July 20, 2012

Dear Friends,

Thank you for attending our community meeting on issues affecting residents in the Hollywood Hills. I thought our discussions were productive and fruitful. To briefly summarize our conversations, we focused primarily on the impacts of vehicle traffic within your neighborhood and high fire danger issues. Your neighborhood is uniquely interwoven within two major public properties, Griffith Park and Lake Hollywood. This melding of public and private lands complicates matters further. Our discussion yielded a number of suggestions, many that we have been working on for some time now. The list includes:

1)   Increase parking enforcement

2)   Charge a fee on tour buses to mitigate tourist impacts

3)   More education of tour bus companies and their employees

4)   Close roads to non residents of impacted areas on Red Flag Days

5)   Close the Sunset Stables access road at Nightfall

6)   Close parks (Runyon and Griffith Park) on Red Flag Days

7)   Add or increase random night patrols

8)   Paint red curbs on Mulholland Highway

9)   Implement more stringent parking restrictions at Lake Hollywood Park

10)Re-direct tour buses to Griffith Observatory

11)Install a new gate at Ledgewood and Mulholland Highway

12)Require headphones for tour buses

13)Require a City approved franchise of tour buses with regulated routes

14)Implement a code of conduct for Tour Bus operators

15)Continue working with Neighborhood Councils, Associations, and community groups

16)LAFD follow up report on the less than half acre fire above Lake Hollywood

As discussed at our meeting, we will be working on a number of the suggestions listed above. In an attempt to relieve traffic impacts, I am also working on identifying alternate locations for tourists to visit when seeking to view the Hollywood Sign. We will be meeting with the Tour Bus companies, once again, to address these matters. We will work with LAPD, DOT, RAP, and LAFD to ensure compliance with City regulations on traffic safety, parking, loud speakers, and especially fire safety regulations.

Additionally, I have convened a working group of City staff, including Water and Power, Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation, and Department of Transportation staff to meet regularly and work on bringing resolution to the many concerns expressed by community members. These issues are complex problems that do not lend themselves to easy resolution. I am convinced, however, that working together is necessary and required if we are to make progress on these important issues. My staff and I continue to be available to meet, and work with all of you. Should you have any specific questions on issues, please contact my Chief of Field Operations at (213) 485-3337.

Sincerely,

Tom LaBonge,

Councilmember, Fourth District