Englander E-News: Have a Happy and Safe New Year

COUNCILMEMBER ENGLANDER'S E-NEWS

Dec. 30, 2011

Happy New Year from Councilmember Mitchell Englander and the Council District 12 Staff!

From Councilmember Mitchell Englander and the staff of Council District 12, we wish you a happy, safe New Year in 2012!

Congratulations to Chatsworth Sierra Canyon on Winning the State Championship!

Our heartfelt congratulations go out to the Chatsworth Sierra Canyon football team players, coaches, and their families, teachers and fellow students for winning the state championship!

In an exciting game on Dec. 16, Chatsworth Sierra Canyon defeated Northern California's Le Grand High School 34-13 to win the California Division IV title. Sierra Canyon's Xavier Menifield ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns.

The Sierra Canyon Trailblazers had an iron defense, despite Le Grand's average of over 58 points per game and a 21-game winning streak. Sierra Canyon's defense also recovered two fumbles in the second half. It looked as if Le Grand might hold their winning streak when the Bulldogs took a 13-7 lead on in the final minute of the first quarter. But the Trailblazers shut down the Bulldogs and scored the final 27 points.

To see the ChatsworthPatch.com article about the championship game, with statistics and video, click here.

We are proud to have such excellent young athletes in our community!

Celebrate Responsibly and Keep Our Roads Safe on New Years Eve!

Please celebrate responsibly and help keep the roads safe this New Year's Eve. In 2010 in California, 198,249 drivers were arrested for Driving Under the Influence. In 2009, over 27,000 people were killed or injured in California in alcohol-related crashes that were preventable! The LAPD, California Highway Patrol, and L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. will be out in force on patrol and at DUI checkpoints, working to keep our roads safe.

Here are some tips and information about keeping the roads safe during New Year's Eve.

Blood Alcohol Content - There are many tools and apps for iPhone, Blackberry and Android smartphones that let you estimate your blood alcohol level. It is useful to know how fast alcohol is metabolized in the body, and how long one should wait before it is safe and legal to drive. To see reviews of the apps, click here.

Carpools and Taxis - Designating a sober driver and carpooling is a great way to travel safely. Keep the phone numbers of several taxi companies with you. Click here for a list of taxi companies in Los Angeles.

AAA Tipsy Tow - For 15 years, the AAA of Southern California has offered "Tipsy Tow" to help keep impaired drivers off the roads. It is available between 6:00 pm on Friday, Dec. 30 and 6:00 am on Sunday, Jan. Call (800) 400-4AAA (4222) and ask for "Tipsy Tow." AAA will tow your car home to your residence only, with no additional passenger, up to seven miles. For more information, visit AAA's website. 

Report Drunk Drivers - Don't let your friends drive drunk, it could save lives. If you see someone on the road that appears to be driving while intoxicated, call 9-1-1.

Free Public Transportation - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is offering free bus and rail service on New Year’s Eve, between 9:00 pm Saturday, Dec. 31 and 2:00 am Sunday, Jan. 1. Metro is also running 24-hour service on all five rail lines and the Orange Line busway from Saturday night — New Year’s Eve — until the close of service on Monday night, Jan. 2. (Riders must still pay regular fare after 2:00 am Sunday, Jan. 1.) To learn more, and to plan your route using public transit, visit http://socaltransport.org/tm_pub_start.php.

Temporary Hold on Street Sweeping...

The City's Bureau of Street Services will not perform street sweeping during the week of December 26, 2011 through January 2, 2012. Street sweeping services will return to normal operations starting January 3, 2012.

The Department of Transportation has announced that it will not be enforcing street cleaning parking violations during that time period because no street cleaning will occur.

For additional information, please call 3-1-1.

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

On Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012 Northridge West Neighborhood Councl resumes their weekly clean up project. They will be removing weeds, trash and trimming trees to beautify the north side of Plummer St. from Vanalden Ave. to Tampa Ave. in Northridge.

Thursday, Jan. 5
8:00 am
Meet up at the northwest corner of Plummer St. and Vanalden Ave. in Northridge.
Parking on Vanalden Ave.
 
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 Glen Wilson at (818) 886-3534 or by email at glenw@dlextreme.com or visit www.NorthridgeWest.org .

Re-use, Recycle, Rejoice!
Make it a green holiday this year and recycle your tree!

In addition to gift wrapping paper, boxes and gift packaging, you can recycle your Christmas tree. Every year, the City of Los Angeles offers residents the opportunity to recycle Christmas trees. Dead, dry trees can be a fire hazard, and when they go to landfills, they release greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. When the trees are recycled, they are turned into mulch and re-used for gardening and landscaping. You can even get free mulch for your own garden!

Remove all ornaments, decorations and the tree stand. Cut the tree into pieces and place it in your green waste bin. If it does not fit, place the whole tree at the curb and the Bureau of Sanitation will pick it up. You can also bring it to one of the City’s drop-off locations. To see a list of all of the Christmas tree drop-off locations, click here.

Gift Wrapping & Packaging

Please do not burn gift wrapping in the fireplace once the holiday gifts are opened. They often contain dyes and plastics that release toxins into the air. Most gift wrapping can be recycled in the blue bin. You can also re-use gift wrapping to wrap other gifts.

Police Commission Meeting in Northridge...

Join the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, Councilmember Mitchell Englander, and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck on January 17, 2012 for a community meeting in Northridge to discuss public safety issues in the Devonshire Area and the City of Los Angeles.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012
6:30 pm
St. Nicholas Greek Church
9501 Balboa Blvd. (at Plummer St.)
Northridge

Under the City Charter, the Board of Police Commissioners is the head of the Police Department. Established in the 1920's, the Board consists of five civilian volunteer Commissioners who set overall policy while the Chief of Police manages the daily operations of the Department and implements the Board’s policies or policy direction and goals.

Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices and other auxiliary aids and/or services are available upon request. To ensure availability, all requests for reasonable accommodation must be made at least three business days (72 hours) in advance.

For more information, please call (213) 236-1400.  

New Public Art for the Canoga Orange Line Extension...

Our Senior Transportation and Planning Deputy Hannah Lee reports this week on a piece of beautiful public art planned for one of the stops on the Canoga Orange Line Extension, which is rapidly progressing.

The art piece on what will be the Nordhoff Station is by Anne Marie Karlsen. The San Fernando Valley-based artist is creating two colorful mosaic paving designs and two art panels, inspired by Chatsworth's neighborhoods and natural landscape.

She used materials such as porcelain enamel, steel art panels, and mosaic using glass and stone tiles to make the public art piece. It is called "Strati," a reference to the geologic rock formations so familiar to the Northwest Valley. The art piece is currently under construction and will be installed and ready when the Canoga Orange Line Extension opens in 2012.

The Metro Canoga Orange Line Extension will be a 4-mile dedicated busway connecting the endpoint of the Orange Line at Warner Center with Chatsworth Depot Metrolink Station. It is expected to be complete in Summer 2012. It will feature landscaped bike paths, public art, and many other improvements.

To read more about the artist and to see more photos of the art piece being built, visit Metro's blog.