Oakridge Residents Association General Meeting Notes 03/01/2025
Large Meeting Room
93 residents signed in for this meeting. Total attendance is estimated over 100. Some persons did not sign in because the meeting had already started.
Meeting was called to order at 11:00 am by the President
The first speaker, Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, was here on the day after the fire started, to meet with fire fighters and Wesley Maynez. She thanked the firefighters for their prompt action that saved our community. She then introduced her assistants, Marisol Sanchez and Isidre.
Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez indicated that she was aware that we did not receive notification during the fire and will work with the fire department to try to be sure that will not happen again and necessary improvements are made to the system. She thanked the firefighters again for their effective fight that saved our community from the fire. She indicated that she would follow up on what is holding up the process for the new Fire Station at Foothill and Balboa.
She is currently working with the fire department on legislation for a brush control project. She identified supporting legislation on brush clearance and mitigation with the Department of Forestry. She was told there are budget constraints and it would take time, but she will continue to fight for it despite this.
Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez brought up discussion of the homeless problem along Foothill Blvd and lighting fires in Stetson Ranch Park, cutting holes in the fence along the freeway to use as their bathroom, and leaving trash. When the fire department is contacted about a fire there, she wanted LAPD or LASD to be there when the fire department addressed the fires. Wesley identified the jurisdictional problems and asked for assistance with these: LASD handles crimes in in LA County parks, LAPD handles crimes in the streets and private property, and the Department of Forestry handles crimes in the mountain regions.
Celeste Rodriguez indicated there will be a city communications location at the Richie Valens Center for anyone in the area needing government assistance for help with anything stemming from the latest wildfire events.
Captain Michael Gross, Fire Station 91 in Sylmar was introduced by Wesley.
He indicated there are usually 3 Captains on a rotating schedule, now they only have 2. He noted it seems there is something big happening here every 2 years that needs their help.
He said Station 91 was here during the entire Hurst Fire to protect us all and our homes. The station crews worked 13 days straight with no rest. He expressed thanks to the Oakridge residents for their generous donations to them in the past, they are greatly appreciated.
Celeste Rodriguez asked him a question about the use of sprinklers on or around house or drip lines to slow the fire. His response was they are not effective in high winds, and they steal the water that they need to fight the fires. It is better to concentrate on covering eaves, clearing brush, removing outdoor furniture that can ignite and other preventive measures,
He also noted that in these types of emergencies there are two commands in charge, EOC (Emergency Operations Command) and DOC (Department Operations Command).
He then introduced the Battalion Chief in charge of Station 91 and several other stations in District 12 of the Valley Bureau, to address other things that can be done by residents to protect themselves and their homes.
Battalion Chief Jason Getchius discussed the following:
- Sign up to the Notify LA program to get warnings about fires in the area.They have been working to improve the speed of notification which was successful in the 2019 Saddleridge Fire
- He recommended to also sign up for the Genasys Protect on-line system app for the area where you live. Note LAFD plus a 3 or 4 digit number that is very important to view area maps showing active fires.
- He also recommended that in addition to the Genasys Protect app, also sign up for an app called Watch Duty. Seniors may not be versed in “apps”, but these are worth investigating and acquiring.
- He reminded us that “hardening” the area around your homes is essential. For example, a burning palm tree can send embers out very quickly in high winds, and each ember is capable of starting another fire.
- Obey any evacuation orders as soon as they are issued. Do not delay to try to save property. No property is worth a life.
- Evacuation Centers information will be broadcast to the public as soon as possible.
-omitted--
Wesley: May we have some applause for our Firefighters? Standing ovation from the audience followed.
Battalion Chief accepted the applause and said this was a group effort and said he would be remiss if he did not recognize the entire crew who were sitting at the back of the room. The Fire Department representatives then left the meeting.
Wesley then introduced:
Senior Lead Officer Joseph Carter arrived late because he had been assisting with RV removals today, with one RV having a wanted burglary suspect.
He introduced himself and his function as an area lead officer, whose duties were communication with the public, assisting with Neighborhood Watch programs, sharing concerns with patrols, and sharing concerns with the Councilwoman’s office.
The best way to contact him is via cell phone or e-mail.
The earlier discussions about the exit problems were reviewed for him by Wesley.
He suggested that a community member can attempt to direct traffic in the park, and if necessary depending on cross traffic, proceed straight through the red if needed to save lives. LAPD would not ticket anyone in a dire emergency like the emergency evacuation.
He then took questions from the attendees:
Q. How does LAPD protect property in an emergency?
A. Officers will come after an official emergency is declared. If there is a time delay and potential looting is possible, call him or e-mail the station with a request.
Q. We saw police vehicles passing but none stopped to help.
A. He will discuss with LAPD group, but assignments are usually under the control of LAFD in these situations.
Wesley indicated he will forward any more questions to him, and thanked him for coming to speak with us.
-omitted--
Wesley introduced:
Jose Hernandez for Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez
- Mr. Hernandez presented the following information on behalf of the Councilwoman:
- Regarding fires: As of last Thursday, land acquisition was finally acquired for the pending new fire station to be located at Foothill Blvd. and Filbert Street. They are starting to do planning, estimate to be completed by 2030 end date.
- A new Senior Center will be built in Sylmar Park, at Borden and Polk Streets. Estimated to be completed in 2028 or 2029
- Regarding homeless problem in the area, they are required to serve notice to encampments before they can be removed and dismantled. They do come back later. Monica Rodriguez will submit a motion in Council to coordinate response with disparate agencies. There are 14 different views about the homeless problem in the Council, so hopefully this motion might help expedite solutions.
- Jose Hernandez brought the exit problem with the long red light signals slowing the emergency exit from Oakridge during the Hurst Fire to the attention of the Department of Transportation to see if they can be modified to speed up exit during emergencies.
There was a five minute break before resuming the usual order of business.
A slide was presented for the upcoming Garage Sale to be held on May 17, 2025 and Wesley reminded residents if you want your space to be on the map of participants to send her your name, space number and phone number to her before April 23, 2025.
Everyone was encouraged to attend the EPP meetings (listed in the Coyote Crier) for helpful information about fire prevention, evacuation routes and preparing your family for evacuations.
-omitted--
Wesley introduced the Vice President, Kurt Doerr, to discuss the new website for ORA, oraoakridge.com. He also indicated that we cannot make this available on cell phones for technical reasons. We need someone with technical expertise to help with an app to do this.
Kurt indicated that we are still working on Zoom links not ready yet, but plan to make virtual meetings available in the future. Eventually meeting minutes will be posted, the Coyote Crier will be posted, and a webinar with the Cougar Conservancy will be scheduled and available.
He indicated the main website will be open to anyone and will contain helpful area information such as police and fire department numbers and current community events.
We are very mindful of privacy concerns. For that reason we ask that you sign a sheet giving your permission to add you to the Members Only portion of the website and create a g-mail account address to access it. Instructions on how to do that along with details on what’s available on the Members Only page is available on the main website (oraoakridge.com).
Our next General Membership Meeting will be Saturday June 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Adjournment: