New Trees in El Camino Village

El Camino Village was told today that they would be receiving a Little Gem Magnolia Tree.

So what can residents expect?

The tree is certainly not the ficus trees or pine varieties that the residents are used to. Sources say the tree will reach a maximum height of 20 feet and a maximum width of 10 feet. There are already these types of trees in the neighborhood and they certainly don't have the beauty of a ficus of pine variety. They also don't provide the shade or natural habitat of larger trees, either. 

More on the meeting later including names and numbers of those to contact.

Teaser: it was touched on that trees were removed due to health reasons. If this is the case, the trees should be replaced with the same variety. 

This will not be over until the names of those making the decisions are published.

A Tale of Two Gail Farbers

Gail Farber has been committed to environmental issues since gaining her position as the current director of the LA Department of Public Works. From plastic bag bans to proposals of having home owners pay tariffs to keep water clean, Farber has made environmental issues central to her director position. However, it appears Farber's DPW was central in the decision to remove tree from unincorporated areas. But does this really fit with her pro-environmental agenda? Many residents disagree.

Many of the trees removed were ficus trees, although a variety of species have been removed. Interestingly enough, most cities fight to protect their trees, but apparently Farber's fight for the environment ends when the issue of tree sustainability begins. Ficus trees are gorgeous, lush trees, but they also tend to harm sidewalks with their vast root systems. Most communities simply prune the roots of the trees. A quick Google search shows proof that ficus trees can be managed properly so as to not ruin sidewalks.

Trees provide a win-win for everybody. Residents get to live on tree-lined streets which boosts the attractiveness of the neighborhood, has many functional aspects to existing residents, and is a selling point in the real estate market. A beautiful neighborhood improves home prices which is a positive for home owners and the local governments alike.

Functionally, trees provide a natural sound and wind barrier. They also help residents to save on energy and water costs. Lush trees like the ficus have a large crown, therefore, grass is protected from the direct sun so less watering is required. The big crown protects homes from direct sunlight, which helps keep the home cool and allows residents to save on the costs of running AC units and fans.

Further, trees are home to a variety of animals. Hawks, crows, doves, sparrows, squirrels, and other assorted species seek refuge in the trees of ECV. Again, lush trees like the ficus provide great protection for these animals and they often seek to nest in these trees. However, the city of LA has been prone to putting smaller variety of trees that lack the ability to adequately protect from heat whilst also failing to provide a suitable home for wildlife.

Farber's DPW has not only hurt the aesthetic of the neighborhood of El Camino Village, but has forced residents to use more energy and water whilst also forcing native wildlife to seek new homes.

Fun fact: Gail's salary as a public servant is a cool $230,000 courtesy of taxpayers. What has she done for you, El Camino Village?

Will residents of El Camino Village be able to chose the type of tree they want featured outside of their house?

Robert Eisenhamer is one of the contact people for the tree removals that are occurring in the city of El Camino Village.

Residents were sent a letter informing them that their tree would be removed and they had the option of choosing whether they wanted the tree replaced. However, after speaking to Eisenhamer, he admitted that residents would probably not be involved in this decision. Instead, county planning officials from the Department of Public Works would seek to choose a species they feel would fit with the other species in the neighborhood. Further, it is likely that the same species will be chosen to replace all tree that have been removed since the county wants there to be consistency in all species planted.

Again, it looks like residents, who had no say in whether they wanted their tree removed in the first place, will have a decision made for them by the never-ending bureaucracy that is LA County.

Robert can be reached at (626) 458-3155.

What grievances does El Camino Village face?

Unincorporated areas often face the worse services of any place within a county because they are most affected by budget cuts. I will be posting more detailed information in the coming days including articles and (hopefully) some sort of interviews, but we will see.

For now, here are the most recent things the residents of El Camino Village has faced

• Unenforced Laws
  One of the most controversial issues facing our city is that of fireworks. All fireworks, even "safe and sane," are illegal in the city of Los Angeles and likewise in the unincorporated area of El Camino Village. However, there are only two patrol cars designated to the entire population of 8,592. Further, at a recent community meeting, a representative of the LA police department said that shift changes meant that, at certain times of the day, a patrol car would be unavailable for one to two hours. This lack of police force has been cited as why the fireworks laws haven't been enforced as of late. LA police have made it clear that the laws won't be enforced and thus every summer the residents of El Camino Village face sporadic fireworks leading up the July 4th. Parties on the fourth have gotten more rowdy and people from other neighborhoods flock to ECV since it is known that the police will not do anything. Emergency calls go unanswered and police explain that it would be too dangerous to send their police into the area to enforce the laws.
  
  Further, we have seen complete lack of service when government agencies are involved. The city voted to be permitted as it is located near a college that frequently suffers from lack of parking or students that don't want to pay for permits. However, parking enforcement rarely does their job when it comes to enforcing the permit laws. Parking enforcement comes out when the college sessions begin, but their service becomes sporadic thereafter. Abandoned vehicles? Cars parked in the middle of the street? People parking on their front lawns? Don't call parking enforcement on these issues, because you will be duly ignored.
  
  
• Poor response times
  Residents have faced 20 minute response times to 911 calls ranging from burglary calls to suspicious behavior. The police have regularly failed to take suspicious behavior calls and some of the calls have been flat out ignored.
  
  
• Tree removals
  Residents in ECV were contacted in 2012 and told that their trees would be removed. No reasons were given and when calls were placed to Robert Eisenhamer, who is listed as one of the go-to contacts, the response was vague. Apparently, some trees were deemed sickly, too large, or as destroying the sidewalks.  Many people were very upset at the trees being removed from the neighborhood, however, Eisenhamer responded that he was told that tree removals were pushed by residents as something that was wanted. However, the residents of ECV have had no say or vote on the tree removals.
  
  
• Waste Management decision
  The city of El Camino Village had the choice of two trash providers. If you weren't happy with one, you could simply cancel your subscription and go to the other. However, the LA County Board of Supervisors decided that they would solicit proposals from trash providers to see who was interested in being the sole provider for select unincorporated areas. Waste Management won the bid for ECV. Since then, residents have faced a rates increase as well as poor service. Our trash pick-up day is Thursday, however, residents often have to leave their trash out on Thursdays and Fridays because it is either not picked up on Thursday or the job isn't completed on Thursday. Again, residents had no say in whether or not they could keep their existing trash contract or be forced to use Waste Management.
  
  
• Lack of resident input
  The tree removals and decision to turn our trash services into a monopoly were decisions made by the Board of Supervisors without the input of citizens which has been one of the biggest problems faced by residents of this city: decisions are constantly being made and we are not aware of them. ECV no longer has an active association so there is no longer a board that can sway decisions. Our representative, Mark Ridley-Thomas, consistently fails to show up to community meetings, instead he usually sends some representative. However, we have never had Ridley-Thomas seek our opinions on any matters regarding us.
  
  
• Phone tag and general lack of service
  During the tree removal, the go-to contacts given to residents usually ended in answering machines and zero call backs. Many times, when things go awry, residents face never ending bureaucracy to get to the heart of the matter. Because Mark Ridley-Thomas has failed on numerous occasions to be a voice of ECV, residents are faced to take care of problems on their own.
  
  There was an instance a couple years back where residents were greeted with black water that smelled of sewage when they turned on their faucets. Several incidents like these occurred within a few months time span. When county workers responded to calls they simply said that there may be sentiment (i.e. dirt) in the water that came when workers were flushing the pipes. Despite the clear sewage smell, workers claimed the water was safe to drink. When murky samples were shown to workers, they continued to say that the water was safe to drink and that residents should simply turn on their faucets and wait for the water to run clear again.
  
  
• Corruption and city inspections
  For years, the city failed to inspect the area properly. As noted above, services were terrible and the bureaucracy failed to do its job. Residents would often hear that the very people that were failing them  were ones who had won department awards (oops). City inspectors would cite some houses for specific offenses and infractions, but let other houses build the same offense with no citations. Then came a scandal that certain inspectors were taking bribes and now the county has cracked down on individuals in ECV. Put up a temporary garage in your driveway? Have any sort of attachment to a building but didn't get a permit? You'll get a threatening letter in the mail telling you to remove it or face fines. The laws should be enforced equally and at all times, not simply when the county decides to control our area to raise more taxes.

Beginnings

About

I am an anonymous blogger, activist, and resident of the unincorporated city of El Camino Village. This blog will be aimed at bringing positive change to a city that has been neglected. I hope to bring light to the issues El Camino Village is facing and I hope to find answers to why we have been getting below average service from our representatives and government.

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