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.
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."
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A bill by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge) encouraging young people to call 911 when underage drinkers face a medical emergency has passed both houses of the Legislature and is headed for the governor’s desk.
Portantino’s bill would grant immunity from prosecution to underage teens who call in an alcohol-related medical emergency. The law requires the teen to be the first to call 911 and to stay at the scene until help arrives in order to receive immunity for prosecution on alcohol possession and consumption charges.
“Let me be clear, this bill does not condone underage drinking,” Portantino said in statement. “What it does is make it easier for young people to call for help when they suspect alcohol poisoning.”
The bill is modeled after legislation in three other states, according to Portantino.
“The idea for AB 1999 came from a woman in my district, Kathy Hernandez, who was concerned about teenage drinking and its sometimes deadly consequences. This bill provides a safe way for teens who are in trouble to reach out for help. It sends a message that if you do the right thing by helping a friend in distress you will not be punished.”
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From the La Cañada Valley Sun
Southern California Gas Company workers are struggling to seal a natural gas pipeline on Chevy Chase Drive that was punctured Thursday morning by work crews digging in the street with a backhoe.
The rupture prompted the closure of Chevy Chase Drive between Descanso Drive and Berkshire Avenue. A portion of Hamsptead Road is also closed. And seven homes were evacuated because of the risk of an explosion, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Gibson said.
"It was pretty high pressure, it was permeating the whole area with natural gas," Gibson said.
Los Angeles County fire crews, including a hazmat team, are on scene ready with fire retardant foam in case a fire should ignite.
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From the La Cañada Valley Sun
A lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses Farmers Insurance Group of refusing to honor claims filed by policyholders whose homes were damaged by the Station fire.
The plaintiffs, comprising more than 1,100 homeowners in the Station fire burn area, allege that the insurance company denied or minimized payouts on claims for damage stemming from fire, smoke, ash, soot and wind. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
Farmers Insurance spokesman Jerry Davies said the company's legal team was reviewing the lawsuit, but declined to comment further.
The Station fire broke out on Aug. 26 along Angeles Crest Highway two miles north of La Cañada Flintridge. It raged uncontained for more than a month, destroying 160,000 acres of forest, 89 homes and killed two Los Angeles County firefighters. It also blanketed foothill communities in a thick cloud of ash and left many homes and vehicles smelling of smoke for weeks.
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