Who is WARREN WALKER — and Why is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Us?
See “View From The Rock,” page 3
FREE
FRIDAY • DECEMBER 16, 2016
TELLING THE TRUTH FOR 12 YEARS!
VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
Honey Oil Explosion, Fire Homeboy Tries Rocks Glencrest Dr. Garage To Make It Home! It may not have seemed like much of a fire, but the explosion that rocked a Glencrest garage set fire to a car parked in the driveway. The small blaze, which kept re-igniting, ultimately made big news during the local 6 o’clock broadcasts. Two civilians were discovered across the street from the burning structure along the 8300 block of Glencrest Drive. Both men were in critical condition with secondand third-degree burns. One was a 38-year-old male with 46% burns and the other was a 20-year-old male with 56% burns. Police said the two residents were cooking honey oil (a marijuana process using
INSIDE:
A Christmas Carol at ANW
2
Firefighters don hazmat gear to extinguish chemical fire in garage. butane gas) when the explosion occured. Investigators said that the detonation blew off the garage door as well as knocked the garage off its foundation, making it hazardous for the firefighters to enter. The walls of the structure were visibly
compromised too. The structure was red-tagged by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, an action which has made the collection of evidence difficult. The victims were taken to a burn center. Police said that they will be arrested.
Sidewalk John Doe is “Jose”
The white GMC 2500 HD truck blocked suspects’ escape. inset: Local hero Narek Nadzharyan. In a high speed pursuit that started in Pacoima last Tuesday night around 10 p.m. with a known gang member who was now a suspect
DUI. Refusing to stop, he was chased from one part of the valley to Tujunga in an nearly three-hour chase that see Pursuit, page ?
Photos with Santa And Residents’ Pets
................ Villa Terraza Now Serving Beer & Wine!
5
................ Santa & Crafts! ............
12
DEPARTMENTS Foothills Happenings............. 2 View from the Rock.............. 3 Letters to the Editor.............. 3 Legion Post Calendar............. 4 Chef Randy........................... 5 Artfully Speaking.................. 5 Crime Stats......................... 10 Take My Card..................... 11
Two plastic bags and a walker are all that’s left of “Jose.” Nobody even knew he was there until after he died. He was one of the “invisible ones” that we choose to see through — as though they had no substance. The homeless communities ranging from the Floralita to Scoville were stunned to hear that “Jose” had died behind the bus stop on Foothill Blvd. A person that kept to himself, who never ranged more than four blocks on his walker and his two plastic bags of belongings, was now gone.
Ordinary people were Facebooking back and forth that they had seen the body when they drove by or when they got on the bus. But no one stopped to see if he was dying or dead. Who was “Jose”? The members of his Sunland Park Community just knew that he was there, quiet and never in trouble. Just another “camper” that lived on the street. Even I while driving up and down Foothill Blvd. making my see “Jose” page 9
Two really large St. Bernard Dogs sit for their photo. by
David DeMullé
Every Christmas for the past 10 years, 21st Century Crest (Now Berkshire-Hathaway) has been holding an an-
nual “photos with Santa” day at their Sunland offices. This year was a little bit different with the invitation extended to having their pets see Santa, page 12
OVER 200 DISTRIBUTION SITES IN THE FOOTHILLS AREA
2 — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” At ANW Crescenta Valley Sierra Club Group The Crescenta Valley Sierra Club will present on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. a program given by Ken Pellman, “Living Side-by-Side With Coyotes.” Our meeting place, the Los Angeles County Public
A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, continues their cherished holiday tradition of presenting its well-loved production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol each December, this year celebrating our fifth year of A Christmas Carol and the 25th anniversary season for ANW. This time-honored tale of forgiveness plays for only 16 performances starting Friday, December 2 and closing Friday, December 23.
Koesler carried the tree around in his truck for a week, eventually dumping it on the ground in front of the Welcome Wall where one of our readers saw that it was stolen within 15 minutes by “someone in a pickup truck with a shell on it.” Koestler then asked Kathy for another tree which she gave him. This time he installed it with the proper tiesee Amber, page 9
The Community Welcome Christmas tree with its new star donated by Amber Sobczak.
S
sh a W r a and C
Star H
heads the non-profit Teranga Ranch, to teach the public the benefits of local wildlife. Our program begins following news of conservation and outings. This is a free event and everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served. For further information, please contact Wayne Fisher, program chair, at (818) 353-4181.
Recycling Our Community Christmas Tree!
Producing Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott (who adapted the play from the novella) and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott Nothing ever goes smoothly co-direct Dickens’ masterin Sunland-Tujunga. Kathy’s piece about the redemptive Trees has been donating a and transformative power of large Christmas tree for our love. In this production, welcome wall at the intersechailed by LA Weekly for its tion of Fenwick and Sunland “enchantment,” Dickens’ poi- Boulevard for three years. gnant tale is matched by This year, everything was evocative original music by “not quite right.” Kurt “Curcomposer Ego Plum. tles” Koestler went to pick up “Remounting our acclaimed the Christmas tree and told presentation of Charles DickKathy that he didn’t want the ens’ A Christmas Carol allows one she offered, so she gave see Christmas Carol, page 11 him a different one.
Y A D I L Y HO from P P A H
Library at 2809 Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta. Ken Pellman is the Public Information Officer for the County of Los Angeles Department of Agricultural Commission, which manages coyotes in unincorporated areas and cities that contract with the department. Also on the program is wildlife advocate Dana Stangel, who
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THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 — 3
VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
It’s only nine days to Christmas. Damn, this year went fast and next year will even go faster as we go through so many different changes here. The Mission College will be holding classes towards the end of January without much solicitation of public interest. The Verdugo Hills Golf Course will be closed and plans finalized for the construction of the Snowball Project. Canyon Homes is awaiting the final EIR on their 200-plus homes on Tujunga Canyon. A new medical center is opening in the old Security Pacific block on Foothill. Somewhere out there lurking is the specter of the White Bird Project with its 400-plus homes. And we have a NEW overseer in the form of City Council President Herb Wesson – who is a for-real politician. But Wesson did come out to address our needs and fears and give his double-speak performance. The assembled crowd was mesmerized as he took the center stage and wove a tapestry of what he’s going to do for
us until he gets replaced by one of the 31 applicants for Fuentes’ abandoned position. Gawd, I loved it when he was asked about Snowball and he waffled around it by saying that “Nothing will happen before the coming election!” And they lapped it up, like dehydrated gophers digging for water. Yes, boys and girls, of course nothing is going to happen before March 7; it’s going to take more than two months to just get the plans approved. For once, I’m not going to mention any names of the people bailing out on our community because their plans to take it over in the name of the Church of Scientology failed. You know who I’m talking about. But there is one name I’m going to mention: Warren Walker. I’ll bet you are wondering why I singled out this god-fearing, scion of our community, good father and family provider. Well it’s really simple. And YOU have to ask him yourself why he would call me names and call for a boycott of the DIY Center. And while
you’re asking, you might ask peole like Tim Borquez and Gyorgi Hakopian, who are the administrators of one of Sunland-Tujunga’s most vile Facebook hate sites. I’ll let you figure that out for yourselves. But for now with the weather changing we have to address another problem. Our little community has people without heat where they live and some are living and dying on our sidewalks. We see them every day and they are invisible to us as we go our ways. I am at fault for not doing enough to help. And we lost another life last week. He died where he sat, in full view of all the people getting on and off the bus in front of the Bank of America building. Everybody saw him and yet no one saw him. And I don’t even know if his name is really “Antonio.” That’s just what the street people who walked by his spot called him. And until he is properly named, there will be no one to grieve or cry for him. But I feel his loss and like Michele Joeen Wincentsen who died
VIEW
ROCK on Dec 12, 2006 at the hands of a distracted driver, I won’t let their memory fade. In Tibet, they have “prayer wheels” that have the names of the departed inside and when the wind blows them, their names are sent to heaven. I don’t have a prayer wheel, but I do have a newspaper that I will use to make sure that they have not passed into oblivion. And it’s not because of the water.
The Foothills Letters & P erspectives An Expert in Everything? THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
is published bi-weekly. All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. All submissions to this newspaper become property of THE FOOTHILLS PAPER and may not be republished in whole or in part. The opinions expressed by contributing writers do not necessarily express the views of the publisher nor staff of this newspaper. TFP is available free of charge. No person may, without prior written permission from TFP, take more than one copy of each edition (stated value: $1). Only authorized TFP distributors may distribute THE FOOTHILLS PAPER. THE FOOTHILLS PAPER is a non-profit newspaper produced by the OSS-Spectrum group.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR/PUBLISHER Dr. David DeMullé
editor@thefoothillspaper.com TECHNICAL EDITOR Randall Fleming ftp@thepaper.ws STAFF ASSISTANT Dyan McManus WITH THANKS TO The ILS Foundation for Their Support
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER TheFoothillsPaper.COM P.O. Box 444, Tujunga CA 91043 818-951-0943
L.A. Press Club Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles International Combat Camera Association
Dear Editor, Regarding Ms Anderson’s Letter To The Editor (Dec 2): I don’t feel like falling into the cesspool where she obviously enjoys living. She makes Trump sound like a choir boy. If she believes (not feels) so strongly, ask her about her condemnation of Hillary for supporting Billy Boy and attacking his accusers. She is the ugly, evil side of hypocrisy. I’m sorry you thought her letter as important enough to publish. Or maybe you only get one letter a month. Your printing of Amelia Anderson’s letter is a new low for a local paper. I am,
quite frankly, fed up this this kind of misandrist sophistry. It actually causes men to think nothing of women’s perspectives, zero. All women with opinions get to sound like Joy Behar. Women like Amelia also fail somehow to remember Hillary’s excoriation of the women who made accusations against Billy boy. They also fail to remember Michelle’s excoriation of Hillary on that subject ending in her famous quote “If you can’t manage your own house, you can’t manage the White House.” And just what does Tujunga Stakeholder mean? More double talk? I hope you will allow a rebuttal, I am happy to reply with the same uncivil, equivocation as her.
Otherwise, may I suggest you stick to our local issues. •••
SRH
Help Get Bad Guys Gone Dear Editor, An organization I follow on Facebook is running a Go Fund Me campaign to help raise money so that they can continue capturing fugitives throughout the world. I’ve been following them since they had their TV show years ago and since then they’ve helped catch more than 2,000 fugitives. Over the past couple of years they’ve had to cut back costs due to lack of
funding so they have their website and Facebook page now where they work with followers like myself to get tips on the whereabouts of fugitives. I really don’t want to see their cause come to an end because I know that they’ve not only helped keep my own community here in San Jose, CA safe with the capture of a fugitive but also all across the U.S. and the rest of the world. Please feature them so that more awareness can be brought to their campaign and hopefully they can raise enough money to continue their efforts: <gofundme. com/fugitivewatch> Thank you! Shabnam Jahan •••
4 — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
Botox Girl Your Packages May Be Delayed
Nostalgia, Memories and Botox! by
Terri Whiting
The holiday season is in full swing and it’s exciting. Classic red lipsticks, highlighted cheekbones of shimmer and glitter! It’s nostalgic, a tradition. We get a new Christmas outfit, a new pair of shoes and... a touch-up of Botox! Dear Botoxgirl, My boyfriend said I don’t need Botox. I’m 45 and I want see how it works. What do you think? MK in Tujunga. Dear MK, Well MK, our Botox clocks are ticking. We’re never too old to try Botox. Maybe you could compromise with your BF, try just a few injections. Baby injections of Botox are a great way to break into the world of cosmetics, injectables and Botox. The results are slow and take a few days to see the full effects. So the gradual results won’t be so scary and dramatic if you have any reser-
Terri Whiting vations about Botox. The Botox treatments are individualized and don’t have to be done all in one visit. You can see how your “baby injections” went and then decide if you want to add a touch up. If you have any questions about some of the cosmetic procedures that are done at Josail Skin Care, drop me an e-mail. Peace, Botoxgirl Josail Skin Care 7204 Foothill Boulevard Suite A First Aid Urgent Care (818) 352-8333 botoxgirl1@gmail.com www.josail.com
This gives the term “Open for business” a new definition. Last Friday at about 4:15 p.m., a semi-truck lost its brakes on Foothill Boulevard near Tommy’s burgers and went careening wildly down the street. Seeing the problem, a person driving a mid-sized van pulled in front of the truck and applied the van’s brakes in an attempt to slow the truck’s
speed. Unfortunately, that didn’t work. The truck driver, seeing the only clear area on Foothill, pulled up against the curb in front of the BerkshireHathaway building. The truck struck two power poles, a fire hydrant and a decorated DOT box before coming to a stop in
front of O’Rileys Automotive. The side of the truck caught on one of the power poles and was ripped open, spewing packages across the sidewalk. It took more than two hours to get the truck back on its wheels so it could be offloaded and towed away. No injuries were reported.
Movie Review: Moana by
Attention All Veterans, Sons, Daughters and Wives of Veterans
Come and Enjoy your local American Legion Post Help support Veterans and Veterans’ Causes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday lunch at the canteen is always filling & fun!
Saturday, December 17 Potluck Dinner & Carols starting at 6:30 p.m. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
American Legion Post 377
10039 Pinewood Ave., Tujunga
(818) 353-9856 Events open to the public
Canteen Hours - 7 days a week, 2- 10 p.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For Hall Rental, call Commander Dan at
(818) 521-1137
Bob Garver
Much has been made of Disney’s hot streak in 2016. They’ve already had hits with “Zootopia;” “The Jungle Book;” “Captain America: Civil War;” “Finding Dory;” and “Doctor Strange,” plus “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is set to dominate the Christmas box office. Now here comes “Moana,” and it’s the best one yet. What puts the film over the top is its incredible main character. I could compliment Moana all day for being “strong,” “smart,” “brave,” “independent” and so on. But honestly, this isn’t anything new for Disney. They realized a long time ago that they were synonymous with vapid cutesy princesses, and for decades they’ve been writing female characters with the intention of bucking that stereotype. In fact, I might dare say they’ve been overcompensating, going so far as to name an entire movie after one of those basic admirable qualities (“Brave”). Don’t get me wrong, Moana is strong and independent and all of those things. But there’s another word that perfectly describes Moana: Moana. Voice actress Auli’i
Cravalho, in conjunction with the film’s writers and animators, genuinely conveys that the character’s thoughts, opinions, words, and actions are all her own. There’s a scene in this movie where she gets mad at the ocean and yells “Hey! What?” This rhetorical cry could have easily been filler, but she brings such attitude to the line, you’ll think the ocean owes her an answer. Moana goes on an adventure to save her family’s island in the Pacific when its resources start to dwindle. The island has been cursed as a result of some confusing mythology. She needs to find the deposed demigod Maui, help him recover his magical hook, and help him restore a lost treasure to its rightful place. She finds Maui only to discover that he’s not too keen on the mission. He’s quick to brag about all the favors he’s done for humanity in the past, but he thinks he’s done everything he needs to do. Maui is voiced by Dwayne Johnson, and yes, the movie gives us the Dwayne Johnson musical number you didn’t know you needed. Speaking of musical numbers, this movie has one
of those soundtracks that is going to endure for years and years. There’s “You’re Welcome,” the catchy Dwayne Johnson boast piece. “Shiny” is a decent villain song from a greedy giant hermit crab (Jemaine Clement). “We Know the Way” is a breezy ode to voyaging, sung nondiegetically by Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton.” Then there’s a song sung by Moana called “How Far I’ll Go.” If you’re a parent, the good news is that this song will make your kids forget all about that other Disney song with the word “Go” in the title. The other good news is that it’s an excellent song, rousing and empowering see Moana, page 9
THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 — 5
VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
Spicy Cauliflower Garbanzo Coconut Stew by
Artfully
Chef Randy
This vegan and gluten-free dish is the perfect hot meal for a cold, blustery late-winter supper. Cauliflower and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are the perfect complement to the Indian spices and the unsweetened coconut is a welcome addition. Ingredients: ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons garam masala ½ teaspoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon coconut oil 3 cloves garlic (minced) 5 Roma tomatoes (sliced into 1-inch chunks) 1 onion (chopped) 1 cup carrots (chopped) ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
SPEAKING
b
R
i
c
k
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o
t
a
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Art of Christmas 2 teaspoon sea salt ⅓ cup water 2 cups fresh cauliflower florets 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (drained) 1 tablespoon lime juice Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh mint (chopped for garnish) Directions: Combine the first six ingredients (pepper flakes through paprika) in a small prep bowl see Stew, page 9
For additional recipes, see Chef Randy’s website at
valley-vegetarian.com
Villa Terraza is Now Serving Beer and Wine After literally years of going without a beer and wine license, a temporary license was issued at the beginning of December and now patrons can enjoy the full ambiance of eating Italian! There are two eating areas: one inside and another outside surrounded by trees and blooming plants. This is a great place to come to for a casual family dinner or a date.
y
Villa Terraza is located at 9955 Sunland Boulevard in Shadow Hills, CA 91040. The hours are: Mon, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Tue, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Wed, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thu, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Fri, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sat, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sun, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
The holidays are a blessing in disguise. I know we celebrate with gift giving and parties with family and friends. We wear funny hats and clothes. Many dress their houses as well with lights and statues of the Nativity scene or jolly ole’ Santa and his reindeer. Boughs of fresh holly now hang from the doors to welcome those who stop by. There is eggnog to consume and hordes of freshly baked cookies and candies to be eaten. And gifts are finally taken from their hiding places and displayed under the tree or on the fireplace mantle. Some organize groups to sing carols in their neighborhoods or at the office before everyone finally heads home to friends and family. Some areas get that very special gift of snow lightly covering the rooftops and streets. But these are not the blessing to which I am referring. The real gift is generosity. We see it at this time of year everywhere we turn. Municipalities like Police and Fire Departments cooking food to those without a hot meal, or organizing toy drives for children who would otherwise get no gifts; ordinary people going out of their way for total strangers who have fallen on hard times. Hard earned money given to charities. I realized that these gifts should be given all year round, but the holidays make it all worth doing for some reason. Hearts that are locked up
t
e
the rest of the year willingly open. Maybe that’s the true gift of Christmas. It gives us a reason to be the sort of person we might not otherwise be. And we can be renewed and enriched without mockery or suspicion. Dance or sing in the streets without ridicule. Christmas comes but once every year. Without this wonderful short event, would we take the chance to open our hearts and give freely to others? This is the time of year where many of the problems troubling us, seem to get put aside just for a little while. We turn our attention to the idea of celebration and thankfulness. The idea of Christmas and what it represents is a fitting end to every year. Even if you are not one to celebrate the meaning intended at this time, think of it as your opportunity to forget about yourself and consider others. If there is art in our life at all, make it the art of appreciating the year gone by and use this time to re-evaluate our purpose and make changes. This holiday above all others is the one chance we get to do things right. To feel we can make a difference and put our prejudices on hold. To make amends to those we hurt and give forgiveness to those who hurt us. I’m not sure how to label the feeling that pervades us at this time of year. If we could bottle it and sell it throughout the year, the world would certainly be a better place for us all.
The latest edition of the Foothills Quarterly is on the street . If you can’t fine one, contact us.
6 — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
JOIN US A HALF-HOUR BEFORE CURTAIN at 7 p.m.
Christmas Open House with holiday string music and refreshments. FREE nursery and childcare (up to 8 years old) will be provided all evening Featuring vocalists: Tim Borquez, Judi Stewart, Stephen Stewart, Jim Wheeler and Becky Borquez Featuring musicians: James Rellita, Dylan Cal, Alex Borquez, Bobby Crew, Scott Manke, Dan Mehta, Patti Brattan and The Clover String String Ensemble Pastor Eddie Ledesma, of New Hope Community Church shares, “This experience is truly inspiring; bringing fresh new music, musicians, vocalists, storytelling and the community all together in the holiday spirit and an opportunity for our Tapestry Worship Arts Team to share the legacy of the Christmas Story in a fresh, novel way,” he explains. “This special set of songs walks the listener through the story of the coming of Christ, from prophecies and symbols in the Bible’s Old Testament that predicted his coming, to the longings of God’s people in exile, to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the praises of the angels. We want the evening to be a casual concert experience, with individuals and families from our community coming together to celebrate the Christmas story through some fantastic folk-rock music performed by awesome musicians.” Tim Borquez, director of Tapestry Worship Arts at New Hope, explains his initial attraction to the musical work, “I heard one standalone song by contemporary Christian artist, Andrew Peterson, called ‘Labor of Love’, a song about Mary the night she gave birth to Jesus, and what intrigued me most about the lyric and haunting arrangement was the emotional “word pictures” he was painting for the listener”, he continues, “As I dug deeper into his material, I discovered that this song was from a collection of folk-rock-Americana songs he had composed for a concert tour in 1999. Every year thereafter for 17 years, Peterson and fellow musicians have toured and performed this set of music for a few weeks during the Christmas season. After the successful response from our last two years’ audiences, the New Hope Tapestry team felt we should build our Christmas Celebration around this outstanding creative piece for a few more years. Although it is a very familiar and popular piece in the Nashville and southeast region of the country, we felt it was important to introduce and share this special experience with the Southern California area and we hope to be the place that folks will come every year to see a high-quality iteration of this work.”
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VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
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THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 — 7
8 — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
STNC Safe Streets Meets The Fuzz by
Alejandro Magallanes
Being a member of the Safe Streets Committee has been quite a treat. Don’t get me wrong. I know that our city’s traffic problems are appalling. We have our fair share of speeders, collisions, and even fatalities. These traffic problems have become haunting to our small, foothills community. Many of us drive these streets with anger, frustration and worry. Nevertheless, contributing to this committee has given me a greater understanding of what our problem is, and how we need to fix it. Over the last couple of months our committee has been developing, shaping, and constructing solutions to our traffic problems. We started with articles in the local papers. A Facebook page immediately followed (Sunland-Tujunga Safe Streets). A Safe Streets logo has been developed. But what I love most about our monthly meetings is having the opportunity to meet with experts on traffic control. This month we were
able to sit down with someone with whom many of us have a “love/hate relationship”: an LAPD motor officer. On December 10th at North Valley City Hall, I sat down at our meeting table to see, sitting across from me, a man dressed in his LAPD blues, wearing boots that almost reached his knees. He was not the kind of motorc ycle cop that I was expecting. Was I assuming he would look more like Ponch or John from CHiPs? I guess that’s the image I had stuck in my head since childhood: a smooth talking, handsome man, wearing big aviator sunglasses, shaking off horny women traffic violators with his baton. You see what TV can do to a child’s mind? Well, this man was definitely not that. Officer Allen Kamai is the quintessence of cool. If an officer could be West Coast Jazz, it would be this man. His head is as clean-shaved as his face. His black-rimmed, rectangle glasses are slightly tinted, just enough to let you see that he is looking at you when he talks. And his voice.
His voice is just a smidgen higher than Barry White’s. And where Barry White’s voice seduces, Officer Kamai’s smooth tone protects, creating a serene aura around him that diffuses all the bullshit people throw at him to get out of a ticket. My Lord, the stories this man had to tell! And the wisdom! This kind of knowledge only comes from a traffic officer with 17 years experience. Every story he told was precisely detailed: what time of day, what direction the violator was traveling, the exact code section violation number (i.e. 23123.5a, code section for texting and driving). Our Safe Streets meeting went over our allotted time, because we were hanging on his every word, learning about what an LAPD motor officer has to go through every day. Finally, after we had our fill of traffic stories, ranging from shocking to downright ridiculous, we asked this wise man, “What will change the traffic problems in our city?” His answer: driver behavior. Officer Kamai shared data
Meeting with Motor Officer Kamai with us on Sunland-Tujunga’s same day. He explained, “People are willing to take extraffic problems, letting us treme chances if they believe know he is fully aware of our they won’t have to suffer the collisions and fatalities. Then he pointed out, “The majority consequences.” So how many consequences of these were not caused by do we suffer until we realize engineering problems. They our responsibility as drivers were all human error.” Inciin this town? A “harmless” udentally, this is exactly what turn resulting in a death? We he experiences on a day to have that. Collisions due to day basis. People failing to texting and driving? We have yield. People willing to break those too. Ejected from a vethe speed limit, because they hicle because of failing to know the traffic officer’s buckle a seat belt? Unfortuwork schedule. Drivers who commit the same violation, in nately, yes. see Meeting, page 9 the same location, even on the
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THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 — 9
VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
?, from pg. ?
Tujunga.
ended at the intersection of Day and Silverton. The chase went from Pacoima to Arleta, Panorama City, Van Nuys, La Crescenta to a small winding street off of Valmont in
Stew, from pg. 9 and set this spice mixture aside. Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add spice mixture and stir to combine. Cook spices for about
Amber, from pg. 2 downs. The community was invited to place ornaments on it and they did. Unfortunately, Koestler didn’t like the fact the TFP staff put on some ornaments and topped it with a star. Koestler was seen stealing
“Jose”, from pg. 1 rounds would see him either standing with his walker in apparent pain, or sitting on the ground. No one even put up a memorial on the corner of the Bank of America building where he died. Everyone knew that he died of the cold, but what led up to him being alone on the cold concrete while the temperatures went down into the high 30s? Who
Meeting, from pg. 8 One message that I received loud and clear from Officer Kamai’s calm and cool voice is that we need to educate people on the consequences of their actions. As a commu-
Moana, from pg. 4 and making you appreciate Cravalho as Moana even more. But the bad news is that by the thousandth time, you’ll be wishing it was forgettable. Other scene-stealing elements that warrant a quick mention include Moana’s dotty grandmother (Rachel House) who’s secretly the smartest person on the island, her dimwitted pet chicken who gets a laugh every time he shows up on screen, Maui’s sentient body tattoos, the ocean itself being a character, and adorable coconut pirates who might be Disney’s attempt to hone in on the Minions market. There’s awesome stuff everywhere you look in this movie. My quibbles are minor: the film goes a little too heavy on the Pacific my-
Somewhere along the chase, the suspect clipped the rear tire of a bicyclist and then suffered a blowout on his rear passenger side tire. Calls coming in to the papers office
from people watching the saga unfold from In-N-Out burger at the intersection of Foothill Blvd. at Lowell, excitedly exclaimed “There’s sparks coming from the back of his car!” and “It’s going to burn up!”
The chase then went up Tujunga Canyon Rd heading west and then ending up on Silverton where it hit a white GMC pickup truck driven by Narek Nadzharyan. Seeing what was happening, Narek
put his truck into reverse blocking the suspect and bailed out to safety. The suspect car was then surrounded by LAPD police officers and it’s driver arrested. Contrary to previous reports, the suspect was not armed.
60 seconds and then add garlic, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and coconut. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, for another 20 minutes, or until vegetables are
tender. Transfer all of the cooked vegetables to blender or food processor and puree until smooth*. Return all of vegetable mixture (blended or not) to pot. Add cauliflower, garban-
zo beans, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Add additional salt to taste. Transfer to a large bowl and garnish with chopped
mint. Serve with a large bowl of steaming quinoa (made with vegetable broth instead of water.) Tip: I also like to blend half of the vegetables leaving the other half un-blended for added texture. Your choice!
the star. Thanks to Amber Sobczak, another star was purchased and put on the tree for everyone to enjoy. This was a true coming together of the community to create something beautiful. Thank you everybody — and remember Kurt: someone loves you. was he really? The L.A. County Coroner’s office still hasn’t told anyone because they haven’t found relatives to notify. To the homeless community, it was just another day in the life, another one of their members passing on to a better place. But who was “Jose”? What brought him to these circumstances? And what brought him to Sunland to die. And most importantly, why was “Jose” invisible until now?
LIGHTS AND SIRENS And Our Local Calamities
A pictorial look back at how the police and fire departments have helped our community deal with crimes and disasters.
Exhibit runs October 30th, 2016 through April 2017.
Bolton Hall Museum
10110 Commerce Avenue in Tujunga (corner of Commerce Avenue and Valmont Street) Museum Hours: Sunday and Tuesday from 1 to 4 PM Everyone is Welcome — Admission is Free — Donations Appreciated (suggested donation $3 per person) Complete details about Bolton Hall Museum and Little Landers Historical Society can be found on our web-site. www.
Little Landers Historical Society.org
nity, we need to make our citizens completely aware of their traffic responsibilities. So churches, high schools, neighborhood council, get ready! We’ll be coming to teach you a thing or two about traffic soon! thology; Moana and Maui’s “odd couple forced to travel together” act seems a tad tired; and I could have done without a lame pandering joke when we first meet Maui. But all those things are easily forgiven within the first few notes of “How Far I’ll Go.” I’d like to thank the team behind “Moana” for putting out another Disney animated classic, and although Moana is the best character in this movie, something tells me Maui will be the first to say “You’re Welcome.” Three and a Half Stars out of Five. “Moana” is rated PG for peril, some scary images, and brief thematic elements. Its running time is 103 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.
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10 — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
Crime Stats Theft 12/05/16 05:30 PM 10600 BLOCK OF LEOLANG AV
Theft 11/24/16 09:00 AM 10500 BLOCK OF MCVINE AV
Theft 12/08/16 10:40 AM FOOTHILL BLVD & LITTLETON PL
Theft 12/02/16 05:00 AM 6500 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL
Theft 12/07/16 05:00 PM 10100 BLOCK OF TUJUNGA CANYON BL Theft 12/07/16 12:00 PM 10200 BLOCK OF COMMERCE AV Theft 12/08/16 07:00 PM 00 BLOCK OF GLEASON AND KYLE Theft 12/05/16 09:30 PM 10400 BLOCK OF MOUNTAIR AV Theft 12/06/16 07:15 PM 8400 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL
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Theft 11/26/16 08:00 AM 7800 BLOCK OF BECKETT ST Theft 12/02/16 02:00 AM 10600 BLOCK OF MCVINE AV
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Robbery 12/01/16 10:15 PM 8700 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL Theft 11/27/16 12:05 PM 9400 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL
Theft 12/06/16 12:45 PM 10800 BLOCK OF PLAINVIEW AV
Theft 11/30/16 09:00 PM 7600 BLOCK OF KYLE ST
Theft 12/05/16 05:30 PM 10600 BLOCK OF LEOLANG AV
Theft 12/01/16 11:20 AM 10400 BLOCK OF MOUNT GLEASON AV
Theft 12/03/16 06:20 AM 6800 BLOCK OF BECKETT ST
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Theft 12/05/16 04:00 PM 00 BLOCK OF MARNICE AND HAYWOOD
Theft 12/05/16 06:00 AM 8300 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
Assault 12/01/16 10:30 AM 11100 BLOCK OF MCVINE AV Burglary 11/30/16 08:00 PM 9000 BLOCK OF RIDERWOOD DR
Theft 12/05/16 08:00 AM 00 BLOCK OF FOOTHILL BL AND PLAINVIEW AV
Theft 11/29/16 06:00 PM 7100 BLOCK OF VALMONT ST
Theft 12/02/16 04:00 PM 7700 BLOCK OF VALMONT ST
Theft 11/30/16 02:45 AM 10800 BLOCK OF WOODWARD AV
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THE FOOTHILLS PAPER • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 — 11
VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26 • www.thefoothillspaper.com
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Christmas Carol, from pg. 2
Fresh Trees Arriving Every Couple of Days!
families to once again take a supremely theatrical journey, and celebrate the transformative power of forgiveness during the holidays,” said Elliott. Single ticket prices for A Christmas Carol start at $25. Contact the ANW box office in person, via phone at (626) 356-3100, or online at www. ANoiseWithin.org for updated pricing and seat availability. A Noise Within will offer student rush tickets, and Sunday public rush (for Sunday, December 11 at 7 p.m.) for this production. A Noise Within is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena, CA 91107.
The “P”-Word Tour
In November, Tia Torres came back to her former home state to celebrate. She was with her former training partner, Cinimon Clark. Clark was on hand to not only offer training and behavioral advice but for private one-onone sessions. The event was held at the Masonic Lodge on Valmont.
There was a line of more than 100 people going down the hill waiting to enter. As a special promotion and fund raiser, Torres had an “up close and personal” meet ‘n’ greet session for a small group of people. It was a great time to ask questions of a woman who runs one of the largest dog rescues in the world.
We are a family-run business that has been selling Christmas trees for more than 30 years. We hand-pick our trees from a grower in Oregon. For special orders, we go out to the tree farm and select the perfect tree for that specific order. Our trees are as fresh as is possible. We don’t cut down our trees until two days before shipment. Our first shipment came the day after Thanksgiving and the second shipment is arriving two weeks later. We go to great efforts to keep our trees as fresh as possible. We keep them wrapped, sheltered and watered until they are sold. The trees standing in our lot always have water in their bowls. Almost all trees sell the same day they are stood up in the lot, so they are not exposed to the drying air for long before being purchased.
The types of trees we offer are Nordmans, Nobles, Grand Firs and Douglas Firs. We can handle trees of any size, but trees above 14 feet must be special-ordered. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for requests. Please call 818-353-5416 to place your order. We are one of the few Christmas tree lots in Los Angeles that does both fireproofing and flocking. All trees placed in a commercial building in the county of Los Angeles must be fireproofed. We also provide trees to churches, schools and local organizations. Our biggest tree is 30 feet high and can be seen in the city of Glendale’s city hall. We have competitive prices and great service. Come visit Kathy’s Trees at 8450 Foothill Boulevard in Sunland!
12 — FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2016 • THE FOOTHILLS PAPER
www.thefoothillspaper.com • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 26
Santa, from pg. 1 photos taken with Santa. The day was a bit gloomy and two lanes of Foothill traffic were closed owing to the box truck accident the day before, but that didn’t stop the long line of people from braving the traffic to get their favorite pets to sit with Santa and have photos taken. It’s a great Sunland-Tujunga tradition that continues to bring joy to our community.
Santa sits for pictures with children young and old!
New Hope Annual Crafts Sale a Success
New Hope Community Church had their annual crafts sale last Saturday. Not only were the crafts beautiful — so were the people!
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