UNITED TO KEEP OUR CITY LIVABLE

The State of California is requiring LA to find enough

zoning capacity to accommodate 450,000 new housing

units by 2029. This is enough housing to accommodate

more than 1 million people in the next eight years. The

City is embarking on a major rezoning effort (Housing

Element of the General Plan) that will include adaptive

reuse of existing buildings, use of public lands and rezoning

commercial corridors as well as expanding developer

incentives that allow for increased density and streamlining

the approval processes. But this rezoning also targets

massive rezoning of single-family neighborhoods.

LA Planning has clearly stated there is enough zoning

currently to meet 230,000 units which leaves the city

the need to find zoning for 255,000 units in order to meet

the State mandate. But the Planning Department’s Housing

Element is proposing rezoning for 1.4 million units.

To reach this absurd number, Planning is upzoning large

areas of single-family homes.

United Neighbors (https://www.unitedneighbors.net/)

is a statewide organization made up of renters, homeowners

and community groups, and it includes our Association

and President, Cindy Chvatal Keane. It was created

to inform neighborhood organizations of what is happening

with state laws that impact neighborhoods and how to

find better “community based” solutions for adding much

needed affordable housing without destroying single-family

neighborhoods or low density multi-family neighborhoods.

Using the city’s own data, United Neighbors found

Planning has identified three times more housing capacity

(780,00 units) than is required by state law. Planning

does not need to touch single-family or low density mulitifamily

neighborhoods to meet the required housing needs.

United Neighbors is now working with our and other

neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, our councilperson

and city government to craft new area-specific options

for meeting housing targets. These targets would preserve

our beautiful, historic and affordable neighborhoods.

But we must act now and get our Councilmember’s attention.

The city is in the process of finalizing a draft of its

plan, scheduled to be released in the fall. The Association

is encouraging the adoption of “Community Based Planning

Solutions” that will provide more equitable and affordable

housing that will preserve all the communities of

Los Angeles while enhancing livability for all. Stay tuned

for how you can become involved!

Visit the website www.HancockPark.org to

TIME TO SAY GOOD-BY TO GAS LEAF BLOWERS!

If you are one of the many dozens of residents who are tired of the loud noise, clouds of dust and smelly fumes generated by gas-powered leaf blowers -a single gas leaf blower can generate the same amount of pollution in one hour as a car being driven over 1000 miles - the HPHOA has a deal for you!   

Starting in January 2024, both homeowners and their gardeners may be fined up to $250 per violation for using gas powered leaf blowers! The great news - the cost of electric powered blowers is extremely reasonable, so why take the chance of a fine? Our research on what is available told us you can purchase a kit which includes a powerful electric blower, battery, and power charger for about $250. The cost will be even less if Hancock Park neighbors with the same gardeners share the costs of the equipment. These battery powered blowers (with accessories) are available from Amazon, Ace Hardware, and a number of other websites that sell power equipment.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RNDQCV3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp&th=1

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/outdoor-power-equipment/leaf-blowers/7018658

To help encourage our Hancock Park residents to purchase a battery powered leaf blower, battery, and charger for their gardener to use on their property, we will help share the cost! The HPHOA is offering a $100.00 rebate to our residents when they show proof of purchase!

Contact Mark Alpers mdalpers@aol.com

Cindy Chvatal-Keane snorekel@gmail.com or Joel Kozberg jkozberg@kozberglaw.com for more information.

            Hope you will take us up on the offer! 

Hancock Park Homeowners Association                                                     

Join a Committee! We are all Volunteers!                                                                                                              

The Hancock Park/Windsor Square Town Hall on the recent prolonged power outage in our area was held last night over Zoom. If you missed it, a recording is now available at the link posted below. The Town Hall participants included the WS and HP HOAs, Councilmembers Yaroslavksy and Soto-Martinez and representatives from DWP. 

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/IFbxb_OGn0SkiaJFTpeLT-WrhNMxwr0LLiX1J_Rq0wWwptvYExXNh7SdZPwxQovj.X-8XLg0575XWicLh?startTime=1678157792000

Passcode: ^h.H6$hy

Below are the 12 questions the HOAs sent to DWP in advance of the meeting.

Question 1 - Hancock Park and Windsor Square Outages 

Why was there a delay of multiple days for LADWP to restore power to homes in Windsor Square and Hancock Park? What caused the delay? Was there insufficient staff available to respond to power outages in multiple areas in the city? Was the cause of the outage in Windsor Square/Hancock Park so severe and technically difficult to fix that it caused the delay? Was there a paucity of hardware/parts that had to be sourced to fix the problem, causing the delay? 

Question 2 - Incorrect Outage Data 

Why are outage maps and messaging to the community re - repair times - incorrect and inconsistent? How can they both be improved to show outages in real-time and send accurate messages to the community? 

Question 3 - Infrastructure Upgrades 

What plans are in place to upgrade critical infrastructure around the city? (Crews tell residents that our infrastructure is old and failing.) 

Question 4 - DWP Coordination of Upgrades 

If/when LADWP upgrades infrastructure — water and power— who would be leading that effort? How is that coordinated? Who at LADWP is responsible? Is DWP working in coordination with the Mayor’s office? 

Question 5 - Availability of Federal Funding 

Feds have put aside millions for upgrading infrastructure. Has LADWP reached out for Federal funding and what is/would that funding support? 

Question 6 - Preparation for Future Events 

If the woeful response DWP had to the current storm is any indication - a storm for which we had ample warning - how will we all be impacted in the event of a major earthquake with no warning? How is LADWP preparing? 

Question 7 - Impact of Housing Plans on Infrastructure 

With more and more housing units being built – ADU's, TOC projects, LA Housing Element calls for 460K new units – how is infrastructure going to keep up, especially now that the City Via Executive Directive is streamlining / fast tracking permitting? 

Question 8 - DWP Staffing 

What is the staffing situation? Are we down crews— both on the power and water side? Are we at capacity or still trying to recruit? 

Question 9 - SLTRP Impact on Staffing / Solar 

The 2023 SLTRP (STRATEGIC LONG TERM RESOURCE PLAN) includes, "Preliminary budgetary estimates include approximately 2,500 to 3,000 additional positions to address existing system needs and also PSRP (Power System Reliability Program) revamp and load growth. How many of those positions will be for upgrading existing infrastructure problems or are they mostly for LA 100's solar? 

Question 10 - Reimbursement for Losses 

Is LADWP going to reimburse us for all the food we had to throw away? All perishable and frozen goods were a total loss for us. 

Question 11 - Past Upgrades Insufficient 

Last year in Hancock Park a number of residents withstood multiple electric shut offs when they were upgrading the area. Why did this upgrade, deemed necessary enough to disrupt traffic, light, water and home access for months, not prepare us for or avoid the recent outage ? 

Question 12 - DWP Tree Trimming 

Many residents were told their outage was due to trees hitting/knocking down power lines. LADWP told these residents that residents were responsible for keeping the trees trimmed. However, California regulations require utilities to trim trees or vegetation so they don't grow into or fall into high-voltage power lines, which could not only cause a power outage but could spark a fire or be a danger to the public. Who is responsible for trimming trees near power lines?

Congratulations to Katy Yaroslavsky

CD4 Council Member Elect!

The Hancock Park HOA Board members recently had a great meeting with Katy Yaroslavsky.  We discussed neighborhood priorities and our HPHOA committees and her district wide goals, priorities and how we can work together.  The HPHOA will be hosting a Town Hall with Katy in January.  Watch for information on the date and time!  The meeting will be via Zoom and we invite all our surrounding Great Wilshire CD5 neighbors to join us!

Coming in January!

The HPHOA works to ensure our annual dues and donations are used to give back to the community and are discussing and developing new ideas.  We are exploring ways to help fund sidewalk repair by partnering with residents, increasing our support to keep our urban canopy-historic parkway trees healthy, planting more new trees and funding water trucks for the new trees during the increasingly hot, dry summers.  Discussing how to improve neighborhood wide security measures by working with our three main neighborhood security companies:  SSA, ADT and MagenAM.  And helping local nonprofits and charitable organizations that impact our neighborhoods.

Thank you to all our neighbors who make our Greater Wilshire neighborhoods a wonderful place to live and work!  A special thank you to all our Hancock Park residents who contribute to and support the Hancock Park HOA.

Remember, we’re all volunteers!  Come to the Zoom meeting to meet our Councilperson; join a Committee and volunteer!  Visit our website to find out more - Hancock Park Homeowners Association est 1948 - Home

Thank you for coming to our HPHA annual meeting last night! We had an excellent turnout at the meeting and are very grateful to Sam Yebri, Katy Yarolslavsky, Paul Koretz, Rick Caruso and Karen Bass for spending time with us in advance of the election.

The following candidates were elected to the HPHA board for 2-year terms:

A recording of the meeting can be found here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xlPrt0T4--9nISgNZUzplyqhRolJ3cVXBCBbb1AbV3HxwM1iLGiZGLqNZJvDog.i4RENI7qFLBDpUmL?startTime=1666749533000

Passcode: p#@RM&98

Save The Date

Tuesday, October 25th, 7:00pm

Hancock Park

Annual Meeting

Please join us via Zoom for this important event!

Hear directly from Mayoral Candidates - Rick Caruso & Karen Bass and CD 5 City Council Candidates - Sam Yebri & Katy Yaroslavsky.

The candidates have been invited to share their ideas on how they each plan to solve the crisis facing our City. Your vote matters!

Zoom link to join the Hancock Park Annual Meeting :

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85336097182

Melrose/Seward Project Update

A favorable revised building plan and agreement is reached on the Melrose Seward project.

Leadership representing a coalition of neighborhoods (Hancock Park, Larchmont Village, So Hollywood and Windsor Sq) along with CD5 CM Paul Koretz and Chief of Staff Joan Pelico and CD 13 CM Mitch O’Farrell worked with the developers to revise and fine tune a plan to benefit all involved. The revised plans will include:

• Building height limit- 4 stories/58 ft height limit, with a 31 ft limit on Melrose frontage.
• The coffee shop will be open to the public, public art will not be implemented on the Melrose frontage and instead may be placed on the Seward frontage, outdoor decks will incorporate/provide landscaping features to act as sound buffering features on all decks.
• There will be vibration monitoring on the western frontage in areas adjacent to the John C. Fremont Library and developer will take necessary measures to protect the building from potential vibration damage and the outdoor deck hours of operation will be 10:30pm from Saturday to Wednesday, 11:00pm on Thursday and Friday.

A HUGE thank you to all who participated in revising the plan for your dedication to the community and neighborhoods. It was all of us working together that made this happen!

Please see our website at www.HancockPark.org

Join a committee!

Come to a Zoom meeting! Participate!

We are all volunteers!

The Drought, Our Trees, The Air We Breath! – How to Keep our Trees Health While Conserving Water

 

Trees are essential to our very existence. Their power alone manifests as the air we breathe - so let's not take them for granted!  Now that we're being asked to limit landscape watering, our good sense and the DWP is reminding us that we must still water our trees. 

 

Our trees provide shade that lowers our soaring temperatures, they convert CO2 to oxygen, help lower our energy costs and they clean the air of unhealthy pollutants. 

So, give your trees, especially the parkway trees, a regular (twice a month), good, deep soaking!   Consider using a deep root watering tool! There are many easy to use deep root watering tools on the market. i.e  https://yardbutler.com/products/deep-root-irrigator

 

Does deep root watering really work? Yes!  Not only is deep root watering trees the best way to get your trees quenched and thriving, but using the right deep root watering system is the most efficient way to do it. It's also great for the environment because you'll be using less water!  Here’s some other ways to help keep our trees alive and save water:

 

-        Add a layer of mulch around trees.  This limits evaporation and lowers the soil temperature.  The City of LA provides residents with free mulch:  https://www.lacitysan.org/freemulch

-        Use a hose with a self-closing shutoff nozzle and slowly water the root zone of your mature tree.

-        Try using a soaker hose around the base of the tree.

-        Most mature trees need deep watering once or twice a month, depending on the type of tree.  Deep watering promotes deep root growth.

 

Learn how to efficiently water your trees and mulch to retain moisture from this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiHmGdUP8hQ&t=139s

 

You can also use waste water:

 

-        Collect shower water while waiting for hot water

-        Collect water used to wash produce

-        Recycle aquarium water that isn’t saltwater

-        Reuse the melted ice water from a cooler

-        Reuse leftover water from your pet’s water bowl

 

Remember, we’re all volunteers!  Come to a Zoom meeting; join a Committee!  

Land Use, Zoning and  Keeping Our City Liveable

There are two major projects on the borders of Hancock Park, that if built, will dramatically change the character of our neighborhood and ultimately leading to further overdevelopment: 

1.     5001 Wilshire (the northwest corner of Wilshire and Highland) would replace the current two story strip mall with an 8 story, 242-unit mixed use complex.  This project would tower over surrounding houses and bring more traffic and noise to an already overburdened area;

2.     6101-6117 W. Melrose (the corner of northwest Melrose and Seward) would replace a single story retail strip with a 5 story entertainment oriented office building.  This would dominate the historic John C. Fremont Library next door and all the surrounding houses both north and south of Melrose.  In addition this development would involve a Height District Change; changing the current allowable height from 45 feet to 69 feet; encouraging more overdevelopment on Melrose.

The Association’s Land Use Committee, headed by chair, Mark Alpers, has been working tirelessly with the City, Council Office, neighbors in Quadrant 2, neighboring home owner associations and the developers to scale back these proposals.  The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council voted to oppose the current plans and our Council Representatives, Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell also support our opposition.

As the economy recovers the push for development and growth will challenge the character of our neighborhood and city.  As citizens we have input into this.  There is a hearing on July 28 at 8:30 held by the City Planning Commission on the Melrose and Seward property.  For information about attending see the Association website – http://www.HancockPark.org .  You can make a difference!

WHY VOTE?

                                   

Every registered Los Angeles voter automatically received a ballot in the mail. Mail in that ballot, drop it in a Drop Box or make a plan to vote in person.Don’t sit this one out! Return your ballots or vote in person by June 7!                                 

1. Elections have consequences. You have the power to decide on the quality of life you want for yourself and your  family. Voting is your chance to stand up for the issues you care about like  public safety & security, homelessness, protecting neighborhoods and planning smart development, ending institutional corruption in City Hall.  This is your community - your City!

2. Not voting is giving up your voice.
Elections are decided by the people who go out and vote. Take some time and learn about the measures and the candidates. If you don’t vote, someone else will make the decision for you. Your power is in your vote.

3. Voting is an opportunity for change.                                                               Do you want to make a positive impact? Voting gives you that chance! Support the candidates and ballot measures that can help your community and state for the greater good. Make your voice heard in this election.

4. The community depends on you!
Our communities are made up of friends, loved ones, neighbors, and children. Some may not know how important voting is, while others don’t have the privilege. Make the decision to vote for yourself and those around you.

                              Make your voice heard!

                                              VOTE!

Please see our website at www.HancockPark.org!   Join a committee! Come to a Zoom Meeting!     Participate!     We are all volunteers!

Saving Our Trees

The lack of rain this winter means that water restrictions will be put in place starting June 1^st.  We will be asked to limit outdoor watering to one day a week.  However, it’s very important to protect our parkway trees, and the large trees and bushes in our landscape.  The DWP will be issuing guidelines and regulations in the next couple of weeks, but start planning now.  Mulch around your trees and large bushes.  Check for leaks in your sprinkler systems and, if possible, change your landscaping to be as drought tolerant as possible. 

The DWP recognizes that our trees and large shrubs are critical in mitigating the impact of climate change and will be issuing guidelines in the next few weeks.  The Association will be communicating with residents and working on plans to help all of us preserve our precious tree canopy and save water.  The following articles from the LA Times are a good place to start informing yourself.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-26/drought-order-limits-outdoor-watering-souther-california

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-29/which-southern-california-cities-are-affected-by-new-watering-rules

Security remains an issue so take care and alertt your neighbors and the police if you see something suspicious.  Leave outside lights on overnight.  Lock your car.  Lock your house. Set the alarm if you have one and consider installing one if you don’t.  Stay alert on walks and while getting in and out of your car.  Walk with a friend when possible and if you are the unfortunate victim of a crime make a policy report.

Please see our website at www.HancockPark.org! Join a committee! Come to a Zoom Meeting!

Participate! We are all volunteers!