Summer in the San Fernando Valley

New season, new website.

The Valley has some amazing people and places and some truly great independent media documenting its myriad aspects. Valley Living is another project to cover and amplify lesser-known resources, hidden gems, and add to conversations with its own sensibility and style.

It's inspired by experiences of picking up LA Weekly at Tower Records, catching California Gold on TV, or opening a browser to 2000s-era local & lifestyle blogs like Curbed or Lifehacker (or the quirkier niche ones on Blogspot and Blogger). A lifestyle magazine on actual life stuff - it's about making it easier to buy local, meet neighbors, get involved, go to a show, hear new ideas, find help, and share stories. But most of all it aspires to capture the feeling of being here, what makes it different from other parts of LA, and uncover different paths in times of change.

The past gave us some great media and experiences, many of which we grow increasingly nostalgic about today. Current platforms can surface people and ideas never before accessible, but are increasingly extractive and isolating. So this is about remixing ideas old and new, obvious and obscure, this and that to see what happens. Hope you'll keep checking it out.

From the Desk of Valley Living

Summer is here. And the song of the summer is indisputably Van Nuys Boulevard by Josh Heller, available on Qobuz, Apple, and other streaming services.

I'm very much feeling it, especially the Cafe '50s reference as my biggest memory there was an awkward meeting with a 6th-grade boyfriend. Also check out his blog In The Valley With Josh Heller for the best of Valley updates and history.

Patton Oswald gave local Valley businesses shout-outs in the LA Times. He also adds weight to the notion it's a place for aging hipsters, “I like where the Valley’s going. I like how its residents are aging, because they’re aging into weirdness rather than safety, which is what I will always go for." As a potential VL demographic, seems like a good sign.

We all know Valley summers are hot and dry, so why not cool off at community pools. There are pools in Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Reseda (2), Northridge, Granada Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima (2), Panorama City, Lakeview Terrace, Van Nuys, North Hollywood (2), and Sun Valley - and they're all open now. Classes and other amenities are often available.

Speaking of hot and dry, be sure to clear brush to avoid fire. This is mandatory in high-risk zones in the hills and foothills around the Valley as seen on the Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) map of California.

Check out Brush Clearance Requirements on the LAFD site and if you are in a high-risk zone, check your inspection status at their Fire Inspection Management System (FIMS). I noticed that you need to log in with an Angeleno Account. Similar to the federal government's ID.me, it is a universal login for city services that launched during the pandemic. I kept getting an error trying to sign up, but maybe you'll have better luck. :/

To stay on top of the latest fire information the Watch Duty app. It gives alerts when a fire first breaks out and all manner of updates including evacuation zones, local resources, and progress/containment status.

That's all for now. Comment if you have summertime tips or recommendations for good Valley living. Have a rad summer! 😎