Ventura Boulevard is the San Fernando Valley’s Main Street, and it’s iconic enough that it easily goes the by “the Boulevard” or just “Ventura.” But this area, specifically the western most portion, has the potential to be even better. I welcome the opportunity to help it thrive with my “Reimagine Ventura Boulevard” initiative.

The goal of the “Reimagine” efforts is to create a small town Main Street for Woodland Hills and to help support local business with additional parking, enhanced landscaping, and safer, better access for pedestrians. The idea was sparked by the members of the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council who believed that parts of Ventura Blvd. needed a clear vision for it's small town main street and believed diagonally parking could help with that vision.

After about a year of community meetings and thorough traffic studies, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and expert consultants have released their report detailing some proposed changes to Ventura Blvd. between Royer and Sale Ave. which would create new parking, street trees, landscaping, and better protect pedestrians with new crosswalks and signals.

Over the next several months plans will be finalized, landscaping designed, and funding sought to make this community initiated project to move forward. Nothing in life is prefect so course corrections may occur to make this part of the Boulevard shine brighter. The striping and parking would be fashioned a pilot program to help insure flexibility.

Ventura Boulevard holds a special place in the hearts and minds of most San Fernando Valley residents. Date night at Monty’s Steakhouse. Taking the kids for a games at Corbin Bowl or Bowlero. Ordering a custom birthday cake at Bea’s Bakery. Picking up the keys to your first new car at Vista Ford. All of these things happen on Ventura Boulevard. It is the San Fernando Valley’s Main Street, and it’s iconic enough that it easily goes the by “the Boulevard” or just “Ventura.” But this area has the potential to be even better, and I welcome the opportunity to help it thrive, both with my “Reimagine Ventura Boulevard” initiative, and eventually with appropriate updates to the area’s Ventura-Cahuenga Corridor Specific Plan.

Both “Reimagine Ventura” and opening the Specific Plan were ideas spawned by neighborhood businesses and concerned residents.  Our “Reimagine” efforts were sparked by the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council, and the Specific Plan update request came from the Tarzana Neighborhood Council. I was more than ready to embrace these ideas, especially considering the local support driving them, and through these grassroots discussions, we can make a positive mark on our community.

This summer the Department of City Planning (DCP) will begin a conversation with community members and stakeholders about the City’s upcoming update to the Community Plans for the West Valley. These conversations will inform and drive how the City balances needed growth with necessary protections for single family home neighborhoods. Councilmember Blumenfield is working with DCP to ensure that the community plan update process is open, transparent and inclusive. Every step of the way West Valley residents must have an opportunity to stand up and make their voices heard. Few things stir more emotion than decisions about development in our neighborhoods, and Blumenfield wants all of the communities in the West Valley to have all of the information needed to understand and shape the process. 

Blumenfield explained, “We who live in the West Valley love our communities and the updating of the plans must reflect our collective values, priorities, and vision.”

Throughout the summer there will be meetings led by the DCP in the West Valley specifically regarding the Community Plans, continuing the dialogue on the needs future of the West Valley. For more information on the community plan update process as well as tools on how to be a better advocate please go here. Below, please find the meeting in your community and click here to RSVP. 

I have become familiar with the Boething Treeland project since it was first proposed in fall of 2016. The process for reviewing this project has only just begun. However I have heard from many neighbors about the proposal and the potential impacts it could create for our area.

It is obvious that this project has raised red flags for me and many others within the neighborhood. As with any development project, one of my foremost concerns is that the project fit into the neighborhood. This project, as proposed, does not meet that criteria as it is out of scale for the neighborhood. The project, as currently proposed, is not acceptable, and does not have my support.

My concerns related to this project are no secret. I spoke about it at a Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization meeting back in January. I have been forthright that I believe that this project will need to be rescaled if it has any chance of fitting in with the community. It will also need to go through an open vetting process with the neighbors and an environmental review before it can gain any support from me.

The project has a long road in front of it, and many important questions to answer regarding its potential impacts. I have raised many concerns with the developer and the Department of City Planning regarding this initial proposal. I have many questions related to how traffic would be handled, what grading impacts would occur, how much open space would be maintained, and how this project would fit into the fabric of our community.

Those questions are just the tip of the iceberg and many more will need to be answered by the owner to justify such a drastic change to what has for decades been private, low impact open space. As someone deeply committed to protecting open space and who used to work for the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy, I believe drastic changes to this site or any open space site must meet a high burden of proof. 

However, I am not blind to the reality that this is private property, and that the site will be redeveloped in some way. Nonetheless, any proposed development must be done appropriately and contextually complement the existing neighborhoods it is a part of. Warner Center is the more appropriate area for density, this area should remain a cherished area of single family homes and community serving services.

I have relayed my concerns to the property owner and developer and I expect them to work with the neighborhood to come to a consensus on what is appropriate for that site. I generally refrain from taking a formal position prior to the Neighborhood Council process and other community vetting out of respect for the process and the dedicated community representative who spend their time analyzing development projects. I hope my expressions of concern about this project will not preempt or undermine their process, but rather serve as guidance to help focus it. Any proposed project must be better aligned with the type of neighborhoods it is part of. I am here to engage and work with the community to help shape a better project for our neighborhood.

It is my distinct honor and privilege to serve as your representative on the Los Angeles City Council.  Serving you and providing the highest level of constituent service is my top priority.  My staff and I always strive to resolve issues and concerns as quickly as possible. Should you have any questions please contact my Director of Planning & Land Use, Andrew Pennington, at (818) 774-4330.

The Environmental Impact Study has just begun and the DCP is taking comments on potential impacts and areas of concern. Please click this link to learn more about this process and know that the comment period lasts until July 20. Please remember this is just the beginning of the process and there will be many more opportunities to voice your opinions. Your engagement in identifying and solving problems is a key component of improving the quality of life in the San Fernando Valley. 

Thanks to everyone who came out for the 4^th annual Blumenfield Bike Ride. Below are a few photos from the event.

Recently, I hosted a Public Safety Town Hall with LAPD Deputy Chief John A. Sherman and the top brass of the West Valley and Topanga Divisions. Due to the two hour time constraint, not all of the submitted questions were able to be asked to our panel. Since I wanted to make sure that all of those questions got answered and shared with all who attended as well as our community members who couldn’t make it, my team and I have prepared written responses to all of the questions.

If you were unable to attend the event, it can be viewed here.

Each year, ahead of deliberations of the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, I turn to West Valley residents to determine their priorities for the upcoming budget year. The City continues to pursue ambitious solutions to the most pressing issues affecting our City including homelessness, housing, transportation accessibility and more, while maintaining the high quality of our police and fire services.

The Budget and Finance Committee's deliberations on the 2017-18 budget are set to begin on April 26. Hearings are broadcast live on the City’s public access network on Channel 35 and are streamed online here.

In order to help us make these tough decisions, please rank your budget priorities below:

As many of you know, Westfield has submitted a plan to the City that outlines their vison for the future of the Promenade site in Woodland Hills which they own.  With any site of this magnitude, this plan must be thoroughly vetted by relevant City agencies and your voice is a crucial in this process. Over the next few months, Westfield has been planning community meetings throughout the West Valley to discuss the details of the project with residents. I want to ensure that my constituents’ voices are heard and that each step of this process is transparent and meaningful.

There are a few dates before the new year that are important to this effort:

On December 14th at 6:30pm, the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council will be hearing a presentation on the potential Westfield Promenade project before taking it under consideration. This is a chance to hear the formal presentation, listen to the questions asked by the neighborhood councilmembers, hear Westfield’s responses and offer your thoughts during their public comment period.

Additionally, if you have a public comment that they would like to share regarding what environmental impacts should be studied for this project, please send it to [email protected] due by Monday December 12th at 4 pm. Doing so insures that it will be part of the official record. You can find more information about the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) and the specifics going forward here. There will be future opportunities for comment throughout the process.

For more background on the project in its entirety, here is a piece from the LA Daily News when Westfield officially submitted their plan.  

Each year, ahead of deliberations of the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, I turn to West Valley residents to determine their priorities for the upcoming budget year. As in previous years, this year, the City of Los Angeles continues to be challenged by a structural deficit. At the same time, the City is pursuing ambitious solutions to the most pressing issues affecting our City including homelessness, housing, transportation accessibility and more, while maintaining the high quality of our police and fire services.

With this week's rains, El Niño is officially underway in Los Angeles.

El Niño is a weather pattern, a warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator caused by a weakening of the trade winds that normally push sun-warmed waters to the west.

Strong El Niños usually mean above-average precipitation in the southern tier of the U.S. and warmer-than-average temperatures in the northern tier. Rainfall is often below average in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and the Pacific Northwest.