Station fire victims may receive tax break

[caption id="attachment_20865" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Tom Smith overlooks a home on Feb. 7, 2009, that was destroyed in La Cañada. (Scott Smeltzer/Glendale News Press) "][/caption] A measure to give Station fire victims tax breaks passed both houses of the state Legislature and is headed to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The measure, by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino’s (D-La Cañada Flintridge), would extend income tax exemptions to homeowners and businesses victimized by fires and natural disasters in 11 California counties. The Station fire wiped out 209 structures, including 89 homes, according to Portantino. “As we head into another fire season, I am hopeful that Gov. Schwarzenegger will sign this bill and provide tax relief for these homeowners,” Portantino said in a statement. “Because it is an urgency measure, it would go into effect immediately once it is signed into law.  For those who lost homes and property because of fires, mudslides and other natural disasters, this tax relief cannot come soon enough.” The measure, AB 1662, was co-authored by Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries (R- Lake Elsinore) and offers assistance to disaster victims in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Calaveras, Monterey, Siskiyou, Imperial, Kern and  Placer counties.

Portantino bill on diploma mills heads to governor’s desk

A measure by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) to crack down on so-called diploma mills was approved by the state Assembly Tuesday and is headed for the governor’s desk. The bill, AB 1889, requires that schools be accredited in order to offer doctoral degrees. It also blocks schools from claiming to have successfully placed students in jobs when the jobs are not directly linked to class subjects. Last year Portantino sponsored a successful measure establishing strong oversight of unaccredited schools. This measure would update and clarify the existing law. The bill, Portantino said in a statement, “offers students a guarantee that their education and vocational training will be monitored and that regulations will be enforced.” “I believe these changes will ensure institutions don’t inappropriately inflate job placement,” he added. “A job sweeping floors in a restaurant should not qualify as job placement for cooking school graduates.”

Basin expansion going smoothly ahead of winter storm season

From the Glendale News-Press LA CRESCENTA — Officials on Monday said they were on track to expand six vital foothill-area debris basins before this year's winter storms again bring the threat of damaging mudflows. The $1.2-million project aims to increase the capacity of Pickens, Pinelawn, Starfall, Big Briar, Mullally and Snover basins, officials said. The enlargement project will allow for an additional 68,000 cubic yards of debris in the foothill basins, from 180,200 to 248,400 cubic yards of total capacity, officials said. The expansion is expected to be completed in October. ... Continue Reading: Basin expansion going smoothly

Canyonside neighbors come together to clear brush

Neighbors from the Upper Canyonside Community Association held a brush clearance and clean up event Saturday.  For a gallery, click on the photo.  Watch video here! [caption id="attachment_20753" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Neighbor Rose Newman removes dead leaves from a plant on a hill separating Canyonside Drive in La Crescenta on Saturday, August 28, 2010. The Upper Canyonside Community Association held a brush clearance and clean-up project one year after the Station Fire. (Raul Roa/News-Press)"][/caption]

La Cañada resident faces Lou Gehrig’s disease with grace, courage

It began with a case of what is known as "drop foot." In early 2009, La Cañada Flintridge resident Bonnie Hine noticed she was unable to flex her toes, and then her ankle, in the routine motions used during walking. Her balance suffered, and she found herself falling while performing common household tasks. The problems persisted, and Hine, 68, knew that whatever was going on, it was more than natural aging. She repeatedly searched the Internet for clues to her symptoms and eventually made an appointment with a neurologist. After a battery of examinations and tests, she was given a definitive diagnosis - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, so named for the baseball star who succumbed to it in 1941. "Anybody who has ALS knows the date [of their diagnosis]," Hine said. "It is just horrendous - Nov. 3, 2009." Continue reading here.

Effects of Station fire still linger

From the Glendale News-Press Ann Benriter stepped gingerly around bits of charred debris and twisted metal that littered the site where her house once stood in the Vogel Flats community in Big Tujunga Canyon. Off to one side were the remnants of two motorcycles, the tires and seats burned away. Her husband, John, hasn't been able to bring himself to remove them. "I don't care what anyone says, they had no intention of saving us," Benriter said. "All they did was save the ranger station. Every one of these water tanks, every pool, was all full of water. They never did anything." ...Continue Reading: Anger, frustration still flaring over Station fire PHOTOS: Residents still grapple with rebuilding

VIDEO: One year after the Station fire, residents remember

One Year Later: Residents remember the Station Fire

Residents in Vogel Flats in Angeles National Forest are still trying to rebuild their homes a year after the devastating Station Fire. [caption id="attachment_20616" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Trent Saunders stands where a house he once owned was destroyed by the Station Fire and holds a photo of the structure on Monday, August 23, 2010. (Roger Wilson/News-Press)"][/caption]

Glendale, Burbank homes hold value as county properties slip

Glendale and Burbank are among the best-performing cities in a slumping regional real estate market, according to the Los Angeles County Assesor’s Office. Residences in Glendale and Burbank held or increased their values even as the county experienced an $18 billion drop in property values, according to an assessor’s report released Thursday. Some 49,000 properties in Glendale are assessed at nearly $22.9 billion,  a 1.3% increase over last year. In Burbank, 33,400 properties were assessed at a total of nearly $18.3 billion essentially the same as in 2009. La Cañada Flintridge saw a 0.3% dip to $14.1 billion on 7,567 properties. Overall, in Los Angeles County property values dropped $185 billion to $1.09 trillion, a 1.7% decline. In a prepared statement, Los Angeles County Assessor Robert Quon attributed most of the decrease to a downward reasessment of more than 400,000 homes and condos, reflecting a substantial decline in values from the peak of the market in 2006. New construction has declined in the downturn, and has had a smaller positive effect on prices than is typical of recent years. Quon also said the “lack of economic inflation” was a factor in the overall decline. While the declines represent a loss in property values for homeowners and a loss of property tax revenue for cities, they also promise reduced property taxes for homeowners.

Olympic medalist unveils new clothing line in Glendale

American gymnast and Olympic medal winner Nastia Liukin unveiled her new clothing line at the Glendale Galleria J.C.Penney on Saturday. For a gallery, click the photo. [caption id="attachment_20551" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin smiles at her fans during promotional appearance at the Glendale Galleria J.C. Penney's on Saturday, August 21, 2010. Liukin unveiled her new line of Supergirl by Nastia clothing. (Raul Roa/News-Press)"][/caption]