Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council October 2021: Issue 10
Message from the President
Jeffrey Hartsough
Welcome to the Ziff Flyer, the newsletter for the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council (SONC).

Thank you for being an interested and involved member of the Sherman Oaks community.
SONC - Your Neighborhood Council

It’s been a tough year. The COVID pandemic has upended our daily lives and made what was once simple, difficult. SONC hasn’t been able to meet “in person” for more than 18 months. The virtual meetings have helped, but the opportunities to meet and chat with our stakeholders face-to-face have disappeared.
Jeffrey Hartsough
President of SONC
Community Interest 2
Thank you for being a Ziff Flyer Newsletter subscriber. Please share it with your neighbors. It’s one way to keep informed about what SONC is doing. The SONC website (htttps://www.shermanoaksnc.org) provides basic information about SONC and how to virtually attend committee meetings. Our committees focus on issues such as public safety, land use, sustainability, traffic and transportation, and education.

Your Voices Heard

SONC is one of 99 Neighborhood Councils throughout the City of Los Angeles. SONC is an advisory body, at the grassroots level, connecting our Sherman Oaks community to City Hall. Board Members are volunteers elected by the community. Learn more about Neighborhood Councils at EmpowerLA.org.

SONC can’t take your concerns to City Hall if we don’t hear from you. We need you, our Sherman Oaks stakeholders, to let us know what’s important to you, how you feel about the issues, and what you think needs to be done to make things better. What’s happening in your neighborhood that needs to be addressed? In the City of Los Angeles? What isn’t working. What’s working well. Are the day-to-day City services being done? Who and what should be recognized and celebrated? You get the idea. We need to hear your voices.

A few of the issues that are currently being talked about and will have significant impacts on Sherman Oaks are the Metro Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project (STCP subway) and the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Express Lanes Project (I-405 Express Lanes) and the redistricting of City Council (City Redistricting) and County Supervisorial Districts (County Redistricting.). We’d like you to know about these and other issues and make your voices heard.

Your Homework Assignment

Our days are full. We all seem to have more things to do than time to do them. We’d like to make it easy for you to know what’s going on and participate in your community and SONC.

Please let us know how we can best keep you informed, educate you about issues important to our community, and make it easier for you to let us know how you feel about what’s going on in Sherman Oaks. Email us at SONC.Newsletter@gmail.com with your suggestions.

As we continue to be challenged by the pandemic and all the daily challenges and complexities of life in Los Angeles, please be respectful and kind to others. Kindness is important.

Thank you for being part of Sherman Oaks and being interested in what goes on here.


SONC Monthly Meetings:
October 5th, 2021, 6:00pm

October 7th, 2021, 6:30pm

Please see calendar for update.

October 11th, 2021, 6:30pm

October 12th, 2021, 6:30pm

Please see calendar for update.
To view webinar details,
please visit the calendar.

Please see calendar for update.

October 19th, 2021, 7pm

October 21st, 2021, 6:30pm

October 26th, 2021, 7pm

October 27th, 2021, 6:30pm



*=Visit Committee page to confirm date & time.
Not sure what area you live in and who your
Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council representative is? Email SONC.Newsletter@gmail.com with your address or cross-streets with the navigational direction --
we will help you out!



Join the Public Safety Committee
Tuesday, October 12th, 6:30pm

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS ON THAT ELECTRICAL POLE? For our October meeting, we are pleased to welcome 2 speakers from LADWP to discuss several topics on Electrical Safety in our homes! They’ll present on several topics then we’ll have a Q&A afterwards. This is kind of a UNICORN SIGHTING in getting these speakers - so please join us for this unique presentation on these topics:
 
  • Power Outages: How to get real time Power Outage Alerts
  • Home Safety Tips during an outage
  • Being Electrically prepared - “Do surge protectors work?”
  • High tension power lines – “What is on that pole??”
  • What to do if you’re around a wire that has dropped (high wind days/downed power lines) & the “bunny hop” (involves exiting a car if a live wire is touching it).
  • Turning breakers on & off post-disaster.

In our September meeting, we discussed heat-related illness symptoms for people and pets. You can find the 11 min video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpD47dsdxYY&list=PLJPisbxiuKnM_sOsn0-rz4cnJ2BsGw7pD&index=10
 
We also highlighted a potentially life-saving app called What3Words as well as walked through an emergency evacuation checklist – both videos will be posted soon!
 
The next SONC PSC meeting will be Tuesday, October 12th, 2021, 6:30pm.

Phone: 1-669-900-6833, Webinar ID: 842 7040 8817, Press #
Zoom Webinar ID: 842 7040 8817

Questions? Want to get involved? Please email Christy Adair direct.
Virtual SONC Meetings – Join Us

On March 12, 2020, the City, in response to the pandemic, suspended all meetings, activities, and events of SONC. We missed the annual Spring Tree Giveaway. We missed you at our meetings. In May 2020, SONC began to hold “virtual” meetings. These “virtual” meetings are held by way of teleconferences and video conferences. 

Information about the meetings and how to “join in” is available on the SONC website: www.shermanoaksnc.org. Please give us your feedback and comments. 

The next SONC Board meeting
is on October 11th, 2021.
We hope you join us.

Webinar ID: 85140543942
Telephone: 1-669-900-6833, enter 85140543942 #
October 11th, 2021 -- SONC Board Meeting

The agenda will be available on October 8th, 2021 on the SONC website, www.shermanoaksnc.org

To join SONC's virtual board meeting on
October 11th, 2021 at 6:30pm.

By Telephone:
1-669-900-6833, enter 85140543942 #

By the Internet:
(1) Follow link:
(2) Press “Enter”

Or from a Zoom “Enter the Meeting” Screen:
(1) Enter the Webinar ID: 85140543942
(2) Press “Enter”
(3) Enter your Email Address and Your Name, and
(4) Press “Enter”

Should you have technical questions or issues, please email Stacey.Segarra.Bohlinger.SONC@gmail.com.
Subscribe to SONC's 
Early Notification System via Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to receive all agendas for both board meetings and committee meetings.
SONC Committee Monthly Updates
VISION & PLUM Committee
Jeff Kalban, Chair
Senate Bills 9 & 10 were passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor. SB 9 will allow 4 to 6 units where one house is allowed today and SB 10 will allow a 14 unit apartment house to be built on every single family lot and you can do nothing about it.
The fight to preserve single family neighborhoods and to make them more affordable as well as many other housing options is detailed in SONC’s Equitable, Affordable Housing Study. Link: https://www.shermanoaksnc.org/committees/viewCommitteeFile/252
 
We are continuing to work with Councilmember Raman and the Planning Department on our community plan updates. With CD 4 support, we recently won the fight to get the Ventura Blvd. Specific Plan to be part of our Community Plan Update. Link to SONC’s Update Study: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15mTHr8gvy6sa4T2EZt5HsoKuywjzp3Vn/view
 
Metro is studying five concepts for the Sepulveda Corridor Transit project. Three of them currently threatening our community with above ground trains that will wipe out countless single family homes, condos and apartments from Sepulveda and Valley Vista up the entire length of Sherman Oaks and into Van Nuys. We are working with adjacent communities attempting to bring Metro to the table to seriously discuss their concepts, the potential impacts, ways to change the concepts and the need to not just maintain, but to enhance the quality of life in Sherman Oaks. 
 
Please join us and attend our virtual meetings. Vision meets at 6:30 on the first Thursday of the month and PLUM at 6:30 on the third Thursday. We will be discussing the Community Plan Updates, Metro, the State housing bills and real solutions to the affordable housing crisis.

To access the next Virtual Meeting on the Zoom Platform,
please see PLUM/Vision Committee page for updates and agendas.

EDUCATION Committee
Joe Cappelletti, Chair
The SONC Education Committee is dedicated to establishing and supporting programs and volunteer resources related to education. We are committed to supporting our educators, our families and our community leaders. Monthly meetings provide an open,
welcoming forum for stakeholders to get involved in helping us to make a positive impact and to build stronger connections between us.

The Education Committee is excited to announce that we will be welcoming a new series of speakers in the coming months. Our first group of distinguished guests addressed issues of systemic racism and social inequality through the lens of education, housing, employment and the American prison system. 

This year we look to expand the discussion to a wider range of social concerns facing our neighborhoods right here in Sherman Oaks. While the program is still in development it is our intention to create a platform from which to engage in respectful, empathetic and critically constructive dialogue. We believe we can build bridges of deeper understanding and solution-oriented improvements for all of the members of our community, while taking a look at some of the marginalized groups of neighbors among us. 

Our intention has always been to work towards building a stronger and more compassionate community through connection and cooperation. We endeavor to create and fortify true bonds of community in an open and inclusive forum that welcomes divergent perspectives. We hope to inspire positive and spirited activism. 

We will continue with our tutoring program with students from Notre Dame High School working with students from High Tech LA Middle School. It was a rousing success as there was significant improvement in the performance of the students tutored by our volunteers. Many thanks to Chris Wiggins and Fran Kerzner for leading this program.

We are looking to partner with any local schools where High School students can be both tutors and mentors.

We are looking forward to meeting with the PTA’s of our local schools in the fall to see how we can support the efforts of students and teachers.

We are also looking for opportunities to beautify our schools with murals. Let us know if your school could use some beautification! Do we have the muralists for you…!:)  

Through the leadership of the SONC Education Committee and collaboration of Fran Kerzner- Education Committee Member and Chamber of Commerce President, some absolutely magnificent murals were added to Kester Elementary School (see below) . Thanks to the artists and their supporters – Skye Amber Sweet and Katie Shipley

The murals are fantastic- great job everyone!!

The SONC Education Committee spearheaded the donation of hundreds of pairs of shoes which were given to Soles for Souls through the partnership with DSW. Many thanks to Van Nuys Middle School, The Science Academy STEM Magnet and Kester Elementary School who also donated to this worthy cause. DSW continues to accept donations at the site. Our schools look forward to working together again next school year in philanthropic endeavors.

We would love to hear from you! Please let us know if you’d like to get involved in the work we are doing and if you have any other ideas in how we can improve Sherman Oaks through Education (and community spirit!)

Committee: Joe Cappelletti, Lisa Cappelletti, Fran Kerzner, Alexandria Naseef, Sarah Mirman, Marcus Zimmerman, Chris Wiggins, Owen Cappelletti

To access the next Virtual Meeting on the Zoom Platform,
please see Education Committee page for updates and agendas.


GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Committee
Gil Imber, Chair
The Government Affairs Committee generally meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Stakeholders are invited to attend and participate through public comment during the meeting.
Over the summer, the SONC Government Affairs Committee approved several items that were ultimately adopted by the full Neighborhood Council, thus becoming the official position of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council.

These items included:
  • Support of maintaining minimum parking requirements for certain new developments/buildings.
  • Supporting the City of Los Angeles' request for the District Attorney to reintroduce hate crime enhancements to the office's prosecution strategy.
  • Supporting the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s efforts to provide relief to the community and to accomplish the goals and recommendations set forth during 2019/20's Southern San Fernando Valley Airplane Noise Task Force, including, but not limited to, northerly relocation and/or modification/replacement of the PPRRY waypoint to mimic conventional flight procedures.
  • Support for the City of Los Angeles' attempt to redirect certain mental health calls from LAPD to a mental health crisis hotline vendor.
  • Support for a City of Los Angeles vaccination requirement for certain indoor businesses.
  • Support for an ordinance prohibiting possession or sales of unregistered "ghost gun" firearms and accessories.

Visit the Government Affairs homepage on the SONC website to see upcoming agendas or to submit written comments, such as agenda item requests.

To access the next Virtual Meeting on the Zoom platform: please see our Government Affairs Committee Page for agendas and webinar info.

OUTREACH Committee
Sarah Manuel, Chair
Please join the Outreach Committee for our next meeting on Tuesday, October 19th, 2021 at 7pm. Join in the conversation and take advantage of the opportunity to raise your hand and make your voice heard.
Outreach is proud to announce a Care-Kit Distribution for our neighbors experiencing homelessness coordinated by Outreach Committee Members Kira Durbin and Pamela Harris. We will be meeting at Council District 4 Office here in Sherman Oaks on Monday, October 11th by 12:45p. Distribution will be from 1-4pm in collaboration with CD4's Volunteer Corps and we will be staying local to the Sherman Oaks area. To sign up, please contact Sarah direct.

Outreach is also very excited to announce our first event of 2021 - SONC's Movie in the Park on Saturday, October 23rd at the VNSO War Memorial Park. Claim your spot at 6:30pm and showtime is at 7:15p featuring Hocus Pocus. Please wear your Halloween costumes, bring blankets, lawn chairs, snacks, face masks and social distancing are encouraged. Special thanks to the VNSO Parks & Recreation for making this event happen!

Outreach is also looking for only 1 more committee member. Could it be you? Do you consider yourself someone who cares about Sherman Oaks, is creative and willing to go the extra mile? Then please, come to our regular meeting, submit your public comment, introduce yourself and let's work together! We are looking for extra hands to take on the roles of Outreach, including communications and developing community programming. If you don't help us, who will? Recommend the Council to a friend or neighbor.

Also, there are many opportunities/platforms to get involved with YOUR community, please see our partner organization ads including The Valley of Change, L.A. Works, North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry and LAPD Volunteer Program.

Want real-time information and updates? Take advantage of being informed and participate in your community. We will continue to post information about volunteering, resources and more, so please "Like" us on FB and follow us on IG.

To access the next Virtual Meeting on the Zoom platform: please see Outreach Committee Page for agendas and webinar info.

PUBLIC SAFETY Committee
Christy Adair, Chair
The Public Safety Committee meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month.

If you have any questions, please email at: 
The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 12th, 2021, 6:30pm.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS ON THAT ELECTRICAL POLE? For our October meeting, we are pleased to welcome 2 speakers from LADWP to discuss several topics on Electrical Safety in our homes!  They’ll present on several topics then we’ll have a Q&A afterwards. This is kind of a UNICORN SIGHTING in getting these speakers - so please join us for this unique presentation on these topics:
 
  • Power Outages: How to get real time Power Outage Alerts
  • Home Safety Tips during an outage
  • Being Electrically prepared - “Do surge protectors work?”
  • High tension power lines – “What is on that pole??”
  • What to do if you’re around a wire that has dropped (high wind days/downed power lines) & the “bunny hop” (involves exiting a car if a live wire is touching it).
  • Turning breakers on & off post-disaster.

In our September meeting, we discussed heat-related illness symptoms for people and pets. You can find the 11 min video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpD47dsdxYY&list=PLJPisbxiuKnM_sOsn0-rz4cnJ2BsGw7pD&index=10
 
We also highlighted a potentially life-saving app called What3Words as well as walked through an emergency evacuation checklist – both videos will be posted soon!
 
The next SONC PSC meeting will be Tuesday, October 12th, 2021, 6:30pm.

Phone: 1-669-900-6833, Webinar ID: 842 7040 8817, Press #
Zoom Webinar ID: 842 7040 8817

To access this Virtual Meeting on the Zoom Platform: please see Public Safety Committee page for agendas and webinar info.

GREEN & SUSTAINBILITY Committee &
TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION Committee
Avo Babian, Chair
Our Green and Sustainability committee is working on making short videos to help raise awareness regarding native landscaping, which requires less water and can still look beautiful. We would like to promote our
neighbors, who have solved the issue of water conservation while keeping with the style and preferences in the esthetics of our neighborhood. We have a sample video on our SONC website, in our Committee section. It is important to show simple solutions and how to achieve them, such as what type of plants and where to buy them.

We also are working hard to preserve our tree covers which make our neighborhood more enjoyable. We don't just focus on our neighborhood but we also work hard to take a stand on City Council Activities and Files. This month we will be discussing how to work with the Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance, to coordinate with other NCs to achieve more.

Our Committee meetings are on the first Wednesday of every month. The next meeting will be Oct 6th so, please join us for our next virtual meeting to help with local and city wide issues

To access this Virtual Meeting on the Zoom Platform: please see Green and Sustainability Committee page for agendas and webinar info.

Traffic and Transportation Committee

Our Traffic and Transportation committee is currently working hard to improve traffic issues in Sherman Oaks. We are working to balance the needs of our residential lifestyle with the needs of a large Metropolitan City that requires large amounts of transportation for work, business and overall lifestyle needs. Bike riding infrastructure is lacking in our neighborhood and we are pushing the city to help with results. Our neighbors deserve more options. The Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, is a long term project that will affect our neighborhood for generations and we would like our views heard in order to influence the final result. Currently, METRO is studying many options and we are trying to get the best result. We are paying taxes into Measure M and we want our fair share of funds. METRO has allocated funds to study the options. We have taken action in the past to promote an underground option only. The solution they will implement will affect Sherman Oaks for many years in the future. Therefore a solution that includes what is best for Sherman Oaks should be considered. We will also be working on ways to improve our parking situation, and promoting our local DASH.

Our committee meets on the 2nd Wednesday of every month. So please join us on Oct 13th for our next virtual meeting.

To access this Virtual Meeting on the Zoom Platform: please see Traffic & Transportation Committee page for agendas and webinar info.
BUDGET ADVOCATES
Howard Katchen
The Budget Advocates held annual Budget Day on Saturday, August 21, 2021. This virtual event was well attended and packed full of information about the city’s budget presented by those city elected and other officials
directly involved in the budget process and formulation. Following the plenary session, there were regional breakout sessions to discuss budget and city service issues in communities throughout the city. The pandemic had a devastating effect on the budget through loss of revenue and unanticipated expenses incurred. The Federal Government’s American Rescue Plan reimbursed the city $1.3 Billion, paid in two installments, which shored up the budget for now. 
 
To learn more about the Budget Advocates and the work we do, visit: https://www.budgetadvocates.org/
Subscribe to SONC's 
Early Notification System via Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to receive all agendas for both board meetings and committee meetings.
What's happening in the neighborhood?
Please check out this next section as it has information from CD4, LAUSD, Sherman Oaks Library and all our partner organizations that are seeking volunteers. Stay informed and share!
Council District 4 Updates:
Provided by Alexandria Naseef
Field Deputy
Hi neighbors, 

If you know a Middle or High School student between the ages of 11 and 19 who would like to join the Sherman Oaks Teen Council with the Sherman Oaks Library, please email ebarrere@lapl.org for more information and Zoom details.

The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council Human Services Committee meets on Wednesday 10/6 at 6pm. Here is the link to the VNNC calendar with the agenda and zoom information.

The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council Vision Sub-Committee meets on Thursday 10/7 at 6:30Here is the link to the SONC calendar with the agenda and zoom information. 

Celebrate Tom LaBonge With LA’s 10/9 Day of Service!
Join us on October 9th for Tom LaBonge Day of Service! In the spirit of Mr. LA, and to celebrate his birthday on October 6th, the City of Los Angeles is hosting five simultaneous community clean ups across LA on October 9th. 

Join city leaders, volunteers, neighbors and friends to make our communities shine a little brighter and show LA some love. Tools will be provided, and masks will be required. Sign up now at bit.ly/LaBonge

To subscribe to the Council 4 Newsletter please visit here.
LAUSD Updates from Tammy Ramirez
Deputy Director of School and Community Engagement
Hello Neighborhood Council Community Members!
 
This is Tammy from LAUSD School Board Member Scott Schmerelson’s Office. Please see the updates below though many deadlines have past considering the release of the SONC Newsletter release. Please stay tuned for more!

The LAUSD Redistricting Commission recently released draft maps for each Board District. To view the draft maps, visit: https://bit.ly/lausddraftmaps. The Commission is hosting three virtual public hearings to solicit feedback on these maps; please share the attached promotional flier with your stakeholders. At 11 AM on Saturday (10/2), the Commission is also hosting a mapping workshop to review how to use the online mapping tool and provide guidance on how the public can submit their own maps for consideration. Here’s the Zoom link to participate: https://bit.ly/redistrictlausd.
 
LAUSD’s Office of Government Affairs (OGR) created an online survey to gather input on the legislative remedies the District should consider seeking in the 2022 legislative cycle. The OGR team will spend the coming weeks researching the suggestions to determine their feasibility and will provide recommendations for the Board’s consideration in December 2021. Click here to view and complete the Legislative Access Request Form. Please submit your response by October 1, 2021. Families are also invited to participate in OGR’s Legislative Learning Group, which has two upcoming sessions scheduled for 11/1 and 1/31. Here’s the link to register: 
 
On Thursday, September 30 (tomorrow), the District is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine education town hall catered to Armenian families. Doctors, district staff, and community leaders will be available to answer questions about the vaccine and LAUSD’s requirements. The town hall will be facilitated in both English and Armenian (live interpretation available), beginning at 6 PM. Please see attached flier for Zoom details. 
 
Finally, the window for families to apply to send their student to a specialized program in the 2022-23 school year opens on October 1, 2021. Examples include affiliated charter schools, magnets, and dual language programs, of which we have many in the San Fernando Valley! Families may look-up programs by type or location, by visiting https://echoices.lausd.net/

 
For additional updates, you may sign-up up for Board District 3’s newsletter, using this link http://bd3.info/news. Click here to view our Back to School edition. You can also follow LAUSD Board District 3 on social media. Our handles are: Facebook - @ ScottAtLAUSD (English) & @ScottenEspanol (Spanish); Twitter - @ScottAtLAUSD; Instagram - @scott_at_lausd.
 
Were you to have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me. 
 
 
My best,
 
Tammy
Sherman Oaks Branch Library Updates:
Volunteer Opportunities:
Volunteer with NHIFP

Take advantage of helping out your community.

North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry is looking
for volunteers.

To sign up, please visit: https://nhifp.org/volunteering/
LA Food Bank Pantry

If you are interested in volunteering with the
LA Regional Food Bank, please visit this link here.
 
 
Questions, concerns, please email: 
amartinez@lafoodbank.org
L.A. Works

Join L.A. Works and learn about all the volunteer opportunities available here in our great City of Los Angeles!

Facebook - @laworks 
Twitter - @LAWorksNow 
Instagram - @laworksnow 
 
Please visit LAWorks.com
Volunteer with
The Valley of Change

The Valley of Change presents a volunteer opportunity on the Second Saturday of the month from 8:30 - 11:30 AM.

For more information please visit,

Stay connected:
IG: @TheValleyofChange
Twitter: @ValleyChange

Interested in joining the LAPD Volunteer program?

Please contact Alan Scher for more information.

For more information about Van Nuys Neighborhood Watch News please visit this link.
Get Involved!
What interests you?

If you live, work, own property, own a business or belong to a non-profit organization, school or religious institution in Sherman Oaks, you are a stakeholder in Sherman Oaks. We hold monthly Board of Directors and various committee meetings which you are invited to attend to learn about and participate in your community. Join SONC's Mailing List today.