Holmby News 12-18-20

HOLMBY NEWS
December 18, 2020

From the Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association, serving the Holmby Westwood community since 1960.

1.  Tracking COVID in California
2.  LAPD Crime Report
3.  UCLA COVID Update
4.  Beware of COVID Scams
5.  Holiday Safety – Theft Prevention
6.  Holiday Lights – Electrical Fire Safety
7.  Westwood Village – Shop & Dine Local
8.  Activities & Things to Do
9.  HWPOA Communication and Ad Policy
10.  Resident Ads
11.  HWPOA Contact Information

1.  TRACKING COVID IN CALIFORNIA

For updated data on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in California and LA County, please go to:

CA NOTIFY – COVID NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
Californians can now opt-in to receive Apple or Google notifications if they’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19. CA Notify, the new statewide exposure notification system, is completely anonymous and will never track your location. To help protect your community against COVID-19, please go to canotify.ca.gov and add your phone today.

Learn about CA Notify:
http://CANotify.ca.gov

2.  LAPD CRIME REPORT

THEFT FROM VEHICLE – GRAND ($950.01 & over)
Incident #: 200817371
700 BLOCK THAYER AV  |  12/8/2020 @ 4:30 PM

THEFT-GRAND (plain theft-grand) $950.01 & over
Incident #: 200817411
10800 BLOCK LINDBROOK DR  |  12/7/2020 @ 2:00 PM

E-Policing: http://www.lapdonline.org/e_policing
EMERGENCY: 911
NON-EMERGENCY: 1-877-275-5273
All other City Services: 311
Pete Ojeda, Senior Lead Officer
West L.A. Community Police Station – 1663 Butler Ave.
Office: 310-444-0741
Email: 36393@lapd.online
Website: www.lapdonline.org

3.  UCLA COVID UPDATE

Yesterday, I attended a Zoom meeting with Vice Chancellor of Administration, Michael Beck who reported the following:

Since March, UCLA has had a total of 992 cases of COVID-19 among the faculty, staff and students and several deaths.  Of those cases, 651 were students and not all of them were living on campus.  There have been 91 cases since this past Sunday.  3500 students are living off campus while only 650 students are living on “the hill” (dorms).  Under normal conditions, 14,000 students live on the hill.

Campus is closed to the general public but using campus for your recreational needs is permitted as long as you abide by health guidelines, wearing a mask and social distancing.  UCLA has had a lost revenue of $750 million and increased expenses.  It has been a difficult time for everyone but as of this week, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Stay safe, have a wonderful holiday, be thankful for all that you have, and let’s look forward to a kinder 2021.

Sandy Brown
HWPOA President

4.  BEWARE OF COVID SCAMS

VACCINE SCAM
From LA City Attorney Mike Feuer:
While the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine is terrific news, it won’t be available on a widespread basis until late spring or early summer. In the meantime, there will be a wait—and that is an opportunity for scammers to try to sell you fake vaccines that are ineffective at best—and dangerous at worst.  In the following video, Mike Feuer discusses how to avoid falling victim to this scam:

Avoid Vaccine Scams – Video

PUPPY SCAMS
From LA City Attorney Mike Feuer:
During the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in pet adoptions. But there has also been a huge uptick in puppy scams. Puppy Scams are skyrocketing! The numbers of fake sponsored ads online are huge. If you’re looking to add a new fur-baby to your life, City Attorney Mike Feuer tells you how to avoid being ripped off and having your heart broken.

VIDEO – Beward of Puppy Scams

5.  HOLIDAY SAFETY – THEFT PREVENTION

‘Tis the season to be…stealing!

Criminals are doing their last minute holiday shopping at your house.   Please be aware of the following and take appropriate precautions:

Men posing as utility service workers (DWP and Gas Co) ask to enter your home to replace or inspect equipment. This is NEVER legitimate. Please alert anyone at your home, including housekeepers, to never open the door to strangers.

Porch Pirates are still stealing packages from your home while you’re away. Think about having deliveries sent to work and have your porch cleared by neighbors if you’re not home. If you’re ordering now, and going on vacation, check the delivery dates and think about delaying shipment.

Phone scams are still rampant, especially toward seniors. Credit card companies investigating fraud will NEVER ask you for your card number or other identifying information. Believe it or not, we have recent reports of the, “Grandma, it’s your grandson,” scam where people are asked to wire money urgently to a child in need.

Trash Cans should be removed on pickup day and not left out an extra day. Those are sure indicators you’re not home — EVEN if you are, which can be even more dangerous.

6.  HOLIDAY LIGHTS – ELECTRICAL FIRE SAFETY

While holiday family gatherings may look different this year due to COVID-19, some traditions like holiday decorations remain the same. Holiday lights can help brighten any mood and spread holiday cheer, but they can also be a source of electrical fires.

It’s important to take some basic precautions to ensure your family remains safe and injury-free during the holidays.  Avoid plugging too many decorations into an outlet and check for overhead power lines before using a ladder to put up outdoor decorations. Keep your yourself and your loved ones safe with these holiday safety tips from the Electrical Safety Authority.

From our LADWP family to yours, we wish you a healthy and safe holiday season!

7.  WESTWOOD VILLAGE – SHOP & DINE LOCAL

During this time of adjustments in social events, work schedules, and travel, we encourage you to remember our many small businesses in Westwood Village and to continue supporting them even if you cannot visit them physically. Remember, when you shop and dine local, even remotely, you invest locally.

Small businesses in Westwood Village are still open for in-store shopping, curbside pickups, takeout, and delivery.

Westwood Village Business Directory

Let’s all do our part to help our wonderful local Westwood Village businesses during this time of uncertainty. There are several ways you can continue to support Westwood Village:

  • Purchase gift cards to use at a later date
  • E-shop locally — many little businesses in Westwood Village have some merchandise available online
  • Reschedule non-essential appointments for a later date instead of canceling
  • Order delivery or curbside takeout and be generous when tipping
  • Help spread the word by going online to leave a good review

8.  ACTIVITIES & THINGS TO DO

ASTRONOMICAL EVENT – THE “CHRISTMAS STAR”
Monday, December 21 – in the night sky
From KTLA News:

On Dec. 21, humans can witness something not seen in nearly 800 years.  That’s right, during the upcoming winter solstice, Jupiter and Saturn will line up to create what is known as the “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem.”  These two planets haven’t appeared this (relatively) close together from Earth’s vantage point since the Middle Ages.

Stargazers in the northern hemisphere should turn their heads and telescopes to the southwest portion of the sky about 45 minutes after sunset to see the planets align Dec. 21. However, reportedly sightings can be seen throughout that entire week.

A star-sighting of this magnitude won’t occur again until 2080.

KTLA News – “Christmas Star” in the Night Sky

– – – – –

61st ANNUAL L.A. COUNTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION
Thursday, December 24, 2020, at 3:00 p.m.

On behalf of the County of Los Angeles, The Music Center is pleased to invite you to celebrate the season with the 61st Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration! While this wonderful annual classic cannot be a live show this year, the Holiday Celebration will be available as a broadcast and streaming event and feature a vibrant new format shot in locations all around the county.

This year’s show features 22 music, dance and choral ensembles and showcases the incredible talent and artistry of our county along with the many rich holiday traditions celebrated throughout Los Angeles.

There are a number of ways to enjoy this year’s program:

  • Premiering on Thursday, December 24, 2020, from 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. PST on PBS SoCal.
  • Live streaming on pbssocal.org, kcet.org and holidaycelebration.org
  • Encore broadcasts on PBS SoCal on Thursday, December 24, 2020, from 7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.; and on KCET on Friday, December 25, 2020, from noon–3:00 p.m. PST.

9.  HWPOA COMMUNICATION AND AD POLICY

Please direct all comments, questions or issues regarding the Holmby News to hwpoa@aol.com.

Ads for plumbers, housekeepers, garage sales, etc. will be posted in the weekly News. Emergency situations such as lost and found pets, traffic alerts and similar situations will be published during the week as received.

When placing an ad, please send to hwpoa@aol.com for the Holmby News moderator to review.  Responses to ads should be directed to the ad placer, not to HWPOA.

10.  RESIDENT ADS

SEEKING HOUSE PAINTER

Would appreciate a recommendation for a painter for both interior and exterior house work who is an excellent craftsman.

Thank you,
Marshal
mbacklar@gmail.com

11.  HWPOA CONTACT INFORMATION

HOLMBY WESTWOOD PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
P.O. Box 49180
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310-470-1785
Email: hwpoa@aol.com
Web site: www.holmbywestwoodpoa.org
Pay Membership Dues: https://squareup.com/store/hwpoa

You Are Invited . . .

  • To attend our monthly Board Meetings*
  • To let us know your concerns about our community and your ideas about how we might work to improve it
  • To become involved in our Association.

*Board Meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of each month.  Please confirm prior to attending.