LIVING ON EDGE EMOTIONS STRONG AT BOUNDARY LINE.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer It may vie for the twistiest curves, trendiest digs and some of the headiest views in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . But the world-famous Mulholland Drive For the motion picture, see . Mulholland Drive is a very well-known road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland. A portion of it is also called Mulholland Highway. also could become the farthest- south boundary of a new San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. city. If voters approve secession in November, residents living north of Mulholland Drive will become Valleyites, while neighbors across the street will remain Angelenos. ``I don't think I'm too crazy about it,'' said Mary Ruiz, who lives on the north side of parallel Mulhollands in the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. of Woodland Hills. ``I don't want to be on the edge of town.'' Winding from Topanga Canyon to the Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills, an unofficial designation of part of the City of Los Angeles, California, are part of the eastern section of the low transverse range of the Santa Monica Mountains, which extends from the Los Feliz District and Hollywood, on the south side of the Valley, to , Mulholland Drive is famous for its Dead Man's Curve Dead Man's Curve is the unofficial but commonly used name given to hazardous curves on Interstate and other highways in the United States that have claimed lives due to accidents. , ``lover's lanes,'' and lore of road racers and late-night rendezvous. A Valley city, however, would cut the Santa Monica Mountains community in half. And while some residents tilt toward secession, others like Ruiz favor a unified city. ``We are a community. We should do what's best for the entire community,'' said Tony Haber, 54, owner of Bel Air Paradise, an assisted-living home for seniors in Bel Air Knolls, just south of Encino. ``We should stay together. It's a bad feeling to be divided from your neighbors.'' Many, however, weren't aware they live on a potential political fault line. ``Personally I don't pay attention to any of this. I know I live in a beautiful spot. I have a PO box in Beverly Hills. I don't care absolutely one way or another,'' said Liliana Kaplan, who lives south of Mulholland and south of Sherman Oaks. ``I don't bother you, you don't bother me,'' said Kaplan, out walking her two dogs Sunday. What concerns many residents is how home prices and city services, such as fire protection, would be affected by a Valley breakaway. While segments of Mulholland Drive straddle In the stock and commodity markets, a strategy in options contracts consisting of an equal number of put options and call options on the same underlying share, index, or commodity future. three area codes between the Valley and the rest of Los Angeles, residents from either side of the scenic byway demonstrated strong allegiance either to the Valley or the city as a whole. ``I'd rather be on the Valley side,'' said Skip Van Leeuwen, 63, a five- time national dirt track champion and recent inductee into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is located near the Columbus, Ohio, United States suburb of Pickerington. The Motorcycle Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made significant contributions to all aspects of motorcycling, including those who have excelled in motorcycle . Leeuwen bought his southside Mulholland home from Bill Cosby in 1974. Although he has a 323 area code and a Los Angeles address, south of Studio City, he considers himself Val to the very core. ``I really live in the Valley. My home faces the Valley. My business is in the Valley. I'm a Valley guy. ... It (already) ought to be called Studio City,'' rather than Los Angeles, added Leeuwen. Reza Rezaei, 54, of Woodland Hills also favors secession on grounds it may finally prompt officials to landscape the dirt-patch median in front of his home. ``Now the Valley is like an earlobe ear·lobe or ear lobe n. The soft, fleshy, pendulous lower part of the external ear. of the city,'' he said. ``But if it secedes, it will be the ear.'' But Dennis Sanchez, 45, a Los Angeles teacher living across a double- Mulholland Drive from Ruiz, is dead set against secession. ``There's got to be a better solution, besides secession,'' he said. ``People usually seek counseling before a divorce. You want to know the truth? People are happy here. The biggest issue for us is people building in the hills.'' ``We have a beautiful view. It's wonderful. It's very quiet,'' added Iran Makki, who moved four years ago from Beverly Hills to a palatial pa·la·tial adj. 1. Of or suitable for a palace: palatial furnishings. 2. Of the nature of a palace, as in spaciousness or ornateness: a palatial yacht. home on the Encino side of Mulholland. ``I love the area. I love Los Angeles. Once L.A., always L.A.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Dennis Sanchez, a teacher, looks at the boundary if the Valley secedes, which he opposes. His home is on the Los Angeles side. (2) Mary Ruiz and her husband, Robert Tulido, live at the edge of the potential new Valley city. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion