UPDATE: LaBonge Cancels SONC Meeting Appearance, Will Attend Reception

Los Angeles Fourth District city Councilman Tom LaBonge has canceled his appearance at Monday's Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council regular meeting.

SONC is scheduled to hold a special reception for LaBonge beginning at 6 p.m. at the Sherman Oaks Elementary School auditorium, which he will attend. However, SONC President Jill Banks Barad revealed Monday morning that LaBonge will not be in attendance at the regular meeting, where he was scheduled to be a guest speaker.

LaBonge was expected to share his thoughts regarding the Il Villaggio Toscano project, which SONC board members will consider for a vote to recommend or oppose on Monday.

For the past year, the Il Villagio Toscano project has been a hot-button issue within the Sherman Oaks community, garnering strong support from some residents and facing strong opposition from others. 

On April 19, the project cleared a hurdle as the SONC Land Use Committee voted, 5-4, . 

In its current form, the project, which would be located at what is now a vacant lot at the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Camarillo Street, would incorporate 399 dwelling units and 52,000-square-feet of commercial space, including a 13,000-square-foot public plaza that would run the length of the property along Sepulveda Boulevard.