My Neighborhood. Neighborhood Watch. My Bad.

Click on image to enlarge.

In May, 1950, the first tract of developed housing in 'The Hill' began having residents moving in.

Western View Homes offered 200 2-bedroom houses with an attached single car garage. Included among those houses were 15 3-bedroom houses with a detached two car garage.

If you look real closely, the lot designated by yellow lines marks the location where my dad bought the family home, in 1950.

Today, Mr. and Mrs. Graham live in the home Mr. Graham also bought in 1950 and they raised their daughter Francis and their son, the late David Graham in that home.

One of my parents carried me over the threshold of the front door of the house I currently live in on May 4, 1955. If you read my history here, written on this blog last year, you'll know that between October 4, 1976 and June 30, 1998 I was other places and doing other things. Quite a bit went on during my physical absence from living in that house, but it remains having a Wells living in it from the first day my dad moved in.

The neighborhood was part of the Eastview annexation into Rancho Palos Verdes by a vote of the people. I was not living in the house when that vote was taken or the discussion flew around about which incorporated city Eastview residents wanted to become part of.

There was talk back then that some may have wanted to become part of Rolling Hills Estates or Lomita, or be folded into the city of Los Angeles. I thank the voters who were in the majority during the discussions and voting because I am pleased Eastview is now part of Rancho Palos Verdes....whether other R.P.V. residents like it or not.

If this photo really confuses you, don't be too bothered. At the bottom of the photo is a portion of the Channel Heights Apartments.

When you see the Channel Heights Market at the bottom of the photo, think Ralph's shopping area. The building sits in the spot between In and Out Burgers and the brand new Yogurt place that just opened.

The burned out weeds on the right side of the photo, think The Terraces shopping levels.

If you think you see a divided Western Avenue near the bottom of the photo, with THE car in the photo, think again, please. You are actually viewing two-lane Western Avenue and the Channel Heights Apartments road right next to Western.

The 'long' and 'wide street going 'up' in the photo is Trudie Drive. Also in the photo are Highmore Avenue, parallel to Western, Jaybrook Drive, to the right of Trudie and Homeworth, which zig-zags in the middle. Bayend is allowed for, but not paved in the photo.

I attended a Neighborhood Watch Block Party at the very top of Trudie today with Terri. She is going to be the Block Captain for our portion of our street(s). Terri was a Block Captain when she lived in the Palms area of Los Angeles, many years ago.

Neighborhood Watch is a good thing in my opinion. I just procrastinated for about as long as I could before getting as involved as I should have been, years ago.

Neighborhood Watch should not be political and I strongly agree that that organization cannot endorse candidates for any elected office.

I do think that as far as overall neighborhood safety Block Captains and others can offer opinions about issues related to safety, crime and the overall well being of residents. Residents belonging to Neighborhood Watch also should have chances to offer their opinions about safety, crime, and well-being issues.

While the city's coordinator of Neighborhood Watch got in quite a bit of hot water for writing a letter during the brew ha ha over Measure P, she kept her job.

She was in opposition to the passage of Measure P, The Marymount Plan that, had it passed, would have allowed Marymount College officials and administrators to begin building on-campus housing for up to 250 students and up to 5 advisers.

While the letter was problematic for many, I feel it was written and offered from a residential safety and residential security aspect and that is something I think is important enough for Neighborhood Watch supporters may also consider.

I got in a bit of trouble when I wrote to four C.C. candidates about the Block Party. I think the area coordinator wasn't happy when two candidates 'showed up' at the party and stated matter of fact, that the party was not political in nature.

To a point I agree but I can confirm that there were more than a few residents attending that party who were basically clueless about the governors and governance of the residents of the city they live in.

I was shocked when someone asked the question; "Why doesn't the city have its own Police Department?".

Also, many of the faces on folks being greeted by the two candidates who did attend, looked as if they were talking to aliens from another world.

Too many Eastview residents continue to be apathetic towards their own government and matters within their own city.

Eastview is NOT part of the city of L.A. Eastview is NOT in San Pedro, no matter what our hearts might wish it was.

There needs to be some points where organizations on the east side of "The Hill" offer information that our neighborhood's residents won't be voting for the new Council person for the 15Th District and that they have three votes for the three seats on our city's Council now being contested by eight candidates.

I was born at "San Pedro Community Hospital" My birth certificate has a box checked for "Outside Incorporated City". That means the big hospital where so many folks were born in, is surrounded by San Pedro, but the land it sits on is not 'in' San Pedro.

I use this comparison as a way to illustrate a similarity between the hospital and businesses and residences in the Eastview area of R.P.V. They are also not in San Pedro.

Also, when the organizer was not pleased to have two candidates attend and talk to residents, all while NOT giving any campaign speeches, I had to remind myself that Trudie Drive is a public roadway and that First Amendment 'thingy' still seems to be on the books. The organizer may have not liked two candidates being at the party, but in the environment where the party took place, the candidates had the right to be there.

Another thing I want all eight candidates to learn is, more about the residents of Eastview so the candidates can gauge how we are different than residents of other parts of our city.

I think the candidates that did show up demonstrated a willingness to engage residents who really don't yet have all that much knowledge about the city of R.P.V. and perhaps the interactions between the candidates and the residents they talked to will offer greater understanding on all sides and hopefully, larger interests by our residents becoming more aware and possibly more involved in THEIR city.