Corralitas Red Car Property: Lupines!

Photo: s_d_m, February 26, 2017, via iNaturalist.  Native Arroyo Lupines are back on the southern end of the Red Car Property. 

Red Car Property: Calm Before The Storm

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 11, 2016.  Before the skies went dark this afternoon, it was a beautiful green and blue day on the Red Car Property. 

Red Car Property: Spring Green

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, February 19, 2016.  The not so fondly named "dishwasher tree" is fully green again after a very short winter.

It's sad when you mark the seasons by the dumping photos.  Just a month ago when the dumping was picked up, the same tree had no leaves as it was winter.  It only dropped them mid-December.  The tree's leaves were starting to turn yellow for fall in November, but then we'd had 3" of rain in September.  The dumping accumulated since October.  

Soon it will be spring cleaning time again.

Red Car Property: Squirrel Appreciation Day

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 25, 2013. Corralitas Red Car Neighborhood Red Tailed Hawks appreciate squirrels, big time.  

Apparently, today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, a holiday made for social media.  Personally, I don't appreciate the squirrels who steal the best heirloom tomatoes and fruit from my yard.  But the hawks sure like the squirrels.  And the squirrels help propagate the native Black Walnut and Coat Live Oak Trees that help hold the steep hillsides together when it rains.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 25, 2013.  Wide shot, same time.  Click here for the original post.

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

*Stuff you missed this year...

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 15, 2015.  Sometimes it helps to remember dumping isn't always a problem.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Stuff You Missed This Year is our annual wrap up of interesting photos and things we just didn't have a chance to run, because everything seems to always happen at the same time.

Red Car Property: Fall Colors Highlight Dumping

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2015.  The giant pile of trash bags is now more visible under the huge tree that just dropped its leaves for winter.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The dishwasher was dumped along with a large pile of glass in October; the truck load of trash bags, in November.  The dry weeds do not enhance the effect. 

The junkyard appearance of the south end of the property is not helping anyone care about the property.  The City will not pick up dumping on private property.  We've made repeated requests of the property  owner's rep to remove the dumping.

If you see someone dumping - anywhere - snap a photo with your cell phone, get a license plate and vehicle/person description and call it in immediately to the non-emergency 1-877-ASK-LAPD.  

Red Car Property: Someone Is Trying To Blame Adjacent Neighbors For Dumping

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, November 14, 2015.  A handwritten sign on a piece of cardboard says "LAPD has been notified about the property above this ILLEGAL DUMPING."  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

I had to laugh when I saw the sign.  Yeah, those neighbors 50' upslope on Lake View Ave would bother to drive a dishwasher and a couple dozen bags of trash to Corralitas, onto the Red Car Property and dump them under a tree, below their house.  The bags were intact when they were dumped there a few weeks ago.  The dishwasher and  full bags of trash were not flung down a steep slope.  Since they first appeared, scavengers (human and/or animal) have torn into the bags and spread the trash around.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 13, 2015.  The sign is propped up between discarded concrete and bricks, 10' in front of the bags of trash, under a huge tree which is a known dumping ground for someone who dumps large appliances, TVs and computers. 

Last week, a neighbor pushed the last dishwasher dumped there into the open, in hopes the Red Car Property owner would actually have it cleaned up.  (We send photos of every instance of dumping to the owner's rep).  Instead, the very next day, several dozen bags of trash were dumped under the dishwasher tree, followed in the next few days by the additional wire frame and tree branches dumped at the dishwasher.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 13, 2015.  So to review, it seems someone is setting out to trash the Red Car Property because they know the property owner does not clean it up.  The City won't pick it up because it's private property.  The pile of glass and general trash in the foreground was clearly swept out of the back of a pick up truck the same time the dishwasher first appeared under the tree (where the trash bags now reside) in early October.  

Who does this benefit?  The property owner will say it's a dumping ground - well it's the Red Car Property owner's responsibility to clean it up.  The owner's rep has tried to make this the neighbors' responsibility to catch the dumpers.  In 25 years, I've only ever caught someone in the act of dumping in our neighborhood 3 times.  It can happen in the time it takes to drive to the post office and back, in the middle of the day.  If it is someone from the neighborhood dumping on the property, then they're really not very good neighbors, and I'm betting it's not the people directly above the tree.

If you see someone dumping - anywhere - snap a photo with your cell phone, get a license plate and vehicle/person description and call it in immediately to the non-emergency 1-877-ASK-LAPD.

Red Car Property: Persistent Dumpers

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor #1,  November 3, 2015.  Yesterday, a neighbor moved the dishwasher out from under the tree where it was dumped a month ago, in the hopes it would make it easier for the owner to have someone pick it up.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

We notified the Red Car Property owner's rep back on October 3, when the dishwasher first appeared along with a big pile of glass and other debris.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor #2, October 30, 2015.  Last Friday, the dishwasher was still under what neighbors are now calling the "dishwasher tree."  A neighbor reported seeing a homeless guy appearing to bed down for the night here.  We notified the Red Car Property owner's rep again that the dishwasher had become an "attractive nuisance."

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor #1.  November 4, 2015.  By early this morning a couple dozen full trash bags were dumped under the dishwasher tree.  The neighbor said the bags looked like they were driven onto the property and dumped.  Note the steep grade in the previous photo leading up to the dishwasher - it's not exactly an easy climb with full bags of trash or appliances.  However, if you back the truck up to the slope - you can just push it off the back of the truck bed.

The dishwasher and pile of glass are where they were yesterday.  

The dishwasher tree has long been the favorite of a persistent dumper of computers, appliances and televisions.  If you see someone dumping, get a license plate, vehicle and person description.  Call 1-877-ASK-LAPD, non-emergency line and report it while it is happening.  

Red Car Property: Male Crab Spider?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 27, 2015. 
Male Crab Spiders have really long black front legs and short  rear legs of another color, and look absolutely nothing like females.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 27, 2015.  This one appeared to be missing a front leg.  Yet he was busily spinning a web.  I found him completely by accident.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 27, 2015.  This was the photo I shot only because the little yellow flower was new to me.  During editing, I saw a strange bug near the bottom of the frame.  At first, I thought the spider was dead since it appeared to just be hanging upside down.  However, comparing multiple frames, the spider was definitely moving all  around the leaves at that level of the plant.  Unfortunately, I only got two clear shots of the spider.  I still have no idea what the flower is.  But the spider was much more interesting.  I'll have to go back and look for the female.
 

Red Car Property: Mudwatch

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 6, 2015.  After a little more than a half inch of rain over the last two days, the Red Car Property is muddy, but totally walkable, just wear appropriate shoes.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The Red Car Property is not a park.  It just looks like one.

Corralitas Red Car Property: Watch Your Step! Broken Glass, Toxic Material & A Dishwasher

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2015.  Saturday morning, a small, but no less dangerous pile of broken glass, mirrors and plastic, dismantled fans, cellphone cases, bottle caps, mini blinds, earbuds, hose parts, a bathtub faucet and assorted trash appeared on the meadow of the Red Car Property. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2015.  The waste is considered toxic: at least one broken fluorescent tube (pictured here) and a large brick sized battery was among the debris.

We've seen this type of broken glass dumping a few times before. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 3, 2015.  The dishwasher was dumped under the same tree where 2 dishwashers were dumped in August.  This tree seems to be a favorite dumping ground for someone who strips large appliances and home electronics then dumps the carcasses by driving several hundred feet up onto the Red Car Property to leave them where they often sit for months or years.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 3, 2015.  The pile of debris was dumped almost purposely, close enough to the trail where unsuspecting kids and dogs are likely to step on the sharp glass, particularly once the grass grows up around it.

This is vandalism plain and simple. 

You can't use the excuse, it's toxic waste, you didn't want to put it in the trashcan, if you're just going to dump it on the ground.  

The City's toxic & e-waste collection center is about a mile up the 5 Freeway from here, open 9AM-3PM, Saturday and Sunday.  If you're already stripping the wiring out of the electronics, dump your broken glass in a trash can and bring the toxic crap to the City's S.A.F.E. Drop Off Center.  It's free and they even take it out of your car for you.  

But if their intent is to vandalize the Red Car Property, the only thing that will stop people from driving onto the property to dump large items, are serious heavy duty fire gates like the City has on the fire roads of Griffith Park and Elysian Park and some minor landscaping improvements.  Emergency services have a master key to those gates. 

The City will not pick up the dumping from the Red Car Property.  It is private property.  If you see someone dumping, take photos, get a license plate, description, and call 1877-ASK-LAPD and report it immediately.  If you've taken a photo - it also records the time and date.  

Click here for all our dumping related posts.
 

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

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, September 27, 2015.  Looking south from Red Car Canyon toward the meadow, which is usually dry this time of year.  

Charles Fleming took a walk on the Red Car Property for the LA Times.  Too bad he didn't just take Fletcher to the river and come back up Newell to Riverside.  It only adds about a mile onto the round trip. 

Red Car Property Meadow: Bench Dumped By Rogue Film Crew In August

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 20, 2015.  A film crew abandoned some benches on the property after shooting here without permission from the owner, on August 13, 2015.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

At least the dishwashers got picked up.   

Red Car Property: Mudwatch, Almost 3" Of Rain This Morning!

*Correction 12-11-15, rainfall season to date total

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 15, 2015.  After nearly 3" of rain fell this morning, the Red Car Property was surprisingly walkable.  The vernal pools of Lake Corralitas, fed by Red Car Canyon Creek, returned.  We'll post more mudwatch photos later today.  It's going to be a long rainy season.

We'll be tracking rainfall totals once again in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge.  

*Normally, the rain year would have ended June 30.  However, this year, California joined the rest of the country, and will report rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 rain year.

September 15, 2015: 2.9"
*Season to date: 15.07"

Red Car Property Meadow: Native Jimsonweed

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 2, 2015. Native Jimsonweed (Datura wrightii) has large showy flowers that rely on really big moths for pollination.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

CalFlora no longer lists Datura wrightii as toxic, but Wiki does. Be safe, don't let your kids or animals eat it.
 
Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity.  We often get email suggesting some plants are edible. If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research.

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

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 7, 2015. The more things change,  the more they stay the same.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

See the same shot in 
2001
2010
2014 - Green!

Red Car Property: If you're Bothering To Pick Up After Your Dog, Take It With You And Throw It In A Trashcan

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2015.  It's not like there's a shortage of trashcans in this neighborhood.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property: 2nd Bench Left Behind By Film Crew

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2015.  The film crew who used the Red Car Property without permission by the owner a few weeks ago left a second bench on the south end of the property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The least you can do if you're filming without permits is leave no trace.  Take your props with you when you leave. 

Red Car Property: It Takes Effort To Dump Here, Even More Effort To Get It Picked Up

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 20, 2015.  Two dishwashers were dumped under a tree on the Lake View Ave side of the Red Car Property, near the mouth of Red Car Canyon. (Click on photos to enlarge)

This is the same location where televisions and computers were dumped in the past. Seriously, there's no excuse for this.  They had to drive several hundred feet onto the property to dump the dishwashers under the tree. This seems to be a favorite dumping ground for someone who strips large household electronics for parts or wiring, then dumps the leftovers. We've seen this before.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 20, 2015.  The City's E-Waste Center on Colorado Blvd is open Saturdays and Sundays and is just north on the 5 Freeway a couple of exits.  It's free and they even take it out of your car or truck for you.

The other afternoon, one neighbor managed to take photos of some men dumping a couch on Rosebud under the freeway.  When the dumpers couldn't escape on Corralitas, a dead end street, they thought better of it and picked up the couch on their way back out and sped away.

If you see someone dumping, take photos, write down a license plate, get a car & person description.  And call 1-877-ASK-LAPD immediately with the information.  These folks are usually dumping around the neighborhood not just in one place.

Report illegal dumping for pickup using the City's My LA 311 service, but they won't pick up from private property. 

UPDATE 9-2-15: Dishwashers removed, but they couldn't take that piece of foam padding too.  

Red Car Property: Park Bench Left Behind By Rogue Film Crew

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, August 15, 2015.  The film crew, shooting on the Red Car Property meadow last week, not only did not have permission from the Red Car Property owner (according to the owner's rep), they left us a park bench.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)