Open Del Rey

Coalition of NC Green Committees meets THIS THURSDAY

2012-02-22T07:21:06Z

Please join us THIS THURSDAY for the first meeting of the Neighborhood Coalition of Green Committees. We intend to meet quarterly to share best green committee practices (including zero waste events and effective social networking), to discuss relevant upcoming local … Continue reading →

DRNC Co-Sponsors Ballona Creek Cleanup

2012-02-02T18:45:36Z

Over 100 volunteers from in and around the Del Rey area participated in the Ballona Creek Cleanup Saturday, Jan. 28th. The event was promoted through several new banners made possible by funds from the Del Rey Neighborhood Council.

Dr. Susan Linn to speak at Westside Neighborhood School

2012-02-01T06:17:04Z

Location: 5401 Beethoven St, Los Angeles, CA 90066

When: February 8, 2012
Time: 7:00 pm–9:00 pm

Dr. Susan Linn, instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and nationally known author will speak about The Importance of Making Time for Make-Believe and Imaginative Play for Children from 7 to 9 PM. She will be available for book signing at 6:30. This event is free and open to the public.

Website: http://www.wnsk8.com

Phone: 310-574-8650

Email: lglassman@wnsk8.com

Price: $0

NOAA declares Los Angeles Storm Ready and Tsunami Ready

2012-01-28T00:43:05Z

From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

On January 27, the City of Los Angeles was recognized by NOAA’s National Weather Service as StormReady® and the largest city in the nation to become TsunamiReady™.

The nationwide voluntary community preparedness programs use a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to prepare and warn citizens about severe weather, flooding and tsunami threats. To become StormReady and TsunamiReady, the city of Los Angeles met stringent criteria focusing on both internal and external communication, alert systems, reception and understanding of hazardous weather alerts, community outreach, and a comprehensive natural disaster plan.

Mark Jackson, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service forecast office in Oxnard, presented city officials with recognition letters and StormReady and TsunamiReady signs at the Los Angeles City Council meeting earlier today.

“As a City that faces the potential wrath of Mother Nature on a number of fronts, Los Angeles is proud to have earned the National Weather Service’s distinctive “TsunamiReady” and “StormReady” recognition,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Our City is committed to the highest level of emergency preparedness so that our residents can be best equipped to deal with any sort of disaster.”

“Like all areas along the West Coast, a tsunami could strike Los Angeles,” said Jackson. “Preparing for disaster is everyone’s responsibility. Develop your own emergency response plan, keep a disaster supply kit on hand and learn the tsunami warning signs.”

The StormReady and TsunamiReady programs are a part of NOAA National Weather Service’s working partnership with the International Association of Emergency Managers, the National Emergency Management Association and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. The StormReady and TsunamiReady designation must be renewed after three years. For more information on how your family can be prepared for a tsunami or other natural disaster, visit ready.gov.

NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. Working with partners, NOAA’s National Weather Service is building a Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. Visit us online at weather.gov and on Facebook.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook , Twitter and our other social media channels.

Join the forum discussion on this post

Ballona Creek Cleanup Saturday Jan 28th

2012-01-27T02:52:28Z

Location: S Centinela Ave & Milton St, Los Angeles, CA 90066

When:
January 28, 2012

Time: 9:00 am

Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR) will host its second creek cleanup at Centinela Avenue this Saturday, January 28, 9am-noon. Register with BCR at this special Ballona Gateway and native plant mini-park at the northwest corner of the Centinela Ave./Ballona Creek crossing in Los Angeles' Del Rey neighborhood, west of Culver City. A warm sunny day is expected. In the unlikely event of rain, the cleanup will be moved to February 4.

For fliers, waivers, details and other news, visit www.ballonacreek.org. More details follow:

Volunteers of all ages are welcome for this fun and worthwhile activity. And it’s a great way for students to earn community service credits. Waivers are required: As with all creek and coastal cleanups, participants under 18 need waiver forms signed by their parents or guardians (available on-site or online at www.ballonacreek.org). Adult volunteers also need to sign waivers.

Bring your own water in a reusable container. Water also will be available at the event, along with light refreshments, bags, disposable gloves, other tools, and educational displays. Wear closed-toed shoes and sunscreen. Buckets, hand tools to help retrieve trash from plants, heavier work gloves, long sleeves, long-legged pants, and water-resistant shoes or boots can be helpful, too.

This cleanup is made possible by a permit from the County of Los Angeles and is co-sponsiored by Councilman Bill Rosendahl, LA City Office of Community Beautification, and the Del Rey Neighborhood Council.

Website: http://www.ballonacreek.org

Email: jim.lamm@ballonacreek.org

Price: $0

Conservancy agrees to release funds for Ballona Wetlands restoration

2012-01-21T02:24:58Z

The California Coastal Conservancy has agreed to disburse nearly $6.5 million for the completion of technical studies, design work and other efforts involved in restoring the Ballona Wetlands, it was announced Thursday.

Jan 21st: Google and Clean Power Finance Offer Funding for Solar on Residential Rooftops

2012-01-18T17:06:14Z

Open Neighborhoods and PermaCity invite the public to a free solar workshop and open house at PermaCity’s showroom in Los Angeles to learn details of new funding available through a partnership between Clean Power Finance and Google to put solar panels on residential rooftops.

The 2pm event on Saturday January 21st, 2012 will demonstrate the latest innovations in rooftop solar power and discuss the benefits of NO money down residential solar. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. Space is limited and advance registration is required.

RSVP at http://communitysolar.eventbrite.com.

Google recently announced $75 million in funding for up to 3,000 homeowners in key markets, including Los Angeles County, to go solar with a Clean Power Finance solar lease.

Rick Needham, director of Energy and Sustainability at Google said, “We’re proud to be among the first investors to partner with Clean Power Finance, and enable the company to continue forging strong relationships with the best brands in solar.”

Clean Power Finance provides an innovative online marketplace that connects installers with investors such as Google to provide affordable financing for solar power. The result is solar energy that can be significantly less expensive than purchasing electricity from local utilities.

Kristian Hanelt, senior vice president of renewable capital markets at Clean Power Finance, said, “Clean Power Finance believes making competitive finance products available to quality installers like PermaCity is key to advancing the residential solar market. Homeowners ought to be able to afford clean, renewable power at reasonable rates, and we are pleased to partner with Google, PermaCity and community organizers like Open Neighborhoods to offer solar finance products to make that possible.”

Open Neighborhoods co-founder James Brennan said, “We are pleased to see Google and Clean Power Finance helping Los Angeles County homeowners take full advantage of Open Neighborhoods group purchasing power to realize significant energy cost savings.”

Through the Open Neighborhoods Community Solar program in Los Angeles County, participating homeowners receive group discounts on solar panels, with up to 33 percent discount on a Clean Power Finance monthly payment. Discounted solar installations start at $4.40/Watt plus tax through the Open Neighborhoods program, and utility rebates and tax incentives reduce the cost further.

Los Angeles County homeowners can determine eligibility to participate in the program and learn more now by requesting a free rooftop assessment at www.openneighborhoods.net/gosolar.

A representative from Clean Power Finance will be at the January 21st event in Los Angeles to explain the new program and solar leasing experts will walk-through the pros and cons of various leasing, purchasing, and lease-to-own options.

WHAT: THE SOLAR LEASE: Free Solar Workshop and Open House
NO money down residential solar.

WHO: Homeowners, green builders, environmental advocates and community leaders in Los Angeles County.

WHEN: Saturday, January 21, 2012, 2pm – 4pm.

WHERE: PermaCity Solar Showroom 5570 West Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif.

RSVP: http://communitysolar.eventbrite.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION call (310) 893-3100.

DRNC Votes to Renovate Little League Field

2012-01-17T01:21:09Z

On Jan. 12 the Del Rey NC voted to refurbish the Mar Vista Gardens Little League field with new dirt and other upgrades. The vote allows for Little League opportunities year round for Del Rey kids.

Ed Massey Mural Moving from Culver City to Del Rey

2012-01-14T05:32:00Z

The bulldozers are set to move in shortly and tear down the entire structure that once housed the Culver Plaza Theater complex on Washington Boulevard and Hughes Avenue.

As Culver City residents bid farewell to the landmark theater and its array of surrounding restaurants including Choppe Choppe, Mezza Grill and Mrs Garcia’s to make way for NMS Properties mixed-use development, the city will also lose the vibrant, colorful artwork that stood proudly above the buildings.

Ed Massey’s ‘Syncopation’ mural, however, will be spared the bulldozers. Instead, the painting - which stands at 241 feet long and 35 feet high - will be removed in sections to Del Rey’s Westside Neighborhood School and installed piecemeal on the campus over the next few weeks.

Massey created the bright, bold shapes specifically for the Culver Theater Plaza complex in 2004, using mops as giant paint brushes on all-weather material, according to a press release. The completed painting was then installed onto the building's curved exterior walls in 11 separate sections.

Massey said he was pleased with the choice of the mural’s new home.

“I hope that once the painting is installed at its new location that it will invigorate viewers and encourage a spirit in young and older students, campus visitors and passersby to think and act boldly, innovatively and creatively in everything they do,” he said.

LA Neighborhood Councils will Have 2012 Elections

2012-01-05T04:42:36Z

The City Council is going to make sure that neighborhood council officer elections take place in 2012--they're moving forward with an ordinance to transfer management of the elections to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, reports the Contra Costa Times. DONE had run the neighborhood council elections up until 2008, when the city clerk's office took over following complaints about DONE's management. The city clerk's $1.6 million budget for the elections, however, was cut to help make up the city's budget shortfall, so control swings back to DONE again. Although DONE has its own money woes, Executive Director Bong Hwan Kim says his staff can run elections this year on a tighter budget.

The other potential option explored by the Council was the postponement of the elections until 2014. However, the Council feared mass resignations from neighborhood council officers who didn't want to sign on for an additional tour of duty. In an earlier story from the Daily News, Councilmember Paul Krekorian points out that representative governance requires, you know, occasional elections: "That frustrates the very goal we're trying to achieve, which is to create a more robust democratic process."

Meanwhile, the City Clerk is exploring a cheaper way of running the elections, and should have a process in place by 2014, according to the Daily News. Diana Nave, president of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, tells the CCT that "By and large, you're going to find that neighborhood councils say (the City Council decision) is a good thing."Image via zach by design
· Neighborhood council vote woes [Daily News]
· L.A. to change neighborhood council election requirements [Contra Costa Times]

L.A. to change neighborhood council election requirements

2012-01-05T00:35:04Z

Warning the city could face the mass resignation of neighborhood council members if they are forced to remain in office two more years, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday agreed to change the election requirements.

Suspected car thief leads police on Del Rey to Pacific Palisades chase

2012-01-03T16:16:42Z

A suspected car thief in a Toyota Prius led police officers on an early morning pursuit today from the Del Rey area to Pacific Palisades, where he crashed through a gate, authorities said. | POLICE NEWS | BLOG: SOUTH BAY CRIME, COURT NEWS | FACEBOOK

Mar Vista Family Center Mourns the Loss of Founder Monte Factor

2011-12-13T06:00:00Z

Monte Factor, the founder of the Mar Vista Family Center died on Dec. 5 at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center, reports the Los Angeles Times. He was 94.

Factor founded the Mar Vista Family Center in Culver City - an organization dedicated to providing low-income families with quality early childhood education, youth enrichment, and educational tools - with his wife, Betty, in 1977.

Patch contacted Mar Vista Family Center CEO Lucia Diaz to share her thoughts on Factor’s passing and she sent the following letter:

With sadness we communicate the lost of our great leader Monte Factor. Monte was one of the people who contributed to the success of the Mar Vista Family Center. Monte was the first MVFC Board Chair and the greatest supporter for over 30 years, alongside his wife, MVFC founder, Betty Factor, who also passed five years ago.

Monte was a great advocate for the Mar Vista Family Center and the members of this community. Monte contributed even in the smallest of ways by playing Santa for the preschoolers for over 20 years. Staff members and families remember him with an amazing spirit full of positivity every time he participated in events or was visiting the Center.

Monte was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend and more than anything, an incredible human being. Both Betty and Monte worked together to create a safer community, leaving a legacy that we can follow.

Monte was one of my mentors and I am deeply saddened by his passing and grateful to have had him as part of my life.

Factor was also known as the ‘haberdasher to the stars’ and an arts patron who also co-founded the End Hunger Network.

Read the full obituary in the Los Angeles Times.

Be sure to like Culver City Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Santa Claus sleigh coming to Westchester and Playa del Rey

2011-12-13T05:09:46Z

The Los Angeles Police Department holiday sleigh, featuring Santa Claus, comes to Westchester and Playa del Rey neighborhoods on Wednesday.

Pivotal Solar Hearing in LA City Council Energy and Environment Committee

2011-12-12T22:07:48Z

The Los Angeles City Council will be holding a special meeting on Tuesday, December 13th to discuss the pilot of a 75MW Solar Feed-In Tariff program for Los Angeles. The session is expected to be critical for implementation of a new solar program that will enable business owners and residents to install solar panels on their rooftops to generate clean energy and sell surplus to the local utility.

The public is invited to participate in this hearing, which will consider important elements of the new LA solar program, including pricing, implementation, application and regional parameters. If you plan to share your comments publicly, you should arrive by 8:30am on the dot, fill out a speaker card (indicate you are speaking on #2) and give it to the clerk.

The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) has been a key advocate for the CLEAN LA Solar Program for the City of LA, and is encouraging public awareness and support in LA’s transition to clean energy. LABC and the Sierra Club have launched an online petition allowing community members to make their voice heard by telling LA’s civic leaders that you want the CLEAN LA Solar Program today.

The City Council meeting was called following concerns raised by California State Senator Negrete McLeod, author of California statewide Solar Feed-In Tariff legislation (SB-32), regarding the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power’s (LADWP) approach on solar. It also follows a new report by UCLA and USC researchers (PDF) that Los Angeles lags behind other California cities in solar jobs and the amount of solar power capacity per capita.

The report found that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) generates less than one-sixth as much solar power per customer as Southern California Edison, and has one of the weakest solar track records among major California utilities.

The new study, “Empowering LA’s Workforce: New Policies that Deliver Investments and Jobs,” explores the results of current solar programs in terms of solar power generated to date, job creation, and the cost-per-job — and outlines a policy package to develop new demand, deliver appropriate training, and ensure solar jobs for disadvantaged workers.

The report’s authors urge Los Angeles officials to adopt a solar FiT (feed-in tariff) program, which enables business owners and residents to install solar panels on their rooftops to generate clean energy and sell surplus to the local utility. Such a program has been endorsed by a coalition of environmental groups, labor leaders, business organizations and other stakeholders. According to the report, a robust solar energy program in Los Angeles has the potential to create $2 billion in local investment and 16,000 job-years with minimal impact on ratepayers.

MEETING DETAILS

What: LA City Council Energy and Environment Committee (Committee membership: CM Krekorian, Cardenas, Perry-Chair, Alarcon, LaBonge)
Where: LA Energy and Environment Committee (ROOM 1010, CITY HALL 200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
When: Tuesday, December 13th at 830am (come at least a ½ hour early to put in a comment card)
Agenda: December 13, 2011 LA City Council Energy and Environment Committee Agenda

The Los Angeles Business Council and the CLEAN LA Coalition Partners need your help sending a message to City leaders today. From the website you can click to send a letter to the Mayor, City Council and LA Department of Water and Power saying that you support a well-price, fairly allocated, 75MW Solar FIT with a simple application to be implemented by 2014.

State organization issues Ballona Wetlands restoration guidebook

2011-12-12T02:40:48Z

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission has released a voluminous assessment of species identified in the Ballona Wetlands south of Marina del Rey.

2 juveniles arrested as suspects in Westchester school fire that injured 3

2011-11-30T14:31:41Z

Two juveniles were arrested, and a third arrest was pending today, according to the fire department, after an intentionally set fire at a middle school injured three people and did significant damage to the building. | POLICE NEWS | BLOG: SOUTH BAY CRIME, COURT NEWS | FACEBOOK

Free Admission to Los Angeles Museums – December 3-4

2011-11-29T03:16:36Z

Bank on Christmas arriving early for art lovers this year, thanks to Museums on Us. Flash your Bank of America or Merrilll Lynch credit or debit card at participating museums in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 3rd and Sunday...

Sholem Community Arts and Crafts Fair Sunday, December 4th

2011-11-25T13:00:27Z

From 10am-1:30pm Sunday, December 4th, come browse, schmooze, shop and nosh at the Sholem Community Arts & Crafts Fair at Westside Neighborhood School while your kids play!

Featuring vendor marketplace, used books, live music, expresso bar, fresh waffles & bake sale. Supervised playground for kids 10 and under; “Bagels ‘n Blox” Parent & Me program (10:30 to noon) with songs, stories and art projects for kids 0-4.

FREE admission/parking. Proceeds benefit the secular Jewish Sholem Community and several humanitarian causes. Info: (310) 503-0812 or www.Sholem.org.

Westside Neighborhood School, 5401 Beethoven St, Los Angeles 90066

Westside Energy Efficiency Workshop on November 29

2011-11-22T19:09:56Z

Join the Los Angeles Business Council for the first-ever Westside Energy Efficiency Workshop with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and SoCalGas. Learn about energy efficiency products and programs available for commercial and industrial building owners, energy auditors and all service providers. Tuesday, November 29 from 12-2:00 pm at Century Park Towers Concourse Level in Conference Room B, 2049 Century Park East.

RSVP by November 25th to awilliamson@labusinesscouncil.org.

The event will feature LADWP Director of Energy Efficiency Tom Gackstetter and Gillian Wright, Director of Customer Programs and Assistance, at SoCalGas.