Welcome to the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa
Representing the Westchester, Playa del Rey & Playa Vista Communities
 Community Improvement and Neighborhood Purposes Grants Applications due February 1, 2012 Completed applications due to the NCWP Budget and Finance Committee Treasurer, Alex Eychis at aeychis@gmail.com or (310) 930-8535. Individuals and organizations within the Westchester/Playa community are encouraged to submit proposals to be considered by the NCWP Board for final approval as a Community Improvement or Neighborhood Purposes Grant. Application Instructions2012 Application |
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Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa Meeting in a Minute Meeting of Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
Here are some highlights from the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa's Board of Directors meeting of December 6th, 2011: At this meeting the NCWP Board approved the following actions:
Heard from Government Representatives: Nate Kaplan, Field Deputy - Councilman Bill Rosendahl –
Presentations LAX Northside Development Plan Update - Lisa Trifiletti, Project Manager - LAX Northside consists of nearly 358 acres and presents the chance for LAWA and the community to collaborate on an updated plan to re-imagine the Northside parcels of LAX as vibrant and sustainable centers of employment, education, recreation, shopping, dining and airport support. There will be an emphasis on community outreach to continue to collect community input on the project. www.laxnorthside.org Metro Express Lanes - Kathy McCune, Deputy Program Manager - Metro ExpressLanes is a pilot, one-year demonstration program overseen by Metro and Caltrans to improve mobility and sustainability on two of our busiest freeways in Los Angeles County. This program offers an innovative package of transit and roadway improvements to introduce congestion pricing as a new way to travel. Existing carpool lanes on I-10 (from I-605 to Alameda Street) and on I-110 (from SR91/Artesia Transit Center to Adams Boulevard) are being converted to High Occupancy Toll (“HOT”) lanes known as Metro Express Lanes. We learned that the HOT lanes will primarily serve “carpools” and that single occupant vehicles will be permitted to pay a toll and use the HOT lanes until the average speed in the HOT lanes drops to 45mph, at which point only carpools will be able to enter the lanes. The $290 million budget is funded by a $210 million federal grant and then state and local transportation funds will make up the rest. The project will include a new Transit Center in El Monte and other infrastructure projects along the route between the Artesia Transit Center, Downtown LA and the new El Monte Transit Center. The general purpose lanes will not be impacted. www.metro.net/projects/expresslanes Metro Green Line to LAX - Rodrick Diaz, Project Manager - Metro is examining ways to connect the growing Metro Rail system to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The focus of this study is a four square mile area bounded by La Cienega Blvd on the east, Manchester Ave to the north, Imperial Highway to the south and the LAX airport terminals on the west. Initial alternatives under consideration include Light Rail Transit (LRT), Automated People Mover (APM) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Metro is in the very early phase of this project and will be looking to our Neighborhood Council and Westchester/Playa community for input on route alternatives. www.metro.net/projects/lax-extension Mark your calendar for the January and February meetings when we will hear from mayoral candidates Kevin James and Jan Perry, respectively. The NCWP meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Westchester Municipal Community Room at 7166 Manchester Ave in Westchester.
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Neighborhood Councils are designed to give all individuals: residents, business owners, property owners, renters, youth, non-profit providers and others a more effective way to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Through Neighborhood Councils, all stakeholders will have a better way to understand the issues that divide them, and find common solutions through the bonds of friendship and community. Those who are more organized will win.
The Neighborhood Council of Westchester/ Playa (NCWP) is governed by a board of directors elected by our community that meets monthly. NCWP’s goal is to increase public participation in government and advocate at City Hall and elsewhere for our community. Our Neighborhood Council has the ability to build our community and nourish the democratic spirit of individuals through shared values such as compassion, tolerance and equality.
Community Improvements
Since its inception, our Neighborhood Council has focused on doing what it can to improve our community. From projects that impact public safety to beautification efforts, the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa continues to make a difference. Over the past several months, we have approved the expenditure of thousands of dollars that have gone directly to benefit those who live in the area we serve.
Among those expenditures were:
- Funding to assist the Westchester Business
- Improvement District in lighting the trees along Sepulveda Boulevard;
- Funding to support the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Summit that exposed local Middle
- School students to a variety of career opportunities and anti-drug and anti-gang messages;
- Funding to provide needed school supplies to students at local LAUSD elementary schools;
- Funding for the Westchester Senior Center to make repairs to its pool table and purchase a Wii-Fit system to encourage seniors to be more active;
- Funding for the repair of Little League field dugouts and assistance with the purchase of a tractor that will be used for field maintenance to benefit our local youth athletes;
- Funding for all three local Los Angeles Fire Department Stations (Nos. 5, 67 and 95) to make repairs, purchase furnishings, gym equipment, tools and more;
- Funding to support the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Area Explorers and DAPS (Deputy Auxiliary Police Service) programs, which provide local youth with law enforcement training, sporting accessories as well as extracurricular outings and competitive field trips;
- Funding for the purchase of tables and chairs for the LAPD break room as part of a community project that included getting the city to replace the broken-down cabinets and asbestos floor tiles and paint the walls; and
- Funding of the SafeTProof Earthquake trailer for the annual LAPD Open House.
Community Advocates
In addition to providing money for our community in various ways, the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa has also taken seriously its role as an advocate for our community. Whether it is advising our elected officials about where the community stands or taking the proverbial “bull by the horns” to help our community directly, NCWP has been successful. Among some of NCWP’s efforts to engage our community directly are the following:
- Organization of safety meetings focusing on burglary prevention with LAPD detectives and senior officers, as well as organizations of Earthquake and Disaster Preparedness meetings with LAFD;
- Organization of Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) classes twice a year to help local citizens be prepared in the event of an emergency affecting our community;
- Organization of a women’s self-defense class
- Organization of a Candidates Forum for candidates in the March 3, 2009 citywide election, where members of the public could meet and ask questions of those running for office.
Policy
On the policy side, NCWP has also taken an active role in advocating for the best interests of our community.
- NCWP demanded that an Environmental Impact Report be undertaken by developers trying to develop property at Toes Beach, Egret Park and the Westchester Bluffs.
- NCWP actively opposed Culver City’s Entrada office tower, and pushed the developers of the tower at Howard Hughes Center to reduce the proposed height of that building by six stories.
- NCWP has continued to be a strong community voice in opposition to airport expansion at every turn.
- NCWP also authored a proposed governance model for Westchester High School that would have given the community a larger say in how that school operates. And while that proposal was defeated by teachers at the school, NCWP continues to play a key role in improving our local schools.
We hope that your will get involved in the efforts of the Neighborhood Council so that, together, we can continue to improve our community.
Cyndi Hench
President
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