From Josh Smith Executive Director of People in Progress;

It is with deep sadness that I must tell you that Dennis O’Sullivan succumbed to cancer at 8:05 on Tuesday, January 17, 2012. Dennis was not only the past Executive Director of People In Progress, but one of our clients in 1990. Since that time, Dennis quite literally dedicated his life to helping others, not only at the agency, but also in the community at large, having served on numerous boards and committees.

In speaking with his neighbor this past weekend, he recounted to me that Dennis said that he was at peace and acceptance with his illness and said that he was “leaving this life having helped more people than he hurt.” We should all be so fortunate.
At Dennis’ request no formal arrangements will be made.

DENNIS M. O'SULLIVAN - BIOGRAPHY             

Born in North Hollywood,  Calif.  Second of two sons. Parents both born in N.Y.C., N.Y. 1st generation Americans. All grandparents born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland.

Education:
St. Charles Borromeo grammar school No. Hollywood, Ca.
Attended High School at St Nicholas of Tolentine, Bronx, N.Y.  
Business Law and Business Mgt. classes - University of Hawaii extension.
Graduate of L.A. Mission College Chemical Dependency studies program.

Military: Honorably discharged Vietnam Era veteran. 1965-1967

Honor graduate – Non-Commissioned Officers Leadership Academy – Ft. McClellan, AL 1967

Employment: 15 years as a motion picture camera technician freelancing for major motion picture and television producers. Also worked in various management positions in the retail and food and beverage industries.

Current: Volunteer position in 1990 turned into paid position with People In Progress, Inc. Worked thru various positions retiring as Executive Director in February 2011. People In Progress is a social service agency providing program services to the homeless and indigent who primarily have problems with alcohol and drug dependencies. People In
Progress also contracts with the Veterans Administration to provide services for homeless veterans.

*Community Service*

Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council – President 2004-5

Councilman Tony Cardenas’ appointee; Bradley Landfill Advisory Comm. 2003-2009

Councilman Tony Cardenas’ appointee; Neighborhood Council Review Commission
2006-7

4th of July at Hansen Dam Committee- President 1997 to 2006

Sun Valley Area Chamber of Commerce 1994-Present, President 1996 - 98 & 2009

SFV Veterans Day Parade Committee, organizing committee 2004 to 2011,  Treasurer 2004 to 2007

Providers Collaborative of the San Fernando Valley - Chair 1996 to 2011

Mayor James Hahn’s appointee:
Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority Commission 2002 - 2004

Affordable Housing Trust Fund 2002

L.A.U.S.D. Redistricting Commission 2002

Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg’s Public Safety Commission 1999 to 2002

Member of and various positions for:

     San Fernando Valley Homeless Coalition

     Pierce College Addiction Studies Advisory Board

     Combined Health Appeal of California - Board member 1998 to 2000


*** There is planning currently to have an informal service at People in Progress, Sun Valley, Information will be posted once available. ***

The Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce wishes to encourage those wanting to honor Dennis O'Sullivan's memory do so through a donation to People in Progress.

_ The I-5 Conceptual Study will be presented to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board on January 12, 2012.  The Board meeting will be held at Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) headquarters in the Board Room starting at 10:00 a.m.

To view the full I-5 Conceptual Study report, please visit: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/2012_January.aspx.

 
If you are unable to attend the Board meeting, you are welcome to join us via live video stream at: http://bit.ly/wNfzSZ.

For more information about the Board meeting, including the Agenda, visit: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/monthly_brdmtg.aspx. 

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is developing a San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles and Anaheim high-speed rail system that will operate at speeds of up to 220 miles per hour.  The full system will connect all of the state’s major urban centers, including Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.  Initial infrastructure construction will begin in the Central Valley, the backbone of the system, in 2012.  The project will generate 100,000 construction related jobs over the next five years and nearly one million economy-wide jobs over the life of the project.  The project is being funded through voter-approved state bonds, federal funding grants, local funding, and public-private partnerships.      

For more information about the California High-Speed Rail project and for more specific information about route alignments, we invite you to visit: www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov or call (916) 324-1541.

Press Release: November 11, 2011, Shadow Hills, California

OCCASION TO CELEBRATE ANNOUNCES 2012 BENEFIT CHARITIES

In honor of April’s National Autism Awareness Month, Occasion To Celebrate selected two outstanding non-profit equestrian organizations to benefit from their 2nd Annual Occasion To Celebrate Charity Golf Tournament Wine & Beer Tasting to be held Monday, April 9, 2012 at Mountain Gate Country Club.
Proceeds from this event will directly support Los Angeles Equestrian Vaulting Club and Special Spirit, Inc., a PATH certified therapeutic riding center, in their continuing missions.

Occasion To Celebrate owner, Teresa Woolson, shared this statement: “Our vision for this event is to build awareness and support for the work that Los Angeles Equestrian Vaulting Club and Special Spirit, Inc. are doing in the community. I am impressed to see how well two unique equestrian organizations can work together, especially in such a meaningful way as helping individuals with autism and other disabilities through certified equine assisted therapy and the international sport of equestrian vaulting."

This exciting day of charity golf will include a shot-gun start, scramble format, golf contests, wine and beer tasting courtesy of our sponsors OneHope Wines and Fireman’s Brew, raffle prizes, silent auction and Awards Dinner Reception.

Please visit our event website for additional information, sponsorship opportunities and to make golf and dinner reservations: www.otccharityevents.org or call volunteer tournament director, Teresa
Woolson at (818) 590-3319.

New Email Scam - The Email looks like it is coming from someone who you might know - Friends, Family, Co-workers Etc. as it uses their Email Address. When in doubt just call the person directly - NOT the number they give you - chances are they will have no idea what you're talking about! Also NEVER give out any bank account, credit card or personal ID information.

The one that hit the chamber email was:

"Hope you get this on time, I made a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland and had my bag stolen from me with my passport and personal effects therein. The embassy has just  issued me a temporary passport but I have to pay for a ticket and settle hotel bills. I've made contact with my bank but it would take me 3-5 working days to access  funds in my account from Edinburgh. Can you please lend me some money so that I can pay my bills and book my ticket back home?
You can reach me via email or the hotel's desk phone +44#######.
I await your response..."

AGAIN THIS IS A SCAM!
This is also a reminder to change your email passwords at least 3x a year.

In 2008, California voters took the visionary step to begin a high-speed rail project. Now, Governor Jerry Brown has challenged California to think big again.
 
This week's release of the High-Speed Rail Draft Business Plan <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/d:l/z1cmuaeryp1blc/1048qthbgpqu3fk/1>  is a cornerstone of that challenge. Just as important, the plan shows how this statewide transportation network will be a powerful job generator, creating over 100,000 in the next five years alone and more than 1 million jobs over the course of its construction in California.
 
It's a business plan that thinks big for Californians who want jobs. It thinks big for Californians who want cleaner air. It thinks big <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/d:l/z1cmuaeryp1blc/1048qthbgpqu3fk/2>  for Californians who know our transportation infrastructure can't keep up with our population growth.
 
And, in a traditional California style it's a plan that keeps our State at the forefront of technology, innovation and in the global economy.
 
The new business plan recognizes that the project will be built one step at a time and that each of those building blocks, while moving us toward a statewide whole, will also bring with them value to the regions served. It's a plan that reflects honest, realistic and credible financial assumptions to guide project decisions.
 
The first step in the journey is the construction of a 130-mile stretch in the Central Valley for about $6 billion, using already identified funding and breaking ground in less than a year, with completion in 2017.
 
The next step is extending this initial construction either north, connecting Bakersfield to San Jose, or south, connecting Merced to the San Fernando Valley. If the decision is made to build south first, this will cost $27 billion and would be completed in 2021. This is also the point at which trains will generate revenues from initial passenger service and the project will be able to attract private capital to help fund further expansions of the system.
 
Further steps include building the remaining sections needed to create a "Bay to Basin" system that connects San Jose to the San Fernando Valley.
 
New construction and future improvements to Caltrain in the Bay Area and Metrolink in Southern California will blend these services with the high-speed rail system to make possible a "one-seat ride" from San Francisco to Los Angeles (shown in Chapter 2 "Phased Implementation Strategy"). This "blended" system will utilize upgraded existing regional rail services and will connect San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim. The goal is to complete this part of the system several years earlier than the full system and reduce the overall cost estimate by $20 billion. As outlined in Chapter 3 "Capital Costs", extending dedicated high-speed rail service into downtown San Francisco and LA/Anaheim may cost $98 billion over twenty years.
 
 <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/d:l/z1cmuaeryp1blc/1048qthbgpqu3fk/3> The costs are big - but so are the challenges facing California. Efficient movement of people and goods throughout California is fundamental to the state's economy and quality of life and doing nothing to protect these assets in the face of an exponentially growing population is simply not an option. Without high-speed rail, the state will face much larger and more serious environmental and economic threats to our quality of life as we struggle to expand freeways and airports to keep up with the growing needs of our population.
 
Read about California&rsquo;s plan for the future of this project <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/d:l/z1cmuaeryp1blc/1048qthbgpqu3fk/4> . After you have, we want to hear what you think. Click here to comment <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/d:l/z1cmuaeryp1blc/1048qthbgpqu3fk/5> .

 <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/distribution:letterFile/z1cmuaeryp1blc_tmpl_files/z5gk7hbi59dl63> 916 324 1541 . www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov <http://dl5.activatedirect.com/fs/d:l/z1cmuaeryp1blc/1048qthbgpqu3fk/6>