Metallic Thuds


“The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;”

−by Cecil Frances Alexander


Right now, there is a war going on outside. Trucks are attacking our sleepy neighborhood to trim down our trees. We are talking massive trucks.

I talked to a Los Angeles County representative, and he told me the reason we were not notified weeks earlier about the colossal invasion of trucks, chainsaws, dinging, and loud bangs is because a Fire Marshal just a day ago decided that there is a fire hazard here in our neighborhood. Our trees are growing and causing an issue with the street sweepers. Tree branches are touching or contacting the street sweepers.

I called the local fire department and was told a Fire Marshal would not come out to do something like that. It would most likely be a local inspector. I don’t know. The Street Services were most likely not tell you the truth.

This is a fire hazard all of a sudden?

It was in November that I made a complaint to the county that our street sweepers were not coming. They had not been coming for some time. After about a month’s time I was told it was due to the trees’ overgrowth.

Also, I found out from an official Los Angeles Street Services worker that the street sweepers only come the first and third Wednesday of every month. Even though they triage as well. We were not notified about any of this. We were not notified about today as well.

The trees could have gently and consistently been trimmed over time. Yet that would take city and or county planning. Something I have observed is that the “STREET SERVICES” does not have. Which is the foresight to plan.

The problem is that the law that enforces the signs on our street “Parking Violation” is giving us tickets. Even though the signs are not valid on our street. No street sweepers and police enforcement still will write up tickets. That seems illogical to me.

The street signs say every Wednesday from 12 to 2 PM. One cannot park on the street, or your car will be ticketed.

Today the new signs, put on with a wire, say cars will be towed away. Which is always a thousand dollar fine or more.

So, I asked many departments and city officials who manage this issue to change the signs or at least take down the signs, so my neighbors and I do not get 70-dollar tickets. Until all the LOS ANGELES city or county departments become organized. To unify!

Yet it has come down to this. The “STREET SERVICES” is doing this without considering the environment. This is an attack on my neighborhood. The ravens, birds, and bees who we share a neighborhood live here too. The cats and dogs who also live here, not to forget the raccoons, possums, and other wild things who are perchance abruptly losing their homes.

It is a rape of our neighborhood. It feels like that to me. This is much worse than having a tooth pulled. That feels like rape too. Just yellow trucks, metallic thuds, loud chainsaws, and the loud sound of stump grinders.

https://councildistrict12.lacity.gov/about/council-district-12/west-hills

https://streetsla.lacity.org/