Silver Lake: COYOTES - Topic Of Neighborhood Watch Meeting - NEXT MONDAY, Feb 10, 2014



Photo: Miguel Ordeñana, Los Angeles County Natural Museum camera trap, May 5, 2013. Coyote in Red Car Canyon. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Northeast Silver Lake Neighborhood Watch will host a meeting regarding coyotes featuring Greg Randall & Hoang Dinh, Wildlife Officers, City of Los Angeles Animal Services.

Northeast Silver Lake Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Monday February 10, 2014

6:PM

Ivanhoe Elementary School Auditorium

 2828 Herkimer Street

Silver Lake 90039

info: Paul Neuman, pmneuman@yahoo.com, (323) 662-3123

Lenny Davis, LAPD Senior Lead Officer for Silver Lake will attend.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, October 6, 2013.  Coyote on India & Silver Ridge.

 

Coyotes have been more visible than usual this time of year - blame the prolonged drought.  Aside from the usual blame on open trashcans & people feeding their pets outside & not picking up the food bowls, coyotes might find urban chickens enticing. 

View Larger Map

 

Coyotes are attracted to the smell of food & trash.  I've received a number of early morning (6-7AM) coyote sighting reports around India & Silver Lake Blvd, near Ralph's.  We should be looking at restaurants & grocery stores leaving trashcans open.  See the Google Map of the Ralph's overflowing trash areas above & their proximity to India St & Silver Lake Blvd homes.  People want to live near shops & restaurants, but don't always think of the unintended consequences. 

 

Click here for all our coyote posts.

 

India St: New Year's Armed Robbery Report, Cautionary Tale

Over the weekend, I noticed a robbery show up on the CrimeMapping.com report (LAPD contractors) in the 2200 block of India St (the west or Lake View Ave side of the Red Car Property). 

Aware that rumors can quickly spiral out of control, I immediately sent an email to Silver Lake LAPD Senior Lead Officer Lenny Davis, asking for clarification, copying the neighborhood watch leaders in the Red Car Property Neighborhood.  Email was already circulating that there was a "new" gang in the neighborhood.   

Officer Davis responded Monday:

On Jan 1st, 2014 at 11:05 PM the victim went out to look for his dog that had escaped from his property.  When he approached the two suspects that were sitting in their vehicle at the 2200 block of India, the suspects exited their vehicle and pointed a  handgun at the victim and took his property.  The suspects fled the area but returned and were captured as they exited the Ralphs on Glendale.  The victim was not injured.

 

Both suspects are documented Frogtown gang members.  There is no new gang in the area that we are aware of.

 

I hope this helps.

Senior Lead Officer Lenny Davis 26028

LAPD Northeast

 

The incident illustrates the danger of approaching suspicious vehicles and/or persons in the neighborhood.  (All the more distressing since the victim was just looking for his lost dog.)

 

LAPD warns people to NOT approach or confront suspicious people, but to call the police.  If the are engaging in criminal activity call 911 immediately.  (LAPD non-emergency phone is 1-877-ASk-LAPD.)

 

The incident also raises new questions, since our neighborhood is not within the gang injunction boundaries.   Will individuals arrested who violate the gang injunction here, face the same penalties if they violate the gang injunction within the boundaries?  Does being outside the gang injunction boundaries make our neighborhood a more attractive place for them to congregate since we are literally a few hundred feet from the boundary?

Editor's note: We apologize for not getting this post up yesterday, we were experiencing technical difficulties.

 

Ralph's: Coming Soon, Whole Foods, Higher Prices, More Gentrification

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2004.  Since the shopping center housing Ralph's started kicking out their tenants last year, there's been a lot more room in their parking lot.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

After much speculation, The Eastsider broke the news today, Whole Foods is moving into the Ralph's space on Glendale Blvd. 

Neighborhood Air Quality Issues On The Rise

Photo: Futterer, Holyland Exhibition, 1960.  Grading for the 2 Freeway involved moving a lot of earth, as seen from the Holyland Exhibition at the corner of Allesandro Way & Lake View Ave.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)  

It's been 50+ years since our neighborhood has seen anywhere near the amount of earth moving we'll be in for if all the projects approved in recent years break ground (some already have): Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, Monte Sano, DWP projects, Menlo Property, Coffee Table site, Bert Co site, 2 Freeway Terminus and Taylor Yard.  Now there are rumors of a complete tear-down/rebuild of the Ralph's shopping center on Glendale Blvd. 

Several years ago, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's Urban Design & Preservation Advisory Committee and Silver Lake Improvement Association kept bringing up the cumulative effects, including serious health effects, of all these projects in the pipeline, but City Planning failed to acknowledge them.

1960 - 1962 our neighborhood saw earth moving on an unimaginable scale: 2 Freeway, 5 Freeway and Dodger Stadium dramatically changed the neighborhood's landscape. 50 years ago, no one knew just how all that unmitigated dust would effect our health. 

Over the past 10 years, a significant volume of research has confirmed the health risks of living near freeways and rail yards - sources of diesel particulate matter.  There is no shortage of studies confirming the risks, including heart disease, COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, cancer, premature death, premature birth and low birth weight.  

Health risks to children are particularly high, since their lungs are still developing. The elderly and those with chronic heart & lung problems are at greater risk of premature death. 

People who live close to sources of diesel particulate matter are more susceptible to increased levels of particulate matter that come with construction sites.  To simplify, it's microscopic, you can't see it or smell it and it can kill you. 

So, we will look at air quality issues at least once a week as they relate to neighborhood projects.

  

Ralph's Shopping Center: Stores Closing, People Losing Jobs

Photo: Silver Lake Residents Association, circa 1930.  Silver Lake Auto Rest and Silver Lake Produce Market were earlier tenants of (the much talked about) Ralph's Shopping Center on Glendale Blvd south of Fletcher. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

More stores closing, people losing jobs.  Oh wait, it's not The Great Depression, but 2012 Silver Lake Land Speculation.  Read the latest: The Eastsider

CD13, SLRA and SLNC UD&PAC have all been at a loss to find information about any plans for the site.

See more photos of the Silver Lake Auto Rest: Los Angeles Past 

Silver Lake Ralph's Supermarket: Neighbors Should Be Concerned

View Larger Map

For more than 20 years I've heard complaints from neighbors to the east of the Ralph's shopping center about crime and graffiti associated with the site.  Now comes word via The Eastsider, Ralph's may be renovating the market.  Longtime tenants of the shopping center have had their leases terminated. 

I've also heard rumors of underground parking (heard that one on & off for the past 10 years) and condos on top of the market.  Height, traffic, blight and crime are issues the neighborhood to the east of the site are concerned with, even if nothing were to happen to change the footprint of the site. 

(If you zoom in on the satellite photo on the larger map, you can see the speed humps added to Silver Lake Blvd to slow traffic speeding through shortcuts to get around the traffic on Glendale Blvd south of Fletcher.)

We hope the City Council office (at the moment, CD13's Eric Garcetti) and the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council take note that this neighborhood needs to be actively engaged in any discussion for "improvements" to the Ralph's site on Glendale Blvd.