Greetings San Fernando Valley Constituents, Van Nuys Councilmembers, Community Leaders and Stakeholders,
First and foremost, I would like to address the Van Nuys Council’s new policy of enforcing the Public Comment portions of the Council Meeting. Pursuant to Government Code 54957.5, “Members of the public are invited to address the council on any items on the agenda prior to any action by the Council on that specific item. Members of the public may also address the board on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council. The council will entertain such comments during the public comment period. Public comment will be limited to 10 minutes with 2 minutes per individual for each item addressed. The aforementioned limitation may be waived by the chairperson of the meeting. (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.3(b)) Members of the public who wish to address the council are urged to complete a speaker card and submit it to the President or Secretary prior to commencement of an agenda item. Cards are available at the back of the room. However, should a member of the public feel the need to address a matter while discussion of the item is in progress, a card may be presented to the President or Secretary prior to final consideration of the matter. In the interest of time, all Board & Public Comments will be limited to no more than 2 minutes unless otherwise adjusted at the discretion of the President.”
Due to the fact that we have highly ambitious Council Agendas, and the need to maximize the time our Council spends in legislative session, I am hereby calling on the Vice President and Parliamentarian to help me enforce the Public Comment rules according to Government Code, in an attempt to make the meetings run more efficiently.
Secondly, we are moving full steam ahead on the Child & Sex Trafficking Summit, and we are working in conjunction with the LAPD, the FBI and the United Nations. Our Summit is scheduled for Wednesday, July 30th at 6:30pm in our Council Chambers.
Thirdly, the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council will be partnering with LA City Councilwoman Nury Martinez on a Health Fair in October at the Japanese Gardens in Lake Balboa. This event will be open to the public, and will be a great opportunity to become informed and make contacts with the players in the health industry throughout the San Fernando Valley.
And finally, the VNNC will be hosting a debate for the 3rd District Supervisor’s Seat currently held by Zev Yaroslavsky.
So there are a lot of great things happening in Van Nuys, and thank you for being involved in our community.
Please join us next Wednesday night at 7:00pm in our Council Chambers. See you then, and have a wonderful weekend. Cheers.
-George Christopher Thomas, President of the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council
www.vnnc.org