From the time it was established in 1911, Van Nuys was connected to the rest of greater Los Angeles by the Pacific Electric Streetcars that ran up and down Van Nuys Boulevard and traversed Chandler Blvd. to connect to North Hollywood.
The entire apparatus of light rail cars was dismantled by the late 1950s, and Van Nuys was wiped clean of these in 1956. Before the streetcars were taken out, Van Nuys had a thriving business district with diagonal parking, many vibrant stores, clean streets and a congenial sense of optimism and orderliness.
Van Nuys Circa 1945
On September 20, 1951, five years before their demise, an unlucky mother and son were involved in a collision with their car and one of the streetcars. It seems both mother and son survived.
Photos are from the USC Archives. Here is their original text:
“Pacific Electric versus auto (Van Nuys Boulevard and Hatteras Street, Van Nuys), 20 September 1951. Jimmy Quigley; Ann Quigley (mother); E.T. Ophus (motorman).; Caption slip reads: “Photographer: Glickman. Date: 1951-09-20. Reporter: Glickman. Assignment: Pacific Electric versus auto. Van Nuys Boulevard and Hatteras Street, Van Nuys. Passersby comfort Jimmy Quigley as his mother, Ann stands along side of him (in torn skirt). Motorman in picture is E.T. Ophus, who piloted Pacific Electric that hit Quigley’s car”.”
2018 fire in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, Lake Balboa, CA.
Project 2028: The Olympic Games in Los Angeles
“In its biggest decision on homelessness in decades, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping and camping in public places. The justices, in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, overturned lower court rulings that deemed it cruel and unusual under the Eighth Amendment to punish people for sleeping outside if they had nowhere else to go.”- NPR June 28, 2004
Mayor Karen Bass immediately criticized the Supreme Court decision and said Los Angeles will not “go backwards” [slogan of the campaign] in arresting vagrants. Nearly $1 billion dollars is allocated for citywide homeless reduction programs.
On August 11, 2024 the city of Paris officially handed off the Olympics to the next host city, Los Angeles, CA which will have the honor in 2028.
Along one area of Hollywood Boulevard, sidewalks which had dozens of homeless tents in early August were suddenly cleared of all tents on August 11, 2024.
The solution for homelessness in Los Angeles must be tied to the Olympics. We must find a way to host the Olympics every four years for the next two hundred years.
A few times a week, homeless encampment fires burn in the Sepulveda Basin near the area of the 405 Freeway, Burbank, Woodley and Victory Blvds.
In 2028, some Olympic events will be held in the ravaged, trash filled park. (cough, cough).
Here is a report excerpted from the Los Angeles Fire Department:
CONTAINED – Grass Fire; INC#0254; 07:00AM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; 20 LAFD ground-based Firefighters took less than three hours to fully contain the fire to twenty (20 ) acres of light grass north of Burbank Boulevard and west of the San Diego (I-405) Freeway. No infra/structure damage. No injury. Fire cause under investigation. ; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 E288 E39 E88 RA39 T88 WT88; CH8; 17; Brian Humphrey
Update #BurbankFire Brush Fire; INC#0826; 02:35PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; 69 LAFD Firefighters have stopped all forward progress of the fire via largely defensive firefighting operations by ground and air, with the fire held at 75 (Seventy-Five) acres of vegetation northwest of the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Woodley Avenue in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. No infra/structure damage. No injuries. #LATraffic: All traffic lanes (northbound and southbound) on Woodley Avenue between Burbank Boulevard and Victory Boulevard will remain closed until LAFD operations are complete. Unknown ETO. Travelers, please avoid the area by use of an alternate route.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 CE59 CM40 CM42 DZ41 DZ45 E100 E105 E239 E288 E290 E39 E73 E83 E88 E90 EM14 H0D H3 H4 H5 H6 HA3 HA4 HA5 HA6 HE2 RA39 T39 T88 T90 WT88; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
Brush Fire; INC#0826; 12:50PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; PRELIM: LAFD ground and air response to currently five (5) acres of vegetation burning near the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Woodley Avenue in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. Slow rate of spread. No current infra/structure threat. As a precaution, the ‘Apollo 11 Model Aircraft Field’ was calmly evacuated. No injuries reported. #LATraffic: Closure of all traffic lanes (northbound and southbound) on Woodley Avenue between Burbank Boulevard and Victory Boulevard until LAFD operations are complete. Unknown ETO. Travelers, expect congestion and use an alternate route; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 BC14 E100 E239 E288 E290 E39 E83 E88 E90 EM14 H3 H5 H6 HA3 HA5 HA6 RA39 T39 T88 T90 WT88 + Park Rangers.; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
CONTAINED Grass Fire; INC#0779; 12:54PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; It took 34 firefighters just over an hour to extinguish the three-acre grass fire using hand tools, hose lines, LAFD Dozers, and water tender. No reported injuries. Cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 CE84 DZ45 E100 E288 E39 E83 E88 HE1 HE5 RA100 T88 WT88; CH8; 18; Nicholas Prange
Grass Fire; INC#0779; 11:47AM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; Firefighters are on scene of a grass fire, approximately two acres in size.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 DZ45 E100 E288 E39 E83 E88 HE1 HE5 RA100 T88 WT88; CH8; 18; Nicholas Prange
CONTAINED Brush Fire; INC#1688; 10:00PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; Firefighters made a quick direct attack on the vegetation fire, and snuffed it out at approximately one acre (updated estimate after the flames were out). It took 24 firefighters approximately 25 minutes to extinguish the flames. No reported injuries. Cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 E100 E239 E288 E290 E39 E7 E81 E83 E90 EM14 H0B H0F H3 H4 H5 HA3 HA4 HA5 RA39 T39 T88 T90 WT88; CH8; 18; Nicholas Prange
Grass Fire – Contained; INC#1847; 11:16PM; 5600 N Woodley Av; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; Firefighters have successfully surrounded and extinguished approximately two acres of brush in the Sepulveda Basin. Originally burning as two separate small fires, careful coordination allowed them to merge before crews flanked and extinguished all remaining flames; several fire companies remain at the scene to address hot spots and ensure no further threat remains. No injuries, cause is under investigation. Nothing further.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 E288 E39 E88 E90 H6 HA6 RA88 T88 WT88; CH8; 17; Lyndsey Lantz
Fully Contained – Brush Fire; INC#1388; 07:45PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; This wildland blaze, known as the “Burbank Fire”, has been fully contained at 2 1/4 (2.25) acres. All LAFD helicopters have been released, and ground-based LAFD operations will continue tonight to monitor and fully extinguish any active flame within the perimeter. There has been no infra/structure damage, no evacuation and no injuries. Closure of all traffic lanes (eastbound and westbound) Burbank Boulevard between Woodley Avenue and the 405 Freeway will continue tonight until LAFD operations are complete. Unknown ETO. Travelers are asked to continue to avoid the area, expect congestion and consider an alternate route. The specific cause of the fire has yet to be determined.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 CE83 DZ45 E100 E288 E290 E39 E83 E88 E90 EM17 H3 H4 H6 HA3 HA4 HA6 HE5 RA100 RA83 RA88 T88 T90 WT88; CH8; 17; Brian Humphrey
Update Contained – Brush Fire; INC#1388; 07:20PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; A series of precise LAFD helicopter water drops have contained the perimeter of the (yet to be determined size) blaze in thick underbrush of the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, south of the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Woodley Avenue. 32 LAFD Firefighters will continue their largely defensive ground-based operations tonight to fully extinguish all active flame within the perimeter. There has been no infra/structure damage, no evacuation and no injuries reported. Closure of all traffic lanes (eastbound and westbound) Burbank Boulevard between Woodley Avenue and the 405 Freeway will continue tonight until LAFD operations are complete. Unknown ETO. Travelers are asked to avoid the area, expect congestion and consider an alternate route. An investigation into the specific cause of the fire will commence upon full fire extinguishment.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 CE83 E100 E288 E290 E39 E83 E88 E90 EM17 H3 H4 H6 HA3 HA4 HA6 RA100 RA83 RA88 T88 T90 WT88; CH8; 17; Brian Humphrey
Brush Fire; INC#1388; 05:44PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3RG8PQg; #SepulvedaBasin; PRELIM: LAFD ground and air response in largely defensive operations to less than one (1) acre of grass burning on the southeast corner of Burbank Boulevard and Woodley Avenue in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. Moderate rate of spread with light winds at 10-15 MPH out of the southwest. No current infra/structure threat. No evacuation. No injuries reported. Closure of all traffic lanes (eastbound and westbound) on Burbank Boulevard between Woodley Avenue and the 405 Freeway until LAFD operations are complete. Unknown ETO. Travelers, expect congestion and consider an alternate route.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 CE83 E100 E288 E290 E39 E83 E88 E90 EM17 H3 H4 H6 HA3 HA4 HA6 RA83 T88 T90 WT88; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
CONTAINED Brush Fire; INC#1074; 04:51PM; 6100 N Woodley Av; https://bit.ly/3JmOXNT; #SepulvedaBasin; Firefighters responded to the archery range, where a two-acre brush fire burned nearby, stoked by sustained winds. Employees and patrons of the archery range were evacuated temporarily while firefighters went to work to contain the flames. Ultimately, it took 41 firefighters an hour and 19 minutes to contain the vegetation fire to approximately two acres, which consumed grass, brush, and trees. Evacuation has been lifted. No reported injuries. Cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 CM40 CM42 E100 E288 E290 E39 E81 E83 E88 E90 EM14 EM17 H0B H0C H3 H4 H7 HA3 HA4 HA7 RA88 T88 T90 UR88 WT88; CH8; 17; Nicholas Prange
Grass Fire; INC#1074; 03:32PM; 6100 N Woodley Av; https://bit.ly/3JmOXNT; #SepulvedaBasin; Approximately two acres of grass burning with 10 mph winds (gusts 20-30 mph) moving to the southeast (near the archery range).; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 CM40 CM42 E288 E39 E83 E88 T88; CH8; 17; Nicholas Prange
CONTAINED Grass Fire; INC#0499; 10:11AM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3aPmUFx; #SepulvedaBasin; Thirty-two LAFD firefighters (by ground only), plus LAFD Crew 3-A volunteer hand crew, anchored the fire and advanced hose lines around both flanks, while allowing the dam to be a fire break to stop the head of the fire. It took 57 minutes to stop all forward progress, limiting the burned area to two acres. Crews will remain on scene to ensure there are no hot spots or smoldering material remaining in the fire’s footprint. No structures damaged. No reported injuries. Cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 CW3A DT1 DZ45 E288 E39 E8138 E83 E88 HE1 T88 WT88; CH8; 17; Nicholas Prange
CONTAINED Brush Fire; INC#0749; 10:59AM; 6300 N Balboa Bl; https://bit.ly/3tgQyeW; #SepulvedaBasin; Crews held the fire to approximately one-eighth of an acre in less than 30 minutes. No structures damaged. No reported injuries.; FS 100; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC15 BC17 BP99 CM20 CM22 CM40 CM42 E100 E239 E273 E290 E39 E64 E66 E73 E83 E88 E90 E94 EM15 H0B H0C H1 H3 H4 H7 HA1 HA3 HA4 HA7 RA100 SO1 T39 T73 T90 WT88; CH8; 17; Nicholas Prange
Brush Fire; INC#0749; 10:34AM; 6300 N Balboa Bl; https://bit.ly/3tgQyeW; #SepulvedaBasin; Small vegetation fire (approximately 50′ x 100′), slow moving, in the Lake Balboa Park area with no structures threatened. Crews are making good progress, getting hose lines around it, and do not anticipate further spread. ; FS 100; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC15 BC17 BP99 CM20 CM22 CM40 CM42 E100 E239 E273 E290 E39 E64 E66 E73 E83 E88 E90 E94 EM15 H0B H0C H1 H3 H4 H7 HA1 HA3 HA4 HA7 RA100 T39 T73 T90 WT88; CH5; 17; Nicholas Prange
Grass Fire – Contained; INC#1561; 06:40PM; 6066 N Woodley Av; https://bit.ly/3JmOXNT; #SepulvedaBasin; 26 ground based LAFD Firefighters contained the fire to two (2) acres of grass and vegetation (7:06 PM) . No structures. No injury. Crews will remain at scene for at least two hours to complete mop up. Fire cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 E100 E288 E83 E88 E90 RA83 RA88 T88 WT88; CH8; 13; Brian Humphrey
Knockdown – Brush Fire; INC#1297; 06:04PM; 5600 N Woodley Av; https://bit.ly/3JTkDLa; #SepulvedaBasin; Despite hot weather and a steady 7 mph wind from the south, a well-coordinated LAFD ground and air response with the assistance of Park Rangers, held flames to three (3) acres of grass and brush on the west side of Woodley Avenue north of Burbank Boulevard. No injury. No structures. Fire cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 E100 E239 E288 E290 E39 E81 E83 E88 E90 EM14 H2 H4 H7 HA2 HA4 HA7 RA88 RA90 T39 T88 T90 WT88 + Park Rangers; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
Brush Fire; INC#1297; 05:15PM; 5600 N Woodley Av; https://bit.ly/3JTkDLa; #SepulvedaBasin; PRELIM: LAFD ground and air response to a grass fire extending into brush on the west side of Woodley Avenue north of Burbank Boulevard. No structure threat.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; AO1 AO2 BC10 BC14 E100 E239 E288 E290 E39 E81 E83 E88 E90 EM14 H2 H4 H7 HA2 HA4 HA7 RA88 RA90 T39 T88 T90 WT88; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
Contained – Brush Fire; INC#1311; 07:18PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3aPmUFx; #SepulvedaBasin; Thanks to precise water drops from a pair of quickly arriving LAFD helicopters, forward progress of the fire/s has been stopped in just 50 minutes. The 40 ground-based LAFD firefighters are finalizing control of the perimeter of the blaze with hand tools and hose lines. No final acreage estimate is available. No injury. No structures damaged. Fire cause under investigation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 BC14 E100 E109 E239 E288 E290 E81 E88 E90 E99 EM14 H1 H2 HA1 HA2 RA83 T39 T88 T90 WT88; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
Brush Fire; INC#1311; 06:28PM; 15700 W Burbank Bl; https://bit.ly/3aPmUFx; #SepulvedaBasin; PRELIM: LAFD ground and air response to several spot fires in volatile light-to-medium density brush south of Burbank Boulevard. No road closure. No structure threat. No evacuation.; FS 88; Batt 10; Valley Bureau; Council District 6; BC10 BC14 E100 E109 E239 E288 E290 E81 E88 E90 E99 EM14 H1 H2 HA1 HA2 RA83 T39 T88 T90 WT88; CH5; 17; Brian Humphrey
On Monday, October 3, 2016 I went for a midday walk around the Van Nuys Civic Center.
I carried my Fujifilm XE-2 with a wide angle 16mm lens.
I was just documenting the surroundings, a habit of mine.
The photographs are in black and white, the buildings are stark, the plazas empty, the sun and shadows stark, clear and sharp.
That was the autumn when Mr. Trump was running against Mrs. Clinton.
Cue the ominous music.
These are the buildings and the places where the people who hold authority, work overseeing or not overseeing our governance. The police, the council person and her minions, the regulators of health, safety, zoning; the judiciary who rule upon us and judge whether we are lawbreakers or innocents; they are all found in these blank, lifeless blocks of flat roofed offices.
All around there is parking, more than enough parking for people who no longer need to work here. Many of the multi-story concrete structures were empty in 2016, now they are even emptier. The post office is closed. The James C Corman Federal Building is empty. The library is always closed, though I don’t know if it is officially closed, perhaps a judge will issue an order on the legal status of the library.
Nearby, depending on the hour or the day, there will appear tents, shopping carts of trash, improvised portable slums. Now they are up on the Orange Line at Kester. They are taken down, cleared away, and then grow up somewhere else, in the park, on the sidewalk, next door to your home.
The Civic Center seen up close is a place of repressive, mute, inhuman architecture, a conglomeration of concrete, strips of windows, grandly monotonous. It is a bitter irony that hundreds of millions of dollars built these edifices only to have no humanizing or civilizing effect upon the lives of the citizens of Van Nuys.
From these structures, we are sent motorized birds to fly overhead at all hours, patronized by politicians spouting identarian nonsense, paying homage to the oppressed while doing all the oppression by doing nothing. Secret recordings of one of the elected leaders who once reigned over us, Former Councilwoman #6 Nury Martinez, revealed her low-class judgment, predicated on ethnic power trading. No wonder nobody of any ethnicity can build housing, keep the streets safe, clean up the garbage, the illegal dumping or stop the cars that speed six at a time through red lights.
In all these buildings surely there must be an architectural dreamer who can summon the wealthiest Angelenos as Mr. Biden did last week. Invites should go out to those who have access to power and money: Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston, and Rick Caruso. Chauffeur them 20 minutes, from Bel Air to Van Nuys. Here they can announce a grand scheme to reconstruct a civil, humane community of affordable apartments and lively shops, restaurants and parks to replace the gulag of grossness we now have in the heart of this district.
But this is just fantasy. Who ever heard of a celebrity with friends caring about the conditions of her city? It’s almost as unimaginable as UCLA and USC students protesting against homelessness, violence and poverty in the city of Los Angeles.
From USC Archives is this sad photograph, dated October 30, 1951, showing Van Nuys firemen over the dead body of T.E. Commings, who had earlier hung himself from garage rafters.
American newspapers back then showed flash lit photographs of crime and tragedy, usually with names and addresses of victims. “Mrs. Robert Crane, 34, of 114 Maple Street, was arrested by Officer Casey at the corner of Main and Toro where she had just run a red light. She was later tested and found intoxicated and booked at the Witsend Police Station.”
Though we erroneously imagine that we live in an unparalleled time of explicit violence, coarse language and animalistic barbarism, available to see in the palm of our hands, the 1950s had explicit examples of the worst of the humanity.
The difference is that Americans 73 years ago thought that there were normal, law abiding people who lived to pay taxes, marry, attend church, vote in elections, buy homes, cheer for ball players, and who knew right from wrong.
Popular morality was codified and distributed in films, written in stone on the bases of statues, and inscribed in history books that taught our history as a glorious march of freedom envied by the world.
The obscure ones who failed, who died by their own hands, or screwed up their lives in crime, they had one brief moment of infamy in the news and were quickly forgotten except by those who still loved them. To dwell on them would have been an indictment of the American experiment.
Yesterday, after eating lunch at Myung Dong Noodle House on Wilshire, we got into our car and drove south on Irolo St. and went east, along West 8th Street, for about two and a half miles.
Words cannot produce images that could equal the utter filthiness, horror, inhumanity and decay of the street. There were 10 foot high piles of garbage in alleys, people sleeping on sidewalks and bus benches. Shopping carts of trash in front of every store. Lost men and women, high, drunk, dirty, forgotten, mixed in with others who were not. And sidewalks full of new arrivals in the city, walking, working, eating; selling clothes on blankets or food from carts; pushing kids in strollers; striving to get by and survive in one of the most unpleasant and dystopian cities in the Western world.
As the road curved into the underpass that runs under the 110 freeway, dozens of people were living in encampments on each side of the street. A Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel glass tower loomed in the nearby downtown. Was this a joke?
It seemed that God had taken a leave of absence and left Satan in charge.
This is Los Angeles. This is California. This is the United States of America. In 2024.
What kind of government that is even half-awake, half-sentient and semi-moral allows an entire city to fall into a condition that might only exist in a place of war or extreme impoverishment?
There’s a baseline of governance. You keep the streets clean. You try and employ a sense of order and reason to public activities to ensure that life is reasonable, safe and decent.
You don’t allow chaos to reign knowing that revolution will surely follow.
In the depths of the Great Depression, in the 1930s, when 25% of this country was out of work, Los Angeles, west of downtown, the same place we drove in yesterday, looked like this:
Photograph of West 9th Street and South Hobart Boulevard intersection, Los Angeles, CA, 1931. “S. Hobart [ilg]” — intersection signage.
Photograph of intersection of West 8th Street and South Carondelet Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1932. “[ilg] Market” — signage on building. “[South] Ca[ronde]let St[reet]” — on street sign.
Photograph of the intersection of West 9th Street and South Berendo Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1940. “[ilg]feway; M[a]rgy’s” — signage on buildings. “S. Berendo St., 900 Blk.” — on street sign. “7C 54 10” — on license plate.
Photograph of intersection of West 6th Street and South Hobart Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 1932. “safety first” — on road.
Photograph of intersection, West 6th Street & South Grand View Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1933.
Photograph of intersection of West 8th Street and South Carondelet Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1932. “7V 29 81” — on license plate. “Stop, Auto Club of So[uthern] Cal[ifornia]” — on street sign. “Slow” — on street.
Photograph of Union Oil service station, West Eighth Street and South Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 1933. “Washington B[ui]ld[in]g” — on billboard. ” ‘Stop Wear’, lubrication service, using union friction-pr[ilg] lubricants exclusively; Station no. 956; Stop your motor, no smoking; Union Co[mpany], 17 ¢ gasoline” — on signage. “Union Service Stations Inc[orporated]; – Wear, [ilg]ation service, batteries” — on station front. “Unoco gasoline, 4 tax; Union 76, 4 tax” — on gas pumps.
Photograph of building on northwest corner of West 8th Street and South Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 1931. “Beverly Arms; Manhattan Market P[hon]e F15617, Challenge Butter, [ilg] Milk; Beauty Parler; [ilg] Bottle Supply Co.; Hand Laundry” — singage on building. “Asable[ilg]; Shasta, [ilg]; Western [ilg]; Drugs” — street level signage on building. “[S]tandard Oil Products; [ilg] Atlas [ilg]; No Smoking, Stop Your Motor; Standard Gasoline” — signage at station. “Keep Your Eye on Chevrolet; Arrow Hits The S[ilg], Sandwich[ilg]” — signage in background. “Stop” — signage along street.
Credit: USC Archives/ Dick Whittington Collection.
Tragically, or amusingly, this once pristine office tower and adjoining asphalt parking lot was the subject of Ed Ruscha’s art. He made aerial photographs in 1967 that today sell for tens of thousands of dollars. In 2014, the photograph below was on sale for $8,500.
It’s a characteristic of LA that money and fame are the only values that matter. The reality of the human condition of this city, even when it exists in poverty, despair, violence and suffering, cannot move our public officials to action.
7101 Sepulveda
The condition of this crime infested, unsanitary, disgusting property is appalling, but it typifies the dysfunction and deafness of the city of Los Angeles which does not respond to anything affecting common folks who have to live, work and walk past two decades of unattended to blight.
Here in Van Nuys 
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