Sherman Oaks Homeowner Group

Recently letters to the Valley Edition were published criticizing the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. and Richard Close, its president. The association was criticized for not doing enough. As vice president of the association, I wish we could do more. We all are volunteers. We are working with neighborhoods throughout the community to make Sherman Oaks as even better place in which to live and work.

I guess it is inevitable that some people will be unhappy. No one can ever do enough to satisfy everyone.

To mention just a few of the things that we volunteers have been [involved in]: Tree planting along Ventura Boulevard, designing the Ventura Boulevard specific plan, an earthquake recovery program, charter reform, the birth of Proposition 13, preservation of the Santa Monica Mountains in our area, fixing the 405 / 101 interchange.

Perhaps the people who complained should spend time helping the community. We need strong volunteers.

Complaints are easy; success is difficult.

I applaud the hard work that Close has done for the community and all the other people in Sherman Oaks who have risen to the occasion and pitched in to keep Sherman Oaks the great community that it is.

MATT EPSTEIN, Vice President, Sherman Oaks, Homeowners Assn.