Tag: Safety

May 11, 2015: Nury Martinez and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck

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Unsafe Intersection: Columbus and Victory.

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Victory and Columbus: Unlit

Gilmore and Columbus: Lit.

The corner of Columbus and Victory, on the north side of Victory, is one which has a constant stream of both traffic and pedestrians. But at night, the unlit intersection is a dangerous place, where cars turning north onto Columbus often narrowly miss nighttime bicyclists and people walking in the dark.

A few years ago, I contacted the City of LA about this, and was told, ridiculously, that a petition would need to be signed by area residents to request a street lamp at the busy corner. Yet, just north on Columbus, at Gilmore, Roya, Hamlin, Haynes, Kittridge and Vanowen, all are magically illuminated.

Many people walk at night in this area. And to keep them in the dark is to invite death or injury.

Reporting Housing Code Violations in Los Angeles

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One great tool, that the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Building and Safety provide, is an online form that can be used to report housing code violations.

Some of the quality of life problems that plague this city are actually reportable violations. These include those garage sales that go on 52 weekends a year at the same address; inoperable vehicles stored on a front lawn; nuisance structures that are boarded up and abandoned; empty lots with overgrown weeds; illegal dumping; illegal signs; etc.

Here are some additional categories that practically encompass the definition of what it means to live in the city of Los Angeles:

  • ADULT ENTERTAINMENT (CLUBS, CABERETS, BOOK AND VIDEO STORES) IN AN UNAPPROVED AREA.
  • AUTO REPAIR (MAJOR) IN A RESIDENTIAL ZONE.
  • BLOCKED OR NONEXISTENT EXITS, PASSAGEWAYS, YARDS OR WINDOWS.
  • COMMERCIAL AUTO REPAIR ESTABLISHMENTS IN VIOLATION.
  • COMMERCIAL JUNK YARD (INCLUDING AUTO DISMANTLING) IN VIOLATION.
  • COMPLETED UNAPPROVED CONSTRUCTION (WITHOUT PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS).
  • EXCESSIVE VEGETATION: DRY WEEDS, UNTRIMMED TREES, ETC.
  • GARAGE CONVERSION INTO A DWELLING OR STORAGE WITHOUT APPROVALS.
  • GENERAL BUILDING MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS IE; BROKEN WINDOWS ETC.
  • GRAFFITI VISIBLE FROM THE PUBLIC WAY.
  • HOME OCCUPATION (BUSINESS OPERATED FROM A DWELLING UNIT).
  • VIOLATIONS PERTAINING TO HOTELS AND/OR MOTELS.
  • INADEQUATE PARKING SPACES.
  • MISCELLANEOUS COMPLAINTS THAT ARE NOT OTHERWISE CATEGORIZED.
  • NOISY FIXED EQUIPMENT IE: POOL EQUIPMENT, AIR CONDITIONERS ETC.
  • OFF SITE ADVERTIZING (BILLBOARDS) WITHOUT THE REQUIRED PERMITS.
  • ON-SITE ADVERTISING EXCESSIVE SIGNAGE ADVERTISING GOODS OR SERVICES AVAILABLE ON SITE.
  • OPEN EXCAVATIONS, PITS AND OTHER HAZARDS.
  • OPEN STORAGE (STORAGE OF ITEMS OUTDOORS) IE; CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.
  • OVER HEIGHT FENCES IN THE REQUIRED YARDS.
  • PACK RAT CONDITIONS.
  • PARKING IN THE REQUIRED FRONT YARD OTHER THAN ON THE DRIVEWAY.
  • POOL CLARITY AND OTHER POOL MAINTENANCE ITEMS.
  • POOL ENCLOSURE NON EXISTANT, IN NEED OF REPAIR, OPEN GATES, ETC;
  • PROPERTY NEEDS PAINT OR WEATHER PROOFING.
  • RECYCLING CENTERS OPERATING IN UNAPPROVED LOCATIONS OR AFTER HOURS.
  • SECURITY BARS PREVENTING REQUIRED EGRESS.
  • STORAGE OF INOPERATIVE VEHICLE(S) ON PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY.
  • STRUCTURAL HAZARD; IE. FAILING SUPPORT OR RESTRAINING SYSTEMS.
  • TENNIS COURT LIGHTS, FLOOD LIGHTS, ETC.
  • TRASH AND DEBRIS ACCUMULATION.
  • UNAPPROVED ALTERATION IN A HISTORICAL PRESERVATION OVERLAY ZONE.
  • UNAPPROVED CONSTRUCTION IN PROGRESS.
  • UNAPPROVED USE OR OCCUPANCY.
  • VACANT BUILDING OPEN TO UNAUTHORIZED USE.
  • VACANT LOT WITH TRASH AND DEBRIS.
  • VIOLATIONS NOT OBSERVABLE FROM 7:00AM TO 3:30PM MON.-FRI.
  • YARD SALES NOT MEETING ACCESSORY USE AS DEFINED IN SEC. 12.03 L.A.M.C.
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    Killer Texts

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    Mad Men’s Don Draper and Suzanne Farrell
    Photo courtesy of AMC

    A story in the NY Times today reports that British courts sentenced a young woman to prison for texting while driving, an act that unintentionally caused the death of another young woman, whose car had broken down by the side of the road.

    Driving in Los Angeles, I am acutely aware of how many drivers continue to talk on hand-held phones and may also be texting. On the freeway, I estimate about 1 out of 2 are talking.

    Dazed and Confused on Magnolia

    The other day, I was driving west on Magnolia near Van Nuys Boulevard. A woman in an SUV, with a car full of dogs, was plodding along in the right lane, at about 20 MPH. As I passed her, I could see she was texting.

    When my car reached the red light at Van Nuys Boulevard, I tried a little experiment with the SUV texting woman behind me.

    I did not accelerate when the light turned green. She was right behind me, and completely absorbed in her texting. In my rear view mirror, I watched as this utterly self-absorbed driver did not honk or care that the light had turned green. Her only reference as to whether it was time to accelerate was my bumper. She had no compelling need to drive, because she was texting.

    For years, I have wondered why the LAPD allows drivers to speed through red lights. The only intersection where the law is enforced is at Van Nuys Boulevard and Burbank, and the mustached motorcycle cop who writes tickets here, at the least crowded time of day, has an easy job, pulling over motorists who make a right turn on red without stopping. (I was one of these last year). It is an easy way to boost revenue. But in terms of danger, it does not measure up with the 60 MPH red light runners who run through Chandler at Woodman.

    I’m still waiting for the real enforcement of the motoring laws. We all drive in safer cars these days, but in terms of our safety, it is as dangerous on the roads now as it was when a gin soaked Don Draper got into his ’62 Cadillac and headed up the Taconic State Parkway.