Mission Statement
Valley VOTE, a diverse coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, business people, community activists,and organizations, is committed to exploring and implementing programs that empower the people of the San Fernando Valley and the city of Los Angeles, including opportunities to improve local governance, education and public participation on policy matters.
AGENDA
Meeting Date: Monday, Sept. 18, 2017
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Place: Galpin Ford – 2nd floor meeting room
15555 Roscoe Blvd (at the 405)
Free parking in the Galpin Lot on the West side of Orion.
Please do not park in the customer parking areas.
Contact: President Joe Vitti – at javittisr@cs.com
6:30pm Networking
6:50pm Introductions – Flag Salute
7:10pm Valley VOTE Committees – 4 minutes each, limited questions
Vic Viereck Housing
Ralph Kroy Sunshine Canyon
David DeVoss L.A. Housing Issues
Ernie Hilger Veterans
Denny Schneider LAX
7:30 pm San Fernando Valley Police Chief Sherman
Chief Sherman is the Commanding Officer of Operations-Valley Bureau, which encompasses the San Fernando Valley and is the largest bureau in the City of Los Angeles. Chief Sherman was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and attended CSUN and served four years active duty in the United States Marine
Corps. In 1985, Chief Sherman joined the LAPD and worked as a Patrol Officer in the Rampart, Devonshire, and Hollywood Areas. In 1990, he was promoted to Sergeant and in 1997 to Lieutenant. In 2001, he was advanced to the rank of Captain. and was the Commanding Officer of the Devonshire Operations Support Division, Devonshire Patrol Division, the Assistant Commanding Officer of Rampart Area, and the Commanding Officer of West Valley Area. In October 2010, Chief Sherman was appointed as a Commander and was assigned to Operations-Central Bureau as the Assistant Commanding Officer. In this role, he had the responsibility to oversee all policing efforts in the greater downtown area. As a Commander, Chief Sherman also worked as the Assistant to the Director in the Office of Special Operations.
Chief Sherman earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix in 1994. Chief Sherman has been married for 36 years and has three adult children. He enjoys traveling, camping and spending time with his three grandchildren.
We are very pleased that Chief Sherman has taken the time to be with us this evening, bringing us to date on Police activities in the Valley..
8:00 pm Matt Pakucko, President and Co-Founder of Save Porter Ranch
Matt Pakucko, President and Co-Founder of Save Porter Ranch, a 501 (c 3) non-profit citizens group in Porter Ranch, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. He and other residents started the movement to take the charge to stop 12 new oil wells from being drilled next to his residential neighborhood. Suddenly overnight, they are synonymous with, and the leaders in, addressing possibly the biggest global warming disaster ever and the ensuing health crisis it caused.
Matt is a 10-year resident/homeowner/business owner in Porter Ranch. He will bring us up to date on the current situation at Porter Ranch. We would like to thank Matt for taking time out from his busy schedule to be with us evening.
8:30 pm Adjourn
Valley VOTE Mission Statement
Valley VOTE is a diverse coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, business people, educators, community activists, and organizations, committed to exploring and fostering the implementation of programs that empower the people of the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles, to improve local governance, education and public participation on policy matters. We meet monthly to address key policy issues and hear reports from our standing committee chairs. For additional information about Valley VOTE, for an upcoming meeting agenda, or for previous meeting reports and press releases, we encourage you to go to our web site – Valleyvote.org. Mail your dues to Valley VOTE-14622 Ventura Blvd. # 424 ,Sherman Oaks, CA. 91403 – Thank you.
We are a 501c4 non profit with no paid staff. We appreciate the dues payments from our members to help meet our goals. The press and public are invited to attend our meetings.
Valley VOTE Supports Measure S in March 7 Election
The Executive Committee of Valley VOTE, a diverse coalition of San Fernando Valley residents, businesses and civic organizations, urges the people of Los Angeles to vote in favor of Measure S, the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, on the March 7 ballot. Only by approving Measure S can ordinary citizens of Los Angeles take back control of their neighborhoods from property developers who collude with city politicians to build massive projects out of scale with their surroundings.
Measure S will implement a two-year moratorium on mega-construction projects that create traffic, displace longtime residents and destroy neighborhoods. The two years would be used to update residential and commercial zoning plans that are decades out of date. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city council have used obsolete zoning as an excuse to grant exemptions and variances on an ad hoc basis. This “pay to play” decision making, otherwise known as “spot zoning,” enriches politicians and developers while leaving citizens living in the shadow of luxury high-rises and searching in vain for a place to park.
Measure S mandates several needed reforms. Right now developers can ignore the disruption their projects cause by writing their own Environmental Impact Reports. Measure S requires that independent experts assess potential traffic and environmental degradation and the assessments be paid for by the developers themselves. Prior to the start of construction, developers will have to show that their projects do not burden the community with parking and traffic gridlock.
Today, developers make cash donations to city politicians who then agree not to enforce existing regulations. According to LA Ethics Commission filings, lobbyists were paid a staggering $44.7 million in the first three quarters of 2016 to influence elected officials behind closed doors. Measure S would force meetings into the open and insist the city council follow a publicly agreed upon General Plan.
Property developers are waging a campaign of disinformation. They say the initiative will prevent the city from building affordable housing. This is not true. Measure S has no negative effect on affordable housing. Indeed, it will prevent affordable units from being destroyed as they often are today when condo towers are built. Developers insist a pause in massive development will cost jobs. This is unlikely since City Hall already has said the recently passed $120 million in mass transit improvements will create 465,000 new jobs.
Valley VOTE believes healthy cities are growing cities. We anticipate high-rise development around metro stations and along some commercial thoroughfares. But development should occur within the scope of agreed-upon zoning. Measure S provides the opportunity for city officials and neighborhood leaders to mutually decide what is right for their communities.
For further information please contact Valley VOTE director David DeVoss at (818) 793-7120