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Hello, neighbors!
I am writing this on Martin Luther King Day, a perfect time to reflect on commitment to principle and service to community. We need you on the Studio City Neighborhood Council, and there are many ways to help.
Our first Regular Board Meeting of 2024 is tomorrow, Jan. 17, 2024 at Radford Studios. As always, the meeting is open to the public and there’s plenty of free parking. Come join us. Meet your board, voice your opinions during public comment, and feel free to bring any issues to the Board that are important to you. An agenda for the meeting is here.
There are a number of other ways you can get involved. Volunteers are needed for several events and initiatives moving forward.
- River Task Force Help us develop a continuous public greenspace alongside the LA River as it winds through Studio City. We will be holding monthly clean up and planting events, beginning in the next month or so. We need folks willing to get their hands dirty and work with other volunteers and the various governmental offices. This project will be managed through the Sustainability Committee. For information contact me or committee chair Adele Slaughter.
- Homelessness Forum We hope to host officials from both our City Council offices, both County districts, and the Mayor’s office to meet with Studio City Stakeholders to explain where we are, what’s the plan, and what can Studio City stakeholders do to help solve this problem. We need volunteers to help us design the agenda, reach out to the electeds, and prepare for what will likely be a well-attended event. This will be handled through the Homelessness and Public Safety committees. Contact me, Homelessness Chair Drew Shaw, or Public Safety Chair Jeff Hartwick.
- Traffic Calming Pedestrians, bicyclists, and even drivers are threatened by excessive speed and disregard for existing traffic laws in Studio City. We have had some success in various areas of the city combatting problems with redesigned striping, speed humps, signage and other tactics. We will be holding a meeting prior to the end of the school year to discuss what our options are, and where we should ask the City to focus efforts to make the streets safer. We will need leaders from neighborhoods that could benefit from Traffic Calming efforts to come forward and help shepherd a better street design through the City. This initiative will be handled by our Transportation Committee. Contact me or committee members Kevin Burkhart or Dimitri Gatsiounis.
- Student Internship We are creating roles that will connect high school students with various committees. The SCNC would benefit from the energy and technology skills of our high school community. Our interns will learn valuable organizational, communication and interpersonal skills and see up close, how local government works (and doesn’t). Our Outreach Committee is managing this initiative. Contact me or Outreach Chair Jen Bladen.
- Floralia 2024 We are also looking at a full weekend celebration of spring in April, that will potentially encompass river clean up and planting, public art, and performing arts. We need lots of help here to get this off the ground. This is a pilot event that we hope will become an annual event and build year over year moving forward. The Outreach Committee is coordinating this effort. Contact me or Outreach Chair Jen Bladen.
- Radford Studios Development Ad Hoc Studio City is beset by multiple development projects, from the constant construction of new single family homes that test the boundaries of building codes, to the very large projects that will redefine the community. The scope of these larger projects, such as the proposed Radford Studios development, touch on all the SCNC committee jurisdictions and will need stewardship and response from the SCNC in a comprehensive and long term manner. Accordingly we have frequently set up Ad Hoc committees that are designed to meet these special challenges. The Ad Hoc committees report directly to the President and will exist until the project is completed. We are looking for stakeholders to participate in this committee. The scope of work will be analysis of the proposed development, collaboration with government agencies and departments. The maintenance of a relationship with the folks at Radford who are looking for our input on how to mitigate the impacts on the community and feedback on how the final plan can be configured to provide maximum community benefit is critical. If you are interested, please contact me.
As you can see we have lots of ideas and there are some great things in progress. But we need your help, your participation, and your ideas to get these projects successfully launched and help us plan for the future. Come down and spend some time with us on Wednesday or stay in touch with us by email. Let us know when and where and how you’d like to get involved. We’re all busy, but I'm hopeful you can see the value in lending a hand. We need you.
Thanks. See you around.
Chip Meehan
President
Studio City Neighborhood Council
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