VNNC President Kathy Schreiner thanks the City Council for coming back to meeting in the Valley.
Van Nuys Neighborhood Council President Kathy Schreiner was thrilled to be part of the first day that LA City Council met at the re-opened Van Nuys City Hall along with other Neighborhood Council leaders.
Councilmember Imelda Padilla Press Release:
Councilmember Imelda Padilla Delivers on Pledge to Bring L.A. City Council Meetings Back to Van Nuys City Hall
Van Nuys, CA – On Friday January 26, Councilmember Imelda Padilla celebrated the reopening of Van Nuys City Hall by honoring over 40 leaders from neighborhood council and neighborhood watch groups from the 6th Council District for their work to promote community empowerment across the Northeast San Fernando Valley. The celebration concluded with a special recognition of World War II Air Force Veteran and Arleta resident, Robert Sharp who turned 100 last May.
Today marked the first time the Los Angeles City Council met at Van Nuys City Hall in four years, following a closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The reopening comes as a result of Councilmember Imelda’s Padilla’s first motion she introduced on her first day in office, which was co-sponsored by Council President Paul Krekorian
This motion was inspired by Councilmember Padilla’s commitment to deliver on her promise to bring government back to the San Fernando Valley.
The first set of honorees included the presidents and officers from the Arleta Neighborhood Council, Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council, North Hills East Neighborhood Council, North Hollywood Neighborhood Council, Panorama City Neighborhood Council, Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council and Van Nuys Neighborhood Council, as well as the leaders of local neighborhood watch groups and leading community-based organizations in the 6th District.
“I am proud to have delivered on this pledge to bring government back to the 1.8 million residents who call the San Fernando Valley home and make local government more accessible to the people.” stated Councilmember Imelda Padilla, 6th District. “As a longtime community organizer and resident of the 6th District that I now represent, I am honored everyday to have the opportunity to advocate for my community week in and week out. And in celebration of the Van Nuys City Hall reopening, I am excited to honor the Valley community and civic leaders with me here today who promote community empowerment across the 6th District.”
Several leaders of the local neighborhood councils emphasized the significance of bringing L.A. City Council meetings back to the Valley.
“I want to express my gratitude to Councilmember Imelda Padilla for her support of our [Sun Valley] neighborhood council and her willingness to meet with my community face to face,” said Norma Chavez, President of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council. “We were happy to host Coffee with Councilmember Padilla, which was well attended. Our community was eager to meet with her and voice their concerns and she handled it very well and very gracefully and with honesty and we thank her for that.”
“I want to thank [Councilmember] Imelda Padilla for bringing council meetings back to the valley, this is really important,” expressed Raymond Duran, President of the Arleta Neighborhood Council. A lot of our constituents think this is important. They have a hard time getting to [Downtown] LA and a lot of them work during the day. This is a great opportunity for them to attend these meetings and for them to get more involved.”
“This will be a very tangible way of bringing people and having them know that their issues can be heard if they come here on a Friday morning periodically, so we really appreciate it, ” said Kathy Schreiner, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. “And we encourage anyone who is interested in local government to join their local neighborhood council.”
In her remarks, Linda Gravani, President of the Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council stated:
“Of the 99 neighborhood councils in the city of Los Angeles, 34 of them are in the valley… [This is ] a very warm Valley welcome and I do appreciate Councilmember Imelda Padilla for making this happen because it has been on our wish-list for a very long time, so welcome. Thank you.”
Van Nuys City Hall was built in 1932 and has served as the Valley Municipal Building for the City of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley constituents. Restoring Los Angeles City Council meetings at Van Nuys City Hall, marks Councilmember Padilla’s commitment to making the legislative process more accessible to the constituents and stakeholders of the San Fernando Valley.
In concluding her celebration, Councilmember Padilla extended a warm recognition to Robert Sharp, a 100-year old World War II Fighter Pilot and resident of Arleta, for his heroic contributions to the United States as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps.
Robert Sharp graciously accepted the recognition and was accompanied by his son Kelly Sharp and friend Ann Sharp.
Photography courtesy of Councilmember Imelda Padilla’s Office are available here.
You can also view the full presentation here starting at minute 43:00.
