The Encino Neighborhood Council (ENC) wishes everyone a safe and healthy holiday season. As we look forward to 2023 it’s always good to see where we’ve been.
The redistricting process changed Encino from Council District 5 to Council District 4, bringing a new Councilmember to the community. Councilmember Raman quickly embraced the community with several public events to bring the community together.
In June, the ENC held its annual selection of officers. Former President Alex Garay was selected as President for the 2022-2023 term. June was an active month for the ENC! We sponsored the pollinator garden at Fire Station 83 in Encino with a Ribbon Cutting and cookout! We also sponsored the Friends of the Los Angeles River (FOLAR) cleanup in the Sepulveda Basin.
We were fortunate enough to be able to provide several neighborhood purpose grants to our local schools and we were a major sponsor of the Shakespeare by the Sea at Los Encinos State Historic Park. We initiated cleanups along Ventura Blvd which will continue into 2023. As Fall approached, we partnered with the Encino Community Center for a Halloween Festival at Encino Park.
The new year brings many changes. Not only do we have a new Mayor, the ENC will have its elections in June 2023. Candidate filing opens in January 2023, all positions are open. Now is the time to start thinking about running for office to make a difference in the community. Please visit our site for updates and to see all the positions.
LADOT is conducting a survey to update the Ventura/Cahuenga Plan, your feedback is critical for improvements on Ventura Blvd in our community. Please share your opinions by taking the survey at tinyurl.com/venturaSP.
We will continue to fight for the community, but we need your participation. What changes would you like to see in the community? Your ideas will help shape the future of Encino.
One challenge we are facing is the loss of important seats on the Van Nuys Citizens Advisory Council (VNYCAC) and the Ventura/Cahuenga Planning and Review Board (PRB) due to redistricting. We recently passed a motion requesting our new Councilmember file a motion to change the membership of these critical seats to area/community-based representation rather than by district. If you care about airplane noise and improvements on Ventura Blvd., contact the CD4 office and let them know that we need representation on these critical councils.
I personally would like to thank the Executive Committee; Victoria Miller our VP makes sure that our committees meet regularly so that the community can be part of important discussions/movements. Pat Bates, our Treasurer tackles the task of keeping our finances in order and tallies the votes at each meeting. Glenn Bailey, our Secretary, not only takes minutes but has a wealth of knowledge in city matters. Henry Eshelman, our Sergeant at Arms keeps meetings on point and timely.
To each Board Member, thank you for your contributions, participation and for making the ENC a respected advisory board to our city leaders.
To have your voices heard, please join one of our committee meetings or our regular board meeting. The ENC regular board meetings are usually on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
The ENC has several committees, from our Airport Committee, to Homelessness, Planning and Land Use, Traffic & Transportation, Parks/Environment and more. Please visit our website at www.EncinoNC.org
It has been my pleasure serving as President of the Board and I look forward to continuing to help the community retain the many splendors and characteristics that make Encino our home. I always want to hear from the community, please email me at: president@encinonc.org
We look forward to seeing you in 2023!
By Alex Garay
