ECRWSS EDDM PRESORTED STD POSTAL CUSTOMER US POSTAGE P A I D GARDENA CA PERMIT NO. 40 July 23, 2021 • Vol. 2, No. 14 No. 2, Vol. • 2021 23, July Topanga’s Independent Voice Since 1976 Since Voice Independent Topanga’s Welcome To Your Peaceful Creekside Hideaway Tucked behind gates, this garden set home will tug at your heart. Walls of windows, a sleek new deck, towering trees, a sun dappled year-round creek, and massive boulders soothe you. Fragrant gardens, splashing fountains, a large, mostly usable lot, total privacy, and a brookside hot tub add to the magic! A well means you can keep the yard lush! Ducklings paddle by in the spring. Updated interiors, bright new baths, skylights, high ceilings, and oak floors set a peaceful vibe. 204 S TOPANGA CANYON BLVD. 1 BED | 2 BATH | 1,350 SQFT | 16,855 LOT $1,199,000 Ready to see how different the curated white glove Compass approach is to selling real estate? Utilizing the Wright Way Team and our access to Compass Private Exclusives, Compass Concierge, Compass Bridge Loans, and many other amazing services, will change how you have ever experienced the real estate process. There is a reason why Compass has been the #1 Brokerage in Topanga 3 years running and why the Wright Way Team is currently the #1 team in Topanga. We are a local family team powered by a forward thinking, fast moving, high touch and high technology company, changing the industry for the better, leading from the heart, and delivering exceptional results for our clients! @thewrightwayteam NUMBER ONE 2021 TOPANGA TEAM. PASSIONATE LOCAL AGENTS. UNPARALLELED MARKETING REACH. INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY. RESULTS DELIVERED. AN EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER. Adrian Wright Jordan Wright 818.939.6415 818.746.6987 [email protected] [email protected] DRE 00935559 DRE 01952694 Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. Thinking Out Loud Publisher / Editor Flavia Potenza Creative Director Nira Lichten Senior Reporter Annemarie Donkin Multimedia Director Jennifer Babcock Creative Consultant Eiffel Nazaryan Contributors Linda Ballou Joel Bellman Kathie Gibboney Paula LaBrot Amy Weisberg Copy Editor / Distribution Ellie Carroll Contact US [email protected] General inquiries: [email protected] Advertising inquiries: [email protected] P.O. Box 1101 Topanga, CA 90290 PHOTO BY FLAVIA POTENZA (310) 460-9786 This moonflower has been growing for years under the stop sign in front of my house. When it blooms it has Follow us on Instagram @thecanyonchronicle, the softest lemony fragrance. It’s a resilient plant that is constantly run over by visiting trucks and cars that park & Facebook and twitter @CanyonChronicle there. In fact, last spring it was completely gone and I thought it could never appear again. But here it is in full bloom every morning. The Canyon Chronicle is an independent community newspaper Ups & Downs published bi-weekly by Canyon Media, Since our last issue, we’ve had some excitement, some good, some not so much. Inc.©2020. All rights reserved. For those who follow those things, space flight took off—Sir Richard Branson on July 13, with two thecanyonchronicle.com pilots and a crew of three, followed by the Bezos brothers and a crew of two on July 20. Columnist Paula LaBrot shares her passion about space flight since 1981 when the Columbia space shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force base (Page 9). I’m grateful for television so I could claim my little piece of the excitement without leaving home. And, hey! One of the crew on New Shepard was Mary Wallace “Wally” Funk, an 82-year-old aviation pioneer. Dontcha just love it! Topanga’s Independent Voice Since 1976 Excitement in our back yard, so to speak, was less welcome and out of our control, e.g. two fires in July 23, 2021 • Vol. 2, No. 14 and around Tuna Canyon within 10 days of each other. After the Tuna fire on July 9, on July 18, about 20 concerned residents of Tuna Canyon got together to develop an action plan to protect not just their homes but Topanga in general. The next day, July 20, the Flores Incident broke out around 3:30 p.m., between Tuna Canyon and Las Flores Road. Ground crews, air-dropped into the steep terrain, were soon supported by aerial helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that dropped retardant and 30,000 gallons of water from Helistop 69 Bravo. It was contained at 15 acres around 8 p.m. and crews remained overnight. Senior Reporter Annemarie Donkin attended the meeting and followed the fires. (Page 5) Everyone—and I mean everyone—must attend the evacuation drill on August 12. The virtual live drill follows a realistic fire scenario that progresses, resulting in the evacuation of residents by zones. Do you know your zone? You must register to receive the Zoom link: http://bit.ly/Virtual EvacDrill. (Page 4) So... What do moonflowers have to do with all this? Maybe it’s simply a reminder to keep doing what you do and appreciate the tranquility of where you live (the upside), but with the caveat that you live in a Severe High Fire Danger Area and you need to be prepared for that kind of emergency (the downside). Knowing that, what —, must you do? Join your concerned neighbors on Tuna Canyon, PERMIT NO. 40 NO. PERMIT sign on to their Letter of Concern, make an evacuation plan, take a CERT class, learn first aid, take CA GARDENA P A I D I A P US POSTAGE US POSTAL CUSTOMER POSTAL PRESORTED STD PRESORTED HAM radio training, create or join a Neighborhood Network, become a volunteer. EDDM ECRWSS Most of all, get to know and care about your neighbors, because, when the bad thing happens and first responders are busy with the big things like a firestorm, you may need each other more than you The Perseid meteor shower is due to peak around August 12-13. It is the most beloved know. cosmic event of the year with its swift, bright Then stop and smell the roses...if the critters haven’t eaten them. meteors radiating from the constellation Meanwhile, here’s another happy tip: the Perseid Meteor Shower is due to arrive in August with the Perseus, the Hero. Best time to watch? In the peak August 12-13. Turn out the lights and enjoy the dark skies, Topanga. (Page 14) wee hours before dawn. —Flavia Potenza July 23• Vol. 2 No. 14 3 NEWS August 12, Save The Date! Fire Department Virtual as possible participate in this event Evacuation Drill because our safety is interdependent on each other. This is an opportunity By Annemarie Donkin to ask questions and receive feedback directly from Fire Department and As most residents know, Topanga Law Enforcement officials. is especially prone to fires that are To register: http://bit.ly/Virtual increasing in number and severity EvacDrill. A Zoom link will be emailed in recent years, as evidenced by the to registrants closer to the event date. 2018 Woolsey Fire, spot fires along If you have questions prior to Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Pacific the event, please contact: Megan Coast Highway, and more recently, Currier, Community Services the Palisades Fire and the Tuna Fire Liaison, LACoFD–Division VII; incident. (310) 456-7923; megan.currier@ To help residents and businesses fire.lacounty.gov. better prepare for these events, importance of being ready. This progresses during the event, resulting This event is jointly sponsored there will be a Virtual Fire Drill online, drill will provide information in the “evacuation” of residents by by: LA County Fire Dept., LA for Topanga and Sunset Mesa on about preparing before an incident zones. It will feature active instruction County Sheriff’s Dept., Topanga Thursday, August 12, 2021 from 6 to occurs and how to evacuate if by LA County Fire Department Town Council, CHP, Office of 7:30 p.m. necessary. To help residents better (LACoFD), Law Enforcement, Office Emergency Management (OEM), MARK YOUR CALENDAR and prepare for evacuation, this first- of Emergency Management (OEM), LA County Animal Care & Control, join your neighbors! time online drill will be in response and Animal Care & Control. TCEP, Sunset Mesa, and the office of The recent fires highlight the to a realistic fire scenario which It is critical that as many Topangans Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. n letters TCC Named as 2021 Non-Profit of the Year Finalist The Topanga Community Center (TCC) has been TCC leadership and volunteers worked tirelessly named as a finalist in the 27th District’s 2021 Non- in 2020 to keep our canyon connected in creative Fire concerns Profit of the Year. Award. new ways. Thanks to strong partnerships, our from homeless In an email to TCC President Kelly Rockwell, groups like Canyon Sages and Topanga Youth encampments State Senator Henry Stern congratulated the TCC, Services were able to offer programming despite saying, “I wanted to reach out to you personally to our limitations. We’ll keep striving to build our Recently, when I was hiking thank you for your service and for the work that community no matter what, but we are sure the back trail to Café 27 from you do for the 27th District. Your efforts in creating happy someone has noticed how hard we’ve been my house off Artique, I came community and supporting those in our District working!” across a homeless encampment is greatly appreciated.