Something strange happened this past week in The Oaks… The six signs announcing our annual membership meeting were taken down… or stolen… by someone. In any event, they’re gone. And while we do think we're pretty cool, we don't believe our signs are now adorning some teenager's bedroom walls. Which leaves us to speculate that perhaps there’s someone out there who doesn't want you to know about this meeting...

Nonetheless, the meeting is still on, and we hope to see all of you there, at the Oaks Homeowners Association’s Annual Meeting, Monday night, March 21st at 7:00 at the American Film Institute, the Jack Warner Building, Room 107.

This might be a good time to remind everyone that the Oaks Homeowners Association is a group of fellow Oaks residents, who volunteer their time on behalf of the neighborhood. We conduct our business out in the open (unlike the nefarious sign stealer) and we encourage everyone who has something to say to speak to us directly. For that reason, Oaks residents are always welcome at our monthly board meetings, and they can email or call boardmembers. You can find the list of boardmembers and the minutes of our meetings right here on our website.

We know that we need the neighborhood's backing for everything we do, and that's why it's important to us that you let us know what’s on your minds, that you come to the annual meeting on Monday, and that you become a member of the organization. And by the way, you’re welcome to do the former two, even without doing the latter one.

Most people in The Oaks are now aware of the threat to the Hollywood Farmers Market.  The City may not renew the Market’s permit to close Ivar Avenue between Selma and Sunset on Sunday mornings.  This year the Los Angeles Film School has decided it needs its driveway on Sundays, and will no longer give the Farmer's Market permission to close Ivar south of Selma.  Without 100% agreement from the businesses along Ivar, the street cannot be closed.   If you frequent the Market, you know how many stands operate on this block.

The City has offered other options, but the situation is complicated by the fact that the Market opened a brick and mortar restaurant, the Farmer's Kitchen, at the corner of Selma and Morningside.  The Market needs to stay in that area.  One alternative is to add the block of Ivar north of Hollywood Boulevard, but without interrupting traffic on Hollywood Boulevard.  This would mean that the thousands of people who visit the Market would have to cross Hollywood Boulevard -- a major safety issue.  The other possibility suggested is to use the parking lot on the northwest corner of Selma and Vine.  This may be an expensive solution; it is not clear who would shoulder that cost; and it is not clear that the lot is large enough.

The non-profit Market has been operating at this site for twenty years serving the community.  In fact, it was already there when the for-profit Los Angeles Film School moved in.  It is not clear why the Film School needs access to so much additional parking on Sunday mornings.  In any event, in mid-December the City granted the Market a 90-day extension of its closure permit in order to allow the Market and the school an opportunity to work out a solution.  While we hope they are able to resolve the matter in a way that preserves the Market, this obviously is a situation that we all need to monitor.

Additional information from the market's oprator is available at the following sites:
farmernet.com and see-la.org.