Residents Turn Out In Force to Discuss Problems and Solutions; Main Concerns: Appearance, Safety

It was really exciting to see so many people at the September PBCA Board Meeting. The room was so full that latecomers had to set up extra chairs! Hopefully this community involvement will continue at the next meeting, October 4.

Applause greeted the board announcement that Suzanne Black Griffith will fill the board position left empty by the resignation of Board President Casey Porter. Suzanne, who grew up in Portuguese Bend, is now an attorney, and she and her husband, Mike, live in what used to be her parents' home. The board announced that Suzanne's first task will be to review the revised CC&Rs and the By-laws and make sure that all comments submitted by residents are either included or give reasons why they were excluded.

The remainder of the meeting was filled with a good deal of discussion about the general appearance of the Bend, kicked off by Jeanne Smolley's question as to whether there were different enforcement policies for the East and West Sides of the area. Tim Kelly, who appears to be serving as the new Board president, said that it was his understanding that the rules were enforced more loosely on the East Side because of the unique problems of land movement faced by residents living there. 

Continued discussion of related issues throughout the evening seemed to reveal that many residents, including those on the East side, would like to see the regulations enforced  equally throughout the Bend. 

Long time resident Betty Strauss said,  "We're not here to be critical but there are issues" and she asked how residents could work together with the board to solve them. That eventually led to formation of a Safety and Security Committee, which Mike Griffith volunteered to chair. Primary concerns at this point seem to be gate maintenance, possible remodeling of the Narcissa gate, and fire prevention. Residents who are interested in serving on this committee should contact Mike.

Several questions were raised about specific properties on the East Side. Board members reported that one owner has purchased a chipper and is at work removing a large amount of accumulated foliage on his properties. Additionally, it was reported that the eight containers stored at the end of Peppertree would be gone by the end of the week. (As of two days ago, three remained.)

Board member Mike Cooper said that the piles of dirt and ground up asphalt stored at the end of Peppertree, and at Pony Club, will be gone when the road work, including work on Limetree, is finished. He noted that the large equipment stored at Pony Club belongs to the contractor doing the road work throughout Portuguese Bend.  A discussion between board members and a Limetree property owner about how to widen the end of the street did not reach a mutually agreeable conclusion.

In response to concerns about a coming onslaught of tumbleweed, Pat Burt reminded everyone that property owners are responsible for maintaining  their own property, including pulling out tumbleweed, keep trees trimmed and property looking attractive.

As to enforcement of architectural standards throughout the community, it was suggested that two people be added to the architectural committee to deal specifically with this issue. No one volunteered for that job. Anyone interested in taking on that task probably should contact a Board member. Betty Strauss asked just what enforcement capabilities were available to the Board.  The response: the Board can send letters asking for compliance with architectural standards within a certain time frame. Failure to comply can result in a fine. Finally, the Board can put a lien on the house for the amount of the fine,  which would be paid upon sale of the house.

A property owner who bought an East Side lot 15 years ago said that he wants to grow plants on his property and has discovered that a driveway that formerly existed has vanished and access is now blocked by a water line. He was advised to contact the water  company. He also said he wanted to put a small building on his lot to store his gardening equipment. He was informed that this was a violation of the architectural code.

Bob Halderman asked about a community garage sale and the Board agreed to schedule it for October 23. No chairman was named.

A Local Artist Talks About the Beauty of Our Special Area

When you set up a Google alert, you never know what you're going to find in your email. Today, I found this lovely video by Dan Pinkham, in which he extolls the virtues of our special area and the efforts of the Portuguese Bend Artist Colony to capture its unique beauty and quality of life. He also talks about the group's relationship to Terranea.

Try it. I think you'll like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDXRlsP68zM

And thanks, Dan, for speaking so eloquently about our wonderful area.

Don't Forget: PBCA Board Meeting Monday Night

What's on the agenda for tomorrow at 7 p.m at Ladera Linda?

Only the Shadow knows!

Well, not quite. We DO know that they're going to announce the name of the new board member.

Other than that, it's anyone's guess, 'cuz there's no agenda.

If you elect not to go to the meeting tomorrow, then if something happens there that you disapprove of, don't bitch. You made your choice.

Of course, you can read the minutes of the meeting if you go to the board meeting to get a copy. But they will be the minutes from TWO months ago (i.e. July), not the minutes from last month (August). If you want to read those minutes, you have to wait until NEXT month (October).  The Board will approve the minutes from last month, tomorrow night. They don't read them aloud, however. The board members just read them to themselves and either amend or approve as is. Those minutes won't be available for any community members to read until NEXT month.

Under the circumstances, it's a little hard to stay current but that's the way the system works, folks.

And that's why it pays to attend the meetings if you want to know what's going on in your community.

New PBCA Board Member To Be Named Monday, September 13

According to a notice posted on the bulletin boards at both the Narcissa and Peppertree gates, the board will be filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Casey Porter, at its meeting Monday, September 13 at 7 p.m. at Ladera Linda.

There is no indication as to what else is on the agenda, although the California Civil Code, SECTION 1363 (e), (regarding Homeowner Associations), states that: "Notice of Meetings (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, notice of meetings of the members shall specify those matters the board intends to present for action by the members, but, except as otherwise provided by law, any proper matter may be presented at the meeting for action." (Italics are mine.)

In any event, you might want to mark your calendars and come and see who will be selected to join the Board for the balance of the two year term.

And, there's always the chance that some other interesting stuff will occur. Or, if you have any questions or comments about what's going on in the Bend, the monthly meeting always provides a convenient and public forum.

Is Anybody There? Does Anybody Care?

If the RPV City Council judges public interest in an issue by the number of warm bodies that occupy seats at the council meetings, then they must feel that absolutely no one in the community cares about item 16 on last night's agenda: "Potential Impact Resulting from Proposed Class C Airspace Designation Surrounding the Long Beach Airport."

Not one person from Portuguese Bend was at the meeting. Except me.

And when the mayor asked if anyone had signed up for public comments, the response from the clerk was "no."

Maybe you were watching the council meeting on tv at home. If so, you saw and heard the presentation about how this will impact our area, increasing air traffic (and resulting noise) over Torrance and RPV four fold, increasing air pollution, and raising issues of safety for both pilots and residents.

If you didn't watch it on tv, you can watch the re-run of the meeting on the RPV website. 

And if you simply don't care about this issue, then in a couple of years, when noise and air pollution around here increase, and your kids get asthma, and you can't hear yourself think, don't moan to your neighbor that nobody ever tells you what's going on.

All I can think of is that famous quote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." The exact words, and even the source of the quote, are a subject of dispute, but the thought still works for me.

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• Noise pollution rattles nerves, harms health (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

If You Care About Quality of Life in Portuguese Bend, Attend Tonight's City Council Meeting. Listen. Learn. Speak.

If you care about our environment, including:

• the air we breathe
• the noise we hear
• the general quality of life in our semi-rural area

then PLEASE attend the RPV city council meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Hesse Park. The council will be discussing the change in airspace designation at Long Beach airport and how it impacts our city. This is of particular concern to residents of Portuguese Bend, because we live right on the edge of the impacted area. 

I blogged about this issue twice before: here and here. 

For even more detailed information, the city website now has a complete rundown on all the details, with links to various maps and staff reports, a presentation by the Southern California Airspace Users Workshop, comments by the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association, and even a template for a letter to the FAA for those who wish to express their ideas on this topic. 

Finally, yesterday's Daily Breeze featured a roundup of information and maps on its front page. The interactive maps in the online version of the story are particularly helpful.

This issue concerns all of us.

I do not know if our Community will have official representation at the City Council meeting tonight. My inquiry about this matter has gone unanswered. The next PBCA Board meeting is next Monday. Our board did not deal with the airport issue at the last Board meeting  in August, electing instead to devote the entire meeting to the revised CC&Rs.

So, it appears that we in Portuguese Bend are on our own in terms of telling the city council how we feel about this issue.

To hear what your neighbors think about this, and to tell the city council what you think, shut off your tv tonight, and put down that book you're reading, and come to the city council meeting.