The Slate of 6 in Valley Village Wants Your Vote Thursday in the Neighborhood Council Election

(Editor's Note: North Hollywood Patch welcomes all nominees to post their statements, additional information or blogs onto the site as well. For instructions, click here.)

This Thursday, Sept. 20, elections will be held for the board of Neighborhood Council Valley Village. There are 16 candidates running for 7 open seats, including 6 current board members who are running for re-election. I am one of them, and I encourage you to vote for the Slate of 6 (as we are calling ourselves).

These are volunteer positions in which we as community members participate in decisions that impact education, neighborhood preservation, planning and land use, police and fire safety, parks, and business development. Our Neighborhood Council is Valley Village’s bridge to City Hall.

The current board members of Neighborhood Council Valley Village have quite been busy working to improve the quality of life in our community. Some of the highlights of just the past year and a half include:

• $400,000 renovation of Valley Village Park (paid for by Quimby funds – not your tax dollars)
• Several town hall meetings featuring Q&As with your city, state, and LAUSD representatives and/or candidates
• Neighborhood Watch Open Houses
• Pet adoption fair
• Two food drives
• Children’s Hospital Blood Drive
• Two CERT training sessions (over Valley Village 200 stakeholders are now trained in emergency preparedness)
• Green Living Workshop
• Recently NCVV partnered with Councilman Paul Krekorian’s office and the Valley Interfaith Council (VIC) to establish a fund to pay for the ambulance costs of those injured or killed in the tragic accident on Magnolia Boulevard that caused two women to be electrocuted.  

NCVV has provided $20,000 in grant support to our schools, North Hollywood Library, East Valley Senior Center and other great community based programs. Every year it hosts the popular National Night Out at Valley Village Park, the Virtual Garden Tour, and pays for a July 4th parade marching band.

Our Board has worked tirelessly to keep Valley Village one of the greatest neighborhoods in Los Angeles by working diligently on issues of public safety and planning. Recently we led a successful fight with the Department of Transportation to keep the 35 mph speed limit on Chandler Boulevard, and are vigorously protecting the Valley Village Specific Plan which prevents huge box-style mansions from being built on small lots.

NCVV was the first Neighborhood Council to update and receive approval for city mandated bylaw revision and achieved 100 percent compliance on all required trainings and certification for board members, including annual ethics training. NCVV continues to lead Los Angeles in per capita CERT-trained stakeholders, and in each Neighborhood Council election we have one of the highest voter turnouts. We are doing a great job! I hope you agree.

Here is the Slate of 6, and how we’ve been representing Valley Village thus far:

Cathy Flynn (Education)

I was elected to a vacated Homeowner’s seat about 18 months ago and have served on the Projects and Communications Committees where I try to get the word out about neighborhood events. I am now running for the Education seat. I have three children and I have been an active parent at Colfax Charter Elementary School since my 16-year old daughter was in kindergarten. My 6-year old son will graduate in 2017.  I would like to become an informative conduit between our community and all the wonderful schools in Valley Village.

Dale Liebowitz Neglia  (at large)

Dale is on the Planning and Land Use Committee and is extremely knowledgeable about all the sneaky ways developers can try to get their giant buildings erected. She is tenacious in keeping them not only within the legal limits, but also convincing them to abide by the wishes of our community. One of her biggest priorities is convincing our Councilman to downzone the three remaining properties in Valley Village that retain totally out of character R-4 zoning. Dale also serves as NCVV’s Assistant Treasurer.

Suzanne Lewis (Renter)

Suzanne is the Projects Committee Chair and energetically promotes and coordinates all the events that NCVV hosts. She is the first to set up and the last to leave events like National Night Out, the NCVV booth at the popular Valley Village 4th of July Parade, the Pet Adoption Fair, and special occasions like the recent Valley Village Park Re-Dedication. She also quickly and efficiently reaches out to members of our community who need assistance, for instance most recently in the Magnolia Boulevard tragedy.

Jeff Walker (Homeowner)

Jeff is the Chair of the City Services Committee and works tirelessly on all those things everyone like to complain about. His committee has worked on everything from the bicycle path through the city, to bus benches and shelters, to shade structures. He has served the past four years as an Education Representative, but is currently running for a Homeowner’s Seat.

Sandy Hubbard (Homeowner)

Sandy serves on the on the Planning and Land Use Committee and also chairs the Valley Village Vision Committee which studies long term planning of our community. She retains a commitment to quality of life issues in Valley Village and wants to ensure that the area retains its “village” character.

Charles Sulahian (Business)

Charles is the owner of Marie et Cie, and he has hosted several food drives, donated gift cards to our community schools and charities, and he is now NCVV’s DWP liaison who will voice Valley Village concerns and keep everyone in the loop regarding services and rate hikes.

The Neighborhood Council Valley Village election will be held at Faith Presbyterian Church - 5000 Colfax Avenue, and kitty corner from Colfax Charter Elementary School. The polls will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

If you are an adult who lives, works, or owns property in Valley Village, you are considered a stakeholder and are eligible to vote. Valley Village is bordered by Burbank Boulevard to the North, the Hollywood (170) Freeway to the East, the Ventura (134) Freeway to the South, and the Tujunga Wash to the West. Please bring ID.

You can find most of the candidates’ statements at http://empowerla.org/ncvv/nc-valley-village-elections/

Vote the Slate of 6!