Project Kickoff: Glendale Narrows Riverwalk

A NEW RIVER project just around the bend from North Atwater Village kicks off tonight with a community meeting.

LA River: Glendale Narrows Riverwalk
Community Meeting
Thursday, Feb. 18, 7:00pm
Pacific Community Center
501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale

Design of Phase I of the Riverwalk is underway, with construction scheduled to begin late 2010. Highlights of Phase I include:

• Half-mile recreational trail for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Half-acre pocket park at the west entry of the LA River at Paula Avenue and Garden
• Street with parking for 6 cars
• Equestrian staging area open to the neighborhood
• Equestrian ramp that will provide access from the parking area to the trail
• Staging area in the park for pedestrians and bicyclists
• Picnic and recreational area east of the I-5 crossing
• Entry trail head at Flower Street

Fixed! Google Maps Remove Space from Valleybrink

THANKS TO months of neighbor complaints, it looks like Google Maps has at last removed the space from Valley Brink Road and now properly displays this central Atwater Village street as Valleybrink Road. Pizza deliverers rejoice.

Atwater Village Gives Thumbs Up to the Pale, Wounded Narcissism

EVER WONDER what your neighbors are renting from Netflix? Last year, residents of ZIP code 90039, including Atwater Village, requested Rachel Getting Married more than any other movie. This New York Times map shows the popularity of Rachel in a diagonal swath across LA County, from Santa Monica to Pasadena and beyond. The darker the shading, the more popular Rachel was in that ZIP Code. White people, represent. Here are 90039's top 10 Netflix movies in 2009:

• Rachel Getting Married
• Milk
• The Wrestler
• Burn After Reading
• Twilight
• Doubt
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Changeling
• Religulous
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (ranked 10th in 90039) and Frost/Nixon (ranked 25th) map a similar pattern to Rachel. Get more analysis from the New York Times and LAist.

Sorry, Google Maps, But Valleybrink is One Word

SOMETIME RECENTLY Google Maps updated the northeast area of Los Angeles with a curious respelling. What used to be marked as Valleybrink Rd., a curvy residential street in central Atwater Village, is now split: Valley Brink Rd. In fact, when Googlers use the one-word spelling to look up a specific address along this century-old street, they're asked: Did you mean Valley Brink? No, we didn't, Google. And neither should you.

Thursday: Jackson Burial Takes Over South Glendale

View Street Closures for Michael Jackson Burial Service in a larger map

THIS THURSDAY watch for swarms of media vehicles around Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, just across the tracks from Atwater Village. The private burial service for Michael Jackson is September 3, 2009, 7:00pm.

• Media parking: 1600 and 1700 block of S. Glendale Avenue
• Crew parking: 1400 to 1600 blocks of S. Glendale Avenue
• Media camp: Cerritos Park (restrooms, tables, rest area)
• Streets closed: Laurel, Eulalia and Cerritos (except for school dropoff) between Brand and Glendale

Assume afternoon and evening backups along surrounding streets like San Fernando Road and Brand Boulevard. So, fellow Atwater Villagers, you may need to find another Thursday commute home.

Atwater Village's Haircut: Labonge Calls It River Glen

View River Glen or North Atwater Village? in a larger map

THE NORTHERN TIP of Atwater Village has the neighborhood's last remaining strip club, and now the whole area might be stripped from the neighborhood. Not that anyone really lives in this concrete industrial stem at the top of Atwater Village's banana, but Los Angeles City Councilman Tom Labonge has taken to renaming it River Glen. The new moniker appears on the LA River Revitalization Plan and other City documents, according to the Friends of Atwater Village blog. Labonge has also been using it in emails to describe development initiatives in the area. Never mind the name. (Not much Glen-like about it.) But splitting it from residential areas of Atwater Village seems rather arbitrary. Are we saying industrial and residential don't mix? Or could this be a clever ploy by Labonge's office to locate a waste treatment facility in North Atwater Village without approval from our usual stakeholders, like neighborhood council? The "River Glen" area is also adjacent to the Chevy Chase Park area, where LAPD recently raided Toonerville gang compounds and promises continued cleanup of the area. I suppose neighborhood stakeholders could want continued say in how both areas are governed. I only spent time in "River Glen" once, at a furniture sale. (Didn't buy anything.) But I wouldn't be surprised if people through it was part of the City of Glendale anyway.

AVNC Forum Post Was Right! LAPD Map Underreports Crimes

EVEN AS WE appreciate full disclosure on this morning's Atwater Village gang raid, the LA Times finds not all's illuminated inside the Los Angeles Police Department.

The LAPD's online crime map excludes nearly 40% of serious crimes in the city. The LA Times credits one-time Atwater Village resident Jason Insalaco for shedding light on the map problem with his February 2009 post on the AVNC forum. "Numerous robberies, burglaries, homicides, and aggravated assaults have occurred in the village in recent months," Insalaco wrote. "You will not find such data on the LAPD crime maps."

Though it has better navigation and histories, the EveryBlock map of Atwater Village crime relies on the same misreported data as the LAPD map. Catch up with the developing story:

• Atwater Violent Crime is Not Fully Disclosed (AVNC Forum, Feb. 9, 2009)
• LAPD's Public Database Omits Nearly 40% of This Year's Crimes (LA Times, July 9, 2009)
• Bratton Blames Vendor for Errors (LA Times, July 9, 2009)

Dear LAPD: Sunnynook Footbridge is Not in Glendale

THIS EVENING for a good 30 minutes a young man in a gray hoodie has stood restlessly at one end of the Sunnynook Footbridge. His hands deep in pockets, he seems to be nervously hovering on the west bank of the Los Angeles River. What's he waiting for? Why loiter on a bicycle path? So I call Northeast station, Los Angeles Police Department, to report possible drug-dealing. I hate to be uptight, but there are plenty of legal opportunities to get high in this town, and this guy's sending bad signals. Maybe they could get him for bike menacing or something. Me, describing the location: "Along the LA River between Los Feliz Blvd. and Glendale Blvd." LAPD Dispatch: "OK, I'll connect you to the Glendale Police Department and they'll be able to help you." Me, incredulous: "I swear to God Sunnynook Footbridge is not in Glendale. They won't help. They'll send me back to you." After a bit more clicking and checking, and a new location description (Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Blvd.), suddenly the LA River is back in LAPD jurisdiction. But why did I not hang up confident that anything would be done about that hoodied dude at the end of the bridge?

What About Public Art in Atwater Village?

THE FOLKS AT ForYourArt.com, an event producer and public relations firm, have a fine start on mapping the locations of pieces of public art in Los Angeles. No surprise, most public art is displayed in downtown and west of the 101. But don't we have a few mapworthy art pieces right here in northeast Los Angeles? Though not quite the scale of LACMAs Urban Lightinstallation, we have Lopez Automotive's Muffler Men installation. And while Chinatown enjoys the Gate of Filial Piety, Atwater Villagers get to pass through the Great Heron Gate. Let ForYourArt know what "iconic, definitive, historic, and quirky works of art" you'd like to see added to the map by sending your suggestion to submit@foryourart.com.

Why Drew Street Continues to Thrive as Gang Enclave

View Larger Drew Street Enclave Map

ACCORDING TO his Facebook profile today, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti is "helping demolish" the Avenue Gangs headquarters at 3304 Drew Street (map, street view ) adjacent to Atwater Village. (More from the LA Times.)

Cops raided this corner of Glassell Park in June 2008. It's protected by "dead" space: literally, on 2 sides, by Forest Lawn cemetery. The third side is bounded by the 2 freeway.

The fourth boundary is made of 2 large unoccupied lots. One, the old Van de Kamp bakery, is where Los Angeles Community College is slowly building its northeast campus. The other, a former Kmart site, is where activists have fought development by the likes of Home Depot for being "incompatible" with community interests.

But it seems to me it's be better to have active, public spaces, even if they're commercially "incompatible," over large vacant lots that shield gang activity from civilian eyes.

After Quiet July, August Starts with Bangs

RELATIVELY FEW reports of thug-on-neighbor incidents since the first week of July's window smashings, until these August crime reports on the Atwater Village forum: August 2: "Just saw the Aggravated Assault mark on the LAPD crime map that took place on Tyburn and Garden..." August 5: "We had gunshots on Garden and Glenhurst tonight around 7:45. In fact they shoot windows out of a car. Must be some sort of gang ritual..." The Atwater Village Crime Spree 2008 Map has been updated.

Ride While It Lasts: New Bike Lane on Fletcher

Fletcher Drive DIY 'Bike Lane' Map

UNSEEN, UNOFFICIAL POWERS have drawn a bike lane across Fletcher Drive's bridge over the Los Angeles River in South Atwater Village. Metroblogging LA has pictures. Were the city to see it, like it and officially designate it with paint or something, this do-it-yourself lane could make a great connector to the LA River bike path. Then again, who needs the city? Some DIY projects stay up for years.

Update the Crime Map: Murder This Weekend

View Atwater Village Crime Map
AT 7:45PM it's still light out, isn't it? Does this homicide qualify as occurring in broad daylight, then? From the LA Times weekend homicide report:

LAPD Northeast Division: A 20-year-old white man was shot and killed near Perlita and Veselich avenues near Atwater Village at about 7:45 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

Crime Spree? What Crime Spree?

View Atwater Village Crime Spree 2008 Map

HELLO NEIGHBORHOOD Officer Gina Chovan – This morning I filed an LAPD report via telephone and am following up via email with you. My Honda Civic was broken into, sometime between June 2, 6:30pm, and June 3, 8:30am, in the 3700 block of Valleybrink Road in Atwater Village. Missing this morning were a $400 in-dash AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo, a handful of coins, and the vehicle's manual. The right rear triangular window was popped out, not broken, and left on the rear seat. All other contents of the vehicle, including CDs, were left scattered on seats and on the floor. The driver's seat was left in a fully reclined position. All vehicle doors were left closed but unlocked. Thank you and Northeast division for your attention. Sincerely, Atwater Village Newbie P.S. - I think this might be part of a larger problem.

Flight Path: Our Helicopter Tour of Los Angeles

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YESTERDAY'S HELICOPTER tour started and ended at Whiteman Airport, the tiny LA County-owned airstrip at the north end of the San Fernando Valley. Along the way, and for purposes of organizing some 800 photographs, we covered 9 legs, more or less counter-clockwise: Pacoima to Van Nuys Van Nuys to Malibu Malibu to Westwood Westwood to Hollywood Loop around Hollywood & Highland Hollywood to Downtown LA Downtown LA to Silver Lake Silver Lake to Mount Lee Mount Lee to Pacoima Adventure Helicopter Tours of LA flew a 4-seater with panoramic views. Not a bad seat in the house for this $480 tour. And Mrs. Newbie graciously allowed her photographer to sit up front. Photos are being sifted, sorted and shared - soon.

All Clear! LAPD Releases Glenfeliz Elementary Area

FROM OUR neighborhood forum, the unconfirmed word: "... I live on Hollypark Place and heard from a neighbor that a black bag or package was found lying against a house and when someone called the bomb squad showed up. After about an hour they packed up and left so I'm guessing all it was was a bag or box left on the ground... I get the impression the police were concerned but not overly concerned and figured they would do everything by the book and get some real world practice. It was surreal seeing kids playing in front of me and a guy in a full on Kevlar suit to the right."

Every Block in Atwater Village Now on Street View

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GOOGLE MAPS STREET VIEW has recently upgraded and now offers every block in Atwater Village. When it first launched, only Los Feliz Blvd. and Glendale Blvd. were photographed. But now you can get into just about everybody's business, including this nice fellow and his dog. UPDATE: Here they are again around the corner.

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I've Been Training for It All Week

BY WALKING FROM my cubicle to the office kitchen. And back. What else could prepare me for tomorrow's leisurely stroll, more than 15 miles, along the most culturally diverse boulevard in the most culturally diverse city in the US? From downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean, Pico Blvd., here we come.

The Pico Walk: We're In!

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The entire length of Pico Blvd., nearly 16 miles from downtown LA to the sand in Santa Monica, Saturday Nov. 17, 9:00am. More at greatwalkla.com.

Neighborhood Lockdown in Atwater-Adjacent

LET'S NOT QUIBBLE OVER neighborhood boundaries. Just because Atwater Village ends, more or less, at the railroad tracks, doesn't mean this situation couldn't have seeped over from Glassell Park. First the setup from ABC7: A neighborhood is on lockdown as a suspect has barricaded himself in a home near Estara and Drew in Atwater Village. Detectives who were doing some undercover work and came across a suspect they were looking for. They say they have one person in custody, but now are asking for the SWAT team for help with a barricaded person. If you are in the area and see any police activity, please stay inside your home. Right. Stay inside your home. Unless, of course, some crazy person just barricaded himself inside it. It turns out the apartment's residents did actually abandon it post-haste. Follow-up from CBS2: A more than six-hour standoff in Atwater Village ended Wednesday evening when a parolee wanted for failing to report to authorities surrendered without incident... at 7:35 p.m., Los Angeles police Officer Jason Lee said. Well done, Glassell Park, passing off your lockdowns and standoffs on Atwater Village. Let's hope they correct it before the next round of crime stats.