Voice of the Village 1 ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ the good news newspaper Volume 2, Issue 6 online at voiceofthevillage.org June 1, 2011 LEADS: FeatURES: ARTS: American Pride-Home town heroes honors- A whole new way to market your business!- City Champs to perform in Fourth of July men and women in the military-page2 page 20 parade -page 29 On This Day We Celebrate... the price of freedom truly is put on the entire event until eternal vigilance and the will- a stroke in 2006 forced him to ingness to fight back. pass the torch to someone else. We celebrate with a So this year’s parade parade - Not just any parade starts with a float honoring mind you but a parade Sun- Ted, whose vision and tireless land-Tujunga style. A parade efforts stated it all. born in 1986 from the vision of It features the Verdu- local Rotarian, furniture stor- go Hills High School’s award- eowner, and all-around good winning Marching Band and guy Ted Mertz. Ted passed their all-city champion Drum last month so this year’s pa- Line –and our Grand Marshal, rade honors him and his mem- Dan McManus, president of ory. Ted was a straight-ahead the Sunland-Tujunga Neigh- guy whose handshake was his borhood Council. contract. Rotarian Ellis Rob- There will be the usu- ertson, chairman of this year’s al cast of local political and parade recalls that in 1986 he civic leaders and crowd fa- was part of the ‘S-T Improve- vorites of course – but the real ment Association’ which put stars of the parade are us, the on a 4th of July picnic in Sun- folks of the foothills. Eques- land Park. One day Ted asked trian groups, Business owners, him “How are you going to Service Clubs, Musicians, Jug- get people to come to your glers, Classic Car Enthusiasts picnic?” Ellis recalls stam- and Bikers, Boy Scouts, Girl disagreed of course and since joy and so we celebrate them, mering out an answer about Scouts, homey, some would th On the Fourth of this they had troops stationed and us, every year on the 4 of spreading flyers, etc. and Ted say hokey floats and a heck of month, July, we celebrate here, we had to fight our revo- July. said, “Don’t worry, I’ll lead a lot of fun. the birth of our nation – that lutionary war to make it stick. We celebrate them for them down to you.” and our Hometown Heroes day 235 years ago when our Their ‘Minute Men’, the opportunities they secured parade was born. - This year our parade takes founding fathers signed the their ‘Hometown Heroes’, for us; and we celebrate ‘us’ for Ted single-handedly place under our own Home- Declaration of Independence fought, suffered and died in the use we have made of those planned the parade, took care town Heroes banners, which declaring themselves and our that war but eventually car- opportunities – Life, Liberty, of all the paperwork and de- will line Foothill Boulevard country no longer a British ried the day – earning for us and the Pursuit of Happiness tails, and with the help of Don between Newhome and Oro Colony but a free and inde- with their blood and sacrifice a pursuit that require each and and Peggy Cates and a hand- Vista. Another first for Sun- pendent nation. The British the freedoms that we now en- every one of us to ‘soldier’ as ful of volunteers, staged and Continued On Page 2 Working to Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Karen Zimmerman for Prop O consideration by L.A. City and bio-filtration to reduce contami- bring that as well. And don’t forget Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who nants. As the city moves forward in a hat and sunscreen! Children under Last month the Los Ange- has supported community efforts to evaluating the storm water project lo- eight should have some means of con- les Prop O Administrative Oversight save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course cal communities are not sitting idly by. veyance (a wagon, bike, stroller, etc.) in Committee and Citizens Oversight since 2007. On Monday July 4th support- case they don’t feel like walking. Advisory Committee authorized city If the study demonstrates the ers of the VHGC will be participat- The parade begins at 10am. staff to proceed with a detailed assess- storm water project meets the required ing in the Sunland-Tujunga Fourth of Fans of the VHGC will rendezvous at ment of the Verdugo Hills Storm water criteria for Prop O, and if sufficient July Parade. All are welcome to join 9am at the Von’s parking lot, corner Project. Proposition O is a water bond funding is available, the Verdugo Hills the ‘Save the Golf Course’ entry. Wear of Mount Gleason and Foothill Bou- passed in 2004 by Los Angeles vot- Golf Course would be acquired and your ‘Save the Golf Course’ T-shirt (if levard. Look for the “Save the Golf ers to clean up the City’s rivers, lakes, likely overseen by a joint powers agree- you have one), golf attire, or anything Course” banners. To RSVP or for more beaches and ocean, as well as meet fed- ment agency. This would preserve the that’s just plain cool and comfortable. information, please email gcvoice@ eral requirements for the Clean Water golf course and protect native habitat, If you have golf clubs, a bag, or any- gcvoice.org. Act. The project was recommended while enhancing storm water capture thing else ‘golf-related’, be sure to Continued On Page 4 Index: Staff Acknowledgements: News ............................................................... page 2 Features ......................................................... page 5 Editor in Chief Liaison/Journalism Advisor Section Editors Web Address Bob Georgius David W. Riemer Josh Esquivel www.voiceofthevillage.org Who We Are ................................................... page 11 818-523-5494 Layout Advisor Lina Hwang Business ......................................................... page 14 Arshavir Steven Saryan Christy Kim P.O. Box 4323 School News .................................................. page 17 Ad Sales - Sandy Shaffer- Connor Newell Sunland, CA 91041 Service Clubs ................................................. page 22 Broms Supervising Co-Editors Travis Pierce 818-397-3835 Samantha Willson Irene Penn Church News ................................................. page 25 [email protected] Amy Hwang Announcements ............................................. page 27 Ad Design - Jeannine Crowley The Arts ......................................................... page 29 2 Voice of the Village Call to Arms (pens, really) – it’s time for the foothills to rally around Redistricting Nina Royal California State Assembly - East SFV Regardless of which way redistricting goes, we will be affected. We need to pay attention because the politicians that represent Sunland-Tujunga and our neighbors will change. The latest proposed maps for State Assembly, State Senate and US Congres- sional Districts lump our community with the flat- lands of the eastern San Fernando Valley which do not share our natural resources and concerns, but do have a far greater population density, and therefore a bigger voting voice than we enjoy and will be able to elect representative that represent their interest rather than ours. Not a pretty picture. During the STNC Board meeting on Wednesday, June 8, a Straw Vote was taken of over 100 community members in attendance who voted unanimously to ask the Commissioners to include Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Lakeview Terrace and Kagel Canyon, communities that share common interests, in the same district as La Crescenta, Glen- dale and Burbank rather than the San Fernando Val- ley flatlands. The Commission that is redrawing district lines listens to “community of interest testimony” which is Commission-speak for listening to people who live in an area. What they need is to hear, strong- ly, from each of our communities: Sunland-Tujunga, Lake View Terrance, Shadow Hills, La Tuna & Kagel Cyns is that we want to be in a district with Burbank, Glendale, and La Crescenta; not the east valley. They are interested in demographic arguments such as in- come, education and housing that are closer to the areas you want to join than the areas you are pres- ently being assigned to; and anecdotal reasons like, the foothills, equestrian and hiking trails, the envi- ronment, watershed, fire dangers, and preservation Continued On Page 4 On This Day We Celebrate... Continued From Page 1 PLUMBING PROBLEMS?20110610_q2_ad_la_LASFE.pdfland-Tujunga; although Hometown get together with family, friends Heroes has been embraced by other and neighbors for an afternoon of SICARI PLUMBING Southland Cities we are the first com- fun. “Fun,” in this case, means Food, munity in Los Angeles to participate Games, Waterslides, the introduction TO THE RESCUE! in this program. Good on us! Wendell of our new Honorary Mayor – and A Plumber Answers Every Phone Call! and Deanna Bowers, the force behind the candidates for Watermelon Festi- this project, will be in the parade so val King and Queen; and Live Music 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE wave to ‘em and, if you are so moved, featuring some of our best local bands: buy a Hometown Heroes Support Deby Rey’s Revue, The Garage Band, Bracelet and show your support, these Living in July, The Working Stiffz, and Hassle Free • Always On Time • Satisfaction Guaranteed! are our ‘colors’, wear them proudly! Franny McCartney all followed by the Then there are Fireworks! – best and Brightest Fireworks in the LA MENTION THIS Starting at 4PM the celebration moves Skies. Can’t beat that! AD AND RECEIVE to Turner Field at Verdugo Hills High So grab your beach chairs and School for the annual Sunland-Tujun- blankets, come on out, kick back and ga Neighborhood Council/Sunland- enjoy! Tomorrow we are off to work Tujunga, Shadow Hills Community again – paying the price of freedom 15%15% Fund sponsored Fireworks show.