Spotted: Gnorbert the Gnerdy Gnome

 

I had never heard of "Gnobert the Gnerdy Gnome" until I passed this house on a walk during the holidays.

As spotted on one of our extemded walks: One house fully decorated for Christmas, and that included a wonderland of gnomes.

Google-y Eyed Cactus Take Over the Neighborhood

Several cactus plants on my daily walk have sprouted eyes, and I'm here for it. During the pandemic, we take what we can.

Our Neighborhood's Show of Support for Black Lives Matter

Every evening we walk through our neighborhood, and over the past few weeks it's been heartening to see so many signs of support for Black Lives Matter and making the country a better place. Just some of the signs:

Glassell Park's Magical Poop Icon

I feel like we've seen a lot of "pick up your dog's poop" signs in recent years, as people get (rightfully) fed up with lazy neighbors with no thought to pick up after their pooch. But none of those signs are as enjoyable as Glassell Park's.

Neighborhood Scenes From a Pandemic

Spotted around our neighborhood: Messages of encouragement and of truth. And then there's us, in our new masks (made by Maria!).

"Law & Order: Los Angeles" Tackles Los Angeles' Neighborhoods

"Law & Order" heads to Los Angeles starting tonight, with the launch of NBC's "Law & Order: Los Angeles."

"LOLA," as the show has been nicknamed, airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. (at least for now) in the slot once held by the original "Law & Order." This new edition promises to follow the traditional "Law & Order" format -- but utilizing L.A. locations and ripped-from-the-headlines stories.

"Law & Order: Los Angeles" is so taken by its surroundings that each episode of season one will be named after an L.A. neighborhood. So far, episodes have been titled "Hollywood," "Echo Park," "Sylmar" and "Harbor City" (that one takes place in San Pedro and Palos Verdes).

Former L.A. blogger LA City Nerd (come back, Nerd!) once counted as many as 180 L.A. neighborhoods, as designated by those blue signs throughout the city. That should keep "LOLA" busy for quite a while.

(I do love that whenever another cop show sets up shop in Los Angeles -- think "Southland" -- the producers think they're the first to showcase the lesser-known parts of L.A.)

Curbside Extortion, Part 2

Yesterday, I told you about the budding extortionist/entrepreneurs who left a note on our mailbox, informing us that our curbside address would be painted unless WE left a note on the curb telling them not to. Oh, and they'd come by demanding $15 afterward.

Here's yet another sneaky wrinkle: They left the note on Tuesday night, but we only discovered the note yesterday afternoon. Turns out the guys had already painted the address at that point.

So sure enough, a guy with a clipboard came by the house on Wednesday night, asking for his $15. I came outside and told him I wasn't interested, and that I had not asked for the address to be painted. He told me I should have left the note on the curb; I told him I wasn't given time to do so. He pointed out that the note said the curb would be painted within "1 to 5 days," and it just so happens that, in this case, it was in "1 day."

I told him I wasn't gonna pay him. He moved on. Now, of course, I'm wondering if these curb painter guys have retaliation in mind... or if they get a lot of irate homeowners refusing to pay. (I'm also waiting to see if, in a few days, someone comes along and paints over the curbside address.) What would you do?

Curbside Extortion

Every once in a while some budding entrepreneur attempts to make some cash in our neighborhood by painting curb address numbers. Sometimes they're sneaky and make it sound like they're part of a city team doing it... but usually they get permission before painting the numbers. (And usually, by the way, the workmanship is shoddy at best.)

Today, we got a notice from someone who's putting the onus on US, the homeowner, to stop them from painting. Check out this note, found taped on our door:

We ask only that you consider a $15 contribution, or what is most comfortable for your budget. After work is completed, we will stop by to pick up your contribution, should you be kind enough. If you do not wish to have your curb painted, please tape this notice to your curb and it will not be painted. (Tape on flyer might not be enough, duct tape is best) We paint 4 inch numbers and work will begin in 1 to 5 days.

Lemme get this straight: If I don't want my number painted, and don't wanna cough up $15 for your work, it's up to me to make sure this flyer is taped on my curb, with the hope that it doesn't float away? And if it does, I'm gonna have to pay you scam artists? That's not right.

Meanwhile, the Atwater Village Newbie notes that the L.A. Bureau of Street Services is trying to catch some of these guys in the act:

According to Senior Inspector Rodney Lucas, the only organization allowed to paint the curbs in LA is Care for the Children ...

If you received one of these notices and you see these individuals painting in your neighborhood, please call Sr. Inspector Lucas at 213-847-6000.

If your curbs were already painted and these individuals knock on your door requesting their 'donation,' you can refuse to pay them and call the police. It's highly unlikely that this organization is a non profit and your 'donation' will actually be payment for services and not tax deductible.

Of course, just like refusing candy to teenage trick-or-treaters on Halloween, I'm guessing that you may run into trouble if you refuse to pay these guys. That's where the extortion comes in.

UPDATE: Check out Curbside Extortion, Part 2 for the second half of this saga.

L.A. Times Unveils Its Los Angeles Map, Braces for Deluge of Response

There are few subjects more controversial to Angelenos than how they describe their neighborhoods. The debate over where the "Westside" and "Eastside" are has been waged for years. And neighborhood boundaries are hotly contested, particularly when it comes time to sell your house or compute property values.

After years of getting grief over using conflicting neighborhood names, the Los Angeles Times is trying harder to get it right. The paper just unveiled its Mapping L.A. initiative, an evolving map of Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Bob Pool writes about the map:

Years in the making, it is designed to be a tool that will allow reporters and editors to be consistent when describing neighborhoods in news stories in a city that sometimes seems to change the names like most people change socks.

Dorothy Parker famously said Los Angeles was "72 suburbs in search of a city," so it's not surprising that residents take their neighborhood names so seriously. Those designations are part tradition and history -- but also part economic and political. Many residents see big differences in property value if you live in tony Hancock Park as opposed to more working-class Mid-City.

In the Valley, there's a grand tradition of seceding from traditional neighborhoods. Parts of gritty Van Nuys have become Valley Glen and Lake Balboa, while a portion of Canoga Park re-christened itself West Hills...

Fortunately, those who disagree with the map have a chance to persuade the newspaper's mapmakers to reconsider. Readers can use the interactive website to redraw any section of the map they feel is incorrect and submit the alteration for editors' consideration. And editors may be busy.

The L.A. Times map doesn't get into hyper-specific neighborhoods -- although you could argue that it needs to include more, such as Little Tokyo.

The city of Los Angeles currently recognizes 172 communities, at least according to the late, lamented L.A. City Nerd. (The Nerd's campaign to photograph every L.A. neighborhood sign lives on, via Flickr.)

LAist also recently embarked on a project to designate L.A. neighborhoods.

Bringing More Park Space Comes to Los Angeles -- Well, For a Day

Check out this map to find out where today parking spaces have been miraculously turned into a small green oasis.

It's all a part of Park(ing) Day LA, in which metered parking spaces are turned into temporary, mega-mini public parks.

Idea was first launched in San Francisco in 2005, and has now spread to several cities, including L.A.

The organizers write:

Los Angeles has fewer parks and vibrant public spaces than other large cities. L.A.'s public spaces have increasingly become dedicated to and degraded by large volumes of vehicular traffic. Park(ing) Day raises awareness about the need for community-oriented and recreational spaces such as parks, while promoting dialogue around creative alternatives to current uses of urban public space. Park(ing) Day L.A. is a call to action for all who seek to improve quality of life in our urban centers and are concerned about the disparities between public space allocated for parking cars and space made available for parks and other community infrastructure such as playgrounds and gardens.

The parking space parks will vary: "Some parks will be as simple as a layer of sod or artificial turf, a bench or two, and a few potted trees and shrubs. Other parks are being elaborately designed by professional architects and landscape architects."

A Park(ing) Day LA After-Party will then be held later today, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at 610 S. Ardmore (in the Public Counsel Parking Lot).

I'm almost embarrassed to say that in our Glendale 'hood, we've got not one, but two parks opening near us in the coming weeks.

Where Are the Signs in Your Neighborhood?

The LA City Nerd put out a call to action last week, asking readers to take pictures of their Los Angeles neighborhood signs.

The Nerd started a Flickr group to compile the pics and forge a photographic record of all 178 signs -- something that the city doesn't even have, the Nerd notes. (Here's a list of all 178 neighborhoods that currently have a sign.)

I was proud of my Garvanza sign (above) -- but someone had already posted it to the site. Oh well. (Garvanza is a modest neighbohood next to Highland Park in NE Los Angeles).