300 to Pitch In on Community Cleanup

About 300 area residents, police officers and service group members will engage in a North Hollywood spring cleaning Saturday, teaming up to remove debris, paint out graffiti and cut weeds in the area roughly bounded by Chandler, Magnolia and Lankershim boulevards and Clybourn Avenue.

The spring cleaning will directly target areas just outside the NoHo arts district, which has been spruced up already, explained Susan Hokom of the area Community Police Advisory Board, one of the many groups participating in the effort.

“With the NoHo arts district coming in, we as a group feel that areas [off Lankershim Boulevard] have become a no-man’s land,” she said. “It’s definitely a blighted area right now.”

The tidying is open to all comers, said City Councilman John Ferraro, who represents the area.

“I’m proud of the people of North Hollywood who are making a commitment to reclaim our neighborhoods and take pride in our city,” he said.

“Nobody can do it alone, but, working together, we can make a difference.”

After the initial scrubbing, Hokom said her group intends to begin beautifying the area by painting murals and placing planters outside shops.

Also participating in Saturday’s effort are police officers, the Neighborhood Watch, the L.A. Conservation Corps, Operation Clean Sweep and Clean & Green. The cleanup will begin at 8 a.m. at the L.A. Finnish Center, 10701 Magnolia Blvd.

For more information, contact Myran Cotton in Ferraro’s field office, (818) 755-7630.