February 2010 Voice of the Village

Transcription

Voice of the Village
1
Volume I, Issue 4
February 1, 2010
Visit us online www.voiceofvillage.org
FEATURE:
Read about how life became a disease
(See page 4)
PUPPET SHOW:
IMAGINE:
See the seventh annual puppetry festival Find out about YMCA fundraiser
(See page 14)
(See page 26)
Happy Valentine’s
A Valentine’s Day
to remember
Councilman Kerkorian Inaugurated
Bobbi Burger Brunoehler
Copyright 2008
I have discovered one of the happiest jobs on the planet – Valentine’s
Day Flower Delivery Person. It’s like
Santa Claus with petals! Who doesn’t
like getting flowers? - especially on
Valentine’s Day.
How did I make this discovery?
Well, I know someone, who knows
someone, whose twin sister owns a
flower shop. So of course, when I
heard that they needed extra help for
Valentine’s Day deliveries, I said, “Yes!
That sounds like fun!”
Now, let me tell you, I thought I
knew something about flower shops.
I had been in one once or twice. Ri-i-i-ght! I knew NOTHING about
flower shops. Running a flower shop
is HARD work. I don’t mean that you
have long hours or have to think hard
(which is true) … I mean, physical,
HARD work.
First of all, most of the flowers we
see in Los Angeles aren’t grown in the
city. They are grown elsewhere and
are then picked and packaged in such
a way that they can survive the rugged
treatment that they will meet on a trip
which is sometimes half way around
the world. They arrive at a district
flower mart where they are sold to a
local florist, put back on a truck and
delivered to the shop. Now, these flowers have to be unpacked, trimmed and
placed in water and refrigerated. (All
this, by the way, is done standing up. I
didn’t see one chair in the entire shop
and no one ever seems to sit down.)
[continued on page 3]
Sonia Tatulian
Van Nuys City Hall, January 17th: a
ceremonial swearing in and inauguration ceremony, attended by some 300
leaders from the communities of City
Council District 2, was held for new
councilman Paul Kerkorian who won
his seat in the recent special election.
Sunland-Tujunga was well represented. Our own Verdugo Hills High
Jr. ROTC served as Honor Guard, presenting the colors during the opening
ceremonies. Sunland-Tujunga Alliance
co-founder Abby Diamond was joined
by representatives from the Valley
Glen Neighborhood Alliance and the
Studio City Neighborhood Association in a joint community presentation
honoring our new councilman.
Christina Gonzalez, FOX-11 News
Anchor was the master of ceremonies
directing presentations from a number of political luminaries including
State Assemblyman Mike Feuer, Calif.
Inspector General Laura Chick, LA
City Council President Eric Garcetti and Mayor Villaraigosa. Everyone
shared stories, and praise for Paul and
wished him good luck to him and his
family. Paul was there with his wife,
his mother and his three children.
We as a community are fortunate
Staff Acknowledgements:
Editor in Chief
Bob Georgius
(818)523-5494
Ad Sales – Contact
Michael Lucas :
(818)397-3835
Financial Manager
Sonia Tatulian :
(818)384-9670
Webmaster
Barry Ira Geller
Online Editor
Devin Marra
Web Address
www.voiceofthevillage.org
Liaison/Journalism Advisor
David W. Riemer
Supervising Co-Editors
Julia Ginter
Katie Pelon
Section Editors
Isabella Carpio
Yu Rha Choi
Amy Hwang
Georgina Martinez
Wyatt Pendleton
Samantha Wilson
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 4323
Sunland, CA 91041
to have a Councilman like Paul Krekorian. We worked against all odds to
elect him and have great expectations
for his successful representation of
our community and our needs. But
his success will depend in no small
part on our continuing vigilance and
willingness to fight, and to help Paul
fight for our needs. Our community
organizations; The Sunland-Tujunga
Alliance; Sunland-Tujunga Coordination Committee, the Sunland-Tujunga
Neighborhood Council and others are
in the forefront of this effort. We encourage you to get involved and support these groups; our quality of life
depends on it.
Index:
News ........................... pp 1-3
Who We Are ......... pp 10-13
The Arts .................. pp 14-17
Announcements ......pp 20-24
2
YMCA fundraiser kicks off; goal to raise $450,000
Kim Beattie, Director of
Communications
The YMCA of the Foothills
today announces the kick-off of
its 2010 IMAGINE Campaign,
a fundraising effort to increase
support for the Verdugo Hills
and Crescenta Canada Family
YMCAs financial assistance
and program support fund.
Proceeds
from
the
IMAGINE Campaign support
community programs that
allow children and families
who otherwise may not
be able to, to benefit from
family strengthening YMCA
programs such as child care,
day camp and programs for
at-risk youth.
YMCA Board President
Kay Linden, and members
Jerry M. Martin and Patricia
Aho will join YMCA staff and
members at the Crescenta
Canada Family YMCA on
February 9 at 7:00 pm to
officially launch the campaign.
The
Annual
Community
Support Campaign IMAGE is
leading the campaign effort
for the YMCA where 75% of
the donations come directly
from the community.
“We are proud to be
able to meet the growing
needs of our community by
providing financial assistance
for individuals and families
who want and need YMCA
programs but may not
otherwise be able to afford
them,” said Chris Waldheim.
“Our goal is to raise $450,000
to provide scholarships for
children and families from all
income levels to participate
in YMCA programs. We also
support”
At the heart of community
life in Sunland and Tujunga,
the mission-driven YMCA is
“a place to belong” and to live
the values that guide and unite
our members: caring, honesty,
respect and responsibility.
The YMCA provides a special
opportunity for kids and
adults to join life-changing
and life-saving programs such
as day camp, child care, youth
sports, water safety, before and
after-school care, and summer
camp.
“Children and families
in our community need and
deserve the family-oriented
programs and services the
YMCA can provide,” said Chris
Waldheim. “Few things are
more important than a healthy
lifestyle, strong community,
positive role models and
quality time spent together
as a family. This is a critical
campaign for the future of our
community, and I am honored
to be involved.”
The YMCA offers kids and
families the chance to make
positive choices:
Quality
child
care
opportunities mean parents
can work to improve their
quality of life; youth sports
programs give kids the chance
to belong to a team devoted to
making a positive difference;
and healthy lifestyle programs
give everyone in the family the
chance to lead healthier, more
productive lives.
Last year the annual
“IMAGINE”
support
campaign raised $390,000
which allowed more than 1200
kids and families to participate
in programs including Youth
& Government, Model United
Nations, summer camp, child
care, and health and wellness
programs.
More than 2700 people
made charitable gifts to the
YMCA campaign last year.
Others on the campaign
committee this year include:
•
•
•
(The Crescenta-Canada and Verdugo
Hills Family YMCAs are a charitable
association of YMCAs that offer
an expansive menu of on-site
and outreach programs that help
the entire family enjoy healthier,
more active lifestyles focusing on
the development of spirit, mind
and body. Activities include sports
programs, summer camps, preschool,
after school programs, a variety of
exercise classes, senior wellness
programs, extensive offering of
aquatics programs, yoga, Pilates, and
a state-of-the-art workout facility. For
additional information, contact Kim
Beattie, Director of Communications
and Public Relations at (818) 7900123 ext. 266 or at kbeattie@
ymcafoothills.org. Become a YMCA
Facebook fan today by visiting www.
ymcafoothills.org.)
Image West
Salon
We are Open
Tuesday–Saturday
Walk-in’s
Welcome
Beth Harker, Principal
Mountain View
Elementary School
Magdalena Chan,
Community
Volunteer
Ian Beckingham,
Chiropractor
A Full Service Salon
Specializing in
HAIR
NAILS &
Skin Care
8824 Foothill Blvd., in Sunland,
818.352.7755
818.352.7579
www.imagewestsalon.com
3
Candidates for the 2010 STNC board elections
Cindy Cleghorn
(Verified as of 1-27-10
by the Los Angeles City Clerk)
The following candidates are already certified by the Los Angeles City
Clerk. Their names will appear on the
ballot on election-day, March 27th.
President: Antoinette “Nina” N. Royal;
Dan R. McManus; Steven J. Vanover
First Vice President: Tomi L. Bowling
Second Vice-President: David G. Cain
Treasurer: Mark Seigel
Secretary: Cynthia E. Cleghorn
Region 1 (North Sunland) Representative: Janet L. Linsalato; John P. Laue
Region 2 (North-West Tujunga) Representative: OPEN
Region 3 (North-East Tujunga) Representative: Barbara D. Johnson
Region 4 (South Sunland-Tujunga)
Representative: Belinda J. Woodruff;
Edmund Novy
Stakeholder Group Representatives
Cara M. Decaro - Student Representative; Lydia Grant - Parent Representative;
Nanci K. Caillouet - Historical Societies Representative; Olina F.R. Lowe Senior Representative;
Richard V. Stewart - Service Club
Representative; Thomas J. Macauley Youth Representative
There is still an opportunity for
folks to be “write-in” candidates. But,
write-ins must be verified by the city
clerk and will only be on a list at the
polling place – not on the ballot.
So here is a shout-out to you if you
are interested in serving your community and your city and tackling issues
of public safety, land use, community improvement and beautification,
neighborhood services and the Citywide budget.
The deadline for filing as a writein candidate is February 25th. Visit the
STNC website at http://www.stnc.
A Valentine’s Day to remember, continued...
[continued from page 1]
It is only at this point, that the
flowers have a chance of making it into
the hands of the (sound the trumpets,
please) floral designers. The flowers
get placed into individually designed
arrangements, packaged to be shipped
again, and then delivered to the recipient of all this hard work…. that special
someone…. your Valentine! Wow!
Now, who wouldn’t want to deliver THAT present? How many people
had to work how many hours to create
this lovely gift?
Walking into an office or house
with a huge (or small) Valentine’s bouquet in your hands is like walking in
with The Crown Jewels. My entrance
brings ooohs and aahs and admiration
for the flowers and the lucky recipient
who has someone in their lives who
cares enough to present them with
such a precious treasure.
My first delivery was a huge arrangement of long-stemmed roses
from an “on-again-off-again” boyfriend. (This relationship condition
was explained by the recipient to her
admiring co-workers as she read the
attached card.) Hopefully this large
token of his affection bought him a bit
of “on-againness.”
The next delivery was to the most
important client…. the mother of the
owner of the shop. She received (appropriately) the biggest and most
beautiful arrangement of them all.
A very special moment occurred
when I delivered flowers to someone in
a beautiful, large house in an exclusive
area of town. The stylish woman who
opened the door was very nice, but indicated that she was not the recipient of
the flowers but was only a friend staying “in this expensive world” while recovering from an illness. She said that
my “Happy Valentine’s Day” greeting
was the only one that she expected to
get that day, but that when one has
been sick, just finding out that the lab
test results are “clean” was enough to
make each day special. We mutually
admired the blue sky and I went to my
car and she went into the house. I had
a few long stemmed roses in my back
seat that I had taken to replace any
that might get broken in transit. On
impulse, I grabbed one of those roses
and went back and rang the doorbell
again. When she opened the door, I
handed her the rose and said, “Happy
Valentine’s Day.” She started to cry. I
started to cry. We hugged. I’m glad
that I did that… although technically,
it was not my rose to give, I’m pretty
sure that the wonderful owner of the
shop I was working for, would have
approved. I’m glad that I did it. It was
important.
Moving along, I continued to dole
out my Flower Claus gifts to the expecting and non-expecting. Eventually,
there were only two arrangements left
in my car. Both were going to health
care facilities. The first one went to a
woman in a nursing home. She was
so old and frail that I don’t think that
she even realized that the flowers were
there. Walking the halls and seeing the
elderly people in their wheel chairs,
staring blankly at the walls, made me
sad. It seemed like such a waste and a
horrible way to end life.
Next was my final delivery. I
found the hospital and parked in a no
parking/delivery only zone (I always
wanted to do that) and made my way
to the appropriate floor and door. As
I entered the room, I realized that this
was not just a Valentine’s Bouquet….
This was a “New Baby” Bouquet. All
of a sudden, I was face to face with
a brand new mommy, a brand new
daddy and a brand new baby. What a
twist of fate…. the circle of life within
10 minutes.
Feeling uplifted and hopeful, I returned to home base – the flower shop.
Here, the store was still abuzz with late
Valentine’s Day activity – husbands
picking up flowers for their wives on
their way home from work, last minute
orders coming in by fax, the designers
STILL going non-stop on making arrangements. The regular workers had
hours to go, but my Flower Claus duties were done.
I took off my FTD florist apron and
handed in my route sheets. I thanked
everyone for allowing me to glimpse
their world. I took a deep breath of
the heady flower smell that I had gotten used to over the last few days and
towing a huge Happy Valentine’s Day
helium balloon behind me, I bid them
all adieu.
My view of flowers, delivery
people and Valentine’s Day had been
changed forever. It was not just about
the money or the work. Each flower,
each bouquet, each arrangement is
the end result of hours and days and
weeks of labor and attention by many
people, that have given of themselves,
so that the colors and smells of fresh
flowers could communicate to all who
pass by the very important message
that this world can and is beautiful… if
you only stop and smell the roses.
(Bobbi Burger Brunoehler is Queen
of Bargain Hunting, she shares her
knowledge on her Blog at: http://bobbisbargains.blogspot.com/ - check it
out!)
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(818) 352-5514
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Graphics
Restoration Paint
and everthing in
between.
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www.myspace.com/headcase220
4
Features
Events of Our Times
Before life became a disease...
Judith Cutler
In the late 60’s / early 70’s I began noticing a
change in the way that we viewed life or were led
to view it. It started out gradually and then gathered
momentum over the years until now it is the dominant message that we see and hear on every media
outlet in our country. So what is it that changed, what
really happened?
For one thing, it seems that life has gradually but
systematically been re-classified as a disease! Our
viewpoint used to be that life was an adventure, sort
of like a puzzle to be solved. You did the best that
you could with what you had to work with and got
the best results you could. It had its challenges and
stresses: of juggling work, family, school, romantic
involvements and social life, etc., but that was just
an inherent part of living.Today, countless aspects of
life and human behavior have been re-classified form
“challenge” or “problem” to “mental illness”. The
re-classification is done by simply adding the word
“disorder” to them and listing them in the “Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders,” (Referred to as the DSM.) Each “disorder” has its own code, which the psychiatrists use in
billing insurance companies so that they are paid for
“treating” that condition.
The pharmacies use these codes with insurance
companies to ensure they are paid and determine
how much the patient needs to pay for the drugs prescribed to “cure” these conditions. In other words,
the DSM is a “billing manual” of so-called mental
disorders. Here’s the history of it: Back in the 1800’s,
a German psychiatrist named Emil Kraepelin (pronounced Kray-pa-lene) was working on a system to
codify human behavior, while he simultaneously
acknowledged that psychiatry had no effective treatments or cures for psychiatric disorders. None-theless, his code became the basis for the first DSM,
published in 1952. At that time, there were 112 possible maladies listed. The 1994 issue of the DSM had
grown to 370 “disorders”, more than three times the
original list with more in the works. Here are just a
few examples from the DSM of life situations that are
now classified as “disorders” and some of the codes
given to them:
A child in school having difficulty with reading,
writing or arithmetic is classified as having “Reading Disorder” (code 315.0) or “Math Disorder” (Code
315.1) or “Disorder of Written Expression” (Code
315.2). Now the normal experiences of childhood are
labeled a disease or disorder. The symptoms include
things such as can’t sit still or can’t wait in lines,
doesn’t listen, doesn’t like to do homework, doesn’t
pay attention to details and speaks out of turn. In
other words, just being a kid.
In 1987, Pre-menstrual Dysphoric Disorder
(PMDD) was listed in the DSM. (dysphoric means
“unpleasant mood”) PMDD refers to female monthly
mood swings with physical pain. Another female
“disorder” listed is Post Partum Depression (PPD),
which is the transition a woman makes from being
pregnant to recovering after the delivery of her baby.
With these two natural occurrences now listed and
codified, the experiences of “Womanhood” have officially become mental disorders that can be labeled
and drugged.
The fact that these conditions are most often
caused by nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances. First, you would check for mineral and B
vitamin deficiencies, as well as checking the body’s
ability to metabolize fatty acids and carbohydrates.
Then check blood sugar and hormone levels. Then,
by implement the precise nutritional corrections
needed, you could effectively de-classify a woman
from “sick” to sane rather easily. I’m not even going to go into the long list of Sexual Disorders, but
too strong of an appetite is a “disorder” and lack of
appetite is a “disorder.” If a man is having trouble
with erections, the Code is 302.72 and if a woman
isn’t having orgasms, the Code is 302.73. Isn’t that
romantic? “Darling, are you having a Code 302? I’m
certain that there’s a pill for that!”
Last, but not least, researchers at the American
Psychiatric Association’s last convention presented a
major study previewing a new “hidden epidemic,”
called “Compulsive Shopping Disorder.” (Yes, girls,
this IS true!) This discovery, claimed to affect 30 million Americans – 90% of them women, was showcased on Good Morning, America. A leading drug
company that already had developed a drug to cure
or relieve this serious “disorder” funded the scien-
Life in the slow lane
Tracy “Model A Man” Black
There are many reason I love
owning and driving model A‘s.
One of the reasons is the people I meet.
If I was driving my modern vehicle
people would not approach me to
say hi or to check out the vehicle.
Get me in one of my model
A’s and it is a whole new world.
People from all walks of life will
approach me and ask me about my car
or want to tell me a story about one they
use to have or a family member had.
Old
cars
seem
to
bring
good
out
in
people.
It makes for a friendlier world.
Even the young will wave and smile.
There is something about the
ahooga horn that is infectious;
people love to hear the horn.
So if you see me driving around
town in one of the A’s honk and
wave and I will honk and wave back;.
If you see me parked come
say hi and check out the car.
Who
knows
you
make
catch
the
Model
A
bug.
the
tific research leading to the discovery of this “hidden
epidemic”. As soon as this disability is listed in the
DSM as an officially “billable” disorder, it will be
coming to an HMO near you.
The re-definition of life as a disorder may be the
Public Relations coup of the century since no scientific tests exist to substantiate any of these disorders.
Medical disorders have valid, scientific tests to confirm their existence, such as blood tests, sonograms,
x-rays, MRI’s, etc., but no such biological tests exist
for mental disorders. They are crated through the
group agreement of the “Mental Experts”who vote
on them, agree that they exist and then agree to
promote them and prescribe drugs to “cure” them.
It is also the most profitable Public Relations coup
on record. The resulting is huge profits for both the
pharmaceutical industry and the field of psychiatry.
What can be done about this crazy turn of events?
From a nutritional viewpoint, the first step would be
to fortify the body. A healthy body keeps the mind
sharp, alert, focused and contributes to YOU being
emotionally “up” and happy. This means eating real
food that fuels the body - primarily fresh organic
produce and clean proteins free of antibiotics and
hormones. Get tested for any major food allergies
and the presence of heavy metals, toxins and chemicals, as well as viruses, parasites, fungus & bacteria.
Rid the body of these unwanted substances and then
keep them out.By the way, while you are eliminating
the bad food from your diet, you might just want to
try an experiment by eliminating the “bad news” as
well. It is a depressing experience for me if I start
or end my day by watching, listening or reading the
News…It’s 90% Bad News and intended to make us
believe that everything is awful. There are wonderful things happening in the world every day, but the
media does not find those things newsworthy. For
two weeks, try eliminating “The News” from your
life and notice the difference in how you feel. You can
replace it with your favorite music or a really funny
movie or you could just flaunt your disorder and…..
Go Shopping!!!
(Judith Cutler has been a nutritionist in the L.A.
area for 20 years and a natural products developer.
She is the founder of BioTech Solutions.)
Keep your cool on the road
Victoria Luskin
Does it seem to you that the
highway is a much more hostile place
than it used to be? Do you notice a lot
of rude drivers tailgating you, cutting
you off, blocking you when you want to
pass, weaving from lane to lane to beat
the flow of traffic, maybe even making
unfriendly gestures?If so, you’re not
alone. Aggressive driving has become
one of America’s most talked-about
traffic safety issues.
On occasion it may lead to “road
rage” – use of violence to settle a
dispute related to driving.A major
reason for today’s aggressive driving is
traffic congestion. Construction of new
roads and widening of existing ones has
lagged far behind the ever-increasing
number of cars on the road. In some
metropolitan areas, the concept of “rush
hour” is virtually outdated because the
roads seem to be packed at all times.
Another factor is that many of us lead
fast-paced lives and are always in a
hurry to get somewhere. This may lead
to speeding and aggressive behavior
toward motorists we believe are
impeding our progress.In some areas,
special law enforcement and public
awareness programs have targeted
aggressive driving. Counseling has
been tried with some angry drivers,
but many people seem to regard rude
driving as “the other guy’s” problem.
According to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
here are a few things you can do to
avoid becoming an aggressive-driving
victim or offender:
Don’t tailgate.
Avoid eye contact with an
aggressive driver.
Don’t make obscene gestures or
return those of others.
Use your horn sparingly.
Don’t block a passing lane. Avoid
blocking a right-turn lane.
Signal before switching lanes.
Don’t weave in and out of traffic.
Allow adequate rest for your trip.
Realize that you can’t control traffic –
only your reaction to it.
If you think someone is driving
dangerously and may be breaking the
law, consider reporting that driver to
the authorities. If you have a cellular
phone and can do so safely, call the
police.When parking, don’t take up
more than one space. Don’t allow your
door to hit the car parked next to yours.
If someone provokes you, take a deep
breath and resist the urge to retaliate.
The important thing is that you reach
your destination safely.
5
Going Green: What does it mean?
Greg Saunders
The word “Green” has entered our daily lives.
We read about it in the news, see it on TV and hear
about it on the radio, but what is it and how does it
affect us?
There are many facets to going green or being
green. Let’s take a step back and look at things from
a planetary perspective: There are lots of people on
the planet and we are consuming natural resources:
trees, air, minerals such as coal and oil, fish grains and
other food sources. That is OK; that’s what we do; We
Survive! Now to the degree that we take something
we can’t immediately replace, we are depleting a
limited supply. For example, coal and oil, there is
only so much yet, there are many of us and we are
using up something that took millions to years to
form. These are not sustainable or renewable energy
sources.
There maybe much around but once we dig the
last remaining coal mine, that will be the last of
that resource here on this planet for some time
to come. So there are a few points here; use what
you have wisely don’t waste your resources
and where possible use sources of energy that
are won’t diminish like wind, solar and hydro.
Everyone wants to reduce energy costs while
maintaining his lifestyle. Here are just a few things you can do to lessen the
amount of energy you use and save money at the
same time:
Switch to CFLs (compact florescent lights) Lighting
represents about 20 percent of your home’s electricity
bill. Switching from incandescent bulbs to ENERGY
STAR qualified CFLs is the easiest step you can take to
save on your energy bill and help the environment.
CFLs have come a long way in the last 20 years.
Today’s ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs are small;
quick to light up; efficient; produce better light; and
are available in a variety of sizes and shapes Some
even work on dimmers and 3 way switches.
They use about one-quarter of the energy to produce
the same amount of light;
Last about 10 times longer,
Produce about 75 percent less heat, which reduces
cooling costs,
Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over the
lifetime of the bulb,
In 2007, Americans saved $1.5 billion by switching
to ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs. The energy saved
could light all the households in a city the size of
Washington, DC for over 30 years. Put another way,
changing these bulbs removes as much greenhouse
gas pollution as planting 2.85 million acres of trees or
taking 2 million cars off the road each year.
Shut down and unplug electronic devices. Make
small changes to use and pay for less energy, such as
shutting down your computer when you’re not using
it and plugging your cell phone charger and other
electronics into power strips so you can turn several
devices off with one switch. Many devices draw
electricity even when off such as charging devices,
or things that have a transformer that plugs in to the
wall outlet, shavers, some kitchen appliances as well
as printers.
Improve your insulation. Drafty windows, no
insulation in the attic, anywhere the cold air can get
out in the summer or the warm air out in the winter
is wasting your energy and costing you money.
Have you ever felt a wall in the winter and found
some spots were colder than others? That’s probably
due to missing insulation. This often occurs around
electrical outlets.
Reduce your gas bill by hot water conservation.
This category is so large it will be the subject of
another article. A recent pilot conducted in San Diego
County found that your water heater can consume as
much as 90% of you gas bill and all it does is heat
your water.
Every time you use hot water, cold water goes
into the tank and the gas burners turn on to heat
up the entire “pot” again. At night when no one is
using the hot water, the burners will turn on and
heat the water after it has cooled down during the
inactivity of the night. What can you do? Insulate
your water heater for one. If it’s more than 10 years
old you should replace it with a new more energy
efficient model that meets Energy Star standards. Or
you invest in a Solar Water heating system, which
essentially preheats your water with the power of the
sun and stores the “preheated “water in a large tank.
When you turn on the hot water faucet, hot water
flows out of your water heater and to your faucet.
Rather than cold water running into your water
heater to replace the water that came out, hot water
from the solar storage tank flows into your water
heater. The gas doesn’t need to turn on as there is no
need to heat the water.
You are not replacing your water heater, but
instead pre-heating the water so the gas burners have
to turn on less if at all. In the summer they might not
turn on at all.
Should we have overcast and rainy days for a
week your water heater will still be supplying you
with hot water. But when was the last time that
happened here in Southern California?
Home Energy Audits A home energy audit
is often the first step in making your home more
efficient. An audit can help you assess how much
energy your home uses and evaluate what measures
you can take to improve efficiency. But remember,
audits alone don’t save energy. You need to implement
the recommended improvements. ENERGY STAR
(http://www.energystar.gov/) provides extensive
information about home improvement projects to
enhance energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and
increase comfort.
You can perform a simple energy audit yourself,
or have a professional energy auditor perform a more
thorough audit.
There are serval different agencies who will come out
and give you and energy audit without charge. The
first place to look is your utility company. You can
call them and schedule a visit or you can go on line
and schedule an energy survey from the LA DWP
web site.
(Greg Saunders has been in the solar industry for 5
years. You can contact Greg with further questions at:
[email protected])
6
Down
Across
It’s a
Numbers
Game
1.
More than some
1.
Big do
5.
"___ Smile" (1976 hit)
2.
"Crazy" bird
9.
Spray setting
3.
Yorkshire river
13. Lou Gehrig, on the diamond
4.
Snares
14. Donnybrook
5.
Jiffs
15. Knowing about
6.
Karen Carpenter, for one
16. Artist Bonheur
7.
Checks, with in
17. Be part of the cast
8.
Trojan hero
18. Brought into play
9.
Greek dish
19. Simple addition
10. Acad.
22. Elton John, e.g.
11. Potpourri
23. ___ souci
12. Big deal
24. Mozart's "L'___ del Cairo"
14. Gibb brother
27. Like a bunch
20. Ceiling
29. Debonair
21. Occupied, as a lavatory
32. Undergrad degs.
24. ___-Wan Kenobi
33. Catches
25. Art able to
36. Whole alternative
26. Very, in music
37. Ecstatic
28. Australian rock band
42. Old German duchy name
30. Clear
43. Ready for anything
31. File material
44. Wrath
34. "Harper Valley ___"
45. Layers
35. Jerk
47. It's found in banks
38. Textual interpretation
49. Blonde's secret, maybe
39. "From the Earth to the Moon" writer
50. Vex, with "at"
40. Signals
52. Word from the decks
41. Society page word
54. Literary homeowners
46. Strauss opera
62. Shades
48. Storm part
63. Roundish
51. Other halves
64. Christiania, now
53. Age
65. Tropical fruit
54. As a result
66. Rewards
55. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" writer
67. Simpleton
56. Bank
68. Some beans
57. "Little piggies"
69. "___ quam videri"
58. All alternative
(North Carolina's motto)
70. Chops
by Myles Mellor and Sally York
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
25
26
27
28
33
38
55
31
34
35
36
40
41
43
44
46
50
54
29
39
42
45
30
12
23
32
37
11
21
22
24
10
47
51
56
48
52
57
49
53
58
59
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
60
61
59. "Cast Away" setting
60. Worm or lamp
61. Creates a lawn
Mortgage Relief vs Capital Gains Taxes
Tomi Lyn Bowling
In October 2008 the very popular Mortgage
Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was extended for
three more years. Theoretically a home owner that settles the mortgage debt in 2009, 2010, 2011 or 2012 will not be taxed
on the difference forgiven by the mortgage holder. In other words, if you bought a house for $600,000
and then had to sell it (or otherwise settle the debt)
for $300,000 you would not then be taxed on the
$300,000 difference. This is a major and important change because; in
the past you would have to pay tax on the $300,000
difference which was considered a taxable profit. With the introduction of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 that has changed; under
the new bill you would not necessarily be taxed on
that difference.
There are stipulations to this like it must be a primary residence.
Second homes do not qualify, nor does any rental
property or investment property. It must be debt secured by a primary residence.
In summary to settle the debt through a foreclosure, or a SHORT SALE, or debt settlement through
direct negotiation or a third party, may not result in
a taxable profit. Details regarding this Mortgage Debt Relief Act
can be found at the IRS web site:http://www.irs.
gov/irs/article/o,,id=179073,00.html.
A Short Sale is when a real estate agent sells your
house for it’s currently market value even though
you may owe more than that.
As in the example above a homeowner sells
a house for $300,000 though his mortgage was
$600,000. It’s important to understand that, while a short
sale may be short on dollars, they are often take a
very long time to process.
In a short sale it’s part of the negotiation with the
lender to get them to agree to the sale even though
the mortgage debt is more than the sale price.
It’s also part of the process that negotiations ensure the seller/homeowner is not asked to pay for
any of the costs normally associated with the sale
(and normally paid by a seller) and that the lender
also assumes responsibility for all of those expenses.
An additional benefit of a short sale is that, in
most cases, it’s easier on the homeowner’s credit history and though a short sale is not for everybody it
is usually a better alternative to foreclosure or just
walking away. Starting over is easier when the credit has not
been so severely damaged. Short sale offers an option that makes starting
over easier.
7
A
F
R
O
L
O
O
N
O
U
S
E
O C A
B A S
I N S
S A
T I
T
H
U
S
H
U
G
O
R
E
L
Y
T
M
R
A
A
P L U
S I R
D I
C
E V E
X E
E R S
G N A
E E L
S
O
M
I
E
S
S
E
C
S
A
L
T
O
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E
I
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S
G
O P S
N T H
G A M
O
W
I T T
V O I
E E D
S S E
A
M I
E
O N
N
U S
E I S T
A N S
S U A V
S K I
H E A V
E
I
R E
D
A Y E
L E P I
D
O S
S
C L
H E
S
T
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W
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S
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8
Business
Are Sunland-Tujunga businesses disadvantaged?
Brian Schneider
The good news is that our community is filled with a stable, prosperous
population made up of professionals
from diverse walks of life. There are
some great businesses offering wonderful merchandise and expert service.
But why are there so many empty
storefronts? Why do we have to drive
twenty five minutes to find the kind of
retail variety we deserve to have right
down the street? What follows is part
one in a series of stories meant to help
shed light on that question.
“Tujunga Joe” opened a fictional
hot dog stand west of Lowell on Foothill. Francine did the same with an
equally fictional hot dog stand just east
of Lowell, in La Crescenta. Francine
can whip up a mean open face Polish
with sauerkraut. Joey is famous for his
“Triple Threat Down & Dirty Dollar
Dog”. For both Joe and Francine, business is good… really good.
Now everybody knows that Joe
loves Tujunga. He loves the people and
he loves the semi-rural environment.
He really enjoys the quality of life
that comes with being so close to the
Angeles National Forrest. But around
tax time Joe discovered he had a little
problem. His stand is in Tujunga, and
Tujunga is in the city of Los Angeles.
So what’s the problem? Nice town,
good dogs, lots of business; how could
there be a problem? Well the nice people in the City of Los Angeles Finance
Department need Joey to cut them in
on a percentage of his gross earnings.
A retail establishment in the City of
Los Angeles is required to pay $1.27
per $1,000.00 of gross receipts. (2009).
That’s right, his gross receipts! That
means that if Joey sells one million
of his Dollar Dogs he owes the nice
people in Finance $1,270.00. In fact,
even if he loses money, the nice people
in Finance still need him to pay them
$1,270.00. Francine does business in La
Crescenta. If Francine sells 1,000,000.00
hot dogs for a dollar, her city tax bill is
exactly…$0.
What’s a boy to do? Go east young
man, go east. One sunny day, Tujunga
Joe moved in exactly that direction, by
about 80 feet. And lo & behold, Joe’s
city taxes just…went away.
The City of LA has all sorts of rates
for all sorts of businesses classifications.
Our fictional Tujunga Joe is lucky; he’s
only taxed 1.27. But if he had opened a
medical office or decided to be a CPA,
he’d be paying 5.07 per $1,000.00. So
if Joe was a successful “professional”
and his firm grossed 3.5 million, he’d
pay about $18,000.00 in taxes to the
city in addition to all the other taxes
he would owe. Again, he’d pay that
amount even if he lost money on those
millions in sales.
Businesses in Sunland Tujunga are
bordered by Glendale on the east and
Burbank to the south. Burbank’s business tax is next to nothing for most enterprises, and Glendale does not have
any business tax at all. To the north is
the National Forrest and to the west is
more City of LA. So it would stand to
reason that if one was going to start a
business in the area, one might decide
that the east side of Lowell would be a
good place to do it from. That is great
for La Crescenta and its okay for Tujunga residents nearby, but if you’re in
Shadow Hills or down near Oro Vista,
it’s a hike.
So the question is; do taxes on
businesses imposed by the city of Los
Angeles have a negative effect on our
community’s business environment?
The answer appears to be yes… and
no.
“Mike” is the owner of Dry Cleaning Plus on Foothill near Oro Vista.
While not wanting to provide his last
name, he did tell us that for him, city
taxes were “nothing”. He did not even
know what they were because his
daughter took care of that part of the
business. He ventured that it was no
more than three or four hundred dollars per year. At any rate, the city gross
receipts tax was not even on his radar.
He was concerned with the general
business climate and the seeming lack
of the need for dry cleaning services
in the general area. This he attributed
to the fact that Sunland Tujunga residents, while wonderful people, really
didn’t dress up enough. (You know
who you are.)
Luther Bedoyan is Mike’s neighbor. He has owned Classy Jewelers
for five years. For Luther, city taxes
are not an issue. The economy is an issue. He comments that he enjoys a lot
of support from customers within the
community but not much from outside. People are spending less on new
jewelry, opting to repair pieces to save
money. He’s “very optimistic” about
the future of our area though. He says
that in the past it could be “scary” because of the “drugs and biker gangs”.
Now though, it is much better; full of
good people. He offered that the community would be doing much better if
it could attract more businesses since
it would bring in more shoppers who
currently go out of the area for things
they need to purchase. Also, he clearly
appeared to wish we’d all spend more
on diamonds. So, let’s get out there and
buy our significant other a ring!
Amal Mashhour owns Liquor
Market on Foothill. Business is down
across the board. He attributes this to
both the economy and what he believes
is the changing demographic in the
area. As with the other small business
owners, he did not have a recollection
of what his city tax was. He thought it
was around $150.00, which made it a
non-issue for him. His main concern
was what he thought was a lack of
adequate police patrol in the area. But
even Mr. Mashhour is bullish on the
future. He loves Sunland Tujunga and
plans to be here for the duration.
“Harry” has managed Foothill Furniture for twenty-six years. Like Mike
at Dry Cleaning Plus, Harry did not
want his last name published. Harry
says business is the slowest it has been
in all the years he’s managed the store.
Like the others, he attributes this only
to the economy. Harry loves the area
and the people he serves. He just thinks
that no one “has any money”. He did
not know what his city tax was, except
that it wasn’t much. He did not think
it was a factor in businesses avoiding
Sunland Tujunga.
Chung Lee is the owner of One
Stop Cleaners in La Crescenta. He is
familiar with the fact that there is a
gross receipts tax in Los Angeles and
not in Glendale. This fact does impact
his business plan and pricing. He feels
it gives businesses in Glendale a competitive advantage. He is very happy
to be doing business in La Crescenta.
Richard Dinger of Crescenta Valley Insurance was not aware of the LA
Gross Receipts tax in Los Angeles. He
was surprised to learn how much his
business would need to remit to the
city if he was just a little farther west
on Foothill. Aside from the tax issue,
Mr. Dinger attributes the disparity in
retail availability between the areas to
aesthetics and the superior services offered by the City of Glendale. He does
see improvement in Tujunga though,
citing new business that have opened
and the Foothill Commerce Center
construction.
Mark Takeichi is a commercial broker with the Charles Dunn Company.
He specializes in leasing property
along the Foothill corridor and has numerous listings currently available. Mr.
Takeichi believes the overriding factor
in what many believe is a paucity of retail in the area is the lack of a “national
presence”. National brand companies
do look at the area but since there are
so few others, these companies are
gun shy about being first in, thinking
there must be something wrong here.
“Everyone wants to let someone else
be the first to jump”, he says.
A relative newcomer to the area,
Panda Express, is an exception to this.
Mr. Takeichi relates that there was
a very lengthy internal debate over
whether to commit to Sunland by
Panda management. After examining
the demographics and finally deciding
to go ahead, Panda is very pleased it
did. The store is a great success.
Mr. Takeichi believes that the gross
receipts tax, while not the only factor
in whether a business locates to our
community, is still important.
Higher grossing national retailers
do try to avoid higher tax areas, especially if there is no penalty for doing so.
Mr. Takeichi makes the point that since
Sunland Tujunga is pinned between
the mountains, and Foothill is the only
corridor of travel, residents can drive
in only two directions.
Placing a business in the lower
taxed area makes economic sense since
we have no other option but to leave
our community and drive to them.
In the San Fernando Valley or Metro LA, one can drive in any direction
for retail. That evens the playing field.
Councilmember Kerkorian’s office
was contacted for comment on this
story. Given Sunland Tujunga’s unique
geographical setting within the city, we
were curious to see if he had a position
on developing incentives to attract new
businesses and help existing ones.
The councilman responded with a
statement saying that as vice –Chair of
the Jobs & Business Development committee, he will convene a special panel
with business leaders throughout
district 2 to discuss ways to efficiently
spur economic development throughout CD2.
He added that the district can no
longer afford to wait around and hope
things get better as businesses flee in
the face of friendlier economic climates.
One conclusion to be drawn from
the preceding is that the Gross Receipts Tax does not have a meaningful impact on smaller businesses. For
larger, higher grossing businesses, it
does appear to be an important factor
in determining where they locate. This
may, in part, be why there are so few
national or high grossing businesses in
our community.
It would be very interesting to hear
from more business owners.
What do you think? Does the Gross
Receipts Tax effect your operation?
Does the absence of this tax in Glendale
and Burbank have a negative, positive
or no impact on the business environment in Sunland Tujunga?
You can contact us at our blog:
Doug Horwith
Southern California. In 1981 Phil and
Doris sold the newspapers to Hearst
Publications and Media General. They kept the printing operation
and still print many local and school
publications. Phil was the SunlandTujunga Chamber of Commerce
president for 3 consecutive years and
the Horwith’s have been involved in
many local organizations including the
local Y.M.C.A.
Phil passed away in 1986. Doris
and son Doug are operating the
business currently. Many residents
of Sunland-Tujunga have, or still do,
work at American-Foothill Publishing.
http://blog.voiceofthevillage.org
We will post some of your replies in
our next issue when we address our
next topic.
This community belongs to everyone who lives in it.
The more of us who make our
opinion heard, the better our elected
representatives can shape their policies
to reflect our wishes.
American Foothill Publishing
happily celebrates 40 years in business
American-Foothill Publishing is 40
years old, established in 1970 by Phil
and Doris Horwith. Phil and Doris
published the weekly newspaper The
Sunland-Tujunga Record-Ledger for
several years, as well as many other
weekly community newspapers in
What you can do to market
your own business practice
Ray McKay
Most business and practice owners wish to be well known in their
own community. They want to be well
thought of and they want a steady flow
of customers/patients into the business. Owners generally recognize that
it takes a sustained effort to make this
happen. Even with a rock solid relationship with a source of new patients,
or a steady flow of regular customers,
the smart owner works to develop and
maintain high community visibility
and multiple sources for new patients
and more business.
The steps to make this happen involve marketing.
Marketing can involve many different actions, all revolving around how
to make your business better known
within your “target market” and to
generate a “reach” for your services.
The steps are not mysterious. The
“magic” in marketing is that someone
has to actually DO it and do it regularly. It is an on-going activity to be done
by everyone in the business.
It is important to realize that delays
in implementing marketing actions
due to cautiousness or unfamiliarity
with what to do or how to do it is actually a marketing decision itself. It is a
decision not to take action. With regard
to creating a steady flow of patients to
your practice or new business, THAT
is probably the most costly decision
one can make.
So, what can you do to market
your business?
A key step for all business owners
is to take some time to create a marketing strategy. Where are you headed?
What do you want to accomplish?
A few more premium clients? A ton
of new business walking in the door
daily? These decisions will affect how
you proceed with your marketing
implementation.
Develop a plan that works within
your available resources on how best
to accomplish your goals.
First of all, it’s very important
to identity the target market and to
know how best to reach that target
market and what to say to engage your
prospective clients/patients/customers. A little research - even if done by
researching past sales - can go a long
way towards your marketing effectiveness.
Develop a plan to mail out materials to your existing customers and patients and referral sources on a regular
basis. People who have already been
customers are a key source of return
business. It is wise to stay in touch with
them and let them know what is going
on with your business, new products
and services, specials, etc.
Whether it is a direct letter, a postcard or a newsletter, the main thing is
to get something out on a regular basis.
Don’t give up after one try! A campaign needs time to develop. We’re all
inundated with messages and it takes
repetition of a message for it to get
through. As a general rule of thumb,
it takes at least 3 times before a message is recognized and 6 to 8 times to
create awareness in the mind of your
prospects about your services.
S
H
O
P
L
O
C
A
L
If you have the confront for it and
are knowledgeable in your field, you
can benefit by offering talks in your
community. Create a series of talks
that you deliver to people in your local
community that are potential customers or network with potential customers.
Invite anyone who is interested.
Get the word out that you deliver these
talks. It will pay big dividends in terms
of community awareness of you and
your business/practice.
Develop a well designed, engaging
web site that is optimized for search
engine visibility for your local area.
The use of the internet is rising daily.
Your prospects are looking for the information they want on the internet.
You need to make it easy to be found
or they will go somewhere else.
Learn how to avail yourself of
the many opportunities that are open
to you through Social Media - think
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The
marketplace is changing and businesses that make the effort to engage
prospective customers where they are
actively networking and being part of
the social conversation will reap big
rewards. Those that don’t engage will
be left behind by those that do.
The KEY thing to remember is that
marketing has to be DONE and on a
regular basis by everyone in the business.
(Ray McKay is owner of Media
City Marketing Group, a successful
Marketing boutique assisting business
owners to reach out and expand)
Chamber of
Commerce:
Sonia Tatulian
President
9
As an active member of the Sunland Tujunga Chamber of Commerce,
you are entitled to many of our new
discounts, such as, our notary services
provided during our regular business
hours, Monday through Thursday 8
am to noon. Other business specials
will be featured each month in this
publication and on our web site at
www.STChamber.com If you are interested in offering a discount or business service special, please contact the
Sunland Tujunga Chamber offer at 818
352-4433 or email your information to
[email protected].
February 10, 2010 – The Chamber of Commerce is hosting an Open
House at our office located at 8250
Foothill Blvd., Sunland. The purpose
of this event is to invite all businesses,
organizations and residents to stop in
and see the changes we’ve made, view
the flyers from the various businesses
with their specials and discounts and
network with the community. Special
Valentine gift baskets will also be
available to purchase. Don’t miss this
opportunity to meet your neighbors
and Chamber members.
February 27, 2010 - The Chamber
of Commerce and the Sunland Tujunga
Elks Lodge are co-hosting our Annual
Monte Carlo night to be held Saturday,
February 27, 2010 at the Elk’s Lodge
located at 10137 Commerce Avenue,
Tujunga. Doors open at 6 PM, advance
Ticket sales are $20 each or $25 at the
door. Ticket price includes complimentary buffet and game script, silent
auction and raffle prizes. Don’t miss a
night of fun, food, games and prizes.
Sponsorships are also available, please
email or call the Chamber office for
more details
We look forward to hearing from
you in 2010.
10
Who
We
Are
The Character and Characters of Rancho Tujunga
LAPD Jeopardy
David Nunez
I have been asked many times
to write something about Jeopardy.
I believe that would best be done by
someone that has gone through the
program. Short of that, I will let you
know what I have observed in the last
many years.
Jeopardy is a program meant
mainly for a kid that has gotten himself
in trouble and now the Los Angeles
Police Department and/or the Courts
have taken it upon themselves to give
the kid one last chance. It is a preventive
program giving the kid a last chance to
stay out of the criminal justice system
and Juvenile Hall, aka jail. If the kid
does go to jail his odds of becoming a
lifelong criminal increases greatly.
From all that I have seen, this
has been the LAPD’s most successful
gang and crime prevention program
in the Foothill Communities, since it
prevents kids from being recruited into
gangs and a life of crime. But, this is
not only LAPD’s program; it actually
belongs to the communities that they
serve. Although 2 police officers are
assigned to Jeopardy full time, their
main responsibility is to round up the
kids and their parents and ensure that
they do the program. The officers also
try to find more kids for the program
that may have a high likelihood of
getting into a gang. We as community
members make this program work
by volunteering our time and/or
providing the wherewithal needed to
keep the program going.
The program is comprised of
tutors, mentors, counselors, sports and
activities instructors, board members
and administrators. Most of us are
volunteers. There are many smaller
programs that make up the overall
Jeopardy Program and they have
been many and varied over the years.
Mainly they have been only as good
as the volunteers from our community
have created them to be. I’ve been told
we have had as many as 60+ kids in the
past, now we have about 25. There is
no doubt that the help we provide to
these kids and their families can and
must to be increased.
What is Jeopardy? It is a fighting
chance. Not just for the kid that we
save from a life of crime, but for their
friends, family and our community
that would suffer - and does suffer from criminal activities that could have
otherwise been prevented by ourselves
through more hands-on involvement.
Growing up in Carson, just south
of LA, among friends and family
experimenting with drugs and criminal
activities, I have experienced firsthand
the difficulty a kid can have in fighting
to keep out of trouble. I woke up one
day to a knock at the door. I opened the
door to find the most hated kid I had
ever known. He was the bully that had
harassed all the kids in my 5th grade
class and now it was 3 years later and
he was at the door looking for my older
brother! Up ’til then I had never taken
sides on crime or drug use and thought
all my older brother’s “activities” in this
type of thing were cool by association.
After all, my mother used to call me his
shadow. BUT, now this #@&$@! was at
my door looking to buy drugs from my
older brother and I just said the hell
with it all and lost all my childhood
illusions, all in one fell swoop! I was
shocked to find a family member of
mine dealing with the meanest, most
evil person I had ever met, the bully
from my 5th grade class. I grew up in
that moment and hated my brother
for bursting my belief that my life
and family was the best that it could
possibly be. I was a grumpy kid for
many years afterward and fumbled to
find my way. My brother got out of that
life, but not until after he got mixed up
with the law and caused a great deal of
hardship on the family. He and I could
have very easily slipped further into a
life of crime. So I have some small idea
of what a kid could go through, but
nothing like what the kids in Jeopardy
and at Juvenile Hall are facing.
There are bullies, there are
criminals, there are people doing evil
things, but then there are the kids that
try to say no to all of that and refuse to
be one of them and we owe those kids
our support. That is what Jeopardy
is about. Giving those kids a fighting
chance to have a life without crime
and one day maybe we will have a
community without it, too.
(For more information please contact
us at (818)837-1167 go to www.
LAPDonline.org/youth_programs/
content_basic_view/735)
Civilization
11
“...happens when people cause it to happen.” - Wise Person
Marlene Hitt
Bobby Georgius
In the words of a wise person:
Civilization happens when people
cause it to happen. Civilization, an
advanced stage of development in
the arts, sciences, social, political and
cultural complexity, is the ideal to
which we all strive in our personal
lives, and in the life of a community.
The catalyst can be one person, or a
small group who leads the collective
ideals toward a better scene for us all.
But it doesn’t come easily; when faced
with a challenge the natural thing to
do is surround oneself with friends
who will defend and help you. This
natural tendency to look for a smaller
group fractures the civilization leading
to an “us against them” mind-set when
the exact opposite is what is needed. It
takes an unusual person to step above
this mold and bring civilization.
One such person is Nina Royal,
activist, writer, spokesperson, and
newspaper editor. Nina noticed some
years ago that the village needed a
good sized dollop of care, so she set
about to collect it drop by drop and
step by little step, change the character
of our community for the better.
When Nina and her husband
bought a home in 1989 near Bolton
Hall Museum and settled into it she
noticed that the park across the street
from their new home was overrun with
vandals, loiterers and all their trash. A
gang fight broke out in her front yard
one fine day so she called the police.
Help came much too late and she felt
safety in her new community a farce.
She encountered the police
department to find that their efforts
were few and, as they said, Nobody
in Tujunga cares. That was not good
enough for Nina because she knew
better, She cared a lot and so did the
neighbors. She quickly organized
a citizen patrol to get people to
demonstrate care to the police.
Her efforts rose to the level of local
attention and some personal risk but
that was not enough for Nina and the
neighbors. But rather than ducking the
issue, as many would, Nina expanded
her campaign by taking on the city.
When city government was
contacted she found that there was
no one there who took Tujunga’s
problems seriously enough for
action. Rather than giving up Nina’s
response was to form what became
the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood
Council, a group chartered to advise
city government on community needs.
Government is a giant and giants
have trouble seeing small patches or
townships, so the citizens had to yell
really loud - and all together – 24/7 to
get the council to listen. Knowing this,
Nina yelled; and got others to yell too.
It was 1989 when the crusade
began with the collection of trash
and the cleanup of Little Landers
Park by Nina and her fellow citizens.
A flyer was distributed all over town
inviting citizens to join in to make the
neighborhood a safer place to live in
and be proud of and the community
responded. Volunteering to be Block
Captains and members of strength and
action; they invited police officers and
city officials to attend functions and
spread the word – there is evolution
occurring in the foothills. This action
is continued today by the SunlandTujunga
Neighborhood
Council
of which Nina is a current board
member.
A Foothill Leader article, August
1989 speaks of more than 70 residents
rallying together to form watches to
combat drug use. Nina is on record as
saying We chose to stand up and fight
instead of complaining about the drug
problem. Another article shows Nina
atop a dumpster which the citizens,
after a day of trash removal in the
park, took to what is now the North
Valley City Hall and dumped. This
caper finally got the attention of city
councilman Joel Wachs who took up
the cause as did Adam Schiff. When
Wendy Gruel was elected she also
championed our cause which, by then,
was virtually unstoppable
With our council members listening
and forwarding our message as much
and as often possible things began to
really improve up here in the foothills.
But their voices, even though very
precise, were not always heard and
they had other problems to deal with
as well; like the other communities
that make up Council District 2. So
once again Nina expanded the scope
if her mission by starting newspaper,
The North Valley Reporter, to expose the
problems and create a rallying point
for all Council District 2 residents
that could bring real public opinion
pressure to bear to counter the pressure
of special interest groups. And the
crusade goes on.
If civilization is built upon the
influence of individuals, the joining
together of people for a common cause
who rely on established law, order,
values and traditions who never give
up the right to this good life we have
come to enjoy then Nina Royal is a
major player in the evolution of our
community. Through the years she
has never backed down, never given
up and, rather than resting on her
laurels, always looked for the next
bigger playing field and found a way
to effectively play in that arena for the
benefit of us all. She is a true asset to
the community.
Great things in our town
Tomi Lyn Bowling
Great Neighborhood - ET Phone
Home - In 1982 we all watched as the
short, funny looking little creature on
the big screen captured our hearts and
spoke out to little Elliot “ET phone
home” while pointing with an extended finger into the night sky. What we didn’t know, perhaps, is
that ET was phoning home from one
of our own great neighborhoods in
Tujunga, from Seven Hills.
High above Foothill Boulevard
at the end of Commerce Avenue is a
neighborhood with tall pines adorning the street and sidewalks of Seven
Hills Drive. The area known as Seven Hills expanded in the early 1980s when a tract
of two story homes was built at the
top of Seven Hills Drive on Hillhaven
Avenue, Deliban Avenue, Lonzo Street
and Dos Rios Drive.
Nestled at the top of this newly
built community was the home where
ET stayed during his short but adventurous visit to Earth.
During the recent Station Fire ETs
house, and others in Seven Hills came
perilously close to the fire though
escaped unscathed.
So next time you find yourself lost
in Tujunga perhaps you too can phone
home!
GREAT THINGS IN OUR TOWN
wants your participation. Please
drop us a line at [email protected]
about what you think is great. If you want to write it anonymously please indicate so, otherwise
we’ll print a story about your idea
noting it was suggested by YOUR
NAME.
It can be a great eatery, great
street, great neighborhood etc, something that you think is great about
living here in this place.
Planting trees
12
Margo Lea
Mayor Villaraigosa and the City
of Los want to plant a million trees
throughout the area over the next few
years. Not only is it a “green” thing
to do, it improves the enjoyment and
quality of life in neighborhoods, parks
and schools, as well as increasing
property value. Trees provide shade,
lower air conditioning costs and
energy consumption; their roots catch
valuable rainwater and deliver that
water down to the aquifer below. They
stop water and dirt from running into
and polluting the ocean. The greener
your neighborhood, the more you’ll
like it, your kids will like it and the
planet will love it too!
But one million trees? That
sounds daunting! Even so, last year
I made a resolution last year to get
involved with something that would
make my neighborhood and other
neighborhoods in Los Angeles more
beautiful and more “green.”
So I joined a small volunteer
group of people like me who
wanted to improve the Los Angeles
environment and help the planet. We
decided to join forces with the Tree
People, a well- organized, non-profit,
volunteer organization that plants
trees all over Los Angeles. Go to www.
TreePeople.org to register as a volunteer
and check out all the exciting things
they’re doing and that you and your
family or work mates can get involved
in.Our first project was at Stonehurst
Park here in Sun Valley on January 16th.
It was a fun event! Volunteers enjoyed
a small breakfast and lunch provided
for them at no charge. The energy was
happy and optimistic; whole families
got involved and felt proud to be a part
of it.
We planted 25 trees of several
different varieties. Parks & Recreation
was involved in the entire project.
They’ve carefully selected the type
of trees best suited to the climate and
the most likely to survive for years to
come. The trees will provide shade,
beauty and will replace some of the
older trees that are dying off.
We will be doing this again and
you can be a part of it. Watch Voice
of the Village for announcements or
simply register as a volunteer at www.
TreePeople.org (You should register
in any event so we can plan on the
amount of food we need to purchase
for the picnic breakfast and lunch.)
You can also sign up for other tree
plantings in L.A., there is one almost
every weekend.
Tree plantings are a fun and
educational event for children and
adults too. It’s also something high
school kids can do to earn their
community service credits for college.
And they are “Bandito Artist”
approved!
So please join us for our next project
and help make your neighborhood a
“greener” and prettier place. All it takesisyou andonetreeat atime.
And before you know it, we’ve planted
a million trees all over Los Angeles.
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13
Men aren’t the only ones to ride bikes
David Romley
Our beloved Sunland-Tujunga,
a 6-mile long and 2-mile wide
community nestled between the San
Gabriel and Verdugo mountains and
historically coveted for its clean air,
once also was known as a haven for
hell-raising, leather-vested bikers and
their annoyingly loud “hogs.” As late
as the mid-1980s it was not unusual to
see a hundred bikers at a time roaring
down Foothill Boulevard and making
pit stops at local biker bars. Most of
the old biker bars are long gone, as
are the biker gangs of the 50s and 60s.
Attribute it to changing demographics
or community redevelopment, the old
image of Sunland-Tujunga as a hardcore biker hangout no longer holds
true.
Yet, on any day of the week,
especially on a Saturday or Sunday,
we see motorcycle enthusiasts of all
sorts and ages - from young sport bike
riders in brightly-colored one-piece
leather suits heading up Big Tujunga
Canyon to test the “twisties” - to the
more traditional biker types in fringed
chaps and skull caps on Harleys. Have
an early cup of coffee at the Starbucks
on Foothill on a weekend morning, and
you will see them there proudly talking
about their bikes while enjoying a java
before heading up to “Newcomb’s
Ranch” on Angeles Crest or to some
other famous biker destination like the
“Rock Store” in Malibu. These days,
however, motorcycling is not just for
macho men with tattoos and steel-toed
boots. It also is very popular among
women. Take Swan Stone, for example.
Growing up in Southeast Asia where a
motor scooter is a necessity, “Swan”
learned to ride a Vespa at an early
age. After immigrating to America
and ultimately settling in Sunland
where she works for lawyers as a selfemployed process server, Swan found
that trying to get around on congested
Los Angeles freeways in a car was
becoming increasingly frustrating. So,
she rides her custom Honda Shadow
when she goes out to serve legal papers.
“When the freeway is backed up with
bumper-to-bumper cars, I can get to
where I need to go by splitting lanes,”
says Swan. She also rides for pleasure
and loves to take the scenic route
over the canyon on nice, warm days.
Swan is also a personal fitness trainer
and Muay Thai kickboxing instructor.
Beware, though, if you see her walking
toward you with papers in her hand.
She might be trying to “serve” you.
14
The
Arts
We Celebrate Them All
McGroarty Arts Center presents:
the 2010 Celebrate Puppetry Festival
Leslie Fischer
McGroarty Arts Center is gearing up for its 7th
Annual Celebrate Puppetry Festival. The first official
Celebrate Puppetry Festival debuted on April 24,
2004, and it has continued and grown ever since.
Supported by an Outdoor Parade and Festivals Grant
from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los
Angeles, the Puppetry Festival is an incredibly fun
and entertaining event for people of all ages.
The planning for this major event starts months
in advance. First, event organizers line up and
schedule the puppeteers and locate food, crafts and
game vendors.
This year McGroarty is expanding the number
and types of booths at the event by adding more and
varied food booths, engaging activities, and vendors
selling unique, hand-made crafts.
Beginning in May 2010, a month before festival
day, three weekly workshops will be held at
McGroarty Arts Center to entice participants to make
and perform with puppets. Families, youth and
community members are invited to attend any or
all of the free pre-festival Making Shadow Characters
workshops.
The hands-on workshops introduce children to
this ancient tradition of storytelling using figures
and animals which are brought to life in front of an
illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving
images. The workshops include instruction on how
to create these truly unique puppets.
All workshop participants will be encouraged
to exhibit their work at the festival and be puppetry
ambassadors by sharing their knowledge with
friends and other festival-goers.
The workshops serve as appetizers for the
full-blown, day-long event, enticing people to attend
the actual Festival on June 5, 2010 where they will
see a long list of professional artists perform, attend
Paradise
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& more
10%forOFF
Readers
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more workshops, eat and shop! This year’s line
up of performers and vendors will include several
puppetry and arts organizations.
Past participants included the LA Guild of
Puppetry, International Puppetry Museum, Pacific
[continued on page 24]
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The Chupa Rosa
writers 1985-2010
are given, along with approval and encouragement.
Often, the group leader would read from a
beautiful book or from the New Yorker magazine,
then, inspired and content, members will drink tea
and munch on pot luck offerings.
The group has produced three collections
in the form of calendar/diaries which includes
poems for each week of the given year. Among the
many activities are; support of the Word of Mouth,
Eccentric Moon and Camelback poetry reading at the
Sunland/Tujunga library.
They have supported the each other in publishing
their work.
They have offered their own individual readings
in other communities, are active in the community
in many ways, have produced anthologies such as
Night Birds, Spine Flower Blues. They have also judged
several poetry contests of children’s writing, have
read at the Reader’s Edge in Montrose, The Iguana,
Barnes and Noble in Pasadena, Eagle Rock library,
Sierra Madre library, and others, and have hosted
programs at McGroarty Art Center and Bolton Hall
Museum.
From the Chupa Rosa Writers several nonfiction
books and newspaper articles have sprung as well as
all the poetry.
Also from the group has evolved the Poet
Laureate Program which resulted in the various
accomplishments of the poets laureate such as
the Shouting Coyote festivals, Commerce Street
Fair, Mother’s Day event at Bolton Hall, and many
others.
The written word in all its forms is in every way
a part of this community.
Marlene Hitt
Most groups begin with a flourish and a wave
of enthusiasm only to fade gradually away. Not the
Chupa Rosa Writers of Sunland-Tujunga, California.
A notation in the McGroarty Arts class bulletin,
1985 read, “Poetry Workshop” to be led by Myron
Ruderman. Four people left their homes in the
evening once a week, words in hand.
After two or three weeks, with the attendance
being so small the center decided to cancel the
group.
Disheartened but hopeful the few persons moved
down the street on McGroarty to Gen Krueger’s
fascinating home, just the place for poets.
Since that time the Chupas have been meeting
each week, seldom missing a meeting, for soon to be
30 years.
The core group has remained the same with
members coming from once in a while to every
week.
Cycles of membership have been interesting as
people come regularly to meetings, then leave to
move away from town.
At one time the group consisted of one person
from each decade of life, 20s through 80s, each with a
different background.
During the course of an evening information
is exchanged; a book, some news, program reports
from PBS, or perhaps the best way to cope with the
world.
When all are gathered, each reads work
accomplished during the week for the enjoyment
and enrichment of all present. Usually, suggestions
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A painting of the
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6am
15
Barry Ira Geller© 2010
The sea is my mother.
I was born, laid upon the shore
against the sand, wood and stone.
I am a bridge across a familiar
distance, a safe byway for old
buildings on a floating raft.
My mother never leaves me;
my limbs stand, erect,
deep in her loins--where I have
always been, like a growth
across the sand and shore
fastened and forged with a bolt
to the land.
The sun rises upon my vest
my nest a sweater of coloured buildings,
small, and empty with morning
glisten, coolness but not cold
saline serenity while their
tinted nightlights flicker
and dwindle, yawning
until dawn when the lights
are gone; the air awakens from its slumber.
They who have had the courage to rear
strong children, begin anew,
imparting their history to the young
who come to taste the fish and games
inadvertently to become wiser
watching
ancient fisherman give birth
but not wanting to be seen.
The morning listens.
A seagull sings.
16
World of intrigues Local band wins awards at Marina del
Rey “Christmas in Paradise” boat parade
Khachatounian
God, why did you provide me with
A bottomless ocean of conscience,
And scattered this burning pain
On my simple and unsoiled soul.
It was your will that I must drown
Wickedness in my sea of conscience,
But I am weak and powerless
To overcome the plotting world.
Tell me how I can defeat them,
When around me there’s pitch darkness,
I’m surrounded by vicious thieves,
And thorns pierce my disheveled self.
Kindly people are neglected
And wise people are badly scorned,
Good people are misnamed evil
And their spirit slighted and ignored.
Nevertheless we always dream
Of the good days of yesterday,
And plead with God, the Almighty
To save us from even worse days.
Bob Sullivan – The Way to Happiness Outdoors
Club
We won! Our boat, The Way To Happiness Outdoor
Club Goes Fishing”, and its band was awarded
“Best Band” and “Best Music” in Marina del Rey’s
47th annual Christmas boat parade. The parade
Chairperson said, when announcing the awards,
“They hardly ever give two prizes to one boat but
the judges were so impressed that they had to bend
the rules for you!” She was effusive and insisted we
participate every year.
The band consists of Tujunga’s Bob Sullivan (on
timbales - also the captain), Nate Middleton (steel
drums) and Ron Ely (guitar). One of our songs
is now featured on the event’s website at www.
mdrboatparade.org/home.htm if you’d care to take
a listen.
The Way to Happiness Outdoors Club was formed
in April 2003 by Tujunga resident and businessman
Bob Sullivan to put on outdoor sporting events which
promote and finance distribution of The Way to
Happiness® booklet. To date the club has distributed
over 1.2 million booklets and done dozens of events:
fishing tournaments, camping trips, camel races,
shooting events, banquets, etc., etc. The Way to Happiness boat was donated to the
club in July 2008. After extensive renovations it has
been used to take school kids on education outings
and for club fishing tournaments. The boat is a 23’
wooden cabin cruiser driven by a 4-cyllinder inboard
Volvo gas engine.
It was constructed in 1986 by Clipper Craft, a
cottage industry boat yard in Portland, OR. It has
a distinctive New England dory style hull now
decorated with permanent The Way to Happiness
logos and boat name, “The Way to Happiness.”
Our boat was a big hit. We were met with
enthusiastic cheers from spectators on shore and other
boats as well .We were definitely a crowd favorite.
We played live Bob Marley and Santana style music
almost continually for the two hour parade, circling
around the Marina. And The Way to Happiness
booklets that we passed out were very well received
as well. The Honorary Mayor of Marina del Rey who
organizes activities for “at- risk” children was eager
to learn more about The Way to Happiness, for possible
use in her programs.
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The
Cookin’ with Mary!
Bandito
strikes
again
Mary Russo
Shrimp Italiano with Orzo - Woo
your Sweetheart with Shrimp Italiano
and Orzo! It’s easy to make and so
delicious!
Richard Stewart
Bandito Artist, Richard Stewart,
has once again left his mark on the
neighborhood. If you look at the corner
of Foothill and Pinewood in Tujunga,
you will see that the empty lot and For
Rent building is no longer full of trash,
weeds and graffiti. Instead you will
see Bandito’s trademark golden globes
adding some aesthetics to the former
eyesore of Foothill Boulevard.
“I heard some hammering and
strange noises at 1AM and saw some
idiot hanging gold balls on a stucco
wall,” a neighbor reported. “I was
going to call the cops, but I saw his
girlfriend sweeping the parking lot,
so I just went back to bed and told my
wife, ‘Only in Tujunga.’”
Richard agreed to a late night
interview at Coco’s with his accomplice,
Susan Boughton, on condition of
immunity.
Editor: The first question, Richard:
Why do you call yourself “Bandito?”
Richard: Because I steal trash and
weeds from other people’s property.
Editor: Aren’t you afraid of getting
arrested for stealing the trash and
weeds?
Richard: No, because it’s a fair
exchange: I give them art in return,
even if it’s only the aesthetics of a clean
curb.
Editor: What are you plans for the
future?
Richard:
Well, look around.
Sunland-Tujunga has some beautiful
properties and common areas, but there
is plenty of room for improvement.
My pet peeve is the eyesore areas that
depress the whole community.
Editor: It sure seems worthwhile
cleaning up our neighborhood. How
can we help you?
Richard: I’m glad you asked. I’ve
started a Bandito Art Club and can
be reached at banditoartclub@gmail.
com. My idea is that others can join in
on the fun of cleaning up weeds and
trash and adding some beauty to the
neighborhood. Then they can post
their before and after photos on my
FaceBook Group, even if it’s only their
own front yard. It is a win-win game
and we can vote on the best project and
post the winners.
Editor: Sounds great! One final
question: What is Susan’s role in all of
this?
Richard: Esta es mi Bandita!
Legacy
Marynance Schellenbach
Raging fire left dark
velvet mountainsides; dying
sun leaves alpenglow.
Note: “Alpenglow” is a rosy or reddish
glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the
summits of snowy mountains. This also
occurs on mountainsides covered with ash
from forest fires.
Shrimp Italiano - Makes 4-6 servings
1 ½ LB of Shrimp (ready to cook,
clean & deveined )
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2-4 Cloves Garlic Minced
(4 for those of you who love garlic)
2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
Black Pepper
2 Lemons cut in wedges
(for shrimp and or pasta)
Orzo
A Large Pot of Boiling Water
1 LB Orzo Pasta
¼ cup Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 Cup Fresh tomatoes diced small
4 Whole Green Onions chopped fine (Optional)
1 Teaspoon Dry Basil crumbled
Salt & Pepper to taste
Corsica’s Deli Blended Grated
Cheese
Preparation - Prepare and measure all
of your ingredients (Chop all the items
that need to be chopped, minced, and
set aside for later).
Bring large pot of salted water to
a boil for Orzo pasta. When Water is
boiling, add Orzo pasta and stir. When
water boils again, simmer Orzo pasta,
for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste to see if they are cooked to your
liking, drain, add ¼ cup olive oil,
2 cloves garlic minced, 1 cup fresh
tomatoes diced small, 4 whole green
onions chopped (Optional), 1 teaspoon
dry basil crumbled, salt & pepper to
taste. When serving sprinkle Corsica’s
Deli blended grated cheese on top of
your pasta.
When you add the pasta to the
boiling water, start to cook your Shrimp
Italiano. Pre heat skillet on a medium
heat, place 1 tablespoon of butter and
1 tablespoon of olive oil with ½ of the
minced garlic, stir, immediately add
½ of the shrimp. Shrimp cook quickly,
when you see that they are pink turn
them over, as soon as they are pink
remove them and place in a serving
bowl. Repeat with the other ½ of
shrimp, when they are cooked on both
sides add the shrimp in the bowl back to
the skillet with 2 teaspoons of smoked
Paprika, stir, remove and serve with
Orzo pasta. Nice served with a green
salad, and a bottle of Chardonnay,
followed by a decadent Cannoli! Have
a wonderful Valentine’s Day! (You
can find a nice variety of Cannoli at
Corsica’s Deli in Sunland.)
Bona Fortuna! (Good Luck)
NOTE: For those of you who
do not have time to cook we will be
preparing Baked Ziti in a Red Sauce
and Baked Ziti in a White Sauce for
17
Valentine’s Day week end. Please take
the time to call and place your orders by
Wednesday February 10, you can pick
up a fresh dish on Friday or Saturday
February 12, or 13.
Baked Ziti is made with Ziti
Pasta cooked ground Italian Sausage,
Mozzarella, with a Red or White Sauce,
a Ricotta filling in the center, and of
course lots of TLC!
(Check out our Web site, www.
corsicadeli.com, Corsica Deli 8111
foothill Blvd. Sunland, 818.352.7213)
18
School News
Historic anniversary for Verdugo’s winter class of 1950
Tom Gilfoy
In another few weeks it
will be the sixtieth anniversary
of the first class to graduate
from the new main building
at Verdugo Hills High School.
It was sixty years ago last
September that the building
was dedicated and students
first entered the new class
rooms. That was just in time
to make the following winter
class of 1950 the first to
graduate from the new school.
As a member of the class I
remember it all very well.
Prior to moving into the
new building we attended
most classes in little bungalows
scattered all over the adjoining
Plainview Avenue Elementary
School campus. There were
a few new buildings already
on the present-day Verdugo
campus also available. These
included the shop buildings
and the library, as well as
girl’s and boy’s gymnasiums.
We considered ourselves lucky
to have such a state of the
art gym for the boys, although
even that long ago it was
considered comparatively small
and not likely to accomodate
anticipated growth. McGroarty Auditorium had not
yet been constructed so the
boy’s gym did double duty as
the site for school assemblies
and sometimes graduation
ceremonies such as ours in
1950. Kersey Field had been
completed,
although
the
existing grandstands and
lights were not even a dream
then. While Kersey was under
construction, Verdugo played
football games in a vacant lot
that was later to become a part
of Sunland Park.
In those days there was
no Mt Gleason Jr High and
everyone from grades seven
through twelve attended
school at Verdugo’s bungalow
campus. Although there was
a technical distinction made
between being in junior or
senior high, as a practical
We’re Online too.
www.voiceofthevillage.org
matter everyone was in the
same school, responding as
they were to the same bells to
change classes, making use of
the same gyms, athletic field
and even classrooms. One
can imagine what a mixed
up, inadequate mess it was,
with long, almost prohibitive
distances from the bungalows
to the gym, noisy construction
everywhere and kids of such a
wide range of ages running all
over the place.
That’s the way it had been
for the latter part of our class’s
six years at Verdugo and that’s
one of reasons we were so
pleased to move into the new
building for our last semester.
And why to this day we remain
proud of being the first class to
graduate from the new school.
Hey, we earned it.
Tom Gilfoy is a member of
the Little Landers Historical
Society and a longtime resident of the Foothills area. His
stories about growing up in
Sunland-Tujunga frequently
appear in the Little Landers
Historical Society newsletter.
If you would like to join LLHS
and receive a copy of our
newsletter contact the Bolton
Hall Museum at (818)352-3420
or email at [email protected].
19
The hills are alive with the sounds of volunteerism
Lois Higgins
At a small construction site in Tujunga near the corner of Apperson St
and Tujunga Canyon Blvd volunteerism happens every single day. A recently laid-off English teacher stops by
and asks if she can help. With a pair of
gloves, she digs trenches and learns to
tie rebar. Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
School has witnessed this repeatedly
as completion of the Rose Cottage Preschool progresses.
The Rose Cottage is a vision of Our
Lady of Lourdes to open a preschool
to the community that envelopes the
Catholic identity while nurturing the
development of the whole child.
Ms. Lois Higgins, Preschool Coordinator took on the daunting task of
remodeling the house and property to
create a safe and creative environment
for children. After months of research
she realized that, in order to build the
she would need the help of volunteers
who could and would donate their
time, talent, or treasures to the project.
With a generous donation from the
Knights of Columbus to start things
off, the work began.
Ms. Higgins looked for a contractor to oversee the project and found
Paul G Lindsey, General Contractor,
who offered his services. Steve Finney,
of CWA,AIA, INC, donated the architectural plans. Building permits were
issued and an amazing outpouring of
help has kept the project moving forward.
With a very tight budget, requests
were made for materials and labor from
local community businesses. Glendale
Building Supply, Angelus Block, Totten Tube Steel, Merithew’s Hardware,
Calwal, Lowe’s, and Bonanza Cement
were just a few of the companies offering to donate materials or give a
discount.
Local families donated their time,
talent and construction equipment,
such as bobcats, trucks and tools.
They came to tear down buildings and
walls, to frame, hang dry wall, install
plumbing, rewire electrical, repair
windows, dig and move rocks, cactus,
plants, lumber and dirt. Andre Vitti
volunteered the first day and has been
on site each week helping in any way
possible.
Eagle scouts Andrew, Jake and Caleb completed their senior projects with
the designing and building of planter
boxes, an arbor, sunshade, sandbox,
platform deck and toy storage for the
children’s play yard. The boy scouts
are helping to get the planter boxes
filled and ready for planting.
The construction has also become
a “green project”. All materials removed from walls or buildings have
been recycled and used in other areas
of the school. Doors from the demolished pool house were re-hung inside
the classrooms. Lumber, baseboards,
paneling and trims have been recycled
into other projects. The broken pieces
of concrete from a pool deck became
stepping-stones to the sand box. Large
boulders and tree stumps form the
seats in the garden. Families cleaned
out garages and donated building materials. Even the dirt has been recycled
and used in many areas.
Even with challenges, building the
school with volunteers has ultimately
led to the most positive outcome. Each
person has a piece of his or her heart
and soul in this preschool. They can
say I helped build it!
The interior classrooms are nearly
finished with some painting and electrical to complete. Now the most important remaining task is the completion of the handicap accessible ramp
and deck that leads from the front of
the house to the back. The project is
still in need of concrete finishers, welders, graders, painters, and jacks-of-alltrades. If you would like to volunteer
to help or contribute, do not hesitate
to call Our Lady of Lourdes School at
818 353-1106. Let us know how you can
help make the vision become a reality
for the community.
(You are invited to our OPEN
HOUSE - Our Lady of Lourdes School
- Sunday, January 31st from 11:30-2:00
7324 Apperson St. Tujunga
- 818.353.1106)
who has been league champions for
the past 7 years and against whom Verdugo has not won in 5 years. A win was
badly wanted by the Dons and received
happily with a single goal scored by
junior, Amber Sanchez. However, the
victory belongs to the whole team who
contributed with hard work and effort.
Juniors, Jackie Storie and Alison Frost
held the midfield strong while junior,
Michelle Rivas, senior, Maria Cisneros
and freshman, Maddie Diaz shut down
the North Hollywood offence.
The third game of the week was
played on Friday January 15, at Canoga Park’s amazingly lush field of
grass that surprised everyone on the
Verdugo team who was expecting a
dust bowl like last year.
There were some great highlights
in the Canoga game such as the first
goal of the game scored by senior,
Brenda Martinez, the team’s stopper,
who returned a long ball that one of
Canoga’s defenders had just cleared
from their area. Brenda’s second goal
of the season was on a direct free kick
from outside the penalty box that slid
down into the back of the net. Junior,
Elise Sanchez, scored on her corner
kick. Midfielder, Gabby Ramirez also
scored a goal from the top of the penalty box, and freshman Riane Garcia
scored the fifth goal for a 5-0 victory.
Throughout all three games Verdugo’s defense has kept the team from
being scored on held up by Sweeper,
Maddie Diaz. She continues to amaze
everyone by beating out the opposing
teams’ attackers and never giving up.
Also, keeper, senior, Lalis Rendon, has
been consistent at blocking her goal.
Unfortunately, in the Canoga game,
the team’s captain, Melody Flores, dislocated her ankle. She sat out the last
20 minutes of the game, but hopefully
will be able to recover and jump back
into the season and help the team reach
their goal of being league champions.
VHHS Girls’ varsity soccer team on a roll
Amber Sanchez and Teammates
The Verdugo Hills High School’s
Girls Varsity Soccer team is undefeated
after three games in their first week of
league play. On Monday January 12,
they played Grant, one of their biggest
competitors last year, but Grant didn’t
pose much of a threat this year. The
game ended with a score of 7-1 Verdugo, with four goals scored by left side
striker Amber Sanchez, and three goals
by right side striker Riane Garcia who
scored her second goal on a free kick
and third goal with a corner kick.
Wednesday January 14, Verdugo
went up against North Hollywood,
20
Our Churches
Church holds semi-annual conference
Robin Johnson
Some may consider the semiannual conference of the La Crescenta
Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, which was held
January 16 – 17, 2010, as a modern-day
re-enactment of Pentecost, “because
that every man heard them speak in
his own language.” (Acts 2:6 KJV). The
conference was given simultaneously
in five different languages – Armenian,
English,
Korean,
Spanish,
and
Tagalog – to accommodate the various
nationalities represented within the La
Crescenta Stake.
A “stake” in the LDS Church is a
group of congregations located within
a certain geographical area. There
are nine congregations within the La
Crescenta Stake, including Filipino,
Korean, Spanish, and Single Adult
congregations, and an Armenian
Sunday school. The La Crescenta
Stake, with 4000 members, extends
from Sunland to La Canada, and down
through Glendale.
This year’s first semi-annual
Conference began with an adult
session Saturday night, the focus
being the eternal nature of the family.
Several speakers discussed how
parents can strengthen their marriages
and children. Stake President Jay P.
Morgan, of La Crescenta said, “Just as
a loving mother will never forget any
of her children, our Heavenly Father
will never forget any of us. As parents,
we are to shepherd our children to the
house of the Lord.”
Tina Skaggs of La Canada spoke
about the great satisfaction of doing
family history research. She explained
that we can simply begin with our own
family, write down what we know,
and then start moving backwards.
Family history research has become
significantly easier using the new
website www.new.familysearch.org.
Sunday began with an 8:00 a.m.
session for youth ages 12-18, followed
by a general session for everyone. The
general session was unusual in that the
majority of the program was broadcast
via satellite from the LDS Church
Headquarters in Salt Lake City to all
88 stakes in Southern California. It was
Donations needed for a great cause
Cathy Ercek
Our Lady of Lourdes School needs your help to
purchase two-way radios to ensure the safety of our
students, faculty and staff.
We are blessed with an extensive campus
incorporating both sides of Apperson Street and
Mountair Ave. We are opening the Rose Cottage
Preschool this spring which is located on Tujunga
Canyon Blvd. The new two-way radios, with
our own channel through the FCC, will facilitate
communication between campuses, play yards,
classrooms, and the main office. A total of thirty radios
are needed to provide all staff with communication
capabilities.
The cost of the radios, FCC license and sales tax
is close to $6000.00 so any help that you, dear reader,
can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Communication is essential for the well-being
of our school. We hope our community will help
us offset the cost of purchasing quality radios.
At Our Lady of Lourdes School, we dedicate
ourselves to service. We are happy to support our
community however we can.
broadcast in 14 languages, and Jeffrey
R. Holland, member of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles, referred to
Southern California as the “U.N. of the
Church,” adding that “we are all part
of the family of God, regardless of race
or nationality.”
Richard Edgeley of the Presiding
Bishopric gave an especially timely
sermon, focusing on how to move
forward in the face of personal
heartbreak and sorrow. Recounting
the grief of parents after losing a child,
he explained that they found strength
and comfort by reaching out to others
in similar circumstances, focusing on
gratitude, and remembering, “out
of pain, their faith in Christ brought
hope.”
Happy
Valentine’s Day
Announcements
21
Create a healthy mindset! Holiday lights winners
On Tuesday, February 23, at 7
pm, Keith Giaquinto, D.C., I.H.S., will
be presenting the winning formula
for living with strength, power, and
balance.
His talking points will be:
~Avoid the mindsets that promote
disease
~Learn how and when disease
starts
~Discover why digestion is your
first priority of health
~Identify the true cause of
autoimmune diseases
~Understand the great power of
whole food nutrition
~Learn the 6 keys to having vibrant
health.
Dr. Giaquinto is a graduate of
National University of Health Sciences,
Loomis Institute of Enzyme Nutrition,
and holds an Internal Health Specialist
Certification for the post graduate
department of Logan University. He
has helped hundreds of people from all
over North America go from a chronic
condition to a near normal or perfect
health in a matter of weeks to months.
He specializes in Chiropractic Care
and Internal Health utilizing Enzyme
Therapy.
This free lecture will be held at
Sunland Neighborhood Church and is
sponsored by JuicePlus. The address
is 10632 Oro Vista Avenue in Sunland.
Doors open at 6:30 pm. The community
is invited.
For further information and to
RSVP you can email at Maggie@
maggie4health.com or leave a message
at 818-566-3525 or call Sheryl at 818-3524715 or email quiethairgrowingtm@
verizon.net
Fire in the sky –the history of radio
Presented by the Little Landers
Historical Society
Bolton Hall Museum
10110 Commerce Ave. Tujunga, Ca.
91042
On Saturday, February 13th, at
1:00PM the Little Landers Historical
Society will present “Fire in the SkyThe History of Radio”. Our speaker
Mr. Jimmy Weldon has had a long
and very notable career in both radio
and television. Anyone who watched
Hanna-Barbera’s Yogi Bear cartoons
will recognize some of Mr. Weldon’s
work. He was the voice of Yakky
Doodle Duck.
In his presentation, “Fire in the
Sky” he will take us on a historic and
nostalgic tour of radio in the United
States from its inception 125 years
ago through 1962 and the end of the
“Golden Days”.
Mr. Weldon will recount moments
that some of us remember and others
have only heard of, but are certainly
part of our history. Join us for this free program. Everyone is welcome. (Additional information is available from
Lynn Lowry or Marlene Hitt at the Little
Landers Historical Society, (818) 352-3420
or [email protected].)
Ann Marie Flaherty, CPA
Going beyond the numbers with personal service and over
20 years of experience. Active in our community since 1989
serving our non-profit organizations and local business
professionals
Hinton, Kreditor & Gronroos, LLP
McBroom Street
Shadow Hills
626-389-6906 (Cell)
626-389-1223 (Direct Line)
[email protected]
Main Office
50 East Foothill Blvd.
Third Floor
Arcadia, CA 91006
Please visit our Website:
hkgllp.com
On December 23rd between 6 and 7
pm, Fran, Ray and our contest sponsor
Doug drove the selected neighborhood
looking for our three best holiday
displays.
As a local resident, Doug said he
had noticed that probably twice as
many homes were decorated for 2009
than the year before. There were many
festive homes to view and our top three
winners are:
1st place for $200 – Christian Shaw
on Franlie
2nd place for $100 – Cecilia Covinos
on Vanora
3rd place for $50 – Robert and
Nancy Penmen on Hillrose
Congratulations and thank you
to our winners and everyone who
participated with this event. We all
enjoyed the opportunity to view the
holiday lights and Doug enjoyed
giving out the money to our winners.
According to Doug, this will become
an annual event for this neighborhood
and we are all looking forward to more,
bigger and better holiday decorations
in 2010.
Nkonsonkonson Chain Link
Nkonsonkonson is a word of
the Ashanti people of Ghana for the
symbol seen above. In English it literally translates as “chain link.” Yet the
meaning, like every symbol, goes far
beyond the words that name it. People
develop symbols to express feelings
and understandings that cannot be
fully expressed with words. So what
might a nkonsonkonson chain link
represent?
All one needs to do is think of a
chain, visualize it. What is it? A chain
is created when many single metal
units are linked together. The chain’s
strength depends on each of the units.
If one individual unit becomes weak
then the chain will break. Nkonsonkonson reminds the people of Ghana of the
responsibility they hold for each other
as a community. It represents unity,
brotherhood and interdependence.
And like the chain, each person and
their contribution to community creates strength.
February brings a hope of spring,
Valentine’s Day, and something else
very important to community, Black
History Month. In celebration of Black
History Month and dedication to community, Teaching ARTS wishes to bring
back the drum circle. But we need the
help of community to provide us with
a place to play. Unfortunately, our pre-
vious venue on Foothill Blvd. had to
close its doors. So we are reaching out
to you, Sunland-Tujunga and the surrounding communities, the churches,
schools, organizations and businesses.
Pape Diouf is a Senegalese drummer carrying on his family tradition as
a Wolof griot. The few area residents
who were able to join the circle at Foothill Blvd. on Sundays in November
warmly welcomed him. He would like
to come back to our community on a
regular basis.
If you are interested in participating in the drum circle, drum lessons or
offering a space or ideas please contact
Nancy by phone or e-mail. Teaching
ARTS will do all they can to make it
happen but let us know you will be
there when we do.
(e-mail Nancy at: konrardyproett@
verizon.net - or call 818-352-5716)
Little Landers grant supports community newspapers
Editor
January 20th, 2010 – The Little
Landers Historical Society announced
today that it has approved a two
hundred dollar grant to each of our
community newspapers: The Foothills
Paper, The North Valley Reporter, and
Voice of the Village each benefit from
this generous grant.
The Voice of the Village newspaper
wishes to extend our sincere thanks to
the Little Landers Historical Society
for their recent generous contribution.
Community support such as this is
greatly appreciated and provides proof
that our Sunland-Tujunga community
is continuing to recover and improve its
position as the jewel of the Foothills.
22
Obituary – Jean Marie Puzo
Jeanne Marie Puzo passed away
Friday, December 25, 2009, at her
home in Carlsbad, California. Jeanne
was born Giovanna Marie Barbette,
November 5, 1924, to Serio Barbette &
Angela De Luca-Barbette, in Dupont,
PA. She is known to her friends as
“Jeanne”.
Jeanne is preceded in death by her
husband Armond Balty Puzo. She is
survived by her son Armond (Beth)
of Carlsbad; son David of Carlsbad;
daughter Lisa Puzo-Newby (Brent) of
Encinitas; grandchildren Mary Puzo
of Long Beach, Tony Puzo of Carlsbad,
and Eva Jo Newby of Encinitas, and one
great granddaughter Kalina Russell of
Long Beach.
As a young woman Jeanne worked
as a legal secretary in Scranton, PA.
When the opportunity to relocate to
Washington, D.C., and fill a highranking civilian position at the
Pentagon as assistant to a Brigadier
General presented itself, Jeanne did not
hesitate. She enjoyed her work and the
time she spent in Washington, touring
museums, going to plays and seeing a
bit of Virginia and Maryland.
Jeanne met Armond Puzo on a
trolley in Scranton, PA. They were
introduced by Armond’s cousin, Balty,
whom Jeanne was acquainted with.
After his cousin got off the trolley,
Armond asked Jeanne for her phone
number. She quickly gave it to him!
They became friends, eventually
dating, and marrying on December 27,
1952.
Armond and Jeanne moved to
California shortly after they were
married and Jeanne ran Armond’s
office during his long career as a CPA.
They raised their three children in
Tujunga, the beautiful hills above Los
Angeles. The family enjoyed camping,
church events and festivals, fishing,
Boy Scouts, music and spending a
generous amount of time together.
Jeanne often said she had been blessed
from heaven. Armond and Jeanne were
married 27 wonderful years, until his
passing on April 25, 1980.
Jeanne remained devoted to her
children and grandchildren. She was
also very active with the SunlandTujunga chapter of Business and
Professional Women (BPW), serving
as their President from 1989-1991.
During her tenure with the BPW she
was appointed Woman of the Year, a
great honor that humbled her, filled
her with pride and touched her heart
deeply.
Jeanne will be laid to rest with her
late husband at San Fernando Mission
Cemetery in Mission Hills, California,
on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at 11:00
a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to Our Lady of Lourdes Church,
7324 Apperson Street, Tujunga, CA
91042.
McGroarty Puppetry Festival
continued from page 14
Southwest Region of Puppeteers of America, Orange County Guild of
Puppetry, the Arroyo Arts Collective and Gumplestiltskin.
The festival artists are veteran national and international performers
such as Bob Baker’s Marionettes, Buddy Big Mountain’s “Native American
Stories,” Greg William’s “Mr. Fabulous with his cast of Hundreds,” Icarus
Puppet Company’s “The Crane Daughter” and Bali & Beyond traditional
Balinese Wayang Kulit Shadow Play and contemporary shadows such as
“Alice in the Shadows.” Stay tuned to www.balibeyond.com/cp.html for
performer updates and to join the email list.
A new twist on this year’s event is that McGroarty Arts Center is
expanding its participation and leadership over the program. In past
years the Center hosted the day, but this year McGroarty is the presenting
organization. This means that McGroarty’s Executive Director, Program Staff,
Board of Directors and instructors will all take an active role in promoting,
attending and running this special event.
Friends of McGroarty Arts Center (FOMAC) and Artist/Performer/
Producer Maria Bodmann, Fulbright Scholar in Gamelan Music and Shadow
Theater in Bali, Indonesia, will work together as a highly motivated team
to coordinate event planning, scheduling, volunteers, outreach, recruiting
participants, grass roots marketing efforts, and festival day logistics.
At the Festival everyone will have the opportunity to learn how to
operate various styles of puppets, try their hands at making a butterfly
puppet, learn more about Los Angeles puppeteers, events and puppet clubs,
help your child create a masterpiece at the arts and crafts table, be guided on
a house tour of the historic 1923 McGroarty home, or just sit back and enjoy
the beautiful atmosphere.
McGroarty Arts Center and Maria Bodmann are dedicated to providing
a free, high quality creative outlet and activities in the art of puppetry for
children of all ages.
The Celebrate Puppetry Festival and related events promote creativity,
teamwork, understanding, respect, and tolerance through experience and
involvement in a creative and cultural art form in a healthy, safe and positive
environment.
For more information about how you can participate in the Celebrate
Puppetry Festival or about any of McGroarty Arts Center’s visual and
performing arts classes and programs, please contact the Center at 818-3525285 or www.mcgroartyartscenter.org.
Strike a blow to spare the
Verdugo Hills Golf Course!
Strike a blow to spare the Verdugo
Hills Golf Course!
V.O.I.C.E. - Volunteers Organized in
Conserving the Environment
Join us on Saturday, February
6th, from 6-11PM at the historic
Montrose Bowl, located at 2334
Montrose Avenue. Time to hit the
lanes, ‘striking’ a blow in our efforts
to ‘spare’ the VHGC! Each adult who
donates $50.00 ($25 for kids under 12)
will receive a pair of bowling shoes
(for temporary use), a selection from
a wide array of highly experienced
bowling balls (again, for temporary
use), and the opportunity to apply
your skills on any one of the eight
lanes at the Montrose Bowl.
Food will be provided. No
host bar for beverages. Raffles and
surprises will round out this evening
of fun and camaraderie on behalf of
the VHGC. Note: During the next few
months we will be offering a variety
of fundraising events/locations
so that you have choices. Pick and
choose what works best for you and
we all benefit. Several other events
are already in the planning stages
and we will let you know the details
as soon as they are scheduled.
Your input is important as well.
If you have an idea for a fundraiser
please contact us at gcvoice@
gcvoice.org. There is no such thing
as too small. Every dollar helps!
Sunland-Tujunga seeks
next Poet Laureate
If your passion for the foothills
sends words streaming through your
pen like morning rays of light through
Big Tujunga Canyon; if thundering
choppers, gleaming classic cars and
cantering Andalusians rouse your soul;
if your mind is as open as the vistas of
Verdugo, (or if you can simply write
better than this), you could be Sunland/
Tujunga’s next Poet Laureate.
Sunland/Tujunga is a region
steeped in literary tradition. Ever since
local resident John Steven McGroarty
served as the California State Poet
Laureate (1933-44), the Rancho Tujunga
community has been home to a colony
of artists and writers who enjoy the
seclusion and beauty of the foothills. To
honor McGroarty’s achievements and
promote the literary arts in our district,
the Poetry and Literature Committee
of S/T established the modern Poet
Laureate program.
The goal of the program is to
elect an author who is a good poet,
an able public speaker and has a
history of service to the community.
The elected laureate is often invited to
speak at gatherings, provide insights
and reflections on public concerns or
compose an ode to a local icon.
It is a two-year term of service
and not only a rank of high honor, but
a respected position of community
service. It’s not required that the
person reside in the region, however,
it is essential that they are regularly
involved with or hold some stake in
the Sunland/Tujunga area. Applicants
should be of good character and
eager to share what they love about
our area with others. They should be
well studied in their craft and have
developed an individual voice in their
compositions.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase
the arts of our community,” says
Marlene Hitt who was elected poet
laureate from 1999 – 2001. “I’ve
enjoyed interacting with all the local
organizations as a poet.”
Each of the former poets laureate,
Marlene Hitt, Katerina Canyon, Joe
DeCenzo, Ursula Gibson and Damien
Stednitz have added to the enjoyment
of our community life.
Applicants are asked to submit
three-five samples of their writing. At
least one piece should comment on a
local theme. They are asked several
essay questions as well to help gauge
their interest and involvement in the
area. The application deadline is March
1, 2010 at which time the Poetry and
Literature Committee will evaluate the
submissions and invite several finalists
to a formal presentation.
The committee is comprised
of librarians, educators, artists and
writers who are seeking an applicant
at least 18 years of age, whose writing
is relevant but not so abstract that it
doesn’t communicate to anyone but the
writer, and whose voice can represent
our town and give wings to the heart
of Sunland/Tujunga. A complete list
of committee members is available at
the McGroarty Arts Center which has
sponsored the program since it began
in 1999.
Each laureate has the opportunity
to make the position his or her own
and to broaden the base of the pyramid
established by its predecessors. “It
allowed me to become socially aware of
the community and helped me to grow
as a poet and community member,”
says Katerina Canyon who served as
Poet Laureate from 2001-2003.
The application fee is $15 which
goes to support administrative
costs. Applications are available at
the McGroarty Arts Center, Claire
Knowlton, Director.
The Arts Center is located at 7570
McGroarty Terrace, (818) 352-5285
The Voice of the Village
would like to acknowledge…
Over the last few months, these
two individuals have provided
tremendous support to you paper.
I take this opportunity to officially
thank them.
Devin Mara - As a professional
graphic designer, my job can be
boiled down to a simple concept:
The effective visual solution of
the challenge at hand. Given the
project’s deadline, client direction,
and
creative
conceptualization,
and all other things considered, my
challenge was to create an effective,
fast, and simple solution. In the
case of the VOTV website, during a
creative meeting Barry and I came
up with a microphone as a visual
representation of ‘speak out’, a
phrase that we thought would be an
effective visual communication of the
paper. Missioned to integrate it with
the photo logo, it stands out with a
kind of vital integration, a “Voice” of
the Village. Being a native of SunlandTujunga with a family (The Metz
Family) dating back to the early 60’s,
I was happy to take on this project as
a service to the community that my
family helped build throughout the
years.
Barry Ira Geller - Is a resident of
Sunland-Tujunga for 16 years. I am
a screenwriter, inventor with two
patents, and programmer. I wanted
to create an on-line community,
which heralded the same familiarity
between people as I got walking
around Sunland, so www.SunlandTujunga.com is the result, which I
hope, will grow into the best online
social meeting place possible. For
the Voice of the Village online, my
vision is an interactive “Voice” of
the people with integration to all
calendars, papers and services in the
community.
Thanks guys – Ed.
Rummage Sale – Faith Lutheran Church
Come early on Saturday, February
6, 2010, to the Rummage Sale to be held
at Faith Lutheran Church, located at
the corner of Mt. Gleason Ave. and
Apperson Streets in Tujunga.
The sale will begin promptly at 8
a.m. and end at 3 p.m.
Clothing, kitchen items, furniture,
books for children and adults, yard
and garage items, and much more will
be available. Mark your calendar!
For info contact: Elizabeth Petta –
Faith Lutheran Church - Home phone:
818-353-7816
Church phone: 818-352-4444 - Home
email address: DV7LZPTT@YAHOO.
COM
Standing room only at STNC
23
The Crescenta Valley Sierra Club presents…
Ted Bennett and Ancient Art
Galleries of Stone-Age America at
7:30pm on Tuesday evening, February
9, at the Citibank Building located at
2350 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose,
California.
Mr. Bennett is a Sierra Club
member and an Anthropologist who
has prepared a slide show to give us
a view into the lives of these ancient
peoples who marked their presence
on the rocky canyons of this continent. From Western Canada to Mexico
depictions of Stone-Age man, where
they lived, gathered food and hunted. The pictures are of themselves. They
show the animals they hunted and
the weapons used in the hunt; their
shamans and other cryptic motifs. Come see this artwork.
Our program begins following
news of Conservation and Outings. Refreshments will be served. The
community is always welcome and it
is free. Please contact Wayne Fisher for
further information at 818 353-4181.
Preserve our public schools
In an effort to fight against the
state’s budget cuts to public education,
the faculty and staff at Verdugo Hills
High School is asking parents and the
community to join them in their call to
arms by attending rallies and marches,
and signing a petition that commits
to supporting the school’s efforts by
building a community coalition.
UTLA (United Teachers of Los
Angeles) Chapter Chair and English
teacher at Verdugo Hills High School
Holly Campbell says that there will be
a number of actions taken by UTLA
and other unions and organizations to
try to save public education. Campbell
said, “Parents need to get involved with
this because their children’s futures
are at stake. They need to understand
how severely these cuts affect the
quality and safety of public schools.
At Verdugo Hills High School, 12
teachers have already been displaced,
resulting in enormous class sizes and
the elimination of many electives.
Also, many programs are threatened,
including Project Impact, a districtsponsored support and counseling
program for at-risk kids.”
The first action that teachers,
parents and community members will
take is a massive march after school
on Tuesday, February 9, at District 1
headquarters, 6621 Balboa Boulevard,
Van Nuys, California 91400.
Next, a statewide day of action
in defense of public education will take
place on March 4. UC students, faculty,
and staff have set this date to protest
exorbitant fee increases and cuts to the
UC system. UTLA, the CFT, the LA
County Federation of Labor, the San
Francisco Central Labor Council, and
other unions and organizations across
the state will participate. The five local
locations for these activities will be Cal
State Northridge, UCLA, downtown at
the governor’s office, Long Beach, and
east San Gabriel/Pomona.
Campbell
urges
parents
and community members to join the
teachers at these events, and to sign
the petition. Those who wish to add
their names to the petition may contact
Holly Campbell at Verdugo Hills High
School (818) 951-5400 or by emailing
her at [email protected]
Obituary – Joe Cohen
Juanita Nichols
The January monthly meeting of
the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood
Council had over 200 attendees at the
North Valley City Hall. Several events
lead up to the lively and full meeting.
Foremost and first on the agenda was
parental and community concern over
the recent drug overdoses at Verdugo
Hills High School, resulting in three
students being hospitalized.
Education Representative, Lydia
Grant, helped to facilitate school
principals, Mrs. Klewitz of Verdugo
Hills High school and Mrs. Costas of
Mt. Gleason, who both spoke at the
meeting.
High school lecturer, Tony Blysma,
also spoke of his experience educating
kids about the truth and facts of drugs
and drug addiction.
But it was Noemi Agagianian and
Kristi Baysdorfer who stole the show.
Representing Verdugo Hills High
School and Delphi Academy, the junior
Rotary Interact Presidents offered
their help to the community and
promoted their 2nd Annual Anti-Drug
Walk coming up in May. “With all the
attention on the drug problem, it was
refreshing to see the school kids there
offering their help and encouraging
support of their Anti-Drug Walk,” said
Service Club Representative, Richard
Stewart.
Last year the students marched
from Bolton Hall down to Sunland
Park with over 300 students and
adults joining in. “This year’s march
will be bigger and better than ever,”
proclaimed Noemi Agagianian.
Paul Krekorian also helped to
fill the room with his first visit to the
Neighborhood Council since being
elected. His introduction by Council
President Dan McManus brought
a standing ovation from all. After
greeting the crowd and acknowledging
Sunland-Tujunga for its involvement
Paul addressed the community concern
regarding the drug use in the school
and medical marijuana concerns.
He then helped Council Member
Tomi Lynn Bowling to present The
Best of Sunland-Tujunga Awards with
many smiles, handshakes and photo
ops.
Sunland-Tujunga appears to be
running on all eight cylinders. Full
speed ahead into the new decade.
Baton down the hatches.
The Sunland Tujunga community
has lost long time resident and
community leader. Mr. Myron “Joe”
Cohen passed away peacefully on
January 2, 2010 at his Tujunga residence,
at the age of 91.
Joe was born in Syracuse, New York on
February 4th, 1918 and moved to the
Sunland Tujunga area in 1965.
Joe was active in many community
organizations including the Sunland
Tujunga Coordinating Council (Past
President), The Sunland
Tujunga Chamber of
Commerce (past Honorary
Mayor, and Advisory
Board Member), The
Sunland Tujunga Rotary
Club (Past President),
and the Sunland AARP
(Past President). He was
also on the board of the
Hillview Hospital.
Joe had been a
recipient of the Nike
Award, presented to him
by the Sunland Tujunga
Business and Professional
Women’s
Association.
The American Red Cross
honored Joe at Dodger
Stadium for his act of
donating blood to their
organization for the past
thirty five years.
Joe was a quiet man,
but his quick wit brought
smiles to many. He will be missed.
Joe is survived by his wife of 26 years,
Juanita Nichols; daughter Bobbie
Jensen (Mike); grandchildren, Alex,
Thomas, and Kendra; and son Bruce of
Amsterdam, Netherlands.
A memorial gathering to celebrate his
life will be held on Sunday March 7,
2010 at 2:00 PM at the Elks Lodge, 10137
Commerce Ave., Tujunga, California.
In lieu of flowers, the family
requests donations to the Sunland
Tujunga
Coordinating
Council
Scholarship Fund in Joe’s memory.
24
If you’re not counted in the
2010 Census – you’re invisible
We all need to participate in the Census -The
Constitution of the United States mandates that a
count of the population be conducted every ten
years. This count, or census, is conducted at the
beginning of every decade, usually on April 1st.
Our next Decennial Census is scheduled for April
1st, 2010.
How does the Census Bureau accomplish
this? Census operations are the largest non-war
effort put forth by the Federal Government. It will
take approximately 1.5 million temporary workers
to complete this enormous task. All of the workers
have to be hired, trained, given tools with which
to complete their work (ie. computers, telephones,
offices and supplies), and then after the Census
process is complete, Decennial Census operations
come to a close and the whole structure has to be
dismantled.
It begs the question, why do these workers want
to be a part of the process? “Census workers are
passionate about ouir work because we believe what
we’re doing is important,” says Sandra Alvarado,
Media Specialist with the Census Bureau. “Not to
mention that 1.5 million people get to work and
receive a paycheck which helps individual families
who are struggling to get through these difficult
times, and helps the economy at large.”
Participation in the Census is everyone’s civic
duty and responsibility. Furthermore, it is of vital
importance to each individual, their families and
their communities. It is an opportunity, once every
decade, to do something that will positively impact
our lives for the next ten years.
Census Firsts: - For the first time in decennial
census history GPS computers were used to help the
Census Bureau more accurately and efficiently update
their lists of addresses. This is important because, in
order to mail out the questionnaires, there needs to
be a complete list of addresses where people live or
could live. This information changes drastically over
ten years as structures come down and new ones are
built. Additionally, many families have been forced
to find alternative housing, as financial difficulties
have forced numerous foreclosures.
For the first time everyone will receive the
simple short form. The 2010 Census questionnaire
will feature only 10 easy questions, such as: name,
gender, age, race and ethnicity, etc. Questions
NOT on the questionnaire: social security number,
personal financial information, legal status, etc. This
makes it easy for everyone to be counted. Fill it out
and send it back. It will take only a few minutes, and
you won’t even need a stamp!
For the first time in 2010 tens of thousands of
homes nationwide will receive a bilingual English/
Spanish form in neighborhoods where it is determined
there is a large Spanish-speaking population. This
will speed up and simplify the process even further.
Additionally, there will be forms available in Korean,
Chinese, Russian, and Vietnamese, and in-language
assistance in 59 other languages.
Why the Census is Important - The Census
count provides the data that serves as the basis for
the apportionment of the 435 members of the United
States House of Representatives among the states.
If we want our presence to count, and our voices
to be heard it is important that we all be counted.
That is how we and our interests can be properly
represented in government.
Every year more than $400 billion in government
funds are distributed based on Census data. If one
person fails to be counted they are costing their
community a lot of necessary funds. Multiply that
by the number of people in a family that doesn’t
participate. Multiply that by ten years. That equals
a huge and significant loss of available money that
would be designated for education, transportation,
emergency services, and everything else that
families and communities will need for the next ten
years.
All personal information collected by the
Census Bureau is protected by law and completely
confidential. The Census Bureau does not share
information with any other individual or agency.
Violation of this law is punishable by up to
$250,000.00 and 5 years in prison.
The US Census: It’s safe, it’s easy, it’s important Our future is in our hands.
Nancy Raper retires
Nancy Raper, the Executive Director of the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of
Commerce for 20 plus years, has recently resigned her position. After many
years of devotion, hard work and dedication to our community she has chosen
to move on to the adventures of retirement. Her exceptional service to our
community is worthy of our praise, gratitude and recognition. For many years
Nancy kept the engine of the Chamber of Commerce, fueled and running
smoothly, with her work and dedication.
Those who have worked with and know Nancy will miss her steady
presence at the Chamber. We sincerely wish her happiness in her retirement
and extend our thanks and appreciation for all she has done for us at the
Chamber and within our Community.
The Sunland Tujunga Chamber of Commerce wishes Nancy a long and
enjoyable retirement—She’s earned it!!
S
H
O
P
L
O
C
A
L
25
26
Service Clubs
Chamber of Commerce welcomes new members
Roger & Maria’s Gifts, INC.
Jim’s Auto Clinic
Corsica Deli
Paradise Perfumes & more
The Realty Connection, Calif.
Commerce Market Place
Sicari Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning
All photos by: Sonia Tatulian
Hundreds of Gift Ideas
All at Dicount Prices
Fresh Cut Flowers
Just in Time for
Valentine’s Day
1 Dozen
Long Stem Roses
FREE
Gift Wrapping
with a purchase of
$25 or More
Valentine
Gift Baskets
Pre-Made or
Custom
Starting at
599
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❤ Collectables
❤ Lenox
❤ Disney
❤ Jim Shore
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Roger & Maria’s Gifts, Inc.
Your Complete Gift Shop
818.352.5101
7906 Foothill Blvd. Sunland
www.RogersandMariasGifts.com
Gifts
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Sunland-Tujunga
Coordinating Council
Fran and Ray
Want to see what is going on in the Sunland-Tujunga community?
Go to www.calendarwiz.com/daphne our on-line community calendar of
events. It started as a networking idea about 2 years ago when we would send
out a list of all the known community events and activities via an email to our list
of community contacts. After a short period, we began to see that this was going
to be a larger project than expected and realized that it would be better if we
could reach more people.
The Coordinating Council decided to do their part in bringing the community
a real time community calendar of events and activities and purchased an online
web site. Our purpose is to bring awareness to as many community members
as possible of the many events and activities that take place year round. Many
of these events are Free and some of them are fundraisers that raise money for
many worthwhile causes that in turn are used to serve residents and students
in our area. This information service is provided at no cost. We have also linked
this calendar with the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council’s web site at
www.STNC.org click on Calendar and with the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of
Commerce web site at www.STChamber.com click on Calendar. For easier future
viewing, simply save one or all these web sites to your favorites
The general criterion for posting an event or activity are that the event take
place in our area of the foothills; anyone in the community is invited to attend,
and/or a certain portion of any proceeds collected will go to a community
service group or student organization for sustaining, improving or contributing
to the betterment of our community of Sunland-Tujunga, Lakeview Terrace and
Shadow Hills.
If you would like to post an event on the calendar, just email the details of
your event to [email protected]. Please include location, times, description
about the event, and contact information. If you have any questions about the
calendar, please contact Fran or Ray at 818 446-0399.
Save the date: Saturday, May 1st - for A Taste of Sunland-Tujunga. We
are currently in the process of setting up a new event and fundraiser for our
organization involving several restaurants in our local area that have agreed and
confirmed there participation. Advanced tickets are available and will be $5 per
person; children under the age of 5 years old are free. Along with enjoying a
sampling of each participating restaurant’s menu, each ticket holder will receive
a coupon/discount for use on follow-up visit to these restaurants. Watch for
more details to come.
27
Lions Club honors community youth
YMCA Executive Director John Loussararian receives a
check from Marynance Schelenbach.
Poster contest winners Kathleen Jones,
Jocelyn Coreas, Patrick Naginnis.
Lion Marynance Schellenbach gives a check
to Jodie Brittain
Marynance Schellenbach
The Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club held the annual Youth Recognition Night
on Thursday, January 14 in “The Lion’s Den” at the home of Lions Peter and
Marynance Schellenbach. Members and guests enjoyed a spaghetti and meatball
dinner prepared by Lion Frank Elms prior to the program.
On behalf of the club, the recipients were given a certificate thanking them
for their outstanding service to the community, school and organizations they
belong to. In addition, representatives of youth organizations receiving donations
from the Lions attended.Certificates were given to the six young women who ran
for Queen or Junior Queen of the 2009 Watermelon Festival in acknowledgement
of their outstanding efforts to raise funds for their sponsoring organizations.
They included Queen Kayleigh Raiche, sponsored by Boy Scout Troop #315 of
Tujunga, who attended with her mother Kari Raiche. The Interact Club at VHHS
sponsored Princess Elin Ghazikhanian. Certificates were given to representatives
of the sponsoring organizations when the young women were unable to attend.
They were Beverly deLucia, McGroarty Arts Center, for Princess Alexis deLucia;
Jodie Brittain, The Desi Geestman Foundation, for Princess Ainsley Rickert; John
Loussararian, YMCA , Junior Queen Maggie Ryder; and Lion Ed Choi, PAVA
(Pacific American Volunteer Association) for Jr. Princess Heather Choi.
The three winners of the annual Peace Poster Contest from Our Lady of
Lourdes Middle School were honored. First place winner Patrick Naginnis was
accompanied by his parents Ann and John and his two brothers. Third place
winner Jocelyn Coreas was accompanied by her dad, Francisco. Our Lady of
Lourdes Principal Kathleen Jones was given the certificate for the second place
winner Jessica Winnaker. Also attending from Our Lady of Lourdes was office
manager Cathy Ercek. Each month the Lions give a Volunteer of the Month
award to a student chosen by the faculty at VHHS. The three recipients chosen
this past autumn were unable to attend because they are all seniors and needed
to attend a Financial Aid for College Workshop. Noemi Agagianian, Julie Ginter
and Thomas McCauley will be given their certificates later.
The Football Squad at Verdugo Hills High School provides hundreds of
hours of volunteer service at the Watermelon Festival each summer. Coach Victor
Castro III represented the squad and received a certificate for all of the young men
who helped in 2009. He told the Lions that everyone on the squad looks forward
to working at the Festival because it is such an upbeat and positive experience.
Coach
Castro was given a check to help pay for the expenses of the football program.
Checks were also given to the Verdugo Hills YMCA, The Desi Geestman
Foundation, PAVA, and the Verdugo Hills High School Boosters Club.
Jodie Brittain, president of the Boosters Club, explained that the Boosters
are an active part of high school sports, extracurricular clubs, and the Foothill
community. Boosters provide a forum for parents, coaches, administrators,
and students to enhance athletic and event programs at the school. They help
Friends of the library
Bernice Perriseau
The Friends of the Library bookstore, located inside the Sunland-Tujunga
Branch Library, is open every day. It is staffed by local volunteers. We have
books on almost every subject for children and adults. Hard covers, paperbacks, non-fiction and fiction, as well as coffee table
books. Prices range from 10 cents to a few dollars. We receive donations almost every day so books on the shelves are
changing daily. If you don’t find what you are looking for today, it may be there
tomorrow. We accept donations of used books (no encyclopedias), videos,
DVD’s, books on tape and magazines. We will even make arrangements to
pick up of large amounts of books. Money raised in the bookstore goes to purchase books, DVD’s, library
equipment and supplies for the library, and to sponsor programs for children
and young adults. Our special focus is children, in whom the Friends’ wish to
encourage the life-long love of the library and reading.
We will be having a big book sale in March. Pick up a flyer at the
bookstore.
coordinate the fundraising for equipment, tournaments, uniforms, musicals,
performances, conferences and the awards that the school district does not cover,
and for events that enhance the student’s experience at VHHS. Boosters are an
organization of volunteers who are committed to the students and the community,
helping to ensure that our children experience the values of dedication, integrity
and sportsmanship.
Members of the Boosters are parents of the students (especially those who
are on an athletic team), alumni, organizations, and community members who
want to support the extracurricular activities at our high school. Volunteers are
needed to help the Boosters. They are looking for folks who are willing to serve
on the Board, help sell merchandise at events, work in the snack bar at games, or
do some fundraising.
If you are interested in becoming a Booster, please contact the VHHS Booster
Club c/o Verdugo Hills High School, 10625 Plainview Ave., Tujunga or call and
leave a message for Jodie Brittain at 818-951-5411.
Dues are only $20 a year! Meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month at
OPEN: 5 PM–9 PM
FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
We smoke all of our
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FEBRUARY SPECIAL
FREE SIDE
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(with this coupon)
10045 Commerce Avenue Tujunga, CA 91042-2303
28
STNC “Best of the Foothills”
Tomi Lyn Bowling
On January 13th the Sunland
Tujunga
Neighborhood
Council,
together with newly seated city
councilman Paul Krekorian, proudly
presented the winners of the 2009 Best
Of Sunland Tujunga contest.
Each year the STNC sponsors a
full year of voting for the Best Of in
fifteen categories, such as Best Cafe,
Best Entertainment, Best Supermarket
etc. At the end of the year a committee
is appointed to tally the votes and each
winner is awarded an official plaque
from the neighborhood council.
And this year’s winners are…
Best Restaurant..................................
Joselito’s West
Best Personal Service........................
Image West
Best Fast Food....................................
Panda Express
Best Food Delivery............................
Pizza Hut
Best Overall Business........................D o
It Center
PRINT DESIGN • WEB DESIGN • MARKETING
Sunland-Tujunga
Best Storefront...................................
Sunland Martial Arts
Best Post Office..................................
Sunland Post Office
Best School.........................................
Verdugo Hills High School
Best Café.............................................Old
Towne
Best Delivery......................................
UPS
Best Entertainment............................
Steel Pit
Best Supermarket..............................
Vons
Best Community Supporter.............
C&M Printing
Best Community Group...................
Little Landers Historical Society
Best Clothing......................................
Fashion Gal
Congratulations to all of our
winners, we have appreciated your
service and commitment over the past
year and trust that you will continue
to offer the “Best of the Foothills” to
your customers and public – and for
the rest of us… Let’s go shopping!
FREE Chimney Inspection
to all Voice of the Village
Readers
818.497.5293
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February 2010 Voice of the Village

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