Here’s the article we wrote for the new newspaper “Voice of the Village”.  http://voiceofthevillage.org/images/vtv_current_issue.pdf

They goofed and omitted our article from the first edition.  So here it is, for your reading pleasure.

Getting to Know the STA

By Abby Diamond

With the motto – Be Involved – Stay Informed – the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance was established in 2005 for the purpose of advocating for appropriate and carefully planned land use and community improvement.  We accomplish our goals through volunteer and community based activities. The STA relies on the Foothill Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan to guide our actions and our communication with the City.

We are currently working with Glendale-Crescenta Volunteers Organized in Conserving the Environment (V.O.I.C.E.) to Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course.  A developer intends to transform our local gem of a golf course into a gated community with 229 luxury homes.  Blindly allowing this development to take place would greatly affect all of us with more traffic and more strain on our already overburdened infrastructure.  The loss of green space and affordable recreation will negatively affect our quality of life now and for future generations.  If we do not save this space now, it will be gone – forever.  Go to www.savethegolfcourse.org for more information about the community wide effort to save the golf course.

Just recently we filed an appeal with City Planning to protest the expansion of another automobile repair business at the corner of Apperson and Plainview.  Did you know that in the 2 block section of Foothill Boulevard at Apperson Street, 23 auto use businesses already exist? Our specific plan calls for limited auto uses and encourages a variety of pedestrian oriented shops and services. We want Sunland-Tujunga to thrive with appropriate local shopping and not to be known as a “used car and auto repair community.”

In addition to our interest in land use and planning, we realize it is important to have effective and strong representation in our City Council district. To that end, we are facilitating communication between the candidates who are competing to fill the vacant Council seat left behind by Wendy Greuel. In cooperation with Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council (STNC) we sponsored a candidate forum on August 8^th.  We have also recently held public Q&A meetings with each of the candidates who are in the run-off.  Another candidate forum will be held on November 7^th at North Valley City Hall.  We urge all residents to attend.  There will be a “Meet and Greet” beginning at Noon and the actual Forum will begin at 1:00 PM.  Although the STA does not support any one candidate, we want all residents to be informed so they can confidently cast their vote for the candidate of their choosing.

Did you know we have a cemetery right here in Sunland-Tujunga?  Our Pioneer Cemetery is old and needs regular upkeep.  We’ve been organizing volunteers to help with monthly clean-up events on the first Saturday of the month. The next volunteer clean-up day is  November 7 starting at 9 AM.   We encourage everyone to participate in community beautification. Volunteering can be very rewarding!

A lot of folks ask us about the old K-Mart site located at Woodward and Foothill. That very important 11.5 acre parcel of land is still owned by the Sade Family Trust.  In 2004 the Home Depot Corporation signed a 40 year lease with them.  After a 4 year battle, our community defeated Home Depot in January 2009.  The property sits vacant as Home Depot continues to pay rent.  The Target store chain is interested in the site, as well as Mission Community College. The college has expressed interest in seeking a commercial partner to help develop the location.  A combined retail and college use would provide for local educational opportunities as well as much needed local shopping and services in accordance with the Foothill Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan’s requirements to provide for a pedestrian friendly, vibrant commercial experience.   We’ve waited this long, so we’ll try to be patient and see what happens!

Over the past 4 years, we have successfully navigated the complicated processes of city government and we are known as the “go-to group” to file land use and development appeals ensuring the City follows its own rules.  We are proud of our coalition building skills, particularly with our STNC Land Use Committee.  Although the members of our Neighborhood Council and Land Use Committee are extremely knowledgeable about these issues, the STNC cannot legally file appeals.  We will continue to monitor local planning and land use applications and City Planning determinations, and will file appeals when necessary.

You may know us for our leadership in the No Home Depot Campaign, but the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance has now grown to include a variety of volunteer activities.  We believe in proper and thoughtfully planned development which would fulfill the needs of the community as a whole.  We depend entirely on donations and support from the community to keep our organization alive. Our fundraiser events are lots of fun and we welcome your participation! Please join us!  Be Involved – Stay Informed.

www.sunlandtujungaalliance.com

Please feel free to contact me at abby AT abbydiamond DOT com or call (818) 293-1440

Foothills Community Debate

A Special Runoff Election will be held on

December 8, 2009 to replace

City Council Member, Wendy Greuel

MEET THE CANDIDATES

At our L.A. City Council District 2

Foothills Community

Debate with candidates

Christine Essel & Paul Krekorian

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Meet & Greet 12-1 p.m.

Debate begins at 1 p.m.

North Valley Neighborhood City Hall

7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga

Moderated by award winning broadcast journalist

Christina Gonzalez, KTTV FOX 11

The choice is yours. This is your chance to be informed

Invite your friends and neighbors.

For more info/updates:

Visit the CD2 Election Blog at http://cd2election.blogspot.com/

REGISTER TO VOTE AT THIS EVENT OR GO TO LAVOTE.net

Event hosted by the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council (STNC) stnc.org, Sunland-Tujunga Alliance (STA)sunlandtujungaalliance.com, Los Angeles Horse Council, Foothill Trails District Neighborhood Council, Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council, La Tuna Canyon Homeowners Assn, Shadow Hills Property Owners Assn, Lake View Terrace Improvement Assn, Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee, Verdugo Men’s Club, VOICE, L.A. Trails Project, War Horse & Militaria Heritage Foundation  and other participating groups .

David Hernandez and Frank Sheftel are producing a new online radio show called “Live LA”. The show airs on Saturday nights at 8pm, and you can listen to the archive by going to  LiveLA. Their show is totally focused on local issues and they are doing a great job!  Below is a link to last Saturday’s episode where our own Abby Diamond was on the air with them. Her segment starts around the 37 minute mark .

http://www.latalkradio.com/Players/Livela-101709.shtml

If you were unable to attend the two recent STA sponsored “Conversations with the Candidates” at Bolton Hall, you can now view the videos of those events at cd2election.blogspot.com .

The STA is sponsoring two separate CD2 Special Election Events over the next two weeks. This is a great opportunity to meet and question Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian, the two candidates in the race to fill Wendy Greuel’s position on the City Council.

These events, which we are calling a Candidate Q & A, provide an opportunity for the residents of Sunland-Tujunga and the nearby CD2 Foothill neighborhoods to participate in an intimate discussion with Paul and Chris in the important historical setting of Bolton Hall.

The format is not rigid, each candidate will speak for a few minutes about their goals for CD2 and what they can offer, and then questions will come from the audience.  We are hoping for a real dialogue and an exchange of ideas.

Chris Essel will be at Bolton Hall this Sunday, Oct 4th, from 11am until 12:30pm.

Paul Krekorian will be at Bolton Hall on Sunday, Oct 11, from 11am until 12:30pm.

Both candidates have expressed how much they are looking forward to being at these events and engaging with the community over the issues facing CD2.

We hope you will join us! Bolton Hall has limited seating, so we are asking that you RSVP if you plan to attend. We need to know what to expect in terms of attendance. You can email us at explodingsun@gmail.com, or call Joe at 818 438-7076.

We hope to see you this Sunday and on Sunday, Oct 11th!

This is for your information only and does not imply endorsement of either candidate.

The STA has filed an Appeal against a recent LA City Planning Decision that would allow Classic Collision Center at the corner of Plainview and Apperson to expand from its present 3800 sq ft to a size approximately 600% larger than it is now. Classic Collision Center’s plans call for building a two story building with rooftop parking, expanded business operations, including auto detailing and a central office.

The Appeal was filed this morning in Van Nuys after an all night writing and printing session (it ended at 5am on Wednesday) that culminated after a mere two weeks of allotted time to respond to the City Planning decision. Thanks to everyone that pitched in to get this done!

A public hearing before the North Valley Area Planning Commission will be scheduled in about 6 weeks.

You can read our Appeal by following these links:  Part 1 , Part 2.

The cost of filing this Appeal was $102.00, plus we have printing costs for the Appeal (7 copies as required by the City) of around $100.00. Please come to our bake sale at Bolton Hall on Oct 10 from 10 am till 1 pm to help us recoup this expense along with our attorney fees for the VHGC Draft EIR response. Thanks.

The Sunland-Tujunga Alliance, along with the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, The Foothill Trails District NC, the Los Angeles Horse Council, and other Foothill community groups, will host a candidate forum on Saturday, November 7th at North Valley City Hall. A meet & greet will be held from noon until 1pm with the forum to begin at 1pm. Both CD2 candidates, Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian have confirmed that they will participate in this event. More details to follow.

Calling all Baking Angels! And of course, those of you who want to eat those home baked goodies!

There has been a lot going on lately and we’ve all been pretty busy.  It seems like a long time ago, but the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Draft EIR is still on our minds.  You may remember that we coordinated with V.O.I.C.E. and hired a land use attorney to help us write specific comments for the DEIR. So we’re planning another one of our famous Bake Sales for October 10 to raise some much needed funds to pay our share of the attorney fees.

The Bake Sale will be held at Little Landers Park next to Bolton Hall on Saturday, October 10 from 10AM – 1PM. If you would like to show off your baking talents and donate some goodies, call Tomi at 818-353-9143 or Regina at 818-951-9654.

Also, Abby will be doing Chair Massage for a small donation. All proceeds will be used to fulfill our financial commitment. In honor of those who bravely fought the Station Fire, First Responders will be treated to a FREE chair massage!

Click HERE to read the comment letter written on our behalf.

Many thanks to all of you for your support of the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance over the years, and we look forward to many more years of community unity!

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who participated in Saturday’s baked good collection behind Ralph’s in Sunland to donate to the firefighters and support personnel at the command center located at Hansen Dam.

There was such an out pouring, not only from Sunland/Tujunga residents, but from other outlying Foothill communities and from people that didn’t even live in these communities but just wanted to volunteer their time to support this event.

Kudos to those who supported me and helped to make this event possible:

Tomi Lyn Bowling – For spreading the word and for believing in me and making this event happen.

Paula & Max Warner – For your wonderful banners that were posted at the command center and Fire Station 74.

Norma White – My good friend and neighbor that I drafted.

Cindy Cleghorn, Abby Diamond and Sheri Smith for getting out the word at such a late notice on community web sites and e-mail listings.

Thank you all for your support. I was truly overwhelmed and touched by everyone that brought baked goods, boxed items and assisted with collections at this event. We had four car loads packed full, and YES we made it into the command center. We dropped off an abundance of goodies and had enough left over to distribute to the Tujunga Angelus National Forest Station, LAPD Foothill Division, Fire Stations 24 (Sunland) and 74 (Tujunga) and even La Crescenta Sheriff and fire stations.

This event would not have been successful without everyone that was involved in every way possible. God bless each and every one of you and thank you again for your generosity and support.

Patricia Thompson
Sunland Resident

Bringing Sunland Tujunga together for a Community Meeting this Wednesday, September 9, 2009 hosted by the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council.

Join us at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at North Valley Neighborhood City Hall, 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.

Representatives from LA City Fire, LAPD, LADWP, LA County and others will join us. This will be one of the first opportunities for neighbors directly affected by the Station Fire to talk one-on-one with these representatives. The STNC meeting will start at 7:15 p.m.

The STNC extends its appreciation to all Firefighters, Police and Volunteers who helped our neighbors.

See you Wednesday!

Sweet & Hot!

Our famous Baking Angels are firing up their ovens to express the community’s gratitude to the heroic firefighters who worked so hard to control the Station Fire.

Drop off your goodies on Saturday, September 5, behind Ralphs in Sunland in the lower parking lot from Noon – 1. Even if you aren’t a baker, you can say Thanks by helping to distribute the baked goodies.

Just show up, the Baking Angels will direct you where to go.

Pioneer Cemetery Clean-up Date Change Due to the Fire

The September and October clean-up days have been canceled. The next Clean-up day will be Saturday, November 1.  Mark your calendar now and be prepared to bring your volunteer spirit. We’ll remind you again in October.

STA Fundraiser Coming Up – October 10 at Bolton Hall

We are planning a bake sale to raise funds to pay the attorney who helped us with comments on the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Draft EIR. Mark your calendar and be prepared to fire up those ovens!  Check back with us later for info & details.

Due to the fires, and everyone’s involvement in assisting evacuees, working with the City and the Firefighters, we do not have the time to update at the moment.

Please visit the Foothills Forum for minute by minute updates.

http://www.thefoothillsforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4490

UPDATE – The STA comment letter is now available for viewing. Click the link on the main page of the STA website.

We did it!   Our STA Verdugo Hills Golf Course Draft EIR comment letter was sent off to City Planning last Wednesday.

But that’s not all we did!  We also joined with Glendale Crescenta V.O.I.C.E and hired the renowned environmental law firm of Chatten-Brown & Carstens to help us with some technical matters. We really enjoyed working with VOICE and CBC – a big thank you to all!

Sooooo, now we have a financial obligation! It’s never easy to ask for donations, especially in these tough economic times. STA’s goal is to raise $3,000.00 before the end of the year.

We appreciate contributions of any amount. Please send your check  payable to:

Sunland Tujunga Alliance – P.O. Box 123 – Tujunga, CA 91043

You’ll see. It was well worth the expense. We’ll post both letters in a few days or so. You’ll see.

Other Ways to Help

You can help Save the Golf Course by eating at Joselito’s West on Monday, August 31, from 11AM- 10PM. Dine-in or Take-out, simply let them know you are there for the Save the Golf Course Fundraiser and Joselito’s will donate a portion of your receipt. Please join us! You know where: 7308 Foothill -  818.951.2275

We’re also planning a major Fun-Raiser for sometime in October. Bake Sale anyone? If you have the time and energy to help bake, plan or whatever, please contact  Regina at 818.951.9654.

We’ll see you at Joselito’s on Monday, August 31!

Wow what a great day! Bali & Beyond performed at McGroarty Arts Center this afternoon and it was beautiful! I’ve been a fan of this Indonesian music for years, such a treat to be able to watch & hear it performed in Tujunga. -Joe

Here’s a link if you want to hear some samples:

http://balibeyond.com/csmusic.html

Go to the CD2election site for all info related to this past Saturday’s forum!

We are busy with the Draft EIR for the Golf Course, so posting here will be light for the next week!

We are proud (and excited) to be a co-sponsor, along with the STNC, of the CD2 Candidates Forum to be held this coming Saturday. All 10 candidates have confirmed participation! This is a great opportunity to meet and hear from those that are seeking to replace Wendy Greuel (who is now City Controller). A “Meet & Greet” will take place 1-2pm, and the forum will begin at 2pm. The moderators for this big event are former Daily News Editor Ron Kaye, and LA Weekly Deputy Editor Jill Stewart. We’ll see you all on Saturday!

Arrive early for seating!

Here are the details:

CD2 Candidates Forum
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Meet & Greet 1-2pm
Forum 2-4:30 pm
North Valley City Hall
7747 Foothill Blvd
Tujunga, CA 91042

Media & General Info explodingsun@gmail.com

Pioneer Cemetery Clean-Up and Beautification

Let’s hope for continued cool morning weather tomorrow!

On Saturday, August 1, we’ll be doing some sprucing up at the Verdugo Hills Cemetery. We’re planning to be there from 7AM until Noon.  Be sure to bring your hat, sunscreen, gloves, tools, water, and volunteer spirit.

Oh, and bring lots of small to medium rocks to edge the new path that the Boy Scouts made. We’ll see you up on Parson’s Trail!

We just wanted to point you to a new blog that just went online and is devoted to the CD2 Race for Wendy’s former seat. You can visit the blog at http://cd2election.blogspot.com . This site was put together by several members of the Sunland-Tujunga/Foothills Area community (including Joe from the STA) and is getting a lot of attention already!

Pioneer Cemetery Beautification Continues On Saturday, August 1, we’ll be doing some sprucing up at the Verdugo Hills Cemetery. Because of the heat, we’ll be starting early. That’s right, 7AM – Noon. Be sure to bring your hat, sunscreen, gloves, tools, water, and volunteer spirit. Oh, and bring lots of small to medium rocks to edge the new path that the Boy Scouts made. We’ll see you up on Parson’s Trail! Don’t you just love the Watermelon Festival? It’s one of our favorite annual events. This year’s Festival promises to be filled with food, contests, rides, and good old fashioned fun. Oh yeah, and free watermelon, of course. The STA, STNC, and VOICE are hosting an information booth throughout the weekend. We have 2-3 hour time slots available if you’d like to help out. The Festival runs from 5Pm, Friday, August 14 thru 10:30PM Sunday, August 16. It’s easy to sign up if you have a few hours to chip in and hang out with us.  You can call Sheri at (818) 416-0043 or send her an email –    sherylsmith24@ca.rr.com

Click HERE for the official Watermelon Festival website.

Mark your calendars! Your first chance to meet, and hear from, all the candidates for CD2 will be in Sunland-Tujunga on August 8th! This Q&A forum will be moderated by Ron Kaye and Jill Stewart, so expect some tough questions! The forum is sponsored by the S-T Neighborhood Council and the STA. Most of the candidates have confirmed to participate, with just a few left to be contacted.

Arrive early for seating!

Here are the details:

CD2 Candidates Forum
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Meet & Greet 1-2pm
Forum 2-4:30 pm
North Valley City Hall
7747 Foothill Blvd
Tujunga, CA 91042

Media & General Info explodingsun@gmail.com

Wendy Greuel came through for the community yesterday by getting the comment period for the VHGC DEIR extended from 60 days to 90 days!

The announcement was made by Dale Thrush at last night’s highly successful Town Hall Meeting at NVCH. Up until last night we were looking at a mere 2 weeks longer to submit our comments on the 600 page DEIR. Talk about some pressure! Now, because of Wendy’s efforts (and she’s not even our councilperson any longer) we have until August 19th to have our comments postmarked.

Wendy will be at the STNC general meeting tonight at NVCH at 7pm.

Stop by and tell her thanks!

Tuesday, July 7th at 7pm

North Valley City Hall

Come get all the latest details. Learn about the Draft EIR, the EIR process, and how to make comments!

Rich Toyon will present a community friendly project alternative including ideas how the Verdugo Hills Golf Course property could be expanded with additional recreation, rather than the 229 homes proposed by the developer. Our community friendly alternative would preserve the Golf Course, the trees, and the watershed, with the use of ecologically sound land management and conservation of natural resources.

Speak out now or lose the golf course forever!

We’ll see you Tuesday night.

See the savethegolfcourse.org page for more details.

In the latest strange turn of events, the developers who are seeking to transform the VHGC into housing are now declining to meet with the very community the proposed project will affect!  MWH/Snowball West Investments has declined to share information with the public during the public comment period for the Draft EIR.  A presentation by the developers would help the community to better understand what is proposed at the golf course, but the developers have decided otherwise. It appears that any type of presentation would raise more questions than it answers so the developers want to play it safe and avoid public inquiry until the comment period for the Draft EIR is complete.  How’s that for avoiding scrutiny? Shame on you MWH/Snowball . This proposed housing project will destroy our beloved golf course and transform the entire TCB/LA Tuna Canyon corridor, and the developers are hiding! For detailed information on the VHGC and how you can contribute to saving the golf course, please visit the wonderfully put together website by VOICE at  SAVETHEGOLFCOURSE.ORG.

Well, seeing how this car has sat abandoned on Tujunga Canyon for months and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, I guess we may as well get some use out of it! And no, we don’t know who the creative person is behind the signs, but we think it’s pretty funny and it makes a good statement.

Councilmember Wendy Greuel along with city engineers, local leaders & residents commemorated the opening of the bridge with a ceremony on Friday.

Here’s a few pictures of the re-dedication.

The STA met with Wendy today for the last time, or at least for the last time that she is a Councilmember. She moves to her new post as City Controller on July 1.

The hour long meeting included Sheri Smith, Abby Diamond and Joe Barrett from the STA, Cindy Cleghorn and Tomi Lyn Bowling from the STNC,  and Dale Thrush and Jim Dantona from CD2.

The hot topic of discussion was the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. We discussed the progress (or lack of)  in acquiring funding to purchase the property,  and the Draft EIR.

We haven’t given up our effort for a 90 day review, and requested Wendy’s assistance to extend the comment period for the DEIR. Funding has become a delicate issue as there are numerous factors involved. In addition to the multi-jurisdictional and multi-funding sources that have to be coordinated, there is also the matter of the property owners willingness to sell.  We’ll have more details to report at our next STA meeting.

Another topic was the Tujunga Wash and how the homeless camps have suddenly returned after being cleared out about a month ago. Wendy explained that the camps will need to be monitored and regular sweeps will be performed to deal with the problem. We expect to see a second sweep very soon. This is a difficult issue for all of us, because no one wants to see more problems for the homeless folks, but unfortunately these camps ravage the wash, bringing in huge amounts of trash. The homeless that camp there also cause extensive damage to the native flora.

We also presented Wendy with a list of recommendations for her new job as City Controller. We would love to see audits of the LA Department of Building & Safety and City Planning. Let’s hope we get our wish!

Finally, we thanked Wendy for the great job she has done as our Councilperson, and for her extraordinary efforts in our successful campaign against Home Depot.  Joe called the last  5 years “an adventure”!

Wendy promised she will be close-by, and still has an interest in CD2 happenings, and even tho her job title will change, she still wants to be included in our community events.

We wish her the very best in her new endeavor, and look forward to working with her as the City Controller of Los Angeles. Now we have to make sure whoever replaces her as our Councilmember meets up to the standard that she set, and gives Sunland-Tujunga the attention we deserve.

We regret to announce that we are postponing the Great Casserole Cook-off that was scheduled for June 27.

We need this time to focus on the Draft EIR for the Verdugo Hills Golf Course.

We will be holding a major fundraiser probably in September. Until then, please know that we are always accepting donations as we rely on community funding to keep our organization alive & kicking!

We had a great day!

The Workshop presented by the Planning and Conservation League was very informative and productive.  We had a full house, with participants from all over the region, including Azusa, Claremont, Ventura, Glendale and Pasadena.  Many friends and neighbors from our local Neighborhood Councils and other homeowner associations were there as well.

I think everyone who attended got something useful out of the day. Doug Carstens, a local land use attorney, was extremely patient and answered everyone’s questions with candor and expertise. I found it very refreshing to work with someone who understands the law, the CEQA process, and various City policies, yet has the ability to see the public’s point of view.  The Verdugo Hills Golf Course Draft EIR was used as a teaching tool, so those of us who will be writing comments are doubly pleased!

Here’s another round of applause for Doug Carstens, and many thanks to Melanie and Paul from the PCLF, Marc Stirdivant, Cindy Cleghorn, and Ed Rock,  who helped put it all together! Our compliments to Kris from Old Town Cafe on Commerce for the great lunch, too.

Remember, community empowerment begins when we educate ourselves on the processes involved!  Today, we armed ourselves with knowledge!!! -Abby

Put this on your calendar! This Saturday, June 6th, from 9 am till noon, we will be joining Mary Lou Pozzo in a clean-up of the Verdugo Hills Pioneer Cemetery! Come on down, bring a rake, some gloves, and a weed-whacker if you have one! You will learn a lot from Mary Lou about the fascinating  history of this cemetery and you’ll be doing your part to help preserve this important site.  This is a great opportunity to teach your kids the importance of community involvement and they will get a history lesson as well!  We’ll see you there!

Here We Go!  Mark Your Calendar for Saturday, June 6 & Sunday, June 7.

This summer promises to be action-packed! The Draft EIR for the Verdugo Hills Golf Course has been released and is ready for review. You can access it by clicking HERE.  The Summary alone is 80 pages. There’s a lot to read, and already we’ve noticed a discrepancy about the comment period. We’ll be making some calls tomorrow and let you know what we find out.

So, (as we planned it) the DEIR is just in time for our upcoming CEQA Workshop on Sunday, June 7.  If you would like to participate in the CEQA Workshop, you must register in advance. There are still a few Community Scholarship Registrations available (the $35.00 materials fee has already been paid) for those who will commit to submitting a response to the Draft EIR. This is a fabulous opportunity to learn about the CEQA process in general, and learn to write effective comments specifically for the Verdugo Hills Golf Course DEIR. Click HERE to read about the Workshop. And click HERE to download the flyer and registration form.

Saturday, June 6

Please join us for Community Beautification and Clean-Up at the Verdugo Hills Pioneer Cemetery. We’ll be there from 9:00am-Noon. Bring your hat, gloves, water, sunscreen, shovel, rake, clipper, weed whacker with gas, your truck, trailer, garbage bags, and Community Spirit.

Mary Lou and Richard Pozzo have been shouldering this job by themselves for years! Let’s pitch in! We’ll be there the first Saturday of the month as long as people are willing to show up.

It’s a great experience for the whole family! We’ll see you there.

Just a reminder! We have a lot to report and many things to talk about!

Here’s the info:

Monday, May 11th

7pm (if you want to eat dinner, order between 6-6:45pm)

Olde Towne Cafe

10024 Commerce Ave
(818) 951-2700

Tell your friends & neighbors. See you there!

There has been some action on the 280 acres of open space that the community has been working to have transferred to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Here is an update from Tomi Lyn Bowling, chairman of the STNC Land Use Committee:

Angeles National Golf Course Update
Mountains Recreation
Conservation Authority
Passes Motion

The motion before the MRCA today was:

“Consideration of resolution authorizing all actions necessary to accept approximately 260 (*editor note, its 280 acres)-acre Big Tujunga Wash open space dedication including entering into agreements with the Angeles National Golf Club to fund maintenance and required environmental mitigation measures and acceptance of funding for all said purposes.”

After several motions like this at several earlier meetings this motion was at last passed.  One more crucial step on the road to complete dedication of this 280 acre parcel.

There are some details to work out still but all are hopeful that the negotiations will be complete soon and that both parties will be satisfied with the terms.

Concurrently Los Angeles Police Department in coordination with Council District Two staff and Matt Bennett of Angeles National Golf Course with his crew of roughly eight maintenance staff, plowed through the land in question in the Tujunga Wash today cleaning up everything in sight.  The trash bin at Oro Vista was full!  The project to clean up this part of the Tujunga Wash started late last week with the Los Angeles Homeless Authority visiting transients and offering them shelter and various kinds of aid.  The Homeless Authority visited again on Monday making their offers again and finally LAPD issued verbal and written warnings to alert the trespassing residents that the area would be vacated and cleared and so it was.

Update from Joe Barrett:

The LAPD, in cooperation with CD2 and the ANGC did a sweep through the wash earlier today. Besides a general clean-up, it appears that several homeless camps are now vacant as well. I took a walk through the area this afternoon and 2 camps that I am familiar with are now abandoned. See the pictures below.

Time To Catch Up!

It’s been quite a while since we’ve met as a group and we are looking forward to this one. We have many topics and issues to cover including the upcoming CEQA workshop, the future of the K-Mart site, and The Pioneer Cemetery monthly cleanup. We will also be planning a fund raising event. Casserole Contest anyone? Put on your thinking caps and bring your ideas!

Here’s the info:

Monday, May 11th

7pm (if you want to eat dinner, order between 6-6:45pm)

Olde Towne Cafe

10024 Commerce Ave
(818) 951-2700

Tell your friends & neighbors. See you there!

We Made a Dent in the Pioneer Cemetery Clean-Up

Also known as the Hills of Peace. This local historic gem has a “view to die for” as Mary Lou Pozzo likes to say! A bunch of us locals spent many hours this weekend helping to clear weeds and clean up around the property. The weather was perfect! The great thing about working in this cemetery was being surrounded by so much history. Mary Lou is a walking, talking, repository of local history and she would break up the work by launching into story after story. We are going to try to get her to speak at an upcoming STA meeting! Stay tuned for more info on that.

There’s More Work To Be Done

Mary Lou has been the caretaker for many years, practically all by herself.  Those of us who participated, somehow convinced Mary Lou to let us help out a little more.  So, if you’ve been looking for something to do, or even just wondering about the graveyard, here’s your chance.

Monthly Cemetery Clean-up & Maintenance
First Saturday of every month
9:00 am – 12 noon
Starting with June 6th .

Everyone is Invited to Join In!

Volunteering and being part of the community has many rewards; an improved neighborhood is only one benefit. It feels good to help out and make new friends at the same time.  We’ll see you there next month!

To see a slide show of this weekend’s clean-up go to:http://sunlandtujungaalliance.com/slideshow.html

To read The Foothills Forum thread about all this go to:

The Foothills Forum

Be Sure to Attend these Free Local Events!

Little Landers Historical Society will offer an opportunity to learn about SurveyLA on May 9th. SurveyLA is a new program established by the City to document our historic landmarks. We need to identify and protect our historic properties!  Be sure to attend this event and learn how the program works. There will be a speaker, video, and discussion. Click to download the flyer HERE.

Another Volunteer Opportunity!

Sunland-Tujunga Community Beautification Day! Visit Historic Landmark #946. Our very own Pioneer Cemetery is LA’s newest Historic Landmark! Clean-up will take place on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday May 3, from 9am-2pm. 7000 Parsons Trail in Tujunga. Bring your hat, gloves, sunscreen, garden tools,weed whacker and gas. For more info call 352-3420.

Be Involved! Stay Informed!

On June 7, 2009, the STA, STNC, VOICE and the Planning and Conservation League Foundation will present a Community Guide to CEQA Workshop. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about CEQA and the Environmental Impact Report process. Please check out the VHGC tab (above) for more info, the flyer, registration form,  and links to the PCL Foundation.

Women’s Self Defense Workshop!

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian sent this announcement today.  We’re invited, even tho we’re not even in his district! Its useful information and its FREE! Click HERE for a larger version of the flyer.

Be sure to say thanks to Assemblymember Krekorian!

District Office:
300 E. Magnolia Blvd., Suite 504
Burbank, CA 91502
Tel: (818) 558-3043
Fax: (818) 558-3042

Breaking News!

Sex Offenders Have Been Removed From Oro Vista House!

Well that was fast. We received a message from Nina Royal that she spoke with the State Parole Officer in charge of these men and he told her they were being removed from the house immediately. Additionally, he stated that the home would not be rented out again to house sex offenders.

I drove by the house around 4:30 pm and it is indeed empty (see photos). All of the blinds have been raised as if to show the neighborhood that these guys are gone.

A witness told me that she had watched an RV being loaded up earlier today.

Nice work everyone! We’ll try to get more details on how this all came to pass so quickly. My initial thought is that the large turnout at Chapel of the Hills Church and the subsequent TV coverage had a lot to do with the swift eviction of these dangerous criminals.

Sex Offenders Being Housed By The State In Sunland!

A crowd of around 100 gathered at Chapel of the Hills Church tonight to learn about and discuss the 4 registered sex offenders that are being housed almost directly across the street from the church and preschool. There were also representatives present from LAPD and REACT (the police group that monitors sex offenders). Both KNBC and KCBS covered the meeting and had reports about the story on their respective newscasts later in the evening.

It’s also interesting to note that these offenders are considered serious enough that they have been equipped with GPS monitoring devices to keep track of their every move.

It is obvious that there is a lot of anger about these sex offenders being placed in our community, and tonight residents were looking for a way to remedy this situation.  The STA will be promoting a letter writing campaign in the next few days and looking at all legal options.

Stay tuned, there will be more on this story!

We received this notice from a local resident and are posting it here because this is an important issue that affects every one of us in Sunland-Tujunga!

On Tuesday, April 14, at 7pm, at Chapel of the Hills Church at 11120 Oro Vista, there will be a very important meeting regarding two houses that recently were filled with violent sex offenders/child molesters by the State.  One of our corral members took a picture of the hole that was cut out of the shade so that now there is a clear view of the children who attend the private school directly across the street from this half way house for violent sex offenders. There are now 4 offenders in the house and they are planning on bringing in 2 more. Another house on Owen Street in Tujunga, has been housed with four more violent sex offender/child molesters. It has been reported that men from that house have been walking around the neighborhood at all hours. They are one block away from the trails in Big Tujunga, across the street from a school and 1 1/2 blocks from another school.

Please share this information with anyone else who has children or would otherwise be interested. It’s necessary for us to have a large turnout tomorrow night to protest the State putting these people in our neighborhood.

We Love Our Oak Trees!

As part of the effort to Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, we will be reviewing the Draft EIR. The property owners did a tree evaluation for the Environmental Review process, and we feel it is necessary to do our own survey of the Oak population for comparison.

This past Saturday, Joe Barrett, Gary Knowlton and I cataloged, measured, evaluated, noted, and photographed the Oaks in one section of the grounds.

You might know Gary, he’s our local professional Certified Arborist, who specializes in Oaks and is highly qualified for the job, with over 33 years of experience in the field. He knows these particular trees well; he used to be the tree-caretaker for the prior owners of the Golf Course.

The area we studied was a significant, established native Oak woodland. The majority of the trees we surveyed were in very good condition. There were numerous trees with a trunk circumference of greater than 20 inches, and several trees having trunks as large as 30 inches circumference. The area was abundant with life – critters, ferns, and plenty of poison oak!

There’s a lot more to do, but we made a good start.  We had fun, too!

Lots of Stuff Going On!

I went to the STNC meeting tonight.  For starters, we offer our congratulations to Tomi Lyn on her new position as Vice-President! (Business Rep position is now available.)  There’s a lot to report, so settle in and get comfortable!

The K-Mart Site

Here’s a little background. As you may already know, Mission Community College is interested in building a satellite campus in Sunland-Tujunga.  Thanks to the voter’s approval of Measure J, the College District has funds available for site acquisition and development of satellite campuses. They have been looking at various locations around town for the past couple of years, and now have their eye on the old K-Mart site.

Judith Valles, President of Mission College, spoke briefly to introduce Larry Eisenberg, Executive Director, Facilities Planning & Development for the Community College District. Mr. Eisenberg was a lively and informative speaker, and he took many questions from the audience. The representatives from the College are committed to being responsive to the needs and wants of the community. They are full of ideas for what the college campus could provide and mentioned specifically a Culinary Program with a Restaurant. The College is interested in sharing the site with … keep your fingers crossed … TARGET! They have been in recent contact with Target, and hope to have a formal response soon. We’ll keep you posted, for sure.

Here’s a Brief Review of the Q&A Answers

The college is interested in purchasing the property, rather than leasing it. They are reluctant to use Eminent Domain, but as a public agency, they could. (It really didn’t seem they would.)

Minimum site requirements would be 15,000 sq. ft. but that would only provide 10 classrooms, a small library, student lounge, and Administration facility. 30,000 sq. ft. would provide optimal usage,  not including the restaurant.

They have $25 million for purchase and construction costs, but need operating capital, which would come from partnering with retail development.

Many people had plenty of ideas for the site, including something for the kids, and Mr. Eisenberg loved hearing what people had to say. He promised Town Hall meetings to gather formal input from the community. All in all, it was a great presentation. We’re looking forward to a positive relationship with the College and Target.

Other Items of Interest

ACTION ALERT – Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 15, 6:00pm, City Hall, Downtown. There will be a meeting to discuss the possibility of mountain bikes being allowed on all trails in all City Parks. This will be a dangerous situation for hikers and equestrian uses. We’ll have more info on this in a day or so, so check back for details.

Fun Stuff To Do

Got socks and underwear? Bolton Hall will open a new exhibit this coming Saturday, with an informative lecture at 1:00pm. Find out everything you wanted to know about Victorian Womens Underwear!

Little Landers Historical Society is having their Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, April 25, from 9am-1pm, in the alley behind Rio Clothing Store located at 9929 Commerce Ave. As always, there will be all kinds of plants starting at 25 cents! Plant donations may be made on Friday April 24 between 9:30am-3:00pm. Call Lloyd Hitt for more info. 951-1041

Volunteer Opportunity!  Community Beautification Day! Visit Historic Landmark #946. Our very own Pioneer Cemetery is LA’s newest Historic Landmark! Clean-up will take place on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday May 3, from 9am-2pm. 7000 Parsons Trail in Tujunga. Bring your hat, gloves, sunscreen, garden tools,weed whacker and gas. For more info call 352-3420.

Land Use Updates - In Brief

The 4.75 acres at Oro Vista and Big T has made the first cut for Prop 84 funds. Many thanks to Elaine Brown, Mary Benson, and Cindy Cleghorn for their dedication and filling out the extensive paperwork. The next step is to wait for a site inspection.

The Canyon Market Cell Phone Tower proposal was heard by the Zoning Administrator earlier this week. CD2 recommended against the proposed 60 ft. tower, stating the law only allows 45 ft. and requested the ZA require additional landscaping with a forest of real trees if the mono-pine tower is approved. No determination has been made yet.

It appears that the Angeles National Golf Club and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy are close to an agreement for guardianship of the 260 acres of open space that borders the golf course. CD2 will be working with LAPD, the Golf Club and a social service foundation to remove and relocate the homeless people.

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course Draft EIR is expected to be released at the end of this month. Some progress has been made in terms of funding for acquisition of the land, but the owner is not forthcoming with a price. One million $ in Prop K funds may be available, but State funds are frozen. The STA, STNC, and VOICE  are planning a CEQA Workshop which will be geared specifically towards the DEIR in early June.

Stay tuned! We’ll be posting more info and details on many of these  important issues in the days to come.

Department of Fish & Game Releases Scathing Report on the Failure of Angeles National Golf Course to Meet Mitigation Measures and Conditions of Approval!

Wow It’s a doozy! Read it Here!

We need to alert the community to the impending dedication of 260 acres of open and protected space, adjacent to Angeles National Golf Course and the rules that will be set into motion regarding the Tujunga Wash from Oro Vista at the east end to Foothill Blvd at the west end and spanning both hill ranges on the south and north (the north includes about half way up the hillside by the Conover fire road). It becomes, essentially, a park, a natural habitat, when the dedication is completed. The golf course were required to donate this land to an official preservation body as part of the requirements to obtain their final permits for the clubhouse (clubhouse is nearly complete).

A Chief Ranger, from the MRCA (Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority) came out for a walk in the wash today. Matt Bennett from Angeles National Golf Course was there for part of the trip and Angela Motta was there for most of it. The purpose was to see how much land there is to maintain and what kind of man power would be needed, what services, to bring it up to a maintenance program and how many man hours per week to patrol it and keep the area preserved. MRCA have much experience in management and preservation of open space as they are the ranger force that handles all land dedicated to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. They also have an excellent repute and program for cleaning out the encampments.

There are a few things that he felt you should all be aware of if the MRCA takes this on.

1. Intervention & assistance as needed by the LA Homeless Authority.

2. Its an “all or nothing” kind of deal when it comes to recreational use that is public and enforced. Its open from sun up to sundown.

3. No smoking.

4. No fires. Use of fireworks, guns or anything like it is strictly prohibited.

5. No motor vehicles of any kind. Equestrian is fine, walkers, hikers, bicycles are fine.

6. Dogs must be leashed.

7. No BMX trails (his name). That means no building up of mounds of dirt so that bicycles can ride & jump them (they do this now at the far east side by the 4 McMansions).

8. No littering. Its a park.

9. No dumping of any kind.

10. No overnight camping.

11. No removal of any vegetation or stones, dirt, or animals, its a preserve & natural habitat. Community clean up in the area is strongly advised against because there are so many active encampments. He said we do not want community members out there picking up trash until an initial sweep of the area is done as it is currently very dangerous and hazardous due to the nature of uses out there right now. One needle prick of someone and it can turn into a nightmare.

He also explained that they are NOT the police. 911 emergencies are not for the park rangers, that is still a 911 call. The community at large needs to understand that along with the dedication comes rules. The community is invited to comment or voice their concerns about any of the above or others issues concerning this issue to the STNC by fax 951-7412 or email BusinessRep@STNC.org or in person at the next STNC meeting, April 8th.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy – Angeles National Golf Course – Land Dedication- Resurrection

On Monday, March16,  a handful of Sunland-Tujunga citizens, representing various groups and interests, drove way out of their own territory up to a meeting of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy with the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority. The meeting was held in Thousand Oaks.

What would prompt such travel by these locals?

The possible dedication of 260 acres of protected land in the Tujunga Wash that was being considered by SMMC and then was summarily removed from the agenda but was brought back for one last go around.

The community members included Nina Royal, Elaine Brown, Ricky Grubb from the STNC,  Abby Diamond, Joe Barrett of Sunland-Tujunga Alliance, Tomi Lyn Bowling as the Land Use Committee Chair and a mountain of letters from others that could not attend but spoke their words of support.

The community members were only given short notice of the very far off meeting so the troopers had little time to prepare. But prepare they did! They came armed with power points, drawings, photographs and words of wisdom. The MRCA has taken the matter under reconsideration and a representative from their Ranger Corp is meeting with ANGC, Tomi Bowling and Mr Dale Thrush tomorrow or Thursday afternoon to walk the wash and work out an estimated cost to care for this land. Mr. Thrush was not at the meeting but has spoken to the LUC chair extensively regarding this issue and has been given the communities understanding and reasoning behind wanting the MRCA to accept this dedication over the city of LA doing so.

In short the city lacks resources and is already stretched too thin to maintain the park areas they currently have. This is by far not over. Please keep sending your letters of support and recommendations to the city Planner (who is considering whether or not the golf course has complied with the list of 72 conditions) David.Weintraub@lacity.org and dale.thrush@lacity.org and edelman@smmc.ca.gov

Stay tuned for the next few events this week!

We’re Being Used!

We’ve been alerted to an email going around, and it says the sender is No Home Depot. The content of the email is about whether Wendy’s successor for the CD2 Council seat will be appointed or elected.

Well, that’s not us. We are not sending any email around. It’s being sent from this email address: sunlndt@yahoo.com.    Hmmph!

We do not approve!

If you receive that email, please respond saying that the No Home Depot Campaign does not approve the message or the method, and is not affliated with the sender.  And they should take our name off of it. Thanks so much!

We have a little news about the Kmart Site!

On Monday, March 8, a few community leaders were invited by CD2 to attend a small meeting with developers representing the Los Angeles Mission College. The rumors are true; the College is scouting for a location and is interested in opening a satellite campus here in S-T. They are very interested in the Kmart property and would include an anchor retail development along with the college. There is bond money available from Measure J (from last years election) to purchase and develop new sites for the Community College District, but they would have to include other uses. That’s where the questions come in – what anchor would be willing or able to combine resources with the college.

Basically, they wanted to hear what the community has to say, and wanted to know what type of development we would support. It was refreshing; they were very good listeners and they seem like they would be good neighbors. Community leaders who attended were Joe Barrett, STA Chairman, Dan McManus, President STNC, Tomi Lyn Bowling, Chair/STNC Land Use Committee, Cindy Cleghorn, Secretary, STNC, and yours truly, moi.

No decisions were made, and there is nothing going on other than discussion about our hopes and dreams.

What about Target?

The College District has been in discussion with the Target folks and we can only hope Target will decide to share the site. We understand that Target is “crunching the numbers” to see if it would be viable for them to come in here – but at this point, they have indicated they would want the entire site, as their format calls for 10 acres or more.  NOTHING is ruled out, but at the same time, there is really NOTHING to report as far as any decisions.

Where do we go from here?

You can be assured, we’ll keep you posted as soon as any solid information comes along. There will definately be Town Hall meetings for input from the community at large as this moves along. Stay tuned!

More Voter Alert Info From the STNC

This past election, March 3rd, had some reported difficulties associated with polling places in Sunland Tujunga. These difficulties ranged from the wrong polling place written on the Sample Ballot to poor signage and other difficulties in finding polling places. If you experienced any difficulty please let us know. Email: BusinessRep@STNC.org and please send a copy to our LA City Clerk Karen.Kalfayan@lacity.org

Thank you, Tomi Bowling, Business Rep Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council

We’re Famous!

Check out this great little story about our town and the No Home Depot Campaign on the Big Box Tool Kit website. It’s a great site with lots of information about towns all over the country who are fighting big box stores. They followed our story and we corresponded with them on and off over the years.