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Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council is certified by the City of Los Angeles to enable stakeholders to participate in improving Porter Ranch and communicating with City Hall.
Hidden Creeks Estates Project Update: May 6, 2008
The proposed Hidden Creeks Estates will be the subject at our next meeting on May 6, 2008. Michael Sanders and John Polito, from the project will make a presentation about its status. The project is proposed for a location west of Brown's canyon, to the northwest of the Renaissance community.

This is a view looking down on the proposed development area. The Renaissance and Villagio developments can be seen on the left of the image.

The project as proposed, consists of 188 single family residential lots, 25 of which will be Equestrian lots. The average lot size is 18,500 square feet. The development site is approximately 285 acres, of which 118 acres will remain as natural open space. There is an 18 acre recreational park with ball fields, restrooms, tot lot, basketball courts, and a community meeting building, all available to the Porter Ranch Community.

The new, state of the art, equestrian facility, will be capable of boarding 120 horses, available to the surrounding communities. The existing equestrian facility can accommodate 80 horses, so there is a net gain of 40 additional horse boarding stalls at the new facility. There will also be a staging area adjacent to the Equestrian Facility for community residents who want to ride the trails on the property that connect to the regional trails, and fire hydrants will be located at the staging area for fire fighting operations in Brown’s Canyon.

PRNC Elections: June 28, 2008
Elections will be held by the City Clerk on Saturday, June 28, 2008 at Shepherd of the Hills Church 8am-2pm. You may vote by mail if your Vote By Mail Application is received by June 21 at 5pm.

Energetic candidates are needed to help make Porter Ranch a better place to live work and grow. Six positions will be voted upon. Please use this form to Request a Candidate Filing Packet. And come to the Informational Meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 6pm at Shepherd of the Hills Church. More Election Info.

School Layout Presented
LAUSD presented their proposed layout for the K-8 span school on April 2, 2008. There was an animated discussion about drop off access, sufficient kindergarten parent parking, emergency equipment, classroom features, and a technology center.

Starting at the top right, the above image shows the multi-purpose room in orange, with food service in yellow, service yard, 2 story middle school in dark blue, space for expanding the middle school and the gym. Moving down the left is the library in purple, the elementary school in an L shape in blue, with the kindergarten classrooms in lighter blue, kindergarten play yard in green, then the parking lot.

The middle areas shown in green would be play area that may be paved. On the right are 6 basketball courts. The field is a soccer sized field. Larger View.

The architect took great care to take the wind and the sun into consideration in proposing this design.

The next meeting is planned for May, when a more detailed layout will be shown and some elevations. Please check back for the specific date.

Castlebay Students Participate in Graffiti Clean Up

Mike Dobry (front row, left) organized a clean up of graffiti with Castlebay students and neighborhood volunteers on Saturday, March 29, 2008. 20-30 volunteers painted out graffiti at Limekiln Canyon (just west of Tampa) and Rinaldi. Deputy Chief Mike Moore (back row in blue) who is in charge of the Operations for the Valley Bureau came out to see first hand who has been defacing our neighborhood. Sponsors for this event were: Whole Foods, Starbucks, and Lowes.

Stakeholder Survey
The Los Angeles City Charter calls for each Neighborhood Council to survey its stakeholders at least once every two years, to assess whether they have met applicable goals set forth in the Charter. Please download, print and complete the attached Survey and bring it to the next meeting or submit it to DONE Before JUNE 30, 2008.

Proposed Porter Ranch K-8 Span School: Topic for February 12, 2008 Meeting
Al Grazioli, LAUSD Valley Region Development Manager, spoke to a standing room only audience of 80+ stakeholders about plans for the K-8 school to be located on the Southeast corner of Mason and Sesnon to serve 1,047 students.

The need for a new school was originally identified the the Porter Ranch Specific Plan, which calls for the developers to provide 7 acres to LAUSD at no cost for an elementary school. Additionally, LAUSD has the option to purchase additional acreage for a middle school.

The new school project moved forward in November 2005 when the PRNC hosted a Town Hall meeting with Roy Romer, LAUSD Superintendent of Schools, to ask for a new school. He assured attendees that if Measure Y passed, we would have a new school. Town Hall Information. Town Hall Meeting Notes.

Measure Y passed November 2005. Since that time the PRNC formed a committee to work with LAUSD, the Councilman's office and S&S to move this project forward quickly. S&S agreed to provide a total of almost 13 acres at no cost to LAUSD so that the school could span K-8. In exchange, the community agreed through changes in the Specific Plan, to allow S&S to build in the future an additional number of houses.

This project is a unique partnership between the community, neighborhood council, councilman's office, developer and LAUSD.

LAUSD held a Community Meeting in October 2006 at Beckford Elementary to kick off the project with the community. Community Meeting Notes.

In February 2007 LAUSD held another Community Meeting at Germaine Elementary to discuss the preferred site. Since that time LAUSD has been working on the Environmental Impact Report. At various times during this process members of the PRNC committee have spoken at LAUSD Board meetings on behalf of the project.

At the February 12, 2008 meeting Mr. Grazioli said that the project will need to move quickly to meet the planned 2012 opening. The upcoming dates are:

• February 26, 2008: Meet the Architect Community Meeting. Discuss design concepts.

• One month later: Community Meeting to review the high level Schematic Design

• Two months later: Community Meeting to review specific Design Elevations.

• November 2008: Need Environmental Clearance.

• Spring 2009: Need approval by State Architects.

• Fall 2009: Begin construction.

• Fall 2012: School opens.

Stakeholders asked various questions. At this time Mr. Grazioli did not have information on what the school boundaries would be. That is usually determined about one  year before opening. He also did not know if the middle school would serve all of Porter Ranch.

Answering a question he commented that with all schools the LAUSD Board could decide at any time not to complete the project. With skyrocketing construction costs the Board has run short on funds to complete all schools and a number of them have been cancelled. He did say that budget shortfalls would not mean that the school would not end up with all the standard features. They would not, for example, decide to eliminate a gym due to the budget.

Find LAUSD documents about the school.
Coyote Alert: Harden the Target
By Becky Leveque
Under cover of twilight two coyotes jumped over our backyard fence violently attacking and killing our dog, Smokey on January 15, 2008. My husband, Dave, stood less than 50 yards away from Smokey and heard the violent attack as it was occurring. He ran to the hill and saw the two coyotes running on the cement drain below our home. Smokey climbed up the hill and made her way back into the house. Dave wrapped her in a towel and rushed her to the vet, where she immediately underwent three hours of surgery. Smokey died of her injuries two hours later. It was heartbreaking.

As we investigated the coyote problem we found many neighbors with small, unprotected dogs in their back yards. We need to harden our target for coyotes just like Neighborhood Watch hardened the target for crime. One house at a time. Prevention is the key.

Coyotes are not protected animals. However, Animal Services has a policy of not killing coyotes, because that encourages their growth, with fewer coyotes contending for the same food supply. Officer Pro from the West Valley Animal Shelter told me, “Coyotes have a 76 mile radius, they are very territorial, smart, cunning, quick and hungry.” They can easily jump over a six foot fence. The type of coyotes we have are called “Urban Coyotes”. They adapt very easily.

Coyote Recommendations:
The Southern California Veterinary Medical Association recommends bringing pets inside at night, as most attacks occur at night. Bring pet food inside at night too, remove fallen fruit from trees, and store trash in containers with tight lids. If you see a coyote stalking your pet, they recommend you yell and throw rocks at the coyote and take your pet inside.

The LA County Department of Animal Care and Control notes that backyard brush provides habitat for coyote prey and should be cleared; coyotes would rather dig under a fence than jump over it, so fences should have an “apron” buried at least four to six inches, extending out 20 inches and securely attached to the fence.

Report coyote sightings to the West Valley Animal Care & Control Center at 888-452-7381. For a map of coyote activity, visit www.coyotebytes.org.

PRNC Takes A Position on Las Lomas
After hearing presentations about the proposed Las Lomas project at the November 2007 meeting and discussing it at the December 2007 meeting, the board unanimously voted for this motion at the January 2008 meeting:

Because of the potentially negative environmental, economic, and traffic impact to our community and region, The Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council (PRNC) does not support the current plans for the Las Lomas Project as presented by representatives of Palmer Investments, Inc. at the PRNC General Meeting on November 13, 2007

PRNC in the News
The Daily News printed an article on January 4, 2008 about the proposed Las Lomas project. PRNC President Mel Mitchell was quoted as saying, "On the one side of the argument, we do need more housing in Southern California to support the future, and this is a lot of housing,"

But he has concerns about placing such a large development on open, steep hills next to the highly congested Newhall Pass. And he wonders whether Las Lomas could go the way of Irvine or Valencia, master-planned communities intended to mix homes and jobs.

"In the end, people continue to live where they live and drive to work. The concept is valid if you can make it happen," Mitchell said.

"It sounds like this is a project we need somewhere. I'm not sure it's the right `somewhere' here." Read the whole article.

Las Lomas Presentation - November 13, 2007
Hilary Norton Orozco, Senior Vice President at Palmer Investments, Inc. kicked off a lengthy presentation at the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council meeting on November, 13, 2007 about the Las Lomas Development of 5,553 homes proposed for the intersection of the 5 and 14 freeways by stating that the project has been redesigned since its initial proposal in 2002. Having encountered extreme controversy, the project team went back to the drawing board in 2005 to address the needs for open space and sustainability.

Orozco was quick to point out that there is currently no project to vote on before the City of Los Angeles. The project is in the Environmental Impact Report process. Councilman Richard Alarcon has suggested that the developer pay for the scrutiny process, but she said this would not grant the developer any special consideration. She mentioned that Alarcon is not supporting the project as it is today.

Palmer Investments is making the rounds of neighborhood councils and community groups seeking public support of the project. And by some accounts they are succeeding. Jim Kosinski a regular PRNC attendee commented that the project sounded like a place his wife would like to live and shop. The Sierra Club of Santa Clarita representative, Sandra Cattell described Las Lomas as a great project in the wrong place. She cited numerous issues including, three thrust faults, a designated landslide area, a fire hazard zone, a wilderness corridor and the 60% of the site that is sloped 50%.

Eugene Hernandez, member of the Sylmar Neighborhood Council summed up the project with some levity, “This project is like lipstick on a pig. The project is still a pig, no matter how to dress it up.”

In describing the project benefits, R.J. Comer of Armbruster & Goldsmith noted that half of the 550 acres would be preserved as open space with an additional 25 acres as active open space for parks. Through a Developer Agreement, 15% of the planned 5,553 housing units would be reserved for workforce housing so that the community’s firemen, teachers and service providers would be able to live in the community. Further, they project the creation of 9,000 new jobs and $22 million in tax revenue for the city.

Regarding sustainability, Richard Thompson of A.C. Martin said that the project calls for onsite sewage waste water treatment for irrigation, solar voltaic panels for street lighting, site layout to promote walking, bio-diesel shuttle buses to reduce driving, bikeways, jogging trails and buildings built to the silver standard for energy efficiency. To address the fire danger, power would be wired underground and the community would include fire resistant planting and an onsite fire station.

Meeting attendees were anxious to move to the topic of traffic planning. Michael Meyer reports that they have been pursuing traffic planning and mitigation since 2001. They propose a number of road widening projects to handle potential traffic, including widening the Old Road to two lanes each way plus left turn lanes, widening Foothill to four lanes, and Sepulveda to two lanes each way. They would like to work with Metrolink to establish a local station and plan to provide for bus lines to seven transit hubs in the San Fernando Valley. No northbound bus transit was planned, although 20% of travel is expected to be in a Northerly direction.

The community expressed concern about increased traffic on Balboa with no apparent mitigation plan. Pat Pope, PRNC Secretary commented, “At this point it would have a terrible impact on traffic because Las Lomas residents would traverse Porter Ranch to reach jobs in Woodland Hills, increasing traffic on Rinaldi, Balboa, De Soto and Mason.”

“Ms. Orozco spoke with enthusiasm about the project as if she was selling it to us to live there. She was not speaking to the impacts to our community.” Remarked Bright Aregs, PRNC board member.

Developer's Project Description
Las Lomas Website
White Paper by Councilman Greig Smith on Las Lomas.
Congressman Brad Sherman Las Lomas Letter
County Supervisor Antonovich Las Lomas Letter


Our Mission
To provide an inclusive open forum for public discussion of issues and to advise the City of Los Angeles on issues concerning City governance, the needs of this neighborhood council, the delivery of City services, and on matters of citywide nature.

To initiate, execute and support projects for the physical, social and cultural improvement of the Porter Ranch Neighborhood.

To facilitate communication between the City of Los Angeles and Community Stakeholders on issues of concern to the community and / or the Stakeholders.

Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council Boundaries-Map

• The Southern boundary is the 118 Freeway
• The Eastern boundary is Aliso Canyon
• The Northern boundary is the City line
• The Western boundary is on the East side of Brown's Canyon road. Starting at the City Line on the North end, down to the gate at the South end of Brown's Canyon and then proceeding in a straight line South to the 118 Freeway