Message from the Chair, Maryam Zar
Dear Palisadians,
As we progress through an exciting year, I want to remind you all that our meetings are usually held on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, at the Palisades Library meeting room. Please see a link to our calendar here, upcoming meeting agendi here, and contact us subscribe to our newsletter here.
As we head into the summer, we will be preparing for Officer elections, which will be held on June 14th. I have appointed a Nominating Committee to search for and determine the best candidates for each of the Officer roles, which include: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The Nominating Committee is Chaired by Dick Wulliger, with Danielle Samulon, Rick Mills, Sarah Conner and Alan Goldsmith serving as members. They are looking for community input, and ask that board and community members submit their input by email to wulliger2@verizon.net.
The Nominating Committee will formally announce their nominees at our public board meeting on May 10th. Nominations will then be open to the board and community (to nominate others or self-nominate) up to the last 15 minutes of our public PPCC Board meeting on May 24th. At out first meeting in June, we will hold a Candidates Forum (if need be), and an election. The term for new officers will begin on July 1, 2018, and end on June 30, 2019.
In April, we will receive a legislative update from our State representative (Assemblymember Bloom and State Senator Ben Allen) and in May we will hear an update from the County Supervisor and Beaches & Harbors with respect to the Gladstones RFP and the overnight beach access restrictions (threatened to be lifted by the Coastal Commission). In recent weeks, we have passed motions to oppose State control over local matters, and have almost unanimously voted to uphold local control over community and city issues. We’ve stood against State encroachment on building density near transit hubs as well as top down regulation of street vending and have spoken to limit short term rentals in our community.
Most recently, we’ve asked the Riviera Country Club to explain to the community the full scope of their plans with respect to changing usage on their property, and succeeded in asking our City Councilman to introduce a motion to ensure our favorable speaking time, formally set aside at comment period, before City Board or Commissions for PPCC (and BCC). Before the summer comes to an end, PPCC will hold community-wide Area and At-Large Representative elections. Look for candidates and campaigns over the summer, and a candidates forum before the community-wide voting gets underway. Get ready to run or vote!
As always, I thank you all for engaging with us year-round, and bringing your concerns to our attention for community discussion. PPCC is an all-volunteer board that aims to offer a forum for the consideration of important community issues that stand to impact the Palisades. We are the voice of the community in City, State and County government, where the credibility of a long-standing institution like ours and the careful crafting of relationships can be instrumental. We look forward to hearing from you year-round.
With warmest regards,
Maryam Zar
PPCC Chair