KHG 2016-2017 BOARD
President: Tracy Thrower Conyers
1st Vice President: Aaron Torrence
2nd Vice President: Marion Koh
Secretary: Colleen Fracisco
Treasurer: Todd Harris
MEET YOUR NEW BOARD
We held our Annual Member Meeting & Board Election on Saturday, May 20th. Three seats were up for election. Two candidates, Colleen Fracisco and Todd Harris, submitted their candidacy in time to be included on the ballot, and were elected by ballot. Aaron Torrence submitted his candidacy after the ballot cut-off and was elected at the meeting by a show of hands. Colleen, Todd and Aaron join Tracy Thrower Conyers and Marion Koh on the Board for the 2018 Fiscal Year. Welcome to our new Board members!!
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
With each new Board comes new ideas and plans for our Association. If you’d like to get involved, please consider coming to our next Board meeting and meeting the Board in person. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month, with the agenda posted on our website and sent to our email list approximately one week before.
Currently we are looking for volunteers for our Architectural and Outreach Committees. The Architectural Committee oversees compliance with our DPRs for external renovations of member properties.
The Outreach Committee is charged with planning community events and member communications, including our newsletter, website and member email messages. Depending on interest level, we are also considering committees to lead community discussions on neighborhood schools/education and safety/security.
Please call the office if any of these committees interest you. KHG runs on a lean budget and your Board strives to provide the highest possible quality of life within our budget. Not only do we love volunteers, we rely on them. Come join us!
ARE YOU ON OUR EMAIL &/OR PHONE LIST?
Occasionally, a message for our members is important enough to send widely, but doesn’t require U.S. mail, which is very expensive. This is when we turn to email and phone messages.
If you would like to be added to our email list, please provide your email address privately here.
If you prefer text or phone call messages, please privately provide your phone number here or call the office at 310.670. 5111.
LOOKING FOR A NEWSLETTER EDITOR
This newsletter is produced quarterly as a fundraiser for our Association, with the Fall newsletter mailed to every member as part of our annual assessment mailing. We are looking for a member to plan and produce these newsletters.
You will work with the Outreach Committee and no special skills are required, other than a desire to serve your community. Call the office (310.670.5111) or email tracy@ living90045.com for more information or to volunteer.
NEW FINE POLICY
The Board has adopted a new fine policy for violations of our governing DPRs. The new policy provides for warning letters, monetary penalties and suspension of privileges where warranted. Members have an opportunity to be heard by the Board. The full policy will be mailed to all members by the end of June.
LAPD SENIOR LEAD OFFICERS
LAPD Senior Lead Officer (SLO) Joe Roberts joined us at our Member Meeting last month, filling in for our SLO, Sophia Casteneda. He reminded us that SLO’s are assigned to specific areas to liaise with citizens on quality of life issues.
SLO’s are able to call in reinforcements when needed, as Sophia did recently when her area (Sepulveda west to the Ocean) experienced an uptick in thefts from vehicles. She asked for support and all available resources from Pacific Division spent an entire night-time shift in our area.
If you experience a crime, the SLO’s want you to call 911 for emergencies and 877.ASK.LAPD for non-emergencies, but to please keep them in the loop by sending an email to let them know what happened. Sophia’s email address is 35080@lapd.lacity.org. You can also find it on our website’s Resource Page, along with other LAPD contact info.
RV DWELLERS
The City of LA is taking another run at regulating people living in cars and RVs. A new law became effective in January and enforcement began in early February. Parking for “habitation purposes” is banned on residential streets between 9 pm and 6 am. Living in a vehicle is prohibited at all times within one block (500’) of schools, pre-schools, daycare facilities and parks.
Read more about this new law here.
LAPD ON WESTCHESTER BURGLARY INCREASE
LAPD Burglary Detective Robyn Salazar was invited recently to present a crime update to the Neighborhood Council.
Salazar said her No. 1 issue in the area is the recent influx of crews of gang members working together along Manchester Avenue in Westchester and Playa del Rey, scouting potential burglary targets, knocking on doors to make sure no one is at home and then burglarizing the home – sometimes leaving a location with more than $100,000 in cash, jewelry and other items.
“When I talk to the ones we catch, they say they choose this area because you have beautiful homes with lots of nice stuff,” Salazar said. “You’re close to freeways, close to bus stops, and I’ll tell you that if they continue to succeed, they will continue to come back.”
Salazar said that the biggest deterrents are locking doors and windows and having an audible alarm.
Read more about Salazar’s observations and recommendations on our website here.
NEIGHBOR SPOTLIGHT
KHG Member Stuart Blashill on Stewart shares his observations on living in Kentwood.
In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of dogs in Kentwood. They call to me and I see their noses poking through fences as I go by their homes during my daily morning walk. I get to greet them as they walk, run, or otherwise pass me during those walks or when working in my front yard. They come in all sizes, shapes, colors and personalities. Some I see (or hear) almost every day. Others I’ve only seen once. I pretty much like all dogs, but I have three favorites.
One of these I’ve never seen. I think it’s a large dog by the timbre of its bark. But, it’s not actually a bark – more of a howl. It’s never irritating, but always entertaining. My wife and I almost laugh whenever he (though it might be a she) joins a “conversation” always started by other dogs in neighboring yards. We’ll hear a few barks – perhaps brought on by someone walking down the street behind us, or by me working in my backyard, or by a squirrel, possum or bird, or just because.
These are standard barks, yips and woofs. Then he lets loose. If you’ve ever seen the old Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp, you might remember the scene when the bloodhound starts following the dogcatchers truck. This dog sounds the same. Recently, we haven’t been hearing him. I hope he’s doing OK.
My second favorite is really a twosome, or a threesome. I’ve only seen them once. I was on my morning walk and I was going East on 83rd. Coming towards me was a very large man who looked like a bodybuilder. And, he was walking a very small dog, perhaps a Yorkshire Terrier. The contrast between the man and the dog was extreme, but there’s more. There was also a baby carriage being proudly pushed forward, slightly trailing the Yorkie.
As I passed them I noticed the “baby” was a medium-sized Jack Russell Terrier. I usually say “Hello” or “Good Morning” to everyone I pass during my walks, but I was too stunned in this case. I hope I see them again so I can correct that and find out more about them. Why the stroller? Was the dog injured or tired? Do the two dogs take turns? And, of course, what happened to the baby?
Finally, there’s another threesome I’ve seen several times. In this case the dog is big – one of those incredibly handsome Golden Retrievers (though I could be wrong on the breed). Unlike many owner/dog combinations, this Retriever is not in front straining at the leash, rushing to the next scent. Neither is it being pulled along as many are, seemingly reluctant to be walking. Rather, owner and dog are both moving smartly.
Though there is a leash, I get the feeling the spacing and pacing would be the same if there weren’t. But, there is space between them, which is necessary as the dog is carrying a very, very large stuffed toy – about as large as the dog. The owner has told me they are always a team – him, the Retriever and the toy. He didn’t seem self-conscious about his dog or the toy, but I got the feeling the dog was looking a little embarrassed. Or, perhaps it was pride. “Look what I can do!” he might be thinking. It’s quite a burden, and they aren’t moving slowly. I’m usually heading up one of the minor hills of Kentwood when I see them, and this dog always inspires me to add a little extra spring to my step – and to smile.
Dogs can do that – make us smile.
You can thank Stuart and/or share your comments on his essay by emailing him at srblashill@ gmail.com. If you would like to submit an essay for our newsletter, please email it to info@ kentwoodhomeguardians.com with “KHG Newsletter Essay” in the subject line.
Kentwood Home Guardians
8921 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Westchester CA 90045
310.670.5111 tel • 310.670.5859 fax
http://www.kentwoodhomeguardians.com
info@kentwoodhomeguardians.com