On Sunday, Councilmember Rosendahl presented a resolution signed by the entire City Council to congratulate the Westchester Del Rey Little League's Junior Softball Team on their fantastic performance in the Little League World Series.

The team had a tremendous championship season. After winning the regional competition in Arizona, the team progressed to the World Series and made it all the way to the championship game. The Puerto Rican team, representing all of Latin America, won the final contest on a rain-soaked Saturday in Kirkland, Washington. Congratulations to Westchester Del Rey, the number one team in the United States and the number two team in the world!

Over 200 people clad in purple and red attended the celebration to recognize these 13 and 14 year old athlete's amazing season.

Go West!

-Isaac Lieberman
Field Deputy

If you are having a problem with speeding traffic in your neighborhood, here are some resources:

Enforcement
Contact the Los Angeles Police Department's West Los Angeles Traffic Division at (213) 473-0220 and request enforcement in your neighborhood.

Speed Humps
If you're interested in speed humps, please contact the Department of Transportation's Western District Office at (310) 575-8138.

Watch The Road
The Councilmember's Westchester District Office and West Los Angeles District Office have Watch the Road lawn signs available. Drop by one of the field offices and pick-up a few signs to place on your front lawn. Click here for the location of each district office.

Get Involved
Most of the neighborhoods in Council District 11 have organized groups of residents that are involved with various community groups that discuss traffic-related concerns. If you're interested in getting involved, please contact the Councilmember's Field Deputy in your community. Click here for a staff list.

As always, you can call 3-1-1 for 24 hour access to all city services.

Nancy Aguilar
Westchester District Office

On Tuesday Councilmember Rosendahl joined the LAPD Pacific Division, the City Attorney's Office, Los Angeles Recreation and Parks, and over 200 residents of Del Rey to celebrate National Night Out. This event is to commemorate the "24th Annual National Night Out," a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. Community groups and leaders from Mar Vista and Venice also attended. LAPD gave away prizes, provided a bounce house for children, and sponsored live entertainment. The Councilmember led a procession of citizens from Stoner Elementary School into the Gardens to demonstrate community ownership of the neighborhood and an effort to eradicate to violence from their streets.

It is important for the community to build a relationship with their LAPD Senior Lead Officer (SLO). Senior Lead Officers are the community liaisons, and they are very accessible to the public. Their cell phone numbers are below, and they are available for non-emergency assistance.

Pacific Division Senior Lead Officers:
Off. Drake Madison - Del Rey East (Mar Vista Gardens) and South Mar Vista - 310-622-3972
Off. Theresa Skinner - Venice/Oakwood - 310-622-3970
Off. Heidi Llanes - Del Rey West - 310-622-3971
Off. Anthony Vasquez - Palms and North Mar Vista/Westdale - 310-622-3975
Off. Thomas Wickes - East Westchester - 310-622-3976
Off. Anthony Ramos - West Westchester - 310-622-3978
Off. Robin Richards - Venice Beach - 310-622-3968

http://www.nationaltownwatch.org/
http://pacificbeat.net/

- Nicole Velasquez, Mar Vista and Del Rey Field Deputy

On Sunday, nearly 2000 people gathered at Mar Vista Celebrates! to commemorate the 1927 annexation of Mar Vista by the City of Los Angeles. The event included musicians, poets, dancers from the varied cultures of Mar Vista performing on outdoor stages. The Arts Guild hosted a temporary gallery space on Grand View for a special exhibit of area artists. Booths of community organizations, city services, artists, health service providers, and food vendors lined the streets, and The Historical Society presented details of Mar Vista's unique history through interpretive talks and exhibits.

Staff from my office hosted a booth to share information on city services, and I took numerous requests for assistance. I joined County Supervisor Yvonne Burke on stage to congratulate the event's planning committee and various sponsors. Mar Vista Celebrates! was a first-time commemoration of a defining historic moment in our community's past.

Your Mar Vista neighbor,

Bill

During the Vietnam War, I served as a psychiatric social worker treating veterans returning home from combat in Vietnam. This experience showed me first hand the importance of maintaining a comfortable and supportive environment for recovering veterans. The West Los Angeles Fisher House will allow family members an extended stay near their loved ones who are receiving care at the VA, and it will create a sense of community and support among the families who are staying there.

This project is made possible by The Fisher House Foundation, a family foundation which has generously facilitated 16 similar facilities in the United States. Specifically I applaud Tim Byk and the West Los Angeles Fisher House Foundation, which will finance and build this project. When completed, Fisher House will provide a much needed "home away from home" for patients and their families on the grounds of the West Los Angeles VA Health Center.

The Fisher House will have 21 private bath suites, a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a large dining room, family lounge area, library and toys for children. The project will be operated and maintained by the West Los Angeles Health Center and will further the sacred mission of the VA property by directly providing benefits to American veterans.

-Bill

Sepulveda Boulevard Improvement Project Groundbreaking

Last week, I joined City officials and community members to celebrate the groundbreaking of a project that has a lot of history within the community. Through the work of many dedicated community members and several council offices, the Sepulveda Boulevard Improvement Project provides necessary street improvements without compromising the spirit of Westchester.

Sepulveda Boulevard, with its close proximity to LAX, serves as a primary gateway to Los Angeles. It develops the first impression many LAX travelers have of Los Angeles and its communities and neighborhoods. This improvement project will make this neighborhood shine and let everyone see the beautiful Westchester community. It will also help to alleviate the traffic congestion near LAX by improving circulation and flow. The street improvement project will result in three full time traffic lanes in each direction with full-time street parking in the business district. City crews will install beautifully landscaped medians, turn lanes, and left-turn signals to enhance motorist and pedestrian safety.

The work schedule will begin this summer and continue through summer 2009. Construction will take place Monday though Friday, from 7:00am through 4:00pm. A construction moratorium will be enforced during the holiday season.

The Sepulveda Boulevard Improvement Plan improves the overall quality of life for residents, business owners, commuters, and pedestrians. I would like to thank former Councilmember Ruth Galanter, former Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski, and the Westchester Streetscape Improvement Association, formerly known as the Sepulveda Boulevard Task Force, for their work on this project.

-Bill