Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

It seems that some of my customers really like geese.
I noticed that some of them like goose designs on their shirts or pants.

Today I would like to share with you a story about geese.
In Korea, there is a title called ‘goose dad.’ This isn’t talking about the leader in a flock of geese flying in V formation.

It’s a title given to dads who send their children and wives to the United States or Canada so the children can learn English. The goose dads stays back in Korea to make money to send to his family. They only see their families about once or twice a year. This why they are goose dads, because they fly back and forth like geese do when they migrate between seasons.

However, I don’t think that’s a proper title for these dads.

Geese are migratory birds, yes. However, when they travel long distances, they don’t travel alone, they travel in groups.

No matter how difficult circumstances are, I think it is of the utmost importance for families to stay together, kind of like how geese stay together when they travel.

I hope that even though some people might be physically away from family and loved ones, I hope that each and every one of us would be together with those we love in spirit.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

It is now September and it is Labor Day weekend.

It’s just about the end of summer and the beginning of fall.

Labor Day was meant for people who work. It is a way for people to be grateful for and find joy in their work by having a well deserved break from work.

You hear about a lot of people who are without and can’t find work these days. You also hear about self-employed people and/or small business owners like myself who get little to no business for periods of time. I have heard this about others and I have also personally experienced it myself.

On Labor Day weekend, I find myself thinking about work a lot.

It really isn’t just a means to put food on the table to survive.

In the book, “The Gospel of the Redman: A Way of Life,” Ernest Thompson Seton says that we should love our lives and that we should find all things in our life beautiful. The book also says to be happy in your personal strength and beauty.

Work certainly takes up a large portion of our daily lives. Don’t get me wrong, family and loved ones always come first, but it’s important to love what you do, especially when it takes up so much of your time. Also, it is the very fact that we work that allows us to enjoy a nice day off of work like Labor Day.

For me, if cleaning and pressing your clothing can help you find beauty and happiness in your life, I will be a happy this Labor Day.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

There’s a proverb that says that having clear and sunny days all the time creates deserts.

Of course everybody wishes to have bright and happy days all the time, but if every single day was like that, we could forget what happiness is.

It is natural for there to be rain, snow, wind, thunder, and lightning on some days and for other days to be clear and sunny.

It is the human condition to be happy sometimes and sad other times. There are times we laugh and there also times we cry. This is all normal.

In order for a tree to produce a bright red and ripe apple, the tree has to go through the cold winter, sunshine, rain, and withstand sometimes harsh winds. All of those things are necessary.

These life conditions are similar to what I experience as a dry cleaner. There are times when I am happy and there are times when things are difficult.

Sometimes customers bring in clothes with stains that are easy to get rid of, other stains are a little more difficult to clean, and still there are other stains that won’t go away no matter how hard I try. There are days when there are a lot customers and there are days where there are very little.

If we could take all these things, good and bad, and decide that we are still going to be happy, I think we could make every day a happy day no matter what.

It is now towards the end of August. The summer is almost over.

I hope that you can enjoy every day as a happy day in the month of September!

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Do you like the word ‘new’?

Usually, when something is new, it is good.

Whether it’s a new item or new thought, it often makes people feel good to have new things.

A lot of areas in the United States have the word ‘new’ attached to them, like New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and New Orleans. The first settlers of those territories identified those lands as new and good.

However, it isn’t just new things that are good.

There are old things that are good too. For example, it’s always nice to see old friends.

I admire many people from old times such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Old clothes can be good, too.

Sure sometimes if you’ve been wearing an item of clothing for a long time, you might get tired of it. However, if there was an item of clothing you have that you really like but haven’t worn in a really long time, finding it and wearing it again could be nicer than buying new clothes.

New is good, but it can be better to find things that we’ve had all along but have neglected for a long time.

Whether it’s old shoes, an old watch, or an old friend, I hope you’d be able to appreciate them by finding new meaning and new hope in them this week.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

When I turn on the news on television, it seems like there’s a lot more bad news than good news.

Whether we’re talking about the debt problem we’re having in the US or the riots in England and other problems in Europe, Asia, and Africa, it seems like there’s a lot more bad things going on than there is good.

Even if it’s not big news that makes the headlines, it also seems like in our regular ever day lives, that bad things that happen seem more significant than the good things. Then we look in the mirror to notice the frown lines and what looks to be an upset or angry face.

An English psychologist named Robert Holden suggested that the best way to deal with these kinds of things is through laughter therapy.

Young children are said to laugh about 600 times a day. Adults only laugh 6 times a day. However, with some effort, even an adult can learn to laugh as often as a child does.

According to Dr. Holden, laughing helps decrease stress and is beneficial to your health. A minute of laughing has the health benefits of 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, like bicycling.

It isn’t possible to live through life with absolutely no bad experiences. Everyone goes through some period of negativity.

However, it is important to be able to laugh.

It is good to laugh, it’s proven to be good for your health.

I will make an effort to have laughter in cleaning your clothing.

I hope that this week will be full of laughter for you.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here. 

The hot summer weather causes people to sweat a lot. Sometimes, excessive heat can make people feel weak. In cases like this, it is good to eat a lot of healthy foods.

Some of the best foods to eat during the hot summer are fruits.

Among these fruits are watermelons.

Watermelons have a nutrient called lycopene.

It is said that lycopene can help prevent cancer and heart disease.

According to studies done at Harvard Medical School, people who have higher levels of lycopene in their diet are 33% less likely to get cancer than people with lower levels of lycopene. Also, an amino acid called citrulline that is present in watermelons, create another amino acid called arginine, which is beneficial for men’s health. Watermelons also have beta-carotene in them, which prevents the aging of eyes. It helps older people maintain their vision.

But what do I know?

I just found all this information while looking up watermelons on the Internet.

I just wanted to suggest that eating a refreshing watermelon on a hot summer’s day so that you can enjoy a healthy summer.

Also, if by chance you stain your clothes from the juices of the fruits while you eat them, know that we would be more than happy to take care of that for you!

Enjoy a very healthy month of August!

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Is a tomato a fruit or vegetable?

This was a question that was on a test I took in elementary school.

Regardless of its correct label, everyone knows that tomatoes are good for you. Times magazine listed tomatoes as one of the 10 foods that prevent cancer.

There are many different ways to prepare tomatoes to eat. I however, simply enjoy cutting up slices of tomatoes to eat raw while dipping them in sugar.

I have two different tomato stories to tell you.

Tomatoes were first introduced to the United States during the time Lincoln was president. At the time, tomatoes were only kept as house plants but not eaten. People used to think that it’s bright red color meant that it was poisonous.

I don’t know if this is a true story or not but it is said that because it was thought to be poisonous, it is said that enemies of President Lincoln had tried to poison him by giving him tomatoes. However, it turned out that the more tomatoes he ate, he became healthier. We know today that tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and therefore indeed healthy to eat

The other story I wanted to tell you was about how 100 years ago, it was declared in the US Supreme Court that the tomato is a vegetable and not a fruit. The reason that this went up all the way into the Supreme Court was because in the 1880s, US tariff laws imposed a duty on vegetables but not on fruits. The reasoning that was used to declare a vegetable was that tomatoes aren’t eaten as desserts so therefore are not fruits.

It really doesn’t matter to me whether they are fruits or vegetables because I enjoy them either way.

I feel like people often get caught up in similarly trivial situations in their lives. Tomatoes are a very tasty and refreshing food, why does it matter whether it’s a fruit or vegetable? We spend too much time concerning ourselves with things that don’t really matter when all we should be doing is enjoying a tasty tomato. (figuratively and literally)

I hope that your week will be as tasty and refreshing as a tomato.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Hot temperatures and tons of sunshine in Burbank today. Bring it on!  No rain this weekend just plenty of gorgeous this-is-why-we-live in Southern California weather. At around 9 a.m. this morning, it was already 73 degrees in B-town. The high is expected to reach into the 90s. The weather forecast includes the possibility of some winds, 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. 

Tomorrow, the temps should drop down into the 80s. Over all, a terrific SoCal get-out-and-do-it weekend.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Sprinklers spray a lush green yard on Sunset Canyon Drive in Burbank March 2011

Last Wednesday, March 30, Governor Jerry Brown declared the state drought over, done, finished — a total wrap. After nearly three years of being in drought mode, Governor signed a proclamation ending it.

Brown’s announcement followed the fourth snow survey of the season, conducted by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), which found that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is 165 percent of the April 1 full season average… according to the Governor’s website.

Despite the good news, Brown urged residents to continue to conserve: ““While this season’s storms have lifted us out of the drought, it’s critical that Californians continue to watch their water use,” Brown said. “Drought or no drought, demand for water in California always outstrips supply. Continued conservation is key.”

Could that mean no water hike for Burbankers this year? Don’t bet on it. Someone has to pay for the pet projects and those hefty raises for executives in the Burbank Water and Power.  Hopefully, fewer Burbank residents will have to let their lawns go dry up and go brown during the hot summer months. A decision that depends more on city water rates than the governor’s proclamation.

More on the end of the drought and the governor’s remarks here.

Tree talk in B-town

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A tree lined street in the hillside area of Burbank

Burbank is one of only two communities in the state designated as a Tree City USA recipient by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The other is Sacramento. It’s the 34th consecutive year Burbank has received the honor. “This national recognition acknowledges Burbank’s commitment to its community forest,” according to a news release sent out last week by City Hall. 

The city has proclaimed March as Arbor Month. Last Wednesday, at the Arbor Day ceremony in Miller School park a symbolic tree was planted “.. as a living testimonial of everyone’s commitment to the beautification of the City of Burbank through the planting and maintenance of all trees throughout the City.” the release says.

A second Arbor Month ceremony was held on Thursday, March, 24 as part of the Plant-a Tree ceremony. The program reportedly has received $1,500 from donors and that money will go toward planting new trees in McCambridge Park.  This reforesting effort is necessary at the park because so many trees were lost in the recent rainstorms. This brings up a couple of issues.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Two aging stone pine trees on Bethany Road between Glenoaks Boulevard and Third Street in Burbank

Two giant stone pine trees remain in the center of a stretch of Bethany Road. On Sunday, March 20, in the middle of a vicious storm, a third old pine, in the same area, toppled into an apartment building.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Workmen survey the damage to an apartment balcony caused by a toppled tree on Bethany Road in Burbank March 22, 2011

A parked truck was damaged, along with a section of manager Ben Cantu’s balcony at the Bethany Towers Apartments. Cantu thinks at least one of the nearby giant pine trees is  on the brink of collapse. And he could be right. Officials should not wait until the older trees get knocked down in a storm to replace them. For safety and practical reasons, it makes more sense to gradually take out the old trees and replant new ones. Less change to the environment, while ensuring big shady trees will be here in Burbank for future generations to appreciate.

I’ve heard many of the city trees aren’t trimmed as often as they should be due to budget restrictions. Also, as reported in this blog  back on March 16, some of our healthy big trees  are in danger of being chopped down because of root problems in the sewer lines.

Maintenance is just as important as planting trees. Preserving the trees we have in the city should be a high priority permanent item in the budget.  

Spring has finally sprung

Bees and hummingbirds are buzzing the gardens, yards, and fields of the Media City. Spring is finally here. It’s beginning to feel like springtime as well. The high today around 75.  Tomorrow, the temperature will top out in the 80s.  Thursday’s  high could reach 90 in Burbank!!!

Photo: David Cantu/freelance photographer -- Last Sunday's storm was too much for a massive stone pine tree which fell onto an apartment building on Bethany Road in Burbank March 21, 2011

The first in yet another series of storms is rolling through Burbank this evening, increasing the concerns that more trees will topple. Several trees were knocked down by last weekend’s treacherous storm, one of the casualties, a graceful giant at Third Street and Bethany Road.

Photo: David Cantu/freelance photographer -- A downed tree on Bethany Road damaged an apartment building and a parked truck March 20,2011

The building manager, Ben Cantu, says the huge stone pine took the fall at about 4:45 p.m., last Sunday, March 20. Cantu believes the storm was only partly to blame: “… one of the most beautiful trees in Burbank fell victim to high winds and top heavy growth.”

Cantu, whose first floor balcony was damaged,  says that when the tree smashed into the Bethany Towers: “It shook the entire building so much that tenants believed that an earthquake had occurred.” One apartment dweller, Tammy Folkes, reportedly called a friend across town to see if “she had felt the quake.”

Photo: David Cantu/freelance photographer -- A section of that downed tree on Bethany Road in Burbank crushed a parked truck March 21, 2011

Tenant, Dean Benavidez, got whacked twice by the fallen tree. It crushed his truck. Benavidez reportedly was “mostly upset that he had just bought new tires for his work truck.” Also, the toppled tree cracked one of the windows in Benavidez’s apartment — that was the easiest repair job of several that needed to be done.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- On Monday forestry crews chopped the fallen pine tree into a ton of heavy logs, which were carted away leaving behind a huge stump and some smaller wood pieces March 22, 2011

On Monday, forestry crews removed most of that huge tree from the street. Tuesday, a construction crew began the clean-up and repair work on the  damaged  apartment balcony.  

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Construction workers demolished a section of an apartment balcony damaged by a fallen tree on Bethany Road March 22, 2011

Also, on Tuesday afternoon gas company workers came by to fix a leak — also, blamed on the collapsed tree. Cantu says the Burbank Fire Department turned off the gas to the line linked to the stoves in the apartment building on Sunday. So for two days, tenants were not able to cook in their units.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Worker for the gas company repaired a gas line damaged by a fallen tree on Bethany Road in Burbank March 22, 2011

Traffic is back to normal along that section of Bethany Road, between Glenoaks Boulevard and Third Street. There will most likely be some delays later on when the big tree stump is removed. Jan Bartolo of Park, Recreation and Community Services, says that will probably happen sometime in the next month.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- All that remains of a fallen giant stone pine tree is a big stump and a few scattered wood pieces on Bethany Road in Burbank March 22, 2011

Bartolo explained the stone pine that collapsed “… was an older tree, however the severity of the storm played an important role in its failure.” Should residents be concerned about the other giant trees in that section of Bethany Road? Bartolo says the city is keeping a close watch on those trees: ”While it is impossible to predict tree failures, we have taken every necessary precaution with our Certified Arborist inspections performed on the trees since the storm to assess their current condition.  At this time, our arborists feel that the trees are in stable condition with a good root structure and at this time no expectation of any other failures are anticipated.”

A lot of sunshine in Burbank on this President’s Day, although, the temperature is warming up slooowly. The hillside area was awash in sunshine this morning, but my walk was still quite chilly. The temperature didn’t seem to bother some. I saw folks diligently cleaning up storm debris and one ambitious neighbor was out painting her house!

Despite some lingering clouds– no rain in the forecast — at least until the end of the week. The high in B-town today in the upper 50s to the low 60s. A nice day to continue to dry out from the storms and wrap up the long holiday weekend.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Gardening expert Emilio Telles conducted a class on rose care at Armstrong Garden Center in Glendale January 15, 2011

“Think about me on Valentine’s Day. That’s when you need to fertilize,” recommended gardening expert, Emilio Telles, during the rose care class at Armstrong Garden Center in Glendale, on Saturday, January 15, 2011.   Telles used another holiday, Halloween, as a stopping point for fertilizing rose bushes.

Telles’ January class focused mostly on the pruning of rose bushes. I took Armstrong’s “Rose care for beginners,” last May and wrote about it in this blog.  So for this winter class, I was taking detailed notes on pruning because I was ready, for the first time, to cut down my rose bushes and not leave that chore to the gardener.  

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Gardening expert Emilio Telles demonstrated the proper way to prune a new rose bush at an Armstrong Garden Center class in Glendale on January 15, 2011

In between humorous stories of what-not-to-do, Telles provided helpful tips and techniques on pruning. Most important, for established roses cut them down by a third. Severe pruning is for new rose bushes. Also, Telles instructed the group of amateur gardeners to remove the leaves and clip the branches with the cut pointing outward, thin out the rose bush, and open up its center.

For hearty beautiful rose bushes, Telles recommends pruning even if they have buds on them: “You have to let your roses go to sleep.” He says the rose bushes will go dormant, but start growing again in a few weeks. That’s exactly what happened to my rose bushes.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Gardening pro Emilio Telles demonstrated how to remove a new rose bush from its packaging at an Armstrong Garden Center class in Glendale February 12, 2011

I’m thrilled to say, I have new growth on all the canes of my rose bushes. My pruning was far from perfect, but apparently rose bushes are forgiving of a few awkward cuts here and there. At last Saturday’s February rose pruning class, I concentrated on fertilizers and dealing with nasty pests and diseases that attack roses.

Got questions about your rose bushes? Drop by the Armstrong Garden Center at 5816 San Fernando Road and ask a green shirt pro for advice. The staff is really eager to help customers out with any type of plant or gardening issue or problem. Other Armstrong Garden Centers offer the classes, which are free, as well. Information on classes and gardening tips are available at the garden centers or on the company website.

Winter is less than two weeks away and yet the Media City is basking in warm, summer like temperatures.  Weather watchers are predicting the high could reach the mid-80s tomorrow — and December is supposed to be the coldest month of the year for Burbank. Go figure.

I was out walking this evening in the hillside area and it truly felt like a summer evening. However, the holiday lights and decorations in the neighborhood were a strong reminder that Christmas is just around the corner.

Enjoy this burst of summer — cooler temperatures and maybe even some rain heading our way by mid-week.

Stormy skies over the weekend for Burbank and the rest of the Southland, according to the weather watchers. The rain rolled in late last night. This morning, the major freeways were littered with wrecks, toppled vehicles, and pockets of backed-up traffic. 

The forecast is for steady rain, heavy at times, throughout the day and much of the evening. There’s a flash flood watch for the local burn areas and a wind advisory for the mountains, where gusts could reach 60-to-70 mph.

Here in the Media City, riding along with this cold front – some strong winds, 10-20 mph with some 30 mph gusts.  The high today — upper 50s to low 60s.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank City Hall 275 East Olive Avenue

City Hall officials are fiercely working to spruce-up and polish Burbank’s image ahead of those all important local election coming up in a few months. First, that highly touted, but rather bland monthly newsletter, Burbank USA, popped up around town and in utility bills.

Recently, a lengthy article on the effort to quote “refresh the city’s image” appeared in the Burbank Leader. Now comes the results of the Burbank Citizen Survey 2010. In September, Godbe researchers conducted phone interviews with a “cross section”  of 400 Burbank residents. A summary of the survey and the results are posted on the Burbank city website.

At the Tuesday, November 16, city council meeting, Mayor Anja Reinke raved about the results: “Burbank has one of the highest citizen satisfaction rates, 96 percent overall satisfaction in the way our city is being run our services the whole gamut of things in the city of Burbank.”

Well, that’s not quite correct. Those surveyed were questioned about city services and the quality of life in Burbank. None of the questions asked were about the police scandal, those lawsuits, the millions being spent to fight those suits, the jack-up of utility rates this past summer, and oh yes, those plum raises for selected Burbank Water & Power executives and some other city personnel. I spoke with one of the 400 Burbankers who took part in the survey and he confirmed this.

However, both the mayor and City Manager, Mike Flad, concluded the survey results indicated residents do not care about the police mess or other controversial city issues. Mayor Reinke put it this way,”… inspite of some of the police problems that we still have very high citizen satisfication with our police services and they have not suffered as a result of any of the problems in the police department that are winding their way through the legal system.”

Mike Flad said,”… we’re in an economic climate in an era of scrutiny in the wake of the Bell scandal and the public scrutiny surrounding public employee compensation and pensions. I think it’s absolutely extraordinary, I think the city employees have done an absolutely outstanding  job to keep our satisfaction rate at that 96 and 94 percent level for both the quality of life in Burbank and the public’s perception of the city services in Burbank.”

The only real criticism came from Councilman David Gordon: “I did have some questions and concerns about the sampling size.” Burbank has around 110,000 residents with 80,000 of them registered to vote. The research sample of 400 people seemed small to Gordon and he suggested a larger scale survey in the future.

Two candidates jump into the Burbank City Council race

As of  last Friday morning, two eager candidates, both with experience in city government, are off and running for two seats on the Burbank City Council. The first to sign up on the candidate’s list on Monday, November first, the first official day of the nomination period , Planning Board Vice-Chair,  Emily Gabel-Luddy.

 Burbank Police Commission Chair, Bob Frutos, signed up on the same day right behind Gabel-Luddy. Both Frutos and Gabel-Luddy took home nomination papers, which require the signatures of 50 registered voters supporting their candidacy.

I’ve heard about other contenders preparing for the city council race, too. So expect to see more names mentioned here, on this blog,  as the deadline for pulling and returning nomination papers to the City Clerk’s office nears. The deadline is Monday, November 29, 2010 at 5 p.m.

The Primary Nomination Election is February 22, 2011, followed by the General Municipal Election on April 12, 2011.

For a countdown to the February election check the far right column of this blog.

Controversial bike lane in Burbank gets a reprieve

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A cyclist rolls along in the bike lane on Verdugo Avenue in May of 2010

A hot issue that gets folks in the Media City riled up almost as much as the Burbank Police mess — is the bike lane along a stretch of Verdugo Avenue. This bike lane has a passionate group of haters as well as a peddle-power group that loves it. 

At last Tuesday’s city council meeting, a number of cycling enthusiasts turned out to encourage council members to make the bike lane permanent. The six month project was up for review. Despite the vocal support, council members decided they did not have enough data to fairly access the project, so they voted unanimously for a six-month extension for it.

The vote came as a surprise to the bike lane supporters as well as opponents like Ken Fesperman. A long time Burbank resident, Fesperman lives on a side street near Verdugo Avenue. Fesperman says the outrage over the bike lane from his neighbors and others he knows, prompted him to circulate a petition to have it removed. That’s when he ran into trouble.

Last month, Fesperman was collecting signatures for his petition at the Buena Vista Library when a cyclist confronted him. Fesperman says he was assaulted during the altercation and it left a scar on his face. Fesperman filed a police report, but the incident dampened his spirit for community involvement. However, Fesperman did turn in his petition to city hall, which he says had 330 signatures of folks wanting Verdugo Avenue re-striped back the way it was — two traffic lanes in each direction.  There is now one lane in each direction with a yellow turn section in the middle, from Hollywood Way to Olive Avenue.

Fesperman complains the change never should have been made without informing residents on the side streets. He says that since the bike lane went in, more motorists are zipping down his street –sometimes at “..55 to 60.. ” miles per hour in a zone where children frequently play in the area. “You’re creating more traffic,” Fesperman insists. He believes a powerful few are pushing the bike lane project. “I heard it’s a special interest group. Handful of the city insiders…”

 Maybe that’s why the city survey found little traffic change on Verdugo Avenue  –the overflow is pouring into the side streets. Another survey, with a wider scope, should be done.

Another problem is the alarming number of  bicyclists who ignore traffic rules. The violators got a scolding from outspoken activist, Eden Rosen, at last Tuesday’s council meeting. I’ve seen it myself. Bicyclists blowing through red lights and stop signs,  or riding two or three abreast with a line of traffic behind them.  Even cops I know complain about these arrogant cyclists who don’t follow the rules of the road. Oh, and we’re not talking about school children — most often — the culprits are adults.

In the coming months, city officials have opportunities to work on easing the traffic problems around Verdugo Avenue and to address other concerns of nearby residents. Oh, it wouldn’t hurt to pass out some of those bike safety pamphlets to the cyclists. I hear they have a good supply of the pamphlets over at the Burbank PD.

First flu case confirmed in Los Angeles County

It’s that time of year again. Los Angeles County has its first confirmed case of the seasonal flu. It’s the influenza strain A H3N2, which is rolling across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This year’s flu vaccine will protect against that strain and two others, including H1N1.

In a press release, Los Angeles County Health Official, Jonathan E. Fielding, declared now is an excellent time to get that flu shot: “We cannot predict how severe or how mild a flu season will be. Flu is a serious illness and should be treated as such. Ample vaccine is already available in LA County in a variety of locations, including pharmacies, supermarkets, community clinics and doctor’s offices.”

Last Friday, I stopped in at the CVS Pharmacy on Hollywood Way and got my flu shot. It was a breeze. Only a few people were waiting, including a mother and her two young children, so the process did not take long. The cost around $30 and they accept most insurance plans. For information on free flu shots at single day vaccination clinics and or at Public Health Centers go here. Flu shots are now recommended for everyone six months and older.

 Watch out for the trick-or-treaters!

We got some rain early this morning in Burbank and could get more before the day is done. So keep that umbrella nearby. The weather forecast is for cool temperatures in the 60s and overcast skies with some occasional sunshine.  

The rain should be gone by tomorrow. The weather watchers are predicting sunny and dry conditions on Halloween in the Media City and the rest of the Southland.

UPDATED: 5:30 p.m.  The high today reached 90. It could be even hotter tomorrow!

Ditch that umbrella and get out the sunglasses. A sunny and warm three- day holiday weekend kicks off today with a predicted high in the upper 80s in Burbank.  On Sunday, more of the same gorgeous Southland weather with temperatures continuing to hover near 90 through Monday, Columbus Day.

We needed the rain, but this is the kind of fall weather the Southland is known for and many of us long-time residents relish with glee. Bring it on!