FAV President
home, he and his partner Steve fell in love with a beautiful little Spanish-style house in central Atwater
Village. They have spent five years painting, patching, installing, planting and generally re-polishing
their 77-year old treasure.
In 2005, Cesar launched AdvocacyWorks, a consulting firm providing government affairs, media
relations, grant writing and organizational development services. He served for 13 years as chief of
public affairs for the US' largest HIV service organization - AIDS Healthcare Foundation. As such, he
works with government and community agencies in an effort to bring life-saving treatments to everyone
in need in the US, Africa and Latin America.
As a founding member and president of FAV, Cesar chairs the board meetings and tries to make grant
deadlines! He is continually amazed by the dedication of his fellow FAV members.
Cesar can be reached at cesar@theadvocacyworks.com
FAV Treasurer
Friends of Atwater Village; member of the Atwater Village Residents' Association, member of the
Grindelwald Ski Club of Los Angeles since 1956 (sister club is Grindelwald, Switzerland), member and
docent/volunteer at the Autry Museum, member of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, Los
Angeles County Museum Association, Philharmonic Association, and the Northeast Community Plan
Advisory Committee for ten years (rewrote the Community Plan for Northeast Los Angeles -- disbanded
in the Fall of 2003).
Before retiring in 1999, worked for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles for 22 years. In the
private sector managed a court reporting agency for two years, prior to that was in all phases of
mortgage banking -- including arranging and closing loans, escrow, etc.
Among other things, enjoys snow skiing, hiking, gardening, and working to make Atwater Village a
better place to live
Ann can be reached at lawild7@aol.com
FAV Board Member
business owner since 1987 (Netty's Restaurant in Silver Lake) Netty has committed herself to community
issues with special focus on the environment, green space, and historic preservation.
Some highlights to Netty's community activism:
1999-Present: Began the Coalition to Save the Van de Kamp's in response to a developer's plan to tear
down the historical monument to build a "big box". The Coalition eventually grew to over 23 community
groups and succeeded in not only saving the building but was in instrumental in helping to bring and
extension campus in Los Angeles City College to the site.
1999: Conceived and personally funded a mural at Glendale Blvd and Glenfeliz Blvd.
2000-Present: Co-founder of FAV.
2000: Conceived and personally funded a mural at Dover Street and the Los Angeles River
Netty can be contacted at dishy512@sbcglobal.net
FAV Board Member
Atwater but lived away for a number of years when Joe was in the Air Force. They returned to Atwater to
raise their family and Joe returned to carry on this families business, Vince’s Market.
Sandra has always been interested in the community working for a number of years as a volunteer
teacher’s aid at Atwater Ave Elementary and being involved with the PTA.
She worked for the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau for over 20 years working as a
registration supervisor at seminars, trade shows and conventions.
Wanting to be more involved in the community she joined Friends of Atwater village in support of the
movement to save the Van de Kamps building and to try to address some of the negative quality of life
issues that were becoming an all too common part of Atwater daily life. She also serves on the Board of
the Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Atwater Residents Association and
Neighborhood Watch.
Sandra can be reached at kumquatsc@earthlink.net
FAV Board Member
shop on Fletcher Drive (Luis Lopez Automotive). In addition to fixing cars Luis also enjoys fixing
community problems; especially quality-of-life problems on Fletcher Drive.
Luis first became inspired to do community work when Friends of Atwater Village (FAV) successfully did
a mural on Fletcher Drive in 2001, “Blot the Blight” project that helped beautify Fletcher Drive. FAV’s
“can-do” attitude and extraordinary accomplishments under limited resources made Luis into a deep
admirer.
In 2003 Luis joined FAV as their amateur webmaster to help spread the word of their community work.
In 2004 he joined the FAV Board and has taken a more hand-on involvement in FAV’s community work.
Luis Lopez can be reached at luis@lopezautomotive.com
Past - FAV Board Member
eclectic homes and residents, and proximity to Griffith Park and the Los Angeles River. Ash joined the
Friends of Atwater Village because he believes in its vision of inclusive and responsive neighborhood
activism for historic preservation, neighborhood parks and green-space, and pedestrian/bicycle safety.
Ash is an educational policy researcher at WestEd, a regional educational research and development
laboratory serving California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. He is also an avid bicyclist who is often found
on the LA River bike path.
Friends of Atwater Village
3371 Glendale Blvd, Unit 110
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Tel: (323) 913-2999
favboard@friendsofatwatervillage.org