Emergency Preparedness Fair this Weekend

An e-mail forwarded to me that I give to you...

A friendly reminder of Councilman Tony Cardenas and the Los Angeles
Emergency Preparedness Department's upcoming Emergency Preparedness Fair scheduled for Saturday, July 15, 2006 at the Braude Center located at 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

We have included in this year's program special presentations on Pandemic Flu and Anti Terrorist Awareness. Hope that you can make it and learn how to better prepare for an emergency. We will be giving away emergency kits to the first 300 attendees. Please feel free to distribute this information to your e-mail contacts.


If you have any questions please contact Arturo Gonzalez.

Thank you


Arturo Gonzalez
District Director
Councilmember Tony Cardenas
Council District Six
14410 Sylvan St. Suite 215
Van Nuys, CA 91401
(818) 778-4999
Fax: (818) 778-4998

Photo from the LAFD Flickr Page

Pagliacci's: Pizza As Big As My Face

Does it taste like New York? I have no idea. It is a culinary delight? Not really. Is it good greasy pizza? Hell yeah.

You can add ingredients on before they warm your slice up, you can get sandwiches, have yogurt or ice cream. Not a bad place. Though on a hot summer day, it's freaking hot in there. But for a relatively quick slice of pizza before you hop on the freeway, here is your spot.

Pagliacci's
4366 Coldwater Canyon
Studio City 91604, CA

Cross Street: Moorpark St.
818-506-4111

Want to be on the Neighborhood Council?

The first Candidate Information Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 11, 2006, at the Sherman Oaks Elementary School Library (14755 Greenleaf, Sherman Oaks).

All stakeholders who may have an interest in running for a Neighborhood Council seat in Areas 1, 3, 5, or 7 in the September 11, 2006 election are encouraged to attend. For more information, including a map of the areas, please visit the SONC web site at www.shermanoaksnc.org, or call 818/503-2399.

Please attend and find out how you can be a leader in your community.

Related LAist Posts

It's time to update this blog with some posts I've done over at LAist that deal with The Valley or Sherman Oaks:

• I always see trucks in the L.A. River, but never caught them on tape until one day.
• I reviewed Down in the Valley starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, David Morse & Rory Culkin.
• Starbucks on Ventura Blvd., west of Kester, stays open really late.
• I had a little rant about the state of cheese fries in L.A. QT's Chicago Dogs doesn't serve them....grrrr
• My lede was terrible and this post got pretty much no attention despite some pretty interesting stuff about Planning and Transportation in the city.
• The Bus Riders Union visited a Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council committee meeting and I took a video that got a ton of discussion in the comments section.
• I haven't smelled it in our water yet. Have you?
• I'm pretty much an obsessed vegetarian. Like I have on this blog, I talk about Leaf Cuisine. This time in a little more detail.

Photo of Stansbury Ave. near Jinky's Cafe

New York Hot Bagels

So these bagels are not totally New York. However, they are hot when you ask for them toasted. Though, I once ate here with a true New Yorker who said they were pretty close, at least for L.A.

I really like this little neighborhood bagel shop and deli. The best part about the place is that there are three or four tables in the middle that are connected, so you end up eating with everyone else.

The bagel and cream cheese choices are plenty. I would say they match what Panera has to offer.

4373 Woodman Ave
Sherman Oaks 91423

Cross Street: Moorpark St
818-986-0366

July SONC Meeting Notes

With summer comes vacation. With vacation comes council members not at tonight's meeting. No quorum tonight, but not a total waste either. Lots of learning and talk to be had. Here are some of the more fun items discussed:

• Casa Vega, run by councilmember Ray Vega, has been in business for 50 years! Congrats Ray!
  
• The Cedros/Dickens parking lot is finally getting cleaned up. Locks have been installed on the gates so it can be locked at night.
  
• Wendy Greuel's annual Community Picnic will be on Saturday, September 9th at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park. It goes from 11 am - 2 pm
  
• Fortuna Ippoliti talked about the Mayor School takeover and compared it to the LAPD being under the Mayor. Villaraigosa knows as much about the police as he does about the schools. The department head and staff are the experts. And they are accountable up the food chain to the Mayor. I agree. Mayor should have control over the schools.

Photo of Sherman Oaks by DrBrian via Flickr

Koretz Goes Bird Flu

Sherman Oaks' Paul Koretz (42nd District) is at it again with his town hall style panels. This time the topic is the Bird Flu:

Join Assembly member Paul Koretz and state and local health care and emergency experts to answer the question:

Are you prepared if the bird flu arrives in the U.S.?

Get important information on what you should be doing to protect yourself and your family, just in case bird flu ever does come to America, and hear from key governmental agencies on the emergency response plans that will be activated

The panel takes place on Wednesday July 26th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn. Of course it's free, you just have to RSVP (818-902-0521 or 310-285-5490).

Photo by peppers4 via flickr

Laurel Canyon The Book

I recently added Laurel Canyon The Book to my blog list on the right. At the same time, I added a link to Turn Here's Los Angeles homepage.

What's next? Adrienne at LAist points me towards the Laurel Canyon blog's TurnHere video. I love how things just come together like that.

I haven't read the book yet, but I am excited to learn about Frank Zappa and other 60's/70's rock stars and how they lived off Laurel Canyon.

Project Rabbit Is Upon Us

I noticed last weekend that Project Rabbit has hit Sherman Oaks. This particular photo is at the corner of Woodman and the Southbound 101 Exit. By City definition, this is graffiti. But honestly, I find this a bit more pleasant than the "public art" that is found at The Village at Sherman Oaks.

The Village has been facing a lot of increased graffiti (by that I mean, tagging... and I'm sure some street art too) and one of the tactics was to put the icons (that you see on the left hand side of various pages on their website) on traffic control boxes and whatnot. I would rather see them doing something a little more creative and engaging like this traffic control box I saw in Emeryville (outside of San Francisco) because..."uhhh... what is that" conversations can beget from it. And more importantly, I really like that shade of yellow.


By the way, if you see graffiti in Sherman Oaks, call 311 to report it. Or do it online.

Open Letter to the Sherman Oaks Sun

Dear Sherman Oaks Sun,

We, the renters and tenants within apartment buildings, are missing out. The Sun does not get delivered to us and we don't always have the chance to pick it up at various locations when we are out and about on the town. PDF versions on the website are one step, but really do not suffice (because reading a PDF is really not that fun).

Please make The Sun available to all by going beyond having a website that is a holding pen for downloads. We realize the operations and human resources may not afford this or it be the most upfront economical choice, but I would like to think so in the long-term (think more advertising, e-mail marketing, blogs etc).

All the best,

in the oaks...

Sherman Oaks: 1 Mile South

This sign off of the 101 Southbound Exit onto Woodman says that Sherman Oaks is 1 mile to the right.

Problem #1: You are already in Sherman Oaks. Maybe it is referring to Ventura Blvd. as a Sherman Oaks "center," yet still that's still less than a half mile away.

Problem #2: If you go one mile from that exact intersection, where are you? In the hills. Still in Sherman Oaks, but in obscurity.


Who really cares anyway? But my dorky tendancies led me to investigate this because it seemed silly.

Fashion Square Hummer

BloggingLA spots a hummer in four spots at Fashion Square. This is worse than when I saw Geena Davis last October at Pagliaccis on Coldwater Canyon with her yellow hummer (it might have been one of her friend's, I'm not sure.) They were at least parked within the lines as best as they could.

Literacy & Longing in L.A., errr, Sherman Oaks

Young & Restless' Christian LeBlanc reads poetry at the June 13th Sherman Oaks stop of the book's tour in California at Borders Books and Music. You can see co-author Karen Mack on the left.

SOHA Goes 2.0?

As evident by their 1995 looking website (and look at their title tag, yikes!), SOHA hasn't really hit the 2.0 thing yet. But now the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association (SOHA) is "international." By that, they mean LA36 online.

But hey, if you are YouTube, are you a hip HOA? Nah, the video doesn't make much sense out of context. Next time SOHA, next time...

Metro Rapid Sherman Oaks

The Bus Riders Union's Lisa Adler gave SONC's Parking, Traffic & Transportation Committee a visit on Wednesday evening to reach out and gather support as I explain on LAist. Next month, the MTA will present their side to the committee.

Adler Donna Gooley, a BRU organizer who showed up at earlier SONC meetings has reported that the 156 Line (Hollywood to Van Nuys Orange Line Station) that hits the edge of Sherman Oaks at Woodman/Burbank will be shortened. Adler reports that Metro Rapid 761's headways may not be reduced anytime soon. The 761 runs on Van Nuys Blvd. through Sherman Oaks to Westwood.


The big Sherman Oaks news in regards to MTA is the 734 Metro Rapid running up and down Sepulveda Blvd. between Sherman Oaks and Sylmar. MetroRiderLA gives it a test run:

Close to Ventura Boulevard, Sepulveda turns to apartments, and the bus turns around via Magnolia Boulevard, Kester Avenue and Ventura Boulevard to layover across from the Sherman Oaks Galleria. The trip was reasonably quick. The entire route took about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, the other two Sherman Oaks Rapid's will see larger buses:

• Metro Rapid Line 761 (Van Nuys Blvd.) "will see new 60-foot articulated buses"


• Metro Rapid Line 750 (Ventura Blvd.) will have new 45-foot high capacity buses

Of Note: Anatomy of an L.A. activist

La Fogata

Cuisine: Mexican
Translation: The Bonfire
Likeness: An independent mom-and-pop Baja Fresh
Where: 5142 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
91403-1401. Corner of Van Nuys Blvd. & Hartsook (one street south of Magnolia)



Review: Sick of El Torito? Need a break from the hip factor at Casa Vega and Mexicali? After eating at La Fogata, I'm stuffed. Despite no black beans or vegetarian refried pinto beans, the vegetarian fajita was extremely tasty. Chips & salsa equal excellence. Carnivores need not to worry here. I can't wait to go back.

Annoying...

I'm not even going link to the site. Carolyn at LAist pointed this out earlier this year and John Sibley in Las Vegas actually decided to go through the ropes and see what happens when you sign up:

She goes over the features of their top dating package with you, and eventually reveals the price: $5495. I burst out laughing. She continued: the price is about to go up to $6100+ after the first of the month, but just for today they're having a special sale price and she can offer me the package for the bargain price of $2750. That price was only good for that day, of course - if I left the office I'd have to pay the full price.

Playfood Update

Since it's in the top 5 of ways people find this blog via Google, I feel I should put up an update about Playfood. I think E! or some Hollywood show must keep on rerunning the episode where Taran Noah Smith is talking about his vegan "fast food" restaurant - Playfood.

If you don't know Smith, you probably do. He was the little tyke, the third youngest brother on Home Improvement with Tim Allen. He also lives in Sherman Oaks. More importantly, his restaurant is at 11118 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. Problem is, it's still not open yet. We're talking maybe 2 years to get this restaurant open.

Unless someone can correct me here, the latest I'm hearing is that Playfood is set to open up this fall. Then we can all bask at 3 a.m. with vegan cheese nachos and ice cream in The Valley.

Jinky's Cafe

I feel a little embarrassed to say, but I went to Jinky's Cafe for the first time this week. Even though it has 2 other restaurants in Los Angeles (Santa Monica, West Hollywood), it is talked about as a Sherman Oaks classic.

Although I had a little rant about my "naughty food," Cheese Fries, on LAist, I am Vegetarian who tries to be "Vegan Conscious" (obviously, not this week after running the Mud Run). But Jinky's had a tasty vegan breakfast item called viva las vegan.

And yes... Damn good.

I Finally Took the Orange Line*

I really have no use for it since the Metro Rapid 750 is my closest line, but since I was showing my uncle L.A., why not start with that? The Sepulveda parking lot holds around 1157 cars. Since there were only about 75 cars in the lot, we had red carpet parking.

I was especially impressed with the next bus will be approaching in X minutes feature along with "A bus is approaching" on the intercom (The Red Line could really use this) Of course, I found if a bus were behind schedule, "A bus is approaching" would still air when a bus should be approaching, but no bus in sight.

It's was definitely fun and I wish I lived near it, but that would take me to the very Northeast corner of Sherman Oaks. And who can give up this view of the L.A. River?

The highlight of the trip was seeing someone blatantly run a red light. Too bad, no Sheriff was around.

*Update 11:07 a.m.: Kevin talks about all the Orange Line blogging happening today.

Goodbye In-N-Out Burger!!!

At some point, I'll have to share my story about my encounter with In-n-Out customer service about a dispute over the definition of a Veggie Burger, but the Sherman Oaks news is that In-n-Out Burger at Moorpark and Van Nuys Blvd is going away.

When I say going away, I mean it's probably going away, like in that 99.9% chance of going away. Last night at the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, the Watergardens Project, a proposed mix-use pedestrian oriented development of some sort on the In-n-Out strip mall, took another step in being approved through the city structure.

Bye In-n-Out Burger! Many will miss you!

Condo Bandit Strikes Again

Once again, but this time on Moorpark. I didn't get a good picture of the mattresses as they stood prominently along Moorpark Westbound, but tons of people saw these. Then someone tipped them over and thus, this shot:

Rye Street Condo Conversions

Condo conversions are hot hot hot. But they also very unpopular with the renters who get kicked out. This renter got creative with what was on the street:





I'm sure there will be some heated debate at the next Monday night's Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council Land Use & Planning Committee. Chair, Rick Mayer, said this project was going to be an important one for Sherman Oaks.

May SONC Notes...very tired version

It's been awhile since I last posted, but I went to tonight's extremely long Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council Meeting. It went from 6:30 p.m. to about 10:00 p.m. The Land Use & Planning Committee (the equivalent a City Planning Commission) was the usual suspect. Sherman Oaks residents are passionate about development in the community and how it effects them. Hence, the savvy folks at SOHA.

As part of the Public Safety Committee, I'm taking a field trip with Jack Weiss' office down to the Hollywood Police Station to get a behind the scenes tour of Hollywood Boulevard's security camera system. I'll be sure to post something on LAist after the tour, which is a couple of weeks away.

The reason for the tour is to see if this is something that Ventura Blvd. needs. Being the fiscal conservative I am, I'm not sure Ventura Blvd. is the place for it. Jason at LAist thought Victory and Sepulveda was more appropriate.

The pool at Sherman Oaks/Van Nuys Park will be closed for two weeks in the summer for some cleaning of some sort. Perfect timing really. No, not really, but whatever kind of cleaning this is (which I forgot the technical term) is the type of cleaning that cannot be planned on (no, not the Chevy Chase version either).

Marlene Goodman of the Animal Committee (which is under SONC and the Directors of Welfare) prepared a really massive and informative folder on pets, especially in regards to emergency preperation for your pet (have you stored enough water for them too?)

One of the more interesting notes of the meeting was in Jill Barad Bank's summary of her lunch with SOHA's Ellen Vukovich. It seemed to be a healthy conversation where they agreed to disagree on somethings and partner on others. It makes sense. SONC's mandate is different than SOHA's. Ahhh...tense moments are good.

All in all, good meeting but wayyyyyyy long.

Immigration Bill & Los Angeles

I unfortunately was not present at L.A.'s half million person protest on Saturday. But there is something in the air this week in Los Angeles. And I really felt it when I saw this young girl today while driving home from the DMV in the Van Nuys area (click to enlarge)...

Running Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park

I finally did it! No City official could tell me the distance of the full course around the park. So I took a measuring stick and measured both the trail and "track" at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park.

Here are the results:

The Trail (the large one that covers the park)
One Loops = 6888 ft (about 1.3 miles)

The Track (near Hazeltine Parking lot, circle 4 baseball diamonds)
2600 ft (40 ft. shy of 1/2 mile)

What's additionally rad about this?
1 Trail Loop (1.3.) + 1 Trail Loop (1.3) + 1 Track Loop = 5K (3.1 miles)
For a 10K, just double all of it.

View a Google Map of Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park

Shameless Self Promotion - ArtFilmsNow.com

I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile now. And here it is: ArtFilmsNow.com.

I've not found one good single place that aggregates the indie, foreign, art house, animation, festival, documentary movies that I can see in theatres. I feel I really have to search it out sometimes. So here's my thing: It's an e-mail list, not a website. If you want the 411, you gotta sign up. Simple. Hope to see you there!

www.ArtFilmsNow.com.

The Sherman Oaks Documentary

See, Sherman Oaks is cool! Director Farah Z. Khalid goes out to prove the Valley has some spunk. LAist points towards the new upload-your-video-into-a-flash-movie site - Turn Here: Short Films. Cool Places.

The the short doc leads you to some classic movie star homes and peaks into the uniqueness of Ventura Blvd. All we need now is a few more live theatres, clubs, and the Ventura Blvd. Subway. Oh yeah, can we bring the farmer's market back?

WATCH THAT VIDEO BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE

Other Notable Docs:

L.A. Without a Car
North Hollywood
Atwater Village

Auto Vs. Pedestrian: Surreal

I was sore to begin with. A post holiday run at the Pacific Shoreline Marathon 5K on Sunday did that to me. Now I'm really going to need to rest.

Today while crossing the street at Valencia Blvd. and Citrus Ave in Santa Clarita on my way to City Hall, out of the corner of my eye I saw something move toward me. Then I was on top of that thing. Then I was on the ground staring at the driver. Then I was pointing to the parking lot for her to pull over and talk. Then she drove away.

I was shocked as it was. But when the car drove away, leaving me in the crosswalk, I was stunned - "Is this for real? Am I really in a hit-and-run?"

I'm lucky I was on top of the car rather than below. I'm lucky she didn't drive through me. I'm lucky I was able to stand up and walk. I'm lucky I got her license plate number.

Today was a red flag day, so when the police and ambulance came to City Hall, so did the fire department water truck.

I'm thankful for all the support I got from city staff who stayed with me through this. Even the Assistant City Manager gave a visit in the E.R. to check up on me. An all staff e-mail went out because rumours were spreading fast. It's all one surreal experience and I'm sure no one will ever want to park in the Citrus Lot for another few weeks (The Citrus Lot is our rotating overflow lot across the street).

Self defense mode must have kicked into gear fast because I wrote down her license plate down correctly. Sheriff's found the maybe octogenarian at her house where she apparently thought my pointing to pull over was a "No worries! I'm all good! Have a great day!" She must have been a little shocked too. How often do you make a left turn and all of the sudden someone is on your hood? Nevertheless, you hit someone, you pull over. Pedestrians don't win, even if I was crossing legally.

Weird thing is, I'm a pretty damn conscientious pedestrian. Traffic safety is one of my "things." I cross this street 5 days a week. I always keep an eye on "turn on red" drivers making eye contact with them. And when there is car that is going to make a left hand turn, I'll keep an eye on them. This time, there was no car waiting to turn left when the light turned green. I wasn't that far from the other side when I got struck. She must have caught the green and rode on through. I'll never cross a street the same.

After a long time in the E.R. at Henry Mayo Newhall hospital, I was released and drove back home. I'll have a check up with a doctor very soon. I'm still in more shock than pain at the moment, but a friend from LAist warned me: "I had a really good friend who was in an accident like yours and unfort. in like two-three days you're going to probably feel a lot worse than you do now." Alright! I can't wait. Bring it on!

So that's that. I have to give City of Santa Clarita employees props. It's truly a great City to work for. I can't imagine a better place to be hit outside of.

OOPS! M.I.A.

Well, I must apologize to my reader base which is probably all gone by now. After the New Year, I took too long of a break. Way toooooo long. For those of you who read many of L.A.'s blogs, you may have noticed that I am now writing for LAist.com. You can read all my posts as of so far. in the oaks has been focused mainly on Sherman Oaks (and a little beyond) politics and civics, but my degree is in music, so LAist fits my art side very well and I'm having a blast! I'm so blog happy, I'm trying to start a few a work.

But not to worry, in the oaks is back! I promise! Stay tuned...

RED FLAG DAYS UPDATE

I'm sad to still be in Chicago and miss this meeting. But people who want to be clear on this and have their voice heard on this issue should attend tonight. Here is the latest from the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council:

To All Concerned,

The meeting tonight promises to be extremely informative. We will have representatives from the Mayor's office, our Councilperson Jack Weiss's office and the Fire Department to present the facts and answer questions. Here are a few salient facts:

1. Red Flag Days are defined as days when the humidity drops below 15% and the wind exceeds 25 mph. There are approximately 10 Red Flag Days a year, usually from October 31-December 31.

2. Despite the 5,200 signs that the city is posting throughout the hills of the city by the end of January, they will not be towing the first year. They will issue only warnings or tickets until the public has had a chance to become educated.

3. Parking is prohibited on Red Flag Days on any hillside street less than 28 feet wide, while parking will be restricted to one side on streets between 29 and 36 feet wide.

The law was passed after the devastation of the Oakland Hills fire when there was an enormous loss of life due to the fact that parked cars made roads impassable to emergency vehicles. There is no doubt that such regulations are necessary, the question is whether this one has incorporated all available creative solutions to mitigate the burdens to residents, protect the needs of the elderly and infirm and allow for orderly evacuation if needed. I encourage you to make the effort to come
tonight for the first in what will undoubtedly be several community meetings to iron out the kinks in this law.

Sherman Oaks Library (Beverly Glen and Moorpark), 6:30-8:00 P.M.(12/28).

Red Flag Parking & 405 Construction

Been and still out of town (Chicago), so sorry for no new posts lately. But here is some news:

Red Flag Day Parking

Last week, LA Times reports on the Red Flag Warnings in Los Angeles hillside communities. The article states that councilman Jack Weiss spoke with Homeowner groups, but it appears he did not consult the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council (SONC).

Members of SONC's Parking, Traffic and Transportation Ad Hoc Committee were extremely disappointed that Weiss did not see fit to consult with the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council. More to come on this as details get punched out, but if you have words to say on either side of it, go to the Committee's meeting on Wednesday.

Latest 405 News courtesy of SONC

Caltrans has announced the following closures nightly beginning Tuesday, December 27 through Thursday, December 29:

• 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., the northbound Ventura Freeway (U.S. 101) connector to the northbound San Diego Freeway (I-405)


• 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., the northbound I-405 Burbank Boulevard off-ramp


• 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., the southbound I-405 Ventura Boulevard on-ramp


• 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., up to two lanes of southbound I-405 from U.S. 101 to Burbank Boulevard

The Valley, Music, & Google

Last thursday at 12:00 a.m., Google launched, with no big announcement, their new Google Music Search. SearchEngineWatch.com reports that "the new feature works directly from any Google web search form, and results are returned as 'one box' results at the top of the search result page next to a musical notes icon." You can also search directly.

Giving "San Fernando Valley" a try led me all to close too home at America's Suburb.com within a few clicks. Gordon Jenkins, who wrote the song, San Fernando Valley, resided in Sherman Oaks:

It was Bing Crosby's rendition, however, that enticed war-weary GI's with the promise of a mythical place. "San Fernando Valley" hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart on April 29, 1944... Once the war ended, about a year after the song reached No. 1, plenty of Americans took Bing's advice and took a trip to California to make the Valley their home.

Full Article & Lyrics

City Council Celebrity Countdown

This technology is going to soon have a Gladwell style tipping point, at least in social conversation that is:

MyHeritage.com is one of the world's first applications to apply the scientifically advanced technologies of face detection and recognition to family history and to consumer photos... As part of its pioneering development on face recognition in genealogy and consumer photos, MyHeritage.com has created extensive face recognition technology for celebrities. It's free and fun to use.
So what would the Los Angeles City Council look like if they morphed into their celebrity counterpart? MyHeritage gives each picture you submit about 5-10 different celebrities you resemble. The following countdown reflects either the closest matches or just the funniest (numbers not related to Council District):

15. Janice Hahn & Sarah Michelle Gellar (Runners Up: Rita Hayworth, Isabella Rossellini, Monica Lewinsky)

14. Tom LaBonge & John Cleese (Runners Up: Gregory Peck, John Ashcroft, Kofi Annan, Sigourney Weaver)

13. Greig Smith & former Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Runners Up: Gerard Depardieu, Michael Caine, David Howell Evans of U2. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Being "Across the Pond.")

12. Herb J. Wesson, Jr. & Paul Newman (Runners Up: Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Gardner, Inventor of Linux - Linus Torvalds, José Saramago. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Looking most like notable world changing leaders)

11. Wendy Greuel & Andie MacDowell (Runners Up: Helen Clark, Jerry Seinfeld, Clint Eastwood, Annette Bening)

10. Jan Perry & Hilary Swank (Runners Up: Jane Fonda, Tom Clancy, David Lynch, Zhang Ziyi )

9. Tony Cardenas & Dean Martin (Runners Up: Edward Norton, Gary Cooper, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Slyvester Stallone)

8. Eric Garcetti & Mel Gibson (Runners Up: Alec Baldwin, Hugh Grant, Jeff Buckley, Artie Shaw. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Getting women naked by looking like a number of beefy hunks and singing Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah.")

7. Ed Reyes & Mubarak (Runners Up: Roger Moore, Matthew Perry, Jomo Kenyatta, David Lloyd George, Andre Malraux. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Looking like the most International and political group.)

6. Alex Padilla & Audrey Tautou (Runners Up: Beyonce Knowles, Jacques Chirac, Madonna, Frida Kahlo, Leonardo DiCaprio. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Looking like a random-ass bunch of folks.)

5. Jack Weiss & John Travolta (Runners Up: Nikita Khrushchev, Tom Cruise, Edward Said, Steve Martin, José Carreras.)

4. Dennis Zine & Gary Oldman (Runners Up: Ferdinand Porsche, Amitabh Bachchan, Kim Dae-jung, Yuri Andropov, Gabriel García Márquez. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Not looking like many on-screen Celebrities.)

3. Bernard Parks & Lou Reed (Runners Up: John Carpenter, Uylsses S. Grant, Vladimir Lenin, Grace Jones, Jawaharlal Nehru, Abdelaziz Bouteflika. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Looking like many dead and famous leaders.)

2. José Huizar & Yao Ming (Runners Up: Henry Fonda, Hilary Duff, Carl Sagan, John Belushi, Julia Roberts)

1. Bill Rosendahl & Jimi Hendrix (Runners Up: Pierre Boulez, Princess Diana, Steve Reich, Benicio del Toro, Cate Blanchett, Wesley Clark, Jacques Chirac. SPECIAL AWARD FOR: Oddly looking like two famous classical minimalist composers - Steve Reich and Pierre Boulez.)


And Just for fun....

Antonio Villaraigosa & Howard Dean

Laura Chick & Sharon Stone

Yvonne Burke & Shirley McClaine

Don Knabe & Richard Wagner

Gloria Molina & Annette Bening

Zev Yaroslavsky & Meatloaf

Michael Antonovich & Ozzy Osborne

Wearing Your Seat Belt - Not For Your Safety

Getting that seat belt ticket is not about the City collecting revenue either. It's about maintaining a budget.

Before I was all gung-ho for the seat belt law, I always told myself that only two things will convince me of it: a) the statistics of human projectiles from cars injuring others are incredibly high or b) economic reasons.

One day I caught up with Los Angeles County Sheriff, Tony Arnold, who heads the Santa Clarita Traffic Division. I presented my two options to him and he explained the latter was correct. And it only makes sense:

An injury from a seat belt-less driver without health insurance still has bills to pay. More often than not, our taxes pay that bill. So in closing, it's not about your safety, it's about our wallet. I rather see my money go towards a park or pothole than your negligent medical bills.

My true love sent to me, 7 buses a-crashin'

The 7th in a string of crashes occur on the Orange Line tonight at Kester Ave. Luckily, this red light runner was hit by a 10 mph cruising bus. When I was walking to a restaurant and later taking pictures for the 311 Project post, I was astonished to see a car run a red light each time at the same intersection. These were not even close calls to yellow lights. They were just saying "fuck it."

Watch It
Read It

Dec. SONC Meeting

Interesting notes from Monday night's Sherman Oaks Neighbourhood Council (SONC) Meeting:

• The LAPD reported while Sherman Oaks is statistically lower than other neighbourhoods in the Van Nuys Station district, the nice houses in the hills are being hit because people feel safe to leave their garage doors open. Also, 24 Hour Fitness' locker room has been a repeat target.


• Looks like a Renters Rights committee will be formed to help bridge the gap between tenants and their landlords. Sherman Oaks has a population of 58,000. Just about half of those are renters.


• Other new committees for SONC are the Beautification Committee and an Education/School based one.


• SONC will look more official on paper now with the by-laws changed to be consistent with the nomenclature of the L.A. City Council


• The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment will be getting a few more Project Coordinators in order to lessen the amount of Neighbourhood Councils they represent.


• Sherman Oaks Castle Park, a city run recreational facility, will be renewing the contracts and going out to bid for the various functions of the park. Supposedly, the current vendors (arcade, mini golf, etc) are getting a little "snotty."

405 Construction News

From the Parking, Traffic, and Transportation Committee of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council:

Caltrans has announced the following closures nightly beginning Sunday, December 11 through Thursday, December 15:

• 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., the northbound Ventura Freeway (U.S. 101)connector to the northbound San Diego Freeway (I-405)


• 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., the northbound I-405 Burbank Boulevard off-ramp


• 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., the southbound I-405 Ventura Boulevard on-ramp


• 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., up to two lanes of southbound I-405 from U.S. 101
  to Sepulveda Boulevard

The $46 million project, started in April 2005, extends the auxiliary lane on northbound I-405, closes the loop on-ramp from eastbound Ventura Boulevard and reconfigures the Sepulveda Boulevard on-ramp to provide improved connections to U.S. 101 and I-405.

The next project milestone will be the re-opening of the
Sepulveda/Greenleaf on-ramp to the U.S. 101 connector, expected in summer 2006. The Sepulveda/Greenleaf on-ramp to northbound I-405 is estimated to open in spring 2007, with project completion anticipated for summer 2007. It may still be closed at night, from 9p to 6a, for at least a few more weeks.

This project is one of a series of improvements at the U.S. 101/I-405 Interchange. When completed in 2007, aside from the onramp/offramp improvements, it will provide a continuous HOV lane on southbound I-405 from the San Fernando Valley to Los Angeles International Airport.

In Brief: DASH Gets New Benches

The City of L.A. has begun replacing the conventional hard plastic benches used for DASH stops with plush sofas. "We decided that we needed to 'up' the image of public transportation. And why not do it with some Hollywood flair?" said a DOT spokesman. The pilot program kicked off at the corner of Moorpark & Allott Ave. on the Van Nuys/Studio City Clockwise Route. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled a day later when vandals stole the couch and dumped it into the L.A. River.

The 311 Project: Pedestrian Patrol

Ever since I discovered the powerful use of dialing 311, I feel the City of Los Angeles has another thing to be championed about. There is one thing you cannot complain about in the City and that is 311 - One Call to City Hall. 24 hours a day, you can talk to operators with great names like Amelie, Korea, and my favourite, a cross-dresser named Ms. Sha-nay-nay (well, that's what it sounded like. It was a late night call.)

Tonight I was walking (yes, as in walk commuting) to Siam Cabin in Sherman Oaks for a dinner meeting. At Ventura Blvd. and Sunnyslope, the pedestrian crosswalk button device was hanging by its wires two feet off the ground. Since God knows when this might be noticed by the infamous City Pedestrian Device Patrol, I decided to call 311 and report this broken and possibly this newly invented technocratic cowboy toy (got lasso skills?).

Walking back a hour later, I was pleased to see the situation had been temporarily fixed with some quick wit from DOT (a huge zip tie). So if you see a broken traffic light, drive through an annoying pothole, or have a non-emergency police request, call 311. They are there to help you.

MTA Gets Smarter

Let's talk about target marketing! Way to go MTA! Today I received a localized Sherman Oaks Reference Guide to MTA. It has a map of Sherman Oaks with 10 routes, a destination guide (with what route number to take to get there), and important phone numbers (911 is for emergencies, good to know! But why isn't 311 listed?). It also has a form you can fill out and send in to get a free one-week pass. I can only hope and assume that many other neighbourhoods are receiving similar brochures to encourage the use of public transportation.

(Okay, I know. I have a crappy camera or I just don't know how to use it.)

Valley Loses More Times Coverage?

Not that I felt there was much local coverage anyway. LA Observed reports that the Times is pulling out of the Valley. I am an online newspaper reader, so that means I even get less local coverage, Daily News included. How is it in this Information Age that we get less information?

Eugene Carr, the president of Patron Technology, an e-marketing firm, reported once that local information will be the next Internet tipping point (In addition to wireless. Wireless technology integrated with local info? Dig it?). Google Local and Yahoo! Local demonstrate this local information flow. L.A. Times seems to be the antithesis of these future trends.

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
- John F. Kennedy -

20 Minute Eviction Notice

Evictions are not fun. Lincoln Place tenants know that. Last Wednesday, Assemblyman Paul Koretz (yes, he has a blog too) hosted an evening of Emergency Preparedness at the Stephen S. Wise Temple for District 42. Chock-full of informative speakers, here are some interesting facts with a theme:

• There are 9000 LAPD/LAFD employees and 44,000 citizens have been trained in CERT since 1987. There are 3.9 million residents in Los Angeles. Do the math. You are on your own for a little while.


• Within 6 minutes of the Northridge Quake, every working vehicle from all 104 LAFD stations were en route (2 stations suffered due to the quake). A neighbourhood in Chatsworth did not see any sign of government response for three days. It could happen to you.


• 75% of male bodies can be identified easily while very few female bodies cannot be. Men and their back pockets; women with their purses.


• L.A. is the 2nd largest Red Cross chapter in the U.S. The chapter responds to 500 Red Cross Disasters in the Los Angeles area a year. These range from apartment fires to a wildfire.


• In an emergency, especially a quickly spreading fire, you may be given 20 minutes to go into your house, get what you can, and pray for the best.

Make a bad day a little easier on yourself. Get prepared.

New Train? - Pasadena to The Valley

• Daily News reports the cities of Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank have each contributed $30,000 to a feasibility study for the "Missing Link," completing the northern side of the triangle of the Red and Gold Lines. This route would follow the 134 Freeway.


• Meanwhile, the Orange Line had its 5th crash this weekend (not the pickup truck one). Red light runner, no injuries.


• Ever hear of the Silver Line? All aboard from Silver Lake to El Monte.


• Via Curbed LA, City Council approves a pilot program providing shuttles from Hollywood clubs and restaurants to the Red Line Subway, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays. Too bad the subway doesn't even run much past 1:00 a.m. But this could make the Hollywood & Highland parking garage the one-stop shop.

L.A.'s New Best Friend - Density

Last Tuesday, Eric Garcetti joined Warren Olney on Which Way L.A.? to talk about his newly elected position as City Council President, term limits, housing, and our city's future. Here are some memorable quotes:

"We are going to admit we are a city finally, not a sprawling suburb."

"...the Orange Line or the Expo Line rail becomes the expectation, not the exception."

"Our best friend is really going to be density in this city."

The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association (SOHA) might have perked their ears up to that last one. The savvy and articulate SOHA knows how to fight density projects and they do it with a passion. And as they should - it's their right and it's is their neighbourhood. The latest issues have been around high density, non mix-use residential projects which do not bring local amenities. I agree, these projects do need to have local amenities. But in regards to density, I say bring it on baby. Then the Ventura Blvd. Subway will be "the expectation."