SOHA holds ten Monthly Community Meetings each year - and EVERYONE is welcome! Our speakers address timely topics. Our election debates are famous for their candor. Meetings begin at 7:00 pm (end 8:15 pm) on the third Wednesday of the month, except July and December. Meetings are held at the Sherman Oaks Adult Center, 5056 Van Nuys Blvd.
We also stream our meetings - see our Calendar for the Zoom link. Meetings are recorded and posted on SOHA's YouTube Channel (button on Homepage). Our Social Hour begins at 6:15 pm where we serve a buffet dinner ($5 members, $7 non members). It's a great place to meet neighbors, make new friends, and learn about you community.
SOHA MEETINGS
ARE YOU PREPARED?
June 2025 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Deputy Chief Jaime Moore is the Commander of LAFD Operations Valley Bureau and proud to lead the five Battalions, 39 fire stations, and 980+ sworn personnel/civilian Bureau staff. He spent his entire life in Southern California, raised in LA’s Venice/Mar Vista area in a Mexican-American household. He was raised speaking English and Spanish and is very proud of his Hispanic heritage. He graduated from Santa Monica High School, earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and master’s degree in public administration and emergency management from Cal State Long Beach. He joined LAFD in 1995 and has been assigned to all four LAFD Geographic Bureaus. Chief Moore earned the prestigious Executive Fire Officer Certification from the National Fire Academy, completed Cornell University’s certificate program in Conflict Resolution, and was awarded the designation of Chief Fire Officer by the Center of Public Safety Excellence. He is also a California State Certified Fire Prevention Officer, Hazardous Materials Technician, Strike Team Leader, Field Incident Commander, and Public Information Officer. Don’t miss our live meeting and the opportunity to ask your questions directly to fire prevention experts. You can also email questions to SOHAZoomMtg@gmail.com no later than noon Tuesday June 17th.
SACRAMENTO IS AGAIN TARGETING OUR SINGLE-FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS
May 2025 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Maria Kalban is SOHA co-VP and Chair of our Legislative Committee. She also founded United Neighbors in 2018 – a statewide coalition of community groups that fight together for good, smart community planning. Maria graduated from UCLA and started her career as an accessory buyer with the Broadway Department stores. She later manufactured her own line of accessories in the Valley. Jeff Kalban is Chair of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council Planning/Land Use Committee and Vision Committee. He joined Maria in founding United Neighbors. Jeff graduated from The Ohio State University and founded Kalban Architects 40+ years ago. His firm has received more than 50 local, state, and national design awards for office buildings, schools, performance venues, and custom homes.
COUNTY SUPERVISOR LINDSEY HORVATH IS PUSHING FOR BIG CHANGES
April 2025 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Lindsey Horvath is our county supervisor and the youngest-ever Board of Supervisors Chair. Upon taking office in 2022, she authored LA County’s homelessness emergency declaration, bringing added urgency and transparency to the region’s homelessness response. Supervisor Horvath also appointed herself to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Commission to focus on improving its accountability and transparency on the use of resources to address the emergency. She and Supervisor Kathryn Barger recently sponsored a motion to yank county funding from LAHSA and instead have the county oversee homelessness spending. She is also member of the Metro Board of Directors, Vice Chair of Clean Power Alliance, and a longtime champion for transportation and environmental sustainability. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://youtu.be/asLnyy_vxHI
WITH LA CITY ATTORNEY HYDEE FELDSTEIN SOTO
March 2025 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Improving Community Safety New Community Outreach Courts Stopping Party Houses Addressing the Homeless Problem Eliminating Corruption in LA Hydee Feldstein Soto is LA’s 43rd City Attorney – the general counsel who is legal advisor to the Mayor, City Council, and the jigsaw puzzle of offices that make up our city. The City Attorney is responsible for civil and criminal misdemeanor enforcement actions and is the city’s chief prosecutor. She leads a team of more than 1,000 legal professionals, including 550 attorneys. Hydee was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving to the United States to attend Swarthmore College and Columbia University School of Law. She then moved to LA and has called it home for more than 40 years. She raised her family here and built her career as a partner at international law firms, earning wide recognition for her leadership, problem solving acumen, and legal ability.
NATHAN HOCHMAN IS ANGELENOS’ HOPE FOR A SAFER CITY
February 2025 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
HEAR HIS PLANS FOR: RESTORING TRUST IN THE DA’S OFFICE MAKING LA SAFE AGAIN AND MUCH MORE … On December 3, 2024, Nathan Hochman was sworn in as the 44th Los Angeles County District Attorney, defeating the incumbent DA by getting almost 60 percent of the vote. Nathan vows to improve public safety by pursuing appropriate sentences for violent and serious offenders, while offering counseling and rehabilitation to those whose crimes were motivated by addiction or mental illness. A lifelong Angeleno, DA Hochman served as Assistant US Attorney General for the Tax Division of the Department of Justice in 2008. Prior to that, he was an Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California from 1990 to 1997, serving in the Criminal Division. He has had an extensive career in the private sector, as a partner of several nationwide law firms and as a leading expert in tax law, criminal defense, and environmental law. Nate previously served as President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and earned his law degree from Stanford Law School.
MAYOR BASS ADDRESSES TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF LA, THE VALLEY, AND SHERMAN OAKS
November 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Budget: Is There a Crisis? Is LA Really Broke? Jobs: How Do We Keep Businesses in LA? Homelessness: State/Federal Dollars Pour In – Yet We Always Need More. Will it Ever End? Rezoning: How Do We Protect Single-Family Neighborhoods in Perpetuity? Mass Transit: Are There Better Solutions Than Just Digging Outrageously Expensive Tunnels? Public Safety: Will We Ever Feel Safe Again? Mayor Karen Bass was raised with her three brothers in the Venice/Fairfax community and is a proud graduate of Hamilton High. After serving as a front-line nurse and physician assistant, she founded the Community Coalition to organize the predominantly Black and Latino residents of South LA against substance abuse, poverty, and crime – and to pioneer strategies addressing the root causes behind the challenges faced by underserved neighborhoods. She was then elected to represent LA in the California Assembly and became Speaker. She later represented LA and Culver City in Congress, where she helped protect small businesses during the pandemic and led the passage of the most significant child welfare policy reform in decades. During her first years as mayor, thousands more unhoused came inside and LA reported a homelessness drop for the first time in years. LAPD received record numbers of applicants, while homicides and violent crime decreased. New businesses opened. LA provided more city services like pothole repair and graffiti removal, secured hundreds of millions of dollars from state/federal partners, and continued to lead on reducing climate impacts. Yet the LA Times reported that “LA Is Broke”.
COMMUNITY MEETING AND 44th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT DEBATE
October 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Tony Rodriquez knows it’s time to elect someone who is not a career politician – someone who has managed a budget and believes that individuals and families should supersede the desires of lobbyists – someone who brings common sense solutions to our state’s problems. Tony is a 25+ year US Army Veteran. He promises to focus on parental rights, public safety, and small businesses that feel they have been abandoned and left voiceless by the majority of legislators who have forgotten who they work for. Tony knows it’s essential to respect differing viewpoints and work toward solutions that balance the values of our diverse society – because political policies change through democratic processes and public engagement. He is a former member of the State Disability Board for the Self-Determination Program, and member of the American Legion and West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce. Nick Schultz earned his Bachelors and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Oregon. He is currently a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, where he investigates and prosecutes local, state, and federal criminal cases primarily related to public corruption, officer-involved shootings, human trafficking, mortgage fraud, tax evasion, and other financial fraud. Before that, he was elected to the Burbank City Council with strong support from organized labor and firefighters. As Burbank councilmember and mayor, he helped pass the city’s most robust greenhouse gas reduction plan, reduce the city’s homeless population by nearly 10%, and reduce crime by 10%. He advocates for housing affordability and voted for more than 1,000 new housing units in Burbank, including more housing for low- and very low-income Californians than had been created over the past ten years.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR CITY CAN’T LIVE WITHIN ITS BUDGET?
September 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Jack Humphreville – LA’s Budget and DWP Watchdog – Tells You What You Can Expect · The City of LA’s Dangerous Structural Budget Deficit · Tough Impacts of Labor Agreements on the Budget Deficit · Depletion of the City’s So-Called “Reserve” Fund · Why Budget Deficits Will Reduce City Service Levels · A Deferred Maintenance Budget That Exceeds $10 Billion · An Unfunded Pension Liability of More Than $8 Billion · How Intergenerational Theft Impacts Future Angelenos · Why Tripling or Quadrupling Water, Power, and Sewer Rates Over 10 years Will Cost Ratepayers Tens of $Billions · More … Jack Humphreville is a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate and the chair of the Neighborhood Council DWP Advocacy Committee. Jack has published more than 1,200 articles in CityWatchLA – many as the LA Watchdog digging into the financial details of LA City and the Department of Water and Power – and their impacts on Angelenos. One of his most recent “Watchdog” articles was “Shame on Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez.” He believes the city must “Live Within Its Means” – which it currently doesn’t – and not enter into any labor agreements that will create deficits. Jack moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and has lived in the same house in Windsor Square for 38 years. A business school graduate, he was an investment banker with Drexel Burnham Lambert in Beverly Hills and an owner of Target Media Partners, the publisher of Recycler Classifieds and other classified ad publications across the United States. He is a long-term dues-paying SOHA member and voted for Valley secession despite living on the Westside. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oustxp2iUU0
WHICH CANDIDATE DO YOU WANT AS OUR NEXT LAUSD SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER?
August 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Alex Chang Scott Schmerelson THE CHALLENGER THE ISSUES THE INCUMBENT Wisely Spending the Budget Fixing the Bureaucracy Getting Fair Share for Valley Schools Updating Charter School Policies Improving Test Scores Ensuring Student Well-Being l l l Dan Chang is an LAUSD math teacher and education leader with a 20-year track record of improving LA schools. From teaching pre-algebra to leading ambitious district improvement efforts, Dan is dedicated to seeing students, families, teachers and schools succeed. He is a 20-year Valley resident and teaches mathematics at James Madison Middle School in North Hollywood. Teaching math at a public school was always his dream job. Before teaching, Dan led improvement efforts within LAUSD. In 2012, he cofounded the LA Fund for Public Education, which rallied local artists to support arts education through its Arts Matter campaign. Dan first taught at Green Dot Public Schools where he led the opening of 17 high-performing LA charter high schools. In 2008, he led the turnaround of LAUSD’s most troubled Locke High School in Watts. Dan attended UC Berkeley and is Board Chairman of Valley Charter Schools. Scott Schmerelson spent almost four decades in the classroom, school counseling, and administration before being elected as an LAUSD District 3 Board Member in 2015. He is a 46-year LA resident and was principal of Johnnie L. Cochran Middle School in South LA where he improved test scores, upgraded the deteriorated school, and improved student, teacher, and parent morale. In high school, he knew he wanted to be a teacher. Scott has been a proud member of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, United Teachers Los Angeles, and Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) where he was ACSA Region 16 President for two years. He served as the treasurer of the Middle Schools Principals’ Association and is currently treasurer of the Cuban American Teachers’ Association. Scott graduated from Temple University with a BA in Foreign Language Education. Phil Shuman of Fox 11 News will moderate our debate. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVvpAmNWJog
JOIN US FOR A FUN NIGHT AT THE VALLEY RELICS MUSEUM
June 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
DON’T MISS THIS! Located near Van Nuys Airport, the Valley Relics Museum is a trip back to a fun time A special local historian will give us a peak at the Valley’s rich history - WE HAVE THE MUSEUM, ALL TO OURSELVES - - LOTS OF TIME TO ENJOY EVERYTHING – You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMaG_wxdi8c
CAN LA INFRASTRUCTURE KEEP PACE WITH HOUSING GROWTH?
May 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
· Why do city services take so long to happen? · How do we expand to meet the water, power, and sanitation demands of massive new housing? · Who fixes our streets and potholes – and when? · Where are people in new apartments with no parking supposed to safely park their cars? · Who controls Metro and how do they get away with blatantly ignoring the public? Randall Winston is Harvard educated, an architect, and an attorney – and today is LA’s Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure. He reports directly to Mayor Bass and is responsible for developing infrastructure policy and aligning public works and transportation investments – a terrifically complicated challenge covering LADWP, LADOT, street services, sanitation, and even Metro. Randall was an attorney at O’Melveny & Myers, where he represented government and environmental organizations facing complex litigation and state and federal investigations. He previously served as Executive Director of the California Strategic Growth Council under Governor Jerry Brown, overseeing investments of more than $1.3 billion in transit-oriented affordable housing and land conservation. Before that, he worked for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on design, urban planning, and infrastructure projects throughout the world. He spent two years working with urban development and architecture firms in Beijing, China. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msAJLRNUMdU
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BECOMING A FRAUD VICTIM
April 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
How to Avoid Internet Scams · How To Recognize Artificial Intelligence Scams · Techniques to Protect Yourself from Fraud · Understanding How Fraudsters Manipulate You · Identifying Weapons Scammers Use Against Seniors You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4TB8hSSNEA
WILL THE VALLEY EVER BECOME THE LA POWER CENTER IT DESERVES TO BE?
March 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Why Local News Is Crucial? Is Investigative Journalism Dying? Lessons from the March 5th Primary The Valley’s Growing Power Base What Must Happen So Downtown Recognizes the Valley’s Importance? Jill Stewart is an award-winning print, digital, and broadcast journalist with an extensive background in urban affairs and government reporting, political commentary and analysis, and print and online news management. She has been an editor or reporter at the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Weekly, Buzz magazine, and New Times Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Today she is City Editor at the Los Angeles Daily News overseeing content ranging from local government to the environment. She is also a book editor, and most recently edited a bestselling nonfiction book on education reform, A Fine Line, and an extensive investigation into child abuse for Chronicle of Social Change. In 2020 and 2022 she was an adjunct professor at Chapman University, teaching broadcast investigative journalism. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHmARLN9-gE
TIRED OF CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS?
February 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Are Sheriff Gangs Reality? How Bad? Fixing Low LAPD Staffing Levels LA’s Current Crime Situation & Solutions Crime Up? Crime Down? What’s True? How District Attorney Impacts Policing What New LAPD Chief Faces Homelessness and Policing Has Defund the Police Hurt LA? Jim McDonnell served more than 40 years as a public safety professional. He is the only person to serve in senior executive leadership positions in LA County’s three largest policing agencies: the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). During his tenures, all three saw reductions in crime and improved police-community relations. Wouldn’t those be great in Sherman Oaks today? In 2019, Jim founded McDonnell Strategies Group to advise clients nationwide on public safety and leadership development. His client base includes public safety, counterterrorism, risk management, aerospace, healthcare, telecommunications, information technology, and education organizations. Now he is going to truthfully and openly address the issues that LA City and LA County face today – the real problems – the best solutions – the impacts on people like us and our communities. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V56vOrnkm40
WHICH CANDIDATE DO YOU WANT ADVOCATING FOR SHERMAN OAKS IN CITY HALL?
January 2024 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Nithya Raman is our current councilmember, an immigrant to America, urban planner, and Harvard and MIT graduate. She has focused on homelessness, housing hundreds of people, and reducing unsheltered homelessness in the district. She voted for major legislation, including the largest expansion of tenant protections in 40 years. She is the mayor’s appointee to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency and serves as Chair of the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. She is endorsed by the LA County Democratic Party, the progressive Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles (DSA-LA), and many others. Ethan Weaver is a Deputy LA City Attorney and UCLA Law graduate. He used his pragmatic, level-headed approach to work with community groups, businesses, and city agencies on problems including homeless encampments, street assaults, illegal dumping, graffiti, and life-threatening drugs like fentanyl. He helped spearhead Project LEAD, a groundbreaking program that diverts homeless substance abusers from the criminal justice system into drug treatment, mental health, job training, and placement programs. He is endorsed by the LA Police Protective League, United Firefighters Union, Service Employees International Union, and many others. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoAdZjoN_sg
CAN LA STOP NEIGHBORHOOD TERROR LIKE SMASH-AND-GRAB?
November 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
TAMAR GALATZAN TELLS SOHA HOW HER NEW COMMUNITY LAW CORPS WILL HELP PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS Sherman Oaks’ former Neighborhood Prosecutor Tamar Galatzan has an important new job – Supervising Attorney leading LA’s brand-new Community Law Corps – the first point of contact for LA residents to enhance their safety and quality of life. Tamar will tell us how the Corps collaborates with community members, tackles homeless issues, nuisance properties, short-term rentals, party houses, and vacant properties, resolves challenging legal and safety issues, works with City Hall to address emerging concerns, and MAKES OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u26fBgDQvxY
ASSEMBLY MEMBER FRIEDMAN’S BUDGET WINS
October 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
DO THEY HELP OUR HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING, AND TRANSIT CRISES? Sherman Oaks’ Assemblymember Laura Friedman focuses her legislative work on crises facing our community today – fixing homelessness, making housing affordable, and getting real and effective mass transit. She is recognized as a steadfast advocate for sustainable communities, the environment, and active transportation – and is Chair for the Assembly Committee on Transportation, where she is spearheading investments in mass transit, bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure, zero-emission vehicles, and road safety. She got her start as a film and television executive and producer, then was elected to the Glendale City Council in 2009, where she served as Mayor in 2011 and 2012. She was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2016. Sherman Oaks is today facing multiple crises. Homelessness is everywhere and many homeless need much more help than a simple roof over their head. We are facing the city’s and state’s attempts to rezone our single- and multi-family neighborhoods and allow developers to build unaffordable five-story apartment buildings in the name of affordable housing – with zero parking so our streets and neighborhoods become even more crowded and dangerous. We are facing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s threat of unaffordable noisy heavy rail subway trains running 20 feet above Sepulveda Boulevard and eliminating two needed traffic lanes. Let’s learn what Assemblymember Friedman has done and can do to help us accommodate more people without destroying our wonderful community. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtrv-Iaqoi
WHERE IS LAUSD HEADING? HOW WILL IT GET THERE?
September 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
SUPERINTENDENT CARVALHO’S PLAN TO MEET ITS MANY BIG CHALLENGES Alberto Carvalho has served as Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school district, since February 2022. He was unanimously selected by the LAUSD Board. During his 14-year tenure as Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, he garnered local, state, national, and international recognition with honors including the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year, the 2016 Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education, the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year, and the 2019 National Association for Bilingual Education Superintendent of the Year – making him the most accomplished superintendent in America’s history. LAUSD has made some terrific accomplishments since Superintendent Carvalho’s appointment, yet it still faces a multitude of challenges, including classroom overcrowding, student diversity, low completion rates, funding cuts, poor academic performance, teachers’ unions conflicts, and administrative streamlining. The superintendent will detail his accomplishments from the last school year, explain his goals for the upcoming school years through 2026, highlight his plan for engaging with District and local schools, and address what he can do about the challenges that LAUSD faces today and in the future. Come learn what you can do to help return LAUSD to its glory days. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qST27Wkzxc0
COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SOON HUGE APARTMENTS!!!
August 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
IS COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN GOING TO HELP US STOP THEM? Maria Pavlou Kalban, SOHA Board Member, SOHA Legislative Committee Chair, and Chair of the United Neighbors coalition and Jeff Kalban, American Institute of Architects, Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council Board Member, and SONC Planning and Land Use Committee Chair are super knowledgeable of housing legislation and community planning. They founded United Neighbors – a coalition of several hundred community organizations in California – to help people understand and combat unfair housing demands and planning. Maria and Jeff are helping to educate our own elected leaders, including our councilmember, who themselves don’t have the time to fully understand the horrible impacts on our communities. They will explain how the LA Planning Department could force multi-story apartments onto single-family lots. How LA is trying to up-zone for more than five times the number of state-required residential units. How the state is mandating more new housing when California’s population is decreasing. Why our deteriorating infrastructure cannot accommodate increased electricity, water, and sewage demands. You can help us stop this travesty – and Maria and Jeff will tell you how. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qST27Wkzxc0
AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT HOW SACRAMENTO POLITICS REALLY WORKS
June 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Budgeting, Writing Legislation, Special Interest Influence, … Adrin Nazarian immigrated with his family from Iran to the San Fernando Valley at age 8. He studied part-time at Pierce College and Cal State University Northridge and graduated from UCLA with an Economics degree in 1996. In 1997, he served as an aide to Congressmember Brad Sherman, assisting him with business and labor community issues. In 1999, as Special Assistant to the California Trade and Commerce Agency, he helped establish a new division focused on creating and maintaining technology-based jobs in California. He next served as chief of staff to then-Assemblymember Paul Krekorian from 2006 until Krekorian was elected to City Council District 2 in 2010, where Adrin served as chief of staff. Adrin was elected to the California State Assembly in 2012, where he served as the Chair of the Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care and successfully fought for protections for seniors and renters. Adrin retired from the Assembly in 2022. In 2023, he was appointed to the California Public Employment Relations Board. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvne5uveXp4
SOHA HOMELESSNESS ROUNDTABLE
May 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Sheltering the Homeless Who Refuse Shelter Don’t miss SOHA’s Homelessness Roundtable. Homelessness experts from LA County and LA City who bring valuable insights, expertise, perspectives, and ideas on how we can work together to solve this challenging problem in our community. Led by SOHA’s Board Member and Homelessness Committee Chair, Larry Slade, you will learn what the state can do, what the county can do, what the city can do, and what our community can do to address this problem that plagues Sherman Oaks. Cmdr Billy Brockway Hayes Davenport LaTina Jackson Amy Perkins Homeless Coordinator Senior Advisor Deputy Director Senior Homeless Deputy LAPD LA City LA County LA County Office of Operations Council District 4 Dept of Mental Health Supervisor District 3 Homelessness in Sherman Oaks has been a growing problem for many years, and there are several factors that contribute to its prevalence. Our experts will tackle the complex issue of the Sherman Oaks homeless who present a danger to themselves and others by simply refusing to “go inside” into shelters or seek assistance from social service agencies. Whether caused by mental illness, drug addiction, distrust, or something else, they simply refuse help and refuse housing. Our expert Roundtable will engage in thought-provoking discussion about how to fix this problem quickly and effectively. We eagerly anticipate hearing their takes on how we can all work better together to address this challenging and pressing matter. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM_9r2CCD40
HOW WILL COUNCILMEMBER RAMAN FIX HOMELESSNESS, PUBLIC SAFETY & LAPD STAFFING, CITY SERVICES, AND UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING?
April 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Councilmember Nithya Raman is an urban planner, mother of twin first-graders, and an immigrant to America. She has prioritized people-centered and effective services for people experiencing homelessness. With the largest homelessness team in city hall, her office has brought more than 300 people indoors via encampment-to-home projects, including at many sites in Sherman Oaks, especially under freeways. She has raised millions of dollars for the district from state and federal partners, making hundreds of new beds available to get people off the streets. Her office has also taken a proactive and vigorous approach to constituent services, responding to incoming requests and proactively informing constituents about vaccinations, rent relief, fire safety, and more. She is Chair of the City Council Housing and Homelessness Committee, Vice Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform, member of the Transportation, Energy and Environment, and Public Works Committees, and member of the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJj9VLegXII
CAN LA FIX HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, AND PUBLIC SAFETY?
March 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
New LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s Plans for Improving Our City Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, sworn into office in December 2022. She is the city’s general counsel and serves as the legal advisor to the Mayor, City Council, and the hundreds of boards, departments, officers, and entities that make up the City of Los Angeles. She interprets LA laws, drafts ordinances, is responsible for all law enforcement, and defends the city and its charter. As chief prosecutor, she oversees prosecution of misdemeanors and administration of criminal justice, including alternatives to incarceration. Her citywide team comprises more than 500 attorneys and almost 500 support personnel who can make a difference to our city. City Attorney Feldstein Soto was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moved to the United States to attend Swarthmore College and then Columbia University School of Law. After law school she moved to Los Angeles, which she has called home for more than 40 years. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZymjYIN_x8
MEET SHERMAN OAKS NEW SUPERVISOR LINDSEY HORVATH
February 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
She’s Also Our New Metro Board Member · Tackle homelessness crisis with rapid investment in wraparound services to house most vulnerable off the streets for good · Build sustainable economy and climate-resilient county to meet today’s environmental needs and protect us against wildfires · Invest in proactive meaningful public safety solutions to protect neighborhoods and communities from violence and hate Supervisor Lindsey Horvath was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and assumed office on December 5, 2022, after serving as a City Councilmember and the longest consecutively serving mayor for the City of West Hollywood. Her career has been defined by tackling the hardest problems, building diverse coalitions, and delivering results for her community. She made history as the youngest woman to ever be elected to the LA County Board of Supervisors. She is the first millennial and currently the only renter to serve on the board, bringing a much-needed perspective to county leadership. Supervisor Horvath worked on many transportation and mobility issues, from her service as a Transportation Commissioner to championing Metro transit projects in West Hollywood. She spearheaded policies to make West Hollywood an “Age-Friendly Community” and created the first-ever West Hollywood Community Response Team to Domestic Violence. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxB22RDFqsQ
MEET THE VALLEY’s “TOP COP” LAPD DEPUTY CHIEF ALAN HAMILTON
January 2023 | Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association Newsletter
Review of Crime in Sherman Oaks for 2022 · Department and Valley Crime Reduction Goals for 2023 · LAPD Role in Supporting Government Homelessness Efforts · Traffic Enforcement Issues in Sherman Oaks · How Department Can Enhance Support for Community Events In 2021, Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton became Commander of the LAPD Valley Operations Bureau. He is an LA native with broad experience across every aspect of policing. He was Captain and Commanding Officer of the West Valley Patrol Division. In the Recruitment and Deployment Division, he was instrumental in raising sworn deployment above 10,000 for the first time in LAPD’s history. In 2019, he was named the Los Angeles Woman Police Officers and Associates Mentor of the Year for his commitment to mentoring women in the department. Chief Hamilton also oversaw the implementation of the Cyber Crime Consortium, a joint project between LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the University of Southern California Viterbi Information Sciences Institute. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Management, is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and LAPD West Point Leadership Program, and completed the State of California Peace Officers Standards and Training Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation Certification in Homicide and Computer Crimes Investigations. You can watch the video of this meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXnUEV_wOuY