Thank you so much to our community for the overwhelming vote of confidence in this week’s election and for giving me the opportunity to serve the West Valley for one final term on the LA City Council. I take this responsibility very seriously and I am honored to continue doing the work, tackling the tough issues facing Los Angeles and delivering for the Valley. My goal is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the Third Council District.
For the next term, I’ll remain focused on getting key projects across the finish line. This summer we will break ground on major initiatives of my Reseda Rising effort, including the City’s only public ice skating facility. Construction is starting soon on converting an underutilized lot on the LA River into the new Caballero Creek Park. Over the coming months, we will open about 200 units of permanent supportive/affordable housing to complement the hundreds of transitional units we’ve built to help get unhoused people indoors and off the street.
Always, near the top of my agenda is finding ways to make our local government more efficient and more productive. As Public Works Committee Chair, I prioritize fundamental issues like stronger streets and faster sidewalk repairs, innovative efforts that improve streets and fight climate change like ‘Cool Pavement’ and tree planting/trimming.
Another priority for me is to continue to establish a better ‘normal’ after the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes building on recent progress to make it easier for folks to start and grow businesses in our community, investing in beautification efforts like the LA Conservation Corps and Overdue to help clean our public spaces, and continuing to advocate for vaccinations and safety as the virus is still very dangerous for many families.
The greatest crisis in our City is homelessness and public safety. Though we have made significant progress in the West Valley through building housing and growing services, we must do more not just for the folks who are on the street and those who are on the verge of homelessness, but for the entire community. The goal remains both to provide a hand up for folks in need and to keep our streets safe, clean and accessible for everyone.
Thank you again to our community for the honor of serving the West Valley on the City Council. As always, my staff and I are here for your City needs so please never hesitate to reach out to us at 818.774.4330 or [email protected].
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Rams and the Kroenke Group are expanding their future footprint in the West Valley. They recently purchased the former Anthem site in Warner Center in addition to the recent purchase of the former Westfield Promenade. A headquarters for the team and practice facility are some of the likely uses for the sites, along with mixed use development. Councilmember Blumenfield is thrilled to continue working closely with them on this effort to bring more investment and opportunities into the downtown of the West San Fernando Valley. Read more about the purchase here.
This week, the City Council approved funding for Haven Hills and OneGeneration, two organizations doing great work in the West Valley. $126,660 has been designated to OneGeneration to continue their senior meals program and $2.5M has been earmarked for Haven Hills to continue providing safe and secure emergency shelters to survivors of domestic violence and their families. Through the budget process, Councilmember Blumenfield was also able to secure an additional $263,000 for Haven Hills to complete the required ADA upgrades as part of their renovation of a 6-unit, 30-bed transitional shelter with funding secured through Prop HHH.
Metro has a plan to make it easier to get around LA, with better transit across the North Valley. The North San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project will improve east-west transit service with better access to jobs, education and essential services. This new approach, called the BRT Network Improvements, is aimed to provide the following benefits:
Check out the interactive StoryMap and join a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, June 12 at 11am to learn more about the project and how it will provide better transit and access to opportunities in the San Fernando Valley.
Summer is here and LA Animal Services would like to remind you that too much heat can be extremely dangerous or even fatal for your animal companions. Remember, dogs and cats try to cool themselves by panting or rapid breathing while rabbits disperse heat through their ears; and unlike people, neither dogs, cats nor rabbits sweat through their skin. Take these simple precautions to keep your companion animals happy and healthy when the temperature soars.
Councilmember Blumenfield celebrates teachers and staff from Kirk O’the Valley School for another successful school year and Kirk’s 60th Anniversary.
Councilmember Blumenfield met with local folks and checked out classic cars at the 19th annual Valley Traffic Advisory Council ‘Still Saving Lives’ Car Show and Safety Fair.
Councilmember Blumenfield attended the latest Wing's over Wendy's meeting to celebrate the group's 20th year since inception and the 100th Birthday of World War II Veteran Harvey Cohen who served in the US Army's Medical Corps.
This week's photo from the Los Angeles Public Library's archives is from the Valley Times taken on June 23, 1955 of members of the Women's Association of Kirk O'The Valley preparing for a fashion show.