Red Car Canyon: Piles of Dead Trees Still Awaiting Clearance

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 4, 2012.  Arrow points to squirrel atop the 12' pile of dead trees awaiting clearance in Red Car Canyon.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 4, 2012.  How's that for scale?  That's the squirrel the arrow's pointing to in the first photo.

Back on July 3, 2012, Red Car Canyon neighbors received the following email from City Council District 13 Deputy, Ryan Carpio:

Our office has been working with the City's Department of Building and Safety, Fire Department, and City Attorney's Office on this situation. Building and Safety has issued a "notice to comply" to alert the owner that he has until July 18 to clear the brush.

The Red Car property is actually three parcels.*  It will require both machine and hand work to clear and several days to clean. Building and Safety estimates the cost is between $22,000 and $28,000.

Our office believes that the owner -- not taxpayers -- should be responsible for the cost of the clean-up, so we are giving him until the July 18 deadline to complete the work. After that, Building and Safety can send its crews and bill the property owner for the job.

Since we've seen no activity to clear the dead trees since the December 1, 2011 windstorm, we'll see if the City actually gets them cleared before December 2012. 

*The Red Car Property is actually 6 parcels.  We sent the APNs to CD13 in response to this email on July 3.

Lake View Ave: 6 Weeks After Windstorm, Neighbors Frustrated With Pile Of Debris*

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, January 17, 2012.  A pile of debris has been sitting in the 2300 block of Lake View Ave since the December 1, 2011 windstorm.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Red Car Property neighbors often contact me when they can't achieve things through the normal City channels (and I don't get paid for this).  Neighbors have been calling 311 and City Street Services trying to get this pile hauled away for weeks. 

Since there are no City street trees on Lake View, a supervisor in the Dept of Urban Forestry told one neighbor today: the City will not be removing the debris from that came from private property. 

One Corralitas Drive neighbor spent a month cramming debris into 3 large green bins a week, to clear storm debris from her hillside property.  

This is a fire hazard for the neighborhood.  Suck it up and pay someone to haul it away.  It's another cost of home ownership.  See LAFD Brush Clearance Unit for how to report this hazard. 

*UPDATE 1-20-12: Neighbors report the pile of debris was hauled away yesterday.

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

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 27, 2011.  The December 1, 2011 windstorm took out the branch that had been blocking a neighbor's view from atop Red Car Canyon.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Historic Viaduct Footings: Dec 1 Windstorm Made Guerrilla Art A Bigger Mess

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 11, 2011.  What was I saying about guerrilla artists needing to take responsibility for maintaining their art?  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Rosebud Ave Overpass: CalTrans Cleared Tree Branches Under 2 Freeway*

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 12, 2011.  About a half hour after I shot this, CalTrans was shredding the tree branches (on Rosebud) from the December 1st windstorm.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The storm drain was still blocked by debris, but I guess that's the City's problem. 

Call 311 or use the free CD13 311 iPhone app to report down trees in City streets and blocked storm drains.  Neighbors who report the problem via iPhone say it's a heck of a lot easier than spending a half hour on hold with 311. Plus, it send the GPS coordinates: considering so many of our problems, like dumping and graffiti vandalism, happen where there are no addresses, it is worth downloading. 

*UPDATE 12-13-11: This morning, the City came through with a dump truck clearing the gutter of remaining debris.  They also cleared a portion of Corralitas Drive.

 

Corralitas Drive: Peppercorn Carpet

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 1, 2011.  Last week's windstorm stripped all the peppercorns, most of the leaves and many small branches from my neighbors' 3 huge Peruvian Pepper Trees (Schinus molle).  (Click on photo to enlarge.)     

We had at least an inch deep worth of peppercorns covering the yard up to 100' from the trees.  One of the trees is at least 40' tall and was so heavy with leaves and peppers, you could not see much daylight through the tree prior to the windstorm.  Suddenly there's a whole lot more light in our backyard. Our yard and my dog both have a sweet peppery smell now. 

Cal Flora says it may cause dermatitis, yet the peppercorns are edible and have a variety of uses according to Wikipedia. 

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 Canyon: We're Still Documenting Felled Trees From Last Week's Windstorm

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 1, 2011.  At least one Corralitas Drive homeowner breathed a sigh of relief when a large branch from a healthy eucalyptus tree crashed into the canyon rather than on his home.  The tree is on the Red Car Property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

This part of the canyon has a number of large eucalyptus trees on the slopes that seem to lose branches or go down altogether in wind and rain.  The dead tree that went down in early 2010, is still on the Lake View side (left) of the canyon.   

Corralitas Dive: Creepy Bug Found After Windstorm *Identified

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 2, 2011.  A really interesting 1 1/2-inch long bug was sunning himself on the hood of a car Friday afternoon.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 2, 2011.  I've never seen anything like it.  From the shape of its hind legs, it appears well adapted for living in or around oak trees.  The body is somewhat acorn shaped too.  It may live in the leaf litter in oak woodland.  It looks like a well-camouflaged ambush predator. 

If you can identify this bug, send us an email: redcarproperty@gmail.com

*UPDATE, 12-5-11: Thanks go to a Red Car Property neighbor (who is a regular reader) for identifying it as a species of leaf-footed insect, most likely, Leptoglossus zonatus.  Leaf footed insects eat flowers and fruit of many fruit, vegetable & field crops including, but not limited to citrus, tomatoes, guava, pomegranates, avocado, melons, corn & cotton.

The State of Florida issued an alert about the pest a few years ago when it first arrived.  There are some excellent photos of the insect on the alert.  It does not yet appear on the State of California's most wanted pests (according to the County of Los Angeles Dept of Agricultural Weights & Measures), but it's well established here. 

See BugGuide for photos of other leaf footed insects.  

Red Car Property: Tree Down Near Rose Scharlin Nursery School

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 2, 2011.  We're still working through this week's windstorm photos.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Riverside Terrace: Path Cleared Through Tree

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 3, 2011.  After dark last night they seemed to be working on power lines on Riverside Terrace just past this tree.  By this morning, the tree had a path cut through it, marked with safety cones and tape.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Related: 101 MPH wind gust at the Mt Washington Weather Station Wednesday night: The Eastsider.

Riverside Terrace: Pine Trees Did Not Do Well In The Windstorm

Photos: Diane Edwardson, December 2, 2011.  A second big pine tree on Allesandro Elementary School property snapped at Riverside Terrace and Silver Lake Ave.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

Just a few houses away a big pine tree fell onto a house on Riverside Terrace. A third seems to be tilting precariously. A Riverside Place neighbor noted, as of Thursday, has a view for the first time in 20 years.

Red Car Canyon: Lots Of Trees Down, Fire Danger Very High

Photos: Diane Edwardson, December, 1, 2011.  Huge dry tree branches went down in Red Car Canyon between Lake View Ave, Corralitas Drive and Riverside Place in the windstorm.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

This is the part of the Red Car Property where neighbors expanded their backyard and created a treasured, park-like setting for more than 50 years. Sadly it's also an area where the dead branches and piles of dry brush never seem to get hauled away.  It's lucky the branches didn't pull down the power lines and spark a fire as it did just a few houses away on Lake View Ave. 

We've reported this issue to CD13 repeatedly via email and phone calls over the years, most recently in August.  We caught a break on this windstorm.  But the branches are so dry it is still a big risk for a fire with  discarded cigarette.

Riverside Terrace: Huge Tree Still Blocking Road At Allesandro Elementary

Photos: Diane Edwardson, December 1, 2011. Neighbors report that the huge pine tree that went down in the windstorm is still blocking the Riverside Terrace as of 3 PM Friday.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

At least one neighbor reported the tree down last night via the CD13 311 iPhone app.  I called it in to CD13 yesterday afternoon. 

The huge pine tree snapped about 20' up the trunk, yet still reached the retaining wall across the street.  Utility lines are down in the street and to the house (above). 

A neighbor put up a hand written sign yesterday on a telephone pole near Silver Lake Ave.  As of Friday afternoon, there were no official signs, cones or safety tape to warn drivers to not even attempt to drive around Allesandro Elementary School.  A neighbor reports a "Training Bus" took a wrong turn and had to back all the way around the school. 

Riverside Terrace is a one-way street around the school.  And the only official way out of the neighborhood.  Most of the neighborhood streets behind the school is a Red Flag Day No Parking district so it is more than a little troubling to learn about the fire on Lake View that could have easily spread to this part of the neighborhood. 

Related: A neighbor on Riverside Place says power has only been on and off a few times over the past two days.  Internet was restored to Riverside Place some time last night.

Lake View Ave: Power Lines Spark Fire

Photo: Lake View Neighbor, December 1, 2011, 5 AM.  Downed power lines sparked a fire on a neighbor's deck early today.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Several neighbors report the Fire Department put out the fire without too much damage, but the downed power lines have been sparking "manageable fires" all day.  Nervous times for the neighbors.  The power is still out in parts of the neighborhood this afternoon while the DWP works on the power lines.

This is an example of why we have Red Flag No Parking Restrictions on streets with only one means of access.  This could have been a neighborhood disaster along the lines of the Oakland Hills Fire, if it had spread to more homes. 

UPDATE: The live power line is dipping and crossing Lake View so Lake View is closed to through traffic.  The Fire Dept is on site and allowing t to "control burn."  Time Warner hopes to have the cable/internet service back on around 5PM today.

Lake View Ave: Tree Down

Photo: Amy Seidenwurm, December 1, 2011.  Another big tree took out Amy's car on Lake View last night.   No one was hurt, but the car is dented.   (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Amy also reports the power is out at the Silver Lake Library but power and wifi is on at the Los Feliz Branch Library.

   

Riverside Terrace: Huge Tree Blocking Road

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 1, 2011. The windstorm snapped a pine tree at Allesandro Elementary School, completely blocking the one way street of Riverside Terrace.  While they do have another means of  access, this is the one way out of the neighborhood behind the school.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

This is also a neighbrohood subject to LAFD Red Flag No Parking.

Riverside Drive: No Internet Connection?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 1, 2011. Last night's windstorm knocked down a huge eucalyptus tree on the 5 Freeway onto Riverside Drive near Gilroy, snapping a utility pole, taking many neighbors' Internet and cable connections too.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)