L-R: PRNC President Mel Mitchell, PRNC Board Members Vas Singh, Pat
Pope, Paula Cracium, Maha Batta, City Councilman Mitchell Englander,
PRNC Board Members Mandhata Chauhan, Becky Leveque, Congressman Buck
McKeon, Assembly Candidate Patricia McKeon, PRNC Board Members Sue
Hammarlund and Dick Rippey. Photo by Wendy Moore.

LA City Councilmember Mitchell Englander was the guest speaker at the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council April 2012 meeting. He began his remarks offering a list of subjects he was prepared to speak and answer questions on and naturally the first stakeholder comment by Irv Cohen in support of the proposed Hidden Creeks development was not on the Councilman’s list.

The development is proposed for an area to the northwest of the Renaissance development. As Hidden Creeks is outside the Los Angeles City limits, the developers are requesting the City annex the area. Englander noted that the PRNC was in favor of the project and the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council was opposed. He has asked the developer to make the draft development agreement available for community review. This would be a first ever opportunity for the community to see all the proposed intricacies and trigger points of the project. You can find out more about the Hidden Creeks project.

Sidewalks are often a hot topic here in Porter Ranch where some of our beautiful trees have done a number on the sidewalks that the community uses for exercise. Englander explained that the City is 65+ years behind in sidewalk repair and that various proposals to require homeowners to repair them at point of sale or point of other permitted home improvement projects were unacceptable. He is recommending a $3 billion bond to address the problem.

LAFD’s dismal arrival times in Porter Ranch have recently come to light and the Councilman is recommending the FIRESTAT system, similar to the COMPSTAT system LAPD uses, to better manage necessary LAFD staffing. As Chair of the Public Safety Committee he noted that the Council can only provide funds and recommendations for staffing; the Fire Chief is the one who controls staffing. When asked if the FIRESTAT system would address the fact that more than 80% of LAFD calls are for medical problems, he assured the crowd that it would.

LAFD Captain Klecker of Firestation 8 on Tampa was on hand to report a concern about an impassable bridge in Limekiln Canyon just north of Rinaldi. The station has had several calls to provide assistance in the canyon and cannot get equipment to the victims without the bridge. Becky Leveque, of the PRNC Police, Fire & Safety Committee will be working with the Councilman’s office to repair the bridge.

This article also appeared in the May 2012 issue of the North Valley Community Connection, page 7.