Latest News, Upcoming Events, Updates, and Past Events...

May 17 - PARK-WIDE GARAGE SALE

Our Community Garage Sale is set for Saturday, May 17th, 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

Below is the map of all the residents selling their goods.



Click here for a PRINTABLE PDF.


JUNE 7 - ORA GENERAL MEETING

Our next ORA General Membership Meeting will take place on Saturday, June 7 at 11:00 AM. We’re pleased to welcome State Senator Caroline Menjivar, who toured our Community Park on May 2nd. She is planning to provide food for the meeting and will update us on local initiatives and programs. We also expect representatives from both the LAFD and LAPD to attend. Join us for refreshments and the opportunity to engage with fellow community members.


PAST EVENTS:

May 10 - LAFD FIRE SERVICE DAY

Join our local FIRE STATION 91 for a day of fun activities:

 

  • * Station Tours and T-Shirt Sales 

  • * LAFD Cadet Post Booth 

  • * Auto Extrication Demo 

  • * and More! 


MAY 10 10AM - 4PM 

FIRE STATION 91 

14430 Polk Street 



May 3 - Virtual Webinar with the Cougar Conservancy

We were excited to invite you to a special virtual webinar with Korinna Domingo, Director of the Cougar Conservancy, on Saturday, May 3rd, from 11:00 AM to Noon. Many of you joined us in person in the small conference room or tuned in live via Zoom.

Those who have signed up for access to our members-only website can find details there. For those others interested in joining via Zoom - please email us and we will provide details to join the meeting.

Also, thank you for your questions in advance and emailing them to ora.oakridge@gmail.com.


MAY 1 - New Sylmar Senior Center Design Meeting

LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez thanks you for attending the presentation on the preliminary design of the new Sylmar Senior Center on Thursday, May 1, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM at the Sylmar Recreation Center.

(CLICK FOR DETAILS)

Looking ahead, our next ORA General Membership Meeting will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 11:00 AM. Guest speakers will be announced soon and we will also provide updates on questions raised from our last meeting—so stay tuned!


You may have noticed the freshly painted red curbs marking the no-parking zone near the main entrance. This change came directly from your feedback at the last Membership Meeting, thanks to collaboration between Jose Hernandez (Field Representative for Monica Rodriguez) and the Department of Transportation. It’s a great example of how our collective voice leads to positive changes.  We’ll discuss more exciting updates at the next meeting.


3/06/2025

MARCH 6: We had one of our largest turnouts at the March 1st ORA Membership Meeting! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, especially those who asked insightful questions.


For those who did not attend, we were welcomed with guest speakers Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, Fire Captain Michael Gross of Station 91, Fire Battalion Chief Jason Getchius for LAFD District 12, Field Representative Jose Hernandez who attended on behalf of Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, and Senior Lead Police Officer Joseph Carter.  Several firefighters from Station 91 were in attendance as well. The feedback from all the speakers was incredibly positive, and all wished to return in the near future to address some of the concerns that were addressed.


Key topics discussed:


  • Brush control legislation – A project is in progress to enhance fire safety.

  • New fire station for Sylmar – Land has been acquired on Foothill Blvd, with construction planned by 2030.

  • Senior center development at Sylmar Park– A new facility is expected by 2029.

  • Foothill Blvd. RV’s – Legislative motions are in the works to streamline jurisdictional challenges and expedite solutions for encampments along Foothill Blvd.

  • Emergency evacuation concerns – Efforts are being made to improve congestion at the community exit during evacuations and increase police patrols at the entrance.


We were very delighted to give a STANDING OVATION to the firefighter crews who worked thirteen consecutive days during the Hurst Fire with no rest!  The Battalion Chief accepted the ovation and said it was a group effort and he would be remiss if he did not acknowledge the Station 91 firefighters who were present. The fire Captain expressed his gratitude to the Oakridge Residents for all our generous donations.  It was a proud moment of unity for Oakridge.

Our annual Community Garage Sale will happen Saturday, May 17th from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Watch your mail tubes for flyers to be distributed soon for important details.

2/23/2025

Join us for our next General Membership Meeting Saturday, March 1st 11:00 am. We are pleased to welcome state Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, who will be addressing various community concerns. You can submit your questions here.

UPDATE! Fire Captian Mike Gross of Station 91 will also be joining us, and will speak directly after Celeste Rodriguez.

Details to sign up for the Oakridge Residents Only Member Website will be discussed, as well as announcements regarding the upcoming community Garage Sale.

Free Air Purifiers!
After the meeting, ORA volunteers distributed free air purifiers behind the Clubhouse—one per household, available on a first-come, first-served basis. A special thanks to Monica Rodriguez and the Red Cross for generously providing the purifiers to the community. Any residents that did not get one can still get one by contacting her Sylmar Office at: 14117 Hubbard Street #D1, Sylmar, CA 91342 • Tel: 818.756.8409.

JANUARY

A message from the ORA IT-Team:
Please view this website with a PC, iMac, iPad, Macbook, Chromebook, or Laptop as we upgrade.  We are looking for an App Developer to help us create an App to use on all platforms (For additional information email us at: ORA.Oakridge@gmail.com). 
Thanks, ORA IT-Team.


1/15/2025
The current areas affected by the Do Not Drink Water Notice is in Pacific Palisades and adjacent areas as seen below: 
DWP - Unsafe Water Alert


Updated 1/25/2025
If you know someone needing assistance, have them reach out to these websites for assistance:




1/12/2025

Bulldozing, fire road clearing, and downed power lines:
It appears crews are actively working on cutting fire roads on the mountainside and addressing the downed power lines.  This is crucial for our community and crews to fix the downed power lines to extend power across the back side of the Oakridge community for residents living in the SFV.  We'd like to thank those crews and their efforts as they bulldoze these power line tower access roads.

Thank you Monica Rodriguez for the Bottled Water and Masks:
The water and masks were provided by Monica Rodriguez, LA City Councilwoman over the 7th District for residents of Oakridge. Thank you Monica for her generosity (What a blessing)!  ORA volunteers picked up the water on Friday, January 10, 2025.  The following day, ORA volunteers began distributions and concluded those efforts on Sunday, January 12, 2025.

Clothing, Bedding, Toys, Hygiene items, Food, Drinks, Gift Cards, and Monetary Donations:
ORA had an overwhelming response for needed donations, we are now re-focused on gift cards and monetary donations.  If you would like to contribute a cash donation, ORA asks that you write your check to "Oakridge Residents Association."   Please email us at ORA.Oakridge@gmail.com to identify your name, Space #, your Cell or Home number, and the best time to reach you.  We will make arrangements to contact you and pickup your donations.  Thank you.

If you have other questions, concerns, or suggestions for ORA, please email us at ORA.Oakridge@gmail.com and identify your concerns (Please provide a workable solution with each concern).  Please provide your name, Space #, your Cell or Home number, and the best time to reach you. We will address your concerns as soon as we can.  Some concerns will be addressed at the March 1st meeting after discussions with our guest speakers (City and State officials).  We look forward to seeing you there.


1/10/2025

Welcome!  With the Mandatory Evacuation mandate now lifted, I hope that everyone is doing well as they settle back into their homes.  At the time of the fire, the security personnel at the Guard shack was told to leave and left the gates up for emergency vehicles to enter.  Unfortunately, this left our community open to many non-residents entering.  So on the night of the evacuation, I saw many disturbing reports from media interviewing in Oakridge showing several people identifying themselves as non-residents.  Many of these non-resident vehicles were getting in the way of fire crews and first responders working on clearing brush debris. This was troubling, so I made an inquiry to the LAPD Lead Officers about the unvetted entry into Oakridge.  I was informed that between the time the Guard left the gate and the time LAPD began routing traffic away from our community, mailboxes were reported being open and left opened.  Unfortunately, this has evolved into the lockout that was in place where everyone was being restricted from re-entering our community.  But thankfully, the guard is back at the shack and aside from the poor cellular and internet communications, things are slowly resuming back to normal.

Good News:

Thank you Celeste Rodriguez, California State Assemblywoman for the 43rd district for coming to our community on January 9th, 2025 and speaking with residents.  Celeste asked several residents about the current needs in our community:

1)  Residents and ORA wanted Celeste to attend a BBQ for First Responders. Unfortunately, firefighters were being relocated to other parts of the city to deal with other wildfires.  So the BBQ was cancelled.
2)   Residents asked about contacting service providers to expedite the restoration of internet and cellular services to our community and local cell towers.
3)   Then ORA asked Celeste if she could push legislation to improve communications and have battery backup systems with solar panels and satellite links to cellular services.  This would allow communications to be extended to residents in the event of another power outage (IP phones and internet services were taken down for many residents during the power outage).  
4)   Celeste was asked if she could assist with the lifting of restrictions for residents wanting to return to their homes (Restrictions were removed within the hour).   
5)   Then the last thing asked of Celeste was to attend our next Membership meeting on March 1, 2025 at 11am.  She expressed that she would be happy to join us and said, YES.  So, ORA hopes to see all residents at this meeting to hear the latest information.

Please see the Safety Message regarding the Los Angeles fire as received on Jan. 9th.

Also, be sure to check out the useful Fire Safety Links and Alerts.


Our next GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING is set for March 1st, 11am!  Our upcoming guests will include:
Remember, your attendance is needed and most appreciated.  Join us and get acquainted with other community residents - we look forward to seeing you.



1/7/2025

On the night of the fire, we received a video showing arcing of power lines from the extreme winds that looks like the origin of the fire.  Many residents reported witnessing the bright light with a loud bang followed by a surge of power which they claimed ignited the Hurst fire. Judge and view it yourself, click on the video!

Useful Information and Links:

  🚩 Fire Safety and Alert Links

  🚩 Earthquake Safety and Tsunami Preparedness

  🚩 Kids Safety Workbooks


  🔥  Station 91 (Sylmar) Fire Department

  👮 Mission Community Police Department

               *     Mission-Basic Patrol Car Map.pdf

  🏁  Sylmar City Council and News

  🐆 Cougar Conservancy Safety Tips and Videos

  🐆 Cougar Conservancy Assistance Brochure

Previous Posts...

 DECEMBER

Happy Holidays!

Thank you for your attendance and participation in the election processes on December 7, 2024.  We had many community concerns asked and answered, provided updates on current issues, and voted for new officers of the board. 

Remember, your attendance is needed and most appreciated!  We support those who voice concerns and continue to improve our community in Oakridge while striving to make it a better place to live.

We have drinks, snacks, and a raffle at all our meetings.  So, come and join us and get acquainted with other community residents - we look forward to seeing you!  Happy New Year!


NOVEMBER:

Many thanks to those who came to the meeting on November 2nd.  For more information on our guest speaker running for Mayor of the 43rd Assembly District, please visit the site of Celeste Rodriguez.

Our speaker from August's meeting with the Cougar Conservancy was well received.  See below for some useful videos and tips.

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