Sunroom Desk » Conservation

Residents Block Removal of 18 Large Parkway Trees in Northwest Glendale: Sidewalk Repair Alert!

Editor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:43:24 +0000

Bruce Avenue south of Glenwood Road in Glendale

Northwest Glendale residents received notice several days ago that sidewalk repairs scheduled for the area might include removing “dead or diseased trees.” Along Bruce Avenue in Northwest Glendale, residents home yesterday when crews showed up discovered Glendale Public Works had decided to remove ALL the trees lining the block that are impacting the sidewalks.

One was already gone when they realized what was happening and 18 large, mature shade trees, many of which contribute to a beautiful canopy over the street would also be gone today if not for the quick response of residents, who placed calls to the City Manager’s office, Glendale city council members, Public Works and Glendale’s Urban Forester.

Alert to all Glendale neighborhoods: ADA-mandated sidewalk repairs could result in losing beautiful mature tree shade and canopies along residential streets because of sidewalk repair protocol. Residents’ quick action along Bruce Avenue forced postponement of just this block’s work. Today several trees there are marked with a bright orange “NO” , and the city has agreed to remove only four identifiably dead trees.

Current city policy is that no notice needs to be provided to residents about tree removals. This policy deserves careful review from the city council.
New trees provided by the city will take decades to grow and replenish the shade and character of Glendale’s charming neighborhoods. These were planted on Glenwood at the corner of Bruce Avenue just last week.

Concerns about this issue should be directed to Public Works at (818) 548-3900 and the Glendale City Manager’s office at (818) 548-4844.

Paint, Batteries, Lawn Chemicals…

Editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:20:53 +0000

…from a backyard shed cleanout filled the large trunk of my car! All were transported today to the Environmental Management Center, 780 Flower Street in Glendale. Free hazardous waste drop off is available Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check the city webpage for details.

Direct Mail Postcard to Me “Or Current Resident” Raises the Question: What is the ClearEdge5™?

Editor — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:49:02 +0000

“Your neighbor just purchased a ClearEdge5™ Fuel Cell Power System,” said the presorted postcard, addressed to me “OR CURRENT RESIDENT.” I wondered what this device was.

The website shows it is a refrigerator-sized device that converts natural gas to electrical energy.

I followed up with an email query to Glendale Water and Power, and Public Benefits Coordinator Atineh Haroutounian explained how the utility would deal with such a device installed on a Glendale property:

“GWP does not have any contacts or agreements with vendors or cooperative programs for the installation of Fuel Cell Systems. GWP’s policy is that our customers are allowed to put a fuel cell on their property, but customers have to go through an extensive permit process including signing an interconnection agreement with the utility. An interconnection agreement states that any excess power the customer generates they have to sell back to GWP. Also customers would have to have their electrical rate changed to a Time of Use rate, which means they would pay higher rates during the peak period of the day (8am – 9pm). GWP will balance their bills annually, at the end of the year, which means if the customer generates more power than they use, then GWP would give them a credit for the excess power generated at the current fuel adjustment rate.”

Now we know.

Earth Day Thoughts: Progress in Glendale

Editor — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:39:35 +0000

Earth Day is almost a month-long event this year in Glendale: two days ago, city council approved the draft Safe and Healthy Streets Plan which creates a framework for promoting bicycling and walking as safe transportation choices. Community members have been very enthusiastic supporters; my fellow blogger at Tropico Station covered the meeting extensively in two posts, here and here.

Victory photo at City Hall after council’s approval of the plan:
A few days before this, community members, municipal employees, and elected officials from Glendale and Los Angeles celebrated the groundbreaking of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project. This is the first phase of Glendale’s restoration of the LA River, and it will include pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian paths.

New green building standards were also on this week’s city council agenda, and the Bicycle Master Plan is coming up shortly.

If you’ve missed all the above, here are more Earth Day opportunities in Glendale, courtesy of the Coalition for a Green Glendale email blast:

Earth Day at the Recycling Center’s Sorting Facility
Saturday, April 23, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
540 W. Chevy Chase Dr.
Glendale, CA 91204
Join Glendale’s Recycling Guru Tom Brady at the Waste Management Center to check out the new advanced sorting facility that separates mixed recyclables into separate materials! Public Works will be giving away free tote bags and other promotional materials. A children’s bike will also be given away to the person who guesses closest to how many crushed cans are in a bale (on display at the event).

Earth Day at Glendale Community College
Tuesday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1500 N. Verdugo Road
Glendale, CA
There will be a live band (Masxs), a food truck (The Gastro Bus www.thegastrobus.com), environmental groups, and one of Chevrolet’s new 100% electric cars, the Volt. Come out and be engaged with students and help start a dialogue with youth!

Greener Glendale Open House
Wednesday, April 27 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Glendale Municipal Services Building, Room 106
633 E. Broadway
Come find out with the City of Glendale is doing to conserve resources and the environment. Share your ideas about how we can improve! (This is also on the Sunroom Desk calendar)

Professor Michael Reed Presentation: The State of the Earth
Glendale Community College
Thursday, April 28 from 12:20 p.m. -1:30 p.m. in CS 177

Glendale Bikeway Master Plan Community Meeting
Thursday, April 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Glendale Central Library Auditorium
222 E. Harvard St.
This will be the first community meeting for the bike plan update, sharing with you specific maps that will show street designations for future bike infrastructure like bike lanes, sharrows, bike parking, etc. Facebook event info: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=145252588874210

Verdugo Mountains 10k Trail Run and Hike
Sunday, May 1 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Brand Park
1601 W. Mountain St
The 1st Annual Verdugo Run is sponsored by Glendale Parks and the Glendale Open Space and Parks Foundation. Registration goes towards the non-profit foundation. Run or hike – all at your own pace. Also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=210334882315539

Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Groundbreaking

Editor — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:32:09 +0000

Congratulations to all the many participants over the past years and decades on the occasion of Thurday’s groundbreaking for the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, featuring pedestrian, bicycle, and horseriding amenities. Glendale and Los Angeles elected officials and staff attended, as did many community members. Glendale’s Project Manager John Pearson (above) addressed the gathering.

Joining the celebration was Glendale Rancho Homeowners Association President Joanne Hedge (below).

Gutting CEQA for Telecoms and Tunnelers:Following the California State Budget Crisis

Editor — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:43:32 +0000

Limiting citizens’ ability to raise CEQA challenges is the demand of certain legislators in exchange for their votes to allow a state tax extension ballot measure.

The California Environmental Quality Act is one tool that can be used, although only in limited circumstances, by citizens opposing wireless telecommunications towers and infrastructure proposals. California is on the brink, and legislators are trying to give a pass to telecommunications companies who can’t address public concerns about the safety, environmental, and health impacts of their technology and infrastructure. Is it safe to locate so much high-powered wireless transmission equipment in the high fire-hazard zones of Southern California? Are 24/7 microwaves emitted by cell towers contributing to the worldwide decline in bee populations, as some scientists believe? Are there really no harmful effects on humans from constant exposure to pulsed, digital microwave transmissions that enable our 3G and soon to be 4G networks?

CEQA is also important to community groups concerned about pollution, noise, and congestion from freeway projects like the proposed 710 tunnel. Gutting CEQA might give a pass to contractors eager for tunneling contracts who wouldn’t have to answer such questions as… What will the impacts of dirt movement and underground excavation be? Will exhaust vents for a six-mile tunnel cause higher particulate concentrations near receptors like schools and hospitals? How will more multi-lane freeways or tollways affect the region’s air pollution problem? What is the cost-benefit analysis?

Who are these legislators who don’t want us to ask these questions? According to the LA Times, which also obtained this link to the proposed CEQA amendments:

Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), who is negotiating with Brown alongside [Sen. Bill Emmerson (R-Hemet)], Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto), Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) and Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach).

Parks, Government Budgets, andLocal Open Space Initiatives

Editor — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:38:10 +0000

Preserving local open space and developing trails and other park facilities will get more difficult as government grants get much more competitive to obtain, reported the Glendale News-Press yesterday, echoing what city council heard this week from staff and from Mike Miller of The Ferguson Group, Glendale’s federal lobbyist.

Local groups, and the city, are already pursuing new strategies; it remains for residents to support them to ensure continued public access to nearby open spaces.

V.O.I.C.E. just sent out this email blast to keep supporters engaged in preventing development of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, even as it waits for a final environmental impact report delayed by, among other things, budget cutbacks in the city of LA’s Planning Department. Excerpts from the email:

While we wait for the final EIR this is a good time to reflect on what we stand to lose if the proposed project goes through. The City of Los Angeles already faces a shortage of recreational parkland. Loss of the VHGC would only worsen the situation. In fact, the 2009 Draft Environmental Impact Report acknowledged this. The loss of recreation is one of two significant negative environmental impacts that cannot be mitigated. There is no way to lessen the loss.

Preserving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course is MORE than saving just the existing golf course. The extended property of the VHGC provides space for additional forms of recreation for local residents. The Verdugo Hills Golf Course & Regional Park could become a recreational destination for us all.

The city of Glendale set up the new Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation. The foundation is now organizing its second fundraiser, the Verdugo Mountains 10K Run and Hike, set for May 1.

Glendale is also preparing to compete for federal appropriations as Congress eliminates earmarks (link is the staff report). The Los Angeles Riverwalk, a plan for upgrading bicycle and pedestrian paths along the border with Glendale and surrounding communities, is one project staff identified in its report as consistent with current federal interests.

Friends of Griffith Park Formed to Safeguard Treasured Local Open Space

Editor — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:10:57 +0000

Friends of Griffith Park recently formed with the mission of conserving the park against reduced funding and rising commercial pressures.

The group is committed to preserving the park’s open landscapes and urban wilderness features, and to maintaining oversight of plans and decisions affecting the park.

For more information, check out www.friendsofgriffithpark.org.

Campers Present Your Wish Lists:City Study Sessions Today and Tomorrow

Editor — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:20:21 +0000

Glendale’s Community Services & Parks Department is seeking input on developing overnight campgrounds in 5,000+ acres of city open space. Community meetings will be held at today at Dunsmore Park, and Thursday at Pacific Park Community Center. All residents are invited to attend.

The Campground Planning Study is funded by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Glendale wants residents’ ideas on the types of facilities and activities they would like to see in campgrounds, and on suggested locations in the Verdugo Mountains, San Rafael Hills, or Deukmejian Park.

For questions regarding the meeting or the Planning Study, contact Jeff Weinstein at (818) 550-4478 or at jweinstein@ci.glendale.ca.us.

Webpage announcement with study session times/locations.

Calabasas Moving Forward with Bag Ban,Wireless Ordinance

Editor — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:03:07 +0000

Congratulations to Calabasas, which became the 26th municipality in California to ban plastic carryout bags with its unanimous city council vote last night to enact this ordinance.

Calabasas also deserves credit for addressing residents’ concerns about wireless tower citing. Council is advancing the city’s Communications and Technology Commission Wireless Ordinance Cell Tower Review, with ideas for regulation in light of other cities’ successful ordinances (including Glendale’s) and current case law, to a Planning Commission Study Session.

At last night’s meeting, officials and residents showed in-depth understanding of the issues and concerns related to wireless infrastructure proliferation. Council comments included the need for wide notice, adequate time for review, and public hearings for all proposed sites whether on private property or in the public right-of-way. Residents expressed concerns about “regulatory capture”, and asked that all meetings and discussions on this issue be public.