VNC Board of Officers Meeting

Board of Officers Meeting Agenda
Westminster Elementary School (Auditorium)
1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, 90291
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 7:00 PM

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

2. Approval of the Agenda

3. Approval of any outstanding minutes submitted by the Secretary

May 20, 2008 Board Meeting Minutes
(see http://venicenc.org/files/080520VNCBoardMinutesRev1.doc)

Committee Reports are provided in written form when available

4. Scheduled Announcements (no more than 1 minute per report unless otherwise stated)

A DONE, LAPD, and other Governmental Reports

B Mike Newhouse (310-305-9660; president@venicenc.org): Phil Raider is the chair of the AdHoc Parking Committee

5. Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda (15 min, no more than 2 minutes per person) no board announcements

6. Old Business

A From LUPC

I Challis Macpherson (Chair-LUPC@VeniceNC.org) on behalf of LUPC: That VNC Board of Officers approve LUPC report and recommendation re SB 1818, as follows: [Placed on Agenda]

Community Impact Statement
Re: Council File 05-1345.
The Venice Neighborhood Council recommends that the city of Los Angeles adopt a resolution requesting that the state of California exempt the city from the SB1818 density bonus statute. Pending action on such exemption, we ask the city to amend Ordinance #179681 implementing SB1818 to:

• Disallow any density bonus incentives for a proposed development project that results in a net reduction in the number of affordable housing units.
• Classify all requests under the density bonus program as discretionary and subject to environmental review.
• Remove any density bonus incentives beyond those required by the state statute.

The city of Los Angeles recently passed an ordinance implementing state law SB1818, which requires cities and other governmental jurisdictions to grant increased density and other bonuses to development projects that designate as little as 5% of their units as affordable to persons earning less than a specified income.

Why is SB1818 bad for Los Angeles?

• It undermines General, Community, and Specific Plans by imposing new standards that disregard planning documents.

• It is unlikely to achieve its stated goal of creating more affordable housing, but could well result in a net loss of affordable units in L.A. since it creates economic incentives for owners to tear down rent-controlled housing and replace it with fewer “affordable” units then were there before. Currently, 70% of rental housing in L.A.—that which was built before 1978—is under rent control.

• It limits the time a unit is “affordable” for 30 years for rental housing and 10 years for condos, after which time these units revert to market rate. But the bonuses given to developers—added density, height, reduced parking, reduced setbacks, etc.—last for the life of the building.

• The increase in density—allowing more units in a particular project than now permitted—will put a burden on infrastructure- water, power, sewer, storm drains.

• It will increase traffic without any mitigation measures or mandates for and infrastructure and transit improvements to deal with density increases. It also designates “transit corridors” as preferred locations for density bonus projects even though many of those corridors are not equipped to deal with increased traffic.

• It provides no criteria for selecting specific areas of the city where density would make the most sense.

• It allows developers for use the argument that density bonuses are needed to make a project financially feasible, which is contrary to a city charter provision that excludes financial feasibility or hardship as grounds for granting variances and specific plan exceptions. It also puts the burden of proof on the city to disprove a developer’s contention that bonuses are needed to make a project financially feasible. If the city fails to prove this, it is liable for court costs and attorney’s fees.

The City’s Implementation of SB1818 actually goes beyond what is required by state law by designating many projects that seek density and other bonuses as “ministerial” and thus exempt from environmental review and public hearings before zoning administrators, planning department officers, and area planning commissions. For example, a project seeking the maximum density increase of 35% as well as a significant reduction in required parking would not be subject to any public hearings or review of its impact on parking, traffic, and the character of the surrounding neighborhood. This completely undermines the city’s General, Community, and Specific Plans that were written and adopted AFTER extensive public hearings and input from affected communities.

B From Stakeholder

I Todd von Hoffmann (310-398-9231; BDBooks@aol.com) on behalf of the Venice Heritage Foundation: Request of Board to send a letter to Councilman Rosendahl and/or “To whom it may Concern”, supporting the Venice Heritage Foundation’s efforts to establish a Venice Heritage Museum along the lines of the Red Car Historical Museum in Seal Beach. Letter is: [SO/IK (NP recused): Placed on Agenda]

On behalf of the VNC, I’m pleased to add my support to The Venice Heritage Foundation. Their mission statement – “Envisioning a Venice History Museum” – focuses on an important goal for our community. Abbot Kinney’s “Venice of America” has had a full and fascinating life and that continuing story deserves to be shared. While the need for a museum heritage center has often been discussed over the years, the VHF was created solely with this purpose in mind. The founding members – all lovers of things Venice – include collectors, successful community volunteers, and, significantly, noted author and historian Elayne Alexander.

The VHF plan is particularly exciting. It calls for the restoration of an original Pacific Electric Red Car to serve as the initial museum space to be located in Venice. The Seal Beach Museum has demonstrated the success of this idea with their own Red Car museum and public library residing similarly (and very appropriately) on old Pacific Electric right-of-way property.

The Foundation has located a 100 year old Red Car (PE511) ready for a home and restoration volunteers are standing by. The restored trolley itself will evoke a charming period of our history and add another treasured sight along our gateway to Venice. The VHF plan tastefully suggests an additional adjunct building replicating the old pagoda-style PE substation that used to stand nearby along Venice Blvd. called “The Tokio Station”.

The museum space will be available to all local collections, public and private, and serve an important community function for residents, visitors, scholars, and students. We can’t think of a better theme than a celebration of our incredibly interesting past and a legacy for our future.

C From Rules & Elections

I Dexter O’Connell (310-384-8215; dextervnc@mac.com): Recommend Board approve decision of Rules & Elections Committee denying grievance of Rick Selan heard on April 4, 2008. [Placed on agenda]

7. Treasurers Report accept report as presented [Placeholder for results of Special Budget Committee Meeting]

8. New Business

A From Budget Committee

I Tania Getty (310-428-3363; tsparkly@aol.com) on behalf of Pacific Resident Theatre application to run a Summer Acting Program with the Venice Library: Requests that the Venice Neighborhood Council approve funding for the proposed outreach event, the summer Young Adult Theatre Program, in an amount not to exceed $3,200.00 to come from the Community Improvement Funds, pursuant to the Budget set forth below. [SO/JM (NP recused): Placed on agenda]

TO: THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, VENICE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
RE: Proposed Agenda Item 9.B.1 – Summer Acting Program at the Library
FROM: TANIA GETTY, ELIZABETH KARR, CHRISTOPHER SHAW, CHRISTIAN
BARILLAS, AND SARAH ZINSSER, COMPANY MEMBERS OF PACIFIC
RESIDENT THEATRE, VENICE, CA

THE PROPOSAL & GOAL:

The Young Adult Theatre Program (Theatre Program) is a newly created collaborative project between Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Library and Pacific Resident Theatre (PRT). The Theatre Program consists of a FREE four-week theatrical rehearsal period, starting July 10, 2008, which will be lead by Pacific Resident Theatre (PRT) company members, Elizabeth Karr, Christopher Shaw, Christian Barillas, and Sarah Zinsser.

The Theatre Program is expected to directly benefit approximately 25-40 members of the Venice Library’s Young Adults Program, as well as an additional 150-200 (approx.) of the students’ friends, families, and the general public when the Theatre Program culminates in a FREE public showcase performance on August 2, 2008.

The young adults (12-18 years of age who come to the Library from all areas of the Venice community) will experience first hand the play production process as they prepare age-appropriate scenes from world class dramatic works under the professional guidance of the above-named PRT members who will direct, coach, and mentor the teens through the Theatre Program at the Library facility. The young adults will also experience the process of preparing scenic elements, costumes, make-up, lighting, and production materials.

The goal of the Theatre Program is to create a unique, well-rounded, professionally-guided theatre experience for Venice youths, to not only help them develop a new appreciation for an art form they may not otherwise have access to during the course of their normal lives, but to provide an opportunity to explore inroads and outlets for those who may be struggling to find their paths in life.

ESTIMATED BUDGET FOR THE 4 WEEK SUMMER PROGRAM:

Director Stipends for Elizabeth Karr, Christopher Shaw,
Christian Barillas, and Sarah Zinsser ($500/each) $ 2,000
Purchase scripts and/or scene compilation books (Samuel French) 150
Photocopying for Scripts, Publicity Flyers, & Programs (Staples and/or Library) 150
Rent Costume “elements” (PRT and/or 24th St. Theatre) 150
Dry Cleaning (Final Touch Cleaners) 50
Rent Props (PRT and/or 24th St. Theatre) 100
Lighting design & equipment rental (PRT and/or Angstrom Lighting) 300
Sound design & equipment rental (PRT and/or 24th St. Theatre) 50
Rent set design elements (PRT and/or 24th St. Theatre) 100
Refreshments for show (Smart & Final and/or Costco) 150

TOTAL $3,200

THE MOTION:

The Venice Neighborhood Council approves funding from the Board’s Discretionary Funds for the proposed Young Adults Theatre Program as presented above, in an amount not to exceed $3,200.00, pursuant to the proposed Budget submitted herewith.

Pursuant to instructions from VNC Treasurer, Ed Ferrer, funds are to be paid directly to Pacific Resident Theatre, a 501©(3) public non-profit corporation, Federal Taxpayer I.D. No. 95-4020232, upon receipt by VNC of duly presented invoices for goods and services related to this Theatre Program..

II Linda Lucks (310-505-4220; Lindalucks@aol.com), Nick Hippisly-Coxe (Hippisley@earthlink.net), Bill Boyd on behalf of the Emergency Response Task Force: That the Venice Neighborhood Council fund the following: [Placed on agenda]
•Emergency Guide(4000 copies – By Moorhead Publishing with VNC ID) $2,221
•Emergency Preparedness flyer (5000 copies – Budgeted at 5c a copy) $2,520
•Registration with www.enla.org (Tying in with ALL the County services) $ 25
TOTAL $4,766

III Ed Ferrer (310-505-4220; Lindalucks@aol.com): Consideration and initial discussion of VNC Budget for 2008-2009. A vote to approve the Budget will be taken if time allows; otherwise it will take place at the July Board Meeting. (See Exhibits B & C – Draft 2008-09 Budgets 1 & 2) [Placed on agenda]

B From Outreach Committee

I Marc Saltzberg (310-305-9660; outreach@VeniceNC.org): Motion to designate Beyond Baroque outdoor bulletin board as the place for making available written materials prior to a meeting per recent amendment to Brown Act effective July 1, 2008. [Placed on agenda]

C From Outreach

I Marc Saltzberg (310-305-9660; outreach@VeniceNC.org): The Board will be asked to approve an expenditure of $1000 for t-shirts that will be provided to VNC volunteers at no charge.[Placed on agenda]

D From President

I Staffed tourist information booth: Motion of support for the creation by the Venice Chamber of Commerce of a staffed tourist information booth on Ocean Front Walk, at a location as approved by the relevant governmental bodies. Said tourist information booth shall not have any commercial advertising on its exterior. Said Exterior advertising (if any) shall only relate to Venice related events and information. [Placed on agenda]

II Opposition to Automated Public Toilets: Motion in opposition to Automated Public Toilets (“APTs”) on Ocean Front Walk due to health & safety concerns, and instead to approve community improvement funding, not to exceed $5000 towards hiring a not for profit organization to maintain & keep open existing restroom facilities on Ocean Front Walk beyond their current hours. Motion to also send a letter to Councilman Rosendahl asking him to provide at least $10,000 in double matching funds towards these ends. [IK/LL 4-0-1: Placed on agenda]

III Items 8BIII & 8CI are combined into this new Item 8BIII which the Administrative Committee, after discussion with interested stakeholders, unanimously recommends that the Board approve:

One Combined Committee

Motion: to create a single Homelessness/Vehicular Living Ad Hoc Committee (“Committee”) composed of twelve (12) voting members including two (2) co-chairs appointed by the President, and two (2) Board Members and eight (8) stakeholders selected by the co-chairs. The Board recommends that the eight (8) stakeholders be selected to form a balance of the points of view of relevant Venice interests. Non-voting Committee members shall be representatives from Supervisor Yaroslavsky’s Office, Supervisor Knabe’s Office, Supervisor Burke’s Office, Councilman Rosendahl’s Office, LAPD, DOT, and the Los Angeles City Housing Department (and possibly DPSS and Community Mental Health) as deemed appropriate and helpful by the Committee.

Mission Statement of the Committee shall be: The incidence of homelessness in Venice is a troubling aspect of life in Venice which calls out for action by citizens and government alike. To attempt to address this, the VNC Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness is formed and charged with identifying local and regional solutions and actions to assist those who are indigent and thus unable to afford housing. In pursuing its mission, the Committee shall engage in a dialogue with County and City officials, including the County Supervisors of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Districts, the Council Office for the 11th District, LAPD, DOT, the Los Angeles Housing Department, social service agencies which provide services to the homeless, religious and charitable organizations, and any other agencies which it deems potential partners in addressing these issues. Further, the Committee shall actively seek the involvement of all stakeholders in Venice including but not limited to residents, resident and neighborhood associations, service providers, homeless advocates and the homeless themselves, and businesses and property owners. Furthermore, The VNC declares that use of City streets is inappropriate for overnight occupation of vehicles of any kind due to safety, noise, crime and sanitation concerns for both residents in permanent housing as well as those living in vehicles. The mission of the Committee is to end vehicular living on city streets while also identifying suitable and affordable regional alternatives for those who are indigent or without adequate income to afford a traditional residence. In this effort, the Committee is charged to investigate, among other solutions, shelter housing and affordable housing within Venice, the 11th Council District and citywide, the use of private property, under conditional use permits, in the City or County of Los Angeles, for small numbers of vehicles used temporarily over-night as sleeping quarters by indigent persons, and the increase in controlled and licensed (and possibly subsidized) recreational vehicle parks or areas, whether on private or public property, where over-night use would be permitted. The committee will complete its work and report back to the VNC Board within 6 months.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————- NB: The discussion involved several issues including: (i) Whether to form one or two committees which was resolved in favor of one committee; (ii) Whether to adopt a strict or flexible interpretation of the Bylaw (Article VII, last paragraph relating to formation of Ad Hoc Committees) which was resolved in favor of flexibility; (iii) Whether the Board or the Chair(s) could appoint the members of the Committee which was resolved in favor of the Chair(s); (iv) The governmental entities to be non-voting members. Some questions were resolved with split votes but the final motion (above) was resolved by a unanimous vote.

E From LUPC

I Challis Macpherson (Chair-LUPC@VeniceNC.org) on behalf of LUPC: That VNC Board of Officers request Councilmember Rosendahl to investigate savage “topping” of trees in front of Clear Channel billboard as follows: [Placed on agenda]

In consideration of the recent savage topping of publicly owned trees at approximately Venice & Lincoln Boulevards (which were planted by Venice community), LUPC requests that VNC Board of Officers MSP the following motion which was passed unanimously (6-0-0) by LUPC at a regular meeting June 7, 2008:

Request Councilmember Rosendahl to investigate the recent egregious “topping” of four street trees on Venice Boulevard just west of Lincoln Boulevard in the line-of-sight of a Clear Channel billboard.

The citizens of Venice need to know if the city authorized this activity, and if so, for what reason. If the city did not authorize it, every effort must be undertaken to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the destruction of important public resources that belong to everyone in the community.

Venice Neighborhood Council further asks for a formal response from the councilman’s office upon receipt of this request and at the conclusion of his investigations.

II Challis Macpherson (Chair-LUPC@VeniceNC.org) on behalf of LUPC: That VNC Board of Officers approve the following motion regarding 720 Brooks Street as approved (6-0-0) by LUPC: [Placed on agenda]

Motion to recommend that the VNC approve the project at 720 Brooks as follows:

1. To require that there be five foot side yard setbacks from the adjacent buildings,
2. That the front yard setback be stepped 15 feet from the original property line one story, 20 feet from the original property line two story,
4. That the frontage on San Miguel be reduced from 15 feet to 5 feet,
5. That there is only one rooftop structure;
6. That the height of the project be limited to a maximum height of 25 feet,
7. The front yard at Brooks be 15 feet from the original property line for one story, 20 feet from the original property line for two story,
8. That there be five yard side yard requirements abutting each property owner,
9. That there be a five foot yard fronting San Miguel,
10. That there be no rooftop structure,
11. That the applicant shall plant four trees at applicant’s discretion, and that the courtyard space be maintained clear to the sky.

F From Neighborhood Committee [To begin at 8:30 pm with unfinished business postponed to July 15 Board meeting]

I Linda Lucks (310-450-2554; Lindalucks@aol.com): Chairs Board review & vote on Recommendations for Community Improvement Funds Awards. (See Exhibit A – NC CIF Approval Procedure)

AGENDA (1.5 hours beginning at 8:30PM at the latest)

- Board discussion & vote on VNC Neighborhood Committee recommendations:

A. Presentation of 4/19 Report and Applications – motion to approve as submitted – 10 minutes B. Public Comment -30 minutes C. Board Discussion – 30 Minutes D. Call for the vote not later than 9:50.

- Announcement of press conference.

9. Announcements & Public Comment on items not on the Agenda (15 min, no more than 2 minutes per person)

10. Adjourn (approx 10:00PM)

Exhibit A – NC CIF Approval Procedure

TO: VENICE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BOARD OF OFFICERS
FROM: NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE, LINDA LUCKS, CHAIR

We, the Neighborhood Committee, appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Community Improvement Funds funding process and took seriously our responsibility in establishing consistent criteria and evaluating the proposals. These are our recommendations. They are based on a rigorous process that openly solicited proposals (more than 300 were distributed plus online downloads) and comprehensively evaluated them following specific criteria with results that we feel will best improve the Venice community.

Below is an outline of our process:

1) Conflicts of Interest – Out of 10 total committee members 1 recused herself and 2 were added too late in the process to participate.

2) Preliminary Review – The applications were reviewed to determine if the they met certain technical criteria (as specified in the directions:
• The postmark was after the deadline date
• The required pages were submitted and complete
• There were less than 25 pages
• There was a qualified stakeholder or organization
• The funds requested did not exceed $5000
• The proposal budget was broken down into line items
• The project would take place within VNC boundaries
• The projects would occur in the stated time frame (July 2008-June 2009)
• The ability to obtain any necessary permits was documented

3) Public Presentation – All of the applicants had an opportunity to make an in-person presentation of their projects to the Neighborhood Committee, the VNC Board, and the Venice community on April 3. All Neighborhood Committee members were in attendance at this event.

4) Review Process and Timetable
• The Committee Chair and staff did a preliminary review and disqualified several applications for technical reasons (late postmark, incomplete application, out of Venice area, timetable off).
• The Budget And Finance Committee and Kevin McNeely (DONE financial specialist) reviewed and determined if the budget line items would be payable. Unpayable line items were removed. In a few cases the entire project was deemed unpayable and those applications were disqualified.
• The Neighborhood Committee members received the applications on March 26.
• Public presentations on April 3.
• The Neighborhood Committee had an all-day meeting on April 19 to score the applications based on the criteria listed in the application instructions.
• Staff (Ivan Spiegel, Liz Wright, and Donna Schubert) tabulated the scores and announced the preliminary ranking.
• A second committee meeting was held on April 24 to review the rankings and to factor in additional criteria as determined by the committee: Geographical area Financial need of the applicants Type of project/constituency served Stand alone project or ongoing organizational support
• The final rankings were determined and levels of funding were agreed upon.

In reviewing these projects, we considered Venice as a whole with all its various constituencies. Therefore, we request that the VNC Board approve these recommendations as submitted. Should the Board wish to augment our recommendations with additional funds, we would welcome it, as we would have liked to fund more projects if there were more monies available.

Exhibits B & C – – Draft 2008-09 Budgets 1 & 2

Please see attached agenda and budget files below.

Location(s)

See map: Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps

Attachment	Size
080617VNCBoardAgendaRev.doc	305.5 KB
2008 2009 0531 Budget Draft-08-09.xls	300 KB
Budgets - ARTS1 - OPD-NCl.xls	33 KB
Budgets - ARTS2 - OPD-NCl.xls	47 KB