HWPOA NEWS

HOLMBY NEWS

March 13, 2014

From the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association, serving the Holmby Westwood community since 1960.

1. HWPOA Membership Renewal

2. Warner Ave. School Tour for Incoming Families

3. DWP Billing System

4. A Volunteer Opportunity – Community Police Advisory Board

5. Lost Earring

6. LA Fire Department Survey

7. Resident Ads

8. HWPOA Contact Information

1. HWPOA Membership Renewal

To our Holmby Westwood residents who have recently returned their membership envelopes with their yearly dues, we thank you for your promptness and generosity. We depend on you so that the Officers and Board of Directors can carry out their role of maintaining the residential environment that makes us one of the most sought after communities in LA. We maintain a strong presence in City Hall and are diligent in responding to your calls and concerns.

To those who have recently received a notice that your membership dues are up for renewal, please send in your dues as soon as possible so that we may continue the work that we do to maintain our high property values and serve the community. We will continue to work with our council office on traffic issues, street trees, potholes, parking, and issues that you report to our Office Manager, Dana Glenn.

To those who will be receiving a reminder in the near future, we hope you will renew your membership without delay.

We look forward to serving this great neighborhood as we have for the past 50 plus years. Your membership dues help in many ways to accomplish our work!

Please mark your calendar for our "Farewell to Zev" who has represented Holmby Westwood for 40 years. Save Wednesday, May 7 at 7:15 pm at the Fellowship Hall, Westwood United Methodist Church, Wilshire at Warner.

Many thanks,
Board of Directors, Holmby-Westwood Property Owners Association

2. Warner Ave. School Tour for Incoming Families

Warner Avenue School will be holding an event for parents of incoming students.

Thursday, April 3, 2014
9:15 Presentation, 10:30 Tour
Warner Avenue Elementary Auditorium
615 Holmby Avenue, LA 90024

Speakers will include Principal Carol Corwen, Kindergarten teachers, WAVE Board members and the Warner STAR Program. Refreshments will be provided.

Please direct any questions to paulafmlewis@gmail.com

3. DWP Billing System

The Department of Water & Power replaced its 40-year old billing system last year, and the upgrade created a series of problems for tens of thousands of customers. Some people received incorrect estimates, improperly inflating their bills. Others didn’t receive bills at all. Alarmingly, some people who signed up for automatic bill payment had huge sums deducted their checking accounts. It is wrong – and Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed new management at DWP to fix the problems ASAP.

If you know or think you’ve received and incorrect bill, please follow the steps listed below. And I urge you to share this information with your neighbors, and encourage them to double-check their recent bills. This is especially important for seniors who are living on fixed incomes and may be unaware of the billing problems.

1. Check Your Bill
Please pay attention to your bill and to be wary of any possible inaccuracies. One section of your bill includes a summary of the power you used, compared to your bills from previous years. If your power use is dramatically higher, even though you haven't significantly changed the way you use power, there is a chance you are being over-billed.

2. Visit DWP's New Billing Website
DWP has developed a new section of their website to provide information about billing inaccuracies. Please visit the site to find out more, and read a message from the new DWP General Manager Marcie Edwards for an update about what DWP is doing to address the issues.

3. Call DWP at 1-800-DIAL DWP (1-800-342-5397)

The controversy over the billing errors have been compounded by huge problems with DWP’s customer service system. Many people endured sitting on hold for hours only to get an insufficient response or unhelpful reply. The new general manager has made fixing this system her top priority. Below, please find some tips to reduce wait times.

· Use the new “virtual hold” system by dialing “0” after inputting your account information and leave a message for a call back;

· Call Tuesday through Sunday, as Mondays are the busiest day of the week

· Call during the first hour of business, 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., or in the evening between 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, when call volumes are lower; or,

· Call on Saturday or Sunday, as call volumes are approximately 40-60% lower on Saturdays and approximately 50-70% lower on Sundays compared to weekdays.

4. A Volunteer Opportunity – Community Police Advisory Board

Dick Greenblatt, a H-W board member, represents our community on the Community-Police Advisory Board (CPAB). The civilian group and police meet on the 4th Thursday of each month at WLAPD, 7 pm, to discuss police/community issues including local crime, the homeless, graffiti, police cadets, outreach, etc.

The WLAPD has 200 plus police who cover 84 sq. miles from Venice Blvd. to Mulholland, La Cienega Blvd. to the City of Santa Monica. Capt. Nathan is the co-chair of the local CPAB.

The fundraising organization called Police and Community Together (PACT) specifically raises funds to support the WLAPD. LA does not fund such things as certain training items, safety items such as protective eyewear (HWPOA did give financial support for this), assistance in cadet support, bicycles, etc.

WLAPD hosts a Halloween party, Police Night Out, and other community functions, partly staffed by LAPD and CPAB members.

All are invited to meetings. To become a CPAB member, you must have fingerprints taken and be photographed. A semi-annual 10 week class given one evening a week completes the requirement. It is not necessary to be a CPAB member to attend the meetings.

If you are interested in learning about their after school tutoring program to assist cadets in middle and high school in improving and maintaining their language arts and math grades, please contact Sgt. Justin Scott at 310-444-0732 or Dick Greenblatt, 310-474-4052. This is a one on one counseling and support program by tutors on a one or two day after school homework tutoring session. There is a new classroom located in West LA City Hall for 75 cadets and 225 junior cadets. West LA City Hall is located behind the library on Santa Monica Blvd. at 1645 Corinth.

5. Lost Earring

Last Sunday, a resident lost her earring while walking on Loring (between Comstock and Warner). The earring is a sapphire surrounded by diamonds. If you find the earring, please contact Cathy at (310) 749-8005. Thank you.

6. LA Fire Department Survey

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is developing a new, community-driven strategic plan and is teaming up with Nextdoor.com to get the word out to members of the community. The partnership is the first of its kind and assists in connecting us to Los Angeles residents, to engage them in the process of charting our organization’s future.

Simply put, in order to dedicate time, energy, and resources on services most desired by its community, your LAFD seeks to understand community priorities, expectations, and areas of concern. Your perspectives and input w ill be utilized in the development and creation of the LAFD's community driven strategic plan.

Make your voice heard! Join in the conversation by taking a quick survey by March 31, 2014, and help your Los Angeles Fire Department develop an optimal public service model.

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LAFD

7. RESIDENT ADS

REWEAVER NEEDED

Can anyone recommend a good reweaver? Elsewhere in LA is fine. Please send recommendations to ablsmith@dock.net

Many thanks,
Andrea Smith

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POOL CLEANER NEEDED

I am looking for a reliable pool cleaner who works in our area (Beverly Glen Blvd). If anyone could pass on the information, I would greatly appreciate it.

Best Regards,
Jacqueline Kosofskygaga4dogsandhorses@gmail.com

8. HWPOA CONTACT INFORMATION

HOLMBY WESTWOOD PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
914 Westwood Blvd. Suite 573
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-470-1785
Email: hwpoa@aol.com
Web site: www.holmbywestwoodpoa.org