rey NC Board Members Eric DeSobe and Brett Flater joined Nancy Franco, Field Deputy Office for Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, to celebrate literacy and importance of summer reading time.

Councilman Paul Krekorian led the drive to restore the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and said: “A time of budget crisis like this is exactly the time when we need to be encouraging and taking best advantage of the vast army of volunteer activists throughout our city who want to build a better future for their community.”

Krekorian will work with the Mayor’s office to develop a plan for running the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment with reduced funding and staff before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

Asking Saves Kids

I do not support the project as currently proposed. In February 2010 I supported “in concept” the development of senior housing and medical services at Bundy Village.  I expressed my concern about the size and scale of the project, and its traffic impacts. I made it clear that the project must be refined to address my concerns, and my constituent concerns, about the project’s traffic impact and scale.  Since that time, the project has not been refined to do so. I encourage the developer to go back to the drawing board with a project that has dramatically less traffic and significantly more community support.

Jon David Waldron Community Room, Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch, Los Angeles Public Library, 501 South Venice Boulevard, Venice, California 90291  310-821-1769 PLEASE RSVP to Kathy Owens ~ 310.398.9191 (Please leave a message) or email to info@FOVL.org.

ARRA Town Hall

Monday, June 21st, 7pm

Westwood Recreation Center – Room C

1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles 90025

RSVP by Thursday, June 17 to Jennifer.Badger@lacity.org

During its Wednesday session, the Los Angeles City Council is expected to ratify a settlement agreement with the owners of the Lincoln Place Apartments in Venice, ending more than twenty years controversy with a deal that resolves litigation, returns evicted residents to their homes, and adds hundreds of rental units to Venice.

The agreement, reached May 7, 2010 after 18 months of negotiation under the supervision of Judge Peter Lichtman of the Los Angeles Superior Court, is expected to be ratified by the Council.  Immediately following, various parties to the settlement will be available in the Council Media Room for a news conference.

Built shortly after World War II, Lincoln Place Apartments was a garden-style apartment complex with 795 units.  Since 1993, owners have sought to redevelop the property or convert it into condominiums, sparking lawsuits and public relations battles.   In 2003, AIMCO demolished 99 units on the projects’s north side.  In 2005, AIMCO evicted all but a handful of tenants.

About.com lists the Memorial Day observances at all of the Forest Lawn locations — all on Monday, 5/31, all at different times.

The Los Angeles National Cemetery will hold its Memorial Day observance on the 31st at 10:30am.

The Forum is slated to be moderated by Brian Watt of Southern California Public Radio, and will be presenting almost all of the announced candidates for these races.

We invite all interested stakeholders to submit any questions you would like to be asked of the candidates to albert@marvista.org.  The questions will be compiled by the MVCC, and representative questions will be selected to be presented by the moderator to the candidates during the Forum.  In addition to the question & answer portion of the Forum, there will also be three-minute opening statements by each candidate, and a one-minute closing statement for each candidate also.

Confirmed to appear for the 36th Congressional District are Democrat Marci Winograd; Republicans Mattie Fein, Pete Kesterson, and Andrew Sharp; and Libertarian Herb Peters.  Confirmed to appear for the 53rd State Assembly District are Democrats Kate Anderson, Betsy Butler, Nick Karno, James Lau, Edgar Saenz, Peter Thottam, Diane Wallace, and Mitch Ward; Republican Nathan Mintz; and Green Lisa Ann Green.

For additional information on the Forum and other MVCC events, please visit our website at www.marvista.org.