On Christmas Eve Oaks Boardmember Alexander Von Wechmar and Oaks President Gerry Hans deliver a token of our appreciation to our firefighters at Fire Station 82 on Bronson Ave. The Yule Log from Victor's Bakery has almost become an Oaks tradition.
The Oaks Holiday Party on December 19th was quite a success. Read more a bout it and see the pictures here.
Just like the new T-Mobile and Cingular Wireless cell sites on Canyon Drive, the work is being done without prior notification of nearby homeowners or the office of our Councilmember Tom LaBonge and - from what we know so far - without obtaining any City permits. ... [continued here]
Press conference at the site of the T-Mobile installation on Canyon Drive on Oct. 6: Councilmembers Tom LaBonge and Janice Hahn flank Oaks neighbor Sylvia Jacobson, as Oaks booardmember Alexander von Wechmar looks on.
In an effort to expand their coverage area, T-Mobile and Cingular Wireless have erected two new cell phone transmitters along the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Canyon Drive. Reception of their signals will, however, be limited to Bronson Canyon and not be available in upper hillside areas such as The Oaks.
But that's not the only bad news. Mounted on monstrous 50-foot poles, with ugly antennas on top and unsightly cabinets and pipes attached to them, the new cell sites are true eyesores in our neighborhood. ... [continued here]
Courtesy of our L.A. City Councilperson Tom LaBonge, the
Oaks membership is invited to a Sneak Preview of the newly renovated
Griffith Observatory on Saturday, October 14th, from 2 to 5 p.m.. If you
have paid your membership dues this year, look for your invitation post
card to arrive in the mail soon. Or just send an email to rsvp@oakshome.org.
Don't forget to tell us your full name and how many people there will
be in your party. Not a current member? Read on. ...
[continued
here] 
It
helps to speak up. Obviously because of the many phone calls you made and
because of the many emails you sent we have received a promise to attack
causes for the recent power outages and to update the electrical system
in the Oaks.
According to a letter from the DWP's Chief Operating Officer - Power System, Enrique Martinez, the DWP plans to start work by year's end.
View this letter here, and view a map that outlines the project here. ... [continued here]
Power outages occur on a regular basis in the Oaks. Usually during the
first good rain of the season we spend a couple of hours in the dark.
But now, those outages have become a lot more frequent, and
one can't help but wondering if we are going through a fundamental failure
of an aging and overloaded part of the DWP's power grid ...
[continued
here]
Many
Oaks residents have grown concerned over the last five years by the
increased construction of large-scale homes on small hillside lots here
in The Oaks. This development has occurred as home prices have rapidly
shot upward and the supply of developable land has diminished. The
result has been that smaller one-story houses have been demolished and
replaced by much larger new homes that crowd their lots and alter the density
of homes in our neighborhood. ... [continued
here]
The Oaks Homeowners Association has been hearing from a great many neighbors who are asking about recent development on Green Oak Drive and how it will affect brush clearance from the rear of homes on both north and south sides of the street as well as Griffith Park access for walkers and hikers from the end of the street. ... [continued here]Oaks boardmembers Alexander von Wechmar and Gerry Hans presented the proposed traffic circle to a largely receptive crowd. They explained that there will be one single, circular lane of traffic, and that there will be stop signs at all entrances to the traffic circle. Once a driver has entered the lane around the circle, everyone else will yield. ... [continued here]
Oaks Fundraiser Night at the Vermont Restaurant - another success April 2006
Fern Dell CleanupFern Dell cleanup on April 8th. Having painted benches for a couple of hours, a slice of pizza is especially good.
Maybe you have heard about the proposed development of 4 large houses at 2245 - 2265 Live Oak East between Black Oak and Red Oak. You might even have read about it on this site. The interview below is intended to serve two purposes. The first one is to inform you about the permit process as it is unfolding.And the second purpose is to convey the Oaks HOA board's position on the matter to everyone in the Oaks. ... [continued here]
Update on 4-Home-Development on Live Oak East
The Haul Route Hearing was held on Tuesday, February 14th for the development of 4 large houses at 2245 - 2265 Live Oak East before the City of Los Angeles' Board of Building and Safety Commissioners. The staff recommendation was that the board hold the application in abeyance and the project be passed off to the Planning Department for an environmental review. A time-frame for this review was unclear.
The Board voted and agreed, a very favorable outcome. The main sticking point seemed to be the presence of the oak trees, even though there are many more issues that the environmental review will need to answer. By this action it seems that Board is agreeing that California's Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies to this project. This is good news.
More than twenty Oaks residents attended the hearing, and their presence was critical. It was important for the LADBS (the City Department for Building and Safety), Council member LaBonges office, and the developers representatives to see that there is broad opposition to the development, and that it is organized. The goal is to force the City to make sure this development complies with CEQA (State environmental law) and all City laws and procedures.
Our neighborhood owes thanks to the "Oaks Alliance", a group of residents that are funding the legal aspects of the opposition. If anyone would like to financially support their initiative, please contact Wayne Schlock, at bluepointarch@aol.com.
In the future there will most certainly be more occasions where the Oaks will need to show strength in opposing this Live Oaks East development that is not compatible with our community or does not comply with the written law. We hope that we can count on your continued support.
(Photos of the site are available here.)
Haul Route Hearing for the 4-Home-Development on Live Oak East
The City of L.A.'s Board of Building and Safety Commissioners will hold a public hearing regarding a developers' application for extensive excavation and removal over 15,000 cu yds of earth from vacant land on at 2245- 2265 Live Oak East Drive. (To view an exact map of the lots, use The City of Los Angeles' Zone Information & Map Access System (ZIMAS).)
This hearing is the first step in part of a potential development of 4 very large houses ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 sq ft on little more than an acre of land. All of the existing Oaks and Walnut trees will be cut down. The owner is claiming that they are categorically exempt from the state's Environmental Quality Act, and that the site contains no native trees. (View some photos of what's actually there here.)
Please attend this hearing and join the Oaks Alliance, a group of concerned neighbors, in expressing our opposition to this destructive development! Your physical presence is important!
Where: 201 North Fiqueroa, Room 900, 9th floor
When: Tuesday, February 14th, 9:30 AM
(The Hearing Notice is available as .pdf for download here.)
Please Note:
- Parking in the building is expensive, but hopefully this won't take long.
- If you'd like to car pool, email Gerry.Hans@oakshome.org, or call Rainer Standke at 323 957 0668.
- There is a certain chance this hearing might be canceled. Please check back here the morning of the hearing.
