VAN NUYS : Showdown Expected Over Day-Care Vote

A showdown is expected today between Van Nuys homeowners and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick over a plan for a proposed day-care center she is supporting.

The City Council is scheduled during its meeting today to vote on the plan, which calls for the conversion of a single-family home on Keswick Street in Van Nuys into a privately owned center with a five-day-a-week program for 24 children, ages 2 to 6.

The plan was approved by a zoning appeals board in June. But many neighbors strenuously object to the project, saying it will bring excessive traffic and noise to the area and lower property values. They are resentful of Chick’s support for the center.

“We are going to get an attorney for this and we are going to get recall papers for Laura Chick, “ said Ginette Burwell, who lives two homes down from the proposed center. “We are going to fight this no matter what the outcome. I cannot tell you how unjustly we have been treated.”

Chick was equally angry in her response. “This charge of unfairness is so completely out of line that I am indignant about it,” she said Tuesday. “That they’re angry that I’ve come up with a solution is beyond belief and leads me to question what their real motives are.”

Residents contend that Chick failed to consult with them about a plan change that replaced a circular driveway in the alley behind the site with a driveway between the alley and Louise Avenue. “(Chick) hasn’t kept us in tune with what’s going on,” said Van Nuys Homeowners Assn. President Don Schultz, who contends that the new driveway plan is unsafe for children.

Chick, who said the new plan solves the problem of congestion in the alley, bristled at Schultz’s comments, saying that she notified Burwell of the change.

“I certainly don’t expect Mr. Schultz to call me and plan everything he’s doing,” Chick said. “I think that Mr. Schultz’s philosophy is, ‘As long as (City Council members) agree with me, I’ll work with them. If they don’t, I’m against them.’ ”

“That’s a ridiculous statement for her to make,” Schultz responded. “The decisions she makes have a lot more impact on the community than the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn.”

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. in council chambers.