On Saturday, I joined leaders from the Del Rey Neighborhood Council and Del Rey Homeowners and Neighbors Association to celebrate the installation of City of Los Angeles - Del Rey neighborhood signs.

Although Del Rey's neighboring communities have greater name recognition (Culver City on the east, Mar Vista on the north, Marina del Rey and Venice on the west, and Playa Vista to the south), Del Rey actually pre-dates its more well known neighbors. As far back as 1903, Planning Department maps identified Del Rey as one of nine divisions of the West Los Angeles Planning Commission. Originally part of the sprawling Rancho Ballona, Del Rey established its agricultural identity early in its history, and Del Rey remained a farming community, dotted by dairies and fields, well into the 20th century.

Today, Del Rey is a residential community dominated by single-story homes built during the post-war boom. Only 2 miles from the beach, close to LAX, ethnically varied and relatively affordable, Del Rey may be the most interesting neighborhood of which most Angelinos have never heard. While the name Del Rey predates the development of both Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey, until recently few locals used the term to identify their own neighborhood. Even the U.S. Postal Service is confused: as far as the post office is concerned, more than one third of our residents – those with a 90230 zip code - live in Culver City and must use that municipality as their mailing address.

The installation of signs designating Del Rey will help demystify this perplexing condition. Signs were installed at six locations on Inglewood Blvd., Centinela Blvd., Culver Blvd. and Maxella Ave. I give my appreciation to the Del Rey Neighborhood Council for partnering with Nicole Velasquez, my Del Rey deputy, on this effort. I'd also like to send a very special "Thank You!" to the Department of Transportation for their work on the signs.

Welcome to Del Rey!

- Bill

On Sunday, October 21, 2007 I attended the 4^th Annual Del Rey Day. I joined Assemblymember Ted Lieu and Mark Redick, president of the Del Rey Neighborhood Council, in honoring Charles Harris. A leader and a mentor, Charles coached the Mar Vista Gardens baseball team to an incredibly successful undefeated season this year.

It was a pleasure spending this wonderful day at the beautiful Glen Alla Park in the heart of Del Rey. Congratulations to the Del Rey Neighborhood Council for organizing this event and creating a space for neighbors to come together and celebrate their community.

- Bill

I'm proud to announce a new feature of my website, the VideoBlog! This new technology is a part of my commitment to empower the residents of CD11 with relevant information about public affairs.

I joined the Public Safety Committee of the CD11 Empowerment Congress to host a Westside Fire Safety Town Hall at the Getty Center in Brentwood. The focus was to learn about the importance of fire safety and how to prepare your family and home for a fire emergency.

I moderated the town hall event and lead the panel discussion which featured:

-Ellis Stanley, General Manager, Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department
-Chief Patrick Butler, Battalion 9, Los Angeles Fire Department
-Sargent David Podesta, West Los Angeles Division, Los Angeles Police Department
-Jan Selder, West Valley Center Manager, Los Angeles Animal Services Department

The meeting aired on Channel 35, and it is available here as a VideoBlog!. The video is approximately 1 hr 20 min.

-Bill

For years access to the homes on the Venice Canals has been racked by a confusing system of street names and poor signage. This posed a major problem to everyone trying to locate a home in the area, from police officers to pizza boys. By working with the Venice Canals Association (VCA) and Voice of the Canals (VOC) we have been able to resolve an important public safety issue and restore order to the names of the canal courts.

These two organizations collaborated and formed the FastFind Committee to see this project through to completion. This shows what can be done when people come together, in a grassroots effort, to make the community a safer place. This is democracy at its best.

I would like to thank:
Bev Weise, Co-Chair, FastFind Committee
Renee Kaplan, Co-Chair, FastFind Committee
Nadine Parkos, President, Venice Canals Association
Grace Godlin, newly elected Chair, Voice of the Canals and Member, Fastfind Committee
Members of the Venice Canals Association
Members of Fast Find Committee
Members of Voice of the Canals
Mark Henniger who shared his story with the public and helped to educate people on why it was so important to change the street signs.

I would also like to thank the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering and Department of Transportation staff, especially Mo Blorfroshan. He came out and personally walked though the canals many times to make sure all the signs were addressed and placed in the perfect spots.

Lastly, a big thank you to the emergency services personnel, LAPD and LAFD who supported this effort. They recognize the importance of the street name changes and will now be able to better protect this community.

-Bill

Mar Vista Family Center Celebrates 30 years!

The Mar Vista Family Center, a non-profit organization providing social services on the west side, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilmember Rosendahl joined MVFC in recognizing key local leaders who have made a difference during the Center's three decades of service to the children, youth and families of Los Angeles.

The MVFC also fundraised for their programs through a variety of food, drink, and dessert sales including traditional Latino and American Foods, fresh juices, and homemade ice cream. There were hands-on games and activities for the children as well as contests and prizes. Lastly, several local musical groups performed throughout the day.

For more information about the Mar Vista Family Center, please visit www.marvistafc.org

Nicole Velasquez
Del Rey Field Deputy