Van Nuys Neighborhood Council May Executive meeting will be taken place May 5, Monday 6:30 am at 6262 Van Nuys Blvd. in the Council Chambers adjacent room. We encourage residents and stakeholders to bring issues to the meeting pertaining our community. Hope to see you there.
By choosing to walk, bike, carpool, or take public transit on May 4th, 2014 you will see how easy it might be to use alternative transportation!
Council Summit On Disaster Preparedness Tonight!
VAN NUYS, CA — The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is hosting a Special Council Meeting tomorrow night to address disaster preparedness. The recent earthquakes in Southern California have highlighted the importance of the issue and the largest neighborhood council in the San Fernando Valley is taking the lead in getting everyone prepared for “The Big One.”
“This summit has been a joy to plan, and I would like to thank LAPD Volunteer Cheryl Cashman, Local Businessman Kambiz Merabi, and Van Nuys Neighborhood Councilman Josef Lazarovitz for all their hard work bringing this together. We have reached out to all of the neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley as well as other local municipalities in the area. We are bringing the experts, our community leaders and the general public together and getting everyone prepared,” said George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council.
“The focus of this event is to inform the community about disasters and earthquakes in the Los Angeles area, primarily getting prepared and what steps they need to take in order to do that. This event is open to the entire San Fernando Valley and the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is anticipating a large turnout,” said Thomas.
“Our council has purchased lighted whistles and ‘Go Bags’ as free give-aways. We have Emergency Preparedness Guides from the Red Cross, SOS Survival catalogs, some specific handouts on CERT and a checklist. LAPD and LAFD will talk about their roles during and after a disaster, where they will be and won’t be, as well as their input on how the community can help by being prepared. LAFD will talk more in depth about preparedness and the CERT program,” said Thomas.
The confirmed speakers are:
LAPD Commander Operations Regina Scott Valley Bureau
LAFT Captain Stacy Gerlich Homeland Security Division, Catastrophic Planning and Captain Keith Scott CERT Commander
Gas Co. Charles Poepke Field Operation Supervisor II
Red Cross Cheryl Cashman
Map Your Neighborhood Kristin Sales
Mr. Charles Poepke will talk about how to turn off the gas, when you need to turn off your gas and the seismic shut off valves that many homes have and people don’t understand. Cheryl will be talking about “Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed” for your home, work and car. And Mrs. Kristin Sales, who has implemented the Map Your Neighborhood program in her neighborhood, will give a brief overview of the program. (Also scheduled to present and speak are Captain Keith Scott, CERT Commander & Charles Poepke, Field Operation Supervisor II for the Southern California Gas Company.)
The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council selected Wednesday, April 30th for the Disaster Preparedness Summit. The location is the Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard.
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
PO Box 3118
Van Nuys, CA 91407
Telephone (818) 533-VNNC (8662)
Email: Info@VNNC.org Web: www.VNNC.org
Are you ready to jam? On June 4, 5, and 6 you can join other creative minds in Los Angeles to engage in some outside-the-box problem solving. You might have heard of other jams on other themes– it’s a global effort. This jam will focus on the public sector.
Working around a common Theme, small Teams will meet at multiple locations, working for 48 hours on building innovative approaches and solutions towards challenges faced by the public sector. At the end of the two days, they upload their results and publish them for the world.
Anyone can join. Check out the site for details and make sure you sign up for a an experience that’s sure to stimulate your mind. We’d love to have Neighborhood Council folks report back from GovJam!
Councilman Tom LaBonge & LAFD Captain Stacy Gerlich from the Department of Homeland Security to Headline the Event
VAN NUYS, CA — The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is hosting a Special Council Meeting this coming Wednesday, April 30th to address disaster preparedness. The recent earthquakes in Southern California have highlighted the importance of the issue and the largest neighborhood council in the San Fernando Valley is taking the lead in getting everyone prepared for “The Big One.”
“This summit has been a joy to plan, and I would like to thank LAPD Volunteer Cheryl Cashman, Local Businessman Kambiz Merabi, and Van Nuys Neighborhood Councilman Josef Lazarovitz for all their hard work bringing this together. We have reached out to all of the neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley as well as other local municipalities in the area. We are bringing the experts, our community leaders and the general public together and getting everyone prepared,” said George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council.
“The focus of this event is to inform the community about disasters and earthquakes in the Los Angeles area, primarily getting prepared and what steps they need to take in order to do that. This event is open to the entire San Fernando Valley and the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is anticipating a large turnout,” said Thomas.
“Our council has purchased lighted whistles and ‘Go Bags’ as free give-aways. We have Emergency Preparedness Guides from the Red Cross, SOS Survival catalogs, some specific handouts on CERT and a checklist. LAPD and LAFD will talk about their roles during and after a disaster, where they will be and won’t be, as well as their input on how the community can help by being prepared. LAFD will talk more in depth about preparedness and the CERT program,” said Thomas.
The confirmed speakers are:
LA City Councilman Tom LaBonge
LAPD Commander Operations Regina Scott Valley Bureau
LAFT Captain Stacy Gerlich Homeland Security Division, Catastrophic Planning and Captain Keith Scott CERT Commander
Gas Co. Charles Poepke Field Operation Supervisor II
Red Cross Cheryl Cashman
Map Your Neighborhood Kristin Sales
Mr. Charles Poepke will talk about how to turn off the gas, when you need to turn off your gas and the seismic shut off valves that many homes have and people don’t understand. Cheryl will be talking about “Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed” for your home, work and car. And Mrs. Kristin Sales, who has implemented the Map Your Neighborhood program in her neighborhood, will give a brief overview of the program. (Also scheduled to present and speak are Captain Keith Scott, CERT Commander & Charles Poepke, Field Operation Supervisor II for the Southern California Gas Company.)
The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council has selected Wednesday, April 30th for the Disaster Preparedness Summit. The location will be the Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard. Additional details will follow early next week. (http://www.tomlabonge.com/)
1. Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America
2. Roll Call (Quorum Call)
3. Comments from the Chair — *Speaker Cards: 2 minutes, 2 Public Comment Times. (This includes speaker cards on any and all agenda items — a limit of 10 minutes for the entire meeting per Stakeholders and Councilmembers alike)
4. Public Comment (On matters within the VNNC Board’s Jurisdiction.)
5. Secretary’s Report — (Jon Hendry)
6. Treasurer’s Report — Jeanette Hopp
7. Committee Chairperson’s Reports, Budget Advocate’s Report, Elected Officials’ Reports & Election Chair’s Report
8. New Business
a. Remarks from LA City Councilman Tom LaBonge (10 minutes) 6:31-6:41pm
b. Remarks from LA City Councilwoman Nury Martinez (10 minutes) 6:41-6:51pm
c. Remarks from Stacy Gerlich, LAFD Captain, Homeland Security Division (15 minutes) 6:51-7:06pm
d. Remarks from Keith Scott, CERT Commander (10 minutes) 7:06-7:16pm
e. Remarks from Regina Scott, LAPD Commander Operations Valley Bureau (10 minutes) 7:16-7:26pm
f. Remarks from LAPD Volunteer & Red Cross Representative Cheryl Cashman (15 minutes) 7:26-7:41pm
g. Remarks from Kristin Sales, Map Your Neighborhood (10 minutes) 7:41-7:51pm
h. Remarks from Charles Poepke, Field Operations Supervisor for the Gas Company (10 minutes) 7:51-8:01pm
i. Breakout Session in Adjacent Room to Council Chambers (8:01-9:00pm)
9. Public Comment
10. Announcements
11. Adjournment
A couple of things on this fine Thursday afternoon. First, the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council’s Outreach Committee is having a “Special Meeting” tomorrow at 6:30pm. Our Honorable Chairwoman Maria Skelton will be addressing community concerns, and is starting to plan the 4th of July Concert at the Civic Center. Please stop by and weigh in on the issues facing Van Nuys.
Second, our “Disaster Preparedness Summit” is six days from today, and I encourage you to invite all your friends and neighbors to get the latest and most up to date information on preparing for “The Big One.” Please help spread the word, and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, April 30th for our “Disaster Preparedness Summit.”
And finally, the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is looking into hosting a “Health Fair” in October, and we would love suggestions and input as we start the process. Cheers, and have a wonderful weekend.
-George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
http://www.vnnc.org
Greetings Van Nuys Councilmembers, Residents, Stakeholders & Community Leaders,
Our “Disaster Preparedness Summit” is in exactly one week, and I encourage you to invite all your friends and neighbors to get the latest and most up to date information on preparing for “The Big One.”
We are reaching out to all of the neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley as well as other local municipalities in the area. We intend to bring the experts, our community leaders and the general public together to get everyone prepared. Please help spread the word, and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, April 30th for our “Disaster Preparedness Summit.” Cheers, and have a wonderful rest of the week.
-George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
www.vnnc.org
Save The Date! — Van Nuys Neighborhood Council & Department of Homeland Security Hosting Disaster Preparedness Summit
Stacy Gerlich from the Department of Homeland Security & LAFD to Headline the Event at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard
VAN NUYS, CA — The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is hosting a Special Council Meeting on Wednesday April 30th from 6:30pm — 8:00pm to address disaster preparedness. The recent earthquakes in Southern California have highlighted the importance of the issue and the largest neighborhood council in the San Fernando Valley is taking the lead in getting everyone prepared for “The Big One.”
“We are reaching out to all of the neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley as well as other local municipalities in the area. We intend to bring the experts, our community leaders and the general public together to get everyone prepared,” said George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council.
“At the Summit and Special Van Nuys Neighborhood Council Meeting, I would like to focus solely on emergency preparedness. We have an obligation and a duty to our community to come up with a plan, and I believe doing so should be our top concern. The City of Los Angeles and the American Red Cross both offer emergency preparedness plans, and the focus of our summit in April will be discussing the pros and cons of each, and ultimately choosing which one is best for our community,” said Thomas.
The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council has selected Wednesday, April 30th for the Disaster Preparedness Summit. The final location is at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard, and planning details will follow after the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council General Meeting is held. (Also scheduled to present and speak are Captain Keith Scott, CERT Commander & Charles Poepke, Field Operation Supervisor II for the Southern California Gas Company)
(Captain/Paramedic Stacy Gerlich, MA, served as the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) Program administrator and manager, providing both organization and leadership to the continual development of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) trained volunteer program. The CERT program was developed by the LAFD in 1986 and has remained a leader in its field. LAFD CERT is currently training 4000 citizens annually and maintains an active cadre of 215 trained volunteers who contribute over 4,500 volunteer hours annually to the LAFD. The CERT program provides a structured curriculum for citizens to become more prepared, resilient, and vital components to “whole community” preparedness. Captain Gerlich is considered a subject matter expert in the field of disaster preparedness and has had the honor of working with citizens and stakeholders throughout the United States to prepare our nation for an untimely whole community disaster.)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions/community-preparedness-and-resilience/stacy-e.-gerlich
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
Greetings Stakeholders and Residents,
This Saturday at Balboa Park in the Sepulveda Basin, Friends of the LA River will have their annual LA River Cleanup starting at 9:00am till 12 noon. It is a good time not only to clean up the river but learn and meet new people who acknowledge that the River is an important part of the our infrastructure. Please bring gloves, pants and enthusiasm in making this a fun event.
You need to sign up in order to participate. Here is the link to registration: http://folar.org/cleanup/
Below is information for the event.
Saturday, April 26, 2014 9AM to Noon
View Larger Map
HOST:
Community Partners 2014: US Army Corps of Engineers Staff & Families, Anheuser-Busch Employees, Pi Cappa Alpha Fraternity CSUN, Van Nuys High School, Van Nuys Middle School, CSUN Outdoor Adventures, AECOM, URS, Church of Latter Day Saints Granada Hills Stake
Site Photographer: Tina Bernard
Music by: TO BE ANNOUNCED
Location Specifics: North of Burbank Blvd, pass over Balboa Blvd bridge crossing the LA River, turn right into Anthony C. Beilenson Park. Immediate left into the large dirt lot for parking. Our cleanup site is across the large lawn, under the bridge.
Trash Sort: Volunteers for Friends of the Los Angeles River will sort approximately 20% of the trash collected at the Lake Balboa site to monitor trends in the composition of the trash in the Los Angeles River. View our TRASH SORT TRAINING VIDEO.
Thomas Guide page 561-D1
Description: Through the Sepulveda Basin, the LA River has a soft (earth) bottom with tall trees and plenty of birds and other wildlife. The site features plenty of parking, convenient restrooms, picnic tables and a playground down the road.
Volunteer capacity: 500
DIRECTIONS:
Bike: Easy access from the Sepulveda Basin Bike Path on Balboa Blvd at the River. This path connects with the Metro Orange Line bikeway.
Transit: Take the Metro Orange Line exit at Balboa Blvd and walk one block south to the River. Alternately take Metro lines 236/237 on Balboa Blvd. and exit at the stop just south of the River (between Burbank Blvd and Victory Blvd.)
Driving: Exit the 405 Freeway at Burbank Blvd. in Van Nuys and go west on Burbank. Turn right on Balboa Blvd. Turn rignt into the park just after the Balboa Bridge. Alternately, exit the 101 Freeway at Balboa Blvd. in Encino. Go north on Balboa and turn right into the park.
Parking: Easy parking in the Anthony C. Beilenson dirt lot on the East side of Balboa Blvd., just North of the LA River.
from Angela Shen of Neon Tommy, Annenberg digital news
Staff Reporter
Just a few decades ago, people could get away with heavily polluting the environment without any legal implications. In 1970, Earth Day was started by a senator who wanted to push environmental issues onto the national agenda. This idea, along with the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, set a precedent for taking care of the planet on which we live. Today, Earth Day is observed by nearly a billion people around the world.
There many activities in the Los Angeles area that you can take part in to celebrate Earth Day.1. Over 400 national parks are celebrating National Park Week (April 19-27), which includes many activities for exploring landscape and wildlife.
2. The Los Angeles Zoo will observe Earth Day as part of the Party for the Planet celebrations (April 26-27). This year’s theme is “Celebrating California Wildlife,” and there will also be interactive, educational exhibits.
3. On April 26, there will be a full day of events at Santa Monica. Morning events include a beach clean-up and a sandcastle contest. The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will also offer scavenger hunts, crafts stations and a film screening.
4. A combined celebration of Children’s Day and Earth Day will be at Recreation Park in Long Beach on April 28. Guests can expect activities, food and entertainment.
5. World Fest, the city’s largest Earth Day celebration, will be in Woodley Park on May 18. The event is solar-powered and will feature environmental exhibits, educational workshops, kids’ activities and live entertainment.
Even if you can’t make it to any Earth Day events, you can still be environmentally friendly by taking action with these tips from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Reach Staff Reporter Angela Shen here.
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council 