Sherman Oaks in the LA River Master Plan

So I got a peek at the LA River Master plan today at the Friends of the LA River tour (something I highly recommend) that took a group of about 30 people to 5 locations in LA on the river (Sepulveda Dam being one of them). You can download it from the website, but I'm not a big fan of PDFs that are 100s of pages long.

Above is the Sherman Oaks/Studio City portion of the draft plan (click to enlarge and se it up close). Here are the ideas:

• The south side of the river (downstream) is a "Proposed River Greenway - Bike Path."
• The north side of the river (upstream) is a "Proposed River Greenway - Recreation Trail."
• The dashed turquoise lines mark "Riverside Streets" such as Valleyheart St. between Hazeltine and Woodman
• The yellow overlay signifies the "Green Corridor" and not City Council Boundries (which are marked by pink lines)
• The "U" in a pink box means Underpass, but the same marking with a bolded border means "Underpass difficulties." An example would be grading the ground for the path to go under the bridge could prove to be a very difficult project. Maybe a crossing with a light is the solution. The "O" stands for Overcrossing.
  
• The diamonds with numbers in them tell us where "Potential Projects" may go. The ones with black numbers on a white background signify "Proposed Projects extending into the community that may require the acquisition of private property." Sounds scary to owners, but here is a list of all land grab those projects:
  
  
  1. Number 63 is Castle Park, which the city already owns, so I am not sure what this is all about.
  2. Number 73 says "Acquisition of Property near Hazeltine and the River. I don't know if this means around the Sunkist Building (not going to happen) or the tow yard (could happen).
  3. Number 75 is very interesting - "Fashion Square River Park." Sounds like a nudge nudge wink wink corporate funding request for a park named after the mall.
     
     
• One of the other potential projects caught my eye: Hazeltine River Edge Park which would be between Van Nuys Blvd and Hazeltine between the river and the homes south of Riverside.
  

Britney Spears, Bald in Sherman Oaks

The story, according to TMZ, is that "Britney Spears, back from less than 24 hours in a Caribbean rehab facility, showed up at a Sherman Oaks, Calif. tattoo parlor Friday night sporting a new hairdo. KABC in Los Angeles caught her as she got a new tattoo of red lips on her wrist."

The new look would have been more fitting if she were caught visiting the Pyschic Eye Book Shop.

Car Break-Ins On the Rise

We don't get that much crime in Sherman Oaks, but there has been a sharp increase in Burglary from Motor Vehicles (BFMVs) lately. There has been so much, I have been flooded my e-mail box with messages about this and the LAPD is pushing hard at meetings to educate people on how to have your car not become a victim to broken windows and lighter loads. We also got our first e-policing e-mail blast (a personalized e-mail about the area of LA you live in - read full blast below).

How to not get broken into

Everything here is so obvious, but we take things for granted (or we're just that lazy):

1. Lock your doors: Duh! It has been witnessed on Dickens Street that the thieves will walk up and down the streets checking car doors until they find one unlocked.
   
2. Don't leave your laptop in the car ever: If you can see it, so can they. Goodbye window, goodbye laptop.
3. Not just your iPod: iPod Docking Stations are also being targeted.
4. If empty is not an option: The LAPD will say leave nothing in the car. That is kind of hard to do. I do like to keep a sweater in case it is cold, water for emergencies, etc. However, this is out of sight and always in the trunk. To that I say this: clean the car so it looks like there is nothing in there. Who wants to break into a car that looks like it has nothing? So at the bare minimum, make your car look clean and clutter free inside!
   

What I Am Asking You To Do

1. Spread the word to your neighbors
2. Sign up for e-policing (check the box under Zip Code and a sign-up form will appear)
   

E-Policing Letter

Here is the first e-policing letter for Sherman Oaks (I am assuming West and North Sherman Oaks got e-mails today too.):

Welcome

My name is Officer Nate Banry and I'm the Senior Lead Officer for the East Sherman Oaks area, or 9A89. This is called a basic car area and includes everything between Mulholland and the 101, and Van Nuys Blvd and Coldwater Cyn. One of my many duties is neighborhood watch. This is a program to not only help you be safe, but also feel safe in your community.

This newsletter is a part of the neighborhood watch program that keeps you informed about happenings in your area. You may not receive an email every month, but you will receive one when something is happening that you need to be aware of. I may take opportunities to inform you of ways to keep yourself safe from crime, as well as talking about crimes being committed in the area.

Burglary From Motor Vehicle (BFMV) crimes remain the biggest problem in the East Sherman Oaks area. These crimes are easily prevented. Most BMFV's are crimes of opportunity. The badguy's walking down the street, sees something he wants in your car, smashes the window, and takes it. Don't leave anything in your car someone would want to take. Don't leave your laptop in the backseat. Don't leave CD's, cell phones, wallets, or even clothes. If you don't leave them in your car and I can pretty well guarantee no one will break in. Oh, and always, always, lock your cars.