GIGA GRANADA HILLS

The scene at Vons on San Fernando Mission Boulevard today was one of consternation: dramatically longer lines than one would typically expect on a Wednesday around 6:00 p.m., stretching all the way from the checkout lanes, up the frozen aisle, and not just to the front of that aisle, where there's ice cream, but to the far end, where there's broccoli. Similarly, the self-checkout line, always a little fubar, went well past the Starbucks and stretched as far as the raspberries and beyond.  Patrons weren't grumbling too  loudly, but there was plenty of requests for, "Can you hold my place while I grab one more thing?" which were met with a good natured shrug, because the inching pace meant it would make little difference.  The reason for the extensive delays, according to sources who spoke under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media (or even to me), was because two of the store's beloved cashiers, Brandi and Sandy, had b...

The Real Deal:  San Fernando Valley cinema pegged for big-box makeover Bisnow:  Regency Theatres' Granada Hills Location Slated To Become A Home Depot San Fernando Valley Sun:  Regency Theatre Purchase by Home Depot Parent Campany Reddit thread:  Pretty sad we're losing the movie theater in Granada Hills for another Home Depot

Image pilfered from https://thedcontinuum.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/the-home-despot/ In case you haven't heard, Home Depot purchased the property at the SE corner of Devonshire and Balboa, and plans to demolish everything from Regency Theater to Ralphs, and replace it all with a Home Depot.  But before you get mad at Home Depot for wiping out community-friendly storefronts with an industrial-style warehouse focused primarily on serving contractors (and sure, they're partially to blame),  go back a step prior and learn about the proposal to expand the Van Nuys Airport which will crowd out the existing Home Depot on Roscoe just east of Balboa.  Watch this page for info and updates, and put this event on your calendar:  Town Hall Meeting 2 pm – 6 pm Sunday, Aug. 14 John F. Kennedy High School 11254 Gothic Avenue, Granada Hills Reproducing post on GHSNC.org here:  Representatives of The Home Depot Corp. have filed an application with Los Angeles City Planning to bui...

On June 1, 2020, the date when people planned to gather in Granada Hills to protest George Floyd's killing, fearful rumors began flying early. The protest was certain to be violent. The claims that it was planned as a "peaceful" protest was certain to be cover for looters. Some started spreading the rumor that "the organizers have cancelled the event," presumably with the hope of making that come true.  I spent that afternoon trying to debunk the myths that seemed designed to suppress the event from happening. Myth debunking has, at times during 2020, seemed like a full-time job for me, starting with my pointless and overmatched efforts to argue with "the pandemic is a liberal hoax" theorists. I still find it difficult to believe that my pleas for evidence-based reasoning would so often be dismissed as radical.  Yet I stubbornly cling to my insistence that without evidence to support them, beliefs are worthless.  On social media, I pled with fear-sprea...

by L.J. Williamson Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell "Mitch" Englander filed a plea agreement this morning in federal court, pleading guilty to one count of scheming to falsify material facts. Federal criminal charges against Englander stem from obstruction of a public corruption investigation related to his acceptance of gifts from a businessman during trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs. In the plea agreement, Englander pled to a scheme to cover up cash payments, expensive meals, escort services and other gifts offered to him from a businessman who operated companies in Los Angeles relating to major development projects.  The agreement also states that Englander knowingly and willfully falsified and concealed material facts pertaining to this federal public corruption investigation According to the Department of Justice, after he learned about the FBI’s public corruption investigation, Englander sent an encrypted message to "Businessperson A" o...

John Lee's Facebook profile pic.  by L.J. Williamson After the jarring arrest of former City Councilmember Mitchell Englander dropped jaws all over Los Angeles, heads swiveled next toward his successor and protégé, Councilmember John Lee. Englander was arrested by federal agents on criminal charges that he obstructed an investigation into accepting cash, female escort services, hotel rooms and expensive meals from a businessman during trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, and later lied to the FBI about his conduct. In response, Lee issued a  statement  that he had in fact been along for the ride in Vegas, but had made an effort to reimburse expenses and was "unaware of any illegal activities for which Councilmember Englander is being charged." Englander's  indictment  is a gripping read. The vacationers in the former councilmember's entourage included Lee and a businessman "seeking to increase his business opportunities in the city," who ...

The line at Smart & Final, 7:28 a.m. Ralph's, Balboa & Devonshire, 7:34 a.m. "You think this is long, you should see Albertson's on Nordhoff!" one woman said.  Target, 7:38 a.m. Line goes all the way up the escalator.   Trader Joe's,  7:39 a.m. New later opening time to allow for restocking.    Sprouts, 7:45 a.m. Open, lines longish but not crazy. No milk.  Also, no Purell wipes.  Frosty Queen, 8:01 a.m. Only guy in line. "It's better than going to the store where there's no food!" he said. 

14 th Annual Run/Walk Honors Those Touched by Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation, Inspires Southland Residents to Donate Life Elsa Arana, Granada Hills resident, made the decision to donate her son Marco’s organs when he passed away suddenly at the age of 28 in a car accident.  In 2010, the Arana family had the rare opportunity to meet one of Marco’s organ recipients: David Jones, a young African American man who had been undergoing dialysis treatments for 11 hours a day before he received the life-saving gift of a kidney. Now, Elsa dedicates her time to being an Ambassador for OneLegacy, the non-profit organization dedicated to saving and healing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation. As an ambassador Elsa spreads the word about the life-saving power of organ donation and inspires others to register as donors. OneLegacy’s Ambassadors adopt cities, DMV field offices, high schools and hospitals. Through these community-based efforts, Ambass...

I’ve had a lot of support from the community for the plaza proposal. And not just from the peasants — whose opinions allegedly don’t matter — but from from property owners, from business owners, from the landed gentry. But at the Granada Hills Street Faire, someone said to me, “I’m surprised you’re still doing this.” Yeah, I’m still doing this. And here’s why: I still believe attorney Margaret Wilson, whose windows look out over the intersection, when she tells me that she sees three to four accidents per month at that merge lane, every month. I still believe that if Jake Parunyan (owner of Kenn Cleaners and the Menchie's Property, who is blocking this proposal) would agree to at least one proper sit down meeting, we could find some way to work together. I still believe that when one thousand community members sign a petition, that the City Councilman should do more to facilitate discussion. (read comments at  http://bit.ly/plazapetition  .) I still belie...

Ceviche. After food truck night, the corner of Balboa and Chatsworth is on its way to becoming Granada Hills’ new favorite dining destination, with two recently opened spots — breakfast and lunch joint Main Kitchen Café, and ceviche specialists Lola’s Baja Tacos. Both are delightful in their own ways, and both should serve as notice that the perpetually disappointing Pampas, right next door, better step up its game. Pampered Granada Hillsians typically whine if there’s more than 20 feet between their parking place and their destination’s door, yet ironically, it's the ample parking that may be Lola’s Baja Taco’s undoing. Set back from Chatsworth Street behind a small parking lot, the place is easy to miss, especially since buildings on either side come right up to the sidewalk, and since the same location has been home to at least a half dozen unnoticed failures over the course of its history. Yet Lola’s, one desperately hopes, will finally be different, because they do ...

I wanted to do some research on the impact of plaza projects on fronting business owners, so I went to Silverlake's Sunset Triangle Plaza and interviewed Julie Choe, owner of Mornings Nights Cafe, Vivian Ku of the restaurant Pine and Crane, and Genelle LeVin of Silverlake Improvement Association. Choe, who has owned her cafe for about ten years, said that once the plaza was installed, the street was safer and her business' profits went up by 20%. Ku and LeVin also described positive experiences with the plaza. "At this point, this place has become a destination spot, so we're just getting busier and busier," Choe said. Choe said many local business owners were hesitant at first, but decided to participate in the People St program, converting their street to pedestrians only on a temporary basis, to see how things would work out. A year later, they were convinced. "Regardless of financial reasons, this was good for the neighborhood, for the community...

I’m here to ask the Neighborhood Council for a letter of support for the plaza proposal. I’m not asking for money, I’m not asking you to become a community partner, because that’s not an option anyway. I’m just asking for a letter of support. Because the Neighborhood Council is the only organization that exists to act as a voice for the community. Every other community organization that Granada Hills has exists primarily to advance the interests of businesses. I don’t want to present this as community versus business, because that’s really the opposite of what this is. It’s not hard to see how foot traffic and appealing spaces invite people to linger in our central business district, how a feeling of pedestrian safety enhances a business district’s appeal. Last time I spoke at a General Meeting of the Neighborhood Council, it was quite rightly pointed out that I hadn’t yet done enough outreach to the business community. So I walked door to door on Chatsworth, between Zelzah and ...

Illustration courtesy Solo Goodspeed Petition: http://bit.ly/plazapetition            Donation: http://bit.ly/plazadonation Wouldn't it be great if Granada Hills had a town square? A place to sit down and eat on food truck nights? A place for public music performances? Free dance classes? Or a place for people to just come together and enjoy? We want to create one.  We love the lively street life that the food trucks have brought to the sidewalks of Chatsworth Street. But food trucks come and go. To maintain that lively atmosphere, we need to create something that is ours .  In cooperation with the City of Los Angeles' People St. program, we want to expand Veteran's Triangle Park, at the corner of Chatsworth and Zelzah Streets, all the way to Menchie's for a temporary, 12-month pilot program. But doing that requires community support. And that's where you come in.   Any inviting gathering space needs...