Does this e-mail show a lack of support by homeowners for their own association?

We don't pretend to be an expert on the inner workings of the Westside Village Civic Assn., which is the homeowners' group for this area, but we do like to keep you informed about what is going on there, as much as we are able to.

Recently The Sun obtained an e-mail message that had been sent to several members of the association seeming to indicate trouble with (1) the neighborhood watch activities of the group and (2) a decided lack of support among the homeowners — that is, some 42% of the home-owning residents had balked at paying the $10-a-year membership fee.

Rather than put our own gloss on what followed next, we are simply reposting the e-mail messages here for your enlightenment. If you are a homeowner, you might want to print out the form below and mail it, with your $10 check, to the WVCA.

From: Everett & Marie Wallace
To: [Deleted]
Cc: [Deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 1:27 PM
Subject: Action needed on Neighborhood Watch

       Right now there is nobody to continue service of any kind in support of blocklists.   The block captains need to tell you and the Board they want this service - even though perhaps you cannot expect anybody to take on the level of detail or duplicate my ways of doing that.   The situation with the Watch is more serious.  For a year we have been without anybody on the Board active in making the Watch work, replace people unable or unwilling to do the job of block captain, recruit new people as captains or helpers on delivery, and make regular direct human contact with people on the blocks.  That's essential for the Watch to exist.  We need more than that to maintain a reliable delivery for the newsletters or anything else.
 
        The blocklists have provided a basic tool for better communication on the blocks for the past 23 years or so but also give us the basis for regular updating of information about the 42%+ residents not members of WVCA.   That in turn makes it possible to maintain the master list of residents up to date as the lists are updated.   In turn that  provides means of making address labels block by block used for distribution of blocklists on each block that add up to an inventory of all worthwhile addresses within Westside Village territory if or when there is reason to do a mass mailing.   Changes on the blocks are frequent because of rentals, sales or construction.  The service to block captains for blocklists needs to be continued so the Master list can be updated in a timely fashion.
 
Everett 

From: "George Garrigues" <loudbark99@yahoo.com>
To: "Everett and Marie Wallace" <address deleted>
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 9:33 AM
Subject: Some questions about WVCA and the Neighborhood Watch . . .

Dear Everett:

I have received a copy of your message (below), and wonder if you would care to share your concerns with readers of The Palms-Village Sun. I'd be glad to post an article or a letter from you about them.

In the meantime, I am wondering why the WVCA does not resume its support of the Palms-Westside Village Neighborhood Watch, as it had done in the past? I understand that Terry Robinson, the current Watch chair, would be happy to help you out by keeping the records and sending email to key people, although she does not of course have the time to do the door-to-door canvassing that might be needed.

As you know, several Westside Villagers are active in the Palms-WV Watch . . . Others have joined in from time to time . . . The Palms-WV Watch meetings have been going on faithfully for years now and show no signs of abating.

Sincerely,

George Garrigues
Owner and editor
The Palms-Village Sun
www.PalmsVillageSun.info

From: everettandmarie@<address deleted>
Subject: Re: Some questions about WVCA and the Neighborhood Watch . . .
Date: August 3, 2005 10:25:31 AM PDT
To: loudbark99@yahoo.com

Mr. Garriques: This message distribution was quite properly confined to the Westside Village WVCA Board and Block Captains with email. I am not interested in any other audience for our organizational needs. This is very much an internal matter. I should appreciate your not using any part of it in your Palms-Village Sun.

Everett Wallace

From: loudbark99@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Some questions about WVCA and the Neighborhood Watch . . .
Date: August 5, 2005 12:28:00 PM PDT
To: everettandmarie@<address deleted>

Dear Everett:

Thank you for your letter. Of course The Westmar Sun, which has 595 names on its e-mail list and is indexed in all the leading search engines, is open to the contributions and thoughts of everybody, and I welcome your point of view.

Nevertheless, as an agency which has received public funds ($1,000 in 2004 from the Mar Vista Community Council) and which places itself in the public view as an advocate for homeowners' interests through lobbying with the city government and other agencies and which sponsors activities that are open to the public, the Westside Village Civic Assn. is properly a subject for public inquiry and interest.

It is in that spirit that I wrote my inquiry. Apparently you are having difficulties with the Neighborhood Watch segment of the WVCA, and I do know that some aid is available through the Palms-Westside Village Neighborhood Watch, if not to the extent that you might like or might be necessary. My question is, basically, why is there not more cooperation between the WVCA and the existing Neighborhood Watch organization, which covers almost all of the Palms-WV LAPD Basic Car area?

I am sure everybody would be interested in ways to handle the problem of crime in our area, and I'd be glad to post just about anything you (or anybody else in the WVCA) would want to send me along this line.

I hope you will look upon The Palms-Village Sun as a way for you to reach the computer-savvy residents of Palms and Westside Village. I might note that there is a link to the WVCA Web site on most of the principal pages of The Sun and I try to cover the activities of the WVCA as far as I am able.

Yours very sincerely,

George Garrigues
Editor and owner
The Palms-Village Sun
www.Palms-VillageSun.info

Yes, I want to be a member of my Homeowners Association for only $10 a year.

Please sign me up as a member of the Westside Village Civic Association for $10 a year.

Name ___________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________
Home Phone ______________________________________________
Work Phone ______________________________________________
Email Address _____________________________________________

Please make check payable to W.V.C.A. and send to:
Westside Village Civic Association
c/o Richard Saltsman, 3569 Veteran Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90034

(Optional) I would like to participate in one or more of the following committees

• Newsletter — Writing articles, creating artwork.
• Zoning & Development — Attending City/County meetings on planning, zoning and land use issues.
• Issues & Concerns — Helping in organizing graffiti cleanup, beautification, and trash pickup.
• Disaster Planning — Taking ERT (Emergency Response Team) training. Stocking and maintaining disaster center at Clover Avenue School.
• Neighborhood Watch — Be a Block Captain or Assistant Block Captain.
• Membership — Maintaining computer database, dues mailing notices, distribution of newsletter and membership growth.
• Annual Meeting — Helping with the planning, set-up, clean-up, and registration.
• I would be interested in serving as an officer or a Board member.
• I have pertinent city planning, recreation, or local government expertise.

EDITORIAL
Two more maps show Westside Village as part of Palms

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