Come on Feel the Nuys

Part of Sherman Oaks looks thisclose to success

2009-06-23T21:30:00Z

Outgoing City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and the City Council Education and Neighborhood Committee have gone where both the Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Councils have not — approving the inclusion of the 1,800-resident Van Nuys neighborhood bordered by Hazeltine Avenue to the east, Sepulveda Boulevard to the west, Burbank Boulevard to the south and Oxnard Street to the north, according to the story by Daily News City Hall reporter Rick Orlov in the story linked to above.

Things about the story, as it stands, that are different than what was previously proposed are:

The northern "border" of what might be Sherman Oaks is listed as Oxnard Street. Previous information from Part of Sherman Oaks indicated that the northern border it sought was either Emelita or Tiara streets. If by that they meant the inclusion of those streets, both the north and south sides, then a border of Oxnard Street would indicate that all of Tiara (the street just south of Oxnard Street) would be included in the new Sherman Oaks.

Would this also mean, by extension, that the many auto-repair businesses on the south side of Oxnard Street would also be in Sherman Oaks?

So what's standing between this now-Van Nuys neighborhood actually becoming part of Sherman Oaks? Unlike the last time a hunk of Van Nuys was added to Sherman Oaks, when the Chandler Estates area got its name change, it takes more than the approval of the area's City Council member.

Instead, the measure to bring the neighborhood into Sherman Oaks must pass the entire City Council.

Questions: Why should the rest of the City Council, aside from the outgoing Wendy Greuel, care? What political favors, if any, do the other council members owe to the Part of Sherman Oaks people? And what do they owe to the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association and the two neighborhood councils that oppose the move?

Antonio's new TV-anchor girlfriend?

2009-06-02T00:00:00Z

Above: Lu Parker of KTLA interviews Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a photo seen on the Channel 5 anchor's blog. A Channel 4 photographer filmed them together recently in the Larchmont district.

I'm just going to throw this item out there: Via LA Observed, a Channel 4 blog (which according to Kevin Roderick of LAO is "not to be confused with KNBC News") reports that L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been spotted around town in a non-official capacity with KTLA (Channel 5) anchorwoman (and ex-Miss USA) Lu Parker.

There has been no confirmation one way or the other as to the nature of Villaraigosa and Parker's relationship/connection/whatever-you-call-it.

While Villaraigosa's previous relationship with a television anchorwoman did little for his political career (or seemingly the rest of his life), he's not married now, and according to Lu Parker's blog, she "lives in Los Angeles with her cat and dog," and I take that to mean she's single, so and if there is something there, there won't be any tectonic shifts in the L.A. political landscape.

As for the L.A. journalism landscape, I'll leave it to KTLA to sort out how they're going to handle this (if there in fact really is a this).

I'll leave it to you, dear reader, to click on the Channel 4 link to see the actual picture of the two at a bookstore in the Larchmont district.

The blog seems a bit incredulous about Lu Parker having her own blog, but in the interest of photographic immediacy, check out the photo of Ms. Parker interviewing Mr. Mayor (which can be quickly found here) from that very blog.

All quiet on the Part of Sherman Oaks front

2009-05-20T23:28:55Z

I just checked in on this blog for the first time in a long while, and I'm glad to see the comments that have been written in the interim about the Part of Sherman Oaks movement.

In the past month of so, the Part of Sherman Oaks yard signs have remained on lawns, but haven't heard much of anything about how the drive to turn a big portion of "southern" Van Nuys into a northern outpost of Sherman Oaks.

Of course those in favor of Part of Sherman Oaks who have commented in this blog tell me that it's not about real-estate prices, racism (yeah, I'll throw that one down) and movin'-on-upward mobility.

Again, I'm quite comfortable living in Van Nuys. My life will go on either way. ("Near ... far ... whereEEEEEVER you are" ... OK that's out of my system.)

I do acknowledge the "separation from much of Van Nuys represented by the so-called "industrial belt" of Oxnard Street and the Orange Line busway, but I instead chose to embrace those two portions of Van Nuys. I buy tires, house paint and electronic doodads on Oxnard Street, and I've been known to both ride the Orange Line bus as well as cycle down the lengthy busway bike path (which in one form or another goes all the way to Burbank. Yeah, it looks way better once you cross the Burbank border, but who doesn't expect that?)

The inclusion of the southerly portion of Van Nuys in a "Sherman Oaks" councilperson's district, the propensity of its residence to "shop in Sherman Oaks," and the Los Angeles Unified School District's drawing of its borders to include many students from this portion of Van Nuys in the enrollment boundaries of schools that happen to be in Sherman Oaks is all well and good.

But at the end of the day, Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys are just ephemeral community names. They don't mean much of anything beyond their value in affecting real-estate prices and whatever help they give people traveling through the San Fernando Valley in terms of figuring out where they're going.

We still all live in the city of Los Angeles. All of our schools are in the LAUSD. We're all in the San Fernando Valley, a vast and populated area that almost-but-didn't succeed in seceding from Los Angeles proper in recent years.

Just because portions of Van Nuys don't look like our battered, shattered idea of what "Van Nuys" means does not mean those areas pass a certain threshold and are "good enough" for Sherman Oaks and therefore must bear that moniker.

I'm more than OK with Van Nuys. I'd entertain a totally new community name (Shangri-La-La, Centralia, Middle-Earth?), and I really don't care if the Part of Sherman Oaks movement succeeds in adding a few thousand more homes and businesses to the means-little "borders" of Sherman Oaks.

Just don't expect me to get excited about it, defend it, rationalize it, or give it my blessing as an obscure blogger/journalist.

CityWatch provides invaluable news about neighborhood councils (and more)

2009-04-21T17:00:00Z

I'd like to put in a plug to day for CityWatch, which provides news about Los Angeles with a focus on the city's neighborhood councils. Thus far I find it to be the best way I know of finding out what's going on with the NCs as a whole and how the neighborhood-council system is faring in regard to the larger city government under which they serve.

Reading the history of CityWatch, I learned:

CityWatch exists to monitor the political business of City Hall, and other government agencies, to monitor the progress of the empowerment of LA's neighborhoods and to encourage grass roots civic engagement.

CityWatch is an electronic journal of observations, analysis and perspectives ... complimented by ideas and information all viewed and presented from the POV of LA's myriad grass roots neighborhoods engaged in the ongoing struggle for empowerment.

We hope you find it useful, informative and provocative.

For those of you who have been with us for the two years past, we thank you for your support and your input. Without which we could not have grown from the 256 email addresses of two years ago to the better than 60,000 subscribers of today.

I do, and I do. And I do get the site's news by e-mail. Aside from its regular news stories, there are links to every neighborhood-council Web site. The "Super Planner" for community events is currently empty, and an initiative to bring video and audio to the site hasn't quite gotten off the ground, but just the provision of all those links and the regular news stories is, in my mind, more than enough to make CityWatch a valuable site.

Doggy Door Burglar plaguing Van Nuys

2009-04-14T23:07:02Z

I've heard from at least two Van Nuys residents in the southeastern portion of the community whose homes have been burglarized in the past couple of weeks.

The MO is the same in both: Intruders appear to be watching the home and make entry through the pet door, steal items that include flat-screen TVs, laptop computers and jewelry, and then they slip out, seemingly unnoticed.

It's unclear whether or not this is a single individual or someone working alone. In any event, I'm calling this person or persons the Doggy-Door Burglar.

Residents should be on the lookout for strange cars with people in them that are parked on the street for long periods of time for apparently no reason.

If you have a big dog door and not a big, mean dog, you could be at greater risk. Secure the door if you can when you're away from home. If you have an alarm system, use it.

And if you see any suspicious activity, report it to 911 immediately.

Note:The picture above is intended to illustrate what a pet door looks like. The Doggy Door Burglar is most definitely NOT a dog, but a person or persons. Dogs don't generally haul away TVs. There's my disclaimer.

Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association on Part of Sherman Oaks

2009-03-18T18:00:00Z

I e-mailed the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association — the real power in Sherman Oaks politics — for a statement/comment on the Part of Sherman Oaks effort to extend the boundaries of the community of Sherman Oaks north from Burbank Boulevard, between Hazeltine Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard, to either Tiara or Califa streets.

Here's what I received:

Hello,
We are not taking a position, the decision will be made by [outgoing City Councilwoman] Wendy Greuel.

Thank you,
SOHA

(Material [in brackets] is mine. I imagine the entire Los Angeles City Council will be making any decision.)

Come on feel the Nuys Oaks?

2009-03-17T17:49:51Z

You can't walk 50 feet in what I like to call Southeast Van Nuys without running into a Part of Sherman Oaks sign.

It's an effort aimed at moving the northern border of the community of Sherman Oaks from its current terminus, Burbank Boulevard (between Hazeltine Avenue to the east, Sepulveda Boulevard to the west) up to either Califa or Tiara streets, just shy of Oxnard Street.

Those behind the effort contend that since this neighborhood is already so "Sherman Oaksey," it should enjoy that community distinction and rid itself of the name Van Nuys and all associated with it.

Organizers behind the effort — who, judging by their Web page and blog, are going to some length to keep their names off the the thing — point out that the northern boundary of their hoped-to-be community was extended once before, in 1992, from Magnolia Boulevard to Burbank Boulevard. (It indeed would be a shame for oft-tony Weddington Street and Chandler Boulevard not also to be Part of Sherman Oaks, but due to the 1992 boundary change, that horror is behind us).

Anybody who lives in the city of Los Angeles — and especially in the San Fernando Valley — knows about the deal with community names, and many portions of existing communities have broken off and either joined another adjacent community or come up with a new name: Valley Glen, West Hills, North Hills (there is no South or East Hills, or even just "Hills," by the way), Lake Balboa (none of which borders the lake, which is man-made and filled with "reclaimed" water from the nearby Tillman Reclamation Plant), Winnetka, Valley Village, etc.

It's no secret that the name Van Nuys is held by many in much less esteem than is Sherman Oaks, and nowhere is that evidenced more than in real-estate prices. Whether or not the organizers of Part of Sherman Oaks acknowledge it or not, that seems to be the primary motivator behind every one of these efforts.

A given neighborhood doesn't feel that it "fits" their perception of what a certain community name represents in its collective mind, so those who are so motivated want to shed that name — and the perceptions that go with it.

Again — it's all about real estate. Those in the "Part of Sherman Oaks" target area, which the group estimates at 1,800 homes, stand to gain.

If this goes through, they purchased homes in Van Nuys but will be able to sell them in Sherman Oaks.

It's a one-time gain, a potential cash calf in the midst of the worst real-estate price retreat in memory.

I wonder how those already in Sherman Oaks feel about this effort? Adding dozens or more homes at any given time to the "Sherman Oaks inventory" of properties for sale could theoretically lower the average price of a Sherman Oaks home.

Like I said, we're already in such s&%$, in the short term at least, this shouldn't matter.

One thing I can tell you: Before the real-estate crash of the past year, an above-average Van Nuys home in the Part of Sherman Oaks target area does command somewhat of a premium, but nothing like it would if it were in Sherman Oaks proper.

And a substandard Sherman Oaks home (and there are more of these than you might think; Van Nuys has no corner on the distressed-property market) still enjoys somewhat of a price bump due to its location.

But in the current slump, I've seen bargains a-plenty in Sherman Oaks. People who either want or need to sell are doing what they must to make it happen.

Back to the Part of Sherman Oaks situation: Troy Anderson of the Daily News wrote about it on March 15, and Seema Metha briefed it the following day for the Times.

From the Daily News story, it appears that Laurette Healey, a local businesswoman, former deputy state controller, and onetime candidate for state Assembly, is a major force behind the Part of Sherman Oaks effort. She presented the idea to the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council in December.

In January, a motion before the SONC to approve the name change was defeated in favor of the change was defeated 12-1 (with one abstaining) in January. At that same meeting, a motion to oppose the name change was adopted 10-1 (with three abstaining).

So at some level, I think we can safely say that those already in Sherman Oaks aren't terribly excited about the idea.

According to Anderson's Daily News article, the L.A. City Council — the body that makes actual decisions on this sort of thing — will consider the matter "in the next several weeks."

And those behind Part of Sherman Oaks wonder, as do I, whether Wendy Greuel's ascension from the City Council to the city controller's position will help or harm the effort.

I can tell from my informal survey of Van Nuys residents in the targeted area that while many are in favor of being part of Sherman Oaks, that feeling is by no means universal.

But between all those lawn signs and a city, county, state and nation in the midst of an economic meltdown, I can see opposition to Part of Sherman Oaks melting away.

I'll bottom-line it for you: Like I've said, there are plenty of marginal (aka crappy) properties both residential and commercial, in Van Nuys. There are some equally junky parcels, but far fewer, in Sherman Oaks. The neighborhood being proposed for Sherman Oaks-hood is indeed a nice area. I should know — I live here.

Does the area need to be in Sherman Oaks? Will empires crumble, will psyches suffer, will children go without warm blankets if Part of Sherman Oaks does or doesn't succeed? No on all counts.

I figure it'll all come down to how involved those already in Sherman Oaks get in opposing Part of Sherman Oaks — and how politically connected the various parties are at the present time.

It's kind of like being asked to the prom: Does Sherman Oaks even want us at the dance?

How should we feel about community designations that both unite and divide communities in the service of real-estate values?

I'll leave that one open for the moment.

More links:

L.A. Times' L.A. Now, "Yet another neighborhood wants out of Van Nuys"

Daily News' Rick Orlov, "Another Group in Van Nuys Wants Out"

Hey people, we got a dog!!

2009-02-18T20:45:00Z

The big news is that we went to the East Valley Animal Shelter over the weekend and, with the considerable help of Valentine's weekend discounts, came home with a dog for the cost of the license.

Her name is Poppy (yes, we picked it), and she's a 3-year-old, already-spayed 15-pound Chihuahua mix. We think there's some Jack Russell terrier in there, since she's fairly curious and has been using her nose and paws to open doors in the house.

Of course, after leaving the shelter only $17 poorer, with dog in hand (holding even a 15-pound dog in front of you for an hour or more can really mess up your upper back, I'll tell you), we hit both Petco and Target, which got the rest of our money.

Poppy has been doing fairly well. She's housebroken, loves that expensive Dick Van Patten dog food and this morning sneaked onto the couch when I wasn't looking.

Related:

Ilene's Poppy post

Updated with video: Dennis McCarthy finds our long-lost veterinarian

2009-02-04T22:15:00Z

Update: Click here for KCBS/KCAL video of Dan and Van Nuys vet Dr. Michael Pitt

Above: Veternarian Dr. Michael Pitt rubs Dan, a german shepherd who spent 2 tours to Iraq as a bomb sniffing dog and is now under the care of Dr. Pitt at Mid Valley Veternarian. (Tina Burch/Staff Photographer)

Dennis McCarthy's Monday column on veterinarian Michael Pitt saving the lives of German shepherds serving in our military, including one named Dan who sniffed for bombs in Iraq, really hits home for me.

And not just because we used to have a German shepherd mix (Notorious D.O.G., aka Dogstoevsky).

Dr. Pitt used to be our vet at Beverly Oaks Animal Hospital in Sherman Oaks. One day he was there, the next not. I never did know what happened to him. Now I do: He's at Mid Valley Veterinary Hospital in Van Nuys.

He was always great with D.O.G. and my mom's dogs, too, and if I happened to have a pet that needed veterinary care, I recommend him very highly. (Prince Philip the fish, who Ilene is trying to rid of fin rot, hasn't needed any office visits — if they even do that with fish.)

From Dennis' column:

"His trainer at the academy called about three months ago and told me about Dan's war record, his injury, and that he was going to be put to sleep," said Dr. Michael Pitt, veterinarian at Mid Valley Veterinary Hospital in Van Nuys.

Pitt and his wife, Dinna, had already rescued another dog from the academy - Rex, a Belgian Malinois. Rex had washed out of military training because of an injury.

The Pitts flew to San Antonio, rented a van and drove Rex - who now lives with them - two days cross country back to Van Nuys.

"It was like Rex knew they were going to put him to sleep," Dinna Pitt said Monday. "He was living in a cage, and when we walked in, he ran out to the van and jumped in like he knew what was going on.

"For two days' driving, he didn't make a peep. I think he wanted to be good so we wouldn't take him back."

The Pitts would never have taken Rex back, and they were not about to let a war hero like Dan be put to sleep.

"This dog risked his life for you and me," Dinna says. "He deserves better."

Worthless and weak: Organic to Go, I'm very disappointed in you

2009-02-03T18:30:00Z

I've been brewing my own lately — Trader Joe's Bay Blend at the office, Nescafe Clasico instant (because it's cheaper!) at home.

But today I swung into the Organic to Go outlet at the Daily News' now-not-so-new office-park location for a cup of what used to be very good coffee.

No longer. Worthless and weak.

I tried both "blends," House and Peru, in my self-service cup, and it's easy to see what the problem is.

They're not putting enough ground coffee in the filter, and the result is brown, tasteless water.

Don't pull this streetcorner s&%# on me. Not that I can afford to purchase individual coffees day in and day out (remember where I'm working, and in what dying industry), so it's probably not much of a loss for Organic to Go that I won't be subjecting myself to this under-caffeinated travesty.

That and my robust supply of Starbucks gift cards.

Luckily my co-worker Jason Kandel just produced a fresh can of Bay Blend, which when made under the right conditions is better than Starbucks.

Remember this, Organic to Go: There are greater sins, there are lesser sins. But bad coffee is just bad business.

The most totally, completely awesome Christmas video EVER: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Twisted Sister in the 21st century

2008-12-24T18:53:40Z

I didn't stumble on this 2006 (yes, THIS side of the millennium) Twisted Sister video without help. Mediabistro's FishbowlLA led me there.

The fact that a bona fide '80s band actually pulled it together enough to both record a new song (OK, it's an old song, "Oh Come O Ye Faithful") and make a totally kick-ass video is ... words fail me.

L.A. ice-scraper — MacGyver-style

2008-12-19T16:38:30Z

I was telling Tom Gapen about the ice on my car windows that kept me from driving until I could defrost it from within, and he said I needed an ice-scraper.

This is L.A. There are no ice-scrapers.

So I MacGyvered it. And yes, I do carry sunscreen year-round.

The great Joe Pass plays 'Nuages'

2008-11-07T20:41:51Z

Joe Pass, who in between being somewhat and more than somewhat famous taught guitar lessons out of his Northridge, Calif., garage, is one of a kind, a master of his genre and instrument.

Long lines don't deter Van Nuys voters

2008-11-05T02:02:46Z

When it came to voting in his first presidential election, Kyle Honkoski left nothing to chance.

The 21-year-old Van Nuys resident, who works at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills, took the day off to make sure he could cast his ballot.

"I stayed up late watching the news," Honkoski said at 11 a.m. Tuesday in line at the Burbank Oaks Apartments in Sherman Oaks. "I'm actually really excited."

The apartment complex on Burbank Boulevard, just north of the Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks border, drew a long line of voters the entire morning, with waits of about an hour.

While Honkoski was eager to cast his vote for Barack Obama, 76-year-old Van Nuys resident Louise Gfeiner was thinking more about who she was voting against.

The retired registered nurse wore a vintage "Morris for President" button. In case you don't remember, Morris was the finicky cat who would only eat 9Lives brand food.

"I think (John) McCain is too old," Honkoski said, "and if he dies, we'll have Sarah (Palin). She may be fine as governor, but I'm not ready for her to be president."

Honkoski was also planning to vote against most of the measures on the ballot.

I think we're deeply in debt enough. We can't afford more bond issues."

During their hour wait in the morning sun, voters had plenty of time to chat with their neighbors, or even catch up on their reading.

Jill Jacobson-Bennett, 53, of Van Nuys, carried a volume on California native plants.

A choreographer-turned-landscape designer, Jacobson-Bennett was as determined as others in line.

"I feel passionate about the election and some of the propositions — I want my voice to be heard," said the Democrat, a former Hillary Clinton supporter. While happy to cast her vote for Obama, she was glad Sen. Clinton didn't draw the vice-presidential spot that instead went to Sen. Joe Biden.

"I don't think it would have worked," Jacobson-Bennett said of the Obama-Clinton ticket that never was. "It would lessen her power politically — and I'd like to see her run again."

Jacobson-Bennett's husband, Dale Bennett, a Disney animator and registered Republican, voted earlier in the day.

"We usually cancel each other out, but I convinced him to vote my way on the propositions," said the ardent supporter of Proposition 2 and opponent of Proposition 8.

Prop. 2 would improve conditions for farm animals. Prop. 8 seeks to ban gay marriage in the state.

At one point, a voter shouted to a friend, "Starbucks after we vote!"

"There's a long line there, too," another yelled. The coffee chain — which has a small, busy store at the corner of Burbank and Van Nuys boulevards — was pouring free drinks for voters with the fortitude to brave two lines in one day.

Other polling places in the area were similarly inundated. Waits of an hour were reported at the Horace Heidt apartment complex on Magnolia Boulevard, and lines snaked out of the auditorium door at Chandler Elementary School, both in Sherman Oaks.

Here in Van Nuys moves to WordPress

2008-10-09T00:00:00Z

I hadn't checked in on Andrew Hurvitz's Here in Van Nuys in a while and was surprised to see that he moved the blog from Blogger to WordPress.

While Here in Van Nuys has always looked good, it looks even better in WordPress, where it has an uncomplicated but pleasing layout and choice of fonts.