Valley Village Neighborhood Watch Night Out on a Steamy Night

Neighborhood Council Valley Village hosted its eighth Neighborhood Watch Night Out event at Valley Village Park tonight. It was hot and muggy by our standards, but my friends and family on the east coast would have thought it was fall.  About eighty people attended and enjoyed servings of chicken wings, watermelon and salad, along with homemade desserts. [...]

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Happy July 4th

I always fly this flag in front of my house for the annual Valley Village Homeowners Association July 4th Parade.  A number of people ask about it.  It is the Grand Union Flag and was the young nation’s first official colors.  It came into existence in 1775 upon authorization of the Second Continental Congress and [...]

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The Popcorn Index and the Colfax Charter School Fair

The Neighborhood Council Valley Village has enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Colfax Charter Elementary School since the council was formed. The school serves as our primary public meeting venue.  The logistics provided by the school’s staff is unsurpassed. It is an honor for NCVV to conduct outreach at the school’s annual fair.  I will [...]

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Made in the Shade

The city may be best known for shady deals, but this one is not only benevolent, it’s good for the kids. Valley Village Park, which many residents in Valley Village consider the crown jewel of the community, has been on the short end when it comes to shade – worse off now than in the [...]

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NCVV’s Tony Braswell appointed to Disabled Access Appeals Commission

Congratulations to Tony Braswell, President of Neighborhood Council Valley Village, for his appointment to the Los Angeles Disabled Access Appeals Commission (it might take a minute for the video to load). Tony just finished a five-year term on the HIV Commission. He is a devoted volunteer who has worked tirelessly in both the health field and [...]

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Beck Alley Adjacent

We have all seen real estate ads that characterize properties as ” (insert name of upscale community) adjacent.”  The Valley could bill itself as “Beverly Hills Adjacent.”  Perhaps if we ever secede from Los Angeles, we can name our new city North Beverly Hills.   Actually, I would be happy with any name if we could be [...]

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Beck Alley Dump

The Beck Street alley between Otsego and Hesby in Valley Village is becoming a dumping ground. It was only two months ago that old sofas were left there.  Now, there is assorted trash and some smaller pieces of furniture. The recent trash has been there for at least a week. The problem is that there [...]

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VANC attracts “A List” guests

The Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils hosted its annual mixer at CBS Studios in Studio City last Thursday (March 1o). Jill Banks Barad, founder and president of VANC, once again demonstrated her organization’s drawing power. In addition to two-hundred stakeholders, the event attracted City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, City Controller Wendy Greuel, City Council Member Paul Krekorian and [...]

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Valley Village Graffiti vs. Art Debate

I commented earlier about a Valley Village resident who allowed North Hollywood High School students to paint a mural on her property’s fence. It was not exactly a Monet.  The style was pure graffiti. She has been cited and fined by Building and Safety and ordered to remove the display. The property owner was interviewed by KCAL and [...]

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Bisani winning the sign wars in Valley Village

If political races were determined by the number of lawn signs, Augusto Bisani would defeat Paul Krekorian by a landslide. New Bisani signs have been appearing almost weekly in my corner of Valley Village (I have yet to see any in my other neighborhood – Incline Village). Mr. Bisani has an 8-0 advantage over Krekorian in signs; [...]

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