Minutes 2-26-04

Meeting called to order by president Missy Kelly.

Approval of minutes tabled until next meeting.

People introduced themselves.

Crime Report - Senior Lead Officer Bill Sollie reported that crime in our area was basically down. Sadly, one police officer in another Division was killed in the line of duty.

Officer Sollie distributed tip cards that the Hollywood Division is using to make it easier for witnesses to share information without fearing retribution.

Flyers are being circulated in parts of the Oaks. Some are from what seems to be a white supremacist group. Thefts from autos have increased especially on Beachwood. A third of the vehicles were unlocked. On others there are windows broken. Many of these crimes are reported between 6pm and midnight. Officer Sollie gave us flyers that tell how to prevent this kind of crime. Crime rates often rise when there is a lot of construction. Transient workers hired by subcontractors are sometimes involved. An arrest was made at Western at Ralph's. They caught a guy with property from 10 different victims. He hopes this was part of a ring that is now broken up. Last month there were two robberies. One occurred at 1944 Beachwood between 9pm and 10pm involving three male Hispanics with a knife. The other one happened at Primrose and Vista Del Mar involving one African American male with a gun. Norma [last name] shared about new ways criminals are using to steal cars using the VIN number and making keys. It was suggested that people use a piece of tape to hide the VIN number that is printed on the dash board underneath the windshield in front of the driver.

Officer Sollie says there is a program being developed to provide "The Club" to people for very little. Also, there are stickers available that give police permission to pull over that particular vehicle and question the driver without further probable cause if the car is seen after 11:00 p.m. on the street. He also suggested having a "kill switch" installed and having the ignition rekeyed after the car is 4 or 5 years old to prevent key shaving - the key notches get smooth and almost any key can turn it on.

Community Police Advisory Board Town Hall Meeting - Larry Markes gave a report about the various issues that were mentioned at the meeting. He also distributed a full report with all the details. He talked about the various committees that CPAB has and what they do. He said that due to the Oscars coming, there will be a major street closure February 29th from Argyle to La Brea and from Santa Monica on the south to Franklin (?) on the north. He suggested that people stay home on that Sunday. He printed contacts for all the committees on the back of the report he circulated.

Parking & Transportation Report - Fran Reichenbach shared the various topics that were discussed at the meeting [ ] Tom LaBonge attended. A letter was generated to Tom LaBonge and the DOT as a result of this meeting asking for speed humps on upper Beachwood as well as on Gower between Scenic and Carmen Place. Recent ticketing on Hollyridge was discussed and led to a discussion about the inability of the LA Fire Department to be able to negotiate the small streets in Beachwood Canyon. Everyone agreed that ultimately we are going to need a much smaller first-response vehicle to come up and fight fires here.

Treasurer's report - Fran Reichenbach is now the treasurer and reported $2,823.00 in the bank. She asked that people join the association and circulated membership forms.

Beautification & Charities - Missy reported that we have a school that is dead broke that has a wish list and suggested to give money to the Cheremoya Avenue School. There is also a group home in the canyon so maybe we should raise our profile and generate some good will with those kids. On lower Beachwood we have another group home. Missy would like to explore helping those groups. In the next meeting we will decide which charities we should help and how.

Joel Fisher (HUNC) said that his group has helped Cheremoya Avenue School. Missy wants to improve the school's educational level. Fran mentioned the box that is at Victor's and asked people to rummage through their offices for extra paper, pencils, pads and other items that the teachers and kids can use and drop them in the box.

Fire Station Museum Foundation - Joel shared that the foundation supporting the museum at Cahuenga/Cole/Fountain is fundraising. They are receiving donations of $125, $250 and $500. The name of the donor is placed on a brick or on a paver in the sidewalk depending on the size of the donation. The board will decide in the next meeting what size donation we will be giving.