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In this issue: Notes from the President |
| NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT Peter B. Ellis |
Give, give, give. Isn't that what the past holiday season is all about? I recently read that the newest trend in retail holiday shopping is self-gifting, where people will reward themselves for the purchases that they have made for others by buying themselves presents as well. One guy was quoted as sticking to a two to one ratio, whereby for every two gifts for other people, he bought one new item for himself. But there are more kinds of giving, beyond material things, like giving of time and energy, or giving of compassion and interest, from which we have a more profound gain. John Purcell is setting a great precedent collecting histories of many of our more established neighbors, and my fellow board members amaze me with their commitment and effort. Howard Cremin is another example of great giving. Over a series of years he wrote fascinating and illuminating histories of some of the more notable houses in The Oaks that were then distributed through this newsletter. In 2002 he received a special commendation from the Los Angeles City Council for this work, presented by Councilmember Tom LaBonge. The Oaks Homeowners Association is proud to have now compiled and published Mr. Cremin's works, as well as various articles of interest about our neighborhood in a well-illustrated book, Los Feliz Oaks: A Place of Rare and Ineffable Charm. Howard Cremin's histories combine descriptions of particular houses as well as biographical sketches of many of the inhabitants. They are great windows into the past, filled with information about both notable and less well known Los Angelenos. These are the people and families who set the tone for the city we know today, among whom are a self-made millionaire inventor/chemist, a man who turned death into an industry while trying to introduce mankind to beauty and history, the gay leading female film director of the 1930s, and a powerful financier who was a member of some of the more outrageous private clubs of Los Angeles and who had a couple of corpses show up in his swimming pool. We come to understand how our neighborhood was developed, and the stories behind many of the older historic architectural gems we live among. Mr. Cremin gives us a biography of Victor Ponet, an early landowner of what later became The Oaks, and the source of our neighborhood's early name, Ponet Terrace. One of Paul Williams first commissions, which became an early landmark in The Oaks, is described. Several Lloyd Wright homes in our neighborhood are covered, including one of his acknowledged masterpieces, the Samuel-Navarro house, as well as works by Wallace Neff and Gregory Ain. Los Feliz Oaks: A Place of Rare and Ineffable Charm is great history, great reading, and a great way to deepen our understanding of why our neighborhood is so special. Anyone who has walked our streets wondering about the homes will want this book. If you have an interest in the early history of Los Angeles, or are curious about famous former residents, you will want this book. In short, put in your order. Whatever surplus revenue we generate will be used to fund continued activities of The Oaks Homeowners Association, including our summer picnic, Snow Party, and the Halloween walk. You can include your order with your annual membership dues. Download your order form here. We expect to distribute the book in March or April.
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| Book Offer HOWARD CREMIN's Los Feliz Oaks: A Place of Rare and Ineffable Charm |
Non-Member price $18.00 Join or renew your membership and save $4.00!
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| Be True To Your Town John Purcell |
Los Angeles is my adopted town. I mean that more literally than you might think. Having lived here for thirteen years, I now feel a certain responsibility to this city. This includes an obligation to look out for its welfare, to help clean up its messes and, most importantly, a blood oath to keep people from other towns from talking smack about the City of Angels. If you get this newsletter, I assume you're on my team. Thus, when people try to run down our fair city, let's not let them get away with it. Below we've got some helpful response to some of the more common "anti-LA themes." They come in two categories: Lies and Exaggerations. Lies "Los Angeles is Not a Real City." "People are fakey." "It's all about looks." Exaggerations "The traffic." "Smog." "Earthquakes." |
| The Oaks HOA Membership Drive 2004 |
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| Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow! Caroline Schweich |
That was the general mantra at the Oaks 3rd (or it could be 4thor even 5th or who knows?) annual Snow Party this year as we all waited with baited breath for the snow to arrive. And just when we were beginning to despair that our Oaks social events were doomed (rain at the picnic, no snow at the snow party!), we heard the truck arrive. Surprisingly, the dumping out of the ice and the blowing of the snow was just as exciting as the sledding! And the party was a grand success. The food was delicious thanks to a very generous donation of hearty chili by Vermont Restaurant and chicken wings from Birds on Franklin. We also had some vendors from the Farmers Market selling food. Cookie decorating was a big hit. Victor's donated lunches for the hard-working carolers. Santa and the carolers completed the picture. A true Holiday Party. The truck dumped out huge blocks of ice, hoses spewed out snow which was quickly shoveled out onto the slope, discs and sleds materialized and lines formed so that everyone could sled down the hill. Not quite the Rockies but it sure was fun and all this under a beautiful blue sky and a sunny 60 degrees. The magic of the holiday season was with us, complete with snow in LA and Camp Hollywoodland transformed into a winter resort!
 "What if they gave a Snow Party and nobody came?"
 "Get your own sled, Dad!"
 The Oaks' first "Become a Human Popsicle" contest was a big success!
 "I told you not to stick this on your tongue!"
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| Griffith Park Master Plan Gerry Hans |
Time Table A series of public input workshops early in the summer was the kick-off for the drafting of the 25 year Master Plan for Griffith Park. The workshops were very well attended, although not necessarily by a perfect cross-section of Park users. The workshops provided lots of ideas and material for the City's hired consultants to mull over. The consortium of consultants is finalizing their outline for the plan. Historical perspectives and plan justifications are currently being drafted. According to Linda Barth of Recreation and Parks, by early spring the initial recommendations for the Plan will be made available to the public. There will be a further period of opportunity for the public to review and to scrutinize the plan. So what is the importance of this 25 year plan? A master plan intends to establish guidelines for use and management of the Park well into the future. The perpetual dilemma between "open space" versus development for users is the main topic of contention. The Master Plan tries to identify and justify the correct balance. However, unless the Plan can be upheld into the future, it provides little value. The Previous Plan There was a previous Master Plan for Griffith Park! However, the 1978 plan failed on many counts. It's interesting to read it, in fact. For example, the 1978 plan called for a "multi-purpose" facility at the area where the Gene Autry Museum now stands. The decision for Gene Autry, as some may recall, was not generated from within Rec & Parks, and certainly did not even conform to the Master Plan. The 1978 Plan also called for "vegetation rehabilitation", advocating the planting of native species such as Oak, Southern California Black Walnut, Hazelnut, etc. But yet when the Valley entrance to the Park (Forest Lawn Drive) was improved, 40 tall Palm trees were planted into a field laid with lush green sod. This flora is not at all the native flora that the plan promoted. The old plan also called for the Greek Theatre and the Observatory to work together to make use of their combined parking resources. Coordination of schedules to avoid overlapping of events and the use of shuttle buses between their parking lots were mentioned. A mechanical connector, such as Angels Flight was suggested, along with a minimum requirement of implementation of a safe public walking passage that would allow people to walk easily between the two closely situated attractions. None of those agendas occurred, although they seem to be very good concepts. Perhaps these ideas will carry into the next Master Plan, as the upgraded Observatory is sure to cause a parking crisis upon re-opening! Who's Running this Park? In order to protect the integrity of the new Master Plan, perhaps changes in the governance of Griffith Park itself may be necessary. The Park is a large enough asset that it may need to have its own administration. Changes need to be made in order to uphold the plans and visions that will be reflected in the Master Plan. The Administration needs to have independent structure and absolute accountability. There also needs to be sufficient, continual influence from the public. Besides the disregard of the 1978 Master Plan, evidence that the Park is management-challenged abounds. For example, a half-mile stretch of Hogback Trail was recently bull-dozed into a wide road by a Rec & Park employee. Apparently the misguided employee assumed that the trail would need widening from its previous foot-path state. A small bridge is to be installed further up the trail, and the employee thought that it would necessitate a very wide road for trucking it in. He had neither the authority nor a work order to do such an excavation. It will take many years for the natural flora of that hiking trail to recover, and many of our resident naturalists are upset. Other Hot Topics Although mountain bikers showed up as a well represented alliance at the Master Plan workshops, it is widely believed that they have no chance of being granted rights to the unpaved trails/roads of the Park. There is much debate occurring regarding what is the best use for the large Toyon landfill area. Consideration is being given to sports fields and/or more picnicking areas. Others advocate restoration to natural open space. There is no doubt that the opportunity to voice your opinion is now! Otherwise, wait another 25 years for the next plan. You can send your Master Plan input to: Melendrez Design Partners |
| Coming Soon! Oaks Home Tour |
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| The Neighborhood Beat |
Sara Cannon or Gabriel Cifarelli at 323-644-6269 or e-mail cadmet@earthlink.net A fee of $35 for the program covers the all materials supplied
Carolyn Corrie at 323-422-6301 or cjcorrie@yahoo.com |
| Oaks Night at Vermont Restaurant |
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