Results tagged “sfv”

If you get the sense a war between L.A. and SF is brewing over the weekend, here what's actually happening: "On November 8 and 9, 2009, military flight training exercises will occur in and around the greater Los Angeles area," the LAPD said a statement today. "The military operation will be routine proficiency flight training exercises. Training sites have been carefully selected so that activities will not interfere with the daily routines of the community. Training will occur after 5 p.m. each day and will be generally in Central and West Valley Areas."

Yesterday was election day for those in Los Angeles' second district, spanning a slice of the Valley from Sherman Oaks to the Northeast Valley. Ten candidates put in a bid, but only two came out strong enough to turn the race into a runoff, which will take place on December 8th. Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and Businesswoman and City Commissioner Chris Essel dominated the results, something that was not too surprising, one bit. Here are the full results:

       

After 16 years as a raw and vegan chef, producing meals in containers found in places like Whole Foods, catering and traveling, Chef Rawsheed launched his very own storefront last May. Ultra vegan bloggers tried it out early and gave their thumbs up. It left Quarrygirl dying to go back and Foodeater is glad the Valley is "no longer the dreaded no-mans land that it used to be" because SunPower does raw food the way it's supposed to be done.

When Wendy Greuel became City Controller, her seat in the popular 2nd District of Los Angeles opened, leaving over 10 candidates vying for the spot. Before any debates have occurred, community organizers are bringing together the community this Saturday to "lay down a community based platform that will drive the issues that frame the upcoming election for the open CD2 City Council seat," according to an e-mail blast. "The CD2 Town Hall is designed to put the needs and desires of the community first, to frame the campaign with a real focus on the issues that matter, and to position the candidates so that the debates and forums start with a real foundation of vision and commitment to improving the quality of life in CD2." Greg Nelson, retired General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, will open the town hall. There is also a blog dedicated to the council district race. Info for Saturday's town hall is below:

Three people have been arrested for posing as undercover police officers in order to rob homes and police believe there are more victims out there. Late last month, three suspects posing as LAPD undercover narcotics officers knocked on an apartment door in the 400 block of N. Normandie Avenue.

Here's an interesting scam we heard via Jeff Berk of Watch2.org in Studio City. Last week, a resident of his neighborhood watch was on her way home from the grocery store and became the victim of an alleged car damage claim scam. From an e-mail to neighbors: [She] was returning home from Ralph's on Coldwater & Ventura when she was waved over to the side of the road at Dickens and Van Noord by 2 men in a car who claimed she had hit their car at Ralph's.

It's 97 in Woodland Hills. Drive 12 miles over the Santa Monica Mountains to Malibu and you'll be in the low 70s. Head a little further south to the Southbay and welcome to the high 60s. Now take the 10 freeway to Downtown and you'll split the difference at 85 degrees. What's your pick?

By law, if police want to use radar guns on streets, cities must measure the average speed cars are going, regardless of posted limits, every 7 to 10 years. If they find that 15% of vehicles are illegally going over the speed limit, the city must increase the limit to allow for radar use. That's what's been happening for nearly a year in the Valley, angering residents and activists who have brought the issue to City Councilmembers who in turn are beginning to show disapproval of the system, too.

              

The Garden of the Gods is more about exploring than hiking. The 23-acre park, most known for once being a part of the famous Iverson Movie Ranch (it set the scene for the wild west, Africa and Asia), has one small official trail and a lot of rocks to scramble and climb (not with gear, though).

On Sunday at LA Heritage Day, when over 60 local historical groups gathered at Heritage Square, one of the most crowded booths was from the Museum of the San Fernando Valley. The museum's president, Jerry Fecht, displayed hundreds of historical postcards drawing people to see what their Valley home looked like before massive development.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m., a city utility truck from the Bureau of Sanitation crashed into a Sun Valley home injuring the female driver. The truck, which was pulling a piece of equipment behind it, careened into a car on the street, then struck a tree before crashing into the living room of the house at 12308 Sheldon Street near the 5 and 170 freeway interchange, according to Devin Gales of the Los Angeles Fire Department. An elderly couple was inside the home, but not injured. The driver was treated on scene for non-life threatening injuries.

"Who in their right mind would pay 125.00/semester to spend hours stalking/fighting for parking spaces when you could arrive 15 minutes early, easily park a few blocks away, and walk?" ~ San Fernando Valley Yelp Review of the Day by Erin H. from the blog News Me Baby.

The driver of a Smart Car pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer last night in North Hollywood fled after giving the officer his license and registration. The one and a half hour chase whipped through the Valley and eventually up to eastbound 210 Freeway in Sylmar when police pulled back and ultimately abandoned ship when they confirmed the driver's home address. No word if he went straight home to get arrested or not.

A man reportedly "firing shots into the air and threatening his family during a holiday party" was shot and killed by LAPD Officers early this morning. Around 12:30 a.m., officers arrived at the party, evacuated the attendees and searched the Panorama City residence for the suspect. It was two hours before they found a man in a garage crawl space. "The man was armed, and three officers opened fire, according to preliminary reports" reported the LA Times. "Police did not say whether the man also shot his weapon, pending an LAPD investigation of the officer-involved shooting." (For clarification: homicide is a human killing a human and does not indicate a criminal murder).

A series of explosions rocked the residences of Canoga Park, within a block of the intersection of Jordan Avenue and Saticoy Street Monday night. There were three explosions heard at 7:30, 9:30, and 11:30 p.m.

Good news for LAX: "The Marine layer has lifted across the L.A. County Coastal Communities and as a result, visibilities have improved over the coast," reported the National Weather Service shortly before 1:30 a.m. this morning. Last night's fog diverted one plane yesterday morning to Ontario Airport with passengers sitting on board for around nine hours.

The Red Flag was called off last night as "fire perfect" weather began to lessen, making it harder for blazes to spread with ease. The conflagrations still burn, however, daily life in the region is getting back to normal this morning. TV News is no longer wall-to-wall breaking news, Metrolink trains are back in operation and freeway closures are few and far between.

A "large Fire visible from a distance" was called in to 911 tonight just before 10:30 pm from someone near Veterans Memorial Park in Sylmar, a neighborhood in the northeast San Fernando Valley near where the Marek Fire was located in October. Melissa Kelley of the Los Angeles Fire Department said preliminary estimates indicated that the fast moving blaze was 10-15 acres in size as of 10:50 p.m. CBS2, via a text alert, reported a few minutes later that the fire had burned 20 acres and evacuations were under way. It is reported that at least two homes have been touched by flames. UPDATE: The fire has now officially burned over 100 acres.

Two fires along the 210 Freeway ignited this morning, one of them partially closing the artery to rush hour traffic. Around 2:00 a.m., a 35-acre blaze broke out in the San Gabriel Riverbed between Duarte and Azusa--as of 8:40 a.m., firefighters had reportedly surrounded it. Around 6:20 a.m., a small fire was found a half mile west of La Tuna Canyon Road in the Northeast Valley. It was knockedown in 39 minutes by the LA Fire Department.

Smoke from the Sesnon and Marek fires continue to affect the San Fernando, Simi and Santa Clarita Valleys, including the immediate areas around fire scorched San Gabriel Mountains. However, the South Coast Air Quality Management District adds a new warning today with the changing winds: "As the winds diminish and shift, additional areas may experience smoke and ash, causing air quality to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or higher." Basically, continue to keep those windows shut and avoid vigorous outdoor or indoor exertion, they say. LA County's Dept. of Public Health recommends that "all individuals wanting to pursue any outdoor activities in areas where smoke, soot, or ash can be seen or there is an odor of smoke" should be avoided.

Due to the Marek and Sesnon fires, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is sending out daily advisories. Today, they warn people in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and portions of the San Gabriel Mountains near the fires. "Concentrations of fine particulate may reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups category or higher in areas impacted by the fires," the advisory says. "As the winds diminish and shift, additional areas may experience smoke and ash, causing air quality to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or higher." As usual, they say that outdoor activity and even indoor activity should be avoided. Bad example: Fox 11 showed a man going for a run, jogging suit and all, in Porter Ranch this morning.

Depending where you are in the San Fernando Valley, it's super windy or not at all. The National Weather Service sent out an alert at 12:31 a.m. announcing a wind advisory through 9:00 a.m.: "Northerly winds 20 to 30 MPH with gusts to 45 MPH will continue overnight mainly affecting the Western portion of the San Fernando Valley including but not limited to Porter Ranch, Chatsworth and Van Nuys." ALSO: The weather is predicted to cool over the weekend with temps in the high 60s and low 70s.

"The tragic case of the Rajaram family is at the bleakest edge of the economic turmoil that is rattling Americans' emotional well-being. Worries about home foreclosures, job losses and plunging stock prices have sparked a surge in mental health problems," says the LA Times in a report about the economy and a national surge in mental health problems. "Rates of depression and suicide tend to rise during hard economic times. A study that looked at economic shifts between 1972 and 1991 found suicides rose an average of 2% when the economy faltered."

Following an LAPD press conference on the six deaths from a presumed murder-suicide in Porter Ranch, a northwestern San Fernando Valley community, police disclosed that the father left behind three letters indicating that he was behind the slaying of his mother, wife and three children because of "financial difficulties." The man had worked for Price Waterhouse and Sony Pictures and had a MBA in business. More info on the killings can be found here.

Around 7:15 a.m. this morning, six people were found dead inside a gated community home in Porter Ranch, a neighborhood in the Northwest San Fernando Valley between Chatsworth and Granada Hills. LAPD detectives suspect that the incident at the 20600 block of Como Lane to be a murder-suicide with initial reports saying all victims were from one family.

Sciencedude says it could be a hot one again in Orange County, which only means the same pattern will hit LA County. "Orange County will experience a second straight day of unusually hot weather today, with temperatures reaching into the 90s or higher as high pressure lingers over the West Coast, the National Weather Service says. Inland areas will suffer the worst heat, with temperatures running 10-15 degrees above normal." The Valley is looking to break double-digits again and that probably means the power consumption is going to once again spike.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting a pedestrian fatality after a collision with the train at Hubbard St. and San Fernando Rd. in the Pacoima neighborhood of Northeast Vallely. Further details are coming.

It didn't take long for Harold Ghaemmaghami, 45, the suspected Garden Glove bandit, to be caught by police. It was earlier this month that police asked the public's help in identifying the robber that targeted at least 17 Valley stores while wearing gardening gloves.

During a live press conference around 11:08 p.m. tonight, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa updated the injury count saying some 135 people were injured at this afternoon's Metrolink/Freight Train crash in Chatsworth. An estimated 222 people were on board with around 20 fatalities suspected. Update, 12:50 a.m.: 45 people were critically injured, according to KNBC.

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