My Fellow Citizens,
 
The Van Nuys Council will be having an Executive Committee Meeting this coming Monday at the Van Nuys Public Library.  Please come by and voice your concerns and goals for our community in 2018 and beyond.
 
Thank you for your continued interest in Van Nuys, the San Fernando Valley, and the Los Angeles area.  Our meeting will promptly start at 6:30pm and we will be done by 8:00pm.  I invite you to get more involved with the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council, and maybe possibly apply to become a “Council Ambassador” in the future.
 
It is a special privilege to serve as the Council President and Honorary Mayor of Van Nuys, and thank you for this great opportunity to be a part of our community.  
 
-George Christopher Thomas, Council President & Honorary Mayor of Van Nuys
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
 
1. Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America
2. Roll Call (Quorum Call)
3. Comments from the Chair (President) of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
4. Public Comment (On matters within the VNNC Board’s Jurisdiction.) *Speaker Cards: 2 minutes, 1 Public Comment Time. (This includes speaker cards on any and all agenda items — a limit of 10 minutes for the entire meeting per Stakeholders and Councilmembers alike)
 
5. Secretary’s Report — Jeanette Hopp
6. Treasurer’s Report — Veronica Marin and/or Second Signatory — Approve Treasurer’s Report
7. Committee Chairperson’s Reports, Budget Advocate’s Report, Elected Officials’ Reports & Election Chair’s Report
8. New Business
a. The VNNC to partner with the Los Angeles Public Library and the Children’s and Teen Librarians for possible proposals to use government funds for the benefit of our community.
The VNNC to formally discuss what is required to seek approval of these funds for the Van Nuys Library so the Librarians can begin to write proposals. (NTE $8000)
b. Please place the 2500 feet Public Health and Safety Buffer motion on the agenda for the next Executive Committee Meeting.  I have tried several times to be on the Executive Committee Agenda since I attended the Land Use meeting in November.  I hope you all are the correct members for committee.  If not, please forward this email to the proper individuals.
c. Planning and Land Use Committee to request $750 per month funding for paralegal work in an effort to properly document and schedule multiple request for land use related matters. These items require technical and legal accuracy in setting forth meeting Notices, Agenda, Minutes and approvals. Paperwork and drafting requirements include setting and scheduling agendas, receiving and distributing renderings, summary documentation, reviewing city applications, taking accurate minutes, noting committee comments and conditions of approval, drafting technically correct support letters and preparing summaries for the larger VNNC meetings.
  
d. Hi George, My name is Venessa with Precision Concrete Cutting. We’ve been helping communities and cities repair & develop safe and ADA compliant sidewalk plans for over a decade. I would like to discuss how we can assist the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council have safer sidewalks in the community. May I have a 5-10 minutes on your Agenda at your next board meeting?  I will follow up with you Monday and I look forward to hearing back from you. Thank you for your time.
e.  The VNNC to feature Rev. K. W. Tulloss of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Action Network in it’s ongoing “Distinguished Speaker Series.”  The Reverend will address the Council for 15 minutes, with a question and answer session to follow up the speech.  The VNNC will also take 5 minutes to brain storm with the Reverend and come up with four new ways to collaborate with his organization in 2018. Funding for the collaborations shall not exceed $4000. This item to be referred to the Budget Committee. (NTE $4000)
f.  Council to vote on designating the boundaries of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council a “Sancatuary City.” Council to act in several ways, including sending a “Memorandum Of Understanding” letter to all levels of law enforcement from the local to the federal level. The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council to host an Immigration Forum to discuss current status of living and working in the United States. The VNNC to also request Consul General Offices of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru and Nigeria move to Van Nuys.
  
g.  The Council to vote on making Van Nuys a 100% clean energy city.  Across the nation, people in both red states and blue states are realizing that modernizing our cities with 100% clean and renewable energy will help create jobs and boost local economies. Cities like Aspen, CO, Greensburg, KS, and Burlington, VT, have already achieved 100% clean energy. And internationally, Vancouver, Paris, and Sydney are also going all-in on clean energy.  A recent economic study estimated that a transition to clean energy will add 1 million jobs in the U.S. by 2030 and increase household disposable income by $350-$400 in 2030 and by as much as $650 in 2050.  The renewable energy sector is booming. Wind and solar prices have rapidly declined in the past five years, and the solar industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the US economy.  Poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans support renewable energy. In a recent national survey of U.S. adults paid for by the Sierra Club, a whopping 83 percent of respondents said they support a goal of 100% clean energy.  With cities like Paris and San Diego leading the way, it’s time for our city to step up to the plate. We too deserve clean air, good jobs, and strong leadership.  I’m ready for Van Nuys and our community to go 100% clean energy!  Council to submit a Community Impact Statement.
h. We support consumer rights to product safety, financial privacy, and regulation of public goods. We support policies that help workers balance work and family lives. We are unflinchingly devoted to the protection of civil rights and liberties, and abhor discrimination in all its forms. We are committed to ensuring that all Californians live healthy and safe lives that allow them to spend time with their families and friends and be an active part of their communities.  Council to submit a Community Impact Statement.
i.  The VNNC to discuss and debate making Cesar Chavez Day a National Holiday.  The VNNC to formally grasp in a government understanding the overwhelming complexity in how one goes about making a “National Holiday” a reality.  The VNNC to support it’s immigrant and Spanish speaking community by backing those people that came before us and created rights in America that were not there at the time, people like Cesar Chavez who protested in a non-violent fashion.  The VNNC to submit a Community Impact Statement (CIS) in regards to this issue.
j.  The VNNC to create a “City Health Exchange Department” to give health coverage to all of the people of Van Nuys.  The VNNC to work in conjunction with Valley Presbyterian Hospital in making this happen.  The VNNC to also co-host and sponsor the “Health Fair” in October where we support and screen as many constituents as possible.  The VNNC to financially support this event and endeavor.  (NTE $5000)
k.  The VNNC to undertake the formal process of remodeling the pergola in front of the LAPD station.  The VNNC to design office space for the Council, as well as a replica of the White House Cabinet Room and Oval Office which would be life size and be used as a museum of sorts.
l.  The VNNC to seek out and work with other Neighborhood Councils to address regional concerns of the San Fernando Valley, including transportation issues and after school programs.
m.  The VNNC to officially come up with a symbol for the LETTER as used in legal paperwork and official correspondence.  The VNNC to use the example of the hashtag or number sign to establish the “Letter Sign.”  The VNNC to submit the design to the trademark office back east to be officially established.
n.  The VNNC to submit another 15 Community Impact Statements to continue dominating the NC scene.  The VNNC to be #1 in every category there is, including the number of CIS reports sent to City Hall.
o.  The VNNC to establish the “Offical Van Nuys Fossil.”  The VNNC also to establish the “Official Van Nuys Tall Ship,” as well as the “Official Van Nuys Fife & Drum Band.”
  
p.  Any additional items, new items, old items, items that may come up, past items or future items for the VNNC to consider.
9. Announcements
10. Adjournment