Historic Viaduct Footings: Need Brush Clearance

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, June 29, 2017.  If you can barely see the tops of the viaduct footings on the Red Car Property, then the dry brush is about 3 - 4 feet tall.  Still flowering at the top of the slope: white Native Dandelions.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)  

Note: If you buy gas at the Arco Station at Riverside and Fletcher, ask them to please paint the graffiti out on their back wall.

Red Car Property: Lot C Neighbors Tired Of Dumping

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, April 17, 2017.  A new sign showed up on a fence on Lot C of the Red Car Property, north of India Street before the construction fence.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, April 17, 2017.  "No Dumping, Trash, This is NOT Your House!!!!!"  Of course the  "fence" is about 20 - 30 feet over the property line on the Red Car Property's Lot C.  

Homes on this downslope side of the Red Car Property front on Riverside Drive.

Rosebud Ave & Corralitas Drive: Homeless Guy's Upgraded Campsite

Updated March 6, 2017*

 Photo: Corralitas Neighbor #1, February 14, 2017.  Homeless or IKEA promotion?   It's hard to tell the difference.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Corralitas Drive residents have been remarkably tolerant of the young homeless guy who took up residence on Rosebud Ave near the stop sign at Corralitas Drive more than a month ago.  The 2 Freeway overpass offers some protection from the rain. 

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor #2, January 9, 2017. When the young homeless man showed up under the 2 Freeway in the heavy January rains, several neighbors attempted to engage and encourage him to move into supportive housing.  They contacted CD13, who quickly notified PATH, (People Assisting The Homeless).  One even neighbor organized interested neighbors in an effort to help move him off the street and into support services. 

PATH representatives and LAPD Senior Lead Officer Lenny Davis reached out to him.  Thus far, he's not moved into a shelter, choosing to stay on the street.  Neighbors are skeptical that he will move into one, since (even in each of the photos) there are often open bottles of alcohol near his bed. 

One of the largest impediments to moving homeless into supportive housing, is drug and alcohol dependency.  Unless they are willing to get off drugs and alcohol, they cannot move into housing.  The housing bonds passed in recent elections fail to address this very real problem.  County Measure H, on the March 7, 2017 ballot, would allocate some funds  toward support services, but it seems to be a drop in the bucket.

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor #2, January 13, 2017.  This homeless guy has been tidy and  has not been belligerent like some of the meth-addicted homeless who've lived up on the 2 Freeway's landscaped medians (before the June 19, 2016 Silver Lake Fire).  However, neighbors are concerned that someone who reportedly is there all day and night knows when neighbors are coming and going.  Corralitas Drive is a very isolated street with only one means of vehicle access.  Our isolation makes us more self sufficient than most neighborhoods, but at some point, public safety becomes an issue.

Neighbors who own and live in their duplexes, have sent me email expressing frustration as a number of prospective tenants have told them they fear for their safety because of the homeless guy and the problems homeless attract. The tunnel has been hit with both Frogtown and Echo Park gang graffiti in the past month.  While the graffiti vandalism has always happened here, it now adds to the unease neighbors feel about the homeless guy.

Neighbors' patience has grown thin.  Many have said it's time for the guy to move on.  Hector from CD13 has been communicating with PATH and neighbors regarding this issue.  There are a myriad of issues involved.

Neighbors have been successful in using the City's MyLA311 app to get the graffiti painted out, usually within 24 hours of reporting it.  If the graffiti is on up on the 2 Freeway and inaccessible from the sidewalk, the City will not paint it out.  Report it to CalTrans.

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor #3, January 4. 2017.  A few days before the homeless guy showed up, the tunnel under the 2 Freeway on Rosebud Ave was the cleanest it's been in years.  The tunnel  is usually so trashed, that when it's clean, neighbors get pretty damn excited about it.  

A neighbor was so pleased seeing the clean tunnel, she sent me this photo of a woman walking her dog in the immaculately clean tunnel. As a 27-year resident of Corralitas Drive, I did not want to publish it, because I didn't want to advertise to dumpers and graffiti vandals.  A few days later, the homeless guy took up residence.  File it under: why we can't have nice things.

*UPDATE March 6, 2017: After giving 72 hour notice last week, the City's Department of Sanitation cleared the homeless guy's camp around 5 PM today.  He was back by 8 PM.  He even refused PATH's offer to get him into temporary shelter during recent rains.  Neighbors are growing increasingly hostile toward his continued presence.

You are not helping by giving him handouts.  You are enabling him to remain on the streets. It is best to allow the professionals to deal with this situation.  Contact PATH or another homeless services agency, if you want to help the homeless. 

For an explanation of the City's policy and process for moving the homeless: CD13.

Red Car Property: Killing Native Habitat

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 6, 2002.  The former most beautiful California Black Walnut Tree on the Red Car Property, that we've followed for 16 years, is first big tree behind the encroached chain link fence, on the left side of the photo.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 9, 2012. This shot is wider and shot from further away.  The same tree is behind the fence on the left.  In 2012, the leaves of the protected native Black Walnuts were just starting to turn yellow before dropping their leaves for winter.  Yet the big healthy beautiful tree we've followed for so long, was still a deep dark green.  It was always one of the to last drop its leaves.  

The photo above shows an environment with lots of Black Walnut Trees of varying ages from saplings to mature trees.  The closest Black Walnut on the left (the young tree in the foreground) was already over 6 feet tall.  There were also Coast Live Oaks of varying ages, Coffeeberries,  Blue Elderberries as well as non native species.  It was a rich and varied ecosystem. 

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, November 6, 2016.  The now dead looking tree on the left is the former most beautiful Black Walnut on the Red Car Property.  The developer of the Riverside Drive 14-lot development below the Red Car Property butchered all the fresh growth on the tree in September. He also claimed to be watering the trees.  (However the water lines appear to be for dust control.)  

The same developer erected the fence across the Red Car Property that's become a magnet for graffiti vandals.  Thanks for making our neighborhood a better place to live.

Related: Why Trees Matter

Lot C: The More Things Change...

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 16, 2016.  Arrow is pointing to drywall dumped in January, still on Red Car Property's Lot C in June, along with the guy living in the truck, and the tidied and migrating piles of debris.  The trees benefited from a reasonable amount of rain last winter.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, October 2, 2016.  Last week, neighbors said a couple of guys, joined by the LAPD, paid a visit to the guy living in the white truck.  Later the same day, he and his truck were gone.  The pile of drywall, now a moldy mess, is still there.  

The trees were trimmed badly.  I wouldn't expect that pine tree to make it though an earthquake or a massive rainstorm.  That type of pine tree tends to lean, but poor trimming will hasten its demise.  All of the trees in this shot are on the Red Car Property, including some protected California Black Walnuts.  According to the architect of the Riverside Drive Lots, they have permission from Red Car Property owner to place the fence and, apparently, butcher the trees.  The Red Car Property extends about 20' downslope, to the right of the plywood fence.

Photo enlarged from previous shot.  Maybe in another 20 years the drywall will biodegrade. 

Red Car Property In 2009: Dumping Repurposed Into Traffic Calming Device

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 22, 2009.  Neighbors occasionally resort to creative ways to get the dumping picked up on the Red Car Property.  A couch was dumped near Rose Scharlin Co-op Nursery School in October 2008.  Months later, someone dragged it out into the middle of the pathway.  It was picked up a few days later.

Worth noting: we got a lot of rain in 2009.  The protected native Black Walnut Trees were super lush on either side of the trail. 

Historic Viaduct Footings: Coyote Sighting

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, January 10, 2016.  You'll have to look closely for the coyote.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The coyote might be a little 2-dimensional and possibly cardboard.  At least the coyote art appears to be a less permanent addition to City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Landmark #770 than some of the other "art."

Lake View Ave & Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase: City Graffiti

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, October 20, 2015.  Various utility companies left their tags on Lake View Ave and Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase, as well as the paper street of Silver Lake Court.  We suspect this is involved with the sewer work in the area. 

Worth noting, I requested a repainting of the red curb on Lake View at the Silver  Lake Ave Public Staircase in early August to the Dept of Transportation (DOT), service request # 44828.  Of course the DOT doesn't bother to put a date on the public website (that is if they even found the curb.  It does not show they've even investigated.  There does not appear to be accountability at the DOT.  That's another reason we post things to the blog.

Historic Viaduct Footings: Dawn

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, September 25, 2015.  Historic Landmark #770 has seen better days, but if you're blinded by the rising sun you might not notice the layers of day-glo paint and graffiti vandalism.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Walk: Did You Miss The End Of Summer At 1:22 AM Today?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 20, 2015.  Corralitas Walk was created by CalTrans when they took away our secondary access to Corralitas Drive and built the 2 Freeway.  (Click on photo to enlarge)

The Autumnal Equinox was exact at 1:22 AM PDT.  Fall usually brings Santa Anas and Red Flag Warnings, not 3" of rain and green grass on the Red Car Property. This year's weather is so screwed up, trees that would normally be dropping their leaves are sprouting new growth and more sub-tropical extreme heat is forecast this week.  
 

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.)

Pacific Electric Viaduct Footings: Is This Any Way To Treat A Historic Landmark?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 10, 2015.  Colorful "art" is still vandalism.  At least other unsanctioned artistic alterations of City of Los Angeles Historic Landmark #770 were not permanent. (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Lot C: We've Said It Before, Leave The Trees Alone

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 30, 2015.  The native Coast Live Oak on Lot C has taken more than its share of abuse through the years. 

Riverside & Fletcher: Clean Up This Saturday February 21, 2015

Meet at the Arco Station at 9AM.   Pick it up!
Info: outreach@silverlakenc.org

Riverside Drive: Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Wants To Clean It UpMeeting Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 1, 2014.  The intersection of Riverside & Fletcher is a major commuter corridor as well as a designated secondary & scenic highway in the Silver Lake - Echo Park - Elysian Valley Community Plan.  (Click on  photos to enlarge.)

Looking back through years of my archive photos, the businesses along Riverside Drive keep their sidewalks clean.  However, both gas stations tend to ignore their rear & side walls which frequently sport graffiti for months until neighbors complain enough to the owners to get it painted out.  The historic landmark Pacific Electric Red Car Viaduct Footings are not included in the clean-up plans as they are on private property.

Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's (SLNC) Green Committee will devote a good portion of Tuesday's meeting to discussion of the issue of cleaning up Riverside Drive between Fletcher & Allesandro Elementary School.  (At one meeting last year they actually discussed the possibility of putting luminarias on the viaduct footings.)  

We'd like to bring up a few questions & encourage neighbors to attend Tuesday's meeting, since so many of us drive through Riverside Drive just to get to our homes on a daily basis.

Photo: Diane Edwardson September 6, 2014.  One of the problems is there are so few homes along Riverside Drive that are owner occupied.  Most are rental homes.   Many Riverside Drive residents south of Gilroy, park on the Red Car Property rather than Riverside Drive to reach their homes.  Bordered on one side by the 5 Freeway, Riverside Drive is a very dark street at night, making it easy to dump bulky items.  Many residents, myself included, witnessed the City recycle & trash trucks speed through pick up so fast they spew the trash all over the street & sidewalk on a regular basis.

Photo: Diane Edwardson September 6, 2014.  Riverside Drive at Clearwater has a bunch of vacant lots (where the new owner illegally cut down native trees last summer).  

We should be asking, why the sudden interest in cleaning up this portion of Riverside Drive?  Gentrification in Elysian Valley is exploding with way out-of-scale development & real estate speculation along the LA River.  If speculators want Riverside Drive cleaned up - they should be paying for it.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 17, 2014.  Clearwater Street at Riverside Drive has long been a dumping ground.  

Perhaps we should be hitting up CalTrans to take responsibility for picking up the garbage & bulky items dumped on their side of the street on a regular basis. Team Mitch, from our City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell's office, has been cleaning up the area for about a year.  No sooner than it's cleaned up, another load of dumping appears.

Yes, Riverside Drive should be cleaned up.  The SLNC wants to raise money from residents & businesses to pay someone to clean it up on a bimonthly schedule.  However, you should question how the funds will be collected from residents & business owners.  Who will  keep the payment records?  How can the public access those records?   

Attend the SLNC Green Committee Meeting

Tuesday January 20, 2014

7-9 PM

Citibank Community Room

2450 Glendale Blvd

Los Angeles, CA  90039

Red Car Property: Respect Your Neighbors, Haul Your Trash Away!*

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 25, 2014.  Several weeks ago the Riverside Place homeowner promised the pile of trash outside his back gate from his recent home improvement project would be gone that same day.  Yet the pile keeps growing.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 25, 2014.  Yup, that Xmas tree's been here a really long time.  Chop it up and put it in your green bin.

And people wonder why others come here to dump on the Red Car Property? Respect your neighbors.  Haul your trash away in a timely manner.  Leaving it out only attracts more problems.  The City is not going to come back here and pick it up. 

*UPDATE 10-6-14: Thank you for hauling your trash away.  Except for the Xmas Tree it was hauled off last week. 

Town Hall Meeting: City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, Saturday September 6, 2014

Photo: Diane Edwardson. July 22, 2014.  Politicians usually want to talk big picture, neighbors want to know when their streets will be repaired (above, Lake View Ave - recently patched with asphalt - photo for illustration purposes only); illegal dumping picked up; graffiti painted out.

City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell wants to hear your thoughts at a

Town Hall

Saturday September 6, 2014

9:30-11:00 AM

Sandra Cisneros Learning Center

1018 Mohawk St

Echo Park

Info: CD13.com

Riverside & Fletcher: Tell The Arco Station To Paint Out The Graffiti *Updated

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 9, 2014.  The Arco Station only ever seems to paint out their graffiti once a year, maybe.  According to LA Municipal Code it's supposed to be painted out by the property owner within 24 hours. (Click on photo to enlarge.)  

Submit graffiti removal requests to the City: MyLA311

Download the City's MyLA311 smartphone app

And the brush clearance on the Red Car Property should have been done by May 1.  

*July 21, 2014 UPDATE: The graffiti was painted out by the owner at the request of LAPD Senior Lead Officer for Silver Lake, Lenny Davis.  Thanks Officer Davis!

Pacific Electric Viaduct Footings: Is This Any Way To Treat A Historic Landmark?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 25, 2014.  Not only are the over- 100-year old concrete landmark viaduct footings painted with brightly hued pastel colors, the vandal artist included mixed media.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 25, 2014.  Considering we've had multiple rainstorms since the paper was glued to the viaduct footings, you have to wonder what kind of glue he used.  It makes cleaning the footings an even more complex task.  Neighbors are asking what can we do about the "art," as it is vandalism of a historic landmark.  It is not temporary.  The porous nature of the ancient concrete means you can't pressure wash nor sandblast the footings.  

In past discussion with a representative of Central City Action Committee (a non-profit that does graffiti removal in the area), we learned this takes a specialized product for removal of paint, which can become costly.  A grant would  need to be applied for, as it does not fall within their normal budget.  That was based on earlier discussions for graffiti on site which was nowhere near as extensive in coverage as this vandalism.  And of course, everything is complicated by the location on the steep slope on private property.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 25, 2014.  Those top 3 footings have been painted over several times by what appears to be the same artist.  The paint seems to have been applied by airbrush or power sprayer. This was not done with a spray can. Perhaps the artist thinks he's doing a service to the community by painting over the graffiti that reappeared there, but it just adds more layers of paint for removal.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, February 24, 2014.  The same 3 footings from the previous photo are on the top left of this photo.  How many layers of paint, glue & paper now have to be removed because of this artist's vision?  

Perhaps the artist should think bigger - like the Hollywood Sign.  That will be well received for sure.

Links:
There was an understated elegance to the viaduct footings.

Silver Lake's Stonehenge 

Fletcher Viaduct 1904 

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Planned Sound Walls, The View From The Hills

All photos: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

It's hard to grasp the scale of the 2000 foot long sound walls planned for the 2 Freeway between the northbound lanes and Allesandro on the Echo Park Side.  It's even harder to get photos to illustrate the scale, so here's what we've published before.  Above is the view from the top of 18-Acre Elysian Park Parcel  at the end of Echo Park Ave facing toward Silver Lake.  Whitmore is the street leading down to the freeway.  The yellow line is a portion of the planned sound wall between Oak Glen & "north of El Moran Way."

CalTrans & Metro were genuinely perplexed by the comments from the community that we would be able to see the sound walls from the opposite side of the freeway.  Photo above is from Silver Ridge Ave in Silver Lake.

The sound wall at Oak Glen will be 10' - 12' tall.  It will only dampen the sound for the people who live on the first floor of that apartment building across the street on Allesandro.  If you live upstairs or further up hill, the sound wall will have no effect whatsoever.  Photo above from Fair Oak View Terrace in Silver Lake.

CalTrans is attempting to define the 35-40' tall Brazilian Pepper Trees as shrubs so they don't have to tell us they're cutting them down, nor replace them.  Last summer, they told us they would not be planting trees, nor would they be planting anything on the freeway side of the wall.  So Silver Lake will have a stellar view of the Great Wall of Echo Park's graffiti.  Photo above from Allesandro Way in Silver Lake  looking toward Whitmore.

Links:
CalTrans/Metro PR
Cal Trans 1 Page Fact Sheet 
Great Wall Of Echo Park: The Eastsider  
All our sound wall posts