GHNNC's New HQ

When the Granada Hills South Neighborhood Council needs a place to meet, they've got plenty of options -- G.H. Baptist, or the Rec Center, to name a couple. But the North Neighborhood Council -- which, like the South, is required to meet within its boundaries -- doesn't have as many choices, since the North Council's territory is in the predominantly residential part of town.

GHNNC board meetings were being held in member's homes for a while, until somebody -- likely with an axe to grind -- squealed. Seems that most people's homes don't have ADA-compliant bathrooms for council members to use, and that's a no-no (never mind that none of the council members are disabled; rules are rules!).

Church meeting rooms were considered, but the suggestion made some concerned about separation of church and state squeamish. So the council went about finding a suitable headquarters, and found one in the Albertson's shopping center at San Fernando Mission and Woodley, which lies just at the edge of the North/South border. When Property owner Rickey Gelb gave the council a break on the rent, that sealed the deal.


The headquarters on Open House night:














Greig Smith was there only in spirit -- and in calligraphy!














Council Chair Leon Marzillier dances a celebratory jig.


















Council Chair Leon Marzillier, Property Owner Rickey Gelb, and Greig Smith's Chief of Staff Mitch Englunder.




















CORRECTION, 8/20/09:
Councilman Smith did attend after all. He arrived after many people, myself included, had already left. Pictures here. Thanks, anonymous commenter!




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Comments

  1. Smith was at the event, not just in spirit. The GHNNC website has pictures of him being there.
    He only lives a mile or so away from their new office, so he had no excuse.

    I like how you praise GHNNC, I don't think they are that useful in the area. They're very exclusive, old (I don't mean experienced), and rag tag.
    yeah, they've put up street signs and opened an office. But what have they done for the advocacy of homeowners and the limited number of businesses in the area.

    GHNNC & GHSNC are just an extension of the GH Chamber. Useful for 2 events a year, otherwise just a collection of old people who are clinging on to something that has never existed.

    GHNNC has a graffiti task force, supposedly, but the area surrounding the shopping center they are in has been tagged repeatedly.

    I like your blog, but your praising of the false usefulness of either GH NC is agitating.

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  3. GHSNC are just an extension of the GH Chamber? Hardly - just ask Kohl's...

    The Chamber and GH South have been on opposite sides on more than a few pretty significant issues, the proposed Kohl's store most obviously. There's a reason Greig Smith doesn't like the GHSNC; the fight over Kohl's at Granada Village North is the most public, but there are others...

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  4. I have been the Outreach Chairperson for GHNNC for 5 years and I am very proud of the board members of GHNNC. We are not an extension of the GH Chamber and we are not "just a collection of old people who are clinging on to something that has never existed" I do not consider myself old by any means. We have "youth" on our board as well as a lot of "spirit". When was the last time you attended a GHNNC meeting? How about a Public Safety meeting? GHNNC has a very active PLUM Committee (Planning and Land Use) that is always fighting and protecting our neighborhoods and keeping the Community Plan alive. We are not a "rag tag" group but volunteers who spend hours making sure this community has a voice at City Hall. Instead of complaining about what we don't do, maybe you should join the board, or even a committee, and get involved. For more information about GHNNC go to our website at ghnnc.org. Sign up for the weekly email. Help us make Granada Hills a better place to live.

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  5. To the anonymous critic of the GHNNC: Why do you remain anonymous? Don't you have the courage of your convictions? What have you done for Granada Hills? Go to our website to see how much we have done, and our website shows only a fraction of the work we do. Unless you can demonstrate positive things that you have done, your criticisms of us are not factual and irrelevant.

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  6. It is always easier to complain and be part of problem, apathy. If you want to be part of the solution then participate.

    Both the GHNNC and GHSNC have done plenty for this neighborhood. They are all volunteers that work very hard to help people, not just those in the GH area.
    Clearly the previous commentor does not realize what would have happened in the neighborhood if they did not fight for issues that impact the quality of life in Granada Hills.

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  7. To the Person who wants to remain anonymous. You are a coward and I truly do not think that you have the best interest on the people of Granada Hills. Both Councils have done a lot for the areas in which they represent. I would say that they have done more than the elected councilman in downtown, and the neighborhood councils are only volunteer positions. Yes we may be held to the same standard by most, but we have helped try and keep the small town feel of Granada Hills. You can clearly see on both the councils websites that they have supported a lot of beneficial programs and issues that affected our community.

    Your comment about we are just an addition to the chamber is completely wrong and may I say STUPID. We may have a few board members that serve on our boards that also serve on the chamber board, but forgive them for giving a DAMN about what is going on in the community they live, work and own a business in.

    Everyone is entitled to there opinions and I can respect yours, but don't attack a group of individuals that are actually trying to make a difference in the community.

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  8. Thank you for the coverage of the GHNNC office opening!

    We are definitely not an extention of the Chamber of Commerce or any other group. If you can say one thing about GHNNC, besides the fact that Anne Ziliak KNOWS planning and land use and Sue DeVandry KNOWS outreach, it's that we are all very different. We have Chamber members, as we should. We have people from the North Valley Coalition, as we should. We have former Planning Department employees. We have people who don't belong to any group.

    I could go into a list of things we've done, but I won't.

    I do have to comment on our zero tolerance policy on graffiti though. If you see it in our neighborhood anywhere at all, I urge you to program this number into your phone and call the minute you see it, and it will be gone within the week. Usually a day or two...

    West Valley Alliance Graffiti Removal at - please call!

    You should check out our PLUM meetings. We set acceptable standards to stealth (fake trees around) cell towers and the rest of the City of LA adopted our stringent specifications.

    I invite the poster who is unhappy with the NC to come to another meeting and give it another try!

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  9. FYI, that West Valley Alliance number is (818) 885-8885.

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  10. If you see graffiti anywhere in the Valley, not just Granada Hills, you can call 311 or call the West Valley Alliance. They do a great job cleaning up the graffiti. The phone number for West Valley Alliance is 818-885-8885. Please be ready to give them the address or location of the graffiti. It doesn't cost you anything to report the graffiti. They are supported by the City of LA, Councilman Greig Smith and Neighborhood Councils.

    ReplyDelete

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