Corralitas Red Car Property: Why Are LAFD Brush Clearance Fines The Same, No Matter The Size Of Your Lot?

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, August 4, 2017.  Neighbors are understandably nervous about fire on the Red Car Property. Weeds are taller and more dense than before the 2016 Silver Lake Fire.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, August 4, 2017.  Most  of the protected native Coast Live Oaks and California Black Walnuts are returning to the slopes.  Looks like there are still a few upslope neighbors on Lake View who still have not done their brush clearance.  You'd think after last summer's fire, they'd be the first to do brush clearance.  But then no one can believe the Red Car Property owner hasn't done the brush clearance yet.  

Perhaps part of the problem is the fines for failing to do brush clearance are the same - no matter what size lot you have - 5000 sq feet or 5 acres.  The fine from LAFD is per lot, not per square foot. You still have to pay for brush clearance, but you'd have to pay for brush clearance, whether or not you did it on time.  

Raise the potential fines for non-compliance on the large lot owners to encourage prompt brush clearance.  Track the non-compliant lot owners every year.  Each year the lot is fined for non-compliance, increase their penalties.   Prioritize the routine scofflaws.  

There is no incentive for large lot owners to take responsibility for their own property.  LAFD has the potential to bring in more fees from fining up to 135 adjacent lots, than from the 5 (or 6 according to APNs) lots of the Red Car Property.  There's not a lot of impetus for LAFD to red tag the Red Car Property owner, other than a fire starting  on or spreading via the Red Car Property, would endanger the whole neighborhood.   In 2016, 200 firefighters, wildland fire crews and a massive air assault (water dropping helicopters from at least 3 agencies) kept the 2016 Silver Lake Fire from becoming a major disaster. 

A neighbor ran into the LAFD Brush Inspector on site July 28, 2017.  The inspector said another notice to comply would be mailed to the owner. 

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, August 4, 2017.  The Red Car Property goes up to the telephone poles running across the middle of the slope.  In some cases the adjacent property owners cleared well beyond their property line.  

Unfortunately, last December, LAFD Brush Clearance contractors also took out a lot of native Black Walnuts when they did clearance.  Some very native large trees on this slope were cut down to the ground, even though they were recovering.  Most of the walnuts are recovering are coming back despite the butchery (the green shrub like plants midway up the slope on the left.)  There was no need to cut them down as they were already recovering from the fire.  Native trees are fire resistant.

Related: 
LAFD Brush Inspection Process 
All our brush clearance posts

Red Car Property: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, August 5, 2017.  Bounce house, parents, kids, cars, and amplified music between Lake View Ave and Riverside Place north of Rose Scharlin.  No brush clearance, but the protected native Black Walnut Trees are looking good.  The non-native invasive arundo is looking overgrown.

Note: We're playing catch up for the month of August. This was post was actually published 8-23-17 and backdated to the date the photo was shot and published on Twitter. 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Dead Trees, Brush Clearance

Photo: Corralitas Drive Neighbor, June 13, 2017.  Dry grass on the odd slope on Allesandro St at Rosebud Ave which is actually Sunflower Ave, but the maps are out of sync with the street signs.  (click on photos to enlarge.)

The odd slope is within the CalTrans easement, but like everything surrounding the 2 Freeway, no one takes responsibility for it. More than once in 27 years,  I've seen a CalTrans crew spray the weeds with poison.

Photo: Corralitas Drive Neighbor, June 13, 2017.  Enlarged from previous photo.  Dead Eucalyptus are in the Modjeska Street right-of-way, a paper street, on an  extremely steep slope in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  Looks like the Modjeska slope is in need of brush clearance too.  The City will never build  40' wide Modjeska Street right-of-way, as it is steeper than a 30% grade.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 22, 2016.  A year ago, the dead non-native Eucalyptus in the Modjeska paper street, were clearly evident as viewed from Corralitas Drive.  Eucalyptus trees all over the area have been dying suddenly for the past 4 years.  The Modjeska trees have been dead for more than a year.

Every year on and around the 4th of July, some idiots invariably shoot fireworks off over the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.

Red Car Property: Why We Bitch About Brush Clearance

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor June 6, 2017.  Aside from the potential risk of fire fueled by dry weeds and  unrestricted vehicle access to the Red Car Property, there are other risks both on the Red Car Property and adjacent lots.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

 1. Several adjacent Lake View Ave, Silver Ridge Ave and Corralitas Drive neighbors have failed to do their brush clearance.  There is a large Castor Bean forest growing on one Lake View Ave lot.  Castor Bean Plants are non-native, highly invasive.  All parts of the plant are extremely toxic and emit a toxic gas when burned (Ricin).  Castor Beans will take over entire hillsides, quickly crowding out any native species.  

The power lines in the middle of the slope run along the property line between the Red Car Property and adjacent Lake View and Silver Ridge lots.

2. At least one telephone pole (see arrow in photo above) appears bowed or bent.  With fires in 2014 and 2016, neighbors wonder if the pole has been weakened and needs replacing. 

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, July 16, 2016.  Several neighbors spent months after the 2016 fire getting the runaround from DWP and AT&T regarding the status of the pole.  Nothing ever seems to have been resolved.

3. There are several large dead and dying trees near the power lines including what's left of one pine tree leaning at a 45 degree angle (see first photo).  The trees appear to be on the adjacent Lake View lots.  In April, DWP contractors trimmed trees under and within 10' of the high voltage lines in the Red Car Canyon.  However, Eucalyptus can collapse months after the rainy season, usually in July and August.  At least one of the two big dead trees on the slope is Eucalyptus and perilously close to a telephone pole that has a transformer on top (see first photo). 

The first photo does show one positive thing.  The protected native Black Walnuts and Coast Live Oak, along with other large trees are recovering from the 2016 Silver Lake Fire.

Red Car Canyon: Not A Park...

Photo: S. Bartron, March 20, 2017.  It just looks like one.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

LAFD deadline for brush clearance in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) is May 1, 2017.  In the past 26 years I've only seen the Red Car Property cleared a handful of times before the 4th of July.  Let's hope this year is different.

Red Car Property: Day Of The Dead Trees

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 9, 2016.  The large Eucalyptus on the Red Car Property adjacent to the 2 Freeway, initially showed signs of fresh growth, but it was already in a death spiral before the Silver Lake Fire.  Neighbors are wondering why LAFD hasn't cited the Red Car Property owner and had it removed as a fire hazard.

Red Car Property: Not A Park, Not A Road

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 30, 2016.  The Red Car Property is not a public road despite several mapping services identifying it as "Silver Lake Court."  Silver Lake Court does not extend this far.  It is a land locked paper street that has never been built, existing only on City maps, only connecting to two public staircases, Roselin and Silver Lake Ave.  Silver Lake Court does not intersect India Street.

Neighbors report trucks for the 13 Riverside Drive lots currently being graded (off camera to the right), were driving on and off the Red Car Property last week.  If you live off the Red Car Property, on Riverside, Adelbert or India St (east of the Red Car Property) and are seeing a number of trucks using the Red Car Property for access to 2344-2424 Riverside Drive, report it to Building & Safety.  This is not an acceptable "haul route."

Worth noting in the lower right corner of the above photo: the blue bin of trash has been migrating around Lot C of the Red Car Property for quite some time.

Red Car Property: Beautiful Decay

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 25, 2016.  Yes, we're tired of all the dead tree, fire and tree removal posts too. Find some beauty in the dead, non-native wild radish plants on the north end of the property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Canyon: Eucalyptus Drying Out Fast

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, July 8, 2016.  A huge Eucalyptus tree that went down in during a storm in the 1990s and continued to grow, is not looking so good a month after the June 19, 2016, Silver Lake Fire. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  One day after the fire it was a little toasted but still had a lot of green on it.  

We've seen the same pattern with all the trees either in or very close to the fire.  It is as if they've suffered burns from the extreme heat, and a month later they're dropping their leaves.  Yet, at the same time they're sprouting new growth and even flowers.  

Native trees are drought/fire/deluge adapted, but I've not researched the non-natives.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 3, 2003.  It's easy to forget just how big the trees are when no one is in the pictures.  Considering how long this tree has persisted in Red Car Canyon, despite its non-native status, it would be a shame to lose such a survivor.  

The kids in the 2003 photo still live in the neighborhood and are in high school and college now.

Red Car Property: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One In Need Of Brush Clearance

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, April 27, 2016.  Watch out for those foxtails!  Hard to believe the Red Car Property, above the historic landmark viaduct footings, was so green just 2 months ago.  While the native black walnut trees are green again, while the non-native weeds are drying out and going to seed.

Red Car Property: Native & Non-Native Landscape

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 28, 2016.  Protected California Black Walnut Trees helps hold the steep slopes together in the rain. This one south grows south of the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase. Native trees provide habitat for wildlife.

Jade succulents and opuntia cactus are non-natives with shallow roots that do not hold the hillside together, but the plants store water for dry months. They are drought and fire resistant.  I've often seen hawks using the opuntia cactus as a safe place to stalk and eat their prey.  They also provide habitat for wildlife.

The bamboo is growing toward the top of the slope very close to homes on Lake View Ave.   Bamboo grows like weeds and is highly combustible.  When it burns, the gases heat up inside the hollow chambers of the shoot/stem until it explodes, spreading fire in all directions.  

Despite an expected 2.5" of rain by Tuesday, Southern California is in its fifth year of extreme drought.  During the rain this weekend, take the time to contemplate what grows on your own hillside.  

Follow us on Twitter for mudwatch and other breaking neighborhood news: @RedCarProperty
 

Red Car Property: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 3, 2015.  The Coast Live Oak on Lot C makes a scenic hunting ground for a badass little black cat.  Hope he can avoid coyotes.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: On A Clear Day, You Can See Griffith Observatory

Photo: Diane Edwardosn, November 18, 2015.  The Red Car Property is not a park, it just looks like one.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: That's No Turkey

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 22, 2015. An enormous Red Tailed Hawk was one of a pair hunting on the north end of the Red Car Property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I heard a very loud crashing of branches and looked up to see a huge Red Tail trying to balance in a Eucalyptus off Adelbert.  Usually, adult Red Tails are not that clumsy.  I suspect it was chasing a squirrel and missed, or the squirrel jumped to escape and went tumbling down to the ground.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 22, 2015.  It took a moment for the  Red Tail to regain its composure, it was panting, as I've seen them do after making a kill.  It must be the adrenaline of the hunt.   It sat in the tree watching something on the ground below for a few minutes before taking off, circling low around the north end of the property a few times, looking for alternate prey.  Considering neither AM/PM nor Rick's keep their trash bins covered, there should be an ample supply of rats on this end of the property too.

The first hawk quickly gained altitude, soaring in larger circles in the high winds and landed near the top of the DWP power line tower across Fletcher behind Home Restaurant.

The second hawk had been calling to the first throughout this encounter. I don't know if the second hawk was its mate or one of this year's babies.  Red Tails will hang around with their parents for the better part of a year while they learn to hunt. 

Historic Landmark Viaduct Footings: Sign From God?

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, September 27, 2015.  It feels like we should find the Ark of the Covenant or at least a pot of gold, where the shaft of light is pointing at the base of the Historic Landmark Viaduct Footings.
 

Red Car Property: Enjoy The Grass BeforeThe Sun Dries It Out

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 27, 2015.  The grass won't stay green much longer unless we get some more rain or foggy mornings.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: Not A Park, Nor Is It An Unpaved City Street

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, September 25, 2015.  The LA Times and some mapping services incorrectly identify much of the Red Car Property as Silver Lake Court.  They are wrong.  The Red Car Property is private property. Silver Lake Court is a an unbuilt paper that is west of and inaccessible from this part of the Red Car Property.   (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: Eucalyptus Went Down Before The Rain, Now A Fire Hazard

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 12, 2015.  This smaller Eucalyptus looks like it rotted near the base of the trunk and crashed down on the Red Car Property. (It was growing behind 2 Lake View Ave side homes, just north of Rose Scharlin.)  It's not unusual for Eucalyptus to go down in the  summer and fall months for no apparent reason. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, September 25, 2015.  A few weeks and 3" of rain later, the  leaves are dry.  Now it's a fire hazard. Eucalyptus is an oily, combustible tree.  Brush clearance is a year round responsibility.

Red Car Property: Not A Park...

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2014.  It just looks like one.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Last week's rain mostly drained right off the Red Car Property, since 3" was far too much in one morning.  The property was pretty much dry to walk, the following day.

Red Car Property: The Earliest Green I've Seen

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 19, 2015.  Three inches of rain in one morning last week brought the green back to the Red Car Property near Adelbert.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)