Grand View Parkway Project Dedication Ceremony
Originally uploaded by lacityorgcd11.

On Saturday, January 20, 2007 Councilman Rosendahl met with a group of committed residents at the North Venice Little League property on Rose and Centinela. North Venice shares the property with the Ocean View Farms Community Garden.

Frank Harris, President of Ocean View Farms, Inc. was able to secure a $10,000 beautification grant from the City of Los Angeles' Department of Public Works to launch the Grand View Parkway Project. This celebration marked the completion and dedication of this ambitious neighborhood beautification project ,which involved over 100 Mar Vista residents, who contributed more than 1000 hours of voluntary service. They worked to add landscaping on the westside of the property along Grandview Blvd.

The Councilman also honored the beginning of the 80th anniversary of Mar Vista and the 25th anniversary of the Hilltop Neighbors Association, a group key in completing this beautification project.

Certificates of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles were presented to:

Frank Harris, President of Ocean View Farms
Cathy Bekian, President of the Hilltop Neighbors Association
Kent Alves, Hilltop resident who was key in getting the Grand View Parkway Project started
Wayne Burkland, Hilltop resident active in the garden
Ed Mosman, the "Master Gardner" for the community garden for over 25 years
Donna Egstrom, Hilltop resident and active garden member

Michael Espinosa, Grant Manager for Office of Community Beautification - Public Works, was also in attendance.

The Mar Vista Community Council provided financial support and volunteers for the project. This event highlighted the importance of how neighbors have worked tirelessly to bring resources to the garden and make it a shining example of how good things happen when people work together.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.oceanviewfarms.net/gvpp.html
www.marvista.org
http://www.hilltopbeacon.com/
http://laocb.org/



Nicole Velasquez
Mar Vista and Del Rey Field Deputy

The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the gateway to our City. It forms the first impression millions of travelers develop of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it is also a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, and a source of pollution that our residents endure on a daily basis.

I strongly believe that LAX should be held to the highest environmental standards and become the "greenest" airport in the world. To help achieve this goal, I introduced a motion to the City Council last October for LAX to develop an aggressive 10-year program to make this vision a reality.

What is my vision of "greening" LAX? One in which our airport significantly reduces its greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. An airport that maximizes water and energy conservation measures. An airport that incorporates a comprehensive recycling program.

To implement this goal, I called for this 10-year strategy to include, but not be limited to the following objectives:

- Completing the Green Line extension to LAX; reducing thousands of car trips by employees, vendors and travelers;
- Reducing carbon dioxide levels to the year 2000 levels by 2010, in line with the Executive Order signed by Governor Schwarzenegger;
- Requiring new construction projects to meet the highest sustainable building standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED), which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy use in building, cooling, heating and lighting at LAX;
- Maximizing the use of reclaimed water, both within buildings and for landscaping;
- Developing a comprehensive strategy to clean and reuse stormwater runoff; and
- Development of a long-range plan for a carbon neutral footprint by 2030.

I am excited to see that the Board of Airport Commissioners was spurred to action by my motion, and will be considering a motion of their own at their next meeting which incorporates some of the issues I have raised. I look forward to working with them to ensure that the full complement of issues needed to green LAX are considered.

The City of Los Angeles needs to show leadership on reducing global warming and redouble our efforts to be good stewards of the environment. Transforming LAX into the greenest airport in the world is a huge step in this direction; one that will not only benefit the citizens of Los Angeles, but help in the global fight against climate change.

-Bill

Rosendahl Statement Regarding Lydia Kennard Stepping Down as LAWA Chief

Councilman Rosendahl issued the following statement in reaction to the announcement that Lydia Kennard will step down as executive director of Los Angeles World Airports at the end of the month:

"I thank and congratulate Lydia Kennard for her tremendous leadership, her wise counsel, and her commitment to public service. She has been an enormous asset; her daily hands-on presence at the helm of LAWA will be sorely missed."

"I am very happy, however, that Lydia has agreed to stay on as a special adviser to the Board of Airport Commissioners. We will be lucky to continue to draw upon her vision and her experience in the months and years ahead."

"We have been extremely fortunate to have had Lydia's service this past year. She forged an historic settlement to end LAX expansion, launched a a truly genuine effort to create a system of regional aviation, and made safety and security a top priority. She was undoubtedly the right person at the right time."

"I look forward to working with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Board of Airport Commissioners as they conduct a global search for a new executive director."