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Students from Bellingham Elementary walking to school on the newly installed sidewalk.
| Photo: CD2
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Dear Friend:
This week, I proudly marked the opening of a brand new sidewalk that creates a safe route to school for the bright, young students at Bellingham Elementary School in North Hollywood.
With the addition of a new sidewalk installed by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services as part of the Safe Routes to Schools program, t
he school children will no longer be forced to walk in the middle of the street to attend classes. In addition to the newly installed 1,700 foot walkway, the sidewalk includes other safety and neighborhood improvements, like dozens of trees, 14 disability access ramps, and curbs and gutters on the walking path to Bellingham Elementary.
What makes this project more significant and more important to the community is that the new sidewalk is just one block from the site where a driver killed a 12-year-old girl who was crossing the street just years earlier.
The Bellingham project was funded by a $500,000 grant from Safe Routes to School program, a sustained effort by parents, schools, community leaders and local, state, and federal governments to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school.
Safe Routes to Schools examines conditions around schools and conduct projects and activities that work to improve safety and accessibility, and reduce traffic and air pollution in the vicinity of schools. As a result, the program helps make biking and walking to school more secure and appealing transportation choices, thus encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age.
Watch the NBC 4 video about the sidewalk project here.
Safe Sidewalks LA
This neighborhood improvement is in step with my commitment to create safe, reliable access for everyone. Last week, LA made a big leap forward in that regard by launching an unprecedented, comprehensive sidewalk repair program, called Safe Sidewalks LA, a $1.4 billion investment over the next 30 years to make all 11,000 miles of the city's sidewalks accessible and safe for everyone.
Starting right now, sidewalk repairs will begin in residential and commercial neighborhoods. These repairs will improve neighborhood safety, boost the quality of life and better connect our communities. Property owners can choose from several options that are available in the program, and we encourage Angelenos to participate and help us renew our pedestrian grid. Here's how the program works:
- Rebate Program: For property owners who want to get their broken sidewalks fixed as soon as possible, the new Rebate Program will provide up to $2,000 to homeowners and $4,000 for commercial property owners who want to repair their own sidewalk. Rebates will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis for the next three years. Applicants will get their sidewalks inspected by the city, will receive a rebate offer and will then be responsible for repairing their sidewalks. People who want to take advantage of the Rebate Program can start the process by visiting www.sidewalks.lacity.org.
- Access Request Program: If you are a person with a mobility disability who encounters physical barriers, like broken sidewalks, missing/broken curb ramps or other barriers in the public right of way, the new sidewalk program will take complaints and make repairs. To request a repair through the Access Request Program, call the Department on Disability at 213-202-2685 (voice) or 213-202-3452 (TTY).
- Report a Broken Sidewalk: Residents who do not qualify for either of those programs should still report broken sidewalks and request repairs at www.sidewalks.lacity.org, call 3-1-1 or report the issue on the MyLA311 app. The city will repair all broken sidewalks over the course of the 30 year program.
Very truly yours,
Councilmember Paul Krekorian, District 2
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NoHo's Whitnall Dog Park Wins Dream Makeover
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NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Dog lovers and dog owners joined Councilmember Krekorian, the Dept. of Recreation and Parks and the Beneful Dream Dog Park Project team to celebrate the announcement of Whitnall Off-leash Dog Park's extreme makeover.
Thanks to the outpouring of support from community members, the dog park recently won Walmart.com's #MyBenefulPark contest to receive $20,000 to improve the park. During Wednesday's celebration, Councilmember Krekorian announced an additional $20,000 in matching funds to complete major park upgrades.
In the coming months, Krekorian will work with the community and the Dept. of Recreation and Parks to decide how the $40,000 improvement funds will be used and when the projects will begin.
See more coverage and photos here.
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City Council Votes to 'Ban the Box,'
Giving Angelenos a Fair Chance at Employment
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LOS ANGELES - This week, with Councilmember Krekorian's support, the City Council gave final approval to the Fair Chance Initiative, an ordinance that disallows employers from asking job applicants about their criminal histories on application forms. The ordinance will "ban the box" -- the check box on applications that asks about a criminal record -- thereby giving formerly incarcerated people and others a second chance by removing an unnecessary barrier to future employment in Los Angeles.
The ordinance applies to LA businesses with 10 or more employees, along with city contractors, and could positively impact thousands of people in the city. Under the ordinance, employers can still ask about an applicant's criminal history, but not until a conditional job offer is made, which will then allow the prospective employee to explain the circumstances surrounding their criminal history.
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Take the LA2040 Survey to Plan LA's Future
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LOS ANGELES - What do you love about the City of Los Angeles? What do you see in our future? The Department of City Planning wants to hear from Angelenos to help shape the direction of our city over the next two decades.
LA is embarking on a four year journey to update the General Plan. This effort, called OurLA2040, will set policies, and shape
future growth and development within the city through 2040.
The General Plan is at the heart and foundation of the city's long-range vision and serves as the basis for decisions that affect all aspects of our everyday lives -- from where we live and work to how we travel from place to place, and how we spend our time in the city.
While the General Plan is a policy document that outlines goals, objectives, policies, and programs to guide growth in the city, it is also a community document which captures a collective vision for the future of Los Angeles. Your voice is critical to this process.
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Great Streets Pop-Up Reimagines Lankershim Blvd.
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Team Krekorian at Saturday's community pop-up event. | Photo: CD2
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EAST VALLEY - Last weekend, the LA Great Streets Initiative, in partnership with Councilmember Krekorian, LADOT, and the Dept. of Planning hosted a community pop-up event to reimagine Lankershim Boulevard.
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Temporary protected bike lane at the pop-up event.
| Photo: Streetsblog
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Saturday's event featured a temporary protected bike lane, a pocket-park, and a small street fair with food, music, art and more.
In 2013, Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Paul Krekorian designated Lankershim Boulevard as one of LA's first 15
Great
Streets
. LA will be investing in improvements along the corridor to enhance economic vitality, safety, and quality of life for residents, business owners and visitors.
Share your ideas about how we can improve this busy corridor to be a more livable, accessible and engaging public space. Visit www.lagreatstreets.org for more information.
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Krekorian's Donation Drive Brings Holiday Cheer
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EAST VALLEY - On Thursday, dozens of community members, business leaders and local organizations joined Councilmember Krekorian at his annual holiday food and toy drive event, bringing hundreds of new toys and food donations to benefit homeless and disadvantaged people in need across the San Fernando Valley.
"This such a special time of year when people get together to celebrate with friends, family and co-workers," said Councilmember Krekorian. "It's also a time for us to give generously and selflessly to our less fortunate neighbors. There are too many people in Los Angeles who don't have enough food and too many children who won't get presents this holiday season. I organized this holiday donation drive to make sure that hundreds of San Fernando Valley families will get to enjoy a full holiday meal together and have gifts to put under the tree this year."
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Councilmember Krekorian recognized Frank Lima, outgoing president United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, Local 112, for his outstanding service to Los Angeles. | Photo: CD2
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The Bureau of Street Services trimmed trees in front of Victory Elementary School in Valley Village. | Photo: BSS
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LADWP Customer Service Saturday
Saturday, Dec. 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Van Nuys Customer Service Center
6550 Van Nuys blvd.
Van Nuys
The LADWP's Customer Service Centers are open for business the second Saturday of each month for Customer Service Saturday. You can expect assistance from staff who are able to take payments, process service order requests, answer and resolve billing questions. There will also be informational tables and displays with helpful materials to answer questions about how to save on your bill, and provide details about rebates, conservation tips and more.
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Studio City Winter Family Festival
Sunday, Dec. 11, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Studio City Rec Center (Beeman Park)
12621 Rye St.
Studio City
Celebrate the holidays with the Studio City Residents Association at the Studio City Recreation Center's annual Winter Family Festival. Enjoy music, crafts, prizes, a special appearance by Santa, and lots of snow for the whole family.
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Operation Blankets of Love Volunteer Orientation Meeting
Sunday, Dec. 18, 11 a.m. to 12 noon
East Valley Shelter
Operation Blankets of Love is looking for volunteers. This community non-profit is looking for animal lovers to provide pet aid and comfort items to homeless animals in shelters, rescue groups and pets of the homeless. Attend the upcoming volunteer orientation meeting at the East Valley Shelter to learn more about how you can get involved. For more information and to RSVP, call (818) 402-6586 or 6586 or [email protected]. Visit www.operationblanketsoflove.org to learn more.
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