Showing posts with label San Gabriel River trail: emails to county/city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Gabriel River trail: emails to county/city. Show all posts

September 19, 2020

Fourth fire that we know (heard) of at Eldorado Park Nature center (September 18 2020)

Update 10/16/20... So guess where this homeless guy was. Likely right next to the nature center here And with a gun no less. Nice. Here is the story link

Update 9/18/20: We just saw this short snippet in the Post giving a brief description of a fire likely set by homeless once again on Sept 18, 2020. All the story says is below:

"The Long Beach Fire Department extinguished a brush fire at the El Dorado Nature Center Friday afternoon, according to LBFD spokesman Brian Fisk. Fisk said the department responded to the blaze at 1:13 p.m. just west of the San Gabriel River bike path between Willow and Spring streets. The fire burned about 200 square feet of vegetation, said Fisk. Arson investigators were called afterward to investigate the cause of the fire, Fisk said."

We are pretty sure we will never see the arson report. Even if one is ever created (which we doubt) and we were to request it in a public records request we are confident it would not ever be produced. So why bother.

The city leaders have been warned numerous times about the homeless on the river and their propensity to start fires in the adjoining nature center. And LAAG is told all is well and under control. This email was sent 7 days before this latest fire on Sept. 18. So the only conclusions one can draw is that city leaders and dept leaders such as the FD, Parks Dept. Park "Rangers" and City Council are (1) incompetent and cant solve the problem (2) don't care enough to solve the problem or (3) just try to placate residents with BS. A few days after that email below was sent we saw three county vehicles driving toward the fence holes created by the FD in fighting the August 12 2020 fire and were told they were going to fix it that day. Never happened. Eventually there is going to be a fire that wipes out the Nature Center or does serious damage. That will happen as long as the status quo is allowed to exist and political correctness reigns supreme.

UPDATE 9/23/20: Apparently homeless just like to light stuff on fire or are just careless..

Los Angeles County firefighters quickly extinguished a brush fire that started in a homeless encampment near Spring Street and the 405 Freeway in Signal Hill on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Firefighters rushed to the scene at about 2:18 p.m. with reports of a homeless encampment on fire, a county fire department spokesperson said. No one was injured in the fire and the department is now investigating the cause, they said. The fire caused a brief traffic jam on the 405 Freeway, witnesses reported.  Avoid 405 S in Long Beach, big fire at the Orange exit pic.twitter.com/3KMjcXRapT
 — Mike Guardabascio (@Guardabascio) September 22, 2020


From: Long Beach Accountability Action Group <updates@laag.us>
Date: Fri, Sep 11, 2020 at 12:13 AM
Subject: "homeless problem in Eldorado Nature center is solved" (NOT)
To: Daryl Supernaw Councilman 4th Dist. Long beach <Daryl.Supernaw@longbeach.gov>, District 4th long beach Supernaw <district4@longbeach.gov>
Cc: Stephen Scott | Dep Dir Parks, Rec, and Marine Long beach <Stephen.Scott@longbeach.gov>, BRENT DENNIS Dir of Parks, Recreation and Marine Long beach <brent.dennis@longbeach.gov>

I just want to go on record with my conversation with a bunch of city people and LB FD people on the river trail  just south of Spring st. on Sept. 8 2020. I was told by the FD honcho that the "homeless problem in Eldorado Nature center is solved" (of course no one told the homeless)  I explained that the fence torn down by the FD in the fire 30 days ago is still not fixed. The point is the homeless will go back into the nature center and start another fire. It will happen. For two reasons 1) its not being patrolled adequately as rangers in SUV's can't see everything from the SUV window esp at night 2) all the homeless in the adjacent riverbed. why not go camping in the nature area and cook up some crack out of sight of the "man"? its too easy.

Get the homeless off the river and into shelters. Dont give them a choice like you do now. its a no trespassing area. Boise case does NOT apply.

keep all the fences all around the nature center fixed. patrol that fence monthly. We call that "ridin' fences" in the west. good fences make good neighbors

Long Beach Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Long Beach, CA | A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™ | click here to receive LAAG posts by email

August 13, 2020

Third fire (that we know of) at the Eldorado park nature center August 12 2020

So here we are once again reporting on a fire at the El Dorado nature center on August 12, 2020 (approx 445pm). Pictures here. LB fire tweet here. The fire was in this approx location. When we spoke to the LB Park Ranger on scene blocking the southbound bike path at Spring St. we asked if this fire was due to homeless activity in the nature Center and he said "most likely". The two prior fires were April 3 2019 and June 19 1019 that WE KNOW of and there have most likely been others that were never picked up by the media (like this one). Long Beach city staff and Long beach city council (Mungo and Supernaw; the nature center in Supernaw's district; north of spring St Eldlorado park is in Mungo's dist.) are well aware of the problem (we raised the fencing problem and potential fires in the nature center as far back as Dec 2017 with Mungo and Supernaw as well as city Manager) and we were led to believe that Supernaw's office was going to develop some secret plan with LB Fire dept to fix the issue in the nature center.

The nature center (the restricted area here) is a very problematic area for fires. It is filled with brush and hundreds of very dry trees. It is very hard to access (being a no trespassing area) and in previous larger fires water dropping helicopters had to assist. There are also no hydrants in the area and fences usually have to be cut by the FD to access the area (as was done yesterday) these of course are left unpaired for months on end. So all we need for an out of control fire is lots of dry conditions (8 mo out of the year) and wind. That could cause the entire nature center to go up in smoke. Highly feasible if conditions are right and FD response is delayed to to slow reporting (likely).

So other than complete inaction (ineffectual action) by the city council what are the causes and solutions?

The homeless problem (the criminal element parts of it at least) on SG River and in the area of the nature center is well known. We suspect the LB park rangers and LBPD have been told to leave them alone (based on discussions we have had on this topic with officers). Part of the reason we feel the city takes a "hands off approach" is that not a lot of people (voters) can see the problem on the river and in the nature center as its very well hidden from everyone's view except for the few people who live very close, or walk, run or bike ride on the river path. So the city leaders would just as soon leave the homeless there than chase them over to in a visible are on the street that more voters will see (and demand be fixed).

The city (and county) use the Boise case (Martin v. City of Boise, 902 F. 3d 1031 - Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit 2018) to try to excuse their politically correct stance on the homeless criminal element that are living in NO TRESPASSING areas. The Boise case says nothing about removing people from and keeping people out of no trespassing areas. It simply holds as follows:

"Our holding is a narrow one. Like the Jones panel, "we in no way dictate to the City that it must provide sufficient shelter for the homeless, or allow anyone who wishes to sit, lie, or sleep on the streets... at any time and at any place." Id. at 1138. We hold only that "so long as there is a greater number of homeless individuals in [a jurisdiction] than the number of available beds [in shelters]," the jurisdiction cannot prosecute homeless individuals for "involuntarily sitting, lying, and sleeping in public." Id. That is, as long as there is no option of sleeping indoors, the government cannot criminalize indigent, homeless people for sleeping outdoors, on public property, on the false premise they had a choice in the matter."

The city and county will have to commit to keeping all the fencing repaired in that area. They know areas with cut fencing is a sign that homeless are in a no trespassing area but they then refuse to remove them and until removed the fence will keep getting cut. The city and county need to commit to a homeless trespassing removal program and a fencing check/repair program. They likely wont do it. Its not a budget issue its simply an issue of unwillingness to actively solving the problem. Could also be a problem with public unions not wanting to do the work (can never rule out public union pressure when extra work required; public unions are big campaign contributors as well). The other excuse now being thrown around is "covid 19" ..."we cant interact with homeless due to Covid..." (covid is now the generalized excuse for everything in government) Of course Covid did not stop them in interacting with BLM protesters or even in interacting with taxpayers in general.

The other problem as we have discussed before is that when the city or county encounters homeless people in no trespassing areas even if they have beds available (under Boise) they will not force the people to take them and they wont remove them from the no trespassing areas (like the nature center which excludes even taxpayers). This is even true in instances were they know the homeless person is a threat to others (this has been documented) This is an example of how government entities (via their employees) give uneducated voters false interpretations of case law and statutes to excuse inaction (very common with police). Lakewood on the other hand does remove trespassing homeless from the west side of the Carson St. overpass over the SG river. Its amazing to see the difference in approaches to the problem. Same laws. Different interpretations.

So until voter pressure forces the city council to do its job the fires will continue. Lets hope the city wises up before the entire nature center is lost to a fire. It will take years to recover from that as nothing will be done to fix it once it burns down.

As an addendum to this story above this is an interesting note on the Azusa ranch fire This was initially reported to us by one of our loyal readers after hearing it on KFI radio... "It was reported about 2:45 p.m. near North San Gabriel Canyon Road and North Ranch Road, according to the Azusa Police Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which called in a second-alarm response. At least two residents said the fire began after a fight between two people at a homeless encampment in the river bed area.

"They were arguing over a bike," said resident Jimmy Pockets. "Things got escalated to where the fire started. It took off so quick."...Fire officials have not determined a cause..." Given where the fire started this seems highly plausible.

Update: A witness who lives in a riverbed near Mountain Cove told NBC4 an argument between two homeless men sparked the fire."There were two gentlemen in the back (of a homeless encampment) fighting and they were arguing over a bike and one guy said he'd burn the other guy out, and things got escalated to where the fire started," evacuee Jimmy Pockets told the station. "Ran over to try to put it out but it just took off so quick."

Long Beach Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Long Beach, CA | A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™ | click here to receive LAAG posts by email

January 6, 2008

San Gabriel River Graffiti Hotline (800) 675-4357

Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:20:42 -0800
From: "Lakewood Accountability Action Group"
To: "El-Rabaa, Maged"
Subject: Re: SG river issues: Graffiti
Cc: "5th Dist. Gerrie Schipske" ,
"Josh Butler, 5th dist." ,
"Phil Hester, Dir Parks, Rec, and Marine" ,
LBPD ,
"Cadena, Diego" ,
"Afshari, Shari" ,
"Maselbas, Paul" ,
"Yusuf, Abu" ,
"Connie Sziebl, LB rep" ,
"Erin Stibal, Lkwd rep" ,
"Carol Oberman, lkwd office" ,
"Julie Moore, DPW coord" ,
"Capt. Dave L. Fender" ,
"Lt. Terry W. Benjestorf" ,
"Andy Berg, LASD Lkwd Spokesman"

We noticed two things today at 430pm on the path. First there was spraying done today to mask the graffiti at most bridges but it looks like they missed some at the del amo tunnel or it was not done at all. We also saw (and had reports of) fresh graffiti over the fresh abatement spray paint at Carson overpass and also the 405!! They dont waste much time. Maybe when the little criminals are back in school the rate of application will slow down.

I also assume that the "County's Contractors" will only work as far south as Wardlow? After that its city of Long Beach?

On Dec 27, 2007 6:06 PM, El-Rabaa, Maged < MElRabaa@dpw.lacounty.gov> wrote:

We have sent our contractor to clean up the graffiti in this area today. Beginning January 1, 2008, our new contractor will have four crews instead of two that will be responsible to patrol this area and clean up the graffiti. Upon execution of the new contract, we will inform you of their routine patrols in this area. Our goal for clean up in the flood control channels is 72 hours upon notification. Please inform your members to report graffiti to our Graffiti Hotline (800) 675-4357 (HELP).

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and Happy New Year.

Maged


From: Lakewood Accountability Action Group | LAAG [mailto:updates@LAAG.us]
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 11:14 PM
To: 5th Dist. Gerrie Schipske; Josh Butler, 5th dist.; Phil Hester, Dir Parks, Rec, and Marine; LBPD; Cadena, Diego; Afshari, Shari; Maselbas, Paul; El-Rabaa, Maged; Yusuf, Abu; Connie Sziebl, LB rep; Erin Stibal, Lkwd rep; Carol Oberman, lkwd office; Julie Moore, DPW coord; Capt. Dave L. Fender; Lt. Terry W. Benjestorf; Andy Berg, LASD Lkwd Spokesman
Subject: SG river issues: Graffiti

All:
We need some Graffiti cleanup at all the bridges.overpasses from South St. to the 405. My readers report that it has been months since the guy in the unmarked white pickup has been out working and it shows. (this guy carries a number of 5 gal cans of paint and a large paint sprayer and is presumed to be a graffiti abatement guy working for the County or Long Beach) The worst area is at the Carson overpass. Today at 430pm I saw some under 18 teens applying some fresh graffiti to the bridge. They could care less that anyone sees them. The sooner these kids go back to school the better. Anytime I see more than 3 kids down there walking in the river together I pretty much know they are doing something illegal or looking for an opportunity to do so.

The point is as you all know graffiti begets more graffiti and more graffiti attracts groups of hoodlums who prey on law abiding people who use the trail. I dont dare say anything to these hooligans for fear of being attacked. They outnumber me and could carry weapons. If I were to get attacked no one would see it. I advise all trail users to carry a phone and keep it turned on and to carry pepper spray.

I suggest that graffiti checks be done at least twice a month and that abatement be done at least once a month or sooner if warranted or there are complaints.

Users also report that they are seeing bike patrols on occasion now (during the day not dusk). The uniforms are dark blue or black and say "police" so I have to assume they are LBPD not Sheriff. Good to see that. Problem is we need more of them at more times of the day.


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Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

click here to receive LAAG posts by email

December 22, 2007

San Gabriel river bike path safety group

Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:11:44 -0800
To: "5th Dist. Gerrie Schipske" "Josh Butler, 5th dist."
From: Lakewood Accountability Action Group | LAAG
Subject: SG river issues “bike path safety group”
Cc: "Phil Hester, Dir Parks, Rec, and Marine", "LBPD" , (LA County Dept of Pub Works) "Diego Cadena, Dep. Dir." "Afshari, Shari, Div Head" , "Paul Maselbas, Principal Eng", "El-Rabaa, Maged, Program Dev.", "Yusuf, Abu, Cnty Bikeway Coord" (LA County 4th Dist) "Connie Sziebl, LB rep" , "Erin Stibal, Lkwd rep", "Carol Oberman, lkwd office" "Julie Moore, DPW coord" , "Capt. Dave L. Fender LA County Sheriff Dept", "Lt. Terry W. Benjestorf", "Andy Berg, LASD Lkwd Spokesman" "David N. Carmany, Seal Beach City Manager", "Lee Whittenberg, Seal beach", "Todd Rogers, Lkwd City Council"


Ms Schipske:

In regards to this article on your blog (below) please see attached agreements. If there are others that are not attached here (and that involve responsibility for law enforcement patrolling the SG river from South St. to the Ocean) consider this a public records request by LAAG to the City of Long Beach, LA County Dept of Public Works and LA County Sheriff's dept for copies of these additional agreements not attached herein.

If there is going to be a public meeting in Feb 2008 we would like to know the time and place so we can have someone attend to represent trail users (who quite frankly know where and what the problems are). I like to call these rivers "crime channels" or "vagrant rivers". We have already passed along some ideas we had on crime suppression in the river.

I also thought this letter below was rather timely. It was reported about a week after the bike jacking LAAG reported

http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_7618801
Monday's Letters
Article Launched: 12/02/2007 08:43:24 PM PST

Safety problem
How sad to report that Lakewood's sheriff's deputies do not care about our safety. For one month I have been trying to get them to clean out the riverbed located at Centralia and Bloomfield. The transients/felons have set up housekeeping in the holes in plain view of the street. They are drinking in public daily and more of them show up on a daily basis to start their own personal town.

Whenever I call the Lakewood Sheriff's Station I am either placed on hold until I go away, or after the tenth complaint was told that it was not their jurisdiction, but Cypress's. After contacting Cypress, they told me that without a doubt, it belongs to Lakewood.

Last night was the saddest night, as I had to tell them to please not dismiss my complaints, and disperse the dangerous element in the riverbed, because my brother was murdered in the riverbed 20 years ago. I can't wait to move out of Lakewood.

Lorene Diaz
Lakewood

Cleaning up the neighborhood and making it safe
Coyote Creek and other Bike Paths

21. December 2007 Uncategorized, Coyote Creek

Along the Coyote Creek, San Gabriel River and Los Angeles River are bike paths that go quite a distance up into Los Angeles County and down through Orange County to the ocean.

Because these bike paths go through several jurisdictions and also include the Flood Control Districts of both counties, there are many questions as to who is responsible for policing those areas ­ especially in light of bicyclists being mugged along the path.

I called a meeting of the local jurisdictions together that included: County of Los Angeles, Flood Control District, Cities of La Palma, Los Alamitos, Cypress, Seal Beach, Lakewood and Hawaiian Gardens (which did not attend). We also had representatives from Long Beach ­ Government Relations, Councilmember O’Donnell’s office and Police Department.

The focus of this “bike path safety group” is to determine how we can work together to keep the areas of the bike path and the neighborhoods adjacent free from crime and graffitti.

We will reconvene in February after all jurisdictions receive copies of the agreements for use of the bike paths which apparently were executed many years ago between the cities and the flood control district. Many cities were surprised to learn that the County did not have responsibility for policing the bike path and flood control areas.

This is a great chance to work together on a regional basis on a problem that is impacting many cities.


Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™




December 14, 2007

San Gabriel River Safety Problem

This Lakewood resident agrees with LAAG. Read our related post here.

http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_7618801
Monday's Letters
Article Launched: 12/02/2007 08:43:24 PM PST

Safety problem

How sad to report that Lakewood's sheriff's deputies do not care about our safety. For one month I have been trying to get them to clean out the riverbed located at Centralia and Bloomfield. The transients/felons have set up housekeeping in the holes in plain view of the street. They are drinking in public daily and more of them show up on a daily basis to start their own personal town.

Whenever I call the Lakewood Sheriff's Station I am either placed on hold until I go away, or after the tenth complaint was told that it was not their jurisdiction, but Cypress's. After contacting Cypress, they told me that without a doubt, it belongs to Lakewood.

Last night was the saddest night, as I had to tell them to please not dismiss my complaints, and disperse the dangerous element in the riverbed, because my brother was murdered in the riverbed 20 years ago. I can't wait to move out of Lakewood.

Lorene Diaz
Lakewood

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™




November 17, 2007

email re San Gabriel River Bikeway Safety/Crime Concerns

Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:24:17 -0800

To: "Capt. Dave L. Fender" , "Lt. Terry W. Benjestorf" , "Diego Cadena, Dep. Dir." , "Afshari, Shari, Div Head" , "Paul Maselbas, Principal Eng" , "El-Rabaa, Maged, Program Dev." , "Alma Fuentes, Bicycle Coord." , "Connie Sziebl, LB rep" , "Erin Stibal, Lkwd rep" , "Carol Oberman, lkwd office" , "Julie Moore, DPW coord" , mayor@longbeach.gov, "3d Dist Gary DeLong" , "Julie Maleki, Ofc of Councilman DeLong" , "4th Dist. Patrick O'Donnell", "5th Dist. Gerrie Schipske" , "Joy Janes, chief of staff 5th dist" , "Todd Rogers, Lkwd City Council" , "David N. Carmany, City Manager" , "Lee Whittenberg" , Dina_Zapalski@longbeach.gov, "City Mgr" ,
From: Lakewood Accountability Action Group | LAAG

Subject: San Gabriel River Bikeway Safety/Crime Concerns
Cc: (media)

I assume this task force (noted below) started due to LAAG's emails months ago re the crime problems all along the river. We feel LAAG should be part of this task force as far as making or reviewing some recommendations as we dont need more tax dollars wasted on ineffectual approaches. We know where the problems are. One thing would be to suggest a crime hotline (posted on all the overpasses visible to users) and email address for users to report suspicious people. LAAG has been doing that for months now. Most of these criminal types hang around for a while down there before striking. Police cannot get them as they cant sneak up on them in cars as cars stand out like a sore thumb down there unlike on the street. Very hard to get cars in down there secretly. (thus the cops on bikes approach)

Another idea is the "cage off" some of those water inlets right at the opening to the channel which would close off hiding areas. Those are where the criminals hide from the police cars that roll above (as police dont go into the channel bottom with cars). This could be done in a way to allow water flow. Also caging off some of the underpass "caves" like at willow as we suggested (and was done) years ago at south st. undercrossing. Path lighting would not hurt either (as we suggested) and was done at del amo underpass. Cameras on poles like at intersections and on freeways? Plenty of ideas if you know what the problems are.

LBReport.com
News

Councilwoman Schipske Says Multiple Agencies To Tackle San Gabriel River Bikeway Safety/Crime Concerns

(Nov. 14, 2007) -- Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske tells LBReport.com that multiple agencies -- including LBPD, Seal Beach PD, Cypress PD, the L.A. County Sheriffs Dept, the office of L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe and Schipske's Council office -- are preparing to tackle safety/crime-related issues regarding the San Gabriel River bikeway.

Councilwoman Schipske says that for the past four months, her staff has been working with Supervisor Knabe's office to launch the bike path safety task force...and its formal launch is expected to be announced shortly.

"We've been concerned about safety issues along that bike path for some time...and it's very unfortunate that we had another incident on Monday" Councilwoman Schipske said...referring to a story reported by LBReport.com.

On Nov. 13, LBReport.com reported that a man riding his bicycle on the San Gabriel River bike path near El Dorado Park on Nov. 12 was ambushed, hit and robbed of his bicycle and cell phone, and sustained injuries to his face

LBPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Zapalski said that the bicyclist was riding on the east side of the San Gabriel River bike path near Spring St. when he was confronted by a male subject who hit the victim and caused him to fall off of his bicycle. The assailant took the victim's bicycle and cell phone...and left with a second male subject.

The bicyclist sustained injuries to his face and was transported to a doctor by a familymember.


Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™




November 13, 2007

Bike Jacking on San Gabriel River

Like we have said before, the San Gabriel River is just an invitation to criminals. We need bike mounted patrols there and more helicopter patrols. We see loitering all the time by very suspicious looking people. Now we have to assume they are not "harmless homeless". I spoke to another rider there who passed the area just before this happened and did see 2 or more Hispanic males loitering in the area where this occurred. This is a Nature Preserve area and there are lots of hiding places just east of the river trial. Big police presence after it happened (5 cars mostly blocking other riders from getting through)

Local crime briefs
Article Launched: 11/12/2007 10:02:17 PM PST
Cyclist robbed near S.G. River

A cyclist riding on a bike path along the San Gabriel River was robbed by two suspects on Monday morning, authorities said.

The victim was riding southbound on the east side of the San Gabriel River near Spring Street at 10:09 a.m. when he was punched in the face by a suspect, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski of the Long Beach Police Department.

The blow knocked the man off his bike, Zapalski said. While he was struggling on the ground, the suspect took his cell phone and rode off on his bike. The robber was followed on foot by a second accomplice, she said.

The victim suffered injuries to his face and was taken by a family member to a nearby hospital. The suspects are described as two Hispanic males in their late teens to early 20s, Zapalski said.

One suspect was described as very tall, wearing a baseball cap and a blue jacket. The other was described as short, with a buzzed haircut and dark jacket.

Anyone with more information is urged to contact LBPD's Robbery Detail at 562-570-7464.

- Kelly Puente

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™




October 13, 2007

sand buildup problems on the SGR trail


Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:38:51 -0700
To: "Diego Cadena, Dep. Dir." <DCadena@dpw.lacounty.gov>, "Afshari, Shari, Div Head" <SAfshari@dpw.lacounty.gov>, "Paul Maselbas, Principal Eng" <PMaselbas@dpw.lacounty.gov>, "El-Rabaa, Maged, Program Dev." <MElrabaa@dpw.lacounty.gov>, "Alma Fuentes, Bicycle Coord." <AFuentes@dpw.lacounty.gov>, "Connie Sziebl, Field Rep for Knabe" <CSziebl@lacbos.org>
From: Lakewood Accountability Action Group | LAAG <updates@LAAG.us>
Subject: sand buildup problems on the SGR trail


I have been pointing out (to the county) sand buildup problems on the trail for years. Usually the place where it collects is under bridges and 300 feet either side of the bridges or tunnel in approaches. (Where the path dips down close to the sand) This is just due to poor design for runoff and lack of simple maintenance. Better design however would result in lower maintenance costs. As a result right after each rain, no matter how slight all these section have to be swept. 1/4 inch of fine sand is treacherous for especially road bikes (or any bike really) and can easily lead to a loss of control at almost any speed, even going straight let alone turning. Also the pavement near these bridge sections is poor. That is also a problem. Sand is white and blends in with the concrete color. Also it may be hiding other dangers or road surface problems underneath.

We had rain last on 9/21/07-9/22/07. No sand was swept as of 10/11/07. And now this weekend more rain. So sweeping has to be redone at the problem areas

I think the problem on the trail maint. has a number of causes: (1) the people that do the work are not very conscientious and/or (2) there is either no inspection of their finished work or contractors are county employees are saying the work is done and its not (If thats the case taxpayer dollars are being wasted) (3) the people that think the work was done don't ride road bikes over it so they really don't understand the safety problem to begin with as they just ride in cars or trucks with huge tires; (4) there may be poor direction given (poor communication) or workers just dont understand what the issue is and why it needs to be cleaned up properly or what is "proper". Likely it is all of the foregoing.

I was also puzzled numerous times on the carson/wardlow section where some holes and cracks would get patched but not ones nearly identical right nearby. Made no sense at all. I would love to ask the workers what they were thinking but never get to see them at the site

There are section of the trial that are quite clean but then they never really get dirty. You need to focus on the problems sections.

December 2, 2006

Nov. 25 2005 email to LA County Dept of Pub. Works and City of Long Beach re San Gabriel River trail safety issues

Gentlemen:

As a frequent user of the SGR bike path I feel that it is important to bring to the City and County's attention some very serious maintenance (safety) problems on the trail.

1. The entrance to the river at south St. (south bound) has very badly broken pavement due to roots. The roots need to be cut out with the pavement and it needs to be repaved. The paving needs to be done so it is smooth for a 1/2 inch wide bike tire not a 3/4 ton pickup.

2. Again serious root incursions just south of the wal mart parking lot (about 1/2 way between Carson and wardlow). The roots need to be cut out with the pavement and it needs to be repaved. This entire section (between carson and wardlow) is going to have to be rePAVED due to all the ruts and holes. There really are too many to patch properly. "slurry seal" will NOT fix it but only conceal all the grooves, divots and other bad sections like happened years before. It is almost impossible to ride that section with a skinny tire road bike (the majority of the bikes on the trail) as it rattles you so much. I am also concerned that someone will hit a dip/rut in that section wrong and will take a spill. The bumps are so bad they can knock the bars out of your hands.

3. The bridge at the coyote creek confluence has a huge gap (6-8") on the west side and is rather bumpy on the east side. Over the years the west side gap has increased and the metal and rubber used to fill it have been torn or worn away. I bent a wheel going over this gap. People are trying, unsuccessfully, to fill it with dirt and scraps of wood as they know it is a problem. As you have to make a 90 degree turn at either end of the bridge it is only a matter of time before someone (likely an older person or child) is going to get their wheel sideways on these gaps and go down hard. What needs to be done is to remove the metal gap filler there now and replace it with a large piece of wood, flush with the concrete and bolted down. I am sure your maintenance people can figure something out (or better yet get an engineer to look at it). The point is it needs to be sturdy and slip resistant as bikes have to turn as they go over it.

4. The section between the 405 and the 22 is horrible and the shoddy patching is making it worse. Again slurry seal will not fix it. It needs about a 2" think layer of pavement (after the potholed and ruts are filled). I don't think this has been paved (not slurry sealed) in over 30 years. I have not seen a road in this area as bad as that section of bike path. And road bikes need much smoother pavement that cars to be ridden safely.

5. At most bridges south of south street there are large areas of sand about 200 feet either side of these bridges. Or in the ares just north of del amo, large accumulations of pine needles which are very dangerous for bikes as they are slippery especially when negotiating that very dark and dangerous tunnel approach. The sand can be eliminated by bi-monthly sweeping or trenching or sandbagging the areas where the sand washes in from.

6. The under crossings at wardlow and spring are also very rough. Wardlow is also very sandy, especially after a rain. They need to be repaved between the sections of the new concrete path that was installed a few years ago on the approaches to these undercrossings.

There are many other safety problems with the trail that need to be addressed but these need to be fixed right away.

I don't like to have to mention this but the many parts of the trail (not just the flagrant conditions above) do not even come close to meeting the cal trans standards for a class I bikeway. In particular note the yellow highlighted sections in the attached caltrans manual for bike paths. www.dot.ca.gov/hq/oppd/hdm/pdf/chp1000.pdf

Finally, these conditions should be fixed immediately as they are a safety hazard. I have been waiting for the county and or city to see the problem as their crews drive over and past them weekly. But of course no one "notices" these problems. I assume it is because they just don't care, are too lazy to report the problem, or are just ignorant of the needs of cyclists. It cannot be a money issue (read below). Tell Mr. Knabe to spend a few dollars on his district.

Or better yet get some federal funding:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/bta/PDFs/BTA04-05.pdf
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/TransEnhAct/Eligibility.html>


Supervisors Can Play Santa All Year
Each county board member has about $1 million a year to spend without oversight.

By Sue Fox
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 28, 2004

A baseball field in Topanga, pockmarked with gopher holes, got some.

So did a Latino arts center in East Los Angeles, an opera association that stages Broadway musicals at the Downey Theatre and an economic alliance that tries to attract businesses to the Antelope Valley.

Each year, organizations throughout Los Angeles County quietly collect hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, all dispersed by individual county supervisors without public notice or a public vote.

Over the last five years, the supervisors have steered more than $11 million to projects close to their hearts, such as the planned Mexican American cultural center and the shimmering Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

Smaller donations have rained down on theater troupes and orchestras, soccer leagues and anti-gang programs, libraries, clinics, schools and a smattering of holiday parades.

The five supervisors each get about $1 million a year in discretionary funds to hand out as they see fit, winning thanks from appreciative constituents and cementing their political images with money provided by county taxpayers.

Supervisors and many community groups say these funds help "bridge the gap" in scarce funding for worthy cultural, educational and recreational programs that otherwise might be overlooked. In a county with a $17.9-billion budget that flows mainly to required health, welfare and public safety programs, they welcome the flexibility over what amounts to no more than .03% of the budget.

But the practice allows supervisors to give public money to their favored causes without the usual safeguards. Supervisors in Los Angeles County have much greater power over such spending than their counterparts in some other large urban counties.

The grants are made with no oversight from the full Board of Supervisors and no input from the general public. And the supervisors have no formal process for notifying community groups that grants are available, for deciding how to award them, or for following up to make sure the money was spent as intended.

The supervisors continue to distribute the cash, moreover, even as they have sliced millions from spending on the county's primary responsibilities, such as public hospitals and jails.

"It seems unfair, because it's an unchecked fund that the public is not aware of," said Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles. "But for the politicians, it provides some leeway for them to use public money for their pet projects and pet constituency groups. Of course, all politicians like to grin before the cameras and cut ribbons and hand over big checks."

The Board of Supervisors started the grant program in 1990 to streamline the budget process, which often bogged down with last-minute requests from supervisors seeking money for their districts.

The supervisors each get about $3 million annually to pay their staff and office expenses, but they never use that much, leaving them about $1 million each to dole out.

If they don't spend it, the cash rolls over into the next year.

For thrifty supervisors, that can mean one fat piggy bank.

In 2002, for example, Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky had stockpiled more than $7 million apiece.

County documents obtained by The Times detail each supervisor's discretionary spending patterns ­ and hint at their priorities ­ between 1999 and 2004. The county only retains detailed financial records for five years.

Molina used most of her discretionary money to begin transforming a 19th-century complex of crumbling brick buildings near Olvera Street into La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a $70-million Mexican American center.

Calling it a "lifelong dream" destined to become one of the county's cultural jewels, Molina gave the center's foundation, which she controls, $7 million from her discretionary fund.

(Molina's project, unlike most funded with discretionary money, was approved by a vote of the Board of Supervisors because she moved the cash into a capital projects fund until she was ready to proceed.)

Each year, Yaroslavsky gives about $400,000 to community groups and saves the rest for big projects, such as $2.6 million to build a child care facility in Van Nuys, $1 million for Disney Hall and $930,000 to help expand the Santa Monica Courthouse.

Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, by contrast, favored smaller donations, often to groups in dire straits. In May, she gave $250,000 to Ability First, formerly known as the Crippled Children's Society, to help renovate a rundown swimming pool in Inglewood used by disabled children and elderly people.

"She was very kind in finding some money from the county," said Steve Rosenthal, the public relations director for Ability First. "A lot of the kids have trouble walking and moving their bodies outside the pool, so the pool gives them an opportunity to learn movements."

Supervisors Don Knabe and Mike Antonovich also favor small-scale grants. Knabe, in particular, sprinkles dollars far and wide, giving $1,269,876 last year to 266 groups, including $510 to the Lakewood High School football team, $1,650 to the Greater Long Beach chapter of the American Red Cross and $5,250 to the Rio Hondo Symphony.

"My philosophy is, the lifeblood of our county really [is] these community-based organizations, whether it be for domestic violence or healthcare or the arts," Knabe said.

Antonovich said the money keeps small community organizations afloat. "Those groups get lost in the shuffle," he said, "whereas you have big groups that suck up all the money."

The bulk of the discretionary spending went to nonprofit groups or cash-strapped government agencies. Although such entities cannot contribute money to political campaigns, the supervisors benefit indirectly from the goodwill that their support generates.

Lynne Plambeck, a Santa Clarita environmentalist who ran against Antonovich in March and lost, said that the supervisor's donations "absolutely" bolstered his profile during the race.

"He can give it right before the election, so they put it in their newsletter and everyone knows he gave the money," she said. "It would be better to have that money go through a nonpolitical channel."

Sometimes the public recognition can be substantial. After Yaroslavsky kicked in $1 million in public funds to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, "The Office of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky" was emblazoned on the donor wall along with the names of such wealthy philanthropists as Lillian Disney and Eli Broad.

The supervisors have stuck with the discretionary spending practice even through years of lean county budgets.

In 2002, while the five supervisors had a combined $24 million in their accounts, they made deep cuts in the public health system, closing 16 clinics.

This year, while the supervisors used their discretionary funds for music festivals and swimming pools, they placed a measure on the ballot that asked voters to raise the sales tax to help the county hire more sheriff's deputies. Voters said no.

At the same time, however, the supervisors sometimes dip into their discretionary funds to help county agencies.

Antonovich gave more than $700,000 to the Department of Parks and Recreation, with more than $95,000 going to keep Castaic Lake Recreation Area and the Placerita Canyon Nature Center in Newhall open during last year's budget crunch.

Some other large counties also give politicians money to spend in their districts, but require a vote on each grant. That is the case in San Diego County, where each supervisor is allotted $2 million annually; San Bernardino County, where each supervisor gets $200,000 per year; and Riverside County, where supervisors receive money from development fees.

"None of that money can be spent without a vote of the board in public, so that the public has a chance to say we like it or we don't," said David Wert, a San Bernardino County spokesman.

In Cook County, Ill., the second-largest county after Los Angeles, the 17 commissioners have no discretionary funds.

"In my world, if they want to give money to the Boys & Girls Club, that comes out of their political funds," said county spokeswoman Karen Stansig.

In Los Angeles County, individual supervisors have the first and last word about how the money is spent. The system includes a liberal dose of whimsy and happenstance.

There are no official guidelines for awarding grants, said Marie Martinez, the board's fiscal services chief.

Groups receiving county money must sign a contract agreeing to spend the cash as promised and file a financial report, but in practice the county rarely compels them to produce reports. "Usually what they do is they send a thank-you note to the supervisor," Martinez said.

Yaroslavsky suggested that the supervisors should vote on all discretionary spending, and Burke and Knabe believe large grants should be put to a vote.

"If you're talking about giving a million dollars, there should be a public vote," Burke said. "But there should also be an ability to help out in an emergency, if there is an overriding community need. For some of these things, there is not philanthropic support, and I think we have a responsibility."

Antonovich said the system functions well as it is, and Molina did not return calls seeking comment on discretionary spending.

For politicians whose weekly meetings are often a combative mix of berating bureaucrats for poor performance and enduring condemnation from angry residents, the chance to bestow cash on grateful groups is clearly a refreshing change of pace.

"We spend billions on healthcare and criminal justice in this county, and a county like Los Angeles has to be about more than bureaucratic programs," Yaroslavsky said. "It has to be about raising the quality of life."

Yaroslavsky's smaller donations include $70,000 to renovate a shabby baseball field in Topanga, a hillside community in the Santa Monica Mountains.

"I mean, nothing made me happier than to see county money go to something like that, where kids can go to play ball without having to travel 10 miles," Yaroslavsky said. "That's what government is about."

Many community groups with modest budgets and small staffs support the concept of discretionary government funds.

"There aren't too many places that an organization can go and get money quickly without an extensive application process," said Liz Schiller, development director for Pacoima Beautiful, a nonprofit group that strives to clean up the environment.

But she believes there should be more openness, suggesting that supervisors list their grants on their websites. "Then you could see that you can ask for money too," she said. "And you could see whether they are being evenhanded about giving."

Her organization has not requested discretionary money from Yaroslavsky, who represents Pacoima. Instead, said director Marlene Grossman, Yaroslavsky's staff helped her group obtain a private grant worth more than $200,000.

But with the grant expiring, Grossman was thrilled to learn how much discretionary cash Yaroslavsky had. At the end of the fiscal year in June, the supervisors had $14 million. Yaroslavsky alone had more than $4 million.

"Oh my goodness," Grossman said. "I feel so much better."

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Spending by supervisors

Every year, the five Los Angeles County supervisors each get about $1 million to spend on community groups and projects as they see fit. Here are the largest contributions each supervisor made during the last five years:

Gloria Molina (District 1)

Mexican American cultural center: $7,000,000

City of Baldwin Park, upgrades at Shyre Park: $400,000

Eastlake Juvenile Hall, alcohol and drug program: $370,000

AVANCE parent education program in county schools: $248,187

Rowland Unified School District, Nogales library: 107,350

**

Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (District 2)

Ability First, pool for disabled children and the elderly: $250,000

Sheriff's Department, community policing 2001-02: $224,488

Sheriff's Department, community policing 1999-2000: $186,000

Sheriff's Department, community policing 2000-01: $150,187

Los Angeles Eye Institute: $125,000

Los Angeles Air Force Base Regional Alliance: $125,000

**

Zev Yaroslavsky (District 3)

Van Nuys Civic Center Child Care Center: $2,600,000

Walt Disney Concert Hall: $1,000,000

Santa Monica Courthouse expansion: $930,000

Ford Theater Foundation: $250,000

Topanga Community Club ball field: $70,000

**

Don Knabe (District 4)

Parks and Recreation, 2001-02 junior golf program: $135,000

Parks and Recreation, 2002-03 junior golf program: $135,000

Little Company of Mary Hospital Foundation, anti-violence programs: $100,000

Los Angeles Air Force Base Regional Alliance: $100,000

Children's Dental Health Clinic, mobile unit: $100,000

**

Mike Antonovich (District 5)

Parks and Recreation, 2004 Family Music Festival: $140,638

Parks and Recreation, 2003 Family Music Festival: $100,000

Parks and Recreation, 2002 Family Music Festival: $100,000

Glendale Police Department, two officers for schools: $80,000

Parks and Recreation, 2001 Family Music Festival: 75,000

Source: Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors