With the California drought continuing through another year, the state, the city and the DWP are asking that we all try and do our best to save water. September and October can be two of the hottest, driest months in the year and we don’t want our urban forest to die, even though we’re all trying to cut back on water usage. Trees require different kinds of watering practices than lawns and landscaping, so we can nuture our cooling, water purifying arbor while at the same time conserving water. Just water, once a month, deeply, while making sure you follow the guidelines for water conservation. Trees provide shade, thus lowering temperatures, as well as cleaning the air and purifying our previous groundwater. Go to websites http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wwd/web/Conservation/WaterConservation.aspx and http://www.ladwp.com for more information.

Be sure and put the Association’s Annual Meeting on your calendar so you can find out information about the many issues in Hancock Park, such as street maintenance, historic preservation, safety and crime prevention. The meeting will be on Monday, October 20th at Marlborough School. At the meeting half of the Board of Directors will also be elected. The candidates submitted by the Association are: Patricia Alexander, Christine Bubser, Cindy Chvatal-Keane, Jennifer DeVore, Joel Kozberg, Joanne Medeiros, Pam Newhouse, Susan Roth and Victoria Vickers. Visit the Association’s website to read brief biographies. If you’re a member in good standing (those homeowners who have paid annual dues), you will be receiving a ballot in the mail in the upcoming weeks.

Unfortunately, crime is still occurring in Hancock Park. Never leave anything visible in your car; Lock the doors of your house; Set your alarm system; and never open your door to a stranger. Call 911 if you see a suspicious person and contact our Acting Senior Lead Officer Art Gallegos with any questions. His cell phone number is 213-793-0708 and his email address is: 35849@lapd.lacity.org

Don’t forget that if you’re considering any changes to the street visible portion of your house, contact our City Planner, Kimberly Henry (kimberly.henry@lacity.org) and fill out the online form – http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/initial.screening.checklist to start the process. The Preservation Plan for Hancock Park can be found at: http://www.hancockparkhomeownersassociation.org/ or http://preservation.lacity.org/hpoz/la/hancock-park ).

Report street light outages to the city at: http://bsl.lacity.org/. Report potholes by submitting an online request at http://bss.lacity.org/request.htmBe sure and look at our website for news – http://www.HancockPark.org . Report graffiti sightings by calling 311 or at the City’s Anti-Graffiti Request System – http://anti-graffiti.lacity.org/welcome.cfm?CFID=1007&CFTOKEN=411CDB4F-0FC3-4EE1-89DE58DCCB435538 and by calling Hollywood Beautification, 323-463-5180 Questions regarding filming – contact Filming Committee, Cami Taylor (323-692-1414-Home and 310-659-6220-Office).