by Laura Monteros
Photos by Laura Monteros and Elliot Gold
Three hot topics were addressed at Tuesday’s ACONA (Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations) meeting at the Altadena Library Tuesday night: filming in Altadena, liquor stores, and coyotes.
Filming: how to get them to film at your house ... and how to complain about it
Geoffrey Smith (pictured), director of community relations for Film LA, which oversees location shoots for the city and county of Los Angeles, and Russ Fega, owner of Home Shoot Home which specializes in promoting locations in Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena, shared their expertise.
Film LA. handles complaints about filming around the clock at (213) 977-8600. Smith said that if there is a problem, call while it’s occurring, not afterwards. His office will contact the location manager for the production company.
Most of the time, residents don’t have to move out the production and agreements from the neighbors are not required, but production companies do notify nearby residents. Smith said, “Outreach to your neighbors is a good thing for you to do,” and added “The mood in Altadena seems to accept and tolerate filming.”
Both Fega and Smith said that most production companies try to be as respectful as possible of the homes and neighborhoods they are in. Fees for the use of a home vary and are negotiated individually with the property owner.
Fega (pictured left), a 15-year Altadenan, said typical fees for a 14-15 hour day are $2,500-$3,000 for a photo shoot, $5,000 for interior filming, and $3,000 for exteriors. Prep days and pick up days, since they require smaller crews, are less. If filming at any location is fewer than 14 days in a year, homeowners do not have to pay taxes on the money, according to Smith.
Property owners who are interested in using their places for filming can contact Fega at (626) 794-1616. He says, “I drive out to every house that asks.”
Altadena Community Chest: As an unincorporated community, fees from production companies do not go directly to Altadena -- they go to the county. Since Fega told the audience that, since he represents about 800 properties in Altadena, he asked himself, “What can I do to give back to the community?” His answer was to start the non-profit Altadena Community Chest. When companies shoot in Altadena, Fega asks them to donate to the ACC as a thank you to the community. Sometimes neighbors also donate, and there is a button on the website for others who wish to do so.
Since it was incorporated in January of this year, the organization has given $2,500 to community organizations, including Altadena Library, Five Acres, Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy, Altadena Heritage, Altadena Elementary School, and Young & Healthy. ACC has partnered with Macy’s “shop for a cause” to sell coupons for $5 that will garner 25 percent off a purchase.
Liquor stores
Are there really more liquor stores in Altadena than other communities? The second part of the meeting addressed the number of liquor stores and the conduct of the owners and customers. It may surprise residents that Altadena has relatively few liquor stores, compared to other communities, said Anthony Posada, supervising investigator for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Of those with a similar size population, Altadena has the lowest number of liquor stores (see chart)
The three elements that comprise the workload of the ABC are administration, licensing, and compliance and enforcement. Because the Monrovia office of the ABC, which serves Altadena, has only five investigators, three licensing representatives, and four program technicians, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was recently given a grant to assist in enforcement for Region 1 (which includes Altadena).
Posada said there are not many offsite drinking violations in Altadena, but one resident responded that the store at Lincoln and Figueroa has been a problem for 15 to 20 years, “including a couple shootings.” She said, “Within a three-mile radius, there are at least four liquor stores I can walk to. They are concentrated in northwest Altadena.” Posada emphasized that complainants should “give meat, teeth” to their concerns by being specific. “I’ve been writing letters for eight years,” the resident replied.
While it is difficult to get a new liquor license and requires a conditional use permit (CUP), businesses that held licenses prior to 1992 are exempt, according to Alex Garcia, supervising regional planner for the County. There are no conditions on the type, quantity, or use of liquor for the grandfathered businesses, and the licenses are transferable to new owners.
However, certain changes can trigger a CUP, such as increasing advertising space by 25 percent or more or increasing the floor size by 10 percent or more.
Deborah Wright (pictured), assistant operations chief for the Treasurer and Tax Collector of L.A. County (which licenses businesses) said that agency does not license liquor stores because it is done by the state. What is licensed by the department is the sale of food on the premises. Posada said they attempt to balance the concerns of residents with the needs of legitimate and responsible business owners. Elliot Gold of the Upside Down T Neighborhood Association gave the example of Johnny Drawn, who owned a liquor store on Fair Oaks for many years and “sunk a lot of money into Altadena” to benefit schools.
And the coyotes keep coming….
Ellen Walton of the County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures, which oversees animal control, an Altadena resident, talked about coyotes. Citing the recent spate of coyote attacks, she said, “We are trying to do something about it. We have heard your complaints and we are serving the area.” She said she even cruises the streets at 5 or 6 AM and asks people walking their dogs if they’ve seen any coyotes.
She pleaded, “Please keep your dogs secured. Keep small dogs in at night. Pick up fallen fruit and dump out water dishes. For cryin’ out loud, don’t invite them into your yard!” She can be emailed at awalton@acwm,lacounty.gov
