Last month the daily visits from tourists and hikers caused the top of Beachwood to become such a safety hazard that the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department and the Department of Transportation declared it a safety issue. When the City departments review an area and decide it's not safe, that emergency response cannot easily respond to an area, they need to take action. They did. They decided that there needed to be NO PARKING on the east side of Beachwood from Ledgewood up to the top seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

North Beachwood - hikers on their way to Park Access.

The community showed up at a Transportation Committee meeting with a different view. A week after these departments reviewed the area, Recreation and Parks decided to add a new gate at the top of Beachwood and to close that access area down while this gate was being constructed. This relatively simple change along with the solar powered signs informing the public of this closed access cause a significant shift in the status of this area.

This news was delivered to the Transportation Committee. Tom Labonge sits on that committee and asked that they hold off for 30 days regarding these No Parking signs so he could meet with the community to discuss options.

June 16, 2013 Deronda/Rockcliff

That meeting took place a couple of weeks later with the leaders of BCNA, HHA and HBDU. At the meeting, Rec and Parks said that the gate wouldn't be done for 4 weeks. The DOT's recommendation was that the "right thing to do" would be to keep that access area closed (even if the gate is finished) until the permit parking districts were up and running. The city shared that the permit parking signs would not go in until late July.

Timing is everything. We left this meeting with hopes that the city, the DOT, LAPD, LAFD and Rec and Parks would agree to keep that access gate closed until the permit parking signs were in place. One of the neighborhood leaders asked Tom Labonge if he supported the DOT's recommendation. He said that he would follow their lead because they were the experts.

Emergency Response will NOT be able to respond.

UPDATE: While all three of the departments that studied the area and the situation agreed that the access gate should remain closed until the permit parking signs were in place, Rec and Parks was not hearing this. They seem to be holding on to the concept that access to parkland should be restored when the gate is complete simply because that is what they had promised. They have said that the pedestrian gate would open when the gate installation was complete so that is what they intend to do. They are not hearing that the area is unsafe with that gate open. They are not even going to converse about the fact that emergency response cannot gain access to address resident's emergencies or those of tourists/hikers when there is gridlock and confusion in this area. There seems to be a frustrating lack of communication here and it is up to us to make clear what we expect.

WHAT MAY HAPPEN NEXT:

The three departments that recognize the safety issue will probably cause the east side of Beachwood to be temporary no parking seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. until the permit parking signs are in place. But that won't help as tourists and hikers will be competing for parking on the west side of Beachwood and making U-turns in the middle of the street (no matter how many cars are on the street) in order to park on the west side of Beachwood. They will all be expecting to enter that access gate at the top of Beachwood.

We can't afford a repeat of this situation - TAKE ACTION!

Additionally, cars will be going up Rodgerton and Hollyridge looking for parking! The neighbors on those streets are understandably in panic mode. Chaos is expected during this gap between the opening of the new gate and the installation of the permit parking signs.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Each of you reading this need to write a letter to Rec and Parks asking them to listen to the LAFD, LAPD and the DOT. They need to relax their approach to parkland access for four weeks or until the permit parking signs are in place. They need to do this for the stability of the area and to keep the area safe, not only for residents but also for the guests that come here. There is no urgency in reopening the gate. Park visitors are using alternate access points to continue their park visits and they are free to exit through the Hollyridge trailhead and out through the opening at the top of Beachwood. What IS urgent and should be their priority is that access be easy for police, fire and ambulance service.

1)   Please send your letters to the following addresses. Simply copy and paste them into your "TO" field when you send your letter. That way, they will ALL get your letter at one time:  

Michael.nagel@lacity.org, david.michaelson@lacity.org, valerie.flores@lacity.org, alexander.ponder@lacity.org, mike.feuer@lacity.org, latonya.dean@lacity.org, michael.a.shull@lacity.org, kevin.regan@lacity.org,  joe.salaices@lacity.org,  yeghig.keshishian@lacity.org, patricia.whelan@lacity.org, rap.commissioners@lacity.org, BeachwoodCanyon@sbcglobal.net

2)   THIS PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT: Each of you should attend the Rec and Parks meeting on May 21st. We will not know the location of this meeting until a few days prior but you need to clear your calendar, call in sick or otherwise make yourselves available to attend. Another email blast will go out a few days before this meeting to coordinate carpooling and give the address of the meeting. The goal is to attend as a united force - we are Beachwood Canyon and need to keep our community safe until the permit parking signs are in place. We are asking Rec and Parks to be flexible in the interest of community safety! This means that residents AND tourists will be safer!

Let us know that you're in! BeachwoodCanyon@sbcglobal.net 

The spring  meeting of the Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association was very well attended. After the usual housekeeping items (board introductions, approval of minutes, and treasurer's report) our new president, Jack Fitzgerald Jfnok@aol.com chaired the meeting.

Senior Lead Officer, Maggie Dillard 32080@lapd.lacity.org reported crime is down in our area.

West Traffic Captain Rolando Solano 27647@lapd.lacity.org and Officer Pete Cordero 27485@lapd.lacity.org gave us information on upcoming new resources that will be focused in our area. Captain Solano understands the overcrowding situation. With 3 new officers and 10 reserves, we will see more traffic officers up here.

One neighbor asked that we explore getting a sign installed around 1920 - 1950 Beachwood that says "No Hollywood Sign Access" and cautions drivers to slow down for children. The city has big signs that they could provide and place in a way that they will be visible in this blind curve area of southern Beachwood.

Neighbors have concerns over tourists standing in the middle of the street to take photos. The presence of our motorcycle officers seems to help while taking the time to write one ticket means that several other offenders are standing in the street. Neighbors expressed their fear that one day someone will get seriously hurt or worse. West Traffic acknowledged the need for continual deployment to the area of Beachwood south of the gates.

Tracy James tracy.james@lacity.org and Kristy Noochlaor kristy.noochlaor@lacity.org from Councilmember Labonge's officer gave an update:

For the last year, Tracy and others from CD4 have been working on traffic issues in Beachwood. It's a huge challenge. Permit parking districts should be in place by the end of July but Tracy and Kristy are pushing hard to get them sooner. Councilmember Labonge made a motion at a recent Traffic Committee meeting (that was attended by many neighbors) suggesting that restricted NO Parking signs be placed on hold for 30 days while he works with the neighbors on solutions. The neighbors met with Tom Labonge and other department heads. (Please see the article above regarding timing for more details.) It was suggested that the community reach out to Rec and Parks and perhaps attend their meeting on May 21st. Deronda will get some resources for the weekends and holidays throughout the summer. there is a meeting scheduled for their Deronda/Rockcliff Neighborhood Watch on Monday, May 12 to discuss possible solutions to a currently intolerable situation. Since the gate closed at the top of Beachwood, things have been extreme at the top of Deronda.   

Lower Beachwood parking restrictions haven't been examined but that will come soon.

Jacquelyn Lawson jacquelyn.Lawson@lacity.org, Neighborhood Prosecutor for our area gave a brief overview of her role in addressing quality of life issues in our community. There are 8 new neighborhood prosecutors as it is our new City Attorney's priority to revitalize neighborhoods. The neighborhood prosecutor deals with nuisance issues, shopping carts, garbage, party houses, smoking in the hills and more. She will be embedded with the Hollywood Police division and is available to us and acts as a liaison.

Outreach Committee Report: Mark Vargas mvargas@miconstruct.com and Nina Van Tassell nina.vantassell@gmail.com gave a brief overview of our outreach table experience in front of the Market on April 26 and the stairway tours that took place the next day - all really good stuff and we will be having another outreach and stairway climb in June (date TBD). We got some new memberships but really need to have more support from the community.

Neighborhood Watch Presentation. Soren Kerk sorenkerk@sorenkerk.com from Westshire explained how neighbors on Westshire have created a comprehensive phone tree communication network for good stuff and to alert one another when there is suspicious activity on the block. She is available for coaching if you want to create a tight program for your area.  

Rat Trap Alternative Demonstration: George Abrahams ggg@copper.net demonstrated a clean and easy way to get rid of rats that are in your home. It's easy to bait, easy to empty without touching the dead rat/mouse and easy to reset. The product is a TOMCAT Rat Snap Trap and they are available at the Beachwood Market for $7.45 and the mousetrap version is $4.49 for two. Our market has taken rat poison off the shelf to preserve the health of our wildlife. Please stop by and pick up one of these for your home.

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Please plan on attending the memorial service for our neighbor and friend, Dino Williams. 

DATE:  Saturday, May 17th at noon

(the church opens at 11:30 a.m.)

LOCATION:  North Church, 

Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills 

Dino's son, Greg, asks that, in lieu of flowers, attendees bring a flower or greenery from their garden. "We will incorporate it around my Pop for a floral tribute."

Please arrive early with your contribution to this sweet tribute. 

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. Especially established and newly starting neighborhood watch groups and block captains with their neighbors.  

Come meet our new Hollywood Division Captain, Pete Zarcone, and hear crime updates for your area.  

This is our once a year meeting with LAPD Hollywood.

Rat Snap Trap
Now Available at Beachwood Market

The poison in rat bait rodent control products remain in the weakened or dead rodents. Predators (coyotes, hawks, falcons, our own neighborhood cougar) who find the rodents absorb the poison and it accumulates until it kills them, too. Be part of the solution. Help restore the natural balance of wildlife in our neighborhood by using non-poisonous rodent control.

TOMCAT Rat Snap Trap represents the next evolution in rat trap design. It incorporates the perfect combination of trap velocity and trigger sensitivity - the two most important attributes to a successful trap. Its patented, interlocking teeth make escapes virtually impossible.

 

At Beachwood Market $7.45

TOMCAT Rat Snap Trap is also safer and more convenient to use than other rat traps. It can easily be set by hand or foot for placement in a variety of locations. The removable bait cup allows the trap to be fully serviced without being set - greatly enhancing safety and usability. The trap is made from high-impact plastic and rust-resistant metals ensuring durability and a long life.

At Beachwood Market $4.49

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Webtraker - See flights over the canyon 

Parking Enforcement