A simple look at Public Service these days. or the lack off!

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PACOIMA TODAY
Volume 1, Issue 4 NOVEMBER 2014
NOVEMBER 2014
Pacoima Beautiful, Where?
1
Call 311 for all City Services
1
Importance of Pacoima Today
2
Metro Bus Stop
2
L.A.M.C. Section 41.70.3
2
What’s wrong with Pacoima
3
Disappoint One by One
3
Counity Information
4
City Information
4
Note to Readers
4
PACOIMA BEAUTIFUL...WHERE?
Take a look at your community and find the beauty of Pacoima.
Don’t ask others, utilize your own eyes, don’ tell us what politicians say. What do you see? What are you going to believe your own eyes or the local propagandist. Politi- cians and so called community organizations all claim great successes. Where? For Whom? Their personal banks accounts, or for the West Valley developers or is it the campaign con- tributors.
Look around you, every vacant lot is being filled with apartments or condos. All in the face of a water shortage, increased water rates, overloaded electric grids, increased electrical rates, and a sewer system about to bust any second. Yet, accommodations are being make to made room for more residents.
With an increase in population density, we can expect an increase in problems. The continued failure of pro-active code enforcement, decadence and blight are consuming the community of Pacoima.
It is about time each resident got involved in this neglected community and become active in the improvement of this section of the so-called ‘Great City of Los Angeles.’ mp
Alley: Between Paxton & Montfort off Glenoaks. There are many other popular dump sites.
12700 Mercer Street
The above article was primarily written to get the attention of Los Angeles City Authorities and Code Enforcement employees . Our goal is also to inspire our fellow citizens to report illegal trash dumping and the many popular illegal dump sites.
We as taxpayers have to participate in improving the ’Quality of Life’ in our community, because our lives and the health of our family’s depends on it. Don’t just tell your neighbor, contact those eating off your tax dollars and have a respon- sibility of correcting the situation.
Call 311 for all city services mp
You have seen it—What have you done about it?

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“Pacoima Today and Its Importance to
Pacoima.”
This Newsletter was created to inform the citi- zens of Pacoima of their rights for service and their re- sponsibility in the process. Some of us are contented to sit back and wait for others to make our community what we want it to be.
Unless and until the residents actively partici- pate in the cleanliness of Pacoima we will remain the dump site of the San Fernando Valley. Call your Council- man’s office and request that they do something to pre- vent Pacoima from descending into a “Third World Ghetto.” Sit back, wait for others to improve your com- munity, and you will be crying and begging for the next twenty (20) years.
Hell with what they promised when running for office, what have they done since being in office? It’s the main reason I go through the time and pain to pub- lish this document.
I live here, pay taxes here and want the services and representation I pay for via property taxes, sales taxes, various fees on DWP bills, and telephone bills, and any other issue I write checks for monthly.
The city prey on each one of us under the pre- text of fees for city services, which we don’t receive. Ghettoes are created when the city authorities fail to enforce the laws which establish community standards.
mp
Pacoima Today November 2014
Volume 1 Issue 4
The bus stop at Osborne and San Fernando Rd. CD7 needs to establish an anti-littering program. Maybe METRO should be required to provide maintenance.
L.A.M.C. Section 66.45
L.A.M.C. Section 41.70.3
THE LAWS EXIST WITHIN THE LOS ANGELES MUNICIPAL CODE WHICH AUTHORIZES THE ARREST AND PROSECUTION OF ILLEGAL DUMPERS.
Don’t hesitate to quote the
LAMC SECTION 41.70.3 when talking to City Code Enforc- ing Agencies, the City Coun- cilman, the City Attorney or LAPD. There are times when those who are being paid to enforce the law, really don’t know the law.

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Pacoima Today November 2014
Volume 1 Issue 4
WHAT IS WRONG WITH PACOIMA?
Pacoima is the Northeast section of the City of Los Angeles that has become the cesspool of the city. I am disgusted every time I drive through the community.
Many of us, who live here, do not want to be surrounded with garbage and debris and it makes you wonder, “...What does the City Council member sees when he drives through Pacoima?” If he does!
I looked to my councilman’s office and begged for “NO LITTERING” signs, maintenance service at bus stop areas and even offered to volunteer time at his of- fice and help with the “Quality of Life Issues” (have yet to receive a reply); only to be told, “…we don’t have a budget…” so I ended up with zero results. Contacted various city departments, all pleaded budgetary prob- lems and advised me to reach out to the Pacoima Neighborhood Council.
I attended several Neighborhood Council meet- ings and was very disappointed; there were no “important items” on their agenda or calendar; they had a speaker taking up time to promote Governor Browns Bullet Train. How is this going to help Pacoima? Heard discussions about new buildings, new bicycle path and a 22 million dollar building in Hansen Dam, which can- not be maintained, or staff because of the city budg- et situations.
Construction of new buildings only serves the needs of the Developers; a pretty building in the middle of a dump, will not change the dump into an upscale community; besides, adding new structures to this de- caying community will not encourage neighboring com- munities to shop or dine in Pacoima. Streets lined with trash are not pleasant to anyone!
Each City Council District receives the type of services the Council Member demands; if the Council Member asks for nothing for his district, he (we) gets nothing. Obviously he feels no pressure from Pacoima residents to provide services.
Movie nights, popcorn, candies and other activi- ties hosted at City Hall Pacoima. But they do entertain! dt
THAT’S WHAT WRONG WITH PACOIMA!
We need to voice our concerns and expectations, if we want to improve our Pacoima
12700 Mercer
DISAPOINTED, ONE BY ONE
As I attend various meetings within the community of Pacoima I hear my fellow citizens complain about the services we receive in the Council District 7. Many indi- vidually call city enforcement departments with negative results. Others have contact- ed the councilman’s office and had similar results.
It is becoming apparent that the res- idents need to come together as a group and level demands on the Councilman, the Mayor, City Attorney, and L. A. Code En- forcement Agencies for improved services to Pacoima.
Some of you may feel that leveling demands on the current office holders will be fruitless. At times I feel the same way. On the other hand I think that it is about time we endorse a candidate more in tune to our needs.
We have a CD7 staff who make a sincere effort to get city workers to remove the illegally dumped trash. I know of noth- ing being done to prevent or apprehend the dumpers. An effort to eliminate the per- sistent littering in Pacoima would be appre- ciated by many in this Community.
mp
Co-Editors & Publishers:
Morris Pichon moepichon@aol.com
Edwin Ramirez ramediv@yahoo.com
Contributor:
Donna Trent pinkie723@msn.com

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Pacoima Today November 2014
Volume 1 Issue 4
GENERAL COMMUNITY INFORMATION
L. A. COUNTY
The County will have offices at the for- mer Pacoima Skill Center, sounds good, right? Well you might want to know that it is the Pro- bation Department coming into the building. Why is this Important? There have been (and will be) a larger number of “non-violent inmates released from prison and they have to go some- where. Wouldn’t you want to have probation department near by? Granted they have paid their debt to society, they deserve a chance to better themselves, do not deserve to be har- assed by community members. We must re- member that drug addition generates a demand for dealers, prostitution (usually with “pimps), and petty theft is usually the way to support those needs. But they are non-violent so, we should not worry about it, right?
CHRYSALIS
Chrysalis, a non-profit organization that provide employment to former inmates is also coming to the building! Talking about creating jobs in Pacoima.
VEDC
The Valley Economic Development and Commerce (VEDC) completed the entreneurship building on Van Nuys Blvd; this construction funded with public funds, now the building has a sign ‘Commercial property for lease.” This is at commercial rates! Will the revenue be used for community improvements or will it be added to the non-profit’s revenue? The big question is, “who do they report to?” On the other hand, “who allows this to go forward?”
L. A. CITY COUNCIL
CD7 Councilman introduced a motion calling on the City of Los Angeles to allow landowners who convert their vacant property into urban farms to receive a property tax adjustment. There are thou- sands of vacant lots throughout Los Angeles and con- verting them into urban farms could generate local development, green the communities, and provide produce in neighborhoods without access to fresh foods.
And the water for these urban farms will come from? The city is asking everyone to reduce water consumption.
PACOIMA HOLIDAY PARADE
This year’s Pacoima Holiday Parade has been organized by the Council Member’s office and re- gardless of how or why this came to be, rumor has it, that it will only be from Laurel Canyon Blvd. to San Fernando Rd. Can you imagine the effect this will have on the residents of the San Fernando Gardens and others on that side of the tracts?
On the other hand, the parade will be aligned with CD7’s improvement zone! But there are no re- sources for anywhere else in Pacoima. Did you know that according to the Council’s office, the Lopez Can- yon revenue could only be used for Lake View Ter- race? Are they really?
We must admit that the Council’s office has been a great host for the activities and events at the Pacoima City Hall. But what about public services needed around Pacoima? Isn’t that their real job? Why not enforce the City Ordinance and Municipal Codes? At the very least. Why not establish a system- atic approach with the city departments toward im- provement? er
NOTE TO READER
The publishers of PACOIMA TODAY encourages all recipient of this document to for- ward it to families and friends of PACOIMA. The larger the numbers of concerned citizens the more affective our compaints will be.
The Publishers