Monday, November 30, 2009

2nd Annual Bike Tour of Altadena

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
ALTADENA SHERIFF’S STATION and LOS ANGELES SHERIFF’S ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

2009 Tour of Altadena Bike RideSaturday, December 5, 2009 9:00AM - 1:00PM
10 Mile FAMILY FUN RIDE or12.5 Mile HILL CHALLENGE
Start and end at Loma Alta Park, Bronco Pavilion
Palm Street, east of Lincoln Avenue
AltadenaBike Ride Entry- $10.00Registration - 8:00-8:45AM
Bike Rides Start - 9:00AM
Opportunity Drawing Tickets $1.00, or (6) for $5.00.
11:00 AM - Barbecue - $6.00 (Includes burger or hot dog, chips, salad and a drink.

***All proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Annual Charitable Giving Campaign***For further information contact: Sergeant Daniel Bartlett at Altadena Station (626)296-2106

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Canyon Crest Trashed Again


The hairpin on Canyon Crest was trashed again sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. County Public Works was called and responded within an hour to mark off the area. Clean-up may not happen until Monday.

Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue

From one of our Meadows neighbors:

PET PHOTOS WITH SANTA!
Saturday, December 5th and Saturday, December 12th, 11 am to 4 pm PETCO at 7262 Rosemead Blvd. in San Gabriel

Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue is partnering with PETCO to provide this very special opportunity, just in time for the holidays! Bring your critters to have their photo taken with our jolly (human) Santa Claus. Photos are only $8.95 plus tax, and $5.00 from the sale of each photo benefits Zooh Corner! And it's not just for bunnies - all critters are welcome. We'll also have rabbit care info, adoptable bunnies, and toys and hay for sale.

BONUS: on December 12th, we'll have all of the above PLUS special spa-style grooming sessions to pamper your bunny (only $15.00!) and an expanded Christmas Bunny Boutique with an even larger selection of toys and goodies for your buns, guinea pigs, and chinchillas.

Friday, November 20, 2009

2010 Census is Coming

Highlights from presentation made at October Town Council:

It's Important: How undercounting impacts our County: $636 million- the estimated revenue lost in Federal funding to the County of Los Angeles from 2002 to 2012 because of the undercount in 2000 (not including funds from State programs that are distributed to local governments based on official population counts).

The U.S. Census Bureau is required by the Constitution to count every resident in the United States every 10 years. It is estimated that $400 billion in annual Federal funding is distributed based on the Census data on infrastructure and services.

In March of 2010, Census forms will be delivered to every residence in the County of Los
Angeles. The Census form consists of 10 short questions and includes a postage-paid envelope to mail back. If the form is not mailed back, a Census taker will visit the residence and ask the questions from the form. The majority of the County will receive English-only materials; however, households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents will receive a bilingual version.

It's Easy: 10 questions, 10 minutes
It's Safe: Your answers are protected, your identify is safe

Huge communication campaign to get the word out. Would love to have Altadena on board.

www.Census.gov website and open up positions for jobs
Pasadena census office is on Altadena drive
Website: http://2010.census.gov/

Read ahead for more detailed information regarding security.

Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers . With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft.

The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

** If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.
** Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau. AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau. For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Lots of Logs

There are plenty of logs available for anyone who needs firewood. They're yours for the taking.

The Meadows FireSafe Council tree removal has begun this week. Logs are being stacked at the curbside starting with Risinghill and El Prieto Roads (all the way up the private road). If anyone wants firewood, now's the time to grab it. There's pine, cedar, and eucalyptus. Any logs not needed will be removed within the next couple of weeks.

Feel free to grab and go!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Two Mountain Lion Alerts

Two recent mountain lion incidents:

First, in The Meadows. Last week, a mountain lion attacked and killed a Meadows neighbor's dog on the private road on Canyon Dell.

Second, from our neighbors at Chaney Trail, this post:

Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 6:07 PM
Hello all, Tonight as I came home, I drove up the Chaney hill after locking the gate and passed our beloved neighbor Bonnie Callahan walking down the hill with her nose buried in her book, as usual. I rounded the corner past Bonnie and about 50 yards later came upon a large female mountain lion.

It was definitely following Bonnie. I scared it up onto the hillside, turned my car around and gave Bonnie a ride back to the gate. She safely scooted home from there.

I turned my car back around and headed back up the hill where I ran into a really nice bunch of teenagers walking down the road. I warned them about the lion and they said they heard some kits (is that the plural of mountain lion babies?) down in the canyon on the opposite side of the road. Clearly, they belonged to Mama Stalker Kitty.

MFSC Tree Removal Begins

Tree removal under the Meadows FireSafe Council 2009 grant will begin Monday morning, November 16 starting at the tops of Risinghill Road and El Prieto Road. Steven's Trees and Gomez Tree Service will be moving through the neighborhood over the next several weeks. Homeowners will be contacted with approximate schedules as the work progresses.

Sheriff Food and Toy Drive

Last year, the Altadena Sheriff's station distributed food and toys to more than 200 families.
This year, more families than ever are experiencing dire straits.

If you are able and willing, you may drop off canned goods at the Altadena Sheriff's Station any time between now and December 15th. Toys for children from newborn to 15 years of age would also be very welcome.

Small donations, large donations, or cash donations - even a dollar, can make an impact on helping meet the needs of our community. Many thanks for your support.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

MFSC Tree Removal Begins Soon

The Meadows FireSafe Council begins its final phase of this year's grant work with the removal of trees as agreed to by homeowners.

Beginning this weekend for several days, MFSC members will be contacting homeowners to tape the trees that will be removed. Homeowners should check our work to make sure the correct trees are taped and that the homeowners are still in agreement with the designated trees.

Removal of the trees should begin within the next two weeks with two vendors, Steven's Trees and Gomez Tree Removal working in the neighborhood.

Due to the great response we had and the limits of the budget, the grant work is expected to only cover tree removal, not tree trimming. In cases where there are many trees to be removed on one property, the MFSC member and homeowner will agree to specific trees. Not all can be removed given the budget.

Homeowners are welcome to obtain bids from Steven's and Gomez for tree trimming as they may offer better rates while in the neighborhood. That work would be done after the grant work is completed.

Thanks for your participation in this year's fuel reduction - making The Meadows more fire-safe.

Forest Closed Through September 2010

As of Oct. 1 and effective through Sept. 2010 (yes, correct, 2010), Angeles Forest and the burn areas are CLOSED to ALL use.

From the forest service website - Station Fire Recovery order: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/orders/StationFireRecoveryOrder-01-09-08.pdf