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HOMETOWN
NEWS
Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista
January
your community newspaper • your community • WESTCHESTER • PLAYA DEL REY • MARINA DEL REY • PLAYA VISTA • your community newspaper • your community
Community encouraged to attend planning hearing to discuss north runway movement On Tuesday, January 8 the city’s Planning Department will conduct an open house and public hearing regarding the proposed amendments to the LAX Plan, LAX Specific Plan and related elements due to Los Angeles World Airports Specific Plan Amendment Study (SPAS). The open house portion of the meeting will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Proud Bird Restaurant, located at 11022 Aviation Blvd. in Westchester. Community leaders including
Alliance for a Regional Solution to Airport Congestion (ARSAC) president and longtime proponent against expansion at LAX, Denny Schneider, and NCWP Airport Relations Committee Chair Craig Eggers, are encouraging the community to attend the meeting to let the city know their thoughts on the SPAS project. Out of the nine alternatives that are being considered under SPAS, community groups like the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/ Playa have urged airport officials to support Alternatives 2 and 9, which
would modernize the airport and address transportation issues at LAX, but would not move the runways. At the December Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) hearing, LAWA staff recommended a combination of Alternatives 1 and 9 to be adopted by the board. The major element of this plan includes shifting the northernmost runway 260 feet north. BOAC did not vote on a preferred Alternative at their December meeting, but is expected to take up the issue at their January meeting. At the Planning Department public
hearing on January 8, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of city staff. A public hearing officer will then consider all public testimony and submitted comments before making a recommendation report, which will go to the City Planning Commission and then the City Council and mayor. Comments can be directed to: Shawn Kuk, Dept.of City Planning 200 N. Spring Street, Room 667 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Comments can also be submitted to shawn.kuk@lacity.org. For more info, visit laxspas.org.
“My 30” seeks to get the community moving For many, the start of the New Year marks saying goodbye to cookies, cakes and all the holiday excess and welcoming a regimen of healthier eating, exercise and losing weight. This annual quest for health is serious business at the Westchester Family YMCA and with the help of the newly formed “Healthy Living Council,” the organization is looking to cast its net even wider than just its membership, which includes more than 3,000 local families and translates to 14,000 adults and children who use the “Y” annually. The Healthy Living Council is one of three newly formed committees that were created to help promote the organization’s mission of healthy living, social responsibility and youth development. Ever trying to engage its members and the community, Executive Director Karen Bradley-Follette created the committees with the help of her board, with each one focusing on an aspect of the non-profit’s mission. The Healthy Living Council counts among its primary goals to create healthy initiatives in which the entire community can participate. Each month
the group seeks to focus on a particular theme that they hope will engage the community and its members to make healthier choices. So far, The Y has already had a successsful “Soda-free Summer” movement aimed towards its camp participants. YMCA Operations Director, Chad Maender, who heads the committee alongside board member and LAX Coastal Area President/CEO Christina Davis, explains that the committee is just another example of how the Y is more than just a place to stop in for an hour to exercise or a “swim and gym;” instead, the Y should be seen as a community hub focused on the whole person–spirit, mind and body. For January, the Healthy Living Councils’ focus is simple: get people moving. After all, according to recent University of Scranton statistics, two of the top resolutions Americans start the year with are the goals to lose weight and to stay fit and healthy. Perhaps not surprisingly, however, only 8% are successful in achieving their goals. (continued on page 4)
The pledge to commit to 30 minutes of exercise for 30 days can include anything from stretching, yoga, weightlifting or biking.
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