Hello everyone,
2023 is off to a soggy start with rain and even hail here in lovely San Pedro. This month's featured photo was taken in Alma Park on a rainy, foggy evening in early March.
Alma Park Picnic 2023
Our second annual summer event will take place on July 1, 2023. Last year this event drew a crowd of 165 people, with live music, fun and games, a raffle, and more.
This year, we are looking for volunteers to help us bring this event to life. We have all kinds of volunteer roles available, from staffing the registration tables to helping promote the event on social media. If you are interested in supporting this year, please fill out this volunteer interest form.
The Fence in Alma Park
For those who have visited the park, you may have noticed a fence on the hill on the south side has collapsed. Our group has been working with Council District 15 to get the fence replaced, and other neighbors have been putting pressure on various government agencies too.
The collapsed fence represents a safety issue, so Alma Park Neighbors has asked the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council to file a motion directed at four government agencies to replace the fence as quickly as possible.
The Los Angeles Recreations and Parks (LARAP) department is responsible for replacing the fence. Our group has found official meeting minutes from the Alma Park Park Advisory Board (PAB) with requests from the community to replace the fence dating back to 2015.
How a government agency can defer essential maintenance that represents a safety hazard for almost ten years is mind-boggling. However, we believe the end is in sight as continued pressure from our community will hopefully spur action.
Here's what you can expect to find in this month's issue:
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Our previous meeting
Thirty neighbors attended our last meeting, which is the most people we've had attend one of our meetings in a long, long time. On Saturday, March 4, our neighbors gathered, despite the cold, to provide ideas and suggestions for this year's Alma Park Picnic, which will take place on July 1, 2023.
The suggestions largely fell into three categories:
- Something for kids to do, ideas included:
- Arts and crafts (which could appeal to adults too)
- LA Police and Fire Department presence
- A face painter/magician
- Some games or activities
- Food
- Music
So we are going to work on organizing some activities and options that align with what we heard.
And we're still looking for ideas (and volunteers). So if you have some thoughts to share, please head over to this form and let us know what you think would make this year's Alma Park Picnic even better.
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Our next meeting
Our next meeting will take place on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 9:30am. We meet in Alma Park by the picnic tables.
Our Los Angeles Police Department Senior Lead Officer, Melody Shortle, will join us. Officer Shortle will be providing a crime update and answering community questions.
In addition, we plan to have Tim McOsker's field deputy for San Pedro visit the meeting.
Coffee and light refreshments will be served. Please come join us!
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Emergency Prep tip of the month
Last month, we talked about an emergency response drill, which happened on Feb 25th. Despite the weather forecast containing nothing but rain, 17 people from all over Los Angeles county showed up. Two teams went out into the neighborhood to practice damage assessment and to "practice" addressing some basic hazards like gas leaks. One thing we learned was that, despite most of the group being Community Emergency Response Team members, most people did not have all the gear they needed to respond properly and, more importantly, to keep themselves safe. Most participants came up with at least one item they felt they should get so that it would be on hand for a real emergency.
So if a major earthquake happens, and you decide you want to help in the response effort, what should you have?
At the absolute bare minimum, you must have sturdy close-toed shoes, long pants, a shirt, and appropriate weather gear (raincoat if it's raining, jacket if it's really cold, and so on.) For safety, you will need a helmet, work gloves, an N95 mask, goggles, and a working flashlight. You will probably also want a reflective vest, a pen or two, a whistle, and extra batteries for the flashlight. We also highly encourage everyone to have a Family Radio Service(FRS) radio.
Other really important items are a shut-off tool, caution tape (to mark off dangerous areas, for example, the area around a fallen utility wire), a first aid kit, bottled water and snack food, a knife/multitool, and a pry bar.
Most of these items are for your personal safety, so are good to have on hand even if you need to stay home after the "Big One." You may already have most of these things, so put them in a bin or a backpack where you can easily find them when you need them.
And when we do our next drill, join us and show off your kit!
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Pet Talk
Take a minute to "PAWS" and honor National Animal Poison Prevention Week, held each year on the third week in March - this year March 19-25. This week ties into National Poison Prevention Week, which details how to protect humans from accidental poisonings.
The National Animal Poison Prevention week runs as part of Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month - a larger cause to spread awareness about pet poisoning. Did you know an estimated 232,000 pets are accidentally poisoned each year by ingesting common household food products and/or plants. Here are a few items that may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, kidney or other organ failure - or worse! to our beloved dogs and cats:
Cats:
- Onions and garlic
- Raw eggs
- Chocolate
- Seeds
- Raisins
- Nuts
- Citrus fruits
- Xylitol
- All lilies: trumpet, calla, white
- Azaleas, begonias, borage, bird of paradise, daffodils
Dogs:
- Apple seeds
- onions
- Appricot/cherry pits
- Avocado
- Salt
- Aloe vera family
- Asparagus fern
- Azaleas
- Begonias
Both cats and dogs:
- Should never have human drugs
- May react poorly if they ingest some fertilizers or pest control products
- Shouldn't have:
- Grapes
- Any artificial sweetener
Learn to protect your pets and how to pet-proof your home. This web page contains a comprehensive list of things that can cause your pet harm if eaten.
Pet Poison Hotline 24/7 1(800) 213-6680 or check out this web page for more information.
For some printable resources on pet safety, check out this web page: https://www.aspcapro.org/printable-pet-safety-materials
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Upcoming events
Here is a list of upcoming events taking place in our neighborhood:
- Saturday, April 1, 2023, at 9:00 am: Alma Park Deep Clean. Join your neighbors, have some fun, make friends, and make a difference!
- Saturday, April 1, 2023, at 9:30 am: Alma Park Neighbors monthly meeting IN-PERSON! Join us at the picnic tables in Alma Park for some light refreshments.
- Saturday, April 1 AND EVERY SATURDAY! at 4:00 pm: Join us for our weekly neighborhood walking club! We will meet in Alma Park at the picnic tables!
- Saturday, April 8, 2023, at 5:30 pm: AlmaNet radio check-in! For more information on participating, please check out this article on our website.
- Saturday, July 1, 2023: from 10am-2pm: the Alma Park Picnic!
Be sure to check out our Events page for the latest information about the schedule.
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How you can help
This month we are looking for helpers for the Alma Park Picnic.
Here are a few of the volunteer opportunities:
- Help us market the event, which could be as simple as delivering flyers or postcards to neighbors or helping promote the event on social media.
- Work a welcome table at the event, greeting people and helping them get checked in.
- Help support the arts and crafts effort.
- Join our outreach team to help us connect with local businesses so we can highlight them at our event.
Please fill out this form if you're interested in volunteering.
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