PANORAMA CITY : Residents’ Leader Keeps Watch on Area

Leslie Yamashita’s job description is pretty simple: to make Panorama City a nicer place to live.

Fed up with street crime, deteriorating buildings and the neighborhood’s bad reputation, area landlords and homeowners pooled their money in June and hired Yamashita as full-time director of the Panorama City West Neighborhood Assn., a volunteer organization with good intentions but what members described as little impact on the community.

By hiring Yamashita, who is responsible for promoting Neighborhood Watch groups, arranging monthly community meetings and working with landlords and tenants, the association hopes to spur residents to get involved.

“When the association was all volunteer, sometimes things didn’t happen,” Yamashita said. “People just didn’t have enough time. Meetings weren’t held. The property owners now are interested in changing people’s minds, changing the reputation that Panorama City has.”

Yamashita, 38, a Panorama City resident who ran a secretarial service out of her home before taking on the director position, says part of her job is helping property management companies screen prospective tenants. She also represents residents and property owners before government agencies such as the housing and police departments.

Building managers say hiring a full-time director to guide the neighborhood association already has made a difference.

Jose Martin Sandoval, manager of an apartment building on Cedros Street, said he looks at Yamashita as a resource for solving disputes with tenants and researching the backgrounds of prospective renters.

“When people come here to rent, we have to be sure about where they’re coming from. And if somebody has a problem with someone else in the building, we can call her,” Sandoval said. “It helps.”

Sandoval also works with Yamashita in his role as block captain of the local Neighborhood Watch.

The association’s next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Mission Community Medical Center, Room 209, 14860 Roscoe Blvd. The public is welcome. The association can be reached at (818) 891-9227.