Bylaws

TOPANGA TOWN COUNCIL, EST. 1977

CORPORATE POWERS

The corporate powers of this council shall be vested in a Board of Directors, who shall be members in good standing of the Council.

PURPOSES OF THE TOPANGA TOWN COUNCIL

(a) To provide a forum for the Topanga Community to address important local and county issues that could affect the residents, businesses and property owners in Topanga and provide a mechanism to get Community input back to local and county governments.

(b) To involve the Supervisor’s Office on any issues the Council, on behalf of the community, is seeking to resolve with any government agency.

(c) To support the Supervisor’s Office in their management of the Topanga area.

(d) To generate, assist and support in the Topanga area in such activities that will benefit the residents and property owners.

(e) To support and assist government agencies and other volunteer organizations in the Topanga area.

MEMBERSHIP

The Topanga Town Council shall be composed of voting members constituting the Board of Directors, and non-voting members, organizations, businesses and individual residents of Topanga shall be eligible for non-voting membership in the Council. Payment of membership dues will entitle paying members to have a copy of minutes mailed to such member.

(a) Board of Director membership in the Council shall be limited to Topanga residents (renter or owner) & non-resident Topanga property owners.

(b) To qualify as a resident, an individual must have resided in Topanga for at least 30 days.

(c) Membership shall be open to anyone having reached the age of 18, and voter registration is not a requirement for membership. To request membership you should send to the Topanga Town Council a resume and brief summary of any civic organizations in which you participate and length of time in Topanga. The resumes will be evaluated and each request will be brought to the attention of the Topanga Town Council Board. The Chairman of the Membership committee will then contact the requestor.

(d) There shall be a non-voting category of membership, open to transient residents, interested parties from neighboring communities, representatives from Topanga Community Organizations, etc.

(e) The definition of Topanga, for the purpose of defining membership qualification and other related purposes, shall be Postal Zip Code, or approval by the Board of Directors if outside Postal Zip Code 90290.

(f) Annual membership dues for non-voting Council members shall be $15.00.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(a) A Board member shall have been a participant of the Town Council for three (3) consecutive meetings before being eligible for election to the Board of Directors (with the exception of the first elected Board of Directors).

(b) The Board of Directors can consist of up to nine (9) Council members.

(c) If a Board Member fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Council then the Presiding Officer may at his or her discretion temporarily suspend that Member for purposes of voting or constituting a Quorum until he or she next attends a Regular Meeting. If a Board Member fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Council without a compelling reason the Presiding Officer may declare that seat vacant, if a majority of the Board so deems.

(d) Seven (7) days notice shall be required before non-scheduled meetings of the Board. (Emergency meetings are to be excluded from prior notice.)

(e) No officer shall for reason of his or her office be entitled to receive any salary or compensation, but nothing herein shall be construed to prevent an officer or member of the Board receiving any compensation from the Council for duties other than as an Officer.

(f) Only an Officer of the Council or other person designated by the Board of Directors may make official statements on behalf of the Council. This limitation does not apply to the conduct of routine communications, business transactions or Board authorized statements.

MEETINGS

(a) MEETINGS SHALL BE PUBLIC. All Council and Board meetings shall be open to the public and to the press.

(b) No formal meeting shall be held or business conducted or votes taken in the absence of a Quorum. A Quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the voting members of the Board.

(c) Minutes of each Council meeting shall be sent to all Board Members and to such others in the community as the Board directs, and shall be available to the public.

(d) Public Input. Subject to the Chairs discretion to limit the total amount of time allocated on particular issues and for each individual speaker, every member of the public attending a Council Meeting shall have the opportunity to directly address the Board on any agenda item, before or during the Board’s consideration of the item, and at the appropriate time for such comment, any item of interest to the public that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council, provided that no action shall be taken on any item not appearing on the agenda.

LIABILITY

Neither the members nor Directors of the Council shall be personally liable for the debts, liabilities, or obligations of this not-for-profit corporation.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jacqueline Benson, 2004 Vice-President
Topanga Town Council (Rev. Nov. 2004)

Topanga Canyon Boulevard Roadside Committee (TCBRC)

CONTACT:
LA County Supervisor's Office 3rd District
Susan Nissman
818-880-9416
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABOUT TCBRC:
Through a collaborative partnership, the Topanga Canyon Boulevard partners has been working since June 2012 identifying the goals within the Topanga Creek Watershed Plan of 2002 that will promote public safety, fire safety, address and manage invasive plants, and protect the natural environment of the Topanga Creek Watershed along Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR-27). There are three subcommittees within the TCBRC dealing with communications, best management practices (BMP), and mapping. These subcommittees hold separate meetings to discuss more specific objectives in order to help and more efficiently realize the larger goals of the TCBRC.

MISSION:
The mission of the Topanga Canyon Boulevard Roadside Committee, an ad hoc advisory group, working collaboratively with related public agencies and community organizations, is to plan and execute sustainable solutions by April 2013 to manage roadside brush clearance along TCB/State Route 27 that promote public safety and best management practices for fire safety, invasive plant management, and protection of the natural environment of the Topanga Creek Watershed, by using methods, other than herbicides, consistent with the goals and policies of the Topanga Creek Watershed Plan of 2002.

TCBRC at Work:
The committee has put months of effort into developing and customizing a corridor management plan that addresses the enhancement of public safety, the protection of the environment along the roadside, and the concerns of the community.”

The corridor management plan includes best management practices for vegetation management: active participation from the community and property owners with parcels that abut SR-27; planting non-invasive vegetation; and using mowers and other mechanical tools instead of herbicides to remove brush and other vegetation along the highway.

The TCBRC hopes to invite and encourage Topangans to become a partner in their vegetation management program and to take pride and participate in preserving the natural environment of TCB.

TCB Roadside Committee Member Photo by Annemarie Donkin, Topanga Messenger

History

A RICH HISTORY...

Since it's inception in 1977, the Topanga Town Council (TTC) has been serving an ever-growing and ever-changing community. The Town Council began in 1977, when resident Jan Moore had a vision as to how to serve the community. Town meetings led to an ad hoc committee that formed the Topanga Canyon Town Council. It became a non-profit California corporation whose function was to act as an informational conduit between the town and local government officials.

Gary Davis became the first President and continued to promote the spirit and ideas of the original founders. One of his most important contributions was to establish the TTC Hotline, which more than proved its worth during the floods of 1980. The Council acted as a liaison between the community and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard, Red Cross, Cal-trans and the Los Angeles County Health Department. Hotline volunteers relayed information and directed help to those who needed it. By 1994, the Hotline demand was so great, that an independent organization formed and was named T-CEP (Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness) to improve communication during emergencies for residents.
Continuing in the 1980’s, Barry Glaser, Marty Brastow and Al Riggs served terms as President of the Town Council. The Council participated in a feasibility study with the Local Agency Formation Commission to determine if Topanga should be a candidate for incorporation as a city. The small amount of sales tax generated in Topanga was not, and is not, sufficient to pay for agencies such as fire, police and roads. It also joined various Topanga organizations to oppose the powerful land developers and Disney’s attempt to build Canyon Ranch in the northern undeveloped area. TTC has encouraged the expansion of State Parks on undeveloped land in our area and supports the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountain’s (RCDSMM) environmental efforts.

In 1982, the Council Board Members helped organize the Buddy Ebsen Community Arson Watch and funded the Topanga unit. Twenty-two years in the making, Arson Watch became independent. Under the supervision of Alan Emerson, over 140 volunteers patrol the canyon and adjacent areas in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Beginning in 1990, Dale Robinette served as President of the Town Council. During his presidency, the Council became a member of the Topanga Canyon Boulevard Traffic Committee. which gave Topanga a voice for Cal-Trans' road improvement project and the traffic signal at Pine Tree. He also helped the council give voice to environmental causes. Other highlights of Robinette's tenure included adoption of the flower box wall on TCB at Fernwood; working with the "Slow Down Through Town" movement that culminated with the "Welcome to Topanga" signs posted on the boulevard; establishing the "Do-Gooder" awards acknowledging local residents' and business owners' volunteer efforts; and raising money for the Council through the sale of Topanga Access Stickers (which is now the Access Card) and Topanga license place frames (sold at Topanga Lumber and now also offered at Mimosa and online). 

In 2002, Manfred Schlosser became President and re-established a time-honored tradition of having the Town Council sponsor the town parade during Memorial Day weekend.

Anthony Hall headed the Council for the next two years, supporting programs that included the development of a Leeds public library and support of after-school programs.

In 2006, Jacqui Benson continued the Council’s involvement with local organizations, developed the Town Council website and addressed traffic control issues.

Stacy Sledge headed the Town Council for 11 years beginning in 2008.  Under her leadership, the Town Council developed the community website, OneTopanga.com, which is a centralized online informational center for the residents, the businesses and the County. With the Town Council’s commitment to connecting the community, TTC has developed the 1-800-Topanga phone system. In 2009, the Town Council replaced the Access Sticker evacuation program with the more effective Topanga Resident Access Card. The card displays the resident's photograph along with the Fire Department's Zone numbering system which allows residents easier re-entry into the canyon after a disaster when roads are closed and when law enforcement officers deem it safe. In 2014, the Town Council united all Topanga non-profit organizations by creating HUB of Topanga, enabling local groups to share information and create cooperative opportunities. The new street banner pole system was installed offering local non-profits additional marketing opportunites. Also that year, the Council helped launch the Susan Nissman Watershed Resource Library at the new RCD headquarters in Topanga.  In 2020, the TTC launched the Council's facial mask program that served Topanga's most vulnerable population during the Covid-19 pandemic and other disaster related events.

Carrie Carrier became President in 2020 and leads the way by continuing to promote the spirit and ideas of the original founders.  Carrie's special background in environmental causes helps the Town Council better protect our sensitive watershed and wildlife.  Carrie served on the Covid-19 Coaltion that brought meal programs and services to Topanga's residents and businesses.  She is the Town Council's representative on the Topanga Canyon Roadside Committee.

The Town Council serves on the Topanga Emergency Management Task Force, Topanga's Neighborhood Network Committee, Save Topanga State Park, Topanga Canyon Boulevard Roadside Traffic Committee, Water District 29 Master Plan Task Force, and the Topanga Small Business Alliance. The Topanga Town Council appears at County hearings giving advice on numerous land-use planning issues affecting Topanga and its inhabitants. It is committed to furthering the academic goals of the community's children; to holding town hall meetings on topics important to Topangans; to keeping graffiti from proliferating in the community; to providing avenues of communication during emergencies; to serving the local homeless community, and to promoting community projects that benefit all.

See WHAT THE TOWN COUNCIL DOES FOR YOU

Archives

TOPANGA MESSENGER ARTICLES:

Topanga Emergency Management Task Force (TEMTF)

CONTACT:
LA County Supervisor's Office 3rd District
West Valley/Mountain Communities Dist.
26600 Agoura Road, Ste. 100, Calabasas, CA  91302
818-880-9416

TEMTF MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of the Topanga Emergency Management Task Force, a partnership of designated public agencies, non-governmental organizations, and community organizations is to ensure the sustainability emergency management efforts and strategies for the Los Angeles County unincorporated area of Topanga.

The Task Force oversees the coordination and communication among governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the community to improve preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery. It will develop, review, and monitor community-based emergency plans, facilitate emergency planning exercises, ensure community involvement and educational outreach, and evaluate and update emergency plans after a disaster.

Board of Directors

2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 


BOARD ADVISORS

 

TCC BOARD PRESIDENTS

 IN MEMORY

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