Englander E-News: Restricting Pot Shops in L.A.

COUNCILMEMBER ENGLANDER'S E-NEWS

January 20, 2011

 Restricting Pot Shops in L.A...

Councilmember Englander, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, seconded a motion to enact a City ordinance that would repeal the current Medical Marijuana ordinance, and temporarily ban storefront marijuana businesses. The ban would be in place until the California Supreme Court clarifies the extent to which local governments can regulate marijuana facilities.

On Friday, Jan. 13, the motion was approved by the Public Safety Committee The next steps are for this legislation to be vetted by the Central Planning Commission, as well as the full City Council. 

The City's experiment with medical marijuana stores has failed and the ordinance is unmanageable. Although California voters approved medical marijuana, it remains illegal under federal law, and on the local level our neighborhoods have continued to suffer the negative impacts of storefront marijuana businesses. To see the motion, click here.

A Year of Emergency Preparedness...

On January 17, the 18th anniversary of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, we kicked off our Year of Emergency Preparedness in Los Angeles. 

Throughout 2012, we will be working on legislation, programs and public awareness efforts to help the residents of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley be prepared for natural or man-made disasters. 

Every week, during our Year of Emergency Preparedness, our newsletter will feature a new item in an Emergency Preparedness Checklist. These are simple steps that everyone in Los Angeles should take in order to be prepared for any large-scale emergency or disaster. If you follow each item on this checklist, you will be highly prepared at the end of the year.

Week 2: Begin Assembling An Disaster/Earthquake Surival Kits
Every car, household and workplace should have a disaster preparedness kit. This requires quite a bit of work, so this week, we offer the first simple steps. 

Enough food and water to be self-sufficient for up to 5 days.
Food - should be non-perishable, and edible with little or no preparation. Although many pre-assembled survival kits come with 5,000 calorie nutrition bars, having to live off of them would make an already difficult experience unnecessarily miserable. Look for nutritious, good-tasting hearty soups, chili, vegetables and other foods in cans or vacuum sealed packs. If you have special dietary needs, such as nut allergies, diabetes, or gluten intolerance, be sure to find appropriate foods, and read all nutrition labels.

Water - You will need at least 1.5 gallons of water per person per day for drinking and washing. Water should be changed out every 6 months.

You can assemble extensive surival kits yourself, or you can buy complete, ready-to-use kits in various sizes that you can store in your closet or car trunk. To learn more about assembling your survival kits, click here. 

To see our printable Emergency Preparedness Checklist, with every week's entry, click here.

Hundreds Voice Their Opposition to End of 30-Day Impound Policy at Police Commission Meeting in Northridge...

Nearly 400 community members came to the public Police Commission Meeting at St. Nicholas Church in Northridge and spoke out in strong opposition to the LAPD's proposal to end the 30-day impound policy. 

Ending the policy of impounding the cars of people caught driving without a driver's license will make us all less safe on the roads. If a driver has no driver's license, it means that they have not learned about and passed tests on traffic laws and safe driving. It also means that they are uninsured, which is required under California law. The threat of having your car impounded for 30 days is an effective deterrent. The decision to end it has broad implications for the safety of the public, and as such, it should be heard publicly by the Public Safety Committee and the City Council.

To read the article in ChatsworthPatch.com about the meeting, click here. To see more photos from the meeting, visit our the photo gallery page on our website.

Free Community E-Waste Collection Event...

Lorne St. PTA, Lorne St. Elementary School and California E-Waste are holding their Second Annual E-Waste Collection event on Saturday, Feb. 11 in Northridge.

Saturday, February 11
9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Lorne Elementary School
17440 Lorne St., Northridge 

Bring your unwanted electronic devices such as TVs, computers, small appliances and toys to be safely and properly disposed of for free. It is illegal to throw away electronic devices in the regular trash. They contain toxic substances that can leach into the environment when they end up in landfills. 

The event also raises funds for the YMCA Psychomotor Program at Lorne St. Elementary School.

For more information, call Pam Richman at Lorne Elementary School at (818) 342-2063.

Join Northridge West Neighborhood Council's Weekly Clean-Up and Help Keep Northridge Clean and Green!

On Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012 join Northridge West Neighborhood Council for their weekly clean up project. They will be removing weeds, trash and trimming trees to beautify the north side of Chatsworth St. from Vanalden Ave. to Tampa Ave. in Northridge. Park on Vanalden Ave.  

Thursday, Jan. 26
8:00 am
Meet up at Chatsworth St. and Vanalden in Northridge
 
At 8:00 am the crew will review the game plan with free refreshments provided by Northridge West Neighborhood Council. Bring gloves if you have them, sunscreen,a sunhat and appropriate shoes for outdoor work. Northridge West Neighborhood provides the refreshments and tools.
 
For more information contact Jo Ann Phillips at japhillips1@yahoo.com or visit www.NorthridgeWest.org.

Save the Date for the January 29 Community Clean-Up!

On Sunday, Jan. 29 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm there will be another volunteer community clean-up action. This time, they be working on the north side of Tunney Ave. near Devonshire St. in Northridge.

Save the Date for the February 5 Day of Service Community Clean-Up!

Join Northridge West Neighborhood Council and Temple Ahavat Shalom for their Sunday Day of Service Community Clean-Up on Sunday, January 29 from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. They will be working on Tampa Ave., from Devonshire St. to Chatsworth St. in Northridge.

Northridge West Neighborhood Council's Operation Clean Sweep and Temple Ahavat Shalom, with support from Councilmember Mitchell Englander's office, are partnerning for this special effort to help keep the streets and sidewalks of Northridge looking beautiful. Please bring water, sunscreen, work gloves if you have them, and shoes and clothes appropriate for outdoor work. All tools, as well as light refreshments will be provided.

For more information or to RSVP, call Shellie Turer at Temple Ahavat Shalom at (818) 993-2255 or email PetsRPeopleToo@att.net.

Children's Car Seat Check-Up Event...

Be sure to sign up for the free Children's Car Check-Up at Northridge Hospital on February 25, 2012. 

The California Highway Patrol in coordination with Northridge Hospital Medical Center are hosting a Car Seat Check Up Day.

Saturday, Feb. 25
9:00 am to 1:00 pm
By appointment only. To make an appointment, call (818) 885-8500 ext. 3437.

Car seat check-ups teach parents and caregivers, hands-on in your own car how to correctly use a child’s car seat or seat belt. Trained and certified child passenger safety technicians work with parents to ensure car seats: have not been recalled; do meet federal safety standards; are installed correctly; are appropriate for the child's age, weight and height.  
 
Studies show 72% of children's car seats are not properly installed or used. California has new booster seat laws in effect as of January 1, 2012. Come learn about the new laws and the best ways to keep your children safe in the car. 

Jewish Home of Los Angeles 8th Annual Poker Tournament...

Don't miss a fun evening of fun casion-style gaming to help raise funds for a great cause at the Jewish Home's 8th Annual Poker Tournament. 

Sunday, Jan. 29
11:00 am 
Braemar Country Club
4001 Reseda Blvd., Tarzana

There will be great raffle prizes, complimentary snacks and cocktails and more. The event raises funds for "The Executives," the San Fernando Valley Support Group for the Jewish Home of Los Angeles. 

RSVP by Jan. 23 to (818) 774-3374 0r Executives@JHA.org www.TheExecutives.org. Participants must be over 21 years old.

Conversations About Our Community on KCSN Radio: Oakridge Estate...

Our District Director Megan Cottier reports this week on a great new resource for our community: KCSN Conversations. Every week, KCSN, CSUN's award-winning campus radio station, examines civic, health and cultural issues that impact our communities.

For their first episode, Conversations features an interview with Megan and Richard Hilton of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley to discuss the Oakridge Estate. 

Our office has rescued this historic-cultural monument in Northridge from development and we are working to preserve and restore it, and turn it into a treasure of open space and culture for the public to enjoy for generations. 

To listen to the interview, click here. For more information about Conversations or to suggest topics for future episodes, send an email to conversations@kcsn.org. 

Oakridge Update...
The Oakridge Estate Park Advisory Board will be holding a public presentation on the Historic Oakridge Estate on Saturday, Jan. 28.

Saturday, Jan. 28
1:00 pm
Northridge Branch Library
9051 Darby Ave., Northridge

Representatives from the Oakridge Estate Park Advisory Board will present a display of historic and current photos of the English Tudor-style manor designed by famed architect Paul R. Williams and built in 1937 for Barbara Stanwyck. It was later the home of actor Jack Oakie for decades in an era when many stars had their homes in the San Fernando Valley. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

For more information, call Megan Cottier at (818) 756-8501
or email Megan.Cottier@lacity.org.