I got in late last night and no sooner had I turned the lights on we had a power failure. I noted that it started at 10:00 p.m. and came back on at 3:45 a.m.
I noticed my clocks blinking when I got home. Had we had another outage earlier in the day?
I want to track these outages to report to our SCE liaison.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Brush Clearance Starts November 1
The Meadows FireSafe Council is happy to say that brush clearance will begin on November 1 in the northeast corner above The Meadows. We've passed our biological and archaeological requirements and have been given the go-ahead to start the work.
We're also coordinating with several vendors to perform tree removal and trimming within the neighborhood.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 13 for our town-hall presentation. It will be held at Loma Alta Park gym from 7-9 p.m. We'll present the overall effort along with proposing the work to be done on specific properties within The Meadows.
We're also coordinating with several vendors to perform tree removal and trimming within the neighborhood.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 13 for our town-hall presentation. It will be held at Loma Alta Park gym from 7-9 p.m. We'll present the overall effort along with proposing the work to be done on specific properties within The Meadows.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Mountain Lion Sighting
This posting from Ray:
"I saw what I'm sure was a mountain lion today, though it was a youngster. Definitely not a bobcat. At first I thought it was a coyote, until I saw its face. (I've never seen a mountain lion "in person", but this thing was too big to be a house cat!)
The cat was on the mesa at Theo Clarke's, in the brush that abuts the parking area."
"I saw what I'm sure was a mountain lion today, though it was a youngster. Definitely not a bobcat. At first I thought it was a coyote, until I saw its face. (I've never seen a mountain lion "in person", but this thing was too big to be a house cat!)
The cat was on the mesa at Theo Clarke's, in the brush that abuts the parking area."
Sustainable and FireSafe Landscaping Event
This event is happening on Saturday, October 20 at Loma Alta Park:
SAFE Landscapes, a program of the University of California Cooperative Extension, wants to show you how to make your landscape Sustainable and Fire Safe.
Much of Los Angeles County is a wildland-urban interface, where habitat and housing inter-mix. If you live in this area, it’s not a question of IF the wildland will burn, but WHEN, and the next few years are expected to be some of the worst on record.
Come find out how to make your landscape beautiful and fire-safe while being a good neighbor to wildlands. Get tips and techniques on planting, maintenance, and building materials to help you and your home survive the next fire.
Learn about defensible space, vegetation management, and invasive plants from Cooperative Extension experts, local fire authorities, and wildland managers, and get your own copy of the beautiful SAFE Landscapes 2008 Calendar and Guidebook!
This series of workshops will be held in October and November 2007 in locations around the county. Our first, for residents of the San Gabriel Mountains area, will be Saturday, October 20th, 10:00 am-1:00 pm at Loma Alta Park in Altadena. The workshop is free, but registration is required.
If you have questions or would like to register by phone, please contact Valerie Borel at 323-260-3851 or by email at vtborel@ucdavis.edu.
SAFE Landscapes, a program of the University of California Cooperative Extension, wants to show you how to make your landscape Sustainable and Fire Safe.
Much of Los Angeles County is a wildland-urban interface, where habitat and housing inter-mix. If you live in this area, it’s not a question of IF the wildland will burn, but WHEN, and the next few years are expected to be some of the worst on record.
Come find out how to make your landscape beautiful and fire-safe while being a good neighbor to wildlands. Get tips and techniques on planting, maintenance, and building materials to help you and your home survive the next fire.
Learn about defensible space, vegetation management, and invasive plants from Cooperative Extension experts, local fire authorities, and wildland managers, and get your own copy of the beautiful SAFE Landscapes 2008 Calendar and Guidebook!
This series of workshops will be held in October and November 2007 in locations around the county. Our first, for residents of the San Gabriel Mountains area, will be Saturday, October 20th, 10:00 am-1:00 pm at Loma Alta Park in Altadena. The workshop is free, but registration is required.
If you have questions or would like to register by phone, please contact Valerie Borel at 323-260-3851 or by email at vtborel@ucdavis.edu.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Car Break-ins on Canyon Crest
A neighbor who lives in the 4100 block of Canyon Crest reported the following:
"At about 8:30 Wednesday night, someone broke the back windows of two of our cars. Our cars were parked in the street one in front of the other. We did not notice until the next morning. The motion detector light was activated and may have frightened the person(s) away. We filed a police report Thursday morning and the officer located a rock in each of the cars. The officer had not received any other calls of the same nature."
"At about 8:30 Wednesday night, someone broke the back windows of two of our cars. Our cars were parked in the street one in front of the other. We did not notice until the next morning. The motion detector light was activated and may have frightened the person(s) away. We filed a police report Thursday morning and the officer located a rock in each of the cars. The officer had not received any other calls of the same nature."
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Big Bear on Tuesday Morning
I received a flyer in my mailbox yesterday morning that read:
"There was a VERY LARGE bear spotted walking up El Prieto Road early (around 3 a.m.), Tuesday morning, October 9, 2007. He enjoyed snacking on trash waiting to be picked-up and woke up the dogs at the top of the street. Seriously though, he was BIG. Not one to mess with. When we hear the dogs barking this week he may be around again so please be careful when investigating what's out and about at night or when you are hiking on the local trails."
So, this morning at about 1:30 a.m., the dog across the street from me started howling and barking. I looked out the window and saw her staring up the street. Then I see a very tall, slender man (I think) running down El Prieto Road looking behind him. Running behind him are two dogs (I think two - it was dark). Nothing else was chasing them that I could tell.
I wondered if he was hiking the loop around The Meadows. If you know who is, please be sure to tell him that a bear has been spotted.
"There was a VERY LARGE bear spotted walking up El Prieto Road early (around 3 a.m.), Tuesday morning, October 9, 2007. He enjoyed snacking on trash waiting to be picked-up and woke up the dogs at the top of the street. Seriously though, he was BIG. Not one to mess with. When we hear the dogs barking this week he may be around again so please be careful when investigating what's out and about at night or when you are hiking on the local trails."
So, this morning at about 1:30 a.m., the dog across the street from me started howling and barking. I looked out the window and saw her staring up the street. Then I see a very tall, slender man (I think) running down El Prieto Road looking behind him. Running behind him are two dogs (I think two - it was dark). Nothing else was chasing them that I could tell.
I wondered if he was hiking the loop around The Meadows. If you know who is, please be sure to tell him that a bear has been spotted.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Order Out?
A question from a new neighbor: Anyone know what restaurants will deliver to The Meadows - besides Pizza?
Free Lab Puppies
A client of mine has Lab puppies for free to a good home. Anyone interested? Call me at 626-791-1011.
thanks,
Greg
Suspicious Car on Aralia
A neighbor reported the following. Anyone have any information?
The neighbor saw a suspicious red van today going slowly and stopping every so often on Aralia today at 6:20p.m. License plate 3Z66951.
The neighbor saw a suspicious red van today going slowly and stopping every so often on Aralia today at 6:20p.m. License plate 3Z66951.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Meadows Must See Meeting
We had a great Meadows meeting tonight. The following posts highlight the information shared. Here's a miscellaneous recap:
Sussy Nemer, our go-to-person for L.A. County was in attendance. She's an amazing resource and effective Senior Deputy that has done well by The Meadows.
- She listened to concerns about the Canyon Crest and Lincoln intersection and will pursue with her contacts regarding speed reduction at the intersection.
- We asked her to pursue the removal of the 30-year+ camper parked at the top of El Prieto. She stated that campers, boats, trailers, etc. that are inoperative can not be left on driveways.
- We also asked her to address driveways that are being used as storage units.
The group agreed to resurrect the calling trees in light of the recent North Lake brush fire. We'll be asking neighbors for the following:
- Cell, home and/or business phone numbers to contact in case of emergencies
- Identifying anyone needed medical or evacuation assistance
- location of gas shut-off valves
The following folks will take up the cause:
- Aralia: Amish
- Canyon Dell: Percy
- El Prieto: Angie and Ike
- Hollygrove: Mark
- Canyon Crest: Jeannie
- Still need persons for Gravelia, Sunmore and Risinghill
Please let me know if you can help coordinate.
Edison Update
From tonight's neighborhood meeting, Dave Ford, Region Manager of Local Public Affairs, and Mike Perez, District Operations Manager, provided an update on SCE efforts that effect The Meadows. It was a very good, spirited exchange of information. In the end, we agreed to work together to address the issues faced by The Meadows. This was a wonderful next step in establishing team effort between The Meadows residents and SCE. Here's some highlights:
- Some poles and transformers servicing our area date back to 1933
- Critters climbing poles and lines, particularly squirrels that gnaw on conductors, have been a source of outages in the San Gabriel Mountain areas.
- When in a power outage, SCE crews work 32 hours straight with 8 hour breaks.
- There are plans for 2008 to address overloading of lines and circuits. This involves reducing the load of 4kv circuits (which we have) to circuits that carry higher loads. When the cut-over happens, there are planned outages. The result is a balancing of the load that then provides more reliability to the circuit.
- The group discussed perceived plans for upgrading the Fair Oaks Substation. More information to follow.
- The group agreed that it is a team effort to resolve power supply issues in The Meadows and will continue to build the relationship.
- Underground placement of lines is addressed as the budget allows.
- Contact information was shared between The Meadows and David Ford.
- As a bonus, residents received new energy saving compact fluorescent bulbs along with informational materials. I have extra if you want them
SCE Lamp Exchange
Southern California Edison is sponsoring a "lamp exchange".
Bring in a halogen torchiere, incandescent floor lamp, incandescent table lamp or incandescent desk lamp for exchange with a new energy efficient fluorescent plug-in lamp fixture of the same type FREE!
The lamp exchange will take place at Wal*Mart, 17150 Gale Avenue, City of Industry, CA 91745 on October 27 & 28 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Hunter Rules Clarification
Thanks to a neighbor who provided this clarity regarding where hunters can and can not hunt:
The rules are all about the proximity to houses, roads and trails when the weapon is being discharged. The hunters were banned from hunting in the canyon because the proximity to roads and homes did not allow any room for hunting down there. Up the hill and into the National Forest is legal - but they should not be discharging the weapons on or across the trails.
When they are seen near the homes on Risinghill - are they just hiking in to get into the woods - or hunting on the hillside behind the homes? That would likely not be legal. (Editor's note: In the latest case, the hunters were only seen carrying their bows and entering into the brush behind homes on Risinghill.)
The biggest issue is that these guys are pretty inconsiderate about the concerns of the community, have a sense of entitlement and are carrying weapons. The sheriff doesn't want to get involved. If the homeowners don't want them crossing their property lines to access the forest - they should make that clear to the hunters. It amazes me that they keep coming back here when the must feel so unwelcome.
The rules are all about the proximity to houses, roads and trails when the weapon is being discharged. The hunters were banned from hunting in the canyon because the proximity to roads and homes did not allow any room for hunting down there. Up the hill and into the National Forest is legal - but they should not be discharging the weapons on or across the trails.
When they are seen near the homes on Risinghill - are they just hiking in to get into the woods - or hunting on the hillside behind the homes? That would likely not be legal. (Editor's note: In the latest case, the hunters were only seen carrying their bows and entering into the brush behind homes on Risinghill.)
The biggest issue is that these guys are pretty inconsiderate about the concerns of the community, have a sense of entitlement and are carrying weapons. The sheriff doesn't want to get involved. If the homeowners don't want them crossing their property lines to access the forest - they should make that clear to the hunters. It amazes me that they keep coming back here when the must feel so unwelcome.
FireSafe Council Update - Clearing Nears
The required archeological study for our project has been completed and all Forest Service requirements are met. The biological report was submitted but lacked a project description. When that is submitted, approval is expected soon, possibly by the time this newsletter goes to press. These studies are required by law before a project can be started. Also, further grant monies will not be released until these studies are done and approved.
The date for our town meeting has been tentatively set for November 13 at 7 PM. The agenda for the meeting will include updates on the Meadows’ Fire Safe project, discussion of steps that should be taken within the Meadows community itself, and will offer an opportunity to meet with vendors who can be contracted to do the necessary trimming and removal of fire hazards.
Funds left over after having removed brush from the fire-prone areas surrounding the Meadows will be applied to removal and/or trimming of trees within the community. Priority will be given to mitigating hazards that might impede access and egress in the event of a fire, and removing trees that are in danger of falling. Such projects, however, will not be undertaken without the respective landowner’s permission.
The town meeting will also provide an opportunity for residents to meet with contractors that will be working in the area and thus provide an opportunity to get desired work on vegetation done at reduced cost.
The date for our town meeting has been tentatively set for November 13 at 7 PM. The agenda for the meeting will include updates on the Meadows’ Fire Safe project, discussion of steps that should be taken within the Meadows community itself, and will offer an opportunity to meet with vendors who can be contracted to do the necessary trimming and removal of fire hazards.
Funds left over after having removed brush from the fire-prone areas surrounding the Meadows will be applied to removal and/or trimming of trees within the community. Priority will be given to mitigating hazards that might impede access and egress in the event of a fire, and removing trees that are in danger of falling. Such projects, however, will not be undertaken without the respective landowner’s permission.
The town meeting will also provide an opportunity for residents to meet with contractors that will be working in the area and thus provide an opportunity to get desired work on vegetation done at reduced cost.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Two Reports of Hunters on Risinghill
I've had two reports from neighbors about hunters on Risinghill.
The first was Friday when a neighbor encountered them at the very top near Ted's place. They were blocking the road. When told they weren't allowed to hunt, they stated that they were allowed. The were civil to the neighbor. The neighbor called the Sheriff's station and were told that the hunters were allowed and they would not be sending anyone up to the site.
Today, I received another call. This time the hunters were at the end of Risinghill (before the climb to Ted's) and headed in behind the houses. The neighbor yelled to scare two deer away. He also confronted the hunters and called the Sheriffs. Again he was told that they were allowed.
Does anyone have information from last year when the Fish and Game and Sheriffs posted the No Hunting signs on lower Canyon Crest?
The first was Friday when a neighbor encountered them at the very top near Ted's place. They were blocking the road. When told they weren't allowed to hunt, they stated that they were allowed. The were civil to the neighbor. The neighbor called the Sheriff's station and were told that the hunters were allowed and they would not be sending anyone up to the site.
Today, I received another call. This time the hunters were at the end of Risinghill (before the climb to Ted's) and headed in behind the houses. The neighbor yelled to scare two deer away. He also confronted the hunters and called the Sheriffs. Again he was told that they were allowed.
Does anyone have information from last year when the Fish and Game and Sheriffs posted the No Hunting signs on lower Canyon Crest?
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