Enjoying a beautiful evening and immersion in local arts and culture, on Saturday, September 21, thousands of Angelenos came out for Blumenfield’s fourth annual Reseda Rising Art Walk and Night Market on Sherman Way. Blumenfield partnered with 11:11 A Creative Collective and the Department of Cultural Affairs to make this one of the most popular events in the entire Valley, with 8,000 to 10,000 people joining the fun.
“For one night, artists, musicians, and other creative folks come together and share their talents for the vibrant Art Walk,” said Blumenfield. “It was great to talk to many residents about all our efforts to revitalize Reseda, including building a year-round hockey rink with the LA Kings and our work with Thomas Safran and Associates to bring back the Reseda Theater and create more affordable senior housing.”
To be more eco-friendly this year the event made a concerted effort to reduce waste by 75% and also included water refill stations on site.
To learn more about Blumenfield’s efforts in Reseda, please go to http://blumenfield.lacity.org/thetools
And to watch a recap of Reseda Rising, watch the video below.
Celebrating 100 Years of Tarzana
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the neighborhood, Blumenfield joined local leaders at City Hall and at events in the community to honor the people of Tarzana past and present and to look toward an exciting future.
On September 24, Blumenfield welcomed some Tarzana community leaders to City Council Chambers for a special presentation celebrating its history. Blumenfield was joined by representatives from Tarzana’s Business Improvement District (BID), Tarzana Neighborhood Council, San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center, Tarzana Community and Cultural Center, and historians from the Edgar Rice Burroughs Foundation and Museum of the San Fernando Valley.
Additionally Blumenfield joined the Back to Tarzana Ranch Gala, hosted by the Tarzana Community and Cultural Center. At the gala, Blumenfield thanked Claire Bloom for organizing the event and honored Ameris Bryer for her many years of service to the Tarzana Community and Cultural Center as President of the Board. There was also the Tarzana Centennial Classic Car Show. This event was organized by Kathy Del Donne of the Tarzana Business Improvement District (BID) and featured a Model T car from 100 years ago.
In February 1919, the author of Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughs, first visited the San Fernando Valley and knew he had come home. He purchased a 550-acre property formerly known as “Mil Flores” (Thousand Flowers). After purchasing the property, he renamed the land “Tarzana Ranch,” and began raising livestock and crops. His hacienda quickly became the focal point of the West Valley social scene; the office he established on Ventura Boulevard was the center of early business efforts, including the founding of the Tarzana Chamber of Commerce.
Recognizing some innovators in online business, on October 2, Councilmember Blumenfield declared Ecommerce Week in the City of Los Angeles in a special City Council Presentation. Blumenfield partnered with CEO of Hawke Media Erik Huberman whose marketing company specializes in building brand recognition for ecommerce businesses.
During the presentation Blumenfield honored the owners of three local West Valley ecommerce businesses: Golden Hippo, auticon, and SoccerOne. These businesses have grown to attract global attention through their online platforms.
Ecommerce is the activity of buying or selling of products over the internet and it has played a major role in reshaping the 21st century global market. Ecommerce is one of the quickest platforms for retailers across the world to buy and sell products. In 2019 more than 20% of all sales across the world are expected to be transacted over the internet, totaling $3.5 trillion.
Walk to School Day Highlights the Importance of Safe Streets
October 2, Councilmember Blumenfield joined students from Hart Street Elementary School and kids across the country for Walk to School Day.
This great event started in 1997 and has helped raise awareness on the need for safe walking routes to schools. Blumenfield is proud to work with local schools on many projects to help make our streets safer including building a new four way light at Independence Ave. and Sherman Way to better connect Hart Street Elementary and the Canoga Park Library.
Los Angeles Homeless Outreach Portal: If you ever encountered a homeless person and wanted to help them, you can do so online.
LA County runs Los Angeles Homelessness Outreach Portal (LAHop), an online resource designed to streamline services to people experiencing homelessness. Residents are encouraged to fill out an outreach request if they encounter a homeless person needing help, struggling physically, or mentally.
This platform will not get someone off the streets immediately but it does get trained staff from the county to come out and directly offer services. It also helps get invaluable data on the homeless emergency in different, unique communities, so officials can better allocate resources. Users are encouraged to be as specific as possible about the well-being of the homeless person in their request forms, as homeless persons with more serious medical and mental health needs may be prioritized to the top of the list for outreach workers. Also, having a name and phone number for the homeless person is more helpful than just referring to someone on the street.
To start a request, please visit this link.
Airbnb Complaint Portal: As the City and short term rental platforms finalize regulations, Airbnb has asked Team Blumenfield to share this link to their anonymous neighbor complaint portal. Most folks who use short term rental platforms are responsible hosts but it’s vital to report issues so Airbnb can help. Whether parties, trash, noise, or something else, AirBnb wants to know so they can address any nuisances or problems.
The City also has a hotline and portal with information about home sharing-
Hotline: (213) 267-7788
Update on Sidewalk Repair Program: The Sidewalk Repair Program is a cost-sharing program between the City and a private property owner willing to hire a contractor to repair the sidewalk adjacent to their property. The maximum contribution from the City is $10,000. Bureau of Engineering is going to reopen the sidewalk repair rebate program for a very limited time until they expend the remaining funding they have budgeted for the program. To learn more details about the program and how to apply, click here.
Complimentary NFMLA Memberships: We're excited to announce that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has committed to another year of underwriting 600 annual student memberships to NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) for current college and university students! These memberships will include access to all NFMLA Monthly Film Festivals for an entire year. Please alert students about the opportunity to apply ASAP by directing them to the following link. The deadline to apply is November 8th, 2019 at 5pm PT. You can also share the attached graphic through email blasts or social media postings.
“Caesar“ ID# A1848603- Caesar is 10 years old and came in to the shelter with another dog when his owner moved away. His friend got adopted right away but he has been at the shelter for about a month. He's such a sweet dog. Loves to go for walks and meet new people along the way. He knows how to sit fairly well and will give you a smooch once he gets to know you. He just needs a forever home with someone who is willing to give him lots of love. He has become a shelter favorite.
“Aero” ID# A1586369- Aero is a lovely cat, and the perfect age to adopt. At 5, she is young, yet past the age of constant activity age and ready for calm, relaxing time with her person. She is exactly the right personality to take home if you want a loving and gentle cat to be your closest companion for some play time, and mostly for lots and lots of shared, peaceful cat-coziness! Turn on the TV, grab a book, or sip some coffee with wonderful Aero at your side or in your lap! Sweet Aero just needs a forever home with lots (and lots!) of love you can share with a super sweet cat.
Bring home forever love, smiles, purrs and wags -- come adopt a shelter pet today! Dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, bunnies, all sizes, types and fur lengths, from playful youngsters to gentle, loving seniors -- they are waiting for you at your local CD 3 Animal Shelter! Come fall in love at the West Valley (L.A. city) Animal Shelter at 20655 Plummer St., Chatsworth, (818) 756-9325. See all the L.A. City Shelter animals at http://www.laanimalservices.com/.
Team Blumenfield is partnering with the Los Angeles Public Library’s (LAPL) photo archive for a new segment to highlight historic photos of the West Valley. In celebration of the Tarzana Centennial, the first photo in this segment shows a flock of over 500 sheep grazing the fields of Tarzana. According to the LAPL, this photo was taken at Avenue San Luis and Ponce Avenue in 1937. To learn more about this photo and use the digital photo archive, click the link here.
The West Valley Food Pantry is an organization located in Woodland Hills that ever since 1975 has served the hungry and the need of the West Valley. Watch this video to learn about this incredible organization from Executive Director Debbie Decker. (Music Credits: Clear Waters, by Kevin Macleod)
YMCA National Neighborhood Clean Up Day: Through his partnership with West Valley Alliance, Councilmember Blumenfield provided the tools for volunteers to pick up over 40 trash bags off the streets and sidewalks for the YMCA National Neighborhood Clean Up Day.
New Directions for Youth: At the annual Spirit of Hope Gala, Blumenfield spoke about the importance of New Directions for Youth and the support they provide to their at-risk clients.
Update on Cool Pavement: Councilmember Blumenfield welcomed members of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network to the world's first Cool Pavement Neighborhood, a unique pilot program to combat urban heat island effect. Cool pavement technology, unlike asphalt, reflects the sun's rays rather than absorbing them into the ground. Academics from USC are currently studying the benefits of this new technology and more details will be available in the future. To watch a video on Cool Pavement, click here.
Service Dog Month: Blumenfield brought together Los Angeles Department of Disability, Guide Dogs of America, Canine Support Teams, and Canine Campanions for Independence to recognize Service Dog Month.