New HNA Website!
By Bill Scheding
Our
new website is:
http://www.HilltopBeacon.com/
and it was created to keep you informed of
meetings, news, and emergency preparedness.
One main feature is the Early Notification System
(or ENS). The ENS is used by the Hilltop Neighbors Association (HNA) to
communicate with our stakeholders.
Nobody wants SPAM or junk mail, so we send very
few emails. If you sign up for the HNA ENS you won't get SPAM from us, you
will receive information from the Hilltop Board and we will NEVER give out your
email address without your prior written permission. You can easily unsubscribe
whenever you want.
If you start getting two copies of an email, don't
get mad, as we will be in transition for a short while. Just let us know at HilltopNeighbors@HilltopBeacon.com
and we will clear it right up.
If you ever have a question, send an email to HilltopNeighbors@HilltopBeacon.com.
Presently, you have indirectly subscribed to the
ENS if you already receive HNA emails. We will add your name and email to the
HNA ENS unless you want to OPT OUT. You don't have to do anything. We hope
you don't opt out! If you choose to stay subscribed, we will add you to the
ENS list and you will receive an email telling you that you were subscribed, and
also explaining how to unsubscribe and other information about the ENS. It's
that easy to stay connected. If you wish to opt out, all you have to do is reply
to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE and that will be that.
Once the ENS system is fully operational, you may
subscribe or unsubscribe whenever you want. In addition we will have other ENS
streams that you can optionally subscribe to. For example: outreach, Block
Captains, C.E.R.T. or crime reports.
If you want to subscribe yourself, or you change
your email address go to www.HilltopBeacon.com,
click on "Stay Connected" and enter your email address and first and
last name. We only use the name to address you and to permit you to change the
email address. Again, it's that easy to stay connected.
The HilltopBeacon.com website
has other information about HNA activities, meetings, elections, etc. If you
would like to contribute to the website or Hilltop Beacon, or the neighborhood
association contact HilltopNeighbors@HilltopBeacon.com
and we will get right back to you.
2
GREEN Living Workshops!
By Sherri Akers, co-chair MVCC Green
Committee
Are you one of the lucky 100+ that took the FREE Sustainable
Works Green Living Workshop in Mar Vista? It's coming back - please help us spread
the word! OUTREACH, EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION are key components that
can’t be ignored with the new LADWP rate plan.
Normally, this course is only offered in Santa
Monica and a $50 donation is requested from LA residents. Based on the
incredible impact that had in our community Councilman Bill Rosendahl awarded
them an LADWP grant and there will be five more FREE workshops held in LA. Also,
for the first time ever, they will offer 20 FREE business greening consults!
Our goal – and the reason for our 2010 pilot – is to get these funded by the
City of LA on an ongoing basis (as it is in Santa Monica). With rates for
water and power climbing, we KNOW that the increases can be offset by the
simple tips you learn in these programs.
The first workshop begins August
30th (in the
Palisades – tell your friends!) and the second begins October
5th in Mar Vista.
Pre-registration is required. To propose you business for the LA grant version
of the business greening program, contact BORLIDO_SUSY@smc.edu.
Each week’s class focuses on a separate aspect of
greening your home and life – water, energy, waste, chemicals, transportation
and shopping. The classes give you a deeper understanding of the issues and
each week you leave with 10 actions that ultimately help you to:
• divert solid waste through
recycling,
• become water efficient,
• eliminate toxic chemicals,
• minimize transportation impacts,
• reduce energy use, and
• and learn to make better consumer choices.
Please help
us spread the word! Email sherri@marvista.org if you would like us to
email you flyers.
We are so
grateful for Bill Rosendahl’s support on this - help us make sure that LA gets
a very clear message that this will make a difference.
Call for Contributions!
Would you like to see
your name in print? Know an interesting neighbor whose story you would like to
tell, an upcoming event that you think would be of interest to our neighborhood
or an interesting historical tidbit? Well, here’s your chance to contribute to
the Beacon! We will take contributions from young and old, men or women, boys
or girls. We probably wouldn’t accept any submission from your household pets!
Please write up an
article and forward it to the email address: HilltopNeighbors@aol.com. Please put “Beacon
Article” in the subject line. Material will be published at the discretion of
the editors.
3
Santa Monica Airport News and Information
By Susan Thurmond O’Neal
The Santa
Monica Airport is right in the Hilltop Neighbors backyard. Here are some handy
links to get information about events at the Airport, and about the particulars
of flight patterns, etc.
Frequently
Asked Questions are answered here – including information about noise, safety
and general questions:
http://www.smgov.net/Departments/Airport/Airport_Commission/FAQs.aspx
Santa
Monica Airport has created a new “WebTrak” for neighbors – it can be used to
track flights (historically and live, up-to-date) as well as communicate with
the Airport about any concerns:
http://www.smgov.net/Departments/Airport/For_Our_Neighbors/WebTrak.aspx
And here is
a list of thinks to do at the Santa Monica Airport – including restaurants,
events, art shows, etc:
http://www.smgov.net/Departments/Airport/About_the_Airport/Visit/Visit_the_Santa_Monica_Airport___.aspx
Did you
know that you can use the Santa Monica Dog Park? You need only purchase a
Santa Monica dog license. Particulars can be found here:
http://www01.smgov.net/parks/dogs.htm
Happy
exploring!
HNA Block Party!!
Come one, come all Hilltop Neighbors!
The Hilltop
Neighbors Association is having its second annual picnic and barbeque on
Patriots' Day, Sunday, September 11, 2011, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the North
Venice Little League field, adjacent to Ocean View Farms, our local community
garden. The Community Emergency Response Team, and block captains will
participate, and we are asking for volunteers to set-up, clean-up, staff the
barbeques, and man the crafts tables and/or paint faces. Children are
encouraged, but dogs are not allowed. As per last year, this year's event
will more than likely be a potluck (neighbors with last names A - M, bring a side
dish or something savory; N - Z bring dessert or fruit) and we are soliciting
donations from neighborhood businesses for hot dogs, buns and etc. We are also
looking to borrow tables and chairs. Last year we had about 60 neighbors
participating - this year we want more!
Please contact HilltopNeighbors@HilltopBeacon.com
to volunteer or offer up a well labeled table or chair!
Come on, it will be fun!
4
How about a recipe for your bounty
of summer tomatoes?
By Judy Deutsch
Too Many
Tomatoes!
This has been an amazing year for tomatoes. For all of you who
overindulged in tomato plants or found your zucchini has taken over the yard,
here's one delicious solution used by Ocean View Farms gardeners:
10, six-inch zucchini
6 beefsteak tomatoes
2T butter, divided
8 oz. sliced light Jarlsberg cheese or Swiss cheese of your choice
Thinly slice the zucchini and quickly sauté in 1T butter, adding additional
butter if needed. The zucchini slices should be tender and slightly
browned. This releases the sugar in the vegetable and makes it more
flavorful. Remove the zucchini from the pan, add the rest of the butter,
and slice and sauté the tomatoes. In a buttered and lightly floured
casserole dish layer the tomatoes and the zucchini, beginning with a zucchini
layer and ending with a tomato layer. Salt and pepper each layer to
taste. Cover the top layer of tomatoes with the cheese and bake in a 350
degree oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is puffy and browned. Serve
immediately. You can also add layers of sautéed ground beef or pork for a
noodle-less lasagna or substitute eggplant for the zucchini. Serves
eight.
Do you know your Block Captain?
By Susan Thurmond O’Neal
Do you know your Block Captain?
If you are reading this article because you found it on your front porch, you
can thank your Block Captain.
Your Block Captain has pledged to foster a sense of community in your block,
and to keep an eye out for anything unusual. Your Block Captain has or will
also try to school you, the homeowner, on basic safety practices. Your
Block Captain (perhaps) organizes activities on your block, such as a
multi-family yard sale, a potluck barbeque, a parade or an art fair. Your
Block Captain delivers the Beacon and other neighborhood news via email,
telephone or in person as you are out walking your dog, looking for your cat,
watering your lawn, or picking up your mail or newspaper.
You can help your Block Captain be an even better Block Captain by getting to
know him or her; by keeping his or her phone number and/or email handy to
report any interesting goings-on; by being the good neighbor you already are
and supporting any events that will bring you and your neighbors closer.
If you do not know your Block Captain, feel free to email me at susalq@hilltopbeacon.com, or call me
at 310.560.7518 and I will be sure to tell you whom you can thank for the
newsletter and all else the Block Captain provides.
Thanks Hilltop Neighbors - with your help we can become an even tighter
community. It all begins with your block!
5
CERT Report
By Mary Ann Sherritt
Our Hilltop
Team is alive and healthy. We have been alive a long time-- some of us longer
than others – and we could sure use some help from the younger, more vigorous
members of our Hilltop community! You will be able to view some of the emergency
supplies that we have stored in our container on September 11th when
you attend the Hilltop Block Party at the North Venice Little League Field.
You will be able to meet some of the members of our CERT team, who have
prepared for emergencies to be a quick response team in a disaster, including
the medical members who will assist in the event of a disaster in our neighborhood.
Are you
thinking about getting trained so you can help yourself and your family? The
next class to be given by the LAFD is within easy distance of our neighborhood:
August 22 through October 3 - From
6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Fire Station 5,
8900 Emerson Ave.
Westchester, CA 90045
If you would like to view other class offerings, check out cert-la.com
September is the national month of preparedness – ARE YOU
READY? WATER is the most important item to have in sufficient
quantities. You need to have, at minimum, one gallon of water per person per day,
and don’t forget the pets! The Fire Department is suggesting that you plan for
a minimum of seven days.
The Great Shake Out will take place
in California on October 20 at 10:20 a.m. This is a chance for all
Californians to prepare ourselves for a major earthquake. This is a great
opportunity to see that you are prepared with water, supplies, and an outside
of California emergency contact for you and your family.
If you are interested in some of the
excellent CERT programs that have been offered at Fire Station 59, we can
electronically forward information to you, just send an email to HilltopNeighbors@aol.com
and put “CERT” in the subject line.
Mar Vista
Historical Society
By Nadine Gallegos
Did you
even know there was a Mar Vista Historical Society? It’s only been in
existence for six years, but local members have been researching Mar Vista
History. Mark Crawford has researched five neighborhoods and does two hour
Sunday afternoon walking tours of each. He’s finishing up his book, with photos
and historical newspaper microfilm about Mar Vista. It will soon be available
on our website. Did you know that Mar Vista has its own Historic Preservation
Overlay Zone? The Gregory Ain Mar Vista Tract is an official City of Los
Angeles Historic Zone. MVHS will be at the Hilltop Neighborhood Association
annual block party on September 11 to tell some stories of historical Mar Vista,
including stories of patriotic “Venice Reservoir Site”, here on top of the
hill.
Did you
know there was a military installation here protecting the airport from enemy
submarines? Barrage balloons? What a vantage point! From an elevation of 189
feet there was a clear view of the coastline 2.8 miles away.
We look
forward to hearing your stories and hope you will share your vintage pictures
with us. We’d love to scan them for our historical archive, which we are
beginning to assemble. Please come, listen and tell your stories. We are all
Mar Vista neighbors!
6
August
2011 