A before and after look at the recent bulky item sweep in Council District 2. | Photo: CD2

Dear Friend:

Illegal dumping is a serious quality of life issue for our neighborhoods. In the City of Los Angeles, it's against the law to discard old sofas, refrigerators, mattresses and other large household items on the curb outside of homes and apartment buildings. It's also frustrating for everyone in the community when bulky items block our sidewalks, streets and parkways.
 
This week, my office worked with the Bureau of Sanitation to remove almost 6,000 pounds of bulky items from 30 different locations along Victory Boulevard, and  Vineland, Coldwater Canyon and Costello avenues. Whether it is along the these major thoroughfares or in alleyways behind our homes and apartment buildings, illegal dumping is unsightly , unsafe and unwarranted.
 
Fortunately, the city has a solution: call 311. If you want to get rid of bulky items, call 311 at least one day before your regular trash collection day and the Bureau of Sanitation will remove the items for free. Call any day between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. with a list of items you want picked up. You can also download the My311 smart phone app or submit a service request online at myLA311.lacity.org.

Last year, we removed more than 1,000 tons of  bulky  items  from neighborhood sidewalks and streets as part of the new Clean Streets program.  To be a good neighbor, make sure to contact the city before you put bulky items out on the street or in your yard. 
 
The Bureau of Sanitation will also pick up large or bulky household items if you're a resident of a multi-family building or an apartment. To remove these bulky items from your curbside, please call the department's Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489 to schedule an appointment.
 
Please call 311 to report illegally dumped items whenever you see them. Once you do, the Bureau of Sanitation will come out to remove the items. This is a very helpful service provided by the city.
 
Help keep our neighborhoods safe and clean by encouraging your friends, family and neighbors to call 311.  

Very truly yours, 
 
Councilmember Paul Krekorian, District 2
TOP STORIES
This Day is History: Women's Equality Day
LOS ANGELES - August 26 marks the 96th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. 
 
The 19th amendment was ratified in 1920 after the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement led by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world's first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.  In 1971, the U.S. Congress officially designated the historic August day as Women's Equality Day.
 
Women's Equality Day also calls attention to women's ongoing efforts to overcome issues of wage inequality and continue the fight for equal rights.

Be sure to make use of these hard-fought rights by registering to vote, and by  checking and updating your voter information. V isit  www.lavote.net  for more information.
Council Approves Funds for Cleanups


LOS ANGELES - This week, the City Council voted to transfer nearly $2 million to the Bureau of Sanitation to help make our streets and communities safer and cleaner for all people. The City Council initially approved the funds as part of the city's budget process, led by Councilmember Krekorian, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee.  
 
The funds will be allocated to clean areas in the public right-of-way and expand the regional capacity for involuntary storage of unattended personal belongings removed during the course of cleanups. It is part of the City Council's ongoing work to improve neighborhoods and reduce the impacts of homelessness on our city. 
CITY SPOTLIGHT
Metro Extends NoHo-Pasadena Express Bus Service


LOS ANGELES - This week, the Metro Board of Directors voted to extend NoHo-Pasadena Express bus service for an additional six months. Metro launched the express bus line as a pilot program in March of this year to better connect the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.
 
According to Metro staff recommendations, weekday service hours will be increased and weekend hours will be reduced. This will allow for buses to come every 12 minutes during peak commute times during the Monday to Friday workweek and increase ridership. The changes will take effect in December.
 
The NoHo-Pasadena Express provides a fast, frequent and reliable transit alternative that connects the valleys by using the carpool lanes on the 134 Freeway. The express bus transports Metro riders from North Hollywood to Pasadena in approximately 45 minutes.

Click here to see photos of Councilmember Krekorian's ride on the bus. 
COMMUNITY CORNER
Back to School Lunch with Paul


EAST VALLEY - It's a new month, a new season and another new venue for the September edition of Lunch with Paul.  Next Thursday, we'll meet at Cactus Taqueria, one of Studio City's favorite taco spots.

Thursday, Sept. 1
12 noon @ Cactus Taqueria
11401 Moorpark St. 
Studio City

Bring your friends, some money for lunch and join us at this community lunch  gathering. It's a great opportunity to help support a fantastic local business and learn more about local issues that affect our Valley.

Don't forget to RVSP to the event at paulkrekorian.org/lunchwithpaul.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Councilmember Krekorian with Council District 2 summer interns Axel Sarkissian, an undergraduate at UCLA, and Nick Weinmeister, a graduate student at USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy.  | Photo: CD2
 
City Hall declared August 24 Kobe Bryant Day in Los Angeles to celebrate the NBA icon and Lakers' legend. | Photo: CD2
 
Councilmember Krekorian joined Jane Burrell, the VP of Education and Public Programs at LACMA (right) and Marvella Muro, LACMA's Community Engagement Manager (center) at the museum's summer nights program at NoHo Plaza. | Photo: LACMA

Councilmember Krekorian spoke about the San Fernando Valley's transportation future at the annual Local Officeholders Lunch hosted by the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA).  | Photo: CD2
EVENTS
Summer Movies in the Park -   Seabiscuit
Friday, Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m. 
Villa Cabrini Park
9401 Villa Cabrini Dr. West 
Sun Valley 91504
 
The summer movie series continues with a screening of this story of triumph,  Seabiscuit,  Tobey Maguire and  Jeff Bridges . Bring a picnic, blanket and the whole family to watch this fun film under the stars.  For a list of more summer movie events in the district, click here .  

Summer Movies in the Park -   Cinderella
Saturday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m. 
Valley Plaza Park
12240 Archwood St.
North Hollywood 91605
 
The summer movie series continues with a screening of this live-action retelling of the classic fairytale,  Cinderella, starring Cate Blanchett . Bring a picnic, blanket and the whole family to watch this fun film under the stars.  For a list of all the summer movies in this series, click here.  

LACMA at NoHo Plaza -  Fear Itself: Character Design Inspired by Films of Guillermo Del Toro
Saturday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m.
NoHo Plaza (Between 5223/ 5225 Lankershim Blvd.)  
North Hollywood, CA 91601
  
One of the most inventive filmmakers of his generation, Guillermo del Toro has reinvented the genres of horror, fantasy and science fiction. Get a feel for  LACMA 's  exhibition "Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters" by designing, drawing and creating  masks of mythical creatures from stories, films or your imagination.
LACMA in NoHo -  Sonic Visualization
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2 p.m.
Valley Plaza Branch Library
12311 Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
 
NoHo is home to some of the top recording studios in the country. Legendary artists from Miles Davis to Metallica to Michael Jackson recorded many of their top hits in NoHo. Many of these album covers are influenced by visual art, making them equally memorable.  Create your own version of these landmark records, using images of artworks in  LACMA 's collection and from select albums.
LACMA in NoHo -  Abstract Expressionist Painting
Saturday, Sept. 17, 2 p.m.
Valley Plaza Branch Library
12311 Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
 
Abstract Expressionism is a style of art that developed in New York in the 1940s. The paintings were made with spontaneous and energetic movements often driven by the artist's innermost thoughts and feelings that resulted in abstract images. This workshop will discuss and show examples of work by well-known Abstract Expressionists, including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Lee Krasner from LACMA's permanent collection. Create your own abstract paintings from those inspired pieces.
LACMA in NoHo -  Sumi-e Ink Painting
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2 p.m.
Valley Plaza Branch Library
12311 Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
 
Sumi-e is the Japanese word for black ink and a painting style that was developed in China in the early 7th century and adopted in other East Asian countries. Take a look at LACMA's exhibition Japanese Painting: From the Zen Mind, and learn how to hold the brush and create a text-based artwork.
LACMA in NoHo - Maya Ceramic Art
Monday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m.
North Hollywood (Amelia Earhart) Regional Library
5211 Tujunga Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91601
 
Be inspired by the ancient examples of Mayan ceramics from LACMA's permanent collection and  create your own clay pictographs as you  learn about the Maya civilization and the use of hieroglyphs during this LACMA workshop.