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Posts Tagged ‘media’
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June 30, 2019Holiday in the Park w/South Hills Burbank
November 19, 2017
Another wonderful night @ #Burbank‘s annual Holiday in the Park event! Thank You #HolidayInThePark organizers for a great experience ❤️. We spent most of the evening @ the South Hills Burbank Family Fun Area as part of their #LoveThe818 campaign. Jasmine & her BHS VMA Choir friends sang a few Christmas Holiday songs & we caught up with many Friends enjoying all the fun, food & festivities. The estimates so far are somewhere around 20,000 people showed up.
BHS Youth Vocal Arts – Night of Magic
November 15, 2017
Amazing time @ 2017 Night of Magic Fundraising Gala & Dinner @ Pickwick Gardens. Kudos to all the Incredible Performers, BYVAF, Dir. Brett Carroll, MC Sean Holland and everyone who came out to support this wonderful program. FLICKR PHOTO’s | FACEBOOK Album
MWD CA Water Tour with Marsha Ramos
October 21, 2016
Last weekend we were blessed to join our MWD Dir. Marsha Ramos and a diverse group of local community leaders on a Metropolitan Water District Trip to the California State Water Project / Bay-Delta. We toured Feather River Fish Hatchery & Oroville Dam, learned about the Cal Water Fix via presentations by MWD experts Stephen N. Arakawa & Curt Schmutte, and visited the Banks Pumping Plant & Bay-Delta. Guests included Councilman Bob Frutos, Sr. BWP personnel, various Board & Commission members, representatives from the business community & former Dir. Mike Nolan! Below are links to some of the Water Presentations & Trip Pictures fyi. #LearningAboutWater
CA Water Fix Summary | CA Water Fix Presentation | BWP Water Report
FLICKR Photo Album | FACEBOOK Photo Album | VIDEO Highlights
Sundheim for U.S. Senate – Campaign Event
May 27, 2016
I had the privilege of joining Governor Pete Wilson, Councilman Bob Frutos & a host of business leaders for Cocktails & Conversation with U.S. Senate Candidate Duf Sundheim at the beautiful Beverly Hills home of Eric George. After a few words from the Governor & former DA Steve Cooley, Duf shared his background & vision for the State & Country, covering job creation, education & health care, public safety & national security, water & the importance of stopping sanctuary city enabler Kamala Harris from being elected. Harris’ politicization of the Office of AG, unlawful search/seizure of Planned Parenthood videos & failure to defend the will of majority of CA Voters on Prop 8, are just some of the reasons Christian conservatives & constitution loving Americans should look elsewhere this July.
FLICKR PHOTO Album | FACEBOOK PHOTO Album | YouTube Video
JMMS VMA Pop Show 2016
February 29, 2016
It was Pop Show week @ John Muir & John Burroughs. Kudos to all the performers/choirs, teachers/choreographers & parent volunteers who put on 2 incredible shows. Enjoy a few photos & video from the JMMS show below.
FLICKR PHOTO Album | FACEBOOK PHOTO Album | YouTube Vid1Â | V2
TALARIA: Whole Foods – YES! 241 Condos – NO!!
August 21, 2013Re Talaria at Burbank; While I really like the design & Whole Foods store, the project as proposed is still Too Big IMO…241 Condos in a heavily congested area previously zoned for <200 is NOT a good fit. There’s no guarantee a Whole Foods will actually go in if this gets the green light as approval is for a mixed-use project consisting of Apartments with a (unspecified) Grocery store. We’ve seen in the past with The Downtown Collection retail area that what we end up with oftentimes doesn’t resemble what was proposed & approved. We also have a Water Shortage and Restrictions that need to be considered; Council can’t ask residents to restrict watering their lawns to 1 x week (Nov-Mar) and then approve a project that will create extra water demands for another 500-750 residents. Reducing the # of Condos to closer to 200 would be a good compromise.
Clearly the Whole Foods element is being used as a carrot to sell the project, along with the “green”/sustainable component. Such a large scaled mixed-use residential/commercial project would probably not have been approved under the old Burbank Media District plan; I know there were changes made to the General Plan but this massive apartment component is going to make the daily rush hour commute for those traveling Olive even worse than it already is. Moreover, it looks like the City is bending over backwards to change the rules again for a favored Developer’s project under a new “exceptional” clause; Would the small business owner on Magnolia get the same help & breaks? High-end mixed-use Downtown Burbank (The Collection) has not exactly been a success and do we really need more Apt’s/Condos when we already have the existing Empire Landing monstrosity nearby on Buena Vista @ Empire? I believe the site would be better reserved for Media Specific Office/Studio use that would bring additional Jobs to Burbank.
UPDATED: 8/29/14. It’s come to my attention that a 300 member Church (Victory Baptist Church) will be torn down and replaced with 241 Condos if this project is approved. The previous Developer (Platt) was going to build a new Church on the property but not so with the Cusumanos, although they will provide them with up-to $50k if they have to leave prior to their lease expiring. Moreover, their Pastor Nick Reed gave public testimony at Monday’s Planning meeting that the Developer had threatened them for opposing the project. I’m saddened but not surprised by these revelations. You can read more on the SemiChorus Blog. Here’s the Video:Â http://youtu.be/2xIvIAJ3xl4
Burbank Election Results & Recount + Bonuses
April 25, 2011Emily Gabel-Luddy – 4,411 Votes (49.7%) [+11 Votes]
Bob Frutos – 4,316 Â Votes (48.7%) [+2 Votes]
Ballots Cast – 8,866Â (15.7% of 56, 239 Registered Voters) [+13 Votes]
Measure U – PASSED with 5,720 YES votes vs. 2,562  NO’s  [+456/+7]
Note: [+] = Differential between Preliminary & Final Results
* notice the interesting +456 Vote increase in Measure U?
Link: Election Night Photos
BREAKING NEWS 4/21/11: RECOUNT Official or is it? (Updated 4/26/11)
It appears Burbank’s elected City Clerk Margarita Campos plan is to simply ignore residents Protest and demand for a Recount. Fronnie Lewis has posted 4 excellent Election Recount stories over at MediaCityGroove.com yet not a word about it in our local “newspaper” The Burbank (mis-)Leader. Last week a Hand Recount was initiated by the election watchdog group Protect California Ballots and Burbank resident George Marciniw, who apparently got cold feet the next day. A legal substitute request was then submitted by Fronnie Lewis herself and Kevin Muldoon & his wife Linda within the required 24 hour period. As of 6pm yesterday (4/25/11) Mr Muldoon is still waiting word as to if/when the Recount will proceed. According to Kevin, “The City Clerk is holding by that the original request was withdrawn and the deadline missed”. Fronnie Lewis contents  the following here:
“The recount or ‘protest’ request as the city is calling it was received on Wednesday 20, 2011 before 5 p.m. George Marciniw’s withdrawal letter was not dropped off at the Burbank City Clerk’s office until Thursday, April 21. In his letter (which I have a copy of) Marciniw says quote: The organization ‘Protect California Ballots’ representative Judy Alter would like to pursue the recount using Journalist Fronnie Lewis to take my place if that is acceptable. According to the California Deputy Secretary of State, Lowell Finley, this is acceptable and legal. Also on Thursday April 21, I handed City Clerk Margarita Campos my personal letter volunteering to replace Marciniw in the recount request process. While I was there, Kevin Muldoon came in with two letters and handed them to Campos. All three letters were delivered to the city clerk before 5 p.m. Thursday, April 21.”
It appears that the City is resisting the Recount request and in doing so further eroding any remaining confidence in their honesty and integrity, not to mention the much maligned mail-in ballot process itself which has failed to increase voter turnout and must be changed. You can read Fronnie’s stories by clicking on the below links including her most recent update and as always there’s lots of chatter over @ the SemiChorus Blog. You can also read my own Recount related email correspondence with City Clerk Margarita Campos here. I took the liberty of forwarding a copy to Judy Alter (emeritus UCLA Professor) @ Protect California Ballots who responded with the following statements via email:
“I believe that Ms Campos has not done a recount. I checked with the CA Deputy Secretary of State, Lowell Finley, about her assertion about reading only one name, etc. She is wrong. A recount of the city council race of all the ballots needs to have the person looking at the ballot and reading the vote to say Bob, Emily or no vote. One ballot will have only one vote for that race. It will not take any more time. I will write this out for her. I have been manager of two citizen recounts and know that this is the required process. Asking for more money is also wrong.”
“They cannot charge by the names or ballots but only for the time the recount board members, usually $100 per person of $400.”
“The opportunity to recount an entire race is too important. We have secret vote counting and we the people must actually see how the voters voted”.
Declaring the Results of the General Election is on tonight’s Council Agenda but astoninglishly there’s no mention at all of the Protests filed in Ms. Campos Staff Report. It’s almost as if the City is daring those concerned with this unique opportunity to audit and validate the current system to file a Lawsuit…I guess they don’t already have enough (11 current & 14 more anticipated cases to come all on City Manager Mike Flad’s watch). It’s time for newly elected Attorney General Kamala Harris to follow through on one of her election pledges and really take a look at what’s going on here in Burbank. More post Election Commentary to come shortly. In the meantime, please consider donating to Protect California Ballots to help them pay for our Recount.
BONUSES Lawsuit Update
Also of note this weekend, an update on the Burbank Leader vs. City of Burbank “Bonuses” Lawsuit, in which the City claims The Leader’s request to obtain the amount of bonuses paid to individual public employees is “illogical”. The L.A. Times is also running the story here with some good comments. The only thing “illogical” & “suspicious” IMO is the City’s stubborn refusal to comply with the Law (FOIA request) & spend thousands of taxpayers dollars (with Council approval) fighting a case they’re destined to loose, while demonstrating to all of us that they still just don’t get it…you work for us! Any public employee unwilling to disclose their salary & bonuses should tender their resignation immediately & go work in the private sector. There are 100’s if not 1,000’s of people who will gladly take your job and all the benefits that come with it  (health plan, holiday pay, pension etc). These people’s arrogance (Scott, Wilke, Flad etc.), lack of transparency  and sense of entitlement is absolutely astounding!
–Links–
The Recount: Why I support it and what will it cost
Update-on-the-burbank-election-recount-drama
Home Occupations redux
February 22, 2011
Below is my final attempt to get Council action on this issue.
Dear Burbank City Council Members,
I am writing to request your support for amendments to our Home Occupation Ordinance  that would allow for up-to 2 visits a day (5-10 a week) as per my previous letters on this subject. A quick review of surrounding cities within Los Angeles & Orange County show other cities have much more flexible ordinances that do allow for on-site client visits (see Attachments). The Home Occupation Task Force which I was briefly part of was charged with seeing if there was a way to make it slightly more flexible with regards to client visits while maintaining our neighborhood protections. Unfortunately Task Force members were not able to find a way, even though I presented clear evidence from other City & County Ordinances that show this could be achieved. Staff has been against making changes from day 1 and the stacked Tasked Force made up of 1 Chamber Rep, 1 Board of Realtors Rep & 2 Retired Citizens did essentially what Staff wanted them to do. It’s important to note that no survey or notice of meetings was sent to the 1200-1400 residents with registered Home Occupations in Burbank for their input. I would encourage you to review the minutes of the 2nd meeting I participated in for some of my comments on specific changes. I’m also attaching a copy of my resignation email so as to avoid any undue controversy re alleged inadvertent Brown Act Violations (keep in mind this was an Ad Hoc committee). The City has an opportunity this evening to display both leadership and understanding of current economic conditions and advances in technology that enable more people to work at home, especially in media related professions. I ask you direct Staff to come back with an amended ordinance with a provision that allows a reasonable number of visitors with an on-site parking provision. Thank you for your consideration.
UPDATE 2/17/11:Â As expected, the Council voted 4-1 to adopt Staff’s recommended changes containing only 1 amendment, with virtually no discussion outside of Dr. Gordon on the major issue of Client Visits. Mayor Anja Reinke called it “crazy” but still voted for it “as is”. Gary Bric asked a question about set-backs, while Dave Golonski & Jess Talamantes said absolutely nothing, surprising since they had supported it before and pledged their support during their Election Campaigns. * Video highlights are now available on my BurbankHomeBiz YouTube channel (see below Links).
What that means (according to Staff) is you are breaking the law if you have anyone visit your home for business purposes, including clients picking up or dropping off work, although I beg to differ with their interpretation. Of course the ordinance is unenforceable; you can have as many family members & friends visit as you like and there’s no way for the Home Occupation Police to determine who’s coming & going, and unless you’re creating a disturbance you probably don’t have much to worry about out as enforcement is complaint based (although Staff could manufacture bogus complaints just to hassle you). I’ve stated before that I believe the ordinance violates our constitutional rights and is discriminatory as it allows some people (music teachers) to have client visits, and I hope to have the item re-considered before a new Council. I gave up going to Council meetings a long time ago after their failure to grasp the Film Permit Ordinance and specifically their failure to allow the use of even 1 external low-watt light (LED, CFL etc.) for photo/video purposes. Unfortunately they still just don’t get it. Another EPIC FAIL!
–LINKS-
Film Permits & Home Occupations comments
October 20, 2009Dear Burbank City Council,
Thank you for your reconsideration of the latest set of revisions to our Film Permit Ordinance. A few final comments:
I’m glad to see Tripods are back as a permitted use and to see the added definition of “camera stabilization equipment”. Last meeting I asked a specific question about the use of stabilizers such as Steadicams, Varizooms, Glidecams etc., and Staff clearly stated that they we’re allowed as they’re attached to the body, held in the hand and carried by the videographer. That said, there still appears to be some confusion in the community on this and I think it would behoove Staff to clearly re-state this for the record tonight.
I am disappointed that we still don’t have a reasonable and safe allowance for low-watt lighting such as a 1000W permit-free lighting cap; I know several people submitted comments in support of this idea but there was no such mention in Staff’s report. It appeared a few Council members were willing to consider it last meeting but were talked out of it by Staff who said something to the effect of “it’s not the wattage but how it’s used”. Well you can say that about anything right…cutlery, power tools, vehicles etc. I would ask that a poll be taken prior to your final vote to see if there is support (3 votes) to add this exemption.
I still have major concerns re the definition of “Commercial Use” to include “Advertising on YouTube”. This is going to hurt small businesses who use the web for viral marketing, realtors who advertise properties via virtual tours etc., and should be removed. Previously we made no distinction between personal vs. commercial use, as the end-use has no bearing on public safety. To require our local small businesses to pay $350 to produce short videos that advertise their products & services in this economic climate seems counter-productive to previous stated Council goals re economic development. I’m glad we will be considering a reduced 1-Day Film Permit for 2010/11, but I made that request with ample time for consideration during this budget cycle and fear that whatever reduction is made for 2010/11 may be too little too late.
Finally, a few recent events have come to my attention that concern me. I’ve just learned of a situation where an out-of-town Film Director was told he needed a permit and Police & Fire staff on site to film a small scene in a house for his reel. Now I have no idea of how many people or how much equipment was going to be used but on the surface this seems unreasonable to me. I also read in the Burbank Leader of a BPD raid on a local film maker shooting a scene in a friends front yard that lead to a $700 citation. Then there’s the prosecution of Kevin Muldoon, an unemployed local car enthusiast prosecuted for filming a car show at Bob’s Big Boy without a permit. These incidents coupled with the City’s failure to grasp the pertinent issues & technology have caused irrevocable harm to our image and reputation as the “media capital of the world”. Considering the current economic crisis and rampant runaway production, you are not helping but hurting local media production companies that are the lifeblood of this City. I have also learned of a potential conflict-of-interest re Police & Fire Dept. personnel involved in the drafting of the ordinance who benefit financially from working on local film shoots, and find that very disconcerting.
One more thing re the Home Occupation Ordinance Staff Report; All I asked is you consider making a small allowance for low volume client visits i.e. A handful of people each week and Staff comes up with this? Think about it; one of the primary goals of the HOO is to encourage less vehicular traffic by allowing folks to work from home. So if someone works from home and does not make 2 peak-hour trips each day but has 2-3 clients visits per week which are off-peak who park on their premises, isn’t that a net reduction? How can Staff claim such a person is creating additional vehicular traffic? Let’s say I have a few people come over to play cards, or watch the game, or do a bible study or sit-in while I edit a video for them…what’s the difference? A lot of people who film now edit themselves and are also impacted by these inflexible rules & regulations but this HOO effects more than just film makers, it effects musicians/composers with home studios, graphic/web designers, people who do bookkeeping/taxes etc. The HOO is over 10 years old and can be improved by making a few simple changes that don’t require a task force or a lot of Staff time IMO. Please use your common sense when considering this item.
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