Saturday Shooting: Victim Survives, Suspects Caught

LAST NIGHT'S drive-by shooting in the 3200 block of Casitas Avenue ends in stalemate, according to cbs2.com. The 40-year-old male victim is expected to survive a gunshot wound to the temple. And after a 3-hour pursuit that involved helicopters and street closings in South Atwater Village, police found the 3 suspects (alleged gang members) hiding in a laundry room. Add this one to the list as May goes out with (another) bang.

Atwater Village Farmers Market Expands

FROM THE LA Weekly: "The Atwater Village Farmers' Market is responding to the expanding seasonal bounty with an extra row of vendors. The market in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot (3250 Glendale Blvd.) on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. added Bolanos Family Sprouts, organic peaches from Naylor Farms, Simms Cherries, and Asian greens from Salacup Farms to the regular roster."

'Tis the Season

Sunnynook Jacaranda, originally uploaded by Atwater Village Newbie.

Garcetti: "The Sprinkler is Off"

LOS ANGELES City Councilman Eric Garcetti, responding to my posts about over-watering at 3522 Garden Ave., replies via Facebook today: "The sprinkler is off and we have told Department of Transportation that they need to keep it off except when needed." See Garcetti's Facebook exchange.

Intersection Update: Plants!

SUMMER HATH brought plants and flowers to the 5-way intersection where Valleybrink, Dover and Glenfeliz meet in central Atwater Village. The plants seem rather drought-tolerant and complete the new look for this $110,000 improvement. But will they slow down drivers and make them think twice before burning donuts in the asphalt? Time will tell.

Smell of Summer Sewer in the Air

STRANGE SMELLS are rising in Atwater Village. From a reader: "I wondered if you could post a note regarding the horrid smell that is coming up Hollydale Drive, and has been for weeks. Has anyone else noticed it? I know the LADWP are planning on replacing the lines along Hollydale at some point, but the smell is horrific! Any comments would be appreciated."

May Showers: Now at 120 Hours of Sprinkling

NEW PHOTO and an email update from a drought-tolerant reader, as of 11:15am Sunday, May 24, 2009: "Thanks for covering this story. We are approaching 120 hours of continuous sprinkler use on city property. This is a village spectacle. These sprinklers have to be spewing at least a gallon a minute. 4 calls to 311." See it in person: 3522 Garden Ave.

This Bed of Dirt Somehow Requires 75 Hours of Watering

FROM A READER: "For kicks, check out the city sprinklers that have been running non-stop for the last 75 hours in Atwater. I've called the city 311 two times and they are still running. The sprinklers are running at the entrance to the city parking lot #711. It is located directly east of 3522 Garden Ave, 90039. Go droughtbusters." Another angle shows the sprinklers aim at a single, leaning branch within a 10-foot bed of dirt and rocks.

Shooters 'n' Smokers: LAPD Update for Atwater Village

ATWATER VILLAGE update from LAPD  Captain Bill Murphy: "We had several shootings between the Toonerville gang and the Rascals gang over the past couple of months. We have increased gang deployment in the area and have seen the number of shooting incidents decline (none in last couple of weeks). We are serving Toonerville gang members with permanent gang injunctions. "Only other issue is with Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (MMD) in the area. We have received some complaints regarding how they operate. We have been involved in several meetings with council district staff from CD 13 and CD 14 and they are aware of the problems associated with these MMD locations." The good captain adds that LAPD's Northeast area "currently ranks first in crime reduction City-wide (out of 21 police stations)" and that "we are down 576 actual crimes (murders, rapes, car break-ins, etc.) compared to last year." LAPD Northeast includes Atwater Village, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, Echo Park, Elysian Park, Elysian Valley, Franklin Hills, Garvanza, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Los Feliz, Mount Washington, Silver Lake and Solano Canyon.

Atwater Village: 'Flat, Friendly, a Little Dull'

REAL-ESTATE BLOG Curbed LA takes a shot at Atwater Village in yesterday's post about an apparently overpriced $775,000 home on Glenhurst Avenue: If there's one neighborhood that causes people to go ballistic over prices, it's Atwater Village. Maybe it's the geography of the neighborhood: Real estate agents sneakily try and list the homes under "Los Feliz," perhaps thinking that Atwater is the next Los Feliz, the next upscale hood. No, Atwater is just Atwater: Flat, friendly, a little dull. There's a certain harsh truth to this, despite a spate of recent undull events. But maybe flat (wider streets, easier access, more parking), friendly (neighborly, hospitable, easy-going) and dull (stable, established, predictable) are just what couples and families want on our side of I-5. I guess when the crazy kids of Los Feliz get real jobs and real relationships and grow weary of waiting for Adrien Grenier to notice how cleverly they ask for Splenda at The Alcove, they might seek something flatter, friendlier and duller. Till then they should know that Curbed LA is hiring bloggers. I think they pay like $10 per post. Write about 77,500 posts and then maybe rethink that house on Glenhurst.

City Council to AVNC: 'You Do Stuff'

BEHIND THE SCENES of the recent fight to keep funding for Atwater Village Neighborhood Council, as covered in the LA Weekly: Sitting inside the City Council chambers before last week's budget meeting, council member Tom LaBonge conceded to a concerned neighborhood council representative from Atwater Village, "You do stuff." But, he also told activist Leonora Gershman-Pitts that if faced with closing recreation centers and parks — to date, no such plan has been proposed — he'd cut neighborhood councils first. Gershman-Pitts nodded as LaBonge added, "Don’t worry, you're not gonna walk away with nothing."