Electric Encino

It's been a long time...

2009-04-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

Got asked for my Blogger ID, commenting on another blog tonight. I realized it's been a long time since I've added anything here. Reasons abound: the economy has me working harder, so less free time to blog. Other tech pursuits have taken over. Family calls, as does the stack of books on the nightstand and the two daily papers and myriad blogs and news sites.

More than those, though - Encino Village doesn't change much, day-to-day. I never saw this blog as being a place to log the falling of the leaves or the daily temperature. The idea from the beginning was to post news and to enable a sense of community. Other institutions have taken over those functions - we now have Neighborhood Watch and a steering committee. For the most part, we got the parking changes that we sought. There is a Twitter feed for "Encino Village" and an interest group on Yahoo.

When I started Electric Encino, no one else in the room at that first community meeting knew what a "blog" was. (It's true; I actually had to define the term.) Asked for emails, many gave AOL addresses. Many more refused to give any email at all, fearing spam and identity theft. There has been change in Encino Village, but when I walk the Encinodogger through the nabe, my Flip camera usually stays in my pocket. Very little is moving in the Village, and taking video of non-moving objects is just silly.

L.A. Heritage Day

2008-02-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

News from John Bwarie of L.A. Heritage Day, to take place on March 2nd. Local orgs are involved. Per their release, their event "...reconnects public at large with all of their cultural institutions and resources, while aiding historical sites and museums from across Southern California in showcasing their respective histories to the public. This event will be the first step in the launch of the LA Heritage Alliance."

More at their site: www.heritagesquare.org.

Deleting the link to the Encino Village Neighborhood ass'n. blog. It's gone MIA. Anyone know what happened?

Balboa Park in the eye of the storm

2008-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Here's something we haven't seen in a while - the park after a rain.
Note the snow also. It's winter in SoCal - tell your friends in the Midwest.

Last night's EVNA Steering Comm. meeting

2008-01-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

Last evening, the encinoblogger attended the (self-selected; if you were there, you're part of it) steering committee meeting. A funny thing here - several emails begged for confirmation of attendance because the room would only accommodate 25 people. No problem there; I think there were 12 people at the peak, so we could have each brought a guest and still had room within the legal limit.

At any rate. there was a discussion about the pending parking restriction experiment (see the EVNA blog for more on this; link below) put together by some Balboa Park-adjacent residents. Hard to believe anyone would oppose this, especially if you've seen the density of the parked cars on weekend days for blocks around the park. Obviously, the park was built in simpler, less dense times, and seen by the city as a neighborhood, not a regional gathering place. Soccer leagues changed all that, as did the explosion of apartments and condos that replaced homes. People drive to the park, they don't walk (so much, at least) and they come from all over the Valley, not from the neighborhood. There won't be any more parking built, at least not without shrinking the green areas of the park. Gotta wonder just where people will park once the restrictions start; I guess we'll see. I've dealt with this a lot as a guest at other's homes. It's a slight pain in the ass for all concerned, but less so than the unintended consequences of a horde of strangers using the nabe as a parking lot.

The rest of the time was spent discussing a few issues:

Someone needs to represent the Village on the Encino Neighborhood Council. Maybe me, I dunno. Wednesdays are a tough night for me; I have a recurring obligation that would interfere a lot, and which I'm loathe to give up. Who's out there that will step up?
Apropos of that, whatever time we meet will always pose a problem for someone. How best to decide this?
There is an ongoing need for better communication within the Village. Long detailed flyers don't work. A few bullet points and a source for more info are better. Bet you read the bold red stuff first, didn't you. Geeks and wonks (we know who we are) want the details immediately, and should be able to get them. Everyone else needs to be brought into the tent first. Simple solution - a flyer on everyone's doorstep with basic info and a referral to a website and a phone number (some people don't use the 'net; go figure) for more info.

Read this; tell your neighbors. Comment, but be nice and be on topic.

2008-01-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

Really good to see some effort and some unity in Encino Village. It seems there are new people and new ideas surfacing. Maybe this time some things will actually get done.

The various problems around Balboa Park seem to be the factors around which people are coalescing now. If you live near Louise, this doesn't seem such a big issue, but we all have to kinda feel each other's pain for a while and not allow the Village to get too Balkanized or nothing will get fixed (again).

Greetings, Trash-Pickers

2008-01-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Happy new year. I'm going to try once again to keep this going with some frequency. I have the time now, with a large part of my industry paralyzed by the writers' strike. There's a lot to write about in the Village; when I'm walking the encinodogger or cooling down after a long cycle trip I see people and things that bear, uh, blogging.

Here's the thought for the day: The trash pickers are back in force, and they're working smarter, not harder - they've figured out that we're looking for them on trash day, so they're coming into the neighborhood the night before trash day. How do I know? I saw a woman picking through a recycling can on Hatteras last night (Wednesday night; the trash pickup is delayed one day this week for the holiday, but still...), but I was on my way out for the evening and couldn't really stop to deal with it. This morning, I noticed that the newspapers, and I have a lot of newspapers by the end of the week, were totally cleaned out of my blue trash bin.

So here's the thing about this: as officer Trulick has mentioned, in most cases these are not individuals down on their luck looking for subsistence pickings. For the most part, they're organized and methodical in their treasure hunting. They know what they're looking for, and they know how to make a quick score and get out. If that was all there was to it, I'd almost leave it to them. There's a big temptation to cut these guys a break - let them have the papers, even take the newspapers out to them when they're in the neighborhood, especially if they have kids with them, as they often do. If you really want to help people, there are lot of organizations set up to do this in an efficient and sensitive way

The dark side of this is there's a complicated formula determining how much the city clears from recycling our trash. If a representative load of recycling is worth a certain amount, that value is used as a determinant for the entire neighborhood, or street, or region, or whatever. It's something like that, if not exactly that, but the point is that we all lose if the load from the truck is light at the dump. Ultimately, the money cleared from recycling helps keep other fees down, not to mention that recycling is just the right thing to do on so many levels. (If you don't agree with that concept, you probably stopped reading this several paragraphs ago.) On the level that this is happening, it's big-time crime, not petty theft. These guys and girls can make several thousand dollars a week stealing our recycling.

Side issue #1: once they are in your bin, no rule says that they have to stop at your newspapers. They may have your financial records, your mail, your discarded blog print-outs. There is a market for this kind of information. Side issue #2: crimes of opportunity present themselves. Your car is parked in your driveway, next to your trash cans. Your iPod (laptop, Prada pumps, 1955 Stratocaster; whatever) is on the seat. Maybe your car window is open or your door visibly unlocked. You can fill in the blanks. If one aspect of the neighborhood shows vulnerability, we can't really control what follows. Why start?

We can all help out with this. If you see someone going through your trash, or your neighbor's trash, call the police. It's not petty crime, it's big-time larceny. (The cops may not roll out immediately on this. It's not murder, after all, and we have to have some perspective on this. Not enough police; too much mischief. Do the math.) But here's the thing: if we harden the target - if we show self-respect on a Village-wide basis, if we present that we have a sense of place and that we look out for each other, the bad guys will go where the pickings are easier, and we'll all be safer.

RE: Citrus Sunday from Councilman Smith's Office

2007-04-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here's something I'm passing on. I'm too busy with work to blog here for now, and there's been nobody breaking down my door with community ideas, though I'm still open to all. This sounds like a good cause, and I don't know what could be more wholesome than a day spent fruit picking in the Valley. Check it out...

Greetings!

It's time for Citrus Sunday again in the Valley. On Sunday, May 6, 2007, join with neighbors from across the Valley in providing fresh fruit for those who are in need. This is a community-wide effort, and we need your help. Perhaps you know a neighbor or friend who you could tell about the project? Perhaps your school, organization, or workplace wants to participate as a group and do an independent collection in conjunction with Citrus Sunday? Spread the word, and join in Citrus Sunday!

This year's event is even easier than last year, with two easy ways to participate:

1. Collect fruit from your own trees and deliver them to one of the 13 drop-off locations (see flyer below for drop-off locations).

OR

2. Join the Citrus Sunday team at various locations to pick fruit by signing up in advance as a volunteer (with lunch provided!).

Information on how to participate and to sign up to volunteer with the group can be found here:
http://www.lacity.org/council/cd12/pdf/CitrusSundayFlyer2007.pdf

Hope you'll be able to join in the Citrus Sunday effort,
JOHN

John Bwarie
Deputy District Director
Office of Councilmember Greig Smith
Chatsworth office: 818-701-5253
Northridge office: 818-756-8501

**Participate in Citrus Sunday on May 6th!**
(check out www.cd12.org for more information)

Yogurt in February

2007-02-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

Winter really agrees with the Valley. It's easy to forget that in mere months we'll be sweltering and damning the cruel fate that keeps us in the humid muck.

This week, however, is nearly perfect - a little crisp at times; at times a little warm. This is a desert, y'know - we should be having cold nights and temperate days this time of year. Funny how different the weather is just moments away, though. When I'm cycling up to the end of Reseda Blvd. at 7.30AM, it's a whole different climate, though it can go either way: sometimes it's ten degrees warmer, sometimes cooler. Then I go over the hill, as I am today. Sitting in my tiny Beverly Hills office, I'm looking at the blowing trees; it's been windy all day here, though it was calm in Encino when I left. I go out to move my car - no garage, no free parking, no fucking way at these prices - or grab a coffee and I need a jacket. The mobs in front of Pinkberry are in T shirts and skirts. Wherever they come from, it's gotta be colder, so this is a treat for them. Yogurt in February.

The bad news...

2007-01-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

From Jennie, an Encino Park neighbor who blogs at valleygirly.blogspot.com (the posting from which this is excerpted is NSFW or kids; most of the rest is family/boss friendly, and a really cool blog you should be reading)

Hello there -- my fiance and I live in Encino Park. This past Friday while we were at work, our home was burglarized and many valuables stolen. We had received the recent community alert warning us of the thefts in the area and had been taking extra precautions with locks on windows and doors, and we have two dogs, one of whom is very protective, large and mean. But to no avail -- they forced a lock on one of our bathroom windows and the dogs were in the backyard and could do nothing. In speaking with neighbors, I have learned that the burglaries are occurring at an alarming rate in the past two months or so, and wanted to let you know so you could perhaps post something about it on your blog and e-mail people who live in the area since our area is apparently being targeted, and there is no sign of it slowing down. The only clue we have to go on is that one of our neighbors noticed what she thought to be a gardeners truck parked right in front of our house that day. We don't have a gardener, and our neighbor's gardener was not due until Tuesday. It was suspicious, and a perfect cover for a robbery when you think about it.

Yeah, it is a great cover. Gardeners, various repair persons, pool servicers, etc, are transparent and anonymous. They must belong here, or they wouldn't be here, or so we think - but we need to be a little more vigilant. The encinoblogger's neighbor's truck was broken into on Sunday night - next time, guys, try the door; it was unlocked and you could have at least spared him the glass repair bill - and an irreplaceable photo album was stolen. There is too much of this going on. Good news is that Jennie and probably others had kept serial numbers for their stolen valuables. If these guys go to a pawn shop, they'll get caught.

Meanwhile,lock everything; use your house alarm; get a doggie door so that your dog can actually protect you (Jennie's dogs were in the yard as the crime took place; she's since gotten a doggie door). Keep as little as possible in your car when it's parked on your driveway, and don't confront a burglar if you interrupt him/her in the act; get away quick.

The parking deal

2007-01-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

I'm really starting to think that the city may have lost the paperwork. I've heard nothing in a long time from the Parking Office. Luckily, I made copies of the petitions, so we're not looking at starting over.

I'll be checking into this, so more soon...

From the City Council Office...

2007-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Passing this along, from John Bwarie...

The San Fernando Valley Jaycees

present

Involvement 2007

Join us at our annual community involvement expo to
learn how to get involved with and meet the various nonprofit
and community groups that serve the Valley.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
6:00pm to 8:00pm

Braude Constituent Center
6262 Van Nuys Bl. * Van Nuys

Passing this along, via John Bwarie:

As we start the new year in the San Fernando Valley, there is an event coming up that I think everyone should know about and attend...

The San Fernando Valley Jaycees is hosting their annual community engagement expo, "Involvement 2007." This is an event where all the community serving non-profits in the Valley are invited to come and show what they do and the general public (you) is invited to come find out ways you can get involved at helping other and the community. With over 150 Non-Profits in the Valley, there is something for everyone: youth services, education, animal welfare, environmental activities, poverty assistance, senior services - and everything in between!

Special presentation at 7pm by
Councilmember Tony Cardenas
and Wendy Saunders, Executive Director, Mid Valley Family YMCA
“How to get involved”

RSVP to involvement@SFVJaycees.org
For more information, call 818-384-1622

Refreshments will be provided.
Free Parking beneath the Braude Center (if you enter off of Sylvan Street)

Sponsored by
Telesis Community Credit Union

Thanks...

2006-12-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

...to those who responded to the last couple of posts, and for the offers of help. The thing is, I don't run Encino; just this blog. This blog is my voice, at least for now, but the idea is that we all work on this stuff together. There don't need to be Indians and chiefs; we can all be either or both at any time.

So - who has an idea?

My Christmas present to you...

2006-12-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

I've deleted the link to Eddie Bernard's site. The site was open only by registration; there was no useful content that was publicly accessible, so it kinda looks, to me anyway, like a vehicle for harvesting email addresses for pitching.

The thing is, I like Eddie and he definitely has the best houses in the village in his inventory. I'd have no problem working with him on either side of a transaction, and he seems to have a good rep. I just don't like boilerplate sites that add to the advertising jungle.

And it's my blog so I can do what I want to do.

Well, that was then - a half-hour ago. This is now, and the link table was pretty much swallowed by the new template design. About that - I was mucking around with the HTML of the site this morning. I'm a big fan of web-designer and author Dan Cederholm and I noticed that Blogger has some templates he designed in their new collection, and so - the new look of Electric Encino. I'll have to rebuild the links table, so if anyone has any links they think should be included, let me know. Keep in mind that I'm looking for community-based sites, not ads. If you want to build your own site or blog to promote your biz (and you should), go for it.

Any thoughts on the re-design are welcome also.

You should be reading LA Observed.com

2006-12-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to those who thanked me for the "It's A Wonderful Life" post, but you really should thank Kevin Roderick by making LA Observed.com part of you daily reading, especially if you're into doings at the rapidly downsizing and deteriorating LA Times. Roderick always has the inside scoop.

Every time a bell rings...

2006-12-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

The film's mythical Bedford Falls covered four acres of the ranch north of Burbank Boulevard between Balboa and Louise. The trees lining the streets? Encino oaks, transplanted for the film. For the autumn scenes the leaves were knocked off, and for the winter scenes where Stewart stumbles through the snowy town, the trees were coated with white plaster...

What film? Why, none other than "It's A Wonderful Life," Frank Capra's postwar postcard and wakeup call to America. Turns out the Village was once the RKO backlot. We're treading where James Stewart, Donna Reed and Ward Bond once worked. This info from Kevin Roderick's essential LA Observed blog, which is the encinoblogger's first read each morning and frequent diversion during the day. You'll learn more about what's really going on in the city from this site and the sites it links to than anywhere else I've found. Also lots of valley-specific history and info at Valley Observed. Roderick's a local boy and collects a lot of valleyana there. I'm not, but I've learned a lot from this site and Roderick's SF Valley book. Check them out.

The blog is alive; it's Encino that's dead...

2006-12-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

A few people have asked me lately what's going on with this space and the various efforts to spiff up the neighborhood. This space is alive, though I've been busy with work and various other things for a few months; it's the will to move on with things in the neighborhood that's (apparently) dead. The intention here was to have a means of communication; there's been little of note about the Village to communicate.

The main thing for me is that there has been very little response to either this blog or the various flyers that the encinodogger and I put on doors last summer, and it gets tiring, all this crying out in the wilderness. Most of the email addresses I got at the meeting last February are garbage. They're either not valid, or so spam-blocked that my emails won't go through, so it's hard to know who's actually reading this. A place to begin: email to me your (valid and not-spam-blocked please) email address. Also, as you can see, there aren't a lot of comments on the blog, let alone people interested in posting here. BTW, commenting is easy; you don't have to be a geek to do it, so give it a try. You can also email me here.

I never saw any action or offers that were acted on about landscaping the Louise strip, or any of the other beautification efforts, so I'm assuming there's no enthusiasm for any of that. These changes can't happen without expertise, money and stuff - trees, dirt, tools, planning. Got any of that? If so, let's do it. By this, I mean actually get it done. I know that there are people who'd love to get involved with projects. I think we're just having trouble getting the ball rolling.

There was a Neighborhood Watch meeting last night (Tuesday 12/5), which I could not attend. Barbara at encinowatch.com is still doing a great job of keeping that channel open, and our SLO, officer Trulick remains helpful and responsive.

One positive: The petition to limit parking on Louise is with the city. How long that may take to turn around is anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, enjoy this time of the year. Kiss your children and hold them close; call your old friends and wish them well. Sing the songs and eat the foods that go with whatever holiday you may celebrate.

Any ideas on how to get things happening are welcome. Email me at encinoblogger@gmail.com.

It's a busy time...

2006-08-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

...for the encinoblogger just now. It's time to get the encinodaughter off to college, there's some paying work to be done, and tomatoes in the garden that need picking. While there is blogging to be blogged, it's going to have to wait for a week or ten days more; then I'll be back up to speed.

Just a note, though: The encinoblogger would like to stay that - simply "the encinoblogger" - in this space. If you know my name, leave it off this space or any other 'net places where you may hang out. I want to avoid any flame wars or other conflicts. Inevitably, someone will disagree with something here, and I'd like to keep that out of my personal life if possible. You're free to disgree in print as much as you like; I welcome debate, I just want to leave the debate in cyberspace.

Thanks for understanding...

Meanwhile, there's a swell new blog up regarding the village's history and efforts to promote and preserve same. You can find it here (http://encinovillageheritageassociation.blogspot.com/).

I'd like to see someone posting or commenting (btw, thanks to John Bwarie)about the efforts to plant behind the wall. Does no one have a thought about this?

As promised...

2006-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

...news of the new "Encino Community Improvement Organization." We met last night, the agenda being limited to projects that would update the physical appearence of the nabe. Such as:

Spiffing up the (former) Oak Tree island at Louise and Ventura
Extending the planted divider on Ventura near Plaza de Oro to "Chli's" restaurant
Removing the moribund newsstand next to Auto Steigler
Landscaping and cleaning-up the east side of Louise between Burbank and Oxnard

It turns out that there may be grant money available for some of this; it may also be possible to get contributions from private sources and from the council members' discretionary funds (who knew?).

To Babbitt Ave. residents, and others who back up to Louise Ave.:

If we are able to secure plants (we're thinking oleanders, but open to suggestions) for the parkway between the wall and the street, they will need to be watered and somewhat tended until they are established. How will we keep them watered? This will require community action of some kind...

Are you willing to install a drip sprinkler for the new plants at your expense?
Can you hang your hose over the wall twice a week to water the plants
Should we just go #$%$&^% ourselves; this isn't worth the trouble

Several of my neighbors have remarked that they always direct visitors to enter through Aldea. If we do this, the result will be a much more pleasant drive on Louise, and a better face for our community. We can take a little pride in how we present to the world. The beginning of this project will require some effort. It's going to be worky to plant whatever stock we're able to get. That dirt is bound to be hard, so we may need equipment besides hand labor. Does anyone know of a landscape architect who could help with design, preferably on a pro bono basis? Does anyone own, work at, or know of a nursery and/or equipment rental facility that might donate stock and machinery or at least give us a break?

Please email encinoville@gmail.com or comment below.

News from Neighnorhood Watch

2006-07-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Some of you will find a flyer with Neighborhood Watch news on your doorstep tonight (Sunday). The encinodogger and I took it around and dropped it at selected houses, especially those of residents who have expressed a wish to be involved in the nabe. Though this is the first issue that I remember seeing, at least for quite some time, I think the organizers of this now know that we in the "south of Hatteras" sector are interested and involved with Encino Village life.

The bad news is that our SLO has not set up a future meeting for the neighborhood, though the other areas covered in the brochure seem to have a regular schedule. There could be a lot of reasons for this, but if you're concerned, or just want to get more involved, give him - officer Rob Trulik - a call at 818 374.7637, or drop an email to 32326@lapd.lacity.org. In my experience, he's shown himself to be a good guy and responsive to our needs and requests. Notice that the large commercial trucks have, for the most part, disappeared from Louise Ave., due largely to Ofc. Trulik's citing efforts. And you haven't seen anyone messing with the trash on Thursday mornings either, thanks again to him.

In other news, there's an effort afoot to organize a new group to deal largely with neighborhood beautification efforts. They're meeting Tuesday, so more news after that.

We've done it...

2006-07-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well, at least we've started to do it. Thanks to Josh and Richard, we walked the petition around the neighborhood and garnered quite a few signatures. Since we only need two-thirds of the affected properties to sign on, it should be pretty easy to qualify this. How long it will take the city to actually put up the signs is another story altogether, I'm sure.

A couple of the old-timers in the neighborhood recalled to me how many times this has been tried before; apparently we're not breaking any new ground here, but we're actually doing something.

Thing is - it's a beginning. If you're new to the blog, or even if you're not, please comment or email me. If you want to post, or even start your own damn blog, I'll help you do that too.

Get involved; be part of the solution.

And to all that helped, signed, and leant their experience: thanks.

Somebody help me...

2006-07-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

...Anybody. Please?

Chcchchchanges...

2006-06-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings from beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I'm again closing in on a living. It's hot and rainy here. The rain cools off things nicely, though, as does the beer. But, I digress...

Obviously, there was no petitioning last week. In fact, Maritza pulled out of the whole thing on Saturday, due to personal pressures. Yes, that was kinda last minute, and this is the first chance I've had to plan a new path. So - we begin again. I now have all the petitions, and I'd like to walk the neighborhood on Monday. With the holiday there should be a lot of people at home. and they may be drunk enough to actually open the door for us.

This is a call for volunteers: if you can do this Monday in the early eve, please enter a comment below, or email me. The thing is - if we're to do this, we need to do this, y'know? If Monday isn't good, let's plan another night, but soon.

A Reminder...

2006-06-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm in the bay Area today, making a much-needed living, but I wanted to remind all that it's time to get those parking petitions out. We're still looking at Monday and/or Tuesday (26,27th), so reply here or contact Maritza to volunteer.

What about the landscaping? Any ideas? I've got the beer on ice, so let's get it done.

News!!! (finally)

2006-06-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Maritza Beaudine has the parking petitions in hand, though she will need help to circulate them. She has next Monday and Tuesday in the early evening (June 26 and/or 27) in mind. Mrs. Encinoblogger had originally planned to help out with this, but she has a foot injury that may preclude this amount of walking. She may indeed be healed by then, but, in any case, we could use volunteers. We will need to cover all the houses that back up to Louise. This is a moderately big job, but it's something that can be easily done with a few people.

Please email the encinoblogger or reply in the comment space here to sign up. And please tell your neighbors to open their doors for us when we come around. Let's get this done.

Also, is anyone interested in a planting program for the parkway on the east side of Louise? Ideas and connections for getting cheap - uh, free - plants are needed. A few of us can do the labor (I'll bring the beer), but it would be great to get the stock donated. There may be help from the city available; in fact I'm hoping the councilman's office is reading this space and will step up on this. Email or comments below.

New Comment policy: Anyone's welcome!

2006-06-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

I've decided to throw open the Comments section to anyone from now on. You no longer have to register with Blogger to post a comment, although you might want to register anyway, just so you can start your own blog. I know that some people were uncomfortable with the whole registration routine, so now you can comment to your heart's content.

Mi blog es su blog.

Disaster Preparedness meeting : The Summary

2006-06-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

There was a fair turnout for tonight's meeting, probably around 150 people. The main points: you need lots of practical food, lots of water, lots of supplies. Flashlights, batteries, fie extinguishers, radios, blankets, pet food, kitty litter, plastic bags for the kitty litter (hint: it's not just for kitties anymore...). Aside from the Mr. Rogers-like approach ("Who can tell me how many policemen are in Los Angeles?") the main message delivered by experts from the city's Disaster Preparedness board, the LAFD and a particularly dour FBI agent was - you're on your own if it comes down. You need to be able to take care of yourself for at least a week.

We all saw after Katrina that you can't count on government help any time soon, so you'd better be able to survive until things settle down. We all know this, of course, but we act like it's not so. We nod sagely and vow to get to it, but do we? I don't know about you, but I've had kits in my house, cars and office for a long time, and I'm going to see this weekend that everything is fresh and functioning. When was the last tme you checked the batteries in your radio (you do have a battery-powered radio, don't you?) and rotated out the old Cliff bars for some fresh stock? Now's the time.

Disaster Preparedness meeting on Thursday night...

2006-05-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

There will be a Disaster Preparedness Community Meeting on Thursday, June 1st at
Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Free emergency preparedness starter kit per family plus QuakeHold Museum Putty. This is part of a citywide effort to prepare every community for any disaster. Speakers from the FBI, L.A. Fire and Police Departments will offer survival techniques to help you and your family prepare for earthquakes, fires, and terrorist attacks. We need to be prepared to survive on our own, as outside help might not be available. Please plan to attend and please tell your neighbors.

Thank you for your help.

Show of hands...

2006-05-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

...if you knew about the Neighborhood Watch meeting tonight (Tuesday 6/30). Yeah; that's what I thought.

I found out at literally the last possible minute, thanks to an email from Barbara Hand. She works tirelessly to promote community action and safety, but it takes more than one person if we're going to organize anything. At any rate, I decided to change my plans for the evening and got right to the meeting. Officer Trulick, who is obviously serious about being available and involved, discussed recent crime activity in the area, and gave tips on how to secure our houses and cars. Various questions were asked and answered, some quite relevant, and some kinda...uh, puzzling.

That's OK; I think the main value of these meetings (don't we know that we need to lock our doors, and not let the mail pile up while we're away?) is that we look around and see that others are interested in getting involved with the neighborhood. When we see that we're part of something, that in itself justifies the effort. If I know that you're going to show up, it's more likely that I'll show up the next time.

I'm hoping that it won't be too long before we hit the streets with the parking petition. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't even come the door these days for various reasons, so I'll try to email or do leaflets a few days before to remind people that we'll be coming over. Please open your doors when we knock. That's a good start.

If you want to be added to the email list, please leave a comment in the "Comments" space below. And tell your neighbors.

Important meeting this Thursday night...

2006-05-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

There will be a Disaster Preparedness Community Meeting on Thursday, June 1st at
Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Free emergency preparedness starter kit per family plus QuakeHold Museum Putty. This is part of a citywide effort to prepare every community for any disaster.
Speakers from the FBI, L.A. Fire and Police Departments will offer survival techniques to help you and your family prepare for earthquakes, fires, and terrorist attacks. We need to be prepared to survive on our own, as outside help might not be available. Please plan to attend and please tell your neighbors.

Yo!

2006-05-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Resident jpink brings up an interesting point in his comment below...this is not just about parking, it's about how we view our neighborhood. No one is going to do this, or anything else, for us. (As you see, we've heard sweet nothing from the councilman's office for almost two months.) This is really about compromise, and the very essense of democracy. If we all agree that we want to make a change, let's not let the details get in the way.

I will be emailing and posting when we walk the parking petition. Please open your doors, and let's get behind this. And let's hear about other ideas for the neighborhood while we're at it.

More on parking (moron parking?)

2006-05-06T16:51:00.001-07:00

Here's the new info: We must get 50% of residents on both sides of the street (Louise) to sign the petition in order to get it considered. Maritza, who has done all of the real work on this so far, has already gotten a flat turndown from one homeowner on the west side of Louise. He doesn't want to lose his parking privilege, no matter what. This is certainly a defensable position, but we all have to be willing to give something up in order to get something better.

Once again, if there is to be no compromise, this is a total waste of time for all concerned, so please think about this carefully. This blog is a great place to vent and raise questions, which hardly anyone is doing. Please participte; this is how changes get made.

Update

2006-04-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

As of this morning, suspected dumpster divers on Babbitt Ave. were in custody, along with their truck brimming with our recycling. Nice work by LAPD.

Dumpster divers

2006-04-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

I spoke today with our SLO, Officer Trulik. His captain is very concerned about the trash pickers working our recycling containers on Thursday. In fact, there is concern at higher levels: in 2003 this pilfering cost the city of Los Angeles over $12 million, and action on this has become a priority issue. Who knew?

The SLO will be working on this in a major way. He has asked us to call him (818 731.2572) if we see illegal activity around the recycling bins on trash day, and he will be on the street looking to make arrests.

Parking, part 2

2006-04-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was going to post a reply to jpink's comment below, but I thought it deserved a full post. Two ideas:

Here's the thing: we need to put something in motion now or the whole idea of neighborhood action will wither away for us. Let's get this going and then see if there's enough political will to go farther. It's important to act while we feel united. Even if we only achieve an imperfect solution, we've proved that we can act in concert.
Or - Here's the thing: this solution resolves the problem but not well; no one's needs are ultimately met by a short-term compromise. We need to have another community meeting on this issue only. We need to decide if we want to fight city hall and insist on different parking restriction on either side of Louise.

Any ideas?

Parking News

2006-04-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

The petition for getting parking restrictions on Louise is, finally, in hand. The city will require signatures from the majority of property owners on both sides of the street -i.e. people who live on LaSaine and on Babbitt- so we will need to reach a consensus on what we want to put in place.

The city requires the same restriction on both sides of the street. Since the LaSaine (west side of Louise) residents have access to their homes from Louise, they have, understandably, different needs. At the March meeting, several Babbitt residents brought up the issue of poolside and backyard privacy during the day, mentioning the prying eyes of truckers and city workers in their high-cabbed vehicles

A "No Parking" zone between, say, 7PM and 7AM would seem a likely compromise: this lets residents on LaSaine use their side of Louise to park during the day when they might be using their garage for other projects or need vehicle access to their backyards, and also advances privacy, security and a measure (at least) of quiet for both Babbitt and LaSaine residents during nightime hours. This soulution, does not address, unfortunately, the daytime privacy issue.

Let's see some chatter in the "comments" section below about this. Shall we take what we can get most easily, or is there another possible solution? I suppose we might be able to wrestle the city into approving separate restrictions on each side, but this seems like both a long shot and a guarantee that nothing would happen for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

Please speak up.

Has anyone noticed...

2006-04-24T00:08:00.000-07:00

...a sure indicator of economic uncertainty: along with no-money-down real estate scams, there are, once again, men going through the recycling on trash day as there were in the late 'eighties/early 'nineties. The difference now is the added spector of identitiy theft. I'll be talking to the SLO about this tomorrow though I don't know if it's really a law-enforcement problem. Personally, I don't begrudge the trashpickers whatever recycling they can find to sell, though it's a little creepy, but I really don't want them reading my mail, or getting my bank info. I shred - what do you do?

Hit the roads

2006-04-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a l ink to the Daily News' story about councilman Smith's (our council rep) plan to get streets repaired sooner, and, presumably, better. Estimates are that it would cost about $100/year for every homeowner.

I'd pay twice that amount.

Who's Out There?

2006-04-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

Back from a short road trip, the encinoblogger got one suportive email. We'd like to see more of those, not for the strokes (though those are nice) but just to know that someone's reading this. More than that, we'd like to see others on this site. You can - you should - email me for the deets as to how to do this. It's not hard to do; you don't have to be a super geek, and it's fun. And, as Arthur said, isn't fun the best thing to have? (I love this film.)

Get the mailer from the Encino Neighborhood Council? I did. It seems that there's an election approaching for seats on said council. Seems like someone from Encino Village should be part of this, though the seats are structured (I think) oddly - represenatives from various interest groups, not residential districts. I've added a link to their site in the links table below, or simply go here: www.encinocouncil.org.

I hope to have progress report tomorrow re: the parking situation on Louise. Meanwhile, the car alarm from hell appears to have stopped. Props to SLO Trulick for this one. The encinoblogger requires his sleep and his quiet Sunday mornings for MTP.

Update

2006-04-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

The last I heard (last week) was that the parking petition was on the way from the council office. There are volunteers to take it around, but we could always use more. Email me or use the "comments" tab below to speak up.

I haven't heard the truck alarm in several days. It would be great if that was over for good.

Please speak up if you're reading this.

From Councilman Smith's office...

2006-03-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

I got this email from John Bwarie...

I hope this email finds you well. I just wanted to let you know that
there are 2 big projects that I'm working on that are coming up next
week in the 12th District; both are unique to the City of Los Angeles.

Councilman Smith is working with community groups and individuals to
host these events in order to improve the quality of life in for the
people of not just the 12th District, but all of Los Angeles.

I hope you'll be able to participate in one or both, regardless of
where you live or work. I think this is especially true for the
Instrument Drive (1A below)

1. MusicLA! Day
No matter where you live, you can make a difference with this event.
Councilman Smith, in conjunction with the Department Cultural Affairs,
is hosting MusicLA! Day in the northwest Valley on Saturday, April 8th
from 11am to 3pm in Northridge. This FREE event has two components:
A. Musical Instrument Drive: if you have an old guitar, flute, violin,
keyboards, Cellos, etc. (no pianos, though!), drop them off at the event
as a tax deductible donation. (Please contact me if you'd like to donate
an instrument but cannot make the event.)
B. Music Education Festival: Musicals, Workshops, Festival Drums by
Remo, performances, food, free giveaways & prizes, and more! This
family festival is not to miss!

For more information, exact location, & other details, click or paste
into your browser the following link:
http://cd12.org/cd12homepage/cd12cd12homepage256536459_03212006.pdf

Who we are

2006-03-30T15:10:00.000-08:00

After looking over the sign-in sheets from the meeting at Emeilita St. School, some conclusions about who we are:

A lot of us live on Lasaine; maybe "Encino Village" is too specific a term for this blog.
Of twenty people that signed in, eight did not leave, or do not have, an email address.
Nine people didn't leave a phone number.
Two people came from Louise Ave on the 4200 and 4300 blocks. Welcome.

There were certainly more, a lot more, than twenty people (even allowing for couples) at the meeting. Presumably, some didn't see the sheet; some didn't have time in the rush to be seated; some forgot on the way out; and some probably don't care or realize that they don't have the time in their lives to get involved in community action. It's OK not to care, of course, but we're trying to build a community of people who do care. If you're reading this, you probably care. I'm just saying...

I've emailed all who left their email address. Let's see some comments, at least, and especially let's see someone else posting. Just email me and I'll tell you how.

Could it be?

2006-03-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

I was out of town most of yesterday, but I didn't hear the alarm in the morning, and not so far this morning. This is the first time in months that it's been silent for a whole day. Could it be that our long nightmare is over? If so, I thanks to everyone who has called the SLO and the WV Division about this.
See what happens when we get together?

Rainy days and Tuesdays

2006-03-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

It's spring, and a young man's fancy turns to flooded streets: why does even the slightest bit of rain cause our Encino Village streets to totally flood?
You'd think we were living in Wyoming, or Louisiana; there's a river in front of my house; the water is six inches deep.

We were in car alarm hell this morning. Does anyone know where to buy spike strips?

I start every day with a look at LA Observed. The same blogger, author and former LA Times-man Kevin Roderick, writes The Valley Observed. Interesting history and current events here.

Welcome new readers

2006-03-27T23:27:00.000-08:00

Glad to see we're getting some readers...now it's time to get involved and post. The SLO is on the job: cars were cited and, I believe, towed, yesterday (Sunday) and we had another conversation about the car alarm from hell. Things are moving.

Tell your neighbors about the blog and get them in the loop with all of this stuff. We can change our neighborhood.

2006-03-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

The Sign

March alarm madness; new links

2006-03-23T22:26:00.000-08:00

The alarm on the truck parked on Louise continues to go off with astounding regularity at all times of the day and night. At his request, I have called (SLO) officer Trulik each time to document the occurrence. Last night (Wednesday) he called me to say he was going to deal with it. He sounded convincing.

Still waiting to see someone else posting here...

encinowatch.com

This useful site (thanks to Barbara Hand) contains a lot of useful community and LAPD info. Much of it needs to be updated, but it's still a great service.

Citrus Sunday

2006-03-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Here's info from John Bearie in the city council office re: Citrus Sunday. Seems like a good cause.

Councilman Greig Smith
& the Valley Interfaith Council
Invite You to Join...

CITRUS SUNDAY!
A fresh fruit drive to help the more than
130,000 San Fernando Valley residents living
without adequate, nutritious food.

It's as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Pick the extra citrus fruit from trees in your yard
2. Put it in plastic bags
3. Drop it off at your local fire station (listed below)
The Valley Interfaith Council will then collect the fruit and
distribute it to the needy at local food banks.

Sunday
April 9, 2006
8 am - 6pm

Deliver your freshly picked (or purchased) Citrus Fruit to the following Fire
Stations in the Northwest Valley:
Encino: Station 83
Northridge: Stations 70 or 103
West Hills: Station 106
Sherman Oaks: Station 88
North Hills: Station 87
Winnetka: Station 104
Granada Hills: Station 18
Chatsworth: Stations 96 or 107
Porter Ranch: Stations 8 or 28
West Van Nuys/Lake Balboa: Station 100
* For locations & directions, go to: http://lafd.org/fsloc.htm

Brought to you by
Councilman Greig Smith, The Valley Interfaith Council, & The Los Angeles Fire Department

2006-03-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

Here's the email address for correspondance about this blog: encinoblogger@gmail.com. If you want to post, email me at this address and I'll get the user name and password to you. Please contribute, either by posting or commenting.

I have heard today from John Bwarie in concilman Smith's office about the proper forms to petition the city for parking regs on Louise Ave.. He's looking into it, as is Maritza, so we're already making progress. We need to reach a consensus on exactly what we want to do, though, so let's start a dialog on this before we go in too many directions.

First Post

2006-03-21T22:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Electric Encino, the blog for Encino Village. This isn't my blog; it's for all of us who attended tonight's meeting, and anyone else in the neighborhood who wants to post info, ask or answer a question, vent (politely; no flaming please, or I'll take down the blog), and otherwise get the word out - whatever the word is. I'm hoping this will also be a vehicle for Councilman Smith's office and our SLO to keep us informed and alert.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the "comments" section below; that's the most immediate way to participate. Posting is easy: anyone who wants to post is welcome to do so. When I get a minute, I'll set up an email address for correspondance about the blog. Meanwhile, anyone who wants to post should contact me (here's a link to my email ) for the password and go to it. (Update: the link now points to the email address I set up: encinoblogger@gmail.com.)

Since it's my soapbox right now, I'm just gonna say this: I hope that the energy that we all had tonight at the meeting can go forward and create a lasting neighborhood bond. In my time in Encino Village, I've seen other efforts to build a community here fail: other SLOs have come and gone; other bright young city council reps have drifted off to the service of more unified and vocal neighborhood associations. Let's keep this going, and try to do one small thing first; parking regulation on Louise is a good place to start. If we can see that through, then we'll do one more thing, and then another. After a while, we'll have built a neighborhood.

Good evening.