Mayor Talks Median Planning, Business Tax Cuts For San Fernando Valley 'Facelift'
WOODLAND HILLS (CBSLA.com) — Two Los Angeles city officials took a whirlwind tour of the Warner Center and other surrounding neighborhoods Monday to talk economic revitalization.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports Mayor Eric Garcettijoined City Councilman Bob Blumenfield to tour local businesses and meet with residents on possible ways to stimulate business growth.
Garcetti and Blumenfield visited businesses large and small alike from Topanga Canyon Boulevard east to Sherman Way, including a visit to La Reyna de Michoacan, a Mexican kosher ice creamery at 7147 Lindley Avenue in Reseda, as well as a tour of the Tarzana Village Walk at Ventura Boulevard and Yolanda Avenue.
The two officials discussed combining city funds for median planning to create more pedestrian- and business-friendly areas, as well as plans to cut city business taxes to jump-start economies on smaller "Main Streets" citywide.
Covering a wide swath of the San Fernando Valley by the end the tour, Garcetti said the region appeared to be ripe for a process he termed "urban acupuncture."
"You've got vacant lots, you've got a median that needs to be improved," he said. "Kind of almost like giving a small facelift to bring back the whole area."
The mayor also took an opportunity at La Reyna de Michoacan to savor the Valley's unique character.
"Only in LA could you get kosher Mexican ice cream made by a Chilean," he said.
Blumenfield also recommended making better use of older Community Redevelopment Agency properties to help launch small businesses that are critical to bringing jobs to area residents.