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Dear Friend:
Earlier this week, LAPD Topanga Division’s Captain Rudy Lopez, Walk of Hearts founder Joe Andrews, former Councilmember Dennis P. Zine and others joined me as I announced a $25K reward for information leading to the identification, apprehension and conviction of the person(s) responsible for stealing “Walk of Hearts” plaques that had been embedded in the sidewalk on Victory Blvd, in front of the Costco. The Walk of Hearts is like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but instead of glorifying celebrities, it recognizes teachers.
For the past twenty years, every year several teachers are chosen to be honored with a plaque that gets embedded into the sidewalk in a moving ceremony that involves the teacher, students, former students and community. More than 57 teachers have been honored with a plaque. The Walk of Hearts started on Sherman Way and moved to Victory Blvd and the selection of teachers, the purchasing of the plaques, and the organization of the annual plaque embedding ceremony is run by a small nonprofit, eponymously named, Walk of Hearts.
Recently, over several nights in June 2024 an unknown individual chiseled and removed 11 of the unique Walk of Hearts plaques from sidewalks in the Canoga Park/Warner Center neighborhoods. The theft of these plaques has created significant sidewalk damage as well as the loss of these landmarks that are both financially valuable and meaningful to the surrounding community. |
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Sadly, we are seeing a rise of public infrastructure thefts and, while it is all unacceptable, it is even more abhorrent that these stolen sidewalk plaques honor life changing teachers who devoted their lives to making our community better. It is especially egregious that these plaques will likely be brought to metal recyclers and sold as scrap, in blatant disregard for their significance to the community. While there are ongoing conversations on how to remedy this situation, I want to make it clear that if you are going to pillage city property, there will be consequences. Walk of Hearts estimates that the cost to replace the 11 plaques would be at least $4,000 per plaque. This doesn’t include the substantial cost to repair the damage to the sidewalk.
If you or someone you know sees a person who appears to be defacing or stealing, please call the LAPD non-emergency line at 877-ASK-LAPD (877-275-5273). |
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July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza at Warner Center Park |
On July 4, from 6-9:30pm, join Councilmember Blumenfield and thousands of Angelenos at the annual Blumenfield July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza at Warner Center Park for live music, food from over 15 local restaurants, goods and services from local vendors, topped off with an incredible fireworks show. It’s the best FREE display in the region, so please come out and have a wonderful time with us. More info can be found here. |
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Unveiling the City’s New Transit Shelters for Shade and Rain Protection for Riders
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Councilmember Blumenfield joined his colleagues, StreetsLA, Metro, and Tranzito-Vector to celebrate the rollout of the City’s Street & Transit Amenities Program, or STAP. It’s no accident that the bus stop at Reseda and Victory in Council District Three is one of the first shelters to be completed in the City because Blumenfield was instrumental in pushing the City to establish the STAP program which dramatically changes and expedites the way bus shelters are built and installed throughout the City. |
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For many years, the City failed to provide new bus shelters. As the former Chair of the Public Works Committee and now Chair of the Budget, Finance & Innovation Committee, Blumenfield pushed through the delays that were leaving transit riders waiting in the sun and rain. He was able to get the City to put a new and innovative contract in place at the end of 2022. Though it has taken a while to get the program rolling, the contract ensures that Angelenos will see at least 3,000 transit shelters, and 450 shade structures where shelters can’t fit. |
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This week LAHSA announced the results of the annual Point in Time Count which showed a decrease in homelessness in Los Angeles for the first time since 2018. Each year Councilmember Blumenfield leads the local count from his Reseda District office and volunteers go out Countywide to visually tally each person, tent, vehicle and makeshift shelter to assess the number of unsheltered people in need.
This year the number of sheltered people went up dramatically due to the investments in interim housing and dedicated efforts to bring people indoors, including through the Inside Safe initiative led by the Mayor’s office with an unprecedented funding level and emergency powers to contract for motel rooms and services.
The number of unsheltered people went down Citywide. In response to the report, Councilmember Blumenfield said, “While I am thrilled that the numbers have gone down citywide and our efforts to build interim and permanent housing are showing results, we still have a long way to go and must not let up on our efforts. We must continue to be strategic in our investments and committed to staying focused on performance, creating housing and finding efficiencies in our system.” |
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Your Input is Needed for the Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) |
The City’s Planning Department will soon announce the release of the revised Housing Element Rezoning Program draft ordinances. The revised ordinances have been updated to incorporate the feedback received since their initial release in March. Planning staff will hold a virtual hearing on July 25th at 5PM and will also continue to collect public comment through August 1st that will be used to refine the draft ordinances as the Housing Element Rezoning Program moves through the Revise/Publish and Adoption phase. Click here to view the revised ordinances. |
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Councilmember Blumenfield participated in the United Chambers of Commerce annual Mega Mixer where local chambers of commerce and small businesses had the opportunity to connect, share resources, and enjoy food and beverages produced in the San Fernando Valley. |
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Community Events and Resources |
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This week's photo, taken in 1965, is from the Valley Times Collection of the opening concert of the free summer band concert season at Reseda Park. Learn more about the photo here. |
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield
200 N Spring Street, Room 465, Los Angeles, CA 90012
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