Meeting Date: 10/03/15 10:00 AM

Meeting Type: Regular

Location: Will & Ariel Durant Library – 7140 Sunset Blvd.

Details: 1.  Welcome and general comments.

2.  Consider approving minutes of previous committee meetings. 

3.  Describe and discuss LA Department of Water and Power's upcoming project to replace the fresh water pipes along Willow Glen between Thames and Woodstock. 

4.  Describe and discuss LA Fire Department's curb to canopy tree trimming program(s) in our neighborhood, which occurred in 2012 and 2015, and how LAFD pruned and cut down protected oak, walnut and sycamore trees without complying with the LA Municipal Code and CA CEQA requirements to ask the City's Urban Forestry Dept. for permits, provide notice to residents etc. Discuss LAFD's temporary suspension of this program while we discuss how to correct the problem(s).

5.  Discuss some recent and pending applications for new houses at the Planning Dept.'s Mulholland Design Review Board. Report on the current status of older items, including Bulwer Drive and the Woodstock Road extension/Mt. Olympus north slope.

6.  Discuss LA Building & Safety Department's enforcement program's problems in our area.  Examples include lack of permits and code enforcement as well as airbnb type short term lease arrangements.

7.  Public safety matters – LAPD Hollywood Division's Senior Lead Officer Ralph Sanchez hopes to be at the meeting to answer questions.

8.  El Nino & emergency preparedness.

9.  Public comments on non-agendized items.

10.  Adjournment.

The meeting started at approximately 10:05 a.m. 

Nine stakeholders were present.

The stakeholders voted to approve the draft minutes of the area 9 committee meeting held on May12, 2015.

Orrin Feldman explained DWP's plan to replace the fresh water pipes under Willow Glen from Thames to Woodstock this winter. It will be a 4-month project, and it is expected that there will be only two planned disruptions of water service, and that DWP will provide 3-days advance notice each time. There is an open question about whether just the cuts or the entire roadway will be repaved. A discussion followed. 

Orrin explained that the tree cutting crews coming through our area from Willow Glen to Torreyson in 2012 and 2015 were working for LAFD under a canopy to curb tree cutting program which LAFD had not announced to the public. It turns out that hundreds, and maybe thousands, of protected trees had been trimmed and cut without LAFD or the contractor obtaining permits from LA's Urban Forestry Dept, which was required by CA CEQA and the LA Municipal Code. There are ongoing discussions and meetings with LAFD to see if LAFD can correct the program's operational problems in the future and avoid being sued for cutting down those protected trees. For the moment, LAFD has suspended the tree cutting program(s).

A discussion followed about recent developments along Willow Glen, including renovation work being done without any open permits at one house, and applications for demolitions of existing houses and constructing new homes at 7631 and 7681 Willow Glen.  

Several stakeholders made brief comments about non-agendized items.  

The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:35 a.m. 

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