Paul Koretz Provides City Council Update at SOHA Meeting

City Councilman Paul Koretz’s appearance at Thursday night’s Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association meeting, billed as a City Council update that sounded enticing—ridgeline ordinance, helicopters, party houses—may have been outspiced by the barbecued fare provided at the meeting.

That’s because Koretz delivered his update in a deliberately calm, low-key style. SOHA President Richard Close joked that he missed the sombrero Koretz wore at his last SOHA outing.

Nonetheless, the 5th District city councilman addressed key Sherman Oaks issues, including:

Budget update: Despite budget cutbacks, Koretz said he found $2 million for alley resurfacing and $500,000 each for street median work and tree trimming. He said he worked with the city’s Bureau of Street Services to resurface portions of Roscomare Road and Valley Vista and Beverly Glen boulevards and helped find $3 million for the city attorney’s office, needed to obtain convictions after arrests.

Party houses: As an alternative to criminal prosecutions for quality-of-life violations such as public drunkenness, noise violations and others, Koretz said he introduced Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich’s Administrative Code Enforcement (ACE) program, soon to go before the council’s budget committee. ACE would impose fines rather than prosecution for minor offences that Koretz said judges often throw out. He said he pursued using ACE with Deputy City Attorney Tamar Galatzyn, as well as existing code enforcement tools, to address the problem of noisy party houses.

“This is system that makes incredible sense,” Koretz said of ACE. “The city has a history of poor prosecution of these offenses, and this program is done in other cities.”

Ridgeline protection: Just as the city’s hillside ordinance protects hilly areas, Koretz said he seeks to protect ridgelines under a proposal whose next stop is the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee.

Helicopter noise: Because the Federal Aviation Administration oversees helicopters, Koretz said the city has little power to stop noise generated by low-flying flights. He put the city on record as supporting proposed legislation by Congressman Howard Berman that would require the FAA to restrict helicopter flights and set minimum altitudes.

Unhitched trailers: Sleds, mopeds and bicycles have been hitched to advertising trailer signs parked on city streets as a way around a requirement that vehicles be attached, Koretz said. So, the city is working to impose time and distance limits, such as requiring trailers to be moved at least 10 miles away every 10 minutes.

Koretz closed by answering questions from the audience, including questions about the Ralphs supermarket expansion at Hazeltine Avenue and Ventura Boulevard and the Chabad of the Valley construction. Koretz said he supported the Ralphs expansion because it would bring an improved supermarket to the area and that the building profile will be built as low as possible given the slope of the land. Regarding Chabad, he said half of the structure is built and that the city faces significant legal issues and might seek mediation.

The Boneyard Bistro provided the barbecue for the meeting.