Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Invisible Work Of The Neighborhood Councils





Kim Thompson

On Monday, February 1 at 1:00pm, the Los Angeles City Council will meet to consider budget cuts to neighborhood councils. Such move would impact our neighborhood local councils, Granada Hills North and Granada Hills South, and the councils are asking Granada Hills residents to attend the meeting in a show of support, or at least contact Councilman Greig Smith and other Budget and Finance Committee Members via email and let them know that you want neighborhood council funding to continue.

I know what you're going to say next: "Why should I care? What does the Neighborhood Council even do, anyway?"

I've actually wondered the same thing myself, so I talked to Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council co-founder Kim Thompson.

Thompson is more than aware that the work of neighborhood councils is often invisible to the communities they serve. She gives me an example: "There is a three-story building proposed on the old North Valley Jewish Community Center Lot. It would be a dormitory, but after that, then what? It could turn into apartments. But that area's not zoned for that, it was never intended for that. If we work for two years and stop that from being built, people driving down Rinaldi won't even know that we stopped that, because there's nothing to see.

"With the Sunshine Canyon landfill, at least that's something people can see. You can show them pictures, and a lot of people can even smell it. But most things we do are things you can't see. People don't know it, but behind the scenes councils are working really hard to keep it clean, keep graffiti under control, to keep development controlled, to say 'We want you to keep zoning the way it is.'"

Graffiti removal is another of the neighborhood councils' invisible tasks; you can't see something that's not there. "Before neighborhood councils were funded, if residents wanted to beautify a corner or paint over graffiti, they had to use their own money," Thompson says.

Thompson explains that neighborhood councils were created in response to the Valley secession movement circa 1999. "They were trying to keep the secessionists at bay, so they put in the charter the creation of neighborhood councils. Then we would have money to make copies, buy gas, be a part of the city. It made it harder for them to ignore us. We were supposed to use that money to mobilize people, put out newsletters, to tell people about things that could affect them that they might not even know about."

Neighborhood Council funds are also used for education – "Educating yourself so you can help the neighborhood," Thompson explains. "Some members go to UCLA and take classes on planning and land use. I know that bores some people, but for the planning and land use committee members on the neighborhood council, it's immensely useful. At those classes, a lot of the guest speakers are these developers teaching people how to get around environmental laws. So when developers come and try to do that in your neighborhood, neighborhood councils' Planning and Land Use members can say, 'Don't try to pull that with me!'"

Neighborhood councils can also use their power to resist the influence of graft. "Let's say you're a developer and and you want to build something where it shouldn't be, so you donate money to the councilman who's running. The councilman needs money, so he's going to take it. But that's what we're about, protecting the neighborhood, protecting the community. The councilmen don't really want us here, because we put a halt to that project.

"Planning and land use are vitally important here. And the neighborhood councils are quietly trudging along, fighting, and people don’t really know that."





The Budget and Finance Committee will meet at 1 PM in the City Council chambers (City Hall 340). Call GHNNC Outreach Chair Sue DeVandry at (818) 360-3537 for more information on the meeting, on ridesharing and on the overall issue.

City Council Budget and Finance Committee member email links:

Bernard Parks
Greig Smith
Bill Rosendahl
Jose Huizar
Paul Koretz

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Kids' Folk Music Show Today At Granada Hills Library



On Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 4:00 p.m., Gigi & Mike, singers of scandalous folk songs like the one in the video clip above, will "throw a musical party for the whole family with their lively sing-along hootenannies."

In the show, "kids create their own lyrics, play basic percussion instruments, and build great folk music and storytelling into their lives."

The Granada Hills Public Library is located at 10640 Petit Avenue.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Saturday Night In Granada Hills: Charity Concert For Haiti

Medical Relief For Haiti

A free live concert with the Temple Bhajan Band
All proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders

Saturday, January 30, 2010 7-10pm

North Valley Aikikai

16901 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Granada Hills, CA 91344

telephone 818 652.5025

Granada Hills Resident Busted For Cocaine Possession

The Santa Monica Daily Press reported today that a 22-year-old Granada Hills resident was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The report says:
Officers talked with the female guest and allegedly saw a small packet in her room that contained a white powdery substance, which was later determined to be cocaine. Officers placed the woman under arrest for possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation. The suspect was identified as Crystal Snow White, 22, of Granada Hills. She was not eligible for bail.

Folks, when you give your kid a name like Crystal Snow White, there are only a couple of possible outcomes, and this is one of them.













Snow White (A short film about a Vacuum Cleaner addicted to cocaine) from Sexiago Ferrari on Vimeo.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Local Girl Makes Good On American Idol

Granada Hills resident Tasha Layton made the cut on last night's American Idol auditions. The 26-year-old singer may be a native of South Carolina, but she's ours now, so you go, homegirl!

Tonight in Granada Hills: The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black!

Oh, how I wish it were true. Wouldn't it be great if you could actually see a Kembra Pfahler Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black show right here in GH?




Sorry to be misleading, but that headline is just wishful thinking on my part. In actuality, we'll just have to settle for an appearance by the actual Karen Black -- who was actually pretty cool back in the days when she was fighting off possessed Eeeka-Deeka dolls.

It seems that horror queen Ms. Black -- who is, judging by the picture at left, looks to be aging quite gracefully sans horrifying plastic surgery -- is making an appearance at the ribbon cutting of More Art, Inc., 10667 White Oak Ave., tonight at 5:30 p.m.

More Art, founded by Alison Robinson and Michael Lewis, pledges "to promote and showcase the arts and artists, including the performing arts and the visual arts, stage and film, and reach into the community with educational programs promoting the arts."

One way in which they do so is with their website's "Joke of the week." This week's joke:

Why are fire engines red?
Fire engines are red because two plus two is four, four times three is twelve; there are twelve inches in a ruler. Queen Elizabeth is also a ruler. Queen Elizabeth is also a ship. Ships sail on the ocean. Fishes swim in the ocean. Fishes have fins. The Finns fought the Russians, and the Russians are Red.
And that's why fire engines are red: because they're "russian" all over!

Haw. With that kind of entertainment and a celebrity appearance, who could resist? You could? What if I threw in some free personality testing? What if I told you you had some engrams you needed to get rid of? What I said that Xenu commands you? Yep, More Art is a Scientology joint.

Here's an educational documentary on Scientology:





And here's an educational documentary on Karen Black:





And here's a Daily News article about More Art for those who are sick of my editorializing.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tonight in Granada Hills: The L.A. Pizza Comedy Experience

Tonight's L.A. Pizza Comedy Experience ( no cover charge!) will feature Justin Dabuet and headliner Rev. Mitcz.

Justin Dabuet:



Rev. Mitcz:




Show starts at 8:00 p.m.

Friday, January 22, 2010

LAUSD Sued Over Bungled Porter Middle School Drug Sting


No surprise here: the parents of the then-12-year-old George K. Porter Middle School student who was allegedly asked to act as an undercover drug buyer by school officials are suing LAUSD.

At the time of the incident, which took place in February of 2009, The Los Angeles Daily News ran an editorial I wrote on the whole snafu, so you can read my views here.

Rainbow!


3:00 p.m., near Woodley & Chatsworth

2010: Year Of The Fairy

Now playing at Regency Granada Hills 9: Guys With Wings!




Believe it or not, The Tooth Fairy is getting the better reviews, but neither film is being hailed as a classic. If must see a movie featuring a guy with wings this weekend, I'd recommend just staying home and renting Barbarella.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

E Waste Recycling This Friday Morning

Van Gogh Street Elementary School Parking Lot
17160 Van Gogh St
Granada Hills, CA 91344

Friday, January 22, 2010
7:30 am to 10:00 am

Why Recycle?
Every day, U.S. consumers get rid of 137,000 computers and 355,000 cell phones according to estimates by the EPA Only 10% are actually recycled. The vast majority of electronics are simply thrown away.

What Can I Recycle?
Check your house and garage for disused electronics you wish to safely dispose of.
“E-Waste” refers to a wide range of electronic products which can be recycled, including:
- Computers and Laptops
- TVs, Monitors LCDs and VCRs
- Computer Components
- Stereo Components
- Printers, Copiers, and Scanners
- Telephone Equipment
- Cables, wires and power supplies
- Modems, Routers, and Fax machines

*** NO Refrigerators, Microwaves, Washing Machines, Dryers or Dishwashers.***

Does Granada Hills Have Los Angeles' Best Ecclesiastical Building?

The Los Angeles Conservancy and its Modern Committee have put up an an online poll so that Angelenos can vote for The best ecclesiastical buildings built during the 1960s. It's the third in a series of polls that began with voting for buildings in the civic/institutional and retail/commercial categories from that decade.

Although the Valley in general and Granada Hills in particular has an abundance of mid-century architectural gems, in the first two rounds of voting, the Valley was barely mentioned. However, in the ecclesiastical round, Valley nominees dominate, and many are in our neighborhood; up for vote are the Congregational Church of Northridge, First Lutheran Church of Northridge, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox church on Balboa, and Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society, a/k/a "The Onion" in North Hills (that's the church, by the way, and not the newspaper).

Knollwood United Methodist Church, located at 12121 Balboa Boulevard, was designed by architect Hal C. Whittenmore in 1966. From the Conservancy's description: "The ultra-modern Knollwood United Methodist Church is defined by its swooping, asymmetrical white walls, including a soaring fin-like tower that evokes a traditional Mediterranean campanile (bell tower)." CurbedLA just refers to KUM as one of the poll's many "eye-catching structures with weird protrusions."

The Knollwood church is pretty good, but I'm going to have to show a bit of GH disloyalty and vote for The Onion (again, the church, not the newspaper) because of its unique shape, Neutra pedigree, and fascinating countercultural history. Plus, I just love onions.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

It's Raining, You Know...


...which means a unique Kogi opportunity is coming up tonight. The truck, which ususally doesn't hit our neighborhood until 10:30 p.m., is actually coming at dinnertime tonight, 6:30PM-9PM-- and I might be wrong, but I've got a hunch that the weather might make the line a bit shorter. It sure worked at Disneyland on Monday -- I went on Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters three times!

Ponchos and tacos... ponchos and tacos....

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Oh, You Kids Today.

Kids, sit down and let Grandma GenX tell you a story.

In my day, in addition to walking ten miles to school in the snow (yes, it used to snow quite regularly in Granada Hills) we used to question authority.

I'd heard tell here and there that the generation following mine -- the Millennials, Generation Y -- tended toward an automatic valuation and trust of authority figures, but of course that description was coming from authority figures, so I naturally dismissed it out of hand. Then I read this heartbreaking response to "The Kilt Kerfluffle:"

Anonymous said...

"I dont see what the big deal is, it's the directors program. If they and the staff are united on a decision to make the group better then let them do what they do is best. Thats why they are working there."

I was stunned and dismayed to see that comment.

New York Magazine's curt descripition of millennial culture as "the Paris Hilton-posey, authority-loving, hive mind of kids today" rang in my ears, and rang true.

My dear anonymous -- and why are you always anonymous? -- don't you see? It's not the directors' program. You are not a cog in someone else's machine. While you are busy staring into your smartphone, dear child, you are averting your eyes from those in charge, which is just what they want you to do. Stop texing for just one moment, and look around. Why unquestioningly cede your power before you have even learned to wield it?

Authority figures become authority figures because of their overwhelming desire to be in control, and to control others, whether by intimidating them into abandoning a Facebook petition, or by passing legislation that violates your constitutional rights.

One of your fellow anonymous comrades quickly shut down another who'd said,

"Yeah for the kilts! Boo for Nelson who thinks he can shove other people around. "... take it down, now ..." Nelson can kiss my ass."

by replying,

"This is clearly a student who got butt hurt for not getting Drum Major or Sectionleader. This clearly show that Al made the right decision."


The toadying obsequiousness is painful to witness, not to mention the grammar. Pray tell, what precisely does the term "butt hurt" imply? Is it a reference to sodomy, or something more sinister?

I'm not so foolish as to believe that one little post in one little blog can change the leanings of an entire generation; I know it can't. And yes, I see the irony in the fact that this discussion arose out of a plea for adherence to tradition. But you guys aren't the jocks. You aren't the stoners. You aren't the popular kids. You're the band. You bring music to the world. And -- with the possible exception of the nerds -- who better than you to lead the charge to a creative, freethinking way of life? You may march in uniformed lockstep during your performances, but for the rest of the time, please remember that you are free to think for yourselves.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Kilt Kerfluffle

Last month, I was invited to join a Facebook group entitled, "A Petition To Keep Kilts In GHCHS Marching Band."

As a former Highlander myself, as well as a general devotee of men in skirts, I accepted the invitation with enthusiasm and a degree of alarm. The Granada Hills Charter High School Highlander Marching band without kilts? That's like Loch Ness without the monster. It's like golf without balls. It's like prom without booze. It just doesn't work. And it flies in the face of tradition.

How did it come to pass that someone would even consider stripping the Highlander Marching Band of their kilts? After joining the petition group, I started peeking into the rumors to see if there was anything underneath. To aid in the petition effort, I also let my Facebook followers know about the group, and the word quickly began to spread. Soon, the group's numbers swelled from a handful to almost three hundred members. Outraged students and alumni voiced their disapproval in dozens of posts, all voting overwhelmingly in support of kilts:

Amy Nicole: Kilts make Granada who they are. Who is saying they want to get rid of them?

Donna Foley: The kilts are what have made the Highland band what they are. I was in the original band that got the uniforms in 1977. I am a music teacher myself now and my kids in Texas even know who the GHHS (GHCHS) Highlanders are!

Some things are what make a band stand out. The Highlanders are known for their kilts and Holland H.S. in Michigan is known for their wooden shoes. You know these bands from a distance. Let tradition stand!

Tom Chatt: Is this for real? That would be as ridiculous as when Farrell's decided to get rid of the hoopla and become a quiet restaurant that served ice cream.

The vociferous response to the Facebook petition did more than evoke the passions of kilt supporters; it also provoked the ire of band director Al Nelson. Nelson contacted GigaGranadaHills shortly after the Facebook group began gathering steam with a terse and demading one-line email that said simply, "Take down the petition and print a retraction, now."




Ewan McGregor, kilt supporter

The importunate missive seemed to be the result of two mistaken assumptions on Nelson's part: that I was responsible for the creation of the Facebook petition, which was actually created by a GHCHS student (who subsequently withdrew himself from the group -- it is now listed as having no administrator), and that I had already written an article about the kilt issue, which I would subsequently be willing to retract upon order -- so make that three mistaken assumptions.

A source knowledgeable about the situation said that Nelson, who refused a request for an interview, is a supporter of the kilt tradition and doesn't wish to see it abandoned, despite arguments that the uniqueness -- or some might say oddity -- of the Highlanders' uniforms detracts from their scores at band competitions. But the source said that once the possibility of doing away with kilts was raised, in the wake of that discussion, Nelson was "getting constant emails from band parents that are getting pissed at him and blaming him for everything." Several band parents reportedly first became aware of the issue through the creation of the Facebook petition group -- presumably the reason for Nelson's ire over its existence, even though the petition's initial aim had been to bolster Nelson's pro-kilt position.

I called GHCHS and spoke with Julia Howelman, administrative director of the band, who said, "That's the first I've ever heard of it," when asked about the rumors of kilt removal. Howelman later spoke with band director Al Nelson, and on Monday confirmed that the kilts are in fact, here to stay.

Granada's official position is that the threat to kilts was "nothing but a rumor," but rumors don't typically spread unless they are credible, and the censorious, shut-down-this-pro-kilt-discussion-thread-now response on the band director's part is curious. If kilts were never threatened to begin with, then why so strenuously object to a discussion in favor of them?

Recent Granada graduate and former band member Eleazar Calderon was able to illuminate the origins of the kilt dispute. It seems that walk-on coach Nick Petoyan -- not an instructor or band director but "an assistant to the assistant to the assistant" (Howelman's term) who works with the band's drum line, was the initiator of the kilt-killing sentiment, and was actively "fighting to take out the kilts," according to one Facebook commenter. And since Petoyan, who though not the band director, is a coach, a school employee and an authority figure to band members, had taken an anti-kilt position, students took the threat seriously.

Facebook commenter Aaron Levy said, "Nick went off to SCV and came back with a lot of new ideas and changes, most of which we do not like. Some are pretty good, but like this one, not all of them." Petoyan, who also could not be reached for comment, "apparently wants to change the kilts because him and other drumline instructors want the apparel to (be) the standard marching uniform... this could result in better scores," Calderon said. Another source echoed the sentiment that kilts hurt competition scores: "Many judges hate them, and they want them to go away... the judges hate them because we aren't the same as everyone else."

Yet for the foreseeable future, the Higlanders' kilts are secure, and Howelman told GigaGranadaHills that the school even has new kilts on order. And despite misgivings Petoyan and others may have about the kilts' impact on competition scores, they haven't completely prevented the Highlander band from winning awards; according to the band's website, "The Highlander Band was awarded the Grand Sweepstakes Championship at the Portland Rose Festival in 2005 and the Peoples Choice Award in 2007."

And the URL for that site?

It's www.kiltedband.com.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A Message From Granada Hills South Neighborhood Council




Dear Stakeholders:

We would just like to remind you that we are having our first council meeting of 2010 tomorrow (Thursday). If you are interested in running for the board we still have some opening for board positions this election cycle. Visit our website at www.ghsnc.org for candidate filing packet.

Thursday, January 14, 2009 at 7:30pm

Granada Pavilion
11128 Balboa Blvd.
Granada Hills, CA 91344

Refreshments will be served.

Food Provided by:

Jersey Mike's Subs
Granada Village Shopping Center
18131 Chatsworth Street
www.jerseymikes.com

The meeting agenda can be downloaded here: http://www.ghsnc.org

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The L.A. Pizza Comedy Experience





Brian Monarch, Our Host
"Even if you go to a comedy club where you pay to get in, there's going to be people that bomb there too," says Chris, co-owner of L.A. Pizza, and he's got a point. I've driven over the hill to the Improv and paid good money to see unfunny comedians, but now, thanks to the L.A. Pizza Comedy Experience, every Tuesday night you can see unfunny comedians right in our own neighborhood, and there's no two-drink minimum. The good news is, if you're lucky, you can see funny ones too.

On the night I visited, the headliner was Jonas Garvin, who'd just played the Improv, so it's entirely fair to say that Improv-level comics show up here. The main difference is that no one expects any famous drop-ins to happen here -- Bob Odenkirk is probably not going to make a surprise visit to L.A. Pizza (but if he does, please text me immediately).

That being said, for a low commitment evening -- no cover, no freeway -- you certainly get your money's worth at this show, and see a wide variety of acts -- young and old, male and female, experienced and green, hysterical and depressing. On the Tuesday I went for a visit I saw it all, and there are 8-12 new comics here every week, all pulled together by Brian Monarch, the show's host (who opened the evening with a crank call to Domino's, asking if they could make a kosher pepperoni pizza).



Henrietta: "Take a picture of my ass for your blog!"

Just don't bring the kids. L.A. Pizza may play host to scores of Little League pizza parties during the afternoon hours, but come 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the room is blue. A memorable line from "Cowboy Comic" Risky Betts: "I live in Moorpark, and the running joke over there is that 'Moorpark' spelled backwards is 'Kraproom.' And Reseda spelled backwards is shithole." And one from my favorite comic of the evening, Henrietta: "I jumped up on the pole at Crazy Girls, and I was so hot three guys took me home. I cracked a hip and they were paramedics, but for me that's a threesome!" My other favorite line from Henrietta's set: "I drive a Geo Metro -- it's so cheap that if you're in an accident, you have to blow the airbags up yourself."






Sunday, January 10, 2010

Signature Drive To Repeal Prop. 8 Today

Volunteers with Love Honor Cherish will be gathering signatures on Sunday, Jan. 10 from
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Ross Department Store, 16930 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Granada Hills.

Friday, January 8, 2010

North Valley Vegetarians Unite!

The following review of Vegetable Delight is reprinted here courtesy of my former Granada Hills High School classmate David Elsensohn. Dave runs a superb site called Dining In L.A. -- check it out for more city-wide food reviews, conveniently organized into cuisines by specialty, by region, and by neighborhood.


Vegetable Delight
17823 Chatsworth St.
Phone: 818-360-3997


Admittedly, if I was hired to track down some really outstanding and innovative vegetarian Chinese food, I would not expect to search along the aging stretch of Chatsworth Street in Granada Hills, within a thousand feet of my old high school*. But there it is; Vegetable Delight, despite its wartorn exterior, has my full support. Stare for a moment at the beautifully carved wooden mural in the window before entering.

Walking inside, you may wonder if you have plunged down a rabbit hole into a wedding in Toyland. Rows of gold-trimmed white booths gleam under ceiling tiles of powder blue; the water glasses are stuffed with baby pink pastel napkins. Somehow it's a happy absurdity, especially with the sound of keyboards and strings plunking Chinese melodies above, or of bereaved little piano concertos.

You suddenly realize that the room has the same salmon-and-spearmint color scheme as a Madame Alexander doll box. You may also suddenly wonder why Dave knows what the Madame Alexander color scheme is.

This is what you must order, because we say so. The "Chinese Pancake" is puffed and very slightly sweet, not entirely dissimilar to a wonton, perfect as is but utterly gush-worthy when you drip some of the lemony sauce over it. It is the appetizer of champions.

The Hot & Sour soup is pleasingly gelatinous, not dense enough to stand a spoon in but slowing everything down to a meditative crawl. It is rich, and beautiful, and obviously not one of those packaged deals other Chinese places might dole out. The Spring Rolls here also seem fresher than expected.

The Veggie Fish in Hot Bean Sauce may or may not have MSG, but is made of OMG. It looks a little dubious what with the lonely and purposeless carrots, peas and corn, like one of those TV dinners that used to come covered in foil instead of plastic. Pay no attention. These deep-fried "filets" with a thin skin of seaweed have a light crunch, in a thick, not-really-hot orange sauce, are insanely good. The chefs at Vegetable Delight are concerned with making flavorful dishes rather than merely cranking out the usual fare with meatless analogs.

The Tofu with Hot Bean Sauce, despite its similar naming convention, is totally different. Lightly fried triangular prisms of tofu** are combined with chopped green pepper and tiny mushrooms cut into quarters, as if to resemble peanuts; the sauce is thinner but soaks into the tofu nicely.



The Szechwan Shredded Veggie Beef has a slight textural resemblance but isn't fooling anybody. However, it's got a full-bodied presence, and combined with carrots and Chinese mushrooms cut into scalloped lengths, it's downright savory.

They kindly provide small dishes of red chili paste, decently hot, and a strong, take-a-blowtorch-to-your-nostrils Chinese mustard.

Vegetable Delight is open until 9:30 as Chinese restaurants often are, and are closed on Mondays, like restaurants over the hill often are. Come here for lunch. Why? Lunch and a Chinese pancake, enjoyed with a cup of hot tea, is under ten bucks.

* Going in the other direction, it's also a thousand feet from the seedy and abominable Oh Grady's, at which our good friends Bandwagon have played on occasion, and who hopefully will not be banned from Oh Grady's for my having called it seedy and abominable.

** This will be the name of my band if I ever create one. The Triangular Prisms of Tofu. Mathematically uniform and high in protein!