NORTH HILLS : Plan to Stem Street Drug Sales Is Backed

In an attempt to stem the flow of drive-through drug sales in a North Hills neighborhood, a residents group has won limited community support for its proposal to convert two streets into one-way routes.

About 30 residents Tuesday night backed the plan at a meeting sponsored by the North Hills Community Coordinating Council, which sought the support before presenting the proposal to City Councilman Richard Alarcon.

“I support this 100%,” said Joe Almeida, 30, the on-site manager of a 99-unit apartment building on Rayen Street. “We need action.”

Under the proposal, Orion Avenue would be converted into a one-way northbound route between Parthenia Street and Nordhoff Boulevard. Langdon Avenue also would be made into a northbound one-way route between the same areas, except for a small section in front of Langdon Avenue Elementary School where the bus would stop for children.

“What the drug buyers do is pull off the 405 Freeway at Nordhoff, pull down Orion, make a quick purchase and get out of the neighborhood,” said Los Angeles Police Officer Henry Acosta, who attended the Langdon school meeting. “With this plan, they may have second thoughts.”

Although there were no objections to the proposal among residents attending the meeting, some said it is important to distribute bilingual flyers in the area to ensure the plan is supported by neighbors who did not attend the meeting.

“There are just managers here,” said Elmer Marquez, a manager of an apartment complex on Orion. “Where are the people today?”

This is not the first time the community has sought to block off streets to stem the local drug trade. Barricades erected by police in 1989 to limit access to four streets in the neighborhood were removed last year.