The Public Square: November 16 - November 18

A brief look at items on the agenda at City Council, City Council Committees, Neighborhood Councils, and various City Boards and Commissions of interest to Hollywood residents. City Agendas can be found here.

Monday, November 16:

• Public Safety and Planning and Land Use Management Council Committees (8:30 AM)
  • Item 1 - Council File 08-0923: Discussion of the draft ordinances amending the City's regulations regarding medical marijuana collectives. Some of the policy issues to be discussed include a cap on storefront dispensaries and a proposed 1,000 foot radius from "sensitive" uses (parks, schools, etc).
• Hollywood United Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (6:30 PM)
  • Agenda
  • Item 2a: Question and Answer session with Assembly Member Mike Feuer (AD-42).
  • Item 2b: Question and Answer session with LAUSD Board of Education Member Steve Zimmer.
  • Item 9: Update on Hollywood Freeway Cap Park.
• East Hollywood Neighborhood Council Community Forum/Governing Board (7:00 PM)
  • Agenda (pdf)

Tuesday, November 17:

• City Council (10:00 AM)
  • Item 50 - Council File 09-0659-S1: Motion to authorize LADOT to accept a grant from Caltrans, in the amount of $225,000, to develop a "Conceptual Plan and Implementation Strategy for a context-sensitive transit village" for the Virgil Village neighborhood. The motion indicates that the City submitted the application on behalf of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) and the grants funds will be provided to LANI for the recruitment of stakeholders, a community planning process, a conceptual plan document, and development of an implementation strategy. The City will also provide $25,000 in local matching funds, as well as $25,000 in front funding. Per Caltrans, the final deliverables include a traffic calming plan, a streetscape improvement plan, and cost estimates for design, construction, and project management.
• Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Board Meeting (7:00 PM)
  • Agenda (pdf)
  • Item 9A: A request from Los Feliz Elementary School for $3,100 for new library chairs. Really? $3,100 for chairs for elementary school kids? Is this the best use of Neighborhood Council funds? Isn't this the type of item the LAUSD is supposed to pay for with all those property taxes they collect?
  • Item 9B: A request from Franklin Avenue Elementary School for $2,000 for "smart board technology" for the 5th grade classrooms. $2K for a glorified dry-erase board? Your money at work...
  • Item 11C: Report on Hollywood Heritage's opposition to the demolition of any portion of the CBS building. I'm assuming this item is related the Columbia Square Project.

Wednesday, November 18:

• City Council (10:00 AM)