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Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council November 2021: Issue 11
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Message from the President
Jeffrey Hartsough
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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.
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Thank You for
Your Comments
In last month’s Ziff Flyer, I asked readers 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. Thank you to those who responded.
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Jeffrey Hartsough
President of SONC
Community Interest 2
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We heard concerns about noise (gasoline powered leaf blowers, Osprey aircraft, and motorcycles and cars racing through our streets), the tree canopy (not enough and what we have being removed), cleanliness and maintenance of streets and sidewalks, questions about specific development, the lack of affordable housing, and crime.
Other comments involved the redistricting of the LA City Council Districts. Redistricting is also going on for State, County, and LAUSD districts. Several comments were made about Metro and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, aka the subway and the proposed High Occupancy Toll Road on the 405. And the questions about SB9 and SB10 and their impact on our neighborhoods.
Thanks again to those of you who gave us feedback. Some of these issues have an immediate effect on the quality of life in Sherman Oaks: street and sidewalk maintenance, garbage and trash collection, traffic control and safety, potholes, and crime prevention. These issues are generally handled by one of the 38 departments in the City of Los Angeles. These are mostly items with short-term solutions. Although the issues may seem simple, the answers are sometimes more complex than one can imagine. And getting action isn’t always so easy.
The Sepulveda Corridor Transit Project, availability of good public transit, solving the affordable housing problem – these kinds of issues take years to address.
A Few Things SONC Would Like to Accomplish
SONC would like you to enjoy and appreciate the Los Angeles City services that we too often take for granted until they don’t work. The City needs to be responsive to our requests. Garbage not picked up gets picked up the next day. Streetlights not working get fixed. Potholes get filled. Streets get swept. The MyLA311 application makes requesting these and other City services easy.
SONC would like you to become a well-informed Angeleno who will make your voice heard on issues that affect Sherman Oaks and our Los Angeles—not just today and this week but well into the future. Will you let Metro know how you feel about rapid transit trains elevated over the streets of Sherman Oaks? How will Los Angeles accommodate growth over the next 50 years – housing, jobs, transit, school, and parks? And how can it be done with equity and kindness? A complex challenge with no simple solution.
SONC would like you to become an active member of the Sherman Oaks community. Yes, we want you to know about SONC and work with our committees to help improve the quality of life in Sherman Oaks. But we’d also like you to know and work with your neighbors to be able and prepared to help each other whether it’s something routine or in times of emergency. You know, “it takes a village…”.
And SONC would like to help you do all of the above, and more. Let us know how we can help you.
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.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. We have much to be grateful for.
Please stay safe.
Jeffrey Hartsough
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November 2nd, 2021, 6:00pm
November 4th, 2021, 6:30pm
Please see calendar for update.
November 8th, 2021, 6:30pm
November 9th, 2021, 6:30pm
Please see calendar for update.
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To view webinar details,
November 15th, 2021, 7pm
November 16th, 2021, 7pm
November 17th, 2021, 6:30pm
November 18th, 2021, 6:30pm
November 23rd, 2021, 7pm
*=Visit Committee page to confirm date & time.
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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!
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NC Awareness & Engagement Survey for
Angelenos Citywide
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The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) has issued a new survey soliciting public response regarding our Neighborhood Council. The Awareness & Engagement Survey is being shared via email to about 1.2 million Angelenos Citywide. The questions measure awareness of - and participation in - the LA Neighborhood Council system, and also ask respondents to share their top local issues and concerns. This survey is being conducted in partnership with leading LA social research firm Evitarus. Invites started going out on October 6th with the subject line, “City of LA Neighborhood Council Awareness & Engagement Survey – Please Share Your Opinion.” If you didn’t receive this notice, or would like to participate in this survey, please submit a request by filling out this form: http://tiny.cc/AwarenessSurveyRequest
Once the survey is complete, the data will be made available to you and your NC, to help plan community outreach efforts.
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Join the Public Safety Committee
Tuesday, November 9th, 6:30pm
The Public Safety Committee meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm.
In November, we are excited to have the LAPD Communications Division Community Relations Unit join our meeting on Tuesday, November 9th, 2021.
The LAPD Communications Division are the first, 1st Responders. These are the people on the other end of the phone when you call 911 or LAPD non-emergency dispatch (1-877-ASK-LAPD); they are responsible for dispatching Officers to your call.
Some information they’ll discus:
• What happens when you call 911?
• Why do they ask for your information?
• Are the calls confidential?
• Calling 911 – what constitutes an emergency?
• Calling the non-emergency phone line – what are examples of non-emergencies?
• How does texting to 911 work?
• Why is it important to report crime and suspicious activity?
This SONC Public Safety Committee meeting is Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 6:30pm
Phone: 1-669-900-6833, Webinar ID: 842 7040 8817, Press #
Zoom Webinar ID: 842 7040 8817
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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 November 8th, 2021.
We hope you join us.
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November 8th, 2021 -- SONC Board Meeting
To join SONC's virtual board meeting on
November 8th, 2021 at 6:30pm.
By Telephone:
By the Internet:
(1) Follow link:
(2) Press “Enter”
Or from a Zoom “Enter the Meeting” Screen:
(2) Press “Enter”
(3) Enter your Email Address and Your Name, and
(4) Press “Enter”
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Subscribe to SONC's
Early Notification System via Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to receive all agendas for both board meetings and committee meetings.
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SONC Committee Monthly Updates
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VISION & PLUM Committee
Jeff Kalban, Chair
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The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council passed a motion to encourage the City of Los Angeles to codify these allowable limitations to help lessen the negative impact these bills may have in single family neighborhoods.
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1. SB 9 does not mandate affordable units in single family neighborhoods but leaves it up to local jurisdictions. The City of Los Angeles should mandate at least one of the four units allowed be made an affordable unit.
2. SB 9 allows lot splitting but: “a local agency shall not be required to permit more than two units on a parcel created through the exercise of the authority contained within this section.” Therefore, the City of Los Angeles should exercise that right to limit only two housing units per newly formed parcel.
3. SB 9 allows a local agency to impose objective zoning standards that do not preclude the ability to build two 800 square foot units. Therefore, the City of Los Angeles should enforce existing Los Angeles City zoning conditions including height, floor area ratio (FAR), setbacks, etc. unless the site cannot accommodate two 800 square foot units.
4. SB 10 allows 10 units on a parcel in a single-family neighborhood. We suggest the City of Los Angeles City Council take a formal position that SB 10 is not an acceptable zoning option for Los Angeles and that the City of Los Angeles will not “opt-in” to that provision of SB 10. The motion has been passed on to Councilmember Raman and her planning staff and to the Los Angeles Planning Department.
Our next Vision Committee meeting is 6:30 November 4. We will continue studying the impacts of State and City laws and ordinances that have minimized parking criteria and the impact on Sherman Oaks.
The November 18 Planning and Land Use (PLUM) meeting will be reviewing the CUB’s for the Woodman. We will have representatives from the LAPD, Council Office and City Attorney’s office. And we will have a presentation of a proposed landscape median on Van Nuys Blvd. near Gelson’s.
Our committees have studied our community for the past nine years and published our Vision 2020 that prescribes means to achieve increased density, housing equality and commercial growth while enhancing the quality of life in a greener Sherman Oaks. A link to our Vision 2020: https://www.shermanoaksnc.org/docs/34483599-7325.pdf
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,
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EDUCATION Committee
Joe Cappelletti, Chair
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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,
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welcoming forum for stakeholders to get involved in helping us to make a positive impact and to build stronger connections between us.
We would like to welcome the newest member of our Committee - Caden Kang!
Caden has been a pleasure to have at our monthly meetings and is an enthusiastic contributor to our discussions. We look forward to seeing what he is able to accomplish through our outreach efforts.
In his own words:
I'm Caden, a junior at North Hollywood High School. As a student, I recognize how important it is to elevate the quality of education in our community. Currently, I am working with a computer science education nonprofit as a volunteer tutor, as well as coaching a local elementary school's science competition team. Furthermore, I'm in the process of connecting UCLA computer science students with students at my school to learn app development. I am eager to address the issues affecting both students and educators in hopes of initiating big change. I chose to become involved with the Education Committee because of its dedication to starting the conversation about these problems: the speaker series is proof of that. Under the mentorship of my fellow council members, I hope to be able to lead my own projects regarding education improvement.
We also have some great high school academic tutors available! If your student is in need of some extra help with their studies please let us know. We are able to pair great peer mentors with younger students here in Sherman Oaks. Parents, Teachers, Administrators - please reach out. We are here to help!
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.
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Guide to Free Resources
