This week the City Council took the final vote needed to approve ‘no encampment’ restrictions for schools and daycare centers— specifically prohibiting encampments within a modest 500 feet of any school or daycare facility within the city’s limits.
As we have been successfully creating more transitional and permanent housing, the City Council has been approving specific, but limited locations where we can legally have a ‘no encampment buffer’ area. Under the law LAMC 41.18, these zones have included sidewalks under freeways, around parks as well as the perimeter of transitional housing sites.
This move was very much needed and I am proud to have strongly supported this measure. A few months ago LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho came to City Hall asking for this expansion and it was important for us to act. We have legal limitations that encampments cannot be on school grounds and it’s reasonable to extend that restricted area to 500 ft around campuses. Students and parents deserve to be safe at all hours, while at school and safe passage walking to and from school.
41.18 is not intended to solve homelessness. Rather, its purpose is to ensure that certain sensitive use public spaces are passable and usable for all. To Angelenos who do not support 41.18, I will continue to say that while we continue to get people housed and bring more services online, we cannot let all of our streets, parks and sidewalks be open to encampments. It’s imperative that we use 41.18 where it can be legally used and where it serves a purpose for the public good.
While we still must continue to create the needed shelter and services, we cannot wait to implement common sense encampment restrictions. The fact that we already created an unprecedented amount of housing, transitional and permanent, throughout the West Valley and entire City makes these basic restrictions even more justifiable.
You can find more information on this effort in my recent editorial from the Valley News Group and, as always, please reach out if you have any questions on this issue at [email protected].
Continuing progress towards making the Los Angeles River a beautiful linear park, Los Angeles County is planning to construct a Frank Gehry-designed Headwaters Pavilion in Canoga Park, near the intersection of Bassett Street and Alabama Avenue. The County's project will frame the entrance to the River Greenway and will include public art, shade canopies, picnic tables, bike racks, drinking fountains, and public restrooms. More information about the project can be found here.
For the last several years, Councilmember Blumenfield has supported and invested in projects to revitalize the Los Angeles River in the West Valley. Most recently, he unveiled the newest portion of the LA River bike path, from the headwaters of the River at Owensmouth Ave to Mason Ave, which connects to established portions he has helped create over the past few years.
To help local students enter the workforce, Councilmember Blumenfield is partnering with Pierce College and the West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce for a Professional Clothing Drive. From now to August 26, 2022, you can make a real difference by donating office appropriate clothing to the Brahma Career Closet. This is a new resource for students who need professional attire for interviews, career fairs, and job placements. Your generous donations will allow job seekers to feel confident to successfully enter the workplace and launch their careers. Most Pierce College students and alumni are from the San Fernando Valley and nearby communities, and this clothing drive will help them connect with employers to succeed in their job searches. For more information, please click here.
Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator is joining forces with its startup ChargerHelp! to offer an all-women Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Training course in September. During this free four-week program, participants will gain technical knowledge to perform general maintenance needs and EVSE infrastructure project management skills. Career coaching, case management and job placement services will also be provided to help facilitate transition into the green workforce. For full details and to apply by August 24, please visit laci.la/evse-training.
Councilmember Blumenfield’s partnership with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC) continues to deliver results. Young Corpsmembers work hard each day to keep our communities clean. A few years ago Blumenfield began allocating district specific funds to LACC to address needs in the district that weren’t being met by routine City services. He’s always grateful to see their progress.
If you see overgrown vegetation, excess trash, bulky items, graffiti, etc, call 818.774.4330 or email [email protected] and we'll send a team out.
Friends of the Woodland Hills Library is hosting a Book Sale from August 25-27. A large selection of children’s and adult fiction in hardback, trade and mass market paperbacks are available for up to $1 and non-fiction in an unbelievably wide variety of subjects are available for up to $2.00. Other items on sale include cookbooks DVDs, LP vinyl’s, CDs and new picture frames. Children attending with parents receive a free book.
Councilmember Blumenfield teamed up with West Valley PALS to give away school supplies to local youth participating in the PALs program. The Police Activities League Supporters is a youth crime prevention program that relies on educational, athletic, and other recreational activities to cement a bond between police officers and the youth in our community.
Movies and Concerts at the Park are in full swing every weekend until August 28 at Warner Center Park. Councilmember Blumenfield joined Valley Cultural Foundation's Executive Director, Joellen Ammann, to welcome families for a screening of Disney's Encanto. More programming info can be found here.
Councilmember Blumenfield thanked several local businesses for their contributions to the West Valley Boys and Girls Club's Back to School event where local students received school supplies and registered for afterschool programming just in time for the start of the new school year.
This week's photo from the Los Angeles Public Library's archives is from the Valley Times taken on August 26, 1961. Local Canoga Park students enjoy summer programming sponsored by the Los Angeles Board of Education and learn the finer points of chess from chess expert, Harold Milner.