Toluca Lake, CA

TOLUCA LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Pride flag hanging outside a Toluca Lake church was found slashed Wednesday as more LGBTQ+ symbols continue to become a target during Pride Month.

The large flag hanging at Harmony Church Toluca Lake was cut through the center with a blade.

This comes after violent fights erupted outside a Glendale Unified School District board meeting Tuesday night when school officials adopted a resolution recognizing June as Pride Month at schools.

"It's more of a disappointment," said Harmony Church Toluca Lake Pastor Mark Stephenson. "I'm not as upset as I am disappointed that pride and prejudice and bigotry raises its ugly head."

Stephenson said while the violence is disappointing to see, his church is standing firm.

"It's important we have allyship but with that comes a price and just like you see today, there's a price to be paid, but it's not going to send us running away," he said. "We're going to face it."

Los Angeles LGBT Center Chief Impact Officer Terra Russell-Slavin said she hasn't seen actions like the ones taking place this month in years.

"I found myself really deeply upset and saddened by the fact that that level of violence, that there are people out there protesting families like mine, and that that we're facing these extreme far right attracts," she said.

Russell-Slavin called them "coordinated and organized attacks."

"I think we need to make sure that we're connecting those dots," she said.

Last week, there was a protest outside Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood where some parents called out a recent Pride event that included the reading of the book "The Great Big Book of Families."

The parents who protested said the LGBTQ topic is one that should be left for parents to teach rather than having it imposed on kids at school.

Russell-Slavin said despite the violence, she hopes the city of L.A. will stand united.

"We need our allies," she said. "We need the people who've been on the sidelines. We need to hear their voices. We need their support. We need a unified Los Angeles that we're not going to tolerate this hate."

The arrival of fall not only marks a change in season, but also reminds us of spine-chilling spider webs, ghoulish decor, and the thrill of Halloween. While many of us like our homes to be festively scary this time of year, we certainly don’t want it to give our neighbors the creeps year-round. Fortunately, Thumbtack, a home services app used by millions, has North Hollywood-Toluca Lake residents covered.

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Gelson’s Market aims to open a pocket supermarket below a 37-unit apartment complex planned for Toluca Lake, a few blocks from the historic Bob’s Big Boy restaurant.

An entity linked to Bar Development has won a construction permit to build the 10,000-square-foot market within a four-story complex at 10057-10067 Riverside Drive, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. It will replace a former U.S. post office and some commercial storefronts.

The smaller-than-normal Gelson would be topped by 37 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. The developer, using Transit Oriented Communities incentives, will build more units than zoning rules allow in exchange for setting aside four affordable apartments for extremely low-income households.

The Encino-based market chain with 27 upscale markets from Santa Barbara to San Diego will pilot its new small format in the former east San Fernando Valley enclave of Bob Hope. Gelson’s, founded in 1951, is now owned by Tokyo-based Pan Pacific International Holdings, which acquired it in 2021 for an undisclosed price.

The new pocket market will differ because of its location on a busy commercial corridor within Toluca Lake, according to Urbanize.

Plans call for multiple service areas, including a walk-up window for breakfast and coffee in the morning, tables and chairs for lunch goers next to an open kitchen, and a 22-seat indoor-outdoor wine and tapas bar, from late afternoon to early evening.

“We are energized by the possibilities with the Toluca Lake space to create something dynamic for the neighborhood,” John Bagan, CEO of Gelson’s, said in a statement.

“We see this small format store as a testing ground to prove out new concepts and to be agile and highly relevant in how we approach the Gelson’s food experience,” he said. “We have been fortunate to have a great development partner who is creating a mixed-use space that will be embraced by the community.”

The rounded corner building, designed by OfficeUntitled of Culver City, will be sheathed in white stucco and wood, with vertical windows and a corner rooftop terrace.

State business records list two Bar Development firms as having been suspended. It’s not clear if Bar Construction and Development, based in Fairfax and led by Asher Peretz, is involved with the project.

The mixed-use supermarket concept is similar to a plan to build a Costco store in a six-story apartment building in Baldwin Hills, topped by 800 homes.

More than 600,000 Angelenos are about to get a raise.

LOS ANGELES, CA — Thanks to the rising cost of orange juice, gas, appliances and just about everything else, minimum wage workers in North Hollywood-Toluca Lake will get a raise effective July 1, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday.

The new minimum wage in the City of Angels will jump to $16.04 an hour from $15. Triggered by inflation, the wage increase has faced opposition from numerous industry groups that contend it poses a burden on businesses, particularly during times of economic upheaval. Los Angeles city leaders, however, championed the increase as a tool for combating poverty.

"We fought to raise the minimum wage because hard work should always be met with the dignity, respect, and opportunity that fair pay brings," Garcetti said. "Our decision to end poverty wages in L.A. caused a ripple effect across the nation, and this additional increase is the latest reason to celebrate today — and a reminder of how our fight for better wages is far from finished."

Southern California is home to both the nation's highest minimum wage and a cost of living that ranks among the nation's highest. Last month, West Hollywood enacted the nation's highest minimum wage — a $17.64 per hour minimum wage for hotel workers. It's more than twice the federal minimum wage. California's minimum wage is $15 per hour.

The region's high minimum wage still fails to keep up with the cost of living. Locally, the living wage is estimated to be $19.35 per hour, according to a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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The Los Angeles wage increase was signed into law in 2015, lifting it to $15 per hour by 2020 and making it subject to increases each year based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers in the L.A. metropolitan area.

According to Garcetti's office, more than 600,000 Angelenos make minimum wage and will receive a pay increase on July 1 when it takes effect.

"Everyday workers continue to face many challenges. The minimum wage rate increase is intended to help move us toward a better economy and ensure that employees can have their basic needs met," Dr. Mike Davis, president pro tempore of the Board of Public Works Commission, said in a statement. "I commend the mayor and City Council for their efforts to combat income inequality and our Bureau of Contract Administration for protecting and promoting the health, safety and welfare of workers in Los Angeles."

The Bureau of Contract Administration handles implementing and administering the minimum wage guidelines for Los Angeles.

The bureau's director, John L. Reamer Jr., said the annual pay adjustment is meant to ensure that workers' wages keep pace with inflation.

"This is an important step to address economic realities for every Angeleno who is working hard to support themselves and their families," he said. "As always, our Office of Wage Standards will remain committed to protecting vulnerable workers from experiencing wage theft to advance labor standards in the city and provide hardworking individuals the opportunity to earn a fair wage for the work they perform."

Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry Commerce Association, said his organization opposes the minimum wage increase, as it did when the law tying it to the Consumer Price Index was passed.

"It was a huge increase over a short period of time," he said. Waldman added that the association wanted an "off-ramp" included in the policy, so that the increase does not go into effect when the economy is not doing well.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

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The wind driven Canyon Country Fire burned thousands of acres within hours as the latest monster wildfire to threaten Southern California.

|Updated Sat, Oct 26, 2019 at 7:34 am PT

As of 7 a.m. Saturday, the blaze was 25 percent contained. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said the forecast Westerly winds on Saturday pose a challenge in the fighting the fire. Firefighters are also looking ahead to a Santa Ana wind event on Sunday and Monday.

Firefighters battled walls of flames along with near triple digit temperatures and wind gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour. The blaze also jammed up traffic between the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles. Dozens of schools throughout Santa Clarita and the entire San Fernando Valley were shut down Friday - the second time in less than a month that thousands of Los Angeles children missed school due to raging wildfires.

Find out what's happening in North Hollywood-Toluca Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As of 6 a.m. Saturday, firefighters said all road closures would be lifted with the exception of Baker Canyon and Tick Canyon Road.

Evacuation orders, which were affecting tens of thousands of residents, were lifted for those living north of Soledad Canyon between Whites Canyon Road and Sierra Highway, and for residents in the Sand Canyon area south of Fire Station 132 from Sand Canyon Road to Placerita Canyon Road, Los Angeles County Fire Department Assistant Chief Vince Pena said at an afternoon news briefing.

Other areas under evacuation orders — specifically the area east of Sand Canyon Road south of Sierra Highway at Linda Vista Street — remain off limits.

Meanwhile, the northbound Antelope Valley Freeway, which had been closed between Golden Valley Road and Agua Dulce, was reopened about 4 p.m. Friday. The Sand Canyon Road off-ramp remained closed along with southbound lanes of the freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP suggested motorists traveling from the Lancaster area take the Antelope Valley Freeway north to westbound state Route 138 to the Golden State (5) Freeway.

Residents were urged to avoid Bouquet Canyon Road, because sheriff's deputies and firefighters were using it as a primary staging area.

Pena said crews are intent on securing the north end of the fire before light to moderate northeast winds expected Friday night start blowing from the south-southwest around noon Saturday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County Friday in response to the fire, freeing up state resources to assist in the firefighting effort. County Board of Supervisors chair Janice Hahn also issued a local emergency declaration.

Six structures have been confirmed destroyed, although fire officials said that number will likely increase following damage assessments. More than 15,000 structures had been considered threatened in the fire area.

Evacuation centers were opened at College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Valencia; and West Ranch High School, 26255 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita.

Evacuations of small animals were being handled at the Castaic Animal Care Center at 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic; and evacuations of large animals were being handled at Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 2551 West Avenue H, Lancaster; Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills; and the Castaic Animal Care Center.

As of about 4 p.m. Friday, electricity service was interrupted for nearly 8,400 Southern California Edison customers in parts of Los Angeles County under the utility's "Public Safety Power Shutoff" program.

Around 10,400 customers had been affected by the PSPS program in the Leona Valley, Agua Dulce, White Heather, Boiling Point, Mint Canyon, Chatsworth, Oaks, Lincoln Crest, Acton and Val Verde communities.

The program targets areas where weather conditions "may create the potential for elevated fire risk," SCE reported. More information is available at www.sce.com/safety/wildfire/psps.

The fire prompted the cancellation of classes at numerous schools and two colleges.

Red flag parking restrictions ordered in Los Angeles by its fire department to keep designated streets clear in case fire trucks have to be deployed were set to expire at 8 a.m. Saturday.

The fire in Canyon Country was reported about 1:40 p.m. Thursday near the 31600 block of Tick Canyon Road, earning it the moniker Tick Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Initially reported at 200 acres, the blaze rapidly grew to more than 850 acres in less than an hour, fire officials said.

College of the Canyons canceled all classes at its Valencia and Canyon Country campuses Thursday and announced the campuses would remain closed Friday. Classes were also canceled Friday for all schools in the Hart, Newhall, Saugus, Castaic Union and Sulphur Springs Union school districts.

The Los Angeles Unified School District closed all campuses in the San Fernando Valley due to air quality and safety concerns from the Tick Fire and other blazes burning in the area.

Community Elementary, Roscomare Road Elementary, Topanga Elementary Charter, Valley View Elementary, Wonderland Avenue Elementary and Elementary Day School were also closed. All athletic activities at the affected schools were canceled or postponed, according to the LAUSD.

A total of 15 schools run by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys canceled classes scheduled for Friday.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a smoke advisory through at least Saturday for northwest Los Angeles County, and eastern and western San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Residents, particularly those with sensitivity to air quality, were asked to avoid outdoor activity and remain indoors as much as possible. It was also recommended that pets be brought inside, particularly at night.

No injuries were reported in the fire. Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said a Los Angeles County fire Sikorsky water- dropping helicopter was struck by a bird and sustained a damaged windshield on Thursday. The chopper was able to land safely and its windshield was being repaired.

"The firefight will continue throughout the night," Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said at a Thursday evening news conference. "We've had sustained 20 mph winds with 30 to 40 mph gusts. We're expecting stronger winds tonight through (Friday) morning."

More than 500 firefighters from the L.A. County and Angeles National Forest fire departments were battling the fire along with four County Fire Department helicopters .

"Do not be lulled that you may not see open flames," Osby said. "Because there are plenty of hot spots out in the incident, we'll have firefighters out all night trying to work on those hot spots and try to work on increasing our containment line."

Two other, smaller brush fires broke out in the same general area Thursday while crews were battling the Tick Fire. One erupted about 10 miles to the west along the Golden State (5) Freeway in the Castaic Lake area, scorching about 18 acres while destroying two homes and damaging six, Pena said.

Another fire broke out in the Del Valle area west of the Golden State Freeway and burned about an acre of brush, officials said.

The series of fires erupted amid red flag conditions prompted by Santa Ana winds and single-digit humidity. The red flag warning is scheduled to remain in place until Friday night.

Newsom's office announced Thursday night that the state was awarded a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help cover costs of efforts to fight the Tick Fire. The grant allows agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible firefighting costs.

Large and small animals were being handled at the Castaic Animal Care Center at 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road, sheriff's officials said.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

A Los Angeles County fire Sikorsky water-dropping helicopter was struck by a bird and sustained a damaged windshield. The chopper was able to land safely and its windshield was being repaired, Osby said.

National Weather Service forecasters said winds were gusting at 45 to 55 mph in the area of the fire.

Smoke from the Tick Fire prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue an unhealthy air quality advisory for residents in portions of northwest coastal Los Angeles County, the east and west San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains. The advisory was ordered to be in effect through Friday.

"It is difficult to tell where smoke, ash or soot from a fire will go, or how winds will affect the level of these particles in the air, so we ask everyone to remember that smoke and ash can be harmful to health, even for people who are healthy," said Dr. Muntu Davis, health officer for Los Angeles County.

"If you can see smoke, soot, or ash, or you can smell smoke, pay attention to your immediate environment and take precautions to safeguard your health."

Residents, particularly those with sensitivity to air quality, were asked to avoid outdoor activity and remain indoors as much as possible. It was also recommended that pets be brought inside, particularly at night.

Schools and recreational programs in smoke-impacted areas were advised to suspend games and practices until conditions improve, Davis said.

Meanwhile, another brush fire erupted several miles to the west along the Golden State (5) Freeway in the Lake Hughes area. That fire scored about five to seven acres and burned through the roof of at least one home.

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the area, wrote on her Twitter page late Thursday afternoon that six homes had been lost in the Castaic area as a result of the blazes, but more homes could be seen burning Thursday evening in aerial TV news footage.

While crews were battling those two blazes, a third fire broke out in the Del Valle area west of the Golden State Freeway. According to county fire officials, that blaze damaged a vehicle and a mobile home, along with about one acre of brush.

The series of fires erupted amid red flag conditions prompted by Santa Ana winds and single-digit humidity. The red flag warning is scheduled to remain in place until Friday night.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report

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