Thank you all for coming out to vote on Sunday for our new board. We are pleased to welcome the volunteers who stepped up and will now be part of the Picfair Village Neighborhood Association Board. Join me in congratulating: Joe Carrabba – President Dave Riva – Vice President Cindy Levey – Secretary Darren Davis – Treasurer
Elections are Sunday, June 2, 10am-12pm. Corner of Orange Grove and Pickford. (Ballots will also be available on site.) Must be a Resident of Picfair Village. 18yrs +, or a business operating within the boundaries of Picfair Village. (Boundaries are: East side of Fairfax, Southside of Pico, West side of Hauser, North side of Venice)
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Joe Carrabba – Running for President
My name is Joe Carrabba. I have lived in Picfair Village since 2002 and Picfair adjacent (1300 block of Carmona) since 2000. I am originally from Texas and moved to LA in 1994 to go to Southwestern Law School. Worked in entertainment and practiced law for a short time but started selling real estate full time in 2007. I love my neighborhood! I know a lot of people say this but I feel we are truly lucky to live in such a wonderful neighborhood and it has been such a thrill to see it thrive over the last 20 years. The location is perfect, the homes have so much character with a broad range of homes and income properties, and the mix of long-time residents and more recent residents make it a special place. The main issues facing our neighborhood, like most neighborhoods in LA, is obviously safety. I would like to see our resurrected board address any glaring safety concerns the stakeholders have. Also traffic through the neighborhood is a concern, especially the southern part of our neighborhood. To further build community, I would like to see the board create opportunities for neighbors to meet and mingle with each other. Bringing back the street fair is a huge goal for me and I know a LOT of neighbors are eager to start up this amazing event again. I basically see myself as a first point of contact for neighbors who have any questions or concerns and have no problem making myself available. I know it’s not possible to address every concern or solve every problem neighbors have but it’s good to be able to voice them to someone, and I hope the newly installed board will serve that purpose.
John David Riva (Dave) – Running for Vice President
1. What is your background?
Long time Talent Agent, Producer and Director. Writer of Books and Scripts. Involved in the Retail Food Industry.
2. How long have you lived in Picfair Village?
36 Years.
3. What motivates you to represent Picfair Village?
Interest in my Community and willingness to help my Neighbors.
4. What issues do you see are important to our neighborhood?
Everyone’s issues are my issues, but personally I would be interested in problem-solving and improving traffic issues within the Picfair area.
5. We know that having a strong community is important. How do you see building community?
Group participation is key. I believe the best outreach is events that are both fun and informative, or even make a physical difference. A trash clean-up day can be paired with a free lunch at a local restaurant, for example.
6. Is there a personal mission statement that you have as a board member?
Outside of the above, I would like to get our local police, fire, vector control and other city services to be available at a neighborhood event.
7. Anything you want us to know about you that we didn’t cover?
I am a member of the P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council, and a past member of the Picfair Village Association.
Cindy Levey – Running for Secretary
Hello Picfair Village!
My name is Cindy Levey and I have lived in Picfair Village for 20 years.
I am excited to submit my candidacy for Picfair Village Neighborhood Association (PVNA).
I have spent my career focused on building healthy communities with special emphasis on access to health care and services, health education and partnership-building. For the last 20+ years I was an executive at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as a Community Benefit professional, helping the hospital build the programs, systems and partners to improve community health.
As my second and last child graduated high school in June of last year, I changed my professional trajectory. I have recently launched my own consulting practice: Forward Community Health Consulting, LLC. I now contract with health organizations in California and around the nation to support strategy-building, program planning and reporting for community health improvement activities. I love this new professional change and challenge; and believe that so many aspects of my leadership training and expertise are applicable to the PVNA. I have been married to Larry Braman for 23 years. Larry is a UCLA employee. Larry and I have two children: Judah (age 21) and Dava (age 19). Both are students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I have always been interested in getting involved with the PVNA, but my previous life as a full-time mom, full-time employee, and active member of my synagogue (Temple Beth Am), made it difficult for me to engage in additional commitments. Now that my circumstances have changed and PVNA is holding elections, I am jumping at the chance.
It will be of no surprise that issues of concern and focus for me are crime and safety, as well as our city’s response to – and solutions for- the crisis for unhoused individuals and families, and how that crisis impacts our neighborhood.
That being said, the assets of Picfair Village outweigh these concerns exponentially. I love Picfair Village. Truly. I live on Ogden Dr. between Saturn and Pickford. I live amongst neighbors that care about each other immensely – we watch out for each other and we socialize together. Picfair Village was the perfect setting to raise a family – where my kids’ first solo outings as they got old enough were to Vons, Starbucks and Paper or Plastik; where they could walk or take the bus to school; and where they could learn to ride bikes and skateboard.
Because of the strong neighbor-bonds on our block, I am moved to suggest a community-strengthening initiative focused on getting to know your neighbors. There may be Picfair-ers who do not have previous experience with neighborhood-building. The more a neighborhood can build those bonds, the easier it is to keep people safe. On our block, we keep watch for each other, and communicate with each other when we see suspicious activity. We have each other’s backs. Focusing on community assets and post-COVID community-building goes a long way towards safe and happy communities. The additional (studied/researched) effects of breaking social isolation and improving mental health provides a fantastic opportunity and platform for a guiding direction for PVNA.
The application asks for a personal mission statement. That is a tall order! How about a slogan? Cindy Levey: Building on Community Assets to Strengthen Neighborhoods
This neighborhood has grown so much over the past 20 years. I want to be part of its next chapter. Thank you for this candidate opportunity.
Warmly,
Cindy Levey
Darren Davis – Running for Treasurer
1. What is your background?
Designer and Restaurateur.
2. How long have you lived in Picfair Village?
25 Years.
3. What motivates you to represent Picfair Village?
I love this neighborhood and want to rebuild the Association to get things done we need.
4. What issues do you see are important to our neighborhood?
I am all about community involvement – Street Fairs, Holiday events, and “meet and greets”. Working with Local Businesses, I would love to maybe bring back the Christmas Trolly for Xmas and also select (with CD 10) other events that celebrate our diverse community.
5. We know that having a strong community is important. How do you see building community?
Getting all the residents AND businesses together to exchange information and have fun – to make a strong bond so together we can work for many improvements.
6. Is there a personal mission statement that you have as a board member?
I am here to help and also plan events, including a multi-block party.
7. Anything you want us to know about you that we didn’t cover?
Ballots will also be available on site. NO online voting. In person voting only.
WHO CAN VOTE? You must be a resident, or operate a business within the boundaries of Picfair Village. Boundaries: North – Pico, South – Venice, East – Hauser, West – Fairfax.
Have you wanted to get involved in the neighborhood? Are you looking for a way to make a difference in our community? Are you ready to make Picfair Village Neighborhood Association active once again?
For the past few years, PVNA has taken a pause and we are fortunate that Valerie Woodson has remained a board member (Treasurer) voted by stakeholders at our last election. Because there’s a better understand of COVID and people are being responsible with their vaccinations, we are ready to get PVNA up and running again. We are looking for strong leaders to be both a voice for the community and listeners to the community to be sure we take care of issues that confront our boundaries and may extend beyond.
Deadline for declaration of Candidacy is May 15, 2024.
Please note that the following bylaws will be waived for this election cycle:
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS Section 2 A – Due to a non-active board, candidates seeking a board position will not be required to have attended any meetings within the preceding 12 months.
ARTICLE VI – OTHER COMMITTEES Section 2 – No nomination committee will be activated/established for this election.
ARTICLE IX – VOTING Section B – Due to a non-active board, all voting for this cycle will be drop-off vote (versus the customary vote on site at meeting).
SAVE THE DATE: Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022
There will be a SELF-GUIDED 2 Mile Turkey Trot in our neighborhood. Great time to meet some neighbors. There may be 2 different groups; a walking group and a trotting group. You decide how you want to travel the route!
Time to start your hunt for the perfect pumpkin to race down Pickford Street on Sunday, October 30th. Registration starts at 2pm. You must be a Picfair Village resident to race, but all are welcome to come and cheer on your favorites. For more information visit http://www.picfairvillagepumpkinrace.com
Save the date: TUESDAY MAY 31, 2022 for PVNA ZOOM Meeting 7:30pm
Picfair Village Neighborhood Association is having a follow-up ZOOM meeting with Officer Green about the homicide that took place at Saturn St. and Genesee Ave on March 12, 2022. He will share with the community the status of that case and take questions that have to do with police matters.
The City of LA will be instating water restrictions starting June 3, 2022. Please check to see when you are able to water and how much. We’re all in this together, so please don’t let those sprinklers go too long.
Reminder P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council Elections are March 16th (Vote by Mail ONLY -see previous posts for obtaining a ballot)
Ballot Drop Box Location for P.I.C.O. NC ELECTIONS:
Robertson Branch Library
1719 South Robertson Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035 Unfortunately, a Ballot Drop Box is not available within our NC boundary. This is the closest Ballot Drop Box to our NC.
The agreement was established to provide voters with a location where their ballots can be dropped off at a secure location over a 5-day period.
Ballot Drop Boxes will be opened at 9:00 a.m. on the Friday (March 12th) before the election and closed at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday (Election Day- March 16th). You can visit our website to view your Ballot Drop Box location on our Election Day/Drop Box Info page.
